Portable Micro Research Articles

Feasibility study on the use of a portable micro near infrared spectroscopy device for the “in vineyard” screening of extractable polyphenols in red grape skins

There is substantial variation in levels of extractable phenolic compounds of red grapes (Vitis vinifera L.). Therefore, it could be desirable to known the aforesaid parameter at least for each vine. Nowadays, interest has shifted toward the development of portable vis/NIR systems, innovation in optical system design and miniaturization for its friendly use directly in the field.Spectra of intact grapes and grapes skins were recorded at harvest time in two different vintages (2016 and 2017 respectively) using a portable micro NIR spectrophotometer (908–1676 nm). A number of chemometric approaches have been used for spectral interrogation and evaluation of the aforesaid device. Spectral data have been correlated with red grape skin extractable polyphenols (total phenolic, anthocyanins and flavanols) by modified partial least squares regression (MPLS) using a number of spectral pretreatments. Moreover, different statistics strategies have been performed to develop a qualitative analysis of the data (linear discriminant analysis, discriminant partial least square analyses and Pearson's similarity index).After an exhaustive analysis of the obtained results in two different seasons, it can be concluded that the use of the portable micro NIR device for the “in vineyard” screening of extractable polyphenols in red grape skins is hampered by a number of factors. Environmental and physiological conditions should be considered to evaluate and remove factors that hamper a good sorting the berries according to their extractable polyphenol contents.

Thermodynamic feasibility study of a suggested portable personal micro trigeneration system based on micro-gas turbine and micro-absorption chiller

Combined cooling, heating and power (CCHP) which is also called trigeneration can be designed and manufactured in diverse scales and applications. In the present paper a single person portable micro CCHP system based on a micro-gas turbine and micro-absorption chiller is proposed and its performance is analyzed under different operational conditions. People under attack of war or natural disasters such as earthquake can use this system. A thermodynamic model is introduced to evaluate the personal energy demands at different ambient conditions. Then a micro-gas turbine is designed to produce 20 W electricity at speed of 200000 rpm and ambient temperature of 50 °C. In the next step the 500 W-class ultra-micro gas turbine (UMGT), is simulated as prime mover to estimate the cycle performance. LPG is the main fuel and the CCHP performance under extremely cold /hot weather is evaluated thermodynamically for three load management strategies. The maximum efficiency and minimum fuel consumption were related to the following hybrid electrical and thermal load strategy. In this case the maximum single-person CCHP efficiency was about 29% and fuel consumption was about 0.0645gr·s-1 of LPG at ambient temperature of 50 °C. The number of people who their energy demand was provided became maximum when following electrical load. The weight of the CCHP system is estimated to be less than 15 kg that is easily portable by a single grown person.

Study on feasibility of determination of glucosamine content of fermentation process using a micro NIR spectrometer

N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc) is a microbial fermentation product, and NIR spectroscopy is an effective process analytical technology (PAT) tool in detecting the key quality attribute: the GlcNAc content. Meanwhile, the design of NIR spectrometers is under the trend of miniaturization, portability and low-cost nowadays. The aim of this study was to explore a portable micro NIR spectrometer with the fermentation process. First, FT-NIR spectrometer and Micro-NIR 1700 spectrometer were compared with simulated fermentation process solutions. The Rc2, Rp2, RMSECV and RMSEP of the optimal FT-NIR and Micro-NIR 1700 models were 0.999, 0.999, 3.226 g/L, 1.388 g/L and 0.999, 0.999, 1.821 g/L, 0.967 g/L. Passing-Bablok regression method and paired t-test results showed there were no significant differences between the two instruments. Then the Micro-NIR 1700 was selected for the practical fermentation process, 135 samples from 10 batches were collected. Spectral pretreatment methods and variables selection methods (BiPLS, FiPLS, MWPLS and CARS-PLS) for PLS modeling were discussed. The Rc2, Rp2, RMSECV and RMSEP of the optimal GlcNAc content PLS model of the practical fermentation process were 0.994, 0.995, 2.792 g/L and 1.946 g/L. The results have a positive reference for application of the Micro-NIR spectrometer. To some extent, it could provide theoretical supports in guiding the microbial fermentation or the further assessment of bioprocess.

