Molecular approaches for the detection and monitoring of microbial communities in bioaerosols: A review

Bioaerosols significantly affect atmospheric processes while they undergo long-range vertical and horizontal transport and influence atmospheric chemistry and physics and climate change. Accumulating evidence suggests that exposure to bioaerosols may cause adverse health effects, including severe disease. Studies of bioaerosols have primarily focused on their chemical composition and largely neglected their biological composition and the negative effects of biological composition on ecosystems and human health. Here, current molecular methods for the identification, quantification, and distribution of bioaerosol agents are reviewed. Modern developments in environmental microbiology technology would be favorable in elucidation of microbial temporal and spatial distribution in the atmosphere at high resolution. In addition, these provide additional supports for growing evidence that microbial diversity or composition in the bioaerosol is an indispensable environmental aspect linking with public health.     

Modelling the long-term consequences of a hypothetical dispersal of radioactivity in an urban area including remediation alternatives

The Urban Remediation Working Group of the International Atomic Energy Agency's EMRAS (Environmental Modelling for Radiation Safety) program was organized to address issues of remediation assessment modelling for urban areas contaminated with dispersed radionuclides. The present paper describes the second of two modelling exercises. This exercise was based on a hypothetical dispersal of radioactivity in an urban area from a radiological dispersal device, with reference surface contamination at selected sites used as the primary input information. Modelling endpoints for the exercise included radionuclide concentrations and external dose rates at specified locations, contributions to the dose rates from individual surfaces, and annual and cumulative external doses to specified reference individuals. Model predictions were performed for a “no action” situation (with no remedial measures) and for selected countermeasures. The exercise provided an opportunity for comparison of three modelling approaches, as well as a comparison of the predicted effectiveness of various countermeasures in terms of their short-term and long-term effects on predicted doses to humans.     

Morphological and chemical composition characteristics of summertime atmospheric particles collected at Tokchok Island,Korea

Determination of the chemical compositions of atmospheric single particles in the Yellow Sea region is critical for evaluating the environmental impact caused by air pollutants emitted from mainland China and the Korean peninsula. After ambient aerosol particles were collected by the Dekati PM10 cascade impactor on July 17–23, 2007 at Tokchok Island (approximately 50 km west of the Korean coast nearby Seoul), Korea, overall 2000 particles (on stage 2 and 3 with cut-off diameters of 2.5–10 μm and 1.0–2.5 μm, respectively) in 10 samples were determined by using low-Z particle electron probe X-ray microanalysis. X-ray spectral and secondary electron image (SEI) data showed that soil-derived and sea-salt particles which had reacted or were mixed with SO₂ and NO_x (or their acidic products) outnumbered the primary and “genuine” ones (59.2% vs. 19.2% in the stage 2 fraction and 41.3% vs. 9.9% in the stage 3 fraction). Moreover, particles containing nitrate in the secondary soil-derived species greatly outnumbered those containing sulfate. Organic particles, mainly consisting of marine biogenic species, were more abundant in the stage 2 fraction than in the stage 3 fraction (11.6% vs. 5.1%). Their relative abundance was greater than the sum of carbon-rich, K-containing, Fe-containing, and fly ash particles, which exhibited low frequencies in all the samples. In addition, many droplets rich in C, N, O, and S were observed. They tended to be small, exhibiting a dark round shape on SEI, and generally included 8–20 at.% C, 0–12 at.% N, 60–80 at.% O, and 4–10 at.% S (sometimes with <3 at.% Mg and Na). They were attributed to be a mixture of carbonaceous matter, H₂SO₄, and NH₄HSO₄/(NH₄)₂SO₄, mostly from the reaction of atmospheric SO₂ with NH₃ under high relative humidity. The analysis of the relationship between the aerosol particle compositions and 72-h backward air-mass trajectories suggests that ambient aerosols at Tokchok Island are strongly affected not only by seawater from the Yellow Sea but also by anthropogenic pollutants emitted from China and the Seoul–Incheon metropolis, resulting in the dominance of complex secondary aerosol particles.     

