Search

The environment is important for human survival, but because of everyday human activities, many pollutants in the drinking water, food and environment may increasingly contribute to the problem of environmental contamination and pose a significant threat to human health. Therefore, the fast and effective monitoring of environmental compound concentrations in environmental samples is required. Electrochemical sensors offer huge potential for online monitoring of specific pollutants in complex environments, owing to their high sensitivity, good selectivity, low cost, simple operation, and high accuracy. This has made them a hot topic. Furthermore, with development of portable electronic technology, the portable electrochemical sensing system with miniaturization has booming in many fields. Therefore, this paper systematically reviews a variety of portable electrochemical sensors that are used for the analysis of pollutants in the environment, and summarizes the current research direction. This is expected to provide researchers with new research ideas and perspectives.

Stroke survivors having limited finger coordination require an active hand orthosis to assist them with grasping tasks for daily activities. The orthosis should be portable for constant use; however, portability imposes constraints on the number, size, and weight of the actuators, which increase the difficulty of the design process. Therefore, a tradeoff exists between portability and the assistive force. In this study, a personalized spatial stiffness distribution design is presented for a portable and strengthful hand orthosis. The spatial stiffness distribution of the orthosis was optimized based on measurements of individual hand parameters to satisfy the functional requirements of achieving sufficient grip aperture in the pre-grasping phase and minimal assistive force in the grasping phase. Ten stroke survivors were recruited to evaluate the system. Sufficient grip aperture and high grip strength-to-weight ratio were achieved by the orthosis via a single motor. Moreover, the orthosis significantly restored the range of motion and improved the performance of daily activities. The proposed spatial stiffness distribution can suggest a design solution to make strengthful hand orthoses with reduced weight.

Copyright of Journal of Food Safety & Quality is the property of Journal of Food Safety & Quality Editorial Department and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Programmable logic controllers (PLC) devices play an important role in automation systems; therefore, technicians must have adequate training with these devices. If a student wants to learn about PLCs, they will find two problems. First, training programs are expensive, and second, PLC modules are not suitable for gaining hands-on skills. This study proposes the implementation and validation of a less expensive PLC module that is accessible to students interested in learning about this technology. Two prototypes were developed using a PIC16F877 and an ATMEGA328P microcontroller. This study describes the enhancement made in the second prototype over the first prototype. Finally, a comparison test between the two prototypes and two commercial PLCs is demonstrated. A MyRIO programmed as a data logger monitored the PLC operation for 12h. The program recorded the response time of the PLC output each time a 24 volts signal was sent to its input. The results show that commercial PLC has a fast and more stable response time. Nevertheless, the developed modules proved to work effectively for 12h, demonstrating their efficiency for training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For microfluidic device fabrication in the research, industry, and commercial areas, the curing and transfer of patterns on photoresist relies on ultraviolet (UV) light. Often, this step is performed by commercial mask aligner or UV lamp exposure systems; however, these machines are often expensive, large, and inaccessible. To find an alternative solution, we present an inexpensive, customizable, and lightweight UV exposure system that is user-friendly and readily available for a homemade cleanroom. We fabricated a portable UV exposure system that costs under $200. The wafer holder's adjustable height enabled for the selection of the appropriate curing distance, demonstrating our system's ability to be easily tailored for different applications. The high light uniformity across a 4" diameter wafer holder (light intensity error ~2.9%) was achieved by adding a light diffusing film to the apparatus. These values are comparable to the light uniformity across a 5" diameter wafer holder from a commercial mask aligner (ABM 3000HR Mask Aligner), that has a light intensity error of ~4.0%. We demonstrated the ability to perform photolithography with high quality by fabricating microfluidic devices and generating uniform microdroplets. We achieved comparable quality to the wafer patterns, microfluidic devices, and droplets made from the ABM 3000HR Mask Aligner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent advances in sensor technology have facilitated the development and use of personalized sensors in monitoring environmental factors and the associated health effects. No studies have reviewed the research advancement in examining population-based health responses to environmental exposure via portable sensors/instruments. This study aims to review studies that use portable sensors to measure environmental factors and health responses while exploring the environmental effects on health. With a thorough literature review using two major English databases (Web of Science and PubMed), 24 eligible studies were included and analyzed out of 16,751 total records. The 24 studies include 5 on physical factors, 19 on chemical factors, and none on