Commercial Mineral Research Articles

Release of minerals in groundnut haulm based complete diets supplemented with organic and inorganic mineral sources by in sacco method in steers

The study was carried out to evaluate the effect of organic and inorganic mineral supplementation to groundnut haulm (GNH) based complete diets on mineral release by in sacco method. A basal complete diet was prepared with GNH and concentrate mixture (8% maize, 10% soybean meal, 21.5% deoiled rice bran and 0.5% salt) in 60:40 ratio. The basal diet was treated as control (T1) and 3 more diets were prepared by supplementing basal diet with commercial mineral mixture (T2), inorganic mineral supplements (T3) and organic mineral supplements (T4). The commercial mineral mixture was added at the rate of 1.5% in T2/sub> diet by adjusting the deoiled rice bran to 20%. The inorganic mineral supplements were added at the rate of 26.4g (8.3g ZnSO4, 4.0g CuSO4 and 14.0 g MnSO4) in the T3 diet. The organic mineral supplements were added at the rate of 72g (12g Zn-P, 10 g Cu-P and 50g Mn-P) in the T4 diet. The in sacco mineral release of Cu, Mn and Zn from experimental diets showed that the disappearance % was higher in commercial mineral mixture supplemented diet followed by organic mineral supplemented diet, and then inorganic mineral supplemented diet. The in sacco copper, manganese and zinc release from feed ingredients revealed that copper disappearance (%) was higher in all the feed ingredients followed by Mn and Zn. The NDF degradability also increased with increase in incubation time. A correlation was drawn between in sacco mineral release and NDF degradability of the treatment diets. Significant positive correlation was observed between the NDF degradability and mineral release in the rumen. It can be concluded that the organic mineral supplements were better bioavailable than the inorganic mineral supplements.

Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus sp. nov., a facultatively anaerobic iron- and sulfur-metabolizing extreme acidophile

The genus Acidithiobacillus includes three species that conserve energy from the oxidation of ferrous iron, as well as reduced sulfur, to support their growth. Previous work, based on multi-locus sequence analysis, identified a fourth group of iron- and sulfur-oxidizing acidithiobacilli as a potential distinct species. Eleven strains of 'Group IV' acidithiobacilli, isolated from different global locations, have been studied. These were all shown to be obligate chemolithotrophs, growing aerobically by coupling the oxidation of ferrous iron or reduced sulfur (but not hydrogen) to molecular oxygen, or anaerobically by the oxidation of reduced sulfur coupled to ferric iron reduction. All strains were mesophilic, although some were also psychrotolerant. Strain variation was also noted in terms of tolerance to extremely low pH and to elevated concentrations of transition metals. One strain was noted to display far greater tolerance to chloride than reported for other iron-oxidizing acidithiobacilli. All of the strains were able to catalyse the oxidative dissolution of pyrite and, on the basis of some of the combined traits of some of the strains examined, it is proposed that these may have niche roles in commercial mineral bioprocessing operations, such as for low temperature bioleaching of polysulfide ores in brackish waters. The name Acidithiobacillus ferriphilus sp. nov. is proposed to accommodate the strains described, with the type strain being M20T ( = DSM 100412T = JCM 30830T).

Parâmetros nutricionais de novilhas Nelore em pastejo de capim marandu recebendo suplemento energético, proteico e múltiplo no período de transição seca-águas

