scholarly journals Coffee Leaves: An Upcoming Novel Food?

Planta Medica ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Stévigny ◽  
Pierre Van Antwerpen ◽  
Andrea Montis ◽  
Florence Souard ◽  
Cédric Delporte ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
In Planta ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Good Source ◽  
Coffee Beans ◽  
Manufactured Products ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Coffee Species

AbstractUnlike those of coffee beans, the healthy properties of coffee leaves have been overlooked for a long time, even if they are consumed as a beverage by local communities of several African countries. Due to the presence of xanthines, diterpenes, xanthones, and several other polyphenol derivatives as main secondary metabolites, coffee leaves might be useful to prevent many daily disorders. At the same time, as for all bioactive molecules, careless use of coffee leaf infusions may be unsafe due to their adverse effects, such as the excessive stimulant effects on the central nervous system or their interactions with other concomitantly administered drugs. Moreover, the presence of some toxic diterpene derivatives requires careful analytical controls on manufactured products made with coffee leaves. Accordingly, knowledge about the properties of coffee leaves needs to be increased to know if they might be considered a good source for producing new supplements. The purpose of the present review is to highlight the biosynthesis, metabolism, and distribution of the 4 main classes of secondary metabolites present in coffee leaves, their main pharmacological and toxicological aspects, and their main roles in planta. Differences in coffee leaf chemical composition depending on the coffee species will also be carefully considered.

Rethinking the Agency of Women in the Shea Industry

Politeia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abiba Yayah
Keyword(s):  
Rural Women ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Northern Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Good Source ◽  
Everyday Practices ◽  
Home Based

The agency of women in most African countries is often affected by the socio-economic and political policies that are almost always disadvantageous to women, especially women who have little to no knowledge of their rights. Using the shea industry in Ghana as a case study, I chronicle the challenges as recounted by rural women involved in this home-based work in the Northern Region of Ghana and critically analyse these challenges and their implications. Focusing mainly on the results of my recent field work, I present some of the accounts relating to the lack and exclusion of recognition of and respect for the experiences of rural women who are in fact the linchpin of the shea industry in Ghana. Initiatives and strategies of non-governmental organisations and some governmental policies have attempted to address these challenges that have implications for the livelihoods of rural women. Research and policies have only offered “band-aid solutions” to the economic disempowerment of rural women in the shea industry in Ghana as they have not dealt with the causes. This article seeks to refute the claim that equity exists by indicating the lack of equity and justice in the policies in the shea industry. In an attempt to provide an understanding of the economic disempowerment of women in this industry, I consider my field work as a good source as it exposes the experiences and everyday practices as narrated by rural women in the industry. This article seeks to analyse the existing discourses especially those pertaining to the contributions and experiences of rural women in the shea industry.

At Nature's Edge

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Human Impacts ◽  
Military Bases ◽  
East African ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The Road ◽  
European Experience ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Indian Ocean ◽  
The Many

In an epoch when environmental issues make the headlines, this is a work that goes beyond the everyday. Ecologies as diverse as the Himalayas and the Indian Ocean coast, the Negev desert and the former military bases of Vietnam, or the Namib desert and the east African savannah all have in common a long-time human presence and the many ways people have modified nature. With research in six Asian and African countries, the authors come together to ask how and why human impacts on nature have grown in scale and pace from a long pre-history. The chapters in this volume illumine specific patterns and responses across time, going beyond an overt centring of the European experience. The tapestry of life and the human reshaping of environments evoke both concern and hope, making it vital to understand when, why, and how we came to this particular turn in the road. Eschewing easy labels and questioning eurocentrism in today’s climate vocabulary, this is a volume that will stimulate rethinking among scholars and citizens alike.

