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Ahmed W, Fisher P, Veal C, Sturm K, Sidhu J, Toze S. Decay of Cryptosporidium parvfum DNA in cowpats in subtropical environments determined using qPCR. Sci Total Environ 2023; 899:165481. [PMID: 37442482 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.165481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Revised: 06/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
Cryptosporidium oocysts pose a significant threat to public health due to its ability to contaminate environmental waters, leading to outbreaks of waterborne diseases and emphasizing the crucial need for effective water treatment and monitoring systems. This study aimed to investigate the decay of Cryptosporidium oocyst DNA in cow fecal matter under different environmental conditions prevalent in sub-tropical Southeast Queensland (SEQ) during summer and winter seasons. The effects of ambient sunlight and shaded conditions on the decay rates of C. parvum DNA in cow fecal samples were evaluated. The results showed that measurable levels of C. parvum DNA were observed for up to 60 days during the summer experiments, with a slower decay rate on the surface (k = -0.029) and sub-surface (k = -0.043) of the cowpat under shaded conditions than those on the surface (k = -0.064) and sub-surface (k = -0.079) under sunlight conditions. The decay rates of C. parvum DNA on the surface and sub-surface of the cowpat under shaded conditions were significantly slower (p = 0.004; p = 0.004) than those on the surface and sub-surface under sunlight conditions during summer experiments. During the winter treatments, measurable levels of C. parvum DNA were observed for up to 90 days, and the decay rates were slower on the surface (k = -0.036) and sub-surface (k = -0.034) of the cowpat under shaded conditions than those under sunlight conditions (k = -0.067 for surface and k = -0.057 for sub-surface). The decay rates of C. parvum DNA on the surface and sub-surface of the cowpat under shaded conditions were significantly slower than those on the surface (p = 0.009) and sub-surface (p = 0.041) under sunlight conditions during winter experiments. Moreover, the decay rate in the summer sunlight surface treatment (k = -0.064) was significantly faster from those in the winter shaded surface (k = -0.036; p = 0.018) and sub-surface (k = -0.034; p = 0.011) treatments. Similar results were also observed for summer sunlight sub-surface (k = -0.079), which was significantly faster than winter shaded surface (k = -0.036; p = 0.0008) and sub-surface (k = -0.034; p = 0.0005) treatments. Overall, these findings are important to enhance our understanding on the degradation of C. parvum DNA in cow fecal matter in SEQ, particularly in relation to seasonal variations and environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Warish Ahmed
- CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia.
| | - Paul Fisher
- Seqwater, 117 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
| | - Cameron Veal
- Seqwater, 117 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
| | - Katrin Sturm
- Seqwater, 117 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, QLD 4305, Australia
| | - Jatinder Sidhu
- CSIRO Environment, Ecosciences Precinct, 41 Boggo Road, Dutton Park, QLD 4102, Australia
| | - Simon Toze
- Urban Water Futures, 93 Kays Road, The Gap, QLD 4061, Australia; Australian Centre for Water and Environmental Biotechnology, The University of Queensland, Hawken Drive, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia
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Wong YY, Lee CW, Chai SCY, Lim JH, Bong CW, Sim EUH, Narayanan K, Hii YS, Wang AJ. Distribution of faecal indicator bacteria in tropical waters of Peninsular Malaysia and their decay rates in tropical seawater. Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 185:114297. [PMID: 36327936 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.114297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 10/11/2022] [Accepted: 10/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
