Novel immunochromatographic strip assay based on up-conversion nanoparticles for sensitive detection of imidacloprid in agricultural and environmental samples.

Neonicotinoid insecticides are widely used in agriculture for pest control, but the pesticide residues in environmental and agricultural products were a big threat to the health of non-target organisms. In this study, a new immunochromatographic strip test was established for the rapid detection of imidacloprid residue, a neonicotinoid insecticide, based on up-conversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) coupled with the monoclonal antibody against imidacloprid. Under optimal conditions, the half inhibitory concentration (IC50), detection limit, and the linear range of this strip were 8.37 ng/mL, 0.45 ng/mL, and 0.97-250 ng/mL. The strip test could be completed in 30 min. The average recoveries of imidacloprid spiked in water, Chinese cabbages, cucumber, honey, and tea samples were 70.1~101.8%, with coefficient of variations less than 18.9%. The strip was used to test real samples and verified by UPLC-MS/MS method with the good agreement (R2 was 0.9825), indicating this novel strip immunoassay is accurate and reliable.

A sensitive immunoassay based on fluorescence resonance energy transfer from up-converting nanoparticles and graphene oxide for one-step detection of imidacloprid.

In this study, a fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) immunoassay based on graphene oxide (GO) and up-converting nanoparticles (UCNPs) was established for rapid detection of imidacloprid, a commonly-used insecticide. Under 980 nm near-infrared light excitation, emission of UCNPs at 542 nm can be absorbed by the energy acceptor GO. The carboxyl-functionalized GO and UCNPs were coupled with competitive antigen and antibody against imidacloprid. After optimization, the FRET immunoassay showed a wide detection range of 0.08-50 ng/mL to imidacloprid, with cross-reaction toward other three neonicotinoids including imidaclothiz (74.4%), thiacloprid (36.9%) and clothianidin (31.9%). The average recoveries of spiked water, Chinese cabbage, cucumber, honey and tea samples were 76.8%-101.8%. The accuracy and reliability of the FRET immunoassay were verified by UPLC-MS/MS with a good correlation (R2 = 0.9816). In a summary, this study provides a sensitive and one-step method for monitoring imidacloprid residue in food and environmental samples within 1 h.

Up-Converting Nanoparticle-Based Immunochromatographic Strip for Multi-Residue Detection of Three Organophosphorus Pesticides in Food.

Organophosphorus (OP) pesticides are widely used to control pests because of their high activity. This study described a rapid and sensitive lateral flow immunochromatographic (LFIC) assay based on up-converting nanoparticles (UCNPs) for multi-residue detection of three OP pesticides. The developed assay integrated novel fluorescent material UCNPs labeled with a broad-specific monoclonal antibody. Based on the competitive platform by immobilized antigen in the test zone, the optimized UCNPs-LFIC assay enabled sensitive detection for parathion, parathion-methyl, and fenitrothion with IC50 of 3.44, 3.98, and 12.49 ng/mL (R 2 ≥ 0.9776) within 40 min. The detectable ability ranged from 0.98 to 250 ng/mL. There was no cross-reactivity with fenthion, phoxim, isocarbophos, chlorpyrifos, or triazophos, even at a high concentration of 500 ng/mL. Matrix interference from various agricultural products was also studied in food sample detection. In the spiked test, recoveries of the three OP pesticides ranged from 67 to 120% and relative standard deviations were below 19.54%. These results indicated that the proposed strip assay can be an alternative screening tool for rapid detection of the three OP pesticides in food samples.

Superhydrophobic/Superhydrophilic Janus Fabrics Reducing Blood Loss.

Hemostatic fabrics are most commonly used in baseline emergency treatment; however, the unnecessary blood loss due to the excessive blood absorption by traditional superhydrophilic fabrics is overlooked. Herein, for the first time, superhydrophobic/superhydrophilic Janus fabrics (superhydrophobic on one side and superhydrophilic on the other) are proposed: the superhydrophilic part absorbs water in the blood to expedite the clotting while the superhydrophobic part prevents blood from further permeating. Compared with the common counterparts, effective bleeding control with reducing blood loss more than 50% can be achieved while the breathability largely remain by using Janus fabrics. The proposed prototypes can even prolong the survival time in the rat model with serious bleeding. This strategy for reducing blood loss via simply tuning wettability is promising for the practical applications.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the Muscovy duck, Cairina moschata (Anseriformes, Anatidae, Cairina).

Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) is the most popular meat duck, and it can be crossed with most breeds of domestic ducks in captivity to produce sterile hybrids. In this study, complete mitochondrial genome of the Muscovy duck was sequenced by long and accurate polymerase chain reaction (LA-PCR) as well as the primer walking sequence method. The entire mitochondrial genome of Muscovy duck was 16,610 bp in length, gene composition and arrangement conformed to most bird, which contained the typical structure of 22 tRNAs, 2 rRNAs, 13 protein-coding genes and a non-coding region. The characteristic of the mitochondrial genome was analyzed in detail. Our complete mitochondrial genome sequence will be useful for phylogenetics, and be available as basic data for the breeding and genetics.

A superhydrophobic surface with high performance derived from STA-APTES organic-inorganic molecular hybrid.

The chemical originals of natural superhydrophobic surfaces are based on botanic or animal wax or fat, which have poor chemical and thermal resistance. Herein, we report a simple chemical modification of stearic acid (STA) with γ-aminopropyl triethoxysilane (APTES), to obtain an organic-inorganic molecular hybrid STA-APTES compound. A flower-like hierarchically structured surface with superhydrophobicity can be obtained simply by casting the STA-APTES solution under ambient circumstance. The crystallization of the hydrocarbon chain from STA leads to the formation of the binary microstructure and reduces the surface tension, contributing to the superhydrophobicity of the as-formed surface. In addition, the condensation of Si(OCH2CH3)3 from APTES can lead to the cross-linking of the resultant surface, which endows the as-formed superhydrophobic surface with high performances, such as excellent thermal and solvent resistance, etc. This superhydrophobic surface prepared is superior to its many analogs in nature, promising a wide application especially in harsh circumstance.

Determination and analysis of complete mitochondrial genome sequence of mallard (Anas platyrhychos).

The complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) of mallard (Anas platyrhychos) was determined by long and accurate polymerase chain reaction and with primer walking sequence method. The entire genome was 16,606 bp in length. Similar to the typical mtDNA of vertebrates, it contained 37 genes (13 protein-coding genes, 2 rRNA genes, and 22 tRNA genes) and a non-coding region (D-loop). The characteristics of the mitochondrial genome were analyzed and discussed in detail.