Quantifying the Effect of Macroeconomic and Social Factors on Illegal E-Waste Trade.

As illegal e-waste trade has been significantly growing over the course of the last few years, the consequences on human health and the environment demand immediate action on the part of the global community. Though it is argued that e-waste flows from developed to developing countries, this subject seems to be more complex than that, with a variety of studies suggesting that income per capita is not the only factor affecting the choice of regions that e-waste is illegally shipped to. How is a country's economic and social development associated with illegal e-waste trade? Is legislation an important factor? This paper aims at quantifying macroeconomic (per capita income and openness of economy) and social (human development and social progress) aspects, based on qualitative data on illegal e-waste trade routes, by examining the percentage differences in scorings in selected indicators for all known and suspected routes. The results show that illegal e-waste trade occurs from economically and socially developed regions to countries with significantly lower levels of overall development, with few exceptions, which could be attributed to the fact that several countries have loose regulations on e-waste trade, thus deeming them attractive for potential illegal activities.

Appetite during consumption of enteral formula as a sole source of nutrition: the effect of supplementing pea-fibre and fructo-oligosaccharides.

Liquid enteral formulas are commonly used as a sole source of nutritional support of patients in hospital and community settings. Their effect on appetite has important consequences for dietary management of such patients and is likely to be affected by the formula composition. The aim of the present study was to compare appetite within healthy subjects consuming both a standard formula and one supplemented with pea-fibre (10 g/l) and fructo-oligosaccharide (FOS; 5 g/l) as a sole source of nutrition. Eleven healthy subjects consumed a standard formula or a pea-fibre/FOS formula as a sole source of nutrition for 14 d in a double-blind, cross-over trial. Appetite was recorded using standard 100 mm lines anchored at each end by a phrase denoting the most extreme appetite sensation. Consumption of the pea-fibre/FOS formula resulted in higher mean fullness (46 v. 37 mm, P=0.035), minimum fullness (13 v. 9 mm, P=0.024) and minimum satiety (12 v. 8 mm, P=0.012) compared to the standard formula. As there were no differences in macronutrient intake between formulas, these differences are likely to be due to supplementation with pea-fibre and FOS. The effect on appetite of the composition of an enteral formula, both with respect to nutrient content and functional components such as pea-fibre and FOS, may be an important aspect to consider in the dietary management of patients consuming enteral formula as a sole source of nutrition.