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The article focuses on a study related to the three-dimensional analyte-sensitive nanostructures of holographic sensors and their application in industrial settings, research, and among public. Topics discussed include demonstration of how holographic sensing is apt for a body of sensing mechanisms, the role of Optical sensors in environment monitoring, and the development of sensors by combining optical properties of photonic crystals and quantum dots.

The rapidly expanding number of mobile medical applications have the potential to transform the patient–healthcare provider relationship by improving the turnaround time and reducing costs. In September 2013, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued guidance to regulate these applications and protect consumers by minimising the risks associated with their unintended use. This guidance distinguishes between the subset of mobile medical apps which may be subject to regulation and those that are not. The marketing claims of the application determine the intent. Areas of concern include compliance with regular updates of the operating systems and of the mobile medical apps themselves. In this article, we explain the essence of this FDA guidance by providing examples and evaluating the impact on academia, industry and other key stakeholders, such as patients and clinicians. Our assessment indicates that awareness and incorporation of the guidelines into product development can hasten the commercialisation and market entry process. Furthermore, potential obstacles have been discussed and directions for future development suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the adsorption behavior of the herbicides diquat, difenzoquat and clomazone on biopolymer membranes prepared with alginate and chitosan (pristine and multi-layer model) for contaminated water remediation applications. Herbicides, at concentrations ranging from 5 μM to 200 μM, were adsorbed in either pure alginate, pure chitosan or a bilayer membrane composed of chitosan/alginate. No adsorption of clomazone was observed on any of the membranes, probably due to lack of electrostatic interactions between the herbicide and the membranes. Diquat and difenzoquat were only adsorbed on the alginate and chitosan/alginate membranes, indicating that this adsorption takes place in the alginate layer. At a concentration of 50 μM, diquat adsorption reaches ca. 95% after 120 min on both the alginate and chitosan/alginate membranes. The adsorption of difenzoquat, at the same concentration, reaches ca. 62% after 120 min on pure alginate membranes and ca. 12% on chitosan/alginate bilayer membranes. The adsorption isotherms for diquat and difenzoquat were further evaluated using the isotherm models proposed by Langmuir and by Freundlich, where the latter represented the best-fit model. Results indicate that adsorption occurs via coulombic interactions between the herbicides and alginate and is strongly related to the electrostatic charge, partition coefficients and dissociation constants of the herbicides. Biopolymer based membranes present novel systems for the removal of herbicides from contaminated water sources and hold great promise in the field of environmental science and engineering. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We computationally and experimentally demonstrate enhanced reflection effects displayed by silicon-based inverted nanocone arrays. A 3D finite element model is used to characterize the optical properties of the nanocone arrays with respect to the change in polarization and incident angles. The nanocone arrays are fabricated by e-beam lithography in hexagonal and triangular geometries with a lattice constant of 300 nm. The fabricated devices show a two-fold increase in reflection compared with bare silicon surface, as well as a strong diffraction within the visible and nearinfrared spectra. The nanocone arrays may find a variety of applications from optical devices to energy conservation technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A smartphone application algorithm with inter-phone repeatability was developed for both Android and iOS operating systems. The app transformed the smartphone into a reader to quantify commercial colorimetric urine tests with high accuracy and reproducibility in measuring pH, protein, and glucose. The results showed linear responses in the ranges of 5.0–9.0, 0–100mg/dL and 0–300mg/dL, respectively. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]