40 CFR 91.419 - Raw emission sampling calculations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... a test [g/kW-hr]. Wi = Average mass flow rate (WHC, WCO, WNOx) of an emission from the test engine during mode i, [g/hr]. fi = Weighting factors for each mode according to § 91.410(a) Pi = Average power... brake-specific fuel consumption in grams of fuel per kilowatt-hour (g/kW-hr). Fi = Fuel mass flow rate...

40 CFR 91.419 - Raw emission sampling calculations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... a test [g/kW-hr]. Wi = Average mass flow rate (WHC, WCO, WNOx) of an emission from the test engine during mode i, [g/hr]. fi = Weighting factors for each mode according to § 91.410(a) Pi = Average power... brake-specific fuel consumption in grams of fuel per kilowatt-hour (g/kW-hr). Fi = Fuel mass flow rate...

40 CFR 91.419 - Raw emission sampling calculations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... a test [g/kW-hr]. Wi = Average mass flow rate (WHC, WCO, WNOx) of an emission from the test engine during mode i, [g/hr]. fi = Weighting factors for each mode according to § 91.410(a) Pi = Average power... brake-specific fuel consumption in grams of fuel per kilowatt-hour (g/kW-hr). Fi = Fuel mass flow rate...

40 CFR 91.419 - Raw emission sampling calculations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... a test [g/kW-hr]. Wi = Average mass flow rate (WHC, WCO, WNOx) of an emission from the test engine during mode i, [g/hr]. fi = Weighting factors for each mode according to § 91.410(a) Pi = Average power... brake-specific fuel consumption in grams of fuel per kilowatt-hour (g/kW-hr). Fi = Fuel mass flow rate...

40 CFR 91.419 - Raw emission sampling calculations.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... a test [g/kW-hr]. Wi = Average mass flow rate (WHC, WCO, WNOx) of an emission from the test engine during mode i, [g/hr]. fi = Weighting factors for each mode according to § 91.410(a) Pi = Average power... brake-specific fuel consumption in grams of fuel per kilowatt-hour (g/kW-hr). Fi = Fuel mass flow rate...

Recycling the product of thermal transformation of cement-asbestos for the preparation of calcium sulfoaluminate clinker.

PubMed

Viani, Alberto; Gualtieri, Alessandro F

2013-09-15

According to recent resolutions of the European Parliament (2012/2065(INI)), the need for environmentally friendly alternative solutions to landfill disposal of hazardous wastes, such as asbestos-containing materials, prompts their recycling as secondary raw materials (end of waste concept). In this respect, for the first time, we report the recycling of the high temperature product of cement-asbestos, in the formulation of calcium sulfoaluminate cement clinkers (novel cementitious binders designed to reduce CO₂ emissions), as a continuation of a previous work on their systematic characterization. Up to 29 wt% of the secondary raw material was successfully introduced into the raw mix. Different clinker samples were obtained at 1250 °C and 1300 °C, reproducing the phase composition of industrial analogues. As an alternative source of Ca and Si, this secondary raw material allows for a reduction of the CO₂ emissions in cement production, mitigating the ecological impact of cement manufacturing, and reducing the need for natural resources. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR Table N-1 to Subpart N of... - CO2 Emission Factors for Carbonate-Based Raw Materials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

...-Based Raw Materials N Table N-1 to Subpart N of Part 98 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL... Raw Materials Carbonate-basedraw material—mineral CO2 emission factor a Limestone—CaCO3 0.440 Dolomite... in units of metric tons of CO2 emitted per metric ton of carbonate-based raw material charged to the...

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Asphalt Pavement Construction: A Case Study in China

PubMed Central

Ma, Feng; Sha, Aimin; Lin, Ruiyu; Huang, Yue; Wang, Chao

2016-01-01

In China, the construction of asphalt pavement has a significant impact on the environment, and energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from asphalt pavement construction have been receiving increasing attention in recent years. At present, there is no universal criterion for the evaluation of GHG emissions in asphalt pavement construction. This paper proposes to define the system boundaries for GHG emissions from asphalt pavement by using a process-based life cycle assessment method. A method for evaluating GHG emissions from asphalt pavement construction is suggested. The paper reports a case study of GHG emissions from a typical asphalt pavement construction project in China. The results show that the greenhouse gas emissions from the mixture mixing phase are the highest, and account for about 54% of the total amount. The second highest GHG emission phase is the production of raw materials. For GHG emissions of cement stabilized base/subbase, the production of raw materials emits the most, about 98%. The GHG emission for cement production alone is about 92%. The results indicate that any measures to reduce GHG emissions from asphalt pavement construction should be focused on the raw materials manufacturing stage. If the raw materials production phase is excluded, the measures to reduce GHG emissions should be aimed at the mixture mixing phase. PMID:27011196

Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Asphalt Pavement Construction: A Case Study in China.

PubMed

Ma, Feng; Sha, Aimin; Lin, Ruiyu; Huang, Yue; Wang, Chao

2016-03-22

In China, the construction of asphalt pavement has a significant impact on the environment, and energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from asphalt pavement construction have been receiving increasing attention in recent years. At present, there is no universal criterion for the evaluation of GHG emissions in asphalt pavement construction. This paper proposes to define the system boundaries for GHG emissions from asphalt pavement by using a process-based life cycle assessment method. A method for evaluating GHG emissions from asphalt pavement construction is suggested. The paper reports a case study of GHG emissions from a typical asphalt pavement construction project in China. The results show that the greenhouse gas emissions from the mixture mixing phase are the highest, and account for about 54% of the total amount. The second highest GHG emission phase is the production of raw materials. For GHG emissions of cement stabilized base/subbase, the production of raw materials emits the most, about 98%. The GHG emission for cement production alone is about 92%. The results indicate that any measures to reduce GHG emissions from asphalt pavement construction should be focused on the raw materials manufacturing stage. If the raw materials production phase is excluded, the measures to reduce GHG emissions should be aimed at the mixture mixing phase.

Mercury enrichment and its effects on atmospheric emissions in cement plants of China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Fengyang; Wang, Shuxiao; Zhang, Lei; Yang, Hai; Wu, Qingru; Hao, Jiming

2014-08-01

The cement industry is one of the most significant anthropogenic sources of atmospheric mercury emissions worldwide. In this study of three typical Chinese cement plants, mercury in kiln flue gas was sampled using the Ontario Hydro Method (OHM), and solid samples were analyzed. Particulate matter recycling, preheating of raw materials, and the use of coal and flue gas desulfurization derived gypsum contributed to emissions of Hg in the air and to accumulation in cement. Over 90% of the mercury input was emitted into the atmosphere. Mercury emission factors were 0.044-0.072 g/t clinker for the test plants. The major species emitted into the atmosphere from cement plants is oxidized mercury, accounting for 61%-91% of the total mercury in flue gas. The results of this study help improve the accuracy of the mercury emission inventory in China and provide useful information for developing mercury controls.

40 CFR 89.401 - Scope; applicability.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... subpart B of this part. (b) Exhaust gases, either raw or dilute, are sampled while the test engine is operated using the appropriate test cycle on an engine dynamometer. The exhaust gases receive specific... the power output during each mode. Emissions are reported as grams per kilowatt hour (g/kW-hr). (c...

Polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran and polychlorinated biphenyl emissions from different smelting stages in secondary copper metallurgy.

PubMed

Hu, Jicheng; Zheng, Minghui; Nie, Zhiqiang; Liu, Wenbin; Liu, Guorui; Zhang, Bing; Xiao, Ke

2013-01-01

Secondary copper production has received much attention for its high emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) reported in previous studies. These studies focused on the estimation of total PCDD/F and polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) emissions from secondary copper smelters. However, large variations in PCDD/F and PCB emissions reported in these studies were not analyzed and discussed further. In this study, stack gas samples at different smelting stages (feeding-fusion, oxidation and deoxidization) were collected from four plants to investigate variations in PCDD/F and PCB emissions and characteristics during the secondary copper smelting process. The results indicate that PCDD/F emissions occur mainly at the feeding-fusion stage and these emissions contribute to 54-88% of the total emissions from the secondary copper smelting process. The variation in feed material and operating conditions at different smelting stages leads to the variation in PCDD/F emissions during the secondary copper smelting process. The total PCDD/F and PCB discharge (stack gas emission+fly ash discharge) is consistent with the copper scrap content in the raw material in the secondary copper smelters investigated. On a production basis of 1 ton copper, the total PCDD/F and dl-PCB discharge was 102, 24.8 and 5.88 μg TEQ t(-1) for the three plants that contained 100%, 30% and 0% copper scrap in their raw material feed, respectively. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A novel approach combining self-organizing map and parallel factor analysis for monitoring water quality of watersheds under non-point source pollution

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yixiang; Liang, Xinqiang; Wang, Zhibo; Xu, Lixian

2015-01-01

High content of organic matter in the downstream of watersheds underscored the severity of non-point source (NPS) pollution. The major objectives of this study were to characterize and quantify dissolved organic matter (DOM) in watersheds affected by NPS pollution, and to apply self-organizing map (SOM) and parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) to assess fluorescence properties as proxy indicators for NPS pollution and labor-intensive routine water quality indicators. Water from upstreams and downstreams was sampled to measure dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations and excitation-emission matrix (EEM). Five fluorescence components were modeled with PARAFAC. The regression analysis between PARAFAC intensities (Fmax) and raw EEM measurements indicated that several raw fluorescence measurements at target excitation-emission wavelength region could provide similar DOM information to massive EEM measurements combined with PARAFAC. Regression analysis between DOC concentration and raw EEM measurements suggested that some regions in raw EEM could be used as surrogates for labor-intensive routine indicators. SOM can be used to visualize the occurrence of pollution. Relationship between DOC concentration and PARAFAC components analyzed with SOM suggested that PARAFAC component 2 might be the major part of bulk DOC and could be recognized as a proxy indicator to predict the DOC concentration. PMID:26526140

Effects of mixing and covering with mature compost on gaseous emissions during composting.

PubMed

Luo, Wen Hai; Yuan, Jing; Luo, Yi Ming; Li, Guo Xue; Nghiem, Long D; Price, William E

2014-12-01

This study investigated effects of mature compost on gaseous emissions during composting using pig manure amended with corn stalks. Apart from a control treatment, three treatments were conducted with the addition of 5% (wet weight of raw materials) of mature compost: (a) mixing raw materials with mature compost at the beginning of composting; (b) covering raw materials with mature compost throughout the experimental period; and (c) covering raw materials with mature compost at the start of composting, but incorporating it into composting pile on day 6 of composting. Mature compost used for the last treatment was inoculated with 2% (wet weight) of raw materials of strain M5 (a methanotrophic bacterium) solution. During 30-d of composting, three treatments with the addition of mature compost could reduce CH4 emission by 53-64% and N2O emission by 43-71%. However, covering with mature compost throughout the experimental period increased cumulative NH3 emission by 61%, although it could reduce 34% NH3 emission in the first 3d. Inoculating strain M5 in mature compost covered on the top of composting pile within first 6d enhanced CH4 oxidation, but simultaneously increased N2O emission. In addition, mixing with mature compost could improve compost maturity. Given the operational convenience in practice, covering with mature compost and then incorporating it into composting pile is a suitable approach to mitigate gaseous emissions during composting. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

“Comprehensive emission measurements from prescribed ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Simultaneous aerial- and ground-based emission sampling was conducted during prescribed burns at Eglin Air Force Base in November 2012 on a short grass/shrub field and a pine forest. Cumulative emission samples for volatile organic comounds, elemental carbon, organic carbon, chlorinated dioxins and furans, and PM2.5 and continuous samples for black carbon, particle size, and CO2 were taken. Aerial instruments were lofted using a 5 m diameter, helium-filled aerostat that was maneuvered with two remotely-controlled tethers mounted on all-terrain vehicles. A parallel set of instruments on the ground made simultaneous measurements, allowing for a comparison of ground level versus elevated measurements. Ground instruments were supplemented by additional measurements of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and particle aerosol absorption and light scattering. Raw biomass was also gathered on site and tested in a laboratory combustion facility using the same array of instruments. This work compares emissions derived from aerial and ground sampling as well as field and laboratory results. This abstract will likely be the first ever prescribed burn study to compare laboratory and field emission results with results from aerial and and ground sampling. As such it will inform sampling methods for future events and determine the ability of laboratory simulations to mimic events inthe field.

What measurements tell us about air composition and emissions in three US oil and gas fields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Petron, G.; Miller, B. R.; Montzka, S. A.; Dlugokencky, E. J.; Kofler, J.; Sweeney, C.; Karion, A.; Frost, G. J.; Helmig, D.; Hueber, J.; Schnell, R. C.; Conley, S. A.; Tans, P. P.

2013-12-01

In 2012 and 2013, the NOAA Global Monitoring Division and several collaborators conducted intensive airborne and ground campaigns in three US oil and gas plays to study emissions of methane and surface ozone precursors. In this presentation we will focus on the multiple species analysis in discrete air samples collected with the NOAA Mobile Laboratory (ML) and the light aircraft in the Uinta Basin (Utah), Denver Julesburg Basin (Colorado) and Barnett Shale (Texas). Hydrocarbon ratios in samples collected with the ML downwind of specific sources show significantly more variability than the aircraft samples. These surface samples provide some useful information about the composition of various sources in each region. Ratios of the non-methane hydrocarbons on the ground and higher in the boundary layer show some differences between the plays, which could be explained by the different composition of the raw gas being produced or by different mixes of sources contributions. Understanding the speciation of atmospheric emissions is critical to identify emission vectors and to assess their potential air quality and climate impacts. Our measurement results will be compared with data from other studies, including emission inventories.

Updated atmospheric speciated mercury emissions from iron and steel production in China during 2000-2015

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Qingru; Gao, Wei; Wang, Shuxiao; Hao, Jiming

2017-09-01

Iron and steel production (ISP) is one of the significant atmospheric Hg emission sources in China. Atmospheric mercury (Hg) emissions from ISP during 2000-2015 were estimated by using a technology-based emission factor method. To support the application of this method, databases of Hg concentrations in raw materials, technology development trends, and Hg removal efficiencies of air pollution control devices (APCDs) were constructed through national sampling and literature review. Hg input to ISP increased from 21.6 t in 2000 to 94.5 t in 2015. In the various types of raw materials, coking coal and iron concentrates contributed 35-46 and 25-32 % of the total Hg input. Atmospheric Hg emissions from ISP increased from 11.5 t in 2000 to 32.7 t in 2015 with a peak of 35.6 t in 2013. Pollution control promoted the increase in average Hg removal efficiency, from 47 % in 2000 to 65 % in 2015. During the study period, sinter/pellet plants and blast furnaces were the largest two emission processes. However, emissions from roasting plants and coke ovens cannot be ignored, which accounted for 22-34 % of ISP's emissions. Overall, Hg speciation shifted from 50/44/6 (gaseous elemental Hg (Hg0)/gaseous oxidized Hg (HgII)/particulate-bound Hg (Hgp)) in 2000 to 40/59/1 in 2015, which indicated a higher proportion of Hg deposition around the emission points. Future emissions of ISP were expected to decrease based on the comprehensive consideration crude-steel production, steel scrap utilization, energy saving, and pollution control measures.

Performance evaluation of a biodiesel fuelled transportation engine retrofitted with a non-noble metal catalysed diesel oxidation catalyst for controlling unregulated emissions.

PubMed

Shukla, Pravesh Chandra; Gupta, Tarun; Agarwal, Avinash Kumar

2018-02-15

In present study, engine exhaust was sampled for measurement and analysis of unregulated emissions from a four cylinder transportation diesel engine using a state-of-the-art FTIR (Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) emission analyzer. Test fuels used were Karanja biodiesel blend (B20) and baseline mineral diesel. Real-time emission measurements were performed for raw exhaust as well as exhaust sampled downstream of the two in-house prepared non-noble metal based diesel oxidation catalysts (DOCs) and a baseline commercial DOC based on noble metals. Two prepared non-noble metal based DOCs were based on Co-Ce mixed oxide and Lanthanum based perovskite catalysts. Perovskite based DOC performed superior compared to Co-Ce mixed oxide catalyst based DOC. Commercial noble metal based DOC was found to be the most effective in reducing unregulated hydrocarbon emissions in the engine exhaust, followed by the two in-house prepared non-noble metal based DOCs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emissions from diesel engines using fatty acid methyl esters from different vegetable oils as blends and pure fuel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schröder, O.; Munack, A.; Schaak, J.; Pabst, C.; Schmidt, L.; Bünger, J.; Krahl, J.

2012-05-01

Biodiesel is used as a neat fuel as well as in blends with mineral diesel fuel. Because of the limited availability of fossil resources, an increase of biogenic compounds in fuels is desired. To achieve this goal, next to rapeseed oil, other sustainably produced vegetable oils can be used as raw materials. These raw materials influence the fuel properties as well as the emissions. To investigate the environmental impact of the exhaust gas, it is necessary to determine regulated and non-regulated exhaust gas components. In detail, emissions of aldehydes and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), as well as mutagenicity in the Ames test are of special interest. In this paper emission measurements on a Euro III engine OM 906 of Mercedes-Benz are presented. As fuel vegetable oil methyl esters from various sources and reference diesel fuel were used as well as blends of the vegetable oil methyl esters with diesel fuel. PAH were sampled according to VDI Guideline 3872. The sampling procedure of carbonyls was accomplished using DNPH cartridges coupled with potassium iodide cartridges. The carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions of the tested methyl esters show advantages over DF. The particle mass emissions of methyl esters were likewise lower than those of DF, only linseed oil methyl ester showed higher particle mass emissions. A disadvantage is the use of biodiesel with respect to emissions of nitrogen oxides. They increased depending on the type of methyl ester by 10% to 30%. Emissions of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and the results of mutagenicity tests correlate with those of the PM measurements, at which for palm oil methyl ester next to coconut oil methyl ester the lowest emissions were detected. From these results one can formulate a clear link between the iodine number of the ester and the emission behaviour. For blends of biodiesel and diesel fuel, emissions changed linearly with the proportion of biodiesel. However, especially in the non-regulated exhaust gas components, some deviations from this linear trend were detected.

Reduction of CO2 diffuse emissions from the traditional ceramic industry by the addition of Si-Al raw material.

PubMed

González, I; Barba-Brioso, C; Campos, P; Romero, A; Galán, E

2016-09-15

The fabrication of ceramics can produce the emission of several gases, denominated exhaust gases, and also vapours resulting from firing processes, which usually contain metals and toxic substances affecting the environment and the health of workers. Especially harmful are the diffuse emissions of CO2, fluorine, chlorine and sulphur from the ceramics industry, which, in highly industrialized areas, can suppose an important emission focus of dangerous effects. Concerning CO2, factories that use carbonate-rich raw materials (>30% carbonates) can emit high concentrations of CO2 to the atmosphere. Thus, carbonate reduction or substitution with other raw materials would reduce the emissions. In this contribution, we propose the addition of Al-shales to the carbonated ceramic materials (marls) for CO2 emission reduction, also improving the quality of the products. The employed shales are inexpensive materials of large reserves in SW-Spain. The ceramic bodies prepared with the addition of selected Al-shale to marls in variable proportions resulted in a 40%-65% CO2 emission reduction. In addition, this research underlines at the same time that the use of a low-price raw material can also contribute to obtaining products with higher added value. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

ELECTROLYTE AND MINERAL COMPOSITION OF TERM DONOR HUMAN MILK BEFORE AND AFTER PASTEURIZATION AND OF RAW MILK OF PRETERM MOTHERS.

PubMed

Codo, Carla Regina Bianchi; Caldas, Jamil Pedro de Siqueira; Peixoto, Rafaella Regina Alves; Sanches, Vitor Lacerda; Guiraldelo, Tamara Cristina; Cadore, Solange; Marba, Sérgio Tadeu Martins

2018-02-22

To determine and compare the concentrations of electrolytes and minerals in three different types of maternal milk samples: term donor milk before pasteurization, term donor milk after pasteurization and raw milk of mothers of preterm newborns at bedside. Descriptive cross-sectional study. Concentrations of calcium (Ca), phosphorous (P), magnesium (Mg), sodium (Na) and potassium (K) were measured in random samples of three human breast milk groups. Samples were analyzed using acid mineralization assisted by microwave radiation and further analysis by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Concentrations were expressed in mg/L, described as mean and standard deviation. The one-way ANOVA and Tukey's post-test were applied to determine the variability between the means of each group. Significance level was set at 5%. There was a significant reduction in the content of Ca (259.4±96.8 vs. 217.0±54.9; p=0.003), P (139.1±51.7 vs. 116.8±33.3; p=0.004) and K (580.8±177.1 vs. 470.9±109.4; p<0.0001) in donor maternal milk before and after pasteurization. Samples of raw milk presented higher contents of Na than the donated milk (twice). The elements P and Ca would only reach the daily intake levels recommended by the European Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition if at least 60 mL of milk could be offered every 3 hours. Mg levels were not different between the three groups. There was a significant reduction in Ca, P and K levels in samples after pasteurization. The Na value in raw milk, collected at bedside, was higher than in the samples of donor's milk before pasteurization.

Performance of low-voltage STEM/TEM with delta corrector and cold field emission gun.

PubMed

Sasaki, Takeo; Sawada, Hidetaka; Hosokawa, Fumio; Kohno, Yuji; Tomita, Takeshi; Kaneyama, Toshikatsu; Kondo, Yukihito; Kimoto, Koji; Sato, Yuta; Suenaga, Kazu

2010-08-01

To reduce radiation damage caused by the electron beam and to obtain high-contrast images of specimens, we have developed a highly stabilized transmission electron microscope equipped with a cold field emission gun and spherical aberration correctors for image- and probe-forming systems, which operates at lower acceleration voltages than conventional transmission electron microscopes. A delta-type aberration corrector is designed to simultaneously compensate for third-order spherical aberration and fifth-order 6-fold astigmatism. Both were successfully compensated in both scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) modes in the range 30-60 kV. The Fourier transforms of raw high-angle annular dark field (HAADF) images of a Si[110] sample revealed spots corresponding to lattice spacings of 111 and 96 pm at 30 and 60 kV, respectively, and those of raw TEM images of an amorphous Ge film with gold particles showed spots corresponding to spacings of 91 and 79 pm at 30 and 60 kV, respectively. Er@C(82)-doped single-walled carbon nanotubes, which are carbon-based samples, were successfully observed by HAADF-STEM imaging with an atomic-level resolution.

Behavior or Nonmetallic Materials in Shale Oil Derived Jet Fuels and in High Aromatic and High Sulfur Petroleum Fuels

DTIC Science & Technology

1978-07-01

degrades thermal stability and forms undesirable sulfur dioxide emissions . Although the original premises for controlling total sulfur may not still...eliminate corrosive trace contamination, presence of surfactants which deactivate filter/ separators, carry-over of refinery processing materials, and...increase raw vapor emissions from ground fuel handling facilities and during refueling operations. Controlling raw vapor emissions is difficult at 3

40 CFR 63.1345 - Emissions limits for affected sources other than kilns; in-line kiln/raw mills; clinker coolers...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... other than kilns; in-line kiln/raw mills; clinker coolers; new and reconstructed raw material dryers; and raw and finish mills, and open clinker piles. 63.1345 Section 63.1345 Protection of Environment... for affected sources other than kilns; in-line kiln/raw mills; clinker coolers; new and reconstructed...

An investigation on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon emissions from pulverized coal combustion systems

PubMed

Pisupati; Wasco; Scaroni

2000-05-29

Results from a series of tests conducted to study the emission of polynuclear or polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from bench-scale and small industrial, water-tube boiler are discussed. A Middle Kittanning, and Upper Freeport seam coals were used in the study. Samples were extracted from the reactor outlet and from the inlet and outlet sides of the research boiler's (RB) baghouse using EPA promulgated methods.Only acenaphthene and fluoranthene were detected in down-fired combustor (DFC) samples. In addition to these two, naphthalene was detected in the RB samples. Emission factors ranged from 80 to 320 &mgr;g/kg of fuel fired. Although there were minor trends in the emissions' data, given the reproducibility limits for PAH compounds, no significant differences were found in the emissions with respect to the fuel type or form (pulverized coal (PC) vs. coal-water slurry fuel (CWSF), and raw vs. cleaned coal) and firing conditions (high and low excess air). The PAH emissions showed a decrease with increase in the firing rate.A bench-scale drop-tube reactor (DTR) was used to study the effects of temperature and residence time on PAH formation. The results revealed near constant PAH concentrations in the solid-phase samples, while the PAH concentrations in the vapor-phase samples increased as a function of temperature. At a temperature of around 1300 degrees C, the rate of PAH formation was exceeded by the rate of PAH oxidation, and PAH concentrations in the vapor phase began to decrease.

40 CFR Table N-1 to Subpart N of... - CO2 Emission Factors for Carbonate-Based Raw Materials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... Raw Materials Carbonate-basedraw material—mineral CO2 emission factor a Limestone—CaCO3 0.440 Dolomite—CaMg(CO3)2 0.477 Sodium carbonate/soda ash—Na2CO3 0.415 Barium carbonate—BaCO3 0.223 Potassium...

40 CFR Table N-1 to Subpart N of... - CO2 Emission Factors for Carbonate-Based Raw Materials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Raw Materials Carbonate-basedraw material—mineral CO2 emission factor a Limestone—CaCO3 0.440 Dolomite—CaMg(CO3)2 0.477 Sodium carbonate/soda ash—Na2CO3 0.415 Barium carbonate—BaCO3 0.223 Potassium...

40 CFR Table N-1 to Subpart N of... - CO2 Emission Factors for Carbonate-Based Raw Materials

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Raw Materials Carbonate-basedraw material—mineral CO2 emission factor a Limestone—CaCO3 0.440 Dolomite—CaMg(CO3)2 0.477 Sodium carbonate/soda ash—Na2CO3 0.415 Barium carbonate—BaCO3 0.223 Potassium...

40 CFR 63.1343 - Standards for kilns and in-line kiln/raw mills.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.../raw mills. 63.1343 Section 63.1343 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Industry Emission Standards and Operating Limits § 63.1343 Standards for kilns and in-line kiln/raw mills. (a) General. The provisions in this section apply to each kiln, each in-line kiln/raw mill, and any...

40 CFR 63.1346 - Standards for new or reconstructed raw material dryers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 11 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 true Standards for new or reconstructed raw... Industry Emission Standards and Operating Limits § 63.1346 Standards for new or reconstructed raw material dryers. (a) New or reconstructed raw material dryers located at facilities that are major sources can not...

Carbonyl Emissions From Oil and Gas Production Facilities

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyman, S. N.; O'Neil, T.; Tran, T.

2015-12-01

A number of recent studies have targeted emissions of methane and other hydrocarbons from oil and gas exploration and production activity. These measurements are greatly increasing understanding of the atmospheric impacts of oil and gas development. Very few measurements exist, however, of emissions of formaldehyde and other carbonyls from oil and gas equipment. Carbonyls are toxic and serve as important ozone precursors, especially during winter ozone episodes in places like Utah's Uintah Basin. Current air quality models are only able to reproduce observed high wintertime ozone if they incorporate emissions inventories with very high carbonyl emissions. We measured carbonyl emissions from oil and gas equipment and facilities—including glycol dehydrators, liquid storage tanks, raw gas leaks, raw gas-burning engines, and produced water surface impoundments—in Rocky Mountain oil and gas fields. Carbonyl emissions from raw gas were below detection, but emissions of formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, and other carbonyls were detected from liquid storage tanks, glycol dehydrators, and other oil and gas equipment. In some cases, carbonyls may be formed from the degradation of methanol and other chemicals used in oil and gas production, but the collected data provide evidence for other non-combustion formation pathways. Raw gas-burning engines also emitted carbonyls. Emissions from all measured sources were a small fraction of total volatile organic compound emissions. We incorporated our measurements into an emissions inventory, used that inventory in an air quality model (WRF-SMOKE-CAMx), and were unable to reproduce observed high wintertime ozone. This could be because (1) emission sources we have not yet measured, including compressors, gas processing plants, and others, are large; (2) non-carbonyl emissions, especially those that quickly degrade into carbonyls during photochemical processing, are underestimated in the inventory; or (3) the air quality model is unable to accurately simulate inversion conditions or wintertime chemistry, thus leading to low ozone production in spite of an accurate inventory.

Greenhouse gas emission and groundwater pollution potentials of soils amended with raw and carbonized swine solids

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this research is to study the greenhouse gas emission and groundwater pollution potentials of the soils amended with raw swine solids and swine biochars made from different thermochemical conditions. Triplicate sets of small pots were designed: 1) control soil with a 50/50 mixture o...

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) produced in the combustion of fatty acid alkyl esters from different feedstocks: Quantification, statistical analysis and mechanisms of formation.

PubMed

Llamas, Alberto; Al-Lal, Ana-María; García-Martínez, María-Jesús; Ortega, Marcelo F; Llamas, Juan F; Lapuerta, Magín; Canoira, Laureano

2017-05-15

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are pollutants of concern due to their carcinogenic and mutagenic activity. Their emissions are mainly related with the combustion or pyrolysis of the organic matter, such as in fossil fuels combustion. It is important to characterize PAHs in the combustions of biofuels due to their increasing importance in the actual energetic setting. There is a lot of research focused in PAHs emission due to the combustion in diesel engines; but only few of them have analyzed the effect of raw material and type of alcohol used in the transesterification process. Different raw materials (i.e. animal fat, palm, rapeseed, linseed, peanut, coconut, and soybean oils) have been used for obtaining FAME and FAEE. A method for measuring PAHs generated during combustion in a bomb calorimeter has been developed. Combustion was made at different oxygen pressures and the samples were taken from the bomb after each combustion. Samples were extracted and the PAHs amounts formed during combustion were analyzed by GC-MS. This research shows the statistical relationships among the 16 PAHs of concern, biodiesel composition and oxygen pressure during combustion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Particle size distribution: A key factor in estimating powder dustiness.

PubMed

López Lilao, Ana; Sanfélix Forner, Vicenta; Mallol Gasch, Gustavo; Monfort Gimeno, Eliseo

2017-12-01

A wide variety of raw materials, involving more than 20 samples of quartzes, feldspars, nephelines, carbonates, dolomites, sands, zircons, and alumina, were selected and characterised. Dustiness, i.e., a materials' tendency to generate dust on handling, was determined using the continuous drop method. These raw materials were selected to encompass a wide range of particle sizes (1.6-294 µm) and true densities (2650-4680 kg/m 3 ). The dustiness of the raw materials, i.e., their tendency to generate dust on handling, was determined using the continuous drop method. The influence of some key material parameters (particle size distribution, flowability, and specific surface area) on dustiness was assessed. In this regard, dustiness was found to be significantly affected by particle size distribution. Data analysis enabled development of a model for predicting the dustiness of the studied materials, assuming that dustiness depended on the particle fraction susceptible to emission and on the bulk material's susceptibility to release these particles. On the one hand, the developed model allows the dustiness mechanisms to be better understood. In this regard, it may be noted that relative emission increased with mean particle size. However, this did not necessarily imply that dustiness did, because dustiness also depended on the fraction of particles susceptible to be emitted. On the other hand, the developed model enables dustiness to be estimated using just the particle size distribution data. The quality of the fits was quite good and the fact that only particle size distribution data are needed facilitates industrial application, since these data are usually known by raw materials managers, thus making additional tests unnecessary. This model may therefore be deemed a key tool in drawing up efficient preventive and/or corrective measures to reduce dust emissions during bulk powder processing, both inside and outside industrial facilities. It is recommended, however, to use the developed model only if particle size, true density, moisture content, and shape lie within the studied ranges.

40 CFR 63.1344 - Operating limits for kilns and in-line kiln/raw mills.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... kiln/raw mills. 63.1344 Section 63.1344 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY... Industry Emission Standards and Operating Limits § 63.1344 Operating limits for kilns and in-line kiln/raw... specified in paragraph (b) of this section. The owner or operator of an in-line kiln/raw mill subject to a D...

40 CFR 63.1343 - What standards apply to my kilns, clinker coolers, raw material dryers, and open clinker piles?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

..., clinker coolers, raw material dryers, and open clinker piles? 63.1343 Section 63.1343 Protection of... What standards apply to my kilns, clinker coolers, raw material dryers, and open clinker piles? (a..., clinker cooler, and raw material dryer. All dioxin D/F, HCl, and total hydrocarbon (THC) emission limits...

40 CFR 63.1343 - What standards apply to my kilns, clinker coolers, raw material dryers, and open clinker piles?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

..., clinker coolers, raw material dryers, and open clinker piles? 63.1343 Section 63.1343 Protection of... What standards apply to my kilns, clinker coolers, raw material dryers, and open clinker piles? (a..., clinker cooler, and raw material dryer. All dioxin D/F, HCl, and total hydrocarbon (THC) emission limits...

Greenhouse gas emission and groundwater pollution potential of soils amended with raw swine manure, dry and wet pyrolyzed swine biochars

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The objective of this research is to study the greenhouse gas emission and groundwater pollution potentials of the soils amended with raw swine solid and swine biochars made from different thermochemical conditions. Triplicate sets of small pots were designed: 1) control soil with a 50/50 mixture of...

Health aspects of the curing of synthetic rubbers.

PubMed Central

Fraser, D A; Rappaport, S

1976-01-01

A commonly used tread rubber formulation was cured in the laboratory under conditions simulating vulcanization in the Bag-O-Matic press. Volatile emissions were collected on charcoal and analyzed by combined GC-mass spectrometry. The compounds identified were either contaminants present in the raw material or reaction products. Some of these compounds were also identified in charcoal tube samples collected in the atmosphere of the industrial operations. Estimates based on the loss of weight of rubber during curing were used to predict airborne concentrations and compared to the concentrations actually found. The literature of the toxicity of raw materials and effluents was reviewed, and no acute or chronic toxicological effects would be anticipated. Information concerning potential carcinogenicity was not available and could not be evaluated. PMID:1026417

Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in raw and ready-to-eat foods and in a Canadian food service operation.

PubMed

Medeiros, Diane T; Sattar, Syed A; Farber, Jeffrey M; Carrillo, Catherine D

2008-10-01

The occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in a variety of foods from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and raw milk samples from across Canada was determined over a 2-year period. The samples consisted of 55 raw foods (chicken, pork, and beef), 126 raw milk samples from raw milk cheese manufacturers, and 135 ready-to-eat foods (meat products, salads, and raw milk cheeses). Campylobacter jejuni was detected in 4 of the 316 samples analyzed: 1 raw beef liver sample and 3 raw chicken samples. An isolation rate of 9.7% was observed among the raw chicken samples tested. This study also investigated the role of cross-contamination in disseminating Campylobacter from raw poultry within a food service operation specializing in poultry dishes. Accordingly, kitchen surfaces within a restaurant in Ottawa, Ontario, were sampled between March and August 2001. Tests of the sampling method indicated that as few as 100 Campylobacter cells could be detected if sampling was done within 45 min of inoculation; however, Campylobacter spp. were not detected in 125 swabs of surfaces within the kitchens of this food service operation. Despite the reported high prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in raw poultry, this organism was not detected on surfaces within a kitchen of a restaurant specializing in poultry dishes.

Emission of Metals from Pelletized and Uncompressed Biomass Fuels Combustion in Rural Household Stoves in China

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wei; Tong, Yindong; Wang, Huanhuan; Chen, Long; Ou, Langbo; Wang, Xuejun; Liu, Guohua; Zhu, Yan

2014-01-01

Effort of reducing CO2 emissions in developing countries may require an increasing utilization of biomass fuels. Biomass pellets seem well-suited for residential biomass markets. However, there is limited quantitative information on pollutant emissions from biomass pellets burning, especially those measured in real applications. In this study, biomass pellets and raw biomass fuels were burned in a pellet burner and a conventional stove respectively, in rural households, and metal emissions were determined. Results showed that the emission factors (EFs) ranged 3.20–5.57 (Pb), 5.20–7.58 (Cu), 0.11–0.23 (Cd), 12.67–39.00 (As), 0.59–1.31 mg/kg (Ni) for pellets, and 0.73–1.34 (Pb), 0.92–4.48 (Cu), 0.08–0.14 (Cd), 7.29–13.22 (As), 0.28–0.62 (Ni) mg/kg for raw biomass. For unit energy delivered to cooking vessels, the EFs ranged 0.42–0.77 (Pb), 0.79–1.16 (Cu), 0.01–0.03 (Cd), 1.93–5.09 (As), 0.08–0.19 mg/MJ (Ni) for pellets, and 0.30–0.56 (Pb), 0.41–1.86 (Cu), 0.04–0.06 (Cd), 3.25–5.49 (As), 0.12–0.26 (Ni) mg/MJ for raw biomass. This study found that moisture, volatile matter and modified combustion efficiency were the important factors affecting metal emissions. Comparisons of the mass-based and task-based EFs found that biomass pellets produced higher metal emissions than the same amount of raw biomass. However, metal emissions from pellets were not higher in terms of unit energy delivered. PMID:25002204

Emission of Metals from Pelletized and Uncompressed Biomass Fuels Combustion in Rural Household Stoves in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Tong, Yindong; Wang, Huanhuan; Chen, Long; Ou, Langbo; Wang, Xuejun; Liu, Guohua; Zhu, Yan

2014-07-01

Effort of reducing CO2 emissions in developing countries may require an increasing utilization of biomass fuels. Biomass pellets seem well-suited for residential biomass markets. However, there is limited quantitative information on pollutant emissions from biomass pellets burning, especially those measured in real applications. In this study, biomass pellets and raw biomass fuels were burned in a pellet burner and a conventional stove respectively, in rural households, and metal emissions were determined. Results showed that the emission factors (EFs) ranged 3.20-5.57 (Pb), 5.20-7.58 (Cu), 0.11-0.23 (Cd), 12.67-39.00 (As), 0.59-1.31 mg/kg (Ni) for pellets, and 0.73-1.34 (Pb), 0.92-4.48 (Cu), 0.08-0.14 (Cd), 7.29-13.22 (As), 0.28-0.62 (Ni) mg/kg for raw biomass. For unit energy delivered to cooking vessels, the EFs ranged 0.42-0.77 (Pb), 0.79-1.16 (Cu), 0.01-0.03 (Cd), 1.93-5.09 (As), 0.08-0.19 mg/MJ (Ni) for pellets, and 0.30-0.56 (Pb), 0.41-1.86 (Cu), 0.04-0.06 (Cd), 3.25-5.49 (As), 0.12-0.26 (Ni) mg/MJ for raw biomass. This study found that moisture, volatile matter and modified combustion efficiency were the important factors affecting metal emissions. Comparisons of the mass-based and task-based EFs found that biomass pellets produced higher metal emissions than the same amount of raw biomass. However, metal emissions from pellets were not higher in terms of unit energy delivered.

Emission of metals from pelletized and uncompressed biomass fuels combustion in rural household stoves in China.

PubMed

Zhang, Wei; Tong, Yindong; Wang, Huanhuan; Chen, Long; Ou, Langbo; Wang, Xuejun; Liu, Guohua; Zhu, Yan

2014-07-08

Effort of reducing CO₂ emissions in developing countries may require an increasing utilization of biomass fuels. Biomass pellets seem well-suited for residential biomass markets. However, there is limited quantitative information on pollutant emissions from biomass pellets burning, especially those measured in real applications. In this study, biomass pellets and raw biomass fuels were burned in a pellet burner and a conventional stove respectively, in rural households, and metal emissions were determined. Results showed that the emission factors (EFs) ranged 3.20-5.57 (Pb), 5.20-7.58 (Cu), 0.11-0.23 (Cd), 12.67-39.00 (As), 0.59-1.31 mg/kg (Ni) for pellets, and 0.73-1.34 (Pb), 0.92-4.48 (Cu), 0.08-0.14 (Cd), 7.29-13.22 (As), 0.28-0.62 (Ni) mg/kg for raw biomass. For unit energy delivered to cooking vessels, the EFs ranged 0.42-0.77 (Pb), 0.79-1.16 (Cu), 0.01-0.03 (Cd), 1.93-5.09 (As), 0.08-0.19 mg/MJ (Ni) for pellets, and 0.30-0.56 (Pb), 0.41-1.86 (Cu), 0.04-0.06 (Cd), 3.25-5.49 (As), 0.12-0.26 (Ni) mg/MJ for raw biomass. This study found that moisture, volatile matter and modified combustion efficiency were the important factors affecting metal emissions. Comparisons of the mass-based and task-based EFs found that biomass pellets produced higher metal emissions than the same amount of raw biomass. However, metal emissions from pellets were not higher in terms of unit energy delivered.

Towards a better control of the wastewater treatment process: excitation-emission matrix fluorescence spectroscopy of dissolved organic matter as a predictive tool of soluble BOD5 in influents of six Parisian wastewater treatment plants.

PubMed

Goffin, Angélique; Guérin, Sabrina; Rocher, Vincent; Varrault, Gilles

2018-03-01

The online monitoring of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in raw sewage water is expected to better control wastewater treatment processes. Fluorescence spectroscopy offers one possibility for both the online and real-time monitoring of DOM, especially as regards the DOM biodegradability assessment. In this study, three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy combined with a parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC) has been investigated as a predictive tool of the soluble biological oxygen demand in 5 days (BOD 5 ) for raw sewage water. Six PARAFAC components were highlighted in 69 raw sewage water samples: C2, C5, and C6 related to humic-like compounds, along with C1, C3, and C4 related to protein-like compounds. Since the PARAFAC methodology is not available for online monitoring, a peak-picking approach based on maximum excitation-emission (Ex-Em) localization of the PARAFAC components identified in this study has been used. A good predictive model of soluble BOD 5 using fluorescence spectroscopy parameters was obtained (r 2  = 0.846, adjusted r 2  = 0.839, p < 0.0001). This model is quite straightforward, easy to automate, and applicable to the operational field of wastewater treatment for online monitoring purposes.

A new perspective on metals and other contaminants in fluoridation chemicals*

PubMed Central

Mullenix, Phyllis J

2014-01-01

Background: Fluoride additives contain metal contaminants that must be diluted to meet drinking water regulations. However, each raw additive batch supplied to water facilities does not come labeled with concentrations per contaminant. This omission distorts exposure profiles and the risks associated with accidents and routine use. Objectives: This study provides an independent determination of the metal content of raw fluoride products. Methods: Metal concentrations were analyzed in three hydrofluorosilicic acid (HFS) and four sodium fluoride (NaF) samples using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry. Arsenic levels were confirmed using graphite furnace atomic absorption analysis. Results: Results show that metal content varies with batch, and all HFS samples contained arsenic (4.9–56.0 ppm) or arsenic in addition to lead (10.3 ppm). Two NaF samples contained barium (13.3–18.0 ppm) instead. All HFS (212–415 ppm) and NaF (3312–3630 ppm) additives contained a surprising amount of aluminum. Conclusions: Such contaminant content creates a regulatory blind spot that jeopardizes any safe use of fluoride additives. PMID:24999851

Influence of pyrolysis temperature on composted sewage sludge biochar priming effect in a loamy soil.

PubMed

Méndez, A; Tarquis, A M; Saa-Requejo, A; Guerrero, F; Gascó, G

2013-10-01

Biochar is a carbon-rich solid product obtained by the pyrolysis of organic materials. The carbon stability of biochar allows that it can be applied to soil for long-term carbon storage. This carbon stability is greatly influenced by the pyrolysis temperature and the raw material used for biochar production. The aim of the present work is to study the soil carbon sequestration after the application of biochar from sewage sludge (SL) pyrolysis at two different temperatures (400 and 600 °C). For this purpose, soil CO2 emissions were measured for 80 d in an incubation experiment after soil amendment with the SL and each biochar at a dosage of 8 wt%. Biochar reduced the CO2 emissions during incubation between 11% and 32% relative to the SL treatment. The CO2 data were fit to a dual exponential model, and the CO2 emissions were simulated at different times (1, 5 and 10 yr). Additionally, the kinetics of the CO2 evolution from SL, two biochar samples, soil and amended soil were well fit to a dual first-order kinetic model with correlation coefficients greater than 0.93. The simulation of CO2 emissions from the soil by applying the proposed double first-order kinetic model (kg CO2-C ha(-1)) showed a reduction of CO2 emissions between 301 and 932 kg CO2-C ha(-1)with respect to the direct application of raw sewage sludge after 10 yr. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sulfur and ash reduction potential and selected chemical and physical properties of United States coals. [Contains glossary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cavallaro, J.A.; Deurbrouck, A.W.; Killmeyer, R.P.

1991-02-01

This report presents the washability and comprehensive characterization results of 184 raw coal channel samples, including anthracite, bituminous and lignite coals, collected from the Central Region of the United States. This is the second of a three volume report on the coals of the United States. All the data are presented in six appendices. Statistical techniques and definitions are presented in Appendix A, and a glossary of terms is presented in Appendix B. The complete washability data and an in-depth characterization of each sample are presented alphabetically by state in Appendix C. In Appendix D, a statistical evaluation is givenmore » for the composited washability data, selected chemical and physical properties and washability data interpolated at various levels of Btu recovery. This presentation is shown by state, section, and region where four or more samples were collected. Appendix E presents coalbed codes and names for the Central Region coals. Graphical summations are presented by state, section and region showing the effects of crushing on impurity reductions, and the distribution of raw and clean coal samples meeting various levels of SO{sub 2} emissions. 35 figs., 5 tabs.« less

Effect of nature based antioxidant from Zingiber officinale Rosc. on the oxidation stability, engine performance and emission characteristics with neem oil methyl ester

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karthickeyan, V.

2018-05-01

In past few years, the demand for energy increased drastically due to excess utilization of the natural reserves. Thus, it leads to extinction of non-renewable energy resources. Today, the world turning over renewable source of energy for power production (like wind energy, tidal energy, biodiesel, biomass and so on). In the present study, raw neem oil was taken and converted into biodiesel using transesterification process. Nature based antioxidant namely ginger extract (Zingiber officinale Rosc.) was used as an antioxidant instead of synthetic antioxidants. An anti-oxidants were added in various proportions like G5 (0.5% additive), G10 (1% additive) and G15 (1.5% additive) with B20 (20% neem oil methyl ester with 80% diesel). B20G15 sample showed higher induction period than other samples. Thus, it was considered as an optimum blend with oxidation stability test using Rancimat instrument. Diesel showed higher Brake Thermal Efficiency (BTE) than biodiesel samples. On the other hand, B20G15 showed higher BTE than B20. Higher CO, HC and smoke emissions were observed for B20 with an antioxidant than other fuel samples. B20 with an antioxidant showed lower NOx emissions than diesel and B20. Thus, the nature based antioxidant was considered as the most promising alternative for NOx emission reduction.

40 CFR 90.414 - Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and analytical system description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and... OR BELOW 19 KILOWATTS Gaseous Exhaust Test Procedures § 90.414 Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and... between the muffler and the sample probe. The mixing chamber is an optional component of the raw gas...

40 CFR 90.414 - Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and analytical system description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and... OR BELOW 19 KILOWATTS Gaseous Exhaust Test Procedures § 90.414 Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and... between the muffler and the sample probe. The mixing chamber is an optional component of the raw gas...

Suitability of Organic Matter Surrogates to Predict Trihalomethane Formation in Drinking Water Sources

PubMed Central

Pifer, Ashley D.; Fairey, Julian L.

2014-01-01

Abstract Broadly applicable disinfection by-product (DBP) precursor surrogate parameters could be leveraged at drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) to curb formation of regulated DBPs, such as trihalomethanes (THMs). In this study, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), ultraviolet absorbance at 254 nm (UV254), fluorescence excitation/emission wavelength pairs (IEx/Em), and the maximum fluorescence intensities (FMAX) of components from parallel factor (PARAFAC) analysis were evaluated as total THM formation potential (TTHMFP) precursor surrogate parameters. A diverse set of source waters from eleven DWTPs located within watersheds underlain by six different soil orders were coagulated with alum at pH 6, 7, and 8, resulting in 44 sample waters. DOC, UV254, IEx/Em, and FMAX values were measured to characterize dissolved organic matter in raw and treated waters and THMs were quantified following formation potential tests with free chlorine. For the 44 sample waters, the linear TTHMFP correlation with UV254 was stronger (r2=0.89) than I240/562 (r2=0.81, the strongest surrogate parameter from excitation/emission matrix pair picking), FMAX from a humic/fulvic acid-like PARAFAC component (r2=0.78), and DOC (r2=0.75). Results indicate that UV254 was the most accurate TTHMFP precursor surrogate parameter assessed for a diverse group of raw and alum-coagulated waters. PMID:24669183

Occurrence of aflatoxin M(1) in raw and market milk commercialized in Greece.

PubMed

Roussi, V; Govaris, A; Varagouli, A; Botsoglou, N A

2002-09-01

From December 1999 to May 2000, 114 samples of pasteurized, ultrahigh temperature-treated (UHT) and concentrated milk were collected in supermarkets, whereas 52 raw milk samples from cow, sheep and goat were obtained from different milk producers all over Greece. Sample collection was repeated from December 2000 to May 2001 and concerned 54 samples of pasteurized milk, 23 samples of bulk-tank raw milk and 55 raw milk samples from cow, sheep and goat. The total number of samples analysed for aflatoxin M(1) (AFM(1)) contamination by immunoaffinity column extraction and liquid chromatography was 297. In the first sampling, the incidence rates of AFM(1) contamination in pasteurized, UHT, concentrated and cow, sheep and goat raw milk were 85.4, 82.3, 93.3, 73.3, 66.7 and 40%, respectively, with only one cow raw milk and two concentrated milk samples exceeding the EU limit of 50 ng l(-1). In the second sampling, the incidence rates of AFM(1) contamination in pasteurized, bulk-tank and cow, sheep and goat raw milk were 79.6, 78.3, 64.3, 73.3 and 66.7%, respectively, with only one cow and one sheep raw milk samples exceeding the limit of 50 ng l(-1). The results suggest that the current regulatory status in Greece is effective.

N2O and CO2 emissions following repeated application of organic and mineral N fertiliser from a vegetable crop rotation.

PubMed

De Rosa, Daniele; Rowlings, David W; Biala, Johannes; Scheer, Clemens; Basso, Bruno; Grace, Peter R

2018-05-11

Accounting for nitrogen (N) release from organic amendments (OA) can reduce the use of synthetic N-fertiliser, sustain crop production, and potentially reduce soil borne greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. However, it is difficult to assess the GHG mitigation potential for OA as a substitute of N-fertiliser over the long term due to only part of the organic N added to soil is being released in the first year after application. High-resolution nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions monitored from a horticultural crop rotation over 2.5 years from conventional urea application rates were compared to treatments receiving an annual application of raw and composted chicken manure combined with conventional and reduced N-fertiliser rates. The repeated application of composted manure did not increase annual N 2 O emissions while the application of raw manure resulted in N 2 O emissions up to 35.2 times higher than the zero N fertiliser treatment and up to 4.7 times higher than conventional N-fertiliser rate due to an increase in C and N availability following the repeated application of raw OA. The main factor driving N 2 O emissions was the incorporation of organic material accompanied by high soil moisture while the application of synthetic N-fertiliser induced only short-term N 2 O emission pulse. The average annual N 2 O emission factor calculated accounting for the total N applied including OA was equal to 0.27 ± 0.17%, 3.7 times lower than the IPCC default value. Accounting for the estimated N release from OA only enabled a more realistic N 2 O emission factor to be defined for organically amended field that was equal to 0.48 ± 0.3%. This study demonstrated that accounting for the N released from repeated application of composted rather than raw manure can be a viable pathway to reduce N 2 O emissions and maintain soil fertility. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

40 CFR 91.414 - Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and analytical system description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and... Gaseous Exhaust Test Procedures § 91.414 Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and analytical system description... the component systems. (g) The following requirements must be incorporated in each system used for raw...

40 CFR 91.414 - Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and analytical system description.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and... Gaseous Exhaust Test Procedures § 91.414 Raw gaseous exhaust sampling and analytical system description... the component systems. (g) The following requirements must be incorporated in each system used for raw...

Gaseous emissions during the solid state fermentation of different wastes for enzyme production at pilot scale.

PubMed

Maulini-Duran, Caterina; Abraham, Juliana; Rodríguez-Pérez, Sheila; Cerda, Alejandra; Jiménez-Peñalver, Pedro; Gea, Teresa; Barrena, Raquel; Artola, Adriana; Font, Xavier; Sánchez, Antoni

2015-03-01

The emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC), CH4, N2O and NH3 during the solid state fermentation process of some selected wastes to obtain different enzymes have been determined at pilot scale. Orange peel+compost (OP), hair wastes+raw sludge (HW) and winterization residue+raw sludge (WR) have been processed in duplicate in 50 L reactors to provide emission factors and to identify the different VOC families present in exhaust gaseous emissions. Ammonia emission from HW fermentation (3.2±0.5 kg Mg(-1) dry matter) and VOC emission during OP processes (18±6 kg Mg(-1) dry matter) should be considered in an industrial application of these processes. Terpenes have been the most emitted VOC family during all the processes although the emission of sulphide molecules during HW SSF is notable. The most emitted compound was dimethyl disulfide in HW and WR processes, and limonene in the SSF of OP. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Basic and Morphological Properties of Bukit Goh Bauxite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasan, Muzamir; Nor Azmi, Ahmad Amirul Faez Ahmad; Tam, Weng Long; Phang, Biao Yu; Azizul Moqsud, M.

2018-03-01

Investigation conducted by International Maritime Organization (IMO) concluded that the loss of the Bulk Jupiter that carrying bauxite from Kuantan has uncovered evidence to suggest liquefaction led to loss of stability. This research analysed Bukit Goh bauxite and comparison was made with International Maritime Solid Bulk Cargoes (IMSBC Code) standard. To analyse these characteristics of the bauxite, four samples were selected at Bukit Goh, Kuantan ; two of the samples from the Bukit Goh mine and two samples from the stock piles were tested to identify the bauxite basic and morphological properties by referring to GEOSPEC 3 : Model Specification for Soil Testing ; particle size distribution, moisture content and specific gravity and its morphological properties. Laboratory tests involved including Hydrometer test, Small Pycnometer test, Dry Sieve test and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscop (FESEM) test. The results show that the average moisture content of raw Bukit Goh bauxite is 20.64% which exceeded the recomended value of maximum 10%. Average fine material for raw bauxite is 37.75% which should not be greater than 30% per IMSBC standard. By that, the bauxite from Bukit Goh mine do not achieved the minimum requirements and standards of the IMSBC standard and need to undergo beneficiation process for better quality and safety.

40 CFR 89.413 - Raw sampling procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Raw sampling procedures. 89.413 Section 89.413 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... Test Procedures § 89.413 Raw sampling procedures. Follow these procedures when sampling for gaseous...

40 CFR 89.413 - Raw sampling procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Raw sampling procedures. 89.413 Section 89.413 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... Test Procedures § 89.413 Raw sampling procedures. Follow these procedures when sampling for gaseous...

40 CFR 91.415 - Raw gaseous sampling procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Raw gaseous sampling procedures. 91.415 Section 91.415 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... Raw gaseous sampling procedures. Fit all heated sampling lines with a heated filter to extract solid...

40 CFR 91.415 - Raw gaseous sampling procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Raw gaseous sampling procedures. 91.415 Section 91.415 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... Raw gaseous sampling procedures. Fit all heated sampling lines with a heated filter to extract solid...

40 CFR 90.415 - Raw gaseous sampling procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Raw gaseous sampling procedures. 90.415 Section 90.415 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... Test Procedures § 90.415 Raw gaseous sampling procedures. Fit all heated sampling lines with a heated...

40 CFR 90.415 - Raw gaseous sampling procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 20 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Raw gaseous sampling procedures. 90.415 Section 90.415 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS... Test Procedures § 90.415 Raw gaseous sampling procedures. Fit all heated sampling lines with a heated...

40 CFR 63.1352 - Additional test methods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

...) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry... determine the rates of emission of HCl from kilns and associated bypass stacks at portland cement... emission of specific organic HAP from raw material dryers, and kilns at Portland cement manufacturing...

COMPARISON OF ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES FOR MEASURING HYDROCARBON EMISSIONS FROM THE MANUFACTURE OF FIBERGLASS-REINFORCED PLASTICS

EPA Science Inventory

The paper discusses several projects to measure hydrocarbon emissions associated with the manufacture of fiberglass-reinforced plastics. The main purpose of the projects was to evaluate pollution prevention techniques to reduce emissions by altering raw materials, application equ...

40 CFR 63.1352 - Additional test methods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry Monitoring and... rates of emission of HCl from kilns and associated bypass stacks at portland cement manufacturing... specific organic HAP from raw material dryers, kilns and in-line kiln/raw mills at Portland cement...

40 CFR 63.1352 - Additional test methods.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From the Portland Cement Manufacturing Industry Monitoring and... rates of emission of HCl from kilns and associated bypass stacks at portland cement manufacturing... specific organic HAP from raw material dryers, kilns and in-line kiln/raw mills at Portland cement...

The Enhanced Red Emission and Improved Thermal Stability of CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ Phosphors by Using Nano-EuB6 as Raw Material

PubMed Central

Liu, Wen-Quan; Wu, Dan; Chang, Hugejile; Duan, Ru-Xia; Wu, Wen-Jie; Amu, Guleng; Bao, Fu-Quan; Tegus, Ojiyed

2018-01-01

Synthesizing phosphors with high performance is still a necessary work for phosphor-converted white light-emitting diodes (W-LEDs). In this paper, three series of CaAlSiN3:Eu2+ (denoted as CASN:Eu2+) phosphors using Eu2O3, EuN and EuB6 as raw materials respectively are fabricated by under the alloy precursor normal pressure nitridation synthesis condition. We demonstrate that CASN:Eu2+ using nano-EuB6 as raw material shows higher emission intensity than others, which is ascribed to the increment of Eu2+ ionic content entering into the crystal lattice. An improved thermal stability can also be obtained by using nano-EuB6 due to the structurally stable status, which is assigned to the partial substitution of Eu–O (Eu–N) bonds by more covalent Eu–B ones that leads to a higher structural rigidity. In addition, the W-LEDs lamp was fabricated to explore its possible application in W-LEDs based on blue LEDs. Our results indicate that using EuB6 as raw materials can provide an effective way of enhancing the red emission and improving the thermal stability of the CASN:Eu2+ red phosphor. PMID:29370148

Excitation-emission matrix scan analysis of raw fish oil from coastal New Jersey menhaden collected before and after Hurricane Sandy.

PubMed

Bentivegna, Carolyn S; DeFelice, Chelsea R; Murphy, Wyatt R

2016-06-30

The impact of Hurricane Sandy (October 29, 2012) on PAH exposure was investigated in adult Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) collected along the NJ coast. Collections were made in August, September and/or October of 2011, 2012 and 2013. PAHs were monitored in raw fish oil using excitation-emission matrix (EEM) spectroscopy. Results showed that raw fish oils had relatively high levels of high molecular weight, PAH-like compounds (173 to 24,421ng/mL) compared to values reported for bile in other species. EEM profiles resembled that of crude oil and excluded matrix interference by some common biological molecules that also fluoresce. Concentrations and EEM profiles varied by collection; however, collection ship, month, year and fish size did not account for the data. Replicates showed that fish from the same catch had similar PAH exposure. Overall, Hurricane Sandy did not alter body burdens of PAHs in raw fish oil of menhaden. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High NO2/NOx emissions downstream of the catalytic diesel particulate filter: An influencing factor study.

PubMed

He, Chao; Li, Jiaqiang; Ma, Zhilei; Tan, Jianwei; Zhao, Longqing

2015-09-01

Diesel vehicles are responsible for most of the traffic-related nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions, including nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The use of after-treatment devices increases the risk of high NO2/NOx emissions from diesel engines. In order to investigate the factors influencing NO2/NOx emissions, an emission experiment was carried out on a high pressure common-rail, turbocharged diesel engine with a catalytic diesel particulate filter (CDPF). NO2 was measured by a non-dispersive ultraviolet analyzer with raw exhaust sampling. The experimental results show that the NO2/NOx ratios downstream of the CDPF range around 20%-83%, which are significantly higher than those upstream of the CDPF. The exhaust temperature is a decisive factor influencing the NO2/NOx emissions. The maximum NO2/NOx emission appears at the exhaust temperature of 350°C. The space velocity, engine-out PM/NOx ratio (mass based) and CO conversion ratio are secondary factors. At a constant exhaust temperature, the NO2/NOx emissions decreased with increasing space velocity and engine-out PM/NOx ratio. When the CO conversion ratios range from 80% to 90%, the NO2/NOx emissions remain at a high level. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

REDUCTION OF EMISSIONS FROM A HIGH SPEED FERRY

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Thompson,G.; Gautam, M; Clark, N

2003-08-24

Emissions from marine vessels are being scrutinized as a major contributor to the total particulate matter (TPM), oxides of sulfur (SOx) and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) environmental loading. Fuel sulfur control is the key to SOx reduction. Significant reductions in the emissions from on-road vehicles have been achieved in the last decade and the emissions from these vehicles will be reduced by another order of magnitude in the next five years: these improvements have served to emphasize the need to reduce emissions from other mobile sources, including off road equipment, locomotives, and marine vessels. Diesel-powered vessels of interest include oceanmore » going vessels with low- and medium-speed engines, as well as ferries with high speed engines, as discussed below. A recent study examined the use of intake water injection (WIS) and ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) to reduce the emissions from a high-speed passenger ferry in southern California. One of the four Detroit Diesel 12V92 two-stroke high speed engines that power the Waverider (operated by SCX, inc.) was instrumented to collect intake airflow, fuel flow, shaft torque, and shaft speed. Engine speed and shaft torque were uniquely linked for given vessel draft and prevailing wind and sea conditions. A raw exhaust gas sampling system was utilized to measure the concentration of NOx, carbon dioxide (CO2), and oxygen (O2) and a mini dilution tunnel sampling a slipstream from the raw exhaust was used to collect TPM on 70 mm filters. The emissions data were processed to yield brake-specific mass results. The system that was employed allowed for redundant data to be collected for quality assurance and quality control. To acquire the data, the Waverider was operated at five different steady state speeds. Three modes were in the open sea off Oceanside, CA, and idle and harbor modes were also used. Data have showed that the use of ULSD along with water injection (WIS) could significantly reduce the emissions of NOx and PM while not affecting fuel consumption or engine performance compared to the baseline marine diesel. The results showed that a nominal 40% reduction in TPM was realized when switching from the marine diesel to the ULSD. A small reduction in NOx was also shown between the marine fuel and the ULSD. The implementation of the WIS showed that NOx was reduced significantly by between 11% and 17%, depending upon the operating condition. With the WIS, the TPM was reduced by a few percentage points, which was close to the confidence in measurement.« less

In vitro toxicological characterization of particulate emissions from residential biomass heating systems based on old and new technologies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jalava, Pasi I.; Happo, Mikko S.; Kelz, Joachim; Brunner, Thomas; Hakulinen, Pasi; Mäki-Paakkanen, Jorma; Hukkanen, Annika; Jokiniemi, Jorma; Obernberger, Ingwald; Hirvonen, Maija-Riitta

2012-04-01

Residential wood combustion causes major effects on the air quality on a global scale. The ambient particulate levels are known to be responsible for severe adverse health effects that include e.g. cardio-respiratory illnesses and cancer related effects, even mortality. It is known that biomass combustion derived emissions are affected by combustion technology, fuel being used and user-related practices. There are also indications that the health related toxicological effects are influenced by these parameters. This study we evaluated toxicological effects of particulate emissions (PM1) from seven different residential wood combusting furnaces. Two appliances i.e. log wood boiler and stove represented old batch combustion technology, whereas stove and tiled stove were designated as new batch combustion as three modern automated boilers were a log wood boiler, a woodchip boiler and a pellet boiler. The PM1 samples from the furnaces were collected in an experimental setup with a Dekati® gravimetric impactor on PTFE filters with the samples being weighed and extracted from the substrates and prior to toxicological analyses. The toxicological analyses were conducted after a 24-hour exposure of the mouse RAW 264.7 macrophage cell line to four doses of emission particle samples and analysis of levels of the proinflammatory cytokine TNFα, chemokine MIP-2, cytotoxicity with three different methods (MTT, PI, cell cycle analysis) and genotoxicity with the comet assay. In the correlation analysis all the toxicological results were compared with the chemical composition of the samples. All the samples induced dose-dependent increases in the studied parameters. Combustion technology greatly affected the emissions and the concomitant toxicological responses. The modern automated boilers were usually the least potent inducers of most of the parameters while emissions from the old technology log wood boiler were the most potent. In correlation analysis, the PAH and other organic composition and inorganic ash composition affected the toxicological responses differently. In conclusion, combustion technology largely affects the particulate emissions and their toxic potential this being reflected in substantially larger responses in devices with incomplete combustion. These differences become emphasized when the large emission factors from old technology appliances are taken into account.

The Greenhouse Gas Emission from Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Construction in China.

PubMed

Ma, Feng; Sha, Aimin; Yang, Panpan; Huang, Yue

2016-06-24

This study proposes an inventory analysis method to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Portland cement concrete pavement construction, based on a case project in the west of China. The concrete pavement construction process was divided into three phases, namely raw material production, concrete manufacture and pavement onsite construction. The GHG emissions of the three phases are analyzed by a life cycle inventory method. The CO₂e is used to indicate the GHG emissions. The results show that for 1 km Portland cement concrete pavement construction, the total CO₂e is 8215.31 tons. Based on the evaluation results, the CO₂e of the raw material production phase is 7617.27 tons, accounting for 92.7% of the total GHG emissions; the CO₂e of the concrete manufacture phase is 598,033.10 kg, accounting for 7.2% of the total GHG emissions. Lastly, the CO₂e of the pavement onsite construction phase is 8396.59 kg, accounting for only 0.1% of the total GHG emissions. The main greenhouse gas is CO₂ in each phase, which accounts for more than 98% of total emissions. N₂O and CH₄ emissions are relatively insignificant.

Boiler Briquette Coal versus Raw Coal: Part I-Stack Gas Emissions.

PubMed

Ge, Su; Bai, Zhipeng; Liu, Weili; Zhu, Tan; Wang, Tongjian; Qing, Sheng; Zhang, Junfeng

2001-04-01

Stack gas emissions were characterized for a steam-generating boiler commonly used in China. The boiler was tested when fired with a newly formulated boiler briquette coal (BB-coal) and when fired with conventional raw coal (R-coal). The stack gas emissions were analyzed to determine emission rates and emission factors and to develop chemical source profiles. A dilution source sampling system was used to collect PM on both Teflon membrane filters and quartz fiber filters. The Teflon filters were analyzed gravimetrically for PM 10 and PM 2.5 mass concentrations and by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for trace elements. The quartz fiber filters were analyzed for organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) using a thermal/optical reflectance technique. Sulfur dioxide was measured using the standard wet chemistry method. Carbon monoxide was measured using an Orsat combustion analyzer. The emission rates of the R-coal combustion (in kg/hr), determined using the measured stack gas concentrations and the stack gas emission rates, were 0.74 for PM 10 , 0.38 for PM 25 , 20.7 for SO 2 , and 6.8 for CO, while those of the BB-coal combustion were 0.95 for PM 10 , 0.30 for PM 2 5 , 7.5 for SO 2 , and 5.3 for CO. The fuel-mass-based emission factors (in g/kg) of the R-coal, determined using the emission rates and the fuel burn rates, were 1.68 for PM 10 , 0.87 for PM 25 , 46.7 for SO 2 , and 15 for CO, while those of the BB-coal were 2.51 for PM 10 , 0.79 for PM 2.5 , 19.9 for SO 2 , and 14 for CO. The task-based emission factors (in g/ton steam generated) of the R-coal, determined using the fuel-mass-based emission factors and the coal/ steam conversion factors, were 0.23 for PM 10 , 0.12 for PM 2.5 , 6.4 for SO 2 , and 2.0 for CO, while those of the BB-coal were 0.30 for PM 10 , 0.094 for PM 2.5 , 2.4 for SO 2 , and 1.7 for CO. PM 10 and PM 2.5 elemental compositions are also presented for both types of coal tested in the study.

Boiler briquette coal versus raw coal: Part I--Stack gas emissions.

PubMed

Ge, S; Bai, Z; Liu, W; Zhu, T; Wang, T; Qing, S; Zhang, J

2001-04-01

Stack gas emissions were characterized for a steam-generating boiler commonly used in China. The boiler was tested when fired with a newly formulated boiler briquette coal (BB-coal) and when fired with conventional raw coal (R-coal). The stack gas emissions were analyzed to determine emission rates and emission factors and to develop chemical source profiles. A dilution source sampling system was used to collect PM on both Teflon membrane filters and quartz fiber filters. The Teflon filters were analyzed gravimetrically for PM10 and PM2.5 mass concentrations and by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) for trace elements. The quartz fiber filters were analyzed for organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) using a thermal/optical reflectance technique. Sulfur dioxide was measured using the standard wet chemistry method. Carbon monoxide was measured using an Orsat combustion analyzer. The emission rates of the R-coal combustion (in kg/hr), determined using the measured stack gas concentrations and the stack gas emission rates, were 0.74 for PM10, 0.38 for PM2.5, 20.7 for SO2, and 6.8 for CO, while those of the BB-coal combustion were 0.95 for PM10, 0.30 for PM2.5, 7.5 for SO2, and 5.3 for CO. The fuel-mass-based emission factors (in g/kg) of the R-coal, determined using the emission rates and the fuel burn rates, were 1.68 for PM10, 0.87 for PM2.5, 46.7 for SO2, and 15 for CO, while those of the BB-coal were 2.51 for PM10, 0.79 for PM2.5, 19.9 for SO2, and 14 for CO. The task-based emission factors (in g/ton steam generated) of the R-coal, determined using the fuel-mass-based emission factors and the coal/steam conversion factors, were 0.23 for PM10, 0.12 for PM2.5, 6.4 for SO2, and 2.0 for CO, while those of the BB-coal were 0.30 for PM10, 0.094 for PM2.5, 2.4 for SO2, and 1.7 for CO. PM10 and PM2.5 elemental compositions are also presented for both types of coal tested in the study.

Seroprevalence and molecular epidemiology of EAST1 gene-carrying Escherichia coli from diarrheal patients and raw meats.

PubMed

Sukkua, Kannika; Manothong, Somruthai; Sukhumungoon, Pharanai

2017-03-31

Several Escherichia coli pathotypes have been reported in Thailand; however, information on enteroaggregative heat-stable enterotoxin 1 (EAST1)-carrying E. coli (EAST1-EC) is insufficient. Previous reports show that consumption of raw meats causes diarrheagenic E. coli infections. In this study, we investigated the seroprevalence and genetic relationship of EAST1-EC from clinical and raw meat samples. Diarrheal patients and raw meat samples were investigated for the presence of EAST1-EC by performing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to detect astA. Serotyping, antimicrobial susceptibility tests, and PCR-based phylogenetic group assay were performed. Molecular epidemiology of E. coli strains from clinical and raw meat samples was determined using repetitive element-PCR typing, BOX-PCR, and ERIC2-PCR. Results showed that 11.2% (17/152) of clinical samples and 53.3% (16/30) of raw meat samples had EAST1-EC. In all, 24 and 36 EAST1-EC strains were successfully isolated from 17 clinical and 16 raw meat samples, respectively. These strains had astA but did not possess the indicative genes of other E. coli pathotypes and were therefore classified as EAST1-EC. Most of these strains were multidrug resistant and were classified into nine serogroups. Molecular genotyping showed identical DNA fingerprint among EAST1-EC serotype O15 strains from clinical and raw chicken samples, suggesting that they were derived from the same bacterial clone. Our results indicated a high prevalence of multidrug-resistant EAST1-EC strains in clinical and environmental samples in Thailand belonging to nine serogroups. Moreover, the study highlighted the close association between infections caused by EAST1-EC serotype O15 and raw meat consumption.

Carbon footprint as an environmental sustainability indicator for the particleboard produced in Pakistan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hussain, Majid

This study quantified the carbon footprint of particleboard production in Pakistan using a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment approach. The system boundary comprised raw materials acquisition, transport, particleboard manufacture and finished product distribution. Primary data were collected through surveys and meetings with particleboard manufacturers. Secondary data were taken from the literature. Greenhouse gas emissions from off-site industrial operations of the particleboard industry represented 52% of the total emissions from the production of 1.0 m{sup 3} of particleboard in Pakistan. The on-site industrial operations cause direct greenhouse gas emissions and accounted for 48% of the total emissions. These operations included energy consumptionmore » in stationary sources, the company-owned vehicle fleet, and the distribution and marketing of the finished product. The use of natural gas combustion in the stationary and mobile sources, raw material transport and urea-formaldehyde resin production chain accounted for the highest emissions from the particleboard production chain in Pakistan. The identification of the major hotspots in the particleboard production chain can assist the wood panel industry to improve their environmental profile. More efforts are needed to investigate the urea-formaldehyde resin production chain and substitution of roundwood with wood and agri-residues to assess the potential improvements. In addition, renewable energy sources should be encouraged to avoid greenhouse gas emissions by substituting fossil energy. This study also provides a benchmark for future research work to formulate comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions reduction plans, because no previous research work is available on the carbon footprint of particleboard production in Pakistan. - Highlights: • We conducted the first carbon footprint assessment of particleboard produced in Pakistan. • System boundary comprised raw materials acquisition, particleboard manufacture and distribution. • Off-site industrial operations were accounted for highest emissions (52%) followed by on-site operations (48%). • Natural gas, materials transport and UF resin use accounted for highest emissions. • Identified potential strategies for GHG emissions reductions from PB production in Pakistan.« less

Effect of a traditional processing method on the chemical composition of local white lupin (Lupinus albus L.) seed in North-Western Ethiopia.