biological factors. The results show that particles were the most considered environmental factor among all of the physical, chemical, and biological factors, followed by total volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide. Heart rate and heart rate variability were the most considered health indicators among all cardiopulmonary outcomes, followed by respiratory function. The studies mostly had a sample size of fewer than 100 participants and a study period of less than a week due to the challenges in accessing low-cost, small, and light wearable sensors. This review guides future sensor-based environmental health studies on project design and sensor selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Ordnance Equipment Engineering is the property of Chongqing University of Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) using a car is a recent advancement in imaging technology. Specifically, a car-mounted mobile MRI system is expected to be used for medical check-ups; however, this is still in the research stage. This study demonstrated the practicality of a small car-mounted mobile MRI in on-field screening for osteochondritis dissecans (OCD) of the humeral capitellum. In the primary check-up, we screened the throwing elbows of 151 young baseball players using mobile MRI and ultrasonography. We definitively diagnosed OCD at the secondary check-up using X-ray photography and computed tomography or MRI. We investigated the sensitivity and specificity of mobile MRI and ultrasonography for OCD. Six patients were diagnosed with OCD. The sensitivity was 83.3% for mobile MRI and 66.7% for ultrasonography, with specificity of 99.3% vs. 100%, respectively. One patient was detected using ultrasonography but was missed by mobile MRI due to poor imaging quality at the first medical check-up. Following this false-negative case, we replaced a damaged radio frequency coil to improve the image quality, and the mobile MRI could detect all subsequent OCD cases. Two patients were diagnosed by mobile MRI only; ultrasonography missed cases lacking subchondral bone irregularity, such as a healing case, and an early-stage case. Mobile MRI could screen for OCD from the very early stages through the healing process and is therefore a practical tool for on-field screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Ultrasound for gestational age (GA) assessment is not routinely available in resource-constrained settings, particularly in rural and remote locations. The TraCer device combines a handheld wireless ultrasound probe and a tablet with artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled software that obtains GA from videos of the fetal head by automated measurements of the fetal transcerebellar diameter and head circumference. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the perceptions of pregnant women, their families, and health care workers regarding the feasibility and acceptability of the TraCer device in an appropriate setting. Methods: A descriptive study using qualitative methods was conducted in two public health facilities in Kilifi county in coastal Kenya prior to introduction of the new technology. Study participants were shown a video role-play of the use of TraCer at a typical antenatal clinic visit. Data were collected through 6 focus group discussions (N=52) and 18 in-depth interviews. Results: Overall, TraCer was found to be highly acceptable to women, their families, and health care workers, and its implementation at health care facilities was considered to be feasible. Its introduction was predicted to reduce anxiety regarding fetal well-being, increase antenatal care attendance, increase confidence by women in their care providers, as well as save time and cost by reducing unnecessary referrals. TraCer was felt to increase the self-image of health care workers and reduce time spent providing antenatal care. Some participants expressed hesitancy toward the new technology, indicating the need to test its performance over time before full acceptance by some users. The preferred cadre of health care professionals to use the device were antenatal clinic nurses. Important implementation considerations included adequate staff training and the need to ensure sustainability and consistency of the service. Misconceptions were common, with a tendency to overestimate the diagnostic capability, and expectations that it would provide complete reassurance of fetal and maternal well-being and not primarily the GA. Conclusions: This study shows a positive attitude toward TraCer and highlights the potential role of this innovation that uses AI-enabled automation to assess GA. Clarity of messaging about the tool and its role in pregnancy is essential to address misconceptions and prevent misuse. Further research on clinical validation and related usability and safety evaluations are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil microbial fuel cells (SMFCs) are attractive for low-cost bioelectricity generation. In this study, a multiwalled carbon nanotube paper (MCNTP) was fabricated by a simple method for use as the anode and cathode electrodes in a stab-type membrane-less SMFC (SSMFC). Activated carbon powder, carbon fibers, and cellulose fibers were bound by multiwalled carbon nanotube paint to form the MCNTP. As a result, the MCNTP exhibited high conductivity, flexibility, and durability. In addition, the SSMFC was designed as a module mounted with three anodes in series and a floating air cathode. The SSMFC could be activated on demand by simply stabbing in the wet soil. Experimental results showed that the floating cathode outperformed the non-floating one. The SSMFC generated the output shortly after being plugged into the wet soil. The maximum power density was at the level of 60–70 mW/m2 for three separate experiment