Abstract-Miniaturized electrochemical pH sensors are increasingly in demand for application such as online monitoring of water quality and health monitoring. The metal oxides are the best candidates for sensing electrodes of such sensors as they offer high chemical stability. In this work, we present a novel approach to obtain interdigitated conductimetric pH sensor using screen printing of TiO 2 thick film on an alumina substrate. The microstructural and crystalline properties of the TiO 2 sensitive film were examined with scanning electron microscopy and Raman spectroscopy. The impedance spectroscopic studies of the fabricated thick film sensor were carried out in the frequency range of 5-20 kHz for the test solutions in the pH range of 4-10 and it was observed that the impedance of the film distinctly dependent on pH. Using the measured impedance data, we have also proposed an equivalent RC network model for the fabricated pH sensor. The physical meaning of the model parameters was determined by electrochemical impedance spectroscopic (EIS) analysis, and through statistical analysis it was found that all parameters are distinctly pH-dependent.

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The Ag nano-structured thin films prepared on flat glass substrates have been studied. The ball-like silver nanoparticles have been synthesized in large quantity by using a modified method of hydrolytic decomposition of silver complexes with amino types ligands formed in ethanol aqueous solution. SEM analysis revealed that Ag nanoparticles are all sphere shaped with bimodal size (40 and 70 nm) distribution. The results of XRD powder pattern examination show that Ag nanoparticles are pure phase, well crystallized. The unit cell dimensions measured on synthesized Ag nano films show small but frequent contraction in comparison to Ag metal standard

The "humane killer" or captive-bolt gun, is the tool/weapon widely used in meat industry and private farmer households for slaughtering animal stock. Out of 17,250 autopsies performed at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Novi Sad during the 15-year period (1991-2005), 29 cases of suicides and two homicides were committed by captive-bolt pistols. Wounds inflicted by captive-bolt guns have specific morphological features, distinctive from wounds made by other kinds of hand firearms. Selected features of the captive-bolt wounds (punched round entrance and a double pattern of smoke soiling) depend on distance and angle of instrument at the time of firing. Autopsy findings were compared with an experimental model consisting of 20 domestic pigs. Obtained results confirmed that the appearance of the entrance hole and soot deposits, along with differences in shape, location, extent, and density of soot blackening, could be useful in identification of weapon, direction of discharge, shooting distance, and angle of the muzzle to the frontal and sagittal planes of the head at the moment of fire.

Perforation of the upper esophageal wall by ingested bones can cause sudden death and death under suspicious circumstances. Perforation usually takes place at sites of physiologic and pathologic strictures. Temporary bleeding from the respiratory and digestive tracts is an important signal and may be crucial in the diagnosis of esophageal perforation and small vessel injury by ingested bone. Polymorphism and long symptomatology can cause diagnostic and therapeutic failure, thus presenting a special medicolegal problem. We present a case report of unknown cause of death and death under suspicious circumstances resulting from ingested bone perforation of upper esophagus. A chicken bone had been swallowed about 6 months before death caused by hemorrhage from a decubitus in the cervical esophagus. The patient underwent urgent surgery because of suspected bleeding of a ventricular ulcer.

Because of the aging human population and increased numbers of surgical procedures being performed, there is a growing number of biomedical devices being implanted each year. Although the benefits of implants are significant, there are risks to having foreign materials in the body that may lead to complications that may remain undetectable until a time at which the damage done becomes irreversible. To address this challenge, advances in implantable sensors may enable early detection of even minor changes in the implants or the surrounding tissues and provide early cues for intervention. Therefore, integrating sensors with implants will enable real-time monitoring and lead to improvements in implant function. Sensor integration has been mostly applied to cardiovascular, neural, and orthopedic implants, and advances in combined implant-sensor devices have been significant, yet there are needs still to be addressed. Sensor-integrating implants are still in their infancy; however, some have already made it to the clinic. With an interdisciplinary approach, these sensor-integrating devices will become more efficient, providing clear paths to clinical translation in the future.

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