Quantitative determination of spring water quality parameters via electronic tongue

[EN] The use of a voltammetric electronic tongue for the quantitative analysis of quality parameters in spring water is proposed here. The electronic voltammetric tongue consisted of a set of four noble electrodes (iridium, rhodium, platinum, and gold) housed inside a stainless steel cylinder. These noble metals have a high durability and are not demanding for maintenance, features required for the development of future automated equipment. A pulse voltammetry study was conducted in 83 spring water samples to determine concentrations of nitrate (range: 6.9-115 mg/L), sulfate (32-472 mg/L), fluoride (0.08-0.26 mg/L), chloride (17-190 mg/L), and sodium (11-94 mg/L) as well as pH (7.3-7.8). These parameters were also determined by routine analytical methods in spring water samples. A partial least squares (PLS) analysis was run to obtain a model to predict these parameter. Orthogonal signal correction (OSC) was applied in the preprocessing step. Calibration (67%) and validation (33%) sets were selected randomly. The electronic tongue showed good predictive power to determine the concentrations of nitrate, sulfate, chloride, and sodium as well as pH and displayed a lower R-2 and slope in the validation set for fluoride. Nitrate and fluoride concentrations were estimated with errors lower than 15%, whereas chloride, sulfate, and sodium concentrations as well as pH were estimated with errors below 10%.The authors gratefully acknowledge the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and FEDER, providing funds amounting to (sic)664.525,75 for the project "Desarrollo de sistemas basados en lenguas electronicas para el control y monitorizacion del ciclo integral del agua" INNPACTO. IPT-2012-0069-310000. Moreover, the authors gratefully acknowledge the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad and FEDER (projects MAT2015-64139-C4-1-R (MINECO/FEDER), MAT2015-64139-C4-3-R (MINECO/FEDER)), the Generalitat Valenciana (project PROMETEOII/2014/047), and CIBER-BBN (NANOPROBE project) for their financial support.Carbó-Mestre, N.; López-Carrero, J.; Garcia-Castillo, FJ.; Tormos, I.; Olivas, E.; Folch, E.; Alcañiz Fillol, M.... (2018). Quantitative determination of spring water quality parameters via electronic tongue. Sensors. 18(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.3390/s18010040S112181Winquist, F., Olsson, J., & Eriksson, M. (2011). Multicomponent analysis of drinking water by a voltammetric electronic tongue. Analytica Chimica Acta, 683(2), 192-197. doi:10.1016/j.aca.2010.10.027Storey, M. V., van der Gaag, B., & Burns, B. P. (2011). Advances in on-line drinking water quality monitoring and early warning systems. Water Research, 45(2), 741-747. doi:10.1016/j.watres.2010.08.049Winquist, F. (2008). 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Monitoring microorganisms’ growth using multisensor electrochemical devices