PubMed

Yeheyis, Likawent; Kijora, Claudia; Wink, Michael; Peters, Kurt J

2011-01-01

The effect of a traditional Ethiopian lupin processing method on the chemical composition of lupin seed samples was studied. Two sampling districts, namely Mecha and Sekela, representing the mid- and high-altitude areas of north-western Ethiopia, respectively, were randomly selected. Different types of traditionally processed and marketed lupin seed samples (raw, roasted, and finished) were collected in six replications from each district. Raw samples are unprocessed, and roasted samples are roasted using firewood. Finished samples are those ready for human consumption as snack. Thousand seed weight for raw and roasted samples within a study district was similar (P > 0.05), but it was lower (P < 0.01) for finished samples compared to raw and roasted samples. The crude fibre content of finished lupin seed sample from Mecha was lower (P < 0.01) than that of raw and roasted samples. However, the different lupin samples from Sekela had similar crude fibre content (P > 0.05). The crude protein and crude fat contents of finished samples within a study district were higher (P < 0.01) than those of raw and roasted samples, respectively. Roasting had no effect on the crude protein content of lupin seed samples. The crude ash content of raw and roasted lupin samples within a study district was higher (P < 0.01) than that of finished lupin samples of the respective study districts. The content of quinolizidine alkaloids of finished lupin samples was lower than that of raw and roasted samples. There was also an interaction effect between location and lupin sample type. The traditional processing method of lupin seeds in Ethiopia has a positive contribution improving the crude protein and crude fat content, and lowering the alkaloid content of the finished product. The study showed the possibility of adopting the traditional processing method to process bitter white lupin for the use as protein supplement in livestock feed in Ethiopia, but further work has to be done on the processing method and animal evaluation.

Performance and emissions characteristics of aqueous alcohol fumes in a DI diesel engine

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Heisey, J. B.; Lestz, S. S.

1981-01-01

A single cylinder DI Diesel engine was fumigated with ethanol and methanol in amounts up to 55% of the total fuel energy. The effects of aqueous alcohol fumigation on engine thermal efficiency, combustion intensity and gaseous exhaust emissions were determined. Assessment of changes in the biological activity of raw particulate and its soluble organic fraction were also made using the Salmonella typhimurium test. Alcohol fumigation improved thermal efficiency slightly at moderate and heavy loads, but increased ignition delay at all operating conditions. Carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbon emission generally increased with alcohol fumigation and showed no dependence on alcohol type or quality. Oxide of nitrogen emission showed a strong dependence on alcohol quality; relative emission levels decreased with increasing water content of the fumigant. Particulate mass loading rates were lower for ethanol fueled conditions. However, the biological activity of both the raw particulate and its soluble organic fraction was enhanced by ethanol fumigation at most operating conditions.

Sulfur and ash reduction potential and selected chemical and physical properties of United States coals. [Contains glossary

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cavallaro, J.A.; Deurbrouck, A.W.; Killmeyer, R.P.

1991-06-01

This report presents the washability and comprehensive characterization results of 247 raw coal channel samples, including anthracite, bituminous and lignite coals, collected from the Western Region of the United States. Although the Western Region includes Alaska, coal data from this state will often be cited apart from the Western Region data from the lower United States. This is the third of a three volume report on the coals of the United States. All the data are presented in six appendices. Statistical techniques and definitions are presented in Appendix A, and a glossary of terms is presented in Appendix B. Themore » complete washability data and an in-depth characterization of each sample are presented alphabetically by state in Appendix C. In Appendix D, a statistical evaluation is given for the composited washability data, selected chemical and physical properties, and washability data interpolated at various levels of Btu recovery. This presentation is shown by state, section, and region where four or more samples were collected. Appendix E presents coalbed codes and names for the Western Region coals. Graphical summations are presented by state, rank, and region showing the effects of crushing on impurity reductions, and the distribution of raw and clean coal samples meeting various levels of SO{sub 2} emissions. 35 figs., 3 tabs.« less

Progress of organic matter degradation and maturity of compost produced in a large-scale composting facility.

PubMed

Nakasaki, Kiyohiko; Marui, Taketoshi

2011-06-01

To monitor the progress of organic matter degradation in a large-scale composting facility, the percentage of organic matter degradation was determined by measuring CO(2) evolution during recomposting of compost samples withdrawn from the facility. The percentage of organic matter degradation was calculated as the ratio of the amount of CO(2) evolved from compost raw material to that evolved from each sample during recomposting in the laboratory composting apparatus. It was assumed that the difference in the cumulative emission of CO(2) between the compost raw material and a sample corresponds to the amount of CO( 2) evolved from the sample in the composting facility. Using this method, the changes in organic matter degradation during composting in practical large-scale composting facilities were estimated and it was found that the percentage of organic matter degradation increased more vigorously in the earlier stages than in the later stages of composting. The percentage of organic matter degradation finally reached 78 and 55% for the compost produced from garbage-animal manure mixture and distillery waste (shochu residue), respectively. It was thus ascertained that organic matter degradation progressed well in both composting facilities. Furthermore, by performing a plant growth assay, it was observed that the compost products of both the facilities did not inhibit seed germination and thus were useful in promoting plant growth.

Occurrence and characterization of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in raw meat, raw milk, and street vended juices in Bangladesh.

PubMed

Islam, Mohammad A; Mondol, Abdus S; Azmi, Ishrat J; de Boer, Enne; Beumer, Rijkelt R; Zwietering, Marcel H; Heuvelink, Annet E; Talukder, Kaisar A

2010-11-01

The major objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in different types of food samples and to compare their genetic relatedness with STEC strains previously isolated from animal sources in Bangladesh. We investigated a total of 213 food samples, including 90 raw meat samples collected from retail butcher shops, 20 raw milk samples from domestic cattle, and 103 fresh juice samples from street vendors in Dhaka city. We found that more than 68% (n = 62) of the raw meat samples were positive for the stx gene(s); 34% (n = 21) of buffalo meats and 66% (n = 41) of beef. Approximately 10% (n = 2) of the raw milk and 8% (n = 8) of the fresh juice samples were positive for stx. We isolated STEC O157 from seven meat samples (7.8%), of which two were from buffalo meats and five from beef; and no other STEC serotypes could be isolated. We could not isolate STEC from any of the stx-positive raw milk and juice samples. The STEC O157 isolates from raw meats were positive for the stx(2), eae, katP, etpD, and enterohemorrhagic E. coli hly virulence genes, and they belonged to three different phage types: 8 (14.3%), 31 (42.8%), and 32 (42.8%). Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) typing revealed six distinct patterns among seven isolates of STEC O157, suggesting a heterogeneous clonal diversity. Of the six PFGE patterns, one was identical and the other two were ≥90% related to PFGE patterns of STEC O157 strains previously isolated from animal feces, indicating that raw meats are readily contaminated with fecal materials. This study represents the first survey of STEC in the food chain in Bangladesh.

Speciation of PM10 sources of airborne nonferrous metals within the 3-km zone of lead/zinc smelters.

PubMed

Batonneau, Yann; Bremard, Claude; Gengembre, Leon; Laureyns, Jacky; Le Maguer, Agnes; Le Maguer, Didier; Perdrix, Esperanza; Sobanska, Sophie

2004-10-15

The purpose of this study was to estimate the speciation of PM10 sources of airborne Pb, Zn, and Cd metals (PM10 is an aerosol standard of aerodynamic diameter less than 10 microm.) in the atmosphere of a 3 km zone surrounding lead/zinc facilities in operation for a century. Many powdered samples were collected in stacks of working units (grilling, furnace, and refinery), outdoor storages (ores, recycled materials), surrounding waste slag (4 Mt), and polluted topsoils (3 km). PM10 samples were generated from the raw powders by using artificial resuspension and collection devices. The bulk PM10 multielemental analyses were determined by inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The proportions in mass of Pb (50%), Zn (40%), and Cd (1%) contents and associated metals (traces) reach the proportions of corresponding raw powdered samples of ores, recycled materials, and fumesize emissions of plants without specific enrichment. In contrast, Pb (8%) and Zn (15%) contents of PM10 of slag deposit were found to be markedly higher than those of raw dust, Pb (4%), and Zn (9%), respectively. In the same way, Pb (0.18%), Zn (0.20%), and Cd (0.004%) were enriched by 1.7, 2.1, and 2.3 times, respectively, in PM10 as compared with raw top-soil corresponding values. X-ray wavelength dispersive electron-microprobe (EM-WDS) microanalysis did not indicate well-defined phases or simple stoichiometries of all the PM10 samples atthe level of the spatial resolution (1 microm3). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) indicated that minor elements such as Cd, Hg, and C are more concentrated on the particle surface than in the bulk of PM10 generated by the smelting processes. (XPS) provided also the average speciation of the surface of PM10; Pb is mainly represented as PbSO4, Zn as ZnS, and Cd as CdS or CdSO4, and small amounts of coke were also detected. The speciation of bulk PM10 crystallized compounds was deduced from XRD diffractograms with a raw estimation of the relative quantities. PbS and ZnS were found to be the major phases in PM10 generated by the smelting facilities with PbSO4, PbSO4 x PbO, PbSO4 x 4PbO, Pb metal, and ZnO as minor phases. The slag waste PM10 was found to contain some amounts of PbCO3, PbSO4 x PbO, and ZnFe2O4 phases. The large heterogeneity at the level of the individual particle generates severe overlap of chemical information even at the microm scale using electron microprobe (WDS) and Raman microprobe techniques. Fortunately, scanning Raman microspectrometry combined with SIMPle-to-use Interactive Self-modeling Mixture Analysis (SIMPLISMA) performed the PM10 speciation at the level of individual particles. The speciation of major Pb, Zn, and Cd compounds of PM10 stack emissions and wind blown dust of ores and recycled materials were found to be PbSO4, PbSO4 x PbO, PbSO4 x 4PbO, PbO, metallic Pb, ZnS, ZnO, and CdS. The PM10 dust of slag waste was found to contain PbCO3, Pb(OH)2 x 2PbCO3, PbSO4 x PbO, and ZnS, while PM10-bound Pb, Zn of the top-soils contain Pb5(PO4)3Cl, ZnFe2O4 as well as Pb(II) and Zn(II) compounds adsorbed on Fe(III) oxides and in association with clays.

The Greenhouse Gas Emission from Portland Cement Concrete Pavement Construction in China

PubMed Central

Ma, Feng; Sha, Aimin; Yang, Panpan; Huang, Yue

2016-01-01

This study proposes an inventory analysis method to evaluate the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from Portland cement concrete pavement construction, based on a case project in the west of China. The concrete pavement construction process was divided into three phases, namely raw material production, concrete manufacture and pavement onsite construction. The GHG emissions of the three phases are analyzed by a life cycle inventory method. The CO2e is used to indicate the GHG emissions. The results show that for 1 km Portland cement concrete pavement construction, the total CO2e is 8215.31 tons. Based on the evaluation results, the CO2e of the raw material production phase is 7617.27 tons, accounting for 92.7% of the total GHG emissions; the CO2e of the concrete manufacture phase is 598,033.10 kg, accounting for 7.2% of the total GHG emissions. Lastly, the CO2e of the pavement onsite construction phase is 8396.59 kg, accounting for only 0.1% of the total GHG emissions. The main greenhouse gas is CO2 in each phase, which accounts for more than 98% of total emissions. N2O and CH4 emissions are relatively insignificant. PMID:27347987

Effects of cattle-slurry treatment by acidification and separation on nitrogen dynamics and global warming potential after surface application to an acidic soil.

PubMed

Fangueiro, David; Pereira, José; Bichana, André; Surgy, Sónia; Cabral, Fernanda; Coutinho, João

2015-10-01

Cattle-slurry (liquid manure) application to soil is a common practice to provide nutrients and organic matter for crop growth but it also strongly impacts the environment. The objective of the present study was to assess the efficiency of cattle-slurry treatment by solid-liquid separation and/or acidification on nitrogen dynamics and global warming potential (GWP) following application to an acidic soil. An aerobic laboratory incubation was performed over 92 days with a Dystric Cambisol amended with raw cattle-slurry or separated liquid fraction (LF) treated or not by acidification to pH 5.5 by addition of sulphuric acid. Soil mineral N contents and NH3, N2O, CH4 and CO2 emissions were measured. Results obtained suggest that the acidification of raw cattle-slurry reduced significantly NH3 emissions (-88%) but also the GWP (-28%) while increased the N availability relative to raw cattle-slurry (15% of organic N applied mineralised against negative mineralisation in raw slurry). However, similar NH3 emissions and GWP were observed in acidified LF and non-acidified LF treatments. On the other hand, soil application of acidified cattle-slurry rather than non-acidified LF should be preferred attending the lower costs associated to acidification compared to solid-liquid separation. It can then be concluded that cattle-slurry acidification is a solution to minimise NH3 emissions from amended soil and an efficient strategy to decrease the GWP associated with slurry application to soil. Furthermore, the more intense N mineralisation observed with acidified slurry should lead to a higher amount of plant available N and consequently to higher crop yields. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Low incidence of foodborne pathogens of concern in raw milk utilized for farmstead cheese production.

PubMed

D'Amico, Dennis J; Groves, Errol; Donnelly, Catherine W

2008-08-01

Overall milk quality and prevalence of four target pathogens in raw milk destined for farmstead cheesemaking was examined. Raw milk samples were collected weekly from June to September 2006 from 11 farmstead cheese operations manufacturing raw milk cheese from cow's, goat's, and sheep's milk. Samples were screened for Listeria monocytogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli O157:H7 both quantitatively (direct plating) and qualitatively (PCR). Overall, 96.8% of samples had standard plate counts of < 100,000 CFU/ml, 42.7% of which were < 1,000 CFU/ml. Although no federal standards exist for coliforms in raw milk, 61% of samples tested conformed to pasteurized milk standards under the U.S. Pasteurized Milk Ordinance (PMO) at < 10 CFU/ml. All cow and sheep milk samples and 93.8% of goat milk samples were within the limits dictated by the PMO for somatic cell counts. Of the 11 farms, 8 (73%) produced samples that were positive for S. aureus, which was detected in 34.6% (46 of 133) of milk samples. L. monocytogenes was isolated from three milk samples (2.3%), two of which were from the same farm. E. coli O157:H7 was recovered from one sample of goat's milk for an overall incidence of 0.75%. Salmonella was not recovered from any of the 133 samples. The findings of this study suggest that most raw milk intended for farmstead cheesemaking is of high microbiological quality with a low incidence of pathogens. These data will help inform risk assessments associated with the microbiological safety of farmstead cheeses, particularly those manufactured from raw milk.

Food safety and inspection service regulatory testing program for Escherichia coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef.

PubMed

Naugle, Alecia Larew; Holt, Kristin G; Levine, Priscilla; Eckel, Ron

2005-03-01

We analyzed raw ground beef testing data to determine whether a decrease in the rate of Escherichia coli O157:H7-positive raw ground beef samples has occurred since the inception of Food Safety and Inspection Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture) regulatory actions and microbiological testing concerning this commodity and pathogen. A main effects log-linear Poisson regression model was constructed to evaluate the association between fiscal year and the rate of E. coli O157:H7-positive raw ground beef samples while controlling for the effect of season for the subset of test results obtained from fiscal year (FY)2000 through FY2003. Rate ratios were used to compare the rate of E. coli O157:H7-positive raw ground beef samples between sequential years to identify year-to-year differences. Of the 26,521 raw ground beef samples tested from FY2000 through FY2003, 189 (0.71%) tested positive for E. coli O157:H7. Year-to-year comparisons identified a 50% reduction in the rate of positive ground beef samples from FY2002 to FY2003 when controlling for season (95% CI, 10 to 72% decrease; P = 0.02). This decrease was the only significant year-to-year change in the rate of E. coli O157:H7-positive raw ground beef samples but was consistent in samples obtained from both federally inspected establishments and retail outlets. We believe this decrease is attributed to specific regulatory actions by Food Safety and Inspection Service and subsequent actions implemented by the industry, with the goal of reducing E. coli O157:H7 adulteration of raw ground beef. Continued monitoring is necessary to confirm that the decrease in the rate of E. coli O157:H7 in raw ground beef samples we observed here represents the beginning of a sustained trend.

A top-down method to fabricate SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ nanosheets from commercial blocky phosphors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Haoran; Xue, Zhiping; Lei, Bingfu; Dong, Hanwu; Zhang, Haiming; Deng, Suqing; Zheng, Mingtao; Liu, Yingliang; Xiao, Yong

2014-09-01

By using commercial SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ phosphor as raw material, we have developed a novel and simple top-down method to fabricate SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ nanosheets that are useful for potential practical applications, especially as fluorescent labels for biomolecules and mechano-optical nano-devices. X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) results demonstrate that the treated samples are still pure-phase of SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+. The field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) results indicate that the treated SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ phosphors are built up by nanosheets bundles. Excitation and emission spectra, afterglow emission spectra and decay curves are used to analyze the luminescence properties of SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ nanosheets, and the results show that, compared with commercial samples, the treated samples show similar spectra characteristic including the spectra shapes and the band position. Furthermore, the fluorescence and afterglow intensity of SrAl2O4:Eu2+,Dy3+ nanosheets can be tuned linearly by changing the circumstance temperatures, which further indicates its potential applications in fiber-optical thermometer materials.

Eukaryotic viruses in wastewater samples from the United States

USGS Publications Warehouse

Symonds, E.M.; Griffin, Dale W.; Breitbart, M.

2009-01-01

Human fecal matter contains a large number of viruses, and current bacterial indicators used for monitoring water quality do not correlate with the presence of pathogenic viruses. Adenoviruses and enteroviruses have often been used to identify fecal pollution in the environment; however, other viruses shed in fecal matter may more accurately detect fecal pollution. The purpose of this study was to develop a baseline understanding of the types of viruses found in raw sewage. PCR was used to detect adenoviruses, enteroviruses, hepatitis B viruses, herpesviruses, morbilliviruses, noroviruses, papillomaviruses, picobirnaviruses, reoviruses, and rotaviruses in raw sewage collected throughout the United States. Adenoviruses and picobirnaviruses were detected in 100% of raw sewage samples and 25% and 33% of final effluent samples, respectively. Enteroviruses and noroviruses were detected in 75% and 58% of raw sewage samples, respectively, and both viral groups were found in 8% of final effluent samples. This study showed that adenoviruses, enteroviruses, noroviruses, and picobirnaviruses are widespread in raw sewage. Since adenoviruses and picobirnaviruses were detected in 100% of raw sewage samples, they are potential markers of fecal contamination. Additionally, this research uncovered previously unknown sequence diversity in human picobirnaviruses. This baseline understanding of viruses in raw sewage will enable educated decisions to be made regarding the use of different viruses in water quality assessments. Copyright ?? 2009, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Boiler Briquette Coal versus Raw Coal: Part II-Energy, Greenhouse Gas, and Air Quality Implications.

PubMed

Zhang, Junfeng; Ge, Su; Bai, Zhipeng

2001-04-01

The objective of this paper is to conduct an integrated analysis of the energy, greenhouse gas, and air quality impacts of a new type of boiler briquette coal (BB-coal) in contrast to those of the raw coal from which the BB-coal was formulated (R-coal). The analysis is based on the source emissions data and other relevant data collected in the present study and employs approaches including the construction of carbon, energy, and sulfur balances. The results show that replacing R-coal with BB-coal as the fuel for boilers such as the one tested would have multiple benefits, including a 37% increase in boiler thermal efficiency, a 25% reduction in fuel demand, a 26% reduction in CO 2 emission, a 17% reduction in CO emission, a 63% reduction in SO 2 emission, a 97% reduction in fly ash and fly ash carbon emission, a 22% reduction in PM 2.5 mass emission, and a 30% reduction in total emission of five toxic hazardous air pollutant (HAP) metals contained in PM 10 . These benefits can be achieved with no changes in boiler hardware and with a relatively small amount of tradeoffs: a 30% increase in PM 10 mass emission and a 9-16% increase in fuel cost.

Boiler briquette coal versus raw coal: Part II--Energy, greenhouse gas, and air quality implications.

PubMed

Zhang, J; Ge, S; Bai, Z

2001-04-01

The objective of this paper is to conduct an integrated analysis of the energy, greenhouse gas, and air quality impacts of a new type of boiler briquette coal (BB-coal) in contrast to those of the raw coal from which the BB-coal was formulated (R-coal). The analysis is based on the source emissions data and other relevant data collected in the present study and employs approaches including the construction of carbon, energy, and sulfur balances. The results show that replacing R-coal with BB-coal as the fuel for boilers such as the one tested would have multiple benefits, including a 37% increase in boiler thermal efficiency, a 25% reduction in fuel demand, a 26% reduction in CO2 emission, a 17% reduction in CO emission, a 63% reduction in SO2 emission, a 97% reduction in fly ash and fly ash carbon emission, a 22% reduction in PM2.5 mass emission, and a 30% reduction in total emission of five toxic hazardous air pollutant (HAP) metals contained in PM10. These benefits can be achieved with no changes in boiler hardware and with a relatively small amount of tradeoffs: a 30% increase in PM10 mass emission and a 9-16% increase in fuel cost.

Identification of indicator congeners and evaluation of emission pattern of polychlorinated naphthalenes in industrial stack gas emissions by statistical analyses.

PubMed

Liu, Guorui; Cai, Zongwei; Zheng, Minghui; Jiang, Xiaoxu; Nie, Zhiqiang; Wang, Mei

2015-01-01

Identifying marker congeners of unintentionally produced polychlorinated naphthalenes (PCNs) from industrial thermal sources might be useful for predicting total PCN (∑2-8PCN) emissions by the determination of only indicator congeners. In this study, potential indicator congeners were identified based on the PCN data in 122 stack gas samples from over 60 plants involved in more than ten industrial thermal sources reported in our previous case studies. Linear regression analyses identified that the concentrations of CN27/30, CN52/60, and CN66/67 correlated significantly with ∑2-8PCN (R(2)=0.77, 0.80, and 0.58, respectively; n=122, p<0.05), which might be good candidates for indicator congeners. Equations describing relationships between indicators and ∑2-8PCN were established. The linear regression analyses involving 122 samples showed that the relationships between the indicator congeners and ∑2-8PCN were not significantly affected by factors such as industry types, raw materials used, or operating conditions. Hierarchical cluster analysis and similarity calculations for the 122 stack gas samples were adopted to group those samples and evaluating their similarity and difference based on the PCN homolog distributions from different industrial thermal sources. Generally, the fractions of less chlorinated homologs comprised of di-, tri-, and tetra-homologs were much higher than that of more chlorinated homologs for up to 111 stack gas samples contained in group 1 and 2, which indicating the dominance of lower chlorinated homologs in stack gas from industrial thermal sources. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sector-based VOCs emission factors and source profiles for the surface coating industry in the Pearl River Delta region of China.

PubMed

Zhong, Zhuangmin; Sha, Qing'e; Zheng, Junyu; Yuan, Zibing; Gao, Zongjiang; Ou, Jiamin; Zheng, Zhuoyun; Li, Cheng; Huang, Zhijiong

2017-04-01

Accurate depiction of VOCs emission characteristics is essential for the formulation of VOCs control strategies. As one of the continuous efforts in improving VOCs emission characterization in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) region, this study targeted on surface coating industry, the most important VOCs emission sources in the PRD. Sectors in analysis included shipbuilding coating, wood furniture coating, metal surface coating, plastic surface coating, automobile coating and fabric surface coating. Sector-based field measurement was conducted to characterize VOCs emission factors and source profiles in the PRD. It was found that the raw material-based VOCs emission factors for these six sectors ranged from 0.34 to 0.58kg VOCs per kg of raw materials (kg·kg -1 ) while the emission factors based on the production yield varied from 0.59kg to 13.72t VOCs for each production manufactured. VOCs emission factors of surface coating industry were therefore preferably calculated based on raw materials with low uncertainties. Source profiles differed greatly among different sectors. Aromatic was the largest group for shipbuilding coating, wood furniture coating, metal surface coating and automobile coating while the oxygenated VOCs (OVOCs) were the most abundant in the plastic and fabric surface coating sectors. The major species of aromatic VOCs in each of these six sectors were similar, mainly toluene and m/p-xylene, while the OVOCs varied among the different sectors. VOCs profiles in the three processes of auto industry, i.e., auto coating, auto drying and auto repairing, also showed large variations. The major species in these sectors in the PRD were similar with other places but the proportions of individual compounds were different. Some special components were also detected in the PRD region. This study highlighted the importance of updating local source profiles in a comprehensive and timely manner. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Emission characteristics and chemical components of size-segregated particulate matter in iron and steel industry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jia, Jia; Cheng, Shuiyuan; Yao, Sen; Xu, Tiebing; Zhang, Tingting; Ma, Yuetao; Wang, Hongliang; Duan, Wenjiao

2018-06-01

As one of the highest energy consumption and pollution industries, the iron and steel industry is regarded as a most important source of particulate matter emission. In this study, chemical components of size-segregated particulate matters (PM) emitted from different manufacturing units in iron and steel industry were sampled by a comprehensive sampling system. Results showed that the average particle mass concentration was highest in sintering process, followed by puddling, steelmaking and then rolling processes. PM samples were divided into eight size fractions for testing the chemical components, SO42- and NH4+ distributed more into fine particles while most of the Ca2+ was concentrated in coarse particles, the size distribution of mineral elements depended on the raw materials applied. Moreover, local database with PM chemical source profiles of iron and steel industry were built and applied in CMAQ modeling for simulating SO42- and NO3- concentration, results showed that the accuracy of model simulation improved with local chemical source profiles compared to the SPECIATE database. The results gained from this study are expected to be helpful to understand the components of PM in iron and steel industry and contribute to the source apportionment researches.

Hydrocarbon emissions characterization in the Colorado Front Range: A pilot study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pétron, Gabrielle; Frost, Gregory; Miller, Benjamin R.; Hirsch, Adam I.; Montzka, Stephen A.; Karion, Anna; Trainer, Michael; Sweeney, Colm; Andrews, Arlyn E.; Miller, Lloyd; Kofler, Jonathan; Bar-Ilan, Amnon; Dlugokencky, Ed J.; Patrick, Laura; Moore, Charles T., Jr.; Ryerson, Thomas B.; Siso, Carolina; Kolodzey, William; Lang, Patricia M.; Conway, Thomas; Novelli, Paul; Masarie, Kenneth; Hall, Bradley; Guenther, Douglas; Kitzis, Duane; Miller, John; Welsh, David; Wolfe, Dan; Neff, William; Tans, Pieter

2012-02-01

The multispecies analysis of daily air samples collected at the NOAA Boulder Atmospheric Observatory (BAO) in Weld County in northeastern Colorado since 2007 shows highly correlated alkane enhancements caused by a regionally distributed mix of sources in the Denver-Julesburg Basin. To further characterize the emissions of methane and non-methane hydrocarbons (propane, n-butane, i-pentane, n-pentane and benzene) around BAO, a pilot study involving automobile-based surveys was carried out during the summer of 2008. A mix of venting emissions (leaks) of raw natural gas and flashing emissions from condensate storage tanks can explain the alkane ratios we observe in air masses impacted by oil and gas operations in northeastern Colorado. Using the WRAP Phase III inventory of total volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from oil and gas exploration, production and processing, together with flashing and venting emission speciation profiles provided by State agencies or the oil and gas industry, we derive a range of bottom-up speciated emissions for Weld County in 2008. We use the observed ambient molar ratios and flashing and venting emissions data to calculate top-down scenarios for the amount of natural gas leaked to the atmosphere and the associated methane and non-methane emissions. Our analysis suggests that the emissions of the species we measured are most likely underestimated in current inventories and that the uncertainties attached to these estimates can be as high as a factor of two.

40 CFR 61.160 - Applicability and designation of source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

.... 61.160 Section 61.160 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED) AIR PROGRAMS (CONTINUED) NATIONAL EMISSION STANDARDS FOR HAZARDOUS AIR POLLUTANTS National Emission Standard... commercial arsenic as a raw material. This subpart does not apply to pot furnaces. (b) Rebricking is not...

Effect of torrefaction on the properties of rice straw high temperature pyrolysis char: Pore structure, aromaticity and gasification activity.

PubMed

Chen, Handing; Chen, Xueli; Qin, Yueqiang; Wei, Juntao; Liu, Haifeng

2017-03-01

The influence of torrefaction on the physicochemical characteristics of char during raw and water washed rice straw pyrolysis at 800-1200°C is investigated. Pore structure, aromaticity and gasification activity of pyrolysis chars are compared between raw and torrefied samples. For raw straw, BET specific surface area decreases with the increased torrefaction temperature at the same pyrolysis temperature and it approximately increases linearly with weight loss during pyrolysis. The different pore structure evolutions relate to the different volatile matters and pore structures between raw and torrefied straw. Torrefaction at higher temperature would bring about a lower graphitization degree of char during pyrolysis of raw straw. Pore structure and carbon crystalline structure evolutions of raw and torrefied water washed straw are different from these of raw straw during pyrolysis. For both raw and water washed straw, CO 2 gasification activities of pyrolysis chars are different between raw and torrefied samples. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Detection of astrovirus RNA from sewage works, seawater and native oysters samples in Chiba City, Japan using reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction].

PubMed

Yokoi, H; Kitahashi, T; Tanaka, T; Utagawa, E

2001-04-01

Through a year from April, 1999 to March, 2000, 20 samples, which consisted of raw sewage (2), chlorine-treated sewage (2), seawater (10) and naturally grown oysters (6), were collected monthly both from the sewage works at Mihama-ku, Chiba City and at a yacht harbor in Chiba City Bay, Japan. Astrovirus RNA were detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and was typed by direct sequencing. Astrovirus positive products were detected from 9 samples (raw sewage; 1/2, chlorine-treated sewage; 2/2, seawater; 5/10 and oysters; 1/6) collected in April, 1999. In May, positive products were detected from 4 samples (raw sewage; 2/2 and seawater; 2/10). In June, only 1 positive product was detected from raw sewage. The number of positive samples showed a tendency to decrease and no positive products were detected from samples collected in July, 1999 to January, 2000. After that period, positive products were again detected from 3 samples (raw sewage; 1/2, chlorine-treated sewage; 2/2) collected in February, 2000. In March, the number of positive samples showed the peak and positive products were detected from 12 samples (raw sewage; 2/2, chlorine-treated sewage; 2/2, seawater; 7/10 and oysters: 1/6). Astrovirus positive products detected in April, May, June, July, 1999 and February, 2000 were classified into type 1 or 2 by sequencing, whereas in March, 2000 were type 1, 2, 3, 6 and 7.

FIELD TEST MEASUREMENTS AT FIVE MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE LANDFILLS WITH LANDFILL GAS CONTROL TECHNOLOGY--FINAL REPORT

EPA Science Inventory

Research was conducted to evaluate landfill gas emissions at five municipal solid waste landfills which have modern control technology for landfill gas emissions. Comprehensive testing was conducted on the raw landfill gas and the combustion outlet exhaust. The project had two ...

Characterization of Hydrocarbon Emissions from Gasoline Direct-Injection Compression Ignition Engine Operating on a Higher Reactivity Gasoline Fuel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Storey, John; Lewis, Samuel; Moses-DeBusk, Melanie

Low temperature combustion engine technologies are being investigated for high efficiency and low emissions. However, such engine technologies often produce higher engine-out hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, and their operating range is limited by the fuel properties. In this study, two different fuels, a US market gasoline containing 10% ethanol (RON 92 E10) and a higher reactivity gasoline (RON 80 E0), were compared on a Delphi’s second generation Gasoline Direct-Injection Compression Ignition (Gen 2.0 GDCI) multi-cylinder engine. The engine was evaluated at three operating points ranging from a light load condition (800 rpm/2 bar IMEP g) to mediummore » load conditions (1500 rpm/6 bar and 2000 rpm/10 bar IMEP g). The engine was equipped with two oxidation catalysts, between which was located the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) inlet. Samples were taken at engine-out, between the catalysts, and at tailpipe locations. In addition, part of the raw exhaust was diluted and sampled for HC speciation. Canisters and sorbent membranes were used to collect volatile HCs and semi-volatile HCs, respectively. Di-nitrophenyl hydrazine (DNPH) cartridges were also used for collecting oxygenated species. Results showed overall lower HC emissions with the RON 80 E0 fuel compared to the RON 92 E10 fuel. For both fuels, the percentage of aromatic HCs was higher in the exhaust than in the fuels themselves. High engine-out aldehyde and ketone emissions were observed for both fuels. The reported HC speciation information can be useful for the development of a robust emission control system.« less

Characterization of Hydrocarbon Emissions from Gasoline Direct-Injection Compression Ignition Engine Operating on a Higher Reactivity Gasoline Fuel

DOE PAGES

Storey, John; Lewis, Samuel; Moses-DeBusk, Melanie; ...

2017-02-05

Low temperature combustion engine technologies are being investigated for high efficiency and low emissions. However, such engine technologies often produce higher engine-out hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, and their operating range is limited by the fuel properties. In this study, two different fuels, a US market gasoline containing 10% ethanol (RON 92 E10) and a higher reactivity gasoline (RON 80 E0), were compared on a Delphi’s second generation Gasoline Direct-Injection Compression Ignition (Gen 2.0 GDCI) multi-cylinder engine. The engine was evaluated at three operating points ranging from a light load condition (800 rpm/2 bar IMEP g) to mediummore » load conditions (1500 rpm/6 bar and 2000 rpm/10 bar IMEP g). The engine was equipped with two oxidation catalysts, between which was located the exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) inlet. Samples were taken at engine-out, between the catalysts, and at tailpipe locations. In addition, part of the raw exhaust was diluted and sampled for HC speciation. Canisters and sorbent membranes were used to collect volatile HCs and semi-volatile HCs, respectively. Di-nitrophenyl hydrazine (DNPH) cartridges were also used for collecting oxygenated species. Results showed overall lower HC emissions with the RON 80 E0 fuel compared to the RON 92 E10 fuel. For both fuels, the percentage of aromatic HCs was higher in the exhaust than in the fuels themselves. High engine-out aldehyde and ketone emissions were observed for both fuels. The reported HC speciation information can be useful for the development of a robust emission control system.« less

Quantifying alkane emissions in the Eagle Ford Shale using boundary layer enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roest, Geoffrey; Schade, Gunnar

2017-09-01

The Eagle Ford Shale in southern Texas is home to a booming unconventional oil and gas industry, the climate and air quality impacts of which remain poorly quantified due to uncertain emission estimates. We used the atmospheric enhancement of alkanes from Texas Commission on Environmental Quality volatile organic compound monitors across the shale, in combination with back trajectory and dispersion modeling, to quantify C2-C4 alkane emissions for a region in southern Texas, including the core of the Eagle Ford, for a set of 68 days from July 2013 to December 2015. Emissions were partitioned into raw natural gas and liquid storage tank sources using gas and headspace composition data, respectively, and observed enhancement ratios. We also estimate methane emissions based on typical ethane-to-methane ratios in gaseous emissions. The median emission rate from raw natural gas sources in the shale, calculated as a percentage of the total produced natural gas in the upwind region, was 0.7 % with an interquartile range (IQR) of 0.5-1.3 %, below the US Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) current estimates. However, storage tanks contributed 17 % of methane emissions, 55 % of ethane, 82 % percent of propane, 90 % of n-butane, and 83 % of isobutane emissions. The inclusion of liquid storage tank emissions results in a median emission rate of 1.0 % (IQR of 0.7-1.6 %) relative to produced natural gas, overlapping the current EPA estimate of roughly 1.6 %. We conclude that emissions from liquid storage tanks are likely a major source for the observed non-methane hydrocarbon enhancements in the Northern Hemisphere.

Characterization and inventory of PCDD/F emissions from the ceramic industry in China.

PubMed

Lu, Mang; Wang, Guoxiang; Zhang, Zhongzhi; Su, Youming

2012-04-03

The ceramic industry is considered to be a potential source of dioxins (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), considering the widespread distribution of dioxins in kaolinitic clays. Nevertheless, studies on the emission of dioxins from the ceramic industry are still very scarce. In this study, raw clays and stack gases from six typical ceramic plants in China were collected and analyzed to estimate the emission of dioxins from the ceramic industry. Dioxin profiles in raw clays were characterized by the domination of the congener octachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD), and the contents of other congeners declined with the decreasing degree of chlorination. During the ceramic firing process, a considerable amount (16.5-25.1 wt % of the initial quantity in raw clays) of the dioxins was not destroyed and was released to the atmosphere. Dechlorination of OCDD generated a broad distribution within the PCDD congeners including a variety of non-2,3,7,8-substituted ones with the mass abundance of 0.4-3.6%. Based on the mean concentrations measured in this study, the inventory of PCDD/Fs from the manufacturing of ceramics on the Chinese scale was estimated to be 7.94 kg/year; the corresponding value on the I-TEQ basis is 133.6 g I-TEQ/year. This accounts for about 1.34% (I-TEQ basis) of the total emission of dioxins to the environment in China. The results suggest that the ceramic industry is a significant source of dioxins in the environment.

Utilization of lime-dried sludge for eco-cement clinker production: effects of different feeding points.

PubMed

Cao, Haihua; Liu, Wei; Xu, Jingcheng; Liu, Jia; Huang, Juwen; Huang, Xiangfeng; Li, Guangming

2018-02-01

Co-processing lime-dried sludge (LDS) in cement kilns is an appropriate technique to solve the problem of LDS disposal and promote the sustainable development for cement industry. However, there were limited studies that investigated the effects of feeding points on product quality and cement kiln emissions. In this study, simulated experiments were conducted by dividing the feeding points into high-temperature zones (HTZs) and raw mill (RM). Cement quality and major cement kiln emission characteristics were comprehensively investigated. The results showed that in terms of burnability, compressive strength and microstructure, the optimum co-processing amount of LDS were 9 wt% when feeding at RM, while 6% when feeding at HTZs. Meanwhile, the organic emissions of RM samples were mainly low environmental risk compounds of amides and nitrogenous heterocyclic compounds. Inorganic gaseous pollutions of NO X and SO 2 , respectively, were 8.11 mg/g DS and 12.89 mg/g DS, compared with 7.61 mg/g DS and 4.44 mg/g DS for HTZs. However, all the cement kiln emissions concentration were still much lower than standard requirements. Overall, RM had a bigger LDS co-processing capacity and higher, but acceptable, cement kiln emissions. Feeding LDS via RM could dispose larger amounts of sludge and provide more alternative materials for cement manufacturing.

Effects of xanthan, guar, carrageenan and locust bean gum addition on physical, chemical and sensory properties of meatballs.

PubMed

Demirci, Zeynep Ozben; Yılmaz, Ismail; Demirci, Ahmet Şukru

2014-05-01

This study evaluated the effects of xanthan gum, guar gum, carrageenan and locust bean gum on physical, chemical and sensory properties of meatballs. Meatball samples were produced with three different formulations including of 0.5, 1, and 1.5% each gum addition and gum added samples were compared with the control meatballs. Physical and chemical analyses were carried out on raw and cooked samples separately. Moisture contents of raw samples decreased by addition of gums. There were significant decreases (p < 0.05) in moisture and fat contents of raw and cooked meatball samples formulated with gum when compared with control. Ash contents and texture values increased with gum addition to meatballs. Meatball redness decreased with more gum addition in raw and cooked meatball samples, which means that addition of gums resulted in a lighter-coloured product. According to sensory analysis results, locust bean gum added (1%) samples were much preferred by the panelists.

Radon anomalies: When are they possible to be detected?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Passarelli, Luigi; Woith, Heiko; Seyis, Cemil; Nikkhoo, Mehdi; Donner, Reik

2017-04-01

Records of the Radon noble gas in different environments like soil, air, groundwater, rock, caves, and tunnels, typically display cyclic variations including diurnal (S1), semidiurnal (S2) and seasonal components. But there are also cases where theses cycles are absent. Interestingly, radon emission can also be affected by transient processes, which inhibit or enhance the radon carrying process at the surface. This results in transient changes in the radon emission rate, which are superimposed on the low and high frequency cycles. The complexity in the spectral contents of the radon time-series makes any statistical analysis aiming at understanding the physical driving processes a challenging task. In the past decades there have been several attempts to relate changes in radon emission rate with physical triggering processes such as earthquake occurrence. One of the problems in this type of investigation is to objectively detect anomalies in the radon time-series. In the present work, we propose a simple and objective statistical method for detecting changes in the radon emission rate time-series. The method uses non-parametric statistical tests (e.g., Kolmogorov-Smirnov) to compare empirical distributions of radon emission rate by sequentially applying various time window to the time-series. The statistical test indicates whether two empirical distributions of data originate from the same distribution at a desired significance level. We test the algorithm on synthetic data in order to explore the sensitivity of the statistical test to the sample size. We successively apply the test to six radon emission rate recordings from stations located around the Marmara Sea obtained within the MARsite project (MARsite has received funding from the European Union's Seventh Programme for research, technological development and demonstration under grant agreement No 308417). We conclude that the test performs relatively well on identify transient changes in the radon emission rate, but the results are strongly dependent on the length of the time window and/or type of frequency filtering. More importantly, when raw time-series contain cyclic components (e.g. seasonal or diurnal variation), the quest of anomalies related to transients becomes meaningless. We conclude that an objective identification of transient changes can be performed only after filtering the raw time-series for the physically meaningful frequency content.

Occurrence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio vulnificus in retail raw oysters from the eastern coast of Thailand.

PubMed

Changchai, Nuttawee; Saunjit, Sudarat

2014-05-01

Occurrence, population density and virulence of Vibrio parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus in 240 retail raw oysters collected monthly between March 2010 and February 2011 from Ang Sila coast, Chon Buri Province, Thailand were determined using most probable number (MPN) multiplex PCR. Multiplex PCR detected V. parahaemolyticus in 219 raw oyster samples, of which 29 samples contained the virulence tdh. MPN values for V. parahaemolyticus and pathogenic strains in most samples ranged from 10 to 10(2) and from 3 to 10 MPN/g, respectively. The presence of V. vulnificus was found in 53 oyster samples in amounts between 10 and 10(2) MPN/g. Of 1,087 V. parahaemolyticus isolates, 14 and 2 isolates carried tdh and virulence trh, respectively but none with both genes. However, none of the presumptive isolates was shown to be V. vulnificus. The detection of pathogenic V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus in raw oysters has rendered high awareness of risk in consumption of raw or undercooked oysters.

Bio protection and preservation of raw beef meat using pungent aromatic plant substances.

PubMed

Krishnan, Kesavan Radha; Babuskin, Srinivasan; Babu, Packirisamy Azhagu Saravana; Fayidh, Mohammed Abbas; Sabina, Kalleary; Archana, Ganesan; Sivarajan, Meenatchisundaram; Sukumar, Muthusamy

2014-09-01

This study examined the effectiveness of three individual spice (clove, cinnamon and oregano) extracts and their combinations in raw beef meat during refrigerated storage. Meat samples were monitored for microbiological (total viable count, Enterobacteriaceae, lactic acid bacteria, Brochothrix thermosphacta and Pseudomonas spp.) and physicochemical (pH, colour and thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS)) attributes. Samples treated with the combination of all three spice extracts showed lower bacterial counts and better L*, a* and b* values among treated samples during the storage period. Positive and negative control samples had the highest TBARS values at the end of the storage period. With the addition of spice extracts, TBARS values in raw beef samples were retarded effectively (P < 0.05) compared with control samples, especially when the combination of all three spice extracts was used. The results of this study show that spice extracts were effective in inhibiting the growth of microbial populations and retarding lipid oxidation during refrigerated storage (4 °C) of raw beef meat. They also suggest that combinations of these extracts may have potential as natural preservatives in raw meat products. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Village energy survey reveals missing rural raw coal in northern China: Significance in science and policy.

PubMed

Zhi, Guorui; Zhang, Yayun; Sun, Jianzhong; Cheng, Miaomiao; Dang, Hongyan; Liu, Shijie; Yang, Junchao; Zhang, Yuzhe; Xue, Zhigang; Li, Shuyuan; Meng, Fan

2017-04-01

Burning coal for winter heating has been considered a major contributor to northern China's winter haze, with the district heating boilers holding the balance. However a decade of intensive efforts on district heating boilers brought few improvements to northern China's winter air quality, arousing a speculation that the household heating stoves mainly in rural area rather than the district heating boilers mainly in urban area dominate coal emissions in winter. This implies an extreme underestimation of rural household coal consumption by the China Energy Statistical Yearbooks (CESYs), although direct evidence supporting this speculation is lacking. A village energy survey campaign was launched to gather the firsthand information on household coal consumption in the rural areas of two cities, Baoding (in Hebei province) and Beijing (the capital of China). The survey data show that the rural raw coal consumption in Baoding (5.04 × 10 3  kt) was approximately 6.5 times the value listed in the official CESY 2013 and exceeded the rural total of whole Hebei Province (4668 kt), revealing a huge amount of raw coal missing from the current statistical system. More importantly, rural emissions of particulate matter (PM) and SO 2 from raw coal, which had never been included in widely distributing environmental statistical reports, were found higher than those from industrial and urban household sectors in the two cities in 2013, which highlights the importance of rural coal burning in creating northern China's heavy haze and helps to explain why a number of modeling predictions on ambient pollutant concentrations based on normal emission inventories were more bias-prone in winter season than in other seasons. We therefore recommend placing greater emphasis on the "missing" rural raw coal to help China in its long-term ambition to achieve clean air in the context of rapid economic development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occurrence of Campylobacter spp. in poultry and poultry products for sale on the Polish retail market.

PubMed

Maćkiw, Elżbieta; Rzewuska, Katarzyna; Stoś, Katarzyna; Jarosz, Mirosław; Korsak, Dorota

2011-06-01

In 2007 and 2008, a monitoring study was carried out in Poland to examine the occurrence of thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. in raw and cooked chicken products available on the retail market. A total of 912 samples were tested: 443 samples of raw chicken meat, 146 samples of giblets, and 323 ready-to-eat poultry products (150 samples of spit-roasted chicken, 56 samples of smoked chicken, and 117 samples of pâté and cold meats). A high level of contamination of raw chicken meat (51.7% of samples) and chicken giblets (47.3% of samples) was detected. However, thermotolerant Campylobacter spp. were found in only 1.2% of the ready-to-eat poultry products.

Results from raw milk microbiological tests do not predict the shelf-life performance of commercially pasteurized fluid milk.

PubMed

Martin, N H; Ranieri, M L; Murphy, S C; Ralyea, R D; Wiedmann, M; Boor, K J

2011-03-01

Analytical tools that accurately predict the performance of raw milk following its manufacture into commercial food products are of economic interest to the dairy industry. To evaluate the ability of currently applied raw milk microbiological tests to predict the quality of commercially pasteurized fluid milk products, samples of raw milk and 2% fat pasteurized milk were obtained from 4 New York State fluid milk processors for a 1-yr period. Raw milk samples were examined using a variety of tests commonly applied to raw milk, including somatic cell count, standard plate count, psychrotrophic bacteria count, ropy milk test, coliform count, preliminary incubation count, laboratory pasteurization count, and spore pasteurization count. Differential and selective media were used to identify groups of bacteria present in raw milk. Pasteurized milk samples were held at 6°C for 21 d and evaluated for standard plate count, coliform count, and sensory quality throughout shelf-life. Bacterial isolates from select raw and pasteurized milk tests were identified using 16S ribosomal DNA sequencing. Linear regression analysis of raw milk test results versus results reflecting pasteurized milk quality consistently showed low R(2) values (<0.45); the majority of R(2) values were <0.25, indicating small relationship between the results from the raw milk tests and results from tests used to evaluate pasteurized milk quality. Our findings suggest the need for new raw milk tests that measure the specific biological barriers that limit shelf-life and quality of fluid milk products. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characterization of the indigenous microflora in raw and pasteurized buffalo milk during storage at refrigeration temperature by high-throughput sequencing

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The effect of refrigeration on bacterial communities within raw and pasteurized buffalo milk was studied using high-throughput sequencing. High quality samples of raw buffalo milk were obtained from five dairy farms in the Guangxi province of China. A sample of each milk was pasteurized, and both r...

[Occurrence and typing of Listeria monocytogenes isolated from raw cow's milk collected on farms and from vending machines].

PubMed

Gelbícová, T; Karpísková, R

2012-04-01

Evaluation of the incidence and characteristics of L. monocytogenes in samples of raw cow's milk collected on farms (bulk tank milk samples) and from vending machines. Detection of L. monocytogenes and enumeration were carried out according to EN/ISO 11290--1, 2. Strains were characterised by serotyping and macrorestriction analysis using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The presence of L. monocytogenes was detected in 3,2 % (11/346) of bulk tank milk samples and 1,8 % (4/219) samples of raw cow's milk from vending machines. Findings of L. monocytogenes in raw milk were sporadic. Only on one farm strains of L. monocytogenes were detected repeatedly. Thirteen strains of L. monocytogenes belonged to serotype 1/2a, two strains to serotype 1/2b and one to serotype 4b. Macrorestriction analysis revealed considerable heterogeinity of profiles, with nine different pulsotypes being detected. Pulsotype 711 was the most frequent. This pulsotype was found on three different farms. The incidence of L. monocytogenes in raw cow's milk is relatively low in the Czech Republic. The results confirmed that some clones of L. monocytogenes from raw milk are identical with food and human strains.

Risky consumption habits and safety of fluid milk available in retail sales outlets in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

PubMed

Pieri, Fabio Alessandro; Colombo, Monique; Merhi, Carolina Milner; Juliati, Vinícius Augusto; Ferreira, Marcello Sebe; Nero, Marcelo Antônio; Nero, Luis Augusto

2014-06-01

This study aimed to assess raw milk consumption habits in the urban population of Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil, and the microbiological safety and quality of the fluid milk available in retail sales outlets in the same region. A simplified questionnaire regarding raw milk consumption was applied to the persons responsible for food acquisition in 411 residences. The regular consumption of raw milk was observed by 18.5% of the interviewers, and lack of knowledge of possible risks related to this food product. Microbiological safety and quality were assessed for raw (n=69), pasteurized (n=80), and ultra-high-temperature (UHT)-treated milk (n=80) by analyzing the counts of mesophilic aerobes, coliforms, and Escherichia coli, and detection of Listeria monocytogenes and Salmonella spp.; raw milk samples were also subjected to enumeration of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus. Concerning raw milk, 59.4% of the samples were considered as produced in inadequate hygienic conditions, 5.8% of the samples presented counts of coagulase-positive Staphylococcus lower than 100 colony-forming units (CFU)/mL, and no samples presented with positive results for L. monocytogenes or Salmonella spp. All pasteurized and UHT milk samples presented with low counts of mesophilic aerobes and coliforms, while L. monocytogenes and Salmonella spp. were absent. The data demonstrated that raw milk was consumed by the population studied. Despite the absence of potential hazards, raw milk was of poor hygienic quality, in contrast with the processed fluid milk available in retail sales outlets that was safe and of good hygienic quality, highlighting the suitability of pasteurized and UHT milk for human consumption.

Prevalence of virulent Yersinia enterocolitica in bulk raw milk and retail cheese in northern-west of Iran.

PubMed

Hanifian, Shahram; Khani, Sajjad

2012-04-02

To determine the prevalence of virulent Yersinia enterocolitica, 554 samples consisting of 354 bulk raw milks and 200 traditional cheeses were collected from different parts of Eastern-Azerbaijan province, during a 23-month period from 2008 to 2010. The occurrence of virulent strains of Y. enterocolitica in samples enriched in peptone sorbitol bile broth (PSBB) was evaluated via the detection of attachment invasion locus (ail) gene by PCR. The viability of virulent Y. enterocolitica in the PCR-positive samples was tested using conventional culture method and the isolates were confirmed by the second-phase ail-PCR. According to the results, 8.66% of total samples including 7.62% of bulk raw milks and 10.5% of raw milk cheeses were found ail-positive by PCR method; subsequently Y. enterocolitica was isolated by the culture method and confirmed by the second phase ail-PCR in 2.88% of total samples including 2.26% of raw milks and 4% of cheese samples. It was concluded that, a sample enrichment followed by ail-PCR was more sensitive and robust to detect and distinguish the virulent strains of Y. enterocolitica compared to the conventional culture method. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 63.7294 - What work practice standard must I meet for soaking?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... CATEGORIES (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Coke Ovens: Pushing... standard must I meet for soaking? (a) For each new and existing by-product coke oven battery, you must... from raw coke oven gas leaking from the collecting main through the damper, and emissions that result...

40 CFR 63.8266 - What definitions apply to this subpart?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Mercury Emissions From Mercury Cell...? Terms used in this subpart are defined in the CAA, in § 63.2, and in this section as follows: Aqueous..., that is used in the electrolyzer as a raw material. By-product hydrogen stream means the hydrogen gas...

Discernment of lint trash in raw cotton using multivariate analysis of excitation-emission luminescence spectra

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Excitation-Emission luminescence spectra of basic (pH 12.5) phosphate buffer solution extracts were used to distinguish among botanical components of trash within seed cotton. All components were separated from whole plants removed from a field in southern New Mexico. Unfolded Principal Component An...

[Carotenoids and vitamin A in fish].

PubMed

Elmadfa, I; Majchrzak, D

1998-06-01

Seven commercial salmon and six trout samples were investigated. Retinol and the carotenoids astaxanthin and canthaxanthin important for pigmentation of the muscle were determined by RP-HPLC. Vitamin A concentrations of raw salmon samples were 16-19 micrograms/100 g, of smoked salmon samples 9-19 micrograms/ 100 g; retinol values of salmon trout (raw) and trout (raw) reached 14-16 micrograms/100 g and 7-9 micrograms/100 g. Concentrations of astaxanthin the important carotenoid of pigmentation, ranged in samples of salmon from 310-465 micrograms/100 g. Samples of salmon trout showed astaxanthin values between 90 and 536 micrograms/100 g, trout samples only 67-85 micrograms/100 g. Concentrations of canthaxanthin were different in the examined samples and were not detectable in all samples. Highest values of canthaxanthin were found in salmon trout samples (113-226 micrograms/100 g), Irish smoked salmon and stremel-salmon (145-169 micrograms/100 g). Raw samples of salmon and of trout showed only low concentrations of canthaxanthin. Astaxanthin and canthaxanthin together reached values of 419-524 micrograms/100 g for salmon, 316-701 micrograms/100 g for salmon trout, and 72-91 micrograms/100 g for trout samples.

Four-year monitoring of foodborne pathogens in raw milk sold by vending machines in Italy.

PubMed

Giacometti, Federica; Bonilauri, Paolo; Serraino, Andrea; Peli, Angelo; Amatiste, Simonetta; Arrigoni, Norma; Bianchi, Manila; Bilei, Stefano; Cascone, Giuseppe; Comin, Damiano; Daminelli, Paolo; Decastelli, Lucia; Fustini, Mattia; Mion, Renzo; Petruzzelli, Annalisa; Rosmini, Roberto; Rugna, Gianluca; Tamba, Marco; Tonucci, Franco; Bolzoni, Giuseppe

2013-11-01

Prevalence data were collected from official microbiological records monitoring four selected foodborne pathogens (Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter jejuni) in raw milk sold by self-service vending machines in seven Italian regions (60,907 samples from 1,239 vending machines) from 2008 to 2011. Data from samples analyzed by both culture-based and real-time PCR methods were collected in one region. One hundred raw milk consumers in four regions were interviewed while purchasing raw milk from vending machines. One hundred seventy-eight of 60,907 samples were positive for one of the four foodborne pathogens investigated: 18 samples were positive for Salmonella, 83 for L. monocytogenes, 24 for E. coli O157:H7, and 53 for C. jejuni in the seven regions investigated. No significant differences in prevalence were found among regions, but a significant increase in C. jejuni prevalence was observed over the years of the study. A comparison of the two analysis methods revealed that real-time PCR was 2.71 to 9.40 times more sensitive than the culture-based method. Data on consumer habits revealed that some behaviors may enhance the risk of infection linked to raw milk consumption: 37% of consumers did not boil milk before consumption, 93% never used an insulated bag to transport raw milk home, and raw milk was consumed by children younger than 5 years of age. These results emphasize that end-product controls alone are not sufficient to guarantee an adequate level of consumer protection. The beta distribution of positive samples in this study and the data on raw milk consumer habits will be useful for the development of a national quantitative risk assessment of Salmonella, L. monocytogenes, E. coli O157, and C. jejuni infection associated with raw milk consumption.

Short communication: Microbiological quality of raw cow milk and its association with herd management practices in Northern China.

PubMed

Lan, X Y; Zhao, S G; Zheng, N; Li, S L; Zhang, Y D; Liu, H M; McKillip, J; Wang, J Q

2017-06-01

Contamination of raw milk with bacterial pathogens is potentially hazardous to human health. The aim of this study was to evaluate the total bacteria count (TBC) and presence of pathogens in raw milk in Northern China along with the associated herd management practices. A total of 160 raw milk samples were collected from 80 dairy herds in Northern China. All raw milk samples were analyzed for TBC and pathogens by culturing. The results showed that the number of raw milk samples with TBC <2 × 10 6 cfu/mL and <1 × 10 5 cfu/mL was 146 (91.25%) and 70 (43.75%), respectively. A total of 84 (52.50%) raw milk samples were Staphylococcus aureus positive, 72 (45.00%) were Escherichia coli positive, 2 (1.25%) were Salmonella positive, 2 (1.25%) were Listeria monocytogenes positive, and 3 (1.88%) were Campylobacter positive. The prevalence of S. aureus was influenced by season, herd size, milking frequency, disinfection frequency, and use of a Dairy Herd Improvement program. The TBC was influenced by season and milk frequency. The correlation between TBC and prevalence of S. aureus or E. coli is significant. The effect size statistical analysis showed that season and herd (but not Dairy Herd Improvement, herd size, milking frequency, disinfection frequency, and area) were the most important factors affecting TBC in raw milk. In conclusion, the presence of bacteria in raw milk was associated with season and herd management practices, and further comprehensive study will be powerful for effectively characterizing various factors affecting milk microbial quality in bulk tanks in China. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Survey of Veterinary Drug Residues in Raw Milk in Hebei Province, China.

PubMed

Han, Rong-Wei; Yu, Zhong-Na; Zhen, Tian-Yuan; Wang, Jun

2017-10-17

The objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of veterinary drug residues in raw milk from Hebei, the second-largest dairy production province in the People's Republic of China. A total of 192 raw milk samples were collected from 64 milk stations in seven districts. Twenty-eight veterinary drug residues were analyzed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry based on a China National Standard. Raw milk samples with multiple residues of veterinary drugs were not found in the present study. Residues of four veterinary drugs, penicillin G, sulfacetamide, trimethoprim, and lincomycin, were detected in 12 (6.25%) raw milk samples, with detection ratios of 1.04, 0.52, 3.13, and 1.56%, respectively. All veterinary drug residues detected were under the maximum residue levels as regulated by China, the European Union, the United States, and the Codex Alimentarius Commission. In general, raw milk from Hebei province was considered relatively safe for human consumption because of the low prevalence of veterinary drug residues. However, stringent control measurements for veterinary drug residues in raw milk are required because some veterinary drugs were detected in milk from some areas of Hebei province.

The antimicrobial effects of chopped garlic in ground beef and raw meatball (ciğ köfte).

PubMed

Aydin, Ali; Bostan, Kamil; Erkan, Mehmet Emin; Bingöl, Bariş

2007-03-01

This study was carried out to investigate the antimicrobial effects of chopped garlic in ground beef and raw meatball (çig köfte), which is a traditional food product eaten raw. Fresh minced ground beef and raw meatball batter prepared with traditional methods were separated into groups. Chopped and crushed garlic was added to each batch in order to reach various concentrations from 0% to 10%. The ground beef samples were stored at refrigerator and ambient temperatures. The raw meatball samples were only stored at room temperature. All samples were analyzed in order to determine the microbial counts at the 2(nd), 6(th), 12(th), and 24(th) hours of storage. Garlic addition decreased the microbial growth in some ground beef samples kept either at room temperature or in the refrigerator. However, microbial growth increased in some ground beef samples kept in similar conditions. The difference was found in samples kept in the refrigerator for 24 hours in terms of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and coliform bacteria when garlic used at 10%. The effects of garlic on the microbial growth of both coliforms and Staphylococcus/Micrococcus in the samples kept at room temperature were increased. The yeast and mold counts in ground beef samples kept in any condition were not affected by garlic addition. However, the addition of garlic to the raw meatball mix decreased the microbial count, in terms of total aerobic mesophilic bacteria and yeast and mold counts, when the garlic was added at 5% or 10% (P < .05). The addition of 10% garlic to raw meatball caused a permanent decrease in yeast and mold count, unlike in ground beef. The results of this study indicate that the chopped garlic has a slowing-down effect on microbiological growth in ground meat depending on the garlic concentration, but this effect was not at an expected level even at the highest concentration, because potential antimicrobial agents in chopped garlic were probably insufficiently extracted.

N and Cr ion implantation of natural ruby surfaces and their characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rao, K. Sudheendra; Sahoo, Rakesh K.; Dash, Tapan; Magudapathy, P.; Panigrahi, B. K.; Nayak, B. B.; Mishra, B. K.

2016-04-01

Energetic ions of N and Cr were used to implant the surfaces of natural rubies (low aesthetic quality). Surface colours of the specimens were found to change after ion implantation. The samples without and with ion implantation were characterized by diffuse reflectance spectra in ultra violet and visible region (DRS-UV-Vis), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and nano-indentation. While the Cr-ion implantation produced deep red surface colour (pigeon eye red) in polished raw sample (without heat treatment), the N-ion implantation produced a mixed tone of dark blue, greenish blue and violet surface colour in the heat treated sample. In the case of heat treated sample at 3 × 1017 N-ions/cm2 fluence, formation of colour centres (F+, F2, F2+ and F22+) by ion implantation process is attributed to explain the development of the modified surface colours. Certain degree of surface amorphization was observed to be associated with the above N-ion implantation.

Microbiological sampling plan based on risk classification to verify supplier selection and production of served meals in food service operation.

PubMed

Lahou, Evy; Jacxsens, Liesbeth; Van Landeghem, Filip; Uyttendaele, Mieke

2014-08-01

Food service operations are confronted with a diverse range of raw materials and served meals. The implementation of a microbial sampling plan in the framework of verification of suppliers and their own production process (functionality of their prerequisite and HACCP program), demands selection of food products and sampling frequencies. However, these are often selected without a well described scientifically underpinned sampling plan. Therefore, an approach on how to set-up a focused sampling plan, enabled by a microbial risk categorization of food products, for both incoming raw materials and meals served to the consumers is presented. The sampling plan was implemented as a case study during a one-year period in an institutional food service operation to test the feasibility of the chosen approach. This resulted in 123 samples of raw materials and 87 samples of meal servings (focused on high risk categorized food products) which were analyzed for spoilage bacteria, hygiene indicators and food borne pathogens. Although sampling plans are intrinsically limited in assessing the quality and safety of sampled foods, it was shown to be useful to reveal major non-compliances and opportunities to improve the food safety management system in place. Points of attention deduced in the case study were control of Listeria monocytogenes in raw meat spread and raw fish as well as overall microbial quality of served sandwiches and salads. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A method for reduction of Acoustic Emission (AE) data with application in machine failure detection and diagnosis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vicuña, Cristián Molina; Höweler, Christoph

2017-12-01

The use of AE in machine failure diagnosis has increased over the last years. Most AE-based failure diagnosis strategies use digital signal processing and thus require the sampling of AE signals. High sampling rates are required for this purpose (e.g. 2 MHz or higher), leading to streams of large amounts of data. This situation is aggravated if fine resolution and/or multiple sensors are required. These facts combine to produce bulky data, typically in the range of GBytes, for which sufficient storage space and efficient signal processing algorithms are required. This situation probably explains why, in practice, AE-based methods consist mostly in the calculation of scalar quantities such as RMS and Kurtosis, and the analysis of their evolution in time. While the scalar-based approach offers the advantage of maximum data reduction; it has the disadvantage that most part of the information contained in the raw AE signal is lost unrecoverably. This work presents a method offering large data reduction, while keeping the most important information conveyed by the raw AE signal, useful for failure detection and diagnosis. The proposed method consist in the construction of a synthetic, unevenly sampled signal which envelopes the AE bursts present on the raw AE signal in a triangular shape. The constructed signal - which we call TriSignal - also permits the estimation of most scalar quantities typically used for failure detection. But more importantly, it contains the information of the time of occurrence of the bursts, which is key for failure diagnosis. Lomb-Scargle normalized periodogram is used to construct the TriSignal spectrum, which reveals the frequency content of the TriSignal and provides the same information as the classic AE envelope. The paper includes application examples in planetary gearbox and low-speed rolling element bearing.

Properties and cellular effects of particulate matter from direct emissions and ambient sources.

PubMed

Jin, Wenjie; Su, Shu; Wang, Bin; Zhu, Xi; Chen, Yilin; Shen, Guofeng; Liu, Junfeng; Cheng, Hefa; Wang, Xilong; Wu, Shuiping; Zeng, Eddy; Xing, Baoshan; Tao, Shu

2016-10-14

The pollution of particulate matter (PM) is of great concern in China and many other developing countries. It is generally recognized that the toxicity of PM is source and property dependent. However, the relationship between PM properties and toxicity is still not well understood. In this study, PM samples from direct emissions of wood, straw, coal, diesel combustion, cigarette smoking and ambient air were collected and characterized for their physicochemical properties. Their expression of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) and levels of inflammatory cytokines (i.e., tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α)) was measured using a RAW264.7 cell model. Our results demonstrated that the properties of the samples from different origins exhibited remarkable differences. Significant increases in ROS were observed when the cells were exposed to PMs from biomass origins, including wood, straw and cigarettes, while increases in TNF-α were found for all the samples, particularly those from ambient air. The most important factor associated with ROS generation was the presence of water-soluble organic carbon, which was extremely abundant in the samples that directly resulted from biomass combustion. Metals, endotoxins and PM size were the most important properties associated with increases in TNF-α expression levels. The association of the origins of PM particles and physicochemical properties with cytotoxic properties is illustrated using a cluster analysis.

Occurrence of antimicrobial-resistant salmonella species in raw and ready to eat turkey meat products from retail outlets in the midwestern United States.

PubMed

Khaitsa, Margaret L; Kegode, Redempta B; Doetkott, Dawn K

2007-01-01

To investigate occurrence of Salmonella in raw and ready to eat (RTE) turkey from retail outlets, determine factors associated with its occurrence and antimicrobial-resistance patterns. A total of 959 turkey products (raw, n = 345; and RTE, n = 614) were purchased in 3 months from four stores in one city in the midwestern United States. Chi-square and logistic regression analyses were used to test for associations of microbial contamination with product type and brand, expiration date, sampling time, and retail store. Antimicrobial resistance of Salmonellae was determined using a National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS) panel of antimicrobials. Overall, 2.2% (21/959) of the samples (4.1% [14/345] raw and 1.1% [7/614] RTE) were contaminated with Salmonella. A significant difference in Salmonella occurrence (p < 0.05), between meat type (raw vs. RTE; OR = 4.2, 95% CI = 1.6, 10.8); and sampling month (p < 0.05) was reported, but not between retail stores and product brands. Salmonellae belonged to 6 serotypes: Hadar, Heidelberg, Typhimurium var. Copenhagen, Newport, Saintpaul, and Agona. Salmonellae from raw turkey exhibited higher antimicrobial resistance (53%) compared to those from RTE products (33%). Multidrug resistance was exhibited by 62% of Salmonellae (86% RTE, 50% raw meats). CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL APPLICATIONS: Turkey (both raw and RTE) may occasionally be contaminated with antimicrobial-resistant Salmonellae whose occurrence was influenced by sampling month and meat type. Continued surveillance of Salmonella occurrence in meat products, in particular RTE ones, is warranted in order to ensure a safe food supply.

Bacteriological study of raw and unexpired pasteurized cow's milk collected at the dairy farms and super markets in Sari city in 2011.

PubMed

Vahedi, M; Nasrolahei, M; Sharif, M; Mirabi, A M

2013-06-01

The quality of milk is influenced by different bacteria present in milk. This study was undertaken to investigate the bacterial contamination of raw and pasteurized milk in Sari Township, Iran, 2011. In this investigation, 100 pasteurized milk samples were collected randomly from the super markets in the city and 100 raw milk samples from 4 dairy farms from suburb areas and evaluated for the presence of coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Listeria monocytogenes by culture methods and biochemical tests. Data analysis was performed by SPSS software using Chi2 test and described in percentage. In the raw milk, contamination with E. coli, coliforms and Staphylococcus aureus was observed in 42 (42%), 36 (36%) and 22 (22%) of samples respectively, and the same for the pasteurized milk samples was 9 (9%), 2 (2%) and 2 (2%), respectively. Listeria monocytogenes was not detected in any sample. Presence of E. coli in the milk could be due to contamination with waste water and fecal materials. Considering the contamination of raw and pasteurized milk with E. coli and coliforms, sanitary practice during collecting and transporting, particularly in the summer season is recommended.

Prevalence, isolation and characterization of Bacillus cereus strains from rice of local cultivators of Sabah, Sarawak, and Peninsular Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawei, Jelin; Sani, Norrakiah Abdullah

2016-11-01

Bacillus cereus is a spore-forming, facultative anaerobic, motile microorganism that has been identified as a causative agent of two types of gastrointestinal diseases such as emetic and diarrhea. This foodborne pathogen is found in both vegetative cells and endospores form in foods such as rice either raw or cooked. The aim of this study is to investigate and determine the prevalence, characterize and identify the isolation of vegetative cells and endospores of B. cereus in thirty varieties (n=3) of raw rice from Sabah, Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia. A total of 90 (n=90) raw rice were examined and 84 (93.33%) samples were positive to vegetative cells of B. cereus. However, only 32 (35.56%) samples were positive for endospore cells that able to germinate after samples were heated at 75°C for 15 mins. The mean log cfu/g for vegetative cells were higher range (0.00 - 4.1533) than visible endospores (0.00 - 3.7533 mean log cfu/g). Sample of raw red rice (UKMRC9) had significantly higher contamination by both vegetative cells and endospores at p<0.05, than the other raw rice samples.

Prevalence and concentration of Salmonella on raw shelled peanuts in the United States.

PubMed

Calhoun, Stephen; Post, Laurie; Warren, Benjamin; Thompson, Sterling; Bontempo, Ann Rogers

2013-04-01

Recalls and/or outbreaks associated with Salmonella contamination in peanut-containing products were reported over the past several years. There are very limited data available on the prevalence and concentration of Salmonella on raw shelled peanuts in the United States. The objectives of this study were to estimate the prevalence of Salmonella on raw shelled peanuts in the United States and to estimate that concentration of Salmonella. Samples of Runner- and Virginia-type raw shelled peanuts from the 2008, 2009, and 2010 crop years were proportionately sampled from each growing region, based on 2007 production volume. Of 944 raw shelled peanut samples (375 g each), 22 (2.33%) were positive for Salmonella by the VIDAS Salmonella assay. Salmonella serovars identified in this study included Agona, Anatum, Braenderup, Dessau, Hartford, Meleagridis, Muenchen, Rodepoort, Tennessee, and Tornow. The concentration levels of Salmonella in positive samples, as determined by a most-probable-number assay, were <0.03 to 2.4 MPN/g. These data will be useful when designing and validating processes for the reduction or elimination of Salmonella in peanuts and/or peanut-containing products.

Preliminary assessment of the risk of Salmonella infection in dogs fed raw chicken diets.

PubMed

Joffe, Daniel J; Schlesinger, Daniel P

2002-06-01

This preliminary study assessed the presence of Salmonella spp. in a bones and raw food (BARF) diet and in the stools of dogs consuming it. Salmonella was isolated from 80% of the BARF diet samples (P < 0.001) and from 30% of the stool samples from dogs fed the diet (P = 0.105). Dogs fed raw chicken may therefore be a source of environmental contamination.

Dioxins, furans and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons emissions from a hospital and cemetery waste incinerator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mininni, Giuseppe; Sbrilli, Andrea; Maria Braguglia, Camilla; Guerriero, Ettore; Marani, Dario; Rotatori, Mauro

An experimental campaign was carried out on a hospital and cemetery waste incineration plant in order to assess the emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs), polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Raw gases were sampled in the afterburning chamber, using a specifically designed device, after the heat recovery section and at the stack. Samples of slags from the combustion chamber and fly ashes from the bag filter were also collected and analyzed. PCDD/Fs and PAHs concentrations in exhaust gas after the heat exchanger (200-350 °C) decreased in comparison with the values detected in the afterburning chamber. Pollutant mass balance regarding the heat exchanger did not confirm literature findings about the de novo synthesis of PCDD/Fs in the heat exchange process. In spite of a consistent reduction of PCDD/Fs in the flue gas treatment system (from 77% up to 98%), the limit of 0.1 ng ITEQ Nm -3 at the stack was not accomplished. PCDD/Fs emission factors for air spanned from 2.3 up to 44 μg ITEQ t -1 of burned waste, whereas those through solid residues (mainly fly ashes) were in the range 41-3700 μg ITEQ t -1. Tests run with cemetery wastes generally showed lower PCDD/F emission factors than those with hospital wastes. PAH total emission factors (91-414 μg kg -1 of burned waste) were in the range of values reported for incineration of municipal and industrial wastes. In spite of the observed release from the scrubber, carcinogenic PAHs concentrations at the stack (0.018-0.5 μg Nm -3) were below the Italian limit of 10 μg Nm -3.

