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Experts in many countries are recommending a scaling up midwifery-led care as a model to improve maternal and newborn outcomes, reduce rates of unnecessary interventions, realise cost savings, and facilitate normal spontaneous vaginal birth.

In this study we present theoretical proof of the principle of using interdigital capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUT IDTs) for the detection of phospholipid membrane elasticity. Proof of principle was needed to find out whether the new type of microelectromechanical sensors of the toxins incorporated with the lipid membranes was feasible. CMUT IDTs for 10 MHz operation in water, with 146 µm spaced double fingers were designed and fabricated using the surface micromachining technique. Fabricated CMUTs were tested for their resonance in air and for Scholte-type wave transmission in deionized water and isopropanol solutions containing 0%, 10% and 20% water. The amplitude and phase velocity of the excited and received Scholte waves were measured in a 200 µm height microchannel, capped with a thick layer of soft polymer, which suppressed the production of non-informative guided waves. It was determined that the average sensitivity of Scholte wave phase velocity within the given range of solution concentrations is 2.9 m s−1 per one percent. Experimental data were also used to verify the adequacy of the finite element model, which was found to be suitable for reliable prediction of the phospholipid membrane elasticity impact on the Scholte wave phase velocity or the resonance frequency in the present IDT structure. It was determined that for the analyzed conditions (the elasticity of simulated phospholipid membrane changed from 1 to 5 GPa) the sensitivity of the measurement channel is expected to be no worse than 2 kHz GPa−1 in terms of the Scholte wave and CMUT IDT resonance frequency. This leads to a positive conclusion on the feasibility of the new sensor type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) was engineered and functionalized with zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) dispersed in a photoresist AZ1512HS (AZ) matrix to function as a gravimetric gas sensor. The sensor response was recorded in the presence of nitrogen, argon, carbon dioxide, and methane gases as well as water, acetylene, a propane/butane mixture, n-hexane, gasoline, and diesel vapors. The photoresist matrix alone was found to have a negligible response to all the gases and vapors, except for water vapor. No visible difference in sensor response was detected when switching from nitrogen to methane gas. However, a strong shift in the sensor resonance frequency was observed when exposed to higher hydrocarbons, ranging from 1 kHz for acetylene to 7.5 kHz for gasoline. Even longer-chain hydrocarbons, specifically kerosene and more so diesel, had a significantly reduced sensor frequency shift compared with gasoline. Sensors functionalized with a thin film of AZ+ZIF-8 demonstrated higher sensitivity in their response to a hydrocarbon molecular mass than without functionalization.

The effect of microchannel height on acoustic streaming velocity and capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) cell damping was investigated. Microchannels with heights ranging from 0.15 to 1.75 mm were used in experiments, and computational microchannel models with heights varying from 10 to 1800 micrometers were simulated. Both simulated and measured data show local minima and maxima of acoustic streaming efficiency associated with the wavelength of the `bulk acoustic wave excited at 5 MHz frequency. Local minima occur at microchannel heights that are multiples of half the wavelength (150 μm), which are caused by destructive interference between excited and reflected acoustic waves. Therefore, microchannel heights that are not multiples of 150 μm are more favorable for higher acoustic streaming effectiveness since destructive interference decreases the acoustic streaming effectiveness by more than 4 times. On average, the experimental data show slightly higher velocities for smaller microchannels than the simulated data, but the overall observation of higher streaming velocities in larger microchannels is not altered. In additional simulation, at small microchannel heights (10-350 μm), local minima at microchannel heights that are multiples of 150 μm were observed, indicating the interference between excited and reflected waves and causing acoustic damping of comparatively compliant CMUT membranes. Increasing the microchannel height to over 100 μm tends to eliminate the acoustic damping effect as the local minima of the CMUT membrane swing amplitude approach the maximum value of 42 nm, which is the calculated amplitude of the freely swinging membrane under the described conditions. At optimum conditions, an acoustic streaming velocity of over 2 mm/s in a 1.8 mm-high microchannel was achieved.

The trade-off between the functionalization shift of the informative parameters and sensitivity of capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers (CMUT)-based CO 2 sensors is addressed, and the CMUT surface modification process by thin inkjet-printed polyethyleneimine (PEI) films is optimized. It was shown that by the proper preparation of the active CMUT surface and properly diluted PEI solution, it is possible to minimize the functionalization shift of the resonance frequency and the quality of the resonance and preserve the sensitivity potential. So, after optimization, we demonstrated 23.2 kHz frequency shift readings of the sensor with 16 MHz nominal frequency while in the gas chamber and switching between pure N 2 and CO 2 . After testing the sensors with different PEI film thickness, it was confirmed that a 200 nm average thickness of a PEI film is an optimum, because this is the practical limit of CO 2 absorption depth at given conditions. Additionally, we note that modification of the hydrophilic/hydrophobic properties of the CMUT surface allows changing the nanoscale surface roughness of the printed PEI film and controlling the area resolution of the inkjet functionalization by reducing the diameter of a single dot down to 150 μm by a commercially available printer cartridge.

