Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Understanding Of Aerosol Transmission Of Covid 19 In Indoor Environments, Adama Barro, Cathal O'Toole, Jacob S. Lopez, Matthew Quinones, Sherene Moore

Publications and Research

Our reason for discussing severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) or 2019 novel corona virus (Covid-19), is to understand its aerosol transmission characteristics in indoor spaces and to mitigate further spread of this disease by designing a new HVAC system. The problem that we are tackling is the spread of covid-19 droplets through aerosol transmission by looking at potential engineering solutions to the existing HVAC systems. The purpose is to eradicate the spread of the COVID-19 by testing indoor spaces in an effort to understand the effectiveness of ventilation controls. We believe that scientists and engineers have not …

Running And Physical Activity In An Air-Polluted Environment: The Biomechanical And Musculoskeletal Protocol For A Prospective Cohort Study 4haie (Healthy Aging In Industrial Environment—Program 4), Daniel Jandacka, Jaroslav Uchytil, David Zahradnik, Roman Farana, Dominik Vilimek, Jiri Skypala, Jan Urbaczka, Jan Plesek, Adam Motyka, Denisa Blaschova, Gabriela Beinhauerova, Marketa Rygelova, Pavel Brtva, Klara Balazova, Veronika Horka, Jan Malus, Julia Freedman Silvernail, Gareth Irwin, Miika T. Nieminen, Victor Casula, Vladimir Juras, Milos Golian, Steriani Elavsky, Lenka Knapova, Radim Sram, Joseph Hamill

Kinesiology and Nutrition Sciences Faculty Publications

© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Far too little attention has been paid to health effects of air pollution and physical (in)activity on musculoskeletal health. The purpose of the Healthy aging in industrial environment study (4HAIE) is to investigate the potential impact of physical activity in highly polluted air on musculoskeletal health. A total of 1500 active runners and inactive controls aged 18–65 will be recruited. The sample will be recruited using quota sampling based on location (the most air-polluted region in EU and a control region), age, sex, and activity status. Participants will complete online questionnaires …

Transport Of N-Cd And Pre-Sorbed Pb In Saturated Porous Media, Salahaddin Kamrani, Vahab Amiri, Mosleh Kamrani, Mohammed Baalousha

Faculty Publications

Carbon dots (CDs) are a new type of nanomaterials of the carbon family with unique characteristics, such as their small size (e.g., <10 nm), high water solubility, low toxicity, and high metal affinity. Modification of CDs by Nitrogen functional groups (N-CDs) enhances their metal adsorption capacity. This study investigated the influences of pH (4, 6, and 9), ionic strength (1, 50, and 100 mM), and cation valency (Na⁺ and Ca²⁺) on the competitive adsorption of Pb to quartz and N-CD surfaces, the transport and retention of N-CDs in saturated porous media, and the capacity of N-CDs to mobilize pre-adsorbed Pb in quartz columns. Pb adsorption was higher on N-CDs than on quartz surfaces and decreased with increases in ionic strength (IS) and divalent cations (Ca²⁺) concentration. N-CD mobility in quartz columns was highest at pH of 9- and 1-mM monovalent cations …

Nutrient Concentration For Cyanotoxins At Turnbull (Proposal), Mori Williams

2020 McNair Scholar Collection

The purpose of this study is to analyze the concentration of microcystins from cyanobacteria along with factors that increase the likelihood of microcystins found in water systems at the Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge (TNWR) near Cheney, Washington. Cyanobacteria are oxygen-producing bacteria that use sunlight as an energy source to convert CO2 into biomass. This bacterium has been around for around 3 billion years. However, in recent years, cyanobacteria have been a major issue in drinking water and aquatic ecosystems due to eutrophication, rising CO2 levels, and global warming (Huisman et al). Due to anthropogenic sources such as agricultural run-off and …

Production And Characterization Of Twelve Different Biochars And Evaluating Their Effects On Soil Health And Plant Growth, Shagufta Gaffar

FIU Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Biochar has been a topic of growing interest in the scientific community. It is a product derived from carbon rich organic materials through the process of pyrolysis. It has received wide attention as a means to improve soil fertility and crop productivity, absorb pollutants in soil, and sequester carbon to mitigate climate change. Recent research on biochar explores its impacts on the environment with particular focus on use as a soil amendment in agriculture. Biochar produced from different biomass and under different production process effects the environmental and agronomic impacts of its application in different ways. This means biochar can …

A Review Of The Financial Value Of Faecal Sludge Reuse In Low-Income Countries, Adrian Mallory, Rochelle Holm, Alison Parker

