Temperature Modulation of Electric Fields in Biological Matter

Pulsed electric fields (PEF) have become an important minimally invasive surgical technology for various applications including genetic engineering, electrochemotherapy and tissue ablation. This study explores the hypothesis that temperature dependent electrical parameters of tissue can be used to modulate the outcome of PEF protocols, providing a new means for controlling and optimizing this minimally invasive surgical procedure. This study investigates two different applications of cooling temperatures applied during PEF. The first case utilizes an electrode which simultaneously delivers pulsed electric fields and cooling temperatures. The subsequent results demonstrate that changes in electrical properties due to temperature produced by this configuration can substantially magnify and confine the electric fields in the cooled regions while almost eliminating electric fields in surrounding regions. This method can be used to increase precision in the PEF procedure, and eliminate muscle contractions and damage to adjacent tissues. The second configuration considered introduces a third probe that is not electrically active and only applies cooling boundary conditions. This second study demonstrates that in this probe configuration the temperature induced changes in electrical properties of tissue substantially reduce the electric fields in the cooled regions. This novel treatment can potentially be used to protect sensitive tissues from the effect of the PEF. Perhaps the most important conclusion of this investigation is that temperature is a powerful and accessible mechanism to modulate and control electric fields in biological tissues and can therefore be used to optimize and control PEF treatments

Breaking the Stigma of Breadwinners: Exploring the Struggles and Challenges of Single Filipinos Overseas in Qatar, A Phenomenology

Background: Qatar is a melting pot of cultures. Qatar’s welcoming approach has led more and more expatriates over the years—including single Filipinos who seek better opportunities and stability for themselves and their families. This research study endeavors to understand Single Overseas Filipino workers’ lived experiences, analyzing their struggles and challenges in Qatar. Methods: This qualitative research utilized a phenomenological research design exploring and acknowledging single Filipino breadwinners’ experiences in Qatar. It corresponds to the central question: “How does the reality of being a single overseas Filipino worker in Qatar, providing for their families back home in the Philippines, affect their current state?” The data set was gathered in the form of an interview and was analyzed through a dendrogram. Findings: Based on the responses of the purposely-chosen participants, four themes were created. These are (1) Personal Circumstances which includes Managing Emotions, Conquering Homesickness, and Finding Self-Direction; (2) Familial Facets, which encompasses Undertaking Responsibilities, Facing Expectations, and Understanding Situations; (3) Social Influences which incorporates Adapting Socially, Strengthening Relationships, and Diverging Connections; (4) Financial Foes which involves Generating Income, Managing Remittances, and Stabilizing Finances. Conclusion: The inspiring stories of the single Overseas Filipino Workers who served as the family’s breadwinners serve as an eye-opener to the struggles, opportunities, and strategies they employ to make sense of the journey they are taking. These will also serve as footnotes to aspiring Filipino expatriates who put families at the center of their lives. Recommendations: Future researchers may focus on various aspects and factors beyond this research, such as those with families, married, or widows. Furthermore, jobs are part of different collar jobs with different genders or social statuses

The Conundrum of Low Achievement and Feedback for Learning

The literature on improving student engagement with assessment and feedback has a tendency to treat all students as if they are the same. Students with lower levels of attainment are generally underrepresented within empirical studies and their feedback behaviours are less well understood. The recent drive to improve student assessment and feedback literacy and the move from ‘feedback’ being information about a task to being a process of understanding and using performance information is a larger conceptual leap for some students than others. In this paper, we consider issues surrounding the transition to new modes of feedback, focusing on what is needed for those who find study difficult and persistently are disappointed by their levels of attainment, to benefit from and take advantage of our feedback pedagogies. We examine literature advocating strategies such as increasing agency, using praise, developing feedback literacy and cultivating a growth mind-set. We argue that students who underachieve may benefit from strong relationships with educators and peers; exposure to feedback rich, low stakes environments, which permit repeated integrations of practice and feedback and building feedback literacy through peer assessment activities

The study of atmospheric ice-nucleating particles via microfluidically generated droplets

Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) play a significant role in the climate and hydrological cycle by triggering ice formation in supercooled clouds, thereby causing precipitation and affecting cloud lifetimes and their radiative properties. However, despite their importance, INP often comprise only 1 in 10³–10⁶ ambient particles, making it difficult to ascertain and predict their type, source, and concentration. The typical techniques for quantifying INP concentrations tend to be highly labour-intensive, suffer from poor time resolution, or are limited in sensitivity to low concentrations. Here, we present the application of microfluidic devices to the study of atmospheric INPs via the simple and rapid production of monodisperse droplets and their subsequent freezing on a cold stage. This device offers the potential for the testing of INP concentrations in aqueous samples with high sensitivity and high counting statistics. Various INPs were tested for validation of the platform, including mineral dust and biological species, with results compared to literature values. We also describe a methodology for sampling atmospheric aerosol in a manner that minimises sampling biases and which is compatible with the microfluidic device. We present results for INP concentrations in air sampled during two field campaigns: (1) from a rural location in the UK and (2) during the UK’s annual Bonfire Night festival. These initial results will provide a route for deployment of the microfluidic platform for the study and quantification of INPs in upcoming field campaigns around the globe, while providing a benchmark for future lab-on-a-chip-based INP studies