cycles. Additionally, a single SSMFC was used to power a clock as an example to demonstrate its practical use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Light microscopes became essential tools in everyday lab work a long time ago. However, most commercial microscopes are costly, and they are often bulky and heavy. Therefore, microscopes are rarely seen in mobile applications or used by interested amateurs. Here, we present an affordable, portable single-lens microscope. It essentially uses a Raspberry Pi single-board computer, a camera, a touchscreen display, and an LED ring at its core. Apart from brightfield microscopy, contrast-enhancing methods by oblique, dark-field, and Rheinberg illumination are possible, as well. The microscope is ideal for applications that do not require high-end optical components. Due to its low cost and flexible use, it is also suitable for hands-on experiences of the fascinating world not visible by the human eye., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Environmental monitoring of microorganisms is critical for the protection and enhancement of human and ecosystem health. Even though these molecular methods have overtaken traditional culture-based methods and become more accessible, these techniques still require expensive equipment and dedicated facilities to process samples which in the context of a global pandemic, remote sampling areas or low-income countries can be extremely challenging. Sample preparation and sample homogenisation are critical steps for molecular-based techniques, especially for the extraction of DNA and RNA. This study developed a low-cost, open-source, freely available 3D printed homogenizer for the processing of DNA and RNA extraction. The BoSL Beater 3D is a portable device that allows researcher to perform bead-beating steps commonly required for environmental sample extraction protocols in the field and without access to main's power. The BoSL Beater 3D was tested on filtered wastewater samples and passive samplers exposed to wastewater over a 24-hour period and showed similar or better performance to the traditional laboratory bead beater for both the extraction of DNA and RNA. The cost of this 3D homogeniser is roughly $18 AUD ($296 AUD with the jigsaw, which is roughly 57 times cheaper than a traditional bead beater) and has the added usability of being portable and easily adaptable to any type of jigsaw. In combination to newly developed field extraction kits as well as portable PCR machines, this 3D homogeniser could provide the tool necessary to enable access to molecular testing in remote setting as well as developing countries, which may not have access to fully equipped laboratories, but also allow for timely reporting. In addition, the BoSL Beater 3D, in combination with field extraction kit, can allow more flexibility to researchers while sampling, shipping, and processing DNA and RNA samples, whilst maintaining quality of these samples., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Constructing stable, portable sensors and revealing their mechanisms is challenging. Ion metal-organic frameworks (IMOFs) are poised to serve as highly effective electrochemical sensors for detecting organophosphorus pesticides (OPs), leveraging their unique charge properties. In this work, an amino-modified IMOF was constructed and combined with near-field communication (NFC) technology to develop a portable, touchless, and battery-free electrochemical biosensor NH 2 -IMOF@CS@AChE . -NH 2 in NH 2 -IMOF gives the framework a higher electropositivity compared to IMOF , enhancing the electrostatic attraction with acetylcholinesterase (AChE), which is beneficial for immobilizing AChE. Furthermore, the uncoordinated O atoms and the (CH 3 ) 2 NH 2 + groups in NH 2 -IMOF help to form stronger bonds with AChE through hydrogen bonds. The results showed a wide linear response range of 1 × 10 -15 to 1 × 10 -9 M and a low detection limit of 1.24 × 10 -13 M for glyphosate (Gly) in the practical detection of OPs. Additionally, electrochemical biosensor arrays were constructed to effectively identify and distinguish multiple OPs on the basis of their unique differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) electrochemical signals. This work provides a simple and effective solution for on-site OP analysis and can be widely applied in food safety and water quality monitoring.

A multisensory gas device integrated with myRIO module to measure air pollution has been established. This device is programmed using the LabVIEW programming language and can measure CO2, CO, NOX, and HC pollution on roads due to motor vehicle exhaust emissions. The device and the display system are made separately using wireless network communication to make this tool portable. Exhaust Gas Analyzer (EGA) was chosen for device calibration, obtaining 3.62% on the average error after performing 30 tests. The tests for measuring CO, CO2, NOX, and HC gas levels were conducted in several locations in Padang City and performed in the morning, afternoon, and evening. The result showed that the system properly measured CO2, CO, NOX and HC pollution in parks and highways in real-time in parts per million (ppm). It also displayed varied gas measurement results in terms of time and test location with a range of CO gas values at 0.034 – 0.15 ppm, CO2 151.3 – 815.2 ppm, NOX 0.0001 – 0.004 ppm, and HC 0.04 – 0.65 ppm. In addition, the system could perform well in providing warnings by automatically activating the air indicator alert at several measurement places when the gas content on one of the gas elements and compounds at a particular location has exceeded the threshold for the clean air category. Thus, this device can be used as initial research to build a real-time air pollution measurement system using the Internet of Things (IoT).

