The pervasive presence of microplastics (MPs) in the environment is well established, yet many critical questions remain about their distribution and potential impacts on both ecological and human health. To assess the risks that MPs pose, especially through marine ecosystems and human consumption, monitoring their ingestion by fish in natural environments is essential. This study investigated the contamination of 12 fish species, the most commonly consumed in Morocco, collected from the Atlantic Ocean off the Moroccan coast.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn precision agriculture, soil spectroscopy has become an invaluable tool for rapid, low-cost, and nondestructive diagnostic approaches. Various instrument configurations are utilized to obtain spectral data over a range of wavelengths, such as homemade sensors, benchtop systems, and mobile instruments. These data are then modeled using a variety of calibration algorithms, including Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR), Principal Component Regression (PCR), and Support Vector Machines (SVM), these datasets are further improved and optimized.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study focused on one of the few but critical sample preparations required in soil spectroscopy (i.e., grinding), as well as the effect of soil particle size on the FTIR spectral database and the partial least squares regression models for the prediction of eight soil properties (viz.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMicroplastic (MP) contamination in edible mussels has raised concerns due to their potential risk to human health. Aiming to provide valuable insights regarding the occurrence, physicochemical characteristics, and human health implications of MP contamination, in the present study, two nationwide surveys of MP contamination in mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) were conducted in Morocco and Tunisia. The results indicated that MP frequency ranged from 79 % to 100 % in all the analyzed samples.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerein, bio-based alginates (Alg) containing metallic beads (Ce and Cu) were synthesized via an alginate cross-linking method, and their properties were studied using experimental techniques combined with theoretical simulations. Materials were characterized through Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) images, to determine the cross-linking structural features, thermal stability, and surface morphology of alginates. Besides, density functional theory (DFT) methods were employed to calculate global reactivity parameters such as HOMO-LUMO gap energies (ΔE), electronegativity (χ), hardness (η), and electrophilic and nucleophilic indicators, using both gas and aqueous media for the study of the complexation process.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe main goal of this work was to test the ability of vibrational spectroscopy techniques to differentiate between different polymorphic forms of fluconazole in pharmaceutical products. These are mostly manufactured with fluconazole as polymorphic form II and form III. These crystalline forms may undergo polymorphic transition during the manufacturing process or storage conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this study was to perform a discrimination and classification of diesel samples from the four major suppliers of petroleum products in Morocco using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Gas Chromatography coupled with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) and chemometrics tools. Eighty diesel samples were collected from different gas stations owned by the four biggest brands in the Moroccan market. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was performed to depict the similarities between the samples and check the presence of outliers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this work, transform-infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was associated with chemometric tools, especially principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares regression (PLSR), to discriminate and quantify gasoline adulteration with diesel. The method is composed of a total of 100 mixtures were prepared, and then FTIR fingerprints were recorded for all samples. PCA was used to verify that mixtures can be distinguished from pure products and to check that there are no outliers.
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