Determining the qualitative working indices for various forms of the active body of a rut soil compartmentation equipment

The subdivision of ruts represents the process of periodic formation between their ridges of small soil dams, small pools of water accumulation created in the processed soil with the help of equipment to open watering channels in order to reduce the phenomenon of erosion and to make more efficient use of the water from precipitation or by using sprinkler systems. This is a method of soil and water conservation that is used on inclined lands with a slope of less than 6o or on disturbed land. The practice began to be widely adopted following the use of new herbicide technologies necessary for weed control but also for improving the mechanical equipment for dam construction. In this paper are presented the results obtained from the optimization of the dimensions and the shape of the working body of the PCVM2,2 + EMBC2 equipment used in the compartmentation of the ruts in the vine-apple orchards with calculation of the qualitative indices of obtained work

Wastewater electrooxidation using stainless steel electrodes

Wastewater contains essential nutrients for crops, and after proper treatment its reuse is beneficial to farmers in arid and semi-arid areas. Electrooxidation is an environmentally friendly technology used for treatment of domestic, industrial and agrozootechnical wastewater. During electrooxidation, organic compounds are oxidized at the interface between the anode and the aqueous solution, as a result of the reduction reaction at the cathode. Tests were performed on wastewater collected from the lagoon of a cattle farm, using an electrooxidation cell with stainless steel electrodes. The removal of pH, conductivity, turbidity, color, total N, total P, COD and BOD was investigated at specific voltages of 0.025 V cm-2, 0.05 V cm-2 and 0.1 V cm-2 and various electrolysis times (15, 30, 60 and 120 minutes). Results show that electrooxidation is effective in reducing total N by 24 %, total P by 47 %, BOD by 47 % and COD by 82 %. After completion of tests, the suspended solids were decanted towards the anode area, due to the action of coagulant Fe2+/Fe3+ ions formed by anode dissolution, and the water was clarified. The effluent complies with the standards to be reused to irrigate crops tolerant to salinity grown in permeable soils

Technologies used for food preservation using microwaves

Food preservation is the process of treating food, with the aim of preserving its qualities for as long as possible. Extending the freshness period for processed foods has been and is a continuing challenge for producers in the food industry. New technologies and conservation methodologies are continuously researched, which will have as little effect as possible on the nutritional value of the products. Microwave food processing is constantly evolving, rapid heating and high energy efficiency are the major advantages of using this technology. The paper presents a study regarding the preservation of food products using microwaves, its acting mechanism and other applications of microwaves for food processing, as well as some installations and equipment that use this technology

Aspects regarding the use of ultrasounds in the food industry

Ultrasound is a rapidly developping research field that is more and more used in the food domain, both for analysis and processing of food products. This technology has been successfully applied within food industry for various processes like freezing, filtration, drying, separation, emulsion, sterilization and extraction. The paper presents aspects regarding the mechanism and use of ultrasound in food processing, as well as some technical equipment that use ultrasound within a combined technology, for the decontamination of the external surfaces of some horticultural products

Emotional dysregulation in social anxiety insights from an fMRI resting-state study

The relationship between Social Phobia (SP) and subclinical social anxiety (SA), as well as with normal shyness is not completely defined. We used the Hurst Exponent (HE) to test the hypothesis that, even in a not socially anxious condition, relevant regions for the neurobiology of SP will display a relation between Social Anxiety levels as measured by psychological scales and HE of the BOLD signal. Resting-state fMRI time series were recorded in 26 subjects (12 F; mean age ± SD. = 26 ± 3). All the subjects were drug free and did notrefer any psychiatric disorder in the anamnesis. Each subject completed the following scales: Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation (BFNE), Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS), Liebowitz Social Anxiety scale (LSAS), Social Anxiety Spectrum Self-Report (SHI-SR) and State-Trait Anxiety Scale. The Hurst exponent was estimated by using the discrete second-order derivative approach and its relationship with SA has been tested in the whole brain and in regions known to be involved in SP. LSAS score predicted the HE in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), amygdala, cerebellum (all negatively) and precuneus (positively). ROI analysis showed an inverse correlation between LSAS and SHI-SR scores and HE in the amygdala and a direct correlation between IAS and BFNE scores in the precuneus. Our results suggest that the brain pattern of spontaneous activity is influenced by the degree of SA on a continuum in relevant regions for reappraisal and emotional regulation. We discuss our results in the framework of available knowledge on SA including the Clark ]";and Wells (1995) model of SA and the etiologic theories on emotional dysregulation in SA

Researches on the freezing of blueberries and green bean pods using an experimental model of a fast freezing equipment

In order to conserve perishable food and extend the permissible storage and marketing period, one of the best methods that uses artificial frost is freezing. The action of low temperatures leads to a slowing down of the modifying processes, both nutritionally and organoleptically. The researches presented within the paper aims to determine some specific parameters for the freezing process using an experimental model of a fast freezing equipment with liquid nitrogen. Experimental researches use two species of horticultural products, namely blueberries and green bean pods. The results indicate that the values of total freezing time, average linear freezing rate and liquid nitrogen consumption for quick freezing of blueberries were higher than those recorded for green bean pods. Also, with the lowering of the set temperature inside the freezing chamber, the freezing time from 0°C to the temperature of -15°C decreases, resulting in lower freezing times, higher average linear freezing rates and liquid nitrogen consumptions with increasing tendency

Researches on the capitalization of some medicinal plants to obtain essential oils by using the performant innovative installation EUV 2x1000 type

The article includes research on the production of essential oils from medicinal plants by applying water vapour distillation, the method most commonly used for the extraction of essential oils from plants. The results consist of extracting the essential oil from 2 types of medicinal plants: lavender and mint with the help of the EUV installation. The paper highlights the important aspects of obtaining quality products, on economically advantageous terms, addressing both specialists, farmers in larger farms and family associations. The article presents the experimental research results on obtaining essential oils from medicinal plants. Oils obtained by this method contain only volatile components, while wax and volatile resins are not found in the finished product

The nuclear basket proteins Mlp1p and Mlp2p are part of a dynamic interactome including Esc1p and the proteasome

The basket of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) is generally depicted as a discrete structure of eight protein filaments that protrude into the nucleoplasm and converge in a ring distal to the NPC. We show that the yeast proteins Mlp1p and Mlp2p are necessary components of the nuclear basket and that they also embed the NPC within a dynamic protein network, whose extended interactome includes the spindle organizer, silencing factors, the proteasome, and key components of messenger ribonucleoproteins (mRNPs). Ultrastructural observations indicate that the basket reduces chromatin crowding around the central transporter of the NPC and might function as a docking site for mRNP during nuclear export. In addition, we show that the Mlps contribute to NPC positioning, nuclear stability, and nuclear envelope morphology. Our results suggest that the Mlps are multifunctional proteins linking the nuclear transport channel to multiple macromolecular complexes involved in the regulation of gene expression and chromatin maintenance