An Integrated Approach to the Toxicity Evaluation of Irish Marine Sediment - Chemical Assessment

This project was a collaborative project between the Marine Institute (MI) in Galway and Radiation and Environmental Science Centre (RESC) in the Technological University Dublin (DIT). In Ireland, at present, sediment quality assessments are generally reliant on chemical analysis alone with limited bioassay techniques available to further characterise the sediment. Some causative agents of toxicity to biological organisms are below analytical detection limits. Integration of bioassay data with chemical analysis is essential in order to complete a full ecotoxicological assessment of the quality of the marine environment. This project describes the chemical analysis of marine sediment for persistent pollutants from selected locations around the coast of Ireland. A novel analytical technique is developed for extraction and quantification of organotins (OTCs) from sediment and for subsequent exposure onto fish cell lines. Fish cell cultures are additionally exposed to a range of reference OTC chemicals. The method for organotin extraction is additionally utilised in a Toxicity Identification Evaluation study whereby a crude solvent extract is assayed on two biological organisms namely the Microtox (employing the marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri) and the marine copepod Tisbe battagliai and chemically analysed. A further fractionation of the extract is then performed and further testing conducted on the organisms, therefore potentially pinpointing the source of toxicity. An in-situ study using caged Nucell lapillus and Crassostrea gigas to monitor TBT induced bioeffects in Irish harbours was also developed which was correlated with stable isotope ratios, condition indices and measurement of OTCs in the various biota tissues and sediment samples. This short term exposure methods showed a rapid development of imposex in gastropod species and shell abnormalities in oysters at a TBT polluted location

Acute growth inhibition & toxicity analysis of nano-polystyrene spheres on Raphidocelis subcapitata

Micro/nano-plastics (MNPs) have been found within many environments and organisms including humans, making them a significant and growing concern. Initial research into the potential detrimental effects these MNPs both from acute and chronic exposure has been ongoing but still requires substantially more data to clarify. This research presents the response of nano-polystyrene (NPS) on Raphidocelis subcapitata, a freshwater alga, under an existing acute toxicity test along with additional analytical techniques to try identifying possible sources of toxicity. R. subcapitata cells were exposed for 72 h to a concentration range of 0–100 mg/l NPS. Growth Inhibition (GI) testing showed the R. subcapitata demonstrated statistically distinct reductions in growth over 72 h at all NPS exposure concentrations while not suffering culture collapse. By the 100 mg/l NPS exposure the R. subcapitata has suffered almost a 33.7% reduction in cell concentration after 72 h compared to control samples. Confocal imaging showed the NPS wasn\u27t permeating into the algal plasma membrane or individual organelles but agglomerated onto the algal cell wall. The agglomeration was irregular but increased in total surface area covered as NPS concentration increases. UV–Vis fluorimetry testing produced a linear response of emission intensities to algae exposed to the 0–100 mg/l range of NPS. However, comparisons of emission intensity values of algae exposed to NPS to emission intensities of pure NPS at identical concentrations showed consistent intensity reduction. This response further indicated NPS agglomerating within the media and onto the alga cells seen from confocal imaging. Finally, Raman spectroscopy on R. subcapitata attempted to distinguish the key 1001 cm−1 peak or other crucial identifier peaks of polystyrene from overall Raman spectra. This was not successful as emissions from algal component (e.g. phenylaniline) completely suppressed the signal region

Mapping the Restoration of Degraded Peatland as a Field of Research Area: A Scientometric Review

