Abstract Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) is routinely used to characterize the ordered structure in materials. The measured angles are generally calibrated by using standard samples with several diffraction peaks. When a WAXS instrument uses a one-dimensional linear detector, which is tilted to the direct beam, the angle calibrations need three standard diffraction peaks. This contribution presents

Abstract The determination of anthocyanins and anthocyanidins in wild grapes (Vitis sylvestris Gmelin) from Tunceli-Turkey are reported together with the influence of the extraction conditions on the results. Representative sets of anthocyanins (delphinidin-3-o-glucoside, cyanidin-3-o-glucoside, pelargonidin-3-o-glucoside, malvidin-3-o-glucoside) and anthocyanidins (delphinidin, cyanidin, pelargonidin

Abstract Chinese herbal compound preparations are commonly composed of multiple traditional Chinese medicines (TCMs). The components of Chinese herbal compound preparation are complex, therefore, in this paper, ballpoint connector supported solvent microextraction (BC-SME) coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet detection (HPLC/UV) is reported for the simultaneous extraction

Abstract An automated instrument to measure specific surface area (SSA) of powdered materials was designed using the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) isotherm method. A sample of known SSA was introduced to make the method simple, accurate, and fast. The cost of the instrument was reduced by operating the instrument at a fixed partial pressure. A piezoelectric sensor was introduced to detect the changes

Abstract A real-time light-emitting-diode-induced fluorescence biological aerosol detection method is developed that enables real-time monitoring of airborne particles derived from organisms so the presence of these contaminants can be identified. To characterize the performance, a variety of background measurements describing different contamination levels and particulate concentrations controlled

Abstract To enhance the performance of a conventional pulse width modulation (PWM)-based microsampling system, a novel system was developed by bifurcating a fluidic path and by reusing the conventional components. A micro-metering valve was newly equipped to control the speed of the sample introduction, and a reflective optical sensor was used to detect the arrival of a sample. In addition, an analog

Abstract Suspension freeze concentration (SFC) can avoid denaturation while concentrating thermal-sensitive aqueous solutions. However, the complex treatment process and high capital cost severely limit its application in large-scale production. In this paper, a compact and integrated unit is devised to overcome these shortcomings and improve the operability of SFC. The unit is in a vertical layout

Abstract The thermodynamic properties of 4-(octyloxy) benzoic acid (OBA) liquid crystal (LC) were investigated at infinite dilution by inverse gas chromatography (IGC). The phase transition temperatures of OBA LC were determined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and IGC. The thermodynamic region was determined to be between 160 and 170 °C. Specific retention volumes were calculated using IGC

Abstract This work describes three phase dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction based on reverse micelles for the determination of Q-markers of cinnamic acids (caffeic acid, p-hydroxycinnamic acid, ferulic acid, and cinnamic acid) in traditional Chinese medicine followed by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis. The variables influencing the procedure were optimized separately. Enrichment

Abstract A simply fabricated, highly sensitive, and inexpensive optical fiber temperature sensor is reported with a Fabry–Perot (FP) microcavity of controlled length. The microcavity with controllable length is fabricated by single-mode fiber (SMF) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for temperature sensing. After the PDMS is cured, the SMF is connected to the supercontinuum light source (SCLS) and the

Abstract In recent years, interactions of radiofrequency (RF) electromagnetic fields with biological tissue have become one of the most promising strategies for noninvasive cancer hyperthermia treatment. Despite the growing interest, there has been a scarcity of studies involving the detailed construction of a complete RF-hyperthermia (RF-HT) system. Here a low-cost and high-power RF-HT system is reported

Abstract Magnetic solid-phase extraction was evaluated using polythiophene nanoparticles (Fe3O4@PTh) as the adsorbent for chromium speciation from water samples and total chromium preconcentration from food, biological, and soil samples. Chromium concentrations were determined by microsample injection system – flame atomic absorption spectrometry (MIS-FAAS). Chromium speciation was achieved with selective

Abstract Matrix effects on the intensity of characteristic L X-rays were investigated for X-ray fluorescence (XRF). Lead was selected to be the analyte and samples were prepared with powders of several elements. In XRF analysis, if the sample analyzed is a composite, the emitted characteristic X-rays of an element can be enhanced or weakened by emission from other elements. The weight fraction of Pb

