Samples B1 Research Articles

Assessment Of Commercial Bottled Table And Sachet Water Commonly Consumed In Federal University Of Technology, Owerri (FUTO), Imo State, Nigeria Using Microbiological Indices.

This study investigated the safety and portability of some notable bottled and sachet table water sold and consumed in Federal University of Technology-Owerri (FUTO), Imo State, Nigeria using common bacterial contaminants as index of indicators of water quality. Seven different bottled water samples obtained from different manufacturers labeled A1to A7 and seven different sachet water samples also from different manufacturers labeled B1 to B7 were analyzed microbiologically and physically .Physical examinations of the samples showed they were colourless with no offensive odours .Escherichia coli(E.coli),Streptococcus faecalis, Klebsiella pneumoniae,Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhmurium were tested .Bottled water samples A1,A2,A3,A6 and A7 as well as sachet water samples B1,B2, and B7 had bacteria count per 100ml(MPN/100ml) at 37 0 C while bottled water samples A4 and as well as sachet water samples B3,B4,B5 and B6 had less than 10 coliform count per 100ml(MPN/100ml)at 44 0 C.The test samples A1,A2,A3,A6 and A7 and sachet water samples B1,B2,and B7 belonged to excellent category(A) while samples A4 and A5,B3,B4,B5 and B6 belonged to satisfactory category(B). 21.43 % E.coli,7.14% Sreptococcus face alis,7.14% Klebsiella pneumoniae and 14.29% Staphylococcus aureus were found in only bottled table water samples A4 and A5 respectively while in sachet water samples, the prevalence of other bacteria was 42.43 % for E. coli in samples B3,B4, B5 and B6,24.24 % for Streptococcus faecalis in samples B3, B4, B5 and B6 ,while the 12.12 % Klebsiella pneumoniae in samples B3, B4, B5 and B6, while the 21.21 % Staphylococcus aureus was present in samples B3, B4, B5 and B6 respectively.

Phasing Analysis Of TKI Resistance Mutations In The BCR-ABL1 Kinase Domain and Neighboring Domains Using Next-Generation Sequencing

BackgroundMany CML patients treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) eventually develop resistance as a result of ABL1 kinase domain (KD) mutations, and sequential treatment with different TKIs may select for multiple BCR-ABL1 mutations. Whether multiple mutations arise in distinct clones (in trans, or polyclonal mutations) or instead are present within the same BCR-ABL1 molecule (in cis, or compound mutations), has been shown to have important implications with respect to TKI sensitivities (Eide, C.A. et al., Blood 2011). Distinguishing between polyclonal and compound mutations, or mutation phasing, for the ABL1 KD has not been clinically practical with standard mutation detection methods. Here we have developed a highly sensitive next-generation sequencing (NGS) assay on the Ion Torrent PGM along with a proprietary data analysis pipeline that together enable deep sequencing of the BCR-ABL1 KD and neighboring domains with a 1% limit of detection and quantitative reporting of mutation phasing. MethodsRT and long range PCR was performed to amplify BCR-ABL1 e1a2/3, e13a2/3, and e14a2/3 fusion transcripts and the PCR products were enzymatically randomly fragmented and ligated with Ion Torrent sequencing adaptors. Size-selected libraries were quantified, pooled, amplified with the OneTouch system and sequenced with the Ion Torrent PGM using 400 bp sequencing chemistry. Sequencing data were analyzed with Torrent Suite 3.4.2 with variant frequency cutoff adjusted to 1%. Variants were further annotated with a proprietary analysis pipeline and variant report was produced after manually reviewing variants by Integrative Genomics Viewer. If more than one non-synonymous variant was reported in a sample, a proprietary phasing analysis pipeline was applied to report the mutation spectrum of all of the combinations of multiple mutations in the sample. ResultsTo validate the accuracy of the sequencing method which employs 400 bp sequencing chemistry, we compared this assay with our previously validated BCR-ABL1 NGS assay based on Ion Torrent 200 bp sequencing chemistry for a set of clinical specimens from CML patients previously treated with TKI. Results were highly concordant and similarly sensitive, with 11/11 variants (frequencies ranging from 2% to 100%) identified with comparable frequencies by both methods.To evaluate the specificity of the phasing analysis, an artificial sample was created by mixing two samples (b2_10 and b2_6) with 6 distinct variants present at ratio of 1:19. Because variants are unique in each sample, any compound mutation composed of b2_10 variant and b2_6 variant identified would be false positive. The false positive error rate (percentage of b2_6 variant as compound mutation with b2_10 variant and vice versa) ranged from 0 – 0.6%, which was consistent with sequencing error rate. We conservatively define a compound mutation as true if it is present in at least 5% of any one of the component variants in the compound mutation. Mutation detection and phasing analysis were reproducible on different chips (314 v2 and 318 v2) and different library preps from the same long range PCR product of BCR-ABL1.Table 1 shows the mutation spectrum from sample b2_6. Of the four variants detected, L248V and G250E were mutually exclusive (in trans), while T315I and M351T were present as compound mutations with each other and, separately, with either L248V or G250E. Notably, >86% of the molecules harbored single mutations, and no compound mutations containing more than 2 variants were observed.Table 1Phasing analysis of sample b2_6L248G250T315M351% of moleculesL248VWTT315IWT2.38%L248VWTWTM351T0.84%L248VWTWTWT32.78%WTG250ET315IWT2.80%WTG250EWTM351T1.20%WTG250EWTWT43.00%WTWTT315IM351T0.16%WTWTT315IWT8.7%WTWTWTM351T1.80%WTWTWTWT6.34% ConclusionsWe have developed and validated a sensitive NGS assay that enables deep sequencing of the BCR-ABL1 KD and neighboring domains along with quantitative mutational phasing. This method has been applied in evaluating >250 clinical specimens for a clinical trial of a third-generation TKI(results reported separately). The ability to easily determine the mutation phasing of a CML patients' mutation profile using this assay will allow for investigations into compound mutation-based resistance mechanisms and may be used to better guide treatment decisions. Disclosures:Li:MolecularMD: Employment. Yan:MolecularMD: Employment. Darwanto:MolecularMD: Employment. Fang:MolecularMD: Employment. Liu:MolecularMD: Employment. Drafahl:MolecularMD: Employment. Toplin:MolecularMD: Employment. Spittle:MolecularMD: Employment. Galderisi:MolecularMD: Employment.

