Real-Time Water Quality Monitoring with Chemical Sensors

Water quality is one of the most critical indicators of environmental pollution and it affects all of us. Water contamination can be accidental or intentional and the consequences are drastic unless the appropriate measures are adopted on the spot. This review provides a critical assessment of the applicability of various technologies for real-time water quality monitoring, focusing on those that have been reportedly tested in real-life scenarios. Specifically, the performance of sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers is evaluated in detail, also giving insights into their principle of operation, stability in real on-site applications and mass production options. Such characteristics as sensing range and limit of detection are given for the most promising systems, that were verified outside of laboratory conditions. Then, novel trends of using microwave spectroscopy and chemical materials integration for achieving a higher sensitivity to and selectivity of pollutants in water are described

Дослідження елементного складу підлісника європейського та астранції великої

Introduction. A good nutrition is an important physiological necessity of an organism, which directly affects the human health and well-being. Macro- and microelements are involved into metabolic processes by activating theenzymes, hormones, vitamins and are essential at any age. The deficiency of nutrients can cause metabolic disorders. There are no literature data concerning the elemental composition of Astrantia major and Sanicula europaea, therefore the study of this group of biologically active substances was relevant.The aim of the study – to determine the qualitative and quantitative content of macro- and microelements in the raw material of Astrantia major and Sanicula europaea harvested on the territory of Ivano-Frankivsk region.Research Methods. Determination of the macro- and microelements content in the herb of Astrantia major, herb and rhizomes with roots of Sanicula europaea was carried out by atomic absorption spectrophotometry.Results and Discussion. The elemental composition of Astrantia major and Sanicula europaea raw material was investigated by the method of atomic absorption spectrophotometry using the devices of AAS-30 (Carl Zeiss,Germany) and S-115 PK with a FLAFON-4 flame photometer. As a result of the analysis the presence and quantitative content of 6 micro- (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd) and 3 macroelements (K, Ca, Mg) were determined in the investigated objects. Among the determined macroelements the Astrantia major raw material is characterized by the highest content of Mg and K, and the herb of Sanicula europaea – by Ca and K. In the rhizomes with roots of Sanicula europaea the highest content of Ca was established. Among the trace elements in Astrantia major herb Cu and Mn,in Sanicula europaea herb – Zn and Fe, in Sanicula europaea rhizomes with roots – Mn and Cu predominated.Conclusions. Plenty of macro- and microelements in Astrantia major and Sanicula europaea make it prospect raw material for standardization and future implementation into clinics for correction of malnutrition.Вступление. Полноценное питание является важной физиологической потребностью организма, от которой в значительной степени зависит состояние здоровья человека. Макро- и микроэлементы участвуют в метаболических процессах путем активации ферментов, гормонов, витаминов и необходимы человеку в любом возрасте. Их дефицит способен вызвать нарушение обмена веществ. В литературе отсутствуют данные об элементном составе астранции большой и подлесника европейского, поэтому исследование этой группы биологически активных веществ было актуальным.Цель исследования – определить качественный состав и количественное содержание макро- и микроэлементов в сырье астранции большой и подлесника европейского, заготовленном на территории Ивано-Франковской области.Методы исследования. Содержание макро- и микроэлементов в траве астранции большой, траве и корневищах с корнями подлесника европейского определяли методом атомно-абсорбционной  спектрофотометрии.Результаты и обсуждение. В результате анализа в исследуемых объектах было установлено наличие 6 микро- (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd) и 3 макроэлементов (K, Ca, Mg), определено их количественное содержание.Выводы. Методом атомно-абсорбционной спектрофотометрии на приборах ААС-30 (“Carl Zeiss”, Германия) и С-115 ПК с пламенным фотометром FLAFON-4 был исследован элементный состав сырья астранции большой и подлесника европейского. Среди выявленных макроэлементов сырье астранции большой характеризовалось наибольшим содержанием Mg и К, а трава подлесника европейского – Ca и К. В корневищах с корнями подлесника европейского установлено наивысшее содержание Са. Среди микроэлементов астранции большой преобладали Cu и Mn, в траве подлесника европейского – Zn и Fe, в корневыщах с корнями подлесника европейского – Mn и Сu.Вступ. Повноцінне харчування є важливою фізіологічною потребою організму, від якої значною мірою залежить стан здоров’я людини. Макро- та мікроелементи беруть участь у метаболічних процесах шляхом активації ферментів, гормонів, вітамінів та необхідні людині в будь-якому віці. Їх дефіцит здатен викликати порушення обміну речовин. У літературі відсутні дані щодо елементного складу астранції великої та підлісника європейського, тому дослідження цієї групи біологічно активних речовин було актуальним.Мета дослідження – визначити якісний склад і кількісний вміст макро- та мікроелементів у сировині астранції великої та підлісника європейського, заготовленій на території Івано-Франківської області.Методи дослідження. Вміст макро- та мікроелементів у траві астранції великої, траві та кореневищах з коренями підлісника європейського визначали методом атомно-абсорбційної спектрофотометрії.Результати й обговорення. У результаті аналізу в досліджуваних об’єктах було встановлено наявність 6 мікро- (Fe, Zn, Mn, Cu, Pb, Cd) та 3 макроелементів (K, Ca, Mg), визначено їх кількісний вміст.Висновки. Методом атомно-абсорбційної спектрофотометрії на приладах ААS-30 (“Carl Zeiss”, Німеччина) і С-115 ПК з полум’яним фотометром FLAFON-4 було досліджено елементний склад сировини астранції великої та підлісника європейського. Серед виявлених макроелементів сировина астранції великої характеризувалася найбільшим вмістом Mg і К, а трава підлісника європейського – Ca та К. У кореневищах з коренями підлісника європейського встановлено найвищий вміст Са. Серед мікроелементів астранції великої переважали Cu та Mn, у траві підлісника європейського – Zn і Fe, у кореневищах з коренями підлісника європейського – Mn та Сu

