Ambient particulate matter in a central urban area of Seoul, Korea

Vellingiri, Kowsalya,Kim, Ki-Hyun,Ma, Chang-Jin,Kang, Chang-Hee,Lee, Jin-Hong,Kim, Ik-Soo,Brown, Richard J.C. Elsevier 2015 CHEMOSPHERE - Vol.119 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>The concentrations of PM<SUB>2.5</SUB> and PM<SUB>10</SUB> were monitored at a central urban area of Yongsan (YS), Seoul, Korea during 2013. The daily average concentrations of both PM<SUB>2.5</SUB> and PM<SUB>10</SUB> fractions, were 26.6±12.6 and 45.0±20.4μgm<SUP>−3</SUP>, respectively. The observed PM<SUB>2.5</SUB> concentration slightly exceeded the annual standard value (25μgm<SUP>−3</SUP>) set by the Korean Ministry of Environment (KMOE), while that of PM<SUB>10</SUB> was slightly lower than its guideline value (50μgm<SUP>−3</SUP>). Comparison of the monthly mean values (μgm<SUP>−3</SUP>) of both PM fractions showed maximum concentrations in January (PM<SUB>2.5</SUB>: 36.9 and PM<SUB>10</SUB>: 59.7) and minimum concentrations in September (PM<SUB>10</SUB>: 28.1) and October (PM<SUB>2.5</SUB>: 14.9). The existence of strong correlations between the concentrations of PM and some gaseous pollutants (e.g., CO, SO<SUB>2</SUB>, and NOx) indicated the commonality of contributing source processes, such as traffic and industrial emissions. The results of a back-trajectory (BT) analysis also suggests that the PM pollution in the study area is likely to have been affected by many sources such as Asian dust, volcanic emissions, and industrial activities in the surrounding countries (China, Russia, and Japan).</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Sources of ambient particulate matter are diverse enough to deteriorate air quality in urban areas. </LI> <LI> A study has been undertaken to account for the factors governing particle pollution in an urban area. </LI> <LI> Different transport routes of air masses into the area were assessed to differentiate the sources for PM. </LI> <LI> It suggests potent roles of many sources, e.g., Asian dust, volcanic emissions, and industrial activities. </LI> </UL> </P>

Cytogenetic endpoints and Xenobiotic gene polymorphism in lymphocytes of hospital workers chronically exposed to ionizing radiation in Cardiology, Radiology and Orthopedic Laboratories

Vellingiri, B.,Shanmugam, S.,Subramaniam, M.D.,Balasubramanian, B.,Meyyazhagan, A.,Alagamuthu, K.,Prakash, V.,Shafiahammedkhan, M.,Kathannan, S.,Pappuswamy, M.,Raviganesh, B.,Anand, S.,Shahnaz N, D.,C Academic Press 2014 Ecotoxicology and environmental safety Vol.100 No.-

Ionizing radiation (IR) is known as a classical mutagen capable of inducing various kinds of stable and unstable chromosomal aberrations (CA) including the possibility of increasing the incidence of DNA damage. This study aims to assess occupationally induced CA in workers chronically exposed to low doses of IR in Radiology (RL), Cardiology (CL) and Orthopedic (OL) Laboratories in hospitals of Tamil Nadu. We performed the analysis of CA by trypsin G-banding, micronucleus (MN) assay, Comet assay and Xenobiotic-metabolizing gene polymorphisms (GSTM1, GSTT1 and GSTP1) in 56 exposed and 56 control subjects who were matched for gender and age (+/-2 years). Higher degree of CA and MN frequencies were observed in exposed groups, especially in CL subjects compared to other exposed groups and controls (p<0.05). Higher frequency of DNA tail length and tail moment was observed in the CL exposed subjects compared to the RL and OL subjects. The frequencies of GSTM1 and GSTT1 null genotypes were 39.3 percent and 14.3 percent, respectively. No significant difference in allele frequencies between exposed subjects and controls were observed (p=0.0128). Using multiple linear regression analysis, statistical significance was determined for work duration and age for the CL, RL and OL workers and the examination of the possible impact by confounding factors showed few significant influences on the radiation exposure, as a specific biomarker. However, the findings from the present study suggest that, awareness should be created among the personnel exposed to radiations in hospital laboratories, highlighting the necessity of applying radiation protection principles against medical radiation exposure.

