Analytical Glycobiology at High Sensitivity: Current Approaches and Directions

PubMed Central

Novotny, Milos V.; Alley, William R.; Mann, Benjamin F.

2013-01-01

This review summarizes the analytical advances made during the last several years in the structural and quantitative determinations of glycoproteins in complex biological mixtures. The main analytical techniques used in the fields of glycomics and glycoproteomics involve different modes of mass spectrometry and their combinations with capillary separation methods such as microcolumn liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis. The needs for high-sensitivity measurements have been emphasized in the oligosaccharide profiling used in the field of biomarker discovery through MALDI mass spectrometry. High-sensitivity profiling of both glycans and glycopeptides from biological fluids and tissue extracts has been aided significantly through lectin preconcentration and the uses of affinity chromatography. PMID:22945852

P39-T Analysis of Oligosaccharides by Capillary-Scale High-Performance Anion-Exchange Chromatography with Pulsed Amperometric Detection (CHPAEC-PAD) and On-Line Electrospray-Ionization Ion-Trap Mass Spectrometry (CHPAEC-ITMS)

PubMed Central

Bruggink, C.; Koeleman, C.; Barreto, V.; Lui, Y.; Pohl, C.; Ingendoh, A.; Wuhrer, M.; Hokke, C.; Deelder, A.

2007-01-01

High-pH anion-exchange chromatography with pulsed amperometric detection (HPAEC-PAD) is an established technique for selective separation and analysis of underivatized carbohydrates. The miniaturization of chromatographic techniques by means of capillary columns, and on-line coupling to mass spectrometry are critical to the further development of glycan analysis methods that are compatible with the current requirements in clinical settings. A system has been developed based on the Dionex BioLC equipped with a microbore gradient pump with PEEK flow splitter, a FAMOS micro autosampler, a modified electrochemical cell for on-line capillary PAD, and a capillary column (380 μm i.d.) packed with a new type of anion-exchange resin. This system operates with sensitivity in the low femtomol range. In addition, an on-line capillary desalter has been developed to allow direct coupling to the Bruker Esquire 3000 ion-trap mass spectrometer with electrospray ionization interface (ESI-IT-MS). Both systems have been evaluated using oligosaccharide standards as well as urine samples exhibiting various lysosomal oligosaccharide storage diseases. Initial data indicate that the robust and selective anion-exchange system, in combination with ESI-IT-MS for structure confirmation and analysis, provides a powerful platform that complements existing nano/capillary LC-MS methods for analytical determination of oligosaccharides in biological matrices.

Miniaturized high throughput detection system for capillary array electrophoresis on chip with integrated light emitting diode array as addressed ring-shaped light source.

PubMed

Ren, Kangning; Liang, Qionglin; Mu, Xuan; Luo, Guoan; Wang, Yiming

2009-03-07

A novel miniaturized, portable fluorescence detection system for capillary array electrophoresis (CAE) on a microfluidic chip was developed, consisting of a scanning light-emitting diode (LED) light source and a single point photoelectric sensor. Without charge coupled detector (CCD), lens, fibers and moving parts, the system was extremely simplified. Pulsed driving of the LED significantly increased the sensitivity, and greatly reduced the power consumption and photobleaching effect. The highly integrated system was robust and easy to use. All the advantages realized the concept of a portable micro-total analysis system (micro-TAS), which could work on a single universal serial bus (USB) port. Compared with traditional CAE detecting systems, the current system could scan the radial capillary array with high scanning rate. An 8-channel CAE of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) labeled arginine (Arg) on chip was demonstrated with this system, resulting in a limit of detection (LOD) of 640 amol.

Experimental research of different plasma cathodes for generation of high-current electron beams

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Shafir, G.; Kreif, M.; Gleizer, J. Z.

2015-11-21

The results of experimental studies of different types of cathodes—carbon-epoxy rods, carbon-epoxy capillary, edged graphite, and metal-dielectric—under the application of high-voltage pulses with an amplitude of several hundreds of kV and pulse duration of several nanoseconds are presented. The best diode performance was achieved with the edged graphite and carbon-epoxy-based cathodes characterized by uniform and fast (<1 ns) formation of explosive emission plasma spots and quasi-constant diode impedance. This result was achieved for both annular cathodes in a strong magnetic field and planar cathodes of a similar diameter (∼2 cm) with no external magnetic field. The cathodes based on carbon-epoxy rods andmore » carbon-epoxy capillaries operating with an average current density up to 1 kA/cm{sup 2} showed insignificant erosion along 10{sup 6} pulses of the generator and the generated electron beam current showed excellent reproducibility in terms of the amplitude and waveform.« less

CO2/ brine substitution experiments at simulated reservoir conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kummerow, Juliane; Spangenberg, Erik

2015-04-01

Capillary properties of rocks affect the mobility of fluids in a reservoir. Therefore, the understanding of the capillary pressure behaviour is essential to assess the long-term behaviour of CO2 reservoirs. Beyond this, a calibration of the petrophysical properties on water saturation of reservoir rocks at simulated in situ conditions is crucial for a proper interpretation of field monitoring data. We present a set-up, which allows for the combined measurements of capillary pressure, electric resistivity, and elastic wave velocities under controlled reservoir conditions (pconf = 400 bar, ppore = 180 bar, T = 65 ° C) at different brine-CO2 saturations. The capillary properties of the samples are measured using the micropore membrane technique. The sample is jacketed with a Viton tube (thickness = 4 mm) and placed between two current electrode endcaps, which as well contain pore fluid ports and ultrasonic P and S wave transducers. Between the sample and the lower endcap the hydrophilic semi-permeable micro-pore membrane (pore size = 100 nm) is integrated. It is embedded into filter papers to establish a good capillary contact and to protect the highly sensitive membrane against mechanical damage under load. Two high-precision syringe pumps are used to displace a quantified volume of brine by CO2 and determine the corresponding sample saturation. The fluid displacement induces a pressure gradient along the sample, which corresponds to the capillary pressure at a particular sample saturation. It is measured with a differential pressure sensor in the range between 0 - 0.2 MPa. Drainage and imbibition cycles are performed to provide information on the efficiency of capillary trapping and to get a calibration of the petrophysical parameters of the sample.

Characteristics of soft x-ray spectra from ultra-fast micro-capillary discharge plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jing; Avaria, Gonzalo; Shlyaptsev, Vyacheslav; Tomasel, Fernando; Grisham, Michael; Dawson, Quincy; Rocca, Jorge; NSF CenterExtreme Ultraviolet Science; Technology Collaboration

2013-10-01

The efficient generation of high aspect ratio (e.g. 300:1) plasma columns ionized to very high degrees of ionization (e.g. Ni-like Xenon) by an ultrafast current pulses of moderate amplitude in micro-capillary channels is of interest for fundamental plasma studies and for applications such as the generation of discharge-pumped soft x-ray lasers. Spectra and simulations for plasmas generated in 500 um alumina capillary discharges driven by 35-40 kA current pulses with 4 ns rise time were obtained in Xenon and Neon discharges. The first shows the presence of lines corresponding to ionization stages up to Fe-like Xe. The latter show that Al impurities from the walls and Si (from injected SiH4) are ionized to the H-like and He-like stages. He-like spectra containing the resonance line significantly broaden by opacity, the intercombination line, and Li-like satellites are analyzed and modeled. For Xenon discharges, the spectral lines from the Ni-like transitions the 3d94d(3/2, 3/2)J=0 to the 3d94p(5/2, 3/2)J=1 and to 3d94p(3/2, 1/2)J=1 are observed at gas pressures up to 2.0 Torr. Work supported by NSF Award PHY-1004295.

Direct Numerical Simulation of Low Capillary Number Pore Scale Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esmaeilzadeh, S.; Soulaine, C.; Tchelepi, H.

2017-12-01

The arrangement of void spaces and the granular structure of a porous medium determines multiple macroscopic properties of the rock such as porosity, capillary pressure, and relative permeability. Therefore, it is important to study the microscopic structure of the reservoir pores and understand the dynamics of fluid displacements through them. One approach for doing this, is direct numerical simulation of pore-scale flow that requires a robust numerical tool for prediction of fluid dynamics and a detailed understanding of the physical processes occurring at the pore-scale. In pore scale flows with a low capillary number, Eulerian multiphase methods are well-known to produce additional vorticity close to the interface. This is mainly due to discretization errors which lead to an imbalance of capillary pressure and surface tension forces that causes unphysical spurious currents. At the pore scale, these spurious currents can become significantly stronger than the average velocity in the phases, and lead to unphysical displacement of the interface. In this work, we first investigate the capability of the algebraic Volume of Fluid (VOF) method in OpenFOAM for low capillary number pore scale flow simulations. Afterward, we compare VOF results with a Coupled Level-Set Volume of Fluid (CLSVOF) method and Iso-Advector method. It has been shown that the former one reduces the VOF's unphysical spurious currents in some cases, and both are known to capture interfaces sharper than VOF. As the conclusion, we will investigate that whether the use of CLSVOF or Iso-Advector will lead to less spurious velocities and more accurate results for capillary driven pore-scale multiphase flows or not. Keywords: Pore-scale multiphase flow, Capillary driven flows, Spurious currents, OpenFOAM

High-speed video capillaroscopy method for imaging and evaluation of moving red blood cells

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurov, Igor; Volkov, Mikhail; Margaryants, Nikita; Pimenov, Aleksei; Potemkin, Andrey

2018-05-01

The video capillaroscopy system with high image recording rate to resolve moving red blood cells with velocity up to 5 mm/s into a capillary is considered. Proposed procedures of the recorded video sequence processing allow evaluating spatial capillary area, capillary diameter and central line with high accuracy and reliability independently on properties of individual capillary. Two-dimensional inter frame procedure is applied to find lateral shift of neighbor images in the blood flow area with moving red blood cells and to measure directly the blood flow velocity along a capillary central line. The developed method opens new opportunities for biomedical diagnostics, particularly, due to long-time continuous monitoring of red blood cells velocity into capillary. Spatio-temporal representation of capillary blood flow is considered. Experimental results of direct measurement of blood flow velocity into separate capillary as well as capillary net are presented and discussed.

High resolution separations of charge variants and disulfide isomers of monoclonal antibodies and antibody drug conjugates using ultra-high voltage capillary electrophoresis with high electric field strength.

PubMed

Henley, W Hampton; He, Yan; Mellors, J Scott; Batz, Nicholas G; Ramsey, J Michael; Jorgenson, James W

2017-11-10

Ultra-high voltage capillary electrophoresis with high electric field strength has been applied to the separation of the charge variants, drug conjugates, and disulfide isomers of monoclonal antibodies. Samples composed of many closely related species are difficult to resolve and quantify using traditional analytical instrumentation. High performance instrumentation can often save considerable time and effort otherwise spent on extensive method development. Ideally, the resolution obtained for a given CE buffer system scales with the square root of the applied voltage. Currently available commercial CE instrumentation is limited to an applied voltage of approximately 30kV and a maximum electric field strength of 1kV/cm due to design limitations. The instrumentation described here is capable of safely applying potentials of at least 120kV with electric field strengths over 2000V/cm, potentially doubling the resolution of the best conventional CE buffer/capillary systems while decreasing analysis time in some applications. Separations of these complex mixtures using this new instrumentation demonstrate the potential of ultra-high voltage CE to identify the presence of previously unresolved components and to reduce analysis time for complex mixtures of antibody variants and drug conjugates. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A numerical study on swimming micro-organisms inside a capillary tube

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhu, Lailai; Lauga, Eric; Brandt, Luca

2011-11-01

The locomotivity of micro-organisms is highly dependent on the surrounding environments such as walls, free surface and neighbouring cells. In our current work, we perform simulations of swimming micro-organisms inside a capillary tube based on boundary element method. We focus on the swimming speed, power consumption and locomotive trajectory of swimming cells for different levels of confinement. For a cell propelling itself by tangential surface deformation, we show that it will swim along a helical trajectory with a specified swimming gait. Such a helical trajectory was observed before by experiments on swimming Paramecium inside a capillary tube. Funding by VR (the Swedish Research Council) and the National Science Foundation (grant CBET-0746285 to E.L.) is gratefully acknowledged. Computer time provided by SNIC (Swedish National Infrastructure for Computing) is also acknowledged.

Miniaturized flow injection analysis system

DOEpatents

Folta, James A.

1997-01-01

A chemical analysis technique known as flow injection analysis, wherein small quantities of chemical reagents and sample are intermixed and reacted within a capillary flow system and the reaction products are detected optically, electrochemically, or by other means. A highly miniaturized version of a flow injection analysis system has been fabricated utilizing microfabrication techniques common to the microelectronics industry. The microflow system uses flow capillaries formed by etching microchannels in a silicon or glass wafer followed by bonding to another wafer, commercially available microvalves bonded directly to the microflow channels, and an optical absorption detector cell formed near the capillary outlet, with light being both delivered and collected with fiber optics. The microflow system is designed mainly for analysis of liquids and currently measures 38.times.25.times.3 mm, but can be designed for gas analysis and be substantially smaller in construction.

Light propagation in the micro-size capillary injected by high temperature liquid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Yan-jun; Li, Edward; Xiao, Hai

2016-11-01

The high temperature liquid is injected into the micro-size capillary and its light propagation behavior is investigated. We focus on two different liquid pumping methods. The first method can pump the high temperature liquid tin into the micro-size capillary by using a high pressure difference system. After pumping, a single mode fiber (SMF) connected with the optical carrier based microwave interferometry (OCMI) system is used to measure different liquid tin levels in the micro-size capillary. The second method can pump the room temperature engine oil into the capillary by using a syringe pump. This method can avoid the air bubbles when the liquids are pumped into the capillary.

Extreme degree of ionization in homogenous micro-capillary plasma columns heated by ultrafast current pulses.

PubMed

Avaria, G; Grisham, M; Li, J; Tomasel, F G; Shlyaptsev, V N; Busquet, M; Woolston, M; Rocca, J J

2015-03-06

Homogeneous plasma columns with ionization levels typical of megaampere discharges are created by rapidly heating gas-filled 520-μm-diameter channels with nanosecond rise time current pulses of 40 kA. Current densities of up to 0.3  GA cm^{-2} greatly increase Joule heating with respect to conventional capillary discharge Z pinches, reaching unprecedented degrees of ionization for a high-Z plasma column heated by a current pulse of remarkably low amplitude. Dense xenon plasmas are ionized to Xe^{28+}, while xenon impurities in hydrogen discharges reach Xe^{30+}. The unique characteristics of these hot, ∼300:1 length-to-diameter aspect ratio plasmas allow the observation of unexpected spectroscopic phenomena. Axial spectra show the unusual dominance of the intercombination line over the resonance line of He-like Al by nearly an order of magnitude, caused by differences in opacities in the axial and radial directions. These plasma columns could enable the development of sub-10-nm x-ray lasers.

Effects of Different Waveforms on the Performance of Active Capillary Dielectric Barrier Discharge Ionization Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dumlao, Morphy C.; Xiao, Dan; Zhang, Daming; Fletcher, John; Donald, William A.

2017-04-01

Active capillary dielectric barrier discharge ionization (DBDI) is emerging as a compact, low-cost, and robust method to form intact ions of small molecules for detection in near real time by portable mass spectrometers. Here, we demonstrate that by using a 10 kHz, 2.5 kVp-p high-voltage square-wave alternating current plasma, active capillary DBDI can consume less than 1 μW of power. In contrast, the power consumed using a sine and triangle alternating current waveform is more than two orders of magnitude higher than that for the square waveform to obtain a similar voltage for plasma generation. Moreover, the plasma obtained using a square waveform can be significantly more homogenous than that obtained using sine and triangle waveforms. Protonated dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) and deprotonated perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) can be detected at about the same or higher abundances using square-wave DBDI mass spectrometry compared with the use of sine and triangle waveforms. By use of benzylammonium thermometer ions, the extent of internal energy deposition using square, sine, or triangle waveform excited plasmas are essentially the same at the optimum voltages for ion detection. Using an H-bridge circuit driving a transformer optimized to reduce losses, square-wave active capillary DBDI can be continuously powered for 50 h by common 9 V-battery (PP3).

Sheathless interface to match flow rate of capillary electrophoresis with electrospray mass spectrometry using regular-sized capillary.

PubMed

Yin, Yue; Li, Gongyu; Guan, Yafeng; Huang, Guangming

2016-08-01

The flow rate match has been a great challenge when coupling capillary electrophoresis (CE) with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). Conventional CE-ESI-MS interfaces used liquid sheath flow, narrowed capillary or additional pressure to meet this requirement; sacrifice of either capillary inner diameter (i.d.) or separation efficiency is often inevitable. Thus, a regular-sized capillary-based sheathless interface would be attractive for flow rate match in CE-MS. The regular-sized capillary-based CE-MS interface was achieved by coupling CE with induced electrospray ionization (iESI) which was stimulated by the fact that the iESI could both achieve flow rate down to 0.2 μL/min and retain ionization efficiency. The CE-iESI-MS interface was completed with an intact separation capillary, outside the outlet end of which a metal electrode was attached for the application of alternating current (ac) high voltage (HV). The feasibility of this CE-iESI-MS interface was demonstrated through the stable total ion chromatograms obtained by continuous CE infusion of tripropylamine with regular-sized capillaries. Tripropylamine and atenolol were separated and detected successfully in phosphate buffer solution (PBS) by CE-iESI-MS using a 50 or 75 μm i.d. capillary. Furthermore, this new interface showed a better signal-to-noise (S/N) of 3 to 7 times enhancement compared with another sheathless CE-ESI-MS interface that using one high voltage for both separation and electrospray when analyzing the mixture of tripropylamine and proline in NH4 OAc buffer. In addition, the reproducibility of this interface gave satisfactory results with relative standard deviation (RSD) in retention time in the range between 1% and 3%. The novel sheathless CE-MS interface introduced here could match conventional electroosmotic flow (EOF) with electrospray which could also preserve the separation efficiency and sensitivity of CE-MS. This newly developed CE-iESI-MS interface was also demonstrated to be effective for different buffers, PBS and NH4 OAc, without any additives such as methanol and acetic acid. Hence, we believe that this sheathless CE-MS interface could be operated with other nonvolatile and volatile buffers. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Polyatomic ions from a high current ion implanter driven by a liquid metal ion source.

PubMed

Pilz, W; Laufer, P; Tajmar, M; Böttger, R; Bischoff, L

2017-12-01

High current liquid metal ion sources are well known and found their first application as field emission electric propulsion thrusters in space technology. The aim of this work is the adaption of such kind of sources in broad ion beam technology. Surface patterning based on self-organized nano-structures on, e.g., semiconductor materials formed by heavy mono- or polyatomic ion irradiation from liquid metal (alloy) ion sources (LMAISs) is a very promising technique. LMAISs are nearly the only type of sources delivering polyatomic ions from about half of the periodic table elements. To overcome the lack of only very small treated areas by applying a focused ion beam equipped with such sources, the technology taken from space propulsion systems was transferred into a large single-end ion implanter. The main component is an ion beam injector based on high current LMAISs combined with suited ion optics allocating ion currents in the μA range in a nearly parallel beam of a few mm in diameter. Different types of LMAIS (needle, porous emitter, and capillary) are presented and characterized. The ion beam injector design is specified as well as the implementation of this module into a 200 kV high current ion implanter operating at the HZDR Ion Beam Center. Finally, the obtained results of large area surface modification of Ge using polyatomic Bi 2 + ions at room temperature from a GaBi capillary LMAIS will be presented and discussed.

Polyatomic ions from a high current ion implanter driven by a liquid metal ion source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilz, W.; Laufer, P.; Tajmar, M.; Böttger, R.; Bischoff, L.

2017-12-01

High current liquid metal ion sources are well known and found their first application as field emission electric propulsion thrusters in space technology. The aim of this work is the adaption of such kind of sources in broad ion beam technology. Surface patterning based on self-organized nano-structures on, e.g., semiconductor materials formed by heavy mono- or polyatomic ion irradiation from liquid metal (alloy) ion sources (LMAISs) is a very promising technique. LMAISs are nearly the only type of sources delivering polyatomic ions from about half of the periodic table elements. To overcome the lack of only very small treated areas by applying a focused ion beam equipped with such sources, the technology taken from space propulsion systems was transferred into a large single-end ion implanter. The main component is an ion beam injector based on high current LMAISs combined with suited ion optics allocating ion currents in the μA range in a nearly parallel beam of a few mm in diameter. Different types of LMAIS (needle, porous emitter, and capillary) are presented and characterized. The ion beam injector design is specified as well as the implementation of this module into a 200 kV high current ion implanter operating at the HZDR Ion Beam Center. Finally, the obtained results of large area surface modification of Ge using polyatomic Bi2+ ions at room temperature from a GaBi capillary LMAIS will be presented and discussed.

Evaluation of a multiarray system for pharmaceutical analysis by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography.

PubMed

Lynen, Frederic; Saavedra, Luis; Saveedra, Luis; Nickerson, Beverly; Sandra, Pat

2011-05-15

A multiplexed capillary electrophoresis (CE) system equipped with 96 channels was evaluated for high-throughput screening in drug discovery by microemulsion electrokinetic chromatography (MEEKC). Method transfer from a single channel to a multichannel CE system is described. Loss of efficiency and reduced migration times could be elucidated to the poor efficacy in Joule heat dissipation by forced air cooling in the multiarray system compared to liquid cooling in the single channel instrument. On the other hand, only 48 channels could actually be used because of the maximum total current of 3 mA. Precision data remained below 8% and 9% for migration times and peak areas, respectively. Some UV-detector cross-talk interference between neighboring capillary channels was noted. Impurities at 0.5% compared to the main peak (100%) could be detected with the multiplexed system which is 10 times lower compared to the single capillary system. Higher efficiency and improved figures of merit (absolute sensitivity and no cross-talk interferences) were obtained by using an array of only 24 capillaries. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ocean dynamics studies. [of current-wave interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1974-01-01

Both the theoretical and experimental investigations into current-wave interactions are discussed. The following three problems were studied: (1) the dispersive relation of a random gravity-capillary wave field; (2) the changes of the statistical properties of surface waves under the influence of currents; and (3) the interaction of capillary-gravity with the nonuniform currents. Wave current interaction was measured and the feasibility of using such measurements for remote sensing of surface currents was considered. A laser probe was developed to measure the surface statistics, and the possibility of using current-wave interaction as a means of current measurement was demonstrated.

Investigation of capillary nanosecond discharges in air at moderate pressure: comparison of experiments and 2D numerical modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klochko, Andrei V.; Starikovskaia, Svetlana M.; Xiong, Zhongmin; Kushner, Mark J.

2014-09-01

Nanosecond electrical discharges in the form of ionization waves are of interest for rapidly ionizing and exciting complex gas mixtures to initiate chemical reactions. Operating with a small discharge tube diameter can significantly increase the specific energy deposition and so enable optimization of the initiation process. Analysis of the uniformity of energy release in small diameter capillary tubes will aid in this optimization. In this paper, results for the experimentally derived characteristics of nanosecond capillary discharges in air at moderate pressure are presented and compared with results from a two-dimensional model. The quartz capillary tube, having inner and outer diameters of 1.5 and 3.4 mm, is about 80 mm long and filled with synthetic dry air at 27 mbar. The capillary tube with two electrodes at the ends is inserted into a break of the central wire of a long coaxial cable. A metal screen around the tube is connected to the cable ground shield. The discharge is driven by a 19 kV 35 ns voltage pulse applied to the powered electrode. The experimental measurements are conducted primarily by using a calibrated capacitive probe and back current shunts. The numerical modelling focuses on the fast ionization wave (FIW) and the plasma properties in the immediate afterglow after the conductive plasma channel has been established between the two electrodes. The FIW produces a highly focused region of electric field on the tube axis that sustains the ionization wave that eventually bridges the electrode gap. Results from the model predict FIW propagation speed and current rise time that agree with the experiment.

Miniaturized flow injection analysis system

DOEpatents

Folta, J.A.

1997-07-01

A chemical analysis technique known as flow injection analysis is described, wherein small quantities of chemical reagents and sample are intermixed and reacted within a capillary flow system and the reaction products are detected optically, electrochemically, or by other means. A highly miniaturized version of a flow injection analysis system has been fabricated utilizing microfabrication techniques common to the microelectronics industry. The microflow system uses flow capillaries formed by etching microchannels in a silicon or glass wafer followed by bonding to another wafer, commercially available microvalves bonded directly to the microflow channels, and an optical absorption detector cell formed near the capillary outlet, with light being both delivered and collected with fiber optics. The microflow system is designed mainly for analysis of liquids and currently measures 38{times}25{times}3 mm, but can be designed for gas analysis and be substantially smaller in construction. 9 figs.

A Zero Dimensional Time-Dependent Model of High-Pressure Ablative Capillary Discharge (Preprint)

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-06-01

comprehensive model of capillary discharge is important to understand the physics and engineering aspects of the capillary discharge thruster. A schematic...investigators since the mid-1980s see 1-11 and references therein, satisfy both of these conditions well. These studies investigated the dynamics of high...is a comprehensive description of the radiative heat transfer in the capillary discharge. It is worth noting that in other types of capillary

Studies related to ocean dynamics. Task 3.2: Aircraft Field Test Program to investigate the ability of remote sensing methods to measure current/wind-wave interactions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Huang, N. E.; Flood, W. A.; Brown, G. S.

1975-01-01

The feasibility of remote sensing of current flows in the ocean and the remote sensing of ocean currents by backscattering cross section techniques was studied. It was established that for capillary waves, small scale currents could be accurately measured through observation of wave kinematics. Drastic modifications of waves by changing currents were noted. The development of new methods for the measurement of capillary waves are discussed. Improvement methods to resolve data processing problems are suggested.

Capillary Flow Layer-by-Layer: A Microfluidic Platform for the High-Throughput Assembly and Screening of Nanolayered Film Libraries

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

Layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly is a powerful tool with increasing real world applications in energy, biomaterials, active surfaces, and membranes; however, the current state of the art requires individual sample construction using large quantities of material. Here we describe a technique using capillary flow within a microfluidic device to drive high-throughput assembly of LbL film libraries. This capillary flow layer-by-layer (CF-LbL) method significantly reduces material waste, improves quality control, and expands the potential applications of LbL into new research spaces. The method can be operated as a simple lab benchtop apparatus or combined with liquid-handling robotics to extend the library size. Here we describe and demonstrate the technique and establish its ability to recreate and expand on the known literature for film growth and morphology. We use the same platform to assay biological properties such as cell adhesion and proliferation and ultimately provide an example of the use of this approach to identify LbL films for surface-based DNA transfection of commonly used cell types. PMID:24836460

Constant pressure-assisted head-column field-amplified sample injection in combination with in-capillary derivatization for enhancing the sensitivity of capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Yan, Na; Zhou, Lei; Zhu, Zaifang; Zhang, Huige; Zhou, Ximin; Chen, Xingguo

2009-05-15

In this work, a novel method combining constant pressure-assisted head-column field-amplified sample injection (PA-HC-FASI) with in-capillary derivatization was developed for enhancing the sensitivity of capillary electrophoresis. PA-HC-FASI uses an appropriate positive pressure to counterbalance the electroosmotic flow in the capillary column during electrokinetic injection, while taking advantage of the field amplification in the sample matrix and the water of the "head column". Accordingly, the analytes were stacked at the stationary boundary between water and background electrolyte. After 600s PA-HC-FASI, 4-fluoro-7-nitro-2,1,3-benzoxadiazole as derivatization reagent was injected, followed by an electrokinetic step (5kV, 45s) to enhance the mixing efficiency of analytes and reagent plugs. Standing a specified time of 10min for derivatization reaction under 35 degrees C, then the capillary temperature was cooled to 25 degrees C and the derivatives were immediately separated and determined under 25 degrees C. By investigating the variables of the presented approach in detail, on-line preconcentration, derivatization and separation could be automatically operated in one run and required no modification of current CE commercial instrument. Moreover, the sensitivity enhancement factor of 520 and 800 together with the detection limits of 16.32 and 6.34pg/mL was achieved for model compounds: glufosinate and aminomethylphosphonic acid, demonstrating the high detection sensitivity of the presented method.

Urea functionalized surface-bonded sol-gel coating for on-line hyphenation of capillary microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Jillani, Shehzada Muhammad Sajid; Alhooshani, Khalid

2018-03-30

Sol-gel urea functionalized-[bis(hydroxyethyl)amine] terminated polydimethylsiloxane coating was developed for capillary microextraction-high performance liquid chromatographic analysis from aqueous samples. A fused silica capillary is coated from the inside with surface bonded coating material and is created through in-situ sol-gel reaction. The urea-functionalized coating was immobilized to the inner surface of the capillary by the condensation reaction of silanol groups of capillary and sol-solution. The characterization of the coating material was successfully done by using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, field emission scanning electron microscope, and energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer. To make a setup of online capillary microextraction-high performance liquid chromatography, the urea functionalized capillary was installed in the HPLC manual injection port. The analytes of interest were pre-concentrated in the coated sampling loop, desorbed by the mobile phase, chromatographically separated on C-18 column, and analyzed by UV detector. Sol-gel coated capillaries were used for online extraction and high-performance liquid chromatographic analysis of phenols, ketones, aldehydes, and polyaromatic hydrocarbons. This newly developed coating showed excellent extraction for a variety of analytes ranging from highly polar to non-polar in nature. The analysis using sol-gel coating showed excellent overall sensitivity in terms of lower detection limits (S/N = 3) for the analytes (0.10 ng mL -1 -14.29 ng mL -1 ) with acceptable reproducibility that is less than 12.0%RSD (n = 3). Moreover, the capillary to capillary reproducibility of the analysis was also tested by changing the capillary of the same size. This provided excellent%RSD of less than 10.0% (n = 3). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Highly-efficient capillary photoelectrochemical water splitting using cellulose nanofiber-templated TiO 2 photoanodes

Treesearch

Zhaodong Li; Chunhua Yao; Yanhao Yu; Zhiyong Cai; Xudong Wang

2014-01-01

Among current endeavors to explore renewable energy technologies, photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting holds great promise for conversion of solar energy to chemical energy. [ 1–4 ] Light absorption, charge separation, and appropriate interfacial redox reactions are three key aspects that lead to highly efficient solar energy conversion. [ 5–10 ] Therefore,...

Application of CHESS single-bounce capillaries at synchrotron beamlines

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, R.; Szebenyi, T.; Pfeifer, M.; Woll, A.; Smilgies, D.-M.; Finkelstein, K.; Dale, D.; Wang, Y.; Vila-Comamala, J.; Gillilan, R.; Cook, M.; Bilderback, D. H.

2014-03-01

Single-bounce capillaries are achromatic X-ray focusing optics that can provide efficient and high demagnification focusing with large numerical apertures. Capillary fabrication at CHESS can be customized according to specific application requirements. Exemplary applications are reviewed in this paper, as well as recent progress on condensers for high-resolution transmission X-ray microscopy and small focal size capillaries.

Analytical characterization of wine and its precursors by capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Gomez, Federico J V; Monasterio, Romina P; Vargas, Verónica Carolina Soto; Silva, María F

2012-08-01

The accurate determination of marker chemical species in grape, musts, and wines presents a unique analytical challenge with high impact on diverse areas of knowledge such as health, plant physiology, and economy. Capillary electromigration techniques have emerged as a powerful tool, allowing the separation and identification of highly polar compounds that cannot be easily separated by traditional HPLC methods, providing complementary information and permitting the simultaneous analysis of analytes with different nature in a single run. The main advantage of CE over traditional methods for wine analysis is that in most cases samples require no treatment other than filtration. The purpose of this article is to present a revision on capillary electromigration methods applied to the analysis of wine and its precursors over the last decade. The current state of the art of the topic is evaluated, with special emphasis on the natural compounds that have allowed wine to be considered as a functional food. The most representative revised compounds are phenolic compounds, amino acids, proteins, elemental species, mycotoxins, and organic acids. Finally, a discussion on future trends of the role of capillary electrophoresis in the field of analytical characterization of wines for routine analysis, wine classification, as well as multidisciplinary aspects of the so-called "from soil to glass" chain is presented. © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Age and diabetes related changes of the retinal capillaries: An ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study.

PubMed

Bianchi, Enrica; Ripandelli, Guido; Taurone, Samanta; Feher, Janos; Plateroti, Rocco; Kovacs, Illes; Magliulo, Giuseppe; Orlando, Maria Patrizia; Micera, Alessandra; Battaglione, Ezio; Artico, Marco

2016-03-01

Normal human aging and diabetes are associated with a gradual decrease of cerebral flow in the brain with changes in vascular architecture. Thickening of the capillary basement membrane and microvascular fibrosis are evident in the central nervous system of elderly and diabetic patients. Current findings assign a primary role to endothelial dysfunction as a cause of basement membrane (BM) thickening, while retinal alterations are considered to be a secondary cause of either ischemia or exudation. The aim of this study was to reveal any initial retinal alterations and variations in the BM of retinal capillaries during diabetes and aging as compared to healthy controls. Moreover, we investigated the potential role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pro-inflammatory cytokines in diabetic retina.Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on 46 enucleated human eyes with particular attention to alterations of the retinal capillary wall and Müller glial cells. Inflammatory cytokines expression in the retina was investigated by immunohistochemistry.Our electron microscopy findings demonstrated that thickening of the BM begins primarily at the level of the glial side of the retina during aging and diabetes. The Müller cells showed numerous cytoplasmic endosomes and highly electron-dense lysosomes which surrounded the retinal capillaries. Our study is the first to present morphological evidence that Müller cells start to deposit excessive BM material in retinal capillaries during aging and diabetes. Our results confirm the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β within the retina as a result of diabetes.These observations strongly suggest that inflammatory cytokines and changes in the metabolism of Müller glial cells rather than changes in of endothelial cells may play a primary role in the alteration of retinal capillaries BM during aging and diabetes. © The Author(s) 2015.

Age and diabetes related changes of the retinal capillaries: An ultrastructural and immunohistochemical study

PubMed Central

Bianchi, Enrica; Ripandelli, Guido; Taurone, Samanta; Feher, Janos; Plateroti, Rocco; Kovacs, Illes; Magliulo, Giuseppe; Orlando, Maria Patrizia; Micera, Alessandra; Battaglione, Ezio; Artico, Marco

2015-01-01

Normal human aging and diabetes are associated with a gradual decrease of cerebral flow in the brain with changes in vascular architecture. Thickening of the capillary basement membrane and microvascular fibrosis are evident in the central nervous system of elderly and diabetic patients. Current findings assign a primary role to endothelial dysfunction as a cause of basement membrane (BM) thickening, while retinal alterations are considered to be a secondary cause of either ischemia or exudation. The aim of this study was to reveal any initial retinal alterations and variations in the BM of retinal capillaries during diabetes and aging as compared to healthy controls. Moreover, we investigated the potential role of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and pro-inflammatory cytokines in diabetic retina. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was performed on 46 enucleated human eyes with particular attention to alterations of the retinal capillary wall and Müller glial cells. Inflammatory cytokines expression in the retina was investigated by immunohistochemistry. Our electron microscopy findings demonstrated that thickening of the BM begins primarily at the level of the glial side of the retina during aging and diabetes. The Müller cells showed numerous cytoplasmic endosomes and highly electron-dense lysosomes which surrounded the retinal capillaries. Our study is the first to present morphological evidence that Müller cells start to deposit excessive BM material in retinal capillaries during aging and diabetes. Our results confirm the induction of pro-inflammatory cytokines TNF-α and IL-1β within the retina as a result of diabetes. These observations strongly suggest that inflammatory cytokines and changes in the metabolism of Müller glial cells rather than changes in of endothelial cells may play a primary role in the alteration of retinal capillaries BM during aging and diabetes. PMID:26604209

Migration And Entrapment Of Mercury In The Subsurface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

M, D.; Nambi, I. M.

2009-12-01

Elemental mercury is an immiscible liquid with high density and high surface tension. The movement of mercury in the saturated subsurface region is therefore considered a case of two phase flow involving mercury and water and is expected to be governed by gravity, viscous and capillary forces. Fundamental investigation into the migration and capillary entrapment of mercury in the subsurface was done by controlled laboratory capillary pressure saturation experiments using mercury and water as non wetting and wetting fluid respectively. Residual mercury saturation and van Genuchten’s capillary entrapment parameters were determined independently for different sizes of porous media. Based on the experimental data, theoretical investigations were done on the role of the three predominant forces and their influence on mercury migration and entrapment. The effects of fluid density and interfacial tension and the influence of Capillary and Bond number on mercury entrapment were analyzed with the help of similar capillary pressure - saturation experiments using Tetrachloroethylene (PCE)-water fluid pair. Mercury-water systems exhibited a low residual saturation of 0.02 and 0.07 as compared to 0.16 and 0.27 for PCE-water systems. Less residual mercury saturation, lack of apparent hysteresis in capillary pressure saturation curves and large variation in van Genuchten’s parameters 'α'(inverse of displacement pressure) and ‘n’ (pore size distribution index) for mercury-water systems compared to PCE-water systems were observed. These anomalies between the two systems elucidate that the capillary trapping is equally dependent on the fluid characteristics especially for high density immiscible fluids. Gravity force nevertheless a predominant controlling factor in the migration of highly dense mercury, is counteracted by not less trivial capillary force which was 1.22x104 times higher than gravity force. The capillary forces thus surmount the gravity forces and cause entrapment of mercury in the soil pores even in homogeneous porous medium system. Bond number (Bond number relates gravity and capillary forces) for mercury-water system was found to 2.5 times higher than PCE-water systems. Large density differences between mercury and water lead to high Bond number and thus less residual saturation. Capillary number (Capillary number relates viscous and capillary forces) was found to be less for mercury-water systems. Literature review unveils that low Capillary number does not influence non wetting residual saturation. But for high density mercury with natural infiltration, even low Capillary number influences residual saturation. With the alarming increase in number of mercury spill sites, results of this study showed a better understanding of the capillary entrapment phenomena and the extent of influence of each predominant force during displacement of highly dense mercury. The fundamental inputs to NAPL entrapment models were generated in this study for mercury for the first time. This data will be used to assess the distribution of mercury in contaminated sites and design suitable remedial alternatives.

Native and sodium dodecyl sulfate-capillary gel electrophoresis of proteins on a single microchip.

PubMed

Tsai, Shuo-Wen; Loughran, Michael; Suzuki, Hiroaki; Karube, Isao

2004-02-01

Simultaneous electrophoresis of both native and Sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) proteins was observed on a single microchip within 20 min. The capillary array prevented lateral diffusion of SDS components and avoided cross contamination of native protein samples. The planar sputtered electrode format provided a more uniform distribution of separation voltage into each of the 36 parallel microchannel capillaries than platinum wire electrodes commonly used in conventional electrophoresis. The customized geometry of the stacking capillary machined into the cover plate of the microchip facilitated reproducible sample injection without the requirement for stacking gel. Polyimide served as a mask and facilitated insulation of the anode and cathode to prevent electrode lift off and deterioration during continuous electrophoresis, even at a constant current of 8 mA. Improved protein separation was observed during capillary electrophoresis at lower currents. Ferguson plot analysis confirmed the electrophoretic mobility of native globular proteins in accordance with their charge and size. Corresponding Ferguson plot analysis of SDS-associated proteins on the same chip confirmed separation of marker proteins according to their molecular weight.

The impact of capillary backpressure on spontaneous counter-current imbibition in porous media

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Foley, Amir Y.; Nooruddin, Hasan A.; Blunt, Martin J.

2017-09-01

We investigate the impact of capillary backpressure on spontaneous counter-current imbibition. For such displacements in strongly water-wet systems, the non-wetting phase is forced out through the inlet boundary as the wetting phase imbibes into the rock, creating a finite capillary backpressure. Under the assumption that capillary backpressure depends on the water saturation applied at the inlet boundary of the porous medium, its impact is determined using the continuum modelling approach by varying the imposed inlet saturation in the analytical solution. We present analytical solutions for the one-dimensional incompressible horizontal displacement of a non-wetting phase by a wetting phase in a porous medium. There exists an inlet saturation value above which any change in capillary backpressure has a negligible impact on the solutions. Above this threshold value, imbibition rates and front positions are largely invariant. A method for identifying this inlet saturation is proposed using an analytical procedure and we explore how varying multiphase flow properties affects the analytical solutions and this threshold saturation. We show the value of this analytical approach through the analysis of previously published experimental data.

Metrology and Transport of Multiply Charged Ions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kulkarni, Dhruva

The transport and interaction of singly- and multiply-charged ions with matter has been studied. The experiments were performed in an ultra-high vacuum environment. The low- and hyperthermal-energy ion beamline was used as a source of singly charged ions, while the CUEBIT facility was used as a source of multiply charged ions. The kinetic energy of the ion beam obtained from the CUEBIT is offset from the nominal value expected from the applied electrostatic potentials. These offsets were studied by measuring the kinetic energy of the beam using a retarding field analyzer (RFA). The offset was attributed to the space charge of the electron beam that is used to create the multiply charged ions. The charge density of the electron beam was varied by changing operational parameters of the electron beam, namely the electron beam current and the energy of the electron beam. Ion beams of Ar4+ and Ar8+ were extracted from the source and the offsets observed in the kinetic energy were related to the variation in the space charge potential of the electron beam. Measurements of these offsets, ranging from 100 eV/Q to 300 eV/Q, are significant and important for experiments that aim to utilize the potential energy of slow multiply charged ions. The transport of ions using capillaries has been studied to investigate the viability of ion-guiding as a means for a novel ion delivery mechanism. Results on transport through large bore capillaries (macrocapillaries) that probe both the geometric and ionguided mechanisms are presented. The angle- and position-dependent transport properties were found to depend on the material of the capillary (specifically, whether metal or insulator) and the geometry of the capillary. Rb+ ions at a kinetic energy of 1 keV were transmitted through metal and glass capillaries that were a few centimeters in length and a few millimeters in diameter. Oscillations were observed in the capillaries made of glass which were absent in the metal capillaries. Calculations based on the geometry of the experimental setup and kinematics of the ions showed that these oscillations could be attributed to the charge patches formed on the capillary walls. Electronic excitations in solids due to energetic ions at low kinetic energy were measured by using Schottky diodes. Hot electron currents measured at the backside of an Ag/n-Si Schottky diode due to ion bombardment on the frontside were found to depend on the kinetic energy (500 eV to 1500 eV) and angle of incidence (+/-30°) of the ion (Rb+) beam. A sharp upturn in the energy dependent yield is consistent with a kinetic emission model for electronic excitations utilizing the device Schottky barrier as determined from current-voltage characteristics. Backside currents measured for ion incident angle are strongly peaked about normal incidence. Accounting for the increased transport distance for excited charges at non-normal incidence, the mean free path for electrons in silver was found to be 5.2 +/- 1.4 nm, which is consistent with values reported in the literature.

Two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis: capillary isoelectric focusing and capillary zone electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence detection

PubMed Central

Dickerson, Jane A.; Ramsay, Lauren M.; Dada, Oluwatosin O.; Cermak, Nathan

2011-01-01

Capillary isoelectric focusing and capillary zone electrophoresis are coupled with laser-induced fluorescence detection to create an ultrasensitive two-dimensional separation method for proteins. In this method, two capillaries are joined through a buffer filled interface. Separate power supplies control the potential at the injection end of the first capillary and at the interface; the detector is held at ground potential. Proteins are labeled with the fluorogenic reagent Chromeo P503, which preserves the isoelectric point of the labeled protein. The labeled proteins were mixed with ampholytes and injected into the first dimension capillary. A focusing step was performed with the injection end of the capillary at high pH and the interface at low pH. To mobilize components, the interface was filled with a high pH buffer, which was compatible with the second dimension separation. A fraction was transferred to the second dimension capillary for separation. The process of fraction transfer and second dimension separation was repeated two dozen times. The separation produced a spot capacity of 125. PMID:20603830

Comprehensive protein profiling by multiplexed capillary zone electrophoresis using cross-linked polyacrylamide coated capillaries.

PubMed

Liu, Shaorong; Gao, Lin; Pu, Qiaosheng; Lu, Joann J; Wang, Xingjia

2006-02-01

We have recently developed a new process to create cross-linked polyacrylamide (CPA) coatings on capillary walls to suppress protein-wall interactions. Here, we demonstrate CPA-coated capillaries for high-efficiency (>2 x 10(6) plates per meter) protein separations by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). Because CPA virtually eliminates electroosmotic flow, positive and negative proteins cannot be analyzed in a single run. A "one-sample-two-separation" approach is developed to achieve a comprehensive protein analysis. High throughput is achieved through a multiplexed CZE system.

Electrokinetic flow in a capillary with a charge-regulating surface polymer layer.

PubMed

Keh, Huan J; Ding, Jau M

2003-07-15

An analytical study of the steady electrokinetic flow in a long uniform capillary tube or slit is presented. The inside wall of the capillary is covered by a layer of adsorbed or covalently bound charge-regulating polymer in equilibrium with the ambient electrolyte solution. In this solvent-permeable and ion-penetrable surface polyelectrolyte layer, ionogenic functional groups and frictional segments are assumed to distribute at uniform densities. The electrical potential and space charge density distributions in the cross section of the capillary are obtained by solving the linearized Poisson-Boltzmann equation. The fluid velocity profile due to the application of an electric field and a pressure gradient through the capillary is obtained from the analytical solution of a modified Navier-Stokes/Brinkman equation. Explicit formulas for the electroosmotic velocity, the average fluid velocity and electric current density on the cross section, and the streaming potential in the capillary are also derived. The results demonstrate that the direction of the electroosmotic flow and the magnitudes of the fluid velocity and electric current density are dominated by the fixed charge density inside the surface polymer layer, which is determined by the regulation characteristics such as the dissociation equilibrium constants of the ionogenic functional groups in the surface layer and the concentration of the potential-determining ions in the bulk solution.

Recent advances in monolithic columns for protein and peptide separation by capillary liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Liang, Yu; Zhang, Lihua; Zhang, Yukui

2013-03-01

Capillary liquid chromatography (cLC) has great potential for protein and peptide separation, with advantages of high efficiency, high resolution, low sample consumption, and high sensitivity when coupled with mass spectrometry. In recent years, monoliths have been widely used as the stationary phases for capillary columns, owing to easy preparation, high permeability, fast mass transfer, and low backpressure. This review summarizes recent advances (2007-2012) in monolithic columns for protein and peptide separation by cLC. After a brief introduction on the preparation of monolithic capillary columns, the emphasis of this review is focused on the recent application of such columns for protein and peptide separation by cLC. Furthermore, the challenges and potential hot points of monolithic capillary columns in the future are discussed.

Capillary electrophoresis electrospray ionization mass spectrometry interface

DOEpatents

Smith, Richard D.; Severs, Joanne C.

1999-01-01

The present invention is an interface between a capillary electrophoresis separation capillary end and an electrospray ionization mass spectrometry emitter capillary end, for transporting an anolyte sample from a capillary electrophoresis separation capillary to a electrospray ionization mass spectrometry emitter capillary. The interface of the present invention has: (a) a charge transfer fitting enclosing both of the capillary electrophoresis capillary end and the electrospray ionization mass spectrometry emitter capillary end; (b) a reservoir containing an electrolyte surrounding the charge transfer fitting; and (c) an electrode immersed into the electrolyte, the electrode closing a capillary electrophoresis circuit and providing charge transfer across the charge transfer fitting while avoiding substantial bulk fluid transfer across the charge transfer fitting. Advantages of the present invention have been demonstrated as effective in providing high sensitivity and efficient analyses.

Measurement of Capillary Radius and Contact Angle within Porous Media.

PubMed

Ravi, Saitej; Dharmarajan, Ramanathan; Moghaddam, Saeed

2015-12-01

The pore radius (i.e., capillary radius) and contact angle determine the capillary pressure generated in a porous medium. The most common method to determine these two parameters is through measurement of the capillary pressure generated by a reference liquid (i.e., a liquid with near-zero contact angle) and a test liquid. The rate of rise technique, commonly used to determine the capillary pressure, results in significant uncertainties. In this study, we utilize a recently developed technique for independently measuring the capillary pressure and permeability to determine the equivalent minimum capillary radii and contact angle of water within micropillar wick structures. In this method, the experimentally measured dryout threshold of a wick structure at different wicking lengths is fit to Darcy's law to extract the maximum capillary pressure generated by the test liquid. The equivalent minimum capillary radii of different wick geometries are determined by measuring the maximum capillary pressures generated using n-hexane as the working fluid. It is found that the equivalent minimum capillary radius is dependent on the diameter of pillars and the spacing between pillars. The equivalent capillary radii of micropillar wicks determined using the new method are found to be up to 7 times greater than the current geometry-based first-order estimates. The contact angle subtended by water at the walls of the micropillars is determined by measuring the capillary pressure generated by water within the arrays and the measured capillary radii for the different geometries. This mean contact angle of water is determined to be 54.7°.

Reconstruction of thin fluorophore-filled capillaries in thick scattering medium using fluorescence diffuse optical tomography within the diffusion approximation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desrochers, Johanne; Vermette, Patrick; Fontaine, Réjean; Bérubé-Lauzière, Yves

2009-02-01

Current efforts in tissue engineering target the growth of 3D volumes of tissue cultures in bioreactor conditions. Fluorescence optical tomography has the potential to monitor cells viability and tissue growth non-destructively directly within the bioreactor via bio-molecular fluorescent labelling strategies. We currently work on developing the imaging instrumentation for tissue cultures in bioreactor conditions. Previously, we localized in 3D thin fluorescent-labelled capillaries in a cylindrically shaped bioreactor phantom containing a diffusive medium with our time-of-flight localization technique. Here, we present our first reconstruction results of the spatial distribution of fluorophore concentrations for labelled capillaries embedded in a bioreactor phantom.

