Browse Articles

Vitamin C is an essential nutrient that is involved in many important cellular processes. Humans are unable to produce Vitamin C and thus must obtain it from exogenous sources such as citrus fruits, peppers, or flowering vegetables. In this study, the authors investigate whether or not organic and non-organic fruits have comparable vitamin C levels. This type of study has important implications for consumers.

A microbial fuel cell is a system to produce electric current using biochemical products from bacteria. In this project authors operated a microbial fuel cell in which glucose was oxidized by Shewanella oneidensis in the anodic compartment. We compared the power output from biomineralized manganese or cobalt oxides, reduced by Leptothrix cholodnii in the cathodic compartment.

Dust accumulation on solar panels can reduce electricity output by 20–50%, posing a major challenge for solar energy collection. Instead of altering panel design, we explored a simpler approach by modifying surface energy through nanotexturing, predicting that hydrophobic surfaces would repel both water and dust. This study found that treating glass and silicone surfaces with potassium hydroxide (KOH) for 13 and 10 minutes, respectively, created optimal nanotextures (445 nm for glass, 205 nm for silicone), significantly reducing dirt accumulation and improving solar energy capture.