The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is a holistic concept used to understand the synergies and trade-offs of interdependent water, energy, and food resources. Despite its widespread use, this concept often overlooks environmental concerns. In addition, the lack of a systemic approach in the Aral Sea Basin (ASB) has resulted in serious environmental degradation. For instance, the Aral Sea, situated at the terminus of the basin, is steadily shrinking, yet researchers studying the WEF nexus tend to overlook the upstream tributaries of the basin. This study aims to determine the extent to which research on the WEF nexus in the ASB in Central Asia has considered the environment through a systematic review of the literature published between 2012 and 2022. The results indicate that the number of WEF publications regarding the ASB has seen an upward trend, with a primary focus on the transboundary level and less research available on the local and national levels. This confirms the strong reliance of Central Asian states on one another for food, energy, and water resources. Furthermore, the results show that the majority of published studies either do not consider environmental concerns in their analyses at all or do so with little precision. Therefore, to achieve precise and sustainable outcomes, this study recommends the inclusion of environmental concerns along with basin-wide coverage in future WEF analyses. Finally, the WEF concept should be downscaled to the national and local levels in order to facilitate its implementation.

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is a holistic concept used to understand the synergies and trade-offs of interdependent water, energy, and food resources. Despite its widespread use, this concept often overlooks environmental concerns. In addition, the lack of a systemic approach in the Aral Sea Basin (ASB) has resulted in serious environmental degradation. For instance, the Aral Sea, situated at the terminus of the basin, is steadily shrinking, yet researchers studying the WEF nexus tend to overlook the upstream tributaries of the basin. This study aims to determine the extent to which research on the WEF nexus in the ASB in Central Asia has considered the environment through a systematic review of the literature published between 2012 and 2022. The results indicate that the number of WEF publications regarding the ASB has seen an upward trend, with a primary focus on the transboundary level and less research available on the local and national levels. This confirms the strong reliance of Central Asian states on one another for food, energy, and water resources. Furthermore, the results show that the majority of published studies either do not consider environmental concerns in their analyses at all or do so with little precision. Therefore, to achieve precise and sustainable outcomes, this study recommends the inclusion of environmental concerns along with basin-wide coverage in future WEF analyses. Finally, the WEF concept should be downscaled to the national and local levels in order to facilitate its implementation.

The water-energy-food (WEF) nexus is a holistic concept used to understand the synergies and trade-offs of interdependent water, energy, and food resources. Despite its widespread use, this concept often overlooks environmental concerns. In addition, the lack of a systemic approach in the Aral Sea Basin (ASB) has resulted in serious environmental degradation. For instance, the Aral Sea, situated at the terminus of the basin, is steadily shrinking, yet researchers studying the WEF nexus tend to overlook the upstream tributaries of the basin. This study aims to determine the extent to which research on the WEF nexus in the ASB in Central Asia has considered the environment through a systematic review of the literature published between 2012 and 2022. The results indicate that the number of WEF publications regarding the ASB has seen an upward trend, with a primary focus on the transboundary level and less research available on the local and national levels. This confirms the strong reliance of Central Asian states on one another for food, energy, and water resources. Furthermore, the results show that the majority of published studies either do not consider environmental concerns in their analyses at all or do so with little precision. Therefore, to achieve precise and sustainable outcomes, this study recommends the inclusion of environmental concerns along with basin-wide coverage in future WEF analyses. Finally, the WEF concept should be downscaled to the national and local levels in order to facilitate its implementation.