Developing the Questionnaire

AbstractThis chapter outlines the essential topics for developing and testing a questionnaire for a discrete choice experiment survey. It addresses issues such as the description of the environmental good, pretesting of the survey, incentive compatibility, consequentiality or mitigation of hypothetical bias. For the latter, cheap talk scripts, opt-out reminders or an oath script are discussed. Moreover, the use of instructional choice sets, the identification of protest responses and strategic bidders are considered. Finally, issues related to the payment vehicle and the cost vector design are the subject of this section

Changes in lower limb biomechanics when following floor-projected foot placement visual cues for gait rehabilitation

Background: Lately, the projection of foot placement visual cues onto the floor has been considered for use in gait rehabilitation. While promising, this approach needs further basic assessment to ensure proper uses. Research question: Does following floor-projected foot placement visual cues of one's natural walking pattern induce gait mechanics changes immediately or after a practice period?Methods: Gait mechanics data from fifteen healthy individuals (7 female, 25.4 +/- 5.0 years, 21.5 +/- 1.68 kg/m(2)) was collected during normal walking without visual cues, and during two testing phases (immediate and after 45-60 min of practice) of walking with floor-projected visual cues depicting their normal spatial parameters. Magnitudes and variabilities of spatial gait parameters and sagittal plane lower limb kinematics and kinetics were compared between the three testing phases using repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc paired ttests.Results: Compared to normal walking without foot placement visual cues, there was a statistically significant (p < 0.05) increase in stride length (maximum change of 0.01 +/- 0.01 m), stance phase knee flexion (2.0 +/- 2.5 degrees), and swing phase hip flexion (1.2 +/- 1.3 degrees) in both immediate and post-practice testing phases, along with an increase in terminal stance hip (0.28 +/- 0.38 %BW*Ht) and knee (0.25 +/- 0.25 %BW*Ht) flexion moments in the immediate testing phase. All of these changes between testing phases were smaller than their corresponding normal gait smallest real differences (SRD). With the addition of visual cues, variability was statistically significantly decreased in spatial parameters and increased in knee flexion angle at heel strike and knee flexion moment in terminal stance.Significance: While biomechanical changes were observed, their magnitudes were small enough to suggest that floor-projected visual cues can be used in gait retraining without introducing unintended gait changes. Furthermore, the results suggested that lengthy practice periods are not necessary. The validity of these observations will, however, need to be confirmed in cases of severe impairments

Changes in lower limb biomechanics when following floor-projected foot placement visual cues for gait rehabilitation.

Lately, the projection of foot placement visual cues onto the floor has been considered for use in gait rehabilitation. While promising, this approach needs further basic assessment to ensure proper uses. Does following floor-projected foot placement visual cues of one's natural walking pattern induce gait mechanics changes immediately or after a practice period? Gait mechanics data from fifteen healthy individuals (7 female, 25.4 ± 5.0 years, 21.5 ± 1.68 kg/m &lt;sup&gt;2&lt;/sup&gt; ) was collected during normal walking without visual cues, and during two testing phases (immediate and after 45-60 min of practice) of walking with floor-projected visual cues depicting their normal spatial parameters. Magnitudes and variabilities of spatial gait parameters and sagittal plane lower limb kinematics and kinetics were compared between the three testing phases using repeated measures ANOVA and post-hoc paired t-tests. Compared to normal walking without foot placement visual cues, there was a statistically significant (p &lt; 0.05) increase in stride length (maximum change of 0.01 ± 0.01 m), stance phase knee flexion (2.0 ± 2.5°), and swing phase hip flexion (1.2 ± 1.3°) in both immediate and post-practice testing phases, along with an increase in terminal stance hip (0.28 ± 0.38 %BW*Ht) and knee (0.25 ± 0.25 %BW*Ht) flexion moments in the immediate testing phase. All of these changes between testing phases were smaller than their corresponding normal gait smallest real differences (SRD). With the addition of visual cues, variability was statistically significantly decreased in spatial parameters and increased in knee flexion angle at heel strike and knee flexion moment in terminal stance. While biomechanical changes were observed, their magnitudes were small enough to suggest that floor-projected visual cues can be used in gait retraining without introducing unintended gait changes. Furthermore, the results suggested that lengthy practice periods are not necessary. The validity of these observations will, however, need to be confirmed in cases of severe impairments