Who consumers trust is crucial for the efficiency and sustainability of the market of safe food, especially in transitional economies. This paper empirically investigates the role of indicators and ...cues considered by consumers when purchasing safe vegetables. Safe vegetables are chosen as the subject of the study as they are typical credence goods: it is very hard for consumers to know whether or not the vegetables are safe, even after consumption. We employ the rank ordered logit model in an analysis on surveyed data. The sources of indicators and cues include: labeling, existence of the place of production, store's reputation, government certificate, information from friends, price, and appearance of the product. After controlling for factors such as education, age, income, gender, our results reveal that Vietnamese consumers trust supply side indicators the most, followed by government certification, while information from friends and others comes last. Further, different demographics have different attitudes towards their information source of choice. This result can be applied to other markets for credence goods with similar properties, such as organic vegetables, in transitional economies.
•Consumers trust signals provided by food suppliers more than by the government.•Labeling and having address of production are most trusted by Vietnamese consumers.•Having production address is more trusted than label by richer consumers.•Label are more trusted than having production address by older consumers.
The work aims to study the removal of crystal violet (CV) using laterite soil with surface modification by surfactant (SML). Surface modification of laterite soil was conducted by pre-adsorption of ...sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) at pH 4 and low ionic strength to enhance removal of CV. The effective conditions for CV removal through adsorption technique using SML were optimized and found to be contact time 60 min, pH 6, adsorbent dosage 5 mg/mL, and 5 mM NaCl as background electrolyte. The highest removal of CV using SML reached to 86.5% under optimum conditions. We used Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) to evaluate the change of surface vibrational groups of laterite after SDS pre-adsorption and after CV adsorption while the different charged surface was determined by ζ potential measurements. The CV adsorption onto SML increased when increasing ionic strength from 1 to 10 mM. Nevertheless, at high ionic strength, this trend is reversal due to desorption of SDS from laterite surfaces. Adsorption isotherms of CV onto SML at different NaCl concentrations were tried to fit by Langmuir, Freundlich, and a two-step adsorption models. The adsorption kinetics were in good agreement with pseudo-second-order model. The removal efficiency of CV after four regenerations still reached higher than 85%. On the basis of adsorption isotherms, charged surface change by ζ potential and surface modification by FT-IR, we suggest that CV adsorption onto SML was induced by both non-electrostatic and electrostatic interactions. We also demonstrate that SML is a novel, reusable, and low-cost adsorbent for cationic dye removal from aqueous solution.
Households are responsible for a large proportion of total food waste and are an important focal point for addressing food waste disposal issues. Determinants of household food waste minimisation ...behaviour have been previously explored; however, little is known about the determinants of household food waste disposal behaviour. Several food waste disposal options are available to households, depending on context, with some disposal practices being more sustainable than others. This study applies the food waste hierarchy to household food waste disposal behaviour and identifies three sustainable food waste disposal behaviours (sorting food waste into the green organics bin, reusing food waste for animal feed, and home composting); and three unsustainable behaviours (disposing of food waste in the general waste bin, the recycling bin, and/or the sink). Using data from a survey of 1027 respondents, a fractional multinomial logit model is used to analyse the associations between explanatory variables and sustainable versus unsustainable household food waste disposal behaviour. Having a kitchen caddy is associated with increased sustainable food waste disposal behaviour (higher proportion of food waste diverted to the green bin and composted). Key factors that drive households' use of kerbside green organics bins are perceived personal costs and benefits, and recycling habits. Importantly, environmental self-identity is positively associated with home composting practices. Factors associated with a higher proportion of food waste disposed of in the general waste bin (unsustainable behaviour) include stronger perceived inconvenience of using the green bin, living in a unit, and having a higher household income. Findings from this study can provide insight into interventions to promote more sustainable household food waste disposal practices.
•More than half of household food waste is disposed of unsustainably.•Having a kitchen caddy is associated with more sustainable food waste behaviour.•Perceived personal benefits and recycling habits drive green organics bin behaviour.•Environmental self-identity is positively associated with home composting.•Perceived inconvenience is associated with unsustainable food waste behaviour.
