Applications real-time techniques

Screening techniques for rapid quality control and safety applications Real time examination of samples during physical manipulation... 

The refinement of other analytical methods, such as electrophoresis [34,36], the various techniques of optical spectroscopy [103-105], and nuclear magnetic resonance [201], is supplemented by the recent advances in real-time affinity measurements [152,202], contributing to the understanding of biomolecular reactivity. Taken together, the improvement of analytical methods will eventually allow a comprehensive characterization of the structure, topology, and properties of the nucleic acid-based supramolecular components under consideration for distinctive applications in nanobiotechnology. 

Despite a mass of research activity in evolutionary computation (EC), activity that has led to solid theoretical results and realistic applications, there are still a number of perennial irritations that almost all EC techniques suffer from. First, the serious computational cost of evaluating numerous potential solutions (or individuals), over hundreds of iterations (or generations), places pragmatic and sometimes formal limitations on the use of EC in real-world applications with time-sensitive outputs, such as online multiprocessor scheduling. This real limitation deters many potential users from using or even considering the use of EC in heavy-duty engineering and scientific applications. 

The continuous determination of compounds, which may adversely affect ecosystems and/or human health, is a major regulative and legislative goal of environmental protection nowadays. Considering the costs and efforts related to this task corroborates a clear demand for portable, real-time, in-situ, field applicable and cost-effective monitoring techniques. Due to their inherent properties, vibrational spectroscopic sensors, in particular fibre-optic sensors show a high potential to contribute to these applications. 

Some recent applications have benefited from advances in computing and computational techniques. Steady-state simulation is being used off-line for process analysis, design, and retrofit process simulators can model flow sheets with up to about a million equations by employing nested procedures. Other applications have resulted in great economic benefits these include on-line real-time optimization models for data reconciliation and parameter estimation followed by optimal adjustment of operating conditions. Models of up to 500,000 variables have been used on a refinery-wide basis. 

The application of near-IR spectroscopy for real-time monitoring of glucose, lactic acid, acetic acid and biomass in liquid cultures of microorganisms of the genera Lactobacillus and Staphylococcus has been recently published [76]. The NIR spectrum acquired by the optical-fibre probe immersed in the culture is exploited using a partial least squares (PLS) calibration step, a classical method for IR techniques. 

Other applications of QCM biosensors include real-time monitoring of the agglutination process of human hepatic normal cells (L-02) and hepatic cancer cells (Bel7402) on QCM electrode in the absence and presence of ConA and wheat germ agglutinin.70 This work demonstrated that the QCM measurement technique based on cell agglutination can be used for discriminating hepatic normal cells from hepatic cancer cells. 

Although e-beam lithography can give excellent spatial control of functional microdomains, this direct-write patterning process is not time-efficient for large-area integration of functional devices. Techniques for rapid patterning of functional nanostructures are thus needed for real-time applications. Ober et al. [106-108] have successfully developed a novel block copolymer... 

Newer techniques for measuring the refractive index allow for instantaneous, real-time measurement in process streams, or alternatively, a special continuous-flow sample well can be installed on bench top instruments. Small, pocket-sized refractometers also make held measurement very simple and reliable. Fiber optic sensors find uses in biomedical applications. 

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