Enhancement of Electrochemical Detection of Gluten with Surface Modification Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polymers Combined with Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Novel molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) represent a selectively recognized technique for electrochemical detection design. This rapid and simple method prepared via chemical synthesis consists of a monomer crosslinked with an initiator, whereas low sensitivity remains a drawback. Nanomaterials can improve charge transfer for MIP surface modification in order to overcome this problem. SPIONs have semiconductor and superparamagnetic properties that can enhance carrier mobility, causing high sensitivity of electrochemical detection. In this work, surface modification was achieved with a combination of MIP and SPIONs for gluten detection. The SPIONs were synthesized via the chemical co-precipitation method and mixed with MIPs by polymerizing gluten and methyl methacrylate (MMA), presented as a template and a monomer. Magnetic MIP (MMIP) was modified on a carbon-plate electrode. The morphology of modified electrode surfaces was determined by scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry. The performance of the MMIP electrode was confirmed by cyclic voltammetry, amperometry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The MMIP electrode for gluten detection shows a dynamic linear range of 5–50 ppm, with a correlation coefficient of 0.994 and a low detection limit of 1.50 ppm, which is less than the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requirements (20 ppm); moreover, it exhibits excellent selectivity, sensitivity, stability, and reproducibility

Preparation of 2D Periodic Nanopatterned Arrays through Vertical Vibration-Assisted Convective Deposition for Application in Metal-Enhanced Fluorescence

The performance of a metal-enhanced fluorescence (MEF) substrate is fundamentally based on the orientation of the metal nanostructures on a solid substrate. In particular, two-dimensional (2D) periodic metallic nanostructures exhibit a strong confinement of the electric field between adjacent nanopatterns due to localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR), leading to stronger fluorescence intensity enhancement. The use of vertical vibration-assisted convective deposition, a novel, simple, and highly cost-effective technique for preparing the 2D periodic nanostructure of colloidal particles with high uniformity, was therefore proposed in this work. The influences of vertical vibration amplitude and frequency on the structure of thin colloidal film, especially its uniformity, monolayer, and hexagonal close-packed (HCP) arrangement, were also investigated. It was found that the vibration amplitude affected film uniformity, whereas the vibration frequency promoted the colloidal particles to align themselves into defect-free HCP nanostructures. Furthermore, the results showed that the self-assembled 2D periodic arrays of monodisperse colloidal particles were employed as an excellent template for a Au thin-film coating in order to fabricate an efficient MEF substrate. The developed MEF substrate provided a strong plasmonic fluorescence enhancement, with a detection limit for rhodamine 6G as low as 10−9 M. This novel approach could be advantageous in further applications in the area of plasmonic sensing platforms

Chemical Composition, Sources, and Health Risk Assessment of PM2.5 and PM10 in Urban Sites of Bangkok, Thailand

Of late, air pollution in Asia has increased, particularly in built-up areas due to rapid industrialization and urbanization. The present study sets out to examine the impact that pollution can have on the health of people living in the inner city of Bangkok, Thailand. Consequently, in 2021, fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and coarse particulate matter (PM10) chemical composition and sources are evaluated at three locations in Bangkok. To identify the possible sources of such particulates, therefore, the principal component analysis (PCA) technique is duly carried out. As determined via PCA, the major sources of air pollution in Bangkok are local emission sources and sea salt. The most significant local sources of PM2.5 and PM10 in Bangkok include primary combustion, such as vehicle emissions, coal combustion, biomass burning, secondary aerosol formation, industrial emissions, and dust sources. Except for the hazard quotient (HQ) of Ni and Mn of PM2.5 for adults, the HQ values of As, Cd, Cr, Mn, and Ni of both PM2.5 and PM10 were below the safe level (HQ = 1) for adults and children. This indicates that exposure to these metals would have non-carcinogenic health effects. Except for the carcinogenic risk (HI) value of Cr of PM2.5 and PM10, which can cause cancer in adults, at Bangna and Din Daeng, the HI values of Cd, Ni, As, and Pb of PM2.5 and PM10 are below the limit set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA). Ni and Mn pose non-carcinogenic risks, whereas Cr poses carcinogenic risks to adults via inhalation, a serious threat to the residents of Bangkok

