In many coastal regions throughout the world, there is increasing pressure to harden shorelines to protect human infrastructures against sea level rise, storm surge, and erosion. This study examines waterbird community integrity in relation to shoreline hardening and land use characteristics at three geospatial scales: (1) the shoreline scale characterized by seven shoreline types: bulkhead, riprap, developed, natural marsh, Phragmites-dominated marsh, sandy beach, and forest; (2) the local subestuary landscape scale including land up to 500 m inland of the shoreline; and (3) the watershed scale > 500 m from the shoreline. From 2010 to 2014, we conducted waterbird surveys along the shoreline and open water within 21 subestuaries throughout the Chesapeake Bay during two seasons to encompass post-breeding shorebirds and colonial waterbirds in late summer and migrating and wintering waterfowl in late fall. We employed an Index of Waterbird Community Integrity (IWCI) derived from mean abundance of individual waterbird species and scores of six key species attributes describing each species' sensitivity to human disturbance, and then used this index to characterize communities in each subestuary and season. IWCI scores ranged from 14.3 to 19.7. Multivariate regression model selection showed that the local shoreline scale had the strongest influence on IWCI scores. At this scale, percent coverage of bulkhead and Phragmites along shorelines were the strongest predictors of IWCI, both with negative relationships. Recursive partitioning revealed that when subestuary shoreline coverage exceeded thresholds of approximately 5% Phragmites or 8% bulkhead, IWCI scores decreased. Our results indicate that development at the shoreline scale has an important effect on waterbird community integrity, and that shoreline hardening and invasive Phragmites each have a negative effect on waterbirds using subestuarine systems.

Exposure of wildlife to Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients (APIs) is likely to occur but studies of risk are limited. One exposure pathway that has received attention is trophic transfer of APIs in a water-fish-osprey food chain. Samples of water, fish plasma and osprey plasma were collected from Delaware River and Bay, and analyzed for 21 APIs. Only 2 of 21 analytes exceeded method detection limits in osprey plasma (acetaminophen and diclofenac) with plasma levels typically 2-3 orders of magnitude below human therapeutic concentrations (HTC). We built upon a screening level model used to predict osprey exposure to APIs in Chesapeake Bay and evaluated whether exposure levels could have been predicted in Delaware Bay had we just measured concentrations in water or fish. Use of surface water and BCFs did not predict API concentrations in fish well, likely due to fish movement patterns, and partitioning and bioaccumulation uncertainties associated with these ionizable chemicals. Input of highest measured API concentration in fish plasma combined with pharmacokinetic data accurately predicted that diclofenac and acetaminophen would be the APIs most likely detected in osprey plasma. For the majority of APIs modeled, levels were not predicted to exceed 1 ng/mL or method detection limits in osprey plasma. Based on the target analytes examined, there is little evidence that APIs represent a significant risk to ospreys nesting in Delaware Bay. If an API is present in fish orders of magnitude below HTC, sampling of fish-eating birds is unlikely to be necessary. However, several human pharmaceuticals accumulated in fish plasma within a recommended safety factor for HTC. It is now important to expand the scope of diet-based API exposure modeling to include alternative exposure pathways (e.g., uptake from landfills, dumps and wastewater treatment plants) and geographic locations (developing countries) where API contamination of the environment may represent greater risk.

In recent decades, there has been increasing interest in the application of ecological indices to assess ecosystem condition in response to anthropogenic activities. An Index of Waterbird Community Integrity was previously developed for the Chesapeake Bay, USA. However, the scoring criteria were not defined well enough to generate scores for new species that were not observed in the original study. The goal of this study was to explicitly define the scoring criteria for the existing index and to develop index scores for all waterbirds of the Chesapeake Bay. The standardized index then was applied to a case study investigating the relationship between waterbird community integrity and shoreline development during late summer and late fall (2012-2014) using an alternative approach to survey methodology, which allowed for greater area coverage compared to the approach used in the original study. Index scores for both seasons were negatively related to percentage of developed shorelines. Providing these updated tools using the detailed scoring system will facilitate future application to new species or development of the index in other estuaries worldwide. This methodology allows for consistent cross-study comparisons and can be combined with other community integrity indices, allowing for more effective estuarine management.

