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Maftei C, Vaseashta A, Poinareanu I. Toxicity Risk Assessment Due to Particulate Matter Pollution from Regional Health Data: Case Study from Central Romania. Toxics 2024; 12:137. [PMID: 38393232 PMCID: PMC10891726 DOI: 10.3390/toxics12020137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/05/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Air pollution poses one of the greatest dangers to public well-being. This article outlines a study conducted in the Central Romania Region regarding the health risks associated with particulate matter (PM) of two sizes, viz., PM10 and PM2.5. The methodology used consists of the following: (i) an analysis of the effects of PM pollutants, (ii) an analysis of total mortality and cardiovascular-related mortality, and (iii) a general health risk assessment. The Central Region of Romania is situated in the Carpathian Mountains' inner arch (consisting of six counties). The total population of the region under investigation is about 2.6 million inhabitants. Health risk assessment is calculated based on the relative risk (RR) formula. During the study period, our simulations show that reducing these pollutants' concentrations below the new WHO guidelines (2021) will prevent over 172 total fatalities in Brasov alone, as an example. Furthermore, the potential benefit of reducing annual PM2.5 levels on total cardiovascular mortality is around 188 persons in Brasov. Although health benefits may also depend upon other physiological parameters, all general health indicators point towards a significant improvement in overall health by a general reduction in particulate matter, as is shown by the toxicity assessment of the particulate matter in the region of interest. The modality can be applied to other locations for similar studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carmen Maftei
- Faculty of Civil Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, 900152 Brasov, Romania
| | - Ashok Vaseashta
- Office of Research, International Clean Water Institute, Manassas, VA 20108, USA
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Nanotechnologies, Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, Transport and Aeronautics, Ķīpsalas, LV1048 Rīga, Latvia
| | - Ionut Poinareanu
- Faculty of Medicine, "Ovidius" University of Constanta, 900470 Constanta, Romania
- Clinical Service of Pathology, "St. Apostol Andrei" Emergency County Hospital, 145 Tomis Blvd., 900591 Constanta, Romania
- Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Transilvania University of Brasov, 500036 Brasov, Romania
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Demir D, Bolgen N, Vaseashta A. Electrospun Nanofibers for Biomedical, Sensing, and Energy Harvesting Functions. Polymers (Basel) 2023; 15:4253. [PMID: 37959933 PMCID: PMC10648854 DOI: 10.3390/polym15214253] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
The process of electrospinning is over a century old, yet novel material and method achievements, and later the addition of nanomaterials in polymeric solutions, have spurred a significant increase in research innovations with several unique applications. Significant improvements have been achieved in the development of electrospun nanofibrous matrices, which include tailoring compositions of polymers with active agents, surface functionalization with nanoparticles, and encapsulation of functional materials within the nanofibers. Recently, sequentially combining fabrication of nanofibers with 3D printing was reported by our group and the synergistic process offers fiber membrane functionalities having the mechanical strength offered by 3D printed scaffolds. Recent developments in electrospun nanofibers are enumerated here with special emphasis on biomedical technologies, chemical and biological sensing, and energy harvesting aspects in the context of e-textile and tactile sensing. Energy harvesting offers significant advantages in many applications, such as biomedical technologies and critical infrastructure protection by using the concept of finite state machines and edge computing. Many other uses of devices using electrospun nanofibers, either as standalone or conjoined with 3D printed materials, are envisaged. The focus of this review is to highlight selected novel applications in biomedical technologies, chem.-bio sensing, and broadly in energy harvesting for use in internet of things (IoT) devices. The article concludes with a brief projection of the future direction of electrospun nanofibers, limitations, and how synergetic combination of the two processes will open pathways for future discoveries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Didem Demir
- Chemistry and Chemical Process Technologies Department, Mersin Tarsus Organized Industrial Zone Technical Sciences Vocational School, Tarsus University, Mersin 33100, Türkiye;
| | - Nimet Bolgen
- Chemical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering, Mersin University, Mersin 33110, Türkiye;
| | - Ashok Vaseashta
- Applied Research, International Clean Water Institute, Manassas, VA 20110, USA
- Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Nanotechnologies, Riga Technical University, LV 1048 Riga, Latvia
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Kian LK, Jawaid M, Mahmoud MH, Saba N, Fouad H, Alothman OY, Vaseashta A. Characterization and fabrication of poly(butylene adipate‐co‐terephthalate)/nanocrystalline cellulose composite membranes for heavy metal ion separation. J Appl Polym Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/app.53136] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lau Kia Kian
- Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forestry Products (INTROP) Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Mohammad Jawaid
- Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forestry Products (INTROP) Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Mohamed H. Mahmoud