Geographical origin discrimination and polysaccharides quantitative analysis of Radix codonopsis with micro near-infrared spectrometer engine

At present, Tradition Chinese Medicine (TCM) industry in China is in the stage from the empirical development to industrial production. Near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy has been widely used in the quality control of TCM’s modernization with its characteristics including rapidness, nondestruction, simplicity, economy, and so on. In this study, as one type of a portable micro NIR spectrometer, Micro NIR 1700 was used to establish the qualitative models for identification of geographical region and authenticity of Radix codonopsis based on discriminant analysis (DA) method. Both of the DA models had better predictive ability with 100% accuracy. In addition, a method for rapid quantitative analysis of polysaccharide in Radix codonopsis was also developed based on Micro NIR 1700 spectrometer with partial least-squares (PLS) algorithm. In the PLS calibration model, the NIR spectra of samples were pretreated with different preprocessing methods and the spectral region was selected with different variable selection methods as well. The performance of the final PLS model was evaluated according to correlation coefficient of calibration ([Formula: see text]), correlation coefficient of prediction ([Formula: see text]), root mean squared error of cross validation (RMSECV), and root mean squared of prediction (RMSEP). The values of [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], RMSECV, and RMSEP were 0.9775, 0.9602, 2.496, and 2.734[Formula: see text]g/mL, respectively. This work demonstrated that micro infrared spectrometer could be more convenient and rapid for quality control of Radix codonopsis, and the presented models would be a useful reference for quality control of other similar raw materials of TCM.

Application of Portable Gasification Stove in Supporting Disaster Response

<p><em>The application of micro-gasification stove technology for outdoor and disaster response activities is one of the renewal efforts in the utilization of biomass waste to energy. This study uses a portable micro-gasification stove type of natural draft which consists of three important compartments, namely the equalizer chamber, reactor chamber, and chimney. The unique ventilation of the reactor and chimney in this furnace will form a vertically spiraled air flow. This air flow will help complete combustion throughout the reactor chamber and accelerate the process of heating and gasification. Empirical test on this stove has been done by using a naturally dried twig and some kind of processed biomass (briquette/pellets). The peak temperature of the fire was not much different, ranging from 700 °C to 900 °C. With a total mass about 250 grams for each fuel (dry twigs, wood powder briquettes, and paper waste pellets), the duration of the flame occurs between 15 to 30 minutes depending on the fuel variant. In this experiment, the resulting fire was able to boil water with a volume of 500 ml in less than 7 minutes. While the remaining combustion, the live coals in the reactor is still able to warm water with the same volume from room temperature, about 28 °C to 80°C without any addition of fuel. Considering the performance and ease of procurement, storage, and distribution of fuel, the portable micro gasification stove is feasible to serve as a tool for disaster response support.</em></p>

A Potential Hydrogen Sources from Milled Silicon Powder Activated by Lithium, and Aluminum Chloride

A potential hydrogen source generated from milled Li-Si-AlCl3 composite was evaluated in this paper. The composite exhibits good hydrogen generation performance in water at 313–343 K, whereas pure silicon powder cannot continuously react with water under similar conditions. The hydrogen yield reaches 1300 mL hydrogen/g within 20 min, and the highest hydrogen generation rate is higher than 1200 mL hydrogen/g min within the first minute of hydrolysis. The hydrogen generation performance increases with increasing concentrations of lithium and aluminum chloride. Microstructure analysis indicates that silicon activity increases due to decreased particle size and distribution of lithium and aluminum chloride into silicon matrix during milling. The hydrolysis of the additives generates heat and alkaline hydrolysis byproducts, thereby stimulating the hydrolysis rate of silicon in the micro area. Therefore, the hydrolysis of silicon in water may act as a potential hydrogen source for portable micro fuel cells.

Evaluation of metals distribution in Solanum lycopersicum plants located in a coastal environment using micro-energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence imaging

The metal accumulation in edible parts of the plants is an important issue to provide a healthy food for the population. Some plants have the ability to take up certain trace elements from metal-polluted soils. Depending on the characteristics of the area and the environment where these plants have been grown, a different metal distribution can be observed on them. The aims of this work were to determine which are the general trends of metals distribution (e.g. K, Ca, Mn, Fe, Zn, Cu, Sr, etc.) in the different parts (roots, stems, leaves and fruits) of Solanum lycopersicum plants located in a seaside village (Barrika, Basque Country, North of Spain) and to asses if there is any potential dangerous accumulation in the edible part, the tomato fruit. Moreover, it was also evaluated if halogen elements (e.g. Cl, Br) emitted by the marine aerosol to the atmosphere are also highly distributed on these parts of Solanum lycopersicum plants. To perform this study a portable micro energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (μ-EDXRF) was used, which allows performing a mapping of each section of the plant in order to obtain the distribution of each element. The results obtained showed that a portable μ-EDXRF is a good analytical technique in order to know the distributions of these elements. Most of the elements identified in the roots, stem and leaves were not detectable in the fruit using this elemental technique. Moreover, it was detected the possible influence of the marine aerosol taking in to account the high distribution in all the parts of the plants of Cl and Br, except in the fruits.

