Human Survival Research Articles

SUSTAINABLE FOOD CONSUMPTION WITHIN THE SCOPE OF GREEN ECONOMY: A RESEARCH ON CONSUMER PERSPECTIVE

Sustainable production and consumption are one of the significant issues in the food industry, as in every field. Food industry which is so important for the survival of humanity, is also under the spotlight in terms of its effects on the environment. In this regard, the aim of this study is to address sustainable food consumption from the perspective of the consumer, one of the most important actors in the food consumption system. For this purpose, data was obtained using the in-depth interview technique. Research results show that barriers to sustainable food consumption are perceived expensiveness, lack of information, perceived greenwashing, low availability, perceived effort and living conditions, whereas drivers for sustainable food consumption are health and environmental consciousness, subjective norm and food involvement.

Why prevent human extinction?

AbstractMany of us think human extinction would be a very bad thing, and that we have moral reasons to prevent it. But there is disagreement over what would make extinction so bad, and thus over what grounds these moral reasons. Recently, several theorists have argued that our reasons to prevent extinction stem not just from the value of the welfare of future lives, but also from certain additional values relating to the existence of humanity itself (for example, humanity's “final” value, or the value of humanity in itself). In this paper, I argue against these “additional value” views. Despite their initial appeal, these views will inevitably face conflicts between the additional values to which they appeal, and the value of the welfare of future lives. And, I argue, the views cannot plausibly resolve these conflicts. In contrast, these conflicts do not arise for a rival view, on which our reasons to prevent extinction stem just from the value of the welfare of future lives. I conclude that this gives us reason to prefer the latter view, despite the greater initial plausibility of additional value views.

Synthesis of Rupestonic Acid L-Ephedrine Derivatives with Preliminary In vitro Anti-influenza Viral Activity.

Influenza virus is a kind of RNA virus. Nowadays, the high incidence of influenza and the morbidity and mortality of epidemic influenza are substantial. It has been reported that one hundred million people in the world are infected with influenza viruses, and two hundred and fifty thousand to five hundred thousand people die from the flu per year. In 2021, the number of infected persons in China was reported to be 654,700, and 0.07% of the infected persons died. The flu has caused a serious threat to human survival. Although several drugs, such as Zanamivir, Oseltamivir, Peramivir, and Laninamivir, have been used in clinics for the treatment of the influenza virus, there are some shortcomings of these drugs. The strain of influenza H5N1 (avian influenza) has been found to resist the effective drug Oseltamivir. Thus, there is an urgent demand to discover new influenza virus inhibitors to overcome the emergence of influenza antigens. This study aimed to develop new influenza virus inhibitors based on the rupestonic acid parent core. The rupestonic acid L-ephedrine ester (A) and rupestonic acid L-ephedrine complex (B) were synthesized in this work for the development of influenza virus inhibitors. The target compounds were synthesized using rupestonic acid and L-ephedrine as starting materials. Their structures were characterized by 1H NMR and 13C NMR, and the purity was determined by HPLC. Then, their preliminary in vitro influenza activity was evaluated using Oseltamivir as a reference drug. The results showed that the synthesized rupestonic acid L-ephedrine derivatives A and B were more potent influenza virus inhibitors against the strains of A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/FM/1/47 (H1N1) with the IC50 values of 51.0, 51.0 μM and 441.0, 441.0 μM, respectively, than that of rupestonic acid. By comparing the IC50 of compounds A and B, compound A can be regarded as a very promising lead compound for the development of influenza virus inhibitors. The rupestonic acid L-ephedrine ester (A) and rupestonic acid L-ephedrine complex (B) were synthesized and characterized using 1H NMR and 13C NMR. Moreover, their purity was determined by HPLC. Both compounds A and B exhibited more potent activities against the strains of A/PR/8/34 (H1N1) and A/FM/1/47 (H1N1) than rupestonic acid. Compound A can be regarded as a very promising lead compound for the development of influenza virus inhibitors. Based on these results, more rupestonic acid derivatives will be designed and synthesized in the future for the development of influenza virus inhibitors.