Faculty Scholarship

Faecal sludge reuse could promote responsible waste management and alleviate resource shortages. However, for this reuse to be carried out at scale, it needs to be financially viable. This paper reviews the financial values of resource recovery from 112 data points from 43 publications from academic and grey literature. The results found 65% of the existing literature is projected rather than being based on observed data from products in practice, with limited studies providing actual experiences of revenue in practice. Some of the estimates of the potential value were ten times those observed in data from operating businesses. Reasons for …

Re-Evaluating The Strength Of Pit-Latrine Faecal Sludge From Dynamic Cone Penetrometer Test Data, Yasmine Shafiq, Stuart Haigh, Rochelle Holm, Alison Parker

Faculty Scholarship

In 2017, 55% of the global population were without safely managed sanitation services. On-site sanitation solutions, such as pit latrines, provide the majority of sanitation coverage across developing countries. Appropriate technologies are required in order to safely empty these latrines without damage to people or the environment. The design of appropriate emptying technologies can be hampered by a lack of knowledge of the mechanical properties of the waste, such as its strength. This paper will develop a calibration for a dynamic cone penetrometer to give accurate measurements of faecal sludge strength against a standard scale, rendering existing data comparable. It …

David S. Miller: Scientist, Mentor, Friend--A Tribute And Thank You, Björn Bauer, J. Larry Renfro, Karl J. Karnaky, Rosalinde Masereeuw, Gert Fricker, Ron E. Cannon, Anika M. S. Hartz

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

David S. Miller was Acting Scientific Director of the Division of Intramural Research at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, National Institutes of Health, and Head of the Intracellular Regulation Group in the Laboratory of Toxicology and Pharmacology before he retired in 2016. David received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Maine in 1973. David was a Group Leader at the Michigan Cancer Foundation before joining the NIEHS in 1985. His research covered a wide range from renal excretory transport mechanisms to regulation of transporters at the blood-CSF and blood-brain barriers, from fish, amphibians and birds to …

Obesity Worsens Gulf War Illness Symptom Persistence Pathology By Linking Altered Gut Microbiome Species To Long-Term Gastrointestinal, Hepatic, And Neuronal Inflammation In A Mouse Model, Dipro Bose, Punnag Saha, Ayan Mondal, Brian Fanelli, Ratanesh K. Seth, Patricia Janulewicz, Kimberly Sullivan, Stephen Lasley, Ronnie Horner, Rita R. Colwell, Ashok K. Shetty, Nancy Klimas, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

Persistence of Gulf War illness (GWI) pathology among deployed veterans is a clinical challenge even after almost three decades. Recent studies show a higher prevalence of obesity and metabolic disturbances among Gulf War veterans primarily due to the existence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), chronic fatigue, sedentary lifestyle, and consumption of a high-carbohydrate/high-fat diet. We test the hypothesis that obesity from a Western-style diet alters host gut microbial species and worsens gastrointestinal and neuroinflammatory symptom persistence. We used a 5 month Western diet feeding in mice that received prior Gulf War (GW) chemical exposure to mimic the home phase obese …

Ventilation & Masks: Reducing Airborne Transmission Of Covid-19 In A Classroom, Eric A. Schiff

SyracuseCoE Research Brief Series

We've calculated the number of COVID-19 infections that will be spread from a single COVID-19 "superspreader" to students and teachers in a classroom shared for 4 hours in different ventilation and masking conditions.

A Method To Measure The Partitioning Coefficient Of Volatile Organic Compounds In Nanoparticles, Guiying Rao, Jeonghyeon Ahn, Abigail Evans, Michelle Casey, Eric P. Vejerano

Faculty Publications

The partitioning behavior of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into nanoparticles is less studied compared to those of semivolatile organic compounds (SVOCs) because of the lower concentration of the VOCs that is expected to partition into particles. One challenge in measuring the accurate partition coefficient of VOCs is quantifying their low mass fraction that sorbed on nanoparticles and differentiating them from the high VOC concentrations present in the gas-phase. Systematically characterizing the partitioning coefficient at a specific environmental condition is also difficult when sampling in the field. During field sampling, thermal and non-thermal issues such as sampling artifacts and non-equilibrium conditions …

Tlr Antagonism By Sparstolonin B Alters Microbial Signature And Modulates Gastrointestinal And Neuronal Inflammation In Gulf War Illness Preclinical Model, Dipro Bose, Ayan Mondal, Punnag Saha, Diana Kimono, Sutapa Sarkar, Ratanesh K. Seth, Patricia Janulewicz, Kimberly Sullivan, Ronnie Horner, Nancy Klimas, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

