Single-sided lateral-field and phototransistor-based optoelectronic tweezers

Described herein are single-sided lateral-field optoelectronic tweezers (LOET) devices which use photosensitive electrode arrays to create optically-induced dielectrophoretic forces in an electric field that is parallel to the plane of the device. In addition, phototransistor-based optoelectronic tweezers (PhOET) devices are described that allow for optoelectronic tweezers (OET) operation in high-conductivity physiological buffer and cell culture media

Micro Fuel Cell Testbench

The Micro Fuel Cell Testbench is a product in development that is intended for use in the laboratory environment for rigorous testing of novel direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs). Additionally, the MFC Testbench will be able to operate as a stand-alone unit during tradeshows. The main testing operations of the device will include monitoring the operating voltage and current of the DMFC in response to variable load. The unit will also monitor the ambient temperature and humidity while the fuel cell is operating

Therapeutic Effect of Adding Magnesium Sulfate in Treatment of Organophosphorus Poisoning

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the prevalence of poisoning has increased dramatically due to population growth and access to drugs and toxins. Today poisoning is one of the important reasons for visiting hospitals. AIM: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of magnesium sulfate on organophosphorous toxicity. METHODS: Patients who had inclusion criteria in the study were randomly assigned to one of two groups (control group or case group) by an emergency medicine specialist. Patients' data including age, sex, ECG, vital signs, arterial oxygen saturation were recorded for patients. Patients in the case group (40 subjects) received 2 mg magnesium sulfate 50%, while the control group (40 subjects) received 100 cc normal saline (as placebo) as an intravenous infusion RESULTS: The distribution of gender in the two groups of patients was the same. Also, the mean age, Stature and weight of patients were similar in both groups. In the group receiving magnesium sulfate, diastolic blood pressure was lower when compared with another group, at 0 and 2 hours after intervention. Moreover, the mean of systolic blood pressure in both groups was determined to be the same at all hours. Furthermore, the heart rate in the group receiving sulfate was lower as compared to the control group for 8 hours, 16 and 24 hours after intervention. CONCLUSION: The use of magnesium sulfate in organophosphate poisoning reduces therapeutic costs an average hospital length of stay and mortality compared to those who did not receive magnesium sulfate

Estimation and prediction of avoidable health care costs of cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes through adequate dairy food consumption: a systematic review and micro simulation modeling study

Background: Recent evidence from prospective cohort studies show a relationship between consumption of dairy foods and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This association highlights the importance of dairy foods consumption in prevention of these diseases and also reduction of associated healthcare costs. The aim of this study was to estimate avoidable healthcare costs of CVD and T2D through adequate dairy foods consumption in Iran. Methods: This was a multistage modelling study. We conducted a systematic literature review in PubMed and EMBASE to identify any association between incidence of CVD and T2DM and dairy foods intake, and also associated relative risks. We obtained age- and sex-specific dairy foods consumption level and healthcare expenditures from national surveys and studies. Patient level simulation Markov models were constructed to predict the disease incidence, patient population size and associated healthcare costs for current and optimal dairy foods consumption at different time horizons (1, 5, 10 and 20 years). All parameters including costs and transition probabilities were defined as statistical distributions in the models, and all analyses were conducted by accounting for first and second order uncertainty. Results: The systematic review results indicated that dairy foods consumption was inversely associated with incidence of T2DM, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke. We estimated that the introduction of a diet containing 3 servings of dairy foods per day may produce a $0.43 saving in annual per capita healthcare costs in Iran in the first year due to saving in cost of CVD and T2DM treatment. The estimated savings in per capita healthcare costs were$8.42, $39.97 and$190.25 in 5, 10 and 20-years’ time, respectively. Corresponding total aggregated avoidable costs for the entire Iranian population within the study time horizons were $33.83,$661.31, $3,138.21 and$14,934.63 million, respectively. Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrated that increasing dairy foods consumption to recommended levels would be associated with reductions in healthcare costs. Further randomized trial studies are required to investigate the effect of dairy foods intake on cost of CVD and T2DM in the population

Radiation Engineering of Optical Antennas for Maximum Field Enhancement

Optical antennas have generated much interest in recent years due to their ability to focus optical energy beyond the diffraction limit, benefiting a broad range of applications such as sensitive photodetection, magnetic storage, and surfaceenhanced Raman spectroscopy. To achieve the maximum field enhancement for an optical antenna, parameters such as the antenna dimensions, loading conditions, and coupling efficiency have been previously studied. Here, we present a framework, based on coupled-mode theory, to achieve maximum field enhancement in optical antennas through optimization of optical antennas’ radiation characteristics. We demonstrate that the optimum condition is achieved when the radiation quality factor (Q_(rad)) of optical antennas is matched to their absorption quality factor (Q_(abs)). We achieve this condition experimentally by fabricating the optical antennas on a dielectric (SiO2) coated ground plane (metal substrate) and controlling the antenna radiation through optimizing the dielectric thickness. The dielectric thickness at which the matching condition occurs is approximately half of the quarter-wavelength thickness, typically used to achieve constructive interference, and leads to ∼20% higher field enhancement relative to a quarter-wavelength thick dielectric layer

Characterization of Extended Width Optical Dipole Antennas

Optical dipole antennas with varying length and width are fabricated using e-beam lithography. Antennas with wider width are shown to exhibit stronger scattering while preserving the same resonance frequency