<p>O objetivo foi avaliar o consumo e a digestibilidade dos nutrientes, a concentração de nitrogênio amoniacal (N-NH3) no rúmen e nitrogênio ureico no soro (NUS) em novilhas Nelore recriadas em capim Marandu durante o período de transição seca-águas recebendo suplementos concentrados. Foram utilizadas quatro novilhas Nelore com peso corporal e idade inicial média de 189,5kg e 12 meses, respectivamente, distribuídas em quatro piquetes de 0,25 ha cada. O delineamento utilizado foi o quadrado latino (quatro suplementos e quatro períodos de 14 dias). Os suplementos avaliados foram: suplemento energético (SE), proteico (SP) e múltiplo (SM), fornecidos na quantidade de 1 kg animal dia-1, além do suplemento contendo mistura mineral comercial <em>ad libitum </em>(MM). A suplementação concentrada não influenciou os consumos de matéria seca, de matéria orgânica total e da forragem. O suplemento SP proporcionou maior (P<0,0001) consumo de proteína bruta (PB). Os suplementos SE e SP resultaram em maior consumo de extrato etéreo. A digestibilidade da PB foi maior (P<0,0001) para os animais suplementados com SP e SM. Imediatamente antes e quatro horas após o fornecimento da suplementação observaram-se maiores concentrações de N-NH3 ruminal para os suplementos SP e SM. Não verificou-se diferença quanto ao nitrogênio uréico no soro (NUS). A utilização de suplemento proteico e múltipo proporcionaram melhor adequação do ambiente ruminal de novilhas no período de transição seca-águas alimentadas com capim Marandu.</p>

In vivo evaluation of mineral bioavailability in groundnut haulm based complete diets supplemented with organic and inorganic mineral sources in goats

A study was carried out to evaluate in vivo mineral bio-availability in groundnut haulm based complete diets supplemented with organic and inorganic mineral sources in goats. A basal complete diet was prepared with GNH and concentrate mixture (8% maize, 10% soybean meal, 21.5% de-oiled rice bran and 0.5% salt) in 60: 40 ratio. The basal diet was treated as control (T1) and 3 more diets were prepared by supplementing basal diet with commercial mineral mixture at 1.5% (T2), inorganic mineral supplements at 26.4g (8.3 g ZnSO4, 4.0 g CuSO4 and 14.0 g MnSO4) (T3) and organic mineral supplements @ 72g (12g Zn-P,10 g Cu-P and 50g Mn-P) (T4). The CP, CF, EE, TA, AIA and NFE contents of the basal diet were 15.8, 20.0, 1.4, 17.8, 9.7 and 45.0% respectively. In vivo metabolic studies were carried out on 4 complete diets T1, T2, T3 and T4. The DMI was 2.7 kg/% body weight which is in accordance with ICAR (1998) recommendation. The DCP intake was 115.7, 121.2, 117 and 117 g/animal/day in T1, T2, T3 and T4 respectively. There was no significant difference between treatments with regard to DMI or DCP intake. Significant differences were also not observed between treatments with regard to total nitrogen excretion (g/day), N retention (g/day) and N retention expressed as % of intake. The N-retention expressed as % of intake in T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 57.1, 58.1, 52.0 and 54.1% respectively. The mineral supplementation did not influence the nitrogen retention in all the treatments. Positive nitrogen balances were observed in all the treatments showing that there was no negative effect of mineral supplementation on N- balance. The copper retention expressed as % of Cu intake in T1, T2, T3 and T4 were 65.1, 64.8, 70.8 and 75.0% respectively, suggesting that significant differences were observed between the treatments with regard to Cu intake (g/d) and copper retention (g/day). The zinc retention (g/day) and zinc retention expressed as per cent of intake showed significant differences between the treatments. Mn retention expressed as per cent of intake was 18.0, 38.2, 32.3 and 33.7% respectively in T1, T2, T3 and T4 treatments. Significant differences were observed between the treatments with regard to Mn intake (g/day), Mn retention and Mn retention expressed as % of intake. The plasma Cu, Mn and Zn concentrations in all the animals increased at the end of the metabolic study, as compared to the values at the start of the experiment. It can be concluded that the organic mineral supplements were better bio-available than the inorganic mineral supplements.

