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Dangerous fungal clouds

29.01.2020

Scientists at the University of California at Irvine (USA) have found that a large number of nanoparticles contained in the atmospheric air, involved in the formation of clouds and causing potentially dangerous asthma in humans, are actually fungal spores.

In 2016, researchers took samples for a month in Oklahoma using a device that captures particles 20-60 nanometers in diameter and then places them on a thin platinum filament. After the molecules evaporated, a high-resolution mass spectrometer analyzed the resulting gases, establishing their chemical composition.

Airborne spores absorb water, swell and rupture into fragments 30 nanometers in diameter, which are much smaller than cells that are thousands of nanometers in diameter, the scientists say. These particles are able to penetrate much deeper into the lungs. The possible allergenicity of spore fragments explains why some people have asthma attacks during rainy seasons.

Nanoparticles can play the role of nuclei to which water molecules are attached. This creates ice crystals, which in turn form clouds.

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Wearable biosensors from old CDs 30.07.2022

As online music listening services become more popular, CDs are falling into disuse. However, some of them can still be used, since the gold foil contained in them can be used in the production of wearable biosensors.

Although CDs are made primarily from polycarbonate, they contain a thin layer of foil. Most CDs have this aluminum foil, although some use gold.

Because thin layers of gold are also used in flexible skin-attached biosensors, researchers at Binghamton University in New York asked if gold from discs could be used for this purpose.

Under the guidance of graduate student Matthew Brown and Associate Professor Ahyon Koch, a method was developed in which gold CDs were first soaked in acetone for 90 seconds, which destroyed the polycarbonate, weakening the bond between it and the foil, then a sheet of polyimide adhesive tape was applied to the foil. which both foil and gold peeled off from polycarbonate.

Using a commercially available fabric cutting machine, the gold foil and its tape backing were cut into flexible patterns that can be repeatedly applied to and removed from the skin. In combination with other electronics, these biosensors can be used to monitor the electrical activity of the heart and user muscles, as well as to measure lactose, glucose, pH and oxygen levels. All data can be sent to a smartphone via Bluetooth.

The entire fabrication process takes only 20-30 minutes, does not require expensive equipment, and costs about $1,5 per sensor.

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