Western Education and Rural Productivity in Tropical Africa

Africa ◽  
1962 ◽  
Vol 32 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-323 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. C. C. Evans
Keyword(s):  
Rural Life ◽  
Tropical Africa ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Western Education ◽  
Political Independence ◽  
White Collar Workers ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Complete Rejection ◽  
To Come ◽  
Opening Paragraph

Opening ParagraphFor many years British administrators and others concerned with the developing countries of tropical Africa have criticized Western-type schooling introduced there for what they believe to have been its bad effects on the life of rural peoples. They have complained that such schooling is prejudicial to rural life, since it produces a distaste for agriculture and leads to a drift from the land. They say it promotes in schoolchildren a desire to be clerks or white-collar workers and, because of their schooling, they develop a strong dislike for manual work and a reluctance to soil their hands with physical labour. They assert that these values inculcated by Western schooling lead finally to an almost complete rejection of rural life, a contempt for agriculture, and therefore to a decrease in rural productivity. Finally, they maintain that this is particularly serious in view of the fact that, as far as we can see at present, many African countries will have to depend on agriculture and the land for a long time to come, for it is only through such dependence that it seems likely that they will achieve economic viability which will be an important factor in making a success of political independence.

Power Lies in the Barrel of a Gun: Diplomacy Without Strategic Military Capability Is Futile

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 77-99
Author(s):  
Moorosi Leshoele
Keyword(s):  
The United States ◽  
United Nations Security Council ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Military Capability ◽  
Black Africa ◽  
Mineral Wealth ◽  
The World ◽  
Long Time ◽  
History Of ◽  
Pipe Dream

Abstract The United States of America invests heavily on their military capability and it is estimated that it spends, alone, approximately 40 per cent of what the whole world spends on military. Four of the other super powers that make up the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UN-SC) also spend a significant percentage of their national budgets on military. Chinweizu has for a long time argued that Africa needs a well-resourced African Standby Force (or the Black Africa League) that will protect the interests of the continent so as to prevent the history of Africans enslavement and colonialism repeating itself. This article seeks to analyse Africa’s investment on its military defense capability vis-à-vis the five permanent members of the UN-SC and North Korea, by critiquing two case studies of two of the continent’s economic giants – South Africa and Egypt. Realist and Sankofa perspectives are used as the prisms through which the article was researched. In line with Chinweizu’s observation, the article argues that without serious political will and dedication to building Africa’s nuclear weapons capability and ensuring that Africa is economically self-reliant, diplomatic engagements with the rest of the world as (un)equal partners will remain a pipe dream and the looting of Africa’s mineral wealth will continue unabated. It is clear that given the reality of the African Holocust if African countries fail to collectively defend themselves, Africa will continue to be a political football for the rest of the world.

scholarly journals Hunting Bioactive Molecules from the Agave Genus: An Update on Extraction and Biological Potential

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (22) ◽  
pp. 6789
Author(s):  
Misael Bermúdez-Bazán ◽  
Gustavo Adolfo Castillo-Herrera ◽  
Judith Esmeralda Urias-Silvas ◽  
Antonio Escobedo-Reyes ◽  
Mirna Estarrón-Espinosa
Keyword(s):  
Secondary Metabolites ◽  
Biological Activities ◽  
Waste Product ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Alcoholic Beverages ◽  
Therapeutic Benefits ◽  
Biological Potential ◽  
Novel Drugs ◽  
Ancient Times

Agaves are plants used in the production of alcoholic beverages and fibers. Ever since ancient times, pre-Hispanic cultures in Mexico have used them in traditional medicine to cure different ailments. Over the years, studies of the active principles responsible for the therapeutic benefits of agaves have increased. Leaves and fibers are the main agro-wastes generated in tequila and mezcal production, while fibers are the main waste product in the textile sector. Different investigations have referred to the agro-waste from agave processing as a source of bioactive molecules called secondary metabolites (SM). Among them, phenols, flavonoids, phytosterols, and saponins have been extracted, identified, and isolated from these plants. The role of these molecules in pest control and the prospect of metabolites with the biological potential to develop novel drugs for chronic and acute diseases represent new opportunities to add value to these agro-wastes. This review aims to update the biological activities and recent applications of the secondary metabolites of the genus Agave.

scholarly journals Yield, Characterization, and Possible Exploitation of Cannabis Sativa L. Roots Grown under Aeroponics Cultivation

