Cardiopulmonary imaging in rodents using micro-computed tomography (CT) is a challenging task due to both cardiac and pulmonary motion and the limited fluence rate available from micro-focus x-ray tubes of most commercial systems. Successful imaging in the mouse requires recognition of both the spatial and temporal scales and their impact on the required fluence rate. Smaller voxels require an ...

Introduction: Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) remains as one of the most reliable tests in clinical practices. Yet its use is time consuming and requires a large blood sample. The aim of this study was assessing a faster and reliable method of ESR estimation. Methods: An ESR estimation method was described and performed on 108 patients using capillary tube (micro ESR) and capillary periphe...

Over the past two decades, a variety of micropumps have been explored for various applications in microfluidics such as control of picoand nanoliter flows for drug delivery as well as chemical mixing and analysis. We present the fabrication and preliminary experimental studies of flow performance on the micro impedance pump, a previously unexplored method of pumping fluid on the microscale. The...

This paper reviews recent developments of micro ultrasonic rotary motors using piezoelectric resonant vibrations. Following the historical background, four ultrasonic motors recently developed at Penn State University are introduced; windmill, PZT tube, metal tube, and shear-type motors. Driving principles and motor characteristics are described in comparison with the conventional ultrasonic mo...

New pneumatic actuators developed in the author's laboratory will be presented with their applications to new mechatronics. Examples of them are a pneumatic rubber actuator for compliant robots, a micro pneumatic tube actuator assisting the colonscope insertion, a pneumatic stepping motor with high torque and resolution, a pneumatic drive bicycle, an intelligent pneumatic cylinder which has enc...

The same sherd was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and a micro X-ray fluorescence tube attached to a scanning electron microscope (Micro-XRF-SEM) to compare the effectiveness of elemental detection of iron-based pigment. To enhance SEM-EDS mapping, the sherd was carbon coated. The carbon coating was not required to produce Micro-XRF-SE...

Simulation for the smooth muscle layer of blood vessel plays a key role in tubular tissue engineering. However, fabrication of biocompatible tube with defined inner nano/micro-structure remains a challenge. Here, we show that a biocompatible polymer tube from poly(l-lactide) (PLLA) and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) can be prepared by using electrospinning technique, with assistance of rotating co...

An atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium Ar micro-plasma generated inside a micro-tube with plasma radius of 3 μm and length of 2.7 cm is reported. The electron density of the plasma plume estimated from the broadening of the Ar emission line reaches as high as 3 × 10(16) cm(-3). The electron temperature obtained from CR model is 1.5 ev while the gas temperature of the plasma estimated from the N...