Slow polymer diffusion on brush-patterned surfaces in aqueous solution

A model system for the investigation of diffusional transport in compartmentalized nanosystems is described. Arrays of “corrals” enclosed within poly[oligo(ethylene glycol)methyl ether methacrylate] (POEGMA) “walls” were fabricated using double-exposure interferometric lithography to deprotect aminosilane films protected by a nitrophenyl group. In exposed regions, removal of the nitrophenyl group enabled attachment of an initiator for the atom-transfer radical polymerization of end-grafted POEGMA (brushes). Diffusion coefficients for poly(ethylene glycol) in these corrals were obtained by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy. Two modes of surface diffusion were observed: one which is similar to diffusion on the unpatterned surface and a very slow mode of surface diffusion that becomes increasingly important as confinement increases. Diffusion within the POEGMA brushes does not significantly contribute to the results

Silicon spin diffusion transistor: materials, physics and device characteristics

The realisation that eaveryday electronics has ignored the spin of the carrier in favour of its charge is the foundation of the field of spintronics. Starting with simple two-terminal devices based on GMR and tunnel magnetoresistance, the technology has advanced to consider three-terminal devices that aim to combine spin sensitivity with a high current gain and a large current output. These devices require both efficient spin injection and semiconductor fabrication. In this paper, a discussion is presented of the design, operation and characteristics of the only spin transistor that has yielded a current gain greater than one in combination with reasonable output current

Interference lithographic nanopatterning of plant and bacterial light-harvesting complexes on gold substrates

We describe a facile approach for nanopatterning of photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes over macroscopic areas, and use optical spectroscopy to demonstrate retention of native properties by both site-specifically and non-specifically attached photosynthetic membrane proteins. A Lloyd's mirror dual-beam interferometer was used to expose self-assembled monolayers of amine-terminated alkylthiolates on gold to laser irradiation. Following exposure, photo-oxidized adsorbates were replaced by oligo(ethylene glycol) terminated thiols, and the remaining intact amine-functionalized regions were used for attachment of the major light-harvesting chlorophyll–protein complex from plants, LHCII. These amine patterns could be derivatized with nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA), so that polyhistidine-tagged bacteriochlorophyll–protein complexes from phototrophic bacteria could be attached with a defined surface orientation. By varying parameters such as the angle between the interfering beams and the laser irradiation dose, it was possible to vary the period and widths of NTA and amine-functionalized lines on the surfaces; periods varied from 1200 to 240 nm and linewidths as small as 60 nm (λ/4) were achieved. This level of control over the surface chemistry was reflected in the surface topology of the protein nanostructures imaged by atomic force microscopy; fluorescence imaging and spectral measurements demonstrated that the surface-attached proteins had retained their native functionality

Obstructive sleep apnea screening with breathing sounds and respiratory effort: a multimodal deep learning approach

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a chronic and prevalent condition with well-established comorbidities. Due to limited diagnostic resources and high cost, a significant OSA population lives undiagnosed, and accurate and low-cost methods to screen for OSA are needed. We propose a novel screening method based on breathing sounds recorded with a smartphone and respiratory effort. Whole night recordings are divided into 30-s segments, each of which is classified for the presence or absence of OSA events by a multimodal deep neural network. Data fusion techniques were investigated and evaluated based on the apnea-hypopnea index estimated from whole night recordings. Real-world recordings made during home sleep apnea testing from 103 participants were used to develop and evaluate the proposed system. The late fusion system achieved the best sensitivity and specificity when screening for severe OSA, at 0.93 and 0.92, respectively. This offers the prospect of inexpensive OSA screening at home

Severe disruption and disorganization of dermal collagen fibrils in early striae gravidarum

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142909/1/bjd15895.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/142909/2/bjd15895_am.pd

A comparison of statistical machine learning methods in heartbeat detection and classification