This review paper discusses the advances of the gravimetric detection devices based on capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducers structure. Principles of gravimetric operation and device modeling are reviewed through the presentation of an analytical, one-dimensional model and finite element modeling. Additionally, the most common fabrication techniques, including sacrificial release and wafer bonding, are discussed for advantages for gravimetric sensing. As functional materials are the most important part of the selective gravimetric sensing, the review of different functional material properties and coating and application methods is necessary. Particularly, absorption and desorption mechanisms of functional materials, like methylated polyethyleneimine, with examples of applications for gas sensing and using immune complexes for specific biomolecules detection are reviewed.

The improvement of the micromachined ultrasound transducer based (CMUT) biosensor fabrication technology and signal processing, which led to higher signal to noise ratio is reported. The biosensor contains interdigitally arranged CMUT structure with gold-coated analytical area. It is assembled with the plexiglass microchannels. CMUTs were fabricated with the wafer bonding technology for 5 MHz operation in immersion. For signal processing the convolutional neural network (CNN) was developed and trained to classify the sensor data to different propagation delay values. For training of the network 750 thousand signals representing different properties of the bioanalyte and different noise conditions was simulated by the finite time difference domain (FDTD) model. The capability of the CNN algorithm to classify the propagation delay data was compared with the adaptive passband filter signal processing algorithm used in our previous version of the senor. Both sensing channels were run simultaneously with the reference liquids in the microchannel: deionized water switching to 0.9% saline. It was found that CNN channel is capable to improve the signal to noise ratio for this experiment to 75 dB, when the same property for the passband filter channel was only 60 dB. This led to the generalization about the advantage of CNN channel to provide 15 dB less of instrumental noise. Finally, the real-time detection ability of the bovine serum albumin (BSA) deposition on the analytical area of improved sensor was demonstrated., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Competing Interests: The editors declare no conflicts of interest.

A gravimetric gas detection device based on surface functionalized Capacitive Micromachined Ultrasound Transducers (CMUTs) was designed, fabricated and tested for detection of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and sulfur dioxide (SO 2 ) mixtures in nitrogen. The created measurement setup of continuous data collection, integrated with an in-situ Fourier Transform Infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, allows for better understanding of the mechanisms and molecular interactions with the sensing layer (methylated poly(ethylene)imine) and its need of surface functionalization for multiple gas detection. During experimentation with CO 2 gases, weak molecular interactions were observed in spectroscopy data. Linear sensor response to frequency shift was observed with CO 2 concentrations ranging from 0.16 vol % to 1 vol %. Moreover, the Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy data showed much stronger SO 2 and the polymer interactions, molecules were bound by stronger forces and irreversibly changed the polymer film properties. However, the sensor change in resonance frequency in the tested region of 1 vol % to 5 vol % SO 2 showed a linear response. This effect changed not only the device resonance frequency but also affected the magnitude of electroacoustic impedance which was used for differentiating the gas mixture of CO 2 , SO 2 , in dry N 2 .

Background: Mortality rates for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients are still very high all over the world. Our study aimed to investigate the impact of ACS treatment on cardiovascular (CV) mortality eight years following ACS., Methods: A retrospective cohort study with a total of 613 patients was used. The data was collected from databases and medical records. An evidence-based treatment (EBT) algorithm was used based on the ESC guidelines. Logistic regression analysis and standardized odds ratios with 95% confidence interval (CI) were used for the risk assessment, with a p level<0.05 considered as significant., Results: The median follow-up time in this study was 7.6 years. During follow-up 48.9% of the patients (n=300) died from CV and 207 (69%) for a relevant reason. For monotherapy ACE inhibitors and β-blockers, and for fixed dose combined drugs ACE inhibitors and diuretics, were most frequently used. EBT was provided to 37.8% of patients. The EBT use (HR 0.541, CI 0.394-0.742, p<0.001) during follow-up period was important for reducing CV mortality in ACS patients., Conclusions: The combined use of EBT significantly improved outcomes. The recurrent myocardial infarction and percutaneous coronary intervention patients were more frequent in EBT and it was beneficial for reducing CV mortality.