Optically-controlled platforms for transfection and single- and sub-cellular surgery

Improving the resolution of biological research to the single- or sub-cellular level is of critical importance in a wide variety of processes and disease conditions. Most obvious are those linked to aging and cancer, many of which are dependent upon stochastic processes where individual, unpredictable failures or mutations in individual cells can lead to serious downstream conditions across the whole organism. The traditional tools of biochemistry struggle to observe such processes: the vast majority are based upon ensemble approaches analysing the properties of bulk populations, which means that the detail about individual constituents is lost. What are required, then, are tools with the precision and resolution to probe and dissect cells at the single-micron scale: the scale of the individual organelles and structures that control their function. In this review, we highlight the use of highly-focused laser beams to create systems providing precise control and specificity at the single cell or even single micron level. The intense focal points generated can directly interact with cells and cell membranes, which in conjunction with related modalities such as optical trapping provide a broad platform for the development of single and sub-cellular surgery approaches. These highly tuneable tools have demonstrated delivery or removal of material from cells of interest, but can simultaneously excite fluorescent probes for imaging purposes or plasmonic structures for very local heating. We discuss both the history and recent applications of the field, highlighting the key findings and developments over the last 40 years of biophotonics researc

Providers’ Perception of Alert Fatigue After Implementation of User-Filtered Warnings

Alert fatigue is a complex problem that many health institutions face when using an electronic health record (EHR). The addition of user-filtered warnings (UFW) is a physicians’ proposed intervention at Inova Health System (IHS), a large 5-hospital health system in Northern Virginia, that allows prescribers to filter out specific drug-drug interactions and pregnancy and lactation medication alerts for a 30-day period. This study aims to determine the impact of UFW on physicians’ perception of alert fatigue and to calculate the reduction of medication alerts. It was hypothesized that the reduction in alerts will significantly impact physicians’ perception of alert fatigue in a positive manner. Physician perception of alert fatigue was assessed using online surveys before and after the implementation of UFW. Data from Medications Warnings Statistics reports were used to assess the reduction of alerts fired post-implementation of UFW. For the primary outcome, there was no significant difference in the overall perception of alert fatigue before and after the implementation of UFW. For the secondary outcome, the number of medication alerts was decreased by 16.7% post UFW implementation. Overall, the data does not support UFW to reduce alert fatigue

Laser-based techniques for non-destructive surgery on individual cells

Combining tightly focused laser beams with surface-treated microtools enables injection and surface biopsies on individual, live cells with minimal disruption to their normal function

Hermeneutical Healing: Physical Therapy with a Gadamerian Twist

In recent decades, phenomenology has been utilized not only as a conceptual framework from which to understand medical encounters in healthcare settings, but also to guide medical professionals in providing care. In the realm of physical therapy, phenomenology has been touted as a philosophically-based avenue to aid in helping to understand what it means to be a patient. The works of Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger have been utilized as paths to approach phenomenologically-informed care in physical therapy. However, to our knowledge, no significant connection has been made in regard to the work of Hans-Georg Gadamer’s phenomenology and hermeneutics in the realm of physical therapy. The authors aim to close that gap by showing the ways in which Gadamer’s philosophy can help physical therapists provide phenomenologically-informed patient care. They begin by outlining some of the touchpoints between phenomenology and healthcare and then introduce Gadamer as a figure who deserves attention in the question of how to apply phenomenology to healthcare settings. Upon analyzing Gadamer’s account of what it means to experience an altered body, they outline Gadamer’s understanding of tact, practical knowledge, and good sense in order to show how to understand at a conceptual level what it means to empathize with patients on the path to building therapeutic alliance, that is, a cooperative working relationship. They then look closely at Gadamer’s hermeneutics and particularly his comments on how to cultivate a fusion of horizons in order to attempt to help guide physical therapists in theoretically understanding how to empathize with their patients. Ultimately, they argue that physical therapists who practice phenomenologically-informed care, which they call “hermeneutical healing,” are positioned well to form strong working relationships with their patients. Keywords: Medical Humanities, Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, Gadamer, Fusion of Horizon

Responding to Unexpected Urine Drug Test Results: A Phenomenological Approach

As a response to the opioid epidemic in the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain in 2016. This document served as a means to reduce risks and address harms of opioid use by recommending that clinicians conduct periodic urine drug testing for patients on chronic opioid therapy. As an unintended result of this recommendation, providers began using unexpected urine drug test results as a reason to dismiss patients from practice, both out of concern for their patients’ wellbeing as well as their own legal risks. Using Husserl’s and Heidegger’s phenomenology, we argue that this science-based, black-and-white practice does not heed the patient as a whole person. Instead, we recommend a more contextual, patient-centered approach that can help us to better understand and manage patient needs in such contexts. Keywords: Martin Heidegger, Edmund Husserl, Opioid Epidemic, Medical Ethics, Chronic Pai

