Metal oxide nanomaterials in seawater: linking physicochemical characteristics with biological response in sea urchin development

The fate and behavior of nanomaterials (NMs) in environmental media has important consequences for toxicity. The majority of aquatic research to date has focused on NM behavior in freshwater systems. However, pH and salinity differences of seawater affect dissolution and aggregation of NMs. In this study, physical characteristics of metal oxide NMs in seawater were linked with their toxicity to developing sea urchins. The metal oxide NMs TiO₂ and CeO₂ up to 10 mg/L were not toxic to the embryos of the white sea urchin (Lytechinus pictus). In contrast, ZnO NM was highly toxic to these embryos (EC₅₀ = 99.5 μg/L). The toxicity of ZnO NM was not significantly different from bulk ZnO or soluble Zn²⁺ (from ZnSO₄·7H₂O), suggesting that the toxicity of ZnO NM can be attributed to soluble Zn²⁺. Furthermore, solubility data indicate that at the concentrations used in our sea urchin embryo experiments, ZnO NM was rapidly and completely solubilized in seawater. The present study also demonstrated that Fe-doped NMs were less soluble in seawater compared to pure ZnO NMs, but there was no concomitant reduction in toxicity.     

Nano–bio surface interactions,cellular internalisation in cancer cells and e‐data portals of nanomaterials: A review

Nanomaterials (NMs) have abundant applications in areas such as electronics, energy, environment industries, biosensors, nano devices, theranostic platforms, etc. Nanoparticles can increase the solubility and stability of drug‐loaded materials, enhance their internalisation, protect them from initial destruction in the biological system, and lengthen their circulation time. The biological interaction of proteins present in the body fluid with NMs can change the activity and natural surface properties of NMs. The size and charge of NMs, properties of the coated and uncoated NMs, nature of proteins, cellular interactions direct their internalisation pathway in the cellular system. Thus, the present review emphasises the impact of coated, uncoated NMs, size and charge, nature of proteins on nano–bio surface interactions and on internalisation with specific focus on cancer cells. The increased activity of NPs may also result in toxicity on health and environment, thus emphasis should be given to assess the toxicity of NMs in the medical field. The e‐data sharing portals of NMs have also been discussed in this review that will be helpful in providing the information about the chemical, physical, biological properties and toxicity of NMs.     

Nanomaterials and the environment: a review for the biennium 2008-2010

Applications of nanotechnology are touching almost every aspect of modern life. The increased use of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) in consumer products, chemical and medical equipment, information technology, and energy, among others, has increased the number of publications (informative and scientific) on ENMs. By the 1950s, very few papers were committed to nanomaterials (NMs), but in 2009, more than 80,000 journal articles included the concept nanotechnology. The objective of this review is to compile and analyze publications on NMs in the biennium 2008-2010. This review includes the most recent publications in risk assessment/toxicity, characterization and stability, toxicity, fate and transport of NMs in terrestrial ecosystems, and new ENMs. Carbon nanotubes, metallic, metal oxides and hydroxides nanoparticles, quantum dots, and polystyrene NPs are included.     

Gold Nanomaterials in Consumer Cosmetics Nanoproducts: Analyses,Characterization, and Dermal Safety Assessment

Establishment of analytical methods of engineered nanomaterials in consumer products for their human and environmental risk assessment becomes urgent for both academic and industrial needs. Owing to the difficulties and challenges around nanomaterials in complex media, proper chemical separation and biological assays of nanomaterials from nanoproducts needs to be firstly developed. Herein, a facile and rapid method to separate and analyze gold nanomaterials in cosmetics is reported. Gold nanomaterials are successfully separated from different facial or eye creams and their physiochemical properties are analyzed by quantitative and qualitative state‐of‐the art techniques with high sensitivity or high spatial resolution. In turn, a protocol including quantification of gold by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and thorough characterization of morphology, size distribution, and surface property by electron microscopes, atomic force microscope, and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscope is developed. Subsequently, the preliminary toxicity assessment indicates that gold nanomaterials in cosmetic creams have no observable toxicity to human keratinocytes even after 24 h exposure up to a concentration of 200 μg mL^?1. The environmental scanning electron microscope reveals that gold nanomaterials are mostly attached on the cell membrane. Thus, the present study provides a full analysis protocol for toxicity assessment of gold nanomaterials in consumer products (cosmetic creams).     

