38 research outputs found
Organic Bioelectronics Development in Italy: A Review
In recent years, studies concerning Organic Bioelectronics have had a constant growth due to the interest in disciplines such as medicine, biology and food safety in connecting the digital world with the biological one. Specific interests can be found in organic neuromorphic devices and organic transistor sensors, which are rapidly growing due to their low cost, high sensitivity and biocompatibility. This trend is evident in the literature produced in Italy, which is full of breakthrough papers concerning organic transistors-based sensors and organic neuromorphic devices. Therefore, this review focuses on analyzing the Italian production in this field, its trend and possible future evolutions
The Development of Electrochemical Sensors and their Application in Real Biological Environments
Screen printed sensors and applications have been developed that utilise carbon/graphite working and counter electrodes and silver reference electrodes.The first sensor produced is a pH sensor where the working electrode hasbeen functionalised by spin coating a layer of DMSO-melanin which enablesit to become sensitive to changes in pH. This pH sensor was initially tested inreference buffer solutions where the sensitivity to pH was -49.79mV/pH±8.93over a range of pH4 to pH10. Further testing showed an improved sensitivityof -63mV/pH±4.79 over a range of pH5 to pH8 which is a biologically relevantrange. The DMSO-melanin pH sensor was tested in culturing mediathat had been inoculated and live bacteria were present where it was demonstrated to maintain sensitivity to pH in the presence of bacteria suggesting that it is suitable for the use in bacterial culturing applications. It was observed that signal measured depends on the type of culturing media used sotherefore the type of culturing media must be known in advance of testingand a standard curve for each type of media being tested must be establishedbefore testing. Testing the DMSO-melanin pH sensors with blood samplesin a preclinical model revealed challenges in obtaining repeatable results inblood samples. Subsequent investigation into this indicated that substanceswithin the blood interfere with the signal that is measured by the sensor, inparticular NaCl, KCl and MgCl2. This work also produced a nonfunctionalisedcarbon/graphite screen printed electrode that was able to accuratelymeasure the concentration of Lactobacillus casei bacteria in culturing mediasolutions using square wave voltammetry. The shape of the voltammogramsmeasured was different when cultures of Escherichia coli and Saccharomycescerevisiae were tested suggesting that there might be potential useful applications involving this technique to identify characteristics of microbiota(such as domain, species, Gram type and quantity) based on the measuredvoltammograms. However further research on an expanded number of differentprokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms is needed to confirm whethersuch applications are possible
Plant sentience? Between romanticism and denial: Science
A growing number of non-human animal species are being seriously considered as candidates for sentience, but plants are either forgotten or explicitly excluded from these debates. In our view, this is based on the belief that plant behavior is hardwired and inflexible and on an underestimation of the role of plant electrophysiology. We weigh such assumptions against the evidence to suggest that it is time to take seriously the hypothesis that plants, too, might be sentient. We hope this target article will serve as an invitation to investigate sentience in plants with the same rigor as in non-human animals
Wearable Nano-Based Gas Sensors for Environmental Monitoring and Encountered Challenges in Optimization
With a rising emphasis on public safety and quality of life, there is an urgent need to ensure optimal air quality, both indoors and outdoors. Detecting toxic gaseous compounds plays a pivotal role in shaping our sustainable future. This review aims to elucidate the advancements in smart wearable (nano)sensors for monitoring harmful gaseous pollutants, such as ammonia (NH3), nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), sulfur dioxide (SO2), ozone (O3), hydrocarbons (CxHy), and hydrogen fluoride (HF). Differentiating this review from its predecessors, we shed light on the challenges faced in enhancing sensor performance and offer a deep dive into the evolution of sensing materials, wearable substrates, electrodes, and types of sensors. Noteworthy materials for robust detection systems encompass 2D nanostructures, carbon nanomaterials, conducting polymers, nanohybrids, and metal oxide semiconductors. A dedicated section dissects the significance of circuit integration, miniaturization, real-time sensing, repeatability, reusability, power efficiency, gas-sensitive material deposition, selectivity, sensitivity, stability, and response/recovery time, pinpointing gaps in the current knowledge and offering avenues for further research. To conclude, we provide insights and suggestions for the prospective trajectory of smart wearable nanosensors in addressing the extant challenges
2022 roadmap on neuromorphic computing and engineering
Modern computation based on von Neumann architecture is now a mature cutting-edge science. In the von Neumann architecture, processing and memory units are implemented as separate blocks interchanging data intensively and continuously. This data transfer is responsible for a large part of the power consumption. The next generation computer technology is expected to solve problems at the exascale with 10 calculations each second. Even though these future computers will be incredibly powerful, if they are based on von Neumann type architectures, they will consume between 20 and 30 megawatts of power and will not have intrinsic physically built-in capabilities to learn or deal with complex data as our brain does. These needs can be addressed by neuromorphic computing systems which are inspired by the biological concepts of the human brain. This new generation of computers has the potential to be used for the storage and processing of large amounts of digital information with much lower power consumption than conventional processors. Among their potential future applications, an important niche is moving the control from data centers to edge devices. The aim of this roadmap is to present a snapshot of the present state of neuromorphic technology and provide an opinion on the challenges and opportunities that the future holds in the major areas of neuromorphic technology, namely materials, devices, neuromorphic circuits, neuromorphic algorithms, applications, and ethics. The roadmap is a collection of perspectives where leading researchers in the neuromorphic community provide their own view about the current state and the future challenges for each research area. We hope that this roadmap will be a useful resource by providing a concise yet comprehensive introduction to readers outside this field, for those who are just entering the field, as well as providing future perspectives for those who are well established in the neuromorphic computing community
The potential of plant action potentials
The mechanism underlying action potentials is routinely used to explicate the mechanistic model of explanation in the philosophy of science. However, characterisations of action potentials often fixate on neurons, mentioning plant cells in passing or ignoring them entirely. The plant sciences are also prone to neglecting non-neuronal action potentials and their role in plant biology. This oversight is significant because plant action potentials bear instructive similarities to those generated by neurons. This paper helps correct the imbalance in representations of action potentials by offering an overview of the mechanism for plant action potentials and highlighting their similarity to those in neurons. Furthermore, it affirms the role of plant action potentials in discovering the evolution and function of mechanisms of action potentials more broadly. We stress the potential of plants for producing generalisations about action potentials and the possible role of plants as model organisms
The potential of plant action potentials
The mechanism underlying action potentials is routinely used to explicate the mechanistic model of explanation in the philosophy of science. However, characterisations of action potentials often fixate on neurons, mentioning plant cells in passing or ignoring them entirely. The plant sciences are also prone to neglecting non-neuronal action potentials and their role in plant biology. This oversight is significant because plant action potentials bear instructive similarities to those generated by neurons. This paper helps correct the imbalance in representations of action potentials by offering an overview of the mechanism for plant action potentials and highlighting their similarity to those in neurons. Furthermore, it affirms the role of plant action potentials in discovering the evolution and function of mechanisms of action potentials more broadly. We stress the potential of plants for producing generalisations about action potentials and the possible role of plants as model organisms