Bio Field Research Articles

Molecular Imprinting Technology in Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) Sensors.

Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) as artificial antibodies have received considerable scientific attention in the past years in the field of (bio)sensors since they have unique features that distinguish them from natural antibodies such as robustness, multiple binding sites, low cost, facile preparation and high stability under extreme operation conditions (higher pH and temperature values, etc.). On the other hand, the Quartz Crystal Microbalance (QCM) is an analytical tool based on the measurement of small mass changes on the sensor surface. QCM sensors are practical and convenient monitoring tools because of their specificity, sensitivity, high accuracy, stability and reproducibility. QCM devices are highly suitable for converting the recognition process achieved using MIP-based memories into a sensor signal. Therefore, the combination of a QCM and MIPs as synthetic receptors enhances the sensitivity through MIP process-based multiplexed binding sites using size, 3D-shape and chemical function having molecular memories of the prepared sensor system toward the target compound to be detected. This review aims to highlight and summarize the recent progress and studies in the field of (bio)sensor systems based on QCMs combined with molecular imprinting technology.

Comments by Fukunari Kimura, on Government Support and R&D Investment Effectiveness in Chinese SMEs: A Complex Relationship

January 01 2017 Comments by Fukunari Kimura, on Government Support and R&D Investment Effectiveness in Chinese SMEs: A Complex Relationship Author and Article Information Online Issn: 1536-0083 Print Issn: 1535-3516 © 2017 by the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology2017Massachusetts Institute of Technology Asian Economic Papers (2017) 16 (1): 229–231. https://doi.org/10.1162/ASEP_a_00506 Cite Icon Cite Permissions Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Search Site Citation Comments by Fukunari Kimura, on Government Support and R&D Investment Effectiveness in Chinese SMEs: A Complex Relationship. Asian Economic Papers 2017; 16 (1): 229–231. doi: https://doi.org/10.1162/ASEP_a_00506 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentAll JournalsAsian Economic Papers Search Advanced Search Fukunari Kimura: Petti, Rubini, and Podetti tackle an important issue on the firm-level relationship of R&D activities, innovation capacity, and innovation-support policies with the corporate performance. China has recently been keen to promote R&D activities, which has reached over 2 percent of the GDP, a degree unusual among developing countries. We certainly would like to know whether such efforts at the level of the government and individual firms improve corporate performance or not. This is a trial to measure a sort of “R&D productivity” at the firm level as well as evaluating the effectiveness of R&D-support policies. The paper uses China's firm-level data set that is constructed by matching multiple statistical sources. The sample set is a bit small: 405 private (mostly) small and medium manufacturing enterprises in the fields of new materials, bio, clean and renewable energies, and aerospace. Unfortunately, the data set is only for 2009, thus a... You do not currently have access to this content.

악골 기형 치료를 위한 구내형 골신장기 개발에 관련된 융합 연구

악골기형에 따른 외과적 치료방법은 상악골 또는 하악골을 직접 늘리거나 줄이는 방식을 이용한다. 골신장술(distraction osteogenesis)은 열성장한 악골에 치밀뼈절단술(corticotomy)을 시행한 후, 골신장기(jaw bone distractor)를 사용하여 간헐적인 힘을 골에 부과하며 골의 길이를 늘여주는 대표적인 방법이다. 그러나 이러한 골신장기는 피부를 관통한 채 골에 고정되기 때문에, 비심미적이며 감염이나 흉터 등의 많은 문제점이 발생한다. 이 연구에서는 구내형 골신장기(intraoral jaw bone distractor) 개발을 위해 유한요소분석을 시행하여 핵심구동부의 안정성을 시뮬레이션한 후, 골신장기를 제작하였다. 융합연구를 통하여 향후 무선형 골신장기를 제작하기 위한 기반 자료를 구축하였으며, 관련 자료는 골신장술의 근본적인 문제점을 해결할 수 있는 가능성을 제시하며, 제반 기술은 다양한 의료기기 개발 기술에 활용될 수 있다 Distraction osteogenesis is applied to correct mandible or maxilla deformities. Owing to the distractor being away from the skin, it is not aesthetic. Infection can arise due to manual part. And therefore, it is necessary to make the distractor using a new mechanism. 3D software was used for the intraoral distractor modeling. 3D meshes were used to analyze the stress distribution of the distractor was analyzed using Finite element analysis software. This research developed a intraoral distractor for continuous mandible distraction through convergence study. Base on the results, it provide helpful data for future version of the wireless intraoral distractor in other fields of bio and medical engineering.