Agricultural sustainability assessment and national policy-making using an axiomatic mathematical model

Agriculture is a basic activity of human survival and its sustainability is of the utmost importance. In this paper, we present a novel mathematical model for the assessment of agricultural sustainability, based on certain intuitive and fundamental postulates. The resulting mathematical framework generalizes most existing models. We then rank 148 countries according to their agricultural sustainability, using data from the period 1995 to 2022 and pinpoint those aspects with the highest potential of improving sustainability using sensitivity analysis. Our findings demonstrate that farming is mostly unsustainable worldwide. The most crucial factors are connected with bad water use, destruction of biodiversity, and the prevalence of conventional chemical farming. As expected, poor countries make the bottom of the sustainability list. Surprisingly, several advanced countries such as Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands and Norway also occupy the bottom of the list because of very high emissions and bad performance concerning land and biodiversity. Finally, the highest score worldwide is of the order of only 70% and the median 50%, which exhibit a rather unsatisfactory farming state of affairs. Such findings ought to guide immediate action to make agriculture more sustainable.

Ecological Revelations from Chinese Documentary Movie: Taking Nourishment of All Things as An Example

The ecological documentary movie Nourishment of All Things selects six natural resources in China and presents nature’s selfless gift to mankind from a unique perspective. It perfectly presents the ecological theme of the survival, growth and health of plants, animals, and humans. The film contains endless beauty of living creatures and the beauty of harmony between man and nature, which demonstrates the ecological holism of “the harmony between man and nature”. From the perspectives of three different dimensions, the article aims to analyze the ecological relationship between plants, animals, and humans. As a result, it is possible to provide a useful enlightenment for sustainable development of ecology.

Exploring banana production in Africa for food security and economic growth—A short review

Food insecurity is a critical global issue, but it is far more visible and challenging to address in Africa. Millions of Africans suffer from hunger and malnutrition. Food security programs are an essential part of human survival, and for that to happen, food that is nutritious and safe must be readily available to people. A society that will be well fed requires not only a strong policy framework but also institutional reforms that promote production and make agriculture more attractive to young people. In this context, sustainable production of banana crops could play a critical role in Africa’s food security and advance economic growth. Bananas have an important position in human nutrition all over the world; they are a staple fruit consumed by many. A banana is a storehouse for minerals, vitamins, and carbohydrates and is regarded as a reserve of energy. It has a great prospect for foreign earnings through exports. The continuous growth in Africa’s population, with its attendant increase in food demands, calls for a radical transformation in its agricultural production system. There are land and human capital resources that could be engaged. The estimated cultivable land mass in Africa for banana production is estimated to be around 50 million hectares, with over 60% of its population below the age of 25. Africa could achieve a decent society that is free from the burden of hunger and attain economic prosperity by leveraging on massive banana production for local needs and exports. Bananas have enormous potential as a recipe for food security and economic prosperity if well harnessed.

IoT-based Design and Implementation of an Intelligent Water Quality Monitoring System

Abstract: Water is an essential requirement for human survival, and a scarcity of water renders us unable to sustain our lives. The issue of water pollution and shortage is a pressing worldwide concern that necessitates the adaptation of water resources and the establishment of guiding principles at both the international and individual levels. Water contamination is the primary contributor to global disease outbreaks. In the past, the process of monitoring water quality relied on the physical collection of data, lacking the implementation of a smart sensor system. This resulted in inefficiencies, particularly in the areas of real-time data retrieval, device surveillance, and less precise data gathering. The integration of a real-time water quality monitoring method is important in order to guarantee the provision of a secure drinking water supply. Therefore, the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT), which facilitates the interconnection of diverse devices for the purpose of data interchange and collection, has emerged