Effects of momentum transfer on sizing of current collectors for lithium-ion batteries during laser cutting

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Dongkyoung; Mazumder, Jyotirmoy

2018-02-01

One of the challenges of the lithium-ion battery manufacturing process is the sizing of electrodes with good cut surface quality. Poor cut surface quality results in internal short circuits in the cells and significant heat generation. One of the solutions that may improve the cut quality with a high cutting speed is laser cutting due to its high energy concentration, fast processing time, high precision, small heat affected zone, flexible range of laser power and contact free process. In order to utilize the advantages of laser electrode cutting, understanding the physical phenomena for each material is crucial. Thus, this study focuses on the laser cutting of current collectors, such as pure copper and aluminum. A 3D self-consistent mathematical model for the laser cutting, including fluid flow, heat transfer, recoil pressure, multiple reflections, capillary and thermo-capillary forces, and phase changes, is presented and solved numerically. Simulation results for the laser cutting are analyzed in terms of penetration time, depth, width, and absorptivity, based on these selected laser parameters. In addition, melt pool flow, melt pool geometry and temperature distribution are investigated.

A pneumatic device for rapid loading of DNA sequencing gels.

PubMed

Panussis, D A; Cook, M W; Rifkin, L L; Snider, J E; Strong, J T; McGrane, R M; Wilson, R K; Mardis, E R

1998-05-01

This work describes the design and construction of a device that facilitates the loading of DNA samples onto polyacrylamide gels for detection in the Perkin Elmer/Applied Biosystems (PE/ABI) 373 and 377 DNA sequencing instruments. The device is mounted onto the existing gel cassettes and makes the process of loading high-density gels less cumbersome while the associated time and errors are reduced. The principle of operation includes the simultaneous transfer of the entire batch of samples, in which a spring-loaded air cylinder generates positive pressure and flexible silica capillaries transfer the samples. A retractable capillary array carrier allows the delivery ends of the capillaries to be held up clear of the gel during loader attachment on the gel plates, while enabling their insertion in the gel wells once the device is securely mounted. Gel-loading devices capable of simultaneously transferring 72 samples onto the PE/ABI 373 and 377 are currently being used in our production sequencing groups while a 96-sample transfer prototype undergoes testing.

Capillary electrophoresis: principles and applications in illicit drug analysis.

PubMed

Tagliaro, F; Turrina, S; Smith, F P

1996-02-09

Capillary electrophoresis, which appeared in the early 1980s, is now rapidly expanding into many scientific disciplines, including analytical chemistry, biotechnology and biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences. In capillary electrophoresis,electrokinetic separations are carried out in tiny capillaries at high voltages (10-30 kV), thus obtaining high efficiencies (N > 10(5)) and excellent mass sensitivities (down to 10(-18)-10(-20) moles). The main features of capillary electrophoresis are: versatility of application (from inorganic ions to large DNA fragments), use of different separation modes with different selectivity, extremely low demands on sample volume, negligible running costs, possibility of interfacing with different detection systems, ruggedness and simplicity of instrumentation. Capillary electrophoresis applications in forensic sciences have appeared only recently, but are now rapidly growing, particularly in forensic toxicology. The present paper briefly describes the basic principles of capillary electrophoresis, from both the instrumental and analytical points of view. Furthermore, the main applications in the analysis of illicit/controlled drugs in both illicit preparations and biological samples are presented and discussed (43 references). It is concluded that the particular separation mechanism and the high complementarity of this technique to chromatography makes capillary electrophoresis a new powerful tool of investigation in the hands of forensic toxicologists.

Integrated on-line system for DNA sequencing by capillary electrophoresis: From template to called bases

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ton, H.; Yeung, E.S.

1997-02-15

An integrated on-line prototype for coupling a microreactor to capillary electrophoresis for DNA sequencing has been demonstrated. A dye-labeled terminator cycle-sequencing reaction is performed in a fused-silica capillary. Subsequently, the sequencing ladder is directly injected into a size-exclusion chromatographic column operated at nearly 95{degree}C for purification. On-line injection to a capillary for electrophoresis is accomplished at a junction set at nearly 70{degree}C. High temperature at the purification column and injection junction prevents the renaturation of DNA fragments during on-line transfer without affecting the separation. The high solubility of DNA in and the relatively low ionic strength of 1 x TEmore » buffer permit both effective purification and electrokinetic injection of the DNA sample. The system is compatible with highly efficient separations by a replaceable poly(ethylene oxide) polymer solution in uncoated capillary tubes. Future automation and adaptation to a multiple-capillary array system should allow high-speed, high-throughput DNA sequencing from templates to called bases in one step. 32 refs., 5 figs.« less

Extreme-UV electrical discharge source

DOEpatents

Fornaciari, Neal R.; Nygren, Richard E.; Ulrickson, Michael A.

2002-01-01

An extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray radiation electric capillary discharge source that includes a boron nitride housing defining a capillary bore that is positioned between two electrodes one of which is connected to a source of electric potential can generate a high EUV and soft x-ray radiation flux from the capillary bore outlet with minimal debris. The electrode that is positioned adjacent the capillary bore outlet is typically grounded. Pyrolytic boron nitride, highly oriented pyrolytic boron nitride, and cubic boron nitride are particularly suited. The boron nitride capillary bore can be configured as an insert that is encased in an exterior housing that is constructed of a thermally conductive material. Positioning the ground electrode sufficiently close to the capillary bore outlet also reduces bore erosion.

Capillary toroid cavity detector for high pressure NMR

DOEpatents

Gerald, II, Rex E.; Chen, Michael J.; Klingler, Robert J.; Rathke, Jerome W.; ter Horst, Marc

2007-09-11

A Toroid Cavity Detector (TCD) is provided for implementing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies of chemical reactions under conditions of high pressures and temperatures. A toroid cavity contains an elongated central conductor extending within the toroid cavity. The toroid cavity and central conductor generate an RF magnetic field for NMR analysis. A flow-through capillary sample container is located within the toroid cavity adjacent to the central conductor to subject a sample material flowing through the capillary to a static magnetic field and to enable NMR spectra to be recorded of the material in the capillary under a temperature and high pressure environment.

Ionization of Xenon to the Nickel-Like Stage and Beyond in Micro-Capillary Plasma Columns Heated by Ultrafast Current Pulses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avaria, G.; Grisham, M.; Li, J.; Tomasel, F. G.; Shlyapstsev, V. N.; Busquet, M.; Woolston, M.; Rocca, J. J.

Homogeneous plasma columns with ionization levels typical of MA discharges were created by rapidly heating gas-filled 520 µm diameter channels with ns rise-time current pulses of unusually low amplitude, 40 kA. These conditions allow the generation of high aspect ratio (eg. > 300:1) plasma columns with very high degrees of ionization (e.g. Ni-like Xenon) of interest for soft x-ray lasers below λ = 10 nm. Spectra and simulations of plasmas generated in 520 µm diameter alumina capillaries driven by 35-40 kA current pulses with 4 ns rise time were obtained for discharges in Xenon and Neon discharges. The first shows the presence of lines corresponding to ionization stages up to Fe-like Xe. The latter show that Al impurities from the walls are ionized to the H-like and He-like stages. He-like Al spectra containing the resonance line significantly broaden by opacity, the intercombination line, and Li-like satellites are analyzed. For Xenon discharges, the spectral lines from the Ni-like transitions the 3d94d (3/2, 3/2)J = 0 to the 3d94p(5/2, 3/2)J = 1 and to 3d94p(3/2, 1/2)J = 1 are observed.

Current characteristics of λ-DNA molecules/polystyrene nanoparticles in TBE buffer solution through micro/nanofluidic capillaries under DC electric field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Duan, Yifei; Zhao, Wei; Xue, Jing; Sun, Dan; Wang, Kaige; Wang, Guiren; Li, Junjie; Bai, Jintao; Gu, Changzhi

2017-03-01

In practical applications of biochips and bio-sensors, electrokinetic mechanisms are commonly employed to manipulate single bio-molecules and analyze their characteristics. To accurately and flexibly control the movement of single-molecule within micro/nanofluidic channels which are the basic components of Lab-chips, the current signals in micro/nanocapillaries filled with solutions of DNA molecules or polystyrene (PS) nanoparticles are systematically studied. Experimental results indicate that the current response along the micro/nanocapillaries can be significantly influenced by the diameter of the capillaries and the pH value of the solutions. Specifically, when there is only a pure (TBE) solution, the electric conductance does not monotonically decrease with decreasing the diameter of the capillaries, but slightly increases with decreasing the capillary diameter. When λ-DNA molecules or PS nanoparticles are added into the TBE buffer, the size effect on the electric conductance of the solutions are quite different. Although in the former, the electric conductance behaves differently from that in the pure TBE solution and decreases with the decreasing diameter, in the latter, the change is similar to that in the pure TBE solution. Besides, an abnormal ‘falling’ of the electric conductance is observed in a capillary with diameter of 200 nm. The investigation will significantly enhance the understanding on the electric properties of the solutions of biomolecules and particles in micro/nanofluidics. This is especially helpful for designing functional Lab-chip devices.

Fast determination of sugars in Coke and Diet Coke by miniaturized capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection.

PubMed

Chu, Qingcui; Fu, Liang; Guan, Yueqing; Ye, Jiannong

2005-02-01

The fast separation capability of a novel miniaturized capillary electrophoresis with amperometric detection (CE-AD) system was demonstrated by determining sugar contents in Coke and diet Coke with an estimated separation efficiency of 60,000 TP/m. Factors influencing the separation and detection processes were examined and optimized. The end-capillary 300 microm Cu wire amperometric detector offers favorable signal-to-noise characteristics at a relatively low potential (+0.50 V vs. Ag/AgCl) for detecting sugars. Three sugars (sucrose, glucose, and fructose) have been separated within 330 s in a 8.5 cm length capillary at a separation voltage of 1000 V using a 50 mM NaOH running buffer (pH 12.7). Highly linear response is obtained for the above compounds over the range of 5.0 to 2.0 x 10(2) microg/mL with low detection limit, down to 0.8 microg/mL for glucose (S/N = 3). The injection-to-injection repeatability for analytes in peak current (RSD < 3.6%) and for migration times (RSD < 1.4%) was excellent. The new miniaturized CE-AD system should find a wide range of analytical applications involving assays of carbohydrates as an alternative to conventional CE and micro-CE.

In situ Identification of Labile Precursor Compounds and their Short-lived Intermediates in Plants using in vivo Nanospray High-resolution Mass Spectrometry.

PubMed

Chang, Qing; Peng, Yue'e; Shi, Bin; Dan, Conghui; Yang, Yijun; Shuai, Qin

2016-05-01

Many secondary metabolites in plants are labile compounds which under environmental stress, are difficult to detect and track due to the lack of rapid in situ identification techniques, making plant metabolomics research difficult. Therefore, developing a reliable analytical method for rapid in situ identification of labile compounds and their short-lived intermediates in plants is of great importance. To develop under atmospheric pressure, a rapid in situ method for effective identification of labile compounds and their short-lived intermediates in fresh plants. An in vivo nanospray high-resolution mass spectrometry (HR-MS) method was used for rapid capture of labile compounds and their short-lived intermediates in plants. A quartz capillary was partially inserted into fresh plant tissues, and the liquid flowed out through the capillary tube owing to the capillary effect. A high direct current (d.c.) voltage was applied to the plant to generate a spray of charged droplets from the tip of the capillary carrying bioactive molecules toward the inlet of mass spectrometer for full-scan and MS/MS analysis. Many labile compounds and short-lived intermediates were identified via this method: including glucosinolates and their short-lived intermediates (existing for only 10 s) in Raphanus sativus roots, alliin and its conversion intermediate (existing for 20 s) in Allium sativum and labile precursor compound chlorogenic acid in Malus pumila Mill. The method is an effective approach for in situ identification of internal labile compounds and their short-lived intermediates in fresh plants and it can be used as an auxiliary tool to explore the degradation mechanisms of new labile plant compounds. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Demountable direct injection high efficiency nebulizer for inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry

DOEpatents

Montaser, Akbar; Westphal, Craig S.; Kahen, Kaveh; Rutkowski, William F.; Acon, Billy W.

2006-12-05

A nebulizer adapted for adjusting a position of a capillary tube contained within the nebulizer is provided. The nebulizer includes an elongated tubular shell having a gas input port and a gas output port, a capillary adjustment adapter for displacing the capillary tube in a lateral direction via a rotational force, and a connector for connecting the elongated tubular shell, the capillary adjustment adapter and the capillary tube.

[Examples for using capillary gas chromatography with wide bore columns in occupational health].

PubMed

Frank, H; Senf, L; Welsch, T

1990-12-01

Wide bore capillary columns (0.4-0.75 mm ID) can be easily and inexpensively installed in packed column GCs. The analytical advantages cause an expanding market for such capillaries and interconverting hardware kits. It is illustrated with some examples that often individual exposition levels can be determined exactly only by using capillary columns: ethylbenzene may be separated from the C8-isomers also in complex mixtures, the marker PBN for rubber smoke expositions can be determined with 30 min sampling time, the detection sensitivity of the FID is sufficient also for chlorinated pesticides and the analyses of high-boiling compounds profit by the high phase ratio of wide bore capillary columns. A single capillary column substitutes a variety of different packed columns, so saving time and money and protecting the analyst from failures and frustrating compromises.

Effect of using polyimide capillaries during thermal experiments on the particle size distribution of supported Pt nanoparticles

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gámez-Mendoza, Liliana; Resto, Oscar; Martínez-Iñesta, María

2015-09-20

Kapton HN-type polyimide capillaries are commonly used as sample holders for transmission X-ray experiments at temperatures below 673 K because of their thermal stability, high X-ray transmittance and low cost. Using high-angle annular dark field scanning high-resolution transmission electron microscopy and thermogravimetric analysis, this work shows that using polyimide capillaries leads to the overgrowth of supported Pt nanoparticles during reduction at temperatures below the glass transition temperature (T g= 658 K) owing to an outgassing of water from the polyimide. Quartz capillaries were also studied and this overgrowth was not observed.

Capillary test specimen, system, and methods for in-situ visualization of capillary flow and fillet formation

DOEpatents

Hall, Aaron C.; Hosking, F. Michael ,; Reece, Mark

2003-06-24

A capillary test specimen, method, and system for visualizing and quantifying capillary flow of liquids under realistic conditions, including polymer underfilling, injection molding, soldering, brazing, and casting. The capillary test specimen simulates complex joint geometries and has an open cross-section to permit easy visual access from the side. A high-speed, high-magnification camera system records the location and shape of the moving liquid front in real-time, in-situ as it flows out of a source cavity, through an open capillary channel between two surfaces having a controlled capillary gap, and into an open fillet cavity, where it subsequently forms a fillet on free surfaces that have been configured to simulate realistic joint geometries. Electric resistance heating rapidly heats the test specimen, without using a furnace. Image-processing software analyzes the recorded images and calculates the velocity of the moving liquid front, fillet contact angles, and shape of the fillet's meniscus, among other parameters.

Capillary Pump Loop (CPL) heat pipe development status report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1982-01-01

The capillary pump loop (CPL) was re-introduced as a potential candidate for the management of large heat loads. It is currently being evaluated for application in the thermal management of large space structures. Test efforts were conducted to establish the feasibility of the CPL heat pipe design.

Design of Capillary Flows with Spatially Graded Porous Films

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Joung, Young Soo; Figliuzzi, Bruno Michel; Buie, Cullen

2013-11-01

We have developed a new capillary tube model, consisting of multi-layered capillary tubes oriented in the direction of flow, to predict capillary speeds on spatially graded porous films. Capillary flows through thin porous media have been widely utilized for small size liquid transport systems. However, for most media it is challenging to realize arbitrary shapes and spatially functionalized micro-structures with variable flow properties. Therefore, conventional media can only be used for capillary flows obeying Washburn's equation and the modifications thereof. Given this background, we recently developed a method called breakdown anodization (BDA) to produce highly wetting porous films. The resulting surfaces show nearly zero contact angles and fast water spreading speed. Furthermore, capillary pressure and spreading diffusivity can be expressed as functions of capillary height when customized electric fields are used in BDA. From the capillary tube model, we derived a general capillary flow equation of motion in terms of capillary pressure and spreading diffusivity. The theoretical model shows good agreement with experimental capillary flows. The study will provide novel design methodologies for paper-based microfluidic devices.

Solvent-resistant sol-gel polydimethyldiphenylsiloxane coating for on-line hyphenation of capillary microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Segro, Scott S; Malik, Abdul

2008-09-26

A sol-gel polydimethyldiphenylsiloxane (PDMDPS) coating was developed for capillary microextraction on-line hyphenated with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). This coating was created using methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMS) as the sol-gel precursor and di-hydroxy-terminated PDMDPS as the sol-gel active polymer. The methyl and phenyl groups on the sol-gel active polymer and the methyl groups on the sol-gel precursor ultimately turned into pendant groups providing the ability to extract non-polar analytes. A 40-cm segment of 0.25 mm I.D. fused silica capillary containing the sol-gel PDMDPS coating was installed as an external sampling loop in an HPLC injection port. Aqueous samples containing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), aromatic compounds, ketones, and aldehydes were passed through this capillary wherein the analytes were extracted by the sol-gel coating. The extracted analytes were then transferred to the HPLC column using isocratic or gradient elution with an acetonitrile/water mobile phase. This capillary demonstrated excellent extraction capability for non-polar (e.g., polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and aromatic compounds) as well as moderately polar compounds, such as aromatic amines, ketones, and aldehydes. The test results indicate that PDMDPS can be successfully immobilized into a sol-gel network and that the resulting solvent-resistant sol-gel organic-inorganic hybrid coating can be effectively used for on-line hyphenation of capillary microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography. The test results also indicate that the sol-gel PDMDPS coated capillary is resistant to high-temperature solvents, making it suitable for applications in high-temperature HPLC. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report on the creation of a silica-based sol-gel PDMDPS coating used in capillary microextraction on-line hyphenated to HPLC.

Characterizing the interaction between enantiomers of eight psychoactive drugs and highly sulfated-β-cyclodextrin by counter-current capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Asensi-Bernardi, Lucía; Escuder-Gilabert, Laura; Martín-Biosca, Yolanda; Sagrado, Salvador; Medina-Hernández, María José

2014-01-01

The estimation of apparent binding constants and limit mobilities of the complexes of the enantiomers that characterize the interaction of enantiomers with chiral selectors, in this case highly sulfated β-cyclodextrin, was approached using a simple and economic electrophoretic modality, the complete filling technique (CFT) in counter-current mode. The enantiomers of eight psychoactive drugs, four antihistamines (dimethindene, promethazine, orphenadrine and terfenadine) and four antidepressants (bupropion, fluoxetine, nomifensine and viloxazine) were separated for the first time for this cyclodextrin (CD). Estimations of thermodynamic and electrophoretic enantioselectivies were also performed. Results indicate that, in general, thermodynamic enantioselectivity is the main component explaining the high resolution found, but also one case suggests that electrophoretic enantioselectivity itself is enough to obtain a satisfactory resolution. CFT results advantageous compared with conventional capillary electrophoresis (CE) and partial filling technique (PFT) for the study of the interaction between drugs and chiral selectors. It combines the use of a simple fitting model (as in CE), when the enantiomers do not exit the chiral selector plug during the separation (i.e. mobility of electroosmotic flow larger than mobility of CD), and drastic reduction of the consumption (and cost; ~99.7%) of the CD reagent (as in PFT) compared with the conventional CE. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Classification and management of hereditary retinal angiomas.

PubMed

Augsburger, J J; Shields, J A; Goldberg, R E

1981-08-01

Two distinct types of retinal angiomas are currently recognized. Capillary hemangiomas occur most characteristically as part of the von Hippel-Lindau syndrome. The retinal capillary hemangiomas typically appear as globular red-orange tumors with dilated and tortuous afferent arterioles and efferent venules. Cavernous hemangiomas typically appear as grape-like clusters of dilated vascular sacs without pronounced alteration in the adjacent arterioles and venules. The spectrum of clinical features of these two types of hemangiomatosis and current approaches to management of patients with these disorders is reviewed.

Atmospheric pressure chemical ionization of explosives using alternating current corona discharge ion source.

PubMed

Usmanov, D T; Chen, L C; Yu, Z; Yamabe, S; Sakaki, S; Hiraoka, K

2015-04-01

The high-sensitive detection of explosives is of great importance for social security and safety. In this work, the ion source for atmospheric pressure chemical ionization/mass spectrometry using alternating current corona discharge was newly designed for the analysis of explosives. An electromolded fine capillary with 115 µm inner diameter and 12 mm long was used for the inlet of the mass spectrometer. The flow rate of air through this capillary was 41 ml/min. Stable corona discharge could be maintained with the position of the discharge needle tip as close as 1 mm to the inlet capillary without causing the arc discharge. Explosives dissolved in 0.5 µl methanol were injected to the ion source. The limits of detection for five explosives with 50 pg or lower were achieved. In the ion/molecule reactions of trinitrotoluene (TNT), the discharge products of NOx (-) (x = 2,3), O3 and HNO3 originating from plasma-excited air were suggested to contribute to the formation of [TNT - H](-) (m/z 226), [TNT - NO](-) (m/z 197) and [TNT - NO + HNO3 ](-) (m/z 260), respectively. Formation processes of these ions were traced by density functional theory calculations. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Subirrigation for production of native plants in nurseries - concepts, current knowledge, and implementation

Treesearch

Justin L. Schmal; Kas Dumroese; Anthony S. Davis; Jeremy Pinto; Douglass F. Jacobs

2011-01-01

Subirrigation, a method whereby water is allowed to move upward into the growing medium by capillary action, has been the focus of recent research in forest and conservation nurseries growing a wide variety of native plants. Subirrigation reduces the amount of water needed for producing high-quality plants, discharged wastewater, and leaching of nutrients compared with...

Particle sizer and DNA sequencer

DOEpatents

Olivares, Jose A.; Stark, Peter C.

2005-09-13

An electrophoretic device separates and detects particles such as DNA fragments, proteins, and the like. The device has a capillary which is coated with a coating with a low refractive index such as Teflon.RTM. AF. A sample of particles is fluorescently labeled and injected into the capillary. The capillary is filled with an electrolyte buffer solution. An electrical field is applied across the capillary causing the particles to migrate from a first end of the capillary to a second end of the capillary. A detector light beam is then scanned along the length of the capillary to detect the location of the separated particles. The device is amenable to a high throughput system by providing additional capillaries. The device can also be used to determine the actual size of the particles and for DNA sequencing.

Capillary-Force-Assisted Clean-Stamp Transfer of Two-Dimensional Materials.

PubMed

Ma, Xuezhi; Liu, Qiushi; Xu, Da; Zhu, Yangzhi; Kim, Sanggon; Cui, Yongtao; Zhong, Lanlan; Liu, Ming

2017-11-08

A simple and clean method of transferring two-dimensional (2D) materials plays a critical role in the fabrication of 2D electronics, particularly the heterostructure devices based on the artificial vertical stacking of various 2D crystals. Currently, clean transfer techniques rely on sacrificial layers or bulky crystal flakes (e.g., hexagonal boron nitride) to pick up the 2D materials. Here, we develop a capillary-force-assisted clean-stamp technique that uses a thin layer of evaporative liquid (e.g., water) as an instant glue to increase the adhesion energy between 2D crystals and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) for the pick-up step. After the liquid evaporates, the adhesion energy decreases, and the 2D crystal can be released. The thin liquid layer is condensed to the PDMS surface from its vapor phase, which ensures the low contamination level on the 2D materials and largely remains their chemical and electrical properties. Using this method, we prepared graphene-based transistors with low charge-neutral concentration (3 × 10 10 cm -2 ) and high carrier mobility (up to 48 820 cm 2 V -1 s -1 at room temperature) and heterostructure optoelectronics with high operation speed. Finally, a capillary-force model is developed to explain the experiment.

Laser illumination of multiple capillaries that form a waveguide

DOEpatents

Dhadwal, Harbans S.; Quesada, Mark A.; Studier, F. William

1998-08-04

A system and method are disclosed for efficient laser illumination of the interiors of multiple capillaries simultaneously, and collection of light emitted from them. Capillaries in a parallel array can form an optical waveguide wherein refraction at the cylindrical surfaces confines side-on illuminating light to the core of each successive capillary in the array. Methods are provided for determining conditions where capillaries will form a waveguide and for assessing and minimizing losses due to reflection. Light can be delivered to the arrayed capillaries through an integrated fiber optic transmitter or through a pair of such transmitters aligned coaxially at opposite sides of the array. Light emitted from materials within the capillaries can be carried to a detection system through optical fibers, each of which collects light from a single capillary, with little cross talk between the capillaries. The collection ends of the optical fibers can be in a parallel array with the same spacing as the capillary array, so that the collection fibers can all be aligned to the capillaries simultaneously. Applicability includes improving the efficiency of many analytical methods that use capillaries, including particularly high-throughput DNA sequencing and diagnostic methods based on capillary electrophoresis.

Laser illumination of multiple capillaries that form a waveguide

DOEpatents

Dhadwal, H.S.; Quesada, M.A.; Studier, F.W.

1998-08-04

A system and method are disclosed for efficient laser illumination of the interiors of multiple capillaries simultaneously, and collection of light emitted from them. Capillaries in a parallel array can form an optical waveguide wherein refraction at the cylindrical surfaces confines side-on illuminating light to the core of each successive capillary in the array. Methods are provided for determining conditions where capillaries will form a waveguide and for assessing and minimizing losses due to reflection. Light can be delivered to the arrayed capillaries through an integrated fiber optic transmitter or through a pair of such transmitters aligned coaxially at opposite sides of the array. Light emitted from materials within the capillaries can be carried to a detection system through optical fibers, each of which collects light from a single capillary, with little cross talk between the capillaries. The collection ends of the optical fibers can be in a parallel array with the same spacing as the capillary array, so that the collection fibers can all be aligned to the capillaries simultaneously. Applicability includes improving the efficiency of many analytical methods that use capillaries, including particularly high-throughput DNA sequencing and diagnostic methods based on capillary electrophoresis. 35 figs.

Carbon nanotube/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) composite electrode for capillary electrophoretic determination of esculin and esculetin in Cortex Fraxini.

PubMed

Chen, Zhi; Zhang, Luyan; Chen, Gang

2009-10-01

In this report, a novel carbon nanotube/poly(ethylene-co-vinyl acetate) (CNT/EVA) composite electrode was developed for the amperometric detection in CE. The composite electrode was fabricated by packing a mixture of CNTs and melted EVA in a piece of fused-silica capillary under heat. It was coupled with CE for the separation and detection of esculin and esculetin in Cortex Fraxini, a traditional Chinese medicine, to demonstrate its feasibility and performance. Esculin and esculetin have been well separated within 9 min in a 40 cm long capillary at a separation voltage of 12 kV using a 50 mM borate buffer (pH 9.2). The new CNT-based CE detector offered significantly lower detection potentials, yielded enhanced S/N characteristics, and exhibited high resistance to surface fouling and enhanced stability. It showed long-term stability and reproducibility with relative standard deviations of less than 5% for the peak current (n=15) and should also find a wide range of applications in other microfluidic analysis systems.

Thermocapillary phenomena and performance limitations of a wickless heat pipe in microgravity.

PubMed

Kundan, Akshay; Plawsky, Joel L; Wayner, Peter C; Chao, David F; Sicker, Ronald J; Motil, Brian J; Lorik, Tibor; Chestney, Louis; Eustace, John; Zoldak, John

2015-04-10

A counterintuitive, thermocapillary-induced limit to heat- pipe performance was observed that is not predicted by current thermal-fluid models. Heat pipes operate under a number of physical constraints including the capillary, boiling, sonic, and entrainment limits that fundamentally affect their performance. Temperature gradients near the heated end may be high enough to generate significant Marangoni forces that oppose the return flow of liquid from the cold end. These forces are believed to exacerbate dry out conditions and force the capillary limit to be reached prematurely. Using a combination of image and thermal data from experiments conducted on the International Space Station with a transparent heat pipe, we show that in the presence of significant Marangoni forces, dry out is not the initial mechanism limiting performance, but that the physical cause is exactly the opposite behavior: flooding of the hot end with liquid. The observed effect is a consequence of the competition between capillary and Marangoni-induced forces. The temperature signature of flooding is virtually identical to dry out, making diagnosis difficult without direct visual observation of the vapor-liquid interface.

Surface capillary currents: Rediscovery of fluid-structure interaction by forced evolving boundary theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Chunbai; Mitra, Ambar K.

2016-01-01

Any boundary surface evolving in viscous fluid is driven with surface capillary currents. By step function defined for the fluid-structure interface, surface currents are found near a flat wall in a logarithmic form. The general flat-plate boundary layer is demonstrated through the interface kinematics. The dynamics analysis elucidates the relationship of the surface currents with the adhering region as well as the no-slip boundary condition. The wall skin friction coefficient, displacement thickness, and the logarithmic velocity-defect law of the smooth flat-plate boundary-layer flow are derived with the advent of the forced evolving boundary method. This fundamental theory has wide applications in applied science and engineering.

Fluorescence- and capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based SSR DNA fingerprinting and a molecular identity database for the Louisiana sugarcane industry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A database of Louisiana sugarcane molecular identity has been constructed and is being updated annually using FAM or HEX or NED fluorescence- and capillary electrophoresis (CE)-based microsatellite (SSR) fingerprinting information. The fingerprints are PCR-amplified from leaf DNA samples of current ...

Evaporation on/in Capillary Structures of High Heat Flux Two-Phase Devices

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Faghri, Amir; Khrustalev, Dmitry

1996-01-01

Two-phase devices (heat pipes, capillary pumped loops, loop heat pipes, and evaporators) have become recognized as key elements in thermal control systems of space platforms. Capillary and porous structures are necessary and widely used in these devices, especially in high heat flux and zero-g applications, to provide fluid transport and enhanced heat transfer during vaporization and condensation. However, some unexpected critical phenomena, such as dryout in long heat pipe evaporators and high thermal resistance of loop heat pipe evaporators with high heat fluxes, are possible and have been encountered in the use of two-phase devices in the low gravity environment. Therefore, a detailed fundamental investigation is proposed to better understand the fluid behavior in capillary-porous structures during vaporization at high heat fluxes. The present paper addresses some theoretical aspects of this investigation.

Comparison between ray-tracing and physical optics for the computation of light absorption in capillaries--the influence of diffraction and interference.

PubMed

Qin, Yuan; Michalowski, Andreas; Weber, Rudolf; Yang, Sen; Graf, Thomas; Ni, Xiaowu

2012-11-19

Ray-tracing is the commonly used technique to calculate the absorption of light in laser deep-penetration welding or drilling. Since new lasers with high brilliance enable small capillaries with high aspect ratios, diffraction might become important. To examine the applicability of the ray-tracing method, we studied the total absorptance and the absorbed intensity of polarized beams in several capillary geometries. The ray-tracing results are compared with more sophisticated simulations based on physical optics. The comparison shows that the simple ray-tracing is applicable to calculate the total absorptance in triangular grooves and in conical capillaries but not in rectangular grooves. To calculate the distribution of the absorbed intensity ray-tracing fails due to the neglected interference, diffraction, and the effects of beam propagation in the capillaries with sub-wavelength diameter. If diffraction is avoided e.g. with beams smaller than the entrance pupil of the capillary or with very shallow capillaries, the distribution of the absorbed intensity calculated by ray-tracing corresponds to the local average of the interference pattern found by physical optics.

Multilayered nano-architecture of variable sized graphene nanosheets for enhanced supercapacitor electrode performance.

PubMed

Biswas, Sanjib; Drzal, Lawrence T

2010-08-01

The diverse physical and chemical aspects of graphene nanosheets such as particle size surface area and edge chemistry were combined to fabricate a new supercapacitor electrode architecture consisting of a highly aligned network of large-sized nanosheets as a series of current collectors within a multilayer configuration of bulk electrode. Capillary driven self-assembly of monolayers of graphene nanosheets was employed to create a flexible, multilayer, free-standing film of highly hydrophobic nanosheets over large macroscopic areas. This nanoarchitecture exhibits a high-frequency capacitative response and a nearly rectangular cyclic voltammogram at 1000 mV/s scanning rate and possesses a rapid current response, small equivalent series resistance (ESR), and fast ionic diffusion for high-power electrical double-layer capacitor (EDLC) application.

Compliance with dietary guidelines affects capillary recruitment in healthy middle-aged men and women.

PubMed

Govoni, Virginia; Sanders, Thomas A B; Reidlinger, Dianne P; Darzi, Julia; Berry, Sarah E E; Goff, Louise M; Seed, Paul T; Chowienczyk, Philip J; Hall, Wendy L

2017-04-01

Healthy microcirculation is important to maintain the health of tissues and organs, most notably the heart, kidney and retina. Single components of the diet such as salt, lipids and polyphenols may influence microcirculation, but the effects of dietary patterns that are consistent with current dietary guidelines are uncertain. It was hypothesized that compliance to UK dietary guidelines would have a favourable effect on skin capillary density/recruitment compared with a traditional British diet (control diet). A 12-week randomized controlled trial in men and women aged 40-70 years was used to test whether skin microcirculation, measured by skin video-capillaroscopy on the dorsum of the finger, influenced functional capillary density (number of capillaries perfused under basal conditions), structural capillary density (number of anatomical capillaries perfused during finger cuff inflation) and capillary recruitment (percentage difference between structural and functional capillary density). Microvascular measures were available for 137 subjects out of the 165 participants randomized to treatment. There was evidence of compliance to the dietary intervention, and participants randomized to follow dietary guidelines showed significant falls in resting supine systolic, diastolic and mean arterial pressure of 3.5, 2.6 and 2.9 mmHg compared to the control diet. There was no evidence of differences in capillary density, but capillary recruitment was 3.5 % (95 % CI 0.2, 6.9) greater (P = 0.04) on dietary guidelines compared with control. Adherence to dietary guidelines may help maintain a healthy microcirculation in middle-aged men and women. This study is registered at www.isrctn.com as ISRCTN92382106.

Stress failure of pulmonary capillaries: role in lung and heart disease

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

West, J. B.; Mathieu-Costello, O.

1992-01-01

Pulmonary capillaries have extremely thin walls to allow rapid exchange of respiratory gases across them. Recently it has been shown that the wall stresses become very large when the capillary pressure is raised, and in anaesthetised rabbits, ultrastructural damage to the walls is seen at pressures of 40 mm Hg and above. The changes include breaks in the capillary endothelial layer, alveolar epithelial layer, and sometimes all layers of the wall. The strength of the thin part of the capillary wall can be attributed to the type IV collagen in the extracellular matrix. Stress failure of pulmonary capillaries results in a high-permeability form of oedema, or even frank haemorrhage, and is apparently the mechanism of neurogenic pulmonary oedema and high-altitude pulmonary oedema. It also explains the exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage that occurs in all racehorses. Several features of mitral stenosis are consistent with stress failure. Overinflation of the lung also leads to stress failure, a common cause of increased capillary permeability in the intensive care environment. Stress failure also occurs if the type IV collagen of the capillary wall is weakened by autoantibodies as in Goodpasture's syndrome. Neutrophil elastase degrades type IV collagen and this may be the starting point of the breakdown of alveolar walls that is characteristic of emphysema. Stress failure of pulmonary capillaries is a hitherto overlooked and potentially important factor in lung and heart disease.

Growth of metal-organic framework HKUST-1 in capillary using liquid-phase epitaxy for open-tubular capillary electrochromatography and capillary liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Bao, Tao; Zhang, Juan; Zhang, Wenpeng; Chen, Zilin

2015-02-13

Much attention is being paid to applying metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as stationary phases in chromatography because of their fascinating properties, such as large surface-to-volume ratios, high levels of porosity, and selective adsorption. HKUST-1 is one of the best-studied face-centered-cubic MOF containing nano-sized channels and side pockets for film growth. However, growth of HKUST-1 framework inside capillary column as stationary phase for capillary electrochromatography is a challenge work. In this work, we carry out the growth of HKUST-1 on the inner wall of capillary by using liquid-phase epitaxy process at room temperature. The fabricated HKUST-1@capillary can be successfully used for the separation of substituted benzene including methylbenzene, ethylbenzene, styrene, chlorobenzene, bromobenzene, o-dichlorobenzene, benzene series, phenolic acids, and benzoic acids derivates. High column efficiency of 1.5×10(5) N/m for methylbenzene was achieved. The formation of HKUST-1 grown in the capillary was confirmed and characterized by scanning electron microscopy images, Fourier transform infrared spectra and X-ray diffraction. The column showed long lifetime and excellent stability. The relative standard deviations for intra-day and inter-day repeatability of the HKUST-1@capillary were lower than 7%. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Development and application of gravity-capillary wave fourier analysis for the study of air-sea interaction physics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

MacKenzie Laxague, Nathan Jean

Short ocean waves play a crucial role in the physical coupling between the ocean and the atmosphere. This is particularly true for gravity-capillary waves, waves of a scale (O(0.01-0.1) m) such that they are similarly restored to equilibrium by gravitational and interfacial tension (capillary) effects. These waves are inextricably linked to the turbulent boundary layer processes which characterize near-interfacial flows, acting as mediators of the momentum, gas, and heat fluxes which bear greatly on surface material transport, tropical storms, and climatic processes. The observation of these waves and the fluid mechanical phenomena which govern their behavior has long posed challenges to the would-be observer. This is due in no small part to the delicacy of centimeter-scale waves and the sensitivity of their properties to disruption via tactile measurement. With the ever-growing interest in satellite remote sensing, direct observations of short wave characteristics are needed along coastal margins. These zones are characterized by a diversity of physical processes which can affect the short-scale sea surface topography that is directly sensed via radar backscatter. In a related vein, these observations are needed to more fully understand the specific hydrodynamic relationship between young, wind-generated gravity-capillary waves and longer gravity waves. Furthermore, understanding of the full oceanic current profile is hampered by a lack of observations in the near-surface domain (z = O(0.01-0.1) m), where flows can differ greatly from those at depth. Here I present the development of analytical techniques for describing gravity-capillary ocean surface waves in order to better understand their role in the mechanical coupling between the atmosphere and ocean. This is divided amongst a number of research topics, each connecting short ocean surface waves to a physical forcing process via the transfer of momentum. One involves the examination of the sensitivity of short ocean surface waves to atmospheric forcing. Another is the exploration of long wave-short wave interactions and their effects on air-sea interaction vis-a-vis hydrodynamic modulation. The third and final topic is the characterization of the gravity-capillary regime of the wavenumber-frequency spectrum for the purpose of retrieving near-surface, wind-driven current. All of these fit as part of the desire to more fully describe the mechanism by which momentum is transferred across the air-sea interface and to discuss the consequences of this flux in the very near-surface layer of the ocean. Gravity-capillary waves are found to have an outsize share of ocean surface roughness, with short wave spectral peaks showing a connection to turbulent atmospheric stress. Short wave modulation is found to occur strongest at high wavenumbers at the lowest wind speeds, with peak modulation occurring immediately downwind of the long wave crest. Furthermore, short scale roughness enhancement is found to occur upwind of the long wave crest for increasing wind forcing magnitude. Observations of the near-surface current profile show that flows retrieved via this method agree well with the results of camera-tracked dye. Application of this method to data collected in the mouth of the Columbia River (MCR) indicates the presence of a near-surface current component that departs considerably from the tidal flow and orients into the wind stress direction. These observations demonstrate that wind speed-based parameterizations may not be sufficient to estimate wind drift and hold implications for the way in which surface material (e.g., debris or spilled oil) transport is estimated when atmospheric stress is of relatively high magnitude or is steered off the mean wind direction.

Development and demonstration of a water-window soft x-ray microscope using a Z-pinching capillary discharge source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nawaz, M. F.; Jancarek, Alexandr; Nevrkla, Michal; Duda, Martin Jakub; Pina, Ladislav

2017-05-01

The development and demonstration of a soft X-ray (SXR) microscope, based on a Z-pinching capillary discharge source has been realized. The Z-pinching plasma acts as a source of SXR radiation. A ceramic capacitor bank is pulsed charged up to 80 kV, and discharged through a pre- ionized nitrogen filled ceramic capillary. The discharge current has an amplitude of 25 kA. Working within the water-window spectral region (λ = 2.88 nm), corresponding to the 1s2-1s2p quantum transition of helium-like nitrogen (N5+), the microscope has a potential in exploiting the natural contrast existing between the K-absorption edges of carbon and oxygen as the main constituents of biological materials, and hence imaging them with high spatial resolution. The SXR microscope uses the grazing incidence ellipsoidal condenser mirror for the illumination, and the Fresnel zone plate optics for the imaging of samples onto a BI-CCD camera. The half- pitch spatial resolution of 100 nm [1] was achieved, as demonstrated by the knife-edge test. In order to enhance the photon-flux at the sample plane, a new scheme for focusing the radiation, from multiple capillary sources has been investigated. Details about the source, and the construction of the microscope are presented and discussed.

Intrinsic advantages of packed capillaries over narrow-bore columns in very high-pressure gradient liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Gritti, Fabrice; McDonald, Thomas; Gilar, Martin

2016-06-17

250μm×100mm fused silica glass capillaries were packed with 1.8μm high-strength silica (HSS) fully porous particles. They were prepared without bulky stainless steel endfittings and metal frits, which both generate significant sample dispersion. The isocratic efficiencies and gradient peak capacities of these prototype capillary columns were measured for small molecules (n-alkanophenones) using a home-made ultra-low dispersive micro-HPLC instrument. Their resolution power was compared to that of standard 2.1mm×100mm very high-pressure liquid chromatography (vHPLC) narrow-bore columns packed with the same particles. The results show that, for the same column efficiency (25000 plates) and gradient steepness (0.04min(-1)), the peak capacity of the 250μm i.d. capillary columns is systematically 15-20% higher than that of the 2.1mm i.d. narrow-bore columns. A validated model of gradient chromatography enabled one to predict accurately the observed peak capacities of the capillary columns for non-linear solvation strength retention behavior and under isothermal conditions. Thermodynamics applied to the eluent quantified the temperature difference for the thermal gradients in both capillary and narrow-bore columns. Experimental data revealed that the gradient peak capacity is more affected by viscous heating than the column efficiency. Unlike across 2.1mm i.d. columns, the changes in eluent composition across the 250μm i.d. columns during the gradient is rapidly relaxed by transverse dispersion. The combination of (1) the absence of viscous heating and (2) the high uniformity of the eluent composition across the diameter of capillary columns explains the intrinsic advantage of capillary over narrow-bore columns in gradient vHPLC. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

APPLICATION OF CAPILLARY SUPERCRITICAL FLUID CHROMATOGRAPHY TO THE ANALYSIS OF A MIDDLE DISTILLATE FUEL

EPA Science Inventory

The paper describes the application of capillary supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) to the analysis of a middle distillate fuel. Small diameter (50 micrometer i.d.) fused silica capillary columns coated with crosslinked 50% phenyl polymethylsiloxane provided high separation...

Capillary Flows Along Open Channel Conduits: The Open-Star Section

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Weislogel, Mark; Geile, John; Chen, Yongkang; Nguyen, Thanh Tung; Callahan, Michael

2014-01-01

Capillary rise in tubes, channels, and grooves has received significant attention in the literature for over 100 years. In yet another incremental extension of such work, a transient capillary rise problem is solved for spontaneous flow along an interconnected array of open channels forming what is referred to as an 'open-star' section. This geometry possesses several attractive characteristics including passive phase separations and high diffusive gas transport. Despite the complex geometry, novel and convenient approximations for capillary pressure and viscous resistance enable closed form predictions of the flow. As part of the solution, a combined scaling approach is applied that identifies unsteady-inertial-capillary, convective-inertial-capillary, and visco-capillary transient regimes in a single parameter. Drop tower experiments are performed employing 3-D printed conduits to corroborate all findings.

On the Asymmetric Focusing of Low-Emittance Electron Bunches via Active Lensing by Using Capillary Discharges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bulanov, Stepan; Bagdasarov, Gennadiy; Bobrova, Nadezhda; Boldarev, Alexey; Olkhovskaya, Olga; Sasorov, Pavel; Gasilov, Vladimir; Barber, Samuel; Gonsalves, Anthony; Schroeder, Carl; van Tilborg, Jeroen; Esarey, Eric; Leemans, Wim; Levato, Tadzio; Margarone, Daniele; Korn, Georg; Kando, Masaki; Bulanov, Sergei

2017-10-01

A novel method for asymmetric focusing of electron beams is proposed. The scheme is based on the active lensing technique, which takes advantage of the strong inhomogeneous magnetic field generated inside the capillary discharge plasma to focus the ultrarelativistic electrons. The plasma and magnetic field parameters inside a capillary discharge are described theoretically and modeled with dissipative MHD simulations to enable analysis of capillaries of oblong rectangle cross-sections implying that large aspect ratio rectangular capillaries can be used to form flat electron bunches. The effect of the capillary cross-section on the electron beam focusing properties were studied using the analytical methods and simulation- derived magnetic field map showing the range of the capillary discharge parameters required for producing the high quality flat electron beams.

Construction and evaluation of a capillary array DNA sequencer based on a micromachined sheath-flow cuvette.

PubMed

Crabtree, H J; Bay, S J; Lewis, D F; Zhang, J; Coulson, L D; Fitzpatrick, G A; Delinger, S L; Harrison, D J; Dovichi, N J

2000-04-01

A capillary array electrophoresis DNA sequencer is reported based on a micromachined sheath-flow cuvette as the detection chamber. This cuvette is equipped with a set of micromachined features that hold the capillaries in precise registration to ensure uniform spacing between the capillaries, in order to generate uniform hydrodynamic flow in the cuvette. A laser beam excites all of the samples simultaneously, and a microscope objective images fluorescence onto a set of avalanche photodiodes, which operate in the analog mode. A high-gain transimpedance amplifier is used for each photodiode, providing high duty-cycle detection of fluorescence.

Fast DNA sieving through submicrometer cylindrical glass capillary matrix.

PubMed

Cao, Zhen; Yobas, Levent

2014-01-07

Here, we report on DNA electrophoresis through a novel artificial sieving matrix based on the highly regular submicrometer cylindrical glass capillary segments alternatingly arranged with wells. Such round capillaries pose a higher-order confinement resulting in a lower partition coefficient and greater entropic energy barrier while limiting the driving field strength to a small fraction of the applied electric field. In return, the separation can be performed at high average field strengths (up to 1.6 kV/cm) without encountering the field-dependent loss of resolving power. This leads to fast DNA sieving as demonstrated here on the capillaries of 750 nm in diameter. The 600 bp to 21 kbp long chains are shown to resolve within 4 min after having undergone a fairly limited number of entropic barriers (128 in total). The capillary matrix also exhibits a critical field threshold below which DNA bands fail to launch, and this occurs at a considerably greater magnitude than in other matrixes. The submicrometer capillaries are batch-fabricated on silicon through a fabrication process that does not require high-resolution advanced lithography or well-controlled wafer bonding techniques to define their critical dimension.

Analysis of HbA1c on an automated multicapillary zone electrophoresis system.

PubMed

Rollborn, Niclas; Åkerfeldt, Torbjörn; Nordin, Gunnar; Xu, Xiao Yan; Mandic-Havelka, Aleksandra; Hansson, Lars-Olof; Larsson, Anders

2017-02-01

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a frequently requested laboratory test and there is thus a need for high throughput instruments for this assay. We evaluated a new automated multicapillary zone electrophoresis instrument (Capillarys 3 Tera, Sebia, Lisses, France) for analysis of HbA1c in venous samples. Routine requested HbA1c samples were analyzed immunologically on a Roche c6000 instrument (n = 142) and then with the Capillarys 3 Tera instrument. The Capillarys 3 Tera instrument performed approximately 70 HbA1c tests/hour. There was a strong linear correlation between Capillarys 3 Tera and Roche Tina-Quant HbA1c Gen 3 assay (y = 1.003x - 0.3246 R 2  = .996). The total CV for the 12 capillaries varied between 0.8 and 2.2% and there was a good agreement between duplicate samples (R 2  = .997). In conclusion, the Capillarys 3 Tera instrument has a high assay capacity for HbA1c. It has a good precision and agreement with the Roche Tina-Quant HbA1c method and is well suited for high volume testing of HbA1c.

Micromachined evaporators for AMTEC cells

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Izenson, M.G.; Crowley, C.J.

1996-12-31

To achieve high cell efficiency and reliability, the capillary pumping system for Alkali Metal Thermal to Electric Conversion (AMTEC) must have three key characteristics: (1) very small pores to achieve a high capillary pumping head, (2) high permeability for the flow of liquid sodium to minimize internal losses, and (3) be made from a material that is exceptionally stable at high temperatures in a sodium environment. The authors have developed micromachining techniques to manufacture high performance evaporators for AMTEC cells. The evaporators have been fabricated from stainless steel, molybdenum, and a niobium alloy (Nb-1Zr). The regular, micromachined structure leads tomore » very high capillary pumping head with high permeability for liquid flow. Data from tests performed with common fluids at room temperature characterize the capillary pumping head and permeability of these structures. Three micromachined evaporators have been built into AMTEC cells and operated at temperatures up to 1,100 K. Results from these tests confirm the excellent pumping capabilities of the micromachined evaporators.« less

Ion current detector for high pressure ion sources for monitoring separations

DOEpatents

Smith, R.D.; Wahl, J.H.; Hofstadler, S.A.

1996-08-13

The present invention relates generally to any application involving the monitoring of signal arising from ions produced by electrospray or other high pressure (>100 torr) ion sources. The present invention relates specifically to an apparatus and method for the detection of ions emitted from a capillary electrophoresis (CE) system, liquid chromatography, or other small-scale separation methods. And further, the invention provides a very simple diagnostic as to the quality of the separation and the operation of an electrospray source. 7 figs.

Ion current detector for high pressure ion sources for monitoring separations

DOEpatents

Smith, Richard D.; Wahl, Jon H.; Hofstadler, Steven A.

1996-01-01

The present invention relates generally to any application involving the monitoring of signal arising from ions produced by electrospray or other high pressure (>100 torr) ion sources. The present invention relates specifically to an apparatus and method for the detection of ions emitted from a capillary electrophoresis (CE) system, liquid chromatography, or other small-scale separation methods. And further, the invention provides a very simple diagnostic as to the quality of the separation and the operation of an electrospray source.

