Abstract Antibiotic resistant bacteria are an important threat to human and animal health. Accurate antibiotic susceptibility test results are essential in medical control. We present a low-cost, simple, and rapid multichannel system for the registration of bacteria pH changes in time and the phenomena used to follow the microbial metabolic activity to evaluate the response to antibiotics. Small size

3D printers are more accessible in both academic and research groups, becoming instruments to facilitate the construction of high-quality scientific equipment for laboratories. In the present study, a 3D printed integrating sphere was validated to acquire diffuse reflectance and transmittance on turbid samples in order to compute optical absorption and reduced scattering through the inverse adding

Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) named Fe3O4@coPANI-PTH were synthesized by coating Fe3O4 nanoparticles (NPs) with a polyaniline (PANI)/polythiophene (PTH) co-polymer. The feasibility of Fe3O4@coPANI-PTH as the nanosorbent for magnetic solid-phase extraction (MSPE) was evaluated for the determination of Co(II) in real samples using microsample injection system – flame atomic absorption spectrometry (MIS-FAAS)

A method for determining seven microcystins and nodularin in surface water at nanogram per liter concentrations was developed based on on-line solid-phase extraction ultra-performance liquid chromatography – electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (on-line SPE-UPLC-MS/MS). Aliquots of 5 mL water sample were directly injected into on-line SPE after passage through a membrane filter. The water

Herein, a surface-sensitive sensor was reported as an optical waveguide (OWG) gas sensor. The sensor exhibited some advantages, including simple preparation and high sensitivity. Further, it could be operated at room temperature. TiO2 and ZnFe2O4 were employed as sensitive materials to prepare a sensor with a high response to styrene gas. The TiO2–ZnFe2O4 sol was prepared by doping ZnFe2O4 via the

Auroras can be observed at the north and south pole of the Earth. At these locations, the Earth magnetic field enters the atmosphere, causing ionization of the atmospheric constituents. Due to this phenomenon, different optical wavelengths are emitted from these constituents, causing the typical spectacular displays. Several optical wavelengths are representative for the auroral emission. The purpose

Batch adsorption is very important for characterization, screening and industrial applications. In this paper, a new Y-shaped absorption vessel with an incorporated membrane was designed and combined with a fiber-optic sensing spectrometer to realize in-situ automatic measurement of liquid-phase kinetics in batch adsorption. The main parameters which affect the mass transfer such as geometric sizes

This paper focuses on four structural parameters of reflective microfiber coupler (MFC), including taper length, taper width, coupling length, and coupling diameter. The influences of those parameters upon the performance of MFC are identified through simulation and are justified through mathematical and coupling theory. Subsequently, refractive index (RI) sensing experiments were conducted to characterize

This study employed Raman spectroscopy for the identification of spectral differences in automotive lubricant oils with different SAE specifications. Samples of 18 lubricant oils were obtained from a local auto parts store. Spectra were obtained with a dispersive Raman spectrometer (830 nm) and separated according to the type of base oil in the samples: mineral, semi-synthetic and synthetic. Also,

A wearable sensor was fabricated to provide simultaneous electromyography (EMG) and force myography (FMG) information, from the same muscle location for controlling multi-functional hand prosthesis. The typical mechanical arrangement of the sensor constitutes silver electrodes and a force-sensitive resistor embedded inside the sensor chassis for detecting the electrical and mechanical activity of muscles

Nucleic acids containing genetic information are used as biomarkers for the diagnosis of genetic diseases. Herein, silver nanoparticles were utilized as probes to detect single stranded nucleic acids by self-assembly of DNA nanomaterials by spectrophotometry. The target DNA specifically triggered two hairpin DNA molecules to hybridize, generating linear double stranded DNA. This approach effectively

This article reports a flexible and attachable inertial measurement unit (IMU)-based motion capture system for the accurate measurement of hand kinematics. Twelve 6-axis IMUs are used in the system for capturing hand kinematics and analyzing continuous hand movements. Each IMU is bonded to a flexible adapter and then attached to the back of the hand. Compared with traditional glove-based hand motion

