Cotton Bags Research Articles

First Report of Epicoccum sorghinum Causing Black Leaf Spot on Dioscorea polystachya in China.

Chinese yam (Dioscorea polystachya Turcz.), known for its nutrient-rich underground tubers, is both a food source and a traditional Chinese medicinal plant. It offers significant nutritional and medicinal benefits. In 2023, the cultivation of Chinese yam, specifically the Wencheng Waxy Yam variety, exceeded 400 hectares in Wencheng County, Zhejiang Province, China, with an annual yield surpassing 9,000 tons (Chen et al. 2024). This crop has become a vital industry for local farmers in mountainous areas. In July 2023, a black leaf spot disease was detected in the Wencheng County Chinese Yam planting base on almost 21 hectares (Huangyang Village, Huangtan Town, 120.09°E, 27.79°N). The disease affected between 70% and 85% of the plant area, with symptomatic leaves constituting 45% of the total leaf count. Initially, black spots appeared on the leaves, which later expanded into dark brown spots with yellowing of the edges. In severe cases, the centers of the spots became necrotic. To investigate the nature of the pathogen, eight symptomatic leaves were randomly collected, cut into small pieces (about 0.3 cm × 0.3 cm), and subjected to a series of treatments: soaking in 75% ethanol for 1 minute, followed by 5 minutes in 2% sodium hypochlorite, and finally washed three times with sterile distilled water. The pieces were then dried on sterile filter paper and incubated on potato dextrose agar (PDA) at 28°C under a 12-hour light/dark cycle. After 5 days, mycelial edges were transferred to fresh PDA plates for future purification. Finally, five pure colonies with consistent morphology were obtained through repeated separations. When cultured on PDA for 7 days, colonies exhibited gray-white aerial hyphae on the front and brown on the back. Pycnidia were dark, mostly spheroid, and measured 44.5 to 81.2 × 66.9 to 107.3 µm (n = 20). Chlamydospores were nearly spherical, either unicellular or multicellular, and measured 7.16 to 10.35 × 15.82 to 28.92 μm (n = 30). While conidia were ellipsoidal, single-celled, aseptate, and ranged from 1.8 to 3.5 × 3.6 to 6.9 μm (n = 30). Genomic DNA from fresh colonies was extracted using the DNA Secure Plant Kit (Tiangen Biotech, Beijing, China). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification was carried out using standard primers and procedures for the rDNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS), β-tubulin (TUB), and actin (ACT). Sequences were amplified and sequenced with primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), Bt2a/Bt2b (Glass and Donaldson 1995), and ACT512F/ACT783R (Carbone and Kohn 1999), respectively. These sequences were deposited in GenBank under accession numbers PQ197602 (ITS), PQ201634 (TUB), and PQ201635 (ACT). BLAST analysis revealed 100% identity with Epicoccum sorghinum (MT125854 (544/544 bp), OP555979 (344/344 bp), MK044832 (274/274 bp), respectively). A phylogenetic tree constructed using the Maximum Likelihood method in MEGA6 confirmed that the concatenated sequence (WY01) clustered with E. sorghinum. To satisfy Koch's postulates, healthy Chinese yam (Waxy Yam) leaves were inoculated with WY01 by spraying spore suspension (1 × 106 conidia/mL). Meanwhile, sterile water was used as control. A total of three plants were inoculated. Three leaves from the same plant were used for inoculation, while the other three leaves were used as controls. All inoculated leaves were covered with humidified defatted cotton and clear polyethylene bags for 24 hours and then grown in the field at an average daily temperature of 28°C. Seven days post-inoculation, the leaves inoculated with WY01 developed disease spots similar to those observed initially, whereas the control leaves remained unaffected. The pathogen was reisolated from the inoculated leaves and identified as E. sorghinum, confirming Koch's postulates. While Epicoccum latusicollum has been reported to cause black root (Han et al. 2019) and black leaf spot (Yan et al. 2024) on yam in China, and E. sorghinum has been reported on Zea mays (Chen et al. 2021), white chrysanthemum (Chen et al. 2021), and Paeonia suffruticosa (Yang et al. 2023), this is the first documented case of E. sorghinum causing black leaf spot on Chinese yam (Waxy Yam) in China. The disease mainly breaks out during the plum rain season, leading to a significant decrease in the yield and quality of Waxy Yam if not managed properly. This report might provide the basis for further research to develop effective disease management strategies and mitigate future losses.

