Geometrical effects in microfluidic-based microarrays for rapid, efficient single-cell capture of mammalian stem cells and plant cells

In this paper, a detailed numerical and experimental investigation into the optimisation of hydrodynamic micro-trapping arrays for high-throughput capture of single polystyrene (PS) microparticles and three different types of live cells at trapping times of 30 min or less is described. Four different trap geometries (triangular, square, conical, and elliptical) were investigated within three different device generations, in which device architecture, channel geometry, inter-trap spacing, trap size, and trap density were varied. Numerical simulation confirmed that (1) the calculated device dimensions permitted partitioned flow between the main channel and the trap channel, and further, preferential flow through the trap channel in the absence of any obstruction; (2) different trap shapes, all having the same dimensional parameters in terms of depth, trapping channel lengths and widths, main channel lengths and widths, produce contrasting streamline plots and that the interaction of the fluid with the different geometries can produce areas of stagnated flow or distorted field lines; and (3) that once trapped, any motion of the trapped particle or cell or a shift in its configuration within the trap can result in significant increases in pressures on the cell surface and variations in the shear stress distribution across the cell’s surface. Numerical outcomes were then validated experimentally in terms of the impact of these variations in device design elements on the percent occupancy of the trapping array (with one or more particles or cells) within these targeted short timeframes. Limitations on obtaining high trap occupancies in the devices were shown to be primarily a result of particle aggregation, channel clogging and the trap aperture size. These limitations could be overcome somewhat by optimisation of these device design elements and other operational variables, such as the average carrier fluid velocity. For example, for the 20 μm polystyrene microparticles, the number of filled traps increased from 32% to 42% during 5–10 min experiments in devices with smaller apertures. Similarly, a 40%–60% reduction in trapping channel size resulted in an increase in the amount of filled traps, from 0% to almost 90% in 10 min, for the human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells, and 15%–85% in 15 min for the human embryonic stem cells. Last, a reduction of the average carrier fluid velocity by 50% resulted in an increase from 80% to 92% occupancy of single algae cells in traps. Interestingly, changes in the physical properties of the species being trapped also had a substantial impact, as regardless of the trap shape, higher percent occupancies were observed with cells compared to single PS microparticles in the same device, even though they are of approximately the same size. This investigation showed that in microfluidic single cell capture arrays, the trap shape that maximizes cell viability is not necessarily the most efficient for high-speed single cell capture. However, high-speed trapping configurations for delicate mammalian cells are possible but must be optimised for each cell type and designed principally in accordance with the trap size to cell size ratio.     

Cyclic olefin copolymer based microfluidic devices for biochip applications: Ultraviolet surface grafting using 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine

This report studies the surface modification of cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) by 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) monomer using photografting technique for the purpose of biointerface applications, which demonstrate resistance to both protein adsorption and cell adhesion in COC-based microfluidic devices. This is essential because the hydrophobic nature of COC can lead to adsorption of specific compounds from biological fluids in the microchannel, which can affect the results during fluidic analysis and cause clogging inside the microchannel. A correlation was found between the irradiation time and hydrophobicity of the modified substrate. Static water contact angle results show that the hydrophilicity property of the MPC-grafted substrate improves with increasing irradiation time. The contact angle of the modified surface decreased to 20 ± 5° from 88 ± 3° for the untreated substrate. The surface characterization of the modified surface was evaluated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR spectroscopy). Attenuated total reflection-FTIR and XPS results show the presence of the phosphate group (P-O) on modified COC substrates, indicating that the hydrophilic MPC monomer has successfully grafted on COC. Finally, it was demonstrated that cell adhesion and protein adsorption on the MPC modified COC specimen has reduced significantly.     

