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Amino acid sensitive fingermark detection techniques like 1,8-diazafluoren-9-one (DFO), 1,2-indanedione/zinc chloride (IND-Zn), and ninhydrin (NIN) commonly contain 1-methoxynonafluorobutane (HFE7100) as a carrier solvent for the visualization of latent fingermarks. As a result of the cessation of manufacturing by the end of 2025, and potential environmental regulations, an alternative carrier solvent must be validated to replace HFE7100. In this study, the relative performance of Solstice® Performance Fluid (PF) (trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene) was compared to that of HFE7100 using 6000 natural fingermarks, aged for either one week or eight weeks, from five donors on five substrates (white copy paper, brown kraft paper, bubble envelope, lined notebook, magazine). Split fingermarks were treated with DFO or IND-Zn followed by NIN (DFO/NIN and IND-Zn/NIN, respectively) or NIN alone. All fingermarks were evaluated using a modified University of Canberra comparative scale by three assessors and, for differences in identification rates, by a former forensic identification practitioner. Results from this study showed comparable fingermark enhancement between the two carrier solvents after each treatment within the three technique sequences. There are some limitations with Solstice® PF, notably, an increase in ink diffusion and the need to store working solutions in a refrigerator or freezer. •Solstice® PF appears to be an alternative for HFE7100 as a carrier solvent.•Fingermark development techniques were comparable using either solvent.•Solstice® PF seems to cause more diffusion than HFE7100 for certain types of inks.•Solstice® PF has a low boiling point; working solutions should be refrigerated.•Issues identified with Solstice® PF preventing immediate operational implementation.

Acetaminophen (ACT) and bisphenol A (BPA) are chemical industry micropollutants adversely affecting humans and the environment. Among various biomass, Spirulina was used to prepare pristine biochar (SB400) and ZnCl2-modified biochar (ZnSB400). The performance of different Spirulina-based adsorbents in terms of ACT and BPA adsorption was compared. The highest removal efficiency (for ACT, 67.7%; for BPA, 96.0%) was exhibited by ZnSB400 with its microporous structure (1.67 nm) and high specific surface area (235 m2 g−1). Regarding adsorption kinetics, the pseudo-second-order model was the best-fitting model (R2 > 0.98), whereas for the adsorption isotherm, the Redlich–Peterson model provided the best fit (R2 > 0.99). The efficiency in adsorbing ACT tended to decrease with temperature; in contrast, BPA did not exhibit significant changes in adsorption with temperature. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results confirmed that the primary mechanisms driving the adsorption of ACT and BPA on ZnSB400 were pore filling and π–π interactions. Hence, ZnCl2-modified Spirulina biochar is a promising adsorbent capable of effectively removing both ACT and BPA from water.

The present study was carried out to evaluate the pharmacological effect of Zn in diarrhoea in relation to intestinal permeability. Seventy-two weaning piglets, aged 24 d, were allocated to three dietary treatments: (1) control diet without supplemental Zn; (2) control diet supplemented with 2000 mg Zn/kg from ZnO; (3) control diet supplemented with 2000 mg Zn/kg from tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC). At the end of a 14 d experiment period, piglets were weighed, feed consumption was measured, and mucosal barrier function was determined using the lactulose/mannitol test. Expression of mucosal tight junction protein was measured at RNA and protein level. Inclusion of TBZC or ZnO in the diet significantly increased average daily gain (P < 0·01) and average daily feed intake (P < 0·05), while leading to reduced feed conversion ratio (P < 0·05) and faecal scores (P < 0·01). TBZC reduced urinary lactulose:mannitol ratios of weaning piglets (P < 0·05), while dietary supplementation with ZnO tended to reduce urinary lactulose:mannitol ratios (P = 0·061). ZnO or TBZC significantly enhanced the mRNA and protein expression of occludin (P < 0·05) and zonula occludens protein-1 (ZO-1) (P < 0·05) in the ileal mucosa. Piglets fed the TBZC-supplemented diet had a higher level of occludin than pigs fed the ZnO-supplemented diet (P < 0·05). The results indicate that Zn supplementation decreased faecal scores and the reduction was accompanied by reduced intestinal permeability, which was evident from the reduced urinary lactulose:mannitol ratios and increased expression of occludin and ZO-1. Therefore, the protective effect of pharmacological levels of dietary Zn in reducing diarrhoea might, at least partly, be associated with reduced intestinal permeability.