We investigated the appropriateness of faecal indicator bacteria in tropical waters. We compared total coliform (undetectable to 7.2 × 105 cfu 100 mL-1), faecal coliform (undetectable to 6.1 × 105 cfu 100 mL-1) and enterococci (undetectable to 3.1 × 104 cfu 100 mL-1) distribution in Peninsular Malaysia. Faecal indicator bacteria was highest in freshwater, and lowest in seawater (q > 4.18, p < 0.01). We also measured the decay rates of Escherichia coli and Enterococcus faecium in microcosms. In seawater, average decay rate for E. coli was 0.084 ± 0.029 h-1, and higher than E. faecium (0.048 ± 0.024 h-1) (t = 2.527, p < 0.05). Grazing accounted for 54 % of both E. coli and E. faecium decay. E. coli decayed in the <0.02 μm seawater fraction (0.023 ± 0.012 h-1) but E. faecium sometimes grew. Seawater warming further uncoupled the response from both E. coli and E. faecium as E. faecium grew and E. coli decayed with warming. Our results suggested that the prevalence of faecal indicator bacteria in tropical waters was not due to faecal pollution alone, and this will have serious implications towards the use of these faecal indicator bacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi You Wong
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Choon Weng Lee
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
| | - Stanley Choon Yip Chai
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Joon Hai Lim
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute for Advanced Studies, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Chui Wei Bong
- Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, Institute of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Institute of Ocean and Earth Sciences, Universiti Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Edmund Ui Hang Sim
- Faculty of Resource Sciences and Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak, 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia
| | - Kumaran Narayanan
- School of Science, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, 47500 Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Yii Siang Hii
- Pakar Scieno TW Pte. Ltd., 40150 Shah Alam, Selangor, Malaysia
| | - Ai-Jun Wang
- Laboratory of Coastal and Marine Geology, Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Natural Resources, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China; Fujian Provincial Key Laboratory of Marine Physical and Geological Processes, Xiamen, Fujian 361005, China
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Ragot R, Villemur R. Influence of temperature and water quality on the persistence of human mitochondrial DNA, human Hf183 Bacteroidales, fecal coliforms and enterococci in surface water in human fecal source tracking context. Sci Total Environ 2022; 838:156025. [PMID: 35588844 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2022.156025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is used as a genetic marker to track fecal contamination in surface water. Its potential to effectively discriminate between the nonpoint sources of fecal pollution (e.g. human, livestock) in water environments is relevant for water quality management. However, there is a lack of knowledge about the environmental persistence of mtDNA in relation to those of other microbial parameters, such as fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). In this study, mesocosms composed of water collected from four rivers and tap water were spiked with raw wastewater to mimic human fecal contamination. Mesocosms composed of raw wastewater were also studied. The mesocosms were incubated at 4 °C or at 22 °C for 189 days, from which the levels of human mtDNA (HumtDNA) and human Bacteroidales (Hf183) were measured by qPCR. The levels of FIB (fecal coliforms and enterococci) and heterotrophs were determined by culture methods along with the determination of physicochemical attributes. The decay rates of the genetic markers and FIB were determined with first-order decay rate models. The decay rates of HumtDNA (0.004-0.059 d-1), Hf183 (0.007-0.082 d-1), and the two FIBs (0.005-0.066 d-1) were similar at 4 °C, while the genetic markers both had higher decay rates (0.013-0.919 d-1) at 22 °C. Different HumtDNA decay rates were observed between the river mesocosms (0.043-0.919 d-1) and the wastewater and tap water mesocosms (0.004-0.095 d-1). Covariations of pH and conductivity among the HumtDNA, Hf183 and FIB decay rates were observed. HumtDNA and Hf183 had similar environmental persistence, whereas fecal coliforms and enterococci persisted longer at 22 °C. Finally, HumtDNA had the same trends of persistence in the four river mesocosms, suggesting a relative stability of this marker in different rivers. Our results suggest that HumtDNA could be more suitable for tracking the source of a recent fecal contamination in complement to FIB.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rose Ragot
- INRS Centre Armand-Frappier Santé Biotechnologie, Canada.
