Warpage characterization of microchannels fabricated by injection molding

Cataloged from PDF version of article.Mass-production of microfluidic devices is important for biomedical applications in which disposable devices are widely used. Injection molding is a well-known process for the production of devices on a mass scale at low-cost. In this study, the injection molding process is adapted for the fabrication of a microfluidic device with a single microchannel. To increase the product quality, high-precision mechanical machining is utilized for the manufacturing of the mold of the microfluidic device. A conventional injection molding machine is implemented in the process. Injection molding was performed at different mold temperatures. The warpage of the injected pieces was characterized by measuring the part deformation. The effect of the mold temperature on the quality of the final device was assessed in terms of the part deformation and bonding quality. From the experimental results, oneto-one correspondence between the warpage and the bonding quality of the molded pieces was observed. It was found that as the warpage of the pieces decreases, the bonding quality increases. A maximum point for the breaking pressure of the bonding and the minimum point for the warpage were found at the same mold temperature. This mold temperature was named as the optimum temperature for the designed microfluidic device. It was observed that the produced microfluidic devices at the mold temperature of 45 !C were able to withstand pressures up to 74 ba

Importance of capturing heliospheric variability for studies of thermospheric vertical winds

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95431/1/jgra21925.pd

Application of continuous wavelet transform to the analysis of the modulus of the fractional Fourier transform bands for resolving two component mixture

In this paper, the fractional Fourier transform (FrFT) is applied to the spectral bands of two component mixture containing oxfendazole and oxyclozanide to provide the multicomponent quantitative prediction of the related substances. With this aim in mind, the modulus of FrFT spectral bands are processed by the continuous Mexican Hat family of wavelets, being denoted by MEXH-CWT-MOFrFT. Four modulus sets are obtained for the parameter a of the FrFT going from 0.6 up to 0.9 in order to compare their effects upon the spectral and quantitative resolutions. Four linear regression plots for each substance were obtained by measuring the MEXH-CWT-MOFrFT amplitudes in the application of the MEXH family to the modulus of the FrFT. This new combined powerful tool is validated by analyzing the artificial samples of the related drugs, and it is applied to the quality control of the commercial veterinary samples

Development and Evaluation of a One-Step Multiplex Real-Time TaqMan\u3csup\u3e®\u3c/sup\u3e RT-qPCR Assay for the Detection and Genotyping of Equine G3 and G14 Rotaviruses in Fecal Samples

Background: Equine rotavirus A (ERVA) is the leading cause of diarrhea in neonatal foals and has a negative impact on equine breeding enterprises worldwide. Among ERVA strains infecting foals, the genotypes G3P[12] and G14P[12] are the most prevalent, while infections by strains with other genomic arrangements are infrequent. The identification of circulating strains of ERVA is critical for diagnostic and surveillance purposes, as well as to understand their molecular epidemiology. Current genotyping methods available for ERVA and rotaviruses affecting other animal species rely on Sanger sequencing and are significantly time-consuming, costly and labor intensive. Here, we developed the first one-step multiplex TaqMan® real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) assay targeting the NSP3 and VP7 genes of ERVA G3 and G14 genotypes for the rapid detection and G-typing directly from fecal specimens. Methods: A one-step multiplex TaqMan® RT-qPCR assay targeting the NSP3 and VP7 genes of ERVA G3 and G14 genotypes was designed. The analytical sensitivity was assessed using serial dilutions of in vitro transcribed RNA containing the target sequences while the analytical specificity was determined using RNA and DNA derived from a panel of group A rotaviruses along with other equine viruses and bacteria. The clinical performance of this multiplex assay was evaluated using a panel of 177 fecal samples and compared to a VP7-specific standard RT-PCR assay and Sanger sequencing. Limits of detection (LOD), sensitivity, specificity, and agreement were determined. Results: The multiplex G3 and G14 VP7 assays demonstrated high specificity and efficiency, with perfect linearity. A 100-fold difference in their analytical sensitivity was observed when compared to the singleplex assays; however, this difference did not have an impact on the clinical performance. Clinical performance of the multiplex RT-qPCR assay demonstrated that this assay had a high sensitivity/specificity for every target (100% for NSP3, \u3e 90% for G3 VP7 and \u3e 99% for G14 VP7, respectively) and high overall agreement (\u3e 98%) compared to conventional RT-PCR and sequencing. Conclusions: This new multiplex RT-qPCR assay constitutes a useful, very reliable tool that could significantly aid in the rapid detection and G-typing of ERVA strains circulating in the field

