• Title/Summary/Keyword: toxic element

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Risk Assessment from Heterogeneous Energy Deposition in Tissue. The Problem of Effects from Low Doses of Ionizing Radiation

  • Le, Feinendegen;J, Booz
    • The Korean Journal of Nuclear Medicine
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    • v.26 no.1
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    • pp.8-13
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    • 1992
  • Low doses of ionizing radiation from external or internal sources cause heterogeneous distribution of energy deposition events in the exposed biological system. With the cell being the individual element of the tissue system, the fraction of cells hit, the dose received by the hit, and the biological response of the cell to the dose received eventually determine the effect in tissue. The hit cell may experience detriment, such as change in its DNA leading to a malignant transformation, or it may derive benefit in terms of an adaptive response such as a temporary improvement of DNA repair or temporary prevention of effects from intracellular radicals through enhanced radical detoxification. These responses are protective also to toxic substances that are generated during normal metabolism. Within a multicellular system, the probability of detriment must be weighed against the probability of benefit through adaptive responses with protection against various toxic agents including those produced by normal metabolism. Because irradiation can principally induce both, detriment and adaptive responses, one type of affected cells may not be simply summed up at the expense of cells with other types of effects, in assessing risk to tissue. An inventory of various types of effects in the blood forming system of mammals, even with large ranges of uncertainty, uncovers the possibility of benefit to the system from exposure to low doses of low LET radiation. This experimental approach may complement epidemiological data on individuals exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation and may lead to a more rational appraisal of risk.

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Arsenic-Induced Differentially Expressed Genes Identified in Medicago sativa L. roots

  • Rahman, Md. Atikur;Lee, Sang-Hoon;Kim, Ki-Yong;Park, Hyung Soo;Hwang, Tae Young;Choi, Gi Jun;Lee, Ki-Won
    • Journal of The Korean Society of Grassland and Forage Science
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    • v.36 no.3
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    • pp.243-247
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    • 2016
  • Arsenic (As) is a toxic element that easily taken up by plants root. Several toxic forms of As disrupt plant metabolism by a series of cellular alterations. In this study, we applied annealing control primer (ACP)-based reverse transcriptase PCR (polymerase chain reaction) technique to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in alfalfa roots in response to As stress. Two-week-old alfalfa seedlings were exposed to As treatment for 6 hours. DEGs were screened from As treated samples using the ACP-based technique. A total of six DEGs including heat shock protein, HSP 23, plastocyanin-like domain protein162, thioredoxin H-type 1 protein, protein MKS1, and NAD(P)H dehydrogenase B2 were identified in alfalfa roots under As stress. These genes have putative functions in abiotic stress homeostasis, antioxidant activity, and plant defense. These identified genes would be useful to increase As tolerance in alfalfa plants.

Application of Biosynthesized Silver Nanoparticles Against a Cancer Promoter Cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa

  • El-Sheekh, Mostafa Mohamed;El-Kassas, Hala Yassin
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.15 no.16
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    • pp.6773-6779
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    • 2014
  • Background: Nanotechnology opens new applications in many fields including medicine. Among all metallic nanoparticles, silver nanoparticles (silver NPS) have proved to be the most effective against a large variety of organisms including toxic cyanobacteria. Materials and Methods: Silver NPs were biosynthesized in vivo with different alga species namely, Spirulina piatensis, Chlorella vulgaris and Scenedesmus oh/iquus following two scenarios. First: by suspending a thoroughly washed algae biomass in 1 mM aqueous $AgN0_3$ solution. Second: by culturing them individually in culture media containing the same concentration of $AgN0_3$. Silver NPs were characterized using UV-Vis spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive analysis (EDX) and Fourier transform infra-red (FfIR) spectroscopy. The biosynthesized silver NPs were tested for cytotoxic activity against a cancer promoter cyanobacteruim Microcystis aeruginosa, considering effects on cell viability and chlorophyll content. Results: The surface plasmon band indicated the biosynthesis of silver NPs at ~400 nm. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that the silver NPs had a mean average size below 100 nm. Energy-dispersive analysis X-ray (EDX) spectra confirmed the presence of silver element. FfIR spectral analyses suggested that proteins and or polysaccharides may be responsible for the biosynthesis of silver NPs and (-COO-) of carboxylate ions is responsible for stabilizing them. The toxic potentialities ofthe biosynthesized silver NPs against the cancer promoter cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa showed high reduction in viable cells count and the total chlorophyll content. Conclusions: The potential activity of the biosynthesized silver NPs from the studied algae species against Microcystis aernginosa cells is expected to be mainly mediated by the release of silver ions (Ag+) from the particle surface and bioactive compounds as indicated by FfIR analysis.

