The consumption of fresh fruits has increased nowadays due to the lifestyle of the consumers. Maintaining the quality and nutritional value of cut fruits during storage is difficult compared to whole fruits. Deterioration of internal and external quality usually occurs in freshly harvested fruits. It is necessary to use different techniques to maintain the quality and increase the shelf life of the freshly cut product. This research studied the effect of treating apple slices with cold plasma once and with filtered water again on quality characteristics (hardness, moisture content, sugar content, carbohydrate content, and color) after being stored for five days. The best treatment was determined using two different pressures of the plasma jet (1 and 5 atm) and two different immersion times (3 and 6 minutes). It was verified the superiority of cold plasma treatment at 5 atm and 3 minutes immersion time in all studied traits, while treatment with filtered water and 6 minutes immersion time was superior concerning the moisture content of apple slices. There is an inverse relationship between L* and a direct relationship between the a* and b* values with the storage time. Therefore, the use of cold plasma treatment is promising in storing cut fruits, extending their shelf life, and improving their quality and safety, which provides fresh fruits.
Gypsum is one of the important construction materials in Iraq in plastering surfaces and gypsum board , the ability of gypsum to give a comfortable an aesthetic ambiance as a construction material increase the need of gypsum , The particle size , total surface area and particle size distribution were factors affecting plaster properties used for construction properties . In this study gypsum paste was used with different mixing ratios of particle size and studied the physical properties of these types of pastes named (standard consistency ,setting time ,density) and compressive strength . The results showed that the water to gypsum ratio increased with increasing the fineness of the gypsum to (0.75%) and the setting time to the maxi
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Water pollution is one of the global challenges that the society must address in the 21st century aiming to improve the water quality, reduce human pollutants and ecosystem health impacts. In phytotoxicity test, the plant of Iresine herbstii was exposed to remove nickel from simulated wastewater using two different ratios (mass of plant to the mass of nickel) (,Rp/Ni) for 21 days with sub-surface batch system. During the exposure period, the removal of Ni concentrations (2, 5 and 10 mg/L) for two mass ratio (2,800 and 34,000) were (83.6%, 77.2%, 78.0%) and (86.8%, 97% and 95.6%), respectively. final result of the rate was found that the highest removal occurred, 97%, at a mass ratio of 34,000 and
... Show MoreNanoparticles of copper sulfide have been prepared by simple reaction between using copper nitrate with different concentrations ratio 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 mM, thiourea by a simple chemical route. The prepared Nano powders have been deposited onto glass substrates by casting method at 60°C. The structure of the product Nano- films has been studied by x-ray diffraction, where the patterns showed that all the samples have a hexagonal structure of covellite copper sulfide with the average crystalline sizes 14.07- 16.51 nm. The morphology has been examined by atomic force microscopy, and field emission scan electron microscopy. The AFM images showed particles with almost spherical and rod shapes with average diameter sizes of 49.11- 90.64 nm.
... Show MoreRandom laser gain media is synthesized with different types of dye at the same concentration (1×10-3 M) as an active material and silicon dioxide NPs (silica SiO2) as scatter centers through the Sol-Gel technique. The prepared samples are tested with UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM), and Energy Dispersive X-ray Diffraction (EDX). The end result demonstrates that doped dyes with silica nanoparticles at a concentration of 0.0016 mol/ml have lower absorbance and higher fluorescence spectra than pure dyes. FESEM scans revealed that the morphology of nanocrystalline silica is clusters of nano-sized spherical particles in the range (25-67) nm. It is con
... Show MoreBringing about urban, economic, and social changes in rural areas similar to those occurring in urban areas aims to reduce urban-rural disparities by providing services in those areas, decentralizing the management of these services, expanding citizen participation in local governance (decentralized administration), and achieving comprehensive development, developing and empowering localities, and keeping pace with new transformations and their impacts on the functions of the center and localities. In fact, the lack of clarity of the role of local government in planning and managing services has hindered development plans, and declined the level of services in rural areas, and has negative
... Show MoreThe primary goal of in-situ load testing is to evaluate the safety and performance of a structural system under particular loading conditions. Advancements in building techniques, analytical tools, and monitoring instruments are prompting the evaluation of the appropriate loading value, loading process, and examination criteria. The procedure for testing reinforced concrete (RC) structures on-site, as outlined in the ACI Building Code, involves conducting a 24-h load test and applying specific evaluation criteria. This article detailed a retrofitting project for an RC slab-beams system by utilizing carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) sheets to strengthen the structure following a fire incident. The RC structure showed indicators of deter
... Show MoreFocusing on the negative role of default risk on banks, as it is one of the most important risks facing banks, which are difficult to determine accurately, and its reflection on the indicators of profitability of cash flows. The increasing competition between banks led to an increase in the credit facilities granted by banks, and was accompanied by an increase in exposure to the risks of default, which led to an impact on the level of performance of banks in terms of achieving the required return according to the levels of high competition. Therefore, the problem of this study focused on the extent to which the risk indicators of default affect the profitability indicators of the cash flows of the banks research sample in the profit
... Show MoreThe current research aims to recognize the exploratory and confirmatory factorial structure of the test-wiseness scale on a sample of Hama University students, using the descriptive method. Thus, the sample consists of (472) male and female students from the faculties of the University of Hama. Besides, Abu Hashem’s 50 item test-wiseness scale (2008) has been used. The validity and reliability of the items of the scale have also been verified, and six items have been deleted accordingly. The results of the exploratory factor analysis of the first degree have shown the presence of the following five acceptable factors: (exam preparation, test time management, question paper handling, answer sheet handling, and revision). Moreover,
... Show MoreObjectives of this project were to study the effect of 60% crude alcoholic extract of the seeds of cyperus esculentuson induced endometritis in the mice . The plant of cyperus esculentuswas extracted by preparing Alcoholic extract 60% . One hundred microliters of saline containing Escherichia coli (104cfu) was used to induce endometritis, by a single intracervicallyinjection, and endometritis developed after 2 days from injection. The mice were divided into five groups, The first group were treated with alcoholic extract of cyperus esculentusextract 150mg/kg body weight, the second group was treated with a daily 3mg per kg body weight of gentamicin given intra peritoneal,The third group was treated by 75mg/kg of cyperus esculentusextract an
... Show MoreA field experiment is conducted to study the effect of different levels of peat (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 Mg ha-1 to uncropped and cropped soil to wheat. Soil samples are taken in different period of time (0, 3, 30, 60, 90, 120, and 180 days after cultivation to determine (NaHCO3-Exteractable P at 3 different depths (0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm). Field Experiment is conducted in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with four replicates. Wheat, Al-Rasheed variety, is cultivated as a testing crop. The entire field is equally dived in two divisions. One of the two divisions is cultivated to wheat and the second is left uncropped. The effect of five levels of peat namely 0, 25, 50, 75, 100 Mg ha-1 is investigated. Soils are fully analyzed
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