Zinc is a commonly used corrosion-resistant coating for steel surface protection. In this study, the ethylene carbonate-zinc chloride (EC-ZnCl 2 ) electrolyte systems are selected for zinc electrodeposition, and their ionic structure and properties were studied. The corrosion resistance of the electrodeposited zinc coatings obtained from 4EC-ZnCl 2 , 3EC-ZnCl 2 , and 2EC-ZnCl 2 systems was analyzed. Raman spectroscopic analysis shows that these EC-ZnCl 2 systems contain [Zn 2 Cl 6 ] 2− species. The relationship between conductivity, viscosity, and density with the temperature of EC-ZnCl 2 systems was provided. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and potentiodynamic polarization curve (Tafel) tests showed that when the deposition was carried out at –1.0 V and –1.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl) for two hours, a uniform zinc coating with good corrosion resistance could be obtained.

This study was conducted to determine relative bioavailability (RBV) of basic zinc chloride (BZC) compared to zinc sulfate monohydrate (ZSM) for broilers. A randomized design involving a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement of the different treatment regimens plus one negative control was set up for this study. A total of 630 newly hatched male AA broiler chicks were randomly allocated to 42 different pens (15 chickens/pen) and assigned to 7 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design. The diet was supplemented with 0, 20, 40, or 80 mg of Zn mg/kg of feed in the form of ZSM or BZC. The results showed that zinc supplementation altered average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) (P < 0.05) for both zinc sources. It was observed that the weight gain increased linearly (P < 0.01) and FCR decreased linearly as dietary BZC and ZSM concentration increased. Moreover, compared with chickens fed with ZSM, chickens fed with BZC had higher ADG and lower FCR from days 0 to 14 (P < 0.05), and higher activity of plasma alkaline phosphatase (ALP) (P < 0.05), total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD), and CuZn superoxide dismutase (CuZn-SOD) (P < 0.01) in the plasma of chickens fed with BZC at zinc level 80 mg/kg at day 14. The pancreas divalent metal-ion transporter-1 (DMT1) mRNA expression of chickens fed with BZC was found to be significantly enhanced at day 28, and the pancreas metallothionein (MT) mRNA expression for BZC fed group was also markedly increased at Zn levels of 20 and 40 mg/kg respectively. The relative bioavailability (RBV) of BZC (Zn sulfate 100%) based on ADG in the starter phase was 110.82%, whereas the tibia zinc content, as well as the activities of plasma ALP and CuZn-SOD, and the pancreas MT mRNA level were in the range between 108 and 119%. It was thus concluded that BZC was more efficacious than Zn sulfate and could serve as a potentially novel zinc source in the broilers.

Graphene nanosheets possess a promising potential as electrodes in Li-ion batteries （LIBs）; consequently, the development of low-cost and high-productivity synthetic approaches is crudal. Herein, porous grapheneqike nanosheets （PGSs） have been synthesized from expandable graphite （EG） by initially intercalating phosphoric acid, and then performing annealing to enlarge the interlayer distance of EG, thus fadlitating the successive intercalation of zinc chloride. Subsequently, the following pyrolysis of zinc chloride in the EG interlayer promoted the formation of the porous PGS structure; meanwhile, the gas produced during the formation of the porous structure could exfoliate the EG to graphene-like nanosheets. The synthetic PGS material used as LIB anode exhibited superior Li＋ storage performance, showing a remarkable discharge capacity of 830.4 mAh.g-1 at 100 mA.g-1, excellent rate capadty of 211.6 mAh＇g-1 at 20,000 mA-g-1, and excellent cycle performance （near 100% capacity retention after 10,000 cycles）. The excellent rate performance is attributed to the Li＋ ion rapid transport in porous structures and the high electrical conductivity of graphene-like nanosheets. It is expected that PGS may be widely used as anode material for high-rate LIBs via this facile and low-cost route by employing EG as the raw material.

The antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) is used to treat a variety of bacterial infections, yet it poses significant health risks to aquatic environments. While adsorption is a promising technique for CIP removal, current adsorption capacities remain limited. In this study, we introduce a diatomite and basic zinc chloride composite (ZnHC-Dt) prepared using a straightforward deposition method, with the ability to achieve highly efficient ciprofloxacin removal. ZnHC-Dt is characterized using field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method (BET). We also assess the zeta potential. The optimized ZnHC-Dt adsorbent, achieved at a mass ratio of 0.45 with ZnHC/(ZnHC+Dt), is adopted with a CIP adsorption capacity of 831.96 mg/g at 25 °C, broad pH adaptability (within 3.0–10.0), rapid adsorption rate (reaching equilibrium in 4 h), and stable performance under Na + ionic strength. The CIP adsorption process follows pseudo-second-order kinetics and aligns well with the Langmuir adsorption model. The high adsorption capacity of ZnHC-Dt can be attributed to electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, surface complexation, and available adsorption sites. During the desorption process, the CIP removal rate retains 65.33% effectiveness after five cycles. The results suggest that ZnHC-Dt holds significant potential for CIP removal in aqueous solutions.

