Customizable Fabrication Process for Flexible Carbon-Based Electrochemical Biosensors

In recent research, 3D printing has become a powerful technique and has been applied in the last few years to carbon-based materials. A new generation of 3D-printed electrodes, more affordable and easier to obtain due to rapid prototyping techniques, has emerged. We propose a customizable fabrication process for flexible (and rigid) carbon-based biosensors, from biosensor design to printable conductive inks. The electrochemical biosensors were obtained on a 50 µm Kapton® (polyimide) substrate and transferred to a 500 µm PDMS substrate, using a 3D-extrusion-based printing method. The main features of our fabrication process consist of short-time customization implementation, fast small-to-medium batch production, ease of electrochemical spectroscopy measurements, and very good resolution for an extrusion-based printing method (100 µm). The sensors were designed for future integration into a smart wound dressing for wound monitoring and other biomedical applications. We increased their sensibility with electro-deposited gold nanoparticles. To assess the biosensors' functionality, we performed surface functionalization with specific anti-N-protein antibodies for SARS-CoV 2 virus, with promising preliminary results.

The Use of Textiles in the Wound Healing: A Review.

The present article reviews the effects of the textile in the wound healing process, as well as the availability of these products in the market. A brief description of applications is given based on the literature obtained from searching the scientific databases, besides the data obtained from secondary sources, like books and congress proceedings. The historical context of the textiles used in wounds, their general characteristics, particularities in the healing process, and incorporation of new technologies are discussed. It was evidenced that the textiles and associated technologies might influence directly or indirectly the stimulation of collagen, cell migration, angiogenesis, and reduction of pro-inflammatory factors and fibroblasts. However, the mechanisms by which the textiles act in the healing process are not well established in the literature. The interaction among textile engineering, biotechnology, medicine, and pharmacology is essential for the improvement and development of new products with better efficiency and accessibility.

Finanza, welfare e governo dell'incertezza: il caso dell'educazione finanziaria 1

. Financial education became a prominent concern in many countries in the aftermath of the 2008 economic and financial crisis. Since then, a lack of financial literacy has been deemed to prevent people from developing adequate self-protection strategies against both financial and social risks. This same issue has been raised during the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the poor financial 'resilience' of households to shocks and stresses. Starting from this assumption, its improvement turned into a key objective for policymakers and regulators at European and international level. This article concentrates on financial education with a view to exploring the wider relationship between finance, social policy and the governance of uncertainty and risks. It draws on the sociological literature on the financialisation and changing paradigms of welfare states to discuss the normative substrate of financial education. Based on this and a case study analysis, this paper shows how financial education has renewed pressure on the dynamics of depoliticisation and individualisation of risks and uncertainty management.

Discovering a Dihydrofluorescein Analogue as a Promising Fluorescence Substrate to HRP

Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) combined with its fluorescence substrates is attracting increasing attention for biochemical analysis. Amplex red is the most widely used fluorescence substrate to HRP;however, it suffers from some drawbacks, such as nonspecific responsiveness toward carboxylesterases. Discovering a new small molecular fluorescence substrate with improved sensitivity and selectivity for HRP is thus desired. Herein, three dihydrofluorescein derivatives (DCFHs) are presented to serve as HRP substrates through fluorescence turn-on methods. The most promising one, 2,7-dichloro-9-(2-(hydroxymethyl)phenyl)-9H-xanthene-3,6-diol (DCFH-1), exhibited excellent sensitivity in the detection of HRP. Moreover, DCFH-1 does not respond to carboxylesterase, thus holding advantages over Amplex red. In the further study, the detection reagent in the commercial ELISA kits was replaced with DCFH-1 to establish a new fluorescence ELISA, which works very well in the quantification of inflammatory cytokine biomarkers from in vitro models.

