Visible Measurements Research Articles

Highly sensitive chemiluminescent sensor for detecting o-toluenesulfonamide and sulfamethoxazole using Cu-doped carbon dots

In this study, Cu doped carbon dots (Cu-CDs) of uniform particle size and good water solubility was synthesized using Angelica Sinensis Radix as precursor materials through a one-step hydrothermal. The Lucigenin-(Cu-CDs) chemiluminescence sensor allows the simultaneous determination of o-toluenesulfonamide (TFA) and sulfamethoxazole (STZ) concentrations. Under optimal conditions, the sensor demonstrates the capability to detect TFA and STZ within the ranges of 50 μM–800 μM and 15 μM–120 μM, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) for TFA and STZ are determined as 0.09 μM and 0.05 μM, respectively. While the limits of quantification (LOQ) are established at 0.3 μM and 0.17 μM, respectively. The feasibility of the method for determining TFA and STZ content in chicken samples was substantiated, demonstrating spiked recovery rates ranging from 97.5% to 102.3 % and 97.5%–99.8 %, respectively. The possible reaction mechanism was clarified based on chemiluminescence, UV–vis measurement and free radical analysis results. The newly established system is characterized by stability, convenience, and robust anti-interference capabilities, thus expanding the application of carbon dots and offering a promising strategy for the detection of TFA and STZ.

Observation of tungsten emission spectra up to W46+ ions in the Large Helical Device and contribution to the study of high-Z impurity transport in fusion plasmas

Spectroscopic studies of emissions released from tungsten ions combined with a pellet injection technique have been conducted in Large Helical Device for contribution to the tungsten transport study in tungsten divertor fusion devices and for expansion of the experimental database of tungsten line emissions. The spectral intensities of W5+, W24+–W28+, W37+, W38+, W41+–W43+, W45+, and W46+ emission lines were measured simultaneously over a wide wavelength range from x-ray to visible. Time evolutions of the various tungsten line spectra indicate that the tungsten confinement time depends on the electron density of the plasma and is long in high density plasmas, on the order of seconds, and short in low density plasmas, on the order of sub-seconds. When the confinement time was long, the tungsten ions remained in the plasma until the end of the discharge, changing their dominant charge with the change in electron temperature. When the confinement time was short, the tungsten ions rapidly decreased in all charge states and disappeared. Space-resolved EUV and visible spectroscopy measurements have revealed that tungsten ions stayed in the core region of the plasma with changing their dominant charge state depending on the electron temperature in the discharges with the long confinement time. Detailed analysis of soft x-ray emission suggested that the confinement time increases with density and becomes saturated when the central electron density exceeds 2 × 1013 cm−3.

Boron powder injection experiments in WEST with a fully actively cooled, ITER grade, tungsten divertor

Reactor relevant fusion devices will use tungsten (W) for their plasma facing components (PFCs) due to its thermomechanical properties and low tritium retention. However, W introduces high-Z impurities into the plasma, degrading its performance. Different wall conditioning methods have been developed to address this issue, including coating of W PFCs with layers of low-Z material. Wall conditioning by boron (B) powder injection using an impurity powder dropper (IPD) is being studied in WEST. Two series of experiments were conducted since the installation of the new ITER grade full W divertor. During the first series in 2023 ∼ 1 g of B powder was injected in total at a maximum rate of ∼ 58 mg/s, both of which are three times greater than respective values in the initial WEST powder injection experiments. The second series of experiments included injection of B and BN powders for comparison of their effects on plasma performance. The presence of an instantaneous conditioning effect is suggested by visible spectroscopy measurements of low-Z impurity lines and a rollover of total radiated power past an injection rate of ∼ 20 mg/s was observed. Presence of B coating layer formation is supported by the evolution of the average radiance of visible lines of B, W and oxygen (O). To understand B transport, an interpretative modeling workflow is employed, utilizing the SOLEDGE-EIRENE fluid boundary plasma code and the Dust Injection Simulator (DIS) code. Parameters like B perpendicular diffusivity and recycling coefficients are varied to match experimental results to see if the initial assumption of B sticking to the PFCs immediately after the contact with the wall is adequate for correctly modelling its distribution on the PFCs.

