Equipment Design

We study theI-Vcharacteristic of mesoscopic systems or quantum dot (QD) attached to a pair of superconducting leads. Interaction effects in the QD are considered through the charging energy of the QD; that is, the treatment of current transport under a voltage bias is performed within a coupled Poisson nonequilibrium Green function (PNEGF) formalism. We derive the expression for the current in full generality but consider only the regime where transport occurs only via a single particle current. We show for this case and for various charging energies valuesU0and associated capacitances of the QD the effect on theI-Vcharacteristic. Also the influence of the coupling constants on theI-Vcharacteristic is investigated. Our approach puts forward a novel interpretation of experiments in the strong Coulomb regime.

A remote magnetic navigation system (MNS) is available and has been used with a 4-mm-tip magnetic catheter for radiofrequency (RF) ablation of some supraventricular and ventricular arrhythmias; however, it has not been evaluated for the ablation of cavotricuspid isthmus-dependent right atrial flutter (AFL). The present study evaluates the feasibility and efficiency of this system and the newly available 8-mm-tip magnetic catheter to perform RF ablation in patients with AFL. Twenty-six consecutive patients (23 men, mean age 64.6 +/- 9.6 years) underwent RF ablation using a remote MNS. RF ablation was performed with an 8-mm-tip magnetic catheter (70 degrees C, maximum power 70 W, 90 seconds). The endpoint of ablation was complete bidirectional isthmus block. To assess a possible learning curve, procedural data were compared between the first 14 (group 1) and the rest (group 2) of the patients. The initial rhythm during ablation was AFL in 20 (19 counterclockwise and 1 clockwise) and s...

The acute hemodynamic efficacy of an implantable counter-pulsation device (CPD) was evaluated. The CPD is a valveless single port, 32-ml stroke volume blood chamber designed to be connected to the human axillary artery using a simple surface surgical procedure. Blood is drawn into the pump during systole and ejected during diastole. The acute hemodynamic effects of the 32-ml CPD were compared to a standard clinical 40-ml intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) in calves (80 kg, n = 10). The calves were treated by a single oral dose of Monensin to produce a model of diminished cardiac function (DCF). The CPD and IABP produced similar increases in cardiac output (6% CPD vs. 5% IABP, p > 0.5) and reduction in left ventricular external work (14% CPD vs. 13% IABP, p > 0.5) compared to DCF (p < 0.05). However, the ratio of diastolic coronary artery flow to left ventricular external work increase from DCF baseline (p < 0.05) was greater with the CPD compared to the IABP (15% vs. 4%, p < 0.05). The CPD also produced a greater reduction in left ventricular myocardial oxygen consumption from DCF baseline (p < 0.05) compared to the IABP (13% vs. 9%, p < 0.05) despite each device providing similar improvements in cardiac output. There was no early indication of hemolysis, thrombus formation, or vascular injury. The CPD provides hemodynamic efficacy equivalent to an IABP and may become a therapeutic option for patients who may benefit from prolonged counterpulsation.

Matrix coils are based on Gugliemi detachable coils (GDC) but are covered with polyglycolic/polylactic acid. We present our experience regarding the immediate posttreatment results of aneurysm embolization using the 2 coil systems. We embolized 219 aneurysms in 187 patients with the use of GDCs and 145 aneurysms in 120 patients with the use of Matrix coils. Age, sex distribution, unruptured aneurysm cases, and multiple aneurysm cases were similar in the 2 groups. The percentage of patients in severe clinical condition was significantly higher in the Matrix group. The mean aneurysm size was slightly larger in the GDC group but the mean neck size was larger in the Matrix group. Satisfactory occlusion (at least 90%) was achieved in 95.9% of GDC-treated aneurysms and in 98.6% of Matrix-treated aneurysms. Procedure-related complications occurred in 19.6% of GDC procedures and in 15.6% of the Matrix ones resulting in procedure-related mortality and morbidity of 3.7% and 2.7% for the GDC g...

This review summarizes the current state-of-the-art regarding the endovascular management of acute ischemic stroke. Beginning with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator, this paper traces the gradual shift of systemic thrombolysis from a competing to complementary treatment modality. Intra-arterial thrombolysis, mechanical thrombectomy with the Merci (Concentric Medical, Mountain View, California) and Penumbra (Penumbra, Inc., Alameda, California) systems, angioplasty, primary intracranial stenting, and emerging stentriever devices are sequentially reviewed. Ultimately, this paper lays the foundation for current endovascular stroke management and considers future areas of progress and research.

