PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Device may lead to quicker, more efficient diagnostics

2013-03-12
(Press-News.org) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- A twist on thin-film technology may provide a way to optically detect and analyze multiple substances simultaneously, leading to quicker diagnostics in such industries as health care and homeland security, according to Penn State researchers. One current optical-sensing technology can launch and guide a single light wave, called a surface-plasmon-polariton wave -- SPP wave -- that travels along the flat interface of the sample to be analyzed and a metal film. The SPP wave is launched by sending a light beam through a prism to the other face of the metal film. A photon detector eventually collects the beam that was reflected back into the prism. Any change in the optical properties of the sample critically alters the reflected beam. The detector records this alteration, which analysts can then use as an optical fingerprint to help them identify the changes in the chemical composition of the sample, according to Akhlesh Lakhtakia, Charles Godfrey Binder Professor of Engineering Science and Mechanics. However, because the technology allows for only one SPP wave of a certain frequency to be guided through the device, the properties of only one substance can be analyzed for each sensor, said Lakhtakia, who worked with Stephen Swiontek and Drew Pulsifer, both doctoral students in engineering science and mechanics. "This is a very effective technology and it's being used in many industries, such as pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and forensics, for example," said Lakhtakia. "But allowing only one SPP wave per sensor is a disadvantage." The researchers designed a thin film that can create additional channels for the SPP waves. This thin film, which is attached to the metal surface, is porous and can be infiltrated by fluids that can later be analyzed. Conventional thin films are made by layering clumps of atoms in rows on a surface, or substrate. To make more channels for the SPP waves, Pulsifer and Swiontek slowly rotated the substrate during the fabrication of the thin film, sculpturing it to create nanoscale springs, so that the regions between the springs can be infiltrated. Lakhtakia and his students had showed earlier that the interface of this type of thin film and a metal film can guide many SPP waves at a fixed frequency. To test the new optical sensing technique, the researchers built a prototype of an optical-sensing device that has two legs. On one leg, a laser focuses a beam of light toward a prism that rests at the apex of the device. The peak of the prism points down, so that the researchers can add the metal film and sculptured thin film to the flat surface on the prism's hypotenuse. The light beam is then refracted toward a photon detector on the opposite leg of the device. The researchers, who report their findings today in Scientific Reports, recorded multiple SPP waves through a sample containing water, one containing water and sucrose and a control sample. Lakhtakia said the team performed a series of sensitivity tests on the system and found that the method was nearly as reliable and as accurate as state-of-the-art technology in detecting and analyzing substances. "It gives us hope that we will have a nice system to work with and that we can even increase reliability and accuracy," said Lakhtakia. The system could be optimized by experimenting with different substrate materials and by adding extra photon detectors and optical filters, according to the researchers. "This is a billion-dollar industry," said Swiontek."If we can detect more than one analyte reliably and we can optimize the process, I think there's a possibility that it can replace the traditional method." According to Swiontek, if the technology is even further refined and optimized, it may lead to significantly smaller diagnostic equipment. Lakhtakia initially saw uses for the technology in homeland security and defense industries. For instance, soldiers may need to rapidly assess if water sources in occupied territories are safe. It could also be used in places closer to home. "For instance, it could be used to test water if agents infiltrated the United States and put poisons in our water bodies, not just lakes and streams, but reservoirs that supply urban areas," said Lakhtakia. ### The National Science Foundation supported this work.


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Bitter melon juice prevents pancreatic cancer in mouse models

2013-03-12
A University of Colorado Cancer study published this week in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that bitter melon juice restricts the ability of pancreatic cancer cells to metabolize glucose, thus cutting the cells' energy source and eventually killing them. "Three years ago researchers showed the effect of bitter melon extract on breast cancer cells only in a Petri dish. This study goes much, much farther. We used the juice – people especially in Asian countries are already consuming it in quantity. We show that it affects the glucose metabolism pathway to restrict energy ...

Steganography is no laughing matter

2013-03-12
Encrypting a message with a strong code is the only safe way to keep your communications secret, but it will be obvious to anyone seeing such a message that the sender is hiding something, regardless of whether they are encrypting their emails for legitimate or illicit purposes. Steganography on the other hand can hide a secret message in plain sight. Often a message is secreted within the binary strings of 0s and 1s in a compressed image or music file format. Prying eyes see only the original image or hear the song, whereas the recipient, knowing that a message is within ...

Found a genetic mutation causing mental retardation very similar to Angelman syndrome in Amish

2013-03-12
Researchers from the research group in growth factors and cell differentiation at IDIBELL and the University of Barcelona (UB) have participated in an international study that has identified the genetic cause of developmental delay observed in Amish individuals in the USA. The research results have been published in the Journal of Medical Genetics. Amish community Amish is a religious community known for a simple and traditional style of life and for its reluctance to adopt modern amenities and technologies. The IDIBELL-UB researcher José Luis Rosa explains that "in ...

Earth-sized planets in habitable zones are more common than previously thought

Earth-sized planets in habitable zones are more common than previously thought
2013-03-12
The number of potentially habitable planets is greater than previously thought, according to a new analysis by a Penn State researcher, and some of those planets are likely lurking around nearby stars. "We now estimate that if we were to look at 10 of the nearest small stars we would find about four potentially habitable planets, give or take," said Ravi Kopparapu, a post-doctoral researcher in geosciences. "That is a conservative estimate," he added. "There could be more." Kopparapu detailed his findings in a paper accepted for publication in Astrophysical Journal ...

