Amperometric determination of sodium nitrite by a microbial sensor

Summary A microbial sensor was prepared to determine sodium nitrite. This microbial sensor consisted of immobilized Nitrobacter sp. and an oxygen electrode. When a sample solution containing sodium nitrite was tested, nitrite was changed to NO₂ gas in the buffer (pH 2.0) and the current of the electrode decreased with time until a steady state was reached. The steady state current was attained within 10 min and the maximum decrease in current was obtained at 30°C and pH 2.0. A linear relationship was observed between the current decrease and the sodium nitrite concentration below 0.59 mM, the minimum sodium nitrite concentration that could be determined was 0.01 mM. The current decrease was reproducible (5% relative error). The current output of the sensor was almost constant for more than 21 days and 400 assays.     

Amperometric determination of total assimilable sugars in fermentation broths with use of immobilized whole cells

A microbial sensor consisting of immobilized living whole cells of Brevibacterium lactofermentum and an oxygen electrode was prepared for continuous determination of total assimilable sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose) in a fermentation broth for glutamic acid production. Total assimilable sugars were evaluated from oxygen consumption by the immobilized microorganisms. When a sample solution containing glucose was applied to the sensor system, increased consumption of oxygen by the microorganisms caused a decrease in the dissolved oxygen around the Teflon membrane of the oxygen electrode and the current of the electrode decreased markedly with time until steady state was reached. The response time was ≈ 10 min by the steady state method and 1 min by the pulse method. A linear relationship was found between the decrease in current and the concentration of glucose (<1 mM), fructose (<1 mM) and sucrose (<0.8 mM). The ratio of the sensitivity of the microbial sensor to glucose, fructose and sucrose was 1.00:0.80:0.92. The decrease in current was reproducible to within 2% of the relative standard deviation when a sample solution containing glucose (0.8 mM) was employed for experiments. The selectivity of the microbial sensor for assimilable sugars was satisfactory for use in the fermentation process. The additivity of the response of the microbial sensor for glucose, fructose and sucrose was examined. The difference between the observed and calculated values was within 8%. The microbial sensor was applied to a fermentation broth for glutamic acid production. Total assimilable sugars can be determined by the microbial sensor which can be used for more than 10 days and 960 assays.     

Hybrid urea sensor using nitrifying bacteria

Summary A new urea sensor was developed using immobilized nitrifying bacteria isolated from activated sludges and urease. The sensor was composed of a urease-membrane, a cation exchange membrane, and an alkaline bed (pH 10), a gas permeable membrane, a microbial membrane, and an oxygen electrode.This novel combination of membranes made possible the amperometric determination of urea in an aqueous solution within 7 min in the range of 2–200 mM.The current decrease was reproducible within 5%. The selectivity of the microbial sensor for urea was satisfactory. The current output of the sensor was almost constant for more than 10 days and 150 assays.     

Microbial electrode sensor for alcohols

A microbial electrode consisting of immobilized microorganisms, a gas permeable Teflon membrane, and an oxygen electrode was prepared for the continuous determination of methyl and ethyl alcohols. Immobilized Trichosporon brassicae was employed for a microbial electrode sensor for ethyl alcohol. When a sample solution containing ethyl alcohol was injected into a microbial electrode system, the current of the electrode decreased markedly with time until a steady state was reached. The response time was within 10 min by the steady state method and within 6 min by the pulse method. A linear relationship was observed between the current decrease and the concentration of ethyl alcohol below 22.5 mg/liter. The current was reproducible within ± 6% of the relative error when a sample solution containing 16.5 mg/liter ethyl alcohol. The standard deviation was 0.5 mg/liter in 40 experiments. The selectivity of the microbial electrode sensor for ethyl alcohol was satisfactory. The microbial electrode sensor was applied to a fermentation broth of yeasts and satisfactory comparative results were obtained (correlation coefficient 0.98). The current output of the microbial electrode sensor was almost constant for more than three weeks and 2100 assays. A microbial electrode sensor using immobilized bacteria for methyl alcohol was also described.     

