Biomedical subjects

Am Jang

Publications and source records attributed to Am Jang.

7 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

A disposable on-chip phosphate sensor with planar cobalt microelectrodes on polymer substrate.

Disposable microsensors on polymer substrates consisting of fully integrated on-chip planar cobalt (Co) microelectrodes, Ag/AgCl reference electrodes, and microfluidic channels have been designed, fabricated, and characterized for phosphate concentration measurement in aqueous solution. The planar Co microelectrode shows phosphate-selective potential response over the range from 10(-5) to 10(-2)M in acidic medium (pH 5.0) for both inorganic (KH(2)PO(4)) and organic (adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) and adenosine 5'-diphosphates (ADP)) phosphate compounds. This microfabricated sensor also demonstrates significant reproducibility with a small repeated sensing deviation (i.e. relative standard deviation (R.S.D.)<1%) on a single chip and a small chip-to-chip deviation (i.e. R.S.D.<2.5%). Specifically, while keeping the high selectivity, sensitivity, and stability of a conventional bulk Co-wire electrode, the proposed phosphate sensor yields advantages such as ease of use, cost effectiveness, reduced analyte consumption, and ease of integrating into disposable polymer lab-on-a-chip devices. The capability to sense both inorganic and organic phosphate compounds makes this sensor applicable in diverse areas such as environmental monitoring, soil extract analysis, and clinical diagnostics.

Biosensing Techniques↗

PubMed2006

Measurement of chlorine dioxide penetration in dairy process pipe biofilms during disinfection.

Biofilms are considered a significant health risk in the food and dairy industries because they can harbor pathogens, and direct contact with them can lead to food contamination. Biofilm control is often performed using strong oxidizing agents like chlorine and peracetic acid. Although chlorine dioxide (ClO2) is being used increasingly to control microbiological growth in a number of different industries, not much is known about disinfection in biofilms using chlorine dioxide. In this study, a microelectrode originally made for chlorine detection was modified to measure the profiles of chlorine dioxide in biofilm as a function of depth into the biofilm. In addition, discarded microelectrodes proved useful for in situ direct measurement of biofilm thicknesses. The chlorine dioxide microelectrode had a linear response when calibrated up to a ClO2 concentration of 0.4 mM. ClO2 profiles showed depletion of disinfectant at 100 microm in the biofilm depth, indicating that ClO2 may not reach bacteria in a biofilm thicker than this using a 25 mg/l solution.

Biofilms↗

PubMed2005

Miniaturized redox potential probe for in situ environmental monitoring.

The need for accurate, robust in situ microscale monitoring of oxidation-reduction potentials (ORP) is required for continuous soil pore water quality monitoring. We are developing a suite of self-contained microelectrodes that can be used in the environment, such as at Superfund sites, to monitor ORP in contaminated soils and sediments. This paper presents details on our development of microelectrode sensor arrays for ORP measurements. The electrochemical performance of these ORP electrodes was fully characterized by measuring redox potentials in standard solutions. It found that the newly developed integrated ORP microelectrodes produced a very stable voltage response (the corresponding rate of the integrated microelectrode potential change was in the range of 0.6-1.1 mV/min), even when the measurement was carried out outside of a Faraday cage where signals from most conventional microelectrodes are usually inhibited by external electrical nose. These new microelectrodes were easier to fabricate and were more robust than conventional microelectrodes. The tip size of the integrated ORP microelectrode was approximately 200 nm square, with a taper angle of approximately 20 degrees and a length of 57 microm. The integrated ORP microelectrode exhibited better signal stability and substantially shorter response times (from less than a few milliseconds to 30 s, depending on the standard solution used) than the commercial millielectrode (a few minutes). Compared with the slope of the commercial millelectrode, the slope of the integrated microelectrode (61.5 mV/pH) was closerto the ideal slope against quinhydrone calibration solutions. Therefore, it is to be expected that the newly developed ORP microelectrode may have wider applications in contaminated soils, biofilms, and sediments.

Electrochemistry↗

PubMed2005

The removal of heavy metals in urban runoff by sorption on mulch.