Molecules ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 26 (16) ◽  
pp. 4889
Author(s):  
Fabio Ferrini ◽  
Daniele Fraternale ◽  
Sabrina Donati Donati Zeppa ◽  
Giancarlo Verardo ◽  
Andrea Gorassini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cannabis Sativa ◽  
Therapeutic Potential ◽  
Total Content ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Bioactive Metabolites ◽  
Cultivated Plants ◽  
Root Extracts ◽  
Cultivation Technique ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Health Promoting

Cannabis sativa L. has been used for a long time to obtain food, fiber, and as a medicinal and psychoactive plant. Today, the nutraceutical potential of C. sativa is being increasingly reappraised; however, C. sativa roots remain poorly studied, despite citations in the scientific literature. In this direction, we identified and quantified the presence of valuable bioactives (namely, β-sitosterol, stigmasterol, campesterol, friedelin, and epi-friedelanol) in the root extracts of C. sativa, a finding which might pave the way to the exploitation of the therapeutic potential of all parts of the C. sativa plant. To facilitate root harvesting and processing, aeroponic (AP) and aeroponic-elicited cultures (AEP) were established and compared to soil-cultivated plants (SP). Interestingly, considerably increased plant growth—particularly of the roots—and a significant increase (up to 20-fold in the case of β-sitosterol) in the total content of the aforementioned roots’ bioactive molecules were observed in AP and AEP. In conclusion, aeroponics, an easy, standardized, contaminant-free cultivation technique, facilitates the harvesting/processing of roots along with a greater production of their secondary bioactive metabolites, which could be utilized in the formulation of health-promoting and health-care products.

scholarly journals High speed internet development in Africa using 4G-LTE technology-a review

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 577-585
Author(s):  
Mohamed Njikam ◽  
Nanna S. ◽  
Shahrin S. ◽  
Mohd Fairuz Iskandar Othman
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Telecommunication Networks ◽  
African Continent ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Lte Networks ◽  
Telecommunication Infrastructure ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Populated Region ◽  
4G Lte ◽  
Internet Development

The African continent is ranked second most populated region and has a huge amount of natural resources to be locally transformed or outsourced overseas. The traditional telecommunications system has helped connect people and enabled them to manage their businesses and trading in Africa for a long-time; many African countries have embarked early in changing their network and technology systems during the first years of the information age. Over a few decades ago, the introduction of new telecommunication methods and techniques have influenced much of African countries’ growth via different perspectives. The situation has triggered an enormous interest in people. They analyzed the factors supporting such changes, which in the case of this paper is all about the advent and adoption of LTE/4G-LTE technologies including its service commercialization in Africa. This review article attempts to provide an overview of 4G-LTE networks technologies and the internet; it includes the current evolution of telecommunication networks within and even beyond the African continent, assisted by the 4G-LTE expansion. An extended view is provided throughout this article’s development with respect to what could be expected (or is missing) for the sake of this continent’s telecommunication infrastructure enhancement and a better QoS to Africa’s dwellers.

scholarly journals Role of Statues in the Artistic Commemoration of African Political Leaders: Analysis of 20 Selected National Statues in African Countries

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 40-77
Author(s):  
Kamau Wango
Keyword(s):  
Public Art ◽  
The Political ◽  
Human Beings ◽  
Political Leaders ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Long Time ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Visual Impact ◽  
Insight Into

