Styrofoam Research Articles

Evaluation of antibiofilm activity of metal oxides nanoparticles and carbon nanotubes coated styrofoam on the bacterium Jeotgalicoccus huakuii

The co-existence of metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs), carbon-based nanomaterials and microplastics (MPs) in the natural environment are expected to be of growing global concern due to their increasing abundance and persistence in the environment worldwide. Knowledge of the interaction of the above compounds particularly under light irradiation in water remains limited. In the present study, the possible individual and combined toxic effects of MONPs, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) through styrofoam (SF) on the environmental bacterium Jeotaglicoccus huakuii were systematically investigated. The fabricated MONPs and CNTs were characterized using the following techniques: FT-IR (functional groups), XRD (crystallinity), SEM, and EDX (topological morphology). The objective of this study was to investigate and identify naturally occurring bacteria capable of mitigating and detoxifying toxic pollutants under adverse conditions. Moreover, the assessment of minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was made through an agar well plate method, resazurin (ELISA measurement), growth kinetics and bacterial viability were assessed employing live and dead assay and biofilm combating ability was analyzed using an antibiofilm assay. Further, the biotransformation of f-MWCNTs by J. huakuii was evaluated employing RT-PCR and SEM analysis. The results demonstrated that the toxicity of Pb3O4@f-MWCNTs was comparatively higher than the remaining Pb3O4 NPs and SF coated NPs.. Interestingly, J. huakuii showed resistance against f-MWCNTs at very high concentrations and able to utilize f-MWCNTs as a sole carbon source suggesting J. huakuii as a suitable aquatic bioremediation tool for both MONPs and CNTs transfer via MPs. The results also enhanced our understanding of the affinity of MPs towards MONPs and CNTs under extreme environmental conditions.

Surface-associated bacterial assemblages on marine anthropogenic litter in the intertidal zone of the Arabian Sea, India

Anthropogenic marine litter (mainly plastic pollution) is a serious concern globally. The interactions between terrestrial and marine ecosystems lead to the accumulation of marine litter in the intertidal zone. The biofilm-forming bacteria tend to colonize on surfaces of marine litter which are composed of diverse bacteria and are less studied. The present study investigated the bacterial community composition using both culturable and non-culturable (Next-generation sequencing (NGS)) approaches associated with the marine litter (polyethylene (PE), styrofoam (SF) and fabric (FB)) at three distinct locations (Alang, Diu and Sikka) of the Arabian Sea, Gujarat, India. Predominant bacteria observed using culturable and NGS techniques belonged to Proteobacteria phyla. Alphaproteobacteria class dominated on polyethylene and styrofoam surfaces in the culturable fraction among the sites while the Bacillus dominated fabric surfaces. In the metagenomics fraction, Gammaproteobacteria dominated the surfaces except for PE and SF surfaces from Sikka and Diu, respectively. The PE surface at Sikka was dominated by Fusobacteriia while SF surface from Diu was dominated by Alphaproteobacteria. Both culture-dependent and NGS approaches identified hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria as well as pathogenic bacteria on the surfaces. The outcome of the present study illustrates diverse bacterial assemblages which occur on marine litter and increases our understanding of the plastisphere community.

Combined effects of copper oxide and nickel oxide coated chitosan nanoparticles adsorbed to styrofoam resin beads on hydrothermal vent bacteria

Microplastics are potential carriers of harmful contaminants but their combined effects are largely unknown. It needs intensive monitoring in order to achieve a better understanding of metal-oxide nanoparticles and their dispersion via microplastics such as styrofoam in the aquatic environment. In the present study, an effort was made to provide a preferable perception about the toxic effects of engineered nanoparticles (NPs), namely, copper oxide (CuO NPs), nickel oxide (NiO NPs), copper oxide/chitosan (CuO/CS NPs) and nickel oxide/chitosan (NiO/CS NPs). Characterizations of synthesized NPs included their morphology (SEM and EDX), functional groups (FT-IR) and crystallinity (XRD). Their combined toxic effect after adsorption to styrofoam (SF) was monitored using the hydrothermal vent bacterium Jeotgalicoccus huakuii as a model. This was done by determining MIC (minimum inhibitory concentration) through a resazurin assay measuring ELISA, growth, biofilm inhibition and making a live and dead assay. Results revealed that at high concentrations (60 mg/10 mL) of CuO, CuO/CS NPs and 60 mg of SF adsorbed CuO and CuO/CS NPs inhibited the growth of J. huakuii. However, NPs rather than SF inhibited the growth of bacteria. The toxicity of NPs adsorbed on plain SF was found to be less compared to NPs alone. This study revealed new dimensions regarding the positive impacts of SF at low concentrations. Synthesized NPs applied separately were found to affect the growth of bacteria substantially more than if coated to SF resin beads.

