Comparison of optimised isotherm models for basic dye adsorption by kudzu

This study assesses the use of dried (5% w/w moisture) kudzu (Peuraria lobata ohwi) as an adsorbent medium for the removal of two basic dyes, Basic Yellow 21 and Basic Red 22, from aqueous solutions. The extent of adsorption was measured through equilibrium sorption isotherms for the single component systems. Equilibrium was achieved after 21 days. The experimental isotherm data were analysed using Langmuir, Freundlich, Redlich-Peterson, Temkin and Toth isotherm equations. A detailed error analysis was undertaken to investigate the effect of using different error criteria for the determination of the single component isotherm parameters. The performance of the kudzu was compared with an activated carbon (Chemviron F-400). Kudzu was found to be an effective adsorbent for basic dye colour removal, though its capacity for colour removal was not as high as an activated carbon, the potential appeared to exist to use it as an alternative to activated carbon where carbon cost was prohibitive. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Antibacterial activities of naturally occurring compounds against Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis.

The antibacterial activities of 18 naturally occurring compounds (including essential oils and some of their isolated constituents, apple and green tea polyphenols, and other plant extracts) against three strains of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (a bovine isolate [NCTC 8578], a raw-milk isolate [806R], and a human isolate [ATCC 43015]) were evaluated using a macrobroth susceptibility testing method. M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis was grown in 4 ml Middlebrook 7H9 broth containing 10% oleic acid-albumin-dextrose-catalase, 0.05% Tween 80 (or 0.2% glycerol), and 2 µg/ml mycobactin J supplemented with five concentrations of each test compound. The changes in the optical densities of the cultures at 600 nm as a measure of CFU were recorded at intervals over an incubation period of 42 days at 37°C. Six of the compounds were found to inhibit the growth of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis. The most effective compound was trans-cinnamaldehyde, with a MIC of 25.9 µg/ml, followed by cinnamon oil (26.2 µg/ml), oregano oil (68.2 µg/ml), carvacrol (72.2 µg/ml), 2,5-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (74 µg/ml), and 2-hydroxy-5-methoxybenzaldehyde (90.4 µg/ml). With the exception of carvacrol, a phenolic compound, three of the four most active compounds are aldehydes, suggesting that the structure of the phenolic group or the aldehyde group may be important to the antibacterial activity. No difference in compound activity was observed between the three M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis strains studied. Possible mechanisms of the antimicrobial effects are discussed.

Preliminary investigations on the effects of ageing and cooking on the Raman spectra of porcine longissimus dorsi

The influence of ageing and cooking on the Raman spectrum of porcine longissimus dorsi was investigated. The rich information contained in the Raman spectrum was highlighted, with numerous changes attributed to changes in the environment and conformations of the myofibrillar proteins.

Is there a role for n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids in the regulation of mood and behaviour? A review of the evidence to date from epidemiological studies, clinical studies and intervention trials

Selected biochemical evidence suggests a potential role for n-3 long-chain PUFA (n-3PUFA) in the regulation of mood and behaviour. The present paper reviews the relevant evidence, to date, from epidemiological studies, clinical studies and intervention trials. Most evidence is available investigating a role for n-3PUFA in depression, depressive illness and suicidal behaviour, but work is also available on anxiety and anxiety-related disorders, fatigue and fatigue-related disorders, aggression, hostility and anti-social behaviour, inattention, impulsivity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and schizophrenic disorders. For all these aspects of mood and behaviour, the evidence available is currently limited and highly inconsistent, both in terms of study methodology and study findings. There is a clear need for further work in this area.

