Full Value Research Articles

Genetic analysis of milk production and lactation period in Holstein cows according to BTN1A1 Gene Polymorphism

The results showed that the Holstein BTN1A1gene has two alleles (A allele ) which is superior to the second allele (B allele )in the two values of the substitution effect and the average effect of the allele, and the homo genotype AA over the hetero genotype AB was successful in the breeding value of the two traits. It was also revealed through the new equations that the gene is responsible for the characteristic of milk production of the total output and the amount of 37725 Iraqi dinars of the full value of the milk price, and it also affects by ±7.24 days of the length of the milking season, which is estimated at 3583.8 Iraqi dinars. It is responsible for the inheritance of 70.09 kg of total milk production for 6.35 days/season length, reflecting the product's price value.The possibility of adopting the BTN1A1 gene within the selection programs to improve some productive traits, as well as the possibility of conducting a comparison between genes on the basis of the new equations, determining their contribution to the studied traits, and choosing the most influential gene to be an effective marker in the selection of quantitative traits. Keywords: Genetic analysis, Milk production, length of lactation, Holstein cows, BTN1A1 gene

Food Front-of-Pack Labelling and the Nutri-Score Nutrition Label-Poland-Wide Cross-Sectional Expert Opinion Study.

Front-of-pack labelling (FOPL) systems, such as the Nutri-Score, play a crucial role in promoting healthy diets and raising consumer awareness. Our study aimed to gather the opinions of Polish experts on the Nutri-Score and its relation to an ideal information system. We conducted a Poland-wide expert opinion study using a cross-sectional design survey with 75 participants, who had an average of 18 ± 13 years of experience and were mainly employed at medical and agricultural universities. The data were collected with the CAWI method. The results showed that the most important features of an FOPL system were clarity, simplicity, consistency with healthy eating recommendations, and the ability to objectively compare products within the same group. While more than half of the respondents believed that the Nutri-Score provides an overall assessment of a product's nutritional value and facilitates quick purchasing decisions, it falls short in helping consumers compose a balanced diet and cannot be applied to all product groups. The experts also expressed concerns about the system's ability to account for a product's degree of processing, full nutritional value and carbon footprint. In conclusion, Poland's current labelling system needs expansion, but the Nutri-Score requires significant and detailed changes and validation against national guidelines and expert expectations before implementation.

Exploring potential applications of measles and rubella microarray patches (MR-MAPs): use case identification.

Innovative vaccine products will be critical in helping to address the existing implementation barriers that have prevented the achievement of the measles and rubella (MR) vaccine coverage targets. Overcoming those barriers will be necessary to achieve the "Immunization Agenda 2030" goals. Microarray patches (MAPs), an innovative needle-free delivery device currently in clinical development, can be a potential game changer in this respect and contribute to the equitable delivery of vaccines in low- and middle-income countries and pandemic preparedness and response. Developing in-depth knowledge of the most desired and impactful uses of MRMAPs can prove critical to identifying the critical attributes of the target product profile, informing policy and adoption decisions, and helping to evaluate the potential public health and economic value of this technology. The first step in this process is the definition of the potential use cases for MR-MAPs, i.e., where and how this product is most likely to be used within the immunization programme. By applying a design-based user-centric approach, we implemented a three-step process, including a desk review, a survey, and interviews, to define the most relevant use cases for MR MAPS. Six use cases have been identified as relevant across all different countries and immunization programme designs and validated by experts. The identified use cases have already informed the demand estimate for MR-MAPs and provided the foundation for developing an initial full vaccine value assessment. We believe that, in the future, they will be highly valuable in ensuring that the roll-out of this promising innovation is designed in a way that maximizes the impact, particularly in populations and countries that are most in need.

Growth retardation in children with allergies: A review

The increase in the prevalence of food allergies among children in recent years is evident with onset in infancy and childhood in most cases. The full value of the elimination diet, the time before diagnosis, and the severity of allergic inflammation can affect the nutritional status of the children and, ultimately, their linear growth. Age-correspondent height is one of the most important indicators of a child's health and well-being, especially in the first few years of life when energy and nutrient requirements per body weight are highest. Insufficient nutrient intake in children with food allergies can impair growth, and developmental delay in infancy and early childhood can have long-term sequelae. It is essential to understand the frequency of developmental retardation in kids with food allergies, the most prevalent allergen that causes it, and whether or not growth retardation may be reversed with effective diet therapy. Based on the studies presented in the article, the following key provisions were identified: of the entire spectrum of food allergens, cow milk protein allergy (CMPA) has the most significant effect on growth; the impact of CMPA on the formation of improper eating habits is also high; careful management of a child with CMPA with adequate diet therapy and timely re-introduced dairy products to induce tolerance can reduce the adverse effect of CMPA on growth and nutrition; apparently, multiple food allergies also harm growth; a nutritionist should more often observe children with multiple food allergies; regular assessment of growth and diet with individual nutrition recommendations to date has shown the best results in achieving the growth target of children with food allergies.