High-order modulation formats and advanced error correcting codes (ECC) are two promising techniques for improving the performance of ultrahigh-speed optical transport networks. In this paper, we present record receiver sensitivity for 107 Gb/s CO-OFDM transmission via constellation expansion to 16-QAM and rate-1/2 LDPC coding. We also show the single-channel transmission of a 428-Gb/s CO-OFDM signal over 960-km standard-single-mode-fiber (SSMF) without Raman amplification.

In the present work, the current status of the hydrodynamic cavitation reactors has been reviewed discussing the bubble dynamics analysis, optimum design considerations, design correlations for cavitational intensity (in terms of collapse pressure)/cavitational yield and different successful chemical synthesis applications clearly illustrating the utility of these types of reactors. The theoretical discussion based on the modeling of the bubble dynamics equations aims at understanding the design information related to the dependency of the cavitational intensity on the operating parameters and recommendations have been made for the choice of the optimized conditions of operating parameters. The design information based on the theoretical analysis has also been supported with some experimental illustrations concentrating on the chemical synthesis applications. Assessment of the hydrodynamic cavitation reactors and comparison with the sonochemical reactors has been done by citing the different industrially important reactions (oxidation of toluene, o-xylene, m-xylene, p-xylene, mesitylene, o-nitrotoluene, p-nitrotoluene, m-nitrotoluene, o-chlorotoluene and p-chlorotoulene, and trans-esterification reaction i.e., synthesis of bio-diesel). Some recommendations have also been made for the future work to be carried out as well as the choice of the operating conditions for realizing the dream of industrial scale applications of the cavitational reactors.

and CUNY sentences in noise (ϩ10 dB S/N) were similar. Both independent variables had large effects on speech recognition and there were interactions Recent research and clinical experience with cochlear between these variables. These results suggest that the implants suggest that subjects' speech recognition with effects of electrode configuration on speech recognimonopolar or broad bipolar stimulation might be tion might be due, in part, to differences among the equal to or better than that obtained with narrow bipovarious configurations in the spatial location of stimular stimulation or other spatially restricted electrode lation. Correlations of subjective judgments of sound configurations. Furthermore, subjects often prefer the quality with speech-recognition ability were moderate, monopolar configurations. The mechanisms underlysuggesting that the mechanisms contributing to subjecing these effects are not clear. Two hypotheses are tive quality and speech-recognition ability do not com-(a) that broader configurations excite more neurons pletely overlap. resulting in a more detailed and robust neural repre-

Objective: Examine the effect of different cleat plate configurations on plantar pressure during two tasks. Design: Thirty-six athletes ran an agility course 5 times while wearing 4 different types of Nike Vitoria Cleats: 1) Bladed, 2) Elliptical Firm Ground, 3) Hard Ground, and 4) Turf. Plantar pressure data were recorded during a side cut and a cross cut using Pedar-X insoles. Setting: Controlled Laboratory Study Participants: No history of lower extremity injury in the past six months, no previous foot or ankle surgery, not currently wearing foot orthotics, and play a cleated sport at least 2 times per week. Main Outcome Measurements: Contact area, total foot contact time, maximum force, total foot peak pressure, and the force-time integral (FTI) in the medial, middle and lateral regions of the forefoot. A 1x4 ANOVA (alpha=0.05) was performed on each dependent variable. A Bonferroni adjustment was conducted (α=0.008).

Materials for solid photoacoustic breast phantoms, based on poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels, are presented. Phantoms intended for use in photoacoustics must possess both optical and acoustic properties of tissue. To realize the optical properties of tissue, one approach was to optimize the number of freezing and thawing cycles of aqueous poly(vinyl alcohol) solutions, a procedure which increases the turbidity of the gel while rigidifying it. The second approach concentrated on forming a clear matrix of the rigid poly(vinyl alcohol) gel without any scattering, so that appropriate amounts of optical scatterers could be added at the time of formation, to tune the optical properties as per requirement. The relevant optical and acoustic properties of such samples were measured to be close to the average properties of human breast tissue. Tumour simulating gel samples of suitable absorption coefficient were created by adding appropriate quantities of dye at the time of formation; the samples were then cut into spheres. A breast phantom embedded with such 'tumours' was developed for studying the applicability of photoacoustics in mammography.