Here we present a cloud platform for e-health analysis. The goal of this research is to offers a standardized way to secure registry and share biometric impedance data from many volunteers of distinct locations. We perform the corporal analysis of a dataset from elderly volunteers who perform regular gym exercises. Our goal is to follow the evolution of health quality according to the percentage of

A reflective seawater salinity and temperature sensor based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect with multimode single-mode (MS) fiber structure has been proposed and demonstrated. Firstly, the sensing mechanism of the optical fiber SPR sensor was analyzed. Next, the influence of the type of metal, the thickness of the metal film, and the length of sensing area upon the SPR spectrum were simulated

Metal perovskite halides have led to the development of light-emitting diodes due to their excellent optical and electrical properties. However, compared to near-infrared, red, and green perovskite light-emitting diodes, blue-emitting light-emitting diodes lag far behind in development due to poor stability and low quantum efficiency. In this review, the latest advances in blue perovskite light-emitting

The selection of anode materials for asymmetric supercapacitors (ASCs) has been a great challenge for the further development. As a promising anode material, Fe2O3 can effectively improve the energy density of supercapacitors. This article reviews the modification methods of Fe2O3 anodes based on different elements, which improves the conductivity and specific capacitance. In terms of carbon modification

Atomic force microscope (AFM), as a type scanning probe microscope (SPM), offers advantages that include high resolution, real-time analysis, in-situ imaging, few environmental restrictions, and simple operation. So far, AFM has been applied to a wide variety of scientific fields. This paper reviews several advanced research results using AFM in the micro-nano science community to operate in the four

A gold electrode was modified with cysteamine by a self-assembly monolayer technique and covalently coupled with 3-mercaptopropionic acid functionalized silver nanoparticles. The free carboxylic acid groups of the 3-mercaptopropionic acid functionalized silver nanoparticles assembled on gold electrode were bonded with the amine groups of biotin or avidin trough amide linkages. The changes in the interfacial

Lead-based perovskites have attracted great attention as promising candidates for the next generation of solar cells. Nevertheless, issues of toxicity to humans and pollution to the environment notably hinder the commercial application of lead-based perovskites. Hence, there is an urgent need to find favorable candidates to replace lead-based perovskites. In this review, state-of-the-art achievements

Optical fiber phase optical time domain reflectometry (phase-OTDR) has been applied on the West-East Gas Pipeline Project (WEPP) of China for vibration monitoring. In order to improve the accuracy of the threat identification, a machine learning algorithm from the voice recognition is introduced. The feature extraction and pre-emphasis processes were modified to characterize the vibrations in the soil

Human motion mode detection is of great value in evaluating motor ability. In this study, a method of human motion mode detection based on an acceleration sensor was characterized. A human motion mode detection system was designed using the standard deviation, peak, valley and peak-valley interval as characteristic values and a particle swarm optimization – support vector machine (PSO-SVM) algorithm

Radioactive solutions containing graphene, graphene oxide, single-walled carbon nanotube and -COOH functionalized single-walled carbon nanotubes were prepared. Iodine-131 was used as the radioactive material. A high purity germanium detector with a resolution of 490 eV at 122 keV was used to measure the photon intensities emitted from the iodine-131 solutions by gamma ray spectroscopy. The intensities

A small and simple device for the in-situ small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) measurement of carbon fibers graphitization by direct electrical heating was developed. The graphitization process of polyacrylonitrile-based T700 carbon fibers from 1450 °C to 2100 °C with this device was followed in-situ by synchrotron radiation SAXS. The results show that there are needle-shaped voids oriented preferentially

A new method to improve the sensitivity of a fiber-based dissolved oxygen sensor by enhancing the evanescent field on the surface of optic fiber has been proposed and verified. The finite difference beam propagation method was used to simulate the transmission of light into the fiber. According to the simulation results, the evanescent field intensities of the step type fiber and tapered fiber were

