Cannabis (Cannabis Sativa L.) is now legally produced in many regions worldwide. Cannabis flourishes under high light intensities (LI); making it an expensive commodity to grow in controlled environments, despite its exceptionally high market value. It is commonly believed that cannabis secondary metabolite levels may be enhanced both by increasing LI and by exposing crops to ultraviolet radiation (UV). However, there is sparse scientific evidence to guide cultivators. Therefore, the impact of LI and UV on yield and quality must be elucidated to enable cultivators to optimize their lighting protocols. We explored the effects of LI, ranging from 350 to 1400 μmol m^-2 s^-1 and supplemental UV spectra on cannabis yield and potency. There were no spectrum effects on inflorescence yield, but harvest index under UVA+UVB was reduced slightly (1.6%) vs. the control. Inflorescence yield increased linearly from 19.4 to 57.4 g/plant and harvest index increased from 0.565 to 0.627, as LI increased from 350 to 1400 μmol m^-2 s^-1. Although there were no UV spectrum effects on total equivalent Δ⁹-tetrahydrocannabinol (T-THC) content in leaves, the neutral form, THC, was 30% higher in UVA+UVB vs. control. While there were no LI effects on inflorescence T-THC content, the content of the acid form (THCA) increased by 20% and total terpenes content decreased by 20% as LI increased from 350 to 1400 μmol m^-2 s^-1. High LI can substantially increase cannabis yield and quality, but we found no commercially-relevant benefits of adding supplemental UV radiation to indoor cannabis production.

Review of the existing bibliography shows that the direction and magnitude of the long-term trends of UV irradiance, and their main drivers, vary significantly throughout Europe. Analysis of total ozone and spectral UV data recorded at four European stations during 1996 – 2017 reveals that long-term changes in UV are mainly driven by changes in aerosols, cloudiness, and surface albedo, while changes in total ozone play a less significant role. The variability of UV irradiance is large throughout Italy due to the complex topography and large latitudinal extension of the country. Analysis of the spectral UV records of the urban site of Rome, and the alpine site of Aosta reveals that differences between the two sites follow the annual cycle of the differences in cloudiness and surface albedo. Comparisons between the noon UV index measured at the ground at the same stations and the corresponding estimates from the DWD forecast model and OMI/Aura observations reveal differences of up to 6 units between individual measurements, which are likely due to the different spatial resolution of the different datasets, and average differences of 0.5 – 1 unit, possibly related to the use of climatological surface albedo and aerosol optical properties in the retrieval algorithms.

Eyes are quintessential complex traits and our understanding of their evolution guides models of trait evolution in general. A long-standing account of eye evolution argues natural selection favors morphological variations that allow increased functionality for sensing light (Darwin 1859; v. Salvini-Plawen and Mayr 1977; Nilsson and Pelger 1994; Nilsson 2013). While certainly true in part, this focus on visual performance does not entirely explain why diffuse photosensitivity persists even after eyes evolve, or why eyes evolved many times, each time using similar building blocks. Here we briefly review a vast literature indicating most genetic components of eyes historically responded to stress caused directly by light, including UV damage of DNA, oxidative stress, and production of aldehydes. We propose light-induced stress had a direct and prominent role in the evolution of eyes by bringing together genes to repair and prevent damage from light-stress, both before and during the evolution of eyes themselves. Stress-repair and stress-prevention genes were perhaps originally deployed as plastic responses to light and/or as beneficial mutations genetically driving expression where light was prominent. These stress-response genes sense, shield, and refract light but only as reactions to ongoing light stress. Once under regulatory-genetic control, they could be expressed before light stress appeared, evolve as a module, and be influenced by natural selection to increase functionality for sensing light, ultimately leading to complex eyes and behaviors. Recognizing the potentially prominent role of stress in eye evolution invites discussions of plasticity and assimilation and provides a hypothesis for why similar genes are repeatedly used in convergent eyes. Broadening the drivers of eye evolution encourages consideration of multi-faceted mechanisms of plasticity/assimilation and mutation/selection for complex novelties and innovations in general.

With the increasing pace of global warming, it is important to understand the role of meteorological factors in influenza virus (IV) epidemics. In this study, we investigated the impact of temperature, UV index, humidity, wind speed, atmospheric pressure, and precipitation on IV activity in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania during 2010-2018. Both correlation and machine learning analyses revealed that low temperature and low UV indexes were the most predictive meteorological factors for IV epidemics in the Northern European countries. Our in vitro experiments confirmed that low temperature and UV radiation preserved IV infectivity. Associations between these meteorological factors and IV activity could improve surveillance and promote development of accurate predictive models for future influenza outbreaks in Northern Europe.

In this study we focus on measurements and modeled UV index at the region of Athens, Greece, during a period of a low ozone event. During the period of 12 to 19 of May 2020, total column ozone (TOC) showed extremely low values 35-55 DU (up to 15%) decrease from the climatic mean (being lower than the -2σ). This condition favors the increase of UV erythemal irradiance, since stratospheric ozone is the most important attenuator at the UVB spectral region. A parallel intrusion of Saharan Dust aerosols in the region has masked a large part of the low ozone effect on UV irradiance. In order to investigate the event, we have used spectral solar irradiance measurements from the Precision Solar Radiometer (PSR), total column ozone from the BREWER spectrophotometer and Radiative Transfer Model (RTM) calculations. Model calculations of UV Index (UVI) showed an increase of ~30% compared to the long term normal UVI due to the low TOC while at the same time and for particular days, aerosols masked this effect by ~20%. The study points out the importance of accurate measurements or forecasts of both ozone and aerosols when deriving UVI under unusual low ozone-high aerosol conditions.

The sunscreen industry is achieving remarkable worldwide prominence by responding to the growing need for skin protection with fast-paced innovation. Increased consumer awareness of the harmful effects of sunlight has fueled the demand for improved photo protection. The need for broad-spectrum protection from both UVA and UVB rays has inspired scientists worldwide to research new cosmetic formulations and delivery systems. More effective sunscreen actives, emollients and novel cosmetic and functional ingredients have been regularly added to the formulator’s repertoire. Creativity in innovation has been hindered only by regulatory agencies and patent restrictions worldwide. Familiarity with the current restrictive regulations and patent law infringements has become integral to any research effort attempting to provide improved protection to individuals affected by the sun’s damaging effects. The increasing incidence of skin cancers and photo damaging effects caused by ultraviolet radiation has increased the use of sun screening agents, which have shown beneficial effects in reducing the symptoms and reoccurrence of these problems. Unlike the situation in Europe where sunscreen ingredients are considered under cosmetics guidelines, the FDA is required to define sunscreens as drugs since they are advertised to prevent sunburn and, more recently, the risk of skin cancer. In the USA, the FDA has been regulating this industry since August 25, 1978, with the publication of the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. Sunscreens are considered drugs and cosmetics and therefore must be governed by the FDA-OTC monograph. With the variety of sunscreen agents used in cosmetic and UV protection products, Australia, Canada, and the European Union (EU) have also developed regulatory protocols on safe sunscreen product use. Unlike the USA though, Australia has approved 34 active sunscreen ingredients and the EU has approved 28 of these ingredients. Current FDA regulations allow labeling of sunscreen products to a maximum of 30þ, despite the many products currently available with numbers as high as 100. From a cosmetic formulation point of view, increasing the SPF number in a product is governed by simple chemical principles.

Controlling the concentration of free radicals in polymerization systems is advantageous for preparing cationic polyacrylamide (CPAM) with high molecular weight and acceptable dissolvability. In this study, a novel ultraviolet (UV)-initiated system characterized with adjustable light intensity and redox-azo complex initiator was used to synthesize a CPAM flocculant named NP. Comparatively, another CPAM flocculant named SP with stable UV light intensity and single initiator was prepared. The chemical structure, morphology, and thermal stability were analyzed through instrumental analysis. Proton nuclear magnetic resonance indicated that NP was successfully prepared, and a small fraction of cationic homopolymer was mixed in the product. Polymerization conditions were optimized, and polymerization mechanism was determined by investigating the effects of various parameters on intrinsic viscosity, conversion, and dissolvability. Results showed that the best performance was obtained at indexes of 0.45 wt‰ redox initiator concentration, 0.2 wt‰ azo initiator concentration, 40.0 wt% of cationic monomer, first- and second-stage light intensities of 8.5 and 13 mW/cm², respectively, and 3 wt% urea. Sludge conditioning performances of NP and SP were comparatively evaluated, and the mechanism was determined by investigating the sedimentation behavior and floc size distribution. High intrinsic viscosity, porous morphology structure, and the mixed cationic homopolymer of NP resulted in better sludge conditioning performance.

