Rajamangala University of Technology Srivijaya Research Journal

Particle Size and Stability of Calcium Fortified Sterilized Goat Milk and Consumer Acceptance

2023-06-28T10:55:44+07:00

Addition of calcium compounds affects particle size and induces sedimentation of milk products. This study compared skim milk particle size of raw goat milk, sterilized goat milk, and sterilized goat milk supplemented with 30 mM tricalcium phosphate by Laser diffraction Mastersizer X. The mean particle sizes were 0.543, 1.063 and 2.603 μm, respectively. A study of sediment content and color to be a guideline for calcium supplements containing goat milk was compared in 5 trials: 1) sterilized goat milk, 2) calcium sterilized goat milk, 3) sterilized goat milk treated with calcium and supplemented with 0.025% (w/w) carrageenan (C), 4) 1% (w/w) disodium hydrogen phosphate (DSHP), and 5) 1% (w/w) trisodium citrate (TSC). The results found that the addition of DSHP and TSC resulted in lower milk lightness, higher in red and yellow value, and greater sediment formation. During 90 days of storage, the sediment content of treatments using stabilizers was not different. Based on the findings of a survey involving 150 consumers, four dominant factors emerged as significant influencers of milk purchasing behavior: health benefits, accessibility, quality certifications, and convenience of consumption. In this study, sterilized goat milk fortified with 30 mM tricalcium phosphate was accepted by 88.32% of consumers.

Survey on the Intermediate Hosts of the Layer Parasites in an Open-Farm System in Na Bon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

2022-11-29T10:38:28+07:00

Gastrointestinal parasites are a major cause of economic impact on the layers because they will reduce productivity. Some helminths need an intermediate host for multiplication or carriers to be able to complete their life cycle. The objective of this study was to investigate what type of insects could be the intermediate host of parasites in layers. Insects were collected from an open-farm system laying hen farm in Nabon District, Nakhon Si Thammarat Province between December 2020 and January 2021. One hundred insect samples were subjected to dissect and examine parasites in the digestive tract under a light microscope. The result revealed that the intermediate host of Oxyspirura spp. was the cockroach (Pycnoscelus surinamensis) at 8.70% prevalence in adult and 9.52% prevalence in nymph (2/23 samples and 2/21 samples) and the darkling beetle (Alphitobius diaperinus) at 15.39% prevalence (8/52 samples). Moreover, both species would also be accidentally infected by nymph of mites. Therefore, besides focusing on the cockroach and the darkling beetle, farmers must concentrate on mite removal.

Yield Trial of Commercial Long Cucumber Cultivars in Nan Province

2022-08-26T15:01:03+07:00

This research aimed to conduct a yield trial of commercial long cucumber cultivars in Nan province from January to March 2021. These data helped farmers select commercial long cucumber cultivars that were suitable for their growing areas. The experiment was conducted by using Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with four replications. In this experiment, there were 20 commercial long cucumber cultivars including Green Bus, Premium, Big Green, Big Green Plus, Kiaw Phu Kao, Jumbo Green, Amata 3, Green Star, Lotus, Natalie 5, Kiaw Amata 2, Mac Green, Poseidon, Chokchai 5, Green Patra, Shokun 4x4, Supernova, Rungrawee, Paragon, Natalie 8, and, Jumbo Green. Jumbo Green, a popular cultivar in Nan province, was used as the check variety. The results showed that the 20 commercial long cucumber cultivars exhibited statistically significant difference in yield. Big Green Plus cultivar showed the highest yield, producing 7,377 kilograms per Rai. It also had high fruit quality, which was well-suited for cultivation in Nan Province.

