Method and Apparatus for Separating Particles by Dielectrophoresis

Particle separation apparatus separate particles and particle populations using dielectrophoretic (DEP) forces generated by one or more pairs of electrically coupled electrodes separated by a gap. Particles suspended in a fluid are separated by DEP forces generated by the at least one electrode pair at the gap as they travel over a separation zone comprising the electrode pair. Selected particles are deflected relative to the flow of incoming particles by DEP forces that are affected by controlling applied potential, gap width, and the angle linear gaps with respect to fluid flow. The gap between an electrode pair may be a single, linear gap of constant gap, a single linear gap having variable width, or a be in the form of two or more linear gaps having constant or variable gap width having different angles with respect to one another and to the flow

Effect of surgical experience and spine subspecialty on the reliability of the {AO} Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System

OBJECTIVE The objective of this paper was to determine the interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility of the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System based on surgeon experience (< 5 years, 5–10 years, 10–20 years, and > 20 years) and surgical subspecialty (orthopedic spine surgery, neurosurgery, and "other" surgery). METHODS A total of 11,601 assessments of upper cervical spine injuries were evaluated based on the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System. Reliability and reproducibility scores were obtained twice, with a 3-week time interval. Descriptive statistics were utilized to examine the percentage of accurately classified injuries, and Pearson’s chi-square or Fisher’s exact test was used to screen for potentially relevant differences between study participants. Kappa coefficients (κ) determined the interobserver reliability and intraobserver reproducibility. RESULTS The intraobserver reproducibility was substantial for surgeon experience level (< 5 years: 0.74 vs 5–10 years: 0.69 vs 10–20 years: 0.69 vs > 20 years: 0.70) and surgical subspecialty (orthopedic spine: 0.71 vs neurosurgery: 0.69 vs other: 0.68). Furthermore, the interobserver reliability was substantial for all surgical experience groups on assessment 1 (< 5 years: 0.67 vs 5–10 years: 0.62 vs 10–20 years: 0.61 vs > 20 years: 0.62), and only surgeons with > 20 years of experience did not have substantial reliability on assessment 2 (< 5 years: 0.62 vs 5–10 years: 0.61 vs 10–20 years: 0.61 vs > 20 years: 0.59). Orthopedic spine surgeons and neurosurgeons had substantial intraobserver reproducibility on both assessment 1 (0.64 vs 0.63) and assessment 2 (0.62 vs 0.63), while other surgeons had moderate reliability on assessment 1 (0.43) and fair reliability on assessment 2 (0.36). CONCLUSIONS The international reliability and reproducibility scores for the AO Spine Upper Cervical Injury Classification System demonstrated substantial intraobserver reproducibility and interobserver reliability regardless of surgical experience and spine subspecialty. These results support the global application of this classification system

Tourism Sustainability and COVID-19 Pandemic: Is There a Positive Side?

The COVID-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on the tourism industry like never before, resulting in massive losses of revenue and jobs around the world. Accordingly, the pandemic exacerbated the already existing sustainability challenges of the tourism industry. However, there is also a positive side of the pandemic which is often overlooked by international scholarship. Thus, the present study aims to review the extant literature in the area of COVID-19 and the tourism industry’s sustainability and resilience in future crises. Through a synthesis of secondary data, it was possible to bring attention to the negative as well as the positive effects of COVID-19 on the global tourism industry. This article contributed to a better understanding of the positive side of the pandemic in terms of rethinking, resetting, and redefining the industry in a more sustainable way. The study lays out a conceptual framework for tourism managers and destination planners to identify the pandemic as an opportunity and adopt sustainable solutions to deal with the post-pandemic challenges, thereby developing more sustainable and resilient tourism businesses and destinations

Vermistabilization of mango tree pruning waste with five earthworm species: A biochemical and heavy metal assessment

Mango tree pruning results in high biomass output, which is a serious agricultural and environmental problem. Vermicomposting is a potential, fast and sustainable tool to address these challenges. For sixty days, the experiment was carried out in six vermireactors containing five earthworm species by Eudrilus eugeniae, Eisenia fetida, Aporrectodea rosea, Lumbricus rubellus, and Lampito mauritii, as well as composting (without earthworm) using mango tree pruning waste biomass along with cattle dung as an instant preferred feeding material for earthworms. The pH, TOC, C/N and C/P ratios of the waste were substantially reduced by the earthworm activity. However, after vermicomposting, the levels of macronutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg, S) and micronutrients (Fe, Mn, Zn, and Cu) and microbial count substantially increased. The TOC content of waste was reduced by 42–55%, and the C/N of vermicompost ranged from 5.58 to 11.38. The results showed that earthworm fecundity was highest in vermireactors containing Eudrilus eugeniae and Eisenia fetida. The current study was ultimately determine that vermicomposting using Eudrilus eugeniae or Eisenia fetida is an effective strategy for utilising mango tree pruning waste, ensuring environmental sustainability and improving farmer revenue