40 CFR 1065.362 - Non-stoichiometric raw exhaust FID O2 interference verification.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... air source during testing, use zero air as the FID burner's air source for this verification. (4) Zero the FID analyzer using the zero gas used during emission testing. (5) Span the FID analyzer using a span gas that you use during emission testing. (6) Check the zero response of the FID analyzer using...

Pore structure of raw and purified HiPco single-walled carbon nanotubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cinke, Martin; Li, Jing; Chen, Bin; Cassell, Alan; Delzeit, Lance; Han, Jie; Meyyappan, M.

2002-10-01

Very high purity single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were obtained from HiPco SWNT samples containing Fe particles by a two-step purification process. The raw and purified samples were characterized using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), Raman spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). The purified sample consists of ˜0.4% Fe and the process does not seem to introduce any additional defects. The N 2 adsorption isotherm studies at 77 K reveal that the total surface area of the purified sample increases to 1587 m 2/g from 567 m 2/g for the raw material, which is the highest value reported for SWNTs.

Analytical techniques for measuring hydrocarbon emissions from the manufacture of fiberglass-reinforced plastics. Report for June 1995--March 1997

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wright, R.S.; Kong, E.J.; Bahner, M.A.

The paper discusses several projects to measure hydrocarbon emissions associated with the manufacture of fiberglass-reinforced plastics. The main purpose of the projects was to evaluate pollution prevention techniques to reduce emissions by altering raw materials, application equipment, and operator technique. Analytical techniques were developed to reduce the cost of these emission measurements. Emissions from a small test mold in a temporary total enclosure (TTE) correlated with emissions from full-size production molds in a separate TTE. Gravimetric mass balance measurements inside the TTE generally agreed to within +/-30% with total hydrocarbon (THC) measurements in the TTE exhaust duct.

Survey of aflatoxin M1 in raw milk in the five provinces of China.

PubMed

Zheng, Nan; Wang, Jia-Qi; Han, Rong-Wei; Zhen, Yun-Peng; Xu, Xiao-Min; Sun, Peng

2013-01-01

Aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) is the only mycotoxin that has a legal limit in milk all over the world. In the present study, 360 raw milk samples were collected from Beijing, Hebei, Shanxi, Shanghai and Guangdong provinces in China in September 2010, and their AFM1 levels were determined by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). More than three-fourths (78.1%) of the 360 raw milk samples contained AFM1 at concentrations of 5-123 ng L⁻¹. AFM1 contents in all positive samples were far below the Chinese and US legal limit of 500 ng L⁻¹, but 10% of the raw milk samples exceeded the EU legal limit of 50 ng L⁻¹. Moreover, both incidence and content of AFM1 in milk collected from the southern provinces, including Shanghai and Guangdong, were higher than those collected from the northern provinces, including Beijing, Hebei and Shanxi.

19 CFR 151.22 - Estimated duties on raw sugar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Estimated duties on raw sugar. 151.22 Section 151... THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) EXAMINATION, SAMPLING, AND TESTING OF MERCHANDISE Sugars, Sirups, and Molasses § 151.22 Estimated duties on raw sugar. Estimated duties shall be taken on raw sugar, as defined...

19 CFR 151.22 - Estimated duties on raw sugar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Estimated duties on raw sugar. 151.22 Section 151... THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) EXAMINATION, SAMPLING, AND TESTING OF MERCHANDISE Sugars, Sirups, and Molasses § 151.22 Estimated duties on raw sugar. Estimated duties shall be taken on raw sugar, as defined...

19 CFR 151.22 - Estimated duties on raw sugar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Estimated duties on raw sugar. 151.22 Section 151... THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) EXAMINATION, SAMPLING, AND TESTING OF MERCHANDISE Sugars, Sirups, and Molasses § 151.22 Estimated duties on raw sugar. Estimated duties shall be taken on raw sugar, as defined...

Prevalence and quantification of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in raw salad vegetables at retail level.

PubMed

Tunung, Robin; Margaret, Selina; Jeyaletchumi, Ponniah; Chai, Lay C; Tuan Zainazor, Tuan C; Ghazali, Farinazleen M; Nakaguchi, Yoshitsugu; Nishibuchi, Mitsuaki; Son, Radu

2010-02-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the biosafety of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in raw salad vegetables at wet market and supermarket in Malaysia. A combination of Most Probable Number - Polymerase Chain Reaction (MPN-PCR) method was applied to detect the presence of V. parahaemolyticus and to enumerate their density in the food samples. The study analyzed 276 samples of common vegetables eaten raw in Malaysia (Wild cosmos = 8; Japanese parsley = 21; Cabbage = 30; Lettuce = 16; Indian pennywort = 17; Carrot = 31; Sweet potato = 29; Tomato = 38; Cucumber = 28; Four winged bean = 26; Long bean = 32). The samples were purchased from two supermarkets (A and B) and two wet markets (C and D). The occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus detected was 20.65%, with higher frequency of V. parahaemolyticus in vegetables obtained from wet markets (Wet market C = 27.27%Wet Market D = 32.05%) compared to supermarkets (Supermarket A = 1.64%; Supermarket B = 16.67%). V. parahaemolyticus was most prevalent in Indian pennywort (41.18%). The density of V. parahaemolyticus in all the samples ranged from <3 up to >2400 MPN/g, mostly <3 MPN/g concentration. Raw vegetables from wet markets contained higher levels of V. parahaemolyticus compared to supermarkets. V. parahaemolyticus were present in raw vegetables although in low numbers. The results suggest that raw vegetables act as a transmission route for V. parahaemolyticus. This study will be the first biosafety assessment of V. parahaemolyticus in raw vegetables in Malaysia.

Concentrations and patterns of polychlorinated biphenyls at different process stages of cement kilns co-processing waste incinerator fly ash.

PubMed

Liu, Guorui; Yang, Lili; Zhan, Jiayu; Zheng, Minghui; Li, Li; Jin, Rong; Zhao, Yuyang; Wang, Mei

2016-12-01

Cement kilns can be used to co-process fly ash from municipal solid waste incinerators. However, this might increase emission of organic pollutants like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). Knowledge of PCB concentrations and homolog and congener patterns at different stages in this process could be used to assess the possibility of simultaneously controlling emissions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) and "dioxin-like" compounds. To date, emissions from cement kilns co-processing fly ash from municipal solid waste incinerators have not been analyzed for PCBs. In this study, stack gas and particulate samples from two cement kilns co-processing waste incinerator fly ash were analyzed for PCBs. The average total tri- to deca-chlorinated biphenyl (∑ 3-10 PCB) concentration in the stack gas samples was 10.15ngm -3 . The ∑ 3-10 PCB concentration ranges in particulate samples from different stages were 0.83-41.79ngg -1 for cement kiln 1and0.13-1.69ngg -1 for cement kiln 2. The ∑ 3-10 PCB concentrations were much higher in particulate samples from the suspension pre-heater boiler, humidifier tower, and kiln back-end bag filters than in particulate samples from other stages. For these three stages, PCBs contributed to 15-18% of the total PCB, PCDD/F, and polychlorinated naphthalene toxic equivalents in stack gases and particulate matter. The PCB distributions were similar to those found in other studies for PCDD/Fs and polychlorinated naphthalenes, which suggest that it may be possible to simultaneously control emissions of multiple organic pollutants from cement kilns. Homolog patterns in the particulate samples were dominated by the pentachlorobiphenyls. CB-105, CB-118, and CB-123 were the dominant dioxin-like PCB congeners that formed at the back-end of the cement kiln. A mass balance of PCBs in the cement kilns indicated that the total mass of PCBs in the stack gases and clinker was about half the mass of PCBs in the raw materials. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in a public water-treatment system, Paraná, Southern Brazil.

PubMed

Almeida, Jonatas Campos; Martins, Felippe Danyel Cardoso; Ferreira Neto, José Maurício; Santos, Maíra Moreira Dos; Garcia, João Luis; Navarro, Italmar Teodorico; Kuroda, Emília Kiyomi; Freire, Roberta Lemos

2015-01-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. in a public water-treatment system. Samples of raw and treated water were collected and concentrated using the membrane filtration technique. Direct Immunofluorescence Test was performed on the samples. DNA extraction using a commercial kit was performed and the DNA extracted was submitted to a nested-PCR reaction (n-PCR) and sequencing. In the immunofluorescence, 2/24 (8.33%) samples of raw water were positive for Giardia spp.. In n-PCR and sequencing, 2/24 (8.33%) samples of raw water were positive for Giardia spp., and 2/24 (8.33%) samples were positive for Cryptosporidium spp.. The sequencing showed Cryptosporidium parvum and Giardia duodenalis DNA. In raw water, there was moderate correlation among turbidity, color and Cryptosporidium spp. and between turbidity and Giardia spp.. The presence of these protozoans in the water indicates the need for monitoring for water-treatment companies.

Suitability of artificial sweeteners as indicators of raw wastewater contamination in surface water and groundwater.

PubMed

Tran, Ngoc Han; Hu, Jiangyong; Li, Jinhua; Ong, Say Leong

2014-01-01

There is no quantitative data on the occurrence of artificial sweeteners in the aquatic environment in Southeast Asian countries, particularly no information on their suitability as indicators of raw wastewater contamination on surface water and groundwater. This study provided the first quantitative information on the occurrence of artificial sweeteners in raw wastewater, surface water and groundwater in the urban catchment area in Singapore. Acesulfame, cyclamate, saccharin, and sucralose were ubiquitous in raw wastewater samples at concentrations in the range of ng/L-μg/L, while other sweeteners were not found or found only in a few of the raw wastewater samples. Residential and commercial effluents were demonstrated to be the two main sources of artificial sweeteners entering the municipal sewer systems. Relatively higher concentrations of the detected sweeteners were frequently found in surface waters at the sampling sites located in the residential/commercial areas. No significant difference in the concentrations of the detected sweeteners in surface water or groundwater was noted between wet and dry weather conditions (unpaired T-test, p> 0.05). Relatively higher concentrations and detection frequencies of acesulfame, cyclamate and saccharin in surface water samples were observed at the potentially impacted sampling sites, while these sweeteners were absent in most of the background surface water samples. Similarly, acesulfame, cyclamate, and saccharin were found in most groundwater samples at the monitoring well (GW6), which is located close to known leaking sewer segment; whereas these were absent in the background monitoring well, which is located in the catchment with no known wastewater sources. Taken together, the results suggest that acesulfame, cyclamate, and saccharin can be used as potential indicators of raw wastewater contamination in surface water and groundwater. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Preliminary assessment of the risk of Salmonella infection in dogs fed raw chicken diets

PubMed Central

Joffe, Daniel J.; Schlesinger, Daniel P.

2002-01-01

This preliminary study assessed the presence of Salmonella spp. in a bones and raw food (BARF) diet and in the stools of dogs consuming it. Salmonella was isolated from 80% of the BARF diet samples (P < 0.001) and from 30% of the stool samples from dogs fed the diet (P = 0.105). Dogs fed raw chicken may therefore be a source of environmental contamination. PMID:12058569

Risk Factors and Level of Listeria monocytogenes Contamination of Raw Pork in Retail Markets in China.

PubMed

Li, Hua; Wang, Pengfei; Lan, Ruiting; Luo, Lijuan; Cao, Xiaolong; Wang, Yi; Wang, Yan; Li, Hui; Zhang, Lu; Ji, Shunshi; Ye, Changyun

2018-01-01

Listeria monocytogenes can contaminate various foods via food processing environments and contamination of raw materials. There is a limited understanding of L. monocytogenes transmission in retail market and the role of insects in L. monocytogenes transmission in the retail environments. To better understand the risk factors of raw pork contamination, the prevalence of L. monocytogenes was examined in raw pork, retail environments and insects in a retail market over a 6-month period from March to August in 2016 in Beijing, China. A total of 2,789 samples were collected, including 356 raw pork samples, 1,392 meat contact surface swabs (MCS), 712 non-meat contact surface swabs (NMCS) and 329 insect samples. Overall, 424 (15.20%) of the samples were found to be contaminated by L. monocytogenes . Analyzed by serotyping, multilocus sequence typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, the 424 L. monocytogenes isolates were divided into three serotypes (1/2c, 1/2a and 3a), 15 pulsotypes (PTs) and nine sequence types (STs), 1/2c/PT4/ST9 (244/424, 58%) was the most prevalent type of L. monocytogenes strains. The raw pork, MCS of the environments and insects were contaminated with higher levels of L. monocytogenes than NMCS of the environments, which suggested that cross contamination of L. monocytogenes between raw pork and the environment existed in the retail market, and long-term contaminated surfaces and vector insects would act as high risk factors to transmit L. monocytogenes to raw pork. Thus more effective strategies are needed to reduce the risk of retail pork meat contamination by L. monocytogenes and prevent foodborne human listeriosis.

Campylobacter spp. Prevalence and Levels in Raw Milk: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

PubMed

Christidis, T; Pintar, K D M; Butler, A J; Nesbitt, A; Thomas, M K; Marshall, B; Pollari, F

2016-10-01

Campylobacteriosis is the leading bacterial gastrointestinal disease internationally, contributing significantly to the enteric illness burden. Cases have been associated with the consumption of raw milk, a behavior that has garnered attention recently. Estimates of the prevalence and levels of Campylobacter spp. in raw milk are lacking, which hinders risk assessment attempts. This article is a systematic review and meta-analysis of reported prevalence and levels of zoonotic Campylobacter spp. in the raw milk of cows, goats, and sheep in Canada, the United States, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The relevant literature was reviewed, and trained reviewers examined the results for inclusion of articles in the meta-analysis. Relevant data (prevalence and/or level of Campylobacter in raw milk, country of origin, animal species, sample source, Campylobacter species identified, etc.) were extracted, and a meta-analysis was performed in Stata v. 12 (Metaprop command). The weighted mean prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in raw milk samples was 1.18%. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine how prevalence varied by study characteristics, with the highest prevalence values in studies from the United Kingdom (by country, 6.4%), about cows (by animal species, 1.3%), and including samples taken from inline filters (by sample source, 1.75%) and in studies that included species that are not pathogenic to humans (by Campylobacter species, 1.14%). Two articles each included a single Campylobacter level, 0.16 ± 0.3 and approximately 0.047 most probable number per ml. Despite a relatively low prevalence, consumption of raw milk is inherently risky because no treatment has been used to inactivate pathogens. This potential risk further supports maintaining regulations to limit the sales of raw milk.

Survey of physicochemical characteristics and microbial contamination in selected food locally vended in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania.

PubMed

Nonga, Hezron Emmanuel; Ngowi, Helena Aminiel; Mdegela, Robinson Hammerthon; Mutakyawa, Eliud; Nyahinga, Gabriel Busungu; William, Robert; Mwadini, Mtumwa Mohd

2015-11-26

Raw milk, raw fruit juice and raw fish are enriched with essential nutrients for human diet but are prone to microbial contamination along the value chain. This cross sectional study was conducted to assess physicochemical characteristics and microbial quality of raw milk, fruit juice and fish from food vendors in Morogoro Municipality, Tanzania. The physicochemical assessment of food samples was done by smell, colour, presence of debris, turbidity, consistence, pH and clot on alcohol test. Hygiene of food containers, personnel and the vending environment was also assessed. Qualitative and quantitative microbial assessment of food was done using standard laboratory protocols as described by Tanzania Bureau of Standards and International Systems of Standards. Raw milk sold in Morogoro was of poor quality since was adulterated with water, contained sediments and clotted on alcohol test. Up to 63 % of the milk samples were contaminated with Escherichia coli and 60 % had higher total viable count (TVC) than the recommended values. Raw fruit juice was stored in dirty containers and sold under unhygienic environment. Seventy-three percent of juice samples had TVC beyond the recommendations while E. coli contamination rate was 63.3 %. The raw fish samples had started spoiling as depicted through sensory evaluation. E. coli contamination rate was 55 % and that of Campylobacter jejuni was 0.5 %. The mean TVC of raw fish was 8.1 (Log cfu/g) and 96.2 % of the fish samples had TVC beyond the recommended limits of 5.0 Log cfu/g. The physicochemical characteristics of food vended in Morogoro Municipality were of poor quality. The food had high bacterial contaminations. This situation poses health risks to the public and losses to food vendors due to spoilage. Stakeholders in food value chain should be educated on safe production and good hygienic practices. Routine quality and safety assessment of locally vended food, inspection of selling premises and regular health check-up of the personnel involved in food vending industry should be instituted.

a Multi Objective Model for Optimization of a Green Supply Chain Network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paksoy, Turan; Özceylan, Eren; Weber, Gerhard-Wilhelm

2010-06-01

This study develops a model of a closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) network which starts with the suppliers and recycles with the decomposition centers. As a traditional network design, we consider minimizing the all transportation costs and the raw material purchasing costs. To pay attention for the green impacts, different transportation choices are presented between echelons according to their CO2 emissions. The plants can purchase different raw materials in respect of their recyclable ratios. The focuses of this paper are conducting the minimizing total CO2 emissions. Also we try to encourage the customers to use recyclable materials as an environmental performance viewpoint besides minimizing total costs. A multi objective linear programming model is developed via presenting a numerical example. We close the paper with recommendations for future researches.

[Emission characteristics of PM10 from coal-fired industrial boiler].

PubMed

Li, Chao; Li, Xing-Hua; Duan, Lei; Zhao, Meng; Duan, Jing-Chun; Hao, Ji-Ming

2009-03-15

Through ELPI (electrical low-pressure impactor) based dilution sampling system, the emission characteristics of PM10 and PM2.5 was studied experimentally at the inlet and outlet of dust catchers at eight different coal-fired industrial boilers. Results showed that a peak existed at around 0.12-0.20 microm of particle size for both number size distribution and mass size distribution of PM10 emitted from most of the boilers. Chemical composition analysis indicated that PM2.5 was largely composed of organic carbon, elementary carbon, and sulfate, with mass fraction of 3.7%-21.4%, 4.2%-24.6%, and 1.5%-55.2% respectively. Emission factors of PM10 and PM2.5 measured were 0.13-0.65 kg x t(-1) and 0.08-0.49 kg x t(-1) respectively for grate boiler using raw coal, and 0.24 kg x t(-1) and 0.22 kg x t(-1) for chain-grate boiler using briquette. In comparison, the PM2.5 emission factor of fluidized bed boiler is 1.14 kg x t(-1), much her than that of grate boiler. Due to high coal consumption and low efficiency of dust separator, coal-fired industrial boiler may become the most important source of PM10, and should be preferentially controlled in China.

Reductions in Emissions of Carbonaceous Particulate Matter and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Combustion of Biomass Pellets in Comparisonwith Raw Fuel Burning

PubMed Central

SHEN, Guofeng; TAO, Shu; WEI, Siye; ZHANG, Yanyan; WANG, Rong; WANG, Bin; LI, Wei; SHEN, Huizhong; HUANG, Ye; CHEN, Yuanchen; CHEN, Han; YANG, Yifeng; WANG, Wei; WEI, Wen; WANG, Xilong; LIU, Wenxing; WANG, Xuejun; SIMONICH, Staci L. Massey

2012-01-01

Biomass pellets are emerging as a cleaner alternative to traditional biomass fuels. The potential benefits of using biomass pellets include improving energy utilization efficiency and reducing emissions of air pollutants. To assess the environmental, climate, and health significance of replacing traditional fuels with biomass pellets, it is critical to measure the emission factors (EFs) of various pollutants from pellet burning. However, only a few field measurements have been conducted on the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the combustion of pellets. In this study, pine wood and corn straw pellets were burned in a pellet burner (2.6 kW) and the EFs of CO, organic carbon, elemental carbon, PM, and PAHs (EFCO, EFOC, EFEC, EFPM, and EFPAH) were determined. The average EFCO, EFOC, EFEC, and EFPM were 1520±1170, 8.68±11.4, 11.2±8.7, and 188±87 mg/MJ for corn straw pellets, and 266±137, 5.74±7.17, 2.02±1.57, and 71.0±54.0 mg/MJ for pine wood pellets, respectively. Total carbonaceous carbon constituted 8 to 14% of the PM mass emitted. The measured values of EFPAH for the two pellets were 1.02±0.64 and 0.506±0.360 mg/MJ, respectively. The secondary side air supply in the pellet burner did not change the EFs of most pollutants significantly (p > 0.05). The only exceptions were EFOC and EFPM for pine wood pellets because of reduced combustion temperatures with the increased air supply. In comparison with EFs for the raw pine wood and corn straw, EFCO, EFOC, EFEC, and EFPM for pellets were significantly lower than those for raw fuels (p < 0.05). However, the differences in EFPAH were not significant (p > 0.05). Based on the measured EFs and thermal efficiencies, it was estimated that 95, 98, 98, 88, and 71% reductions in the total emissions of CO, OC, EC, PM, and PAHs could be achieved by replacing the raw biomass fuels combusted in traditional cooking stoves with pellets burned in modern pellet burners. PMID:22568759

Reductions in emissions of carbonaceous particulate matter and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from combustion of biomass pellets in comparison with raw fuel burning.

PubMed

Shen, Guofeng; Tao, Shu; Wei, Siye; Zhang, Yanyan; Wang, Rong; Wang, Bin; Li, Wei; Shen, Huizhong; Huang, Ye; Chen, Yuanchen; Chen, Han; Yang, Yifeng; Wang, Wei; Wei, Wen; Wang, Xilong; Liu, Wenxing; Wang, Xuejun; Masse Simonich, Staci L y

2012-06-05

Biomass pellets are emerging as a cleaner alternative to traditional biomass fuels. The potential benefits of using biomass pellets include improving energy utilization efficiency and reducing emissions of air pollutants. To assess the environmental, climate, and health significance of replacing traditional fuels with biomass pellets, it is critical to measure the emission factors (EFs) of various pollutants from pellet burning. However, only a few field measurements have been conducted on the emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), particulate matter (PM), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from the combustion of pellets. In this study, pine wood and corn straw pellets were burned in a pellet burner (2.6 kW), and the EFs of CO, organic carbon, elemental carbon, PM, and PAHs (EF(CO), EF(OC), EF(EC), EF(PM), and EF(PAH)) were determined. The average EF(CO), EF(OC), EF(EC), and EF(PM) were 1520 ± 1170, 8.68 ± 11.4, 11.2 ± 8.7, and 188 ± 87 mg/MJ for corn straw pellets and 266 ± 137, 5.74 ± 7.17, 2.02 ± 1.57, and 71.0 ± 54.0 mg/MJ for pine wood pellets, respectively. Total carbonaceous carbon constituted 8 to 14% of the PM mass emitted. The measured values of EF(PAH) for the two pellets were 1.02 ± 0.64 and 0.506 ± 0.360 mg/MJ, respectively. The secondary side air supply in the pellet burner did not change the EFs of most pollutants significantly (p > 0.05). The only exceptions were EF(OC) and EF(PM) for pine wood pellets because of reduced combustion temperatures with the increased air supply. In comparison with EFs for the raw pine wood and corn straw, EF(CO), EF(OC), EF(EC), and EF(PM) for pellets were significantly lower than those for raw fuels (p < 0.05). However, the differences in EF(PAH) were not significant (p > 0.05). Based on the measured EFs and thermal efficiencies, it was estimated that 95, 98, 98, 88, and 71% reductions in the total emissions of CO, OC, EC, PM, and PAHs could be achieved by replacing the raw biomass fuels combusted in traditional cooking stoves with pellets burned in modern pellet burners.

Important vectors for Listeria monocytogenes transmission at farm dairies manufacturing fresh sheep and goat cheese from raw milk.

PubMed

Schoder, Dagmar; Melzner, Daniela; Schmalwieser, Alois; Zangana, Abdoulla; Winter, Petra; Wagner, Martin

2011-06-01

The aim of this study was to determine the transmission routs of Listeria spp. in dairy farms manufacturing fresh cheese made from ovine and caprine raw milk and to evaluate the impact of Listeria monocytogenes mastitis on raw milk contamination. Overall, 5,799 samples, including 835 environmental samples, 230 milk and milk product samples, and 4,734 aseptic half-udder foremilk samples were collected from 53 dairy farms in the dairy intensive area of Lower Austria. Farms were selected for the study because raw milk was processed to cheese that was sold directly to consumers. A total of 153 samples were positive for Listeria spp., yielding an overall prevalence of 2.6%; L. monocytogenes was found in 0.9% of the samples. Bulk tank milk, cheese, and half-udder samples were negative for Listeria spp. Because none of the sheep and goats tested positive from udder samples, L. monocytogenes mastitis was excluded as a significant source of raw milk contamination. L. monocytogenes was detected at 30.2% of all inspected farms. Swab samples from working boots and fecal samples had a significantly higher overall prevalence (P < 0.001) of L. monocytogenes (15.7 and 13.0%, respectively) than did swab samples from the milk processing environment (7.9%). A significant correlation was found between the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in the animal and in the milk processing environment and the silage feeding practices. Isolation of L. monocytogenes was three to seven times more likely from farms where silage was fed to animals throughout the year than from farms where silage was not fed to the animals.

Evaluation of aflatoxins and Aspergillus sp. contamination in raw peanuts and peanut-based products along the supply chain in Malaysia.

PubMed

Norlia, Mahror; Nor-Khaizura, M A R; Selamat, Jinap; Abu Bakar, Fatimah; Radu, Son; Chin, Cheow Keat

2018-06-18

The peanut supply chain in Malaysia is dominated by three main stakeholders (importers, manufacturers, retailers). The present study, aimed to determine the levels and critical points of aflatoxins and fungal contamination in peanuts along the supply chain. Specifically, two types of raw peanuts and six types of peanut-based products were collected (N = 178). Samples were analysed for aflatoxins by using High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Results revealed that the aflatoxins contamination was significantly higher (P≤0.05) in raw peanuts and peanut-based products from the retailers. However, there was no significant different (P≥0.05) in fungal contamination for both types of peanuts except for the total fungal count in raw peanuts from the retailers. Furthermore, raw peanut kernels from the retailers were the most contaminated ones ranged from

Characterization of fine particle and gaseous emissions during school bus idling.

PubMed

Kinsey, J S; Williams, D C; Dong, Y; Logan, R

2007-07-15

The particulate matter (PM) and gaseous emissions from six diesel school buses were determined over a simulated waiting period typical of schools in the northeastern U.S. Testing was conducted for both continuous idle and hot restart conditions using a suite of on-line particle and gas analyzers installed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Diesel Emissions Aerosol Laboratory. The specific pollutants measured encompassed total PM-2.5 mass (PM < or = 2.5 microm in aerodynamic diameter), PM-2.5 number concentration, particle size distribution, particle-surface polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and a tracer gas (1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane) in the diluted sample stream. Carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide, nitrogen oxides (NO(x)), total hydrocarbons (THC), oxygen, formaldehyde, and the tracer gas were also measured in the raw exhaust. Results of the study showed little difference in the measured emissions between a 10 min post-restart idle and a 10 min continuous idle with the exception of THC and formaldehyde. However, an emissions pulse was observed during engine restart. A predictive equation was developed from the experimental data, which allows a comparison between continuous idle and hot restart for NO(x), CO, PM2.5, and PAHs and which considers factors such as the restart emissions pulse and periods when the engine is not running. This equation indicates that restart is the preferred operating scenario as long as there is no extended idling after the engine is restarted.

Exposure to perfluorinated compounds in Catalonia, Spain, through consumption of various raw and cooked foodstuffs, including packaged food.

PubMed

Jogsten, Ingrid Ericson; Perelló, Gemma; Llebaria, Xavier; Bigas, Esther; Martí-Cid, Roser; Kärrman, Anna; Domingo, José L

2009-07-01

In this study, the role that some food processing and packaging might play as a source of perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) through the diet was assessed. The levels of PFCs were determined in composite samples of veal steak (raw, grilled, and fried), pork loin (raw, grilled, and fried), chicken breast (raw, grilled, and fried), black pudding (uncooked), liver lamb (raw), marinated salmon (home-made and packaged), lettuce (fresh and packaged), pate of pork liver, foie gras of duck, frankfurt, sausages, chicken nuggets (fried), and common salt. Among the 11 PFCs analyzed, only PFHxS, PFOS, PFHxA, and PFOA were detected in at least one composite sample, while the levels of the remaining PFCs (PFBuS, PFHpA, PFNA, PFDA, PFUnDA, and PFDoDA) were under their respective detection limits. PFOS was the compound most frequently detected, being found in 8 of the 20 food items analyzed, while PFHxA was detected in samples of raw veal, chicken nuggets, frankfurt, sausages, and packaged lettuce. According to the results of the present study, it is not sufficiently clear if cooking with non-stick cookware, or packaging some foods, could contribute to a higher human exposure to PFCs.

Bacteriological quality of raw camel milk along the market value chain in Fafen zone, Ethiopian Somali regional state.

PubMed

Abera, Tsegalem; Legesse, Yoseph; Mummed, Behar; Urga, Befekadu

2016-05-26

The camel is a multipurpose animal with a huge productive potential. Camel milk is a key food in arid and semi-arid areas of the African and Asian countries. The quality of milk is influenced by different bacteria present in milk. This study was conducted to evaluate total bacterial content in raw camel milk along the market chain in Fafen zone, Ethiopian Somali Regional State. One hundred twenty-six raw camel milk samples were collected from Gursum (47.1 %) and Babile (52.9 %) districts. The three sampling levels included were udder (14.7 %), milking bucket (29.4 %) and market (55.9 %). Milk samples were analyzed for total bacterial counts (TBC) and coliform counts (CC). Furthermore, major pathogens were isolated and identified. 108 (85.7 %) of raw camel milk samples demonstrated bacterial contamination. The overall mean TBC and CC of contaminated raw camel milk samples was 4.75 ± 0.17 and 4.03 ± 0.26 log CFU/ml, respectively. TBC increased from udder to market level and was higher in Gursum compared to Babile district (P < 0.05). Around 38.9 % of TBCs and 88.2 % CCs in contaminated raw camel milk samples were in the range considered unsafe for human utility. Staphylococcus spp. (89.8 %), Streptococcus spp. (53.7 %), E. coli (31.5 %), Salmonella spp. (17.6 %), Klebsiella spp. (5.6 %) and Enterobacter spp. (5.6 %) were the major bacterial microorganisms isolated. The majority of the bacterial isolates in this study showed high incidence in market as compared to production level. These results indicate a lack of compliance with good production practices and hygiene at milking, transportation and market of raw camel milk.

Occurrence and survival of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli O157 in meats obtained from retail outlets in The Netherlands.

PubMed

Heuvelink, A E; Zwartkruis-Nahuis, J T; Beumer, R R; de Boer, E

1999-10-01

In 1996 and 1997, 2,941 fresh and processed meat products obtained from supermarkets and butcher shops in The Netherlands were examined for the presence of verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli of serogroup O157 (O157 VTEC). Additionally, the fate of O157 VTEC in raw meat products stored at low temperatures and the effect of different additives were evaluated. O157 VTEC strains were isolated from 6 (1.1%) of 571 samples of raw minced beef, 2 (0.5%) of 402 samples of raw minced mixed beef and pork, 1 (1.3%) of 76 samples of raw minced pork, 1 (0.3%) of 393 samples of other raw pork products, and 1 (0.3%) of 328 samples of cooked or fermented ready-to-eat meats. Other raw beef products (n = 223) and meat samples originating from poultry (n = 819), sheep or lamb (n = 46), or wild animals (n = 83) were all found to be negative for O157 VTEC. For the survival experiments we used tartaar (minced beef with a fat content of less than 10%) and filet americain (tartaar mixed with a mayonnaise-based sauce [80 to 20%]). The O157 VTEC strain tested was able to survive in tartaar and filet americain stored at -20, 0, 5, or 7 degrees C for 3 days. At both 7 and at 15 degrees C, O157 VTEC counts in tartaar and filet americain remained virtually unchanged throughout a storage period of 5 days. Addition of acetic acid (to pH 4.0), sodium lactate (1 and 2% [wt/wt]), or components of the lactoperoxidase-thiocyanate-hydrogen peroxide system to filet americain did not result in a reduction of viable O157 VTEC cells during storage at 7 or 15 degrees C. It was concluded that raw meat contaminated with O157 VTEC will remain a hazard even if the meat is held at low or freezing temperatures.

Short Communication: Emission of Oxygenated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Biomass Pellet Burning in a Modern Burner for Cooking in China

PubMed Central

Shen, Guofeng; Wei, Siye; Zhang, Yanyan; Wang, Rong; Wang, Bin; Li, Wei; Shen, Huizhong; Huang, Ye; Chen, Yuanchen; Chen, Han; Wei, Wen; Tao, Shu

2015-01-01

Biomass pellets are undergoing fast deployment widely in the world, including China. To this stage, there were limited studies on the emissions of various organic pollutants from the burning of those pellets. In addition to parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenated PAHs (oPAHs) have been received increased concerns. In this study, emission factors of oPAHs (EFoPAHs) were measured for two types of pellets made from corn straw and pine wood, respectively. Two combustion modes with (mode II) and without (mode I) secondary side air supply in a modern pellet burner were investigated. For the purpose of comparison, EFoPAHs for raw fuels combusted in a traditional cooking stove were also measured. EFoPAHs were 348±305 and 396±387 µg/kg in the combustion mode II for pine wood and corn straw pellets, respectively. In mode I, measured EFoPAHs were 77.7±49.4 and 189±118 µg/kg, respectively. EFs in mode II were higher (2–5 times) than those in mode I mainly due to the decreased combustion temperature under more excess air. Compared to EFoPAHs for raw corn straw and pine wood burned in a traditional cooking stove, total EFoPAHs for the pellets in mode I were significantly lower (p < 0.05), likely due to increased combustion efficiencies and change in fuel properties. However, the difference between raw biomass fuels and the pellets burned in mode II was not statistically significant. Taking both the increased thermal efficiencies and decreased EFs into consideration, substantial reduction in oPAH emission can be expected if the biomass pellets can be extensively used by rural residents. PMID:25678836

Emission of oxygenated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from biomass pellet burning in a modern burner for cooking in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Guofeng; Wei, Siye; Zhang, Yanyan; Wang, Rong; Wang, Bin; Li, Wei; Shen, Huizhong; Huang, Ye; Chen, Yuanchen; Chen, Han; Wei, Wen; Tao, Shu

2012-12-01

Biomass pellets are undergoing fast deployment widely in the world, including China. To this stage, there were limited studies on the emissions of various organic pollutants from the burning of those pellets. In addition to parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenated PAHs (oPAHs) have been received increased concerns. In this study, emission factors of oPAHs (EFoPAHs) were measured for two types of pellets made from corn straw and pine wood, respectively. Two combustion modes with (mode II) and without (mode I) secondary side air supply in a modern pellet burner were investigated. For the purpose of comparison, EFoPAHs for raw fuels combusted in a traditional cooking stove were also measured. EFoPAHs were 348 ± 305 and 396 ± 387 μg kg-1 in the combustion mode II for pine wood and corn straw pellets, respectively. In mode I, measured EFoPAHs were 77.7 ± 49.4 and 189 ± 118 μg kg-1, respectively. EFs in mode II were higher (2-5 times) than those in mode I mainly due to the decreased combustion temperature under more excess air. Compared to EFoPAHs for raw corn straw and pine wood burned in a traditional cooking stove, total EFoPAHs for the pellets in mode I were significantly lower (p < 0.05), likely due to increased combustion efficiencies and change in fuel properties. However, the difference between raw biomass fuels and the pellets burned in mode II was not statistically significant. Taking both the increased thermal efficiencies and decreased EFs into consideration, substantial reduction in oPAH emission can be expected if the biomass pellets can be extensively used by rural residents.

Short Communication: Emission of Oxygenated Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons from Biomass Pellet Burning in a Modern Burner for Cooking in China.

PubMed

Shen, Guofeng; Wei, Siye; Zhang, Yanyan; Wang, Rong; Wang, Bin; Li, Wei; Shen, Huizhong; Huang, Ye; Chen, Yuanchen; Chen, Han; Wei, Wen; Tao, Shu

2012-12-01

Biomass pellets are undergoing fast deployment widely in the world, including China. To this stage, there were limited studies on the emissions of various organic pollutants from the burning of those pellets. In addition to parent polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, oxygenated PAHs (oPAHs) have been received increased concerns. In this study, emission factors of oPAHs (EF oPAHs ) were measured for two types of pellets made from corn straw and pine wood, respectively. Two combustion modes with (mode II) and without (mode I) secondary side air supply in a modern pellet burner were investigated. For the purpose of comparison, EF oPAHs for raw fuels combusted in a traditional cooking stove were also measured. EF oPAHs were 348±305 and 396±387 µg/kg in the combustion mode II for pine wood and corn straw pellets, respectively. In mode I, measured EF oPAHs were 77.7±49.4 and 189±118 µg/kg, respectively. EFs in mode II were higher (2-5 times) than those in mode I mainly due to the decreased combustion temperature under more excess air. Compared to EF oPAHs for raw corn straw and pine wood burned in a traditional cooking stove, total EF oPAHs for the pellets in mode I were significantly lower ( p < 0.05 ), likely due to increased combustion efficiencies and change in fuel properties. However, the difference between raw biomass fuels and the pellets burned in mode II was not statistically significant. Taking both the increased thermal efficiencies and decreased EFs into consideration, substantial reduction in oPAH emission can be expected if the biomass pellets can be extensively used by rural residents.

Grindability and combustion behavior of coal and torrefied biomass blends.

PubMed

Gil, M V; García, R; Pevida, C; Rubiera, F

2015-09-01

Biomass samples (pine, black poplar and chestnut woodchips) were torrefied to improve their grindability before being combusted in blends with coal. Torrefaction temperatures between 240 and 300 °C and residence times between 11 and 43 min were studied. The grindability of the torrefied biomass, evaluated from the particle size distribution of the ground sample, significantly improved compared to raw biomass. Higher temperatures increased the proportion of smaller-sized particles after grinding. Torrefied chestnut woodchips (280 °C, 22 min) showed the best grinding properties. This sample was blended with coal (5-55 wt.% biomass). The addition of torrefied biomass to coal up to 15 wt.% did not significantly increase the proportion of large-sized particles after grinding. No relevant differences in the burnout value were detected between the coal and coal/torrefied biomass blends due to the high reactivity of the coal. NO and SO2 emissions decreased as the percentage of torrefied biomass in the blend with coal increased. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A nationwide survey of NDMA in raw and drinking water in Japan.

PubMed

Asami, Mari; Oya, Masami; Kosaka, Koji

2009-05-15

A nationwide survey of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in both raw and finished water samples from drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) in Japan was conducted. NDMA was analyzed by solid-phase extraction (SPE) followed by ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). NDMA was detected in 15 of 31 raw water samples collected in the summer at concentrations up to 2.6 ng/L, and in 9 of 28 raw water samples collected in winter at concentrations up to 4.3 ng/L. The NDMA concentrations were higher in raw water samples collected from treatment plants with catchment areas that have high population densities. The NDMA concentrations were higher in river water samples collected from the east and west of Japan than in those collected from other areas. NDMA was detected in 10 of 31 finished samples collected in summer at reduced concentrations of up to 2.2 ng/L, while 5 of 28 finished samples collected in winter showed NDMA concentrations up to 10 ng/L. The highest NDMA levels were detected in finished water samples collected from the Yodo River basin DWTP, which uses ozonation. Furthermore, evaluation of the process water produced at six advanced water treatment plants was conducted. Influent from the Yodo River indicated that the NDMA concentration increased during ozonation to as high as 20 ng/L, and then decreased with subsequent biological activated carbon treatment. To our knowledge, this is the first nationwide evaluation of NDMA concentrations in water conducted in Japan to date.

Establishment and application of milk fingerprint by gel filtration chromatography.

PubMed

Gao, P; Li, J; Li, Z; Hao, J; Zan, L

2016-12-01

Raw milk adulteration frequently occurs in undeveloped countries. It not only reduces the nutritional value of milk, but it is also harmful to consumers. In this paper, we focused on investigating an efficient method for the quality control of raw milk protein. A gel filtration chromatography (GFC) fingerprint method combined with chemometrics was developed for fingerprint analysis of raw milk. To optimize the GFC conditions, milk fat was removed by centrifugation, and GFC analysis was performed on a Superdex 75 10/300GL column (Just Scientific, Shanghai, China) with 0.2 M NaH 2 PO 4 -Na 2 HPO 4 buffer (pH 7.0) as the mobile phase. The flow rate was 0.5mL/min, and the detection wavelength was set at 280 nm. Ten batches of 120 raw milk samples were analyzed to establish the GFC fingerprint under optimal conditions. Six major peaks common to the chromatogram of each raw milk sample were selected for fingerprint analysis, and the characteristic peaks were used to establish a standard chromatographic fingerprint. Principal component analysis was then applied to classify GFC information of adulterated milk and raw milk, allowing adulterated samples to be effectively screened out from the raw milk in principal component analysis scores plot. The fingerprint method demonstrates promising features in detecting milk protein adulteration. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Quality assessment of raw and processed Arctium lappa L. through multicomponent quantification, chromatographic fingerprint, and related chemometric analysis.

PubMed

Qin, Kunming; Wang, Bin; Li, Weidong; Cai, Hao; Chen, Danni; Liu, Xiao; Yin, Fangzhou; Cai, Baochang

2015-05-01

In traditional Chinese medicine, raw and processed herbs are used to treat different diseases. Suitable quality assessment methods are crucial for the discrimination between raw and processed herbs. The dried fruit of Arctium lappa L. and their processed products are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine, yet their therapeutic effects are different. In this study, a novel strategy using high-performance liquid chromatography and diode array detection coupled with multivariate statistical analysis to rapidly explore raw and processed Arctium lappa L. was proposed and validated. Four main components in a total of 30 batches of raw and processed Fructus Arctii samples were analyzed, and ten characteristic peaks were identified in the fingerprint common pattern. Furthermore, similarity evaluation, principal component analysis, and hierachical cluster analysis were applied to demonstrate the distinction. The results suggested that the relative amounts of the chemical components of raw and processed Fructus Arctii samples are different. This new method has been successfully applied to detect the raw and processed Fructus Arctii in marketed herbal medicinal products. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Estimation of CO2 emission from water treatment plant--model development and application.

PubMed

Kyung, Daeseung; Kim, Dongwook; Park, Nosuk; Lee, Woojin

2013-12-15

A comprehensive mathematical model developed for this study was used to compare estimates of on-site and off-site CO2 emissions, from conventional and advanced water treatment plants (WTPs). When 200,000 m(3) of raw water at 10 NTU (Nepthelometric Turbidity Unit) was treated by a conventional WTP to 0.1 NTU using aluminum sulfate as a coagulant, the total CO2 emissions were estimated to be 790 ± 228 (on-site) and 69,596 ± 3950 (off-site) kg CO2e/d. The emissions from an advanced WTP containing micro-filtration (MF) membrane and ozone disinfection processes; treating the same raw water to 0.005 NTU, were estimated to be 395 ± 115 (on-site) and 38,197 ± 2922 (off-site) kg CO2e/d. The on-site CO2 emissions from the advanced WTP were half that from the conventional WTP due to much lower use of coagulant. On the other hand, off-site CO2 emissions due to consumption of electricity were 2.14 times higher for the advanced WTP, due to the demands for operation of the MF membrane and ozone disinfection processes. However, the lower use of chemicals in the advanced WTP decreased off-site CO2 emissions related to chemical production and transportation. Overall, total CO2 emissions from the conventional WTP were 1.82 times higher than that from the advanced WTP. A sensitivity analysis was performed for the advanced WTP to suggest tactics for simultaneously reducing CO2 emissions further and enhancing water quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Efficacy of Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus abundans for Nutrient Removal in Rice Mill Effluent (Paddy Soaked Water).

PubMed

Abinandan, S; Bhattacharya, Ribhu; Shanthakumar, S

2015-01-01

Microalgae are product of sustainable development owing to its ability to treat variety of wastewater effluents and thus produced biomass can serve as value added product for various commercial applications. This paper deals with the cultivation of microalgae species namely Chlorella pyrenoidosa and Scenedesmus abundans in rice mill effluent (i.e., paddy soaked water) for nutrient removal. In order to investigate the nutrient removal capability, microalgae are subjected to cultivation in both raw and autoclaved samples. The maximum phosphate removal by Scenedesmus abundans and Chlorella pyrenoidosa in raw sample was 98.3% and 97.6%, respectively, whereas, the removal of ammoniacal nitrogen by Scenedesmus abundans and Chlorella pyrenoidosa in raw sample was 92% and 90.3%, respectively. The growth (measured in terms of chlorophyll content) of Scenedesmus abundans and Chlorella pyrenoidosa in raw sample was 3.88 mg/l and 5.55 mg/l, respectively. The results indicate the suitability of microalgae cultivation in rice mill effluent treatment for nutrient removal.

On-line monitoring of Escherichia coli in raw water at Oset drinking water treatment plant, Oslo (Norway).

PubMed

Tryland, Ingun; Eregno, Fasil Ejigu; Braathen, Henrik; Khalaf, Goran; Sjølander, Ingrid; Fossum, Marie

2015-02-04

The fully automated Colifast ALARM™ has been used for two years for daily monitoring of the presence/absence of Escherichia coli in 100 mL raw water at Oset drinking water treatment plant in Oslo, Norway. The raw water is extracted from 35 m depth from the Lake Maridalsvannet. E. coli was detected in 18% of the daily samples. In general, most samples positive for E. coli were observed during the autumn turnover periods, but even in some samples taken during warm and dry days in July, with stable temperature stratification in the lake, E. coli was detected. The daily samples gave useful additional information compared with the weekly routine samples about the hygienic raw water quality and the hygienic barrier efficiency of the lake under different weather conditions and seasons. The winter 2013/2014 was much warmer than the winter 2012/2013. The monitoring supported the hypothesis that warmer winters with shorter periods with ice cover on lakes, which may be a consequence of climate changes, may reduce the hygienic barrier efficiency in deep lakes used as drinking water sources.

40 CFR 61.160 - Applicability and designation of source.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... for Inorganic Arsenic Emissions From Glass Manufacturing Plants § 61.160 Applicability and designation... commercial arsenic as a raw material. This subpart does not apply to pot furnaces. (b) Rebricking is not...

[Determination of Alternaria mycotoxins in selected raw and processed fruit and vegetable products].

PubMed

Giryn, H; Szteke, B

1995-01-01

The purpose of the study was the assessment of Alternaria-mycotoxins contamination in some raw and processed plant products. The analytical method for detection of alternariol (AOH) and alternariol methyl ether (AME) is described. After extraction and purification of sample crude extracts by column chromatography on silica gel, the qualitative and quantitative analyses were carried out by two-dimensional TLC. There were 110 samples analyzed -44 (included 32 moulded) raw plant samples and 56 processed plant products. Levels of alternaria-mycotoxins found in fruits and tomatoes visibly decayed ranged between 3 to 420 micrograms/kg for AOH and 10 to 100 micrograms/kg for AME. Trace amounts of AOH were detected in 3 samples of processed products.

Caffeine Extraction from Raw and Roasted Coffee Beans.

PubMed

Chiang, Donyau; Lin, Chih-Yang; Hu, Chen-Ti; Lee, Sanboh

2018-04-01

Coffee is a stimulant, psychoactive, popular daily beverage, and its caffeine affects human physiological health and behavior. These important issues prompted us to study caffeine extraction from both the raw and roasted coffee beans of 3 types at different temperatures. A hemispheric model is developed to simulate the extraction process of the caffeine from the coffee beans of hemisphere is proposed. The experimental data are in good agreement with the predicted model. The effective diffusivities of caffeine in both the raw and roasted beans increase with temperature in all 3 types. An incubation period, decreasing with increasing temperature, is observed in all samples studied. Caffeine extraction in roasted beans is more rapid than that for the raw beans and the time difference is significant at low temperatures. In both the raw and roasted samples, caffeine diffusion in the raw beans and the incubation behavior are thermally activated processes. Single activation energies are obtained for diffusion within the extraction temperature range for all beans tested with the exception of one type of the coffee beans, Mandheling, which exhibits 2 activation energies in raw samples. The surface energies of the epidermis of the raw beans and roasted beans obtained from the contact angle measurements are used to interpret the difference of incubation periods. This study has a potential application to the decaffeinated coffee industry.Caffeine affects human physiological health and behavior so that caffeine extraction from coffee beans of different types at different temperatures is important for product refining and customers. © 2018 Institute of Food Technologists®.

Antioxidant action of ganghwayakssuk (Artemisia princeps Pamp.) in combination with ascorbic acid to increase the shelf life in raw and deep fried chicken nuggets.

PubMed

Hwang, Ko-Eun; Choi, Yun-Sang; Choi, Sun-Mi; Kim, Hyun-Wook; Choi, Ji-Hun; Lee, Mi-Ai; Kim, Cheon-Jei

2013-11-01

Raw and deep fried chicken nuggets containing various levels of ganghwayakssuk ethanolic extract (GE) in combination with ascorbic acid (Aa) were evaluated for shelf-life during refrigerated storage (4°C). The pH and color (lightness, redness, and yellowness) values of raw and deep fried samples were significantly affected by the addition of GE (P<0.05). All antioxidant combinations except for Aa+GE 0.01 were effective at delaying lipid oxidation (CD, POV, and TBARS) when compared to the control or Aa. Raw samples with GE 0.2 and Aa+GE 0.1 exhibited lower bacterial populations during storage. The sensory characteristics (color, juiciness, flavor, tenderness, and overall acceptability) did not differ significantly in all deep fried chicken nugget samples, except color, whereas storage time had a significant effect (P<0.05). The results suggest the possibility of utilizing raw and deep fried chicken nuggets with a mixture of ganghwayakssuk and ascorbic acid for the increase of shelf-life and quality. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Assessment of emissions and removal of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) at start-up periods in a hazardous waste incinerator.

PubMed

Karademir, Aykan; Korucu, M Kemal

2013-07-01

A study was conducted to observe the changes in polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDD/F) levels and congener profiles in the flue gas of a hazardous waste incinerator during two start-up periods. Flue gas samplings were performed simultaneously through Air Pollution Control Devices (APCDs) (including boiler outlet, electrostatic precipitator (ESP) outlet, wet scrubbers (WS) outlet, and activated carbon (AC) filter outlet) in different combustion temperatures during a planned cold (long) start-up and an unplanned warm (short) start-up. The results showed that PCDD/F concentrations could be elevated during the start-up periods up to levels 3-4 times higher than those observed in the normal operation. Especially lower combustion temperatures in the short start-ups may cause high PCDD/F concentrations in the raw flue gas. Assessment of combustion temperatures and Furans/Dioxins values indicated that surface-catalyzed de novo synthesis was the dominant pathway in the formation of PCDD/Fs in the combustion units. PCDD/F removal efficiencies of Air Pollution Control Devices suggested that formation by de novo synthesis existed in ESP also when in operation, leading to increase of gaseous phase PCDD/Fs in ESP Particle-bound PCDD/Fs were removed mainly by ESP and WS, while gaseous phase PCDD/Fs were removed by WS, and more efficiently by AC filter. This paper evaluates PCDD/F emissions and removal performances of APCDs (ESP, wet scrubbers, and activated carbon) during two start-up periods in an incinerator. The main implications are the following: (1) start-up periods increase PCDD/F emissions up to 2-3 times in the incinerator; (2) low combustion temperatures in start-ups cause high PCDD/F emissions in raw gas; (3) formation of PCDD/Fs by de novo synthesis occurs in ESP; (4) AC is efficient in removing gaseous PCDD/Fs, but may increase particle-bound ones; and (5) scrubbers remove both gaseous and particle-bound PCDD/Fs efficiently.

Mutagenicity and estrogenicity of raw water and drinking water in an industrialized city in the Yangtze River Delta.

PubMed

Xiao, Sanhua; Lv, Xuemin; Zeng, Yifan; Jin, Tao; Luo, Lan; Zhang, Binbin; Zhang, Gang; Wang, Yanhui; Feng, Lin; Zhu, Yuan; Tang, Fei

2017-10-01

Public concern was aroused by frequently reported water pollution incidents in Taihu Lake and the Yangtze River. The pollution also caught and sustained the attention of the scientific community. From 2010 to 2016, raw water and drinking water samples were continually collected at Waterworks A and B (Taihu Lake) and Waterworks C (Yangtze River). The non-volatile organic pollutants in the water samples were extracted by solid phase extraction. Ames tests and yeast estrogen screen (YES) assays were conducted to evaluate the respective mutagenic and estrogenic effects. Water samples from the Yangtze River-based Waterworks C possessed higher mutagenicity than those from Taihu Lake-based Waterworks A (P＜0.001) and Waterworks B (P = 0.026). Water treatment enhanced the direct mutagenicity (P = 0.022), and weakened the estrogenicity of the raw water (P＜0.001) with a median removal rate of 100%. In fact, very few of the finished samples showed estrogenic activity. Raw water samples from Waterworks A showed weaker estrogenicity than those from Waterworks B (P = 0.034) and Waterworks C (P = 0.006). In summary, mutagenic effects in drinking water and estrogenic effects in raw water merited sustained attention. The Yangtze River was more seriously polluted by mutagenic and estrogenic chemicals than Taihu Lake was. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Exploring the potential of DOC fluorescence as proxy for groundwater contamination by pesticides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farlin, Julien; Gallé, Tom; Bayerle, Michael; Pittois, Denis; Huck, viola

2017-04-01

Of the different water quality surrogates the fluorescence of dissolved organic content (FDOC) appears particularly promising due to its sensitivity and specificity. A complete spectrum of FDOC can be obtained using bench top instruments scanning a spectral space going from short wavelength UV to visible blue, yielding a so-called an excitation-emission matrix (EEM). The raw EEM can be either used directly for correlation analysis with the variable of interest, or first decomposed into underlying elements corresponding to different groups of organic compounds displaying similar properties using multiway techniques such as Parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC). Fluorescence spectroscopy has up to now only rarely been applied specifically to groundwater environments. The objective of the project was to explore systematically the possibilities offered by FDOC and PARAFAC for the assessment of groundwater contamination by pesticides, taking into account the transit time from the pesticide source to the groundwater outlet. Three sites corresponding to different transit times were sampled: -one spring regularly contaminated by surface water from a nearby stream (sub-daily to daily response to fast-flow generating storm events) -one spring displaying a weekly to monthly response to interflow -sampling along a flowline consisting of a series of springs and an observation well situated upgradient with mean transit times difference of several years Preliminary results show that a three component PARAFAC model is sufficient to decompose the raw EEMs, which is less than the seven or eight component models often encountered in surface water studies. For the first site, one component in the protein-like region 275(excitation)/310 (emission) nm measured in the stream samples was filtrered completely by the aquifer and did not appear in the spring samples. The other two components followed roughly the trend of the DOC and pesticide breakthrough. For the second site, soil sampling of the agricultural plots and DOC extraction also allowed to characterise the spectral signature of the pollution source. A humic-like component (250/450 nm) was correlated with the breakthrough of recent soil water and pesticide concentration. Lastly, the fluorescence intensity of the different components for the third sampling site showed a decrease proportional to the decrease in DOC concentration between the observation well and the springs caused either by dilution, degradation or both. This lack of change in the spectral pattern along a flow line seems to indicate that labile soil DOC fractions have already been degraded by the time water reaches the observation well.

Towards the development of new phosphors with reduced content of rare earth elements: Structural and optical characterization of Ce:Tb: Al{sub 2}SiO{sub 5}

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chiriu, D.; Stagi, L.; Carbonaro, C.M.

2016-05-15

Highlights: • A new promising inert matrix as host of luminescent ions is proposed. • Al2SiO5 matrix is free from Rare earths (critical raw materials). • Doping the matrix with Ce and Tb we obtain an efficient green emitter. • Cerium acts as sensitizer for Terbium emission. - Abstract: A new promising inert matrix as host of luminescent ions is proposed. Al2SiO5 samples, doped with rare earths (Ce, Tb single doped and co-doped) are proposed as good prospect for the development of new UV–vis converter with reduced content of rare earths elements. Structural characterization by Raman, XRD spectroscopy and TEMmore » imaging reveals the sillimanite phase and nano sized dimension of the investigated powders. Optical characterization by steady time and time resolved emission spectroscopy for the single doped and co-doped samples allows to identify an efficient energy transfer from Ce to Tb ions under near UV excitation wavelength. The intense green emission observed in the Ce:Tb co-doped Al2SiO5 system suggests its potential application as efficient blue pumped green emitter phosphor to be exploited for white LED: to this purpose we tested the compound in combination with a red emitting doping ion recording for Ce:Tb:Cr:ASO system a correlated color temperature of 6720 K.« less

Emissions of amides (N,N-dimethylformamide and formamide) and other obnoxious volatile organic compounds from different mattress textile products.

PubMed

Kim, Ki-Hyun; Pandey, Sudhir K; Kim, Yong-Hyun; Sohn, Jong Ryeul; Oh, J-M

2015-04-01

The emission rates of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), formamide (FAd), and certain hazardous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured from seventeen mattress textile samples with four different raw material types: polyurethane (PU: n=3), polyester/polyethylene (PE: n=7), ethylene vinyl acetate (EV: n=3), and polyvinyl chloride (PC: n=4). To simulate the emissions in a heated room during winter season, measurements were made under temperature-controlled conditions, i.e., 50°C by using a mini-chamber system made of a midget impinger. Comparison of the data indicates that the patterns were greatly distinguished between DMF and FAd. PU products yielded the highest mean emission rates of DMF (2940 μg m(-2)h(-1): n=3) followed by PE (325 μg m(-2)h(-1): n=7), although its emission was not seen from other materials (EV and PC). In contrast, the pattern of FAd emission was moderately reversed from that of DMF: EV>PC>PE>PU. The results of our analysis confirm that most materials used for mattress production have the strong potential to emit either DMF or FAd in relatively large quantities while in use in children׳s care facilities, especially in winter months. Moreover, it was also observed that an increase in temperature (25°C to 50°C) had a significant impact on the emission rate of FAd and other hazardous VOCs. In addition to the aforementioned amides, the study revealed significant emissions of a number of hazardous VOCs, such as aromatic and carbonyl compounds. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Carbon footprint as an environmental sustainability indicator for the particleboard produced in Pakistan.

PubMed

Hussain, Majid; Naseem Malik, Riffat; Taylor, Adam

2017-05-01

This study quantified the carbon footprint of particleboard production in Pakistan using a cradle-to-gate life cycle assessment approach. The system boundary comprised raw materials acquisition, transport, particleboard manufacture and finished product distribution. Primary data were collected through surveys and meetings with particleboard manufacturers. Secondary data were taken from the literature. Greenhouse gas emissions from off-site industrial operations of the particleboard industry represented 52% of the total emissions from the production of 1.0m 3 of particleboard in Pakistan. The on-site industrial operations cause direct greenhouse gas emissions and accounted for 48% of the total emissions. These operations included energy consumption in stationary sources, the company-owned vehicle fleet, and the distribution and marketing of the finished product. The use of natural gas combustion in the stationary and mobile sources, raw material transport and urea-formaldehyde resin production chain accounted for the highest emissions from the particleboard production chain in Pakistan. The identification of the major hotspots in the particleboard production chain can assist the wood panel industry to improve their environmental profile. More efforts are needed to investigate the urea-formaldehyde resin production chain and substitution of roundwood with wood and agri-residues to assess the potential improvements. In addition, renewable energy sources should be encouraged to avoid greenhouse gas emissions by substituting fossil energy. This study also provides a benchmark for future research work to formulate comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions reduction plans, because no previous research work is available on the carbon footprint of particleboard production in Pakistan. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Monitoring of Foodborne Pathogens in Raw Cow Milk in Tuscany

PubMed Central

D’Alonzo, Alessia; Senese, Matteo; Fabbri, Ilaria; Cirri, Cristina; Milioni, Carla; Valenza, Valeria; Tolli, Rita; Campeis, Francesca; Fischetti, Roberto

2014-01-01

Raw milk consumption in Italy has increased over the last few years and although raw milk is characterised by cold chain, short shelf-life and the duty of boiling before domestic consumption, it is still considered a hazard. From 2010 to 2013 a monitoring survey of raw milk sold through vending machines was carried out to investigate the occurrence of several foodborne pathogens stipulated in the national legal requirements, i.e. Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter spp., Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli O:157 and coagulase-positive Staphylococci. A total of 127 raw milk samples were collected from 19 dairy herds in Tuscany Region, Italy. In addition, the milk samples were tested for the presence and count of Yersinia genus. Results shown that only one sample was positive for non verocytotoxin-producing E. coli O:157, whereas a total of 38 samples (29.9%) were postive for Yersinia genus; of the total 39 isolated bacteria, 23.6% were Y. enterocolitica, 2.4% Y. kristenseni and 4.7% Y. frederiksenii. None isolate was enteropathogenic; serotypes O:5 and O:8 were found in 16.6 and 13.3% of the isolates respectively, whereas none of the serotypes tested was detected in 70% of the isolates. The most probable number method revealed a count value between 0.03 and 24 MPN/mL. Based on these data a general assurance on health safety of raw milk produced and sold in Tuscany could be assessed. PMID:27800320

Red mud addition in the raw meal for the production of Portland cement clinker.

PubMed

Tsakiridis, P E; Agatzini-Leonardou, S; Oustadakis, P

2004-12-10

The aim of the present research work was to investigate the possibility of adding red mud, an alkaline leaching waste, which is obtained from bauxite during the Bayer process for alumina production, in the raw meal for the production of Portland cement clinker. For that reason, two samples of raw meals were prepared: one with ordinary raw materials, as a reference sample ((PC)Ref), and another with 3.5% red mud ((PC)R/M). The effect on the reactivity of the raw mix was evaluated on the basis of the unreacted lime content in samples sintered at 1350, 1400 and 1450 degrees C. Subsequently, the clinkers were produced by sintering the two raw meals at 1450 degrees C. The results of chemical and mineralogical analyses as well as the microscopic examination showed that the use of the red mud did not affect the mineralogical characteristics of the so produced Portland cement clinker. Furthermore, both clinkers were tested by determining the grindability, setting time, compressive strength and expansibility. The hydration products were examined by XRD analysis at 2, 7, 28 and 90 days. The results of the physico-mechanical tests showed that the addition of the red mud did not negatively affect the quality of the produced cement.

Prevalence of Campylobacter, Salmonella, and Escherichia coli on the external packaging of raw meat.

PubMed

Burgess, F; Little, C L; Allen, G; Williamson, K; Mitchelli, R T

2005-03-01

During September and October 2002, 3,662 prepackaged raw meat samples were collected to evaluate the extent and nature of microbiological contamination on external surfaces of the packaging, which could potentially cross-contaminate ready-to-eat foods during and after purchase. Salmonella was detected on two (<1%) samples of external packaging (both from raw chicken), and Campylobacter was detected on 41 (1.1%) samples of external packaging. The external packaging of game fowl exhibited the highest Campylobacter contamination (3.6%), followed by raw chicken (3.0%), lamb (1.6%), turkey (0.8%), pork (0.2%), and beef (0.1%); Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli accounted for 59% (24 of 41) and 24% (10 of 41) of the contaminating Campylobacter species, respectively. C. coli isolates from the external packaging were more multiresistant to antimicrobial drugs, including quinolones such as ciprofloxacin, than was C. jejuni. Escherichia coli (an indicator of fecal contamination) was isolated from the external packaging on 4% of the raw meat samples at levels of 40 to 10(5) CFU per swab. The external packaging of raw meats is a vehicle for potential cross-contamination by Campylobacter, Salmonella, and E. coli in retail premises and consumers' homes. The external surface of heat-sealed packaging was less frequently contaminated with Campylobacter and E. coli compared with other types of packaging (e.g., overwrapping, bag, and tie tape) (P < 0.0001 to 0.01). In addition, external packaging of raw meats was contaminated less frequently with Campylobacter and E. coli when packaging was intact, packaging and display areas were visually clean, display temperatures were below 8 degrees C, and hazard analysis systems were in place.

Addition to thermized milk of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris M104, a wild, novel nisin a-producing strain, replaces the natural antilisterial activity of the autochthonous raw milk microbiota reduced by thermization.

PubMed

Lianou, Alexandra; Samelis, John

2014-08-01

Recent research has shown that mild milk thermization treatments routinely used in traditional Greek cheese production are efficient to inactivate Listeria monocytogenes and other pathogenic or undesirable bacteria, but they also inactivate a great part of the autochthonous antagonistic microbiota of raw milk. Therefore, in this study, the antilisterial activity of raw or thermized (63°C, 30 s) milk in the presence or absence of Lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris M104, a wild, novel, nisin A-producing (Nis-A+) raw milk isolate, was assessed. Bulk milk samples were taken from a local cheese plant before or after thermization and were inoculated with a five-strain cocktail of L. monocytogenes (approximately 4 log CFU/ml) or with the cocktail, as above, plus the Nis-A+ strain (approximately 6 log CFU/ml) as a bioprotective culture. Heat-sterilized (121°C, 5 min) raw milk inoculated with L. monocytogenes was used as a control treatment. All milk samples were incubated at 37°C for 6 h and then at 18°C for an additional 66 h. L. monocytogenes grew abundantly (>8 log CFU/ml) in heat-sterilized milk, whereas its growth was completely inhibited in all raw milk samples. Conversely, in thermized milk, L. monocytogenes increased by 2 log CFU/ml in the absence of strain M104, whereas its growth was completely inhibited in the presence of strain M104. Furthermore, nisin activity was detected only in milk samples inoculated with strain M104. Thus, postthermal supplementation of thermized bulk milk with bioprotective L. lactis subsp. cremoris cultures replaces the natural antilisterial activity of raw milk reduced by thermization.

Occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in raw milk produced in dairy farms in São Paulo state, Brazil

PubMed Central

Fagundes, Helena; Barchesi, Luciana; Filho, Antonio Nader; Ferreira, Luciano Menezes; Oliveira, Carlos Augusto Fernandes

2010-01-01

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the occurrence of Staphylococcus aureus in milk produced in 37 farms located in the regions of Ribeirão Preto and São Carlos, state of São Paulo, Brazil. Two-hundred and eight samples of milk from individual cows showing subclinical mastitis, and 37 samples of bulk tank milk were analyzed. S. aureus strains were detected in 18 (7.3%) milk samples: 14 (6.7%) from samples of individual cows, and 4 (10.8%) from bulk tank milk. Two individual milk samples (14.3%) and two bulk milk samples contained enterotoxigenic S. aureus. PFGE analysis revealed the genetic heterogeneity of the strains isolated from raw milk, which presented to 13 S. aureus patterns. Results confirmed the potential transmission of staphylococcal food poisoning to consumers via milk of cows affected by subclinical mastitis, mainly when raw milk is ingested. PMID:24031507

One-year Surveillance of Human Enteric Viruses in Raw and Treated Wastewaters, Downstream River Waters, and Drinking Waters.

PubMed

Iaconelli, M; Muscillo, M; Della Libera, S; Fratini, M; Meucci, L; De Ceglia, M; Giacosa, D; La Rosa, G

2017-03-01

Human enteric viruses are a major cause of waterborne diseases, and can be transmitted by contaminated water of all kinds, including drinking and recreational water. The objectives of the present study were to assess the occurrence of enteric viruses (enterovirus, norovirus, adenovirus, hepatitis A and E virus) in raw and treated wastewaters, in rivers receiving wastewater discharges, and in drinking waters. Wastewater treatment plants' (WWTP) pathogen removal efficiencies by adenovirus quantitative real-time PCR and the presence of infectious enterovirus, by cell culture assays, in treated wastewaters and in surface waters were also evaluated. A total of 90 water samples were collected: raw and treated wastewaters (treated effluents and ultrafiltered water reused for industrial purposes), water from two rivers receiving treated discharges, and drinking water. Nested PCR assays were used for the identification of viral DNA/RNA, followed by direct amplicon sequencing. All raw sewage samples (21/21), 61.9 % of treated wastewater samples (13/21), and 25 % of ultrafiltered water samples (3/12) were contaminated with at least one viral family. Multiple virus families and genera were frequently detected. Mean positive PCRs per sample decreased significantly from raw to treated sewage and to ultrafiltered waters. Moreover, quantitative adenovirus data showed a reduction in excess of 99 % in viral genome copies following wastewater treatment. In surface waters, 78.6 % (22/28) of samples tested positive for one or more viruses by molecular methods, but enterovirus-specific infectivity assays did not reveal infectious particles in these samples. All drinking water samples tested negative for all viruses, demonstrating the effectiveness of treatment in removing viral pathogens from drinking water. Integrated strategies to manage water from all sources are crucial to ensure water quality.

Presence of Multidrug-Resistant Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli, Enteropathogenic E. coli and Enterotoxigenic E. coli, on Raw Nopalitos (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) and in Nopalitos Salads from Local Retail Markets in Mexico.

PubMed

Gómez-Aldapa, Carlos A; Cerna-Cortes, Jorge F; Rangel-Vargas, Esmeralda; Torres-Vitela, Mdel Refugio; Villarruel-López, Angelica; Gutiérrez-Alcántara, Eduardo J; Castro-Rosas, Javier

2016-05-01

The presence of multidrug-resistant pathogenic bacteria in food is a significant public health concern. Diarrheagenic Escherichia coli pathotypes (DEPs) are foodborne bacteria. In Mexico, DEPs have been associated with diarrheal illness. There is no information about the presence of multidrug-resistant DEPs on fresh vegetables and in cooked vegetable salads in Mexico. "Nopalitos" (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) is a Cactacea extensively used as a fresh green vegetable throughout Mexico. The presence of generic E. coli and multidrug-resistant DEPs on raw whole and cut nopalitos and in nopalitos salad samples was determined. One hundred raw whole nopalitos (without prickles) samples, 100 raw nopalitos cut into small square samples, and 100 cooked nopalitos salad samples were collected from markets. Generic E. coli was determined using the most probable number procedures. DEPs were identified using two multiplex polymerase chain reaction procedures. Susceptibility to 16 antibiotics was tested for the isolated DEP strains by standard test. Of the 100 whole nopalitos samples, 100 cut nopalitos samples, and 100 nopalitos salad samples, generic E. coli and DEPs were identified, respectively, in 80% and 10%, 74% and 10%, and 64% and 8%. Eighty-two DEP strains were isolated from positive nopalitos samples. The identified DEPs included Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC), and enterotoxigenic E. coli (ETEC). All isolated strains exhibited resistance to at least six antibiotics. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of the presence of multidrug-resistant and antibiotic resistance profiles of STEC, ETEC, and EPEC on raw nopalitos and in nopalitos salads in Mexico.

Parsing and Quantification of Raw Orbitrap Mass Spectrometer Data Using RawQuant.

PubMed

Kovalchik, Kevin A; Moggridge, Sophie; Chen, David D Y; Morin, Gregg B; Hughes, Christopher S

2018-06-01

Effective analysis of protein samples by mass spectrometry (MS) requires careful selection and optimization of a range of experimental parameters. As the output from the primary detection device, the "raw" MS data file can be used to gauge the success of a given sample analysis. However, the closed-source nature of the standard raw MS file can complicate effective parsing of the data contained within. To ease and increase the range of analyses possible, the RawQuant tool was developed to enable parsing of raw MS files derived from Thermo Orbitrap instruments to yield meta and scan data in an openly readable text format. RawQuant can be commanded to export user-friendly files containing MS 1 , MS 2 , and MS 3 metadata as well as matrices of quantification values based on isobaric tagging approaches. In this study, the utility of RawQuant is demonstrated in several scenarios: (1) reanalysis of shotgun proteomics data for the identification of the human proteome, (2) reanalysis of experiments utilizing isobaric tagging for whole-proteome quantification, and (3) analysis of a novel bacterial proteome and synthetic peptide mixture for assessing quantification accuracy when using isobaric tags. Together, these analyses successfully demonstrate RawQuant for the efficient parsing and quantification of data from raw Thermo Orbitrap MS files acquired in a range of common proteomics experiments. In addition, the individual analyses using RawQuant highlights parametric considerations in the different experimental sets and suggests targetable areas to improve depth of coverage in identification-focused studies and quantification accuracy when using isobaric tags.

Thorium and Uranium in the Rock Raw Materials Used For the Production of Building Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pękala, Agnieszka

2017-10-01

Thorium and uranium are constant components of all soils and most minerals thereby rock raw materials. They belong to the particularly dangerous elements because of their natural radioactivity. Evaluation of the content of the radioactive elements in the rock raw materials seems to be necessary in the early stage of the raw material evaluation. The rock formations operated from deposits often are accumulated in landfills and slag heaps where the concentration of the radioactive elements can be many times higher than under natural conditions. In addition, this phenomenon may refer to buildings where rock raw materials are often the main components of the construction materials. The global control system of construction products draws particular attention to the elimination of used construction products containing excessive quantities of the natural radioactive elements. In the presented study were determined the content of thorium and uranium in rock raw materials coming from the Bełachatów lignite deposit. The Bełchatów lignite deposit extracts mainly lignite and secondary numerous accompanying minerals with the raw material importance. In the course of the field works within the framework of the carried out work has been tested 92 samples of rocks of varied petrographic composition. There were carried out analyses of the content of the radioactive elements for 50 samples of limestone of the Jurassic age, 18 samples of kaolinite clays, and 24 samples of siliceous raw materials, represented by opoka-rocks, diatomites, gaizes and clastic rocks. The measurement of content of the natural radioactive elements thorium and uranium based on measuring the frequency counts of gamma quantum, recorded separately in measuring channels. At the same time performed measurements on volume patterns radioactive: thorium and uranium. The studies were carried out in Mazar spectrometer on the powdered material. Standardly performed ten measuring cycles, after which were calculated the concentration of radioactive elements in the sample. The highest concentration of thorium and uranium has been found in the clayey raw material. Their value was respectively from 8 to 12 mg/kg for thorium and from 2.3 to 3.5 mg/kg for uranium. In carbonate sediments the content of thorium was at the level from 0.5 to 2.1 mg/kg and uranium from 0.5-2.2 mg/kg. From a group of the siliceous raw materials the diatomite had a highest concentrations of radioactive elements where the content of thorium was from 1.5 to 1.8 mg/kg and uranium from 1.3 to 1.7 mg/kg.