Toxicity of copper oxide nanoparticles: a review study

Copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs) use has exponentially increased in various applications (such as industrial catalyst, gas sensors, electronic materials, biomedicines, environmental remediation) due to their flexible properties, i.e. large surface area to volume ratio. These broad applications, however, have increased human exposure and thus the potential risk related to their short‐ and long‐term toxicity. Their release in environment has drawn considerable attention which has become an eminent area of research and development. To understand the toxicological impact of CuO NPs, this review summarises the in‐vitro and in‐vivo toxicity of CuO NPs subjected to species (bacterial, algae, fish, rats, human cell lines) used for toxicological hazard assessment. The key factors that influence the toxicity of CuO NPs such as particle shape, size, surface functionalisation, time–dose interaction and animal and cell models are elaborated. The literature evidences that the CuO NPs exposure to the living systems results in reactive oxygen species generation, oxidative stress, inflammation, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and immunotoxicity. However, the physio‐chemical characteristics of CuO NPs, concentration, mode of exposure, animal model and assessment characteristics are the main perspectives that define toxicology of CuO NPs.Inspec keywords: catalysts, nanofabrication, reviews, oxidation, toxicology, gas sensors, cellular biophysics, copper compounds, nanoparticles, biochemistryOther keywords: copper oxide nanoparticles, environmental remediation, short‐ term toxicity, long‐term toxicity, human cell lines, CuO NPs exposure, physiochemical characteristics, mode of exposure, animal model, ssessment characteristics, toxicology, time‐dose interaction, oxidative stress, inflammation, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, immunotoxicity, toxicological hazard assessment, algae species, bacterial species, fish, rats, CuO     

An Overview of Uremic Toxicity

About 100 uremic retention solutes have been identified at present, but not all of these compounds are necessarily toxic. They can be defined as uremic toxins if they exert biochemical/biological actions. Based on their physicochemical characteristics, there are three major groups of uremic retention solutes: 1) the small water‐soluble compounds (<500 Da), which are easily removed by standard low‐pore‐size dialyzer membranes; 2) the protein‐bound solutes (also mostly <500 Da), whose dialytic removal is hampered by their protein binding, irrespective of the membrane type; and 3) the so‐called middle molecules (>500 Da), which can be removed only by membranes with a large pore size and/or adsorptive capacity. In the present review, we will summarize the currently known information about the toxicity of the uremic retention solutes. Although removal of small water‐soluble urea has been recognized for many years as a current measure of dialysis adequacy, data on its toxicity are very scanty. Almost 50 other water‐soluble compounds are known to be retained in uremia, but only a few exert biological effects. Most of the toxic water‐soluble moieties, such as the guanidines, phosphate, xanthine, and hypoxanthine show an intra‐dialytic compartmental behavior, which is different from urea. A substantial number of uremic solutes are protein bound, and most of them exert biological action. Among them are the phenols, indoles, homocysteine, and carboxy‐methyl‐propyl‐furanpropionic acid. Recent data suggest that protein binding acts as a buffer against the toxic effects of these compounds, and that hypoalbuminemia increases both their free fraction and their toxicity. In addition, many middle molecules, such as ß₂‐microglobulin, leptin, and advanced glycation end products, have been related to biological/clinical effects. Our current knowledge of the biological impact of the middle molecules is very likely incomplete. It is concluded that many of the water‐soluble compounds exert little or no toxicity, and that urea removal pattern per se is not identical to that of many biologically active molecules. Hence, in dialysis, more than urea removal alone should be pursued.     