Artistic commemoration of leaders and other iconic personalities has been in existence for centuries. Statues in particular have been used as a fitting avenue for the commemoration of political leaders and other luminaries in many fields. The premise upon which statues are made is that the subjects featured initiated and attained, in their lifetimes, concrete achievements that significantly impacted upon the lives of their fellow human beings. Other criteria for commemoration include proven integrity, dedication and selflessness in the service of the country and citizens. Statues as an integral part of public art have often generated substantial controversy on various fronts in many countries. Some of these gravitate around issues such as disputed likeness, queries about the fundamental achievements cited of the subject, at times open protests on the actions, character and integrity of the subject as well as the location of the statues. Other areas of contention include the implication of the presence of statues upon the political psyche of the country and their long-time impact on history, the youth and posterity. This paper examines the extent to which African countries have embraced this mode of artistic rendition to commemorate African political leaders in a way that is commensurate to their achievements. It is outside the scope of this paper to delve into the intricate web of back-and-forth arguments about the ‘concreteness’ of the legacies of the featured leaders who are mainly founding political figures of the respective countries. The paper, however, analyses the artistic essence of the selected statues in terms of their visual impact and whether they are indeed useful in articulating the legacies of the subjects and further, whether they ultimately bear ‘enduring visual value’ that spurs conversation and insight into these legacies. Statues must, at the very least, spur debate and conversation into the legacy of the featured subject. It becomes a form of constant interrogation as history itself takes its course; controversy is not necessarily a negative occurrence since it forms part of this discourse. The concept of immortalization, which is what initiators of statues often hope for is much harder to achieve and difficult to define. The paper examines 20 statues of African political leaders in different African Countries.

scholarly journals Extracellular Vesicles as Nanotherapeutics for Parkinson’s Disease

Biomolecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Loredana Leggio ◽  
Greta Paternò ◽  
Silvia Vivarelli ◽  
Francesca L’Episcopo ◽  
Cataldo Tirolo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Cell Communication ◽  
Bioactive Molecules ◽  
Substantia Nigra Pars Compacta ◽  
Diagnostic Tools ◽  
Target Cells ◽  
Small Interfering Rnas ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Ligand Interactions ◽  
The Central Nervous System

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are naturally occurring membranous structures secreted by normal and diseased cells, and carrying a wide range of bioactive molecules. In the central nervous system (CNS), EVs are important in both homeostasis and pathology. Through receptor–ligand interactions, direct fusion, or endocytosis, EVs interact with their target cells. Accumulating evidence indicates that EVs play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of many neurodegenerative disorders (NDs), including Parkinson′s disease (PD). PD is the second most common ND, characterized by the progressive loss of dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons within the Substantia Nigra pars compacta (SNpc). In PD, EVs are secreted by both neurons and glial cells, with either beneficial or detrimental effects, via a complex program of cell-to-cell communication. The functions of EVs in PD range from their etiopathogenetic relevance to their use as diagnostic tools and innovative carriers of therapeutics. Because they can cross the blood–brain barrier, EVs can be engineered to deliver bioactive molecules (e.g., small interfering RNAs, catalase) within the CNS. This review summarizes the latest findings regarding the role played by EVs in PD etiology, diagnosis, prognosis, and therapy, with a particular focus on their use as novel PD nanotherapeutics.

scholarly journals Cytology, biochemistry and molecular changes during coffee fruit development

2006 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 175-199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato D. De Castro ◽  
Pierre Marraccini
Keyword(s):  
Fruit Development ◽  
Storage Proteins ◽  
Color Change ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Coffea Canephora ◽  
Genome Project ◽  
Coffee Beans ◽  
Tissue Changes ◽  
Coffee Species ◽  
Qualitative Changes

In commercial coffee species (Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora), fruit development is a lengthy process, characterized by tissue changes and evolutions. For example, soon after fecundation and up to mid development, the fruit is mainly constituted of the pericarp and perisperm tissue. Thereafter, the perisperm gradually disappears and is progressively replaced by the endosperm (true seed). Initially present in a "liquid" state, the endosperm hardens as it ripens during the maturation phase, as a result of accumulation of storage proteins, sucrose and complex polysaccharides representing the main reserves of the seed. The last step of maturation is characterized by the dehydration of the endosperm and the color change of the pericarp. Important quantitative and qualitative changes accompany fruit growth, highlighting the importance of its study to better understand the final characteristics of coffee beans. Following a description of the coffee fruit tissues, this review presents some data concerning biochemical, enzymatic and gene expression variations observed during the coffee fruit development. The latter will also be analyzed in the light of recent data (electronic expression profiles) arising from the Brazilian Coffee Genome Project.

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