C,N-chelated diaminocarbene platinum(II) complexes derived from 3,4-diaryl-1H-pyrrol-2,5-diimines and cis-dichlorobis(isonitrile)platinum(II):Synthesis, cytotoxicity, and catalytic activity in hydrosilylation reactions

The reaction of 3,4-diaryl-1H-pyrrol-2,5-diimines with cis-dichlorobis(isonitrile)platinum(II) affords the C,N-chelated diaminocarbene platinum(II) complexes, which have been fully characterized including molecular spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction and DFT calculations. The obtained platinum(II) complexes are effective catalysts for the hydrosilylation of alkynes and alkenes. Thus, the reaction of phenylacetylene with triethoxysilane leads to the formation of α- and β-(E)-vinylsilanes, generating TON's in the range of 103 to 104 and TOF's in the range of 102 to 103 h−1. Also, the cross-linked silicones, possessing the luminescence properties, were obtained by the hydrosilylation reaction of vinyl- and hydride-containing polysiloxanes. Additionally, the efficiency of diaminocarbene platinum(II) complexes against CH1/PA-1, SW480, and A549 cancer cell lines has been demonstrated by in vitro cytotoxicity studies.peerReviewe

Analysis of Macronutrients in Soil Using Impedimetric Multisensor Arrays.

ABSTRACT: The need to increase food production to address the world population growth can only be fulfilled with precision agriculture strategies to increase crop yield with minimal expansion of the cultivated area. One example is site-specific fertilization based on accurate monitoring of soil nutrient levels, which can be made more cost-effective using sensors. This study developed an impedimetric multisensor array using ion-selective membranes to analyze soil samples enriched with macronutrients (N, P, and K), which is compared with another array based on layer-by-layer films. The results obtained from both devices are analyzed with multidimensional projection techniques and machine learning methods, where a decision tree model algorithm chooses the calibrations (best frequencies and sensors). The multicalibration space method indicates that both devices effectively distinguished all soil samples tested, with the ion-selective membrane setup presenting a higher sensitivity to K content. These findings pave the way for more environmentally friendly and efficient agricultural practices, facilitating the mapping of cropping areas for precise fertilizer application and optimized crop yield

Target profiling of an antimetastatic RAPTA agent by chemical proteomics: relevance to the mode of action.

