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In this paper, the research progress of surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) research in the nervous system in recent years is reviewed. Firstly, the current status of neurotransmitter testing is briefly introduced, and the advantages of SERS detection technology are proposed. Secondly, the development status of SERS technology for neurotransmitters is reviewed, such as monoamines and amino acids. Thirdly, the SERS used to detect neurological diseases are mainly introduced, and SERS based microdevices are further introduced. In addition, the diagnostic applications of SERS in malignant tumors of the nervous system are analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the current developments in medical physics and radiotherapy, there is a renewed interest in novel microdosimetry detectors. The Timepix detector, developed at CERN as an extension of the Medipix2 detector, represents such a microdosimeter. It can be used for experiments with photons, electrons and heavy particles and in a wide range of applications in spectroscopy, space physics, nuclear physics, radiotherapy physics, medical imaging and radiation protection. This article reviews some of the published works utilizing Timepix as a radiation detector, as a spectroscope or as a camera for photons and charged particles. We describe specific applications of Timepix that may be of interest to physicists and the industry. We show that more investigations are still required to gain the full benefit of Timepix applications in the fields of radiation therapy and imaging to utilize the potential of this detector fully. More specifically, the application of Timepix to targeted radiotherapies remains limited despite the main advantage of Timepix, which is energy deposition tracking at a micron level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Studying sensory light in nature provides opportunities for the development of new types of imaging systems and optical components that cannot be achieved with existing technologies. Insect eyes, i.e., compound eyes, are particularly notable for their exceptional optical characteristics, such as wide fields of view, nearly infinite depth-of-field, and high sensitivity to motion. The construction of manmade compound eye imagers with these characteristics is of significant interest due to their strong potential for various applications, including surveillance, security, and bio-medical devices. Furthermore, night-active insects have nanophotonic structures that provide exceptional optical behaviors (e.g., broadband antireflection of light), which are beneficial for applications in high-efficiency optoelectronic devices. In this review, recent progress is reviewed for optical devices and optical imaging systems with designs inspired by the geometry of insect eyes. The design guidelines and fabrication issues are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) is a soft ionization technique which can be used in mass spectrometry to produce ions from biomolecules without inducing the fragmentation associated with traditional methods of ionization. When used with small molecules, the lack of fragmentation allows identification of specific molecules against a background of alternative signals; thus, for example, the presence of drug molecules and metabolites can be distinguished from a range of alternative biomolecules present within a tissue sample. Using highly collimated lasers in matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) allows imaging of a tissue sample whereby the laser is rastered across the sample and individual mass spectra are collected in a serial manner. Thus, the distribution of the molecules within the tissue sample can be presented in the form of a 2D image. While the detection of specific drug molecules and metabolites within biological samples has its uses, quantification of those same molecules would be of greater benefit in a clinical setting. However, accurate quantification presents additional challenges. We present an overview of the MALDI-MS technique followed by recent progress in profiling drugs and their metabolites through imaging drug distributions within tissues and finish with recent developments in the quantification of drugs in tissues by MALDI-MSI. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

AbstractSince the first demonstration in 1994, progress in the development of quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) has been breathtakingly rapid. Various techniques based upon novel QCLs have attracted much interest from researchers working in science and engineering disciplines (atmospheric environmental monitoring, chemical analysis, industrial process control, medical diagnostics, applications of life science, etc.) over the course of approximately the last two decades. Some background and recent advances in the development of QCLs are discussed together with a brief outline of a few representative atmospheric chemical species and their spectral features, as well as a short summary of terahertz-QCL. Among the various laser spectroscopic methods, the focus in this review is directed toward selected applications of QCL absorption spectroscopic techniques, which are commonly used to measure atmospheric trace gases, with particular emphasis on ground-based eddy covariance measurements, isotope measurements, and airborne-platform atmospheric measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Analogous to most new methods in science, photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) grew out of an advance in technology, in this case the dramatic improvement in novel light sources, modulators, and acoustic detectors, as well as signal recovery electronics, which in turn was made possible by the development of modern PAS techniques. PAS is a promising technique that can be used to analyze and characterize a broad variety of objects (gaseous, solid, and liquid samples). In the present review, the recent development of infrared PAS limited to the general area of gas-phase analysis techniques since 1990 is summarized, with special emphasis on the development of new or enhanced analytical methodologies based on the use of the photoacoustic (PA) effect to improve the sensitivity of PAS by enhancing signal or reducing noise levels, with regard to PA systems, applications, and conclusions. The applications of these novel PA methods are mainly concerned with molecular spectroscopic, industrial, atmospheric, environmental, chemical and biological, and medical and clinical analysis. New prospects and challenges in various application fields of PAS technique are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article attempts to review the major advancements made in the past 12 years, since 1993, in the field of diode laser atomic spectroscopy. The discussion covers experimental improvements (e.g., wavelength stabilization, frequency upconversion, enhancement of tuning characteristics, spectral bandwidth using external cavities, etc.), diagnostic applications in various atomizers, as well as analytical applications (e.g., absorption, fluorescence, and ionization spectroscopy; element-selective detectors for chromatography; etc.). With potential new users of these methods in mind, a detailed overview of the properties relevant to atomic spectroscopy of commercial diode lasers is also given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]