Replication and bonding techniques for integrated microfluidic systems

From the technical and economic points of view, systems integration, and packaging represent a crucial step in the production of microsystems. Compared to purely silicon- or glass-based systems, the variety of materials and geometries available for purely polymer microfluidic systems is much larger, due to the outstanding material properties. Moreover, polymers may be shaped and joined by comparably simple methods. Examples are polymer microreplication as well as various bonding methods. With them, complete polymer microsystems can be integrated. In addition, a number of established, compatible processes are available for the integration of functional elements that may also be made of other materials.

     

An analysis of bottom entry nozzles for atmospheric storage tanks

In this paper, we describe the analysis of soil settlement in the vicinity of a bottom entry nozzle of an atmospheric storage tank for several practical loadings. These are the pressure of the liquid stored in the tank, the body force of the rock and soil foundation, and an external moment applied to the nozzle where it emerges from the foundation. The foundation is modelled as a three-dimensional elastic medium which can support no tensile stress and is composed of two materials (rock and soil) with an elastic cylindrical shell embedded in the rock phase. The solution is accomplished with a general-purpose finite element program (ICES—STRUDL II). The overall conclusion reached is that bottom entry nozzles are acceptable for tankage installed on reasonably good soil.     

Influence of the concentration initial section on the magnitude of diffusion fluxes in turbulent fluid flow

Results of an experimental investigation of the influence of initial sections of a mass delivery surface on values of the Stanton number are presented.Translated from Inzhenerno-Fizicheskii Zhurnal, Vol. 32, No. 5, pp. 856–859, May, 1977.     

Investigations of amplitude and time characteristics of ФЭУ-187 photomultiplier tubes with fine-mesh dynodes

Investigation results of new models of the ФЭУ-187 photomultiplier tube with fine-mesh dynodes are described. The gain and time characteristics are measured by using a laser pulsed source both with no magnetic field and in magnetic fields of up to 0.5 T. It is shown that, in magnetic fields of up to 0.5 T, the time resolution of the photomultiplier tube does not deteriorate in a wide supply-voltage range. The basic demand of the ALICE (Large Ion Collider Experiment) experiment (Large Hadron Collider, CERN, Switzerland)—that the time resolution was at least 35 ps during detection of about 180 photoelectrons—is met for all the tested models.     

Replication and bonding techniques for integrated microfluidic systems

From the technical and economic points of view, systems integration, and packaging represent a crucial step in the production of microsystems. Compared to purely silicon- or glass-based systems, the variety of materials and geometries available for purely polymer microfluidic systems is much larger, due to the outstanding material properties. Moreover, polymers may be shaped and joined by comparably simple methods. Examples are polymer microreplication as well as various bonding methods. With them, complete polymer microsystems can be integrated. In addition, a number of established, compatible processes are available for the integration of functional elements that may also be made of other materials.     

Microfabrication of single-use plastic microfluidic devices for high-throughput screening and DNA analysis

 Modern drug discovery and genomic analysis depend on rapid analysis of large numbers of samples in parallel. The applicability of microfluidic devices in this field needs low cost devices, which can be fabricated in mass production. In close collaboration, Greiner Bio-One and Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe have developed a single-use plastic microfluidic capillary electrophoresis (CE) array in the standardized microplate footprint. Feasibility studies have shown that hot embossing with a mechanical micromachined molding tool is the appropriate technology for low cost mass fabrication. A subsequent sealing of the microchannels allows sub-microliter sample volumes in 96-channel multiplexed microstructures. Received: 16 May 2001 / Accepted: 3 July 2001     

Microthermoforming as a novel technique for manufacturing scaffolds in tissue engineering (CellChips)

The CellChip is a microstructured polymer scaffold, which favours a three-dimensional cultivation of cells within an array of cubic microcontainers. The manufacturing process used so far is microinjection moulding combined with laser-based perforation. In a first attempt to simplify the process, costly perforation was avoided by using commercially available, inexpensive microfiltration membranes for the bottom of the microcavities. Microthermoforming is a promising novel technique which allows the CellChip to be produced from thin film. Working pressures of approximately 4000 kPa were required for the adequate moulding of 50 microm thick films from three different polymers (polystyrene, polycarbonate, cyclo-olefin polymer). Integrating drafts and chamfers in micromoulds is not going to eliminate an uneven thickness profile, but reduces demoulding forces. Microthermoformed CellChips of polycarbonate were perforated by an ion track technique to guarantee a sufficient supply of medium and gases to the cells. The prestructured CellChips were irradiated with 1460 MeV xenon ions at a fluence of a few 10(6) ions/cm2. The tracks were etched in an aqueous solution of 5 N NaOH at 30 degrees C, which resulted in cylindrical pores approximately 2 microm in diameter. Microinjection-moulded, membrane-bonded and thermoformed CellChips were subjected to comparative examination for viability in a cell culture experiment with parenchymal liver cells (HepG2). The cells stayed viable over a period of more than 20 days. No significant differences in viability between injection-moulded, membrane-bonded, and thermoformed CellChips were observed.     

Forward scintillation hodoscope for nuclear fragment detection at the high acceptance dielectron spectrometer (HADES) setup

The main characteristics of the forward scintillation hodoscope and readout electronics of the high acceptance dielectron spectrometer (HADES) at GSI (Darmstadt, Germany) are presented. Methods for adjustment and amplitude-time calibration of hodoscope detectors using cosmic rays and results of measurements of the Au + Au reaction at a beam energy of 1.24 GeV/nucleon are described. The use of the forward hodoscope for tagging the n + p reaction by means of the deuteron beam incident on a liquid hydrogen target is discussed. A procedure for determining the reaction plane angle in event-by-event analysis of the Au + Au reaction data (at 1.24 GeV/nucleon) is presented.     

Survival of manure-borne E. coli in streambed sediment: Effects of temperature and sediment properties

Escherichia coli bacteria are commonly used as indicator organisms to designate of impaired surface waters and to guide the design of management practices to prevent fecal contamination of water. Stream sediments are known to serve as a reservoir and potential source of fecal bacteria (E. coli) for stream water. In agricultural watersheds, substantial numbers of E. coli may reach surface waters, and subsequently be deposited into sediments, along with fecal material in runoff from land-applied manures, grazing lands, or wildlife excreta. The objectives of this work were (a) to test the hypothesis that E. coli survival in streambed sediment in the presence of manure material will be affected by sediment texture and organic carbon content and (b) to evaluate applicability of the exponential die-off equation to the E. coli survival data in the presence of manure material. Experiments were conducted at three temperatures (4 °C, 14 °C, and 24 °C) in flow-through chambers using sediment from three locations at the Beaverdam Creek Tributary in Beltsville, Maryland mixed with dairy manure slurry in the proportion of 1000:1. Indigenous E. coli populations in sediments ranged from ca. 10¹ to 10³ MPN g⁻¹ while approx 10³ manure-borne E. coli MPN g⁻¹ were added. E. coli survived in sediments much longer than in the overlaying water. The exponential inactivation model gave an excellent approximation of data after 6-16 days from the beginning of the experiment. Slower inactivation was observed with the increase in organic carbon content in sediments with identical granulometric composition. The increase in the content of fine particles and organic carbon in sediments led not only to the slower inactivation but also to lower sensitivity of the inactivation to temperature. Streambed sediment properties have to be documented to better evaluate the role of sediments as reservoirs of E. coli that can affect microbiological stream water quality during high flow events.