Effect of continuous and modular floating covers on evaporation losses and microalgal growth

Evaporative losses from the water surface are substantial. Continuous floating covers strikingly suppress evaporation, but adversely affect the water environment. However, modular floating “elements” covers might overcome this issue, but with less evaporation suppression efficiency. We hypothesized that modifying the continuous floating covers by decreasing the coverage fraction (CF) could merge the advantages of both types. Two experiments were conducted to evaluate and compare the influence of modular and continuous floating covers on evaporation losses with emphasizing their impacts on the water environment by determining microalga growth as a bio-indicator. The effect of three modular floating covers, i.e., partially water-filled plastic potable bottles (W-PB), air-filled plastic potable bottles (A-PB), and styrofoam (STF)-disks on the evaporation rate was evaluated. In the second experiment, we investigated the influence of white spheres on evaporation rate in comparison to three continuous floating covers, i.e., styrofoam sheet (STF-sheet), white plastic sheet (WPS), and black plastic sheet (BPS), using three CF, i.e., 0.9, 0.95 and 1.0. The results revealed that modular floating covers decreased evaporation rate for the two months by 53.3, 44.6, 43.0% for STF-disks, W-PB, and A-PB, respectively. In the second experiment, the lowest evaporation rate was obtained using continuous floating covers at CF=1, in which all covers were acting equally, signifying the importance of CF over cover color. However, at CF=0.9, white spheres showed similar evaporation suppression efficiency to white continues floating covers, i.e., STF-sheet and WPS, but higher than the BPS, signifying the role of cover color over cover type when CF<1. Microalgae growth was positively affected by STF-disks and white spheres, and negatively by plastic potable bottles treatments. All continues floating covers at CF=1, inhibited microalgae growth, while at CF<1 continues floating covers boosted microalgae growth, except the BPS. In conclusion, the highest evaporation suppression (~95%) was obtained using continuous floating covers at CF=1, but with potential adverse impacts on the water environment. Modifying the continuous floating covers by decreasing the CF, increased water-saving, and enriched water ecology, relative to modular floating covers.

Monocular and binocular opto-locomotor reflex biases for random dot motion in mice.

We investigated the relationship between eyes receiving visual input of large field translating random dot motion and subsequent reflexive changes in running direction in mice. The animals were head-fixed running on a Styrofoam ball and the opto-locomotor reflex (OLR) was measured in response to 2 s of dots patterns moving horizontally to the left or right. We measured the OLR in conditions with both eyes open (binocular) and one eye closed (monocular). When we covered the right or left eye in the monocular condition, we found reflexive behavior to be delayed for a few hundred milliseconds to leftward or rightward motion, respectively. After this delay, the bias disappeared and reflexive behavior was similar to responses to motion under binocular conditions. These results might be explained by different contributions of subcortical and cortical visual motion processing pathways to the OLR. Furthermore, we found no evidence for nonlinear interactions between the two eyes, because the sum of the OLR of the two monocular conditions was equal in amplitude and temporal characteristics to the OLR under binocular conditions.

Thermal, kinetic and thermodynamic study for co-pyrolysis of pine needles and styrofoam using thermogravimetric analysis

This study investigate the thermal decomposition behavior of pine needles (PN), styrofoam (SF) as well as their mixture at ratio of 1:1 (w/w), determine the kinetic and thermodynamic parameters for co-pyrolysis of PN and SF using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) data. The co-pyrolysis experiments were performed in an inert environment (N2) at three variable heating rates of 5, 10 and 20 °C/min in TG analyzer from 35 to 850 °C. TGA outcomes represent that the thermal degradation of PN occurred in three stages, while SF degradation took place in a single stage and degradation of their mixture occurred in three stages. Model-free methods such as Ozawa-Flynn-Wall (OFW) and Kissinger-Akahira-Sunose (KAS) were employed to findout the activation energy (Ea) for co-pyrolysis of PN and SF. Moreover, the thermodynamic parameters (changes in enthalpy, Gibbs free energy and entropy) were also determined by OFW method. The pre-exponential factors were also evaluated by model-fitting (Coats-Redfern) method. The average of Ea for co-pyrolysis of PN and SF determined by KAS and OFW methods was 96.44 and 109.73 kJ/mol, respectively. The results of this study suggest that PN and SF mixture has potential to be used as a pyrolysis feedstocks.