Enhancement-mode ZnGa2O4-based Phototransistor with high UV–visible rejection ratio grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

In this study, a high-crystallinity zinc gallium oxide (ZnGa2O4) epilayer of about 80 nm thickness was successfully grown using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, UV–visible spectroscopy measurements, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used to investigate the quality of the epilayer. Transmission line measurement analysis revealed the electrical properties of the ZnGa2O4 epilayer: a sheet resistance of 276 MΩ/□, a transfer length of 0.28 μm, and a specific contact resistivity of 21.63 Ω/mm2. A phototransistor made of ZnGa2O4 was designed with a channel width of 250 μm and a channel length of 20 μm. The source-drain electrodes were fabricated using a Ti/Al/Ni stacking technique. The gate dielectric comprised 30 nm thick Al2O3, and the gate contact was made of Ni. The device possessed a higher threshold voltage value of about 4.8 V and an impressive On/Off current ratio of 106. Under 240 nm UV light exposure, the phototransistor exhibited a transition from enhancement mode to depletion mode, leading to a remarkable shift in the threshold voltage from 5 V to approximately −16 V. Moreover, the responsivity and rejection ratio at 240 nm was 128.5 A/W and 105 at a gate voltage of −10 V. The study shows that an increasing thickness of the ZnGa2O4 epilayer from 80 nm to 135 nm results in a depletion mode transistor. The higher concentration of about twenty percent oxygen vacancies resulted in a longer fall time for the phototransistor. These results underscore the significant potential of ZnGa2O4 in facilitating deep UV-based detection applications.

Organotin (IV) complexes: Synthesis, characterization, DFT, and molecular docking studies unveiling their potential biomedical uses

This study investigates organotin (IV) complexes derived from the recently synthesized quinazoline Schiff base ligand (L). The research involves synthesizing and characterizing these complexes, including elemental analysis, UV–visible, FT‐IR, mass spectra, and conductometric measurements. Advanced studies such as density functional theory (DFT) are employed to gain insights into the stable electronic configuration. Specifically, the study explores the proposed geometry, revealing a distorted octahedral structure for the complexes. The findings contribute as critical molecular characteristics of these newly synthesized complexes, paving the way for potential applications in diverse fields, including medicinal chemistry. Through an investigation into the antimicrobial properties, the efficacy of the synthesized compounds was assessed against a diverse range of bacterial and fungal strains. Remarkably, the complexes demonstrated significant antimicrobial activities, showing potential applications in combating various microbial infections. In an extended exploration of their medical utility, the compounds were examined for their antibiotic properties against Helicobacter pylori. The Schiff base and its metal complexes emerged as promising antibiotics with notable efficacy against H. pylori, suggesting their potential in addressing infections associated with this bacterium. Furthermore, the antitumor potential of the synthesized complexes was investigated, focusing on their impact on MCF‐7 (Breast carcinoma) cells. The organotin (IV) Schiff base complexes in this research showed remarkable efficacy, evidenced by their notably low IC50 values (9, 10, 11 μg/mL) in comparison with cisplatin. In addition to their potent antitumor effects, these complexes exhibited reduced cytotoxicity toward normal cells (VERO cells) compared with cisplatin. The investigation extends to molecular docking, where this approach aims to elucidate their interactions with specific protein structures, including (2JFZ, 1SC7, and 6W41). The primary objective is to clarify the potential properties of these compounds, focusing on their antibiotic efficacy, anti‐H. pylori activity, antitumor potential, and anti‐COVID‐19 properties.

