Eruption dynamics of CO₂-driven cold-water geysers: Crystal, Tenmile geysers in Utah and Chimayo geyser in New Mexico

Watson, Z.T.,Han, W.S.,Keating, E.H.,Jung, N.H.,Lu, M. North-Holland Pub. Co ; Elsevier Science Ltd 2014 Earth and planetary science letters Vol.408 No.-

The CO<SUB>2</SUB> bubble volume fraction, eruption velocity, flash depth and mass emission of CO<SUB>2</SUB> were determined from multiple wellbore CO<SUB>2</SUB>-driven cold-water geysers (Crystal and Tenmile geysers, in Utah and Chimayo geyser in New Mexico). At shallow depths the bubble volume fraction ranges from 0 to 0.8, eruption velocities range from 2 to 20 m/s and flash depths are predominately shallow ranging from 5 to 40 m below the surface. Annual emission of CO<SUB>2</SUB> is estimated to be (4.77+/-1.92)x10<SUP>3</SUP>, (6.17+/-1.73)x10<SUP>1</SUP>, (6.54+/-0.57)x10<SUP>1</SUP>t/yr for Crystal, Tenmile and Chimayo geysers, respectively. These estimates are coherent with Burnside et al. (2013) showing that the rate of CO<SUB>2</SUB> leakage from wellbores is greater than fault-parallel or diffuse CO<SUB>2</SUB> leakage. The geyser plumbing geometry consists of a vertical wellbore which allows for the upward migration of CO<SUB>2</SUB>-rich fluids due to artesian conditions. The positive feedback system of a CO<SUB>2</SUB>-driven eruption occurs within the well. Active inflow of CO<SUB>2</SUB> into the regional aquifers through faulted bedrock allows geysering to persist for decades. Crystal geyser erupts for over 24 h at a time, highlighting the potential for a wellbore in a natural environment to reach relatively steady-state high velocity discharge. Mitigating high velocity CO<SUB>2</SUB>-driven discharge from wellbores will, however, be easier than mitigating diffuse leakage from faults or into groundwater systems.

Are the ratios of the two concentrations at steady state in the medium pairs of air-water, air-soil, water-soil, water-sediment, and soil-sediment?

Kim, H.S.,Kim, S.K.,Kim, J.G.,Lee, D.S. Elsevier Pub.Co 2016 Science of the Total Environment Vol.553 No.-

For optimization and evaluation of a steady state multimedia model, concurrent multimedia monitoring data of steady state are necessary. In the lack of emission rate information, the primary aim of the present work was to assess if five concentration ratios (CRs) (C<SUB>water</SUB>/C<SUB>air</SUB>, C<SUB>soil</SUB>/C<SUB>air</SUB>, C<SUB>sediment</SUB>/C<SUB>soil</SUB>, C<SUB>water</SUB>/C<SUB>soil</SUB>, and C<SUB>sediment</SUB>/C<SUB>water</SUB>) of chemical compounds are at steady state in South Korea. A total of 16,676 CRs values were calculated using 74,641 concurrent multimedia (air, water, soil and sediment) monitoring data from 96 areas for 45 semi-volatile organic compounds (polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, phthalates, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons). Test of steady state indicated that CR is statistically at steady state with an overall occurrence rate of 70% of the 223 tested cases while the rates of individual chemical groups were 94.5%, 88%, 82.5%, and 37.6% for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, phthalates, polybrominated diphenyl ethers, and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins/furans, respectively. About 83% of the steady state CRs resulted from scattering of two concentrations in each of the medium pairs without a certain temporal trend while the rest due to closely co-varying two concentrations. Analysis of the 95% confidence interval of the fugacity ratio indicated that CRs at steady state may occur in equilibrium state with higher chances than CRs at unsteady state. A total of 156 point values representing the CRs at steady state were determined that can be used for optimization and evaluation of steady state one-box multimedia models. However, potential influences of the uncertainties of the values arisen from the scattering of the concentration data should quantitatively be assessed in the model optimization and evaluation.

Electronically tuned sulfonamide-based probes with ultra-sensitivity for Ga³⁺ or Al³⁺ detection in aqueous solution

