scholarly journals Biopiracy: Abolish Corporate Hijacking of Indigenous Medicinal Entities

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Yoonus Imran ◽  
Nalaka Wijekoon ◽  
Lakmal Gonawala ◽  
Yu-Chung Chiang ◽  
K. Ranil D. De Silva
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Dna Fingerprinting ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Gold Rush ◽  
Indigenous Plants ◽  
Traditional Medicines

Biopiracy as “a silent disease” is hardly detectable because it does not leave traces frequently. The corporate hijacking of food is the most important health hazard in this era; giant commercial enterprises are using intellectual property rights to patent indigenous medicinal plants, seeds, genetic resources, and traditional medicines. The new era of biotechnology relies on the genes of living organisms as raw materials. The “Gene Rush” has thus become similar to that of the old “Gold Rush.” Sri Lanka has been spotted in the top 34 biodiversity hotspots globally. Moreover, localized in the tropics, human generations in Sri Lanka have utilized the array of plant species for herbal treatments and treatment of diseases. Sri Lanka after its 30-year civil war is moving towards a solid growth and conservation of the environment which is a major component in a sustainable development where the conservation of biodiversity plays a significant role. In this paper, we present an overview of typical cases of global biopiracy, bioprospecting via introduction of cost-effective deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) fingerprinting and international protocol with Private-Public-People Partnership concept as excellent forms of utilization of natural resources. We propose certain perspectives as scientists towards abolishing biopiracy and also to foster the fair utilization of natural resources; since the economy of most developing countries is agriculture based, the gross domestic product of the developing countries could be increased by enhanced bioprospecting via introduction of cost-effective DNA fingerprinting technologies and thus not being a pray of corporate hijacking.“Biopiracy is biological theft; illegal collection of indigenous plants by corporations who patent them for their own use” (Vandana Shiva).

scholarly journals Occupational hazards in medium and large scale industrial sectors in Sri Lanka – Experience of a developing country

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Arnold ◽  
MSK Wickrematilake ◽  
RMSD Fernando ◽  
HMRC Sampath ◽  
RPP Karunapema ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Occupational Hazards ◽  
Physical Hazards ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Poor Ventilation

Abstract Objective Occupational hazards is an area where many countries have begun to pay more emphasis as it affects the health of many particularly in developing countries. However, documented literature is scarce in this regard although occupational hazards are common in workplaces. The study was carried out with the objective of describing the physical hazards and control measures adopted in the formal medium and large-scale industrial sector in Sri Lanka . Results Physical hazards detected in the workplaces were; excessive noise (78.3%), poor light (58%), increased temperature (65.2%), and poor ventilation (68.1%). Over 50% of large machinery and 33% of medium-scale machinery were not adequately guarded. Nearly 41% of the machinery were difficult to operate, of them 36.2% had controls in positions which were hard to reach. Of safety measures adopted, only 34.8% had proper demarcation of areas with 28.9% displaying safety signs. Housekeeping was poor in 59.4% and less than 40% had safe storage of raw materials and end products. Key words Occupational hazards, Occupational health, Hazard control, Industry

scholarly journals Occupational hazards in medium and large scale industrial sectors in Sri Lanka – Experience of a developing country

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.M. Arnold ◽  
MSK Wickrematilake ◽  
RMSD Fernando ◽  
HMRC Sampath ◽  
RPP Karunapema ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sri Lanka ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Occupational Hazards ◽  
Physical Hazards ◽  
Industrial Sectors ◽  
Poor Ventilation

Abstract Objective Occupational hazards is an area where many countries have begun to pay more emphasis as it affects the health of many particularly in developing countries. However, documented literature is scarce in this regard although occupational hazards are common in workplaces. The study was carried out with the objective of describing the physical hazards and control measures adopted in the formal medium and large-scale industrial sector in Sri Lanka. Results Of the 69 units of the 25 factories, physical hazards detected in the workplaces were; excessive noise (78.3%), poor light (58%), increased temperature (65.2%), and poor ventilation (68.1%). Over 50% of large machinery and 33% of medium-scale machinery were not adequately guarded. Nearly 41% of the machinery were difficult to operate, of them 36.2% had controls in positions which were hard to reach. Of safety measures adopted, only 34.8% had proper demarcation of areas with 28.9% displaying safety signs. Housekeeping was poor in 59.4% and less than 40% had safe storage of raw materials and end products. Key words Occupational hazards, Occupational health, Hazard control, Industry

Material costs in productural productivity structure: world trends and impact on development of the domestic economy

2019 ◽  
Vol 39 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-205
Author(s):  
N. V. Firov
Keyword(s):  
Economic Development ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
National Economy ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
The State ◽  
Domestic Economy ◽  
Western Countries ◽  
Material Costs

A comparative analysis of the prices of raw materials, fuel, electricity in Russia and Western countries, the dynamics of their growth and impact on the national economy. It is shown that in the interests of the country's economic development and improving the welfare of the population, it is necessary to use its natural resources more effectively, to pursue a more stringent and at the same time balanced policy to curb the growth of prices, taking into account the interests of the state and business.

