Proximate Composition and Parasitic Contamination of Hibiscus sabdariffa Seed Cake (Roselle Seed Cake): A Soup Condiment Produced by North-Western Community, Nigeria

Background: Soup condiments are edible food items which are added to dishes, used as thickeners for soup and also as food supplements such as sauce that is added to food to impact specific flavours. They are abundantly produced in Nigeria especially in North-Western part of the country. Aims: The aim of this research was to determine the proximate composition and parasitic contamination of Hibiscus sabdariffa seed cake (Roselle seed cake): a soup condiment produced by North-Western Community, Nigeria. Study Design: Samples were purchased and collected at random from the markets of different places in the study areas, aseptically placed into polythene bags and labelled correctly. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Zuru and Sakaba Local Government Areas of Kebbi State, North-Western Nigeria. Methodology: The proximate analysis carried out include: moisture determination, ash determination, determination of crude protein, lipid determination, fibre determination and carbohydrate estimation by difference. The protozoa present in the samples were identified by direct microscopy. Results: The proximate composition of Hibiscus sabdariffa seed cake in the study areas had a very high level of carbohydrate content (52.44±1.03%), followed by the moisture content (15.43±0.10%), lipid content (12.00±0.50%), fibre content (11.16±0.58%), ash content (7.80±0.05%) and crude protein content (1.16±0.13%) which was the lowest. The highest prevalence rate of the identified protozoa was recorded in Entamoeba histolytica 2(50.0%) followed by Giardia lamblia 1(25.0%) in Zuru Local Government Area. No protozoa was seen in Zuru sample 0(0.0%). In Dabai sample, Giardia lamblia was seen 1(25.0%). While in Bedi sample, Entamoeba histolytica 2(50.0%) was seen which was the most prevalent. However, in Sakaba Local Government Area, a total of nine protozoa was seen and all were Entamoeba histolytica. Dirin-Daji sample showed 1(11.1%), Doka 2(22.2%), Dankolo 2(22.2%), Janbirni 1(11.1%), Laraba 1(11.1%) and Makuku 2(22.2%) respectively. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the available carbohydrate and moisture contents were higher than other parameters and the local soup condiments were heavily contaminated with protozoa and Entamoeba histolytica had the highest prevalence which can cause serious food-borne diseases in humans in the study areas. Finally, the need to apply good manufacturing practices in processing the condiments in the study areas and North-Western Nigerian Community as a whole is highly recommended.

Combined Use of Wind-Driven Rain Load and Potential Evaporation to Evaluate Moisture Damage Risk: Case Study on the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Canada

Parts of the building envelope that frequently receive high amounts of rain are usually exposed to a higher risk of deterioration due to moisture. Determination of such locations can thus help with the assessment of moisture-induced damage risks. This study performs computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of wind-driven rain (WDR) on the Parliament buildings in Ottawa, Canada. Long-term time-varying wetting load due to WDR and potential evaporation are considered according to several years of meteorological data, and this cumulative assessment is proposed as a fast method to identify critical locations and periods. The results show that, on the Center Block of the Parliament buildings, the façades of lower towers facing east are the most exposed to WDR, together with the corners of the main tower. Periods of high WDR wetting load larger than the potential evaporation are observed, indicating that deposited rain may lead to moisture accumulation in the envelope. During these critical periods of up to several months, air temperature may repeatedly drop below freezing point, which poses a risk of freeze–thaw damage. First assessment on future freeze–thaw damage risks indicates an increase in such risks at moderate increases in temperature, but a lower risk is found for larger increases in temperature.

Vegetation Effects on Soil Moisture Retrieval from Water Cloud Model Using PALSAR-2 for Oil Palm Trees

In oil palm crop, soil fertility is less important than the physical soil characteristics. It is important to have a balance and sufficient soil moisture to sustain high yields in oil palm plantations. However, conventional methods of soil moisture determination are laborious and time-consuming with limited coverage and accuracy. In this research, we evaluated synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and in-situ observations at an oil palm plantation to determine SAR signal sensitivity to oil palm crop by means of water cloud model (WCM) inversion for retrieving soil moisture from L-band HH and HV polarized data. The effects of vegetation on backscattering coefficients were evaluated by comparing Leaf Area Index (LAI), Leaf Water Area Index (LWAI) and Normalized Plant Water Content (NPWC). The results showed that HV polarization effectively simulated backscatter coefficient as compared to HH polarization where the best fit was obtained by taking the LAI as a vegetation descriptor. The HV polarization with the LAI indicator was able to retrieve soil moisture content with an accuracy of at least 80%.

