Fluid control structures in microfluidic devices

Methods and apparatus for implementing microfluidic analysis devices are provided. A monolithic elastomer membrane associated with an integrated pneumatic manifold allows the placement and actuation of a variety of fluid control structures, such as structures for pumping, isolating, mixing, routing, merging, splitting, preparing, and storing volumes of fluid. The fluid control structures can be used to implement a variety of sample introduction, preparation, processing, and storage techniques

Infrared spectroscopy of phytochrome and model pigments

Fourier-transform infrared difference spectra between the red-absorbing and far-red-absorbing forms of oat phytochrome have been measured in H2O and 2H2O. The difference spectra are compared with infrared spectra of model compounds, i.e. the (5Z,10Z,15Z)- and (5Z,10Z,15E)-isomers of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-bilindion (Et8-bilindion), 2,3-dihydro-2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethyl-bilindion (H2Et8-bilindion), and protonated H2Et8-bilindion in various solvents. The spectra of the model compounds show that only for the protonated forms can clear differences between the two isomers be detected. Since considerable differences are present between the spectra of Et8-bilindion and H2Et8-bilindion, it is concluded that only the latter compound can serve as a model system of phytochrome. The 2H2O effect on the difference spectrum of phytochrome supports the view that the chromophore in red-absorbing phytochrome is protonated and suggests, in addition, that it is also protonated in far-red-absorbing phytochrome. The spectra show that protonated carboxyl groups are influenced. The small amplitudes in the difference spectra exclude major changes of protein secondary structure

Extended Thromboprophylaxis with Betrixaban in Acutely Ill Medical Patients

Background Patients with acute medical illnesses are at prolonged risk for venous thrombosis. However, the appropriate duration of thromboprophylaxis remains unknown. Methods Patients who were hospitalized for acute medical illnesses were randomly assigned to receive subcutaneous enoxaparin (at a dose of 40 mg once daily) for 10±4 days plus oral betrixaban placebo for 35 to 42 days or subcutaneous enoxaparin placebo for 10±4 days plus oral betrixaban (at a dose of 80 mg once daily) for 35 to 42 days. We performed sequential analyses in three prespecified, progressively inclusive cohorts: patients with an elevated d-dimer level (cohort 1), patients with an elevated d-dimer level or an age of at least 75 years (cohort 2), and all the enrolled patients (overall population cohort). The statistical analysis plan specified that if the between-group difference in any analysis in this sequence was not significant, the other analyses would be considered exploratory. The primary efficacy outcome was a composite of asymptomatic proximal deep-vein thrombosis and symptomatic venous thromboembolism. The principal safety outcome was major bleeding. Results A total of 7513 patients underwent randomization. In cohort 1, the primary efficacy outcome occurred in 6.9% of patients receiving betrixaban and 8.5% receiving enoxaparin (relative risk in the betrixaban group, 0.81; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.65 to 1.00; P=0.054). The rates were 5.6% and 7.1%, respectively (relative risk, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.66 to 0.98; P=0.03) in cohort 2 and 5.3% and 7.0% (relative risk, 0.76; 95% CI, 0.63 to 0.92; P=0.006) in the overall population. (The last two analyses were considered to be exploratory owing to the result in cohort 1.) In the overall population, major bleeding occurred in 0.7% of the betrixaban group and 0.6% of the enoxaparin group (relative risk, 1.19; 95% CI, 0.67 to 2.12; P=0.55). Conclusions Among acutely ill medical patients with an elevated d-dimer level, there was no significant difference between extended-duration betrixaban and a standard regimen of enoxaparin in the prespecified primary efficacy outcome. However, prespecified exploratory analyses provided evidence suggesting a benefit for betrixaban in the two larger cohorts. (Funded by Portola Pharmaceuticals; APEX ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01583218. opens in new tab.