Skin aging is one of the most common problems facing humanity. It occurs because of altering the balance between free radicals and antioxidants and increasing the amount of the reactive oxygen species (ROS) in skin cells, which leads to oxidative stress especially when exposed to UV radiation. Antioxidants can neutralize the harmful effects of ROS, and secondary plant metabolites can help protect against UV radiation. In this study, punicalagin was extracted from pomegranate and concentrations of total polyphenolics and flavonoids were determined and antioxidant activities measured. Punicalagin was loaded onto niosomes and its morphology and release were studied. An in vitro study was performed on human fibroblast cell line HFB4 cells with aging induced by H2O2 and UV radiation. Cell cycle arrest was studied and different genes (MMP3, Col1A1, Timp3, and TERT) involved in the skin aging process were selected to measure punicalagin's effect. Punicalagin succeeded in reducing the growth arrest of HFB4 cells, activated production of the Col1A1 and Timp3 genes, maintained collagen level, and lowered of MMP3. Punicalagin increased human TERT concentration in skin cells. Punicalagin is promising as a natural antioxidant to protect human skin from aging.

ATLID (ATmospheric LIDar) is the atmospheric backscatter LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) on board of the EarthCARE (Earth Cloud, Aerosol and Radiation Explorer) mission, the sixth Earth Explorer Mission of the ESA (European Space Agency) Living Planet Programme [1-5]. ATLID’s purpose is to provide vertical profiles of optically thin cloud and aerosol layers, as well as the altitude of cloud boundaries [6-10]. In order to achieve this objective ATLID emits short duration laser pulses in the UV, at a repetition rate of 51 Hz, while pointing in a near nadir direction along track of the satellite trajectory. The atmospheric backscatter signal is then collected by its 620 mm aperture telescope, filtered through the optics of the instrument focal plane assembly, in order to separate and measure the atmospheric Mie and Rayleigh scattering signals. With the completion of the full instrument assembly in 2019, ATLID has been subjected to an ambient performance test campaign, followed by a successful environmental qualification test campaign, including performance calibration and characterization in thermal vacuum conditions. In this paper the design and operational principle of ATLID is recalled and the major performance test results are presented, addressing the main key receiver and emitter characteristics. Finally, the estimated instrument, in-orbit, flight predictions are presented; these indicate compliance of the ALTID instrument performance against its specification and that it will meet its mission science objectives for the EarthCARE mission, to be launched in 2023.

Adenoviruses (Ads) have been extensively manipulated for the development of cancer selective replication, leading to cancer cell death or oncolysis. Clinical studies using E1-modified oncolytic Ads have shown that this therapeutic platform was safe, but with limited efficacy, indicating the necessity of targeting other viral genes for manipulation. To improve the therapeutic efficacy of oncolytic Ads, we treated the entire Ad genome repeatedly with UV-light and have isolated AdUV which efficiently lyses cancer cells as reported previously [1]. In this report, we show that no mutations were observed in the early genes (E1 or E4) of AdUV while several mutations were observed within the Ad late genes which have structural or viral DNA packaging functions. This study also reported the increased release of AdUV from cancer cells. In this study, we found that AdUV inhibits tumor growth following intratumoral injection. These results indicate the potentially significant role of the viral late genes, in particular the DNA packaging genes, to enhance Ad oncolysis.

The spectrophotometric methods of determination of the active pharmaceutical ingredients meloxicam and nimesulide were reviewed, and a simple UV-spectrophotometric method for the determination of these active pharmaceutical ingredients in industrial equipment cleaning validation samples were proposed. The methods are based on extraction of the residual quantities of meloxicam and numesulide from the manufacturing equipment surface by the concentrated sodium carbonate solution, and the subsequent UV-spectrophotometric determination of the basic forms of the drugs at the wavelength of 362 nm for meloxicam and at 397 nm for nimesulide. The calibration graphs are linear in the range from 5 to 25 mg/L of both nimesulide and meloxicam, the molar attenuation coefficients are 6100 m2/mol for nimesulide and 9100 m2/mol for meloxicam, the limit of detection is 0.8 mg/L for nimesulide and 1.9 mg/L for meloxicam, the limit of quantification is 2.5 mg/L for nimesulide and 5.8 mg/L for meloxicam, the methods are selective with respect to the common excipients, show a good accuracy (the relative uncertainty does not exceed 4%) and precision (the relative standard deviation does not exceed 5%), do not require lengthy sample preparation and sophisticated laboratory equipment and are suitable for the routine analysis of cleaning validation samples.

The aim of this study, for determination of verteporfin in real samples (simulated body fluid, and simulated tears, 0.9% isotonic sodium chloride solution, Lactated Ringer IV solution for infusion, 5% dextrose IV solution for infusion, lemon juice and drinking water) was the method validation and to examined by HPLC-DAD-UV. Metod validation parameters such as specificity, linearity, precision, accuracy, robustness, limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantitation (LOQ) for verteporfin were validated and developed according to the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) Q2 R1 guidelines. The LOD and LOQ for verteporfin were found 0.06 µg/L and 0.2 µg/L, respectively. The recovery values of the optimization and validation for verteporfin were found in the range of 97.5-100.7%. The relative standard deviations (RSD) for vertepofin were <1%. The developed method was successfully applied to real samples with high accuracy and the recoveries (%) from real samples were 99.9, 100, 98.2, 99.2, 99.4, 98.8 and 99.4, respectively.

Evidence has shown that the state of the patient care environment has a direct impact in heightening the risks of hospital acquired infections among patients admitted in hospitals. And in view of the sub-optimal standard of cleanings by housekeeping staff, the quest for a better approach to reliably disinfect environmental surfaces in healthcare facilities. The ultraviolet light has been known for its antimicrobial property, and have been used in water treatment, food processing and in-duct cleaning of ventilations. A recent introduction of its use for surface decontamination has raised interest among hospitals.However, studies have shown that, in spite of its relative success in other applications, there is doubt in its efficacy in decontaminating shadowed areas of the room, and therefore, would not be seen as justifying its capital intensiveness.

Ultraviolet (UV) light with a wavelength of 254 nm has proven to be effective at inactivating microorganisms, and thus has been increasingly employed as a method of disinfection for indoor environments. Solar UV wavelengths (300 to 400 nm) are known to initiate the formation of secondary organic aerosol (SOA) particles from photo-oxidation of volatile organic compounds in the atmosphere, but germicidal wavelengths have not been extensively studied for indoor environments. In this work, toluene was exposed to 254 nm UV light in a laboratory photoreactor, with varying conditions of the air, the duration of UV exposure, and the duration of post-UV time. The number of particles formed in the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) size range was measured, and significant levels of particle formation were observed for UV exposure periods of as short as 5 minutes. The particle formation ranged from 2.4x10⁶ particles/m³ for 5 minutes of UV exposure, to 1449.8x10⁶ particles/m³ for 15 minutes of UV exposure. Particle formation was found to increase with increasing concentrations of gas phase toluene, and at relative humidity of approximately 20% and higher. Variations in the initial number of particles present did not appear to have a significant effect on the particle formation, suggesting that nucleation was not a controlling factor. However, tests in a commercial environment showed no significant detectable PM2.5 formation, indicating that SOA formation during the intermittent use of germicidal UV may not significantly affect indoor air quality.

An HPLC method for indicating stability was developed, created, and confirmed for the quantification measurement of recombinant human erythropoietin in large quantities as well as dosage forms. An isocratic separation was accomplished using a Thermo Biobasic C18 (250 mm 4.6 mm i.d., 300Ao, 5 m) column with a flow rate of 1.0 mL min-1 as well as a UV detector to monitor the eluate at 278 nm. Acetonitrile, 0.05 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate (80:20 v/v), and orthophosphoric acid adjusted to 4.0 made up the mobile phase. The drug was exposed to oxidative stress, hydrolysis, and photodegradation to simulate stress conditionsRecombinant Human Erythropoietin, the parent compound, was eluted at roughly 6.675 minutes, as well as all byproducts have been entirely disconnected inside an overall analytical run time of about 15 minutes. To identify quantification limits of 0.05 and 0.2 g mL-1, respectively, the method was linear over a concentration range of 1-6 g mL-1 (r = 0.9989). Recombinant Human Erythropoietin can be measured accurately, selectively, sensitively, and precisely using this method both in dosage form and in bulk. Stress-induced degradation products did not interact with the identification of Recombinant Human Erythropoietin, indicating that the assay is stable.