Comparative analysis and benchmarking of commercial and emerging fast pyrolysis technologies

It is well established that producing sustainable fuels and replacing the fossil-based ones is one of the key solutions to achieving net-zero emissions goals. One of the most advanced commercial-scale pathways to biofuels available today is fast pyrolysis. However, due to the need for a supportive regulatory environment and mitigation strategies for uncertainties related to costs and feedstock quality, fast pyrolysis is not yet being widely implemented. In this case study, three fast pyrolysis technologies with a technology readiness level (TRL) of 6 and above have been compared to distinguish between them and identify the conditions under which they are economically viable. The circulating fluidized bed (CFB), rotating cone (RC), and mechanically assisted fluidized bed (MFB) fast pyrolysis technologies were considered. First, the flow diagram and a mass and energy balance comparison were addressed. It was revealed that the RC configuration has better bio-oil yields because it can handle smaller particles. The MFB configuration has a progressive condensation unit at the end of the process, which produces a nearly dry oil having a higher energy content. Four implementation scenarios were studied. The first was the fast pyrolysis standalone process, where all options had marginal economic attractiveness, and the RC configuration economically outperformed the other two. Integration of a fast pyrolysis plant into a sawmill in the second scenario was found to bring significant improvements in revenues and internal rate of return (IRR). Realization of the full value of bio-oil (the third scenario) brought significantly more revenues for the MFB. Finally, the fourth scenario involved adding a progressive condensation unit, which increased the capital expenditure (CAPEX) by 3%–4% while increasing revenues by 32%–35%. A sensitivity analysis highlighted the importance of financial support towards capital cost and the full valuation of bio-oil for the economic viability of fast pyrolysis processes. Progressive condensation leading to more added-value bio-oil makes the standalone fast pyrolysis process more profitable.

The economic and epistemic division of labour: on Philip Kitcher’s The Main Enterprise of the World

Abstract In The Main Enterprise of the World, Philip Kitcher identifies an over-specialized and over-loaded curriculum as a particular affliction of education in our time. Kitcher criticizes a narrow view of education on which it is conceived as being no more than job training and proposes a more humane set of educational goals to be pursued in school. For Kitcher, the problem of the narrowness of the economic aims of education and the problem of the over-loaded curriculum are connected and, in Chapter 2 of the book, he presents a thoroughgoing critique of educational specialization as a distinguishing feature of education today. He holds that the economic value of education cannot capture education's full value and that true education should build children and young people's capacities for meaningful life and work. In this paper, I discuss Kitcher's critique of educational specialization. I note that Kitcher draws most of his inspiration from considerations about what makes a human life go well and therefore situates his thinking about education in the realm of ethics, rather than in his home discipline of the philosophy of science. Defending educational specialization, I turn to some of Kitcher's earlier work in the philosophy of science to show that the epistemic division of labour calls for a considerable degree of specialization in educational curricula on epistemic, rather than on economic, grounds.

Ex-Ante Eco-Efficiency Assessment of Dendromass Production: Conception and Experiences of an Innovation Project

Rising demand for bio-based products exerts growing pressure on natural resources such as wood. The agricultural technique of short rotation coppice (SRC) to produce dendromass from fast growing trees has gained relevance to ease the pressure of demand for wood from forests. The European-funded project Dendromass4Europe supports the establishment of SRC in Western Slovakia and its biomass use for four new bio-based materials, in the context of a developing bioeconomy. Along with the development of the SRC and material value chains, eco-efficiency assessment is carried out to anticipate areas of critical concern and derive measures for improvement. Among many other assessment approaches, eco-efficiency assessment was conducted by combining Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and socio-economic assessment to optimize the whole production system towards eco-efficiency. An LCA study provided necessary data to assess the environmental performance. The added value and revenue results from the socio-economic assessment were used to assess the economic performance. The value chain of the moulded fibre parts shows the best eco-efficiency value, but only because its economic performance is comparatively strong. The lightweight boards have the least environmental impact but do not perform so well in terms of eco-efficiency. The overall eco-efficiency of the full value chain can be optimized only with a specific combination of all four dendromass-based materials within the whole production system.

