Ultra fast miniaturized real-time PCR: 40 cycles in less than six minutes

We have designed, fabricated and tested a real-time PCR chip capable of conducting one thermal cycle in 8.5 s. This corresponds to 40 cycles of PCR in 5 min and 40 s. The PCR system was made of silicon micromachined into the shape of a cantilever terminated with a disc. The thin film heater and a temperature sensor were placed on the disc perimeter. Due to the system's thermal constant of 0.27 s, we have achieved a heating rate of 175°C s−1 and a cooling rate of −125°C s−1. A PCR sample encapsulated with mineral oil was dispensed onto a glass cover slip placed on the silicon disc. The PCR cycle time was then determined by heat transfer through the glass, which took only 0.5 s. A real-time PCR sample with a volume of 100 nl was tested using a FAM probe. As the single PCR device occupied an area of only a few square millimeters, devices could be combined into a parallel system to increase throughput

The Nanolithography Toolbox

This article introduces in archival form the Nanolithography Toolbox, a platform-independent software package for scripted lithography pattern layout generation. The Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) developed the Nanolithography Toolbox to help users of the CNST NanoFab design devices with complex curves and aggressive critical dimensions. Using parameterized shapes as building blocks, the Nanolithography Toolbox allows users to rapidly design and layout nanoscale devices of arbitrary complexity through scripting and programming. The Toolbox offers many parameterized shapes, including structure libraries for micro- and nanoelectromechanical systems (MEMS and NEMS) and nanophotonic devices. Furthermore, the Toolbox allows users to precisely define the number of vertices for each shape or create vectorized shapes using Bezier curves. Parameterized control allows users to design smooth curves with complex shapes. The Toolbox is applicable to a broad range of design tasks in the fabrication of microscale and nanoscale devices

Safety of pulsed field ablation in more than 17,000 patients with atrial fibrillation in the MANIFEST-17K study

Pulsed field ablation (PFA) is an emerging technology for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF), for which pre-clinical and early-stage clinical data are suggestive of some degree of preferentiality to myocardial tissue ablation without damage to adjacent structures. Here in the MANIFEST-17K study we assessed the safety of PFA by studying the post-approval use of this treatment modality. Of the 116 centers performing post-approval PFA with a pentaspline catheter, data were received from 106 centers (91.4% participation) regarding 17,642 patients undergoing PFA (mean age 64, 34.7% female, 57.8% paroxysmal AF and 35.2% persistent AF). No esophageal complications, pulmonary vein stenosis or persistent phrenic palsy was reported (transient palsy was reported in 0.06% of patients; 11 of 17,642). Major complications, reported for ~1% of patients (173 of 17,642), were pericardial tamponade (0.36%; 63 of 17,642) and vascular events (0.30%; 53 of 17,642). Stroke was rare (0.12%; 22 of 17,642) and death was even rarer (0.03%; 5 of 17,642). Unexpected complications of PFA were coronary arterial spasm in 0.14% of patients (25 of 17,642) and hemolysis-related acute renal failure necessitating hemodialysis in 0.03% of patients (5 of 17,642). Taken together, these data indicate that PFA demonstrates a favorable safety profile by avoiding much of the collateral damage seen with conventional thermal ablation. PFA has the potential to be transformative for the management of patients with AF.Peer reviewe

Country-specific emission and oxidation factors for determination of CO2 emissions from combustion of coal and lignite in the Czech Republic

Combustion of lignite and coal comprises the most important part of CO2 emissions in the Czech Republic (CR). The IPCC methodology on national greenhouse gas inventories provides default values of emission factors for the basic tier (the simplest level of methodological approach), including those for lignite and coal, which do not represent the specific national conditions. Therefore, this methodology indicates that more accurate country-specific emission factors based on national data should be used for the significant categories of sources, called key categories. This paper presents the results of recent research that was concerned with updating country-specific emission factors, which would be able to accurately describe CO2 emissions from combustion of coal and lignite in the Czech Republic for the whole time period from 1990 to the present year (2016). Development of these factors was based on the evaluation of relevant correlation dependence of emission factor on net calorific value. In addition, the research was supplemented by assessment of relevant country-specific oxidation factors for lignite and coal

Microfluidic technology for clinical applications of exosomes

Exosomes, a type of nanovesicle, are distinct cellular entities specifically capable of carrying various cargos between cells. It has been hypothesized that exosomes, as an enriched source of biomolecules, may serve as biomarkers for various diseases. This review introduces general aspects of exosomes, presents the challenges in exosome research, discusses the potential of exosomes as biomarkers, and describes the contribution of microfluidic technology to enable their isolation and analysis for diagnostic and disease monitoring. Additionally, clinical applications of exosomes for diagnostic purposes are also summarized

Deposition of Bacteriorhodopsin Protein in a Purple Membrane Form on Nitrocellulose Membranes for Enhanced Photoelectric Response

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Method and System for Thermal Melt Analysiss

The present invention is directed at a system for carrying out a thermal melt analysis of an organic compound, wherein the system comprises: a microchannel having a first opening and a second opening at opposite ends of the microchannel, wherein the temperature at the opposite ends of the microchannel is different thereby creating a temperature gradient between the opposite ends of the microchannel; a light source emitting light which is coupled into the microchannel through the first opening; a light detector arranged to detect a light signal exiting the microchannel through the second opening; and wherein the first opening of the microchannel is in fluid communication with at least one fluid source providing at least one organic compound. The present invention is also directed to a method of using this device

Design and fabrication of Poly(dimethylsiloxane) arrayed waveguide grating

We have designed, fabricated and characterized poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) arrayed waveguide grating (AWG) with four-channel output for operation in the visible light wavelength range. The PDMS AWG was realized based on the single-mode PDMS rib waveguide. The device was designed for 1 nm channel spacing with the wavelength ranging from 639 to 644 nm. The measured insertion loss is 11.4 dB at the peak transmission spectrum and the adjacent crosstalk is less than -16 dB. The AWG device occupies an area of 7.5 x 15 mm(2). PDMS AWG has the potential for integration with microfluidics in a monolithic PDMS lab-on-a-chip device for visible light spectroscopy applications. (C) 2010 Optical Society of Americ