Добірка наукової літератури з теми "Storage jars Thailand"

Abstract Drinking water (DW) can serve as a route for disease transmission if not properly managed. The study assessed the effect of different factors on Escherichia coli quantities in DW in household water storage containers in suburban and rural villages in Laos and Thailand. Higher E. coli concentrations in DW were found in Laos compared to Thailand, especially in households without toilets (in Laos) and in rural rather than in suburban villages. In suburban Laos, house material, storage container types and lack of toilets were significantly associated with E. coli contamination of DW, whereas in rural Laos, corresponding significant factors were rain-fed water, containers with lids and lack of toilets. In suburban Thailand, rain-fed water, storage container types and container cleaning frequency were significantly associated with DW contamination, while house materials, manually collected rainwater and container cleaning frequency were associated with contamination in rural Thailand. Socio-demographic characteristics were less associated with E. coli contamination of DW in this study. Treatment of household stored water (e.g. boiling), regular cleaning of rain jars as well as the provision of household toilets, especially in Laos, can provide barriers against E. coli contamination of DW.

SummarySeeds can deteriorate rapidly under high heat and humidity, making it challenging and potentially costly to store orthodox seeds effectively in the tropics, thereby affecting agriculture development. This work explores the effectiveness of novel, low-cost technologies for storing seeds in warm, humid, resource-constrained environments, focusing on maintaining the viability of seeds already dry prior to storage. Seeds of okra (Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), and velvet bean (Mucuna pruriens (L.) DC) were kept for 12 months under roofed, outdoor screened porches. Seed moisture content prior to treatment was 6, 9, and 12% for okra, sorghum, and velvet bean, respectively. Treatments, replicated four times at each of two locations (USA [Florida] and Thailand), were technology suites involving vacuum drawn on glass jars with a modified bicycle pump, vacuum drawn on polyethylene bags with an electric vacuum sealing machine, desiccant (calcium oxide powder or zeolite Drying Beads® at a 2:1 ratio, by weight, of seeds to desiccant) in glass jars, and nontreated seeds in paper bags. Ambient temperature and humidity were variable and high, reaching over 35 °C and 83%, respectively, at both locations. Under these conditions, okra and sorghum germination percentages (across locations) without treatment declined from over 90% initially to 30 and 0%, respectively, by month 12. Both vacuum treatments and calcium oxide maintained high germination of okra (≈ 80%) and velvet bean seeds (nearly 100%) across locations. Glass, however, was superior to polyethylene in maintaining vacuum and stabilizing the moisture content of okra and sorghum seeds. Only zeolite reduced seed moisture below initial values, drying seeds to ultradry levels of <5%. With zeolite, sorghum germination stayed near 70% over time, while okra and velvet bean germination fell to <40 and <20%, respectively, by month 12, suggesting that, with the beads kept with dry seeds in storage rather than removing the beads after reaching a target level of seed moisture, the 2:1 ratio of seed-to-bead weight was too high for seeds that are sensitive to ultralow moisture. Findings have practical implications for inexpensive household- or community-level seed storage to deliver development impact.

Background: Natural plant toxins can cause food poisoning upon intentional or unintentional consumption of wild plants. Some toxic wild plants can be mistaken for edible species because of their morphological resemblance. This study examined a poisoning case report of schoolchildren who consumed a steamed tuberous root of wild Ipomoea, misidentified as I. mauritiana, and experienced gastrointestinal toxicity. Objectives: This study aimed to identify the tuberous root of wild Ipomoea using the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region as a DNA barcode and characterize compounds obtained using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Materials and methods: DNA was extracted from fresh and cooked samples of the storage root. PCR amplification and DNA sequencing of the entire ITS region were performed. FastTree and maximum likelihood analyses were used to obtain phylogenetic trees of the Ipomoea species. Root extracts were prepared for GC-MS analysis, and potentially harmful phytochemicals responsible for poisonous plant exposure were predicted based on a well-established plant toxin database. Results: ITS phylogeny showed a close relationship between wild toxic Ipomoea and edible I. mauritiana. The chemometric profile obtained from GC-MS analysis of the root extracts revealed the presence of 31 phytochemicals. Among them, two putatively toxic compounds identified were β-amyrin and coumarin. Conclusion: Misidentification of the wild poisonous plant reported herein resulted in toxic plant ingestion. Although most poisonous plant exposures are not life threatening, measures should be taken to ensure the safety of the general public.