The Nanomaterial Metabolite Corona Determined Using a Quantitative Metabolomics Approach: A Pilot Study

Nanomaterials (NMs) are promptly coated with biomolecules in biological systems leading to the formation of the so‐called corona. To date, research has predominantly focused on the protein corona and how it affects NM uptake, distribution, and bioactivity by conferring a biological identity to NMs enabling interactions with receptors to mediate cellular responses. Thus, protein corona studies are now integral to nanosafety assessment. However, a larger class of molecules, the metabolites, which are orders of magnitude smaller than proteins (<1000 Da) and regulate metabolic pathways, has been largely overlooked. This hampers the understanding of the bio–nano interface, development of computational predictions of corona formation, and investigations into uptake or toxicity at the cellular level, including identification of molecular initiating events triggering adverse outcome pathways. Here, a capillary electrophoresis–mass spectrometry based metabolomics approach reveals that pure polar ionogenic metabolite standards differentially adsorb to a range of 6 NMs (SiO₂, 3 TiO₂ with different surface chemistries, and naïve and carboxylated polystyrene NMs). The metabolite corona composition is quantitatively compared using protein‐free and complete plasma samples, revealing that proteins in samples significantly change the composition of the metabolite corona. This key finding provides the basis to include the metabolite corona in future nanosafety endeavors.     

Effects of diamond nanoparticle exposure on the internal structure and reproduction of Daphnia magna

Nanomaterials have significant technological advantages but their release into the environment also carry potential ecotoxicological risks. Carbon-based nanoparticles and particularly diamond nanoparticles have numerous industrial and medical applications. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the toxic effects of diamond nanoparticles with an average particle size of 20 nm on the survival, reproduction and tissue structure of the freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna. The chronic toxicity test results showed 100% mortality at concentrations higher than 12.5 mg l(-1) and that reproduction inhibition occurred in concentrations higher than 1.3 mg l(-1). Light microscopy showed that diamond nanoparticles adhere to the exoskeleton surface and accumulate within the gastrointestinal tract, suggesting that food absorption by the gut cells may be blocked. The results support the use of chronic approaches in environmental protection as part of an integrated environmental monitoring and assessment strategy.     

Toxicity of Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: Mechanisms,Characterization, and Avoiding Experimental Artefacts

Metal oxide nanomaterials are widely used in practical applications and represent a class of nanomaterials with the highest global annual production. Many of those, such as TiO₂ and ZnO, are generally considered non‐toxic due to the lack of toxicity of the bulk material. However, these materials typically exhibit toxicity to bacteria and fungi, and there have been emerging concerns about their ecotoxicity effects. The understanding of the toxicity mechanisms is incomplete, with different studies often reporting contradictory results. The relationship between the material properties and toxicity appears to be complex and diifficult to understand, which is partly due to incomplete characterization of the nanomaterial, and possibly due to experimental artefacts in the characterization of the nanomaterial and/or its interactions with living organisms. This review discusses the comprehensive characterization of metal oxide nanomaterials and the mechanisms of their toxicity.     

Detection of Glucose Based on Noble Metal Nanozymes: Mechanism,Activity Regulation,and Enantioselective Recognition

Glucose monitoring is essential to evaluate the degree of glucose metabolism disorders. The enzymatic determination has been the most widely used method in glucose detection because of its high efficiency, accuracy, and sensitivity. Noble metal nanomaterials (NMs, i.e., Au, Ag, Pt, and Pd), inheriting their excellent electronic, optical, and enzyme-like properties, are classified as noble metal nanozymes (NMNZs). As the NMNZs are often involved in two series of reactions, the oxidation of glucose and the chromogenic reaction of peroxide, here the chemical mechanism by employing NMNZs with glucose oxidase (GOx) and peroxidase (POD) mimicking activities is briefly summarized first. Subsequently, the regulation strategies of the GOx-like, POD-like and tandem enzyme-like activities of NMNZs are presented in detail, including the materials, size, morphology, composition, and the reaction condition of the representative NMs. In addition, in order to further mimic the enantioselectivity of enzyme, the design of NMNZs with enantioselective recognition of d -glucose and l -glucose by using different chiral compounds (DNA, amino acids, and cyclodextrins) and molecular imprinting is further described in this review. Finally, the feasible solutions to the existing challenges and a vision for future development possibilities are discussed.     

