After earlier meetings in Enschede (NL, 1994), Basel (CH, 1996) and Banff (CDN, 1998), muTAS 2000 is the fourth international symposium on the subject of miniaturized techniques, methods, devices and systems for (bio)chemical analysis and synthesis. Initially started as a minor sub-topic in the large field of Micro System Technology (MST or MEMS), the field of muTAS is currently generally considered as one of the most important application areas of MST, which is reflected in the still rapidly growing research, development, and, above all, commercialization activities. Apart from further development and refining of the research on electrophoretic separation, electrokinetically driven flow systems, cell manipulation and analysis, miniaturized flow systems and study of microfluidics, the important new area of centrifugal microfluidics on CD devices receives broad attention. On the other hand, new innovations range from topics as exotic as photoacoustic detection in microreactors and molecular emission detection on a chip to very high-pressure microreactor devices and shear-flow driven separations. The enormous speed of the developments in this field is illustrated by the large number of new start-up companies, some of them based upon technologies that were not even published at the former meeting in Banff in 1998. All this illustrates the great excitement that continues to govern this field in which generation and analysis of (bio)chemical information using microtechnology becomes more and more entangled in what one could call micro (bio)chemical systems. This volume contains the proceedings of the fourth international symposium on Micro Total Analysis Systems (muTAS 2000), held 14-18 May 2000, at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, and organised by the MESA+ Research Institute. Cutting-edge research of all invited and contributed papers presented by the world's leading &mgr;TAS groups provide the newest state of the art of this electrifying, multidisciplinary field.

The proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Miniaturized Chemical and Biochemical Analysis Systems documents the exciting progress being made in this field of research and the continuing success of the conference series. The previous meetings have shown nearly 100% growth in abstract submissions and the fifth of the series continues this trend with nearly 400 abstracts submitted. Simultaneously the quality of the papers in this meeting remains high, as demonstrated in this publication. A broad array of topics is covered in this volume, as would be anticipated for such a highly multidisciplinary field as represented by muTotal Analysis Systems or Lab-on-a-Chip technology, the terms most commonly used to describe microfabricated devices for performing chemical and biochemical experimentation. The field remains heavily focused on microfluidic systems with only a few exceptions addressing gas phase studies. Device and system developments that address measurement problems associated with biotechnology continue to be an emphasis. The profile of electrokinetic-based separation devices for the analysis of DNA and proteins remains high and the interest in devices for cellular analysis is showing considerable growth. Further development of components and strategies for fluid transport, mixing, and dispensing are highlighted. Detection technologies that specifically address quantification issues in chemical and biochemical microsystems became a new emphasis for this meeting. Several new optical detection techniques relevant to microfluid systems are illustrated and microscale versions of NMR probes and mass spectrometers are discussed. New areas of development that are potentiallyemerging are nanofluidics- and microfluidics-based chemical synthesis. Clearly the field of miniaturized chemical and biochemical analysis systems is vibrant and continues to rapidly grow in depth, breadth, and maturity. This volume contains the proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Miniaturized Chemical and Biochemical Analysis Systems (&mgr;TAS 2001), held in Monterey, California, on October 21&endash;25, 2001. The collection of papers included in the proceedings represents the current state of the art in microsystems for chemical and biochemical experimentation. These proceedings will be a valuable tool for those wanting to become knowledgeable in an exciting field that may well change the way experimental problems in chemistry and biology are approached in the future.

Micro-TAS '98 is the third of a series of symposia initiated by MBSA (University of Twente) in 1994, on the subject of miniaturizing, and integrating within a monolithic structure, the chemical, biochemical and biological procedures commonly used for analysis and synthesis. The primary tool used to develop micro-total analysis systems (mu- TAS) has been micro-photolithographic patterning and micromachining. These powerful tools of Micro System Technology (MST or MEMS) have been applied in highly imaginative ways to develop microchip chemical arrays, fully integrated pump and fluid manifolds, and electrokinetically driven micro-channel systems to be used for genetic analysis, clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring, and to integrate reactions as diverse as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the large volume, partial oxidation of ammonia. This text illustrates the rapid expansion of the field, the extensive industrial involvement, the increasing number of participating researchers, the expanding range of concepts and applications that utilize MST and microfluidic devices, and new MST-compatible plastic micro-machining to meet the needs of the life science community. This volume contains the proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Micro-Total Analysis Systems, mu-TAS '98, held on October 13-16 in Banff, Alberta, Canada. State-of-the-art invited and contributed papers presented by the world's leading mu- TAS research groups provide a highly informative picture of the growth since 1994 and of the promising future of this exciting and rapidly growing field.

