Essential oil mediated synthesis and application of highly stable copper nanoparticles as coatings on textiles and surfaces for rapid and sustained disinfection of microorganisms.

Rampant pathogenesis induced by communicable microbes has necessitated development of technologies for rapid and sustained disinfection of surfaces. Copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) have been widely reported for their antimicrobial properties. However, nanostructured copper is prone to oxidative dissolution in the oil phase limiting its sustained use on surfaces and coatings. The current study reports a systematic investigation of a simple synthesis protocol using fatty acid stabilizers (particularly essential oils) for synthesis of copper nanoparticles in the oil phase. Of the various formulations synthesized, rosemary oil stabilized copper nanoparticles (RMO CuNPs) were noted to have the best inactivation kinetics and were also most stable. Upon morphological characterization by TEM and EELS, these were found to be monodispersed (φ5-8 nm) with copper coexisting in all three oxidation states on the surface of the nanoparticles. The nanoparticles were drop cast on woven fabric of around 500 threads per inch and exposed to gram positive bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus), gram negative bacteria (Escherichia coliandPseudomonas aeruginosa), enveloped RNA virus (phi6), non-enveloped RNA virus (MS2) and non-enveloped DNA virus (T4) to encompass the commonly encountered groups of pathogens. It was possible to completely disinfect 107copies of all microorganisms within 40 min of exposure. Further, this formulation was incorporated with polyurethane as thinners and used to coat non-woven fabrics. These also exhibited antimicrobial properties. Sustained disinfection with less than 9% cumulative copper loss for upto 14 washes with soap water was observed while the antioxidant activity was also preserved. Based on the studies conducted, RMO CuNP in oil phase was found to have excellent potential of integration on surface coatings, paints and polymers for rapid and sustained disinfection of microbes on surfaces.

A portable EIS-based biosensor for the detection of microcystin-LR residues in environmental water bodies and simulated body fluids.

Due to the eutrophication of water bodies around the world, there is a drastic increase in harmful cyanobacterial blooms leading to contamination of water bodies with cyanotoxins. Chronic exposure to cyanotoxins such as microcystin leads to oxidative stress, inflammation, and liver damage, and potentially to liver cancer. We developed a novel and easy-to-use electrochemical impedance spectroscopy-based immunosensor by fabricating stencil-printed conductive carbon-based interdigitated microelectrodes and immobilising them with cysteamine-capped gold nanoparticles embedded in polyaniline. It has been also coupled with a custom handheld device enabling regular on-site assessment, especially in resource-constrained situations encountered in developing countries. The sensor is able to detect microcystin-LR up to 0.1 µg L-1, having a linear response between 0.1 and 100 µg L-1 in lake and river water and in serum and urine samples. In addition to being inexpensive, easy to fabricate, and sensitive, it also has very good selectivity.

New Features for the Detection of Fetal QRS Complexes in Non-Invasive Fetal Electrocardiograms.

Non-invasive fetal electrocardiography (NI-fECG) is a promising technique for continuous fetal heart rate (fHR) monitoring. However, the weak amplitude of the fetal electrocardiogram (fECG), and the presence of the dominant maternal ECG (mECG), makes it highly challenging to detect the fetal QRS (fQRS) complex, which is needed to obtain the fHR. This paper proposes a new method for automated fQRS detection from single-channel NI-fECG signals, without cancelling out the mECG. The proposed method leverages the different spectral behaviour exhibited by mECG and fECG signals. Fetal R-peaks are detected using a hybrid combination of k-means clustering with time and time-frequency features extracted from pre-processed NI-fECG recordings. The performance of our method is evaluated using real and synthetic signals from publicly available datasets, achieving a best of 96.3% sensitivity and 90.4% F1 score. The results obtained demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed method for the detection of fQRS complexes with high sensitivity and low computational complexity.

Portable biosensor for the detection of Enrofloxacin and Ciprofloxacin antibiotic residues in food, body fluids, environmental and wastewater samples.