To investigate the photosynthetic change characteristics of mango leaves under enhanced UV-B radiation, adult ‘Tainong No. 1’ mango (Mangifera indica) trees were treated (N=nine individuals) with simulated enhanced UV-B radiation [24 and 96 kJ/(m2·d)] in the field, and the photochemical reactions, activities of key enzymes in carbon assimilation, and the expression of genes were observed. The results showed that compared with the control, there was a decrease in tree yield and nutritional flavor quality of the fruits under the 96 kJ/(m2·d) treatment, while no significant changes were observed under 24 kJ/(m2·d). After 20 or 40 days, leaves’ net photosynthetic rate (Pn), stomatal conductance (Sc), transpiration rate (Tr), intercellular CO2 concentration (Ci), and chlorophyll a/b under exposure to 96 kJ/(m2·d) of UV-B were significantly lower than in the control, whereas chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, carotenoids, Hill reaction activity, photochemical quenching coefficient (qP), and Rubisco activities were significantly higher. By contrast, the Hill activity and Rubisco activity under 24 kJ/(m2·d) were significantly higher than the control, while Pn, Sc, Tr, Ci, and the content of photosynthetic pigments were similar to the control. The expression of gene coding the Rubisco big subunit (rbcL) was inhibited by the 96 kJ/(m2·d) treatment. We conclude that stomatal limitation was directly induced by 96 kJ/(m2·d), resulting in the inhibition of photosynthesis and the reduction in yield and deterioration of the quality of mango.

Drug abuse is a major issue worldwide. Methylphenidate (MPH) and alprazolam (ALZ) are commonly prescribed drugs for the treatment of ADHD and anxiety disorders, respectively. The limited studies suggest that abusers primarily use benzodiazepines to counteract adverse effects associated with methylphenidate usage. The main aim of this study was to investigate the interaction of drugs with DNA using spectroscopic methods. Female Wistar rats were administered with MPH (10, 20, 40 mg/kg) and ALZ (5, 10, 20 mg/kg) alone and in combination for a period of 28 days. The FT-IR and UV results reveal some spectral changes in a dose-dependent manner, which indicates interactions of drugs with DNA. Thus, the changes in spectral peaks provide some insight into the mechanism of the interaction of drugs with DNA.

In recent years, the nanoparticles applications have been well recognized in various fields. It is known that nanoparticles as an active ingredient in sunscreens are widely used. Zinc oxide and titanium oxide nanoparticles are common nanoparticles utilized in sunscreens. In this study, we aimed to suggest new nanoparticles for this purpose. Cerium oxide nanoparticles (CeO2-NPs) were synthesized by using Musa sapientum fruit peel extract. Synthesized nanoparticles were identified through Raman, Powder X-ray Diffraction (PXRD), Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Field Energy Scanning Electron Microscopy (FESEM) and Energy-Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDX). The results showed that size of synthesized nanoparticles are in range 4-13 nm. The cytotoxic activity of synthesized nanoparticles on lung (A549) cancer cell line was performed through MTT assay. The results showed that synthesized nanoparticles are non-toxicity against A549 cell line to below 500 μg/mL of nanoparticles concentration. The Sun protection factor (SPF) was estimated ~ 40 for synthesized CeO2-NPs. So, synthesized nanoparticles can be a good option for use in the cosmetics industry.

The search for molecular biosignatures at the surface of Mars is complicated by an intense irradiation in the mid- and near- ultraviolet (UV) spectral range for several reasons: (i) many astrobiologically relevant molecules are electronically excited by efficient absorption of UV radiation and rapidly undergo photochemical reactions; (ii) even though the penetration depth of UV radiation is limited, aeolian erosion continually exposes fresh material to radiation; and (iii) UV irradiation generates strong oxidants such as perchlorates that can penetrate deep into soils and cause subsurface oxidative degradation of organics.As a consequence, it is crucial to investigate the effects of UV radiation on organic molecules embedded in mineral matrices mimicking the martian soil, in order to validate hypotheses about the nature of the organic compounds detected so far at the surface of Mars by the Curiosity rover, as well as organics that will be possibly found by the next rover missions Mars 2020 and ExoMars 2020. In addition, studying the alteration of possible molecular biosignatures in the martian environment will help to redefine the molecular targets for life detection missions and devise suitable detection methods.Here we report the results of mid-UV irradiation experiments of Mars soil analog samples obtained adsorbing relevant organic molecules on a clay mineral that is quite common on Mars, i.e. montmorillonite, doped with 1 wt% of magnesium perchlorate. Specifically, we chose to investigate the photostability of a plausible precursor of the chlorohydrocarbons detected on Mars by the Curiosity rover, namely phthalic acid, along with the biomarkers of extant life L-phenylalanine and L-glutamic acid, which are proteomic amino acids, and adenosine 5’-monophosphate, which is a nucleic acid component.We monitored the degradation of these molecules adsorbed on montmorillonite through in situ spectroscopic analysis, investigating the reflectance properties of the samples in the Near InfraRed (NIR) spectral region. Such spectroscopic characterization of molecular alteration products provides support for two upcoming robotic missions to Mars that will employ NIR spectroscopy to look for molecular biosignatures, through the instruments SuperCam on board Mars 2020, ISEM, Ma_Miss and MicrOmega on board ExoMars 2020.

Cyanobacterial mass developments in eutrophic ponds and lakes are a major concern for lake management, as many cyanobacteria produce a huge variety of toxic secondary metabolites, e.g. microcystins. The aim of this research was to culture a strain of the cyanobacterium Microcystis sp strain BM25, to observe its biomass production and to isolate and purify protease inhibitors from this cyanobacterial biomass. Different secondary metabolites were isolated following a standard bioassay-guideline. Isolation was performed, with an enzymatic protease assay as bioassay. High performance liquid chromatography was used to identify different fractions of secondary metabolite from the strain BM25. Moreover, protease homogenates were isolated from Daphnia magna in order to test the inhibitors against naturally occurring major digestive proteases trypsin and chymotrypsin. It was measured that 60% MeOH and the 80% MeOH C18-SPE fraction inhibits chymotrypsin activity 98% (6 nmol pNA min^-1 mg^-1) and 99 % (4 nmol pNA min^-1 mg^-1), respectively. In contrast, trypsin activity was not inhibited by methanolic extracts of this cyanobacterium strain.

ZnO films with Ti atoms incorporated (TZO) in a wide range (0-18 at. %) have been grown by reactive co-sputtering on silicon and glass substrates. The influence of the titanium incorporation in the ZnO matrix on the structural and optical characteristics of the samples has been determined by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results indicate that the samples with low Ti content (< 4 at. %) exhibit the wurtzite-like structure, with the Ti+4 ions substitutionally incorporated into the ZnO structure, forming Ti-doped ZnO films. In particular, very low concentration of Ti (<0.9 at. %) leads to a significant increase of the crystallinity of the TZO samples. Higher Ti contents give rise to a progressive amorphization of the wurtzite-like structure so samples with high Ti content (≥18at. %), displays an amorphous structure indicating the XPS analysis a predominance of Ti-O-Zn mixed oxides. The energy gap, obtained from absorption spectrophotometry, increases from 3.2 eV for pure ZnO films to 3.6 eV for those with the highest Ti content. Ti incorporation in the ZnO samples below 0.9 at. % rises both, the blue (380 nm) and green (550 nm) bands of the photoluminescence (PL) emission, thereby indicating a significant improvement of PL efficiency of the samples.

The effective treatment for chronic wounds constitute one of the most common worldwide health care problem due to the presence of high levels of proteases, free radicals and exudates in the wound, which constantly activate the inflammatory system avoiding the tissue regeneration. In this study, we describe a multifunctional bioactive and resorbable membrane with in-built antioxidant agent for the continuous quenching of free radicals as well as to control inflammatory response helping to promote the wound healing process. To reach that goal synthesized statistical copolymers of N-vinylcaprolactam (V) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (H) have been conjugated with catechol bearing hydrocaffeic acid (HCA) molecules. The natural polyphenol (catechol) is the key molecule responsible for the mechanism of adhesion of mussels, and provides the functionalized polymer conjugate a continuous antioxidant response, antiinflammatory effect, UV screen and bioadhesion in the moist environment of the human body, all of them key features in the wound healing process. Therefore, these novel mussel-inspired materials have an enormous potential of application and can act very positively, favoring and promoting the healing effect in chronic wounds.

In this study, a new type of temperature sensor device was developed. The circular electrode of the thermal sensitive sensor was modified with TMT and O₂ plasma to enhance the conductivity by forming a thin SnOxCy layer on the electrode surface. The Nano-Au particles were subjected to O₂ plasma pretreatment to form peroxide groups on the surface. The thermally sensitive sensor was made by mixing the above-treated Nano-Au particles with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) to form solution and then UV-induced grafting polymerization of the NIPAAm-containing solution onto the electrode substrate. The composite hydrogels on the electrode introduce thermo-sensitive polymeric surface films for temperature sensing. Using ambient environment resistance test to measure the resistance, the LCST (lower critical solution temperature) of Nano-Au (MUA) mixed with NIPAAm hydrogel was found to be 32 °C. At ambient temperatures higher than LCST, the electrode resistance decreases linearly.

