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Environmental pollution with microplastic waste is a pressing problem of high importance world-wide. This paper is aiming at testing, on an experimental basis, by using a synthetic wastewater, a combined technology to remove the microplastic waste from wastewaters. The method involves a preliminary fragmentation of microplastics followed by the aerobic pre-conditioning of synthetic wastewater with aerobic activated sludge. The results obtained indicate that the ozonation followed by the pre-conditioning of wastewater with activated sludge improves the biodegradability of microplastics from wastewater. As proved in this paper, results in an improved removal efficiency in comparison with the simple biological treatment. An additional advantage of such a combined technology is their great operational variability, being easily changeable and adaptable to a broad range of operating parameters values (e.g.: ozone concentration, pH, retention time, dissolved oxygen, etc.).

Guaifenesin (GFS), phenylephrine (PHE) and paracetamol (PAR), drugs used in combination for the relief of cold and flu symptoms, were determined at electrochemically pretreated pencil graphite electrode. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used for the first time for the concomitant determination of the target compounds based on the electro-oxidation of PAR at 0.43 V, PHE at 0.74 V and GFS at 1.14 V in Britton–Robinson buffer pH 6.0. Under optimized experimental conditions, two linear ranges were obtained for PAR (2.50 × 10−6 M–1.00 × 10−5 M and 1.00 × 10−5 M–1.00 × 10−4 M) and for PHE and GFS linearity was proved between 5.00 × 10−6 M–2.00 × 10−4 M and 2.50 × 10−6 M–2.00 × 10−4 M, respectively. The detection limits were 8.12 × 10−7 M for PAR, 1.80 × 10−6 M for PHE and 8.29 × 10−7 M for GFS. The selective and sensitive DPV method and the electrochemically treated electrode were employed for simultaneous analysis of the analytes in pharmaceutical samples with good recoveries.

Guaifenesin (GFS), phenylephrine (PHE) and paracetamol (PAR), drugs used in combination for the relief of cold and flu symptoms, were determined at electrochemically pretreated pencil graphite electrode. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) was used for the first time for the concomitant determination of the target compounds based on the electro-oxidation of PAR at 0.43 V, PHE at 0.74 V and GFS at 1.14 V in Britton–Robinson buffer pH 6.0. Under optimized experimental conditions, two linear ranges were obtained for PAR (2.50 × 10−6 M–1.00 × 10−5 M and 1.00 × 10−5 M–1.00 × 10−4 M) and for PHE and GFS linearity was proved between 5.00 × 10−6 M–2.00 × 10−4 M and 2.50 × 10−6 M–2.00 × 10−4 M, respectively. The detection limits were 8.12 × 10−7 M for PAR, 1.80 × 10−6 M for PHE and 8.29 × 10−7 M for GFS. The selective and sensitive DPV method and the electrochemically treated electrode were employed for simultaneous analysis of the analytes in pharmaceutical samples with good recoveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chloramphenicol (CAP) is a widely used, broad spectrum antibiotic that contains a nitrobenzene moiety with a possible poisonous feature. Thus, the development of low cost, simple, and rapid analytical methods for the reliable CAP quantification is necessary. Starting from the nitro group electroactivity, the cyclic voltammetric properties of CAP were investigated at the common commercially available, disposable pencil graphite electrode (PGE). The effect of the electrode material, the electrolyte pH and the potential scan rate were investigated. At 2H type PGE, the CAP cyclic voltammograms presented an anodic and two cathodic diffusion controlled, pH-dependent peaks, each involving the exchange of two electrons and two protons. Based on CAP main reduction peak at PGE in pH 5.00 Britton Robinson buffer, a square wave voltammetric (SWV) method was developed for its quantification from 2.50 × 10−6 to 7.50 × 10−4 mol L−1 with a limit of detection (LoD) of 1.39 × 10−6 mol L−1. Moreover, the anodic peak was also employed for the first time for a CAP linear sweep voltammetric (LSV) assay (2.50 × 10−6 to 1.00 × 10−3 mol L−1; LoD 6.09 × 10−7 mol L−1 CAP). Both voltammetric methods using the cost-effective PGE were applied for the determination of CAP in pharmaceuticals, obtaining recoveries of 100.9 ± 1.4% (relative standard deviation of 3.54%) for SWV and 100.7 ± 1.4% (relative standard deviation of 3.55%) for LSV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A simple and rapid voltammetric method based on a disposable electrochemically pretreated screen-printed carbon electrode is proposed for the determination of L-dopa. Under optimum differential pulse voltammetry conditions a limit of detection of 3.6×10−7 M for L-dopa was obtained. The method was successfully applied to the determination of L-dopa in a commercial pharmaceutical formulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Reactive separations using green catalysts offer great opportunities for manufacturing fatty esters, involved in specialty chemicals and biodiesel production. Integrating reaction and separation into one unit provides key benefits such as: simplified operation, no waste, reduced capital investment and low operating costs. This work presents a novel heat-integrated reactive absorption process that eliminates all conventional catalyst related operations, efficiently uses the raw materials and equipment, and considerably reduces the energy requirements for biodiesel production – 85% lower as compared to the base case. Rigorous simulations based on experimental results were carried out using Aspen Plus and Dynamics. Despite the high degree of integration, the process is well controllable using an efficient control structure proposed in this work. The main results are provided for a plant producing 10 ktpy fatty acid methyl esters from methanol and waste vegetable oil with high free fatty acids content, using sulfated zirconia as solid acid catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents test methods for the characterization of shielding of board-to-backplane and board-to-cable connectors used in telecommunication and computer systems. Definition of the quantities that describe the shielding performance; Relative shielding effectiveness of a shielded connector.

Life expectancy has increased worldwide and, along with it, a greater prevalence of age-dependent disorders, chronic illnesses and comorbidities can be observed. In 2019, in both Europe and the Americas, dementias ranked 3rd among the top 10 causes of death. Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most frequent type of neurodegenerative disease. In the last decades, globally, the number of people suffering from PD has more than doubled to over 6 million. Of all the neurological disorders, PD increased with the fastest rate. This troubling trend highlights the stringent need for accurate diagnostic biomarkers, especially in the early stages of the disease and to evaluate treatment response. To gain a broad and complex understanding of the recent advances in the '-omics' research fields, electronic databases such as PubMed, Google Academic, and Science Direct were searched for publications regarding metabolomic studies on PD to identify specific biomarkers for PD, and especially PD with associated psychiatric symptomatology. Discoveries in the fields of metagenomics, transcriptomics and proteomics, may lead to an improved comprehension of the metabolic pathways involved in disease etiology and progression and contribute to the discovery of novel therapeutic targets for effective treatment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychotic disorders represent a serious health concern. At this moment, anamnestic data, international criteria for diagnosis/classification from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 and the International Classification of Diseases-10 and diagnostic scales are used to establish a diagnosis. The most commonly used biomarkers in psychotic illnesses are those regarding the neuroimmune system, metabolic abnormalities, neurotrophins and neurotransmitter systems and proteomics. A current issue faced by clinicians is the lack of biomarkers to help develop a more accurate diagnosis, with the possibility of initiating the most effective treatment. The detection of biological markers for psychosis has the potential to contribute to improvements in its diagnosis, prognosis and treatment effectiveness. The mixture of multiple biomarkers may improve the ability to differentiate and classify these patients. In this sense, the aim of this study was to analyze the literature concerning the potential biomarkers that could be used in medical practice and to review the newest developments in electrochemical sensors used for dopamine detection, one of the most important exploited biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]