Prion Transport in Porous Media: Influence of Electrostatic and Non-DLVO Interactions

0826204/Pedersen本研究针对朊病毒，即传染性海绵状脑病如牛海绵状脑病（“疯牛病”）和鹿和麋鹿慢性消耗性疾病中的传染因子，对人类健康构成潜在威胁。目前，我们对朊病毒在土壤和地下环境中的命运和运输的理解非常有限，尽管这种理解对于评估与朊病毒在自然环境中相关的风险至关重要（例如，来自患病的尸体、动物脱落、来自屠宰场和野味处理化粪池系统的排放物）和工程系统（例如，屠宰场处理的尸体和废物根除计划和肉类召回）。主要目的是评估感染性朊蛋白通过多孔介质运输的重要相互作用，并确定由化学扰动引起的朊蛋白沉积的可逆性。PI将检查朊病毒蛋白附着到石英和功能化二氧化硅表面在不同的离子强度与背景电解质不同的阳离子价。物理应变朊病毒蛋白保留在多孔介质中的贡献将使用几个中值粒径和粒径分布的超纯石英颗粒进行检查。将在饱和柱实验中并使用具有分散的石英晶体微量天平检查附着，并将在胶体稳定性的Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek（DLVO）理论框架内进行解释。将推导出方程，描述在低Péclet数条件下的单集电器效率和静电和货车德瓦尔斯相互作用的球体和棒之间的相互作用。更广泛的影响将通过加强K-12教育来实现，方法是设计、实施和评估一个围绕探究和发现式学习练习组织的中学生环境工程和科学教学单元。开发这个中学单元将继续与一名中学科学教师现有的合作，该合作是通过NSF教师研究经验计划发起的。该项目团队将利用现有资源，以达到他们的教育目标，如西澳大学的NSF资助的三角洲计划的研究，教学和学习，为研究生提供机会，以发展课堂教学技能，教材的准备，非正式教育，教学不同的学生观众，教学与技术和实习。

0826204/PedersenThis study addresses prions, the infectious agents in transmissible spongiform encephalopathies such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy ("mad cow" disease) and chronic wasting disease of deer and elk, represent a potential threat to human health. At present, our understanding of prion fate and transport in soils and subsurface environments is extremely limited, even though such an understanding is critical to assessing the risks associated with prions in the natural environment (e.g., from diseased carcasses, animal shedding, discharges from slaughterhouse and game processing septic systems) and in engineered systems (e.g., landfill disposal of carcasses and waste from eradication programs and meat recalls). The main objectives are to evaluate the interactions important in infectious prion protein transport through porous media; and determine the reversibility of prion protein deposition induced by chemical perturbations. The PIs will examine prion protein attachment to quartz and functionalized silica surfaces under varying ionic strengths with background electrolytes differing in cation valence. The contribution of physical straining to prion protein retention in porous media will be examined using ultrapure quartz grains of several median particle sizes and size distributions. Attachment will be examined in saturated column experiments and using a quartz crystal microbalance with dispersion, and will be interpreted within the framework of the Derjaguin-Landau-Verwey-Overbeek (DLVO) theory of colloid stability. Equations will be derived that describe the single-collector efficiency under low Péclet number conditions and electrostatic and van der Waals interaction interactions between spheres and rods. Broader impacts will be realized through enhanced K-12 education by designing, implementing, and evaluating an instructional unit on environmental engineering and science for middle-school students that is organized around inquiry- and discovery-based learning exercises. Developing this middle-school unit will continue an existing collaboration with a middle school science teacher that was initiated through the NSF Research Experience for Teachers program. The project team will leverage existing resources to reach their educational objectives such as UW's NSF-funded Delta Program in Research, Teaching, and Learning to provide opportunities for graduate students to develop skills in classroom teaching, preparation of instructional materials, informal education, teaching to diverse student audiences, teaching with technology and internships.