Initiation Of Feeding Research Articles

Effects of Marine Microalgae on the Developmental Growth of the Sea Urchin Larviculture Anthocidaris crassipina

The sea urchin is a very important aquatic economic organism in many countries and has high food value. However, it has recently been heavily fished, and it would be of great importance to the sustainable development of coral reefs to develop large-scale aquaculture of sea urchins. Sea urchins are prone to death during larval development. Therefore, in this study, three kinds of microalgae were used as the initial food for sea urchins to evaluate whether different kinds of microalgae can improve their survival and growth rates. Chaetoceros muelleri (C), Isochrysis galbana tml (I), and Dunaliella salina (D) were fed to A. crassipina at concentrations of 5000, 10,000, 20,000, and 30,000 cell mL−1. A fasted group was used as control (N). The final body length, final body width, final stomach length, rudiment length, survival rate and morphology were measured to evaluate development and growth. The results showed that feeding with C. muelleri resulted in better growth and survival. After 9 days of feeding with C(20,000 cells mL−1), the rudiment length reached 203.33 ± 12.47 µm. The onset of metamorphosis was observed 12 days post-feeding. The survival rate after feeding C was also significantly higher than that after feeding I and D. In summary, when sea urchins are breeding, it is recommended to choose C(20,000 cells mL−1) or C(30,000 cells mL−1) as the initial feed for larvae to increase the growth and survival of sea urchin seedlings.

Co-Crystallization between Aliphatic Polyesters through Co-Inclusion Complexation with Small Molecule.

Crystalline/crystalline blends of polymer have shown advantages in the preparation of new polymeric materials. However, the regulation of co-crystallization in a blend is still full of challenges due to the preferential self-crystallization driven by thermodynamics. Here, an inclusion complex approach is proposed to facilitate the co-crystallization between crystalline polymers, because the crystallization process displays a prominent kinetics advantage when polymer chains are released from the inclusion complex. Poly(butylene succinate) (PBS), poly(butylene adipate) (PBA) and urea are chosen to form co-inclusion complexes, where PBS and PBA chains play as isolated guest molecules and urea molecules construct the host channel framework. The coalesced PBS/PBA blends are obtained by fast removing the urea framework and systematically investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, proton nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transformation infrared spectrometry. It is demonstrated that PBA chains are co-crystallized into PBS extended-chain crystals in the coalesced blends, while such a phenomenon has not been detected in simply co-solution-blended samples. Though PBA chains could not be totally accommodated in the PBS extended-chain crystals, their co-crystallized content increases with the initial feeding ratio of PBA. Consequently, the melting point of the PBS extended-chain crystal gradually declines from 134.3 °C to 124.2 °C with an increasing PBA content. The PBA chains playing as defects mainly induce lattice expansion along the a-axis. In addition, when the co-crystals are soaked in tetrahydrofuran, some of the PBA chains are extracted out, leading to damage to the correlative PBS extended-chain crystals. This study shows that co-inclusion complexation with small molecules could be an effective way to promote co-crystallization behavior in polymer blends.

Separation of Lithium and Transition Metals in Leaching Solution of Used Lithium Ion Battery with Sec‐octylphenoxyacetic Acid

AbstractThe recovery of critical metals from spent lithium‐ion batteries (LIBs) is important to sustainable development and environment protection. In this paper, sec‐octylphenoxyacetic acid (CA‐12) was first used to recover valuable metals in LIBs. The effects of phase modifier, initial feed pH, extraction kinetics and thermodynamics, CA‐12 concentration and saponification degree were studied and optimized. Under the optimal conditions, 99 % of nickel, cobalt and manganese were co‐extracted to the organic phase, and the loss of lithium was 7 %. The extracted metal ions could be stripped with 0.04 mol/L HCl equivalently. In the spent LIBs powder leaching experiment, leaching efficiencies of all components were greater than 95 %. In the impurity removal stage, extractant N902 was used to remove copper, while iron and aluminum were eliminated by hydrolysis. After two‐stage extraction, the total extraction efficiencies of nickel, cobalt and manganese reached 99.7 %, 99.4 %, 98.45 %, respectively. Finally, lithium in the raffinate was precipitated by saturated Na2CO3, the purity of recovered Li2CO3 was up to 97.7 %. After 5 times cycles, CA‐12 still maintained excellent extraction capacity, showing its potential application prospects for recovering critical metals form spent LIBs.