Enrofloxacin (ENR) and its metabolite Ciprofloxacin (CIP) are both a class of fluoroquinolone antibiotics effective against a broad-spectrum microbial infection. Recent surge in the consumption of CIP and ENR has been linked to increased cases of drug-resistant pathogens. This is due to the fact that the antibiotic residues remain in milk, meat, soil and environmental water for a prolonged duration. Although gold standard methods such as LC-MS are sensitive, they suffer from expensive operation and maintenance cost, and would need dedicated facilities and tedious sample preparation steps. Such limitations make on site detection impossible for regulatory bodies in developing countries. To address this issue, we developed a portable device that can detect the presence of CIP and ENR antibiotics in the range of parts per billion (ppb) concentrations accurately. It consists of a polyaniline (PAni) coated U-bent optical fiber with anti-ENR/CIP antibody immobilized on the polymer surface. The sensor relies on the principle of evanescent wave absorbance by antigen-antibody complex. The sensor showed limit of detection (LOD) of 1 ppb with a linear range of operation from 1 ppb to 500 ppb (R2 = 0.96-0.99) in lake water, waste water treatment plant effluent, urine, blood serum, milk and meat samples. The recovery of the sensor ranges from 88% to 120% indicating reasonable accuracy. The sensor has excellent selectivity towards CIP and ENR and showed stability for four weeks indicating its field deployability and robustness. The portable sensor is scalable and contract has been given to an industry partner to mass manufacture the device.

Volatile organic compound sensing in breath using conducting polymer coated chemi-resistive filter paper sensors.

In this work, a disposable sensor array was designed based on the chemi-resistive behavior of the conducting polymers to detect three volatile organic compounds (VOCs), i.e., acetone, ethanol, and methanol in air and breath. Four disposable resistive sensors were designed by coating polypyrrole and polyaniline (in their doped and de-doped forms) on filter paper substrates and tested against VOCs in air. Change in conductivity of the polymer resulting from exposure to various VOC concentration was measured as percentage resistance change using a standard multimeter. The lowest concentration detected for acetone, ethanol, and methanol vapors was 400 ppb, 150 ppb, and 300 ppb, respectively within 2 min. These VOC-responsive sensors, housed in an indigenous inert chamber, showed good stability, repeatability, and reversibility while sensing, thus making it suitable for environmental pollutant detection at room temperature. Furthermore, the non-specific nature of these easy to fabricate sensors towards all VOCs is considered favorable and upon classifying with principal component analysis (PCA), the gases were qualitatively distinguished in separate clusters. These developed sensors were also tested and analyzed using VOC spiked real breath samples as proof of concept.

Polyphenol stabilized copper nanoparticle formulations for rapid disinfection of bacteria and virus on diverse surfaces.

Rapid and sustained disinfection of surfaces is necessary to check the spread of pathogenic microbes. The current study proposes a method of synthesis and use of copper nanoparticles (CuNPs) for contact disinfection of pathogenic microorganisms. Polyphenol stabilized CuNPs were synthesized by successive reductive disassembly and reassembly of copper phenolic complexes. Morphological and compositional characterization by transmission electron microscope (TEM), selected area diffraction and electron energy loss spectroscopy revealed monodispersed spherical (ϕ5-8 nm) CuNPs with coexisting Cu, Cu(I) and Cu (II) phases. Various commercial grade porous and non-porous substrates, such as, glass, stainless steel, cloth, plastic and silk were coated with the nanoparticles. Complete disinfection of 107copies of surrogate enveloped and non-enveloped viruses: bacteriophage MS2, SUSP2, phi6; and gram negative as well as gram positive bacteria:Escherichia coliandStaphylococcus aureuswas achieved on most substrates within minutes. Structural cell damage was further analytically confirmed by TEM. The formulation was well retained on woven cloth surfaces even after repeated washing, thereby revealing its promising potential for use in biosafe clothing. In the face of the current pandemic, the nanomaterials developed are also of commercial utility as an eco-friendly, mass producible alternative to bleach and alcohol based public space sanitizers used today.

Label-Free Detection of Escherichia coli from Mixed Bacterial Cultures Using Bacteriophage T4 on Plasmonic Fiber-Optic Sensor.

