Search Results (18)

The grain supply chain is crucial for any nation’s self-sustainability due to its huge impact on food security, economic stability, and the livelihoods of several people. The path grain takes from farmers to consumers is opaque and complicated, due to which consumers cannot trust grain quality and its origin. Although blockchain is widely used for fair and secure transactions between farmers and buyers, issues related to transparency and traceability in the grain supply chain, such as counterfeiting and middlemen involvement, have not been adequately addressed. To tackle these issues, a blockchain-based solution is proposed that unites farmers, warehouses, government central and state agencies, transporters, and food corporations on a single platform to enhance transparency, traceability, and trust among all parties. This system involves minting a non-fungible token (NFT) corresponding to each lot of grain approved by government officials. The NFT comprises grain quality, type, temperature data from sensors, weight, and ownership information, which updates as the grain lot moves across the supply chain from central agencies to state agencies and so on. NFTs enable stakeholders to track the grain lot from cultivation to end-users, providing insights into grain conditions and quality. An Internet of Things-based circuit is designed using a Digital-output relative humidity & temperature (DHT22) sensor, which offers real-time temperature and humidity readings, and geolocation coordinates are gathered from the GPS module across the supply chain. Farmers can directly interact with warehouses to sell grains, eliminating the need for middlemen and fostering trust among all parties. The proposed four-tier framework is implemented and deployed on the Ethereum network, with smart contracts interacting with React-based web pages. Analysis and results of the proposed model illustrate that it is viable, secure, and superior to the existing grain supply chain system. Full article

This study aims to provide analyses of the levels of airborne particulate matter (PM) using a two-pronged approach that combines data from in situ Internet of Things (IoT) sensor networks with remotely sensed aerosol optical depth (AOD). Our approach involved setting up a network of custom-designed PM sensors that could be powered by the electrical grid or solar panels. These sensors were strategically placed throughout the densely populated areas of North Texas to collect data on PM levels, weather conditions, and other gases from September 2021 to June 2023. The collected data were then used to create models that predict PM concentrations in different size categories, demonstrating high accuracy with correlation coefficients greater than 0.9. This highlights the importance of collecting hyperlocal data with precise geographic and temporal alignment for PM analysis. Furthermore, we expanded our analysis to a national scale by developing machine learning models that estimate hourly PM${ }_{2.5}$ levels throughout the continental United States. These models used high-resolution data from the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites (GOES-16) Aerosol Optical Depth (AOD) dataset, along with meteorological data from the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (ECMWF), AOD reanalysis, and air pollutant information from the MERRA-2 database, covering the period from January 2020 to June 2023. Our models were refined using ground truth data from our IoT sensor network, the OpenAQ network, and the National Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) network, enhancing the accuracy of our remote sensing PM estimates. The findings demonstrate that the combination of AOD data with meteorological analyses and additional datasets can effectively model PM${ }_{2.5}$ concentrations, achieving a significant correlation coefficient of 0.849. The reconstructed PM${ }_{2.5}$ surfaces created in this study are invaluable for monitoring pollution events and performing detailed PM${ }_{2.5}$ analyses. These results were further validated through real-world observations from two in situ MINTS sensors located in Joppa (South Dallas) and Austin, confirming the effectiveness of our comprehensive approach to PM analysis. The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently updated the national standard for PM${ }_{2.5}$ to 9 $\mathsf{\mu }$g/m${ }^3$, a move aimed at significantly reducing air pollution and protecting public health by lowering the allowable concentration of harmful fine particles in the air. Using our analysis approach to reconstruct the fine-time resolution PM${ }_{2.5}$ distribution across the entire United States for our study period, we found that the entire nation encountered PM${ }_{2.5}$ levels that exceeded 9 $\mathsf{\mu }$g/m${ }^3$ for more than 20% of the time of our analysis period, with the eastern United States and California experiencing concentrations exceeding 9 $\mathsf{\mu }$g/m${ }^3$ for over 50% of the time, highlighting the importance of regulatory efforts to maintain annual PM${ }_{2.5}$ concentrations below 9 $\mathsf{\mu }$g/m${ }^3$. Full article

