Abstract
Colloids and suspensions are part of our daily routines. Even the blood is considered a "naturally" occurring colloid. However, the majority of colloids are complex and composed by a diversity of nano to microparticles. The characterization of both synthetic and physiological fluids in terms of particulate types, size and surface characteristics plays a vital role in products formulation, and in the early diagnosis through the identification of abnormal scatterers in physiological fluids, respectively. Several methods have been proposed for characterizing suspensions, including imaging, electrical sensing counters, hydrodynamic or field flow fractionation. However, the Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS) has evolved as the most convenient method from these. Based also on the scattering signal, we propose a novel, simple and fast method able to determine the number of different scatterers type present in a suspension, without any previous information about its composition (in terms of particle classes). This is achieved by collecting features from a 980 nm laser back-scattered signal acquired through a polymeric lensed optical fiber tip dipped into the solution. Unlike DLS, this technique allows the trapping of particles whose diameter >= 1 mu m. For smaller particles, despite not guaranteeing their immobilization, it is also able to determine the number of different nanoparticles classes in an ensemble. The number of particle types was correctly determined for suspensions of synthetic particles and yeasts; different bacteria; and 100 nm nanoparticles types, using both Principal Component Analysis and K-means algorithms. This method could be a valuable alternative to complex and time-consuming methods for particles separation, such as field flow fractionation.

Abstract
A sensor based on 2 hollow core microspheres is proposed. Each microsphere was produced separately through fusion splicing and then joined. The resultant structure is a Fabry-Perot interferometer with multiple interferences that can be approximated to a 4-wave interferometer. Strain characterization was attained for a maximum of 1350 mu epsilon, achieving a linear response with a sensitivity of 3.39 +/- 0.04 pm/mu epsilon. The fabrication technique, fast and with no chemical hazards, as opposed to other fabrication techniques, makes the proposed sensor a compelling solution for strain measurements in hash environments.

Abstract
Optical waveguides directly written in fused silica using a femtosecond laser were characterized from 350 to 1750 nm to gain insight on the waveguide's loss mechanisms and their dependence on processing parameters, such as pulse energy, scan velocity, and annealing temperature. Two major loss mechanisms were identified. In the range of parameters tested, high pulse energy was seen to improve coupling losses at long wavelengths, while high scan velocity has a negative effect in both Rayleigh scattering and coupling losses at long wavelengths. Thermal annealing of the waveguides demonstrated an improvement of the Rayleigh scattering at a cost of higher coupling losses at long wavelengths. Wavelength independent Mie scattering was also observed, evolving negatively with pulse energy. A minimum Rayleigh scattering coefficient of approximate to 0.5 dB.cm(-1).mu m(4) (approximate to 0.08 dB.cm(-1).mu m(4) for thermally treated waveguides) together with a Mie scattering coefficient of approximate to 0.2-0.65 dB/cm are reported.

Abstract
New miniaturized sensors for biological and medical applications must be adapted to the measuring environments and they should provide a high measurement resolution to sense small changes. The Vernier effect is an effective way of magnifying the sensitivity of a device, allowing for higher resolution sensing. We applied this concept to the development of a small-size optical fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer probe that presents more than 60-fold higher sensitivity to temperature than the normal Fabry-Perot interferometer without the Vernier effect. This enables the sensor to reach higher temperature resolutions. The silica Fabry-Perot interferometer is created by focused ion beam milling of the end of a tapered multimode fiber. Multiple Fabry-Perot interferometers with shifted frequencies are generated in the cavity due to the presence of multiple modes. The reflection spectrum shows two main components in the Fast Fourier transform that give rise to the Vernier effect. The superposition of these components presents an enhancement of sensitivity to temperature. The same effect is also obtained by monitoring the reflection spectrum node without any filtering. A temperature sensitivity of -654 pm/degrees C was obtained between 30 degrees C and 120 degrees C, with an experimental resolution of 0.14 degrees C. Stability measurements are also reported.

Abstract
In this chapter the developments made in femtosecond laser micromachining for applications in the fields of optofluidics and lab-on-a-chip devices are reviewed. This technology can be applied to a wide range of materials (glasses, crystals, polymers) and relies on a non-linear absorption process that leads to a permanent alteration of the material structure. This modification can induce, for instance, a smooth variation of the refractive index or generate etching selectivity, which can be used to form integrated optical circuits and microfluidic systems, respectively. Unlike conventional techniques, fs-laser micromachining offers a way to produce high-resolution three-dimensional components and integrate them in a monolithic approach. Recent advances made in two-photon polymerization have also enabled combination of polymeric structures with microfluidic channels, which can provide additional functionalities, such as fluid transport control. In particular, here it is emphasised the integration ofmicrofluidic systems with optical layers and polymeric structures for the fabrication of miniaturized hybrid devices for chemical synthesis and biosensing.

Abstract
In this article, a self-referencing intensity-based fiber optic sensor relying on the principle of Fabry-Perot interference is proposed and demonstrated to measure curvature. The sensor is manufactured producing an air bubble cavity between two sections of multimode fiber. By detecting optical power variations at specific wavelengths, it was possible to measure curvature, enabling this sensor as a self-referencing system. For this setup, the achieved curvature sensitivity was 0.561 ± 0.014 dB/m-1, with a correlation factor up to 0.997, within the measurement range of 0.0-0.8 m-1. The proposed system has several features, including the self-referencing characteristic and its structure simplicity in terms of measuring procedure, making it a useful system. © 2017 IEEE.