scholarly journals Evaluating the Effectiveness of Urban Hedges as Air Pollution Barriers: Importance of Sampling Method, Species Characteristics and Site Location

Environments ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 81
Author(s):  
Tijana Blanuša ◽  
Zeenat Jabeen Qadir ◽  
Amanpreet Kaur ◽  
James Hadley ◽  
Mark B. Gush
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Surface Characteristics ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Site Location ◽  
Particulate Air Pollution ◽  
Body Of Knowledge ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Species Characteristics

Urban hedgerows can act as barriers to roadside particulate air pollution, but details on methodologies to quantify pollutant capture, most efficient species to use, and practical planning advice are still evolving. We aimed to compare three widely used approaches to quantify particulate accumulation and deposition, and to ascertain the most cost-effective and robust approach for the rapid screening of various types of hedges. Secondly, using the most efficient methodology, we screened the summertime deposition of particulates on roadside hedges in Reading (UK), not just on species with differing leaf surface characteristics, but also along a transect of the hedge depth. Finally, we also compared particles’ capture by hedge leaf surfaces in locations with different traffic intensities, to try and ascertain the extent of reduction of particles’ concentration in various hedge types and urban locations. Results suggest that the gravimetric determination of particulate capture was most rapid and cost-effective, while being least technically demanding. We confirmed that hairy and more complex leaves captured most particulates, particularly in the >10 μm range. However, species choice only had a significant impact on the extent of capture on major roads, where the pollutant concentrations were highest. Furthermore, only hedge depths in excess of 2 m were found to noticeably reduce the concentration of fine particles in species with less capacity for particulates’ capture. Findings complement the growing body of knowledge to guide urban and landscape planners in choosing the most appropriate species to mitigate air quality in various urban contexts.

Fine Particles in Alveolar Macrophages and Their Association With Outdoor Particulate Air Pollution

Epidemiology ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 18 (Suppl) ◽  
pp. S117
Author(s):  
T Nawrot ◽  
M Celis ◽  
P Hoet ◽  
F Fierens ◽  
S Janssen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Alveolar Macrophages ◽  
Fine Particles ◽  
Particulate Air Pollution

SYSTEMIC EFFECT OF PARTICULATE AIR POLLUTION

2000 ◽  
Vol 12 (sup3) ◽  
pp. 233-244 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. MacNee, X. Y. Li, P. Gilmour, K. Do
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Systemic Effect ◽  
Particulate Air Pollution

A Chemical Perspective to the Anti-Amyloid Action of Compounds and a Nanoparticle Based Assay for Screening Amyloid Inhibitors

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Gour ◽  
Bharti Koshti
Keyword(s):  
Memory Loss ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Structural Motif ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Stacking Interactions ◽  
Aromatic Rings ◽  
Amyloid Fibers ◽  
Aromatic Stacking ◽  
Cost Effective Technique ◽  
The Brain

Aggregation of amyloid beeta 1-42 (Aβ<sub>42</sub>) peptide causes the formation of clustered deposits knows as amyloid plaques in the brain which leads to neuronal dysfunction and memory loss and associated with many neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Aβ<sub>42</sub> has core structural motif with phenylalanine at the 19 and 20 positions. The diphenylalanine (FF) residue plays a crucial role in the formation of amyloid fibers and serves as model peptide for studying Aβ<sub>42 </sub>aggregation. FF self-assembles to well-ordered tubular morphology via aromatic pi-pi stackings. Our studies, suggest that the aromatic rings present in the anti-amyloidogenic compounds may interact with the pi-pi stacking interactions present in the FF. Even the compounds which do not have aromatic rings, like cyclodextrin and cucurbituril show anti-amyloid property due to the binding of aromatic ring inside the guest cavity. Hence, our studies also suggest that compounds which may have a functional moiety capable of interacting with the aromatic stacking interactions might be tested for their anti-amyloidogenic properties. Further, in this manuscript, we have proposed two novel nanoparticle based assays for the rapid screening of amyloid inhibitors. In the first assay, interaction between biotin-tagged FF peptide and the streptavidin labelled gold nanoparticles (s-AuNPs) were used. In another assay, thiol-Au interactions were used to develop an assay for detection of amyloid inhibitors. It is envisaged that the proposed analytical method will provide a simple, facile and cost effective technique for the screening of amyloid inhibitors and may be of immense practical implications to find the therapeutic remedies for the diseases associated with the protein aggregation.