Tribological performance of raw and formulated RBD palm kernel with ZDDP additive

This study compares tribological performance of refined, bleached and deodorized (RBD) palm kernel (PK) as an alternative lubricant. An analysis was made for chemically modified RBD PK with zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate (ZDDP) additive to determine its tribological performance using modified pin-on-disc tribotester. Commercial mineral oil (SAE 40) was used as the benchmark in this study. The conditions for this experiment are sliding speed at 1.5 m/s, a normal load at 9.81 N, weight percentage of ZDDP for 0, 3 and 5%, lubricant quantity of 2.5 ml and test duration of 60 min. The findings revealed that RBD PK oil exhibits better anti-friction and anti-wear performance compared to commercial mineral oil (SAE 40). Besides, coefficient of friction is less dependent on ZDDP concentration, but anti-wear ability is dependent on the ZDDP additive concentration. ZDDP additive acts as a good anti-wear and antioxidant additive in RBD palm kernel.

Hay yield and quality of oat (Avena sativa L.) genotypes of worldwide origin

Oat (Avena sativa L.) traditionally has been a major crop for feed and forage in Turkey. Theobjective of this research was to study hay yield and quality of oat genotypes harvested at thelate milk stage. One hundred oat varieties of worldwide origin were compared in fieldexperiments in Samsun (northern Turkey) over two growing seasons (2007-2008 and 2008-2009).Significant differences between the tested oat varieties were observed for the plant height, hayyield, crude protein (CP), acid detergent fibre (ADF), neutral detergent fibre (NDF), totaldigestible nutrients (TDN), relative feed value (RFV) and macro minerals (Ca, K, P and Mg).Plant height varied from 76.2 to 141.2 cm, hay yield from 6.03 to 11.83 t ha-1, crude proteinfrom 58.8 to 136.4 g kg-1 dry matter (DM), acid detergent fibre from 333.2 to 424.8 g kg-1 DMand neutral detergent fibre from 522.5 to 652.4 g kg-1 DM. The TDN ranged from 465.1 to583.3 g kg-1 and relative feed value from 80.9 to 112%. Cluster analysis grouped the 100genotypes within 7 clusters, each of which having 17, 21, 13, 12, 20, 12 and 5 genotypes. Sisko,Akiyutaka, Longchamp, Sanova, Flamingslord, Matra and Revisor were identified as the highhay yield potential genotypes. However, quality traits of these genotypes were lower than someof other genotypes. Furthermore, while some macro minerals were insufficient, others were inexcess regarding healthy feeding. Hence, some form of commercial mineral supplement wouldbe required to oat-based ration or oat should be grown in mixtures with legumes for feedingproductive livestock.

Seasonal assessment of physical and chemical parameters of alternative sources of water from Sete Lagoas - MG

The objective of this study was to evaluate alternative sources of water used by residents of a neighborhood located near Federal University of Sao Joao del Rei - campus Sete Lagoas (UFSJ-CSL) in the city of Sete Lagoas - MG, through physical and chemical analysis . Thus, it defined three points for sample collection. During the period July 2013 until March 2014, samples were subjected to determination of chloride, total hardness, potassium, sodium as well as turbidity and pH. The results were compared to the values required by Ordinance No. 2914/11 of the Ministry of Health (MH) in order to know whether the analyzed waters meet the potability standards established. Most of the analyzed points are within the required by Ordinance No. 2914/11 of the Ministry of Health, however even the values being within the permitted total hardness high in the sampled months, reduce the palatability of the water. Thus, given the physical and chemical parameters, the water from the mine water has characteristics that can be comparable to commercial mineral water, since water Lagoa Brejao was adequate for irrigation and animal feed, water distributed to the population It lies within the required values.

