| 1. |
- Cantoni, Federico, et al.
(författare)
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A microfluidic chip carrier including temperature control and perfusion system for long-term cell imaging
- 2021
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Ingår i: HardwareX. - : Elsevier. - 2468-0672. ; 10, s. e00245-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Microfluidic devices are widely used for biomedical applications but there is still a lack of affordable, reliable and user-friendly systems for transferring microfluidic chips from an incubator to a microscope while maintaining physiological conditions when performing microscopy. The presented carrier represents a cost-effective option for sustaining environmental conditions of microfluidic chips in combination with minimizing the device manipulation required for reagent injection, media exchange or sample collection. The carrier, which has the outer dimension of a standard well plate size, contains an integrated perfusion system that can recirculate the media using piezo pumps, operated in either continuous or intermittent modes (50–1000 µl/min). Furthermore, a film resistive heater made from 37 µm-thick copper wires, including temperature feedback control, was used to maintain the microfluidic chip temperature at 37 °C when outside the incubator. The heater characterisation showed a uniform temperature distribution along the chip channel for perfusion flow rates up to 10 µl/min. To demonstrate the feasibility of our platform for long term cell culture monitoring, mouse brain endothelial cells (bEnd.3) were repeatedly monitored for a period of 10 days, demonstrating a system with both the versatility and the potential for long imaging in microphysiological system cell cultures.
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| 2. |
- Han, Won, et al.
(författare)
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Low-cost, open-source contact angle analyzer using a mobile phone, commercial tripods and 3D printed parts
- 2022
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Ingår i: HardwareX. - : Elsevier BV. - 2468-0672. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Measurement of contact angle is important in many areas of science and engineering research. Contact angle analyzers are however not easily accessible due to their expensive cost, which hinders their use in research and also in education. In this study we propose a low-cost contact angle analyzer that can be assembled with 3D printed parts. Mobile phone is used for imaging, and the image is analyzed using an open-source ImageJ plugin. Commercial camera tripods are used as platform that provides movement in many degrees of freedom, which are important in leveling of the substrate and proper imaging of droplets. We utilize the tripods to build imaging modules, sample plate module and volume metering module, each of which perform distinct tasks. Especially, we characterize the usefulness of the volume metering module, which helps users dispense same volume of liquid to reduce human error during measurement. The cost of an analyzer is $255.10, which is an order of magnitude lower compared to commercial products. With the advancement in open source software and upgrades in the hardware modules, we expect that the proposed contact angle analyzer to have a positive impact in resource limited research labs and educational environments.
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| 3. |
- Israel Nazarious, Miracle, et al.
(författare)
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Pressure Optimized PowEred Respirator (PROPER) : A miniaturized wearable cleanroom and biosafety system for aerially transmitted viral infections such as COVID-19
- 2020
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Ingår i: HardwareX. - : Elsevier. - 2468-0672. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in hospitals to keep the Health Care Professionals (HCP) safe taking care of patients may be limited, especially during the outbreak of a new disease. In particular, the face and body protective equipment is critical to prevent the wearer from exposure to pathogenic biological airborne particulates. This situation has been now observed worldwide during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. As concern over shortages of PPE at hospitals grows, we share with the public and makers’ community the Pressure Optimized PowEred Respirator (PROPER) equipment, made out of COTS components. It is functionally equivalent to a Powered Air Purifying Respirator (PAPR). PROPER, a hood-based system which uses open source and easily accessible components is low-cost, relatively passive in terms of energy consumption and mechanisms, and easy and fast to 3D print, build and assemble. We have adapted our experience on building clean room environments and qualifying the bioburden of space instruments to this solution, which is in essence a miniaturized, personal, wearable cleanroom. PROPER would be able to offer better protection than an N95 respirator mask, mainly because it is insensitive to seal fit and it shields the eyes as well. The PROPER SMS fabric is designed for single-use and not intended for reuse, as they may start to tear and fail but the rest of the parts can be disinfected and reused. We provide a set of guidelines to build a low-cost 3D printed solution for an effective PAPR system and describe the procedures to validate it to comply with the biosafety level 3 requirements. We have validated the prototype of PROPER unit for air flow, ISO class cleanliness level, oxygen and carbon-dioxide gas concentrations during exhalation, and present here these results for illustration. We demonstrate that the area inside the hood is more than 200 times cleaner than the external ambient without the operator and more than 175 times with the operator and in an aerosol exposed environment. We also include the procedure to clean and disinfect the equipment for reuse. PROPER may be a useful addition to provide protection to HCPs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus or other potential future viral diseases that are transmitted aerially.
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| 4. |
- Krige, Adolf, 1990-, et al.
(författare)
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Design and implementation of a low cost bio-printer modification, allowing for switching between plastic and gel extrusion
- 2021
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Ingår i: HardwareX. - : Elsevier. - 2468-0672.
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Due to the high cost of bioprinters they are not feasible for proof of concept experiments or educational purposes. Furthermore, the more affordable DIY methods all disable the plastic printing capability of the original printer. Here we present an affordable bio-printing modification that is easy to install and maintains the original capabilities of the printer. The modification used mostly 3D printed parts and is based on the popular, open-source Prusa i3 3D printer. The modifications are kept as simple as possible and uses standard slicing software, allowing for installation by less experienced builders. By using disposable syringes and easily sterilizable parts, an aseptic bioprinting setup can be achieved, depending on the environment. It also allows for 2 component printing as well as UV curing. The bio-printing and curing capabilities were shown by printing and curing an artificial biofilm of an electro-active bacteria, Geobacter sulfurreducens, onto a carbon-cloth electrode which was used in a microbial fuel cell.
