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This paper proposes a nanocomposite strategy for fabricating ultra-stretchable strain sensors using graphene/poly 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene:poly styrene sulfonate (Gr-PEDOT:PSS) and ...manganese oxide nanowires (MnO2 NWs). The sensor response pertaining to different concentrations of MnO2 NWs in the composite was experimentally analysed. Owing to the MnO2 NWs reinforcement, the sensor exhibited a single and highly linear region response over a wide strain range of 0 % to 320 %, with a mean gauge factor of 0.8 when the MnO2 NW concentration was 0.25 % w/v. Moreover, the response time was quite short (79 ms), and an extremely low level of hysteresis behaviour was observed, even in a high strain regime. The sensor showed a highly stable and repeatable response over 5000 stretch and relax cycles. The results demonstrated that the proposed sensor can be applied for human motion detection in scenarios involving large deformation.
Sensing devices have shown tremendous potential for monitoring state-of-the-art organ chip devices. However, challenges like miniaturization while maintaining higher performance, longer operating ...times for continuous monitoring, and fabrication complexities limit their use. Herein simple, low-cost, and solution-processible inkjet dispenser printing of embedded electrochemical sensors for dissolved oxygen (DO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS) is proposed for monitoring developmental (initially normoxia) and induced hypoxia in a custom-developed gut bilayer microfluidic chip platform for 6 days. The DO sensors showed a high sensitivity of 31.1 nA L mg
with a limit of detection (LOD) of 0.67 mg L
within the 0-9 mg L
range, whereas the ROS sensor had a higher sensitivity of 1.44 nA μm
with a limit of detection of 1.7 μm within the 0-300 μm range. The dynamics of the barrier tight junctions are quantified with the help of an in-house developed
-epithelial-endothelial electrical impedance (TEEI) sensor. Immunofluorescence staining was used to evaluate the expressions of HIF-1α and tight junction protein (TJP) ZO-1. This platform can also be used to enhance bioavailability assays, drug transport studies under an oxygen-controlled environment, and even other barrier organ models, as well as for various applications like toxicity testing, disease modeling and drug screening.
In microfluidics, the emerging field of microphysiological systems (MPS) is overcoming the challenge of physiological irrelevancy by animal models for drug discovery and development. Liver function ...is critically influenced by drugs owing to its role in drug metabolism and detoxification. Human serum albumin (HSA) is one of the most important secreted biomarkers which indicate normal liver function. A microfluidic albumin immunosensor was developed to be integrated with liver-on-a-chip MPS for continuous feedback over disease modeling and treatment. A gold-electrode based electrochemical immunosensor was established by anti-HSA antibody immobilization. The liver MPS was found to be efficient for live monitoring of disease modelling and drug treatment over the period of 6 days. The system emulated and analyzed real-time toxicity modeling with HSA sensing. The detection limit of integrated sensor was 1μg/ml with successive reproducibility. The proposed sensor was also validated with metabolic biomarkers’ assays. Molecular assays supported the sensor monitoring and depicted liver injury and recovery. The liver MPS with combined albumin sensor chip may be a promising platform to mimic real-time drug assessment.
Epidermoid cyst in the oral cavity is uncommon. It is even more rare to see an epidermoid cyst in the sublingual region. We report the case of a 30-year-old male presenting with a swelling in the ...floor of the mouth extending into the submental and submandibular regions. The midline swelling was painless, soft, and dome-shaped. CT scan contrast revealed the site and extent of swelling. The complete surgical excision of the lesion was performed via a transcervical approach. Histopathology revealed cystic fibrocollagenous tissue covered by squamous epithelium containing some keratin flakes.
With recent advancements in novel composite nanomaterials and microstructures, wearable electronic devices, particularly flexible and stretchable strain sensors, are receiving significant attention. ...This article reviews recent developments in composite-based flexible and stretchable strain sensors for wearable applications, such as those in healthcare and human motion detection, sports and physical training, soft robotics, and smart textiles. Material compositions and structures are categorically discussed based on their respective sensing mechanisms and novel structural interfaces. Four major categories of composites are reviewed in detail: carbon materials, nanowires (NWs) and nanoparticles (NPs), liquids, and newly emerging bio-hybrid nanocomposites. Parametric evaluations are conducted on the performance characteristics of these stretchable sensors, including those related to their respective composite interfaces. Potential applications of these high-performance strain sensors are discussed, along with the key technological challenges and future trends for improving sensor fabrication and performance.
A topological index is a number generated from a molecular structure (i.e., a graph) that indicates the essential structural properties of the proposed molecule. Indeed, it is an algebraic quantity ...connected with the chemical structure that correlates it with various physical characteristics. It is possible to determine several different properties, such as chemical activity, thermodynamic properties, physicochemical activity, and biological activity, using several topological indices, such as the geometric-arithmetic index, arithmetic-geometric index, Randić index, and the atom-bond connectivity indices. Consider G as a group and H as a non-empty subset of G. The commuting graph C(G,H), has H as the vertex set, where h1,h2∈H are edge connected whenever h1 and h2 commute in G. This article examines the topological characteristics of commuting graphs having an algebraic structure by computing their atomic-bond connectivity index, the Wiener index and its reciprocal, the harmonic index, geometric-arithmetic index, Randić index, Harary index, and the Schultz molecular topological index. Moreover, we study the Hosoya properties, such as the Hosoya polynomial and the reciprocal statuses of the Hosoya polynomial of the commuting graphs of finite subgroups of SL(2,C). Finally, we compute the Z-index of the commuting graphs of the binary dihedral groups.
Fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP) are widely utilized to improve the efficiency and durability of concrete structures, either through external bonding or internal reinforcement. However, the response ...of FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete (RC) members, both in field applications and experimental settings, often deviates from the estimation based on existing code provisions. This discrepancy can be attributed to the limitations of code provisions in fully capturing the nature of FRP-strengthened RC members. Accordingly, machine learning methods, including gene expression programming (GEP) and multi-expression programming (MEP), were utilized in this study to predict the flexural capacity of the FRP-strengthened RC beam. To develop data-driven estimation models, an extensive collection of experimental data on FRP-strengthened RC beams was compiled from the experimental studies. For the assessment of the accuracy of developed models, various statistical indicators were utilized. The machine learning (ML) based models were compared with empirical and conventional linear regression models to substantiate their superiority, providing evidence of enhanced performance. The GEP model demonstrated outstanding predictive performance with a correlation coefficient (R) of 0.98 for both the training and validation phases, accompanied by minimal mean absolute errors (MAE) of 4.08 and 5.39, respectively. In contrast, the MEP model achieved a slightly lower accuracy, with an R of 0.96 in both the training and validation phases. Moreover, the ML-based models exhibited notably superior performances compared to the empirical models. Hence, the ML-based models presented in this study demonstrated promising prospects for practical implementation in engineering applications. Moreover, the SHapley Additive exPlanation (SHAP) method was used to interpret the feature's importance and influence on the flexural capacity. It was observed that beam width, section effective depth, and the tensile longitudinal bars reinforcement ratio significantly contribute to the prediction of the flexural capacity of the FRP-strengthened reinforced concrete beam.
ANAESTHESIOLOGY AS A FUTURE SPECIALTY Mahmood, Khalid; Shamim, Asad; Khan, Muhammad Umair ...
Pakistan Armed Forces medical journal,
08/2021, Letnik:
71, Številka:
4
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Objective: To ascertain the various aspects directing the undergraduates at Quetta Institute of medical sciences towards anesthesiology as future profession/specialization.
Study Design: Cross ...sectional study.
Place and Duration of Study: Quetta Institute of Medical Sciences, Quetta Pakistan, from Mar to Apr 2019.
Methodology: Study was conducted among final year medical students with the help of a printed questionnaire consisting of 15 Multiple Choice Questions. The questionnaire provided the required database to explore various factors that influence undergraduates to select their future specialization based on demography and specialty preferences.
Results: A total of 65 undergraduates completed the response sheet. While 45 (68.8%) participants were females and 20 (31.2%) were males, 62 (95.4%) were single (unmarried or divorced) and had no children 63 (96.9%). Medicine proved to be the most favourate specialty with 20 (31.4%) student opting for it whereas anesthesiology was chosen by 4 (6.1%) students.
Conclusion: Anesthesiology still remains a less popular choice among the medical students of Pakistan particularly Quetta Institute of Medical Sciences due to multifaceted factors. Inferior prestige of the specialty was the most significant factor in deciding against anaesthesiology.
The antipyretic potential of viscosine, a natural product isolated from the medicinal plant Dodonaea viscosa, was investigated using yeast-induced pyrexia rat model, and its structure–activity ...relationship was investigated through molecular docking analyses with the target enzymes cyclooxygenase-1 (COX-1), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), and microsomal prostaglandin E synthase-1 (mPGES-1). The in vivo antipyretic experiments showed a progressive dose-dependent reduction in body temperatures of the hyperthermic test animals when injected with viscosine. Comparison of docking analyses with target enzymes showed strongest bonding interactions (binding energy −17.34 kcal/mol) of viscosine with the active-site pocket of mPGES-1. These findings suggest that viscosine shows antipyretic properties by reducing the concentration of prostaglandin E2 in brain through its mPGES-1 inhibitory action and make it a potential lead compound for developing effective and safer antipyretic drugs for treating fever and related pathological conditions.
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are formed by several different reactions and play a major role in cell cycling and as a messenger in normal cell transduction and have diverse biological effects when ...high in concentration. ROS may trigger DNA damage, cell mutation, inflammation, cell proliferation, and ultimately they may induce carcinogenesis. This study aims to design, fabricate, and develop a novel on-chip ROS detection based on mounted in-house built fluorescence microscope in microfluidics, which has not been reported previously. An in-house 3D printed built digital portable fluorescence type microscope for on-chip ROS detection has been developed. The combined use of the fluorescence microscope and a glass-based microfluidic chip both enabled to provide high-quality images of the living cells with ease of controlling and handling of the biological sample. As an evidence of the fluorescence microscope, breast cancer cells were loaded with 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescein diacetate (DCFDA, 50 μM) for 45 min on-chip which produces green fluorescence upon reaction with intracellular ROS. Fluorescence of the MCF-7 cells has been captured to obtain a profile of ROS generation for 1 day. LabVIEW 2019 was used along with its high-performance image analysis and IMAQ Vision tools. The viability of the cells was performed by LIVE/DEAD assay and Luna cell counter. The developed platform provides real-time monitoring and quantification of ROS. A strong linear correlation between concentrations versus fluorescence has been recorded. This result recommends that the current microfluidic chip provides an in-vitro platform for the assessment of cell cycle progression and evaluation of the variety of drugs.