Cyclic liquefaction behaviour of a moderately cemented grouted sand under repeated loading

The aim of this paper is to provide an insight into the effects of a previous cyclic history “triggering” full liquefaction on the subsequent undrained cyclic behaviour of a moderately cemented grouted sand in terms of strength, deformability and pore pressure response. The research was conducted on sand specimens stabilized by a commercial mineral based chemical grout (“Silacsol”), capable of imparting unconfined compression strength (UCS) values ranging between 500kPa and 700kPa. Monotonic shear strength parameters of treated specimens were preliminary assessed through a series of isotropically consolidated drained triaxial tests (TX-CID). Afterwards, stress-controlled undrained cyclic simple shear (SS) tests were conducted on both treated and untreated sand specimens in order to evaluate the improvement provided by the grout on the liquefaction resistance of the sand. A significant beneficial effect of the grout was observed, regardless of the initial density of the pure sand. Finally the influence of a cyclic large preshearing on the undrained cyclic behaviour of the grouted sand was investigated by subjecting the specimens to a sequence of two cyclic loadings with the same stress ratio (CSR). After the first loading in which specimens were brought to full liquefaction, they were allowed to reconsolidate in approximately K0 conditions and then subjected to the second loading. An increase in liquefaction resistance induced by cyclic history was clearly apparent on treated specimens.Excess pore pressures build-up during the first cyclic loading on treated specimens followed a different trend compared to that observed on untreated ones. A significant difference was also observed on the excess pore pressure trends developed in the second loading compared to that developed in the primary loading. A simple model for the prediction of pore water pressure build-up of grouted sands during cyclic loading is proposed.

Polymer/carbon nanotubes coated graphite surfaces for highly sensitive nitrite detection

This study describes the preparation of poly(vinylferrocenium)/multi-walled carbon nanotubes (PVF+/MWCNTs) coated electrode and its use for sensitive electrochemical nitrite detection. PVF+/MWCNTs composite coated disposable pencil graphite electrode (PVF+/MWCNTs/PGE) was prepared by electropolymerization of poly(vinylferrocene) (PVF) in the presence of MWCNTs with one-step electropolymerization. Characterization of PVF+/MWCNTs/PGE was carried out with scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Then electrochemical detection of nitrite was performed using differential pulse voltammetry (DPV). Nanocomposite coated electrode showed high sensitivity to nitrite with a detection limit of 0.1μM. The electrode platform was successfully applied to a commercial mineral water sample.

The influence of different water types and brewing durations on the colloidal properties of green tea infusion

SummaryGreen tea infusions were prepared with three different water types: distilled water, commercial mineral water and CaCl2 added distilled water (at 20 mg L−1). The impact of different water type on the colloidal particle parameters, namely size, polydispersity index (PDI) and zeta potential, was examined within 24 h. Our results indicate that distilled water green tea infusion (DWT) brewed at 80 °C for 5 min contained the smallest particles (242.17 ± 11.78 nm) as examined by dynamic light scattering (DLS). Moreover, DWT showed smaller size increase during the 24 h storage than that of mineral water tea and CaCl2 added water tea infusion. The morphology characteristics of green tea infusion particles were visualised by transmission electron microscope (TEM) which revealed that green tea infusion particles had heteromorphic shapes. Our results suggest that mineral composition of water impacts the colloidal size and stability of green tea infusion. Additionally, DLS and TEM could be useful tools to provide colloidal information which is important to understand quality characteristics of green tea infusion during processing and storage.

Application of a metal free high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP-MS) for the determination of chromium species in drinking and tap water

In some environmental and occupational setting, determination of total chromium is inadequate for a complete toxicological evaluation and risk assessment because the toxicity and bioavailability of chromium depend upon the form or species.In this study, trivalent and hexavalent chromium compounds were determined by high performance liquid chromatography with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HPLC–ICP-MS) equipped with dynamic reaction cells (DRCs) and a reversed-phase C8 column. All the instruments and devices were metal free, thus avoiding any interference caused by leaching from metallic components.The mobile phase (EDTA2(Na) 5mM pH 7, 40°C) directly forms a complex with the Cr(III) in the pre-heated, allowing a single chromatographic method to be used to separate the Cr(III) EDTA complex and the Cr(VI).This analytical method was applied in several samples of mineral and tap water with the aim to determine a different ratio of Cr(III) and Cr(VI).In tap waters Cr(VI), ranged from 10.88 to 0.1μg/L while Cr(III) ranged from 0.33 to 0.1μg/L.The highest levels of Cr(VI) were measured in Brescia, a highly industrialized province in northern Italy in which high levels of Cr(VI) have been a public health concern.In commercial mineral waters, the range of Cr(III) and Cr(VI) were 0.11–0.80μg/L and 0.25–3.4μg/L, respectively.The method applied in this study is a rapid, sensitive (LOD 0.1μg/L) and specific technique for determination of chromium species in water.