Disposable pen-shaped capillary gel electrophoresis cartridge for fluorescence detection of bio-molecules

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amirkhanian, Varoujan; Tsai, Shou-Kuan

2014-03-01

We introduce a novel and cost-effective capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) system utilizing disposable pen-shaped gelcartridges for highly efficient, high speed, high throughput fluorescence detection of bio-molecules. The CGE system has been integrated with dual excitation and emission optical-fibers with micro-ball end design for fluorescence detection of bio-molecules separated and detected in a disposable pen-shaped capillary gel electrophoresis cartridge. The high-performance capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE) analyzer has been optimized for glycoprotein analysis type applications. Using commercially available labeling agent such as ANTS (8-aminonapthalene-1,3,6- trisulfonate) as an indicator, the capillary gel electrophoresis-based glycan analyzer provides high detection sensitivity and high resolving power in 2-5 minutes of separations. The system can hold total of 96 samples, which can be automatically analyzed within 4-5 hours. This affordable fiber optic based fluorescence detection system provides fast run times (4 minutes vs. 20 minutes with other CE systems), provides improved peak resolution, good linear dynamic range and reproducible migration times, that can be used in laboratories for high speed glycan (N-glycan) profiling applications. The CGE-based glycan analyzer will significantly increase the pace at which glycoprotein research is performed in the labs, saving hours of preparation time and assuring accurate, consistent and economical results.

Automated Parallel Capillary Electrophoretic System

DOEpatents

Li, Qingbo; Kane, Thomas E.; Liu, Changsheng; Sonnenschein, Bernard; Sharer, Michael V.; Kernan, John R.

2000-02-22

An automated electrophoretic system is disclosed. The system employs a capillary cartridge having a plurality of capillary tubes. The cartridge has a first array of capillary ends projecting from one side of a plate. The first array of capillary ends are spaced apart in substantially the same manner as the wells of a microtitre tray of standard size. This allows one to simultaneously perform capillary electrophoresis on samples present in each of the wells of the tray. The system includes a stacked, dual carousel arrangement to eliminate cross-contamination resulting from reuse of the same buffer tray on consecutive executions from electrophoresis. The system also has a gel delivery module containing a gel syringe/a stepper motor or a high pressure chamber with a pump to quickly and uniformly deliver gel through the capillary tubes. The system further includes a multi-wavelength beam generator to generate a laser beam which produces a beam with a wide range of wavelengths. An off-line capillary reconditioner thoroughly cleans a capillary cartridge to enable simultaneous execution of electrophoresis with another capillary cartridge. The streamlined nature of the off-line capillary reconditioner offers the advantage of increased system throughput with a minimal increase in system cost.

Fluid Delivery System For Capillary Electrophoretic Applications.

DOEpatents

Li, Qingbo; Liu, Changsheng; Kane, Thomas E.; Kernan, John R.; Sonnenschein, Bernard; Sharer, Michael V.

2002-04-23

An automated electrophoretic system is disclosed. The system employs a capillary cartridge having a plurality of capillary tubes. The cartridge has a first array of capillary ends projecting from one side of a plate. The first array of capillary ends are spaced apart in substantially the same manner as the wells of a microtitre tray of standard size. This allows one to simultaneously perform capillary electrophoresis on samples present in each of the wells of the tray. The system includes a stacked, dual carrousel arrangement to eliminate cross-contamination resulting from reuse of the same buffer tray on consecutive executions from electrophoresis. The system also has a gel delivery module containing a gel syringe/a stepper motor or a high pressure chamber with a pump to quickly and uniformly deliver gel through the capillary tubes. The system further includes a multi-wavelength beam generator to generate a laser beam which produces a beam with a wide range of wavelengths. An off-line capillary reconditioner thoroughly cleans a capillary cartridge to enable simultaneous execution of electrophoresis with another capillary cartridge. The streamlined nature of the off-line capillary reconditioner offers the advantage of increased system throughput with a minimal increase in system cost.

Transmission in situ and operando high temperature X-ray powder diffraction in variable gaseous environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schlicker, Lukas; Doran, Andrew; Schneppmüller, Peter; Gili, Albert; Czasny, Mathias; Penner, Simon; Gurlo, Aleksander

2018-03-01

This work describes a device for time-resolved synchrotron-based in situ and operando X-ray powder diffraction measurements at elevated temperatures under controllable gaseous environments. The respective gaseous sample environment is realized via a gas-tight capillary-in-capillary design, where the gas flow is achieved through an open-end 0.5 mm capillary located inside a 0.7 mm capillary filled with a sample powder. Thermal mass flow controllers provide appropriate gas flows and computer-controlled on-the-fly gas mixing capabilities. The capillary system is centered inside an infrared heated, proportional integral differential-controlled capillary furnace allowing access to temperatures up to 1000 °C.

Paper Capillary Enables Effective Sampling for Microfluidic Paper Analytical Devices.

PubMed

Shangguan, Jin-Wen; Liu, Yu; Wang, Sha; Hou, Yun-Xuan; Xu, Bi-Yi; Xu, Jing-Juan; Chen, Hong-Yuan

2018-06-06

Paper capillary is introduced to enable effective sampling on microfluidic paper analytical devices. By coupling mac-roscale capillary force of paper capillary and microscale capillary forces of native paper, fluid transport can be flexibly tailored with proper design. Subsequently, a hybrid-fluid-mode paper capillary device was proposed, which enables fast and reliable sampling in an arrayed form, with less surface adsorption and bias for different components. The resulting device thus well supports high throughput, quantitative, and repeatable assays all by hands operation. With all these merits, multiplex analysis of ions, proteins, and microbe have all been realized on this platform, which has paved the way to level-up analysis on μPADs.

Optoelectronic Capillary Sensors in Microfluidic and Point-of-Care Instrumentation

PubMed Central

Borecki, Michał; Korwin-Pawlowski, Michael L.; Beblowska, Maria; Szmidt, Jan; Jakubowski, Andrzej

2010-01-01

This paper presents a review, based on the published literature and on the authors’ own research, of the current state of the art of fiber-optic capillary sensors and related instrumentation as well as their applications, with special emphasis on point-of-care chemical and biochemical sensors, systematizing the various types of sensors from the point of view of the principles of their construction and operation. Unlike classical fiber-optic sensors which rely on changes in light propagation inside the fiber as affected by outside conditions, optical capillary sensors rely on changes of light transmission in capillaries filled with the analyzed liquid, which opens the possibility of interesting new applications, while raising specific issues relating to the construction, materials and instrumentation of those sensors. PMID:22319325

Comparisons Between Histology and Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography of the Periarterial Capillary-Free Zone.

PubMed

Balaratnasingam, Chandrakumar; An, Dong; Sakurada, Yoichi; Lee, Cecilia S; Lee, Aaron Y; McAllister, Ian L; Freund, K Bailey; Sarunic, Marinko; Yu, Dao-Yi

2018-05-01

To use the capillary-free zone along retinal arteries, a physiologic area of superficial avascularization, as an anatomic paradigm to investigate the reliability of optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) for visualizing the deep retinal circulation. Validity analysis and laboratory investigation. Five normal human donor eyes (mean age 69.8 years) were perfusion-labeled with endothelial antibodies and the capillary networks of the perifovea were visualized using confocal scanning laser microscopy. Regions of the capillary-free zone along the retinal artery were imaged using OCTA in 16 normal subjects (age range 24-51 years). Then, 3 × 3-mm scans were acquired using the RTVue XR Avanti (ver. 2016.1.0.26; Optovue, Inc, Fremont, California, USA), PLEX Elite 9000 (ver. 1.5.0.15909; Zeiss Meditec, Inc, Dublin, California, USA), Heidelberg Spectralis OCT2 (Family acquisition module 6.7.21.0; Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany), and DRI-OCT Triton (Ver. 1.1.1; Topcon Corp, Tokyo, Japan). Images of the superficial plexus, deep vascular plexus, and a slab containing all vascular plexuses were generated using manufacturer-recommended default settings. Comparisons between histology and OCTA were performed. Histologic analysis revealed that the capillary-free zone along the retinal artery was confined to the plane of the superficial capillary plexus and did not include the intermediate and deep capillary plexuses. Images derived from OCTA instruments demonstrated a prominent capillary-free zone along the retinal artery in slabs of the superficial plexus, deep plexus, and all capillary plexuses. The number of deep retinal capillaries seen in the capillary-free zone was significantly greater on histology than on OCTA (P < .001). Using the capillary-free zone as an anatomic paradigm, we show that the deep vascular beds of the retina are not completely visualized using OCTA. This may be a limitation of current OCTA techniques. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel imaging technique to measure capillary-refill time: improving diagnostic accuracy for dehydration in young children with gastroenteritis.

PubMed

Shavit, Itai; Brant, Rollin; Nijssen-Jordan, Cheri; Galbraith, Roger; Johnson, David W

2006-12-01

Assessment of dehydration in young children currently depends on clinical judgment, which is relatively inaccurate. By using digital videography, we developed a way to assess capillary-refill time more objectively. Our goal was to determine whether digitally measured capillary-refill time assesses the presence of significant dehydration (> or = 5%) in young children with gastroenteritis more accurately than conventional capillary refill and overall clinical assessment. We prospectively enrolled children with gastroenteritis, 1 month to 5 years of age, who were evaluated in a tertiary-care pediatric emergency department and judged by a triage nurse to be at least mildly dehydrated. Before any treatment, we measured the weight and digitally measured capillary-refill time of these children. Pediatric emergency physicians determined capillary-refill time by using conventional methods and degree of dehydration by overall clinical assessment by using a 7-point Likert scale. Postillness weight gain was used to estimate fluid deficit; beginning 48 hours after assessment, children were reweighed every 24 hours until 2 sequential weights differed by no more than 2%. We compared the accuracy of digitally measured capillary-refill time with conventional capillary refill and overall clinical assessment by determining sensitivities, specificities, likelihood ratios, and area under the receiver operator characteristic curves. A total of 83 patients were enrolled and had complete follow-up; 13 of these patients had significant dehydration (> or = 5% of body weight). The area under the receiver operator characteristic curves for digitally measured capillary-refill time and overall clinical assessment relative to fluid deficit (< 5% vs > or = 5%) were 0.99 and 0.88, respectively. Positive likelihood ratios were 11.7 for digitally measured capillary-refill time, 4.5 for conventional capillary refill, and 4.1 for overall clinical assessment. Results of this prospective cohort study suggest that digitally measured capillary-refill time more accurately predicts significant dehydration (> or = 5%) in young children with gastroenteritis than overall clinical assessment.

Functional K(ATP) channels in the rat retinal microvasculature: topographical distribution, redox regulation, spermine modulation and diabetic alteration.

PubMed

Ishizaki, Eisuke; Fukumoto, Masanori; Puro, Donald G

2009-05-15

The essential task of the circulatory system is to match blood flow to local metabolic demand. However, much remains to be learned about this process. To better understand how local perfusion is regulated, we focused on the functional organization of the retinal microvasculature, which is particularly well adapted for the local control of perfusion. Here, we assessed the distribution and regulation of functional K(ATP) channels whose activation mediates the hyperpolarization induced by adenosine. Using microvascular complexes freshly isolated from the rat retina, we found a topographical heterogeneity in the distribution of functional K(ATP) channels; capillaries generate most of the K(ATP) current. The initiation of K(ATP)-induced responses in the capillaries supports the concept that the regulation of retinal perfusion is highly decentralized. Additional study revealed that microvascular K(ATP) channels are redox sensitive, with oxidants increasing their activity. Furthermore, the oxidant-mediated activation of these channels is driven by the polyamine spermine, whose catabolism produces oxidants. In addition, our observation that spermine-dependent oxidation occurs predominately in the capillaries accounts for why they generate most of the K(ATP) current detected in retinal microvascular complexes. Here, we also analysed retinal microvessels of streptozotocin-injected rats. We found that soon after the onset of diabetes, an increase in spermine-dependent oxidation at proximal microvascular sites boosts their K(ATP) current and thereby virtually eliminates the topographical heterogeneity of functional K(ATP) channels. We conclude that spermine-dependent oxidation is a previously unrecognized mechanism by which this polyamine modulates ion channels; in addition to a physiological role, spermine-dependent oxidation may also contribute to microvascular dysfunction in the diabetic retina.

Factors affecting the separation performance of proteins in capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Zhu, Yueping; Li, Zhenqing; Wang, Ping; Shen, Lisong; Zhang, Dawei; Yamaguchi, Yoshinori

2018-04-15

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is an effective tool for protein separation and analysis. Compared with capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE), non-gel sieving capillary electrophoresis (NGSCE) processes the superiority on operation, repeatability and automaticity. Herein, we investigated the effect of polymer molecular weight and concentration, electric field strength, and the effective length of the capillary on the separation performance of proteins, and find that (1) polymer with high molecular weight and concentration favors the separation of proteins, although concentrated polymer hinders its injection into the channel of the capillary due to its high viscosity. (2) The resolution between the adjacent proteins decreases with the increase of electric field strength. (3) When the effective length of the capillary is long, the separation performance improves at the cost of separation time. (4) 1.4% (w/v) hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), 100 V/cm voltage and 12 cm effective length offers the best separation for the proteins with molecular weight from 14,400 Da to 97,400 Da. Finally, we employed the optimal electrophoretic conditions to resolve Lysozyme, Ovalbumin, BSA and their mixtures, and found that they were baseline resolved within 15 min. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Capillary Flow Experiments Aboard the International Space Station: Increments 9-15

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jenson, Ryan M.; Weislogel, Mark M.; Tavan, Noel T.; Chen, Yongkang; Semerjian, Ben; Bunnell, Charles T.; Collicott, Steven H.; Klatte, Jorg; dreyer, Michael E.

2009-01-01

This report provides a summary of the experimental, analytical, and numerical results of the Capillary Flow Experiment (CFE) performed aboard the International Space Station (ISS). The experiments were conducted in space beginning with Increment 9 through Increment 16, beginning August 2004 and ending December 2007. Both primary and extra science experiments were conducted during 19 operations performed by 7 astronauts including: M. Fincke, W. McArthur, J. Williams, S. Williams, M. Lopez-Alegria, C. Anderson, and P. Whitson. CFE consists of 6 approximately 1 to 2 kg handheld experiment units designed to investigate a selection of capillary phenomena of fundamental and applied importance, such as large length scale contact line dynamics (CFE-Contact Line), critical wetting in discontinuous structures (CFE-Vane Gap), and capillary flows and passive phase separations in complex containers (CFE-Interior Corner Flow). Highly quantitative video from the simply performed flight experiments provide data helpful in benchmarking numerical methods, confirming theoretical models, and guiding new model development. In an extensive executive summary, a brief history of the experiment is reviewed before introducing the science investigated. A selection of experimental results and comparisons with both analytic and numerical predictions is given. The subsequent chapters provide additional details of the experimental and analytical methods developed and employed. These include current presentations of the state of the data reduction which we anticipate will continue throughout the year and culminate in several more publications. An extensive appendix is used to provide support material such as an experiment history, dissemination items to date (CFE publication, etc.), detailed design drawings, and crew procedures. Despite the simple nature of the experiments and procedures, many of the experimental results may be practically employed to enhance the design of spacecraft engineering systems involving capillary interface dynamics.

Method development and qualification of capillary zone electrophoresis for investigation of therapeutic monoclonal antibody quality.

PubMed

Suba, Dávid; Urbányi, Zoltán; Salgó, András

2016-10-01

Capillary electrophoresis techniques are widely used in the analytical biotechnology. Different electrophoretic techniques are very adequate tools to monitor size-and charge heterogenities of protein drugs. Method descriptions and development studies of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) have been described in literature. Most of them are performed based on the classical one-factor-at-time (OFAT) approach. In this study a very simple method development approach is described for capillary zone electrophoresis: a "two-phase-four-step" approach is introduced which allows a rapid, iterative method development process and can be a good platform for CZE method. In every step the current analytical target profile and an appropriate control strategy were established to monitor the current stage of development. A very good platform was established to investigate intact and digested protein samples. Commercially available monoclonal antibody was chosen as model protein for the method development study. The CZE method was qualificated after the development process and the results were presented. The analytical system stability was represented by the calculated RSD% value of area percentage and migration time of the selected peaks (<0.8% and <5%) during the intermediate precision investigation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

MEMBRANE POTENTIAL OF THE SQUID GIANT AXON DURING CURRENT FLOW

PubMed Central

Cole, Kenneth S.; Curtis, Howard J.

1941-01-01

The squid giant axon was placed in a shallow narrow trough and current was sent in at two electrodes in opposite sides of the trough and out at a third electrode several centimeters away. The potential difference across the membrane was measured between an inside fine capillary electrode with its tip in the axoplasm between the pair of polarizing electrodes, and an outside capillary electrode with its tip flush with the surface of one polarizing electrode. The initial transient was roughly exponential at the anode make and damped oscillatory at the sub-threshold cathode make with the action potential arising from the first maximum when threshold was reached. The constant change of membrane potential, after the initial transient, was measured as a function of the total polarizing current and from these data the membrane potential is obtained as a function of the membrane current density. The absolute value of the resting membrane resistance approached at low polarizing currents is about 23 ohm cm.2. This low value is considered to be a result of the puncture of the axon. The membrane was found to be an excellent rectifier with a ratio of about one hundred between the high resistance at the anode and the low resistance at the cathode for the current range investigated. On the assumption that the membrane conductance is a measure of its ion permeability, these experiments show an increase of ion permeability under a cathode and a decrease under an anode. PMID:19873234

Pivotal debates and controversies on the structure and function of the avian respiratory system: setting the record straight.

PubMed

Maina, John N

2017-08-01

Among the extant air-breathing vertebrates, the avian respiratory system is structurally the most complex and functionally the most efficient gas exchanger. Having been investigated for over four centuries, some aspects of its biology have been extremely challenging and highly contentious and others still remain unresolved. Here, while assessing the most recent findings, four notable aspects of the structure and function of the avian respiratory system are examined critically to highlight the questions, speculations, controversies and debates that have arisen from past research. The innovative techniques and experiments that were performed to answer particular research questions are emphasised. The features that are outlined here concern the arrangement of the airways, the path followed by the inspired air, structural features of the lung and the air and blood capillaries, and the level of cellular defence in the avian respiratory system. Hitherto, based on association with the proven efficiency of naturally evolved and human-made counter-current exchange systems rather than on definite experimental evidence, a counter-current gas exchange system was suggested to exist in the avian respiratory system and was used to explain its exceptional efficiency. However, by means of an elegant experiment in which the direction of the air-flow in the lung was reversed, a cross-current system was shown to be in operation instead. Studies of the arrangement of the airways and the blood vessels corroborated the existence of a cross-current system in the avian lung. While the avian respiratory system is ventilated tidally, like most other invaginated gas exchangers, the lung, specifically the paleopulmonic parabronchi, is ventilated unidirectionally and continuously in a caudocranial (back-to-front) direction by synchronized actions of the air sacs. The path followed by the inspired air in the lung-air sac system is now known to be controlled by a mechanism of aerodynamic valving and not by anatomical valves or sphincters, as was previously supposed. The structural strength of the air and blood capillaries is derived from: the interdependence between the air and blood capillaries; a tethering effect between the closely entwined respiratory units; the presence of epithelial-epithelial cell connections (retinacula or cross-bridges) that join the blood capillaries while separating the air capillaries; the abundance and intricate arrangement of the connective tissue elements, i.e. collagen, elastin, and smooth muscle fibres; the presence of type-IV collagen, especially in the basement membranes of the blood-gas barrier and the epithelial-epithelial cell connections; and a putative tensegrity state in the lung. Notwithstanding the paucity of free surface pulmonary macrophages, the respiratory surface of the avian lung is well protected from pathogens and particulates by an assortment of highly efficient phagocytic cells. In commercial poultry production, instead of weak pulmonary cellular defence, stressful husbandry practices such as overcrowding, force-feeding, and intense genetic manipulation for rapid weight gain and egg production may account for the reported susceptibility of birds to aerosol-transmitted diseases. © 2016 Cambridge Philosophical Society.

Development of a CZE method for the quantification of pseudoephedrine and cetirizine.

PubMed

Alnajjar, Ahmed O; Idris, Abubakr M

2014-10-01

Pseudoephedrine and cetirizine have been combined in dosage forms with more therapeutic benefits when compared with single-drug treatment. The current manuscript reports the development of the first capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) assay method for that combination. The effects of pH and buffer concentration on resolution, noise, migration time and peak area were examined employing experimental design approach. The analytes were electropherographed into a 50.2 cm-long and 50 µm i.d. fused-silica capillary column using 10 mmol/L borate at pH 8.3 with a potential of 25 kV at 25°C and UV detection at 214 nm. The method was successfully validated in order to verify its suitability for pharmaceutical analysis for the purposes of quality control. Over previous high-performance liquid chromatographic methods, the current CZE method features the benefits of the use of cost-effective electrolyte, besides high sample throughput (11 samples/h). Furthermore, other analytical results including linear dynamic ranges, recovery (96.9-98.1%), intra- and interday precision (relative standard deviation ≤ 1.70%) as well as the limits of detection and quantification (≤2.65 µg/mL) were all satisfactory for the intended purpose. © The Author [2013]. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Capillary suspensions as beneficial formulation concept for high energy density Li-ion battery electrodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bitsch, Boris; Gallasch, Tobias; Schroeder, Melanie; Börner, Markus; Winter, Martin; Willenbacher, Norbert

2016-10-01

We introduce a novel formulation concept to prepare high capacity graphite electrodes for lithium ion batteries. The concept is based on the capillary suspension phenomenon: graphite and conductive agent are dispersed in an aqueous binder solution and the organic solvent octanol is added as immiscible, secondary fluid providing the formation of a sample-spanning network resulting in unique stability and coating properties. No additional processing steps compared to conventional slurry preparation are required. The resulting ultra-thick electrodes comprise mass loadings of about 16.5 mg cm-2, uniform layer thickness, and superior edge contours. The adjustment of mechanical energy input ensures uniform distribution of the conductive agent and sufficient electronic conductivity of the final dry composite electrode. The resulting pore structure is due to the stable network provided by the secondary fluid which evaporates residue-free during drying. Constant current-constant potential (CC-CP) cycling clearly indicates that the corresponding microstructure significantly improves the kinetics of reversible Li+ (de-) intercalation. A double layer electrode combining a conventionally prepared layer coated directly onto the Cu current collector with an upper layer stabilized with octanol was prepared applying wet-on-wet coating. CC-CP cycling data confirms that staged porosity within the electrode cross section results in superior electrochemical performance.

Pneumatic Microvalve-Based Hydrodynamic Sample Injection for High-Throughput, Quantitative Zone Electrophoresis in Capillaries

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kelly, Ryan T.; Wang, Chenchen; Rausch, Sarah J.

2014-07-01

A hybrid microchip/capillary CE system was developed to allow unbiased and lossless sample loading and high throughput repeated injections. This new hybrid CE system consists of a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchip sample injector featuring a pneumatic microvalve that separates a sample introduction channel from a short sample loading channel and a fused silica capillary separation column that connects seamlessly to the sample loading channel. The sample introduction channel is pressurized such that when the pneumatic microvalve opens briefly, a variable-volume sample plug is introduced into the loading channel. A high voltage for CE separation is continuously applied across the loading channelmore » and the fused silica capillary separation column. Analytes are rapidly separated in the fused silica capillary with high resolution. High sensitivity MS detection after CE separation is accomplished via a sheathless CE/ESI-MS interface. The performance evaluation of the complete CE/ESI-MS platform demonstrated that reproducible sample injection with well controlled sample plug volumes could be achieved by using the PDMS microchip injector. The absence of band broadening from microchip to capillary indicated a minimum dead volume at the junction. The capabilities of the new CE/ESI-MS platform in performing high throughput and quantitative sample analyses were demonstrated by the repeated sample injection without interrupting an ongoing separation and a good linear dependence of the total analyte ion abundance on the sample plug volume using a mixture of peptide standards. The separation efficiency of the new platform was also evaluated systematically at different sample injection times, flow rates and CE separation voltages.« less

Electrphoretic Sample Excitation Light Assembly.

DOEpatents

Li, Qingbo; Liu, Changsheng

2002-04-02

An automated electrophoretic system is disclosed. The system employs a capillary cartridge having a plurality of capillary tubes. The cartridge has a first array of capillary ends projecting from one side of a plate. The first array of capillary ends are spaced apart in substantially the same manner as the wells of a microtitre tray of standard size. This allows one to simultaneously perform capillary electrophoresis on samples present in each of the wells of the tray. The system includes a stacked, dual carrousel arrangement to eliminate cross-contamination resulting from reuse of the same buffer tray on consecutive executions from electrophoresis. The system also has a gel delivery module containing a gel syringe/a stepper motor or a high pressure chamber with a pump to quickly and uniformly deliver gel through the capillary tubes. The system further includes a multi-wavelength beam generator to generate a laser beam which produces a beam with a wide range of wavelengths. An off-line capillary reconditioner thoroughly cleans a capillary cartridge to enable simultaneous execution of electrophoresis with another capillary cartridge. The streamlined nature of the off-line capillary reconditioner offers the advantage of increased system throughput with a minimal increase in system cost.

Motorized Positioning Apparatus Having Coaxial Carrousels.

DOEpatents

Li, Qingbo; Kane, Thomas E.; Liu, Changsheng; Sonnenschein, Bernard; Sharer, Michael V.; Kernan, John R.

2002-04-02

An automated electrophoretic system is disclosed. The system employs a capillary cartridge having a plurality of capillary tubes. The cartridge has a first array of capillary ends projecting from one side of a plate. The first array of capillary ends are spaced apart in substantially the same manner as the wells of a microtitre tray of standard size. This allows one to simultaneously perform capillary electrophoresis on samples present in each of the wells of the tray. The system includes a stacked, dual carrousel arrangement to eliminate cross-contamination resulting from reuse of the same buffer tray on consecutive executions from electrophoresis. The system also has a gel delivery module containing a gel syringe/a stepper motor or a high pressure chamber with a pump to quickly and uniformly deliver gel through the capillary tubes. The system further includes a multi-wavelength beam generator to generate a laser beam which produces a beam with a wide range of wavelengths. An off-line capillary reconditioner thoroughly cleans a capillary cartridge to enable simultaneous execution of electrophoresis with another capillary cartridge. The streamlined nature of the off-line capillary reconditioner offers the advantage of increased system throughput with a minimal increase in system cost.

Miniaturized technology for DNA typing: cassette PCR.

PubMed

Manage, Dammika P; Pilarski, Linda M

2015-01-01

With the smaller size, low cost, and rapid testing capabilities, miniaturized lab-on-a-chip devices can change the way medical diagnostics are currently performed in the health-care system. We have demonstrated such a device that is self-contained, simple, disposable, and inexpensive. It is capable of performing DNA amplification on an inexpensive instrument suitable for near point of care settings. This technology will enable on the spot evaluation of patients in the clinic for faster medical decision-making and more informed therapeutic choices. Our device, a gel capillary cassette, termed cassette PCR, contains capillary reaction units each holding a defined primer set, with arrays of capillary reaction units for simultaneously detecting multiple targets. With the exception of the sample to be tested, each capillary reaction unit holds all the reagents needed for PCR in a desiccated form that can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 months and even longer in colder conditions. It relies on capillary forces for sample delivery of microliter volumes through capillaries, hence avoiding the need for pumps or valves. In the assembled cassette, the wax architecture supporting the capillaries melts during the PCR and acts as a vapor barrier as well as segregating capillaries with different primer sets. No other chip sealing techniques are required. Cassette PCR accepts raw samples such as urine, genital swabs, and blood. The cassette is made with off-the-shelf components and contains integrated positive and negative controls.

Estimation of relative permeability and capillary pressure from mass imbibition experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alyafei, Nayef; Blunt, Martin J.

2018-05-01

We perform spontaneous imbibition experiments on three carbonates - Estaillades, Ketton, and Portland - which are three quarry limestones that have very different pore structures and span wide range of permeability. We measure the mass of water imbibed in air saturated cores as a function of time under strongly water-wet conditions. Specifically, we perform co-current spontaneous experiments using a highly sensitive balance to measure the mass imbibed as a function of time for the three rocks. We use cores measuring 37 mm in diameter and three lengths of approximately 76 mm, 204 mm, and 290 mm. We show that the amount imbibed scales as the square root of time and find the parameter C, where the volume imbibed per unit cross-sectional area at time t is Ct1/2. We find higher C values for higher permeability rocks. Employing semi-analytical solutions for one-dimensional flow and using reasonable estimates of relative permeability and capillary pressure, we can match the experimental data. We finally discuss how, in combination with conventional measurements, we can use theoretical solutions and imbibition measurements to find or constrain relative permeability and capillary pressure.

Nanokit for single-cell electrochemical analyses.

PubMed

Pan, Rongrong; Xu, Mingchen; Jiang, Dechen; Burgess, Jame D; Chen, Hong-Yuan

2016-10-11

The development of more intricate devices for the analysis of small molecules and protein activity in single cells would advance our knowledge of cellular heterogeneity and signaling cascades. Therefore, in this study, a nanokit was produced by filling a nanometer-sized capillary with a ring electrode at the tip with components from traditional kits, which could be egressed outside the capillary by electrochemical pumping. At the tip, femtoliter amounts of the kit components were reacted with the analyte to generate hydrogen peroxide for the electrochemical measurement by the ring electrode. Taking advantage of the nanotip and small volume injection, the nanokit was easily inserted into a single cell to determine the intracellular glucose levels and sphingomyelinase (SMase) activity, which had rarely been achieved. High cellular heterogeneities of these two molecules were observed, showing the significance of the nanokit. Compared with the current methods that use a complicated structural design or surface functionalization for the recognition of the analytes, the nanokit has adapted features of the well-established kits and integrated the kit components and detector in one nanometer-sized capillary, which provides a specific device to characterize the reactivity and concentrations of cellular compounds in single cells.

Capillary electrophoresis of conidia from cultivated microscopic filamentous fungi.

PubMed

Horká, Marie; Růzicka, Filip; Kubesová, Anna; Holá, Veronika; Slais, Karel

2009-05-15

In immunocompromised people fungal agents are able to cause serious infections with high mortality rate. An early diagnosis can increase the chances of survival of the affected patients. Simultaneously, the fungi produce toxins and they are frequent cause of allergy. Currently, various methods are used for detection and identification of these pathogens. They use microscopic examination and growth characteristic of the fungi. New methods are based on the analysis of structural elements of the target microorganisms such as proteins, polysaccharides, glycoproteins, nucleic acids, etc. for the construction of antibodies, probes, and primers for detection. The above-mentioned methods are time-consuming and elaborate. Here hydrophobic conidia from the cultures of different strains of the filamentous fungi were focused and separated by capillary zone electrophoresis and capillary isoelectric focusing. The detection was optimized by dynamic modifying of conidia by the nonionogenic tenside on the basis of pyrenebutanoate. Down to 10 labeled conidia of the fungal strains were fluorometrically detected, and isoelectric points of conidia were determined. The observed isoelectric points were compared with those obtained from the separation of the cultured clinical samples, and they were found to be not host-specific.

Capillary electrophoresis interfaced with a mass spectrometer (CE-MS): technical considerations and applicability for biomarker studies in animals.

PubMed

Albalat, Amaya; Husi, Holger; Siwy, Justyna; Nally, Jarlath E; McLauglin, Mark; Eckersall, Peter D; Mullen, William

2014-02-01

Proteomics is a growing field that has the potential to be applied to many biology-related disciplines. However, the study of the proteome has proven to be very challenging due to its high level of complexity when compared to genome and transcriptome data. In order to analyse this level of complexity, high resolution separation of peptides/proteins are needed together with high resolution analysers. Currently, liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis (CE) are the two most widely used separation techniques that can be coupled on-line with a mass spectrometer (MS). In CE, proteins/ peptides are separated according to their size, charge and shape leading to high resolving power. Although further progress in the area of sensitivity, throughput and proteome coverage are expected, MS-based proteomics have developed to a level at which they are habitually applied to study a wide range of biological questions. The aim of this review is to present CE-MS as a proteomic analytical platform for biomarker research that could be used in farm animal and veterinary studies. This is a MS-analytical platform that has been widely used for biomarker research in the biomedical field but its application in animal proteomic studies is relatively novel. The review will focus on introducing the CE-MS platform and the primary considerations for its application to biomarker research. Furthermore, current applications but more importantly potential application in the field of farm animals and veterinary science will be presented and discussed.

Transmission properties of C60 ions through micro- and nano-capillaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tsuchida, Hidetsugu; Majima, Takuya; Tomita, Shigeo; Sasa, Kimikazu; Narumi, Kazumasa; Saitoh, Yuichi; Chiba, Atsuya; Yamada, Keisuke; Hirata, Koichi; Shibata, Hiromi; Itoh, Akio

2013-11-01

We apply the capillary beam-focusing method for the C60 fullerene projectiles in the velocity range between 0.14 and 0.2 a.u. We study the C60 transmission properties through two different types of capillaries: (1) borosilicate glass microcapillary with an outlet diameter of 5.5 μm, and (2) Al2O3 multi-capillary foil with a pore size of about 70 nm and a high aspect ratio of about 750. We measured the transmitted particle composition by using the electrostatic deflection method combined with the microchannel plate imaging technique. For the experiments with the single microcapillary, the main transmission component is found to be primary C60 beams that are focused in the area equal to the capillary outlet diameter. Minor components are charge-exchanged C60 ions and charged or neutral fragments (fullerene-like C60-2m and small Cn particles), and their fractions decrease with decreasing the projectile velocity. It is concluded that the C60 transmission fraction is considerably high for both types of the capillaries in the present velocity range.

Streptavidin-functionalized capillary immune microreactor for highly efficient chemiluminescent immunoassay.

PubMed

Yang, Zhanjun; Zong, Chen; Ju, Huangxian; Yan, Feng

2011-11-07

A streptavidin functionalized capillary immune microreactor was designed for highly efficient flow-through chemiluminescent (CL) immunoassay. The functionalized capillary could be used as both a support for highly efficient immobilization of antibody and a flow cell for flow-through immunoassay. The functionalized inner wall and the capture process were characterized using scanning electron microscopy. Compared to conventional packed tube or thin-layer cell immunoreactor, the proposed microreactor showed remarkable properties such as lower cost, simpler fabrication, better practicality and wider dynamic range for fast CL immunoassay with good reproducibility and stability. Using α-fetoprotein as model analyte, the highly efficient CL flow-through immunoassay system showed a linear range of 3 orders of magnitude from 0.5 to 200 ng mL(-1) and a low detection limit of 0.1 ng mL(-1). The capillary immune microreactor could make up the shortcoming of conventional CL immunoreactors and provided a promising alternative for highly efficient flow-injection immunoassay. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The interface of an array of five capillaries with an array of one-nanoliter wells for high-resolution electrophoretic analysis as an approach to high-throughput chemical cytometry

PubMed Central

Boardman, Anna; McQuaide, Sarah C.; Zhu, Cuiru; Whitmore, Colin; Lidstrom, Mary E.; Dovichi, Norman J.

2009-01-01

We report a system that allows the simultaneous aspiration of one or more cells into each of five capillaries for electrophoresis analysis. A glass wafer was etched to create an array of 1 nL wells. The glass was treated with poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) to control cell adherence. A suspension of formalin-fixed cells was placed on the surface, and cells were allowed to settle. The concentration of cells and the settling time were chosen so that there was, on average, one cell per well. Next, an array of five capillaries was placed so that the tip of each capillary was in contact with a single well. A pulse of vacuum was applied to the distal end of the capillaries to aspirate the content of each well into a capillary. Next, the tips of the capillaries were placed in running buffer and potential was applied. The cells lysed upon contact with the running buffer, and fluorescent components were detected at the distal end of the capillaries by laser-induced fluorescence. The electrophoretic separation efficiency was outstanding, generating over 750,000 theoretical plates (1,800,000 plates/meter). In this example, AtT-20 cells were used that had been treated with TMR-GM1. The cells were allowed to metabolize this substrate into a series of products before the cells were fixed. The number of cells found in each well was estimated visually under the microscope and was described by a Poisson distribution with mean of 0.95 cells/well. This system provides an approach to high-throughput chemical cytometry. PMID:18717573

Polyamidoamine dendrimer as a spacer for the immobilization of glucose oxidase in capillary enzyme microreactor.

PubMed

Wang, Siming; Su, Ping; Hongjun, E; Yang, Yi

2010-10-15

Polyamidoamine dendrimer (PAMAM) is one of a number of dendritic polymers with precise molecular structure, highly geometric symmetry, and a large number of terminal groups. In this study, different generations of PAMAM (G0-G4) were introduced onto the inner wall of fused-silica capillaries by microwave irradiation and a new type of glucose oxidase (GOx) capillary enzyme microreactor was developed based on enzyme immobilization in the prepared PAMAM-grafted fused-silica capillaries. The optimal enzymolysis conditions for beta-d-glucose in the microreactor were evaluated by capillary zone electrophoresis. In addition, the enzymolysis efficiencies of different generations of PAMAM-GOx capillary enzyme microreactor were compared. The results indicate that enzymolysis efficiency increased with increasing generations of PAMAM. The experimental results provide the possibility for the development and application of an online immobilized capillary enzyme microreactor. Crown Copyright 2010. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Characteristics and dispersity of a two gap capillary discharge applied for long spark gap ignition in air

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Dong; Yang, Lanjun; Guo, Haishan; Zhang, Zhiyuan; Jiang, Hongqiu; Xu, Haipeng

2017-07-01

In this paper, the characteristics and dispersity of a two gap capillary (TGC) discharge applied for long spark gap ignition are studied. Under the same discharge condition, 30 repetitive discharges are done to get a certain number of data samples. Accordingly, the change trend of the characteristics and the dispersity with the charging voltage of C1 are analyzed statistically. The delay of soft capillary discharge is determined by the saturation rate of the magnetic core of the pulse transformer and decreases with the increase in the charging voltage. The main discharge delay decreases from 1.0 kV to 2.0 kV and stops the decreasing trend when the charging voltage increases to 2.5 kV. In contrast, the current amplitude of soft capillary discharge and main discharge increases with charging voltage. Long tail extinction is witnessed at the charging voltage of 1.0 kV and the major cause is the insufficient pressure in the post discharge. The waveform of the capillary arc resistivity is U-like shape and the minimum resistivity decreases with the increase in the charging voltage. Meanwhile, the arc resistivity in the ascending stage is much higher than that in the descending stage with the same value of the discharge current. The energy consumption of the TGC discharge can be mainly divided into four parts and more than 70% of the energy is consumed in main discharge.

In vivo flow speed measurement of capillaries by photoacoustic correlation spectroscopy.

PubMed

Chen, Sung-Liang; Xie, Zhixing; Carson, Paul L; Wang, Xueding; Guo, L Jay

2011-10-15

We recently proposed photoacoustic correlation spectroscopy (PACS) and demonstrated a proof-of-concept experiment. Here we use the technique for in vivo flow speed measurement in capillaries in a chick embryo model. The photoacoustic microscopy system is used to render high spatial resolution and high sensitivity, enabling sufficient signals from single red blood cells. The probe beam size is calibrated by a blood-mimicking phantom. The results indicate the feasibility of using PACS to study flow speeds in capillaries.

Note: Characterization of the plasma parameters of a capillary discharge-produced plasma channel waveguide to guide an intense laser pulse

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Higashiguchi, Takeshi; Yugami, Noboru; CREST, Japan Science and Technology Agency, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kanagawa, Saitama 332-0012

2010-04-15

We demonstrated the production of an optical waveguide in a capillary discharge-produced plasma using a cylindrical capillary. Plasma parameters of its waveguide were characterized by use of both a Nomarski laser interferometer and a hydrogen plasma line spectrum. A space-averaged maximum temperature of 3.3 eV with electron densities of the order of 10{sup 17} cm{sup -3} was observed at a discharge time of 150 ns and a maximum discharge current of 400 A. An ultrashort, intense laser pulse was guided by use of this plasma channel.

On production and asymmetric focusing of flat electron beams using rectangular capillary discharge plasmas

DOE PAGES

Bagdasarov, G. A.; Bobrova, N. A.; Boldarev, A. S.; ...

2017-12-27

A method for the asymmetric focusing of electron bunches, based on the active plasma lensing technique is proposed. Our method takes advantage of the strong inhomogeneous magnetic field generated inside the capillary discharge plasma to focus the ultrarelativistic electrons. The plasma and magnetic field parameters inside the capillary discharge are described theoretically and modeled with dissipative magnetohydrodynamic computer simulations enabling analysis of the capillaries of rectangle cross-sections. We could use large aspect ratio rectangular capillaries to transport electron beams with high emittance asymmetries, as well as assist in forming spatially flat electron bunches for final focusing before the interaction point.

Electron transmission through a steel capillary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Maljković, J. B.; Borka, D.; Ranković, M. Lj.; Marinković, B. P.; Milosavljević, A. R.; Lemell, C.; Tőkési, K.

2018-05-01

The transmission of low-energy electrons through a macroscopic steel capillary has been investigated both experimentally and theoretically. The length of the steel capillary was L = 19.5 mm and the inner diameter was d = 0.9 mm. The kinetic energy distribution of electrons transmitted through the steel capillary was recorded for a tilt angle of ψ = 2.6 ° of the incident electron beam with respect to the capillary axis. Accompanying simulations based on classical transport theory reproduce the experimental data to a high degree of agreement. Transmission for other tilt angles has also been simulated to investigate the influence of the tilt angle on the guiding efficiency.

On production and asymmetric focusing of flat electron beams using rectangular capillary discharge plasmas

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bagdasarov, G. A.; Bobrova, N. A.; Boldarev, A. S.

A method for the asymmetric focusing of electron bunches, based on the active plasma lensing technique is proposed. Our method takes advantage of the strong inhomogeneous magnetic field generated inside the capillary discharge plasma to focus the ultrarelativistic electrons. The plasma and magnetic field parameters inside the capillary discharge are described theoretically and modeled with dissipative magnetohydrodynamic computer simulations enabling analysis of the capillaries of rectangle cross-sections. We could use large aspect ratio rectangular capillaries to transport electron beams with high emittance asymmetries, as well as assist in forming spatially flat electron bunches for final focusing before the interaction point.

On production and asymmetric focusing of flat electron beams using rectangular capillary discharge plasmas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bagdasarov, G. A.; Bobrova, N. A.; Boldarev, A. S.; Olkhovskaya, O. G.; Sasorov, P. V.; Gasilov, V. A.; Barber, S. K.; Bulanov, S. S.; Gonsalves, A. J.; Schroeder, C. B.; van Tilborg, J.; Esarey, E.; Leemans, W. P.; Levato, T.; Margarone, D.; Korn, G.; Kando, M.; Bulanov, S. V.

2017-12-01

A method for the asymmetric focusing of electron bunches, based on the active plasma lensing technique, is proposed. This method takes advantage of the strong inhomogeneous magnetic field generated inside the capillary discharge plasma to focus on the ultrarelativistic electrons. The plasma and magnetic field parameters inside the capillary discharge are described theoretically and modeled with dissipative magnetohydrodynamic computer simulations enabling analysis of the capillaries of rectangle cross-sections. Large aspect ratio rectangular capillaries might be used to transport electron beams with high emittance asymmetries, as well as assist in forming spatially flat electron bunches for final focusing before the interaction point.

Fabrication of powdery polymer aerogel as the stationary phase for high-resolution gas chromatographic separation.

PubMed

Zheng, Juan; Lu, Cuiming; Huang, Junlong; Chen, Luyi; Ni, Chuyi; Xie, Xintong; Zhu, Fang; Wu, Dingcai; Ouyang, Gangfeng

2018-08-15

Novel powdery polymer aerogel (PPA) prepared via the (micro)emulsion polymerization and the following hyper crosslinking reaction was fabricated as stationary phase of capillary column for the first time. Due to its powdery morphology, unique 3D nano-network structure, high surface area and good thermostability, the PPA-coated capillary column demonstrated high-resolution chromatographic separation towards nonpolar and weakly polar organic compounds, including benzene series, n-alkanes, ketone mixtures and trichlorobenzenes. Moreover, the reproducibility, quantitative analysis ability and thermostability of PPA-coated capillary column were also evaluated. The relative standard deviations for three replicate determinations of selected analytes were 0.02-0.11%, 0.12-0.26% and 1.2-3.6% for run-to-run, day-to-day and column-to-column analyses, respectively. The PPA demonstrated good thermostability, and the PPA-coated capillary column was proved to be heat-resistant (270 °C). The results of this study show PPA is an excellent candidate to be employed as stationary phase for gas chromatography capillary. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultra-high-stability, pH-resistant sol-gel titania poly(tetrahydrofuran) coating for capillary microextraction on-line coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Segro, Scott S; Cabezas, Yaniel; Malik, Abdul

2009-05-15

A sol-gel titania poly(tetrahydrofuran) (poly-THF) coating was developed for capillary microextraction hyphenated on-line with high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Poly-THF was covalently bonded to the sol-gel titania network which, in turn, became chemically anchored to the inner surface of a 0.25mm I.D. fused silica capillary. For sample preconcentration, a 38-cm segment of the sol-gel titania poly-THF coated capillary was installed on an HPLC injection port as a sampling loop. Aqueous samples containing a variety of analytes were passed through the capillary and, during this process, the analytes were extracted by the sol-gel titania poly-THF coating on the inner surface of the capillary. Using isocratic and gradient elution with acetonitrile/water mobile phases, the extracted analytes were desorbed into the on-line coupled HPLC column for separation and UV detection. The sol-gel titania poly-THF coating was especially efficient in extracting polar analytes, such as underivatized phenols, alcohols, amines, and aromatic carboxylic acids. In addition, this coating was capable of extracting moderately polar and nonpolar analytes, such as ketones and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The sol-gel titania poly-THF coated capillary was also able to extract polypeptides at pH values near their respective isoelectric points. Extraction of these compounds can be important for environmental and biomedical applications. The observed extraction behavior can be attributed to the polar and nonpolar moieties in the poly-THF structure. This coating was found to be stable under extremely low and high pH conditions-even after 18h of exposure to 1M HCl (pH approximately 0.0) and 1M NaOH (pH approximately 14.0).

Some Experiments on Evaporation of High-TDS Phreatic Water in an Arid Area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, X.; Jin, M.; Zhou, J.; Liu, Y.; Zhao, Y.

2012-12-01

Most experiments that had been done on evaporation of phreatic water were limited to waters with fresh or low total dissolved solids (TDS, no more than 10g/L). The TDS of phreatic water is always dozens or even hundreds of grams per liter in extremely arid areas. Thus, experiments on phreatic water evaporation of different TDS (3g/L, 30g/L, 100g/L, 250g/L) were carried out in an arid plain of south Xinjiang, China. The results showed that there was significant linear positive correlation between TDS of phreatic water and cumulative salinity in soil profile. The variation of phreatic water evaporation was lag behind the change of surface water measured by E20 equipment, but both of them were more drastic at nighttime than the daytime. The research shows that the daytime evaporation capacity has significant effect on nighttime evaporation, and the soil water vapor condense at profile also is an important driving factor for the nighttime evaporation. Capillary rise is a significant contributor of soil salinity in extremely arid areas. Experiments about effects of different grains of sand soil and TDS of phreatic water (1, 30, 100, 250 g/L) on capillary rise showed that TDS had significant effects on capillary rise in later stage of experiments. For coarse sand, the higher TDS made the lower height of capillary rise. But for fine sand, the height of capillary rise of 1g/L was obviously larger than others. The sequence of height from larger to lower of capillary rise in silt was 30, 100, 250 and 1g/L. At the beginning of experiments on coarse sand, the higher TDS made the lower velocity of capillary rise, but other soil groups were not. Compared to high-TDS, the grain of sand soil was a more primary controlling factor of capillary rise. The research indicates that high-TDS not only changes the gravity of capillary water but also the pore size of soil during the processes of capillary rise in fine sand.

Fatal Primary Capillary Leak Syndrome in a Late Preterm Newborn.

PubMed

Kulihova, Katarina; Prochazkova, Martina; Semberova, Jana; Janota, Jan

2016-10-01

Primary capillary leak syndrome is a rare disease of unknown etiology, characterized by episodes of vascular collapse and plasma extravasation, which may lead to multiple organ failure. Primary capillary leak is extremely rare in children. The authors report a case of a late preterm newborn with fatal capillary leak syndrome of unknown etiology, manifesting as hypotension unresponsive to treatment, extravasation leading to generalised edema, disseminated intravascular coagulation and finally, multiple organ dysfunction syndrome. Aggressive volumotherapy and a combination of inotropes and high doses of terlipressin did not influence systemic vascular collapse and plasma extravasation. The newborn developed multiple organ failure and died on day 27 of life. Investigations performed failed to reveal any specific cause of capillary leak. This is the first report of a fatal primary capillary leak syndrome in a newborn.

Implementation of high slurry concentration and sonication to pack high-efficiency, meter-long capillary ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography columns.

PubMed

Godinho, Justin M; Reising, Arved E; Tallarek, Ulrich; Jorgenson, James W

2016-09-02

Slurry packing capillary columns for ultrahigh pressure liquid chromatography is complicated by many interdependent experimental variables. Previous results have suggested that combination of high slurry concentration and sonication during packing would create homogeneous bed microstructures and yield highly efficient capillary columns. Herein, the effect of sonication while packing very high slurry concentrations is presented. A series of six, 1m×75μm internal diameter columns were packed with 200mg/mL slurries of 2.02μm bridged-ethyl hybrid silica particles. Three of the columns underwent sonication during packing and yielded highly efficient separations with reduced plate heights as low as 1.05. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Pneumatic Microvalve-Based Hydrodynamic Sample Injection for High-Throughput, Quantitative Zone Electrophoresis in Capillaries

PubMed Central

2015-01-01

A hybrid microchip/capillary electrophoresis (CE) system was developed to allow unbiased and lossless sample loading and high-throughput repeated injections. This new hybrid CE system consists of a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) microchip sample injector featuring a pneumatic microvalve that separates a sample introduction channel from a short sample loading channel, and a fused-silica capillary separation column that connects seamlessly to the sample loading channel. The sample introduction channel is pressurized such that when the pneumatic microvalve opens briefly, a variable-volume sample plug is introduced into the loading channel. A high voltage for CE separation is continuously applied across the loading channel and the fused-silica capillary separation column. Analytes are rapidly separated in the fused-silica capillary, and following separation, high-sensitivity MS detection is accomplished via a sheathless CE/ESI-MS interface. The performance evaluation of the complete CE/ESI-MS platform demonstrated that reproducible sample injection with well controlled sample plug volumes could be achieved by using the PDMS microchip injector. The absence of band broadening from microchip to capillary indicated a minimum dead volume at the junction. The capabilities of the new CE/ESI-MS platform in performing high-throughput and quantitative sample analyses were demonstrated by the repeated sample injection without interrupting an ongoing separation and a linear dependence of the total analyte ion abundance on the sample plug volume using a mixture of peptide standards. The separation efficiency of the new platform was also evaluated systematically at different sample injection times, flow rates, and CE separation voltages. PMID:24865952

DNA-directed trypsin immobilization on a polyamidoamine dendrimer-modified capillary to form a renewable immobilized enzyme microreactor.