Life Cycle Assessment of Banned Single-Use Plastic Products and Their Alternatives

Plastic and microplastic contamination continue to be growing problems across the globe for both ecosystems and human health. Canada has banned single-use plastic products such as bags, cutlery, and foodservice ware (containers) to address and mitigate plastics and microplastic contamination. This study evaluates the life cycle of banned plastic products and their alternatives to determine whether environmental impacts can be mitigated. The environmental impacts of bags (plastic, paper, cotton), cutlery (plastic, wooden, biodegradable), and containers (plastic, styrofoam, biodegradable) were determined considering both domestic and imported products. The bag study saw paper bags having the highest environmental impacts and cotton bags with the lowest due to their reusability. For the cutlery study, plastic cutlery was the most impactful across all categories except for eutrophication and ozone depletion, where biodegradable cutlery was the most impactful by 25% and 35%, respectively. In the case of foodservice ware (containers), styrofoam was found to be the least impactful. Similar to cutlery, the plastic containers had the greatest impact except where the biodegradable container contributed more to ozone depletion and eutrophication by 25% and 45%, respectively. Local production reduced impacts across all categories. Furthermore, on a local scale, biodegradable cutlery had a greater impact on the smog and respiratory effects categories than plastic by 10% and 30%, respectively. The results of this study indicate that future regulations should focus on promoting and educating consumers on the use of reusable products over single-use products, funding research to mitigate challenges associated with waste management, and consider an informed ban on all single-use products and not just those made of plastic material to mitigate environmental impacts.

Effect of Seed Storage Duration and Methods on Growth and Yield of Basil Variety

The experiment was conducted at Wondogenet Agricultural Research Center to determine the effect of seed storage period and methods on the growth and yield of basil. Basil seeds stored in three storage methods (Plastic jar, Polypropylene, and Cotton bags) for six storage periods (initial period, one, three, six, nine, and twelve months) were used to evaluate the impact of the treatments on the yield and performance in the field. The field experiment was arranged by using RCBD design with three replications. The data were taken at the 90% physiological maturity stage. The results showed a significant difference between the treatments. The results indicated that the interaction effects of basil seed storage time and methods had a significant (P<0.05) effect on Primary Branch Number, Plant Height, Umbrella length, Dry, and Fresh biomass. The umbrella number of the storage methods had an accelerating trend with raising storage duration to 3 months storage, after that it shows a declining trend with raising storage time. The two storage methods plastic jar and bag maintained the seed in good condition for 3 months further, storage of the seed leads to the shortest plant and umbrella length. The highest dry biomass was recorded at 3 months stored seed in a plastic bag which was not significantly different from 3 months stored seed in a plastic jar. Basil dry biomass for the jar stored seed ranged from 0.85 to 3.33, 0.91 to 3.42 ton/ha for plastic bag whereas for the cotton bag, it ranged from 0.6 to 2.26 ton/ha. In general, seeds stored for three months had shown better growth and yield.

Assessment of Soil Quality for Agro-Diversification in Kaduna State, Nigeria

Soil quality is the foundation of productive farming practices. This study assessed soil quality on different land use types to provide recommendations for agro-diversification in Kaduna State. Soil sampling was done along three value chain segments for agro-diversification, namely: (maize, ginger and dairy). In order to have a fair representation and good geographical spread, a total of six clusters were sampled purposively in the value chain segments as follows: dairy processing and production (Zango in Kaduna South LGA and Dorayi in Zaria LGA), maize production processing/production (Biye village in Giwa LGA and Anchau in Kubau LGA) and ginger production and processing (Kwoi in Jaba LGA and Kachia in Kachia LGA). A total of eighteen (18) soil samples were collected at two depths: top (0 – 20 cm) and sub-soil (20 – 40 cm) in the six clusters using an auger. The soil samples were air-dried in situ and packaged in well-labelled cotton bags to aid aeration and prevent soil moisture loss. It was taken to the Centre for Dryland Agriculture laboratory, Bayero University, Kano, for analysis after some in-situ soil temperature and colour investigations. In the laboratory, the soil is bulked, and 500g composite samples were obtained for testing pH, Phosphorus (P), Aluminum (Al), Iron (Fe), Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu), Manganese (Mn), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg), electrical conductivity, total nitrogen, sulphur, and carbon. The findings of the study revealed that the SQI was found to be significantly higher in the ginger production/processing zone as recorded in Kachia ginger production (0.94) and Kwoi ginger processing (0.91), while Audi dairy production (0.81) and Zango Dairy processing (0.79) recorded least soil quality index. Therefore, This study recommended that Farmers apply synthetic fertilizer and organic manure to effectively recycle organic amendments on cultivated land.

