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dc.contributor.advisorPérez-Reyes, Omar
dc.contributor.authorCruz Rosa, Stefani M.
dc.date.accessioned2023-11-15T21:12:06Z
dc.date.available2023-11-15T21:12:06Z
dc.date.issued2023-05-16
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/11721/3474
dc.description.abstractThis dissertation specializes in studying and determining the environmental concentrations of an emerging pollutant of which we do not fully know, titanium oxide nanoparticles (TiO<sub>2</sub> NPs). Although we are aware of the extensive use and commercial production of this nanoparticle in the US and that there are various sources of contamination and their entry into rivers, we are almost completely unaware of the environmental concentrations that exist in Puerto Rico. There is little knowledge of the toxicological effects that could be associated with ecologically susceptible species. To date, there are no federal or state regulations for acceptable environmental concentrations in our rivers. This study aims to determine the actual status of urban and rural rivers in Puerto Rico related to the presence/absence of TiO<sub>2</sub> NPs and the specific fate and behavior in a laboratory-controlled environment. Also, we want to understand and measure how the presence of these nanoparticles in the freshwater ecosystem results in lethal and sublethal effects due to the toxicity of the TiO<sub>2</sub> NPs, on the life cycle of an endemic shrimp in Puerto Rico, <em>Atya lanipes</em>. The objectives of this dissertation are: 1) Determine the environmental concentrations of titanium oxide nanoparticles and the fate and behavior laboratory assessment, 2) Describe the early larval development description of the freshwater shrimp <em>Atya lanipes</em> Holthuis, 1963 (Decapoda: Caridea: Atyidae), 3) Establish titanium oxide nanoparticles as emerging aquatic pollutants evaluating the nanotoxicity in the freshwater shrimp larvae <em>Atya lanipes</em>, and 4) Determine the neurotoxicity and oxidative stress development in adult <em>Atya lanipes</em> shrimp exposed to titanium oxide nanoparticles. Through field and laboratory studies, we obtained for the first time the concentrations of titanium oxide nanoparticles in sediment and dissolved titanium in water from the Rio Piedras and Sabana rivers. Also, we were able to elucidate the first nine (9) larval stages of the <em>Atya lanipes</em> shrimp. Then, after acute and chronic exposures, we evaluated lethal and sublethal toxic effects in both larval and adult stages of the <em>Atya lanipes</em> shrimp. This study is an innovative one that contributes significantly to our scientific knowledge of the magnitude of the concentration of TiO<sub>2</sub> NP that we are facing. It provides a starting point to begin public policy and better management in the use and discharge of this type of nanomaterial.en_US
dc.description.sponsorshipI wish very much to thank my principal advisor Dr. Omar Perez-Reyes for his immense guidance during these years. For teaching me so much and getting the best out of me. I would also like to thank my Shrimp and Fish Ecology Laboratory team, Edgar Lozada, Marla Santos, and Rafael Pérez for their help in the field and for answering many questions along the way. Thanks to Fernando Villar for his help in the search for materials so that all the experiments were successful. Also, I want to thank my doctoral committee. To Dr. Concepción Rodríguez, Dr. Líz Díaz, Dr. Tamara Heartsill, and Dr. Jorge Ortiz for their guidance and expertise provided throughout the doctorate. I want to thank Raisa Jesús, Aixa Orta, and Dr. Arthur Tinoco for their help handling and analyzing the water and sediment samples. For always answering my questions and genuinely helping me. Without you, I would not have finished my dissertation on time. Thanks to each person who contributed directly and indirectly to the development of my project. Especially, I thank the University of Puerto Rico for giving me a first-class education and training me as a human and professional being. Last but not least, I thank the Puerto Rico Center for Environmental Neuroscience(PRCEN)(Grant # HRD-11736019) for financing my project and giving me the opportunity to dedicate myself full-time to my Ph.D. and to enjoy conventions and professional experiences that significantly enriched my career.en_US
dc.language.isoen_USen_US
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States*
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/*
dc.subjectEmerging pollutantsen_US
dc.subjectNanoecotoxicologyen_US
dc.subjectRio Piedras riveren_US
dc.subjectSabana riveren_US
dc.subject.lcshAtyidae (Crustacea)en_US
dc.subject.lcshEl Yunque National Forest (P.R.)en_US
dc.subject.lcshEmerging contaminants in wateren_US
dc.subject.lcshNanoparticlesen_US
dc.subject.lcshRío Piedras (San Juan, P.R.)en_US
dc.subject.lcshWater pollutionen_US
dc.subject.lcshWater qualityen_US
dc.titleTitanium oxide nanoparticles in the freshwater ecosystem: <em>Atya lanipes</em> shrimp as a nanotoxicological modelen_US
dc.typeDissertationen_US
dc.rights.holder© 2023 Stefani M. Cruz-Rosaen_US
dc.contributor.committeeOrtiz-Zayas, Jorge
dc.contributor.committeeDíaz-Vázquez, Liz
dc.contributor.committeeRodríguez-Fourquet, Concepción
dc.contributor.committeeHeartsill-Scalley, Tamara
dc.contributor.campusUniversity of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campusen_US
dc.description.graduationSemesterSpring (2nd Semester)en_US
dc.description.graduationYear2023en_US
thesis.degree.disciplineEnvironmental Sciencesen_US
thesis.degree.levelPh.D.en_US


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