Rapid SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis using disposable strips and a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor platform.

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had a significant impact worldwide. Currently, the most common detection methods for the virus are polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and lateral flow tests. PCR takes more than an hour to obtain the results and lateral flow tests have difficulty with detecting the virus at low concentrations. In this study, 60 clinical human saliva samples, which included 30 positive and 30 negative samples confirmed with RT-PCR, were screened for COVID-19 using disposable glucose biosensor strips and a reusable printed circuit board. The disposable strips were gold plated and functionalized to immobilize antibodies on the gold film. After functionalization, the strips were connected to the gate electrode of a metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor on the printed circuit board to amplify the test signals. A synchronous double-pulsed bias voltage was applied to the drain of the transistor and strips. The resulting change in drain waveforms was converted to digital readings. The RT-PCR-confirmed saliva samples were tested again using quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) to determine cycling threshold (Ct) values. Ct values up to 45 refer to the number of amplification cycles needed to detect the presence of the virus. These PCR results were compared with digital readings from the sensor to better evaluate the sensor technology. The results indicate that the samples with a range of Ct values from 17.8 to 35 can be differentiated, which highlights the increased sensitivity of this sensor technology. This research exhibits the potential of this biosensor technology to be further developed into a cost-effective, point-of-care, and portable rapid detection method for SARS-CoV-2.

Alignment-Free Wireless Charging of Smart Garments with Embroidered Coils.

Wireless power transfer (WPT) technologies have been adopted by many products. The capability of charging multiple devices and the design flexibility of charging coils make WPT a good solution for charging smart garments. The use of an embroidered receiver (RX) coil makes the smart garment more breathable and comfortable than using a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). In order to charge smart garments as part of normal daily routines, two types of wireless-charging systems operating at 400 kHz have been designed. The one-to-one hanger system is desired to have a constant charging current despite misalignment so that users do not need to pay much attention when they hang the garment. For the one-to-multiple-drawer system, the power delivery ability must not change with multiple garments. Additionally, the system should be able to charge folded garments in most of the folding scenarios. This paper analyses the two WPT systems for charging smart garments and provides design approaches to meet the abovementioned goals. The wireless-charging hanger is able to charge a smart garment over a coupling variance kmaxkmin=2 with only 21% charging current variation. The wireless-charging drawer is able to charge a smart garment with at least 20 mA under most folding scenarios and three garments with stable power delivery ability.

A Novel Energy Harvesting Circuit for RF Surface Coils in the MRI System.

RF surface coils are commonly used as receivers in Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) systems to acquire sensitive signals from the human body. These coils rely on cables for power and transferring information from the patient to the computer for processing. Higher image quality and faster scan times are possible by using an array of surface coils, and there is a constant need for high-density surface coil arrays. Each array element utilizes at least three cables and, increasing the number of elements in the array also increases the number of cables, making the cable bundle bulkier. This makes the placement of cables complicated for the operators and may cause patient harm when improperly positioned. Wireless technologies can eliminate cables, and this paper proposes a novel design for harvesting the ambient RF energy present during the transmit phase of the MRI system operation. After introducing the surface coil's building blocks, the importance of the decoupler as a mechanism for safety and image quality is detailed. The paper presents the analysis and design of an RF energy harvesting circuit that couples to the decoupler circuit. Its performance is tested both in simulation and the Philips Ingenia 3.0 T MRI system. The results show that the circuit successfully harvests energy, up to 1 W, during the MRI's transmit phase without any adverse effects on the decoupler or surface coil. To make energy harvesting (EH) beneficial, a new GaN -based FET switch that consumes low power is also proposed.

Fast SARS-CoV-2 virus detection using disposable cartridge strips and a semiconductor-based biosensor platform.