Effect of Different Post-harvest Treatments on Shelf Life and Quality of Sweet Orange (Citrus sinensis Osbeck.) Fruit#

Background: Several post-harvest treatments are used for extension of storage life of sweet orange fruits. The present investigation was carried out at Department of Horticulture, MPKV, Rahuri, during 2019-20 and 2020-21 in order to study the effect of different packaging materials and storage conditions on quality and shelf life of fresh fruit of sweet orange cv. Phule Mosambi. Methods: The experiment consists of six types of packaging materials viz., P1- Plyethylene bags (150 gauge), P2- PE paper coating bags, P3- LDPE (200 gauge), P4- Cotton bags, P5- Aluminum foil bags, P6- Nano silver-based bags and untreated control under two storage conditions viz., S1- Room temperature (RT) and S2- Cold storage (CS, 12±2°C and 90% RH) in Factorial Completely Randomized Design (FCRD) with three replications. Result: The data revealed that, the sweet orange fruits packed in nano silver-based bags and stored at cold storage i.e. P6S2 recorded significantly lowest PLW (7.81%) and spoilage (4.18%) with highest firmness (10.87 N), juice content (46.59%) and overall acceptability (8.73) at the end of storage life of 60 days.

Sources, distribution, and incipient threats of polymeric microplastic released from food storage plastic materials.

The present study aimed to find out the source, distribution, quantity, and incipient threats of the microplastics (MPs) released by food-packing plastic materials, plastic bags, bottles, and containers on human health, biodiversity, water bodies, and atmosphere. For this purpose, 152 articles about MPs (0.1 to 5000µm) and nanoplastics (NP) 1 to 100nm) were reviewed and interpreted their results in the present articles about microplastics. The highest plastic waste is generated by China (⁓59 Mt), the USA (⁓38 Mt), Brazil (⁓12 Mt), Germany (⁓15 Mt), and Pakistan (⁓6 Mt). The count of MPs (MPs/kg) in Chinese salt was 718, UK 136, Iran 48, and USA 32, while MPs in bivalves, i.e., in Chinese bivalves was 2.93, UK 2.9, Iran 2.2, and Italy 7.2 in MPs/kg, respectively. The MPs count in Chinese fish was 7.3, Italy's 23, the USA's 13, and UK's 1.25 in MPs/kg, respectively. The MP concentrations in the water bodies, i.e., USA, were 15.2, Italy 7, and UK 4.4 in mg/L, respectively. It was critically reviewed that MPs can enter the human body causing various disorders (neurotoxic, biotoxic, mutagenic, teratogenic, and carcinogenic disorders) because of the presence of various polymers. The present study concluded that MPs were released from processed and stored food containers, either through physical, biological, or chemical means, which harshly affect the surrounding environment and human health. The study recommended that alternatives to plastic containers are glass and bioplastic containers, papers, cotton bags, wooden boxes, and tree leaves need to use to avoid direct consumption of MPs from food.

Olfactory Enrichment in Hoary Foxes (Lycalopex vetulus LUND 1842): A Case Study.

We have tested a method of olfactory environmental enrichment in hoary foxes used in other wild canids in captivity. The individuals were exposed to four olfactory stimuli (meat, mouse urine, cheese, and egg) that were wrapped in cotton bags outside the enclosures at the zoo for five minutes. Behavioral observations were performed using the focal animal method, and all occurrences were recorded. The pre-exposure phase (Basal), exposure phase (Exp), and post-exposure phase and Basal phase (Pos) were analyzed for a period of five minutes. Behavioral responses were categorized as positive, negative, or other. Positive behavior tended to increase (p = 0.07) from the Basal phase to the Exp phase, but there was no statistical difference (p = 0.31) between the phases. Negative and other behavior did not differ statistically from the Basal phase to the Exp phase (N-, p = 0.32; Ot, p = 0.35) or Basal to the Pos phase (N-, p = 0.18; Ot, p = 0.92). The odors used seemed to elicit positive behavior weakly. Negative behavior was stable for the hoary foxes. The method failed to improve the hoary foxes' welfare. Because their natural diet is based on insects and fruits, it is suggested that the stimuli used in this study have no appetitive value for hoary foxes. The method used with the same olfactory stimuli that were successful in other canid species is unsuitable for hoary foxes.