Experimental investigation of freezing desalination using silicon oil for ice production

Because of its potential benefits in lowering process energy consumption, freezing desalination as a seawater desalination method has attracted a lot of attention. However, significant mass loss caused by extensive washing is a fundamental problem preventing the development of freezing desalination technologies. For freezing desalination technology to be widely adopted, the washing process must be eliminated. In this study, a fluid-layer-based method for separating ice is introduced. The density differences between the generated ice and the silicon oil intermediate fluid layer facilitate the separation of the product water without the need of conventional crushing or washing processes. The aim of this work is to study the feasibility and applicability of using silicon oil as an intermediary fluid layer in ice separation during the freezing desalination process. The outcomes show promise for a feasible freezing desalination technique utilizing silicon oil as an intermediate separation layer. It was also observed that as feed salinity decreases, the desalination rate increases. For instance, the distillation rate is 50.89 % and 67.3 % at an initial feed salinity equal 45,000 and 10,000 ppm, respectively. Overall, the initial feed salinity and COP are found to have an impact on specific energy usage.

Enteral Feeding for Moderately Premature and Low Birth Weight Infants: A Single-Center Retrospective Observational Cohort Study.

Controversy exists in clinical practice regarding optimal initial enteral feeding (EF) for moderately premature and low birth weight (BW) infants. We included 96 infants stratified into 3 groups (I: 1600-1799 g [n = 22]; II: 1800-1999 g [n = 42]; III: 2000-2200 g [n = 32]). The protocol recommended starting with minimal EF (MEF) in infants weighing <1800 g. On the first day of life, 5% of the infants in group I did not follow the protocol mandating MEF, but started with exclusive EF instead, compared to 36% and 44% of the infants in groups II and III, respectively. The median number of days until exclusive EF was achieved was 5 days longer for infants receiving MEF than for infants who had received normal portions of EF from birth onward. We observed no significant differences in feeding-related complications. We advocate omitting MEF in moderately premature infants with a BW of 1600 g or higher.

Potassium Hydroxide Activation as an Adsorbent for Equilibrium Isotherms of Hexavalent Chromium Adsorptions onto &lt;i&gt;Garcinia mangosteen&lt;/i&gt; Shell

The equilibrium isotherms of hexavalent chromium adsorption from water on potassium hydroxide (KOH) activated for mangosteen shell as an adsorbent by carbonization at 400 °C for 2 hours has been researched. The effective specific surface area of a biochar adsorbent is 164 m2/g, and its hexavalent chromium adsorption capacity can be encountered to be replied to on the pH 2.0 with initial feed concentration and temperature. The equilibrium adsorption isotherm models based on the Freundlich, Langmuir, Temkin, Hurkins-Jura, Halsay, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Jovanovic models have been accompanied to compare the sorbate-sorbent system. The Freundlich isotherm model indicated a good fit with the experimental data for the system studied.

Comparison of activated carbon and low-cost adsorbents for removal of 2,4-dichlorophenol from wastewater using Aspen Adsorption and response surface methodology

ABSTRACT In this paper, the adsorption of the chlorinated organic compound, 2,4-dichlorophenol, using activated carbon (AC), bagasse fly ash (BFA) and rice husk fly ash (RHFA) in a packed bed column was simulated using Aspen Adsorption software. The purpose of this study was to demonstrate the effectiveness of simulation software for identifying alternative low-cost adsorbents and optimising the adsorption process. The effect of process parameters such as initial concentration, bed height and inlet feed flow rate were evaluated using breakthrough curves. It was shown that the longest breakthrough times were at a higher bed height of 3 m and lower flow rate of 2 m3/hr and concentration had no effect on breakthrough time. After optimisation using response surface methodology, the AC, BFA and RHFA had a breakthrough time of 534, 426 and 209 s, respectively. This shows the potential of BFA as a potential alternative for AC for the adsorption of 2,4-dichlorophenol and shows RHFA to be a relatively poor adsorbent in comparison. The economic evaluation illustrates that the overall cost of wastewater treatment with BFA and RHFA is lower than AC. The cost for the BFA and RHFA adsorbents is only a handling charge, but the cost for using AC adsorbent is £10,603/year. Therefore, the company can produce 17,520 m3/year of fresh water from the adsorbent and save £87,600/year. Therefore, it was concluded that BFA had a slightly weaker adsorption efficiency than AC but was more cost effective, allowing it to be more affordable and increasing its availability.

