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Towards Real-Time Monitoring Of Bacterial Cultures Without The Need For Physical Sampling: Elastic Scattering, Fluorescence And Raman Spectroscopy Of Escherichia Coli Cultures., Richard Thomas Mcdonough

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The first part of this dissertation pertains to the fringe analysis of a hydration layer that forms spontaneously when biofilms dry. This layer at optical thickness ˂ 20 µm is approximately 1-2 orders of magnitude thinner than the biofilm thickness as measured by confocal Raman microscopy and confocal fluorescent microscopy. Drying/rehydration experiments performed on films withstood multiple cycles, returning to the same optical thickness proving their robust nature. The strength of a distinct water peak (1451 nm) in addition to others, reflects the thickness of the hydration layer. Confocal Raman microscopy showed that biofilms are chemically very similar to pure …