Flexible Printed Circuitry on Fabric for Wearable Electronics Applications

Health awareness has increased worldwide since the COVID 2019 pandemic, creating a strong demand for wearable electronics. Wearable sensors for monitoring a patient's health are prevalent to reduce medical costs and decrease in-person clinic visits. Integrating electronics into clothes is challenging because most fabrics are porous and incompatible with the existing manufacturing methods, such as screen printing. The indirect printing method was employed to fabricate electrical circuitry on a textile substrate by printing it on a heat transfer polymer (HTP) and attaching it to the target cloths by stitching or glueing. Such a fabrication process has the potential to lead the way in developing new intelligent clothes. However, the durability of the printed circuitry in this manufacturing process on a cloth is still unknown and requires investigation. Therefore, this paper's objective is to study the durability of printed circuitries on fabric by applying constant cyclic loading. The test vehicle is a printed conductive silver interdigitating circuitry on fabric. Another test vehicle on a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrate was fabricated for a benchmark. A constant cyclic loading at 1Hz at a 50% duty cycle was applied to the test vehicles 100,000 times. The printed circuitry was monitored by logging the voltage in an electrical voltage divider configuration while the sensor was pressed and released. The result indicates that the fabric test vehicle can still function after the 100,000 cycles of the cyclic loading test and is comparable to that on the PET substrate. The recorded voltage-to-force values of the printed sensor on the fabric drifted upward and downward up to 3% over the loading cycles. The optical microscope observation on the cyclic loading samples showed signs of shear stresses on the printed silver and electrically conductive films, which could cause the tips of the silver interdigitating fingers to shatter. The study indicates that the properly manufactured circuits on fabric can be reliable and utilized for wearable applications. © 2022 IEEE.

Design and Performance Analysis of Compact Coronavirus-Shaped Microstrip Patch Antenna for Wireless Applications †

The paper proposes a compact-sized coronavirus-shaped Microstrip Patch Antenna (MPA) for wireless communication. A 15-20 GHz band of frequency is employed to analyze the effect of the shape on antenna's performance and characteristics. A low-cost FR4 dielectric substrate is used in the design and implementation of the coronavirus-shaped antenna, with suitable dimensions. The proposed antenna has six patterns depending upon the band of frequencies, and the same have been analyzed. The results show that the realized gain is better than -15 dB when using frequencies around 17 GHz, and total efficiency is about 70%. CST microwave software is used for designing and analysis.

The investigation of the complex population-drug-drug interaction between ritonavir-boosted lopinavir and chloroquine or ivermectin using physiologically-based pharmacokinetic modeling.

OBJECTIVES: Therapy failure caused by complex population-drug-drug (PDDI) interactions including CYP3A4 can be predicted using mechanistic physiologically-based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) modeling. A synergy between ritonavir-boosted lopinavir (LPVr), ivermectin, and chloroquine was suggested to improve COVID-19 treatment. This work aimed to study the PDDI of the two CYP3A4 substrates (ivermectin and chloroquine) with LPVr in mild-to-moderate COVID-19 adults, geriatrics, and pregnancy populations. METHODS: The PDDI of LPVr with ivermectin or chloroquine was investigated. Pearson's correlations between plasma, saliva, and lung interstitial fluid (ISF) levels were evaluated. Target site (lung epithelial lining fluid (ELF)) levels of ivermectin and chloroquine were estimated. RESULTS: Upon LPVr coadministration, while the chloroquine plasma levels were reduced by 30, 40, and 20%, the ivermectin plasma levels were increased by a minimum of 425, 234, and 453% in adults, geriatrics, and pregnancy populations, respectively. The established correlation equations can be useful in therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and dosing regimen optimization. CONCLUSIONS: Neither chloroquine nor ivermectin reached therapeutic ELF levels in the presence of LPVr despite reaching toxic ivermectin plasma levels. PBPK modeling, guided with TDM in saliva, can be advantageous to evaluate the probability of reaching therapeutic ELF levels in the presence of PDDI, especially in home-treated patients.

Nanostructured coatings based on metallic nanoparticles as viral entry inhibitor to combat COVID-19

The rapid transmission of contagious viruses responsible for global pandemic and various extraordinary risk to precious human life including death. For instance, the current ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic caused by novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a communicable disease which is transmitted via touching the contaminated surfaces and then nosocomial route. In absence of effective vaccines and therapies, antiviral coatings are essential in order to prevent or slowdown rapid transmission of viruses. In this prospective, sustainable nanotechnology and material engineering have provided substantial contribution in development of engineered nanomaterial based antiviral coated surfaces to the humanity. In the recent past, nanomaterials based on silver (Ag), titanium oxide (TiO2), copper sulfide (CuS) and copper oxide (CuO) have been modified in the form of engineered nanomaterials with effective antiviral efficacy against SARS-CoV-2. In this review, various recent fundamental aspects for fabrication of metallic nanoparticles (Ag, Ti, Cu etc.) based coated surfaces on various substrates and their antiviral efficacy to inhibit viral transmission of SARS-CoV-2 are discussed along with their respective conceptual mechanisms. The antiviral mechanism based on chemistry of engineered nanomaterials is the key outcome of this review that would be useful for future research in designing and development of more advance antiviral materials and coated surfaces in order to control of future epidemics. © 2022 Elsevier B.V.