A comparative study of nitrogen conversion during pyrolysis of coconut fiber, its corresponding biochar and their blends with lignite.

PubMed

Liu, Zhengang; Balasubramanian, Rajasekhar

2014-01-01

In the present study, the conversion of fuel-N to HCN and NH3 was investigated during rapid pyrolysis of raw biomass (coconut fiber), its corresponding biochar and their blends with lignite within a temperature range of 600-900°C. The results showed that the raw biomass and the biochar showed totally different nitrogen partitioning between NH3 and HCN. HCN was the dominant nitrogen pollutant from pyrolysis of raw biomass, while for the biochar pyrolysis the yield of NH3 was slightly higher than that of HCN. Synergistic interactions occurred within both raw biomass/lignite and biochar/lignite blends, especially for the biochar/lignite blend, and resulted in reduced yields of HCN and NH3, decreased the total nitrogen percentage retained in the char and promoted harmless N2 formation. These findings suggest that biochar/lignite co-firing for energy production may have the enhanced benefit of reduced emissions of nitrogen pollutants than raw biomass/lignite. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spore populations among bulk tank raw milk and dairy powders are significantly different.

PubMed

Miller, Rachel A; Kent, David J; Watterson, Matthew J; Boor, Kathryn J; Martin, Nicole H; Wiedmann, Martin

2015-12-01

To accommodate stringent spore limits mandated for the export of dairy powders, a more thorough understanding of the spore species present will be necessary to develop prospective strategies to identify and reduce sources (i.e., raw materials or in-plant) of contamination. We characterized 1,523 spore isolates obtained from bulk tank raw milk (n=33 farms) and samples collected from 4 different dairy powder-processing plants producing acid whey, nonfat dry milk, sweet whey, or whey protein concentrate 80. The spores isolated comprised 12 genera, at least 44 species, and 216 rpoB allelic types. Bacillus and Geobacillus represented the most commonly isolated spore genera (approximately 68.9 and 12.1%, respectively, of all spore isolates). Whereas Bacillus licheniformis was isolated from samples collected from all plants and farms, Geobacillus spp. were isolated from samples from 3 out of 4 plants and just 1 out of 33 farms. We found significant differences between the spore population isolated from bulk tank raw milk and those isolated from dairy powder plant samples, except samples from the plant producing acid whey. A comparison of spore species isolated from raw materials and finished powders showed that although certain species, such as B. licheniformis, were found in both raw and finished product samples, other species, such as Geobacillus spp. and Anoxybacillus spp., were more frequently isolated from finished powders. Importantly, we found that 8 out of 12 genera were isolated from at least 2 different spore count methods, suggesting that some spore count methods may provide redundant information if used in parallel. Together, our results suggest that (1) Bacillus and Geobacillus are the predominant spore contaminants in a variety of dairy powders, implying that future research efforts targeted at elucidating approaches to reduce levels of spores in dairy powders should focus on controlling levels of spore isolates from these genera; and (2) the spore populations isolated from bulk tank raw milk and some dairy powder products are significantly different, suggesting that targeting in-plant sources of contamination may be important for achieving low spore counts in the finished product. These data provide important insight regarding the diversity of spore populations isolated from dairy powders and bulk tank raw milk, and demonstrate that several spore genera are detected by multiple spore count methods. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

77 FR 9888 - Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-02-21

... Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Certain Raw Beef Products AGENCY: Food Safety and Inspection Service... routine verification sampling and testing for raw beef manufacturing trimmings for six non-O157 Shiga... announced in September 2011 plans to test certain raw beef products for these six STEC serogroups in...

Stability of vitamin C in frozen raw fruit and vegetable homogenates

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Retention of vitamin C in homogenized raw fruits and vegetables stored under laboratory conditions prior to analysis was investigated. Raw collard greens, clementines, and potatoes were chosen, to be representative of food matrices to be sampled in USDA’s National Food and Nutrient Analysis Program...

Occurrence of Thermotolerant Campylobacter in Raw Poultry Meat, Environmental and Pigeon Stools Collected in Open-Air Markets.

PubMed

Bellio, Alberto; Traversa, Amaranta; Adriano, Daniela; Bianchi, Daniela Manila; Colzani, Alberto; Gili, Stefano; Dondo, Alessandro; Gallina, Silvia; Grattarola, Carla; Maurella, Cristiana; Zoppi, Simona; Zuccon, Fabio; Decastelli, Lucia

2014-08-28

Campylobacteriosis was the most commonly reported zoonosis for confirmed human cases in European Union during 2011. Poultry meat was very often implicated in Campylobacter infections in humans. In Italy commerce of raw poultry meat is common in open-air markets: these areas can be considered at high risk of bacterial contamination due to the high presence birds like pigeons. The aim of this study was to collect data about the contamination by thermotolerant Campylobacter of raw poultry meat commercialised in open-air markets, of work-surfaces in contact with poultry meat and of pigeon stools sampled in the market areas in Turin, Northern Italy. Between September 2011 and December 2012, 86 raw poultry meat samples, 86 environmental swabs and 108 animal samples were collected in 38 open-air markets. Analysis were carried out according to ISO10272-1:2006 standard. C.coli was detected in 2.3% (2/86) of raw poultry meat samples, whereas no swab (0/86) resulted positive. Of pigeon stool 28% (30/107) was positive for C.jejuni (83.3% C.jejuni subsp . jejuni and 16.7% C.jejuni subsp . doylei ). C.jejuni subsp. jejuni was isolated from 1 dead pigeon . Our results showed lower rates of contamination than those reported at retail in Europe. Although samples were collected in areas at high risk of contamination, raw poultry meat and work surfaces reported a low level of presence of thermotolerant Campylobacter . The high percentage of C.jejuni isolated from pigeon stools showed the importance of a continuous application of preventive measures by the food business operators and the surveillance activity by the Competent Authority.

Analyses of turbulent flow fields and aerosol dynamics of diesel engine exhaust inside two dilution sampling tunnels using the CTAG model.

PubMed

Wang, Yan Jason; Yang, Bo; Lipsky, Eric M; Robinson, Allen L; Zhang, K Max

2013-01-15

Experimental results from laboratory emission testing have indicated that particulate emission measurements are sensitive to the dilution process of exhaust using fabricated dilution systems. In this paper, we first categorize the dilution parameters into two groups: (1) aerodynamics (e.g., mixing types, mixing enhancers, dilution ratios, residence time); and (2) mixture properties (e.g., temperature, relative humidity, particle size distributions of both raw exhaust and dilution gas). Then we employ the Comprehensive Turbulent Aerosol Dynamics and Gas Chemistry (CTAG) model to investigate the effects of those parameters on a set of particulate emission measurements comparing two dilution tunnels, i.e., a T-mixing lab dilution tunnel and a portable field dilution tunnel with a type of coaxial mixing. The turbulent flow fields and aerosol dynamics of particles are simulated inside two dilution tunnels. Particle size distributions under various dilution conditions predicted by CTAG are evaluated against the experimental data. It is found that in the area adjacent to the injection of exhaust, turbulence plays a crucial role in mixing the exhaust with the dilution air, and the strength of nucleation dominates the level of particle number concentrations. Further downstream, nucleation terminates and the growth of particles by condensation and coagulation continues. Sensitivity studies reveal that a potential unifying parameter for aerodynamics, i.e., the dilution rate of exhaust, plays an important role in new particle formation. The T-mixing lab tunnel tends to favor the nucleation due to a larger dilution rate of the exhaust than the coaxial mixing field tunnel. Our study indicates that numerical simulation tools can be potentially utilized to develop strategies to reduce the uncertainties associated with dilution samplings of emission sources.

Performance and Emissions of a Small Compression Ignition Engine Run on Dual-fuel Mode (Diesel-Raw biogas)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ambarita, H.; Sinulingga, E. P.; Nasution, M. KM; Kawai, H.

2017-03-01

In this work, a compression ignition (CI) engine is tested in dual-fuel mode (Diesel-Raw biogas). The objective is to examine the performance and emission characteristics of the engine when some of the diesel oil is replaced by biogas. The specifications of the CI engine are air cooled single horizontal cylinder, four strokes, and maximum output power of 4.86 kW. It is coupled with a synchronous three phase generator. The load, engine revolution, and biogas flow rate are varied from 600 W to 1500 W, 1000 rpm to 1500 rpm, 0 to 6 L/minute, respectively. The electric power, specific fuel consumption, thermal efficiency, gas emission, and diesel replacement ratio are analyzed. The results show that there is no significant difference of the power resulted by CI run on dual-fuel mode in comparison with pure diesel mode. However, the specific fuel consumption and efficiency decrease significantly as biogas flow rate increases. On the other hand, emission of the engine on dual-fuel mode is better. The main conclusion can be drawn is that CI engine without significant modification can be operated perfectly in dual-fuel mode and diesel oil consumption can be decreased up to 87.5%.

On-Line Monitoring of Escherichia coli in Raw Water at Oset Drinking Water Treatment Plant, Oslo (Norway)

PubMed Central

Tryland, Ingun; Eregno, Fasil Ejigu; Braathen, Henrik; Khalaf, Goran; Sjølander, Ingrid; Fossum, Marie

2015-01-01

The fully automated Colifast ALARMTM has been used for two years for daily monitoring of the presence/absence of Escherichia coli in 100 mL raw water at Oset drinking water treatment plant in Oslo, Norway. The raw water is extracted from 35 m depth from the Lake Maridalsvannet. E. coli was detected in 18% of the daily samples. In general, most samples positive for E. coli were observed during the autumn turnover periods, but even in some samples taken during warm and dry days in July, with stable temperature stratification in the lake, E. coli was detected. The daily samples gave useful additional information compared with the weekly routine samples about the hygienic raw water quality and the hygienic barrier efficiency of the lake under different weather conditions and seasons. The winter 2013/2014 was much warmer than the winter 2012/2013. The monitoring supported the hypothesis that warmer winters with shorter periods with ice cover on lakes, which may be a consequence of climate changes, may reduce the hygienic barrier efficiency in deep lakes used as drinking water sources. PMID:25658685

Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins Occurrence and Removal from Five High-Risk Conventional Treatment Drinking Water Plants.

PubMed

Szlag, David C; Sinclair, James L; Southwell, Benjamin; Westrick, Judy A

2015-06-12

An environmental protection agency EPA expert workshop prioritized three cyanotoxins, microcystins, anatoxin-a, and cylindrospermopsin (MAC), as being important in freshwaters of the United States. This study evaluated the prevalence of potentially toxin producing cyanobacteria cell numbers relative to the presence and quantity of the MAC toxins in the context of this framework. Total and potential toxin producing cyanobacteria cell counts were conducted on weekly raw and finished water samples from utilities located in five US states. An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbant Assay (ELISA) was used to screen the raw and finished water samples for microcystins. High-pressure liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector (HPLC/PDA) verified microcystin concentrations and quantified anatoxin-a and cylindrospermopsin concentrations. Four of the five utilities experienced cyanobacterial blooms in their raw water. Raw water samples from three utilities showed detectable levels of microcystins and a fourth utility had detectable levels of both microcystin and cylindrospermopsin. No utilities had detectable concentrations of anatoxin-a. These conventional plants effectively removed the cyanobacterial cells and all finished water samples showed MAC levels below the detection limit by ELISA and HPLC/PDA.

High-resolution records of soil humification and paleoclimate change from variations in speleothem luminescence excitation and emission wavelengths

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baker, Andy; Genty, Dominique; Smart, Peter L.

1998-10-01

Recent advances in the precision and accuracy of the optical techniques required to measure luminescence permit the nondestructive analysis of solid geologic samples such as speleothems (secondary carbonate deposits in caves). In this paper we show that measurement of speleothem luminescence demonstrates a strong relationship between the excitation and emission wavelengths and both the extent of soil humification and mean annual rainfall. Raw peat with blanket bog vegetation has the highest humification and highest luminescence excitation and emission matrix wavelengths, because of the higher proportion of high-molecular-weight organic acids in these soils. Brown ranker and rendzina soils with dry grassland and woodland cover have the lowest wavelengths. Detailed analysis of one site where an annually laminated stalagmite has been deposited over the past 70 yr during a period with instrumental climate records and no vegetation change suggests that more subtle variations in luminescence emission wavelength correlate best with mean annual rainfall, although there is a lag of ˜10 yr. These results are used to interpret soil humification and climate change from a 130 ka speleothem at an upland site in Yorkshire, England. These data provide a new continuous terrestrial record of climate and environmental change for northwestern Europe and suggest the presence of significant variations in wetness and vegetation within interglacial and interstadial periods.

An automatic microseismic or acoustic emission arrival identification scheme with deep recurrent neural networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zheng, Jing; Lu, Jiren; Peng, Suping; Jiang, Tianqi

2018-02-01

The conventional arrival pick-up algorithms cannot avoid the manual modification of the parameters for the simultaneous identification of multiple events under different signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs). Therefore, in order to automatically obtain the arrivals of multiple events with high precision under different SNRs, in this study an algorithm was proposed which had the ability to pick up the arrival of microseismic or acoustic emission events based on deep recurrent neural networks. The arrival identification was performed using two important steps, which included a training phase and a testing phase. The training process was mathematically modelled by deep recurrent neural networks using Long Short-Term Memory architecture. During the testing phase, the learned weights were utilized to identify the arrivals through the microseismic/acoustic emission data sets. The data sets were obtained by rock physics experiments of the acoustic emission. In order to obtain the data sets under different SNRs, this study added random noise to the raw experiments' data sets. The results showed that the outcome of the proposed method was able to attain an above 80 per cent hit-rate at SNR 0 dB, and an approximately 70 per cent hit-rate at SNR -5 dB, with an absolute error in 10 sampling points. These results indicated that the proposed method had high selection precision and robustness.

'Nano-immuno test' for the detection of live Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis bacilli in the milk samples using magnetic nano-particles and chromogen.

PubMed

Singh, Manju; Singh, Shoor Vir; Gupta, Saurabh; Chaubey, Kundan Kumar; Stephan, Bjorn John; Sohal, Jagdip Singh; Dutta, Manali

2018-04-26

Early rapid detection of Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP) bacilli in milk samples is the major challenge since traditional culture method is time consuming and laboratory dependent. We report a simple, sensitive and specific nano-technology based 'Nano-immuno test' capable of detecting viable MAP bacilli in the milk samples within 10 h. Viable MAP bacilli were captured by MAP specific antibody-conjugated magnetic nano-particles using resazurin dye as chromogen. Test was optimized using true culture positive (10-bovine and 12-goats) and true culture negative (16-bovine and 25-goats) raw milk samples. Domestic livestock species in India are endemically infected with MAP. After successful optimization, sensitivity and specificity of the 'nano-immuno test' in goats with respect to milk culture was 91.7% and 96.0%, respectively. Whereas, it was 90.0% (sensitivity) and 92.6% (specificity) with respect to IS900 PCR. In bovine milk samples, sensitivity and specificity of 'nano-immuno test' with respect to milk culture was 90.0% and 93.7%, respectively. However, with respect to IS900 PCR, the sensitivity and specificity was 88.9% and 94.1%, respectively. Test was validated with field raw milk samples (goats-258 and bovine-138) collected from domestic livestock species to detect live/viable MAP bacilli. Of 138 bovine raw milk samples screened by six diagnostic tests, 81 (58.7%) milk samples were positive for MAP infection in one or more than one diagnostic tests. Of 81 (58.7%) positive bovine raw milk samples, only 24 (17.4%) samples were detected positive for the presence of viable MAP bacilli. Of 258 goats raw milk samples screened by six diagnostic tests, 141 (54.6%) were positive for MAP infection in one or more than one test. Of 141 (54.6%) positive raw milk samples from goats, only 48 (34.0%) were detected positive for live MAP bacilli. Simplicity and efficiency of this novel 'nano-immuno test' makes it suitable for wide-scale screening of milk samples in the field. Standardization, validation and re-usability of functionalized nano-particles and the test was successfully achieved in field samples. Test was highly specific, simple to perform and easy to read by naked eyes and does not require laboratory support in the performance of test. Test has potential to be used as screening test to estimate bio-load of MAP in milk samples at National level.

Cholesterol content of broiler breast fillets heated with and without the skin in convection and conventional ovens.

PubMed

Prusa, K J; Lonergan, M M

1987-06-01

Six treatment combinations for the heating of broiler breast fillets were investigated: three skin variables (heated and analyzed with skin, heated with and analyzed without skin, and heated and analyzed without skin) and two heating systems (convection broiling and conventional roasting). Matched broiler breast fillets were analyzed raw or breaded and heated to 82 C. Raw and cooked samples of meat, skin, and meat with skin were analyzed for moisture, fat, and cholesterol contents. In the raw state, samples of meat with skin contained greater moisture and fat contents, but similar cholesterol contents, when compared with samples of meat alone. Fillets heated by convection broiling had greater cooking losses but shorter heating times compared with conventionally roasted samples. Fillets with the skin removed before or after heating contained more moisture, less fat, and less cholesterol than samples cooked and analyzed with the skin present.

Evaluation of Hygienic Quality and Labelling of Fish Distributed in Public Canteens of Northeast Italy

PubMed Central

Armani, Mariachiara; Civettini, Michele; Conedera, Gabriella; Favretti, Michela; Lombardo, Dorotea; Lucchini, Rosaria; Paternolli, Sabrina; Pezzuto, Alessandra; Rabini, Michela; Arcangeli, Giuseppe

2016-01-01

Over the past few years, the demand for the introduction of fish products in public canteens (schools, hospitals and nursing-homes) has grown due to their good nutritional proprieties. The particular health conditions and sensitivity of some groups of consumers exposes them to greater risks of food poisoning. It is therefore important to monitor the raw materials that end up in mass catering implementing strategies of mass catering control, both with self-monitoring strategies and with regular controls performed by the competent health authorities. The purpose of this study is to assess the overall quality of seafood dealt out from public catering services located in Northeast Italy. In this paper we illustrate the results of microbiological analysis performed on 135 fish samples (58% of samples were raw fishes, 27% cooked fishes, 6% raw fish products, 9% cooked fish products) and species identification performed on 102 fish samples. Additionally, 135 environmental swabs were collected to determine the effectiveness of cleaning and sanitation of food contact (cutting boards, cooking equipment and food processing surfaces) and non-contact (refrigerator wall and handle, tap lever) surfaces. Of raw seafood samples, 24% had total aerobic mesophilic bacteria count >105 CFU/g and for Enterobacteriaceae the faecal contamination was excluded since no Salmonella spp. and Escherichia coli were isolated. Just 3.8% of raw seafood samples resulted positive for Listeria monocytogenes. The results of swab samples of cooking utensils and surfaces showed that sanitation practices should be improved. Molecular analysis for fish species identification revealed a mislabelling for 25% of sampled fishes. The results of this survey can provide valuable information for monitoring and surveillance programmes for the control of quality of fish and fish products. PMID:27995098

Nutrient changes and antinutrient contents of beniseed and beniseed soup during cooking using a Nigerian traditional method.

PubMed

Agiang, M A; Umoh, I B; Essien, A I; Eteng, M U

2010-10-15

Evaluations of the effect of prolong cooking on the nutrient and antinutrient composition ofbeniseed and beniseed soup were carried out in this study. Proximate, mineral, vitamin A and C and antinutrient compositions of raw beniseed (BS-R), beniseed boiled (BSB) for 15, 30, 45 and 60 min and beniseed soup (BSS) cooked for the same intervals of time were assessed. Results of the proximate composition analyses showed that raw and boiled beniseed had lower moisture content (5.39-5.51%) than beniseed soups (10.06-15.20%). Nitrogen-free extract (total carbohydrates), fats and phosphorus contents were improved in both the boiled beniseed and beniseed soup while calcium and potassium were increased in the boiled seeds and soup samples respectively. Moisture (in the raw and boiled beniseed), ash, magnesium, zinc, iron contents in both the seed and soup were unchanged in all the samples. Vitamins A and C levels of both boiled beniseed and beniseed soup samples were reduced with increase in cooking time. Beniseed soup had higher protein contents than both the raw and boiled beniseed which decreased with increase in cooking time. Beniseed samples provided good sources of energy (572.97-666.05 kcal/100 g). Except for phytate, the levels of antinutrients tested were lower in the raw and boiled beniseed than in the soup samples which decreased with increase in cooking time. The results are discussed with reference to the effect of prolonged cooking on the nutrient requirements of consumers.

19 CFR 151.23 - Allowance for moisture in raw sugar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Allowance for moisture in raw sugar. 151.23...; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) EXAMINATION, SAMPLING, AND TESTING OF MERCHANDISE Sugars, Sirups, and Molasses § 151.23 Allowance for moisture in raw sugar. Inasmuch as the absorption of sea water or moisture...

19 CFR 151.23 - Allowance for moisture in raw sugar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Allowance for moisture in raw sugar. 151.23...; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) EXAMINATION, SAMPLING, AND TESTING OF MERCHANDISE Sugars, Sirups, and Molasses § 151.23 Allowance for moisture in raw sugar. Inasmuch as the absorption of sea water or moisture...

19 CFR 151.23 - Allowance for moisture in raw sugar.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 19 Customs Duties 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Allowance for moisture in raw sugar. 151.23...; DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY (CONTINUED) EXAMINATION, SAMPLING, AND TESTING OF MERCHANDISE Sugars, Sirups, and Molasses § 151.23 Allowance for moisture in raw sugar. Inasmuch as the absorption of sea water or moisture...

Hazard identification and exposure assessment for bacterial risk assessment of informally marketed milk in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

PubMed

Kouamé-Sina, Sylvie Mireille; Makita, Kohei; Costard, Solenne; Grace, Delia; Dadié, Adjehi; Dje, Marcellin; Bonfoh, Bassirou

2012-12-01

Animal-source foods are important causes of food-borne illness, and milk and dairy products can contain pathogenic microorganisms. We conducted a stochastic assessment of the risk of ingesting milk contaminated with specific microbial pathogens (Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Enterococcus spp.) in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire. We carried out structured interviews and focus group discussions with farmers (n = 15), vendors (n = 17), and consumers (n = 188) to characterize dairy production systems and milk consumption behavior. Microbiological sampling was conducted at different points between milking and sale. A risk model was developed, and the risk of consuming contaminated raw milk was estimated by Monte Carlo simulation. The investigation into local raw milk consumption patterns showed that the proportion of raw milk consumption was 51.6% in people who consume milk. The probability of ingestion of marketed raw milk that failed to meet standards for this group of bacteria was 29.9% and about 652 consumers per day were estimated to ingest contaminated milk. Microbiological tests from the farm showed that 7.2% of samples taken from milkers' hands, 4.4% of water samples (water used to rinse milk containers or milking utensils (calabash, plastic bottle, filters, buckets), 4.4% of environmental samples (air pollution), 13.2% of samples from milking utensils, and 4.9% of samples from cows' udders were contaminated with one or more of these pathogens. About 624.6 L of marketed raw milk would need to be discarded per day if discarding milk was chosen as the option of risk reduction. The destruction of this milk would result in a potential loss of Euro623.9 per day for all producers. The risk of human illness from consumption of raw milk could be mitigated by raising awareness about heat treatment of milk and good hygiene practices in the dairy chain.

Simplification and validation of a large volume polyurethane foam sampler for the analysis of persistent hydrophobic compounds in drinking water.

PubMed

Choi, J W; Lee, J H; Moon, B S; Kannan, K

2008-08-01

The use of a large volume polyurethane foam (PUF) sampler was validated for rapid extraction of persistent organic pollutants (POPs), such as polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), in raw water and treated water from drinking water plants. To validate the recovery of target compounds in the sampling process, a (37)Cl-labeled standard was spiked into the 1st PUF plug prior to filtration. An accelerated solvent extraction method, as a pressurized liquid extractor (PLE), was optimized to extract the PUF plug. For sample preparation, tandem column chromatography (TCC) clean-up was used for rapid analysis. The recoveries of labeled compounds in the analytical method were 80-110% (n = 9). The optimized PUF-PLE-TCC method was applied in the analysis of raw water and treated potable water from seven drinking water plants in South Korea. The sample volume used was between 18 and 102 L for raw water at a flow rate of 0.4-2 L min(-1), 95 and 107 L for treated water at a flow rate of 1.5-2.2 L min(-1). Limit of quantitation (LOQ) was a function of sample volume and it decreased with increasing sample volume. The LOQ of PCDD/Fs in raw waters analyzed by this method was 3-11 times lower than that described using large-size disk-type solid phase extraction (SPE) method. The LOQ of PCDD/F congeners in raw water and treated water were 0.022-3.9 ng L(-1) and 0.018-0.74 ng L(-1), respectively. Octachlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxin (OCDD) was found in some raw water samples, while their concentrations were well below the tentative criterion set by the Japanese Environmental Ministry for drinking water. OCDD was below the LOQ in the treated drinking water.

Operation of a sampling train for the analysis of environmental species in coal gasification gas-phase process streams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Pochan, M.J.; Massey, M.J.

1979-02-01

This report discusses the results of actual raw product gas sampling efforts and includes: Rationale for raw product gas sampling efforts; design and operation of the CMU gas sampling train; development and analysis of a sampling train data base; and conclusions and future application of results. The results of sampling activities at the CO/sub 2/-Acceptor and Hygas pilot plants proved that: The CMU gas sampling train is a valid instrument for characterization of environmental parameters in coal gasification gas-phase process streams; depending on the particular process configuration, the CMU gas sampling train can reduce gasifier effluent characterization activity to amore » single location in the raw product gas line; and in contrast to the slower operation of the EPA SASS Train, CMU's gas sampling train can collect representative effluent data at a rapid rate (approx. 2 points per hour) consistent with the rate of change of process variables, and thus function as a tool for process engineering-oriented analysis of environmental characteristics.« less

Enteric Viruses in Raw Vegetables and Groundwater Used for Irrigation in South Korea▿

PubMed Central

Cheong, Sooryun; Lee, Cheonghoon; Song, Sung Won; Choi, Weon Cheon; Lee, Chan Hee; Kim, Sang-Jong

2009-01-01

Raw vegetables irrigated with groundwater that may contain enteric viruses can be associated with food-borne viral disease outbreaks. In this study, we performed reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) and cell culture-PCR to monitor the occurrence of enteric viruses in groundwater samples and in raw vegetables that were cultivated using that groundwater in South Korea. Samples were collected 10 times from three farms located in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. RT-PCR and cell culture-PCR were performed to detect adenoviruses (AdVs), enteroviruses (EVs), noroviruses (NoVs), and rotaviruses, followed by sequence analyses of the detected strains. Of the 29 groundwater samples and the 30 vegetable samples, five (17%) and three (10%) were positive for enteric viruses, respectively. AdVs were the most frequently detected viruses in four groundwater and three vegetable samples. EVs and NoVs were detected in only one groundwater sample and one spinach sample, respectively. The occurrence of enteric viruses in groundwater and vegetable samples was not correlated with the water temperature and the levels of indicator bacteria, respectively. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that most of the detected AdVs were temporally distributed, irrespective of sample type. Our results indicate that raw vegetables may be contaminated with a broad range of enteric viruses, which may originate from virus-infected farmers and virus-contaminated irrigation water, and these vegetables may act as a potential vector of food-borne viral transmission. PMID:19854919

Fate and degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in stormwater bioretention cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

LeFevre, Gregory Hallett

This dissertation describes the investigation of the fate of hydrocarbons in stormwater bioretention areas and those mechanisms that affect hydrocarbon fate in such systems. Seventy-five samples from 58 bioretention areas were collected and analyzed to measure total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) residual and biodegradation functional genes. TPH residual in bioretention areas was greater than background sites but low overall (<3 µg/kg), and well below either the TPH concentration of concern or the expected concentration, assuming no losses. Bioretention areas with deep-root vegetation contained significantly greater quantites of bacterial 16S rRNA genes and two functional genes involved in hydrocarbon biodegradation. Field soils were capable of mineralizing naphthalene, a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) when incubated in the laboratory. In an additional laboratory investigation, a column study was initiated to comprehensively determine naphthalene fate in a simulated bioretention cell using a 14C-labeled tracer. Sorption to soil was the greatest sink of naphthalene in the columns, although biodegradation and vegetative uptake were also important loss mechanisms. Little leaching occurred following the first flush, and volatilization was insignificant. Significant enrichment of naphthalene degrading bacteria occurred over the course of the experiment as a result of naphthalene exposure. This was evident from enhanced naphthalene biodegradation kinetics (measured via batch tests), significant increases in naphthalene dioxygenase gene quantities, and a significant correlation observed between naphthalene residual and biodegradation functional genes. Vegetated columns outperformed the unplanted control column in terms of total naphthalene removal and biodegradation kinetics. As a result of these experiments, a final study focused on why planted systems outperform unplanted systems was conducted. Plant root exudates were harvested from hydroponic setups for three types of plants. Additionally, a solution of artificial root exudates (AREs) as prepared. Exudates were digested using soil bacteria to create metabolized exudates. Raw and metabolized exudates were characterized for dissolved organic carbon, specific UV absorbance, spectral slope, florescence index, excitation-emission matrices, and surface tension. Significant differences on character were observed between the harvested exudates and the AREs, as well as between the raw and metabolized exudates. Naphthalene desorption from an aged soil was enhanced in the presence of raw exudates. The surface tension in samples containing raw harvested exudates was reduced compared to samples containing the metabolized exudates. Plant root exudates may therefore facilitate phytoremediation by enhancing contaminant desorption and improving bioavailability. Overall, this research concludes that heavily planted bioretention systems are a sustainable solution to mitigating stormwater hydrocarbon pollution as a result of likely enhanced contaminant desorption, and improved biodegradation and plant uptake in such systems.

Calibrating the Ordovician Radiation of marine life: implications for Phanerozoic diversity trends

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, A. I.; Foote, M.

1996-01-01

It has long been suspected that trends in global marine biodiversity calibrated for the Phanerozoic may be affected by sampling problems. However, this possibility has not been evaluated definitively, and raw diversity trends are generally accepted at face value in macroevolutionary investigations. Here, we analyze a global-scale sample of fossil occurrences that allows us to determine directly the effects of sample size on the calibration of what is generally thought to be among the most significant global biodiversity increases in the history of life: the Ordovician Radiation. Utilizing a composite database that includes trilobites, brachiopods, and three classes of molluscs, we conduct rarefaction analyses to demonstrate that the diversification trajectory for the Radiation was considerably different than suggested by raw diversity time-series. Our analyses suggest that a substantial portion of the increase recognized in raw diversity depictions for the last three Ordovician epochs (the Llandeilian, Caradocian, and Ashgillian) is a consequence of increased sample size of the preserved and catalogued fossil record. We also use biometric data for a global sample of Ordovician trilobites, along with methods of measuring morphological diversity that are not biased by sample size, to show that morphological diversification in this major clade had leveled off by the Llanvirnian. The discordance between raw diversity depictions and more robust taxonomic and morphological diversity metrics suggests that sampling effects may strongly influence our perception of biodiversity trends throughout the Phanerozoic.

Bacteria and Bioactivity in Holder Pasteurized and Shelf-Stable Human Milk Products

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Historically, Holder pasteurization has been used to pasteurize donor human milk available in a hospital setting. There is extensive research that provides an overview of the impact of Holder pasteurization on bioactive components of human milk. A shelf-stable (SS) human milk product, created using retort processing, recently became available; however, to our knowledge, little has been published about the effect of retort processing on human milk. Objective: We aimed to assess the ability of retort processing to eliminate bacteria and to quantify the difference in lysozyme and secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) activity between Holder pasteurized (HP) and SS human milk. Methods: Milk samples from 60 mothers were pooled. From this pool, 36 samples were taken: 12 samples were kept raw, 12 samples were HP, and 12 samples were retort processed to create an SS product. All samples were analyzed for total aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria, Bacillus cereus, sIgA activity, and lysozyme activity. Raw samples served as the control. Results: One raw sample and 3 HP samples contained B. cereus at the time of culture. There were no detectable bacteria in SS samples at the time of culture. Raw samples had significantly greater lysozyme and sIgA activity than HP and SS samples (P < 0.0001). HP samples retained significantly more lysozyme and sIgA activity (54% and 87%, respectively) than SS samples (0% and 11%, respectively). Conclusions: Human milk processed using Holder pasteurization should continue to be screened for the presence of B. cereus. Clinicians should be aware of the differences in the retention of lysozyme and sIgA activity in HP and SS products when making feeding decisions for medically fragile or immunocompromised infants to ensure that patients are receiving the maximum immune protection. PMID:29955718

Environmental analysis of the life cycle emissions of 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran solvent manufactured from renewable resources.

PubMed

Slater, C Stewart; Savelski, Mariano J; Hitchcock, David; Cavanagh, Eduardo J

2016-01-01

An environmental analysis has been conducted to determine the cradle to gate life cycle emissions to manufacture the green solvent, 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran. The solvent is considered a greener chemical since it can be manufactured from renewable resources with a lower life cycle footprint. Analyses have been performed using different methods to show greenness in both its production and industrial use. This solvent can potentially be substituted for other ether and chlorinated solvents commonly used in organometallic and biphasic reactions steps in pharmaceutical and fine chemical syntheses. The 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran made from renewable agricultural by-products is marketed by Penn A Kem under the name ecoMeTHF™. The starting material, 2-furfuraldehyde (furfural), is produced from corn cob waste by converting the available pentosans by acid hydrolysis. An evaluation of each step in the process was necessary to determine the overall life cycle and specific CO2 emissions for each raw material/intermediate produced. Allocation of credits for CO2 from the incineration of solvents made from renewable feedstocks significantly reduced the overall carbon footprint. Using this approach, the overall life cycle emissions for production of 1 kg of ecoMeTHF™ were determined to be 0.191 kg, including 0.150 kg of CO2. Life cycle emissions generated from raw material manufacture represents the majority of the overall environmental impact. Our evaluation shows that using 2-methyl tetrahydrofuran in an industrial scenario results in a 97% reduction in emissions, when compared to typically used solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, made through a conventional chemical route.

Rapid bacteriological screening of cosmetic raw materials by using bioluminescence.

PubMed

Nielsen, P; Van Dellen, E

1989-01-01

Incoming cosmetic raw materials are routinely tested for microbial content. Standard plate count methods require up to 72 h. A rapid, sensitive, and inexpensive raw material screening method was developed that detects the presence of bacteria by means of ATP (bioluminescence). With a 24-h broth enrichment, the minimum bacterial ATP detection threshold of 1 cfu/g sample can be achieved using purified firefly luciferin-luciferase and an ATP releasing reagent. By using this rapid screen, microbiologically free material may be released for production within 24 h, while contaminated material undergoes further quantitative and identification testing. In order for a raw material to be validated for this method it must be evaluated for (1) a potential nonmicrobial light-contributing reaction resulting in a false positive or, (2) degradation of the ATP giving a false negative, and (3) confirmation that the raw material has not overwhelmed the buffering capacity of the enrichment broth. The key criteria for a rapid screen was the sensitivity to detect less than one colony forming unit per g product, the speed to do this within 24 h, and cost efficiency. Bioluminescence meets these criteria. With an enrichment step, it can detect less than one cfu/g sample. After the enrichment step, analysis time per sample is approximately 2 min and the cost for material and reagents is less than one dollar per sample.

Environmental life cycle assessment of Italian mozzarella cheese: Hotspots and improvement opportunities.

PubMed

Dalla Riva, A; Burek, J; Kim, D; Thoma, G; Cassandro, M; De Marchi, M

2017-10-01

The present study investigated a cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment to estimate the environmental impacts associated with Italian mozzarella cheese consumption. The differences between mozzarella produced from raw milk and mozzarella produced from curd were studied, and differences in manufacturing processes have been emphasized in order to provide guidance for targeted improvements at this phase. Specifically, the third-largest Italian mozzarella producer was surveyed to collect site-specific manufacturing data. The Ecoinvent v3.2 database was used for secondary data, whereas SimaPro 8.1 was the modeling software. The inventory included inputs from farm activities to end of life disposal of wasted mozzarella and packaging. Additionally, plant-specific information was used to assign major inputs, such as electricity, natural gas, packaging, and chemicals to specific products; however, where disaggregated information was not provided, milk solids allocation was applied. Notably, loss of milk solids was accounted during the manufacture, moreover mozzarella waste and transport were considered during distribution, retail, and consumption phases. Feed production and animal emissions were the main drivers of raw milk production. Electricity and natural gas usage, packaging (cardboard and plastic), transport, wastewater treatment, and refrigerant loss affected the emissions from a farm gate-to-dairy plant gate perspective. Post-dairy plant gate effects were mainly determined by electricity usage for storage of mozzarella, transport of mozzarella, and waste treatment. The average emissions were 6.66 kg of CO 2 equivalents and 45.1 MJ of cumulative energy demand/kg of consumed mozzarella produced directly from raw milk, whereas mozzarella from purchased curd had larger emissions than mozzarella from raw milk due to added transport of curd from specialty manufacturing plants, as well as electricity usage from additional processes at the mozzarella plant that are required to process the curd into mozzarella. Normalization points to ecotoxicity as the impact category most significantly influenced by mozzarella consumption. From a farm gate-to-grave perspective, ecotoxicity and freshwater and marine eutrophication are the first and second largest contributors of mozzarella consumption to average European effects, respectively. To increase environmental sustainability, an improvement of efficiency for energy and packaging usage and transport activities is recommended in the post-farm gate mozzarella supply chain. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Aircraft engine and auxiliary power unit emissions from combusting JP-8 fuel

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kimm, L.T.; Sylvia, D.A.; Gerstle, T.C.

1997-12-31

Due to safety considerations and in an effort to standardize Department of Defense fuels, the US Air Force (USAF) replaced the naptha-based JP-4, MIL-T-5624, with the kerosene-based JP-8, MIL-T-83133, as the standard turbine fuel. Although engine emissions from combustion of JP-4 are well documented for criteria pollutants, little information exists for criteria and hazardous air pollutants from combustion of JP-8 fuel. Due to intrinsic differences between these two raw fuels, their combustion products were expected to differ. As part of a broader engine testing program, the Air Force, through the Human Systems Center at Brooks AFB, TX, has contracted tomore » have the emissions characterized from aircraft engines and auxiliary power units (APUs). Criteria pollutant and targeted HAP emissions of selected USAF aircraft engines were quantified during the test program. Emission test results will be used to develop emission factors for the tested aircraft engines and APUs. The Air Force intends to develop a mathematical relationship, using the data collected during this series of tests and from previous tests, to extrapolate existing JP-4 emission factors to representative JP-8 emission factors for other engines. This paper reports sampling methodologies for the following aircraft engine emissions tests: F110-GE-100, F101-GE-102, TF33-P-102, F108-CF-100, T56-A-15, and T39-GE-1A/C. The UH-60A helicopter engine, T700-GE-700, and the C-5A/B and C-130H auxiliary power units (GTCP165-1 and GTCP85-180, respectively) were also tested. Testing was performed at various engine settings to determine emissions of particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, total hydrocarbon, and selected hazardous air pollutants. Ambient monitoring was conducted concurrently to establish background pollutant concentrations for data correction.« less

Evaluation of PCDD/Fs emissions during ceramic production: a laboratory study.

PubMed

Lu, Mang; Luo, Yi-Jing; Zhang, Zhong-Zhi; Xiao, Meng; Zhang, Min

2012-08-30

Because of the ubiquity of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) in kaolinitic clays, the ceramic industry is considered to be a potential source of PCDD/Fs. However, studies on the emission of PCDD/Fs from ceramic production are still very scarce. In this study, PCDD/Fs emissions during ceramic production were investigated in an electric laboratory batch kiln. The results showed that the PCDD/Fs were completely removed from the ceramic pieces after 30 min of firing at the peak temperature of 1200°C. Nevertheless, on the mass and international toxic equivalent basis, 27.5% and 46.2% of the total PCDD/Fs amount in the raw clay were released into the atmosphere during firing, respectively. These PCDD/Fs were emitted into the air before the temperature was elevated to a level high enough for their destruction. Dechlorination reactions generated a broad distribution within the PCDD/Fs congeners including a variety of non-2,3,7,8-substituted ones. The emission of PCDD/Fs was decreased to 16.3 wt.% of the total PCDD/Fs amount in the raw clay, when the initial kiln temperature was enhanced to 600°C. The emission of PCDD/Fs could be reduced significantly in the presence of a glaze coating on the ceramic test piece. These results indicated that ceramic production is an un-neglectable source of PCDD/Fs in the environment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Wide-field lensless fluorescent microscopy using a tapered fiber-optic faceplate on a chip.

PubMed

Coskun, Ahmet F; Sencan, Ikbal; Su, Ting-Wei; Ozcan, Aydogan

2011-09-07

We demonstrate lensless fluorescent microscopy over a large field-of-view of ~60 mm(2) with a spatial resolution of <4 µm. In this on-chip fluorescent imaging modality, the samples are placed on a fiber-optic faceplate that is tapered such that the density of the fiber-optic waveguides on the top facet is >5 fold larger than the bottom one. Placed on this tapered faceplate, the fluorescent samples are pumped from the side through a glass hemisphere interface. After excitation of the samples, the pump light is rejected through total internal reflection that occurs at the bottom facet of the sample substrate. The fluorescent emission from the sample is then collected by the smaller end of the tapered faceplate and is delivered to an opto-electronic sensor-array to be digitally sampled. Using a compressive sampling algorithm, we decode these raw lensfree images to validate the resolution (<4 µm) of this on-chip fluorescent imaging platform using microparticles as well as labeled Giardia muris cysts. This wide-field lensfree fluorescent microscopy platform, being compact and high-throughput, might provide a valuable tool especially for cytometry, rare cell analysis (involving large area microfluidic systems) as well as for microarray imaging applications.

Presence of Pathogenic Rickettsiae and Protozoan in Samples of Raw Milk from Cows, Goats, and Sheep.

PubMed

Cisak, Ewa; Zając, Violetta; Sroka, Jacek; Sawczyn, Anna; Kloc, Anna; Dutkiewicz, Jacek; Wójcik-Fatla, Angelina

2017-04-01

The aim of the present work was to determine the presence of various rickettsiae and protozoan in raw milk and the assessment the potential, milk-borne route in the spread of selected zoonotic pathogens. A total of 119 raw milk samples collected randomly from 63 cows, 29 goats, and 27 sheep bred on 34 farms situated on eight communities in eastern Poland were examined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method for the presence of pathogenic rickettsiae (Coxiella burnetii, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Rickettsia spp.) and protozoan (Toxoplasma gondii). The only prevalent pathogen was T. gondii, which was found in 10 samples of cow milk (15.9%), in one sample of goat milk (3.4%), and in one sample of sheep milk (3.7%). One sample of cow milk was positive for C. burnetii; however, the sequence analysis did not confirm any species of Coxiella or Coxiella-like organisms, but showed 100% homology to Psychrobacter alimentarius. None of the examined samples showed the presence of A. phagocytophilum or Rickettsia spp. The results of this study suggest a potential hazard of milk-borne Toxoplasma infection, mostly by consumption of raw cow milk. The milk-borne spread seems to be limited or nonsignificant in the case of C. burnetii, A. phagocytophilum, and Rickettsia spp. The false-positive sample for Coxiella spp. suggests that some care should be taken in the interpretation of the results obtained by using the PCR method.

Microbiological investigation of halal butchery products and butchers' premises.

PubMed

Little, C; Gillespie, I; de Louvois, J; Mitchell, R

1999-06-01

Halal butchers' premises were investigated as they had not been represented in a recent study of butchery products and butchers' premises conducted by the Local Authorities Coordinating Body on Food and Trading Standards and the PHLS. This study examined 183 raw prepared meats and 212 environmental samples from 105 halal butcher premises. Only raw meats were prepared on 97 of the premises visited; and the types of meat prepared on the remaining eight premises was not specified. Four halal butchers sold cooked meats prepared elsewhere. Salmonella spp. and Campylobacter spp. were detected in 12 (7%) and 52 (28%) of the 183 raw meat products, respectively. Five raw prepared meats (3%) contained both salmonella and campylobacter. Vero cytotoxin producing Escherichia coli O157 was isolated from a raw meat product that also contained campylobacter. No cooked meat products were available for collection. The physical separation of raw and unwrapped cooked meat products in premises that prepared raw and sold cooked meats was not recorded. Apron cloths were the most heavily contaminated environmental samples examined; hygiene indicator microorganisms indicated an increased risk of cross contamination. Managers in 85 premises had received no food hygiene training and 88 premises had no hazard analysis system in place. Improvements are needed to reduce the risk of cross contamination.

Furniture wood wastes: Experimental property characterisation and burning tests

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tatano, Fabio; Barbadoro, Luca; Mangani, Giovanna

2009-10-15

Referring to the industrial wood waste category (as dominant in the provincial district of Pesaro-Urbino, Marche Region, Italy), this paper deals with the experimental characterisation and the carrying out of non-controlled burning tests (at lab- and pilot-scale) for selected 'raw' and primarily 'engineered' ('composite') wood wastes. The property characterisation has primarily revealed the following aspects: potential influence on moisture content of local weather conditions at outdoor wood waste storage sites; generally, higher ash contents in 'engineered' wood wastes as compared with 'raw' wood wastes; and relatively high energy content values of 'engineered' wood wastes (ranging on the whole from 3675more » to 5105 kcal kg{sup -1} for HHV, and from 3304 to 4634 kcal kg{sup -1} for LHV). The smoke qualitative analysis of non-controlled lab-scale burning tests has primarily revealed: the presence of specific organic compounds indicative of incomplete wood combustion; the presence exclusively in 'engineered' wood burning tests of pyrroles and amines, as well as the additional presence (as compared with 'raw' wood burning) of further phenolic and containing nitrogen compounds; and the potential environmental impact of incomplete industrial wood burning on the photochemical smog phenomenon. Finally, non-controlled pilot-scale burning tests have primarily given the following findings: emission presence of carbon monoxide indicative of incomplete wood combustion; higher nitrogen oxide emission values detected in 'engineered' wood burning tests as compared with 'raw' wood burning test; and considerable generation of the respirable PM{sub 1} fraction during incomplete industrial wood burning.« less

Hg concentrations in fish from coastal waters of California and Western North America

USGS Publications Warehouse

Davis, Jay; Ross, John; Bezalel, Shira; Sim, Lawrence; Bonnema, Autumn; Ichikawa, Gary; Heim, Wes; Schiff, Kenneth C; Eagles-Smith, Collin A.; Ackerman, Joshua T.

2016-01-01

The State of California conducted an extensive and systematic survey of mercury (Hg) in fish from the California coast in 2009 and 2010. The California survey sampled 3483 fish representing 46 species at 68 locations, and demonstrated that methylHg in fish presents a widespread exposure risk to fish consumers. Most of the locations sampled (37 of 68) had a species with an average concentration above 0.3 μg/g wet weight (ww), and 10 locations an average above 1.0 μg/g ww. The recent and robust dataset from California provided a basis for a broader examination of spatial and temporal patterns in fish Hg in coastal waters of Western North America. There is a striking lack of data in publicly accessible databases on Hg and other contaminants in coastal fish. An assessment of the raw data from these databases suggested the presence of relatively high concentrations along the California coast and in Puget Sound, and relatively low concentrations along the coasts of Alaska and Oregon, and the outer coast of Washington. The dataset suggests that Hg concentrations of public health concern can be observed at any location on the coast of Western North America where long-lived predator species are sampled. Output from a linear mixed-effects model resembled the spatial pattern observed for the raw data and suggested, based on the limited dataset, a lack of trend in fish Hg over the nearly 30-year period covered by the dataset. Expanded and continued monitoring, accompanied by rigorous data management procedures, would be of great value in characterizing methylHg exposure, and tracking changes in contamination of coastal fish in response to possible increases in atmospheric Hg emissions in Asia, climate change, and terrestrial Hg control efforts in coastal watersheds.

Antioxidant properties of selected Oriental non-culinary/nutraceutical herb extracts as evaluated in raw and cooked meat.

PubMed

Han, J; Rhee, K S

2005-05-01

Ethanol extracts of white peony (WP), red peony (RP), sappanwood (SW), Moutan peony (MP), rehmania (RE) or angelica (AN) were individually added to ground goat meat at 0.5-2.0% (g dry extract/100 g final meat sample), and raw and cooked samples were aerobically refrigerated for 0, 3 or 6 days. These extracts and rosemary extract (RO) were also individually added to salted or unsalted ground beef at 0.01-0.25% and refrigerated as raw or cooked patties. WP, RP, RE, SW and MP markedly reduced (P<0.05) lipid oxidation in cooked-stored goat meat. With 0.25% of WP, RP, SW, MP or RO in beef, lipid oxidation during storage was minimal in raw and cooked patties (plain or salted); raw patty redness values at day 6 were higher (P<0.05) for SW, WP, RP or MP than RO treatment or the control. At 0.01%, SW was more antioxidative (P<0.05) than the other extracts.

Wine industry residues extracts as natural antioxidants in raw and cooked chicken meat during frozen storage.

PubMed

Selani, M M; Contreras-Castillo, C J; Shirahigue, L D; Gallo, C R; Plata-Oviedo, M; Montes-Villanueva, N D

2011-07-01

The effect of Isabel (IGE) and Niagara (NGE) grape seed and peel extracts on lipid oxidation, instrumental colour, pH and sensory properties of raw and cooked processed chicken meat stored at -18°C for nine months was evaluated. The pH of raw and cooked samples was not affected by the addition of grape extracts. IGE and NGE were effective in inhibiting the lipid oxidation of raw and cooked chicken meat, with results comparable to synthetic antioxidants. The extracts caused alterations in colour, as evidenced by the instrumental (darkening and lower intensity of red and yellow colour) and sensory results of cooked samples. In the sensory evaluation of odour and flavour, IGE produced satisfactory results, which did not differ from synthetic antioxidants. These findings suggest that the IGE and NGE are effective in retarding lipid oxidation of raw and cooked chicken meat during frozen storage. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Quality assessment of baby food made of different pre-processed organic raw materials under industrial processing conditions.

PubMed

Seidel, Kathrin; Kahl, Johannes; Paoletti, Flavio; Birlouez, Ines; Busscher, Nicolaas; Kretzschmar, Ursula; Särkkä-Tirkkonen, Marjo; Seljåsen, Randi; Sinesio, Fiorella; Torp, Torfinn; Baiamonte, Irene

2015-02-01

The market for processed food is rapidly growing. The industry needs methods for "processing with care" leading to high quality products in order to meet consumers' expectations. Processing influences the quality of the finished product through various factors. In carrot baby food, these are the raw material, the pre-processing and storage treatments as well as the processing conditions. In this study, a quality assessment was performed on baby food made from different pre-processed raw materials. The experiments were carried out under industrial conditions using fresh, frozen and stored organic carrots as raw material. Statistically significant differences were found for sensory attributes among the three autoclaved puree samples (e.g. overall odour F = 90.72, p < 0.001). Samples processed from frozen carrots show increased moisture content and decrease of several chemical constituents. Biocrystallization identified changes between replications of the cooking. Pre-treatment of raw material has a significant influence on the final quality of the baby food.

[Detection of a Disease Cluster by the Health Authorities of Stendal District due to Campylobacter jejuni in a Nursery After the Consumption of Raw Milk].

PubMed

Hermann, N; Schubert, I

2015-07-01

A notification from a laboratory concerning the detection of Campylobacter jejuni in a 6-year-old boy initiated the investigation carried out by the health authorities from Stendal district, in order to explain the morbidity rate caused by the germ. The day after the boy's pediatrician informed about a visit to a farm, which was confirmed by the head of the nursery. She told the health authorities about the consumption of raw milk during their visit at the farm.The following days more children fell sick. Within 10 days the total number of diseased children was 21. The health authorities asked for stool samples of the diseased children, nursery nurses and the head of the farm since raw milk presents a potential cause of infection. The health authorities together with the Saxony-Anhalt State Office for Consumer Protection conducted a retrospective cohort study. The aim was to explain the association between the exposure from raw milk consumption and the occurrence of the disease from C. jejuni. Based on a questionnaire data about the food and milk intake at the nursery and at home and about the trip to the farm were collected. 91% of the children's cohort and 86% of the adults' cohort were captured.The exposed group at risk showed a higher risk of falling ill than the group, which was not exposed. The risk factor raw milk explained the difference. Furthermore, the analysis of milk samples taken by the district veterinary office from 2 cows and from the farm's tank was able to detect the germs. The correlation of the illness, the consumption of raw milk, the detection of C. jejuni in the samples taken from the children and the samples taken from the cows was evident. Based on the case the health authorities recommended that heads of nurseries as well as heads of dairy farming in the district of Stendal needed to be advised on raw milk. Nurseries are still allowed to take trips to farms. However, raw animal derivates including milk must not be consumed. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

Incidence, populations and diversity of fungi from raw materials, final products and air of processing environment of multigrain whole meal bread.

PubMed

Santos, Juliana Lane Paixão Dos; Bernardi, Angélica Olivier; Pozza Morassi, Letícia L; Silva, Beatriz S; Copetti, Marina Venturini; S Sant'Ana, Anderson

2016-09-01

This study aimed to assess the incidence, to quantify and to assess the diversity of fungi in a multigrain whole meal bread processing plant. Two hundred and eight one (n=281) samples were analyzed, including raw materials (n=120), air samples (n=136) and multigrain breads (n=25). Among the raw materials, the whole corn flour showed the highest counts of fungi (4.8logCFU/g), followed by whole-wheat flour (3.1logCFU/g). The counts of fungi in the air of processing environment were higher in post-baking steps (oven output, cooling, slicing, packaging) than in pre-baking steps (weighing and mixer) (p<0.05). Species of fungi isolated from spoiled bread samples stored at 5, 20, 25 and 30, and 40°C corresponded mostly to Penicillium paneum and Penicillium polonicum isolated from 20 and 24% of samples, respectively. These species were also isolated from raw materials (P. paneum and P. polonicum) and air collected at different processing sampling points (P. polonicum). The high counts of filamentous fungi in raw materials and air samples in processing steps such as cooling, slicing, and packaging, suggest that contamination that may occur in these steps can be critical for the shelf life of breads. The results of this study highlight that the prevention of contamination of breads by fungal spores is still a challenge for bakery industries and that other strategies such as control of germination and growth of spoilage fungi through the development of more stable formulations have to be developed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Raw milk from vending machines: Effects of boiling, microwave treatment, and refrigeration on microbiological quality.

PubMed

Tremonte, Patrizio; Tipaldi, Luca; Succi, Mariantonietta; Pannella, Gianfranco; Falasca, Luisa; Capilongo, Valeria; Coppola, Raffaele; Sorrentino, Elena

2014-01-01

In Italy, the sale of raw milk from vending machines has been allowed since 2004. Boiling treatment before its use is mandatory for the consumer, because the raw milk could be an important source of foodborne pathogens. This study fits into this context with the aim to evaluate the microbiological quality of 30 raw milk samples periodically collected (March 2013 to July 2013) from 3 vending machines located in Molise, a region of southern Italy. Milk samples were stored for 72 h at 4 °C and then subjected to different treatments, such as boiling and microwaving, to simulate domestic handling. The results show that all the raw milk samples examined immediately after their collection were affected by high microbial loads, with values very close to or even greater than those acceptable by Italian law. The microbial populations increased during refrigeration, reaching after 72 h values of about 8.0 log cfu/mL for Pseudomonas spp., 6.5 log cfu/mL for yeasts, and up to 4.0 log cfu/mL for Enterobacteriaceae. Boiling treatment, applied after 72 h to refrigerated milk samples, caused complete decontamination, but negatively affected the nutritional quality of the milk, as demonstrated by a drastic reduction of whey proteins. The microwave treatment at 900 W for 75 s produced microbiological decontamination similar to that of boiling, preserving the content in whey proteins of milk. The microbiological characteristics of raw milk observed in this study fully justify the obligation to boil the raw milk from vending machines before consumption. However, this study also showed that domestic boiling causes a drastic reduction in the nutritional value of milk. Microwave treatment could represent a good alternative to boiling, on the condition that the process variables are standardized for safe domestic application. Copyright © 2014 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

N2 Gas Flushing Alleviates the Loss of Bacterial Diversity and Inhibits Psychrotrophic Pseudomonas during the Cold Storage of Bovine Raw Milk.

PubMed

Gschwendtner, Silvia; Alatossava, Tapani; Kublik, Susanne; Fuka, Mirna Mrkonjić; Schloter, Michael; Munsch-Alatossava, Patricia

2016-01-01

The quality and safety of raw milk still remains a worldwide challenge. Culture-dependent methods indicated that the continuous N2 gas-flushing of raw milk reduced the bacterial growth during cold storage by up to four orders of magnitude, compared to cold storage alone. This study investigated the influence of N2 gas-flushing on bacterial diversity in bovine raw-milk samples, that were either cold stored at 6°C or additionally flushed with pure N2 for up to one week. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the V1-V2 hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA genes, derived from amplified cDNA, which was obtained from RNA directly isolated from raw-milk samples, was performed. The reads, which were clustered into 2448 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), were phylogenetically classified. Our data revealed a drastic reduction in the diversity of OTUs in raw milk during cold storage at 6°C at 97% similarity level; but, the N2-flushing treatment alleviated this reduction and substantially limited the loss of bacterial diversity during the same cold-storage period. Compared to cold-stored milk, the initial raw-milk samples contained less Proteobacteria (mainly Pseudomonadaceae, Moraxellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae) but more Firmicutes (mainly Ruminococcaceaea, Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceaea) and Bacteroidetes (mainly Bacteroidales). Significant differences between cold-stored and additionally N2-flushed milk were mainly related to higher levels of Pseudomononadaceae (including the genera Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter) in cold-stored milk samples; furthermore, rare taxa were better preserved by the N2 gas flushing compared to the cold storage alone. No major changes in bacterial composition with time were found regarding the distribution of the major 9 OTUs, that dominated the Pseudomonas genus in N2-flushed or non-flushed milk samples, other than an intriguing predominance of bacteria related to P. veronii. Overall, this study established that neither bacteria causing milk spoilage nor any well-known human pathogen or anaerobe benefited from the N2 gas flushing even though the N2-flushed and non-flushed cold-stored milk differed in bacterial counts by up to 104-fold.

N2 Gas Flushing Alleviates the Loss of Bacterial Diversity and Inhibits Psychrotrophic Pseudomonas during the Cold Storage of Bovine Raw Milk

PubMed Central

Kublik, Susanne; Fuka, Mirna Mrkonjić; Schloter, Michael; Munsch-Alatossava, Patricia

2016-01-01

The quality and safety of raw milk still remains a worldwide challenge. Culture-dependent methods indicated that the continuous N2 gas-flushing of raw milk reduced the bacterial growth during cold storage by up to four orders of magnitude, compared to cold storage alone. This study investigated the influence of N2 gas-flushing on bacterial diversity in bovine raw-milk samples, that were either cold stored at 6°C or additionally flushed with pure N2 for up to one week. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) of the V1-V2 hypervariable regions of 16S rRNA genes, derived from amplified cDNA, which was obtained from RNA directly isolated from raw-milk samples, was performed. The reads, which were clustered into 2448 operational taxonomic units (OTUs), were phylogenetically classified. Our data revealed a drastic reduction in the diversity of OTUs in raw milk during cold storage at 6°C at 97% similarity level; but, the N2-flushing treatment alleviated this reduction and substantially limited the loss of bacterial diversity during the same cold-storage period. Compared to cold-stored milk, the initial raw-milk samples contained less Proteobacteria (mainly Pseudomonadaceae, Moraxellaceae and Enterobacteriaceae) but more Firmicutes (mainly Ruminococcaceaea, Lachnospiraceae and Oscillospiraceaea) and Bacteroidetes (mainly Bacteroidales). Significant differences between cold-stored and additionally N2-flushed milk were mainly related to higher levels of Pseudomononadaceae (including the genera Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter) in cold-stored milk samples; furthermore, rare taxa were better preserved by the N2 gas flushing compared to the cold storage alone. No major changes in bacterial composition with time were found regarding the distribution of the major 9 OTUs, that dominated the Pseudomonas genus in N2-flushed or non-flushed milk samples, other than an intriguing predominance of bacteria related to P. veronii. Overall, this study established that neither bacteria causing milk spoilage nor any well-known human pathogen or anaerobe benefited from the N2 gas flushing even though the N2-flushed and non-flushed cold-stored milk differed in bacterial counts by up to 104-fold. PMID:26730711

Environmentally-Friendly Geopolymeric Binders Made with Silica

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Erdogan, S. T.

2013-12-01

Portland cement (PC) is the ubiquitous binding material for constructions works. It is a big contributor to global warming and climate change since its production is responsible for 5-10 % of all anthropogenic CO2 emissions. Half of this emission arises from the calcination of calcareous raw materials and half from kiln fuel burning and cement clinker grinding. Recently there have been efforts to develop alternative binders with lower greenhouse gas emissions. One such class of binders is geopolymers, formed by activating natural or waste materials with suitable alkaline or acidic solutions. These binders use natural or industrial waste raw materials with a very low CO2 footprint from grinding of the starting materials, and some from the production of the activating chemicals. The total CO2 emissions from carefully formulated mixtures can be as low as 1/10th - 1/5th of those of PC concrete mixtures with comparable properties. While use of industrial wastes as raw materials is environmentally preferable, the variability of their chemical compositions over time renders their use difficult. Use of natural materials depletes resources but can have more consistent properties and can be more easily accepted. Silica sand is a natural material containing very high amounts of quartz. Silica fume is a very fine waste from silicon metal production that is mostly non-crystalline silica. This study describes the use of sodium hydroxide and sodium silicate solutions to yield mortars with mechanical properties comparable to those of portland cement mortars and with better chemical and thermal durability. Strength gain is slower than with PC mixtures at room temperature but adequate ultimate strength can be achieved with curing at slightly elevated temperatures in less than 24 h. The consistency of the chemical compositions of these materials and their abundance in several large, developing countries makes silica attractive for producing sustainable concretes with reduced carbon footprints.

Structural and optical characterizations of Ca2Al2SiO7:Ce3+, Mn2+ nanoparticles produced via a hybrid route

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Teixeira, V. C.; Montes, P. J. R.; Valerio, M. E. G.

2014-07-01

Pure, Ce3+ doped and Ce3+ and Mn2+ co-doped Ca2Al2SiO7 ceramic powders were prepared by two different methodologies which are the proteic sol-gel process and a new hybrid route combining the proteic sol-gel with solid state reaction processes. The second one is an eco-friendly method because it uses natural raw materials in replacement of the metal alkoxides used in the traditional sol-gel routes. X-ray diffraction showed that Ca2Al2SiO7 crystalline phase was obtained for both preparations. Differential thermal analysis indicated that the exothermic event around 850 °C, for sample produced by proteic sol-gel method, and around 927 °C, for ceramics prepared by hybrid synthesis, can be associated to crystallization of Ca2Al2SiO7. Transmission electron microscope indicates that regular and spherical nanoparticles were obtained with average sizes of about 12 nm. The Scherrer's method was used to determine the average crystallite sizes and it was shown that nanometric crystallites were obtained of about 74 nm for samples produced via hybrid route. For all the single phase samples, the crystallite sizes are about the same and that agrees with TEM results. Diffuse optical reflectance measurements were used to estimate the Ca2Al2SiO7 optical band gap and the obtained value is about 6 eV, photoluminescence (PL) spectra presented typical emissions of Ce3+ and Mn2+ ions. Upon excitation at 352 nm the emission spectra showed a broad band centered at 415 nm due to the Ce3+ 4f1 → 5d1 typical transition. This emission is resonant with Mn2+ excitation and it transfers energy to Mn ions generating a second broad emission band centered at 620 nm due to the Mn2+. The PL results were used to obtain, as a fist approach, the Ce3+ energy levels diagram and, using the Tanabe-Sugano diagrams, the transitions due to the Mn2+ were calculated. X-ray excited optical luminescence measurements showed the same emission spectra as the PL emission spectra. Luminescence lifetime decay constants were measured for Ce and Mn co-doped and for Ce doped samples and the results indicate Ca2Al2SiO7:Ce3+, Mn2+ showed quite fast responses with main time constants below 30 ns.

Design of gefitinib-loaded poly (l-lactic acid) microspheres via a supercritical anti-solvent process for dry powder inhalation.

PubMed

Lin, Qing; Liu, Guijin; Zhao, Ziyi; Wei, Dongwei; Pang, Jiafeng; Jiang, Yanbin

2017-10-30

To develop a safer, more stable and potent formulation of gefitinib (GFB), micro-spheres of GFB encapsulated into poly (l-lactic acid) (PLLA) have been prepared by supercritical anti-solvent (SAS) technology in this study. Operating factors were optimized using a selected OA 16 (4 5 ) orthogonal array design, and the properties of the raw material and SAS processed samples were characterized by different methods The results show that the GFB-loaded PLLA particles prepared were spherical, having a smaller and narrower particle size compared with raw GFB. The optimal GFB-loaded PLLA sample was prepared with less aggregation, highest GFB loading (15.82%) and smaller size (D 50 =2.48μm, which meets the size of dry powder inhalers). The results of XRD and DSC indicate that GFB is encapsulated into PLLA matrix in a polymorphic form different from raw GFB. FT-IR results show that the chemical structure of GFB does not change after the SAS process. The results of in vitro release show that the optimal sample release was slower compared with raw GFB particles. Moreover, the results of in vitro anti-cancer trials show that the optimal sample had a higher cytotoxicity than raw GFB. After blending with sieved lactose, the flowability and aerosolization performance of the optimal sample for DPI were improved, with angle of repose, emitted dose and fine particles fractions from 38.4° to 23°, 63.21% to >90%, 23.37% to >30%, respectively. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Identification of Cryptosporidium Species and Genotypes in Scottish Raw and Drinking Waters during a One-Year Monitoring Period▿

PubMed Central

Nichols, R. A. B.; Connelly, L.; Sullivan, C. B.; Smith, H. V.

2010-01-01

We analyzed 1,042 Cryptosporidium oocyst-positive slides (456 from raw waters and 586 from drinking waters) of which 55.7% contained 1 or 2 oocysts, to determine species/genotypes present in Scottish waters. Two nested PCR-restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) assays targeting different loci (1 and 2) of the hypervariable region of the 18S rRNA gene were used for species identification, and 62.4% of samples were amplified with at least one of the PCR assays. More samples (577 slides; 48.7% from raw water and 51.3% from drinking water) were amplified at locus 1 than at locus 2 (419 slides; 50.1% from raw water and 49.9% from drinking water). PCR at loci 1 and 2 amplified 45.4% and 31.7% of samples containing 1 or 2 oocysts, respectively. We detected both human-infectious and non-human-infectious species/genotype oocysts in Scottish raw and drinking waters. Cryptosporidium andersoni, Cryptosporidium parvum, and the Cryptosporidium cervine genotype (now Cryptosporidium ubiquitum) were most commonly detected in both raw and drinking waters, with C. ubiquitum being most common in drinking waters (12.5%) followed by C. parvum (4.2%) and C. andersoni (4.0%). Numerous samples (16.6% total; 18.9% from drinking water) contained mixtures of two or more species/genotypes, and we describe strategies for unraveling their identity. Repetitive analysis for discriminating mixtures proved useful, but both template concentration and PCR assay influenced outcomes. Five novel Cryptosporidium spp. (SW1 to SW5) were identified by RFLP/sequencing, and Cryptosporidium sp. SW1 was the fourth most common contaminant of Scottish drinking water (3%). PMID:20639357

Cyanobacteria and Cyanotoxins Occurrence and Removal from Five High-Risk Conventional Treatment Drinking Water Plants

PubMed Central

Szlag, David C.; Sinclair, James L.; Southwell, Benjamin; Westrick, Judy A.

2015-01-01

An environmental protection agency EPA expert workshop prioritized three cyanotoxins, microcystins, anatoxin-a, and cylindrospermopsin (MAC), as being important in freshwaters of the United States. This study evaluated the prevalence of potentially toxin producing cyanobacteria cell numbers relative to the presence and quantity of the MAC toxins in the context of this framework. Total and potential toxin producing cyanobacteria cell counts were conducted on weekly raw and finished water samples from utilities located in five US states. An Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbant Assay (ELISA) was used to screen the raw and finished water samples for microcystins. High-pressure liquid chromatography with a photodiode array detector (HPLC/PDA) verified microcystin concentrations and quantified anatoxin-a and cylindrospermopsin concentrations. Four of the five utilities experienced cyanobacterial blooms in their raw water. Raw water samples from three utilities showed detectable levels of microcystins and a fourth utility had detectable levels of both microcystin and cylindrospermopsin. No utilities had detectable concentrations of anatoxin-a. These conventional plants effectively removed the cyanobacterial cells and all finished water samples showed MAC levels below the detection limit by ELISA and HPLC/PDA. PMID:26075379

Correlation between thermal behavior of clays and their chemical and mineralogical composition: a review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dwi Yanti, Evi; Pratiwi, I.

2018-02-01

Clay's abundance has been widely used as industrial raw materials, especially ceramic and tile industries. Utilization of these minerals needs a thermal process for producing ceramic products. Two studies conducted by Septawander et al. and Chin C et al., showed the relationship between thermal behavior of clays and their chemical and mineralogical composition. Clays are characterized by XRD analysis and thermal analysis, ranging from 1100°C to 1200°C room temperature. Specimen of raw materials of clay which is used for the thermal treatment is taken from different geological conditions and formation. In raw material, Quartz is almost present in all samples. Halloysite, montmorillonite, and feldspar are present in Tanjung Morawa raw clay. KC and MC similar kaolinite and illite are present in the samples. The research illustrates the interrelationships of clay minerals and chemical composition with their heat behavior. As the temperature of combustion increases, the sample reduces a significant weight. The minerals which have undergone a transformation phase became mullite, cristobalite or illite and quartz. Under SEM analysis, the microstructures of the samples showed irregularity in shape; changes occurred due the increase of heat.

Effects of various cooking processes on the concentrations of arsenic, cadmium, mercury, and lead in foods.

PubMed

Perelló, Gemma; Martí-Cid, Roser; Llobet, Juan M; Domingo, José L

2008-12-10

The effects of cooking processes commonly used by the population of Catalonia (Spain) on total arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb) concentrations in various foodstuffs were investigated. All food samples were randomly acquired in local markets, big supermarkets, and grocery stores of Reus (Catalonia). Foods included fish (sardine, hake, and tuna), meat (veal steak, loin of pork, breast and thigh of chicken, and steak and rib of lamb), string bean, potato, rice, and olive oil. For each food item, two composite samples were prepared for metal analyses, whose levels in raw and cooked (fried, grilled, roasted, and boiled) samples were determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The highest concentrations of As, Hg, and Pb (raw and cooked samples) were mainly found in fish, with a clear tendency, in general, to increase metal concentrations after cooking. However, in these samples, Cd levels were very close to their detection limit. In turn, the concentrations of metals in raw and cooked meat samples were detected in all samples (As) or only in a very few samples (Cd, Hg, and Pb). A similar finding corresponded to string beans, rice, and olive oil, while in potatoes, Hg could not be detected and Pb only was detected in the raw samples. In summary, the results of the present study show that, in general terms, the cooking process is only of a very limited value as a means of reducing metal concentrations. This hypothetical reduction depends upon cooking conditions (time, temperature, and medium of cooking).

Raw neutron scattering data for strain measurement of hydraulically loaded granite and marble samples in triaxial stress state

DOE Data Explorer

Polsky, Yarom

2014-05-23

This entry contains raw data files from experiments performed on the Vulcan beamline at the Spallation Neutron Source at Oak Ridge National Laboratory using a pressure cell. Cylindrical granite and marble samples were subjected to confining pressures of either 0 psi or approximately 2500 psi and internal pressures of either 0 psi, 1500 psi or 2500 psi through a blind axial hole at the center of one end of the sample. The sample diameters were 1.5" and the sample lengths were 6". The blind hole was 0.25" in diameter and 3" deep. One set of experiments measured strains at points located circumferentially around the center of the sample with identical radii to determine if there was strain variability (this would not be expected for a homogeneous material based on the symmetry of loading). Another set of experiments measured load variation across the radius of the sample at a fixed axial and circumferential location. Raw neutron diffraction intensity files and experimental parameter descriptions are included.

Occurrence of pharmaceuticals in a water supply system and related human health risk assessment.

PubMed

de Jesus Gaffney, Vanessa; Almeida, Cristina M M; Rodrigues, Alexandre; Ferreira, Elisabete; Benoliel, Maria João; Cardoso, Vitor Vale

2015-04-01

A monitoring study of 31 pharmaceuticals along Lisbon's drinking water supply system was implemented, which comprised the analysis of 250 samples including raw water (surface water and groundwater), and drinking water. Of the 31 pharmaceutical compounds, only sixteen were quantified in the analyzed samples, with levels ranging from 0.005 to 46 ng/L in raw water samples and 0.09-46 ng/L in drinking water samples. The human health risk assessment performed showed that appreciable risks to the consumer's health arising from exposure to trace levels of pharmaceuticals in drinking water are extremely unlikely, as RQs values were all below 0.001. Also, pharmaceuticals were selected as indicators to be used as a tool to control the quality of raw water and the treatment efficiency in the drinking water treatment plants. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mineral content of the honey produced in Zulia state, Venezuela.

