Factors Influencing Rapid Detection of Bioaerosols by Surface Plasmon Resonance-Based Technique

In bioaerosol monitoring applications, technologies allowing rapid and precise detection of airborne pathogens are highly demanded. One of such technologies, based on the immunoreaction-operating principle in nearly real-time mode without any specific labeling, is known as surface plasmon resonance (SPR). In previous studies, we have shown applicability of the SPR technology for rapid and selective detection of viral and bacterial aerosols where successful combination of the SPR machine with our earlier produced personal bioaerosol sampler opened new prospects in development of portable bioaerosol monitors. The current study is a logical continuation of our previous research dedicated to the technology development for rapid bioaerosol detection. Here, we focus on one of the main factors possibly influencing the SPR-based bioaerosol monitoring; the SPR performance on target bioaerosol detection was evaluated at conditions of substantial air contamination with different nontargeted microorganisms, commonly presented in the air. Besides, different compositions of sampling liquids were tested in regards to the SPR results interference. Our findings clearly verified high specificity of the technology even in cases of highly contaminated air environments with aerosols of biological and mineral origins. It was found that both nontargeted bioaerosols and nanosized aerosols of mineral background do not have significant influence on the specific SPR detection of targeted bioaerosols.

Copyright 2014 American Association for Aerosol Research     

A rapid method for diagnosing regional metastases of papillary thyroid cancer with morphometry

Morphometry of the lymphoid cells was performed with a computerized image analyzer. Database formation was performed automatically using our own new software. The initial database of calculated mean values, of constructed histograms, of regression, and of discriminant analysis was transformed into a set of morphometric features. Eight morphometric features were selected for characterizing two separate populations of the lymphoid cells: one from the lymph node tissue with a malignant tumor and the other without any tumor (control). The eight features ensured the least overlap between the two groups of lymphoid cells. The eight features formed the basis of the decision criteria for identifying a patient with a malignant pathology. A weighting coefficient was calculated for each feature. It was ascertained that the presence of the regional papillary thyroid cancer metastases causes significant changes in the relationship between small (diameter 7.5 mum) lymphoid cells of the cervical lymph nodes. The morphometric changes were assessed by our diagnostic index. The expert diagnostic system was developed on the basis of a set of quantitative features and their boundary values. This system highlights the morphometric changes in the population of the cervical lymph nodes lymphoid cell with metastases versus control. Clinical trials have shown that the expert diagnostic system's conclusions coincided with the histological diagnosis in all the cases. The expert diagnostic system, image processing, database formation, assessment of lymphoid cells morphometric features formed the basis of the rapid method of diagnosing regional metastases of papillary thyroid cancer. The diagnosis was performed in automatic mode. Taking into account that about 30-50% of aspiration smears contain only blood cells (absence of specialized cells such as thyrocytes), the use of our method should greatly improve the cytologic diagnosis of regional metastases of papillary thyroid cancer.     

Total Cyclic Variation and Generalizations

We introduce a general framework for regularization of signals with values in a cyclic structure, such as angles, phases or hue values. These include the total cyclic variation ${TV_{{S}^{1}}}$ , as well as cyclic versions of quadratic regularization, Huber-TV and Mumford-Shah regularity. The key idea is to introduce a convex relaxation of the original non-convex optimization problem. The method handles the periodicity of values in a simple way, is invariant to cyclical shifts and has a number of other useful properties such as lower-semicontinuity. The framework allows general, possibly non-convex data terms. Experimental results are superior to those obtained without special care about wrapping interval end points. Moreover, we propose an equivalent formulation of the total cyclic variation which can be minimized with the same time and memory efficiency as the standard total variation. We show that discretized versions of these regularizers amount to NP-hard optimization problems. Nevertheless, the proposed framework provides optimal or near-optimal solutions in most practical applications.     

Regioselective synthesis of dimeric (gemini) and trimeric sugar-based surfactants

A simple and flexible chemoenzymatic route for the preparation of a wide range of dimeric (gemini) and trimeric mono- and disaccharide-based surfactants was developed. The synthesis relies on the use of enzymes for regioselective introduction of fatty acids into carbohydrate moieties. Several structures were prepared containing xylose, glucose, galactose, and lactose, connected via different hydroxyl groups in the sugar molecules or, alternatively, via the OH group of 2-hydroxytet-radecanoic acid used as a hydrophobic moiety for the surfactant.     

