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.
The effects of nutrients and physical conditions on phytase production were investigated with a recently isolated strain of Aspergillus tubingensis SKA under solid state fermentation on wheat bran. The nutrient factors investigated included carbon source, nitrogen source, phosphate source and concentration, metal ions (salts) and the physical parameters investigated included inoculum size, pH, temperature and fermentation duration. Our investigations revealed that optimal productivity of phytase was achieved using wheat bran supplemented with: 1.5% glucose. 0.5% (NH4)2SO4, 0.1% sodium phytate. Additionally, optimal physical conditions were 1 × 105 spore/g substrate, initial pH of 5.0, temperature of fermentation 30˚C and fermentation dura
... Show MoreBackground: Multiple myeloma (MM) is characterized by clonal proliferation of malignant plasma cells within the bone marrow. In most patients, monoclonal immunoglobulin heavy chains or light chains are produced and are associated with organ dysfunction. The growth factor B-cell activating factor (BAFF) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of multiple myeloma due to its ability to promote B-cell survival, expansion, and differentiation. Objective: to measure the circulatory level of B-cell activating factor in multiple myeloma patients in relapsed and remission states and explore its possible correlations with the clinical staging, β2-microglobulin, and interleukin-6. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 60
... Show MoreThis study expands the state of the art in studies that assess torsional retrofit of reinforced concrete (RC) multi-cell box girders with carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) strips. The torsional behavior of non-damaged and pre-damaged RC multi-cell box girder specimens externally retrofitted by CFRP strips was investigated through a series of laboratory experiments. It was found that retrofitting the pre-damaged specimens with CFRP strips increased the ultimate torsional capacity by more than 50% as compared to the un-damaged specimens subjected to equivalent retrofitting. This indicated that the retrofit has been less effective for the girder specimen that did not develop distortion beforehand as a result of pre-loading. From
... Show MoreA taxonomic keys was established of book and bark lice Order Psocoptera to isolated insects in Iraq from different localities of Baghdad and Babylon provinces. Thirteen species belong to eight genera and five families have been studied and described in details, these species were recorded for the first time in Iraq. These species are: Belaphopsocus badonneli New, 1971; Belaphotroctes oculeris Bodonnel, 1973; Embodopsocosis newi Bodonnel, 1973; Epipsocus stigamaticus Mockeord, 1991; Lepinotus huoni Schmidt and New, 2008; Liposcelies decolor Peramane 1925 Liposcelies paeta Pearman 1942 Liposclies bostrychphila Badonnel 1931; Liposclies brunnea Mostchulsky 1852; Liposclies entoophila Enderlein 1907; Neopsocopsis minuscule Li 2002 ;
... Show MoreThis study deals with the elimination of methyl orange (MO) from an aqueous solution by utilizing the 3D electroFenton process in a batch reactor with an anode of porous graphite and a cathode of copper foam in the presence of granular activated carbon (GAC) as a third pole, besides, employing response surface methodology (RSM) in combination with Box-Behnk Design (BBD) for studying the effects of operational conditions, such as current density (3–8 mA/cm2), electrolysis time (10–20 min), and the amount of GAC (1–3 g) on the removal efficiency beside to their interaction. The model was veiled since the value of R2 was high (>0.98) and the current density had the greatest influence on the response. The best removal efficiency (MO Re%)
... Show Moreفي هذا البحث تم تحضير المركبات المعدنية الجديدة لأيونات البلاتين (الرباعي) و الذهب (الثلاثي) مع ليكاند قاعدة مانخ جديد مشتق من السيبروفلوكساسين . تم استخدام المعقدات بعد ذلك كمصدر لتحضير جزيئات عن طريق ترسيب المعقدات على مسام دقائق السيليكا النانوية. Si/Au2O3 Si/PtO2 تم تشخيص الليكاند و معقداته
... Show MoreBackground: Speckle tracking echocardiography (STE)-derived mitral annular displacement (MAD) utilizes the speckle tracking technique to measure strain vectors, which provides accurate estimates of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF).Objectives: To validate the accuracy of mitral annular displacement (MAD), assessed by Speckle Tracking Echocardiography (STE), as a surrogate for determination of left ventricular systolic function in comparison to 2-Dimensions Simpson method in patients with different heart diseases.Methods : This cross-sectional study included patients who referred to outpatient department of Ibn Albitar Center for Cardiac Surgery, Baghdad, Iraq, between October 2012 and April 2013. STE continuously tracked annular
... Show MoreThis study describes the preparation of a new bidentate Schiff base derived from the condensation of Isatin-3-hydrazone with 2-acetylthiophene and the preparation of new series of complexes with a good yield. The prepared ligand was characterized by IR, UV-Vis, C.H.N.S elemental analysis, 1H and 13C NMR, LC-Mass spectroscopy, and physical measurements. Its complexes were analyzed by C.H.N.S elemental analyses, UV-Vis., FTIR, NMR, LC-Mass Spectra, atomic absorption spectroscopy, magnetic susceptibility, and conductivity measurements The results from spectroscopy and measurement studies showed that the ligand coordinated to the metal ion as a bidentate ligand via oxygen and nitrogen, forming an octahedral geometry around it. In vitro antimicr
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