scholarly journals Assessment of Several Approaches to Biofortified Products: A Literature Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 30
Author(s):  
Claudio Bellia ◽  
Giuseppe Timpanaro ◽  
Alessandro Scuderi ◽  
Vera Teresa Foti

The aim of this study is to provide a literature review on biofortified products and their role in the scientific sphere. Despite the large number of studies conducted on biofortified products in the last 20 years, many defining issues are still debated in the literature and several research questions should be clarified. It is therefore relevant to investigate more on this topic, which is considered increasingly important to human health, world hunger reduction strategy, and also for the international marketing strategy of production holdings. The papers were analyzed according to a chronological/conceptual approach, with greater emphasis on research that has added significant value to the literature. The research was carried out using a scientific database from which 1189 scientific papers were extracted. A careful analysis of the abstracts and the text led to the identification of the five dimensions of our greatest interest (Reducing world hunger; Human health; GMOs; Agronomy, herbaceous crops; Economy and the market). The suggestions for future research reported by various authors are organized and structured in order to create an incentive for new studies and insights into biofortification.

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nabin Chowdhury ◽  
Vasileios Gkioulos

Purpose The purpose of this paper can be encapsulated in the following points: identify the research papers published on the topic: competencies and skills necessary for critical infrastructure (CI) cyber-security (CS) protection; determine main focus areas within the identified literature and evaluate the dependency or lack thereof between them: make recommendations for future research. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on a systematic literature review conducted to identify scientific papers discussing and evaluating competencies, skills and essential attributes needed by the CI workforce for CS and preparedness to attacks and incidents. Findings After a comparative analysis of the articles reviewed in this study, a variety of skills and competencies was found to be necessary for CS assurance in CIs. These skills have been grouped into four categories, namely, technical, managerial, implementation and soft skills. Nonetheless, there is still a lack of agreement on which skills are the most critical and further research should be conducted on the relation between specific soft skills and CS assurance. Research limitations/implications Investigation of which skills are required by industry for specific CS roles, by conducting interviews and sending questionnaire\surveys, would allow consolidating whether literature and industry requirements are equivalent. Practical implications Findings from this literature review suggest that more effort should be taken to conciliate current CS curricula in academia with the skills and competencies required for CS roles in the industry. Originality/value This study provides a previously lacking current mapping and review of literature discussing skills and competencies evidenced as critical for CS assurance for CI. The findings of this research are useful for the development of comprehensive solutions for CS awareness and training.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tan Suet May Amelia ◽  
Wan Mohd Afiq Wan Mohd Khalik ◽  
Meng Chuan Ong ◽  
Yi Ta Shao ◽  
Hui-Juan Pan ◽  
...  

AbstractMicroplastic pollutes water, land, air, and groundwater environments not only visually but also ecologically for plants, animals, and humans. Microplastic has been reported to act as vectors by sorbing pollutants and contributing to the bioaccumulation of pollutants, particularly in marine ecosystems, organisms, and subsequently food webs. The inevitable exposure of microplastic to humans emphasises the need to review the potential effects, exposure pathways, and toxicity of microplastic toward human health. Therefore, this review was aimed to reveal the risks of pollutant sorption and bioaccumulation by microplastic toward humans, as well as the dominant types of pollutants sorbed by microplastic, and the types of pollutants that are bioaccumulated by microplastic in the living organisms of the marine ecosystem. The possible factors influencing the sorption and bioaccumulation of pollutants by microplastic in marine ecosystems were also reviewed. The review also revealed the prevailing types of microplastic, abundance of microplastic, and geographical distribution of microplastic in the aquatic environment globally. The literature review revealed that microplastic characteristics, chemical interactions, and water properties played a role in the sorption of pollutants by microplastic. The evidence of microplastic posing a direct medical threat to humans is still lacking albeit substantial literature has reported the health hazards of microplastic-associated monomers, additives, and pollutants. This review recommends future research on the existing knowledge gaps in microplastic research, which include the toxicity of microplastic, particularly to humans, as well as the factors influencing the sorption and bioaccumulation of pollutants by microplastic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. e45610515152
Author(s):  
Ruan Sousa Bastos ◽  
Joabe Lima Araújo ◽  
Vitória Santos Azevedo ◽  
Maria de Lourdes de Aguiar Silva Ferreira ◽  
Lúcio Rocha de Lima ◽  
...  