COVID Crisis and Tourism Sustainability: An Insightful Bibliometric Analysis

The pernicious impact of COVID-19 on all the aspects of travel and tourism has posed a question of tourism sustainability before policymakers and researchers. This research aims to cast light on the bibliometric construct and knowledge structure of the contemporaneous research that evolved around tourism sustainability amid COVID-19. Bibliometric methods of performance analysis and science mapping were used to analyze a total of 440 bibliographic records retrieved from the Scopus database. The major findings showed sustainability as a trending area of tourism research amid COVID-19 and revealed the concentration of research in three prime domains: Management and sustainable development of tourism, environmental health, and mobility trends in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. These areas may be perceived as the recent domains, and they are imperative for future research

COVID Crisis and Tourism Sustainability: An Insightful Bibliometric Analysis

The pernicious impact of COVID-19 on all the aspects of travel and tourism has posed a question of tourism sustainability before policymakers and researchers. This research aims to cast light on the bibliometric construct and knowledge structure of the contemporaneous research that evolved around tourism sustainability amid COVID-19. Bibliometric methods of performance analysis and science mapping were used to analyze a total of 440 bibliographic records retrieved from the Scopus database. The major findings showed sustainability as a trending area of tourism research amid COVID-19 and revealed the concentration of research in three prime domains: Management and sustainable development of tourism, environmental health, and mobility trends in the context of COVID-19 pandemic. These areas may be perceived as the recent domains, and they are imperative for future research

Beneficial Effects of Coenzyme Q10 in Streptozotocin-Induced Type I Diabetic Rats

present investigation was undertaken to study the benefical effects of Coenzyme Q10 in streptozotocin (STZ)-induced type I diabetic rats. STZ-diabetes produced a significant increase in fasting glucose levels that was associated with decrease in serum insulin levels. STZ also produced hypercholesterolemia, hypertriglyceredemia, increase in lipid peroxidation and decrease in high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Treatment with Coenzyme Q10 produced a significant decrease in fasting glucose levels without affecting insulin levels. Coenzyme Q10 was also found to decrease significantly AUCglucose and no significant change in AUCinsulin values in STZ-diabetic rats. Treatment with Coenzyme Q10 also caused decrease in serum cholesterol, serum triglyceride levels and an increase in HDL levels. Coenzyme Q10 treatment also reduced lipid peroxidation in diabetic rats. The elevated blood pressure in diabetic rats was also lowered. Our data suggest that Coenzyme Q10 has beneficial effects in diabetes induced complications

KARYOTYPIC ANALYSIS OF CHROMOSOMAL POLYMORPHISM IN RELATION TO REPRODUCTIVE FAILURE

Objective: This study was undertaken to elucidate the role of heteromorphism in causation of reproductive anomalies like infertility.Methods: In our study, cytogenetic analysis of 830 suspected referral cases of both sexes were assessed using standard karyotypic technique with Giemsa staining from their blood samples. We identified heteromorphism of D/G groups and non-acrocentric chromosomes following WHO nomenclature.Results: Our data revealed that most of our heteromorphic cases (38;4.58%) were related to p arm satellites (ps+) of the chromosomes and are related to infertility and abortion. No significant gender variation was noticed in this study.Conclusion: We hence, suggest that heteromorphism is associated with a loss of reproductive function, as heterochromatin may contain genes that regulate cellular roles in reproduction. Further, it becomes important that such cases are considered for molecular studies, genetic counseling and prenatal/pre-implantation screening

Tellurium-free thermoelectrics: Improved thermoelectric performance of n-type Bi2Se3 having multiscale hierarchical architecture

We report an improved thermoelectric performance of n-type Bi2Se3 bulk alloys synthesized by vacuum melt method followed by vacuum hot-pressing. In the samples so prepared, the synergetic combination of ultra low thermal conductivity (similar to 0.7 W/m K), high Seebeck coefficient (similar to-168 mu V/K), and low electrical resistivity (similar to 15 mu Omega-m) has been observed to successfully lead to a high figure-of-merit (ZT) of similar to 0.96 at 370 K. A detailed characterization of the samples reveals a presence of multiscale hierarchical defect structures i.e. atomic scale disorder arising from a multitude of factors such as large anharmonicity of Bi-Se bond due to electrostatic repulsion between the lone pair of Bi and charge of Se, nanoscale grains and dislocations trapped between mesoscale grains/grain boundaries accompanied by intrinsic layered structure of Bi2Se3. This compact layered grain structure in its consequence offers a high charge carrier mobility and thereby results into a high power factor, while multiscale hierarchical architecture accounts for the scattering of a wider spectrum of phonons leading to an ultra low thermal conductivity. In view of this promising thermoelectric performance together with the presence of copiously available constituent namely Se, the hot-pressed Bi2Se3 presents a technologically suitable and commercially viable alternative to the conventional Bi2Te3 which is based on expensive and scarcely available Te