PubMed

Wu, Nan; Wang, Siming; Yang, Ye; Song, Jiayi; Su, Ping; Yang, Yi

2018-07-01

A novel type of trypsin capillary microreactor was developed based on a DNA-directed immobilization (DDI) technique applied to a fused-silica capillary modified with polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimers. Trypsin binding to the inner wall of the capillary was confirmed by confocal laser scanning microscopy. The properties of the trypsin-DNA conjugated, PAMAM-modified capillary microreactor were investigated by monitoring hydrolysis of Nα-benzoyl- L -arginine ethyl ester. Through the hybridization and dehybridization of the DNA, the inner wall of the capillary functionalized with trypsin can be regenerated, thus indicating the renewability of this enzyme microreactor. In addition, these results demonstrated that introduction of PAMAM enabled higher amounts of trypsin to be immobilized, markedly improving the enzymolysis efficiency, compared with traditional modified capillaries. The digestion performance of the trypsin capillary microreactor was further evaluated by digesting cytochrome C, and a peptide numbers of 8, and a sequence coverage of 59% were obtained. This renewable and efficient immobilized trypsin capillary microreactor combines advantages of both DDI technology and PAMAM, and is potentially adaptable to high-throughput enzyme assays in biochemical and clinical research. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

A Comprehensive Fluid Dynamic-Diffusion Model of Blood Microcirculation with Focus on Sickle Cell Disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Le Floch, Francois; Harris, Wesley L.

2009-11-01

A novel methodology has been developed to address sickle cell disease, based on highly descriptive mathematical models for blood flow in the capillaries. Our investigations focus on the coupling between oxygen delivery and red blood cell dynamics, which is crucial to understanding sickle cell crises and is unique to this blood disease. The main part of our work is an extensive study of blood dynamics through simulations of red cells deforming within the capillary vessels, and relies on the use of a large mathematical system of equations describing oxygen transfer, blood plasma dynamics and red cell membrane mechanics. This model is expected to lead to the development of new research strategies for sickle cell disease. Our simulation model could be used not only to assess current researched remedies, but also to spur innovative research initiatives, based on our study of the physical properties coupled in sickle cell disease.

Determination of optimum fin profile for a zero-G capillary drained condenser

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccormick, John A.; Valenzuela, Javier A.; Choudhury, Dipanker

1990-01-01

This paper presents the analytical formulation and numerical results for heat transfer in a high heat flux condenser that relies on capillary flow along shaped fins (Gregorig surfaces) and a drainage network embedded in the condenser walls. Results are shown for a variety of fin profile shapes in order to show the geometric trade-offs involved in seeking a maximum effective heat transfer coefficient for the fin. Predictions of the model show excellent agreement with previously reported measurements for steam. Based on this work, a profile has been selected for a 2 kW ammonia condenser currently under development for use in space. In that design the fin half width is 0.5 mm and the model predicts a heat transfer coefficient referred to the base of the fin of 9 W/sq cm deg C for a heat flux of 10/W sq cm at the base.

[Comparative study of respiratory exchanging surfaces in birds and mammals].

PubMed

Jammes, Y

1975-01-01

Anatomical studies of the respiratory apparatus of birds show evidences for a gas exchanging tubular system (parabronchi and air capillaries); these exchanging structures are entirely dissociated from the ventilatory drive acting on the air sacs. A "cross-current" gas exchanging system (perpendicular disposition of air and blood capillaries) allow a good wash-out of carbon dioxide (PaCO2 lower than PECO2). The great efficiency of this lung is allowed by its very large diffusive surface (ASa) and by the high values of lung specific oxygen diffusing capacity (DO2/ASa) and of O2 extraction coefficient in inspired air. The ventilatory pattern of birds is characterized by a greater tidal volume and a smaller respiratory frequency than in mammals of same weight. Respiratory centers of birds receive afferences from lung stretch receptors, CO2-sensitive lung receptors and arterial chemoreceptors.

Enantioseparation on cellulose dimethylphenylcarbamate-modified zirconia monolithic columns by reversed-phase capillary electrochromatography.

PubMed

Kumar, Avvaru Praveen; Park, Jung Hag

2010-06-25

This work reports the preparation of monolithic zirconia chiral columns for separation of enantiomeric compounds by capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Using sol-gel technology, a porous monolith having interconnected globular-like structure with through-pores is synthesized in the capillary column as a first step in the synthesis of monolithic zirconia chiral capillary columns. In the second step, the surface of the monolith is modified by coating with cellulose tris(3,5-dimethylphenylcarbamate) (CDMPC) as the chiral stationary phase to obtain a chiral column (CDMPCZM). The process of the preparation of the zirconia monolithic capillary column was investigated by varying the concentrations of the components of the sol solution including polyethylene glycol, water and acetic acid. CDMPCZM is mechanically stable and no bubble formation was detected with the applied current of up to 30 microA. The enantioseparation behavior of the CDMPCZM columns was investigated by separating a set of 10 representative chiral compounds by varying the applied voltage and pH and organic composition of the aqueous organic mobile phases. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Nonlinear multi-photon laser wave-mixing optical detection in microarrays and microchips for ultrasensitive detection and separation of biomarkers for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iwabuchi, Manna; Hetu, Marcel; Maxwell, Eric; Pradel, Jean S.; Ramos, Sashary; Tong, William G.

2015-09-01

Multi-photon degenerate four-wave mixing is demonstrated as an ultrasensitive absorption-based optical method for detection, separation and identification of biomarker proteins in the development of early diagnostic methods for HIV- 1, cancer and neurodegenerative diseases using compact, portable microarrays and capillary- or microchip-based chemical separation systems that offer high chemical specificity levels. The wave-mixing signal has a quadratic dependence on concentration, and hence, it allows more reliable monitoring of smaller changes in analyte properties. Our wave-mixing detection sensitivity is comparable or better than those of current methods including enzyme-linked immunoassay for clinical diagnostic and screening. Detection sensitivity is excellent since the wave-mixing signal is a coherent laser-like beam that can be collected with virtually 100% collection efficiency with high S/N. Our analysis time is short (1-15 minutes) for molecular weight-based protein separation as compared to that of a conventional separation technique, e.g., sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. When ultrasensitive wavemixing detection is paired with high-resolution capillary- or microchip-based separation systems, biomarkers can be separated and identified at the zepto- and yocto-mole levels for a wide range of analytes. Specific analytes can be captured in a microchannel through the use of antibody-antigen interactions that provide better chemical specificity as compared to size-based separation alone. The technique can also be combined with immune-precipitation and a multichannel capillary array for high-throughput analysis of more complex protein samples. Wave mixing allows the use of chromophores and absorption-modifying tags, in addition to conventional fluorophores, for online detection of immunecomplexes related to cancer.

Capillary pericytes express α-smooth muscle actin, which requires prevention of filamentous-actin depolymerization for detection.

PubMed

Alarcon-Martinez, Luis; Yilmaz-Ozcan, Sinem; Yemisci, Muge; Schallek, Jesse; Kılıç, Kıvılcım; Can, Alp; Di Polo, Adriana; Dalkara, Turgay

2018-03-21

Recent evidence suggests that capillary pericytes are contractile and play a crucial role in the regulation of microcirculation. However, failure to detect components of the contractile apparatus in capillary pericytes, most notably α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), has questioned these findings. Using strategies that allow rapid filamentous-actin (F-actin) fixation (i.e. snap freeze fixation with methanol at -20°C) or prevent F-actin depolymerization (i.e. with F-actin stabilizing agents), we demonstrate that pericytes on mouse retinal capillaries, including those in intermediate and deeper plexus, express α-SMA. Junctional pericytes were more frequently α-SMA-positive relative to pericytes on linear capillary segments. Intravitreal administration of short interfering RNA (α-SMA-siRNA) suppressed α-SMA expression preferentially in high order branch capillary pericytes, confirming the existence of a smaller pool of α-SMA in distal capillary pericytes that is quickly lost by depolymerization. We conclude that capillary pericytes do express α-SMA, which rapidly depolymerizes during tissue fixation thus evading detection by immunolabeling. © 2018, Alarcon-Martinez et al.

Separation of flavonol-2-O-glycosides from Calendula officinalis and Sambucus nigra by high-performance liquid and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography.

PubMed

Pietta, P; Bruno, A; Mauri, P; Rava, A

1992-02-28

Calendula officinalis and Sambucus nigra flowers were analysed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC). RP-HPLC was performed on C8 Aquapore RP 300 columns with eluents containing 2-propanol and tetrahydrofuran. MECC was carried out on a 72-cm fused-silica capillary using sodium dodecyl sulphate and sodium borate (pH 8.3) as the running buffer. The results obtained by these techniques are compared.

Regression of Lingual Lymphatic Vessels in Sodium-restricted Mice.

PubMed

He, Lianying; McCluskey, Lynnette Phillips

2018-05-01

Lymphatic vessel networks can expand and regress, with consequences for interstitial fluid drainage and nutrient supply to tissues, inflammation, and tumor spread. A diet high in sodium stimulates hyperplasia of cutaneous lymphatic capillaries. We hypothesized that dietary sodium restriction would have the opposite effect, shrinking lymphatic capillaries in the tongue. Lingual lymphatic capillary density and size was significantly reduced in mice fed a low-sodium diet (0.03%) for 3 weeks compared with control-fed mice. Blood vessel density was unchanged. Despite lymphatic capillary shrinkage, lingual edema was not observed. The effect on lymphatic capillaries was reversible, as lymphatic density and size in the tongue were restored by 3 weeks on a control diet. Lymphatic hyperplasia induced by a high-sodium diet is dependent on infiltrating macrophages. However, lingual CD68+ macrophage density was unchanged by sodium deficiency, indicating that distinct mechanisms may mediate lymphatic regression. Further studies are needed to test whether dietary sodium restriction is an effective, non-invasive co-therapy for oral cancer.

RETINAL DEEP CAPILLARY ISCHEMIA ASSOCIATED WITH AN OCCLUDED CONGENITAL RETINAL MACROVESSEL.

PubMed

Hasegawa, Taiji; Ogata, Nahoko

2017-01-01

To report the case of a patient with an occluded congenital retinal macrovessel accompanied by retinal deep capillary ischemia. A 38-year-old woman presented with a 2-day history of a paracentral scotoma of her right eye. Fundus photograph showed a dilated congenital retinal macrovessel with arteriovenous anastomosis, an intravascular white region indicating the thrombus at arteriovenous anastomotic region, and an area of retinal whitening temporal to the fovea. The spectral domain optical coherence tomography images through the area of retinal whitening showed a thickening and highly reflectivity at the level of the inner nuclear layer, which is likely due to the deep capillary ischemia. After 6 weeks, spectral domain optical coherence tomography images through the same area demonstrated a thinning and atrophy of only the inner nuclear layer, and the patient's paracentral scotoma persisted. Acute capillary hemodynamic changes caused deep capillary ischemia. The spectral domain optical coherence tomography showed a highly reflective lesion at the level of the inner nuclear layer in the acute phase.

Design and testing of a high power spacecraft thermal management system

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mccabe, Michael E., Jr.; Ku, Jentung; Benner, Steve

1988-01-01

The design and test results are presented of an ammonia hybrid capillary pumped loop thermal control system which could be used for heat acquisition and transport on future large space platforms and attached payloads, such as those associated with the NASA Space Station. The High Power Spacecraft Thermal Management System (HPSTM) can operate as either a passive, capillary pumped two phase thermal control system, or, when additional pressure head is required, as a mechanically pumped loop. Testing has shown that in the capillary mode, the HPSTM evaporators can acquire a total heat load of between 600 W and 24 kW, transported over 10 meters, at a maximum heat flux density of 4.3 W/sq cm. With the mechanical pump circulating the ammonia, a heat acquisition potential of 52 kW was demonstrated for 15 minutes without an evaporator failure. These results represent a significant improvement over the maximum transport capability previously displayed in other capillary systems. The HPSTM system still retains the proven capillary capabilities of heat load sharing and flow control between evaporator plates, rapid power cycling, and nonuniform heating in both the capillary and hybrid operating modes.

Capillary electrophoresis for drug analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lurie, Ira S.

1999-02-01

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) is a high resolution separation technique which is amenable to a wide variety of solutes, including compounds which are thermally degradable, non-volatile and highly polar, and is therefore well suited for drug analysis. Techniques which have been used in our laboratory include electrokinetic chromatography (ECC), free zone electrophoresis (CZE) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). ECC, which uses a charged run buffer additive which migrates counter to osmotic flow, is excellent for many applications, including, drug screening and analyses of heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine samples. ECC approaches include the use of micelles and charged cyclodextrins, which allow for the separation of complex mixtures. Simultaneous separation of acidic, neutral and basic solutes and the resolution of optical isomers and positional isomers are possible. CZE has been used for the analysis of small ions (cations and anions) in heroin exhibits. For the ECC and CZE experiments performed in our laboratory, uncoated capillaries were used. In contrast, CEC uses capillaries packed with high performance liquid chromatography stationary phases, and offers both high peak capacities and unique selectivities. Applications include the analysis of cannabinoids and drug screening. Although CE suffers from limited concentration sensitivity, it is still applicable to trace analysis of drug samples, especially when using injection techniques such as stacking, or detection schemes such as laser induced fluorescence and extended pathlength UV.

Ultra-High-Speed DNA Fragment Separations Using Microfabricated Capillary Array Electrophoresis Chips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Woolley, Adam T.; Mathies, Richard A.

1994-11-01

Capillary electrophoresis arrays have been fabricated on planar glass substrates by photolithographic masking and chemical etching techniques. The photolithographically defined channel patterns were etched in a glass substrate, and then capillaries were formed by thermally bonding the etched substrate to a second glass slide. High-resolution electrophoretic separations of φX174 Hae III DNA restriction fragments have been performed with these chips using a hydroxyethyl cellulose sieving matrix in the channels. DNA fragments were fluorescently labeled with dye in the running buffer and detected with a laser-excited, confocal fluorescence system. The effects of variations in the electric field, procedures for injection, and sizes of separation and injection channels (ranging from 30 to 120 μm) have been explored. By use of channels with an effective length of only 3.5 cm, separations of φX174 Hae III DNA fragments from ≈70 to 1000 bp are complete in only 120 sec. We have also demonstrated high-speed sizing of PCR-amplified HLA-DQα alleles. This work establishes methods for high-speed, high-throughput DNA separations on capillary array electrophoresis chips.

Exploring the effect of nested capillaries on core-cladding mode resonances in hollow-core antiresonant fibers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Provino, Laurent; Taunay, Thierry

2018-02-01

Optimal suppression of higher-order modes (HOMs) in hollow-core antiresonant fibers comprising a single ring of thin-walled capillaries was previously studied, and can be achieved when the condition on the capillary-tocore diameter ratio is satisfied (d/D ≍ 0.68). Here we report on the conditions for maximizing the leakage losses of HOMs in hollow-core nested antiresonant node-less fibers, while preserving low confinement loss for the fundamental mode. Using an analytical model based on coupled capillary waveguides, as well as full-vector finite element modeling, we show that optimal d/D value leading to high leakage losses of HOMs, is strongly correlated to the size of nested capillaries. We also show that extremely high value of degree of HOM suppression (˜1200) at the resonant coupling is almost unchanged on a wide range of nested capillary diameter dN ested values. These results thus suggest the possibility of designing antiresonant fibers with nested elements, which show optimal guiding performances in terms of the HOM loss compared to that of the fundamental mode, for clearly defined paired values of the ratios dN ested/d and d/D. These can also tend towards a single-mode behavior only when the dimensionless parameter dN ested/d is less than 0.30, with identical wall thicknesses for all of the capillaries.

Trace detection of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) with a SERS-based capillary platform prepared by the in situ microwave synthesis of AgNPs.

PubMed

Yüksel, Sezin; Schwenke, Almut M; Soliveri, Guido; Ardizzone, Silvia; Weber, Karina; Cialla-May, Dana; Hoeppener, Stephanie; Schubert, Ulrich S; Popp, Jürgen

2016-10-05

In the present study, an ultra-sensitive and highly reproducible novel SERS-based capillary platform was developed and utilized for the trace detection of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC). The approach combines the advantages of microwave-assisted nanoparticle synthesis, plasmonics and capillary forces. By employing a microwave-assisted preparation method, glass capillaries were reproducibly coated with silver nanoparticles in a batch fabrication process that required a processing time of 3 min without needing to use any pre-surface modifications or add surfactants. The coated capillaries exhibited an excellent SERS activity with a high reproducibility and enabled the detection of low concentrations of target molecules. At the same time, only a small amount of analyte and a short and simple incubation process was required. The developed platform was applied to the spectroscopic characterization of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and its identification at concentration levels down to 1 nM. Thus, a highly efficient detection system for practical applications, e.g., in drug monitoring/detection, is introduced, which can be fabricated at low cost by using microwave-assisted batch synthesis techniques. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Bump Bonding Using Metal-Coated Carbon Nanotubes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamb, James L.; Dickie, Matthew R.; Kowalczyk, Robert S.; Liao, Anna; Bronikowski, Michael J.

2012-01-01

Bump bonding hybridization techniques use arrays of indium bumps to electrically and mechanically join two chips together. Surface-tension issues limit bump sizes to roughly as wide as they are high. Pitches are limited to 50 microns with bumps only 8-14 microns high on each wafer. A new process uses oriented carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with a metal (indium) in a wicking process using capillary actions to increase the aspect ratio and pitch density of the connections for bump bonding hybridizations. It merges the properties of the CNTs and the metal bumps, providing enhanced material performance parameters. By merging the bumps with narrow and long CNTs oriented in the vertical direction, higher aspect ratios can be obtained if the metal can be made to wick. Possible aspect ratios increase from 1:1 to 20:1 for most applications, and to 100:1 for some applications. Possible pitch density increases of a factor of 10 are possible. Standard capillary theory would not normally allow indium or most other metals to be drawn into the oriented CNTs, because they are non-wetting. However, capillary action can be induced through the ability to fabricate oriented CNT bundles to desired spacings, and the use of deposition techniques and temperature to control the size and mobility of the liquid metal streams and associated reservoirs. This hybridization of two technologies (indium bumps and CNTs) may also provide for some additional benefits such as improved thermal management and possible current density increases.

Minimized Capillary End Effect During CO2 Displacement in 2-D Micromodel by Manipulating Capillary Pressure at the Outlet Boundary in Lattice Boltzmann Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Dong Hun; Yun, Tae Sup

2018-02-01

We propose a new outflow boundary condition to minimize the capillary end effect for a pore-scale CO2 displacement simulation. The Rothman-Keller lattice Boltzmann method with multi-relaxation time is implemented to manipulate a nonflat wall and inflow-outflow boundaries with physically acceptable fluid properties in 2-D microfluidic chip domain. Introducing a mean capillary pressure acting at CO2-water interface to the nonwetting fluid at the outlet effectively prevents CO2 injection pressure from suddenly dropping upon CO2 breakthrough such that the continuous CO2 invasion and the increase of CO2 saturation are allowed. This phenomenon becomes most pronounced at capillary number of logCa = -5.5, while capillary fingering and massive displacement of CO2 prevail at low and high capillary numbers, respectively. Simulations with different domain length in homogeneous and heterogeneous domains reveal that capillary pressure and CO2 saturation near the inlet are reproducible compared with those with a proposed boundary condition. The residual CO2 saturation uniquely follows the increasing tendency with increasing capillary number, corroborated by experimental evidences. The determination of the mean capillary pressure and its sensitivity are also discussed. The proposed boundary condition is commonly applicable to other pore-scale simulations to accurately capture the spatial distribution of nonwetting fluid and corresponding displacement ratio.

Quantitative nailfold capillaroscopy findings in a population with connective tissue disease and in normal healthy controls.

PubMed Central

Kabasakal, Y; Elvins, D M; Ring, E F; McHugh, N J

1996-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To describe and quantify the morphological characteristics of nailfold capillaries that distinguish different forms of connective tissue disease from healthy controls. METHODS: A CCD video microscope with fibreoptic illumination and PC based image processing was used to visualise nailfold capillaries and to quantify findings in 23 patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), 22 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 21 patients with undifferentiated connective tissue disease (UCTD), and 38 healthy controls. RESULTS: Capillary density was reduced in SSc (5.2 (SD 1.3) capillaries/mm) compared with other patient groups and controls. The average number of enlarged capillaries/finger was high in all disease groups (5.5-6.6) compared with controls (2). However, giant capillaries were most frequent in SSc (43%) and were not present in controls. Mild and moderate avascular areas were present in all groups (35%-68%), but severe avascularity was most frequent in SSc (44%) compared with other patients (18%-19%) and controls (0%). The greatest frequency of extensive haemorrhage was in SSc (35%). CONCLUSIONS: There is a range of abnormal capillary findings in patients with connective tissue disease and healthy controls. However, certain abnormalities such as a reduced number of capillaries, severe avascularity, giant capillaries, and haemorrhage are most commonly associated with SSc. Videomicroscopy with image processing offers many technical advantages that can be exploited in further studies of nailfold capillaries. Images PMID:8774177

Analysis of glycosaminoglycan-derived disaccharides by capillary electrophoresis using laser-induced fluorescence detection

PubMed Central

Chang, Yuqing; Yang, Bo; Zhao, Xue; Linhardt, Robert J.

2012-01-01

A quantitative and highly sensitive method for the analysis of glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-derived disaccharides is presented that relies on capillary electrophoresis (CE) with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection. This method enables complete separation of seventeen GAG-derived disaccharides in a single run. Unsaturated disaccharides were derivatized with 2-aminoacridone (AMAC) to improve sensitivity. The limit of detection was at the attomole level and about 100-fold more sensitive than traditional CE-ultraviolet detection. A CE separation timetable was developed to achieve complete resolution and shorten analysis time. The RSD of migration time and peak areas at both low and high concentrations of unsaturated disaccharides are all less than 2.7% and 3.2%, respectively, demonstrating that this is a reproducible method. This analysis was successfully applied to cultured Chinese hamster ovary cell samples for determination of GAG disaccharides. The current method simplifies GAG extraction steps, and reduces inaccuracy in calculating ratios of heparin/heparan sulfate to chondroitin sulfate/dermatan sulfate, resulting from the separate analyses of a single sample. PMID:22609076

Simplified multiple headspace extraction gas chromatographic technique for determination of monomer solubility in water.

PubMed

Chai, X S; Schork, F J; DeCinque, Anthony

2005-04-08

This paper reports an improved headspace gas chromatographic (GC) technique for determination of monomer solubilities in water. The method is based on a multiple headspace extraction GC technique developed previously [X.S. Chai, Q.X. Hou, F.J. Schork, J. Appl. Polym. Sci., in press], but with the major modification in the method calibration technique. As a result, only a few iterations of headspace extraction and GC measurement are required, which avoids the "exhaustive" headspace extraction, and thus the experimental time for each analysis. For highly insoluble monomers, effort must be made to minimize adsorption in the headspace sampling channel, transportation conduit and capillary column by using higher operating temperature and a short capillary column in the headspace sampler and GC system. For highly water soluble monomers, a new calibration method is proposed. The combinations of these technique modifications results in a method that is simple, rapid and automated. While the current focus of the authors is on the determination of monomer solubility in aqueous solutions, the method should be applicable to determination of solubility of any organic in water.

A Contactless Capacitance Detection System for Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Peter

2008-05-01

The design, construction and operation of a simple, inexpensive and compact high voltage power supply for use in conjunction with a simple cross, capillary electrophoresis microchip is presented. The detection system utilizes a single high voltage power supply (15 kV), a voltage divider network for obtaining the required voltages for enabling a gated injection valve, and two high voltage relays for switching between the open and closed gate sequences of the injection. The system is used to determine sodium monofluoroacetate (MFA) concentration in diluted fruit juices and tap water. A separation buffer consisting of 20 mM citric acid and histidine at pH 3.5 enabled the detection of the anion in diluted apple juice, cranberry juice, and orange juice without lengthy sample pretreatments. Limit of detection in diluted juices and tap water were determined to be 125, 167, 138, and 173 mg/L for tap water, apple juice, cranberry juice, and orange juice, respectively, based upon an S/N of 3:1. The total analysis time for detecting the MFA anion in fruit juices was less than 5 min, which represents a considerable reduction in analysis time compared to other analytical methods currently used in food analysis.

A glass capillary based microfluidic electromembrane extraction of basic degradation products of nitrogen mustard and VX from water.

PubMed

Tak, Vijay; Kabra, Ankur; Pardasani, Deepak; Goud, D Raghavender; Jain, Rajeev; Dubey, D K

2015-12-24

In this work, a glass capillary based microfluidic electromembrane extraction (μ-EME) was demonstrated for the first time. The device was made by connecting an auxillary borosilicate glass tubing (O.D. 3mm, I.D. 2mm) perpendicular to main borosilicate glass capillary just below one end of the capillary (O.D. 8mm, I.D. 1.2mm). It generated the distorted T-shaped device with inlet '1' and inlet '2' for the introduction of sample and acceptor solutions, respectively. At one end of this device (inlet '2'), a microsyringe containing acceptor solution along with hollow fiber (O.D. 1000μm) was introduced. This configuration creates the micro-channel between inner wall of glass capillary and outer surface of hollow fiber. Sample solution was pumped into the system through another end of glass capillary (inlet '1'), with a micro-syringe pump. The sample was in direct contact with the supported liquid membrane (SLM), consisted of 20% (w/w) di-(2-ethylhexyl)phosphate in 2-nitrophenyl octyl ether immobilized in the pores of the hollow fiber. In the lumen of the hollow fiber, the acceptor phase was present. The driving force for extraction was direct current (DC) electrical potential sustained over the SLM. Highly polar (logP=-2.5 to 1.4) basic degradation products of nitrogen mustard and VX were selected as model analytes. The influence of chemical composition of SLM, extraction time, voltage and pH of donor and acceptor phase were investigated. The model analytes were extracted from 10μL of pure water with recoveries ranging from 15.7 to 99.7% just after 3min of operation time. Under optimized conditions, good limits of detection (2-50ngmL(-1)), linearity (from 5-1000 to 100-1000ngmL(-1)), and repeatability (RSDs below 11.9%, n=3) were achieved. Applicability of the proposed μ-EME was proved by recovering triethanolamine (31.3%) from 10μL of five times diluted original water sample provided by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons during 28th official proficiency test. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Adsorption detection for polylysine biomolecules based on high-Q silica capillary whispering gallery mode microresonator

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Jixuan; Liu, Bo; Zhang, Hao; Song, Binbin

2017-11-01

A silica-capillary-based whispering gallery mode (WGM) microresonator has been proposed and experimentally demonstrated for the real-time monitoring of the polylysine adsorption process. The spectral characteristics of the WGM resonance dips with high quality factor and good wavelength selectivity have been investigated to evaluate the dynamic process for the binding of polylysine with a capillary surface. The WGM transmission spectrum shows a regular shift with increments of observation time, which could be exploited for the analysis of the polylysine adsorption process. The proposed WGM microresonator system possesses desirable qualities such as high sensitivity, fast response, label-free method, high detection resolution and compactness, which could find promising applications in histology and related bioengineering areas.

Electrokinetic high pressure hydraulic system

DOEpatents

Paul, Phillip H.; Rakestraw, David J.; Arnold, Don W.; Hencken, Kenneth R.; Schoeniger, Joseph S.; Neyer, David W.

2001-01-01

An electrokinetic high pressure hydraulic pump for manipulating fluids in capillary-based systems. The pump uses electro-osmotic flow to provide a high pressure hydraulic system, having no moving mechanical parts, for pumping and/or compressing fluids, for providing valve means and means for opening and closing valves, for controlling fluid flow rate, and manipulating fluid flow generally and in capillary-based systems (Microsystems), in particular. The compact nature of the inventive high pressure hydraulic pump provides the ability to construct a micro-scale or capillary-based HPLC system that fulfills the desire for small sample quantity, low solvent consumption, improved efficiency, the ability to run samples in parallel, and field portability. Control of pressure and solvent flow rate is achieved by controlling the voltage applied to an electrokinetic pump.

Electrokinetic high pressure hydraulic system

DOEpatents

Paul, Phillip H.; Rakestraw, David J.; Arnold, Don W.; Hencken, Kenneth R.; Schoeniger, Joseph S.; Neyer, David W.

2003-06-03

An electrokinetic high pressure hydraulic pump for manipulating fluids in capillary-based system. The pump uses electro-osmotic flow to provide a high pressure hydraulic system, having no moving mechanical parts, for pumping and/or compressing fluids, for providing valve means and means for opening and closing valves, for controlling fluid flow rate, and manipulating fluid flow generally and in capillary-based systems (microsystems), in particular. The compact nature of the inventive high pressure hydraulic pump provides the ability to construct a micro-scale or capillary-based HPLC system that fulfills the desire for small sample quantity, low solvent consumption, improved efficiency, the ability to run samples in parallel, and field portability. Control of pressure and solvent flow rate is achieved by controlling the voltage applied to an electrokinetic pump.

Multistaged stokes injected Raman capillary waveguide amplifier

DOEpatents

Kurnit, Norman A.

1980-01-01

A multistaged Stokes injected Raman capillary waveguide amplifier for providing a high gain Stokes output signal. The amplifier uses a plurality of optically coupled capillary waveguide amplifiers and one or more regenerative amplifiers to increase Stokes gain to a level sufficient for power amplification. Power amplification is provided by a multifocused Raman gain cell or a large diameter capillary waveguide. An external source of CO.sub.2 laser radiation can be injected into each of the capillary waveguide amplifier stages to increase Raman gain. Devices for injecting external sources of CO.sub.2 radiation include: dichroic mirrors, prisms, gratings and Ge Brewster plates. Alternatively, the CO.sub.2 input radiation to the first stage can be coupled and amplified between successive stages.

Sol-gel approach to in situ creation of high pH-resistant surface-bonded organic-inorganic hybrid zirconia coating for capillary microextraction (in-tube SPME).

PubMed

Alhooshani, Khalid; Kim, Tae-Young; Kabir, Abuzar; Malik, Abdul

2005-01-07

A novel zirconia-based hybrid organic-inorganic sol-gel coating was developed for capillary microextraction (CME) (in-tube SPME). High degree of chemical inertness inherent in zirconia makes it very difficult to covalently bind a suitable organic ligand to its surface. In the present work, this problem was addressed from a sol-gel chemistry point of view. Principles of sol-gel chemistry were employed to chemically bind a hydroxy-terminated silicone polymer (polydimethyldiphenylsiloxane, PDMDPS) to a sol-gel zirconia network in the course of its evolution from a highly reactive alkoxide precursor undergoing controlled hydrolytic polycondensation reactions. A fused silica capillary was filled with a properly designed sol solution to allow for the sol-gel reactions to take place within the capillary for a predetermined period of time (typically 15-30 min). In the course of this process, a layer of the evolving hybrid organic-inorganic sol-gel polymer got chemically anchored to the silanol groups on the capillary inner walls via condensation reaction. At the end of this in-capillary residence time, the unbonded part of the sol solution was expelled from the capillary under helium pressure, leaving behind a chemically bonded sol-gel zirconia-PDMDPS coating on the inner walls. Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, and aldehydes were efficiently extracted and preconcentrated from dilute aqueous samples using sol-gel zirconia-PDMDPS coated capillaries followed by thermal desorption and GC analysis of the extracted solutes. The newly developed sol-gel hybrid zirconia coatings demonstrated excellent pH stability, and retained the extraction characteristics intact even after continuous rinsing with a 0.1 M NaOH solution for 24 h. To our knowledge, this is the first report on the use of a sol-gel zirconia-based hybrid organic-inorganic coating as an extraction medium in solid phase microextraction (SPME).

Chiral analysis of UV nonabsorbing compounds by capillary electrophoresis using macrocyclic antibiotics: 1. Separation of aspartic and glutamic acid enantiomers.

PubMed

Bednar, P; Aturki, Z; Stransky, Z; Fanali, S

2001-07-01

Glycopeptide antibiotics, namely vancomycin or teicoplanin, were evaluated in capillary electrophoresis for the analysis of UV nonabsorbing compounds such as aspartic and glutamic acid enantiomers. Electrophoretic runs were performed in laboratory-made polyacrylamide-coated capillaries using the partial filling-counter current method in order to avoid the presence on the detector path of the absorbing chiral selector. The background electrolyte consisted of an aqueous or aqueous-organic buffer in the pH range of 4.5-6.5 of sorbic acid/histidine and the appropriate concentration of chiral selector. Several experimental parameters such as antibiotic concentration and type, buffer pH, organic modifier, type and concentration of absorbing co-ion (for the indirect UV detection) were studied in order to find the optimum conditions for the chiral resolution of the two underivatized amino acids in their enantiomers. Among the two investigated chiral selectors, vancomycin resulted to be the most useful chiral selector allowing relatively high chiral resolution of the studied compounds even at low concentration. The optimized method (10 mM sorbic acid/histidine, pH 5, and 10 mM of vancomycin) was used for the analysis of real samples such as teeth dentine and beer.

Design of fluidic self-assembly bonds for precise component positioning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ramadoss, Vivek; Crane, Nathan B.

2008-02-01

Self Assembly is a promising alternative to conventional pick and place robotic assembly of micro components. Its benefits include parallel integration of parts with low equipment costs. Various approaches to self assembly have been demonstrated, yet demanding applications like assembly of micro-optical devices require increased positioning accuracy. This paper proposes a new method for design of self assembly bonds that addresses this need. Current methods have zero force at the desired assembly position and low stiffness. This allows small disturbance forces to create significant positioning errors. The proposed method uses a substrate assembly feature to provide a high accuracy alignment guide to the part. The capillary bond region of the part and substrate are then modified to create a non-zero positioning force to maintain the part in the desired assembly position. Capillary force models show that this force aligns the part to the substrate assembly feature and reduces sensitivity of part position to process variation. Thus, the new configuration can substantially improve positioning accuracy of capillary self-assembly. This will result in a dramatic decrease in positioning errors in the micro parts. Various binding site designs are analyzed and guidelines are proposed for the design of an effective assembly bond using this new approach.

Liquid-metal plasma-facing component research on the National Spherical Torus Experiment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jaworski, M. A.; Khodak, A.; Kaita, R.

2013-12-01

Liquid metal plasma-facing components (PFCs) have been proposed as a means of solving several problems facing the creation of economically viable fusion power reactors. Liquid metals face critical issues in three key areas: free-surface stability, material migration and demonstration of integrated scenarios. To date, few demonstrations exist of this approach in a diverted tokamak and we here provide an overview of such work on the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX). The liquid lithium divertor (LLD) was installed and operated for the 2010 run campaign using evaporated coatings as the filling method. Despite a nominal liquid level exceeding the capillary structure and peak current densities into the PFCs exceeding 100 kA m-2, no macroscopic ejection events were observed. The stability can be understood from a Rayleigh-Taylor instability analysis. Capillary restraint and thermal-hydraulic considerations lead to a proposed liquid-metal PFCs scheme of actively-supplied, capillary-restrained systems. Even with state-of-the-art cooling techniques, design studies indicate that the surface temperature with divertor-relevant heat fluxes will still reach temperatures above 700 °C. At this point, one would expect significant vapor production from a liquid leading to a continuously vapor-shielded regime. Such high-temperature liquid lithium PFCs may be possible on the basis of momentum-balance arguments.

Cerebral capillary velocimetry based on temporal OCT speckle contrast.

PubMed

Choi, Woo June; Li, Yuandong; Qin, Wan; Wang, Ruikang K

2016-12-01

We propose a new optical coherence tomography (OCT) based method to measure red blood cell (RBC) velocities of single capillaries in the cortex of rodent brain. This OCT capillary velocimetry exploits quantitative laser speckle contrast analysis to estimate speckle decorrelation rate from the measured temporal OCT speckle signals, which is related to microcirculatory flow velocity. We hypothesize that OCT signal due to sub-surface capillary flow can be treated as the speckle signal in the single scattering regime and thus its time scale of speckle fluctuations can be subjected to single scattering laser speckle contrast analysis to derive characteristic decorrelation time. To validate this hypothesis, OCT measurements are conducted on a single capillary flow phantom operating at preset velocities, in which M-mode B-frames are acquired using a high-speed OCT system. Analysis is then performed on the time-varying OCT signals extracted at the capillary flow, exhibiting a typical inverse relationship between the estimated decorrelation time and absolute RBC velocity, which is then used to deduce the capillary velocities. We apply the method to in vivo measurements of mouse brain, demonstrating that the proposed approach provides additional useful information in the quantitative assessment of capillary hemodynamics, complementary to that of OCT angiography.

Influence of the capillary on the ignition of the transient spark discharge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerling, T.; Hoder, T.; Brandenburg, R.; Bussiahn, R.; Weltmann, K.-D.

2013-04-01

A self-pulsing negative dc discharge in argon generated in a needle-to-plane geometry at open atmosphere is investigated. Additionally, the needle electrode can be surrounded by a quartz capillary. It is shown that the relative position of the capillary end to the needle tip strongly influences the discharge inception and its spatio-temporal dynamics. Without the capillary for the selected working parameters a streamer corona is ignited, but when the capillary surrounds the needle, the transient spark (TS) discharge is ignited after a pre-streamer (PS) occurs. The time between PS and TS discharge depends on the relative capillary end position. The existence of the PS is confirmed by electro-optical characterization. Furthermore, spectrally and spatio-temporally resolved cross-correlation spectroscopy is applied to show the most active region of pre-phase emission activity as indicators for high local electric field strength. The results indicate that with a capillary in place, the necessary energy input of the pre-phase into the system is mainly reduced by additional electrical fields at the capillary edge. Even such a small change as a shift of dielectric surface close to the plasma largely changes the energy balance in the system.

Multi-capillary based optical sensors for highly sensitive protein detection

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Okuyama, Yasuhira; Katagiri, Takashi; Matsuura, Yuji

2017-04-01

A fluorescence measuring method based on glass multi-capillary for detecting trace amounts of proteins is proposed. It promises enhancement of sensitivity due to effects of the adsorption area expansion and the longitudinal excitation. The sensitivity behavior of this method was investigated by using biotin-streptavidin binding. According to experimental examinations, it was found that the sensitivity was improved by a factor of 70 from common glass wells. We also confirmed our measuring system could detect 1 pg/mL of streptavidin. These results suggest that multi-capillary has a potential as a high-sensitive biosensor.

Direct Printing of Stretchable Elastomers for Highly Sensitive Capillary Pressure Sensors.

PubMed

Liu, Wenguang; Yan, Chaoyi

2018-03-28

We demonstrate the successful fabrication of highly sensitive capillary pressure sensors using an innovative 3D printing method. Unlike conventional capacitive pressure sensors where the capacitance changes were due to the pressure-induced interspace variations between the parallel plate electrodes, in our capillary sensors the capacitance was determined by the extrusion and extraction of liquid medium and consequent changes of dielectric constants. Significant pressure sensitivity advances up to 547.9 KPa -1 were achieved. Moreover, we suggest that our innovative capillary pressure sensors can adopt a wide range of liquid mediums, such as ethanol, deionized water, and their mixtures. The devices also showed stable performances upon repeated pressing cycles. The direct and versatile printing method combined with the significant performance advances are expected to find important applications in future stretchable and wearable electronics.

Capillary Array Waveguide Amplified Fluorescence Detector for mHealth

PubMed Central

Balsam, Joshua; Bruck, Hugh Alan; Rasooly, Avraham

2013-01-01

Mobile Health (mHealth) analytical technologies are potentially useful for carrying out modern medical diagnostics in resource-poor settings. Effective mHealth devices for underserved populations need to be simple, low cost, and portable. Although cell phone cameras have been used for biodetection, their sensitivity is a limiting factor because currently it is too low to be effective for many mHealth applications, which depend on detection of weak fluorescent signals. To improve the sensitivity of portable phones, a capillary tube array was developed to amplify fluorescence signals using their waveguide properties. An array configured with 36 capillary tubes was demonstrated to have a ~100X increase in sensitivity, lowering the limit of detection (LOD) of mobile phones from 1000 nM to 10 nM for fluorescein. To confirm that the amplification was due to waveguide behavior, we coated the external surfaces of the capillaries with silver. The silver coating interfered with the waveguide behavior and diminished the fluorescence signal, thereby proving that the waveguide behavior was the main mechanism for enhancing optical sensitivity. The optical configuration described here is novel in several ways. First, the use of capillaries waveguide properties to improve detection of weak florescence signal is new. Second we describe here a three dimensional illumination system, while conventional angular laser waveguide illumination is spot (or line), which is functionally one-dimensional illumination, can illuminate only a single capillary or a single column (when a line generator is used) of capillaries and thus inherently limits the multiplexing capability of detection. The planar illumination demonstrated in this work enables illumination of a two dimensional capillary array (e.g. x columns and y rows of capillaries). In addition, the waveguide light propagation via the capillary wall provides a third dimension for illumination along the axis of the capillaries. Such an array can potentially be used for sensitive analysis of multiple fluorescent detection assays simultaneously. The simple phone based capillary array approach presented in this paper is capable of amplifying weak fluorescent signals thereby improving the sensitivity of optical detectors based on mobile phones. This may allow sensitive biological assays to be measured with low sensitivity detectors and may make mHealth practical for many diagnostics applications, especially in resource-poor and global health settings. PMID:24039345

Distinctive Capillary Action by Micro-channels in Bone-like Templates can Enhance Recruitment of Cells for Restoration of Large Bony Defect.

PubMed

Oh, Daniel S; Koch, Alia; Eisig, Sidney; Kim, Sahng Gyoon; Kim, Yoon Hyuk; Kim, Do-Gyoon; Shim, Jae Hyuck

2015-09-11

Without an active, thriving cell population that is well-distributed and stably anchored to the inserted template, exceptional bone regeneration does not occur. With conventional templates, the absence of internal micro-channels results in the lack of cell infiltration, distribution, and inhabitance deep inside the templates. Hence, a highly porous and uniformly interconnected trabecular-bone-like template with micro-channels (biogenic microenvironment template; BMT) has been developed to address these obstacles. The novel BMT was created by innovative concepts (capillary action) and fabricated with a sponge-template coating technique. The BMT consists of several structural components: inter-connected primary-pores (300-400 µm) that mimic pores in trabecular bone, micro-channels (25-70 µm) within each trabecula, and nanopores (100-400 nm) on the surface to allow cells to anchor. Moreover, the BMT has been documented by mechanical test study to have similar mechanical strength properties to those of human trabecular bone (~3.8 MPa)12. The BMT exhibited high absorption, retention, and habitation of cells throughout the bridge-shaped (Π) templates (3 cm height and 4 cm length). The cells that were initially seeded into one end of the templates immediately mobilized to the other end (10 cm distance) by capillary action of the BMT on the cell media. After 4 hr, the cells homogenously occupied the entire BMT and exhibited normal cellular behavior. The capillary action accounted for the infiltration of the cells suspended in the media and the distribution (active migration) throughout the BMT. Having observed these capabilities of the BMT, we project that BMTs will absorb bone marrow cells, growth factors, and nutrients from the periphery under physiological conditions. The BMT may resolve current limitations via rapid infiltration, homogenous distribution and inhabitance of cells in large, volumetric templates to repair massive skeletal defects.

Characterization of voids formed during liquid impregnation of nonwoven multifilament glass networks as related to composite processing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mahale, Anant D.; Prudhomme, Robert K.; Rebenfeld, Ludwig

1993-01-01

A technique based on matching the refractive index of an invading liquid to that of a fiber mat was used to study entrapment of air ('voids') that occurs during forced in-plane radial flow into nonwoven multifilament glass networks. The usefulness of this technique is demonstrated in quantifying and mapping the air pockets. Experiments with a series of fluids with surface tensions varying from 28 x 10(exp -3) to 36 x 10(exp -3) N/m, viscosities from 45 x 10(exp -3) to 290 x 10(exp -3) Pa.s, and inlet flow rates from 0.15 x 10(exp -6) to 0.75 x 10(exp -6) m(exp 3)/s, showed that void content is a function of the capillary number characterizing the flow process. A critical value of capillary number, Ca = 2.5 x 10(exp -3), identifies a zone below which void content increases exponentially with decreasing capillary number. Above this critical value, negligible entrapment of voids is observed. Similar experiments carried out on surface treated nonwoven mats spanning a range of equilibrium contact angles from 20 deg to 78 deg showed that there is a critical contact angle above which negligible entrapment is observed. Below this value, there is no apparent effect of contact angle on the void fraction - capillary number relationship described earlier. Studies on the effect of filament wettability, and fluid velocity and viscosity on the size of the entrapment (voids) were also carried out. These indicate that larger sized entrapments which envelop more than one pore are favored by a low capillary number in comparison to smaller, pore level bubbles. Experiments were carried out on deformed mats - imposing high permeability spots at regular intervals on a background of low permeability. The effect of these spatial fluctuations in heterogeneity of the mat on entrapment is currently being studied.

Circumventing Imprecise Geometric Information and Development of a Unified Modeling Technique for Various Flow Regimes in Capillary Tubes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abbasi, Bahman

2012-11-01

Owing to their manufacturability and reliability, capillary tubes are the most common expansion devices in household refrigerators. Therefore, investigating flow properties in the capillary tubes is of immense appeal in the said business. The models to predict pressure drop in two-phase internal flows invariably rely upon highly precise geometric information. The manner in which capillary tubes are manufactured makes them highly susceptible to geometric imprecisions, which renders geometry-based models unreliable to the point of obsoleteness. Aware of the issue, manufacturers categorize capillary tubes based on Nitrogen flow rate through them. This categorization method presents an opportunity to substitute geometric details with Nitrogen flow data as the basis for customized models. The simulation tools developed by implementation of this technique have the singular advantage of being applicable across flow regimes. Thus the error-prone process of identifying compatible correlations is eliminated. Equally importantly, compressibility and chocking effects can be incorporated in the same model. The outcome is a standalone correlation that provides accurate predictions, regardless of any particular fluid or flow regime. Thereby, exploratory investigations for capillary tube design and optimization are greatly simplified. Bahman Abbasi, Ph.D., is Lead Advanced Systems Engineer at General Electric Appliances in Louisville, KY. He conducts research projects across disciplines in the household refrigeration industry.

Design and operation of a portable scanner for high performance microchip capillary array electrophoresis.

PubMed

Scherer, James R; Liu, Peng; Mathies, Richard A

2010-11-01

We have developed a compact, laser-induced fluorescence detection scanner, the multichannel capillary array electrophoresis portable scanner (McCAEPs) as a platform for electrophoretic detection and control of high-throughput, integrated microfluidic devices for genetic and other analyses. The instrument contains a confocal optical system with a rotary objective for detecting four different fluorescence signals, a pneumatic system consisting of two pressure/vacuum pumps and 28 individual addressable solenoid valves for control of on-chip microvalves and micropumps, four Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) temperature control systems, and four high voltage power supplies for electrophoresis. The detection limit of the instrument is ~20 pM for on-chip capillary electrophoresis of fluorescein dyes. To demonstrate the system performance for forensic short tandem repeat (STR) analysis, two experiments were conducted: (i) electrophoretic separation and detection of STR samples on a 96-lane microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis microchip. Fully resolved PowerPlex(®) 16 STR profiles amplified from 1 ng of 9947A female standard DNA were successfully obtained; (ii) nine-plex STR amplification, sample injection, separation, and fluorescence detection of 100-copy 9948 male standard DNA in a single integrated PCR- capillary electrophoresis microchip. These results demonstrate that the McCAEPs can be used as a versatile control and detection instrument that operates integrated microfluidic devices for high-performance forensic human identification.

Design and operation of a portable scanner for high performance microchip capillary array electrophoresis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scherer, James R.; Liu, Peng; Mathies, Richard A.

2010-11-01

We have developed a compact, laser-induced fluorescence detection scanner, the multichannel capillary array electrophoresis portable scanner (McCAEPs) as a platform for electrophoretic detection and control of high-throughput, integrated microfluidic devices for genetic and other analyses. The instrument contains a confocal optical system with a rotary objective for detecting four different fluorescence signals, a pneumatic system consisting of two pressure/vacuum pumps and 28 individual addressable solenoid valves for control of on-chip microvalves and micropumps, four Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) temperature control systems, and four high voltage power supplies for electrophoresis. The detection limit of the instrument is ˜20 pM for on-chip capillary electrophoresis of fluorescein dyes. To demonstrate the system performance for forensic short tandem repeat (STR) analysis, two experiments were conducted: (i) electrophoretic separation and detection of STR samples on a 96-lane microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis microchip. Fully resolved PowerPlex® 16 STR profiles amplified from 1 ng of 9947A female standard DNA were successfully obtained; (ii) nine-plex STR amplification, sample injection, separation, and fluorescence detection of 100-copy 9948 male standard DNA in a single integrated PCR- capillary electrophoresis microchip. These results demonstrate that the McCAEPs can be used as a versatile control and detection instrument that operates integrated microfluidic devices for high-performance forensic human identification.

Affinity capillary electrophoresis for studying interactions in life sciences.

