Comparative toxicity of silver nanoparticles and silver ions to Escherichia coli

With the increase in silver(Ag)-based products in our lives, it is essential to test the potential toxicity of silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs) and silver ions(Ag ions) on living organisms under various conditions. Here, we investigated the toxicity of Ag NPs with Ag ions to Escherichia coli K-12 strain under various conditions. We observed that both Ag NPs and Ag ions display antibacterial activities, and that Ag ions had higher toxicity to E. coli K-12 strain than Ag NPs under the same concentrations. To understand the toxicity of Ag NPs at a cellular level, reactive oxygen species(ROS) enzymes were detected for use as antioxidant enzymatic biomarkers. We have also studied the toxicity of Ag NPs and Ag ions under various coexistence conditions including: fixed total concentration, with a varied the ratio of Ag NPs to Ag ions; fixed the Ag NPs concentration and then increased the Ag ions concentration; fixed Ag ions concentration and then increasing the Ag NPs concentration.Exposure to Ag NPs and Ag ions clearly had synergistic toxicity; however, decreased toxicity(for a fixed Ag NPs concentration of 5 mg/L, after increasing the Ag ions concentration) to E. coli K-12 strain. Ag NPs and Ag ions in the presence of L-cysteine accelerated the bacterial cell growth rate, thereby reducing the bioavailability of Ag ions released from Ag NPs under the single and coexistence conditions. Further works are needed to consider this potential for Ag NPs and Ag ions toxicity across a range of environmental conditions.Environmental Significance Statement: As silver nanoparticles(Ag NPs)-based products are being broadly used in commercial industries, an ecotoxicological understanding of the Ag NPs being released into the environment should be further considered. Here, we investigate the comparative toxicity of Ag NPs and silver ions(Ag ions) to Escherichia coli K-12 strain, a representative ecotoxicological bioreporter. This study showed that toxicities of Ag NPs and Ag ions to E. coli K-12 strain display different relationships when existing individually or when coexisting, and in the presence of L-cysteine materials. These findings suggest that the toxicology research of nanomaterials should consider conditions when NPs coexist with and without their bioavailable ions.     

Formic acid as an alternative reducing agent for the catalytic nitrate reduction in aqueous media

Formic acid was used for the nitrate reduction as a reductant in the presence of Pd:Cu/γ-alumina catalysts. The surface characteristics of the bimetallic catalyst synthesized by wet impregnation were investigated by SEM, TEM-EDS. The metals were not distributed homogeneously on the surface of catalyst, although the total contents of both metals in particles agreed well with the theoretical values. Formic acid decomposition on the catalyst surface, its influence on solution pH and nitrate removal efficacy was investigated. The best removal of nitrate (50 ppm) was obtained under the condition of 0.75 g/L catalyst with Pd:Cu ratio (4:1) and two fold excess of formic acid. Formic acid decay patterns resembled those of nitrate removal, showing a linear relationship between kf (formic acid decay) and k (nitrate removal). Negligible amount of ammonia was detected, and no nitrite was detected, possibly due to buffering effect of bicarbonate that is in situ produced by the decomposition of formic acid, and due to the sustained release of H2 gas.     

Assessment using CFD of the wind direction on the air discharges caused by natural ventilation of a poultry house

Air inside poultry houses must be removed on a regular basis to prevent excess of heat, particles and noxious gases that can imperil animals. To cope with this issue, natural ventilation could be an effective method when assisted by accurate predictions. This study investigates air discharges caused by natural ventilation of a poultry house by means of a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model. It solves the governing equations of momentum, heat and mass transport, radiative transfers and animal-generated heat. Wind directions of 0°, 36° and 56° (0° corresponds to a wind blowing perpendicular to the ridgeline) were investigated; the CFD model predictions achieved a RMSE of 1.2 °C and 0.6 g[H₂O] kg^?1 [dry air] for internal temperature and absolute humidity, respectively, when air blew with an angle of 36°. Air renewal rates (ARR) were 39.5 (±?1.9), 34.9 (±?2.2) and 33.6 (±?1.7) volumes of the building per hour, when air blew at 0°, 36° and 56°, respectively. Such ARR predictions served to know how the gases contained in air would likely spread downstream from the building in order to define regions of potentially high gas concentration that could endanger neighbouring habitable facilities.     

Space-time stick-breaking processes for small area disease cluster estimation

We propose a space-time stick-breaking process for the disease cluster estimation. The dependencies for spatial and temporal effects are introduced by using space-time covariate dependent kernel stick-breaking processes. We compared this model with the space-time standard random effect model by checking each model’s ability in terms of cluster detection of various shapes and sizes. This comparison was made for simulated data where the true risks were known. For the simulated data, we have observed that space-time stick-breaking process performs better in detecting medium- and high-risk clusters. For the real data, county specific low birth weight incidences for the state of South Carolina for the years 1997–2007, we have illustrated how the proposed model can be used to find grouping of counties of higher incidence rate.     