Lipid content and fatty acid composition of the digital cushion of bulls offered different amounts of linseed

Previous research suggests that the digital cushion, a shock-absorbing structure in the claw, plays an important role in protecting cattle from lameness. This study aimed to assess the degree to which nutritional factors influence the composition of the digital cushion. This involved quantifying lipid content and fatty acid composition differences in digital cushion tissue from cattle offered diets with different amounts of linseed. Forty-six bulls were allocated to 1 of 4 treatments, which were applied for an average of 140 +/- 27 d during the finishing period. The treatments consisted of a linseed supplement offered once daily on top of the basal diet (grass silage:concentrate) at 0, 400, 800, or 1,200 g of supplement/animal per day. For each treatment, the concentrate offered was adjusted to ensure that total estimated ME intake was constant across treatments. Target BW at slaughter was 540 kg. Legs were collected in 3 batches after 120, 147 and 185 d on experiment. Six samples of the digital cushion were dissected from the right lateral hind claw of each animal. Lipids were extracted and expressed as a proportion of fresh tissue, and fatty acid composition of the digital cushion was determined by gas chromatography. Data were analyzed by ANOVA, with diet, location within the digital cushion, and their interactions as fixed effects and fat content (grams per 100 g of tissue) as a covariate. Linear or quadratic contrasts were examined. The lipid content of digital cushion tissue differed between sampling locations (P

The effect of feeder type and change of feeder type on growing and finishing pig performance and behaviour

Reduced feed intake and hence lower growth rates commonly occur when the environment of the pig changes, e.g. at weaning and when pigs are moved from growing accommodation to finishing accommodation. It is hypothesised that if environmental factors, such as feeder type, remain the same in the weaning and finishing accommodation this 'growth check' may be reduced. A total of 640 pigs in 32 pens of 20 pigs per pen were used to investigate the effects of two feeder types and changing or not changing the feeder type at 10 weeks of age on growth performance and behaviour in the periods from 4 to 10, 10 to finish (22) and from 4 to finish (22) weeks of age, respectively. The two feeder types tested were a 'wet and dry' single-space (S) feeder and a 'dry' multi-space feeder (M).

Effects of breed and production system on lameness parameters in dairy cattle

The aim of the present study was to assess the effects of Holstein-Friesian (HF) and Norwegian (N) dairy cattle genotypes on lameness parameters in dairy cattle within different production systems over the first 2 lactations. Following calving, HF (n = 39) and N (n = 45) heifers were allocated to 1 of 3 systems of production (high level of concentrate, low level of concentrate, and grass-based). High-and low-concentrate animals were continuously housed indoors on a rotational system so that they spent similar amounts of time on slatted and solid concrete floors. Animals on the grass treatment grazed from spring to autumn in both years of the study, so that most animals on this treatment grazed from around peak to late lactation. Claw health was recorded in both hind claws of each animal at 4 observation periods during each lactation as follows: 1) -8 to 70 d postcalving, 2) 71 to 150 d postcalving, 3) 151 to 225 d postcalving, and 4) 226 to 364 d postcalving. Sole lesions, heel erosion, axial wall deviation, sole length of the right lateral hind claw (claw length), right heel width, and right lateral hind heel height were recorded as well as the presence of digital dermatitis. The N cows had lower (better) white line and total lesion scores than HF cows. Cows on the high-and low-concentrate treatments had better sole and total lesion scores than cows on the grass treatment. The HF cows had better locomotion scores than N cows. Breed and production system differences were observed with respect to claw conformation, including claw length, heel width, and heel height. Digital dermatitis was associated with worse sole lesion scores and interacted with production system to influence white line lesion scores and maximum heel erosion scores. This study shows that genetic, environmental, and infectious factors are associated with hoof pathologies in dairy cows.

Red meat consumption: An overview of the risks and benefits

Red meat is long established as an important dietary source of protein and essential nutrients including iron, zinc and vitamin B12, yet recent reports that its consumption may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and colon cancer have led to a negative perception of the role of red meat in health. The aim of this paper is to review existing literature for both the risks and benefits of red meat consumption, focusing on case-control and prospective studies. Despite many studies reporting an association between red meat and the risk of CVD and colon cancer, several methodological limitations and inconsistencies were identified which may impact on the validity of their findings. Overall, there is no strong evidence to support the recent conclusion from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) report that red meat has a convincing role to play in colon cancer. A substantial amount of evidence supports the role of lean red meat as a positive moderator of lipid profiles with recent Studies identifying it as a dietary source of the anti-inflammatory long chain (LC) n-3 PUFAs and conjugated linoleic acid (CIA). In conclusion. moderate consumption of lean red meat as part of a balanced diet is unlikely to increase risk for CVD or colon cancer, but may positively influence nutrient intakes and fatty acid profiles, thereby impacting positively on long-term health. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