A Study on the Usefulness of Styrofoam Wedge for Wrist True PA and Lateral examination

A Study on the Usefulness of Styrofoam Wedge for Wrist True PA and Lateral examination

Comparison of imbolization accuracy between styrofoam and breast carrier in intensity-modulated radiotherapy after breast conservative surgery for breast cancer patients

Objective To investigate the difference of styrofoam and breast carrier in postposition fixation of intensity-modulated radiotherapy after breast conservative surgery for breast cancer patients. Methods From February 2018 to August 2018, tweenty-four patients with breast cancer in Sun Yet-Sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yet-sen University were selected for this study, who underwent hypofactionationed radiotherapy after breast conservative surgery with total dose 42.56 Gy/16Fractions. They were randomized into styrofoam test group and breastcarrier control group. Cone beam CT as used to record the positioning error under the directions of left and right (x), head and foot (y), abdomen and back (y) within two groups at the first, third, fifth, seventh, eleventh time before irradiation. Furthermore, the PTV extension margin was calculated and the positioning time of two groups was recorded. Two sets of pendulum errors were analyzed by independent sample T-test, and the outspread value of inter-fractional set up error of the PTV was calculated. Results The errors of the test group and the control group in the direction of x, y, z were as follows: (2.36±1.89) and (2.56±2.05) mm (P=0.49), (1.76±1.78) and (3.28±2.79) mm (P<0.05), (1.47±1.49) and (1.73±1.81) mm (P=0.28). The extension values of inter-fractional set up error of CTV to PTV were 2.97, 2.92, 2.21 mm and 3.41, 4.09, 2.59 mm respectively. The time of single positioning was (3.4±1.1) and (5.5 ±3.1) min respectively (P=0.01). Conclusion Styrofoam has better positioning accuracy and efficiency compared with breast carrier. Key words: Breast neoplasms/surgery; Breast neoplasms/intensity-modulated radiotherapy; Position fixation; Set-up error

Reusing stocks solutions with different formulated for orchid fertilizer acclimatization phase

Orchids are ornamental plants that stand out by their colors, types, shapes, size, beauty. Additionally, some species have aromas. This diversity of orchids makes it be greatly appreciated as potted plants, landscaping, with high commercial value. The aim of this study was to evaluate the development of orchids at different levels of fertilization by reusing nutrients added to the culture medium for cultivation in vitro is also analyzing the different times of acclimatization. The micropropagated orchids removed from the growth chamber, were transported to greenhouse composing the different treatments for acclimatization (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 days). To be transplanted were placed in pine bark substrate and Sphagnum being placed in trays. After 30 days the seedlings were transplanted to styrofoam trays was initiated plant fertilization weekly with different formulated by administering 5 ml each (1 humic acid, 2nd potassium nitrate (KNO 3 ), 3rd humic acid + Nitrate potassium (KNO 3 ), 4th calcium chloride (CaCl 2 ), 5 ° control). Six months after withdrawal of the growth room the plants was carried out the evaluation of the experiment where the plant survival was evaluated by the number of shoots, number of leaves, the length of the largest leaf and root presence. The experimental design was completely randomized in a factorial 6x5, with the time of acclimatization (0, 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 days) the first factor and the second, the type of fertilizer used (4 formulated and the witness) with 8 replicates per treatment. The data were submitted to deviance analysis in the software R. In this study, the need to fertilize with nutrient rich formulations for orchids in the acclimatization phase was contacted and that these should remain for a few days inside the jars in a greenhouse environment.

DESAIN PROTOTIPE KAPAL PENANGKAP DI PERAIRAN MALUKU

Desain prototipe teknologi yang akan dikembangkan mempunyai keunggulan yang lebih baik bila dibandingkan dengan kondisi kapal penangkap saat ini. Keunggulan-keunggulannya dapat berpengaruh terhadap pengoperasian kapal serta sumberdaya perikanan di perairan Maluku. Pengembangan desain joran pancing dengan menggunakan fiber glass mempunyai kelebihan lebih ringan, kuat, dan tahan lama walaupun harganya mahal tapi dapat diimbangi dengan hasil tangkapan yang diperoleh dengan alat tangkap ini. Disamping itu juga penggunaan styro foam sangat berpengaruh terhadap desain kapal huhate yang diusulkan untuk dikembangkan serta mempunyai beberapa keunggulan bila dibandingkan dengan kapal yang dipakai nelayan saat ini. Pada kapal dengan inboard engine, desain palka hanya menghasilkan produk untuk pasaran lokal dan belum dimodifikasi untuk menghasilkan produk skipjack loin yang merupakan suatu bentuk produk ekspor, yang belakangan ini permintaan akan produk tersebut sangat tinggi.