Pedestrian exposure to air pollution on routes with heavy vehicular traffic

Objective This pilot study aimed to characterize pedestrians' exposure to air pollution alongside three routes with high traffic in Bogota, Colombia (ninth avenue, eleventh avenue and seventh avenue). Method Black carbon (BC) was used as an air quality indicator since it is recognized as a tracer compound for emissions from mobile sources. The concentrations of BC were recorded continuously with a portable Micro Aethalometer Model AE51. The instrument was carried by the people doing the 1.5 kilometer-long routes, while they filled in an activity form that recorded the events occurring during the walk. Results A direct (observed) relationship between BC concentration peaks and documented events at each route was found. Although BC concentrations at all three studied corridors indicate an inadequate air quality, different concentration distributions were found for each route. The authors attribute this result to the difference in the volume of heavy traffic (mainly buses and minibuses). Eleventh Avenue was the route with the greatest flow of such vehicles and higher concentrations of BC. Conclusion The collected evidence reinforces the importance of involving air quality as a critical variable when designing non-motorized transport oriented infrastructure.

Role of water and discharge mode on modulating properties in an atmospheric air MHCD jet

A portable micro hollow cathode discharge (MHCD) device was designed in this paper to generate water-air plasma jet. The results showed that MHCD jet pattern was changed from self-pulsing discharge mode to DC mode with the increasing of voltage, and the critical voltage value of discharge mode increased with the rise of gas flow. In order to study the influences of discharge mode and water content on MHCD jet, the electrical characteristics and radicals were all measured in different conditions. We found that the length of jet decreased and temperature increased with raising water-air ratio, and during self-pulsing discharge mode, •OH content was extremely low because of the low energy of electron, but level of NO was raised with gradually increasing applied voltage. In DC mode, the results showed there was least NO content, on the other hand •OH content increased with rise of voltage and water-air ratio. O existed in both discharge modes and the effect of water content on the O production was complex.

A Portable Micro Gas Chromatography System for Lung Cancer Associated Volatile Organic Compound Detection

With the help of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) and complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) technology, a portable micro gas chromatography ( $\upmu {\text{GC}}$ ) system for lung cancer associated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) detection is realized for the first time. The system is composed of an MEMS preconcentrator, an MEMS separation column, and a CMOS system-on-chip (SoC). The preconcentrator provides a concentration ratio of 2170. The separation column can separate more than seven types of lung cancer associated VOCs. The SoC is fabricated by a TSMC $0.35\;\upmu {\text{m}}$ 2P4M process including the CMOS VOCs detector, sensor calibration circuit, low-noise chopper instrumentation amplifier (IA), 10 bit analog to digital converter, and the microcontrol unit (MCU). Experimental results show that the system is able to detect seven types of lung cancer associated VOCs (acetone, 2-butanone, benzene, heptane, toluene, m-xylene, 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene). The concentration linearity is ${{\text{R}}^{2}} = 0.985$ and the detection sensitivity is up to 15 ppb with 1,3,5-trimethylbenzene.

Particulate Matter Concentrations in the Vicinity of an Incinerator

Incineration is an effective way of health care waste management, but it is also a source of air pollution. Thermal decomposition of organic and inorganic waste during incineration releases a large concentration of air pollutants such as CO, SO2, NOx, CO2 and particulate matter (PM). A cross sectional-descriptive study was conducted to determine the short-term variations in PM concentrations across various areas in the vicinity of a local incinerator in Windhoek, Namibia. XRF Qualitative analysis method was used to determine the elemental composition of fallout dust concentration from six study areas/stations in the vicinity of a local incinerator. Single bucket fallout monitors were deployed following the American Society for Testing and Materials standard method for collection and analysis of dust fallout to determine the elemental composition of fallout dust. Real-time PM concentration trends were also recorded using a portable Micro dust Pro Real-time Dust Monitor for PM10 at a height of 2.2 m above the ground. High PM concentration peaks were observed in the morning and afternoon hours at varying points. The fallout dust rate ranged between highest 1839.3 mg/m2/day at sampling Point 4 and lowest 711 mg/m2/day at sampling Point 2. The XRF analysis revealed the presence of toxic elements and crustal elements in order of decreasing abundance: Mn > Zn > Cr > V > Zr > Sr > Pb > Ni and SI > K > Fe > Ti > Ca > Al > P respectively. Highest elemental composition concentrations were found at sampling location in the vicinity of the incinerator and in industrial area.

