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Carbon dots for iron sensing in hydroponic systems. Iron (Fe) is a required micronutrient in plants for the production of chlorophyll and transport of oxygen. 

Abstract     Organophosphorus pesticides are widely used in industrial agriculture and have been associated with water pollution and negative impacts on local ecosystems and communities. There is a need for testing technologies to detect the presence of pesticide residues in water sources, especially in developing countries where access to standard laboratory methods is cost prohibitive. Herein, we outline the development of a facile electrochemical sensor for amperometric determination of organophosphorus pesticides in environmental water samples. A three-electrode system was fabricated via UV laser-inscribing on a polyimide film. The working electrode was functionalized with copper nanoparticles with affinity toward organophosphate compounds. The sensor showed a limit of detection (LOD) of 3.42 ± 1.69 µM for glyphosate, 7.28 ± 1.20 µM for glufosinate, and 17.78 ± 7.68 µM for aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA). Sensitivity was highest for glyphosate (145.52 ± 36.73 nA⋅µM −1 ⋅cm −2 ) followed by glufosinate (56.98 ± 10.87 nA⋅µM −1 ⋅cm −2 ), and AMPA (30.92 ± 8.51 nA⋅µM −1 ⋅cm −2 ). The response of the sensor is not significantly affected by the presence of several ions and organic molecules commonly present in natural water samples. The developed sensor shows promising potential for facilitating environmental monitoring of organophosphorus pesticide residues, which is a current need in several parts of the world. Graphical Abstract 

Biosensors often combine biological recognition elements with nanomaterials of varying compositions and dimensions to facilitate or enhance the operating mechanism of the device. While incorporating nanomaterials is beneficial to developing high-performance biosensors, at the stages of scale-up and disposal, it may lead to the unmanaged release of toxic nanomaterials. Here we attempt to foster connections between the domains of biosensors development and human and environmental toxicology to encourage a holistic approach to the development and scale-up of biosensors. We begin by exploring the toxicity of nanomaterials commonly used in biosensor design. From our analysis, we introduce five factors with a role in nanotoxicity that should be considered at the biosensor development stages to better manage toxicity. Finally, we contextualize the discussion by presenting the relevant stages and routes of exposure in the biosensor life cycle. Our review found little consensus on how the factors presented govern nanomaterial toxicity, especially in composite and alloyed nanomaterials. To bridge the current gap in understanding and mitigate the risks of uncontrolled nanomaterial release, we advocate for greater collaboration through a precautionary One Health approach to future development and a movement towards a circular approach to biosensor use and disposal. 

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the top 10 global public health threats facing humanity, especially in low-resource settings, and requires an interdisciplinary response across academia, government, countries, and societies. If unchecked, AMR will hamper progress towards reaching the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including ending poverty and hunger, promoting healthy lives and well-being, and achieving sustained economic growth. There are many global initiatives to curb the effects of AMR, but significant gaps remain. New ways of thinking and operating in the context of the SDGs are essential to making progress. In this entry, we define the next generation of the AMR research network, its composition, and strategic activities that can help mitigate the threats due to AMR at the local, regional, and global levels. This is supported by a review of recent literature and bibliometric and network analyses to examine the current and future state of AMR research networks for global health and sustainable development. 

In this review, we discuss the role of sensor analytics point solutions (SNAPS), a reduced complexity machine-assisted decision support tool. We summarize the approaches used for mobile phone-based chemical/biological sensors, including general hardware and software requirements for signal transduction and acquisition. We introduce SNAPS, part of a platform approach to converge sensor data and analytics. The platform is designed to consist of a portfolio of modular tools which may lend itself to dynamic composability by enabling context-specific selection of relevant units, resulting in case-based working modules. SNAPS is an element of this platform where data analytics, statistical characterization and algorithms may be delivered to the data either via embedded systems in devices, or sourced, in near real-time, from mist, fog or cloud computing resources. Convergence of the physical systems with the cyber components paves the path for SNAPS to progress to higher levels of artificial reasoning tools (ART) and emerge as data-informed decision support, as a service for general societal needs. Proof of concept examples of SNAPS are demonstrated both for quantitative data and qualitative data, each operated using a mobile device (smartphone or tablet) for data acquisition and analytics. We discuss the challenges and opportunities for SNAPS, centered around the value to users/stakeholders and the key performance indicators users may find helpful, for these types of machine-assisted tools. 

In this manuscript, we discuss relevant socioeconomic factors for developing and implementing sensor analytic point solutions (SNAPS) as point-of-care tools to serve impoverished communities. The distinct economic, environmental, cultural, and ethical paradigms that affect economically disadvantaged users add complexity to the process of technology development and deployment beyond the science and engineering issues. We begin by contextualizing the environmental burden of disease in select low-income regions around the world, including environmental hazards at work, home, and the broader community environment, where SNAPS may be helpful in the prevention and mitigation of human exposure to harmful biological vectors and chemical agents. We offer examples of SNAPS designed for economically disadvantaged users, specifically for supporting decision-making in cases of tuberculosis (TB) infection and mercury exposure. We follow-up by discussing the economic challenges that are involved in the phased implementation of diagnostic tools in low-income markets and describe a micropayment-based systems-as-a-service approach (pay-a-penny-per-use—PAPPU), which may be catalytic for the adoption of low-end, low-margin, low-research, and the development SNAPS. Finally, we provide some insights into the social and ethical considerations for the assimilation of SNAPS to improve health outcomes in marginalized communities.