The Selective Detection of Cyantraniliprole Insecticides Using Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Coupled with an Acetylcholinesterase Inhibition-Based Biosensor

Cyantraniliprole is one of the anthranilic diamide insecticides widely used in the agriculture sector. Due to its low toxicity and relatively fast degradation, there is need for a sensitive determination method for its residues. Nowadays, there is growing interest in the development of enzyme-based biosensors. The major drawback is the non-specific binding of many insecticides to the enzyme. This work employs Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) to increase enzyme specificity and eliminate the organic solvent effect on the enzyme activity. The synthesized Cyan-Molecularly imprinted polymers (Cyan-MIP) possesses high affinity and selectivity toward cyantraniliprole. Acetylcholinesterase assay characteristics including enzyme concentration, substrate concentration, DTNB concentration, and acetonitrile concentration were optimized. Under optimal experimental conditions, the developed MIP-Acetylcholinesterase (MIP-AchE) inhibition-based sensor provides better precision than the AchE inhibition-based sensor with a wide linear range (15–50 ppm), limit of detection (LOD) 4.1 ppm, and limit of quantitation (LOQ) 12.6 ppm. The sensor was successfully applied for cyantraniliprole determination in spiked melon, giving satisfactory recoveries.     

Glucose sensor using immobilized whole cells of Pseudomonas fluorescens

Summary Whole cells of Pseudomonas fluorescens which utilized mainly glucose were immobilized in collagen membrane. The microbial electrode consisted of a bacteria-collagen membrane and an oxygen electrode was developed for the determination of glucose. When the electrode was inserted in a sample solution containing glucose, the current of the electrode decreased markedly with time until a steady state was reached. The response time of the electrode was 10 min by the steady state method. A linear relationship was observed between the steady state current and the concentration of glucose below 20 mg l ^–1. The minimum concentration for determination was 2 mg of glucose per liter. The reproducibility of the current was examined using the same sample solution. The current was reproducible within ±6% of the relative error when a sample solution containing 10 mg {ie343-1} of glucose was employed. The standard deviation was 0.6 mg {ie343-2} in 20 experiments. The reusability of the glucose sensor was examined using the same sample solution (10 mg {ie343-3}). No decrease in current output was observed over a two week period and 150 assays. Glucose in molasses was determined with an average relative error of 10% by the microbial electrode sensor.     

Interference of a short-term exposure to nitrogen dioxide with allergic airways responses to allergenic challenges in BALB/c mice

Nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) is a common indoor and outdoor air pollutant whose role in the induction of asthma is unclear. We investigated the effects of NO(2) on the development of asthma-like responses to allergenic challenge in BALB/c mice. Ovalbumin (OVA)-immunized mice were intranasally challenged with OVA or saline solution just before starting a 3 h exposure to 5 or 20 ppm NO(2) or air. Twenty parts per million of NO(2) induced a significant increase of bronchopulmonary hyperreactivity in OVA-challenged mice and of permeability according to the fibronectin content of the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) 24 h after exposure, as compared with air or 5 ppm NO(2). Eosinophilia (cell counts in the BALF and eosinophil peroxidase of lung tissue) was detected at 24 and 72 h with similar levels for air and 20 ppm NO(2), whereas a marked reduction was unexpectedly observed for 5 ppm NO(2). At 24 h, interleukin-5 in the BALF was markedly reduced at 5 ppm compared with 20 ppm NO(2) and was also more intense for 20 ppm NO(2) than for the air group. In contrast to specific IgG1 titers, anti-OVA IgE titers and interleukin-4 in the BALF were not affected by NO(2) exposure. Irrespective of the concentration of NO(2), OVA-challenged mice did not develop late mucosal metaplasia compared with those exposed to OVA-air. These results indicate that a short exposure to NO(2) can exacerbate or inhibit some features of the development of allergic disease in mice and may depend on the concentration of pollutant.     

Bacterial sensors based on Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans Part I. Fe2+ and S2O32- determination

An amperometric bacterial sensor with current response to Fe(2+) and S(2)O(3)(2-) ions has been designed by immobilizing an acidophilic biomass of Acidithiobacillus ferrooxidans on a multi disk flat-front oxygen probe. The bacterial layer was located between the oxygen probe and a membrane of cellulose. A filtration technique was used to yield the bacterial membranes having reproducible activity. The decrease of O(2) flow across the bacterial layer is proportional to the concentration of the dosed species. The dynamic range appeared to be linear for the Fe(2+) ions up to 2.5 mmol L(-1) with a detection limit of 9 x 10(-7) mol L(-1) and a sensitivity of 0.25 A L mol(-1). The response of the biosensor is 84 s for a determination of 2 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) Fe(2+). Optimizing the Fe(2+) determination by A. ferrooxidans sensor was carried out owing to Design of Experiments (DOE) methodology and empirical modelling. The optimal response was thus obtained for a pH of 3.4, at 35 degrees C under 290 rpm solution stirring. S(2)O(3)(2-) concentration was determined at pH 4.7, so avoiding its decomposition. The concentration range was linear up to 0.6 mmol L(-1). Sensitivity was 0.20 A L mol(-1) with a response time of 207 s for a 2 x 10(-4) mol L(-1) S(2)O(3)(2-) concentration.     

