scholarly journals A Spectral Comparison of Jarosites Using Techniques Relevant to the Robotic Exploration of Biosignatures on Mars

Life ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liane Loiselle ◽  
Michael McCraig ◽  
M. Dyar ◽  
Richard Léveillé ◽  
Sean Shieh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Enrichment Culture ◽  
River Sediments ◽  
Data Interpretation ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Martian Surface ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Tinto River ◽  
Robotic Exploration ◽  
Meridiani Planum

The acidic sulfate-rich waters of the Meridiani Planum region were potentially a habitable environment for iron-oxidizing bacteria on ancient Mars. If life existed in this ancient martian environment, jarosite minerals precipitating in these waters may record evidence of this biological activity. Since the Meridiani jarosite is thermodynamically stable at the martian surface, any biosignatures preserved in the jarosites may be readily available for analysis in the current surface sediments during the ongoing robotic exploration of Mars. However, thermal decomposition experiments indicate that organic compound detection of sediments containing jarosite may be challenging when using pyrolysis experiments; the instrument commonly used to assess organic matter in martian samples. So, here, we assess if the biogenicity of the Meridiani-type jarosites can be determined using complimentary spectroscopic techniques also utilized during the robotic exploration of Mars, including the upcoming ExoMars2020 rover mission. An abiotic jarosite, synthesized following established protocols, and a biological jarosite counterpart, derived from a microbial enrichment culture of Rio Tinto river sediments, were used to compare four spectroscopy techniques employed in the robotic exploration of Mars (Raman spectroscopy, mid-infrared (IR) spectroscopy, visible near-infrared reflectance (VNIR) spectroscopy and Mössbauer spectroscopy) to determine if the complimentary information obtained using these instruments can help elucidate the biological influence of Meridiani-type jarosites. Raman spectral differences might be due to the presence of unreacted reagents in the synthetic spectra and not biological contributions. Reflectance (IR/VNIR) spectra might exhibit minor organic absorption contributions, but are observed in both sample spectra, and do not represent a biosignature. Mössbauer spectra show minor differences in fit parameters that are related to crystal morphology and are unrelated to the biological (i.e., organic) component of the system. Results of this study suggest that the identification of biosignatures in Meridiani-type jarosites using the in situ robotic exploration on Mars may be possible but will be challenging. Our work provides additional insight into extraterrestrial biosignature detection and data interpretation for Mars exploration and indicates that sample return missions are likely required to unequivocally resolve the possible biogenicity of the Meridiani sediments or other jarosite-containing sediments.

scholarly journals Visible and Near-Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy Analysis of a Coastal Soil Chronosequence

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 2336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanghui Zheng ◽  
Dongryeol Ryu ◽  
Caixia Jiao ◽  
Xianli Xie ◽  
Xuefeng Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Organic Matter ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Spectroscopic Method ◽  
Reflectance Spectroscopy ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Soil Chronosequence ◽  
Pedogenic Processes

The soil chronosequence is a useful method for investigating pedological theories. Soil chemical, physical and mineralogical properties in chronosequences change over time and exhibit systematic and time-dependent trends, which can be used to analyze the rates and directions of pedogenic changes. The potential of soil spectroscopy as an emerging, rapid and cost-effective technique for predicting soil properties has been widely accepted and has motivated the application of spectroscopic techniques to the analysis of soil chronosequence. We present a soil chronosequence derived from 1000-year-old calcareous marine sediments and examine changes in six soil properties over this period. We evaluated the utility of a soil spectroscopic method to detect soil property changes and to predict the pedogenic properties and soil ages of the chronosequence. The results show that some soil pedogenic processes, such as soil organic matter accumulation, CaCO3 leaching and clay migration, can be identified in the millennium chronosequence. Power chronofunctions are formulated for soil organic matter (SOM) and Logarithmic chronofunctions are fitted for clay, CaCO3 and pH. These pedogenic processes are identified in the reflectance intensity and absorption features of soil spectroscopy, and pedogenic properties can be calibrated via soil reflectance spectroscopy. Profile ages can also be predicted via pseudo multi-depth spectra of soil profiles, and soil spectral curves for 0–30 cm generated the best prediction results (RPD = 1.85). We conclude that soil properties, changing due to weathering and soil formation, act as a bridge linking spectroscopy and weathering levels/pedogenic processes. The results imply that applying spectroscopy techniques to chronosequence study and mapping the degree of soil development in certain areas should be possible.