A new voltammetric method was developed for the simple, rapid and inexpensive determination of 8-hydroxyquinoline (8HQ) on a modified electrode obtained by the electrodeposition of 1-amino-2-naphthol-4-sulfonic acid (ANSA) on the surface of a glassy carbon (GC) electrode. The electrode interfacial properties were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The electrochemical response

A highly sensitive and selective voltammetric method was developed for the determination of curcumin using sodium dodecyl sulfate modified carbon nanocomposite paste electrode. The electrochemical performance for curcumin was characterized by the use of linear sweep voltammetry, cyclic voltammetry, and differential pulse voltammetry. These measurements showed that the sodium dodecyl sulfate modified

Wearable pressure sensors have great potential for applications in electronic skin, patient rehabilitation, and touch interfaces. In this paper, state-of-the-art achievements on typical low-dimensional nanostructured wearable pressure sensors and hybrid wearable pressure sensors are reviewed. In the two-dimensional-nanostructure section, two-dimensional transition metal carbides (MXenes) have a large

In a badminton game, dexterous fine hand movements are essential for the player to perform with extraordinary skill. Thus, this paper proposes a smart glove with proper sensing functions for finger pressures and bending angles for this sport to measure the kinematics and kinetics during the forehand grip and backhand grip. Twenty-one pressure sensors and eleven flex sensors are employed to construct

Film bulk acoustic resonators (FBARs) are widely applied as gravimetric sensors for gas and biochemical analysis. For these devices, the sensing layer is usually coated on to the FBAR for qualitative analysis based on the frequency response according to the Sauerbrey relationship. Various polymers have been used as the sensing films for volatile organic compound (VOC) monitoring. The most significant

A handheld biological particle monitoring system that analyzes airborne biological particles in real time was designed, fabricated and its performance was investigated. An ultraviolet-light emitting diode (UV-LED) light source with a 280-nm wavelength was used. The design of an optical module that is composed of an ultraviolet source, a nozzle and flow controller, an ultraviolet cell, and a detection

The present study reports an electrochemical biosensor for the rapid and selective detection of L-arginine in leukemic blood samples. The biosensor was fabricated using a nanocomposite (PANI/MWCNTs/Fe3O4) film modified glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The partially purified arginine deiminsae (ADI) enzyme from P. putida was immobilized on the modified GCE by cross linking with gluteraldehyde. The characterization

This paper presents the preparation of stable fluorescence sensor slides for Hg2+ by covalent attachment of a fluorophore which can selectively chelate with the analyte. The fluorophore, dansyl chloride, was immobilized on the glass slide through an amide bond formation reaction with the amino group functionalized on the substrate using 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane as the salinization agent. The dansyl

A D-shaped optical-fiber refractive index sensor based on surface plasmon resonance is reported. Rigorous coupled-wave analysis was used to simulate the numerical modeling. The influences of different metal grating parameters on the coupling efficiency were studied and an optimal phase match was obtained. The results show that wavelength sensitivity of the proposed optical fiber sensor is as high as

Raman spectroscopy is a rapid technique that allows the simultaneous determination of several components of urine to assess the metabolic status. In this study, the urine composition was evaluated in volleyball and soccer athletes using Raman spectroscopy to identify biomarkers of sports performance. Urine samples were collected from 20 athletes before and after exercise to be analyzed with a Raman

In our previous work, four environment parameters including temperature, pressure, relative humidity and carbon dioxide concentration in a long gauge block interferometer chamber were measured continuously for 24 h. The refractive index of air in the chamber depending on three measured parameters was determined using the updated Edlén equation by assuming that CO2 concentration is constant at 450 ppm

The objective of the present work is to experimentally study the pressure recovery process that occurs in supersonic ejectors. Pressure measurements are achieved using a specific sliding measuring system for the centerline static pressure. The axial displacement of this weakly intrusive system allows the measurement of axial distribution of static pressure inside the mixing zone where the shock train