Fabrication of micro-gelatin fiber utilizing coacervation method

Biotechnology has drastically been advanced by the development of iPS and ES cells, which are representative forms induced pluripotent stem cells. In the micro/nano bio field, the development of cells and Taylor-made medicine for a potential treatment of incurable diseases has been a center of attention. The melting point of gelatin is between 25 and 33 °C, and the sol---gel transition occurs in low temperature. This makes the deformation of this useful biomaterial easy. The examples of gelatin fiber applications are suture threads, blood vessel prosthesis, cell-growth-based materials, filter materials, and many others. Because the cell size differs depending on the species and applications, it is essential to fabricate gelatin fibers of different diameters. In this paper, we have developed a fabrication method for gelatin fibers the coacervation method. We fabricated narrow gelatin fibers having a diameter over 10 μm.

High performing solution-coated electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors for aqueous media operation.

Since the first demonstration, the electrolyte-gated organic field-effect transistors (EGOFETs) have immediately gained much attention for the development of cutting-edge technology and they are expected to have a strong impact in the field of (bio-)sensors. However EGOFETs directly expose their active material towards the aqueous media, hence a limited library of organic semiconductors is actually suitable. By using two mostly unexplored strategies in EGOFETs such as blended materials together with a printing technique, we have successfully widened this library. Our benchmarks were 6,13-bis(triisopropylsilylethynyl)pentacene and 2,8-difluoro-5,11-bis(triethylsilylethynyl)anthradithiophene (diF-TES-ADT), which have been firstly blended with polystyrene and secondly deposited by means of the bar-assisted meniscus shearing (BAMS) technique. Our approach yielded thin films (i.e. no thicker than 30 nm) suitable for organic electronics and stable in liquid environment. Up to date, these EGOFETs show unprecedented performances. Furthermore, an extremely harsh environment, like NaCl 1M, has been used in order to test the limit of operability of these electronic devices. Albeit an electrical worsening is observed, our devices can operate under different electrical stresses within the time frame of hours up to a week. In conclusion, our approach turns out to be a powerful tool for the EGOFET manufacturing.

Recent developments of film bulk acoustic resonators

Film bulk acoustic wave resonator (FBAR) experienced skyrocketing development in the past 15 years, owing to the explosive development of mobile communication. It stands out in acoustic filters mainly because of high quality factor, which enables low insertion loss and sharp roll off. Except for the massive application in wireless communication, FBARs are also promising sensors because of the high sensitivity and readily integration ability to miniaturize circuits. On the ground of summarizing FBAR’s application in wireless communication as filters and in sensors including electronic nose, bio field, and pressure sensing, this paper review the main challenges of each application faced. The number of filters installed in the mobile phone has being grown explosively, which leads to overcrowded bands and put harsh requirements on component size and power consumption control for each unit. Data flow and rate are becoming increasingly demanding as well. This paper discusses three promising technical strategies addressing these issues. Among which coupled resonator filter is given intense attention because it is able to vigorously reduce the filter size by stacking two or more resonators together, and it is a great technique to increase data flow and rate. Temperature compensation methods are discussed considering their vital influence on frequency stability. Finally, materials improvement and novel materials exploration for band width modulation, tunable band acquisition, and quality factor improvement are discussed. The authors appeal attention of the academic society to bring AlN epitaxial thin film into the FBAR fabrication and have proposed a configuration to implement this idea.