Towards high-efficiency sorptive capture of radionuclides in solution and gas

Vellingiri, Kowsalya,Kim, Ki-Hyun,Pournara, Anastasia,Deep, Akash Elsevier 2018 Progress in materials science Vol.94 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>As globalization and rapid population growth have raised global energy needs, the demand for nuclear energy has increased drastically. To make use of such energy more reliably, the efficient disposal of nuclear wastes has become a major challenge. With this in mind, numerous research efforts have been put to safely store, capture, and immobilize radioactive waste. As a result, a variety of sorbent materials with different physical, chemical, and structural properties have been invented or discovered. The maximum removal capacity of these sorbents were then assessed for a variety of radionuclides in soluble and/or gaseous forms. The pre-/post-synthetic modification of these sorbent materials has also been investigated intensively to help enhance their overall stability, tunability, and capacity without altering or damaging the main framework. In this review, we explored the performance of different materials for the sorption of most important radionuclide species including uranium, cobalt, europium, iodine, cesium, strontium, technetium, krypton, xenon, and argon. To begin with, we classified sorbent materials into three categories in light of their structural evolvement over time. We also described the critical factors to consider for the proper application of these categorized sorbents (e.g., sorption properties, structural characteristics, reversibility, and renewability). Finally, we discussed briefly the present limitations and future prospects of these technologies.</P>

Poster Session : PS 0465 ; Genetics ; A Study on XRCC1, P53 Gene Polymorphisms in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) in Southern India

( Vellingiri Balachandar ),( Subramaniam Mohana Devi ),( Meyyazhagan Arun ),( S Haripriya ),( Iyer Mahalakshmi ),( Sn Dharwadkar ),( Keshavarao Sasikala ) 대한내과학회 2014 대한내과학회 추계학술대회 Vol.2014 No.1

Background: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) ids one of the most common cancer worldwide. Polymorphism in p53 and XRCC1 genes were associated with increased risk of early-onset HCC. We thus hypothesized that, these polymorphism could be more likely in South Indian population. However the status of these mutations in South Indian HCC had not been studied. Methods: In the present study 130 HCC patients and 130 control subjects were analyzed for known polymorphisms in the p53 and XRCC1 genes. Results: In the Arg194Trp polymorphism of p53 gene, we found 19.05% with Arg- 399Trp (heterozygous variant) genotype and 1.6% with 399Trp (homozygous variant) in comparison to controls who exhibited 90.39% with wild type genotype. In Arg399Gln polymorphism of XRCC1 gene, 46.17% were found to have Arg399Gln (heterozygous variant) genotype and 10.11% were found to have 399Gln (homozygous variant) genotype in comparison to controls who exhibited 55% individuals with heterozygous variant genotype and 16.75% with homozygous variant genotype. This polymorphic incidence revealed signifi cant association with advanced stages of the HCC and also well differentiated tumor. Conclusions: Thus the results of our study provide the genetic variations of p53 and XRCC1 which may contribute to the susceptibility to HCC in South India. The results suggest that, these genes could play a signifi cant role in HCC and the combined effect of these variants may interact to increase the risk of HCC in Indian population.

Bioprospecting Endophytic Fungi and Their Metabolites from Medicinal Tree Aegle marmelos in Western Ghats, India

( Vellingiri Manon Mani ),( Arockiamjeyasundar Parimala Gnana Soundari ),( Damodharan Karthiyaini ),( Kathirvel Preethi ) 한국균학회 2015 Mycobiology Vol.43 No.3

The increasing emergence of lead drugs for the resistance produced by the pathogenic strains and arrival of new diseases have initiated the need for searching novel metabolites with best anticancer and antimicrobial properties than the existing one. With this view, the investigation was conducted for the isolation, identification, and biological evaluation of potential endophytic fungi of Aegle marmelos, a medicinal tree used for more than three decades, for curing various disorders. A total of 169 endophytic fungal strains obtained from sampling and among those 67 were pigmented strains. Upon antagonistic screening, five endophytic fungal strains exhibited antagonistic potentiality by inhibiting the pathogens. These five potent strains were characterized at molecular level by sequencing the amplified internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 1 and ITS 4 regions of rDNA and they were grouped under order Pleosporales, Eurotiales, and Capnodiales. The metabolites from the respective strains were produced in fungal culturing media and extracted using polar solvents. Further, the extracts of five endophytes manifested antimicrobial activity against tested clinical pathogens and Alternaria alternata (FC39BY), Al. citrimacularis (FC8ABr), and Curvularia australiensis (FC2AP) exhibited significant antimicrobial profile against 9 of 12 tested pathogens, showing broad spectrum activity. The antioxidant levels of all the five endophytes revealed the highest activity at least concentrations, and major activity was unveiled by the members of order Pleosporales FC2AP and FC8ABr. This research explains the value of endophytic fungal extracts and its significance of antimicrobial and antioxidant properties.

