Nano-lipospheres as acoustically active ultrasound contrast agents: evolving tumor imaging and therapy technique

Applying nanobubbles (NBs) for contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging has received increased attention. NBs are biocompatible, multifunctional, theranostic agents. Their properties of high echogenicity and stability create an agent suitable for ultrasonography diagnosis. Their favorable properties of size, in vivo stability, and ease of modification are being exploited to implement a theranostic platform for cancer treatment. The considerable development offers the potential to overcome drug resistance and adverse side effects that are associated with traditional chemotherapy. This review outlines the principles of ultrasonography and angiogenesis. Microbubbles and micelles are also discussed to underline the superior capabilities of NBs for the application. NBs could passively accumulate to tumor tissue by enhanced permeability and retention effect. In addition, it can also achieve the active transportation by surface modification. Active targeting modalities and stimuli-responsive drug delivery modifications generate a therapeutic vehicle. The cytotoxicity of NBs formulations, multimodal imaging capability, active targeting mechanisms, and drug delivery methods are highlighted to confirm the NB as a vehicle for targeted treatment and enhanced ultrasound imaging.

MEMS fluid viscosity sensor

Quartz shear resonators are employed widely as sensors to measure Newtonian viscosities of liquids. Perturbation of the electrical equivalent circuit parameters of the plate resonator by the fluid loading permits calculation of the mass density-shear viscosity product. Use of doubly rotated resonators does permit additional information to be obtained, but in no case can the viscosity and mass density values be separated. In these measurements, the resonator surface is exposed to a measurand bath whose extent greatly exceeds the penetration depth of the evanescent shear mode excited by the active element. Here we briefly review past techniques and current art, and sketch a proposal involving the interesting situation in which the separation between the resonator and a confining wall is less than the penetration depth of the fluid occupying the intervening region. To highlight the salient features of this novel case, the discussion is limited to the very idealized circumstance of a strictly 1-D problem, unencumbered by the vicissitudes inevitably encountered in practice. An appendix mentions some of these functional impedimenta and indicates how deviations from ideality might be approached in engineering embodiments. When the fluid confinement is of the order of the penetration depth, the resonator perturbation becomes a sensitive function of the separation, and it is found that viscosity and density may be separately and uniquely determined. Moreover, extreme miniaturization is a natural consequence because the penetration depth generally is on the order of micrometers for frequencies around 1 MHz at temperatures and pressures ordinarily encountered with gases and liquids. Micro-electro-mechanical (MEMS) versions of viscometers and associated types of fluid sensors are thereby enabled.

Modeling piezoelectric and piezomagnetic devices and structures via equivalent networks

A history of equivalent circuit modeling of acoustic structures is presented. This is followed by a tutorial development of their use to represent piezoelectric (PE) and piezomagnetic (PM) plate transducers and bimorph cantilever beams for the purpose of facilitating transition of modern micro/nanotechnology creations to practical sensor, actuator, and transducer applications. Circuit approximations of various types are derived from the more general networks.