Compact micromachined infrared bandpass filters for planetary spectroscopy

The future needs of space-based, observational planetary and astronomy missions include low mass and small volume radiometric instruments that can operate in high-radiation and low-temperature environments. Here, we focus on a central spectroscopic component, the bandpass filter. We model the bandpass response of the filters to target the wavelength of the resonance peaks at 20, 40, and 60 μm and report good agreement between the modeled and measured response. We present a technique of using standard micromachining processes for semiconductor fabrication to make compact, free-standing, resonant, metal mesh filter arrays with silicon support frames. The process can be customized to include multiple detector array architectures, and the silicon frame provides lightweight mechanical support with low form factor.     

Antimicrobial resistance and genetic profiling of Escherichia coli from a commercial beef packing plant

The objective of this study was to investigate the extent of antimicrobial resistance and to genetically characterize resistant Escherichia coli recovered from a commercial beef packing plant. E. coli isolates were recovered by a hydrophobic grid membrane filtration method by direct plating on SD-39 medium. A total of 284 isolates comprising 71, 36, 55, 52, and 70 isolates from animal hides, washed carcasses, conveyers, beef trimmings, and ground beef, respectively, were analyzed. The susceptibility of E. coli isolates to 15 antimicrobial agents was evaluated with an automated broth microdilution system, and the genetic characterization of these isolates was performed by the random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) method. Of the 284 E. coli isolates, 56% were sensitive to all 15 antimicrobial agents. Resistance to tetracycline, ampicillin, and streptomycin was observed in 38, 9, and 6% of the isolates, respectively. Resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents was observed in 51% of the E. coli isolates recovered from the hides but in only 25% of the E. coli from the washed carcasses. Resistance to one or more antimicrobial agents was observed in 49, 50, and 37% of the isolates recovered from conveyers, beef trimmings, and ground beef, respectively. The RAPD pattern data showed that the majority of resistant E. coli isolates were genetically diverse. Only a few RAPD types of resistant strains were shared among various sample sources. The results of this study suggest that antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolates were prevalent during all stages of commercial beef processing and that considerably higher numbers of resistant E. coli were present on conveyers, beef trimmings, and ground beef than on dressed carcasses. This stresses the need for improving hygienic conditions during all stages of commercial beef processing and meatpacking to avoid the risks of transfer of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria to humans.     

A comprehensive review of protein-based carriers with simple structures for the co-encapsulation of bioactive agents

The rational design and fabrication of edible codelivery carriers are important to develop functional foods fortified with a plurality of bioactive agents, which may produce synergistic effects in increasing bioactivity and functionality to target specific health benefits. Food proteins possess considerable functional attributes that make them suitable for the delivery of a single bioactive agent in a wide range of platforms. Among the different types of protein-based carriers, protein–ligand nanocomplexes, micro/nanoparticles, and oil-in-water (O/W) emulsions have increasingly attracted attention in the codelivery of multiple bioactive agents, due to the simple and convenient preparation procedure, high stability, matrix compatibility, and dosage flexibility. However, the successful codelivery of bioactive agents with diverse physicochemical properties by using these simple-structure carriers is a daunting task. In this review, some effective strategies such as combined functional properties of proteins, self-assembly, composite, layer-by-layer, and interfacial engineering are introduced to redesign the carrier structure and explore the encapsulation of multiple bioactive agents. It then highlights success stories and challenges in the co-encapsulation of multiple bioactive agents within protein-based carriers with a simple structure. The partition, protection, and release of bioactive agents in these protein-based codelivery carriers are considered and discussed. Finally, safety and application as well as challenges of co-encapsulated bioactive agents in the food industry are also discussed. This work provides a state-of-the-art overview of protein-based particles and O/W emulsions in co-encapsulating bioactive agents, which is essential for the design and development of novel functional foods containing multiple bioactive agents.     

Improving VLC Data Rate and Link Range Using Commercial Electronic Components

Wireless Personal Communications - Acoustic modem is one of the key elements of an underwater wireless sensor network (UWSN). Compared to a terrestrial wireless sensor network (WSN),...     

Multi-Stage Mach–Zehnder Based Continuously Tunable Photonic Delay Line

Wireless Personal Communications - A multi-stage Mach–Zehnder based integrated continuously tunable optical delay line with a large tunability range, increase transmission bandwidth and the...     

Quantum mechanical interpretation and analysis of perovskite material based single layer fuel cells (SLFCs)

Fossil fuels are unable to meet the current energy demands and polluting the environment with the emission of harmful gases. Therefore, clean energy technology is need of the modern era. One of the energy conversion devices is fuel cell which utilized fuel from renewable sources and convert into electricity in an efficient and clean way. However, for commercialization of this technology high operating temperature, degradation of electrodes and manufacture cost is the key challenges in conventional three layer fuel cell. Significant improvements have been made to reduce the cost and operating temperature by selecting suitable materials. Therefore, single layer fuel cell (SLFC) has been got much attention due to simple geometry. The mechanism inside the SLFC is still mystery which has been explained in this paper using quantum mechanical parameters like band gap and effect of particle size on charge transportation.In this research work, nanocomposite materials for single layer fuel cell have been synthesized by chemical routes. The x-ray diffraction shows the cubic perovskite structure with average crystallite size in the range of 23–37 nm. The particle size and surface area is found to be 23 nm and 86.42 m² g^?1, respectively. Raman spectrum of LBSCF-SDC shows a red shift compared to LBSCF and band gap of the composition 3LBSCF-7SDC is found to be 2.51 eV. Moreover, the conductivity of the sample 3LBSCF-7SDC has been found to be 0.02 Scm^?1 at 750 °C. The quantum mechanical effects governing the working of single layer fuel cells are observed by different analyses. Photon confinement and Fano-Interactions phenomena resulted in a red shift using Raman analysis technique. The red shift in Raman spectrum is referred to a photon confined in a single layer fuel cell system. These effects are studied in single layer fuel cell for the first time with no previous analyses done in this newly field.     

Modelling and kinetic study of microwave assisted drying of ginger and onion with simultaneous extraction of bioactive compounds

Food Science and Biotechnology - Onion and ginger are rich sources of bioactive compounds which are lost during conventional drying process. The present study was designed to optimize the novel...     

A cluster-based key agreement scheme using keyed hashing for Body Area Networks

In recent years, Body Area Networks (BANs) have gained immense popularity in the domain of healthcare as well as monitoring of soldiers in the battlefield. Security of a BAN is inevitable as we secure the lives of soldiers and patients. In this paper, we propose a security framework using Keyed-Hashing Message Authentication Code (HMAC-MD5) to protect the personal information in a BAN. We assume a network in which nodes sense physiological variables such as electrocardiography (EKG), electroencephalography (EEG), pulse oximeter data, blood pressure and cardiac output. Heterogeneous wireless sensor network is considered which consists of a powerful High-end sensor (H-sensor) and several Low-end sensors (L-sensors). EKG is used for secure communication between nodes as it introduces plug and play capability in BANs. The process is made secure by applying HMAC-MD5 on EKG blocks. Key agreement is done by comparing HMAC of feature blocks between sensors resulting in a more secure network. The analysis is done by calculating the entropy of keys and checking the randomness of EKG data using NIST-randomness testing suite.