Effects of ex situ annealing on quaternary alloy (InAlGaAs) capped InAs/GaAs quantum dot heterostructures on optimization of optoelectronic and structural properties with variation in growth rate, barrier thickness, and seed quantum dot monolayer coverage

Self-assembled InAs/GaAs multilayer quantum dots (MQDs) have been widely investigated for their potential application in optoelectronic applications such as lasers and photovoltaic devices. This study focuses on analyzing the use of annealing to manipulate the optoelectronic and physical properties of 10-layer InAs/GaAs MQDs. MQD growth rate and parameters such as the capping layer thickness of the InAlGaAs and GaAs capping combination and monolayer coverage of the seed quantum dot (QD) layer were varied. Increase in the number of QD families for one 700°C annealed sample (A2) showed the effects of growth rate and post-growth annealing. Other two samples (B2 and B3) showed the importance of thick combination capping of InAlGaAs and GaAs in an InAs/GaAs MQD system. Samples B2 and B3 revealed an optimized set of characteristics suitable for thermal stability, as the samples were stable even at 750°C annealing, making them suitable for application in communication lasers.

Avaliação da qualidade e perfil de dissolução de comprimidos de cloridrato de propranolol

The present study aimed to evaluate the pharmaceutical equivalence of propranolol hydrochloride tablets, through physical and physical-chemical quality tests such as weight variation, friability, assay, uniformity of dosage units, dissolution test and dissolution profile. A comparative study was carried out with tablets from three laboratories, designated as A (reference), B (generic) and C (similar), with two different and random batches. All products showed satisfactory results in pharmacopoeial quality tests, however, the results of the propranolol hydrochloride dissolution profiles of the samples B1, B2, C1 and C2 evidenced that, when compared to the reference A1, the similar medicines are not pharmaceutically equivalent, but when compared to the reference A2 only the generic medicine B2 was not considered pharmaceutically equivalent. The homogeneity lack between reference medicines batches can lead to mistakes in comparison to other brands.

