Dry ice fog extraction of volatile organic compounds.

Extraction of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into a condensed phase requires maximizing the surface-to-volume ratio of the extracting medium. In the case of the solid-phase extracting media, the surface-to-volume ratio can be increased by implementing porous monoliths or particles with different size. In the case of the liquid-phase extracting media, the surface-to-volume ratio can be increased by generating microbubbles or aerosol microdroplets.

Kinetic study of continuous liquid-liquid extraction of wine with real-time detection.

Kinetic optimization of continuous liquid-liquid extraction (CLLE) can shorten sample preparation times and reduce losses of labile or volatile analytes. Here, we coupled a downscaled CLLE apparatus with atmospheric pressure chemical ionization interface of triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. Real-time sampling was guided by an Arduino-based programmable logic controller.

Current Enhancement and Bipolar Current Modulation of Top-Gate Transistors Based on Monolayer MoS on Three-Layer W MoS.

We demonstrated the top-gate transistors composed of monolayer MoS grown on three-layer alloys Mo WS prepared by sequential sulfurization of predeposited transition metal films. The elemental mapping of the alloy indicates a uniform distribution of both cations Mo and W in the grown samples. Surprisingly, we find that the drain current of transistors could be enhanced by 2 orders of magnitude as the composition of Mo increases, whereas the gate-controlled current modulation turns bipolar and ultimately vanishes.

Chemical clocks, oscillations, and other temporal effects in analytical chemistry: oddity or viable approach?

Most analytical methods are based on "analogue" inputs from sensors of light, electric potentials, or currents. The signals obtained by such sensors are processed using certain calibration functions to determine concentrations of the target analytes. The signal readouts are normally done after an optimised and fixed time period, during which an assay mixture is incubated.

Spontaneous luminescence color change in the firefly luciferase assay system.

The temporal effects of luciferase reaction luminescence have only been discussed in the context of light intensity (flash vs. glow). However, alterations in the color of the light emitted over the course of the luciferase reaction have not been reported.

Increase in gray matter volume and white matter fractional anisotropy in the motor pathways of patients with secondarily generalized neocortical seizures.

Purpose: Convulsive motor activity is a clinical manifestation of secondarily generalized seizures evolving from different focal regions. The way in which the motor seizures present themselves is not very different from most of the generalized seizures in and between epilepsy patients. This might point towards the involvement of motor-related cortices and corticospinal pathway for wide spread propagation of epileptic activity.

Case report: Coincidental inclusion in a 17-locus Y-STR mixture, wrongful conviction and exoneration.

We report the case of a suspect (Suspect-3) who was convicted (and later exonerated) of participating in the multiple-attacker rape of two women. The forensic evidence against him was his inclusion in a 17-marker Y-STR mixture isolated from semen on one victim's clothing. The DNA inclusion produced a match statistic with a combined probability of inclusion of 1 in 741, and a Likelihood Ratio of 3296.

Structure-Property Relationship Study of Donor and Acceptor 2,6-Disubstituted BODIPY Derivatives for High Performance Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells.

Seven donor and acceptor 2,6-disubstituted 4,4-difluoro-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) dyes have been synthesized and characterized. Including MPBTCA, which is a known compound, the seven BODIPY dyes have been characterized by varied physical methods, such as UV/Visible absorption spectroscopy, low energy photo-electron spectroscopy (AC-2), and HOMO-LUMO DFT/TDDFT calculation. All seven BODIPY dyes have absorption λ around 535-545 nm, which is significantly longer than 499 nm of 4,4-difluoro-1,3,5,7,8-pentamethyl-4-bora-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (PM 546).

Conductive nanogel-interfaced neural microelectrode arrays with electrically controlled in-situ delivery of manganese ions enabling high-resolution MEMRI for synchronous neural tracing with deep brain stimulation.

Chronic brain stimulation has become a promising physical therapy with increased efficacy and efficiency in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. The application of deep brain electrical stimulation (DBS) combined with manganese-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) provides an unbiased representation of the functional anatomy, which shows the communication between areas of the brain responding to the therapy. However, it is challenging for the current system to provide a real-time high-resolution image because the incorporated MnCl solution through microinjection usually results in image blurring or toxicity due to the uncontrollable diffusion of Mn.

Altered structural and functional thalamocortical networks in secondarily generalized extratemporal lobe seizures.

Structural and functional abnormalities in the thalamocortical network in primary generalized epilepsies or mesial temporal lobe epilepsy have recently been identified by voxel-wise analyses of neuroimaging. However, evidence is needed regarding the profiles of the thalamocortical network in patients with secondarily generalized seizures from focal neocortical sources. We used high-resolution T1-weighted, diffusion-tensor and resting-state functional MR imaging (rs-fMRI) to examine 16 patients with secondarily generalized extratemporal lobe seizures and 16 healthy controls.