Grand Unification Concept with Bio-force as the Fifth Fundamental Force

All the four fundamental forces of nature have been explained in terms of space time. Coupling constant of grand unification has been defined by space time. The density of space time calculated by ‘Siva’s classical equation for space time’ describes the nature of fundamental force. Thus for all fundamental forces, there exist a separate universe with a separate space time and a separate ‘maximum signal velocity’. The transformation has been explained as an expansion of a single universe for which maximum signal velocity is ‘velocity of light’. This transformation affects the concept of consciousness. Thus all other forms of space times explained as different forces of nature within the limitations of consciousness. Thus ‘Bio-Force’ defined as a form of space time like all other fundamental forces and considered as a fifth fundamental force. Consciousness is an affect of interactions of ‘Bio-Force’. Coupling Constants for ‘gravity’ and ‘Bio field’ have been calculated by space time concept and concerned maximum signal velocities. For other three forces strong force, electromagnetic force and weak forces, the space time has been defined by their coupling constants. All these calculations have been done by one single equation Vd=K. With this equation, space time parameters for all fundamental forces have been explained. The conclusions described grand unification of all five natural forces in a different way which has been extended to ‘Bio-Force’, an important aspect of consciousness.

Effect of Therapeutic Touch in Patients with Cancer: a Literature Review.

Background:The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) techniques has been growing. The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine places therapeutic touch (TT) into the category of bio field energy. This literature review is aimed at critically evaluating the data from clinical trials examining the clinical efficacy of therapeutic touch as a supportive care modality in adult patients with cancer.Methods:Electronic databases (PubMed, Scopus, Scholar Google, and Science Direct) were searched from the year 1990 to 2015 to locate potentially relevant peer-reviewed articles using the key words therapeutic touch, touch therapy, neoplasm, cancer, and CAM. Additionally, relevant journals and references of all the located articles were manually searched for other potentially relevant studies.Results:The number of 334 articles was found on the basis of the key words, of which 17 articles related to the clinical trial were examined in accordance with the objectives of the study. A total of 6 articles were in the final dataset in which several examples of the positive effects of healing touch on pain, nausea, anxiety and fatigue, and life quality and also on biochemical parameters were observed.Conclusion:Based on the results of this study, an affirmation can be made regarding the use of TT, as a non-invasive intervention for improving the health status in patients with cancer. Moreover, therapeutic touch was proved to be a useful strategy for adult patients with cancer.

Characterization of Physical, Thermal and Structural Properties of Chromium (VI) Oxide Powder: Impact of Bio Field Treatment

Chromium (VI) oxide (CrO3) has gained extensive attention due to its versatile physical and chemical properties. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the impact of biofield treatment on physical, thermal and structural properties of CrO3 powder. In this study, CrO3 powder was divided into two parts i.e. control and treatment. Control part was remained as untreated and treated part received Mr. Trivedi’s biofield treatment. Subsequently, control and treated CrO3 samples were characterized using Thermo gravimetric analysis-differential thermal analysis (TGA-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). DTA showed that the melting point of treated CrO3 was increased up to 212.65°C (T3) as compared to 201.43°C in control. In addition, the latent heat of fusion was reduced upto 51.70% in treated CrO3 as compared to control. TGA showed the maximum thermal decomposition temperature (Tmax) around 330°C, was increased upto 340.12°C in treated CrO3 sample. XRD data revealed that lattice parameter and unit cell volume of treated CrO3 samples were reduced by 0.25 and 0.92% respectively, whereas density was increased by 0.93% in treated CrO3 sample as compared to control. The crystallite size of treated CrO3 was increased from 46.77 nm (control) to 60.13 nm after biofield treatment. FT-IR spectra showed the absorption peaks corresponding to Cr=O at 906 and 944 cm-1 in control, which were increased to 919 and 949 cm¬1 in treated CrO3 after biofield treatment. Overall, these results suggest that biofield treatment has substantially altered the physical, thermal and structural properties of CrO3 powder.