Metal complexes featuring a quinazoline schiff base ligand and glycine: synthesis, characterization, DFT and molecular docking analyses revealing their potent antibacterial, anti-helicobacter pylori, and Anti-COVID-19 activities

Mixed ligand complexes of manganese(II), cobalt(II), copper(II), and cadmium(II)with an innovative Schiff base ligand denoted as (L1), 4-(2-((1E,2E)-1-(2-(p-tolyl)hydrazineylidene)propan-2-ylidene)hydrazineyl), served as the principal ligand, while glycine (L2) was employed as secondary ligand were successfully effectively characterized through a comprehensive set of analyses, including Elemental analysis, UV–Visible, FT-IR, Mass spectra, and conductometric measurements. Density functional theory (DFT) computations were executed to discern the enduring electronic arrangement, the energy gap, dipole moment and chemical hardness of the hybrid ligand assemblies. The proposed geometry for the complexes is a distorted octahedral structure. The antimicrobial efficacy of these compounds was assessed against a range of bacterial and fungal strains. Notably, these complexes exhibited promising antimicrobial activities, with the cadmium (II) complex demonstrating superior efficacy towards all tested organisms. These compounds were also examined for their antibiotic properties against H. pylori to explore their broader medical potential. The Schiff base ligand and its corresponding metal complexes displayed substantial potential as an antibiotic against H. pylori. Additionally, the antitumor potential of the synthesized complexes was assessed against MCF-7 (Breast carcinoma) cells—the Cu (II) complex demonstrated superior activity with the lowest IC50 value compared to cisplatin. Moreover, it exhibited reduced cytotoxicity towards normal cells (VERO cells) compared to cisplatin, establishing it as the most potent compound in the study. Furthermore, molecular docking was explored of the Schiff base ligand and its corresponding cadmium(II) complex. The analysis of the docking study yielded valuable structural insights that can be effectively utilized in conducting inhibition studies for example against COVID-19. This comprehensive study highlights these synthesized compounds' multifaceted applications and promising bioactive properties.

Na2Zn0.5Co0.5P2O7 diphosphate: Sol-gel synthesis, physico-chemical studies, and prospects as a novel supercapacitor electrode material

For the first time, a mixed-metal diphosphate Na2Zn0.5Co0.5P2O7 has been successfully synthesized via the sol-gel method. The sample was characterized by means of XRD, DTA/TGA, SEM/EDX, UV–vis, Raman, IR and color measurements (CIE-L*a*b*). Its structure was determined through X-ray powder diffraction, in tetragonal system, with space group P42/mnm. The 3D structure of the material consists of infinite chains formed by [Zn/CoO4] tetrahedra and [P2O7] diphosphate units sharing corners. Sodium cations occupy two types of interstitial positions between the infinite chains [Zn/CoP2O7]2-. Raman and Infrared spectra of the studied phosphate have been investigated. A factor group analysis leads to determination of internal modes of the P2O74− anion. Tetrahedral environment of Co2+ ions was confirmed by mean of optical analysis, in which numerous bands in the region 475–675 nm, assigned to the forbidden and allowed d–d transitions of Co2+ are detected and the gap energy is extracted from Tauc and Kubelka-Munk plots. The prepared Na2Zn0.5Co0.5P2O7 diphosphate was extensively investigated for its potential use as an electrode material for supercapacitors. The electrode was prepared by depositing the active material on a conductive substrate (nickel foam) and demonstrated significant electrochemical performance with a specific capacitance of 277 F.g-1 at a scan rate of 5 mV.s-1. This outstanding performance underlines its relevance for supercapacitor applications.

A Method Combining Mobile Transmissometer and Lidar for High Precision Measurement of Visibility

A Method Combining Mobile Transmissometer and Lidar for High Precision Measurement of Visibility

Structural, magnetic, optical and electronic properties of Gd2NiIrO6

Polycrystalline Gd2NiIrO6 double perovskite compound was synthesized by the solid-state route. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffraction pattern revealed that the compound was crystallized in a monoclinic structure with P21/n space group (IUCr. No. 14). The scanning electron micrograph showed that the grains were spherical and well distributed with an average grain size of around 1 μm. The temperature-dependent magnetic measurements showed magnetic transitions at 165 K and 149 K in the low-temperature region. Below the transition temperatures, weak ferromagnetism was evidenced by field-dependent magnetization measurements. Exchange bias effects were observed which were driven by Dzyaloshinsky–Moriya interactions in the compound. The UV–visible measurement evidenced that the compound had an optical band gap of 1.8 eV. The electronic structure calculations using the DFT + U method revealed that Gd2NiIrO6 compound exhibited a bandgap only when on-site correlations for the d-states were included, and the calculation showed that the AF1 configuration was energetically favourable.