PubMed

Olabi, Mais; Stein, Matthias; Wätzig, Hermann

2018-05-10

Affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE) analyzes noncovalent interactions between ligands and analytes based on changes in their electrophoretic mobility. This technique has been widely used to investigate various biomolecules, mainly proteins, polysaccharides and hormones. ACE is becoming a technique of choice to validate high throughput screening results, since it is very predictively working in realistic and relevant media, e.g. in body fluids. It is highly recommended to incorporate ACE as a powerful analytical tool to properly prepare animal testing and preclinical studies. The interacting molecules can be found free in solution or can be immobilized to a solid support. Thus, ACE is classified in two modes, free solution ACE and immobilized ACE. Every ACE mode has advantages and disadvantages. Each can be used for a variety of applications. This review covers literature of scopus and SciFinder data base in the period from 2016 until beginning 2018, including the keywords "affinity capillary electrophoresis", "immunoaffinity capillary electrophoresis", "immunoassay capillary electrophoresis" and "immunosorbent capillary electrophoresis". More than 200 articles have been found and 112 have been selected and thoroughly discussed. During this period, the data processing and the underlying calculations in mobility shift ACE (ms ACE), frontal analysis ACE (FA ACE) and plug-plug kinetic capillary electrophoresis (ppKCE) as mostly applied free solution techniques have substantially improved. The range of applications in diverse free solution and immobilized ACE techniques has been considerably broadened. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Fast plasma discharge capillary design as a high power throughput soft x-ray emission source.

PubMed

Wyndham, E S; Favre, M; Valdivia, M P; Valenzuela, J C; Chuaqui, H; Bhuyan, H

2010-09-01

We present the experimental details and results from a low energy but high repetition rate compact plasma capillary source for extreme ultraviolet and soft x-ray research and applications. Two lengths of capillary are mounted in two versions of a closely related design. The discharge operates in 1.6 and 3.2 mm inner diameter alumina capillaries of lengths 21 and 36 mm. The use of water both as dielectric and as coolant simplifies the compact low inductance design with nanosecond discharge periods. The stored electrical energy of the discharge is approximately 0.5 J and is provided by directly charging the capacitor plates from an inexpensive insulated-gate bipolar transistor in 1 μs or less. We present characteristic argon spectra from plasma between 30 and 300 Å as well as temporally resolved x-ray energy fluence in discrete bands on axis. The spectra also allow the level of ablated wall material to be gauged and associated with useful capillary lifetime according to the chosen configuration and energy storage. The connection between the electron beams associated with the transient hollow cathode mechanism, soft x-ray output, capillary geometry, and capillary lifetime is reported. The role of these e-beams and the plasma as measured on-axis is discussed. The relation of the electron temperature and the ionization stages observed is discussed in the context of some model results of ionization in a non-Maxwellian plasma.

High-performance genetic analysis on microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis plastic chips fabricated by injection molding.

PubMed

Dang, Fuquan; Tabata, Osamu; Kurokawa, Masaya; Ewis, Ashraf A; Zhang, Lihua; Yamaoka, Yoshihisa; Shinohara, Shouji; Shinohara, Yasuo; Ishikawa, Mitsuru; Baba, Yoshinobu

2005-04-01

We have developed a novel technique for mass production of microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis (mu-CAE) plastic chips for high-speed, high-throughput genetic analysis. The mu-CAE chips, containing 10 individual separation channels of 50-microm width, 50-microm depth, and a 100-microm lane-to-lane spacing at the detection region and a sacrificial channel network, were fabricated on a poly(methyl methacrylate) substrate by injection molding and then bonded manually using a pressure-sensitive sealing tape within several seconds at room temperature. The conditions for injection molding and bonding were carefully characterized to yield mu-CAE chips with well-defined channel and injection structures. A CCD camera equipped with an image intensifier was used to monitor simultaneously the separation in a 10-channel array with laser-induced fluorescence detection. High-performance electrophoretic separations of phiX174 HaeIII DNA restriction fragments and PCR products related to the human beta-globin gene and SP-B gene (the surfactant protein B) have been demonstrated on mu-CAE plastic chips using a methylcellulose sieving matrix in individual channels. The current work demonstrated greatly simplified the fabrication process as well as a detection scheme for mu-CAE chips and will bring the low-cost mass production and application of mu-CAE plastic chips for genetic analysis.

Detection of nerve gases using surface-enhanced Raman scattering substrates with high droplet adhesion

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hakonen, Aron; Rindzevicius, Tomas; Schmidt, Michael Stenbæk; Andersson, Per Ola; Juhlin, Lars; Svedendahl, Mikael; Boisen, Anja; Käll, Mikael

2016-01-01

Threats from chemical warfare agents, commonly known as nerve gases, constitute a serious security issue of increasing global concern because of surging terrorist activity worldwide. However, nerve gases are difficult to detect using current analytical tools and outside dedicated laboratories. Here we demonstrate that surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can be used for sensitive detection of femtomol quantities of two nerve gases, VX and Tabun, using a handheld Raman device and SERS substrates consisting of flexible gold-covered Si nanopillars. The substrate surface exhibits high droplet adhesion and nanopillar clustering due to elasto-capillary forces, resulting in enrichment of target molecules in plasmonic hot-spots with high Raman enhancement. The results may pave the way for strategic life-saving SERS detection of chemical warfare agents in the field.Threats from chemical warfare agents, commonly known as nerve gases, constitute a serious security issue of increasing global concern because of surging terrorist activity worldwide. However, nerve gases are difficult to detect using current analytical tools and outside dedicated laboratories. Here we demonstrate that surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) can be used for sensitive detection of femtomol quantities of two nerve gases, VX and Tabun, using a handheld Raman device and SERS substrates consisting of flexible gold-covered Si nanopillars. The substrate surface exhibits high droplet adhesion and nanopillar clustering due to elasto-capillary forces, resulting in enrichment of target molecules in plasmonic hot-spots with high Raman enhancement. The results may pave the way for strategic life-saving SERS detection of chemical warfare agents in the field. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06524k

Regioisomeric and enantiomeric analyses of 24 designer cathinones and phenethylamines using ultra high performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis with added cyclodextrins.

PubMed

Li, Li; Lurie, Ira S

2015-09-01

DESIGNER: phenethylamines (PEAs) and cathinones have been encountered worldwide. Complete characterization of these substances can be challenging due to their chirality and variably substituted phenyl rings. In this study, 24 PEAs and cathinones were analyzed by ultra high performance liquid chromatography with photo diode array detection (UHPLC-PDA) on a variety of stationary phases, and by capillary electrophoresis on a dynamically coated capillary with PDA detection (CE-PDA). In the UHPLC-PDA study, a BEH Phenyl column resolved 18 of the 24 regioisomers in 8min, with good discrimination of the PEAs. In contrast, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) on a dynamically coated capillary partially or baseline resolved only 10 of the 24 regioisomers, but with improved discrimination of mono-substituted cathinones. A second series of CE-PDA experiments using 80mM (2-hydroxypropyl)-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) in the run buffer resolved all 24 regioisomers and all but two sets of enantiomers within 18min. Five illicit samples were successfully analyzed using the described methods. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Monolithic poly(1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane) capillary columns for simultaneous separation of low- and high-molecular-weight compounds.

PubMed

Greiderer, Andreas; Ligon, S Clark; Huck, Christian W; Bonn, Günther K

2009-08-01

Monolithic poly(1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane (BVPE)) capillary columns were prepared by thermally initiated free radical polymerisation of 1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane in the presence of inert diluents (porogens) and alpha,alpha'-azoisobutyronitrile (AIBN) as initiator. Polymerisations were accomplished in 200 microm ID fused silica capillaries at 65 degrees C and for 60 min. Mercury intrusion porosimetry measurements of the polymeric RP support showed a broad bimodal pore-size-distribution of mesopores and small macropores in the range of 5-400 nm and flow-channels in the mum range. N(2)-adsorption (BET) analysis resulted in a tremendous enhancement of surface area (101 m(2)/g) of BVPE stationary phases compared to typical organic monoliths (approximately 20 m(2)/g), indicating the presence of a considerable amount of mesopores. Consequently, the adequate proportion of both meso- and (small) macropores allowed the rapid and high-resolution separation of low-molecular-weight compounds as well as biomolecules on the same monolithic support. At the same time, the high fraction of flow-channels provided enhanced column permeability. The chromatographic performance of poly(1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane) capillary columns for the separation of biomolecules (proteins, oligonucleotides) and small molecules (alkyl benzenes, phenols, phenons) are demonstrated in this article. Additionally, pressure drop versus flow rate measurements of novel poly(1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane) capillary columns confirmed high mechanical robustness, low swelling in organic solvents and high permeability. Due to the simplicity of monolith fabrication, comprehensive studies of the retention and separation behaviour of monolithic BVPE columns resulted in high run-to-run and batch-to-batch reproducibilities. All these attributes prove the excellent applicability of monolithic poly(1,2-bis(p-vinylphenyl)ethane) capillary columns for micro-HPLC towards a huge range of analytes of different chemistries and molecular sizes.

Intra-and inter-observer reliability of nailfold videocapillaroscopy - A possible outcome measure for systemic sclerosis-related microangiopathy.

PubMed

Dinsdale, Graham; Moore, Tonia; O'Leary, Neil; Tresadern, Philip; Berks, Michael; Roberts, Christopher; Manning, Joanne; Allen, John; Anderson, Marina; Cutolo, Maurizio; Hesselstrand, Roger; Howell, Kevin; Pizzorni, Carmen; Smith, Vanessa; Sulli, Alberto; Wildt, Marie; Taylor, Christopher; Murray, Andrea; Herrick, Ariane L

2017-07-01

Our aim was to assess the reliability of nailfold capillary assessment in terms of image evaluability, image severity grade ('normal', 'early', 'active', 'late'), capillary density, capillary (apex) width, and presence of giant capillaries, and also to gain further insight into differences in these parameters between patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc), patients with primary Raynaud's phenomenon (PRP) and healthy control subjects. Videocapillaroscopy images (magnification 300×) were acquired from all 10 digits from 173 participants: 101 patients with SSc, 22 with PRP and 50 healthy controls. Ten capillaroscopy experts from 7 European centres evaluated the images. Custom image mark-up software allowed extraction of the following outcome measures: overall grade ('normal', 'early', 'active', 'late', 'non-specific', or 'ungradeable'), capillary density (vessels/mm), mean vessel apical width, and presence of giant capillaries. Observers analysed a median of 129 images each. Evaluability (i.e. the availability of measures) varied across outcome measures (e.g. 73.0% for density and 46.2% for overall grade in patients with SSc). Intra-observer reliability for evaluability was consistently higher than inter- (e.g. for density, intra-class correlation coefficient [ICC] was 0.71 within and 0.14 between observers). Conditional on evaluability, both intra- and inter-observer reliability were high for grade (ICC 0.93 and 0.78 respectively), density (0.91 and 0.64) and width (0.91 and 0.85). Evaluability is one of the major challenges in assessing nailfold capillaries. However, when images are evaluable, the high intra- and inter-reliabilities suggest that overall image grade, capillary density and apex width have potential as outcome measures in longitudinal studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous Detection of 13 Key Bacterial Respiratory Pathogens by Combination of Multiplex PCR and Capillary Electrophoresis.

PubMed

Jiang, Lu Xi; Ren, Hong Yu; Zhou, Hai Jian; Zhao, Si Hong; Hou, Bo Yan; Yan, Jian Ping; Qin, Tian; Chen, Yu

2017-08-01

Lower respiratory tract infections continue to pose a significant threat to human health. It is important to accurately and rapidly detect respiratory bacteria. To compensate for the limits of current respiratory bacteria detection methods, we developed a combination of multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and capillary electrophoresis (MPCE) assay to detect thirteen bacterial pathogens responsible for lower respiratory tract infections, including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Moraxella catarrhalis, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella spp., Bordetella pertussis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, and Streptococcus pyogenes. Three multiplex PCR reactions were built, and the products were analyzed by capillary electrophoresis using the high-throughput DNA analyzer. The specificity of the MPCE assay was examined and the detection limit was evaluated using DNA samples from each bacterial strain and the simulative samples of each strain. This assay was further evaluated using 152 clinical specimens and compared with real-time PCR reactions. For this assay, three nested-multiplex-PCRs were used to detect these clinical specimens. The detection limits of the MPCE assay for the 13 pathogens were very low and ranged from 10-7 to 10-2 ng/μL. Furthermore, analysis of the 152 clinical specimens yielded a specificity ranging from 96.5%-100.0%, and a sensitivity of 100.0% for the 13 pathogens. This study revealed that the MPCE assay is a rapid, reliable, and high-throughput method with high specificity and sensitivity. This assay has great potential in the molecular epidemiological survey of respiratory pathogens. Copyright © 2017 The Editorial Board of Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Published by China CDC. All rights reserved.

[Recent advances and applications of capillary electrochromatography and pressurized capillary electrochromatography].

PubMed

Wu, Yi; Zhang, Xiaohui; Wei, Juan; Xue, Yunyun; Bahatibieke, Marjan; Wang, Yan; Yan, Chao

2009-09-01

Capillary electrochromatography (CEC), in which electroosmotic flow (EOF) created from the electrical double layer is made to act as a pump to drive the mobile phase in a capillary column packed with micro-particulates or coated with stationary phase. Both neutral and charged species can be resolved by CEC. It has been demonstrated that the efficiency of a separation obtained by electroosmotic propulsion is superior to that obtained by pressure-driven flow (as is the case in HPLC). CEC combines the best features of CE and versatile selectivity and large sample capacity of HPLC, promising high efficiency, high resolution, high selectivity and high peak capacity. However, in practice, when CEC is used without pressure, often used on a commercial CE instrument, there are problems and difficulties associated with bubbles formation and column dry-out. These difficulties can be overcome by a pressurized CEC (pCEC) system, in which a supplementary pressure is applied to the column in addition to the EOF. In such a system, a pressure can be applied to the capillary column to suppress bubbles formation. Quantitative sample introduction in pCEC can be easily achieved through a rotary-type injector. Most importantly, it is amenable for a solvent gradient mode, similar to that in HPLC, by programming the composition of mobile phase. The article brings a comprehensive survey of recent development of CEC and pCEC, including the development of instrumentation, capillary columns and stationary phase as well as CEC and pCEC applications in life science, biotechnology, pharmaceutical analysis, food safety and environmental security. Prospects for CEC and pCEC development and application are also discussed.

Analysis of electrolyte transport through charged nanopores.

PubMed

Peters, P B; van Roij, R; Bazant, M Z; Biesheuvel, P M

2016-05-01

We revisit the classical problem of flow of electrolyte solutions through charged capillary nanopores or nanotubes as described by the capillary pore model (also called "space charge" theory). This theory assumes very long and thin pores and uses a one-dimensional flux-force formalism which relates fluxes (electrical current, salt flux, and fluid velocity) and driving forces (difference in electric potential, salt concentration, and pressure). We analyze the general case with overlapping electric double layers in the pore and a nonzero axial salt concentration gradient. The 3×3 matrix relating these quantities exhibits Onsager symmetry and we report a significant new simplification for the diagonal element relating axial salt flux to the gradient in chemical potential. We prove that Onsager symmetry is preserved under changes of variables, which we illustrate by transformation to a different flux-force matrix given by Gross and Osterle [J. Chem. Phys. 49, 228 (1968)JCPSA60021-960610.1063/1.1669814]. The capillary pore model is well suited to describe the nonlinear response of charged membranes or nanofluidic devices for electrokinetic energy conversion and water desalination, as long as the transverse ion profiles remain in local quasiequilibrium. As an example, we evaluate electrical power production from a salt concentration difference by reverse electrodialysis, using an efficiency versus power diagram. We show that since the capillary pore model allows for axial gradients in salt concentration, partial loops in current, salt flux, or fluid flow can develop in the pore. Predictions for macroscopic transport properties using a reduced model, where the potential and concentration are assumed to be invariant with radial coordinate ("uniform potential" or "fine capillary pore" model), are close to results of the full model.

Nonaqueous capillary electrophoresis of dextromethorphan and its metabolites.

PubMed

Pelcová, Marta; Langmajerová, Monika; Cvingráfová, Eliška; Juřica, Jan; Glatz, Zdeněk

2014-10-01

This study deals with the nonaqueous capillary electrophoretic separation of dextromethorphan and its metabolites using a methanolic background electrolyte. The optimization of separation conditions was performed in terms of the resolution of dextromethorphan and dextrorphan and the effect of separation temperature, voltage, and the characteristics of the background electrolyte were studied. Complete separation of all analytes was achieved in 40 mM ammonium acetate dissolved in methanol. Hydrodynamic injection was performed at 3 kPa for 4 s. The separation voltage was 20 kV accompanied by a low electric current. The ultraviolet detection was performed at 214 nm, the temperature of the capillary was 25°C. These conditions enabled the separation of four analytes plus the internal standard within 9 min. Further, the developed method was validated in terms of linearity, sensitivity, and repeatability. Rat liver perfusate samples were subjected to the nonaqueous capillary electrophoretic method to illustrate its applicability. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Influence of Sulphur Impurities on the Interfacial Tension between Aluminium and Cryolite Alumina Melts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Korenko, Michal

2007-06-01

The interfacial tension (IFT) between aluminium and cryolite melts containing different salt additions (AlF3, NaF,Na2SO4) has been measured during electrolysis by the capillary depression method. The technique is based on the measurement of the capillary depression occurring when a capillary, which is moved vertically down through the molten salt layer, passes through the metal/salt interface. The depression is measured by simultaneous video recording of the immersion height of the alumina capillary. The interfacial tension is strongly dependent on the n(NaF)/n(AlF3) ratio. The addition of Na2SO4 decreases the IFT of the aluminium/electrolyte interface. We also found the different influence of the conditions of electrolysis on the IFT in systems with and without Na2SO4. In systems without Na2SO4 the IFT decreases with increasing current density, and in systems with Na2SO4 it increases.

Gas-filled capillaries for plasma-based accelerators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippi, F.; Anania, M. P.; Brentegani, E.; Biagioni, A.; Cianchi, A.; Chiadroni, E.; Ferrario, M.; Pompili, R.; Romeo, S.; Zigler, A.

2017-07-01

Plasma Wakefield Accelerators are based on the excitation of large amplitude plasma waves excited by either a laser or a particle driver beam. The amplitude of the waves, as well as their spatial dimensions and the consequent accelerating gradient depend strongly on the background electron density along the path of the accelerated particles. The process needs stable and reliable plasma sources, whose density profile must be controlled and properly engineered to ensure the appropriate accelerating mechanism. Plasma confinement inside gas filled capillaries have been studied in the past since this technique allows to control the evolution of the plasma, ensuring a stable and repeatable plasma density distribution during the interaction with the drivers. Moreover, in a gas filled capillary plasma can be pre-ionized by a current discharge to avoid ionization losses. Different capillary geometries have been studied to allow the proper temporal and spatial evolution of the plasma along the acceleration length. Results of this analysis obtained by varying the length and the number of gas inlets will be presented.

Miniaturised electrically actuated high pressure injection valve for portable capillary liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Li, Yan; Pace, Kirsten; Nesterenko, Pavel N; Paull, Brett; Stanley, Roger; Macka, Mirek

2018-04-01

A miniaturised high pressure 6-port injection valve has been designed and evaluated for its performance in order to facilitate the development of portable capillary high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The electrically actuated valve features a very small size (65 × 19 × 19mm) and light weight (33g), and therefore can be easily integrated in a miniaturised modular capillary LC system suited for portable field analysis. The internal volume of the injection valve was determined as 98 nL. The novel conical shape of the stator and rotor and the spring-loaded rotor performed well up to 32MPa (4641psi), the maximum operating pressure investigated. Suitability for application was demonstrated using a miniaturised capillary LC system applied to the chromatographic separation of a mixture of biogenic amines and common cations. The RSD (relative standard deviation) values of retention times and peak areas of 6 successive runs were 0.5-0.7% and 1.8-2.8% for the separation of biogenic amines, respectively, and 0.1-0.2% and 2.1-3.0% for the separation of cations, respectively. This performance was comparable with bench-top HPLC systems thus demonstrating the applicability of the valve for use in portable and miniaturised capillary HPLC systems. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Tantala-based sol-gel coating for capillary microextraction on-line coupled to high-performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Tran, MinhPhuong; Turner, Erica B; Segro, Scott S; Fang, Li; Seyyal, Emre; Malik, Abdul

2017-11-03

A sol-gel organic-inorganic hybrid sorbent, consisting of chemically integrated tantalum (V) ethoxide (TaEO) and polypropylene glycol methacrylate (PPGM), was developed for capillary microextraction (CME). The sol-gel sorbent was synthesized within a fused silica capillary through hydrolytic polycondensation of TaEO and chemical incorporation of PPGM into the evolving sol-gel tantala network. A part of the organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel network evolving in the vicinity of the capillary walls had favorable conditions to get chemically bonded to the silanol groups on the capillary surface forming a surface-bonded coating. The newly developed sol-gel sorbent was employed to isolate and enrich a variety of analytes from aqueous samples for on-line analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) equipped with a UV detector. CME was performed on aqueous samples containing trace concentrations of analytes representing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, ketones, alcohols, amines, nucleosides, and nucleotides. This sol-gel hybrid coating provided efficient extraction with CME-HPLC detection limits ranging from 4.41pM to 28.19 pM. Due to direct chemical bonding between the sol-gel sorbent coating and the fused silica capillary inner surface, this sol-gel sorbent exhibited enhanced solvent stability. The sol-gel tantala-based sorbent also exhibited excellent pH stability over a wide pH range (pH 0-pH 14). Furthermore, it displayed great performance reproducibility in CME-HPLC providing run-to-run HPLC peak area relative standard deviation (RSD) values between 0.23% and 3.83%. The capillary-to-capillary RSD (n=3), characterizing capillary preparation method reproducibility, ranged from 0.24% to 4.11%. The results show great performance consistency and application potential for the sol-gel tantala-PPGM sorbent in various fields including biomedical, pharmaceutical, and environmental areas. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A detailed study of CO 2-brine capillary trapping mechanisms as applied to geologic carbon storage. Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Wildenschild, Dorthe

2017-04-06

The proposed research focuses on improved fundamental understanding of the efficiency of physical trapping mechanisms, and as such will provide the basis for subsequent upscaling efforts. The overarching hypothesis of the proposed research is that capillary pressure plays a significant role in capillary trapping of CO 2, especially during the water imbibition stage of the sequestration process. We posit that the relevant physics of the sequestration process is more complex than is currently captured in relative permeability models, which are often based on so-called trapping models to represent relative permeability hysteresis. Our 4 main questions, guiding the 4 main tasksmore » of the proposed research, are as follows: (1) What is the morphology of capillary trapped CO 2 at the pore scale as a function of temperature, pressure, brine concentration, interfacial tension, and pore-space morphology under injection and subsequent imbibition? (2) Is it possible to describe the capillary trapping process using formation-dependent, but otherwise unique continuum-scale functions in permeability-capillary pressure, interfacial area and saturation space, rather than hysteretic functions in permeability-saturation or capillary pressure-saturation space? (3) How do continuum-scale relationships between kr-Pc-S-Anw developed based on pore-scale observations compare with traditional models incorporating relative permeability hysteresis (such as Land’s and other models,) and with observations at the core (5-10cm) scale? (4) How can trapped CO 2 volume be optimized via engineered injection and sweep strategies, and as a function of formation type (incl. heterogeneity)?« less

Current Scaling in an Atmospheric Pressure Capillary Dielectric Barrier Discharge (POSTPRINT)

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-01-01

have significant advantages in terms of enhanced plasma chemistry at atmospheric pressure,7 and has recently been used to demonstrate the high-speed depo...sition of SiO2 films. 8 This motivates a more detailed look at the properties of the discharge and the factors that can affect the plasma chemistry near...N. van Berkel, E. R. Kieft, and E. Stoffels, Proceedings of the 16th International Symposium on Plasma Chemistry , 2005, Vol. 22, pp. 295–308. FIG. 4

Determination of Nitrate Carry-Over on Bytac(registered) Strips Via Capillary Electrophoresis

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-01-19

Beckman Coulter P/ ACE MDQ capillary electrophoresis instrument. A 60 cm long (10 cm effective length), 75 µm i.d. bare fused-silica capillary was used...the separation. Due to the high concentration of the BGE, electroosmotic flow (EOF) is significantly reduced allowing for the application of a...bromide) are not seen in the electropherogram due to the reversed polarity; electroosmotic flow suppression is sufficient to cause the ammonium and

Significant differences in ion and electron guiding through highly insulating capillaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stolterfoht, N.; Tanis, J.

2018-04-01

Outstanding phenomena of capillary guiding are discussed in accordance with a recent review in the field. Experiments concerning highly charged ions of a few keV energy guided through insulating nanocapillaries are shown. Studies of the temporal evolution of ion transmission are presented. Attention is focused on oscillatory structures in the ion emission and the independence of the ion guiding on the beam intensity. A few experiments of electron guiding are presented showing a significantly different temporal evolution of the transmitted intensity. The onset of the electron transmission is very sudden accompanied by a considerable energy loss within the capillary. To achieve more insight into the different guiding mechanisms, theoretical aspects of the capillary guiding are analyzed. A scenario is offered to explain the abrupt rise of transmitted electrons. Altogether, these studies show that ion and electron guiding are accomplished through different manifestations of the charge build up that underlies both.

GPR monitoring for non-uniform infiltration through a high permeable gravel layer in the test sand box

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, Seiichiro; Ishii, Nobuyuki; Morii, Toshihiro

2017-04-01

Recently capillary barriers have been known as a method to protect subsurface regions against infiltration from soil surface. It has essentially non-uniform structure of permeability or soil physical property. To identify the function of the capillary barrier, the site-characterization technique for non-uniform soil moisture distribution and infiltration process is needed. We built a sand box in which a thin high-permeable gravel layer was embedded and conducted a infiltration test, including non-uniform flow of soil water induced by capillary barrier effects. We monitored this process by various types of GPR measurements, including time-lapsed soundings with multi-frequency antenna and transmission measurements like one using cross-borehole radar. Finally we will discuss the applicability of GPR for monitoring the phenomena around the capillary barrier of soil. This work has partially supported by JSPS Grant-in-aid Scientific Research program, No.16H02580.

Combined electrophoresis-electrospray interface and method

DOEpatents

Smith, Richard D. [Richland, WA; Udseth, Harold R. [Richland, WA; Olivares, Jose A. [Los Alamos, NM

1994-10-18

A system and method for analyzing molecular constituents of a composition sample includes: forming a solution of the sample, separating the solution by capillary electrophoresis into an eluent of constituents longitudinally separated according to their relative electrophoretic mobilities, electrospraying the eluent to form a charged spray in which the molecular constituents have a temporal distribution; and detecting or collecting the separated constituents in accordance with the temporal distribution in the spray. A first high-voltage (e.g., 5-100 KVDC) is applied to the solution. The spray is charged by applying a second high voltage (e.g., .+-.2-8 KVDC) between the eluent at the capillary exit and a cathode spaced in front of the exit. A complete electrical circuit is formed by a conductor which directly contacts the eluent at the capillary exit, or by conduction through a sheath electrode discharged in an annular sheath flow about the capillary exit.

Combined electrophoresis-electrospray interface and method

DOEpatents

Smith, R.D.; Udseth, H.R.; Olivares, J.A.

1994-10-18

A system and method for analyzing molecular constituents of a composition sample include: forming a solution of the sample, separating the solution by capillary electrophoresis into an eluent of constituents longitudinally separated according to their relative electrophoretic mobilities, electrospraying the eluent to form a charged spray in which the molecular constituents have a temporal distribution; and detecting or collecting the separated constituents in accordance with the temporal distribution in the spray. A first high-voltage (e.g., 5--100 kVDC) is applied to the solution. The spray is charged by applying a second high voltage (e.g.,{+-}2--8 kVDC) between the eluent at the capillary exit and a cathode spaced in front of the exit. A complete electrical circuit is formed by a conductor which directly contacts the eluent at the capillary exit, or by conduction through a sheath electrode discharged in an annular sheath flow about the capillary exit. 21 figs.

Combined electrophoresis-electrospray interface and method

DOEpatents

Smith, R.P.; Udseth, H.R.; Olivares, J.A.

1989-12-05

A system and method for analyzing molecular constituents of a composition sample includes: forming a solution of the sample, separating the solution by capillary electrophoresis into an eluent of constituents longitudinally separated according to their relative electrophoretic mobilities, electrospraying the eluent to form a charged spray in which the molecular constituents have a temporal distribution; and detecting or collecting the separated constituents in accordance with the temporal distribution in the spray. A first high-voltage (e.g., 5--100 kVDC) is applied to the solution. The spray is charged by applying a second high voltage (e.g., [+-]2--8 kVDC) between the eluent at the capillary exit and a cathode spaced in front of the exit. A complete electrical circuit is formed by a conductor which directly contacts the eluent at the capillary exit, or by conduction through a sheath electrode discharged in an annular sheath flow about the capillary exit. 21 figs.

Combined electrophoresis-electrospray interface and method

DOEpatents

Smith, Richard P.; Udseth, Harold R.; Olivares, Jose A.

1989-01-01

A system and method for analyzing molecular constituents of a composition sample includes: forming a solution of the sample, separating the solution by capillary electrophoresis into an eluent of constituents longitudinally separated according to their relative electrophoretic mobilities, electrospraying the eluent to form a charged spray in which the molecular constituents have a temporal distribution; and detecting or collecting the separated constituents in accordance with the temporal distribution in the spray. A first high-voltage (e.g., 5-100 KVDC) is applied to the solution. The spray is charged by applying a second high voltage (e.g., .+-.2-8 KVDC) between the eluent at the capillary exit and a cathode spaced in front of the exit. A complete electrical circuit is formed by a conductor which directly contacts the eluent at the capillary exit, or by conduction through a sheath electrode discharged in an annular sheath flow about the capillary exit.

Experimental characterization of the effects induced by passive plasma lens on high brightness electron bunches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marocchino, A.; Anania, M. P.; Bellaveglia, M.; Biagioni, A.; Bini, S.; Bisesto, F.; Brentegani, E.; Chiadroni, E.; Cianchi, A.; Croia, M.; Di Giovenale, D.; Ferrario, M.; Filippi, F.; Giribono, A.; Lollo, V.; Marongiu, M.; Mostacci, A.; Di Pirro, G.; Pompili, R.; Romeo, S.; Rossi, A. R.; Scifo, J.; Shpakov, V.; Vaccarezza, C.; Villa, F.; Zigler, A.

2017-10-01

We report on the experimental characterization of the effect that a passive plasma lens in the overdense regime has on high-brightness bunch quality by means of 6D phase-space analysis. The passive lens is generated by confining hydrogen gas with a capillary tube pre-ionized with a high-voltage discharge. We observed that the optimum condition is retrieved at the end of the overdense regime with almost no effect on bunch brightness. The presence of gas jets, leaking from the hollow capillary end-points, extends the lens effects also outside of the capillary, resulting in longer focusing channels. Experimental results are supported with numerical simulations of the complete accelerator line together with the plasma channel section.

On the Ionization and Ion Transmission Efficiencies of Different ESI-MS Interfaces

PubMed Central

Cox, Jonathan T.; Marginean, Ioan; Smith, Richard D.; Tang, Keqi

2014-01-01

The achievable sensitivity of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is largely determined by the ionization efficiency in the ESI source and ion transmission efficiency through the ESI-MS interface. These performance characteristics are difficult to evaluate and compare across multiple platforms as it is difficult to correlate electrical current measurements to actual analyte ions reaching the detector of a mass spectrometer. We present an effective method to evaluate the overall ion utilization efficiency of an ESI-MS interface by measuring the total gas phase ion current transmitted through the interface and correlating it to the observed ion abundance measured in the corresponding mass spectrum. Using this method we systematically studied the ion transmission and ionization efficiencies of different ESI-MS interface configurations, including a single emitter/single inlet capillary, single emitter/multi-inlet capillary, and a subambient pressure ionization with nanoelectrospray (SPIN) MS interface with a single emitter and an emitter array, respectively. Our experimental results indicate that the overall ion utilization efficiency of SPIN-MS interface configurations exceeds that of the inlet capillary-based ESI-MS interface configurations. PMID:25267087

On the ionization and ion transmission efficiencies of different ESI-MS interfaces.

PubMed

Cox, Jonathan T; Marginean, Ioan; Smith, Richard D; Tang, Keqi

2015-01-01

The achievable sensitivity of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is largely determined by the ionization efficiency in the ESI source and ion transmission efficiency through the ESI-MS interface. These performance characteristics are difficult to evaluate and compare across multiple platforms as it is difficult to correlate electrical current measurements to actual analyte ions reaching the detector of a mass spectrometer. We present an effective method to evaluate the overall ion utilization efficiency of an ESI-MS interface by measuring the total gas-phase ion current transmitted through the interface and correlating it to the observed ion abundance measured in the corresponding mass spectrum. Using this method, we systematically studied the ion transmission and ionization efficiencies of different ESI-MS interface configurations, including a single emitter/single inlet capillary, single emitter/multi-inlet capillary, and a subambient pressure ionization with nanoelectrospray (SPIN) MS interface with a single emitter and an emitter array, respectively. Our experimental results indicate that the overall ion utilization efficiency of SPIN-MS interface configurations exceeds that of the inlet capillary-based ESI-MS interface configurations.

Effects of increased inspired oxygen concentration on tissue oxygenation: theoretical considerations.

PubMed

Lumb, Andrew B; Nair, Sindhu

2010-03-01

Breathing increased fractional oxygen concentration (FiO2) is recommended for the treatment of tissue ischaemia. The theoretical benefits of increasing FiO2 on tissue oxygenation were evaluated using standard physiological equations. Assuming constant oxygen consumption by tissues throughout the length of a capillary, the oxygen content at 20 arbitrary points along a capillary was calculated. Using mathematical representations of the haemoglobin dissociation curve and an iterative approach to include the dissolved oxygen component of oxygen content, the oxygen partial pressure (PO2) profile along a capillary was estimated. High FiO2 concentrations cause large increases in PO2 at the arteriolar end of capillaries but these large PO2 values, caused by the extra dissolved oxygen, rapidly decline along the capillary. At the venular end of the capillary (the area of tissue most likely to be hypoxic), breathing oxygen causes only a modest improvement in PO2. Increasing FiO2 to treat tissue hypoxia has clear benefits, but a multimodal approach to management is required.

Study of the efficiency for ion transfer through bent capillaries.

PubMed

Chen, Tsung-Chi; Xu, Wei; Garimella, Sandilya; Ouyang, Zheng

2012-11-01

Discontinuous atmospheric pressure interfaces (DAPIs) with bent capillaries represent a highly simplified and flexible means for introducing ions into a vacuum manifold for mass analysis or gas phase ion reactions. In this work, a series of capillaries of different radians and curvatures were used with DAPI for studying the impact of the capillary bending on the ion transfer. The variation of transfer efficiency was systematically characterized for dry and solvated ions. The efficiency loss for dry ions was less than one order of magnitude, even with a three-turn bent capillary. The transfer of solvated ions generated by electrospray was found to be minimally impacted by the bending of the transfer capillary. For multiply protonated ions, the transfer efficiency for ions at lower charge states could be relatively well retained, presumably due to the lower reactivity associated with proton transfer reaction and the compensation in intensity by conversion of ions at higher charge states. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Capillary red blood cell velocimetry by phase-resolved optical coherence tomography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tang, Jianbo; Erdener, Sefik Evren; Fu, Buyin; Boas, David A.

2018-02-01

Quantitative measurement of blood flow velocity in capillaries is challenging due to their small size (around 5-10 μm), and the discontinuity and single-file feature of RBCs flowing in a capillary. In this work, we present a phase-resolved Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) method for accurate measurement of the red blood cell (RBC) speed in cerebral capillaries. To account for the discontinuity of RBCs flowing in capillaries, we applied an M-mode scanning strategy that repeated A-scans at each scanning position for an extended time. As the capillary size is comparable to the OCT resolution size (3.5×3.5×3.5μm), we applied a high pass filter to remove the stationary signal component so that the phase information of the dynamic component (i.e. from the moving RBC) could be enhanced to provide an accurate estimate of the RBC axial speed. The phase-resolved OCT method accurately quantifies the axial velocity of RBC's from the phase shift of the dynamic component of the signal. We validated our measurements by RBC passage velocimetry using the signal magnitude of the same OCT time series data. These proposed method of capillary velocimetry proved to be a robust method of mapping capillary RBC speeds across the micro-vascular network.

Assessing vitamin D nutritional status: Is capillary blood adequate?

PubMed

Jensen, M E; Ducharme, F M; Théorêt, Y; Bélanger, A-S; Delvin, E

2016-06-01

Venous blood is the usual sample for measuring various biomarkers, including 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25OHD). However, it can prove challenging in infants and young children. Hence the finger-prick capillary collection is an alternative, being a relatively simple procedure perceived to be less invasive. We elected to validate the use of capillary blood sampling for 25OHD quantification by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC/MS-MS). Venous and capillary blood samples were simultaneously collected from 15 preschool-aged children with asthma 10days after receiving 100,000IU of vitamin-D3 or placebo and 20 apparently healthy adult volunteers. 25OHD was measured by an in-house LC/MS-MS method. The venous 25OHD values varied between 23 and 255nmol/l. The venous and capillary blood total 25OHD concentrations highly correlated (r(2)=0.9963). The mean difference (bias) of capillary blood 25OHD compared to venous blood was 2.0 (95% CI: -7.5, 11.5) nmol/l. Our study demonstrates excellent agreement with no evidence of a clinically important bias between venous and capillary serum 25OHD concentrations measured by LC/MS-MS over a wide range of values. Under those conditions, capillary blood is therefore adequate for the measurement of 25OHD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Capillary whole blood testing by a new portable monitor. Comparison with standard determination of the international normalized ratio.

PubMed

de Miguel, Dunia; Burgaleta, Carmen; Reyes, Eduardo; Pascual, Teresa

2003-07-01

We evaluated a new portable monitor (AvoSure PT PRO, Menarini Diagnostics, Firenze, Italy) developed to test the prothrombin time in capillary blood and plasma by comparing it with the standard laboratory determination. We studied 62 patients receiving acenocoumarol therapy. The international normalized ratio (INR) in capillary blood was analyzed by 2 methods: AvoSure PT PRO and Thrombotrack Nycomed Analyzer (Axis-Shield, Dundee, Scotland). Parallel studies were performed in plasma samples by a reference method using the Behring Coagulation Timer (Behring Diagnostics, Marburg, Germany). Plasma samples also were tested with the AvoSure PT PRO. Correlation was good for INR values for capillary blood and plasma samples by AvoSure PT PRO and our reference method (R2 = 0.8596) and for capillary blood samples tested by the AvoSure PT PRO and Thrombotrack Nycomed Analyzer (R2 = 0.8875). The correlation for INR in capillary blood and plasma samples by AvoSure PT PRO was 0.6939 (P < .0004). Capillary blood determinations are rapid and effective for monitoring oral anticoagulation therapy and have a high correlation to plasma determinations. AvoSure PT PRO is accurate for controlling INR in plasma and capillary blood samples, may be used in outpatient clinics, and has advantages over previous portable monitors.

Physiologic upper limits of pore size of different blood capillary types and another perspective on the dual pore theory of microvascular permeability.

PubMed

Sarin, Hemant

2010-08-11

Much of our current understanding of microvascular permeability is based on the findings of classic experimental studies of blood capillary permeability to various-sized lipid-insoluble endogenous and non-endogenous macromolecules. According to the classic small pore theory of microvascular permeability, which was formulated on the basis of the findings of studies on the transcapillary flow rates of various-sized systemically or regionally perfused endogenous macromolecules, transcapillary exchange across the capillary wall takes place through a single population of small pores that are approximately 6 nm in diameter; whereas, according to the dual pore theory of microvascular permeability, which was formulated on the basis of the findings of studies on the accumulation of various-sized systemically or regionally perfused non-endogenous macromolecules in the locoregional tissue lymphatic drainages, transcapillary exchange across the capillary wall also takes place through a separate population of large pores, or capillary leaks, that are between 24 and 60 nm in diameter. The classification of blood capillary types on the basis of differences in the physiologic upper limits of pore size to transvascular flow highlights the differences in the transcapillary exchange routes for the transvascular transport of endogenous and non-endogenous macromolecules across the capillary walls of different blood capillary types. The findings and published data of studies on capillary wall ultrastructure and capillary microvascular permeability to lipid-insoluble endogenous and non-endogenous molecules from the 1950s to date were reviewed. In this study, the blood capillary types in different tissues and organs were classified on the basis of the physiologic upper limits of pore size to the transvascular flow of lipid-insoluble molecules. Blood capillaries were classified as non-sinusoidal or sinusoidal on the basis of capillary wall basement membrane layer continuity or lack thereof. Non-sinusoidal blood capillaries were further sub-classified as non-fenestrated or fenestrated based on the absence or presence of endothelial cells with fenestrations. The sinusoidal blood capillaries of the liver, myeloid (red) bone marrow, and spleen were sub-classified as reticuloendothelial or non-reticuloendothelial based on the phago-endocytic capacity of the endothelial cells. The physiologic upper limit of pore size for transvascular flow across capillary walls of non-sinusoidal non-fenestrated blood capillaries is less than 1 nm for those with interendothelial cell clefts lined with zona occludens junctions (i.e. brain and spinal cord), and approximately 5 nm for those with clefts lined with macula occludens junctions (i.e. skeletal muscle). The physiologic upper limit of pore size for transvascular flow across the capillary walls of non-sinusoidal fenestrated blood capillaries with diaphragmed fenestrae ranges between 6 and 12 nm (i.e. exocrine and endocrine glands); whereas, the physiologic upper limit of pore size for transvascular flow across the capillary walls of non-sinusoidal fenestrated capillaries with open 'non-diaphragmed' fenestrae is approximately 15 nm (kidney glomerulus). In the case of the sinusoidal reticuloendothelial blood capillaries of myeloid bone marrow, the transvascular transport of non-endogenous macromolecules larger than 5 nm into the bone marrow interstitial space takes place via reticuloendothelial cell-mediated phago-endocytosis and transvascular release, which is the case for systemic bone marrow imaging agents as large as 60 nm in diameter. The physiologic upper limit of pore size in the capillary walls of most non-sinusoidal blood capillaries to the transcapillary passage of lipid-insoluble endogenous and non-endogenous macromolecules ranges between 5 and 12 nm. Therefore, macromolecules larger than the physiologic upper limits of pore size in the non-sinusoidal blood capillary types generally do not accumulate within the respective tissue interstitial spaces and their lymphatic drainages. In the case of reticuloendothelial sinusoidal blood capillaries of myeloid bone marrow, however, non-endogenous macromolecules as large as 60 nm in diameter can distribute into the bone marrow interstitial space via the phago-endocytic route, and then subsequently accumulate in the locoregional lymphatic drainages of tissues following absorption into the lymphatic drainage of periosteal fibrous tissues, which is the lymphatic drainage of myeloid bone marrow. When the ultrastructural basis for transcapillary exchange across the capillary walls of different capillary types is viewed in this light, it becomes evident that the physiologic evidence for the existence of aqueous large pores ranging between 24 and 60 nm in diameter in the capillary walls of blood capillaries, is circumstantial, at best.

Modeling oxygen transport in human placental terminal villi.

PubMed

Gill, J S; Salafia, C M; Grebenkov, D; Vvedensky, D D

2011-12-21

Oxygen transport from maternal blood to fetal blood is a primary function of the placenta. Quantifying the effectiveness of this exchange remains key in identifying healthy placentas because of the great variability in capillary number, caliber and position within the villus-even in placentas deemed clinically "normal". By considering villous membrane to capillary membrane transport, stationary oxygen diffusion can be numerically solved in terminal villi represented by digital photomicrographs. We aim to provide a method to determine whether and if so to what extent diffusional screening may operate in placental villi. Segmented digital photomicrographs of terminal villi from the Pregnancy, Infection and Nutrition study in North Carolina 2002 are used as a geometric basis for solving the stationary diffusion equation. Constant maternal villous oxygen concentration and perfect fetal capillary membrane absorption are assumed. System efficiency is defined as the ratio of oxygen flux into a villus and the sum of the capillary areas contained within. Diffusion screening is quantified by comparing numerical and theoretical maximum oxygen fluxes. A strong link between various measures of villous oxygen transport efficiency and the number of capillaries within a villus is established. The strength of diffusional screening is also related to the number of capillaries within a villus. Our measures of diffusional efficiency are shown to decrease as a function of the number of capillaries per villus. This low efficiency, high capillary number relationship supports our hypothesis that diffusional screening is present in this system. Oxygen transport per capillary is reduced when multiple capillaries compete for diffusing oxygen. A complete picture of oxygen fluxes, capillary and villus areas is obtainable and presents an opportunity for future work. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous determination of caffeine, paracetamol, and ibuprofen in pharmaceutical formulations by high-performance liquid chromatography with UV detection and by capillary electrophoresis with conductivity detection.

PubMed

Cunha, Rafael R; Chaves, Sandro C; Ribeiro, Michelle M A C; Torres, Lívia M F C; Muñoz, Rodrigo A A; Dos Santos, Wallans T P; Richter, Eduardo M

2015-05-01

Paracetamol, caffeine and ibuprofen are found in over-the-counter pharmaceutical formulations. In this work, we propose two new methods for simultaneous determination of paracetamol, caffeine and ibuprofen in pharmaceutical formulations. One method is based on high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection and the other on capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection. The separation by high-performance liquid chromatography with diode-array detection was achieved on a C18 column (250×4.6 mm(2), 5 μm) with a gradient mobile phase comprising 20-100% acetonitrile in 40 mmol L(-1) phosphate buffer pH 7.0. The separation by capillary electrophoresis with capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was achieved on a fused-silica capillary (40 cm length, 50 μm i.d.) using 10 mmol L(-1) 3,4-dimethoxycinnamate and 10 mmol L(-1) β-alanine with pH adjustment to 10.4 with lithium hydroxide as background electrolyte. The determination of all three pharmaceuticals was carried out in 9.6 min by liquid chromatography and in 2.2 min by capillary electrophoresis. Detection limits for caffeine, paracetamol and ibuprofen were 4.4, 0.7, and 3.4 μmol L(-1) by liquid chromatography and 39, 32, and 49 μmol L(-1) by capillary electrophoresis, respectively. Recovery values for spiked samples were between 92-107% for both proposed methods. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Electrospray of 1-Butyl-3-Methylimidazolium Dicyanamide Under Variable Flow Rate Operations

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-27

cm length. The capillary needle is stainless steel with a tapered tip of 50 μm inner diameter and 3.5 cm length. Both capillaries are commercially...connected. Figure 8 shows the emission current results of a 50 μm stainless - steel tip over the same IL flow rate range as Fig. 5. The emitter... fuming nitric acid, resulting in an ignition delay time of 47 ms, longer than the desired maximumof 5ms.Numerical predictions byBerg andRovey [18,19

Study of a heat rejection system using capillary pumping

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Neal, L. G.; Wanous, D. J.; Clausen, O. W.

1971-01-01

Results of an analytical study investigating the application of capillary pumping to the heat rejection loop of an advanced Rankine cycle power conversion system are presented. The feasibility of the concept of capillary pumping as an alternate to electromagnetic pumping is analytically demonstrated. Capillary pumping is shown to provide a potential for weight and electrical power saving and reliability through the use of redundant systems. A screen wick pump design with arterial feed lines was analytically developed. Advantages of this design are high thermodynamic and hydrodynamic efficiency, which provide a lightweight easily packaged system. Operational problems were identified which must be solved for successful application of capillary pumping. The most important are the development of start up and shutdown procedures, and development of a means of keeping noncondensibles from the system and of earth-bound testing procedures.

Soil water retention and maximum capillary drive from saturation to oven dryness

USGS Publications Warehouse

Morel-Seytoux, Hubert J.; Nimmo, John R.

1999-01-01

This paper provides an alternative method to describe the water retention curve over a range of water contents from saturation to oven dryness. It makes two modifications to the standard Brooks and Corey [1964] (B-C) description, one at each end of the suction range. One expression proposed by Rossi and Nimmo [1994] is used in the high-suction range to a zero residual water content. (This Rossi-Nimmo modification to the Brooks-Corey model provides a more realistic description of the retention curve at low water contents.) Near zero suction the second modification eliminates the region where there is a change in suction with no change in water content. Tests on seven soil data sets, using three distinct analytical expressions for the high-, medium-, and low-suction ranges, show that the experimental water retention curves are well fitted by this composite procedure. The high-suction range of saturation contributes little to the maximum capillary drive, defined with a good approximation for a soil water and air system as HcM = ∫0∞ Krwdhc , where krw is relative permeability (or conductivity) to water and hc is capillary suction, a positive quantity in unsaturated soils. As a result, the modification suggested to describe the high-suction range does not significantly affect the equivalence between Brooks-Corey (B-C) and van Genuchten [1980] parameters presented earlier. However, the shape of the retention curve near “natural saturation” has a significant impact on the value of the capillary drive. The estimate using the Brooks-Corey power law, extended to zero suction, will exceed that obtained with the new procedure by 25 to 30%. It is not possible to tell which procedure is appropriate. Tests on another data set, for which relative conductivity data are available, support the view of the authors that measurements of a retention curve coupled with a speculative curve of relative permeability as from a capillary model are not sufficient to accurately determine the (maximum) capillary drive. The capillary drive is a dynamic scalar, whereas the retention curve is of a static character. Only measurements of infiltration rates with time can determine the capillary drive with precision for a given soil.

Characterization for capillary barriers effects in a sand box test using time-lapsed GPR measurements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuroda, S.; Ishii, N.; Morii, T.

2017-12-01

Capillary barriers have been known as the method to protect subsurface regions against infiltration from soil surface. It is caused by essentially heterogeneous structure in permeability or soil physical property and produce non-uniform infiltration process then, in order to estimate the actual situation of the capillary barrier effect, the site-characterization with imaging technique like geophysical prospecting is effective. In this study, we examine the applicability of GPR to characterization for capillary barriers. We built a sand box with 90x340x90cm in which a thin high-permeable gravel layer was embedded as a capillary barrier. We conducted an infiltration test in the sand box using porous tube array for irrigation. It is expected to lead to non-uniform flow of soil water induced by capillary barrier effects. We monitored this process by various types of GPR measurements, including time-lapsed common offset profiling (COP) with multi- frequency antenna and transmission measurements like cross-borehole radar. At first, we conducted GPR common-offset survey. It could show the depth of capillary barrier in sand box. After that we conducted the infiltration test and GPR monitoring for infiltration process. GPR profiles can detect the wetting front and estimate water content change in the soil layer above the capillary barrier. From spatial change in these results we can estimate the effect of capillary barrier and the zone where the break through occur or not. Based on these results, we will discuss the applicability of GPR for monitoring the phenomena around the capillary barrier of soil. At first, we conducted GPR common-offset survey. It could show the depth of capillary barrier in sand box. After that we conducted the infiltration test and GPR monitoring for infiltration process. GPR profiles can detect the wetting front and estimate water content change in the soil layer above the capillary barrier. From spatial change in these results we can estimate the effect of capillary barrier and the zone where the break through occur. Based on these results, we will discuss the applicability of GPR for monitoring the phenomena around the capillary barrier of soil.

