Archive for the ‘News’ Category

Editorial Board member Boris Mizaikoff wins RSC Emerging Technologies Competition prize

Congratulations to Editorial Board member Boris Mizaikoff and researchers at Ulm University for winning a second prize in the RSC Emerging Technologies Competition 2016.

The Emerging Technologies Competition is the Royal Society of Chemistry’s annual innovation initiative, turning promising ideas into commercial reality. Now in its fourth year, the competition brings cutting edge science to the real world for the benefit of society.

Entrants were required to pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges, in front of a live audience, at Chemistry Means Business on 15 June 2016.

Professor Mizaikoff and researchers at Ulm University, were awarded second prize in the Health & Wellbeing category for their advanced infrared breath diagnostic devices.

Ulm University is using substrate-integrated hollow waveguides to facilitate the development of label-free miniaturised breath diagnostic devices, based on mid-infrared sensing technology. This allows quantitative determination of volatile organic biomarkers in exhaled breath within minute sample volumes, with high time resolution, and with inherent molecular selectivity at trace levels.”

You can read more about the winners of the competition here and also register your interest for next years competition.

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Nanoprobes to guide cancer radiotherapy dosing

Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can help optimise radiotherapy treatment regimes for prostate cancer, UK scientists have shown.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide in men, and the fourth most common cancer overall. It is usually treated with radiotherapy, and doctors would like to tailor doses for individual patients. This would help maximise tumour cell destruction, while minimising damage to normal tissue.

To read the full article by Sarah Rogers, please visit Chemistry World.

Measuring the effects of fractionated radiation therapy in a 3D prostate cancer model system using SERS nanosensors

Victoria L. Camus, Grant Stewart, William H. Nailon, Duncan B. McLarend and Colin J. Campbell
Analyst, 2016
DOI:  10.1039/C6AN01032F



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Gordon F. Kirkbright Bursary Award, 2017

Graphical AbstractThe Gordon F. Kirkbright bursary award is a prestigious annual award that enables a promising student/non-tenured young scientist of any nation to attend a recognised scientific meeting or visit a place of learning.
The fund for this bursary was established in 1985 as a memorial to Professor Gordon Kirkbright in recognition of his contributions to analytical spectroscopy and to science in general. Although the fund is administered by the Association of British Spectroscopists (ABS) Trust, the award is not restricted to spectroscopists.

Applications are invited for the 2017 Gordon Kirkbright Bursary.

For further information contact John Chalmers at, email: vibspecconsult@aol.com

The closing date for entries is 31 December 2016.
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Is food allergen analysis flawed?

Dairy products

© Shutterstock

It’s Allergy Awareness Week 25 April – 1 May, 2016.

There are around 21 million people who suffer from allergies in the UK alone.  Allergy UK is the leading national charity dedicated to supporting these people, and provides a dedicated helpline and online forums. Allergy Awareness Week hopes to draw attention to a number of allergies and promote well-being in those individuals who suffer from them.

Researchers at LGC, The Queen’s University of Belfast, Allergy Action, and the University of Manchester have combined to produce a critical review published in Analyst on the flaws in the analysis of food allergens that could jeopardise their future risk management, as well as ways to address those flaws. Follow the link below to read their review.

Peanuts

© Shutterstock

Is food allergen analysis flawed? Health and supply chain risks and a proposed framework to address urgent analytical needs
M. J. Walker, D. T. Burns, C. T. Elliott, M. H. Gowland and E. N. Clare Mills
Analyst, 2016, 141, 24-35
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01457C

Check out the Chemistry World comment on allergies from Michael Walker here.

Interested to read more about food testing? Try the ‘Detecting food authenticity and integrity‘ online collection: A compilation of papers showcasing the latest discoveries and developments in the analysis and detection of food fraud, contamination, adulteration and spoilage.

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Open Access papers in Analyst

We are very pleased to share with you below some of the latest Open Access papers published in Analyst that may be of interest to you. These research papers are free to access for all – we hope you enjoy reading them.

