Extraction, Purification, Optimization, and Application of Galactomannan-Based Edible Coating Formulations for Guava Using Response Surface Methodology

Galactomannan from fenugreek and guar seeds were extracted, purified, and used in edible coatings, optimized via response surface methodology. The results showed that the emulsifying capacity and stability of fenugreek galactomannan (FG) and guar galactomannan (GG) increased with increase in the concentration of galactomannan up to 0.5–1%. The average optimized values of FG and GG in edible coatings were predicted to be 1.71% and 2.11% for weight loss, 0.72% and 2.14% for firmness, 1.02% and 1.44% for TSS, 0.83% and 1.36% for pH, 1.03% and 1.44% for acidity, respectively. Significant decrease in weight loss and maximum retention of firmness was observed in coated guava. The TSS increased up to a certain storage period in all treatments and decreased as the storage period progressed, whereas pH exhibited an increasing trend while a significant decrease in acidity was observed. The findings revealed that the shelf life of guava could considerably be improved by incorporating 1.24% galactomannan from GG and 1.01% from FG in the edible coating.

Techniques and Tools for Trainers and Practitioners

If the material is to be delivered effectively, organizations need to understand the human side of cyber security training. In this chapter, the authors draw upon over a decade of experience in creating and adapting training and resources with the help of industry professionals and feedback from clients, which has led to a successful and highly acclaimed approach to cybersecurity education. The resulting discussion considers how to adopt the right approach to cybersecurity training for organizations, with training modules that cater to end users, and which are designed to ensure maximum retention of information by presenting short, humorous, animated scenarios that are relatable for the target audience.

Application of Risk Analysis in the Screening of Flood Disaster Hot Spots and Adaptation Strategies

In recent years, Taiwan has established a sound flood control foundation in terms of river management. Due to climate change and land development, surface runoff has increased. In addition, the functions of flood control engineering facilities have their limits. Surface runoff cannot be fully absorbed by rivers, and frequent floods still occur in some areas. According to the characteristics of water flowing along the terrain to low-lying land, the terrain features can be used to find out the hot areas prone to flooding and the appropriate location of flood storage space for improving flooding. On the basis of the natural terrain environment, the disaster risk framework is used to manage environmental complexity, and to carry out research on flood warning and governance decision-making systems, so that human beings can coexist with the uncertainty of flood risk. In this study, the Zhuoshuixi Basin was used as the sample area, the SCS-CN method was used to analyze the excess runoff, and the risk concept was used to establish a flood evaluation model. In addition, through the changes in land use, the SCS-CN method estimates the difference of potential maximum retention, quantifies the variation of excess rainfall in each watershed division, and uses the digital elevation model to calculate the depression site to analyze the relationship between the difference of potential maximum retention and the depression space of the watershed. The results show that the adaptation strategy for high-risk flooded areas should be strengthened, and areas with large water storage space and a small potential maximum retention difference can be the best location for offsite compensation.

Photocatalytic Treatment of Wastewater Containing Simultaneous Organic and Inorganic Pollution: Competition and Operating Parameters Effects

In the present study, methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solutions via the photocatalytic process using TiO2 as a catalyst in the presence of external ultra-violet light (UV) was investigated. The results of adsorption in the absence of UV radiation showed that adsorption reached an equilibrium state at 60 min. The experimental kinetic data were found to be well fitted by the pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, the isotherm study suggested that dye uptake by TiO2 is a chemisorption process with a maximum retention capacity of 34.0 mg/g. The photodegradation of MB was then assessed under various experimental conditions. The related data showed that dye mineralization decreased when dye concentrations were increased and was favored at high pH values and low salt concentrations. The simultaneous presence of organic and inorganic pollution (Zinc) was also evaluated. The effect of the molar ratio Zn2+/MB+ in the solution at different pH values and NaCl concentrations was also monitored. The corresponding experimental results showed that at low values of Zn2+ in the solution (30 mg/L), the kinetic of the MB removal became faster until reaching an optimum at Zn2+/MB+ concentrations of 60/60 mg/L; it then slowed down for higher concentrations. The solutions’ carbon contents were measured during the degradation process and showed total mineralization after about 5 h for the optimal Zn2+/MB+ condition.

