Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Plant Growth

Effect of Silver Nanoparticles on Plant Growth Nanoparticles are becoming increasingly used as materials in over 2000 consumer products due to their unique chemical, physical and electrical properties. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter and nanoparticles can be 1-100 nm in size. Silver nanoparticles are used for their antibacterial properties in many every day products such as food storage containers, air filtration systems and bandages. Nanomaterials are structures, devices, and systems at the nanometre scale. They are fast becoming an important material that can range from better and faster electronics to more efficient fuel usage, drug discovery and stronger, more resistant materials (Whatmore, 2006). The demand for engineered nanomaterials is a rapidly growing industry which was expected to reach a market size of approximately 2.6 trillion dollars by 2015 (Lee et al., 2010), however there is little knowledge on whether nanomaterials have an adverse effect on the environment or to human health and what the extent of these effects could be. Engineered nanoparticles have a wide range of chemical, physical and electrical properties such as conducting heat with low resistance and being stronger and lighter than other bulk materials (Tolaymat et al., 2017). The broad number of products that contain nanomaterials for consumers may lead to the release of an increased quantity of engineered nanoparticles in to the environment, which display different physiochemical properties than larger materials. (Geisler-Lee et al., 2012).  While the benefits of nanomaterials are broadcasted, their potential effects to the environment and to human health from their widespread use in consumer products are just becoming recognized. (Hoet et al., 2004). There are a number of ways that nanoparticles can be released in to the environment as shown in Figure 1. There are a number of different entry points for engineered nanomaterials into the environment, including wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent, and WWTP sludge, however, it is difficult to estimate the relevant concentrations of nanoparticles that will be released in to the environment (Maurer-Jones et al., 2013). Once nanoparticles enter the environment there can be movement throughout the environment. One way this could happen is through food webs. If nanoparticles are consumed by organisms on a low trophic level thy may begin to accumulate in organisms at higher trophic levels. One of the challenges for working out the dangers associated with nanomaterial release in to the environment is the concern related to how clear our knowledge of how the properties of nanomaterials change once they interact with the environment. Also, nanoparticle properties can be affected by conditions, such as soil chemistry, pH, and organic matter. (Darlington et al., 2009) One of these effects to the environment could be the release of nanomaterials, through different pathways, in to bodies of water including lakes, rivers, and streams which could also cause run off in to soils and in to the air. Recent research (Das et al., 2012) showed that AgNPs rapidly but temporarily inhibited natural bacterioplankton production. Nanoparticles can affect biological behaviour at the cellular, subcellular and protein levels of a plant. The effect of nanomaterials on plant species is a topic that is being widely researched however there is still no conclusive answer on whether nanomaterials, specifically silver nanoparticles, have a negative impact on plant species, however metallic engineered nanoparticles may have stimulatory and inhibitory effects on plants. Arabidopsis thaliana is widely used in scientific research and was used in this study to further investigate the effects of silver nanoparticles on germination of seeds and also chlorophyll fluorescence after treatment with differing concentrations of nanomaterials. The silver nanoparticles used in this experiment were capped with PVP; this is because capped nanoparticles are less likely to aggregate in the solution over time and are more stable than uncapped nanoparticles (Tejamaya et al., 2012). Due to this a control of PVP had to be used to show that the capping had no effect on the plant species itself. Two mutations of A. thaliana seed were used in this experiment to test the effects of silver nanoparticles. The two sizes of silver nanoparticles were dissolved in distilled water which also meant that distilled water had to be used as a control to show that, on its own, it had no effect on the plant germination. Silver nitrate was also used at differing concentrations as a third control to show any differences between nanoparticles and as silver nitrates can be reduced, with PVP as a stabilizer, to synthesize silver nanoparticles (Samadi et al., 2010). As silver nanoparticles are smaller in size than silver nitrate particles, there will be a higher abundance of nanoparticles within the solution at a given concentration than silver nitrates. The effect of silver nanoparticles on plant species is important due to the many ways that nanoparticles can be dispersed in the environment. Relatively few studies have investigated the toxicological and environmental effects of engineered nanoparticles (Smita et al., 2012). However, the concentrations used in this experiment would generally be higher than the concentrations of these nanoparticles in the environment, although accurate concentrations in the environment are still not fully known. This is because their concentration in the environment will depend on factors such as the amount of the material released over time. The nanoparticles may become physically or chemically altered by environmental conditions such as temperature and salinity of water and also these factors may alter the form of the nanoparticles, exposure, and transport through the environment.   There is still concern over the potential impacts of engineered nanoparticles in the environment on aquatic and ter restrial organisms. Although some data indicates that current risks of engineered nanoparticles in the environment may be low, what we know of the potential impacts of engineered nanoparticles in the environment is still limited. There is still a demand for continued work to further understand the exposure levels for engineered nanoparticles in environmental systems and try and further our knowledge on the significance of these levels in terms of the environment which is what has been addressed in this project (Boxall et al., 2007). A similar study was carried out by (Obaid, 2016) which evaluated the impact of capped silver nanoparticles on terrestrial and aquatic plants, one of the terrestrial plants being A. thaliana . In this study chlorophyll fluorescence and gaseous exchange of the plants were measured to analyse the effects of the capped silver nanoparticles. The study showed that the capped silver nanoparticles displayed varying toxicity to the plants at higher concentrations, with particular interest to how they effected the germination of A. thaliana, with inhibition of germination at a concentration of 100mg/l of capped silver nanoparticles. The outcome of this study found that there are many factors that have significance on the toxicity of silver nanoparticles which includes exposure method, released ions, plant species, light intensity and growth mediums. However the concentrations used in the study by (Obaid, 2016),   much like the concentrations used in this project, are exaggerated and concentr ations as high as these will not be present in the environment as yet although it is important to test high concentrations due to large quantities of nanoparticles being used in every day products therefore such concentrations may be present in the environment in the very near future.

