Evaluation of photodynamic therapy (PDT) procedures using microfluidic system

A hybrid PDMS/glass microfluidic system for evaluation of the efficiency of photodynamic therapy is presented. 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) was used as a precursor of photosensitizer. The geometry of the microdevice presented in this paper enables to test different concentrations of the photosensitizer in a single assay. The viability of the A549 cells was determined 24 h after PDT procedure (irradiation with light which induced a photosensitizer accumulated in carcinoma cells, λ = 625 nm). The presented results confirmed the possibility to perform the photodynamic therapy process in vitro in microscale and the possibility to assess its effectiveness. Moreover, because two identical microstructures on a single chip were performed, the microchip can be used for examination simultaneously various cell lines (carcinoma and normal) or various photosensitizers.     

Physics-based plasticity model incorporating microstructure changes for severe plastic deformation

During machining processes, materials undergo severe deformations that lead to different behavior than in the case of slow deformation. The microstructure changes, as a consequence, affect the materials properties and therefore influence the functionality of the component. Developing material models capable of capturing such changes is therefore critical to better understand the interaction process–materials. In this paper, we introduce a new physics model associating Mechanical Threshold Stress (MTS) with Dislocation Density (DD) models. The modeling and the experimental results of a series of large strain experiments on polycrystalline copper (OFHC) involving sequences of shear deformation and strain rate (varying from quasi-static to dynamic) are very similar to those observed in processes such as machining. The Kocks–Mecking model, using the mechanical threshold stress as an internal state variable, correlates well with experimental results and strain rate jump experiments. This model was compared to the well-known Johnson–Cook model that showed some shortcomings in capturing the stain jump. The results show a high effect of rate sensitivity of strain hardening at large strains. Coupling the mechanical threshold stress dislocation density (MTS–DD), material models were implemented in the Abaqus/Explicit FE code. The model shows potentialities in predicting an increase in dislocation density and a reduction in cell size. It could ideally be used in the modeling of machining processes.     

双光子激发荧光成像技术对小鼠植入前胚胎的实时观测

双光子激发的蓝移效应可使利用同一束超快激光同时激发多种不同荧光特性的生物荧光染料的设想得以实现。选取锁模飞秒掺钛蓝宝石(Ti-sapphire)激光器输出的730nm激光,分别激发Hoechst33342,Fluo-4,PI和Indo-1四种常用生物荧光染料,分别利用(455±15)nm,(540±15)nm,(580±16)nm和(500±15)nm四种滤光片获得特异性荧光图像。结合双光子激发荧光成像技术穿透深,光损伤小,信噪比好等优势,选取合适的荧光染料组,应用单束激光激发、双染双通道成像方法,对小鼠植入前胚胎内细胞中的钙信号和染色体进行三维、四维实时成像,为探究小鼠植入前胚胎发育规律提供一种全新的多参数观测手段。     

火焰原子吸收光谱法测定钴-镍合金镀层中的钴和镍

利用原子吸收光谱法研究了在氨基磺酸钴-镍镀液中，赫尔槽试片上不同电流密度区合金镀层中钴、镍的含量。实验表明，该方法简便，快捷，结果准确，精密度高。相对标准偏差（RSD）为0.30%-0.62%，加标回收率为97.0%-104.0%。     

An applied cell mapping method for optimal control problems

From the application point of view, a series of modifications are proposed for the cell mapping method discussed in Ref. 1 for the optimal control analysis of dynamical systems. The cell order around the target set is rearranged. A set of common discriminate principles is used for the selection of the optimal one among competing control strategies of the same cost. Inequality constraints of the system are taken into account. The number of elements in the set of allowable time intervals is not prescribed, but left open. These modifications seem to make the cell mapping method more efficient for analyzing feedback systems and for obtaining their global optimal control information. The algorithms presented in this paper could broaden the application of the cell mapping approach of Ref. 1 to a wider class of engineering problems.     