Pilot-scale separation of lead and sulfate ions from aqueous solutions using electrodialysis: Application and parameter optimization for the battery industry

Electrodialysis is receiving increased attention for the separation of important ions from industrial effluents. Insights on the simultaneous removal of lead and sulfate ions remain largely elusive in published work, while the works that address only lead removal consider concentrations higher than 100 mg/L. Effluents that contain lead and sulfate ions at industrially relevant concentrations (5 mg/L and 500-2000 mg/L, respectively, based on battery manufacturing characteristics) are investigated in this work. A pilot-scale electrodialysis setup is used that comprises 66 cell pairs of cation- and anion-exchange membranes of 5 m2 effective membrane area/stack, operated in batch mode. The setup is initially optimized according to key process parameters (applied voltage, product-to-concentrate ratio, and initial feed concentration) for sulfate ion removal, with the optimized conditions applied for simultaneous removal of lead and sulfate ions. Tests showed the negative effect of the high concentration ratio of sulfate-to-lead ions on the removal of lead. In order to improve the combined removal of lead ions, the operating conditions were changed and the optimal values corresponding to superficial velocity of 2 cm/s and applied voltage of 0.6 V/cell pair, resulted in 91% and 75% removal of sulfate and lead ions after 4 h of electrolysis, with energy consumption of 7 kWh/m3.

Experiments and machine learning-based modeling for haloacetic acids rejection by nanofiltration: Influence of solute properties and operating conditions

Because of potential risks to public health, the presence of haloacetic acids (HAAs) in drinking water is a major concern. Nanofiltration (NF) has shown potential for HAAs rejection, and several factors, namely, membrane properties, solute properties, and operating conditions, have been revealed key roles. However, knowledge of NF separation mechanism by quantifying these factors is limited. This study investigated and modeled NF performance on HAAs rejection. NF performance was experimentally investigated under various transmembrane pressure (TMP), cross-flow velocity (CV), temperature, pH, ionic strength (IS), and HAAs initial feed concentration (Cin). We used machine learning (ML) to understand the mechanism from the perspective of HAAs properties and operating conditions. Multiple linear regression (MLR), support vector machine (SVM), multsilayer perceptron (MLP), extreme gradient boosting (XGBoost), and random forest (RF) models were used. The MLP, XGBoost and RF models achieved significant performance with high R2 (0.970, 0.973, and 0.980) and low RMSE (4.71, 4.41, and 3.84). These three models were analyzed using the Shapley Additive explanation (SHAP) to quantify relative contributions of HAAs properties and operating conditions. XGBoost-SHAP produced the most logical results and was the best-performing model for selecting optimal input variables combinations. The results showed that Stokes radius (rs), logarithmic octanol-water partitioning coefficient (logKow), molecular weight (MW), pH, TMP, and temperature are key variables for interpreting NF process. The effects of HAAs properties were ranked as rs > logKow > MW, suggesting significance of size exclusion and hydrophobic interaction. The impact of the operational conditions followed the order pH > TMP > temperature, illustrating that pH was the major influencing operating condition. This study demonstrated significant capacity of ML, which reduced amount of experimental work. In addition, the main operating conditions can be evaluated in terms of their contributions, making ML an efficient tool for risk management and process optimization.

