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Articles publicats en revistes (Institut de Recerca de l'Aigua (IdRA))

URI permanent per a aquesta col·leccióhttps://hdl.handle.net/2445/134677

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    Assessing environmental exposure to viruses in wastewater treatment plant and swine farm scenarios with next-generation sequencing and occupational risk approaches
    (Elsevier, 2024-06-01) Itarte, Marta; Calvo, Miquel (Calvo Llorca); Martínez-Frago, Lola; Mejías-Molina, Cristina; Martínez-Puchol, Sandra; Gironès Llop, Rosina; Medema, Gertjan; Bofill Mas, Silvia; Rusiñol Arantegui, Marta
    Occupational exposure to pathogens can pose health risks. This study investigates the viral exposure of workers in a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and a swine farm by analyzing aerosol and surfaces samples. Viral contamination was evaluated using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays, and target enrichment sequencing (TES) was performed to identify the vertebrate viruses to which workers might be exposed. Additionally, Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment (QMRA) was conducted to estimate the occupational risk associated with viral exposure for WWTP workers, choosing Human Adenovirus (HAdV) as the reference pathogen. In the swine farm, QMRA was performed as an extrapolation, considering a hypothetical zoonotic virus with characteristics similar to Porcine Adenovirus (PAdV). The modelled exposure routes included aerosol inhalation and oral ingestion through contaminated surfaces and hand-to-mouth contact. HAdV and PAdV were widespread viruses in the WWTP and the swine farm, respectively, by qPCR assays. TES identified human and other vertebrate viruses WWTP samples, including viruses from families such as Adenoviridae, Circoviridae, Orthoherpesviridae, Papillomaviridae, and Parvoviridae. In the swine farm, most of the identified vertebrate viruses were porcine viruses belonging to Adenoviridae, Astroviridae, Circoviridae, Herpesviridae, Papillomaviridae, Parvoviridae, Picornaviridae, and Retroviridae. QMRA analysis revealed noteworthy risks of viral infections for WWTP workers if safety measures are not taken. The probability of illness due to HAdV inhalation was higher in summer compared to winter, while the greatest risk from oral ingestion was observed in workspaces during winter. Swine farm QMRA simulation suggested a potential occupational risk in the case of exposure to a hypothetical zoonotic virus. This study provides valuable insights into WWTP and swine farm worker's occupational exposure to human and other vertebrate viruses. QMRA and NGS analyses conducted in this study will assist managers in making evidence-based decisions, facilitating the implementation of protection measures, and risk mitigation practices for workers.
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    Chlorination Cessation Alters Greenhouse Gas Dynamics in Artificial Urban Ponds
    (Wiley, 2025-08-05) Montes-Pérez, Jorge Juan; Irusta, Paula; Cañas, Lídia; Mejía, Fernanda; Pinaud-Brageot, Näel; Obrador Sala, Biel; Puigserver Cuerda, Diana; Millán Martos, Alberto; Schiller Calle, Daniel von
    Cities are facing an ecological challenge, and international policies are increasingly focused on implementing nature-based solutions to support this transition. In this context, the naturalization of artificial urban ponds (AUP) is a promising approach with proved benefits for biodiversity and human well-being. However, the naturalization of AUP may be accompanied by increased greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Here, we evaluated the effect of chlorination cessation, an essential step in the naturalization process, on GHG dynamics in AUP. Partial pressures of CO2 (pCO2), CH4 (pCH4), and N2O (pN2O) were measured in 41 artificial urban ponds (28 non-chlorinated and 13 chlorinated) in the city of Barcelona during winter and summer to assess: (a) the effect of chlorination treatment, (b) the effect of seasonality, and (c) the main drivers behind the partial pressures of these GHGs. Results show that although chlorination cessation increased pCH4, it reduced pN2O and had no significant effect on pCO2. The main drivers of these patterns were naturalization, with factors related to primary production playing a major role; seasonality, with temperature as a key environmental variable; and groundwater legacy. Importantly, the net global warming potential (GWP), expressed as CO2 equivalents, was not significantly higher in non-chlorinated ponds. These findings suggest that the naturalization of artificial water bodies could be a viable strategy to create more resilient cities without significantly increasing GHG emissions.