This chapter describes the realization of a lab-on-a-chip optical sensor that is based on surface plasmon resonance (SPR) trapped microspheres acting as localized sensing elements for morphology-dependent resonance (MDR) sensing. The microfluidic device is fabricated by a combination of direct laser writing and hot embossing. This allows simple integration of SPR techniques by the evaporative coating of a metal layer on the surface of the microfluidic device. Trapping of 4, 10, and 15 μm polystyrene microspheres is demonstrated using SPR in static and dynamic fluidic environments. Patterning of the metal surface is demonstrated to increase the trapping potential of the SPR technique as well as provide a method of further localizing the position of the optical trap within the device. Comparison between the trapping of microspheres for both on- and off-resonance incident angles of the trapping beam shows strong difference in the strength of the optical trap allowing for an on/off switching of the trapping force within the device. The integrated SPR trapping technique provides a method for arbitrary trapping of a range of microspheres within a microfluidic environment. The MDR optical sensing technique was selected as a noninvasive, multivariable sensing technique that can be performed on a range of optically trapped microcavities. Coupling to the MDR of a spherical microcavity is achieved via evanescent wave coupling under total internal reflection within a static fluidic environment. Fluid refractive index detection is realized with a sensitivity of 9.66 × 10−2 refractive index units (RIU) by the characterization of the shift of the MDR positions. A quality (Q) factor of 1.1 × 104 is observed for a 90 μm glass microsphere with a stability of Δλ = ±0.04. The coupling of light to the MDR mode is realized for a 90 μm glass microsphere trapped in a dynamic microfluidic device via SPR-based optical trapping. The position of the trapped microsphere is defined by the location of the patterned region of the metal surface as well as the position of the location of the focal spot of the SPR incident light source. A Q-factor of 4 × 103 is observed under these coupling conditions. Detection of a change in the refractive index of the local fluidic environment is observed via change in the MDR of a microcavity held under SPR trapping conditions; a resolution of 7.75 × 10–2 RIU is observed under a flow rate of 20 μm/s. This research explores the integration of optical-based manipulation and localized sensing techniques into a microfluidic environment. From the work demonstrated, it is anticipated that this research will develop toward an optical-based sensing system where localized sensing can be performed in an arbitrary location within a fluidic environment.

ABSTRACT Diamondback terrapins ( Malaclemys terrapin ) are currently in decline across much of their historical range, and demographic data on a regional scale are needed to identify where their populations are at greatest risk. Because terrapins residing in salt marshes are difficult to capture, we designed a cylindrical bait trap (CBT) that could be deployed in shallow tidal waters. From 2003 to 2006, trials were conducted with CBTs in the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland (USA) to determine terrapin sex, size, and age distribution within 3 salt marsh interior habitats—open bays, tidal guts, and broken marshes—using 15 traps/habitat. Analyses based on 791 total captures with CBTs indicate that smaller terrapins, (i.e., adult male and subadult) were more prevalent within the transecting tidal guts and broken marshes, whereas the adult females were more evenly distributed among habitats, including open bays. Subadult females made up the largest percent of catch in the CBTs deployed within the 3 marsh interior habitats. During a 12‐day trial in which we compared capture performance of CBTs and modified fyke nets along open shorelines during the nesting season, fyke nets outperformed CBTs by accounting for 95.2% of the 604 terrapin captures. Although the long drift leads of the fyke nets proved more effective for intercepting along‐shore travel of adult female terrapins during the nesting season, CBTs provided a more effective means of live‐trapping terrapins within the shallow interior marshes. Published 2016. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.

Pseudopterosin A (PsA) treatment of growth factor depleted human umbilical vein endothelial cell (HUVEC) cultures formulated in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HPβCD) for 42 h unexpectedly produced a 25% increase in cell proliferation (EC50 = 1.34 × 10−8 M). Analysis of dose response curves revealed pseudo-first order saturation kinetics, and the uncoupling of cytotoxicity from cell proliferation, thereby resulting in a widening of the therapeutic index. The formulation of PsA into HPβCD produced a 200-fold increase in potency over a DMSO formulation; we propose this could result from a constrained presentation of PsA to the receptor, which would limit non-specific binding. These results support the hypothesis that the non-specific receptor binding of PsA when formulated in DMSO has ostensibly masked prior estimates of specific activity, potency, and mechanism. Collectively, these results suggest that the formulation of PsA and compounds of similar chemical properties in HPβCD could result in significant pharmacological findings that may otherwise be obscured when using solvents such as DMSO.

