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Background: A direct consequence of global warming, and strongly correlated with poor physical and mental health, food insecurity is a rising global concern associated with low dietary intake. The Coronavirus pandemic has further aggravated food insecurity among vulnerable communities, and thus has sparked the global conversation of equal food access, food distribution, and improvement of food support programs. This research was designed to identify the key features associated with food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic using Machine learning techniques. Seven machine learning algorithms were used in the model, which used a dataset of 32 features. The model was designed to predict food insecurity across ten Arab countries in the Gulf and Mediterranean regions. A total of 13,443 participants were extracted from the international Corona Cooking Survey conducted by 38 different countries during the COVID -19 pandemic. Results: The findings indicate that Jordanian, Palestinian, Lebanese, and Saudi Arabian respondents reported the highest rates of food insecurity in the region (15.4%, 13.7%, 13.7% and 11.3% respectively). On the other hand, Oman and Bahrain reported the lowest rates (5.4% and 5.5% respectively). Our model obtained accuracy levels of 70%-82% in all algorithms. Gradient Boosting and Random Forest techniques had the highest performance levels in predicting food insecurity (82% and 80% respectively). Place of residence, age, financial instability, difficulties in accessing food, and depression were found to be the most relevant features associated with food insecurity. Conclusions: The ML algorithms seem to be an effective method in early detection and prediction of food insecurity and can profoundly aid policymaking. The integration of ML approaches in public health strategies could potentially improve the development of targeted and effective interventions to combat food insecurity in these regions and globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The womanist work in African women's cinematic practice empowers, supports, and promotes women in tandem with upholding the fight for racial, ethnic, social, political, and economic justice in their society and throughout the world. A selection of women's voices contextualizes the notion of a womanistic standpoint as a conceptual framework that embodies their cinematic vision. Based on excerpts from interviews, critiques, citations, filmmakers' statements, and intentions presented as leçons du cinéma, in their own voice, women tell their stories about filmmaking, their cinematic vision, their decision-making, lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Aims: To explore changes in alcohol purchase and consumption during the first few months of the Covid-19 pandemic, and assess associations between increased alcohol purchase/use and socioeconomic and environmental factors. Design: Secondary data from a cross-sectional online survey conducted from 17 April to 25 June 2020. Setting: Thirty-eight countries from all continents of the world. Participants: A total of 37,206 adults (mean age:36.7, SD:14.8, 77% female) reporting alcohol purchasing and drinking habit before and during the pandemic. Measurements: Changes in alcohol stock-up and frequency of alcohol use during the pandemic and increased alcohol stock-up and use were stratified by gender, age, education, household structure, working status, income loss, psychological distress, and country based on alcohol consumption per capita. The associations between increased alcohol stock-up/use and living with children, working from home, income loss and distress were examined using multivariate logistic regression, controlling for demographic factors. Findings: The majority of respondents reported no change in their alcohol purchasing and drinking habits during the early pandemic period. Increased drinking was reported by 20.2% of respondents, while 17.6% reported decreased alcohol use. More than half (53.3%) of respondents experienced psychological distress, with one in five (20.7%) having severe distress. Female gender, being aged under 50, higher educational attainment, living with children, working from home, and psychological distress were all independently associated with increased alcohol drinking during lockdown. Limitations of the study were the non-representative sample, the data collection early in the pandemic, and the non-standard measurement of alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Increased psychological distress among people during the early pandemic period, resulted in increased alcohol consumption, especially among women with children working from home during lockdown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lead mobilization in aquaculture and its generated health hazards prompted the use of a cheap and reusable method for its removal within a short duration. A 3D macroporous microbial biomat formed of Trichoderma viride immobilized on luffah was used for Pb removal. The biomat was used to remove 79% of initial 400 mg/kg Pb in 24 h that increased to 87% under optimized conditions of pH, temperature, and contact time. In order to reduce the time needed for Pb bioremoval to 1 h, pretreated biomats were used, resulting in an increase in removal from 58% to 96% upon exposure to gamma radiation (0.01 kilogray [kGy]). The irradiated biomat was studied in terms of morphology, elemental analysis of surface biosorbed Pb and surface functional groups using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The results show a difference in the adsorption pattern. The biomat was reused efficiently for 3 consecutive cycles and was also used in fixed bed column showing 89% removal for downward flow and in real aquaculture samples. Pretreated microbial biomats are very suitable for use in fixed bed reactors or as a biofilter and can be tested in recirculating aquaculture systems (RASs), thereby contributing to water conservation and aquaculture sustainability. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020;16:508–516. © 2020 SETAC KEY POINTS: Fungal immobilized biomat is cheap and efficient in Pb removal.Pretreatment using gamma radiation increases adsorptive capacity of the adsorbate.Regeneration for reuse offers sustainability.Fungal immobilized biomat can be used in both metal removal and metal retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

African women as cultural producers in the realm of the moving image, screen culture, audiovisual media—what are their experiences? These women who work actively in the behind-the-scenes roles; in front of the screen as journalist, critic, cultural reader; in the corridors as organizer, activist, advocate, promoter in the vast cinematic enterprise, many wearing multiple hats as filmmaker, actor, presenter, producer, scholar. Whether working on the local, regional, continental, international, or transnational level, their role is vital, their work essential. This survey by country provides an indication of the span of activities of these cultural workers: most striving for the cause, or out of a sense of duty, or of purpose—some in perilous situations, so that African images are seen and stories told—produced, disseminated, distributed, exhibited, discussed, critiqued, documented, archived, preserved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The exilic and diasporic filmmaking experiences of African women of the screen have been evident from the start of African cinematic practices. Women have traveled and relocated outside of their homeland to study, edit, shoot, work, live, and network. Informed by Hamid Naficy's formulation of "accented cinema," this article traces these peripatetic migrations framed within selected topics that are representative of the histories, trends, and tendencies throughout the evolution of African women in cinema: Oscillating between hostland and homeland, defining home(s) is a frequent practice. In the interstices of hostland and homeland, navigating in third space is a recurrent theme, as well as the mediation of exilic identities. The common phenomenon of intracontinental migration also leads to diasporic discovery. As a growing cohort of African women are born, raised, or settle in the United States, they are also negotiating within the dominant African American paradigm. Germany, a lesser-known site for Afrowomen's cinematic journeying, is emerging as an important space for study, work, and exploration. Several questions are posed for reflection and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores the documentary filmmaking process of African women, which involves storytelling, of relating actuality, the real, of recounting history, the personal, the social, and the political.

The article discusses the creative process behind the documentary film "Beit Sha'ar." The film was shot in the Sinai, a place of deserts, bleak stones, and a place called home by Bedouins who have strict codes for women. The Bedouins were instrumental in the production of the film. Apart from Bedouins, the filmmaker also covered stories of struggle from different communities in the area, such as Jews who reside by the Red Sea, Arab workers from Jordan, and Sudanese workers.