Use of Resource-Efficient Plants to Reduce Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Pesticide Runoff in Residential and Commercial Landscapes

1993 ◽  
Vol 28 (3-5) ◽  
pp. 205-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Billy Hipp ◽  
Susan Alexander ◽  
Tim Knowles
Keyword(s):  
Comparative Study ◽  
Pollution Prevention ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Quality Data ◽  
Water Quality Data ◽  
Discharge System ◽  
Landscape Plant ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Pesticide Runoff ◽  
Nitrogen Phosphorus

Runoff from typical urban and suburban landscapes may contain significant levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and a broad spectrum of various pesticides (mainly herbicides and insecticides) due to excessive application rates of these chemicals and high irrigation requirements of most commonly used landscape plant species. Preliminary water quality data (runoff) from a comparative study of 20 microwatersheds using 4 different levels of maintenance, show reductions in these types of pollutants in runoff for microwatersheds planted to resource efficient plants. Utilization of plants indigenous to an ecoregion (and other resource efficient plants) in landscape design and management allows considerable reduction in inputs from fertilizer, water, and pesticides. This results in lower pollutant concentrations in runoff and is estimated to result in lower total pollutant loadings from such systems. Installation of native or resource efficient plants in new developments (commercial and residential) and replacement of existing landscapes with these plants as older plants die or neighborhoods are updated could provide cities and suburban areas with a cost-effective, low-maintenance, and aesthetically-pleasing pollution control technology. Data from the comparative study should provide municipalities charged with meeting the new requirements of the National Pollutant Elimination Discharge System with a way to compare the pollution prevention effectiveness of resource-efficient landscapes with more traditional structural urban runoff controls.

scholarly journals Novel Regeneration Approach for Creating Reusable FO-SPR Probes with NTA Surface Chemistry

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 186
Author(s):  
Jia-Huan Qu ◽  
Karen Leirs ◽  
Remei Escudero ◽  
Žiga Strmšek ◽  
Roman Jerala ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Chemistry ◽  
Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Nitrilotriacetic Acid ◽  
Antibody Fragments ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Red Fluorescent Protein ◽  
Effective Manner ◽  
Surface Regeneration ◽  
Sensitivity Specificity

To date, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensors have been exploited in numerous different contexts while continuously pushing boundaries in terms of improved sensitivity, specificity, portability and reusability. The latter has attracted attention as a viable alternative to disposable biosensors, also offering prospects for rapid screening of biomolecules or biomolecular interactions. In this context here, we developed an approach to successfully regenerate a fiber-optic (FO)-SPR surface when utilizing cobalt (II)-nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) surface chemistry. To achieve this, we tested multiple regeneration conditions that can disrupt the NTA chelate on a surface fully saturated with His6-tagged antibody fragments (scFv-33H1F7) over ten regeneration cycles. The best surface regeneration was obtained when combining 100 mM EDTA, 500 mM imidazole and 0.5% SDS at pH 8.0 for 1 min with shaking at 150 rpm followed by washing with 0.5 M NaOH for 3 min. The true versatility of the established approach was proven by regenerating the NTA surface for ten cycles with three other model system bioreceptors, different in their size and structure: His6-tagged SARS-CoV-2 spike fragment (receptor binding domain, RBD), a red fluorescent protein (RFP) and protein origami carrying 4 RFPs (Tet12SN-RRRR). Enabling the removal of His6-tagged bioreceptors from NTA surfaces in a fast and cost-effective manner can have broad applications, spanning from the development of biosensors and various biopharmaceutical analyses to the synthesis of novel biomaterials.

scholarly journals Assessment and mitigation of personal exposure to particulate air pollution in cities: An exploratory study

2021 ◽  
pp. 103052
Author(s):  
Phuong T.M. Tran ◽  
Max G. Adam ◽  
Kwok Wai Tham ◽  
Stefano Schiavon ◽  
Jovan Pantelic ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Personal Exposure ◽  
Particulate Air Pollution

scholarly journals Aptamer-Based Diagnostic Systems for the Rapid Screening of TB at the Point-of-Care

Diagnostics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 1352
Author(s):  
Darius Riziki Martin ◽  
Nicole Remaliah Sibuyi ◽  
Phumuzile Dube ◽  
Adewale Oluwaseun Fadaka ◽  
Ruben Cloete ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Health Care Systems ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Rapid Screening ◽  
Low Income Countries ◽  
Sputum Smear ◽  
Diagnostic Systems ◽  
Molecular Tests ◽  
Rapid Tests

The transmission of Tuberculosis (TB) is very rapid and the burden it places on health care systems is felt globally. The effective management and prevention of this disease requires that it is detected early. Current TB diagnostic approaches, such as the culture, sputum smear, skin tuberculin, and molecular tests are time-consuming, and some are unaffordable for low-income countries. Rapid tests for disease biomarker detection are mostly based on immunological assays that use antibodies which are costly to produce, have low sensitivity and stability. Aptamers can replace antibodies in these diagnostic tests for the development of new rapid tests that are more cost effective; more stable at high temperatures and therefore have a better shelf life; do not have batch-to-batch variations, and thus more consistently bind to a specific target with similar or higher specificity and selectivity and are therefore more reliable. Advancements in TB research, in particular the application of proteomics to identify TB specific biomarkers, led to the identification of a number of biomarker proteins, that can be used to develop aptamer-based diagnostic assays able to screen individuals at the point-of-care (POC) more efficiently in resource-limited settings.

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