PubMed

Sulbarán de Ferrer, Betzabé; Ojeda de Rodríguez, Graciela; Peña, Jorge; Martínez, Janeth; Morán, María

2004-09-01

The mineral content of the honey produced in five zones of the Zulia state, Venezuela, during dry and rainy seasons was determined. The analyzed elements were: sodium, potassium (by emission spectroscopy), calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, manganese (by atomic absorption spectroscopy), phosphorus (phosphate ions, by colorimetric method), and ash content of raw honey samples directly collected from different beekeepers. The mean values for Na, K, Ca, Mg, Cu, Fe, Mn, and P were 353+84; 1774+138; 237+66; 52+24; 0.76+0.43; 13.5+10.23; 0.92+0.42 and 1642+323 mg/kg respectively. The mean ash content was 0.431+0.15%. Potassium was the most abundant of the elements determined. This results confirm that Zulian honey can be considered a good source of minerals.

Isolation of microbial pathogens of subclinical mastitis from raw sheep's milk of Epirus (Greece) and their role in its hygiene.

PubMed

Fotou, K; Tzora, A; Voidarou, Ch; Alexopoulos, A; Plessas, S; Avgeris, I; Bezirtzoglou, E; Akrida-Demertzi, K; Demertzis, P G

2011-12-01

The natural raw milk microflora is a factor that expresses its sensorial characteristics. The microbial charge into the mammary gland of healthy animal is low and the application of right and healthy conditions during milking and cheese making procedure, prevents from contaminating as well as maintains the natural microflora in order to lend the particular characteristics of milk. The purpose of the present project was the study of the Total Viable Count (T.V.C.) and the count of total psychrotropic bacteria of raw sheep milk from Boutsiko and Karamaniko breeds, collected from healthy animals, as well as the isolation, identification and enumeration of pathogenic bacteria related with the hygiene and the quality of raw sheep milk (with a particular interest in bacteria that may cause human infection). During the experiment we examined two hundred forty (240) samples of raw sheep milk. In these samples a) Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella sp., Escherichia coli, Clostridium perfringens (vegetative cells and spores) and Bacillus sp. were isolated and identified b) the Total Viable Count and the total number of psychrotropic bacteria were also specified. The sampling, the preparation of samples and decimal dilutions were based on international methods. The Total viable count was determined using the standard methods of the American Public Health Association, 2002. The total number of psychrotropic bacteria was determined using APHA 1976, 1978 rules. The identification of the bacteria was carried out according to the Bergey's manual. Microscopic examination of Gram stained cells, catalase, oxidase and biochemical tests were performed when necessary to further identify. From the 240 milk samples tested, only 5% were E. coli positive, with mean counts ranged from 2 × 10(3) to 2.4 × 10(4) cfu/ml. S. aureus was isolated from 24% of the samples and the mean count per ml was ranged from <10 to 3.4 × 10(2). Meanwhile, Bacillus spp. was also detected in 29% samples. Vegetative forms and spores of C. perfringens were detected in 13% and 63% of the samples respectively. However, microbiological analyses revealed the presence of a small number of selected pathogens in milk samples such as Salmonella, which was only detected in 5% of the samples. Listeria sp., Pseudomonas sp. and Vibrio cholerae were never found. From the experimental results, the Total Viable Count from raw sheep milk samples, fulfils the microbiological criteria of EU Legislation in a percentage of approximately 97%. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterization of Extended Spectrum Β-Lactamase Producing Enterobacteria and Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Raw Pork and Cooked Pork Products in South China.

PubMed

Li, Lili; Ye, Lei; Yu, Li; Zhou, Chenqing; Meng, Hecheng

2016-07-01

In this study, we assessed the co-colonization with extended spectrum β-lactamase producing Enterobacteria (ESBL-E) and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in raw pork and cooked pork products in south China. In total, 240 raw pork and 240 cooked pork samples collected from supermarkets (n = 20) and local butcher shops (n = 20) in the city of Guangzhou (China) were investigated. Raw pork and cooked pork was more frequent colonization with ESBL-E (7.5% in raw pork and 0.4% in cooked pork products) than with MRSA (4.2% in raw pork). Two of samples were contaminated with both tested types of multidrug-resistant bacteria. High antibiotic-resistance rate with wide spectrums of both ESBL-E and MRSA isolated were observed. In ESBL-E isolates, TEM (n = 15), CTX-M-1 (n = 3), CTX-M-9 (n = 1), and SHV (n = 1) genes were detected. TEM and SHV genes were associated with CTX-M-1 in 2 isolates, respectively. The CTX-M-9 gene of 1 isolate from cooked pork samples was found to be transferred to Escherichia coli J53 by conjugation. Detected MLST-types of MRSA were livestock-associated ST7 (n = 5) and ST9 (n = 4), as well as hospital-acquired ST239 (n = 1), suggesting contamination from human source(s) during meat processing. These findings confirmed a contamination of raw pork and cooked pork with ESBL-E and MRSA and emphasized the necessity of enforcing hygienic practices and specific detection of MRSA and ESBL-producing bacteria in meat processing and storage. © 2016 Institute of Food Technologists®

Edible provenances of Jatropha curcas from Quintana Roo state of Mexico and effect of roasting on antinutrient and toxic factors in seeds.

PubMed

Makkar, H P; Becker, K; Schmook, B

1998-01-01

Seven seed samples of J. curcas, both in raw and roasted state, sold in some villages in Quintana Roo state, Mexico for human consumption were analyzed for physical characteristics, nutrients and antinutrients. The average seed weight varied from 0.53 to 0.74 g and kernel weight as proportion of raw seed weight was from 61 to 66%. The contents of crude protein, lipid and ash of kernels from raw seeds were 27-30%, 55-62% and 3.7-5.2% respectively. The levels of antinutrients in meal from the raw seeds were: trypsin inhibitor activity (14.6-28.7 mg trypsin inhibited/g), lectin (25.6-52.2 unit; one unit is the reverse of minimum amount of mg meal/ml assay which produced haemagglutination), saponins (1.9-2.3% as diosgenin equivalent) and phytate (8.4-10%). Phorbol esters in kernels from raw seeds were not detected in four samples and in other three samples it ranged from 0.01 to 0.02 mg/g as phorbol-12-myristate 13-acetate equivalent. Roasting of seeds inactivated almost 100% of trypsin inhibitor activity. Although lectin activity reduced on roasting, it was still present in high amounts. Saponins, phytate and phorbol esters were not affected by roasting.

Occurrence of Mycobacterium bovis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in raw and pasteurized milk in the northwestern region of Paraná, Brazil.

PubMed

Sgarioni, Sônia Aparecida; Hirata, Rosario Dominguez Crespo; Hirata, Mario Hiroyuki; Leite, Clarice Queico Fujimura; de Prince, Karina Andrade; de Andrade Leite, Sergio Roberto; Filho, Dirceu Vedovello; Siqueira, Vera Lucia Dias; Caleffi-Ferracioli, Katiany Rizzieri; Cardoso, Rosilene Fressatti

2014-01-01

Milk is widely consumed in Brazil and can be the vehicle of agent transmission. In this study, was evaluated the occurrence of Mycobacterium bovis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in raw and pasteurized milk consumed in the northwestern region of Paraná, Brazil. Fifty-two milk samples (20 pasteurized and 32 raw) from dairy farms near the municipality of Maringa, Parana State, Brazil were collected. Milk samples were decontaminated using 5% oxalic acid method and cultured on Lowenstein-Jensen and Stonebrink media at 35 °C and 30 °C, with and without 5-10% CO2. Mycobacteria isolates were identified by morphological features, PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis (PCR-PRA) and Mycolic acids analysis. Thirteen (25%) raw and 2 (4%) pasteurized milk samples were positive for acid fast bacilli growth. Nine different species of NTM were isolated (M. nonchromogenicum, M. peregrinum, M. smegmatis, M. neoaurum, M. fortuitum, M. chelonae, M. flavescens, M. kansasii and M. scrofulaceum). M. bovis was not detected. Raw and pasteurized milk may be considered one source for NTM human infection. The paper reinforces the need for intensification of measures in order to avoid the milk contamination and consequently prevent diseases in the south of Brazil.

Occurrence of Mycobacterium bovis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in raw and pasteurized milk in the northwestern region of Paraná, Brazil

PubMed Central

Sgarioni, Sônia Aparecida; Hirata, Rosario Dominguez Crespo; Hirata, Mario Hiroyuki; Leite, Clarice Queico Fujimura; de Prince, Karina Andrade; de Andrade Leite, Sergio Roberto; Filho, Dirceu Vedovello; Siqueira, Vera Lucia Dias; Caleffi-Ferracioli, Katiany Rizzieri; Cardoso, Rosilene Fressatti

2014-01-01

Milk is widely consumed in Brazil and can be the vehicle of agent transmission. In this study, was evaluated the occurrence of Mycobacterium bovis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in raw and pasteurized milk consumed in the northwestern region of Paraná, Brazil. Fifty-two milk samples (20 pasteurized and 32 raw) from dairy farms near the municipality of Maringa, Parana State, Brazil were collected. Milk samples were decontaminated using 5% oxalic acid method and cultured on Lowenstein-Jensen and Stonebrink media at 35 °C and 30 °C, with and without 5–10% CO2. Mycobacteria isolates were identified by morphological features, PCR-Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism Analysis (PCR-PRA) and Mycolic acids analysis. Thirteen (25%) raw and 2 (4%) pasteurized milk samples were positive for acid fast bacilli growth. Nine different species of NTM were isolated (M. nonchromogenicum, M. peregrinum, M. smegmatis, M. neoaurum, M. fortuitum, M. chelonae, M. flavescens, M. kansasii and M. scrofulaceum). M. bovis was not detected. Raw and pasteurized milk may be considered one source for NTM human infection. The paper reinforces the need for intensification of measures in order to avoid the milk contamination and consequently prevent diseases in the south of Brazil. PMID:25242962

A Survey of Naturally-Occurring Steroid Hormones in Raw Milk and the Associated Health Risks in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China

PubMed Central

Qu, Xueyin; Su, Chuanyou; Zheng, Nan; Li, Songli; Meng, Lu; Wang, Jiaqi

2017-01-01

In recent years, high levels of hormone residue in food, capable of damaging the health of consumers, have been recorded frequently. In this study, 195 raw milk samples were obtained from Tangshan City, China, and the concentrations of 22 steroid hormones were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Cortisol was detected in 12.5% of raw milk samples (mean 0.61 µg/kg; range:

Producing liquid fuels from biomass

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solantausta, Yrjo; Gust, Steven

The aim of this survey was to compare, on techno-economic criteria, alternatives of producing liquid fuels from indigenous raw materials in Finland. Another aim was to compare methods under development and prepare a proposal for steering research related to this field. Process concepts were prepared for a number of alternatives, as well as analogous balances and production and investment cost assessments for these balances. Carbon dioxide emissions of the alternatives and the price of CO2 reduction were also studied. All the alternatives for producing liquid fuels from indigenous raw materials are utmost unprofitable. There are great differences between the alternatives. While the production cost of ethanol is 6 to 9 times higher than the market value of the product, the equivalent ratio for substitute fuel oil produced from peat by pyrolysis is 3 to 4. However, it should be borne in mind that the technical uncertainties related to the alternatives are of different magnitude. Production of ethanol from barley is of commercial technology, while biomass pyrolysis is still under development. If the aim is to reach smaller carbon dioxide emissions by using liquid biofuels, the most favorable alternative is pyrolysis oil produced from wood. Fuels produced from cultivated biomass are more expensive ways of reducing CO2 emissions. Their potential of reducing CO2 emissions in Finland is insignificant. Integration of liquid fuel production to some other production line is more profitable.

The effect of functional forms of nitrogen on fuel-NOx emissions.

PubMed

Zhang, Linghui; Su, Dagen; Zhong, Mingfeng

2015-01-01

This work explores the effects of different nitrogen functional forms on fuel-NOx emissions at 900 °C. The majority of tests are performed with an excess air coefficient of 1.4. Fuel-NOx is detected by measuring N-(1-naphthyl) ethylenediamine dihydrochloride (C₁₂H₁₆Cl₂N₂) via spectrophotometry. The different functional forms of nitrogen in the raw materials are identified by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). A reliable density functional theory (DFT) method at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level is employed to investigate the reaction pathways of all functional forms of nitrogen during combustion. The results indicate that the functional forms of nitrogen influence the formation of nitrogen oxides. While under the same experimental conditions, fuel-NOx emissions increase by using less activation energy and nitrogen-containing groups with poor thermal stability. It is determined that fuel-NOx emissions vary in the following order: glycine > pyrrole > pyridine > methylenedi-p-phenylene diisocyanate (MDI). Glycine is the chain structure of amino acids in waste-leather and has low activation energy and poor thermal stability. With these properties, it is noted that glycine produces the most fuel-NOx in all of the raw materials studied. More pyrrole than pyridine in coal lead to high yields of fuel-NOx. The lowest yields of fuel-NO x are obtained using polyurethanes in waste-PU.

Study on optimum length of raw material in stainless steel high-lock nuts forging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Meiwen; Liu, Fenglei; Zhao, Qingyun; Wang, Lidong

2018-04-01

Taking 302 stainless steel (1Cr18Ni9) high-lock nuts for research objects, adjusting the length of raw material, then using DEFORM software to simulate the isothermal forging process of each station and conducting the corresponding field tests to study the effects of raw material size on the stainless steel high-lock nuts forming performance. The tests show that the samples of each raw material length is basically the same as the results of the DEFORM software. When the length of the raw material is 10mm, the appearance size of the parts can meet the design requirements.

Magnesium in North America: A Changing Landscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slade, Susan

The changing landscape of North American manufacturing in the context of global competition is impacting the market of all raw materials, including magnesium. Current automotive fuel economy legislation and pending legislation on the emissions of greenhouse gases are impacting magnesium's largest consuming industries, such as aluminum, automotive components, steel and transition metals. These industries are all considering innovative ways to efficiently incorporate the needed raw materials into their processes. The North American magnesium market differs from other regions based on maturity, supply streams, changing manufacturing capabilities and trade cases, combined with the transformation of North American manufacturing.

A critical review on characterization strategies of organic matter for wastewater and water treatment processes.

PubMed

Tran, Ngoc Han; Ngo, Huu Hao; Urase, Taro; Gin, Karina Yew-Hoong

2015-10-01

The presence of organic matter (OM) in raw wastewater, treated wastewater effluents, and natural water samples has been known to cause many problems in wastewater treatment and water reclamation processes, such as treatability, membrane fouling, and the formation of potentially toxic by-products during wastewater treatment. This paper summarizes the current knowledge on the methods for characterization and quantification of OM in water samples in relation to wastewater and water treatment processes including: (i) characterization based on the biodegradability; (ii) characterization based on particle size distribution; (iii) fractionation based on the hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties; (iv) characterization based on the molecular weight (MW) size distribution; and (v) characterization based on fluorescence excitation emission matrix. In addition, the advantages, disadvantages and applications of these methods are discussed in detail. The establishment of correlations among biodegradability, hydrophobic/hydrophilic fractions, MW size distribution of OM, membrane fouling and formation of toxic by-products potential is highly recommended for further studies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Emission factors of polycyclic and nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from residential combustion of coal and crop residue pellets.

PubMed

Yang, Xiaoyang; Liu, Shijie; Xu, Yisheng; Liu, Yu; Chen, Lijiang; Tang, Ning; Hayakawa, Kazuichi

2017-12-01

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and nitro-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (NPAHs) are toxic pollutants mainly produced during fossil fuel combustion. Domestic coal stoves, which emit large amounts of PAHs and NPAHs, are widely used in the Chinese countryside. In this study, emission factors (Efs) for 13 PAH species and 21 NPAH species for four raw coal (three bituminous and one anthracite), one honeycomb briquette, and one crop residue pellet (peanut hulls) samples burned in a typical Chinese rural cooking stove were determined experimentally. The PAH and NPAH Efs for the six fuels were 3.15-49 mg/kg and 0.32-100 μg/kg, respectively. Peanut hulls had very high Efs for both PAHs and NPAHs, and honeycomb briquettes had the lowest Efs. 2-Nitropyrene and 2-nitrofluoranthene, which are NPAHs typically found in secondary organic aerosol, were detected in the emissions from some fuels, suggesting that chemical reactions may have occurred in the dilution tunnel between the flue gas leaving the stove and entering the sampler. The 1-nitropyrene to pyrene diagnostic ratios for coal and peanut hulls were 0.0001 ± 0.0001 and 0.0005, respectively. These were in the same order of magnitude as reference ratios for emissions during coal combustion. The 6-nitrobenzo[a]pyrene to benzo[a]pyrene ratios for the fuels were determined, and the ratios for coal and peanut hulls were 0.0010 ± 0.0001 and 0.0014, respectively. The calculated potential toxic risks indicated that peanut hull emissions were very toxic, especially in terms of NPAHs, compared with emissions from the other fuels. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving the safety and quality of raw tuna fillets by x-ray irradiation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In this study, raw tuna fillet (25 g) samples were inoculated by immersing in 0.1% peptone water that contained 108-9 CFU ml-1 of a three-strain mixture of Salmonella enterica for 1 min. The samples were then air dried at 22 oC for 30 min and were packaged separately in sterilized bags prior to X-ra...

A rapid method for the detection of foodborne pathogens by extraction of a trace amount of DNA from raw milk based on amino-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles and polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Bai, Yalong; Song, Minghui; Cui, Yan; Shi, Chunlei; Wang, Dapeng; Paoli, George C; Shi, Xianming

2013-07-17

A method based on amino-modified silica-coated magnetic nanoparticles (ASMNPs) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was developed to rapidly and sensitively detect foodborne pathogens in raw milk. After optimizing parameters such as pH, temperature, and time, a trace amount of genomic DNA of pathogens could be extracted directly from complex matrices such as raw milk using ASMNPs. The magnetically separated complexes of genomic DNA and ASMNPs were directly subjected to single PCR (S-PCR) or multiplex PCR (M-PCR) to detect single or multiple pathogens from raw milk samples. Salmonella Enteritidis (Gram-negative) and Listeria monocytogenes (Gram-positive) were used as model organisms to artificially contaminate raw milk samples. After magnetic separation and S-PCR, the detection sensitivities were 8 CFU mL(-1) and 13 CFU mL(-1) respectively for these two types of pathogens. Furthermore, this method was successfully used to detect multiple pathogens (S. Enteritidis and L. monocytogenes) from artificially contaminated raw milk using M-PCR at sensitivities of 15 CFU mL(-1) and 25 CFU mL(-1), respectively. This method has great potential to rapidly and sensitively detect pathogens in raw milk or other complex food matrices. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of abietic acid and dehydroabietic acid residues in raw ducks and cooked ducks.

PubMed

Zhu, Yongzhi; Zhang, Suzhen; Geng, Zhiming; Wang, Daoying; Liu, Fang; Zhang, Muhan; Bian, Huan; Xu, Weimin

2014-10-01

Rosin was once widely used for removal of duck feathers in China and is still being used secretly in some poultry processing enterprises. Abietic acid (AA) and dehydroabietic acid (DHAA) are the major compounds of rosin. In the present study, 90 duck samples were collected for investigation of AA and DHAA residues. Abietic acid and DHAA were simultaneously detected in 13 out 40 raw ducks, 8 out of 26 water-boiled salted ducks, and 7 out of 24 roasted ducks, respectively. In positive samples, averages of AA were significantly higher than those of DHAA in positive samples of the 3 types of ducks (P < 0.05). Averages of AA and DHAA in positive raw ducks were significantly higher than those in positive roasted ducks (P < 0.05). The results indicated that almost one-third of raw ducks were defeathered by means of rosin-containing defeathering agent, and cooking processes could reduce the AA and DHAA residues to some extent, but could not eliminate them completely. ©2014 Poultry Science Association Inc.

[Study on national active monitoring for food borne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in China 2001].

PubMed

Wang, Maoqi; Ran, Lu; Wang, Zhutian; Li, Zhigang

2004-01-01

To survey food borne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance in China. A total of 4034 samples of foods (raw meats, raw milk, cooked meats, ice cream, yoghurt, aquatic product and vegetable) were examined for the presence of Escherichia coli O157:H7 Salmonella spp and Listeria monocytogens by national active foodborne pathogens surveillance system. The samples were obtained from 11 provinces in 2001. Approximate 5.50% of the all samples yielded 3 pathogenes, whereas Escherichia coli O157:H7 (0.82%), Salmonella servoars (3.32%) and Listeria monocytogens (1.29%). The most heavy contamination by three food borne pathogens are in raw meat (12.96%). Top seven serotype of the 137 Salmonella isolates are S. derby, S. agona, S. enteritidis, S. reading, S. anatum. S. muenster, S. typhimurium. Serotypes and antibiotic resistance patterns of Salmonella isolates are different in 11 provinces. E. coli O157:H7 strains that are isolated from raw meat and cooked meat have VT2, eae, Hly genes. Salmonella and E. coli strains of multidrug resistance were isolated and identified.

VERAM - Vision and Roadmap for European Raw Materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumgarten, Wibke; Vashev, Boris

2017-04-01

The overall objective of VERAM project is to produce a Vision and Roadmap for European Raw Materials in 2050 based on raw materials research and innovation (R&I) coordination. Two leading European Technology Platforms (ETPs): ETP SMR (Sustainable Minerals Resources) and FTP (Forest Technology Platform) are joining forces to develop a common vison and roadmap with the support of ECTP (European Construction Technology Platform), represented by UNIVPM, SusChem (ETP for Sustainable Chemistry), represented by Cefic, EuMaT (Advanced Materials ETP), represented by VITO, ERAMIN 2, represented by Research Centre JUELICH and WoodWisdom Network Plus represented by the Agency for Renewable Resources (FNR). This partnership provides VERAM with expertise from downstream applications and additional knowledge on non-biotic and biotic raw materials. The project encourages capacity building as well as transfer of knowledge. It expects to provide an innovation reference point for the European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT) Raw Materials (formerly the KIC Raw MatTERS), to coordinate the network involved in the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) on Raw Materials Commitments and relevant proposals funded under Horizon 2020. It provides a platform for identifying gaps and complementarities and enables their bridging. VERAM will be able to advise the European Commission and Member States on future research needs and policies to stimulate innovation and assist in overcoming fragmentation in the implementing the EIP Raw Materials Strategic Implementation Plan. VERAM looks for mutually beneficial information exchange, encourages cross-fertilization between actions undertaken by different raw material industries, and expects to accelerate exploitation of breakthrough innovations. One of the main outcomes of the project is the presentation of a common long term 2050 Vision and Roadmap for relevant raw materials including metals, industrial minerals and aggregates and wood. The Vision and Roadmap have the objective of highlighting the path to achieving the European Commission's ambitious target of 80% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2050.

Analysis of storage possibility of raw and smoked breast meat of oat-fattened White Kołuda® goose based on their quality characteristics.

PubMed

Damaziak, K; Stelmasiak, A; Michalczuk, M; Wyrwisz, J; Moczkowska, M; Marcinkowska-Lesiak, M M; Niemiec, J; Wierzbicka, A

2016-09-01

Raw and smoked (spickgans) fillets of oat-fattened White Kołuda® goose were packed in: PET - ethylene terephthalate bags; VSP - 99% vacuum; MAP1 - 80% O2, 20% CO2; MAP2 - 70% N2, 30% O2; MAP3 - 30% O2, 40% N2, 30% CO2, and stored at a temperature of 2°C. On the day of packaging (0 d) and during storage of raw (5, 7, 10 d) and smoked fillets (5, 10, 15 d), the samples were analyzed for weight losses, physicochemical traits, and chemical composition. The study demonstrated the effect of storage time and packaging method on storage yield of raw and smoked fillets. In VSP, the raw fillets were characterized by the lowest amount of leakage, whereas spickgans were characterized by the highest storage yield and weight loss. The analysis of the effect of the modified atmosphere demonstrated the lowest weight loss of raw fillets at, simultaneously, the smallest amount of leakage in MAP1. The spickgans stored in MAP2 showed higher weight, higher yield after storage, and lower storage loss in all terms of analyses compared to MAP1 and MAP3. The greatest cooking loss at simultaneously the lowest pH values was determined for the samples stored in VSP. The WBSF values of raw fillets were decreasing along with storage time, in contrast to WBSF values of spickgans, in which case the value of this parameter increased compared to 0 d. Raw fillets stored in MAP1 and MAP3 were characterized by the most significant increase in the value of L*, by a decrease in the value of a* and an increase in that of b* parameter. Visual assessment of spickgans on 15 d of storage revealed the presence of white sediment on the surface of products, except for the samples stored in VSP. The study demonstrated the effect of storage time on the contents of protein and fat in raw fillets and on the contents of salt and fat in spickgans. © 2016 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Survey of Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination of whole, raw poultry on retail sale in Wales in 2003.

PubMed

Meldrum, R J; Tucker, I D; Smith, R M M; Edwards, C

2005-07-01

A survey of the Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination of raw, whole chickens available to consumers in Wales was performed between March and December 2003. In total, 736 samples were taken, and overall contamination rates of 73.1% for Campylobacter and 5.7% for Salmonella were found. This survey follows a survey performed during 2001 to 2002 by Welsh local authorities and the National Public Health Service for Wales that established updated baseline rates for both pathogens in raw, whole chicken available to consumers in Wales. This survey indicated no difference in Campylobacter rates between fresh and frozen samples or between samples taken from retailers and local butchers, but significant differences existed in Salmonella rates between fresh and frozen samples and between those sampled from retailers and butchers, with frozen chickens and samples taken from retailers having significantly higher rates. However, the difference in Salmonella isolation rate between retailers and butchers was found to be due to the differences in the proportions of fresh and frozen chickens sampled from these locations, with a significantly higher number of frozen chickens (with a higher Salmonella rate) being sampled from retailers.

Assessing trihalomethanes (THMs) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) formation potentials in drinking water treatment plants using fluorescence spectroscopy and parallel factor analysis.

PubMed

Yang, Liyang; Kim, Daekyun; Uzun, Habibullah; Karanfil, Tanju; Hur, Jin

2015-02-01

The formation of disinfection byproducts (DBPs) is a major challenge in drinking water treatments. This study explored the applicability of fluorescence excitation-emission matrices and parallel factor analysis (EEM-PARAFAC) for assessing the formation potentials (FPs) of trihalomethanes (THMs) and N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), and the treatability of THM and NDMA precursors in nine drinking water treatment plants. Two humic-like and one tryptophan-like components were identified for the samples using PARAFAC. The total THM FP (TTHM FP) correlated strongly with humic-like component C2 (r=0.874), while NDMA FP showed a moderate and significant correlation with the tryptophan-like component C3 (r=0.628). The reduction by conventional treatment was more effective for C2 than C3, and for TTHM FP than NDMA FP. The treatability of DOM and TTHM FP correlated negatively with the absorption spectral slope (S275-295) and biological index (BIX) of the raw water, but it correlated positively with humification index (HIX). Our results demonstrated that PARAFAC components were valuable for assessing DBPs FP in drinking water treatments, and also that the raw water quality could affect the treatment efficiency. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and behavior of multidrug-resistant Salmonella strains on raw whole and cut nopalitos (Opuntia ficus-indica L.) and on nopalitos salads.

PubMed

Gómez-Aldapa, Carlos A; Gutiérrez-Alcántara, Eduardo J; Torres-Vitela, M Refugio; Rangel-Vargas, Esmeralda; Villarruel-López, Angelica; Castro-Rosas, Javier

2017-09-01

The presence of multidrug-resistant Salmonella in vegetables is a significant public health concern. Nopalito is a cactaceous that is commonly consumed either raw or cooked in Mexico and other countries. The presence of antibiotic-resistant Salmonella strains on raw whole nopalitos (RWN, without prickles), raw nopalitos cut into squares (RNCS) and in cooked nopalitos salads (CNS) samples was determined. In addition, the behavior of multidrug-resistant Salmonella isolates on RWN, RNCS and CNS at 25° ± 2 °C and 3° ± 2 °C was investigated. One hundred samples of RWN, 100 of RNCS and 100 more of CNS were collected from public markets. Salmonella strains were isolated and identified in 30, 30 and 10% of the samples, respectively. Seventy multidrug-resistant Salmonella strains were isolated from all the nopalitos samples. Multidrug-resistant Salmonella isolates survived at least 15 days on RWN at 25° ± 2 °C or 3° ± 2 °C. Multidrug-resistant Salmonella isolates grew in the RNCS and CNS samples at 25° ± 2 °C. However, at 3° ± 2 °C the bacterial growth was inhibited. This is the first report about multidrug-resistant Salmonella isolation from raw nopalitos and nopalitos salads. Nopalitos from markets are very likely to be an important factor contributing to the endemicity of multidrug-resistant Salmonella-related gastroenteritis in Mexico. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

Hygiene quality and presence of ESBL-producing Escherichia coli in raw food diets for dogs

PubMed Central

Nilsson, Oskar

2015-01-01

Background Raw food diets are popular among some dog owners, even though there are concerns regarding the infectious disease risk and public health implications. Hence, the two aims of this study were to investigate the hygiene quality of raw food diets for dogs in the Swedish market and if Escherichia coli with transferable resistance to extended spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) was present in such products. Methods Samples of raw food diets were suspended and further diluted in 0.9% saline. Appropriate dilutions were 1) cultured on Petrifilm™SEC to quantify the amount of E. coli in the samples and 2) mixed with cefotaxime to a final concentration of 1 mg/L and cultured on Petrifilm™SEC to quantify the amount of ESC-resistant E. coli in the samples. Furthermore, undiluted suspensions were mixed 1:1 with double strength MacConkey broth with cefotaxime, enriched overnight and finally cultured on MacConkey agar with cefotaxime (1 mg/L). Suspected ESC-resistant E. coli were screened by PCR for genes encoding extended spectrum beta lactamases and plasmid-mediated AmpC and their susceptibility to a panel of antimicrobials was performed by broth microdilution using VetMIC GN-mo. Results Escherichia coli was isolated from all samples (n=39) and ESC-resistant E. coli was isolated from nine samples (23%). All ESC-resistant E. coli were PCR-positive for the bla CMY-2 group and only one of them was also resistant to a non-beta-lactam antibiotic. Conclusion The results of this study indicate that raw food diets could be a source of ESC-resistant E. coli to dogs and highlight the need for maintaining good hygiene when handling these products to prevent infection. PMID:26490763

Characterization of the indigenous microflora in raw and pasteurized buffalo milk during storage at refrigeration temperature by high-throughput sequencing.

PubMed

Li, Ling; Renye, John A; Feng, Ling; Zeng, Qingkun; Tang, Yan; Huang, Li; Ren, Daxi; Yang, Pan

2016-09-01

The effect of refrigeration on bacterial communities within raw and pasteurized buffalo milk was studied using high-throughput sequencing. High-quality samples of raw buffalo milk were obtained from 3 dairy farms in the Guangxi province in southern China. Five liters of each milk sample were pasteurized (72°C; 15 s); and both raw and pasteurized milks were stored at refrigeration temperature (1-4°C) for various times with their microbial communities characterized using the Illumina Miseq platform (Novogene, Beijing, China). Results showed that both raw and pasteurized milks contained a diverse microbial population and that the populations changed over time during storage. In raw buffalo milk, Lactococcus and Streptococcus dominated the population within the first 24h; however, when stored for up to 72h the dominant bacteria were members of the Pseudomonas and Acinetobacter genera, totaling more than 60% of the community. In pasteurized buffalo milk, the microbial population shifted from a Lactococcus-dominated community (7d), to one containing more than 84% Paenibacillus by 21d of storage. To increase the shelf-life of buffalo milk and its products, raw milk needs to be refrigerated immediately after milking and throughout transport, and should be monitored for the presence of Paenibacillus. Results from this study suggest pasteurization should be performed within 24h of raw milk collection, when the number of psychrotrophic bacteria are low; however, as Paenibacillus spores are resistant to pasteurization, additional antimicrobial treatments may be required to extend shelf-life. The findings from this study are expected to aid in improving the quality and safety of raw and pasteurized buffalo milk. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 63.11582 - What are my compliance requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Chemical Preparations... engineering calculations, then the calculations and supporting documentation must contain the items specified... amount of raw materials used in the manufacture of chemical preparations (as defined in § 63.11588) in...

40 CFR 63.11582 - What are my compliance requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Chemical Preparations... engineering calculations, then the calculations and supporting documentation must contain the items specified... amount of raw materials used in the manufacture of chemical preparations (as defined in § 63.11588) in...

40 CFR 63.11582 - What are my compliance requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Chemical Preparations... engineering calculations, then the calculations and supporting documentation must contain the items specified... amount of raw materials used in the manufacture of chemical preparations (as defined in § 63.11588) in...

40 CFR 63.11582 - What are my compliance requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Chemical Preparations... engineering calculations, then the calculations and supporting documentation must contain the items specified... amount of raw materials used in the manufacture of chemical preparations (as defined in § 63.11588) in...

40 CFR 63.11582 - What are my compliance requirements?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (CONTINUED) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Area Sources: Chemical Preparations... engineering calculations, then the calculations and supporting documentation must contain the items specified... amount of raw materials used in the manufacture of chemical preparations (as defined in § 63.11588) in...

40 CFR 49.10711 - Federal Implementation Plan for the Astaris-Idaho LLC Facility (formerly owned by FMC Corporation...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... to which emissions reduce the transmission of light and obscure the view of an object in the...: main shale pile (Table 1 of this section, source 2), emergency/contingency raw ore shale pile (Table 1...

INVERTING CASCADE IMPACTOR DATA FOR SIZE-RESOLVED CHARACTERIZATION OF FINE PARTICULATE SOURCE EMISSIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Cascade impactors are particularly useful in determining the mass size distributions of particulate and individual chemical species. The impactor raw data must be inverted to reconstruct a continuous particle size distribution. An inversion method using a lognormal function for p...

Online elemental analysis of process gases with ICP-OES: A case study on waste wood combustion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wellinger, Marco, E-mail: marco.wellinger@gmail.com; Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne; Wochele, Joerg

2012-10-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Simultaneous measurements of 23 elements in process gases of a waste wood combustor. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Mobile ICP spectrometer allows measurements of high quality at industrial plants. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Continuous online measurements with high temporal resolution. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Linear correlations among element concentrations in the raw flue gas were detected. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Novel sampling and calibration methods for ICP-OES analysis of process gases. - Abstract: A mobile sampling and measurement system for the analysis of gaseous and liquid samples in the field was developed. An inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometer (ICP-OES), which is built into a van, was used as detector. Themore » analytical system was calibrated with liquid and/or gaseous standards. It was shown that identical mass flows of either gaseous or liquid standards resulted in identical ICP-OES signal intensities. In a field measurement campaign trace and minor elements in the raw flue gas of a waste wood combustor were monitored. Sampling was performed with a highly transport efficient liquid quench system, which allowed to observe temporal variations in the elemental process gas composition. After a change in feedstock an immediate change of the element concentrations in the flue gas was detected. A comparison of the average element concentrations during the combustion of the two feedstocks showed a high reproducibility for matrix elements that are expected to be present in similar concentrations. On the other hand elements that showed strong differences in their concentration in the feedstock were also represented by a higher concentration in the flue gas. Following the temporal variations of different elements revealed strong correlations between a number of elements, such as chlorine with sodium, potassium and zinc, as well as arsenic with lead, and calcium with strontium.« less

Modifications of fatty acids profile, lipid peroxidation and antioxidant capacity in raw and cooked rabbit burgers added with ginger.

PubMed

Mancini, Simone; Preziuso, Giovanna; Dal Bosco, Alessandro; Roscini, Valentina; Parisi, Giuliana; Paci, Gisella

2017-11-01

Effects of ginger powder were evaluated on fatty acid (FA) profile, lipid peroxidation (TBARS) and antioxidant capacity (ABTS, DPPH and FRAP) of rabbit burgers. Burgers were manufactured as control samples (only meat) and two additions of ginger powder (1% and 2%) and stored raw at 4°C for 7days. At day 1, 4 and 7 of storage burgers were analysed both as raw and cooked. Ginger powder affected all the tested parameters; both PUFAω3 and PUFAω6 were incremented in raw and cooked samples leading to decreased atherogenicity and thrombogenicity indexes and increased hypo/hypercholesterolemic index and peroxidability index. Lipid peroxidation values of raw and cooked burgers added with ginger were lower than control burgers, at the same time, ABTS, DPPH and FRAP values were incremented by the addition of ginger powder. The results obtained demonstrate the antioxidant capacity of ginger powder as rabbit meat products additive and highlight the capacity of this spice to maintain its characteristics after burgers' cooking. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Chemical characterization of atmospheric particles and source apportionment in the vicinity of a steelmaking industry.

PubMed

Almeida, S M; Lage, J; Fernández, B; Garcia, S; Reis, M A; Chaves, P C

2015-07-15

The objective of this work was to provide a chemical characterization of atmospheric particles collected in the vicinity of a steelmaking industry and to identify the sources that affect PM10 levels. A total of 94 PM samples were collected in two sampling campaigns that occurred in February and June/July of 2011. PM2.5 and PM2.5-10 were analyzed for a total of 22 elements by Instrumental Neutron Activation Analysis and Particle Induced X-ray Emission. The concentrations of water soluble ions in PM10 were measured by Ion Chromatography and Indophenol-Blue Spectrophotometry. Positive Matrix Factorization receptor model was used to identify sources of particulate matter and to determine their mass contribution to PM10. Seven main groups of sources were identified: marine aerosol identified by Na and Cl (22%), steelmaking and sinter plant represented by As, Cr, Cu, Fe, Ni, Mn, Pb, Sb and Zn (11%), sinter plant stack identified by NH4(+), K and Pb (12%), an unidentified Br source (1.8%), secondary aerosol from coke making and blast furnace (19%), fugitive emissions from the handling of raw material, sinter plant and vehicles dust resuspension identified by Al, Ca, La, Si, Ti and V (14%) and sinter plant and blast furnace associated essentially with Fe and Mn (21%). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Use of a novel medium, the Polymyxin Ceftazidime Oxford Medium, for isolation of Listeria monocytogenes from raw or non-pasteurized foods.

PubMed

Martínez-Gonzáles, N E; Martínez-Chávez, L; Cabrera-Díaz, E; Martínez-Cárdenas, C; Gutiérrez-González, P; Castillo, A

2016-05-01

Polymyxin Ceftazidime Oxford Medium (PCOM), a novel selective and differential plating medium for Listeria monocytogenes was compared with Modified Oxford Agar (MOX) for efficacy to isolate L. monocytogenes and other Listeria spp. naturally present in non-pasteurized Mexican-style cheese (n = 50), non-pasteurized fresh squeezed orange juice (n = 50), raw beef chunks (n = 36), and fresh cabbage (n = 125). Samples were collected from retail markets and farms in Mexico and tested following the US Department of Agriculture enrichment technique. Listeria spp. were isolated from 23.4% of analyzed samples, and from those, 75.0% corresponded to raw beef chunks, 38.0% to non-pasteurized Mexican-style cheese, and 30.0% to fresh squeezed orange juice. No Listeria spp. were isolated from fresh cabbage samples. L. monocytogenes was recovered from 15.3% of food samples analyzed. Non-pasteurized Mexican-style cheese showed the highest proportion of L. monocytogenes positive samples (36.0%), followed by orange juice (26.0%) and raw beef (25.0%). The frequency of isolation of Listeria spp. and L. monocytogenes was not different (P > 0.05) between PCOM and MOX. The advantages of using PCOM when comparing to MOX, include the easier way to identify Listeria species, the lower cost per plate and the availability of its ingredients for Latin-American countries. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Analysis of the Storage Methods for Raw Human Milk from Mothers with Infants Admitted to a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, According to Brazilian Regulations.

PubMed

Grazziotin, Maria Celestina Bonzanini; Grazziotin, Ana Laura; Vidal, Newton Medeiros; Freire, Marcia Helena de Souza; da Silva, Regina Paula Guimarães Vieira Cavalcante

2016-08-01

Milk safety is an important concern in neonatal units and human milk banks. Therefore, evidence-based recommendations regarding raw milk handling and storage are needed to safely promote supplying hospitalized infants with their mother's own milk. To evaluate raw human milk storage methods according to Brazilian milk management regulations by investigating the effects of refrigeration (5°C) for 12 hours and freezing (-20°C) for 15 days on the acidity and energy content in a large number of raw milk samples. Expressed milk samples from 100 distinct donors were collected in glass bottles. Each sample was separated into 3 equal portions that were analyzed at room temperature and after either 12 hours of refrigeration or 15 days of freezing. Milk acidity and energy content were determined by Dornic titration and creamatocrit technique, respectively. All samples showed Dornic acidity values within the established acceptable limit (≤ 8°D), as required by Brazilian regulations. In addition, energy content did not significantly differ among fresh, refrigerated and frozen milk samples (median of ~50 kcal/100 mL for each). Most samples tested (> 80%) were considered top quality milk (< 4°D) based on acidity values, and milk energy content was preserved after storage. We conclude that the storage methods required by Brazilian regulations are suitable to ensure milk safety and energy content of stored milk when supplied to neonates. © The Author(s) 2016.

Microbiological quality and antibiotic residues in informally marketed raw cow milk within the coastal savannah zone of Ghana.

PubMed

Addo, K K; Mensah, G I; Aning, K G; Nartey, N; Nipah, G K; Bonsu, C; Akyeh, M L; Smits, H L

2011-02-01

To investigate the microbiological quality and the presence of antibiotic residues in raw cow milk and in some indigenous milk products produced and marketed by the informal sector in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana. Milk samples were aseptically collected from 224 kraals and samples of 26 indigenous milk products were purchased from processors and retailers. Total plate counts, total coliform counts and the presence of Escherichia coli and E. coli O157:H7 were determined in all 250 samples. Milk samples were also tested for antibiotic residues. Total plate counts exceeded 10⁵ CFU/ml in 45.2% of the samples while coliforms exceeded 10³ CFU/ml in 66.0% and E. coli was detected in 11.2%. E. coli was present in raw cow milk but not in the indigenous products and all E. coli isolates were negative for E. coli O157:H7. Antibiotic residues were detected in 3.1% of the raw cow milk samples. Bulk milk contains unacceptable levels of hygiene indicators and antibiotic residues and is a potential source of milk-borne infections. The detection of E. coli and antibiotic residues raises public health concerns about the safety of fresh unpasteurized cow milk in the coastal savannah zone of Ghana and calls for improved farm hygiene, the need for milk pasteurization and the sensible use of antibiotics in the milk industry. © 2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Recovery of viruses from field samples of raw, digested, and lagoon-dried sludges*

PubMed Central

Sattar, Syed A.; Westwood, J. C. N.

1979-01-01

In a 22-month study, viruses were detected in 84% (62/74) of raw, 53% (19/36) of anaerobically digested, and 39% (11/28) of lagoon-dried sludge samples. Lagoon sludge contained detectable viruses (reovirus and enterovirus groups) even after 8 months of retention. Because of such prolonged virus survival in sludge, care must be taken in its disposal or utilization. PMID:311705

Toxicological properties of emission particles from heavy duty engines powered by conventional and bio-based diesel fuels and compressed natural gas.

PubMed

Jalava, Pasi I; Aakko-Saksa, Päivi; Murtonen, Timo; Happo, Mikko S; Markkanen, Ari; Yli-Pirilä, Pasi; Hakulinen, Pasi; Hillamo, Risto; Mäki-Paakkanen, Jorma; Salonen, Raimo O; Jokiniemi, Jorma; Hirvonen, Maija-Riitta

2012-09-29

One of the major areas for increasing the use of renewable energy is in traffic fuels e.g. bio-based fuels in diesel engines especially in commuter traffic. Exhaust emissions from fossil diesel fuelled engines are known to cause adverse effects on human health, but there is very limited information available on how the new renewable fuels may change the harmfulness of the emissions, especially particles (PM). We evaluated the PM emissions from a heavy-duty EURO IV diesel engine powered by three different fuels; the toxicological properties of the emitted PM were investigated. Conventional diesel fuel (EN590) and two biodiesels were used - rapeseed methyl ester (RME, EN14214) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) either as such or as 30% blends with EN590. EN590 and 100% HVO were also operated with or without an oxidative catalyst (DOC + POC). A bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) was included for comparison with the liquid fuels. However, the results from CNG powered bus cannot be directly compared to the other situations in this study. High volume PM samples were collected on PTFE filters from a constant volume dilution tunnel. The PM mass emission with HVO was smaller and with RME larger than that with EN590, but both biofuels produced lower PAH contents in emission PM. The DOC + POC catalyst greatly reduced the PM emission and PAH content in PM with both HVO and EN590. Dose-dependent TNFα and MIP-2 responses to all PM samples were mostly at the low or moderate level after 24-hour exposure in a mouse macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Emission PM from situations with the smallest mass emissions (HVO + cat and CNG) displayed the strongest potency in MIP-2 production. The catalyst slightly decreased the PM-induced TNFα responses and somewhat increased the MIP-2 responses with HVO fuel. Emission PM with EN590 and with 30% HVO blended in EN590 induced the strongest genotoxic responses, which were significantly greater than those with EN590 + cat or 100% HVO. The emission PM sample from the CNG bus possessed the weakest genotoxic potency but had the strongest oxidative potency of all the fuel and catalyst combinations. The use of 100% HVO fuel had slightly weaker and 100% RME somewhat stronger emission PM induced ROS production, when compared to EN590. The harmfulness of the exhaust emissions from vehicle engines cannot be determined merely on basis of the emitted PM mass. The study conditions and the engine type significantly affect the toxicity of the emitted particles. The selected fuels and DOC + POC catalyst affected the PM emission from the heavy EURO IV engine both qualitative and quantitative ways, which influenced their toxicological characteristics. The plain HVO fuel performed very well in emission reduction and in lowering the overall toxicity of emitted PM, but the 30% blend of HVO in EN590 was no better in this respect than the plain EN590. The HVO with a DOC + POC catalyst in the EURO IV engine, performed best with regard to changes in exhaust emissions. However some of the toxicological parameters were significantly increased even with these low emissions.

Toxicological properties of emission particles from heavy duty engines powered by conventional and bio-based diesel fuels and compressed natural gas

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background One of the major areas for increasing the use of renewable energy is in traffic fuels e.g. bio-based fuels in diesel engines especially in commuter traffic. Exhaust emissions from fossil diesel fuelled engines are known to cause adverse effects on human health, but there is very limited information available on how the new renewable fuels may change the harmfulness of the emissions, especially particles (PM). We evaluated the PM emissions from a heavy-duty EURO IV diesel engine powered by three different fuels; the toxicological properties of the emitted PM were investigated. Conventional diesel fuel (EN590) and two biodiesels were used − rapeseed methyl ester (RME, EN14214) and hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) either as such or as 30% blends with EN590. EN590 and 100% HVO were also operated with or without an oxidative catalyst (DOC + POC). A bus powered by compressed natural gas (CNG) was included for comparison with the liquid fuels. However, the results from CNG powered bus cannot be directly compared to the other situations in this study. Results High volume PM samples were collected on PTFE filters from a constant volume dilution tunnel. The PM mass emission with HVO was smaller and with RME larger than that with EN590, but both biofuels produced lower PAH contents in emission PM. The DOC + POC catalyst greatly reduced the PM emission and PAH content in PM with both HVO and EN590. Dose-dependent TNFα and MIP-2 responses to all PM samples were mostly at the low or moderate level after 24-hour exposure in a mouse macrophage cell line RAW 264.7. Emission PM from situations with the smallest mass emissions (HVO + cat and CNG) displayed the strongest potency in MIP-2 production. The catalyst slightly decreased the PM-induced TNFα responses and somewhat increased the MIP-2 responses with HVO fuel. Emission PM with EN590 and with 30% HVO blended in EN590 induced the strongest genotoxic responses, which were significantly greater than those with EN590 + cat or 100% HVO. The emission PM sample from the CNG bus possessed the weakest genotoxic potency but had the strongest oxidative potency of all the fuel and catalyst combinations. The use of 100% HVO fuel had slightly weaker and 100% RME somewhat stronger emission PM induced ROS production, when compared to EN590. Conclusions The harmfulness of the exhaust emissions from vehicle engines cannot be determined merely on basis of the emitted PM mass. The study conditions and the engine type significantly affect the toxicity of the emitted particles. The selected fuels and DOC + POC catalyst affected the PM emission from the heavy EURO IV engine both qualitative and quantitative ways, which influenced their toxicological characteristics. The plain HVO fuel performed very well in emission reduction and in lowering the overall toxicity of emitted PM, but the 30% blend of HVO in EN590 was no better in this respect than the plain EN590. The HVO with a DOC + POC catalyst in the EURO IV engine, performed best with regard to changes in exhaust emissions. However some of the toxicological parameters were significantly increased even with these low emissions. PMID:23021308

Provenance study of ancient Chinese Yaozhou porcelain by neutron activation analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, G. X.; Y Gao, Z.; Li, R. W.; Zhao, W. J.; Xie, J. Z.; Feng, S. L.; Zhuo, Z. X.; Y Fan, D.; Zhang, Y.; Cai, Z. F.; Liu, H.

2003-09-01

This paper reports our study of the provenance of ancient Chinese Yaozhou porcelain. The content of 29 elements in the Yaozhou porcelain samples was measured by neutron activation analysis (NAA). The NAA data were further analysed using fuzzy cluster analysis to obtain the trend fuzzy cluster diagrams. These samples with different glaze colour, ranging over more than 700 years, were fired in different kilns. Our analysis indicates the relatively concentrated distribution of the sources of the raw material for the Yaozhou porcelain body samples. They can be classified into two independent periods, i.e. the Tang (AD 618-907) and the Five Dynasties (AD 907-960) period, and the Song (AD 960-1279) and Jin (AD 1115-1234) period. Our analysis also indicates that the sources of the raw material for the ancient Yaozhou porcelain glaze samples are quite scattered and those for the black glaze in the Tang Dynasty are very concentrated. The sources of the raw material for the celadon glaze and the white glaze in the Tang Dynasty are widely distributed and those for the celadon glaze in the Song Dynasty are close to those of the bluish white glaze in the Jin Dynasty, and they are very concentrated. The sources of the raw material for the porcelain glazes cover those of the porcelain bodies.

Perchlorate in Fertilizers

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-09-01

Harrington , showed that with respect to mixed water analysis containing TDS at greater 1,000 ppm, the performance of the AS-5 column is not as robust...to note, these raw test materials were heterogeneous. Regardless of mixing time and mesh quality, dividing the raw test materials for laboratory...raw test material was prepared and shipped to seven laboratories for blind analysis. The suspension was prepared by 4 mixing the solid sample with

Relating induced in situ conditions of raw chicken breast meat to pinking.

PubMed

Holownia, K; Chinnan, M S; Reynolds, A E; Davis, J W

2004-01-01

Our objective was to simulate the pink color defect in cooked chicken breast meat with treatment combinations that would induce measurable changes in the conditions of raw meat. In addition, the feasibility of using induced raw meat conditions to develop a logistic regression model for prediction of pinking was studied. Approximately 960 breast fillets from 2 plants with 2 replications were used for inducing in situ conditions with 16 combinations of sodium chloride, sodium tripolyphosphate, sodium erythorbate, and sodium nitrite (present and not present). Muscles in all treatments were subjected to individual injections, followed by tumbling, cooking, and chilling. Raw samples were analyzed for pH, oxidation-reduction potential, and pigment evaluation. Results indicated a significant role of induced in situ conditions of raw meat in the occurrence of pinking. Presence of 1 ppm or more of sodium nitrite in raw meat produced significant pinking of cooked meat. The light muscle color group was least affected and the dark group was most affected by induced pH, oxidation-reduction potential conditions, and metmyoglobin and nitrosopigment content. The predictive ability of the logistic model was more than 90% with nitrosopigment, pH, and reducing conditions being the most important factors. Moreover, validation of the model was confirmed by close association between observed pink samples and those predicted as pink.

Effect of processing techniques on nutritional composition and antioxidant activity of fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) seed flour.

PubMed

Pandey, Hemlata; Awasthi, Pratima

2015-02-01

Fenugreek (Pusa Early Bunching) seeds were processed by using different processing methods viz. soaking, germination and roasting. Raw and processed fenugreek seed flours were analyzed for nutritional composition, anti- nutritional, and antioxidant activity. Raw fenugreek seed flour contained higher amount of dietary fiber (45.4 %) followed by 41.7 % in soaked seed flour, 40.9 % in roasted fenugreek seed flour and 31.3 % in germinated fenugreek seed flour. Processing of fenugreek seeds improved in vitro starch digestibility and in vitro protein digestibility. Soaking, germination and roasting enhanced total phenolic content and the antioxidant activity of fenugreek seed flour as compared to raw fenugreek seed flour. The phenolic content of soaked, germinated and roasted fenugreek seed flours was 54.4, 80.8 and 48.5 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g of sample in contrast to raw fenugreek seed flour (45.4 mg of gallic acid equivalents/g of sample). The antioxidant activity of the extracts of soaked, germinated and roasted fenugreek seed flours was 60.7 %, 73.9 % and 32.0 % whereas as the raw fenugreek seed flour exhibited 18.1 % antioxidant activity. Processing of fenugreek seeds also decreased phytic acid content significantly (P < 0.05) as compared to raw seeds.

Economic and environmental assessment of propionic acid production by fermentation using different renewable raw materials.

PubMed

Tufvesson, Pär; Ekman, Anna; Sardari, Roya R R; Engdahl, Kristina; Tufvesson, Linda

2013-12-01

Production of propionic acid by fermentation of glycerol as a renewable resource has been suggested as a means for developing an environmentally-friendly route for this commodity chemical. However, in order to quantify the environmental benefits, life cycle assessment of the production, including raw materials, fermentation, upstream and downstream processing is required. The economic viability of the process also needs to be analysed to make sure that any environmental savings can be realised. In this study an environmental and economic assessment from cradle-to-gate has been conducted. The study highlights the need for a highly efficient bioprocess in terms of product titre (more than 100g/L and productivity more than 2g/(L · h)) in order to be sustainable. The importance of the raw materials and energy production for operating the process to minimize emissions of greenhouse gases is also shown. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

On the usage of agricultural raw materials--energy or food? An assessment from an economics perspective.

PubMed

Lenk, Fabian; Bröring, Stefanie; Herzog, Philipp; Leker, Jens

2007-12-01

Bioenergies are promoted across the globe as the answer for global warming and the chance to reduce dependency from fossil energy sources. Despite the fact that renewable energy sources offer the opportunity to reduce CO2 emission and present a chance to increase agricultural incomes, they also come along with some drawbacks that have been mostly neglected in the current discussion. This paper seeks to build a basis for discussing the impacts of the growing subsidization of bioenergy and the resulting usage competition of agricultural raw materials between foods and energy. To assess the usage competition and the subsidization of bioenergy, this article employs a welfare economics perspective associated with an emphasize on the construct of externalities. This will help to foster the discussion on the further subsidization of bioenergy, where funding for R&D on new ways of using non-food raw materials ought to play a significant role.

Method for measuring radial impurity emission profiles using correlations of line integrated signals

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuldkepp, M.; Brunsell, P. R.; Drake, J.; Menmuir, S.; Rachlew, E.

2006-04-01

A method of determining radial impurity emission profiles is outlined. The method uses correlations between line integrated signals and is based on the assumption of cylindrically symmetric fluctuations. Measurements at the reversed field pinch EXTRAP T2R show that emission from impurities expected to be close to the edge is clearly different in raw as well as analyzed data to impurities expected to be more central. Best fitting of experimental data to simulated correlation coefficients yields emission profiles that are remarkably close to emission profiles determined using more conventional techniques. The radial extension of the fluctuations is small enough for the method to be used and bandpass filtered signals indicate that fluctuations below 10kHz are cylindrically symmetric. The novel method is not sensitive to vessel window attenuation or wall reflections and can therefore complement the standard methods in the impurity emission reconstruction procedure.

Emissions of air pollutants from scented candles burning in a test chamber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Derudi, Marco; Gelosa, Simone; Sliepcevich, Andrea; Cattaneo, Andrea; Rota, Renato; Cavallo, Domenico; Nano, Giuseppe

2012-08-01

Burning of scented candles in indoor environment can release a large number of toxic chemicals. However, in spite of the large market penetration of scented candles, very few works investigated their organic pollutants emissions. This paper investigates volatile organic compounds emissions, with particular reference to the priority indoor pollutants identified by the European Commission, from the burning of scented candles in a laboratory-scale test chamber. It has been found that BTEX and PAHs emission factors show large differences among different candles, possibly due to the raw paraffinic material used, while aldehydes emission factors seem more related to the presence of additives. This clearly evidences the need for simple and cheap methodologies to measure the emission factors of commercial candles in order to foresee the expected pollutant concentration in a given indoor environment and compare it with health safety standards.

N2 Gas Flushing Limits the Rise of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria in Bovine Raw Milk during Cold Storage

PubMed Central

Munsch-Alatossava, Patricia; Jääskeläinen, Susanna; Alatossava, Tapani; Gauchi, Jean-Pierrre

2017-01-01

Antibiotic resistance has been noted to be a major and increasing human health issue. Cold storage of raw milk promotes the thriving of psychrotrophic/psychrotolerant bacteria, which are well known for their ability to produce enzymes that are frequently heat stable. However, these bacteria also carry antibiotic resistance (AR) features. In places, where no cold chain facilities are available and despite existing recommendations numerous adulterants, including antibiotics, are added to raw milk. Previously, N2 gas flushing showed real potential for hindering bacterial growth in raw milk at a storage temperature ranging from 6 to 25°C. Here, the ability of N2 gas (N) to tackle antibiotic- resistant bacteria was tested and compared to that of the activated lactoperoxidase system (HT) for three raw milk samples that were stored at 6°C for 7 days. To that end, the mesophiles and psychrotrophs that were resistant to gentamycin (G), ceftazidime (Ce), levofloxacin (L), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TS) were enumerated. For the log10 ratio (which is defined as the bacterial counts from a certain condition divided by the counts on the corresponding control), classical Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) was performed, followed by a mean comparison with the Ryan-Einot-Gabriel-Welsch multiple range test (REGWQ). If the storage “time” factor was the major determinant of the recorded effects, cold storage alone or in combination with HT or with N promoted a sample-dependent response in consideration of the AR levels. The efficiency of N in limiting the increase in AR was highest for fresh raw milk and was judged to be equivalent to that of HT for one sample and superior to that of HT for the two other samples; moreover, compared to HT, N seemed to favor a more diverse community at 6°C that was less heavily loaded with antibiotic multi-resistance features. Our results imply that N2 gas flushing could strengthen cold storage of raw milk by tackling the bacterial spoilage potential while simultaneously hindering the increase of bacteria carrying antibiotic resistance/multi-resistance features. PMID:28469611

Contamination of different portions of raw and boiled specimens of Norway lobster by mercury and selenium.

PubMed

Perugini, Monia; Visciano, Pierina; Manera, Maurizio; Abete, Maria Cesarina; Gavinelli, Stefania; Amorena, Michele

2013-11-01

The aim of this study was to evaluate mercury and selenium distribution in different portions (exoskeleton, white meat and brown meat) of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus). Some samples were also analysed as whole specimens. The same portions were also examined after boiling, in order to observe if this cooking practice could affect mercury and selenium concentrations. The highest mercury concentrations were detected in white meat, exceeding in all cases the maximum levels established by European legislation. The brown meat reported the highest selenium concentrations. In all boiled samples, mercury levels showed a statistically significant increase compared to raw portions. On the contrary, selenium concentrations detected in boiled samples of white meat, brown meat and whole specimen showed a statistically significant decrease compared to the corresponding raw samples. These results indicate that boiling modifies mercury and selenium concentrations. The high mercury levels detected represent a possible risk for consumers, and the publication and diffusion of specific advisories concerning seafood consumption is recommended.

Performance of raw bovine meat preservation by hyperbaric storage (quasi energetically costless) compared to refrigeration.

PubMed

Freitas, Paulo; Pereira, Sofia A; Santos, Mauro D; Alves, Susana P; Bessa, Rui J B; Delgadillo, Ivonne; Saraiva, Jorge A

2016-11-01

Hyperbaric storage at room temperature (without temperature control) of raw bovine meat was studied and compared to refrigeration. Samples were first stored for 12h at 50, 100 and 150MPa, and in a second set of experiments, for a longer period of 10days at 50MPa. For the 12h storage, refrigeration and 50MPa had a similar microbial growth inhibition effect and, at 100 and 150MPa an additional microbial inactivation effect was found. For the longer experiment (10days at 50MPa) results pointed for a shelf-life increase of raw beef compared to samples stored under refrigeration. For both tests (12h and 10days) samples preserved under pressure showed no detrimental effect on physicochemical parameters comparatively to the initial and refrigerated samples. These results indicate that hyperbaric storage at room temperature not only allows high energy savings, but additionally has potential to extend the shelf-life of a perishable food product compared to refrigeration. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effect of sintering process and additives on the properties of cordierite based ceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rundans, M.; Sperberga, I.; Sedmale, G.; Stinkulis, G.

2013-12-01

It is possible to obtain cordierite ceramics with high temperature synthesis using both synthetic and raw natural materials. This paper discusses the possibilities to obtain cordierite ceramics, replacing part of required oxides with raw materials from various Latvian deposits of dolomite and clay. The obtained raw cordierite powders were ground in two modes (3 and 12 hours) and fired at 1200 °C. Ceramic samples were characterized by hydrostatic weighting method; crystalline phase composition was studied by XRD. Obtained samples were evaluated by their mechanical (compressive) strength and linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE). Thermal shock resistance was tested using water quenching method and afterwards evaluated by using ultrasonic method to test changes in Young's modulus of elasticity. Results show that increase in grinding time causes samples to densify and promote formation of cordierite crystalline phase which corresponds to increase in total compressive strength and decrease of CTE values. CTE values of samples ground for 12 hours conform to that of obtained in other researches.

Characterization of Dried and Torrefied Arundo Donax Biomass for Inorganic Species Prior to Combustion

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Matyas, Josef; Johnson, Bradley R.; Cabe, James E.

Portland General Electric (PGE) potentially plans to replace the coal with torrefied Arundo donax for their Boardman coal-fired power plant by 2020. Since there is only a limited amount of experience with this high yield energy crop, PGE would like to characterize raw and torrefied Arundo before a test burn and therefore avoid possible ash related operational problems such as slagging, deposit formation and corrosion. This report describes the results from characterization of ground and cross-sectioned samples of Arundo with a high-resolution scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy, and also includes analytical results from a short water-leaching test formore » concentrations of Ca, Mg, K, Na, S, and Cl in the non-leached and leached Arundo and leachates. SEM-EDS analysis of torrefied Arundo revealed that condensation of volatile components during torrefaction can result in their undesirable re-deposition on the outside surfaces in the form of amorphous or crystallized clusters with a size from a few µm’s to as large as 100 µm. A short exposure of Arundo to water resulted in an efficient removal of volatile species from the raw and torrefied Arundo, e.g., ~ 98 wt% of total K and Cl, and ~75 wt% of total S were removed from raw Arundo, and more than 90 wt% of total K and Cl, and 70 wt% of S from torrefied Arundo, suggesting that water-leaching of Arundo before combustion can be an effective pre-treatment method because high concentrations of Cl increase emissions of HCl, and in combination with K can form large amounts of KCl deposits on boiler surfaces and in combination with H2O or SO3 cause corrosion.« less

Formation and identification of nitrosylmyoglobin by Staphylococcus xylosus in raw meat batters: a potential solution for nitrite substitution in meat products.

PubMed

Li, Peijun; Kong, Baohua; Chen, Qian; Zheng, Dongmei; Liu, Ning

2013-01-01

Staphylococcus xylosus and Pediococcus pentosaceus isolated from Chinese dried sausage were assessed for their ability to convert metmyoglobin into nitrosylmyoglobin in Mann-Rogosa-Sharp broth model systems and raw pork meat batters without the addition of nitrite. The results showed that samples in model systems with S. xylosus cultures had an absorption spectra that is typical of nitrosylmyoglobin, an obvious pink colour (judged by visual inspection) and a significantly higher a-value than the control samples or samples inoculated with P. pentosaceus. In raw meat batters, the a-values of the S. xylosus samples were almost the same as those for the meat with nitrite added. The complementary analysis of meat batter samples by photochemical information from UV-vis, electron spin resonance and resonance Raman spectroscopy revealed that the existing status of the myoglobin in meat batters inoculated with S. xylosus was mainly pentacoordinate nitrosylmyoglobin. This study provides a potential solution for nitrite substitute in meat products. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the efficiency of an experimental biocover to reduce BTEX emissions from landfill biogas.

PubMed

Lakhouit, Abderrahim; Schirmer, Waldir N; Johnson, Terry R; Cabana, Hubert; Cabral, Alexandre R

2014-02-01

Landfill emissions include volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and, particularly, benzene, toluene, ethyl-benzene and xylene isomers (collectively called BTEX). The latter are the most common VOCs found in landfill biogas. BTEX affect air quality and may be harmful to human health. In conjunction with a study aiming to evaluate the efficiency of passive methane oxidizing biocovers, a complementary project was developed with the specific goal of evaluating the reduction in VOC emissions due to the installation of a biocover. One of the biocovers constructed at the Saint-Nicéphore (Quebec, Canada) landfill site was instrumented for this purpose. The total BTEX concentration in the raw biogas ranged from 28.7 to 65.4ppmv, and the measured concentration of BTEX in biogas emitted through the biocover ranged from below the limit of detection (BLD) to 2.1ppmv. The other volatile organic compounds (OVOCs) concentration varied from 18.8 to 40.4ppmv and from 0.8 to 1.2ppmv in the raw biogas and in the emitted biogas, respectively. The results obtained showed that the biocover effectiveness ranged from 67% to 100% and from 96% to 97% for BTEX and OVOC, respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparative analysis of the microbial communities in raw milk produced in different regions of Korea.

PubMed

Kim, In Seon; Hur, Yoo Kyung; Kim, Eun Ji; Ahn, Young-Tae; Kim, Jong Geun; Choi, Yun-Jaie; Huh, Chul Sung

2017-11-01

The control of psychrotrophic bacteria causing milk spoilage and illness due to toxic compounds is an important issue in the dairy industry. In South Korea, Gangwon-do province is one of the coldest terrains in which eighty percent of the area is mountainous regions, and mainly plays an important role in the agriculture and dairy industries. The purposes of this study were to analyze the indigenous microbiota of raw milk in Gangwon-do and accurately investigate a putative microbial group causing deterioration in milk quality. We collected raw milk from the bulk tank of 18 dairy farms in the Hoengseong and Pyeongchang regions of Gangwon-do. Milk components were analyzed and the number of viable bacteria was confirmed. The V3 and V4 regions of 16S rRNA gene were amplified and sequenced on an Illumina Miseq platform. Sequences were then assigned to operational taxonomic units, followed by the selection of representative sequences using the QIIME software package. The milk samples from Pyeongchang were higher in fat, protein, lactose, total solid, and solid non-fat, and bacterial cell counts were observed only for the Hoengseong samples. The phylum Proteobacteria was detected most frequently in both the Hoengseong and Pyeongchang samples, followed by the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. Notably, Corynebacterium, Pediococcus, Macrococcus, and Acinetobacter were significantly different from two regions. Although the predominant phylum in raw milk is same, the abundances of major genera in milk samples were different between Hoengseong and Pyeongchang. We assumed that these differences are caused by regional dissimilar farming environments such as soil, forage, and dairy farming equipment so that the quality of milk raw milk from Pyeongchang is higher than that of Hoengseong. These results could provide the crucial information for identifying the microbiota in raw milk of South Korea.

Influence of bioaccessibility of total mercury, methyl-mercury and selenium on the risk/benefit associated to the consumption of raw and cooked blue shark (Prionace glauca).

PubMed

Matos, J; Lourenço, H M; Brito, P; Maulvault, A L; Martins, L L; Afonso, C

2015-11-01

This study aimed to identify the benefit and risk associated with raw and cooked blue shark consumption taking into account the bioaccessibility of Se, Hg and MeHg, by using in vitro digestion method. Selenium, Hg and MeHg levels were higher in cooked samples, particularly in grilled blue shark. Whereas Se bioaccessibility was above 83% in grilled samples, Hg and MeHg bioaccessibility was lower in grilled samples with values near 50%. In addition, all Se-Health Beneficial Values were negative and the molar MeHg:Se ratios were higher than one. The risk-benefit assessment yielded a maximum consumption of one yearly meal for raw or cooked blue shark, thus emphasizing the need to recommend the consumption of a wider variety of seafood species in a balanced and healthy diet. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Anaerobic co-digestion of food waste and landfill leachate in single-phase batch reactors

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liao, Xiaofeng; Zhu, Shuangyan; Zhong, Delai

Highlights: • Anaerobic co-digestion strategy for food waste treatment at OLR 41.8 g VS/L. • A certain amount of raw leachate effectively relieved acidic inhibition. • The study showed that food waste was completely degraded. - Abstract: In order to investigate the effect of raw leachate on anaerobic digestion of food waste, co-digestions of food waste with raw leachate were carried out. A series of single-phase batch mesophilic (35 ± 1 °C) anaerobic digestions were performed at a food waste concentration of 41.8 g VS/L. The results showed that inhibition of biogas production by volatile fatty acids (VFA) occurred withoutmore » raw leachate addition. A certain amount of raw leachate in the reactors effectively relieved acidic inhibition caused by VFA accumulation, and the system maintained stable with methane yield of 369–466 mL/g VS. Total ammonia nitrogen introduced into the digestion systems with initial 2000–3000 mgNH{sub 4}–N/L not only replenished nitrogen for bacterial growth, but also formed a buffer system with VFA to maintain a delicate biochemical balance between the acidogenic and methanogenic microorganisms. UV spectroscopy and fluorescence excitation–emission matrix spectroscopy data showed that food waste was completely degraded. We concluded that using raw leachate for supplement water addition and pH modifier on anaerobic digestion of food waste was effective. An appropriate fraction of leachate could stimulate methanogenic activity and enhance biogas production.« less

Camera artifacts in IUE spectra

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bruegman, O. W.; Crenshaw, D. M.

1994-01-01

This study of emission line mimicking features in the IUE cameras has produced an atlas of artifiacts in high-dispersion images with an accompanying table of prominent artifacts and a table of prominent artifacts in the raw images along with a medium image of the sky background for each IUE camera.

40 CFR 63.2232 - What parts of my plant does this subpart cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... CATEGORIES National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants: Plywood and Composite Wood Products What... process units associated with the manufacturing of plywood and composite wood products. The affected... onsite storage and preparation of raw materials used in the manufacture of plywood and/or composite wood...

COPROCESSING OF FOSSIL FUELS AND BIOMASS FOR CO2 EMISSION REDUCTION IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR

EPA Science Inventory

The paper discusses an evaluation of the Hydrocarb process for conversion of carbonaceous raw material to clean carbon and methanol products. hese products are valuable in the market either as fuel or as chemical commodities. s fuel, methanol and carbon can be used economically, ...

COPROCESSING OF FOSSIL FUELS AND BIOMASS FOR CO2 EMISSION REDUCTION IN THE TRANSPORTATION SECTOR

EPA Science Inventory

The paper discusses an evaluation of the Hydrocarb process for conversion of carbonaceous raw material to clean carbon and methanol products. As fuel, methanol and carbon can be used economically, either independently or in slurry form, in efficient heat engines (turbines and int...

Age determination of bottled Chinese rice wine by VIS-NIR spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, Haiyan; Lin, Tao; Ying, Yibin; Pan, Xingxiang

2006-10-01

The feasibility of non-invasive visible and near infrared (VIS-NIR) spectroscopy for determining wine age (1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 years) of Chinese rice wine was investigated. Samples of Chinese rice wine were analyzed in 600 mL square brown glass bottles with side length of approximately 64 mm at room temperature. VIS-NIR spectra of 100 bottled Chinese rice wine samples were collected in transmission mode in the wavelength range of 350-1200 nm by a fiber spectrometer system. Discriminant models were developed based on discriminant analysis (DA) together with raw, first and second derivative spectra. The concentration of alcoholic degree, total acid, and °Brix was determined to validate the NIR results. The calibration result for raw spectra was better than that for first and second derivative spectra. The percentage of samples correctly classified for raw spectra was 98%. For 1-, 2-, and 3-year-old sample groups, the sample were all correctly classified, and for 4- and 5-year-old sample groups, the percentage of samples correctly classified was 92.9%, respectively. In validation analysis, the percentage of samples correctly classified was 100%. The results demonstrated that VIS-NIR spectroscopic technique could be used as a non-invasive, rapid and reliable method for predicting wine age of bottled Chinese rice wine.

THE TEAM KECK REDSHIFT SURVEY 2: MOSFIRE SPECTROSCOPY OF THE GOODS-NORTH FIELD

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wirth, Gregory D.; Kassis, Marc; Lyke, Jim

We present the Team Keck Redshift Survey 2 (TKRS2), a near-infrared spectral observing program targeting selected galaxies within the CANDELS subsection of the GOODS-North Field. The TKRS2 program exploits the unique capabilities of the Multi-Object Spectrometer For Infra-Red Exploration (MOSFIRE), which entered service on the Keck I telescope in 2012 and contributes substantially to the study of galaxy spectral features at redshifts inaccessible to optical spectrographs. The TKRS2 project targets 97 galaxies drawn from samples that include z ≈ 2 emission-line galaxies with features observable in the JHK bands as well as lower-redshift targets with features in the Y band.more » We present a detailed measurement of MOSFIRE’s sensitivity as a function of wavelength, including the effects of telluric features across the YJHK filters. The largest utility of our survey is in providing rest-frame-optical emission lines for z > 1 galaxies, and we demonstrate that the ratios of strong, optical emission lines of z ≈ 2 galaxies suggest the presence of either higher N/O abundances than are found in z ≈ 0 galaxies or low-metallicity gas ionized by an active galactic nucleus. We have released all TKRS2 data products into the public domain to allow researchers access to representative raw and reduced MOSFIRE spectra.« less

High occurrence of Helicobacter pylori in raw goat, sheep and cow milk inferred by glmM gene: a risk of food-borne infection?