The Ramazzottius varieornatus tardigrade is an extremotolerant terrestrial invertebrate belonging to the phylum of Tardigrada. At a length of 0.1-1.0 mm, tardigrades are small animals with an exceptional tolerance to extreme conditions such as high pressure, chemicals and irradia-tion. These properties have been attributed to the recently-discovered Dsup protein. Dsup is a nucleosome-binding protein that prevents DNA damage against X-ray and oxidative stress without impairing cell life, also in Dsup-transfected animal and plant cells. However, the precise “protective” role of this protein is still under study. We performed experiments on human cells and shows that, as compared to control cells, Dsup+ cells are more resistant to UV-C exposure and H2O2. Real-time PCR identified different expression patterns of endogenous genes involved in apoptosis, cell survival and DNA damage repair in Dsup+ cells in response to H2O2 and UV-C. While H2O2 treatment in Dsup+ cells only marginally involved the activation of pathways responsible for DNA repair reinforcing the idea of a direct protective effect of the protein on DNA, in UV-C exposed cells, Dsup efficiently upregulates DNA damage repair genes. In conclusion, our data may help to delineate the different mechanisms by which the Dsup protein operates in response to different insults.

UV-Visible spectroscopy method has been developed for the analysis of Thiamine in biological and pharmaceutical product, based on a chromogenic derivatizing reaction using PDAB (P- dimethyl amino benzaldehyde) reagent. A Central Composite Design (CCD) design with response surface methodology was executed for optimization of experimental conditions of drug with a smaller number of experimental trials. Three independent factors, the concentration of PDAB, the volume of PDAB reagent, and volume of HCl, were used to construct a mathematical model and study the effects of these independent factors on responses as absorbance. The colored complex exhibits a Red shift with absorption maximum λmax at 425 nm, which was selected as the analytical wavelength. The drug seems to be linear, which was established via the regression analysis from 5-30 μgmL-1, with an R2 value of 0.998.The % RSD for intraday and interday precision was < 2%, with good recovery ranging from 95.02 to 101.43% with biological and pharmaceutical samples. LOD and LOQ of the developed method were found to be 1.51 μg mL-1 and 4.57 μg mL-1.This method can be used in routine analysis of pharmaceutical products containing aromatic primary amines along with an estimation of biological samples like urine, blood, sweat, faeces.

ZnO has many technological applications which largely depend on its properties that can be tuned by controlled synthesis. Ideally, the most convenient ZnO synthesis is carried out at room temperature in aqueous solvent. However, the correct temperature values are often loosely defined. In the current paper we performed synthesis of ZnO in aqueous solvent, by varying reaction and drying temperature by 10°C steps and monitored the synthesis products primarily by XRD. We found out that a simple direct synthesis of ZnO, without additional surfactant, pumping of freezing, required both a reaction (TP) and a drying (TD) temperature of 40°C. Higher temperatures also afford ZnO, but lowering any of the TP or TD below the threshold value results either in the achievement of Zn(OH)2 or in a mixture of Zn(OH)2/ZnO. A more detailed Rietveld analysis of the ZnO samples reveals a density variation with the synthesis temperature and an increase of the nanoparticles average size also verified by SEM images. The optical properties of ZnO obtained by UV-Vis reflectance spectroscopy indicate a red shift of the band gap by ~0.1 eV.

Palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD) is a by-product from the refining of crude palm oil. It comprises mainly of free fatty acids, having around 45% of palmitic and 33% oleic acids as the major components. Ultra-violet (UV) curable urethane acrylate (UA) oligomers could be synthesized from PFAD by the following procedure. A hydroxyl terminated macromer was first prepared by reacting PFAD with a mixture of isophthalic acid, phthalic anhydride, neopentagylcol (NPG) and pentaerythritol. The macromer is then reacted with 2-hydroxylethylacrylate (2HEA) and toluene diisocynate (TDI) to generate a resin containing acrylate side chains for UV curable application. A series of UA resins were prepared by using 15, 25, 45, 55 and 70% of PFAD respectively. The UA resin has Mw in the range of 3200 to 27,000. They could be cured by UV irradiation at intensity of 225mW/cm². Glass transition temperature (T_g) of the cured film was measured by differential scanning calorimeter (DSC), and hardness of the film was determined by pendulum hardness tester according to ASTM4366. The resins were used in wood coating application. All of the cured films showed good adhesion, hardness and chemical resistant for resins using up to 55% PFAD; however the resin at 70% did not cure properly.

Euglenoids are a common component of primary producers in high acidic and organic shallow freshwater systems. They are free-living photosynthetic motile flagellates exhibiting rapid responses to various external stimuli including chemical pollution. The unique combination of diverse physiological processes of Euglena such as photosynthesis, movement, and orientation offers a range of sensitive criteria that respond to aquatic pollutants. This has led to the development of several acute and chronic assay methods to monitor the adverse impacts of potent toxicants in aquatic ecosystems. Euglenoids also reflect the consequences of physical stress factors such as UV radiation. This review summarizes the ecotoxicity studies using euglenoid flagellates as model species and their potential to contribute toward rapid screening of ecological impacts of pollution in the aquatic environment. Factors determining the reliability of Euglena tests are outlined.

There is experimental evidence of high vibronic activity that accompanies the strongly allowed transition between the ground state and the lowest electronic singlet excited state of oligofurans that contain 2,3, and 4 furan rings. The absorption and emission spectra of the three lowest oligofurans measured in liquid nitrogen temperature show distinct fine structures that are reproduced using the projection-based model of vibronic coupling (with Dushinsky rotation included) parameterized utilizing either DFT (with several different exchange-correlation functionals) or ab initio (CC2) quantum chemistry calculations. Using as reference the experimental data concerning the electronic absorption and fluorescence for the 8 lowest oligofurans we first analyze the performance of the exchange-correlation functionals for the electronic transition energies and the reorganization energies. Subsequently, we use the best functionals alongside the CC2 method to explore how the reorganization energies are distributed among the totally symmetric vibrations, identify the normal modes that dominate in the fine structures present in the absorption and emission bands, and trace their evolution with the increasing number of rings in the oligofuran series. Confrontation of the simulated spectra with the experiment allows for verification of the performance of the selected DFT functionals and the CC2 method.

Glass samples (59.5 – x) B2O3 – 20Na2O – 20CaO – xV2O5 – Er2O3 – 0.5AgCl (x = 0 – 2.5 mol%) were prepared using melt – quenching method to investigate the structural and optical properties of the glass. The structural of the glass were characterized by using XRD, TEM and FTIR, meanwhile the optical properties were characterized by UV – VIS absorption. The XRD patterns confirmed the amorphous nature of the prepared glass samples. FTIR confirmed the presence of VO4, VO5, BO3, and BO4 vibration, and this result showed NBO increased with increasing vanadium concentration. The UV – Vis – NIR spectra exhibits six absorption band centered at 490, 520, 540, 660, 800, and 980 nm. The optical band gap (Eopt), Urbach energy and refractive index shown decrease, increase and increase, respectively. The Judd – Ofelt intensity parameter reveal the trends was Ω2 &gt; Ω4 &gt; Ω6. There are three emission bands at 516 nm, 580 nm, and 673 nm which are represented by 2H11/2 – 4I15/2, 4S3/2 – 4I15/2, and 4F15/2 – 4I15/2, respectively under 800 nm excitation was obtained.

A prominent feature of stress-tolerant microalgae is their versatile metabolism allowing then to synthesize a broad spectrum of molecules with beneficial effects on many aspects of human body functioning. This is in line with the current understanding that many stress-induced deleterious processes in the human body and in photosynthetic cell are mediated by the same mechanisms such as free-radical attacks and lipid peroxidation. These related risks are kept at bay by optical screening of harmful UV, enzymatic ROS elimination systems, and potent low-molecular antioxidants. Microalgae synthesize a broad spectrum of compounds exerting antioxidant and/or UV-absorbing properties. In microalgae, they increase stress-resilience of these organisms. In human body, they exhibit photoprotective, antiaging, and sunscreen activities. Therefore, these algal metabolites were recognized as promising ingredients for innovative cosmetics and cosmeceutical formulations. Ever increasing effort is being invested into the search for new natural biologically active substances from microalgae. This trend is also fueled by the growing demand for natural raw materials for food, pharmaceuticals and cosmetology associated with the global transition to a "greener" lifestyle. Here, we review the currently accumulated knowledge about the main groups of cosmeceutical compounds from microalgae.

Iron Doped TiO₂ nanoparticles (Fe-TiO₂) were synthesized and photocatalitically investigated under high and low fluence values of UV-radiation. The Fe-TiO₂ physical characterization was performed using X-ray Powder Diffraction (XRD), Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) surface area analysis, Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), Diffuse Reflectance Spectroscopy (DRS), and X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) technique. The XPS evidenced that ferric ion (Fe³⁺) was in the lattice of TiO₂ and co-dopants no intentionally added were also present due to the precursors of the synthetic method. The Fe³⁺ concentration played a key role in the photocatalytic generation of hydroxyl radical (•OH) and estriol (E3) degradation. Fe-TiO₂ materials accomplished E3 degradation, and it was found that the catalyst with 0.3 at. % content of Fe (0.3 Fe-TiO₂) enhanced the photocatalytic activity under low UV-irradiation compared with no intentionally Fe-added TiO₂ (zero-iron TiO₂) and Aeroxide^® TiO₂ P25. Furthermore, the enhanced photocatalytic activity of 0.3 Fe-TiO₂ under low UV-irradiation may have applications when radiation intensity must be controlled, as in medical applications, or when strong UV absorbing species are present in water.