POTENTIAL USE OF ORGANIC MINERAL AS MINERAL SOURCE FOR DIET OF JUVENILE VANNAMEI SHRIMP, Penaeus vannamei

The use of organic mineral (OM) has been recently introduced in aquaculture both as feed supplement and water quality improvement. A feeding experiment was conducted to evaluate a response dose of OM on growth, survival, and mineral content in whole the body and carapace of vannamei shrimp (Penaeus vannamei). Three diets were supplemented with different levels of organic mineral at 1 (OM1), 2 (OM2) and 4 (OM4) g/100 g diet. Positive control was a diet without OM inclusion but supplemented with commercial mineral mixture at level of 4 g/100 g diet. Juvenile vannamei shrimp with average initial body weight of 3.5±0.1 g were stocked into 12 tanks with a capacity of 200 L. After 75 days feeding trial, highly significant weight gains was observed in shrimp fed OM at all levels compared to the positive control. However, no significant differences were found among dietary OM groups. The growth response was clearly shown by the same values of SGRs in the three OM supplemented groups (1.1%/d) and only differed significantly from positive control. Increasing of dietary OM significantly improved survival rate of shrimp where the highest was observed in group fed OM1 and the lowest was in control diet. Effect of dietary OM on whole body Ca and P were quite similar while whole body Ca and P content of OM1 group was slightly high and tended to decrease in two groups with higher level dietary OM. However, no significant differences among the treatment groups. A clear response of supplementing OM in diet was detected on whole body Zn content. Increase of dietary OM resulted in an increase of Zn content in whole body. The effect was clearly shown when diet contained 2% and 4% OM. Carapace Ca content was highly significant when diet contained 2% OM. Similar to whole body Zn content, there was also a linear trend of response dose of dietary OM on carapace Zn content which the highest was found in dietary OM4. Based on growth, survival rate, and Zn content in whole body and carapace, dietary OM at 1 g/100 g diet can replace mineral mixture as mineral source in diet of vannamei shrimp.

D90: The Strongest Contributor to Setting Time in Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and Portland Cement

IntroductionThe setting times of commercial mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and Portland cements vary. It was hypothesized that much of this variation was caused by differences in particle size distribution. MethodsTwo gram samples from 11 MTA-type cements were analyzed by laser diffraction to determine their particle size distributions characterized by their percentile equivalent diameters (the 10th percentile, the median, and the 90th percentile [d90], respectively). Setting time data were received from manufacturers who performed indentation setting time tests as specified by the standards relevant to dentistry, ISO 6786 (9 respondents) or ISO 9917.1 (1 respondent), or not divulged to the authors (1 respondent). In a parallel experiment, 6 samples of different size graded Portland cements were produced using the same cement clinker. The measurement of setting time for Portland cement pastes was performed using American Society for Testing and Materials C 191. Cumulative heat release was measured using isothermal calorimetry to assess the reactions occurring during the setting of these pastes. In all experiments, linear correlations were assessed between setting times, heat release, and the 3 particle size parameters. ResultsParticle size varied considerably among MTA cements. For MTA cements, d90 was the particle size characteristic showing the highest positive linear correlation with setting time (r = 0.538). For Portland cement, d90 gave an even higher linear correlation for the initial setting time (r = 0.804) and the final setting time (r = 0.873) and exhibited a strong negative linear correlation for cumulative heat release (r = 0.901). ConclusionsSmaller particle sizes result in faster setting times, with d90 (the largest particles) being most closely correlated with the setting times of the samples.

