Treatment and decolourisation of treated palm oil mill effluent (POME) using oil palm trunk-derived activated carbon as adsorbent

Palm oil mill effluent (POME) has become a serious problem for the oil palm industries because of its high organic contents and other contaminant formation that results in dark colour, turbid and unpleasant odour. In the conventional treatment of POME used in Malaysia, treated POME can still pollute receiving water bodies as colour is one of the major contaminants that is not completely removed. Adsorption is a promising technique for addressing this problem, with a large range of adsorbents to choose from. It works by adhering the pollutants on to the high porous surface area of adsorbent. However, the high cost of coal-based AC that is commonly used can be the limiting factor for its wider application in palm oil industry. Therefore, this work looks into resource recovery (i.e., use of waste stream) from plantation as precursor of AC synthesis to treat its own waste from the palm oil mill. Hence, the suitability of oil palm trunk (OPT) as feedstock for AC application in POME colour removal in the mill is investigated. Experimental run at the as-synthesis OPT-derived AC was performed for validation via POME adsorption test. The result shows that the OPT-derived AC produced can remove the organic pollutants and colour of POME at the dosage of 15% w v−1 within 48 hours.

Dactylogram Processing System

Recognition of fingerprints (dactyloscopic images) is one of the practical application of signal processing. System of person identification by fingerprints is commonly-used by law enforcement bodies and Border services. This is also important in the field of access control systems and commercial devices where data security is not less important as reliability and data rate of processing algorithms. Existing systems of fingerprints processing are not fully ready for automatic recognition. Also, full modernization of existing equipment is not possible. The paper is devoted to the method of image processing. In particular, the preliminary processing of dactyloscopic images is considered as well as development of theoretical approach and practical realization of first stage of patterns forming – pre-processing of image for decreasing of its size and contrast increasing. The criteria for selecting ranges for sampling and quantization of images are given. Tasks of reducing the fingerprint image while increasing the contrast of the image were considered, analyzed and solved. Image reduction is based on the use of interpolation. It is shown that among the considered interpolation methods - linear, bilinear and bicubic - the latter one could provide the highest accuracy although it needs more hardware resources. However, when the dpi parameter (dots-per-inch) falls below 150, a rapid increase in the number of artifacts in the image is observed. Increasing of image sharpness is necessary for highlighting of colour transitions and consequently – for increasing the percentage of correct recognitions. Such increasing of image sharpness is proposed to achieve by using the Laplace operator (Laplasian calculation) and adding the result to the original image. The value of derivative at each pixel of the image depends linearly on sharpness level. Thus, it allows separating the areas with abrupt colour changes and gaps from the areas where the brightness is constant or changes slowly. The result of second derivative is much more for the areas with sharp changes than for the areas without them. The areas with constant or slowly-changing brightness after the second derivative calculation become almost the same dark colour. These areas could be restored to original image with retention of sharpness increasing effect. For this, transformed by Laplasian image should be added to the original one. Use of Laplasian allows to get an acceptable balance between the speed and computational complexity of the fingerprint recognition algorithm. The technical implementation of the device and illustration of its operation are given. Fingerprints image processing system is executed on the base of STM32f407 microcontroller with CortexM core. The system includes capasitive scanner, TFT LCD display and lab power source. The microcontroller software realizes, in particular, interpolation and contrast increasing. The system is module-compatible and able for scaling.

Current Knowledge on River Buffalo Meat: A Critical Analysis

The estimated world population of water buffalo counts around 204 million head, mostly reared for milk production. However, buffaloes also largely contribute to the meat sector, with around 4.3 million tonnes produced in 2019, mainly derived from old animals at the end of their productive or working life and only to a small extent from young animals. Therefore, buffalo meat production has been generally considered unsatisfactory for both quantity and quality. In fact, the dressing percentage is generally lower than 50% and the meat is considered of poor quality mainly due to its dark colour and reduced tenderness. However, in recent years, the healthy properties highlighted by some studies have led to a renewed interest in buffalo meat, with a parallel increase in research. Therefore, this review aims at providing an updated picture on carcass and meat quality traits in river buffalo, with special attention to the intrinsic and extrinsic factors contributing to their variability. The research done so far has demonstrated that river buffaloes can efficiently contribute to the quanti-qualitative production of meat, provided that the meat supply chain is specifically organised for this purpose. The analysis of the available data also showed that further research is needed on the factors affecting meat production in order to gain greater knowledge essential for planning more targeted interventions.