Orientation and shape distributions effective medium theory (OSDEMT): Applications in plasmonic nanocomposites

Plasmonic anisotropic nanocomposites containing in particular nanorods and nanowires are gaining increasing interest due to their remarkable physical and optical properties. In this paper, we introduce a novel effective medium theory which we call “Orientation and Shape Distributions Effective Medium Theory” (OSDEMT), to describe the optical properties of a 3D arrangement of metallic nanorods in a dielectric matrix. The effective dielectric properties of plasmonic nanocomposites containing nanorods with different shape and orientation configurations were simulated and analyzed using OSDEMT. We demonstrate that the amplitudes of the longitudinal and transverse surface plasmonic resonances depend on the orientation distribution of the nanostructures, when their positions remain unchanged. Moreover, we show that the anisotropic properties of the nanocomposites are very sensitive to the aspect ratios of the nanorods so that even spherical-centered shape distributions exhibit anisotropic properties when oriented. Finally, we confront the OSDEMT to UV–visible extinction measurements conducted on gold nanorods in a toluene suspension.

Aftermath of Ag embedding on structural, optical, and supercapacitor electrode attributes of USP-grown CuO thin films

Here, ultrasonic spray pyrolysis method (USP) was utilized to produce pure and silver doped copper oxide nanostructures on glass substrates. Thereafter, several characterization techniques were conducted on the grown samples to delve into their morphological, structural, electrochemical, and optical aspects. The mentioned analyses were carried out by performing x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, galvostatic charge-discharge, cyclic voltammetry, and UV–visible spectroscopy measurements. Thus, the impact of silver impurity doping on the relevant aspects of host material were recorded as well as the features of unspoiled copper oxide films. Accordingly, the samples, as indicated by X-ray diffraction results, possessed (002) preferential plane orientation of copper oxide material along with the crystallite sizes ranging from 52.52 nm to 75.02 nm due to the imperfections caused by the silver doping. The scanning electron microscope images exhibited that the silver doping did not form significant modifications in the host material morphology where nanowire-like structures observed. The presence of the suggested materials in the films was verified by the x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Also, the UV–visible spectroscopy measurements detected that optical absorbance edge and bandgap energy values red shifted as a result of the impurity doping. The electrochemical supercapacitors performances of the silver doped copper oxide nanostructured thin films were inspected by using the GCD, EIS, and CV. The silver doped copper oxide films demonstrated a specific capacitance value of 66 F/g at a current density of 1 A/g in 1 M KOH electrolyte. From Nyquist plot, Rs, Rcor, Rpo, Ccor and Cc were obtained as 2.327 × 103 Ω.cm2, 43.63 × 103 Ω.cm2, 4.580 × 103 Ω.cm2, 111.5 × 10-6 S*s^a. cm-2 and 101.1 × 10-6 S*s^a. cm-2, respectively. The results indicated that the electrochemically synthesized the silver doped copper oxide electrodes can be obtained and developed as an alternative electrode material for supercapacitors (SCs).

