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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The global competitiveness of the cocoa processing industry is enhanced through the implementation of technical policies as a sustainable economic sector. The effort is motivated by the potential of large cocoa production and the international market demands for the industry to apply innovative, effective technology and comply with sustainability standards (environment, social, and economic). Therefore, this study aimed to analyze the environmental impact assessment of cocoa production from upstream to downstream processes in North Luwu Regency, South Sulawesi. METHODS: Data were collected from 321 respondents actively working and had at least 8 years of experience in cocoa cultivation and production. Respondents included staff of the Masagena Farmers' Cooperative from Chalodo Sibali Resoe Industry, Masamba City, and North Luwu Regency, and the secondary data were obtained from a literature review. In addition, the environmental impact was determined using the Midpoint Recipe method and the ecoinvent 3.8 database. This was conducted based on the International Standard Organization of life cycle assessment 14040 and 14044 with a function unit of 1 kilogram chocodate cashew production. FINDINGS: The results showed that reducing chemical fertilizer was environmentally preferable to decreasing all the impact categories assessed since the total potential global warming impact from chocodate cashew production was 2.092 kilogram carbon dioxide equivalent. In this context, electricity and fertilizer were the main contributors to environmental pollution, accounting for 0.438 kilogram carbon dioxide equivalent and 0.215 kilogram carbon dioxide equivalent at 20.97 percent and 10.27 percent, respectively. CONCLUSION: The reduction in the use of inorganic nitrogen, phosphate, potassium fertilizer, from 3.75 to 1.25 kilogram perkilogram cocoa, or the adoption of bio-based nitrogen, phosphate, potassium fertilizer at a rate of 2.5/kilogram, could substantially mitigate the environmental impact. This mitigation resulted in a 16 percent decrease in global warming potential, reducing from 2.092 to 1.745 kilogram carbon dioxide equivalent. In addition, valuable insights were provided into the scope of life cycle assessment studies and contributed to the selection of sustainable cacao farming systems. These results could be relevant to life cycle assessment practitioners, stakeholders, and governments in offering valuable insights for the formulation of policies and programs for developing cacao farming in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Palm oil mill effluent is a liquid waste product of palm oil milling that contains abundant organic pollutants such as nitrogen and phosphorus that are potentially harmful to the environment. However, palm oil mill effluent can be used as a nutrient for the growth of microalgae with utility in pollutant removal and algae biorefinery production of biofuel and functional foods. The aim of the present study was to analyze the sustainability of microalgae biomass production by calculating a sustainability index. METHODS: Questionnaires were used to evaluate the scientific judgment of expert researchers in the field of microalgae research. Data were processed and analyzed using multidimensional scaling comprising social, economic, ecological, and technological dimensions with a total of 47 attributes in Rapfish software. FINDINGS: The sustainability index of microalgae biomass production was calculated as 73.53%, which indicates the process has the potential for sustainable development with consideration of the leverage factors identified in each dimension. Analysis of the four dimensions demonstrated that the environment dimension had the lowest leverage at 67.30%, while the economy, technology, and social dimensions had leverage values of 70.99%, 73.67%, and 82.17%, respectively. These findings indicate that management experience and skills (environment and technological dimensions), involvement of family members (social dimension), and productivity level (economic dimension) warrant further attention in order to improve the sustainability of microalgae biomass production. CONCLUSION: The prospective analysis in the present study identified production, productivity, land conversion, consumption per capita, and population as key or dominant factors influencing the microalgae supply system. Further research is required to fully utilize microalgae biomass as a value-added product in optimal, technically, economically, environmentally, and socially sustainable systems. The results of the present study provide insights into the feasibility of sustainable microalgae biomass production in Indonesia that may inform governmental policies and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT The health care transition (HCT) from pediatric to adult care is a potential contributor to poor clinical outcomes among adolescents living with HIV (ALHIV). In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there is limited information on effective tools and processes to prepare and support ALHIV through this transition. This study elicited perspectives of policy-makers regarding barriers and facilitators to successful HCT among ALHIV in Kenya. Twenty in-depth interviews (IDIs) were conducted with policy-makers using a semi-structured guide. Using the socio-ecological model (SEM) as an organizing framework, directed content and thematic network analyses methods were used to characterize themes related to key influences on HCT processes and to describe actionable recommendations for improved tools and resources. Policy-makers identified multilevel support, including the development of a triadic relationship between the caregiver, healthcare worker (HCW) and adolescent, as an essential strategy for improved HCT success. Across the SEM, policy-makers described the importance of actively engaging adolescents in their care to promote increased ownership and autonomy over health decisions. At the structural level, the need for more comprehensive HCT guidelines and improved HCW training was highlighted. Expanded HCT tools and guidelines, that emphasize supportive relationships and intensified adolescent engagement, may improve HCT processes and outcomes.

We propose and develop a comprehensive model for estimating the refractive index (RI) response over three potential sensing zones in a multimode fiber. The model has been developed based on a combined ray optics, Gaussian beam, and wave optics analysis coupled to the consideration of the injected interrogating lightwave characteristics and validated experimentally through the realization of three sensors with different lengths of stripped cladding sections as the sensing region. The experimental results highly corroborate and validate the simulation output from the model for the three RI sensing zones. The sensors can be employed over a very wide dynamic RI range from 1.316 to over 1.608 at a wavelength of 1550 nm, with the best resolution of 2.2447 × 10 -5 RI unit (RIU) obtained in Zone II for a 1-cm sensor length.