The utilization of zinc recovered from alkaline battery waste as metal precursor in the synthesis of metal-organic framework

Vellingiri, Kowsalya,Tsang, Daniel C.W.,Kim, Ki-Hyun,Deep, Akash,Dutta, Tanushree,Boukhvalov, Danil W. Elsevier 2018 Journal of Cleaner Production Vol.199 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>In the treatment of spent wastes, seeking extra economic incentives (e.g., through their regeneration into value-added end products) along with environmental protection is a highly ideal option to consider. In this context, a process was developed to utilize spent alkaline battery waste as a source medium of zinc (Zn<SUP>2+</SUP>) ions for the synthesis of a high-value material, metal organic frameworks (MOFs). For this purpose, multiple options including acid leaching and base precipitation were first compared for separation of Zn<SUP>2+</SUP> ions from battery waste. Secondly, MOF-5 synthesis was carried out through two different routes: one using the Zn<SUP>2+</SUP> ions separated from waste batteries (W-MOF-5) and the other using pure chemicals (P-MOF-5). Finally, differences in the structural properties (e.g., crystallinity and morphology) between the two MOF-5 types were assessed through characterization experiments (e.g., FTIR, PXRD, and SEM analyses) and modeling (DFT) studies. W-MOF-5 was found to possess tetragonal lattice parameters which indicated decrease in the Zn<SUP>2+</SUP> ions in the framework. This deficiency increased the interplanar Bragg angles which led to the different size and shape of W-MOF-5. Also, the PXRD spectrum indicated the presence of all peaks at similar position with that of P-MOF-5. Additionally, the preparation of 1 kg of W-MOF-5 requires a low cost (42 USD) when one considers >90% of solvent recovery. Also in terms of materials cost, the synthesis of W-MOF-5 was highly cost-effective than that of ZnO nanoparticles. In light of many compatibilities between MOFs synthesized through the two different routes, the method proposed in this work can be further developed toward a simple, fast, and reliable route for MOF-5 production from battery waste.</P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Total Phenolic Content, Antioxidant Activity, and Type II Diabetes Related Functionality of Traditionally Processed Ox-eye Bean [Mucuna gigantea (Willd) DC.] Seeds: An Indian Underutilized Food Legume

Vellingiri Vadivel,Hans Konrad Biesalski 한국식품과학회 2011 Food Science and Biotechnology Vol.20 No.3

The methanolic extract of ox-eye bean [Mucuna gigantea (Willd) DC.] contained total free phenolic content of 14.80±1.28 g catechin equivalent/100 g extract dry matter. Encouraging levels of ferric reducing/antioxidant power (FRAP, 1,023 mmol Fe[II]/mg extract), inhibition of β-carotene degradation (59.35%) and radical scavenging activity against DPPH (72.12%) and superoxide (43.11%)were exhibited by the raw samples. Further, it also recorded 82.17% of α-amylase and 91.26% of α-glucosidase enzyme inhibition characteristics. Sprouting+oil-frying caused a apparent increase on the total free phenolic content and also significant improvement on the antioxidant and free radical scavenging capacity of methanolic extract, while soaking+cooking as well as open-pan roasting treatments showed diminishing effects. Moreover, inhibition of α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzyme activities was declined to 22.82 and 45.47%, respectively during sprouting+oilfrying treatment, which are more desirable for the dietary management of type II diabetic patients.

Insights into the adsorption capacity and breakthrough properties of a synthetic zeolite against a mixture of various sulfur species at low ppb levels

Vellingiri, K.,Kim, K.H.,Kwon, E.E.,Deep, A.,Jo, S.H.,Szulejko, J.E. Academic Press 2016 Journal of environmental management Vol.166 No.-