Nanotechnology and health safety--toxicity and risk assessments of nanostructured materials on human health

The field of nanotechnology has recently emerged as the most commercially viable technology of this century because of its wide-ranging applications in our daily lives. Man-made nanostructured materials such as fullerenes, nanoparticles, nanopowders, nanotubes, nanowires, nanorods, nanofibers, quantum dots, dendrimers, nanoclusters, nanocrystals, and nanocomposites are globally produced in large quantities due to their wide potential applications, e.g., in skincare and consumer products, healthcare, electronics, photonics, biotechnology, engineering products, pharmaceuticals, drug delivery, and agriculture. Human exposure to these nanostructured materials is inevitable, as they can enter the body through the lungs or other organs via food, drink, and medicine and affect different organs and tissues such as the brain, liver, kidney, heart, colon, spleen, bone, blood, etc., and may cause cytotoxic effects, e.g., deformation and inhibition of cell growth leading to various diseases in humans and animals. Since a very wide variety of nanostructured materials exits, their interactions with biological systems and toxicity largely depend upon their properties, such as size, concentration, solubility, chemical and biological properties, and stability. The toxicity of nanostructured materials could be reduced by chemical approaches such by surface treatment, functionalization, and composite formation. This review summarizes the sources of various nanostructured materials and their human exposure, biocompatibility in relation to potential toxicological effects, risk assessment, and safety evaluation on human and animal health as well as on the environment.     

Environmental impact assessment in an uncertain environment

'Green' manufacturing has become an important issue in industry, driven by regulations governing manufacturing emissions, growing worldwide environmental certification requirements (ISO 14000) and an emerging consumer preference for ecolabel products. Establishing a quantitative and effective assessment model to assess the environmental impact of manufacturing processes for a product has become important. This paper focuses on analysing the uncertainty of weighting factors in an environmental impact assessment and applying fuzzy set theory to determine the vague or fuzzy weighting factors of the various environmental impact categories. A case study demonstrates that the fuzzy set-based model can effectively account for the vagueness and uncertainty of information being used for environmental impact assessments. The proposed fuzzy model is useful, not only for evaluating the environmental impact of a manufacturing process, but also for selecting processes when environmental impact is one of the factors to be considered.     

寓教于乐型玩具产品的设计方法研究

在玩具产品外观设计中,无论是以动物、娃娃或者卡通形象为主题元素的玩具产品都吸引各个年龄阶层的人群的目光,令他们爱不释手,但喜欢的原因却各不相同,孩子们因为产品可爱的造型和有趣的结构而喜欢,青少年们或许因为某部动画片或者某个火爆的人物形象而狂热爱上其周边衍生玩具产品,如图1中的泰迪熊电影周边衍生玩具产品在通过这种特殊并深入人心的玩偶造型设计,来加深电影中人物的形象,在青少年心中塑造出一个深入人心的可爱人物形象,不仅有助于后续电影创作的安排与跟进,同时对整个电影市场也起到了极大的促进作用.     

