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The worldwide ginger market was valued at US$6.82 billion in 2020, with India, Nigeria and China being the top global producers (Global Ginger Market Report, 2021). Jamaican ginger once held pride of place in the global market, with its widely accepted superior quality, uniqueness of flavor and high oil content. However, since the initial outbreak of the ginger rhizome rot disease in 1995, production has drastically plummeted to insignificant levels and the industry has not yet recovered. In this regard, a number of intervention strategies have been implemented by the Government of Jamaica over the years, including the Eastern Jamaica Agricultural Support Project of 1993 under RADA, the Ginger Agricultural Science, Technology and Innovation Working Group initiative supported by the CTA ACP-EU under the National Commission and Science and Technology in 2005, the Ginger Resuscitation and Expansion Programme of 2011 led by the Export Division of the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ginger Value Chain Study supported by the FAO, the Ginger Varietal Study funded through the Jamaica Business Development Fund in 2018 and the ongoing Ginger Value Chain and Certification Programme supported by the FAO, with propagation and production of disease-free planting materials. These programmes, amounting to investments of millions of dollars, through partnerships with the key private, governmental and international stakeholders, have been met with varying degrees of success.
Globally, STEM scientists are the apex of novel innovation and cutting-edge research and development. While, patents are inextricably linked to innovation, research, and development, both undergraduate and graduate STEM students rarely invent, and those that do almost never invent twice. The thesis of this presentation is three-fold: (1) The understanding, value, benefits, and basics of intellectual property (IP) creation and invention are fundamentally missing in STEM curricula; (2) There are few (if any) incentives for STEM researchers to create and file patent applications within the University environment; and (3) Patent filling assistance programs (pro se) provide pro bono outreach and education to applicants. The key tenants of this presentation are reduced to practice as it relates to pro se patent filings of West Indies inspired invention to the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in 2021 and 2022. Three examples of West Indies conceived and awarded IP by a lead inventor domiciled in Anguilla, BWI (Patent Nos. 10,934,168, 11,219,255, and 11,298,375). Further, a permanent patent filling, titled: “Innocuous Sterilant using Hemocyanin and Functionalized Fullerenes with Broad-Spectrum Intracellular and Interstitial Microbiocidal and Radical Scavenging Effects for Packaged Matter, Biologics and Organics including Liquids, Gases, Tissue, Organs, Cells, and Limbs with Copper Mediated Oxygenation for Viability and Preservation” is under review and awaiting a first office action offering broad evidence of origination of IP in the West Indies. As case studies for this presentation, two pieces of IP are examined: The permanent patent and a recently filed provisional application that teaches a minimally invasive and unassisted robotic surgical method for atomic scale manipulation of funtionalized nanoparticles to perform high precision “nano surgery”.
In recent years there has been a resurgence in interest in psychedelic assisted psychotherapy (PAP) [1]. Initial scientific research into the utilization of these compounds were eventually suspended due to concerns related to increasing recreational use of psychedelics and their association with the rise of the “counterculture movement” in the United States [2]. However, the use of psilocybin and other psychedelics have shown promise in the treatment of mental illnesses. The efficacy of this modality of treatment has been demonstrated through clinical trials and other studies in the management of a number of mental illnesses, including some treatment resistant cases [3].
Oral malodour called halitosis, and commonly referred to as ‘bad breath’, is a socially offensive and discriminating occurrence that requires effective management for health improvement and avoidance of debasing stratification of sufferer. Halitosis has been reported to be prevalent in up to 50% of the general population in the USA, and about 6-23% in China. Between 80% and 85% of halitosis cases are caused by intraoral conditions. Literature on halitosis in Jamaica is either scarce or non-existent. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, a common malodour that seemed to be spreading among persons through oral interaction by face-to-face contact with a sufferer was observed among the general populace in Mandeville, Manchester, Jamaica.
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