Effects of Pulsed Electric Field on the Physicochemical and Structural Properties of Micellar Casein.

Pulsed electric field (PEF) as a green processing technology is drawing greater attention due to its eco-friendliness and potential to promote sustainable development goals. In this study, the effects of different electric field strengths (EFS, 0-30 kV/cm) on the structure and physicochemical features of casein micelles (CSMs) were investigated. It was found that the particle sizes of CSMs increased at low EFS (10 kV/cm) but decreased at high EFS (30 kV/cm).

Exploring the Limits of Early Predictive Maintenance in Wind Turbines Applying an Anomaly Detection Technique.

The aim of the presented investigation is to explore the time gap between an anomaly appearance in continuously measured parameters of the device and a failure, related to the end of the remaining resource of the device-critical component. In this investigation, we propose a recurrent neural network to model the time series of the parameters of the healthy device to detect anomalies by comparing the predicted values with the ones actually measured. An experimental investigation was performed on SCADA estimates received from different wind turbines with failures.

From Synthesis to Clinical Trial: Novel Bioinductive Calcium Deficient HA/β-TCP Bone Grafting Nanomaterial.

Maxillary sinus augmentation is a commonly used procedure for the placement of dental implants. However, the use of natural and synthetic materials in this procedure has resulted in postoperative complications ranging from 12% to 38%. To address this issue, we developed a novel calcium deficient HA/β-TCP bone grafting nanomaterial using a two-step synthesis method with appropriate structural and chemical parameters for sinus lifting applications.

Synthesis and Investigation of Novel Optical Active SiO Glasses with Entrapped YAG:Ce Synthesized via Sol-Gel Method.

We present a crack-free optically active SiO glass-composite material containing YAG:Ce synthesized via a modified sol-gel technique. A glass-composite material consisting of yttrium aluminum garnet doped with Ce (YAG:Ce) was entrapped into a SiO xerogel. This composite material was prepared using a sol-gel technique with modified gelation and a drying process to obtain crack-free optically active SiO glass.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymer-Based Electrochemical Sensors for the Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases.

The appearance of biological molecules, so-called biomarkers in body fluids at abnormal concentrations, is considered a good tool for detecting disease. Biomarkers are usually looked for in the most common body fluids, such as blood, nasopharyngeal fluids, urine, tears, sweat, etc. Even with significant advances in diagnostic technology, many patients with suspected infections receive empiric antimicrobial therapy rather than appropriate treatment, which is driven by rapid identification of the infectious agent, leading to increased antimicrobial resistance.

Towards Electrochemical Sensor Based on Molecularly Imprinted Polypyrrole for the Detection of Bacteria-.

Detecting bacteria--is an essential healthcare and food industry issue. The objective of the current study was to apply platinum (Pt) and screen-printed carbon (SPCE) electrodes modified by molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) in the design of an electrochemical sensor for the detection of . A sequence of potential pulses was used to perform the electrochemical deposition of the non-imprinted polypyrrole (NIP-Ppy) layer and -imprinted polypyrrole (MIP-Ppy) layer over SPCE and Pt electrodes.

Stable and Reusable Lace-like Black Silicon Nanostructures Coated with Nanometer-Thick Gold Films for SERS-Based Sensing.

We propose a simple, fast, and low-cost method for producing Au-coated black Si-based SERS-active substrates with a proven enhancement factor of 10. Room temperature reactive ion etching of silicon wafer followed by nanometer-thin gold sputtering allows the formation of a highly developed lace-type Si surface covered with homogeneously distributed gold islands. The mosaic structure of deposited gold allows the use of Au-uncovered Si domains for Raman peak intensity normalization.

Molecularly imprinted polymers for the recognition of biomarkers of certain neurodegenerative diseases.

The appearance of the biomarkers in body fluids like blood, urine, saliva, tears, etc. can be used for the identification of many diseases. This article aimed to summarize the studies about electrochemical biosensors with molecularly imprinted polymers as sensitive and selective layers on the electrode to detect protein-based biomarkers of such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stress.

Black Silicon: Breaking through the Everlasting Cost vs. Effectivity Trade-Off for SERS Substrates.

