Advances in Optical, RF, Microwave and Wireless BioSensing for Health, Environment and Agriculture

A special issue of Biosensors (ISSN 2079-6374).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2017) | Viewed by 71031

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Mechanical, Electrical and Chemical Engineering, Faculty of Technology, Art and Design, Oslo Metropolitan University (OsloMet), 0301 Oslo, Norway
Interests: sensors for real-time monitoring of water quality, pH, phosphates, nitrates, bromide, chlorides, pesticides, and bacteria; alcohol and drug metabolites; food quality monitoring; electromagnetic waves; optical and semiconductor sensors; sensors manufacture technologies; material properties for sensing applications; thin and thick film technology; polymers and mixed oxide film sensors; humidity, pressure, and strain gauges with a focus on miniaturised sensors for medical applications
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Department of Built Environment, Faculty of Engineering and Technology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 2ET, UK
Interests: applied sensing for industrial, agricultural and medical applications; real-time water quality monitoring; non-invasive food categorization and quality determination; electromagnetic waves sensors; wireless sensor networks; low-power automation and control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Biosensors, biosensor arrays and sensor networks are becoming well established outside of the research development domain, to the point that it is difficult to imagine, for example, effective environmental monitoring, forensic analysis, or even a routine health check without them. A broad range of industries also benefits from the biosensors built into the wireless sensors networks due to their ability to simply add remote sensing points, without the cost of running wires, which results in numerous advantages including energy and material savings, process improvements, labour savings, and productivity increases. These sensors are also becoming an important part in areas such as agriculture, health monitoring, and even in natural disaster relief missions and smart sustainable cities. For example, wireless sensor networks allow continuous health monitoring of vulnerable patients, such as elderly and people with dementia. Vital information on patients health indicators can be collected, processed and delivered in real time to a medical or care person in charge, so that immediate actions can be taken if necessary. This approach not only saves billions of pounds to a national healthcare provides, but also offers better quality of service and even saves lives. Soil, air and water contamination monitoring in real time became a necessity following recent wide-scale natural disasters and industrial accidents, such as that in Fukushima, Japan, earthquakes in New Zealand, and flooding in the UK to name a few. Biosensors are vital in tackling antimicrobial resistance in agriculture and environment, which became a global problem. To ensure that biosensors address the rapidly developing needs of various areas of our lives and activities, the scientists, researchers, manufacturers and end-users need to establish an efficient dialogue so that newest technological achievements in all aspects of Optical, RF, Microwave and Wireless BioSensing could be implemented for the benefit of a wide community. This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for such a dialogue and invites authors to submit high-quality manuscripts reporting on advances in biosensing for health, environment and agriculture. Topics include, but are not limited to:

  • Real-time monitoring of environmental conditions
  • Air pollution sensors
  • Radiation pollution monitoring
  • Sustainable agriculture
  • Gas leakage detection
  • Water level and pollution detection
  • Biosensors in health and treatment
  • Real-time monitoring of elderly and patients with dementia
  • Animal health monitoring
  • Novel applications of biosensors in agriculture and other areas

Submitted articles should not have been previously published or currently under review by other journals or conferences/symposia/workshops. Papers previously published as part of conference/workshop proceedings can be considered for publication in the Special Issue provided that they are modified to contain at least 40% new content. Authors of such submissions must clearly indicate how the journal version of their paper has been extended in a separate letter to the guest editors at the time of submission. Moreover, authors must acknowledge their previous paper in the manuscript and resolve any potential copyright issues prior to submission.