Effects of Wheat Flour Substitution with Cricket Powder (Gryllus bimaculatus) on Physical, Chemical and Sensory Properties of Brownie Brittle

2022-12-07T10:20:22+07:00

The purpose of this research was to study the effect of cricket powder content on the quality and acceptance of brownie brittle. Tong-Dam cricket powder, used as a raw material in this experiment, had a protein content of 57.30 and 17.59 mg/kg of histamine, which is safe for consumption. The research also aimed to investigate the effect of substituting wheat flour with cricket powder in brownie brittle at 0 (control formula), 10, 20 and 30% of the total flour weight. The result from physical analysis (color and texture) and chemical analysis (a_w, moisture, carbohydrate, fat, protein, crude fiber, ash and energy) showed that increasing the cricket powder increased the protein, fat, crude fiber, and ash content. However, it decreased the lightness (L*), a_w and carbohydrate content of the product. Brownie brittle with the highest amount of cricket powder (30%) had the least hardness. The sensory evaluation conducted using a 9-point hedonic scale revealed that brownie brittle products with 20% replacement of wheat flour with cricket powder had the highest overall liking score (7.90). The developed brownie brittle with cricket powder had the a_w and hardness value of 0.34 and 10.49 N, respectively. In addition, the developed products contained moisture, carbohydrate, fat, protein, crude fiber and ash of 3.57%, 52.92%, 21.89%, 9.40%, 10.15%, and 1.76% (wet basis), respectively. The energy value determined by Bomb calorimeter was found to be 5.35 Kcal/g.

Growth Improvement of a Marine Diatom Amphora subtropica BUUC1502 by Adding Phosphate and Silicate during the Cultivation

2022-09-06T11:25:20+07:00

Nitrate, phosphate, and silicate are important nutrients in the culture medium for diatom cultivation. This study investigated the growth of a marine diatom Amphora subtropica BUUC1502 cultured with an addition of nutrients alongside the culture period. The first experiment was to evaluate the growth and nutrient consumption of the diatom when cultured in the standard F/2 medium at 30 PSU salinity. The results showed that a decrease in nitrate concentration was found but the total concentration was still sufficient for the diatom cultivation (>8 mg-N/L). On the other hand, phosphate and silicate were substantially decreased to almost zero within 5 days. The second experiment was to investigate the effect of an addition of nitrate and phosphate during cultivation on the growth of diatom by cultivation of diatom in 6 different treatments including 1) standard F/2 medium, 2) F/2 medium without phosphate (F/2-P), 3) F/2 medium without silicate (F/2-Si), 4) F/2 medium with phosphate addition alongside the culture (F/2+P), 5) F/2 medium with silicate addition alongside the culture (F/2+Si), and 6) F/2 medium with phosphate and silicate addition alongside the culture (F/2+P+Si). The nutrient addition was performed during days 2-13 and the nutrient concentration was increased between days 14-19 to compensate higher cells density. It was found that an addition of both phosphate and silicate alongside the cultivation could enhance the growth of the diatom with the highest density of 609.44x10⁴cells/ml whereas culturing with F/2 medium alone resulted in a maximum cell density of 318.33x104 cells/ml. However, an increment in nutrient addition during the final period (days 14-19) did not provide further growth of the diatom.

Development of Nam-Prik-Pao Supplemented with Namwa Banana (Musa sapientum Linn.) Product and Stevia Extract

2023-04-11T15:27:21+07:00

The objective of this research was to develop a Nam-Prik-Pao product enhanced with Namwa bananas and stevia extract as a substitute for sugar in the product. Additionally, the aim was to reduce the quantity of oil in the ingredients and study the quality characteristics of the final product of Nam-Prik-Pao supplemented with Namwa bananas and stevia extract. The research findings indicate that suitable characteristics and quantities are achieved with coarse minced banana, which accounts for 10% w/w of the total ingredients. The appropriate quantity of stevia extract was 0.10 % w/w of the total ingredients. Additionally, the optimal amount of oil was a reduction of 70% w/w of the total oil content. The final Nam-Prik-Pao is composed of coarse minced banana, dried shrimp, dried chili, shallot, garlic, rice bran oil, stevia extract, Tamarind juice, shrimp paste, salt, fish sauce, and water, with their contents being 11.72 %, 8.21 %, 3.52 %, 17.58 %, 15.24 %, 13.13 %, 0.13 %, 14.07 %, 9.38 %, 0.23 %, 2.11%, and 4.69%, respectively. The content of the chemical compositions, carbohydrate, protein, fat, ash, crude fiber and moisture, was 54.94 %, 8.22 %, 13.20 %, 4.91 %, 0.09 %, 18.64 %, respectively. Total calorie was 371.14 kcal/100 g. The total calorie was reduced by 15.43% as compared to the control sample. The chemical qualities included a total titratable acid of 0.09% (w/w citric acid), with a pH of 5.5. The contents of reducing sugar and total sugar were 0.29% and 0.85%. TBA was 1.32 mg malonaldehyde/kg. The physical qualities included color values (L*, a* and b*) of 11.69, 12.45 and 6.80, respectively. The water activity (a_w) was 0.850. The firmness and cohesiveness were 11.69 and -8.89 N. Consumers rated the liking score very highly, giving it a score of 8.8 points. The total plate count, yeast and mold were within the acceptable range according to the Thai community product standard Nam-Prik-Pao (4/2566).

