Coventry University

About: Coventry University is a education organization based out in Coventry, United Kingdom. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Context (language use) & Population. The organization has 4964 authors who have published 12700 publications receiving 255898 citations. The organization is also known as: Lanchester Polytechnic & Coventry Polytechnic.

Clinical effects of curcumin in enhancing cancer therapy: A systematic review.

Abstract: Curcumin is herbal compound that has been shown to have anti-cancer effects in pre-clinical and clinical studies. The anti-cancer effects of curcumin include inhibiting the carcinogenesis, inhibiting angiogenesis, and inhibiting tumour growth. This study aims to determine the Clinical effects of curcumin in different types of cancers using systematic review approach. A systematic review methodology is adopted for undertaking detailed analysis of the effects of curcumin in cancer therapy. The results presented in this paper is an outcome of extracting the findings of the studies selected from the articles published in international databases including SID, MagIran, IranMedex, IranDoc, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, Scopus, PubMed and Web of Science (ISI). These databases were thoroughly searched, and the relevant publications were selected based on the plausible keywords, in accordance with the study aims, as follows: prevalence, curcumin, clinical features, cancer. The results are derived based on several clinical studies on curcumin consumption with chemotherapy drugs, highlighting that curcumin increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy and radiotherapy which results in improving patient’s survival time, and increasing the expression of anti-metastatic proteins along with reducing their side effects. The comprehensive systematic review presented in this paper confirms that curcumin reduces the side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, resulting in improving patients’ quality of life. A number of studies reported that, curcumin has increased patient survival time and decreased tumor markers’ level.

The ecology of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Abstract: Arbuscular mycorrhiza is a mutually beneficial biological association between species in the fungal phylum Glomeromycota and higher plants roots. The symbiosis is thought to have afforded green plants the opportunity to invade dry land ca 450 Ma ago and the vast majority of extant terrestrial plants retain this association. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi perform various ecological functions in exchange for host photosynthetic carbon that almost always contribute to the fitness of hosts from an individual to community level. Recent AM fungal research, increasingly delving into the ‘Black Box’, suggests that species in this phylum may play a key facilitative role in below-ground micro- and meso-organism community dynamics, even more perhaps, that of a bioengineer. The ubiquitous nature of the symbiosis in extant flora and the fact that variations from the AM symbiosis are recent events suggest that Glomeromycota and plant roots coevolved. This review considers aspects of AM fungal ecology emphasizing pas...

A preliminary attempt to identify atmospherically-derived pollution particles in English topsoils from magnetic susceptibility measurements

Abstract: This study identifies topsoils in England having increased magnetic susceptibility (xlf) values attributable to the presence of anthropogenically produced pollution particles, such as fly-ash. The database consists of 1176 topsoils taken at 10 km intervals across the whole of England, and tested for magnetic susceptibility at low and high frequencies. Soils containing significant concentrations of pollution particles were identified using two criteria; xlf (values > 0.38 10−6m3kg−1) and xfd% (values < 3%). The ‘polluted’ topsoils are located in the south-east around London, the Midlands, the north around the conurbations of Manchester, Merseyside and West Yorkshire, and in the north-east around Newcastle and Teeside. The heavy metal concentration of the soils are elevated above background levels, and have strong positive relationships with magnetic susceptibility and other magnetic parameters.

Globalization and the Changing Networks of Food Supply: The Importation of Fresh Horticultural Produce from Kenya into the UK

Abstract: Set within the context of the global food supply system, this paper examines the growing trade in fresh horticultural produce between Kenya and the UK. The links between UK retailers and Kenyan producers are investigated using the concept of the marketing chain. Two major chains are identified - wholesale and supermarket – and, whilst having no direct investment in Kenya, it is the supermarkets who control production there, through intermediaries who ensure that standards of quality and presentation are met. Importers play a crucial role in facilitating this trade, acting as a vital link between farmers and exporters in Kenya and supermarkets in the UK. The need for quality and traceability dictates that contractual arrangements are made predominantly with large-scale farms using productivist farming methods. The irony is that it is post-productivist demands by ‘new consumers’ in the UK that are encouraging these productivist horticultural systems in Kenya.

Environmental sustainability of bioethanol production from rice straw in India: A review

Abstract: Rice is the main staple food in most of the Asian countries and rice crops generate a huge amount of rice straw as crop residue in the fields. Unsustainable use of rice straw and open burning of crop in the field not only produces threat to environment by producing large amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, but also make farmer׳s loose a very viable by-product. Rice straw can be used in bio-ethanol production and bring additional income and sustainable utilization. It will also provide clean energy solution to ever increasing energy demand in India. However, it becomes more important to study the sustainability of bio-ethanol production from rice straw and how it can make sense in today׳s Indian agricultural scenario. Although, the bioethanol obtained from rice straw is a carbon neutral in nature, but the concerns of environmental impacts have been raised for the whole process i.e. from rice cultivation, rice logistics, pretreatment techniques, bioethanol generation and transportation. The present review focuses on the environmental sustainability issues arising from use of rice straw for bioethanol production. The environmental impacts are assessed by studying the emission of greenhouse gases from each stage of life cycle. The paper presents an outlook on current status and future prospects of ethanol blending in the country.