Australia—The Hidden Jewel

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahesh K. Joshi ◽  
J.R. Klein
Keyword(s):  
Natural Resources ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Global Economy ◽  
Good Governance ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Manufacturing Sector ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The United States ◽  
Dutch Disease

The twenty-first century is being touted as the Asian century. With its stable economy, good governance, education system, and above all the abundant natural resources, will Australia to take its place in the global economy by becoming more entrepreneurial and accelerating its rate of growth, or will it get infected with the so-called Dutch disease? It has been successful in managing trade ties with fast-developing economies like China and India as well as developed countries like the United States. It has participated in the growth of China by providing iron ore and coal. Because it is a low-risk country, it has enabled inflow of large foreign capital investments. A lot will depend on its capability and willingness to invest the capital available in entrepreneurial ventures, its ability to capture the full value chain of natural resources, and to export the finished products instead of raw materials, while building a robust manufacturing sector.

scholarly journals End-of-Life Alternatives of Glass Reinforced Polyester Boat Hulls Compared by LCA

2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 096369351802700 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Önal ◽  
Gökdeniz Neşer
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Photochemical Oxidation ◽  
Human Toxicity ◽  
Vacuum Infusion ◽  
Infusion Method

Glass reinforced polyester (GRP), as a thermoset polymer composites, dominates boat building industry with its several advantages such as high strength/weight ratio, cohesiveness, good resistance to environment. However, proper recovering and recycling of GRP boats is became a current environmental requirement that should be met by the related industry. In this study, to propose in a cost effective and environmentally friendly way, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has been carried out for six scenarios include two moulding methods (namely Hand Lay-up Method, HLM and Vacuum Infusion Method, VIM) and three End-of-Life (EoL) alternatives(namely Extruding, Incineration and Landfill) for a recreational boat's GRP hulls. A case study from raw materials purchasing phase to disposal/recycling stages has been established taking 11 m length GRP boat hull as the functional unit. Analysis show that in the production phase, the impacts are mainly due to the use of energy (electricity), transport and raw material manufacture. Largest differences between the methods considered (HLM and VIM) can be observed in the factors of marine aquatic ecotoxicity and eutrophication while the closest ones are abiotic depletion, ozon layer depletion and photochemical oxidation. The environmental impact of VIM is much higher than HLM due to its higher energy consumption while vacuum infusion method has lower risk than hand lay-up method in terms of occupational health by using less raw material (resin) in a closed mold. In the comparison of the three EoL techniques, the mechanical way of recycling (granule extruding) shows better environmental impacts except terrestrial ecotoxicity, photochemical oxidation and acidification. Among the EoL alternatives, landfill has the highest environmental impacts except ‘global warming potential’ and ‘human toxicity’ which are the highest in extrusion. The main cause of the impacts of landfill is the transportation needs between the EoL boats and the licenced landfill site. Although it has the higher impact on human toxicity, incineration is the second cleaner alternative of EoL techniques considered in this study. In fact that the similar trend has been observed both in production and EoL phases of the boat. It is obvious that using much more renewable energy mix and greener transportation alternative can reduce the overall impact of the all phases considerably.

scholarly journals Advances in Environmental Detection and Clinical Diagnostic Tests for Legionella Species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rajeshwari Vittal ◽  
Juliet Roshini Mohan Raj ◽  
Ballamoole Krishna Kumar ◽  
Indrani Karunasagar
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Healthcare System ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Clinical Samples ◽  
Detection Techniques ◽  
Conventional Culture ◽  
Legionella Species ◽  
Mild Fever