Sensitivity analysis of a simplified precipitation-runoff model to estimate water availability in Southern Portuguese watersheds

The water availability estimation in large regions is a relevant procedure to define broad water resources management policies but may prove difficult due to the lack of data and uncertainty to related regional hydrological and hydrogeological characterization. BALSEQ, a daily sequential water budget model, was applied in a set of twenty-two watersheds in southern Portugal, aiming to understand the possible relations between the model parameters and watershed characteristics that may allow assembling calibration functions for non-monitored watersheds. A sensitivity analysis was conducted by comparing BALSEQ results with measured surface flow, focusing specifically on the fraction of the potential maximum retention (φ) and the maximum amount of water available in the soil for evapotranspiration (AGUT) parameters and the underlying hydrogeological conceptual model that ultimately controls the surface-groundwater interactions. The overall results did not allow to identify clear relations that permit extrapolation to other regions without data as the sensitivity analysis procedures returned similar results for wide intervals of parameters for the majority of watersheds. The results confirmed that the groundwater discharge is an important component for the total measured surface flow and that the φ parameter should not be overlooked when calculating direct runoff. Poor adjustments between the model results and measured flow were observed in watersheds with a low Surface flow – Rainfall ratio.

A Modified Distributed CN-VSA Method for Mapping of the Seasonally Variable Source Areas

Many watershed models employ the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) approach for runoff simulation based on soil and land use information. These models implicitly assume that runoff is generated by the Hortonian process and; therefore, cannot correctly account for the effects of topography, variable source area (VSA) and/or soil moisture distribution in a watershed. This paper presents a new distributed CN-VSA method that is based on the SCS-CN approach to estimate runoff amount and uses the topographic wetness index (TWI) to distribute the runoff-generating areas within the watershed spatially. The size of the saturated-watershed areas and their spatial locations are simulated by assuming an average annual value of potential maximum retention. However, the literature indicates significant seasonal variation in potential maximum retention which can considerably effect water balance and amount of nonpoint source pollution. This paper focuses on developing a modified distributed CN-VSA method that accounts for the seasonal changes in the potential maximum retention. The results indicate that the modified distributed CN-VSA approach is better than distributed CN-VSA to simulate runoff amount and spatial distribution of runoff-generating areas. Overall, the study results are significant for improved understanding of hydrological response of watershed where seasonal factors describe the potential maximum retention, and, thus, saturation excess runoff generation in the watershed.

Determination of field capacity in the Chibunga and Guano rivers micro-basins

Background: The micro-basins of the Chibunga and Guano rivers are located within the sub-basin of the Chambo River, which starts at the thaw of the Chimborazo, crosses the cities of Guano and Riobamba, and ends in the Chambo River. These rivers are considered fluvial hydrological forces and geological limits of the aquifer, located in this sub-basin. For this reason, our investigation addressed the field capacity in the micro-basins of Chibunga and Guano rivers, to determine the maximum retention potential, i.e., the saturation of water in the soil. Methods: We investigated the change of precipitation to runoff through the correlations between the characteristics of the soil and its vegetation. We applied the Curve Number (CN) method introduced by the United States Soil Conservation Service (USSCS); this represents an empirical model, which relates the vegetation cover to the geological and topographic conditions of the soil. Along with the geographic information system, the model allows to represent the variation of runoffs for each micro-basin, according to the different land use categories, over the time frame from 2010 to 2014. Results: We found that the maximum retention potential is directly affected by CN values, representing the runoff potential. Highest values of 100 belong to the wetlands, urban area, snow, and water, as rain is converted directly into runoff, being impervious areas. The Guano river micro-basin possesses clay soil with CN of 78, the soil texture for eucalyptus forest is clay loam, and its CN value, 46, is the lowest of the data set. Knowledge of field capacity allows to properly evaluate the storage capacity of soil and water conservation. Conclusions: Results of this work will be useful in the quantification of the water balance, to determine the water supply and demand.

