Highly accurate SR structures and damage-free XFEL structures provide detailed insight into catalytic mechanism of CuNiR.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) have been widely employed or incorporated into different materials in biological application, due to their antibacterial properties. Therefore, antimicrobial capacity and cytotoxicity have been highly studied. However, most of these reports do not consider the possible corrosion of the nanomaterials during their exposure to atmospheric conditions since AgNPs undergo a transformation when they come in contact with a particular environment. Derived from this, the functionality and properties of the nanoparticles could decrease noticeably. The most common silver corrosion process occurs by the interaction of AgNPs with sulfur species (H2S) present in the atmospheric air, forming a corrosion layer of silver sulfide around the AgNPs, thus inhibiting the release of the ions responsible for the antimicrobial activity. In this work, AgNPs were synthesized using two different methods: one of them was based on a plant extract (Brickellia cavanillesii), and the other one is the well-known method using sodium borohydride (NaBH4). Chemical stability, corrosion, antibacterial activity, and toxic activity were evaluated for both sets of prepared samples, before and after exposition to atmospheric air for three months. The structural characterization of the samples, in terms of crystallinity, chemical composition, and morphology, evidenced the formation of link structures with nanobridges of Ag2S for non- “green” AgNPs after the air exposition and the intact preservation of silver core for the “green” sample. The antibacterial activity showed a clear improvement in the antimicrobial properties of silver in relation to the “green” functionalization, particle size control, and size reduction, as well as the preservation of the properties after air exposition by the effective “green” protection. The cytotoxicity effect of the different AgNPs against mononuclear cells showed a notable increment in the cell viability by the “green” functionalization.

Cold plasma-liquid interaction becomes a growing interdisciplinary area of research involving plasma physics, fluid science, and chemistry. Plasma-liquid interaction has gained more interest over the last many years due to its potential applications in different fields. Cold atmospheric plasma jet is an emerging technology for surface drinking water treatment to improve quality and surface modification that is chemical-free and eco-friendly. Cold plasma treatment of water samples results in changes in turbidity, pH, and conductivity and in the formation of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS). As a result, plasma-activated water has a different chemical composition than water and can serve as an alternative technique for microbial disinfection. CAPJ has been generated by a high voltage 5 kV and a high frequency 19.56 kHz power supply. The discharge has been characterized by an optical method. To characterize the cold atmospheric pressure argon plasma jet, discharge plume temperature, and electron rotational and vibrational temperature have been determined. Cold atmospheric argon plasma jet produced at atmospheric condition contains high energetic electrons, ions, UV radiation, reactive oxygen, and nitrogen species named as cold plasma which has a wide range of applications in the biomedical industry, as well as in water treatment. Nowadays, researches have been carried out on ozonation through plasma jet interaction with surface drinking water. In this paper, we compare the change in physical and chemical parameters of surface water used for drinking purposes. The significant change in the physical parameters such as pH, turbidity, and electrical conductivity was studied. In addition, the significant changes in the concentration and absorbance of nitrate, ferrous, and chromium ions with respect to treatment time were studied. Our results showed that plasma jet interaction with surface drinking water samples can be useful for the improvement of water quality and an indicator for which reactive species play an important role in plasma sterilization.

Zinc Oxide nanoparticles have been synthesized by two simple routes using Aloe vera (green synthesis, route I) or Cassava starch (gelatinization, route II). The XRD patterns and Raman spectra show that both synthesis routes lead to single-phase ZnO. XPS results indicate the presence of zinc atoms with oxidation state Zn2+. SEM images of the ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using Cassava starch show the presence of pseudo-spherical nanoparticles and nanosheets, while just pseudo-spherical nanoparticles were observed when Aloe vera was used. The UV-Vis spectra showed a slight difference in the absorption edge of the ZnO particles obtained using Aloe vera (3.18 eV) and Cassava starch (3.24 eV). The ZnO nanoparticles were tested as adsorbents for the removal of copper in wastewater, it is shown that at low Cu2+ ion concentration (~40 mg/L) the nanoparticles synthesized by both routes have the same removal efficiency, however, increasing the absorbate concentration (> 80 mg/L) the ZnO nanoparticles synthesized using Aloe vera have a higher removal efficiency. The synthesized ZnO nanoparticles can be used as effective and environmental-friendly metal trace absorbers in wastewater.

