Design of magnetic photonic crystal microdroplet for sensitive detection of cationic organic pollutants by the coupled resonance effect.

Photonic crystals (PCs), periodically arranged nanoparticles, have emerged with extraordinary optical properties for light manipulation owing to their photonic band gaps (PBGs). Here, a novel strategy and method was developed for efficient enrichment and sensitive detection of cationic organic pollutants in water. Size-controlled Fe3O4@poly (4-styrenesulfonic acid-co-maleic acid) (Fe3O4@PSSMA) was prepared, and high surface charge were formed with the coating of PSSMA layer on the surface of Fe3O4, which could be used for adsorption and removal of cationic organic pollutants. The Fe3O4@PSSMA after adsorbing cationic organic pollutant were assembled to magnetic photonic crystal microdroplet (MPCM) structure in an external magnetic field, which was used as surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) substrate. By coupling the magnetically tuned PBGs with Raman laser wavelength, the light utilization efficiency can be improved and the coupled resonance effect was greatly enhanced. The enhancement factor (EF) of MB was more than 800 attributing to the dual function of enrichment and coupled resonance effect of MPCM. The developed analytical strategy is the first time to use MPCM as a SERS substrate to realize the sensitive detection of 10 nmol L-1 MB in real water, which greatly improves the application of MPCM in the field of contaminant analysis and detection in water.

Analysis of differences in aroma and sensory characteristics of the mainstream smoke of six cigars.

Cigars have unique aroma and style characteristics. In order to clarify the differences of aroma components between domestic and imported cigars and the material basis of the stylistic characteristics of different cigars, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and sensory evaluation were used to compare and analyze the aroma components in the mainstream smoke of four domestic cigars and two imported cigars. The GC-MS results showed that a total of 97 aroma components were measured in the smoke of the six cigars, and the types of aroma components were similar, but there were differences in their contents. In comparison with those of domestic cigars, imported cigars had suitable nicotine content, and higher contents of phytol, neophytadiene, 3-methylpentanoic acid, and (+)-δ-cadinene. To further explore the differences in the aroma components of the six cigars, GC-MS data combined with chemometrics were used to screen out 14 key aroma components based on P-value (P) < 0.05, Variable Importance Projection (VIP) > 1, and Aroma Activity Values (OAV) > 1. The key aroma components of each cigar were obtained, Snow Dream No. 5: cedrol; Wangguan Guocui: 6-methyl-5-hepten-2-one, pyridine, 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazine; General Achileus No. 3: p-cresol, 2-methylbutyraldehyde, methyl cyclopentenolone; Montecristo No. 4: cedrol, 2-methylbutyraldehyde, guaiacol, 4-vinylguaiacol, methyl cyclopentenolone; Romeo y Julieta Wide Churchills: cedrol, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine, 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazine, 2-heptanone, phenethyl alcohol; Great Wall No. 2: p-cresol, phenethyl alcohol, geranylacetone, methyl cyclopentenolone, dihydroactinidiolide. The odor descriptors of these compounds were consistent with the aroma profiles that were prominent in the senses of each cigar. This experiment initially explored the differences in aroma composition and style characteristics of cigars and provided data to support the quality improvement of domestic cigars.

Rapid and sensitive determination of free fatty acids based on in-source microdroplet-driven derivatization coupled with high-resolution mass spectrometry.

Accurate and sensitive measurements of free fatty acids (FFAs) in biological samples are valuable for diagnosing and prognosing diseases. In this study, an in-source microdroplet derivation strategy combined with high-resolution mass spectrometry was developed to analyze FFAs in lipid extracts of biological samples directly. FFAs were rapidly derivated with 2-picolylamine (PA) in the microdroplet which is derived by electrospray. With the proposed method, twelve typical FFAs were determined reliably with high sensitivity and acceptable linearities (R2 ≥ 0.94). The LODs and LOQs for the twelve FFAs were 9-76 pg mL-1 and 30-253 pg mL-1, respectively. The developed method was applied to analyze the alteration of FFAs in liver and kidney samples of rats induced by perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) exposure. The good results demonstrate that the established analysis technique is dependable and has promising applications in detecting FFAs associated with complex biological samples.

Effects of Simulated Nitrogen Deposition and Micro-Environment on the Functional Traits of Two Rare and Endangered Fern Species in a Subtropical Forest.

Although the effects of N deposition on forest plants have been widely reported, few studies have focused on rare and endangered fern species (REFs). Information is also lacking on the effects of micro-environments on REFs. We investigated the effects of N addition (canopy and understory N addition, CAN, and UAN) and micro-environments (soil and canopy conditions) on the functional traits (growth, defense, and reproduction; 19 traits in total) of two REFs-Alsophila podophylla and Cibotium baromet-in a subtropical forest in South China. We found that, compared to controls, CAN or UAN decreased the growth traits (e.g., plant height, H) of C. baromet, increased its defense traits (e.g., leaf organic acid concentrations, OA), delayed its reproductive event (all-spore release date), and prolonged its reproductive duration. In contrast, A. podophylla showed increased growth traits (e.g., H), decreased defense traits (e.g., OA), and advanced reproductive events (e.g., the all-spore emergence date) under CAN or UAN. Meanwhile, the negative effects on the C. baromet growth traits and A. podophylla defense traits were stronger for CAN than for UAN. In addition, the soil chemical properties always explained more of the variations in the growth and reproductive traits of the two REFs than the N addition. Our study indicates that, under simulated N deposition, C. baromet increases its investment in defense, whereas A. podophylla increases its investment in growth and reproduction; this may cause an increasing A. podophylla population and decreasing C. baromet population in subtropical forests. Our study also highlights the importance of considering micro-environments and the N-addition approach when predicting N deposition impact on subtropical forest REFs.