Effects of nitrogen dioxide on Mycoplasma pulmonis infection and humoral immune responses in mice

The effects of continuous exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on the pathologic and immunologic responses of ddY mice to the infection with Mycoplasma pulmonis were investigated. The organisms grew well in the trachea as early as 7 days after infection but barely grew in the lung even after 28 days, causing slight pneumonic lesions in only a few of the infected mice exposed to 1 and 5 ppm NO2. When mice were exposed to 10 ppm NO2 at or after the infection, however, mycoplasmal growth in the lung, but not in the trachea, was greatly enhanced, and pneumonic lesions were evident in the lung of almost all the mice examined. The serum antibody titers to M. pulmonis increased with time after infection regardless of the concentration of NO2 exposed or the mycoplasmal number in the respiratory tract in the infected mice. The in vitro immune responses of the spleen cells of the infected mice were significantly depressed by exposure to 10 ppm NO2 in not only mitogenic response to LPS and ConA but also antibody production to SRBC, whereas uninfected healthy mice were apparently not modulated except for a slight decrease in Con A response.     

Denitrification of high strength nitrate waste

The aim of the present work was to study the treatment of high strength nitrate waste (40000 ppm NO(3) i.e., 9032 ppm NO(3)-N) by acclimatizing sludge initially capable of degrading dilute streams (100-200 ppm NO(3)-N). Sludge from an effluent treatment plant of a fertilizer industry was acclimatized for 15 d each at 1694, 3388, 6774 and 9032 ppm NO(3)-N in a 4 L sequencing batch reactor. Complete denitrification of extremely concentrated nitrate waste (9032 ppm NO(3)-N) using acclimatized sludge was achieved in just 6 h. During the acclimatization period, increase in nitrite peak value from zero to 5907 ppm NO(2)-N was observed, as the concentration was increased from 1694 to 9032 ppm NO(3)-N. Kinetic analysis of the nitrate and nitrite profile could reasonably support microbiological explanations for nitrite build up and changes in sludge composition.     

A 1,2‐propylene oxide sensor utilizing cataluminescence on CeO2 nanoparticles

A simple and sensitive gas sensor was proposed for the determination of 1,2‐propylene oxide (PO) based on its cataluminescence (CTL) by oxidation in the air on the surface of CeO₂ nanoparticles. The luminescence characteristics and optimal conditions were investigated in detail. Under optimized conditions, the linear range of the CTL intensity versus the concentration of PO was 10–150 ppm, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9974 and a limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 0.9 ppm. The relative standard deviation for 40 ppm PO was 1.2% (n = 7). There was no or only weak response to common foreign substances including acetone, formaldehyde, ethyl acetate, acetic acid, chloroform, propanol, carbon tetrachloride, ether and methanol. There was no significant change in the catalytic activity of the sensor for 100 h. The proposed method was simple and sensitive, with a potential of detecting PO in the environment and industry. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ion exposure chambers for small animals

Ion exposure chambers that have been designed and tested for use in biological and behavioral research with small animals are described in this report. The chambers exhibit an acceptable degree of uniformity in ion concentration, current density, and electric field within the exposure area. Gaseous by-products of corona discharge (O3 and NO2) have been measured and found to be less than .01 ppm and less than .1 ppm, respectively. Filtered air is fed to the individual exposure chambers, and temperature and humidity are well controlled. Noise due to corona and the air delivery system has been measured.     

Development of a cataluminescence sensor for detecting benzene based on magnesium silicate hollow spheres

A novel and sensitive gas sensor was developed for the determination of benzene based on its cataluminescence (CTL) by oxidation in air on the surface of hollow magnesium silicate spheres. Luminescence characteristics and optimum conditions were investigated. Results indicated that the as‐prepared magnesium silicate hollow spheres exhibited outstanding CTL properties such as stable intensity, high signal/noise values, and short response and recovery times. Under optimized conditions, benzene exhibited a broad linear range of 1–4500 ppm, with a correlation coefficient of 0.9946 and a limit of detection (signal‐to‐noise ratio (S/N) = 3) of 0.6 ppm, which was below the standard permitted concentration. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for 100 ppm benzene was 4.3% (n = 6). Furthermore, the gas sensor system showed outstanding selectivity for benzene compared with nine other common volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The proposed gas sensor showed good characteristics of high selectivity, fast response time and long lifetime, which suggested the promising application of magnesium silicate hollow spheres as a novel highly efficient CTL sensing material. The mechanism for the improved performance was also discussed based on the experimental results. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of NO2 on Airborne Venezuelan Equine Encephalomyelitis Virus

