Determination of Mercury in Water Samples Using Cold Vapor Atomic Absorption Spectroscopy — EPA 245.1

This tutorial addresses the critical issue of analyte specificity in multivariate spectroscopy using the concept of Net Analyte Signal (NAS). NAS allows chemometricians to isolate the portion of the signal that is unique to the analyte of interest, thereby enhancing model interpretability and robustness in the presence of interfering species. While this tutorial introduces the foundational concepts for beginners, it also includes selected advanced topics to bridge toward expert-level applications and future research. The tutorial covers the mathematical foundation of NAS, its application in regression models like partial least squares (PLS), and emerging methods to optimize specificity and variable selection. Applications in pharmaceuticals, clinical diagnostics, and industrial process control are also discussed.

Researchers at China’s National Key Laboratory have identified 170 nickel autoionization states using resonance ionization mass spectrometry, significantly advancing the spectral database critical for laser isotope separation and atomic spectroscopy.

Researchers from Nanjing University of Information Science & Technology have introduced a breakthrough AI-enhanced multimodal strategy for real-time detection of polyamide microplastics contaminated with heavy metals.

Raman microscopy and HORIBA’s Layers app reveal chemical and spatial data in multilayer films, supporting defect detection, adhesion checks, and reverse engineering.

DOGE-related federal funding cuts have sharply reduced salaries, lab budgets, and graduate support in academia. Researchers view the politically driven shifts in priorities as part of recurring systemic issues in U.S. science funding during administrative transitions. The impact on Federal laboratories has varied, with some seeing immediate effects and others experiencing more gradual effects. In general, there is rising uncertainty over future appropriations. Sustainable recovery may require structural reforms, leaner administration, and stronger industry-academia collaboration. New commentary underscores similar challenges, noting scaled-back graduate admissions, spending freezes, and a pervasive sense of overwhelming stress among faculty, students, and staff. This article addresses these issues for the analytical chemistry community.