Filtering Activity and Nutrient Release by the Keratose Sponge Sarcotragus spinosulus Schmidt, 1862 (Porifera, Demospongiae) at the Laboratory Scale

Sponges are an important constituent of filter-feeder benthic communities, characterized by high ecological plasticity and abundance. Free bacteria constitute an important quota of their diet, making them excellent candidates in aquaculture microbial bioremediation, where bacteria can be a serious problem. Although there are studies on this topic, certain promising species are still under investigation. Here we report applied microbiological research on the filtering activity of Sarcotragus spinosulus on two different concentrations of the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio parahaemolyticus in a laboratory experiment. To evaluate the effects of the filtration on the surrounding nutrient load, the release of ammonium, nitrate, and phosphate was also measured. The results obtained showed the efficient filtration capability of S. spinosulus as able to reduce the Vibrio load with a maximum retention efficiency of 99.72% and 99.35% at higher and lower Vibrio concentrations, respectively, and remarkable values of clearance rates (average maximum value 45.0 ± 4.1 mL h−1 g DW−1) at the highest Vibrio concentration tested. The nutrient release measured showed low values for each considered nutrient category at less than 1 mg L−1 for ammonium and phosphate and less than 5 mg L−1 for nitrate. The filtering activity and nutrient release by S. spinosulus suggest that this species represents a promising candidate in microbial bioremediation, showing an efficient capability in removing V. parahaemolyticus from seawater with a contribution to the nutrient load.

Colonic Transendoscopic Enteral Tubing: Route for a Novel, Safe, and Convenient Delivery of Washed Microbiota Transplantation in Children

Aim. Colonic transendoscopic enteral tubing (TET) has been used for delivering fecal microbiota transplantation by washed preparation since 2015, which was recently named as washed microbiota transplantation (WMT). However, there are few reports available regarding the feasibility and safety of these studies in low-age population. This study is aimed at evaluating the safety, feasibility, and value of colonic TET in 3-7 years old children. Methods. All patients aged 3-7 years who underwent colonic TET in our center for WMT or medication were prospectively evaluated. The feasibility and safety of TET were evaluated. A questionnaire was completed by the children’s parents to evaluate the children’s response to the colonic TET as well as the parent’s satisfaction. Results. Forty-seven children were included (mean age 5 years). TET was implemented into the colon of all the patients, and the success rate of the procedure was 100%. The median retention time of TET tube within the colon was 6 (IQR 5-7) days in 45 patients with tube falling out spontaneously, and the maximum retention time was up to 21 days. Multivariate analysis demonstrated that endoscopic clip number ( P = 0.009 ) was an independent contributing factor for the retaining time of tube. With increase in the number of large clips, the retention time of TET tube was prolonged. No discomfort was reported during injection of the microbiota or medication suspension through the TET tube. During the follow-up, no severe adverse events were observed. All children’s parents were satisfied with TET. Interestingly, the proportion of children’s parents choosing TET as the delivery way of WMT increased from 29.79% before to 70.21% after TET ( P < 0.001 ). Conclusions. This study, for the first time, demonstrates that colonic TET is a novel, safe, and convenient colonic delivery way for WMT and medication in children aged 3-7 years.

Shelf Life Extension of Cashew apple by Modified Atmospheric Packaging

Cashew apples are highly perishable fruits and cannot be stored in ambient conditions for more than one day. The study of modified atmospheric packaging of cashew apple was aimed to extend the shelf life. Cashew apple (variety: VRI 3) was subjected to passive MAP of O2 – 21%, CO2- 0.03 %, and N2 78%. PP 60 µm film showed the lowest permeability of O2 and CO2 was 1999 mL/m2/day and 2935 mL/m2/day. The cashew apple packed with PP 60 µm had the lowest mass loss of 1.356 %, maximum retention of color 56.02 (‘L’), 36.96 (‘a’), 41.14(‘b’), firmness of 3.423 N, pH 0.259, and vitamin C of 404.35 mg/100g on the 9th day of storage under refrigerated condition. Fungal growth was also better controlled in PP 60 µm under refrigerated conditions and fungal growth was 9.73 x 104cfu/g on the 9th day. This study revealed that passive MAP of Cashew apple can extend the shelf life up to 9 days of storage.