Kumar, A.,Chae, P.S. Elsevier Pub. Co 2017 Analytica chimica acta Vol.958 No.-

<P>Three electronically tuned fluorescent probes (1-3) were synthesized by conjugating a fluorescent unit to N,N-bis-(hydroxyethyl)ethylenediamine. Probe 1 bearing an electron-deficient naphthalenedimide unit did not give a fluorescence response to the presence of various metal ions including monovalent metal ions (Na+, K+, and Ag+), divalent metal ions (Ca2+, Cd2+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+, Hg2+, Pb2+, and Zn2+) and trivalent metal ions (Al3+, Ga3+, Fe3+, and Cr3+) in an aqueous solution. By contrast, probes 2 and 3 possessing 1,8-naphthalimide and pyrene fluorophores, respectively, exhibited selective fluorescent 'OFF-ON' behaviors as a result of Ga3+/Al3+ binding among the diverse metal ions, suggesting the importance of fluorophore electronic character with regard to metal ion sensing. The ethylenediamine analog of probe 3, corresponding to probe 4, was unable to yield a significant change in fluorescence intensity in the presence of any metal ions tested here, revealing the essential role of two hydroxyl groups for metal ion binding. A high association constant of Ka = 2.99 x 10(5) M-1 was obtained for probe 3 with Ga3+, with a limit of detection (LOD) of 10 nM. This LOD is the lowest value known for Ga3+ detection using chemical sensors. Along with an increase in aggregate sizes, PET suppression of probes upon metal ion binding was the primary contributor to the enhancement in fluorescence emission necessary for the sensitive detection of the target ions. The probe-metal ion complexes were fully characterized via TEM, FE-SEM, H-1 NMR, fluorescence spectroscopy techniques and DFT calculations. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.</P>

Kaempferol impedes IL-32-induced monocyte-macrophage differentiation

Nam, S.Y.,Jeong, H.J.,Kim, H.M. Elsevier Pub. Co 2017 Chemico-biological interactions Vol.274 No.-

Kaempferol possesses a wide range of therapeutic properties, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties. The present study sought to evaluate the effects and possible pharmacological mechanisms of kaempferol on interleukin (IL)-32-induced monocyte-macrophage differentiation. In this study, we performed flow cytometry assay, immunocytochemical staining, quantitative real-time PCR, enzyme-linked immuno sorbent assay, caspase-1 assay, and Western blotting to observe the effects and underlying mechanisms of kaempferol using the human monocyte cell line THP-1. The flow cytometry, immunocytochemical staining, and real-time PCR results show that kaempferol attenuated IL-32-induced monocyte differentiation to product macrophage-like cells. Kaempferol decreased the production and mRNA expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, in this case thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP), IL-1β, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and IL-8. Furthermore, kaempferol inhibited the IL-32-induced activation of p38 and nuclear factor-κB in a dose-dependent manner in THP-1 cells. Kaempferol also ameliorated the lipopolysaccharide-induced production of the inflammatory mediators TSLP, IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-8, and nitric oxide of macrophage-like cells differentiated by IL-32. In brief, our findings may provide new mechanistic insights into the anti-inflammatory effects of kaempferol.

Magnolol protects pancreatic β-cells against methylglyoxal-induced cellular dysfunction

Suh, Kwang Sik,Chon, Suk,Jung, Woon-Won,Choi, Eun Mi Elsevier Pub. Co 2017 Chemico-biological interactions Vol.277 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Chronic hyperglycemia aggravates insulin resistance, in part due to increased formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs). Methylglyoxal (MG), a major precursor of AGEs, accumulates abnormally in various tissues and organs and participates in oxidative damage. We investigated the insulinotropic benefits of magnolol, a hydroxylated biphenyl compound isolated from <I>Magnolia officinalis</I>, in pancreatic β-cells exposed to MG <I>in vitro</I>. When exposed to cytotoxic levels of MG for 48 h, RIN-m5F β-cells exhibited a significant loss of viability and impaired insulin secretion, whereas pretreatment with magnolol protected against MG-induced cell death and decreased insulin secretion. Moreover, magnolol increased the expression of genes involved in β-cell survival and function, including Ins2 and PDX1. Furthermore, magnolol increased the levels of AMPK phosphorylation, SIRT1, and PGC1α in RIN-5F β-cells. In addition, magnolol increased the activity of glyoxalase I and decreased the levels of MG-modified protein adducts, which suggests that magnolol protects against MG-induced protein glycation. Taken together, the results indicate the potential application of magnolol as an intervention against MG-induced hyperglycemia.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Magnolol protected against MG-induced cell death and decreased insulin secretion in RIN-5F β-cells. </LI> <LI> Magnolol increased the expression of Ins2 and PDX1 genes. </LI> <LI> Magnolol increased the levels of AMPK phosphorylation, SIRT1, and PGC1α. </LI> <LI> Magnolol increased glyoxalase 1 activity and decreased MG-modified protein adducts levels. </LI> </UL> </P>

CBMG, a novel derivative of mansonone G suppresses adipocyte differentiation via suppression of PPARγ activity

Kim, H.K.,Hairani, R.,Jeong, H.,Jeong, M.G.,Chavasiri, W.,Hwang, E.S. Elsevier Pub. Co 2017 Chemico-biological interactions Vol.273 No.-