Real-time immuno-PCR for ultrasensitive detection of pyrene and other homologous PAHs.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are significant environmental pollutant that can lead to cancer and endocrine system disrupting. Here we developed a real-time immuno-PCR (RT-IPCR) assay based on a biotinylated reporter DNA system for ultrasensitive detection of pyrene (PYR) and homologous PAHs in water. The PAHs in sample compete with PYR-OVA coated on PCR plate to bind with monoclonal antibody (McAb). The biotinylated goat anti-mouse IgG (Bio-IgG) can be captured by the McAb bound with PYR-OVA. Then streptavidin is bound with biotin on Bio-IgG. Finally biotinylated reporter DNA is captured by the streptavidin and quantified by real-time PCR using FastStart universal SYBR Green Master (ROX) kit. The linear range of the assay was from 500 fmol L(-1) to 5 nmol L(-)) with a detection limit of 450 fmol L(-1). The average recoveries of PYR and homologous PAHs from lake water, tap water and commercial mineral water were 96.8%, 101.4% and 99.6% respectively, indicating that water samples had little interfere with the assay. The results demonstrated that the developed RT-IPCR might be a potential method for ultrasensitive detection of PYR and homologous PAHs in drinking and environment water sample.

Effect of fitting sheep covers and injection of a mineral supplement on the brightness, clean colour and photostability of wool grown by grazing Merino sheep

Wethers sourced from a Merino genetic resource flock, selected on the basis of their measured wool clean colour at 2 years of age, were stratified on the basis of clean colour and allocated to one of four treatment groups in a 2 × 2 factorial design. The aim was to investigate the effect of coating the fleece and administration of a commercial mineral supplement on brightness, clean colour and photostability over a 12-month period when run on the Central Tablelands of New South Wales. Coating the fleece significantly improved both the brightness and clean colour of the fleece (P<0.001, by 4 and 0.5 T units, respectively), but had no effect on the photostability of the two traits. The mineral supplement had no significant impact on the colour or photostability traits and there was no evidence of an interaction between coating the fleece and the mineral supplement. Although the improvements in brightness and colour arising from coating the fleece complemented the predicted responses to genetic selection for these two traits, the combined effect would not be sufficient to replace the routine use of oxidative bleaching during processing.

Performance and Nutrient Utilization of Broilers Supplemented Mineral Premix without Cobalt, Iron and Copper

Ninety, day old broiler chicks were arranged into 5X3X6 pattern to investigate the effect of exclusion of Cobalt, Iron and Copper from the mineral mixture. Five dietary groups (T1 to T5) were assigned basal diets containing 2800 kcal ME/kg and 22% CP (Starter) and 20% (Finisher) for a total duration of 6 weeks. The chicks in T1 were fed commercial mineral mixture, T2 were supplemented with mineral mixture prepared with laboratory reagent grade minerals while chicks of T3, T4 and T5 were fed laboratory reagent grade mineral mixture without Cobalt, Iron and Copper, respectively. No significant difference was observed in weight gain, feed intake, FER and PI of broilers fed various mineral supplements. Significantly (p<0.05) higher nitrogen and energy retention (%) was recorded in broilers (T5) fed mineral supplement without Copper compared to broilers fed (T1) commercial mineral supplement (77.18±0.28 vs. 70.50±2.70 and 81.86±1.04 vs. 75.71±2.36). It was concluded that Cobalt, Iron and Copper can be safely excluded from mineral supplement in areas where the feed resources are rich in these elements.