A controlled human subject study was conducted to analyze the possible breath-sampling differences between the standard automatic technique and three manual techniques. Subjects were dosed with vodka and orange juice and then tested during the descending limb of their BrAC curve. Differences between the automatic and the manual techniques were found to be statistically significant with the three manual techniques underestimating the BrAC. The average maximum difference between the automatic BrAC level, as compared to the lowest manual level in each data set, was 27.9% (median 27.7%) with underestimations from 20.8% to 40.0%. In no instance did any of the manual techniques produce higher BrACs than the automatic technique. . General expirogram illustrating how breath alcohol level can increase over exhalation time during Phases I-III.

Microfluidic biosensing systems with enzyme-based detection have been extensively studied in the last years owing to features such as high specificity, a broad range of analytes and a high degree of automation. This review gives an overview of the most important factors associated with these systems. In the first part, frequently used immobilization protocols such as physisorption and covalent bonding and detection techniques such as amperometry and fluorescence measurements are discussed with respect to effort, lifetime and measurement range. The Michaelis-Menten model describing the kinetics of enzymatic reactions, the role of redox mediators and the limitations of the linear measurement range of enzymatic sensors are introduced. Several possibilities of extending the linear measurement range in microfluidic systems such as diffusion-limiting membranes and the flow injection setup are presented. Regarding the integration of enzymes into microfluidic systems during the fabrication ...

Efficient DNA sequencing of the genomes of individual species and organisms is a critical task for the advancement of biological sciences, medicine and agriculture.Advances in modern sequencing methods are needed to meet the challenge of sequencing such megabase to gigabase quantities of DNA. Two possible strategies for DNA sequencing exist: direct methods, in which each base position in the DNA chain is determined individually (e.g., gel sequencing or pyrosequencing), and indirect methods, in which the DNA sequence is assembled based on experimental determination of oligonucleotide content of the DNA chain. One promising indirect method is sequencing by hybridization (SBH), in which sets of oligonucleotides are hybridized under conditions that allow detection of complementary sequences in the target nucleic acid. The unprecedented sequence search parallelism of the SBH method has allowed development of high-throughput, low-cost, miniaturized sequencing processes on arrays of DNA samples or probes. Newly developed SBH methods use DNA ligation to combine relatively small sets of short probes to score potentially tens of millions of longer oligonucleotide sequences in a target DNA. Such combinatorial approaches allow analysis of DNA samples of up to several kilobases (several times longer than allowed by current direct methods) for a variety of DNA sequence analysis applications, including de novo sequencing, resequencing, mutation/SNP discovery and genotyping, and expression monitoring. Future advances in biochemistry and implementation of detection methods that allow single-molecule sensitivity may provide the necessary miniaturization, specificity, and multiplexing efficiency to allow routine whole genome analysis in a single solution-based hybridization experiment.

Objectives: To compare the energy efficiency of straightline wheeling using Spinergy wheels as compared with standard steel-spoke wheels, and to assess the 2 wheels in terms of user comfort and wheeling preference during a wheeling course with multiple turns and surfaces. Design: Nonblinded randomized crossover trial. Setting: Rehabilitation center. Participants: Twenty persons with paraplegia (neurologic level T6 and below). Intervention: Wheeling a straight line and obstacle course with Spinergy or standard spoke wheelchair wheels. Main Outcome Measures: Velocity and Physiological Cost Index (PCI) while wheeling over ground at a self-selected pace, and the User Preference Questionnaire after wheeling an obstacle course, using Spinergy or standard spoke wheelchair wheels. Results: There was no significant difference in wheeling energy efficiency between the Spinergy and the steel-spoke wheels as measured by PCI (Pϭ.975). When rated for overall comfort, the Spinergy wheels were preferred over steel-spoke wheels (Pϭ.002). Conclusions: Spinergy wheels provided a more comfortable ride, but did not differ from standard steel-spoked wheels in terms of energy efficiency. The increased comfort may have important implications in patient management of pain and spasticity.