The Moment Is Now: Caring for Marty’s Sexual Assault Evidence Kit. An Interview with Alexandra Cunningham Cameron, Ashleigh D. Coren, and Katherine Ott

ABSTRACT In the 1970s, Martha “Marty” Goddard (1941–2015) conceived of and designed a kit that would collect forensic evidence in order to increase the probability of suspect identification in cases of sexual assault. Goddard designed a kit using over-the-counter items such as cotton swabs, combs, bags, labels, envelopes, and glass slides, to standardize the collection, preservation, and documentation of evidence. The kit was designed for hospitals and law enforcement, and is now part of standard protocol in the United States today. In 2022, a team from different parts of the Smithsonian worked collaboratively on the acquisition of this object, while holding critical conversations about what it means to not only care for the object, but also how to discuss the topic and lived experience of sexual assault. This interview dives into the story of the acquisition and its significance, and how museums can carefully and intentionally engage with the topic of sexual assault.

Characterization of an odor permeable membrane device for the storage of explosives and use as canine training aids.

The storage and use of explosives is regulated at the state and federal level, with a particular focus on physical security and rigorous accounting of the explosive inventory. For those working with explosives for the training and testing of explosive-detecting canines, cross-contamination is an important concern. Hence, explosives intended for use with canine teams must be placed into secondary storage containers that are new, clean, and airtight. A variety of containers meet these requirements and include screw-top glass jars (e.g., mason jars). However, an additional need from the explosive-detecting canine community is secondary containers that can also be used as training aids whereby the volatiles emitted by explosives are emitted in a predictable and stable manner. Currently, a generally accepted method for the storage of explosives and controlled emission of explosive vapor for canine detection does not exist. Ideally, such containers should allow odor to escape from the training aid but block external contaminates such as particulates or other volatiles. One method in use places the explosive inside a permeable cotton bag when in use for training and then stores the cotton bag inside an impermeable nylon bag for long-term storage. This paper describes the testing of an odor permeable membrane device (OPMD) as a new way to store and deploy training aids. We measured the evaporation rate and flux of various liquid explosives and volatile compounds that have been identified in the headspace of actual explosives. OPMDs were used in addition to traditional storage containers to monitor the contamination and degradation of 14 explosives used as canine training aids. Explosives were stored individually using traditional storage bags or inside an OPMD at two locations, one of which actively used the training aids. Samples from each storage type at both locations were collected at 0, 3, 6, and 9months and analyzed using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy and Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) with Solid-Phase Microextraction (SPME). FTIR analyses showed no signs of degradation. GC-MS identified cross-contamination from ethylene glycol dinitrate (EGDN) and/or 2,3-dimethyl-2,3-dinitrobutane (DMNB) across almost all samples regardless of storage condition. The contamination was found to be higher among training aids that were stored in traditional ways and that were in active use by canine teams.

Circular economy of shopping bags in emerging markets: A demographic comparative analysis of propensity to reuse plastic bags versus cotton bags and paper bags

This study seeks to profile the shoppers’ propensity to reuse shopping bags and the type of shopping bags they reuse on the basis of demographics. The study used an observation method to record the consumers’ shopping habits and a short questionnaire to record the participants’ demographics. A binary regression analysis and a multinomial regression analysis were used to analyse data. The results indicated that the mature aged, women, and low income shoppers were more likely to practice reuse of plastic shopping bags than their respective counterparts. There were no statistically significant differences in the likelihood of young aged shoppers compared to mature aged shoppers and low income shoppers compared to high income shoppers using cotton bags than plastic bags. There were also no statistically significant differences in the likelihood of young aged shoppers compared to mature aged shoppers and male shoppers compared to female shoppers using paper bags than plastic bags. However, the results indicated a statically significant result in how males compared to females differed in their using of cotton bags than plastic bags and a statistically significant result in how low income shoppers compared to high income shoppers differed in their use of paper bags than plastic bags.

Bats (Mammalia, Chiroptera) and bat flies (Diptera, Streblidae) from the Cazumbá-Iracema and Chico Mendes Reserve, Western Brazilian Amazon.