Effect of Area Specific Mineral Supplementation on Biochemical Profile in Female Black Bengal Goats

To discern the effect of area specific mineral supplementation (ASMS), on some plasma parameters viz. glucose, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), alpha amino nitrogen (AAN), alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST), the intensive study was conducted on 24 female Black Bengal goats at around of 4–5 months of age. The animals were divided into four groups viz. Group I (control), II, III supplemented with 0, 1 and 2% area specific mineral supplementation, respectively. Whereas, in another group (Group-IV), commercial mineral mixture fortified concentrate was given. Blood samples were collected at monthly interval and estimated five prime plasma parameters. Present study revealed that plasma glucose concentration was in normal range and differed significantly (P < 0.05) in groups. Highest plasma glucose concentration was observed in group IV and lowest in control group. Whereas, NEFA differed significantly in different groups. Plasma AAN level was higher in Group IV followed in Group III, II and I respectively. AAN did not differ significantly in groups. Plasma ALT and AST level differed significantly but highest Plasma ALT and AST level observed in Group II. Present study revealed that ASMS improved plasma biochemical profile in Black Bengal goats.

Avidin–biotin capped mesoporous silica nanoparticles as an ion-responsive release system to determine lead(II)

We have developed DNAzyme-functionalized silica nanoparticles for the rapid, sensitive, and selective detection of lead ion (Pb2+). The specific binding between avidin and biotinylated DNAzymes was used to cap the pore of dye-trapped silica nanoparticles. In the presence of Pb2+, DNAzymes were catalytically cleaved to uncap the pore, releasing the dye cargo with detectable enhancements of fluorescence signal. This method enables rapid (15min) and sensitive (limit of detection=8.0nM) detection. Moreover, the Pb2+-responsive behavior shows high selectivity with other metal ions. The superior properties of the as-designed DNAzyme-functionalized silica nanoparticles can be attributed to the large loading capacity and highly ordered pore structure of mesoporous silica nanoparticles as well as the catalytical cleaving of DNAzymes with Pb2+. The recoveries obtained by standard Pb(II) addition to real samples—tap water, commercial mineral water, and lake water—were all from 98 to 101%. Our design serves as a new prototype for metal–ion sensing systems, and it also has promising potential for detection of various targets in stimulus–release systems.

Creeping discharge developing on vegetable-based oil / pressboard interface under AC voltage

The behavior of creeping discharges developing on the pressboard surface was investigated experimentally in palm fatty acid ester oil, natural rapeseed oil and commercial mineral oil under variable ac voltages with 60 Hz, respectively. The oilimpregnated pressboard was used as the solid dielectric and it was immersed completely into the same oil. The tungsten needle electrode was installed in the one side of pressboard surface without the counter electrode as a high voltage electrode and a grounded fine copper rod was adhered tightly in the other side of pressboard as a back side electrode. The discharge shape, streamer extension, streamer velocity and tracking at the oil/pressboard interface were observed as a function of the time and voltage by using a still camera equipped with a night viewer. Simultaneously, the discharge current and dissipated energy were measured. The gas components dissolved in oils by the creeping discharge were also examined by the dissolved gas-in-oil analysis (DGA). In this paper, it is presented that there are distinctive events due to the occurrence of creeping discharges.

Mineral mixtures from solid salt residues for lambs

The objective of this study was to evaluate water, mineral, feed and nutrient voluntary intakes, in addition to dry matter and nutrient digestibility and the nitrogen balance of lambs fed three mineral supplements. The first treatment consisted of solid salt residue (SSR) from an aquaculture tank; the second contained SSR from desalination waste; and the third treatment was control, which corresponded to the supplementation of a commercial mineral supplement. The study lasted 20 days, the first 15 of which were used for animals to adapt to the pens and diets, and the last five days were used for data collection. Twenty-four castrated male lambs with a body weight of 19.72±2.52 kg were utilized in the experiment. The mineral supplements evaluated did not affect the intake and digestibility of the dry matter and nutrients, the water and mineral-salt intake or nitrogen balance. Mineral supplements produced from the SSR from aquaculture tanks and from the desalination waste did not reduce feed, nutrient and water intakes or nutrient digestibility, which suggests that these raw materials can be used in the elaboration of mineral mixtures for lambs.