CONTINUOUS FLOW, HIGH-THROUGHPUT MICROFLUIDIC PLATFORMS FOR GENOMIC DISCRIMINATION ASSAYS

DNA technologies from PCR to allele discrimination are now common and indispensable techniques utilized in a myriad of fields such as healthcare and agriculture. While traditional bench top methodologies are well refined, the standard techniques often require sample volumes and costs that are prohibitive for high throughput applications. Thus genetic screening at rapid rates and low costs is a requirement for further propagation of DNA technologies in large scale operations. Microfluidic platforms are particular well-suited to meet the challenge of creating technologies capable of high throughput, continuous flow, multiplexed allelic discrimination. Specifically, by reducing a typical reaction system from a milliliter scale Eppendorf tube down to nanoliter sized droplets, genetic screening may be performed at a fraction the cost. Here, we present two novel poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microfluidic platforms capable of multiplexing single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) detection. Utilizing unique SNP assays (Invader and Taqman PCR) well suited for microfluidics applications, both platforms include onchip optical detection of fluorophores that allow for direct allelic read out. Utilizing benchtop amplified target DNA, successful SNP detection on-chip was achieved in the first device with unambiguous signal readout spanning nearly 80 target DNA/probe combinations. In the second device, both target DNA amplification and allele detection were performed on-chip. Taken together, our novel PDMS microfluidic platforms provide a key advance in microfluidic devices for allele discrimination. Device capable of high throughput and affordable genomic screening now looms

Bus timetable optimization model in response to the diverse and uncertain requirements of passengers for travel comfort

Most existing public transit systems have a fixed dispatching and service mode, which cannot effectively allocate resources from the perspective of the interests of all participants, resulting in resource waste and dissatisfaction. Low passenger satisfaction leads to a considerable loss of bus passengers and further reduces the income of bus operators. This study develops an optimization model for bus schedules that considers vehicle types and offers two service levels based on heterogeneous passenger demands. In this process, passenger satisfaction, bus company income, and government subsidies are considered. A bilevel model is proposed with a lower-level passenger ride simulation model and an upper-level multiobjective optimization model to maximize the interests of bus companies, passengers, and the government. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, a real-world case from Guangzhou is presented and analyzed using the nondominated sorting genetic algorithm-II (NSGA-II), and the related Pareto front is obtained. The results show that the proposed bus operation system can effectively increase the benefits for bus companies, passengers, and the governmen

Silent Messengers: Visualizing the Growth of Christianity in China by Chinese Christian Posters, 1927-1942

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2021Christians in China experienced both the hopefulness and the hopelessness in 1930s China. The re-establishment of the Nanjing government in 1927 partially alleviated the fierce anti-Christian sentiments prevalent in China. Having recognized the daunting circumstance which Christianity in China was in, Christians needed a more practical approach to ensuring the growth of Christianity in China. They might also try to apply Christianity in responding to social changes in China. Based on Chinese Christian posters as central sources and other archives of mission societies in China as supporting sources, this thesis analyzes how Chinese Christian visual materials supported Christians to build the Christian community in China. It argues that Christian posters, unifying strength of foreign missionaries and Chinese converts, brought Christianity to the Chinese and brought the Chinese to a broader Christian world. The thesis considers Chinese Christian posters the product of collaboration between Chinese converts and foreign missionaries, suggesting the cooperation between Chinese culture and Christian culture. By product, it means that Chinese Christian posters promoted mission work in China and helped cultivate a Christian spirit among the Chinese, and they also introduced Chinese culture to the worldwide Christian community and then increased diversity of Christianity

Poor Control of Plasma Triglycerides Is Associated with Early Decline of Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rates in New-Onset Type 2 Diabetes in China: Results from a 3-Year Follow-Up Study

Objective. Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is the most common cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Even after strict control of obesity, hyperglycemia, and hypertension, some patients still progress rapidly. Previous studies suggested diabetic dyslipidemia might be one of the factors responsible for this high residual risk. This study aims to explore the impact of long-term lipid control on renal outcome in new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Methods. We conducted a 3-year follow-up study, involving 283 subjects with new-onset T2DM, and observed the effect of baseline and follow-up metabolic abnormalities, especially dyslipidemia, on the early damage of kidney function using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results. After 3 years follow-up, patients achieved a better control of body weight, hypertension, and blood glucose. The most reduced eGFR group shared the least reduced BMI and LDL-C, as well as the greatest increase in TG levels. Only TG in the follow-up, not any of the baseline data, nor obesity, blood glucose, BP, or LDL-C in the follow-up, was found to be significantly correlated with the most reduced eGFR. Compared with patients with constantly abnormal TG levels, the risks were even higher in the subjects who experienced a transition from normal TG to hypertriglyceridemia (OR=2.576 versus OR=2.184, after multiple adjustment), and by tight controlling of TG, patients started with abnormal baseline TG levels could reduce the risk of DKD progression to the same low levels as the TG-constantly-normal group. Conclusion. This study emphasized the importance of long-term TG control in East Asian patients with new-onset T2DM: TG control can delay the decline of kidney function in the early stage of DKD, and reversal of hypertriglyceridemia may undo the risks of the past. It is time to pay more attention to the control of TG in new-onset T2DM

Nanomaterial Exposure Induced Neutrophil Extracellular Traps: A New Target in Inflammation and Innate Immunity

Nanotechnology has become a novel subject with impact in many research and technology areas. Nanoparticles (NPs), as a key component in nanotechnology, are widely used in many areas such as optical, magnetic, electrical, and mechanical engineering. The biomedical and pharmaceutical industries have embraced NPs as a viable drug delivery modality. As such, the potential for NP-induced cytotoxicity has emerged as a major concern for NP drug delivery systems. Thus, it is important to understand how NPs affect the innate immune system. As the most abundant myeloid cell type in innate immune responses, neutrophils are critical for concerns about potentially toxic side effects of NPs. When activated by innate immune stimuli, neutrophils may initiate NETosis to release neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Herein, we have reviewed the relationship between NPs and the induction of NETosis and release of NETs