Background: The purpose of this study was to identify various barriers and facilitators associated with participation in fitness and recreation programs/facilities among persons with disabilities. Methods: Focus groups were conducted in ten regions across the United States in 2001 to 2002 with four types of participants: (1) consumers with disabilities, (2) architects, (3) fitness and recreation professionals, and (4) city planners and park district managers. Sessions were tape-recorded and content analyzed; focus group facilitators took notes of identified barriers and facilitators to access. Results: Content analysis of tape recordings revealed 178 barriers and 130 facilitators. The following themes were identified: (1) barriers and facilitators related to the built and natural environment; (2) economic issues; (3) emotional and psychological barriers; (4) equipment barriers; (5) barriers related to the use and interpretation of guidelines, codes, regulations, and laws; (6) information-related barriers; (7) professional knowledge, education, and training issues; (8) perceptions and attitudes of persons who are not disabled, including professionals; (9) policies and procedures both at the facility and community level; and (10) availability of resources. Conclusions: The degree of participation in physical activity among people with disabilities is affected by a multifactorial set of barriers and facilitators that are unique to this population. Future research should utilize this information to develop intervention strategies that have a greater likelihood of success.

Interested readers are encouraged to engage in an exchange of information through this Section. Letters should relate specifically to material published in the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development. We request that the following information be supplied: full name of the author of the article, title of the article, Volume and Issue number, the page number on which the article appeared. In addition, we request that the letter contain the full name and academic degree of the letter writer, along with the facility that the writer represents. We hope to open up an ongoing dialogue between professionals as a means of exchanging information and sharing diverse opinions among disciplines.

Genosensor technology relying on the use of carbon and gold electrodes is reviewed. The key steps of each analytical procedure, namely DNA-probe immobilisation, hybridisation, labelling and electrochemical investigation of the surface, are discussed in detail with separate sections devoted to labelfree and newly emerging magnetic assays. Special emphasis has been given to protocols that have been used with real DNA samples.

Towards establishing electrical interfaces with patterned in vitro neurons, we have previously described the fabrication of hybrid elastomer-glass devices polymer-on-multielectrode array technology and obtained single-electrode recordings of extracellular potentials from confined neurons . Here, we demonstrate the feasibility of spatially localized multisite recordings from individual microchannel-guided neurites extending from microwell-confined somas with good signal-to-noise ratios (20 dB) and spike magnitudes of up to 300 V.

A depth-enhanced three-dimensional integral imaging system with electrically variable image planes is proposed. For implementing the variable image planes, polymer-dispersed liquid-crystal (PDLC) films and a projector are adopted as a new display system in the integral imaging. Since the transparencies of PDLC films are electrically controllable, we can make each film diffuse the projected light successively with a different depth from the lens array. As a result, the proposed method enables control of the location of image planes electrically and enhances the depth. The principle of the proposed method is described, and experimental results are also presented.

Local wet etching technique was proposed to fabricate highperformance aspherical mirrors. In this process, only the limited area facing to the small nozzle is removed by etching on objective surface. The desired objective shape is deterministically fabricated by performing the numerically controlled scanning of the nozzle head. Using the technique, a plano-elliptical mirror to focus the neutron beam was successfully fabricated with the figure accuracy of less than 0.5µm and the focusing gain of 6. The strong and thin focused neutron beam is expected to be a useful tool for the analyses of various material properties.

The success of implant-supported restorations depends on the treatment planning and the transfer of planning through the surgical field. Recently, new computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) techniques, such as stereolithographic (SLA) rapid prototyping, have been developed to fabricate surgical guides to improve the precision of implant placement. The objective of the present case is to introduce a recently developed SLA surgical guide system into the rehabilitation of a 62-year-old male patient with mandibular edentulism. After obtaining a cone-beam computerized tomography (CBCT) scan of the mandible with a radiographic template, the images were transferred into a 3-dimensional (3D) image-based software for implant planning. The StentCad Beyond SLA surgical guide system, which is a combination of a currently used surgical template with pilot hollows and a surgical handpiece guidance apparatus, was designed to transfer a preoperatively defined implant position onto the surgical site without any drill-surgical guide contact. For the fabrication of this system, a surgical handpiece was scanned by a laser optical scanner and a mucosa-supported surgical guide was designed according to the patient's 3D model, which was attained from the CBCT images. Four dental implants were inserted through the SLA surgical guide system by a torque-controlled surgical handpiece to the interforaminal region via a flapless surgical procedure. Implants were assessed 3 months after surgery, and an implant-retained mandibular overdenture was fabricated. The present case emphasizes that CAD/CAM SLA surgical guides, along with CBCT images and scanning data, may help clinicians plan and place dental implants.

Young CC, Mark JB, White W, DeBree A, Vender JS, Fleming A. Clinical evaluation of continuous noninvasive blood pressure monitoring: accuracy and tracking capabilities. J Clin Monit 1995;11:245-252 ABSTRACT. A continuous, noninvasive device for blood pressure measurement using pulse transit time has been recently introduced. We compared blood pressure measurements determined using this device with simultaneous invasive blood pressure measurements in 35 patients undergoing general endotracheal anesthesia. Data were analyzed for accuracy and tracking ability of the noninvasive technique, and for frequency of unavailable pressure measurements by each method.

In this paper, we present preliminary results showing the response of glucose-sensitive hydrogels, confined in micro-pressure sensors, to the changes in environmental glucose concentration. The glucose concentrations were incrementally varied between 20 and 0mM in 0.15M PBS solution at 7.4 pH and bovine serum at 7.4 pH at room temperature and response of the sensor was recorded. The micro sensors demonstrate a response time of 10 minutes in both PBS and serum. Tissue response after 55 days of subcutaneous implantation of a EtO sterilized sensor in mice is presented. The preliminary analysis of the surrounding tissue shows inflammation which is believed not to interfere with the sensor performance.

Physiological effects of therapeutic ultrasound (US) are dependent on the intensity and duration of application. The purpose of this study was to test US machines used in clinical settings for proper calibration of time and power output. Measurements of power output and timer accuracy were obtained from 83 US units in clinical use. The machines were tested at 4 intensity settings (0.5, 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 W/cm2) using a continuous waveform and a 1-MHz frequency. The measured intensities were converted to percentages of error and compared with the +/-20% standard. Of the machines tested, 32 (39%) were outside the calibration standard for at least one output setting. Of these machines, 15 (18%) were above the +20% standard, and 17 (21%) were below the -20% standard for at least one output setting. Of the 32 machines outside the standard, 26 (31%) were outside the standard for 2 or more settings, and 3 (4%) produced no output at any of the settings. Of the mechanical timers tested, 7 (28...

Dedicated and specialized radiofrequency coils are critical for high quality musculoskeletal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Dedicated coils improve the signal to noise ratio, allowing for faster or higher resolution examinations. Transmit-receive coils can reduce heating at high field strength. Finally, novel radiofrequency coils can be used for assessment of tissue biochemistry, as seen with sodium MRI.

To describe patients' functional uses of 3 commercial wrist orthoses, to describe patients'preference patterns for the orthoses, and to clarifv orthotic attributes that are viewed positively and negatively Methods. Using a cross-over design, 42patients with definite rheumatoid arthritis used each of 3 commercial orthoses for one week. There was a one-week washout between each week of use. At the end of the study, private semi-structured interviews were conducted with each participant. Data from close-ended questions were tabulated. Open-ended data were analyzed using qualitative methods.

Deep-seated tumors can be treated by minimally invasive interstitial ultrasound thermal therapy. A miniature transducer emitting high-intensity acoustic waves is placed in contact with the targeted area to induce local thermal necrosis. Accurate positioning of the probe and treatment monitoring must be achieved for the technique to be effective. A piezocomposite technology was used for obtaining both high-quality imaging and effective treatment with the same transducer. Prototypes were designed and built to be compatible with an endoscopic approach for treating cholangiocarcinomas in the biliary ducts. The transducer had dimensions of 2.5 x 7.5 mm(2), it was cylindrically focused at 10 mm and it was operated at a center frequency of 11 MHz. Transducer efficiency was measured at 71%, and the impulse response corresponded to an axial resolution of 0.2 mm. In-vitro tests were conducted on samples of pig liver in which lesions up to 10 mm in depth were induced. B-mode images were obtain...

The cyclical process of regeneration of the endometrium suggests that it may contain a cell population that can provide daughter cells with high proliferative potential. These cell lineages are clinically significant as they may represent clonogenic cells that may also be involved in tumourigenesis as well as endometriotic lesion development. To determine whether the putative stem cell location within human uterine tissue can be derived using vibrational spectroscopy techniques, normal endometrial tissue was interrogated by two spectroscopic techniques. Paraffin-embedded uterine tissues containing endometrial glands were sectioned to 10-μm-thick parallel tissue sections and were floated onto BaF slides for synchrotron radiation-based Fourier-transform infrared (SR-FTIR) microspectroscopy and globar focal plane array-based FTIR spectroscopy. Different spectral characteristics were identified depending on the location of the glands examined. The resulting infrared spectra were subject...

Recently, several theoretical papers have derived relationships for fiber-optic transmission system performance in terms of associated physical layer parameters. At the same time, a large number of detailed experiments have been and continue being performed that demonstrate increasing capacities and unregenerated reach. We use this wealth of experimental data to validate the aforementioned relationships, and to propose a set of simple scaling rules for performance. We find that, despite substantial differences in experimental configurations, overall performance in terms of spectral efficiency and unregenerated reach is well explained by scaling rules. These scaling rules will be useful to carriers seeking to understand what they should expect to see in terms of network performance using deployed or easily accessible technology, which may be radically different from hero experiment results. These rules will also be useful to design engineers seeking cost effective tradeoffs to achiev...

The surgical management of macular holes has been a subject of controversy in recent years. Various techniques such as vitrectomy, membrane peeling, and gas tamponade with or without transforming growth factor-beta 2, and recently the use of autologous platelets have produced closure rates from 58% to 96%, depending on the stage of the hole. The authors present preliminary results in a study of 19 consecutive patients with stage 3 or stage 4 macular hole who underwent vitrectomy followed by placement of an absorbable partially cross-linked gelatin plug in the macular hole. The vitreous cavity was filled with a nonexpanding gas or air alone; the patient was instructed to maintain prone positioning for 2-3 days. Anatomic attachment of the edges of the macular hole was achieved in 19 out of 19 patients with a minimum follow-up period of 6 months (average 11.5 months). A cross-linked gelatin plug can effectively reattach the edges of macular holes of stages 3 and 4. Its use is recommend...

The emergence of the new, High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC) standard, combined with wide deployment of 4G wireless networks, will provide significant support toward the adoption of mobile-health (m-health) medical video communication systems in standard clinical practice. For the first time since the emergence of m-health systems and services, medical video communication systems can be deployed that can rival the standards of in-hospital examinations. In this paper, we provide a thorough overview of today&#39;s advancements in the field, discuss existing approaches, and highlight the future trends and objectives.

This paper presents a robust and quasi-real-time monitoring method for examining the degree of regeneration of peripheral nerves using a polymer-based implantable microelectrode array (IMA). The IMA was implanted in the sciatic nerves of rats using two different approaches: (1) direct implantation which was achieved by directly suturing to nerve stumps for short-term regeneration and (2) assembly implantation which was achieved by implanting the IMA assembled with a resorbable conduit that cross a 4-mm nerve defect. The regeneration of the injury was evaluated by measuring the nerve signals following foot pricking and impulse stimulating to the proximal stump. The direct implantation produced a peak voltage of 3.43 mV before amplification and a conduction velocity of 19.8 m/s. The assembly implantation produced a peak voltage of 1.51 mV and a conduction velocity of 18 m/s. The degree of regeneration was also examined using gait and morphological analyses. The sciatic function index was −38.5 ± 12.5 for direct implantation and −64.9 ± 7.5 for assembly implantation. The morphologies of the regenerated nerves were examined using toluidine blue, transmission electron microscopy images, and pilot tests. Te regeneration ratios after the direct and assembly implantation were 45% and 21%, respectively.

Individuals with incomplete spinal cord injury (iSCI) retain some control of the partially paralyzed muscles, necessitating careful integration of functional electrical stimulation (FES) with intact motor function. In this communication, the volitional surface electromyogram (sEMG) from partially paralyzed muscle was used to detect the intent to step in an iSCI volunteer. The classifier was able to trigger the FES-assisted swing phase with a false positive rate less than 1% and true positive rate of 82% for left foot-off (FO) and 83% for right FO over 110 steps taken during three testing sessions spread over a week.

Proper mixing of reagents is of paramount importance for an efficient chemical reaction. While on a large scale there are many good solutions for quantitative mixing of reagents, as of today, efficient and inexpensive fluid mixing in the nanoliter and microliter volume range is still a challenge. Complete, i.e., quantitative mixing is of special importance in any small-scale analytical application because the scarcity of analytes and the low volume of the reagents demand efficient utilization of all available reaction components. In this paper we demonstrate the design and fabrication of a novel centrifugal force-based unit for fast mixing of fluids in the nanoliter to microliter volume range. The device consists of a number of chambers ͑including two loading chambers, one pressure chamber, and one mixing chamber͒ that are connected through a network of microchannels, and is made by bonding a slab of polydimethylsiloxane ͑PDMS͒ to a glass slide. The PDMS slab was cast using a SU-8 master mold fabricated by a two-level photolithography process. This microfluidic mixer exploits centrifugal force and pneumatic pressure to reciprocate the flow of fluid samples in order to minimize the amount of sample and the time of mixing. The process of mixing was monitored by utilizing the planar laser induced fluorescence ͑PLIF͒ technique. A time series of high resolution images of the mixing chamber were analyzed for the spatial distribution of light intensities as the two fluids ͑suspension of red fluorescent particles and water͒ mixed. Histograms of the fluorescent emissions within the mixing chamber during different stages of the mixing process were created to quantify the level of mixing of the mixing fluids. The results suggest that quantitative mixing was achieved in less than 3 min. This device can be employed as a stand alone mixing unit or may be integrated into a disk-based microfluidic system where, in addition to mixing, several other sample preparation steps may be included. Physics 80, 075102-1 075102-2 Noroozi et al. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 80, 075102 ͑2009͒ 075102-3 Noroozi et al. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 80, 075102 ͑2009͒ 075102-5 Noroozi et al. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 80, 075102 ͑2009͒ 075102-6 Noroozi et al. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 80, 075102 ͑2009͒ 075102-7 Noroozi et al. Rev. Sci. Instrum. 80, 075102 ͑2009͒

Thermal cameras are used in research laboratories to measure tissue temperature during laser irradiation. This study was an evaluation of the accuracy of a 3–5 μm thermal camera and two 8–12 μm cameras in detecting the maximum temperatures of small targets. The size of the targets was within the range of laser spot diameters which are used for vessel welding, angioplasty, and dermatology. The response to a sharp thermal edge was measured and analyzed for the three cameras, which had a scanning rate of 30 frames per second. The response of the 3–5 μm camera to reference black body targets of different sizes was also studied.It was found that the detector system required an average of 2.44 μs to reach 90% of maximum step response for the 8–12 μm system and 5.85 μs for the 3–5 μm system. With a 3×5 telescope and a 9.5 inch focal distance close-up lens, the 3–5 μm camera underestimated the temperature of targets smaller than 2.0 mm because of its slow detector response. Although the 8–12 μm camera provides more accurate measurements due to its faster detector response, it still underestimates the temperature of targets smaller than 900 μm, when similar magnification and focal distance are used.Methods to compensate for the inaccuracies are discussed, including empirical correction factors and the inverse filtering technique.

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the feasibility and safety of a new proximal anastomotic device during off-pump coronary surgery. Methods: The Novare Enclose II is a manual proximal anastomotic device that enables the surgeon to perform proximal anastomoses without side-biting clamps in a fully pressurized aorta. The device was used in 30 off-pump coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) patients (Group A) for performing 25 vein, 10 free right internal thoracic artery and 14 radial artery anastomoses to the aorta.The number of proximal anastomoses varied between 1 and 3 per patient. Intraoperative transcranial Doppler measurements were performed to detect cerebral microemboli during the use of the device and were compared with transcranial Doppler measurements of 30 off-pump patients where a partial side clamp was used for proximal anastomoses (Group B).The aorta was evaluated using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) and epiaortic echocardiography (EAE) in both groups before the procedure and patients with a calcified aorta were excluded. Results: In Group A, 49 proximal anostomoses were performed as planned with the device using conventional hand-sewn methods. Twenty-four of these were arterial conduits. In Group B, 32 proximal anastomoses were performed using 25 veins and 7 arterial grafts. There were no procedure related to adverse events or complications in both groups. The median number of microemboli was 15 (range 5-48) in Group A and 68 (range 35-290) in Group B (P!0.05). Conclusion: The Enclose II device can be a valuable tool to perform venous or arterial proximal anastomoses during off-pump CABG. Transcranial Doppler results suggest that the device seems to be less traumatizing than side clamping and may reduce clamp-associated complications during off-pump coronary artery surgery. Q

Sunflower is a traditional crop which can be used for the production of bioenergy and liquid biofuels. A study of the pyrolytic behaviour of sunflower residues at temperatures from 300 to 600°C has been carried out. The experiments were performed in a captive sample reactor under atmospheric pressure and helium as sweeping gas. The yields of the derived pyrolysis products were determined in relation to temperature, with constant sweeping gas flow of 50 cm 3 min À1 and heating rate of 40°C s À1 . The maximum gas yield of around 53 wt.% was obtained at 500°C, whereas maximum oil yield of about 21 wt.% was obtained at 400°C. A simple first order kinetic model has been applied for the devolatilization of biomass. Kinetic constants have been estimated: E = 78.15 kJ mol À1 ; k 0 = 1.03 · 10 3 s À1 .

Keratometry is currently achieved by projecting a circular mire onto the patient&#39;s cornea and analyzing the size and shape of its reflected image. The projection mires are decisive for the precision of the measurement. We have previously developed a keratometric module for slit lamps, and the development of four projection mires are presented. Mire 1 is composed of optical fibers and electrical cables; Mire 2, 48 LEDs; Mire 3, optical fibers and no electrical cables; and Mire 4, mechanical parts--cable free. Mires 2-4 provide accurate keratometry measurements at slit lamps. Mire 4 is the most adequate for the clinical environment.

The school health department in the Ministry of Education in Syria attempted to improve the oral health of school children by introducing a programme that was educational and preventionoriented in 1991. The department employed a suf®ciently high number of dentists, oral hygienists and auxiliary personnel to cover many primary schools in the country. Fluoride mouth rinsing programmes were introduced on a wide scale and good oral health behaviour practices were taught as part of the school's teaching programme (1). Abstract ± Objectives: In the early 1990s, the Ministry of Education in Syria introduced a school oral health programme based on preventive and educational activities only. A restorative component was missing at that time. A few years later, the Atraumatic Restorative Treatment (ART) approach was considered an option to complement the oral health programme but little was known about the longevity of ART restorations in permanent teeth. The null hypothesis which was researched in this trial was: there is no difference between the survival of restorations placed through the ART approach using glass ionomer and those produced through the traditional approach using amalgam (MTA) in permanent dentitions after 3 years. Methods: Using a parallel group design, 679 grade 2 children, with a mean age of 7.5 years, participated. A total of 369 children were treated through the ART and 310 children through the MTA approach. Eight dentists produced a total of 1118 single-and multiple-surface restorations. Results: The 3-year dropout of the single-surface restorations was 15.3%. Testing the null hypothesis for all single-and multiple-surface restorations revealed a statistically signi®cant difference between the two approaches in favour of the ART approach (P 0.04). The study showed a 3-year cumulative survival percentage of single-surface ART and MTA restorations of 82.1 (SE 1.9%) and 76.9% (SE 2.3%), respectively. The difference was not statistically signi®cant. The number of 3-year surviving multiple-surface restorations was too low for further analyses. The main failure characteristics for both single-surface ART and MTA restorations were restoration missing and gross marginal defect. The 3-year survival percentage of both single-surface ART and MTA restorations varied widely among the eight operators resulting in an operator effect (P 0.01). Conclusions: The null hypothesis was rejected in favour of the ART approach. It is recommended to select the ART approach to complement the educational and preventive activities of the school oral health programme in Syria.

An evaluation was carried out of the first prototype (LV-3) of a new night vision device, which incorporates visual field expansion through minification (Minified Augmented-View), to provide feedback for continuing development. Six subjects with night blindness completed visual function measurements and indoor mobility assessments without a device, with the LV-3 and with a commercially available comparison device (the Multi-Vision) at light levels representative of well lit and poorly lit streets. Device performance and potential benefits in real-world situations were evaluated at four outdoor locations (well lit to very dark). Results indicate that the see-through nature and spectacle-frame mounting of the LV-3 address some of the cosmetic and ergonomic disadvantages of currently available devices; however insufficient light sensitivity of the prototype camera limited LV-3 performance. With improved camera sensitivity and full implementation of the Minified-Contours Augmented-View concept in the next prototype, patients might be able to make better use of the novel field expansion and vision multiplexing features to aid outdoor night mobility.