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| 5. |
- Mathanlal, Thasshwin, et al.
(författare)
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ATMO-Vent : an adapted breathing atmosphere for COVID-19 patients
- 2020
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Ingår i: HardwareX. - : Elsevier. - 2468-0672. ; 8
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), has been one of the most significant challenges to humankind in centuries. The extremely contagious nature of the SARS-CoV-2 virus has put forth an immense pressure on the health sector. In order to mitigate the stress on the healthcare systems especially to battle the crisis of mechanical ventilators, we have designed a modular, and robust DIY ventilator, ATMO-Vent (Atmospheric Mixture Optimization Ventilator) which can be fully mounted within two days by two operators. The ATMO-Vent has been designed using low-cost, robust, Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) components, with many features comparable to a full-fledged ventilator. ATMO-Vent has been designed based on the United Kingdom Medicines & Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (UK-MHRA) guidelines for Rapidly Manufactured Ventilator System (RMVS), yet scalable to the specific requirements of different countries. ATMO-Vent is capable of adjusting the Fraction of Inspiratory Oxygen (FiO2) levels, Tidal Volume (TV), frequency of breaths, Inspiratory/Expiratory ratio (I/E), Peak Inspiratory Pressure (PIP) and Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP). ATMO-Vent can operate in two modes - Continuous Mandatory Ventilation (CMV) using Volume-Controlled Ventilation (VCV) and in Assisted Control (AC) mode with pressure triggered by the patient. ATMO-Vent has undergone rigorous testing and qualifies under Class B Electric and Magnetic Compatibility (EMC) requirements of EN 55011 CISPR 11 standards.
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| 6. |
- Mathanlal, Thasshwin, et al.
(författare)
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PACKMAN – A portable instrument to investigate space weather
- 2021
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Ingår i: HardwareX. - : Elsevier. - 2468-0672. ; 9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- PACKMAN (PArticle Counter k-index Magnetic ANomaly) is an autonomous, light and robust space weather instrument for operation within the subsurface, surface and atmosphere (as payload in stratospheric balloons) of the Earth. It has been designed using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components to reduce the cost of each unit and to allow to have multiple units monitoring simultaneously at different sites and also incorporate an open-access citizen science approach. The hardware-core of each PACKMAN units, weights around 600 g and consumes about 500 mA of current at 12 V. PACKMAN has been deployed at multiple latitudes and altitudes ranging from stratospheric heights (corroborating its TRL8 maturity) to subsurface depths of around 1 km. The data from PACKMAN have been compared with the state-of-the-art ground-based observatories, and satellites and scientific observations have been documented. A 3-D network of PACKMAN units operating continuously around the globe, from the subsurface to the stratosphere, would help to improve the understanding of the space weather phenomena, and its implications on the climate and infrastructures. PACKMAN is also an excellent tool for education and outreach. This article outlines the building instructions of two types of PACKMAN units: PACKMAN-S for ground-based measurements and PACKMAN-B for stratospheric measurements aboard high-altitude balloons.
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| 7. |
- Moreno, Xavier Casas, et al.
(författare)
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An open-source microscopy framework for simultaneous control of image acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis
- 2023
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Ingår i: HardwareX. - : Elsevier BV. - 2468-0672. ; 13, s. e00400-e00400
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a computational framework to simultaneously perform image acquisition, reconstruction, and analysis in the context of open-source microscopy automation. The setup features multiple computer units intersecting software with hardware devices and achieves automation using python scripts. In practice, script files are executed in the acquisition computer and can perform any experiment by modifying the state of the hardware devices and accessing experimental data. The presented framework achieves concurrency by using multiple instances of ImSwitch and napari working simultaneously. ImSwitch is a flexible and modular open-source software package for microscope control, and napari is a multidimensional image viewer for scientific image analysis. The presented framework implements a system based on file watching, where multiple units monitor a filesystem that acts as the synchronization primitive. The proposed solution is valid for any microscope setup, supporting various biological applications. The only necessary element is a shared filesystem, common in any standard laboratory, even in resource-constrained settings. The file watcher functionality in Python can be easily integrated into other python-based software. We demonstrate the proposed solution by performing tiling experiments using the molecular nanoscale live imaging with sectioning ability (MoNaLISA) microscope, a high-throughput super-resolution microscope based on reversible saturable optical fluorescence transitions (RESOLFT).
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| 8. |
- Rysgaard, Søren, et al.
(författare)
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A mobile observatory powered by sun and wind for near real time measurements of atmospheric, glacial, terrestrial, limnic and coastal oceanic conditions in remote off-grid areas
- 2022
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Ingår i: HardwareX. - : Elsevier BV. - 2468-0672. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Climate change is rapidly altering the Arctic environment. Although long-term environmental observations have been made at a few locations in the Arctic, the incomplete coverage from ground stations is a main limitation to observations in these remote areas. Here we present a wind and sun powered multi-purpose mobile observatory (ARC-MO) that enables near real time measurements of air, ice, land, rivers, and marine parameters in remote off-grid areas. Two test units were constructed and placed in Northeast Greenland where they have collected data from cabled and wireless instruments deployed in the environment since late summer 2021. The two units can communicate locally via WiFi (units placed 25 km apart) and transmit near-real time data globally over satellite. Data are streamed live and accessible from (https://gios.org). The cost of one mobile observatory unit is c. 304.000€. These test units demonstrate the possibility for integrative and automated environmental data collection in remote coastal areas and could serve as models for a proposed global observatory system.
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