TY - JOUR A1 - Hoehr, Cornelia A1 - Paulßen, Elisabeth A1 - Benard, Francois A1 - Lee, Chris Jaeil A1 - Hou, Xinchi A1 - Badesso, Brian A1 - Ferguson, Simon A1 - Miao, Qing A1 - Yang, Hua A1 - Buckley, Ken A1 - Hanemaayer, Victoire A1 - Zeisler, Stefan A1 - Ruth, Thomas A1 - Celler, Anna A1 - Schaffer, Paul T1 - ⁴⁴ᶢSc production using a water target on a 13 MeV cyclotron JF - Nuclear medicine and biology N2 - Access to promising radiometals as isotopes for novel molecular imaging agents requires that they are routinely available and inexpensive to obtain. Proximity to a cyclotron center outfitted with solid target hardware, or to an isotope generator for the metal of interest is necessary, both of which can introduce significant hurdles in development of less common isotopes. Herein, we describe the production of ⁴⁴Sc (t₁⸝₂ = 3.97 h, Eavg,β⁺ = 1.47 MeV, branching ratio = 94.27%) in a solution target and an automated loading system which allows a quick turn-around between different radiometallic isotopes and therefore greatly improves their availability for tracer development. Experimental yields are compared to theoretical calculations. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2013.12.016 SN - 1872-9614 VL - 41 IS - 5 SP - 401 EP - 406 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Eilmann, Britta A1 - Sterck, Frank J. A1 - Wegner, L. A1 - de Vries, Sven M. G. A1 - von Arx, G. A1 - Mohren, Godefridus M. J. A1 - den Ouden, Jan A1 - Sass-Klaassen, Ute G. W. T1 - Wood structural differences between northern and southern beech provenances growing at a moderate site JF - Tree Physiology Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/treephys/tpu069 SN - 1758-4469 (Online) SN - 0829-318X (Print) VL - 34 IS - 8 SP - 882 EP - 893 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Fredebeul-Krein, Markus A1 - Steingröver, Markus T1 - Wholesale broadband access to IPTV in an NGA environment : how to deal with it from a regulatory perspective? JF - Telecommunications Policy Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.1016/j.telpol.2013.04.002 SN - 0308-5961 (Print) SN - 1879-3258 (Online) VL - 38 IS - 3 SP - 264 EP - 277 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Theysohn, Jens M. A1 - Kraff, Oliver A1 - Eilers, Kristina A1 - Andrade, Dorian A1 - Gerwig, Marcus A1 - Timmann, Dagmar A1 - Schmitt, Franz A1 - Ladd, Mark E. A1 - Ladd, Susanne C. A1 - Bitz, Andreas T1 - Vestibular effects of a 7 Tesla MRI examination compared to 1.5 T and 0 T in healthy volunteers JF - PLoS one N2 - Ultra-high-field MRI (7 Tesla (T) and above) elicits more temporary side-effects compared to 1.5 T and 3 T, e.g. dizziness or “postural instability” even after exiting the scanner. The current study aims to assess quantitatively vestibular performance before and after exposure to different MRI scenarios at 7 T, 1.5 T and 0 T. Sway path and body axis rotation (Unterberger's stepping test) were quantitatively recorded in a total of 46 volunteers before, 2 minutes after, and 15 minutes after different exposure scenarios: 7 T head MRI (n = 27), 7 T no RF (n = 22), 7 T only B₀ (n = 20), 7 T in & out B₀ (n = 20), 1.5 T no RF (n = 20), 0 T (n = 15). All exposure scenarios lasted 30 minutes except for brief one minute exposure in 7 T in & out B₀. Both measures were documented utilizing a 3D ultrasound system. During sway path evaluation, the experiment was repeated with eyes both open and closed. Sway paths for all long-lasting 7 T scenarios (normal, no RF, only B₀) with eyes closed were significantly prolonged 2 minutes after exiting the scanner, normalizing after 15 minutes. Brief exposure to 7 T B₀ or 30 minutes exposure to 1.5 T or 0 T did not show significant changes. End positions after Unterberger's stepping test were significantly changed counter-clockwise after all 7 T scenarios, including the brief in & out B₀ exposure. Shorter exposure resulted in a smaller alteration angle. In contrast to sway path, reversal of changes in body axis rotation was incomplete after 15 minutes. 1.5 T caused no rotational changes. The results show that exposure to the 7 Tesla static magnetic field causes only a temporary dysfunction or “over-compensation” of the vestibular system not measurable at 1.5 or 0 Tesla. Radiofrequency fields, gradient switching, and orthostatic dysregulation do not seem to play a role. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0092104 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 9 IS - 3 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Vogt, C. A1 - Mottaghy, Darius A1 - Rath, V. A1 - Marquart, G. A1 - Dijkshoorn, L. A1 - Wolf, A. A1 - Clauser, C. T1 - Vertical variation in heat flow on the Kola Peninsula: palaeoclimate or fluid flow? JF - Geophysical Journal International N2 - Following earlier studies, we present forward and inverse simulations of heat and fluid transport of the upper crust using a local 3-D model of the Kola area. We provide best estimates for palaeotemperatures and permeabilities, their errors and their dependencies. Our results allow discriminating between the two mentioned processes to a certain extent, partly resolving the non-uniqueness of the problem. We find clear indications for a significant contribution of advective heat transport, which, in turn, imply only slightly lower ground surface temperatures during the last glacial maximum relative to the present value. These findings are consistent with the general background knowledge of (i) the fracture zones and the corresponding fluid movements in the bedrock and (ii) the glacial history of the Kola area. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/gji/ggu282 SN - 1365-246X VL - 199 IS - 2 SP - 829 EP - 843 PB - Oxford University Press CY - Oxford ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Müller, Martin A1 - Hirschfeld, Julian A1 - Lambertz, Rita A1 - Schulze Lohoff, Andreas A1 - Lustfeld, Hans A1 - Pfeifer, Heinz A1 - Reißel, Martin T1 - Validation of a novel method for detecting and stabilizing malfunctioning areas in fuel cell stacks JF - Journal of power sources N2 - In this paper a setup for detecting malfunctioning areas of MEAs in fuel cell stacks is described. Malfunctioning areas generate electric cross currents inside bipolar plates. To exploit this we suggest bipolar plates consisting not of two but of three layers. The third one is a highly conducting layer and segmented such that the cross currents move along the segments to the surface of the stack where they can be measured by an inductive sensor. With this information a realistic model can be used to detect the malfunctioning area. Furthermore the third layer will prevent any current inhomogeneity of a malfunctioning cell to spread to neighbouring cells in the stack. In this work the results of measurements in a realistic cell setup will be compared with the results obtained in simulation studies with the same configuration. The basis for the comparison is the reliable characterisation of the electrical properties of the cell components and the implication of these results into the simulation model. The experimental studies will also show the limits in the maximum number of segments, which can be used for a reliable detection of cross currents. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpowsour.2014.08.045 SN - 1873-2755 (E-Journal); 0378-7753 (Print) VL - 272 SP - 225 EP - 232 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Rau, Christoph A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Breitbach, Gerd A1 - Hoffschmidt, Bernhard A1 - Latzke, Markus A1 - Sattler, Johannes, Christoph T1 - Transient simulation of a solar-hybrid tower power plant with open volumetric receiver at the location Barstow JF - Energy procedia : proceedings of the SolarPACES 2013 International Conference N2 - In this work the transient simulations of four hybrid solar tower power plant concepts with open-volumetric receiver technology for a location in Barstow-Daggett, USA, are presented. The open-volumetric receiver uses ambient air as heat transfer fluid and the hybridization is realized with a gas turbine. The Rankine cycle is heated by solar-heated air and/or by the gas turbine's flue gases. The plant can be operated in solar-only, hybrid parallel or combined cycle-only mode as well as in any intermediate load levels where the solar portion can vary between 0 to 100%. The simulated plant is based on the configuration of a solar-hybrid power tower project, which is in planning for a site in Northern Algeria. The meteorological data for Barstow-Daggett was taken from the software meteonorm. The solar power tower simulation tool has been developed in the simulation environment MATLAB/Simulink and is validated. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.03.157 SN - 1876-6102 VL - 49 SP - 1481 EP - 1490 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Takenaga, Shoko A1 - Biselli, Manfred A1 - Schnitzler, Thomas A1 - Öhlschläger, Peter A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Toward multi-analyte bioarray sensors: LAPS-based on-chip determination of a Michaelis–Menten-like kinetics for cell culturing JF - Physica status solidi A : Applications and materials science N2 - The metabolic activity of Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells was observed using a light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS). The dependency toward different glucose concentrations (17–200 mM) follows a Michaelis–Menten kinetics trajectory with Kₘ = 32.8 mM, and the obtained Kₘ value in this experiment was compared with that found in literature. In addition, the pH shift induced by glucose metabolism of tumor cells transfected with the HPV-16 genome (C3 cells) was successfully observed. These results indicate the possibility to determine the tumor cells metabolism with a LAPS-based measurement device. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330464 SN - 1521-396X (E); 1862-6319 (E-Journal); 0031-8965 (Print); 1862-6300 (Print) VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1410 EP - 1415 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Laack, Walter van T1 - Therefore Fermat is right JF - American journal of humanities and social sciences : AJHSS N2 - It was Fernat's idea to investigate how many numbers would fulfill the equation according to the Pythagorean Theorem if the exponent were increased to random, e.g. to a3 + b3 = c3. His question became therefore: are there two whole numbers the cubes of which add up to the volume of the cube of a third whole number? He posed this same question, of course, for all kinds of higher exponents, so that the equation could be generalized: is there an integral solution for the equation an + bn = cn, if the exponent n is higher than 2? Although in 1993, the English mathematician Andrew Wiles was able to produce an arithmetical proof for Fermat's famous theorem, I will show that there is a simple logical explanation which is also pragmatic and plausible and what is the result of a fundamental alternative idea how our world seems to be constructed. Y1 - 2014 SN - 2329-079X (E-Journal); 2329-0781 (Print) VL - 2 IS - 2 SP - 117 EP - 120 ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Guo, Yuanyuan A1 - Miyamoto, Ko-ichiro A1 - Wagner, Torsten A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Yoshinobu, Tatsuo T1 - Theoretical study and simulation of light-addressable potentiometric sensors JF - Physica status solidi (A) : applications and materials N2 - The light-addressable potentiometric sensor (LAPS) is a semiconductor-based potentiometric sensor using a light probe with an ability of detecting the concentration of biochemical species in a spatially resolved manner. As an important biomedical sensor, research has been conducted to improve its performance, for instance, to realize high-speed measurement. In this work, the idea of facilitating the device-level simulation, instead of using an equivalent-circuit model, is presented for detailed analysis and optimization of the performance of the LAPS. Both carrier distribution and photocurrent response have been simulated to provide new insight into both amplitude-mode and phase-mode operations of the LAPS. Various device parameters can be examined to effectively design and optimize the LAPS structures and setups for enhanced performance. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330354 SN - 0031-8965 VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1467 EP - 1472 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Heinze, Daniel A1 - Mang, Thomas A1 - Peter, Karin A1 - Möller, Martin A1 - Weichold, Oliver T1 - Synthesis of low molecular weight poly(vinyl acetate) and its application as plasticizer JF - Journal of applied polymer science N2 - Poly(vinyl acetate), PVAc, with a degree of polymerization Xn = 10 was prepared by chain-transfer radical polymerization using carbon tetrachloride and used as oligomeric plasticizer for commercial PVAc. However, the chlorinated chain ends cause a low thermal stability requiring mild Cl/H