The 1991 Persian Gulf War veterans presented a myriad of symptoms that ranged from chronic pain, fatigue, gastrointestinal disturbances, and cognitive deficits. Currently, no therapeutic regimen exists to treat the plethora of chronic symptoms though newer pharmacological targets such as microbiome have been identified recently. Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) antagonism in systemic inflammatory diseases have been tried before with limited success, but strategies with broad-spectrum TLR4 antagonists and their ability to modulate the host-microbiome have been elusive. Using a mouse model of Gulf War Illness, we show that a nutraceutical, derived from a Chinese herb Sparstolonin B (SsnB) presented a …

Statement Of World Aquatic Scientific Societies On The Need To Take Urgent Action Against Human-Caused Climate Change, Based On Scientific Evidence [Dear Colleague Letter], Scott A. Bonar, Brian R. Murphy, Leanne H. Roulson, Jesse T. Trushenski, Douglas J. Austen, Michael Edward Douglas

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Dear Colleague Letter from the American Fisheries Society to fellow scientific societies, July 25, 2020, about the urgent need for responsive collective action to mitigate impending radical climate change. Includes the Statement of World Aquatic Scientific Societies on the Need to Take Urgent Action Against Human-Caused Climate Change, Based on Scientific Evidence, emphasizing the importance of aquatic ecosystems. Includes extensive citations and notes.

"Water is the most important natural resource on Earth as it is vital for life. Aquatic ecosystems, freshwater or marine, provide multiple benefits to human society, such as provisioning of oxygen, food, drinking water, genetic resources; regulation …

Lipocalin 2 Induces Neuroinflammation And Blood-Brain Barrier Dysfunction Through Liver-Brain Axis In Murine Model Of Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis, Ayan Mondal, Dipro Bose, Punnag Saha, Sutapa Sarkar, Ratanesh K. Seth, Diana Kimono, Muayad Albadrani, Mitzi Nagarkatti, Prakash Nagarkatti, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND:

Recent clinical and basic research implicated a strong correlation between NAFLD/NASH phenotypes with ectopic manifestations including neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration, but the mediators and critical pathways involved are not well understood. Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is one of the important mediators exclusively produced in the liver and circulation during NASH pathology.

METHODS:

Using murine model of NASH, we studied the role of Lcn2 as a potent mediator of neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration in NASH pathology via the liver-brain axis. RESULTS: Results showed that high circulatory Lcn2 activated 24p3R (Lipocalin2 receptor) in the brain and induced the release of high mobility group box …

A Letter To Reconsider The Conditions For Testing Decontaminated N95 Respirators For Emergency Reuse To Address Shortage, Eric P. Vejerano, Jeonghyeon Ahn

Faculty Publications

The battle with COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in the shortage of personal protective equipment, particularly, N95 respirators. Healthcare workers who reused N95 respirators may resort to unproven methods of cleaning/sterilization that can severely compromise the respirators’ filtration efficiency. A recently issued guideline will test decontaminated N95 respirators against particles with a median diameter of 0.075 ± 0.020 µm at a flow rate of 85 L min–1. For emergency reuse, these conditions may be too stringent. N95 respirators tested at this flow rate had predicted efficiencies of < 69%, assuming complete degradation of their electrostatic coating. Experimental efficiencies were ~15% lower. For emergency reuse, we recommend to either adjust the flow rate closer to normal breathing, or the size of the test particle should reflect that of virus-laden respiratory aerosols (~> 0.5 µm). By reconsidering the test conditions, a substantial fraction of used/decontaminated respirators can …

An Assessment Of Disinfection-Related Water Chemistry At Public Pools And Spas In Louisville, Kentucky, Thomas Gerding, Tim Wilder, Jason W. Marion

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

The growth in the number of pools to more than 7.4 million in the U.S. has been accompanied by a rise in recreational water illnesses (RWIs). Effective pool management, though, can mitigate RWI risks. Inadequate management presumably occurs more frequently where training is less formalized and/or pool operation is a minor aspect of the job of the responsible pool manager(s). During summer 2018, weekly evaluations were performed at public venues in Louisville, Kentucky. Disinfectant levels and other items were monitored and compared with venue-specific (pool or spa) criteria. Among 1,312 venue surveys, 1,173 (89.4%) met criteria and 139 (10.6%) did …

Single-Use Plastics And Covid-19: Scientific Evidence And Environmental Regulations, Robert C. Hale, Bk Song