In the past few decades, India’s tech industry has boomed, making it a leader in the digital world. Today, India has many big tech companies, well-trained software developers, and cutting-edge technology like AI and cloud computing. This success shows India’s innovative spirit and makes the country a good example for other developing nations. However, global portfolio managers often overlook potential diversification opportunities beyond India’s dynamic stock market. This study investigates the viability of MINT (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey) as diversification targets, specifically analyzing spillover effects and volatility dynamics between their stock markets and that of India. Leveraging vector autoregressions (VARs) and dynamic conditional correlation (DCC)–GARCH models, we uncover intricate relationships. Further, DCC–GARCH analysis reveals varying degrees of volatility spillover, offering valuable insights for risk management. Our findings suggest that MINT economies, particularly Mexico and Turkey, hold promise for Indian portfolio diversification. By strategically incorporating these markets, investors can potentially mitigate India-specific risks and enhance portfolio returns. We urge global portfolio managers to consider Turkey as a viable diversification avenue, acknowledging the nuanced market growth dynamics highlighted in this study. Full article

Farming is a major sector required for any nation to become self-sustainable. Quality seeds heavily influence the effectiveness of farming. Seeds cultivated by breeders pass through several entities in order to reach farmers. The existing seed supply chain is opaque and intractable, which not only hinders the growth of crops but also makes the life of a farmer miserable. Blockchain has been widely employed to enable fair and secure transactions between farmers and buyers, but concerns related to transparency and traceability in the seed supply chain, counterfeit seeds, middlemen involvement, and inefficient processes in the agricultural ecosystem have not received enough attention. To address these concerns, a blockchain-based solution is proposed that brings breeders, farmers, warehouse owners, transporters, and food corporations to a single platform to enhance transparency, traceability, and trust among trust-less parties. A smart contract updates the status of seeds from a breeder from $submitted$ to $approved$. Then, a non-fungible token (NFT) corresponding to approved seeds is minted for the breeder, which records the date of cultivation and its owner (breeder). The NFT enables farmers to keep track of seeds right from the date of their cultivation and their owner, which helps them to make better decisions about picking seeds from the correct owner. Farmers directly interact with warehouses to purchase seeds, which removes the need for middlemen and improves the trust among trust-less entities. Furthermore, a tender for the transportation of seeds is auctioned on the basis of the priority location $lo{c}_p$, Score, and bid_amount of every transporter, which provides a fair chance to every transporter to restrict the monopoly of a single transporter. The proposed system achieves immutability, decentralization, and efficiency inherently from the blockchain. We implemented the proposed scheme and deployed it on the Ethereum network. Smart contracts deployed over the Ethereum network interact with React-based web pages. The analysis and results of the proposed model indicate that it is viable and secure, as well as superior to the current seed supply chain system. Full article

Background and objectives: National authorities and WHO recommend limiting consumption of added sugars from different foods. Polyols like isomalt can be used as bulk sweetener and thus help the food industry to replace sugar. Isomalt is a naturally sourced sugar replacer and the only one in its kind made from pure beet sugar. It has low physiological energy value (approximately 8.4 kJ/g), is non-cariogenic, and has low glycaemic properties as well as a very limited effect on insulin response. The present investigation aims to provide evidence from a series of recent randomized human intervention trials in which the respective effects of isomalt as low-digestible carbohydrate replacing sugar in various sweets were tested. Methods: Blood glucose and insulin response of different sweets were tested according to standardized test procedure. The sweets (i.e., chocolate, candies, mints and jam) were provided in realistic portion sizes and either contained sugar or sugar was replaced 1:1 by isomalt. Products were comparable in appearance, taste, and sweetness. 10 healthy adults (mean age: 40.6 ± 7.0 years, BMI: 23.5 ± 3.2 kg/m²) were randomly assigned to consume the sweets in the morning after an overnight fast. Capillary blood samples were taken at baseline up to 180 min to determine blood glucose and insulin levels. Results: Replacing sugar by isomalt led to significantly lower blood glucose response for all products. This was characterized by a significantly reduced incremental glucose peak (iCmax) ranging from −46% to −83% (all p < 0.05) and a reduction of the two-hour incremental area under the curve (iAUC2h) by 5% to 71% (p < 0.05 for candies, mints and jam). The lower glycaemic profile was accompanied by lower insulin levels. Accordingly, iCmax and iAUC2h following isomalt variants were remarkably reduced by 70 to 92% (all p < 0.05) and 58 to 87% (all p < 0.05), respectively. Discussion: With a series of RCTs conducted according to international standards in blood glucose response testing, we demonstrate reduced postprandial glycaemic and insulin response to various sweets in which sugar was replaced by isomalt. Hence, using isomalt as a naturally sourced sugar replacer is a viable strategy to support a low glycaemic diet. Full article