Transcriptional analysis of the response of \u3ci\u3eC. elegans\u3c/i\u3e to ethanol exposure

Ethanol-induced transcriptional changes underlie important physiological responses to ethanol that are likely to contribute to the addictive properties of the drug. We examined the transcriptional responses of Caenorhabditis elegans across a timecourse of ethanol exposure, between 30 min and 8 h, to determine what genes and genetic pathways are regulated in response to ethanol in this model. We found that short exposures to ethanol (up to 2 h) induced expression of metabolic enzymes involved in metabolizing ethanol and retinol, while longer exposure (8 h) had much more profound effects on the transcriptome. Several genes that are known to be involved in the physiological response to ethanol, including direct ethanol targets, were regulated at 8 h of exposure. This longer exposure to ethanol also resulted in the regulation of genes involved in cilia function, which is consistent with an important role for the effects of ethanol on cilia in the deleterious effects of chronic ethanol consumption in humans. Finally, we found that food deprivation for an 8-h period induced gene expression changes that were somewhat ameliorated by the presence of ethanol, supporting previous observations that worms can use ethanol as a calorie source

Combinatorial inkjet printing for compositional tuning of metal halide perovskite thin films

To accelerate the materials discovery and development process for a sustainable technology advancement it is imperative to explore and develop combined high throughput material synthesis and analysis workflows. In this work, we investigate a method of combinatorial inkjet printing to tune the composition of the inorganic cesium lead mixed halide perovskite solid solution, CsPb BrxI1 amp; 8722;x 3. The compositional variation is achieved by simultaneous printing of different precursor inks with multiple printheads and controlled by varying the number of droplets printed by each printhead throughout the sample. The droplet placement is optimised through an algorithm that allows maximum mixing of the combined inks. The local compositional homogeneity of thin film samples was investigated as a function of the printing resolution by micrometer resolution X ray fluorescence and synchrotron based grazing incidence wide angle X ray scattering. We show that a combinatorial library of ten compositions between CsPbI3 and CsPbBr2I, printed using the developed algorithm, is locally homogeneous for the optimised printing parameters. An implementation of the algorithm in the high level programming language Python is provided for easy use in other system

Perovskite Silicon Tandem Solar Cells Above 30 Conversion Efficiency on Submicron Sized Textured Czochralski Silicon Bottom Cells with Improved Hole Transport Layers

In perovskite silicon tandem solar cells, the utilization of silicon heterojunction SHJ solar cells as bottom cells is one of the most promising concepts. Here, we present optimization strategies for the top cell processing and their integration into SHJ bottom cells based on industrial Czochralski Cz Si wafers of 140 amp; 956;m thickness. We show that combining the self assembled monolayer [4 3,6 dimethyl 9H carbazol 9 yl butyl]phosphonic acid Me 4PACz with an additional phosphonic acid PA with different functional groups, can improve film formation when used as a hole transport layer improving wettability, minimizing shunt fraction and reducing nonradiative losses at the buried interface. Transient surface photovoltage and transient photoluminescence measurements confirm that the combined Me 4PACz PA layer has similar charge transport properties to Me 4PACz alone. Moreover, this work demonstrates the potential for thin, double side submicron sized textured industry relevant silicon bottom cells yielding a high accumulated short circuit current density of 40.2 mA cm2 and reaching a stabilized power conversion efficiency of gt;30 . This work paves the way toward industry compatible, highly efficient tandem cells based on a production compatible SHJ bottom cel

Arthroscopic debridement of the osteoarthritic knee combined with hyaluronic acid (Orthovisc®) treatment: A case series and review of the literature

OBJECTIVE: An evaluation of safety and efficacy of high molecular weight hyaluronan (HA) delivered at the time of arthroscopic debridement of the osteoarthritic knee. METHODS: Thirty consecutive patients who met inclusion and exclusion criteria underwent arthroscopic debridement by a single surgeon and concomitant delivery of 6 ml/90 mg HA (Orthovisc(R)). These patients were evaluated preoperatively, at 6 weeks, 3 and 6 months post-operatively. Evaluations consisted of WOMAC pain score, SF-36 Physical Component Summary (PCS) score and complications. RESULTS: No complications occurred during this study. Pre-op average WOMAC pain score was 6.8 +/- 3.5 (n = 30) with a reduction to 3.4 +/- 3.1 at 6 weeks (n = 27). Final average WOMAC pain score improved to 3.2 +/- 3.8 at six months (n = 23). No patients had deterioration of the WOMAC pain score. Mean pre-operative SF-36 PCS score was 39.0 +/- 10.4 with SF-36 PCS score of the bottom 25th percentile at 29.9 (n = 30). Post procedure and HA delivery, mean PCS score at 6 weeks improved to 43.7 +/- 8.0 with the bottom 25th percentile at 37.5 (n = 27). At 6 months, mean PCS score was 48.0 +/- 9.8 with the bottom 25th percentile improved to 45.8 (n = 23). CONCLUSION: The results show that concomitant delivery of high molecular weight hyaluronan (Orthovisc(R) - 6 ml/90 mg) is safe when given at the time of arthroscopic debridement of the osteoarthritic knee. By delivering HA (Orthovisc(R)) at the time of the arthroscopic debridement, there may be a decreased risk of joint infection and/or injection site pain. Furthermore, the combination of both procedures show efficacy in reducing WOMAC pain scores and improving SF-36 PCS scores over a six month period