Capillary spreading of contact line over a sinking sphere

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kim, Seong Jin; Fezzaa, Kamel; An, Jim

The contact line dynamics over a sinking solid sphere are investigated in comparison with classical spreading theories. Experimentally, high-speed imaging systems with optical light or x-ray illumination are employed to accurately measure the spreading motion and dynamic contact angle of the contact line. Millimetric spheres are controlled to descend with a constant speed ranging from 7.3 × 10-5 to 0.79 m/s. We observed three different spreading stages over a sinking sphere, which depends on the contact line velocity and contact angle. These stages consistently showed the characteristics of capillarity-driven spreading as the contact line spreads faster with a higher contactmore » angle. The contact line velocity is observed to follow a classical capillary-viscous model at a high Ohnesorge number (> 0.02). For the cases with a relatively low Ohnesorge number (< 0.02), the contact line velocity is significantly lower than the speed predicted by the capillary-viscous balance. This indicates the existence of an additional opposing force (inertia) for a decreasing Ohnesorge number. The capillary-inertial balance is only observed at the very beginning of the capillary rise, in which the maximum velocity is independent of the sphere’s sinking speed. Additionally, we observed the linear relation between the contact line velocity and the sphere sinking speed during the second stage, which represents capillary adjustment by dynamic contact angle.« less

Enhanced Microchip Electrophoresis Separations Combined with Electrochemical Detection Utilizing a Capillary Embedded in Polystyrene.

PubMed

Mehl, Benjamin T; Martin, R Scott

2018-01-07

The ability to use microchip-based electrophoresis for fast, high-throughput separations provides researchers with a tool for close-to real time analysis of biological systems. While PDMS-based electrophoresis devices are popular, the separation efficiency is often an issue due to the hydrophobic nature of PDMS. In this study, a hybrid microfluidic capillary device was fabricated to utilize the positive features of PDMS along with the electrophoretic performance of fused silica. A capillary loop was embedded in a polystyrene base that can be coupled with PDMS microchannels at minimal dead volume interconnects. A method for cleaning out the capillaries after a wet-polishing step was devised through the use of 3D printed syringe attachment. By comparing the separation efficiency of fluorescein and CBI-glycine with both a PDMS-based serpentine device and the embedded capillary loop device, it was shown that the embedded capillary loop device maintained higher theoretical plates for both analytes. A Pd decoupler with a carbon or Pt detection electrode were embedded along with the loop allowing integration of the electrophoretic separation with electrochemical detection. A series of catecholamines were separated to show the ability to resolve similar analytes and detect redox active species. The release of dopamine and norepinephrine from PC 12 cells was also analyzed showing the compatibility of these improved microchip separations with high ionic cell buffers associated with cell culture.

Atomic-force-controlled capillary electrophoretic nanoprinting of proteins.

PubMed

Lovsky, Yulia; Lewis, Aaron; Sukenik, Chaim; Grushka, Eli

2010-01-01

The general nanoprinting and nanoinjection of proteins on non-conducting or conducting substrates with a high degree of control both in terms of positional and timing accuracy is an important goal that could impact diverse fields from biotechnology (protein chips) to molecular electronics and from fundamental studies in cell biology to nanophotonics. In this paper, we combine capillary electrophoresis (CE), a separation method with considerable control of protein movement, with the unparalleled positional accuracy of an atomic force microscope (AFM). This combination provides the ability to electrophoretically or electroosmotically correlate the timing of protein migration with AFM control of the protein deposition at a high concentration in defined locations and highly confined volumes estimated to be 2 al. Electrical control of bovine serum albumin printing on standard protein-spotting glass substrates is demonstrated. For this advance, fountain pen nanolithography (FPN) that uses cantilevered glass-tapered capillaries is amended with the placement of electrodes on the nanopipette itself. This results in imposed voltages that are three orders of magnitude less than what is normally used in capillary electrophoresis. The development of atomic-force-controlled capillary electrophoretic printing (ACCEP) has the potential for electrophoretic separation, with high resolution, both in time and in space. The large voltage drop at the tip of the tapered nanopipettes allows for significant increases in concentration of protein in the small printed volumes. All of these attributes combine to suggest that this methodology should have a significant impact in science and technology.

EUV nanosecond laser ablation of silicon carbide, tungsten and molybdenum

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Frolov, Oleksandr; Kolacek, Karel; Schmidt, Jiri; Straus, Jaroslav; Choukourov, Andrei; Kasuya, Koichi

2015-09-01

In this paper we present results of study interaction of nanosecond EUV laser pulses at wavelength of 46.9 nm with silicon carbide (SiC), tungsten (W) and molybdenum (Mo). As a source of laser radiation was used discharge-plasma driver CAPEX (CAPillary EXperiment) based on high current capillary discharge in argon. The laser beam is focused with a spherical Si/Sc multilayer-coated mirror on samples. Experimental study has been performed with 1, 5, 10, 20 and 50 laser pulses ablation of SiC, W and Mo at various fluence values. Firstly, sample surface modification in the nanosecond time scale have been registered by optical microscope. And the secondly, laser beam footprints on the samples have been analyzed by atomic-force microscope (AFM). This work supported by the Czech Science Foundation under Contract GA14-29772S and by the Grant Agency of the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of the Czech Republic under Contract LG13029.

Accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and trace elements in the bioindicator plants Tillandsia capillaris and Lolium multiflorum exposed at PM10 monitoring stations in Stuttgart (Germany).

PubMed

Rodriguez, J H; Pignata, M L; Fangmeier, A; Klumpp, A

2010-06-01

The accumulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in Tillandsia capillaris Ruiz and Pav. form capillaris and trace elements in T. capillaris and Lolium multiflorum (LAM) cv. Lema was assessed and evaluated in the city of Stuttgart, Germany. Several sites (urban, suburban and rural) categorized according to type and intensity of vehicular traffic were investigated. At these sites, plants of T. capillaris and standardized cultures of L. multiflorum were exposed to ambient air. Foliar concentrations of PAHs (16 priority pollutants according to US-EPA) and of the trace elements Br, Co, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn were determined. A high level of vehicular traffic was associated with the largest concentrations of PM(10) in ambient air and with the highest contents of PAHs and heavy metals in the bioindicator plants. The results showed a similar pattern between T. capillaris and the standardized biomonitor L. multiflorum. Therefore, these results allow us to propose T. capillaris as a suitable bioindicator to assess the distribution of pollution impacts caused by PAHs and trace elements in different subtropical and tropical regions. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiplexed detection of nitrate and nitrite for capillary electrophoresis with an automated device for high injection efficiency.

PubMed

Gao, Leyi; Patterson, Eric E; Shippy, Scott A

2006-02-01

A simple automated nanoliter scale injection device which allows for reproducible 5 nL sample injections from samples with a volume of <1 microL is successfully used for conventional capillary electrophoresis (CE) and Hadamard transform (HT) CE detection. Two standard fused silica capillaries are assembled axially through the device to function as an injection and a separation capillary. Sample solution is supplied to the injection capillary using pressure controlled with a solenoid valve. Buffer solution flows gravimetrically by the junction of the injection and separation capillaries and is also gated with a solenoid valve. Plugs of sample are pushed into the space between the injection and separation capillaries for electrokinectic injection. To evaluate the performance of the injection device, several optimizations are performed including the influence of flow rates, the injected sample volume and the control of the buffer transverse flow on the overall sensitivity. The system was then applied to HT-CE-UV detection for the signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) improvement of the nitric oxide (NO) metabolites, nitrite and nitrate. In addition, signal averaging was performed to explore the possibility of greater sensitivity enhancements compared to single injections.

Gas/oil capillary pressure at chalk at elevated pressures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Christoffersen, K.R.; Whitson, C.H.

1995-09-01

Accurate capillary pressure curves are essential for studying the recovery of oil by gas injection in naturally fractured chalk reservoirs. A simple and fast method to determine high-pressure drainage capillary pressure curves has been developed. The effect of gas/oil interfacial tension (IFT) on the capillary pressure of chalk cores has been determined for a methane/n-pentane system. Measurements on a 5-md outcrop chalk core were made at pressures of 70, 105, and 130 bar, with corresponding IFT`s of 6.3, 3.2, and 1.5 mN/m. The results were both accurate and reproducible. The measured capillary pressure curves were not a linear function ofmore » IFT when compared with low-pressure centrifuge data. Measured capillary pressures were considerably lower than IFT-scaled centrifuge data. It appears that the deviation starts at an IFT of about 5 mN/m. According to the results of this study, the recovery of oil by gravity drainage in naturally fractured chalk reservoirs may be significantly underestimated if standard laboratory capillary pressure curves are scaled by IFT only. However, general conclusions cannot be made on the basis on only this series of experiments on one chalk core.« less

Sol-gel immobilized short-chain poly(ethylene glycol) coating for capillary microextraction of underivatized polar analytes.

PubMed

Kulkarni, Sameer; Shearrow, Anne M; Malik, Abdul

2007-12-07

Sol-gel coating with covalently bonded low-molecular-weight (MW<300 Da) poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) chains was developed for capillary microextraction (CME). The sol-gel chemistry proved effective in the immobilization of low-molecular-weight PEGs thanks to the formation of chemical bonds between the organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel PEG coating and the fused silica capillary inner surface. This chemical anchorage provided excellent thermal and solvent stability to the created sol-gel PEG coating as is evidenced by its high upper limit of allowable conditioning temperature (340 degrees C) and its practically identical performance before and after rinsing with various solvents. The prepared sol-gel PEG coating provided simultaneous extraction of moderately polar and highly polar analytes from aqueous samples without requiring derivatization, pH adjustment or salting-out procedures. Detection limits on the order of nanogram per liter (ng/L) were achieved in CME-GC-flame ionization detection experiments designed for the preconcentration and trace analysis of both highly polar and moderately polar compounds extracted directly from aqueous media using sol-gel short-chain PEG coated microextraction capillaries.

Micropreparative capillary gel electrophoresis of DNA: rapid expressed sequence tag library construction.

PubMed

Shi, Liang; Khandurina, Julia; Ronai, Zsolt; Li, Bi-Yu; Kwan, Wai King; Wang, Xun; Guttman, András

2003-01-01

A capillary gel electrophoresis based automated DNA fraction collection technique was developed to support a novel DNA fragment-pooling strategy for expressed sequence tag (EST) library construction. The cDNA population is first cleaved by BsaJ I and EcoR I restriction enzymes, and then subpooled by selective ligation with specific adapters followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification and labeling. Combination of this cDNA fingerprinting method with high-resolution capillary gel electrophoresis separation and precise fractionation of individual cDNA transcript representatives avoids redundant fragment selection and concomitant repetitive sequencing of abundant transcripts. Using a computer-controlled capillary electrophoresis device the transcript representatives were separated by their size and fractions were automatically collected in every 30 s into 96-well plates. The high resolving power of the sieving matrix ensured sequencing grade separation of the DNA fragments (i.e., single-base resolution) and successful fraction collection. Performance and precision of the fraction collection procedure was validated by PCR amplification of the collected DNA fragments followed by capillary electrophoresis analysis for size and purity verification. The collected and PCR-amplified transcript representatives, ranging up to several hundred base pairs, were then sequenced to create an EST library.

Polycythemia, capillary rarefaction, and focal glomerulosclerosis in two adolescents born extremely low birth weight and premature.

PubMed

Asada, Nariaki; Tsukahara, Takanori; Furuhata, Megumi; Matsuoka, Daisuke; Noda, Shunsuke; Naganuma, Kuniaki; Hashiguchi, Akinori; Awazu, Midori

2017-07-01

Low birthweight infants have a reduced number of nephrons and are at high risk of chronic kidney disease. Preterm birth and/or intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) may also affect peritubular capillary development, as has been shown in other organs. We report two patients with a history of preterm birth and extremely low birthweight who showed polycythemia and renal capillary rarefaction. Patient 1 and 2, born at 25 weeks of gestation with a birthweight of 728 and 466 g, showed mild proteinuria at age 8 and 6 years, respectively. In addition to increasing proteinuria, hemoglobin levels became elevated towards adolescence and their serum erythropoietin (EPO) was high despite polycythemia. Light microscopic examination of renal biopsy specimens showed glomerular hypertrophy, focal segmental glomerulosclerosis, and only mild tubulointerstitial fibrosis. A decrease in the immunohistochemical staining of CD31 and CD34 endothelial cells in renal biopsy specimens was consistent with peritubular capillary rarefaction. Since kidney function was almost normal and fibrosis was not severe, we consider that the capillary rarefaction and polycythemia associated with elevated EPO levels were largely attributable to preterm birth and/or IUGR.

Capillary sieving electrophoresis and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography produce highly correlated separation of tryptic digests

PubMed Central

Dickerson, Jane A.; Dovichi, Norman J.

2011-01-01

We perform two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis on fluorescently labeled proteins and peptides. Capillary sieving electrophoresis was performed in the first dimension and micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography was performed in the second. A cellular homogenate was labeled with the fluorogenic reagent FQ and separated using the system. This homogenate generated a pair of ridges; the first had essentially constant migration time in the CSE dimension, while the second had essentially constant migration time in the MEKC dimension. In addition a few spots were scattered through the electropherogram. The same homogenate was digested using trypsin, and then labeled and subjected to the two dimensional separation. In this case, the two ridges observed from the original two-dimensional separation disappeared, and were replaced by a set of spots that fell along the diagonal. Those spots were identified using a local-maximum algorithm and each was fit using a two-dimensional Gaussian surface by an unsupervised nonlinear least squares regression algorithm. The migration times of the tryptic digest components were highly correlated (r = 0.862). When the slowest migrating components were eliminated from the analysis, the correlation coefficient improved to r = 0.956. PMID:20564272

Silica particles encapsulated poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) monolithic stationary phases for micro-high performance liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Bakry, R; Stöggl, W M; Hochleitner, E O; Stecher, G; Huck, C W; Bonn, G K

2006-11-03

In the paper we demonstrate a new approach for the preparation and application of continuous silica bed columns that involve encapsulation (entrapment) of functionalized silica microparticles, which can be used as packing material in micro high performance liquid chromatography (micro-HPLC) and capillary electrochromatography (CEC). Like traditional packed columns, these capillaries possess characterized silica particles that offer high phase ratio and narrow pore size distribution leading to high retention and separation efficiency, respectively. More importantly, immobilization of the microparticles stabilizes the separation bed and eliminates the need for retaining frits. The developed capillary columns were fabricated in exactly the same way as a packed capillary column (slurry packing) but with an additional entrapment step. This immobilization of the packed bed was achieved by in situ polymerization of styrene and divinylbenzene in presence of decanol as a porogen and azobisisobutyronitrile as thermal initiator. Silica particles with different particle sizes and pore sizes ranging from 60 to 4000 A were studied. In addition different modified silica was used, including C-18 reversed phase, anion exchange and chiral stationary phases. Efficient separation of polyphenolic compounds, peptides, proteins and even DNA mutation were achieved using the developed technique depending on the properties of the silica particles used (particles pore size). For example, using 3 microm ProntoSIL C-18 particles with 300 A pore size, separation efficiencies in the range of 120,000-200,000 plates/m were obtained for protein separation, in a 6 cm x 200 microm i.d. capillary column. Using encapsulated silica C-18 with 1000 A pore size, separation of DNA homo and hetero duplexes were achieved under denaturing HPLC conditions for mutation detection. In addition, nucleotides were separated using anion exchange material encapsulated with poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) (PS/DVB), which indicated that the chromatographic properties of the silica packing material were still active after polymerization. The prepared capillary columns were found to be stable and could easily be operated continuously up to a pressure of 350 bar without column damage and capillary can be cut to any desired length.

Regulation of skeletal muscle capillary growth in exercise and disease.

PubMed

Haas, Tara L; Nwadozi, Emmanuel

2015-12-01

Capillaries, which are the smallest and most abundant type of blood vessel, form the primary site of gas, nutrient, and waste transfer between the vascular and tissue compartments. Skeletal muscle exhibits the capacity to generate new capillaries (angiogenesis) as an adaptation to exercise training, thus ensuring that the heightened metabolic demand of the active muscle is matched by an improved capacity for distribution of gases, nutrients, and waste products. This review summarizes the current understanding of the regulation of skeletal muscle capillary growth. The multi-step process of angiogenesis is coordinated through the integration of a diverse array of signals associated with hypoxic, metabolic, hemodynamic, and mechanical stresses within the active muscle. The contributions of metabolic and mechanical factors to the modulation of key pro- and anti-angiogenic molecules are discussed within the context of responses to a single aerobic exercise bout and short-term and long-term training. Finally, the paradoxical lack of angiogenesis in peripheral artery disease and diabetes and the implications for disease progression and muscle health are discussed. Future studies that emphasize an integrated analysis of the mechanisms that control skeletal muscle capillary growth will enable development of targeted exercise programs that effectively promote angiogenesis in healthy individuals and in patient populations.

Self-separation of blood plasma from whole blood during the capillary flow in microchannel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nunna, Bharath Babu; Zhuang, Shiqiang; Lee, Eon Soo

2017-11-01

Self-separation of blood plasma from whole blood in microchannels is of great importance due to the enormous range of applications in healthcare and diagnostics. Blood is a multiphase complex fluid, composed of cells suspended in blood plasma. RBCs are the suspended particles whose shape changes during the flow of blood. The primary constituents of blood are erythrocytes or red blood cells (RBCs), leukocytes or white blood cells (WBCs), thrombocytes or platelets and blood plasma. The existence of RBCs in blood makes the blood a non-Newtonian fluid. The current study of separation of blood plasma from whole blood during self-driven flows in a single microchannel without bifurcation, by enhancing the capillary effects. The change in the capillary effect results in a change in contact angle which directly influences the capillary flow. The flow velocity directly influences the net force acting on the RBCs and influence the separation process. The experiments are performed on the PDMS microchannels with different contact angles by altering the surface characteristics using plasma treatment. The change in the separation length is studied during the capillary flow of blood in microchannel. Bharath Babu Nunna is a researcher in mechanical engineering and implementing the novel and innovative technologies in the biomedical devices to enhance the sensitivity of the disease diagnosis.

Comparison of capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatography for detection and quantification of hemoglobin New York.

PubMed

You-Qiong, Li; Hui-Ping, Huang; Zhi-Zhong, Chen; Lin, Zhao; Liang, Liang; Gui-Fang, Qin; Yun, Mo

2016-01-01

Hemoglobin (Hb) New York [β113 (G15) Val→Glu, GTG→GAG], also known as Hb Kaohsiung, is one of the most common Hb variants in South China. Currently, most used screening methods for hemoglobinopathies in South China are high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and capillary electrophoresis (CE). However, there is no study comparing the performance of CE and HPLC in the detection of Hb New York. In total 15 samples (including 13 adult blood samples and 2 cord blood samples) with heterozygous Hb New York were analyzed by CE and HPLC. Levels of Hb New York, HbA2, Hb, mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) were compared within the two groups. All 15 cases (100%) were detected by CE, whereas none was detected by HPLC. Mean values of Hb New York and HbA2 in adult heterozygous group were (43.82±2.47)% and (2.85±0.31)%, respectively; mean values for cord blood group were (7.95±0.78)% and (0.30±0.14)%. CE allows the detection of Hb New York, while this variant is not separated from Hb A on HPLC. CE may be the preferred method for hemoglobinopathy screening in areas with high prevalence of Hb New York.

Fermentation, Purification, and Characterization of Protective Antigen from a Recombinant, Avirulent Strain of Bacillus anthracis

PubMed Central

Farchaus, J. W.; Ribot, W. J.; Jendrek, S.; Little, S. F.

1998-01-01

Bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent for anthrax, produces two bipartite, AB-type exotoxins, edema toxin and lethal toxin. The B subunit of both exotoxins is an Mr 83,000 protein termed protective antigen (PA). The human anthrax vaccine currently licensed for use in the United States consists primarily of this protein adsorbed onto aluminum oxyhydroxide. This report describes the production of PA from a recombinant, asporogenic, nontoxigenic, and nonencapsulated host strain of B. anthracis and the subsequent purification and characterization of the protein product. Fermentation in a high-tryptone, high-yeast-extract medium under nonlimiting aeration produced 20 to 30 mg of secreted PA per liter. Secreted protease activity under these fermentation conditions was low and was inhibited more than 95% by the addition of EDTA. A purity of 88 to 93% was achieved for PA by diafiltration and anion-exchange chromatography, while greater than 95% final purity was achieved with an additional hydrophobic interaction chromatography step. The purity of the PA product was characterized by reversed-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-capillary electrophoresis, capillary isoelectric focusing, native gel electrophoresis, and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The biological activity of the PA, when combined with excess lethal factor in the macrophage cell lysis assay, was comparable to previously reported values. PMID:9501438

An experimental investigation of bubble splitting through multiple bifurcations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bull, Joseph L.; Eshpuniyani, Brijesh; Fowlkes, J. Brian

2004-11-01

A bench top vascular bifurcation model is used to investigate the splitting of long bubbles in a series of liquid-filled bifurcations. These experiments are motivated by a gas embolotherapy technique for the potential treatment of cancer by using gas emboli to infarct tumors. The gas bubbles originate as perfluorocarbon droplets that are small enough to pass through capillaries and are injected into the bloodstream. Low intensity ultrasound is used to track their motion, and they are vaporized at the desired location for treatment via high intensity ultrasound to produce gas bubbles whose volumes are approximately 125 to 150 times the droplet volume. Achieving complete tumor necrosis requires infarction of most of the tumor. Understanding the transport and splitting of the gas bubbles, which can be long enough to extend through more than one bifurcation, is necessary to design delivery strategies. The current experiments investigate the behavior of a bubble as it passes through a series of two geometrically symmetric bifurcations, for different values of effective Bond number, which depends on gravity and the positioning of the bifurcation, capillary number, and bubble volume. The experiments are designed to match the Reynolds, Bond and capillary numbers to the physiological values for arterioles, and to provide guidance in achieving uniform tumor infarction. This work is supported by NSF grant BES-0301278 and NIH grant EB003541-01.

Assessment of capillary suction time (CST) test methodologies.

PubMed

Sawalha, O; Scholz, M

2007-12-01

The capillary suction time (CST) test is a commonly used method to measure the filterability and the easiness of removing moisture from slurry and sludge in numerous environmental and industrial applications. This study assessed several novel alterations of both the test methodology and the current standard capillary suction time (CST) apparatus. Twelve different papers including the standard Whatman No. 17 chromatographic paper were tested. The tests were run using four different types of sludge including a synthetic sludge, which was specifically developed for benchmarking purposes. The standard apparatus was altered by the introduction of a novel rectangular funnel instead of a standard circular one. A stirrer was also introduced to solve the problem of test inconsistency (e.g. high CST variability) particularly for heavy types of sludge. Results showed that several alternative papers, which are cheaper than the standard paper, can be used to estimate CST values accurately, and that the test repeatability can be improved in many cases and for different types of sludge. The introduction of the rectangular funnel demonstrated an obvious enhancement of test repeatability. The use of a stirrer to avoid sedimentation of heavy sludge did not have statistically significant impact on the CST values or the corresponding data variability. The application of synthetic sludge can support the testing of experimental methodologies and should be used for subsequent benchmarking purposes.

P-gp Protein Expression and Transport Activity in Rodent Seizure Models and Human Epilepsy.

PubMed

Hartz, Anika M S; Pekcec, Anton; Soldner, Emma L B; Zhong, Yu; Schlichtiger, Juli; Bauer, Bjoern

2017-04-03

A cure for epilepsy is currently not available, and seizure genesis, seizure recurrence, and resistance to antiseizure drugs remain serious clinical problems. Studies show that the blood-brain barrier is altered in animal models of epilepsy and in epileptic patients. In this regard, seizures increase expression of blood-brain barrier efflux transporters such as P-glycoprotein (P-gp), which is thought to reduce brain uptake of antiseizure drugs, and thus, contribute to antiseizure drug resistance. The goal of the current study was to assess the viability of combining in vivo and ex vivo preparations of isolated brain capillaries from animal models of seizures and epilepsy as well as from patients with epilepsy to study P-gp at the blood-brain barrier. Exposing isolated rat brain capillaries to glutamate ex vivo upregulated P-gp expression to levels that were similar to those in capillaries isolated from rats that had status epilepticus or chronic epilepsy. Moreover, the fold-increase in P-gp protein expression seen in animal models is consistent with the fold-increase in P-gp observed in human brain capillaries isolated from patients with epilepsy compared to age-matched control individuals. Overall, the in vivo/ex vivo approach presented here allows detailed analysis of the mechanisms underlying seizure-induced changes of P-gp expression and transport activity at the blood-brain barrier. This approach can be extended to other blood-brain barrier proteins that might contribute to drug-resistant epilepsy or other CNS disorders as well.

Capillary acquisition devices for high-performance vehicles: Executive summary. [evaluation of cryogenic propellant management techniques using the centaur launch vehicle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Blatt, M. H.; Bradshaw, R. D.; Risberg, J. A.

1980-01-01

Technology areas critical to the development of cryogenic capillary devices were studied. Passive cooling of capillary devices was investigated with an analytical and experimental study of wicking flow. Capillary device refilling with settled fluid was studied using an analytical and experimental program that resulted in successful correlation of a versatile computer program with test data. The program was used to predict Centaur D-1S LO2 and LH2 start basket refilling. Comparisons were made between the baseline Centaur D-1S propellant feed system and feed system alternatives including systems using capillary devices. The preferred concepts from the Centaur D-1S study were examined for APOTV and POTV vehicles for delivery and round trip transfer of payloads between LEO and GEO. Mission profiles were determined to provide propellant usage timelines and the payload partials were defined.

Computer capillaroscopy as a new cardiological diagnostics method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gurfinkel, Youri I.; Korol, Oleg A.; Kufal, George E.

1998-04-01

The blood flow in capillary vessels plays an important role in sustaining the vital activity of the human organism. The computerized capillaroscope is used for the investigations of nailfold (eponychium) capillary blood flow. An important advantage of the instrument is the possibility of performing non-invasive investigations, i.e., without damage to skin or vessels and causing no pain or unpleasant sensations. The high-class equipment and software allow direct observation of capillary blood flow dynamics on a computer screen at a 700 - 1300 times magnification. For the first time in the clinical practice, it has become possible to precisely measure the speed of capillary blood flow, as well as the frequency of aggregate formation (glued together in clots of blood particles). In addition, provision is made for automatic measurement of capillary size and wall thickness and automatic recording of blood aggregate images for further visual study, documentation, and electronic database management.

Naturally Occurring Human Urinary Peptides for Use in Diagnosis of Chronic Kidney Disease*

PubMed Central

Good, David M.; Zürbig, Petra; Argilés, Àngel; Bauer, Hartwig W.; Behrens, Georg; Coon, Joshua J.; Dakna, Mohammed; Decramer, Stéphane; Delles, Christian; Dominiczak, Anna F.; Ehrich, Jochen H. H.; Eitner, Frank; Fliser, Danilo; Frommberger, Moritz; Ganser, Arnold; Girolami, Mark A.; Golovko, Igor; Gwinner, Wilfried; Haubitz, Marion; Herget-Rosenthal, Stefan; Jankowski, Joachim; Jahn, Holger; Jerums, George; Julian, Bruce A.; Kellmann, Markus; Kliem, Volker; Kolch, Walter; Krolewski, Andrzej S.; Luppi, Mario; Massy, Ziad; Melter, Michael; Neusüss, Christian; Novak, Jan; Peter, Karlheinz; Rossing, Kasper; Rupprecht, Harald; Schanstra, Joost P.; Schiffer, Eric; Stolzenburg, Jens-Uwe; Tarnow, Lise; Theodorescu, Dan; Thongboonkerd, Visith; Vanholder, Raymond; Weissinger, Eva M.; Mischak, Harald; Schmitt-Kopplin, Philippe

2010-01-01

Because of its availability, ease of collection, and correlation with physiology and pathology, urine is an attractive source for clinical proteomics/peptidomics. However, the lack of comparable data sets from large cohorts has greatly hindered the development of clinical proteomics. Here, we report the establishment of a reproducible, high resolution method for peptidome analysis of naturally occurring human urinary peptides and proteins, ranging from 800 to 17,000 Da, using samples from 3,600 individuals analyzed by capillary electrophoresis coupled to MS. All processed data were deposited in an Structured Query Language (SQL) database. This database currently contains 5,010 relevant unique urinary peptides that serve as a pool of potential classifiers for diagnosis and monitoring of various diseases. As an example, by using this source of information, we were able to define urinary peptide biomarkers for chronic kidney diseases, allowing diagnosis of these diseases with high accuracy. Application of the chronic kidney disease-specific biomarker set to an independent test cohort in the subsequent replication phase resulted in 85.5% sensitivity and 100% specificity. These results indicate the potential usefulness of capillary electrophoresis coupled to MS for clinical applications in the analysis of naturally occurring urinary peptides. PMID:20616184

Assessment of the capillary zone electrophoretic behavior of proteins in the presence of electroosmotic modifiers: protein-polyamine interaction studied using a polyacrylamide-coated capillary.

PubMed

Kubo, K; Hattori, A

2001-10-01

The use of polyamines as electroosmotic modifiers has been shown to be effective in enhancing resolution of protein glycoforms in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using a bare capillary tube. In this study, effectiveness was evaluated by using a polyacrylamide-coated capillary tube instead of a bare capillary tube. Electropherograms obtained in the presence of polyamines were inferior to those obtained in their absence with respect to resolution. Electrophoretic mobility of the proteins decreased and their peaks were broadened by polyamines bound to them. This unfavorable effect was dependent on both the species of polyamines and the pH values of the electrolyte buffer. The reduction of resolution caused by polyamines was in the following order: spermidine (SPD) approximately spermidine-tri-hydrochloride (SPD-HCI) > putrescine (PUT) > hexamethonium chloride (HMC). The observed effect can be ascribed to the formation of complexes between the proteins and the polyamines. In addition, for the bare capillary tube the complexes showed interaction with the inner surface, resulting in local suppression of electroosmosis and poor resolution. The high resolution obtained in the coated capillary tube was reduced in the presence of the polyamines. Thus, the use of the polyamines has a negative effect on the analysis of protein microheterogeneity as a result of protein-polyamine interaction.

Capillary array scanner for time-resolved detection and identification of fluorescently labelled DNA fragments.

PubMed

Neumann, M; Herten, D P; Dietrich, A; Wolfrum, J; Sauer, M

2000-02-25

The first capillary array scanner for time-resolved fluorescence detection in parallel capillary electrophoresis based on semiconductor technology is described. The system consists essentially of a confocal fluorescence microscope and a x,y-microscope scanning stage. Fluorescence of the labelled probe molecules was excited using a short-pulse diode laser emitting at 640 nm with a repetition rate of 50 MHz. Using a single filter system the fluorescence decays of different labels were detected by an avalanche photodiode in combination with a PC plug-in card for time-correlated single-photon counting (TCSPC). The time-resolved fluorescence signals were analyzed and identified by a maximum likelihood estimator (MLE). The x,y-microscope scanning stage allows for discontinuous, bidirectional scanning of up to 16 capillaries in an array, resulting in longer fluorescence collection times per capillary compared to scanners working in a continuous mode. Synchronization of the alignment and measurement process were developed to allow for data acquisition without overhead. Detection limits in the subzeptomol range for different dye molecules separated in parallel capillaries have been achieved. In addition, we report on parallel time-resolved detection and separation of more than 400 bases of single base extension DNA fragments in capillary array electrophoresis. Using only semiconductor technology the presented technique represents a low-cost alternative for high throughput DNA sequencing in parallel capillaries.

Hybrid Phospholipid Bilayer Coatings for Separations of Cationic Proteins in Capillary Zone Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Gallagher, Elyssia S.; Adem, Seid M.; Bright, Leonard K.; Calderon, Isen A. C.; Mansfield, Elisabeth; Aspinwall, Craig A.

2014-01-01

Protein separations in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) suffer from non-specific adsorption of analytes to the capillary surface. Semi-permanent phospholipid bilayers (PLBs) have been used to minimize adsorption, but must be regenerated regularly to ensure reproducibility. We investigated the formation, characterization, and use of hybrid phospholipid bilayers (HPBs) as more stable biosurfactant capillary coatings for CZE protein separations. HPBs are formed by covalently modifying a support with a hydrophobic monolayer onto which a self-assembled lipid monolayer is deposited. Monolayers prepared in capillaries using 3-cyanopropyldimethylchlorosilane (CPDCS) or n-octyldimethylchlorosilane (ODCS) yielded hydrophobic surfaces with lowered surface free energies of 6.0 ± 0.3 or 0.2 ± 0.1 mJ m−2, respectively, compared to 17 ± 1 mJ m−2 for bare silica capillaries. HPBs were formed by subsequently fusing vesicles comprised of 1,2-dilauroyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine or 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine to CPDCS- or ODCS-modified capillaries. The resultant HPB coatings shielded the capillary surface and yielded reduced electroosmotic mobility (1.3 – 1.9 × 10−4 cm2 V−1s−1) compared to CPDCS- and ODCS-modified or bare capillaries (3.6 ± 0.2 × 10−4 cm2 V−1s−1, 4.8 ± 0.4 × 10−4 cm2 V−1s−1, and 6.0 ± 0.2 × 10−4 cm2 V−1s−1, respectively), with increased stability compared to PLB coatings. HPB-coated capillaries yielded reproducible protein migration times (RSD ≤ 3.6 %, n ≥ 6) with separation efficiencies as high as 200,000 plates m−1. PMID:24459085

Analysis of flow dynamics through small diameter gas sampling systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, K. G.

1984-01-01

The removal of gas material through a capillary opening in a surface is analyzed. The gas, from which the sample is removed, is moving past the surface at supersonic velocities. A variety of possible conditions of temperature, pressure and composition are discussed in an effort to emulate conditions that might be found at the surface of a vehicle traversing the altitude range 100-50 km, or might exist at the surface of a model in the stream of a high enthalpy wind tunnel. Aspects discussed include: (1) the throughput of the capillary for conditions of different lengths and different L/a (length/radius) ratios; (2) the total throughput when the surface in question contains many hundreds of these capillaries; (3) the effect of the capillaries upon the composition of the analyzed gas; (4) the effect of the capillary or capillaries upon the gas stream itself; and (5) the implications of the calculations upon the possible implementation of this type of device as an inlet for a mass spectrometer to be developed for analyzing the upper atmosphere.

On-line DNA analysis system with rapid thermal cycling

DOEpatents

Swerdlow, Harold P.; Wittwer, Carl T.

1999-01-01

An apparatus particularly suited for subjecting biological samples to any necessary sample preparation tasks, subjecting the sample to rapid thermal cycling, and then subjecting the sample to subsequent on-line analysis using one or more of a number of analytical techniques. The apparatus includes a chromatography device including an injection means, a chromatography pump, and a chromatography column. In addition, the apparatus also contains a capillary electrophoresis device consisting of a capillary electrophoresis column with an inlet and outlet end, a means of injection, and means of applying a high voltage to cause the differential migration of species of interest through the capillary column. Effluent from the liquid chromatography column passes over the inlet end of the capillary electrophoresis column through a tee structure and when the loading of the capillary electrophoresis column is desired, a voltage supply is activated at a precise voltage and polarity over a specific duration to cause sample species to be diverted from the flowing stream to the capillary electrophoresis column. A laser induced fluorescence detector preferably is used to analyze the products separated while in the electrophoresis column.

On-line DNA analysis system with rapid thermal cycling

DOEpatents

Swerdlow, H.P.; Wittwer, C.T.

1999-08-10

This application describes an apparatus particularly suited for subjecting biological samples to any necessary sample preparation tasks, subjecting the sample to rapid thermal cycling, and then subjecting the sample to subsequent on-line analysis using one or more of a number of analytical techniques. The apparatus includes a chromatography device including an injection means, a chromatography pump, and a chromatography column. In addition, the apparatus also contains a capillary electrophoresis device consisting of a capillary electrophoresis column with an inlet and outlet end, a means of injection, and means of applying a high voltage to cause the differential migration of species of interest through the capillary column. Effluent from the liquid chromatography column passes over the inlet end of the capillary electrophoresis column through a tee structure and when the loading of the capillary electrophoresis column is desired, a voltage supply is activated at a precise voltage and polarity over a specific duration to cause sample species to be diverted from the flowing stream to the capillary electrophoresis column. A laser induced fluorescence detector preferably is used to analyze the products separated while in the electrophoresis column. 6 figs.

Cerebral small vessel disease: Capillary pathways to stroke and cognitive decline

PubMed Central

Engedal, Thorbjørn S; Moreton, Fiona; Hansen, Mikkel B; Wardlaw, Joanna M; Dalkara, Turgay; Markus, Hugh S; Muir, Keith W

2015-01-01

Cerebral small vessel disease (SVD) gives rise to one in five strokes worldwide and constitutes a major source of cognitive decline in the elderly. SVD is known to occur in relation to hypertension, diabetes, smoking, radiation therapy and in a range of inherited and genetic disorders, autoimmune disorders, connective tissue disorders, and infections. Until recently, changes in capillary patency and blood viscosity have received little attention in the aetiopathogenesis of SVD and the high risk of subsequent stroke and cognitive decline. Capillary flow patterns were, however, recently shown to limit the extraction efficacy of oxygen in tissue and capillary dysfunction therefore proposed as a source of stroke-like symptoms and neurodegeneration, even in the absence of physical flow-limiting vascular pathology. In this review, we examine whether capillary flow disturbances may be a shared feature of conditions that represent risk factors for SVD. We then discuss aspects of capillary dysfunction that could be prevented or alleviated and therefore might be of general benefit to patients at risk of SVD, stroke or cognitive decline. PMID:26661176

Capillary electrophoresis-high resolution sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Sonke, Jeroen E; Salters, Vincent J M

2007-08-03

The background and applications of high resolution sector field inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (HR-ICP-MS) as a detector for capillary (CE) and gel electrophoretic separations are reviewed. Notable progress has been made in the fields of bioinorganic and environmental (geo-) chemistry. Metallomics, the study of metal species interactions and functions in biological systems, puts substantial technical demands on speciation analysis. The combination of high species resolving power (CE) and high sensitivity-high mass resolving power (HR-ICP-MS) provides a solid base to meet such demands.

Capillary Electrophoresis Profiles and Fluorophore Components of Humic Acids in Nebraska Corn and Philippine Rice Soils

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

As humic substances represent relatively high molecular mass polyelectrolytes containing aromatic, aliphatic and heterocyclic subunits, capillary electrophoresis (CE) has become an attractive method for “finger-print” characterization of humic acids. In addition, fluorescence excitation-emission ma...

Numerical simulation of ion transport in an atmosphere-to-vacuum interface taking into account gas dynamics and space charge.

PubMed

Skoblin, Michael G; Chudinov, Alexey V; Sulimenkov, Ilia V; Brusov, Vladimir S; Makarov, Alexander A; Wouters, Eloy R; Kozlovskiy, Viacheslav I

2017-08-01

A two-step approach was developed for the study of ion transport in an atmospheric pressure interface. In the first step, the flow in the interface was numerically simulated using the standard gas dynamic package ANSYS CFX 15.0. In the second step, the calculated fields of pressure, temperature, and velocity were imported into a custom-built software application for simulation of ion motion under the influence of both gas dynamic and electrostatic forces. To account for space charge effects in axially symmetric interfaces an analytical expression was used for the Coulomb force. For all other types of interfaces, an iterative approach for the Coulomb force computation was developed. The simulations show that the influence of the space charge is the main contributor to the loss of ion current in the heated capillary. In addition, the maximum ion current which can be transmitted through the heated capillary (0.58 mm inner diameter and 58.5 mm length) is limited to ∼6 nA for ions with m/z = 508 Da and with reduced ion mobility 1.05 cm 2 V -1 s -1 . This limit remains practically constant and independent of the ion current at the entrance of the capillary. For a particular ion type, this limit depends on its m/z ratio and ion mobility.

Synergistic Use of Gold Nanoparticles (AuNPs) and “Capillary Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA)” for High Sensitivity and Fast Assays

PubMed Central

Kim, Wan-Joong; Cho, Hyo Young; Jeong, Bongjin; Byun, Sangwon; Huh, JaeDoo; Kim, Young Jun

2017-01-01

Using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on “capillary enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)”, we produced highly sensitive and rapid assays, which are the major attributes for point-of-care applications. First, in order to understand the size effect of AuNPs, AuNPs of varying diameters (5 nm, 10 nm, 15 nm, 20 nm, 30 nm, and 50 nm) conjugated with Horseradish Peroxidase (HRP)-labeled anti-C reactive protein (antiCRP) (AuNP•antiCRP-HRP) were used for well-plate ELISA. AuNP of 10 nm produced the largest optical density, enabling detection of 0.1 ng/mL of CRP with only 30 s of incubation, in contrast to 10 ng/mL for the ELISA run in the absence of AuNP. Then, AuNP of 10 nm conjugated with antiCRP-HRP (AuNP•antiCRP-HRP) was used for “capillary ELISA” to detect as low as 0.1 ng/mL of CRP. Also, kinetic study on both 96-well plates and in a capillary tube using antiCRP-HRP or AuNP•antiCRP-HRP showed a synergistic effect between AuNP and the capillary system, in which the fastest assay was observed from the “AuNP capillary ELISA”, with its maximum absorbance reaching 2.5 min, while the slowest was the typical well-plate ELISA with its maximum absorbance reaching in 13.5 min. PMID:29278402

Longitudinal imaging of microvascular remodelling in proliferative diabetic retinopathy using adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscopy.

PubMed

Chui, Toco Yuen Ping; Pinhas, Alexander; Gan, Alexander; Razeen, Moataz; Shah, Nishit; Cheang, Eric; Liu, Chun L; Dubra, Alfredo; Rosen, Richard B

2016-05-01

To characterise longitudinal changes in the retinal microvasculature of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) as exemplified in a patient with proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) using an adaptive optics scanning light ophthalmoscope (AOSLO). A 35-year-old T2DM patient with PDR treated with scatter pan-retinal photocoagulation at the inferior retina 1 day prior to initial AOSLO imaging along with a 24-year-old healthy control were imaged in this study. AOSLO vascular structural and perfusion maps were acquired at four visits over a 20-week period. Capillary diameter and microaneurysm area changes were measured on the AOSLO structural maps. Imaging repeatability was established using longitudinal imaging of microvasculature in the healthy control. Capillary occlusion and recanalisation, capillary dilatation, resolution of local retinal haemorrhage, capillary hairpin formation, capillary bend formation, microaneurysm formation, progression and regression were documented over time in a region 2° superior to the fovea in the PDR patient. An identical microvascular network with same capillary diameter was observed in the control subject over time. High-resolution serial AOSLO imaging enables in vivo observation of vasculopathic changes seen in diabetes mellitus. The implications of this methodology are significant, providing the opportunity for studying the dynamics of the pathological process, as well as the possibility of identifying highly sensitive and non-invasive biomarkers of end organ damage and response to treatment. © 2016 The Authors Ophthalmic & Physiological Optics © 2016 The College of Optometrists.

Capillary channel flow experiments aboard the International Space Station

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Conrath, M.; Canfield, P. J.; Bronowicki, P. M.; Dreyer, M. E.; Weislogel, M. M.; Grah, A.

2013-12-01

In the near-weightless environment of orbiting spacecraft capillary forces dominate interfacial flow phenomena over unearthly large length scales. In current experiments aboard the International Space Station, partially open channels are being investigated to determine critical flow rate-limiting conditions above which the free surface collapses ingesting bubbles. Without the natural passive phase separating qualities of buoyancy, such ingested bubbles can in turn wreak havoc on the fluid transport systems of spacecraft. The flow channels under investigation represent geometric families of conduits with applications to liquid propellant acquisition, thermal fluids circulation, and water processing for life support. Present and near future experiments focus on transient phenomena and conduit asymmetries allowing capillary forces to replace the role of gravity to perform passive phase separations. Terrestrial applications are noted where enhanced transport via direct liquid-gas contact is desired.

Interaction between blood and solid particles propagating through a capillary with slip effects.

PubMed

Zeeshan, A; Fatima, A; Khalid, F; Bhatti, M M

2018-04-18

This article describes the interaction between solid particles and blood propagating through a capillary. A slip condition is considered on the walls of the capillary. The rheological features of the blood are discussed by considering as a two-phase Newtonian fluid model, i.e., the suspension of cells in plasma. A perturbation method is successfully applied to obtain the series solution of the governing coupled differential equations. The series solution for both fluid and particle phase are presented up to second order approximation. The expressions for the velocity and pressure distributions under slip effects are determined within a tube. Furthermore, the current results are beneficial to understand the rheological features of blood which will be helpful to interpret and analyze more complex blood flow models. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automation and integration of multiplexed on-line sample preparation with capillary electrophoresis for DNA sequencing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tan, H.

1999-03-31

The purpose of this research is to develop a multiplexed sample processing system in conjunction with multiplexed capillary electrophoresis for high-throughput DNA sequencing. The concept from DNA template to called bases was first demonstrated with a manually operated single capillary system. Later, an automated microfluidic system with 8 channels based on the same principle was successfully constructed. The instrument automatically processes 8 templates through reaction, purification, denaturation, pre-concentration, injection, separation and detection in a parallel fashion. A multiplexed freeze/thaw switching principle and a distribution network were implemented to manage flow direction and sample transportation. Dye-labeled terminator cycle-sequencing reactions are performedmore » in an 8-capillary array in a hot air thermal cycler. Subsequently, the sequencing ladders are directly loaded into a corresponding size-exclusion chromatographic column operated at {approximately} 60 C for purification. On-line denaturation and stacking injection for capillary electrophoresis is simultaneously accomplished at a cross assembly set at {approximately} 70 C. Not only the separation capillary array but also the reaction capillary array and purification columns can be regenerated after every run. DNA sequencing data from this system allow base calling up to 460 bases with accuracy of 98%.« less

Determination of vanillin in vanilla perfumes and air by capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Minematsu, Saaya; Xuan, Guang-Shan; Wu, Xing-Zheng

2013-12-01

The present study investigated capillary electrophoretic detection of vanillin in vanilla perfume and air. An UV-absorbance detector was used in a home-made capillary electrophoretic instrument. A fused silica capillary (outer diameter: 364 μm, inner diameter: 50 μm) was used as a separation capillary, and a high electric voltage (20 kV) was applied across the two ends of the capillary. Total length of the capillary was 70 cm, and the effective length was 55 cm. Experimental results showed that the vanillin peak was detected at about 600, 450, and 500 seconds when pH of running buffers in CE were 7.2, 9.3, and 11.5, respectively. The peak area of vanillin was proportional to its concentration in the range of 0-10(-2) mol/L. The detection limit was about 10(-5) mol/L. Vanillin concentration in a 1% vanilla perfume sample was determined to be about 3×10(-4) mol/L, agreed well with that obtained by a HPLC method. Furthermore, determination of vanillin in air by combination of CE and active carbon adsorption method was investigated. Copyright © 2013 The Research Centre for Eco-Environmental Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Multianalyte detection using a capillary-based flow immunosensor.

PubMed

Narang, U; Gauger, P R; Kusterbeck, A W; Ligler, F S

1998-01-01

A highly sensitive, dual-analyte detection system using capillary-based immunosensors has been designed for explosive detection. This model system consists of two capillaries, one coated with antibodies specific for 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and the other specific for hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) combined into a single device. The fused silica capillaries are prepared by coating anti-TNT and anti-RDX antibodies onto the silanized inner walls using a hetero-bifunctional crosslinker. After immobilization, the antibodies are saturated with a suitable fluorophorelabeled antigen. A "T" connector is used to continuously flow the buffer solution through the individual capillaries. To perform the assay, an aliquot of TNT or RDX or a mixture of the two analytes is injected into the continuous flow stream. In each capillary, the target analyte displaces the fluorophore-labeled antigen from the binding pocket of the antibody. The labeled antigen displaced from either capillary is detected downstream using two portable spectrofluorometers. The limits of detection for TNT and RDX in the multi-analyte formate are 44 fmol (100 microliters of 0.1 ng/ml TNT solution) and 224 fmol (100 microliters of 0.5 ng/ml RDX solution), respectively. The entire assay for both analytes can be performed in less than 3 min.

Visual detection of multiple genetically modified organisms in a capillary array.

PubMed

Shao, Ning; Chen, Jianwei; Hu, Jiaying; Li, Rong; Zhang, Dabing; Guo, Shujuan; Hui, Junhou; Liu, Peng; Yang, Litao; Tao, Sheng-Ce

2017-01-31

There is an urgent need for rapid, low-cost multiplex methodologies for the monitoring of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Here, we report a C[combining low line]apillary A[combining low line]rray-based L[combining low line]oop-mediated isothermal amplification for M[combining low line]ultiplex visual detection of nucleic acids (CALM) platform for the simple and rapid monitoring of GMOs. In CALM, loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) primer sets are pre-fixed to the inner surface of capillaries. The surface of the capillary array is hydrophobic while the capillaries are hydrophilic, enabling the simultaneous loading and separation of the LAMP reaction mixtures into each capillary by capillary forces. LAMP reactions in the capillaries are then performed in parallel, and the results are visually detected by illumination with a hand-held UV device. Using CALM, we successfully detected seven frequently used transgenic genes/elements and five plant endogenous reference genes with high specificity and sensitivity. Moreover, we found that measurements of real-world blind samples by CALM are consistent with results obtained by independent real-time PCRs. Thus, with an ability to detect multiple nucleic acids in a single easy-to-operate test, we believe that CALM will become a widely applied technology in GMO monitoring.