Annealed ZnO/Al2O3 Core-Shell Nanowire as a Platform to Capture RNA in Blood Plasma

RNA analytical platforms gained extensive attention recently for RNA-based molecular analysis. However, the major challenge for analyzing RNAs is their low concentration in blood plasma samples, hindering the use of RNAs for diagnostics. Platforms that can enrich RNAs are essential to enhance molecular detection. Here, we developed the annealed ZnO/Al2O3 core-shell nanowire device as a platform to capture RNAs. We showed that the annealed ZnO/Al2O3 core-shell nanowire could capture RNAs with high efficiency compared to that of other circulating nucleic acids, including genomic DNA (gDNA) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA). Moreover, the nanowire was considered to be biocompatible with blood plasma samples due to the crystalline structure of the Al2O3 shell which serves as a protective layer to prevent nanowire degradation. Our developed device has the potential to be a platform for RNA-based extraction and detection

金属溶媒を用いた化合物結晶ナノワイヤーの成長メカニズム(非平衡系の物理-非平衡ゆらぎと集団挙動-,研究会報告)

この論文は国立情報学研究所の電子図書館事業により電子化されました。主に結晶ナノワイヤー形成に用いられる気液固(VLS)成長法について、メカニズム解明のために単純な化合物結晶モデルを用いた分子動力学シミュレーションを行った。シミュレーションの解析より、溶媒液滴による触媒効果の本質は結晶表面成長における臨界核サイズの低減によることを見出し、実験からもこれを指示する結果を得た。またナノワイヤー形成全過程を当モデルにおいて再現した

Lysine Depletion during Different Feeding Phases: Effects on Growth Performances and Meat Quality of Broiler Chickens

The present study aimed at assessing the impact of lysine restriction performed during different feeding phases on growth performances, meat quality traits and technological properties as well as on the incidence and severity of breast muscle abnormalities. For this purpose, a total of 945 one-day-old Ross 308 male chicks was randomly divided into three experimental groups: CONT, fed a four feeding phases commercial diet, GRW I, and GRW I + II fed CONT diet with the depletion of synthetic lysine during grower I and grower I and II feeding phases, respectively. Productive performances were recorded throughout the whole rearing cycle and the incidence of breast muscle growth-related abnormalities assessed at slaughter (49 d) on 280 breasts/group. Quality traits and technological properties of breast meat were measured on a total of 54 Pectoralis major muscles. Lysine restriction only marginally affected the productive performances and the quality parameters of breast meat. The increased (p < 0.05) solubility of the protein fraction along with the remarkably higher (p < 0.05) anserine content found in GRW I + II suggests an increased energy requirement in the pectoral muscles belonging to lysine-restricted birds and supports the hypothesis of a reduced protein synthesis taking place within these muscles

Tailoring Properties of Hafnium Nitride Thin Film via Reactive Gas-Timing RF Magnetron Sputtering for Surface Enhanced-Raman Scattering Substrates

This study successfully demonstrated the tailoring properties of hafnium nitride (HfN) thin films via reactive gas-timing (RGT) RF magnetron sputtering for surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrate applications. The optimal RGT sputtering condition was investigated by varying the duration time of the argon and nitrogen gas sequence. The RGT technique formed thin films with a grain size of approximately 15 nm. Additionally, the atomic ratios of nitrogen and hafnium can be controlled between 0.24 and 0.28, which is greater than the conventional technique, resulting in a high absorbance in the long wavelength region. Moreover, the HfN thin film exhibited a high Raman signal intensity with an EF of 8.5 × 104 to methylene blue molecules and was capable of being reused five times. A superior performance of HfN as a SERS substrate can be attributed to its tailored grain size and chemical composition, which results in an increase in the hot spot effect. These results demonstrate that the RGT technique is a viable method for fabricating HfN thin films with controlled properties at room temperature, which makes them an attractive material for SERS and other plasmonic applications