Visually unattainable magmatic processes in volcanic conduits, such as degassing, are closely linked to eruptive styles at the surface, but their roles are not completely identified and understood. To gain insights, a multi-parametric experiment at Stromboli volcano (Aeolian Islands, Italy) was installed in July 2016 focusing on the normal explosive activity and persistent degassing. During this experiment, gas-dominated (type 0) and particle-loaded (type 1) explosions, already defined by other studies, were clearly identified. A FLIR thermal camera, an Ultra-Violet SO₂ camera and a scanning Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy were deployed to record pyroclast and SO2 masses emitted during individual explosions, as well as persistent SO₂ fluxes, respectively. An ASHER instrument was also deployed in order to collect ash fallouts and to measure the grain size distribution of the samples. SO2 measurements confirm that persistent degassing was far greater than that emitted during the explosions. Further, we found that the data could be characterized by two periods. In the first period (25–27 July), activity was mainly characterized by type 0 explosions, characterized by high velocity jets. Pyroclast mass fluxes were relatively low (280 kg/event on average), while persistent SO2 fluxes were high (274 t/d on average). In the second period (29–30 July), activity was mainly characterized by type 1 explosions, characterized by low velocity jets. Pyroclast mass fluxes were almost ten times higher (2,400 kg/event on average), while persistent gas fluxes were significantly lower (82 t/d on average). Ash characterization also indicates that type 0 explosions fragments were characterized by a larger proportion of non-juvenile material compared to type 1 explosions fragments. This week-long field experiment suggests that, at least within short time periods, Stromboli’s type 1 explosions can be associated with low levels of degassing and the mass of particles accompanying such explosive events depends on the volume of a degassed magma cap sitting at the head of the magma column. This could make the classic particle-loaded explosions of Stromboli an aside from the true eruptive state of the volcano. Instead, gas-dominated explosions can be associated with high levels of degassing and are indicative of a highly charged (with gas) system. We thus suggest that relatively deep magmatic processes, such as persistent degassing and slug formation can rapidly influence the superficial behavior of the eruptive conduit, modulating the presence or absence of degassed magma at the explosion/fragmentation level.

Human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) derived organoids have become increasingly used systems allowing 3D-modeling of human organ development, and disease. They are also a reliable source of cells for transplantation in cell therapy and an excellent model to validate gene therapies. To make full use of these systems, a toolkit of genetic modification techniques is necessary to control their activity in line with the downstream application. We have previously described adeno-associated viruse (AAV) vectors for efficient targeting of cells within human retinal organoids. Here, we describe biological restriction and enhanced gene expression in cone cells of such organoids thanks to the use of a 1.7-kb L-opsin promoter. We illustrate the usefulness of implementing such a promoter to enhance the expression of the red-shifted opsin Jaws in fusion with a fluorescent reporter gene, enabling cell sorting to enrich the desired cell population. Increased Jaws expression after transplantation improved light responses promising better therapeutic outcomes in a cell therapy setting. Our results point to the importance of promoter activity in restricting, improving, and controlling the kinetics of transgene expression during the maturation of hiPSC retinal derivatives. Differentiation requires mechanisms to initiate specific transcriptional changes and to reinforce those changes when mature cell states are reached. By employing a cell-type-specific promoter we put transgene expression under the new transcriptional program of mature cells.