Abstract Atmospheric dust samples were collected using PM10 (particulate matter less than 10 µm) and PM2.5 (particulate matter less than 2.5 µm) filters in 2019 from Southeast Anatolia, Turkey. The direction and source of the dust were determined using the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite view and Hybrid Single Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) model

Abstract This contribution describes the conceptual design for a simple and powerful beamline for small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) at the High Energy Photon Source (HEPS) in Beijing, China. The high energy and low emittance feature of the HEPS are utilized to simplify the beamline and increase the beam flux and stability by omitting the use of a monochromator and a focusing mirror. The basic design

Abstract An in-fiber optofluidic chemiluminescence (CL) device is reported based on a low-cost microstructured polymer optical fiber (mPOF). The mPOF is composed of a central hole for liquid delivery and a suspended core for optical coupling. Due to the lower processing temperature of mPOF, the difficulty of constructing microfluidic channels is greatly reduced. In addition, the large core diameter

Abstract The anodic bonding method was used to construct spherically bent crystal analyzers for a synchrotron radiation based non-resonant inelastic X-ray scattering spectrometer to probe the local electronic and molecular structure. In order to test the performance of the fabricated analyzers, the O K-edge X-ray Raman scattering spectrum of a lithium-ion battery electrolyte solution was measured and

Abstract A compact optical fiber Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) sensor is reported for temperature and strain. The MZI sensor consists of a single-mode fiber (SMF), a seven core fiber (SCF) and a multimode fiber (MMF) with a fiber Bragg grating (FBG). The intensity distribution of the sensor is calculated by the beam propagation method. The light is coupled from the lead-in SMF into the SCF through

Abstract A total scattering neutron instrument is simulated using a ray-tracing package to evaluate the technique and data reduction algorithms. The neutron guide and chopper system were first optimized to obtain the highest neutron flux with satisfactory angular divergence. Next, a series of virtual experiments were conducted using heavy water and calibration vanadium samples. Data analysis algorithms

Abstract The use of impedance spectroscopy is described to diagnose the condition of oil in utility transformers. Actual transformer oil samples having different dissolved fault gas and moisture concentrations were characterized by their impedance spectrum from 1 to 100 kHz using an AD5933 device (Analog Devices). The results show that the impedance spectrum of a transformer oil sample is related to

Abstract Near-infrared spectroscopy has been employed for determination of biochemicals in agricultural products. In this study, a prototype near infrared instrument is reported capable of simultaneously determining primary and secondary biochemical compounds in agricultural products using supervised modeling method. Maize flour was used as the material for model development. Calibration models were

Abstract Colloidal nickel nanoparticles were prepared by a top-down approach using an electric discharge. The method was improved by a computerized control unit implemented with virtual instrumentation. A controlled electric arc discharge between two nickel electrodes generates a plasma, which rapidly disintegrates the nickel to form nanoparticles in deionized water. Dynamic light scattering and scanning

Abstract A practical technique for determining the length of a silicon nanowire (SiNW) array is reported by the analysis of reflected images from a smartphone camera. The SiNW array was prepared by electroless chemical etching and its length controlled by the etching time of a Si wafer. The average lengths for the SiNW array were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The relationship between

Abstract Rapid and sensitive identification of illicit drugs has been a challenge and requires new methods. This study proposes a newly developed electronic nose (e-nose) based on commercially available gas sensors to provide a nondestructive, rapid, low cost, and portable solution for in situ detection for marijuana samples. Samples of seized marijuana, pseudo-narcotic marijuana, and cigarettes were

Abstract High temperature carbonization, an important approach to cleanly and efficiently use coal, refers to a complex process in which a series of physical phenomena and chemical reactions occur when coal is heated to ≥1000 °C in anoxic conditions. A furnace was developed for the in-situ small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) and wide angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) measurements with the scattering angle

Abstract Patients suffering from upper limb amputation experience a significant reduction in their ability to perform various tasks. The currently available myoelectric prostheses seek to reinstate the lost abilities of the amputees. However, most users abandon their devices due to high cost, large size, heavy weight, complexity, and limited functional control. This paper presents a multifunctional