Quilts occupy a liminal position in the histories of art and material culture. Centering analyses around specific artworks like Martha Ricks’ 1892 Coffee Tree quilt, as well as investigating women’s writing about their material production, illuminates ignored narratives about the ways black women participated in international social, political, and economic networks around the nineteenth-century Atlantic world. Quilters who emigrated from the United States to Liberia in the nineteenth century incorporated an aesthetic heritage from the American South with new visual vocabularies developing alongside the newly independent nation. Artists relied on networks with abolitionists in the United States and local textile knowledge to source materials for their work. Finished quilts circulated in local and international contexts, furthering social, political, and economic objectives. Like Harriet Powers’ bible quilts, Ricks’ quilts gained fame through exhibition and a whimsical artist’s biography. Quilts’ fragility as natural-fiber textiles in a tropical climate makes a finding a body of works difficult to examine as there are no extant Liberian quilts from the nineteenth century. However, it is possible to patch together a network of women artists, their patrons, and audiences from West Africa to North America and Europe through creative investigation of diverse historical records, including diary entries, letters, newspaper articles, and photographs. I argue that by examining Martha Ricks’ artworks, self-presentation through portraiture, and published writing, it is possible to envision a new narrative of black women’s participation in visualizing the newly-minted Republic of Liberia for Atlantic audiences. Full article

Many rare plant species lack up-to-date research about their reproductive ecology, which challenges effective in situ and ex situ conservation, particularly in the face of ongoing environmental and anthropogenic changes. For protected species, outdated and incomplete information also creates barriers to successful recovery planning and delisting. In this study, we gathered a range of reproductive metrics for the federally threatened and state endangered Florida endemic mint, Macbridea alba Chapman (Lamiaceae). We collected data at seven populations within Apalachicola National Forest (Florida, USA) and conducted germination trials to estimate reproductive potential. Additionally, we observed a previously undocumented lepidopteran seed predator for the species and confirmed the occurrence of vivipary. The seed set was low with less than 20% of flowers per inflorescence producing seed across populations; however, germination was high with more than 60% of seeds germinating in five of seven populations. When comparing our results to previous research conducted more than 20 years ago, the results were similar overall (i.e., germination, vivipary); however, new information emerged (i.e., herbivore pressure). As M. alba undergoes reassessment as a potential candidate for delisting from the Endangered Species Act (ESA) list, this information is critical for assessing recovery goals and decisions regarding the species’ protected status. For recovery needs related to propagation and reintroduction, these results can inform future seed collection and propagation efforts for the species. Full article

Acreage estimates are crucial for forecasting menthol mint acreage, as crop output figures fluctuate from year to year in response to fluctuations in the market price of menthol mint oil. Thus, there are yearly fluctuations in the maximum price that farmers can obtain. Since low production arises from low rates, and high production results from high prices, these acreage estimate studies may be useful in lowering uncertainty regarding menthol mints’ output. The widespread adoption of remote sensing technologies for assessing crop acreage at both the national and international levels can be attributed to their low cost, ease of use, and flexibility. The extent of an area planted with menthol mint in the Vishakhapatnam district of Andhra Pradesh, India, was estimated using Sentinel-2A satellite data for that year. After conducting a comprehensive ground survey, the area of the menthol mint crop was estimated using an adaptive maximum chance-type set of rules for taluk-level statistics. According to the research, the Bheemunipatnam taluk in the Vishakhapatnam district was the most productive in growing menthol mint. Using customer and manufacturer accuracies of 89.13% and 87.23%, along with the average accuracy (90.67%) and kappa rate (0.9), the total acreage of menthol mint crop in the study region was estimated to be around 58,000,284.70 ha (0.844). A further aim in this study was to estimate the acreage planted with early and late menthol mint. Around 26,123.50 ha and 29,911.40 ha were found to be home to early menthol mint and late menthol mint, respectively. This method shows promise for early- and late-stage crop acreage assessment of menthol mint using a localised degree of precision. Full article

