The impact of metrological traceability on the validity of creatinine measurement as an index of renal function

When the calibration of a routine measurement procedure is traced back to metrological higher order, a significant discrepancy can occur between the analytical conditions of the routine measurement and the analytical conditions that were used in the clinical studies upon which the decision-making criteria are based. This can lead to serious interpretation errors with possible dramatic consequences for patients. The calibration of the creatinine Jaffé method is an excellent example of the importance of medical traceability. The compensated Jaffé method correlated accurately with the reference method and the compensated Jaffé creatinine clearance (CrCl), Cockroft and Gault and MDRD with the ⁵¹Cr EDTA clearance. The Schwartz estimate based upon the compensated Jaffé and enzymatic method overestimated, while uncompensated Jaffé slightly underestimated glomerular filtration rate (GFR). The situation in children is complex since serum creatinine concentrations are much lower in infants, rendering tubular secretion relatively more important. Low-molecular weight proteins have been suggested to replace serum creatinine as a marker for GFR. -trace protein, cystatin C, and ₂-microglobulin showed good correlation with GFR. However, care should be taken in patients presenting with some malignant tumors, since significant increases of cystatin C in patients with metastatic melanoma or colorectal cancer has been reported.Presented at the 9th Conference on Quality in the Spotlight, 18-19 March 2004, Antwerp, Belgium     

A simple approach to sensor discovery and fabrication on self-assembled monolayers on glass

Self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on glass were used as a platform to sequentially deposit fluorophores and small molecules for ion sensing. The preorganization provided by the surface avoids the need for complex receptor design, allowing for a combinatorial approach to sensing systems based on small molecules. The resulting libraries are easily measured and show varied responses to a series of both cations and anions. This technology is transferable from the macro- to the microscale both via microcontact printing (microCP), where the fluorophore is printed onto a glass surface, and via direct attachment of the fluorophore to microchannel walls. The ease of miniaturization of this technology may make the generation of a wide variety of simple yet efficient microarrays possible.     

A theoretical study of special acoustic effects caused by the staircase of the El Castillo pyramid at the Maya ruins of Chichen-Itza in Mexico

It is known that a handclap in front of the stairs of the great pyramid of Chichen Itza produces a chirp echo which sounds more or less like the sound of a Quetzal bird. The present work describes precise diffraction simulations and attempts to answer the critical question what physical effects cause the formation of the chirp echo. Comparison is made with experimental results obtained from David Lubman. Numerical simulations show that the echo shows a strong dependence on the kind of incident sound. Simulations are performed for a (delta function like) pulse and also for a real handclap. The effect of reflections on the ground in front of the pyramid is also discussed. The present work also explains why an observer seated on the lowest step of the pyramid hears the sound of raindrops falling in a water filled bucket instead of footstep sounds when people, situated higher up the pyramid, climb the stairs.     

The representation of 3D gaussian beams by means of inhomogeneous waves

There are different methods to mathematically represent a bounded beam. Perhaps the most famous method is the classical Fourier method that consists of the superposition of pure homogeneous plane waves all traveling in different directions and having an amplitude that can be found by the Fourier transform of the required profile. This method works perfectly for 2D as well as for 3D bounded beams. However, some researchers prefer the inhomogeneous wave theory to represent a bounded beam because some phenomena, e.g. the Schoch effect, are explained by this method by means of concepts that agree better with intuition. There are several papers dealing with this method for 2D gaussian beams. Until now, it has never been considered possible to represent 3D gaussian beams as well. The present paper shows a method to overcome this shortcoming and presents different sorts of 3D gaussian beams that are built up by means of inhomogeneous plane waves.     

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Analytic study of multiserver buffers with two-state Markovian arrivals and constant service times of multiple slots

In this paper, we study the behavior of a discrete-time multiserver buffer system with infinite buffer size. Packets arrive at the system according to a two-state Markovian arrival process. The service times of the packets are assumed to be constant, equal to multiple slots. The behavior of the system is analyzed by means of an analytical technique based on probability generating functions (PGF’s). Explicit expressions are obtained for the PGF’s of the system contents and the packet delay. From these, the mean values, the variances and the tail distributions of the system contents and the packet delay are calculated. Numerical examples are given to show the influence of various model parameters on the system behavior.     

Carbon nanotubes-assisted polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis for enhanced separation of human serum proteins and application in liverish diagnosis

The application of pore-gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PG-PAGE) incorporated with carbon nanotube modified by Triton X-100 and carboxylation so as to improve the separation of human serum proteins is reported. The novel PG-PAGE was made by adding water-soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) when preparing the polyacrylamide gel. Significant improvements in separation of complement C3 protein and haptoglobin (Hp) in human serum were achieved. It was estimated that the interactions between the hydrophilic groups on the proteins and the surface of the CNTs result in different adsorption kinetics of complement C3 and Hp subtype on the nanoparticles incorporated in the gel, thus enhancing the separation of the two proteins in serum. This new CNT matrix-assisted PG-PAGE method for enhanced separation of complement C3 and Hp in human serum was successfully applied to distinguish the samples from liverish patients and healthy people.     

Hydrodynamic chromatography of polystyrene microparticles in micropillar array columns

We report on the possibility to perform HDC in micropillar array columns and the potential advantages of such a system. The HDC performance of a pillar array column with pillar diameter = 5 μm and an interpillar distance of 2.5 μm has been characterized using both a low MW tracer (FITC) and differently sized polystyrene bead samples (100, 200 and 500 nm). The reduced plate height curves that were obtained for the different investigated markers all overlapped very well, and attained a minimum value of about h_min = 0.3 (reduction based on the pillar diameter), corresponding to 1.6 μm in absolute value and giving good prospects for high efficiency separations. The obtained reduced retention time values were in fair agreement with that predicted by the Di Marzio and Guttman model for a flow between flat plates, using the minimal interpillar distance as characteristic interplate distance.     

Hurst exponent determination for digital speckle patterns in roughness control of metallic surfaces

In this paper, we present a study of metallic surface roughness using the Hurst exponent calculated from speckle pattern. A set of samples was prepared using polishing techniques and the roughness was directly measured by means of an optical profilometer. To study the H exponent, an experiment was performed by illuminating the samples using an expanded laser beam and the surface image was captured by a CCD camera. We applied techniques of the Hurst exponent calculation, traditionally calculated from surface profile, in the digitalized speckle patterns generated by the rough surfaces. We showed a clear dependence of the H exponent on roughness of the samples. We demonstrated that this tool is very sensitive to defects in the surfaces and can be used for roughness control.