The Comparison of Inulin Extraction Methods from Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus)

2022-09-16T10:09:00+07:00

The comparison of inulin extraction methods from Jerusalem artichoke was investigated. The extraction methods consisted of 1) distilled water at 80ºC, 2) 80% ethanol (v/v) at 80ºC, 3) microwave extraction (406W) for 60 minutes, and 4) ultrasonic extraction at 80ºC for 60 minutes. The study of the chemical composition of Jerusalem artichoke powder revealed the moisture content of 14.01±0.04% with crude protein, crude fat, crude fiber, ash and carbohydrates content of 2.93±0.09, 1.27±0.01, 3.98±0.04, 1.03±0.05 and 76.78±0.04, respectively. Total sugar, reducing sugar and inulin content of Jerusalem artichoke extract solution were analyzed. It was found that the extraction method using ethanol solution showed the highest of total sugar (136.867+10.22 mg/ml) and the inulin content (66.526±6.10%) compared to other methods. The microwave extraction resulted in the highest reducing sugar content (6.689±1.86 mg/ml) (p≤0.05). The total soluble solids (TSS) of inulin extracted using ethanol, distilled water and microwave extraction showed higher than ultrasonic extraction methods (p≤0.05). However, pH of the inulin extracted solution was non significantly different (p>0.05). Color analysis of L* a* and b* was also investigated. Inulin extracted solution from distilled water displayed the highest brightness (L*) (29.37±0.13) (p≤0.05). The redness value (a*) of inulin extracted solution using the four extraction methods was not significantly different (p>0.05). Inulin extracted solution using distilled water showed the highest yellowness value (b*) (4.79±0.02) (p≤0.05), followed by ethanol, microwave and ultrasonic extraction methods (4.55±0.16, 3.84±0.06 and 3.74±0.07, respectively). Therefore, the extraction method using 80% ethanol (v/v) at 80ºC provided the highest inulin content and did not eliminate physical and chemical properties of Jerusalem artichoke.

An Application of QR Code to Manage Plant Information in Kuan Khao Wang Literature Botanical Garden

2022-09-26T14:13:56+07:00

This research has two objectives: (1) to develop an application for managing plant information in a botanical garden using QR Code, and (2) to study the satisfaction with the application for managing plant information in a botanical garden using QR Code. The application was developed following the SDLC process, using the Ionic Framework and the Firebase cloud system for data storage. The application has two user types : administrator and visitor. Only administrator can edit, add, or delete the plant information. However, both administrator and visitor have access to the navigation menu, QR code scanning, plant information view, user manual and botanical garden’s history. The research sample consisted of 120 visitors who visited the botanical garden. They were selected using random sampling. The research tools were the developed application and the questionnaire. The questionnaire was reviewed by experts, resulting in the confidence level of 0.86. The statistics used in the data analysis included the arithmetic mean ( ) and the standard deviation (SD). The results of the research revealed that (1) the visitors were able to use the application to visit the botanic garden independently. The personnel of the botanic garden were able to effectively manage the plant information through the application. (2) The visitors who visited the botanical garden were overall satisfied on the application at the highest level ( = 4.55). When considering each aspect, it was found that User Interface Design had a high level of satisfaction ( = 4.40). Application's performance in terms of navigating to the tree was evaluated through the tree navigator test 50 times. It was found that the navigation was correct, although there was a discrepancy between the location of the application user and the actual tree with an average distance of 2.24 meters.