Suitability of Different Live Feed for First Feeding of Freshwater Fish Larvae

First feeding of many fish larvae depends on live feed. A comparative investigation on the effectiveness of different types of live feed is not available to our knowledge. Hence, we conducted a study to examine the effect of different types and combinations of live feed on the performance (survival rate, total length, body width, body mass, malformation rate) of pikeperch, Sander lucioperca, larvae. From day 0 (onset of exogenous feeding) to day 10, the saltwater rotifer Brachionus plicatilis, the freshwater rotifer Brachionus calyciflorus, the ciliate Paramecium bursaria, copepods (nauplii and copepodites) from a lake population, and Artemia nauplii were tested. Feeding with B. plicatilis, B. calyciflorus, and P. bursaria resulted in high survival rates of 80% and a homogenous and significant growth (increase in total length of 50% and in body width of 20%). As follow-up feed, copepod nauplii and Artemia nauplii were tested from day 11 to day 20. Copepod nauplii were superior to Artemia nauplii, as larvae fed with copepods showed higher survival rates (67–70% versus 38–47%) and a more homogeneous growth. A switch from seawater live feed to freshwater live feed or vice versa resulted in decreased survival rates. Therefore, a feeding regime consisting of B. calyciflorus or P. bursaria followed by copepods is considered optimal as first feed of pikeperch. The malformation rate was not affected by the tested feeding regimes. To investigate the wider applicability and transferability of these findings, complementary investigations were performed on burbot, Lota lota, and the freshwater whitefish Coregonus atterensis. The feeding regimes used for S. lucioperca larvae were also suitable for Lota lota. Moreover, L. lota could be fed with lake copepods from the onset of exogenous feeding. For C. atterensis, initial feeding with B. plicatilis, B. calyciflorus, or P. bursaria had no positive effects. Feeding with copepods from the onset of exogenous feeding was optimal considering survival rate and growth. Therefore, optimal first feeding regimes are very species specific and should be established for each new species.

Estimation of physico-chemical parameters of different combinations of buffalo dung with cane sugar bagasse by Vermic activity of earthworm Lampito mauritii

Overpopulation, pollution, industrialization, and urbanization are the main contributors to environmental deterioration and the production of solid waste. There are many ways to reduce the amount of organic waste that is disposed of in landfills. This covers vermicomposting, recycling, and composting of organic materials. With the aid of earthworms, vermicomposting is one of the most effective, affordable, and environmentally sustainable ways to turn organic wastes into high-quality manure. This study is aimed to investigate the physico-chemical alterations of sugarcane bagasse mixed with various combinations of buffalo dung following the processing of the earthworm Lampito mauritii. After vermic activity of Lampito mauritii, different combinations of sugarcane bagasse combined with buffalo dung showed a substantial decline in pH, EC, TOC, and C/N ratio and a significant rise in TKN, TK, TAP, and TCa when compared to the initial feed mixture. There was significant increase in total kjeldhal nitrogen (TKN) 46.25% in SCB+BD (1:1), total avilable phosphorus (TAP) 52.63% in SCB+BD (2:1), total potassium (TK) 35.13% in SCB+BD (1:1), total calcium (TCa) 52 % in BD and significant decreased in C:N ratio 69.74% in SCB+BD (1:1), total organic carbon (TOC) 54.82% in BD, electrical conductivity (EC) 54.16% in BD of final vermicompost with respect to initial feed mixture. The pH of initial feed mixture in all the combination tends to decrease. According to the findings, Lampito mauritii speed up the mineralization process and transformed manures into castings with increased nutritional content. These composts are suitable for use in agricultural fields since they have a low C: N ratio and high nutritional content, which will improve crop output.

Differential gene expression in the Longissimus dorsi of Nguni and Bonsmara bulls finished on low and high energy diets

Objectives of this research were to examine differential gene expression profiles of Nguni and Bonsmara cattle fed diets differing in their energy density. The ultimate goal was to improve understanding of the mechanisms that underlie differences between these breeds and the potential interactions of the differences between breeds with the nutritive environment. The experiment was designed as a 2 × 2 factorial arrangement of breed and diet (12.5 MJ/kg DM vs. 10.9 MJ/kg DM). The initial feeding trial had 10 bull calves per treatment. However, financial constraints limited RNA sequencing to six animals per treatment and the RNA generated from one animal was of insufficient quality to be useful. Transcripts with false discovery rate P-values &lt;0.05 and fold-changes &gt;2.0 were considered significant. Bonsmara had a faster growth rate, heavier live and carcass weights, and better feed conversion compared to Nguni. However, lower levels of fat were observed in Nguni. Twenty different genes were differentially expressed, with three exhibiting interaction effects and all 20 having differences in transcript abundance between the breeds. A dietary effect was only observed for the one gene and that gene was also subject to an interaction effect with breed. Observed differences in gene expression between Bonsmara and Nguni by several genes affecting the structure or function of the mitochondria imply differences in energy metabolism between the breeds. Interaction effects on the abundance of some gene transcripts indicate the need to consider the diet when evaluating breed differences and conversely, consider breed when evaluating diets.

