Proceedings

Tuberculosis (TB) is still one of the world’s deadliest infections. Fast detection of the pathogen M. tuberculosis (MTB) and its genetic resistance markers substantially improves treatment success and outcome. A key element for rapid genetic diagnostics is the efficient extraction of DNA from sputum for qPCR detection at the point of care. We present the fully automated sample preparation of MTB DNA from 3 mL of liquefied sputum and qPCR detection of MTB on a centrifugal microfluidic cartridge. Our method achieves a limit of detection (LoD) between 17 and 57 CFU/mL and provides a purified DNA solution for molecular downstream testing, such as targeted NGS. Full article

For the CO-FRESH (CO-creating sustainable and competitive FRuits and vEgetableS’ value cHains in Europe) project, implemented under Horizon 2020, the main objective is to design and pilot innovative system approaches to agri-food value chains in order to scale up this innovation at the European level. The Association of Polish Organic Fruit Producers POLSKI EKOOWOC has been selected as a pilot unit of the CO-FRESH project. The association includes 20 certified organic fruit growers from central Poland. Their acreage comprises more than 600 ha of organic orchards and plantations, producing 30,000 tonnes of organic fruit annually. During the course of the CO-FRESH project, a uniform methodology was developed to analyse and redesign the selected pilot units. A definition and description of the EKOOWOC association as a value chain in fruit production was first made. Then, after appropriate project training, a SWOT analysis was carried out for EKOOWOC in a meeting of a Polish working group of 10 people representing the downstream links in the production chain of this pilot unit. At the same meeting, a selection of proposed innovations for EKOOWOC was carried out. Several innovations important for the development of the pilot unit were pre-selected. After a few days, through a DELPHI survey, the working group selected the most important innovations for the EKOOWOC pilot unit. The creation of an online shop for the sale of organic fruit was chosen; the commercial activity here is combined with an educational activity, as customers ordering fruit learn about the qualities of organic apples of different varieties. Another innovation is the composting of organic residues from the orchard, with the aim of minimising organic waste. Two experimental compost heaps were set up, made up of several layers of waste—straw, waste apples, soil from organic mushrooms, leaves from the orchard and cut branches. The compost used a preparation of microoganisms, fermented organic matter and a natural mineral containing 64 elements. The final innovation was the production of vinegar from organic apples that do not meet commercial requirements. These are healthy fruits with too-small a diameter or an unusual shape. This action also minimises producer losses and allows for the use of waste materials. Organic vinegar has great health-promoting qualities and can be used for both culinary and cosmetic–medicinal purposes. The innovations are currently in the implementation phase and will be implemented from October 2023. Full article

The flow of carbons into the citric acid cycle can be readily traced by supplementation with ¹³C stable isotope labelled nutrients. However, the quantification of the amount of fully oxidised nutrients to carbon dioxide is a challenging task. This contribution presents an isotope-selective, miniaturized gas detection scheme based on indirect photoacoustic spectroscopy. The results show that low-cost, continuous, in situ monitoring of the isotope ratio in gaseous samples is feasible. Full article

Tungsten oxide is one of the most commonly used materials for metal oxide-based gas sensors. In order to tune the sensing behavior, small clusters of noble metals are often added to the surface of WO₃. Previously, it has been found that in the case of oxidized metal clusters, e.g., Rh and Pt additives, the Fermi-level pinning mechanism dominates. Unlike other noble metal surface clusters, gold seems to remain metallic under sensor operation. As a result, the behavior of WO₃-based sensors was found to be significantly enhanced for all reducing gases and decreased for NO₂. Full article

Today, the growing ecological contamination by microwave irradiation requires new devices and information systems to monitor dangerous situations, especially in big cities, and provide safety for the population. This work is focused on the design of anew antenna unit for advanced portable personal microwave dosimeters and irradiation monitoring systems. Full article

Flexible sensors, with an active layer made of graphene oxide (GO), were produced to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) at room temperature. Copper interdigitated electrodes were inkjet-printed on a substrate of bimatted polyester, and the direct drop-casting of a GO water solution was carried out to coat the devices. The performance of both commercial GO and GO synthesized by a modified Hummers’ method was investigated and compared. The oxygenated functional groups on the GO surface mainly enhance the selective sensing of polar analytes. The fabricated sensors exhibit the highest response towards alcohols, and minor sensitivity to esters, ketones, ethers and apolar petroleum ether. Full article

Timely detection and diagnosis are crucial for outbreak measures and infection control. This review discusses the types of biosensor systems developed so far for the detection of COVID-19 aerosols in the air for the risk assessment and identification of gaps in the field. Data were collected from four academic databases, including IEEE Xplore, Scopus, Web of Science, and MDPI. The results suggest the development of very few sensors for the aerosol detection of COVID-19, and most of the sensors are immune based. Full article

This paper describes a simulated MEMS field mill that utilizes a vertical movement shutter powered by an electrostatic actuator. The design is based upon a Flexible PCB substrate to enable faster prototyping and lower cost. The simulation results show that if the system operates at a resonance, a 10 kV/m field will induce a current of 53 pA, resulting in a charge induction efficiency of 5.3 pA/(kV/m). Full article