In the rapidly developing information society there is an ever-growing demand for information-supplying elements or sensors. The technology to fabricate such sensors has grown in the past few decades from a skilful activity to a mature area of scientific research and technological development. In this process, the use of silicon-based techniques has appeared to be of crucial importance, as it introduced standardized (mass) fabrication techniques, created the possibility of integrated electronics, allowed for new transduction principles, and enabled the realization of micromechanical structures for sensing or actuation. Such micromechanical structures are particularly well-suited to realize complex microsystems that improve the performance of individual sensors. Currently, a variety of sensor areas ranging from optical to magnetic and from micromechanical to (bio)chemical sensors has reached a high level of sophistication. In this MESA Monograph the proceedings of the Dutch Sensor Conference, an initiative of the Technology Foundation (STW), held at the University of Twente on March 2-3, 1998, are compiled. It comprises all the oral and poster contributions of the conference, and gives an excellent overview of the state of the art of Dutch sensor research and development. Apart from Dutch work, the contributions of two external invited experts from Switzerland are included.

Exploring fet Concepts for Lab-on-a-Chip.- Monitoring of Cell Growth, Oxygen and ph in Microfermentors.- Observation of Response to Stimuli in Oscillating Cells Patterned by Microfabricated Structure.- On-Chip Agarose Microchamber (AMC) Array Cell-Cultivation System for Topographical Control of Neural Network.- Integrated Size Exclusion and Reversed-Phase Electrochromatography.- Dispersion Analysis of a Solid-Phase Microextraction Chip by Computational Fluid Dynamics.- Interfacing Microchip CE with Icpms for Element Speciation.- Electrodeless Dielectrophoretic Trapping and Separation of Cells.- SiO2 Nozzle Array-Based Patch-Clamp Microsystem.- A Programmable Cell Assay Platform for Kinetic Studies of a Single Cell.- An Integrated Microdialysis-Based System.- User-Assembly, Fully Integrated Micro Chemical Laboratory using Biochemical IC Chips for Wearable/Implantable Applications.- Microfluidic Reactor Array for Multistep Droplet Reactions.- Single Molecular Detection of DNA/Protein and Its Application to Biochips.- DNA Separation in Gradient of Confined Nanospace Generated by Nanoparticles in a Microchannel.- Self-Assembled Magnetic Colloids for DNA Separations in Microfluidic Devices.- A Microfabricated Device for Separating 200KILO-BASE-PAIR DNA Molecules in 15 Seconds.- Airborn Chemistry Levitated Protein Droplets as a Novel Analytical Tool for Nucleation Screening in Macromolecular Crystallisation.- On-Line Monitoring of Airborne Chemistry in Levitated Droplets: in-SITU Synthesis and Application of Sers Active Ag-Sols For Trace Analysis By Raman Spectrometry.- Chip-To-World Interfaces for High-Throughput Lab-On-A-Chip Devices.- The Mems Modeling System by Collaboration of Multi-Scale Simulators and Application to the Microreactor.- Fem Study of Coulter Counter Wggh Water-Based Adaptable Aperture.- Micromanipulating Magnetic Particles in Microfluidic Systems.- Optimal Design of Micromixer Using Nonhomogeneous Multilayer Laminar Flow.- Computational Simulations of Fluid Flow Dynamics, and Bead Packing in Solid Phase Extraction Microsystems.- The Low-Voltage Cascade EOF Pump: Comparing Theory with Published Data.- Universal Joule Heating Model in Electrophoretic Separation Microchips.- Mathematical Model of Interfacial Layer in Ultra-Fine Liquid Drop Based on Molecular Dynamics Simulation.- Development of Micromixer Based on Instability of Interface Between Two Immiscible Liquids.- Theoretical Study of AC Electroosmotic Flows in Non-Uniformly Charged Microchannels.- Numerical Simulation of Mixing in A Micro-Channel with Non-Uniform Zeta Potential Surface.- Injection of Sample Bands from Open Channels into Packed Separation Columns.- Microscale Measurements of Flow Bounded by Air-Water Interfaces.- Virtual Flow Channel: A Novel Micro-Fluidics System with Orthogonal, Dynamic Control Of Sample Flow Dimensions.- Microfabrication of 3-D Oblique Structures by Inclined UV Lithography.- A New Fabrication Technique of A DNA Electrophoresischip by Silicon Micromachining Technology.- Precision Patterning of PDMS Thin Films: A New Fabrication Method and Its Applications.- Fabrication of Microfluidic Channels with Symmetric Cross-Sections for Integrated NMR Analysis.- Precise and Feasible Fabrication Process of Microfluidic Devices on A Borosilicate Glass Chip.- Laminated Electrodes Chip for Pulse-Immunoassay.- Fabrication of On-Chip Sorter Devices with Sub-Micrometer Scale Channels and Self-Aligned Microelectrodes.- Powder Handling Device for Drug Formulations.- Thermal Micropump Using Surface Tension Imbalance in Microchannels.- Optimization of Electrokinetic Pumps for Chip-Based Chromatographic Separations.- Practical Valves and Pumps for Large-Scale Integration into Microfluidic Analysis Devices.- Electro Osmotic Flow Pump Based on The Corbino Disc Geometry.- A Temperature Controlled Micro Valve for Biomedical Applications Using A Temperature Sensitive Hydrogel.- Electroosmotically Driven Two-Liquid Viscous Pump for Nonconducting...