Nutritional value of fruits and vegetables

The article considers the nutritional value of fruit and vegetable products, their properties and characteristic indicators. The features of fruit and vegetable products are revealed. It has been established that their nutritional value is characterized by low energy value, with the exception of nuts, olives, and dates. The biological value and biological effi ciency are characterized as low for most types of fresh fruits and vegetables, with the exception of nuts, due to the low content of proteins and their low full value. The physiological value of fresh fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms is determined by the content of vitamins C, P, B9, E, such vitamin-like substances as carotene, inositol, etc., minerals: potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and iron, among which potassium predominates, as well as biooxidants and dietary fiber. Factors affecting the nutrient availability of fresh fruits, vegetables, and mushrooms, as well as their safety, have been identified.

Catalysis as a driver for sustainable technologies in Africa – A perspective by the Catalysis Institute at the University of Cape Town

One of the biggest global challenges we are facing today is the provision of affordable, green, and sustainable energy to a growing population. Enshrined in multiple United Nation Sustainable Development Goals – Goal 7: Affordable and Clean Energy; Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities; Goal 12: Responsible Consumption and Production and Goal 13: Climate Action – as well as at the core of the Paris Agreement, it is our task as scientists and engineers to develop innovative technologies that satisfy society's needs while pivoting away from the use of fossil resources. This is a mammoth task with an ambitious timeline. The global development of the industrial sector as we know it is solely based on the exploitation of energy-rich fossil fuels that remain cost-competitive today. However, a gradual change from a market driven to a policy-driven transition allows alternative technologies to make inroads and find applications. One of the most prominently discussed approaches is the Power-to-X (PtX) process envelope. It describes a series of catalytic conversions using only renewable energy, water and captured CO2 to produce green hydrogen, liquid hydrocarbon fuels and chemicals. Especially for sectors that are difficult or impossible to decarbonise, such processes that effectively defossilising the production of energy and goods, represent an important solution.The Catalysis Institute at the University of Cape Town (herein/after referred to as the Catalysis Institute) builds on decades of experience in the individual catalytic processes combined in the PtX concept. In collaboration with our global partners, we are therefore able to develop technologies for the full value chain, considering interdependencies and develop solutions for the African and indeed global society.

Addressing the rise of inequalities: How relevant is Rawls's critique of welfare state capitalism?

Addressing the rise of inequalities: How relevant is Rawls's critique of welfare state capitalism?

Безопасная эксплуатация зданий и сооружений на транспорте

Purpose: To analyze the organization of safe operation of transport infrastructure facilities, their maintenance, routine repairs and working control in terms of building constructions. To establish the imperfections of regulatory documents for building and structure projection, construction and exploitation, to develop recommendations on quality improvement for facility safe operation organization. Methods: Analysis of regulatory documents (State Standards, Codes of Rules, Technical Regulations, Federal Laws, etc.), the results of technical inspection of constructional structures of buildings and facilities, the quality assessment of construction and exploitation of facilities including transport infrastructural ones. Results: Overview and analysis of the organization of safe operation of transport infrastructure facilities on all stages of lifecycle are given. The reliability and operability of constructional structures of buildings and facilities on transport depends on projection quality and the presence in specified documentation of full value section on facility exploitation, compliance of construction-installation works with specified documentation, timeliness, the presence there of the completeness and quality of working control, maintenance and routine repairs of a facility. Acting regulatory documents require particular practical recommendations or references on terminology regulations, additions and clarifications. The specificities of maintenance, routine repair and working control for constructional structures of buildings and facilities, the issues of their conformity and condition assessment as well as of reliability support in accordance with acting legislation are considered. Practical significance: "Instructions for Safe Exploitation of Foundations and Constructional Structures of Infrastructural Objects of St. Petersburg Subway" has been developed which has been introduced into the practical activities of Tunnel Construction Service for State Unitary Enterprise "St. Petersburg Subway", imperfections of regulatory documents at projection, construction and exploitation stage have been identified, recommendations on improving the quality to organize safe exploitation of buildings and constructions during the development of regulatory documents have been proposed.

Insurance value of biodiversity in the Anthropocene is the full resilience value

Recently two distinctly different conceptualisations of insurance value of biodiversity/ ecosystems have been developed. The ecosystem framing addresses the full resilience value without singling out subjective risk preferences. Conversely, the economic framing focuses exactly on this subjective value of risk aversion, implying that the insurance value is zero for risk neutral persons. Here we analyse the differences conceptually and empirically, and relate this to the broader socio-cultural dimensions of social-ecological resilience. The uncertainty of the Anthropocene blurs the distinction between subjective/objective. We show that the economic framing has been operationalised only in specific cases while the broader literature on resilience, disaster risk reduction, and nature-based solutions tend to address the full value of resilience. Yet, the empirical literature that relates to insurance value of biodiversity is hardly consistent with resilience theory because the slow underlying variables defining resilience are rarely addressed. We suggest how the empirical literature on insurance value can be better aligned with resilience theory. Since the ecosystem framing of insurance value captures the essence of the resilience, we propose using the concept “resilience value” as it may reduce the present ambiguity in terminology and conceptualisation of insurance value of biodiversity.

