Micropower front-end interface for differential-capacitive sensor systems

Accepted versio

A microchip optomechanical accelerometer

The monitoring of accelerations is essential for a variety of applications ranging from inertial navigation to consumer electronics. The basic operation principle of an accelerometer is to measure the displacement of a flexibly mounted test mass; sensitive displacement measurement can be realized using capacitive, piezo-electric, tunnel-current, or optical methods. While optical readout provides superior displacement resolution and resilience to electromagnetic interference, current optical accelerometers either do not allow for chip-scale integration or require bulky test masses. Here we demonstrate an optomechanical accelerometer that employs ultra-sensitive all-optical displacement read-out using a planar photonic crystal cavity monolithically integrated with a nano-tethered test mass of high mechanical Q-factor. This device architecture allows for full on-chip integration and achieves a broadband acceleration resolution of 10 \mu g/rt-Hz, a bandwidth greater than 20 kHz, and a dynamic range of 50 dB with sub-milliwatt optical power requirements. Moreover, the nano-gram test masses used here allow for optomechanical back-action in the form of cooling or the optical spring effect, setting the stage for a new class of motional sensors.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figure

General model with experimental validation of electrical resonant frequency tuning of electromagnetic vibration energy harvesters

This paper presents a general model and its experimental validation for electrically tunable electromagnetic energy harvesters. Electrical tuning relies on the adjustment of the electrical load so that the maximum output power of the energy harvester occurs at a frequency which is different from the mechanical resonant frequency of the energy harvester. Theoretical analysis shows that for this approach to be feasible the electromagnetic vibration energy harvester’s coupling factor must be maximized so that its resonant frequency can be tuned with the minimum decrease of output power. Two different-sized electromagnetic energy harvesters were built and tested to validate the model. Experimentally, the micro-scale energy harvester has a coupling factor of 0.0035 and an untuned resonant frequency of 70.05 Hz. When excited at 30 mg, it was tuned by 0.23 Hz by changing its capacitive load from 0 to 4000 nF; its effective tuning range is 0.15 Hz for a capacitive load variation from 0 to 1500 nF. The macro-scale energy harvester has a coupling factor of 552.25 and an untuned resonant frequency of 95.1 Hz and 95.5 Hz when excited at 10 mg and 25 mg, respectively. When excited at 10 mg, it was tuned by 3.8 Hz by changing its capacitive load from 0 to 1400 nF; it has an effective tuning range of 3.5 Hz for a capacitive load variation from 0 to 1200 nF. When excited at 25 mg, its resonant frequency was tuned by 4.2 Hz by changing its capacitive load from 0 to 1400 nF; it has an effective tuning range of about 5 Hz. Experimental results were found to agree with the theoretical analysis to within 10%

Detecting imipenem resistance in Acinetobacter baumannii by automated systems (BD Phoenix, Microscan WalkAway, Vitek 2); high error rates with Microscan WalkAway

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increasing reports of carbapenem resistant <it>Acinetobacter baumannii </it>infections are of serious concern. Reliable susceptibility testing results remains a critical issue for the clinical outcome. Automated systems are increasingly used for species identification and susceptibility testing. This study was organized to evaluate the accuracies of three widely used automated susceptibility testing methods for testing the imipenem susceptibilities of <it>A. baumannii </it>isolates, by comparing to the validated test methods.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Selected 112 clinical isolates of <it>A. baumanii </it>collected between January 2003 and May 2006 were tested to confirm imipenem susceptibility results. Strains were tested against imipenem by the reference broth microdilution (BMD), disk diffusion (DD), Etest, BD Phoenix, MicroScan WalkAway and Vitek 2 automated systems. Data were analysed by comparing the results from each test method to those produced by the reference BMD test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>MicroScan performed true identification of all <it>A. baumannii </it>strains while Vitek 2 unidentified one strain, Phoenix unidentified two strains and misidentified two strains. Eighty seven of the strains (78%) were resistant to imipenem by BMD. Etest, Vitek 2 and BD Phoenix produced acceptable error rates when tested against imipenem. Etest showed the best performance with only two minor errors (1.8%). Vitek 2 produced eight minor errors(7.2%). BD Phoenix produced three major errors (2.8%). DD produced two very major errors (1.8%) (slightly higher (0.3%) than the acceptable limit) and three major errors (2.7%). MicroScan showed the worst performance in susceptibility testing with unacceptable error rates; 28 very major (25%) and 50 minor errors (44.6%).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Reporting errors for <it>A. baumannii </it>against imipenem do exist in susceptibility testing systems. We suggest clinical laboratories using MicroScan system for routine use should consider using a second, independent antimicrobial susceptibility testing method to validate imipenem susceptibility. Etest, whereever available, may be used as an easy method to confirm imipenem susceptibility.</p