This study was aimed to investigate the effects of different dietary zinc sources on the diarrhea rate, intestinal morphology, immune indexes and intestinal microbial composition of weaned piglets. A total of 240 weaned piglets (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire), at the age of 21 days, were randomly assigned to five dietary treatments for a four-week feeding trial to determine the effects of different amounts of tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC) supplementation on intestinal morphology, intestinal immune indices and intestinal microflora in weaned piglets, compared with the pharmacological dose of ZnO. The dietary treatments included a negative control (CON), (T1) ZnO (ZnO, 1500 mg/kg), (T2) tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC, 800 mg/kg), (T3) tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC, 1000 mg/kg), and (T4) tetrabasic zinc chloride (TBZC, 1200 mg/kg). Each treatment comprised six replicate pens, with eight pigs (four barrows and four gilts) per pen. Dietary TBZC of 1200 mg/kg improved the duodenum villus height, jejunum villus height and crypt depth of ileum, and increased the ratio of villus height to crypt depth of ileum (p < 0.05). The dietary supplementation of TBZC at a dosage of 1200 mg/kg has the potential to increase the levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the duodenal mucosa. Furthermore, it shows a significant increase in the levels of immunoglobulin A (IgA) in the ileum. Compared with CON, TBZC significantly (p < 0.05) decreased pH values of stomach contents. It also increased the number of Firmicutes in intestinal contents. Compared with CON, the abundance of Firmicutes in jejunum contents of other treatments was significantly improved (p < 0.05), while the abundance of Proteobacteria in ileum contents of high-zinc treatments (T2 and T5) was decreased (p < 0.05). In conclusion, dietary TBZC of 1200 mg/kg improved the digestibility of crude protein in weaned piglets, altered the intestinal morphology of piglets, changed the intestinal microflora of piglets, reduced the diarrhea rate, and significantly improved the development of the small intestine of weaned piglets, and its regulation mechanism on intestinal tract needs further study. In summary, TBZC is likely to be an effective substitute source for the pharmacological dose of ZnO to control diarrhea in weaned piglets.

Following a request from the European Commission, EFSA was asked to deliver a scientific opinion on the assessment of the application for the renewal of the authorisation of zinc chloride hydroxide monohydrate as a nutritional feed additive for all animal species (3b609). The applicant reported changes in the production process and requested a change in the specification of the additive. The EFSA Panel on Additives and Products or Substances used in Animal Feed (FEEDAP) confirms that the use of the additive under the current authorised conditions of use is safe for the target species and the consumers. The use of the additive in animal nutrition at the proposed use levels for the terrestrial species and land‐based aquaculture systems is considered safe for the environment. The FEEDAP Panel cannot conclude on the safety of the additive for marine sediment compartment, when it is used in sea cages. The additive is an eye irritant, but not irritant to the skin and not a skin sensitiser. The exposure through inhalation is likely, but in the absence of data, the Panel is not in a position to conclude on the risk of exposure by inhalation. There was no need for assessing the efficacy of the additive in the context of the renewal of the authorisation.

To research the relationship of micro-structures and antibacterial properties of the titanium-doped ZnO powders and probe their antibacterial mechanism, titanium-doped ZnO powders with different shapes and sizes were prepared from different zinc salts by alcohothermal method. The ZnO powders were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy (UV-vis), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED), and the antibacterial activities of titanium-doped ZnO powders on Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus were evaluated. Furthermore, the tested strains were characterized by SEM, and the electrical conductance variation trend of the bacterial suspension was characterized. The results indicate that the morphologies of the powders are different due to preparation from different zinc salts. The XRD results manifest that the samples synthesized from zinc acetate, zinc nitrate, and zinc chloride are zincite ZnO, and the sample synthesized from zinc sulfate is the mixture of ZnO, ZnTiO3, and ZnSO4 · 3Zn (OH)2 crystal. UV-vis spectra show that the absorption edges of the titanium-doped ZnO powders are red shifted to more than 400 nm which are prepared from zinc acetate, zinc nitrate, and zinc chloride. The antibacterial activity of titanium-doped ZnO powders synthesized from zinc chloride is optimal, and its minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) are lower than 0.25 g L−1. Likewise, when the bacteria are treated by ZnO powders synthesized from zinc chloride, the bacterial cells are damaged most seriously, and the electrical conductance increment of bacterial suspension is slightly high. It can be inferred that the antibacterial properties of the titanium-doped ZnO powders are relevant to the microstructure, particle size, and the crystal. The powders can damage the cell walls; thus, the electrolyte is leaked from cells.