Parallel single cell analysis on an integrated microfluidic platform for cell trapping, lysis and analysis

We report here a novel and easily scalable microfluidic platform for the parallel analysis of hundreds of individual cells, with controlled single cell trapping, followed by their lysis and subsequent retrieval of the cellular content for on-chip analysis. The device consists of a main channel and an array of shallow side channels connected to the main channel via trapping structures. Cells are individually captured in dam structures by application of a negative pressure from an outlet reservoir, lyzed on site and the cellular content controllably extracted and transported in the individual side channels for on-chip analysis.\u

Non-destructive Assessment of Quality and Yield for Grass-Breeding

Selection of cultivars has, until now, been based mainly on dry matter (DM) yields because of the high costs of sampling and chemical analysis. Imaging spectroscopy could reduce costs by limiting sampling and harvesting of individual plots to reference samples (Schut et al., accepted). In this study, the prediction accuracy of DM yields and chemical composition with imaging spectroscopy is evaluated for cultivar selection purposes

Explaining the Brexit Vote: A Socioeconomic and Psychological Exploration of the Referendum Vote

The proposed book chapter will bring together regional economics and psychological perspectives in relation to Brexit, one year on from Article 50. Extending previous work (Becker, Fetzer, & Novy, 2017; Goodwin and Heath, 2016, Semmens-Wheeler & Hill, 2018) the chapter will exploit regional variations in the Brexit vote to model how well different demographic, socio-economic and other decision-making indicators predict the vote’s outcome by area. Using statistical techniques commonly employed in the literature in both economics and psychology, a focus will be on regional economics, including the role of income/economy vs demography in the vote and psychological perspectives, including the role of empathy and interpersonal reactivity, social dominance orientation, collective self-esteem and modern racial prejudice, among other factors. Drawing on the broader literature, the chapter will consider the potential economic and psychological factors lying behind the results, suggesting possible reasons for regional/demographic variations and areas where further research might be required. An investigation of the literature will discuss developments in these areas to date, as well as provide an overview of research focusing on public perceptions and prospects going forward. This cross-disciplinary chapter will continue to contribute to the growing picture forming around UK’s decision to leave the EU, one year on from Article 50, while providing an insight into the important economic and psychological processes behind Brexit

Health-related quality of life and symptom burden in patients on haemodialysis

BACKGROUND: Patients on haemodialysis generally experience poor health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and a broad range of physical and mental symptoms, but it is unknown whether this differs between younger and older patients. We aimed to describe the trajectories of HRQoL and symptom burden of patients &lt; 70 and ≥ 70 years old, and to assess the impact of symptom burden on HRQoL.METHODS: In incident Dutch haemodialysis patients, HRQoL and symptoms were measured with the 12-item Short Form Health Survey and Dialysis Symptom Index. We used linear mixed models for examining the trajectories of HRQoL and symptom burden during the first year of dialysis, and linear regression for the impact of symptom burden on HRQoL.RESULTS: In 774 patients, the trajectories of physical HRQoL, mental HRQoL, and symptom burden were stable during the first year of dialysis. Compared with patients aged &lt; 70 years, patients ≥ 70 years reported similar physical HRQoL (mean difference -0.61, 95% CI -1.86; 0.63), better mental HRQoL (1.77, 95% CI 0.54; 3.01), and lower symptom burden (-2.38, 95% CI -5.08; 0.32). With increasing symptom burden, physical HRQoL declined more in older than in younger patients (β -0.287 versus -0.189, respectively, p-value for interaction = 0.007). For mental HRQoL, this decrease was similar in both age groups (β -0.295 versus -0.288, P = 0.847).CONCLUSIONS: Older haemodialysis patients generally experience a better mental HRQoL and a (non-statistically significant) lower symptom burden, compared to younger patients. Their physical HRQoL declines more rapidly with increasing symptom burden.</p

Experimental variables that affect human hepatocyte MV transduction in liver chimeric mice

Adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector serotypes vary in their ability to transduce hepatocytes from different species. Chimeric mouse models harboring human hepatocytes have shown translational promise for liver-directed gene therapies. However, many variables that influence human hepatocyte transduction and transgene expression in such models remain poorly defined. Here, we aimed to test whether three experimental conditions influence AAV transgene expression in immunodeficient, fumaryl-acetoactetate-hydrolase-deficient (Fah(-/-)) chimeric mice repopulated with primary human hepatocytes. We examined the effects of the murine liver injury cycle, human donor variability, and vector doses on hepatocyte transduction with various AAV serotypes expressing a green fluorescent protein (GFP). We determined that the timing of AAV vector challenge in the liver injury cycle resulted in up to 7-fold differences in the percentage of GFP expressing human hepatocytes. The GFP+ hepatocyte frequency varied 7-fold between human donors without, however, changing the relative transduction efficiency between serotypes for an individual donor. There was also a clear relationship between AAV vector doses and human hepatocyte transduction and transgene expression. We conclude that several experimental variables substantially affect human hepatocyte transduction in the Fah(-/-) chimera model, attention to which may improve reproducibility between findings from different laboratories