Cadmium is a toxic metal from 12th group and 5th period of the periodic table. It’s common its use in batteries manufacturing and metal alloys production. It is absorbed by the organism of animals and plants causing risks to human health by bioaccumulation. Even with proven levels of toxicity, complexes involving this atom have biological activity according to several studies. As a study methodology, data were prospected in different databases for patents and the scientific papers published in the period up 1962 to 2021. Only 3 patents were found regarding the biological activity of complexes containing cadmium, although 3.257 results have been found for Cd (II) articles. The database with the highest number of published articles was Scifinder with 63% (2.037) of the articles. Few articles approached anthelmintic activity, showing that future research related to chemical substances containing this metal is a possibility in the new anthelmintic drugs investigation.


Recycling ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Vasilios Papastamoulis ◽  
Kerry London ◽  
Yingbin Feng ◽  
Peng Zhang ◽  
Robert Crocker ◽  
...  

Traditionally, construction and demolition waste (CDW) materials have been considered to be unwanted, surplus, or wastage materials or materials with zero value. Such a conceptualisation only embraces a negative aspect, which underpins the disposal of reusable and recyclable CDW materials in landfills, thus damaging the circular economy and the environment. The scope of this research was to conceptualise the circular economy potential of non-hazardous construction and demolition waste, which can be used as a resource for advancing the circular economy and sustainability in the built environment. Thus, the abbreviation ‘CEPCDR’ is used for this purpose. The study employs an integrative literature review to understand in depth whether the rationale in the existing CDW definitions advocates for the circular economy. Instead, the literature showed that the current definitions mainly support quantitative, economic, or classification needs, respectively. That is because they lack consideration of the dynamic nature of CDW materials, which embraces the spatial and temporal dimensions. The former involves the geographic context in which the CDW phenomenon eventuates, while the latter concerns the lifecycle of materials. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by conceptualising the CEPCDR using a holistic approach that includes five dimensions: the social, economic, environmental, spatial, and temporal perspectives. Furthermore, the study seeks to drive future research in measuring the CEPCDR.


Pathogens ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mae A. F. White ◽  
Harriet Whiley ◽  
Kirstin E. Ross

Strongyloides spp. are parasitic nematodes that are transmitted through the environment and are capable of causing disease. These nematodes affect an estimated 3–300 million humans worldwide. Identifying the environmental reservoirs of Strongyloides spp. is essential for the development of appropriate control strategies. This systematic literature review examined all published studies that identified Strongyloides stercoralis, Strongyloides fuelleborni, Strongyloides fuelleborni kellyi, and Strongyloides spp. from an environmental source. Most studies detected the nematode from dog and primate fecal samples. Other environmental sources identified were ruminants, cats, rodents, insects, water, soil, as well as fruit and vegetables. Most studies used microscopy-based identification techniques; however, several employed molecular-based techniques, which have become increasingly popular for the detection of Strongyloides spp. A limitation identified was a lack of studies that comprehensively screened all potential environmental samples in a region. Future research should undertake this holistic screening process to identify which environmental reservoirs pose the greatest significance to human health. Potential controls can be identified through the identification of environmental sources. Understanding where Strongyloides spp. is commonly found within the environment of endemic areas will inform environmental control strategies to reduce this neglected disease.


