ORCID Profile
0000-0002-8103-9673
Current Organisations
The University of Canberra
,
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre
Does something not look right? The information on this page has been harvested from data sources that may not be up to date. We continue to work with information providers to improve coverage and quality. To report an issue, use the Feedback Form.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 16-05-2023
DOI: 10.1002/IEAM.4774
Abstract: Growing populations and consumption drive the challenges of solid waste management (SWM) globalization of transport, food production, and trade, including waste trading, distributes risks worldwide. Using waste hierarchy (WH reduce, reuse, and recycle) and circular economy (CE) concepts, we updated a conceptual waste framework used by international organizations to evaluate SWM practices. We identified the key steps and the important factors, as well as stakeholders, which are essential features for effective SWM. Within this updated conceptual framework, we qualitatively evaluated global SWM strategies and practices, identifying opportunities, barriers, and best practices. We find that, although a few exceptional countries exhibit zero‐waste compliance, most fare poorly, as exhibited by the high waste generation, incineration, and disposal (open dumping, landfilling) volumes. In the Global North, SWM strategies and practices rely heavily on technologies, economic tools, regulatory frameworks, education, and social engagement to raise stakeholder awareness and enhance inclusion and participation in the Global South, however, many governments take sole legal responsibility for SWM, seeking to eliminate waste as a public “nuisance.” Separation and recycling in the Global South are implemented mainly by “informal” economies in which subsistence needs drive recyclable material retrieval. Imported, regionally inappropriate tools, economic constraints, weak policies and governance, waste trading, noninclusive stakeholder participation, data limitations, and limited public awareness continue to pose major waste and environmental management challenges across nations. In the context of the framework, we conclude that best practices from around the world can be used to guide decision‐making, globally. Despite variations in drivers and needs across regions, nations in both the Global North and South need to improve WH and CE compliance, and enhance stakeholder partnership, awareness, and participation throughout the SWM process. Partnerships between the Global North and South could better manage traded wastes, reduce adverse impacts, and enhance global environmental sustainability and equity, supporting UN Sustainable Development Goals. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2023 :1–27. © 2023 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 24-02-2020
DOI: 10.1002/IEAM.4237
Abstract: Food crops can be used as biomonitors to assess potential public health food safety hazards from contaminated agricultural environments. Globally, more than 800 million people grow fruits, vegetables, and grains on urban garden soils with unknown health risks. This worldwide practice has exposed consumers to pathogenic and carcinogenic risks from locally grown and imported contaminated foodstuffs such as Amaranthus cruentus and Zea mays, traditional and widely consumed crops across the globe. This study used Z. mays and A. cruentus crops to investigate the occurrence and spatial variations of aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), arsenic (As), selenium (Se), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) concentrations across the Mbale dumpsite, Uganda. Mean concentrations for Fe, Al, Zn, Mn, and Cu were high in both crops, whereas Pb, Cr, Co, Cd, As, Hg, Se, and Ni occurred in trace amounts. Using the 2 crops as biomonitors, significant variations for Al, Zn, Fe, Cr, and Co concentrations in in idual crops were identified across the dump center, hill slope, and riverbank. The variations in Al, Zn, Fe, Cr, and Co concentrations were specific for crop types, crop parts, and location. The highest overall accumulation of metals was at the dump center and in crop leaves. Except Pb concentrations in Z. mays seeds, Cr, Pb, Zn, and Al concentrations in other crop parts were above World Health Organization/Food and Agricultural Organization consumer food safety limits. Therefore, Z. mays and A. cruentus consumption could pose health risks to consumers. Further health assessments and potential regulations are recommended to reduce potential health risks from metals in crops for human consumption. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2020 :362-377. © 2019 SETAC.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 28-07-2017
DOI: 10.1038/LEU.2017.243
Abstract: Targeted therapies are frequently combined with standard cytotoxic drugs to enhance clinical response. Targeting the B-cell lymphoma 2 (BCL-2) family of proteins is an attractive option to combat chemoresistance in leukemia. Preclinical and clinical studies indicate modest single-agent activity with selective BCL-2 inhibitors (for ex le, venetoclax). We show that venetoclax synergizes with cytarabine and idarubicin to increase antileukemic efficacy in a TP53-dependent manner. Although TP53 deficiency impaired sensitivity to combined venetoclax and chemotherapy, higher-dose idarubicin was able to suppress MCL1 and induce cell death independently of TP53. Consistent with an MCL1-specific effect, cell death from high-dose idarubicin was dependent on pro-apoptotic Bak. Combining higher-dose idarubicin with venetoclax was able to partially overcome resistance in Bak-deficient cells. Using inducible vectors and venetoclax to differentially target anti-apoptotic BCL-2 family members, BCL-2 and MCL1 emerged as critical and complementary proteins regulating cell survival in acute myeloid leukemia. Dual targeting of BCL-2 and MCL1, but not either alone, prolonged survival of leukemia-bearing mice. In conclusion, our findings support the further investigation of venetoclax in combination with standard chemotherapy, including intensified doses of idarubicin. Venetoclax should also be investigated in combination with direct inhibitors of MCL1 as a chemotherapy-free approach in the future.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 29-09-2021
DOI: 10.1002/IEAM.4513
Abstract: A high proportion of populations in most developing countries live below the poverty line and those near refuse grounds resort to dumpsite farming to grow food. Consequently, high levels of waste‐derived contaminants are found in crops consumed by these people. This study investigates the extent to which crops cultivated on the Mbale dumpsite (Uganda) were contaminated by 11 metals and 2 non‐metals: iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), zinc (Zn), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), mercury (Hg), lead (Pb), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), cadmium (Cd), selenium (Se), chromium (Cr), and arsenic (As). We investigated how element bioaccumulation in crops was influenced by the growth period (short‐ and long‐term crop maturity). The short‐term crops were Zea mays and Amaranthus cruentus , whereas the long‐term crops were Manihot esculenta , Colocasia esculenta , Musa acuminata , Carica papaya , Coffea arabica , and Saccharum officinarum . Results showed that nine metals were present at concentrations above World Health Organization/Food and Agriculture Organization (WHO/FAO) food safety recommendations and hence may pose health risks to consumers. In this study, leaves contained higher metal concentrations than other analyzed consumable parts. Pb and Co were found at higher concentrations in leaves of short‐term crops than in long‐term crops. Among short‐term crops, only Z. mays seeds contained permissible metal concentrations by WHO/FAO standards. The growth period was also found to influence metal bioaccumulation in crop types. Pb, Co, Fe, Al, and Cu concentrations were significantly higher in the short‐term crops than in long‐term crops, while Mn, Ni, and Cr concentrations were higher in long‐term crops than in short‐term crops. Overall, public awareness about the health risks associated with consuming short‐term leafy crops grown on dumpsites should be improved to reduce toxic metal exposure. While implementing such a c aign, the food supply of in iduals whose survival depends on such crops should not be jeopardized. Therefore, farmers need alternative farming areas outside dumpsites. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2022 :1056–1071. © 2021 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society of Environmental Toxicology & Chemistry (SETAC).
Location: Netherlands
No related grants have been discovered for Florence Barbara Awino.