Pharmacology, Toxicology and Environmental Health Commons^™

Predicting The Spatiotemporal Exposure Of Aquatic Species To Intrusions Of Fire Retardant In Streams With Limited Data, Chris R. Rehmann, P. Ryan Jackson, Holly J. Puglis

Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering Publications

Because fire retardant can enter streams and harm aquatic species including endangered fish, agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) must estimate the downstream extent of toxic effects every time fire retardant enters streams (denoted as an “intrusion”). A challenge in estimating the length of stream affected by the intrusion and the exposure time of species in the affected reach is the lack of data typically available on the stream's geometry and flow characteristics. Previously, the USFS estimated the affected reach length assuming instantaneous mixing of the retardant over the reach; however, this approach neglects key river ...

Waste To Phosphorus: A Transdisciplinary Solution To P Recovery From Wastewater Based On The Triz Approach, Anna Jama-Rodzeńska, Andrzej Białowiec, Jacek A. Koziel, Józef Sowiński

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications

Phosphorus (P) is a limited yet essential resource. P cannot be replaced, but it can be recovered from waste. We proposed the TRIZ approach (Teoria reszenija izobretatielskich zadacz - Rus., Theory of Inventive Problem Solving - Eng.) to identify a feasible solution. We aimed at minimizing the environmental impact and, by eliminating contradictions, proposed viable technical solutions. P recovery can be more sustainable based on circular economy and 4Rs (reduction, recovery, reuse, and recycling). The TRIZ approach identified sewage sludge (SS) as waste with a large potential for P recovery (up to 90%). Successful selection and application of SS management and P ...

Development Of A Rapid Drug Detection Method For Insects Using Paper Spray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (Psi-Ms), Alexandria Plyler

Undergraduate Research and Scholarship Symposium

Insects have the ability to reflect the chemical environment that they have developed in. Thus, necrogenous insects can reflect the chemical environment of cadavers they have fed on. Forensic scientists can potentially utilize insect larvae as an alternate biological matrix to detect drugs in cadavers that are skeletonized, burned, or otherwise badly damaged. Analysis of insects using paper spray ionization mass spectrometry (PSI-MS), an analytical method requiring little to no sample preparation, could prove a rapid, cost-effective, and non-destructive alternative form of toxicological analysis. Traditional tissue analysis via GC and LC-MS often require lengthy sample preparation, use expensive reagents, and ...

Chemical Exposure From Manufactured Gas Plants: Public Health Risks?, Aneeza Hussain

Publications and Research

This project aims at identifying the chemicals and their risk factors to public health, which were found underneath Public Place, a brownfield next to the Gowanus Canal. The site is heavily contaminated with coal tar — a toxic chemical by-product of gas manufacturing, which happened at the site for 100 years until the gas plant closed down in the 1960s and the land was seized by the city. Recently, the city has planned to develop Public Place into “Gowanus Green” and which will be comprised of a school and low-income housing units on this site. The aim of this research is ...

Determination Of Metals And Microplastics In Sediment From Oyster Reefs In The Mississippi Sound, Shelby Goza

Honors Theses

This research centers on the determination of metals (Cd, Pb, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) and microplastics (MPs) in marine sediment from oyster reefs in the Mississippi Sound Estuary. Oysters (Crassostrea virginica) are a vital part of the Gulf Coast economy, but their population has dramatically declined in recent years due to multiple stressors, including oil spills and fluctuations in salinity from flooding. Increasingly frequent flooding events also introduce high loads of MPs and sediments containing heavy metals from the Mississippi River. These pollutants can have deleterious effects on oyster biology; however, they have not been adequately studied ...

Composition And Oxidative Potential Of Fine Particulate Matter From Pascagoula, Ms, Madison Smith

Honors Theses

Air pollution is one of the top-ranking risk factors for death and disability around the world, accounting for nearly 4.9 million deaths worldwide (State of Global Air, 2019). Specifically, fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has been linked to many adverse effects on human health, yet there is very little known about what characteristics exactly cause these adverse health effects and how they cause them. Samples for this study were collected from Pascagoula, MS, a small town located on the Mississippi Gulf Coast that is home to many industrial yards, from September 2013 to December 2013. Black carbon (BC ...

