Sustainable All-Cellulose Biocomposites from Renewable Biomass Resources Fabricated in a Water-Based Processing System by the Vacuum-Filtration-Assisted Impregnation Method.

The increasing awareness of global ecological concerns and the rising sustainability consciousness associated with the manufacturing of non-renewable and non-biodegradable composite materials have led to extensive research on product and process developments of more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and fully biodegradable biocomposites for higher-value end-use applications. All-cellulose composites (ACCs) are an emerging class of biocomposites, which are produced utilizing solely cellulose as a raw material that is derived from various renewable biomass resources, such as trees and plants, and are assessed as fully biodegradable. In this study, sustainable ACCs were fabricated for the first time based on the full dissolution of commercially available sulfite dissolving (D) pulps as a matrix with concentrations of 1.

Correction: Soršak et al. Design and Investigation of Optical Properties of -(Rhodamine-B)-Lactam-Ethylenediamine (RhB-EDA) Fluorescent Probe. 2018, , 1201.

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Osmolality and Tonicity of Isotonic Beverages.

This study aimed to measure and compare the osmolality and tonicity of isotonic beverages that can be bought on the Slovenian market. The main goal was to examine how good is the agreement between the measured osmolalities of the beverages and the requirements for isotonic beverages set up by EFSA. Osmolalities were measured with an osmometer using the freezing point depression method.

Identifying Metal Binding Sites in Proteins Using Homologous Structures, the MADE Approach.

In order to identify the locations of metal ions in the binding sites of proteins, we have developed a method named the MADE (MAcromolecular DEnsity and Structure Analysis) approach. The MADE approach represents an evolution of our previous toolset, the ProBiS HO (MD) methodology, for the identification of conserved water molecules. Our method uses experimental structures of proteins homologous to a query, which are subsequently superimposed upon it.

Fentanyl and the Fluorinated Fentanyl Derivative NFEPP Elicit Distinct Hydrogen-Bond Dynamics of the Opioid Receptor.

The development of safe therapeutics to manage pain is of central interest for biomedical applications. The fluorinated fentanyl derivative -(3-fluoro-1-phenethylpiperidin-4-yl)--phenylpropionamide (NFEPP) is potentially a safer alternative to fentanyl because unlike fentanyl─which binds to the μ-opioid receptor (MOR) at both physiological and acidic pH─NFEPP might bind to the MOR only at acidic pH typical of inflamed tissue. Knowledge of the protonation-coupled dynamics of the receptor-drug interactions is thus required to understand the molecular mechanism by which receptor activation initiates cell signaling to silence pain.

Superparamagnetic Spinel-Ferrite Nano-Adsorbents Adapted for Hg, Dy, Tb Removal/Recycling: Synthesis, Characterization, and Assessment of Toxicity.

In the present work, superparamagnetic adsorbents based on 3-aminopropyltrimethoxy silane (APTMS)-coated maghemite (γFeO@SiO-NH) and cobalt ferrite (CoFeO@SiO-NH) nanoparticles were prepared and characterized using transmission-electron microscopy (TEM/HRTEM/EDXS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), specific surface-area measurements (BET), zeta potential (ζ) measurements, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and magnetometry (VSM). The adsorption of Dy, Tb, and Hg ions onto adsorbent surfaces in model salt solutions was tested. The adsorption was evaluated in terms of adsorption efficiency (%), adsorption capacity (mg/g), and desorption efficiency (%) based on the results of inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES).

Recent Developments in Electrochemical-Impedimetric Biosensors for Virus Detection.

Viruses, including influenza viruses, MERS-CoV (Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus), SARS-CoV (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus), HAV (Hepatitis A virus), HBV (Hepatitis B virus), HCV (Hepatitis C virus), HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), EBOV (Ebola virus), ZIKV (Zika virus), and most recently SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2), are responsible for many diseases that result in hundreds of thousands of deaths yearly. The ongoing outbreak of the COVID-19 disease has raised a global concern and intensified research on the detection of viruses and virus-related diseases. Novel methods for the sensitive, rapid, and on-site detection of pathogens, such as the recent SARS-CoV-2, are critical for diagnosing and treating infectious diseases before they spread and affect human health worldwide.