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    Analysing the contribution of intermittent rivers to beta diversity can improve freshwater conservation in Mediterranean rivers
    (Springer Verlag, 2024-04-25) Soria Extremera, Maria; Bonada i Caparrós, Núria; Cid Puey, Núria; Ortega, Jean Carlo Gonçalves; Bini, Luis Mauricio; Acosta Rivas, Carlos Raul; Gutiérrez-Cánovas, Cayetano; Rodríguez Lozano, Pablo; Fortuño, Pau; Vinyoles Cartanyà, Dolors; Gallart Gallego, Francesc; Prat i Fornells, Narcís
    In Mediterranean climate regions, intermittent rivers (IRs) harbor highly dynamic communities with species and trait composition changing over time and space. Simultaneously considering multiple biodiversity facets and a spatiotemporal perspective is, therefore, key to developing effective conservation strategies for these ecosystems. We studied the spatiotemporal dynamics of aquatic macroinvertebrates in rivers of the western Mediterranean Basin by analysing (1) the taxonomic and functional richness and the local contribution to beta diversity (LCBD; measured considering taxonomic and functional facets) of perennial rivers and IRs over five sampling times, and (2) their relation with flow intermittence, local environmental uniqueness, and the number of anthropogenic impacts. Both analyses were also conducted for the subset of data including only IRs to compare values between their flowing and disconnected pool phases. According to our results, taxonomic and functional richness tended to be higher in perennial rivers than in IRs, while taxonomic and functional LCBD tended to be higher in IRs than in perennial rivers. When comparing IR sites over time, higher values of taxonomic and functional LCBD corresponded mostly to their disconnected pool phase. Flow intermittence, the number of anthropogenic impacts and th environmental uniqueness were significant predictors of taxonomic and functional richness, but only flow intermittence was an important predictor of taxonomic LCBD. For the IR-only data subset, disconnected pool permanence was the main predictor explaining spatiotemporal patterns. Our results highlight the importance of IRs to biodiversity conservation of Mediterranean climate rivers, especially during the disconnected pool phase, suggesting that these ecosystems cannot be ignored in conservation planning strategies.
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    Target enrichment metaviromics enables comprehensive surveillance of coronaviruses in environmental and animal samples
    (Elsevier, 2024-06-15) Martínez-Puchol, Sandra; Tarradas-Alemany, Maria; Mejías-Molina, Cristina; Itarte, Marta; Rusiñol Arantegui, Marta; Baliellas, Jordi; Abasolo, Nerea; Canela, Núria; Monastiri, Abir; López-Roig, Marc; Serra Cobo, Jordi; Abril Ferrando, Josep Francesc, 1970-; Bofill Mas, Silvia
    The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of understanding the role of animals in the transmission of coronaviruses (CoVs) and their impact on human health. A One Health approach, integrating human, animal, and environmental health, is essential for effective CoVs control. Next-generation sequencing has played a pivotal role in identifying and monitoring the evolution of novel CoVs strains, like SARS-CoV-2. However, viral occurrence and diversity studies in environmental and animal samples are challenging because of the complexity of viral communities and low abundance of viruses in these samples.Target enrichment sequencing (TES) has emerged as a valuable tool for investigating viral families in challenging samples. This approach involves the specific capture and enrichment of viral genomes using sequence-specific probes, thereby enhancing the efficiency of detection and characterization.In this study, we aimed to develop and validate a TES panel to study CoVs in various complex environmental and animal derived samples. The results demonstrated the panel's effectiveness in capturing and sequencing a wide diversity of CoVs providing valuable insights into their abundance and host diversity in urban wastewater, farm animal corpses lixiviates and bat guano samples. In sewage samples, CoVs were detected solely when TES was employed while in guano samples, sequencing of CoVs species was achieved in 2 out of 4 samples showing an almost three-logarithmic increase in the number of reads obtained in comparison with the untargeted approach. For animal lixiviates, only the TES application enabled the acquisition of CoVs reads. The information obtained can significantly contribute to early detection, surveillance, and control measures for CoVs, including viral discovery and potential spillover events. Additionally, this sequencing panel shows potential for studying other significant viral families and monitoring viral diversity in different animal populations.