Pollinators with different vision are a key driver of flower coloration. Islands provide important insights into evolutionary processes, and previous work suggests islands may have restricted flower colors. Due to both species richness with high endemism in tropical–subtropical environments, and potentially changing pollinator distributions with altitude, we evaluated flower color diversity across the mountainous island of Taiwan in a comparative framework to understand the cause of color diversity. We sampled flower color signaling on the tropical–subtropical island of Taiwan considering altitudes from sea level to 3300 m to inform how over-dispersion, random processes or clustering may influence flower signaling. We employed a model of bee color space to plot loci from 727 species to enable direct comparisons to data sets from continental studies representing Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and also a continental mountain region. We observed that flower color diversity was similar to flowers that exist in mainland continental studies, and also showed evidence that flowers predominantly had evolved color signals that closely matched bee color preferences. At high altitudes floras tend to be phylogenetically clustered rather than over-dispersed, and their floral colors exhibited weak phylogenetic signal which is consistent with character displacement that facilitated the co-existence of related species. Overall flower color signaling on a tropical–subtropical island is mainly influenced by color preferences of key bee pollinators, a pattern consistent with continental studies.

Vertical farming is becoming increasingly popular for production of leafy vegetables and herbs, with basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) as one of the most popular herbs. In basil most research has focused on increasing secondary metabolites with light spectra. However, knowledge about the effect of light intensity (photosynthetic photon flux density, PPFD) and spectra on growth and morphology is key for optimizing quality at harvest. The impact of PPFD and spectrum on plant growth and development is species dependent and currently few studies in basil are available. Understanding the response to End-Of-Production (EOP) light of growth and morphology is important for successful vertical farming. We performed a comprehensive series of experiments, where the effects of EOP PPFD, fraction of blue and their interaction on the growth and morphology were analyzed in two green and one purple basil cultivar. In addition, the impact of different EOP intensities and duration of far-red were investigated. We found that increasing the PPFD increased fresh mass, dry matter content and plant height in all three cultivars. The responses were linear or quadratic depending on the cultivar. A high fraction of blue (>90%) increased plant height and decreased the dry mass partitioning to the leaves. The only interaction found between the fraction of blue and overall PPFD was on plant height in the green cultivar whereas other growth parameters and morphology responded stronger to PPFD than to the fraction of blue light. Plant dry matter production was increased with the addition of far-red. Far-red EOP intensity treatments enhanced the fraction of dry mass partitioned to the leaves, whereas a prolonged far-red treatment enhanced partitioning to the stem. Both plant fresh mass and dry matter content were improved by applying high PPFD shortly before harvest. Light spectra were found to be of less importance than PPFD with respect to plant dry matter content. Light use efficiency (LUE) based on fresh mass decreased with increasing PPFD whereas LUE based on dry mass increased with increasing PPFD, when given as EOP treatments. The overall physiological mechanisms of the light intensity and spectral effects are discussed.

Functional traits, particularly those that impact fitness, can shape the ecological and evolutionary relationships among coexisting species of the same trophic level. Thus, examining these traits and properties of their distributions (underdispersion, overdispersion) within communities can provide insights into key ecological interactions (e.g., competition, facilitation) involved in community assembly. For instance, the distribution of floral colors in a community may reflect pollinator-mediated interactions between sympatric plant species, and the phylogenetic distribution of color can inform how evolutionary contingencies can continue to shape extant community assemblages. Additionally, the abundance and species richness of the local habitat may influence the type or strength of ecological interactions among co-occurring species. To evaluate the impact of community size and species richness on mechanisms shaping the distribution of ecologically relevant traits, we examined how floral color (defined by pollinator color vision models) is distributed within co-flowering assemblages. We modeled floral reflectance spectra of 55 co-flowering species using honeybee (Apis mellifera) and syrphid fly (Eristalis tenax) visual systems to assess the distributions of flower color across 14 serpentine seep communities in California. We found that phylogenetic relatedness had little impact on the observed color assemblages. However, smaller seep communities with lower species richness were more overdispersed for flower color than larger, more species-rich communities. Results support that competitive exclusion could be a dominant process shaping the species richness of flower color in smaller-sized communities with lower species richness, but this is less detectable or overwhelmed by other processes at larger, more speciose communities.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of developing multivariate models to estimate physico-chemical characteristics and antioxidant content of extra virgin olive oil from fluorescence spectra obtained at specific excitation wavelengths. Six replicates of each extra virgin olive oil sample were contained in clear glass bottles. Two replicates were subjected to four weeks of natural indirect light; two bottles for two days; and the third couple were kept it in darkness as a control. For each pair, one bottle was used for spectroscopic measurements and the other was sent to an accredited external laboratory to obtain physico-chemical measurements: acidity, peroxide index, K270, K232, total tocopherols, α-tocopherol, β-tocopherol and γ-tocopherol. Fluorescence emission spectra were acquired at different excitation wavelengths: 326 nm, 350 nm and 365 nm and partial least squares regression (PLSR) models were developed. The highest R2 values were found for excitation at 350 nm, reaching almost 0.9 in most of the parameters.