Degraded peatland reduced many ecosystem services such as water quality and quantity, biodiversity, carbon storage, climate regulations and other cultural benefits. Therefore, several initiatives for the restoration of degraded peatland (RDP) have been attempted to restore the ecosystem processes, productivity and services of the degraded peatland to its original natural condition. Notwithstanding the popularity of RDP research among researchers and industry practitioners, a quantitative technique to map a comprehensive survey of the intellectual core and the general body landscape of knowledge on RDP research does not exist. In this study, a scientometric analysis was employed to analyze 522 documents using VOSviewer and CiteSpace. The Web of Science database was used to retrieve bibliographic records using the advanced search “TS (topic) =(‘drained peatland restoration’ OR ‘drained bog restoration’ OR ‘drained mire restoration’ OR degraded peatland restoration’ OR ‘degraded bog restoration’ OR ‘drained peatland reclamation’ OR ‘drained bog restoration’ OR ‘degraded peatland reclamation’ OR ‘degraded bog reclamation’ OR ‘drained mire restoration’ OR ‘degraded mire reclamation’ OR ‘degraded fen restoration’ OR ‘drained fen reclamation’). The outcome sought to provide relevant information in RDP research such as (i) publication trends (ii) research outlets (iii) most influential keywords (iv) most influential institutions and authors (v) top influential countries active in RDP research. In addition, four clusters were identified for ascertaining the central theme of RDP research in which cluster one is linked to the central research theme-“impact of drainage on peatland ecosystem services; cluster two focused on the impact of peatland restoration on greenhouse gas emissions; cluster three is associated with peatland restoration and biogeochemical properties and cluster four is related to peatland restoration and species richness. A new research hotspot such as soil respiration was identified via the keywords with the strongest citation bursts. This study will provide the various stakeholders such as industry, journal editors, policymakers and the researchers instinctive understanding of the research status and the development frontier of RDP research

Improving Extraction Processes of Crustacean Chitin Using Solid State Analytical Techniques

Solid state analytical techniques are becoming more widely used for the analysis of a range of organic products which demonstrate very poor solubility in both common organic and polar solvents and as such cannot be accurately characterised using solution based techniques. Primarily used as a secondary technique for qualitative analysis of insoluble intermediates and products in organic synthesis, 13C CP-MAS NMR can be utilised in tandem with a targeted extraction and clean up procedure for accurate quantitative analysis of insoluble bio-molecules of interest. Here solid state 13C CP-MAS NMR is utilised as the primary analytical technique in the characterisation of crustacean sourced chitin whereby Cancer pagurus crab shell chitin and Pandalus borealis shrimp shell chitin are shown to have a degree of acetylation greater than 90%. FTIR spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and DSC provide secondary structural, molecular and thermal analysis of the raw materials and extracted chitin

Assessment of the disinfection capacity and eco-toxicological impact of atmospheric cold plasma for treatment of food industry effluents

Generation of wastewater is one of the main environmental sustainability issues across food sector industries. The constituents of food process effluents are often complex and require high energy and processing for regulatory compliance. Wastewater streams are the subject of microbiological and chemical criteria, and can have a significant eco-toxicological impact on the aquatic life. Thus, innovative treatment approaches are required to mitigate environmental impact in an energy efficient manner. Here, dielectric barrier discharge atmospheric cold plasma (ACP) was evaluated for control of key microbial indicators encountered in food industry effluent. This study also investigated the eco-toxicological impact of cold plasma treatment of the effluents using a range of aquatic bioassays. Continuous ACP treatment was applied to synthetic dairy and meat effluents. Microbial inactivation showed treatment time dependence with significant reduction in microbial populations within 120 s, and to undetectable levels after 300 s. Post treatment retention time emerged as critical control parameter which promoted ACP bacterial inactivation efficiency. Moreover, ACP treatment for 20 min achieved significant reduction (≥2 Log10) in Bacillus megaterium endospores in wastewater effluent. Acute aquatic toxicity was assessed using two fish cell lines (PLHC-1 and RTG-2) and a crustacean model (Daphnia magna). Untreated effluents were toxic to the aquatic models, however, plasma treatment limited the toxic effects. Differing sensitivities were observed to ACP treated effluents across the different test bio-assays in the following order: PLHC-1 \u3e RTG-2 ≥ D. magna; with greater sensitivity retained to plasma treated meat effluent than dairy effluent. The toxic effects were dependent on concentration and treatment time of the ACP treated effluent; with 30% cytotoxicity in D. magna and fish cells observed after 24 h of exposure to ACP treated effluent for concentrations up to 5%. The findings suggest the need to employ wider variety of aquatic organisms for better understanding and complete toxicity evaluation of long-term effects. The study demonstrates the potential to tailor ACP system parameters to control pertinent microbial targets (mono/poly-microbial, vegetative or spore form) found in complex and nutritious wastewater effluents whilst maintaining a safe eco-toxicity profile for aquatic species