In health care, patients with heart problems require quick responsiveness in a clinical setting or in the operating theatre. Towards that end, automated classification of heartbeats is vital as some heartbeat irregularities are time consuming to detect. Therefore, analysis of electro-cardiogram (ECG) signals is an active area of research. The methods proposed in the literature depend on the structure of a heartbeat cycle. In this paper, we use interval and amplitude based features together with a few samples from the ECG signal as a feature vector. We studied a variety of classification algorithms focused especially on a type of arrhythmia known as the ventricular ectopic fibrillation (VEB). We compare the performance of the classifiers against algorithms proposed in the literature and make recommendations regarding features, sampling rate, and choice of the classifier to apply in a real-time clinical setting. The extensive study is based on the MIT-BIH arrhythmia database. Our main contribution is the evaluation of existing classifiers over a range sampling rates, recommendation of a detection methodology to employ in a practical setting, and extend the notion of a mixture of experts to a larger class of algorithms

Effects of Vacancies near Substitutional Implants on Trapping and Desorption of Helium - A Simulation

Trapping of He by vacancies and drainage of He from substitutional implants (Ag and Kr in W) to nearby vacancies are investigated using static lattice calculations. The calculations indicate that drainage of He will occur to vacancies within a radius of 2.5 lattice units from the implant. Furthermore the trapping probability of substitutional and interstitial random walkers on a bcc lattice by substitutional traps or vacancies is calculated. When implantation-produced vacancies are present in the vicinity of the observed trap a shielding effect occurs. Trapping constants are calculated with two random walk models for both the unshielded and the shielded defect. For the latter several configurations were taken. The results show that shielding of a defect by one vacancy at a distance of three lattice units leads already to a reduction of He trapping by that defect of 30% to 40%.

Guidance for Restarting Inflammatory Bowel Disease Therapy in Patients Who Withheld Immunosuppressant Medications During COVID-19

Patients with inflammatory bowel diseases [IBD] are frequently treated with immunosuppressant medications. During the coronavirus disease 2019 [COVID-19] pandemic, recommendations for IBD management have included that patients should stay on their immunosuppressant medications if they are not infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2], but to temporarily hold these medications if symptomatic with COVID-19 or asymptomatic but have tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. As more IBD patients are infected globally, it is important to also understand how to manage IBD medications during convalescence while an individual with IBD is recovering from COVID-19. In this review, we address the differences between a test-based versus a symptoms-based strategy as related to COVID-19, and offer recommendations on when it is appropriate to consider restarting IBD therapy in patients testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 or with clinical symptoms consistent with COVID-19. In general, we recommend a symptoms-based approach, due to the current lack of confidence in the accuracy of available testing and the clinical significance of prolonged detection of virus via molecular testing

Biomedical optical sensing using nano-/micro-structured metamaterials

Work on optical sensing techniques continues to advance - and optical sensing techniques and related technologies are becoming a well-established approach for, inter alia, applications in biomedical and environmental sensing. Both structured surfaces and arrays of integrated devices that are fabricated by means of classical planar technologies are likely to have a central role in the development of low-cost and reliable biosensors, at both the molecular and cell levels. One approach that has been demonstrated as viable in biomedical sensing is the use of fluorescent labelling, e.g. for carrying out competition immunoassays to identify the possible presence of specific analyte molecules in suitably prepared fluid samples. Many bio-materials exhibit a finite level of fluorescence that could possibly be exploited in sensing, but is also potentially problematic when it forms an undesired background, thereby limiting sensitivity. But the alternative approach of label-free biomedical sensing seems likely to be favoured in future applications. A 'standard' approach to label-free sensing exploits the detection of changes in the (complex) refractive index that occur when bio-material is added to the local environment of a designed resonant structure, thereby changing its resonance frequency. Designed tuning of reflection, transmission and absorption resonances can be used to help identify specific molecules, through selection of the known bond resonances of the molecules of interest. Since it is typically possible to organise resonant structures in arrays that consist of thousands of individual resonant 'atoms', thereby forming a metasurface, it has become possible to select and quantify various characteristic molecular bond resonances simultaneously - and to identify possible molecular compositions in composite bio-material