<P>The sorptive removal properties of a synthetic A4 zeolite were evaluated against sulfur dioxide (SO2) and four reference reduced sulfur compounds (RSC: hydrogen sulfide (H2S), methanethiol (CH3SH), dimethyl sulfide (DMS, (CH3)(2)S), and dimethyl disulfide (DMDS, CH3SSCH3). To this end, a sorbent bed of untreated (as-received) A4 zeolite was loaded with gaseous standards at four concentration levels (10-100 partper-billion (ppb (v/v)) at four different volumes (0.1, 0.2, 0.5, and 1 L increments) in both increasing (IO: 0.1-1.0 L) and decreasing volume order (DO: 1.0 to 0.1 L). Morphological properties were characterized by PXRD, FTIR, and BET analysis. The removal efficiency of SO2 decreased from 100% for all concentrations at 0.1 L (initial sample volume) to similar to 82% (100 ppb) or similar to 96% (10 ppb) at 3.6 L In contrast, removal efficiency of RSC was near 100% at small loading volumes but then fell sharply, irrespective of concentration (10-100 ppb) (e.g., 32% (DMS) to 52% (H2S) at 100 ppb). The adsorption capacity of zeolite, if expressed in terms of solid-gas partition coefficient (e.g., similar to the Henry's law constant (mmol kg(-1) Pa-1)), showed moderate variabilities with the standard concentration levels and S compound types such as the minimum of 2.03 for CH3SH (at 20 ppb) to the maximum of 13.9 for SO2 (at 10 ppb). It clearly demonstrated a notable distinction in the removal efficiency of A4 zeolite among the different S species in a mixture with enhanced removal efficiency of SO2 compared to the RSCs. (c) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.</P>

Metal–organic frameworks as media for the catalytic degradation of chemical warfare agents

Vellingiri, Kowsalya,Philip, Ligy,Kim, Ki-Hyun Elsevier Publishing Company 2017 Coordination chemistry reviews Vol.353 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Because of the highly toxic properties of chemical warfare agents (CWA), an effective technology for the deactivation/detoxification of CWAs is desperately needed. Due to the safety issues involved in treating CWAs, catalytic conversion into (an)other non-toxic or less toxic material is suggested as one of the most favorable routes for their treatment. In this respect, many materials including zeolites, activated carbon, and metal oxides have been used as catalysts for the hydrolysis/methanolysis of the highly toxic organophosphate bonds of CWAs. However, the limited structural flexibility of these catalytic materials has been a hurdle to expanding detoxification on a large scale. A new option of using various porous materials for this application, including metal–organic frameworks (MOFs), has provided the potential for structural tailoring of the deactivation of CWAs. To discuss the potential of MOFs as deactivation/detoxification platforms for CWAs, we have initially described the structural pre-requisites for improving the catalytic activity of the MOF catalysts. A detailed explanation of the MOF catalysis and suitable examples are provided along with future perspectives and recommendations for such applications. We hope that this review will help provide a new roadmap for the scientists who are working in the area of heterogeneous catalytic approaches for the efficient degradation of CWAs.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Degradation of chemical warfare agents (CWA) is an important socioenvironmental concern. </LI> <LI> MOFs have been studied for the degradation of various CWAs due to their functional moieties. </LI> <LI> Such capacity was expanded further through functionalization viz coordinating/conjugating agents. </LI> <LI> Here the potential use of MOFs as the key media for the CWA degradation is described. </LI> </UL> </P>

Metal-organic frameworks for the adsorption of gaseous toluene under ambient temperature and pressure

Vellingiri, K.,Kumar, P.,Deep, A.,Kim, K.H. Elsevier 2017 CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL -LAUSANNE- Vol.307 No.-

Enormous efforts have been put to effectively treat or eliminate toluene, one of the most well-known volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Herein, we report its sorptive removal mechanism against metal-organic frameworks (MOFs: UiO-66, UiO-66(NH<SUB>2</SUB>), ZIF-67, MOF-199, MOF-5, and MIL-101(Fe)) under ambient conditions. Their interactions were assessed by the Henry's law constant (K<SUB>H</SUB>) and the heat of adsorption (ΔH<SUB>ads</SUB>). Although the equilibrated adsorption capacities of all MOFs were measured from 159 (MOF-199) to 252mgg<SUP>-1</SUP> (UiO-66(NH<SUB>2</SUB>)), those values were reduced considerably with increases in humidity and temperature. Among them, the sorption pattern of UiO-66(NH<SUB>2</SUB>) was the most reproducible when tested over a three cycle (147 (1st) and 133mgg<SUP>-1</SUP> (3rd cycle)). The behavior of ?NH terminated MOFs (UiO-66(NH<SUB>2</SUB>) and ZIF-67) was distinguished with those of ?COOH as explained by a scheme of hypothetical potential energy profiles using mass transfer resistance and surface barrier phenomena.