The Sixth International Conference on Miniaturized Chemical and Biochemical Analysis Systems, known as /JTAS2002, will be fully dedicated to the latest scientific and technological developments in the field of miniaturized devices and systems for realizing not only chemical and biochemical analysis but also synthesis. The first /JTAS meeting was held in Enschede in 1994 with approximately 160 participants, bringing together the scientists with background in analytical and biochemistry with those with Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) in one workshop. We are grateful to Piet Bergveld and Albert van den Berg of MESA Research Institute of the University of Twente for their great efforts to arrange this exciting first meeting. The policy of the meeting was succeeded by late Prof. Dr. Michael Widmer in the second meeting, /JTAS'96 held in Basel with 275 participants. The first two meetings were held as informal workshops. From the third workshop, /JTAS'98 (420 participants) held in Banff, the workshop had become a worldwide conference. Participants continued to increase in /JTAS2000 (about 500 participants) held in Enschede and /JTAS2001 (about 700 participants) held in Monterey. The number of submitted papers also dramatically increased in this period from 130 in 1998, 230 in 2000 to nearly 400 in 2001. From 2001, /JTAS became an annual symposium. The steering committee meeting held in Monterey, confrrmed the policy of former /JTAS that quality rather than quantity would be the key-point and that the parallel-session format throughout the 3.

In the rapidly developing information society there is an ever-growing demand for information-supplying elements or sensors. The technology to fabricate such sensors has grown in the past few decades from a skilful activity to a mature area of scientific research and technological development. In this process, the use of silicon-based techniques has appeared to be of crucial importance, as it introduced standardized (mass) fabrication techniques, created the possibility of integrated electronics, allowed for new transduction principles, and enabled the realization of micromechanical structures for sensing or actuation. Such micromechanical structures are particularly well-suited to realize complex microsystems that improve the performance of individual sensors. Currently, a variety of sensor areas ranging from optical to magnetic and from micromechanical to (bio)chemical sensors has reached a high level of sophistication. In this MESA Monograph the proceedings of the Dutch Sensor Conference, an initiative of the Technology Foundation (STW), held at the University of Twente on March 2-3, 1998, are compiled. It comprises all the oral and poster contributions of the conference, and gives an excellent overview of the state of the art of Dutch sensor research and development. Apart from Dutch work, the contributions of two external invited experts from Switzerland are included.