Pressureless sintering and gas flux properties of porous ceramic membranes for gas applications

The preparation and characterization of kaolin based ceramic membranes using styrofoam (STY) and sawdust (SD) as pore formers have been prepared by mechano-chemical synthesis using pressureless sintering technique with porogen content between (0–20) wt% by die pressing. Pellets were fired at 1150 °C and soaking time of 4 h. The membranes cast as circular disks were subjected to characterization studies to evaluate the effect of the sintering temperature and pore former content on porosity, density, water absorption and mechanical strength. Obtained membranes show effective porosity with maximum at about 43 and 47% respectively for membranes formulated with styrofoam and sawdust porogens but with a slightly low mechanical strength that does not exceed 19 MPa. The resultant ceramic bodies show a fine porous structure which is mainly caused by the volatilization of the porogens. The fabricated membrane exhibited high N2 gas flux, hence, these membranes can be considered as efficient for potential application for gas separation by reason of the results shown in the gas flux tests.

Classification of domestic burning smell using covariance k- nearest neighbour algorithm for early fire detection application

Fire is one of the most common hazards in households. It is the fifth leading unintentional cause of injury and death, behind motor vehicle crashes, falls, poisoning by solids or liquids, and drowning. It also ranks as the first cause of death for children under the age of 15 at home. Roughly, 80 percent of all fire deaths occur in places where people sleep, such as in homes, dormitories, barracks, or hotels. 74% of the deaths result from fires in homes with no smoke alarms or no working smoke alarms while surveys report that 96% of all homes have at least one smoke alarm. Nearly all home and other building fires are preventable. No fire is inevitable. Determination of burning smell is important because it can help in early fire detection and prevention. This preliminary study discusses the development of a fire sensing system that is not only capable of detecting fire in its early stage but also of classifying the fire based on the smell of the smoke in the environment. A domestic burning smell classification system for early fire detection application has been proposed using new covariance k-nearest neighbour (Ck-NN) algorithm. The experiments were performed on recorded smell samples from combustion of ten different commonly available domestic odour sources, including candle, joss sticks, air freshener, mosquito coil, newspaper, card board, plastic materials, Styrofoam and wood. All the experiments were done in a test chamber with humidity and temperature sensors. Portable Electronic Nose (PEN3) from AirSense Analytics is used as the measurement device. The smell source is placed 0.3m from the PEN3 and the time-series signal is measured for two minutes. The odour metrics consist of 66000 odour samples are modelled using Ck-NN algorithm. It is found that the average mean classification accuracy for the model is 99.63%.

PRODUCTION OF PEPPER SEEDLINGS USING SUBSTRATES CONTAINING COMBINATIONS BASED COMMERCIAL SUBSTRATE (PEAT FÉRTIL®), EXPANDED VERMICULITE AND COCONUT FIBER

For growing vegetables, seedling production is one of the most important stages of the process, and the use of suitable substrates as physical, chemical and biological characteristics for occur the formation of a quality seedling is necessary. In the context of information exposed the present study aimed to evaluate the production of pepper seedlings, using substrates of different mixtures of combinations (commercial substrate (Peat fertile ® ), expanded vermiculite and coconut fiber). To perform the experiment was carried sowing pepper cultivar All Big ® in polystyrene trays (Styrofoam ® ) 200 cells, filled with five treatments, combinations (C): 1 C1 (Peat fertile ® (60%), vermiculite (20%) and coconut fiber (20%)); 2 C2 (Peat fertile ® (60%) and vermiculite (40%)); 3 C3 (Peat fertile ® (60%) and coconut fiber (40%)); 4- C4 ((Peat fertile ® (40%), vermiculite (30%) and coconut fiber (30%)); and 5- C5 (Peat fertile ® (100%) at 42 days after germination (DAG ) seedlings, we assessed treatments for parameters: At 42 days after germination (DAG) of the seedlings was evaluated treatments for parameters: seedlings height (AM), stem diameter (DC), length of the root system (CR) and number of true leaves (NF). It was found that for the variable diameters and number of true leaves of the seedlings did not differ from the treatments, while for the variables plant height and root length, the combinations C1 (Peat fertile ® (60%) vermiculite expanded (20%) and coconut fiber (20%)) and C4 ((Peat fertile ® (40%), vermiculite (30%) and coconut fiber (30%)), provided the best and C5 treatment (Peat fertile ® (100%) the worst results.