substitution. The product exhibits high thermal stability and excellent melt-compounding properties. Blends of oligomeric and commercial PVAc show single glass transition temperatures which decrease with higher oligomer content and exhibit small negative deviations from Fox' linear additivity rule. This indicates plasticization and miscibility being mainly due to entropic effects. Injection-moulded thick specimens show ductile behaviour at oligomer contents >10 wt %, while sheets with a thickness of 0.2–0.5 mm appear flexible already at 7.5 wt %. The oxygen permeability coefficients are an order of magnitude lower than those of low-density polyethylene. Due to the sum of their properties, the plasticized sheets present a promising alternative in the preparation of barrier materials. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/app.40226 SN - 1097-4628 (E-Journal); 0021-8995 (Print) VL - 131 IS - 9 SP - Article No. 40226 PB - Wiley CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Srivastava, A. A1 - Lahiri, S. A1 - Maiti, M. A1 - Knolle, F. A1 - Hoyler, Friedrich A1 - Scherer, Ulrich W. A1 - Schnug, E. W. T1 - Study of naturally occurring radioactive material (NORM) in top soil of Punjab State from the North Western part of India JF - Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/0.1007/s10967-014-3450-1 SN - 1588-2780 (E-Journal); 0022-4081 (Print); 0134-0719 (Print); 0236-5731 (Print); 1417-2097 (Print) VL - 2014 IS - 302 SP - 1049 EP - 1052 PB - Springer Nature CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Frotscher, Ralf A1 - Staat, Manfred T1 - Stresses produced by different textile mesh implants in a tissue equivalent JF - BioNanoMaterials N2 - Two single-incision mini-slings used for treating urinary incontinence in women are compared with respect to the stresses they produce in their surrounding tissue. In an earlier paper we experimentally observed that these implants produce considerably different stress distributions in a muscle tissue equivalent. Here we perform 2D finite element analyses to compare the shear stresses and normal stresses in the tissue equivalent for the two meshes and to investigate their failure behavior. The results clearly show that the Gynecare TVT fails for increasing loads in a zipper-like manner because it gradually debonds from the surrounding tissue. Contrary to that, the tissue at the ends of the DynaMesh-SIS direct may rupture but only at higher loads. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental observations thus the computational model helps to interpret the experimental results and provides a tool for qualitative evaluation of mesh implants. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/bnm-2014-0003 SN - 2191-4672 (E-Journal); 2193-066X (E-Journal); 0011-8656 (Print); 1616-0177 (Print); 2193-0651 (Print) VL - 15 IS - 1-2 SP - 25 EP - 30 PB - De Gruyter CY - Berlin ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schroeter, Rebecca A1 - Hoffmann, Tamara A1 - Voigt, Birgit A1 - Meyer, Hanna A1 - Bleisteiner, Monika A1 - Muntel, Jan A1 - Jürgen, Britta A1 - Albrecht, Dirk A1 - Becher, Dörte A1 - Lalk, Michael A1 - Evers, Stefan A1 - Bongaerts, Johannes A1 - Maurer, Karl-Heinz A1 - Putzer, Harald A1 - Hecker, Michael A1 - Schweder, Thomas A1 - Bremer, Erhard T1 - Stress responses of the industrial workhorse Bacillus licheniformis to osmotic challenges JF - PLoS ONE N2 - The Gram-positive endospore-forming bacterium Bacillus licheniformis can be found widely in nature and it is exploited in industrial processes for the manufacturing of antibiotics, specialty chemicals, and enzymes. Both in its varied natural habitats and in industrial settings, B. licheniformis cells will be exposed to increases in the external osmolarity, conditions that trigger water efflux, impair turgor, cause the cessation of growth, and negatively affect the productivity of cell factories in biotechnological processes. We have taken here both systems-wide and targeted physiological approaches to unravel the core of the osmostress responses of B. licheniformis. Cells were suddenly subjected to an osmotic upshift of considerable magnitude (with 1 M NaCl), and their transcriptional profile was then recorded in a time-resolved fashion on a genome-wide scale. A bioinformatics cluster analysis was used to group the osmotically up-regulated