This joint experimental-theoretical work focuses on molecular and photophysical properties of the spiropyran-containing amphiphilic molecule in organic and aqueous solutions. Being dissolved in tested organic solvents, the system demonstrates positive photochromism, i.e. upon UV stimulus the colorless spiropyran form is transformed into colorful merocyanine isomer. However, aqueous solution of the amphiphile possesses a negative photochromism: the orange-red merocyanine form turns to be thermodynamically more stable in water, and both UV and vis stimuli lead to the partial or complete photobleaching of the solution. The explanation of this phenomenon is given on the basis of density functional theory calculations and classical modeling including thermodynamic integration. The simulations reveal that stabilization of merocyanine in water proceeds with the energy of ca. 70 kJ mol−1, and that the Helmholtz free energy of hydration of merocyanine form is 100 kJ mol−1 lower as compared to the behavior of SP isomer in water. The explanation of such a difference lies in the molecular properties of the merocyanine: after ring-opening reaction this molecule transforms into a zwitterionic form, as evidenced by the electrostatic potential plotted around the opened form. The presence of three charged groups on the periphery of a flat conjugated backbone stimulates the self-assembly of merocyanine molecules in water, ending up with the formation of elongated associates with stack-like building blocks, as shown in molecular dynamics simulations of the aqueous solution with the concentration above critical micelle concentration. Our quantitative evaluation of the hydrophilicity switching in spiropyran/merocyanine containing surfactants may prompt the search for new systems, including colloidal and polymeric ones, aiming at remote tuning of their morphology, which could give new promising shapes and patterns for the needs of modern nanotechnology.

More than twenty-five years ago the Global Solar UV index (UVI) has been introduced as a simple means of visualizing the intensity of ultraviolet radiation and to alert people to the need for sun protection. In our survey among directors of 436 kindergartens in southern Germany we investigated the level of awareness and knowledge about the UVI as well as the practical consequences for sun protection in kindergartens. Less than half of the directors (n=208, 47.7%) had ever heard of the UVI, and only a small minority of them (n=34, 8.7%) used the daily UVI information to adapt sun protective measures in their kindergartens. Detailed knowledge about the UVI was a rarity among the respondents. The proportion of respondents with self-perceived detailed UVI knowledge was five times higher than actual knowledge assessed by an in-depth structured interview using open-ended questions about the UVI (14.2% vs. 2.8%). No clear relationship of UVI awareness, knowledge, and use to directors' age and gender was found. The UVI-related variables also showed no association with directors' knowledge of risk factors for skin cancer and their attitudes towards tanned skin. Overall, the results paint a sobering picture regarding the penetration of the UVI into sun protection policies of German kindergartens. Future public health campaigns should target increasing awareness and understanding of the UVI as well as its importance for sun protection of children.

In this experimental report the biocompatibility of elastomeric scaffold structures made via stereolithography employing table-top 3D printer (Ember, Autodesk) and commercial resin FormLabs Flexible (FormLabs) was studied. The samples were manufactured using standard printing and development protocol, which is known to inherit cytotoxicity due to remaining non-polymerized remaining monomers, despite the polymerized material being fully biocompatible. Additional steps were taken to remedy this problem: the fabricated structures were soaked in isopropanol and methanol for different conditions (temperature, duration) in order to leach out the non-polymerized monomers. Also printed structures were UV exposed to assure maximum polymerization degree of the material. Post-processed structures were seeded with myogenic stem cells and the number of live cells was evaluated as an indicator for the material biocompatibility. The straightforward post-processing protocol enhances the biocompatibility by 7 times after 7 days soaking in isopropanol and methanol and is comparable to control (glass and polystyrene) samples. This proposes the approach as a novel and simple method to be widely applicable for dramatic cytotoxicity reduction of optically 3D printed micro-/nano-scaffolds for biomedical applications.

As one of GEO-constellation for environmental monitoring in the next decade, Geostationary Environment Monitoring Spectrometer (GEMS) is designed to observe the Asia Pacific region to provide the information on the atmospheric chemicals, aerosol and cloud properties. For the continuous monitoring of the sensor performance after its launch in early 2020, here we suggest deep convective clouds (DCCs) as a possible target for the vicarious calibration of GEMS, the first UV/VIS hyperspectral sensor onboard a geostationary satellite. Tropospheric Monitoring Instrument (TROPOMI) and Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) are used as a proxy of GEMS, and a conventional DCC detection approach applying the thermal threshold test is used for the DCC detection based on the collocations with Advance Himawari-8 Imager (AHI) onboard Himawari-8 geostationary satellite. DCCs are frequently detected over the GEMS observation area on average over 200 pixels in a single observation scene. Considering the spatial resolution of GEMS, 3.5 km×7 km which is similar to TROPOMI, and its temporal resolution (8 times a day), availability of DCCs for vicarious calibration of GEMS is expected to be sufficient. Inspection of the DCC reflectivity spectra estimated from the OMI and TROPOMI data also shows a promising result. Even though, their observation geometry and sensor characteristics are quite a different, the estimated DCC spectra agree quite a well within a known uncertainty range with comparable spectral features. When the DCC detection is further improved by applying both visible and infrared tests, the variability of DCC reflectivity from the TROPOMI data is reduced by half, from 10% to 5%. This is mainly due to the efficient screening of cold thin cirrus with the visible test and of bright warm clouds with the infrared test. The precise DCC detection is also expected to contribute to the accurate characterization of the cloud reflectivity, which will be further investigated.

The gap in knowledge regarding the radiative effects of aerosols in the UV region of the solar spectrum is large, mainly due to the lack of systematic measurements of the aerosol single scattering albedo (SSA) and absorption optical depth (AAOD). In the present study, spectral UV measurements performed in Thessaloniki, Greece by a double monochromator Brewer spectrophotometer in the period 1998 - 2017 are used for the calculation of the aforementioned optical properties. The main uncertainty factors have been described and there is an effort to quantify the overall uncertainties in SSA and AAOD. Analysis of the results suggests that the absorption by aerosols is much stronger in the UV relative to the visible. SSA follows a clear annual pattern ranging from ~0.7 in winter to ~0.85 in summer at wavelengths 320 – 360 nm, while AAOD peaks in summer and winter. The average AAOD for 2009 – 2011 is ~50% above the 2003 – 2006 average, possibly due to increased emissions of absorbing aerosols related to the economical crisis and the metro-railway construction works in the city center. A detailed analysis of the uncertainties in the retrieval of the SSA and the AAOD from the Brewer spectrophotometer has been also performed.

Coffee and caffeine have been used as solar absorbers and also to increase the thermal stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells. In this work, we report the sensing of extremely alkaline pH by colloidal coffee solution aided by generation of an optical absorption band in the near-UV region. This generation of absorption band could be explained by the orientation induced dipole-dipole interactions arising from differing caffeine-solvent interactions with varying pH. Such a generation leads to the lowering of direct as well as indirect bandgaps from 4 eV-->2.8 eV& 3.4 eV-->2.5 eV, respectively. We also estimate the changes in optical energy storage efficiency, inferring it to be highest for pH 11 having the highest intensity of the generated absorption band (λ_abs≈360 nm). With these observations and further deductions, the work reported in this paper would be of immense interest to the researchers working in the field of development of chemical pH sensors and also in the development of novel UV absorbers.

