Photonic Doppler velocimetry for high-speed fragment generator measurements.

We developed a modified photonic Doppler velocimetry (PDV) configuration which possesses the ability to record wide-range velocity information to evaluate composite material fracture behavior. With the laminate and tunnel design of a fragment generator, the controllable parameters such as fragment size and applied voltage can provide the flexibility for dynamic evaluation under different momentum conditions. We obtained velocity profiles using continuous wavelet transforms and by using our proposed velocity line tracing algorithm. Simulated heterodyne signals and surface morphology of fractures were examined to verify the heterodyne signals. We observed that the obtained tunnel-end velocity of the fragment generator was proportional to the applied voltage.

Enhanced Signal and Quantitative Detection of Anti-Interferon-Gamma Antibody by Using a Nanometer Biolinker.

For rapid screening and quantification of an antisera antibody, a nanometer bithiophene-based conductive biolinker can enhanced signal performance and can be used to verify the interaction of an anti-IFN-γ antibody with an IFN-γ protein. The experimental measurements take a generic approach which takes advantage of the functionality of thiophene-based linkers for biosensors. Effects associated with using bithiophene as a biolinker for surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy are examined in this paper. By using an atomic force microscope (AFM), it was observed that the morphology of the bithiophene modified gold sensor surface became smoother than the original gold surface. We compared the response and concentration of the anti-IFN-γ antibody on a bithiophene-coated and dextran-coated biochip as well as on different thickness-modified surfaces under SPR relevant conditions. The results indicate that a response to IFN-γ molecules immobilized on a sensor using a bithiophene biolinker improved more than 8-fold when compared to that of a sensor using a dextran biolinker. Furthermore, the regeneration ability of the sensor surface shows good repeatability as only less than a 1% decrease was found after repeating the experimental work over 6 cycles. The characteristics provided us with a good platform for rapid screening, real-time monitoring and quantitative concentration of the autoimmune antibody activities.

Ellipsometric surface plasmon resonance.

We develop a new multifunctional optical biochip system that integrates an ellipsometer with a surface plasmon resonance (SPR) feature. This newly developed biochip biosensor, which we call ESPR for an ellipsometric SPR, provides us with a system to retrieve detailed information such as the optical properties of immobilized biomolecular monolayers, surface concentration variations of biomedical reactions, and kinetic affinity between biomolecules required for further biotech analysis. Our ESPR can also serve as both a research and development tool and a manufacturing tool for various biomedical applications.

Phase-shifting algorithms for electronic speckle pattern interferometry.

A set of innovative phase-shifting algorithms developed to facilitate metrology based on electronic speckle pattern interferometry (ESPI) are presented. The theory of a phase-shifting algorithm, called a (5,1) algorithm, that takes five phase-shifted intensity maps before a specimen is deformed and one intensity map after a specimen is deformed is presented first. Because a high-speed camera can be used to record the dynamic image of the specimen, this newly developed algorithm has the potential to retain the phase-shifting capability for ESPI in dynamic measurements. Also shown is an algorithm called a (1,5) algorithm that takes five phase-shifted intensity maps after the specimen is deformed. In addition, a direct-correlation algorithm was integrated with these newly developed (5,1) or (1,5) algorithms to form DC-(5,1) and DC-(1,5) algorithms, which are shown to improve significantly the quality of the phase maps. The theoretical and experimental aspects of these two newly developed techniques, which can extend ESPI to areas such as high-speed dynamic measurements, are examined in detail.