Accelerated matrix completion algorithm using continuation strategy and randomized SVD

The matrix completion (MC) problem aims to recover the complete matrix from the observed matrix with missing entries. The unknown matrix is generally assumed to have a low-rank structure. It is well known that the low-rank minimization problem is NP-hard, so the rank function of the matrix is approximated by a surrogate function. In this paper, we firs t apply the optimization transfer technique to formulate the minimization problem into a bi-variate minimization problem by adding an auxiliary variable. We apply the alternating minimization method to find the minimizer of the bi-variate minimization problem. For the auxiliary variable, the minimum can be formulated as a linear combination of the observation data and the original variable. For the original variable, the minimum is a generalized singular thresholding (GSVT) operator of the auxiliary variable. However, most existing iteration methods for matrix completion problem use fixed thresholding value and also suffer from full singular value decomposition (SVD), which need more computation time for iteration. Thus, they become inefficient for large-scale problems. In order to handle these limitations, we apply the continuation strategy and the randomized singular value decomposition (RSVD) to reduce the computational costs. The threshold value of the continuous strategy is reduced in each iteration until a given minimum thresholding value is reached, while the RSVD only needs to decompose small-scale matrices. Hence, using both strategies simultaneously can effectively reduce the computation time for iteration. Numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm can effectively recover the missing entries both in synthetic and real data.

A Chimeric Vaccine against Porcine Circovirus Type 2: Meta-Analysis of Comparative Clinical Trials

This meta-analysis compared the efficacy of a chimeric vaccine against porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) containing the genotypes PCV2a+b (Fostera® Gold PCV MH [FOS-G]), with commonly used vaccines being derived from genotype PCV2a, considering the following parameters: average daily gain (ADG), mortality and market classification as full value and cull. Data from seven hitherto unpublished comparative US field trials with FOS-G (two experimental challenges and five natural environmental studies) were provided by the manufacturer. A complementary literature review revealed a Korean study, which was considered separately in meta-analysis. Competitors were Circumvent® PCV-M (CV) and Ingelvac Circoflex® + Ingelvac Mycoflex® (IC + IM) in the US, and Porcilis® (POR) in Republic of Korea. Heterogeneity between experimental and environmental challenge studies in the US was not significant, justifying a combined analysis. Over the entire feeding period, ADG (11 comparisons), mortality (12 comparisons) and market classification were not significantly different between FOS-G and its competitor in the US setting. In the Korean study, however, ADG was higher in pigs vaccinated with FOS-G compared to POR, whereas mortality was not significantly different.

Reconsidering Patient Value to Create Better Healthcare

Healthcare can be seen as a value shop, in which solutions to health problems are offered in exchange for valuable contributions. However, the full value exchange between the healthcare provider and the patient is not always apparent. The value shop concept runs the risk of considering only what the patient pays (i.e., money, either paid by the patient or reimbursed by the government) while ignoring another important value, data. Yet without this data, the patient’s problem cannot be solved. This article offers a new paradigm in which a health provider can deliver better value by integrating all dimensions of the provider’s and patient’s value.

Cascade testing after exome sequencing: Retrospective analysis of linked family data at 2 US laboratories

PurposeCascade testing, the process of testing a proband’s at-risk relatives, is integral to realizing the full value of genomic sequencing. However, there is little empirical evidence on the uptake of cascade testing after a positive exome sequencing (ES) result in a population of probands with diverse clinical indications. MethodsWe retrospectively reviewed administrative data from 2 US clinical laboratories that perform ES. For each proband with a positive ES result, we used linked family data to describe the frequency of relatives’ cascade testing performed at the same laboratory, variant detection yield of cascade tests, and characteristics of probands and relatives categorized on the basis of cascade testing completion. ResultsAmong the 3723 positive ES results across both laboratories, 426 relatives of 282 probands completed cascade testing (uptake = 7.6%). An average of 1.5 relatives (SD = 0.9) were tested per proband. Of the 426 relatives tested, 200 had a variant of interest detected (variant detection yield = 47.0%). ConclusionIn our real-world data analysis, a small proportion of probands with a positive ES result subsequently had relatives complete cascade testing at the same laboratory. However, approximately half of the tested relatives received a clinically significant result that could have implications for clinical management or reproductive planning. Additional research on ways to increase cascade testing uptake is warranted.