GERAKAN PEDULI LINGKUNGAN DALAM PERSPEKTIF HUMAN SECURITY DAN KONSEPSI ISLAM DI KELURAHAN TIRTA SIAK KOTA PEKANBARU

One of the causes of environmental damage is the presence of piles of rubbish which can cause flooding and ultimately disrupt human survival. In Pekanbaru City, there are areas that have quite worrying waste problems, namely RT 03, RW 05, Tirta Siak Village, Payung Sekaki District, Pekanbaru City. Almost every day rubbish can be seen scattered in residential areas. This describes the lack of public awareness and concern regarding the importance of maintaining environmental cleanliness. The aim of this community service activity is firstly to provide knowledge of non-traditional threats, especially human security issue to residents of RT 03 RW 05, Tirta Siak Village, Payung Sekaki District, Pekanbaru City. Second, increase citizens' insight into Islamic conceptions of environmental cleanliness, and third, grow and increase citizens' awareness and concern in solving waste problems. Service activities start from the observation stage, carrying out counseling, recruiting volunteers, and monitoring. The result of this service activity is that residents' knowledge about the threat of environmental damage and good waste management techniques has increased. The increase in knowledge can be seen in the questionnaire results which reached 83%. Apart from that, residents' awareness and concern for environmental cleanliness is also starting to be seen from implementing the 4R concept in daily life and the formation of environmental care movement by carrying out routine mutual cooperation actions and monitoring the environment.

Sepsis-trained macrophages promote antitumoral tissue-resident T cells.

Sepsis induces immune alterations, which last for months after the resolution of illness. The effect of this immunological reprogramming on the risk of developing cancer is unclear. Here we use a national claims database to show that sepsis survivors had a lower cumulative incidence of cancers than matched nonsevere infection survivors. We identify a chemokine network released from sepsis-trained resident macrophages that triggers tissue residency of T cells via CCR2 and CXCR6 stimulations as the immune mechanism responsible for this decreased risk of de novo tumor development after sepsis cure. While nonseptic inflammation does not provoke this network, laminarin injection could therapeutically reproduce the protective sepsis effect. This chemokine network and CXCR6 tissue-resident T cell accumulation were detected in humans with sepsis and were associated with prolonged survival in humans with cancer. These findings identify a therapeutically relevant antitumor consequence of sepsis-induced trained immunity.

Advancements in Antiviral Drug Development: Comprehensive Insights into Design Strategies and Mechanisms Targeting Key Viral Proteins.

Viral infectious diseases have always been a threat to human survival and quality of life, impeding the stability and progress of human society. As such, researchers have persistently focused on developing highly efficient, low-toxicity antiviral drugs, whether for acute or chronic infectious diseases. This article presents a comprehensive review of the design concepts behind virus-targeted drugs, examined through the lens of antiviral drug mechanisms. The intention is to provide a reference for the development of new, virus-targeted antiviral drugs and guide their clinical usage.

The relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behavior in adolescents: the mediating role of future self-continuity and the moderating role of green self-efficacy

BackgroundClimate change is seriously affecting human survival and development, and the anxiety caused by it is becoming increasingly prominent. How to alleviate people’s climate change anxiety, improve the ecological environment, and promote the formation of green lifestyles among people, especially young people, is an important topic that deserves to be explored. This study examined the relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors and the underlying psychological mechanism in the adolescents.MethodsThis study explored the crucial role of future self-continuity (FSC) between climate change anxiety (CCA) and pro-environmental behaviors (PEB) in adolescents and examined the moderating role of green self-efficacy (GSE). In this study, a total of 1,851 middle and high school students from five schools were selected for questionnaire survey.ResultsThe results showed that (1) in both middle and high school grades, there was a significant negative correlation between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors; future self-continuity was significantly positively correlated with pro-environmental behaviors; green self-efficacy was negatively correlated with climate change anxiety and positively correlated with pro-environmental behaviors; (2) climate change anxiety negatively predicted pro-environmental behaviors, and compared with middle school grades, high school grade adolescents’ climate change anxiety was significantly predicted pro-environmental behaviors. Future self-continuity mediated the relationship between climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors in both grades. (3) green self-efficacy moderated the second half of the pathway of the mediation model only in middle grades. Specifically in middle school, future self-continuity did not significantly predict pro-environmental behaviors at low green self-efficacy level, but positively predicted pro-environmental behaviors at high green self-efficacy level. In high school, future self-continuity did not significantly predict pro-environmental behaviors in either high or low green self-efficacy level.ConclusionThis study suggests that there is a moderated mediation model between adolescents’ climate change anxiety and pro-environmental behaviors, with different mediating and moderating effects among adolescents in various grades. This is of great significance in alleviating climate anxiety among adolescents and cultivating their pro-environmental behaviors.