Stereotyping prime obstacle to women in commercial science

2013-03-12
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Female professors are almost 50 percent less likely than their male counterparts to be invited to join corporate scientific advisory boards (SABs) and start new companies mainly because of gender stereotyping, says University of Maryland researcher Waverly Ding, an assistant professor of management at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Beliefs that women lack leadership and business savvy, and are not capable of helping new ventures attract investment, block their advancement in these areas, she says. Ding, with co-authors Fiona Murray of MIT ...

Autistic children may be at greater risk of suicide ideation and attempts

2013-03-12
Children with an autism spectrum disorder may be at greater risk for contemplating suicide or attempting suicide than children without autism, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers. "We were looking at suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among children with autism versus those that didn't have autism," said Angela Gorman, assistant professor of child psychiatry, Penn State College of Medicine. "What we found is that there were some risk factors that were much more greatly associated with suicidal ideation and suicide attempts than others." The ...

Digital records could expose intimate details and personality traits of millions

2013-03-12
New research, published today in the journal PNAS, shows that surprisingly accurate estimates of Facebook users' race, age, IQ, sexuality, personality, substance use and political views can be inferred from automated analysis of only their Facebook Likes - information currently publicly available by default. In the study, researchers describe Facebook Likes as a "generic class" of digital record - similar to web search queries and browsing histories - and suggest that such techniques could be used to extract sensitive information for almost anyone regularly online. Researchers ...

Less sleep leads to more eating and more weight gain, according to new CU-Boulder study

2013-03-12
Sleeping just five hours a night over a workweek and having unlimited access to food caused participants in a new study led by the University of Colorado Boulder to gain nearly two pounds of weight. The study, performed in collaboration with the CU Anschutz Medical Campus, suggests that sufficient sleep could help battle the obesity epidemic. "I don't think extra sleep by itself is going to lead to weight loss," said Kenneth Wright, director of CU-Boulder's Sleep and Chronobiology Laboratory, which led the study. "Problems with weight gain and obesity are much more ...

Study: 'Virtual' house calls comparable to in-person care for people with Parkinson's disease

2013-03-12
A small study of 20 people with Parkinson's disease suggests that "virtual house calls" using Web-based video conferencing provide clinical benefits comparable to in-person physician office visits, while saving patients and their caregivers time and travel. "It appears we can use the same technology Grandma uses to chat with her grandson to provide her with valuable medical care in her home," says study leader Ray Dorsey, M.D., M.B.A., an associate professor of neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. "If this proof-of-concept study is affirmed, the ...

New add-on drug may improve memory in people with moderate Alzheimer's disease

2013-03-12
SAN DIEGO – A new drug may improve memory problems in people with moderate Alzheimer's disease, according to a phase IIa study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 65th Annual Meeting in San Diego, March 16 to 23, 2013. The drug is called ORM-12741. The drug is the first to target a specific subtype of adrenergic receptors (alpha-2C) in the brain, which are believed to be involved in modulation of brain functions under stressful conditions, or the "fight or flight" response. For the clinical trial, 100 people with moderate Alzheimer's ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Study links wind-blown dust from receding Salton Sea to reduced lung function in area children

Multidisciplinary study finds estrogen could aid in therapies for progressive multiple sclerosis

Final day of scientific sessions reveals critical insights for clinical practice at AAO-HNSF Annual Meeting and OTO EXPO

Social adversity and triple-negative breast cancer incidence among black women

Rapid vs standard induction to injectable extended-release buprenorphine

Galvanizing blood vessel cells to expand for organ transplantation

Common hospice medications linked to higher risk of death in people with dementia

SNU researchers develop innovative heating and cooling technology using ‘a single material’ to stay cool in summer and warm in winter without electricity

SNU researchers outline a roadmap for next-generation 2D semiconductor 'gate stack' technology

The fundamental traditional Chinese medicine constitution theory serves as a crucial basis for the development and application of food and medicine homology products

Outfoxed: New research reveals Australia’s rapid red fox invasion

SwRI’s Dr. Chris Thomas named AIAA Associate Fellow

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) funding for research on academic advising experiences of Division I Black/African American student-athletes at minority serving institutions

Johri developing artificial intelligence literacy among undergraduate engineering and technology students

Boston Children’s receives a $35 million donation to accelerate development of therapeutic options for children with brain disorders through the Rosamund Stone Zander and Hansjoerg Wyss Translational

Quantum crystals offer a blueprint for the future of computing and chemistry

Looking beyond speech recognition to evaluate cochlear implants

Tracking infectious disease spread via commuting pattern data

Underweight children cost the NHS as much per child as children with obesity, Oxford study finds.

Wetland plant-fungus combo cleans up ‘forever chemicals’ in a pilot study

Traditional Chinese medicine combined with peginterferon α-2b in chronic hepatitis B

APS and SPR honor Dr. Wendy K. Chung with the 2026 Mary Ellen Avery Neonatal Research Award

The Gabriella Miller Kids First Data Resource Center (Kids First DRC) has launched the Variant Workbench

Yeast survives Martian conditions

Calcium could be key to solving stability issues in sodium-ion batteries

Can smoother surfaces prevent hydrogen embrittlement?

Heart rate changes predict depression treatment success with magnetic brain stimulation

Genetics pioneer transforms global depression research through multi-omics discoveries

MDMA psychiatric applications synthesized: Comprehensive review examines PTSD treatment and emerging therapeutic indications

Psychedelics offer new therapeutic framework for stress-related psychiatric disorders

[Press-News.org] Device may lead to quicker, more efficient diagnostics