Mansorins and mansonones have been isolated from Mansonia gagei heartwoods, a traditional herbal medicine used to treat heart failure, and characterized to have anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor, and anti-estrogenic activities. However, there is as yet no information on their effects on adipogenesis and lipid storage associated with heart disease. In this study, we investigated the effects of naturally occurring compounds on adipogenic differentiation and sought to develop more potent anti-adipogenic compound. We found that mansonone G (MG) suppressed adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells, with a 40% decrease in lipid accumulation at 10 μM. MG derivatives including ether and ester analogues were then synthesized and assayed for their ability to suppress adipogenesis. A novel MG derivative, chlorobenzoyl MG (CBMG) most potently suppressed adipocyte differentiation with the decreased level of aP2 and adiponectin. Interestingly, CBMG treatment decreased the expression of CCAAT enhancer binding protein-α (C/EBPα) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ). Further analysis confirmed that CBMG suppressed both the expression and activity of PPARγ, a master regulator of adipogenesis, and subsequently led to decreases in transcription of C/EBPα, aP2, and adiponectin in adipogenesis, thereby attenuating adipocyte differentiation. Our results suggest that a novel MG derivative, CBMG may have beneficial applications in the control of obesity through the suppression of PPARγ-induced adipocyte differentiation and lipid accumulation.

A new approach to temporal modelling for landslide hazard assessment using an extreme rainfall induced-landslide index

Nedumpallile Vasu, N.,Lee, S.R.,Pradhan, A.M.S.,Kim, Y.T.,Kang, S.H.,Lee, D.H. Elsevier Pub. Co 2016 Engineering geology Vol.215 No.-

An ever-increasing trend of extreme rainfall events in South Korea due to climate change is causing shallow landslides and shallow landslide induced debris flows in the mountains that cover 70% of the total land area of the nation. These catastrophic, gravity-driven processes cost the government several billion won in losses, and attendant fatalities, every year. The most common type of landslide observed is the shallow landslide occurring at 1-3m depth, which may mobilize into a catastrophic debris flow. A landslide early warning system encompassing different scale-based stages is used to predict potential areas for both the landslide types. Current study focusing on the first stage landslide hazard assessment at regional or medium scale requires the development of spatially evolving landslide hazard maps for both types of landslides based on the real-time rainfall. However, lack of complete landslide inventory data motivates the development of temporal and spatial models as independent components of the landslide hazard. Most of the existing temporal assessment schemes traditionally rooted in recurrence-based concepts does not consider soil factors and are not suitable to be incorporated in to the landslide early warning system since real-time rainfall cannot be considered. This motivated the development of a new probabilistic temporal model termed the extreme rainfall-induced landslide index. The probabilistic index was developed in Gangwon Province through a logistic regression using four factors; namely, continuous rainfall, 20-days antecedent rainfall, saturated hydraulic conductivity, and storage capacity. The developed model exhibited high area under the curve (AUC) values of 82% and 91% obtained for the training and validation curves, exhibiting good performance of the statistical index. Also, a high performance susceptibility model (training and validation AUC values of 96% and 94%, respectively) was developed using a logistic regression analysis, for Deokjeok-ri Creek, located in Gangwon province. Assuming the independence of the hazard components, a dynamic hazard index (DHI) was established through a joint probability of both the well validated models. The DHI was used to study the evolution of landslide hazard for the July 2006 extreme rainfall-induced landslide events in Deokjeok-ri Creek.

LL-37-derived membrane-active FK-13 analogs possessing cell selectivity, anti-biofilm activity and synergy with chloramphenicol and anti-inflammatory activity

Rajasekaran, G.,Kim, E.Y.,Shin, S.Y. Elsevier Pub. Co 2017 Biochimica et biophysica acta, Biomembranes Vol.1859 No.5

Although the human-derived antimicrobial peptide (AMP) LL-37 has potent antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory activities, its therapeutic application is limited by its low cell selectivity and high production cost due to its large size. To overcome these problems, we tried to develop novel LL-37-derived short α-helical AMPs with improved cell selectivity and without a significant loss of anti-inflammatory activity relative to that of parental LL-37. Using amino acid substitution, we designed and synthesized a series of FK13 analogs based on the sequence of the 13-meric short FK13 peptide (residues 17-29 of LL-37) that has been identified as the region responsible for the antimicrobial activity of LL-37. Among the designed FK13 analogs, FK-13-a1 and FK-13-a7 showed high cell selectivity and retained the anti-inflammatory activity. The therapeutic index (a measure of cell selectivity) of FK-13-a1 and FK-13-a7 was 6.3- and 2.3-fold that of parental LL-37, respectively. Furthermore, FK-13-a1 and FK-13-a7 displayed more potent antimicrobial activity against antibiotic-resistant bacteria including MRSA, MDRPA, and VREF, than did LL-37. In addition, FK-13-a1 and FK-13-a7 exhibited greater synergistic effects with chloramphenicol against MRSA and MDRPA and were more effective anti-biofilm agents against MDRPA than LL-37 was. Moreover, FK-13-a1 and FK-13-a7 maintained their activities in the presence of physiological salts and human serum. SYTOX green uptake, membrane depolarization and killing kinetics revealed that FK13-a1 and FK13-a7 kills microbial cells by permeabilizing the cell membrane and damaging membrane integrity. Taken together, our results suggest that FK13-a1 and FK13-a7 can be developed as novel antimicrobial/anti-inflammatory agents.

