In recent years, there has been significant interest in developing wearable devices to mimic the integrated sensing of life forms, which enhances their performance and survival capabilities. Progress in the development of physical sensors and wearable electronics has been promising, leading to numerous consumer products that measure activity, posture, heart rate, respiration rate, and blood oxygen level. Despite the challenges in retrieving and processing bodily fluids, wearable chemical sens...
This study uses the model organism, C. elegans, to investigate its sensitivity and response to static magnetic fields. Wild-type C. elegans are put into microfluidic channels and exposed to permanent magnets for five cycles of thirty-second time intervals at field strengths ranging from 5 milli Tesla to 120 milli Tesla. Recorded and analyzed with custom software, the results of the worm's movement - the average velocity, turning and curling percentage - were compared to control experiments...
To evaluate the level of infestation of the soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, in the field, egg population densities are determined from soil samples. Sucrose centrifugation is a common technique for separating debris from the extracted SCN eggs. We have developed a procedure, however, that employs OptiPrep as a density gradient medium, with improved extraction and recovery of the eggs compared to the sucrose centrifugation technique. Also, we have built computerized methods t...
Soybeans are an important crop for global food security. Every year, soybean yields are reduced by numerous soybean diseases, particularly the soybean cyst nematode (SCN). It is difficult to visually identify the presence of SCN in the field, let alone its population densities or numbers, as there are no obvious aboveground disease symptoms. The only definitive way to assess SCN population densities is to directly extract the SCN cysts from soil and then extract the eggs from cysts and count ...
Previous studies have produced mixed results on the influence of magnetic fields on the fermentation kinetics and growth of various types of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We carried out two experiments to assess the role of magnetic fields on cell growth and ethanol production during fermentation. The first of these experiments took place for 25 h, with a dextrose loading rate of 2%, and the magnetic fields were both homogeneous and non-homogeneous with intensities of 100 and 200 mT. The second e...
A method to create smart and flexible switches for the regulation of liquid flow across multiple channels is essential in paper microfluidics. Prior approaches are hampered by long response times, high actuation fluid volumes, and external control circuitry. To diminish these problems, we designed a distinctive actuator device fashioned entirely from chromatography paper and featuring folds. The fold can be selectively wetted by an actuation fluid at either the crest or trough, resulting in t...
A CMOS biosensor with a folded floating-gate is created for the detection of charged biochemical molecules. It is made up of a field-effect transistor with a floating-gate, a control-gate, and a sensing area. The molecules on the sensing area result in a voltage being induced on the floating-gate and a shift in the threshold characteristics. The floating-gate spans the entire device, which allows for the sensing area to be placed above the FET. This reduces the total device area. The device d...
A CMOS biosensor with a folded floating-gate is created for the detection of charged biochemical molecules. It is made up of a field-effect transistor with a floating-gate, a control-gate, and a sensing area. The molecules on the sensing area result in a voltage being induced on the floating-gate and a shift in the threshold characteristics. The floating-gate spans the entire device, which allows for the sensing area to be placed above the FET. This reduces the total device area. The device d...
Melanoma is one of the deadliest types of skin cancer and can be difficult to treat when it's advanced. To reduce mortality rates, early detection is key. In order to do this, computer-aided systems have been developed to help dermatologists diagnose the condition. To make it more accessible to the public, researchers are working on creating portable, at-home diagnostic systems. An Android-based smartphone application utilizing image capture, preprocessing, and segmentation was developed to e...
An open microfluidic system has been developed to dispense and manipulate individual droplets on plastic sheets. Superhydrophobic material is applied to the surface of obtainable plastic sheets by spraying, then hydrophilic symbols are printed with an inkjet printer. The plastic sheets are connected to a two-axis tilting platform driven by stepper motors, which produces mechanical agitation enabling droplet transport. The system has been demonstrated to carry out various droplet operations, s...
An open microfluidic system has been developed to dispense and manipulate individual droplets on plastic sheets. Superhydrophobic material is applied to the surface of obtainable plastic sheets by spraying, then hydrophilic symbols are printed with an inkjet printer. The plastic sheets are connected to a two-axis tilting platform driven by stepper motors, which produces mechanical agitation enabling droplet transport. The system has been demonstrated to carry out various droplet operations, s...
The emergence of new drugs is often driven by the escalating resistance of parasites to existing drugs and the accessibility of more advanced technology platforms. Microfluidic devices have allowed for quicker testing of compounds, regulated sampling/sorting of entire animals, and automated behavioral pattern detection. In the majority of microfluidic devices, the effects of drugs on small animals (e.g. Caenorhabditis elegans)elegant are quantified by an endpoint, dose response curve that sho...
The emergence of new drugs is often driven by the escalating resistance of parasites to existing drugs and the accessibility of more advanced technology platforms. Microfluidic devices have allowed for quicker testing of compounds, regulated sampling/sorting of entire animals, and automated behavioral pattern detection. In the majority of microfluidic devices, the effects of drugs on small animals (e.g. Caenorhabditis elegans)elegant are quantified by an endpoint, dose response curve that sho...
By utilizing a low-cost engineering tool, we have created a microfluidic platform to study bacteria at the single cell level, allowing us to unlock insights into microbial physiology and genetics that would otherwise not be possible. The platform is composed of 3D devices made of adhesive tapes, an agarose membrane as the resting substrate, a temperature-controlled environmental chamber, and an autofocusing module. With this technology, we have been able to observe Escherichia coli morphologi...
In this paper, we explore the use of microfluidic paper-based analytical devices (lPADs) to study the behavior of Caenorhabditis elegans. We show how these devices can be fabricated on paper and plastic substrates, as well as how to load, visualize, and transfer single and multiple nematodes. We also demonstrate the use of anthelmintic drug, levamisole, to perform chemical testing on C. elegans. Furthermore, we provide a custom program that is able to recognize individual worms on the lPADs i...