An Analysis of Biological Active Compounds, Nutrients and Microorganisms of Thai Shortbread Cookies Supplemented by Grinded Medium Roasted Robusta Coffee

2023-01-20T12:00:15+07:00

The addition of ground medium-roasted Robusta coffee at 3 different levels: 1.8%, 3.6% and 5.4% to Thai Shortbread cookie found that the inclusion of 5.4% Robusta coffee received the highest preference score from 40 panelists compared to the addition of 1.8% and 3.6% (P < 0.05). The nutritional analysis showed increases in protein, several minerals (Calcium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Iron, Zinc, Aluminum and Manganese), and 3 times increases in fiber. The biologically active compounds including antioxidant and total phenolic compounds were increased by 4-8 times and 16 times, respectively. In accordance with the Thai Community Product Standard 118/2555, the food microbial analysis, including Coliform Bacteria, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Yeast and Mold, and Total Plate Count, was investigated on days 0 and 90 presenting at < 3.0 MPN/g, < 1.0 ´ 10 CFU/g, < 3.0 MPN/g, < 10 ESPC/g and < 25 ´ 10 CFU/g, respectively. They remained consistent during the storage in closed PP plastic bag at room temperature (25 ^oC).

Effect of Red Hawm Rice Seed Bio-Priming with Trichoderma harzianum on Seed Germination, Storability and Seedling Growth

2022-07-08T10:08:22+07:00

Seed priming with Trichoderma harzianum can control plant pathology caused by fungi and promote seed germination and vigor. The primed seed must be used immediately as it rapidly deteriorates during storage. However, seed deterioration also depends on the storage temperature. Therefore, the effect of red jasmine rice seed priming with T. harzianum on seed quality and seedling growth rate during storage for 4 months was studied. The experimental design was 3x2 Factorial in Completely Randomized Design with 2 factors: Factor A representing seed priming (control, distilled water and T. harzianum) and Factor B representing storage condition (temperature 25°C and 10°C). Before and after storage for two months, the result showed that seed moisture content, germination, mean germination time shoot, and root length were not significantly different. After storage for 4 months, the result showed that the primed seed with distilled water and T. Harzianum, and stored at 10°C, had high seed germination (90.50% and 83.00%, respectively), and lower mean germination time (3.45 and 3.35 days, respectively) compared to other treatments. The primed seed with T. harzianum stored at 10°C had the longest shoot (10.19 cm) and root length (5.47 cm), with statistical significance. This study concluded that seed priming with T. harzianum promoted seed germination, average germination time and seedling growth rate. Storing primed seed at 25°C can preserve them for 2 months, while storage at 10°C can prolong preservation for 4 months.

Exploration on Fish Diversity in the Sa-Mun River, Nan Province

2023-02-21T15:30:23+07:00

The aim of this research was to explore the diversity and ecological indices of fish species that were widely distributed in the Sa-Mun River, Nan province. This exploration was conducted from March to December 2016 at 7 sampling stations by collecting 3 times from each station according to the season and there was an addition at station 7 in March 2021. All of 492 fish specimens were collected, there were เป็น and at least at least ten orders, one subseries, 24 families, 53 genera, and 60 species were identified. The dominant orders were 34 species of Cypriniformes (56.66%), 8 species of Siluriformes (13.33%), and 6 species of Anabantiformes (10.00%). The dominant families were 25 species of Cyprinidae (41.67%), 4 species of Bagridae (6.66%), and 3 species of Cobitidae (5.00%). Two species, Mystacoleucus obtusirostris and Xenentodon cancila were found in all sampling stations. Two endemic species, Hemimyzon nanensis and Schistura menanensis were found. Three alien species, Cyprinus rubrofuscus, Pterygoplichthys disjunctivus and Oreochromis niloticus were found. Mystacoleucus obtusirostris had the highest percentage of species with a frequency of 85.71% and a relative abundance percentage of 13.41%. The average richness index and species diversity index were 4.96±1.02 and 2.70±0.24, respectively. Station 7 had the highest richness index and species diversity index at 7.04 and 3.08, respectively. It is located on the Sa-Mun River, which is connected to the Nan River. Considering the species diversity index, the Sa-Mun River remains a natural water source suitable for the survival and growth of fishes and other aquatic animals

Effect of Sterilization Condition on Qualities of Canned Boletus griseipurpureus Corner in Brine