The goal of this work was to establish a method to identify and quantify the primary active components in Angelicae pubescentis Radix quickly, simply, and accurately. This article first reported a high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method that simultaneously determined and quantified osthol, isoimperatorin, and columbianadin using a quantitative analysis of multi-components by single marker

Electronic switches fabricated with single molecules are expected to break through the bottleneck in the development of semiconductor device miniaturization. However, at present time, most development on single molecule switches only provides one-way switching functions. Stable bidirectional reversible single-molecule switches are rarely reported. This paper reviews the recent studies on single-molecule

The quality control of thin film thickness measurements through the transmission and counting of beta and X-ray radiation has achieved very competitive precision with values to 0.2%. However, when the attenuated intensities by the thin film under measurement is above 90%, the method of counting beta or X-ray radiation generates a dramatic degradation in the precision to 30%. This work presents a new

Here an integrated compact low-cost all-fiber optical spectrum control device based on a single fiber interferometer and tungsten disulfide is reported. Tungsten disulfide was deposited onto the surface of the non-adiabatic microfiber under the application of the radiation from an amplified spontaneous emission source. Next, the near-infrared light (NIR), which leaked through the strong evanescent

In order to design a charge-coupled device (CCD) driving circuit with a high frame rate and a large area array which can support the electronic image motion compensation function, first a basic driving circuit of the large-array CCD is reported in this paper. Next, electronic image motion compensation is realized by adding an image motion compensation timing generator and a main timing generator, Saa8103

The influence of core radius on refractive index sensitivity of long period fiber grating (LPFG) sensor has been studied theoretically for the first time, and a new method to fabricate LPFG sensor with high sensitivity is proposed. The structure and parameters of the optical fiber, the period of the gratings, and the coupling order of the cladding modes are all held consistent in the process of studying

Ai pian, derived from Blumea balsamifera (L.) DC. has various medicinal effects and a complex composition. The goal of this study was to analyze the chemical composition of Ai pian by using samples from different regions to explore differences between the chemical composition and its blood composition from treated mice to clarify whether its efficacy is related to synergism of multiple components to

The present study proposes the design of a portable noninvasive optical sensor consisting of fluorescence-based sensing membrane for the purpose of evaluating the freshness of various consumable meats by measuring the dual parameters of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The sensor film is attached to the inner wall of an air-tight container integrated with opto-electronics circuits. The performance characteristics

The effect of the external mechanical noise on energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) spectra has been investigated. A Nd2O3 sample was bombarded by the gamma-rays of 59.54 keV energy. The annular radioactive source (americium-241) with intensity equal to 1 Curie was used. The intensities of characteristic x-rays emitted from the Nd2O3 sample were measured using a high purity germanium detector

During irradiation, the fuel-cladding interface of a nuclear fuel rod can experience significant mechanical and chemical interaction. In-situ measurement of the radial deformation of the cladding can quantify the extent of this interaction and the state of the cladding. Existing capabilities to perform in-pile diameter measurements are limited by required contact and an intrusive presence of a device

A lamellar zinc dimolybdate hydroxide Zn3Mo2O8(OH)2 was prepared for the first time by a facile hydrothermal synthesis. The electrochemical properties of the lamellar Zn3Mo2O8(OH)2 as an anode material were investigated by cyclic voltammetry (CV), reversible capacity, cycling stability and rate capability for lithium ion batteries (LIB). The lamellar zinc dimolybdate hydroxide exhibits a reversible

Standard electrodes for electrophysiological signal acquisition in clinical applications such as electrocardiography or electromyography require the use of electrolytic gel and skin abrasion for better electrical interface between electrode and skin. Since gel dries out over a period of time, signal deterioration takes place on long duration with wet electrodes. Dry electrodes are promising alternative