Single-phase fluid flow distribution and heat transfer in microstructured reactors

Single-phase microreactors and micro-heat-exchangers have been widely used in industrial and scientific applications over the last decade. In several cases, operation of microreactors has shown that their expected efficiency cannot be reached either due to non-uniform distribution of reactants between different channels or due to flow maldistribution between individual microreactors working in parallel. The latter problem can result in substantial temperature deviations between different microreactors resulting in thermal runaway which could arise from an exothermic reaction. Thus advances in the understanding of heat transfer and fluid flow distribution continue to be crucial in achieving improved performance, efficiency and safety in microstructured reactors used for different applications. This paper presents a review of the experimental and numerical results on fluid flow distribution, heat transfer and combination thereof, available in the open literature. Heat transfer in microchannels can be suitably described by standard theory and correlations, but scaling effects (entrance effects, conjugate heat transfer, viscous heating, and temperature-dependent properties) have often to be accounted for in microsystems. Experiments with single channels are in good agreement with predictions from the published correlations. The accuracy of multichannel experiments is lower due to flow maldistribution. Special attention is devoted to theoretical and experimental studies on the effect of a flow maldistribution on the thermal and conversion response of catalytic microreactors. The review concludes with a set of design recommendations aimed at improving the reactor performance.     

The nature of the synergistic effect of binary tetralin-alcohol solvents in Kansk-Achinsk brown coal liquefaction

Kansk-Achinsk brown coal hydrogenation and swelling in tetralin, in low molecular alcohols, in other solvents and in binary mixtures were studied. Tetralin was found to be the most effective liquefaction solvent, but methanol and ethanol were the active ones in coal swelling. Synergistic effects were observed when the mixtures of tetralin and methanol or ethanol were used for liquefaction and swelling. The effect of binary solvents was shown to be due to the ability of alcohol components to cause brown coal to swell improving the availability of the fragments of coal matter for the reactive hydrogen donor tetralin molecules.     

Designing flow and temperature uniformities in parallel microchannels reactor

A design methodology is proposed to maintain gas and liquid flow nonuniformities below an acceptable limit in a parallel micro/millichannels reactor by determining the maximum allowed temperature deviation in each part of the reactor. The effect of temperature deviation on flow distribution was quantified using a hydraulic resistive network model. The effect of flow rate on temperature deviation was demonstrated using a one‐dimensional energy balance model. Experiments were conducted using the barrier‐based micro/millichannels reactor (BMMR). Flow distribution in the BMMR is based on placing hydraulic resistances (barrier channels) in the gas and liquid manifolds to regulate the flows. Temperature deviation in the barrier channels affects flow nonuniformity by 10 times more than in the reaction channels. Above a certain critical liquid residence time, flow rate has no significant effect on the temperature deviation which depends on the liquid used, reactor material of construction, and its geometrical dimensions. © 2014 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 60: 1941–1952, 2014     

KdV Hamiltonian as a Function of Actions

We prove that the non-linear part of the Hamiltonian of the KdV equation on the circle, written as a function of the actions, defines a continuous convex function on the ? ² space and derive for it lower and upper bounds in terms of some functions of the ? ²-norm. The proof is based on a new representation of the Hamiltonian in terms of the quasimomentum, obtained via the conformal mapping theory.     

Contamination and effects of perfluorochemicals in Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica). 1. Residue level, tissue distribution, and temporal trend

Concentrations of perfluorochemicals (PFCs) including perfluoroalkylsulfonates (PFSAs) and perfluoroalkylcarboxylates (PFCAs) were determined in liver and serum of Baikal seals (Pusa sibirica) collected from Lake Baikal, Russia in 2005. Among the 10 PFC compounds measured, perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA, 3.3-72 ng/g wet wt) concentrations were the highest in liver, followed by perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS, 2.6-38 ng/g). The accumulation profile of long-chain (C7-C12) PFCAs in particular, the predominance of PFNA, indicated that 8:2 fluorotelomer alcohol or commercially manufactured PFNA is a major local source of PFCs in Lake Baikal. No gender-related differences in the concentrations of individual PFCs or total PFCs were found. Tissues from pups and juveniles contained relatively higher concentrations of PFCs than tissues from subadults and adults, suggesting that maternal transfer of PFCs is of critical importance. Comparison of concentrations of PFCs in livers and sera collected from the same individuals of Baikal seals revealed that residue levels of PFOS, PFNA, perfluorodecanoic acid (PFDA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUnDA) were significantly higher in liver than in serum. The concentration ratios of PFNA and PFDA between liver and serum were calculated to be 14 and 15, respectively, whereas the ratio of PFOS was 2.4. This suggests preferential retention of both PFNA and PFDA in liver. Concentrations of PFOS, PFNA, and PFDA in liver were significantly correlated with those in serum, whereas concentrations of PFUnDA were not correlated in between the two tissues, suggesting differences in pharmacokinetics among these PFCs. Temporal comparisons of hepatic PFC concentrations in seals collected between 1992 and 2005 showed that the concentrations of PFOS (p = 0.0006), PFNA (p = 0.061) and PFDA (p = 0.017) were higher in animals collected in recentyears, indicating ongoing sources of PFC contamination in Lake Baikal.