Stress Relaxation Behavior of Bidisperese Polystyrenes in Shear and Biaxial Extension

Two bidisperse PS samples B1 and B2 (blend of monodisperse polystyrenes) are employed to investigate the effects of bimodal molecular weight distribution on damping behavior of stress relaxation in shear and biaxial extension. The order of characteristic relaxation times, reptation time τd and contraction time τs of each component, for B1 is (τs,1 < τs,2 < τd,1 <τd,2) and that for B2 is (τs,1 < τd,1 < τs,2 < τd,2), where suffixes 1 and 2 denote lower and higher molecular weight component respectively. Time dependent damping functions in shear h(t,γ) and in biaxial extension hB(t,εB) are employed to confirm the time-strain separability for bidisperse polymer systems. Time dependent damping functions of B1 are almost constant, but B2 vary with time in both shear and biaxial extension. To investigate effects of reptative constraint release (RCR) via double reptation scheme and convective constrain release (CCR) in shear and biaxial stress relaxation for bidisperse polymer systems, we use multi-mode extension of the Ianniruberuto and Marrucci (IM) model and the Mead-Larson-Doi (MLD) model. The model predictions of h(t,γ) and hB(t,εB) well describe experimental tendency. Time dependent damping functions become independent of time after contraction of long chain and the multi mode model prediction seems almost the same strain dependence. Effect of CCR is very important to describe damping behavior for bidisperse polymer systems.

Supplementing long-chain n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids in canned wild Pacific pink salmon with Alaska salmon oil.

Establishing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid contents in canned wild Alaska pink salmon products is challenging due to ample natural variation found in lipid content of pink salmon muscle. This study investigated the effect of adding salmon oil (SO) to canned pink salmon produced from fish exhibiting two opposite degrees of skin watermarking, bright (B) and dark (D). Specific goals of the study were to evaluate the benefits of adding SO to canned pink salmon with regard to nutritional value of the product, sensory characteristics, and the oxidative and hydrolytic stability of the lipids over thermal processing. Six groups of canned pink salmon were produced with variable levels of SO, either using bright (with 0, 1, or 2% SO) or dark (with 0, 2, or 4% SO) pink salmon. Compositional analysis revealed highest (P < 0.05) lipid content in sample B2 (8.7%) and lowest (P < 0.05) lipid content in sample D0 (3.5%). Lipid content of samples B0, B1, D2, and D4 was not significantly different (P > 0.05) ranging from 5.7% to 6.8%. Consequently, addition of SO to canned pink salmon allowed for consistent lipid content between bright and dark fish. Addition of 1% or 2% SO to canned bright pink salmon was not detrimental to the sensory properties of the product. It is recommended that canned bright pink salmon be supplemented with at least 1% SO, while supplementation with 2% SO would guarantee a minimum quantity of 1.9 g of n-3 fatty acids per 100 g of product. Addition of 4% SO to canned dark pink salmon was detrimental to product texture and taste, while supplementation with 2% SO did not negatively affect sensorial properties of the product. Accordingly, canned dark pink salmon should be supplemented with 2% SO so that a minimum n-3 fatty acids content of 1.5 g per 100 g of product.

Rapid ecological assessment of benthic indicators of water quality: a successful capacity-building experience for Brazilian postgraduate students in ecology

Rapid Ecological Assessment protocols are important tools for the training of postgraduate students, as well as the collection of data on poorly-known and protected areas with the potential for the preservation of water supplies for urban areas. The objective of this study was to perform a survey of water quality and diversity of benthic macroinvertebrates in two sub-basins at the Mata do Junco Wildlife Refuge in the Brazilian state of Sergipe. The collection of data in the field, laboratory processing, and the interpretation and discussion of data were conducted in groups by students from two postgraduate programmes in Ecology and Conservation (UFMG and UFS), personnel of the state environment agency (SEMARH), school teachers from the local town of Capela, and members of the reserve's voluntary fire brigade. The results of the assessment were organised, analysed, and presented at the reserve headquarters in the form of posters, for the development of environmental education activities with pupils from local schools, as well as contributing to a SEMARH seminar. Samples were characterised by distinct taxonomic compositions and diversity, as confirmed by MDS and additive partitioning of diversity analyses. The gravel substrate presented the lower mean taxonomic richness in each sampling unit (a1 = 28%), while the average difference among samples (b1 diversity) was elevated for both substrates (39% for leaf litter, 41% for gravel), reflecting the pronounced variation among samples, even adjacent ones within the same stream. Diversity between streams was lower in the case of leaf litter in comparison with gravel (b2 = 21 and 31%, respectively). A total of 57 fish specimens were collected with a predominance of individuals of the orders Characiformes (62%) and Perciformes (21%). This rapid ecological assessment confirmed the importance of the conservation unit and emphasised the need for its continuation, given its importance for the maintenance of water quality and its other ecological services, such as the conservation of the region's aquatic biodiversity and providing the local town of Capela (circa 20,000 inhabitants) with its water supply, the Mata do Junco being its only source.