Economic assessment of human errors in manufacturing environment

Traditional human reliability assessment techniques and accounting system cannot directly provide loss information for assessing the impacts of human errors. This obstacles force industrial managers to justify the proper accident and injury prevention process through their experiences. The efficiency and effectiveness of the system safety barriers are in doubt and the smooth operation of manufacturing activities are insecure. In this study, a human error cost estimation model is introduced to facilitate line managers with a proper tool to collect and calculate the total losses of its impact. Experts’ judgments and pair wise comparison technique are incorporated to interrogate managers’ knowledge of human errors and correspondent costs. This approach can overcome the problem of insufficient cost information caused by current accounting system and compensate the influence of safety and health department due to the low organizational status in quo. Although the cost figures may not represent exact amount of losses, the percentage of each cost factor in terms of department operation budget gives the managers a practical way for justifying how the resources should be allocated.     

Barnacle suspension-feeding in variable flow

Suspension-feeding behavior of the adult barnacleSemibalanus balanoides (L.), collected at Woods Hole, USA, in 1987 and 1988, was studied in variable conditions of unidirectional and oscillating water flow. Barnacles growing on rocks were placed in a laboratory flume and exposed to precise patterns of water flow created with a specially designed electronic-circuit controlling a motor-driven propeller submersed in the flume. Laser darkfield and brightfield illumination were used to video-record the movement of suspended particles and dye in the flume and barnacle activity. When water was accelerated unidirectionally past feeding barnacles, they consistently changed feeding behavior from actively sweeping their thoracic appendages (cirri) through the water in slow-flow to passively holding cirri into the current in faster flow. The mean water velocity at which this behavioral switch occurred was 3.10 cm s^–1. In slow-flow, each active sweep of the cirri created a feeding vortex that caused suspended particles to swirl into the capture zone of the following sweep. Barnacles in simulated wave-action conditions (oscillatory flow) fed passively, and orientated extended cirri to flow direction. Cirri were rapidly reoriented with the same frequency at which flow direction reversed. Slow-motion analysis of one barnacle feeding in oscillating flow (0.65 Hz) indicated that reversal of the orientation of the cirri began 0.19 s before the water itself started to reverse direction. In additional experiments, barnacles were exposed to a repetitive pattern of accelerating-decelerating flow. During each flow cycle, barnacles switched from active to passive feeding as water accelerated. Repeated exposure of an individual to the same flow-cycle caused a consistent decrease in the water-velocity threshold at which the behavioral switch occurred.     

Isolation,identification, Pb(Ⅱ) biosorption isotherms and kinetics of a lead adsorbing Penicillium sp. MRF-1 from South Korean mine soil

A heavy metal contaminated soil sample collected from a mine in Chonnam Province of South Korea was found to be a source of heavy metal adsorbing biosorbents. Chemical analyses showed high contents of lead (Pb) at 357 mg/kg and cyanide (CN) at 14.6 mg/kg in the soil. The experimental results showed that Penicillium sp. MRF-1 was the best lead resistant fungus among the four individual metal tolerant fungal species isolated from the soil. Molecular characterization of Penicillium sp. MRF-1 was determined using ITS regions sequences. E ects of pH, temperature and contact time on adsorption of Pb(II) by Penicillium sp. MRF-1 were studied. Favorable conditions for maximum biosportion were found at pH 4 with 3 hr contact time. Biosorption of Pb(II) gradually increased with increasing temperature. E cient performance of the biosorbent was described using Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms. Adsorption kinetics was studied using pseudo first-order and pseudo second-order models. Biosorbent Penicillium sp. MRF-1 showed the maximum desorption in alkali conditions. Consistent adsorption/desorption potential of the biosorbent in repetitive cycles validated the e cacy of it in large scale. SEM studies given notes on surface modification of fungal biomass under metal stress and FT-IR results showed the presence of amino groups in the surface structure of the biosorbent. In conclusion, the new biosorbent Penicillium sp. MRF-1 may potentially be used as an inexpensive, easily cultivatable material for the removal of lead from aqueous solution.     