Carbon nanotube substrates enhance SARS-CoV-2 spike protein ion yields in matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry

Nanostructured surfaces enhance ion yields in matrix-assisted laser desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The spike protein complex, S1, is one fingerprint signature of Sars-CoV-2 with a mass of 75 kDa. Here, we show that MALDI-MS yields of Sars-CoV-2 spike protein ions in the 100 kDa range are enhanced 50-fold when the matrix-analyte solution is placed on substrates that are coated with a dense forest of multi-walled carbon nanotubes, compared to yields from uncoated substrates. Nanostructured substrates can support the development of mass spectrometry techniques for sensitive pathogen detection and environmental monitoring. © 2023 Author(s).

Generation of microbial protein feed (MPF) from waste and its application in aquaculture in China

Aquaculture is regarded as one of the fastest methods for preparing food and may be relied upon more and more in the future. Production can be seeded from fish caught in the wild and can be maintained with imported fish food however, aquaculture output and quality is limited by cost and resources, and there is an incentive to make it more environmentally sustainable. If these goals can be achieved, we will produce better quality fish and in higher volumes. Microbial protein feed (MPF) offers a sustainable feedstuff solution for the aquaculture industry in China, with the net benefits of taking less time to prepare, using less water and land, being recyclable and also reducing carbon emissions. MPF provides stable and high quality proteins and is produced through the fermentation of microorganisms by utilizing agricultural and industrial waste as substrates and been extensively used in fish and shrimp production in China. This review describes the microorganisms, raw materials, fermentation processes and nutritional components used in MPF production in aquaculture. We shall discuss also MPF large-scale production processes in detail and then finally, what opportunities and challenges are faced by MPF in Chinese aquaculture in the context of "double carbon"targets and Covid-19. High-efficiency biosynthesis technology using mono-carbon gases to produce protein will become an important field in the future, as it shall facilitate sustainable and healthy feedstocks for the aquaculture industry, and allow China to achieve the goal of lower carbon emissions. © 2023 Elsevier Ltd.

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy activity of hepcidin hormone over Au and Ag nanostructurated substrates: contribution for hyperinflammation screening

The hormone hepcidin present in saliva is a hyperinflammation markers for COVID-19 and other pathological states. Here we present DFT-based vibrational calculations that enabled assign the experimental vibrational spectra of hepcidin and predict its SERS-activiy. © Optica Publishing Group 2022 The Authors.

Ultrashort Peptides for the Self-Assembly of an Antiviral Coating

Antiviral compounds are important for generating sterile surfaces. Here, two extremely short peptides, DOPA-Phe-NH2 and DOPA-Phe(4F)-NH2 that can self-assemble into spherical nanoparticles with antiviral activity are presented. The peptide assemblies possess excellent antiviral activity against bacteriophage T4 with antiviral minimal inhibitory concentrations of 125 and 62.5 µg mL−1, for DOPA-Phe-NH2 and DOPA-Phe(4F)-NH2, respectively. When the peptide assemblies are applied on a glass substrate by drop-casting, they deactivate more than 99.9% of bacteriophage T4 and Canine coronavirus. Importantly, the peptide assemblies have low toxicity toward mammalian cells. Overall, the findings can provide a novel strategy for the design and development of antiviral coatings for a decreased risk of viral infections. © 2023 The Authors. Advanced Materials Interfaces published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.

Semiconductor SERS on Colourful Substrates with Fabry-Pérot Cavities.