Foodborne diseases are an important public health concern worldwide. Following a first global estimate of the burden of these diseases by the World Health Organization in 2015, many high-income countries implemented the generation of national data as a part of strategies to limit the transmission of pathogens through the food chain. In contrast, low-income countries, especially in the sub-Saharan Africa region, have limited data available on the burden and the source of contamination of produce destined for human and animal consumption. In this study, we analyzed Salmonella contamination of vegetables sold in supermarkets and open wet markets of five cities located in the Niayes zone, an area of high market gardening activities in the north western area of Senegal. We found high levels of Salmonella contamination of leafy vegetables, including mint leaves, parsley and lettuce. Contamination was higher in samples from supermarkets compared to open markets. Our results stress the need for an active surveillance of the microbiological quality of vegetables in Senegal, especially the presence of Salmonella, in order to prevent the risk of transmission of this bacterium through the food chain. Full article

The current paper evaluates the role of disintegrated trade, financial development, and renewable energy on consumption-based carbon emissions (CCO₂) in MINT nations between 1990Q1 and 2019Q4. This paper utilizes the novel Bootstrap Fourier Granger causality in quantiles (BFGC-Q) to evaluate this connection. This approach produces tail-causal and asymmetric causal connections between the indicators within the Fourier approximation, contrary to the Toda–Yamamoto causality and other conventional Granger tests. The outcomes uncover a unidirectional causality from economic growth and renewable energy to CCO₂ emissions in each MINT nation. Moreover, unidirectional causality emerged from financial development to CCO₂ for Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey. Moreover, exports have predictive power over CCO₂ in Indonesia, Turkey, and Mexico, while imports only have predictive power over CCO₂ emissions in Turkey. Lastly, financial development causes CCO₂ in Indonesia, Nigeria, and Mexico. In summary, green energy and exports are essential factors that decrease CCO₂ emissions and therefore decrease ecological deterioration in Mexico, Indonesia, and Turkey. On the flip side, imports only trigger CCO₂ emissions in Turkey and Mexico. Lastly, the financial development effect on CCO₂ emissions is positive in Mexico, Indonesia, and Nigeria, while an insignificant impact is found in Turkey. Based on these findings, policy ramifications are initiated. Full article

Introduction: Electronic cigarettes are the most popular tobacco product among U.S. youth, and over 80% of current youth users of e-cigarettes use flavored e-cigarettes, with fruit, mint/menthol, and candy/sweets being the most popular flavors. A number of new e-liquid flavors are currently emerging in the online e-cigarette market. Menthol and other flavored e-cigarettes could incentivize combustible tobacco smokers to transition to e-cigarette use. Methods: From February to May 2021, we scraped data of over 14,000 e-liquid products, including detailed descriptions of their flavors, from five national online vape shops. Building upon the existing e-liquid flavor wheel, we expanded the semantic databases (i.e., key terms) to identify flavors using WordNet—a major database for keyword matching and group discussion. Using the enriched databases, we classified 14,000+ e-liquid products into the following 11 main flavor categories: “fruit”, “dessert/candy/sweets”, “coffee/tea”, “alcohol”, “other beverages”, “tobacco”, “mint/menthol”, “nuts”, “spices/pepper”, “other flavors”, and “unspecified flavor”. Results: We find that the most prominent flavor sold in the five online vape shop in 2021 was fruit flavored products, followed by dessert/candy/other sweets. Online vendors often label a product with several flavor profiles, such as fruit and menthol. Conclusions: Given that online stores market products with multiple flavor profiles and most of their products contain fruit flavor, the FDA may have issued marketing denial orders to some of these products. It is important to further examine how online stores respond to the FDA flavor restrictions (e.g., compliance or non-compliance). Full article

Over the years, the economies of Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Turkey (the MINT countries) have had significant levels of economic growth. However, these countries have not been able to protect the quality of their environments simultaneously. As a result, the rising environmental indices in these nations cast a gloomy shadow over their capacity to continue their economic development. It has been shown that a more educated workforce may boost an economy’s absorption capacity and enhance the efficiency of green technology, both of which contribute to lower emissions of greenhouse gases. This article reports on research that examines the link between educating the labor force and environmental sustainability in the MINT economies. In order to conduct an empirical analysis of the data spanning the years 1995–2020, panel ARDL-PMG and NARDL-PMG techniques were used. First, the results of the ARDL-PMG demonstrate that a more highly educated workforce plays a vital role in mitigating CO₂ emissions. Moreover, the NARDL-PMG’s results demonstrate that a positive component of a highly educated workforce is a large negative influence on CO₂ emissions, whereas in the long run, the negative component of a highly educated workforce has a positive impact on CO₂ emissions over time. This article recommends that the MINT nations’ authorities boost education and training for their workforces in order to keep CO₂ emissions down. Full article