Technological study of the gilded haft-rang tiles of the Imamzadih Ismail mausoleum in Qazvin, Iran

Gilding decorations on Islamic tiles have been previously studied either historically or technologically. The major emphasis in these studies has always been focused on the use of gold leaf on glazed tiles. The current research has been conducted by electron probe micro-analysis (EPMA), portable micro X-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), optical microscopy and atomic force microscopy (AFM) to shed light on a less-known technique of gilding applied on the nineteenth century haft rang glazed tiles of the Imamzadih Ismail mausoleum in Qazvin, Iran. Our observations showed that the gilding decorations are performed on a blue alkali glaze. Plant ash was suggested to be the source of alkali and cobalt was identified as the colouring agent of the glaze. Moreover, trace amounts of arsenic in the composition of the blue glaze was interpreted to be associated with the colouring agent of the glaze; i.e., cobalt. Furthermore, the gilding decorations were suggested to be achieved by firing gold powder on the pre-fired blue substrate glaze. AFM, SEM and optical microscopy proved that the gold flakes partially penetrated the pre-fired blue substrate glaze. This paper established a local provenance for the colouring agent of the blue glaze used as a substrate of gilding decorations. In addition, our studies showed that the gilding decorations were achieved by firing gold powder on the pre-fired blue glaze of a nineteenth century Persian haft rang tile.

Effect of bleaching gel in Ca, P and Zn content in tooth enamel evaluated by μ-EDXRF

The purpose of this in vitro study is to assess whether the elemental content of P, Ca and Zn in tooth enamel is altered when bleaching the teeth with bleaching gel. In order to perform this evaluation, sound vestibular surfaces of six anterior healthy teeth, extracted for periodontal or orthodontic reasons were used. Cuts were made in order to obtain 8×2mm samples. Samples were then treated with the bleaching product (Opalescence PF 10%) accordingly to manufacturer instructions and stocked in artificial saliva between each application.The elemental content of each sample, before and after treatment was obtained by a portable micro Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectrometry (μ-EDXRF), making use of a polycapillary optic to obtain a focal spot of 100μm for Fe-Kα. Quantitative calculations were obtained by WinAXIL compare mode method, using four standard reference materials. The obtained results show that no significant statistic differences were observed for the studied elements.

Hydrogen generation from LiBH4 solution catalyzed by multiwalled carbon nanotubes supported Co–B nanocatalysts for a portable micro proton exchange membrane fuel cell application

LiBH4 has high hydrogen storage capacities, and could potentially serve as a superior hydrogen storage material. In the hydrolytic process, however, incomplete hydrolysis caused by the agglomeration of its hydrolytic product and un-reacted LiBH4 limits its full utilization. Furthermore, application of hydrogen generated from LiBH4 aqueous solution for proton exchange membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) has not been reported yet. In this paper, CNTs-supported Co–B nanocatalyst was used for hydrogen generation from LiBH4 solution. 22 wt% LiBH4 alkaline solution can fully release its stoichiometric amount of hydrogen and supply a 2.3 W portable PEMFC stack to run stably. The overall power density of the PEMFC/LiBH4 solution system with Co–B/CNTs addition is 1020 Wh L−1. Due to the high gravimetric and volumetric hydrogen capacities, the LiBH4 solution could be used as a promising liquid hydrogen storage material for hydrogen fuel cells-based devices.

Micro secure digital card: A novel method for denture identification.

Aim:Denture labeling is of vital significance in social and forensic scenario. Numerous published work have attempted to present best method for denture marking, however not all satisfy crucial requirement either in terms of cost or storage of large amount of information. Hence, this paper describes a simple, cheap, and feasible denture marking system using portable Micro Secure Digital (MicroSD) card. These cards are created to store, modify, and view large amount of information with mobile phones, which forms an important part in majority of household in India.Materials and Methods:After try-in make a depression slightly wider than the size of the MicroSD card on the external lingual flange of the trial mandibular denture. Process the denture together with acrylic wax flap according to manufacturer's instructions. The acrylic flap is planned in such a way that it is well-flushed with surrounding areas and can be lifted on one side to access the card. MicroSD card is placed in the denture and flap is closed.Conclusion:The proposed method is simple, cheap, and can store large amount of information.