Investigation of zinc oxide doped microstructures with cobalt via electrochemical deposition

The present paper reports electrochemical elaboration of zinc oxide microstructure doped with cobalt (CZO) at various [Co2+]/[Zn2+] (Co/Zn) concentration ratios onto ITO substrates at a pH of 6.5. All Mott-Schottky plots of electrochemical analysis showed that all electrodeposited CZO samples exhibited n-type semiconducting behaviours. XRD spectra revealed that all electrodeposited CZO samples crystallized in the typical hexagonal wurtzite structure with a preferential orientation along the (100) plane with descending crystalline size versus increasing cobalt dopants amount. Reviewing SEM images, notable changes were found on granular morphologies of CZO samples because of doping changing. EDX showed proportionality between the increase of final Co/Zn ratio in the CZO samples and the increase of starting Co/Zn concentration ratio within the initial depositing solutions. UV–Vis measurements indicated that transmittances of most CZO samples were above 80 % in the visible range and their optical band gaps were high and limited between 3.60 and 3.64 eV.

Multi-source observations on the effect of atmospheric blocking on air quality in İstanbul: a study case.

Air pollution is affected by the atmospheric dynamics. This study aims to determine that air pollution concentration values in İstanbul increased significantly and reached peak values due to atmospheric blocking between the 30th of December 2022 and the 5th of January 2023. In this study, hourly pollutant data was obtained from 16 air quality monitoring stations (AQMS), the exact reanalysis data was extracted from ERA5 database, and inversion levels and meteorological and synoptic analyses were used to determine the effects of atmospheric blocking on air pollution. Also, cloud base heights and vertical visibility measurements were taken with a ceilometer. Statistical calculations and data visualizations were performed using the R and Grads program. Omega-type blocking, which started in İstanbul on December 30, 2022, had a significant impact on the 1st and 2nd of January 2023, and PM10 and PM2.5 concentration values reached their peak values at 572.8 and 254.20µg/m3, respectively. In addition, it was found that the average concentration values in the examined period in almost all stations were higher than the averages for January and February. As a result, air quality in İstanbul was determined as "poor" between these calendar dates. It was found that the blocking did not affect the ozone (µg/m3) concentration. It was also found that the concentrations of particulate matter (PM) 10µm or less in diameter (PM10) and PM 2.5µm or less in diameter (PM2.5) were increased by the blocking effect in the İstanbul area. Finally, according to the data obtained using the ceilometer, cloud base heights decreased to 30m and vertical visibility to 10m.

Insights into global visibility patterns: Spatiotemporal distributions revealed by satellite remote sensing

Accurate measurement of surface visibility is vital for transportation. Satellite remote sensing technology offers the advantage of monitoring vast areas over extended time periods, providing a novel approach to visibility monitoring. However, it currently lacks the capability to directly measure visibility, necessitating further theoretical exploration of visibility remote sensing methods. In this study, we introduced an innovative model for remote retrieval of global surface visibility. It leverages the Extreme Random Forest (ERF) model to optimize the residual components of the physical method. The proposed model comprehensively explores the intricate relationship among surface visibility, aerosol optical depth (AOD), atmospheric extinction coefficient, and aerosol heights. Utilizing surface visibility data collected from global ground-based meteorological stations in 2018, we assessed the performance of the proposed model through 10-fold cross-validation, yielding correlation coefficient (R) of 0.85, root mean square error (RMSE) of 2.7 km, and mean absolute error (MAE) of 1.6 km. Results from temporal and site cross-validation further confirm the model’s strong performance in both time and spatial domains. Additionally, this study has developed a global visibility dataset at a daily resolution of 0.1° × 0.1°. Temporal analysis of this dataset reveals that visibility values are higher from June to October, while values are lower in other months. Regarding the spatial distribution of visibility, oceanic areas exhibit markedly superior visibility compared to land areas. Additionally, Oceania, South Africa, and South America boast notably better visibility than other regions.

