A novel method for wine analysis based on sensor fusion technique is proposed in this paper. Our novel method is a trial of realizing an engineering model of the sensing and recognizing systems of humans that combines all features of artificial olfactory and artificial taste, i.e. 'electronic nose' and 'electronic tongue' for the classification of wine. Moreover, we improved a kind of fuzzy neural network for sensor information fusing. The results show that the above methods have the characteristics of better accuracy, convenience and efficiency. q2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.

This paper presents a novel microphysiometer based on cell-based biosensors for simultaneous measurements of several extracellularion concentrations in living cells when treated with drugs. It can measure the extracellular acidification rate (ECAR) under the effects of the drug. Thus the relation between the cells metabolism and the activity of receptors can be explored, and the function of the drug can be analyzed. We used our system to measure the effects of some drugs on the nephridium and cardiac muscle cells of the suckling rat. As the microphysiometer works under regular cell culture conditions, cells can be repeatedly simulated with drugs to complete dose-response curve within a few hours. With the detection of a general parameter (extruded protons and ions), the system can be used to monitor the realtime process of the cells metabolism, observe the functional responses of different kinds of membrane-bound receptors and evaluate the drugs.

In this report, a method which can significantly increase the measurement rate of the light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is suggested. By illuminating the LAPS simultaneously at several positions, of which each is illuminated with a light pointer modulated with a different frequency, the surface potential at all illuminated regions can be measured simultaneously by analyzing the resulting photocurrent. By using this method, the rate to obtain a complete image of the surface potential distribution across a LAPS wafer can be drastically increased compared to the conventional mode, in which images are obtained by scanning the surface with one single light pointer. The technical feasibility of such a device is discussed and test measurements are presented.

Cell-based biosensors incorporate cells as sensing elements that convert changes in immediate environment to signals for processing. This paper reports an investigation on light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) to be used as a possible cell-base biosensor that will enable us to monitor extracellular action potential of single living cell under stimulant. In order to modify chip surface and immobilize cells, we coat a layer of poly-l-ornithine and laminin on surface of LAPS chip on which rat cortical cells are grown well. When 10 μg/ml acetylcholine solution is administrated, the light pointer is focused on a single neuronal cell and the extracellular action potential of the targeted cell is recorded with cell-based biosensor based on LAPS. The results demonstrate that this kind of biosensor has potential to monitor electrophysiology of living cell non-invasive for a long term, and to evaluate drugs primarily.

This paper presents a novel microphysiometer for simultaneous measurements of several extracellular ions concentrations in living cells based on MLAPS (multi-light addressable potentiometric sensor). In the microphysiometer, different sensitive membranes are illuminated in parallel with n light sources at different frequencies, the response amplitudes of each frequency component can be measured on-line by parallel processing algorithm. By the experiments, we can analyze the relations of the extracellular environmental H+, Na+, K+, Ca2+ under the effects of western medicines (dilantin, phenobarbital sodium, penicillin sodium) and Chinese drugs (scutellaria, medlar, hemlock parsley), and estimate the effects of several drugs. As the novel microphysiometer works under regular cell culture conditions, cells can be repeatedly simulated with drugs to complete dose-response curve within a few hours. With the detection of a general parameter (extruded protons and ions), the system can be used to monitor the real-time process of the cells' metabolism, observe the functional responses of different kinds of membrane-bound receptors, evaluate the drugs.