Adsorption of rare earth metals from wastewater by nanomaterials: A review.

Rare earth elements are widely used in chemical engineering, the nuclear industry, metallurgy, medicine, electronics, and computer technology because of their unique properties. To fulfil ever increasing demands for these elements, recycling of rare-earth-element-containing products as well as their recovery from wastewater is quite important. In order to recover rare earth elements from wastewater, their adsorption from low-concentration aqueous solutions, by using nanomaterials, is investigated due to technological simplicity and high efficiency.

Synthesis and characterization of novel γ-FeO-NHOH@SiO(APTMS) nanoparticles for dysprosium adsorption.

This paper deals with synthesis and characterization of novel γ-FeO-NHOH@SiO(APTMS) nanoparticles formed from magnetic γ-FeO core, stabilized electrostatically in basic media NHOH, doped with SiO shell and functionalized with 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane. The gradually synthesized nanoparticles are characterized in order to analyze their structural, morphology, thermogravimetry, surface area and charge, and magnetic properties. The novel synthesized γ-FeO-NHOH@SiO(APTMS) nanoparticles are suitable to adsorb dysprosium ions (Dy), as one of the most critical rare earth elements, from aqueous solution.

Terbium Ion Adsorption from Aqueous Solution by Using Magnetic γFeO-NHOH@SiO Nanoparticles Functionalized with Amino Groups.

New magnetic stabilized and functionalized core@shell nanoparticles (NPs) were synthesized in a simple way and characterized in order to adsorb Tb from aqueous solution with a very low Tb concentration. For the fluorescence determination of adsorption efficiency and capacity, tiron monohydrate as a ligand was used. The obtained results confirm the potential of the synthesized magnetic γ-FeO-NHOH@SiO NPs, functionalized with (3-Aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTMS), to be used for adsorption of Tb from aqueous solution, with the possibility of its removal from aqueous solution via an external magnet.

Indicator Layers Based on Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate Copolymer (EVA) and Dicyanovinyl Azobenzene Dyes for Fast and Selective Evaluation of Vaporous Biogenic Amines.

The article presents naked-eye methods for fast, sensitive, and selective detection of isopentylamine and cadaverine vapours based on 4-,-dioctylamino-4'-dicyanovinylazobenzene (CR-528) and 4-,-dioctylamino-2'-nitro-4'-dicyanovinylazobenzene (CR-555) dyes immobilized in ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA). The reaction of CR-528/EVA and CR-555/EVA indicator layers with isopentylamine vapours caused a vivid colour change from pink/purple to yellow/orange-yellow. Additionally, CR-555/EVA showed colour changes upon exposure to cadaverine.

Design and Investigation of Optical Properties of N-(Rhodamine-B)-Lactam-Ethylenediamine (RhB-EDA) Fluorescent Probe.

This study presents chemical modification of a Rhodamine B (RhB) sensor probe by ethylenediamine (EDA), and investigation of its spectral as well as sensor properties to the various metals. The synthesised -(Rhodamine-B)-lactam-ethylenediamine (RhB-EDA) fluorescent probe shows interesting optical sensor properties, and high sensitivity and selectivity to Ag⁺ ions among all the tested metal ions (K⁺, Mg, Cu, Ni, Fe, Pb, Na⁺, Mn, Li⁺, Al, Co, Hg, Sr, Ca, Ag⁺, Cd and Zn), while the well-known Rhodamine B (RhB) fluorescent probe shows much less sensitivity to Ag⁺ ions, but high sensitivity to Fe ions. The novel fluorescent sensor probe RhB-EDA has the capabilities to sense Ag⁺ ions up to µM ranges by using the fluorescence quenching approach.

Design and Characterization of Dicyanovinyl Reactive Dyes for the Colorimetric Detection of Thiols and Biogenic Amines.

The synthesis of two new azobenzene dyes, namely CR-528 and CR-555, and their spectral properties in ethanol solution are described. The recognition of sulfur-containing analytes (2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS)), and biogenic amines (spermine, spermidine, ethanolamine) bestowed significant spectral changes with color changes from pink/purple to pale yellow/orange-yellow. The nitro acceptor group in the dicyanovinyl reactive dye contributes to higher sensitivity and lower detected analyte concentrations.