Jane Eyre :: Literature Religion Papers

Jane Eyre    St. John Rivers makes some very intriguing choices in Jane Eyre. He is constantly faced with difficult decisions to make. Whether it be refusing his true love or moving to India to give his life serving others, there is always an interesting twist where St. John is concerned. His importance in the novel may be evident to readers, but they may not always understand his decisions and his actions. The choices he makes are exemplary of a man who has given his life to serve God and His people. St. John, at his introduction in the novel, is a clergyman with plans to become a missionary someday soon. This is not surprising for clergymen, according to Andrew F. Walls, author of The Missionary Movement in Christian History, since "a missionary was essentially a preacher, and a preacher should normally be a minister" (161). At this time, it was considered normal for a clergyman to become a missionary. But a missionary did have to be more than a clergyman. He also must have "common sense" and "competence," Walls says. St. John has all of these qualities and more, making him perfect for a life of sacrifice. St. John Rivers is introduced into the novel as a savior. He takes Jane into his home and under his care when she believes to have reached the end of her road. It is here, at Moor House with St. John, that she is given a new beginning with a new identity, job, and, eventually, a family with St. John and his sisters. As a clergyman, St. John is a good, moral person whose intentions are to provide for his people and his family. He also eventually wants to become a missionary someday soon. Jane likes the idea of this and it is evident to readers that Jane admires St. John and loves him like the brother he has become to her. He even gives her a job as a teacher at a school for less fortunate children. It is here that she is introduced to Rosamond Oliver and her father. After meeting Rosamond Oliver through her teaching position and hearing her talk about St. John with admiration, Jane concludes that they are meant to be for each other. She goes to St. John with her allegations and he admits his love for her to Jane: [. . .] I