Black silicon (bSi) is a highly absorptive material in the UV-vis and NIR spectral range. Photon trapping ability makes noble metal plated bSi attractive for fabrication of surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) substrates. By using a cost-effective room temperature reactive ion etching method, we designed and fabricated the bSi surface profile, which provides the maximum Raman signal enhancement under NIR excitation when a nanometrically-thin gold layer is deposited.

Molecularly Imprinted Polymers for the Determination of Cancer Biomarkers.

Biomarkers can provide critical information about cancer and many other diseases; therefore, developing analytical systems for recognising biomarkers is an essential direction in bioanalytical chemistry. Recently molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) have been applied in analytical systems to determine biomarkers. This article aims to an overview of MIPs used for the detection of cancer biomarkers, namely: prostate cancer (PSA), breast cancer (CA15-3, HER-2), epithelial ovarian cancer (CA-125), hepatocellular carcinoma (AFP), and small molecule cancer biomarkers (5-HIAA and neopterin).

Investigation of Biomolecule Interactions: Optical-, Electrochemical-, and Acoustic-Based Biosensors.

Today, optical, electrochemical, and acoustic affinity biosensors; immunosensors; and immunoanalytical systems play an important role in the detection and characterization of a number of biological substances, including viral antigens, specific antibodies, and clinically important biomarkers [...

Nanodiamond surface as a photoluminescent pH sensor.

A systematic spectroscopic characterization of highly homogeneous water suspensions of 'buckydiamonds' comprising spcubic nanodiamond (ND) core covered with disordered spshell densely decorated with oxygen-containing groups demonstrates the excitation-wavelength-dependent photoluminescence (PL) given by at least four types of specific structures on the ND surface (hydroxyl, C=O containing ketones, carboxylic anhydrides, and carboxyl groups). PL properties of NDs suspensions possess concentration-dependent behavior revealing tendency of NDs to agglomerate. PL of NDs has been found to be strongly sensitive to pH of the environment in wide range of pH values, i.

Electrochemical Biosensor for the Determination of Specific Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein.

In this article, we report the development of an electrochemical biosensor for the determination of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (rS). A gold disc electrode was electrochemically modified to form the nanocrystalline gold structure on the surface. Then, it was further altered by a self-assembling monolayer based on a mixture of two alkane thiols: 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA) and 6-mercapto-1-hexanol (6-MCOH) (SAM).

Sonoprocessing: mechanisms and recent applications of power ultrasound in food.

There is a growing interest in using green technologies in the food industry. As a green processing technique, ultrasound has a great potential to be applied in many food applications. In this review, the basic mechanism of ultrasound processing technology has been discussed.

Designing red-fluorescent superparamagnetic nanoparticles by conjugation with gold clusters.

Photoluminescent (PL) metal and metal oxide nanoclusters (NCs), with a size of just several nanometers, are a separate class of nanomaterials abundant with new attractive optical, physical, and chemical properties and biocompatibility. However, the synthesis of PL magnetic NCs attachment of PL NCs to iron oxide-based nanoparticles (NPs) is still problematic. Motivated by this, herein, we report the development of a microwave-driven conjugation approach of red-fluorescent gold nanoclusters (BSA@AuNCs) to superparamagnetic NPs.

EFOMP's protocol quality controls in PET/CT and PET/MR.

This article presents the protocol on Quality Controls in PET/CT and PET/MRI published online in May 2022 by the European Federation of Organisations for Medical Physics (EFOMP), which was developed by the Working group for PET/CT and PET/MRI Quality Control (QC) protocol. The main objective of this protocol was to comprehensively provide simple and practical procedures that may be integrated into clinical practice to identify changes in the PET/CT/MRI system's performance and avoid short- and long-term quality deterioration. The protocol describes the quality control procedures on radionuclide calibrators, weighing scales, PET, CT and MRI systems using selected and measurable parameters that are directly linked to clinical images quality.

Short review of plutonium applications for the sediment transport studies.

The transport of sediments in surface waters is a natural process involving the relocation of the sediments themselves and the nutrients, pollutants and radionuclides associated with them. Plutonium isotopes have proven to be a useful tool for studying this process over several decades. In this article, we review the characteristics of the behaviour of plutonium in the water column and the main directions of its use to study the transport of sediments at different scales.

