The refractive and the diffractive properties of planar micro-optical elements are investigated. The transition between purely refractive and purely diffractive planar microlenses is numerically simulated for the example of differently designed phase-matched Fresnel elements. Results obtained from numerical simulations and experiments show that the refractive and diffractive types exhibit a dis...

Microdroplets are widely used for industrial applications such as food, drug, biotechnology and new materials. This review will summarise the key development in microdrop technologies, especially double-emulsion droplet technologies, with a focus on microchip-based techniques. For completeness, the key topics in single emulsion droplets such as generation, control and application will be briefl...

A selective electrothermal magnetic annealing technique is introduced that provides programming capabilities for mechanical micro-resonators. In the proposed approach the magnetic properties of resonators can be locally tuned in a post-fabrication batch-compatible process step. A prototype is implemented in a standard microfabrication process, where resonating ferromagnetic elements are suspend...

In order to assessment the effect of micro and macro nutrients on agro physiological traits of oat crop a research was conducted via split plot experiment based on randomized complete block design with three replications at Agricultural Research Station, Faculty of Agriculture, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, along 2013-2014. The main factor included different complex of macro and micro nut...

Integration of micro-optical elements (MOEs) with optical fiber at top-end was realized by use of focused ion beam (FIB) direct milling. The designed MOEs (micro-refractive lens, microdiffractive lens with continuous relief, and micro-gratings) were directly milled by the FIB with ion energy and ion beam current of 40 keV and 569 pA, respectively, in the core area of both single mode fiber and ...

This paper proposes a new risk management framework tailored for IT-centric micro and small companies based on the analysis of the best practices in risk management concepts, specifically the risk management frameworks. The proposed framework for risk management is a synergy of various elements from the existing frameworks, tailored to the specifics of the IT-centric micro and small companies a...

Successful application of many implantable medical devices often depends on the technique used for attaching the devices to living tissue. Although mechanical attachment techniques that use micro-scale piercing elements are very promising, the fabrication of the micro-scale piercing elements poses considerable challenges. In this paper, the use of the mechanical micromilling process for fabrica...

Ultrasound wave is a kind of waves with the frequency higher than the human audible frequency. Although ultrasound was first used for military identification purposes, it has been used for decades for various other applications, especially medical applications. Medical applications of ultrasound include diagnostic and therapeutic applications, such as for the treatment of cancer. In this paper,...

Reductionism assumes that causation in the physical world occurs at the micro level, excluding the emergence of macro-level causation. We challenge this reductionist assumption by demonstrating that, once causal power is properly defined and measured, it is possible for a macro level to “beat” the micro level. Here, this was done through a principled, well-defined measure of intrinsic cause-eff...