Frankestein and his creature Evil Essay

He ate the berries and other small fruits that he found in the woods. He is good at this stage because He has seen how He was upsetting the family when He was eating their food; He realised this and started to chop wood to repay the family. He is aspiring to be like the family, He wishes to be friends with them and have friends of His own. There are a series of events, which leads up to the creature becoming resentful and violent. He first saw His reflection in a pond; His gaze laid eyes upon His ugly, repulsive reflection. He could not believe that His creator had made Him this ugly. When He saw the blind Grandfather alone one day, He decided He would approach Him because He thought the Grandfather would be more understanding as he was old and more wise. This was so but when the old man’s daughter in law and Granddaughter returned, they screamed at the sight and the son came rushing home. The son thought the creature was attacking his father and so the son attacked the creature. The creature ran away and did not respond with violence. The creature did not lash out because He thought that if He did it would ruin any chance of becoming friends with the family. Later on in the week he over heard a conversation between the son and their landlord, the son said, â€Å"My wife and sister will never recover from their horror. † After the conversation the creature gave up all hope of befriending the once, happy, joyous and caring family. The family left the cottage out of fright; meanwhile the creature was angry and very upset. He went back to the empty cottage and set the wooden building alight. He watched the cottage burn and He enjoyed it. Later on in the creature’s life He found Victor’s diary which contained notes on how His creator abandoned Him. In the front of Victor’s diary it had His home address of Geneva written in it. The creature was determined that Victor would feel His wrath. He set of to Geneva to get revenge. On His arrival in Geneva, he saw a small boy walking on the same lane that He was on. The creature hid in the bushes and wandered whether he should He reveal Him self to the child. He thought that if the child being young would understand His condition. He decided to reveal Him self. He took hold of the small boy’s arm, He wanted to protect and look after Him. The child screamed, the creature told the boy His intentions, that He wanted to be friends. The boy kept on screaming, He cried out, â€Å"Monster! Ugly wretch! You wish to eat me and tear me to pieces, you’re an ogre, let me go or I will tell my Papa. My father is Mme Frankenstein. † â€Å"You belong to my sworn enemy, Victor Frankenstein. After all the upset He has caused me, I will give Him something to be upset about. † With that the creature picked up the small boy William and throttled Him. The creature gained enormous pleasure over killing William, He had the taste for killing and He wanted revenge. The creature met with Frankenstein in the remote mountainous regions of Geneva, no one around to disturb them. The monster did not attack Victor, he wished to talk; the creature wanted Victor to create another being, a female one this time. Victor was served with an ultimatum, if he would recreate another being they would retire to South America or Victor would feel his wrath, fired by hatred, self-pity and desire for a mate. The creature does have a right to a mate, He will go away and not disturb any one ever again or He will destroy Victor if He does not. Victor has reason not to create a mate, She could be even worse, she has not promised to be good, the creature could hate it, they could come back or they might desolate the world. When Frankenstein was on His death bed, He said, â€Å"Examining my past conduct, nor do I find it blameable. † He feels it is not His fault about what has happened and He feels He had done nothing wrong. He knows He had responsibilities but He ignored them thinking the duties towards the beings of my own species were more important. Victor said He was right about not building a new creature. He says the first one went wrong and killed his friends and family, so He will not create a partner for the creature that killed them. He said it was evil and He had to kill it. The creature is very upset, He admits to killing Victor by leading Him to the icy lands. He asked for forgiveness but He knows it will not change anything. It said He had put up with more anguish than Victor ever had, He had to do it even though he didn’t want to do it. When Victor was about to be cremated on the ice fields, the ice cracked up, the monster swam across and lit the pyre, and He stayed there next to Victor while He burned. I think that Victor Frankenstein was not evil, He was very confused and completely adsorbed in what he was doing, he was sure he was right, wanting to get rid of death, apart from a violent on. The creature was good in that he helped the family in the winter when food was scarce. However he did turn to evil was towards the end of the book after he failed with living with him self, destine to walk alone for the rest of his life. Another aspect for being evil was that he killed his creator; the man he gave him his pitiful life, and his family.

The European Convention on Human Rights Act 1998 - 968 Words

The aim of this essay is to critically evaluate the statement The European Convention on Human Rights exists to guarantee legal protection to fundamental rights. It will examine how rights are protected in law and the way the UK approaches the protection of these rights. Explanation will be made of the way that the UK addresses the implementation of the rights in the English legal system. Issues such as conflicting rights and legal limitations will also be considered. An evaluation will be made of whether or not The Human Rights Act 1998 protects the fundamental rights of UK citizens as contained in the European Convention on Human Rights. Before the Human Rights Act 1998 was passed by parliament it had been considered unnecessary†¦show more content†¦Under this procedure judges will decide whether or not the public authority has infringed the rights of the person affected and has therefore acted illegally. People can only bring cases against public authorities. Cases cannot be brought against privately funded organisations or individuals. However, because the Act has affected the way that judges are interpreting and developing existing laws the Act can also affect both individuals and private organisations. Clearly though, there will be situations that will arise where the rights contained within the Act will be in conflict between individuals and authorities or organisations. For example, Article 11: Freedom of association and assembly. This Article protects the right to peaceful protest and demonstration. In some circumstances this may interfere with the rights that are protected under Article 8: The right to respect for private and family life. This could occur when the activities of an individual are being protested against outside of their home. An example of this would be when animal rights organisations stage demonstrations outside of the homes of scientists who work in laboratories which use live animals in experiments. Additionally, there are limitations to some of the rights contained within the Act. These are known as qualified rights and in some circumstances these rights can be breached. Article 10:Show MoreRelatedThe Human Rights Act 19981486 Words   |  6 Pages The Human Rights Act 1998 The Human Rights Act 1998 was fully enforced in 2000 and describes further effect to freedoms and rights that are entitled under the ECHR (the European Convention on Human Rights) (Ward, Wragg Walker 2011, p. 146). The constitutional framework of the United Kingdom implies that the Human Rights Act 1998 is not ‘embedded’ in the same way as the human rights papers that are adopted by many nations in the world. Nonetheless, it is argued that any attempt to amend or repealRead MoreThe European Convention On Human Rights1492 Words   |  6 Pagesthat is italicized needs to be rewritten The European Convention on Human Rights. Exactly what is it and what are its aims? 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