Harnessing deep learning for faster water quality assessment: identifying bacterial contaminants in real time

AbstractWater is essential for human survival. Humans can live without food for a few days but without water, a person can barely survive for 3–5 days. Various parts of the world, particularly under-developed countries, have regions where clean water is scarce, and humans living in such conditions have no access to clean water. Our solution provides information on whether water is contaminated or not. Moreover, it overcomes the delay time in getting the result of water contamination using traditional methods of up to 5–6 hrs. Our proposed method detects the colonies of the bacteria that are taken from the water sample (after gram staining) and then classifies the type of bacteria to whom it belongs and how much quantity of each bacterium causes infection to the human body. Bacteria detection is performed by a novel deep learning-based model with user-specified parameters. To improve our ability to detect dangerous bacteria including E. coli, yeast, and particles, we perform tests using datasets from a variety of researchers. On the test benchmark, the fine-tuned proposed model achieves 84.56% accuracy and provides the level of contamination in water.

Metaphysical Status of Money and Sustainable Organizations and Ecosystems

The current economic and societal production system gives money a magnified importance, overlooking other essential flows necessary for human survival and existence. It focuses on monetary indicators like profits, dividends, and GDPs to evaluate organizational production, while often disregarding outputs that harm the biosphere. Money is treated as the constitutive being (ousia) and attributed undemonstrated explanatory properties. Intangible flow theory helps eliminate this metaphysical status of money by recognizing that monetary flows are just one of many necessary flows for human survival and existence. Organizations deliver product-flows that require input-flows from and send output-flows back to the encompassing biosphere, whether they explicitly engage in environmentally friendly activities or not. Therefore, every organization is an ecological entity because it has a relationship with the biosphere, which participates in the manner through which humans integrate into their surrounding environment and relate to other living beings. Eliminating the metaphysical status of money integrates every organization in the biosphere, making organizations accountable for environmental harm caused by their activities. This can be achieved by deconstructing the metaphysical status of money in business models.

Nitrogen-doped carbon dots as fluorescent probes for sensitive and selective determination of Fe3+

At present, the contamination of water resources by heavy metal ions has posed a significant threat to human survival. Therefore, it is particularly critical to develop low-cost, easy-to-use, and highly efficient heavy metal detection technologies. In this work, a fast and cost-effective fluorescent probe for nitrogen-doped carbon dots (N-CDs) was prepared using one-step hydrothermal method with citric acid (CA) as carbon source, and melamine as nitrogen source. The structural and optical characterizations of the resulting N-CDs were investigated in details. The results showed that the quantum yield of the prepared fluorescent probe was as high as 45 %, and an average fluorescence lifetime was about 7.80 ns. N-CDs have excellent water solubility and dispersibility, with an average size of 2.58 nm. N-CDs exhibited excellent specific responsiveness to Fe3+ and can be used as an effective method for detecting Fe3+ at low-concentrations (the concentrations of N-CDs as low as 0.24 μg/mL) using fluorescent probes. The linear response of the fluorescent probe N-CDs to Fe3+ was formed in the concentration range of 20–80 μM, and the detection limit was 3.18 μM. In addition, in the actual water samples analysis, the recovery rate reached 97.05–100.58 %. The prepared of N-CDs provide available Fe3+ fluorescent probes in the environment.