Dispersion and Enrichment of Potentially Toxic Elements in Chubu Area Covered with Black Shales and Slates in Korea (추부지역 흑색셰일 및 점판암 분포지역에서의 잠재적 독성원소들의 분산과 부화)

  • Kim, Jong Shin;Chon, Hyo Taek
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.89-103
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    • 1997
  • The purpose of this research is to investigate the enrichment and distribution patterns of naturally occurring potentially toxic elements in soils derived from black shales and slates. Soil samples were collected from the Chubu area covered with uranium-enriched black shales and slates of the Changri Formation of the Okchon Super Group, and analysed for multiple-elements using INAA, ICP-AES and AAS. Soil pH and loss-an-ignition were also measured. Trace element contents in black shale and slate of the Chubu area are relatively lower than those in black shales, and higher than those in black slates reported elsewhere (Chon, Jung, 1991; Chon et al., 1996). Soil pH values range from 3.5 to 6.5, and loss-an-ignition values are in the range from 3 to 10%. Potentially toxic elements including As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Mo and U are highly enriched in residual soils with maximum content of $540{\mu}g/g$, $35,000{\mu}g/g$, $280{\mu}g/g$, $300{\mu}g/g$, $240{\mu}g/g$ and $860{\mu}g/g$, respectively. Significant concentrations of those elements were found in soils taken from the Tojangkol, the Chubu tunnel and the Meokti areas. Soils derived from black shales and slates, calcareous and phyllitic rocks, and intrusions were discriminated in terms of As, Ba, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Sc and U contents. Enrichment index was calculated using the concentrations of As, Ba, Cr and Mo, and enrichment index map shows very similar trend with U distribution in soils.

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Geochemical Origin, Behavior and Enrichment of Environmental Toxic Elements in Coaly Metapelite from the Deokpyeong Area, Korea (덕평지역의 탄질 변성니질암에 관한 환경적 독성원소의 지구화학적 기원, 거동 및 부화)

  • Lee, Hyun Koo;Lee, Chan Hee
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.30 no.6
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    • pp.553-566
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    • 1997
  • Origin, behavior and enrichment of environmental toxic elements from the Deokpyeong area were investigated on the basis of major, trace and rare earth element geochemistry. Coaly metapelites of the Deokpyeong area are subdivided into grey phyllite, dark grey phyllite, coaly slate and black slate, which are interbedded along the Ogcheon Supergroup. The coaly slate had been mined for coal, but mining is closed. The coaly and black slates are lower contents of $SiO_2$ and $Al_2O_3$, and higher contents of LOI, CaO, $Na_2O$ and BaO as compared with the phyllitic rocks. Rare earth elements are highly enriched in the coaly and black slate. Average compositions (ppm) of minor and/or environmental toxic elements in the coaly and black slate are revealed as As=127, Ba=30,163, Cd=18, Cr=740, Cu=84, Mo=378, Pb=43, Sb=12, Se=44, U=144, V=8,147 and Zn=292, which are extremely high concentrations than those in the NASC compositions. Major elements (average enrichment index; 5.34) in the coaly metapelites are mostly depleted, excepting $P_2O_5$ and BaO, normalized by NASC. Rare earth elements (average enrichment index; 1.48) are enriched in the coaly slate. On the basis of NASC, minor and/or environmental toxic elements in the coaly metapelites were strongly enriched of all the elements with the exception of Co, Cs, Ni and Sr. Average enrichment index of trace elements in coaly metapelite is 31.51 (coaly slate; 51.94 and black slate; 15.46). Especially, enrichment index of potentially toxic elements (As, Ba, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Sb, Se, U, V and Zn) of the rock is 46.10 (grey phyllite; 7.15, dark grey phyllite; 4.77, coaly slate; 88.96 and black slate; 22.11). These coal formations were deposited in basin of boundary between terrestrial and marine environments deduced to carbon, sulfur (C/S=2.2 to 275.7), trace and rare earth elements characteristics. Irregular behavior and dispersion between major, minor and rare earth elements of those metapelites indicates a variable source materials, incomplete mixing of differential source and/or reequilibrium of diagenesis and metamorphism.