Wearable biosensors play a critical role in healthcare monitoring. However, the reliance of biosensors on batteries has serious drawbacks. Although the human body’s energy can be converted into electricity with energy harvesters, the hybridisation of multiple energy harvesters is a prominent way of increasing power output. In this work, a hybrid piezoelectric and reverse electrowetting (REWOD) energy harvester is proposed. Its main working principle is based on the presence of an electrical double layer in the REWOD component and coupling with a piezoelectric nanogenerator via an electret. The proposed energy harvester design was tested numerically and in a series of experiments. Full article

Food allergies are a severe burden for affected individuals and healthcare systems. To tackle the need for simple food allergen detection, we developed a system for the detection of the soy protein glycinin via a centrifugal microfluidics-assisted lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). Glycinin is a complex allergen requiring extensive sample preparation. The presented workflow includes a manual denaturing extraction, followed by automated centrifugal microfluidic desalting, metering and detection via LFIA. The functionality of the microfluidic cassettes was tested on prototypes produced via microthermoforming before an injection molding tool was designed, which added a cylindrical lens to improve the readout. Overall, this system aims to aid in food allergen detection with high sensitivity and minimized manual steps. Full article

The design of arrays of anisotropic magnetoresistive (AMR) sensors capable of detecting and reconstructing the 3D motion of a permanent magnet, and thus, suitable for the development of a 3D magnetic tactile sensor, is reported. The proposed structure allows for probing the 3D magnet displacements—and, hence, to infer the three components of the applied force—via a purely planar arrangement of monolithically microfabricated AMR sensors. The concept presented here also holds potential for the realization of a wide spectrum of easy-to-fabricate, miniaturized and low-cost sensors suitable for the detection of a broad variety of physical observables. Full article

Mixed-phase titanium dioxide (TiO₂) can be effectively employed as photoluminescence (PL) based ratiometric optical sensor of O₂, thanks to its peculiar “anti-correlated” PL responses to O₂ of anatase and rutile TiO₂ polymorphs. We discuss how to exploit the simultaneous detection of luminescence arising from anatase and rutile TiO₂ nanoparticles to obtain a responsivity which is, by construction, larger than the one obtainable through other gas-responsive oxides via the same PL-based approach. Furthermore, we illustrate our recent improvements on sensor sensitivity and stability for O₂ concentrations ranging in the 10–100 ppm interval. Full article

In one of the “classical” configurations of electrolyte-gated field effect transistors (EGOFETs) for biosensing, the planar gate electrode is functionalized by (a monolayer of) receptors, to which the analyte molecules of interest bind from the analyte solution, thereby modifying the gate potential, which in turn modifies the source drain current as the sensor output signal [...] Full article

Soft optomechanical sensors have the ability to combine the high tunability and elasticity of soft polymers with the distinctive optical properties of photonic structures, thus offering unprecedented opportunities for the development high-performance colorimetric sensors. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time the use of optomechanical devices made of off-stoichiometry thiol-ene (OSTE), a polymeric material that features intrinsic redox activity, overcoming some limitations of conventional materials (e.g., polydimethylsiloxane or silicon). Remarkably, this work provides the foundation for a new generation of highly tunable and versatile optomechanical sensors, enabling unexplored functionalities. Full article

The purpose of this study was to evaluate indicators of bone health associated with sports practice in male adolescents using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) to measure bone mineral content (BMC), density (BMD), and body composition (BC) for the whole body (WB) and specific regions. This cross-sectional study involved 65 individuals (18–35 years). Athletes had higher BMD for WB (1.064 ± 0.121 g/m⁻²) than sedentary individuals (0.753 ± 0.129 g/cm⁻²). Differences were also observed within specific regions such as the trunk, upper and lower limbs. Individuals who practice regular sports present improved bone health indicators compared to their sedentary peers. Full article

The development of new multianalyte biosensors that can detect multiple classes of biomolecules is highly desirable and will greatly improve medical diagnostics. In the field of infectious diseases, for example, it is beneficial to detect pathogens via nucleic acid analysis together with host immune response markers. In this work, we present a multianalyte-compatible lysis using antimicrobial peptides (AMPs). This strategy enables the simultaneous detection of bacterial DNA and inflammatory biomarkers via multianalyte lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA). Full article

A compact pH measuring electrochemical sensor module was developed for Smart Multi-Well Plates (SMWP) applicable for highly parallelized cell culture analysis using incorporated Organ-on-Chip devices. A specific electronic architecture was designed and manufactured containing an extended gate field effect transistor as the transducer device. Electrochemical electrodes were functionalized using pH sensitive metal-oxides and applied as the gate material. The composition and the related pH sensitivity of differently deposited materials were characterized and the suitability of ALD-deposited, non-stoichiometric titanium oxide (TiO_x) for sensitive pH measurement was verified showing excellent responses close to the ideal Nernstian slope (59 mV/pH). Full article