Evans blue dye-enhanced capillary-resolution photoacoustic microscopy in vivo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yao, Junjie; Maslov, Konstantin; Hu, Song; Wang, Lihong V.

2009-09-01

Complete and continuous imaging of microvascular networks is crucial for a wide variety of biomedical applications. Photoacoustic tomography can provide high resolution microvascular imaging using hemoglobin within red blood cells (RBCs) as an endogenic contrast agent. However, intermittent RBC flow in capillaries results in discontinuous and fragmentary capillary images. To overcome this problem, we use Evans blue (EB) dye as a contrast agent for in vivo photoacoustic imaging. EB has strong optical absorption and distributes uniformly in the blood stream by chemically binding to albumin. With the help of EB, complete and continuous microvascular networks--especially capillaries--are imaged. The diffusion dynamics of EB leaving the blood stream and the clearance dynamics of the EB-albumin complex are also quantitatively investigated.

High pressure flow-rate switch

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gale, G. P.

1970-01-01

Flow-rate switch adjusts easily over a wide switching range and operates uniformly over many cycles. It adapts easily to control of various fluids and has the possibility of introducing multi-point switching. Novel design features include the tapered spool, balanced porting, capillary-bypass lubrication, and capillary-restriction damping.

HOT ELUENT CAPILLARY LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY USING ZIRCONIA AND TITANIA BASED STATIONARY PHASES. (R825344)

EPA Science Inventory

Abstract

High speed capillary liquid chromatographic separations using a simple home made system constructed from readily available inexpensive components have been studied. Using thermally stable zirconia and titania based packing, the separation of eight alkylbenzene...

Live Imaging of the Lung

PubMed Central

Looney, Mark R.; Bhattacharya, Jahar

2015-01-01

Live lung imaging has spanned the discovery of capillaries in the frog lung by Malpighi to the current use of single and multiphoton imaging of intravital and isolated perfused lung preparations incorporating fluorescent molecular probes and transgenic reporter mice. Along the way, much has been learned about the unique microcirculation of the lung, including immune cell migration and the mechanisms by which cells at the alveolar-capillary interface communicate with each other. In this review, we highlight live lung imaging techniques as applied to the role of mitochondria in lung immunity, mechanisms of signal transduction in lung compartments, studies on the composition of alveolar wall liquid, and neutrophil and platelet trafficking in the lung under homeostatic and inflammatory conditions. New applications of live lung imaging and the limitations of current techniques are discussed. PMID:24245941

Negative ion mode evolution of potential buildup and mapping of potential gradients within the electrospray emitter.

PubMed

Pozniak, Boguslaw P; Cole, Richard B

2004-12-01

Differential electrospray emitter potential (DEEP) maps, displaying variations in potential in the electrospray (ES) capillary and in the Taylor cone, have been generated in the negative ion mode of ES operation. In all examples, measured potential was found to be the highest at the points furthest into the Taylor cone, and values descended to zero at distances beyond approximately 15 mm within the ES capillary. In agreement with results obtained previously in the positive ion mode, negative mode data show a strong influence of electrolyte concentration on measured potentials. Weakly conductive solutions exhibited the highest values, and the steepest gradients, at points furthest into the Taylor cone. However, these same low conductivity solutions did not yield nonzero measured potentials to as deep a distance into the ES capillary as was possible from their higher conductivity counterparts. Addition of a readily reducible compound lowered measured potentials at all points near the ES capillary exit, in accordance with the description of the ES device as a controlled-current electrolytic cell. The development of potential inside the ES capillary upon the onset of ES was also studied, and initial results are presented. Potential waves are observed that can require 15 min or longer, to stabilize. The slow drift to steady potentials is evidence of upstream movement of electrochemically-produced species and follow-up reaction products; low conductivity solutions require longer intervals to reach a steady state. Potentials measured along the central ES axis reflect those at the ES capillary surface, although equipotential lines can be considered to be more compressed at the latter surface.

A homemade high-resolution orthogonal-injection time-of-flight mass spectrometer with a heated capillary inlet

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Guo Changjuan; Huang Zhengxu; Gao Wei

2008-01-15

We describe a homemade high-resolution orthogonal-injection time-of-flight (O-TOF) mass spectrometer combing a heated capillary inlet. The O-TOF uses a heated capillary tube combined with a radio-frequency only quadrupole (rf-only quadrupole) as an interface to help the ion transmission from the atmospheric pressure to the low-pressure regions. The principle, configuration of the O-TOF, and the performance of the instrument are introduced in this paper. With electrospray ion source, the performances of the mass resolution, the sensitivity, the mass range, and the mass accuracy are described. We also include our results obtained by coupling atmospheric pressure matrix-assisted laser deporption ionization with thismore » instrument.« less

Velocity gap mode of capillary electrophoresis developed for high-resolution chiral separations.

PubMed

Li, Xue; Li, Youxin; Zhao, Lumeng; Shen, Jianguo; Zhang, Yong; Bao, James J

2014-10-01

A new CE method based on velocity gap (VG) theory has been developed for high-resolution chiral separations. In VG, two consecutive electric fields are adopted to drive analytes passing through two capillaries, which are linked together through a joint. The joint is immersed inside another buffer vial which has conductivity communication with the buffer inside the capillary. By adjusting the field strengths onto the two capillaries, it is possible to observe different velocities of an analyte when it passes through those two capillaries and there would be a net velocity change (NVC) for the same analyte. Different analytes may have different NVC which may be specifically meaningful for enantioseparations because enantiomers are usually hard to resolve. By taking advantage of this NVC, it is possible to enhance the resolution of a chiral separation if a proper voltage program is applied. The feasibility of using NVC to enhance chiral separation was demonstrated in the separations of three pairs of enantiomers: terbutaline, chlorpheniramine, and promethazine. All separations started with partial separation in a conventional CE and were significantly improved under the same experimental conditions. The results indicated that VG has the potential to be used to improve the resolving power of CE in chiral separations. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Extraction Optimization for Obtaining Artemisia capillaris Extract with High Anti-Inflammatory Activity in RAW 264.7 Macrophage Cells

PubMed Central

Jang, Mi; Jeong, Seung-Weon; Kim, Bum-Keun; Kim, Jong-Chan

2015-01-01

Plant extracts have been used as herbal medicines to treat a wide variety of human diseases. We used response surface methodology (RSM) to optimize the Artemisia capillaris Thunb. extraction parameters (extraction temperature, extraction time, and ethanol concentration) for obtaining an extract with high anti-inflammatory activity at the cellular level. The optimum ranges for the extraction parameters were predicted by superimposing 4-dimensional response surface plots of the lipopolysaccharide- (LPS-) induced PGE2 and NO production and by cytotoxicity of A. capillaris Thunb. extracts. The ranges of extraction conditions used for determining the optimal conditions were extraction temperatures of 57–65°C, ethanol concentrations of 45–57%, and extraction times of 5.5–6.8 h. On the basis of the results, a model with a central composite design was considered to be accurate and reliable for predicting the anti-inflammation activity of extracts at the cellular level. These approaches can provide a logical starting point for developing novel anti-inflammatory substances from natural products and will be helpful for the full utilization of A. capillaris Thunb. The crude extract obtained can be used in some A. capillaris Thunb.-related health care products. PMID:26075271

Effects of Riot Control Training on Systemic Microvascular Reactivity and Capillary Density.

PubMed

Pereira, Flavio; de Moraes, Roger; Van Bavel, Diogo; De Lorenzo, Andrea; Tibirica, Eduardo

2018-03-14

The main aim of the present study is to evaluate the effects of strenuous exercise, related to special military training for riot control, on systemic microvascular endothelial function and skin capillary density. Endothelium-dependent microvascular reactivity was evaluated in the forearm skin of healthy military trainees (age 23.4 ± 2.3 yr; n = 15) using laser speckle contrast imaging coupled with cutaneous acetylcholine (ACh) iontophoresis and post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH). Functional capillary density was assessed using high-resolution, intra-vital color microscopy in the dorsum of the middle phalanx. Capillary recruitment (capillary reserve) was evaluated using PORH. Microcirculatory tests were performed before and after a 5-wk special military training for riot control. Microvascular endothelium-dependent vasodilatory responses were markedly and significantly reduced after training, compared with values obtained before training. The peak values of microvascular conductance obtained during iontophoresis of ACh or PORH before training (0.84 ± 0.22 and 0.94 ± 0.72 APU/mmHg, respectively) were markedly reduced after training (0.47 ± 0.11 and 0.71 ± 0.14 APU/mmHg; p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0037, respectively). Endothelium-dependent capillary recruitment was significantly reduced after training (before 101 ± 9 and after 95 ± 8 capillaries/mm2; p = 0.0007). The present study showed that a 5-wk strenuous military training, performed in unfavorable climatic conditions, induces marked systemic microvascular dysfunction, mainly characterized by reduced endothelium-dependent microvascular vasodilation and blunted capillary recruitment.

Capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry determination of inorganic ions using an ion spray-sheath flow interface.

PubMed

Huggins, T G; Henion, J D

1993-01-01

The determination of inorganic cations and anions by capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry (CE/MS) is reported using an ion spray-sheath flow interface coupling. A twelve-component synthetic mixture of cations which included the positive ions of K, Ba, Ca, Mn, Cd, Co, Pb, Cr, Ni, Zn, Ag, and Cu was loaded into the capillary column at levels ranging from 30 to 300 pg, separated by CE, and detected by indirect UV and in the full-scan (m/z 35-450) positive ion CE/MS mode using an aqueous buffer containing 30 mM creatinine and 8 mM alpha-hydroxyisobutyric acid, pH 4.8. Creatinine forms adducts with the cations which are observed in the gas phase and requires rather high (120 electron volts) declustering energy to dissociate. This produces a reduction in charge state to form the free, singly charged, inorganic cations which are observed in the mass spectra. CE/MS analysis of an aqueous acidic extract of used aircraft engine oil revealed high levels of lead as well as lower levels of chromium and nickel. CE-indirect UV analysis of a synthetic mixture containing 300 pg each of 11 inorganic ions, which included the anions of Br, Cl, NO2, NO3, S2O3, N3, SCN, SO4, SeO4, oxalate, and MoO4, is shown. The running buffer which affected this separation contained 5 mM ammonium dichromate, 10 mM ammonium acetate, and 20 mM diethylenetriamine at pH 9.3. Although indirect UV detection revealed good separation of these anions, CE/MS analysis of this mixture was complicated by interfering ion current signals from the cluster ions formed by the interaction between the additives and the analytes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

High temporal resolution coupling of low-flow push-pull perfusion to capillary electrophoresis for ascorbate analysis at the rat vitreoretinal interface.

PubMed

Patterson, Eric E; Pritchett, Jeanita S; Shippy, Scott A

2009-02-01

A system is presented demonstrating the high-temporal resolution coupling of low-flow push-pull perfusion sampling (LFPS) to capillary electrophoresis for the absorbance measurement of ascorbate at the rat vitreoretinal interface. This system holds all separation components at a low pressure as the means for withdrawing sample during LFPS. The system uses a flow-gated interface to directly couple the withdrawal capillary from the LFPS probe to a separation capillary and eliminates the need for any offline sample handling. The temporal resolution of the system was limited by injection time and is less than 16 s. This high temporal resolution was applied to the monitoring of in vivo ascorbate levels at the rat vitreoretinal interface. Baseline concentrations of ascorbate were found to be 86 microM +/- 18 microM at the vitreoretinal interface. Baseline concentrations matched well with those obtained for the postmortem bulk vitreous analysis. Upon stimulation with 145 mM K(+), a maximum increase in baseline values between 32-107% for n = 3 was observed. This system demonstrates the first in vivo temporal study of ascorbate at the rat vitreoretinal interface.

A Numerical Study of the Non-Ideal Behavior, Parameters, and Novel Applications of an Electrothermal Plasma Source

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winfrey, A. Leigh

Electrothermal plasma sources have numerous applications including hypervelocity launchers, fusion reactor pellet injection, and space propulsion systems. The time evolution of important plasma parameters at the source exit is important in determining the suitability of the source for different applications. In this study a capillary discharge code has been modified to incorporate non-ideal behavior by using an exact analytical model for the Coulomb logarithm in the plasma electrical conductivity formula. Actual discharge currents from electrothermal plasma experiments were used and code results for both ideal and non-ideal plasma models were compared to experimental data, specifically the ablated mass from the capillary and the electrical conductivity as measured by the discharge current and the voltage. Electrothermal plasma sources operating in the ablation-controlled arc regime use discharge currents with pulse lengths between 100 micros to 1 ms. Faster or longer or extended flat-top pulses can also be generated to satisfy various applications of ET sources. Extension of the peak current for up to an additional 1000 micros was tested. Calculations for non-ideal and ideal plasma models show that extended flattop pulses produce more ablated mass, which scales linearly with increased pulse length while other parameters remain almost constant. A new configuration of the PIPE source has been proposed in order to investigate the formation of plasmas from mixed materials. The electrothermal segmented plasma source can be used for studies related to surface coatings, surface modification, ion implantation, materials synthesis, and the physics of complex mixed plasmas. This source is a capillary discharge where the ablation liner is made from segments of different materials instead of a single sleeve. This system should allow for the modeling and characterization of the growth plasma as it provides all materials needed for fabrication through the same method. An ablation-free capillary discharge computer code has been developed to model plasma flow and acceleration of pellets for fusion fueling in magnetic fusion reactors. Two case studies with and without ablation, including different source configurations have been studied here. Velocities necessary for fusion fueling have been achieved. New additions made to the code model incorporate radial heat and energy transfer and move ETFLOW towards being a 2-D model of the plasma flow. This semi 2-D approach gives a view of the behavior of the plasma inside the capillary as it is affected by important physical parameters such as radial thermal heat conduction and their effect on wall ablation.

Deregulated angiogenesis in chronic lung diseases: a possible role for lung mesenchymal progenitor cells (2017 Grover Conference Series)

PubMed Central

Kropski, Jonathan A.; Richmond, Bradley W.; Gaskill, Christa F.; Foronjy, Robert F.

2017-01-01

Chronic lung disease (CLD), including pulmonary fibrosis (PF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), is the fourth leading cause of mortality worldwide. Both are debilitating pathologies that impede overall tissue function. A common co-morbidity in CLD is vasculopathy, characterized by deregulated angiogenesis, remodeling, and loss of microvessels. This substantially worsens prognosis and limits survival, with most current therapeutic strategies being largely palliative. The relevance of angiogenesis, both capillary and lymph, to the pathophysiology of CLD has not been resolved as conflicting evidence depicts angiogenesis as both reparative or pathologic. Therefore, we must begin to understand and model the underlying pathobiology of pulmonary vascular deregulation, alone and in response to injury induced disease, to define cell interactions necessary to maintain normal function and promote repair. Capillary and lymphangiogenesis are deregulated in both PF and COPD, although the mechanisms by which they co-regulate and underlie early pathogenesis of disease are unknown. The cell-specific mechanisms that regulate lung vascular homeostasis, repair, and remodeling represent a significant gap in knowledge, which presents an opportunity to develop targeted therapies. We have shown that that ABCG2pos multipotent adult mesenchymal stem or progenitor cells (MPC) influence the function of the capillary microvasculature as well as lymphangiogenesis. A balance of both is required for normal tissue homeostasis and repair. Our current models suggest that when lymph and capillary angiogenesis are out of balance, the non-equivalence appears to support the progression of disease and tissue remodeling. The angiogenic regulatory mechanisms underlying CLD likely impact other interstitial lung diseases, tuberous sclerosis, and lymphangioleiomyomatosis. PMID:29040010

Functional expression of P2X4 receptor in capillary endothelial cells of the cochlear spiral ligament and its role in regulating the capillary diameter.

PubMed

Wu, T; Dai, M; Shi, X R; Jiang, Z G; Nuttall, A L

2011-07-01

The cochlear lateral wall generates the endocochlear potential (EP), which creates a driving force for the hair cell transduction current and is essential for normal hearing. Blood flow at the cochlear lateral wall is critically important for maintaining the EP. The vulnerability of the EP to hypoxia suggests that the blood flow in the cochlear lateral wall is dynamically and precisely regulated to meet the changing metabolic needs of the cochlear lateral wall. It has been reported that ATP, an important extracellular signaling molecule, plays an essential role in regulating cochlear blood flow. However, the cellular mechanism underlying ATP-induced regional blood flow changes has not been investigated. In the current study, we demonstrate that 1) the P2X4 receptor is expressed in endothelial cells (ECs) of spiral ligament (SL) capillaries. 2) ATP elicits a characteristic current through P2X4 on ECs in a dose-dependent manner (EC(50) = 0.16 mM). The ATP current has a reversal potential at ∼0 mV; is inhibited by 5-(3-bromophenyl)-1,3-dihydro-2H-benzofuro[3,2-e]-1,4-diazepin-2-one (5-BDBD), LaCl(3), pyridoxal phosphate-6-azo(benzene-2,4-disulfonic acid) tetrasodium salt hydrate (PPADS), and extracellular acidosis; and is less sensitive to α,β-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate (α,β-MeATP) and 2'- and 3'-O-(4-benzoyl-benzoyl) adenosine 5'-triphosphate (BzATP). 3) ATP elicits a transient increase of intracellular Ca(2+) in ECs. 4) In accordance with the above in vitro findings, perilymphatic ATP (1 mM) caused dilation in SL capillaries in vivo by 11.5%. N(ω)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME), a nonselective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, or 5-BDBD, the specific P2X4 inhibitor, significantly blocked the dilation. These findings support our hypothesis that extracellular ATP regulates cochlear lateral blood flow through P2X4 activation in ECs.

Simultaneous determination of rifabutin and human serum albumin in pharmaceutical formulations by capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Ermolenko, Yu; Anshakova, A; Osipova, N; Kamentsev, M; Maksimenko, O; Balabanyan, V; Gelperina, S

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was used for determination of rifabutin (RFB), an anti-tuberculosis antibiotic drug, in various pharmaceutical formulations. Apart from that, simultaneous determination of RFB and human serum albumin (HSA) was performed. Electrophoretic behaviour of RFB was examined at various pH levels. CE conditions: a quartz capillary tube (internal diameter 75mm, effective length 50cm, total length 60cm), the capillary temperature was 25°С, the voltage applied to the capillary tube was +20kV, the UV detection wavelength was 214nm, hydrodynamic injection of the sample was performed at 30mbar for 5s, tetraborate buffer solution (0.01М, рН9.2). The obtained results are characterized by high efficiency (number of theoretical plates up to 260,000) and sufficient sensitivity (LOQ starting from 0.02μg/ml for RFB). The obtained data are in good accord with both HPLC results (for RFB) and spectrophotometry (for HSA). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Occlusion and rupture of ex vivo capillary bifurcation due to acoustic droplet vaporization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yi; Qin, Dui; Zhang, Jun; Zhang, Lei; Bouakaz, Ayache; Wan, Mingxi

2018-06-01

Gas embolotherapy (GE) consists in the occlusion of tumor blood vessels using gas emboli induced by acoustic droplet vaporization (ADV), to create tumor starvation and localized drug delivery. Therefore, the occlusion and rupture of capillary bifurcation due to ADV was investigated in an ex vivo rat mesentery model using a confocal acousto-optical high-speed microscope system. Following ADV bubble formation, coalescence, and translational movement, the growing bubbles lodged in and then occluded two different capillary bifurcations. Capillary rupture was induced at the bubble lodging area, immediately followed by gas extravasation and bubble dislodging. Before and after bubble lodgment/occlusion, a local microvessel invagination was observed due to the interactions between ADV bubbles and the microvessel itself, indicating a contribution to the capillary rupture. Understanding the transient dynamics of ADV bubble, the bubble-microvessel interaction and the consequent mechanical bio-effects in GE is of the paramount importance for developing and applying this approach in clinical practice.

Microcirculation of human pancreatic islets transplanted under the renal capsule of nude mice.

PubMed

Jansson, L; Tyrberg, B; Carlsson, P O; Nordin, A; Andersson, A; Källskog O

2001-08-27

The aim was to measure the capillary blood pressure in transplanted human islets. Human islets were isolated at the Central Unit of the beta-cell Transplant in Brussels, Belgium. After transport to our laboratory, the islets were implanted under the renal capsule of normoglycemic nude mice. Two weeks later the capillary and venous blood pressures in the islet graft and adjacent renal parenchyma were measured with a micropuncture technique. Capillary blood pressure was approximately 5-8 mmHg in both graft and renal capillaries: twice as high as in native islets. Venous blood pressures were similar (4-5 mmHg) in the veins draining the graft and in the renal interlobular veins. All veins leading from the graft emptied into the renal parenchyma, that is, into interlobular veins. The capillary hypertension seen in transplanted human islets is probably necessary to secure adequate drainage through the renal veins. Whether this contributes to the poor results of long-term islet graft survival is unknown.

Meniscus formation in a capillary and the role of contact line friction.

PubMed

Andrukh, Taras; Monaenkova, Daria; Rubin, Binyamin; Lee, Wah-Keat; Kornev, Konstantin G

2014-01-28

We studied spontaneous formation of an internal meniscus by dipping glass capillaries of 25 μm to 350 μm radii into low volatile hexadecane and tributyl phosphate. X-ray phase contrast and high speed optical microscopy imaging were employed. We showed that the meniscus completes its formation when the liquid column is still shorter than the capillary radius. After that, the meniscus travels about ten capillary radii at a constant velocity. We demonstrated that the experimental observations can be explained by introducing a friction force linearly proportional to the meniscus velocity with a friction coefficient depending on the air/liquid/solid triplet. It was demonstrated that the friction coefficient does not depend on the capillary radius. Numerical solution of the force balance equation revealed four different uptake regimes that can be specified in a phase portrait. This phase portrait was found to be in good agreement with the experimental results and can be used as a guide for the design of thin porous absorbers.

Evaluation of two-step haemoglobin screening with HemoCue for blood donor qualification in mobile collection sites.

PubMed

Gómez-Simón, A; Plaza, E M; Torregrosa, J M; Ferrer-Marín, F; Sánchez-Guiu, I; Vicente, V; Lozano, M L; Rivera, J

2014-11-01

Inaccuracy of fingerstick haemoglobin compromises donor's health and losses blood donations. We evaluated the benefit of double haemoglobin screening with HemoCue. Blood donors underwent fingerstick screening by HemoCue and were driven for donation if capillary haemoglobin was within the regulatory range. Those failing were drawn venous blood and donated if their venous haemoglobin determined with HemoCue was acceptable. Of 276 605 donor clinic visits, 10 011 (3·6%) were assessed by two-step haemoglobin screening using HemoCue, because of low (n = 9444) or high (n = 567) capillary haemoglobin. Among these, 2561 (25·6%) were deemed eligible [recovered donations]. The recovery rate was 23·8% and 55·0% among donors presenting with low and high capillary haemoglobin, respectively. In both categories of attempted donations, capillary and venous haemoglobin with HemoCue correlated significantly in recovered donors (R(2)  ≈ 0·5-0·7) but not in deferred visits (R(2)  < 0·15). Venous haemoglobin with HemoCue and by haematological analyzer significantly correlated in all donations attempts (R(2)  ≈ 0·7). Donors presenting with low capillary haemoglobin showed small bias between capillary and venous haemoglobin by HemoCue (-2·4 ± 6·2 g/l), fingerstick haemoglobin and venous haemoglobin with counter (1·3 ± 7·3 g/l), and venous haemoglobin with HemoCue and counter (3·7 ± 3·9 g/l). This bias was slightly greater in donors with high capillary haemoglobin (-7·5 ± 7·8, 13·7 ± 7·5, and 6·2 ± 7·5, respectively). Double haemoglobin screening by HemoCue reached an accuracy of 87·3% for qualifying donors presenting with low fingerstick haemoglobin. Double haemoglobin measurement with HemoCue [fingerstick and venous blood if required] is feasible and allows a significant recovery of blood donations. © 2014 International Society of Blood Transfusion.

Standardization of the capillary electrophoresis procedures Capillarys® CDT and Minicap® CDT in comparison to the IFCC reference measurement procedure.

PubMed

Schellenberg, François; Humeau, Camille

2017-06-01

CDT is at present the most relevant routinely available biological marker of alcohol use and is widely used for screening and monitoring of patients. The lack of standardization leads to specific reference intervals for each procedure. The IFCC working group devoted to CDT demonstrated that the standardization is possible using calibrators assigned to the reference measurement procedure. In this study, we compare the capillary electrophoresis (CE) techniques Capillarys® CDT and Minicap® CDT (Sebia, Lisses, France) to the reference procedure before and after standardization in 126 samples covering the range of CDT measurement. Both capillary electrophoresis procedures show a high correlation (r=0,997) with the reference procedure and the concordance correlation coefficient evaluated according to Mc Bride is "almost perfect" (>0.997 for both CE procedures). The number of results with a relative difference higher than the acceptable difference limit is only 1 for Capillarys® CDT and 5 for Minicap® CDT. These results demonstrate the efficiency of the standardization of CDT measurements for both CE techniques from Sebia, achieved using calibrators assigned to the reference measurement procedure.

Capillary red blood cell velocimetry by phase-resolved optical coherence tomography.

PubMed

Tang, Jianbo; Erdener, Sefik Evren; Fu, Buyin; Boas, David A

2017-10-01

We present a phase-resolved optical coherence tomography (OCT) method to extend Doppler OCT for the accurate measurement of the red blood cell (RBC) velocity in cerebral capillaries. OCT data were acquired with an M-mode scanning strategy (repeated A-scans) to account for the single-file passage of RBCs in a capillary, which were then high-pass filtered to remove the stationary component of the signal to ensure an accurate measurement of phase shift of flowing RBCs. The angular frequency of the signal from flowing RBCs was then quantified from the dynamic component of the signal and used to calculate the axial speed of flowing RBCs in capillaries. We validated our measurement by RBC passage velocimetry using the signal magnitude of the same OCT time series data.

A FORTRAN program for interpretation of relative permeability from unsteady-state displacements with capillary pressure included

USGS Publications Warehouse

Udegbunam, E.O.

1991-01-01

This paper presents a FORTRAN program for the determination of two-phase relative permeabilities from unsteady-state displacement data with capillary pressure terms included. The interpretative model employed in this program combines the simultaneous solution of a variant of the fractional flow equation which includes a capillary pressure term and an integro-differential equation derived from Darcy's law without assuming the simplified Buckley-Leverett flow. The incorporation of capillary pressure in the governing equations dispenses with the high flowrate experimental requirements normally employed to overcome capillarity effects. An illustrative example is presented herein which implements this program for the determination of oil/water relative permeabilities from a sandstone core sample. Results obtained compares favorably with results previously given in the literature. ?? 1991.

High current liquid metal ion source using porous tungsten multiemitters.

PubMed

Tajmar, M; Vasiljevich, I; Grienauer, W

2010-12-01

We recently developed an indium Liquid-Metal-Ion-Source that can emit currents from sub-μA up to several mA. It is based on a porous tungsten crown structure with 28 individual emitters, which is manufactured using Micro-Powder Injection Molding (μPIM) and electrochemical etching. The emitter combines the advantages of internal capillary feeding with excellent emission properties due to micron-size tips. Significant progress was made on the homogeneity of the emission over its current-voltage characteristic as well as on investigating its long-term stability. This LMIS seems very suitable for space propulsion as well as for micro/nano manufacturing applications with greatly increased milling/drilling speeds. This paper summarizes the latest developments on our porous multiemitters with respect to manufacturing, emission properties and long-term testing. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Ionic liquid-modified materials for solid-phase extraction and separation: a review.

PubMed

Vidal, Lorena; Riekkola, Marja-Liisa; Canals, Antonio

2012-02-17

In recent years, materials science has propelled to the research forefront. Ionic liquids with unique and fascinating properties have also left their footprints to the developments of materials science during the last years. In this review we highlight some of their recent advances and provide an overview at the current status of ionic liquid-modified materials applied in solid-phase extraction, liquid and gas chromatography and capillary electrochromatography with reference to recent applications. In addition, the potential of ionic liquids in the modification of capillary inner wall in capillary electrophoresis is demonstrated. The main target material modified with ionic liquids is silica, but polymers and monoliths have recently joined the studies. Although imidazolium is still clearly the most commonly used ionic liquid for the covalently modification of materials, the exploitation of pyridinium and phosphonium will most probably increase in the future. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A prototype heat pipe heat exchanger for the capillary pumped loop flight experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ku, Jentung; Yun, Seokgeun; Kroliczek, Edward J.

1992-01-01

A Capillary Pumped Two-Phase Heat Transport Loop (CAPL) Flight Experiment, currently planned for 1993, will provide microgravity verification of the prototype capillary pumped loop (CPL) thermal control system for EOS. CAPL employs a heat pipe heat exchanger (HPHX) to couple the condenser section of the CPL to the radiator assembly. A prototype HPHX consisting of a heat exchanger (HX), a header heat pipe (HHP), a spreader heat pipe (SHP), and a flow regulator has been designed and tested. The HX transmits heat from the CPL condenser to the HHP, while the HHP and SHP transport heat to the radiator assembly. The flow regulator controls flow distribution among multiple parallel HPHX's. Test results indicated that the prototype HPHX could transport up to 800 watts with an overall heat transfer coefficient of more than 6000 watts/sq m-deg C. Flow regulation among parallel HPHX's was also demonstrated.

Rapid CE-UV binding tests of environmentally hazardous compounds with polymer-modified magnetic nanoparticles.

PubMed

Iqbal, Zafar; Alsudir, Samar; Miah, Musharraf; Lai, Edward P C

2011-08-01

Hazardous compounds and bacteria in water have an adverse impact on human health and environmental ecology. Polydopamine (or polypyrrole)-coated magnetic nanoparticles and polymethacrylic acid-co-ethylene glycol dimethacrylate submicron particles were investigated for their fast binding kinetics with bisphenol A, proflavine, naphthalene acetic acid, and Escherichia coli. A new method was developed for the rapid determination of % binding by sequential injection of particles first and compounds (or E. coli) next into a fused-silica capillary for overlap binding during electrophoretic migration. Only nanolitre volumes of compounds and particles were sufficient to complete a rapid binding test. After heterogeneous binding, separation of the compounds from the particles was afforded by capillary electrophoresis. % binding was influenced by applied voltage but not current flow. In-capillary coating of particles affected the % binding of compounds. Copyright © 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Microchannel-electrode alignment and separation parameters comparison in microchip capillary electrophoresis by scanning electrochemical microscopy.

PubMed

Wang, Kang; Xia, Xing-Hua

2006-03-31

The end of separation channel in a microchip was electrochemically mapped using the feedback imaging mode of scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM). This method provides a convenient way for microchannel-electrode alignment in microchip capillary electrophoresis. Influence of electrode-to-channel positions on separation parameters in this capillary electrophoresis-electrochemical detection (CE-ED) was then investigated. For the trapezoid shaped microchannel, detection in the central area resulted in the best apparent separation efficiency and peak shape. In the electrode-to-channel distance ranging from 65 to 15mum, the limiting peak currents of dopamine increased with the decrease of the detection distance due to the limited diffusion and convection of the sample band. Results showed that radial position and axial distance of the detection electrode to microchannel was important for the improvement of separation parameters in CE amperometric detection.

Aspects of hysteresis in unsaturated porous media flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

van Duijn, Hans

2016-04-01

About 20 years ago, Peter Raats and I wrote a technical note related to the horizontal redistribution in unsaturated porous media with hysteresis in the capillary pressure (P.A.C. Raats & C.J. van Duijn, A note on horizontal redistribution with capillary hysteresis, WWR 31, p. 231-232, 1995). In the first part of my presentation, I will revisit the results of that paper. In particular the cases of unconventional flow, where the water flows from the dry region to the wet region. A comparison will be made with results obtained with the current interface area models as introduced by Gray & Hassanizadeh. I will explain and outline the differences. In the second part, travelling wave solutions of Richards equation with gravity and with hysteresis in both the capillary pressure and relative permeability will be discussed. It will be explained why such solutions oscillate in space-time and how they behave as the hysteresis regularization vanishes.

Micro-column plasma emission liquid chromatograph

DOEpatents

Gay, Don D.

1984-01-01

In a direct current plasma emission spectrometer for use in combination with a micro-column liquid chromatograph, an improved plasma source unit. The plasma source unit includes a quartz capillary tube having an inlet means, outlet off gas means and a pair of spaced electrodes defining a plasma region in the tube. The inlet means is connected to and adapted to receive eluant of the liquid chromatograph along with a stream of plasma-forming gas. There is an opening through the wall of the capillary tube penetrating into the plasma region. A soft glass capillary light pipe is disposed at the opening, is connected to the spectrometer, and is adapted to transmit light passing from the plasma region to the spectrometer. There is also a source of electromotive force connected to the electrodes sufficient to initiate and sustain a plasma in the plasma region of the tube.

Micro-column plasma emission liquid chromatograph. [Patent application

DOEpatents

Gay, D.D.

1982-08-12

In a direct current plasma emission spectrometer for use in combination with a microcolumn liquid chromatograph, an improved plasma source unit is claimed. The plasma source unit includes a quartz capillary tube having an inlet means, outlet off gas means and a pair of spaced electrodes defining a plasma region in the tube. The inlet means is connected to and adapted to receive eluant of the liquid chromatograph along with a stream of plasma-forming gas. There is an opening through the wall of the capillary tube penetrating into the plasma region. A soft glass capillary light pipe is disposed at the opening, is connected to the spectrometer, and is adapted to transmit light passing from the plasma region to the spectrometer. There is also a source of electromotive force connected to the electrodes sufficient to initiate and sustain a plasma in the plasma region of the tube.

The Diagnostic Value of Capillary Refill Time for Detecting Serious Illness in Children: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

PubMed Central

Fleming, Susannah; Gill, Peter; Jones, Caroline; Taylor, James A.; Van den Bruel, Ann; Heneghan, Carl; Roberts, Nia; Thompson, Matthew

2015-01-01

Importance Capillary refill time (CRT) is widely recommended as part of the routine assessment of unwell children. Objective To determine the diagnostic value of capillary refill time for a range of serious outcomes in children. Methods We searched Medline, Embase and CINAHL from inception to June 2014. We included studies that measured both capillary refill time and a relevant clinical outcome such as mortality, dehydration, meningitis, or other serious illnesses in children aged up to 18 years of age. We screened 1,265 references, of which 24 papers were included in this review. Where sufficient studies were available, we conducted meta-analysis and constructed hierarchical summary ROC curves. Results Meta-analysis on the relationship between capillary refill time and mortality resulted in sensitivity of 34.6% (95% CI 23.9 to 47.1%), specificity 92.3% (88.6 to 94.8%), positive likelihood ratio 4.49 (3.06 to 6.57), and negative likelihood ratio 0.71 (0.60 to 0.84). Studies of children attending Emergency Departments with vomiting and diarrhea showed that capillary refill time had specificity of 89 to 94% for identifying 5% dehydration, but sensitivity ranged from 0 to 94%. This level of heterogeneity precluded formal meta-analysis of this outcome. Meta-analysis was not possible for other outcomes due to insufficient data, but we found consistently high specificity for a range of outcomes including meningitis, sepsis, admission to hospital, hypoxia, severity of illness and dengue. Conclusions Our results show that capillary refill time is a specific sign, indicating that it can be used as a “red-flag”: children with prolonged capillary refill time have a four-fold risk of dying compared to children with normal capillary refill time. The low sensitivity means that a normal capillary refill time should not reassure clinicians. PMID:26375953

Automatic sampling and analysis of organics and biomolecules by capillary action-supported contactless atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Hsieh, Cheng-Huan; Meher, Anil Kumar; Chen, Yu-Chie

2013-01-01

Contactless atmospheric pressure ionization (C-API) method has been recently developed for mass spectrometric analysis. A tapered capillary is used as both the sampling tube and spray emitter in C-API. No electric contact is required on the capillary tip during C-API mass spectrometric analysis. The simple design of the ionization method enables the automation of the C-API sampling system. In this study, we propose an automatic C-API sampling system consisting of a capillary (∼1 cm), an aluminium sample holder, and a movable XY stage for the mass spectrometric analysis of organics and biomolecules. The aluminium sample holder is controlled by the movable XY stage. The outlet of the C-API capillary is placed in front of the orifice of a mass spectrometer, whereas the sample well on the sample holder is moved underneath the capillary inlet. The sample droplet on the well can be readily infused into the C-API capillary through capillary action. When the sample solution reaches the capillary outlet, the sample spray is readily formed in the proximity of the mass spectrometer applied with a high electric field. The gas phase ions generated from the spray can be readily monitored by the mass spectrometer. We demonstrate that six samples can be analyzed in sequence within 3.5 min using this automatic C-API MS setup. Furthermore, the well containing the rinsing solvent is alternately arranged between the sample wells. Therefore, the C-API capillary could be readily flushed between runs. No carryover problems are observed during the analyses. The sample volume required for the C-API MS analysis is minimal, with less than 1 nL of the sample solution being sufficient for analysis. The feasibility of using this setup for quantitative analysis is also demonstrated.

Thermal management system technology development for space station applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rankin, J. G.; Marshall, P. F.

1983-01-01

A short discussion of the history to date of the NASA thermal management system technology development program is presented, and the current status of several ongoing studies and hardware demonstration tasks is reported. One element of technology that is required for long-life, high-power orbital platforms/stations that is being developed is heat rejection and a space-constructable radiator system. Aspects of this project include high-efficiency fin concepts, a heat pipe quick-disconnect device, high-capacity heat pipes, and an alternate interface heat exchanger design. In the area of heat acquisition and transport, developments in a pumped two-phase transport loop, a capillary pumped transport loop using the concept of thermal utility are reported. An example of a thermal management system concept is provided.

Capillary filling rules and displacement mechanisms for spontaneous imbibition of CO2 for carbon storage and EOR using micro-model experiments and pore scale simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chapman, E.; Yang, J.; Crawshaw, J.; Boek, E. S.

2012-04-01

In the 1980s, Lenormand et al. carried out their pioneering work on displacement mechanisms of fluids in etched networks [1]. Here we further examine displacement mechanisms in relation to capillary filling rules for spontaneous imbibition. Understanding the role of spontaneous imbibition in fluid displacement is essential for refining pore network models. Generally, pore network models use simple capillary filling rules and here we examine the validity of these rules for spontaneous imbibition. Improvement of pore network models is vital for the process of 'up-scaling' to the field scale for both enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon sequestration. In this work, we present our experimental microfluidic research into the displacement of both supercritical CO2/deionised water (DI) systems and analogous n-decane/air - where supercritical CO2 and n-decane are the respective wetting fluids - controlled by imbibition at the pore scale. We conducted our experiments in etched PMMA and silicon/glass micro-fluidic hydrophobic chips. We first investigate displacement in single etched pore junctions, followed by displacement in complex network designs representing actual rock thin sections, i.e. Berea sandstone and Sucrosic dolomite. The n-decane/air experiments were conducted under ambient conditions, whereas the supercritical CO2/DI water experiments were conducted under high temperature and pressure in order to replicate reservoir conditions. Fluid displacement in all experiments was captured via a high speed video microscope. The direction and type of displacement the imbibing fluid takes when it enters a junction is dependent on the number of possible channels in which the wetting fluid can imbibe, i.e. I1, I2 and I3 [1]. Depending on the experiment conducted, the micro-models were initially filled with either DI water or air before the wetting fluid was injected. We found that the imbibition of the wetting fluid through a single pore is primarily controlled by the geometry of the pore body rather than the downstream pore throat sizes, contrary to the established capillary filling rules as used in current pore network models. Our experimental observations are confirmed by detailed lattice-Boltzmann pore scale computer simulations of fluid displacement in the same geometries. This suggests that capillary filling rules for imbibition as used in pore network models may need to be revised. [1] G. Lenormand, C. Zarcone and A. Sarr, J. Fluid Mech. 135 , 337-353 (1983).

Water Surface Currents, Short Gravity-Capillary Waves and Radar Backscatter

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Atakturk, Serhad S.; Katsaros, Kristina B.

1993-01-01

Despite their importance for air-sea interaction and microwave remote sensing of the ocean surface, intrinsic properties of short gravity-capillary waves are not well established. This is largely due to water surface currents and their effects on the direct measurements of wave parameters conducted at a fixed point. Frequencies of small scale waves propagating on a surface which itself is in motion, are subject to Doppler shifts. Hence, the high frequency tail of the wave spectra obtained from such temporal observations is smeared. Conversion of this smeared measured-frequency spectra to intrinsic-frequency (or wavenumber) spectra requires corrections for the Doppler shifts. Such attempts in the past have not been very successful in particular when field data were used. This becomes evident if the amplitude modulation of short waves by underlying long waves is considered. Microwave radar studies show that the amplitude of a short wave component attains its maximum value near the crests and its minimum in the troughs of the long waves. Doppler-shifted wave data yield similar results but much larger in modulation magnitude, as expected. In general, Doppler shift corrections reduce the modulation magnitude. Overcorrection may result in a negligible modulation or even in a strong modulation with the maximum amplitude in the wave troughs. The latter situation is clearly contradictory to our visual observations as well as the radar results and imply that the advection by currents is overestimated. In this study, a differential-advection approach is used in which small scale waves are advected by the currents evaluated not at the free surface, but at a depth proportional to their wavelengths. Applicability of this approach is verified by the excellent agreement in phase and magnitude of short-wave modulation between results based on radar and on wave-gauge measurements conducted on a lake.

Combined electrophoretic-separation and electrospray method and system

DOEpatents

Smith, Richard D.; Olivares, Jose A.

1989-01-01

A system and method for analyzing molecular constituents of a composition sample includes: forming a solution of the sample, separating the solution by capillary zone electrophoresis into an eluent of constituents longitudinally separated according to their relative electrophoretic mobilities, electrospraying the eluent to form a charged spray in which the molecular constituents have a temporal distribution; and detecting or collecting the separated constituents in accordance with the temporal distribution in the spray. A first high-voltage (e.g., 5-100 KVDC) is applied to the solution. The spray is charged by applying a second high voltage (e.g., .+-.2-8 KVDC) between the eluent at the capillary exit and a cathode spaced in front of the exit. A complete electrical circuit is formed by a conductor which directly contacts the eluent at the capillary exit.

Heat pipe with embedded wick structure

DOEpatents

Adkins, Douglas Ray; Shen, David S.; Tuck, Melanie R.; Palmer, David W.; Grafe, V. Gerald

1998-01-01

A heat pipe has an embedded wick structure that maximizes capillary pumping capability. Heat from attached devices such as integrated circuits evaporates working fluid in the heat pipe. The vapor cools and condenses on a heat dissipation surface. The condensate collects in the wick structure, where capillary pumping returns the fluid to high heat areas.

Heat pipe with embedded wick structure

DOEpatents

Adkins, D.R.; Shen, D.S.; Tuck, M.R.; Palmer, D.W.; Grafe, V.G.

1998-06-23

A heat pipe has an embedded wick structure that maximizes capillary pumping capability. Heat from attached devices such as integrated circuits evaporates working fluid in the heat pipe. The vapor cools and condenses on a heat dissipation surface. The condensate collects in the wick structure, where capillary pumping returns the fluid to high heat areas. 7 figs.

Heat pipe with embedded wick structure

DOEpatents

Adkins, Douglas Ray; Shen, David S.; Tuck, Melanie R.; Palmer, David W.; Grafe, V. Gerald

1999-01-01

A heat pipe has an embedded wick structure that maximizes capillary pumping capability. Heat from attached devices such as integrated circuits evaporates working fluid in the heat pipe. The vapor cools and condenses on a heat dissipation surface. The condensate collects in the wick structure, where capillary pumping returns the fluid to high heat areas.

High lung volume increases stress failure in pulmonary capillaries

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fu, Z.; Costello, M. L.; Tsukimoto, K.; Prediletto, R.; Elliott, A. R.; Mathieu-Costello, O.; West, J. B.

1992-01-01

We previously showed that when pulmonary capillaries in anesthetized rabbits are exposed to a transmural pressure (Ptm) of approximately 40 mmHg, stress failure of the walls occurs with disruption of the capillary endothelium, alveolar epithelium, or sometimes all layers. The present study was designed to test whether stress failure occurred more frequently at high than at low lung volumes for the same Ptm. Lungs of anesthetized rabbits were inflated to a transpulmonary pressure of 20 cmH2O, perfused with autologous blood at 32.5 or 2.5 cmH2O Ptm, and fixed by intravascular perfusion. Samples were examined by both transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The results were compared with those of a previous study in which the lung was inflated to a transpulmonary pressure of 5 cmH2O. There was a large increase in the frequency of stress failure of the capillary walls at the higher lung volume. For example, at 32.5 cmH2O Ptm, the number of endothelial breaks per millimeter cell lining was 7.1 +/- 2.2 at the high lung volume compared with 0.7 +/- 0.4 at the low lung volume. The corresponding values for epithelium were 8.5 +/- 1.6 and 0.9 +/- 0.6. Both differences were significant (P less than 0.05). At 52.5 cmH2O Ptm, the results for endothelium were 20.7 +/- 7.6 (high volume) and 7.1 +/- 2.1 (low volume), and the corresponding results for epithelium were 32.8 +/- 11.9 and 11.4 +/- 3.7. At 32.5 cmH2O Ptm, the thickness of the blood-gas barrier was greater at the higher lung volume, consistent with the development of more interstitial edema. Ballooning of the epithelium caused by accumulation of edema fluid between the epithelial cell and its basement membrane was seen at 32.5 and 52.5 cmH2O Ptm. At high lung volume, the breaks tended to be narrower and fewer were oriented perpendicular to the axis of the pulmonary capillaries than at low lung volumes. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy measurements agreed well. Our findings provide a physiological mechanism for other studies showing increased capillary permeability at high states of lung inflation.

Effects of intermediate wettability on entry capillary pressure in angular pores.

PubMed

Rabbani, Harris Sajjad; Joekar-Niasar, Vahid; Shokri, Nima

2016-07-01

Entry capillary pressure is one of the most important factors controlling drainage and remobilization of the capillary-trapped phases as it is the limiting factor against the two-phase displacement. It is known that the entry capillary pressure is rate dependent such that the inertia forces would enhance entry of the non-wetting phase into the pores. More importantly the entry capillary pressure is wettability dependent. However, while the movement of a meniscus into a strongly water-wet pore is well-defined, the invasion of a meniscus into a weak or intermediate water-wet pore especially in the case of angular pores is ambiguous. In this study using OpenFOAM software, high-resolution direct two-phase flow simulations of movement of a meniscus in a single capillary channel are performed. Interface dynamics in angular pores under drainage conditions have been simulated under constant flow rate boundary condition at different wettability conditions. Our results shows that the relation between the half corner angle of pores and contact angle controls the temporal evolution of capillary pressure during the invasion of a pore. By deviating from pure water-wet conditions, a dip in the temporal evolution of capillary pressure can be observed which will be pronounced in irregular angular cross sections. That enhances the pore invasion with a smaller differential pressure. The interplay between the contact angle and pore geometry can have significant implications for enhanced remobilization of ganglia in intermediate contact angles in real porous media morphologies, where pores are very heterogeneous with small shape factors. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SE-FIT

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Chen, Yongkang; Weislogel, Mark; Schaeffer, Ben; Semerjian, Ben; Yang, Lihong; Zimmerli, Gregory

2012-01-01

The mathematical theory of capillary surfaces has developed steadily over the centuries, but it was not until the last few decades that new technologies have put a more urgent demand on a substantially more qualitative and quantitative understanding of phenomena relating to capillarity in general. So far, the new theory development successfully predicts the behavior of capillary surfaces for special cases. However, an efficient quantitative mathematical prediction of capillary phenomena related to the shape and stability of geometrically complex equilibrium capillary surfaces remains a significant challenge. As one of many numerical tools, the open-source Surface Evolver (SE) algorithm has played an important role over the last two decades. The current effort was undertaken to provide a front-end to enhance the accessibility of SE for the purposes of design and analysis. Like SE, the new code is open-source and will remain under development for the foreseeable future. The ultimate goal of the current Surface Evolver Fluid Interface Tool (SEFIT) development is to build a fully integrated front-end with a set of graphical user interface (GUI) elements. Such a front-end enables the access to functionalities that are developed along with the GUIs to deal with pre-processing, convergence computation operation, and post-processing. In other words, SE-FIT is not just a GUI front-end, but an integrated environment that can perform sophisticated computational tasks, e.g. importing industry standard file formats and employing parameter sweep functions, which are both lacking in SE, and require minimal interaction by the user. These functions are created using a mixture of Visual Basic and the SE script language. These form the foundation for a high-performance front-end that substantially simplifies use without sacrificing the proven capabilities of SE. The real power of SE-FIT lies in its automated pre-processing, pre-defined geometries, convergence computation operation, computational diagnostic tools, and crash-handling capabilities to sustain extensive computations. SE-FIT performance is enabled by its so-called file-layer mechanism. During the early stages of SE-FIT development, it became necessary to modify the original SE code to enable capabilities required for an enhanced and synchronized communication. To this end, a file-layer was created that serves as a command buffer to ensure a continuous and sequential execution of commands sent from the front-end to SE. It also establishes a proper means for handling crashes. The file layer logs input commands and SE output; it also supports user interruption requests, back and forward operation (i.e. undo and redo), and others. It especially enables the batch mode computation of a series of equilibrium surfaces and the searching of critical parameter values in studying the stability of capillary surfaces. In this way, the modified SE significantly extends the capabilities of the original SE.

Increased capillaries in mitochondrial myopathy: implications for the regulation of oxygen delivery.

