CMOS Enabled Microfluidic Systems for Healthcare Based Applications

With the increased global population, it is more important than ever to expand accessibility to affordable personalized healthcare. In this context, a seamless integration of microfluidic technology for bioanalysis and drug delivery and complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) technology enabled data‐management circuitry is critical. Therefore, here, the fundamentals, integration aspects, and applications of CMOS‐enabled microfluidic systems for affordable personalized healthcare systems are presented. Critical components, like sensors, actuators, and their fabrication and packaging, are discussed and reviewed in detail. With the emergence of the Internet‐of‐Things and the upcoming Internet‐of‐Everything for a people–process–data–device connected world, now is the time to take CMOS‐enabled microfluidics technology to as many people as possible. There is enormous potential for microfluidic technologies in affordable healthcare for everyone, and CMOS technology will play a major role in making that happen.     

Plant intelligence based metaheuristic optimization algorithms

Classical optimization algorithms are insufficient in large scale combinatorial problems and in nonlinear problems. Hence, metaheuristic optimization algorithms have been proposed. General purpose metaheuristic methods are evaluated in nine different groups: biology-based, physics-based, social-based, music-based, chemical-based, sport-based, mathematics-based, swarm-based, and hybrid methods which are combinations of these. Studies on plants in recent years have showed that plants exhibit intelligent behaviors. Accordingly, it is thought that plants have nervous system. In this work, all of the algorithms and applications about plant intelligence have been firstly collected and searched. Information is given about plant intelligence algorithms such as Flower Pollination Algorithm, Invasive Weed Optimization, Paddy Field Algorithm, Root Mass Optimization Algorithm, Artificial Plant Optimization Algorithm, Sapling Growing up Algorithm, Photosynthetic Algorithm, Plant Growth Optimization, Root Growth Algorithm, Strawberry Algorithm as Plant Propagation Algorithm, Runner Root Algorithm, Path Planning Algorithm, and Rooted Tree Optimization.     

Kinetic and intraparticle diffusion studies of carbon nanotubes-titania for desulfurization of fuels

The authors report on the kinetics, pseudo first-order model, pseudo second-order model, and intraparticle diffusion mechanism. Thus, the experimental data of the adsorption of thiophene, benzothiophene, and dibenzothiophene on a material of carbon nanotubes-titania were fitted to the kinetics and intraparticle diffusion models. The kinetics parameters of qe and correlation coefficient indicated that the data are not fitted with the pseudo first-order model while they are well fitted to the pseudo second-order model with R² of more than 0.99 and the maximum adsorption capacities qe calculated from the pseudo second order model are in accordance with the experimental values for the three sulfur compounds in a model fuel. The results indicated that the adsorbent has a higher adsorption efficiency toward DBT over the other two sulfur compounds. Fitting the data to the intraparticle diffusion model indicated the intraparticle diffusion was not only rate-controlling step and hence it can be suggested that the surface adsorption and intraparticle diffusion were concurrently operating. The experimental results demonstrate that the combining of titania and carbon nanotubes is a promising material, which can be used in desulfurization.     

Daphne oleoides: An alternative source of important sesquiterpenes

This study was targeted to characterize the chemical composition and antibacterial properties of Daphne oleoides subsp. oleoides essential oil. The essential oil was analyzed and quantified by gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Additionally, the broth dilution method was used to evaluate its antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus (ATCC 11778), Bacillus subtilis (ATCC 6633), Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 25923), Staphylococcus epidermidis (ATCC 12228), Streptococcus faecalis (ATTC 29212), Escherichia coli (ATCC 25922), Proteus mirabilis (ATCC 25933), Proteus vulgaris (ATCC 13315), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (ATCC 27853), and Salmonella typhi Ty2 (ATCC 19430). Seventy-nine compounds were identified, representing 95.2% of the total oil. Nootkatone (18.5%), nootkatin (12.1%), and daphnauranol C (11.7%) were determined as the main constituents in the oil. Oxygenated sesquiterpenes were dominating in the oil (43.0%), followed by fatty acid derivatives (13.7%) and carbonylic compounds (9.6%). The minimal inhibitory/bactericidal concentrations of essential oils of D. oleoides were in the range from 25–100 μg/mL, which can be considered as high activity in comparison with the reference antibiotic which was active in the rangefrom 3.12–100 μg/mL. The greatest minimal inhibitory concentration value was determined as 25 µg/mL against both two Bacillus strains and S. epidermidis, B. cereus, B. subtilis, and S. aureus were the most sensitive strains against essential oils when compared with the minimal inhibitory concentrations of control antibiotic. Consequently, Daphne oleoides subsp. oleoides can be exploited as a source of natural antibacterial agents and nootkatone for the pharmaceutical, food, and agricultural industries.     