Dr. Olga Korostynska
Dr. Alex Mason
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biosensors is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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2602 KiB  
Communication
Optical Tracking and Digital Quantification of Beating Behavior in Bioengineered Human Cardiac Organoids
by Mahesh Devarasetty, Steven Forsythe, Thomas D. Shupe, Shay Soker, Colin E. Bishop, Anthony Atala and Aleksander Skardal
Biosensors 2017, 7(3), 24; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios7030024 - 23 Jun 2017
Cited by 34 | Viewed by 9607
Abstract
Organoid and organ-on-a-chip technologies are rapidly advancing towards deployment for drug and toxicology screening applications. Liver and cardiac toxicities account for the majority of drug candidate failures in human trials. Liver toxicity generally produces liver cell death, while cardiac toxicity causes adverse changes [...] Read more.
Organoid and organ-on-a-chip technologies are rapidly advancing towards deployment for drug and toxicology screening applications. Liver and cardiac toxicities account for the majority of drug candidate failures in human trials. Liver toxicity generally produces liver cell death, while cardiac toxicity causes adverse changes in heart beat kinetics. In traditional 2D cultures, beating kinetics can be measured by electrode arrays, but in some 3D constructs, quantifying beating kinetics can be more challenging. For example, real time measurements of calcium flux or contractile forces are possible, yet rather complex. In this communication article, we demonstrate a simple sensing system based on software code that optically analyzes video capture files of beating cardiac organoids, translates these files in representations of moving pixels, and quantifies pixel movement activity over time to generate beat kinetic plots. We demonstrate this system using bioengineered cardiac organoids under baseline and drug conditions. This technology offers a non-invasive, low-cost, and incredibly simple method for tracking and quantifying beating behavior in cardiac organoids and organ-on-a-chip systems for drug and toxicology screening. Full article
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1939 KiB  
Article
A Multi-Wavelength Opto-Electronic Patch Sensor to Effectively Detect Physiological Changes against Human Skin Types
by Liangwen Yan, Sijung Hu, Abdullah Alzahrani, Samah Alharbi and Panagiotis Blanos
Biosensors 2017, 7(2), 22; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios7020022 - 21 Jun 2017
Cited by 36 | Viewed by 8662
Abstract
Different skin pigments among various ethnic group people have an impact on spectrometric illumination on skin surface. To effectively capture photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals, a multi-wavelength opto-electronic patch sensor (OEPS) together with a schematic architecture of electronics were developed to overcome the drawback of [...] Read more.
Different skin pigments among various ethnic group people have an impact on spectrometric illumination on skin surface. To effectively capture photoplethysmographic (PPG) signals, a multi-wavelength opto-electronic patch sensor (OEPS) together with a schematic architecture of electronics were developed to overcome the drawback of present PPG sensor. To perform a better in vivo physiological measurement against skin pigments, optimal illuminations in OEPS, whose wavelength is compatible with a specific skin type, were optimized to capture a reliable physiological sign of heart rate (HR). A protocol was designed to investigate an impact of five skin types in compliance with Von Luschan’s chromatic scale. Thirty-three healthy male subjects between the ages of 18 and 41 were involved in the protocol implemented by means of the OEPS system. The results show that there is no significant difference (p: 0.09, F = 3.0) in five group tests with the skin types across various activities throughout a series of consistent measurements. The outcome of the present study demonstrates that the OEPS, with its multi-wavelength illumination characteristics, could open a path in multiple applications of different ethnic groups with cost-effective health monitoring. Full article
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1661 KiB  
Communication
Composite Hydrogels with Engineered Microdomains for Optical Glucose Sensing at Low Oxygen Conditions
by Lindsey R. Bornhoeft, Aniket Biswas and Michael J. McShane
Biosensors 2017, 7(1), 8; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios7010008 - 22 Jan 2017
Cited by 40 | Viewed by 10332
Abstract
There is a growing need for advanced tools that enable frequent monitoring of biomarkers for precision medicine. In this work, we present a composite hydrogel-based system providing real-time optical bioanalyte monitoring. The responsive material, alginate-in-alginate (AnA), is comprised of an alginate hydrogel with [...] Read more.
There is a growing need for advanced tools that enable frequent monitoring of biomarkers for precision medicine. In this work, we present a composite hydrogel-based system providing real-time optical bioanalyte monitoring. The responsive material, alginate-in-alginate (AnA), is comprised of an alginate hydrogel with embedded bioactive, nanofilm-coated phosphorescent microdomains; palladium tetracarboxyphenylporphyrin serves as an optical indicator, glucose oxidase as a model enzyme, and layer-by-layer deposited polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) as the diffusion barrier. Glutaraldehyde crosslinking of the nanofilms resulted in a dramatic reduction in glucose diffusion (179%) while oxygen transport was not significantly affected. The responses of the AnA hydrogels to step changes of glucose at both ambient and physiological oxygen levels were evaluated, revealing controlled tuning of sensitivity and dynamic range. Stability, assessed by alternately exposing the responsive AnA hydrogels to extremely high and zero glucose concentrations, resulted in no significant difference in the response over 20 cycles. These AnA hydrogels represent an attractive approach to biosensing based on biocompatible materials that may be used as minimally-invasive, implantable devices capable of optical interrogation. The model glucose-responsive composite material studied in this work will serve as a template that can be translated for sensing additional analytes (e.g., lactate, urea, pyruvate, cholesterol) and can be used for monitoring other chronic conditions. Full article
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3073 KiB  
Article
A Novel MOS Nanowire Gas Sensor Device (S3) and GC-MS-Based Approach for the Characterization of Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
by Veronica Sberveglieri, Manohar Prasad Bhandari, Estefanía Núñez Carmona, Giulia Betto and Giorgio Sberveglieri
Biosensors 2016, 6(4), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios6040060 - 16 Dec 2016
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 9411
Abstract
To determine the originality of a typical Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, it is crucial to define and characterize its quality, ripening period, and geographical origin. Different analytical techniques have been applied aimed at studying the organoleptic and characteristic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profile [...] Read more.
To determine the originality of a typical Italian Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, it is crucial to define and characterize its quality, ripening period, and geographical origin. Different analytical techniques have been applied aimed at studying the organoleptic and characteristic volatile organic compounds (VOCs) profile of this cheese. However, most of the classical methods are time consuming and costly. The aim of this work was to illustrate a new simple, portable, fast, reliable, non-destructive, and economic sensor device S3 based on an array of six metal oxide semiconductor nanowire gas sensors to assess and discriminate the quality ranking of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese samples and to identify the VOC biomarkers using a headspace SPME-GC-MS. The device could clearly differentiate cheese samples varying in quality and ripening time when the results were analyzed by multivariate statistical analysis involving principal component analysis (PCA). Similarly, the volatile constituents of Parmigiano Reggiano identified were consistent with the compounds intimated in the literature. The obtained results show the applicability of an S3 device combined with SPME-GC-MS and sensory evaluation for a fast and high-sensitivity analysis of VOCs in Parmigiano Reggiano cheese and for the quality control of this class of cheese. Full article
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2272 KiB  
Communication
Kinetics of Antibody Binding to Membranes of Living Bacteria Measured by a Photonic Crystal-Based Biosensor
by Ekaterina Rostova, Carine Ben Adiba, Giovanni Dietler and Sergey K. Sekatskii
Biosensors 2016, 6(4), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios6040052 - 11 Oct 2016
Cited by 22 | Viewed by 10429
Abstract
Optical biosensors based on photonic crystal surface waves (PC SWs) offer a possibility to study binding interactions with living cells, overcoming the limitation of rather small evanescent field penetration depth into a sample medium that is characteristic for typical optical biosensors. Besides this, [...] Read more.
Optical biosensors based on photonic crystal surface waves (PC SWs) offer a possibility to study binding interactions with living cells, overcoming the limitation of rather small evanescent field penetration depth into a sample medium that is characteristic for typical optical biosensors. Besides this, simultaneous excitation of s- and p-polarized surface waves with different penetration depths is realized here, permitting unambiguous separation of surface and volume contributions to the measured signal. PC-based biosensors do not require a bulk signal correction, compared to widely used surface plasmon resonance-based devices. We developed a chitosan-based protocol of PC chip functionalization for bacterial attachment and performed experiments on antibody binding to living bacteria measured in real time by the PCSW-based biosensor. Data analysis reveals specific binding and gives the value of the dissociation constant for monoclonal antibodies (IgG2b) against bacterial lipopolysaccharides equal to KD = 6.2 ± 3.4 nM. To our knowledge, this is a first demonstration of antibody-binding kinetics to living bacteria by a label-free optical biosensor. Full article
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Review

