Screening for Forensically Relevant Drugs Using Data-Independent High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry.

Forensic and clinical laboratories are expected to provide a rapid screening of samples for a wide range of analytes; however, the ever-changing landscape of illicit substances makes analysis complicated. There is a great need for untargeted methods that can aid these laboratories in broad-scope drug screening. Liquid chromatography hyphenated with high-resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) has become a popular technique for untargeted screening and presumptive identification of drugs of abuse due to its superior sensitivity and detection capabilities in complex matrices.

Strategies to detect trace methamphetamine contamination on hard surfaces: Assessing realistic performance of commercially available presumptive tests and a laboratory-based LC-MS/MS method.

Recreational methamphetamine production and heavy use can result in dwelling contamination that is difficult to detect. First responders and public health officials may use commercially available trace methamphetamine detection (presumptive) test kits to understand apparent and hidden dangers in impacted dwellings. Here, we assessed the limit of detection (LOD) of several commercially available presumptive test kits using simulated contaminated hard surfaces.

Pharmacology of -(-)-Methamphetamine in Humans: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

Methamphetamine exists as two stereoisomers: -(+)-methamphetamine ((+)-MAMP) and -(-)-methamphetamine ((-)-MAMP). The (+)-MAMP stereoisomer is a well-known central nervous system stimulant, available as a pharmaceutical and clandestine drug of abuse. However, the (-)-MAMP stereoisomer is less well understood despite commercial availability for over 30 years as an over-the-counter (OTC) nasal decongestant in the Vicks Vapor Inhaler (a product of Procter & Gamble).

Measuring the diversity gap of cannabis clinical trial participants compared to people who report using cannabis.

Little is known about the demographics of people who use cannabis, including how use trends within population subgroups have evolved over time. It is therefore challenging to know if the demographics of participants enrolled in cannabis clinical trials are representative of those who use cannabis. To fill this knowledge gap, data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) on "past-month" cannabis use across various population subgroups in the United States was examined from 2002 to 2021.

Monitoring the Activation of Open Metal Sites in [FeM(μ-O)] Cluster-Based Metal-Organic Frameworks by Single-Crystal X-ray Diffraction.

While trinuclear [FeM(μ-O)] cluster-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have found wide applications in gas storage and catalysis, it is still challenging to identify the structure of open metal sites obtained through proper activations and understand their influence on the adsorption and catalytic properties. Herein, we use in situ variable-temperature single-crystal X-ray diffraction to monitor the structural evolution of [FeM(μ-O)]-based MOFs (PCN-250, M = Ni, Co, Zn, Mg) upon thermal activation and provide the snapshots of metal sites at different temperatures. The exposure of open Fe sites was observed along with the transformation of Fe coordination geometries from octahedron to square pyramid.

What is the Preferred Educational Background of Forensic Scientists?

Forensic science is a broad and rapidly developing field where fundamental scientific principles and techniques are used to investigate crimes. As the field evolves, universities offering forensic science degrees are increasing in both number and diversity of curricula. Paramount to any discussion around forensic science education is an assessment of what educational degrees are preferred by those hiring both entry- and supervisory-level forensic scientists.

Suitability of SoToxa® Oral Fluid Screening Over Time: Re-Examination of Drugged Driving in Wisconsin.

Drug-impaired driver detection is a critical element of traffic safety. However, shifting drug use patterns over time and geography may limit the long-term reliability of assay-based screening tools. In this work, we compare qualitative results from the Abbott SoToxa® oral fluid (OF) screening device to Quantisal™ OF and whole blood.

Comparison of Breath- and Blood-Alcohol Concentrations in a Controlled Drinking Study.

In this work, 114 volunteers were dosed with 80-proof liquor to produce peak blood-alcohol concentration (BAC) or breath-alcohol concentration (BrAC) of 0.040-0.080 g/100 mL blood or g/210 L breath.

Estimating Uncertainty in Wisconsin's Evidential Breath Alcohol Measurements.

Breath alcohol measurement accuracy and precision quantification is a critical component of impaired driving prosecution and is required for laboratory accreditation. The Chemical Testing Section of Wisconsin's Department of Transportation conducted a bottom-up study to quantify uncertainty of breath alcohol measurements conducted on Intoximeter's EC/IR II instrument. After an exercise in combined uncertainty source identification, individual input values were either reported from National Institute of Standards and Technology traceable reference materials or quantified using instrument data from 2014 to 2018.

Ultralow-loading platinum-cobalt fuel cell catalysts derived from imidazolate frameworks.

Achieving high catalytic performance with the lowest possible amount of platinum is critical for fuel cell cost reduction. Here we describe a method of preparing highly active yet stable electrocatalysts containing ultralow-loading platinum content by using cobalt or bimetallic cobalt and zinc zeolitic imidazolate frameworks as precursors. Synergistic catalysis between strained platinum-cobalt core-shell nanoparticles over a platinum-group metal (PGM)-free catalytic substrate led to excellent fuel cell performance under 1 atmosphere of O or air at both high-voltage and high-current domains.

High-performance oxygen reduction catalysts in both alkaline and acidic fuel cells based on pre-treating carbon material and iron precursor.

We demonstrate a new and simple method for pre-treating the carbon material and iron precursor to prepare oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) catalysts, which can produce super-high performance and stability in alkaline solution, with high performance in acid solution. This strategy using cheap materials is simply controllable. Moreover, it has achieved smaller uniform nanoparticles to exhibit high stability, and the synergetic effect of Fe and N offered much higher performance in ORR than commercial Pt/C, with high maximum power density in alkaline and acid fuel cell test.

Erratum: High performance platinum single atom electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/ncomms15938.

High performance platinum single atom electrocatalyst for oxygen reduction reaction.

For the large-scale sustainable implementation of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells in vehicles, high-performance electrocatalysts with low platinum consumption are desirable for use as cathode material during the oxygen reduction reaction in fuel cells. Here we report a carbon black-supported cost-effective, efficient and durable platinum single-atom electrocatalyst with carbon monoxide/methanol tolerance for the cathodic oxygen reduction reaction. The acidic single-cell with such a catalyst as cathode delivers high performance, with power density up to 680 mW cm at 80 °C with a low platinum loading of 0.

Amorphous boron nanorod as an anode material for lithium-ion batteries at room temperature.

We report an amorphous boron nanorod anode material for lithium-ion batteries prepared through smelting non-toxic boron oxide in liquid lithium. Boron in theory can provide capacity as high as 3099 mA h g by alloying with Li to form BLi. However, experimental studies of the boron anode have been rarely reported for room temperature lithium-ion batteries.

Direct synthesis of bimetallic Pd3Ag nanoalloys from bulk Pd3Ag alloy.

We report a transformative, all inorganic synthesis method of preparing supported bimetallic Pd(3)Ag alloy nanoparticles. The method involves breaking down bulk Pd(3)Ag alloy into the nanoparticles in liquid lithium, converting metallic Li to LiOH, and transferring Pd(3)Ag nanoparticles/LiOH mixture onto non-water-soluble supports, followed by leaching off the LiOH with water under ambient conditions. The size of the resulting Pd(3)Ag nanoparticles was found narrowly distributed around 2.