Consumption of water contaminated with pathogenic bacteria is a major cause of water-borne diseases. To address this challenge, we have developed a novel and sensitive sensing scheme for the rapid detection of bacteria (Escherichia coliB40) on a fiber-optic platform using bacteriophage (T4) as a bio-recognition element. The novelty of our sensing scheme is that instead of bacteriophages, bacteria (analyte) were first captured on the sensing surface and then the sensing surface was subjected to bacteriophages for specific detection of bacteria. The sensor was subjected to 100 to 107 cfu/mL of E. coliB40 spiked in a lake water matrix, and the least concentration of bacteria that could be easily detected was found to be 1000 cfu/mL. The control studies were performed with nonhost bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Bacteriophage T4, being specific to its host E. coliB40, did not interact with P. aeruginosa captured on the sensing probe, giving a negligible nonspecific response. Due to the specificity of bacteriophages to its host bacteria, it is possible to use this scheme to carry out the detection of specific bacteria in a mixed sample (containing a combination of bacteria) using bacteriophages specific to it. The sensor was able to detect E. coliB40 (target bacteria) even in the presence of a very high concentration (1000 times higher) of P. aeruginosa (nontarget bacteria).

Antiviral application of colloidal and immobilized silver nanoparticles.

This study explored the application of colloidal and immobilized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for inactivation of bacteriophages. Coliphages that are commonly used as indicators for enteric viruses, were used in this study. Colloidal AgNPs were synthesized via a chemical reduction approach using sodium borohydride as reducing agent and trisodium citrate as stabilizing agent. AgNP-immobilized glass substrate was prepared by immobilizing AgNPs on amine-functionalized glass substrate by post-immobilization method. The AgNP-immobilized glass substrate was also tested so as to minimize the release of AgNPs in the treated water. The characterization of AgNPs and the AgNP-immobilized glass surface was done using field emission gun-transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. Studies conducted with varying concentrations of colloidal AgNPs displayed good antiviral activity for MS2 and T4 bacteriophage. Colloidal AgNPs at a dose of 60 µg ml-1 could completely inactivate MS2 and T4 bacteriophage within 30 and 50 min with an initial concentration of 103 PFU ml-1. Contaminated water (100 ml) in an unstirred batch reactor with an initial bacteriophage concentration of 103 PFU ml-1 could be inactivated by the AgNP-immobilized glass substrate (1 cm × 1 cm, containing 3.7 µg cm-2 silver) suspended centrally in the batch reactor. Complete 3-Log bacteriophage inactivation was achieved within 70 and 80 min for MS2 and T4 bacteriophage, respectively, while the aqueous silver concentration was less than 25 µg l-1. This is significantly lower than the recommended standard for silver in drinking water (i.e. 100 µg l-1, US EPA). Thus, AgNP-immobilized glass may have good potential for generating virus-free drinking water.

Evanescent Wave Optical Fiber Sensors Using Enzymatic Hydrolysis on Nanostructured Polyaniline for Detection of ß-Lactam Antibiotics in Food and Environment.

ß-Lactam antibiotics such as penicillins and cephalosporins are extensively used for human infection therapy. Consistent unintended exposure to these antibiotics via food and water is known to promote antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogenesis with high morbidity and mortality in humans. An optical enzymatic biosensor for rapid and point-of-use detection of these antibiotics in food and water has been developed and tested. Enzymatic hydrolysis of ß-lactams, on the electroactive polyaniline nanofibers, altered the polymeric backbone of the nanofibers, from emeraldine base form to emeraldine salt, which was measured as an increase in evanescent wave absorbance at 435 nm. The sensors were calibrated by spiking antibiotic-free milk with ceftazidime (as a model ß-lactam analyte) in a linear range of 0.36-3600 nM (R2 = 0.98). The calibration was further validated for packaged milk, local cow milk, and buffalo milk. A similar calibration was devised for chicken meat samples in a linear range of 9-1800 nM (R2 = 0.982) and tap water in a linear range of 0.18-180 nM (R2 = 0.99). Interestingly, it was possible to use the same calibration for the determination of other ß-lactam antibiotics (ampicillin, amoxicillin, and cefotaxime), which reflects the usefulness of the sensor for wide-scale deployment. The sensor performance was validated with a wastewater sample, from a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP), qualitatively analyzed by high-resolution liquid chromatography coupled with mass spectroscopy for detection of ß-lactams. The sensor scheme developed and tested is of grassroot relevance as a quick solution for measurement of ß-lactam residues in food and environment.

Extracellular synthesis of silver nanoparticles by Thiosphaera pantotropha and evaluation of their antibacterial and cytotoxic effects.