&lt;i&gt;In Situ&lt;/i&gt; Fabrication of Particles Reinforced Al-Si-Al&lt;sub&gt;2&lt;/sub&gt;O&lt;sub&gt;3&lt;/sub&gt; Composites by Hot Isostatic Pressing

Particles reinforced Al-xwt.%Si-Al2O3 (x=10,20) composites are fabricated through in situ reaction sintering of Al and SiO2 powder by hot isostatic pressing. Outgassing process and the microstructure of composites under different sintering processes are studied.XRD analysis confirms that the best hot outgassing temperature is 500°C,in situ reaction achieves completely and samples A2 and B2 have better microstructure at 550°C then heating-up to 700°C only for 1h.The microstructure analysis indicates that the reinforcement particulates distribute uniformly in the aluminum matrix.The mechanical properties test results show that the tensile strength of A2 is higher than B2. when x=10,the Al-Si-Al2O3 composites have better performance.

Structure of Bi2O3-ZnO-B2O3 system low-melting sealing glass

Bi2O3-ZnO-B2O3 system glass is a kind of lead-free low melting sealing glasses. The structure of Bi2O3-ZnO-B2O3 system low-melting sealing glass was investigated by DSC, FT-IR, XRD and SEM. The results show that with the increase of B2O3 content, the transition temperature T g and softening temperature T f of Bi2O3-ZnO-B2O3 system low-melting sealing glasses increase, which leads to the liquid phase precipitation temperature increasing and promotes the structure stability in the glass. With increasing the heat treatment temperature, a large number of liquid phases appear in samples and the sinter efficiency of the samples increases. The FT-IR spectra of the glasses show the presence of some bands that are assigned to vibrations of Bi—O bond from [BO3] pyramidal and [BiO6] octahedral units and B—O from [BO3] and [BO4] units. With the decrease of B2O3 content, the crystallization tendency of the glass increases. In glass samples B1 and B2, crystallization starts at 460 °C and 540 °C, respectively. Both of them precipitate Bi24B2O39 phases.

Short Communication: Preliminary Study On The Production Of Ginger-Fruit Candies

Pineapple, paw-paw and orange were blended with 10% ginger respectively to form samples B1, B2 and B3, while samples C1, C2 and C3 were pineapple, paw-paw and orange blended with 20% ginger respectively. Samples D1, D2 and D3 were formed by blending pineapple, paw-paw and orange with 50% ginger respectively. Each sample was cooked in sugar to produce candyand A (Hall ginger candy bought in the market) used as control to evaluate the acceptability of the ginger-fruit candies using a 7-point hedonic scale and 10-man panel of judges. The result showed a high over all acceptability of samples D2, B1, A and C1. This sh wed that pineapple and paw-paw can form base fruit for the production of ginger-fruit candies.

Wplyw warunkow oddzialywania rozpuszczalnikow organicznych na wlasciwosci barierowe wulkanizatow kauczuku butylowego

The methods of permeation tests of selected, commonly met at work-places, organic solvents through butyl rubber vulcanizates (IIR) under the conditions of either single continuous or repeated intermittent contact with the material were presented (Fig. 1-3). The solvents characterized by different thermodynamic similarity to non-polar IIR, namely polar n-butyl acetate and non-polar cyclohexane were used. The vulcanizates not containing the filler (samples B0), containing 10 phr of nanofiller (layered silicate, samples B1) or 20 phr of commercial carbon black N550 type (samples B2) were tested (Table 1). The measurements of normalized breakthrough time (t zn ) show that the solvent type and the way of its contact with vulcanizate significantly influence the chemical barrier properties of an elastomer (Fig. 4, 5). Namely, repeated interactions of a solvent with a material may cause the change of t zn value, dependently on the type of solvent used. In case of n-butyl acetate, showing clearly smaller thermodynamic similarity to non-polar IIR, t zn value was found to be much smaller in the conditions of repeated intermittent contact, than for single continuous contact of the solvent with the material. For cyclohexane, showing high thermodynamic similarity to non-polar IIR, the normalized breakthrough time was longer in case of repeated intermittent contact.