2023-03-29T14:54:46+07:00

The production of canned Boletus griseipurpureus Corner in brine involved studying the product sterilization conditions and the effects of sterilization process on product properties. The objective of this study was to find proper sterilization conditions for producing the product. Boiled mushrooms, weighing 110 g, was packed into cans before adding a salt solution (1% sodium chloride and 0.1% citric acid (w/v)) to make a total weight of 200 g and they were sterilized at two temperature levels (116 and 121 ^๐C). The results showed that the sterilization at 116 ^๐C for 42 minutes and 121 ^๐C for 20 minutes gave F₀ of 10.08 and 10.35, respectively. The comparison of canned mushroom qualities sterilized at two temperature levels found that the product sterilized at 116 ^๐C exhibited a dark color and softer texture than product sterilized at 121 ^๐C, but the chemical qualities of sterilized product analyzed in both temperature levels were similar, safe for consumption, and showed no significant differences (p>0.05) in all sensory quality factors. Therefore, both temperature levels estimated can be used for the sterilization process of canned Boletus griseipurpureus Corner in brine. The comparison of the canned products with boiled mushroom prepared for consumption found that the canned mushroom had a lower L*value and a softer texture. In addition, the total phenolic content, DPPH free radical scavenging activity and ferric reducing antioxidant power (Frap) decreased, with residuals falling within the ranges of 78.00-78.13%, 73.99-77.41% and 65.25-65.40% respectively as a result of thermal disruption during the sterilization process.

In Vitro Selection of Salt Tolerant in 4 Vetiver Ecotypes

2023-07-27T15:28:06+07:00

Reducing salinity of soil surface with a bio-technical method can be conducted by planting plants with deep root systems to protect salt-containing underground water from moving up to the soil surface. Vetiver (Chrysopogon zizanioides (L.) Roberty) is the grass that has deep root systems and has ability to maintain soil moisture. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the salt tolerance ability of the vetiver ecotype in order to identify ecotypes that can be grown in saline land. The four ecotypes of vetiver, namely Surat Thani (SU): Ratchaburi (RB), Mai-Huaiwai (MHW), and Songkhla 3 (SK), were used in this experiment. The in vitro plantlets (shoot and root) were cultured on semi-solid Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with 0 (5.4 dS/m) 1 (13.2 dS/m), 2 (35.7 dS/m), and 3 (53.5 dS/m) NaCl for 8 weeks. The results showed that increasing NaCl concentrations resulted in lower survival percentage, shoot length, root length, fresh and dry weight of the root, fresh and dry weight of fresh leaves, and fresh and dry weight of the dead leaves for all four vetiver ecotypes. However, survival percentages of SU under NaCl conditions were not significantly different from that of the control, while other vetiver ecotypes showed a significant decrease in survival rate under NaCl condition. In addition, fresh weight of fresh leaves and dead leaves of SU under NaCl conditions was higher than that of control. Tiller number of SU, RB and MHW were increased after cultured on 1% NaCl treatment. From the results, therefore, SU showed better salt tolerance performance than other vetiver ecotypes under in vitro conditions.

The Use of Synthetic Hormone Buserelin Acetate (BUS) in Combination with the Synergistic Domperidone (DOM) to Induce the Spawning of Lambchop Rasbora (Trigonostigma espei)

2022-09-20T15:07:30+07:00

The administration of the synthetic hormone buserelin acetate (BUS) in combination with the synergistic domperidone (DOM) to induce the spawning of Lambchop rasbora (Trigonostigma espei) was studied using the methods of in-feed medication, gavage, and intramuscular injection. Fish were bred in a glass tank imitating nature with the broodstock ratios of 3:3 fish and 1:1 fish. It revealed that Lambchop rasbora did not spawn after providing BUS in combination with DOM through the methods of in-feed medication and gavage. However, the breeding of this fish species could be carried out via intramuscular injection, with male fish receiving combinations of BUS 10 µg/kg and DOM 10 mg/kg, and female fish receiving combinations of BUS 15 µg/kg and DOM 10 mg/kg. The induced fish had spawned approximately 10 hours after injection and the fry began to hatch approximately 19 hours later. Fish breeding with broodstock ratios of 3:3 fish and 1:1 fish showed similar results in the evaluated parameters. It indicated that the average numbers of eggs were 50.25+13.45 and 55.50+6.61, the average fertilization rates were 81.25+1.69 and 81.12+1.34 percent, the average hatching rates were 79.40+1.56 and 79.45+1.24 percent, the average numbers of fry after hatching for 3 days were 19.25+4.65 and 21.75+2.63, and the survival rates of fry were 59.73+1.20 and 60.81+1.79 percent, respectively. Moreover, only a couple of fish mated in all tanks containing the breeder ratio of 3:3. There was no mating in the sex ratios of 1:2 fish and 1:3 fish when considering mainly both the male and female breeders. Therefore, the suitable sex ratio of the fish breeder was 1:1.