Enhanced optical properties of yttrium aluminum garnet with the yttrium vanadate impurity phase.

Yttrium aluminum garnet doped with europium with an additional impurity phase of yttrium vanadate doped europium has been prepared in different ways: synthesized by a sol-gel route and mechanically mixed in a mortar. The obtained samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction analysis, and scanning electron microscopy. Photoluminescence spectra were recorded to understand the role of the impurity phase in the garnet's optical properties.

Development of graphitization method for low carbon aerosol filter samples with Automated Graphitization System AGE-3.

The wide applications of the radiocarbon (C) approach in environmental, archeological, and geological research often necessitates the analysis of microgram-sized samples. The ability to measure low carbon samples is particularly relevant for aerosol particle filters, especially for samples from pristine environments. For this purpose, we investigated the sample dilution method for graphitization of low-carbon samples (20-200 μg C) with an Automated Graphitization System (AGE-3), and applied a mass balance equation for the calculation of C values.

Total Internal Reflection Ellipsometry Approach for Bloch Surface Waves Biosensing Applications.

A one-dimensional photonic crystal with an additional TiO layer, supporting Bloch surface waves (BSW), was used for enhanced signal sensitivity for the detection of protein interaction. To compare the optical response of BSW and photonic crystals (PC), bovine serum albumin and specific antibodies against bovine serum were used as a model system. The results obtained show the enhanced sensitivity of p- and s-BSW components for the 1D PC sample with an additional TiO layer.

Conducting Polymers for the Design of Tactile Sensors.

This paper provides an overview of the application of conducting polymers (CPs) used in the design of tactile sensors. While conducting polymers can be used as a base in a variety of forms, such as films, particles, matrices, and fillers, the CPs generally remain the same. This paper, first, discusses the chemical and physical properties of conducting polymers.

Hysteresis and Stochastic Fluorescence by Aggregated Ensembles of Graphene Quantum Dots.

"Blinking" behavior of fluorophores, being harmful for the majority of super-resolved techniques, turns into a key property for stochastic optical fluctuation imaging and its modifications, allowing one to look at the fluorophores already used in conventional microscopy, such as graphene quantum dots, from a completely new perspective. Here we discuss fluorescence of aggregated ensembles of graphene quantum dots structured at submicron scale. We study temperature dependence and stochastic character of emission.

Investigation of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein interaction with a specific antibody by combined spectroscopic ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation.

Detailed evaluations of the antigen and antibody interaction rate and strength of the immune complex formed are very important for medical and bioanalytical applications. These data are crucial for the development of sensitive and fast immunosensors suitable for continuous measurements. Therefore, combined spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) and quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (QCM-D) technique (SE/QCM-D) was used for the evaluation: (i)of covalent immobilization of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (SCoV2-N) on QCM-D sensor disc modified by self-assembled monolayer based on 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid and (ii)interaction of immobilized SCoV2-N with specific polyclonal anti-SCoV2-N antibodies followed by immune complex formation process.

Femtosecond Laser-Ablated Copper Surface as a Substrate for a MoS-Based Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Electrocatalyst.

One of the methods to improve the performance of a heterogeneous electrocatalyst is the dispersion of a catalytic material on a suitable substrate. In this study, femtosecond laser ablation was used to prepare very rough but also ordered copper surfaces consisting of vertical, parallel ridges. Then, a molybdenum sulfide coating was electrochemically deposited onto these surfaces.

Adsorption of caesium and cobalt ions on the muscovite mica clay-graphene oxide-γ-FeO-FeO composite.

The muscovite mica clay-graphene oxide-maghemite-magnetite (γ-FeO-FeO) composite was first used for the adsorption of caesium(I) and cobalt(II). The presence of clay minerals, graphene oxide, maghemite, and magnetite was detected in the prepared composite by XRD, WD-XRF, Mössbauer spectroscopy, and ATR-FTIR. The SEM and TEM results show that the composite has a layered structure with irregularly shaped pores on the surface.