To investigate the influence of supplemental lighting intensity on the production (i.e., rate of flower development, flower quality, and yield) of cut gerbera during Canada’s supplemental lighting season (November to March), trials were carried out at a research greenhouse. Five supplemental light emitting diode (LED) light intensity (LI) treatments provided canopy-level photosynthetic photon flux densities (PPFD) ranging from 41 to 180 µmol m−2 s−1. With a 12-h photoperiod, the treatments provided 1.76 to 7.72 mol m−2 d−1 of supplemental light. Two cultivars of cut gerbera (Gerbera jamesonii H. Bolus ex Hook.f) were used to evaluate vegetative growth and flower production. Plugs of ‘Ultima’ were assessed for vegetative growth and rate of flower development. There were minor LI treatment effects on number of leaves and chlorophyll content index and flowers from plants under the highest versus the lowest LI matured 10% faster. Reproductively mature ‘Panama’ plants were assessed for flower yield and quality. ‘Panama’ flowers from the highest LI treatment had shorter stems than the three lowest LI treatments, and flowers from the middle LI treatment had larger diameter than the other treatments. Flowers from the lowest LI treatment had lower fresh mass than the three highest LI treatments. There were linear relationships between LI and numbers of flowers harvested, with the highest LI treatment producing 10.3 and 7.0 more total and marketable flowers per plant than the lowest LI treatment. In general, increasing levels of supplemental light had only minor effects on vegetative growth (young plants) and size and quality of harvested flowers (mature plants), but flowers from plants grown under higher LIs were more numerous and matured faster.

To counteract oxidative stress, antioxidants including carotenoids are highly promising, yet their exploitation is drastically limited by the poor bioavailability and fast photodestruction, whereas current delivery systems are far from being efficient. Here we demonstrate that the recently discovered nanometer-sized water-soluble carotenoprotein from Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 (termed AnaCTDH) transiently interacts with liposomes to efficiently extract carotenoids via carotenoid-mediated homodimerization, yielding violet–purple protein samples. We characterize the spectroscopic properties of the obtained pigment–protein complexes and the thermodynamics of liposome–protein carotenoid transfer and demonstrate the delivery of carotenoid echinenone from AnaCTDH into liposomes with an efficiency of up to 70 ± 3%. Most importantly, we show efficient carotenoid delivery to membranes of mammalian cells, which provides protection from reactive oxygen species (ROS). Incubation of neuroblastoma cell line Tet21N in the presence of 1 μM AnaCTDH binding echinenone decreased antimycin A ROS production by 25% (p < 0.05). The described carotenoprotein may be considered as part of modular systems for the targeted antioxidant delivery.

In this work, we developed a portable device with low production and operation costs for generating an ambient air low-current arc (AALCA) that is transferred to the surface of a treated liquid. It was possible to generate a stable discharge, irrespective of the conductivity of the treated liquid, as a sequence of corona, repeating spark, and low-current arc discharges. The estimated concentration of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS) in plasma-treated water (PTW) produced using AALCA treatment was two orders of magnitude higher than that of PTW produced using conventional He nonequilibrium atmospheric pressure plasma jets or dielectric barrier discharges. The strong bactericidal effect of the treatment using AALCA and the water treated using AALCA was confirmed by survival tests of Escherichia coli. Further, the possibility of treating a continuous flow of liquid using AALCA was demonstrated.