Synthesis, Characterization, Theoretical Calculation-Based Density Functional Theory and In vitro Cytotoxicity Against Breast Cancer Cell Lines of Ru(p-cymene)(PPh3)Cl2 Complex

2023-04-07T13:38:15+07:00

Ruthenium complexes are known as promising crucial substances for in vitro antitumor and anticancer. In this study, Ru(p-cymene)(PPh₃)Cl₂ was synthesized through a consequence reaction between dichloro(p-cymene)ruthenium(II) dimer and triphenylphosphine (PPh₃) ligand in dichloromethane to investigate its in vitro activity against breast cancer cells comparison with free PPh₃ ligand. The complex was characterized using single crystal X-ray diffraction, ¹H-NMR, FTIR, elemental to analyze its specific structure which adopted a distorted pseudo-tetrahedral geometry. Theoretical calculations under density functional theory were conducted identify that the absorption band at 393 nm with a shoulder of 496 nm arose from the characters of charge transfer transitions. The Ru(p-cymene)(PPh₃)Cl₂ complex was measured for cytotoxicity against three breast cancer cell lines, HCC1937, MCF-7, and MDA-MB-231 by MTT assay. It exhibited higher anti-breast cancer activity against MCF-7, with an IC50 value of 15.99 µM, compared to cisplatin, a commercial drug (42.2 µM), by 2.6 folds.

Numerical Study of Hydrogen Combustion on Micro Combustor with Exhaust Gas Recirculation Jacket for Enhancement of Emissive Power

2023-11-02T11:11:40+07:00

This research is to study the numerical model of hydrogen combustion in a micro combustor to enhance the energy converted to electricity by analyzing wall temperature and emissive power. This research focuses on the affected parameters of micro combustor geometry (rectangle, cylinder, hexagon), exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) at a hydrogen mass flow rate of 1.8551x10-5 kg/s, and an equivalence ratio of 1.0. As the result, wall temperatures ranging from 18.8 to 19.7 oC and emissive power between 12.2 and 12.4% were observed from cylindrical and hexagonal micro combustor, which were higher than those of rectangular micro combustor. Moreover, the installation of hexagonal EGR and cylindrical EGR with micro combustor could enhance emissive power by 1.6 and 2.0 watt, respectively. This study indicates that the design of a cylindrical micro combustor with cylindrical EGR, covered with porous media, could achieve the highest emissive power of 12.26 watts, which is 33.7% higher than that of the referenced model.

Development of Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) Emission Prediction Model of Nam Phong Power Plant with Machine Learning

2023-11-02T15:23:13+07:00

Nitrogen Oxides (NOx) are harmful gases to human health and the environment. These emissions primarily result from fuel combustion in engines and industrial processes. To meet regulatory requirements, the Nam Phong Power Plant in Thailand has implemented Continuous Emission Monitoring Systems (CEMS) to measure and report NOx emissions to regulatory authorities. However, considering the high costs associated with installing and maintaining CEMS, as well as recent changes in Thai legislation allowing for predictive NOx measurement methods, it is worth exploring the use of Machine Learning as a reliable method for estimating NOx emissions accurately. In this study, a comprehensive comparison was conducted on six Machine Learning algorithms: Linear Regression, Decision Tree, Random Forest, XGBoost, K-Nearest Neighbors, and Backpropagation Multilayer Perceptron Neural Network. Among these models, Random Forest emerged as the top performer, exhibiting superior performance metrics, including the lowest MAE, MAPE, and the highest R² scores. These results underscore the potential accuracy and reliability of Random Forest in predicting NOx emissions. Furthermore, research on feature importance has revealed the significant influence of certain parameters on model accuracy. These parameters include steam injection flow, steam injection temperature, and ambient conditions. The influence of controllable factors, such as the temperature of steam injection, on NOx emissions is noteworthy. These findings not only hold promise for enhancing the precision of predictive models but also present opportunities to decrease NOx emission levels while maintaining plant efficiency.