Studies were conducted to determine the effect of nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) on aerosol survival and biological decay rate of Venezulean equine encephalomyelitis (VEE) virus and spores of Bacillus subtilis var. niger. The NO(2) concentrations used in the experiments were 0.5, 5, and 10 ppm at 24 C and 85% RH. The survival of airborne VEE virus disseminated as particles 1 to 5 mum in diameter was significantly influenced by the presence of 5 ppm of NO(2). At this concentration, the biological decay rate increased threefold and the aerosol recovery and aerosol survival of the VEE virus were significantly lower than at 0.5 ppm or in the absence of NO(2). Airborne spores of B. subtilis were not significantly affected by as much as 10 ppm of NO(2).     

Effects of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide on bacterial growth

The effects of low concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on actively dividing cultures of Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Micrococcus roseus, Serratia marcescens, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus cereus were studied. Fresh cultures of each organism were incubated for 24 h at 25 degrees C on both nutrient agar and mineral salts glucose agar plates under atmospheres containing various low concentrations of NO in air (0 to 1.9 ppm [0 to 2.0 micrograms/g of air]), NO2 in air (0 to 5.5 ppm [0 to 8.8 micrograms/g of air]), or NO and NO2 in air. Bacteria grown under air only were used as controls. After incubation, the colonies that developed on the plates were counted. None of the bacteria tested was affected by NO or NO2 at the indicated concentrations while growing on nutrient agar. Serratia marcescens, B. circulans, B. subtilis, B. megaterium, and B. cereus grown on mineral salts glucose agar were not significantly affected by NO or NO2. Low concentrations (0 to 1.9 ppm) of NO were bacteriostatic to log-phase cultures of M. roseus, M. luteus, and Staphylococcus aureus grown on mineral salts glucose agar. Bacteriostatic activity over a 24-h interval was maximal at an initial NO concentration of 1 ppm. Appreciable amounts of NO2 were produced in 24 h at initial NO concentrations greater than 1 ppm. These results suggest that NO2 may reduce the bacteriostatic activity of NO. Low concentrations (0 to 5.5 ppm) of NO2 in air did not affect any of the bacteria tested. At these low concentrations, NO affected bacterial growth, although NO2, NO2-, and NO3- did not. In addition, it was determined that the bacteriostatic activity observed in this study was not due to an increase in the acidity of the medium.     

Effects of nitric oxide and nitrogen dioxide on bacterial growth.

The effects of low concentrations of nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) on actively dividing cultures of Staphylococcus aureus, Micrococcus luteus, Micrococcus roseus, Serratia marcescens, Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus megaterium, and Bacillus cereus were studied. Fresh cultures of each organism were incubated for 24 h at 25 degrees C on both nutrient agar and mineral salts glucose agar plates under atmospheres containing various low concentrations of NO in air (0 to 1.9 ppm [0 to 2.0 micrograms/g of air]), NO2 in air (0 to 5.5 ppm [0 to 8.8 micrograms/g of air]), or NO and NO2 in air. Bacteria grown under air only were used as controls. After incubation, the colonies that developed on the plates were counted. None of the bacteria tested was affected by NO or NO2 at the indicated concentrations while growing on nutrient agar. Serratia marcescens, B. circulans, B. subtilis, B. megaterium, and B. cereus grown on mineral salts glucose agar were not significantly affected by NO or NO2. Low concentrations (0 to 1.9 ppm) of NO were bacteriostatic to log-phase cultures of M. roseus, M. luteus, and Staphylococcus aureus grown on mineral salts glucose agar. Bacteriostatic activity over a 24-h interval was maximal at an initial NO concentration of 1 ppm. Appreciable amounts of NO2 were produced in 24 h at initial NO concentrations greater than 1 ppm. These results suggest that NO2 may reduce the bacteriostatic activity of NO. Low concentrations (0 to 5.5 ppm) of NO2 in air did not affect any of the bacteria tested. At these low concentrations, NO affected bacterial growth, although NO2, NO2-, and NO3- did not. In addition, it was determined that the bacteriostatic activity observed in this study was not due to an increase in the acidity of the medium.     

