Shear rate-, temperature- and composition-dependencies of viscosity behavior of mixtures of {[bmim]NO3+ethanol}

Are Ionic Liquids Suitable for Suppressing Coal Spontaneous Combustion?

Due to the reported fact that the active functional groups in coal can be dissolved and destroyed by ionic liquids, it is expected that the spontaneous combustion of coal can be affected from a thermodynamic perspective. However, ionic liquids with different thermal stabilities have distinct influences on coal combustion. Here, the thermal stability of long-flame coal in the presence of five pure ionic liquids ([Bmim][BF₄], [Bmim][Ac], [Bmim][NO₃], [Hoemim][BF₄], and [Pmim][BF₄]) was analyzed by thermogravimetric analysis, and the flammability of the raw coal, pure ionic liquids, and coal-IL mixtures (mass ratio of 1:1) were tested using a cone calorimeter according to the indexes of the time to ignition (TTI), mass loss rate (MLR), heat release rate (HRR), total heat release rate (THR), specific extinction area (SEA), and CO production. It is shown that the TTIs of mixtures containing coal-[Bmim][BF₄], coal-[Hoemim][BF₄], and coal-[Pmim][BF₄] are relatively long, and the MLR, HRR, THR, and SEA values are relatively low, indicating that these fluorine-containing ionic liquids have a better flame-retardant effect than the other two fluorine-free ones, which may be ascribed to their similar role to halogen inhibitors. In addition, the endothermic process of [Bmim][BF₄], [Hoemim][BF₄], and [Pmim][BF₄] can reduce the temperature of the coal surface and delay the ignition time of coal. In contrast, the TTI of coal-[Bmim][NO₃] and coal-[Bmim][Ac] mixtures is much shorter than that of coal alone, and the MLR, HRR, and THR values are larger. This may be caused by the poor thermal stability of the two nonfluorine ionic liquids that began to decompose and release heat prior to coal, providing a large amount of heat for the low-temperature oxidation of coal and thus accelerating coal oxidation and combustion. Although the F-containing ionic liquids show the ability to inhibit spontaneous combustion of coal to some extent, their organic cations are potentially combustible and release large amounts of heat, smoke, and CO under high temperatures.

Prevalence of enteropathogens and their antibiotic sensitivity pattern in puppies with hemorrhagic gastroenteritis

AIM

Hemorrhagic gastroenteritis (HGE) ranging from mild to severe forms is commonly encountered in puppies. The aim of the study was to identify the prevalence of common enteropathogens and the antibiotic sensitivity pattern in puppies reported with HGE.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The canine HGE activity index, with little modification, was adopted to identify Grade III/severely affected puppies below 6 months of age. Fecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was employed to screen and compare the enteropathogens in puppies with hemorrhagic diarrhea and healthy control.

RESULTS

Canine parvovirus 2b was identified in 90.3% of the diarrheic and 10% of the non-diarrheic healthy puppies. Clostridium difficile was identified in all the diarrheic puppies and in 80% of the healthy puppies. Among the diarrheic puppies, 17.7% were positive for Clostridium perfringens enterotoxin, 9.7% were positive for C. perfringens alpha toxin, 6.4% were positive for Escherichia coli shiga toxin, 6.4% were positive for E. coli enterotoxin (LT), and 3.2% were positive for canine distemper virus. Whereas, none of the healthy puppies were positive for these bacteria and toxins. Fecal antibiotic sensitivity test pattern revealed gentamicin to be sensitive in 95% of the cases, azithromycin in 50%, enrofloxacin in 25%, cefotaxime in 20%, and tetracycline in 5% of the cases.

CONCLUSION

Parvoviral enteritis is predominant among puppies. Yet, bacteria and their toxins also play an important role in HGE. Gentamicin has higher sensitivity against the enteropathogens associated with the condition.