We present a gas jet array for use in high-order harmonic generation experiments. Precise control of the pressure in each individual gas jet has allowed a thorough investigation into mechanisms contributing to the selective enhancement observed in the harmonic spectra produced by dual-gas, multi-jet arrays. Our results reveal that in our case, the dominant enhancement mechanism is the result of a compression of the harmonic-producing gas jet due to the presence of other gas jets in the array. The individual control of the gas jets in the array also provides a promising method for enhancing the harmonic yield by precise tailoring of the length and pressure gradient of the interaction region.

We report on a technique for precise hole drilling in optical fibers using tightly focused femtosecond laser pulses. This direct laser writing approach makes it possible to minimize the amount of waveguide material for uncompromised mechanical performance of the fiber. The proof-of-the-principle of the fiber integration into a microfluidic chip is demonstrated. We show that fabricated holes in the waveguides can be used for measurement of absorption coefficient and refractive index changes at 1 x 10(-3) refractive index units and 2 cm(-1) for refractive index and absorption changes, respectively. Simple design and integration possibility of laser-fabricated waveguide sensors is prospective for optofluidic applications.

Summary Pseudopterosins are known anti‐inflammatory and anti‐microbial agents, isolated from the soft coral, Pseudopterogorgia elisabethae . We report pseudopterosins as activators of cell proliferation in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), a cellular model of angiogenesis. A hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin (HPβCD) formulation of pseudopterosin A (PsA) elicited a 25% increase in cell proliferation (EC 50 = 1.34 ×10 −8 M) in growth factor depleted HUVEC lines. This constitutes a >200 fold increase in potency over DMSO formulations. We demonstrate that the effect of PsA is mediated through inhibition of adenosine A 2B receptors which leads to decreased synthesis of cAMP and that this effect can be reversed with a selective A 2 agonist, CV‐1808. In addition we show that PsA can induce protein kinase B (AKT) phosphorylation which has been shown to activate proliferation via the phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase (PI3K) pathway. Collectively, this indicates that pseudopterosins are promising compounds for adenosine receptor mediated pathologies.

Ripples on silicon have been fabricated by femtosecond laser ablation to minimize Si removal and to achieve a flat (not a groove-like) coverage of extended millimeter size areas for nano-/micro-fluidic applications. Such flat ripple-covered regions were found to control flow and wetting properties of water. Depending on orientation of ripples the flow speed of a 1 µl water droplet can be changed from 1.6 to 9.1 mm/s. Gold-coated ripples on sapphire are demonstrated as an excellent SERS substrate with more than one order-of-magnitude larger sensitivity and superior reproducibility a,.., compared to the commercial SER.S substrates; SERS signal on the ripples was more than 15 times higher and more than 2 times more uniform as compared to Klarite substrate at 633 mn excitation wavelength. It was shown that ripples can also be fabricated on thin transparent conducting indium tin oxide (ITO) coatings of 45 mn thickness. The electrical resistance can be controlled by orientation and area fraction of ripples. Applications on miniaturized heaters for incubation and micro-chemistry chambers on lab-on-chip and electrowetting are discussed along with potential applications in orientational flows, self-assembly of micro-chips, and sensing.

Untreated recycled water, such as sewage and graywater, will almost always contain a wide range of agents that are likely to present risks to human health, including chemicals and pathogenic microorganisms. The microbial hazards, such as large numbers of enteric pathogens that can cause gastroenteric illness if ingested, are the main cause of concern for human health. The presence of the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) serotype is of particular concern, as this group of bacteria is responsible for causing severe infant and travelers' diarrhea, gastroenteritis and hemolytic uremic syndrome. A biosensing system based on an optical Fabry-Pérot (FP) cavity, capable of directly detecting the presence of EPEC within 5 min, has been developed using a simple micro-thin double-sided adhesive tape and two semi-transparent FP mirror plates. The system utilizes a poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) or glass substrates sputtered by 40-nm-thick gold thin films serving as FP mirrors. Mirrors have been activated using 0.1M mercaptopropionic acid, influencing an immobilization density of the translocated intimin receptor (TIR) of 100 ng/cm(2). The specificity of recognition was confirmed by exposing TIR functionalized surfaces to four taxonomically related and/or distantly related bacterial strains. It was found that the TIR-functionalized surfaces did not show any bacterial capture for these other bacterial strains within a 15 min incubation period.