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Development of a Finite Element Program for Determining Mat Pressure in the Canning Process for a Catalytic Converter (촉매변환기를 캐닝할 때 발생하는 매트의 압력분포 유한요소해석 프로그램의 개발)

  • Chu, Seok-Jae;Lee, Young-Dae
    • Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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    • v.35 no.11
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    • pp.1471-1476
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    • 2011
  • The catalytic converter in the front part of an automobile's exhaust system converts toxic exhaust gas into nontoxic gas. The substrate in the central part of the converter has a circular or oval-shaped cross section and fine lattice-shaped walls. In the canning process, the substrate is wrapped in mats and inserted into a can. During this process, mat pressure is induced, which may cause brittle fracturing in the substrate. In this paper, a finite element program for determining the mat pressure distribution was developed to avoid these fractures. The program was created in Microsoft EXCEL, so the input and output procedures are relatively simple. It was assumed that the substrate is rigid, the mat is material nonlinear, and the can is linear elastic. The can is modeled as a beam element to resist both bending and uniform tension/compression. The number of elements is fixed to 35, and the number of iterations, to 20. The solutions are compared to ABAQUS solutions and found to be in good agreement.

Geochemical Characteristics of Soils and Sediments at the Narim Mine Drainage, Korea: Dispersion, Enrichment and Origin of Heavy Metals (나림광산 수계의 토양과 퇴적물에 관한 지구화학적 특성: 중금속 원소의 분산, 부화 및 기원)

  • Lee, Chan Hee;Lee, Hyun Koo;Lee, Jong Chang
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.31 no.4
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    • pp.297-310
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    • 1998
  • Geochemical characteristics of environmental toxic elements at the Narim mine area were investigated on the basis of major, minor, rare earth element geochemistry and mineralogy. Ratios of $Al_2O_3/Na_2O$ and $K_2O/Na_2O$ in soils and sediments range from 11.57 to 22.21 and from 1.86 to 3.93, and are partly negative and positive correlation against $SiO_2/Al_2O_3$ (3.41 to 4.78), respectively. These suggested that sediment source of host granitic gneiss could be due to rocks of high grade metamorphism originated by sedimentary rocks. Characteristics of some trace and rare earth elements of V/Ni (0.33 to 1.95), Ni/Co (2.00 to 6.50), Zr/Hf (11.27 to 53.10), La/Ce (0.44 to 0.55), Th/Yb (4.07 to 7.14), La/Th (2.35 to 3.93), $La_N/Yb_N$ (6.58 to 13.67), Co/Th (0.63 to 2.68), La/Sc (3.29 to 5.94) and Sc/Th (0.49 to 1.00) are revealed a narrow range and homogeneous compositions may be explained by simple source lithology. Major elements in all samples are enriched $Al_2O_3$, MgO, $TiO_2$ and LOI, especially $Fe_2O_3$ (mean=7.36 wt.%) in sediments than the composition of host granitic gneiss. The average enrichment indices of major and rare earth elements from the mining drainage are 2.05 and 2.91 of the sediments and are 2.02 and 2.60 of the soils, normalizing by composition of host granitic gneiss, respectively. Average composition (ppm) of minor and/or environmental toxic elements in sediments and soils are Ag=14 and 1, As=199 and 14, Cd=22 and 1, Cu=215 and 42, Pb=1770 and 65, Sb=18 and 3, Zn=3333 and 170, respectively, and extremely high concentrations are found in the subsurface sediments near the ore dump. Environmental toxic elements were strongly enriched in all samples, especially As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Sb and Zn. The level of enrichment was very severe in mining drainage sediments, while it was not so great in the soils. Based on the EPA value, enrichment index of toxic elements is 8.63 of mining drainage sediments and 0.54 of soils on the mining drainage. Mineral composition of soils and sediments near the mining area were partly variable being composed of quartz, mica, feldspar, amphibole, chlorite and clay minerals. From the gravity separated mineralogy, soils and sediments are composed of some pyrite, arsenopyrite, chalcopyrite, sphalerite, galena, goethite and various hydroxide minerals.