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science King Saud University Riyadh Saudi Arabia
| | - Naheed Saba
- Laboratory of Biocomposite Technology Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forestry Products (INTROP) Universiti Putra Malaysia 43400 UPM Serdang, Selangor Malaysia
| | - Hassan Fouad
- Biomedical Engineering Department, Faculty of Engineering Helwan University Helwan Egypt
| | - Othman Y. Alothman
- Chemical Engineering Department, College of Engineering King Saud University Riyadh Saudi Arabia
| | - Ashok Vaseashta
- Office of Applied Research International Clean Water Institute Manassas Virginia USA
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Sharvare Palwai, Batra A, Kotru S, Vaseashta A. Electrospun Polyvinylidene Fluoride Nanofiber Membrane-Based Flexible Capacitive Tactile Sensors for Biomedical Applications. Surf Engin Appl Electrochem 2022. [DOI: 10.3103/s1068375522020089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Kian LK, Jawaid M, Alamery S, Vaseashta A. Fabrication and Characterization of Novel Poly(D-lactic acid) Nanocomposite Membrane for Water Filtration Purpose. Nanomaterials (Basel) 2021; 11:nano11020255. [PMID: 33498162 PMCID: PMC7908979 DOI: 10.3390/nano11020255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 01/13/2021] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The development of membrane technology from biopolymer for water filtration has received a great deal of attention from researchers and scientists, owing to the growing awareness of environmental protection. The present investigation is aimed at producing poly(D-lactic acid) (PDLA) membranes, incorporated with nanocrystalline cellulose (NCC) and cellulose nanowhisker (CNW) at different loadings of 1 wt.% (PDNC-I, PDNW-I) and 2 wt.% (PDNC-II PDNW-II). From morphological characterization, it was evident that the nanocellulose particles induced pore formation within structure of the membrane. Furthermore, the greater surface reactivity of CNW particles facilitates in enhancing the surface wettability of membranes due to increased hydrophilicity. In addition, both thermal and mechanical properties for all nanocellulose filled membranes under investigation demonstrated significant improvement, particularly for PDNW-I-based membranes, which showed improvement in both aspects. The membrane of PDNW-I presented water permeability of 41.92 L/m2h, when applied under a pressure range of 0.1-0.5 MPa. The investigation clearly demonstrates that CNWs-filled PDLA membranes fabricated for this investigation have a very high potential to be utilized for water filtration purpose in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lau Kia Kian
- Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia;
| | - Mohammad Jawaid
- Institute of Tropical Forestry and Forest Products (INTROP), Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang 43400, Selangor, Malaysia;
- Correspondence:
| | - Salman Alamery
- Department of Biochemistry, College of Science, King Saud University, PO Box 22452, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Ashok Vaseashta
- Office of Applied Research, International Clean Water Institute, Manassas, VA 20112, USA;
- Biomedical Engineering and Nanotechnologies Institute, Riga Technical University, 1 Kalku Street, 1658 Riga, Latvia
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Spiridon SI, Ionete EI, Monea BF, Sofilca N, Ebrasu-Ion D, Enache S, Vaseashta A. Synthesis, Characterization and Applications of Single Walled Carbon Nanotube–Pt–P2O5 Sensors for Absolute Humidity Measurements. Surf Engin Appl Electrochem 2019. [DOI: 10.3103/s1068375518060121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Monea BF, Ionete EI, Spiridon SI, Leca A, Stanciu A, Petre E, Vaseashta A. Single Wall Carbon Nanotubes Based Cryogenic Temperature Sensor Platforms. Sensors (Basel) 2017; 17:E2071. [PMID: 28891955 PMCID: PMC5621383 DOI: 10.3390/s17092071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2017] [Revised: 09/05/2017] [Accepted: 09/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
We present an investigation consisting of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) based cryogenic temperature sensors, capable of measuring temperatures in the range of 2-77 K. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) due to their extremely small size, superior thermal and electrical properties have suggested that it is possible to create devices that will meet necessary requirements for miniaturization and better performance, by comparison to temperature sensors currently available on the market. Starting from SWCNTs, as starting material, a resistive structure was designed. Employing dropcast method, the carbon nanotubes were deposited over pairs of gold electrodes and in between the structure electrodes from a solution. The procedure was followed by an alignment process between the electrodes using a dielectrophoretic method. Two sensor structures were tested in cryogenic field down to 2 K, and the resistance was measured using a standard four-point method. The measurement results suggest that, at temperatures below 20 K, the temperature coefficient of resistance average for sensor 1 is 1.473%/K and for sensor 2 is 0.365%/K. From the experimental data, it can be concluded that the dependence of electrical resistance versus temperature can be approximated by an exponential equation and, correspondingly, a set of coefficients are calculated. It is further concluded that the proposed approach described here offers several advantages, which can be employed in the fabrication of a microsensors for cryogenic applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bogdan Florian Monea
- Cryogenic pilot plant, National R&D Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Rm. Valcea, Uzinei Street, No. 4, 250050 Rm. Valcea, Romania.