Pathogenesis Of Dry Eye In Graft Versus Host Disease (Gvhd): Role Of Ocular Mucins And Conjunctival Fibrosis, Kiumars Shamloo

Pharmaceutical Sciences (PhD) Dissertations

Allogenic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a procedure that offers a possible cure for hematologic cancers and other hematologic disorders. Unfortunately, despite the increasing survival rate of patients, the quality of their life is adversely affected by the allogeneic bone marrow transplantation’s major side effect i.e Graft vs. Host Disease (GVHD). GVHD is a complex, multi-organ disease resulting from an immunological attack by donor engrafted immune cells to host organs, including the eye surface. Mostly based on the time of disease onset after transplantation, GVHD is divided into the acute and chronic phase. The eyes may be involved ...

Comparative Analysis Of Azo Dye Restriction In The International Textile Industry, Kayla Demark

Apparel Merchandising and Product Development Undergraduate Honors Theses

Azo dyes are the most used type of dye in the textile industry. Some of these dyes have the potential to be extremely toxic to both human health and the environment. While regulations of these dyes vary across the world, it is suggested that not enough is being done to protect consumers and the environment from potentially harmful azo dyes (Rawat et al., 2016). It is the responsibility of apparel companies to ensure that their products that contain azo dyes are safe for consumers.

The purpose of this study was to understand how azo dyes and their by-products are restricted ...

Effects Of Respiratory Perturbations On Aging And Healthspan In Daphnia Magna, Millicent Nkiruka Ekwudo

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Aging is a degenerative process characterized by a decline in physiological functions and cellular activities. Environmental and pharmacological interventions affecting longevity pathways have been extensively studied in model organisms. This study investigated the effect of chronic mild intermittent hypoxia (4 mg O2/L) or mild mitochondrial uncoupling with three doses of 0 (control), 0.1, 1, and 5 μM of 2,4-Dinitrophenol (DNP), on life history and gene expression in four clones of Daphnia magna. Interestingly, clones from intermittent ponds displayed better tolerance to hypoxia and DNP. Although neither treatments extended longevity, hypoxia increased fecundity and body size, and decreased ...

Psychedelics Can Save: The Scientific And Social Case For Rescheduling Psychedelic Compounds, Galen M. Fader

Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects

No abstract provided.

Responses To Fine Particulate Matter (Pm2.5) Exposures In Two Wild-Type Zebrafish Strains, Connor Necaise

Honors Theses

Atmospheric fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) exposure poses great health risks across the globe, causing both acute and chronic illnesses in humans. Therefore, a more complete understanding of the mechanisms in which PM_2.5 induces these adverse health effects is urgently needed. Oxidative stress due to PAHs and other common components of PM_2.5 is a proposed mechanism for its adverse health effects. However, little is known about the actual mechanisms of PM_2.5 damage in humans. This study aimed to distinguish behavioral differences in two lines of zebrafish (AB & 5D) as a result of developmental ...

Mitigation Of Odor And Gaseous Emissions From Swine Barn With Uv-A And Uv-C Photocatalysis, Myeongseong Lee, Jacek A. Koziel, Wyatt Murphy, William S. Jenks, Baitong Chen, Peiyang Li, Chumki Banik

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications

UV-A (ca. 365 nm wavelength, a.k.a. ‘black light’) photocatalysis has been investigated to comprehensively mitigate odor and selected air pollutants in the livestock environment. This study was conducted to confirm the performance of UV-A photocatalysis on the swine farm. The objectives of this research were to (1) scale-up of the UV-A photocatalysis treatment, (2) evaluate the mitigation of odorous gases from swine slurry pit, (3) test different UV sources, (4) evaluate the effect of particulate matter (PM) and (5) conduct preliminary economic analyses. We tested UV-A photocatalysis at a mobile laboratory-scale capable of treating ~0.2–0.8 ...

Lc-Ms/Ms Method Development And Analysis Of Tricyclic Antidepressants In Human Plasma, Shahbaz Gul

Honors Theses

Depression has become one of the most prominent problems in society, disrupting both personal and social lives. Tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs) were first developed in the 1950’s and became some of the leading anti-depressant medications on the market later that decade. Today, newer anti-depressants have risen to the forefront, being safer and having a lower side-effect probability. Nonetheless, TCAs continue to be prescribed for severe depression, especially in cases where the newer anti-depressants have failed. However, TCAs are still highly potent, the toxicity associated with these compounds cannot be ignored. They have considerable cardiovascular and neurological toxicity, and in the ...