Traditional foodborne pathogen detection methods are highly dependent on pre-treatment of samples and selective microbiological plating to reliably screen target microorganisms. Inherent limitations of conventional methods include longer turnaround time and high costs, use of bulky equipment, and the need for trained staff in centralized laboratory settings. Researchers have developed stable, reliable, sensitive, and selective, rapid foodborne pathogens detection assays to work around these limitations. Recent advances in rapid diagnostic technologies have shifted to on-site testing, which offers flexibility and ease-of-use, a significant improvement from traditional methods’ rigid and cumbersome steps. This comprehensive review aims to thoroughly discuss the recent advances, applications, and limitations of portable and rapid biosensors for routinely encountered foodborne pathogens. It discusses the major differences between biosensing systems based on the molecular interactions of target analytes and biorecognition agents. Though detection limits and costs still need further improvement, reviewed technologies have high potential to assist the food industry in the on-site detection of biological hazards such as foodborne pathogens and toxins to maintain safe and healthy foods. Finally, this review offers targeted recommendations for future development and commercialization of diagnostic technologies specifically for emerging and re-emerging foodborne pathogens.

This paper reports learning points from a small pilot study using a portable diagnostic X-ray set to radiograph patients in novel settings such as the patient home or care home. This paper explores issues associated with regulatory compliance, staff training, oversight of radiation safety and the drafting of key risk safety documentation including risk assessments. Some limitations to diagnostic imaging are explored and a simple subjective assessment of the visual clarity presented. The pilot demonstrated potential for starting treatment sooner without recourse to a hospital visit. It was well received by patients and all images were of diagnostic quality but was more labour intensive compared with traditional methods. Likely barriers and potential advantages to implementing a full clinical service are discussed.

The PortaLyzer is a portable homemade device that allows researchers to perform bead-beating steps commonly found in environmental DNA (eDNA) extraction protocols in the field without access to power. This allows researchers to preserve in situ organism abundance by beginning eDNA extraction quickly. The PortaLyzer is composed of a variable speed, battery-powered multi-tool and a vortexer adapter plate. We used the PortaLyzer, in conjunction with the Qiagen DNEasy PowerSoil Pro kit, to successfully field process samples taken from the forelands of the Sólheimajökull and Kvíárjökull glaciers in Iceland, as well as soil samples acquired from a prairie in Indiana. Additionally, we provide evidence that samples held in Buffer CD2 of the DNEasy PowerSoil Pro Kit may be transported to traditional lab spaces and processed up to one month after the initial protocol steps, and still provide an equivalent DNA quality and abundance yield as those processed the same day. These improvements to DNA extraction protocols give researchers more flexibility while sampling, shipping and processing eDNA samples.

Quality assessment of medicinal, aromatic plants and plant parts, and spices are to large extent based on estimation of active molecules. Such estimations require high cost, time consuming and laboratory bound methods like High Performance Liquid Chromatography. These methods can handle very few samples at a time and have no portability. Raman spectrometer has been demonstrated to be useful in rapid detection and estimation of biological molecules that demonstrate Raman shifts. Hence, a relatively low cost and portable Raman spectrometer was designed with the commercially available components. The compatible software for its use like the graphical user interface and the calibration program were developed. With this spectrometer the Raman shifts obtained with the standard compounds—benzene, chloroform and glacial acetic acid, were quite compatible with the available standard reports. Then, piperine was estimated in black pepper (Piper nigrum) seed extracts and the coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.98 was obtained for the regression between the high performance liquidchromatography estimates and those based on the Raman spectrometer. The spectrometer can be used for other marker molecules in plants and their products by suitable modifications in the software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A portable remote Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy （LIBS） system with an air-cooled pulsed laser and a plane grating optical spectrometer is developed to analyze radioactive waste processing materials for the assessment of radionuclide contamination，and the miniaturization of the remote LIBS system is successfully realized. The chemical composition of different types of materials can be obtained from 5 meters away by the system，and the accuracy of the quantitative analysis of the remote LIBS system is verified. The excited spectra of Mn，Si，Al，Na，Ba，Ca and Cr elements in white crystal，ceramic and aluminum alloy samples are recorded by the LIBS system with thhe pulse laser energy of 100 mJ and pulse delay time of 1. 