Berberine-loaded liquid crystalline nanoparticles inhibit non-small cell lung cancer proliferation and migration in vitro

Environmental Science and Pollution Research - Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is reported to have a high incidence rate and is one of the most prevalent types of cancer contributing towards 85%...     

A New Mathematical Model of Air Pollution Concentration

Abstract

Submicron particles play a major role in soiling processes and contribute to corrosion, current leakage and shorts in electronic equipment. For more than a year, optical particle counters have been used to continuously measure the concentrations of submicron particles at a telecommunications facility in Southern California. Separate instruments have simultaneously sampled at four locations: the outdoor air intake, immediately upstream of the HVAC filters, immediately downstream of the HVAC filters, and inside the office. The indoor concentrations can be explained in the context of a one-compartment mass balance model. Key parameters in the model (e.g., the air exchange rate) were monitored throughout the sampling period. In the latter part of this study, the particle counters were used as feedback elements in the HVAC system. An estimate of the concentration of indoor submicron particles, based on measurements of outdoor submicron particles, has been used as a control variable. When this variable exceeds a preset value, the outdoor air damper is partially closed, reducing the amount of outdoor air entering the building. That is, the position of the damper is based on the concentration of outdoor particles as well as the outdoor temperature. As a consequence, the average indoor concentration of submicron particles has been significantly reduced within this facility.     

Simulation of Nitrogen Transport in Soil Under Municipal Wastewater Application Using LEACHN1

Abstract: To reduce the risk of surface and ground water pollution from nitrate, and in so doing improve the quality of receiving waters, better management options for land application of wastewater must be explored. In order to determine proper and environmentally safe wastewater land application methods, different application scenarios were simulated in this study to determine the fate and transport of nitrogen in sand‐filled field lysimeters. The Leaching Estimation and CHemistry Model for Nutrients (LEACHN) model was used to assess alternative wastewater land application scenarios: applications of low‐, medium‐, or high‐N concentration wastewaters, at different rates (0.06, 0.19, 0.31, or 0.6 m³/m²/day), under continuous or intermittent application. In the simulations, the NO₃^?‐N levels decreased in the leachate with an increase in wastewater application rates, due to enhanced denitrification in the upper anoxic zone of the soil generated under high flow rates. With low‐N concentrated wastewater, under all tested flow rates, the NO₃^?‐N levels in the leachate were below the permissible limit. When medium‐N wastewater was applied, the NO₃^?‐N level in leachate from the highest flow rate was below the permissible limit. Therefore, wastewater with low‐N concentrations, about 10 and 0.5 mg/l NO₃^?‐N and NH₄⁺‐N, may be continuously applied to soil at all tested flow rates, with minimal nitrate pollution problems. Medium and high‐N concentrated wastewaters increased nitrate levels in the leachate, as compared to their levels in the low‐N concentrated wastewater. It appears that while low‐N wastewater can be safely applied to land without much nitrate leaching problems, the application of medium and high‐N wastewater could pose nitrate pollution problems. The simulation with intermittent application of low‐, medium‐, and high‐N concentrated wastewater at different rates showed a 51‐89% greater reduction in NO₃^?‐N levels in the leachate, than for continuous application under all tested wastewater N‐levels and flow rates. Also, the levels of NO₃^?‐N in their leachates were below the permissible limit. Therefore, wastewater with high levels of nitrogenous compounds (up to 54 NO₃‐N mg/l) could be treated through an intermittent application to land.     

Environmental photooxidation of dibenzothiophenes following the Amoco Cadiz oil spill

Photooxidation products of dibenzothiophenes (sulfur containing petroleum heteroaromatic hydrocarbons) were characterized in an oil slick sample obtained from a field location following the AMOCO CADIZ oil spill. The same oxidation products were formed in the laboratory by the photooxidation of a medium Arabian crude oil which contained the identical precursor hydrocarbons. Analytical techniques included fractionation by liquid/solid chromatography and characterization using high resolution gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. To the best of the author's knowledge, this represents the first reported instance for the formation of photooxidation products following an actual oil spill. A comparison of the quantities of various oxidation products was carried out by quantitative mass spectrometry using extracted ion current profiles of dibenzothiophenes and their corresponding sulfoxides. The geochemical and physiological implications of such photooxidation processes are also discussed.     

Removal of arsenic from groundwater by granular titanium dioxide adsorbent

A novel granular titanium dioxide (TiO2) was evaluated for the removal of arsenic from groundwater. Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the adsorption capacity of the adsorbent and the effect of anions on arsenic removal. Batch experimental results showed that more arsenate [As(V)] was adsorbed on TiO2 than arsenite [As(III)] in US groundwater at pH 7.0. The adsorption capacities for As(V) and As(III) were 41.4 and 32.4 mgg(-1) TiO2, respectively. However, the adsorbent had a similar adsorption capacity for As(V) and As(III) (approximately 40 mgg(-1)) when simulated Bangladesh groundwater was used. Silica (20 mgl(-1)) and phosphate (5.8 mgl(-1)) had no obvious effect on the removal of As(V) and As(III) by TiO2 at neutral pH. Point-of-entry (POE) filters containing 3 l of the granular adsorbent were tested for the removal of arsenic from groundwater in central New Jersey, USA. Groundwater was continuously passed through the filters at an empty bed contact time (EBCT) of 3 min. Approximately 45,000 bed volumes of groundwater containing an average of 39 microgl(-1) of As(V) was treated by the POE filter before the effluent arsenic concentration increased to 10 microgl(-1). The total treated water volumes per weight of adsorbent were about 60,000 l per 1 kg of adsorbent. The field filtration results demonstrated that the granular TiO2 adsorbent was very effective for the removal of arsenic in groundwater.     