Effect of Kam Kung Alga (Chara corallina Willdenow) on the Growth Performance, Total Carotenoid and Oxidative Defense of African Sharptooth Catfish (Clarias gariepinus Burchell)

2022-06-22T16:37:57+07:00

A feeding trial was conducted to study the effects of diets supplemented with Kam Kung alga (Chara corallina) on growth performance, total carotenoid and oxidative defense of African Sharptooth catfish, Clarias gariepinus Burchell. Dried powdered of C. corallina was added to the basal diet at 0% (control), 2.0, 4.0, 6.0 and 8.0 % and fed to the catfish for 60 days. The initial size of the catfish was 11.24±0.01 g/fish. The results found that the mean daily growth, weight gain, average daily growth and specific growth rate of the fish fed with alga supplemented feed (2.0 %) were significantly different from the control diet (p<0.05). Flesh of African Sharptooth catfish fed a diet supplement with C. corallina at 8.0 % was higher than the control group and the 2.0% group (p<0.05). The total carotenoid in flesh and glutathione in liver of catfish were related to the level of alga in the diet. The fish fed with 4% algal supplemented feed tended towards an optimal feed level for decreasing lipid peroxidation in the liver when evaluated at the 2^ndmonth. These findings indicated that alga supplemented should not exceed 2 % in the African Sharptooth catfish diet, and that C. corallina led to reduced oxidative stress in the African Sharptooth catfish.

Physicochemical Characterization and Thermal Decomposition Kinetic of Sugarcane Leave using Thermogravimetric Analysis

2023-07-25T10:40:00+07:00

In this study, the fuel characteristics, thermal decomposition behavior, and kinetics of sugarcane leaves (Khon Kaen 3) were investigated as a solid biofuel. Characterization of the sugarcane leaves was undertaken in terms of chemical composition, proximate and ultimate analyses, heating value, and functional group. Thermal decomposition (25-800 °C) was analyzed in nitrogen atmospheres by non-isothermal thermogravimetry analysis using heating rates of 5, 10, and 20 °C/min. The kinetic analysis was carried out via two model-free methods: the Kissinger–Akahira–Sunose (KAS) and the Flynn–Wall–Ozawa (FWO). The results showed that sugarcane leaves contained the highest value of cellulose (41.41%), followed by hemicellulose (36.68%), and lignin (6.39%). The fixed carbon, volatile matter, ash, and higher heating value of sugarcane leaves were 14.38%, 69.63%, 9.04%, and 17.76 MJ/kg, respectively. The atomic oxygen-to-carbon (O/C) and hydrogen-to-carbon (H/C) ratios of sugarcane leaves were 0.77 and 1.64, respectively, which are not suitable for use as solid fuels. Additionally, the hydroxyl group oscillations were presented in sugarcane leaves; therefore, the quality of sugarcane leaves should be improved. The kinetics analysis showed that the mean activation energies of the KAS and the FWO models were similar, namely 197.66 kJ/mol and 197.88 kJ/mol, respectively.

Restructured Class of Ratio Type Exponential Estimators for Estimating the Population Means in Simple Random Sampling

2021-07-12T17:12:44+07:00

This paper proposes a restructured class of ratio type exponential estimators for estimating the population means under simple random sampling without replacement (SRSWOR) scheme. The author has developed the estimator proposed by Cochran (1977), Sisodia and Dwivedi (1981), Singh and Tailor (2003), Singh and Tailor (2003), Subramani and Kumarapandiyan (2012), Bahl and Tuteja (1991), and Kadilar (2016). The expressions for the Mean Squared Error (MSE), and Minimum Mean Squared Error (MMSE) of approximation have been obtained. In addition, the values of MSE and Percent of Relative Efficiencies (PRE) have also been compared with the considered existing competing ratio estimators both theoretically and numerically under the same conditions. The results of this study show that the proposed estimators perform better than the existing ratio estimators.