Tenderness and Structure of Chicken Meats with Papaya Extract Immersion (Carica papaya)

The egg-laying chicken has a coarse texture with large fiber bonds, so it is classified as tough meat. The level of toughness of the meat can be improved by applying the compression technology using enzyme extracts such as papaya extract. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the level of use of papaya extract (Carica papaya) on the tenderness and structure of the rejected laying hens. The research material used was 4.500 g of egg rejected chicken meat and half-cooked papaya fruit extract. Meat tenderness testing is done by the Shear Press method, while observing the meat structure is done by microtechnical methods using binocular and digital microscopes. Data analysis of meat tenderness analysis with analysis of variance based on the Completely Randomized Design (CRD) of Unidirectional pattern with 4 treatments (P1= control, P2= 15%, P3= 30% dan P4= 45%) with 3 replications, while the meat structure was analyzed by calculating the average size of connective tissue and meat fibers in the form of millimicron units (µm). The results showed that soaking papaya meat extract with different concentrations significantly affected (P<0.05) on the tenderness of laying hens. The tenderness of meat indicated by the value of meat breaking was ranges from 0.90 kg/cm2-1.36 kg/cm2. Observation of meat structure shows that the higher the concentration of papaya extract used to soak the meat, the connective tissue narrows and the muscle fibers widen

Design of TiO2-Surfactin Hybrid Systems with Multifunctional Properties

In recent years, multifunctional inorganic-organic hybrid materials have been widely investigated in order to determine their potential synergetic, antagonist, or independent effects in terms of reactivity. The aim of this study was to design and characterize a new hybrid material by coupling well-known photocatalytic TiO2 nanoparticles with sodium surfactin (SS), a biosurfactant showing high binding affinity for metal cations as well as the ability to interact with and disrupt microorganisms' cell membranes. We used both chemical and colloidal synthesis methodologies and investigated how different TiO2:SS weight ratios affected colloidal, physicochemical, and functional properties. We discovered a clear breaking point between TiO2 and SS single-component trends and identified different ranges of applicability by considering different functional properties such as photocatalytic, heavy metal sorption capacity, and antibacterial properties. At low SS contents, the photocatalytic properties of TiO2 are preserved (conversion of organic dye = 99% after 40 min), and the hybrid system can be used in advanced oxidation processes, taking advantage of the additional antimicrobial SS properties. At high SS contents, the TiO2 photoactivity is inhibited, and the hybrid can be usefully exploited as a UV blocker in cosmetics, avoiding undesired oxidative effects (UV adsorption in the range between 300-400 nm). Around the breaking point (TiO2:SS 1:1), the hybrid material preserves the high surface area of TiO2 (specific surface area around 180 m(2)/g) and demonstrates NOx depletion of up to 100% in 80 min, together with improved adhesion of hybrid antibacterial coating. The last design demonstrated the best results for the concurrent removal of inorganic, organic, and biological pollutants in water/soil remediation applications

Intensidades da poda seca e do desbaste de cacho na composição da uva Cabernet Sauvignon.

A pesquisa foi realizada durante quatro anos, num vinhedo de Cabernet Sauvignon (Vitis vinifera L.), em Bento Gonçalves-RS. O objetivo foi determinar o efeito das intensidades da poda seca e do desbaste de cacho em variáveis relacionadas aos componentes de produção da videira e à composição do mosto de uva. Os tratamentos consistiram em dois níveis de poda seca - curta e longa - e quatro de desbaste de cacho (%) - 0; 25; 50 e 75 -; com cinco repetições. O delineamento experimental foi o em blocos casualizados, com os tratamentos em parcelas subdivididas. Os resultados mostram que a poda seca e o desbaste de cacho tiveram efeito altamente significativo na produtividade do vinhedo que, na média dos quatro anos, variou de 10.971 kg/ha ? poda curta, 75% de desbaste ? a 32.819 kg/ha ? poda longa, 0% de desbaste. Houve, também, efeito significativo na produtividade por gema, peso de ramos podados por gema e por hectare, área foliar/peso fresco do fruto e produtividade/peso de ramos podados. Entretanto, o efeito nas variáveis relacionadas a açúcar e acidez do mosto da uva foi pouco expressivo. O componente 1 da análise de componentes principais discriminou o tratamento poda curta a 75% de desbaste de cacho dos tratamentos poda longa-0% de desbaste e poda longa-25% de desbaste

Kandungan Mineral Hijauan Berbagai Aksesi Arbila (Phaseolus lunatus L.) dari Biji Berkategori Berat sebagai Pakan di Kabupaten Kupang