An open-access database and analysis tool for perovskite solar cells based on the FAIR data principles

Large datasets are now ubiquitous as technology enables higher-throughput experiments, but rarely can a research field truly benefit from the research data generated due to inconsistent formatting, undocumented storage or improper dissemination. Here we extract all the meaningful device data from peer-reviewed papers on metal-halide perovskite solar cells published so far and make them available in a database. We collect data from over 42, 400 photovoltaic devices with up to 100 parameters per device. We then develop open-source and accessible procedures to analyse the data, providing examples of insights that can be gleaned from the analysis of a large dataset. The database, graphics and analysis tools are made available to the community and will continue to evolve as an open-source initiative. This approach of extensively capturing the progress of an entire field, including sorting, interactive exploration and graphical representation of the data, will be applicable to many fields in materials science, engineering and biosciences. © 2021, The Author(s)

An open-access database and analysis tool for perovskite solar cells based on the FAIR data principles

Large datasets are now ubiquitous as technology enables higher-throughput experiments, but rarely can a research field truly benefit from the research data generated due to inconsistent formatting, undocumented storage or improper dissemination. Here we extract all the meaningful device data from peer-reviewed papers on metal-halide perovskite solar cells published so far and make them available in a database. We collect data from over 42,400 photovoltaic devices with up to 100 parameters per device. We then develop open-source and accessible procedures to analyse the data, providing examples of insights that can be gleaned from the analysis of a large dataset. The database, graphics and analysis tools are made available to the community and will continue to evolve as an open-source initiative. This approach of extensively capturing the progress of an entire field, including sorting, interactive exploration and graphical representation of the data, will be applicable to many fields in materials science, engineering and biosciences

Rare and Frequent Promoter Methylation, Respectively, of TSHZ2 and 3 Genes That Are Both Downregulated in Expression in Breast and Prostate Cancers

Neoplastic cells harbor both hypomethylated and hypermethylated regions of DNA. Whereas hypomethylation is found mainly in repeat sequences, regional hypermethylation has been linked to the transcriptional silencing of certain tumor suppressor genes. We attempted to search for candidate genes involved in breast/prostate carcinogenesis, using the criteria that they should be expressed in primary cultures of normal breast/prostate epithelial cells but are frequently downregulated in breast/prostate cancer cell lines and that their promoters are hypermethylated.We identified several dozens of candidates among 194 homeobox and related genes using Systematic Multiplex RT-PCR and among 23,000 known genes and 23,000 other expressed sequences in the human genome by DNA microarray hybridization. An additional examination, by real-time qRT-PCR of clinical specimens of breast cancer, further narrowed the list of the candidates. Among them, the most frequently downregulated genes in tumors were NP_775756 and ZNF537, from the homeobox gene search and the genome-wide search, respectively. To our surprise, we later discovered that these genes belong to the same gene family, the 3-member Teashirt family, bearing the new names of TSHZ2 and TSHZ3. We subsequently determined the methylation status of their gene promoters. The TSHZ3 gene promoter was found to be methylated in all the breast/prostate cancer cell lines and some of the breast cancer clinical specimens analyzed. The TSHZ2 gene promoter, on the other hand, was unmethylated except for the MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. The TSHZ1 gene was always expressed, and its promoter was unmethylated in all cases.TSHZ2 and TSHZ3 genes turned out to be the most interesting candidates for novel tumor suppressor genes. Expression of both genes is downregulated. However, differential promoter methylation suggests the existence of distinctive mechanisms of transcriptional inactivation for these genes