Herein, coverslips were used as solid supports for the synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) in three steps: (i) detergent cleaning, (ii) evaporation of 4 nm gold film and (iii) exposure at high annealing temperature (550 °C) for 3 h. Such active gold nanostructured supports were investigated for their stability performances in aqueous saline buffers for new assessments of chemical sensing. Two model buffers, namely saline-sodium phosphate-EDTA buffer (SSPE) and phosphate buffer saline (PBS), that are often used in the construction of (bio)sensors, are selected for the optical and microscopic investigations of their influence over the stability of annealed AuNPs on coverslips when using a dropping procedure under dry and wet media working conditions. A study over five weeks monitoring the evolution of the localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) chemosensing of 1,2-bis-(4-pyridyl)-ethene (BPE) is discussed. It is concluded that the optimal sensing configuration is based on annealed AuNPs exposed to saline buffers under wet media conditions (overnight at 4 °C) and functionalized with BPE concentrations (10−3–10−11 M) with the highest LSPR spectra after two weeks.

A surface plasmon resonance (SPR) platform, based on a D-shaped plastic optical fiber (POF), combined with a biomimetic receptor, i.e., a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP), is proposed to detect furfural (2-furaldheide, 2-FAL) in fermented beverages like wine. MIPs have been demonstrated to be a very convenient biomimetic receptor in the proposed sensing device, being easy and rapid to develop, suitable for on-site determinations at low concentrations, and cheap. Moreover, the MIP film thickness can be changed to modulate the sensing parameters. The possibility of performing single drop measurements is a further favorable aspect for practical applications. For example, the use of an SPR-MIP sensor for the analysis of 2-FAL in a real life matrix such as wine is proposed, obtaining a low detection limit of 0.004 mg L−1. The determination of 2-FAL in fermented beverages is becoming a crucial task, mainly for the effects of the furanic compounds on the flavor of food and their toxic and carcinogenic effect on human beings.

The integration of microfluidics with advanced biosensor technologies offers tremendous advantages such as smaller sample volume requirement and precise handling of samples and reagents, for developing affordable point-of-care testing methodologies that could be used in hospitals for monitoring patients. However, the success and popularity of point-of-care diagnosis lies with the generation of instantaneous and reliable results through in situ tests conducted in a painless, non-invasive manner. This work presents the development of a simple, hybrid integrated optical microfluidic biosensor for rapid detection of analytes in test samples. The proposed biosensor works on the principle of colorimetric optical absorption, wherein samples mixed with suitable chromogenic substrates induce a color change dependent upon the analyte concentration that could then be detected by the absorbance of light in its path length. This optical detection scheme has been hybrid integrated with an acoustofluidic micromixing unit to enable uniform mixing of fluids within the device. As a proof-of-concept, we have demonstrated the real-time application of our biosensor format for the detection of potassium in whole saliva samples. The results show that our lab-on-a-chip technology could provide a useful strategy in biomedical diagnoses for rapid analyte detection towards clinical point-of-care testing applications.

Microfluidic devices offer important benefits for forensic applications, in particular for fast tests at a crime scene. A large portion of forensic applications require microfluidic chip material to show compatibility with biochemical reactions (such as amplification reactions), and to have high transparency in the visible region and high chemical resistance. Also, preferably, manufacturing should be simple. The characteristic properties of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) fulfills these requirements and offers new opportunities for the development of new forensic tests. In this work, the versatility of COC as material for lab-on-a-chip (LOC) systems in forensic applications has been explored by realizing two proof-of-principle devices. Chemical resistance and optical transparency were investigated for the development of an on-chip presumptive color test to indicate the presence of an illicit substance through applying absorption spectroscopy. Furthermore, the compatibility of COC with a DNA amplification reaction was verified by performing an on-chip multiple displacement amplification (MDA) reaction.