Review: nanoparticles and nanostructured materials in papermaking

The introduction of nanoparticles (NPs) and nanostructured materials (NSMs) in papermaking originally emerged from the perspective of improving processing operations and reducing material consumption. However, a very broad range of nanomaterials (NMs) can be incorporated into the paper structure and allows creating paper products with novel properties. This review is of interdisciplinary nature, addressing the emerging area of nanotechnology in papermaking focusing on resources, chemical synthesis and processing, colloidal properties, and deposition methods. An overview of different NMs used in papermaking together with their intrinsic properties and a link to possible applications is presented from a chemical point of view. After a brief introduction on NMs classification and papermaking, their role as additives or pigments in the paper structure is described. The different compositions and morphologies of NMs and NSMs are included, based on wood components, inorganic, organic, carbon-based, and composite NPs. In a first approach, nanopaper substrates are made from fibrillary NPs, including cellulose-based or carbon-based NMs. In a second approach, the NPs can be added to a regular wood pulp as nanofillers or used in coating compositions as nanopigments. The most important processing steps for NMs in papermaking are illustrated including the internal filling of fiber lumen, LbL deposition or fiber wall modification, with important advances in the field on the in situ deposition of NPs on the paper fibers. Usually, the manufacture of products with advanced functionality is associated with complex processes and hazardous materials. A key to success is in understanding how the NMs, cellulose matrix, functional additives, and processes all interact to provide the intended paper functionality while reducing materials waste and keeping the processes simple and energy efficient.     

Nanomaterial Transformations in the Environment: Effects of Changing Exposure Forms on Bioaccumulation and Toxicity

In the environment, nanomaterials (NMs) are subject to chemical transformations, such as redox reactions, dissolution, coating degradation, and organic matter, protein, and macromolecule binding, and physical transformations including homo or heteroagglomeration. The combination of these reactions can result in NMs with differing characteristics progressing through a functional fate pathway that leads to the formation of transformed NM functional fate groups with shared properties. To establish the nature of such effects of transformation on NMs, four main types of studies are conducted: 1) chemical aging for transformation of pristine NMs; 2) manipulation of test media to change NM surface properties; 3) aging of pristine NMs water, sediment, or soil; 4) NM aging in waste streams and natural environments. From these studies a paradigm of aging effects on NM uptake and toxicity can be developed. Transformation, especially speciation changes, largely results in reduced potency. Further reactions at the surface resulting in processes, such as ecocorona formation and heteroagglomeration may additionally reduce NM potency. When NMs of differing potency transform and enter environments, common transformation reaction occurring in receiving system may act to reduce the variation in hazard between different initial NMs leading to similar actual hazard under realistic exposure conditions.     

Optical and electrochemical properties of multilayer polyelectrolyte thin films incorporating spherical, gold colloid nanomaterials

Polyelectrolyte multilayer (PEM) films incorporating various types of spherical, gold nanomaterials (NMs) were investigated to assess the existence of electrochemical and/or optical signal enhancement effects directly attributable to embedded NMs and the relationship of these effects to film structure and composition. Specifically, electrostatically assembled films of cationic poly-l-lysine (PLL) and anionic poly(4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) incorporating one of four types of spherical, gold colloid NMs were constructed on 3-(aminopropyl)trimethoxysilane (3-APTMS)-modified glass substrates for optical studies or 11-mercaptoundecanoic (MUA)-modified gold electrodes for electrochemical studies. The NMs inserted into the PEM films include citrate-stabilized gold nanoparticles, thioctic acid-stabilized gold nanoparticles (TAS-NPs), MUA-modified monolayer protected gold clusters, and hollow gold nanoshells (Au-NSs). Optical sensitivity of the NM-embedded films, in terms of absorbance, surface plasmon band shifts, and the dependence of these optical responses on film thickness, varied depending on the type of NM within the film (e.g., TAS-NPs versus Au-NSs) but exhibited no corresponding electrochemical effects in the diffusional voltammetry of a ferricyanide redox probe. While not correlated to optical responses, the increased Faradaic current achieved during voltammetry at NM-embedded PEM films suggested that electrochemical effects of NMs were less dependent on the type of NMs and were, instead, more related to their location within the film and the electrostatic interactions built into the interfacial chemistry of the films. These results should prove useful for developing strategies constructing thin films with NMs that are specifically designed for optical or electrochemical sensing, taking full advantage of the signal enhancements provided by individual types of NMs.     

