Utilising copper screen-printed electrodes (CuSPE) for the electroanalytical sensing of sulfide

© The Royal Society of Chemistry 2016.A mediatorless sulfide electrochemical sensing platform utilising a novel nanocopper-oxide screen-printed electrodes (CuSPE) is reported for the first time. The state-of-the-art screen-printed electrochemical sensors demonstrate their capability to quantify sulfide within both the presence and absence of an array of interferents with good levels of sensitivity and repeatability. The direct sensing (using linear sweep voltammetry) of sulfide utilising the CuSPEs provides a mediatorless approach for the detection of sulfide, yielding useful analytical signatures that can be successfully quantified. The proposed novel protocol using the CuSPEs is successfully applied to the sensing of sulfide within drinking water exhibiting a high level of recovery

Porous carbon and Prussian blue composite: A highly sensitive electrochemical platform for glucose biosensing

Porous carbon (PC) has attracted considerable attention for various applications including sensing due to its accessible specific surface area, tunable surface chemistry, and short diffusion pathways for rapid mass transfer. This report details fabrication of a highly sensitive enzymatic glucose biosensor that uses a composite of PC and Prussian blue (PB). Melamine foam, a low-cost material was used as a precursor for the synthesis of PC that acted as an excellent matrix for efficient loading of glucose oxidase (GOx). The high specific surface area and efficient electrical wiring in the PB embedded tetrapod architecture of PC composite improved the catalytic activity of this device for glucose sensing. When glucose contacts this biosensor, alterations occur in both cathodic (due to consumption of O2) and anodic (due to release of H2O2) currents during cyclic voltammetry measurements. Due to the synergistic effect between PC and PB, the cathodic region (−0.05V) had the highest sensitivity (218.78μAmM−1cm−2) among all PC-based biosensors for glucose detection with a lower detection limit of 0.03mM. The anodic region (+0.7V) had a good sensitivity of 50.63μAmM−1cm−2 and a lower detection limit of 0.2mM which is comparable to most of the enzymatic glucose biosensors that involve complex fabrication procedures. The high selectivity of this biosensor enabled accurate glucose level detection in serum samples. The PCPB composite-based sensing platform uses inexpensive precursors, is simple to fabricate, and displays excellent performance, suggesting potential for construction of sensors that release or consume oxygen during the analyte recognition process. Keywords: Porous carbon, Prussian blue, Glucose, Glucose oxidase, Biosenso

Understanding psychological distress among mothers in rural Nepal:A qualitative grounded theory exploration

BACKGROUND: There is a large burden of psychological distress in low and middle-income countries, and culturally relevant interventions must be developed to address it. This requires an understanding of how distress is experienced. We conducted a qualitative grounded theory study to understand how mothers experience and manage distress in Dhanusha, a low-resource setting in rural Nepal. We also explored how distressed mothers interact with their families and the wider community. METHODS: Participants were identified during a cluster-randomised controlled trial in which mothers were screened for psychological distress using the 12-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). We conducted 22 semi-structured interviews with distressed mothers (GHQ-12 score ≥5) and one with a traditional healer (dhami), as well as 12 focus group discussions with community members. Data were analysed using grounded theory methods and a model was developed to explain psychological distress in this setting. RESULTS: We found that distress was termed tension by participants and mainly described in terms of physical symptoms. Key perceived causes of distress were poor health, lack of sons, and fertility problems. Tension developed in a context of limited autonomy for women and perceived duty towards the family. Distressed mothers discussed several strategies to alleviate tension, including seeking treatment for perceived physical health problems and tension from doctors or dhamis, having repeated pregnancies until a son was delivered, manipulating social circumstances in the household, and deciding to accept their fate. Their ability to implement these strategies depended on whether they were able to negotiate with their in-laws or husbands for resources. CONCLUSIONS: Vulnerability, as a consequence of gender and social disadvantage, manifests as psychological distress among mothers in Dhanusha. Screening tools incorporating physical symptoms of tension should be envisaged, along with interventions to address gender inequity, support marital relationships, and improve access to perinatal healthcare

Data_Sheet_1_Physico-chemical, sensory, and microbiological quality of raw chicken meat: an exploratory study in the Hisar city of Haryana, India.pdf

A survey was conducted in Hisar, located in Haryana, India, to assess the quality of raw chicken meat. To ensure comprehensive coverage, healthy broiler chickens were obtained from various meat retail outlets in Hisar city, encompassing the majority of such establishments. Additionally, a sample of control chickens was obtained from the Livestock Farm, College of Veterinary Sciences, Lala Lajpat Rai University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (LUVAS), Hisar, Haryana, India. The raw chicken meat was grouped into two categories, breast cut and thigh cut. The breast muscles, which include pectoralis major and pectoralis minor, and the thigh muscles, which include the abductor muscles, were chosen as the samples for proximate analysis, which included physico-chemical, sensory, and microbiological analyses of raw chicken meat. The analysis of the raw meat in the laboratory revealed inconsistent variations between the control and retail samples in terms of parameters, such as proximate composition, pH, the water-holding capacity (WHC), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), instrumental color analysis, and sensory evaluation. The moisture content of the control breast sample was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that of the samples from shops 2, 3, and 5. However, it was statistically similar to that of the samples from shops 1, 4, and 6. The total plate and psychrotrophic counts of the control thigh sample were significantly lower than those of the samples from shops 3, 4, 5, and 6. Among the thigh pH values, the samples from shops 1, 2, 5, and 6 had significantly higher pH values than the control sample. The variations in the various parameters were multifactorial and established the superiority of birds slaughtered under laboratory conditions and grown in university farms compared to the raw chicken meat available in retail outlets in Hisar city.</p