Effects of cold storage, rearing temperature, parasitoid age and irradiation on the performance of Trichogramma evanescens Westwood (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)

In this study, the effects of cold storage, rearing temperature, parasitoid age, and irradiation on the performance of the egg parasitoid Trichogramma evanescens were investigated. Pupae of T. evanescens can be stored at 4 °C for up to 3 weeks without much loss of performance. The longevity and walking speed of adults emerging from chilled pupae significantly decreased after longer storage periods. The F₁ generation of adults which emerged from pupae stored up to 3 weeks was able to parasitize as well as the control. The parasitization rate was similar at 24, 27, and 30 °C, but significantly decreased at 33 and 36 °C. Although T. evanescens developed to the pupal stage at 36 °C, no adult emergence was observed at this temperature. Developmental periods were longer at 24 °C than at higher temperatures. The optimum age for T. evanescens to successfully parasitize host eggs ranged from 24 to 90 h. The parasitization frequency of the 56-78 h aged females was higher than for the other age groups. The daily egg laying pattern of female T. evanescens adults was similar when they were reared on Ephestia kuehniella or Plodia interpunctella eggs. Gamma- or ultraviolet-irradiated and unirradiated host eggs were equally preferred by adult females.     

Transdermal Delivery Devices: Fabrication,Mechanics and Drug Release from Silk

Microneedles are a relatively simple, minimally invasive and painless approach to deliver drugs across the skin. However, there remain limitations with this approach because of the materials most commonly utilized for such systems. Silk protein, with tunable and biocompatibility properties, is a useful biomaterial to overcome the current limitations with microneedles. Silk devices preserve drug activity, offer superior mechanical properties and biocompatibility, can be tuned for biodegradability, and can be processed under aqueous, benign conditions. In the present work, the fabrication of dense microneedle arrays from silk with different drug release kinetics is reported. The mechanical properties of the microneedle patches are tuned by post‐fabrication treatments or by loading the needles with silk microparticles, to increase capacity and mechanical strength. Drug release is further enhanced by the encapsulation of the drugs in the silk matrix and coating with a thin dissolvable drug layer. The microneedles are used on human cadaver skin and drugs are delivered successfully. The various attributes demonstrated suggest that silk‐based microneedle devices can provide significant benefit as a platform material for transdermal drug delivery.     

Antioxidant Properties of Cultured Mycelia from Four Pleurotus Species Produced in Submerged Medium

The ethanolic extracts of dried cultured mycelia of Pleurotus ostreatus, Pleurotus eryngii, Pleurotus florida, and Pleurotus sajor-caju were analyzed for antioxidant activity in different systems. Tests used are as follows: reducing power, free radical scavenging, superoxide anion radical scavenging, total antioxidant activity, metal chelating activitiy, etc.; total phenolic content was determined. The percentage inhibition of P. ostreatus, P. eryngii, P. florida, and P. sajor-caju at 20 mg/mL concentration on peroxidation in a β-carotene–linoleic acid system was 57.19, 60.68, 62.12, and 58.81%, respectively. The reducing power of P. eryngii was higher than the other samples, and its value was 0.86 at 10 mg/mL concentration. P. ostreatus and P. sajor-caju proved to be better at scavenging superoxide anion radicals than the P. eryngii and P. florida. In the scavenging effect of DPPH radical test, P. ostreatus showed the highest activity potential and P. sajor-caju showed the strongest metal chelating capacity.     

Protein-Assembled Nanocrystal-Based Vertical Flash Memory Devices with Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Integration

This work presents vertical flash memory devices with protein-assembled PbSe nanocrystals as a floating gate and Al₂O₃ as a control oxide. The advantage of a vertical structure is that it improves cell density. Protein assembly improves uniformity of nanocrystals, which reduces threshold voltage variation among devices. The introduction of Al₂O₃ as a control oxide provided lower voltage/faster operation and hence less power consumption compared with the devices fabricated with SiO₂. The integration of Al₂O₃ appeared to be compatible with the protein assembly approach. In conclusion, Al₂O₃ has the potential to become the high-k control oxide due to its relatively high electron/hole barrier heights, and high permittivity.