Bats belong to the order Chiroptera and are composed of 18 families, 202 genera, and 1420 species. Cosmopolitans, they have a high diversity of trophic and behavioral guilds, several ecosystem services, and intraspecific associations with ectoparasites. In Brazil, 68 species of Streblidae have already been recorded, although knowledge about the bat fauna and their ectoparasites is still low. Thus, the objective was to present a list of bat species, and to relate parasites with hosts, for two extractive reserves in the state of Acre, western Brazilian Amazon. The collections took place in ten nights, five in each RESEX, both carried out in August 2019. At each point, 10 mist nets (9m × 2.5m) were used, remaining open for 6h. The captured bats were stored in cotton bags and had their data collected. Subsequently, the search for ectoparasites was carried out throughout the individual's body and extracted with brushes moistened with 96% ethyl alcohol and fine-tipped tweezers. Species of flies were identified to the lowest taxonomic level through specific bibliography. Thirty-three bats from six trophic guilds and 46 ectoparasitic dipterans were sampled, all from the Streblidae family. The most abundant bat family was Phyllostomidae, a recurring result in several studies carried out in the neotropical region. This is related to the selectivity of the mist net in bat sampling, in addition to a close correlation between Phyllostomidae bats and ectoparasitic flies of the Streblidae family.

Effect of fruit bagging on control damage of fruit borers and fruit quality of longan (Dimocarpus longan Lour.) cv. Edor

The study investigated the damage situation of fruit borers on longan in Dong Thap, Tien Giang, and Vinh Long provinces and evaluated the effect of different fruit bagging materials on preventing harmful fruit borers and fruit quality of longan cv. Edor during 2019-2020. The experiment arranged in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) four replications and five treatments. The treatments were non-woven bag, Bikoo micro-hole bag, Agro-net bag (49 holes.cm-2), white cotton bag, and control (uncovered fruits). The investigation indicated that fruit borers appeared and caused damage fruit from 2 weeks after fruit set to harvesting time. The percentage of infected fruit of longan orchards were high at 4 weeks after fruit set (1.75%) in Dong Thap, and in Tien Giang, Vinh Long provinces at 10 weeks after fruit set (1.46% and 2.04%, respectively). During 12 weeks from fruit bagging to harvest, bagging of fruits by four types of material did not damaged by fruit borers. However, control treatment increased the rate of infected fruits continuously (7.22% at harvest time). Agro-net bag (49 holes.cm-2), Bikoo micro-hole bags, and white cotton bag were low fruit drop rate (30.73%, 30.65%, and 32.11%) when compared to control (47.14%). From the results obtained conclusion that application of fruit bags on longan cv. Edor was highly effective in preventing damage from fruit borers and ultimately production free from pesticides residues.

Efficacy of various chemicals spray in terminal heat stress condition on seed storability of mustard (Brassica juncea L.)

The experiment was conducted during two consecutive years 2019-20 & 2020-21 at Oil Seed Farm of C. S. Azad University of Agriculture & Technology Kanpur. Two varieties namely Kanti (V1) and Maya (V2) seeds were sown in Rabi season (October-April 2019 & 2020), seven chemicals concentrations were applied as foliar spray treatments at vegetative stage, at anthesis stage and at both stage which were as Salicylic acid @ 800 ppm (T1, T8 and T15), Salicylic acid spray at vegetative stage @ 400 ppm (T2, T9 and T16), Ascorbic acid @ 10 ppm (T3, T10 and T17), Potassium chloride @ 1% (T4, T11 and T18), thiourea @ 400 ppm (T5, T12 and T19), Cycocel @ 800 ppm (T6, T13 and T20), Cycocel @ 400 ppm (T7, T14 and T21) and T0-Control (without spray). Freshly harvested seeds of each plot were stored under ambient condition in cotton bag for nine months and seed viability (%), seed germination (%), seedling length (cm) and seedling vigour index-I was recorded at every three month of interval. At the end of storage period significantly maximum seed viability (90.42%), seed germination (89.05%), seedling length (14.24cm) and SVI-I (1268) was found in sample collected from treatment T19-Thiourea spray at vegetative + anthesis stage @ 400 ppm followed by treatment T16 irrespective of varieties. Within varieties, variety Maya was significantly superior over variety Kanti.