Human NLRC4 expression promotes cancer survival and associates with type I interferon signaling and immune infiltration.

The immune system can control cancer progression. However, even though some innate immune sensors of cellular stress are expressed intrinsically in epithelial cells, their potential role in cancer aggressiveness and subsequent overall survival in humans is mainly unknown. Here, we show that nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-like receptor (NLR) family CARD domain-containing 4 (NLRC4) is downregulated in epithelial tumor cells of patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) by using spatial tissue imaging. Strikingly, only the loss of tumor NLRC4, but not stromal NLRC4, was associated with poor immune infiltration (mainly DCs and CD4+ and CD8+ T cells) and accurately predicted progression to metastatic stage IV and decrease in overall survival. By combining multiomics approaches, we show that restoring NLRC4 expression in human CRC cells triggered a broad inflammasome-independent immune reprogramming consisting of type I interferon (IFN) signaling genes and the release of chemokines and myeloid growth factors involved in the tumor infiltration and activation of DCs and T cells. Consistently, such reprogramming in cancer cells was sufficient to directly induce maturation of human DCs toward a Th1 antitumor immune response through IL-12 production in vitro. In multiple human carcinomas (colorectal, lung, and skin), we confirmed that NLRC4 expression in patient tumors was strongly associated with type I IFN genes, immune infiltrates, and high microsatellite instability. Thus, we shed light on the epithelial innate immune sensor NLRC4 as a therapeutic target to promote an efficient antitumor immune response against the aggressiveness of various carcinomas.

Traditional medicine in Incahuasi: An ethnobotanical study

Introduction Understanding the use of medicinal plants as herbal medicines is considered essential for the survival and continuity of humanity. Since ancient times, the origin and development of natural and traditional medicine have been intrinsically linked to humanity struggle for survival. Nowadays, ethnobotanical studies are employed as a tool for the preservation and conservation not only of taxonomic biodiversity but also of cultural biodiversity. Methodology A descriptive research with a quantitative, non-experimental cross-sectional design was carried out. The study was conducted in six Quechua-speaking communities in the district of Incahuasi (3,000 meters above sea level), selected for convenience considering factors such as altitude, accessibility, and proximity to the city. A questionnaire was administered to 32 residents from the communities, who shared their knowledge about medicinal plants, providing relevant information about them. The gender of the participants was considered because men and women use traditional medicine and the knowledge of them is transmitted from parents to children. Results During the study, a total of 46 medicinal species were recorded, belonging to 42 genera and 22 botanical families. The most representative medicinal families used by the informants of the communities were Asteraceae (30.4%) and Lamiaceae (15.2%). It is also worth mentioning the genera Salvia and Baccharis, with three and two species respectively, which are commonly used to treat various ailments and diseases. Conclusions Ethnobotanical information was collected on the medicinal plants used by the community members of the selected communities in Incahuasi, and the corresponding data were recorded. A total of 46 plants were collected, with the majority belonging to the Asteraceae and Lamiaceae families.

A Numerical Investigation of the Influence of Humid Environments on the Thermal Performance of a Phase Change Thermal Storage Cooling System in Buildings

Phase change thermal energy storage (PCTES) technology has garnered significant attention in addressing thermal management challenges in building HVAC systems. However, the cooling performance of PCTES systems in humid scenarios remains unexplored, which is crucial in subtropical regions, high-humidity underground areas, and densely populated spaces. Taking the mine refuge chamber (MRC) as an example, this study focuses on a passive temperature and humidity control system by employing cold storage phase change plates (PCPs) for 96 h. First, an improved and simplified full-scale numerical model including PCPs and MRC parts is established. Then, the model is validated through the experimental results and solved using a numerical method. Finally, the influence of various factors within the system is investigated and an optimization method involving batch operation is proposed. The results indicate that (1) within 40 h, the use of cold storage PCPs leads to an indoor temperature reduction of 4.8 °C and a 7% decrease in relative humidity; (2) the PCPs show asynchronous states in sensible and latent heat transfer rates; (3) for every 50 additional PCPs, the average indoor temperature increases by 0.6 °C and the relative humidity decreases by 1.5%; (4) implementing batch operation of PCPs ensures that the indoor Heat Index drops by 10 °C, which is vital for human survival. The findings will play a crucial role in the global expansion and application (including geographical and functional aspects) of phase change thermal storage technology.