0 μs，respectively. The detection ability of LIBS on material components and composition is verified. The quantitative analysis results of aluminum alloy samples shows that the maximumrelative average deviation by the remote system is 12%. The LIBS system can perform semi-quantitative detection in the nuclear field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Radial artery pulse pressure contains abundant cardiovascular physiological and pathological information, which plays an important role in clinical diagnosis of traditional Chinese medical science. However, many photoelectric sensors and pressure sensors will lose a large number of waveform features in monitoring pulse, which will make it difficult for doctors to precisely evaluate the patients' health. In this letter, we proposed an on-skin flexible pressure sensor for monitoring radial artery pulse. The sensor consists of the MXene (Ti3C2Tx)-coated nonwoven fabrics (n-WFs) sensitive layer and laser-engraved interdigital copper electrodes. Benefiting from substantially increased conductive paths between fibers and electrodes during normal compression, the sensor obtains high sensitivity (3.187 kPa−1), fast response time (15 ms), low detection limit (11.1 Pa), and long-term durability (20,000 cycles). Furthermore, a flexible processing circuit was connected with the sensor mounted on wrist radial artery, achieving wirelessly precise monitoring of the pulse on smart phones in real time. Compared with the commercial flexible pressure sensor, our sensor successfully captures weak systolic peak precisely, showing its great clinical potential and commercial value. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy generation using dielectric elastomers (DE) has received a great deal of attention due to their light weight, low cost, and high efficiency. This method is an environmentally friendly system that generates electricity without emitting carbon dioxide and without using rare earths, and can contribute to the reduction of global warming. However, this DE system is expected to be used for wearables, such as shoe power generation, because it is not yet possible to make an energy generation element of a very large size. The problem is that this small DE generator can only generate a small amount of energy at one time. Therefore, in order to increase energy generation efficiency, it is necessary to use a material with higher conductivity for the DE electrode. Moreover, since DE energy generation is output at a high voltage, a circuit capable of stepping down with high efficiency is required in order to use this power for ordinary electric appliances. In addition to this, a circuit that can charge the secondary battery with high efficiency from the surplus power obtained by energy generation is also required. However, these are still technically difficult and have hardly been studied so far. We identified a highly efficient step-down circuit using two diaphragm-type DEs with a diameter of 8 cm, dropped 3000 V to 3.3 V, and succeeded in charging the secondary battery. The possibility of wearable or portable energy generation was shown in a commercial manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most common and easy approach to fabricating flexible strain sensors is based on the deposition principle. To improve the design of the sensing layer pattern, the reproducibility of the process and the sensitivity of the sensor, a controllable low-temperature-plasma spraying method for conducting nanoparticles was proposed. A flexible strain sensor was developed with multiwalled carbon nanotubes as the sensing layer and silica gel films as the substrate. The effects of plasma treatment on the cyclic stability and sensitivity of the sensor were examined and compared. The changes in the sensitivity of the sensor with the pattern parameters were also studied. The sensitivity of the sensor treated with low-temperature plasma was greatly improved (from 3.9 to 11.5) compared to that of an untreated sensor. In addition, pattern parameters significantly affected the rate of change in the resistance. A portable smart boxing glove prototype was developed using the prepared sensor and was then tested. The results showed that the smart glove could transmit and monitor a striking force of 49–490 N in real time with a sampling time, resolution, response time, and recovery time of 100 ms, up to 1.05 kg, 8 ms, and 150 ms, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research work describes the development of a novel bioanalytical method for the assessment of food impact on selected exhaled breath volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using a fast and portable screening VOC prototype sensor based on membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS). Method and sensor prototype functionality was verified by obtaining good response times, linearity in the examined concentration ranges, and sensitivity and repeatability for several breath VOCs—acetone, ethanol, n-pentane, and isoprene. A new VOC sensor prototype was also proven to be sensitive enough for selected breath VOC quantification with limits of detection at low part per billion (ppb) levels—5 ppb for n-pentane, 10 ppb for acetone and ethanol, and 25 ppb for isoprene. Food impact assessment was accomplished by tracking the levels of acetone, ethanol, n-pentane, and isoprene in exhaled breath samples collected from 50 healthy participants before the meal and 60 min and 120 min after the meal. For acetone, isoprene, and n-pentane, a larger impact was noticed 120 min after the meal, while for ethanol, it was after 60 min. Obtained VOC levels were in the expected concentration ranges. Mean values at all time points were ~ 500–900 ppb for acetone and ~ 400–600 ppb for ethanol. Most of the results for n-pentane were below 5 ppb, but the mean value for those which were detected was ~ 30 ppb. Along with samples, data about participants' lifestyle were collected via a short questionnaire, which were compared against obtained VOC levels in order to reveal some significant correlations between habits of participants and their breath VOC levels. Portable MS: monitoring of food impact on the levels of selected VOCs from exhaled breath [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]