- Faculty of Automation, Computers and Electronics, University of Craiova, 107 Decebal Blvd., 200440 Craiova, Romania.
| | - Eusebiu Ilarian Ionete
- Cryogenic pilot plant, National R&D Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Rm. Valcea, Uzinei Street, No. 4, 250050 Rm. Valcea, Romania.
| | - Stefan Ionut Spiridon
- Cryogenic pilot plant, National R&D Institute for Cryogenics and Isotopic Technologies-ICSI Rm. Valcea, Uzinei Street, No. 4, 250050 Rm. Valcea, Romania.
| | - Aurel Leca
- Laboratory of Magnetism and Superconductivity, National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 405A, 077125 Magurele, Romania.
| | - Anda Stanciu
- Laboratory of Magnetism and Superconductivity, National Institute of Materials Physics, Atomistilor Str., No. 405A, 077125 Magurele, Romania.
| | - Emil Petre
- Faculty of Automation, Computers and Electronics, University of Craiova, 107 Decebal Blvd., 200440 Craiova, Romania.
| | - Ashok Vaseashta
- International Clean Water Institute, VA and NJCU-A State University of New Jersey, Jersey City, NJ 07305, USA.
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Kavaz D, Kirac F, Kirac M, Vaseashta A. Low Releasing Mitomycin C Molecule Encapsulated with Chitosan Nanoparticles for Intravesical Installation. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2017. [DOI: 10.4236/jbnb.2017.84014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Batra AK, Vaseashta A. Sensing environmental contaminants using carbon nanofibers doped tin-oxide composites. Surf Engin Appl Electrochem 2016. [DOI: 10.3103/s1068375516010026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Abstract
AbstractA number of natural and synthetic, and biodegradable polymers were investigated and remain to be elucidated for both soft and hard tissue repair, and for possible construction of excipient therapeutic templates. Nonwoven matrices from poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) homopolymers and poly (L-lactide/ε-caprolactone) (PLLA/CL) copolymers by electrospinning process were investigated for possible applications in burn/wound dressings. Efforts are currently underway to control the release characteristics of these biodegradable fibers by varying aliphatic polyesters. This perspective will have a profound effect on the time-controlled transport of vaccine to a targeted site. These materials will play a key role in developing novel chemotherapeutic agents that could be important in targeting specific genes and may provide selective control of gene expression. Furthermore, these fibers-by-design address many issues relating to the fundamental challenges in the synthesis of novel, biocompatible and safe delivery of vaccine and nanofiber materials to foster antibacterial and/or hygienic functionality, System-on-Fibers (SoF), and will have tremendous application in global security and defense.
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Abstract
AbstractA perpetual increase in population and thus consumption of fossil fuels has led to increased pollution worldwide. Pollution in large metropolitan cities has reached an alarming level and is widely believed to be the leading contributor to chronic and deadly health disorders and diseases affecting millions of people each year. Although correlation between environmental pollution and global warming is debatable, the effects of pollution and its impact on human health are irrefutable and highly observable. Use of nanomaterials to generate energy, in an attempt to reduce environmental pollution, is in its preliminary stages and requires urgent and detailed investigation. This investigation focuses on three aspects of sustainability, (a): use of nanomaterials to monitor, detect, and remediate the environmental pollution, (b): responsible manufacturing of nanomaterials by employing principles of “green chemistry”, and (c): to drastically reduce waste and emission by-products employing use of nanomaterials as catalysts for enhanced efficiency. The synthesis of nanomaterials is accomplished by processes employing processes such as electrospinning, sol-gel, and MAPLE to drastically reduce and isolate emission and waste by-products. An exhaustive overview of the scope of our investigation and some specific applications relating to the use of nanomaterials in environmental friendly investigations, viz.; applications of nanomaterials as catalysts for enhanced efficiency, materials in CO2 sequestration, remediation of toxic metals in water streams, efficient thin film photovoltaic devices, fuel cells, and biodegradable consumable products is described. Fate and transport of nanomaterials in air, water, and soil; life-cycle analysis, and methodologies to conduct risk-assessment in the context of source reduction and conservation is discussed as a step towards sustainability.
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Nastase C, Nastase F, Vaseashta A, Stamatin I. Nanocomposites based on functionalized nanotubes in polyaniline matrix by plasma polymerization. PROG SOLID STATE CH 2006. [DOI: 10.1016/j.progsolidstchem.2005.11.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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