Prevalence of antibodies against Neospora caninum in dogs from urban areas in Central Poland

Neospora caninum is a protozoan parasite which causes abortion in cattle as well as reproduction problems and neurological disorders in dogs. To assess the prevalence of the parasite in urban dogs in the Mazovian Voivodeship, Central Poland, serum samples from 257 dogs were analyzed for the presence of specific IgG antibodies. The examined dogs visited three private veterinary clinics located in Warsaw due to control tests, vaccinations, or other reasons not directly connected with neosporosis. Using ELISA and Western blot, antibodies against the parasite were detected in 56 out of 257 dogs, giving a prevalence of 21.7%. A greater prevalence was observed in female dogs than in males, 28% and 17.3%, respectively, and the differences were statistically significant (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences in seroprevalence of Neospora infection within the age groups (p > 0.05). This study indicates the presence of N. caninum in the Mazovian Voivodeship, in dogs which live in urban areas and exposure of these dogs to the parasite. The fact that seropositive dogs had no contact with cattle confirms the important role of dogs in the parasite’s epidemiology

Influence of the Electrolyte Type on the Adsorption and Electrokinetic Properties of the Ionic Polyamino Acids – Cr2O3 System

The influence of a kind of support electrolyte on the ionic polyamino acids adsorption at the chromium (III) oxide – polymer solution interface was investigated. The NaCl and CaCl2 were used as the background electrolytes. In order to determine the effect of the electrolyte, the same value of ionic strength of the test solutions were taken. It was proved that formation of intermolecular and intramolecular complexes in the presence of divalent calcium ions is responsible for essential changes in polymer adsorption. Related to the ionic character of polyamino acid two different adsorption behaviours can be observed. The increase of the ASP adsorption amount in the presence of calcium ions may be explained by formation of complexes between the dissociated carboxylic groups and Ca2+ ions. The opposite situation takes place in the case of polylysine – the application of CaCl2 results in the dramatic decrease in the polymer adsorption caused by blocking the active sites available for LYS macromolecules. In order to make a comprehensive analysis, the zeta potential and surface charge density measurements were performed taking into account the kind of the background electrolyte. The above-mentioned tests were carried out in the absence and presence of the polyamino acid at two different concentrations – 10 and 100 ppm respectively

Influence of the Electrolyte Type on the Adsorption and Electrokinetic Properties of the Ionic Polyamino Acids – Cr2O3 system

The influence of a kind of support electrolyte on the ionic polyamino acids adsorption at the chromium (III) oxide – polymer solution interface was investigated. The NaCl and CaCl2 were used as the background electrolytes. In order to determine the effect of the electrolyte, the same value of ionic strength of the test solutions were taken. It was proved that formation of intermolecular and intramolecular complexes in the presence of divalent calcium ions is responsible for essential changes in polymer adsorption. Related to the ionic character of polyamino acid two different adsorption behaviours can be observed. The increase of the ASP adsorption amount in the presence of calcium ions may be explained by formation of complexes between the dissociated carboxylic groups and Ca2+ ions. The opposite situation takes place in the case of polylysine – the application of CaCl2 results in the dramatic decrease in the polymer adsorption caused by blocking the active sites available for LYS macromolecules. In order to make a comprehensive analysis, the zeta potential and surface charge density measurements were performed taking into account the kind of the background electrolyte. The above-mentioned tests were carried out in the absence and presence of the polyamino acid at two different concentrations – 10 and 100 ppm respectively

Adsorption and electrokinetic studies of sodalite/lithium/poly(acrylic acid) aqueous system

The synthetic zeolite-sodalite obtained by the hydrothermal conversion of fly ash with aqueous sodium hydroxide was used in the experiments. Its adsorption properties in relation to lithium ions were examined. The effects of: solution pH, presence of polymeric substance – poly(acrylic acid) and order of individual adsorbates addition were determined. To specify the binding mechanism of lithium ions on the sodalite surface, besides adsorption experiments, the measurements leading to the solid surface charge density and zeta potential determination, were performed. As a result, the structure of mixed adsorption layer composed of polymer+metal complexes was characterized. The presented study concerns two important issues: management of environmentally harmful wastes such as coal combustion products as well as searching for new sources of lithium and effective methods of its acquisition