ABSTRAK  Tujuan penelitian adalah untuk mengevaluasi kandungan mineral hijauan berbagai aksesi Arbila (Phaseolus lunatus L.) dari biji berkategori berat sebagai pakan dari Kabupaten Kupang dilaksanakan selama 5 bulan (Mei – September 2022) di lahan Hijauan Pakan Politani Negeri Kupang. Benih Arbila yang digunakan sebanyak 10 aksesi. Variabel yang diamati: kadar kalsium (Ca) (%), fosfor (P) (%) dan kalium (K) (%). Data dideskriptifkan. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa hijauan Arbila yang berasal dari biji dengan berkategori berat mengandung 1,66% - 3,56% Ca, 0,37% - 0,64% P dan 1,48% - 1,91% K. Dari 10 aksesi, 20% nya dengan kadar Ca > 3% (K3 dan K5), 50% dengan kadar Ca 2,5 - 3% (K1, K4, K7, K8, dan K9), dan di bawah 2,5% terdapat 30% (K10, K11, dan K13). Hijauan dengan kadar P > 0,5% sebanyak 40% (K4, K5, K7, dan K9), dan 1,5% sebanyak 70% (K3, K4, K5, K9, K10, K11, dan K13), dan sebanyak 30% (K1, K7 dan K8) yang mengandung K < 1,5%. Disimpulkan bahwa hijauan yang berasal dari biji Arbila berkategori berat mempunyai kadar Ca dengan kisaran 2,43% - 3,58%, kadar P 0,42% - 0,56% dan kalium 1,18% -1,83%. Hijauan Arbila dari aksesi K5 mempunyai kadar Ca dan K yang tertinggi dan K4 mempunyai kadar P tertinggi.  Kata kunci: kandungan mineral hijauan, aksesi arbila (Phaseolus lunatus L.), biji berkategori berat, kalsium, fosfo

Assessing the effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention in preserving wintering waterbirds in the Mediterranean

lthough biological conservation is based on international agreements, its effectiveness depends on how countries implement such recommendations as effective conservation tools. The Ramsar Convention is the oldest international treaty for wetland and waterbird conservation, establishing the world's largest network of protected areas. However, since it does not constitute any binding measure, its effectiveness in protecting wintering waterbird populations at an international scale has been questioned. Here, we use long-term (1991–2012) count data to assess the effectiveness of the Ramsar Convention in the Mediterranean Basin. We compared abundance and temporal trends of 114 waterbird species between 251 Ramsar wetlands and 3486 non-Ramsar wetlands. We found that the Ramsar network is critical for wintering waterbirds, concentrating nearly half of all waterbirds counted in the Mediterranean Basin in only 7% of monitored wetlands. Waterbird trends followed a northwestsoutheast gradient, with a population decrease in the East. A significant and positive Ramsar effect on population trends was only found for the species of higher conservation concern in the Maghreb, particularly when a management plan was implemented. The Ramsar Convention was previously used on very important wetlands for waterbirds in Southern Europe, but is now an underused conservation tool. Our study suggests weaknesses in the use of Ramsar as an effective conservation tool in most of the Mediterranean Basin. However, the Ramsar Convention effectiveness to enhance waterbird populations in the Maghreb should encourage strengthening the Ramsar Convention. It should be done particularly in countries with limited environmental agreements and by systematic implementation of management plans. Conservation measures International conventions Protected areas Protection status Monitoring WetlandsacceptedVersio

The measurement of the noise-equivalent spectral radiance of SIMBIO-SYS/VIHI spectrometer

We report about the measurement of the Noise- Equivalent Spectral Radiance (NESR) of the VIHI imaging spectromter aboard ESA's Bepi Colombo mission to Mercury. The knowledge of the NESR allows to determine the capability of an optical detector to measure faint signals. A description of the setup used to determine the NESR during the prelaunch calibration campaign is given. The processing of the data col- lected at various operative temperatures and integration times is described. The sensitivity study of the NESR has been performed at the expected detector's temperatures and integration times with the goal to determine the minimum spectral radiance at which VIHI is sensitive during the different observation phases of the mission. A simulation of the expected Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR) of VIHI during the different orbital phases is provided

Radiometric calibration of the SIMBIO-SYS STereo imaging Channel

The STereo imaging Channel (STC) is a double wide-angle camera developed to be one of the channels of the SIMBIOSYS instrument onboard of the ESA BepiColombo mission to Mercury. STC main goal is to map in 3D the whole Mercury surface. The geometric and radiometric responses of the STC Proto Flight model have been characterized on-ground during the calibration campaign. The derived responses will be used to calibrate the STC images that will be acquired in flight. The aim is to determine the functions linking the detected signal in digital number to the radiance of the target surface in physical units. The result of the radiometric calibration consists in the determination of well-defined quantities: (1) the dark current as a function of the integration time and of the detector temperature, settled and controlled to be stable at 268 K; (2) the read out noise, which is associated with the noise signal of the read-out electronic; and (3) the fixed pattern noise, which is generated by the different response of each pixel. Once these quantities are known, the photon response and the photoresponse non-uniformity, which represents the variation of the photon responsivity of a pixel in an array, can be derived. The final result of the radiometric calibration is the relation between the radiance of an accurately known and uniform source, and the digital numbers measured by the detector