A series of adsorption experiments was conducted in order to assess the ability of three mulches to remove several of the heavy metal ions typically encountered in urban runoff. Three types of mulch, cypress bark (C), hardwood bark (H), and pine bark nugget (P), were selected as potential sorbents to capture heavy metals in urban runoff. The hardwood bark (H) mulch had the best physicochemical properties for adsorption of heavy metal ions. In addition, because of its fast removal rate and acceptably high capacity for all the heavy metal ions, it was concluded that the H mulch is the best of the three adsorbents for treatment of urban runoff containing trace amounts of heavy metals. In order to investigate the sorption isotherm, two equilibrium models, the Freundlich and Langmuir isotherms, were analyzed. The sorption of these metals on H mulch conformed to the linear form of the Langmuir adsorption equation. At pH 5 and 6, the Langmuir constants (S(m)) for each metal were found to be 0.324 and 0.359 mmol/g (Cu); 0.306 and 0.350 mmol/g (Pb); and 0.185 and 0.187 mmol/g (Zn) at 25 degrees C.

Biodegradation, Environmental↗

PubMed2003

Characterization and evaluation of aerobic granules in sequencing batch reactor.

In order to investigate the aerobic granules cultured under alternating aerobic and anoxic conditions, a sequencing batch reactor (SBR) was operated without the presence of a carrier material. Nitrification and denitrification occurred alternately in the SBR operation, with an increased nitrification efficiency of up to 97% and a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal efficiency of up to 95%. It was observed that physical characteristics of granule play an important role in the performance of the SBR process. Light microscopy was used to observe the time dependent development of the granules in the SBR. Based on the microscopic observations, some floc-like sludges remained in the form of a mixture with granules for 30 days of operation. Even though various granule sizes had been formed in the reactor after 50 days, the granule sizes were primarily from 1 +/- 0.35 to 1.3 +/- 0.45 mm, rarely exceeding 2 mm. The granules were analyzed by a combination of microelectrodes and fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), which provides more detailed information on what happens inside the granules. Based on their results, ammonia oxidizing bacteria (AOB) existed primarily in the upper and middle layers of the granule. Assuming a first-order reaction for nitrification, most of the nitrification is likely to occur from the surface to 300 microm into the granular thickness.

Bacteria, Aerobic↗

PubMed2003

Monitoring the impact of dissolved oxygen and nitrite on anoxic biofilm in continuous denitrification process.

An anoxic biofilm involved in continuous denitrification process was monitored to investigate the effect of different concentrations of influent dissolved oxygen (DO) or nitrite on the biofilm. Microelectrode measurements evidenced nitrate removal activity of biofilm. When different concentrations of DO were applied to the reactor, generally decreased concentrations of DO were observed as bed depth increased from the bottom of the reactor. Greatest decrease of the DO was observed in the lower 20% of the bed depth. Nitrate removal efficiency was inversely proportional to influent DO concentrations (8.3-11.9 DO mg L(-1)) or nitrite loading rates (0-5.5 N-NO2- kg m(-3) day(-1)) employed in this study. Nitrite loading rates to achieve more than 90% of nitrate removal efficiency were 1.46 N-NO2- kg m(-3) day(-1) or less at pH 7.5 and 0.34 N-NO2- kg m(-3) day(-1) or less at pH 6.8. Nitrate removal efficiency was 63% or more within the lower 20% of the bed depth at the nitrite loading rates that allowed more than 90% of nitrate removal efficiency of the reactor. The results of this study provide first quantitative data that nitrate removal performance of an anoxic biofilm is inhibited by DO or nitrite, reported to be a limiting factor in the suspended biological denitrification process.

Biofilms↗

PubMed2003

Simultaneous removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen: batch test.

A batch test was conducted to investigate the effect of the chemical oxygen demand, (COD)/N ratio, nitrate, nitrite and temperature, on the microbial degradation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and the denitrification capability using VOCs-acclimatized and un-acclimatized cultures. The nitrite reduction rates differed with each reactor, as follows: 15.418 NO2-N mg MLVSS g(-1) h(-1) in the benzene and methanol (BM) reactor, 27.463 NO2-N mg MLVSS g(-1) h(-1) in the toluene and methanol (TM) reactor and 44.358 NO2-N mg MLVSS g(-1) h(-1) in the methanol (M) reactor. According to the COD/N ratio, the nitrate reduction rates of the BM and TM reactors acclimatized by VOCs changed in the ranges of 29.4-33.41 NO3-N mg MLVSS g(-1) day(-1) and 56.4-65.9 NO3-N mg MLVSS g(-1) day(-1), respectively. Thus, benzene was not effectively utilized as a carbon source. Conversely, toluene was utilized as a carbon source by the denitrifiers under substrate limited conditions. The specific denitrification rates were also greater in the TM reactor than those for both the substrate limited and unlimited conditions in the BM reactor.

Air Pollution↗