An instrument combining laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) and Raman spectroscopy was developed for the in situ atomic and molecular composition analysis of minerals. The apparatus consists of an optical system, a sample chamber, a spectrometer for Raman and another for LIBS, as well as a control system equipped with laboratory-written software. Gypsum, calcite, prehnite, pearl, lazurite,

A low-cost potentiometric sensor based on a molecularly imprinted polymer was developed for the determination of matrine in herbal medicine samples. The imprinted material was synthesized by the use of matrine as template, methacrylic acid (MAA) as the monomer, ethylene glycol dimethyl acrylate (EGDMA) as the cross linker, 2,2′-azo-bisisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as the initiator, and toluene and dodecanol

Physical and chemical characteristics of few-layer graphene structures (FLGS) obtained in various modes of electrochemical exfoliation of graphite have been studied. The FLGS synthesis was performed by the application of voltage pulses from a high current generator to the graphite electrodes immersed in an electrolyte solution. FLGS were characterized with scanning electron microscopy, infrared, X-ray

Acquiring the reflectance, radiance, and related structural cloud properties from repositories of historical sky images is a challenging and a computationally intensive task, especially when performed manually or by means of nonautomated approaches. In this article, a quick and efficient, self-adaptive Python tool for the acquisition, and analysis of cloud segmentation properties that is applicable

A polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) packaged microfiber knot ring (MKR) resonator was used as a load-sensing probe. Based on the large Young’s modulus and low elastic effect of the silica, the load-sensing characteristic of the bare MKR was experimentally verified with a sensitivity of 6 pm/N. The sensitivity and stability were improved significantly after the MKR was encapsulated in the PDMS film. When

A Type II-IR (infrared) grating cascaded with a regenerated fiber Bragg grating (RFBG) is described for force measurements at high temperature. The sensor was fabricated by fusion splicing a Type II grating with a Type I seed grating that was subjected to isothermal annealing in order to obtain the RFBG. Due to the different responses to temperature and force, these parameters were determined by measuring

Mesocellular foam silica was prepared by a hydrothermal synthesis protocol. The surface and pore structure of mesocellular foam silica were characterized by low temperature nitrogen adsorption isotherms, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. The methylene blue was adsorbed by the synthetic mesocellular

A prototype of a tunable sonar transducer has been successfully tested in the transmit/receive mode. It employs a tunable sandwich transducer which is a high-Q transmitter with resonance frequency that can be shifted continuously over a wide frequency range between the fundamental harmonic at 27 kHz and the first overtone at 73 kHz of the whole structure. The tunable sandwich transducer divides the

A time-of-flight neutron total scattering instrument for the China Spallation Neutron Source (CSNS) was designed. The instrument is designed for disordered macromolecular systems with characteristic lengths below 10 nm. The coupled hydrogen moderator of CSNS was selected to ensure the favorable statistics at the smallest scattering vector of 0.01 Å−1. The optics and geometry of the instrument were

The influence of temperature and humidity on the determination of benzene concentration were characterized using a piezoelectric crystal gas sensor. Sensing layers coated with polymethylphenylsiloxane and polyvinylchloride was used for real-time monitoring of benzene, a major atmospheric pollutant. When the humidity was varied from 35% to 75%, the detection limitations of the sensor were reduced and

Allium tuncelianum (Tunceli garlic), an endemic and threatened plant species in the Tunceli province of Eastern Turkey, is an important native source for local people. The antioxidant activities of the acidified extracts of water, acetonitrile, methanol, and ethanol of Allium tuncelianum were investigated using five antioxidant capacity tests. The results indicated that methanol extract efficiencies

A V-shaped ion funnel (IF) drift tube was developed for proton transfer reaction mass spectrometry (PTR-MS). The ion transmissions were characterized at variable radio frequency voltages and frequencies to obtain optimized conditions while considering the effects of radial-focusing, reaction rate, and collision-induced dissociation. The improvements in sensitivity for common compounds were experimentally