A fresh look at thermal cycling absorption process for hydrogen isotopes separation by dynamic simulation: Initial feeding process and total reflux mode

Thermal Cycling Absorption Process (TCAP) is an important method to separate hydrogen isotopes for the production and engineering application of tritium. There are so many influencing factors that it is difficult to fully understand the influence mechanisms only through experiments. A new simulation model of TCAP was developed. Using the simulation model, the influencing trend and optimized value of parameters of initial feeding process and total reflux mode in TCAP are obtained as follows. (1) The temperatures of initial feeding and the cold cycle are not the lower the better as commonly assumed but exists an optimal value of 30 °C in initial feeding and -20 °C in the cold cycle. (2) The heating rate and cooling rate also exist optimal values of 45 °C/min and 55 °C/min (3) Lower feeding rate is conducive to a better separation effect of hydrogen isotopes. (4) Increasing the reflux ratio benefits the enrichment of heavy hydrogen isotope at the product side but not the light hydrogen isotope at the tail side. (5) It needs more cycles to achieve the same isotope abundance in D/T separation than H/D separation and the separation degree of hydrogen isotopes exists a maximum value after multiple cycles. The findings can provide references for the process optimization and the device design of TCAP, and also can shed new light on the understanding of the basic physical and chemical process of TCAP.

Performance of growing rabbit bucks and does fed diets supplemented with brewers dried grains

The study was conducted to at the rabbitry unit of the National Animal Production Research Institute/Ahmadu Bello University, Shika-Zaria to evaluate the performance of growing rabbit bucks and does fed diets supplemented with brewers dried grain (BDG). Forty rabbits growing rabbits aged between 6 to 7 weeks of age, with initial average weight of 0.75Kg were randomly assigned to four dietary treatments (0%, 20%, 30% and 40% BDG) in a completely randomized design (CRD) with five rabbits in each treatment. The experimental diet and clean drinking water were supplied ad libtum during the experiment, which lasted for a period of 8 weeks. The following growth parameters were measured included, daily feed intake and weight changes, initial weight, final weight, total weight gain, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio. Data generated was subjected to statistical analysis of SAS. In growing rabbit bucks, initial weight, average daily feed intake, final weight and average daily gain showed no significant difference (P &gt; 0.05). Feed conversion ratio was significantly differences (P &lt; 0.05) with the control having the best feed efficiency while 20% level of inclusion had the least value. For the does, there were no significant differences (P&gt;0.05) in initial weight and average daily feed intake. There were significant differences (P&lt;0.05) in final weight, average daily gain and feed conversion ratio. Final weight and average daily gain had a similar pattern with the control (0%) and treatment 2 recording the highest and lowest values respectively. Feed conversion ratio had different pattern as treatments 2 (20%), 3 (30%) and 4 (40%) were significantly higher than the control. It can be concluded that, inclusion of BDG in the diet of growing rabbits have no effect on growth performance but if efficiently utilized.

The incidence of adding Gingko biloba and Curcumin extracts in drinking water on Body growth, hematological and immune statues of New Zealand White rabbit

This study was performed to investigate the effect of adding ginkgo biloba (GB) and curcumin extracts in rabbit drinking water, as growth promoter, serum biochemistry, antioxidant enzyme activities and immunoglobin statues. A total of 40 New Zealand White rabbit (NZW) at 5 weeks of age assigned to 4 treatments with four replicates. Gingko biloba (T2) and Curcumin extracts (T3) and their mix (T4) had no significantly differences among all treatments in initial weight, feed and water intake, also in body temperature. While, body weight and body weight gain had significantly (P≤0.05) increased in the all groups of water additive compared with control (T1). As well as FCR (feed conversion ratio) had significantly (P≤0.05) improved in the treatments T2, T3 and T4, compared with the control group T1. Otherwise, the heart rate (beat) was significantly (P≤0.01) decreased in the treatments respectively compared with the control T1. Quite good results were achieved that approve the curcumin and ginkgo biloba extract has a direct influence on the production and blood parameter, improve immunoglobins and antioxidant enzymes concentrations in blood serum.&#x0D; &#x0D;