Determination of colour value of jaggery based biscuits stored under ambient temperature using hunter colour lab

To overcome the problems of excessive consumption of white sugar, attempts are being made to find out alternate sweeteners preferably from sugarcane, which are less harmful. A study was conducted to develop jaggery based biscuits using scientific technology to evaluate the quality and acceptance of fresh as well as stored samples. Hunter colour lab was used to determine of colouring properties of fresh and stored samples. Jaggery based biscuits were prepared using different levels of jaggery. Ingredients used in manufacturing of biscuits were of 40, 50 and 60% Jaggery with control (372 g sugar). The other ingredients were in same proportions viz., wheat flour 1000 g, HVO 400 g, WMP 31.15 g, baking powder 10.90 g, salt 7.8 g, TBHQ 0.03125 g, GMS 17.57 g and 02 eggs. The finished biscuit samples of 300 g were packed in HDPE and combination of film (CF) of metalized polystyrene pouches for storage studies at ambient condition. Colour measurement of control and jaggery based biscuits was carried out by using Hunter Lab. Colour value was measured after 60 and 120 days for all four samples. L value was found decreased by increasing the levels of jaggery. The L values, which indicates the lightness decreased due to dark colour of jaggery (L value decreased from 53.32 to 42.43 as a result of jaggery incorporation). L value of colour of the control sample prepared by sugar incorporation was 53.32 because of incorporation of other ingredients and high temperature for baking which caused the browning and caramelization. However, the effect of ambient temperature storage significantly increases “L”, “a” and “b” value. All four samples (control, 40%, 50% and 60% jaggery biscuits) were found to have positive “a” values as 9.42, 9.98, 11.09 and 11.60, respectively. During ambient temperature storage, the value of “a” was found to have increased for all four samples packed in HDPE and CF. However, the effect of ambient temperature storage significantly increases “a” value. The colour change observed during 120 days storage was due to additional development of little brown/red colour. The “b” values were found 20.26, 19.74, 19.55 and 19.15, respectively for biscuit samples (control, 40, 50 and 60% jaggery biscuits). Very little difference was noticed in the values of “b” for all samples. Different packaging materials did not significantly affect the “L”, “a” and “b” value.

Taxonomy of the New World bee genus Agapostemon Guérin-Méneville – new names and synonymies (Hymenoptera: Halictidae)

Many early taxonomic works on North American bees were published by Europeans using specimens collected in the New World, some with type locations so imprecise that uncertainty on the nomenclatural status remains to this day. Two examples come from Fabricius (1745–1808) who described Andrena virescens Fabricius, 1775 and Apis viridula Fabricius, 1793 from “America” and “Boreal America”, respectively. The former species of Agapostemon Guérin-Méneville, 1844 occurs across most of the United States and southern Canada, the latter presumed an endemic to Cuba. The type materials of these two taxa have never been compared to each other, though a morphology-based phylogenetic analysis placed both in distinct species groups. Here we synonymize Apis viridula under Ag. virescens, thereby making Ag. femoralis (Guérin-Méneville, 1844) available as the name for the Cuban species. A lectotype for Ag. femoralis (the type species for the genus Agapostemon) is hereby designated to stabilize this taxonomy. We also synonymize Ag. obscuratus Cresson, 1869 under Ag. femoralis, suggesting that it represents a dark colour polymorphism. As Ag. cubensis Roberts, 1972 is a junior secondary homonym of Ag. cubensis (Spinola, 1851), we offer Ag. robertsi as a replacement name for the former.

The use of nitrite and ascorbate in improving quality of stored intermediate moisture (IM) smoked meat

Smoking is one of the techniques employed to prevent spoilage of meat. Traditional smoked meat usually results in the production of over dried meat, with unattractive dark colour. This study aimed at improving quality of smoked stored meat. Beef samples were smoked before (CBS) and after (CAS) curing with nitrite and ascorbate in glycerol infusions to obtain intermediate moisture beef. The products were evaluated before and during six weeks of storage under ambient conditions for yield, pigment-conversion, residual nitrite, microbes, and sensory quality. The results of the analysis showed product yield for CBS (33.10-34.77%) to be lower than CAS (47.43-53.48%). Samples CAS contained more moisture (31.21-38.90%) than CBS (24.20-28.41%). CBS4 and CAS4 contained the highest residual nitrite values of 142 and 113 ppm, respectively. CBS4 and CAS3 had the highest myoglobin conversion of 31.31% and 74.68%, respectively. Microbial count of all the beef samples increased with storage time. CBS1 and CAS1 had the highest microbial loads of 3.89 and 4.74 log cful g-1. CAS samples had higher fungal growth than CBS during storage. Beef cured before smoking (CBS) had a better appearance rating (5.44-8.28) than CAS (4.78-7.39). CBS2 had the highest scores in appearance (8.28), taste (7.11) and aroma (8.06). Beef cured before smoking (CBS) had superior sensory scores than beefs cured after smoking (CAS) after six weeks of ambient storage. The quality of intermediate moisture meats was found to improve through curing, using nitrite and ascorbate.

