Heat flow, heat capacity and thermal resistance of localized surfaces of the human body using a new calorimetric sensor

A non-invasive sensor equipped with a programmable thermostat has been developed to assess in vivo the heat flow transmitted by conduction from human skin to the sensor thermostat. This device enables the assessment of the thermal properties of a 2 × 2 cm2 skin surface with a thermal penetration depth of 3–4 mm. In this work, we report the thermal magnitudes recorded with this sensor in 6 different areas (temple, hand, abdomen, thigh, wrist and heel) of 6 healthy subjects of different genders and ages, which were measured under resting conditions. Heat flow and equivalent thermal resistance are proportionally related to each other and are highly variable in magnitude and different for each zone. The heat capacity is also different for each zone. The heat flow values varied from 362 ± 17 mW at the temple to 36 ± 12 mW at the heel for the same subject, when the sensor thermostat was set at 26 °C. The equivalent thermal resistance ranged from 23 ± 2 K W−1 in the volar area of the wrist to 52 ± 4 KW−1 in the inner thigh area. The heat capacity varies from 4.8 ± 0.4 J K−1 in the heel to 6.4 ± 0.2 J K−1 in the abdomen. These magnitudes were also assessed over a 2 × 1 cm2 second-degree burn scar in the volar area of the wrist. The scar area had 27.6 and 11.6% lower heat capacity and equivalent thermal resistance, respectively, allowing an increased heat flow in the injured area. This work is a preliminary study of the measurement capacity of this new instrument.

Calorimetric Sensor for Ethanol Using Ni2+-nitrilotriacetic Acid (NTA) Resin Immobilized Alcohol Dehydrogenase (ADH)

Background: A simple, fast and economic analytical method for the determination of ethanol is important for clinical, biological, forensic and physico-legal purposes. Methods: Ni2+-NTA resin was used as an immobilization matrix for the simple one-step purification/ immobilization of his6-tagged ADH. Different alcohols with a concentration range of 0.5-50% V/V, namely methanol, ethanol and propanol were measured using prepared ADH enzyme thermistor. The ethanol content of Tsingtao beer was tested as a real sample containing alcohol. Reproducibility and stability of prepared ADH enzyme thermistor were also investigated by repeated measurements. Results: In comparison to the controlled pore glass (a common used support for the immobilization of enzyme) used in thermal biosensor, the use of Ni2+-NTA resin not only led to simple one-step purification/ immobilization by his6-tagged ADH binding to Ni2+-NTA resin, but also made the immobilizing supports reusable. The prepared biosensor can be used to determine ethanol and methanol by the calorimetric measurement. A linear range of 1 -32% (V/V) and 2-20% (V/V) was observed for ethanol and methanol, respectively. The detection limits were 0.3% (V/V) and 1% (V/V) for ethanol and methanol, respectively. The tested ethanol concentration of Tsingtao beer was 4.5% V/V, which is comparable with the labeled alcohol by volume (ABV) 4.80%. Conclusion: Ni2+-NTA resin, as an immobilization matrix in ET sensor, provides a simple one-step purification/immobilization for His6-tagged recombinase and a reusable immobilization matrix. The prepared biosensor exhibits good repeatability and stability. Such a new biosensor shows great promise for rapid, simple, and cost-effective analysis of ethanol and methanol, both in qualitative and in quantitative tests.

A Method to Determine Human Skin Heat Capacity Using a Non-Invasive Calorimetric Sensor

A calorimetric sensor has been designed to measure the heat flow dissipated by a 2 × 2 cm2 skin surface. In this work, a non-invasive method is proposed to determine the heat capacity and thermal conductance of the area of skin where the measurement is made. The method consists of programming a linear variation of the temperature of the sensor thermostat during its application to the skin. The sensor is modelled as a two-inputs and two-outputs system. The inputs are (1) the power dissipated by the skin and transmitted by conduction to the sensor, and (2) the power dissipated in the sensor thermostat to maintain the programmed temperature. The outputs are (1) the calorimetric signal and (2) the thermostat temperature. The proposed method consists of a sensor modelling that allows the heat capacity of the element where dissipation takes place (the skin) to be identified, and the transfer functions (TF) that link the inputs and outputs are constructed from its value. These TFs allow the determination of the heat flow dissipated by the surface of the human body as a function of the temperature of the sensor thermostat. Furthermore, as this variation in heat flow is linear, we define and determine an equivalent thermal resistance of the skin in the measured area. The method is validated with a simulation and with experimental measurements on the surface of the human body.

Constant Temperature Anemometer with Self-Calibration Closed Loop Circuit

In this paper, a Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) calorimetric sensor with its measurement electronics is designed, fabricated, and tested. The idea is to apply a configurable voltage to the sensitive resistor and measure the current flowing through the heating resistor using a current mirror controlled by an analog feedback loop. In order to cancel the offset and errors of the amplifier, the constant temperature anemometer (CTA) circuit is periodically calibrated. This technique improves the accuracy of the measurement and allows high sensitivity and high bandwidth frequency. The CTA circuit is implemented in a CMOS FD-SOI 28 nm technology. The supply voltage is 1.2 V while the core area is 0.266 mm2. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of the MEMS calorimetric sensor for measuring airflow rate. The developed MEMS calorimetric sensor shows a maximum normalized sensitivity of 117 mV/(m/s)/mW with respect to the input heating power and a wide dynamic flow range of 0–26 m/s. The high sensitivity and wide dynamic range achieved by our MEMS flow sensor enable its deployment as a promising sensing node for direct wall shear stress measurement applications.