Author(s):  
Muhammad Yousaf ◽  
Petr Bris

A systematic literature review (SLR) from 1991 to 2019 is carried out about EFQM (European Foundation for Quality Management) excellence model in this paper. The aim of the paper is to present state of the art in quantitative research on the EFQM excellence model that will guide future research lines in this field. The articles were searched with the help of six strings and these six strings were executed in three popular databases i.e. Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct. Around 584 peer-reviewed articles examined, which are directly linked with the subject of quantitative research on the EFQM excellence model. About 108 papers were chosen finally, then the purpose, data collection, conclusion, contributions, and type of quantitative of the selected papers are discussed and analyzed briefly in this study. Thus, this study identifies the focus areas of the researchers and knowledge gaps in empirical quantitative literature on the EFQM excellence model. This article also presents the lines of future research.


2009 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-69
Author(s):  
Shamas-Ur-Rehman Toor

Management from Islamic Perspectives (MIP) is an emerging field that has begun to attract scholarly attention. However, the research undertaken so far has been rather fragmented and lack a clear agenda. This paper presents a literature review of the field and the areas of current focus. Although the field has a huge growth potential, I argue that it faces several challenges and problems as it develops further. I outline these potential pitfalls, suggest how to develop MIP as a formal discipline, and explain how to integrate it within real-life business practices. The article closes with a call for research to be conducted in a more organized fashion through an international consortium of researchers as well as recommendations for future research directions.


Author(s):  
P. Bhavani ◽  
T. G. Amuthavally

The research for the review of literature is one of the first and foremost important steps in the research process. The search for related literature is a time consuming but fruitful phase of any research programme. In this article, the researcher was made an attempt to present findings from the collected related literature on parenting styles and emotional intelligence of adolescents. The main motto behind this article is to review of related literature from 1990 to till date. The paper also summarizes the findings of the studies on Emotional Intelligence and Parenting Styles giving a direction for future research.


Author(s):  
Mariek Vanden Abeele

Recent empirical work suggests that phubbing, a term used to describe the practice of snubbing someone with a phone during a face-to-face social interaction, harms the quality of social relationships. Based on a comprehensive literature review, this chapter presents a framework that integrates three concurrent mechanisms that explain the relational impact of phubbing: expectancy violations, ostracism, and attentional conflict. Based on this framework, theoretically grounded propositions are formulated that may serve as guidelines for future research on these mechanisms, the conditions under which they operate, and a number of potential issues that need to be considered to further validate and extend the framework.


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (3) ◽  
pp. 378-396 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arian Razmi-Farooji ◽  
Hanna Kropsu-Vehkaperä ◽  
Janne Härkönen ◽  
Harri Haapasalo

Purpose The purpose of this paper is twofold: first, to understand data management challenges in e-maintenance systems from a holistically viewpoint through summarizing the earlier scattered research in the field, and second, to present a conceptual approach for addressing these challenges in practice. Design/methodology/approach The study is realized as a combination of a literature review and by the means of analyzing the practices on an industry leader in manufacturing and maintenance services. Findings This research provides a general understanding over data management challenges in e-maintenance and summarizes their associated proposed solutions. In addition, this paper lists and exemplifies different types and sources of data which can be collected in e-maintenance, across different organizational levels. Analyzing the data management practices of an e-maintenance industry leader provides a conceptual approach to address identified challenges in practice. Research limitations/implications Since this paper is based on studying the practices of a single company, it might be limited to generalize the results. Future research topics can focus on each of mentioned data management challenges and also validate the applicability of presented model in other companies and industries. Practical implications Understanding the e-maintenance-related challenges helps maintenance managers and other involved stakeholders in e-maintenance systems to better solve the challenges. Originality/value The so-far literature on e-maintenance has been studied with narrow focus to data and data management in e-maintenance appears as one of the less studied topics in the literature. This research paper contributes to e-maintenance by highlighting the deficiencies of the discussion surrounding the perspectives of data management in e-maintenance by studying all common data management challenges and listing different types of data which need to be acquired in e-maintenance systems.


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