A Size‐Selective Intracellular Delivery Platform

Identifying and separating a subpopulation of cells from a heterogeneous mixture are essential elements of biological research. Current approaches require detailed knowledge of unique cell surface properties of the target cell population. A method is described that exploits size differences of cells to facilitate selective intracellular delivery using a high throughput microfluidic device. Cells traversing a constriction within this device undergo a transient disruption of the cell membrane that allows for cytoplasmic delivery of cargo. Unique constriction widths allow for optimization of delivery to cells of different sizes. For example, a 4 μm wide constriction is effective for delivery of cargo to primary human T‐cells that have an average diameter of 6.7 μm. In contrast, a 6 or 7 μm wide constriction is best for large pancreatic cancer cell lines BxPc3 (10.8 μm) and PANC‐1 (12.3 μm). These small differences in cell diameter are sufficient to allow for selective delivery of cargo to pancreatic cancer cells within a heterogeneous mixture containing T‐cells. The application of this approach is demonstrated by selectively delivering dextran‐conjugated fluorophores to circulating tumor cells in patient blood allowing for their subsequent isolation and genomic characterization.     

Laser-induced incandescence: excitation intensity

Assumptions of theoretical laser-induced incandescence (LII) models along with possible effects of high-intensity laser light on soot aggregates and the constituent primary particles are discussed in relation to selection of excitation laser fluence. Ex situ visualization of laser-heated soot by use of transmission electron microscopy reveals significant morphological changes (graphitization) induced by pulsed laser heating. Pulsed laser transmission measurements within a premixed laminar sooting flame suggest that soot vaporization occurs for laser fluences greater than 0.5 J/cm(2) at 1064 nm. Radial LII intensity profiles at different axial heights in a laminar ethylene gas jet diffusion flame reveal a wide range of signal levels depending on the laser fluence that is varied over an eight fold range. Results of double-pulse excitation experiments in which a second laser pulse heats in situ the same soot that was heated by a prior laser pulse are detailed. These two-pulse measurements suggest varying degrees of soot structural change for fluences below and above a vaporization threshold of 0.5 J/cm(2) at 1064 nm. Normalization of the radial-resolved LII signals based on integrated intensities, however, yields self-similar profiles. The self-similarity suggests robustness of LII for accurate relative measurement of soot volume fraction despite the morphological changes induced in the soot, variations in soot aggregate and primary particle size, and local gas temperature. Comparison of LII intensity profiles with soot volume fractions (f(v)) derived by light extinction validates LII for quantitative determination of f(v) upon calibration for laser fluences ranging from 0.09 to 0.73 J/cm(2).     

Collecting EEG signals in the IMPROVE data library

One of the key issues for the IMPROVE (IMPROVing control of patient status in critical carE) project was to define and build a data library (DL) of annotated data acquired in the intensive-care unit (ICU), with particular reference to problems of mismatch between oxygen utilisation and supply. An additional aim of the IMPROVE study was to test the feasibility and clinical value of including limited monitoring of high-quality long-term EEG signals with the main DL in a restricted number of patients. Such an EEG DL would form a useful basis for testing the applicability and validity of different signal processing and interpretation methods in ICU monitoring, and also demonstrate the degree to which useful information could be obtained by a degree of fusion between systemic and cerebral variables. In this article, we describe the setup for collection of the EEG DL, the tools developed to facilitate visual analysis of the EEG together with simultaneous data from other non-EEG variables, data concerning quality control, and some preliminary observations from detailed visual assessment of EEG patterns in relation to other ICU events     

T–L plane-based real-time scheduling for homogeneous multiprocessors

We consider optimal real-time scheduling of periodic tasks on multiprocessors—i.e., satisfying all task deadlines, when the total utilization demand does not exceed the utilization capacity of the processors. We introduce a novel abstraction for reasoning about task execution behavior on multiprocessors, called T–L plane and present T–L plane-based real-time scheduling algorithms. We show that scheduling for multiprocessors can be viewed as scheduling on repeatedly occurring T–L planes, and feasibly scheduling on a single T–L plane results in an optimal schedule. Within a single T–L plane, we analytically show a sufficient condition to provide a feasible schedule. Based on these, we provide two examples of T–L plane-based real-time scheduling algorithms, including non-work-conserving and work-conserving approaches. Further, we establish that the algorithms have bounded overhead. Our simulation results validate our analysis of the algorithm overhead. In addition, we experimentally show that our approaches have a reduced number of task migrations among processors when compared with a previous algorithm.     