Rediscovery and taxonomic analysis of Romulea melitensis (Iridaceae) from the Maltese islands

The status of the Maltese endemic Romulea melitensis remained doubtful since its description by Beguinot in 1907, primarily because plants with the morphological characters as referred in the diagnosis have not been substantiated in situ. A sand crocus with the combination of a smallish, dark violet corolla with a yellow throat and perianth segments up to 1.5 mm wide have never been witnessed in the Maltese Islands. A detailed analysis of the protologue and the type of R. melitensis has resulted that when Beguinot examined the 30-year-old exsiccatae, two important characters were misinterpreted, leading to the current ambiguous status of R. melitensis. A detailed account accompanied by specific illustrations and tabulated datasets are given to address this taxonomic misconception. In effect, R. melitensis has wider tepals and the dark colour of the corolla referred in the protologue is exhibited only at the abaxial surface of the tepals in some individuals. Under this adjusted morphological approach, ten populations corresponding to R. melitensis have been found in the Maltese islands, three of which matching completely with the taxon’s lectotype. In addition, morphological, palynological and chorological studies on these populations strongly suggest that R. melitensis is a hybrid between R. columnae and R. variicolor - a Siculo-Maltese endemic species. An identification key to the species of Romulea occurring or reported in the past from the Maltese Islands is supplied in this work.

Apparent physical brightness of graphemes is altered by their synaesthetic colour in grapheme-colour synaesthetes

Grapheme-colour synaesthesia is a condition in which the visual perception of letters or numbers induces a specific colour sensation. In this study, we demonstrated that the apparent physical brightness of graphemes is modulated by the synaesthetic colours elicited by them. Synaesthetes first selected a synaesthetic colour corresponding to each capital letter and digit. Then, we selected a grapheme stimulus with a bright synaesthetic colour and one with a dark colour for each synaesthete. Finally, synaesthetes and non-synaesthete controls participated in a brightness judgment task, in which each participant judged the real brightness of each of the two stimuli compared to a standard stimulus. Compared to non-synaesthetes, synaesthetes judged a grapheme with a bright synaesthetic colour to be brighter than one with a dark synaesthetic colour, suggesting that the synaesthetic colour experience of synaesthetes alters their brightness perception. Such alteration in real brightness perception was observed both in those who experienced synaesthetic colours in external space (projector-type synaesthetes) and in those who experienced such colours ‘in the mind’s eye’ (associator-type synaesthetes). These results support the view that early visual processing is modulated by feedback transmitted from the V4 colour area, the neural activation of which accompanies synaesthetic colour experience.