Optimization of Artemia Feed Regimes for Larval Giant Kōkopu (Galaxias argenteus)

Optimizing the initial live feed is critical to success in fish larviculture in terms of both larval health and productivity. It is also vitally important due to the significant cost of provisioning live feeds. Glaxiids are high-value diadromous fish species found in parts of the Southern Hemisphere, which are wild-harvested and sold for human consumption in their larval form. In the emerging aquaculture of galaxiids, the live feed makes up a great proportion of the production cycle and is therefore a significant factor in achieving the economic viability of their production. In New Zealand, the endemic galaxiid species giant kōkopu (Galaxias argenteus) is considered suitable for aquaculture; however, little is known of their larval-feeding requirements. This study compares the growth performance and survival of giant kōkopu larvae over a four-week period when fed different proportions of first-molt Artemia nauplii (instar-I) and enriched, second-molt-onward Artemia (instar-II+) for different durations. The larvae in the treatment group which received the greatest proportion of Instar-I Artemia for the longest duration had the lowest mean wet weight and survival, leading to the production of the lowest total biomass of fish larvae when compared to the other feed treatments. The feed treatment that received only instar-II+ Artemia achieved an equally best total productivity. While the treatment fed a partial initial duration of mixed instar-I and instar-II+ Artemia achieved the same total productivity, the individual larvae were heavier and their body length was longer. The latter feed treatment appears to offer the best balance between the availability of feed particles in the optimum size range and a higher level of digestibility given that instar-I Artemia had higher levels of highly unsaturated fatty acids and polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Growth Performance and Nutritional Condition of Marble Goby (Oxyeleotris marmoratus) Larvae Fed under Different Onsets of First Feeding

The marble goby (Oxyeleotris marmoratus) is a valuable food fish, but its aquaculture production is often hampered by poor growth performance associated with starvation at an early stage. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of delayed initial feeding on the growth performance and nutritional condition of the marble goby. Six different first feeding times were examined: 0, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 hours after the first feeding (HAFF), and their impacts on growth performances were evaluated based on larval final total length (mm) and survival (%), while nutritional condition was evaluated based on body morphometric changes, gut epithelium height (μm), and gut condition. The experiment was conducted for 15 days. All parameters were measured after larvae were collected at different sampling times, except survival and growth, which were measured at the end of the experiment. The results showed that the onset of the first feeding was 36 h after hatching (hAh) and that a short delay in the first feeding by 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 HAFF significantly reduced the growth performance of the larvae and severely affected the larval nutrition condition with noticeable shrinkage in body morphometry and gut epithelium height. This study concluded that the onset of first feeding in marble goby occurs at 36 hAH and that first feeding beyond 36 hAH significantly worsens the nutritional condition and growth performance of the larvae.

Controlled lipid self-assembly for scalable manufacturing of next-generation immune stimulating complexes

Immune stimulating complexes (ISCOMs) are safe and effective saponin-based adjuvants formed by the self-assembly of saponin, cholesterol, and phospholipids in water to form cage-like 30–40 nm diameter particles. Inclusion of the Toll-like receptor 4 agonist monophosphoryl lipid A (MPLA) in ISCOM particles yields a promising next-generation adjuvant termed Saponin-MPLA NanoParticles (SMNP). In this work, we detail protocols to produce ISCOMs or SMNP via a tangential flow filtration (TFF) process suitable for scalable synthesis and Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) production of clinical-grade adjuvants. SMNP or ISCOM components were solubilized in micelles of the surfactant MEGA-10, then diluted below the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surfactant to drive ISCOM self-assembly. Assembly of ISCOM/SMNP particles using the purified saponin QS-21 used in clinical-grade saponin adjuvants was found to require controlled stepwise dilution of the initial micellar solution, to prevent formation of undesirable kinetically-trapped aggregate species. An optimized protocol gave yields of ∼77% based on the initial feed of QS-21 and the final SMNP particle composition mirrored the feed ratios of the components. Further, samples were highly homogeneous with comparable quality to that of material prepared at lab scale by dialysis and purified via size-exclusion chromatography. This protocol may be useful for clinical preparation of ISCOM-based vaccine adjuvants and therapeutics.

