The flower-shaped starshade may be used to find earth-like planets

The technological progress is changing people minds. We have changed the manner of thinking while science is developing. The exploring of different planetary bodies like the Earth-like planets will be our next step in the nearest future

The flower-shaped starshade may be used to find earth-like planets

The technological progress is changing people minds. We have changed the manner of thinking while science is developing. The exploring of different planetary bodies like the Earth-like planets will be our next step in the nearest future

Integrated microsystems for molecular pathology

We have integrated electronic, optical, magnetic, thermal and fluidic devices into systems to construct useful analysis tools. Over the past several years, we have developed soft lithography approaches to define microfluidic systems in which pico-Liter volumes can be manipulated. These fluidic delivery systems have more recently been integrated with optical and electronic devices. We have also developed thermal control systems with fast (>50oC/s) cooling and heating ramp speeds and excellent accuracy

Elastomeric microfluidic diode and rectifier work with Newtonian fluids

We report on two microfluidic elastomeric autoregulatory devices—a diode and a rectifier. They exhibit physically interesting and complex nonlinear behaviors (saturation, bias-dependent resistance, and rectification) with a Newtonian fluid. Due to their autoregulatory properties, they operate without active external control. As a result, they enable increased microfluidic device density and overall system miniaturization. The demonstrated diode and rectifier would also be useful components in future microfluidic logic circuitry

Electrical microfluidic pressure gauge for elastomer microelectromechanical systems

We report on an electrical microfluidic pressure gauge. A polydimethylsiloxane microvalve closes at a characteristic applied pressure determined by the material's properties and the valve's dimensions. Hence, when the same pressure is applied to all valves of a heterogeneous valve array, some valves close while others remain open. The state of the array is combined with knowledge of the respective characteristic closing pressures of the individual valves to yield an estimate of the applied pressure. The state of each valve is obtained by electrical measurements, since the electrical resistance of the respective underlying fluid-filled channel increases by at least two orders of magnitude as the valve closes and its insulating elastomer material interrupts the electrical circuit. The overall system functions as a pressure gauge with electrical readout. This device would be a critical component in active pressure-regulation loops in future integrated microfluidic systems

Experimentally validated quantitative linear model for the device physics of elastomeric microfluidic valves

A systematic experimental study and theoretical modeling of the device physics of polydimethylsiloxane “pushdown” microfluidic valves are presented. The phase space is charted by 1587 dimension combinations and encompasses 45–295 µm lateral dimensions, 16–39 µm membrane thickness, and 1–28 psi closing pressure. Three linear models are developed and tested against the empirical data, and then combined into a fourth-power-polynomial superposition. The experimentally validated final model offers a useful quantitative prediction for a valve's properties as a function of its dimensions. Typical valves (80–150 µm width) are shown to behave like thin springs

A photonic-crystal optical antenna for extremely large local-field enhancement

We propose a novel design of an all-dielectric optical antenna based on photonic-band-gap confinement. Specifically, we have engineered the photonic-crystal dipole mode to have broad spectral response (Q ~70) and well-directed vertical-radiation by introducing a plane mirror below the cavity. Considerably large local electric-field intensity enhancement ~4,500 is expected from the proposed design for a normally incident planewave. Furthermore, an analytic model developed based on coupled-mode theory predicts that the electric-field intensity enhancement can easily be over 100,000 by employing reasonably high-Q (~10,000) resonators

Supercolor Coding Methods for Large-Scale Multiplexing of Biochemical Assays

We present a novel method for the encoding and decoding of multiplexed biochemical assays. The method enables a theoretically unlimited number of independent targets to be detected and uniquely identified in any combination in the same sample. For example, the method offers easy access to 12-plex and larger PCR assays, as contrasted to the current 4-plex assays. This advancement would allow for large panels of tests to be run simultaneously in the same sample, saving reagents, time, consumables, and manual labor, while also avoiding the traditional loss of sensitivity due to sample aliquoting. Thus, the presented method is a major technological breakthrough with far-reaching impact on biotechnology, biomedical science, and clinical diagnostics. Herein, we present the mathematical theory behind the method as well as its experimental proof of principle using Taqman PCR on sequences specific to infectious diseases

Some Aspects of Rural Urbanization in SR Macedonia

In this study the author discusses the problems of the urbanization process in SR Macedonia during the post-war period based upon census indicators, and he compares them with the time before World War II. The author analyses two aspects of the urbanization process, the so called physical urbanization and the cultural urbanization (i.e. some aspects of the urban way of life in rural Macedonia). His study is divided into the following themes: number of urban population as an urbanization measure, transformation of the traditional Macedonian village, some characteristics of the Macedonian village as a territorial community, some forms of urbanization of rural settlements, and the conclusion. The basic conceptions elaborated by the author in his study are as follows. Through modern socio- -economic evalutional courses the traditional village in SR Macedonia »retreats« before the progressive modernized village. Due to socio- -economic differentiation of rural population, the rural (local) community is today not just the domicile of agricultural population, but the domicile of other professions as well. At the same time this means that in SR Macedonia the agricultural occupation loses also its economic meaning for the preservation of the rural community. The income coming from other jobs and occupations (in village and town) causes the change in relationship between rural population as well as in intrafamily relations. Farmers-workers, pupils, students and other persons, who are in everyday\u27s contact with the town, influence the rural community in regard to the way of behaving and living. Through various forms of human interrelations, consumable forms, ways of spending free and leisure time, through building projects and similar, the village becomes all the more urbanized. The village changes, and in its physiognomy as a specific territorial and social community it approaches the town. In future development of rural (and urban communities in SR Macedonia more attention should be paid to directing and systematical coordinating of the so called physical urbanization. Special attention should be given to cultural urbanization, which has up-to-the-present remained behind the physical urbanization

Mechanical Design and COMSOL Analysis of Archimedes-Force Quiescent UUVs for Large-Scale Distributed Offensive Mine Operations

Seed Research Program 2023. A Quad, describing CRUSER Seed Research Program funded research.CRUSER Funded ResearchFY23 Funded Research ProposalConsortium for Robotics and Unmanned Systems Education and Research (CRUSER