Rebekah Louise Sayers, Phil E Johnson, Justin T Marsh, Perdita Barran, Helen Brown and Clare Mills
Analyst, 2016, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00359A, Paper

Marco Realini, Alessandra Botteon, Claudia Conti, Chiara Colombo and Pavel Matousek
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00413J, Paper

Jakob Felix Hitzenberger, Claudia Dammann, Nina Lang, Dominik Lungerich, Miguel García-Iglesias, Giovanni Bottari, Tomás Torres, Norbert Jux and Thomas Drewello
Analyst, 2016, 141, 1347-1355
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02148K, Paper

Loanda R. Cumba, Christopher W. Foster, Dale A. C. Brownson, Jamie P. Smith, Jesus Iniesta, Bhawana Thakur, Devaney R. do Carmo and Craig E. Banks
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00167J, Paper

Georgios Theophilou, Kássio M. G. Lima, Pierre L. Martin-Hirsch, Helen F. Stringfellow and Francis L. Martin
Analyst, 2016, 141, 585-594
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN00939A, Paper

Samuel J. Allen, Kevin Giles, Tony Gilbert and Matthew F. Bush
Analyst, 2016, 141, 884-891
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02107C, Paper

S. Casabella, P. Scully, N. Goddard and P. Gardner
Analyst, 2016, 141, 689-696
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01851J, Paper

Woong Kim, Nara Kim, Eunbyoul Lee, Duckhoe Kim, Zee Hwan Kim and Joon Won Park
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00035E, Communication

Blake M. Bluestein, Fionnuala Morrish, Daniel J. Graham, Jamie Guenthoer, David Hockenbery, Peggy L. Porter and Lara J. Gamble
Analyst, 2016, 141, 1947-1957
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02406D, Paper

Katherine Ganio, Simon A. James, Dominic J. Hare, Blaine R. Roberts and Gawain McColl
Analyst, 2016, 141, 1434-1439
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02544C, Paper

Satish Balasaheb Nimse, Mukesh Digambar Sonawane, Keum-Soo Song and Taisun Kim
Analyst, 2016, 141, 740-755
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01790D, Critical Review

Suman Mallick, Falguni Chandra and Apurba L. Koner
Analyst, 2016, 141, 827-831
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01911G, Communication

Bing Li, Yong Qiu, Hanchang Shi and Huabing Yin
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02649K, Paper

Elias Blanco, Christopher W. Foster, Loanda R. Cumba, Devaney R. do Carmo and Craig E. Banks
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00440G, Paper

Morphy C. Dumlao, Laura E. Jeffress, J. Justin Gooding and William A. Donald
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00178E, Paper

Thomas P. McNamara and Christopher F. Blanford
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00143B, Paper

Yuki Hiruta, Ryosuke Kanazashi, Eri Ayano, Teruo Okano and Hideko Kanazawa
Analyst, 2016, 141, 910-917
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01996F, Paper

Julia Kuligowski, Marwa R. EL-Zahry, Ángel Sánchez-Illana, Guillermo Quintás, Máximo Vento and Bernhard Lendl
Analyst, 2016, 141, 2165-2174
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01865J, Paper

Drupad K. Trivedi, Katherine A. Hollywood, Nicholas J. W. Rattray, Holli Ward, Dakshat K. Trivedi, Joseph Greenwood, David I. Ellis and Royston Goodacre
Analyst, 2016, 141, 2155-2164
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00108D, Paper

Miguel Aller Pellitero, Maria Kitsara, Friedrich Eibensteiner and F. Javier del Campo
Analyst, 2016, 141, 2515-2522
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02424B, Paper

P. Matousek, C. Conti, M. Realini and C. Colombo
Analyst, 2016, 141, 731-739
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02129D, Critical Review

L. E. Jones, A. Stewart, K. L. Peters, M. McNaul, S. J. Speers, N. C. Fletcher and S. E. J. Bell
Analyst, 2016, 141, 902-909
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02326B, Paper

Rachael Smith, Karen L. Wright and Lorna Ashton
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00152A, Critical Review

Vijaya Sunkara, Hyun-Kyung Woo and Yoon-Kyoung Cho
Analyst, 2016, 141, 371-381
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01775K, Minireview

John J. MacInnis, Trevor C. VandenBoer and Cora J. Young
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00313C, Paper

James Ord, Holly J. Butler, Martin R. McAinsh and Francis L. Martin
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00392C, Paper

Tanja Gaissmaier, Markus Siebenhaar, Vanya Todorova, Volker Hüllen and Carsten Hopf
Analyst, 2016, 141, 892-901
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02302E, Paper

Bhawana Thakur, Elena Bernalte, Jamie P. Smith, Christopher W. Foster, Patricia E. Linton, Shilpa N. Sawant and Craig E. Banks
Analyst, 2016,141, 1233-1238
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02469B, Communication

Santiago Medina-Rodríguez, Sergey A. Denisov, Yanouk Cudré, Louise Male, Marta Marín-Suárez, Alberto Fernández-Gutiérrez, Jorge F. Fernández-Sánchez, Arnaud Tron, Gediminas Jonusauskas, Nathan D. McClenaghan and Etienne Baranoff
Analyst, 2016, Advance Article
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00497K, Paper

Joshua M. Jackson, James B. Taylor, Małgorzata A. Witek, Sally A. Hunsucker, Jennifer P. Waugh, Yuri Fedoriw, Thomas C. Shea, Steven A. Soper and Paul M. Armistead
Analyst, 2016, 141, 640-651
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN01836F, Paper
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X-ray advances Aboriginal culture study

Graphical Abstract


For the first time, Australian scientists have studied complex mixtures of natural pigments on intact Aboriginal Australian artefacts using x-ray fluorescence microscopy.