Abstract Legionella is a fastidious organism that is difficult to culture in the lab but is widely distributed in environmental, domestic, and hospital settings. The clinical manifestations due to Legionella infections range from mild fever to fatal pneumonia and multiorgan pathologies. Legionella outbreaks though prevalent globally are not reported in developing countries due to difficulties in isolating this organism and the lack of simple diagnostic protocols. Here, we review the literature from across countries to present various methods used to detect Legionella from environmental and clinical samples. We compare the sensitivity and the specificity of the conventional culture-based assays with the recent methods and discuss approaches to develop better detection and diagnostic tests. With better cost-effective detection techniques and regular monitoring of the susceptible sites, which may harbor Legionella colonies, most of the Legionella infections can be prevented. As a result, considerable burden, caused by Legionella infections, on the healthcare system, in especially economically weaker countries, can be mitigated.

scholarly journals Energy Retrofitting Opportunities Using Renewable Materials—Comparative Analysis of the Current Frameworks in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 603
Author(s):  
Darija Gajić ◽  
Slobodan Peulić ◽  
Tim Mavrič ◽  
Anna Sandak ◽  
Črtomir Tavzes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Primary Energy ◽  
Low Carbon ◽  
Resource Exploitation ◽  
Renewable Materials ◽  
Building Stock ◽  
Low Carbon Economy ◽  
Eu Member States

Sustainable approaches for retrofitting buildings for energy efficiency are becoming necessary in a time when the building sector is the largest energy consumer. Retrofitting building stock is effective for reducing global energy consumption and decreasing resource exploitation. Less developed EU member states and neighboring developing countries show reluctance towards healthy and renewable materials. Implementation of sustainable materials for energy retrofitting is slowed down due to gaps in legislation and effective strategic programs, availability of bio-based materials, lack of knowledge regarding use and maintenance of renewable products, and marketing lobbies. Use of bio-based materials in refurbishment is important due to their negative or low global warming potential (GWP), low primary energy (PEI) need for production, cost-effective benefits, and recycling/reuse potential. Role of environmentally friendly solutions and low-carbon economy growth is particularly relevant in developing countries, such as Bosnia-Herzegovina, that cannot afford innovative energy recovery systems, yet possess a significant amount of poorly managed building stock. This research aims to analyze frameworks regarding retrofitting of residential buildings in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Slovenia. The analysis tackles indirect causes, studies the legal background, and examines strategic frameworks; thus, it indicates potential barriers for implementation of recommended retrofitting solutions based on renewable materials.

scholarly journals Operationalization of Remote Sensing Solutions for Sustainable Forest Management

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 572
Author(s):  
Gintautas Mozgeris ◽  
Ivan Balenović
Keyword(s):  
Remote Sensing ◽  
Forest Management ◽  
Natural Resources ◽  
Sustainable Management ◽  
Sustainable Forest Management ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Development Trends ◽  
Comprehensive Information ◽  
The Status

The pre-requisite for sustainable management of natural resources is the availability of timely, cost-effective, and comprehensive information on the status and development trends of the management object [...]

scholarly journals Study on microcrystalline cellulose/chitosan blend foam gel material

2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 424-432
Author(s):  
Hongkai Zhao ◽  
Kehan Zhang ◽  
Shoupeng Rui ◽  
Peipei Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Microcrystalline Cellulose ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
High Water ◽  
Aldehyde Group ◽  
Sem Analysis ◽  
Present Contribution ◽  
Bet Analysis

AbstractIn the present contribution, an environmental-friendly and cost-effective adsorbent was reported for soil treatment and desertification control. A novel foam gel material was synthesized here by the physical foaming in the absence of catalyst. By adopting modified microcrystalline cellulose and chitosan as raw materials and sodium dodecyl sulfonate (SDS) as foaming agent, a microcrystalline cellulose/chitosan blend foam gel was synthesized. It is expected to replace polymers derived from petroleum for agricultural applications. In addition, a systematical study was conducted on the adsorbability, water holding capacity and re-expansion performance of foam gel in deionized water and brine under different SDS concentrations (2%–5%) as well as adsorption time. To be specific, the adsorption capacity of foam gel was up to 105g/g in distilled water and 54g/g in brine, indicating a high water absorption performance. As revealed from the results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, both the amino group of chitosan and the aldehyde group modified by cellulose were involved. According to the results of Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis, the foam gel was found to exhibit an interconnected pore network with uniform pore space. As suggested by Bet analysis, the macroporous structure was formed in the sample, and the pore size ranged from 0 to 170nm. The mentioned findings demonstrated that the foam gel material of this study refers to a potential environmental absorbent to improve soil and desert environments. It can act as a powerful alternative to conventional petroleum derived polymers.

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