Microgravimetric immunosensor for direct detection of aerosolized influenza A virus particles.

The development and characterization of a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) sensor for the direct detection of aerosolized influenza A virions is reported. Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of mercaptoundecanoic acid (MUA) are formed on QCM gold electrodes to provide a surface amenable for the immobilization of anti-influenza A antibodies using NHS/EDC coupling chemistry. The surface-bound antibody provides a selective and specific sensing interface for the capture of influenza virions. A nebulizer is used to create aerosolized samples and is directly connected to a chamber housing the antibody-modified crystal ("immunochip"). Upon exposure to the aerosolized virus, the interaction between the antibody and virus leads to a dampening of the oscillation frequency of the quartz crystal. The magnitude of frequency change is directly related to virus concentration. Control experiments using aerosols from chicken egg allantoic fluid and an anti-murine antibody based immunosensor confirm that the observed signal originates from specific viral binding on the chip surface. Step-by-step surface modification of MUA assembly, antibody attachment, and antibody-virus interaction are characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM) imaging analysis. Using the S/N = 3 principle, the limit of detection is estimated to be 4 virus particles/mL. The high sensitivity and real-time sensing scheme presented here can play an important role in the public health arena by offering a new analytical tool for identifying bio-contaminated areas and assisting in timely patient diagnosis

Supply Function Competition in Electricity Markets with Flexible, Inflexible, and Variable Generation

In this paper we study the supply function competition between power-generation firms with different levels of flexibility. Inflexible firms produce power at a constant rate over an operating horizon, while flexible firms can adjust their output to meet the fluctuations in electricity demand. Both types of firms compete in an electricity market by submitting supply functions to a system operator, who solves an optimal dispatch problem to determine the production level for each firm and the corresponding market price. We study how firms’ (in)flexibility affects their equilibrium behavior and the market price. We also analyze the impact of variable generation (such as wind and solar power) on the equilibrium, with the focus on the effects of the amount of variable generation, its priority in dispatch, and the production- based subsidies. We find that the classic supply function equilibrium model overestimates the intensity of the market competition, and even more so as more variable generation is introduced into the system. The policy of economically curtailing variable generation intensifies the market competition, reduces price volatility, and improves the system’s overall efficiency. Moreover, we show that these benefits are most significant in the absence of the production-based subsidies.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102571/1/2014Jan28OWu.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/102571/4/1218_Wu_Apr14.pd

Damage identification in a concrete beam using curvature difference ratio

Previous studies utilising changes in mode shape or curvature to locate damage rely on the fact that the greatest change occurs around the defect. However, in concrete beams this fact is undermined due to the nature of the defect as distributed multi-site cracks. In addition, differences in mode shape and curvature as ways to locate the damage is unstable because of occurrence of modal nodes and inflection points. In this paper, one interesting solution to this problem is being tested by establishing a new non-dimensional expression designated the 'Curvature Difference Ratio (CDR)'. This parameter exploits the ratio of differences in curvature of a specific mode shape for a damaged stage and another reference stage. The expression CDR is reasonably used to locate the damage and estimate the dynamic bending stiffness in a successively loaded 6m concrete beam. Results obtained by the proposed technique are tested and validated with a case study results done by Ren and De Roeck [1] also by Maeck and De Roeck [2]. Another contribution of this work is that relating changes in vibration properties to the design bending moment at beam sections as defined in Eurocode 2 specifications [3]. Linking between a beam section condition and the change in vibration data will help to give a better comprehension on the beam condition than the applied load

How Should Justice Policy Treat Young Offenders?

The justice system in the United States has long recognized that juvenile offenders are not the same as adults, and has tried to incorporate those differences into law and policy. But only in recent decades have behavioral scientists and neuroscientists, along with policymakers, looked rigorously at developmental differences, seeking answers to two overarching questions: Are young offenders, purely by virtue of their immaturity, different from older individuals who commit crimes? And, if they are, how should justice policy take this into account? A growing body of research on adolescent development now confirms that teenagers are indeed inherently different from adults, not only in their behaviors, but also (and of course relatedly) in the ways their brains function. These findings have influenced a series of Supreme Court decisions relating to the treatment of adolescents, and have led legislators and other policymakers across the country to adopt a range of developmentally informed justice policies. New research is showing distinct changes in the brains of young adults, ages 18 to 21, suggesting that they too may be immature in ways that are relevant to justice policy. This knowledge brief from the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience considers the implications of this new research

Biomimetic strategies for fracture repair: engineering the cell microenvironment for directed tissue formation

Complications resulting from impaired fracture healing have major clinical implications on fracture management strategies. Novel concepts taken from developmental biology have driven research strategies towards the elaboration of regenerative approaches that can truly harness the complex cellular events involved in tissue formation and repair. Advances in polymer technology and a better understanding of naturally derived scaffolds have given rise to novel biomaterials with an increasing ability to recapitulate native tissue environments. This coupled with advances in the understanding of stem cell biology and technology has opened new avenues for regenerative strategies with true clinical translatability. These advances have provided the impetus to develop alternative approaches to enhance the fracture repair process. We provide an update on these advances, with a focus on the development of novel biomimetic approaches for bone regeneration and their translational potential

Predicting the Knowledge: Recklessness Distinction in the Human Brain

Criminal convictions require proof that a prohibited act was performed in a statutorily specified mental state. Different legal consequences, including greater punishments, are mandated for those who act in a state of knowledge, compared with a state of recklessness. Existing research, however, suggests people have trouble classifying defendants as knowing, rather than reckless, even when instructed on the relevant legal criteria. We used a machine-learning technique on brain imaging data to predict, with high accuracy, which mental state our participants were in. This predictive ability depended on both the magnitude of the risks and the amount of information about those risks possessed by the participants. Our results provide neural evidence of a detectable difference in the mental state of knowledge in contrast to recklessness and suggest, as a proof of principle, the possibility of inferring from brain data in which legally relevant category a person belongs. Some potential legal implications of this result are discussed