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Silicon microring resonators are widely used as optical biosensors because of their high sensitivity and promise of low-cost mass-manufacturing. Typically, they only measure the adsorbed molecular mass via the refractive index change they detect. Here, we propose and demonstrate a silicon microring biosensor that can measure molecular thickness and density as well as electrochemical activity simultaneously, thereby enabling quantification of the conformation of surface-immobilized biological and molecular layers in real time. Insight into the molecular conformation is obtained by recording the resonance shift from two geometrically distinct ring-resonators connected to a single access waveguide. The resonant cavities both support a single TE polarized optical mode but have different widths (480 and 580 nm); the extent of their evanescent fields is thus very different, providing different depth-resolution of the interaction with a molecular layer on the sensor surface. By combining the optical shift from these two measurements, we demonstrate unambiguous quantification of the thickness and the refractive index of a molecular layer assembled on the waveguide. The precision of the technique is 0.05 nm and 0.005 RIU in the molecular layer thickness and refractive index, respectively. We demonstrate the cascaded electrophotonic ring resonator system using two exemplar systems, namely, (a) physisorption of a bovine serum albumin monolayer and (b) an electroactive DNA oligonucleotide hairpin, where we uniquely show the ability to monitor electrochemical activity and conformational change with the same device. This novel sensor geometry provides a new approach for monitoring the conformation and conformational changes in an inexpensive and miniaturized platform that is amenable to multiplexed, high-throughput measurements.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has been identified as a major threat to public health worldwide. To ensure appropriate use of existing antibiotics, rapid and reliable tests of AMR are necessary. One of the most common and clinically important forms of bacterial resistance is to b-lactam antibiotics (e.g. penicillin). This resistance is often caused by b-lactamases, which hydrolyze b-lactam drugs, rendering them ineffective. Current methods for detecting these enzymes either require time- consuming growth assays or antibiotic mimics such as nitrocefin. Here, we report the development of a surface-bound, clinically- relevant, b-lactam drug that can be used to detect b-lactamases. Furthermore, we demonstrate the use of these functionalized surfaces to selectively detect b-lactamases in complex biological media, such as urine.

Change detection using remote sensing data is one of the most essential processing steps for monitoring urban and forest areas. And it provides an invaluable tool for archaeological sites in times of war or natural disasters. However, until now the visual interpretation is still the main technique in analyzing changes from these images. In this chapter, the state of the art of the change detection on archaeology applications and the latest change detection techniques in 2D and 3D are introduced.

Currently available very high resolution space borne imagery can be used for mapping and 3D modeling of archaeologic sites and monuments from all over the world. This allows also the continuous monitoring, protection from natural and human threatening and may also be the base for virtual or real reconstruction of monuments. As an example it is shown how a mostly automatic approach for operationally monitoring from space may work on the example of the world heritage site of Palmyra, Syria.

Figure S1. Patient flow chart (DOCX 93 kb)

Supplemental document.

The purpose of this Report is to describe the webinars that took place during the project, related to TASK 6. Particularly, through the webinars, all the methods and techniques used during the project are described. This deliverable includes the agenda, the participants and the presentations of ATHENA’s webinars.

J.J.-C. was supported by a PhD studentship funded by the Departments of Physics and Electronics of the University of York. K.E.D. and S.D.J. acknowledge the University of York for the award of an Institutional Equipment Grant and financial support from the EPSRC Platform Grant EP/K040820/1. M.G.S. and T.F.K. thank the EPSRC Programme Grant ‘Structured Light’ EP/J01771X/1 for financial support. A.P., S.D.J. and T.F.K. acknowledge the support of the Biological Physical Sciences Institute at the University of York. The emergence of personalized and stratified medicine requires label-free, low-cost diagnostic technology capable of monitoring multiple disease biomarkers in parallel. Silicon photonic biosensors combine high-sensitivity analysis with scalable, low-cost manufacturing, but they tend to measure only a single biomarker and provide no information about their (bio)chemical activity. Here we introduce an electrochemical silicon photonic sensor capable of highly sensitive and multiparameter profiling of biomarkers. Our electrophotonic technology consists of microring resonators optimally n-doped to support high Q resonances alongside electrochemical processes in situ. The inclusion of electrochemical control enables site-selective immobilization of different biomolecules on individual microrings within a sensor array. The combination of photonic and electrochemical characterization also provides additional quantitative information and unique insight into chemical reactivity that is unavailable with photonic detection alone. By exploiting both the photonic and the electrical properties of silicon, the sensor opens new modalities for Sensing on the microscale. Publisher PDF

The present deliverable makes part of the Work Package 5: Promotion of the centre locally and internationally, and more specifically it adress the International networking achieved through the website of the project.

The Deliverable 6.6 with the title “7 conference papers”, is part of WP6 “Dissemination and Exploitation” of Athena project with a basic aim to knowledge sharing, network development and exposure to an international environment. Three conference attendances were foreseen (e.g. CAA; SPIE; EARSeL) within the project duration whereas more than 30 posters and oral presentations were presented during the project in the conferences such as: SPIE 2016, SPIE 2018, EUROMED 2016, EUROMED 2018, EGU 2016, EGU 2017, EGU 2018, RSCy2016, RSCy 2017, RSCy 2018, etc.

Work package 4 focused on the training and knowledge transfer between the existing personnel of the Remote Sensing Lab of the Cyprus University of Technology and experts from the high performing partners’ institutions. The current deliverable consists precisely of the specific training/knowledge transfer activity of the virtual trainings that have took place throughout the project. The deliverable provides a brief description for each virtual training, all relative information as per topic, participants, date etc. Also, the material produced by each trainer, is also hereunder displayed. The topics of virtual trainings focused on the analysis of hyperspectral images, the use of remote sensing for looting monitoring and the multi-temporal remote sensing analyses. In addition, the fourth virtual training was focused on the Integration of RS data for Cultural Heritage management in the Copernicus Era.

The present deliverable reports the short-term visits of the CUT personnel to Germany and Italy hosted by DLR and CNR, for training on remote sensing technologies, data and sensors as well as active and passive remote sensing (including geophysics) for archaeology. In collaboration with the project partners, selected members of the ATHENA team from Cyprus visited different facilities and had the opportunity to train, discuss and implement novel remote sensing technologies. The main goal of these activities was to further build on the synergies of the ATHENA network. With the involvement of high performance partners (CNR and DLR), the network will encourage the development and exchange of knowledge, technology and innovation in the domain of the cultural heritage. A great effort has been made by all partners to maximize the role and capabilities as well as increase the strategic collaborations in the region of the ATHENA Centre, thereby providing access to their links and making use of the available networks.

The present report describes in detail the International Promotion Strategy that was implemented in the framework of ATHENA project along with the targets set at the beginning of the project. Thereafter, the international promotion events and activities, via which the project was disseminated and promoted, are showcased.

The present deliverable consists of the report on the local promotion strategy of the ATHENA project, and makes part of WP5 (Promotion of the centre locally and internationally).The strategy, was based on the promotion of the ATHENA locally with the aim to create a substantial and collaborative network, in order to sustain the Centre’s future activities.

The specific deliverable summarizes the material related to the form of interviews and articles in newspapers and magazines of the project. Radio, journals and newspapers are also used as means to promote and advertise some of the dissemination events of the project. Mass media promotions at a national level as well in the European Research Media Centre are organized to promote and raise awareness. Guest appearances on TV and radio shows and national newspapers are used to ensure the access to the widest community.