The Effect of Biomass Density on Transport Survival of Juvenile Freshwater Prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

In tem per ate re gions fresh wa ter prawn, Macrobrachium rosenbergii, ju ve niles are nursed to more ad vanced sizes (≥ 0.3 g) in indoor tanks, then trans ported to ponds for growout. Stress dur ing transport can pro duce im me di ate mor tal ity and un de tected mor tal ity af ter pond stock ing. This study was de signed to eval u ate the ef fect of bio mass den sity dur ing trans port in sealed con tain ers on pre-stock ing prawn sur vival. Nine rep li cate sty ro foam trans port con tain ers were pre pared. Each con tained one dou ble bagged plas tic bag with 10 L of ox y gen-sat u rated 22EC wa ter with an at mo sphere of 10 L pure ox y gen. Ju ve nile prawn weigh ing 0.26±0.02 g (av er age weight ±S.D.) were ran domly stocked into trans port con tain ers at ei ther 10, 25 or 50 g of prawn per li ter of wa ter, then sealed for eight hours (max i mum re gional trans port pe riod). There were three rep li cate trans port con tain ers per den sity. At eight hours post-stock ing, bags were opened, wa ter qual ity de ter mi na tions were con ducted, and live and dead an i mals were sep a rated and counted. To tal am mo nia-ni tro gen and un-ion ized am mo nia-ni tro gen con cen trations were sig nif i cantly higher (P ≤0.05) in con tain ers stocked at 50 g/L than in con tain ers stocked at ei ther 10 or 25 g/L, which were also sig nif icantly dif fer ent (P ≤0.05) from each other. Ni trite-ni tro gen con cen tra tions were sig nif i cantly higher (P ≤0.05) for con tain ers stocked at 50 g/L than in those stocked at 10 g/L. How ever, ni trite con cen tra tions in con tain ers stocked at 25 g/L were not sig nif i cantly dif fer ent (P> 0.05) from con tain ers stocked at other den si ties. Dis solved ox y gen was sig nifi cantly lower (P ≤0.05) in trans port con tain ers stocked at 50 g/L (1.3 mg/L) than those stocked at 25 g/L or 10 g/L (1.6 mg/L and 3.2 mg/L, respec tively), which were also sig nif i cantly dif fer ent (P≤0.05). Sur vival was sig nif i cantly lower (P ≤0.05) in trans port con tain ers stocked at 50 g/L (86.6%) than in con tain ers stocked at 25 g/L (93.0%) and 10 g/L (97.2%), which were also sig nif i cantly dif fer ent (P ≤0.05). These data in di cate that trans port den si ties greater than 10 g/L should be avoided for trans port ≥8 hours in sealed con tain ers.

Importance of the needle bevel during spinal and epidural anesthesia.

The needle bevel has an important effect on the path that the needle takes as it traverses tissue. Many anesthesiologists, especially trainees, are unaware of the magnitude of this effect. There is a need for a model, constructed from readily available materials, that can be used to demonstrate the bevel effect and to assess various strategies for accurately advancing the needle. Styrofoam blocks were prepared. The following needles were studied: 25-gauge Quincke, 22-gauge Quincke, 18-gauge Quincke, 24-gauge Sprotte, 25-gauge Whitacre, 22-gauge Tuohy, and 17-gauge Tuohy. The effect of bevel orientation on deflection from midline was measured. Representative results were photographed. The bevel has a significant effect on the path of Quincke and Tuohy needles. The deflection is more pronounced for thinner needles. Pencil-point needles show much less deflection than Quincke needles. Styrofoam blocks provide a model for teaching the basics of spinal and epidural anesthesia. By utilizing styrofoam the trainee can master needle control and gauge the effect of bevel orientation.

New design of the styrofoam scooping device to make a compensating filter

New design of the styrofoam scooping device to make a compensating filter