High-performance ethanol sensor based on self-assembled BaTiO3/ZnO composite hierarchical nanostructure

Excessive emission of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) has caused serious harm to the ecological environment and human survival. It is necessary to develop gas sensors with high response, outstanding selectivity, and low power consumption to provide basic protection for human health environment. In this work, BaTiO3 nanospheres are prepared by solution method, and BaTiO3/ZnO composites are further synthesized based on facile hydrothermal technique. The gas sensitive investigations show that the response of BaTiO3/ZnO composite sensor to 100 ppm ethanol is reach up to 94, and the optimal operating temperature is significantly reduced. The response time of BaTiO3/ZnO is reduced to 66 s, and full recovery can be achieved within 162 s. In general, the performance of BaTiO3/ZnO nanocomposite sensors is better than that of pure BaTiO3 nanospheres and ZnO nanosheets, which may be related to the unique morphology, improved surface properties of BaTiO3/ZnO composites and the n-n heterojunction effect. Finally, the gas-sensing mechanism of the as-prepared BaTiO3/ZnO semiconductor in air and ethanol is discussed in detail.

Pemanfaatan Tanaman Dalam Kehidupan Spiritual Umat Hindu di Bali (Perspektif Pendidikan Lingkungan Hidup)

Development carried out in Bali, where people's livelihoods depend on agriculture, plantations, and tourism, must prioritize the Balinese cultural side, which is based on Hindu spiritual teachings. It is essential to pay attention to the teachings in Bali, as they are the basis for Bali's sustainable development. One of these teachings is the Tri Hita Karana teaching, especially in the weakening section. This weakening concept teaches humans to maintain a harmonious relationship between humans and the nature around them, which is related to human survival. The aim of the research is to describe the use of plants in the spiritual life of Hindus in Bali. The method used is qualitative research with library data collection techniques. The research results show that Balinese people are very close to the environment, especially plants that complement ceremonies or rituals. These plants are an inseparable part of the spiritual life of the Balinese people, considering that these plants act as materials for religious services and healing and provide educational teachings related to environmental conservation.

Ecological risk, source apportionment, and influencing factors of heavy metals in soil in a typical lead-zinc mining watershed, Guangxi, China

Soil contamination by heavy metals (HMs) leads to significant decreases in soil ecosystem quality, seriously threatening human survival and development. Studies on soil HMs have focused on the sources, distributions, and influencing factors. However, soil HM migration and speciation, which indirectly affect HM distributions and their ecological risks, have often been overlooked. In this study, we investigated the links between the sources, distributions, and influencing factors of soil HMs, as well as their ecological risks at several levels, by analyzing soil samples collected from a Pb-Zn mining area. Soil column experiments were also performed to assess Pb leaching in the soil. The results indicate that soil HMs accumulated in front of the mountain river outlets, at the entrance of the underground river, and at soil depths of 0–40 cm. Cd and Pb were the main contributors to the high ecological risk in the soil, and As and Cr were the main contributors to cancer risk. The source analysis indicates that mining and smelting activities were the main sources of total soil HMs (32.55%), as well as the main sources of Sb (83.43%), Pb (68.65%), and Cu (45.37%). Mining activity and continuous riverine transport were the main sources of Cd (69.93%) and Zn (52.38%). These anthropogenic sources have major impacts on the ecological environment in the study area. Factors such as pH, clay and silt contents, soil organic matter content, and cation exchange capacity influenced the distributions and total amounts of Cu, Mn, Zn, and Pb species.