Previously applied to canvas paintings, the group at Flinders University applied the technique, which analyses the composition, application and layering of pigments, to two indigenous Australian objects – a boomerang and a bark painting. X-ray fluorescence microscopy allows complex elemental analysis of pigment mixtures of varying thickness without the need for damaging sample extraction. The objects are analysed directly in the x-ray beam.

Read the full article in Chemistry World >>>

Novel application of X-ray fluorescence microscopy (XFM) for the non-destructive micro-elemental analysis of natural mineral pigments on Aboriginal Australian objects
Rachel S. Popelka-Filcoff, Claire E. Lenehan, Enzo Lombi, Erica Donner, Daryl L. Howard, Martin D. de Jonge, David Paterson, Keryn Walshe and Allan Pring
Analyst, 2016
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02065D, Paper

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Analyst Emerging Investigator Lectureship Awardee

We are delighted to announce Patrick Hayes the winner of the inaugural Analyst Emerging Investigator Lectureship.

This lectureship was launched as a platform for an early career analytical scientist to raise the profile of the analytical sciences to the wider scientific community and general public. The candidates were asked to submit an original essay of no more than 1000 words highlighting the significant and wide-reaching impact on scientific and societal issues related to this year’s theme of health in the analytical sciences. The awardee receives up to £2000 contribution towards travel and accommodation costs to attend and present a lecture based on their research at a leading international meeting. Their essay will also be published as a Perspective article in Analyst.

The Editorial Board had a very difficult decision with so many exceptional and high quality submissions. Congratulations to Patrick!

Introducing Patrick Hayes:

Patrick Hayes is Assistant Professor of the Atmospheric and Analytical Chemistry Group at the Université de Montréal since Summer 2013. He obtained his PhD in Analytical Chemistry at Northwestern University, USA. His postdoctoral CIRES fellowship was performed at the University of Colorado. His research group focusses on the chemistry of atmospheric aerosols and the study of fundamental chemical and physical interations occurring at solid/liquid interfaces important to the environment. He has more than 30 peer-reviewed publications, and has given more than 20 oral presentations, including 7 invited lectures. He has also served as a Member of the Board of Directors for the Environmental Division of the Chemical Institute of Canada.

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Test to tell if your mince is telling porkies

Graphical AbstractScientists in the UK are battling food fraud with a new quantitative method for detecting pork in beef mince using metabolic fingerprints.
‘Doping beef mince with cheaper pork meat has become a common practice for economic gain,’ explains team member Drupad Trivedi, from Roy Goodacre’s group at the University of Manchester. Though this in itself is not life-threatening, doping and mislabeling meat raises significant ethical and religious concerns.

Meat, the metabolites: an integrated metabolite profiling and lipidomics approach for the detection of the adulteration of beef with pork
Drupad Trivedi, Katherine Anne Hollywood, Nicholas John William Rattray, Holli Ward, Joseph Greenwood, David I. Ellis and Royston Goodacre
Analyst, 2016, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C6AN00108D, Paper

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Catching up with legal highs

Graphical AbstractA team of British and Australian scientists has combined two spectroscopy techniques to rapidly identify new psychoactive substances from police drug seizures.

Designers of new psychoactive drugs, or ‘legal highs’, constantly tweak their chemical structure to avoid drug laws. And a lack of certified reference standards alongside the sample preparation required for established methods such as GC–MS and HPLC–MS has hindered high-throughput screening. So how do you test for drugs when you don’t know what you’re looking for? This is a problem currently facing forensic scientists.

Read the full article in Chemistry World >>>


Infrared and Raman screening of seized novel psychoactive substances: a large scale study of >200 samples
L. E. Jones, A. Stewart, K. L. Peters, M. McNaul, S. J. Speers, N. C. Fletcher and S. E. J. Bell
Analyst, 2016, 141, 902-909
DOI: 10.1039/C5AN02326B, Paper

Do you fancy submitting an article to Analyst? Why not submit to us here today or alternatively email us with your suggestions!

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Analytical Science Twitter Poster Conference 2016

We are delighted to announce the Analytical Science Twitter Poster Conference (#RSCAnalyticalPoster) will be happening March 17th to March 18th!

The Royal Society of Chemistry Analytical Science Twitter Poster Conference is an online event being held entirely over Twitter to bring members of the scientific research community together to share their research, network and engage in scientific debate.