Testing Data Sanitization Practices of Retired Drives with The Digital Forensics Data Recovery Project

There are several empirical studies that have focused on the analysis of retired digital media on the secondary market which has had historical impact on not only the technology community, but the business community alike. This research will introduce the Digital Forensics Recovery (DFDR) study, where five key industries-government, education, businesses, electronic recycle centers, and individual home users were targeted to test effectiveness of data sanitization practices with used media. While previous work analyzed any device, the DFDR study aims to analyze on media in which due diligence has been taken to ensure data privacy

Design of the Next Generation Aircraft Noise Prediction Program: ANOPP2

The requirements, constraints, and design of NASA's next generation Aircraft NOise Prediction Program (ANOPP2) are introduced. Similar to its predecessor (ANOPP), ANOPP2 provides the U.S. Government with an independent aircraft system noise prediction capability that can be used as a stand-alone program or within larger trade studies that include performance, emissions, and fuel burn. The ANOPP2 framework is designed to facilitate the combination of acoustic approaches of varying fidelity for the analysis of noise from conventional and unconventional aircraft. ANOPP2 integrates noise prediction and propagation methods, including those found in ANOPP, into a unified system that is compatible for use within general aircraft analysis software. The design of the system is described in terms of its functionality and capability to perform predictions accounting for distributed sources, installation effects, and propagation through a non-uniform atmosphere including refraction and the influence of terrain. The philosophy of mixed fidelity noise prediction through the use of nested Ffowcs Williams and Hawkings surfaces is presented and specific issues associated with its implementation are identified. Demonstrations for a conventional twin-aisle and an unconventional hybrid wing body aircraft configuration are presented to show the feasibility and capabilities of the system. Isolated model-scale jet noise predictions are also presented using high-fidelity and reduced order models, further demonstrating ANOPP2's ability to provide predictions for model-scale test configurations

Identity Theft and Used Gaming Consoles: Recovering Personal Information from Xbox 360 Hard Drives

Traditionally, when individuals wanted online access they connected their PCs to the internet. Now, non-traditional devices such as cell phones, smart phones, and gaming consoles serve as common means of online access. Gaming consoles, just like PCs need proper sanitization processes to help fight identity theft. Individuals understand you cannot simply throw away a computer that has your personal data on it without some sort of sanitization process; gaming consoles are no different. Simply returning your console back to “factory state” will not do the trick, you need to take things one step further.In this research paper the authors aim to bring awareness to the gaming public, researchers and practitioners that improperly discarding used consoles without proper sanitization practices can inadvertently release personal data which can result in identity theft. The researchers will demonstrate through a case study how easy it is to steal an identity through a discarded Xbox. Finally, the researchers will demonstrate how gamers can sanitize their game consoles when upgrading their systems to ensure their identity is not at risk when the used device is retired

A systems approach to understanding the connection between farm systems resilience and pasture resilience

Farm systems resilience in New Zealand pasture-based farming is influenced by external drivers such as environmental regulation, and internal drivers such as existence, expressed as profitability. We examine ten published case studies of farm systems change to provide insight into management interventions to these drivers and their impacts on pasture resilience. Nutrient supply was key to increasing pasture longevity, water use efficiency and animal feed supply. Manipulating water use efficiency through irrigation and legume (predominantly lucerne) use increased nitrogen use efficiency and added pasture supply for animal consumption. Monitoring the pasture supply and animal response ensured both animal feed requirements and pasture conditions for future growth were met. The resilience of pastures was improved when monitoring guided adaptive management application to ensure whole-farm resilience

Characterization of a Novel Clade of Transporters in Phytophthora

The oomycete Phytophthora parasitica has a worldwide distribution and is an economically important pathogen of more than 100 species4. RNA-seq analysis showed that one gene, PPTG_16698 has the 5th highest level of expression of all transport proteins in the zoospore stage, and is highly conserved throughout Phytophthora species. This project attempts to characterize the important biological role that PPTG_16698 plays in P. parasitica and other oomycetes. Three strategies have been implemented to accomplish this goal: growth analysis by heterologous expression in yeast, metabolite analysis in yeast, and construction of a GFP fusion protein to enable localization of the gene in oomycete hyphae by confocal microscopy. Confocal microscopy is expected to confirm the vacuolar localization of this gene. If this gene is localized to a vacuolar membrane, then heterologous expression in yeast should result in differential accumulation of metabolites mobilized by this transporter. In preliminary growth assays, expression of this gene did not inhibit the growth of yeast. Therefore, expression of the gene does not result in sequestering of a growth-limiting metabolite. To determine whether expression of the transporter results in the accumulation of polyamines, which are organic compounds necessary for growth in eukaryotes, polyamine levels will be measured by dansylation of amines and separation by HPLC. Other metabolites will be assayed by liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy analysis