Stability of Pt-Ru/C Catalysts: Effects of Ru Content

Stability of four kinds of commercially available Pt-Ru/C (Pt:Ru = 1:1 for Samples A1, B1, and C1, and Pt:Ru = 1:2 for Sample B2) anode catalysts was investigated in 0.5 M H2SO4 by potential cycling. When the upper limit was set at potentials higher than 0.4 V, all Pt-Ru(1:1)/C samples were unstable and Ru concentration on the surface decreased during potential cycling tests. The degradation rate increased with increasing the upper potential limit. On the other hand, Samples A1 and B1 showed different tendencies in stability in the potential range of 0.05 to 0.2 V, depending on the crystallinity and the surface state (e.g. the presence of RuOx). Sample B2 (Pt:Ru = 1:2) had a higher stability than Sample B1 (Pt:Ru = 1:1) at high potentials > 0.4 V. On the contrary, the former had an inferior stability in the potential range of 0.05 to 0.2 V.

Phosphorus-31 spin–lattice NMR relaxation in bone apatite and its mineral standards

Phosphorus-31 spin–lattice relaxation, both in the laboratory ( B 0=4.7 T) and rotating frame ( B 1=2.2 mT), was studied in the following samples: mineral of whole human bone (samples B1–B6), apatite prepared from bone (BHA), natural brushite (BRU), synthetic hydroxyapatite hydrated (HAh) and calcined (HAc), and synthetic carbonatoapatite of type B (CHA-B) with 9 wt% of CO 3 2−. The T 1 P relaxation time was determined directly using the saturation recovery technique, while the T 1 ρ P relaxation time was measured via 1H→ 31P CP by incrementing the 31P spin-lock. In order to avoid an effect of magic-angle spinning (MAS) on CP and relaxation, the experiments were carried out on static samples. The 31P spin–lattice relaxation was discussed for trabecular and cortical bone tissue from adult subjects in comparison to the synthetic mineral standards. None of the reference materials has matched accurately the relaxation behaviour of the bone mineral. The most striking differences between the examined substances were observed for T 1 P , which for human bone was sample dependent and appeared in the range 55–100 s, while for HAh, HAc, and CHA-B was 7.2, 10.0, and 25.8 s, respectively. Possible reasons of so large relaxation diversity were discussed. It has been suggested that T 1 P of apatites is to some extent dependent on the concentration of the structural hydroxyl groups, and this in turn is controlled by the material crystallinity. It was also found that T 1 P decreased on hydration by ca. 30%. For T 1 ρ P , both its magnitude and dependence on the CP contact time gave useful structural information. The dehydrated samples (HAc and BHA) had long T 1 ρ P over 250 ms. Those, which contained water, either structural (BRU) or adsorbed on the crystal surface (HAh, CHA-B, and B1–B6), had shorter T 1 ρ P below 120 ms. It was concluded that the effect of water on T 1 ρ P is much more pronounced than on T 1 P . The interpretation has involved P-OH groups and adsorbed water, which cover the apatite crystal surface.

Potentialité d'utilisation d'argiles marocaines de Jbel Kharrou dans l'industrie céramique

The Ordovician clays of Jbel Kharrou (Rehamna, Morocco) have been studied for their use in ceramic industry. The realised studies were carried out on two samples B1 and B2, the most representative, taken from a clay dominated formation that outcrops 25 km east of the Skhour Rehamna city. The chemical analyses, mineralogical studies and advanced technological tests undertaken on the two samples indicate that these clays can be considered as non-refractory material, so they can be used to the manufacturing of ceramic products: soil and wall tiles, sanitary, pottery, etc. The tested briquettes, cooked at 1040 °C, remain flat, without deformation or defects; they are of cream white dye. These briquettes show a high mechanical resistance to the flexion, the loss in weight remains tolerable with cooking, lightly elevated (12% ); it can be corrected by the addition of a grease-remover. To cite this article: N. El Yakoubi et al., C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).