The evolving electronic nicotine delivery system (ENDS) marketplace and recent regulatory actions may influence youth ENDS device preferences. Using data from Waves (W) 4, 4.5, and 5 (2016–2019) of the nationally representative Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study, this study estimated the prevalence of open and closed system primary ENDS use by youth (12–17 years) current (past 30-day) ENDS users, and compared demographics, tobacco use characteristics, and patterns of ENDS use, including flavors, by device type. Among current ENDS users, closed system use was significantly higher than open system use in W4.5 (68.3% vs. 31.7%) and W5 (60.5% vs. 39.5%). In W5, closed system users were more likely to have a regular ENDS brand, believe their ENDS had nicotine, and use tobacco and mint or menthol flavors in the past 30 days compared to open system users. In W5, users of closed systems were less likely to use fruit, non-alcoholic drink, and candy, desserts, or other sweets flavors in the past 30 days than users of open systems. Youth were more likely to use closed over open system ENDS in 2017–2019. Differences were observed between device types, particularly with flavor use, reflecting recent changes in flavored product availability. Full article

The association between carbon emissions and international trade has been examined thoroughly; however, consumption-based carbon emissions, which is adjusted for international trade, have not been studied extensively. Therefore, the present study assesses the asymmetric impact of trade (import and export) and economic growth in consumption-based carbon emissions (CCO₂) using the MINT nations (Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey) as a case study. We applied the Nonlinear ARDL to assess this connection using dataset between 1990 and 2018. The outcomes from the BDS test affirmed the use of nonlinear techniques. Furthermore, the NARDL bounds test confirmed long-run association between CCO₂ and exports, imports and economic growth. The outcomes from the NARDL long and short-run estimates disclosed that positive (negative) shocks in imports increase (decrease) CCO₂ emissions in all the MINT nations. Moreover, positive (negative) shocks in exports decrease (increase) CCO₂ emissions in all the MINT nations. As expected, a positive shock in economic growth triggers CCO₂ emissions while a negative shift does not have significant impact on CCO₂ emissions in the MINT nations. Furthermore, we applied the Gradual shift causality test and the outcomes disclose that imports and economic growth can predict CCO₂ emissions in the MINT nations. The study outcomes have significant policy recommendations for policymakers in the MINT nations. Full article

Potential mechanisms by which e-cigarette use may relate to combustible cigarette smoking cessation are not well-understood. We used U.S. nationally representative data to prospectively evaluate the relationship between e-cigarette flavor use and frequency of e-cigarette use among adult cigarette/e-cigarette dual users who attempted to quit smoking cigarettes. Analyses used Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) Study data from adult dual users (2015/16) who attempted to quit smoking between 2015/16 and 2016/17 (Wave 3-Wave 4, n = 685, including those who did/did not quit by 2016/17). E-cigarette flavor use (usual/last flavor, past 30-day flavor; assessed in 2015/16) was categorized into Only tobacco; Only menthol/mint; Only non-tobacco, non-menthol/mint; and Any combination of tobacco, menthol/mint, other flavor(s). The key outcome, evaluated at follow-up in 2016/17, was frequent e-cigarette use, which was defined as use on 20+ of past 30 days. Logistic regression was used to evaluate associations between e-cigarette flavor use in 2015/16 and frequent e-cigarette use at follow-up in 2016/17. Dual users who attempted to quit smoking had greater odds of frequent e-cigarette use at follow-up when they used only non-tobacco, non-menthol/mint flavor than when they used only tobacco flavor as their regular/last e-cigarette flavor (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.1–3.4); findings were no longer significant when adjusted for factors including e-cigarette device type (AOR = 1.4, 95% CI: 0.7–2.8). Past 30-day e-cigarette flavor use results were generally similar, although frequent e-cigarette use at follow-up was highest among those who used any combination of tobacco, menthol/mint, or other flavors. Findings indicate that e-cigarette flavor use among dual users who attempt to quit smoking may be related to e-cigarette use frequency overall, which may indicate a mechanism underlying findings for e-cigarette use and smoking cessation. Further longitudinal research may help to disentangle how e-cigarette characteristics uniquely impact e-cigarette use frequency and smoking cessation/sustained use. Full article