Douglas J. Thomson

Optical fiber refractometer using narrowband cladding-mode resonance shifts.

Short-period fiber Bragg gratings with weakly tilted grating planes generate multiple strong resonances in transmission. Our experimental results show that the wavelength separation between selected resonances allows the measurement of the refractive index of the medium surrounding the fiber for values between 1.25 and 1.44 with an accuracy approaching 1x10(-4). The sensor element is 10 mm long and made from standard single-mode telecommunication grade optical fiber by ultraviolet light irradiation through a phase mask.

Microwave frequency sensor for detection of biological cells in microfluidic channels

We present details of an apparatus for capacitive detection of biomaterials in microfluidic channels operating at microwave frequencies where dielectric effects due to interfacial polarization are minimal. A circuit model is presented, which can be used to adapt this detection system for use in other microfluidic applications and to identify ones where it would not be suitable. The detection system is based on a microwave coupled transmission line resonator integrated into an interferometer. At 1.5 GHz the system is capable of detecting changes in capacitance of 650 zF with a 50 Hz bandwidth. This system is well suited to the detection of biomaterials in a variety of suspending fluids, including phosphate-buffered saline. Applications involving both model particles (polystyrene microspheres) and living cells-bakers yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and Chinese hamster ovary cells-are presented.

RF Cavity Passive Wireless Sensors With Time-Domain Gating-Based Interrogation for SHM of Civil Structures

Many existing sensing technologies for application to the monitoring of civil structures have a serious deficiency in that they require some type of wired physical connection to the outside world. This causes significant problems in the installation and long-term use of these sensors. This paper describes a new type of passive wireless sensor that is based on resonant RF cavities, where the resonant frequency is modulated by a measurand. In the case of a strain sensor, the electrical length of the cavity directly modulates its resonant frequency. A probe inside the cavity couples RF signals from the cavity to an externally attached antenna. The sensor can then be interrogated remotely using microwave pulse-echo techniques. Such a system has the advantage of requiring no permanent physical connection between the sensor and the data acquisition system. In this type of sensor, the RF interrogation signal is transmitted to the sensor and then reradiated back to the interrogator from the sensor resulting in a signal strength that decreases with the forth power of distance. This places an upper limit on the distance over which the sensor can be interrogated. Theoretical estimates show that these sensors can be interrogated with sufficient SNR at distances exceeding 10 m for radiated powers of less than 1 mW. We present results for a strain sensor and a displacement sensor that can be interrogated at a distance of 8 m with a strain resolution of less than 10 ppm and displacement resolution of 0.01 mm, respectively.

A Wireless Passive Sensor for Temperature Compensated Remote pH Monitoring

Temperature must be accounted for in order to provide accurate measurements in electrode-based pH sensors. We present an integrated wireless passive sensor for remote pH monitoring employing temperature compensation. The sensor is a resonant circuit consisting of a planar spiral inductor connected in parallel to a temperature-dependent resistor (thermistor) and a voltage-dependent capacitor (varactor). A pH combination electrode consisting of an iridium/iridium oxide sensing electrode and a silver/silver chloride reference electrode, is connected in parallel with the varactor. A potential difference change across the electrodes due to pH variation of the solution changes the voltage-dependent capacitance and shifts the resonant frequency, while temperature of the solution affects the resistance and changes the quality factor of the sensor. An interrogator coil is inductively coupled to the sensor inductor and remotely tracks the resonant frequency and quality factor of the sensor. The sensor is calibrated for temperature over a range of 25

Differential electronic detector to monitor apoptosis using dielectrophoresis-induced translation of flowing cells (dielectrophoresis cytometry)

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Adhesion force studies of nanofibers and nanoparticles.

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Microfluidic electromanipulation with capacitive detection for the mechanical analysis of cells

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A wireless embedded passive sensor for monitoring the corrosion potential of reinforcing steel

and pH over a 1.5–12 dynamic range. By employing temperature compensation, a measurement accuracy of less than 0.1 pH is achieved and the response time of the sensor is demonstrated to be less than 1 s. The sensor overcomes the pH measurement error due to the temperature dependence of electrode-based passive pH sensors and has applications in remote pH monitoring where temperature varies over a wide range.

Electronic detection of dielectrophoretic forces exerted on particles flowing over interdigitated electrodes.

The instrument described here is an all-electronic dielectrophoresis (DEP) cytometer sensitive to changes in polarizability of single cells. The important novel feature of this work is the differential electrode array that allows independent detection and actuation of single cells within a short section ([Formula: see text]) of the microfluidic channel. DEP actuation modifies the altitude of the cells flowing between two altitude detection sites in proportion to cell polarizability; changes in altitude smaller than 0.25 μm can be detected electronically. Analysis of individual experimental signatures allows us to make a simple connection between the Clausius-Mossotti factor (CMF) and the amount of vertical cell deflection during actuation. This results in an all-electronic, label-free differential detector that monitors changes in physiological properties of the living cells and can be fully automated and miniaturized in order to be used in various online and offline probes and point-of-care medical applications. High sensitivity of the DEP cytometer facilitates observations of delicate changes in cell polarization that occur at the onset of apoptosis. We illustrate the application of this concept on a population of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells that were followed in their rapid transition from a healthy viable to an early apoptotic state. DEP cytometer viability estimates closely match an Annexin V assay (an early apoptosis marker) on the same population of cells.

Electrode Potential-Based Coupled Coil Sensor for Remote pH Monitoring

Surface adhesion between nanofibers and nanoparticles has attracted attention for potential biomedical applications, but the measurement has not been reported. Adhesion forces were measured using a polystyrene (PS) nanoparticle attached to an atomic force microscopy (AFM) tip/probe. Electrospun PS nanofibers of different diameters were tapped with the probe to study the effect of fiber diameters on adhesion force. Both AFM experiments and numerical models suggest that the adhesion force increases with increased fiber diameters. Numerical models further demonstrated that local deformation of the fiber surface, including the flattening of surface asperities and the nanofiber wrapping around the particle during contact, may have a significant impact on the adhesion force. The adhesion forces are in the order of 100 nN, much smaller than the adhesion forces of the gecko foot hair, but much larger than that of the receptor-ligand pair, antibody-antigen pair, and single-stranded DNA from a substrate. Adhesion forces of nanofibers with roughness were predicted by numerical analysis. This study is expected to provide approaches and information useful in the design of nanomedicine and scaffold based on nanofibers for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.