Abstract
Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) are biomimetic materials of great interest in the scientific and industrial fields for the development of innovative sensing strategies. Herein, we proposed a new sensing application by developing an electrochemical sensor using molecular imprinting (MI) technology for recognition of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) both as a free molecule in solution and attached to nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems (DDSs), aiming to provide fast and reliable information on the cell uptake of nanoparticles (NPs). As proof of concept, poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) NPs were synthesized and used as nanocarriers for ischemic heart disease therapy were synthesized and then functionalized with ANP (named here as PLGANPs@ANP). The MIP receptor film was prepared by electrochemical polymerization of dopamine over the working area of a gold screen-printed electrode (AuSPE), using cyclic voltammetry (CV) technique. The construction of the ANP sensor was carefully optimized to enhance its performance, including the film thickness and the procedures for effective template extraction from the MIP matrix. The MIP biosensor presented a linear response against polymeric NPs (PLGA-NPs@ANP) concentration logarithm ranging from 4.0 mu g mL(-1) to 100 mu g mL(-1), with a sensitivity of - 0.0129 mA mL mu g(-1) decade(-1) and an LOD < 4.0 g mL(-1). Furthermore, the developed MIP receptor film was able to discriminate ANP-functionalized nanocarriers from non-functionalized NPs.

Abstract
The field of electrochemistry at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (ITIES) has been continuously expanding over the years due to their vast number of applications, including to investigate the partitioning of ionizable drugs at liquid-liquid systems. The aim of this Review is to highlight the great potential of ITIES as simple model of biological membranes to gather information on drug partition, lipophilicity, and pharmacokinetics that can be very useful for researchers in the field of drug discovery for development of new drugs with enhanced permeability. Relevant contributions and perspectives to improve the applicability of ITIES in partition studies were highlighted and discussed. The second part of this Review pretends to highlight the application of electrochemistry at the ITIES as experimental technique to investigate interactions between small ligands, including drugs, and DNA, a topic of high research interest in pharmaceutical and biological sciences, which remains with lots of opportunities to explore. Voltammetry at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces can be a versatile tool in the field of Drug Discovery as simple model for mimicking drug permeation through biological membranes helping to understand the partition of ionizable drugs between the aqueous and organic phases while providing fundamental information on its lipophilicity that can contribute to the design of new drugs with improved biological activity. image

Abstract
Purpose Pejao Mining Complex locates in Castelo de Paiva municipality and, until its closure in 1994, was one of the most important coal mines in the Douro Coalfield. This work aims to study the presence, quantify, and evaluate the dissemination of mercury (Hg), a potentially toxic element (PTE) of major public health concern by the World Health Organization (WHO), from a waste pile affected by coal fires.Materials and methods Samples from areas affected and unaffected by the combustion and from surrounding soil were collected from Fojo waste pile region. First, the Hg pseudo-total concentration was estimated for all collected samples by soil microwave-assisted digestion with aqua regia (USEPA 3051A). Then, a sequential extraction procedure (SEP), the USEPA 3200, was applied for Hg fractionation and speciation aiming to evaluate Hg mobility and bioavailability to surrounding ecosystems.Results and discussion The results obtained showed a Hg enrichment in soil samples when compared to Portuguese and international reference values for soils. Relatively to the Hg availability and mobility, although it predominates in the semi-mobile fraction, the waste pile materials exposed to combustion showed a concerning increase of Hg levels in the mobile fraction that contains the more labile Hg species, being a major source of environmental contamination by Hg.Conclusions This study allowed to conclude that combustion of mining residues increased Hg mobility, toxicity, and bioavailability, increasing the contamination potential of the coal waste pile. The methodology applied in this work can be replicated in other abandoned mines to monitor, control, and/or mitigate the Hg environmental impact in the surrounding soils and waters.

Abstract
An isolation effort focused on sporogenous Actinomycetota from the Tagus estuary in Alcochete, Portugal, yielded a novel actinomycetal strain, designated MTZ3.1T, which was subjected to a polyphasic taxonomic study. MTZ3.1T is characterised by morphology typical of members of the genus Streptomyces, with light beige coloured substrate mycelium, which does not release pigments to the culture medium and with helicoidal aerial hyphae that differentiate into spores with a light- grey colour. The phylogeny of MTZ3.1T, based on the full 16S rRNA gene sequence, indicated that its closest relatives were Streptomyces alkaliterrae OF1T (98.48 %), Streptomyces chumphonensis KK1-2T (98.41 %), Streptomyces albofaciens JCM 4342T (98.34 %), Streoptomyces paromomycinus NBRC 15454T (98.34 %) and Streptomyces chrestomyceticus NRBC 13444T (98.34 %). Moreover, average nucleotide identity (ANI), average amino acid identity (AAI) and digital DNA-DNA hybridisation (dDDH) are below the species cutoff values (ANI 67.70 and 68.35 %, AAI 77.06 and 76.71 % and dDDH 22.10 and 21.50 % for S. alkaliterrae OF1T and S. chumphonensis KK1-2T, respectively). Whole genome sequencing revealed that MTZ3.1T has a genome of 5 644 485 bp with a DNA G+C content of 71.29 mol% and 5044 coding sequences. Physiologically, MTZ3.1T is strictly aerobic, able to grow at 15-37 & DEG;C, optimally at 25 & DEG;C and between pH5 and 8 and showed high salinity tolerance, growing with 0-10 %(w/v) NaCl. Major cellular fatty acids are C15:0, iso-C15:0, anteiso-C15: 0 and iso- C16:0. Furthermore, it was able to utilise a variety of nitrogen and carbon sources. Antimicrobial screening indicated that MTZ3.1T has potent anti- Staphylococcus aureus activity. On the basis of the polyphasic data, MTZ3.1T is proposed to represent a novel species, Streptomyces meridianus sp. nov. (= CECT 30416T = DSM 114037T=LMG 32463T).

Abstract
The domain of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) is becoming a key candidate to enable safer and efficient mobility in IoT enabled smart cities. Several recent research in cooperative autonomous systems are conducted over simulation frameworks as real experiments are still too costly. In this paper, we present a platooning robotic test-bed platform with a 1/10 scale robotic vehicles that functions based on the input front commercially off the shelf technologies (COTS) such as Lidars and cameras. We also present an in-depth analysis of the functionalities and architecture of the proposed system. We also compare the performance of the aforementioned sensors in some real-life emulated scenarios. From our results, we were able to concur that the camera based platooning is able to perform well at partially observable scenarios than its counterpart.

Abstract
As software applications continue to become more complex and attractive to cyber-attackers, enhancing resilience against cyber threats becomes essential. Aiming to provide more robust solutions, different approaches were proposed for vulnerability detection in different stages of the application life-cycle. This article explores three main approaches to application security: Static Application Security Testing (SAST), Dynamic Application Security Testing (DAST), and Software Composition Analysis (SCA). The analysis conducted in this work is focused on open-source solutions while considering commercial solutions to show contrast in the approaches taken and to better illustrate the different options available. It proposes a baseline comparison model to help evaluate and select the best solutions, using comparison criteria that are based on community standards. This work also identifies future opportunities for application security, highlighting some of the key challenges that still need to be addressed in order to fully protect against emerging threats, and proposes a workflow that combines the identified tools to be used for vulnerability assessments.