PubMed

Quaglia, N C; Dambrosio, A; Normanno, G; Parisi, A; Patrono, R; Ranieri, G; Rella, A; Celano, G V

2008-05-10

Helicobacter pylori is an organism widespread in humans and sometimes responsible for serious illnesses, such as gastric and duodenal ulcers, MALToma and even gastric cancer. It has been hypothesized that the infection route by H. pylori involves multiple pathways including food-borne transmission, as the microorganism has been detected from foods such as sheep and cow milk. This work reports the results of a survey conducted in order to investigate the presence of H. pylori in raw goat, sheep and cow milk produced in Southern Italy, employing a Nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (Nested-PCR) assay for the detection of the phosphoglucosamine mutase gene (glmM), as screening method followed by conventional bacteriological isolation. Out of the 400 raw milk samples examined, 139 (34.7%) resulted positive for the presence of glmM gene, but no strains were isolated. In this work H. pylori DNA has been firstly detected from 41 (25.6%) raw goat milk samples. The results deserve further investigations on the contamination source/s of the milk samples and on the major impact that it may have on consumers.

Proteolysis of milk fat globule membrane proteins during in vitro gastric digestion of milk.

PubMed

Ye, A; Cui, J; Singh, H

2011-06-01

The influence of gastric proteolysis on the physicochemical characteristics of milk fat globules and the proteins of the milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) in raw milk and cream was examined in vitro in simulated gastric fluid (SGF) containing various pepsin concentrations at pH 1.6 for up to 2h. Apparent flocculation of the milk fat globules occurred in raw milk samples incubated in SGF containing pepsin, but no coalescence was observed in either raw milk samples or cream samples. The changes in the particle size of the fat globules as a result of the flocculation were dependent on the pepsin concentration. Correspondingly, the physical characteristics of the fat globules and the composition of the MFGM proteins in raw milk changed during incubation in SGF containing pepsin. The major MFGM proteins were hydrolyzed at different rates by the pepsin in the SGF; butyrophilin was more resistant than xanthine oxidase, PAS 6, or PAS 7. Peptides with various molecular weights, which altered with the time of incubation and the pepsin concentration, were present at the surfaces of the fat globules. Copyright © 2011 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of Storage Conditions on Consumer and Chemical Assessments of Raw ‘Nonpareil’ Almonds Over a Two‐Year Period

PubMed Central

Pleasance, Emily A.; Pegg, Ronald B.; Swanson, Ruthann B.; Cheely, Anna N.; Huang, Guangwei; Parrish, Daniel R.; Kerrihard, Adrian L.

2018-01-01

Abstract Raw almonds are a major commodity, yet much is unknown about how storage conditions determine their shelf life. The storage stability, as measured by consumer assessments and chemical measures, of raw almonds was determined for samples stored in cardboard boxes and polypropylene packaging for 2 years at 4, 15, 25, and 35 °C, and at 50% and 65% relative humidity (RH). Samples stored in unlined cartons always failed (>25% rejection) before their counterparts stored in polypropylene bags under identical environmental conditions. Models determined that polypropylene packaging (as opposed to unlined cardboard cartons) extended the time until sample rejection by more than 7 months. Temperature and RH were both negatively associated with storage time until failure. Flavor was a greater contributor to consumer acceptability than texture or odor, while peroxide values and free fatty acids were of greater importance in predicting raw almond consumer quality than measures of conjugated dienes or 2‐thiobarbituric acid‐reactive substances. Practical Application The results of this study will allow almond producers to determine packaging types and environmental storage conditions that provide shelf life of a specified time. PMID:29355948

Impact of Freezing Time on Dornic Acidity in Three Types of Milk: Raw Donor Milk, Mother's Own Milk, and Pasteurized Donor Milk.

PubMed

Vázquez-Román, Sara; Escuder-Vieco, Diana; García-Lara, Nadia Raquel; Alonso-Díaz, Clara; Lora, David; Martín-Pelegrina, María Dolores; Pallás-Alonso, Carmen Rosa

2016-03-01

Although under certain circumstances it is necessary to express milk, there are not many recommendations about the ideal storage conditions for human milk. The objectives of this study were to analyze the effects on Dornic acidity of frozen storage at -20 °C in three types of milk: raw donor milk, mother's own raw milk, and pasteurized donor milk. Forty-three samples of raw donor milk, 40 samples of pasteurized donor milk, and 16 samples of mother's own milk were analyzed. Dornic acidity was measured at time 0, before freezing. The remaining aliquots were frozen and analyzed after 1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks and after 2 and 3 months. In raw donor milk, the median acidity at the start was 3 °D (interquartile range [IQR] 2-3 °D); after 3 months, it was 5 °D (IQR 3-7 °D), with a significant increase in acidity after the second week. In mother's own milk, the mean acidity at the start was 3 °D (IQR 2-4 °D) and 7 °D (IQR 4-8 °D) at 3 months. The increase was significant after the third week. In pasteurized donor milk, the mean acidity was 3 °D (IQR 2-3 °D) at the start and 2 °D (IQR 2-3 °D) at the end. When comparing the three types of milk, there were significant differences from the first week between the two types of raw milk and the pasteurized milk (p < 0.01), but not between the two raw milks (p = 0.77). Dornic acidity in unpasteurized milk significantly increases with the duration of freezing, probably due to the action of lipases, which is lost with pasteurization. It would be advisable to reduce the length of freezing time for unpasteurized milk.

Real-scale comparison between simple and composite raw sewage sampling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sergio Scalize, Paulo; Moraes Frazão, Juliana

2018-06-01

The present study performed a qualitative and quantitative characterization of the raw sewage collected at the entrance of the sewage treatment station of the city of Itumbiara, state of Goiás. Samples were collected every two hours over a period of seven consecutive days. Characterization of both point samples and composite samples was performed. The parameters analyzed were: temperature, pH, alkalinity, chemical oxygen demand, oil and grease, electric conductivity, total phosphorus, settleable solids, ammoniacal nitrogen, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, fixed suspended solids and turbidity. These results allowed us to verify that it is possible to perform the collection and analysis of a point sample, instead of a composite sample, as a way of monitoring the efficiency of a sewage treatment plant.

Analysis of beta-lactam antibiotics in incurred raw milk by rapid test methods and liquid chromatography coupled with electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Riediker, S; Diserens, J M; Stadler, R H

2001-09-01

A recently developed confirmatory LC-MS method has been applied to the quantification of five major beta-lactam antibiotics in suspect raw bovine milk samples that gave a positive response with receptor-based (BetaStar) and rapid microbial inhibitory screen tests (Delvotest SP). In total, 18 presumptive positive raw milk samples were reanalyzed; 16 samples showed traces of antibiotic residues that could be identified and quantified by the LC-MS method, ranging from the limits of confirmation up to 38 microg/kg. Of the positive samples, only five (approximately 30%) were found to be violative of EU maximum residue limits. The most frequently detected antibiotic residues were cloxacillin and penicillin G, the former often in combination with amoxicillin or ampicillin. This study compares the results obtained by the three methods on identical samples and addresses how these relate to certain criteria such as sensitivity and selectivity. Furthermore, the limitations of the LC-MS method and the potential impact of the presence of frequently more than one residue in the same milk sample on the response of the rapid test methods are discussed.

Haptoglobin and serum amyloid A in bulk tank milk in relation to raw milk quality.

PubMed

Akerstedt, Maria; Waller, Karin Persson; Sternesjö, Ase

2009-11-01

The aim of the present study was to evaluate relationships between the presence of the two major bovine acute phase proteins haptoglobin (Hp) and serum amyloid A (SAA) and raw milk quality parameters in bulk tank milk samples. Hp and SAA have been suggested as specific markers of mastitis but recently also as markers for raw milk quality. Since mastitis has detrimental effects on milk quality, it is important to investigate whether the presence of Hp or SAA indicates such changes in the composition and properties of the milk. Bulk tank milk samples (n=91) were analysed for Hp, SAA, total protein, casein, whey protein, proteolysis, fat, lactose, somatic cell count and coagulating properties. Samples with detectable levels of Hp had lower casein content, casein number and lactose content, but higher proteolysis than samples without Hp. Samples with detectable levels of SAA had lower casein number and lactose content, but higher whey protein content than samples without SAA. The presence of acute phase proteins in bulk tank milk is suggested as an indicator for unfavourable changes in the milk composition, e.g. protein quality, due to udder health disturbances, with economical implications for the dairy industry.

The effect of chemical modification on the physico-chemical characteristics of halloysite: FTIR, XRF, and XRD studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szczepanik, Beata; Słomkiewicz, Piotr; Garnuszek, Magdalena; Czech, Kamil; Banaś, Dariusz; Kubala-Kukuś, Aldona; Stabrawa, Ilona

2015-03-01

The effect of chemical modification of halloysite from a Polish strip mine "Dunino" on the chemical composition and structure of this clay mineral was studied using infrared spectroscopy (ATR FT-IR), wavelength dispersive X-ray fluorescence (WDXRF), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) methods. The results obtained by the WDXRF technique confirm that the content of silica and alumina was the highest for bleached halloysite samples and the lowest for acid-treated halloysite. A higher content of Fe2O3 in comparison to halloysite samples coming from other countries was observed for raw halloysite samples. XRPD diffraction pattern obtained for raw halloysite confirmed the presence of halloysite, kaolinite, hematite, and calcite minerals in the sample. Bleaching the halloysite removes (or significantly reduces) the content of other minerals present in the raw halloysite. The FT-IR spectra of the studied halloysite samples show in the 3700-3600 cm-1 region well-defined hydroxyl stretching bands characteristic for the kaolin-group minerals and bands associated with the vibrations of the aluminium-silicon skeleton in the 1400-1000 cm-1 region. Modifying halloysite with 4-chloro-aniline causes successive incorporation of amine into the BH sample.

Identification of Particles in Parenteral Drug Raw Materials.

PubMed

Lee, Kathryn; Lankers, Markus; Valet, Oliver

2018-04-18

Particles in drug products are not good and are therefore regulated. These particles can come from the very beginning of the manufacturing process, from the raw materials. To prevent particles, it is important to understand what they are and where they come from so the raw material quality, processing, and shipping can be improved. Thus, it is important to correctly identify particles seen in raw materials. Raw materials need to be of a certain quality with respect to physical and chemical composition, and need to have no contaminants in the form of particles which could contaminate the product or indicate the raw materials are not pure enough to make a good quality product. Particles are often seen when handling raw materials due to color, size, or shape characteristics different from those in the raw materials. Particles may appear to the eye to be very different things than they actually are, so microscope, chemical, and elemental analyses are required for accuracy in proper identification. This paper shows how using three different spectroscopy tools correctly and together can be used to identify particles from extrinsic, intrinsic, and inherent particles. Sources of materials can be humans and the environment (extrinsic), from within the process (intrinsic), and part of the formulation (inherent). Microscope versions of Raman spectroscopy, laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS), and IR spectroscopy are excellent tools for identifying particles because they are fast and accurate techniques needing minimal sample preparation that can provide chemical composition as well as images that can be used for identification. The micro analysis capabilities allow for easy analysis of different portions of samples so multiple components can be identified and sample preparation can be reduced. Using just one of these techniques may not be sufficient to give adequate identification results so that the source of contamination can be adequately identified. The complementarity of the techniques provides the advantage of identifying various chemical and molecular components, as well as elemental and image analyses. Correct interpretation of the results from these techniques is also very important. Copyright © 2018, Parenteral Drug Association.

Toxicity of leather tanning wastewater effluents in sea urchin early development and in marine microalgae.

PubMed

Meriç, Süreyya; De Nicola, Elena; Iaccarino, Mario; Gallo, Marialuisa; Di Gennaro, Annamaria; Morrone, Gaetano; Warnau, Michel; Belgiorno, Vincenzo; Pagano, Giovanni

2005-10-01

This study was designed to investigate the composition and the toxicity of leather tanning wastewater and conditioned sludge collected at the leather tanning wastewater treatment plant (CODISO) located in Solofra, Avellino (Southern Italy). Samples were analyzed for their conventional parameters (COD, TSS, chromium and ammonia) and for metal content. Effluent samples included raw wastewater, and samples collected following coagulation/flocculation process and biological treatment. A set of toxicity endpoints were tested using sea urchin and marine microalgal bioassays by evaluating acute embryotoxicity, developmental defects, changes in sperm fertilization success and transmissible damage from sperm to the offspring, and changes in algal growth rate. Dose-related toxicity to sea urchin embryogenesis and sperm fertilization success was exerted by effluent or sludge samples according to the following rank: conditioned sludge > coagulated effluent > or = raw influent > effluent from biological treatment. Offspring quality was not affected by sperm exposure to any wastewater or to sludge samples. Algal growth was inhibited by raw or coagulated effluent to a similar extent and, again, the effluent from the biological treatment resulted in a decreased toxicity. The results suggest that coagulated effluent and conditioned sludge result in higher toxicity than raw influent in sea urchin embryos and sperm, whereas the biological wastewater treatment of coagulated effluent, in both sea urchins and algae, cause a substantial improvement of wastewater quality. Hence a final biological wastewater treatment should be operated to minimize any environmental damage from tannery wastewater.

Experimental investigation on emission reduction in neem oil biodiesel using selective catalytic reduction and catalytic converter techniques.

PubMed

Viswanathan, Karthickeyan

2018-05-01

In the present study, non-edible seed oil namely raw neem oil was converted into biodiesel using transesterification process. In the experimentation, two biodiesel blends were prepared namely B25 (25% neem oil methyl ester with 75% of diesel) and B50 (50% neem oil methyl ester with 50% diesel). Urea-based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) technique with catalytic converter (CC) was fixed in the exhaust tail pipe of the engine for the reduction of engine exhaust emissions. Initially, the engine was operated with diesel as a working fluid and followed by refilling of biodiesel blends B25 and B50 to obtain the baseline readings without SCR and CC. Then, the same procedure was repeated with SCR and CC technique for emission reduction measurement in diesel, B25 and B50 sample. The experimental results revealed that the B25 blend showed higher break thermal efficiency (BTE) and exhaust gas temperature (EGT) with lower break-specific fuel consumption (BSFC) than B50 blend at all loads. On comparing with biodiesel blends, diesel experiences increased BTE of 31.9% with reduced BSFC of 0.29 kg/kWh at full load. A notable emission reduction was noticed for all test fuels in SCR and CC setup. At full load, B25 showed lower carbon monoxide (CO) of 0.09% volume, hydrocarbon (HC) of 24 ppm, and smoke of 14 HSU and oxides of nitrogen (NOx) of 735 ppm than diesel and B50 in SCR and CC setup. On the whole, the engine with SCR and CC setup showed better performance and emission characteristics than standard engine operation.

Characterization of fine and carbonaceous particles emissions from pelletized biomass-coal blends combustion: Implications on residential crop residue utilization in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Xu, Yue; Wang, Yan; Chen, Yingjun; Tian, Chongguo; Feng, Yanli; Li, Jun; Zhang, Gan

2016-09-01

Bulk biofuel, biomass pellets and pelletized biomass-coal blends were combusted in a typical rural conventional household stove and a high-efficiency stove. Reductions in PM2.5, organic carbon (OC) and elemental carbon (EC) emissions were evaluated by comparing emission factors (EFs) among 19 combinations of biofuel/residential stove types measured using a dilution sampling system. In the low-efficiency stove, the average EFs of PM2.5, OC, and EC of biomass pellets were 2.64 ± 1.56, 0.42 ± 0.36, and 0.30 ± 0.11 g/kg, respectively, significantly lower than those burned in bulk form. EFPM2.5 and EFOC of pelletized biomass combustion in the high-efficiency stove were lower than those of the same biofuel burned in the low-efficiency stove. Furthermore, pelletized corn residue and coal blends burned in the high-efficiency stove could significantly decrease emissions. Compared with the bulk material burned in the low-efficiency stove, the reduction rates of PM2.5, OC and EC from pelletized blends in the high-efficiency stove can reach 84%, 96% and 93%, respectively. If the annually produced corn residues in 2010 had been blended with 10% anthracite coal powder and burnt as pellets, it would have reduced about 82% of PM2.5, 90-96% of OC and 81-92% of EC emission in comparison with burning raw materials in conventional household stoves. Given the low cost, high health benefit and reduction effect on atmospheric pollutants, pelletized blends could be a promising alternative to fossil fuel resources or traditional bulk biofuel.

Occupational health and safety characteristics of agricultural workers in Adana, Turkey: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Okyay, Ramazan Azim; Tanır, Ferdi; Ağaoğlu, Pelin Mutlu

2018-01-01

Among agricultural workers, especially in the seasonal migratory ones, housing and hygiene related issues, occupational accidents, low levels of education, poverty and absence of social security problems emerge as significant public health problems. This study aims to compare migrant-seasonal workers (MSWs) and resident agricultural workers (RAWs) in terms of socio-demographic characteristics and occupational health and safety in Adana, one of Turkey's most important agricultural cities. This cross-sectional study was conducted on RAWs and MSWs, aged 15-65, operating in the province of Adana. The calculated sample sizes for both MSWs and RAWs were distributed using stratified simple random sampling to five districts of Adana. The mean age of the 798 participating agricultural workers was 34.6 ± 14.2. Of the RAWs, 78.8% and of the MSWs 57.0% were male; 5.8% of RAWs and 32.8% of MSWs were illiterate. The mean number of people in the households of the participating workers was 5.1 for RAWs and 6.6 for MSWs. Of the RAWs, 20.5% were not covered by any social security scheme while this percentage was 35.1% in MSWs. RAWs worked 9.9 h a day while MSWs worked 10.9 h a day. Of the agricultural workers, 12.9% had injuries caused by occupational accidents. Agricultural workers, who are a large part of Turkey's economically active population, do not have healthy and safe working conditions. New regulations in the fields of social security, record keeping, monitoring, supervision, education and occupational health have been implemented recently to solve these problems. Despite the recent improvements there are still some problematic issues in the auditing of the necessary practices.

Occurrence of Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, and enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus in goat milk from small and medium-sized farms located in Minas Gerais State, Brazil.

PubMed

Cavicchioli, V Q; Scatamburlo, T M; Yamazi, A K; Pieri, F A; Nero, L A

2015-12-01

Consumption of goat milk has been increasing due to its nutritional characteristics and health benefits. Therefore, assessment of the presence of foodborne pathogens in this product is critical to ensure its safety to consumers. The present study aimed to identify common foodborne pathogens in raw goat milk. Fifty-three samples of raw goat milk from 11 farms were collected and cultured for the presence of Salmonella spp. and Listeria monocytogenes, as well as for enumeration and isolation of coagulase-positive and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus (CPS and CNS, respectively). All samples tested negative for Salmonella spp. and L. monocytogenes. The CPS counts in raw goat milk samples were predominantly less than 2 log cfu/mL (n=39), and CNS counts were predominantly higher than 3 log cfu/mL (n=42). Based on Staphylococcus counts, 51 isolates were selected (CPS=26; CNS=25) and tested by PCR for the presence of classic enterotoxin-encoding genes (sea, seb, sec, sed, and see). Only 3 isolates (CPS=2, CNS=1) were negative for all enterotoxin-encoding genes tested, and the genotype sec and see was the most frequent (n=16), followed by sea, sec, and see (n=13) and sec (n=13); sed was not detected in any isolate. The frequencies of enterotoxin-encoding genes for CPS and CNS were similar, demonstrating the equivalence of both groups in harboring these virulent markers. These results suggest that Salmonella and L. monocytogenes are not frequent contaminants of raw goat milk, but that Staphylococcus spp. that are capable of producing enterotoxins are prevalent; therefore, consumers of raw goat milk and products made from raw milk are at risk. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Combined effect of cooking (grilling and roasting) and chilling storage (with and without air) on lipid and cholesterol oxidation in chicken breast.

PubMed

Conchillo, Ana; Ansorena, Diana; Astiasarán, Iciar

2003-05-01

The oxidation of the lipid fraction and cholesterol in raw and cooked chicken breast samples stored for 0 and 6 days at 4 degrees C under aerobic conditions and in vacuum packaging was studied. The multivariate statistical analysis showed significant effects of both culinary process and storage conditions on the lipid and cholesterol oxidation process, with a significant interaction between the two variables. Aerobic storage increased thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBA) from 0.04 to 0.06 ppm for raw samples, from 0.21 to 1.20 ppm for grilled samples, and from 0.24 to 1.62 ppm for roasted samples. During vacuum storage, only roasted samples showed significant increases in TBA. Levels of total cholesterol oxidation products (COP) remained low (2.88 to 4.35 microg/g of lipid) for all raw samples. Cooking increased COP levels to 12.85 and 11.54 microg/ g of lipid for grilled and roasted samples, respectively. Total COP and all individual COP except for cholestanetriol were significantly correlated with TBA and the peroxide index. However, the most extensive effect was attributable to the aerobic storage of cooked samples, which led to COP levels of 92.35 and 88.60 microg/g of lipid in grilled and roasted samples, respectively. Vacuum packaging did not increase COP levels for cooked samples.

Determination of N-nitrosodimethylamine in drinking water by UPLC-MS/MS.

PubMed

Wang, Wanfeng; Hu, Jianying; Yu, Jianwei; Yang, Min

2010-01-01

The method for detecting N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) in drinking water using ultra performance liquid chromatography (UPLC) coupled with tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) was improved by optimizing the clean-up procedure to remove the matrix interference in pretreatment process, and was then applied to a survey of NDMA in both raw and finished water samples from five water treatment plants in South China. The NDMA concentrations ranged from 4.7 to 15.1 ng/L in raw water samples, and from 4.68 to 46.9 ng/L in finished water. The NDMA concentration in raw water was found to be related with nitrite concentration, and during the treatment, the NDMA concentration increased following ozonation but decreased after subsequent activated carbon treatment.

The rise of South-South trade and its effect on global CO2 emissions.

PubMed

Meng, Jing; Mi, Zhifu; Guan, Dabo; Li, Jiashuo; Tao, Shu; Li, Yuan; Feng, Kuishuang; Liu, Junfeng; Liu, Zhu; Wang, Xuejun; Zhang, Qiang; Davis, Steven J

2018-05-14

Economic globalization and concomitant growth in international trade since the late 1990s have profoundly reorganized global production activities and related CO 2 emissions. Here we show trade among developing nations (i.e., South-South trade) has more than doubled between 2004 and 2011, which reflects a new phase of globalization. Some production activities are relocating from China and India to other developing countries, particularly raw materials and intermediate goods production in energy-intensive sectors. In turn, the growth of CO 2 emissions embodied in Chinese exports has slowed or reversed, while the emissions embodied in exports from less-developed regions such as Vietnam and Bangladesh have surged. Although China's emissions may be peaking, ever more complex supply chains are distributing energy-intensive industries and their CO 2 emissions throughout the global South. This trend may seriously undermine international efforts to reduce global emissions that increasingly rely on rallying voluntary contributions of more, smaller, and less-developed nations.

Influence of composition of diluent on populations of yeasts and moulds recovered from raw fruits.

PubMed

Beuchat, L R; Scouten, A J; Jablonska, J

2002-01-01

The aims of this study were (i) to determine the retention of viability of mycoflora removed from raw fruits, and how this affected diluents used to prepare samples for enumeration of propagules, and (ii) to evaluate the performance of recovery media for supporting colony development. Yeasts and moulds removed from seven types of raw fruit were held in seven diluents for 1 h before plating on dichloran rose bengal chloramphenicol (DRBC) agar and plate count agar supplemented with chloramphenicol (100 micro g ml-1) (PCAC). Significant reductions (P=0.05) in populations of yeasts, moulds, and yeasts plus moulds occurred within the 1 h holding period, regardless of diluent composition. Overall, retention of viability was not influenced by diluent composition, and neither DRBC agar nor PCAC were superior in supporting colony development. The composition of diluents used to prepare food samples for mycological analysis has little affect on the number of yeasts and moulds recovered from seven types of naturally contaminated raw fruit. Both DRBC agar and PCAC are suitable as enumeration media. Diluents and media most often recommended for enumerating yeasts and moulds in foods are appropriate for raw fruits.

Utilization of steel slag for Portland cement clinker production.

PubMed

Tsakiridis, P E; Papadimitriou, G D; Tsivilis, S; Koroneos, C

2008-04-01

The aim of the present research work is to investigate the possibility of adding steel slag, a by-product of the conversion of iron to steel process, in the raw meal for the production of Portland cement clinker. Two samples of raw meals were prepared, one with ordinary raw materials, as a reference sample ((PC)(Ref)), and another with 10.5% steel slag ((PC)(S/S)). Both raw meals were sintered at 1450 degrees C. The results of chemical and mineralogical analyses as well as the microscopic examination showed that the use of the steel slag did not affect the mineralogical characteristics of the so produced Portland cement clinker. Furthermore, both clinkers were tested by determining the grindability, setting times, compressive strengths and soundness. The hydration products were examined by XRD analysis at 2, 7, 28 and 90 days. The results of the physico-mechanical tests showed that the addition of the steel slag did not negatively affect the quality of the produced cement.

Evaluation of commercial kit based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification for rapid detection of low levels of uninjured and injured Salmonella on duck meat, bean sprouts, and fishballs in Singapore.

PubMed

Lim, Hazel Sin Yue; Zheng, Qianwang; Miks-Krajnik, Marta; Turner, Matthew; Yuk, Hyun-Gyun

2015-06-01

The objective of this study was to evaluate performance of the commercial kit based on loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) in comparison with the International Organization for Standardization method for detecting uninjured and sublethally injured Salmonella cells artificially inoculated at levels of 10(0) and 10(1) CFU/25 g on raw duck wing, raw mung bean sprouts, and processed fishballs. Injured cells were prepared by a heat treatment for duck wings and fishball samples and a chlorine treatment for bean sprout samples. Additionally, a validation study was performed on naturally contaminated food samples sold in Singapore. A total of 110 samples of each commodity were analyzed in this study. Regardless of inoculum levels, the detection by the commercial LAMP kit showed 100% sensitivity and specificity for both inoculated and uninoculated samples compared with the International Organization for Standardization method, with the exception of bean sprout samples. Only 20% of bean sprout samples inoculated with 10(0) CFU/25 g injured Salmonella cells were positive by using the commercial LAMP-based kit. However, all negative samples became positive following a secondary enrichment in Rappaport-Vassiliadis medium with soy broth or after concentration by centrifugation. These results suggest that secondary enrichment or centrifugation should be considered as an additional step to increase the sensitivity of the commercial LAMP-based kit with low numbers of injured target cells in samples with high background microflora (such as mung bean sprouts). The validation study also showed that the commercial LAMP-based kit provided 91% sensitivity and 95% specificity for naturally contaminated samples. Thus, this study demonstrates that the commercial LAMP-based kit might be a cost-effective method, as this system could provide rapid, accurate detection of both uninjured and injured Salmonella cells on raw duck wings, raw mung bean sprouts, and processed fishballs in less than 26 h.

Modeling the occurrence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in bulk raw milk and the impact of management options for exposure mitigation.

PubMed

Boulais, Christophe; Wacker, Ron; Augustin, Jean-Christophe; Cheikh, Mohamed Hedi Ben; Peladan, Fabrice

2011-07-01

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is the causal agent of paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) in cattle and other farm ruminants. The potential role of MAP in Crohn's disease in humans and the contribution of dairy products to human exposure to MAP continue to be the subject of scientific debate. The occurrence of MAP in bulk raw milk from dairy herds was assessed using a stochastic modeling approach. Raw milk samples were collected from bulk tanks in dairy plants and tested for the presence of MAP. Results from this analytical screening were used in a Bayesian network to update the model prediction. Of the 83 raw milk samples tested, 4 were positive for MAP by culture and PCR. We estimated that the level of MAP in bulk tanks ranged from 0 CFU/ml for the 2.5th percentile to 65 CFU/ml for the 97.5th percentile, with 95% credibility intervals of [0, 0] and [16, 326], respectively. The model was used to evaluate the effect of measures aimed at reducing the occurrence of MAP in raw milk. Reducing the prevalence of paratuberculosis has less of an effect on the occurrence of MAP in bulk raw milk than does managing clinically infected animals through good farming practices. Copyright ©, International Association for Food Protection

Molecular Epidemiology of Group A Rotaviruses in Water Sources and Selected Raw Vegetables in Southern Africa

PubMed Central

van Zyl, W. B.; Page, N. A.; Grabow, W. O. K.; Steele, A. D.; Taylor, M. B.

2006-01-01

Group A rotaviruses (RVs) are the most important cause of acute viral gastroenteritis in infants and young children. In this study raw and treated drinking water supplies at plants in two geographic areas, as well as selected irrigation water and corresponding raw vegetables in three regions of southern Africa, were screened for the presence of RVs using molecular techniques. Group A RVs were detected in 11.8% of partially treated and 1.7% of finally treated drinking water samples and in 14% of irrigation water samples and 1.7% of corresponding raw vegetable samples. Type-specific reverse transcriptase-PCR and sequence analysis revealed the presence of multiple types (G1, G2, G8, and G9) in irrigation water and single types (G1 or G3) in raw and treated drinking water. Group A RVs detected in all samples consisted of mixed P types (P[4], P[6], P[8], and P[9]), with P[6] predominating. The detection of types G8, G9, and P[6] reflects the emergence of these types in clinical infections. The similarity of environmental types to those in patients with clinical RV infections confirms the value of wastewater screening as a tool for assessing RVs circulating in communities, with the benefit of detecting types that cause both clinical and subclinical infections. The results provide new information on RV types in water and related environments and identify the potential risk of waterborne transmission. In addition, the presence of RVs in drinking water underlines shortcomings in quality specifications. These data provide valuable information regarding the prevalence of RVs in environmental sources, with important implications for vaccine development. PMID:16820443

Microbial quality and associated health risks of raw milk marketed in the Tanga region of Tanzania.

PubMed

Swai, E S; Schoonman, L

2011-06-01

To evaluate microbial quality and associated health risks of raw milk marketed in the Tanga region of Tanzania. A microbial quality assessment of marketed raw milk was undertaken by evaluating 59 samples of milk from selling points (collecting centres =15), bicycle boys (12) and kiosks/restaurants (32) in Tanga city during April-May 2005. Quality and milk-borne hazards were assessed using a combination of tests in order to quantify the occurrence of Brucellosis (milk ring test), Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 (culture), the coliform bacteria as well as standard plate count (SPC). Specific gravity (SG) determination was used as an indicator of adulteration. The mean coliform plate count (c.f.u/mL) of milk handled by bicycle boys (4.2×10(6)) was significantly higher than that handled by collecting centres (3.0×10(6)) and kiosk/ restaurants (1.4×10(6)), respectively (P < 0.05). Of the 59 milk samples collected, 33 (56%) were Brucella milk ring test (MRT)-positive and 78% and 17% of the samples graded satisfactorily based on SG and coliform plate counts as prescribed by East African Community standards for raw milk. There was no verocytotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC) O157: H7 in any of the milk samples collected and analysed during the present study. It can be concluded that raw market milk in the study area is of poor bacteriological quality and hazardous for human consumption. This highlights the need to implement good hygiene practices and effective monitoring from production through the delivery chain to the consumer. Further studies are needed for detection of toxins that are produced by E. coli, other pathogenic spore forming bacteria (Bacillus spp. and Clostridium spp.) and other harmful microorganisms.

Spore test parameters matter: Mesophilic and thermophilic spore counts detected in raw milk and dairy powders differ significantly by test method.

PubMed

Kent, D J; Chauhan, K; Boor, K J; Wiedmann, M; Martin, N H

2016-07-01

United States dairy industry exports have steadily risen in importance over the last 10yr, with dairy powders playing a particularly critical role. Currently, approximately half of US-produced nonfat dry milk and skim milk powder is exported. Reaching new and expanding existing export markets relies in part on the control of endospore-forming bacteria in dairy powders. This study reports baseline mesophilic and thermophilic spore counts and spore populations from 55 raw material samples (primarily raw milk) and 33 dairy powder samples from dairy powder processors across the United States. Samples were evaluated using various spore testing methodologies and included initial heat treatments of (1) 80°C for 12 min; (2) 100°C for 30 min; and (3) 106°C for 30 min. Results indicate that significant differences in both the level and population of spores were found for both raw milk and dairy powders with the various testing methods. Additionally, on average, spore counts were not found to increase significantly from the beginning to the end of dairy powder processing, most likely related to the absence of biofilm formation by processing plant-associated sporeformers (e.g., Anoxybacillus sp.) in the facilities sampled. Finally, in agreement with other studies, Bacillus licheniformis was found to be the most prevalent sporeformer in both raw materials and dairy powders, highlighting the importance of this organism in developing strategies for control and reduction of spore counts in dairy powders. Overall, this study emphasizes the need for standardization of spore enumeration methodologies in the dairy powder industry. Copyright © 2016 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Microbial quality of oysters sold in Western Trinidad and potential health risk to consumers.

PubMed Central

Rampersad, F. S.; Laloo, S.; La Borde, A.; Maharaj, K.; Sookhai, L.; Teelucksingh, J.; Reid, S.; McDougall, L.; Adesiyun, A. A.

1999-01-01

The prevalence and characteristics of Escherichia coli and Salmonella spp. as well as counts of E. coli in raw oysters, condiments/spices, and raw oyster cocktails sampled from 72 vendors across Western Trinidad were determined. The microbial quality of the water used in the preparation of raw oysters was also investigated. Of 200 samples each of raw oysters, condiments/spices and oyster cocktails tested, 154 (77.0%), 89 (44.5%) and 154 (77.0%) respectively yielded E. coli. The differences were statistically significant (P = < 0.001; chi square = 62.91). The mean E. coli count per g in the ready-to-eat oyster cocktail ranged from 1.5 x 10(3) +/- 2.7 x 10(3) in Couva to 8.7x10(6) +/- 4.9x10(7) in San Fernando. One hundred and forty-six (73.0%) oyster cocktails contaminated with E. coli had counts that exceeded the recommended standard of 16 per g. Of a total of 590 E. coli isolates from various sources tested, 24 (4.1%), 20 (3.4%) and 69 (11.7%) were mucoid, haemolytic and non-sorbitol fermenters respectively. Twelve (2.0%) isolates of E. coli were O157 strains, while 92 (46.0%) of 200 E. coli isolates tested belonged to enteropathogenic serogroups. Ninety (45.0%) and 73 (36.5%) of 200 water samples contained total coliforms and faecal coliforms respectively, with counts that exceeded 2.2 coliforms per 100 ml. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 7 (3.5%), 1 (0.5%) and 2 (1.0%) of 200 samples each, of raw oysters, condiments/spices and oyster cocktails respectively. Oysters pose a health risk to consumers in Trinidad, particularly from colibacillosis and salmonellosis, and the need for increased public awareness of this hazard cannot be over-emphasized. PMID:10579443

Effect of nano-sized cerium-zirconium oxide solid solution on far-infrared emission properties of tourmaline powders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Guo, Bin; Yang, Liqing; Hu, Weijie; Li, Wenlong; Wang, Haojing

2015-10-01

Far-infrared functional nanocomposites were prepared by the co-precipitation method using natural tourmaline (XY3Z6Si6O18(BO3)3V3W, where X is Na+, Ca2+, K+, or vacancy; Y is Mg2+, Fe2+, Mn2+, Al3+, Fe3+, Mn3+, Cr3+, Li+, or Ti4+; Z is Al3+, Mg2+, Cr3+, or V3+; V is O2-, OH-; and W is O2-, OH-, or F-) powders, ammonium cerium(IV) nitrate and zirconium(IV) nitrate pentahydrate as raw materials. The reference sample, tourmaline modified with ammonium cerium(IV) nitrate alone was also prepared by a similar precipitation route. The results of Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy show that tourmaline modified with Ce and Zr has a better far-infrared emission property than tourmaline modified with Ce alone. Through characterization by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), the mechanism for oxygen evolution during the heat process in the two composite materials was systematically studied. The XPS spectra show that Fe3+ ratio inside tourmaline modified with Ce alone can be raised by doping Zr. Moreover, it is showed that there is a higher Ce3+ ratio inside the tourmaline modified with Ce and Zr than tourmaline modified with Ce alone. In addition, XRD results indicate the formation of CeO2 and Ce1-xZrxO2 crystallites during the heat treatment and further TEM observations show they exist as nanoparticles on the surface of tourmaline powders. Based on these results, we attribute the improved far-infrared emission properties of Ce-Zr doped tourmaline to the enhanced unit cell shrinkage of the tourmaline arisen from much more oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ inside the tourmaline caused by the change in the catalyst redox properties of CeO2 brought about by doping with Zr4+. In all samples, tourmaline modified with 7.14 wt.% Ce and 1.86 wt.% Zr calcined at 800∘C for 5 h has the best far-infrared emission property with the maximum emissivity value of 98%.

A Multiplex RT-PCR Assay for S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. Detection in Raw Milk with Pre-enrichment.

PubMed

Ding, Tian; Suo, Yuanjie; Zhang, Zhaohuan; Liu, Donghong; Ye, Xingqian; Chen, Shiguo; Zhao, Yong

2017-01-01

This study firstly developed a multiplex real-time PCR (RT-PCR) technique combined with a pre-enrichment step to simultaneously detect Staphylococcus aureus ( S. aureus ), Listeria monocytogenes ( L. monocytogenes ) and Salmonella spp. in raw milk and the dairy farm environment (feces, soil, feed, water) in one reaction. Brain heart infusion (BHI) broth was selected for the enrichment step to increase the density of the target bacteria by using an incubation of 4 h before multiplex RT-PCR. The results showed that the detection limit of the multiplex real-time assay was approximately 10 2 CFU/mL for pure cultures and artificially contaminated milk without enrichment, while 12, 14, and 10 CFU/25 mL, respectively, for S. aureus, L. monocytogenes , and Salmonella spp. after pre-enrichment. The newly developed multiplex RT-PCR assay was applied to 46 dairy farm environmental samples and raw milk samples covering a wide variety of sample types. The results demonstrated that the multiplex RT-PCR assay coupled with the BHI enrichment broth was suitable for the simultaneous screening of S. aureus, L. monocytogenes , and Salmonella spp. in the pasture environment and in raw milk. The multiplex RT-PCR assay clearly and successfully shortened the total detection time and reduced labor compared to conventional culture-based methods for testing natural samples.

Evaluation of a portable test system for assessing endotoxin activity in raw milk

PubMed Central

SUZUKI, Yohko; SUZUKI, Kazuyuki; SHIMAMORI, Toshio; TSUCHIYA, Masakazu; NIEHAUS, Andrew; LAKRITZ, Jeffrey

2015-01-01

The aim of the present study was to compare endotoxin activities detected in raw milk samples obtained from cattle by a commercially available portable test system (PTS) and traditional microplate limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL)-based assay, which determined activities using a kinetic turbidimetric (KT) assay. Raw milk samples were obtained from 53 and 12 dairy cattle without and with clinical mastitis, respectively. Comparison between the KT and PTS was performed by the Friedman test. The Pearson product moment correlation coefficients were calculated to evaluate associations between any two continuous variables. Linear regression model analysis was also performed to obtain the equation describing the relationship between PTS and KT assay. The endotoxin activities detected in 200- or 400-fold diluted milk samples were similar between PTS and KT assay, whereas a significant difference was observed in 100-fold diluted milk (P<0.001). The results obtained from 200- (r2=0.778, P<0.001) and 400-fold diluted milk samples (r2=0.945, P<0.001) using PTS correlated with those using KT assay. The median milk endotoxin activities in Gram-positive and Gram-negative clinical mastitis cows were 0.655 and 11,523.5 EU/ml, respectively. The results of the present study suggest that PTS as a simple and easy test to assess endotoxin activity in raw milk is efficient, simple and reproducible. PMID:26279135

A Multiplex RT-PCR Assay for S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. Detection in Raw Milk with Pre-enrichment

PubMed Central

Ding, Tian; Suo, Yuanjie; Zhang, Zhaohuan; Liu, Donghong; Ye, Xingqian; Chen, Shiguo; Zhao, Yong

2017-01-01

This study firstly developed a multiplex real-time PCR (RT-PCR) technique combined with a pre-enrichment step to simultaneously detect Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) and Salmonella spp. in raw milk and the dairy farm environment (feces, soil, feed, water) in one reaction. Brain heart infusion (BHI) broth was selected for the enrichment step to increase the density of the target bacteria by using an incubation of 4 h before multiplex RT-PCR. The results showed that the detection limit of the multiplex real-time assay was approximately 102 CFU/mL for pure cultures and artificially contaminated milk without enrichment, while 12, 14, and 10 CFU/25 mL, respectively, for S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. after pre-enrichment. The newly developed multiplex RT-PCR assay was applied to 46 dairy farm environmental samples and raw milk samples covering a wide variety of sample types. The results demonstrated that the multiplex RT-PCR assay coupled with the BHI enrichment broth was suitable for the simultaneous screening of S. aureus, L. monocytogenes, and Salmonella spp. in the pasture environment and in raw milk. The multiplex RT-PCR assay clearly and successfully shortened the total detection time and reduced labor compared to conventional culture-based methods for testing natural samples. PMID:28620364

Determination of haemolytic and non haemolytic genes profiles of Bacillus cereus strains isolated from food samples by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) technique

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jawad, Nisreen; Ahemd, Asmat; Abdullah, Aminah

2018-04-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of Bacillus cereus and detection of enterotoxigenic genes in food samples by utilizing a Polymerase Chain Reaction technique (PCR). In this study the providence of B. cereus was carried out to food samples. The B. cereus isolates were investigated for enterotoxigenic gene. The cooked seafood, and raw milk samples were purchased from several restaurants and market in the area of (Bangi, Kajang, Serdang and UKM) Selangor, Malaysia. A total of 60 samples have been analyzed. B. cereus contamination has been formed between 1.4×105 - 3×105 cfu/mL of cooked seafood and raw milk samples. Five colonies have been detected as B. cereus using biochemical test. All B. cereus isolates named BC1 to BC27, were characterized for haemolytic enterotoxin (HBL) complex encoding genes (hblA), non-haemolytic enterotoxin encoding gene (NheA). 10 isolates have been reported to be positive towards hblA and 12 isolates were positive towards NheA. The presence of B. cereus and their enterotoxigenic genes in cooked seafood and raw milk from to food samples obtained may pose a potential risk for public health.

A study on rate of infestation to Sarcocystis cysts in supplied raw hamburgers.

PubMed

Nematollahia, Ahmad; Khoshkerdar, Afsaneh; Helan, Javad Ashrafi; Shahbazi, Parisa; Hassanzadeh, Parviz

2015-06-01

This study was carried on for determination of presence of Sarcocystis cysts in raw hamburgers in Tabriz North West of Iran. Ninety-six samples of industrial (70 % meat content) and traditional (30 % meat content) hamburgers (80 samples industrial and 16 samples traditional) were obtained from retail fast food stores. The samples were examined by gross examination, and microscopic examination methods consist impression smear and peptic digestion. Macroscopic cysts did not observed in any of the samples in gross examination. Microscopic study showed that from 96 samples 54 (56.25 %) samples were infected by at least one bradyzoites of Sarcocystis. From 54 infected samples, 45 industrial hamburgers and nine traditional hamburgers samples were infected. Statistical analysis showed that there was not significant differences between industrial and traditional hamburgers in infection to Sarcocystis. Infestation of hamburgers to Sarcocystis in summer was higher than other seasons but this difference was not significant. In Iran, beef meat is used for preparation of 70 % of hamburger and infestation of cattle to sarcocystosis was reported in many investigations in Iran. With regard to the high prevalence of Sarcocystis infection in meat products such as hamburgers in this study, it is strongly recommended to avoid eating raw or under-cooked hamburgers or keep them at freezing temperature for at least 3-5 days.

Short communication: Variation in the composition and properties of Swedish raw milk for ultra-high-temperature processing.

PubMed

Karlsson, Maria A; Langton, Maud; Innings, Fredrik; Wikström, Malin; Lundh, Åse Sternesjö

2017-04-01

The composition and properties of raw milk are of great importance for the quality and shelf life of the final dairy product, especially in products with a long shelf life [e.g., ultra-high-temperature (UHT)-treated milk]. The objective of this study was to investigate the compositional variation in raw milk samples before processing at the dairy plant. Moreover, we wanted to investigate the effect of the UHT process on this variation (i.e., if the same variation could be observed in the corresponding UHT milk). The quality traits analyzed included detailed milk composition, counts of total and psychrotrophic bacteria, proteolytic activity, and color, as well as predictive measures of stability (i.e., ethanol stability and heat coagulating time). Samples of raw milk and the corresponding produced UHT milk were collected and analyzed on a monthly basis during 1 yr. Principal component analysis was used to identify months showing similarities and differences with respect to total variation. In contrast to previous studies, we observed only small variations between months and no clear effect of season for the raw milk. For the UHT milk, July and the winter months (December, January, and February) tended to separate from the other months. Quality traits showing significant variation were only to some extent identical in raw milk and UHT-processed milk. A better understanding of the natural variation in raw milk quality will provide opportunities to improve the shelf life of UHT-treated milk products. Copyright © 2017 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Non-equilibrium thermionic electron emission for metals at high temperatures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Domenech-Garret, J. L.; Tierno, S. P.; Conde, L.

2015-08-01

Stationary thermionic electron emission currents from heated metals are compared against an analytical expression derived using a non-equilibrium quantum kappa energy distribution for the electrons. The latter depends on the temperature decreasing parameter κ ( T ) , which decreases with increasing temperature and can be estimated from raw experimental data and characterizes the departure of the electron energy spectrum from equilibrium Fermi-Dirac statistics. The calculations accurately predict the measured thermionic emission currents for both high and moderate temperature ranges. The Richardson-Dushman law governs electron emission for large values of kappa or equivalently, moderate metal temperatures. The high energy tail in the electron energy distribution function that develops at higher temperatures or lower kappa values increases the emission currents well over the predictions of the classical expression. This also permits the quantitative estimation of the departure of the metal electrons from the equilibrium Fermi-Dirac statistics.

Road Salt Transport at Two Municipal Wellfields in Wilmington, Massachusetts

EPA Science Inventory

Beginning in 2010, the USEPA and the Town of Wilmington collected monthly samples of wellfield raw water and surface water for inorganic analyses. Dataloggers recording temperature and specific conductivity every 15 minutes at key locations in streams and in the raw water taps o...

Residues of organochlorine pesticides in surface soil and raw foods from rural areas of the Republic of Tajikistan.

PubMed

Barron, Mace G; Ashurova, Zebunisso J; Kukaniev, Mukhamadcho A; Avloev, Hakbarqul K; Khaidarov, Karim K; Jamshedov, Jamshed N; Rahmatullova, Oygul S; Atolikshoeva, Sunbula S; Mamadshova, Sakina S; Manzenyuk, Oksana

2017-05-01

The central Asian Republic of Tajikistan has been an area of extensive historical agricultural pesticide use as well as large scale burials of banned chlorinated insecticides. The current investigation was a four year study of legacy organochlorine pesticides in surface soil and raw foods in four rural areas of Tajikistan. Study areas included the pesticide burial sites of Konibodom and Vakhsh, and family farms of Garm and Chimbuloq villages. These areas were selected to represent a diversity of pesticide disposal histories and to allow assessment of local pesticide contamination in Tajikistan. Each site was visited multiple times and over 500 samples of surface soil and raw foods were collected and analyzed for twenty legacy organochlorine pesticides. Various local food products were sampled to represent the range of raw foods potentially containing residues of banned pesticides, including dairy products, meat, edible plant and cotton seed products. The pesticide analytes included DDTs (DDT, DDD, DDE), lindane isomers (α, β, γ, δ BHC), endosulfan isomers (endosulfan I, II, sulfate), other cyclodienes (aldrin, α and γ chlordanes, dieldrin, endrin, endrin aldehyde and ketone, heptachlor, heptachlor epoxide), and methoxychlor. Pesticide analytes were selected based on availability of commercial standards and known or suspected historical pesticide use and burial. Pesticide contamination was highest in soil and generally low in meat, dairy, and plant products. DDT was consistently the highest measured individual pesticide at each of the four sampling areas, along with BHC isomers and endosulfan II. Soil concentrations of pesticides were extremely heterogeneous at the Vakhsh and Konibodam disposal sites with many soil samples greater than 10 ppm. In contrast, samples from farms in Chimbuloq and Garm had low concentrations of pesticides. Pesticide contamination in raw foods was generally low, indicating minimal transfer from the pesticide sites into local food chains. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The World Factbook 1999

DTIC Science & Technology

1999-01-01

Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, lea, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de Dios , Moquegua...Inca (from Cusco, Madre de Dios , Apurimac), La Libertad (from La Libertad), Los Libertadores-Huari (from lea, Ayacucho, Huancavelica), Mariategui...industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals , detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain

40 CFR 63.1357 - Temporary, conditioned exemption from particulate matter and opacity standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... Cement Manufacturing Industry Other § 63.1357 Temporary, conditioned exemption from particulate matter... chapter that are applicable to cement kilns and in-line kiln/raw mills. (2) Any permit or other emissions or operating parameter or other limitation on workplace practices that are applicable to cement kilns...

40 CFR 63.1357 - Temporary, conditioned exemption from particulate matter and opacity standards.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... Cement Manufacturing Industry Other § 63.1357 Temporary, conditioned exemption from particulate matter... chapter that are applicable to cement kilns and in-line kiln/raw mills. (2) Any permit or other emissions or operating parameter or other limitation on workplace practices that are applicable to cement kilns...

Odor and VOC Emissions from Pan Frying of Mackerel at Three Stages: Raw, Well-Done, and Charred

PubMed Central

Ahn, Jeong-Hyeon; Szulejko, Jan E.; Kim, Ki-Hyun; Kim, Yong-Hyun; Kim, Bo-Won

2014-01-01

Many classes of odorants and volatile organic compounds that are deleterious to our wellbeing can be emitted from diverse cooking activities. Once emitted, they can persist in our living space for varying durations. In this study, various volatile organic compounds released prior to and during the pan frying of fish (mackerel) were analyzed at three different cooking stages (stage 1 = raw (R), stage 2 = well-done (W), and stage 3 = overcooked/charred (O)). Generally, most volatile organic compounds recorded their highest concentration levels at stage 3 (O), e.g., 465 (trimethylamine) and 106 ppb (acetic acid). In contrast, at stage 2 (W), the lowest volatile organic compounds emissions were observed. The overall results of this study confirm that trimethylamine is identified as the strongest odorous compound, especially prior to cooking (stage 1 (R)) and during overcooking leading to charring (stage 3 (O)). As there is a paucity of research effort to measure odor intensities from pan frying of mackerel, this study will provide valuable information regarding the management of indoor air quality. PMID:25405596

Effect of six different cooking techniques in the nutritional composition of two fish species previously selected as optimal for renal patient's diet.

PubMed

Castro-González, Isabel; Maafs-Rodríguez, Ana Gabriela; Pérez-Gil Romo, Fernando

2015-07-01

Benefits of fish consumption are widely known, but there is little information about nutrient values of raw and cooked fish. The aim was to study the impact that six cooking techniques have on the nutritional composition of two fish species with low content of adverse nutrients in renal diet. Raw and steamed, foiled with aluminum, foiled with banana leaf, gas oven-baked, microwave oven-coked and fried lightly samples were chemically analyzed to determine their protein, phosphorus and lipid content. Crevalle jack: all methods increased lipid and protein content and fatty acids (FA) varied in all cooking methods. Phosphorus decreased in the steamed and microwave oven-cooked samples. Red drum: foiled and fried lightly increased lipid content compared to the raw sample. FA concentration changed in all cooking methods. Protein increased with every technique and phosphorus decreased in the steamed and gas oven-baked samples. Renal patients should preferably consume crevalle jack steamed or microwave oven-cooked and red drum steamed or gas oven-baked.

Meat species identification and Halal authentication using PCR analysis of raw and cooked traditional Turkish foods.

PubMed

Ulca, Pelin; Balta, Handan; Çağın, Ilknur; Senyuva, Hamide Z

2013-07-01

The method performance characteristics of commercially available PCR kits for animal species identification were established. Comminuted meat products containing different levels of pork were prepared from authentic beef, chicken, and turkey. These meat products were analysed in the raw state and after cooking for 20 min at 200 °C. For both raw and cooked meats, the PCR kit could correctly identify the animal species and could reliably detect the addition of pork at a level below 0.1%. A survey of 42 Turkish processed meat products such as soudjouk, salami, sausage, meatball, cured spiced beef and doner kebap was conducted. Thirty-six samples were negative for the presence of pork (<0.1%) and four were found to be correctly labelled as containing pork. However, one sausage sample was labelled as containing 5% beef, but beef DNA was not detected and a meatball sample labelled as 100% beef was found to contain chicken. Another turkey meatball sample was predominantly chicken. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An Electrochemical Processing Strategy for Improving Tribological Performance of Aisi 316 Stainless Steel Under Grease Lubrication

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zou, Jiaojuan; Li, Maolin; Lin, Naiming; Zhang, Xiangyu; Qin, Lin; Tang, Bin

2014-12-01

In order to improve the tribological performance of AISI 316 stainless steel (316 SS) under grease lubrication, electrochemical processing was conducted on it to obtain a rough (surface texturing-like) surface by making use of the high sensitivity of austenitic stainless steel to pitting corrosion in Cl--rich environment. Numerous corrosion pits or micro-ditches acted as micro-reservoirs on the obtained surface. While the grease could offer consistent lubrication, and then improve the tribological performance of 316 SS. Tribological behaviors of raw 316 SS and the treated sample were measured using a reciprocating type tribometer sliding against GCr15 steel counterpart under dry and grease lubrication conditions. The results showed that the mass losses of the two samples were in the same order of magnitude, and the raw sample exhibited lower friction coefficient in dry sliding. When the tests were conducted under grease lubrication condition, the friction coefficients and mass losses of the treated sample were far lower than those of the raw 316 SS. The tribological performance of 316 SS under grease lubrication was drastically improved after electrochemical processing.

Distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in coke plant wastewater.

PubMed

Burmistrz, Piotr; Burmistrz, Michał

2013-01-01

The subject of examinations presented in this paper is the distribution of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) between solid and liquid phases in samples of raw wastewater and wastewater after treatment. The content of 16 PAHs according to the US EPA was determined in the samples of coke plant wastewater from the Zdzieszowice Coke Plant, Poland. The samples contained raw wastewater, wastewater after physico-chemical treatment as well as after biological treatment. The ΣPHA16 content varied between 255.050 μg L(-1) and 311.907 μg L(-1) in raw wastewater and between 0.940 and 4.465 μg L(-1) in wastewater after full treatment. Investigation of the distribution of PAHs showed that 71-84% of these compounds is adsorbed on the surface of suspended solids and 16-29% is dissolved in water. Distribution of individual PAHs and ΣPHA16 between solid phase and liquid phase was described with the use of statistically significant, linear equations. The calculated values of the partitioning coefficient Kp changed from 0.99 to 7.90 for naphthalene in samples containing mineral-organic suspension and acenaphthylene in samples with biological activated sludge, respectively.

New methods for the detection of viruses: call for review of drinking water quality guidelines.

PubMed

Grabow, W O; Taylor, M B; de Villiers, J C

2001-01-01

Drinking water supplies which meet international recommendations for source, treatment and disinfection were analysed. Viruses recovered from 100 L-1,000 L volumes by in-line glass wool filters were inoculated in parallel into four cell culture systems. Cell culture inoculation was used to isolate cytopathogenic viruses, amplify the nucleic acid of non-cytopathogenic viruses and confirm viability of viruses. Over a period of two years, viruses were detected in 23% of 413 drinking water samples and 73% of 224 raw water samples. Cytopathogenic viruses were detected in 6% raw water samples but not in any treated drinking water supplies. Enteroviruses were detected in 17% drinking water samples, adenoviruses in 4% and hepatitis A virus in 3%. In addition to these viruses, astro- and rotaviruses were detected in raw water. All drinking water supplies had heterotrophic plate counts of < 100/mL, total and faecal coliform counts of 0/100 mL and negative results in qualitative presence-absence tests for somatic and F-RNA coliphages (500 mL samples). These results call for a revision of water quality guidelines based on indicator organisms and vague reference to the absence of viruses.

Detection of Salmonella spp. in Retail Raw Food Samples from Vietnam and Characterization of Their Antibiotic Resistance▿

PubMed Central

Van, Thi Thu Hao; Moutafis, George; Istivan, Taghrid; Tran, Linh Thuoc; Coloe, Peter J.

2007-01-01

A study was conducted to examine the levels of Salmonella spp. contamination in raw food samples, including chicken, beef, pork, and shellfish, from Vietnam and to determine their antibiotic resistance characteristics. A total of 180 samples were collected and examined for the presence of Salmonella spp., yielding 91 Salmonella isolates. Sixty-one percent of meat and 18% of shellfish samples were contaminated with Salmonella spp. Susceptibility of all isolates to a variety of antimicrobial agents was tested, and resistance to tetracycline, ampicillin/amoxicillin, nalidixic acid, sulfafurazole, and streptomycin was found in 40.7%, 22.0%, 18.7%, 16.5%, and 14.3% of the isolates, respectively. Resistance to enrofloxacin, trimethoprim, chloramphenicol, kanamycin, and gentamicin was also detected (8.8 to 2.2%). About half (50.5%) of the isolates were resistant to at least one antibiotic, and multiresistant Salmonella isolates, resistant to at least three different classes of antibiotics, were isolated from all food types. One isolate from chicken (serovar Albany) contained a variant of the Salmonella genomic island 1 antibiotic resistance gene cluster. The results show that antibiotic resistance in Salmonella spp. in raw food samples from Vietnam is significant. PMID:17766455

A novel approach to synthesize, studies of structural and electrical characteristic of Bi(Ni0.30Ti0.30Fe0.40)O3 nanoceramics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumar, Nitin; Shukla, Alok

2018-03-01

In this study, we report a novel approach to synthesize the Bi(Ni0.30Ti0.30Fe0.40)O3 [arbitration BNTF30/40] nanoceramics by standard ceramic method at an ambient temperature of 1013 K. Carbonates and oxides powder were utilised as a raw materials in an appropriate stoichiometric amounts. X-ray diffraction pattern assigned that the BNTF30/40 sample presents a single phase of orthorhombic symmetry. The crystallite size obtain from X-ray data suggests the formation of BNTF30/40 nanoceramics in the range between 20 to 45 nm. Bulk density of the prepared pallets were measured and found to be more than 94 percent. The basic characterization tools have been used respectively with Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope and Spectroscopy based techniques to obtain the correlation between surface morphology and electrical characteristic of specimen sample. Electrical characteristic of the as- synthesized material was studied in the experimental temperature range between RT to 623 K at different operated frequency (25 kHz - 500 kHz).

Detection of heavy metals in water in Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia: From source to consumption

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khalaf, Baydaa; Abdullah, Md. Pauzi; Tahrim, Nurfaizah Abu

2018-04-01

Drinking water should be free from harmful levels of impurities, such as heavy metals. The aim of this study is to investigate the heavy metals concentrations in a water reticulation system of Negeri Sembilan. 25 stations were selected along Sungai Linggi (upstream of intake point) and through there reticulation system of Sungai Linggi Water Treatment Plant encompassing raw water through to the last point of use. Sampling activities were carried out in June and July 2016. The samples taken were analysed for heavymetals using an Inductively Coupled Plasma - Optical Emission Spectrometer (ICP-OES). In addition other water quality parameters were measured in situ (pH, water temperature, conductivity and dissolved oxygen) and analysed in the laboratory (BOD, COD, TSS, NH3-N, TOC and residual chlorine). The results showed a high level of Ca in the distribution system, while in the treatment plant it was normal, as well as Fe is decreased. Meanwhile Mn is decreased after treatment processes. The concentrations of DO and temperature in the tap water exceeded the standard concentrations.

40 CFR 89.404 - Test procedure overview.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... engine operating conditions to be conducted on an engine dynamometer. The exhaust gases, generated raw or... matter. For more information on particulate matter sampling see § 89.112(c). The test cycles consist of... (raw analysis), and the power output during each mode. The measured values are weighted and used to...

Detection of mechanically recovered chicken meat using capillary gel electrophoresis.

PubMed

Day, L; Brown, H

2001-05-01

This study investigated the use of capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) as a method for differentiating between raw mechanically recovered chicken meat (MRM) and hand deboned chicken breast meat (HDM). Twenty samples of MRM were obtained and twenty samples of HDM were prepared in the laboratory. They were extracted and analysed using Prosort™ SDS-protein analysis reagent. There were obvious differences in the relative peak areas within the profiles obtained which distinguished raw MRM from raw HDM; specifically, that of haemoglobin was higher in MRM. Using the peak area of haemoglobin and its ratio to other peaks, the technique was tested using composite MRM-HDM mixtures. The results suggest that it is possible to differentiate mixtures containing 7.5% MRM from that of 0% MRM using the CGE method.

Rapid Quantitative Analysis of Microcystins in Raw Surface Waters with MALDI MS Utilizing Easily Synthesized Internal Standards

PubMed Central

Roegner, Amber F.; Schirmer, Macarena Pírez; Puschner, Birgit; Brena, Beatriz; Gonzalez-Sapienza, Gualberto

2014-01-01

The freshwater cyanotoxins, microcystins (MCs), pose a global public health threat as potent hepatotoxins in cyanobacterial blooms; their persistence in drinking and recreational water has been associated with potential chronic effects in addition to acute intoxications. Rapid and accurate detection of the over 80 structural congeners is challenged by the rigorous and time consuming clean up required to overcome interference found in raw water samples. MALDI-MS has shown promise for rapid quantification of individual congeners in raw water samples, with very low operative cost, but so far limited sensitivity and lack of available and versatile internal standards (ISs) has limited its use. Two easily synthesized S-hydroxyethyl–Cys(7)-MC-LR and –RR ISs were used to generate linear standard curves in a reflectron MALDI instrument, reproducible across several orders of magnitude for MC –LR, - RR and –YR. Minimum quantification limits in direct water samples with no clean up or concentration step involved were consistently below 7 μg/L, with recoveries from spiked samples between 80 and 119%. This method improves sensitivity by 30 fold over previous reports of quantitative MALDI-TOF applications to MCs and provides a salient option for rapid throughput analysis for multiple MC congeners in untreated raw surface water blooms as a means to identify source public health threats and target intervention strategies within a watershed. As demonstrated by analysis of a set of samples from Uruguay, utilizing the reaction of different MC congeners with alternate sulfhydryl compounds, the m/z of the IS can be customized to avoid overlap with interfering compounds in local surface water samples. PMID:24388801

Estrogenic effects in the influents and effluents of the drinking water treatment plants.

PubMed

Gou, Yan-You; Lin, Susana; Que, Danielle E; Tayo, Lemmuel L; Lin, Ding-Yan; Chen, Kuan-Chung; Chen, Fu-An; Chiang, Pen-Chi; Wang, Gen-Shuh; Hsu, Yi-Chyuan; Chuang, Kuo Pin; Chuang, Chun-Yu; Tsou, Tsui-Chun; Chao, How-Ran

2016-05-01

Estrogen-like endocrine disrupting compounds (EEDC) such as bisphenol A, nonylphenol, and phthalic acid esters are toxic compounds that may occur in both raw- and drinking water. The aim of this study was to combine chemical- and bioassay to evaluate the risk of EEDCs in the drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs). Fifty-six samples were collected from seven DWTPs located in northern-, central-, and southern Taiwan from 2011 to 2012 and subjected to chemical analyses and two bioassay methods for total estrogenic activity (E-Screen and T47D-KBluc assay). Among of the considered EEDCs, only dibutyl phthalate (DBP) and di (2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) were detected in both drinking and raw water samples. DBP levels in drinking water ranged from

Impact of pasteurization on the antibacterial properties of human milk.

PubMed

Van Gysel, Marjan; Cossey, Veerle; Fieuws, Steffen; Schuermans, Annette

2012-08-01

Growing evidence favours the use of human milk for the feeding of preterm newborns based on its many beneficial effects. Despite the many benefits, human milk has been associated as a possible vehicle of transmission for a number of infections. Although pasteurization of human milk can diminish the risk of neonatal infection, it also significantly reduces the concentrations of immunological components in human milk due to thermal damage. In order to evaluate the impact of pasteurization on the antibacterial properties of human milk, we aimed to compare the capacity of raw and pasteurized human milk to inhibit bacterial proliferation. Therefore, a single milk sample was collected from ten healthy lactating mothers. Each sample was divided into two aliquots; one aliquot was pasteurized, while the other was kept raw. Both aliquots were inoculated either with Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus and incubated at 37 °C during 8 h. Viable colony counts from the inoculated samples were performed at regular time points to compare the bacterial growth in both forms of breast milk. Relative to the tryptic soy broth control sample, both raw and pasteurized milk samples exhibited an inhibitory effect on the growth of E. coli and S. aureus. Compared with the raw portion, growth inhibition was significantly lower in the pasteurized milk at every time point beyond T0 (after 2, 4 and 8 h of incubation) (p = 0.0003 for E. coli and p < 0.0001 for S. aureus). Our study shows that pasteurization adversely affects the antibacterial properties of human milk.

40 CFR 1065.150 - Continuous sampling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 32 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Continuous sampling. 1065.150 Section... ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Equipment Specifications § 1065.150 Continuous sampling. You may use continuous sampling techniques for measurements that involve raw or dilute sampling. Make sure continuous sampling...

40 CFR 1065.150 - Continuous sampling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 33 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Continuous sampling. 1065.150 Section... ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Equipment Specifications § 1065.150 Continuous sampling. You may use continuous sampling techniques for measurements that involve raw or dilute sampling. Make sure continuous sampling...

Field measurement and estimate of gaseous and particle pollutant emissions from cooking and space heating processes in rural households, northern China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Yuanchen; Shen, Guofeng; Liu, Weijian; Du, Wei; Su, Shu; Duan, Yonghong; Lin, Nan; Zhuo, Shaojie; Wang, Xilong; Xing, Baoshan; Tao, Shu

2016-01-01

Pollutant emissions into outdoor air from cooking and space heating processes with various solid fuels were measured, and daily household emissions were estimated from the kitchen performance tests. The burning of honeycomb briquette had the lowest emission factors, while the use of wood produced the highest pollutants. Daily emissions from space heating were significantly higher than those from cooking, and the use of honeycomb briquette for cooking and raw coal chunk for space heating reduces 28%, 24% and 25% for CO, PM10 and PM2.5, compared to wood for cooking and peat for space heating. Much higher emissions were observed during the initial phase than the stable phase due to insufficient air supply and lower combustion temperature at the beginning of burning processes. However, more mass percent of fine particles formed in the later high temperature stable burning phase may increase potential inhalation exposure risks.

Raw Milk Consumption: Risks and Benefits.

PubMed

Lucey, John A

2015-07-01

There continues to be considerable public debate on the possible benefits regarding the growing popularity of the consumption of raw milk. However, there are significant concerns by regulatory, or public health, organizations like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention because of risk of contracting milkborne illnesses if the raw milk is contaminated with human pathogens. This review describes why pasteurization of milk was introduced more than 100 years ago, how pasteurization helped to reduce the incidence of illnesses associated with raw milk consumption, and the prevalence of pathogens in raw milk. In some studies, up to a third of all raw milk samples contained pathogens, even when sourced from clinically healthy animals or from milk that appeared to be of good quality. This review critically evaluates some of the popularly suggested benefits of raw milk. Claims related to improved nutrition, prevention of lactose intolerance, or provision of "good" bacteria from the consumption of raw milk have no scientific basis and are myths. There are some epidemiological data that indicate that children growing up in a farming environment are associated with a decreased risk of allergy and asthma; a variety of environmental factors may be involved and there is no direct evidence that raw milk consumption is involved in any "protective" effect.

Composition and protein quality of Lupinus mutabilis.

PubMed

Schoeneberger, H; Gross, R; Cremer, H D; Elmadfa, I

1982-01-01

The chemical composition and the protein quality of three samples of Lupinus mutabilis (a raw, semi-sweet variety; cooked, water-extracted seeds; and alcohol-extracted oil cake) were studied. The protein content varied from 47.7% dry weight (raw seeds) to 65.3% (oil-cake). Compared to the FAO reference pattern sulfur- containing amino acids are first limiting. The water-extracted sample contained 26.9% oil and the polyunsaturated/saturated fatty acid ratio of 30 seed samples was 5.3. Alkaloid content of raw seed was high (3.3%), but could be reduced or nearly eliminated by water-and-alcohol extraction or plant breeding. Other anti-nutritive substances were present only in trace quantities. Protein quality measured as protein efficiency ratio (PER) gave low values for the non-supplemented lupin proteins (1.34 semi-sweet variety; 1.53 water-extracted seeds; 1.19 oil-cake; 3.09 casein), but the PER's were improved by the addition of 0.2% DL-methionine to the diets (3.05, 2.69, 2,81, respectively). Raw as well as processed lupin protein showed an excellent apparent digestibility (80.0-85.8%, casein 87.1%). Studies of net protein utilization (NPU) and biological value (BV) confirmed the importance of methionine supplementation, The true digestibility of 92% was equivalent to that of casein.

Technical note: enumeration of mesophilic aerobes in milk: evaluation of standard official protocols and Petrifilm aerobic count plates.

PubMed

Freitas, R; Nero, L A; Carvalho, A F

2009-07-01

Enumeration of mesophilic aerobes (MA) is the main quality and hygiene parameter for raw and pasteurized milk. High levels of these microorganisms indicate poor conditions in production, storage, and processing of milk, and also the presence of pathogens. Fifteen raw and 15 pasteurized milk samples were submitted for MA enumeration by a conventional plating method (using plate count agar) and Petrifilm Aerobic Count plates (3M, St. Paul, MN), followed by incubation according to 3 official protocols: IDF/ISO (incubation at 30 degrees C for 72 h), American Public Health Association (32 degrees C for 48 h), and Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture (36 degrees C for 48 h). The results were compared by linear regression and ANOVA. Considering the results from conventional methodology, good correlation indices and absence of significant differences between mean counts were observed, independent of type of milk sample (raw or pasteurized) and incubation conditions (IDF/ISO, American Public Health Association, or Ministry of Agriculture). Considering the results from Petrifilm Aerobic Count plates, good correlation indices and absence of significant differences were only observed for raw milk samples. The microbiota of pasteurized milk interfered negatively with the performance of Petrifilm Aerobic Count plates, probably because of the presence of microorganisms that poorly reduce the dye indicator of this system.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Groth, M; Ellis, R; Brooks, N

A video camera system is described that measures the spatial distribution of visible line emission emitted from the main scrape-off layer (SOL) of plasmas in the DIII-D tokamak. A wide-angle lens installed on an equatorial port and an in-vessel mirror which intercepts part of the lens view provide simultaneous tangential views of the SOL on the low-field and high-field sides of the plasma's equatorial plane. Tomographic reconstruction techniques are used to calculate the 2-D poloidal profiles from the raw data, and 1-D poloidal profiles simulating chordal views of other optical diagnostics from the 2-D profiles. The 2-D profiles can bemore » compared with SOL plasma simulations; the 1-D profiles with measurements from spectroscopic diagnostics. Sample results are presented which elucidate carbon transport in plasmas with toroidally uniform injection of methane and argon transport in disruption mitigation experiments with massive gas jet injection.« less

Fluorescent characteristics of estrogenic compounds in landfill leachate.

PubMed

Zhanga, Hua; Changb, Cheng-Hsuan; Lü, Fan; Su, Ay; Lee, Duu-Jong; He, Pin-Jing; Shao, Li-Ming

2009-08-01

Estrogens in landfill leachate could probably contaminate receiving water sources if not properly polished before discharge. This work measured, using an estrogen receptor-alpha competitor screening assay, the estrogenic potentials of leachate samples collected at a local sanitary landfill in Shanghai, China and their compounds fractionated by molecular weights. The chemical structures of the constituent compounds were characterized using fluorescence excitation and emission matrix (EEM). The organic matters of molecular weight <600 Da and of 3000-14,000 Da contributed most of the estrogenic potentials of the raw leachates. The former were considered as the typical endocrine disrupting compounds in dissolved state; while the latter the fulvic acids with high aromaticity that were readily adsorbed with estrogens (bound state). Statistical analysis on EEM peaks revealed that the chemical structures of noted estrogens in dissolved state and in bound state were not identical. Aerobic treatment effectively removed dissolved estrogens, but rarely removed those bound estrogens.

Pathogenic parasites and enteroviruses in wastewater: support for a regulation on water reuse.

PubMed

Hachich, Elayse M; Galvani, Ana T; Padula, Jose A; Stoppe, Nancy C; Garcia, Suzi C; Bonanno, Vilma M S; Barbosa, Mikaela R F; Sato, Maria Inês Z

2013-01-01

Brazilian regulations for nonpotable reuse are being established using World Health Organization guidelines, however, they should be developed based on local monitoring studies. This study intended to analyze enteroviruses, protozoa and viable Ascaris sp. eggs in raw (24) and treated (24) effluents from four Wastewater Treatment Plants of São Paulo State, Brazil. The protozoa were detected with the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) Method 1623 in the treated effluents and by centrifugation/Immunomagnetic Separation in the raw influent samples. Viable Ascaris sp. eggs were analyzed according to a modified USEPA method. Enteroviruses were quantified by using human rhabdomyosarcoma cells after adequate concentration procedures. All wastewater influents were positive for Giardia sp. whereas Cryptosporidium sp. was detected in 58.3% of the samples. Giardia sp. and Cryptosporidium sp. were present in 79.2 and 25.0% respectively, of the treated wastewater samples. Viable Ascaris sp. eggs were detected in 50.0 and 12.5% of influent and treated wastewater samples. Enteroviruses were isolated in the 24 raw influent samples and in 46% of the treated samples. Taking into account the densities of Giardia sp. in some treated wastewaters intended to be used as reclaimed water, Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment studies should be conducted to establish pathogen quantitative criteria for a future Brazilian regulation for water reuse.