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    Deriving parametric and probabilistic Kd values for fluoroquinolones in soils
    (Elsevier B.V., 2023-02-25) Fabregat-Palau, Joel; Yu, Zhiqiang; Zeng, Xiangying; Vidal Espinar, Miquel; Rigol Parera, Anna
    The evaluation of the sorption affinity of fluoroquinolone antibiotics (FQs) in soils, by means of the derivation of solid-liquid distribution coefficients (Kd), is a valuable information for assessing their environmental mobility. Aiming to develop Kd (FQ) prediction tools in soils, in the first stage of this study we constructed a Kd (FQ) sorption dataset using current literature data. Furthermore, additional sorption and desorption data for norfloxacin were obtained in seven different soils of contrasting properties. Sorption isotherms of norfloxacin were linear under the experimental conditions tested and desorption percentages increased for scenarios in which low sorption was noted. Sorption tests in the same soils were then extended to ciprofloxacin, enrofloxacin and ofloxacin and pooled in the dataset, revealing comparable Kd (FQ) values among the FQ tested after analyzing the overall dataset consisting in 312 entries of Kd (FQ). A partial least square (PLS) regression model was then developed to predict values of Kd (FQ) based on specific relevant soil properties (i.e., pH, cation exchange capacity and organic carbon and texture information), and, for the first time, FQ properties (fraction of cationic FQ species) affecting sorption. Additionally, probabilistic, Kd (FQ) best estimates in soils were derived through cumulative distribution functions (CDFs) for the overall and for partial datasets created by grouping Kd (FQ) values according to key soil properties affecting FQ sorption (i.e., pH, organic carbon content and texture information). This latter approach permitted to derive more representative Kd (FQ) best estimates for the soils to be assessed, and with a lower related variability than that derived from the overall dataset. Best estimates Kd (FQ) values were > 1000 L kg−1 for most acidic to neutral soils, suggesting strong sorption, although lower sorption and thus higher environmental mobility may be expected in scenarios with soils with alkaline pH, low OC and high sand contents.
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    Early water management systems on the southern Transjordan plateau
    (Elsevier, 2022-10-30) Marsal Aguilera, Roser
    [eng] The efficient management of water resources to supply the needs of societies in territories where water is a scarce and limited resource has been essential throughout time. The site of Sela on the southern Transjordan plateau is unique for understanding water management in this semi-arid area. The analysis of hydraulic installations has allowed us to characterise its hydro technology and spatial distribution in the settlement. To this end, the hydraulic facilities have been identified, documented, and analysed in detail through two archaeological surveys (2015 and 2016). Spatial analysis has been carried out by preparing extensive 2D planimetry and 3D reconstructions. The results obtained have made it possible to reconstruct the water supply system necessary for the subsistence of the societies that inhabited Sela over time. The system consists of canals, cisterns, and sedimentation basins for the collection, conduction, storage, and preservation of water, mainly from rain. Some of Sela’s hydraulic structures may have originated in the Bronze Age (mid-late 2nd mill. BCE), but more secure dating is needed to substantiate this possibility.