Nano-encapsulation of protein using an enteric polymer as carrier

In this preliminary work, an enteric polymer has been used for encapsulating bovine serum albumine (BSA) as a model protein drug. Poly (lactide-co- glycolide) has been commonly used for oral administration purposes as a polymer matrix, but in this case an enteric polymer was used effectively to protect the protein in a gastric environment. A modified water/oil/water technique was used to decrease the particle diameter, and transmission electron microscopy experiments showed that the average diameter of the nanoparticles obtained was below 100 nm. The spherical nature of the particles and their diameters strongly depend on the control of the process parameters. The encapsulation efficiency was 77% for sample B4, and protein release profiles for both samples B3 and B4 indicate that these systems possess controlled-release characteristics. Finally, as a result of electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE), the BSA was not chemically affected under encapsulation conditions.

CRITICAL CURRENT DENSITIES IN Bi1.7Pb0.3-xGdxSr2Ca3Cu4O12+y (x=0.01, 0.1) SUPERCONDUCTORS PREPARED BY MELT-QUENCHING METHOD AND ANNEALED IN DIFFERENT TIME INTERVALS

We report critical current density (Jc) behaviors of the Bi 1.7 Pb 0.3-x Gd x Sr 2 Ca 3 Cu 4 O 12+y (x=0.01, 0.1) superconductors prepared by melt-quenching method and annealed in different time intervals at 840°C. The effects of annealing times are found to be very important. For example, for the sample B2, the highest value of Jc is 3.7×104 A / cm 2 at 9 K. This value is almost 1.5 and 2 times greater than that of the samples B3 and B1, respectively. With increasing annealing time, the 2223 phase increases, thus resulting in a decrease in the insulating phase. For lower annealing times, there are a large number of insulating phases. On the whole, our results indicate that there is an optimum annealing time t to form the 2223 phase, in a time interval of 120&lt;t&lt;192 h . It is clearly seen that Jc decreases smoothly with increasing temperature for all the samples studied. At lower temperatures, especially below 30 K, an extremely rapid decrease of Jc with increasing temperature has been observed. The experimental values also show that between the temperature interval from 9–45 K, Jc decreases by one order of magnitude. We have also observed that when the Gd – Pb substitution increases, the effective defect density increases, leading to small critical current densities.

Effect of nitrate/nitrite on the quality of sausage (sucuk) during ripening and storage

AbstractThe effects of nitrate/nitrite on the microbial and chemical properties and sensory quality of Turkish‐style sausage (sucuk) were investigated during 15 days of ripening and 45 days of storage. Aerobic plate count, mould and yeast count, pH, 2‐thiobarbituric acid value, residual nitrite level, nitrosomyoglobin conversion and sensory characteristics (flavour, colour and cutting scores) were monitored. Aerobic plate count increased (P &lt; 0.05) during the first 8 days of ripening and decreased (P &lt; 0.05) during further ripening and storage. Mould and yeast count increased (P &lt; 0.05) during the first 4 days of ripening and decreased (P &lt; 0.05) during further ripening and storage. Overall sensory quality increased (P &lt; 0.05) during the first 12 days of ripening and decreased (P &lt; 0.05) during further ripening and storage. Increasing the nitrate/nitrite concentration increased (P &lt; 0.05) the overall sensory quality. During the first 4 days of ripening, the pH of all sausages decreased (P &lt; 0.05) from 5.98 to 4.53–4.81, owing to the action of lactic acid bacteria. Residual nitrite level decreased (P &lt; 0.05) sharply during the first 8 days of ripening, from 150 to about 2 mg kg−1 in sausage samples B3 (prepared with 150 mg kg−1 nitrite, 300 mg kg−1 nitrate and starter culture) and from 75 to about 1 mg kg−1 in samples B2 (prepared with 75 mg kg−1 nitrite, 150 mg kg−1 nitrate and starter culture). The conversion of haem pigments to nitrosomyoglobin increased (P &lt; 0.05) during the first 12 days of ripening and decreased (P &lt; 0.05) during further ripening and storage. Copyright © 2004 Society of Chemical Industry

Magnetic properties and superconductivity of mechanically alloyed (Mg1−xFex)B2 samples with x=0.0–0.4