This research delves into understanding the effects of composition on the rheological response of multi-component food inks for 3D food printing. Accordingly, the motivation is to decouple the nutrient and water content effects on the rheology. We formulated inks by combining pea fractions with water and employing a water-holding-capacity based hydration method. Rheology is characterized by steady shear rate and oscillatory strain amplitude sweeps. Strain sweep curves infer that the deformation response of all inks follows a similar trend, and samples sharing the same macronutrient formulation are mapped to a master curve after scaling with the elastic plateau modulus. Samples sharing the same macronutrient formulation mapped to a master curve after scaling with the elastic modulus. Shear rate testing showed that the inks were shear thinning yield stress materials. Shear rate sweeps also collapsed on a master curve scaled by the yield stress and critical shear rate on the y and x axes. The yield stress and the plateau modulus appeared to be controlled by the water content, while the shear and strain thinning exponents were independent of the formulations, inferring that the rheology is scaled by the water content while preserving the shear thinning response. Observing the independence of the rheological properties from the nutrient composition and scalability of the rheology by the water content provided a step forward in developing formulations with various nutrient content at desired ow properties, which promises personalized nutrition. Furthermore, the study shows the applicability of various rheological techniques, which are expected to contribute to the literature on the rheology of granular pastes.

This research delves into understanding the effects of composition on the rheological response of multi-component food inks for 3D food printing. Accordingly, the motivation is to decouple the nutrient and water content effects on the rheology. We formulated inks by combining pea fractions with water and employing a water-holding-capacity based hydration method. Rheology is characterized by steady shear rate and oscillatory strain amplitude sweeps. Strain sweep curves infer that the deformation response of all inks follows a similar trend, and samples sharing the same macronutrient formulation are mapped to a master curve after scaling with the elastic plateau modulus. Samples sharing the same macronutrient formulation mapped to a master curve after scaling with the elastic modulus. Shear rate testing showed that the inks were shear thinning yield stress materials. Shear rate sweeps also collapsed on a master curve scaled by the yield stress and critical shear rate on the y and x axes. The yield stress and the plateau modulus appeared to be controlled by the water content, while the shear and strain thinning exponents were independent of the formulations, inferring that the rheology is scaled by the water content while preserving the shear thinning response. Observing the independence of the rheological properties from the nutrient composition and scalability of the rheology by the water content provided a step forward in developing formulations with various nutrient content at desired ow properties, which promises personalized nutrition. Furthermore, the study shows the applicability of various rheological techniques, which are expected to contribute to the literature on the rheology of granular pastes.

The olive fruit fly, known as Bactrocera oleae (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is causing substantial economic losses in olive crops worldwide. Studying the activity patterns of the insect may expand our knowledge to eventually adopt more sustainable and effective pest control approaches. In the present study, we investigated the impact of food and water deprivation on the mobility of olive fruit flies using a modified version of the LAM25 system (locomotor activity monitor)&mdash:Trikinetics, an automated locomotor activity electronic device. Both male and female flies at four different age groups, reared on olives in the laboratory, were individually placed in glass tubes. Their locomotor activity was recorded every minute by three monitors within the digital device over a three-day period. Our observations revealed that adults exhibited significantly reduced movement during nighttime compared to daytime. The greatest mobility was observed during the period of 15:00 to 20:59. Additionally, younger flies demonstrated higher levels of mobility compared to older ones. Flies subjected to both food and water deprivation exhibited higher mobility compared to the control group. These insights offer valuable insights for enhancing pest management strategies aimed at controlling olive fruit flies adopting a more sustainable approach.

The olive fruit fly, known as <i>Bactrocera oleae</i> (Rossi) (Diptera: Tephritidae), is causing substantial economic losses in olive crops worldwide. Studying the activity patterns of the insect may expand our knowledge to eventually adopt more sustainable and effective pest control approaches. In the present study, we investigated the impact of food and water deprivation on the mobility of olive fruit flies using a modified version of the LAM25 system (locomotor activity monitor)—Trikinetics, an automated locomotor activity electronic device. Both male and female flies at four different age groups, reared on olives in the laboratory, were individually placed in glass tubes. Their locomotor activity was recorded every minute by three monitors within the digital device over a three-day period. Our observations revealed that adults exhibited significantly reduced movement during nighttime compared to daytime. The greatest mobility was observed during the period of 15:00 to 20:59. Additionally, younger flies demonstrated higher levels of mobility compared to older ones. Flies subjected to both food and water deprivation exhibited higher mobility compared to the control group. These insights offer valuable insights for enhancing pest management strategies aimed at controlling olive fruit flies adopting a more sustainable approach.