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    Analysis of isotopes of plutonium in water samples with a PSresin based on aliquat⋅336
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2022) Torres Torres Antonio; Giménez, I.; Bagán Navarro, Héctor; Tarancón Sanz, Alex
    There is a necessity to have techniques capable to perform rapid determinations of specific radionuclides with the aim to provide fast response in emergency situations where a large number of samples need to be measured in a short time. Plastic Scintillation Resins (PSresins) raises as an adequate tool to achieve this purpose and in the present study a methodology to determine plutonium using a PSresin based on Aliquat·336 was developed. Different sample treatments have been studied under acidic conditions with an emphasis on valence adjustment treatment to achieve an effective retention within the PSresin. Under 3 M nitric acid conditions and an iron sulphamate (II) + nitrite valence adjustment, quantitative retention and 100% detection efficiency were achieved. The retention of the different interferences evaluated (238U, 230Th, 241Am, 210Pb and 99Tc) was low and therefore they do not interfere significantly in the determination of plutonium, except for 99Tc. Finally, a stable tracer to calculate the PSresin separation yield was studied, revealing that gold is suitable for this purpose. This procedure was applied to the analysis of spiked sea and river water samples, obtaining errors lower than 10% in their quantification.
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    Nitrate removal by combining chemical and biostimulation approaches using micro-zero valent iron and lactic acid
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022-10-15) Puigserver Cuerda, Diana; Herrero Ferran, Jofre; Carmona Pérez, José Ma. (José María)
    The occurrence of nitrate is the most significant type of pollution affecting groundwater globally, being a major contributor to the poor condition of water bodies. This pollution is related to livestock-agricultural and urban activities, and the nitrate presence in drinking water has a clear impact on human health. For example, it causes the blue child syndrome. Moreover, the high nitrate content in aquifers and surface waters significantly affects aquatic ecosystems since it is responsible for the eutrophication of surface water bodies. A treatability test was performed in the laboratory to study the decrease of nitrate in the capture zone of water supply wells. For this purpose, two boreholes were drilled from which groundwater and sediments were collected to conduct the test. The goal was to demonstrate that nitrate in groundwater can be decreased much more efficiently using combined abiotic and biotic methods with micro-zero valent iron and biostimulation with lactic acid, respectively, than when both strategies are used separately. The broader implications of this goal derive from the fact that the separate use of these reagents decreases the efficiency of nitrate removal. Thus, while nitrate is removed using micro-valent iron, high concentrations of harmful ammonium are also generated. Furthermore, biostimulation alone leads to overgrowth of other microorganisms that do not result in denitrification, therefore complete denitrification requires more time to occur. In contrast, the combined strategy couples abiotic denitrification of nitrate with biostimulation of microorganisms capable of biotically transforming the abiotically generated harmful ammonium. The treatability test shows that the remediation strategy combining in situ chemical reduction using micro-zero valent iron and biostimulation with lactic acid could be a viable strategy for the creation of a reactive zone around supply wells located in regions where groundwater and porewater in low permeability layers are affected by diffuse nitrate contamination.
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    Impact of permeate flux and gas sparging rate on membrane performance and process economics of granular anaerobic membrane bioreactors
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022-06-15) Vinardell Cruañas, Sergi; Sanchez, Lucie; Astals Garcia, Sergi; Mata Álvarez, Joan; Dosta Parras, Joan; Heran, Marc; Lesage, Geoffroy
    This research investigated the impact of permeate flux and gas sparging rate on membrane permeability, dissolved and colloidal organic matter (DCOM) rejection and process economics of granular anaerobic membrane bioreactors (AnMBRs). The goal of the study was to understand how membrane fouling control strategies influence granular AnMBR economics. To this end, short- and long-term filtration tests were performed under different permeate flux and specific gas demand (SGD) conditions. The results showed that flux and SGD conditions had a direct impact on membrane fouling. At normalised fluxes (J20) of 4.4 and 8.7 L m−2 h−1 (LMH) the most favourable SGD condition was 0.5 m3 m−2 h−1, whereas at J20 of 13.0 and 16.7 LMH the most favourable SGD condition was 1.0 m3 m−2 h−1. The flux and the SGD did not have a direct impact on DCOM rejection, with values ranging between 31 and 44%. The three-dimensional excitation-emission matrix fluorescence (3DEEM) spectra showed that protein-like fluorophores were predominant in mixed liquor and permeate samples (67-79%) and were retained by the membrane (39-50%). This suggests that protein-like fluorophores could be an important foulant for these systems. The economic analysis showed that operating the membranes at moderate fluxes (J20 = 7.8 LMH) and SGD (0.5 m3 m−2 h−1) could be the most favourable alternative. Finally, a sensitivity analysis illustrated that electricity and membrane cost were the most sensitive economic parameters, which highlights the importance of reducing SGD requirements and improving membrane permeability to reduce costs of granular AnMBRs.