In the current work, we have prepared and studied (Mg1−xFex)B2 samples with x=0.0–0.4 prepared by mechanical alloying and subsequent vacuum annealing. All the as-milled powders were found to be amorphous in x-ray diffraction examination and no superconductivity was evident until 4.2 K. The MgB2 phase was formed after a vacuum annealing at 450 °C or higher. For the pure MgB2 sample without Fe substitution, critical temperatures of 38–39 K was measured for the samples after heat treatment at 450 °C or higher. For Fe-containing samples (Mg1−xFex)B2 with x=0.05–0.2, the solubility of Fe in the MgB2 phase decreased with increasing annealing temperature as confirmed by x-ray diffraction and Mössbauer studies. Besides MgB2, other phases (α-Fe, Fe2B, and MgB4) were observed. The critical temperature Tc increased with increasing annealing temperatures, indicating that Tc decreased with increasing Fe concentration in the MgB2 phase. For (Mg0.6Fe0.4)B2, the MgB2 phase could not be formed after heat treatment and MgB4 and Fe2B were the major phases after crystallization. Superconductivity was not observed in the as-milled and subsequently annealed (Mg0.6Fe0.4)B2 specimens.

Ecotoxicological assessment of leachates from MSWI bottom ashes

In this paper, chemical and ecotoxicological data of leachates from bottom ashes collected in different Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators (MSWI) are shown. The bottom ashes were collected in Belgium (three incinerators—samples B1 to B3), France, Germany, Italy and United Kingdom (one incinerator in each country—samples F1, D1, I1 and UK1, respectively). Both chemical and ecotoxicological characterizations of leachates were done on the framework of the European Directive 91/689/EEC and the European Council Decision 94/904/EC. This work was carried out under the European project called Valomat, which was supported by the European Commission through Brite-Euram III program. Twenty-one inorganic parameters were analyzed. The ecotoxicological assays were done under standard laboratory conditions, using the bacterium Photobacterium phosphoreum, the freshwater alga Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata, the crustacean Daphnia magna and the vegetable Lactuca sativa. Chemical data varied from sample to sample. Similar results were obtained in biological assays. The samples can be classified as ecotoxic/hazardous according to the French proposal for a Criterion and Evaluation Methods of Waste Ecotoxicity (CEMWE) and the German regulation on Hazardous Waste Classification (HWC). However, samples B1, B2, B3 and D1 comply the maximum limits for direct valorization category defined in the French Classification of Bottom Ashes based on their Polluting Potential (CBAPP). Sample B1 presented the lowest level of ecotoxicity, being considered as the most interesting to be used in the development of new materials for civil engineering works.

Effect of Various Dairy Packaging Materials on the Shelf Life and Flavor of Pasteurized Milk

Milk from three different dairies (each a separate trial: 1, 2, and 3) was standardized to 2% fat and pasteurized at 92.2, 84.0, and 76.4°C (temperatures 1, 2, and 3, respectively) for 25s and packaged into six different packaging boards, [standard (A) milk boards with standard seam; juice boards with standard (B) and J-bottom (D) seams; barrier boards with standard (C) and J-bottom (E) seams; and foil (F) boards with J-bottom seam], resulting in 18 different treatments. Standard plate count (SPC) was used to test for microbial quality, and taste a panel was employed for flavor acceptability and difference on the milk stored at 6.7°C at 1, 2, 3, and 4 wk. Statistical analysis of taste panel data showed that the flavor of milk samples A2, B2, and D2 deteriorated faster than the blind control (freshly high temperature, short time pasteurized low fat milk processed at 80.6°C for 25s). The flavor of milk packaged in standard (A) and juice (B and D) boards deteriorated at a faster rate than milk packaged in barrier (C and E) and foil (F) boards. Microbial counts showed that milk samples stored at 6.7°C in trials 2 and 3 produced high SPC at wk 3 (ranges of bacteria in cfu/ml for trial 2: 9.9 × 101 –1.8 × 106 and trial 3: 2.5 × 105 –5.5 × 108). In trial 1, high SPC began at wk 4 (9.9 × 101 – 5.5 × 105 cfu/ml). Milk processed at 76.4°C had the lowest bacterial growth rate, and milk processed at 84.0°C had the highest bacterial growth rate. Different boards had no effects (P>0.05) on the bacterial growth rates. It appeared that the lower the SPC of the raw milk, the slower the bacterial growth rate after 2 wk of storage. Milk samples stored at 1.7°C maintained low SPC at wk 4, with counts of 0 to 40 cfu/ml for trial 2 and 0 to 200 cfu/ml for trial 3.