In this study, the Pb
2+
adsorption capacity of electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride/graphene oxide (PVDF/GO) membranes with different morphological characteristics and compositions were ...comprehensively compared. Firstly, the chemical characteristics, morphological characteristics and hydrophobicity relating to the adsorption capacity of electrospun PVDF/GO membranes were investigated through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and water contact angle measurement. Adsorption analysis showed that the adsorption performance of electrospun PVDF/GO increased as GO contents increased. Variations in the average diameter of electrospun PVDF/GO fibres in the range of several micrometres did not cause a distinguishable change in their adsorption capacity. Electrospun PVDF/GO membranes without a porous structure inhibited a low adsorption capacity although they contained a high composition of GO. The modification of electrospun PVDF/GO membranes by adding PEG increased the distribution of GO on the surface of fibres, resulting in a more hydrophilic fibre surface and a notable increase in Pb
2+
adsorption. The adsorption behaviour of Pb
2+
onto electrospun PVDF/GO/PEG membranes was found to be dependent on contact time and pH. Reusability analysis indicated that the electrospun PVDF/GO/PEG membrane maintained a Pb
2+
removal rate of over 80% after six adsorption-desorption cycles. Therefore, electrospun PVDF/GO/PEG membranes might be a promising adsorption material used in filtration systems for heavy metal removal.
Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli (DEC) is a group of bacterial pathogens that causes life-threatening diarrhea in children in developing countries. However, there is limited information on the ...characteristics of DEC isolated from patients in these countries. A detailed genomic analysis of 61 DEC-like isolates from infants with diarrhea was performed to clarify and share the characteristics of DEC prevalent in Vietnam.
DEC was classified into 57 strains, including 33 enteroaggregative E. coli (EAEC) (54.1%), 20 enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) (32.8%), two enteroinvasive E. coli (EIEC) (3.3%), one enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC), and one ETEC/EIEC hybrid (1.6% each), and surprisingly into four Escherichia albertii strains (6.6%). Furthermore, several epidemic DEC clones showed an uncommon combination of pathotypes and serotypes, such as EAEC Og130:Hg27, EAEC OgGp9:Hg18, EAEC OgX13:H27, EPEC OgGp7:Hg16, and E. albertii EAOg1:HgUT. Genomic analysis also revealed the presence of various genes and mutations associated with antibiotic resistance in many isolates. Strains that demonstrate potential resistance to ciprofloxacin and ceftriaxone, drugs recommended for treating childhood diarrhea, accounted for 65.6% and 41%, respectively.
Our finding indicate that the routine use of these antibiotics has selected resistant DECs, resulting in a situation where these drugs do not provide in therapeutic effects for some patients. Bridging this gap requires continuous investigations and information sharing regarding the type and distribution of endemic DEC and E. albertii and their antibiotic resistance in different countries.
Forkhead box (FOX) proteins are multifaceted transcription factors that are significantly implicated in cancer, with various critical roles in biological processes. Herein, we provide an overview of ...several key members of the FOXA, FOXC, FOXM1, FOXO and FOXP subfamilies. Important pathophysiological processes of FOX transcription factors at multiple levels in a context-dependent manner are discussed. We also specifically summarize some major aspects of FOX transcription factors in association with cancer research such as drug resistance, tumor growth, genomic alterations or drivers of initiation. Finally, we suggest that targeting FOX proteins may be a potential therapeutic strategy to combat cancer.
The interaction of chronic pain and depression among older people has been studied for many years. This study aimed to investigate the frequency of chronic pain and depression among older patients ...and correlated factors. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 921 older patients at the National Geriatric Hospital from November 2019 to March 2020. We used the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to assess the comorbid condition, a numerical rating scale (NRS) to examine pain severity, and Geriatric Depression Scale—15 items (GDS-15) to measure depression among participants. A chi-square test and Tobit regression were used to analyze the relationships. A total of 921 older patients participated in the study. The proportion of depression accounted for 55.8%. The mean Charlson score and number of diseases were 1.2 and 4.7, respectively. A positive correlation was found between comorbidity and chronic pain and depression. Moreover, socio-demographic variables such as occupation, education, and income were associated with pain and depressive symptoms. This study highlights the issue of mental health in older people with chronic pain. The results indicate the necessity of frequent depression screening, pain management, and social activity programs for older people to enhance their health.