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Dispersion and Enrichment of Potentially Toxic Elements of Farmland Soils from the Boeunjeil Mine Area, Korea (보은제일광산일대의 밭토양에 대한 독성원소들의 분산과 부화)

  • Yoo, Bong-Chul;Kim, Ki-Jung;Lee, Chan-Hee;Lee, Hyun-Koo
    • Economic and Environmental Geology
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    • v.40 no.1 s.182
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    • pp.15-28
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    • 2007
  • The study is for contaminations of major, rare earth and trace elements of the farmland soils from the Boeunjeil mine area. The results are compared with the soils of Chungjoo, Deokpyeong, Boeun and Chubu areas. Fe and S contents of the contaminated area are high relative to those from the uncontaminated areas, Chungjoo and Boeun areas. Trace elements of the contaminated area are high relative to those from uncontaminated area, Chunajoo, Deokpyeong, Boeun and Chubu areas. The trace elements ares divided into Cd, Ni, Sr, U, V, Zn and As, Co, Cu, Mo, Pb, Sb, based on these dispersion and correlation. Two groups show the positive correlation. Enrichment factor of potentially toxic elements from contaminated area is >5 value, but <4 value in the uncontaminated area. In the geoaccumulation index of the minor elements, the contaminated area has >1 value and the uncontaminated area has <1 value except Mn. Enrichment index of potentially toxic elements(As, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, U, Zn) ranges from 0.3 to 87.0 in the contaminated area and from 0.4 to 3.9 in the uncontaminated area. Overall results show that the high contents of farmland soils for the elements(Fe, S, As, Cd, Co, Cu, Ni, U, Zn) indicate the contamination by coal-related activities.

A STUDY ON TRANSFERENCE OF A CONTRAST MEDIA IN PULPAL CHAMBER (치수강내(齒髓腔內)에 있어서 조영제(造影劑)의 이행(移行)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究))

  • Kim, Yung-Hai
    • Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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    • v.8 no.1
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    • pp.133-137
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    • 1982
  • Radiography is one of the important tool adopted in daily dental practice and medical diagnosis. To visualize soft tissuechange various contrast media has Been introduced. Any cavity or space can be easily determined by increasing the X-ray absorption of the cavity using the radiopaque contrast media which widely employed in medical radiography to show much of the digestive, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal system. The essential part of any radiopaque medium is a heavy element that can absoarb most of the X-ray beam. The element must be noninjurious and easily eliminated. Both aqueous and oil suspensions of iodine containing compounds' are available to the dental profession, for example Lipiodol and Dionosil. The study was designed to determine toxic effect of Lipiodol to the vital pulp and to confirm visualization ioprovement in pulp canal. 1. Thin mixture of Calcium hydroxide and Lipiodol was applied to 19 deep vital cavities for 24 hours. Only one case complained slight pain for short time. 2. Cotton pellet over-saturated in Lipiodol was inserted in coronal chamber of which 6 were non vital and 5 were vital. The transference of Lipiodol was not noticed in every case after 24 hours. 5 cases with vital pulp tissue in the canals showed no clinical symptome. 3. Extracted 20 teeth were routinely prepared for endodontic treatment and applied Lipiodol in conjunction with cotton fiber as deep as midportion of the roots. After 24, hours the medicament reached to nearly the end of apex, but there were no evidence of penetration in dentine layer and migrate into ramified canal.

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A Numerical Study on Passenger Evacuation in a Subway Station in Case of Fire Occurrence (화재 발생 지하철 역사에서의 여객 대피 해석에 관한 연구)

  • Kim, Chi-Gyeom;Lee, Sung-Won;Hur, Nahm-Keon;Nam, Seong-Won
    • Korean Journal of Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration Engineering
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    • v.22 no.8
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    • pp.509-514
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    • 2010
  • A numerical simulation of passenger evacuation in a subway station was performed by coupling the passenger flow analysis and the fire simulation. The algorithm of the passenger flow analysis was based on a DEM (Discrete Element Method) using the potential map of the direction vector for each passenger. This algorithm was improved in the present study as to use finer grid smaller than a passenger in order to resolve detailed geometry of the station and to resolve the behavior of passengers in the bottleneck at the ticket gate considering the collision of passengers to a wall or with other passengers. In the fire simulation, the CO distribution predicted by using CFD was used to take into account the effect of toxic gases on the passengers' mobility. The methodology proposed in the present study could be used in designing safer subway station in case of fire occurrence.