Optofluidic sensor for water solutions has been fabricated using a transfer adhesive film and simple all-room-temperature procedures. Performance of a Fabry-Perot (FP) cavity subjected to the high water throughput of similar to 2 ml per 1 min (at a 0.8 m/s flow velocity) was spectrally characterized. The 25-mu m-wide cavity can be repeatedly subjected to pressures causing up to a 1.5% its width's increase upon pressure cycling. Potential of the new optofluidic platform for applications where (i) large water volumes should be filtered as well as (ii) for measurements of turbulence onset in two-dimensional flows at high 1 m/s velocity are discussed. We show possibility to use FP cavity for the pressure sensing at sensitivity of Delta lambda/Delta P similar or equal to 0.075 nm/Pa and for the refractive index sensing at Delta lambda/Delta n similar or equal to 390 nm per the refractive index unit. (C) 2012 Optical Society of America

We present a polymeric-based Fabry-Perot optofluidic sensor fabricated by combining direct laser machining and hot embossing. This technique provides a more elegant solution to conventional hot embossing by increasing the production rate, improving the reproducibility, and further reducing the cost, providing a large working area and flexibility in design modification and customization. As a proof of concept, a Fabry-Perot (F-P) optofluidic sensor was fabricated in polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) from a micromachined stamp. The experimental results of the sensor agree well with analytical calculations and show a sensitivity of 2.13×10⁻³ RIU/nm for fluid refractive index change.

Swelling of poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA) in weak solvents water, ethanol, and methanol was investigated by interferometry using a simple microfluidic sensor. A change of channel width by +/- 10 nm, comparable with the surface roughness of the polymer surface, is reliably detected and its temporal evolution was monitored in situ. Dynamics of polymer swelling over time periods from a few seconds to a few days were obtained. An optimized inexpensive microfluidic sensor design using hot embossing with gold sputtering is presented. Such a sensor can be used for high-fidelity adsorption-desorption interferometric sensing and its cost can be optimized for a single use. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

We present two realizations of a highly sensitive platform useful in environmental sensing and diagnostics - a Fabry-Perot (FP) interferometer - (i) a pair of semi-transparent mirrors integrated into a microfluidic channel and (ii) a silicon membrane of sub-micrometer thickness. Simple way to make microfluidic channels by (i) hot-embossing into a sheet of technical grade PMMA and (ii) double-sided tape fixed glass with Au-coated mirrors are presented. By changing the thickness of the Au coating, the roughness and porosity of mirror surface is controlled. In turn, this provides a method to tune finesse of the FP cavity to monitor solutions flowwing between the FP-mirrors. In case of silicon, the FP cavity is formed by coating two sides of a Si-membrane. These two different approaches to harness a high sensitivity of the FP interferometry are proposed: changes of FP cavity caused by materials in the channel can be monitored, while the coated membrane is used to monitor the effects which are induced by membrane's ambiance. The finesse of the FP cavity is optimized for the maximum spectral sensitivity at the cost of transmitted light intensity in case of microfluidic channel and silicon membrane. Via optimization of the finesse (in the range 2-5) and overall transmission of a FP-pair (20-60%) practical solutions are proposed for spectral sensing of (i) refractive index and mechanical channel width's changes in a microfluidic channel as well as (ii) temperature changes of membrane's environment. Asymmetric thickness of the FP mirrors can be used to optimize sensitivity.

We present a set of practical rules critical for designing and building a modern nanotechnology laboratory, focused on photonic applications in a cleanroom environment. We show the impacts on time, cost and quality of early design decisions and its importance on achieving the final fully functional laboratory. Best practice examples are presented for setting up a modern laboratory/facility, following analysis of the time, cost and quality constraints. The case study presented is the engineering and architectural solution of the nanofabrication cleanroom facility in the Advanced Technology Centre at Swinburne University of Technology, Australia. Set of practical rules is established for the cost and time efficient set up of the nanotechnology facilities for the research and development.

Swelling of poly-methylmethacrylate (PMMA) in weak solvents: water, ethanol and methanol was investigated by interferometry using a simple microfluidic sensor. A change of channel width by ±20 nm, comparable with the surface roughness of the polymer surface, is reliably detected and its temporal evolution was monitored in situ. Dynamics of polymer swelling over time periods from a few seconds to a few days were obtained. An optimized in-expensive microfluidic sensor design using hot embossing with gold sputtering is presented. Such a sensor can be used for high-fidelity adsorption-desorption interferometric sensing and its cost can be optimized for a single use.