Zn-doped aerogel for Ni2+ adsorption (Zn-A-Ni) and reuse of Zn-A-Ni to create Zn, Ni-co-doped carbon aerogel for applications in adsorption and energy storage

In order to solve the problem of heavy metal pollution, in this study, Zn-doped aerogel (Zn-A) was used as a material to remove Ni2+ from wastewater. Zn-A was synthesized from sodium alginate and nipa palm shell-derived cellulose via the sol–gel method combined with freeze-drying. Zn-A has the ability to adsorb Ni2+ up to 194.2 mg/g (Zn-A-Ni). After adsorbing Ni2+, Zn-A-Ni was pyrolyzed to form Zn, Ni-co-doped carbon aerogel (Zn-CA-Ni), which has high potential for manufacturing electrodes in supercapacitors (specific capacitance reaches 124.0F/g) and crystal violet treatment (adsorption capacity reaches 38.7 mg/g). Furthermore, Zn-A and Zn-CA-Ni were characterized through modern methods: Scanning electron microscope, energy dispersive X-ray, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction analysis, and Nitrogen adsorption–desorption isotherm. The ability to adsorb Ni2+ of Zn-A and adsorb crystal violet of Zn-CA-Ni was determined through ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy measurement. In addition, the electrochemical properties of Zn-CA-Ni were also analyzed through cyclic voltammetry, galvanostatic charge–discharge, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy.

Exploring the Structural, Optical and Photoluminescence Performances of CuCo2O4 and ZnMn2O4 Alloying

The performance of the structural, linear/ nonlinear optical and photoluminescent properties of CuCo2O4 and ZnMn2O4 alloying was investigated. (1−x)CuCo2O4/(x)ZnMn2O4 (x = 0, 0.10, 0.15, 0.2) samples were prepared by the sol-gel and hydrothermal procedures. Synchrotron X-ray diffraction measurements were employed to investigate the structural and microstructural properties applying the Rietveld refinement method. Fourier transform infraed and Raman techniques were applied to explore the structures’ variation and chemical bonding of the obtained phases. Ultraviolet–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy measurements were collected to explore the optical properties. The optical band gap values were determined using the Kubelka-Munk method. All samples exhibited two band gaps in the visible-NIR regions. Upon composing with ZnMn2O4, the band gaps of CuCo2O4 declined for x = 0.1 and 0.15, followed by an increase at x = 0.2. The possible electronic band structure of the samples and the photoluminescent performance of the prepared samples was investigated. The observed PL patterns manifest wide and asymmetrical emissions. The CIE chromaticity diagram for all samples was plotted. The obtained findings of (1−x)CuCo2O4/(x)ZnMn2O4 nominate their efficient role in optical device fabrication and photocatalyst applications.

Simulations of nozzle gas flow and gas-puff Z-pinch implosions on the Weizmann Z-pinch

We present simulations of an oxygen gas puff Z-pinch on a University scale generator at the Weizmann Institute of Science. The work accounts for the detailed geometry of the nozzle, the initial neutral gas density distribution, and the subsequent implosion. The modeling results show significant improvement with data for the current at the time of stagnation in comparison with a previous effort [Rosenzweig et al., Phys. Plasmas 27, 022705 (2020)]. As a first step, we performed simulations of the flow of neutral diatomic oxygen from a plenum through a nozzle within a recessed cathode, across a gap, and into the anode with a recessed grounded honeycomb. These simulations show an agreement with the measured initial gas density profiles within the region not blocked by the recesses and accessible to visible measurements. The computed neutral gas flow profile serves as the initial condition for a radiation magnetohydrodynamic simulation of the implosion using the MACH2-TCRE code. By considering the specific details of the nozzle and chamber geometry, we find agreement with the measured current profile, including the inductive notch. The simulations predict that the plasma undergoes a strong pinch within the hidden anode recess. The simulations also predict the strongest radiation pulse occurs within the anode recess and at the time of the observed inductive notch.