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Viza A, Muñoz I, Oliva F, Menéndez M. Contrary effects of flow intermittence and land uses on organic matter decomposition in a Mediterranean river basin. Sci Total Environ 2022; 812:151424. [PMID: 34742957 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.151424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Revised: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Flow interruption in intermittent rivers (IRs) generates a mosaic of terrestrial and aquatic habitats across the river network affecting ecosystem processes, as organic matter (OM) decomposition. Water use for farming in arid and semi-arid climates intensifies the dry conditions and affects local river characteristics. In that way, flow intermittence and the distribution of land uses may affect the OM processing along the river. To understand the role of IRs in global OM dynamics and how global change affecting water flow regimes determines these dynamics, it is important to estimate OM-processing rates at a basin scale. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of the intensity of flow intermittence on OM processing, and how this effect was modulated by local environmental factors related to land uses across a Mediterranean river basin. To do this, wood decomposition (mass loss and fungal biomass) was selected as a functional indicator. Drying duration and frequency were measured to characterize flow intermittence in different reaches along the river, as well as local environmental factors. Linear models stablished the role of factors on decomposition. The results showed that differences in decomposition rates across the river network were negatively related to the duration of flow interruption. Dissolved inorganic nitrogen associated with agriculture counteracted the negative effect of intermittence on mass loss (increasing by up to three times); but with a higher duration of dry conditions, its effect was insignificant. An increase of 20% of canopy (higher in natural areas) resulted in increases of up to 5% of mass loss. Overall, our study is relevant to understanding the interaction between flow intermittence and land uses on OM processing, especially considering the intensification of flow intermittence and its increased distribution to other regions, which is expected to be a consequence of climate warming and human activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Viza
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
| | - I Muñoz
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain; IdRA, The Water Research Institute, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - F Oliva
- Department of Genetics, Microbiology and Statistics, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
| | - M Menéndez
- Department of Evolutionary Biology, Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
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Sunger N, Hamilton KA, Morgan PM, Haas CN. Comparison of pathogen-derived 'total risk' with indicator-based correlations for recreational (swimming) exposure. Environ Sci Pollut Res Int 2019; 26:30614-30624. [PMID: 29644614 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-018-1881-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 03/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Typical recreational water risk to swimmers is assessed using epidemiologically derived correlations by means of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB). It has been documented that concentrations of FIB do not necessarily correlate well with protozoa and viral pathogens, which pose an actual threat of illness and thus sometimes may not adequately assess the overall microbial risks from water resources. Many of the known pathogens have dose-response relationships; however, measuring water quality for all possible pathogens is impossible. In consideration of a typical freshwater receiving secondarily treated effluent, we investigated the level of consistency between the indicator-derived correlations and the sum of risks from six reference pathogens using a quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) approach. Enterococci and E. coli were selected as the benchmark FIBs, and norovirus, human adenovirus (HAdV), Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella enterica, Cryptosporidium spp., and Giardia spp. were selected as the reference pathogens. Microbial decay rates in freshwater and uncertainties in exposure relationships were considered in developing our analysis. Based on our exploratory assessment, the total risk was found within the range of risk estimated by the indicator organisms, with viral pathogens as dominant risk agents, followed by protozoan and bacterial pathogens. The risk evaluated in this study captured the likelihood of gastrointestinal illnesses only, and did not address the overall health risk potential of recreational waters with respect to other disease endpoints. Since other highly infectious pathogens like hepatitis A and Legionella spp. were not included in our analysis, these estimates should be interpreted with caution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neha Sunger
- Department of Health, West Chester University, 855 South New Street, West Chester, PA, 19383, USA.
| | - Kerry A Hamilton
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, 251 Curtis Hall, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - Paula M Morgan
- Department of Health, West Chester University, 855 South New Street, West Chester, PA, 19383, USA
| | - Charles N Haas
- Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering, Drexel University, 251 Curtis Hall, 3141 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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Prasad MHK, Ganguly D, Paneerselvam A, Ramesh R, Purvaja R. Seagrass litter decomposition: an additional nutrient source to shallow coastal waters. Environ Monit Assess 2018; 191:5. [PMID: 30523426 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-018-7127-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Seagrass ecosystems are vital for its regulatory services yet, highly threatened by degradation due to human pressures. Decomposition of two tropical seagrass species (Cymodocea serrulata and Cymodocea rotundata) was studied and compared, to understand their potential in generating additional nutrients to coastal waters. Release of carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus during the decomposition process of seagrass wracks was estimated in bacteria-active (non-poisoned) and bacteria-inhibited (poisoned) conditions from shore-washed fresh seagrass, sampled from Palk Bay, India. Incubation experiments for 25 days indicated a near three times higher concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in bacteria-inhibited flasks compared to bacteria-active conditions for both species. The maximum leaching rates of DOC, TDN and TDP were found to be 294, 65.1 and 11.2 μM/g dry wt/day, respectively. Further, higher release of dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) (> 1.3 times) was documented from the bacteria-active flask, highlighting the significance of microbial process in generating bio-available nutrients from decaying seagrass. Faster decomposition (0.014 ± 0.004 day-1) in the initial stages (up to 8 days) compared to the later stages (0.005 ± 0.001 day-1) indicated a rapid loss of biomass carbon during the initial leaching process and its relative importance in the decomposition pathway. The decomposition rate is best described by a single-stage exponential decay model with a half-life of 41 days. It is estimated that the total seagrass litter available along the Palk Bay coast is about ~ 0.3 Gg with high potential of additional nitrogen (0.9 ± 0.5 Mg) and phosphorus (0.3 ± 0.1 Mg) supply to the adjacent coastal waters.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H K Prasad
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, Anna University Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India
| | - D Ganguly
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, Anna University Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India
| | - A Paneerselvam
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, Anna University Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India
| | - R Ramesh
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, Anna University Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India
| | - R Purvaja
- National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, Anna University Campus, Chennai, 600 025, India.
