COVID-19 has devastated numerous nations around the world and has overburdened numerous healthcare systems,which has also caused the loss of livelihoods due to prolonged shutdowns and further led to a cascading effect...COVID-19 has devastated numerous nations around the world and has overburdened numerous healthcare systems,which has also caused the loss of livelihoods due to prolonged shutdowns and further led to a cascading effect on the global economy.COVID-19 infections have an incubation period of 2–7 days,but 40 to 45%of cases are asymptomatic or show mild to moderate respiratory symptoms after the period due to subclinical lung abnormalities,making it more likely to spread the pandemic disease.To restrict the spread of the virus,on-site diagnosis methods that are quicker,more precise,and easily accessible are required.Rapid Antigen Detection Tests and Polymerase Chain Reaction tests are currently the primary methods used to determine the presence of COVID-19 viruses.These tests are typically time-consuming,not accurate,and,more importantly,not available to everyone.Hence,in this review and hypothesis,we proposed equipment that employs the properties of photonics to improve the detection of COVID-19 viruses by taking the advantage of typical binding of coronavirus with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)receptors.This hypothetical model would combine Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering(SERS)and Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer(FRET)to provide great flexibility,high sensitivities,and enhanced accessibility.展开更多
Frozen soils or those with permafrost cover large areas of the earth's surface and support unique vegetative ecosystems. Plants growing in such harsh conditions have adapted to small niches, which allow them to su...Frozen soils or those with permafrost cover large areas of the earth's surface and support unique vegetative ecosystems. Plants growing in such harsh conditions have adapted to small niches, which allow them to survive. In northern Alaska, USA, both moist acidic and non-acidic tundra occur, yet determination of frozen soil p Hs currently requires thawing of the soil so that electrometric pH methods can be utilized. Contrariwise, a portable X-ray fluorescence(PXRF) spectrometer was used in this study to assess elemental abundances and relate those characteristics to soil pH through predictive multiple linear regressions. Two operational modes, Soil Mode and Geochem Mode, were utilized to scan frozen soils in-situ and under laboratory conditions, respectively, after soil samples were dried and ground. Results showed that lab scanning produced optimal results with adjusted coefficient of determination(R^2) of 0.88 and 0.33 and root mean squared errors(RMSEs) of 0.87 and 0.34 between elemental data and lab-determined pH for Soil Mode and Geochem Mode, respectively. Even though the presence of ice attenuated fluoresced radiation under field conditions, adjusted R^2 and RMSEs between the datasets still provided reasonable model generalization(e.g., 0.73 and 0.49 for field Geochem Mode). Principal component analysis qualitatively separated multiple sampling sites based on elemental data provided by PXRF, reflecting differences in the chemical composition of the soils studied. Summarily, PXRF can be used for in-situ determination of soil pH in arctic environments without the need for sample modification and thawing. Furthermore, use of PXRF for determination of soil pH may provide higher sample throughput than traditional eletrometric-based methods, while generating elemental data useful for the prediction of multiple soil parameters.展开更多
文摘COVID-19 has devastated numerous nations around the world and has overburdened numerous healthcare systems,which has also caused the loss of livelihoods due to prolonged shutdowns and further led to a cascading effect on the global economy.COVID-19 infections have an incubation period of 2–7 days,but 40 to 45%of cases are asymptomatic or show mild to moderate respiratory symptoms after the period due to subclinical lung abnormalities,making it more likely to spread the pandemic disease.To restrict the spread of the virus,on-site diagnosis methods that are quicker,more precise,and easily accessible are required.Rapid Antigen Detection Tests and Polymerase Chain Reaction tests are currently the primary methods used to determine the presence of COVID-19 viruses.These tests are typically time-consuming,not accurate,and,more importantly,not available to everyone.Hence,in this review and hypothesis,we proposed equipment that employs the properties of photonics to improve the detection of COVID-19 viruses by taking the advantage of typical binding of coronavirus with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2(ACE2)receptors.This hypothetical model would combine Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering(SERS)and Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer(FRET)to provide great flexibility,high sensitivities,and enhanced accessibility.
文摘Frozen soils or those with permafrost cover large areas of the earth's surface and support unique vegetative ecosystems. Plants growing in such harsh conditions have adapted to small niches, which allow them to survive. In northern Alaska, USA, both moist acidic and non-acidic tundra occur, yet determination of frozen soil p Hs currently requires thawing of the soil so that electrometric pH methods can be utilized. Contrariwise, a portable X-ray fluorescence(PXRF) spectrometer was used in this study to assess elemental abundances and relate those characteristics to soil pH through predictive multiple linear regressions. Two operational modes, Soil Mode and Geochem Mode, were utilized to scan frozen soils in-situ and under laboratory conditions, respectively, after soil samples were dried and ground. Results showed that lab scanning produced optimal results with adjusted coefficient of determination(R^2) of 0.88 and 0.33 and root mean squared errors(RMSEs) of 0.87 and 0.34 between elemental data and lab-determined pH for Soil Mode and Geochem Mode, respectively. Even though the presence of ice attenuated fluoresced radiation under field conditions, adjusted R^2 and RMSEs between the datasets still provided reasonable model generalization(e.g., 0.73 and 0.49 for field Geochem Mode). Principal component analysis qualitatively separated multiple sampling sites based on elemental data provided by PXRF, reflecting differences in the chemical composition of the soils studied. Summarily, PXRF can be used for in-situ determination of soil pH in arctic environments without the need for sample modification and thawing. Furthermore, use of PXRF for determination of soil pH may provide higher sample throughput than traditional eletrometric-based methods, while generating elemental data useful for the prediction of multiple soil parameters.