The aim of the study was the evaluation of the efficiency of selected abiotic elicitors, i.e. silver and cadmium ions, ultrasound, and UV-C irradiation, in the stimulation of triterpenoid biosynthesis, accumulation, and saponin secretion in Calendula officinalis hairy root cultures. Apart from the possible enhancement of triterpenoid production, the relationship between primary and secondary metabolism (represented respectively by sterols and pentacyclic triterpenes), modifications of the sterol compositional profile, and fluctuations in the total triterpenoid content were monitored in the performed experiments. The main phenomenon observed as a response to heavy metal treatment was the stimulation (up to 12-fold) of the secretion of saponins, accompanied by significant changes in sterol composition. Ultrasound stimulated the secretion of saponins (up to 11-fold); however, it exerted diverse influences on the triterpenoid content in hairy root tissue (stimulating or decreasing) depending on the duration of the exposure to the elicitor. UV-C radiation caused a slight increase in the content of both sterols and saponins in hairy root tissue, and stimulated saponin secretion up to 8.5-fold. The expected symptoms of the competition between the biosynthetic pathways of sterols and pentacyclic triterpenoids were less evident in reactions to abiotic stressors than those reported previously for biotic elicitors

In the past few years, micromodels have become a useful tool for visualizing flow phenomena in porous media with pore structures, e.g., the multifluid dynamics in soils or rocks with fractures in natural geomaterials. Micromodels fabricated using glass or silicon substrates incur high material cost; in particular, the microfabrication-facility cost for making a glass or silicon-based micromold is usually high. This may be an obstacle for researchers investigating the two-phase-flow behavior of porous media. A rigid thermoplastic material is a preferable polymer material for microfluidic models because of its high resistance to infiltration and deformation. In this study, cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) was selected as the substrate for the micromodel because of its excellent chemical, optical, and mechanical properties. A delicate micromodel with a complex pore geometry that represents a two-dimensional (2D) cross-section profile of a fractured rock in a natural oil or groundwater reservoir was developed for two-phase-flow experiments. Using an optical visualization system, we visualized the flow behavior in the micromodel during the processes of imbibition and drainage. The results show that the flow resistance in the main channel (fracture) with a large radius was higher than that in the surrounding area with small pore channels when the injection or extraction rates were low. When we increased the flow rates, the extraction efficiency of the water and oil in the mainstream channel (fracture) did not increase monotonically because of the complex two-phase-flow dynamics. These findings provide a new mechanism of residual trapping in porous media.

Using optical characterization, it is evident that the spin state of the spin crossover molecular complex [Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)] (pz = tris (pyrazol-1-1y)-borohydride, bipy = 2,2’-bipyridine) depends on the ferroelectric polarization of an adjacent thin film of the polymer ferroelectric polyvinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP). The UV-Vis spectroscopy reveals that room temperature switching of [Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)] molecules in bilayers of PVDF-HFP/[Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)] as a function of ferroelectric polar polarization. The electric polarity dependence of bilayers of PVDF-HFP/[Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)] shows a strong dependence on the thickness of the PVDF-HFP layer. The PVDF-HFP/[Fe{H2B(pz)2}2(bipy)] interface may affect polarization retention in the PVDF-HFP thin film limit.

(1) Background: Investigating the characteristics of photosynthetic physiological changes of leaves in Mangifera indica L. cv. 'GuIfei' under enhanced UV-B radiation, natural light exposed trees were regarded as control, and 96 kJ·m-2·d-1enhanced UV-B radiation was artificially simulated in the field; (2) Methods: The changes of fruit maturity and fruit quality, leaf net photosynthetic rate (Pn), photosynthetic pigments contents, photochemical reaction, activities of photosynthetic enzymes and their genes expressions were determined; (3) Results: Compared with CK, the percentage of mature fruits of the treatment was significantly increased, and fruit quality was better. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), the contents of photosynthetic pigment, Hill reaction activity and photochemical quenching coefficient (qP) of the treatment leaves showed a significantly higher trend than CK. The activities of Rubisco and RCA, and the expression of Rubisco genes rbcL and rbcS were significantly increased; (4) Conclusions: 96 kJ·m-2·d-1 enhanced UV-B radiation treatment improved Rubisco activity through increasing the expression of Rubisco genes rbcL and rbcS, thereby enhancing the CO2-fixing capacity and dark reaction capacity of leaves. Based on this, it raised the net photosynthetic rate of leaves, which promoted the early maturity of 'Guifei' mango by the fast accumulating photosynthetic products.

Chymotrypsin is an important proteolytic enzyme in human digestion system that cleaves milk proteins, through hydrolysis reaction, which makes it interesting subject to study activity of milk proteases. In this work, we compared detection of chymotrypsin by spectrophotometric, dynamic light scattering (DLS) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) methods and determined the limit of chymotrypsin detection (LOD), 0.15 ± 0.01 nM for spectrophotometric, 0.67 ± 0.05 nM for DLS and 1.40 ± 0.30 nM for QCM methods, respectively. We discuss peculiarities and give perspective for implementation of detection methods and note that while the optical detection methods are simple to implement, the QCM method is more robust for sample preparation. We give an overview on methods and instruments for detection of chymotrypsin and other milk proteases.

Red djulis (Chenopodium formosanum) is a native cereal plant in Taiwan; it contains abundant polyphenols, betalian and dietary fiber. The appearance of red djulis is bright red. Therefore, it is also called the “ruby of cereals”. The antioxidative activity of red djulis extract is well-understood. However, the antiaging function still remains unclear. This study examined the potential of red djulis extract for enhancing collagen secretion and preventing cutaneous aging using red djulis extracts. The red djulis extracts are comprised of an abundant active component that can effectively enhance the ability of collagen secretion of dermal fibroblasts, prevent the glycation of collagen and resist the damage of ultraviolet light exposure. After fibroblast treatment with red djulis extracts, TGM1, KRT1, KRT10 and SOD2 genes were up-regulated significantly by 2.3, 4.3, 4.4 and 27.3 times, respectively, compared to those of the control group. Additionally, it can increase COL1A2 gene expression by 43% and decrease MMP9 gene expression 33%. Therefore, it was demonstrated that red djulis extracts affect gene expressions related to the skin barrier, antioxidation and collagen. Moreover, we found positive effects on skin barrier integrity, endogenous antioxidant activity and skin collagen-preservation. The preparation of the red djulis extracts is environmental friendly and can promote the economic value of Chenopodium formosanum; thus, the proposed extract is suitable for applications in the development of food products, especially beverages, skin care and cosmetic products.

One-dimensional shape memory polymer fibers (SMPFs) have obvious advantages in mechanical properties, dispersion properties and weavability. In this work, a method for fabricating semi-crystallization ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA) fiber with two-way shape memory effect by melt spinning and ultraviolet (UV) curing was developed. Here, the effect of crosslink density on its performance was systematically analyzed by gel fraction measurement, tensile tests, DSC and TMA analysis. The results showed that the crosslink density and shape memory properties of EVA fiber could be facilely adjusted by controlling UV curing time. The resulting EVA fiber with cylindrical structure had a diameter of 247.13 ± 10.07 μm, and its mechanical strength and elongation at break were 64.46 MPa and 114.33%, respectively. The critical impact of the crosslink density and applied constant stress on the two-way shape memory effect were analyzed. Moreover, the single EVA fiber could lift more than 143 times its own weight and achieve 9% reversible actuation strain. The reversible actuation capability was significantly enhanced by a simple winding design of the single EVA fiber, which provided great potential applications in smart textiles, flexible actuators and artificial muscles.

In order to improve the strength of PVA/xylan composite films and endow them with ultraviolet (UV) shielding ability, TiO2-KH550 nanoparticle was synthesized and added into the PVA/xylan matrix. The TiO2-KH550 nanoparticle dispersed well in the 0.04% sodium hexametaphosphate (SHMP) solution under ultrasonic and stirring treatments. Investigations on the properties of films showed that TiO2-KH550 had the positive impact on improving the strength, moisture and oxygen barrier properties of the composite films. The maximum tensile strength (27.3 MPa), the minimum water vapor permeability (2.75×10-11 g•m-1•s-1•Pa-1) and oxygen permeability (4.013 cm3•m-2•24h-1•0.1MPa-1) were obtained under the addition of 1.5% TiO2-KH550. The tensile strength of TiO2-KH550 reinforced composite film was increased by 70% than that of the pure PVA/xylan composite film, and the water vapor and oxygen permeability were decreased by 31% and 41%, respectively. Moreover, the UV transmittance of film at the wavelength of 400 nm was almost zero when adding 1.5~2.5% of TiO2-KH550, which indicated the PVA/xylan composite films were endowed with excellent UV light shielding ability.

Today, more than 70 million tons of lignin are produced by the pulp and paper industry every year. However, the utilization of lignin as a source for chemical synthesis is still limited due to the complex and heterogeneous lignin structure. The purpose of this study was a selective photodegradation of industrially available kraft lignin in order to obtain appropriate fragments and building block chemicals for further utilization, e.g. polymerization. Thus, kraft lignin obtained from soft wood black liquor by acidification was dissolved in sodium hydroxide and irradiated at a wavelength of 254 nm with and without the presence of titanium dioxide in various concentrations. Analyses of the irradiated products via SEC showed decreasing molar masses and decreasing polydispersity indices over time. At the end of the irradiation period the lignin was depolymerised to form fragments as small as the lignin monomers. TOC analyses showed minimal mineralisation due to the depolymerisation process.