The effect of overt and subclinical hypothyroidism on the development of non-dipper blood pressure

Introduction: ′Non-dippers′ are individuals without the anticipated nocturnal decrease in blood pressure. An increased incidence of target organ damage and a worse outcome in terms of cardiovascular events have been reported in this group of people. The pathogenesis of non-dipper hypertension is not clear at present. We aimed to investigate the effects of overt and subclinical hypothyroidism on the development of a non-dipper blood pressure pattern via 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring. Material and methods: 109 normotensive patients with overt and subclinical hypothyroidism were evaluated, and 95 of these patients without reverse dipping and masked hypertension were included in the study. The control group consisted of 75 gender- and age-matched, normotensive, euthyroid healthy individuals. Results: Median serum TSH levels were 7.61 and 1.59 mUmL in patient and control groups, respectively. The number of non-dippers according to systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressure was significantly higher in the patients with hypothyroidism compared to the control group. In linear regression analysis, TSH had a negative effect on the night/day ratio of the systolic, diastolic and mean blood pressures. Conclusion: Despite the fact that the effect of hypothyroidism on non-dipper blood pressure pattern is not known, the present study has revealed that elevated TSH levels are likely to increase the risk of non-dipping in normotensive patients with either overt or subclinical hypothyroidism. (Pol J Endocrinol 2012; 63 (2): 97–103)Wstęp: U osób określanych jako non-dippers nie występuje fizjologiczne obniżenie ciśnienia tętniczego w godzinach nocnych. Jak wynika z doniesień, w tej grupie chorych częściej dochodzi do zmian narządowych i zdarzeń sercowo-naczyniowych. Patogenezy nadciśnienia tętniczego typu non-dipper dotychczas nie wyjaśniono. Celem autorów było zbadanie wpływu jawnej i subklinicznej niedoczynności tarczycy na rozwój profilu dobowej zmienności ciśnienia tętniczego typu non-dipper metodą całodobowego automatycznego pomiaru ciśnienia tętniczego. Materiał i metody: Spośród 109 chorych z prawidłowym ciśnieniem i z jawną lub subkliniczną niedoczynnością tarczycy do analizy włączono 95 osób, u których nie występował nocny wzrost ciśnienia tętniczego (reverse dipping) ani utajone nadciśnienie tętnicze. Grupa kontrolna składała się z 75 zdrowych osób z prawidłowym ciśnieniem tętniczym i prawidłową czynnością tarczycy odpowiednio dobranych pod względem płci i wieku. Wyniki: Mediany stężeń TSH w surowicy w grupach badanej i kontrolnej wynosiły odpowiednio 7,61 i 1,59 mUml. Liczba osób, u których nie występował nocny spadek wartości skurczowego, rozkurczowego i średniego ciśnienia tętniczego, był istotnie wyższy w grupie chorych z niedoczynnością tarczycy niż w grupie kontrolnej. W analizie regresji liniowej wykazano istnienie odwrotnej zależności między stężeniem TSH a stosunkiem między nocnymi i dziennymi wartościami ciśnienia skurczowego, rozkurczowego i średniego ciśnienia tętniczego. Wnioski: Mimo że nie wiadomo, jaki jest mechanizm oddziaływania niedoczynności tarczycy na rozwój dobowego profilu ciśnienia tętniczego typu non-dipper, w niniejszym badaniu wykazano, że podwyższone stężenie TSH może zwiększać ryzyko wystąpienia takiego profilu ciśnienia tętniczego u osób z prawidłowym ciśnieniem tętniczym i jawną lub subkliniczną niedoczynnością tarczycy. (Endokrynol Pol 2012; 63 (2): 97–103

B2 - B3 Investigación de las actitudes de los atletas de fútsal con deficiencia visual hacia el doping