In-Oleo Microgasometry of Nanoliter-Scale Gas Volumes with Image-Based Detection.

Gasometric assays involve measurements of the amounts of gases that are released during physical or chemical processes. The available instrumentation for gasometric analysis is generally difficult to use and requires large sample volumes. In some cases, toxic materials (mercury) are involved in the analysis process.

Quantitative mass spectrometry of unconventional human biological matrices.

The development of sensitive and versatile mass spectrometric methodology has fuelled interest in the analysis of metabolites and drugs in unconventional biological specimens. Here, we discuss the analysis of eight human matrices-hair, nail, breath, saliva, tears, meibum, nasal mucus and skin excretions (including sweat)-by mass spectrometry (MS). The use of such specimens brings a number of advantages, the most important being non-invasive sampling, the limited risk of adulteration and the ability to obtain information that complements blood and urine tests.

On the influence of spread constant in radial basis networks for electrical impedance tomography.

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive imaging technique. The main task of this work is to solve a non-linear inverse problem, for which several techniques have been suggested, but none of which gives a very high degree of accuracy. This paper introduces a novel approach, based on radial basis function (RBF) artificial neural networks (ANNs), to solve this problem, and uses several ANNs to obtain the best solution to the EIT inverse problem.

Capillary hydrodynamic chromatography reveals temporal profiles of cell aggregates.

Microbial cells are known to form aggregates. Such aggregates can be found in various matrices; for example, functional drinks. Capillary hydrodynamic chromatography (HDC) enables separation of particles by size using nanoliter-scale volumes of samples.

Facile multi-dimensional profiling of chemical gradients at the millimetre scale.

A vast number of conventional physicochemical methods are suitable for the analysis of homogeneous samples. However, in various cases, the samples exhibit intrinsic heterogeneity. Tomography allows one to record approximate distributions of chemical species in the three-dimensional space.

Micropatch-arrayed pads for non-invasive spatial and temporal profiling of topical drugs on skin surface.

Micropatch-arrayed pads (MAPAs) are presented as a facile and sensitive sampling method for spatial profiling of topical agents adsorbed on the surface of skin. MAPAs are 28 × 28 mm sized pieces of polytetrafluoroethylene containing plurality of cavities filled with agarose hydrogel. They are affixed onto skin for 10 min with the purpose to collect drugs applied topically.

Automated on-line liquid-liquid extraction system for temporal mass spectrometric analysis of dynamic samples.

Most real samples cannot directly be infused to mass spectrometers because they could contaminate delicate parts of ion source and guides, or cause ion suppression. Conventional sample preparation procedures limit temporal resolution of analysis. We have developed an automated liquid-liquid extraction system that enables unsupervised repetitive treatment of dynamic samples and instantaneous analysis by mass spectrometry (MS).

Fusion of microlitre water-in-oil droplets for simple, fast and green chemical assays.

A simple format for microscale chemical assays is proposed. It does not require the use of test tubes, microchips or microtiter plates. Microlitre-range (ca.

Microcontroller-assisted compensation of adenosine triphosphate levels: instrument and method development.

In order to ascertain optimum conditions for biocatalytic processes carried out in vitro, we have designed a bio-opto-electronic system which ensures real-time compensation for depletion of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) in reactions involving transfer of phosphate groups. The system covers ATP concentration range of 2-48 μM. The report demonstrates feasibility of the device operation using apyrase as the ATP-depleting enzyme.

A meta-learning approach for B-cell conformational epitope prediction.

Background: One of the major challenges in the field of vaccine design is identifying B-cell epitopes in continuously evolving viruses. Various tools have been developed to predict linear or conformational epitopes, each relying on different physicochemical properties and adopting distinct search strategies. We propose a meta-learning approach for epitope prediction based on stacked and cascade generalizations.

The mediating role of interpersonal cognition on the relationships between personality and adolescent ego development.

The author investigated whether interpersonal cognition mediated the relationships between defense, social sensitivity, and ego development. Participants (N = 616; M age = 15.66 years, SD = .

Coffee-ring effects in laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry.

This report focuses on the heterogeneous distribution of small molecules (e.g. metabolites) within dry deposits of suspensions and solutions of inorganic and organic compounds with implications for chemical analysis of small molecules by laser desorption/ionization (LDI) mass spectrometry (MS).

Brain dynamics of mathematical problem solving.

The purpose of this study is to examine brain activities of participants solving mental math problems. The research investigated how problem difficulty affected the subjects' responses and electroencephalogram (EEG) in different brain regions. In general, it was found that solution latencies (SL) to the math problems increased with difficulty.