UV SO₂ cameras have become a common tool to measure and monitor SO₂-emission-rates, mostly from volcanoes but also from anthropogenic sources (e.g. power plants or ships). In the past years, the analysis of UV SO₂ camera data has seen many improvements. As a result, for many of the required analysis steps, several alternatives exist today. This inspired the development of Pyplis, an open-source software toolbox written in Python 2.7, which aims to unify the most prevalent methods from literature within a single, cross-platform analysis framework. Pyplis comprises a vast collection of algorithms relevant for the analysis of UV SO₂ camera data. These include several routines to retrieve plume background radiances as well as routines for cell and DOAS based camera calibration. The latter includes two independent methods to identify the DOAS field-of-view within the camera images. Plume velocities can be retrieved using an optical flow algorithm as well as signal cross-correlation. Furthermore, Pyplis includes a routine to perform a first order correction of the signal dilution effect. All required geometrical calculations are performed within a 3D model environment allowing for distance retrievals to plume and local terrain features on a pixel basis. SO₂-emission-rates can be retrieved simultaneously for an arbitrary number of plume intersections. Pyplis has been extensively and successfully tested using data from several field campaigns. Here, the main features are introduced using a dataset obtained at Mt. Etna, Italy on 16 September 2015.

The natural compounds of boron have many applications, including as dietary supplement. Communication is based on the discovery that diester chlorogenoborate complex can be detected and quantified from green coffee bean. The study reports that such diester molecule can also be synthesized in stable form by direct reaction of boric acid and chlorogenic acid, in a mixture of acetonitrile–water (1:1, v/v), left to evaporate over a period of 48 hours, at room temperature, resulting a spirocyclic form (diester complex). The diester complex, with its molecular structure and digestibility attributes has potential application as prebiotic in gut health, oral health and as micronutrient essential for microbiota to human and animals.

It is essential to mitigate gaseous emissions that result from poultry and livestock production to increase industry sustainability. Odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs), ammonia (NH3), hydrogen sulfide (H2S), and greenhouse gases (GHGs) have detrimental effects on the quality of life in rural communities, the environment, and climate. This study's objective was to evaluate the photocatalytic UV treatment of gaseous emissions of odor, odorous VOCs, NH3, and other gases (GHGs, O3 – sometimes considered as by-products of UV treatment) from stored swine manure on a pilot-scale. The manure emissions were treated in fast-moving air using a mobile lab equipped with UV-A and UV-C lights and TiO2-based photocatalyst. Treated gas airflow (0.25 to 0.76 m3/s) simulates output from a small ventilation fan in a barn. Through controlling the light intensity and airflow, UV dose was tested for techno-economic analyses. The treatment effectiveness depended on the UV dose and wavelength. Under UV-A (367 nm) photocatalysis, the percent reduction of targeted gases was up to i) 63% of odor, ii) 51%, 51%, 53%, 67%, and 32% of acetic acid, propanoic acid, butanoic acid, p-cresol, and indole, respectively, iii) 14% of nitrous oxide (N2O), iv) 100% of O3, and 26% generation of CO2. Under UV-C (185+254 nm) photocatalysis, the percent reductions of target gases were up to i) 54% and 47% for p-cresol and indole, respectively, ii) 25% of N2O, iii) 71% of CH4, and 46% & 139% generation of CO2 & O3, respectively. The results proved that the UV technology was sufficiently effective in treating odorous gases, and the mobile lab was ready for farm-scale trials. The UV technology can be considered for the scaled-up treatment of emissions and air quality improvement inside livestock barns.

Given the high prevalence of cutaneous genus beta human papillomavirus (β-HPV) infections, it is important to understand how they are manipulating their host cells. This is particularly true for cellular responses to UV damage, since our skin is continually exposed to UV. The E6 protein from β-HPV (β-HPV E6) decreases the abundance of two essential UV-repair kinases (ATM and ATR). Since β-HPV E6 reduces their availability, the impact on downstream signaling events has been uncertain. We demonstrate that β-HPV E6 decreases ATM and ATR activation. This inhibition extended to XPA, an ATR target necessary for UV repair, lowering both its phosphorylation and accumulation. β-HPV E6 hinders POLη phosphorylation and foci formation, critical steps in translesion synthesis. ATM’s phosphorylation of BRCA1 is also attenuated by β-HPV E6. However, β-HPV E6’s hindrance of ATM/ATR signaling during UV-associated cell cycle arrest was incomplete. While there was less phosphorylation of immediate downstream targets (CHK1), events further down the cascade were not decreased. These observations are consistent with β-HPV infections making UV radiation more deleterious and support the proposed role of β-HPV in early stages of non-melanoma skin cancer development.

The aim of this study was characterization of some dairy drinks based on Milk Serum regarding major whey proteins (WP) and free amino acids (FAAs) using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) methods. The studied WP, -lactalbumin (-La), bovine serum albumin (BSA), -lactoglobulin A (-Lg A) and -lactoglobulin B (-Lg B) were separated on Aeris XB-C18 column at 214 nm detection. The RP-HPLC method was validated by selectivity, linearity (R2 ≥0.99), sensitivity (LOQ, 1.35–10.08 µg mL−1), accuracy (recovery 96.79-103.07%) and precision (% RSD ≤ 4.13%). The total studied WP in studied dairy drinks varied between 1.42 and 3.047 g·L-1. The chromatographic profile of FAAs (aspartic acid, glutamic acid, serine, histidine, arginine, glycine, threonine, alanine, tyrosine, cysteine, tryptophan, methionine, valine, phenylalanine, isoleucine, leucine and lysine) was determined in lyophilized concentrate of Milk Serum by RP-HPLC using pre-column derivatization reaction with orthophthalaldehyde (OPA). The total studied FAAs in studied samples varied between 1.103 and 1.119 mg·g-1. Moreover, the Milk Serum showed bacteriostatic activity against two bacterial strains Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. The obtained results confirm that dairy drinks based on the Milk Serum constitutes a valuable sources of bioactive components with benefits for human healthy nutrition.

A new strategy to nanoengineer gold/fluorocarbon multilayer (ML) nanostructures is reported. We have investigated the morphological changes occuring at the metal-polymer interface in multilayer structures with varying volume fraction of gold (Au) and the kinetic growth aspect of the microscale properties of nano-sized Au in plasma polymer fluorocarbon (PPFC). Investigations were carried out at various temperatures and annealing time by means of grazing incidence small-angle and wide-angle X-ray scattering (GISAXS and GIWAXS). We have fabricated a series of multilayers with variying volume fraction (0.12, 0.27, 0.38) of Au and bilayer periodicity in ML structure. They show an interesting granular structure consisting of nearly spherical shaped nanoparticles within the polymer layer. The nanoparticle (NP) morphology changes due to the collective effects of NPs diffusion within ensembles in the in-plane vicinity and inter-layer with increasing temperature. The in-plane NPs size distinctly increases (from 1.9 to 4 nm) with increasing temperature. The NPs become more spherical thus reducing the surface energy. Linear growth of NPs with temperature and time shows diffusion-controled growth of NPs in the ML structure. The structural stability of the multilayer is controlled by the volume ratio of the metal in polymer. At room temperature UV-Vis shows a blueshift of the plasmon peak from 560 nm in ML Au/PTFE_1 to 437 nm in Au/PTFE_3. We have identified the fabrication and post-deposition annealing conditions to limit the Local Surface Plasmon resonance (LSPR) shift (from 〖∆λ〗_LSPR=180 nm (Au/PTFE_1) to 〖∆λ〗_LSPR=67 nm (Au/PTFE_3 ML)) and their optical response over a wide visible wavelength range. A variation in the dielectric constant of the polymer in precence of varying Au inclusion is found to be the main factor affecting the LSPR frequency. Our finding may provide insights in Nano engineering ML structure can be useful to systematically control the growth of NPs in polymer matrix.

Wasted Green tuff powder produced by cutting Towada stone is recycled as environmental cleaning material. The optimum temperature for green tuff powder calcination to reduce the hydroxyl radical produced in hydrogen peroxide decomposition with ultraviolet light (UV) and no light. The green tuff calcined at 800 °C shows the large decomposition rate of hydrogen peroxide with no UV light when measured by using ESR. With UV light, the optimum temperature for calcinating the green tuff powder in order to reduce hydroxyl radical is also 800 °C. Next, the powder calcined at 800 °C is used to produce the tile by compression and heating, and then the formaldehyde adsorption rate was measured. The green tuff powder calcined at 800 °C showed a high adsorption rate, similar to that of the activated carbon. The tiles formed at 40 MPa and heated st 1100 °C were the strongest and also adsorbed formaldehyde. The adsorbed formaldehyde on the green tuff tile and powder might have a possibility to decompose by photocatalytic.

GaN ultraviolet photodetector with metal-semiconductor-metal structure is achieved by growing on a periodic trapezoid column-shape patterned sapphire substrate using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. Under 5-V reverse bias, the photodetector fabricated on such patterned sapphire substrate exhibits a lower dark current, a higher photocurrent, and a 476 % enhancement in the maximum responsivity as compare with those of the photodetector fabricated on conventional flat sapphire substrate. It is also found that the much larger UV-to-visible rejection ratio and the fact that responsivity drops in a smaller cut-off region are observed from photodetector fabricated by using a periodic trapezoid column-shape patterned sapphire substrate. These phenomena may all be attributed to the reduction of threading dislocation density and the improved quality of GaN film, as well as the internal reflection and/or scattering effect on the interface between GaN film and the periodic trapezoid column-shape pattern of the substrate.