Mestrado de dupla diplomação com a Université Libre de TunisSome microorganisms contribute beneficially in processing, safety and quality of certain food products. However, many microorganisms are involved in processes that cause undesirable effects on food, or on the health of consumers, leading to spoilage or to occurrence of foodborne diseases. For that, microbiological surveillance of food corresponds to an area of great interest to ensure the quality and the safety of food to prevent foodborne diseases. Indeed, for reasons related to sampling, methodology and distribution of the microorganisms in the matrix, microbiological analysis for itself does not guarantee the safety of a final product analyzed. For that, a possible promising alternative to the traditional diagnostic methods in the electronic sensors such as the E-tongues that has been used for different applications in food and pharmaceutical industries, they have been useful for the detection of bacterial contamination or diagnosis of infections. The aim of the present study was the detection and discrimination of microorganism that played an important role in food and environmental areas, namely E. coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and S. aureus. In this context, electronic tongues (E-tongues) have been employed for the detection and screening of microorganisms. Thus; the use of a potentiometric E-tongue, comprising lipid polymeric sensor membranes, together with unsupervised and supervised chemometric tools (e.g., principal component analysis, PCA; linear discriminant analysis, LDA; and. multiple linear regression models, MLRM) was evaluated aiming to explore the advantages of these innovative (bio)sensing devices for microorganism’s recognition and discrimination, in aqueous solutions. Our results showed that the potentiometric signals profiles acquired by the 40 E-tongue sensors allowed a satisfactory unsupervised recognition of P. aeruginosa and E. faecalis, contrary to E. coli and S. aureus, showed a clear over-plotting. Still to further assess the E-tongue classification capability, a LDA was performed since it represents the most discriminant and non-redundant sensors selected by the SA algorithm. The supervised discriminant model allowed to classify 100% of the original grouped data. Overall, the unsupervised and supervised classification performances clearly showed the potential use of the E-tongue as an accurate and fast recognition device of the four microorganisms studied.Alguns microrganismos contribuem para a segurança e qualidade de certos produtos alimentares. No entanto, outros grupos de microrganismos causam efeitos indesejáveis nos alimentos provocando a sua deterioração ou inclusive dando origem a doenças de origem alimentar colocando em risco a saúde dos consumidores. Neste contexto, a vigilância microbiológica dos alimentos é uma área de grande relevância de forma a garantir a qualidade e a segurança dos alimentos. Contudo, as técnicas analíticas convencionais utilizadas na deteção de microrganismos em alimentos são caras e demoradas. Alternativamente, podem ser aplicadas outras técnicas, nomeadamente línguas eletrónicas (LE), para cumprir essa tarefa crítica. Com este estudo pretendeu-se estudar a capacidade de deteção e discriminação de microrganismos que desempenham um papel importante nas áreas alimentares e ambientais, nomeadamente Escherichia coli, Enterococcus faecalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa e Staphylococcus aureus. Para tal, utilizou-se uma LE potenciométrica e o seu desempenho de deteção foi avaliado recorrendo a ferramentas quimiométricas não supervisionadas e supervisionadas (análise principal de componentes, ACP; análise discriminante linear ADL). Os resultados mostraram que os sinais potenciométricos adquiridos pelos sensores da LE permitem reconhecer satisfatoriamente e não supervisionado a P. aeruginosa e o E. faecalis, ao contrário da E. coli e S. aureus A capacidade de classificação da LE foi ainda avaliada pela ADL, com vista a identificar os sensores não redundantes e com maior potencial discriminante. O modelo discriminatório supervisionado permitiu classificar 100% dos dados originais. Globalmente, os desempenhos de classificação confirmaram a possível utilização da LE como um dispositivo de reconhecimento preciso e rápido dos quatro microrganismos estudados

Voltammetric electronic tongues in food analysis

A critical revision is made on recent applications of voltammetric electronic tongues in the field of food analysis. Relevant works are discussed dealing with the discrimination of food samples of different type, origin, age and quality and with the prediction of the concentration of key substances and significant indexes related to food quality

Technology applications

A summary of NASA Technology Utilization programs for the period of 1 December 1971 through 31 May 1972 is presented. An abbreviated description of the overall Technology Utilization Applications Program is provided as a background for the specific applications examples. Subjects discussed are in the broad headings of: (1) cancer, (2) cardiovascular disease, (2) medical instrumentation, (4) urinary system disorders, (5) rehabilitation medicine, (6) air and water pollution, (7) housing and urban construction, (8) fire safety, (9) law enforcement and criminalistics, (10) transportation, and (11) mine safety

Applications of aerospace technology in the public sector

Current activities of the program to accelerate specific applications of space related technology in major public sector problem areas are summarized for the period 1 June 1971 through 30 November 1971. An overview of NASA technology, technology applications, and supporting activities are presented. Specific technology applications in biomedicine are reported including cancer detection, treatment and research; cardiovascular diseases, diagnosis, and treatment; medical instrumentation; kidney function disorders, treatment, and research; and rehabilitation medicine

State-of-the-Art of (Bio)Chemical Sensor Developments in Analytical Spanish Groups

(Bio)chemical sensors are one of the most exciting fields in analytical chemistry today. The development of these analytical devices simplifies and miniaturizes the whole analytical process. Although the initial expectation of the massive incorporation of sensors in routine analytical work has been truncated to some extent, in many other cases analytical methods based on sensor technology have solved important analytical problems. Many research groups are working in this field world-wide, reporting interesting results so far. Modestly, Spanish researchers have contributed to these recent developments. In this review, we summarize the more representative achievements carried out for these groups. They cover a wide variety of sensors, including optical, electrochemical, piezoelectric or electro-mechanical devices, used for laboratory or field analyses. The capabilities to be used in different applied areas are also critically discussed

Storage of water molecules into biomimetic heterostructures: the role of roughness