Non-metallic materials have emerged as a new family of active substrates for surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS), with unique advantages over their metal counterparts. However, owing to their inefficient interaction with the incident wavelength, the Raman enhancement achieved with non-metallic materials is considerably lower with respect to the metallic ones. Herein, we propose colourful semiconductor-based SERS substrates for the first time by utilizing a Fabry-Pérot cavity, which realize a large freedom in manipulating light. Owing to the delicate adjustment of the absorption in terms of both frequency and intensity, resonant absorption can be achieved with a variety of non-metal SERS substrates, with the sensitivity further enhanced by ≈100 times. As a typical example, by introducing a Fabry-Pérot-type substrate fabricated with SiO2 /Si, a rather low detection limit of 10-16  M for the SARS-CoV-2S protein is achieved on SnS2 . This study provides a realistic strategy for increasing SERS sensitivity when semiconductors are employed as SERS substrates.

Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy activity of hepcidin hormone over Au and Ag nanostructurated substrates: contribution for hyperinflammation screening

The hormone hepcidin present in saliva is a hyperinflammation markers for COVID-19 and other pathological states. Here we present DFT-based vibrational calculations that enabled assign the experimental vibrational spectra of hepcidin and predict its SERS-activiy. © Optica Publishing Group 2022 The Authors.

Integrating Digitization and Advanced Imaging of HMML Icons

HMML (The Hill Museum & Manuscript Library) digitized and hosted online a recently donated collection of Orthodox 19th Century religious icons. With R.B. Toth Associates they also conducted collaborative testing of multispectral imaging on these unique HMML collection objects. A joint team digitized all the icons in conjunction with multispectral imaging of a select few icons to analyze the dyes, paints and other materials. The goal of this testing helped determine the feasibility of using multispectral imaging as an art history research tool. The image data enabled digital cataloguing of the collection, which proved indispensable during Covid on-site access restrictions. Digitization and advanced imaging with standardized digitization and data management practices is providing new insights into these unique historic works that are applicable to other icon collections, as well as potentially other artwork on wood and solid substrates. © 2022 Society for Imaging Science and Technology.

The Emergence of a Sustainable and Reliable Supply Chain Paradigm in Supply Chain Network Design

Shorter product life due to technology development and changing customer needs requires optimal supply chain management and structuring. Achieving this optimization brings productivity to the organization. A sustainable and reliable supply chain (S&RSC) as an emerging paradigm, with a comprehensive view, leads the supply chain network design (SCND) issue to the desired situation. This study, as part of an emerging theme, presents a systematic review and classification of 42 articles at the intersection of sustainability, reliability, and supply chain network design. In this regard, in a historical course, the four concepts of green supply chain, socially responsible supply chain, sustainable supply chain, and reliable supply chain in the form of four structures of history and definition, deriver and importance, substrate and practice, evaluation, and implementation are discussed. The result of the review shows that the articles that study the integration of sustainability and reliability in SCND are vibrant and rapidly growing in various industries. Developing countries and manufacturing companies with the largest number of articles have been the research fields of the studies. Most of the studies have considered the structure of the supply chain as a forward flow. The key contribution of this review is the development of a comprehensive framework of S&RSC from the conceptual point of view, elements, assessment tools, and its implementation context. The present review can serve as a guide for various stakeholders. In particular, practitioners and policymakers can effectively develop their own strategies and policies to advance the sustainable-reliable program.

Difficulties in patch antenna production & prototyping in Turkey

In recent years monetary narrowing impact more on Turkey and developing countries. Therefore, the importance of industrial policy and technology management in developing countries has widely increased. Production and design strategies have to be planned carefully. Thus, evidently monetary narrowing and undesired exchange rate fluctuation affected investment and the cash flow in numerous sectors such as finances, funding, industry, service industry, agribusiness, livestock, building trade, research, and development, etc. In this context, this situation broadly hit the research, prototyping, manufacturing, and testing phase of the microstrip patch antennas. Today, patch antennas have widely utilized in telecommunication systems. Hence, this growth has increased interest in studies. As it is in every project, cost and efficiency are an essential part of the project design. Therefore, the ratio of cost is more important for Turkey and developing countries due to undesired exchange rate fluctuation, tax, financial obligations, and unexpected world events (e.g. COVID-19 pandemic). Commonly, the microstrip patch antenna comprises particular parts such as a radiating patch on top of the double-sided laminate and ground plane and feeding point located below the double-sided laminate. Therefore, microstrip patch antenna components play a significant role in patch antenna radiation characteristics. Moreover, specifications of the double-sided laminate, such as relative permittivity (or dielectric constant) and real physical thickness are essential elements of the patch antenna's radiation characteristics. Generally, high-quality dielectric substrates are developed and manufactured by western originated companies. Thus, the dielectric substrate with high-grade characteristics is hard to find for Turkey and developing countries. Importing is the only option and quite costly. Choosing a domestic dielectric substrate is inevitable, however insufficient for many cases. In this study, difficulties in microstrip patch antenna production and prototyping in Turkey are analyzed.