The clinical development of anticancer metallodrugs is often hindered by the elusive nature of their molecular targets. To identify the molecular targets of an antimetastatic ruthenium organometallic complex based on 1,3,5-triaza-7-phosphaadamantane (RAPTA), we employed a chemical proteomic approach. The approach combines the design of an affinity probe featuring the pharmacophore with mass-spectrometry-based analysis of interacting proteins found in cancer cell lysates. The comparison of data sets obtained for cell lysates from cancer cells before and after treatment with a competitive binder suggests that RAPTA interacts with a number of cancer-related proteins, which may be responsible for the antiangiogenic and antimetastatic activity of RAPTA complexes. Notably, the proteins identified include the cytokines midkine, pleiotrophin and fibroblast growth factor-binding protein 3. We also detected guanine nucleotide-binding protein-like 3 and FAM32A, which is in line with the hypothesis that the antiproliferative activity of RAPTA compounds is due to induction of a G2/M arrest and histone proteins identified earlier as potential targets

A Pencil-Drawn Electronic Tongue for Environmental Applications.

We report on the development of a simple and cost-effective potentiometric sensor array that is based on manual "drawing" on the polymeric support with the pencils composed of graphite and different types of zeolites. The sensor array demonstrates distinct sensitivity towards a variety of inorganic ions in aqueous media. This multisensor system has been successfully applied to quantitative analysis of 100 real-life surface waters sampled in Mahananda and Hooghly rivers in the West Bengal state (India). Partial least squares regression has been utilized to relate responses of the sensors to the values of different water quality parameters. It has been found that the developed sensor array, or electronic tongue, is capable of quantifying total hardness, total alkalinity, and calcium content in the samples, with the mean relative errors below 18%

Identification and reconstruction of low-energy electrons in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector

Measurements of electrons from $\nu_e$ interactions are crucial for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) neutrino oscillation program, as well as searches for physics beyond the standard model, supernova neutrino detection, and solar neutrino measurements. This article describes the selection and reconstruction of low-energy (Michel) electrons in the ProtoDUNE-SP detector. ProtoDUNE-SP is one of the prototypes for the DUNE far detector, built and operated at CERN as a charged particle test beam experiment. A sample of low-energy electrons produced by the decay of cosmic muons is selected with a purity of 95%. This sample is used to calibrate the low-energy electron energy scale with two techniques. An electron energy calibration based on a cosmic ray muon sample uses calibration constants derived from measured and simulated cosmic ray muon events. Another calibration technique makes use of the theoretically well-understood Michel electron energy spectrum to convert reconstructed charge to electron energy. In addition, the effects of detector response to low-energy electron energy scale and its resolution including readout electronics threshold effects are quantified. Finally, the relation between the theoretical and reconstructed low-energy electron energy spectrum is derived and the energy resolution is characterized. The low-energy electron selection presented here accounts for about 75% of the total electron deposited energy. After the addition of lost energy using a Monte Carlo simulation, the energy resolution improves from about 40% to 25% at 50~MeV. These results are used to validate the expected capabilities of the DUNE far detector to reconstruct low-energy electrons.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figure

Doping liquid argon with xenon in ProtoDUNE Single-Phase: effects on scintillation light

Doping of liquid argon TPCs (LArTPCs) with a small concentration of xenon is a technique for light-shifting and facilitates the detection of the liquid argon scintillation light. In this paper, we present the results of the first doping test ever performed in a kiloton-scale LArTPC. From February to May 2020, we carried out this special run in the single-phase DUNE Far Detector prototype (ProtoDUNE-SP) at CERN, featuring 720 t of total liquid argon mass with 410 t of fiducial mass. A 5.4 ppm nitrogen contamination was present during the xenon doping campaign. The goal of the run was to measure the light and charge response of the detector to the addition of xenon, up to a concentration of 18.8 ppm. The main purpose was to test the possibility for reduction of non- uniformities in light collection, caused by deployment of photon detectors only within the anode planes. Light collection was analysed as a function of the xenon concentration, by using the pre-existing photon detection system (PDS) of ProtoDUNE-SP and an additional smaller set-up installed specifically for this run. In this paper we first summarize our current understanding of the argon-xenon energy transfer process and the impact of the presence of nitrogen in argon with and without xenon dopant. We then describe the key elements of ProtoDUNE-SP and the injection method deployed. Two dedicated photon detectors were able to collect the light produced by xenon and the total light. The ratio of these components was measured to be about 0.65 as 18.8 ppm of xenon were injected. We performed studies of the collection efficiency as a function of the distance between tracks and light detectors, demonstrating enhanced uniformity of response for the anode-mounted PDS. We also show that xenon doping can substantially recover light losses due to contamination of the liquid argon by nitrogen