The development of devices based on heterostructured thin films of biomolecules conveys a huge contribution on biomedical field. However, to achieve high efficiency of these devices, the storage of water molecules into these heterostructures, in order to maintain the biological molecules hydrated, is mandatory. Such hydrated environment may be achieved with lipids molecules which have the ability to rearrange spontaneously into vesicles creating a stable barrier between two aqueous compartments. Yet it is necessary to find conditions that lead to the immobilization of whole vesicles on the heterostructures. In this work, the conditions that govern the deposition of open and closed liposomes of 1.2-dipalmitoyl-sn-Glycero-3-[Phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)] (sodium Salt) (DPPG) onto polyelectrolytes cushions prepared by the layer-by-layer (LbL) method were analyzed. Electronic transitions of DPPG molecules as well as absorption coefficients were obtained by vacuum ultraviolet spectroscopy, while the elemental composition of the heterostructures was characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The presence of water molecules in the films was inferred by XPS and infrared spectroscopy. Quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) data analysis allowed to conclude that, in certain cases, the DPPG adsorbed amount is dependent of the bilayers number already adsorbed. Moreover, the adsorption kinetics curves of both adsorbed amount and surface roughness allowed to determine the kinetics parameters that are related with adsorption processes namely, electrostatic forces, liposomes diffusion and lipids re-organization on surface. Scaling exponents attained from atomic force microscopy images statistical analysis demonstrate that DPPG vesicles adsorption mechanism is ruled by the diffusion Villain model confirming that adsorption is governed by electrostatic forces. The power spectral density treatment enabled a thorough description of the accessible surface of the samples as well as of its inner structural properties. These outcomes proved that surface roughness influences the adsorption of DPPG liposomes onto surfaces covered by a polyelectrolyte layer. Thus, low roughness was shown to induce liposome rupture creating a lipid bilayer while high roughness allows the adsorption of whole liposomes. In addition, the fraction of open liposomes calculated from the normalized maximum adsorbed amounts decreases with the cushion roughness increase, allowing us to conclude that the surface roughness is a crucial variable that governs the adsorption of open or whole liposomes. This conclusion is fundamental for the development of well-designed sensors based on functional biomolecules incorporated in liposomes. Indeed, LbL films composed of polyelectrolytes and liposomes with and without melanin encapsulated were successfully applied to sensors of olive oil.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT)- PEst-OE/FIS/UI0068/2011 ; SFRH/BD/62229/200

Growth, Morphology And Energetics Of Bowhead Whales (Balaena Mysticetus)

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 2009This thesis describes investigations on bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) conducted over the past three decades, specifically on age, growth, morphology and energetics. The examined whales were harvested by Inupiat Eskimo whale hunters primarily in Barrow, Alaska. Bowheads are robust cetaceans reaching 19 m in length and inhabit the ice-covered waters of the circumpolar Arctic. They have the thickest blubber (? 35 cm) of any cetacean and the longest (>4 m) and most extensive baleen apparatus. Bowheads are ~4 m at birth and grow rapidly to ~8 m in their first year; they then experience a 2-3 year growth pause in both body length and mass. However the baleen continues to grow during this period. Sex differences are minimal but adult females tend to grow longer than males and males have larger pectoral limbs. Based on several lines of evidence, bowheads may routinely live to 150 years and thereby the longest-lived mammal. The recovery of 19 th century stone weapons from recently harvested whales confirms these age estimates. Age was estimated for 48 whales using the aspartic acid racemization technique, based on intrinsic changes of aspartic acid within the eye lens. The age at sexual maturity for bowheads occurs in the mid-20s. All harvested whales examined showed strong thermal gradients through their blubber (dermis and epidermis). A similar thermal gradient was evident through the muscle which is atypical of most terrestrial mammals. The deep body temperature averaged 33.8�C (SD=0.83, N = 28) which is lower than in other non-hibernating eutherian mammals. I did not see elevation of body temperatures in chased whales -- in fact these whales had slightly lower core temperatures. Resting metabolic rates for whales were estimated using a heat-loss technique. The thermal conductivity of the blubber for 5 whales averaged about 0.23 Wm-1K-1; similar to that of other whales and marine mammals. Heat flux rates varied highest to lowest as follows: palatal rete, flukes, tongue and lowest for the thorax and flippers. The resulting metabolic rates were much lower (~ 1/3) than predicted by the Kleiber regression. These investigations suggest that bowhead whales are unique among mammals in several respects such as: (a) following weaning they appear to lose weight over a period of 2-3 years and grow little in body length, (b) resting metabolic rates and body temperatures are lower than in other cetaceans. Their extensive blubber likely buffers bowheads against high variability in primary and secondary productivity in arctic seas