Extracellular biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) was explored using Thiosphaera pantotropha since this strain exhibits both nitrate- and nitrite-reductase enzyme activity (NaR and NiR, respectively). Optimal AgNP synthesis was achieved using 2 mM AgNO3, culture supernatant of nutrient broth grown T. pantotropha, and incubation at 37 °C and 180 rpm. Under these conditions, the localized surface plasmon resonance peak of silver at 404 nm matched well with the average size of the spherical AgNPs based on FEG-TEM micrographs, i.e., 14.6 nm (range: 5-51 nm). The zeta potential of -33.6 mV indicated good stability of the biosynthesized nanoparticles. The XRD spectra demonstrated the simultaneous presence of face-centered cubic crystal structure of AgNPs and AgCl NPs. Ag+ ions were possibly reduced by the NaR and NiR enzymes released into the culture media. The FTIR spectra confirmed the stabilization of the AgNPs by biomolecules present in the culture supernatant of T. pantotropha. The synthesized Ag/AgCl NPs exhibited good antibacterial efficacy against both Gram-negative (Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa) and Gram-positive bacteria (Bacillus subtilis and Staphylococcus aureus). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 2.5 µg/ml for all the bacteria except B. subtilis (MIC of 10 µg/ml). The minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) was 2.5, 10, 20, and 5 µg/ml for E. coli, P. aeruginosa, B. subtilis, and S. aureus, respectively. At MBC and higher AgNP concentration, both plating and CLSM imaging confirmed the absence of viable bacteria in treated water. The biogenic AgNPs depicted IC50 of 34.8 µg/ml for MCF-7 cells.

Optical Fiber Sensors for Rapid Screening of COVID-19.

Rapid diagnosis of coronavirus disease COVID-19 is challenging in developing countries due to diverse clinical presentations and limited healthcare infrastructure. Biosensors hold immense prospects for diagnosis of the disease. Two approaches are proposed: the first involves measurement of host immune response and second, the detection of viruses or viral cell surface proteins using suitable bioreceptors. The article provides an overview of evanescent wave absorbance and localized surface plasmon resonance-based optic fiber platform for potential screening of COVID-19.

Analytical tools for monitoring changes in physical and chemical properties of chromatography resin upon reuse.

Protein A resins are often reused for multiple cycles to improve process economy during mAb purification. Significant reduction in binding capacity and product recovery are typically observed due to the presence of unwanted materials (foulants) deposited on the resin upon reuse. In this paper, we have used a wide spectrum of qualitative and quantitative analytical tools (particle size analysis, HPLC, fluorescence, SEM, MS, and FTIR) to compare the strengths and shortcomings of different analytical tools in terms of their capability to detect the fouling of the resin and relate it to chromatographic cycle performance. While each tool offers an insight into this complex phenomena, fluorescence is the only one that can be used for real-time monitoring of resin fouling. A correlation could be established between fluorescence intensity and the process performance attributes (like yield or binding capacity) impacted upon resin reuse. This demonstration of the application of fluorescence for real-time monitoring correlated empirically with process performance attributes and the results support its use as a PAT tool as part of a process control strategy. While the focus of this paper is on fouling of protein A chromatography resin, the approach and strategy are pertinent to other modes of chromatography as well.

Water disinfection using fixed bed reactors packed with silver nanoparticle immobilized glass capillary tubes.

The present study focused on development of a robust point-of-use (POU) water disinfection device employing immobilized silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) for water disinfection in continuous flow through mode. Glass capillary tubes functionalized with positively charged amino groups using silane as the cross-linking agent facilitated the immobilization of citrate stabilized AgNPs. A fixed bed reactor (FBR) packed with these AgNP immobilized glass substrate was used for conducting POU water disinfection. The effect of various parameters such as, flow rate, initial concentration of bacteria and bed volume on disinfection performance of the device was evaluated. The total volume of water treated at breakpoint was found to improve with increase in flow rate and 2596-5172 bed volumes of water could be disinfected under the various conditions tested, i.e., empty bed contact time (EBCT) 0.29 to 5.8 min. Silver leaching studied under various operating conditions revealed minimal release of silver (<100 µg/l) in treated water over time throughout the duration of the studies. Plug flow reactor with dispersion (PFDR) model with open boundary condition showed good fit to the E-curve generated by pulse input of chloride tracer and revealed significant dispersion in the FBR. Antibacterial material exhaustion rate (AER) was significantly affected by the EBCT, empty bed volume of the FBR, and load of bacteria in the influent.