Recent Advances in Electrochemical Biosensors Based on Fullerene-C60 Nano-Structured Platforms.

Nanotechnology is becoming increasingly important in the field of (bio)sensors. The performance and sensitivity of biosensors is greatly improved with the integration of nanomaterials into their construction. Since its first discovery, fullerene-C60 has been the object of extensive research. Its unique and favorable characteristics of easy chemical modification, conductivity, and electrochemical properties has led to its tremendous use in (bio)sensor applications. This paper provides a concise review of advances in fullerene-C60 research and its use as a nanomaterial for the development of biosensors. We examine the research work reported in the literature on the synthesis, functionalization, approaches to nanostructuring electrodes with fullerene, and outline some of the exciting applications in the field of (bio)sensing.

Tuning the effective plasma frequency of nanorod metamaterials from visible to telecom wavelengths

Hyperbolic plasmonic metamaterials are important for designing sensing, nonlinear, and emission functionalities, which are, to a large extent, determined by the epsilon-near-zero behaviour observed close to an effective plasma frequency of the metamaterial. Here, we describe a method for tuning the effective plasma frequency of a gold nanorod-based metamaterial throughout the visible and near-infrared spectral ranges. These metamaterials, fabricated by two-step anodization in selenic acid and chemical post-processing, consist of nanorods with diameters of around 10 nm and interrod distances of around 100 nm and have a low effective plasma frequency down to a wavelength range below 1200 nm. Such metamaterials open up new possibilities for a variety of applications in the fields of bio- and chemical sensing, nonlinearity enhancement, and fluorescence control in the infrared.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern and Biochemical Characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus: Impact of Bio field Treatment

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern and Biochemical Characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus: Impact of Bio field Treatment

Studies of the Atomic and Crystalline Characteristics of Ceramic Oxide Nano Powders after Bio field Treatment

Studies of the Atomic and Crystalline Characteristics of Ceramic Oxide Nano Powders after Bio field Treatment

Patterns and trends in the fields of bioturbation, faunalturbation, and zoogeomorphology

This paper examines published works in the related fields of zoogeomorphology, bio(pedo)turbation, and faunal(pedo)turbation. Using Google Scholar, we extracted widely cited works for each of these three terms and their derivations (e.g. bioturbation, biopedoturbation, biopedturbation). For each term, we graphed the number of publications per year, most published authors, and research topics. Our graph of publications per year revealed that while publications on bio(pedo)turbation and faunal(pedo)turbation have decreased, publications on zoogeomorphology have steadily increased since its introduction in 1992. Author analysis found that the majority of authors are actively publishing in only one of the three fields; only 25 of the 627 authors in our sample published in multiple fields. Additionally, we found that works for each individual topic illustrated somewhat different research emphases than those of the other two. Published works in zoogeomorphology focus on riparian environments, mountain environments, burrowing, zoogeomorphology theory, and vegetation changes. Works in faunal(pedo)turbation focus on archeological impacts and faunally influenced pedogenesis. Studies of bio(pedo)turbation have strongly focused on burrowing in benthic environments, with secondary foci in paleoenvironmental implications, bioturbation theory, and pedogenesis.