Breeding of source material for radish breeding

Сорта редьки в России представлены тремя географическими группами – европейской, китайской и японской. Основа современной методологии селекционной работы по корнеплодным культурам – создание сортопопуляций и гибридов корнеплодов с привлекательным внешним видом и достаточно высокой питательной ценностью, пригодных для новых технологий выращивания и переработки с целью удовлетворения требований рынка. На период 2020 года в Госреестр включено 96 сортов, из которых 22 – редька зимняя, 8 – редька летняя, и 1 гибрид F1, 25 – лоба и 2 гибрида F1, дайкон – 28, и 10 гибридов. В ассортиментной структуре рынка овощной продукции столовые корнеплоды занимают 24%, из которых наиболее востребованы как в производстве, так и в личных подсобных хозяйствах свекла и морковь столовая (занимают около 120 тыс. га посевных площадей), а также редис, репа, пастернак, редька, брюква, дайкон и т.д., выращиваемые на меньших площадях, в личных подсобных хозяйствах, но их роль в рациональном и полезном питании человека очень важна. Цель исследований – оценить коллекционный материал редьки китайской (лоба), редьки японской (дайкон), и редьки европейской по хозяйственно ценным признакам (форма, окраска и масса товарного корнеплода,) для использования в селекционном процессе по созданию новых сортов и гибридов. Объектом исследований служили 15 сортообразцов редьки, в том числе 6 сортов редьки китайской (лоба), 4 сортов редьки японской (дайкон), 5 сортов редьки европейской отечественной селекции. 3 сорта, полученные в Агрохолдинге «Поиск». По интенсивности окраски листа отмечено, что 66,7% сортов имели зеленую, 26,7% темно-зеленую и у 6,6 % – светло-зеленую окраску листа. С темной окраской выделились сорта: редьки китайской Маргеланская и Мисато пинк, редьки японской Алмаз, редьки европейской Ночка. Общая урожайность сортов изменялась от 25,4 (Барыня) до 87,7 т/га (Миноваси). Уровень товарности варьировал от 88,1 до 97,5%. Наибольший показатель был отмечен у сорта Мисато пинк. Cultivars of radish in Russia are represented by three geographical groups – European, Chinese and Japanese. The basis of the modern methodology of breeding work on root crops is the creation of variety populations and hybrids of root crops with an attractive appearance and a sufficiently high nutritional value, suitable for new technologies of growing and processing in order to meet the requirements of the market. For the period of 2020, the state register includes 96 cultivars, of which 22 – winter radish, 8 – summer radish, and 1 F1hybrid, 25 – loba and 2 F1 hybrids, daikon – 28, and 10 hybrids. In the assortment structure of the market of vegetable products, table root crops occupy 24%, of which the most popular crops, both in production and in personal subsidiary farms, are beet and carrots (about 120 thousand ha) as well as radish, turnip, parsnip, radish, rutabaga, daikon, etc., grown on smaller areas, in private farms, but their role in the rational and healthy human nutrition is very important. The purpose of the research is to evaluate the collection material of Chinese radish (Loba), Japanese radish (daikon), European radish on economically valuable characteristics (shape, color and weight of marketable root crops) for use in the selection process to create new varieties and hybrids. The object of research was 15 cultivars of radish, including 6 of Chinese radish (Loba), 4 of Japanese radish (daikon), 5 of European radish of domestic selection. 3 bred in the Poisk Agro Holding. According to the intensity of leaf colour, 66.7% of cultivars had green, 26.7% dark green, and 6.6 % light green leaf color. With a dark colour: Chinese radish Margelanskaya and Misato pink, Japanese radish Almaz, European radish Nochka. The total yield of the cultivars varied from 25.4 mm (Lady) to 87.7 t/ha (Inovasi). The level of marketability varied from 88.1 to 97.5%. The highest indicator was observed in the Misato pink cultivars.

Vacuum Pyrolysis of Waste Vehicle Tyres into Oil Fuel Using A Locally, Fabricated Reactor

Some countries still face daunting challenges of managing ever-increasing waste generated, especially plastic and waste vehicle tyres. Whilst some developed countries have adopted innovative ways such as catalytic or pyrolytic decomposition processes for energy or fuel generation from these wastes, developing countries like Ghana still dispose off indiscriminately around communities or un-engineered dumpsites. Hence, this study sought to transform waste vehicle tyres into fuel which invariably minimises or eliminates its environmental impact. Particularly, waste vehicle tyres (sourced from dumpsites in Tarkwa, Ghana) were washed, shredded and decomposed via pyrolysis at high temperature range (~ 450 - 650 oC) using locally designed and fabricated reactor. The physicochemical properties (such as water content, flashpoint, density, sulphur content, solids and viscosity) of the pyrolysis oil produced were also examined using the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards and procedures. The results showed that the viscosity, flashpoint and the density of the pyrolysis oil produced were 0.904 cSt, 34.5 oC, and 850.6 kg/m3 (at 15 oC), respectively. The sulphur, water and solids/particulates contents were 4340.0 ppm, 0.8 vol.%, and 483,495.5 ppm, respectively. It was also observed that the pyrolysis oil obtained appeared as thick, single-phase liquid with dark colour and strong odour at room temperature. Relatively, the properties of pyrolysis oil produced without further treatment did not meet the International specification for diesel fuel, hence its usage would require further treatments such as desulphurisation, decanting, centrifugation and filtration. Overall, the study has demonstrated that the pyrolysis of waste vehicle tyres into fuel provides an alternative method for managing end-of-life vehicle tyres and adding value to waste in general. Keywords: Pyrolysis, Waste Vehicle Tyres, Reactor, Pyrolysis Oil, Biofuel