Historical trends of trace metals in a sediment core from a contaminated tidal salt marsh in San Francisco Bay

Sedimentation of metals preserves historical records of contaminant input from local and regional sources, and measurement of metals in sediment cores can provide information for reconstruction of historical changes in regional water and sediment quality. Sediment core was collected from Stege Marsh located in central San Francisco Bay (California, USA) to investigate the historical input of trace metals. Aluminum-normalized enrichment factors indicate that inputs from anthropogenic sources were predominant over natural input for Ag, Cu, Pb, and Zn. Among these, lead was the most anthropogenically impacted metal with enrichment factors ranging from 32 to 108. Depth profiles and coefficients of variation show that As, Cd, and Se were also influenced by anthropogenic input. The levels of these anthropogenically impacted metals decline gradually towards the surface due to regulation of the use of leaded gasoline, municipal and industrial wastewater discharge control, and closure of point sources on the upland of Stege Marsh. Although trace metal contamination is expected to be continuously declining, the rates of decline have slowed down. For lead, it is estimated to take 44, 82, and 153 years to decrease to probable effects level (112 μg/g), the San Francisco Bay ambient surface sediment level (43.2 μg/g), and the local baseline levels (5 μg/g), respectively. Some metals in surface sediments (0–6 cm) are still higher than sediment quality guidelines such as the probable effects level. To further facilitate the recovery of sediment quality, more efficient management plans need to be developed and implemented to control trace metals from non-point sources such as stormwater runoff.     

Exposure assessment of particulate matter and blood chromium levels in people living near a cement plant

This study evaluates the effect of air pollution caused by cement plants on nearby residential areas and performs an exposure assessment of particulate matter (PM) and total Cr, Cr⁶⁺, Pb, and Al. Further, the blood Cr levels of residents exposed to PM released by cement plants are also assessed. Nine buildings (eight residential and one elementary school building) close to cement plants were selected for this study, which were located in Pyeongtaek port, in west of Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. A total of 51 suspended particulate samples were collected at a flow rate of 2.0 L/min. Total Cr was more widely detected in residents’ houses and elementary schools. PM levels were higher at distances of 4.1 and 4.8 km than those at closer distances of 2.7 km. This was due to the influence of wind direction. The estimated mean blood level of Cr for the study participants was 3.80 μg/L, which is higher than levels estimated by other studies on Cr blood levels. Therefore, cement plants could cause an increase in total Cr and blood Cr levels in residential areas, and more continuous monitoring is necessary to better understand their impacts.     

Estimation of abundance from presence–absence maps using cluster models

A presence–absence map consists of indicators of the occurrence or nonoccurrence of a given species in each cell over a grid, without counting the number of individuals in a cell once it is known it is occupied. They are commonly used to estimate the distribution of a species, but our interest is in using these data to estimate the abundance of the species. In practice, certain types of species (in particular flora types) may be spatially clustered. For example, some plant communities will naturally group together according to similar environmental characteristics within a given area. To estimate abundance, we develop an approach based on clustered negative binomial models with unknown cluster sizes. Our approach uses working clusters of cells to construct an estimator which we show is consistent. We also introduce a new concept called super-clustering used to estimate components of the standard errors and interval estimators. A simulation study is conducted to examine the performance of the estimators and they are applied to real data.     

Sensitivity analysis on the ecological bias for Seoul tuberculosis data

In ecological studies, researchers often try to convey the analysis results to individual level based on aggregate data. In order to do this correctly, the possibility of ecological bias should be studied and addressed. One of the key ideas used to address the ecological bias issue is to derive the ecological model from the individual model and to check whether the parameter of interest in the individual model is identifiable in the ecological model. However, the procedure depends on unverifiable assumptions, and we recommend checking how sensitive the results are to these unverifiable assumptions. We analyzed the tuberculosis data that was collected in Seoul in 2005 using a spatial ecological regression model for the aggregate count data with spatial correlation, and found that the deprivation index is likely to have a small positive effect on the occurrence risk of tuberculosis in individual level in Seoul. We considered this finding in various aspects by performing in depth sensitivity analyses. In particular, our findings are shown to be robust to the distribution assumptions for the individual exposure and missing binary covariate across various scenarios.