© iStock

How do I take part?

During the event simply tweet an image (e.g. JPEG) which will be a digital poster summarising your research along with #RSCAnalyticalPoster and the title of your work. Throughout the day you can then answer any questions posed to you by other people on Twitter and ask questions about other posters. Make sure you follow #RSCAnalyticalPoster throughout the day as the conference progresses.

When is it?

Posters tweeted with #RSCAnalyticalPoster between 9am GMT March 17th and 9am GMT March 18th will be eligible to win prizes. Make sure you ask and answer lots of questions to ensure your work is well understood!

Is my research area suitable?

The conference is open to anyone working in any area of science whose research topic is in the scope of Analyst, Analytical Methods or JAAS. If you’re unsure if your poster is suitable for the conference, just get in touch and we can advise.

What can I win?

The main aim of the event is to meet new scientists, share ideas and learn about the latest developments in different areas of analytical science. The scientific committee will also select posters which stimulate wide interest and feature innovative, high quality, exciting analytical research. Posters prizes will be awarded for content & accessibility, design and researcher interaction with the conference. There will also be an audience award for the most tweeted poster.

Who is organising the event and how do I find them?

At different points throughout the day members of the scientific committee will be logging in to Twitter and searching for #RSCAnalyticalPoster to ask questions about some of the posters. Make sure you check back in at different times to see if you have any new questions and also make sure you ask questions about other posters. Members of the scientific committee and their Twitter names are listed below and make sure you follow us @analystrsc @MethodsRSC and @JAASNews for the latest updates.

Chair and Organisers

Matt Baker, University of Strathclyde, UK @ChemistryBaker

Craig Banks, Manchester Metropolitan University @Act_mmu

Sam Illingworth, Manchester Metropolitan University @samillingworth

Ed Randviir, Manchester Metropolitan University, @RandviirScience

Royal Society of Chemistry- Analyst @analystrsc, Analytical Methods @MethodsRSC and JAAS @JAASNews

Scientific Committee

© iStock

Damien Arrigan, Curtin University @arri_aus

Perdita Barran, The Universityof Manchester @PerditaB

Raychelle Burks, Doane College @DrRubidium

Richard Dluhy, UAB College of Arts and Sciences @radluhy

Carsten Engelhard, Universität Siegen @EngelhrC

Karen Faulds, University of Strathclyde @FauldsKaren

Roy Goodacre, The University of Manchester @RoyGoodacre

Renee JiJi, University of Missouri @ReneeJiJi

Simon Lewis, Curtin University @SimonWLewis

Jean-Francois Masson, University of Montreal @Masson_chem

Martin Resano, University of Zaragoza @MartinResano

Nick Stone, University of Exeter @profnickstone

Renee Webster, Monash University @reneewebs

How do I register?

Pre-registration is not necessary; however we will need to verify who you are and where you do your research to be eligible for the prizes. We strongly recommend you do this before the event by emailing us at and letting us know:

•  Your name, address and contact details

•  The title or topic of your poster

•  Your twitter ID

Register for #RSCAnalyticalPoster

We look forward to meeting you in March!

© Shutterstock

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to check the copyright and permissions needed for figures or any other parts of my poster which have already been published?

Yes. Copyright owners have the exclusive right to copy their work and to issue copies of their work to the public, and it is an infringement for anyone else to do so without the copyright owner’s permission. If you are reproducing material contained in a Royal Society of Chemistry publication (journal articles, book or book chapters) you may do so providing that you fully acknowledge the original Royal Society of Chemistry publication and include a link back to it. If you wish to include material that has been published by another publisher, you will need to check how the publisher/copyright owner of the third party material wishes to receive permission requests. Information on this can be found on our Permission Requests page under “Use of third party material in our publications”.

If I include unpublished work in my poster, will I still be able to publish this in a peer-reviewed journal afterwards?

Subject to the usual conditions outlined in the Licence to Publish, being a part of the Twitter conference will not prevent you using some of the information included in your poster as part of an article in a Royal Society of Chemistry journal. Please note this policy varies by publisher and if you intend to submit your research for publication elsewhere after the event, you should check the individual policy for that journal and publisher.

What size should my poster be?

You can choose any dimensions for your poster, the important thing is that the text and figures are clear for people to read and understand. Using Microsoft PowerPoint, we found a text size of between 12-16 were clear to read when saving an A4 slide as a JPEG and uploading to Twitter. Using an A0 template, the text needed to be between 50 and 60 to be legible. You can use any software you like to create your poster, as long as the image you upload is clear for others to read. We recommend testing your poster on Twitter before the conference to make sure you are happy with your image.

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