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    Impact of food waste composition on acidogenic co-fermentation with waste activated sludge
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022) Vidal Antich, Carme; Peces, Miriam; Pérez Esteban, Noemí; Mata Álvarez, Joan; Dosta Parras, Joan; Astals Garcia, Sergi
    The impact of food waste (FW) composition on co-fermentation performance was studied to elucidate if adjusting FW composition can be used to drive the fermentation yield and profile, which is relevant for biorefinery applications. First, the impact of individual FW components (i.e., fruit, vegetables, pasta, rice, meat, fish, and cellulose) was assessed. Subsequently, the effect of mixing a protein-rich component and a carbohydrate-rich component was studied (i.e., fish/fruit and fish/cellulose, and meat/rice and meat/vegetable). All experiments were carried out in mesophilic batch assays using waste activated sludge (WAS) as main substrate, the same mixture ratio (70 % WAS +30 % FW on VS basis), and no pH control. Results showed that each FW component had a distinct effect on VFA yield and profile, with protein-rich components reaching the highest VFA yields; 502 and 442 mgCOD/gVS for WAS/Fish and WAS/Meat, respectively. A positive interaction on VFA yield was observed when mixing a protein-rich and a carbohydrate-rich component. This interaction was not proportional to the co-substrates proportion in the mixtures. On the other hand, the VFA profile was clearly driven by the components in the mixture, including both WAS and FW composition. Overall, these results indicate that predicting the VFA yield of WAS/FW co-fermentation is not just related to FW composition, but FW composition could be used to adjust the VFA profile to a certain extent.
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    Arsenosugar extracted from algae: Isolation by anionic exchange solid-phase extraction
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022-10-04) Morales-Rodríguez, Alba; Pérez-López, Miquel; Puigpelat Rubio, Elle; Sahuquillo Estrugo, Àngels; Barrón Bueno, Dolores; López Sánchez, José Fermín
    Obtaining reliable speciation data for evaluating dietary exposure, and increasing understanding of arsenic biochemistry in algae, are hindered by the availability of suitable standards of arsenosugars, the major species in these types of samples. Moreover, chemical syntheses of such compounds have been reported to be complex and tedious. The aim of this work was to investigate the feasibility of the anionic exchange SPE cartridges (SAX and WAX) as an easy and quick alternative for the isolation and preconcentration of arsenosugars. Two commercial silica-based SPE cartridges strong anion exchange sorbent (DSC-SAX) and weak anion exchange sorbent (DSC-NH2) were compared for the SPE of three arsenosugars (PO4-Sug, SO3-Sug and SO4-Sug). The effect of pH, ionic strength, type of salt and elution solvent on the elution protocols of these arsenosugars are studied. Eluted solutions from SPE were analyzed by ICP-MS for total arsenic content and IC-ICP-MS for the study of arsenic speciation. The developed SPE procedure allows to obtain a solution containing the three arsenosugars isolated from other arsenic species with recoveries over 75% for SO3-Sug and SO4-Sug, whereas for PO4-Sug were around 45%.