Micro-TAS '98 is the third of a series of symposia initiated by MBSA (University of Twente) in 1994, on the subject of miniaturizing, and integrating within a monolithic structure, the chemical, biochemical and biological procedures commonly used for analysis and synthesis. The primary tool used to develop micro-total analysis systems (mu- TAS) has been micro-photolithographic patterning and micromachining. These powerful tools of Micro System Technology (MST or MEMS) have been applied in highly imaginative ways to develop microchip chemical arrays, fully integrated pump and fluid manifolds, and electrokinetically driven micro-channel systems to be used for genetic analysis, clinical diagnostics and environmental monitoring, and to integrate reactions as diverse as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and the large volume, partial oxidation of ammonia. This text illustrates the rapid expansion of the field, the extensive industrial involvement, the increasing number of participating researchers, the expanding range of concepts and applications that utilize MST and microfluidic devices, and new MST-compatible plastic micro-machining to meet the needs of the life science community. This volume contains the proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Micro-Total Analysis Systems, mu-TAS '98, held on October 13-16 in Banff, Alberta, Canada. State-of-the-art invited and contributed papers presented by the world's leading mu- TAS research groups provide a highly informative picture of the growth since 1994 and of the promising future of this exciting and rapidly growing field.

The proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Miniaturized Chemical and Biochemical Analysis Systems documents the exciting progress being made in this field of research and the continuing success of the conference series. The previous meetings have shown nearly 100% growth in abstract submissions and the fifth of the series continues this trend with nearly 400 abstracts submitted. Simultaneously the quality of the papers in this meeting remains high, as demonstrated in this publication. A broad array of topics is covered in this volume, as would be anticipated for such a highly multidisciplinary field as represented by muTotal Analysis Systems or Lab-on-a-Chip technology, the terms most commonly used to describe microfabricated devices for performing chemical and biochemical experimentation. The field remains heavily focused on microfluidic systems with only a few exceptions addressing gas phase studies. Device and system developments that address measurement problems associated with biotechnology continue to be an emphasis. The profile of electrokinetic-based separation devices for the analysis of DNA and proteins remains high and the interest in devices for cellular analysis is showing considerable growth. Further development of components and strategies for fluid transport, mixing, and dispensing are highlighted. Detection technologies that specifically address quantification issues in chemical and biochemical microsystems became a new emphasis for this meeting. Several new optical detection techniques relevant to microfluid systems are illustrated and microscale versions of NMR probes and mass spectrometers are discussed. New areas of development that are potentially emerging are nanofluidics- and microfluidics-based chemical synthesis. Clearly the field of miniaturized chemical and biochemical analysis systems is vibrant and continues to rapidly grow in depth, breadth, and maturity. This volume contains the proceedings of the Fifth International Conference on Miniaturized Chemical and Biochemical Analysis Systems (&mgr;TAS 2001), held in Monterey, California, on October 21&endash;25, 2001. The collection of papers included in the proceedings represents the current state of the art in microsystems for chemical and biochemical experimentation. These proceedings will be a valuable tool for those wanting to become knowledgeable in an exciting field that may well change the way experimental problems in chemistry and biology are approached in the future.

The MESA Research Institute of the University of Twente was created in 1990 through the joining of the research unit Sensors and Actuators with the department of Microelectronics. The multidisciplinary institute, with participation from the faculties of Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics and Chemical Technology, was recently recognized as a Centre of Excellence by the Dutch Science Foundation. It is fully 2 equipped with modem Clean Room facilities (1000 m ) and a number of research laboratories. The objective of MESA is to perform research and development of systems in modem information technology, and on the units on which they are based: the microstructures that process and transduce signals. The institute gradually expanded during the past few years till some 125 persons in 1994. Given the wide variety of research subjects within MESA, it has been decided to start a MESA Monographs series, appearing on a more or less regular, yearly basis. In this way, after some time a good overview of research topics under investigation at MESA will be obtained. The first volume of this series coincides with the Proceedings of pTAS '94, the first Workshop on Micro Total Analysis Systems, held on November 21-22 at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands. IlTAS has recently been defined as the first strategic research orientation of MESA, aiming at synergetic collaboration between the different disciplines present in MESA.