The synergic features and enhancing strategies for various photopolymerization systems are reviewed by kinetic schemes and the associated measurements. The important topics include: (i) photo crosslinking of corneas for the treatmnet of corneal deseases using UVA-light (365 nm) light and riboflavin as the photosensitizer; (ii) synergic effects by a dual-function enhancer in a 3-initiator system; (iii) synergic effects by a 3-initiator C/B/A system, having an electron-transfer and oxygen-mediated energy-transfer pathways; (iv) copper-complex (G1) photoredox catalyst in G1/Iod/NVK systems for free radiical (FRP) and cationic photopolymeriation (CP); (v) radical-mediated thiol-ene (TE) photopolymerizations; (vi) superbase photogenerator based-catalyzed thiol−acrylate Michael (TM) addition reaction; and the combined system of TE and TM usinghual wavelength; (vii) dual-wavelength (UV and blue) controlled photopolymerization confinement (PC); (viii) dual-wavelength (UV and red) selectively controlled 3D printing; and (ix) 3-wavelength selectively controlled in 3D printing and additive manufacturing (AM). With minimum mathematics, we present ( for the first time), the synergic features and enhancing strategies for various systems of multi-commponents, initiators, monomers, and under one- two- and there-wavelength light. Therefore, this Review provides not only the bridging between modeling and measurements, but also guidances for further experimantal stuides and new applications in 3D printings and additive manufacturing (AM), based on the innovative concepts (kinetics/schemes).

The electrical and optical properties of sol-gel derived aluminum-doped0 zinc oxide thin films containing 2 at.% Al were investigated considering the modifying effects of 1) increasing the sol H₂O content; and 2) thermal treatment procedure with high-temperature approach followed by an additional heat-treatment step under a reducing atmosphere. According to the results obtained via the TG-DTA analysis, FT-IR spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction technique and four-point probe resistivity measurement, it is argued that the sol hydrolysis, decomposition of the deposited gel and crystallization of grains result in grains of larger crystallite size and stronger c-axis preferred orientation with slightly less microstrain in the modified sample. The consequent morphology and grain-boundary characteristics turn out as improved conductivity, implying higher values of concentration and mobility of charge carriers. A detailed investigation on samples optical properties, in terms of analyzing their absorption and dispersion behaviors through the UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, support our reasoning for the increase of the mobility, and to a lesser extent, the concentration of charge carriers, while causing only a slight degradation of optical transmission. Hence, an enhanced performance as a transparent conducting film is claimed for the modified sample by comparing the figure-of-merit values.

The extensive use of engineered nanoparticles (ENPs) such as zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) in various commercial fields has spurred significant concern about its possible toxicological effects of ZnO NPs on human health and eco-system. Therefore, it is substantial to understand the aggregation phenomena which could attenuate this effect. This data article provides information on aggregation of ZnO NPs under the influence of various parameters of water chemistry. Moreover, Taguchi orthogonal array L27(313) design matrix was used to evaluate the effect of multiple parameters in aqueous solution. The data were obtained from single beam UV-Vis spectrophotometer (Optizen 2120 UV, Mecasys, Korea) using Optizenview 4.2.5 PC interference software, Fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT/IR-4700, spectroscopy, JASCO Analytical Instruments, Easton, USA) and particle electrophoresis (NanoZS, Zetasizer, Malvern Instruments Ltd, Worcestershire, UK). The dataset draws attention on dominant parameters influencing aggregation of ZnO NPs in water. The analysis of variance (ANOVA) data revealed that electrolyte concentration, type and natural organic matter (NOM) concentration were the most significant parameters. Furthermore, FT-IR data presents a possible mechanism of ZnO NPs stabilization in the presence of different NOM. This data will be helpful for the development of environmental risk assessment strategies and prediction of fate and mobility of other ENPs in the aquatic environment.

MoS₂/TiO₂ nanostructures made of MoS₂ nanoparticles covering TiO₂ nanosheets have been synthesized, either via ex-situ or in-situ approaches. Morphology and structure of MoS₂/TiO₂ hybrid nanostructures have been investigated and imaged by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), while the vibrational and the optical properties have been investigated by Raman, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and UV−visible (UV-Vis) techniques. The different stacking degrees together with the size distribution of the MoS₂ nanosheets, decorating the TiO₂ nanosheets, have been carefully obtained from HRTEM images. The nature of the surface sites on the main exposed faces of both materials has been detected by means of in-situ FTIR spectra of adsorbed CO probe molecule. The results coming from the ex-situ and in-situ approaches will be compared, by highlighting the role of the synthesis processes in affecting morphology and structure of MoS₂ nanosheets, including their curvature, surface defects, and stacking order. Some more, it will be shown that the in-situ approach is affecting the reactivity of the TiO₂ nanosheets too, hence in turn affects the MoS₂/TiO₂ nanosheets interaction.

Access to nasopharyngeal swabs for sampling remain a bottleneck in some regions for COVID-19 testing. This study develops a distributed manufacturing solution using only an open source manufacturing tool chain consisting of two types of open source 3-D printing and batch UV curing, and provides a parametric fully free design of a nasopharyngeal swab. The swab was designed using parametric OpenSCAD in two components (a head with engineered break point and various handles), which has several advantages: i) minimizing print time on relatively slow SLA printers, ii) enabling the use of smaller print volume open source SLA printers, iii) reducing the amount of relatively expensive UV resin, and iv) enabling production of handle on more accessible material extrusion 3-D printers. A modular open source UV LED box was designed, fabricated for $45 and tested for batch curing. Swabs can be fabricated for $0.06-$0.12/swab. The results of the mechanical validation tests showed that the swabs could withstand greater forces than would be expected in normal clinical use. The swabs were also able to absorb a significant amounts of synthetic mucus materials and passed abrasion and handling tests. The results show the open source swab are promising candidates for clinical trials.

This paper discusses a cross-disciplinary, international collaboration aimed at researching a series of 15th century choir books at the abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore on the homonymous island in Venice. Produced for the abbey itself, the books have never left the island during their 500-years history, thereby allowing a unique opportunity to analyse historic artefacts, which have undergone little modification over time. Prompted by ongoing cataloguing work on the manuscripts, a week-long analytical campaign using a combination of non-invasive analytical methods used in portable configuration allowed the comprehensive characterisation of ten volumes. The manuscripts’ palette and painting techniques were analysed using near-infrared imaging, reflectance spectroscopy in the UV-vis-NIR range, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray fluorescence mapping and digital microscopy. The paper will discuss the challenges linked to the fragility and the large dimensions of the volumes as well as the most interesting results of the investigation. These include the detection of unusual painting materials such as bismuth ink, as well as the discovery of a less homogeneous palette than originally expected, which prompted a partial revision of the attribution of the decoration in one of the volumes to a single artist.

In this perspective, we identify emerging frontiers in clinical and basic research of melanocyte biology and its associated biomedical disciplines. We describe challenges and opportunities in clinical and basic research of normal and diseased melanocytes that impact current approaches to research in melanoma and the dermatological sciences. We focus on four themes: (1) clinical melanoma research, (2) basic melanoma research, (3) clinical dermatology, and (4) basic pigment cell research, with the goal of outlining current highlights, challenges, and frontiers associated with pigmentation and melanocyte biology.

The aim of this review is to provide a survey of the recent advances and the main remaining challenges related to the ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) nanowires and other nanostructures which exhibit excellent capability as the core components for many diverse novel sensing devices, due to the unique material properties and geometry advantages. The doping introduced in the gas phase during deposition promotes p-type or n-type conductivity. With the establishment of the UNCD nanofabrication techniques, more and more nanostructure based devices are being explored in measuring basic physical and chemical parameters via classic and quantum methods, as exemplified by gas sensors, ultraviolet photodetectors, piezoresistance effect based devices, biological applications, and nitrogen-vacancy color center based magnetic field quantum sensors. Highlighted finally are some of the remaining challenges and future outlook in this area.

Because this issue journal is dedicated to Gelatin here we present a few applications of gelatin in the field of optics. It is understood that optics is the science that studies the production, propagation, interaction and detection of light. Regarding the detection there are some materials sensitive to light (photosensitive) that are used like photomultipliers, CCD’s, crystals, two dimension (2D) materials and more. Among the 2D materials the most popular through several centuries has been gelatin based photographic emulsion that records spatial distributions of light. More recently (1970) films made of Gelatin with Dichromate (DCG) and dyes have been used. We describe some characteristics and applications of these two photosensitive materials. Also we describe examples where gelatin is used as Relative Humidity (RH) sensor and in the fabrication of optical elements based on gelatin. This article is intended to researchers outside the optics community.