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    Evaluation of a virus concentration method based on ultrafiltration and wet foam elution for studying viruses from large-volume water samples
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022-07-10) Forés, Eva; Rusiñol, Marta; Itarte, Marta; Martínez-Puchol, Sandra; Calvo, Miquel; Bofill Mas, Silvia
    Assessing the presence of viruses in large-volume samples involves cumbersome methods that require specialized training and laboratory equipment. In this study, a large volume concentration (LVC) method, based on dead-end ultrafiltration (DEUF) andWet FoamElution¿ technology, was evaluated in different type of waters and different microorganisms. Its recovery efficiency was evaluated through different techniques (infectivity assays and molecular detection) by spiking different viral surrogates (bacteriophages PhiX174 and MS2 and Coxsackie virus B5 (CVB5) and Escherichia coli (E. coli). Furthermore, the application of a secondary concentration step was evaluated and compared with skimmed milk flocculation. Viruses present in river water, seawater and groundwater samples were concentrated by applying LVC method and a centrifugal ultrafiltration device (CeUF), as a secondary concentration step and quantified with specific qPCR Human adenoviruses (HAdV) and noroviruses (NoVs).MS2 was used as process control, obtaining a mean viral recovery of 22.0 ± 12.47%. The presence of other viruses was also characterized by applying two different next-generation sequencing approaches. LVC coupled to a secondary concentration step based on CeUF allowed to detect naturally occurring viruses such as HAdV and NoVs in different water matrices. Using HAdV as a human fecal indicator, the highest viral pollution was found in river water samples (100% of positive samples), followed by seawater (83.33%) and groundwater samples (66.67%). The LVC method has also proven to be useful as a virus concentration method in the filed since HAdV and NoVs were detected in the river water and groundwater samples concentrated in the field. All in all, LVC method presents high concentration factor and a low limit of detection and provides viral concentrates useful for subsequent molecular analysis such as PCR and massive sequencing.
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    Enhanced terahertz sensitivity for glucose detection with a hydrogel platform embedded with Au nanoparticles
    (Optical Society of America, 2022-06) Zhao, Jingjing; Lu, Shaohua; Bastos-Arrieta, Julio; Palet, Cristina; Sun, Yiling; Wang, Renheng; Qian, Zhengfang; Fan, Shuting
    We presented a strategy for enhancing the sensitivity of terahertz glucose sensing with a hydrogel platform pre-embedded with Au nanoparticles. Physiological-level glucose solutions ranging from 0 to 0.8 mg/mL were measured and the extracted absorption coefficients can be clearly distinguished compared to traditional terahertz time domain spectroscopy performed directly on aqueous solutions. Further, Isotherm models were applied to successfully describe the relationship between the absorption coefficient and the glucose concentration (R2 = 0.9977). Finally, the origin of the sensitivity enhancement was investigated and verified to be the pH change induced by the catalysis of Au nanoparticles to glucose oxidation.
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    Antimony nanomaterials modified screen-printed electrodes for the voltammetric determination of metal ions
    (Elsevier Ltd, 2022-06-07) Tapia, María A.; Pérez Ràfols, Clara; Pastika, Jan; Gusmão, Rui Jorge Coelho; Serrano i Plana, Núria; Sofer, Zdenek; Díaz Cruz, José Manuel
    Exfoliated β-Sb or two dimensional (2D) antimonene-based modified screen-printed electrode (2D Sb-SPCE), prepared by drop-casting of an exfoliated layered β-antimony (2D Sb) suspension, was used for the simultaneous determination of Pb(II) and Cd(II) by differential pulse anodic stripping voltammetry (DPASV). 2D Sb-SPCE was characterized by microscopic and analytical techniques, and compared not only to bare SPCE but also to layered antimony chalcogenides based-sensors. Both Sb2S3 and Sb2Se3 have an isomorphous tubular one-dimensional (1D) crystal structure, whereas Sb2Te3 and monoelement β-Sb have a 2D layered structure. Under optimized conditions, 2D Sb-SPCE displays an excellent analytical performance with detection limits of 0.3 and 2.7 μg L−1 for Pb(II) and Cd(II), respectively, and a linear response from 1.1 to 128.3 µg L−1 for Pb(II) and from 9.1 to 132.7 µg L−1 for Cd(II). Moreover, 2D Sb-SPCE was successfully applied for the DPASV determination of Pb(II) and Cd(II) in tap water, achieving statistically comparable results to those provided by ICP-MS measurements.
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    Simultaneous determination of iron and copper using screen-printed carbon electrodes by adsorptive stripping voltammetry with o-phenanthroline.
