Compact Miniaturized Bioluminescence Sensor Based on Continuous Air-Segmented Flow for Real-Time Monitoring: Application to Bile Salt Hydrolase (BSH) Activity and ATP Detection in Biological Fluids

A simple and versatile continuous air-segmented flow sensor using immobilized luciferase was designed as a general miniaturized platform based on sensitive biochemiluminescence detection. The device uses miniaturized microperistaltic pumps to deliver flows and compact sensitive light imaging detectors based on BI-CMOS (smartphone camera) or CCD technology. The low-cost components and power supply make it suitable as out-lab device at point of need to monitor kinetic-related processes or ex vivo dynamic events. A nylon6 flat spiral carrying immobilized luciferase was placed in front of the detector in lensless mode using a fiber optic tapered faceplate. ATP was measured in samples collected by microdialysis from rat brain with detecting levels as low as 0.4 fmoles. The same immobilized luciferase was also used for the evaluation of bile salt hydrolase (BSH) activity in intestinal microbiota. An aminoluciferin was conjugatated with chenodeoxycholic acid forming the amide derivative aLuc-CDCA. The hydrolysis of the aLuc-CDCA probe by BSH releases free uncaged aminoluciferin which is the active substrate for luciferase leading to light emission. This method can detect as low as 0.5 mM of aLuc-CDCA, so it can be used on real faecal human samples to study BSH activity and its modulation by diseases and drugs.

Strip Size Optimization for Spiral Type Actuator Coil Used in Electromagnetic Flat Sheet Forming Experiment

Flat spiral coil for electromagnetic forming system has been modelled in FEMM 4.2 software. Copper strip was chosen as material for designing the actuator coil. Relationship between height to width ratio (S-factor) of the copper strip and coil’s performance has been studied. Magnetic field intensities, eddy currents and Lorentz force were calculated for the coils that were designed using six different 'S-factor' values (0.65, 0.75, 1.05, 1.25, 1.54 and 1.75), keeping the cross-sectional area of strip same. Results obtained through simulation suggest that actuator coil with S-factor ~ 1 shows optimum forming performance as it exerts maximum Lorentz force (84 kN) on work piece. The same coils was fabricated and used for electromagnetic sheet forming experiments. Aluminum 6061 sheets of thickness 1.5 mm have been formed using different voltage levels of capacitor bank. Smooth forming profiles were obtained with dome heights 28, 35 and 40 mm in work piece at 800, 1150 and 1250 V respectively.

Flow analysis of conical spiral mandrel dies

Spiral dies are divided into three categories, namely: Flat Spiral Die (FSD), Cylindrical Spiral Mandrel Die (SMD), and Conical Spiral Mandrel Die (CSD). These dies are used to produce films via blown film extrusion and multilayer films via co-extrusion. The goal is to improve the flow distribution and to decrease the pressure drop which will result in uniform film thickness and reduced energy dissipation. A viscous power-law fluid model shows that low-pressure drop and proper flow distribution can be achieved in a CSD simultaneously. As the number of grooves and the initial channel depth increases, the flow distribution becomes more uniform and the pressure drop decreases. Also, there is an optimum initial clearance and clearance increment angle. The model results show that the pseudo-plastic fluid has more appropriate performance than the Newtonian and dilatant fluids in improving the flow distribution and reducing the pressure drop.

Friction and wear tester

A compact and simple in design device (friction machine) for testing materials for friction and wear is developed. The device is intended for determination of the wear resistance and friction coefficient of structural, frictional and antifriction materials, as well as the tribological characteristics of lubricants. The measurement system of the device includes spring helical and flat spiral elastic elements, combined in one node and designed to measure the normal force and friction torque, respectively. Metal-cutting machines can be used as an external drive of the device. The friction machine was tested when measuring the wear rate and the value of the friction coefficient of the samples of cast iron SCh20, brass L63, technical aluminum A7, as well as modified aluminum A7 with improved mechanical characteristics. The materials were tested in tandem with a counter-sample made of hardened steel 95Kh18 according to the ball-ring scheme in dry friction mode and in boundary lubrication mode using I-20A industrial oil at a normal load of 50 N and a linear velocity in the contact zone of 0.5 m/sec. The wear degree was estimated by the weight loss. The obtained results are characterized by the sufficient accuracy and reproducibility. A severe wear of brass is observed at a given testing load. Tests of the aluminum samples modified with ultrafine diamond-graphite powder UDP-AG obtained from explosives showed an increase in the tribological characteristics by 10 – 18%.

Enhancement of Deep-Subwavelength Band Gaps in Flat Spiral-Based Phononic Metamaterials Using the Trampoline Phenomena

Elastic and acoustic metamaterials can sculpt dispersion of waves through resonances. In turn, resonances can give rise to negative effective properties, usually localized around the resonance frequencies, which support band gaps at subwavelength frequencies (i.e., below the Bragg-scattering limit). However, the band gaps width correlates strongly with the resonators’ mass and volume, which limits their functionality in applications. Trampoline phenomena have been numerically and experimentally shown to broaden the operational frequency ranges of two-dimensional, pillar-based metamaterials through perforation. In this work, we demonstrate trampoline phenomena in lightweight and planar lattices consisting of arrays of Archimedean spirals in unit cells. Spiral-based metamaterials have been shown to support different band gap opening mechanisms, namely, Bragg-scattering, local resonances and inertia amplification. Here, we numerically analyze and experimentally realize trampoline phenomena in planar metasurfaces for different lattice tessellations. Finally, we carry out a comparative study between trampoline pillars and spirals and show that trampoline spirals outperform the pillars in lightweight, compactness and operational bandwidth.

Wireless Power Hanger Pad for Portable Wireless Audio Device Power Charger Application

Since the portability feature has been introduced in headphone development, this device now uses a battery as the main built-in power. However, the battery has limited power capacity and a short lifetime. Battery substitution and a conventional battery charger method is an ineffective, inflexible inconvenience for enhancing the user experience. This paper presents an innovative portable audio device battery built-in charger method based on wireless power technology. The developed charging device is composed of a headphone hanger pad for the wireless headphone and a charging pad for the portable wireless audio device battery charging. Circular flat spiral air-core coil was designed and evaluated using a numerical method to obtain optimal vertical magnetic field distribution based on the proposed evaluation criteria. A coil has inner coil diameter of 25 mm, outer coil diameter of 47.8 mm, wire diameter of 0.643 mm, the pitch of 0.03 mm and a number of turns of 17 was chosen to be implemented on the transmitter coil. A magnetic induction technique was adopted in the proposed wireless power transmission module which was implemented using commercial off-the-shelf components. For experimental and validation purposes, a developed receiver module applied to the commercial wireless headphone and portable audio speaker have a built-in battery capacity at 3.7 V 300 mAh. The experimental results show that the wireless power hanger pad prototype can transfer a 5 V induction voltage at a maximum current of 1000 mA, and the power transfer efficiency is around 70%. It works at 110 kHz of operation frequency with a maximum transmission distance of about 10 mm and takes 1 h to charge fully one 3.7 V 300 mAh polymer lithium battery.