Antibiogram Pattern of Shigella flexneri: Effect of Bio Field Treatment

Shigellosis is a major public health burden in India and its neighboring countries due to infection of Shigella species. The current study was attempted to investigate the effect of biofield treatment on Shigella flexneri (S. flexneri) with respect of antimicrobial susceptibility assay, biochemical characteristics and biotyping. The American Type Culture Collection (ATCC 9199) strain of S. flexneri was used in this experiment. The study was conducted in revived and lyophilized state of S. flexneri. Both revived (Group; Gr. II) and lyophilized (Gr. III) strain of S. flexneri were subjected to Mr. Trivedi’s biofield treatment. Gr. II was assessed on day 5 and day 10, while Gr. III on day 10 after biofield treatment with respect to control (Gr. I). The antimicrobial susceptibility of S. flexneri showed 35% alteration in Gr. II on day 10 while no alteration were observed on day 5 (Gr. II) and in Gr. III as compared to control. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of biofield treated S. flexneri also showed significant (46.88%) alteration in Gr. II on day 10 while no alteration were observed on day 5 (Gr. II) and in Gr. III as compared to control. It was observed that overall 24.24% biochemical reactions were altered in which 21.21% alteration was found in Gr. II on day 10 with respect to control. Moreover, biotype number was changed in Gr. II on day 10 with identification of new organism i.e. Edwardsiella tarda (40015042) as compared to untreated strain of Shigella species (40010000). The result suggested that biofield treatment has significant impact on S. flexneri in revived treated cells (Gr. II) on day 10 with respect to antimicrobial susceptibility, MIC, biochemical reactions pattern and biotyping.

Studies of the Atomic and Crystalline Characteristics of Ceramic Oxide Nano Powders after Bio field Treatment

Transition metal oxides (TMOs) have been known for their extraordinary electrical and magnetic properties. In the present study, some transition metal oxides (Zinc oxide, iron oxide and copper oxide) which are widely used in the fabrication of electronic devices were selected and subjected to biofield treatment. The atomic and crystal structures of TMOs were carefully studied by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) studies. XRD analysis reveals that biofield treatment significantly changed the lattice strain in unit cells, crystallite sizes and densities in ceramics oxide powders. The computed molecular weight of the treated samples exhibited significant variation. FT-IR spectra indicated that biofield treatment has altered the metal-oxygen bond strength. Since biofield treatment significantly altered the crystallite size, lattice strain and bond strength, we postulate that electrical and magnetic properties in TMOs (transition metal oxides) can be modulated by biofield treatment.

Antimicrobial Susceptibility Pattern and Biochemical Characteristics of Staphylococcus aureus: Impact of Bio field Treatment

Study background: Staphylococci are widespread in nature, mainly found on the skin and mucous membranes. Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) is the key organism for food poisoning due to massive production of heat stable exotoxins. The current study was attempted to investigate the effect of biofield treatment on antimicrobial susceptibility pattern and biochemical characteristics of S. aureus (ATCC 25923). Methods: S. aureus cells were procured from MicroBioLogics in sealed packs bearing the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC 25923) number and stored according to the recommended storage protocols until needed for experiments. Revived and lyophilized state of ATCC strains of S. aureus were selected for the study. Both revived (Group; Gr. II) and lyophilized (Gr. III) strain of S. aureus were subjected to Mr. Trivedi’s biofield treatment. Revived treated cells were assessed on day 5 and day 10 while lyophilized treated cells on day 10 only. After biofield treatment both treated cells were analysed for its antimicrobial sensitivity, minimum inhibitory concentration value, biochemical reactions and biotype number with respect to control (Gr. I). Results: The antimicrobial susceptibility and minimum inhibitory concentration of S. aureus showed significant (86.67%) alteration in lyophilized cells while no alteration was found in revived treated cells as compared to control. It was observed that overall 37.93% (eleven out of twenty nine) biochemical reactions were altered in the treated groups with respect to control. Moreover, biotype numbers were substantially changed in revived treated cells, Gr. II (303137, Staphylococcus capitis subsp. ureolyticus) on day 5 and in lyophilized treated cells, Gr. III (767177, S. cohnii subsp. urealyticum) on day 10 as compared to control (307016, S. aureus). Conclusion: The result suggested that biofield treatment has significant impact on S. aureus in lyophilized treated cells with respect to antimicrobial susceptibility, MIC values and biochemical reactions pattern. Apart from these, biotype numbers with new species were observed in revived treated group on day 5 as Staphylococcus capitis subsp. ureolyticus and in lyophilized cells as Staphylococcus cohnii subsp. urealyticum with respect to control, i.e., S. aureus.