scholarly journals Predicting quality, texture and chemical content of yam (Dioscorea alata L.) tubers using near infrared spectroscopy

2021 ◽  
pp. 096703352110075
Author(s):  
Adou Emmanuel Ehounou ◽  
Denis Cornet ◽  
Lucienne Desfontaines ◽  
Carine Marie-Magdeleine ◽  
Erick Maledon ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Throughput ◽  
Dry Matter ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Reflectance Spectroscopy ◽  
Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Quality Traits ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy ◽  
Texture Attributes

Despite the importance of yam ( Dioscorea spp.) tuber quality traits, and more precisely texture attributes, high-throughput screening methods for varietal selection are still lacking. This study sets out to define the profile of good quality pounded yam and provide screening tools based on predictive models using near infrared reflectance spectroscopy. Seventy-four out of 216 studied samples proved to be moldable, i.e. suitable for pounded yam. While samples with low dry matter (<25%), high sugar (>4%) and high protein (>6%) contents, low hardness (<5 N), high springiness (>0.5) and high cohesiveness (>0.5) grouped mostly non-moldable genotypes, the opposite was not true. This outline definition of a desirable chemotype may allow breeders to choose screening thresholds to support their choice. Moreover, traditional near infrared reflectance spectroscopy quantitative prediction models provided good prediction for chemical aspects (R2 > 0.85 for dry matter, starch, protein and sugar content), but not for texture attributes (R2 < 0.58). Conversely, convolutional neural network classification models enabled good qualitative prediction for all texture parameters but hardness (i.e. an accuracy of 80, 95, 100 and 55%, respectively, for moldability, cohesiveness, springiness and hardness). This study demonstrated the usefulness of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy as a high-throughput way of phenotyping pounded yam quality. Altogether, these results allow for an efficient screening toolbox for quality traits in yams.

scholarly journals Comparison of Spectroscopic Techniques Combined with Chemometrics for Cocaine Powder Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 851-860
Author(s):  
Joy Eliaerts ◽  
Natalie Meert ◽  
Pierre Dardenne ◽  
Vincent Baeten ◽  
Juan-Antonio Fernandez Pierna ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gas Chromatography ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Classification Model ◽  
Support Vector ◽  
Spectroscopic Techniques ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Powder Analysis ◽  
Mir Spectra

Abstract Spectroscopic techniques combined with chemometrics are a promising tool for analysis of seized drug powders. In this study, the performance of three spectroscopic techniques [Mid-InfraRed (MIR), Raman and Near-InfraRed (NIR)] was compared. In total, 364 seized powders were analyzed and consisted of 276 cocaine powders (with concentrations ranging from 4 to 99 w%) and 88 powders without cocaine. A classification model (using Support Vector Machines [SVM] discriminant analysis) and a quantification model (using SVM regression) were constructed with each spectral dataset in order to discriminate cocaine powders from other powders and quantify cocaine in powders classified as cocaine positive. The performances of the models were compared with gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC–MS) and gas chromatography with flame-ionization detection (GC–FID). Different evaluation criteria were used: number of false negatives (FNs), number of false positives (FPs), accuracy, root mean square error of cross-validation (RMSECV) and determination coefficients (R2). Ten colored powders were excluded from the classification data set due to fluorescence background observed in Raman spectra. For the classification, the best accuracy (99.7%) was obtained with MIR spectra. With Raman and NIR spectra, the accuracy was 99.5% and 98.9%, respectively. For the quantification, the best results were obtained with NIR spectra. The cocaine content was determined with a RMSECV of 3.79% and a R2 of 0.97. The performance of MIR and Raman to predict cocaine concentrations was lower than NIR, with RMSECV of 6.76% and 6.79%, respectively and both with a R2 of 0.90. The three spectroscopic techniques can be applied for both classification and quantification of cocaine, but some differences in performance were detected. The best classification was obtained with MIR spectra. For quantification, however, the RMSECV of MIR and Raman was twice as high in comparison with NIR. Spectroscopic techniques combined with chemometrics can reduce the workload for confirmation analysis (e.g., chromatography based) and therefore save time and resources.

