Abstract
A new microstructured optical fiber is demonstrated to detect acetone evaporation by observing the time response of the reflected signal at 1550nm. The sensor consists on a caterpillar-like fiber, with a transversal microfluidic channel created with a Focused Ion Beam technique, spliced to a single-mode fiber. Different stages were visible between the dipping and the evaporation of acetone and of a mixture of water and acetone. It was also possible to detect the presence of water vapor.

Abstract
Focused ion beam milling is used on chemically etched tapered fiber tips to create fiber Bragg gratings. These fiber Bragg gratings are based on a modulation of silica and external medium. This leads to a wide and structured spectrum obtained due to imperfections and the inherent structure of the tip. The fiber Bragg gratings presented are very short and have a length of 27 mu m and 43 mu m and are milled on the tapered fiber tip. They are characterized in the high temperature range 350-850 degrees C and a sensitivity of 14.4 pm/K is determined.

Abstract
The purpose of the present work was to construct a weighing machine based on fiber Bragg gratings (FBGs) for the location of the 2D coordinates of the center of gravity (COG) of objects with complex geometry and density distribution. The apparatus consisted of a rigid equilateral triangular platform mounted on three supports at its vertices, two of them having cantilevers instrumented with FBGs. As an example, two femur bone models, one with and one without a hip stem prosthesis, are used to discuss the changing of the COM caused by the implementation of the prosthesis.

Abstract
This work presents a fiber cavity ring down (CRD) configuration for the measurement of strain. An optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) was used to send impulses down into the fiber loop cavity, inside of which a chirped fiber Bragg grating was placed to act as a strain sensing element. This technique could provide strain results with both conventional CRD-based configuration and the OTDR. The CRD configuration provided a linear response to strain applied in the range 0-2000 epsilon, and a sensitivity of 1.34 ns/epsilon was obtained. For the same operation range, the OTDR interrogation allowed obtaining a periodic behavior due to fiber Bragg grating scanning of the wavelength peaks of the multimode laser source while increasing strain. It is shown that the OTDR interrogation method provide a ring-down time response of about 8 s which is a great improvement when compared to the conventional CRD configuration (23 s). (c) 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Microwave Opt Technol Lett 57:1442-1444, 2015

Abstract
Cross-bite, as a malocclusion effect, is defined as a transversal changing of the upper dental arch, in relation to the lower arch, and may be classified as skeletal, dental or functional. As a consequence, the expansion of maxilla is an effective clinical treatment used to correct transversal maxillary discrepancy. The maxillary expansion is an ancient method used in orthodontics, for the correction of the maxillary athresia with posterior crossbite, through the opening of the midpalatal suture (disjunction), using orthodontic-orthopaedic devices. Same controversial discussion arises among the clinicians, about the effects of each orthodontic devices as also about the technique to be employed. The objective of this study was to compare the strain field induced by two different orthodontic devices, named disjunctor with and without a connecting bar, in an acrylic model jaw, using fiber Bragg grating sensors to measure the strain patterns. The orthodontic device disjunctor with the bar, in general, transmits higher forces and strain to teeth and maxillae, than with the disjunctor without bar. It was verified that the strain patterns were not symmetric between the left and the right sides as also between the posterior and anterior regions of the maxillae. For the two devices is also found that in addition a displacement in the horizontal plane, particularly in posterior teeth, also occurs a rotation corresponding to a vestibularization of the posterior teeth and their alveolar processes.

Abstract
Direct identification of cohesive laws in modes I and II of wood bonded joints is addressed by the double cantilever beam (DCB) and end-notched flexure (ENF) tests, respectively. Moreover, the development and extension of fracture process zone (FPZ) ahead of the initial crack tip, is analysed by means of digital image correlation (DIC) and embedded fibre Bragg grating (FBG) sensors. From FBG spectral response, the spectrum geometric mean is determined and the strain induced by wavelength variation employed to identify the initial and final stages of the FPZ. These stages are used to consistently define the cohesive laws in both modes I and II. Resistance-curves are determined from the compliance-based beam method (CBBM). Besides, the crack tip opening displacements (CTOD) are determined by post-processing displacement field provided by DIC around the initial crack tip. The strain energy release rate as a function of the CTOD are then determined for both mode I and mode II. The respective cohesive laws are reconstructed by numerical approximation and differentiation. It is concluded that the proposed data reduction scheme is effective to determine both the FPZ development phase and the corresponding cohesive laws of wood bonded joints in both mode I and mode II.