Prevalence of Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in raw and treated sewage sludges.

PubMed

Amorós, Inmaculada; Moreno, Yolanda; Reyes, Mariela; Moreno-Mesonero, Laura; Alonso, Jose L

2016-11-01

Treated sludge from wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) is commonly used in agriculture as fertilizers and to amend soils. The most significant health hazard for sewage sludge relates to the wide range of pathogenic microorganisms such as protozoa parasites.The objective of this study was to collect quantitative data on Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts in the treated sludge in wastewater treatment facilities in Spain. Sludge from five WWTPs with different stabilization processes has been analysed for the presence of Cryptosporidium and Giardia in the raw sludge and after the sludge treatment. A composting plant (CP) has also been assessed. After a sedimentation step, sludge samples were processed and (oo)cysts were isolated by immunomagnetic separation (IMS) and detected by immunofluorescence assay (IFA). Results obtained in this study showed that Cryptosporidium oocysts and Giardia cysts were present in 26 of the 30 samples (86.6%) of raw sludge samples. In treated sludge samples, (oo)cysts have been observed in all WWTP's analysed (25 samples) with different stabilization treatment (83.3%). Only in samples from the CP no (oo)cysts were detected. This study provides evidence that (oo)cysts are present in sewage sludge-end products from wastewater treatment processes with the negative consequences for public health.

Frequency, Antimicrobial Resistance and Genetic Diversity of Klebsiella pneumoniae in Food Samples

PubMed Central

Pang, Zhizhao; Qin, Tian; Ren, Hongyu; Pan, Zhuo; Zhou, Jikun

2016-01-01

This study aimed to assess the frequency of Klebsiella pneumoniae in food samples and to detect antibiotic resistance phenotypes, antimicrobial resistance genes and the molecular subtypes of the recovered isolates. A total of 998 food samples were collected, and 99 (9.9%) K. pneumoniae strains were isolated; the frequencies were 8.2% (4/49) in fresh raw seafood, 13.8% (26/188) in fresh raw chicken, 11.4% (34/297) in frozen raw food and 7.5% (35/464) in cooked food samples. Antimicrobial resistance was observed against 16 antimicrobials. The highest resistance rate was observed for ampicillin (92.3%), followed by tetracycline (31.3%), trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (18.2%), and chloramphenicol (10.1%). Two K. pneumoniae strains were identified as extended-spectrum β-lactamase (ESBL)–one strain had three beta-lactamases genes (blaSHV, blaCTX-M-1, and blaCTX-M-10) and one had only the blaSHV gene. Nineteen multidrug-resistant (MDR) strains were detected; the percentage of MDR strains in fresh raw chicken samples was significantly higher than in other sample types (P<0.05). Six of the 18 trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole-resistant strains carried the folate pathway inhibitor gene (dhfr). Four isolates were screened by PCR for quinolone resistance genes; aac(6’)-Ib-cr, qnrB, qnrA and qnrS were detected. In addition, gyrA gene mutations such as T247A (Ser83Ile), C248T (Ser83Phe), and A260C (Asp87Ala) and a parC C240T (Ser80Ile) mutation were identified. Five isolates were screened for aminoglycosides resistance genes; aacA4, aacC2, and aadA1 were detected. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis-based subtyping identified 91 different patterns. Our results indicate that food, especially fresh raw chicken, is a reservoir of antimicrobial-resistant K. pneumoniae, and the potential health risks posed by such strains should not be underestimated. Our results demonstrated high prevalence, antibiotic resistance rate and genetic diversity of K. pneumoniae in food in China. Improved control and prevention strategies are urgently needed. PMID:27078494

Effect of technological processing and preservation method on amino acid content and protein quality in kale (Brassica oleracea L. var. acephala) leaves.

PubMed

Korus, Anna

2012-02-01

The aim of the investigation was to evaluate the level of amino acids and quality of protein in raw and processed kale leaves. In all samples the dominant amino acids in g kg⁻¹ raw matter were glutamic acid, aspartic acid and proline. In raw kale leaves the limiting amino acids were lysine, isoleucine and cystine with methionine, and in the remaining products also valine and leucine. Blanched kale leaves contained 88% of the amino acid content in raw leaves, 76% in cooked leaves, and 69-77% and 71-72% of initial levels in frozen and canned products, respectively. In raw, blanched and cooked leaves essential amino acids comprised 44%, 44% and 47%, respectively, of total amino acids; in frozen and canned leaves the proportions were 46% and 44%, respectively. The essential amino acid index was 97 for canned products, 100-109 for frozen leaves, and 117 for raw kale leaves. Raw and processed (blanched or cooked) kale leaves are a good source of amino acids. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry.

Total arsenic in raw and boiled portions of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) from the central Adriatic Sea.

PubMed

Visciano, Pierina; Perugini, Monia; Manera, Maurizio; Abete, Maria Cesarina; Tarasco, Renata; Salese, Carmine; Amorena, Michele

2013-12-18

The distribution of total arsenic in different portions of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus L., Crustacea) was studied both in fresh samples and after a boiling process. All individuals (n = 80) were selected of medium standard commercial size (13-15 cm). The highest mean concentrations (26.86 ± 1.57 mg/kg wet weight (ww)) were found in the raw brown meat of the crustacean, probably due to its detoxification role, whereas the lowest mean values (15.97 ± 0.85 mg/kg ww) were in the raw exoskeleton. The raw white meat reported mean values of 16.09 ± 0.61 mg/kg ww. The levels of arsenic contamination detected in the boiled portions showed a significant (p < 0.01) decrease compared to the raw portions, as a consequence of solubilization phenomena. In fact, a large amount of arsenic from raw lobsters was transferred to the corresponding boiling broth. In the most commonly consumed portion, the white meat, only slight losses (7.22%) in total arsenic content were observed compared to the raw portion.

Isolation of Yersinia from raw meat (pork and chicken) and precooked meat (porcine tongues and sausages) collected from commercial establishments in Mexico City.

PubMed

Ramírez, E I; Vázquez-Salinas, C; Rodas-Suárez, O R; Pedroche, F F

2000-04-01

A total of 160 meat product samples were collected from commercial outlets in Mexico City to investigate the presence of different species of Yersinia by the 4 degrees C enrichment method after 1, 3, 5, and 7 days of incubation using alkaline treatment and isolating in cefsulodin-Irgasan-novobiocin and MacConkey agars with Tween 80. Overall, Yersinia spp. were isolated from 27% of the samples analyzed, whereas 40% of the raw and only 13% of the precooked samples were contaminated. Although 2,970 colonies showed Yersinia characteristics, only 706 (24%) actually corresponded to this genus: 49% were Yersinia enterocolitica, 25% Yersinia kristensenii, 15% Yersinia intermedia, 9% Yersinia frederiksenii, and 2% Yersinia aldovae; 10% corresponded to biotype 2, 2% to biotype 3, and 4% to biotype 4. The presence of Yersinia in raw and cooked meat products represents a health risk for consumers in Mexico, where further clinical studies are needed to assess the epidemiological importance of this pathogen.

The Ultra-Soft X-ray Background: A Probe of the Hot Interstellar Medium and the Local Bubble - ADP-99

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Smith, Randall

2003-01-01

The Ultra-Soft X-ray Telescope (UXT) was a sounding rocket mission flown three times in 1984 - 1986. At the beginning of the project, the data existed solely in form of raw telemetry data stored on 9 track tapes. The primary goal of this proposal has been to extract event files from the raw telemetry stream and to create instrument response models and calibrated spectra from it. We have completed this project, and the data will soon be available to all via the HEASARC archive of high-energy data at Goddard Space Flight Center. We are in the process of combining the results with the ALEXIS and DXS observations of the Local Bubble in modelling the 72 eV iron line (recently observed by the X-ray Quantum Calorimeter) and the carbon emission lines that are uniquely visible in this dataset. Our results agree with the XQC observation which predicts a maximum emission in the 72 eV iron lines that is below the limit observable with UXT. However, this leaves an open question as to what lines were responsible for the observed Be-band emission. The answer to this question will likely require more observations of soft X-rays with the Chandra LETGS and new atomic data models of potentially emitting ions.

Agronomic and environmental consequences of using liquid mineral concentrates on arable farms.

PubMed

Schils, René L M; Postma, Romke; van Rotterdam, Debby; Zwart, Kor B

2015-12-01

In regions with intensive livestock systems, the processing of manure into liquid mineral concentrates is seen as an option to increase the nutrient use efficiency of manures. The agricultural sector anticipates that these products may in future be regarded as regular mineral fertilisers. We assessed the agronomic suitability and impact on greenhouse gas (GHG) and ammonia emissions of using liquid mineral concentrates on arable farms. The phosphate requirements on arable farms were largely met by raw pig slurry, given its large regional availability. After the initial nutrient input by means of pig slurry, the nitrogen/phosphate ratio of the remaining nutrient crop requirements determined the additional amount of liquid mineral concentrates that can be used. For sandy soils, liquid mineral concentrates could supply 50% of the nitrogen requirement, whereas for clay soils the concentrates did not meet the required nitrogen/phosphate ratio. The total GHG emissions per kg of plant available nitrogen ranged from -65 to 33 kg CO2 -equivalents. It increased in the order digestates < mineral fertiliser < raw slurries. Liquid mineral concentrates had limited added value for arable farms. For an increased suitability it is necessary that liquid mineral concentrates do not contain phosphate and that the nitrogen availability is increased. In the manure-processing chain, anaerobic digestion had a dominant and beneficial effect on GHG emissions. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Comparison of concentration methods for rapid detection of hookworm ova in wastewater matrices using quantitative PCR.

PubMed

Gyawali, P; Ahmed, W; Jagals, P; Sidhu, J P S; Toze, S

2015-12-01

Hookworm infection contributes around 700 million infections worldwide especially in developing nations due to increased use of wastewater for crop production. The effective recovery of hookworm ova from wastewater matrices is difficult due to their low concentrations and heterogeneous distribution. In this study, we compared the recovery rates of (i) four rapid hookworm ova concentration methods from municipal wastewater, and (ii) two concentration methods from sludge samples. Ancylostoma caninum ova were used as surrogate for human hookworm (Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus). Known concentration of A. caninum hookworm ova were seeded into wastewater (treated and raw) and sludge samples collected from two wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Brisbane and Perth, Australia. The A. caninum ova were concentrated from treated and raw wastewater samples using centrifugation (Method A), hollow fiber ultrafiltration (HFUF) (Method B), filtration (Method C) and flotation (Method D) methods. For sludge samples, flotation (Method E) and direct DNA extraction (Method F) methods were used. Among the four methods tested, filtration (Method C) method was able to recover higher concentrations of A. caninum ova consistently from treated wastewater (39-50%) and raw wastewater (7.1-12%) samples collected from both WWTPs. The remaining methods (Methods A, B and D) yielded variable recovery rate ranging from 0.2 to 40% for treated and raw wastewater samples. The recovery rates for sludge samples were poor (0.02-4.7), although, Method F (direct DNA extraction) provided 1-2 orders of magnitude higher recovery rate than Method E (flotation). Based on our results it can be concluded that the recovery rates of hookworm ova from wastewater matrices, especially sludge samples, can be poor and highly variable. Therefore, choice of concentration method is vital for the sensitive detection of hookworm ova in wastewater matrices. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Probabilistic measurement of non-physical constructs during early childhood: Epistemological implications for advancing psychosocial science

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bezruczko, N.; Fatani, S. S.

2010-07-01

Social researchers commonly compute ordinal raw scores and ratings to quantify human aptitudes, attitudes, and abilities but without a clear understanding of their limitations for scientific knowledge. In this research, common ordinal measures were compared to higher order linear (equal interval) scale measures to clarify implications for objectivity, precision, ontological coherence, and meaningfulness. Raw score gains, residualized raw gains, and linear gains calculated with a Rasch model were compared between Time 1 and Time 2 for observations from two early childhood learning assessments. Comparisons show major inconsistencies between ratings and linear gains. When gain distribution was dense, relatively compact, and initial status near item mid-range, linear measures and ratings were indistinguishable. When Time 1 status was distributed more broadly and magnitude of change variable, ratings were unrelated to linear gain, which emphasizes problematic implications of ordinal measures. Surprisingly, residualized gain scores did not significantly improve ordinal measurement of change. In general, raw scores and ratings may be meaningful in specific samples to establish order and high/low rank, but raw score differences suffer from non-uniform units. Even meaningfulness of sample comparisons, as well as derived proportions and percentages, are seriously affected by rank order distortions and should be avoided.

Coagulation effectiveness of graphene oxide for the removal of turbidity from raw surface water.

PubMed

Aboubaraka, Abdelmeguid E; Aboelfetoh, Eman F; Ebeid, El-Zeiny M

2017-08-01

This study presents the performance of graphene oxide (GO) as a coagulant in turbidity removal from naturally and artificially turbid raw surface water. GO is considered an excellent alternative to alum, the more common coagulant used in water treatment processes, to reduce the environmental release of aluminum. Effects of GO dosage, pH, and temperature on its coagulation ability were studied to determine the ideal turbidity removal conditions. The turbidity removal was ≥95% for all levels of turbid raw surface water (20, 100, and 200 NTU) at optimum conditions. The role of alkalinity in inducing turbidity removal by GO coagulation was much more pronounced upon using raw surface water samples compared with that using artificially turbid deionized water samples. Moreover, GO demonstrated high-performance removal of biological contaminants such as algae, heterotrophic bacteria, and fecal coliform bacteria by 99.0%, 98.8% and 96.0%, respectively, at a dosage of 40 mg/L. Concerning the possible environmental release of GO into the treated water following filtration process, there was no residual GO in a wide range of pH values. The outcomes of the study highlight the excellent coagulation performance of GO for the removal of turbidity and biological contaminants from raw surface water. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer HDO/H2O Retrieval Simulator for Climate Models

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Field, R. D.; Risi, C.; Schmidt, G. A.; Worden, J.; Voulgarakis, A.; LeGrande, A. N.; Sobel, A. H.; Healy, R. J.

2012-01-01

Retrievals of the isotopic composition of water vapor from the Aura Tropospheric Emission Spectrometer (TES) have unique value in constraining moist processes in climate models. Accurate comparison between simulated and retrieved values requires that model profiles that would be poorly retrieved are excluded, and that an instrument operator be applied to the remaining profiles. Typically, this is done by sampling model output at satellite measurement points and using the quality flags and averaging kernels from individual retrievals at specific places and times. This approach is not reliable when the model meteorological conditions influencing retrieval sensitivity are different from those observed by the instrument at short time scales, which will be the case for free-running climate simulations. In this study, we describe an alternative, categorical approach to applying the instrument operator, implemented within the NASA GISS ModelE general circulation model. Retrieval quality and averaging kernel structure are predicted empirically from model conditions, rather than obtained from collocated satellite observations. This approach can be used for arbitrary model configurations, and requires no agreement between satellite-retrieved and model meteorology at short time scales. To test this approach, nudged simUlations were conducted using both the retrieval-based and categorical operators. Cloud cover, surface temperature and free-tropospheric moisture content were the most important predictors of retrieval quality and averaging kernel structure. There was good agreement between the D fields after applying the retrieval-based and more detailed categorical operators, with increases of up to 30 over the ocean and decreases of up to 40 over land relative to the raw model fields. The categorical operator performed better over the ocean than over land, and requires further refinement for use outside of the tropics. After applying the TES operator, ModelE had D biases of 8 over ocean and 34 over land compared to TES D, which were less than the biases using raw model D fields.

Longitudinal study on the sources of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in cold-smoked salmon and its processing environment in Italy.

PubMed

Di Ciccio, Pierluigi; Meloni, Domenico; Festino, Anna Rita; Conter, Mauro; Zanardi, Emanuela; Ghidini, Sergio; Vergara, Alberto; Mazzette, Rina; Ianieri, Adriana

2012-08-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate the sources of Listeria monocytogenes contamination in a cold smoked salmon processing environment over a period of six years (2003-2008). A total of 170 samples of raw material, semi-processed, final product and processing surfaces at different production stages were tested for the presence of L. monocytogenes. The L. monocytogenes isolates were characterized by multiplex PCR for the analysis of virulence factors and for serogrouping. The routes of contamination over the six year period were traced by PFGE. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 24% of the raw salmon samples, 14% of the semi-processed products and 12% of the final products. Among the environmental samples, 16% were positive for L. monocytogenes. Serotyping yielded three serovars: 1/2a, 1/2b, 4b, with the majority belonging to serovars 1/2a (46%) and 1/2b (39%). PFGE yielded 14 profiles: two of them were repeatedly isolated in 2005-2006 and in 2007-2008 mainly from the processing environment and final products but also from raw materials. The results of this longitudinal study highlighted that contamination of smoked salmon occurs mainly during processing rather than originating from raw materials, even if raw fish can be a contamination source of the working environment. Molecular subtyping is critical for the identification of the contamination routes of L. monocytogenes and its niches into the production plant when control strategies must be implemented with the aim to reduce its prevalence during manufacturing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A review of the current situation of aflatoxin M1 in cow's milk in Serbia: risk assessment and regulatory aspects.

PubMed

Milićević, Dragan R; Spirić, Danka; Radičević, Tatjana; Velebit, Branko; Stefanović, Srdjan; Milojević, Lazar; Janković, Saša

2017-09-01

The aim of this systematic review is to provide information regarding the incidence and levels of aflatoxin M 1 (AFM 1 ) in raw and heat processed cow's milk in Serbia during 2015-16 and to compare these with collected data on the occurrence of AFM 1 in raw milk and dairy products during the last decade in our region. Estimation of dietary exposure (EDI) and hazard index (HI) calculations for different age groups of the population were also carried out, based on the AFM 1 content of milk samples and on available food consumption data in Serbia. AFM 1 was detected in 69.9% (984/1408) of raw milk samples in 2015 versus 84.9% (3094/3646) in 2016, while in heat-processed milk, AFM 1 was detected in 77.8% (364/468) in 2015 versus 98.5% (753/765) in 2016. On the basis of the obtained results, 450 (9%) of raw and 14 (1.1%) of heat-processed milk samples were contaminated with AFM 1 levels above the maximum permitted level in Serbia (0.25 μg kg -1 ). However, a large percentage of raw and heat processed milk in Serbia (30.1% and 17.3%, respectively) was contaminated with AFM 1 levels above the maximum permitted level regulated in the European Union (0.05 μg kg -1 ). Therefore, in order to protect consumer health, it is extremely important to further control the level of aflatoxins in milk, and this should be considered as a high priority for risk management actions.

Transport of Cryptosporidium parvum Oocysts in Soil Columns following Applications of Raw and Separated Liquid Slurries

PubMed Central

Petersen, Heidi H.; Enemark, Heidi L.; Olsen, Annette; Amin, M. G. Mostofa

2012-01-01

The potential for the transport of viable Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts through soil to land drains and groundwater was studied using simulated rainfall and intact soil columns which were applied raw slurry or separated liquid slurry. Following irrigation and weekly samplings over a 4-week period, C. parvum oocysts were detected from all soil columns regardless of slurry type and application method, although recovery rates were low (<1%). Soil columns with injected liquid slurry leached 73 and 90% more oocysts compared to columns with injected and surface-applied raw slurries, respectively. Among leachate samples containing oocysts, 44/72 samples yielded viable oocysts as determined by a dye permeability assay (DAPI [4′,6′-diamidino-2-phenylindole]/propidium iodide) with the majority (41%) of viable oocysts found in leachate from soil columns with added liquid slurry. The number of viable oocysts was positively correlated (r = 0.63) with the total number of oocysts found. Destructively sampling of the soil columns showed that type of slurry and irrigation played a role in the vertical distribution of oocysts, with more oocysts recovered from soil columns added liquid slurry irrespective of the irrigation status. Further studies are needed to determine the effectiveness of different slurry separation technologies to remove oocysts and other pathogens, as well as whether the application of separated liquid slurry to agricultural land may represent higher risks for groundwater contamination compared to application of raw slurry. PMID:22706058

Changes in the microbial composition of raw milk induced by thermization treatments applied prior to traditional Greek hard cheese processing.

PubMed

Samelis, John; Lianou, Alexandra; Kakouri, Athanasia; Delbès, Céline; Rogelj, Irena; Bogovic-Matijasić, Bojana; Montel, Marie-Christine

2009-04-01

The microbiological quality, safety, and composition of mixtures of ewe's and goat's milk (90:10) used for cheesemaking were evaluated before and after thermization at 60 and 67 degrees C for 30 s. Such mild thermal treatments are commonly applied to reduce natural contaminants of raw milk before processing for traditional hard Greek cheeses. Raw milk samples had an average total bacterial count of 7.3 log CFU/ml; most of these bacteria were lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and pseudomonads. The LAB flora of raw milk was dominated by enterococci (40.8%), followed by lactococci (20.4%), leuconostocs (18.4%), and mesophilic lactobacilli (10.2%). Enterococcus faecalis (30.1%) and Enterococcus faecium (13.7%) were the most common LAB isolates, followed by Enterococcus durans, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, Lactobacillus plantarum, and Leuconostoc lactis. Thermization at 60 degrees C for 30 s was effective for reducing raw milk contamination by enterobacteria (5.1 log CFU/ml), coagulase-positive staphylococci (3.3 log CFU/ml), and Listeria (present in 25-ml samples) to safe levels, but it also reduced mesophilic lactococci, leuconostocs, lactobacilli, and selected enterococci (72.0%) in thermized milk. Thermization at 67 degrees C for 30 s had a major inactivation effect on all bacterial groups. Two nisin-producing L. lactis subsp. lactis strains (M78 and M104) were isolated from raw milk, but neither nisin-producing nor other bacteriocin-producing LAB strains were isolated from thermized milk. Thus, thermization treatments control harmful bacteria but also may have a negative impact on milk quality by reducing desirable LAB and the biodiversity of raw milk bacteria overall, inactivating potentially protective LAB strains and enhancing the ability of potentially pathogenic enterococci to grow in fresh cheese curds.

Chemical and thermal studies on esterification of EDTA with raw cellulose and mercerized cellulose EFB

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Azamkamal, Fatihah; Zakaria, Sarani; Gan, Sinyee; Kaco, Hatika

2018-04-01

Oil palm empty fruit bunch fibre (EFB) was bleached using four stages bleaching sequences (DEED) where D was a bleaching process composed of 1.7 wt% NaClO2 and buffer solution while E was composed of NaOH solution. Raw cellulose and mercerized cellulose which treated with 3.5 N sodium hydroxide were used as a raw material for esterification with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and enhancement with acetic acid. The samples of raw cellulose and mercerized cellulose were observed using optical microscope. The thermal properties of raw cellulose and mercerized cellulose esterified with EDTA were studied. The effect of mercerized cellulose on esterification process of EDTA was investigated. The studies suggested that the mercerization process affect the thermal stability of the cellulose. The transmittance of FTIR band showed that raw cellulose gave better esterification product compared to mercerized cellulose. Hence, the mercerization process of cellulose does not improve the esterification of cellulose with EDTA.

Bioactive β-carbolines norharman and harman in traditional and novel raw materials for chicory coffee.

PubMed

Wojtowicz, Elżbieta; Zawirska-Wojtasiak, Renata; Przygoński, Krzysztof; Mildner-Szkudlarz, Sylwia

2015-05-15

The β-carboline compounds norharman and harman exhibit neuroactive activity in the human body. Chicory coffee has proved to be a source of β-carboline compounds. This study assessed the norharman and harman contents of traditional and novel raw materials for the production of chicory coffee, as well as in samples of chicory coffee with novel additives. The highest content of the β-carbolines among the traditional raw materials was recorded in roasted sugar beet (2.26 μg/g), while roasting the chicory caused a 25-fold increase in the content of norharman in this raw material (from 0.05 to 1.25 μg/g). In novel raw materials not subjected to the action of high temperature, β-carboline was not detected. Among the roasted novel raw materials, the highest contents of harman and norharman were found in artichokes. High harman levels were also recorded in roasted chokeberry. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

40 CFR 1065.245 - Sample flow meter for batch sampling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Measurement Instruments Flow-Related Measurements § 1065.245... difference between a diluted exhaust sample flow meter and a dilution air meter to calculate raw exhaust flow...

40 CFR 1065.245 - Sample flow meter for batch sampling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Measurement Instruments Flow-Related Measurements § 1065.245... difference between a diluted exhaust sample flow meter and a dilution air meter to calculate raw exhaust flow...

40 CFR 1065.245 - Sample flow meter for batch sampling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Measurement Instruments Flow-Related Measurements § 1065.245... difference between a diluted exhaust sample flow meter and a dilution air meter to calculate raw exhaust flow...

40 CFR 1065.245 - Sample flow meter for batch sampling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... POLLUTION CONTROLS ENGINE-TESTING PROCEDURES Measurement Instruments Flow-Related Measurements § 1065.245... difference between a diluted exhaust sample flow meter and a dilution air meter to calculate raw exhaust flow...

Microbiological contamination in peanut confectionery processing plants.

PubMed

Carminati, J de A; Amorim Neto, D P; Morishita, K N; Takano, L V; Olivier Bernardi, A; Copetti, M V; do Nascimento, M da S

2016-10-01

In order to investigate Enterobacteriaceae, coliforms, Escherichia coli and Salmonella contamination, a survey was conducted at three peanut confectionery processing companies (A, B and C) in Brazil. Samples of different peanut confectionery products (n = 59), peanut raw material (n = 30), manufacturing environment (n = 116) and workers' hand surfaces (n = 12) were analysed. Salmonella and E. coli were not detected in any final product or raw material analysed. Enterobacteriaceae was isolated from 15% of final products. Coliforms were detected in only one sample. Referring to the raw material, six samples showed contamination by Enterobacteriaceae and three samples by coliforms. For the process environment, 19% and 11% of samples presented Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms. Escherichia coli was detected in 5% of samples, and one of these samples tested positive for Salmonella; this strain was serotyping as S. Heidelberg. All food handlers surveyed in Company C showed Enterobacteriaceae and coliforms on their hands. Escherichia coli was isolated from one food worker's hand. The results showed that the manufacturing environment, including food handlers were considered the main sources for possible contamination of peanut confectionery products. This has been the first study to investigate the occurrence of Salmonella and other Enterobacteriaceae throughout peanut confectionery processing lines. The results might be used to assist risk assessment studies and to establish more effective control measures. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Impacts of Seasonal Housing and Teat Preparation on Raw Milk Microbiota: a High-Throughput Sequencing Study.

PubMed

Doyle, Conor J; Gleeson, David; O'Toole, Paul W; Cotter, Paul D

2017-01-15

In pasture-based systems, changes in dairy herd habitat due to seasonality results in the exposure of animals to different environmental niches. These niches contain distinct microbial communities that may be transferred to raw milk, with potentially important food quality and safety implications for milk producers. It is postulated that the extent to which these microorganisms are transferred could be limited by the inclusion of a teat preparation step prior to milking. High-throughput sequencing on a variety of microbial niches on farms was used to study the patterns of microbial movement through the dairy production chain and, in the process, to investigate the impact of seasonal housing and the inclusion/exclusion of a teat preparation regime on the raw milk microbiota from the same herd over two sampling periods, i.e., indoor and outdoor. Beta diversity and network analyses showed that environmental and milk microbiotas separated depending on whether they were sourced from an indoor or outdoor environment. Within these respective habitats, similarities between the milk microbiota and that of teat swab samples and, to a lesser extent, fecal samples were apparent. Indeed, SourceTracker identified the teat surface as the most significant source of contamination, with herd feces being the next most prevalent source of contamination. In milk from cows grazing outdoors, teat prep significantly increased the numbers of total bacteria present. In summary, sequence-based microbiota analysis identified possible sources of raw milk contamination and highlighted the influence of environment and farm management practices on the raw milk microbiota. The composition of the raw milk microbiota is an important consideration from both a spoilage perspective and a food safety perspective and has implications for milk targeted for direct consumption and for downstream processing. Factors that influence contamination have been examined previously, primarily through the use of culture-based techniques. We describe here the extensive application of high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies to study the relationship between the milk production environment and the raw milk microbiota. The results show that the environment in which the herd was kept was the primary driver of the composition of the milk microbiota composition. Copyright © 2016 American Society for Microbiology.

Impacts of Seasonal Housing and Teat Preparation on Raw Milk Microbiota: a High-Throughput Sequencing Study

PubMed Central

Doyle, Conor J.; Gleeson, David; O'Toole, Paul W.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT In pasture-based systems, changes in dairy herd habitat due to seasonality results in the exposure of animals to different environmental niches. These niches contain distinct microbial communities that may be transferred to raw milk, with potentially important food quality and safety implications for milk producers. It is postulated that the extent to which these microorganisms are transferred could be limited by the inclusion of a teat preparation step prior to milking. High-throughput sequencing on a variety of microbial niches on farms was used to study the patterns of microbial movement through the dairy production chain and, in the process, to investigate the impact of seasonal housing and the inclusion/exclusion of a teat preparation regime on the raw milk microbiota from the same herd over two sampling periods, i.e., indoor and outdoor. Beta diversity and network analyses showed that environmental and milk microbiotas separated depending on whether they were sourced from an indoor or outdoor environment. Within these respective habitats, similarities between the milk microbiota and that of teat swab samples and, to a lesser extent, fecal samples were apparent. Indeed, SourceTracker identified the teat surface as the most significant source of contamination, with herd feces being the next most prevalent source of contamination. In milk from cows grazing outdoors, teat prep significantly increased the numbers of total bacteria present. In summary, sequence-based microbiota analysis identified possible sources of raw milk contamination and highlighted the influence of environment and farm management practices on the raw milk microbiota. IMPORTANCE The composition of the raw milk microbiota is an important consideration from both a spoilage perspective and a food safety perspective and has implications for milk targeted for direct consumption and for downstream processing. Factors that influence contamination have been examined previously, primarily through the use of culture-based techniques. We describe here the extensive application of high-throughput DNA sequencing technologies to study the relationship between the milk production environment and the raw milk microbiota. The results show that the environment in which the herd was kept was the primary driver of the composition of the milk microbiota composition. PMID:27815277

Temperature gradient scale length measurement: A high accuracy application of electron cyclotron emission without calibration

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Houshmandyar, S., E-mail: houshmandyar@austin.utexas.edu; Phillips, P. E.; Rowan, W. L.

2016-11-15

Calibration is a crucial procedure in electron temperature (T{sub e}) inference from a typical electron cyclotron emission (ECE) diagnostic on tokamaks. Although the calibration provides an important multiplying factor for an individual ECE channel, the parameter ΔT{sub e}/T{sub e} is independent of any calibration. Since an ECE channel measures the cyclotron emission for a particular flux surface, a non-perturbing change in toroidal magnetic field changes the view of that channel. Hence the calibration-free parameter is a measure of T{sub e} gradient. B{sub T}-jog technique is presented here which employs the parameter and the raw ECE signals for direct measurement ofmore » electron temperature gradient scale length.« less

40 CFR 60.435 - Test methods and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... of any affected facility using solvent-borne ink systems shall determine the VOC content of the raw inks and related coatings used at the affected facility by: (1) Analysis using Method 24A of routine weekly samples of raw ink and related coatings in each respective storage tank; or (2) Analysis using...

40 CFR 60.435 - Test methods and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... of any affected facility using solvent-borne ink systems shall determine the VOC content of the raw inks and related coatings used at the affected facility by: (1) Analysis using Method 24A of routine weekly samples of raw ink and related coatings in each respective storage tank; or (2) Analysis using...

40 CFR 60.435 - Test methods and procedures.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... of any affected facility using solvent-borne ink systems shall determine the VOC content of the raw inks and related coatings used at the affected facility by: (1) Analysis using Method 24A of routine weekly samples of raw ink and related coatings in each respective storage tank; or (2) Analysis using...

Variation in monoterpene content among geographic sources of eastern white pine

Treesearch

A.R. Gilmore; J.J. Jokela

1977-01-01

Variations of monoterpenes in cortical oleoresins and foliar samples were determined for seed from 16 provenances of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.). The experiment was analyzed using the "raw" and the arcsine "transformed" data. Alpha-pinene, camphene, and β-pinene varied between seed sources when "raw" data were analyzed...

Heat Pipes Reduce Engine-Exhaust Emissions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schultz, D. F.

1986-01-01

Increased fuel vaporization raises engine efficiency. Heat-pipe technology increased efficiency of heat transfer beyond that obtained by metallic conduction. Resulted in both improved engine operation and reduction in fuel consumption. Raw material conservation through reduced dependence on strategic materials also benefit from this type of heat-pipe technology. Applications result in improved engine performance and cleaner environment.

40 CFR 63.1340 - What parts of my plant does this subpart cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... CATEGORIES National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From the Portland Cement Manufacturing... subpart apply to each new and existing portland cement plant which is a major source or an area source as... this part; (2) Each clinker cooler at any portland cement plant; (3) Each raw mill at any portland...

40 CFR 63.1340 - What parts of my plant does this subpart cover?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... CATEGORIES National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From the Portland Cement Manufacturing... subpart apply to each new and existing portland cement plant which is a major source or an area source as... this part; (2) Each clinker cooler at any portland cement plant; (3) Each raw mill at any portland...

LOWLY CHLORINATED DIBENZODIOXINS AS TEQ INDICATORS. A COMBINED APPROACH USING SPECTROSCOPIC MEASUREMENTS WITH DLR JET-REMPI AND STATISTICAL CORRELATIONS WITH WASTE COMBUSTOR EMISSIONS

EPA Science Inventory

Continuous monitoring of trace gas species in incineration processes can serve two purposes: (i) monitoring precursors of polychlorinated dibenzodioxin and polychlorinated dibenzofuran (PCDD/F) or other indicator species in the raw gas will enable use of their on-line signals for...

40 CFR 63.1340 - Applicability and designation of affected sources.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... CATEGORIES National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants From the Portland Cement Manufacturing... portland cement plant which is a major source or an area source as defined in § 63.2. (b) The affected... portland cement plant which is a major source; (3) Each raw mill at any portland cement plant which is a...

Emission characteristics for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons from solid fuels burned in domestic stoves in rural China

PubMed Central

SHEN, Guofeng; TAO, Shu; Chen, Yuanchen; Zhang, Yanyan; Wei, Siye; Xue, Miao; Wang, Bin; WANG, Rong; LV, Yan; LI, Wei; SHEN, Huizhong; HUANG, Ye; CHEN, Han

2014-01-01

Emission characterization of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) from residential combustion of crop residues, woody material, coal, and biomass pellets in domestic stoves in rural China are compared in term of emission factors (EFs), influencing factors, composition profiles, isomer ratios and phase distributions. The EFs of PAHs vary by two orders of magnitude among fuel types suggesting that a detailed fuel categorization is useful in the development of an emission inventory and potential in emission abatement of PAHs by replacing dirty fuels with relatively cleaner ones. The influence of fuel moisture in biomass burning is non-linear. Biofuels with very low moisture display relatively high emissions as do fuels with very high moisture. Bituminous coals and brushwood yield relatively large fractions of high molecular PAHs. The emission factor of Benzo(a)pyrene equivalent quantity for raw bituminous coal is as high as 52 mg/kg, which is 1–2 orders of magnitude higher than the other fuels. For source diagnosis, high molecular weight isomers are more informative than low molecular weight ones and multiple ratios could be used together whenever possible. PMID:24245776

Open Source Software Tool Skyline Reaches Key Agreement with Mass Spectrometer Vendors | Office of Cancer Clinical Proteomics Research

Cancer.gov

The full proteomics analysis of a small tumor sample (similar in mass to a few grains of rice) produces well over 500 megabytes of unprocessed "raw" data when analyzed on a mass spectrometer (MS). Thus, for every proteomics experiment there is a vast amount of raw data that must be analyzed and interrogated in order to extract biological information. Moreover, the raw data output from different MS vendors are generally in different formats inhibiting the ability of labs to productively work together.

Preparation, characterization and properties of ZnO nanomaterials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luo, Jiaolian; Zhang, Xiaoming; Chen, Ruxue; Wang, Xiaohui; Zhu, Ji; Wang, Xiaomin

2017-06-01

In this paper, using the hydrothermal synthesis method, NaOH, Zn(NO3)2, anhydrous ethanol, deionized water as raw material to prepare ZnO nanomaterial, and by X ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) on the synthesis of nano materials, surface morphology and phase luminescence characterization. The results show that the nano materials synthesized for single-phase ZnO, belonging to the six wurtzite structure; material surface shaped, arranged evenly distributed, and were the top six party structure; ZnO nano materials synthesized with strong emission spectra, emission peak is located at 394nm.

A high-resolution regional emission inventory of atmospheric mercury and its comparison with multi-scale inventories: a case study of Jiangsu, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhong, Hui; Zhao, Yu; Muntean, Marilena; Zhang, Lei; Zhang, Jie

2016-12-01

A better understanding of the discrepancies in multi-scale inventories could give an insight into their approaches and limitations as well as provide indications for further improvements; international, national, and plant-by-plant data are primarily obtained to compile those inventories. In this study we develop a high-resolution inventory of Hg emissions at 0.05° × 0.05° for Jiangsu, China, using a bottom-up approach and then compare the results with available global/national inventories. With detailed information on individual sources and the updated emission factors from field measurements applied, the annual Hg emissions of anthropogenic origin in Jiangsu in 2010 are estimated at 39 105 kg, of which 51, 47, and 2 % were Hg0, Hg2+, and Hgp, respectively. This provincial inventory is thoroughly compared to three downscaled national inventories (NJU, THU, and BNU) and two global ones (AMAP/UNEP and EDGARv4.tox2). Attributed to varied methods and data sources, clear information gaps exist in multi-scale inventories, leading to differences in the emission levels, speciation, and spatial distributions of atmospheric Hg. The total emissions in the provincial inventory are 28, 7, 19, 22, and 70 % larger than NJU, THU, BNU, AMAP/UNEP, and EDGARv4.tox2, respectively. For major sectors, including power generation, cement, iron and steel, and other coal combustion, the Hg contents (HgC) in coals/raw materials, abatement rates of air pollution control devices (APCDs) and activity levels are identified as the crucial parameters responsible for the differences in estimated emissions between inventories. Regarding speciated emissions, a larger fraction of Hg2+ is found in the provincial inventory than national and global inventories, resulting mainly from the results by the most recent domestic studies in which enhanced Hg2+ were measured for cement and iron and steel plants. Inconsistent information on large power and industrial plants is the main source of differences in spatial distribution of emissions between the provincial and other inventories, particularly in southern and northwestern Jiangsu, where intensive coal combustion and industry are located. Quantified with Monte Carlo simulation, uncertainties in the provincial inventory are smaller than those of the NJU national inventory, resulting mainly from the more accurate activity data of individual plants and the reduced uncertainties in HgC in coals/raw materials.

Gaseous emissions from sewage sludge combustion in a moving bed combustor.

PubMed

Batistella, Luciane; Silva, Valdemar; Suzin, Renato C; Virmond, Elaine; Althoff, Chrtistine A; Moreira, Regina F P M; José, Humberto J

2015-12-01

Substantial increase in sewage sludge generation in recent years requires suitable destination for this residue. This study evaluated the gaseous emissions generated during combustion of an aerobic sewage sludge in a pilot scale moving bed reactor. To utilize the heat generated during combustion, the exhaust gas was applied to the raw sludge drying process. The gaseous emissions were analyzed both after the combustion and drying steps. The results of the sewage sludge characterization showed the energy potential of this residue (LHV equal to 14.5 MJ kg(-1), db) and low concentration of metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDD) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDF). The concentration of CO, NOx, BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes) emitted from the sludge combustion process were lower than the legal limits. The overall sludge combustion and drying process showed low emissions of PCDD/PCDF (0.42 ng I-TEQ N m(-3)). BTEX and PAH emissions were not detected. Even with the high nitrogen concentration in the raw feed (5.88% db), the sludge combustion process presented NOx emissions below the legal limit, which results from the combination of appropriate feed rate (A/F ratio), excess air, and mainly the low temperature kept inside the combustion chamber. It was found that the level of CO emissions from the overall sludge process depends on the dryer operating conditions, such as the oxygen content and the drying temperature, which have to be controlled throughout the process in order to achieve low CO levels. The aerobic sewage sludge combustion process generated high SO2 concentration due to the high sulfur content (0.67 wt%, db) and low calcium concentration (22.99 g kg(-1)) found in the sludge. The high concentration of SO2 in the flue gas (4776.77 mg N m(-3)) is the main factor inhibiting PCDD/PCDF formation. Further changes are needed in the pilot plant scheme to reduce SO2 and particulate matter emissions, such as the installation of exhaust gas-cleaning systems. According to previous studies, the efficient operation of such cleaning systems is also effective for metals emission control, which makes the combustion of sewage sludge a feasible treatment method from both energetic and environmental perspectives. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Validating Mobile Electroencephalographic Systems for Integration into the PhyCORE and Application in Clinical Settings

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-09-26

placement. The preamplifier mounted on top of the headset samples EEG signals at 300 Hz; it then transmits the raw EEG data via Bluetooth ® to a data...The preamplifier mounted on the back of the headset samples EEG signals at 256 Hz and then transmits the raw EEG data via Bluetooth ® to a data...electrooculography. The batteries will last 6 hours using Bluetooth ® or 16 hours if data are recorded directly onto a secure digital card. A three-axis

Guidelines for sample collecting and analytical methods used in the U.S. Geological Survey for determining chemical composition of coal

USGS Publications Warehouse

Swanson, Vernon Emanuel; Huffman, Claude

1976-01-01

This report is intended to meet the many requests for information on current U.S. Geological Survey procedures in handling coal samples. In general, the exact type and number of samples of coal and associated rock to be collected are left to the best judgment of the geologist. Samples should be of unweathered coal or rock and representative of the bed or beds sampled; it is recommended that two channel samples, separated by 10 to 100 yards (10 to 100 metres) and weighing 4 to 5 pounds ( 1.8 to 2.3 kilograms) each, be collected of each 5 feet ( 1.5 metres) of vertical section. Care must be taken to avoid any sample contamination, and to record the exact locality, thickness, and stratigraphic information for each sample. Analytical methods are described for the determination of major, minor, and trace elements in coal. Hg, As, Sb, F, Se, U, and Th are determined in the raw coal, and the following 34 elements are determined after ashing the coal: Si, Al, Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe (total), Cl, Ti, Mn, P, S (total), Cd, Li, Cu, Zn, Pb, B, Ba, Be, Co, Cr, Ga, La, Mo, Nb, Ni, Sc, Sr, Ti, V, Y, Yb, and Zr. The methods used to determine these elements include atomic absorption spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, optical emission spectroscopy, spectrophotometry, selective-ion electrode, and neutron activation analysis. A split of representative coal samples is submitted to the U.S. Bureau of Mines for proximate, ultimate, forms of sulfur, and Btu determinations.

Effect of domestic cooking on the starch digestibility, predicted glycemic indices, polyphenol contents and alpha amylase inhibitory properties of beans (Phaseolis vulgaris) and breadfruit (Treculia africana).

PubMed

Chinedum, E; Sanni, S; Theressa, N; Ebere, A

2018-01-01

The effect of processing on starch digestibility, predicted glycemic indices (pGI), polyphenol contents and alpha amylase inhibitory properties of beans (Phaseolis vulgaris) and breadfruit (Treculia africana) was studied. Total starch ranged from 4.3 to 68.3g/100g, digestible starch ranged from 4.3 to 59.2 to 65.7g/100g for the raw and processed legumes; Resistance starch was not detected in most of the legumes except in fried breadfruit and the starches in both the raw and processed breadfruit were more rapidly digested than those from raw and cooked beans. Raw and processed breadfruit had higher hydrolysis curves than raw and processed beans with the amylolysis level in raw breadfruit close to that of white bread. Raw beans had a low glycemic index (GI); boiled beans and breadfruit had intermediate glycemic indices respectively while raw and fried breadfruit had high glycemic indices. Aqueous extracts of the food samples had weak α-amylase inhibition compared to acarbose. The raw and processed legumes contained considerable amounts of dietary phenols and flavonoids. The significant correlation (r=0.626) between α-amylase inhibitory actions of the legumes versus their total phenolic contents suggests the contribution of the phenolic compounds in these legumes to their α-amylase inhibitory properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phosphate removal from aqueous solutions using raw and activated red mud and fly ash.

PubMed

Li, Yanzhong; Liu, Changjun; Luan, Zhaokun; Peng, Xianjia; Zhu, Chunlei; Chen, Zhaoyang; Zhang, Zhongguo; Fan, Jinghua; Jia, Zhiping

2006-09-01

The effect of acidification and heat treatment of raw red mud (RM) and fly ash (FA) on the sorption of phosphate was studied in parallel experiments. The result shows that a higher efficiency of phosphate removal was acquired by the activated samples than by the raw ones. The sample prepared by using the RM stirred with 0.25 M HCl for 2h (RM0.25), as well as another sample prepared by heating the RM at 700 degrees C for 2h (RM700), registered the maximum removal of phosphate (99% removal of phosphate). This occurred when they were used in the phosphate sorption studies conducted at pH 7.0 and 25 degrees C with the initial PO(4)(3-) concentration of 155 mg P/l. The FA samples treated in the same way described above can achieve 7.0 and 8.2 mg P/l phosphate removal for FA0.25 and FA700 respectively, corresponding to 45.2% and 52.9% removal. The activated materials performed higher phosphate removal over broader pH range compared with the raw ones. The influences of various factors, such as initial pH and initial phosphate concentration on the sorption capacity were also studied in batch equilibration technique. Solution pH significantly influenced the sorption. Each sample achieved the maximal removal of phosphate at pH 7.0. The amount of phosphate removal increased with the solute concentration. The Freundlich and Langmuir models were used to simulate the sorption equilibrium. The results indicate that the Langmuir model has a better correlation with the experimental data than the Freundlich model.

Prevalence, characterization and sources of Listeria monocytogenes in blue crab (Callinectus sapidus) meat and blue crab processing plants.

PubMed

Pagadala, Sivaranjani; Parveen, Salina; Rippen, Thomas; Luchansky, John B; Call, Jeffrey E; Tamplin, Mark L; Porto-Fett, Anna C S

2012-09-01

Seven blue crab processing plants were sampled to determine the prevalence and sources of Listeria spp. and Listeria monocytogenes for two years (2006-2007). A total of 488 raw crabs, 624 cooked crab meat (crab meat) and 624 environmental samples were tested by standard methods. Presumptive Listeria spp. were isolated from 19.5% of raw crabs, 10.8% of crab meat, and 69.5% of environmental samples. L. monocytogenes was isolated from 4.5% of raw crabs, 0.2% of crab meat, and 2.1% of environmental samples. Ninety-seven percent of the isolates were resistant to at least one of the ten antibiotics tested. Eight different serotypes were found among 76 L. monocytogenes isolates tested with the most common being 4b, 1/2b and 1/2a. Automated EcoRI ribotyping differentiated 11 ribotypes among the 106 L. monocytogenes isolates. Based on ribotyping analysis, the distribution of the ribotypes in each processing plant had a unique contamination pattern. A total of 92 ApaI and 88 AscI pulsotypes among the 106 L. monocytogenes isolates were found and distinct pulsotypes were observed in raw crab, crab meat and environmental samples. Ribotypes and serotypes recovered from crab processing plants included subtypes that have been associated with listeriosis cases in other food outbreaks. Our findings suggest that molecular methods may provide critical information about sources of L. monocytogenes in crab processing plants and will augment efforts to improve food safety control strategies such as targeting specific sources of contamination and use of aggressive detergents prior to sanitizing. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern of E. coli O157:H7 Isolated from Traditionally Marketed Raw Cow Milk in and around Asosa Town, Western Ethiopia.

PubMed

Disassa, Nigatu; Sibhat, Berhanu; Mengistu, Shimelis; Muktar, Yimer; Belina, Dinaol

2017-01-01

A cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2014 to July 2015 to determine the prevalence and populations of E. coli as well as the prevalence and antimicrobial susceptibility of E. coli O157:H7 isolated from raw milk. Biochemical and serological tests methods were used to confirm E. coli and E. coli O157:H7 and isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility test using the agar disc diffusion method. Out of 380 raw milk samples examined, 129 (33.9%) and 11 (2.9%) were contaminated with E. coli and E. coli O157:H7, respectively. The highest prevalence was recorded in samples obtained from vendors (39.1%, 4.978 ± 0.180 log 10 /ml) compared with samples from farmers (28.1%, 3.93 ± 0.01 log 10 /ml) with significant differences ( P = 0.02). The frequency of contamination was higher in the samples collected from milk that was stored and transported in plastic containers (39.4%) than in the containers made of stainless steel (23.0%) ( P = 0.002). The antimicrobial susceptibility profile showed that E. coli O157:H7 were resistant to tetracycline (81.8%), streptomycin (81.8%), and kanamycin (63.6%). Milk samples were produced and handled under poor hygienic conditions, stored, and transported in inappropriate containers and under temperature abuse conditions leading to high health risk to the consumers. Additional studies would be needed to establish association between the occurrences of E. coli O157:H7 in raw milk and all the risk factors involved in and around Asosa town.

Chemical and toxicological characterization of residential oil burner emissions: I. Yields and chemical characterization of extractables from combustion of No. 2 fuel oil at different Bacharach Smoke Numbers and firing cycles.

PubMed Central

Leary, J A; Biemann, K; Lafleur, A L; Kruzel, E L; Prado, G P; Longwell, J P; Peters, W A

1987-01-01

Particulates and complex organic mixtures were sampled from the exhaust of a flame retention head residential oil burner combusting No. 2 fuel oil at three firing conditions: continuous at Bacharach Smoke No. 1, and cyclic (5 min on, 10 min off) at Smoke Nos. 1 and 5. The complex mixtures were recovered by successive Soxhlet extraction of filtered particulates and XAD-2 sorbent resin with methylene chloride (DCM) and then methanol (MeOH). Bacterial mutagenicity [see Paper II (8)] was found in the DCM extractables. Samples of DCM extracts from the two cyclic firing conditions and of the raw fuel were separated by gravity column chromatography on alumina. The resulting fractions were further characterized by a range of instrumental methods. Average yields of both unextracted particulates and of DCM extractables, normalized to a basis of per unit weight of fuel fired, were lower for continuous firing than for cyclic firing. For cyclic firing, decreasing the smoke number lowered the particulates emissions but only slightly reduced the average yield of DCM extractables. These and similar observations, here reported for two other oil burners, show that adjusting the burner to a lower smoke number has little effect on, or may actually increase, emissions of organic extractables of potential public health interest. Modifications of the burner firing cycle aimed at approaching continuous operation offer promise for reducing the amount of complex organic emissions. Unburned fuel accounted for roughly half of the DCM extractables from cyclic firing of the flame retention head burner at high and low smoke number. Large (i.e., greater than 3 ring) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) were not observed in the DCM extractables from cyclic firing. However, nitroaromatics, typified by alkylated nitronaphthalenes, alkyl-nitrobiphenyls, and alkyl-nitrophenanthrenes were found in a minor subfraction containing a significant portion of the total mutagenic activity of the cyclic low smoke samples (8). Oxygen-containing PAH, typified by phenalene-1-one and its alkyl derivatives, are important mutagens from cyclic firing at high smoke conditions. Thus, oil burner effluents differ markedly from those of several other combustors, including the automotive diesel engine, where multiring PAH, typified by fluoranthene and alkylated phenanthrenes, account for a significant portion of the effluent mutagenicity. Implications for combustion and emissions source identification are discussed. PMID:3665865

Prevalence and antibiotic resistance of Enterococcus spp. isolated from retail cheese, ready-to-eat salads, ham, and raw meat.

PubMed

Pesavento, G; Calonico, C; Ducci, B; Magnanini, A; Lo Nostro, A

2014-08-01

Food specimens were analyzed in order to research Enterococcus spp.: 636 samples of raw meat (227 beef, 238 poultry, and 171 pork), 278 samples of cheese (110 fresh soft cheese and 168 mozzarella cheese), 214 samples of ready-to-eat salads, and 187 samples of ham. 312 strains of Enterococcus spp samples were isolated, then identified and submitted to susceptibility tests against 11 antimicrobial agents. The predominant species were Enterococcus faecalis in raw meat and Enterococcus faecium in retail products. Low percentages of microorganisms were resistant to vancomycin (3.53%), teicoplanin (2.24%), linezolid (0.32%), and amoxicillin in combination with clavulanic acid (0.32%). A high percentage of resistance was noted in E. faecalis at high level gentamicin (21.9%) and tetracycline (60.6%). In general, strains of E. faecalis were more resistant than E. faecium. Enterococci should be considered not only potential pathogens, but also a reservoir of genes encoding antibiotic resistance which can be transferred to other microorganisms. Continuous monitoring of their incidence and emerging resistance is important in order to identify foods which potentially represent a real risk to the population, and to ensure effective treatment of human enterococcal infections. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Revised radiometric calibration technique for LANDSAT-4 Thematic Mapper data by the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Murphy, J.; Butlin, T.; Duff, P.; Fitzgerald, A.

1984-01-01

Observations of raw image data, raw radiometric calibration data, and background measurements extracted from the raw data streams on high density tape reveal major shortcomings in a technique proposed by the Canadian Center for Remote Sensing in 1982 for the radiometric correction of TM data. Results are presented which correlate measurements of the DC background with variations in both image data background and calibration samples. The effect on both raw data and data corrected using the earlier proposed technique is explained and the correction required for these factors as a function of individual scan line number for each detector is described. How the revised technique can be incorporated into an operational environment is demonstrated.

Freezing and thawing effects on fat, protein, and lactose levels of human natural milk administered by gavage and continuous infusion.

PubMed

Abranches, Andrea D; Soares, Fernanda V M; Junior, Saint-Clair G; Moreira, Maria Elisabeth L

2014-01-01

to analyze the changes in human milk macronutrients: fat, protein, and lactose in natural human milk (raw), frozen and thawed, after administration simulation by gavage and continuous infusion. an experimental study was performed with 34 human milk samples. The infrared spectrophotometry using the infrared analysis equipment MilkoScan Minor® (Foss, Denmark) equipment was used to analyze the macronutrients in human milk during the study phases. The analyses were performed in natural (raw) samples and after freezing and fast thawing following two steps: gavage and continuous infusion. The non-parametric Wilcoxon test for paired samples was used for the statistical analysis. the fat content was significantly reduced after administration by continuous infusion (p<0.001) during administration of both raw and thawed samples. No changes in protein and lactose content were observed between the two forms of infusion. However, the thawing process significantly increased the levels of lactose and milk protein. the route of administration by continuous infusion showed the greatest influence on fat loss among all the processes required for human milk administration. Copyright © 2014 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of volatile aldehydes as discriminating parameters in quality vinegars with protected European geographical indication.

PubMed

Durán-Guerrero, Enrique; Chinnici, Fabio; Natali, Nadia; Riponi, Claudio

2015-09-01

Thirty-six high-quality vinegars with geographical indication belonging to Sherry and Modena areas (vinegars of Jerez, balsamic vinegars of Modena and traditional balsamic vinegars of Modena) with all possible aging periods were analyzed to determine the content of volatile aldehydes. A solid-phase extraction method with in-cartridge derivatization using O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine followed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was employed. Twenty-two volatile aldehydes were identified and determined in the samples. Analysis of variance provided significant differences among the samples as a function of the type of vinegar, aging time and raw material. Principal component analysis and linear discriminant analysis demonstrated the possibility of discriminating the samples in terms of aging time and raw material. Linear aldehydes and compounds such as furfural, methional, nonenal, hexenal, 2-methylbutanal and i-butyraldehyde were the most significant variables able to discriminate the samples. Aldehyde content of premium quality vinegars is a function of both ageing time and raw material. Their evaluation could be a useful tool with a view to ascertaining vinegar origin and genuineness. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Prevalence of Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli, and Salmonella serovars in retail chicken, turkey, pork, and beef from the Greater Washington, D.C., area.

PubMed

Zhao, C; Ge, B; De Villena, J; Sudler, R; Yeh, E; Zhao, S; White, D G; Wagner, D; Meng, J

2001-12-01

A total of 825 samples of retail raw meats (chicken, turkey, pork, and beef) were examined for the presence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella serovars, and 719 of these samples were also tested for Campylobacter spp. The samples were randomly obtained from 59 stores of four supermarket chains during 107 sampling visits in the Greater Washington, D.C., area from June 1999 to July 2000. The majority (70.7%) of chicken samples (n = 184) were contaminated with Campylobacter, and a large percentage of the stores visited (91%) had Campylobacter-contaminated chickens. Approximately 14% of the 172 turkey samples yielded Campylobacter, whereas fewer pork (1.7%) and beef (0.5%) samples were positive for this pathogen. A total of 722 Campylobacter isolates were obtained from 159 meat samples; 53.6% of these isolates were Campylobacter jejuni, 41.3% were Campylobacter coli, and 5.1% were other species. Of the 212 chicken samples, 82 (38.7%) yielded E. coli, while 19.0% of the beef samples, 16.3% of the pork samples, and 11.9% of the turkey samples were positive for E. coli. However, only 25 (3.0%) of the retail meat samples tested were positive for Salmonella. Significant differences in the bacterial contamination rates were observed for the four supermarket chains. This study revealed that retail raw meats are often contaminated with food-borne pathogens; however, there are marked differences in the prevalence of such pathogens in different meats. Raw retail meats are potential vehicles for transmitting food-borne diseases, and our findings stress the need for increased implementation of hazard analysis of critical control point (HACCP) and consumer food safety education efforts.

Prevalence of Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli, and Salmonella Serovars in Retail Chicken, Turkey, Pork, and Beef from the Greater Washington, D.C., Area

PubMed Central

Zhao, Cuiwei; Ge, Beilei; De Villena, Juan; Sudler, Robert; Yeh, Emily; Zhao, Shaohua; White, David G.; Wagner, David; Meng, Jianghong

2001-01-01

A total of 825 samples of retail raw meats (chicken, turkey, pork, and beef) were examined for the presence of Escherichia coli and Salmonella serovars, and 719 of these samples were also tested for Campylobacter spp. The samples were randomly obtained from 59 stores of four supermarket chains during 107 sampling visits in the Greater Washington, D.C., area from June 1999 to July 2000. The majority (70.7%) of chicken samples (n = 184) were contaminated with Campylobacter, and a large percentage of the stores visited (91%) had Campylobacter-contaminated chickens. Approximately 14% of the 172 turkey samples yielded Campylobacter, whereas fewer pork (1.7%) and beef (0.5%) samples were positive for this pathogen. A total of 722 Campylobacter isolates were obtained from 159 meat samples; 53.6% of these isolates were Campylobacter jejuni, 41.3% were Campylobacter coli, and 5.1% were other species. Of the 212 chicken samples, 82 (38.7%) yielded E. coli, while 19.0% of the beef samples, 16.3% of the pork samples, and 11.9% of the turkey samples were positive for E. coli. However, only 25 (3.0%) of the retail meat samples tested were positive for Salmonella. Significant differences in the bacterial contamination rates were observed for the four supermarket chains. This study revealed that retail raw meats are often contaminated with food-borne pathogens; however, there are marked differences in the prevalence of such pathogens in different meats. Raw retail meats are potential vehicles for transmitting food-borne diseases, and our findings stress the need for increased implementation of hazard analysis of critical control point (HACCP) and consumer food safety education efforts. PMID:11722889

A 1-Year Quantitative Survey of Noro-, Adeno-, Human Boca-, and Hepatitis E Viruses in Raw and Secondarily Treated Sewage from Two Plants in Norway.

PubMed

Myrmel, M; Lange, H; Rimstad, E

2015-09-01

A study of enteric viruses in raw and treated sewage from two secondary treatment plants, which received sewage from Oslo city (plant A) and small municipalities in Hedmark county in Norway (plant B), showed high levels of noro-, adeno-, and bocavirus throughout the year. A seasonal variation was observed for adeno- and GII norovirus with higher levels during winter and bocavirus that had more positive samples during winter. The virus concentrations in raw sewage were comparable in the two plants, with medians (log10 genome copies per liter) of 6.1, 6.3, 6.0, and 4.5 for noro GI, noro GII, adeno-, and bocavirus, respectively. The level of hepatitis E virus was not determined as it was below the limit of quantification. The mean log10 virus reduction was 0.55 (plant A) and 1.44 (plant B) with the highest reduction found in the plant with longer hydraulic retention time. The adenoviruses were dominantly serotype 41, while serotype 12 appeared sporadically. Of the 102 raw and treated sewage samples that were tested, eight were positive for hepatitis E virus of which four were from treated sewage. Two of the four obtained gene sequences from hepatitis E virus originated from the rural sewage samples and showed high similarity with a genotype 3 strain of hepatitis E virus detected in local piglets. Two other hepatitis E virus sequences obtained from urban sewage samples showed high similarities with genotype 3 strains isolated from urban sewage in Spain and a human genotype 1 isolate from India. The study gives information on the levels of noroviruses in raw and treated sewage, which is valuable to risk assessment, information indicating that some infections with hepatitis E viruses in Norway have a regional origin and that human bocavirus 2 and 3 are prevalent in the Norwegian population.

Bifidobacterium pseudolongum are efficient indicators of animal fecal contamination in raw milk cheese industry

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background The contamination of raw milk cheeses (St-Marcellin and Brie) from two plants in France was studied at several steps of production (raw milk, after addition of rennet - St-Marcellin - or after second maturation - Brie -, after removal from the mold and during ripening) using bifidobacteria as indicators of fecal contamination. Results Bifidobacterium semi-quantitative counts were compared using PCR-RFLP and real-time PCR. B. pseudolongum were detected in 77% (PCR-RFLP; 1.75 to 2.29 log cfu ml-1) and 68% (real-time PCR; 2.19 to 2.73 log cfu ml-1) of St-Marcellin samples and in 87% (PCR-RFLP; 1.17 to 2.40 log cfu ml-1) of Brie cheeses samples. Mean counts of B. pseudolongum remained stable along both processes. Two other populations of bifidobacteria were detected during the ripening stage of St-Marcellin, respectively in 61% and 18% of the samples (PCR-RFLP). The presence of these populations explains the increase in total bifidobacteria observed during ripening. Further characterization of these populations is currently under process. Forty-eight percents (St-Marcellin) and 70% (Brie) of the samples were B. pseudolongum positive/E. coli negative while only 10% (St-Marcellin) and 3% (Brie) were B. pseudolongum negative/E. coli positive. Conclusions The increase of total bifidobacteria during ripening in Marcellin's process does not allow their use as fecal indicator. The presence of B. pseudolongum along the processes defined a contamination from animal origin since this species is predominant in cow dung and has never been isolated in human feces. B. pseudolongum was more sensitive as an indicator than E. coli along the two different cheese processes. B. pseudolongum should be used as fecal indicator rather than E. coli to assess the quality of raw milk and raw milk cheeses. PMID:21816092

Environmental analysis of raw cork extraction in cork oak forests in southern Europe (Catalonia--Spain).

PubMed

Rives, Jesús; Fernandez-Rodriguez, Ivan; Rieradevall, Joan; Gabarrell, Xavier

2012-11-15

Cork oak grows endemically in a narrow region bordering the western Mediterranean, and especially in the Iberian Peninsula. The importance of cork agro-forestry systems lies in the fact that a natural and renewable raw material - cork - can be extracted sustainably without endangering the tree or affecting biodiversity. This paper describes an environmental analysis of the extraction of raw cork in cork oak forests in Catalonia, using data from five representative local forest exploitations. The evaluation was carried out using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology, and all the forestry management required to obtain a tonne of raw cork was included. The aim of the study was to evaluate the environmental impacts - in terms of global warming, acidification, eutrophication, human toxicity, and so on - caused by cork extraction and determine the carbon dioxide balance of these forestry systems, with a tree lifespan of about 200 years. During the life cycle extraction of cork in Catalonia, 0.2 kg of CO(2) eq. was emitted per kg of raw cork extracted. Moreover, cork cannot be extracted without the tree, which will be fixing carbon dioxide throughout its technological useful life (200 years), despite the fact that the bark is removed periodically: every 13-14 years. If the emission from extraction and the carbon contained in the material is discounted, the carbon dioxide balance indicates that 18 kg of CO(2) are fixed per kg of raw cork extracted. Therefore, cork is a natural, renewable and local material that can replace other non-renewable materials, at local level, to reduce the environmental impacts of products, and particularly to reduce their carbon footprint. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A Historical Perspective on Primary and Possible Secondary Sources of Atmospheric Carbon Tetrachloride

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Hanwant B.

2015-01-01

Atmospheric sources of Carbon Tetrachloride (CTC) have been controversial since its detection in the early 1970. Initial proposals were that it is globally uniformly distributed and its lack of current emissions and inferred lifetime indicated that it was likely of natural origin. Historical analysis of CTC use and emissions showed that atmospheric CTC was long-lived and mainly of man-made origin although small natural sources and sinks (e. g. oceans) could not be ruled out. This deduction was hard because a majority of emissions had occurred in early part of the 20th century when CTC was commonly used as a fumigant, a solvent, and a raw material for the manufacture of many chemicals. In the 1940's adverse health effects of exposure to CTC became evident and its emissions were greatly curtailed and substituted with C2Cl4 which was thought to be much safer. There were smog chamber studies that showed that C2Cl4, a widely used solvent during the late 20th century, could produce CTC with up to a 7% yield. Subsequently it was discovered that this chemistry probably required Cl atoms and since Cl atoms were not abundant in the atmosphere actual yields based on OH oxidation were probably closer to 0.1%. CTC was subsequently banned by the Montreal Protocol to prevent stratospheric ozone depletion and its preferred substitute C2Cl4 was also banned by EPA for reasons of potential carcinogenicity and toxicity. CTC since has been measured in many airborne NASA campaigns in which plumes have been sampled from a variety of regions which may still be emitting CTC. I will briefly discuss this historical perspective of CTC and show some recent data that may shed light on its current sources or lack there off.

Application of the LI-COR CO2 analyzer to volcanic plumes: a case study, volcán Popocatépetl, Mexico, June 7 and 10, 1995

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gerlach, T.M.; Delgado, H.; McGee, K.A.; Doukas, M.P.; Venegas, J.J.; Cardenas, L.

1997-01-01

Volcanic CO2 emission rate data are sparse despite their potential importance for constraining the role of magma degassing in the biogeochemical cycle of carbon and for assessing volcanic hazards. We used a LI-COR CO2 analyzer to determine volcanic CO2 emission rates by airborne measurements in volcanic plumes at Popocatépetl volcano on June 7 and 10, 1995. LI-COR sample paths of ∼72 m, compared with ∼1 km for the analyzer customarily used, together with fast Fourier transforms to remove instrument noise from raw data greatly improve resolution of volcanic CO2 anomalies. Parametric models fit to background CO2 provide a statistical tool for distinguishing volcanic from ambient CO2. Global Positioning System referenced flight traverses provide vastly improved data on the shape, coherence, and spatial distribution of volcanic CO2 in plume cross sections and contrast markedly with previous results based on traverse stacking. The continuous escape of CO2 and SO2 from Popocatépetl was fundamentally noneruptive and represented quiescent magma degassing from the top of a magma chamber ∼5 km deep. The average CO2 emission rate for January-June 1995 is estimated to be at least 6400 t d−1, one of the highest determined for a quiescently degassing volcano, although correction for downwind dispersion effects on volcanic CO2 indicates a higher rate of ∼9000 t d−1. Analysis of random errors indicates emission rates have 95% confidence intervals of ∼±20%, with uncertainty contributed mostly by wind speed variance, although the variance of plume cross-sectional areas during traversing is poorly constrained and possibly significant.

Frequent hepatitis E virus contamination in food containing raw pork liver, France.

PubMed

Pavio, Nicole; Merbah, Thiziri; Thébault, Anne

2014-11-01

Food products containing raw pork liver are suspected to be vehicles for transmission of hepatitis E virus. Four categories of food products, comprising 394 samples, were analyzed to determine hepatitis E virus prevalence. Virus was detected in 3%-30% of the different categories. Phylogenetic analysis showed high identity with human and swine sequences.

Haematobia irritans dataset of raw sequence reads from Illumina and Pac Bio sequencing of genomic DNA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The genome of the horn fly, Haematobia irritans, was sequenced using Illumina- and Pac Bio-based protocols. Following quality filtering, the raw reads have been deposited at NCBI under the BioProject and BioSample accession numbers PRJNA30967 and SAMN07830356, respectively. The Illumina reads are un...

An assessment of the real-world driving gaseous emissions from a Euro 6 light-duty diesel vehicle using a portable emissions measurement system (PEMS)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Luján, José M.; Bermúdez, Vicente; Dolz, Vicente; Monsalve-Serrano, Javier

2018-02-01

Recent investigations demonstrated that real-world emissions usually exceed the levels achieved in the laboratory based type approval processes. By means of on-board emissions measurements, it has been shown that nitrogen oxides emitted by diesel engines substantially exceed the limit imposed by the Euro 6 regulation. Thus, with the aim of complementing the worldwide harmonized light vehicles test cycle, the real driving emissions cycle will be introduced after 1 September 2017 to regulate the vehicle emissions in real-world driving situations. This paper presents on-board gaseous emissions measurements from a Euro 6 light-duty diesel vehicle in a real-world driving route using a portable emissions measurement system. The test route characteristics follow the requirements imposed by the RDE regulation. The analysis of the raw emissions results suggests that the greatest amount of nitrogen oxides and nitrogen dioxide are emitted during the urban section of the test route, confirming that lower speeds with more accelerations and decelerations lead to higher nitrogen oxides emissions levels than constant high speeds. Moreover, the comparison of the two calculation methods proposed by the real driving emissions regulation has revealed emissions rates differences ranging from 10% to 45% depending on the pollutant emission and the trip section considered (urban or total). Thus, the nitrogen oxides emissions conformity factor slightly varies from one method to the other.

Prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in Retail Chicken, Turkey, Pork, and Beef Meat in Poland between 2009 and 2013.

PubMed

Korsak, Dorota; Maćkiw, Elżbieta; Rożynek, Elżbieta; Żyłowska, Monika

2015-05-01

The purpose of the present study was to determine the prevalence of thermophilic Campylobacter in poultry, pork, and beef meat at the retail level and to identify the main categories of meat representing the most significant reservoirs of Campylobacter. A monitoring study was conducted throughout Poland from 2009 to 2013. A total of 1,700 fresh meat samples were collected from supermarkets, large retail outlets, and smaller stores. Thermophilic Campylobacter species were detected in 690 (49.3%) of 1,400 poultry samples collected from retail trade. Strains were isolated from 50.2 and 41.1% of raw chicken and turkey meat samples, respectively, and from 50.1 and 42.6% of raw chicken and turkey giblets. The incidence of Campylobacter spp. on pork (10.6%) and beef (10.1%) was significantly lower than on poultry. Campylobacter jejuni was the most prevalent Campylobacter species in chicken (46.6%), pork (68.6%), and beef (66.7%), and Campylobacter coli was the most frequently isolated Campylobacter species in turkey meat (71.2%). This study revealed that retail raw meats are often contaminated with Campylobacter; however, the prevalence of these pathogens is markedly different in different meats. Raw retail meats are potential vehicles for transmitting foodborne diseases, and our findings stress the need for increased implementation of hazard analysis critical control point programs and consumer food safety education efforts.

Composition and functional properties of unprocessed and locally processed seeds from three underutilized food sources in Nigeria.

PubMed

Giami, S Y; Wachuku, O C

1997-01-01

Chemical and functional properties of unprocessed (raw) and locally processed seeds of Brachystegia eurycoma, Detarium microcarpum and Mucuna sloanei that affect their utilization as sources of human food were investigated. The seeds, which are underutilized food sources in Nigeria, were subjected to local processing methods which included roasting, boiling, dehulling/shelling, soaking and the changes in composition and functional properties were estimated. Chemical analyses showed that the crude protein contents of the raw seeds ranged from 12.2 to 23.2%; fat varied from 4.9 to 12.0%. The level of phytic acid in the raw seeds (192.4-215 mg/100 g) was observed to be lower than the levels found in some commonly consumed pulses in Nigeria. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between crude protein contents and the least gelation concentrations of the raw and processed samples, but processing (roasting, boiling, dehulling and soaking) significantly (p = 0.011) improved in vitro protein digestibility, water and fat absorption capacity and decreased the bulk density, nitrogen solubility and the phytic acid and polyphenol contents of the samples. Processed samples had high water (3.4-3.8 g/g) and fat (1.8-2.1 g/g) absorption capacities and hence may be useful as functional agents in fabricated foods such as bakery products and ground meat formulations.

Molecular analysis of bacterial communities in raw cow milk and the impact of refrigeration on its structure and dynamics.

