Flow Control Techniques for Enhancing the Bio-Recognition Performance of Microfluidic-Integrated Biosensors

Biosensors are favored devices for the fast and cost-effective detection of biological species without the need for laboratories. Microfluidic integration with biosensors has advanced their capabilities in selectivity, sensitivity, controllability, and conducting multiple binding assays simultaneously. Despite all the improvements, their design and fabrication are still challenging and time-consuming. The current study aims to enhance microfluidic-integrated biosensors’ performance. Three different functional designs are presented with both active (with the help of electroosmotic flow) and passive (geometry optimization) methods. For validation and further studies, these solutions are applied to an experimental setup for DNA hybridization. The numerical results for the original case have been validated with the experimental data from previous literature. Convection, diffusion, migration, and hybridization of DNA strands during the hybridization process have been simulated with finite element method (FEM) in 3D. Based on the results, increasing the velocity on top of the functionalized surface, by reducing the thickness of the microchamber in that area, would increase the speed of surface coverage by up to 62%. An active flow control with the help of electric field would increase this speed by 32%. In addition, other essential parameters in the fabrication of the microchamber, such as changes in pressure and bulk concentration, have been studied. The suggested designs are simple, applicable and cost-effective, and would not add extra challenges to the fabrication process. Overall, the effect of the geometry of the microchamber on the time and effectiveness of biosensors is inevitable. More studies on the geometry optimization of the microchamber and position of the electrodes using machine learning methods would be beneficial in future works

Distribution of Bupivacaine in Epidural Space

Background: There is no consensus regarding the spread of local anesthesia in thoracic epidural space to obtain regional analgesia or anesthesia. We aimed to determine the distribution of Bupivacaine injected into the thoracic epidural space to evaluate its cranial or caudal spread in patients undergoing epidural anesthesia.Materials and Methods: In a prospective clinical trial, thirty adults patients (12 males and 18 females) with ASA class I and II, scheduled for elective cholecystectomy under thoracic epidural anesthesia with 0.5% Isobaric Bupivacaine were studied. Clinical and radiological outcomes were evaluated to assess the correlation between the volume of the local anesthetic injected to the thoracic epidural space and the extension of its spread within the epidural space. Immediately after insertion and fixation of epidural catheter, patients were transferred to MRI unit to receive 8 mL of 5% Bupivacaine plus 1 mL Magnevist through the epidural catheter. Then, the patterns of spread were evaluated. Data were obtained prospectively during the procedure.Results: Mean distribution of bupivacaine in thoracic epidural space was 0.64 level/ml of local anesthetics and the average of spread was 5.21 levels. The mean spread of bupivacaine was more in females (5.5 ± 1.1) than males (4.8 ± 1.1); but the difference was not significant. Unlike Patients’ age and weight, the height and body mass index had a significant negative correlation with the distribution of Bupivacaine.Conclusion: Distribution of Bupivacaine in epidural space in female patients is more than male ones and the tendency of spread is more toward the cephalad direction than caudal.Keywords: Bupivacaine distribution, Epidural anesthesia, Local Anesthesia, Bupivacaine, Magnevis

Ecocriticism of Moniro Ravanipour's Ahl-e-Ghargh

One of the main axioms of eccentric criticism is the examination of the interrelationship between humans and the environment. This type of criticism seeks to understand how human attitudes to nature and how environmental issues are reflected in literary works and to analyze the impact that human beings have on nature and the physical and psychological properties of humans in literary works. In Moniro Ravanipour's Ahl-e-Ghargh, nature is not only regarded as the scene of events but as the main context of the story itself, the agent of events and the advancing events, directly affecting the characters and interacting with humans and their decisions. In this story, the characters sometimes find themselves exposed to the power of the sea as part of submissive wildlife, and sometimes it is nature that inevitably interferes with man and his power. In this story, the characters are sometimes frightened and wandering against nature, sometimes mingling with nature and resting in its lap

Flow Control Techniques for Enhancing the Bio-Recognition Performance of Microfluidic-Integrated Biosensors

From MDPI via Jisc Publications RouterHistory: accepted 2021-07-26, pub-electronic 2021-08-03Publication status: PublishedBiosensors are favored devices for the fast and cost-effective detection of biological species without the need for laboratories. Microfluidic integration with biosensors has advanced their capabilities in selectivity, sensitivity, controllability, and conducting multiple binding assays simultaneously. Despite all the improvements, their design and fabrication are still challenging and time-consuming. The current study aims to enhance microfluidic-integrated biosensors’ performance. Three different functional designs are presented with both active (with the help of electroosmotic flow) and passive (geometry optimization) methods. For validation and further studies, these solutions are applied to an experimental setup for DNA hybridization. The numerical results for the original case have been validated with the experimental data from previous literature. Convection, diffusion, migration, and hybridization of DNA strands during the hybridization process have been simulated with finite element method (FEM) in 3D. Based on the results, increasing the velocity on top of the functionalized surface, by reducing the thickness of the microchamber in that area, would increase the speed of surface coverage by up to 62%. An active flow control with the help of electric field would increase this speed by 32%. In addition, other essential parameters in the fabrication of the microchamber, such as changes in pressure and bulk concentration, have been studied. The suggested designs are simple, applicable and cost-effective, and would not add extra challenges to the fabrication process. Overall, the effect of the geometry of the microchamber on the time and effectiveness of biosensors is inevitable. More studies on the geometry optimization of the microchamber and position of the electrodes using machine learning methods would be beneficial in future works