Impact of Surface Area on Sensitivity in Autonomously Reporting Sensing Hydrogel Nanomaterials for the Detection of Bacterial Enzymes

The rapid and selective detection of bacterial contaminations and bacterial infections in a non-laboratory setting using advanced sensing materials holds the promise to enable robust point-of-care tests and rapid diagnostics for applications in the medical field as well as food safety. Among the various possible analytes, bacterial enzymes have been targeted successfully in various sensing formats. In this current work, we focus on the systematic investigation of the role of surface area on the sensitivity in micro- and nanostructured autonomously reporting sensing hydrogel materials for the detection of bacterial enzymes. The colorimetric sensing materials for the detection of β-glucuronidase (ß-GUS) from Escherichia coli (E. coli) were fabricated by template replication of crosslinked pullulan acetoacetate (PUAA) and by electrospinning chitosan/polyethylene oxide nanofibers (CS/PEO NFs), both equipped with the chromogenic substrate 5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl-β-D-glucuronide. The investigation of the dependence of the initial reaction rates on surface area unveiled a linear relationship of rate and thereby time to observe a signal for a given concentration of bacterial enzyme. This knowledge was exploited in nanoscale sensing materials made of CS/PEO NFs with diameters of 295 ± 100 nm. Compared to bulk hydrogel slabs, the rate of hydrolysis was significantly enhanced in NFs when exposed to bacteria suspension cultures and thus ensuring a rapid detection of living E. coli that produces the enzyme β-GUS. The findings afford generalized design principles for the improvement of known and novel sensing materials towards rapid detection of bacteria by nanostructuring in medical and food related settings.

Use of Cysteamine and Glutaraldehyde Chemicals for Robust Functionalization of Substrates with Protein Biomarkers-An Overview on the Construction of Biosensors with Different Transductions.

Currently, several biosensors are reported to confirm the absence/presence of an abnormal level of specific human biomarkers in research laboratories. Unfortunately, public marketing and/or pharmacy accessibility are not yet possible for many bodily fluid biomarkers. The questions are numerous, starting from the preparation of the substrates, the wet/dry form of recognizing the (bio)ligands, the exposure time, and the choice of the running buffers. In this context, for the first time, the present overview summarizes the pre-functionalization of standard and nanostructured solid/flexible supports with cysteamine (Cys) and glutaraldehyde (GA) chemicals for robust protein immobilization and detection of biomarkers in body fluids (serum, saliva, and urine) using three transductions: piezoelectrical, electrochemical, and optical, respectively. Thus, the reader can easily access and compare step-by-step conjugate protocols published over the past 10 years. In conclusion, Cys/GA chemistry seems widely used for electrochemical sensing applications with different types of recorded signals, either current, potential, or impedance. On the other hand, piezoelectric detection via quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) and optical detection by surface plasmon resonance (LSPR)/surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) are ultrasensitive platforms and very good candidates for the miniaturization of medical devices in the near future.

ADAPTABLE ENGINEERING OF CELLULOSE-BASED VERTICAL FLOW ASSAYS FOR RAPID DIAGNOSTICS - THE CASE OF COVID-19

Paper microfluidics has had a rich history in medical diagnostics owing to their portability, low-cost and capacity for mass manufacture. While nitrocellulose has widespread use in commercial paper-based assays, shortages can become a bottleneck for deployment. Here, we seek to overcome this limitation by enabling swift and efficient production of cellulose-based paper assays with minimal substrate processing via protein engineering. We demonstrate good clinical and lab-based performance for both serological and antigen rapid tests and their compatibility with roll-to-roll mass manufacturing, which validates our proposed workflow for commercialization. © 2021 MicroTAS 2021 - 25th International Conference on Miniaturized Systems for Chemistry and Life Sciences. All rights reserved.