Detection of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and inactivated virus was achieved using disposable and biofunctionalized functional strips, which can be connected externally to a reusable printed circuit board for signal amplification with an embedded metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MOSFET). A series of chemical reactions was performed to immobilize both a monoclonal antibody and a polyclonal antibody onto the Au-plated electrode used as the sensing surface. An important step in the biofunctionalization, namely, the formation of Au-plated clusters on the sensor strips, was verified by scanning electron microscopy, as well as electrical measurements, to confirm successful binding of thiol groups on this Au surface. The functionalized sensor was externally connected to the gate electrode of the MOSFET, and synchronous pulses were applied to both the sensing strip and the drain contact of the MOSFET. The resulting changes in the dynamics of drain waveforms were converted into analog voltages and digital readouts, which correlate with the concentration of proteins and virus present in the tested solution. A broad range of protein concentrations from 1 fg/ml to 10 µg/ml and virus concentrations from 100 to 2500 PFU/ml were detectable for the sensor functionalized with both antibodies. The results show the potential of this approach for the development of a portable, low-cost, and disposable cartridge sensor system for point-of-care detection of viral diseases.

A Two-Electrode, Double-Pulsed Sensor Readout Circuit for Cardiac Troponin I Measurement.

This paper presents a pulse-stimulus sensor readout circuit for use in cardiovascular disease examinations. The sensor is based on a gold nanoparticle plate with an antibody post-modification. The proposed system utilizes gated pulses to detect the biomarker Cardiac Troponin I in an ionic solution. The characteristic of the electrostatic double-layer capacitor generated by the analyte is related to the concentration of Cardiac Troponin I in the solvent. After sensing by the transistor, a current-to-frequency converter (I-to-F) and delay-line-based time-to-digital converter (TDC) convert the information into a series of digital codes for further analysis. The design is fabricated in a 0.18-µm standard CMOS process. The chip occupies an area of 0.92 mm2 and consumes 125 µW. In the measurements, the proposed circuit achieved a 1.77 Hz/pg-mL sensitivity and 72.43 dB dynamic range.

A Reconfigurable, Pulse-shaping Potentiometric Readout System for Bio-Sensing Transistors.

This paper presents a new multi-modality readout system for potentiometric electrochemical sensors. The design adopts a pulse modulation at the gate and drain of the Bio-FET sensors to reduce the effects of charge accumulation between the surface of the electrodes and the ion analytes. The adjustable duration and amplitude of stimuli signals provide flexibility for different biosensing applications and a wide range of detectable concentration. Also, an oscillator-based architecture is proposed for digitization and integration. The counting time can be adjusted to enhance the resolution of the readout system. The proposed potentiometric sensing system was tested with 0.1-10 mM Potassium Ferricyanide (K3[Fe(CN)6]), and the results are interpreted in the micro-LCD on the board. The design offers the opportunity for a handheld medical device with fast and real-time monitoring of biomarkers and ion analytes.

Functional relationship between material property, applied frequency and ozone generation for surface dielectric barrier discharges in atmospheric air.

We report the experimental characterization of ozone generation in dielectric barrier discharges as a function of the material and characteristics of the dielectric barrier, operating frequency and the power consumed by a surface DBD-plasma reactor in air at atmospheric pressure. To identify the effect of the dielectric barrier, ozone production curves corresponding to ten dielectric barriers with different effective thicknesses and thermal properties are compared and analyzed for two combinations of voltage amplitudes and frequencies: 7 kV/10 kHz and 8.5 kV/14 kHz. The influence of the operating frequency over the ozone generated by a DBD-plasma reactor is studied by varying the frequency in the range 8-20 kHz. The correlation between power measurements and ozone concentrations as well as ozone quenching effects at extreme power conditions are also discussed.

Multi-layer low frequency tissue equivalent phantoms for noninvasive test of shallow implants and evaluating antenna-body interaction.

In this work, a tissue equivalent compound phantom with dielectric properties equivalent to an average human body surface has been developed for a low frequency operating range of 30 MHz to 200 MHz. The compound phantom consists of skin, fat, and muscle layers respectively. The phantom is simple to fabricate with low cost components. A custom coaxial test fixture has been developed to characteristic phantom dielectric properties, which eliminates use of a specialized expensive dielectric measurement probe. The proposed composite phantom can be used as a noninvasive technique to evaluate shallow biomedical implants, antenna-body interaction, and specific absorption rate of tissue media.

Capturing the Local Adsorption Structures of Carbon Dioxide in Polyamine-Impregnated Mesoporous Silica Adsorbents.