Void and Moisture Content of Fiber Reinforced Composites

In this paper, a short review on the void and moisture content studies of fiber reinforced composites for both, synthetic and natural based fibers are presented. The review summarized the research papers in which include experimental and theoretical works that related to the void and moisture content studies. In addition to that, this review paper highlighting a few research studies conducted in literature on the effects of the void and moisture on the mechanical performances of the composite. Few common measurement methods used for the void and moisture determination are discussed here. The aims of this short review, mainly to capture the trend ranging from the recent five years back and summarize the various studies and also to compare and conclude the most common method for the determination of the void and moisture content. This paper is mainly providing a baseline in the selection of the methods for the future work of the author’s work with regard to the reduction of the presence of voids and moisture occur during the impregnation process of fiber reinforced composites, especially when using natural-based fiber.

Hygromechanical Performance of Polyamide Specimens Made with Fused Filament Fabrication

The material performance of polyamide (PA) samples made with fused filament fabrication (FFF) was analyzed. The authors implemented a well-structured framework to identify the filaments main properties before processing them and characterizing the printed samples. Unfilled and glass-fiber reinforced PA were investigated, focusing on moisture absorption and its effects on dimensional stability and mechanical performance. The properties were collected using differential scanning calorimetry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, whereas the specimens were characterized by employing compression tests. This framework allowed for the moisture determination, as well as the influence of the moisture absorption. A significant impact was detected for the glass-fiber reinforced PA, with a decrease in the dimensional and mechanical performance. The novelty of this study was to define a well-structured framework for testing the moisture influence of FFF components.

Determinação da umidade em sementes da figueira (Ficus adhatodifolia Schott ex Spreng. - Moraceae) armazenadas por dois anos e meio / Moisture determination in fig tree (Ficus adhatodifolia Schott ex Spreng. - Moraceae) seeds stored for two and a half years

A determinação da umidade das sementes pode auxiliar na preservação de espécies florestais, pois a umidade é um dos fatores que influenciam no processo de deterioração das sementes. Assim, o objetivo desse trabalho foi definir o teor de umidade de sementes de Ficus adhatodifolia armazenadas por mais de dois anos no Laboratório de Sementes da UNESP/Botucatu/SP. Para isso, utilizamos o método de estufa proposto nas Regras de Análise de Sementes. O teor de umidade para sementes de F. adhatodifolia foi de 8,50 ± 0,16%, indicando que estas sementes podem estar em boa qualidade para serem utilizadas na propagação da espécie, pois para armazenamentos por períodos maiores que 12 meses, a literatura relata que as sementes devem apresentar teores de umidade inferiores a 11%, como podemos verificar em nosso estudo. Mesmo assim, o teste de germinação deve ser realizado para verificar a qualidade das sementes armazenadas.

Design and Construction of a Soil Moisture Measuring

A digital soil moisture reader was constructed and tested. It uses a lipo battery of 9v which was regulated to a constant 5v with the help of a voltage regulator 7805. The digital soil moisture reader developed was tested and the result obtained was compared with that obtained using the gravimetric method of determining soil moisture contents. In determining the soil moisture content, a certain quantity of soil was collected and a particular volume of water was added incrementally. The result shows that the soil moisture reader is accurate. The evaluation was carried out using the gravimetric method of soil moisture determination as a basis of comparison. Nine samples of 50g of soli were collected from Federal College of Forestry Mechanization Farm and a certain amount of water was added incrementally during the process of determining the soil moisture content. The soil reader was calibrated using the gravimetric method which shows a regression coefficient R^2 of 0.986 which indicates that the soil reader is accurate, sensitive and reliable.

Multi-constellation GNSS interferometric reflectometry with mass-market sensors as a solution for soil moisture monitoring

Per capita arable land is decreasing due to the rapidly increasing population, and fresh water is becoming scarce and more expensive. Therefore, farmers should continue to use technology and innovative solutions to improve efficiency, save input costs, and optimise environmental resources (such as water). In the case study presented in this paper, the Global Navigation Satellite System interferometric reflectometry (GNSS-IR) technique was used to monitor soil moisture during 66 d, from 3 December 2018 to 6 February 2019, in the installations of the Cajamar Centre of Experiences, Paiporta, Valencia, Spain. Two main objectives were pursued. The first was the extension of the technique to a multi-constellation solution using GPS, GLONASS, and GALILEO satellites, and the second was to test whether mass-market sensors could be used for this technique. Both objectives were achieved. At the same time that the GNSS observations were made, soil samples taken at 5 cm depth were used for soil moisture determination to establish a reference data set. Based on a comparison with that reference data set, all GNSS solutions, including the three constellations and the two sensors (geodetic and mass market), were highly correlated, with a correlation coefficient between 0.7 and 0.85.