Performance limits of the three MEMS inertial energy generator transduction types

Accepted versio

Antimicrobial effects of two anaesthetic agents: Dexmedetomidine and midazolam

Some anaesthetic agents are known to inhibit microbial growth. The aim of this in vitro study was to investigate possible antimicrobial effects of two frequently used agents in intensive care units, dexmedetomidine and midazolam. Antimicrobial effect was tested on Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis, Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa by broth microdilution method. Midazolam showed inhibitor and bactericidal effect on S. aureus at concentrations 256 µg.ml-1 and 512 µg.ml-1 respectively and on E. faecalis at concentrations 128 µg.ml-1 and 256 µg.ml-1. Dexmedetomidine demonstrated inhibitor effect on S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa at concentrations 32 µg.ml-1, 16 µg.ml-1 and 16 µg.ml-1 respectively. Midazolam had inhibitor and bactericidal effects on S. aureus and E. faecalis. Dexmedetomidine had only inhibitor effects on S. aureus, E. coli and P. aeruginosa. Further studies are needed to determine the antimicrobial mechanisms and clinical applications

The effects of active efflux pumps on antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

PMID = 2496490

The effects of active efflux pumps on antibiotic resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

In this study, we investigated the roles of active efflux pumps in antibiotic resistance. The transcription efflux pump genes were analyzed by real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to determine their role in drug resistance. Antibiotic sensitivity testing was carried out using the Vitek 2 automated system (bioMérieux, France). Isolates were divided into four groups according to their resistance status: multiple-drug resistant (MDR), isolated carbapenem resistant (ICR), isolated quinolone resistant (IQR), and carbapenem and quinolone resistant (CQR). Transcript levels of mexB, mexD, mexF, and mexY were analyzed by qPCR using a LightCycler instrument (Roche, Germany). The genetic similarity between isolates was determined using arbitrarily primed PCR (AP-PCR). Among the 50 isolates investigated, the frequency of genes classified as overexpressed were 88 % for mexD, 76 % for mexB, 46 % for mexF, and 40 % for mexY. Within the MDR group, mexB was overexpressed in 15 of 22 isolates, mexD in 20 of 22, mexF in 15 of 22, and mexY in 19 of 22. In the ICR group, isolates mexB and mexD were each overexpressed in five isolates. mexD overexpression was observed in all seven CQR isolates. Within the IQR group, mexB and mexD were overexpressed in all 12 isolates. mexF overexpression was detected in 7 of 12 isolates in this group. 18 distinct banding patterns were determined by AP-PCR. Increased transcription of mexB was directly correlated with meropenem resistance in the majority of isolates tested, while MexCD-OprJ and MexEF-OprN were related to quinolone resistance; the MexCD-OprJ efflux pump was also related to multidrug resistance. Increased transcription of mexY may contribute to the gentamicin resistance. © 2014, Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Investigation of oprd porin protein levels in carbapenem-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates

Background: The Pseudomonas aeruginosa porin OprD is a substrate-specific porin that facilitates the diffusion of basic amino acids, small peptides, and carbapenems into the cell. OprD-mediated resistance occurs as a result of decreased transcriptional expression of oprD and/or loss of function mutations that disrupt protein activity. Objectives: In this study, we examined the level of oprD expression in P. aeruginosa clinical isolates to determine the contribution of OprD porins in carbapenem resistance. Materials and Methods: Included strains were divided into two groups, comprised of multidrug-resistant (MDR) and isolated carbapenem-resistant (ICR) strains. The transcription product level of oprD was identified using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Results: Of the 18 clinical isolates, a decrease in the oprD level was found to be significant in 13 isolates. Nine of eighteen isolates with a significant decrease were determined in the first group and comprised MDR isolates that showed a statistically significant difference compared with the ICR group (P = 0.001). In the ICR group, oprD levels were found to be significantly low in 4 isolates. Six different patterns were determined by comparing band profiles in AP-PCR. Conclusions: Although the data support the idea that the basic mechanism of imipenem resistance could be via the loss of oprD, they do not fully explain the role of oprD and indicate that other mechanisms may play an important role. Additionally, the significant decrease in the oprD levels in MDR strains suggests that oprD also plays a role in the emergence of both carbapenem and non-carbapenem resistance. © 2015, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences