Applications Of Operations Research/Statistics In Infection Outbreak Management

Operations Research (OR) can be identified as the discipline that uses statistics, mathematics, computer-modelling and similar science methodology for decision making (Luss, Rosenwein, 1997). OR, powered with statistics and models, is a high potential engine for use in many areas that require evidence-based or model-based decision making. One of the most promising areas is specifically the infection outbreak management. Surprisingly, very little OR/statistics research has been aimed at infection outbreak management; usually, other general epidemiology issues were tackled in models. However, OR/statistics models for use in the infection outbreak management exist and can be effectively used in public policy and outbreak management practice. Probably, key reasons for that little involvement of OR/statistics in the infection outbreaks management is low awareness among the specialist community of OR/statistics use and benefits for their decision making. Up to the moment, there is lack of contemporary review of OR/statistics-applied models used for the infection outbreak management decision making. The present paper aimed at filling that gap and providing two benefits to involved health care managers and academics: first, developing awareness on the use and benefits of OR/statistics models for the infection outbreak management decision making, and second, for plotting the current state of affairs to highlight research opportunities for developing the field by academics and epidemic control professionals

Морфолого-фізіологічні особливості рослин Paulownia tomentosa Steud. в умовах промислового міста та перспективи її інтродукції

Parameters of growth and development, physiological parameters of frost resistance of Paulownia tomentosa Steud. plants in conditions of industrial city are investigated. The number of acclimatization is calculated on the basis of data obtained. Estimation of perspective of further use of this species for decorative gardening in Zaporizhzhya is presented.Вивчено показники росту, розвитку та морозостійкості Paulownia tomentosa Steud. в умовах промислового міста. На підставі отриманих даних розраховано акліматизаційне число. Оцінено перспективність подальшого використання цього виду в озелененні Запоріжжя

Cell-Based Biosensor to Report DNA Damage in Micro- and Nanosystems

Understanding how newly engineered micro- and nanoscale materials and systems that interact with cells impact cell physiology is crucial for the development and ultimate adoption of such technologies. Reports regarding the genotoxic impact of forces applied to cells in such systems that can both directly or indirectly damage DNA emphasize the need for developing facile methods to assess how materials and technologies affect cell physiology. To address this need we have developed a TurboRFP-based DNA damage reporter cell line in NIH-3T3 cells that fluoresce to report genotoxic stress caused by a wide variety of agents, from chemical genotoxic agents to UV-C radiation. Our biosensor was successfully implemented in reporting the genotoxic impact of nanomaterials, demonstrating the ability to assess size dependent geno- and cyto-toxicity. The biosensor cells can be assayed in a high throughput, noninvasive manner, with no need for overly sophisticated equipment or additional reagents. We believe that this open-source biosensor is an important resource for the community of micro- and nanomaterials and systems designers and users who wish to evaluate the impact of systems and materials on cell physiology.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM090194

Ultrasensitive gold micro-structured electrodes enabling the detection of extra-cellular long-lasting potentials in astrocytes populations

Ultra-sensitive electrodes for extracellular recordings were fabricated and electrically characterized. A signal detection limit defined by a noise level of 0.3-0.4 mu V for a bandwidth of 12.5 Hz was achieved. To obtain this high sensitivity, large area (4 mm(2)) electrodes were used. The electrode surface is also micro-structured with an array of gold mushroom-like shapes to further enhance the active area. In comparison with a flat gold surface, the micro-structured surface increases the capacitance of the electrode/electrolyte interface by 54%. The electrode low impedance and low noise enable the detection of weak and low frequency quasi-periodic signals produced by astrocytes populations that thus far had remained inaccessible using conventional extracellular electrodes. Signals with 5 mu V in amplitude and lasting for 5-10 s were measured, with a peak-to-peak signal-to-noise ratio of 16. The electrodes and the methodology developed here can be used as an ultrasensitive electrophysiological tool to reveal the synchronization dynamics of ultra-slow ionic signalling between non-electrogenic cells.Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), through the project "Implantable organic devices for advanced therapies" (INNOVATE) [PTDC/EEI-AUT/5442/2014]; Instituto de Telecomunicacoes [UID/Multi/04326/2013]; Associated Laboratory - Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology [POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016623]; [PTDC/CTM-NAN/3146/2014

QSpike tools: a generic framework for parallel batch preprocessing of extracellular neuronal signals recorded by substrate microelectrode arrays

Micro-Electrode Arrays (MEAs) have emerged as a mature technique to investigate brain (dys)functions in vivo and in in vitro animal models. Often referred to as “smart” Petri dishes, MEAs have demonstrated a great potential particularly for medium-throughput studies in vitro, both in academic and pharmaceutical industrial contexts. Enabling rapid comparison of ionic/pharmacological/genetic manipulations with control conditions, MEAs are employed to screen compounds by monitoring non-invasively the spontaneous and evoked neuronal electrical activity in longitudinal studies, with relatively inexpensive equipment. However, in order to acquire sufficient statistical significance, recordings last up to tens of minutes and generate large amount of raw data (e.g., 60 channels/MEA, 16 bits A/D conversion, 20 kHz sampling rate: approximately 8 GB/MEA,h uncompressed). Thus, when the experimental conditions to be tested are numerous, the availability of fast, standardized, and automated signal preprocessing becomes pivotal for any subsequent analysis and data archiving. To this aim, we developed an in-house cloud-computing system, named QSpike Tools, where CPU-intensive operations, required for preprocessing of each recorded channel (e.g., filtering, multi-unit activity detection, spike-sorting, etc.), are decomposed and batch-queued to a multi-core architecture or to a computers cluster. With the commercial availability of new and inexpensive high-density MEAs, we believe that disseminating QSpike Tools might facilitate its wide adoption and customization, and inspire the creation of community-supported cloud-computing facilities for MEAs users