In this study, we deposited TiO2 thin films onto borosilicate glass by ultrasonic spray pyrolysis at 350 and 450 °C. The aim of study is to determine the effect of deposition temperature on photocatalytic activity of TiO2 thin films and to investigate the performance of TiO2 thin films on photocatalytic degradation of methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE), acetone, acetaldehyde, and heptane as functions of different operating parameters. TiO2 thin films deposited at 350 and 450 °C have a thickness value of 190 and 330 nm, respectively. All as-prepared TiO2 films possess an anatase crystalline structure. According to the X-ray photon spectroscopy (XPS) study, the TiO2 thin film deposited at 350 °C showed a higher amount of oxygen vacancies and hydroxyl groups on the film surface after UV treatment. The aged-TiO2 thin film deposited at 350 °C showed a water contact angle (WCA) value of 0° after 10 min UV irradiation, showing superhydrophilic surface behavior. The TiO2 film deposited at 350 °C exhibited the highest amount of conversion of MTBE (100%). The results also showed that TiO2 films are capable of photocatalytic degradation of MTBE (100%) and acetaldehyde (approx. 80%) in humid air conditions and high airflow rate. The visible-light-activity of TiO2 thin films was tested with 5 ppm MTBE and acetone. TiO2 thin films deposited at 350 °C with a surface area of 600 cm2 showed 60% of MTBE and 33% of acetone degradation under VIS light.

In this study, CdSe/ZnS core-shell quantum dots (QDs) with various dimensions were used as the color conversion materials. QDs with dimensions of 3 nm and 5 nm were excited by gallium nitride (GaN)-based blue micro-light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs) with a size of 30 μm × 30 μm to respectively form the green and red lights. The hybrid Bragg reflector (HBR) with high reflectivity at the regions of the blue, green, and red lights was fabricated on the bottom side of the micro-LEDs to reflect the downward light. This could enhance the intensity of the green and red lights for the green and red QDs/micro-LEDs to 11% and 10%. The distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) was fabricated on the QDs color conversion layers to reflect the non-absorbed blue light that was not absorbed by the QDs, which could increase the probability of the QDs excited by the reflected blue light. The blue light absorption material was deposited on the DBR to absorb the blue light that escaped from the DBR, which could enhance the color purity of the resulting green and red QDs/micro-LEDs to 90.9% and 90.3%, respectively.

Diodes with an erbium and nitrogen codoped magnesium zinc oxide (MgZnO:Er,N) active layer were fabricated by spray pyrolysis on Si substrate with aqueous solutions including magnesium nitrate, zinc acetate, erbium acetate, ammonium acetate, and indium nitrate precursors. Diodes with different nitrogen content in their precursor were prepared and their properties were investigated. With scanning electron microscopy, film surface with mixed hexagonal flakes and tiny blocks was characterized for all samples. Certain morphologies varied for samples with different N contents. In the photoluminescence analyses, the intensity of the oxygen-related defects peak increased with the increasing of nitrogen content. The diodes were fabricated with an Au and In deposition on the top and backside. The diode current–voltage as well as capacitance–voltage characteristics were examined. An ununiformed n-type concentration distribution with high concentration near the interface in the MgZnO:Er,N layer was characterized for all samples. Diodes with high nitrogen content exhibit reduced breakdown voltage and higher interface concentration characteristics. Under reversed bias conditions with an injection current of 50 mA, a light spectrum with two distinct green emissions around wavelengths 532 and 553 nm was observed. A small spectrum variation was characterized for diodes prepared from different nitrogen content. The diode luminescence characteristics were examined and the diode prepared from N/Zn=1 in the precursor showed an optimal injection current-to-luminescence property. The current and luminescence properties of the diode were characterized and discussed.