LSPR based optical fiber sensor with chitosan capped gold nanoparticles on BSA for trace detection of Hg (II) in water, soil and food samples.

Mercury is a diversely bioaccumulating heavy metal pollutant toxic to all life forms. In this work, an optical biosensor has been developed and calibrated for universal detection and quantification of mercuric ions, in the range 0.1-540 parts per billion, in biological and environmental samples. Chitosan capped gold nanoparticles on bovine serum albumin are proposed as an ultrasensitive plasmonic mercury receptor on U-bend optical fiber platform. The sensor was calibrated and tested with tap water, sewage contaminated water, marine water, long lived sea fish tissue, fossil fuel fly ash contaminated soil and vegetable samples. The sensor performance was validated with real samples inherently containing mercury. Overall standard error of less than 15% and a coefficient of variation less than 12% (n = 3) was found across all samples, indicating good fitness for diverse usage. Experimentally determined limit of detection of mercuric ions was 0.1 parts per billion in tap water (twenty times lesser than the Environment protection agency limit of 2 parts per billion in drinking water) and 0.2 parts per billion in sea fish and vegetable samples with negligible cross sensitivity towards other metal ions.

Hand-held optical sensor using denatured antibody coated electro-active polymer for ultra-trace detection of copper in blood serum and environmental samples.

An optimum copper concentration in environment is highly desired for all forms of life. We have developed an ultrasensitive copper sensor which functions from femto to micro molar concentration accurately (R2 = 0.98). The sensor is based on denatured antibody immunoglobulin G (IgG), immobilized on polyaniline (PAni) which in turn is the coating on the core of an optical fiber. The sensing relies on changes in evanescent wave absorbance in the presence of the analyte. The sensor showed excellent selectivity towards Cu (II) ions over all other metal ions. The sensor was tested with lake and marine water samples to determine unknown concentrations of copper ions and the recovery results were within 90-115%, indicating reasonable accuracy. We further integrated the fiber-optic sensor with a miniaturized hand-held instrumentation platform to develop an accurate and field deployable device which can broadly be applicable to determine Cu (II) concentration in a wide range of systems - natural water bodies, soil as well as blood serum.

Fabrication of miniature elastomer lenses with programmable liquid mold for smartphone microscopy: curing polydimethylsiloxane with in situ curvature control.

Miniature lenses can transform commercial imaging systems, e.g., smartphones and webcams, into powerful, low-cost, handheld microscopes. To date, the reproducible fabrication of polymer lenses is still a challenge as they require controlled dispensing of viscous liquid. This paper reports a reproducible lens fabrication technique using liquid mold with programmable curvature and off-the-shelf materials. The lens curvature is controlled during fabrication by tuning the curvature of an interface of two immiscible liquids [polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) and glycerol]. The curvature control is implemented using a visual feedback system, which includes a software-based guiding system to produce lenses of desired curvature. The technique allows PDMS lens fabrication of a wide range of sizes and focal lengths, within 20 min. The fabrication of two lens diameters: 1 and 5 mm with focal lengths ranging between 1.2 and 11 mm are demonstrated. The lens surface and bulk quality check performed using X-ray microtomography and atomic force microscopy reveal that the lenses are suitable for optical imaging. Furthermore, a smartphone microscope with ∼1.4-µm resolution is developed using a self-assembly of a single high power fabricated lens and microaperture. The lenses have various potential applications, e.g., optofluidics, diagnostics, forensics, and surveillance.

Dendrimer as a multifunctional capping agent for metal nanoparticles for use in bioimaging, drug delivery and sensor applications.

Advances in nanoparticle research, particularly in the domain of surface-engineered, function-oriented nanoparticles, have had a profound effect in many areas of scientific research and aided in bringing unprecedented developments forward, particularly in the biomedical field. Surface modifiers/capping agents have a direct bearing on the major properties of metal nanoparticles (MNPs), ranging from their physico-chemical properties to their stability and functional applications. Among the different classes of capping agents, dendrimers have gained traction as effective multifunctional capping agents for MNPs due to their unique structural qualities, dendritic effect and polydentate nature. Dendrimer-coated metal nanoparticles (DC-MNPs) are typically produced by both (i) a one-pot strategy, where metal ions are reduced in the presence of dendrimer molecules and (ii) a multi-pot strategy, where a sequence of reactions involving the reduction of metal ions, activation, conjugation and purification steps are involved. These DC-MNPs have shown remarkable ability to stabilize MNPs by means of electrostatic interactions, coordination chemistry or covalent attachment, due to them entailing a large number of sites at which further molecular moieties can be conjugated. This review article is an attempt to consolidate the on-going work, particularly over the last five years, in the field of the synthesis of dendrimer-coated MNPs and their potential applications in bioimaging, drug delivery and biochemical sensors.