Interactions between amines and carbon dioxide (CO2) are essential to amine-functionalized solid adsorbents for carbon capture, and an in-depth knowledge of these interactions is crucial to adsorbent design and fabrication as well as adsorption/desorption processes. The local structures of CO2 adsorbed on a tetraethylenepentamine-impregnated mesoporous silica SBA-15 were investigated by solid-state (13)C{(14)N} S-RESPDOR MAS NMR technique and theoretical DFT calculations. Two types of adsorption species, namely, secondary and tertiary carbamates as well as distant ammonium groups were identified together with their relative concentrations and relevant (14)N quadrupolar parameters. Moreover, a dipolar coupling of 716 Hz was derived, corresponding to a (13)C-(14)N internuclear distance of 1.45 Å. These experimental data are in excellent agreement with results obtained from DFT calculations, revealing that the distribution of surface primary and secondary amines readily dictates the CO2 adsorption/desorption properties of the adsorbent.

Verification of a non-contact vital sign monitoring system using an infant simulator.

In this paper, experimental result using a 5.8 GHz Doppler radar to monitor the variations of vital signs of an infant simulator under different medical conditions is presented. The infant simulator can mimic cardiovascular derangements seen in critically ill infants. The result demonstrates the system is capable of tracking a majority of the changes in heart rate and respiratory rate. Analysis suggests possible techniques for further improvement, such as direct coupling circuit, carrier frequency tuning and spectral analysis.

Advances in Hydrogen, Carbon Dioxide, and Hydrocarbon Gas Sensor Technology Using GaN and ZnO-Based Devices.

In this paper, we review our recent results in developing gas sensors for hydrogen using various device structures, including ZnO nanowires and GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs). ZnO nanowires are particularly interesting because they have a large surface area to volume ratio, which will improve sensitivity, and because they operate at low current levels, will have low power requirements in a sensor module. GaN-based devices offer the advantage of the HEMT structure, high temperature operation, and simple integration with existing fabrication technology and sensing systems. Improvements in sensitivity, recoverability, and reliability are presented. Also reported are demonstrations of detection of other gases, including CO(2) and C(2)H(4) using functionalized GaN HEMTs. This is critical for the development of lab-on-a-chip type systems and can provide a significant advance towards a market-ready sensor application.

Design guidelines for radio frequency non-contact vital sign detection.

The design guidelines for non-contact vital sign detection are presented in this paper. Firstly, the choice of radio frequency and antenna beamwidth is demonstrated by numerical simulation based on ray-tracing technique and spectrum analysis. Guided by the numerical results of the first part, three typical radar architectures are recently built in one of the ISM bands (the 5.8 GHz band). The characteristics of each architecture are demonstrated and compared based on measurement results. Experiments show that direct-conversion non-quadrature architecture has DC offset and null detection point problem; direct-conversion quadrature architecture can eliminate null detection point but lead to complexity and higher power consumption in effectively combining two quadrature channels. Double-sideband indirect-conversion with simpler radio architecture and less baseband requirement can effectively alleviate the DC offset and null detection point problems.

Robust overnight monitoring of human vital signs by a non-contact respiration and heartbeat detector.

A positive answer is given to the question intrigued by our previous work reported in EMBC 2005: whether it is possible for a non-contact physiological movement detector to detect vital signs from four sides of a human body. In addition to the proof from measured data, theoretical analysis confirms the surprising advantage of detection from the back of the body. Based on this observation, a non-contact system was set up to perform overnight monitoring of vital signs using low power radio waves. Measurement data is presented and analyzed. The challenges and key technologies that improved the performance of our system for overnight monitoring are discussed.

A ka-band low power Doppler radar system for remote detection of cardiopulmonary motion.

A low power Ka-band Doppler radar that can detect human heartbeat and respiration signals is demonstrated. This radar system achieves better than 80% detection accuracy at the distance of 2-m with 16-μW transmitted power. Indirect-conversion receiver architecture is chosen to reduce the DC offset and 1/f noise that can degrade signal-to-noise ratio and detection accuracy. In addition, the radar has also demonstrated the capability of detecting acoustic signals.