Recent advances in addressing the market failure of new antimicrobials: Learnings from NICE's subscription-style payment model.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a growing threat to global health. With pathogenic bacteria inevitably becoming more resistant to existing antimicrobials, mortality and costs due to AMR will significantly increase over the next few decades if adequate action is not taken. A major challenge in addressing AMR is the lack of financial incentives for manufacturers to invest in developing new antimicrobials. This is partly because current approaches in health technology assessment (HTA) and standard modeling methods fail to capture the full value of antimicrobials. We explore recent reimbursement and payment frameworks, particularly pull incentives, aimed to address the market failures in antimicrobials. We focus on the "subscription-style" payment model recently used in the UK and discuss the learnings for other European countries. A pragmatic literature review was conducted to identify recent initiatives and frameworks between 2012 and 2021, across seven European markets. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) technology appraisals for cefiderocol and for ceftazidime with avibactam were reviewed to evaluate how the new UK model has been applied in practice and identify the key challenges. The UK and Sweden are the first European countries to pilot the feasibility of implementing pull incentives through fully and partially delinked payment models, respectively. The NICE appraisals highlighted the complexity and large areas of uncertainty of modeling antimicrobials. If HTA and value-based pricing are part of the future in tackling the market failure in AMR, European-level efforts may be needed to overcome some of the key challenges.

“Estimating the recoverable value of in-situ building materials”

Construction, renovation and demolition of buildings in our cities is driving substantial material consumption and waste streams. They can be reduced by recovering in-situ materials from buildings with controlled demolition, disassembly, and deconstruction of components and materials. To do this, a decision support tool that can be used to estimate current recoverable environmental and market values from the owner's perspective of in-situ construction materials in a specific facility must be developed. Here, a linear programming optimization methodology is used that considers cost, value, duration, environmental impacts, and building component precedence in demolition and deconstruction activities. It helps choose the optimal combination of reuse, recycling and disposal options for those materials. The resulting decision support tool is functionally demonstrated on an institutional building to find the building components’ optimal end-of-life alternatives to maximize the recovered value from the in-situ materials. Sensitivity analyses add further validation. Thus, this research supports the transition to a more circular economy in cities by making it easier to realize the full value of in-situ materials for planning, asset management, and demolition project bids.

Nammakam, wasta and the cultivation of differential mobility capital between South India and the Gulf

This ethnographic study, which draws from critical mobility studies and puts it in a productive conversation with migration infrastructures literature, foregrounds the cultivation of and access to differential mobility capital by Rayalaseema inhabitants chain migrating to Kuwait. By fostering embodied and affective relations of trust with different set of actors throughout the migration trajectory, temporary migrants instrumentalise namakkam (trust) and wasta (connections), in both the region of origin and destination, to build their highly variegated mobility capital. In this way, they sustain a transregional licit, if illegal, visa-centered migration infrastructure. Migrants use their mobility capital to buy visas, prolong their stay and embed themselves in the migrant lifeworld of Kuwait, but its full value is realizable back in their region of origin, the socio-economically intractable Rayalaseema, to attain upward social mobility. Requiring considerable social, economic and affective investments over a long period, mobility capital is highly uneven and asymmetrical and often reproduces gendered, caste-based and racialized hierarchies even as it becomes a vehicle for social and spatial mobility for some migrants.

Effects of plant extract and wood on anatomical structure in ecological environment interaction

In this study, the impregnation of a 3% solution of a mixture of medicinal aromatic plant extract, borax, and ferula plant extract on wood of eastern spruce (Picea orientalis L. (Link)) and mahogany were carried out and the changes in the anatomical structure of the impregnated wood were determined. Through obtaining extracts of various medicinal aromatic plants (ferula) and dual treatment with borax, the anatomical properties of wood material were examined and the related adhesion scale was determined. The highest retention (retention) was in mahogany wood borax (1.86%), and the lowest retention was again in mahogany wood ferula extract (0.31%). Both wood types demonstrated improved outcomes in comparison to the control sample when the air-dry and fully-dry specific gravity changes were investigated. The maximum air-dried specific gravity value was found in mahogany at 3% borax and ferula + borax (0.56 g/cm3), and the lowest at 3% ferula and borax (0.37 g/cm3). Mahogany wood with 3% borax had the greatest full dry specific gravity value (0.54 g/cm3), and spruce wood with 3% ferula and ferula + borax had the lowest (0.35 g/cm3). There was no retention in the tracheid and trachea cells that perform the transmission function. Because the sapphire cells are the cells that act as storage, adhesion has occurred in these cells.