Identification of soldering and welding processes in ancient gold jewelry by micro‐XRF spectroscopy

In science applied to cultural heritage, the study of the manufacturing procedures of ancient metal artifacts is of particular relevance. In fact, metal manufacturing is correlated with the development of civilization.The aim of this work is to reconstruct, by means of experimental archeology, the ancient soldering and welding processes, in order to identify them in archeological samples using a portable micro X‐ray fluorescence (micro‐XRF) system. This portable and nondestructive technique provides a useful method for characterizing the manufacturing of ancient gold jewelry.Various gold alloys were produced with different Ag and Cu content to simulate real cases. Besides, on the basis of archeometallurgy techniques, replicas of decorations were fabricated following the ancient recipes such as those described in Naturalis Historia and Leiden Papyrus X. The content of Au, Ag, and Cu within the soldering or welding areas was quantified with the micro‐XRF technique.The methodology described in this work was applied to the particular case of alloys with high gold concentrations, such as Tartessic jewelry (700–500 BC), to identify the different welding and soldering techniques. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Portable Micro Hydro Electrical Generator

Micro Hydro Power Plants have many advantages over large scale hydropower generation. This has been identified as a good alternative to conventional electricity generation for many developing countries around the world. This paper presents a new concept of a Portable Micro Hydro Electrical Generator with a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Generator (PMSG).

Comparison of two methods of measurement of maximal respiratory pressures in health and cystic fibrosis

Introduction: Respiratory muscle strength can be assessed by static mouth measurements of maximal inspiratory pressure (Pimax) and maximal expiratory pressure (Pemax). Impaired respiratory muscle strength is common in neuromuscular and obstructive pulmonary disease such as Cystic Fibrosis (CF). Maximal respiratory pressures can easily be measured with a portable manometer on the bedside and in the community. Our objective was to compare maximal respiratory pressures as measured by standard laboratory equipment and the portable mouth pressure meter Micro RPM. Methods: Pimax and Pemax were assessed in 296 healthy subjects and patients with CF with the Micro RPM and standard laboratory equipment. The Micro RPM measures and digitally displays maximal respiratory pressures after averageing over a one second period. Standard laboratory equipment consisted of a differential pressure transducer, whose amplified signals were analyzed by Lab-VIEW software. Each subject performed at least five reproducible maneuvers after familiarizing with the equipment. Results: The Micro RPM accurately measured maximal inspiratory and maximal expiratory pressures both in healthy individuals as well as in patients with CF. Mean difference (standard deviation) of the methods was 1.37 (17.73) cm H2O for Pimax maneuvers and 1.84 (9.09) cm H2O for Pemax maneuvers. Conclusions: The Micro RPM can relia-bly and accurately measure maximal respiratory mouth pressures and its use could be applied both in the clinical and the research setting.

Structure and mechanical properties of beetle wings: a review

Insects of extremely small size have evolved to solve many problems. Their structure and mechanical properties information can be utilized to mimic them for industrial applications. Since beetle (Coleoptera, an order of insects) wings exhibit special functionalities, they have sparked worldwide research attention. Beetle wings are composed of a forewing (also known as elytron) and a hind wing. The elytra are rigid. A beetle's functional wings, which allow flying, are the hind wings. The elytra have an ingenious structure with superhydrophobic characteristics, a structural coloration and anti-adhesion characteristics. Their inner structure helps to provide light mass and high strength. The rotation angle and wing locking system of elytra are important features which increase beetles’ ability to fly; they may furnish an insight for portable micro air vehicles (MAVs) and also provide inspiration for the design of bioinspired deployable systems. Studies of the structural and mechanical properties in biological systems may improve the understanding of natural solutions and advance the design of novel artificial materials. In this paper, the structure, mechanical properties and their relationship to function of beetle wings are discussed. Examples of bioinspired structures and materials are also presented.

Development of a Portable Tissue Micro Array Instrument

Tissue micro array (TMA) is based on the idea of applying miniaturization and a high throughput approach to hybridization-based analyses of tissues. It facilitates biomedical research on a large scale in a single experiment; thus representing one of the most commonly used technologies in translational research. A critical analysis of the existing TMA instruments indicates that there are potential constraints in terms of portability, apart from costs and complexity. This paper will present the development of an affordable, configurable, and portable TMA instrument to allow an efficient collection of tissues, especially in instrument-to-tissue scenarios. The purely mechanical instrument requires no energy sources other than the user, is light weight, portable, and simple to use.