• Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.50-54
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• 2004

The study aimed to develop a mechanized mushroom growing system for the substrate materials mixing and wetting, materials fermentation and pasteurisation through the design of integrated cultivation machine system for oyster mushroom. The power requirement of the prototype during fermentation operation was measured in the range of 31$\~$33 kg-m and the torque has not so much differ by the kinds and quantity of materials. The work efficiency of conventional method for stacking the heap and turning the heap of cotton waste by tractor rotavator and manual wetting required 78 hours. But the watering, fermentation and sterilisation by the prototype use same operation required 25.5 hours, which can save the operation labour by $67\%$. The machine can be saved the requirement of heating energy by $63\%$, and the machine can also be saved the material cost by $44\%$. It is envisaged that the machine can effectively be used for large mushroom growing farms or joint use mushroom growing group-farmers in a village.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2014.02a
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• pp.119.1-119.1
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• 2014

Toxic waste disposal: Many people think that when toxic waste is dumped into the ocean or into the air, it disappears. This belief is incorrect. Rather than disappearing, it accumulates over time and slowly destroys the environment. Ultimately, it leads to the destruction of human race. Plasma is environmentally friendly: Plasma is environmentally friendly because it is created and disappears. When plasma is formed on the earth, you need certain conditions such as accelerating electrons by an electrical discharge or a particle accelerator. When this is gone, plasma completely disappears, leaving no impact on the environment. Plasmas produce radicals: Even if plasma density is low at atmospheric pressure, many radicals (excited states of molecules) are created. These radicals are chemically very aggressive. So instead of using harmful chemicals, plasma can be utilized for less of an impact on the environment. Plasma can reach very high temperatures: Plasma is also useful because when you control the density, you can easily reach high temperatures up to $5000{\sim}6000^{\circ}C$ at atmosphere pressure. Because of this heat and the chemical aggressiveness of the plasma, there are many green applications for plasma technology. Pulsed power technology: Pulsed electric field for extraction, drying and killing bacteria. Treatment of biological tissue by pulsed electric fields: Extraction of substances from cells: Sterilisation, Medical applications, Growth stimulation, Food preparation. Each application has its specialities, especially with respect to pulse shape and electric field strength.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.4 s.100
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• pp.326-330
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• 2002

A wetland soil was sterilised by two methods and changes in microbial enzyme activities were assessed. The short-term effects were determined by toluene addition, while the longer-term effects of elimination was monitored by ${\gamma}$-radiation. The changes in ${\beta}$- glucosidase, ${\beta}$-xylosidase, cellobiohydrolase, phosphatase, arylsulphatase, and N-acetylglucosaminidase activities were determined by using methylumbelliferyl model substrates and comparing with the activities of control samples. Toluene addition induced different responses of enzymes. For example, phosphatase activity increased by the treatment while ${\beta}$-glucosidase and arylsulphatase activities decreased. In contrast, ${\gamma}$-radiation decreased all enzyme activities compared to control by 40-80%. The overall results of the toluene and ${\gamma}$-radiation experiments indicate that the large amounts of enzymes are stabilised outside of living cells, at least in the short term, but that the persistence of enzymes is maintained by de-novo synthesis of microbes.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.4
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• pp.339-346
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• 2024

Objectives: Chronic anaemia is a significant health concern, particularly among women of childbearing age. Factors such as menstrual blood loss, childbirth, inadequate nutrition, closely spaced pregnancies, and recurrent gastrointestinal bleeding increase the risk of anaemia. This study investigated whether current contraceptive methods are associated with anaemia in Indian women of reproductive age. Methods: Cross-sectional data from the fifth round of the National Family Health Survey, conducted in 2019-2021, were used for this investigation. We included only non-pregnant and non-amenorrhoeic women in our analysis, resulting in a final analytical sample of 673 094 women aged 15-49. Bivariate cross-tabulations and multivariable logistic regression were employed to analyse the data. Results: The prevalence of anaemia was 57%, and the adjusted regression models found no significant association between the use of any contraceptive methods and women's haemoglobin status. Women using traditional contraceptive methods had 1.08 (95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 1.11) times higher odds of having anaemia. Among the modern methods, other than injectables, all other methods-such as an intrauterine device, barrier use, and sterilisation-were associated with higher odds of anaemia compared to women who used contraceptive pills. Conclusions: This study explored the relationship between modern contraceptives and haemoglobin levels in India, revealing that injectables were associated with a notable reduction in the odds of anaemia, whereas traditional contraceptives and other modern methods exhibited positive associations with anaemia. These findings prompt policymakers to focus on anaemia reduction and safe contraceptives. More research is needed to inform decisions, given the scant literature.