Field-portable optofluidic plasmonic biosensor for wide-field and label-free monitoring of molecular interactions

We demonstrate a field-portable optofluidic plasmonic sensing device, weighing 40 g and 7.5 cm in height, which merges plasmonic microarrays with dual-wavelength lensfree on-chip imaging for real-time monitoring of protein binding kinetics

Lensfree optofluidic plasmonic sensor for real-time and label-free monitoring of molecular binding events over a wide field-of-view

We demonstrate a high-throughput biosensing device that utilizes microfluidics based plasmonic microarrays incorporated with dual-color on-chip imaging toward real-time and label-free monitoring of biomolecular interactions over a wide field-of-view of >20 mm^2. Weighing 40 grams with 8.8 cm in height, this biosensor utilizes an opto-electronic imager chip to record the diffraction patterns of plasmonic nanoapertures embedded within microfluidic channels, enabling real-time analyte exchange. This plasmonic chip is simultaneously illuminated by two different light-emitting-diodes that are spectrally located at the right and left sides of the plasmonic resonance mode, yielding two different diffraction patterns for each nanoaperture array. Refractive index changes of the medium surrounding the near-field of the nanostructures, e.g., due to molecular binding events, induce a frequency shift in the plasmonic modes of the nanoaperture array, causing a signal enhancement in one of the diffraction patterns while suppressing the other. Based on ratiometric analysis of these diffraction images acquired at the detector-array, we demonstrate the proof-of-concept of this biosensor by monitoring in real-time biomolecular interactions of protein A/G with immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibody. For high-throughput on-chip fabrication of these biosensors, we also introduce a deep ultra-violet lithography technique to simultaneously pattern thousands of plasmonic arrays in a cost-effective manner

An elasto-plastic damage model for concrete

Constitutive modeling of concrete using continuum damage mechanics and plasticity theory is presented in this work. In order to derive the constitutive equations the strain equivalence hypothesis is adopted. Menetrey-William type yield function (in the effective stress space) with multiple hardening functions is used to define plastic loading of the material. Non-associated plastic flow rule is used to control inelastic dilatancy. DruckerPrager type function is chosen as a plastic potential. Damage is assumed to be isotropic and two damage variables are used to represent tensile and compressive damage independently. Damage parameter is driven based on the plastic strain. Fully implicit integration scheme is employed and the consistent elastic-plastic-damage tangent operator is also derived. The overall performance of the proposed model is verified by comparing the model predictions to various numerical simulations, cyclic uniaxial tensile and compressive tests, monotonic biaxial compression test and reinforced concrete beam test

Pathological and Ultrastructural Findings of Sphaerospora dicentrarchi (Myxosporea: Bivalvulida) infection in European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax) farmed in Turkey

Sphaerospora dicentrarchi is typically histozoic parasite of the wild and cultured European sea bass (Dicentrachus labrax) of the Mediterranean coastal countries. In this study, pathological and ultrastructural findings of the Sphaerospora dicentrarchi infection in European sea bass were firstly investigated in Turkey. For this purpose, the 862 European seabass (Dicentrarchus labrax L) were collected and evaluated from eight cultivation fish farms (offshore floating cages) in four different locations of Aegean Sea of Turkey (three farms from Kazıklı, one farm from Çandarlı, two farms from Taşburun and two farms from Güllük Regions). It was observed that the parasite was especially intense in adult fish and in the June-October period when the water temperature increased. Microscopically, the parasites were seen as the most intensive in the stomach, intestines, gall bladder, pancreas, heart and testis, respectively. Stomach was the most commonly infected organ. In the transmission electron microscopy examination, a bag-like group of mature couple spores were seen surrounded by polar capsules. As a result, it was determined that Sphaerospora dicentrarchi infection is very common in adult sea bass in the Aegean region of Turkey, as in Greece, Spain, Portugal and Italy

Bidding structure, market efficiency and persistence in a multi-time tariff setting

The purpose of this study is to examine the fractal dynamics of day ahead electricity prices by using parametric and semi parametric approaches for each time zone in a multi-time tariff setting in the framework of bidding strategies, market efficiency and persistence of exogenous shocks. We find that that electricity prices have long term correlation structure for the first and third time zones indicating that market participants bid hyperbolically and not at their marginal costs, market is not weak form efficient at these hours and exogenous shocks to change the mean level of prices will have permanent effect and be effective. On the other hand, for the second time zone we find that price series does not exhibit long term memory. This finding suggests the weak form efficiency of the market in these hours and that market participants bid at their marginal costs. Furthermore this indicates that exogenous shocks will have temporary effect on electricity prices in these hours. These findings constitute an important foundation for policy makers and market participants to develop appropriate electricity price forecasting tools, market monitoring indexes and to conduct ex-ante impact assessment. © 2015 Elsevier B.V

Erratum to: 36th International Symposium on Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1186/s13054-016-1208-6.]

Voltage contrast X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals graphene-substrate interaction in graphene devices fabricated on the C- and Si- faces of SiC

We report on an X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of two graphene based devices that were analyzed by imposing a significant current under +3 V bias. The devices were fabricated as graphene layers(s) on hexagonal SiC substrates, either on the C- or Si-terminated faces. Position dependent potential distributions (IR-drop), as measured by variations in the binding energy of a C1s peak are observed to be sporadic for the C-face graphene sample, but very smooth for the Si-face one, although the latter is less conductive. We attribute these sporadic variations in the C-face device to the incomplete electrical decoupling between the graphene layer(s) with the underlying buffer and/or substrate layers. Variations in the Si2p and O1s peaks of the underlayer(s) shed further light into the electrical interaction between graphene and other layers. Since the potential variations are amplified only under applied bias (voltage-contrast), our methodology gives unique, chemically specific electrical information that is difficult to obtain by other techniques. © 2015 AIP Publishing LLC