Dual Porosity Filtration for treatment of stormwater runoff: first proof of concept from Copenhagen pilot plant

Dual Porosity Filtration (DPF) is designed for sedimentation-based removal of suspended solids (SS) and adsorption-based removal of dissolved contaminants from stormwater runoff. It consists of shallow (10 mm) low-porosity layers for contaminant retention, interlaid with high-porosity layers for horizontal, gravity-driven flow. First proof of concept was obtained in a 10 m by 60 m pilot plant receiving stormwater runoff from 1.3 hectares of trafficked area in Copenhagen. The pilot plant contains two versions of DPF-designs, a cheaper one with 6 pairs of low- and high-porosity layers ('DPF-6-layers'), and a more expensive one with 18 such pairs ('DPF-18-layers'). Both versions are designed for a flow capacity of 9 m(3)/h. The DPF-designs were tested on the basis of 25 rain events. Flow proportional event mean concentrations showed the concentration of SS to be on averaged reduced from 123 mg/L in the inlet to 10.4 mg/L in the outlet from the DPF-6-layers, and 1.4 mg/L from DPF-18-layers, Zn from 98 to 29 and 12.5 μg/L, Cu from 25 to 12.2 and 9.6 μg/L, Cr from 18 to 10.9 and 10 μg/L, Pb from 9 to 1.0 and 0.2 μg/L, and P from 178 μg/L to 47.4 μg/L and 38 μg/L, respectively for the DPF-6-layers and DFF-18-layers. Based on the observed hydraulic performance and contaminant removal rates the concept of DPF appears to hold a potential for treatment of road runoff to high water quality standards. Cu and Cr fate must be further studied. Suggestions for optimized full scale DPF-designs are given.     

Noise Tracking Using DFT Domain Subspace Decompositions

All discrete Fourier transform (DFT) domain-based speech enhancement gain functions rely on knowledge of the noise power spectral density (PSD). Since the noise PSD is unknown in advance, estimation from the noisy speech signal is necessary. An overestimation of the noise PSD will lead to a loss in speech quality, while an underestimation will lead to an unnecessary high level of residual noise. We present a novel approach for noise tracking, which updates the noise PSD for each DFT coefficient in the presence of both speech and noise. This method is based on the eigenvalue decomposition of correlation matrices that are constructed from time series of noisy DFT coefficients. The presented method is very well capable of tracking gradually changing noise types. In comparison to state-of-the-art noise tracking algorithms the proposed method reduces the estimation error between the estimated and the true noise PSD. In combination with an enhancement system the proposed method improves the segmental SNR with several decibels for gradually changing noise types. Listening experiments show that the proposed system is preferred over the state-of-the-art noise tracking algorithm.     

Hospitality and hostility in hospitals: a case study of an EPR adoption among surgeons

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the adoption of healthcare information systems (HIS) from a user perspective. Our case study concerns how a group of orthopaedic surgeons experienced and reacted to the adoption and mandatory use of an Electronic Patient Record system in a Danish hospital. We propose to use the concepts of hospitality and hostility to turn our attention to the interaction between the host (the surgeons) and the guest (the information system) and consider how the boundaries between them evolved in the everyday work practices. As an alternative to previous studies on technology adoption, these concepts help us appreciate and put special emphasis on particular aspects of the adoption process: the mutual and co-constitutive relationship between the users and the technology and the continued co-existence of both positive and negative attitudes among the users. The findings suggest an alternative way of thinking about an adoption process that is considered relevant to managers who strive to ensure successful adoption of HIS.     

Sensemaking in military planning: a methodological study of command teams

Sensemaking, understanding how to deal with the situation at hand, has a central role in military command. This paper presents a method for measuring sensemaking performance in command teams during military planning. The method was tested in two experiments with Army captains serving as participants. The task was to produce parts of a brigade order within 6 h. The participants worked in teams of 5–7 individuals, 16 teams in the first experiment and 8 teams in the second experiment, with one team member acting as brigade commander. The independent variables were amount of information and type of communication, respectively. The characteristics of each team’s sensemaking process were assessed from video recordings of their planning sessions. The quality of their plans was judged by military experts. Although plan quality was unaffected by the experimental manipulations, the quality of the sensemaking process was related to the quality of the plans.

Acute and long-term changes in T-lymphocyte subsets in response to clinical and subclinical measles. A community study from rural Senegal

Experiments carried out on 30 cats using retrograde axonal transport of markers (horseradish peroxidase and luminophores) were used to study the organization of the afferent projection system of the pallidal complex (the globus pallidum, the entopeduncular nucleus, the ventral pallidum) formed by fibers from functionally different cortical and subcortical structures (the ventral tegmental area, the substantia nigra, the amygdaloid body). The distribution of afferent projection fibers in this complex of nuclei led to identification of the following zones: a "limbic" zone, corresponding to the ventral pallidum, and a "motor" zone, corresponding to the caudal part of the globus pallidum. On the one hand, the features of the afferent organization as demonstrated here can be regarded as a structural basis for the functional heterogeneity of the pallidal complex; on the other, significant regions within these structures (the rostral part of the globus pallidum and the entopeduncular nucleus) were found to receive projection fibers from functionally different structures, suggesting the existence of convergence and integration processes in these regions.