genes into categories that are functionally associated with the synthesis and import of osmostress-relieving compounds (compatible solutes), the SigB-controlled general stress response, and genes whose functional annotation suggests that salt stress triggers secondary oxidative stress responses in B. licheniformis. The data set focusing on the transcriptional profile of B. licheniformis was enriched by proteomics aimed at identifying those proteins that were accumulated by the cells through increased biosynthesis in response to osmotic stress. Furthermore, these global approaches were augmented by a set of experiments that addressed the synthesis of the compatible solutes proline and glycine betaine and assessed the growth-enhancing effects of various osmoprotectants. Combined, our data provide a blueprint of the cellular adjustment processes of B. licheniformis to both sudden and sustained osmotic stress. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0080956 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 8 IS - 11 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Nachtrodt, Frederik A1 - Tietsch, Wolfgang A1 - Mostacci, Domiziano A1 - Scherer, Ulrich W. T1 - Set-up and first operation of a plasma oven for treatment of low level radioactive wastes JF - Nuclear technology and radiation protection Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.2298/NTRP140SS47N SN - 1451-3994 VL - 29 IS - Suppl. SP - 47 EP - 51 PB - VINČA Institute of Nuclear Sciences CY - Belgrad ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Tippkötter, Nils A1 - Wollny, Steffen A1 - Suck, Kirstin A1 - Sohling, Ulrich A1 - Ruf, Friedrich A1 - Ulber, Roland T1 - Recycling of spent oil bleaching earth as source of glycerol for the anaerobic production of acetone, butanol, and ethanol with Clostridium diolis and lipolytic Clostridium lundense JF - Engineering in Life Sciences N2 - A major part of edible oil is subjected to bleaching procedures, primarily with minerals applied as adsorbers. Their recycling is currently done either by regaining the oil via organic solvent extraction or by using the spent bleaching earth (SBE) as additive for animal feed, etc. As a new method, the reutilization of the by-product SBE for the microbiologic formation of acetone, butanol, and ethanol (ABE) is presented as proof-of-concept. The SBE was taken from a palm oil cleaning process. The recycling concept is based on the application of lipolytic clostridia strains. Due to considerably long fermentation times, co-fermentation with Candida rugosa and enzymatic hydrolyses of the bound oil with a subsequent clostridia fermentation are shown as alternative routes. Anaerobic fermentations under comparison of different clostridia strains were performed with glycerol media, enzymatically hydrolyzed palm oil and SBE. Solutes, side product compositions and productivities were quantified via HPLC. A successful production of ABE solutes from SBE has been done with a yield of 0.15 g butanol per gram of bound glycerol. Thus, the biotechnological recycling of the waste stream is possible in principle. Inhibition of the substrate suspension has been observed. A chromatographic ion-exchange of substrates increased the biomass concentration. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/elsc.201300113 SN - 1618-2863 VL - 14 IS - 4 SP - 425 EP - 432 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kluczka, Sven A1 - Eckstein, Julian A1 - Alexopoulos, Spiros A1 - Vaeßen, Christiane A1 - Roeb, Martin T1 - Process simulation for solar steam and dry reforming JF - Energy procedia : Proceedings of the SolarPACES 2013 International Conference N2 - In co-operation with the German Aerospace Center, the Solar-Institut Jülich has been analyzing the different technologies that are available for methanol production from CO2 using solar energy. The aim of the project is to extract CO2 from industrial exhaust gases or directly from the atmosphere to recycle it by use of solar energy. Part of the study was the modeling and simulating of a methane reformer for the production of synthesis gas, which can be operated by solar or hybrid heat sources. The reformer has been simplified in such a way that the model is accurate and enables fast calculations. The developed pseudo-homogeneous one- dimensional model can be regarded as a kind of counter-current heat exchanger and is able to incorporate a steam reforming reaction as well as a dry reforming reaction. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.03.092 SN - 1876-6102 (E-Journal) VL - 49 SP - 850 EP - 859 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bäcker, Matthias A1 - Kramer, F. A1 - Huck, Christina A1 - Poghossian, Arshak A1 - Bratov, A. A1 - Abramova, N. A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef T1 - Planar and 3D interdigitated electrodes for biosensing applications: The impact of a dielectric barrier on the sensor properties JF - Physica Status Solidi (A) - Applications and Materials Science N2 - Planar and three-dimensional (3D) interdigitated electrodes (IDE) with electrode digits separated by an insulating barrier of different heights were electrochemically characterized and compared in terms of their sensing properties. Due to the impact of the surface resistance, both types of IDE structures display a non-linear behavior in low-ionic strength solutions. The experimental data were fitted to an electrical equivalent circuit and interpreted taking into account the surface-charge-governed properties. The effect of a charged polyelectrolyte layer electrostatically assembled onto the sensor surface on the surface resistance in solutions with different KCl concentration is studied. In case of the same electrode footprint, 3D-IDEs show a larger cell constant and a higher sensitivity to molecular adsorption than that of planar IDEs. The obtained results demonstrate the potential of 3D-IDEs as a new transducer structure for a direct label-free sensing of charged molecules. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssa.201330416 SN - 1521-396X (E-Journal); 1862-6319 (E-Journal); 0031-8965 (Print); 1862-6300 (Print) VL - 211 IS - 6 SP - 1357 EP - 1363 PB - Wiley-VCH CY - Weinheim ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Stadler, Alexander Maximilian A1 - Garvey, Christopher J. A1 - Embs, Jan Peter A1 - Koza, Michael Marek A1 - Unruh, Tobias A1 - Artmann, Gerhard A1 - Zaccai, Guiseppe T1 - Picosecond dynamics in haemoglobin from different species: A quasielastic neutron scattering study JF - Biochimica et biophysica acta (BBA): General Subjects Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bbagen.2014.06.007 SN - 1872-8006 (E-Journal); 0304-4165 (Print) VL - 1840 IS - 10 SP - 2989 EP - 2999 PB - Elsevier CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Murib, Mohammed Sharif A1 - Yeap, Weng-Siang A1 - Martens, Daan A1 - Bienstman, Peter A1 - Ceuninck, Ward de A1 - Grinsven, Bart van A1 - Schöning, Michael Josef A1 - Michiels, Luc A1 - Haenen, Ken A1 - Ameloot, Marcel A1 - Serpengüzel, Ali A1 - Wagner, Patrick T1 - Photonic detection and characterization of DNA using sapphire microspheres JF - Journal of biomedical optics N2 - A microcavity-based deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) optical biosensor is demonstrated for the first time using synthetic sapphire for the optical cavity. Transmitted and elastic scattering intensity at 1510 nm are analyzed from a sapphire microsphere (radius 500  μm, refractive index 1.77) on an optical fiber half coupler. The 0.43 nm angular mode spacing of the resonances correlates well with the optical size of the sapphire sphere. Probe DNA consisting of a 36-mer fragment was covalently immobilized on a sapphire microsphere and hybridized with a 29-mer target DNA. Whispering gallery modes (WGMs) were monitored before the sapphire was functionalized with DNA and after it was functionalized with single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA). The shift in WGMs from the surface modification with DNA was measured and correlated well with the estimated thickness of the add-on DNA layer. It is shown that ssDNA is more uniformly oriented on the sapphire surface than dsDNA. In addition, it is shown that functionalization of the sapphire spherical surface with DNA does not affect the quality factor (Q≈104) of the sapphire microspheres. The use of sapphire is especially interesting because this material is chemically resilient, biocompatible, and widely used for medical implants. Y1 - 2014 U6 - http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/1.JBO.19.9.097006 SN - 1560-2281 (E-Journal); 1083-3668 (Print) VL - 19 IS - 9 SP - 097006 PB - SPIE CY - Bellingham ER -