Zinc-doped titanium oxynitride as a high-performance adsorbent for formaldehyde in air

The potential utility of titanium oxynitride doped with 5% zinc (ZnTON) has been investigated as an adsorbent for the treatment of gaseous formaldehyde (FA) using a fixed-bed adsorption system. The adsorption capacity of ZnTON, when estimated at 10%/100% breakthrough (BT) levels from a dry feed gas consisting of 10 Pa FA, was far superior to two reference materials (i.e., commercial P25-TiO2 and activated carbon (AC)) by factors of 1.7/1.3 and 10/2.5, respectively. The adsorption capacity of ZnTON increased with the increase in the initial feeding concentration of FA (5–12.5 Pa), while decreasing with the rising temperature (25–100 oC). An increase in moisture level (0–100% relative humidity) also led to 5.4- and 2.5-fold reductions in adsorption capacity of ZnTON at 10% and 100% BT levels, respectively. Thermodynamically, the adsorption of FA onto ZnTON is an exothermic (ΔHo = - 9.69 kJ.mol-1) to be feasible in nature based on physisorption mechanism. Further, the adsorption of FA onto ZnTON was governed by surface interactions and monolayer surface coverage (Van der Waal's force/electrostatic attraction), as it obeyed the Langmuir isotherm and pseudo-second-order kinetic models. Regeneration tests indicated a positive effect of moisture on FA desorption and durability of ZnTON (i.e., over three adsorption-desorption cycles). This study offers valuable mechanistic insights into the synthesis of an advanced adsorbent for the efficient removal of hazardous volatile organic compounds under near-ambient conditions.

Effects of enriching IgG concentration in low- and medium-quality colostrum with colostrum replacer on IgG absorption in newborn Holstein calves

Ingestion and absorption of greater quantities of IgG are required to increase serum IgG levels in newborn calves. This could be achieved by adding colostrum replacer (CR) to maternal colostrum (MC). The objective of this study was to investigate whether low and high-quality MC can be enriched with bovine dried CR to achieve adequate serum IgG levels. Male Holstein calves (n = 80; 16/treatment) with birth body weights (BW) of 40 to 52 kg were randomly enrolled to be fed 3.8 L of the following combinations: 30 g/L IgG MC (C1), 60 g/L IgG MC (C2), 90 g/L IgG MC (C3), C1 enriched with 551 g of CR (60 g/L; 30-60CR), or C2 enriched with 620 g of CR (90 g/L: 60-90CR). A subset of 40 calves (8/treatment) had a jugular catheter placed and were fed colostrum containing acetaminophen at a dose of 150 mg/kg of metabolic body weight, to estimate abomasal emptying rate per hour (kABh). Baseline blood samples were taken (0 h), followed by sequential samples at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h relative to initial colostrum feeding. Results for all measurements are presented in the following order, unless otherwise stated: C1, C2, C3, 30-60CR, and 60-90CR. Serum IgG levels at 24 h were different among calves fed C1, C2, C3, 30-60CR, and 60-90CR: 11.8, 24.3, 35.7, 19.9, and 26.9 mg/mL ± 1.02 (mean ± SEM), respectively. Serum IgG at 24 h increased when enriching C1 to 30-60CR, but not from C2 to 60-90CR. Similarly, apparent efficiency of absorption (AEA) values for calves fed C1, C2, C3, 30-60CR, and 60-90CR were different: 42.4, 45.1, 43.2, 36.3, and 33.4% ± 1.93, respectively. Enriching C2 to 60-90CR reduced AEA, and enriching C1 to 30-60CR tended to decrease AEA. The kABh values for C1, C2, C3, 30-60CR, and 60-90CR were also different: 0.16, 0.13, 0.11, 0.09, and 0.09 ± 0.005, respectively. Enriching C1 to 30-60CR or C2 to 60-90CR reduced kABh. However, 30-60CR and 60-90CR have similar kABh compared with a reference colostrum meal (90 g/L IgG, C3). Even though kABh was reduced for 30-60CR, results indicate that C1 has the potential to be enriched and achieve acceptable serum IgG levels at 24 h without affecting AEA.