The context of biotechnology - The biotechnologuy sector in Brazil. Going up?

The presentation will discuss the status of the biotechnology sector in Brazil. We see a lot of attention in the last months to the Health Ministry effort to decrease the health trade deficit by establishing technology transfer and production agreements evolving international and local companies and public institutions. The emergence of companies as Orygen and Bionovis and the announced projects conducted by Biomm and Recepta are part of this strategy. On the other hand, we also see a complex scenario for start-ups in the bio field. In fact, it is even more difficult for entrepreneurs or researchers to start a company in Brazil due to the lack of programs to support them. On the second stage, start-ups have to deal with an unbelievable regulatory environment where companies have to wait two or more years to start operations. And no financing: non-refundable resources are scarce at FINEP, the brazilian innovation agency. It is also hard for a start-up to find investors, as there are few funds investing in life sciences projects. So, companies are financed by a combination of research/scientific programs, state level programs and, in some cases, angel investors. Management is also a trouble for the start-ups. Only a few have dedicated business teams, scientific interaction is small and collaborations with local or international companies are rare. Whether these are causes of consequences of the financial situation has still to be determined. Also, the environment for biotechnology has to be analyzed. We see a lack of crucial components in the product development chain in the country, from pre-clinical labs, translational centers to biologics manufacturing facilities. There are not many professional business incubators and technology parks too. And also, it is not easy to find trained people in product development. In the short term, the development of the bioindustry in Brazil will depend on how these big projects will perform. In case of success, they could create a positive cycle, encouraging new projects and creating a positive legal and regulatory environment. Will all the other companies have to wait ? Or can we use different strategies together ?

Capillary electrophoresis of quantum dots: Minireview

It has been already three decades, since the fluorescent nanocrystals called quantum dots (QDs) appeared and attracted attention of a broad scientific community. Their excellent not only optical but also electronic properties predetermined QDs for utilization in a variety of areas. Besides lasers, solar cells, and/or computers, QDs have established themselves in the field of (bio)chemical labeling as well as medical imaging. However, due to the numerous application possibilities of QDs, there are high demands on their properties that need to be precisely controlled and characterized. CE with its versatile modes and possibilities of detection was found to be an effective tool not only for characterization of QDs size and/or surface properties but also for monitoring of their interactions with other molecules of interest. In this minireview, we are giving short insight in analysis of QDs by CE, and summarizing the advantages of this method for QDs characterization.

Effect of Bio Field Treatment on the Physical and Thermal Characteristics of Vanadium Pentoxide Powders

Vanadium pentoxide powders are very useful in producing ferrous as well as aluminiumalloys, inremoving carbon and sulphur and as catalysts in synthesizing ammonia and sulphuric acid. It is also used as corrosion inhibitor petroleum and chemical processing. In the present investigation V2O5 powders are exposed to biofield. Both the exposed and unexposed powders are later characterized by various techniques. The average particle size is found to decrease with increase in number of days after treatment upto a maximum of 15.9% in 110 days indicating severe fracture at agglomerate/crystallite boundaries. The BET surface area showed a surprising decrease (it should increase as particle size is decreased) of 7.22% in 109 days indicating the surface densification/removal of sharp surface corners/formation of large particles. SEM photographs indeed showed that samples exposed to biofield after 20 days showed increase in size as well as rounded corners. Thermal analysis indicated an increase in melting temperature by 9.9% in samples treated after 57 days along with a much reduced change in weight. X-ray diffraction of the powder samples indicated both increase and decrease in crystallite size, unit cell volume and molecular weight of samples exposed to biofield after 28, 104, 124 and 139 days. These results indicate that the catalytic nature of vanadium pentoxide can be controlled by exposing to bio field and using after a specific number of days after exposure.