The application of colloidal gas aphrons in the recovery of fine cellulose fibres from paper mill wastewater

Colloidal gas aphrons (CGAs) are micron-sized gas bubbles of 25–30 µm in diameter produced by a high-speed stirrer in a vessel containing dilute surfactant solution. These bubbles, because of their small size, exhibit some colloidal properties. In this work, CGAs were used to separate fine fibres from a lean slurry of cellulosic pulp in a flotation column. The pulp fibres were recovered as foamate from the top. Sodium dodecyl sulphate at a concentration of 2.0 kg/m3 was used as a surfactant to generate the CGAs in a spinning disc apparatus. The results indicated that up to 70% flotation efficiency could be obtained within a short column height of 0.3–0.35 m. This technique can be applied to recover fine cellulosic pulp from paper-machine backwater.

Adsorption of Ni(SO4) on Malaysian rubber-wood ash

The possible use of wood ash as an adsorbent of nickel sulphate from dilute solutions and the effect of operating parameters were investigated in this study. The rate constants of adsorption were determined at different concentrations and temperatures. The applicability of the first-order reversible equation and an empirical kinetic model were tested to understand the kinetics of nickel sulphate removal at different concentrations. Pore diffusion was found as the rate-controlling step. The Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms were applied to find out the adsorption parameters. The activation energy of adsorption was -11.54 kJ mol-1. The value of the enthalpy change was ?H=-10.35 kcal mol-1.

Maximising capture efficiency and specificity of magnetic separation for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis cells

In order to introduce specificity for Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis prior to a phage amplification assay, various magnetic-separation approaches, involving either antibodies or peptides, were evaluated in terms of the efficiency of capture (expressed as a percentage) of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis cells and the percentage of nonspecific binding by other Mycobacterium spp. A 50:50 mixture of MyOne Tosylactivated Dynabeads coated with the chemically synthesized M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis-specific peptides biotinylated aMp3 and biotinylated aMptD (i.e., peptide-mediated magnetic separation [PMS]) proved to be the best magnetic-separation approach for achieving 85 to 100% capture of M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis and minimal (<1%) nonspecific recovery of other Mycobacterium spp. (particularly if beads were blocked with 1% skim milk before use) from broth samples containing 103 to 104 CFU/ml. When PMS was coupled with a recently optimized phage amplification assay and used to detect M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis in 50-ml volumes of spiked milk, the mean 50% limit of detection (LOD50) was 14.4 PFU/50 ml of milk (equivalent to 0.3 PFU/ml). This PMS-phage assay represents a novel, rapid method for the detection and enumeration of viable M. avium subsp. paratuberculosis organisms in milk, and potentially other sample matrices, with results available within 48 h.

An investigation into the behaviour of concrete containing seawater-neutralised bauxite refinery residues in silage effluent

The farm production of silage as a winter-feed supplement is widespread. However, the bins in which silage is produced are subject to acidic and microbial attacks. Both these types of attack can lead to a weakening and failure of the concretes, especially on the outer lip of the open side of the silage pit. Consequently, the development of an acid-resistant concrete that can extend the life span of silage bins on farms could lead to considerable cost savings for farmers and, hence, can improve farm productivity. This paper reports on test results of an investigation into the behaviour of concrete containing seawater-neutralised bauxite refinery residues (Bauxsol™) exposed to sulphuric acid environments in the laboratory and to silage effluents. The concrete manufactured had a fixed water–cement ratio of 0.55 and natural sand was replaced with the Bauxsol™ at 0%, 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% by cement mass. Results indicated that the use of Bauxsol™ as a sand replacement material improved the behaviour of concrete both in sulphuric acid in the laboratory as well as in the silage effluent. Consequently, it is concluded that the Bauxsol™ can be used to replace 10% of natural sand to produce concrete that is resistant to silage effluents, providing an extended service life over conventional concretes used in silage pits.