All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack and a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles, and: On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed

Reviewed by: All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack and a Black Family Keepsake by Tiya Miles, and: On Juneteenth by Annette Gordon-Reed Catherine Clinton All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack and a Black Family Keepsake. Tiya Miles. New York: Random House, 2021. ISBN: 978-1-9848-5499-5, 416 pp., cloth, $28.00 On Juneteenth. Annette Gordon-Reed. New York: W. W. Norton, 2021. ISBN: 978-1-63149-883-1, 152 pp., cloth, $15.95. A few years ago I began labeling my graduate course "Civil War and Emancipation," in recognition of the turn within the academy, with scholarship rippling outward into a more diverse audience and perhaps trickling down into textbooks and curriculum. A slow, deliberate change from the days of the Civil War centennial—as the 1960s was an era of racialized conflagrations, and a national commemoration fraught with competing, explosive agendas. By the Civil War sesquicentennial in 2011–15, the destruction of slavery was acknowledged as a major war aim of the federal government. During the past half century, historians of nineteenthcentury America escalated the debates over war's cause and effect to include the significance of Emancipation and the struggles during and after Reconstruction by former slaves and Black Americans seeking rights and citizenship. This new era has yielded a bounty of important, prizewinning work. A large contingent of Civil War scholars are engaged in including Black perspectives and African American resources to reshape the era. During this same transformative turn, women have come to the forefront, both as scholars of the slave experience and as a dynamic topic within Black history: African American women in slavery and freedom. When I dipped my toe into the Civil War field during the 1980s after being immersed in African American history during the '60s and women's history during the '70s, little did I imagine the creative and interventionist ways these fields might meet to create an era of intersectionalism. However, there were clearly visionary scholars at work, paving the way. These two new books by Tiya Miles and Annette Gordon-Reed herald an era of metanarrative, whereby prizewinning authors challenge the fallacy of objectivism. Their bracing, interrogative [End Page 217] accounts allow readers to experience the full powers of their intellects and narrative gifts. Surely the bevy of prizes won in 2021 by Thavolia Glymph's The Women's Fight: The Civil War's Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation (from the American Historical Association, the Organization of American Historians, the Society of Civil War Historians, and the Southern Association for Women Historians, among others) signals the way Civil War studies is seeking important new terrain to bring this burgeoning field into alignment with the twenty-first century. Tiya Miles's new volume, All That She Carried: The Journey of Ashley's Sack and a Black Family Keepsake, follows a productive parade of impressive books, including a novel (The Cherokee Rose). Miles's historical talents were evident from her first monograph, Ties That Bound (winning the Frederick Jackson Turner Prize in 2006) to her 2017 Dawn of Detroit (awarded the Frederick Douglass Prize), receiving a MacArthur Fellowship (2011) along the way. Her scholarship has always been praised as meticulous, and she earns accolades for her prose style, which is characterized as both "luminous" and "accessible." In the story of Ashley's sack, we are given layered lessons about the historian's craft. How does one approach an object? What are the objectives for the story to be told? What is the value of speculation? How does the empowerment of context supply content when no particulars are evident, when no evidence is forthcoming? Miles patiently pieces together her story as brilliantly and creatively as the recovered sack deposited at Middleton plantation. It is not just an object for a repository, but the beginning of a journey for Miles—who takes the family history of the ancestor Rose, who lovingly prepared this cotton bag for her nine-year-old daughter Ashley's sale and departure. Ripped away from her home, from her family—with a tattered dress, three handfuls of nuts, a lock of her mother's hair, and the...

Effects of Frying Time on the Concentration of Cyanide in Garri (A Fermented Cassava Product)

The study investigated the effects of frying time on the cyanide content of garri, a cassava meal commonly consumed in many parts of the world especially, Africa. Tubers of cassava were obtained from Umuna Okigwe, peeled and ground. The pulp was packed into a cotton bag, dewatered and allowed to ferment under pressure using locally fabricated mechanical press. A calculated quantity (80 g) of the semi-dried pulp, was placed in a metallic basin and placed on a fireplace and fried. 15 g each of the roasting sample were removed after 10-, 20-, 30- and 35-minutes frying intervals and subjected to alkaline titration method to determine their cyanide content. Results showed that at 10mins, 20 mins, 30 mins and 35 minutes of frying reduced the cyanide content to 19.44, 10.8, 10.8 and 9.72mg/kg respectively. It is therefore strongly recommended that the frying time of garri be maximized to effectively reduce the cyanide contents of the product.