The Impact of Temporal Light Modulation on Psychological Responses Assessed by the Stroboscopic Visibility Measure

ABSTRACT With the advent of LED lighting systems, short-term psychological responses to temporal light modulation (TLM) in offices have attracted considerable research attention in recent years. The stroboscopic visibility measure (SVM) is a leading metric for predicting the visibility of stroboscopic effects, one of visual perception effects of TLM. However, research is lacking to link TLM with potential psychological responses using the SVM metric. In this study, 10 participants joined in the experiments under 6 SVM levels (SVM: ~0.060; ~0.500; ~1.000; ~1.500; ~2.500; ~3.868) finishing tasks of subjective general rating, moving objects observation, sustained attention visual task, visual fatigue scale and PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Scales). This study found that the SVM metric significantly evaluated the impact of TLM on psychological responses related to lighting ambiance and the moving objects observation. As expected, the stroboscopic visibility and motion dispersion scores increased with increasing SVM levels in the observation of rotating disc, and detectable stroboscopic effects were found to have negative effects on visual and work performances. However, the results of sustained attention visual task indicated that the SVM metric performed poorly in predicting the effects of TLM related to the eye saccades. High SVM levels were associated with negative experiences of lighting coziness, cognition performance and stroboscopic perception during moving objects observation. The scores were close to the expected at ~ 1.000 but exhibited a non-linearly increase with higher SVM levels. This study contributes valuable data to the ongoing discussions on setting limits for allowable modulation in practical lighting applications.

Characterization of biotinylated human ACE2 and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 spike protein reference materials

Accurate diagnostic and serology assays are required for the continued management of the COVID-19 pandemic yet spike protein mutations and intellectual property concerns with antigens and antibodies used in various test kits render comparability assessments difficult. As the use of common, well-characterized reagents can help address this lack of standardization, the National Research Council Canada has produced two protein reference materials (RMs) for use in SARS-CoV-2 serology assays: biotinylated human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 RM, ACE2-1, and SARS-CoV-2 Omicron BA.4/5 spike protein RM, OMIC-1. Reference values were assigned through a combination of amino acid analysis via isotope dilution liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry following acid hydrolysis, and ultraviolet–visible (UV–Vis) spectrophotometry at 280 nm. Vial-to-vial homogeneity was established using UV–Vis measurements, and protein oligomeric status, monitored by size exclusion liquid chromatography (LC-SEC), was used to evaluate transportation, storage, and freeze–thaw stabilities. The molar protein concentration in ACE2-1 was 25.3 ± 1.7 µmol L−1 (k = 2, 95% CI) and consisted almost exclusively (98%) of monomeric ACE2, while OMIC-1 contained 5.4 ± 0.5 µmol L−1 (k = 2) spike protein in a mostly (82%) trimeric form. Glycoprotein molar mass determination by LC-SEC with multi-angle light scattering detection facilitated calculation of corresponding mass concentrations. To confirm protein functionality, the binding of OMIC-1 to immobilized ACE2-1 was investigated with surface plasmon resonance and the resulting dissociation constant, KD ~ 4.4 nM, was consistent with literature values.Graphical

Light-enhancing ketone transfer hydrogenation catalyzed by diphosphine phenanthroline ruthenium complexes

The cationic phenanthroline ruthenium derivatives [Ru(OAc)(dppb)(NN)]OAc (NN = phen 1, imidazo[4,5-f][1,10]phenanthroline 2) have been obtained in high yield by reaction of the acetate [Ru(OAc)2dppb] with the corresponding NN ligand. The dinuclear cyclometalated [(dppb)(η2-OAc)(Ru(µ-NN-phenimid-NC)Ru(η2-OAc)(dppb)]OAc (3) has been prepared from 2 with [Ru(OAc)2(dppb)] via elimination of acetic acid. The characterization of these compounds has been carried out by NMR, FT-IR, UV–Vis, conductivity and cyclic voltammetry measurements. These derivatives display catalytic activity in the transfer hydrogenation of aromatic and aliphatic cyclic ketones at S/C up to 2000 in presence of NaOiPr in 2-propanol. An increase of the rate (up to 8 times) has been observed upon irradiation at 30 and 60 °C (300 W Xenon Arc Lamp light source). Control experiments show that [Ru(OiPr)2(dppb)(phen)] (1A), formed from 1 by substitution of the acetate with the isopropoxide ligand, shows a stronger emission compared to 1 and that 1A is quenched by NaOiPr, affording the dihydride [Ru(H)2(dppb)(phen)] (1C) via a photo induced β-H elimination.