Effectiveness of Trauma-Focused Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on the Grief Symptoms and Behavioral Problems of Bereaved Children (One-Month Follow-Up)

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy on the bereavement symptoms and behavioral problems of grieving children. In this investigation, a single-case experimental design with incongruent multiple baseline designs was used. The statistical population of the present research was comprised of bereaved children in the city of Karaj who have lost a parent within the past six months. The investigation was conducted between January and May of 2021. The research sample consisted of three minors aged 10 to 11 who were selected using a method of purposive sampling based on the inclusion criteria. During two and a half months, the experimental group received ten 75-minute sessions of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy. This study utilized the Children’s Grief Questionnaire (CGQ) and the Child Cehavior Checklist (CBCL) as questionnaires. The study’s data were analyzed using the statistical software SPSS-22, visual representation, the dynamic change index, and the improvement percentage formula. The degree of improvement in the variable of grief was 34, 27.53, and 29 for the first, second, and third subjects, respectively, and the calculated dynamic change index was 3.18, 3.56, and 3.14. Moreover, the degree of improvement in the variable of internalized behavioral problems was 46.66, 31.50, and 38.02 for the first, second, and third subjects, respectively, and the calculated dynamic change index was 2.07, 2.96, and 2.14. In addition, the degree of externalized behavioral disorders was 46.98, 40.82, and 45.92 for the first, second, and third subjects, respectively, and the calculated dynamic change index was 2.34, 2.02, and 1.98. After treatment, the amount of dynamic change index was greater than Z (1.96); the results of this study suggest that cognitive-behavioral therapy is an effective method for reducing the bereavement and behavioral problems of grieving children

Ethical and Unethical Methods of Plagiarism Prevention in Academic Writing

This paper discusses plagiarism origins, and the ethical solutions to prevent it. It also reviews some unethical approaches, which may be used to decrease the plagiarism rate in academic writings. We propose eight ethical techniques to avoid unconscious and accidental plagiarism in manuscripts without using online systems such as Turnitin and/or iThenticate for cross checking and plagiarism detection. The efficiency of the proposed techniques is evaluated on five different texts using students individually. After application of the techniques on the texts, they were checked by Turnitin to produce the plagiarism and similarity report. At the end, the “effective factor” of each method has been compared with each other; and the best result went to a hybrid combination of all techniques to avoid plagiarism. The hybrid of ethical methods decreased the plagiarism rate reported by Turnitin from nearly 100 to the average of 8.4 on 5 manuscripts

Smart alginate inks for tissue engineering applications

Amazing achievements have been made in the field of tissue engineering during the past decades. However, we have not yet seen fully functional human heart, liver, brain, or kidney tissue emerge from the clinics. The promise of tissue engineering is thus still not fully unleashed. This is mainly related to the challenges associated with producing tissue constructs with similar complexity as native tissue. Bioprinting is an innovative technology that has been used to obliterate these obstacles. Nevertheless, natural organs are highly dynamic and can change shape over time; this is part of their functional repertoire inside the body. 3D-bioprinted tissue constructs should likewise adapt to their surrounding environment and not remain static. For this reason, the new trend in the field is 4D bioprinting – a new method that delivers printed constructs that can evolve their shape and function over time. A key lack of methodology for printing approaches is the scalability, easy-to-print, and intelligent inks. Alginate plays a vital role in driving innovative progress in 3D and 4D bioprinting due to its exceptional properties, scalability, and versatility. Alginate's ability to support 3D and 4D printing methods positions it as a key material for fueling advancements in bioprinting across various applications, from tissue engineering to regenerative medicine and beyond. Here, we review the current progress in designing scalable alginate (Alg) bioinks for 3D and 4D bioprinting in a "dry"/air state. Our focus is primarily on tissue engineering, however, these next-generation materials could be used in the emerging fields of soft robotics, bioelectronics, and cyborganics.</p

Smart alginate inks for tissue engineering applications

Amazing achievements have been made in the field of tissue engineering during the past decades. However, we have not yet seen fully functional human heart, liver, brain, or kidney tissue emerge from the clinics. The promise of tissue engineering is thus still not fully unleashed. This is mainly related to the challenges associated with producing tissue constructs with similar complexity as native tissue. Bioprinting is an innovative technology that has been used to obliterate these obstacles. Nevertheless, natural organs are highly dynamic and can change shape over time; this is part of their functional repertoire inside the body. 3D-bioprinted tissue constructs should likewise adapt to their surrounding environment and not remain static. For this reason, the new trend in the field is 4D bioprinting – a new method that delivers printed constructs that can evolve their shape and function over time. A key lack of methodology for printing approaches is the scalability, easy-to-print, and intelligent inks. Alginate plays a vital role in driving innovative progress in 3D and 4D bioprinting due to its exceptional properties, scalability, and versatility. Alginate's ability to support 3D and 4D printing methods positions it as a key material for fueling advancements in bioprinting across various applications, from tissue engineering to regenerative medicine and beyond. Here, we review the current progress in designing scalable alginate (Alg) bioinks for 3D and 4D bioprinting in a "dry"/air state. Our focus is primarily on tissue engineering, however, these next-generation materials could be used in the emerging fields of soft robotics, bioelectronics, and cyborganics.</p