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.
Psoriasis, a chronic inflammatory dermatological condition, exhibits heterogeneous responses to anti-TNF therapies such as etanercept (ETN), underscoring the need for predictive biomarkers. This study investigated the association of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β) gene promoter polymorphisms (rs1143623 C/G, rs752338864 C/G, and rs1143627 C/T) with ETN efficacy in 80 Iraqi patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. Patients were categorized according to treatment response: responders achieved ≥ 75% reduction in the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index (PASI), whereas non-responders demonstrated ≤ 50% reduction. Post-treatment serum IL-1β levels were significantly higher in non-responders (50.35 ± 15.81 pg/mL) compared to respo
... Show MoreFor the design of a deep foundation, piles are presumed to transfer the axial and lateral loads into the ground. However, the effects of the combined loads are generally ignored in engineering practice since there are uncertainties to the precise definition of soil–pile interactions. Hence, for technical discussions of the soil–pile interactions due to dynamic loads, a three-dimensional finite element model was developed to evaluate the soil pile performance based on the 1 g shaking table test. The static loads consisted of 50% of the allowable vertical pile capacity and 50% of the allowable lateral pile capacity. The dynamic loads were taken from the recorded data of the Kobe e
Utilizing the modern technologies in agriculture such as subsurface water retention techniques were developed to improve water storage capacities in the root zone depth. Moreover, this technique was maximizing the reduction in irrigation losses and increasing the water use efficiency. In this paper, a polyethylene membrane was installed within the root zone of okra crop through the spring growing season 2017 inside the greenhouse to improve water use efficiency and water productivity of okra crop. The research work was conducted in the field located in the north of Babylon Governorate in Sadat Al Hindiya Township seventy-eight kilometers from Baghdad city. Three treatments plots were used for the comparison using surface
... Show MoreThis work investigates the utilization of waste papers (natural and industrial) i.e (citrus aurantium and papers A4) mortars containing specified contents 0.5%, 1%, 1.5% of waste papers were prepared and cured. Mechanical characteristics such as compressive and bending strengths, hardness and water absorption were determined for the mortars mixed with the waste papers and compared with those obtained from the pure mortars. Results showed that the addition of waste paper leads to increase the hardness to (69 - 68.5) shore D for (natural and industrial) wastes materials respectively comparing with pure specimen 66 shore D. The compressed strength of the mortar cement specimen cured for 28 days from 13 MPa to (17-18) MPa for (natural and in
... Show Morefication of benzaldehyde (C6H5CHO) and O- amino aniline O-C6H4(NH2)2 in ethanol with 8- Hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) . Formed compounds were acquired of 1:1:2 molar proportion reactions for metal ions and ligands (L) and 2(8HQ) during reaction for MCl2 .nH2O salt products complexes conformable into the forms [M(L)(8HQ)2] ,where M = Mn(II),Co(II) and Ni(II). Whole the compounds were identified during the basis of their; FT-IR and U.V spectrum, melting point, molar conduct, identify of the percentage from the metal at the complexes via flame (AAS), C, H and N content of the Schiff base (L) and metal complexes were analysis and magnetic susceptibility menstruations. A hexagonal coordinated metal complexes were proposed to the separated complexes of
... Show MoreBACKGROUND: Hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) is a proangiogenic factor that exerts different effects over stem cell survival growth, apoptosis, and adhesion. Its impact on leukemogenesis has been established by many studies. AIM: This study aimed to determine the effect of plasma HGF activity on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients at presentation and after remission. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This was a cross-sectional prospective study of 30 newly-diagnosed, adult, and AML patients. All patients received the 7+3 treatment protocol. Patients’ clinical data were taken at presentation, and patients were followed up for 6 months to evaluate the clinical status. Plasma HGF levels were estimated by ELISA based methods in the pa
... Show MoreTransition metal complexes of Y(III), La(III) and Rh(III) with azo dye 2,4-dimethyl-6- (4-nitro-phenylazo)-phenol derived from 4-nitroaniline and 2,4-dimethylphenol were synthesized. Characterization of these compounds has been done on the basis of elemental analysis, electronic data, FT-IR,UV-Vis and 1HNMR, as well as conductivity measurements. The nature of the complexes formed were studies following the mole ratio and continuous variation methods, Beer's law obeyed over a concentration range (1x10-4- 3x10-4). High molar absorbtivity of the complex solutions were observed. From the analytical data, the stoichiomerty of the complexes has been found to be 1:3 (Metal:ligand). On the basis of Physicochemical data octahedral geometries were as
... Show MoreIntroduction Oral biopsy is a fundamental diagnostic procedure in dentistry, essential for the early detection of oral cancer and other pathologies. While theoretical knowledge is a core component of dental education, the translation of this knowledge into clinical confidence and practical ability is critical for patient care. Objective: : evaluate the awareness, knowledge, and self-perceived ability to perform oral biopsies Material and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among dental students. Participants (n=110) comprising 14 multiple-choice questions assessing key variables: knowledge of biopsy principles, techniques, lesion identification, specimen preservation, and ability to perform the procedure Results: While theoretica
... Show MoreEuropean Chemical Bulletin (ISSN 2063-5346) is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes original research papers, short communications, and review articles in all areas of chemistry. European Chemical Bulletin has eight sections, namely