Experimental Evaluation and Development of Artificial Neural Network Model for the Solar Stills Augmented with the Permanent Magnet and Sandbag

The availability of potable water is reducing day by day due to rapid growth in the human population and un-planned industrialization around the globe. Although human beings cannot think of survival in the absence of water, the global leadership can still not implement their pacts in reality. Solar still is one of the prominent ways of getting potable water from contaminated water. This manuscript reports the experimental evaluation and developed ANN model for the single basin solar stills having augmentations with the sand-filled cotton bags and ferrite ring permanent magnets. Root mean square error (RMSE), efficiency coefficient (E), the overall index of model performance (OI), and coefficient of residual mass (CRM) values are in good agreement with the proposed developed model of ANN. The proposed ANN model can be utilized to predict distillate yield with a variation of 5% for the reported modified stills. Overall correlation coefficient of CSS, MSS-1&2 are 0.98171, 0.9867, and 0.99542, respectively.

Development of copper sulfide-sepiolite nanocomposite (SP-CuS NC) as degradable, assimilative and hypotoxic antifungal seed storage material

Challenges activated engineered nanoparticles composites are attracting increasing attention as next generation seed storage materials to retain or increase seed viability, in light of unavailability of seed storage chemicals. Copper sulfide-sepiolite composite (SP-CuS NC) nanoplatform was developed as seed treatment agent to control seed borne fungal pathogen as well to increase the seed quality parameters after application during storage. Copper sulfide-sepiolite nanocomposite (SP-CuS NC) was prepared sonochemically by in situ synthesis of copper sulfide in aqueous media containing dispersed activated sepiolite. The complete topomorphological, elemental and bonding information was obtained from TEM, SEM, EDS mapping, AFM, XRD, IR and UV–visible spectroscopic methods. Results from application of nano composite on freshly harvested paddy seeds at different active concentrations of copper sulfide (ranging from 20 to 500 μg/g) when packed in cotton bags for storage indicated the efficacy of such nano-enabled natural silicate material for seed storage approach due to the restricted delivery of copper at the right place without showing any sign of phytotoxicity. SP-CuS NC inflicted the promotion of seed germination, particularly in the diseased media conditions, which increased with the time of application as well as applied concentration. The most optimized concentration was 500 μg/g for the application of six months in which % enhancement in germination, root length, shoot length, dry weight and vigor index were maximum at 70.92%, 73.69%, 69.65%, 52.21% and 86.14%, respectively (comparison to control) (P-value < 0.05). The % reduction in seed blight and seed rot were 88.17 and 89.81 which was also maximum at the same applied concentration and time of application. SP-CuS NC significantly increased the health and quality parameters of rice seeds as compared to conventional copper formulation which becomes toxic at the comparative concentrations.

EVALUATION OF MANUAL FRUIT HARVESTERS AND STORABILITY CHARACTERISTICS OF HARVESTED SWEET ORANGE UNDER ORDINARY ROOM STORAGE CONDITION

Harvesting is considered as one of the crucial and critical activities in fruit production, handling and storage and market cycle. Traditional harvesting and post-harvest technique are responsible for deteriorating the fruit quality and shortening the postharvest shelf-life. Hand-picking by climbing tree, tree shaking and stick biting are most common practices for majority of the fruit orchards in Nepal that is risky, labour and time-intensive practices as well as affects market quality and nutritive value of the fruits. Therefore, there is a need for simple manual fruit harvesting tools suitable for smallholder farmers to replace the manual picking of citrus. Hence, a study was conducted to evaluate the performance of different available models of manual fruit harvester along with the evaluation of post-harvest quality (physiological loss of weight, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, acidity and rot incidence) and shelf-life assessment of those harvested fruits during storage under ordinary room condition for 26 days. Nine harvesting treatments were investigated as follows: a) Farmer practice-hand-picking (FPground), b) Farmer practice tree climbing (FPclimb), c) Hand-shaking of the tree branch (TS), d) Secateurs (SEground), e) Secateur + tree climb (SEClimb), f) Pole mounted cut and hold type picking shears (CH), g) Telescopic Long reach fruit picker (LRF), h) Fruit picker harvester with basket and cushion (PHB), i) Metal fruit picker with cotton bag (PC). The harvesting capacity of FPground, FPclimb, SEground, SEClimb, LRF, CH, PHB, PC and TS methods were 98.4±5.84, 57.52±12.43, 94.7±38.14, 49.05±5.73, 79.14±6.15, 75.08±12.44, 49.88±17.48, 52.27±11.47 and 63.12±22.27 kg/hr, respectively.. The harvesting output of CH and LRF type harvester was 29.03 (591 nos/hr) and 15.93% (531 nos/hr) higher than FPclimb practice (458 nos/hr) and that of PHB and PC method was 20.96 (362 nos/hr) and 6.11% (430 nos/hr) lower than FPclimb. Regarding storability characteristics, shelf-life was found better in SEground, SEClimb, CH, LRF than TS and FP practices.SE and CH method found effective in prolonging the average shelf-life and maintaining the quality of sweet orange compared to TS and FP. The button or calyx on the harvested fruit in SE, CH and LRF method help to control and delay the sap oozing, physiological loss of weight and lateral infection that maintain fruit firmness, prolong the shelf-life and minimize the fruit damage and rot incidence during ordinary storage. Based on our findings, hand-held secateur, cut and hold type harvester and long reach fruit picker (twist and turn) are recommended as appropriate harvesting tools for sweet orange fruit picking.