Amorphous nanosilicas induce consumptive coagulopathy after systemic exposure

We previously reported that well-dispersed amorphous nanosilicas with particle size 70 nm (nSP70) penetrate skin and produce systemic exposure after topical application. These findings underscore the need to examine biological effects after systemic exposure to nanosilicas. The present study was designed to examine the biological effects. BALB/c mice were intravenously injected with amorphous nanosilicas of sizes 70, 100, 300, 1000 nm and then assessed for survival, blood biochemistry, and coagulation. As a result, injection of nSP70 caused fatal toxicity, liver damage, and platelet depletion, suggesting that nSP70 caused consumptive coagulopathy. Additionally, nSP70 exerts procoagulant activity in vitro associated with an increase in specific surface area, which increases as diameter reduces. In contrast, nSP70-mediated procoagulant activity was absent in factor XII-deficient plasma. Collectively, we revealed that interaction between nSP70 and intrinsic coagulation factors such as factor XII, were deeply related to nSP70-induced harmful effects. In other words, it is suggested that if interaction between nSP70 and coagulation factors can be suppressed, nSP70-induced harmful effects may be avoided. These results would provide useful information for ensuring the safety of nanomaterials (NMs) and open new frontiers in biological fields by the use of NMs.     

Microscopic investigation of the packing features of soft-rigid particle mixtures using the discrete element method

Soft-rigid mixtures (SRMs) have become popular materials in civil engineering applications for environmental protection because of their outstanding engineering properties. In soft-rigid granular systems, packing features strongly affect shear behavior and directly reflect internal stability. However, the packing features of SRMs have not been previously reported. The aim of this study is to explore the effect of material susceptibility on packing features from a microscopic perspective. First, fifty-three numerical assemblies were established to thoroughly investigate the effects of the size ratio and soft content on several microscopic quantities, e.g., the particle structure, stress network, and local void. Then, the effects of the confining stress and stiffness ratio were analyzed from another eighteen assemblies by six chosen indexes. The results provide microscopic insights into the void structures and stress transmission of SRMs in a packing state.     

增强颗粒含量和尺寸对SiCp/Fe复合材料性能的影响

利用电流直加热动态热压烧结工艺,分别制备了增强颗粒体积含量从5%到15%,尺寸从3 μm到45 μm的SiCp/Fe复合材料,研究了粒子含量与尺寸对复合材料硬度、强度、延伸率和耐磨性能的影响.研究表明:增强颗粒的体积含量从5%提高到10%,可以明显提高材料的性能;随着增强颗粒含量进一步提高,颗粒团聚将导致材料性能降低;...     

Leading, Following or Cooked Goose? Innovation Successes and Failures in Taiwan's Electronics Industry

The reasons behind the innovation successes and failures in the Taiwanese electronics industry have been widely discussed. This paper makes its contribution to the debate by comparing the innovation outcomes for three products: complimentary metal oxide silicon (CMOS) logic, dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs). Four success factors are identified to characterize products where the Taiwanese pursue innovation: granularity of production; absence of need for large amounts of patient capital; volume production; and manufacturing-based production. In turn, this paper argues that products exhibiting these characteristics succeed because such characteristics draw upon the institutional and historical strengths of the Taiwanese economy. The paper broadens the inquiry to assess what lessons the Taiwanese innovation successes have for developing countries. It is argued that the new lesson Taiwan has to offer is that countries can become innovators by concentrating their human and financial capital through granularization of production.increasingly relevant. It is argued here that social networks sustain interpersonal routines, which not only transgress organizational boundaries but on occasion also incubate new organizations in order to ensure their continued existence. This paper presents an overview of the routine concept and an argument for applying it in a network embeddedness context. Two case studies are presented, covering examples from the Danish dairy and the Danish machinery industry.