scholarly journals Climate predicts both visible and near‐infrared reflectance in butterflies

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Changku Kang ◽  
Sehyeok Im ◽  
Won Young Lee ◽  
Yunji Choi ◽  
Devi Stuart‐Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance

scholarly journals One-Pot Hydrothermal Synthesis of Victoria Green (Ca3Cr2Si3O12) Nanoparticles in Alkaline Fluids and Its Colour Hue Characterisation

Nanomaterials ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 521
Author(s):  
Juan Carlos Rendón-Angeles ◽  
Zully Matamoros-Veloza ◽  
Jose Luis Rodríguez-Galicia ◽  
Gimyeong Seong ◽  
Kazumichi Yanagisawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Near Infrared ◽  
Single Step ◽  
Spectral Space ◽  
Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Hydrothermal Preparation ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
One Pot ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
B Values ◽  
Alkaline Conditions

One-pot hydrothermal preparation of Ca3Cr2Si3O12 uvarovite nanoparticles under alkaline conditions was investigated for the first time. The experimental parameters selected for the study considered the concentration of the KOH solvent solution (0.01 to 5.0 M), the agitation of the autoclave (50 rpm), and the nominal content of Si4+ (2.2–3.0 mole). Fine uvarovite particles were synthesised at 200 °C after a 3 h interval in a highly concentrated 5.0 M KOH solution. The crystallisation of single-phase Ca3Cr2Si3O12 particles proceeded free of by-products via a one-pot process involving a single-step reaction. KOH solutions below 2.5 M and water hindered the crystallisation of the Ca3Cr2Si3O12 particles. The hydrothermal treatments carried out with stirring (50 rpm) and non-stirring triggered the crystallisation of irregular anhedral particles with average sizes of 8.05 and 12.25 nm, respectively. These particles spontaneously assembled into popcorn-shaped agglomerates with sizes varying from 66 to 156 nm. All the powders prepared by the present method exhibited CIE-L*a*b* values that correspond to the Victoria green colour spectral space and have a high near infrared reflectance property. The particle size and structural crystallinity are factors affecting the Victoria pigment optical properties, such as CIE-L*a*b* values, green tonality, and near-infrared reflectance.

scholarly journals Can vegetation index track the interannual variation in gross primary production of temperate deciduous forests?

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Liu ◽  
Chuankuan Wang ◽  
Xingchang Wang
Keyword(s):  
Primary Production ◽  
Vegetation Index ◽  
Near Infrared ◽  
Deciduous Forest ◽  
Gross Primary Production ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Temperate Deciduous Forest ◽  
Near Infrared Reflectance ◽  
Modis Ndvi ◽  
Temperate Deciduous

Abstract Background Vegetation indices (VIs) by remote sensing are widely used as simple proxies of the gross primary production (GPP) of vegetation, but their performances in capturing the inter-annual variation (IAV) in GPP remain uncertain. Methods We evaluated the performances of various VIs in tracking the IAV in GPP estimated by eddy covariance in a temperate deciduous forest of Northeast China. The VIs assessed included the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the enhanced vegetation index (EVI), and the near-infrared reflectance of vegetation (NIRv) obtained from tower-radiometers (broadband) and the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), respectively. Results We found that 25%–35% amplitude of the broadband EVI tracked the start of growing season derived by GPP (R2: 0.56–0.60, bias < 4 d), while 45% (or 50%) amplitudes of broadband (or MODIS) NDVI represented the end of growing season estimated by GPP (R2: 0.58–0.67, bias < 3 d). However, all the VIs failed to characterize the summer peaks of GPP. The growing-season integrals but not averaged values of the broadband NDVI, MODIS NIRv and EVI were robust surrogates of the IAV in GPP (R2: 0.40–0.67). Conclusion These findings illustrate that specific VIs are effective only to capture the GPP phenology but not the GPP peak, while the integral VIs have the potential to mirror the IAV in GPP.

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