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3849 KiB  
Review
State-of-the-Art Methods for Skeletal Muscle Glycogen Analysis in Athletes—The Need for Novel Non-Invasive Techniques
by Jacob Greene, Julien Louis, Olga Korostynska and Alex Mason
Biosensors 2017, 7(1), 11; https://doi.org/10.3390/bios7010011 - 23 Feb 2017
Cited by 24 | Viewed by 21336
Abstract
Muscle glycogen levels have a profound impact on an athlete’s sporting performance, thus measurement is vital. Carbohydrate manipulation is a fundamental component in an athlete’s lifestyle and is a critical part of elite performance, since it can provide necessary training adaptations. This paper [...] Read more.
Muscle glycogen levels have a profound impact on an athlete’s sporting performance, thus measurement is vital. Carbohydrate manipulation is a fundamental component in an athlete’s lifestyle and is a critical part of elite performance, since it can provide necessary training adaptations. This paper provides a critical review of the current invasive and non-invasive methods for measuring skeletal muscle glycogen levels. These include the gold standard muscle biopsy, histochemical analysis, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and musculoskeletal high frequency ultrasound, as well as pursuing future application of electromagnetic sensors in the pursuit of portable non-invasive quantification of muscle glycogen. This paper will be of interest to researchers who wish to understand the current and most appropriate techniques in measuring skeletal muscle glycogen. This will have applications both in the lab and in the field by improving the accuracy of research protocols and following the physiological adaptations to exercise. Full article
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