PubMed

Raats, Dina; Offek, Maya; Minz, Dror; Halpern, Malka

2011-05-01

The impact of refrigeration on raw cow milk bacterial communities in three farm bulk tanks and three dairy plant silo tanks was studied using two methods: DGGE and cloning. Both methods demonstrated that bacterial taxonomic diversity decreased during refrigeration. Gammaproteobacteria, especially Pseudomonadales, dominated the milk after refrigeration. Farm samples and dairy plant samples differed in their microbial community composition, the former showing prevalence of Gram-positive bacteria affiliated with the classes Bacilli, Clostridia and Actinobacteria, the latter showing prevalence of Gram-negative species belonging to the Gammaproteobacteria class. Actinobacteria prevalence in the farm milk samples immediately after collection stood at about 25% of the clones. A previous study had found that psychrotolerant Actinobacteria identified in raw cow milk demonstrated both lipolytic and proteolytic enzymatic activity. Thus, we conclude that although Pseudomonadales play an important role in milk spoilage after long periods of cold incubation, Actinobacteria occurrence may play an important role when assessing the quality of milk arriving at the dairy plant from different farms. As new cooling technologies reduce the initial bacterial counts of milk to very low levels, more sensitive and efficient methods to evaluate the bacterial quality of raw milk are required. The present findings are an important step towards achieving this goal. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Feasibility of zero tolerance for Salmonella on raw poultry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ideally, poultry producing countries around the globe should use internationally standardized sampling methods for Salmonella. It is difficult to compare prevalence data from country-to-country when sample plan, sample type, sample frequency and laboratory media along with methods differ. The Europe...

Characterization of Natural Organic Matter in Conventional Water Treatment Processes and Evaluation of THM Formation with Chlorine

PubMed Central

Özdemır, Kadir

2014-01-01

This study investigates the fractions of natural organic matter (NOM) and trihalomethane (THM) formation after chlorination in samples of raw water and the outputs from ozonation, coagulation-flocculation, and conventional filtration treatment units. All the water samples are passed through various ultrafiltration (UF) membranes. UF membranes with different molecular size ranges based on apparent molecular weight (AMW), such as 1000, 3000, 10,000, and 30,000 Daltons (Da), are commonly used. The NOM fraction with AMW < 1000 Da (1 K) is the dominant fraction within all the fractionated water samples. Its maximum percentage is 85.86% after the filtration process and the minimum percentage is 65.01% in raw water samples. The total THM (TTHM) yield coefficients range from 22.5 to 42 μg-TTHM/mg-DOC in all fractionated samples, which is related to their specific ultraviolet Absorbance (SUVA) levels. As the molecular weight of the fractions decreased, the TTHM yield coefficients increased. The NOM fractions with AMW values less than 1 K had lower SUVA values (<3 L/mg·m) for all treatment stages and also they had higher yield of TTHM per unit of DOC. The NOM fraction with AMW < 1 K for chlorinated raw water samples has the highest yield coefficient (42 μg-TTHM/mg-DOC). PMID:24558323

Prevalence, characterization, and antimicrobial resistance of Yersinia species and Yersinia enterocolitica isolated from raw milk in farm bulk tanks.

PubMed

Jamali, Hossein; Paydar, Mohammadjavad; Radmehr, Behrad; Ismail, Salmah

2015-02-01

The aims of this study were to investigate the prevalence and to characterize and determine the antibiotic resistance of Yersinia spp. isolates from raw milk. From September 2008 to August 2010, 446 raw milk samples were obtained from farm bulk milk tanks in Varamin, Iran. Yersinia spp. were detected in 29 (6.5%) samples, out of which 23 (79.3%), 5 (17.2%), and 1 (3.4%) were isolated from cow, sheep, and goat raw milk, respectively. The most common species isolated was Yersinia enterocolitica (65.5%), followed by Yersinia frederiksenii (31%), and Yersinia kristensenii (3.4%). Of the 19 Y. enterocolitica isolates, 14 (73.7%) were grouped into bioserotype 1A/O:9, 4 (21.1%) belonged to bioserotype 1B:O8, 1 (5.3%) belonged to bioserotype 4/O:3, and 1 isolate (biotype 1A) was not typable. All the isolates of biotypes 1B and 4harbored both the ystA and ail genes. However, all the isolates of biotype 1A were only positive for the ystB gene. The tested Yersinia spp. showed the highest percentages of resistance to tetracycline (48.3%), followed by ciprofloxacin and cephalothin (each 17.2%), ampicillin (13.8%), streptomycin (6.9%), and amoxicillin and nalidixic acid (each 3.4%). All of the tested isolates demonstrated significant sensitivity to gentamicin and chloramphenicol. Recovery of potentially pathogenic Y. enterocolitica from raw milk indicates high risks of yersiniosis associated with consumption of raw milk. Copyright © 2015 American Dairy Science Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of Oregano Essential Oil (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum) on the Storage Stability and Quality Parameters of Ground Chicken Breast Meat.

PubMed

Al-Hijazeen, Marwan; Lee, Eun Joo; Mendonca, Aubrey; Ahn, Dong Uk

2016-06-07

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of oregano essential oil on the oxidative stability and color of raw and cooked chicken breast meats. Five treatments, including (1) control (none added); (2) 100 ppm oregano essential oil; (3) 300 ppm oregano essential oil; (4) 400 ppm oregano essential oil; and (5) 5 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), were prepared with ground boneless, skinless chicken breast meat and used for both raw and cooked meat studies. For raw meat study, samples were individually packaged in oxygen-permeable bags and stored in a cold room (4 °C) for 7 days. For cooked meat study, the raw meat samples were vacuum-packaged in oxygen-impermeable vacuum bags and then cooked in-bag to an internal temperature of 75 °C. After cooling to room temperature, the cooked meats were repackaged in new oxygen-permeable bags and then stored at 4 °C for 7 days. Both raw and cooked meats were analyzed for lipid and protein oxidation, volatiles, and color at 0, 3, and 7 days of storage. Oregano essential oil significantly reduced (p < 0.05) lipid and protein oxidation, and improved color stability of raw and cooked meat. However, oregano oil at 400 ppm showed the strongest effect for all these parameters. Hexanal was the major aldehyde, which was decreased significantly (p < 0.05) by oregano oil treatment, in cooked meat. Overall, oregano essential oil at 100-400 ppm levels could be a good preservative that can replace the synthetic antioxidant in chicken meat.

Real-Time PCR Detection of Paenibacillus spp. in Raw Milk To Predict Shelf Life Performance of Pasteurized Fluid Milk Products

PubMed Central

Ranieri, Matthew L.; Ivy, Reid A.; Mitchell, W. Robert; Call, Emma; Masiello, Stephanie N.; Wiedmann, Martin

2012-01-01

Psychrotolerant sporeformers, specifically Paenibacillus spp., are important spoilage bacteria for pasteurized, refrigerated foods such as fluid milk. While Paenibacillus spp. have been isolated from farm environments, raw milk, processing plant environments, and pasteurized fluid milk, no information on the number of Paenibacillus spp. that need to be present in raw milk to cause pasteurized milk spoilage was available. A real-time PCR assay targeting the 16S rRNA gene was designed to detect Paenibacillus spp. in fluid milk and to discriminate between Paenibacillus and other closely related spore-forming bacteria. Specificity was confirmed using 16 Paenibacillus and 17 Bacillus isolates. All 16 Paenibacillus isolates were detected with a mean cycle threshold (CT) of 19.14 ± 0.54. While 14/17 Bacillus isolates showed no signal (CT > 40), 3 Bacillus isolates showed very weak positive signals (CT = 38.66 ± 0.65). The assay provided a detection limit of approximately 3.25 × 101 CFU/ml using total genomic DNA extracted from raw milk samples inoculated with Paenibacillus. Application of the TaqMan PCR to colony lysates obtained from heat-treated and enriched raw milk provided fast and accurate detection of Paenibacillus. Heat-treated milk samples where Paenibacillus (≥1 CFU/ml) was detected by this colony TaqMan PCR showed high bacterial counts (>4.30 log CFU/ml) after refrigerated storage (6°C) for 21 days. We thus developed a tool for rapid detection of Paenibacillus that has the potential to identify raw milk with microbial spoilage potential as a pasteurized product. PMID:22685148

Effect of Oregano Essential Oil (Origanum vulgare subsp. hirtum) on the Storage Stability and Quality Parameters of Ground Chicken Breast Meat

PubMed Central

Al-Hijazeen, Marwan; Lee, Eun Joo; Mendonca, Aubrey; Ahn, Dong Uk

2016-01-01

A study was conducted to investigate the effect of oregano essential oil on the oxidative stability and color of raw and cooked chicken breast meats. Five treatments, including (1) control (none added); (2) 100 ppm oregano essential oil; (3) 300 ppm oregano essential oil; (4) 400 ppm oregano essential oil; and (5) 5 ppm butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), were prepared with ground boneless, skinless chicken breast meat and used for both raw and cooked meat studies. For raw meat study, samples were individually packaged in oxygen-permeable bags and stored in a cold room (4 °C) for 7 days. For cooked meat study, the raw meat samples were vacuum-packaged in oxygen-impermeable vacuum bags and then cooked in-bag to an internal temperature of 75 °C. After cooling to room temperature, the cooked meats were repackaged in new oxygen-permeable bags and then stored at 4 °C for 7 days. Both raw and cooked meats were analyzed for lipid and protein oxidation, volatiles, and color at 0, 3, and 7 days of storage. Oregano essential oil significantly reduced (p < 0.05) lipid and protein oxidation, and improved color stability of raw and cooked meat. However, oregano oil at 400 ppm showed the strongest effect for all these parameters. Hexanal was the major aldehyde, which was decreased significantly (p < 0.05) by oregano oil treatment, in cooked meat. Overall, oregano essential oil at 100–400 ppm levels could be a good preservative that can replace the synthetic antioxidant in chicken meat. PMID:27338486

Detection of Staphylococcus aureus enterotoxigenic strains in bovine raw milk by reversed passive latex agglutination and multiplex polymerase chain reaction.

PubMed

Mansour, Asmaa Samy; Wagih, Gad El-Said; Morgan, Sabry D; Elhariri, Mahmoud; El-Shabrawy, Mona A; Abuelnaga, Azza S M; Elgabry, E A

2017-08-01

This review gives an outline of the assessment of enterotoxigenic Staphylococcus aureus tainting levels in raw milk from different sources in Egypt and characterization of enterotoxigenic strains utilizing a technique in light of PCR to identify genes coding for the production of staphylococcal enterotoxin (SE). The obtained data were compared with results from the application of the reversed passive latex. Multiplex PCR and reversed passive latex agglutination (RPLA) were used. A total of 141 samples of raw milk (cow's milk=33, buffalo's milk=58, and bulk tank milk=50) were investigated for S. aureus contamination and tested for enterotoxin genes presence and toxin production. S. aureus was detected in 23 (16.3%) samples phenotypically and genotypically by amplification of nuc gene. The S. aureus isolates were investigated for SEs genes ( sea to see ) by multiplex PCR and the toxin production by these isolates was screened by RPLA. SEs genes were detected in six isolates (26.1%) molecularly; see was the most observed gene where detected in all isolates, two isolates harbored seb , and two isolates harbored sec . According to RPLA, three isolates produced SEB and SEC. The study revealed the widespread of S. aureus strains caring genes coding for toxins. The real significance of the presence of these strains or its toxins in raw milk and their possible impact a potential hazard for staphylococcal food poisoning by raw milk consumption. Therefore, detection of enterotoxigenic S. aureus strains in raw milk is necessary for consumer safety.

Prevalence and distribution of Arcobacter spp. in raw milk and retail raw beef.

PubMed

Shah, A H; Saleha, A A; Murugaiyah, M; Zunita, Z; Memon, A A

2012-08-01

A total of 106 beef samples which consisted of local (n = 59) and imported (n = 47) beef and 180 milk samples from cows (n = 86) and goats (n = 94) were collected from Selangor, Malaysia. Overall, 30.2% (32 of 106) of beef samples were found positive for Arcobacter species. Imported beef was significantly more contaminated (46.80%) than local beef (16.9%). Arcobacter butzleri was the species isolated most frequently from imported (81.8%) and local (60%) beef, followed by Arcobacter cryaerophilus in local (33.3%) and imported (18.2%) beef samples. Only one local beef sample (10%) yielded Arcobacter skirrowii. Arcobacter species were detected from cow's milk (5.8%), with A. butzleri as the dominant species (60%), followed by A. cryaerophilus (40%), whereas none of the goat's milk samples were found positive for Arcobacter. This is the first report of the detection of Arcobacter in milk and beef in Malaysia.

Towards Verifying National CO2 Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fung, I. Y.; Wuerth, S. M.; Anderson, J. L.

2017-12-01

With the Paris Agreement, nations around the world have pledged their voluntary reductions in future CO2 emissions. Satellite observations of atmospheric CO2 have the potential to verify self-reported emission statistics around the globe. We present a carbon-weather data assimilation system, wherein raw weather observations together with satellite observations of the mixing ratio of column CO2 from the Orbiting Carbon Observatory-2 are assimilated every 6 hours into the NCAR carbon-climate model CAM5 coupled to the Ensemble Kalman Filter of DART. In an OSSE, we reduced the fossil fuel emissions from a country, and estimated the emissions innovations demanded by the atmospheric CO2 observations. The uncertainties in the innovation are analyzed with respect to the uncertainties in the meteorology to determine the significance of the result. The work follows from "On the use of incomplete historical data to infer the present state of the atmosphere" (Charney et al. 1969), which maps the path for continuous data assimilation for weather forecasting and the five decades of progress since.

Phosphoric acid purification through different raw and activated clay materials (Southern Tunisia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Trabelsi, Wafa; Tlili, Ali

2017-05-01

This study concerns the purification of Tunisian phosphoric acid produced by the Tunisian Chemical Group (TCG), using raw and activated clays materials from Southern Tunisia. The Gafsa basin clays samples (Jebel Hamadi (JHM); Jebel Stah (JS) and the El Hamma sample (Jebel Aïdoudi (JAD)) were activated with 3 M, HCl solution. Phosphoric acid purification was performed on raw and activated clays. Mineralogical characterisation was carried out using the X-ray powder diffraction method and infrared absorption spectroscopy. Textural changes between raw and activated clays were identified using SEM observations and specific surface analysis. Jebel Hamadi clays were almost dominated by smectite associated with kaolinite and illite traces, while Jebel Stah and Jebel Aïdoudi clays were composed of the association of smectite, illite and kaolinite. It is worth noting that the position of the smectite (001) reflection increased after the acidic activation in all studied samples, indicating the relaxation of the smectite structure along the c-axis. This was corroborated by the increasing specific surface area of the clay particles with the activation process. The specific surface area was close to 50 m2/g and 200 m2/g, for raw and activated materials, respectively. The maximum phosphoric acid purification was obtained by using activated clays with 3 N HCl for 4 h. This performance correlated with the maximum of the external specific surface area which generated strong acid sites. Furthermore, the best results of phosphoric acids purification from TCG were obtained at a specific consumption equivalent to 30 Kg of clay/ton of P2O5. These results showed that the best phosphoric acid purification was yielded by Jebel Aïdoudi clay. In all cases, the highest organic carbon reduction rates in the phosphoric acid after filtration were obtained at 90°C.

Prevalence of toxoplasmosis and related risk factors among humans referred to main laboratories of Urmia city, North West of Iran, 2013.

PubMed

Sadaghian, Mohammad; Amani, Sasan; Jafari, Rasool

2016-06-01

Toxoplasmosis is mostly asymptomatic infection in immunocompetent individuals while it can cause a severe infection in human fetus during pregnancy and immunocompromised patients. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-Toxoplasma IgM and IgG seropositivity and potential risk factors of the infection in humans referred to Urmia City main diagnostic laboratories, Urmia, Iran. Totally 195 blood samples were collected from the individuals referred to main diagnostic laboratories of Urmia City, 2013. Serum concentration of anti-Toxoplasma IgG and IgM were determined using ELISA method. Demographic variables of the participants were collected by interviewing, which are including sex, age, occupation, educational and residential status, eating undercooked meat, consumption of raw vegetable and the method of washing raw vegetables. None of all 200 serum sample were anti-Toxoplasma IgM positive, but different concentrations of anti-Toxoplasma IgG were observed in 88 (45.12 %) of samples. The significant higher rate of anti-Toxoplasma IgG seropositivity were observed in people with soil related jobs (P = 0.005, OR = 2.266; 95 % CI 1.260, 4.078) and history of eating raw vegetables at restaurant (P = 0.036, OR = 1.985; 95 % CI 0.991, 3.978). Also anti-Toxoplasma IgG concentration mean was significantly higher in people who were commonly eaten raw vegetable at restaurants (P < 0.001, t = 7.918). The prevalence of chronic toxoplasmosis is considerably high while the acute infection is very low in the studied area. Having soil related jobs and eating raw vegetables at restaurants increases the risk of acquiring the infection.

Carotenoids and β-carotene in orange fleshed sweet potato: A possible solution to vitamin A deficiency.

PubMed

Islam, Sheikh Nazrul; Nusrat, Tania; Begum, Parveen; Ahsan, Monira

2016-05-15

The present study, in line with a plant-food-based approach to address vitamin A deficiency, reports the analysis of total carotenoids, and trans- and cis-β-carotenes, in different varieties of raw and boiled orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (OFSP). Carotenoids were isolated using acetone-petroleum ether extraction followed by spectrophotometric determination. trans- and cis-β-Carotenes were analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC method using a mobile phase containing acetonitrile:methanol:2-propanol in the ratio of 85:15:33 with 0.01% ammonium acetate. Intra-varietal difference in carotenoids as well as trans- and cis-β-carotenes were noted in both the raw and boiled potatoes. Carotenoid content was found to be higher in the raw potatoes compared to the boiled samples from the same variety. Amongst the OFSP varieties, Kamalasundari (BARI SP-2) was found to contain the most carotenoids in both the raw and boiled samples. β-Carotene was significantly higher in the Kamalsundari and BARI SP-5 varieties. trans-β-Carotene was found to be the major carotenoid in all of the raw potatoes, but boiling was associated with an increase in cis-β-carotene and a decrease in the trans isomer. Kamalsundari and BARI SP-5 orange-fleshed sweet potatoes have the potential to be used as food-based supplements to reduce vitamin A deficiency. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Life cycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions for fluorescent lamps in mainland China.

PubMed

Chen, Sha; Zhang, Jiaxing; Kim, Junbeum

2017-01-01

China is the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, and it is also one of the largest fluorescent lamp consuming and producing country in the world. However, there are few studies evaluating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions of fluorescent lamps in China. This analysis compared GHG emissions of compact fluorescent lamps with linear fluorescent lamps using life cycle assessment method in China's national conditions. The GHG emissions of fluorescent lamps from their manufacture to the final disposal phase on the national level of China were also quantified. The results indicate that the use phase dominates the GHG emissions for both lamps. Linear fluorescent lamp is a better source of light compared to compact fluorescent lamp with respect to GHG emissions. The analysis found that in 2011, China generated around 710.90milliontons CO 2 -eq associated with fluorescent lamps. The raw material production and use phases accounted for major GHG emissions. More than half of GHG emissions during the domestic production were embodied in the exported lamps in recent years. This urges the government to take necessary measures that lead to more environmental friendly production, consumption and trade patterns. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter species isolated from raw camel, beef, lamb, and goat meat in Iran.

PubMed

Rahimi, Ebrahim; Ameri, Mehrdad; Kazemeini, Hamid Reza

2010-04-01

Campylobacter spp. are one of the most common causes of acute bacterial gastroenteritis in human beings which are transmitted mostly via food originating from animals. This study was conducted to determine the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance of Campylobacter spp. isolated from retail raw meats in Iran. From June 2008 to June 2009, a total of 722 raw meat samples from camel (n = 107), beef (n = 190), lamb (n = 225), and goat (n = 180) were purchased from randomly selected retail outlets in Isfahan and Yazd, Iran, and were evaluated for the presence of Campylobacter spp. In this study, 50 of the 722 meat samples (6.9%) were contaminated with Campylobacter spp. The highest prevalence of Campylobacter spp. was found in lamb meat (12.0%), followed by goat meat (9.4%), beef meat (2.4%), and camel meat (0.9%). The most prevalent Campylobacter spp. isolated from the meat samples was Campylobacter jejuni (84.0%); the remaining isolates were Campylobacter coli (16.0%). Susceptibilities of 50 Campylobacter isolates were determined for 10 antimicrobial drugs using the disk-diffusion assay. Resistance to tetracycline was the most common finding (68.0%), followed by resistance to ciprofloxacin (46.0%) and nalidixic acid (40.0%). All of the isolates were susceptible to erythromycin, gentamicin, and chloramphenicol. Significantly higher prevalence rates of Campylobacter spp. (p < 0.05) were found in the lamb meat samples taken in spring (20.0%) and summer (18.9%). To our knowledge, this study is the first report of the isolation of Campylobacter spp. from raw camel, lamb, and goat meat in Iran.

Effect of yoghurt or yoghurt serum on microbial quality of cig kofte.

PubMed

Dogan, Mahmut; Cankurt, Hasan; Toker, Omer Said; Yetim, Hasan; Sagdic, Osman

2014-07-01

Cig kofte, raw meatball is a traditionally produced meat product in Turkey and some other Middle East countries. It is prepared from mixtures of finely minced raw beef, bulgur, onions, various spices and tap water. Cig kofte is an uncooked product and popularly consumed with lettuce and lemon juice. In this study, yoghurt or yoghurt serum (YS) were added to the mixtures of cig kofte instead of tap water to reduce microbial risks of the raw meatball. Additionally, the effects of yoghurt and YS on some physicochemical characteristics of cig kofte were investigated. Cig kofte is generally consumed within a few hours after the preparation because of its raw nature. Also, it is generally sold under unhygienic conditions in restaurants and restaurant-like places. For this purpose, reducing of the microbial load of cig kofte is important. In the results, Escherichia coli and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected in any samples. While lactic acid bacteria count increased by addition of yoghurt and YS, the number of other microorganisms except for total aerobic mesophilic bacteria (TAMB) were decreased. The aw values and% moisture contents of the samples were varied between 0.88-0.94 and 46.25-49.72, respectively. The pH values of the samples were slightly changed during the storage of 24 h while no changes detected in the control samples during the storage. In conclusion, it can be suggested that using the yoghurt or YS instead of tap water in the preparation of cig kofte might ensure the microbial safety, increase the nutritional value and its flavour or aroma.

Mercury regulation, fate, transport, transformation, and abatement within cement manufacturing facilities: review.

PubMed

Sikkema, Joel K; Alleman, James E; Ong, Say Kee; Wheelock, Thomas D

2011-09-15

The USEPA's 2010 mercury rule, which would reduce emissions from non-hazardous waste burning cement manufacturing facilities by an estimated 94%, represents a substantial regulatory challenge for the industry. These regulations, based on the performance of facilities that benefit from low concentrations of mercury in their feedstock and fuel inputs (e.g., limestone concentration was less than 25 ppb at each facility), will require non-compliant facilities to develop innovative controls. Control development is difficult because each facility's emissions must be assessed and simple correlation to mercury concentrations in limestone or an assumption of 'typically observed' mercury concentrations in inputs are unsupported by available data. Furthermore, atmospheric emissions are highly variable due to an internal control mechanism that captures and loops mercury between the high-temperature kiln and low-temperature raw materials mill. Two models have been reported to predict emissions; however, they have not been benchmarked against data from the internal components that capture mercury and do not distinguish between mercury species, which have different sorption and desorption properties. Control strategies include technologies applied from other industries and technologies developed specifically for cement facilities. Reported technologies, listed from highest to lowest anticipated mercury removal, include purge of collected dust or raw meal, changes in feedstocks and fuels, wet scrubbing, cleaning of mercury enriched dust, dry sorbent injection, and dry and semi-dry scrubbing. The effectiveness of these technologies is limited by an inadequate understanding of sorption, desorption, and mercury species involved in internal loop mercury control. To comply with the mercury rule and to improve current mercury control technologies and practices, research is needed to advance fundamental knowledge regarding mercury species sorption and desorption dynamics on materials within cement facilities. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Chemical and bioanalytical assessments on drinking water treatments by quaternized magnetic microspheres.

PubMed

Shi, Peng; Ma, Rong; Zhou, Qing; Li, Aimin; Wu, Bing; Miao, Yu; Chen, Xun; Zhang, Xuxiang

2015-03-21

This study aimed to compare the toxicity reduction performance of conventional drinking water treatment (CT) and a treatment (NT) with quaternized magnetic microspheres (NDMP) based on chemical analyses. Fluorescence excitation-emission-matrix combined with parallel factor analysis identified four components in source water of different rivers or lake, and the abundance of each component differed greatly among the different samples. Compared with the CT, the NT evidently reduced the concentrations of dissolved organic carbon, adsorbable organic halogens (AOX), bromide and disinfection by-products. Toxicological evaluation indicated that the NT completely eliminated the cytotoxicity, and greatly reduced the genotoxicity and oxidative stress of all raw water. In contrast, the CT increased the cytotoxicity of Taihu Lake and the Zhongshan River water, genotoxicity of Taihu Lake and the Mangshe River water, as well as the levels of superoxide dismutase and malondialdehyde of the Mangshe River water. Correlation analysis indicated that the AOX of the treated samples was significantly correlated with the genotoxicity and glutathione concentration, but exhibited no correlation with either of them for all the samples. As it can effectively reduce pollutant levels and the toxicities of drinking water, NDMP might be widely used for drinking water treatment in future. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effect of one step KOH activation and CaO modified carbon in transesterification reaction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yacob, Abd Rahim; Zaki, Muhammad Azam Muhammad

2017-11-01

In this work, one step activation was introduced using potassium hydroxide (KOH) and calcium oxide (CaO) modified palm kernel shells. Various concentration of calcium oxide was used as catalyst while maintaining the same concentration of potassium hydroxide to activate and impregnate the palm kernel shell before calcined at 500°C for 5 hours. All the prepared samples were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) and Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM). FTIR analysis of raw palm kernel shell showed the presence of various functional groups. However, after activation, most of the functional groups were eliminated. The basic strength of the prepared samples were determined using back titration method. The samples were then used as base heterogeneous catalyst for the transesterification reaction of rice bran oil with methanol. Analysis of the products were performed using Gas Chromatography Flame Ionization Detector (GC-FID) to calculate the percentage conversion of the biodiesel products. This study shows, as the percentage of one step activation potassium and calcium oxide doped carbon increases thus, the basic strength also increases followed by the increase in biodiesel production. Optimization study shows that the optimum biodiesel production was at 8 wt% catalyst loading, 9:1 methanol: oil molar ratio at 65°C and 6 hours which gives a conversion up to 95%.

Field-emission scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis to understand the role of tannin-based dyes in the degradation of historical wool textiles.

PubMed

Restivo, Annalaura; Degano, Ilaria; Ribechini, Erika; Pérez-Arantegui, Josefina; Colombini, Maria Perla

2014-10-01

An innovative approach, combining field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis, is presented to investigate the degradation mechanisms affecting tannin-dyed wool. In fact, tannin-dyed textiles are more sensitive to degradation then those dyed with other dyestuffs, even in the same conservation conditions. FESEM-EDX was first used to study a set of 48 wool specimens (artificially aged) dyed with several raw materials and mordants, and prepared according to historical dyeing recipes. EDX analysis was performed on the surface of wool threads and on their cross-sections. In addition, in order to validate the model formulated by the analysis of reference materials, several samples collected from historical and archaeological textiles were subjected to FESEM-EDX analysis. FESEM-EDX investigations enabled us to reveal the correlation between elemental composition and morphological changes. In addition, aging processes were clarified by studying changes in the elemental composition of wool from the protective cuticle to the fiber core in cross-sections. Morphological and elemental analysis of wool specimens and of archaeological and historical textiles showed that the presence of tannins increases wool damage, primarily by causing a sulfur decrease and fiber oxidation.

Fluorescence fingerprint as an instrumental assessment of the sensory quality of tomato juices.

PubMed

Trivittayasil, Vipavee; Tsuta, Mizuki; Imamura, Yoshinori; Sato, Tsuneo; Otagiri, Yuji; Obata, Akio; Otomo, Hiroe; Kokawa, Mito; Sugiyama, Junichi; Fujita, Kaori; Yoshimura, Masatoshi

2016-03-15

Sensory analysis is an important standard for evaluating food products. However, as trained panelists and time are required for the process, the potential of using fluorescence fingerprint as a rapid instrumental method to approximate sensory characteristics was explored in this study. Thirty-five out of 44 descriptive sensory attributes were found to show a significant difference between samples (analysis of variance test). Principal component analysis revealed that principal component 1 could capture 73.84 and 75.28% variance for aroma category and combined flavor and taste category respectively. Fluorescence fingerprints of tomato juices consisted of two visible peaks at excitation/emission wavelengths of 290/350 and 315/425 nm and a long narrow emission peak at 680 nm. The 680 nm peak was only clearly observed in juices obtained from tomatoes cultivated to be eaten raw. The ability to predict overall sensory profiles was investigated by using principal component 1 as a regression target. Fluorescence fingerprint could predict principal component 1 of both aroma and combined flavor and taste with a coefficient of determination above 0.8. The results obtained in this study indicate the potential of using fluorescence fingerprint as an instrumental method for assessing sensory characteristics of tomato juices. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry.

Hepatitis A and E Viruses in Wastewaters, in River Waters, and in Bivalve Molluscs in Italy.

PubMed

Iaconelli, M; Purpari, G; Della Libera, S; Petricca, S; Guercio, A; Ciccaglione, A R; Bruni, R; Taffon, S; Equestre, M; Fratini, M; Muscillo, M; La Rosa, Giuseppina

2015-12-01

Several studies have reported the detection of hepatitis A (HAV) and E (HEV) virus in sewage waters, indicating a possibility of contamination of aquatic environments. The objective of the present study was to assess the occurrence of HAV and HEV in different water environments, following the route of contamination from raw sewage through treated effluent to the surface waters receiving wastewater discharges . Bivalve molluscan shellfish samples were also analyzed, as sentinel of marine pollution. Samples were tested by RT-PCR nested type in the VP1/2A junction for HAV, and in the ORF1 and ORF2 regions for HEV. Hepatitis A RNA was detected in 12 water samples: 7/21 (33.3%) raw sewage samples, 3/21 (14.3%) treated sewage samples, and 2/27 (7.4%) river water samples. Five sequences were classified as genotype IA, while the remaining 7 sequences belonged to genotype IB. In bivalves, HAV was detected in 13/56 samples (23.2%), 12 genotype IB and one genotype IA. Whether the presence of HAV in the matrices tested indicates the potential for waterborne and foodborne transmission is unknown, since infectivity of the virus was not demonstrated. HEV was detected in one raw sewage sample and in one river sample, both belonging to genotype 3. Sequences were similar to sequences detected previously in Italy in patients with autochthonous HEV (no travel history) and in animals (swine). To our knowledge, this is the first detection of HEV in river waters in Italy, suggesting that surface water can be a potential source for exposure .

Washing of waste prior to landfilling.

PubMed

Cossu, Raffaello; Lai, Tiziana

2012-05-01

The main impact produced by landfills is represented by the release of leachate emissions. Waste washing treatment has been investigated to evaluate its efficiency in reducing the waste leaching fraction prior to landfilling. The results of laboratory-scale washing tests applied to several significant residues from integrated management of solid waste are presented in this study, specifically: non-recyclable plastics from source separation, mechanical-biological treated municipal solid waste and a special waste, automotive shredded residues. Results obtained demonstrate that washing treatment contributes towards combating the environmental impacts of raw wastes. Accordingly, a leachate production model was applied, leading to the consideration that the concentrations of chemical oxygen demand (COD) and total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN), parameters of fundamental importance in the characterization of landfill leachate, from a landfill containing washed wastes, are comparable to those that would only be reached between 90 and 220years later in the presence of raw wastes. The findings obtained demonstrated that washing of waste may represent an effective means of reducing the leachable fraction resulting in a consequent decrease in landfill emissions. Further studies on pilot scale are needed to assess the potential for full-scale application of this treatment. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Recurrent outbreak of Campylobacter jejuni infections associated with a raw milk dairy--Pennsylvania, April-May 2013.

PubMed

2013-08-30

During May 2013, the Pennsylvania Department of Health investigated an outbreak of campylobacteriosis among consumers of raw (unpasteurized) milk from a dairy certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture (PDA) to sell raw milk onsite, at retail stores, and at off-farm pick-up sites. Investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Health and PDA identified six confirmed and two probable cases of campylobacteriosis associated with raw milk from the dairy. A confirmed case was defined as laboratory-confirmed campylobacteriosis in a person who drank the dairy's raw milk. A probable case was defined as diarrheal illness without laboratory confirmation in a person who had consumed the dairy's raw milk and was linked to a confirmed case. Four cases involved children aged ≤18 years. PDA identified Campylobacter in bulk tank and retail milk samples from the dairy. Available isolates from patient stool (n = 1), bulk tank milk (n = 1), and retail milk (n = 1) were identified by CDC as Campylobacter jejuni and were indistinguishable by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

Biogenic nitric oxide emission from a spruce forest soil in mountainous terrain

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falge, Eva; Bargsten, Anika; Behrendt, Thomas; Meixner, Franz X.

2010-05-01

The process-based spatial simulation model SVAT-CN was used to estimate biogenic nitric oxide (NO) emission by soils of a Norway spruce forest (Weidenbrunnen) in the Fichtelgebirge, Germany. SVAT-CN core is a combination of a multiple-layer soil water balance model and a multi-layered canopy gas exchange model. The soil modules comprise a flexible hybrid between a layered bucket model and classical basic liquid flow theory. Further soil processes include: heat transport, distribution of transpiration demand proportionally to soil resistance, reduction of leaf physiological parameters with limiting soil moisture. Spruce forest soils usually are characterized by a thick organic layer (raw humus), with the topmost centimetres being the location where most of the biogenic NO is produced. Within individual spruce forest stands the understory might be composed of patches characterized by different species (e.g. Vaccinium myrtillus, Picea abies, Deschampsia caespitosa), and NO production potentials. The effect of soil physical and chemical parameters and understory types on NO emission from the organic layer was investigated in laboratory incubation and fumigation experiments on soils sampled below the various understory covers found at the Weidenbrunnen site. Results from the laboratory experiments were used to parameterize multi-factorial regression models of soil NO emission with respect to its response to soil temperature and moisture. Parameterization of the spatial model SVAT-CN includes horizontal heterogeneity of over- and understory PAI, understory species distribution, soil texture, bulk density, thickness of organic layer. Simulations are run for intensive observations periods of 2007 and 2008 of the EGER (ExchanGE processes in mountainous Regions) project, a late summer/fall and an early summer period, providing estimates for different understory types (young spruce, blueberry, grass, and moss/litter patches). Validation of the model is being carried out at point scale, by comparison with measured soil moisture and temperature data at 12 locations at the Weidenbrunnen site. In addition model output is compared to soil NO emission data from dynamic chambers. Understory type was found to have a strong influence on the magnitude of soil NO emissions, with emissions from blueberry and young spruce one order of magnitude larger than those from grass or moss/litter patches.

A Sub-Sampling Approach for Data Acquisition in Gamma Ray Emission Tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fysikopoulos, Eleftherios; Kopsinis, Yannis; Georgiou, Maria; Loudos, George

2016-06-01

State of the art data acquisition systems for small animal imaging gamma ray detectors often rely on free running Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) and high density Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA) devices for digital signal processing. In this work, a sub-sampling acquisition approach, which exploits a priori information regarding the shape of the obtained detector pulses is proposed. Output pulses shape depends on the response of the scintillation crystal, photodetector's properties and amplifier/shaper operation. Using these known characteristics of the detector pulses prior to digitization, one can model the voltage pulse derived from the shaper (a low-pass filter, last in the front-end electronics chain), in order to reduce the desirable sampling rate of ADCs. Fitting with a small number of measurements, pulse shape estimation is then feasible. In particular, the proposed sub-sampling acquisition approach relies on a bi-exponential modeling of the pulse shape. We show that the properties of the pulse that are relevant for Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT) event detection (i.e., position and energy) can be calculated by collecting just a small fraction of the number of samples usually collected in data acquisition systems used so far. Compared to the standard digitization process, the proposed sub-sampling approach allows the use of free running ADCs with sampling rate reduced by a factor of 5. Two small detectors consisting of Cerium doped Gadolinium Aluminum Gallium Garnet (Gd3Al2Ga3O12 : Ce or GAGG:Ce) pixelated arrays (array elements: 2 × 2 × 5 mm3 and 1 × 1 × 10 mm3 respectively) coupled to a Position Sensitive Photomultiplier Tube (PSPMT) were used for experimental evaluation. The two detectors were used to obtain raw images and energy histograms under 140 keV and 661.7 keV irradiation respectively. The sub-sampling acquisition technique (10 MHz sampling rate) was compared with a standard acquisition method (52 MHz sampling rate), in terms of energy resolution and image signal to noise ratio for both gamma ray energies. The Levenberg-Marquardt (LM) non-linear least-squares algorithm was used, in post processing, in order to fit the acquired data with the proposed model. The results showed that analog pulses prior to digitization are being estimated with high accuracy after fitting with the bi-exponential model.

Life cycle analysis of vehicles powered by a fuel cell and by internal combustion engine for Canada

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zamel, Nada; Li, Xianguo

The transportation sector is responsible for a great percentage of the greenhouse gas emissions as well as the energy consumption in the world. Canada is the second major emitter of carbon dioxide in the world. The need for alternative fuels, other than petroleum, and the need to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gases emissions are the main reasons behind this study. In this study, a full life cycle analysis of an internal combustion engine vehicle (ICEV) and a fuel cell vehicle (FCV) has been carried out. The impact of the material and fuel used in the vehicle on energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions is analyzed for Canada. The data collected from the literature shows that the energy consumption for the production of 1 kg of aluminum is five times higher than that of 1 kg of steel, although higher aluminum content makes vehicles lightweight and more energy efficient during the vehicle use stage. Greenhouse gas regulated emissions and energy use in transportation (GREET) software has been used to analyze the fuel life cycle. The life cycle of the fuel consists of obtaining the raw material, extracting the fuel from the raw material, transporting, and storing the fuel as well as using the fuel in the vehicle. Four different methods of obtaining hydrogen were analyzed; using coal and nuclear power to produce electricity and extraction of hydrogen through electrolysis and via steam reforming of natural gas in a natural gas plant and in a hydrogen refueling station. It is found that the use of coal to obtain hydrogen generates the highest emissions and consumes the highest energy. Comparing the overall life cycle of an ICEV and a FCV, the total emissions of an FCV are 49% lower than an ICEV and the energy consumption of FCV is 87% lower than that of ICEV. Further, CO 2 emissions during the hydrogen fuel production in a central plant can be easily captured and sequestrated. The comparison carried out in this study between FCV and ICEV is extended to the use of recycled material. It is found that using 100% recycled material can reduce energy consumption by 45% and carbon dioxide emissions by 42%, mainly due to the reduced use of electricity during the manufacturing of the material.

Effects of phosphogypsum and superphosphate on compost maturity and gaseous emissions during kitchen waste composting.

PubMed

Yang, Fan; Li, Guoxue; Shi, Hong; Wang, Yiming

2015-02-01

This study investigated the effects of phosphogypsum and superphosphate on the maturity and gaseous emissions of composting kitchen waste. Two amended compost treatments were conducted using phosphogypsum and superphosphate as additives with the addition of 10% of initial raw materials (dry weight). A control treatment was also studied. The treatments were conducted under aerobic conditions in 60-L reactors for 35 days. Maturity indexes were determined, and continuous measurements of CH4, N2O, and NH3 were taken. Phosphogypsum and superphosphate had no negative effects on compost maturity, although superphosphate inhibited the temperature rise in the first few days. The addition of phosphogypsum and superphosphate drastically reduced CH4 emissions (by 85.8% and 80.5%, respectively) and decreased NH3 emissions (by 23.5% and 18.9%, respectively). However, a slight increase in N2O emissions (by 3.2% and 14.8%, respectively) was observed. Composting with phosphogypsum and superphosphate reduced total greenhouse gas emissions by 17.4% and 7.3% respectively. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An important missing source of atmospheric carbonyl sulfide: Domestic coal combustion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Du, Qianqian; Zhang, Chenglong; Mu, Yujing; Cheng, Ye; Zhang, Yuanyuan; Liu, Chengtang; Song, Min; Tian, Di; Liu, Pengfei; Liu, Junfeng; Xue, Chaoyang; Ye, Can

2016-08-01

Carbonyl sulfide (COS), carbon monoxide (CO), and sulfur dioxide (SO2) emissions generated from prevailing domestic coal stoves fueled with raw bituminous coal were studied under alternation cycles of flaming and smoldering combustion. The measurements in the laboratory and the farmer's house indicated that COS and CO emissions mainly occurred under the condition of flame extinguishment after coal loading, whereas SO2 emissions were mainly generated through combustion with flame. The COS emission factors for the domestic stoves in the laboratory and the farmer's house were recorded as 0.57 ± 0.10 g COS kg-1 and 1.43 ± 0.32 g COS kg-1, being approximately a factor of 50 and 125 greater than that generated from coal power plants, respectively. Based on the COS emission factors measured in this study, COS emission from only domestic coal combustion in China would be at least 30.5 ± 5.6 Gg S yr-1 which was 1 magnitude greater than the current COS estimation from the total coal combustion in China.

3D data processing with advanced computer graphics tools

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Song; Ekstrand, Laura; Grieve, Taylor; Eisenmann, David J.; Chumbley, L. Scott

2012-09-01

Often, the 3-D raw data coming from an optical profilometer contains spiky noises and irregular grid, which make it difficult to analyze and difficult to store because of the enormously large size. This paper is to address these two issues for an optical profilometer by substantially reducing the spiky noise of the 3-D raw data from an optical profilometer, and by rapidly re-sampling the raw data into regular grids at any pixel size and any orientation with advanced computer graphics tools. Experimental results will be presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.

Occurrence of perfluorinated compounds in raw water from New Jersey public drinking water systems.

PubMed

Post, Gloria B; Louis, Judith B; Lippincott, R Lee; Procopio, Nicholas A

2013-01-01

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) were previously detected (≥ 4 ng/L) in 65% and 30%, respectively, of 23 New Jersey (NJ) public drinking water systems (PWS) sampled in 2006. We now report on a 2009 study of the occurrence of PFOA, PFOS, and eight other perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) in raw water samples from 30 intakes (18 groundwater and 12 surface water) from 29 additional NJ PWS. Between 1 and 8 PFCs were detected (≥ 5 ng/L) in 21 (70%) of 30 PWS samples at total PFC concentrations of 5-174 ng/L. Although PFOA was the most commonly detected PFC (57% of samples) and was found at the highest maximum concentration (100 ng/L), some of the higher levels of other PFCs were at sites with little or no PFOA. Perfluorononanoic acid was detected more frequently (30%) and at higher concentrations (up to 96 ng/L) than in raw or finished drinking water elsewhere, and it was found at several sites as the sole or predominant PFC, a pattern not reported in other drinking water studies. PFOS, perfluoropentanoic acid, and perfluorohexanoic acid were each detected in more than 20% of samples, while perfluoroheptanoic acid, perfluorobutane sulfonic acid, and perfluorohexane sulfonic acid were detected less frequently. Perfluorobutanoic acid was found only once (6 ng/L), and perfluorodecanoic acid was not detected. Total PFCs were highest in two reservoirs near an airfield; these were also the only sites with total perfluorosulfonic acids higher than total perfluorocarboxylic acids (PFCAs). PFC levels in raw and finished water from the same source were similar at those sites where both were tested. Five wells of two additional NJ PWS known to be contaminated with PFOA were also each sampled 4-9 times in 2010-13 for nine of the same PFCs. Total PFCs (almost completely PFCAs) at one of these PWS located near an industrial source of PFCs were higher than in any other PWS tested (up to 330 ng/L). These results show that multiple PFCs are commonly found in raw water from NJ PWS. Future work is needed to develop approaches for assessing the potential human health risks of exposure to mixtures of PFCs found in drinking water and other environmental media.

Liquid oil and residual characteristics of printed circuit board recycle by pyrolysis.

PubMed

Lin, Kuo-Hsiung; Chiang, Hung-Lung

2014-04-30

Non-metal fractions of waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) were thermally treated (200-500°C) under nitrogen atmosphere. Carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen were determined by elemental analyzer, bromine by instrumental neutron activation analysis (INAA), phosphorus by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDX), and 29 trace elements by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometer (ICP-AES) and mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) for raw material and pyrolysis residues. Organic compositions of liquid oil were identified by GC (gas chromatography)-MS, trace element composition by ICP system, and 12 water-soluble ions by IC (ionic chromatography). Elemental content of carbon was >450 mg/g, oxygen 300 mg/g, bromine and hydrogen 60 mg/g, nitrogen 30 mg/g, and phosphorus 28 mg/g. Sulfur was trace in PCBs. Copper content was 25-28 mg/g, iron 1.3-1.7 mg/g, tin 0.8-1.0mg/g and magnesium 0.4-1.0mg/g; those were the main metals in the raw materials and pyrolytic residues. In the liquid products, carbon content was 68-73%, hydrogen was 10-14%, nitrogen was 4-5%, and sulfur was less than 0.05% at pyrolysis temperatures from 300 to 500°C. Phenol, 3-bromophenol, 2-methylphenol and 4-propan-2-ylphenol were major species in liquid products, accounting for >50% of analyzed organic species. Bromides, ammonium and phosphate were the main species in water sorption samples for PCB pyrolysis exhaust. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Frequent Hepatitis E Virus Contamination in Food Containing Raw Pork Liver, France

PubMed Central

Merbah, Thiziri; Thébault, Anne

2014-01-01

Food products containing raw pork liver are suspected to be vehicles for transmission of hepatitis E virus. Four categories of food products, comprising 394 samples, were analyzed to determine hepatitis E virus prevalence. Virus was detected in 3%–30% of the different categories. Phylogenetic analysis showed high identity with human and swine sequences. PMID:25340373

Thermal cooking changes the profile of phenolic compounds, but does not attenuate the anti-inflammatory activities of black rice.

PubMed

Bhawamai, Sassy; Lin, Shyh-Hsiang; Hou, Yuan-Yu; Chen, Yue-Hwa

2016-01-01

Evidence on biological activities of cooked black rice is limited. This study examined the effects of washing and cooking on the bioactive ingredients and biological activities of black rice. Cooked rice was prepared by washing 0-3 times followed by cooking in a rice cooker. The acidic methanol extracts of raw and cooked rice were used for the analyses. Raw black rice, both washed and unwashed, had higher contents of polyphenols, anthocyanins, and cyanidin-3-glucoside (C3G), but lower protocatechuic acid (PA), than did cooked samples. Similarly, raw rice extracts were higher in ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) activities than extracts of cooked samples. Nonetheless, extracts of raw and cooked rice showed similar inhibitory potencies on nitric oxide, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interleukin-6 productions in lipopolysaccharide-activated macrophages, whereas equivalent amounts of C3G and PA did not possess such inhibitory effects. Thermal cooking decreased total anthocyanin and C3G contents and the FRAP antioxidative capacity, but did not affect anti-inflammatory activities of black rice. Neither C3G nor PA contributed to the anti-inflammatory activity of black rice.

Is drinking water a major route of human exposure to alkylphenol and bisphenol contaminants in France?

PubMed

Colin, Adeline; Bach, Cristina; Rosin, Christophe; Munoz, Jean-François; Dauchy, Xavier

2014-01-01

The main objective of this study was to evaluate potential exposure of a significant part of the French population to alkylphenol and bisphenol contaminants due to water consumption. The occurrence of 11 alkylphenols and bisphenols was studied in raw water and treated water samples from public water systems. One sampling campaign was performed from October 2011 to May 2012. Sampling was equally distributed across 100 French departments. In total, 291 raw water samples and 291 treated water samples were analyzed in this study, representing approximately 20 % of the national water supply flow. The occurrence of the target compounds was also determined for 29 brands of bottled water (polyethylene terephthalate [PET] bottles, polycarbonate [PC] reusable containers, and aluminum cans [ACs]) and in 5 drinking water networks where epoxy resin has been used as coating for pipes. In raw water samples, the highest individual concentration was 1,430 ng/L for bisphenol A (BPA). Of the investigated compounds, nonylphenol (NP), nonylphenol 1-carboxylic acid (NP1EC), BPA, and nonylphenol 2-ethoxylate (NP2EO) predominated (detected in 18.6, 18.6, 14.4, and 10 % of samples, respectively). Geographical variability was observed with departments crossed by major rivers or with high population densities being more affected by contamination. In treated water samples, the highest individual concentration was 505 ng/L for NP. Compared with raw water, target compounds were found in lower amounts in treated water. This difference suggests a relative effectiveness of certain water treatments for the elimination of these pollutants; however, there is also their possible transformation by reaction with chlorine. No target compounds were found in drinking water pipes coated with epoxy resin, in PET bottled water, or in water from ACs. However, levels of BPA in PC bottled water ranged from 70 to 4,210 ng/L with greater level observed in newly manufactured bottles. 4-Tert-butylphenol was only detected in recently manufactured bottles. The values observed for the monitored compounds indicate that drinking water is most likely not the main source of exposure.

Direct Parametric Reconstruction With Joint Motion Estimation/Correction for Dynamic Brain PET Data.

PubMed

Jiao, Jieqing; Bousse, Alexandre; Thielemans, Kris; Burgos, Ninon; Weston, Philip S J; Schott, Jonathan M; Atkinson, David; Arridge, Simon R; Hutton, Brian F; Markiewicz, Pawel; Ourselin, Sebastien

2017-01-01

Direct reconstruction of parametric images from raw photon counts has been shown to improve the quantitative analysis of dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) data. However it suffers from subject motion which is inevitable during the typical acquisition time of 1-2 hours. In this work we propose a framework to jointly estimate subject head motion and reconstruct the motion-corrected parametric images directly from raw PET data, so that the effects of distorted tissue-to-voxel mapping due to subject motion can be reduced in reconstructing the parametric images with motion-compensated attenuation correction and spatially aligned temporal PET data. The proposed approach is formulated within the maximum likelihood framework, and efficient solutions are derived for estimating subject motion and kinetic parameters from raw PET photon count data. Results from evaluations on simulated [ 11 C]raclopride data using the Zubal brain phantom and real clinical [ 18 F]florbetapir data of a patient with Alzheimer's disease show that the proposed joint direct parametric reconstruction motion correction approach can improve the accuracy of quantifying dynamic PET data with large subject motion.

Use of in vitro methods to rank surfactants for irritation potential in support of new product development.

PubMed

Casterton, P L; Potts, L F; Klein, B D

1994-08-01

11 surfactant raw materials with potential applications in light-duty liquid cleaning products were evaluated in vitro using a human skin analogue (ATS SKIN(2) Model ZK1100) for predicting cytotoxicity (MTT reduction) and inflammation [prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) release]. Two of the 11 raw materials, both in the same compound family, were selected to be individually combined with each of the other nine in a 90:10 (raw:selected raw) mixture. Selection criteria were based on desired performance characteristics and low irritation potential as suggested from the individual surfactant assay data. To determine whether irritation potential was mitigated, MTT and PGE(2) scores were again determined for each of the 18 combinations with the resulting data being compared with the untreated raw material data. A plot of the data indicated that one of two selected materials may have an 'anti-irritant' effect. For raw materials with intrinsic MTT scores of less than 50 mug/ml and with the original data corrected for possible dilution effects, a statistical comparison between individual raw materials and the two sets of combinations was done using a one-sample analysis. Both cytotoxicity (MTT) and inflammation (PGE(2)) were significantly decreased by the milder of the two selected raw materials. By factoring the data into future new product decisions, this methodology has become a useful and practical tool for Amway product development.

Microbial Quality, Safety, and Pathogen Detection by Using Quantitative PCR of Raw Salad Vegetables Sold in Dhanbad City, India.

PubMed

Mritunjay, Sujeet K; Kumar, Vipin

2017-01-01

Consumption of ready-to-eat fresh vegetables has increased worldwide, with a consequent increase in outbreaks caused by foodborne pathogens. In the Indian subcontinent, raw fresh vegetables are usually consumed without washing or other decontamination procedures, thereby leading to new food safety threats. In this study, the microbiological quality and pathogenic profile of raw salad vegetables was evaluated through standard protocols. In total, 480 samples (60 each of eight different salad vegetables) of cucumber, tomato, carrot, coriander, cabbage, beetroot, radish, and spinach were collected from different locations in Dhanbad, a city famous for its coal fields and often called the "Coal Capital of India." The samples were analyzed for total plate count, total coliforms, Escherichia coli , E. coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes , and Salmonella spp. Incidences of pathogens were detected through quantitative PCR subsequent to isolation. Results showed that 46.7% (for total plate counts) and 30% (for total coliforms) of samples were unacceptable for consumption per the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Pathogenic microorganisms were detected in 3.7% of total samples. E. coli O157:H7 was detected in three samples of spinach (2) and beetroot ( 1 ); L. monocytogenes was detected in 14 samples of spinach ( 8 ), tomato ( 3 ), cucumber ( 2 ), and radish ( 1 ); and Salmonella spp. were detected in 16 samples of spinach ( 7 ), tomato ( 3 ), beetroot ( 2 ), cucumber ( 2 ), carrot ( 1 ), and radish ( 1 ). Pathogens were not detected in any of the cabbage and coriander samples.

Impact assessment and decontamination of pesticides from meat under different culinary processes.

PubMed

Sengupta, Dwaipayan; Aktar, Md Wasim; Alam, Samsul; Chowdhury, Ashim

2010-10-01

A total of 75 animals between 1.5 and 8 years old were randomly selected for the study. Of these, 57.8% were cross-bred animals and the rest were non-descript. Moreover, 61.8% of the animals under study were brought for slaughter from local sources and the rest from farm houses. Samples collected from five districts revealed contamination with traces of organochlorine pesticides (0.01-0.22 microg g(-1)) and organophosphorus pesticides (0.111-0.098 microg g(-1)). In general, all the raw meat samples possessed dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane at the highest level. Contamination was highest in cow meat samples and lowest in chicken samples. No particular district-wise trend was obtained for the pesticides selected for analysis. Subsequent decontamination study revealed that cooking is the best option in reducing pesticide load in raw meat samples. Cooked chicken is the safest foodstuff for consumption.

Microscopic and UPLC-UV-MS analyses of authentic and commercial yohimbe (Pausinystalia johimbe) bark samples.

PubMed

Raman, Vijayasankar; Avula, Bharathi; Galal, Ahmed M; Wang, Yan-Hong; Khan, Ikhlas A

2013-01-01

Yohimbine is the major alkaloid found in the stem bark of yohimbe, Pausinystalia johimbe (Rubiaceae), an evergreen tree native to Africa. The objectives of the current study were to provide a detailed anatomy of yohimbe bark, as well as to determine the quantity of yohimbine in the raw yohimbe products sold online. Twelve commercial raw materials of yohimbe were analyzed by microscopic and ultra performance liquid chromatography-UV-MS methods. The study revealed that three samples were probably adulterated and four other samples contained various levels of impurities. Yohimbine was not detected in one sample, whereas its presence in other samples was found to be in the range 0.1-0.91%. The present work also provides a detailed anatomy of the stem bark of yohimbe, with light and scanning electron microscopy images, for proper identification and authentication.

Influence of sulfur dioxide-related interactions on PM2.5 formation in iron ore sintering.

PubMed

Ji, Zhiyun; Fan, Xiaohui; Gan, Min; Chen, Xuling; Lv, Wei; Li, Qiang; Zhou, Yang; Tian, Ye; Jiang, Tao

2017-04-01

The formation of PM 2.5 (aerosol particulate matter less than 2.5 µm in aerodynamic diameter) in association with SO 2 emission during sintering process has been studied by dividing the whole sintering process into six typical sampling stages. A low-pressure cascade impactor was used to collect PM 2.5 by automatically segregating particulates into six sizes. It was found that strong correlation existed between the emission properties of PM 2.5 and SO 2 . Wet mixture layer (overwetted layer and raw mixture layer) had the function to simultaneously capture SO 2 and PM 2.5 during the early sintering stages, and released them back into flue gas mainly in the flue gas temperature-rising period. CaSO 4 crystals constituted the main SO 2 -related PM 2.5 during the disappearing process of overwetted layer, which was able to form perfect individual crystals or to form particles with complex chemical compositions. Besides the existence of individual CaSO 4 crystals, mixed crystals of K 2 SO 4 -CaSO 4 in PM 2.5 were also found during the first half of the temperature-rising period of flue gas. The interaction between fine-grained Ca-based fluxes, potassium vapors, and SO 2 was the potential source of SO 2 -related PM 2.5 . The emission property of PM 2.5 and SO 2 throughout the sintering process exhibited well similarity. This phenomenon tightened the relationship between the formation of PM 2.5 and the emission of SO 2 . Through revealing the properties of SO 2 -related PM 2.5 during sintering process, the potential interaction between fine-grained Ca-based fluxes, potassium vapors, and SO 2 was found to be the source of SO 2 -related PM 2.5 . This information can serve as the guidance to develop efficient techniques to control the formation and emission of PM 2.5 in practical sintering plants.

Hα Monitoring of Early-Type Emission Line Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Souza, Steven P.; Boettcher, E.; Wilson, S.; Hosek, M.

2011-05-01

We have begun a narrowband imaging program to monitor Hα emission in early-type stars in young open clusters and associations. A minority of early-type stars, particularly Be stars, show Hα in emission due to extended atmospheres and non-equilibrium conditions. Emission features commonly vary irregularly over a range of timescales (Porter, J.M. & Rivinus, T., P.A.S.P. 115:1153-1170, 2003). Some of the brightest such stars, e.g. γ Cas, have been spectroscopically monitored for Hα variability to help constrain models of the unstable disk, but there is relatively little ongoing monitoring in samples including fainter stars (Peters, G., Be Star Newsletter 39:3, 2009). Our program uses matched 5nm-wide on-band (656nm) and off-band (645nm) filters, in conjunction with the Hopkins Observatory 0.6-m telescope and CCD camera. Aperture photometry is done on all early-type stars in each frame, and results expressed as on-band to off-band ratios. Though wavelength-dependent information is lost compared with spectroscopy, imaging allows us to observe much fainter (and therefore many more) objects. Observing young clusters, rather than individual target stars, allows us to record multiple known and candidate emission line stars per frame, and provides multiple "normal" reference stars of similar spectral type. Observations began in the summer of 2010. This project has the potential to produce significant amounts of raw data, so a semi-automated data reduction process has been developed, including astrometric and photometric tasks. Early results, including some preliminary light curves and recovery of known Be stars at least as faint as R=13.9, are presented. We gratefully acknowledge support for student research through an REU grant to the Keck Northeast Astronomy Consortium from the National Science Foundation, and from the Division III Research Funding Committee of Williams College.

The occurrence of Salmonella in raw and ready-to-eat bean sprouts and sprouted seeds on retail sale in England and Northern Ireland.

PubMed

Sadler-Reeves, L; Aird, H; de Pinna, E; Elviss, N; Fox, A; Kaye, M; Jorgensen, F; Lane, C; Willis, C; McLauchlin, J

2016-02-01

A total of 554 samples of bean sprouts or other sprouted seeds were collected at retail sale and submitted to nine Official Control Laboratories in England and Northern Ireland during January to March 2011. Samples (100 g) were tested for the presence of Salmonella using the EN ISO 6579:2002 method. Products labelled as ready-to-eat comprised 23% of the samples and 61% were labelled as raw or to-cook: the remaining 12% had no indication if the food was intended as ready-to-eat or ready-to-cook, and 4% were not recorded. Salmonella spp. were detected from four samples of mung-bean sprouts (0·7% of all the 554 samples) and all four isolates were confirmed as Salmonella enterica serovar Abaetetuba (11 : k : 1,5). Two of the samples where Salmonella was detected were sold as ready-to-eat (labelled 'rinse and serve' only): The remaining two were from samples labelled as ready-to-cook. Consumption of sprouted seeds have been associated with infections from a range of foodborne pathogens, particularly Salmonella and shigatoxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC). However, there is limited data (including that from EU monitoring) on foodborne pathogens in samples of this food type which are not associated with outbreaks of infection. Out of 554 raw and ready-to-eat bean sprouts and sprouted seeds sampled at retail, Salmonella spp. was detected from four samples. This study illustrated the potential of this product to be contaminated with a human pathogen and the importance of considering the intended use and preparation of specific food in assessing microbiological risks. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Proteomic analysis of heat treated bitter gourd (Momordica charantia L. var. Hong Kong Green) using 2D-DIGE.

PubMed

Ng, Zhi Xiang; Chua, Kek Heng; Kuppusamy, Umah Rani

2014-04-01

This study aimed to investigate the changes in the proteome of bitter gourd prior to and after subjecting to boiling and microwaving. A comparative analysis of the proteome profiles of raw and thermally treated bitter gourds was performed using 2D-DIGE. The protein content and number of protein spots in raw sample was higher when compared to the cooked samples. Qualitative analysis revealed that 103 (boiled sample) and 110 (microwaved sample) protein spots were up regulated whereas 120 (boiled sample) and 107 (microwaved sample) protein spots were down regulated. Ten protein spots with the highest significant fold change in the cooked samples were involved in carbohydrate/energy metabolisms and stress responses. Small heat shock proteins, superoxide dismutase, quinone oxidoreductase, UDP-glucose pyrophosphorylase and phosphoglycerate kinase play a role in heat-stress-mediated protection of bitter gourd. This study suggests that appropriate heat treatment (cooking methods) can lead to induction of selected proteins in bitter gourd. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In vitro inflammatory and cytotoxic effects of size-segregated particulate samples collected during long-range transport of wildfire smoke to Helsinki.

PubMed

Jalava, Pasi I; Salonen, Raimo O; Hälinen, Arja I; Penttinen, Piia; Pennanen, Arto S; Sillanpää, Markus; Sandell, Erik; Hillamo, Risto; Hirvonen, Maija-Riitta

2006-09-15

The impact of long-range transport (LRT) episodes of wildfire smoke on the inflammogenic and cytotoxic activity of urban air particles was investigated in the mouse RAW 264.7 macrophages. The particles were sampled in four size ranges using a modified Harvard high-volume cascade impactor, and the samples were chemically characterized for identification of different emission sources. The particulate mass concentration in the accumulation size range (PM(1-0.2)) was highly increased during two LRT episodes, but the contents of total and genotoxic polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in collected particulate samples were only 10-25% of those in the seasonal average sample. The ability of coarse (PM(10-2.5)), intermodal size range (PM(2.5-1)), PM(1-0.2) and ultrafine (PM(0.2)) particles to cause cytokine production (TNFalpha, IL-6, MIP-2) reduced along with smaller particle size, but the size range had a much smaller impact on induced nitric oxide (NO) production and cytotoxicity or apoptosis. The aerosol particles collected during LRT episodes had a substantially lower activity in cytokine production than the corresponding particles of the seasonal average period, which is suggested to be due to chemical transformation of the organic fraction during aging. However, the episode events were associated with enhanced inflammogenic and cytotoxic activities per inhaled cubic meter of air due to the greatly increased particulate mass concentration in the accumulation size range, which may have public health implications.

Population Genetics and Antimicrobial Susceptibility of Canine Campylobacter Isolates Collected before and after a Raw Feeding Experiment

PubMed Central

Roine, Johanna; Hänninen, Marja-Liisa; Hielm-Björkman, Anna; Kivistö, Rauni

2015-01-01

In recent years, increasing numbers of consumers have become interested in feeding raw food for their pet dogs as opposed to commercial dry food, in the belief of health advantages. However, raw meat and internal organs, possibly contaminated by pathogens such as Campylobacter spp., may pose a risk of transmission of zoonoses to the pet owners. Campylobacter jejuni is the leading cause of bacterial gastroenteritis in humans but C. upsaliensis has also been associated with human disease. In this study we investigated the effect of different feeding strategies on the prevalence of Campylobacter spp. in Finnish dogs. We further characterized the isolates using multilocus sequence typing (MLST), whole-genome (wg) MLST and antimicrobial susceptibility testing. Dogs were sampled before and after a feeding period consisting of commercial raw feed or dry pellet feed. Altogether 56% (20/36) of the dogs yielded at least one Campylobacter-positive fecal sample. C. upsaliensis was the major species detected from 39% of the dogs before and 30% after the feeding period. Two C. jejuni isolates were recovered, both from raw-fed dogs after the dietary regimen. The isolates represented the same genotype (ST-1326), suggesting a common infection source. However, no statistically significant correlation was found between the feeding strategies and Campylobacter spp. carriage. The global genealogy of MLST types of dog and human C. upsaliensis isolates revealed weakly clonal population structure as most STs were widely dispersed. Major antimicrobial resistance among C. upsaliensis isolates was against streptomycin (STR MIC > 4mg/l). Apart from that, all isolates were highly susceptible against the antimicrobials tested. Mutations were found in the genes rpsL or rpsL and rsmG in streptomycin resistant isolates. In conclusion, increasing trend to feed dogs with raw meat warrants more studies to evaluate the risk associated with raw feeding of pets in transmission of zoonoses to humans. PMID:26172151

40 CFR 1065.245 - Sample flow meter for batch sampling.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... rates or total flow sampled into a batch sampling system over a test interval. You may use the... rates or total raw exhaust flow over a test interval. (b) Component requirements. We recommend that you... averaging Pitot tube, or a hot-wire anemometer. Note that your overall system for measuring sample flow must...

Concentration and emission sources of airborne metals in particulate matter in the industrial district of Médio Paraíba, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

PubMed

Loyola, Josiane; de Almeida, Pierre Batista; Quiterio, Simone Lorena; Sousa, Célia Regina; Arbilla, Graciela; Escaleira, Viviane; de Carvalho, Maria Isabel; dos Santos Amaral Gomes da Silva, Alzira

2006-11-01

Total suspended particles and 12 airborne metals were determined in 4 sampling sites in the industrial region of Médio Paraíba, Brazil. The geometrical means for the four sampling locals were (in units of microg/m3): 65.9 in Barra Mansa, 57.3 in Jardim Paraíba (Volta Redonda), 41.7 in Resende, and 48.9 in Volta Grande (Volta Redonda). These values are lower than levels previously determined in urban and industrial locals of the Metropolitan Area of Rio de Janeiro. For metals, the higher concentrations were obtained for Ca, Zn, Al, Fe, and Mg. Ca, Zn, and Al levels are higher than those determined in other industrial areas. These three metals are used in steel manufacturing, the main economical activity of the region. Enrichment factors for Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb are higher than 10, suggesting an industrial input. Statistical analysis show a high correlation among Ca, Mg, Zn, Cr, Al, Mn, and Fe, all of them used as raw materials in steel manufacturing and/or accumulated as industrial blast furnace slag and steelworks slag.

Lead, cadmium and chromium in raw and boiled portions of Norway lobster.

PubMed

Perugini, Monia; Visciano, Pierina; Manera, Maurizio; Abete, Maria Cesarina; Tarasco, Renata; Amorena, Michele

2014-01-01

Lead, cadmium and chromium levels were determined in different raw and boiled portions of Norway lobster caught in the central Adriatic Sea (Italy). In raw specimens, the lowest concentrations were always detected in the white meat. Lead and cadmium content in the edible portion never exceeded the maximum levels set by European legislation. The highest cadmium and chromium values (0.47 ± 0.04 and 0.62 ± 0.13 mg/kg wet weight, respectively) were detected in the brown meat, while the highest lead concentrations were found in the exoskeleton (0.21 ± 0.01 mg/kg wet weight). Also, the boiled samples showed the lowest metal levels in the white meat, even if a significant increase (p < 0.01) was found for lead and cadmium compared to the corresponding raw portions. Among metals, chromium showed the highest concentrations in both raw and boiled portions, but up to now, the European legislation did not envisage any limits in seafood.

[Effect of raw and cooked nopal (Opuntia ficus indica) ingestion on growth and profile of total cholesterol, lipoproteins, and blood glucose in rats].

PubMed

Cárdenas Medellín, M L; Serna Saldívar, S O; Velazco de la Garza, J

1998-12-01

Two different concentrations (approx. 6 and 12%) and two presentations (raw and cooked) of dehydrated nopal were fed to laboratory rats and growth and serum total cholesterol, lipoprotein profile and glucose determined. Samples of raw and cooked nopal were chemically characterized for moisture, protein, ash, crude fiber, ether extract, total dietary fiber, reducing sugars, amino acids, minerals and gross energy. Cooking slightly affected some of the nutrients analyzed. After one month feeding, blood was withdrawn via intracardiac puncture and serum glucose, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and VLDL were determined. Rats fed 12% nopal had lower weight gains (P < 0.05) when compared with counterparts fed 6% nopal or the control diet. Consumption of nopal did not affect (P > 0.05) glucose, total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol levels. However, rats fed raw nopal at the 12% concentration level had a 34% reduction in LDL cholesterol levels; thus, it was concluded that raw nopal had a potentially beneficial effect for hypercholesterolemic individuals.

Combustion properties, water absorption and grindability of raw/torrefied biomass pellets and Silantek coal

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Matali, Sharmeela; Rahman, Norazah Abdul; Idris, Siti Shawaliah; Yaacob, Nurhafizah

2017-12-01

Torrefaction, also known as mild pyrolysis, is proven to convert raw biomass into a value-added energy commodity particularly for application in combustion and co-firing systems with improved storage and handling properties. This paper aims to compare the characteristics of Malaysian bituminous coal i.e. Silantek coal with raw and torrefied biomass pellet originated from oil palm frond and fast growing tree species, Leucaena Leucocephala. Biomass samples were initially torrefied at 300 °C for 60 minutes. Resulting torrefied biomass pellets were analysed using a number of standard fuel characterisation analyses i.e. elemental analysis, proximate analysis and calorific content (high heating values) experiments. Investigations on combustion characteristics via dynamic thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), grindability and moisture uptake tests were also performed on the torrefied biomass pellets. Better quality bio-chars were produced as compared to its raw forms and with optimal process conditions, torrefaction may potentially produces a solid fuel with combustion reactivity and porosity equivalent to raw biomass while having compatible energy density and grindability to coal.

Assessment of atmospheric mercury emissions in Finland

PubMed

Mukherjee; Melanen; Ekqvist; Verta

2000-10-02

This paper is part of the study of atmospheric emissions of heavy metals conducted by the Finnish Environment Institute in collaboration with the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT) under the umbrella of the Finnish Ministry of the Environment. The scope of our study is limited solely to anthropogenic mercury that is emitted directly to the atmosphere. This article addresses emission factors and trends of atmospheric mercury emissions during the 1990s and is based mainly on the database of the Finnish Environmental Administration. In addition, data based on the measurements taken by the VTT regarding emission factors have been used to estimate emissions of mercury from the incineration of waste. The study indicates that the total emission of mercury has decreased from 1140 kg in 1990 to 620 kg in 1997, while industrial and energy production have been on the increase simultaneously. The 45% emission reduction is due to improved gas cleaning equipment, process changes, automation, the installation of flue gas desulfurization process in coal-fired power plants and strict pollution control laws. In the past, some authors have estimated a higher mercury emission in Finland. In this study, it is also observed that there are no big changes in the quality of raw materials. Estimated emission factors can be of great help to management for estimating mercury emissions and also its risk assessment.

A novel pre-sintering technique for the growth of Y-Ba-Cu-O superconducting single grains from raw metal oxides

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jiawei; Shi, Yun-Hua; Dennis, Anthony R.; Namburi, Devendra Kumar; Durrell, John H.; Yang, Wanmin; Cardwell, David A.

2017-09-01

Most established top seeded melt growth (TSMG) processes of bulk, single grain Y-Ba-Cu-O (YBCO) superconductors are performed using a mixture of pre-reacted precursor powders. Here we report the successful growth of large, single grain YBCO samples by TSMG with good superconducting properties from a simple precursor composition consisting of a sintered mixture of the raw oxides. The elimination of the requirement to synthesize precursor powders in a separate process prior to melt processing has the potential to reduce significantly the cost of bulk superconductors, which is essential for their commercial exploitation. The growth morphology, microstructure, trapped magnetic field and critical current density, J c, at different positions within the sample and maximum levitation force of the YBCO single grains fabricated by this process are reported. Measurements of the superconducting properties show that the trapped filed can reach 0.45 T and that a zero field J c of 2.5 × 104 A cm-2 can be achieved in these samples. These values are comparable to those observed in samples fabricated using pre-reacted, high purity commercial oxide precursor powders. The experimental results are discussed and the possibility of further improving the melt process using raw oxides is outlined.

Kinetics of thermal decomposition of some biomasses in an inert environment. An investigation of the effect of lead loaded by biosorption.

PubMed

Martín-Lara, María Ángeles; Iáñez-Rodríguez, Irene; Blázquez, Gabriel; Quesada, Lucía; Pérez, Antonio; Calero, Mónica

2017-12-01

The thermal behavior of some types of raw and lead-polluted biomasses typical in south Spain was studied by non-isothermal thermogravimetry. Experiments were carried out in nitrogen atmosphere at three heating rates (5, 10 and 20°C/min). The results of thermogravimetric tests carried out proved that the presence of lead did not change the main degradation pathways of selected biomass (almond shell (AS) and olive pomace (OP)). However, from a point of view of mass loss, lead-polluted samples showed higher decomposition temperatures and decomposition at higher rate. The determination of activation energies was performed by isoconversional methods of Flynn-Wall-Ozawa (FWO), Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) and Friedman (FR). In general, lead-polluted samples showed lower activation energies than raw ones. Then, Coast-Redfern method was applied to determine kinetic function. The kinetic function that seems to determine the mechanism of thermal degradation of main components of all samples was nth order reaction. Finally, a model based on three parallel reactions (for three pseudocomponents) that fit to nth order reactions was evaluated. This model was appropriate to predict the pyrolysis behavior of the raw and lead-polluted samples in all pyrolysis conditions studied. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.