VIMS Articles

Waste plastics are a serious and growing environmental problem. Less than 10% of plastics are recycled, with most discarded in landfills, incinerated, or simply abandoned.1 Single-use plastics constitute about half of plastic waste. While most plastics are used and initially disposed of on land, much eventually enters aquatic ecosystems.2 Wildlife mortalities result from encounters (e.g., ingestion and entanglement) with large debris, including plastic bags. Such bags are excluded from many recycling programs, as they can entangle machinery. Most plastics do not readily biodegrade in the environment. However, they can be embrittled by UV exposure and fragment into microplastics (mm) and …

Toxic Structures: Speculation And Lead Exposure In Detroit's Single-Family Rental Market, Alexa Eisenberg, Eric Seymour, Alex B. Hill, Joshua Akers

Urban Studies and Planning Faculty Research Publications

Foreclosure sales permitted investors to purchase large volumes of low-cost residential properties after the last financial crisis, reshaping patterns of property ownership in low-income housing markets across the US. This study links post-foreclosure property acquisitions by investor-landlords to subsequent lead poisoning cases among children under age six living in Detroit, Michigan. We find that the odds of exhibiting elevated blood lead levels (≥ 5 μg/dL) are higher for children living in investor-owned homes purchased through tax foreclosure sale. These findings highlight the potential for property speculation in post-foreclosure housing markets to exacerbate severe and racialized burdens of excess lead toxicity …

The Value Of Iaq: A Review Of The Scientific Evidence Supporting The Benefits Of Investing In Better Indoor Air Quality, Vickie R. Hawkins,, Cheryl L. Marcham, John P. Springston, J. David Miller, Geoffrey Braybrooke, Craig Maunder, Lydia Feng, Ben Kollmeyer

Publications

Other studies have examined how ventilation rates, combined with the presence of pollutant sources, can affect productivity. These studies provide evidence that increased ventilation, including increases above common guidance levels such as ASHRAE’s ventilation standards, improve occupant productivity. Increased occupant control over ventilation has also been shown to improve productivity. Higher indoor carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have been directly associated with impaired work performance and increased health symptoms. Historically, it was believed that these associations exist only because higher indoor CO2 concentrations, resulting from lower outdoor air ventilation rates, are also correlated with higher levels of other indoor-generated pollutants that …

California Drought Projections Based On Climate Change Models’ Effects On Water Availability, Lauren Lynam

Student Scholar Symposium Abstracts and Posters

Future streamflow in California, as predicted by eight climate projections models, and their effects on water availability are discussed in this paper. The unimpaired projected streamflow for eleven California rivers, collected from Cal-Adapt Streamflow are compared with their unimpaired historical flows (1950-2015) using eight climate model projections (2020-2099) developed by Scripps Institution of Oceanography’s Routed Streamflow Projections; Warm Dry RCP 4.5, Average RCP 4.5, Cool Wet RCP 4.5, Other RCP 4.5, Warm Dry RCP 8.5, Average RCP 8.5, Cool Wet RCP 8.5, Other RCP 8.5. Projected drought quantities, durations, and intensities are statistically tested against historical values to determine significance …

Extreme Fire As A Management Tool To Combat Regime Shifts In The Range Of The Endangered American Burying Beetle, Alison K. Ludwig, Daniel R. Uden, Dirac Twidwell

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study is focused on the population of federally-endangered American burying beetles in south-central Nebraska. It is focused on changes in land cover over time and at several levels of spatial scale, and how management efforts are impacting both the beetle and a changing landscape. Our findings are applicable to a large portion of the Great Plains, which is undergoing the same shift from grassland to woodland, and to areas where the beetle is still found.

The Impact Of Nicotine Accumulation Exposure On Lithobates Catebeianus Larvae Mortality, Luke Micek

UCARE Research Products

Cigarette butts are the most littered item in the world and contain over 4,000 chemicals, including the organic compound nicotine (Slaughter et al. 2011). Billions of cigarette butts are littered each year which may wash into bodies of water, impacting the local wildlife. To determine how introduced chemicals impact the environment, it is important to study its effects on indicator species. Amphibians, such as Lithobates catebeianus, act as indicator species due to their extreme sensitivity to chemical changes in its environment. The purpose of this research project was to obtain data to help determine the impact nicotine accumulation has …

Comparing Statistical Analyses To Estimate Thresholds In Ecotoxicology, Marcos Krull