Assessment of a panel of interleukin-8 reporter lung epithelial cell lines to monitor the pro-inflammatory response following zinc oxide nanoparticle exposure under different cell culture conditions

Stably transfected lung epithelial reporter cell lines pose an advantageous alternative to replace complex experimental techniques to monitor the pro-inflammatory response following nanoparticle (NP) exposure. Previously, reporter cell lines have been used under submerged culture conditions, however, their potential usefulness in combination with air-liquid interface (ALI) exposures is currently unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare a panel of interleukin-8 promoter (pIL8)-reporter cell lines (i.e. green or red fluorescent protein (GFP, RFP), and luciferase (Luc)), originating from A549 lung epithelial type II-like cells cells, following NPs exposure under both submerged and ALI conditions. All cell lines were exposed to zinc oxide (ZnO) NPs at 0.6 and 6.2 μg/cm 2 for 3 and 16 hours under both submerged and ALI conditions. Following physicochemical characterization, the cytotoxic profile of the ZnO-NPs was determined for each exposure scenario. Expression of IL-8 from all cell types was analyzed at the promoter level and compared to the mRNA (qRT-PCR) and protein level (ELISA). In summary, each reporter cell line detected acute pro-inflammatory effects following ZnO exposure under each condition tested. The pIL8-Luc cell line was the most sensitive in terms of reporter signal strength and onset velocity following TNF-α treatment. Both pIL8-GFP and pIL8-RFP also showed a marked signal induction in response to TNF-α, although only after 16 hrs. In terms of ZnO-NP-induced cytotoxicity pIL8-RFP cells were the most affected, whilst the pIL8-Luc were found the least responsive. In conclusion, the use of fluorescence-based reporter cell lines can provide a useful tool in screening the pro-inflammatory response following NP exposure in both submerged and ALI cell cultures. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12989-015-0104-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Toward on-chip, in-cell recordings from cultured cardiomyocytes by arrays of gold mushroom-shaped microelectrodes

Cardiological research greatly rely on the use of cultured primary cardiomyocytes (CM). The prime methodology to assess CM network electrophysiology is based on the use of extracellular recordings by substrate-integrated planar Micro-Electrode Arrays (MEAs). Whereas this methodology permits simultaneous, long-term monitoring of the CM electrical activity, it limits the information to extracellular field potentials (FP). The alternative method of intracellular action potentials (AP) recordings by sharp- or patch-microelectrodes is limited to a single cell at a time. Here, we began to merge the advantages of planar MEA and intracellular microelectrodes. To that end we cultured rat CM on micrometer size protruding gold mushroom-shaped microelectrode (gMµE) arrays. Cultured CMs engulf the gMµE permitting FPs recordings from individual cells. Local electroporation of a CM converts the extracellular recording configuration to attenuated intracellular APs with shape and duration similar to those recorded intracellularly. The procedure enables to simultaneously record APs from an unlimited number of CMs. The electroporated membrane spontaneously recovers. This allows for repeated recordings from the same CM a number of times (>8) for over 10 days. The further development of CM-gMµE configuration opens up new venues for basic and applied biomedical research

Demographics of mass customization: a global study of manufacturing plants

Abstract This study explores the demographic configuration of mass customization (MC) manufacturing plants. It uses cluster analysis, ANOVA and correspondence analysis to test for differences in business unit size, location, and supply chain structure between MC and non-MC producers across the globe. The analysis uses data from an international survey of manufacturers of metal products, machinery, and instruments from 21 countries. Results indicate no significant differences in size, but significant differences in location and supply chain indicators between MC and non-MC plants. We also find renewed evidence of the positioning of MC plants in Hayes & Wheelwright's (1979) product and process matrix

Multiplexed Cell-Based Sensors for Assessing the Impact of Engineered Systems and Methods on Cell Health

Bioinstrumentation engineers have long been creating platforms to study cell health and disease. It becomes necessary to ensure that such cell-probing tools do not themselves harm cells through complex stressors resulting from their design or operational conditions. Here, we present multiplexed cell-based sensors to simultaneously quantify stress induced by diverse mechanisms such as shear stress, DNA damage, and heat shock. Our sensors do not require additional reagents and can be conveniently quantified by flow cytometry and real-time imaging. Successful adaptation of our sensors by external users enabled systematic assessment of multiple flow sorters, alongside their operational parameters using the same cells and preparation. Our results provide insight into “gentle” and stressful sorting parameters that had not been quantified previously. Overall, this work presents a facile and quantitative approach to investigate multifactorial cell-stress emergent from diverse bioinstrumentation, which can be utilized to discover design and operation conditions ideal for cell health