Investigation of dual-bend serpentine/spiral waveguides coupled to a microchannel system for competent, evanescent-wave-absorption-based, on-chip, biological-/chemical-sensing applications.

U or C-shaped waveguides, coupled to analyte microchannels, have been shown to be very responsive to evanescent-wave-absorption-based sensing. However, due to only having a single C-bend length, for analyte interaction in earlier devices, there was always an opportunity to advance their evanescent-absorbance sensitivity, by including multiple C-bend structures (interfaced with the analyte microchannel system) in the device design. To achieve this objective, two different types of waveguide probes (having a different orientation of two C-bends), i.e. S-bend and spiral-bend, were theoretically analyzed and further, experimentally tested for their comparative sensitivity to evanescent wave absorption, in this pioneering study. A novel single-step fabrication procedure (using an SU-8 photoresist), was executed to fabricate these waveguide structures interfaced (both at their inner and outer bend surfaces) with a microchannel system, along with fiber-to-waveguide coupler structures. Experimentally, the sensitivity of the S-bend waveguides was found to be ∼25% higher compared to that of spiral waveguides of similar dimensions, which corroborated the results from numerical modeling. Compared to our earlier embedded C-bend waveguides, the overall evanescent-wave-absorption-based detection sensitivity of the embedded spiral and S-bend waveguides were found to be improved by ∼7.5 times and ∼9 times respectively. Finally, these devices were found to be ideally suited for more sensitive biological-, as well as, chemical-sensing applications, provided a suitable surface alteration process is performed to these waveguide probes. Further, the proposed device has a possible capability for: facile continuous (real-time) analysis, a fixed sample volume interaction, and control over the evaporation of analyte samples introduced in to the device.

Arginine-assisted immobilization of silver nanoparticles on ZnO nanorods: an enhanced and reusable antibacterial substrate without human cell cytotoxicity.

Silver-based hybrid nanomaterials are gaining interest as potential alternatives for conventional antimicrobial agents. Herein, we present a simple, facile and eco-friendly approach for the deposition of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) on ZnO nanorods, which act as a nanoreactor for in situ synthesis and as an immobilizing template in the presence of arginine. The presence of arginine enhanced the stability of ZnO deposition on the glass substrate by hindering the dissolution of zinc under alkaline conditions. Various Ag/ZnO hybrid nanorod (HNR) samples were screened to obtain a high amount of silver immobilization on the ZnO substrate. Ag/ZnO HNRs displayed potent antibacterial ability and could achieve 100% kill for both Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis strains under various test conditions. The hybrid material mediated its dual mode of antibacterial action through direct contact-killing and release of silver ions/nanoparticles and showed superior bactericidal performance compared to pure ZnO nanorods and colloidal AgNPs. No significant decline in antibacterial efficacy was observed even after the same substrate was repeatedly reused multiple times. Interestingly, the amount of Ag and Zn release was much below their maximal limit in drinking water, thus preventing potential health hazards. Immobilized AgNPs showed no cytotoxic effects on the human hepatocarcinoma cell line (HepG2). Moreover, treating cells with the antibacterial substrate for 24 hours did not lead to significant generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). The good biocompatibility and bactericidal efficacy would thus make it feasible to utilize this immobilization strategy for preparing new-generation antibacterial coatings.

Comparing stress markers across various cohorts in a mobile setting.

There exist multiple markers for measuring psychological stress, with varying specificities and sensitivities. However, in a real-life setting, there is limited data on how robust these methods may be especially in a relatively mobile context where the signal fidelity maybe limited. Thus any large scale data to inform how these methods perform, using commonly available sensors, based on both context and cohort characterization, can greatly add to our knowledge of their respective utility in real-life settings. This paper presents a study of 253 subjects which provides crucial data for analysing various stress markers in a mobile setting. We also provide early analysis results.