An ethyl acetate sensor utilizing cataluminescence on Y2O3 nanoparticles

A cataluminescence (CTL) sensor using Y₂O₃ nanoparticles as the sensing materials was proposed for the determination of ethyl acetate. This ethyl acetate sensor showed high sensitivity and specificity at the optimal temperature of 264°C. Quantitative analysis was performed at a wavelength of 425 nm. The linear ranges of CTL intensity vs ethyl acetate concentrations were 2.0–250 ppm (r = 0.9965) and 250–6500 ppm (r = 0.9997) with a detection limit (3σ) of 0.5 ppm. There was no response or weak response when foreign substances such as formic acid, n‐hexane, toluene, acetic acid, benzene, and formaldehyde passing through the surface of Y₂O₃ nanoparticles. The sensor had a long lifetime more than 80 h with 3600 ppm ethyl acetate. It had been applied successfully to determine ethyl acetate in artificial air samples. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enhanced biological removal of NOχ from flue gas in a biofilter by Fe(II)Cit/Fe(II)EDTA absorption

A mixed absorbent had been proposed to enhance the chemical absorption-biological reduction process for NO_x removal from flue gas. The mole ratio of the absorbent of Fe(II)Cit to Fe(II)EDTA was selected to be 3. After the biofilm was formed adequately, some influential factors, such as the concentration of NO, O₂, SO₂ and EBRT were investigated. During the long-term running, the system could keep on a steady NO removal efficiency (up to 90%) and had a flexibility in the sudden changes of operating conditions when the simulated flue gas contained 100-500 ppm NO, 100-800 ppm SO₂, 1-5% (v/v) O₂, and 15% (v/v) CO₂. However, high NO concentration (>800 ppm) and relative short EBRT (<100 s) had significant negative effect on NO removal. The results indicate that the new system by using mixed-absorbent can reduce operating costs in comparison with the single Fe(II)EDTA system and possesses great potential for scale-up to industrial applications.     

Development and characterization of a novel immobilized microbial membrane for rapid determination of biochemical oxygen demand load in industrial waste-waters

The rapid determination of waste-water quality of waste-water treatment plants in terms of pollutional strength, i.e. biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is difficult or even impossible using the chemical determination method. The present study reports the determination of BOD within minutes using microbial BOD sensors, as compared to the 5-day determination using the conventional method. Multiple criteria establish the basis for the development of a BOD biosensor useful for rapid and reliable BOD estimation in industrial waste-waters. Of these, preparation of a suitable novel immobilized microbial membrane used in conjunction with an apt transducer is discussed. As a result, a microbial biosensor based on a formulated, synergistic, pre-tested microbial consortium has been developed for the measurement of BOD load of various industrial waste-waters. The sensor showed maximum response in terms of current difference, when a cell concentration of 2.25 x 10(10) CFU, harvested in their log phase of growth were utilized for microbial membrane construction. The sensor showed a stability of 180 days when the prepared membranes were stored at a temperature of 4 degrees C in 50 mM phosphate buffer of pH 6.8. The reusability of the immobilized membranes was up to 200 cycles without appreciable loss of their response characteristics. A linear relationship between the current change and a glucose-glutamic acid (GAA) concentration up to 60 mg l(-1) was observed (r=0.999). The lower detection limit was 1.0 mg l(-1) BOD. The sensor response was reproducible within +/-5% of the mean in a series of ten samples having 44 mg l(-1) BOD using standard a GGA solution. When used for the BOD estimation of industrial waste-waters, a relatively good agreement was found between the two methods, i.e. 5-day BOD and that measured by the developed microbial sensor.     

Changes in the activity and tertiary structure of beta-amylase from wheat seeds under the effect of salts]

Changes are observed of 1-anylinonaphtalene-8-sulphonate probe fluorescence intensity, connected with beta-amylase in the presence of Ca(NO3)2, Mg(NO3)2, KNO3, NH4NO3 and (NH4)2SO4 at a concentration range within 10(-4)--1 M. Considerable decrease of the fluorescence intensity was observed under the addition of all the salts mentioned at concentration of 10(-3)--10(-4) M. A quantum yield increase of probe fluorescence was noted for Mg(NO3)2 (10(-4) M). High concentrations of Ca(NO3)2 and Mg(NO3)2 (0.25--1 M) also resulted in a sharp increase of the fluorescence intensity. Changes of beta-amylase activity took place simultaneously. The changes of the enzyme activity are suggested to be due to changes in the conformation of the enzyme protein under the effect of salts.