The Sixth International Conference on Miniaturized Chemical and Biochemical Analysis Systems, known as IlTAS2002, will be fully dedicated to the latest scientific and technological developments in the field of miniaturized devices and systems for realizing not only chemical and biochemical analysis but also synthesis. The first IlTAS meeting was held in Enschede in 1994 with approximately 160 participants, bringing together the scientists with background in analytical and biochemistry with those with Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) in one workshop. We are grateful to Piet Bergveld and Albert van den Berg of MESA Research Institute of the University of Twente for their great efforts to arrange this exciting first meeting. The policy of the meeting was succeeded by late Prof. Dr. Michael Widmer in the second meeting, IlTAS'96 held in Basel with 275 participants. The first two meetings were held as informal workshops. From the third workshop, IlTAS'98 (420 participants) held in Banff, the workshop had become a worldwide conference. Participants continued to increase in IlTAS2000 (about 500 participants) held in Enschede and IlTAS2001 (about 700 participants) held in Monterey. The number of submitted papers also dramatically increased in this period from 130 in 1998, 230 in 2000 to nearly 400 in 2001. From 2001, IlTAS became an annual symposium. The steering committee meeting held in Monterey, confirmed the policy of former IlTAS that quality rather than quantity would be the key-point and that the parallel-session format throughout the 3.

After earlier meetings in Enschede (NL, 1994), Basel (CH, 1996) and Banff (CDN, 1998), muTAS 2000 is the fourth international symposium on the subject of miniaturized techniques, methods, devices and systems for (bio)chemical analysis and synthesis. Initially started as a minor sub-topic in the large field of Micro System Technology (MST or MEMS), the field of muTAS is currently generally considered as one of the most important application areas of MST, which is reflected in the still rapidly growing research, development, and, above all, commercialization activities. Apart from further development and refining of the research on electrophoretic separation, electrokinetically driven flow systems, cell manipulation and analysis, miniaturized flow systems and study of microfluidics, the important new area of centrifugal microfluidics on CD devices receives broad attention. On the other hand, new innovations range from topics as exotic as photoacoustic detection in microreactors and molecular emission detection on a chip to very high-pressure microreactor devices and shear-flow driven separations. The enormous speed of the developments in this field is illustrated by the large number of new start-up companies, some of them based upon technologies that were not even published at the former meeting in Banff in 1998. All this illustrates the great excitement that continues to govern this field in which generation and analysis of (bio)chemical information using microtechnology becomes more and more entangled in what one could call micro (bio)chemical systems. This volume contains the proceedings of the fourth international symposium on Micro Total Analysis Systems (muTAS 2000), held 14-18 May 2000, at the University of Twente in Enschede, The Netherlands, and organised by the MESA+ Research Institute. Cutting-edge research of all invited and contributed papers presented by the world's leading &mgr;TAS groups provide the newest state of the art of this electrifying, multidisciplinary field.

This volume has been prepared in the framework of Project 1: "Educating Man for the 21st Century" of Plan Europe 2000, sponsored by the European Cultural Foundation. While most of the studies launched under this Project deal with specific aspects or levels of education the present volume attempts to provide a more global view of educational futures and their relationships to alternative futures of the overall socio-economic system. It should not be considered as a general integration or synthesis* of the different studies of the Education Project of the European Cultural Foundation - although it draws on them as well as other recently published documents. Rather, it should be regarded as one of several possible approaches, analytical tools, and incentives to the study and open discussion of educational problems seen in a long-term perspective. The volume is the result of a collective effort of a multinational team of researchers. A colloquium of some sixty participants, meeting at the Uni versity of York in October 1972, provided critiques and comments to the first version of the report. But only the authors themselves claim responsibil ity for the methodology of the study, and the opinions and conclusions expressed therein. These do not necessarily reflect those of the sponsors of the volume, the European Cultural Foundation and the Scientific Committee of its Education Project. * Such a synthesis will appear as the concluding report of the Project.