Involvement of adrenal and thyroid activity in the annual testicular regression of red headed bunting (Emberiza bruniceps)

Thyroid and adrenal activities are closely associated with reproductive cycle and any alteration in these endocrine functions may cause changes in the pituitary-gonadal axis. To understand this interrelationship during testicular senstive phase (month of April) male birds were injected with metapyrone(corticosterone synthesis blocks 1 microg/bird/day & 10 microg/bird/day) and newmercazol (thyroxine synthesis blocks 10 microg/bird/day) over a period of 12 weeks. During late breeding phase (month of August) two sets of birds having large gonad (photosensitive) and regressed gonad (photorefractory) were injected with metapyrone (10 microg/bird/alternate day). Results indicate that decreased activity of both adrenal and thyroid, extended the breeding phase but rate of regression decreased only in the case of bird receiving higher level of metapyrone.However,in the second group rate of gonadal regression was slow only in those bird where treatment was started during photosensitive phase. It may be suggested that optimum level of activity of adrenal and thyroid function are essential for termination of reproduction and any alteration in these function may alter seasonal pattern of neuroendocrine gonadal axis.     

Ex-ante environmental assessments of novel technologies - Improved caprolactam catalysis and hydrogen storage

Utrecht University has conducted a pilot sustainability assessment for the executive board of the chemistry program ACTS (Advanced Chemical Technologies for Sustainability) of the Netherlands’ Organization for Scientific Research (NWO). These assessments represent prospective, i.e. ’ex-ante’ studies on the production of caprolactam by an improved catalyst and on different hydrogen storage options (i.e. compressed and liquefied hydrogen, storage in metal hydrides and storage in a metal organic framework). The pilot sustainability assessments followed the principles of environmental life cycle assessment (LCA), thereby focusing on non-renewable energy use (NREU) and climate change (GWP100). It was found that caprolactam with the novel catalyst has lower impacts than petrochemical caprolactam production from benzene but higher impacts than bio-based caprolactam produced via fermentation. Regarding hydrogen storage, it was found that compressed and liquid hydrogen have the highest impacts. The impacts of the metal hydrides and the metal organic frameworks show by far the lowest environmental impacts. The main reason is that these materials can be reused up to 1500 times (refilling of tank), while for compressing and liquefaction of hydrogen energy is needed each time a tank needs to be refilled. The study demonstrates the successful application of ex-ante technology assessment.     

Elevated land runoff after European settlement perturbs persistent foraminiferal assemblages on the Great Barrier Reef

Coral reefs are under pressure from a variety of human-induced disturbances, but demonstration of ecosystem changes and identification of stressors are often difficult. We tested whether global change or increased agricultural runoff after European settlement of Northeast Australia (ca. 1860) has affected inshore reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. Eleven sediment cores were retrieved from inner reefs, intermediate reefs, and outer-island reefs, and benthic foraminiferal assemblages were analyzed in dated (14C, 210Pb, 137Cs) core sections (N = 82 samples). Data were grouped into six age bands (< 55, 55-150, 150-500, 500-1000, 1000-1500, and > 1500 yr). Principal component analysis and two-factor (Zone and Age) permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) suggested that assemblages from the three zones were significantly different from each other over several millennia, with symbiont-bearing (mixotrophic) species dominating the outer reefs. A significant interaction term indicated that within-zone patterns varied. Assemblages in outer reefs unaffected from increased land runoff were persistent until present times. In both other zones, assemblages were also persistent until 150 yr ago, suggesting that benthic foraminiferal assemblages are naturally highly persistent over long (> 2000 yr) timescales. Assemblages in core sections < 55 yr old from inner reefs were significantly (post hoc t test) different from those older than 150 yr. Similarly, assemblages < 55 yr old from intermediate reefs were significantly different compared to older assemblages. A multivariate regression tree (environmental variables: Zone and Age) explained 56.8% of the variance in foraminiferal assemblages and confirmed patterns identified by PERMANOVA. With some exceptions, changes on the inner and intermediate reefs were consistent with a model predicting that increased nutrients and higher turbidity enhance relative abundance of heterotrophic species. Given that assemblages did not change in outer-island reefs (not impacted by runoff) we argue that changes in assemblages due to global change can be rejected as an explanation. Thus, the findings are more consistent with the hypothesis that agricultural runoff since European settlement altered foraminiferal assemblages than with the hypothesis that global forcing caused changes.     

Concentration of nitrite in respirable particulate matter of ambient air in Vadodara, Gujarat, India

Water extract of respirable particulate matter (RPM) was analyzed by Ion chromatography technique to investigate the presence of nitrite (NO2) as secondary aerosol in ambient environment. The nitrite particulates undergo photo hydroxyl radical reaction in environment produce nitrous acid, which reacts with metal and absorbs on RPM as water-soluble metal salt. The mean concentration of nitrite was 20.86 microg m(-3) in ambient environment. Regression analysis showed that the relationship for respirable particulate matter and nitrite (RPM-NO2, R2 = 0.742) was positively significant. We are reporting the presence of nitrite as an aerosol in ambient environment.