Design and performance analysis of PID controller for an automatic voltage regulator system using simplified particle swarm optimization

This paper presents the design and performance analysis of Proportional Integral Derivate (PID) controller for an Automatic Voltage Regulator (AVR) system using recently proposed simplified Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) also called Many Optimizing Liaisons (MOL) algorithm. MOL simplifies the original PSO by randomly choosing the particle to update, instead of iterating over the entire swarm thus eliminating the particles best known position and making it easier to tune the behavioral parameters. The design problem of the proposed PID controller is formulated as an optimization problem and MOL algorithm is employed to search for the optimal controller parameters. For the performance analysis, different analysis methods such as transient response analysis, root locus analysis and bode analysis are performed. The superiority of the proposed approach is shown by comparing the results with some recently published modern heuristic optimization algorithms such as Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) algorithm, Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm and Differential Evolution (DE) algorithm. Further, robustness analysis of the AVR system tuned by MOL algorithm is performed by varying the time constants of amplifier, exciter, generator and sensor in the range of ?50% to +50% in steps of 25%. The analysis results reveal that the proposed MOL based PID controller for the AVR system performs better than the other similar recently reported population based optimization algorithms.     

Television

This paper gives an outline of a new television system developed in the laboratories of RCA Victor Company, in Camden, N. J.The system is truly electrical and employs only electronic devices, without a single mechanically moving part.The translation of the visual image is accomplished by means of a vacuum tube called the iconoscope. This tube is a virtual electric eye and consists of a photo-sensitive mosaic corresponding to the retina of the human eye, and a moving electron beam representing the nerve of the eye. The image is projected optically on the mosaic and transformed within the tube into a train of electrical impulses, representing the illumination of individual points of the image.The reproduction of the image is accomplished by means of another vacuum tube, the kinescope, which transforms the electrical impulses back into the variation of light intensity through the bombardment of a fluorescent screen by the moving electron beam.The movement of the electron beams in both tubes, which is responsible for both transformations, is linear and divides the picture into a series of parallel lines. The movements are synchronized so that the instantaneous position of the beams with respect to a point in the picture is always identical. The synchronization is transmitted together with the picture signals, and operation of the receiver is completely automatic.The sensitivity of the iconoscope, at the present time, is approximately equal to that of a photographic film operating at the speed of a motion picture camera, permitting the transmission of outdoor scenes. The resolution is high, much higher than necessary for television images of the highest quality.The paper describes the theory of the system, its characteristics, mode of operation, and includes photographs of images obtained on the fluorescent screen of the receiver.     

Query processing in a retrospective document retrieval system that uses word fragments as language elements

The structure of a retrospective information retrieval system that uses equifrequent word or text fragments is described, and its advantages over word oriented systems are mentioned briefly. Word fragments are proposed as retrieval elements, and a discussion is given of the changes required in order to process a query. Some necessary modifications in the treatment of logical operators are described, and two conditions are postulated as necessary for the successful operation of the system. Aspects of query processing are illustrated by experimental results obtained from single and two-term queries applied to a portion of the MARC tapes.     

Assessment of oxidative stress and effect of antioxidant supplementation during radiotherapy in carcinoma of upper digestive tract

Oxidative stress was studied by estimating plasma levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), beta carotene, vitamin E and erythrocytic superoxide dismutase(E-SOD) activity in 50 cases of carcinoma of upper digestive tract which included carcinoma of oral cavity, pharynx and oesophagus. While plasma MDA level was found to be increased (3.5±1.0 nmole/ml), a significant decrease in beta carotene (81.2±14.5mg%), vitamin E (8.5±1.1 mg/L) level and E-SOD activity (657.0±80.6 U/G Hb) were observed in carcinoma of upper digestive tract. Patients were treated with radiotherapy which itself was toxic enough and produced its deleterious effects by generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). As antioxdiants can detoxify ROS, beneficial effect if any, of antioxidant administration during radiotherapy was studied in two groups of patients, group A (n=5, supplemented with antioxidants) and group B (n=5, without antioxidant supplementation). Plasma MDA level was found to be elevated in both the groups but the increase in group B was significant, compared to pretreatment level. Further, body weight was found to be significantly decreased in group B patients, which was maintained in group A patients. Moreover, group A patients showed significant elevation in beta carotene concentration, thus showing beneficial effect of administration of antioxidants during radiotherapy without disturbing the desirable therapeutic effect of radiotherapy.