Antiseptic effects of dabrafenib on TGFBIp-induced septic responses

Lee, In-Chul,Bae, Jong-Sup Elsevier Pub. Co 2017 Chemico-biological interactions Vol.278 No.-

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>Transforming growth factor-β-induced protein (TGFBIp), an extracellular protein, is expressed on several cell types in response to TGF-β stimulation. Human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC)-derived TGFBIp functions as a mediator of sepsis. Screening of bioactive compound libraries is an effective approach for repositioning FDA-approved drugs or discovering new treatments for human diseases (drug repositioning). Dabrafenib (DAB), a B-Raf inhibitor, was initially used for treating metastatic melanoma. The present study determined whether DAB modulated TGFBIp-mediated septic responses in HUVECs and in mice. Antiseptic functions of DAB were examined by measuring permeability, leukocyte adhesion and migration, and proinflammatory protein activation in TGFBIp-stimulated HUVECs and mice. In addition, beneficial effects of DAB on survival rate were examined using a mouse model of sepsis. We found that DAB inhibited TGFBIp-induced vascular barrier disruption, cell adhesion molecule (CAM) expression, and neutrophil adhesion/transendothelial migration toward human endothelial cells. DAB also suppressed TGFBIp-induced hyperpermeability and leukocyte migration <I>in vivo</I>. These results suggest that DAB exerts anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting hyperpermeability, CAM expression, and leukocyte adhesion and migration, indicating its utility for treating vascular inflammatory diseases.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> Transforming growth factor β induced protein (TGFBIp) is an important extracellular mediator of sepsis. </LI> <LI> DAB inhibited LPS-induced secretion of TGFBIp. </LI> <LI> DAB inhibited TGFBIp-mediated hyperpermeability. </LI> <LI> DAB inhibited TGFBIp-mediated septic response. </LI> <LI> DAB reduced TGFBIp-induced septic mortality. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>

Simple determination of hydrazine in waste water by headspace solid-phase micro extraction and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry after derivatization with trifluoro pentanedione

Oh, Jin-Aa,Shin, Ho-Sang Elsevier Pub. Co 2017 Analytica Chimica Acta Vol. No.

<P><B>Abstract</B></P> <P>A headspace solid-phase micro extraction (HS-SPME) and gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric (GC-MS/MS) method is described to detect hydrazine after derivatization with 1,1,1-trifluoro-2,4-pentanedione (1,1,1-TFPD) to 3-methyl-5-(trifluoromethyl) pyrazole in industrial waste water. The following optimal HS-SPME conditions were used: 85 μm-carboxen-polydimethylsiloxane fibre, 100 mg L<SUP>−1</SUP> TFPD, saturated NaCl, an extraction/derivatization temperature of 80 °C, a heating time of 40 min, and a pH of 9.5. Under the established conditions, the detection and quantification limits were 0.002 μg L<SUP>−1</SUP> and 0.007 μg L<SUP>−1</SUP> by using 5 mL of waste water and the intra- and inter-day relative standard deviations were less than 10.2% at concentrations of 0.02 and 0.1 μg L<SUP>−1</SUP>. The calibration curve showed good linearity, with <I>r</I> <SUP>2</SUP> = 0.998; the accuracy was in the range of 98.0–103%; and the precision of the assay was less than 10.2% in industrial waste water. Hydrazine was detected over a concentration range of 0.011–0.074 μg L<SUP>−1</SUP> in 5 of 20 waste water samples.</P> <P><B>Highlights</B></P> <P> <UL> <LI> New single peak derivatization method of hydrazine with 1,1,1-trifluoro-2,4-pentanedione in wastewater for HS-SPME. </LI> <LI> Easy manipulation and amenable to automation. </LI> <LI> This method requires no solvent for sample extraction and is environmentally friendly. </LI> <LI> This method shows low interference due to the use of HS-GC-MS/MS. </LI> </UL> </P> <P><B>Graphical abstract</B></P> <P>[DISPLAY OMISSION]</P>