In aquaculture systems, the treatment of nitrogen pollution has always been a center of attention due to its impact on productiveness. The bioremediation method based on simultaneous nitrification ...and denitrification was often used to effectively remove ammonium, nitrite, and nitrate compounds. In addition, the attachment and biofilm formation of the nitrogen-converting bacteria on carriers had superior removal efficiency over the suspended bacteria. Thus, this study focused on the fabrication of a porosity floatable expanded clay (EC) carrier that provided the basic structure for the immobilization of the nitrifiers Nitrosomonas sp., Nitrobacter sp., and the denitrifier Bacillus sp. The EC was also coated with alginate and essential nutrient to support the cohesion and growth of bacteria. Especially, the selected Bacillus sp. previously proved was able to reduce nitrite/nitrate in aerobic conditions. The co-immobilization of these three aerobic bacteria on the prepared carrier would simply the treatment process in practical use. Initial results showed that the integration of essential nutrients (N, P, K) on alginate coated EC (EC_Alg_N) increased bacterial density to (57 ± 3) × 107 – (430 ± 30) × 108 CFU/g, which then led to the enhancement of removal efficiency up to 91.62 ± 0.67% in the medium containing initial nitrogen content of 60 mg-N/L. The nitrogen removal efficacy of bacterial immobilized EC_Alg_N remained at 83.95 ± 0.15% after being reused for 6 cycles. In conclusion, the bacterial immobilized EC_Alg_N could be a potential material for nitrogen polluted wastewater treatment in aquaculture systems.
Display omitted
•Coating expanded clay with nano-nutrient has enhanced the immobilization of nitrogen-converting bacteria.•Bacteria immobilized on modified expanded clay showed higher nitrogen removal efficiency, compared to the original carrier.•Prepared bacteria immobilized carrier would be a highly reusable remediation agent used in aquaculture wastewater treatment.
In this study, we fabricated a composite of NiO-ZnO/PANI-CNTs on a fluorine tin oxide (FTO) electrode and examined the electrochemical sensing behavior of the modified electrode to detect methanol in ...aqueous solution. The structural, morphological, and electrochemical properties of the composite were characterized using various methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), EDS, FTIR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and electrochemical techniques such as cyclic voltammetry (CV) and chronoamperometry (CA). The composite-based electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity and selectivity for methanol oxidation. The calibration equation obtained was Δ
I
= 0.0003 ×
C
MeOH
+ 0.02811, with a high correlation coefficient of 0.9993, over a wide detection range of 0 to 500 mM. The material exhibits great potential for the fabrication of sensors to detect methanol in commercial products. Real gasoline samples have been selected to evaluate the practical performance and feasibility of this as-prepared sensor. The experimental data indicated that the recovery of gasoline samples is about 98%, indicating this to be an appropriate detection procedure for effective electrochemical determination of MeOH in real gasoline samples.
In this study, we fabricated a composite of NiO-ZnO/PANI-CNTs on a fluorine tin oxide (FTO) electrode and examined the electrochemical sensing behavior of the modified electrode to detect methanol in aqueous solution.
Rice husk is one of the most abundant biomass resources in the world, yet it is not effectively used. This study focuses on the sustainably rice-husk-extracted lignin, nano-lignin (n-Lignin), ...lignin-capped silver nanoparticles (LCSN), n-Lignin-capped silver nanoparticles (n-LCSN), and lignin-capped silica-silver nanoparticles (LCSSN), and using them for antibacterial activities. The final n-Lignin-based products had a sphere-like structure, of which the size varied between 50 and 80 nm. We found that while n-Lignin and lignin were less effective against Escherichia coli than against Staphylococcus aureus, n-Lignin/lignin-based hybrid materials, i.e., n-LCSN, LCSN, and LCSSN, were better against E. coli than against S. aureus. Interestingly, the antimicrobial behaviors of n-LCSNs could be further improved by decreasing the size of n-Lignin. Considering the facile, sustainable, and eco-friendly method that we have developed here, it is promising to use n-Lignin/lignin-based materials as highly efficient antimicrobials without environmental concerns.
PDF
