Smartphone-Based pH Sensor for Home Monitoring of Pulmonary Exacerbations in Cystic Fibrosis.

Currently, Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients lack the ability to track their lung health at home, relying instead on doctor checkups leading to delayed treatment and lung damage. By leveraging the ubiquity of the smartphone to lower costs and increase portability, a smartphone-based peripheral pH measurement device was designed to attach directly to the headphone port to harvest power and communicate with a smartphone application. This platform was tested using prepared pH buffers and sputum samples from CF patients. The system matches within ~0.03 pH of a benchtop pH meter while fully powering itself and communicating with a Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone paired with either a glass or Iridium Oxide (IrOx) electrode. The IrOx electrodes were found to have 25% higher sensitivity than the glass probes at the expense of larger drift and matrix sensitivity that can be addressed with proper calibration. The smartphone-based platform has been demonstrated as a portable replacement for laboratory pH meters, and supports both highly robust glass probes and the sensitive and miniature IrOx electrodes with calibration. This tool can enable more frequent pH sputum tracking for CF patients to help detect the onset of pulmonary exacerbation to provide timely and appropriate treatment before serious damage occurs

The effect of frequent hemodialysis on nutrition and body composition: frequent Hemodialysis Network Trial.

We investigated the effects of frequency of hemodialysis on nutritional status by analyzing the data in the Frequent Hemodialysis Network Trial. We compared changes in albumin, body weight, and composition among 245 patients randomized to six or three times per week in-center hemodialysis (Daily Trial) and 87 patients randomized to six times per week nocturnal or three times per week conventional hemodialysis, performed largely at home (Nocturnal Trial). In the Daily Trial, there were no significant differences between groups in changes in serum albumin or the equilibrated protein catabolic rate by 12 months. There was a significant relative decrease in predialysis body weight of 1.5 ± 0.2 kg in the six times per week group at 1 month, but this significantly rebounded by 1.3 ± 0.5 kg over the remaining 11 months. Extracellular water (ECW) decreased in the six times per week compared with the three per week hemodialysis group. There were no significant between-group differences in phase angle, intracellular water, or body cell mass (BCM). In the Nocturnal Trial, there were no significant between-group differences in any study parameter. Any gain in 'dry' body weight corresponded to increased adiposity rather than muscle mass but was not statistically significant. Thus, frequent in-center hemodialysis reduced ECW but did not increase serum albumin or BCM while frequent nocturnal hemodialysis yielded no net effect on parameters of nutritional status or body composition

Recent advances in laser-plasma experiments using foams

The paper discusses recent advances in the use of foams in laser–plasma experiments, concerning in particular: (1) the use of foam in order to get an efficient smoothing of laser energy deposition, (2) the problem of hydrodynamics of layered foam-payload targets, (3) the use of foam for shock pressure amplification in equation-of-state experiments, (4) the study of the equation of state of foams in the Megabar regime, and (5) the use of foams for astrophysics relevant experiments, here in particular shock acceleration experiments

Towards a Requirement Framework for Online Participation Platforms

Online participation platforms (OPPs) are frequently used by public institutions to involve citizens in political opinion forming and decision making. A literature re-view reveals different approaches to evaluate these OPPs. These approaches focus only on partial requirements of participation processes. In this research in progress, we develop and pretest an interdisciplinary literature-based requirement frame-work. It includes the categories usability, security, information, transparency, inte-gration, and mobilisation. Our aim is to close the research gap of a context-specific analysis and evaluation of OPPs

Classical XY model with conserved angular momentum is an archetypal non-Newtonian fluid

We find that the classical one-dimensional (1D) XY model, with angular-momentum-conserving Langevin dynamics, mimics the non-Newtonian flow regimes characteristic of soft matter when subjected to counter-rotating boundaries. An elaborate steady-state phase diagram has continuous and first-order transitions between states of uniform flow, shear-banding, solid-fluid coexistence and slip-planes. Results of numerically studies and a concise mean-field constitutive relation, offer a paradigm for diverse non-equilibrium complex fluids

The influence of end of day silicone hydrogel daily disposable contact lens fit on ocular comfort, physiology and lens wettability

Purpose: To quantify the end-of-day silicone-hydrogel daily disposable contact lens fit and its influence of on ocular comfort, physiology and lens wettability. Methods: Thirty-nine subjects (22.1. ±. 3.5 years) were randomised to wear each of 3 silicone-hydrogel daily-disposable contact lenses (narafilcon A, delefilcon A and filcon II 3), bilaterally, for one week. Lens fit was assessed objectively using a digital video slit-lamp at 8, 12 and 16. h after lens insertion. Hyperaemia, non-invasive tear break-up time, tear meniscus height and comfort were also evaluated at these timepoints, while corneal and conjunctival staining were assessed on lens removal. Results: Lens fit assessments were not different between brands (P > 0.05), with the exception of the movement at blink where narafilcon A was more mobile. Overall, lag reduced but push-up speed increased from 8 to 12. h (P 0.05). Movement-on-blink was unaffected by wear-time (F = 0.403, P = 0.670). A more mobile lens fit with one brand did not indicate that person would have a more mobile fit with another brand (r = -0.06 to 0.63). Lens fit was not correlated with comfort, ocular physiology or lens wettability (P > 0.01). Conclusions: Among the lenses tested, objective lens fit changed between 8. h and 12. h of lens wear. The weak correlation in individual lens fit between brands indicates that fit is dependent on more than ocular shape. Consequently, substitution of a different lens brand with similar parameters will not necessarily provide comparable lens fit

Determination of the color temperature in laser-produced shocks

Experimental results on the determination of the color temperature in shock waves produced with lasers are presented. The method is based on imaging the target rear side in two different spectral windows and on using phased zone plates to produce high-quality shocks. The shock velocity is also measured, allowing, with the use of the equation of state, the real shock temperature to be deduced and compared with the measured color temperature

Effects of self-generated electric and magnetic fields in laser-generated fast electron propagation in solid materials: Electric inhibition and beam pinching

We present some experimental results which demonstrate the presence of electric inhibition in the propagation of relativistic electrons generated by intense laser pulses, depending on target conductivity. The use of transparent targets and shadowgraphic techniques has made it possible to evidence electron jets moving at the speed of light, an indication of the presence of self-generated strong magnetic fields