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022-08-01) Ustabasi, Gul S.; Pérez Ràfols, Clara; Serrano i Plana, Núria; Díaz Cruz, José Manuel
    The simultaneous voltammetric determination of iron and copper was accomplished by an unmodified screen-printed carbon electrode based on the complexation with o-phenanthroline assisted by the reducing agent ferrocyanide. The detection limits were 3.74 and 0.34 µg L−1 for iron and copper, respectively, and a linear response was observed from 12.5 to 400 µg L−1 for iron and from 1.14 to 400 µg L−1 for copper. This method successfully avoids interferences between iron and copper while allowing the simultaneous determination of both low and high metal concentrations usually found in the environment. Finally, a certified wastewater reference material was successfully analyzed, confirming the precision and accuracy of the proposed method.
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    Considerations on the use of spectroelectrochemistry in reflection mode for quantitative analysis: Study of the Fe(III)/Fe(II) - orthophenanthroline system
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022-10-01) Ustabasi, Gul S.; Bastos-Arrieta, Julio; Pérez Ràfols, Clara; Serrano i Plana, Núria; Díaz Cruz, José Manuel
    Theoretical and experimental considerations are made about possible analytical applications of spectroelectrochemistry (SEC) in reflection mode using screen-printed electrodes. The system Fe(III)/Fe(II) - orthophenanthroline is taken as a model of electrochemical generation and consumption of a substance that is strongly absorbing: the Fe(II) - orthophenanthroline complex. Different possibilities of quantification are discussed, including cathodic and anodic peaks in cyclic voltammetry and both electrochemical and optical signals acquired in chronoamperometric experiments. Among these, the evolution of absorbance with the square root of time at a constant potential has shown interesting possibilities for the determination of Fe(III)-ion at micromolar level (LOD = 2 10-6 mol L-1). Moreover, this method appears to be resistant to the presence of other electroactive species such as Cu(II)-ions.
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    Chloride-attachment atmospheric pressure photoionisation for the determination of short-chain chlorinated paraffins by gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry
    (Elsevier B.V., 2021-08-08) Ayala Cabrera, Juan Francisco; Galcerán Huguet, M. Teresa; Moyano Morcillo, Encarnación; Santos Vicente, Francisco Javier
    In this work, a new gas chromatography-high-resolution mass spectrometry (GC-HRMS) method based on atmospheric pressure photoionisation (APPI) has been developed for the accurate determination of short-chain chlorinated paraffins (SCCPs) as a reliable alternative to the established methods. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time these compounds has been analysed by GC-MS using atmospheric pressure photoionisation (APPI). Efficient ionisation of SCCPs was achieved using the new GC-APPI source by the formation of [MþCl]e adduct ions in negative ion mode using dopant-assisted APPI with a mixture of acetone/CCl4 (3:1, v/v). Operating at a resolution of 70,000 FWHM (full width at half maximum) and monitoring the [MþCl]e adduct ions for each congener group, a selective determination of the SCCPs was achieved, avoiding isobaric interferences between homologue groups with different carbon chain length and chlorination degree. Moreover, the GC-APPI-HRMS response of each congener group was mainly influenced by its concentration and did not depend on the number of chlorine atoms in the molecule as occurs with the GC-MS methods based on the electron-capture negative ionisation (ECNI). Thus, the contribution of the different carbon and chlorine homologue groups in the SCCP mixtures was determined by the internal normalization method, and the quantification was performed independently of the chlorine content of the SCCP standard mixture employed. The developed GC-APPI-HRMS method offers some interesting advantages over the existing methods, particularly the possibility to quantify individual SCCP congener groups, the use of a simple calibration method for quantification, and an important timesaving in the data processing, especially over ECNI-based traditional methods. The GC-APPI-HRMS method allowed the determination of SCCPs at low concentration levels in fish samples with lowmethod limits of detection (17e34 pg g1 wet weight for total SCCPs), good precision (RSD < 7%) and trueness (relative error < 8%) and can be proposed as a reliable alternative of the established methods for the determination of these pollutants in environmental samples
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    A hybrid sensing system combining simultaneous optical and electrochemical measurements: application to beer discriminations
    (Elsevier B.V., 2022-05-01) Pérez Ràfols, Clara; Serrano i Plana, Núria; Díaz Cruz, José Manuel
    A hybrid sensing system, which combines simultaneous cyclic voltammetric (CV) and UV-vis absorbance measurements using a commercial carbon screen-printed electrode and a set of optical fibres in disposable cuvettes, is proposed. The hybrid system approach was applied to 27 samples of recognized beer brands, improving the classification power as compared to only voltammetric or only spectrophotometric measurements. The developed partial least squares discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) model was able to discriminate between five types of beer (lager, marzen, black/stout, alcohol-free and white/ale). The model was also successfully applied to 28 beer samples of white-label brands sold in local supermarkets, demonstrating their similarity to recognized brand beers.