Effects Of Environmentally Relevant Concentrations Of 4-Methyl-1- Cyclohexanemethanol (Mchm) On General Esterase And Glutathione-S-Transferase Activity In Fathead Minnows (Pimephales Promela), Emily De Wind

Research in Biology

Abstract

In 2014, several thousand gallons of coal-processing chemicals, which included 4-methyl-1- cyclohexanemethanol (MCHM), spilled into the Elk River in West Virginia. The location of this spill in West Virginia’s chemical valley is historically significant in defining the exploitations of people residing in this area. The concentration of crude MCHM in the river was approximated at 0.15 µg/L. Although some initial studies did consider the effects of MCHM exposure on humans, little attention has been given to aquatic wildlife. In this project, I will expose fathead minnows, Pimephales promelas, an environmentally relevant species, to concentrations of MCHM ...

Narrative Storytelling In Conjunction With Environmental Journalism, Abbey Edmonson

Honors Theses

This thesis explores the effectiveness of long-form narrative storytelling in relation to environmental journalism. It particularly focuses on effectively communicating the seriousness of climate change on a local level through narrative storytelling. The bulk of the information was gathered through multiple interviews with people experiencing the effects of climate change on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. By using interviews with local people interspersed with scientific data, I hope to be able to show the average reader that climate change is real and it can dangerously affect people on a local level, even in rural states like Mississippi.

Through my research, I ...

Examining Public Water Systems Servicing Schools And Childcare Facilities To Inform Policy: A Study Of Lead Exposure In The Mississippi Delta, William Farmer

Honors Theses

Abstract

This study was initiated with the intent of identifying elementary schools and childcare facilities in the Mississippi Delta with children ages 6 and under that may have public water systems (PWSs) with lead exceedances of 5 ppb. We also aimed to identify the existence, and further the availability, of information regarding which public schools and childcare facilities were serviced by which public water systems. Based on the results of this study, considerations related to Mississippi’s ability to comply with the 2020 Revisions of the Lead and Copper Rule requiring testing in all public schools were determined. Seven principal ...

Importance Of Understanding Genetic Predisposition, Andrew Carter

Thinking Matters Symposium

Hypersensitivity reactions can be sudden and are often fatal. Many of these reactions occur as a result of allergies to prescribed medication. Adverse drug reactions or (ADR’s) were show in a recent study to affect over 6% of hospitalized patients and resulted in over 100,000 deaths a year in the US alone. This poster will review the importance of understanding genetic predisposition, through articles about possible genetic causes of allergies to penicillin and other beta-lactams. Changes in a specific HLA gene located on chromosome 6 showed a correlation to penicillin reactions in over 600,000 participants. Another study ...

Evaluation Of Tio2 Based Photocatalytic Treatment Of Odor And Gaseous Emissions From Swine Manure With Uv-A And Uv-C, Myeongseong Lee, Jacek A. Koziel, Wyatt Murphy, William S. Jenks, Baitong Chen, Peiyang Li, Chumki Banik

Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Publications

It is essential to mitigate gaseous emissions that result from poultry and livestock production to increase industry sustainability. Odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia (NH₃), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), and greenhouse gases (GHGs) have detrimental effects on the quality of life in rural communities, the environment, and climate. This study’s objective was to evaluate the photocatalytic UV treatment of gaseous emissions of odor, odorous VOCs, NH₃, and other gases (GHGs, O₃—sometimes considered as by-products of UV treatment) from stored swine manure on a pilot-scale. The manure emissions were treated in fast-moving air using a ...

Oxidative Potential And Composition Of Fine Particulate Matter At Two Locations In Mississippi, Victoria Claire Stevens

Honors Theses

Air pollution exposure has negative health effects on individuals across the globe. Negative impacts on human health have been documented in studies following both short-term and long-term exposure to air pollution, and these adverse effects have been seen even at the lowest levels of exposure. Fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has specifically been linked to these negative health effects. These effects come from many sources, but one large contribution to the negative health effects comes from oxidative stress. In this study, samples were collected from Hernando, MS and Gulfport, MS in September 2013 and November 2013. Black carbon (BC ...

084— Optimizing Conditions To Maximize Algae Growth For Biodiesel Production, Samantha Ross, Wady Jacoby, Daria Zhogina, Pavel Ananev, Lauren Saggese, Aiden Williams

GREAT Day

Select subspecies of microalgae are considered to be the most promising candidates for third generation renewable resources of biodiesel. Algae not only ingest excess carbon emissions from the atmosphere, they also convert it into energy-dense lipids which can be harvested, and then transformed into biodiesel. However, before the fuel industry can adopt algae farming as a realistic alternative to fossil fuels, the process of harvesting algal lipids must be optimized further. Our research aims to make algal lipid extraction more realistic by determining the ideal growing conditions of the algae species Chlorella Vulgaris. Our research this semester focused on two ...