The quality of preserved food is largely dependent on its moisture content, moisture migration and/or moisture uptake of the food during storage. Therefore, the water activity level, which corresponds to a range of equilibrium moisture contents, must be determined by, for example, the use of moisture isotherms. The shape of the isotherm curve is dependent on the interactions between the vapour ...

Growth response of sugar beet plants to drought stress applied at different growth stages has been investigated. Cessation of watering imposed moderate water stress and resulted in the reduction of the relative water content of young and old leaves maximally by 6%. However, water content in taproot was more drastically decreased than in the shoot. Water withholding reduced dry ma�er accumulatio...

This paper shows the results of an experimental programme aimed at evaluating the low-strain shear modulus of a stiff clay (Boom clay, Belgium) and its dependency on water content changes (or, alternatively, degree of saturation or suction) and hydraulic history. Resonant column and bender element tests were carried out at different hydraulic states. Drying and wetting paths were followed using...

conclusions the fluoride content of drinking water in reservoirs and at homes was below the optimal level in mariwan. no differences were observed from the standard levels in behbahan. there were no differences in fluoride content of water in reservoirs and in home pipelines, indicating no tangible changes in fluoride content from the reservoirs to the homes. in neither of the towns was severe ...

[1] Visible-near infrared reflectance spectra acquired by the Mars Express Observatoire pour la Minéralogie, l’Eau, les Glaces et l’Activité (OMEGA) spectrometer are used to estimate the absolute water content within the uppermost fraction of the Martian regolith. This upper surface layer represents the boundary between the regolith and atmosphere; thus the amount of water stored in these two r...

1. The water regime in soil commonly approaches equilibrium of water potential with the insects living there. 2. Even under these conditions, non-equilibrium processes have a significant effect on water movement through the cuticle of soil insects. 3. Measurements of water potential on either side of the cuticle of Costelytra zealandica larvae showed that equilibrium is not reached while the in...

Modeling atmospheric aerosol and cloud microphysics is rather complex, even if chemical and thermodynamical equilibrium is assumed. We show, however, that the thermodynamics can be considerably simplified by reformulating equilibrium to consistently include water, and transform laboratory-based concepts to atmospheric conditions. We generalize the thermodynamic principles that explain hydration...

the application of organic amendments can be an appropriate solution to reclaim and improve physical propertiesof saline-sodic soils. in this research, an experiment was performed under greenhouse conditions to study the effect ofamendments to the physical properties of loamy saline-sodic soil. the five treatments were control (withoutamendment), municipal solid waste compost (mc), vermicompost...

An investigation of the drying of spherical food particles was performed, using peas as the model material. In the development of a mathematical model for drying curves, moisture diffusion was modelled using Fick’s second law for mass transfer. The resulting partial differential equation was solved using a forward-time central-space finite difference approximation, with the assumption of variab...