Bioaccumulation of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn in Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. in the polluted area by enterprise for the production and processing of batteries

In this paper, the concentration of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn was investigated in soil and Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. sampling from polluted cite near the enterprises for the production and processing of batteries in the city of Dnipro in Ukraine. The obtained results of the study provided to assess plants regarding bio-monitoring and phytoremediation. Although Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. is a weed that causes serious allergic reactions in humans, this species can also have a high bioaccumulative capacity regarding metals. The metals’ concentration in roots was scientifically higher than in inflorescence part. Zn and Cu had the highest concentration in Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. although lead was characterized by the highest content of available to plants forms in the soil. The distribution of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn was highlighted in different parts of the plant. According to plant-up taking indexes studied elements can be ranked in the following descending order: Cu\u3eZn\u3eCr\u3eCd\u3ePb. Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. could be proposed for phytoremediation in Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr contaminated soils although this species is resistant for lead soil pollution

What Makes a Great [Mobile | Digital] Art Exhibition?

Passive reception and consumption of art is a given, in our times. Artists produce. Spectators consume. At the nexus stands the curator who chooses the product and the exhibitor who provides the space for consumers. This natural hierarchy also tends to colonize the digital space. But, in the digital world, much of the functioning of the hierarchy has become democratised. The meeting place of exhibited art moved from the physical to the virtual online. Not everyone can visit, say, Istanbul Modern museum. It ought to be possible in principle for everyone to be able to visit “Istanbul Modern Digital” museum. The next stage of digital democracy, already upon us since early 2010, is the mobile art lover, mobile in the sense of being free from being tied down in one place and being able to choose what to see, where to be, and when to do it: early morning, late at night; in the plane, on the train, in bed, in class. Learning is for everyone. It is what makes us human, to continue to learn. Learning takes place best when one is active. In the context of the Mobile Digital Art Exhibition, we have explored ways in which to enhance the experience of the curator as “everyman” and everyman has potentially the opportunity to construct a mobile digital art exhibition, even one such as the “Museum of Innocence” in the manner as described by Orhan Pamuk. Our hero in this story is the self-curator

Hospital Effluents and Wastewaters Treatment Plants: A Source of Oxytetracycline and Antimicrobial-resistant Bacteria in Seafood

The present study employs a data review on the presence and aggregation of oxytetracycline (OTC) and resistance (AMR) bacteria in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), and distribution of the contaminated effluent with the aid of shallow and deep ocean currents. The study aims to determine the fate of OTC, AMR bacteria in seafood, and demonstrate a relationship between AMR levels and human health. This review includes (1) OTC, (2) AMR bacteria, (3) heavy metals in aquatic environments, and their relationship. Few publications describe OCT in surface waters. Although, OTC and other tetracyclines were found in 10 countries in relatively low concentrations, the continuous water mass movement poses a contamination risk for mariculture and aquaculture. There are 10 locations showing AMR bacteria in treated and untreated hospital effluent. Special effort was made to define the geography distribution of OTC, AMR bacteria, and heavy metals detected in WWTPs to show the likely dissemination in aquatic environment. The presence of OTC in surface waters in Asia, USA, and Europe, can potentially impact seafood globally with the aid of ocean currents. Moreover, low concentrations of heavy metals exert environmental pressure and contribute to AMR dissemination. Recommended solutions are (1) quantitative analysis of OTC, heavy metals, and AMR bacteria to define their main sources, (2) employ effective technologies in urban and industrial wastewater treatment, and (3) select appropriate modelling from Global Ocean Observing System to predict the OTC, heavy metals, and AMR bacteria distribution