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He X, Chen H, Shi W, Cui Y, Zhang XX. Persistence of mitochondrial DNA markers as fecal indicators in water environments. Sci Total Environ 2015; 533:383-390. [PMID: 26172605 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.06.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2015] [Revised: 06/08/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology has recently been developed to identify sources of fecal contamination, but information regarding environmental fate of mtDNA is limited. In this study, quantitative real-time PCR was used to determine the persistence of three species-specific mtDNA markers (human, pig and chicken) in river microcosms under different laboratory conditions and in dialysis tubes incubated in river environments during different seasons. Human feces had a higher abundance of mtDNA marker than pig and chicken feces. A biphasic decay pattern was observed for the mtDNA markers in microcosms incubated in darkness, and T90 (time needed for 90% reduction) ranged from 2.03 to 13.83 d. Each species-specific mtDNA marker persisted for relatively longer time at lower temperatures, and light exposure and predation increased the decay rates. Field experiments showed that the mtDNA markers could survive for longer time in winter (T90: 1.79-4.37 d) than in summer (T90: 0.60-0.75 d). Field application of mtDNA technology indicated that the markers were mainly distributed on the sites near animal breeding plants and had lower abundance in downstream water of the receiving river. This study expands our knowledge of the environmental fate of mtDNA markers and the results may be useful for practical application of the technology in fecal source tracking.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiwei He
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, China
| | - Huimei Chen
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, School of Medicine, Nanjing University, China.
| | - Wei Shi
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, China
| | - Yibin Cui
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, China
| | - Xu-Xiang Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Pollution Control and Resource Reuse, School of the Environment, Nanjing University, China.
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Vijaya N, Upendra Kumar K, Jayasankar CK. Dy(3+)-doped zinc fluorophosphate glasses for white luminescence applications. Spectrochim Acta A Mol Biomol Spectrosc 2013; 113:145-153. [PMID: 23719414 DOI: 10.1016/j.saa.2013.04.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2012] [Revised: 03/24/2013] [Accepted: 04/08/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Dysprosium (Dy(3+)) ions doped zinc fluorophosphate (PKAZLFDy: P2O5-K2O-Al2O3-ZnF2-LiF-Dy2O3) glasses have been prepared and investigated their spectroscopic properties using absorption, emission and decay measurements. Judd-Ofelt analysis has been carried out to obtain the intensity parameters and in turn predicted radiative properties for the (4)F9/2 level of 1.0 mol% of Dy2O3 doped glass. Visible luminescence spectra have been obtained due to (4)F9/2→(6)HJ (J=11/2, 13/2, 15/2) transitions of Dy(3+) ions under 385 nm excitation. The yellow-to-blue luminescence intensity ratios and chromaticity coordinates of Dy(3+) ions in these glasses have been analyzed as a function of Dy(3+) ion concentration. The decay profiles for the (4)F9/2 level exhibit perfectly single exponential at lower concentrations (up to 1.0 mol%) and turn into non-exponential for higher concentrations (>1.0 mol%) due to energy transfer between donor (excited state Dy(3+) ion) and acceptor (ground state Dy(3+) ion). The results reveal that these glasses emit bright white light which is suitable for the development of W-LEDs.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Vijaya
- Department of Physics, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati 517 502, India
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