Doping has been found to be used by some athletes in many sports. Athletes may turn to doping for the sake of winning, even though they know its harmful effects. The aim of this research is to be curious about the attitudes of disabled athletes about doping, to contribute to the literature with this research, and to examine the attitudes of visually impaired futsal athletes towards doping. A total of 50 athletes participated in the study, 27 of which were in the B2 category and 23 in the B3 visually impaired category. In this study, a relational screening model, which includes comparison and correlation type examinations between variables, was used in the analysis of data. After the normality test result showed that the distribution was normal, the independent t-Test was used to find the difference between the two groups as a statistical analysis, and the Pearson Correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between the age and sports age of the athletes. According to the results of the research, it was determined that there was no significant difference (p>.05) in the attitude towards doping according to the category of disability, nationality, age and sports age.El objetivo de esta investigación es tener curiosidad sobre las actitudes de los atletas discapacitados sobre el dopaje, contribuir a la literatura con esta investigación y examinar las actitudes de los atletas de fútbol sala con discapacidad visual hacia el dopaje. En el estudio participaron un total de 50 deportistas, 27 de ellos en la categoría B2 y 23 en la categoría B3 deficientes visuales. En este estudio, que tiene como objetivo revelar las actitudes de los atletas hacia el dopaje en términos de categoría de discapacidad, nacionalidad, edad de los atletas y edad deportiva, se utilizó un modelo de tamizaje relacional, que incluye exámenes de tipo comparación y correlación entre variables, en el análisis de datos. Después de que el resultado de la prueba de normalidad mostró que la distribución era normal, se usó la prueba t independiente para encontrar la diferencia entre los dos grupos como análisis estadístico, y el análisis de correlación de Pearson se usó para determinar la relación entre la edad y la edad deportiva de los atletas. De acuerdo a los resultados de la investigación, se determinó que no hubo diferencia significativa (p>.05) en la actitud hacia el dopaje según categoría de discapacidad, nacionalidad, edad y edad deportiva

Association among SNAP-25 gene DdeI and MnlI polymorphisms and hemodynamic changes during methylphenidate use: A functional near-infrared spectroscopy study

Objective: To investigate the interaction of treatment-related hemodynamic changes with genotype status for Synaptosomal associated protein 25 (SNAP-25) gene in participants with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on and off single dose short-acting methylphenidate treatment with functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). Method: A total of 15 right-handed adults and 16 right-handed children with DSM-IV diagnosis of ADHD were evaluated. Ten milligrams of short-acting methylphenidate was administered in a crossover design. Results: Participants with SNAP-25 DdeI T/T genotype had decreased right deoxyhemoglobin ([HHb]) with treatment. SNAP-25 MnlI genotype was also associated with right deoxyhemoglobin ([HbO2]) and [HHb] changes as well as left [HHb] change. When the combinations of these genotypes were taken into account, the participants with [DdeI C/C or T/C and MnlI G/G or T/G] genotype had increased right [HHb] with MPH use whereas the participants with [DdeI T/T and MnlI T/T] or [DdeI T/T and MnlI G/G or T/G] genotypes had decreased right prefrontal [HHb]. Conclusions: These results suggested that SNAP-25 polymorphism might be associated with methylphenidate induced brain hemodynamic changes in ADHD participants. © 2011 SAGE Publications

Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease: a case report

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licens

Radionuclide transport and retardation in tuff

Batch measurements provide an understanding of which experimental variables are important. For example, sorption ratios vary little with particle size (and surface area); however, groundwater composition and rock composition are quite important. A general correlation has been identified between mineralogy (major phases) and degree of sorption for strontium, cesium, and barium. Although these are approximate, a more detailed analysis may be possible as more samples are studied and the data base increased. Data from crushed tuff columns indicate that, except in simple cases where sorption coefficients are relatively low, and ion-exchange equilibria not only exist but are the dominant mechanism for removal of radioisotopes from solution, the simple relation between the sorption ratio R/sub d/ (or K/sub d/) and the relative velocity of radionuclides with respect to groundwater velocity may be insufficient to permit accurate modeling of the retardation of radionuclides. Additional work on whole core columns and larger blocks of intact material is required to better understand radionuclide sorption and transport through rock