Influence of NH beam bombarding energy on structural characterization and cell attachment of CNx coating

The carbon nitride (CN_x) coating with its novel properties will be excellent candidate for biomedical applications. CN_x coatings were prepared on the surface of Ti–6Al–4V by ion-beam-assisted deposition (IBAD) with different NHⁿ⁺ beam bombarding energies at low substrate temperature. The coatings were characterized by Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Auger electron spectroscopy (AES), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The result showed that the wear-resistance of CN_x coatings was better at higher beam bombarding energy. The cell attachment tests also gave interesting results that CN_x coatings exhibited low macrophage attachment and provide desirable surface for the normal cellular growth and morphology of the fibroblasts. Structural analysis showed that NHⁿ⁺ beam bombardment at the energies of 300–400 eV could result in more nitrogen concentration and fraction of sp³CN bonds in the structure of CN_x coatings, which may be responsible for the improvement in the wear-resistance and the cell attachment.     

极低频高压脉冲电场对萌发玉米种子超弱发光的影响

生物超弱发光是来自细胞的电磁信号,在揭示电磁生物学效应的机理研究中具有重要作用.为了研究极低频脉冲电场生物学效应及其机理,采用基于玉米细胞电位波动频率的1 Hz极低频高压脉冲电场处理萌发玉米种子,结果发现玉米种子的萌发过程明显加快,根长和芽长均有显著增长.对萌发种子的自发发光和延迟发光的测量结果显示,1 Hz极低频高压脉冲电场对萌发过程中玉米种子的自发发光和延迟发光积分强度都有明显的促进作用,表明1 Hz极低频高压脉冲电场加速了玉米种子萌发过程中的DNA合成和细胞代谢.     

NaN_3对玉米萌发过程中超弱光子辐射的影响

为了解读植物种子萌发过程中超弱光子辐射信息的生物学意义,采用呼吸抑制剂NaN3处理萌发玉米种子,跟踪测量和分析了玉米种子萌发过程中超弱光子辐射中自发光子辐射和外界光诱导的延迟光子辐射的变化规律,同时研究了萌发玉米种子鲜质量的变化.结果发现,NaN3同步抑制了萌发玉米自发光子辐射和鲜质量的增长,造成萌发玉米延迟光子辐射的初始光子数和延迟光子辐射积分强度大幅度降低,相干时间减小.机理分析表明,NaN3对呼吸代谢电子传递链的抑制造成的自由基反应减弱是萌发玉米自发光子辐射减小的原因,自发光子辐射强度可以作为玉米萌发状态的信号,延迟光子辐射动力学参数的大小可以表征萌发玉米呼吸代谢的强弱,相干时间是种子细胞组织序性的量度,通过对萌发种子超弱光子辐射的采集和分析可以实现对萌发种子细胞代谢和功能状态变化的灵敏和无损检测.     

Improved estimation of duality gap in binary quadratic programming using a weighted distance measure

We present in this paper an improved estimation of duality gap between binary quadratic program and its Lagrangian dual. More specifically, we obtain this improved estimation using a weighted distance measure between the binary set and certain affine subspace. We show that the optimal weights can be computed by solving a semidefinite programming problem. We further establish a necessary and sufficient condition under which the weighted distance measure gives a strictly tighter estimation of the duality gap than the existing estimations.     

Effects of ultrasound on Microcystis aeruginosa cell destruction and release of intracellular organic matter

Harmful algal blooms negatively impact ecosystems and threaten drinking water sources. One potential method to effectively counteract algal blooms is ultrasonication. However, ultrasonication can easily lead to the release of intracellular organic matter (IOM). The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the destruction of algal cells and IOM release at different ultrasound frequencies. Microcystis aeruginosa cells were ultrasonicated at 20 kHz with an intensity of 0.038 W/mL, 740 kHz with an intensity of 0.113 W/mL, and 1120 kHz with an intensity of 0.108 W/mL. The IOM release was detected by fluorescence spectroscopy in addition to the more commonly used haemocytometry and optical density. After ultrasonication for 15 min, the removal rate of algal cells reached 10.5% at 20 kHz, 9.46% at 740 kHz, and 35.4% at 1120 kHz. The 20 kHz and 740 kHz ultrasound caused local damage to algal cells and then disrupted them, whereas the 1120 kHz ultrasound directly disrupted most algal cells. The extracellular organic matter (EOM), which was increased by ultrasonication, mainly consisted of protein-like compounds, chlorophyll, and a small amount of humic-like substances. Gas vacuoles had been destructed before the cells were broken, as indicated by the decrease of cell size and the wrinkles on the cell surface. Moreover, the removal of algae cells while upholding integrity is more conducive to the safety of the water environment.