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    The unexplored virome of two Atlantic coast fish: contribution of next-generation sequencing to fish virology
    (MDPI, 2020-11-09) Filipa Silva, Andreia; Parreira, Ricardo; Martínez-Puchol, Sandra; Bofill Mas, Silvia; Barreto Crespo, María Teresa; Nunes, Mónica
    Much of the knowledge on viruses is focused on those that can be propagated using cell-cultures or that can cause disease in humans or in economically important animals and plants. However, this only reflects a small portion of the virosphere. Therefore, in this study, we explore by targeted next-generation sequencing, how the virome varies between Atlantic horse mackerels and gilthead seabreams from fisheries and aquaculture from the center and south regions of Portugal. Viral genomes potentially pathogenic to fish and crustaceans, as well as to humans, were identified namely Astroviridae, Nodaviridae, Hepadnaviridae, Birnaviridae, Caliciviridae, and Picornaviridae families. Also bacteriophages sequences were identified corresponding to the majority of sequences detected, with Myoviridae, Podoviridae, and Siphoviridae, the most widespread families in both fish species. However, these findings can also be due to the presence of bacteria in fish tissues, or even to contamination. Overall, seabreams harbored viruses from a smaller number of families in comparison with mackerels. Therefore, the obtained data show that fish sold for consumption can harbor a high diversity of viruses, many of which are unknown, reflecting the overall uncharacterized virome of fish. While cross-species transmission of bonafide fish viruses to humans is unlikely, the finding of human pathogenic viruses in fish suggest that fish virome can be a potential threat regarding food safety.
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    Moradebrichthys vilasecae gen. et sp. nov., a new perleidid (Actinopterygii: Osteichthyes) from the Middle Triassic of Catalonia (NE Iberian Peninsula)
    (Schweizerbart, 2019-05-24) Cartanyà, Joan; Fortuny, Josep; Bolet, Arnau; Garcia Artigas, Ruben
    A new actinopterygian, Moradebrichthys vilasecae gen. et sp. nov., from the Middle Triassic (Late Ladinian) of Móra d'Ebre-Camposines (Catalonia, NE Iberian Peninsula) is erected on the basis of several, almost complete, articulated and well-preserved specimens. It is referred to the controversial family Perleididae based on the presence of a combination of features such as paried nasals, presence of rostral, vertical suspensorium, absence of interopercle, lack of coronoid in the mandible, basal and fringing fulcra on fins developed to different extents and an almost symmetrical caudal fin with epaxial fin rays. Comparisons to other well-known taxa usually assigned to the Perleididae family reveals that the new taxon presents many similarities with the genera Perleidus, Peltoperleidus, Aetheodontus and Meridensia, rather than other perleidids. Moreover, additional morphological characters, not shared with any of these genera are: a big half moon shaped infraorbital-2 and one elongate infraorbital-1, a narrow vertical preopercle with a prominent and pointed anterior maxillary process, a dentary covered by horizontally arranged ridges, a very big opercle and a much smaller subopercle, and the high level of lepidotrichia branching in the caudal fin. A comparison of Catalan Middle Triassic actinopterygian assemblages with other ones from Central European basins of coeval age (particularly Italian and Swiss localities) suggest some faunal similarities, being of special interest the potential correlation with the Besano Formation.