Gliding arc plasma processing for decomposition of chloroform

The decomposition of chloroform (CHCl₃) diluted in air was studied. The experiment was carried out by using a gliding arc plasma. Different values of initial concentrations of chloroform, total gas flow rates, and input power frequencies have been used to investigate this effects on the conversion reaction products both qualitatively and quantitatively. Experimental results indicate that the maximum conversion of chloroform was 97% at a total gas flow rate of 180?L?h^?1 containing 1% chloroform. Using air as carrier gas, decomposition of CHCl₃ produces CCl₄, CO₂, CO, and Cl₂ as the main products. Small amounts of HCl and COCl₂ are also detected. Liquid products were also produced.     

Absorption characteristics of new solvent based on a blend of AMP and 1,8-diamino-p-menthane for CO2 absorption

Aqueous 1,8-diamino-p-menthane (KIER-C3) and commercially available amine solutions were tested for CO₂ absorption. A 2-amino- 2-methyl-1-propanol (AMP) solution with an addition of KIER-C3 showed 9.3% and 31.6% higher absorption rate for CO₂ than the AMP solution with an addition of monoethanolamine (MEA) and ammonia (NH₃), respectively. The reaction rate constant for CO₂ absorption by the AMP/KIER-C3 solution was determined by the following equation: k_2,AMP/C3 = 7.702×10⁶ exp (-2248.03/T). A CO₂ loading ratio of the AMP/KIER-C3 solution was also 2 and 3.4-times higher than that of the AMP/NH3 solution and the AMP/MEA solution, respectively. Based on the experimental results, KIER-C3 may be used as an excellent additive to increase CO₂ absorption capability of AMP.     

EPR characterization of the catalytic activity of clays for PCE removal by gamma-radiation induced by acid and thermal treatments

Clays from tidal flat sediments showed efficient catalytic activity in the decomposition of PCE by gamma-radiation. The highest PCE removal of 98.6% was obtained with clays heated to 700 degrees C after acid treatment. The improved catalytic activity was identified by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. The EPR spectra of clays were significantly changed by the acid and thermal treatments. The intensity of a narrow signal at g=2 (signal III) was decreased with increasing thermal treatment temperature and this increased the PCE removal efficiency. The acid treatment completely removed a broad signal at g=2 (signal II), decreased the intensity of signal III, and improved the gamma-radiation treatment of PCE.     

Fluctuations of exposure rate at regional radiation monitoring stations in Korea

Based on hourly means of exposure rate between August 2000 and July 2001 at nine Regional Radiation Monitoring Stations (RRMS) in Korea, we analyzed spatio-temporal characteristics of exposure rate. The mean and fluctuations of exposure rates were 99 and 3.8 nGy h(-1), respectively. The hourly exposure rate over 9 RRMS indicated a diurnal pattern with the exposure rates reaching a maximum between 5:00 and 8:00 a.m. in the early morning and a broad minimum between 4:00 and 10:00 p.m. in the afternoon. The fluctuations of exposure rate in the inland areas were less than 3.2 nGy h(-1), and those of exposure rate in coastal areas were larger than 3.9 nGy h(-1). The frequency distribution of exposure rates had one peak around the mean and was to be skewed to the right or positively skewed and its tails were fatter than those of a normal distribution. The interrelations of exposure rates at each station generally decreased with the distance between the stations. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis showed that almost all (99.9%) of exposure rate fluctuations were described by simultaneous variations. The spatial distribution of the first EOF modes of actual, low-pass (periods longer than one month) and high-pass (periods shorter than one month) exposure rate series were similar to each other.     

Experimental determination of sorption in fractured flow systems

Fracture "skins" are alteration zones on fracture surfaces created by a variety of biological, chemical, and physical processes. Skins increase surface area, where sorption occurs, compared to the unaltered rock matrix. This study examines the sorption of organic solutes on altered fracture surfaces in an experimental fracture-flow apparatus. Fracture skins containing abundant metal oxides, clays, and organic material from the Breathitt Formation (Kentucky, USA) were collected in a manner such that skin surface integrity was maintained. The samples were reassembled in the lab in a flow-through apparatus that simulated approximately 2.7 m of a linear fracture "conduit." A dual-tracer injection scheme was utilized with the sorbing or reactive tracer compared to a non-reactive tracer (chloride) injected simultaneously. Sorption was assessed from the ratio of the first temporal moments of the breakthrough curves and from the loss of reactive tracer mass and evaluated as a function of flow velocity and solute type. The breakthrough curves suggest dual-flow regimes in the fracture with both sorbing and non-sorbing flow fields. Significant sorption occurs for the reactive components, and sorption increased with decreasing flow rate and decreasing compound solubility. Based on moment analysis, however, there was little retardation of the center of solute mass. These data suggest that non-equilibrium sorption processes dominate and that slow desorption and boundary layer diffusion cause extensive tailing in the breakthrough curves.