Changes in Madhuca latifolia Macbride seed oil content and quality upon storage at different duration and condition

Madhuca latifolia Macbride (commonly known as Mahua) is an important multipurpose tree with great socioeconomic relevance. The post-harvest spoilage of fruits and seeds due to improper handling and filthy storage conditions is a major limitation to quality oil products. Therefore, a study was carried out to find the best storage medium and optimum duration to retain better oil content and other oil quality parameters. In order to evaluate the change in oil content and other quality parameters, the extracted and pre-treated mahua seeds were stored in 3 container bags (polythene, plastic and jute), kept under two storage environment (light and dark) and subjected to two air exposure (closed and open condition) were monitored at a monthly interval till 180 days. The oil content, saponification value and iodine value of the stored seeds were decreased with time while specific gravity, acid value and free fatty acid in the stored seeds increased. The oil content during storage was in order of polythene bag (44.09%) > cotton bag (42.78%) > plastic bag (33.89%). The closed plastic container exposed to light was the best storage method for retaining higher oil content. On the other hand, closed polythene bag kept in dark was the best storage method for retaining higher saponification value and this treatment combination is suggested to be good for soap industry.

Real-time monitoring of TATP released from PDMS-based canine training aids versus bulk TATP using DART-MS

Direct analysis in real time-mass spectrometry (DART-MS) was used to explore the behavior of vapor released from triacetone triperoxide (TATP) versus an absorption-based canine training aid sometimes called a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymer odor capture and release (POCR) system. The results compare dissipation from the source to the instrument (in minutes), steady state signal intensity (i.e. approximate relative amounts), and dissipation of the odor after removing the source (also in minutes). Several parameters were tested: reproducibility between POCRs, TATP versus TATP with a lid (containing 13 drilled holes), distance from the detector, heights of the source, concealment, purposeful air disturbances, blanks, and containment systems.In general, the PDMS-based training aid behaved similarly to the TATP with a 13-hole lid, which is the aid most often used by the FBI’s National Canine Improvised Explosives Detection Program. Results shows that the PDMS-based training aids are reproducible and reliable at steady state as a vapor release system. As expected, signal was decreased given increased distance from the DART interface for all sample types, when using the odor-restricting lid with the 1 g TATP sample, when all samples were placed at height, and when using a cotton bag as a method of concealment. Despite having no direct correlation, these results support anecdotal canine evidence since canine handlers tend to report that their dogs have more difficulty finding training aids within those same parameters. Further, adding purposeful air disturbances had a larger effect on signal intensity for 1 g TATP than on the PDMS-based training aid. Finally, adding a masking odor at the DART interface decreased detection of TATP regardless of the vapor source, but did not fully diminish it. This too agrees with canine handler reports and previous research, where dogs may have a more difficult time locating odors in the presence of high background.This is the first report of its kind to use real-time detection to characterize vapor release and dissipation from a biosensor training aid in comparison to the corresponding true material it intends to replace. By using the three phases of odor release (saturation, steady state, and depletion), the study investigates the effects of several ambient parameters on TATP volatile detection from true material and the PDMS-based training aid.