VIMS Articles

Different methods are used in ecotoxicology to estimate thresholds in survival data. This paper uses Monte Carlo simulations to evaluate the accuracy of three methods (maximum likelihood (MLE) and Markov Chain Monte Carlo estimates (Bayesian) of the no-effect concentration (NEC) model and Piecewise regression) in estimating true and apparent thresholds in survival experiments with datasets having different slopes, background mortalities, and experimental designs. Datasets were generated with models that include a threshold parameter (NEC) or not (log-logistic). Accuracy was estimated using root-mean square errors (RMSEs), and RMSE ratios were used to estimate the relative improvement in accuracy by each design …

Surveillance Of Culex And Aedes Mosquitoes In Lincoln, Lancaster County, Nebraska, William Noundou

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In 2018, West Nile virus (WNV) was identified as the leading cause of mosquito-borne disease in the continental United States. In response to this very serious problem, the Lincoln-Lancaster County Public Health Department (LLCHD) reinforced their mosquito surveillance program, which constitutes one of the best available tools to fight against this serious threat to human health. The objectives of this study were to 1) expand knowledge of the activity and relative abundance of mosquito communities in understudied areas and 2) evaluate differences in mosquito communities by urban and rural location, especially focusing on known vector species. A total of 6 …

Development Of A Hybrid Bayesian Network Model For Predicting Acute Fish Toxicity Using Multiple Lines Of Evidence, S. Jannicke Moe, Anders L. Madsen, Kristin A. Connors, Jane M. Rawlings, Scott E. Belanger, Wayne G. Landis, Raoul Wolf, Adam D. Lillicrap

IETC Publications

A hybrid Bayesian network (BN) was developed for predicting the acute toxicity of chemicals to fish, using data from fish embryo toxicity (FET) testing in combination with other information. This model can support the use of FET data in a Weight-of-Evidence (WOE) approach for replacing the use of juvenile fish. The BN predicted correct toxicity intervals for 69%–80% of the tested substances. The model was most sensitive to components quantified by toxicity data, and least sensitive to components quantified by expert knowledge. The model is publicly available through a web interface. Further development of this model should include additional lines …

Worker Exposure To Flame Retardants In Manufacturing, Construction And Service Industries, C. Fairfield Estill, J. Slone, A. Mayer, I-C Chen, Mark J. La Guardia

VIMS Articles

Workers in several industries are occupationally exposed to flame retardants. This study characterizes flame retardant exposure for nine industries through air and hand wipe measures for 105 workers. Specifically, we analyzed 24 analytes from three chemical classes: organophosphate flame retardants (OFRs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and non-PBDE brominated flame retardants (NPBFRs). The industries were: carpet installation, chemical manufacturing, foam manufacturing, electronic scrap, gymnastics, rigid board installation, nail salons, roofing, and spray polyurethane foam. Workers wore personal air samplers for two entire workdays and provided hand wipe samples before and after the second work day. Bulk products were also analyzed. The …

Fine, Elaine - Covid-19 Journal, Elaine Fine

Personal Journals

COVID Diary submitted by Charleston/Coles County, IL resident and musician, Elaine Fine

Knowledge, Attitude And Practices (Kap) Towards Diet And Health Among International Students In Dublin: A Cross-Sectional Study, Xiyao Liu, Haoyue Chen, Qianling Zhou, Huifeng Zhang, Phensiri Asawasirisap, John Kearney

Articles

International students may have difficulties in dietary acculturation. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude and practices (KAP) of diet and health during the acculturation of international students. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a convenience sample of 473 international students in Dublin. Knowledge, attitude and practices towards diet and health were evaluated by a questionnaire with open- and closed-ended questions. It was found that 45.3% of participants had a broad concept of a healthy diet, while few knew its specific contents. Furthermore, 75.3% of participants could explain the term functional food, and among them, 62.1% knew the appropriate …

Host Abundance Correlates With Gulf War Illness Symptom Persistence Via Nlrp3-Mediated Neuroinflammation And Decreased Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor, Diana Kimono, Dipro Bose, Ratanesh K. Seth, Ayan Mondal, Punnag Saha, Patricia Janulewicz, Kimberly Sullivan, Stephen Lasley, Ronnie Horner, Nancy Klimas, Saurabh Chatterjee

Faculty Publications

Neurological disorders are commonly reported among veterans who returned from the Gulf war. Veterans who suffer from Gulf War illness (GWI) complain of continued symptom persistence that includes neurological disorders, muscle weakness, headaches, and memory loss, that developed during or shortly after the war. Our recent research showed that chemical exposure associated microbial dysbiosis accompanied by a leaky gut connected the pathologies in the intestine, liver, and brain. However, the mechanisms that caused the symptoms to persist even 30 years after the war remained elusive to investigators. In this study, we used a rodent model of GWI to investigate the …