Abstract An optical fiber magnetic field sensor based on lossy mode resonance (LMR) was designed. Furthermore, a hollow core-offset structure was designed to enhance the performance. Due to the destruction of the circular symmetry structure, the sensor has strong birefringence, resulting in x-polarization and y-polarization with two independent resonance valleys. The refractive index changes from 1

Abstract An optical fiber magnetic field sensor based on lossy mode resonance (LMR) was designed. Furthermore, a hollow core-offset structure was designed to enhance the performance. Due to the destruction of the circular symmetry structure, the sensor has strong birefringence, resulting in x-polarization and y-polarization with two independent resonance valleys. The refractive index changes from 1

Abstract A double D-shaped optical fiber for simultaneous temperature and relative humidity (RH) sensing is described. The flat surfaces of the D-shaped optical fiber are coated with toluene as a thermally sensitive material and polyethylene as a humidity-sensitive material. Using the finite element method, the effects of the metal film thickness and polished depth of the D-shaped optical fiber on

Abstract A double D-shaped optical fiber for simultaneous temperature and relative humidity (RH) sensing is described. The flat surfaces of the D-shaped optical fiber are coated with toluene as a thermally sensitive material and polyethylene as a humidity-sensitive material. Using the finite element method, the effects of the metal film thickness and polished depth of the D-shaped optical fiber on

Abstract The influence of thickness of silver-magnesium fluoride bi-layers on the sensitivity of SPR based fiber optic sensor has been experimentally examined. The sensitivity is enhanced with increasing magnesium fluoride layer thickness up to 30 nm and decreases at values exceeding 30 nm. The optimum thickness of magnesium fluoride layer was determined to be 30 nm. A sensor fabricated from bi-layers

Abstract The influence of thickness of silver-magnesium fluoride bi-layers on the sensitivity of SPR based fiber optic sensor has been experimentally examined. The sensitivity is enhanced with increasing magnesium fluoride layer thickness up to 30 nm and decreases at values exceeding 30 nm. The optimum thickness of magnesium fluoride layer was determined to be 30 nm. A sensor fabricated from bi-layers

Abstract Third-generation synchrotron radiation sources with improving new techniques provide opportunities to perform many promising experiments. X-ray Raman scattering (XRS) is one of the synchrotron radiation based techniques for the investigation of soft X-ray absorption edges (∼50-1000 eV) using hard X-rays (∼10 keV). This technique allows the examination of the K-shell excitations of light elements

Abstract A low-cost differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) was constructed using polytetrafluoroethylene printed circuit boards with two pairs of gold electrodes. The printed circuit boards were used to construct the drift tube into which the gas samples are introduced by a carrier gas and ionized. The ionized gas moves toward the gold electrode to which an asymmetric voltage is applied. Only the

Abstract A low-cost differential mobility spectrometer (DMS) was constructed using polytetrafluoroethylene printed circuit boards with two pairs of gold electrodes. The printed circuit boards were used to construct the drift tube into which the gas samples are introduced by a carrier gas and ionized. The ionized gas moves toward the gold electrode to which an asymmetric voltage is applied. Only the

Abstract Concentration procedures have always been implemented when trace analysis of compounds in real matrices is contemplated. A variety of concentration strategies have been reported aiming at decreasing the limits of detection (LODs). The optical concentration of the substance in solution is one of the novel concepts for the enhancement of the analytical sensitivity. In this study, the optical

The influence of sample thickness to the background region in energy dispersive x-ray fluorescence (EDXRF) system was investigated. The investigated spectrum was from 4.09 keV to 79.03 keV and was ...

A practical method is presented to prepare films of a composite material constituted of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and polystyrene (PS) that are used for transduction applications. The ...

An optical fiber Mach–Zehnder interferometer based on double S-tapers is proposed for strain sensing. The double S-taper strain sensor is formed by two steps. The fiber is pulled during arc dischar...

Pixelated scintillators arrays are widely used in X-ray radiographic applications and provide the sensitivity and resolution of detectors, which are determined by the pixel size and thickness. The ...

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, an...

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...

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-...

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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

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...

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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)

Abstract 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

Abstract 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

Abstract 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