PubMed

Taivassalo, Tanja; Ayyad, Karen; Haller, Ronald G

2012-01-01

Human skeletal muscle respiratory chain defects restrict the ability of working muscle to extract oxygen from blood, and result in a hyperkinetic circulation during exercise in which oxygen delivery is excessive relative to oxygen uptake and oxygen levels within contracting muscle are abnormally high. To investigate the role of the muscle microcirculation in this anomalous circulatory response and possible implications for the regulation of muscle angiogenesis, we assessed muscle oxidative capacity during cycle exercise and determined capillary levels and distribution and vascular endothelial growth factor expression in quadriceps muscle biopsies in patients with mitochondrial myopathy attributable to heteroplasmic mitochondrial DNA mutations. We found that in patients with mitochondrial myopathy, muscle capillary levels were twice that of sedentary healthy subjects (3.0 ± 0.9% compared with 1.4 ± 0.3%, P < 0.001) despite the fact that oxygen utilization during peak cycle exercise was half that of control subjects (11.1 ± 4.0 ml/kg/min compared with 20.7 ± 7.9 ml/kg/min, P < 0.01); that capillary area was greatest in patients with the most severe muscle oxidative defects and was more than two times higher around muscle fibre segments with defective (i.e. cytochrome oxidase negative/succinic dehydrogenase-positive or 'ragged-red' fibres) compared with more preserved respiratory chain function; and that vascular endothelial growth factor expression paralleled capillary distribution. The increased muscle capillary levels in patients correlated directly (r(2) = 0.68, P < 0.05) with the severity of the mismatch between systemic oxygen delivery (cardiac output) and oxygen utilization during cycle exercise. Our results suggest that capillary growth is increased as a result of impaired muscle oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondrial myopathy, thus promoting increased blood flow to respiration-incompetent muscle fibres and a mismatch between oxygen delivery and utilization during exercise. Furthermore, the finding of high capillary levels despite elevated tissue oxygen levels during exercise in respiration-deficient muscle fibres implies that mitochondrial metabolism activates angiogenesis in skeletal muscle by a mechanism that is independent of hypoxia.

Comparative and Developmental Anatomy of Cardiac Lymphatics

PubMed Central

Ratajska, A.; Gula, G.; Flaht-Zabost, A.; Czarnowska, E.; Ciszek, B.; Jankowska-Steifer, E.; Niderla-Bielinska, J.; Radomska-Lesniewska, D.

2014-01-01

The role of the cardiac lymphatic system has been recently appreciated since lymphatic disturbances take part in various heart pathologies. This review presents the current knowledge about normal anatomy and structure of lymphatics and their prenatal development for a better understanding of the proper functioning of this system in relation to coronary circulation. Lymphatics of the heart consist of terminal capillaries of various diameters, capillary plexuses that drain continuously subendocardial, myocardial, and subepicardial areas, and draining (collecting) vessels that lead the lymph out of the heart. There are interspecies differences in the distribution of lymphatic capillaries, especially near the valves, as well as differences in the routes and number of draining vessels. In some species, subendocardial areas contain fewer lymphatic capillaries as compared to subepicardial parts of the heart. In all species there is at least one collector vessel draining lymph from the subepicardial plexuses and running along the anterior interventricular septum under the left auricle and further along the pulmonary trunk outside the heart and terminating in the right venous angle. The second collector assumes a different route in various species. In most mammalian species the collectors run along major branches of coronary arteries, have valves and a discontinuous layer of smooth muscle cells. PMID:24592145

Determination of arbutin and bergenin in Bergeniae Rhizoma by capillary electrophoresis with a carbon nanotube-epoxy composite electrode.

PubMed

Zhang, Luyan; Zhang, Wei; Chen, Gang

2015-11-10

This report describes the fabrication and the application of a novel carbon nanotube (CNT)-epoxy composite electrode as a sensitive amperometric detector for the capillary electrophoresis (CE). The composite electrode was fabricated on the basis of the in situ polycondensation of a mixture of CNTs and 1,2-ethanediamine-containing bisphenol A epoxy resin in the inner bore of a piece of fused silica capillary under heat. It was coupled with CE for the separation and detection of arbutin and bergenin in Bergeniae Rhizoma, a traditional Chinese medicine, to demonstrate its feasibility and performance. The two phenolic constituents were well separated within 10min in a 45cm capillary length at a separation voltage of 12kV using a 50mM borate buffer (pH 9.2). The CNT-based detector offered higher sensitivity, significantly lower operating potential, satisfactory resistance to surface fouling, and lower expense of operation, indicating great promise for a wide range of analytical applications. It showed long-term stability and reproducibility with relative standard deviations of less than 5% for the peak current (n=15). Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparative and developmental anatomy of cardiac lymphatics.

PubMed

Ratajska, A; Gula, G; Flaht-Zabost, A; Czarnowska, E; Ciszek, B; Jankowska-Steifer, E; Niderla-Bielinska, J; Radomska-Lesniewska, D

2014-01-01

The role of the cardiac lymphatic system has been recently appreciated since lymphatic disturbances take part in various heart pathologies. This review presents the current knowledge about normal anatomy and structure of lymphatics and their prenatal development for a better understanding of the proper functioning of this system in relation to coronary circulation. Lymphatics of the heart consist of terminal capillaries of various diameters, capillary plexuses that drain continuously subendocardial, myocardial, and subepicardial areas, and draining (collecting) vessels that lead the lymph out of the heart. There are interspecies differences in the distribution of lymphatic capillaries, especially near the valves, as well as differences in the routes and number of draining vessels. In some species, subendocardial areas contain fewer lymphatic capillaries as compared to subepicardial parts of the heart. In all species there is at least one collector vessel draining lymph from the subepicardial plexuses and running along the anterior interventricular septum under the left auricle and further along the pulmonary trunk outside the heart and terminating in the right venous angle. The second collector assumes a different route in various species. In most mammalian species the collectors run along major branches of coronary arteries, have valves and a discontinuous layer of smooth muscle cells.

Tissue culture on a chip: Developmental biology applications of self-organized capillary networks in microfluidic devices.

PubMed

Miura, Takashi; Yokokawa, Ryuji

2016-08-01

Organ culture systems are used to elucidate the mechanisms of pattern formation in developmental biology. Various organ culture techniques have been used, but the lack of microcirculation in such cultures impedes the long-term maintenance of larger tissues. Recent advances in microfluidic devices now enable us to utilize self-organized perfusable capillary networks in organ cultures. In this review, we will overview past approaches to organ culture and current technical advances in microfluidic devices, and discuss possible applications of microfluidics towards the study of developmental biology. © 2016 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

Pulmonary Capillary Hemangiomatosis and Pulmonary Veno-occlusive Disease.

PubMed

Chaisson, Neal F; Dodson, Mark W; Elliott, Charles Gregory

2016-09-01

This article provides an overview of pulmonary veno-occlusive disease (PVOD) and pulmonary capillary hemangiomatosis (PCH), two disorders that challenge clinicians, radiologists, and pathologists because they often mimic pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). The article reviews the features that differentiate PVOD and PCH from PAH. The article also describes the overlap of PVOD and PCH, highlighted by recent reports of families diagnosed with PVOD or PCH caused by EIF2AK4 mutations. In addition, the article outlines current approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of PVOD and PCH. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synchrotron radiation microtomography of Taylor bubbles in capillary two-phase flow

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Boden, Stephan; dos Santos Rolo, Tomy; Baumbach, Tilo; Hampel, Uwe

2014-07-01

We report on a study to measure the three-dimensional shape of Taylor bubbles in capillaries using synchrotron radiation in conjunction with ultrafast radiographic imaging. Moving Taylor bubbles in 2-mm round and square capillaries were radiographically scanned with an ultrahigh frame rate of up to 36,000 fps and 5.6-µm pixel separation. Consecutive images were properly processed to yield 2D transmission radiographs of high contrast-to-noise ratio. Application of 3D tomographic image reconstruction disclosed the 3D bubble shape. The results provide a reference data base for development of sophisticated interface resolving CFD computations.

Phenotypic heterogeneity in lung capillary and extra-alveolar endothelial cells. Increased extra-alveolar endothelial permeability is sufficient to decrease compliance.

PubMed

Lowe, Kevin; Alvarez, Diego; King, Judy; Stevens, Troy

2007-11-01

In acute respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary vascular permeability increases, causing intravascular fluid and protein to move into the lung's interstitium. The classic model describing the formation of pulmonary edema suggests that fluid crossing the capillary endothelium is drawn by negative interstitial pressure into the potential space surrounding extra-alveolar vessels and, as interstitial pressure builds, is forced into the alveolar air space. However, the validity of this model is challenged by animal models of acute lung injury in which extra-alveolar vessels are more permeable than capillaries under a variety of conditions. In the current study, we sought to determine whether extravascular fluid accumulation can be produced because of increased permeability of either the capillary or extra-alveolar endothelium, and whether different pathophysiology results from such site-specific increases in permeability. We perfused isolated lungs with either the plant alkaloid thapsigargin, which increases extra-alveolar endothelial permeability, or with 4alpha-phorbol 12, 13-didecanoate, which increases capillary endothelial permeability. Both treatments produced equal increases in whole lung vascular permeability, but caused fluid accumulations in separate anatomical compartments. Light microscopy of isolated lungs showed that thapsigargin caused fluid cuffing of large vessels, while 4alpha-phorbol 12, 13-didecanoate caused alveolar flooding. Dynamic compliance was reduced in lungs with cuffing of large vessels, but not in lungs with alveolar flooding. Phenotypic differences between vascular segments resulted in site-specific increases in permeability, which have different pathophysiological outcomes. Our findings suggest that insults leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome may increase permeability in extra-alveolar or capillary vascular segments, resulting in different pathophysiological sequela.

Nature-Inspired Capillary-Driven Welding Process for Boosting Metal-Oxide Nanofiber Electronics.

PubMed

Meng, You; Lou, Kaihua; Qi, Rui; Guo, Zidong; Shin, Byoungchul; Liu, Guoxia; Shan, Fukai

2018-06-20

Recently, semiconducting nanofiber networks (NFNs) have been considered as one of the most promising platforms for large-area and low-cost electronics applications. However, the high contact resistance among stacking nanofibers remained to be a major challenge, leading to poor device performance and parasitic energy consumption. In this report, a controllable welding technique for NFNs was successfully demonstrated via a bioinspired capillary-driven process. The interfiber connections were well-achieved via a cooperative concept, combining localized capillary condensation and curvature-induced surface diffusion. With the improvements of the interfiber connections, the welded NFNs exhibited enhanced mechanical property and high electrical performance. The field-effect transistors (FETs) based on the welded Hf-doped In 2 O 3 (InHfO) NFNs were demonstrated for the first time. Meanwhile, the mechanisms involved in the grain-boundary modulation for polycrystalline metal-oxide nanofibers were discussed. When the high-k ZrO x dielectric thin films were integrated into the FETs, the field-effect mobility and operating voltage were further improved to be 25 cm 2 V -1 s -1 and 3 V, respectively. This is one of the best device performances among the reported nanofibers-based FETs. These results demonstrated the potencies of the capillary-driven welding process and grain-boundary modulation mechanism for metal-oxide NFNs, which could be applicable for high-performance, large-scale, and low-power functional electronics.

Hybrid Upwinding for Two-Phase Flow in Heterogeneous Porous Media with Buoyancy and Capillarity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamon, F. P.; Mallison, B.; Tchelepi, H.

2016-12-01

In subsurface flow simulation, efficient discretization schemes for the partial differential equations governing multiphase flow and transport are critical. For highly heterogeneous porous media, the temporal discretization of choice is often the unconditionally stable fully implicit (backward-Euler) method. In this scheme, the simultaneous update of all the degrees of freedom requires solving large algebraic nonlinear systems at each time step using Newton's method. This is computationally expensive, especially in the presence of strong capillary effects driven by abrupt changes in porosity and permeability between different rock types. Therefore, discretization schemes that reduce the simulation cost by improving the nonlinear convergence rate are highly desirable. To speed up nonlinear convergence, we present an efficient fully implicit finite-volume scheme for immiscible two-phase flow in the presence of strong capillary forces. In this scheme, the discrete viscous, buoyancy, and capillary spatial terms are evaluated separately based on physical considerations. We build on previous work on Implicit Hybrid Upwinding (IHU) by using the upstream saturations with respect to the total velocity to compute the relative permeabilities in the viscous term, and by determining the directionality of the buoyancy term based on the phase density differences. The capillary numerical flux is decomposed into a rock- and geometry-dependent transmissibility factor, a nonlinear capillary diffusion coefficient, and an approximation of the saturation gradient. Combining the viscous, buoyancy, and capillary terms, we obtain a numerical flux that is consistent, bounded, differentiable, and monotone for homogeneous one-dimensional flow. The proposed scheme also accounts for spatially discontinuous capillary pressure functions. Specifically, at the interface between two rock types, the numerical scheme accurately honors the entry pressure condition by solving a local nonlinear problem to compute the numerical flux. Heterogeneous numerical tests demonstrate that this extended IHU scheme is non-oscillatory and convergent upon refinement. They also illustrate the superior accuracy and nonlinear convergence rate of the IHU scheme compared with the standard phase-based upstream weighting approach.

Experimental study on nonmonotonicity of Capillary Desaturation Curves in a 2-D pore network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez de Castro, Antonio; Shokri, Nima; Karadimitriou, Nikolaos; Oostrom, Mart; Joekar-Niasar, Vahid

2015-10-01

Immiscible displacement in porous media is important in many applications such as soil remediation and enhanced oil recovery. When gravitational forces are negligible, two-phase immiscible displacement at the pore level is controlled by capillary and viscous forces whose relative importance is quantified through the dimensionless capillary number Ca and the viscosity ratio M between liquid phases. Depending on the values of Ca and M, capillary fingering, viscous fingering, or stable displacement may be observed resulting in a variety of patterns affecting the phase entrapment. The Capillary Desaturation Curve (CDC), which represents the relationship between the residual oil saturation and Ca, is an important relation to describe the phase entrapment at a given Ca. In the present study, we investigated the CDC as influenced by the viscosity ratio. To do so, we have conducted a comprehensive series of experiments using a high-resolution microscope and state-of-art micromodels to investigate the dynamics and patterns of phase entrapment at different Ca and M. By postprocessing of the experimental high-resolution images, we calculated the CDC and quantified the effects of the Ca and M on the phase entrapment and number of blobs trapped in the micromodel and their size distributions during immiscible two-phase flow. Our results show that CDCs are not necessarily monotonic for all M, and the physical mechanisms causing this nonmonotonic behavior are discussed.

Temperature-Modulated Array High-Performance Liquid Chromatography

PubMed Central

Premstaller, Andreas; Xiao, Wenzhong; Oberacher, Herbert; O'Keefe, Matthew; Stern, David; Willis, Thomas; Huber, Christian G.; Oefner, Peter J.

2001-01-01

Using novel monolithic poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) capillary columns with an internal diameter of 0.2 mm, we demonstrate for the first time the feasibility of constructing high-performance liquid chromatography arrays for the detection of mutations by heteroduplex analysis under partially denaturing conditions. In one embodiment, such an array can be used to analyze one sample simultaneously at different temperatures to maximize the detection of mutations in DNA fragments containing multiple discrete melting domains. Alternatively, one may inject different samples onto columns kept at the same effective temperature. Further improvements in throughput can be obtained by means of laser-induced fluorescence detection and the differential labeling of samples with up to four different fluorophores. Major advantages of monolithic capillary high-performance liquid chromatographic arrays over their capillary electrophoretic analogs are the chemical inertness of the poly(styrene-divinylbenzene) stationary phase, the physical robustness of the column bed due to its covalent linkage to the inner surface of the fused silica capillary, and the feasibility to modify the stationary phase thereby allowing the separation of compounds not only on the principle of size exclusion, but also adsorption, distribution, and ion exchange. Analyses times are on the order of a few minutes and turnaround time is extremely short as there is no need for the replenishment of the separation matrix between runs. PMID:11691859

Process-morphology scaling relations quantify self-organization in capillary densified nanofiber arrays.

PubMed

Kaiser, Ashley L; Stein, Itai Y; Cui, Kehang; Wardle, Brian L

2018-02-07

Capillary-mediated densification is an inexpensive and versatile approach to tune the application-specific properties and packing morphology of bulk nanofiber (NF) arrays, such as aligned carbon nanotubes. While NF length governs elasto-capillary self-assembly, the geometry of cellular patterns formed by capillary densified NFs cannot be precisely predicted by existing theories. This originates from the recently quantified orders of magnitude lower than expected NF array effective axial elastic modulus (E), and here we show via parametric experimentation and modeling that E determines the width, area, and wall thickness of the resulting cellular pattern. Both experiments and models show that further tuning of the cellular pattern is possible by altering the NF-substrate adhesion strength, which could enable the broad use of this facile approach to predictably pattern NF arrays for high value applications.

Flight Testing of the Capillary Pumped Loop 3 Experiment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ottenstein, Laura; Butler, Dan; Ku, Jentung; Cheung, Kwok; Baldauff, Robert; Hoang, Triem

2002-01-01

The Capillary Pumped Loop 3 (CAPL 3) experiment was a multiple evaporator capillary pumped loop experiment that flew in the Space Shuttle payload bay in December 2001 (STS-108). The main objective of CAPL 3 was to demonstrate in micro-gravity a multiple evaporator capillary pumped loop system, capable of reliable start-up, reliable continuous operation, and heat load sharing, with hardware for a deployable radiator. Tests performed on orbit included start-ups, power cycles, low power tests (100 W total), high power tests (up to 1447 W total), heat load sharing, variable/fixed conductance transition tests, and saturation temperature change tests. The majority of the tests were completed successfully, although the experiment did exhibit an unexpected sensitivity to shuttle maneuvers. This paper describes the experiment, the tests performed during the mission, and the test results.

Photothermal trace detection in capillary electrophoresis for biomedical diagnostics and toxic materials (invited)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faubel, Werner; Heissler, Stefan; Pyell, Ute; Ragozina, Natalia

2003-01-01

Two applications of a near-field thermal lens capillary electrophoresis detector in the deep ultraviolet region (pump beam 257 nm wavelength) will be presented: (1) Capillary electrophoretic determination of the pharmaceuticals Tramadol, Verapamil, and Papaverin. Direct separation techniques were used for the different classes of substances with characteristic absorbance spectra. The combination of capillary electrophoresis and the highly sensitive detection with thermal lens spectroscopy permits the analysis of nanoliter volume samples common in biomedical diagnostics without any preconcentration step. (2) The determination of (nonfluorescent) nitro aromatic explosives in contaminated soil. These compounds are detected with the laboratory built thermal lens detector after their separation by micellar electrokinetic chromatography. Its shown that this type of detection makes it possible to obtain limits of detection 1-2 orders of magnitude lower than those obtained with classical absorption spectrometric detection.

Single-Molecule Detection in Micron-Sized Capillaries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ball, David A.; Shen, Guoqing; Davis, Lloyd M.

2004-11-01

The detection of individual molecules in solution by laser-induced fluorescence is becoming an increasingly important tool for biophysics research and biotechnology applications. In a typical single-molecule detection (SMD) experiment, diffusion is the dominant mode of transport of fluorophores through the focused laser beam. In order to more rapidly process a large number of slowly diffusing bio-molecules for applications in pharmaceutical drug discovery, a flow can be introduced within a capillary. If the flow speed is sufficient, bio-molecules will be carried through the probe volume significantly faster than by diffusion alone. Here we discuss SMD near the tip of, and in, such micron-sized capillaries, with a high numerical-aperture microscope objective used for confocal-epi-illumination along the axis of the capillary. Problems such as molecular adsorption to the glass are also addressed.

Rheological properties of polymer melts with high elasticity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feranc, Jozef; Matvejová, Martina; Alexy, Pavol; Pret'o, Jozef; Hronkovič, Ján

2017-05-01

In the recent years efforts to complex description of the rheological characteristic increase even in the case of polymeric blends with high part of elastic deformation. However, unlike the most thermoplastic these blends have a certain specific features. Besides the already mentioned the higher part of elastic deformation it is especially higher viscosity, which are shown mainly for the measurement in the range of high shear rates. For this reason, the presented work is focused on the description of measurement methodology for blends with high part of elastic deformation using capillary rheometer. The measurements were carried out on a commercial polymer blend with trade name A517 based on rubbery polymer. Capillary rheometer Gottfert RG 75 was used, with diameter of chamber 15 mm. Measurements were performed using capillaries with different ratio of length/diameter at temperature 100°C. Because of existence elastic part of deformation, it is not possible to achieve a steady state pressure using measurements at constant volumetric flow at high shear rates. Therefore we decided to measure the flow characteristic using isobaric mode.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high density lipoprotein–binding protein 1 plays a critical role in the lipolytic processing of chylomicrons

PubMed Central

Beigneux, Anne P.; Davies, Brandon S. J.; Gin, Peter; Weinstein, Michael M.; Farber, Emily; Qiao, Xin; Peale, Franklin; Bunting, Stuart; Walzem, Rosemary L.; Wong, Jinny S.; Blaner, William S.; Ding, Zhi-Ming; Melford, Kristan; Wongsiriroj, Nuttaporn; Shu, Xiao; de Sauvage, Fred; Ryan, Robert O.; Fong, Loren G.; Bensadoun, André; Young, Stephen G.

2007-01-01

Summary The triglycerides in chylomicrons are hydrolyzed by lipoprotein lipase (LpL) along the luminal surface of the capillaries. However, the endothelial cell molecule that facilitates chylomicron processing by LpL has not yet been defined. Here, we show that glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored high density lipoprotein–binding protein 1 (GPIHBP1) plays a critical role in the lipolytic processing of chylomicrons. Gpihbp1-deficient mice exhibit a striking accumulation of chylomicrons in the plasma, even on a low-fat diet, resulting in milky plasma and plasma triglyceride levels as high as 5,000 mg/dl. Normally, Gpihbp1 is expressed highly in heart and adipose tissue, the same tissues that express high levels of LpL. In these tissues, GPIHBP1 is located on the luminal face of the capillary endothelium. Expression of GPIHBP1 in cultured cells confers the ability to bind both LpL and chylomicrons. These studies strongly suggest that GPIHBP1 is an important platform for the LpL-mediated processing of chylomicrons in capillaries. PMID:17403372

Numerical Simulation of Ion Transport in a Nano-Electrospray Ion Source at Atmospheric Pressure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Wei; Bajic, Steve; John, Benzi; Emerson, David R.

2018-03-01

Understanding ion transport properties from the ion source to the mass spectrometer (MS) is essential for optimizing device performance. Numerical simulation helps in understanding of ion transport properties and, furthermore, facilitates instrument design. In contrast to previously reported numerical studies, ion transport simulations in a continuous injection mode whilst considering realistic space-charge effects have been carried out. The flow field was solved using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, and a particle-in-cell (PIC) method was applied to solve a time-dependent electric field with local charge density. A series of ion transport simulations were carried out at different cone gas flow rates, ion source currents, and capillary voltages. A force evaluation analysis reveals that the electric force, the drag force, and the Brownian force are the three dominant forces acting on the ions. Both the experimental and simulation results indicate that cone gas flow rates of ≤250 slph (standard liter per hour) are important for high ion transmission efficiency, as higher cone gas flow rates reduce the ion signal significantly. The simulation results also show that the ion transmission efficiency reduces exponentially with an increased ion source current. Additionally, the ion loss due to space-charge effects has been found to be predominant at a higher ion source current, a lower capillary voltage, and a stronger cone gas counterflow. The interaction of the ion driving force, ion opposing force, and ion dispersion is discussed to illustrate ion transport mechanism in the ion source at atmospheric pressure. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

Performance of a new test strip for freestyle blood glucose monitoring systems.

PubMed

Lock, John Paul; Brazg, Ronald; Bernstein, Robert M; Taylor, Elizabeth; Patel, Mona; Ward, Jeanne; Alva, Shridhara; Chen, Ting; Welsh, Zoë; Amor, Walter; Bhogal, Claire; Ng, Ronald

2011-01-01

a new strip, designed to enhance the ease of use and minimize interference of non-glucose sugars, has been developed to replace the current FreeStyle (Abbott Diabetes Care, Alameda, CA) blood glucose test strip. We evaluated the performance of this new strip. laboratory evaluation included precision, linearity, dynamic range, effects of operating temperature, humidity, altitude, hematocrit, interferents, and blood reapplication. System accuracy, lay user performance, and ease of use for finger capillary blood testing and accuracy for venous blood testing were evaluated at clinics. Lay users also compared the speed and ease of use between the new strip and the current FreeStyle strip. for glucose concentrations <75 mg/dL, 73%, 100%, and 100% of the individual capillary blood glucose results obtained by lay users fell within ± 5, 10, and 15 mg/dL, respectively, of the reference. For glucose concentrations ≥75 mg/dL, 68%, 95%, 99%, and 99% of the lay user results fell within  ±  5%, 10%, 15%, and 20%, respectively, of the reference. Comparable accuracy was obtained in the venous blood study. Lay users found the new test strip easy to use and faster and easier to use than the current FreeStyle strip. The new strip maintained accuracy under various challenging conditions, including high concentrations of various interferents, sample reapplication up to 60 s, and extremes in hematocrit, altitude, and operating temperature and humidity. our results demonstrated excellent accuracy of the new FreeStyle test strip and validated the improvements in minimizing interference and enhancing ease of use.

Numerical Simulation of Ion Transport in a Nano-Electrospray Ion Source at Atmospheric Pressure.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Bajic, Steve; John, Benzi; Emerson, David R

2018-03-01

Understanding ion transport properties from the ion source to the mass spectrometer (MS) is essential for optimizing device performance. Numerical simulation helps in understanding of ion transport properties and, furthermore, facilitates instrument design. In contrast to previously reported numerical studies, ion transport simulations in a continuous injection mode whilst considering realistic space-charge effects have been carried out. The flow field was solved using Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations, and a particle-in-cell (PIC) method was applied to solve a time-dependent electric field with local charge density. A series of ion transport simulations were carried out at different cone gas flow rates, ion source currents, and capillary voltages. A force evaluation analysis reveals that the electric force, the drag force, and the Brownian force are the three dominant forces acting on the ions. Both the experimental and simulation results indicate that cone gas flow rates of ≤250 slph (standard liter per hour) are important for high ion transmission efficiency, as higher cone gas flow rates reduce the ion signal significantly. The simulation results also show that the ion transmission efficiency reduces exponentially with an increased ion source current. Additionally, the ion loss due to space-charge effects has been found to be predominant at a higher ion source current, a lower capillary voltage, and a stronger cone gas counterflow. The interaction of the ion driving force, ion opposing force, and ion dispersion is discussed to illustrate ion transport mechanism in the ion source at atmospheric pressure. Graphical Abstract.

Canceling buoyancy of gaseous fuel flames in a gravitational environment using an ion-driven wind.

PubMed

Papac, M J; Dunn-Rankin, D

2006-09-01

Electric fields applied to combustion plasmas can be used to manipulate the thermofluid flow field to reduce buoyant forces and, hence, convection in locations near and within the flame. The resulting flow field is similar to that which is obtained in microgravity. Previous work has shown that buoyancy is modified in a non-premixed methane-air capillary flame when it burns in a capillary-to-plane configuration and an electric field is applied, and that regions of neutral or microbuoyancy exist, as indicated by the examined temperature and oxidizer profiles. The aim of this article is to examine in more detail this microbuoyancy condition and the coupling between the ion wind and resulting thermofluid flow field. To this end, the voltage-current characteristics (VCC) of CH4, C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, and C3H8 are measured and compared. Soot generated in the C2H(X) and propane flames lead to a hysteresis in the VCC curve whereby increased sooting leads to lower ion currents at constant flow rates and applied potentials. Buoyancy regimes for these flames in this configuration are determined. Methane can achieve the highest flow rate without sooting at the microbuoyant condition, and does not exhibit hysteresis in the VCC for the flow rates examined here. Furthermore, in this geometry, the microbuoyant condition for methane is found to coincide with ion current saturation when the capillary-to-plane distance is varied. These results allow for several simplifications to be made when modeling the flame at these conditions: the imposition of a spherical flame boundary with known ion current, and negligible recombination in the domain.

The high aerobic capacity of a small, marsupial rat-kangaroo (Bettongia penicillata) is matched by the mitochondrial and capillary morphology of its skeletal muscles.

PubMed

Webster, Koa N; Dawson, Terence J

2012-09-15

We examined the structure-function relationships that underlie the aerobic capacities of marsupial mammals that hop. Marsupials have relatively low basal metabolic rates (BMR) and historically were seen as 'low energy' mammals. However, the red kangaroo, Macropus rufus (family Macropodidae), has aerobic capacities equivalent to athletic placentals. It has an extreme aerobic scope (fAS) and its large locomotor muscles feature high mitochondrial and capillary volumes. M. rufus belongs to a modern group of kangaroos and its high fAS is not general for marsupials. However, other hopping marsupials may have elevated aerobic capacities. Bettongia penicillata, a rat-kangaroo (family Potoroidae), is a small (1 kg), active hopper whose fAS is somewhat elevated. We examined the oxygen delivery system in its muscles to ascertain links with hopping. An elevated fAS of 23 provided a relatively high maximal aerobic oxygen consumption ( ) in B. penicillata; associated with this is a skeletal muscle mass of 44% of body mass. Ten muscles were sampled to estimate the total mitochondrial and capillary volume of the locomotor muscles. Values in B. penicillata were similar to those in M. rufus and in athletic placentals. This small hopper had high muscle mitochondrial volume densities (7.1-11.9%) and both a large total capillary volume (6 ml kg(-1) body mass) and total capillary erythrocyte volume (3.2 ml kg(-1)). Apparently, a considerable aerobic capacity is required to achieve the benefits of the extended stride in fast hopping. Of note, the ratio of to total muscle mitochondrial volume in B. penicillata was 4.9 ml O(2) min(-1) ml(-1). Similar values occur in M. rufus and also placental mammals generally, not only athletic species. If such relationships occur in other marsupials, a fundamental structure-function relationship for oxygen delivery to muscles likely originated with or before the earliest mammals.

Tale of two sites: capillary versus arterial blood glucose testing in the operating room.

PubMed

Akinbami, Felix; Segal, Scott; Schnipper, Jeffrey L; Stopfkuchen-Evans, Matthias; Mills, Jonathan; Rogers, Selwyn O

2012-04-01

Pre- and intraoperative glycemic control has been identified as a putative target to improve outcomes of surgical patients. Glycemic control requires frequent monitoring of blood glucose levels with appropriate adjustments. However, monitoring standards have been called into question, especially in cases in which capillary samples are used. Point-of-care testing (POCT) using capillary samples and glucometers has been noted to give relatively accurate results for critically ill patients. However, the package inserts of most glucometers warn that they should not be used for patients in shock. This has led clinicians to doubt their accuracy in the operating room. The accuracy of capillary samples when tested in patients undergoing surgical procedures has not been proven. This study aims to determine the accuracy of intraoperative blood glucose values using capillary samples relative to arterial samples. A prospective study was conducted by collecting paired capillary and arterial samples of patients undergoing major operations at a tertiary medical center from August 2009 to May 2011. Subjects were a convenience sample of patients who had arterial lines and needed glucose testing while undergoing the procedure. Precision Xceed Pro (Abbott) handheld glucometers were used to obtain the blood glucose values. Our primary outcome of interest was the degree of correlation between capillary and arterial blood glucose values or the degree to which arterial glucose levels can be predicted by capillary glucose samples. We used linear regression and the Student t tests for statistical analyses. Seventy-two-paired samples were collected. Of the cases, 54% were major abdominal operations, whereas 24% were vascular operations. The mean values ± standard deviation for glucose levels were 146 ± 35 mg/dL (capillary) and 147 ± 36 mg/dL (arterial). The mean time ± standard deviation between the collection of both samples was 3.5 ± 1.3 minutes. The regression coefficient showed a strong positive correlation of .91 between capillary glucose values and arterial values (P < .001) although correlation was less stringent at the hyperglycemic range of values. The R(2) statistic was 84%. Differences in values between capillary and arterial samples would not have altered the diagnosis of hypo- and hyperglycemia using typical thresholds. Capillary samples collected intraoperatively are strongly correlated with arterial samples. Glucose monitoring in the operating room can be safely performed by collecting capillary samples for POCT. However, clinicians should still be cautious when interpreting glucose levels that are high, either by repeating the blood glucose test or by having samples sent to the laboratory. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

An aluminum heat sink and radiator for electrophoresis capillaries.

PubMed

Rapp, T L; Morris, M D

1996-12-15

An aluminum heat sink and radiator are used with forced air cooling of an electrophoresis capillary. Theoretical analyses of the operating limits and heat dissipation characteristics are presented. A system designed for power dissipation as high as 5 W is shown to dissipate heat efficiently and to operate without arcing at voltages higher than 30 kV.

Nanoporous membrane device for ultra high heat flux thermal management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hanks, Daniel F.; Lu, Zhengmao; Sircar, Jay; Salamon, Todd R.; Antao, Dion S.; Bagnall, Kevin R.; Barabadi, Banafsheh; Wang, Evelyn N.

2018-02-01

High power density electronics are severely limited by current thermal management solutions which are unable to dissipate the necessary heat flux while maintaining safe junction temperatures for reliable operation. We designed, fabricated, and experimentally characterized a microfluidic device for ultra-high heat flux dissipation using evaporation from a nanoporous silicon membrane. With 100 nm diameter pores, the membrane can generate high capillary pressure even with low surface tension fluids such as pentane and R245fa. The suspended ultra-thin membrane structure facilitates efficient liquid transport with minimal viscous pressure losses. We fabricated the membrane in silicon using interference lithography and reactive ion etching and then bonded it to a high permeability silicon microchannel array to create a biporous wick which achieves high capillary pressure with enhanced permeability. The back side consisted of a thin film platinum heater and resistive temperature sensors to emulate the heat dissipation in transistors and measure the temperature, respectively. We experimentally characterized the devices in pure vapor-ambient conditions in an environmental chamber. Accordingly, we demonstrated heat fluxes of 665 ± 74 W/cm2 using pentane over an area of 0.172 mm × 10 mm with a temperature rise of 28.5 ± 1.8 K from the heated substrate to ambient vapor. This heat flux, which is normalized by the evaporation area, is the highest reported to date in the pure evaporation regime, that is, without nucleate boiling. The experimental results are in good agreement with a high fidelity model which captures heat conduction in the suspended membrane structure as well as non-equilibrium and sub-continuum effects at the liquid-vapor interface. This work suggests that evaporative membrane-based approaches can be promising towards realizing an efficient, high flux thermal management strategy over large areas for high-performance electronics.

A design tool for predicting the capillary transport characteristics of fuel cell diffusion media using an artificial neural network

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumbur, E. C.; Sharp, K. V.; Mench, M. M.

Developing a robust, intelligent design tool for multivariate optimization of multi-phase transport in fuel cell diffusion media (DM) is of utmost importance to develop advanced DM materials. This study explores the development of a DM design algorithm based on artificial neural network (ANN) that can be used as a powerful tool for predicting the capillary transport characteristics of fuel cell DM. Direct measurements of drainage capillary pressure-saturation curves of the differently engineered DMs (5, 10 and 20 wt.% PTFE) were performed at room temperature under three compressions (0, 0.6 and 1.4 MPa) [E.C. Kumbur, K.V. Sharp, M.M. Mench, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154(12) (2007) B1295-B1304; E.C. Kumbur, K.V. Sharp, M.M. Mench, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154(12) (2007) B1305-B1314; E.C. Kumbur, K.V. Sharp, M.M. Mench, J. Electrochem. Soc. 154(12) (2007) B1315-B1324]. The generated benchmark data were utilized to systematically train a three-layered ANN framework that processes the feed-forward error back propagation methodology. The designed ANN successfully predicts the measured capillary pressures within an average uncertainty of ±5.1% of the measured data, confirming that the present ANN model can be used as a design tool within the range of tested parameters. The ANN simulations reveal that tailoring the DM with high PTFE loading and applying high compression pressure lead to a higher capillary pressure, therefore promoting the liquid water transport within the pores of the DM. Any increase in hydrophobicity of the DM is found to amplify the compression effect, thus yielding a higher capillary pressure for the same saturation level and compression.

Sol-gel chemistry-based Ucon-coated columns for capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Hayes, J D; Malik, A

1997-07-18

A sol-gel chemistry-based novel approach for the preparation of a Ucon-coated fused-silica capillary column in capillary electrophoresis is presented. In this approach the sol-gel process is carried out inside 25 microm I.D. fused-silica capillaries. The sol solution contained appropriate quantities of an alkoxide-based sol-gel precursor, a polymeric coating material (Ucon), a crosslinking reagent, a surface derivatizing reagent, controlled amounts of water and a catalyst dissolved in a suitable solvent system. The coating procedure involves filling a capillary with the sol solution and allowing the sol-gel process to proceed for an optimum period. Hydrolysis of the alkoxide precursor and polycondensation of the hydrolyzed products with the surface silanol groups and the hydroxy-terminated Ucon molecules lead to the formation of a surface-bonded sol-gel coating on the inner walls of the capillary. The thickness of the coated film can be controlled by varying the reaction time, coating solution composition and experimental conditions. Commercial availability of high purity sol-gel precursors (e.g., TEOS 99.999%), the ease of coating, run-to-run and column-to-column reproducibility, and long column lifetimes make sol-gel coating chemistry very much suitable for being applied in analytical microseparations column technology. Test samples of basic proteins and nucleotides were used to evaluate the column performance. These results show that the sol-gel coating scheme has allowed for the generation of bio-compatible surfaces characterized by high separation efficiencies in CE. For different types of solutes, the sol-gel coated Ucon column consistently provided migration time R.S.D. values of the order of 0.5%.

Pulmonary hypertension and ventilation during exercise: Role of the pre-capillary component.

PubMed

Caravita, Sergio; Faini, Andrea; Deboeck, Gael; Bondue, Antoine; Naeije, Robert; Parati, Gianfranco; Vachiéry, Jean-Luc

2017-07-01

Excessive exercise-induced hyperventilation and high prevalence of exercise oscillatory breathing (EOB) are present in patients with post-capillary pulmonary hypertension (PH) complicating left heart disease (LHD). Patients with pre-capillary PH have even higher hyperventilation but no EOB. We sought to determine the impact of a pre-capillary component of PH on ventilatory response to exercise in patients with PH and left heart disease. We retrospectively compared patients with idiopathic or heritable pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH, n = 29), isolated post-capillary PH (IpcPH, n = 29), and combined post- and pre-capillary PH (CpcPH, n = 12). Diastolic pressure gradient (DPG = diastolic pulmonary artery pressure - pulmonary wedge pressure) was used to distinguish IpcPH (DPG <7 mm Hg) from CpcPH (DPG ≥7 mm Hg). Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was higher in PAH, intermediate in CpcPH, and low in IpcPH. All patients with CpcPH but 1 had PVR >3 Wood unit. Exercise-induced hyperventilation (high minute ventilation over carbon dioxide production, low end-tidal carbon dioxide) was marked in PAH, intermediate in CpcPH, and low in IpcPH (p < 0.001) and correlated with DPG and PVR. Prevalence of EOB decreased from IpcPH to CpcPH to PAH (p < 0.001). Patients with CpcPH may have worse hemodynamics than patients with IpcPH and distinct alterations of ventilatory control, consistent with more exercise-induced hyperventilation and less EOB. This might be explained at least in part by the presence and extent of pulmonary vascular disease. Copyright © 2017 International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stable Encapsulated Air Nanobubbles in Water.

PubMed

Wang, Yu; Liu, Guojun; Hu, Heng; Li, Terry Yantian; Johri, Amer M; Li, Xiaoyu; Wang, Jian

2015-11-23

The dispersion into water of nanocapsules bearing a highly hydrophobic fluorinated internal lining yielded encapsulated air nanobubbles. These bubbles, like their micrometer-sized counterparts (microbubbles), effectively reflected ultrasound. More importantly, the nanobubbles survived under ultrasonication 100-times longer than a commercial microbubble sample that is currently in clinical use. We justify this unprecedented stability theoretically. These nanobubbles, owing to their small size and potential ability to permeate the capillary networks of tissues, may expand the applications of microbubbles in diagnostic ultrasonography and find new applications in ultrasound-regulated drug delivery. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Capillary blood sampling as an alternative to venipuncture in the assessment of serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D levels.

PubMed

Dayre McNally, J; Matheson, Loren A; Sankaran, Koravangattu; Rosenberg, Alan M

2008-11-01

This study compared 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] measurements in capillary and venous blood samples collected, respectively by fingerprick and venipuncture. Capillary blood for measuring 25(OH)D has potential advantages by reducing blood volume required (2mL versus 0.3mL for venipuncture and capillary sampling, respectively), facilitating blood collection for those populations in whom venipuncture is difficult (e.g. infants and children), improving patient convenience and reducing costs associated with phlebotomy. The results demonstrated a highly significant relationship between 25(OH)D levels in serum derived from venous and capillary blood samples (r(2)=0.901). Despite statistically higher 25(OH)D levels in fingerprick samples (108+/-9nmol/L) compared with venipuncture samples (90+/-7nmol/L), the correlation between venous and capillary samples provides support for this approach as a practical alternative to venipuncture for vitamin D determination. However, clinical application may require the incorporation of a correction factor for the assessment of insufficiency, and research studies should avoid using the two methods interchangeably. Studying vitamin D's role in health and disease requires collection techniques and measurement methods that are reliable, reproducible, easily accessible, inexpensive and minimally burdensome to the patient. The option to collect patient samples by fingerprick may facilitate the collection process.

Lymphocyte migration in the micro-channel of splenic sheathed capillaries in Chinese soft-shelled turtles, Pelodiscus sinensis.

PubMed

Zhang, Qian; Ullah, Shakeeb; Liu, Yi; Yang, Ping; Chen, Bing; Waqas, Yasir; Bao, Huijun; Hu, Lisi; Li, Quanfu; Chen, Qiusheng

2016-01-01

The structural characteristics of the splenic sheathed capillary were investigated using light microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). This study mainly focused on lymphocyte migration to the splenic white pulp via micro-channels in Chinese soft-shelled turtles, Pelodiscus sinensis. The results showed that the sheathed capillaries in the turtle spleen were high endothelial venule (HEV)-like vessels. These capillaries consist of micro-channels that facilitate lymphocyte migration to the splenic white pulp. The micro-channel is a dynamic structure comprising processes of endothelial cells, supporting cells, and ellipsoid-associated cells (EACs), which provides a microenvironment for lymphocyte migration. The pattern of lymphocyte migration in the micro-channel of the turtle spleen includes the following steps: (i) lymphocyte first adheres to the endothelium of the sheathed capillary, passes through the endothelial cells, and traverses through the basement membrane of the sheathed capillary; (ii) it then enters into the ellipsoid combined with supporting cells and EACs; and (iii) lymphocyte migrates from the ellipsoid to the periellipsoidal lymphatic sheath (PELS) via the micro-channel. This study provides morphological evidence for lymphocyte migration in the micro-channels of turtle spleens and also an insight into the mechanism of lymphocyte homing to the splenic white pulp of reptiles. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Numerical simulation of flow for viscoelastic neutrophil models in a rectangular capillary network: effects of capillary shape and cell stiffness on transit time.

PubMed

Shirai, Atsushi; Fujita, Ryo; Hayase, Toshiyuki

2007-01-01

The concentration of neutrophils in the pulmonary microvasculature is higher than in large systemic vessels. It is thought that the high concentration of neutrophils facilitates their effective recruitment to sites of inflammation. Thus, in order to understand the role of neutrophils in the immune system, it is important to clarify their flow characteristics in the pulmonary microvasculature. In a previous study, we developed a model to simulate the flow of neutrophils in a capillary network, in which the cells were modeled as spheres of a Maxwell material with a cortical tension and the capillary segments were modeled as arc-shaped constrictions in straight pipes. In the present paper, the flow of neutrophils in a simplified alveolar capillary network model is investigated for various constriction shapes and cell stiffnesses. Finally, it is shown that both the coefficient of variation of the transit time of the cells, which is the standard deviation divided by the mean transit time, and the mean transit time increase as the capillary segments become steep or tight, or when the cells become hard. The mean value of the transit time exceeds the median for all of the conditions that occur in real lungs, although the difference between them is small.

Silver nanoparticle-doped zirconia capillaries for enhanced bacterial filtration.

PubMed

Wehling, Julia; Köser, Jan; Lindner, Patrick; Lüder, Christian; Beutel, Sascha; Kroll, Stephen; Rezwan, Kurosch

2015-03-01

Membrane clogging and biofilm formation are the most serious problems during water filtration. Silver nanoparticle (Agnano) coatings on filtration membranes can prevent bacterial adhesion and the initiation of biofilm formation. In this study, Agnano are immobilized via direct reduction on porous zirconia capillary membranes to generate a nanocomposite material combining the advantages of ceramics being chemically, thermally and mechanically stable with nanosilver, an efficient broadband bactericide for water decontamination. The filtration of bacterial suspensions of the fecal contaminant Escherichia coli reveals highly efficient bacterial retention capacities of the capillaries of 8 log reduction values, fulfilling the requirements on safe drinking water according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Maximum bacterial loading capacities of the capillary membranes are determined to be 3×10(9)bacterialcells/750mm(2) capillary surface until back flushing is recommendable. The immobilized Agnano remain accessible and exhibit strong bactericidal properties by killing retained bacteria up to maximum bacterial loads of 6×10(8)bacterialcells/750mm(2) capillary surface and the regenerated membranes regain filtration efficiencies of 95-100%. Silver release is moderate as only 0.8% of the initial silver loading is leached during a three-day filtration experiment leading to average silver contaminant levels of 100μg/L. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reactor for in situ measurements of spatially resolved kinetic data in heterogeneous catalysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Horn, R.; Korup, O.; Geske, M.; Zavyalova, U.; Oprea, I.; Schlögl, R.

2010-06-01

The present work describes a reactor that allows in situ measurements of spatially resolved kinetic data in heterogeneous catalysis. The reactor design allows measurements up to temperatures of 1300 °C and 45 bar pressure, i.e., conditions of industrial relevance. The reactor involves reactants flowing through a solid catalyst bed containing a sampling capillary with a side sampling orifice through which a small fraction of the reacting fluid (gas or liquid) is transferred into an analytical device (e.g., mass spectrometer, gas chromatograph, high pressure liquid chromatograph) for quantitative analysis. The sampling capillary can be moved with μm resolution in or against flow direction to measure species profiles through the catalyst bed. Rotation of the sampling capillary allows averaging over several scan lines. The position of the sampling orifice is such that the capillary channel through the catalyst bed remains always occupied by the capillary preventing flow disturbance and fluid bypassing. The second function of the sampling capillary is to provide a well which can accommodate temperature probes such as a thermocouple or a pyrometer fiber. If a thermocouple is inserted in the sampling capillary and aligned with the sampling orifice fluid temperature profiles can be measured. A pyrometer fiber can be used to measure the temperature profile of the solid catalyst bed. Spatial profile measurements are demonstrated for methane oxidation on Pt and methane oxidative coupling on Li/MgO, both catalysts supported on reticulated α -Al2O3 foam supports.

Novel fluorescent probe for highly sensitive bioassay using sequential enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay-capillary isoelectric focusing (ELISA-cIEF).

PubMed

Henares, Terence G; Uenoyama, Yuta; Nogawa, Yuto; Ikegami, Ken; Citterio, Daniel; Suzuki, Koji; Funano, Shun-ichi; Sueyoshi, Kenji; Endo, Tatsuro; Hisamoto, Hideaki

2013-06-07

This paper presents a novel rhodamine diphosphate molecule that allows highly sensitive detection of proteins by employing sequential enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and capillary isoelectric focusing (ELISA-cIEF). Seven-fold improvement in the immunoassay sensitivity and a 1-2 order of magnitude lower detection limit has been demonstrated by taking advantage of the combination of the enzyme-based signal amplification of ELISA and the concentration of enzyme reaction products by cIEF.

Determination of melatonin in wine and plant extracts by capillary electrochromatography with immobilized carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes as stationary phase.

PubMed

Stege, Patricia W; Sombra, Lorena L; Messina, Germán; Martinez, Luis D; Silva, María F

2010-07-01

The finding of melatonin, the often called "hormone of darkness" in plants opens an interesting perspective associated to the plethora of health benefits related to the moderate consumption of red wine. In this study, the implementation of a new method for the determination of melatonin in complex food matrices by CEC with immobilized carboxylic multi-walled carbon nanotubes as stationary phase is demonstrated. The results indicated high electrochromatographic resolution, good capillary efficiencies and improved sensitivity respect to those obtained with conventional capillaries. In addition, it was demonstrated highly reproducible results between runs, days and columns. The LOD for melatonin was 0.01 ng/mL. The method was successfully applied to the determination of melatonin in red and white wine, grape skin and plant extracts of Salvia officinalis L.

Determination of Betaine in Forsythia Suspensa by High Performance Capillary Electrophoresis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Haixing; Dong, Guoliang; Wang, Lintong

2017-12-01

This paper presents the determination of betaine content of Forsythia suspensa by high performance capillary electrophoresis (HPCE) method. The borax solution was chosen as buffer solution, and its concentration was 40 mmol with capillary column (75μm×52/60cm) at a constant voltage of 20kV and injecting pressure time of 10s at 20°C. Linearity was kept in the concent ration range of 0.0113-1.45mg·ml-1 of betaine with correlation coefficient of 0.999. The recovery was in the range of 97%-117% (n=5), The content of betaine was 281.5 mg·g-1and RSD value of 9.6% (n=6) in Forsythia suspensa. This method has the advantage of rapid, accurate and good repeatability in separation and determination of betaine in Forsythia suspensa.

Combined electrophoretic-separation and electrospray method and system

DOEpatents

Smith, R.D.; Olivares, J.A.

1989-06-27

A system and method for analyzing molecular constituents of a composition sample includes: forming a solution of the sample, separating the solution by capillary zone electrophoresis into an eluent of constituents longitudinally separated according to their relative electrophoretic mobilities, electrospraying the eluent to form a charged spray in which the molecular constituents have a temporal distribution; and detecting or collecting the separated constituents in accordance with the temporal distribution in the spray. A first high-voltage (e.g., 5--100 kVDC) is applied to the solution. The spray is charged by applying a second high voltage (e.g., [+-]2--8 kVDC) between the eluent at the capillary exit and a cathode spaced in front of the exit. A complete electrical circuit is formed by a conductor which directly contacts the eluent at the capillary exit. 10 figs.

Open-tubular capillary electrochromatographic determination of ten sulfonamides in tap water and milk by a metal-organic framework-coated capillary column.

PubMed

Wang, Xuan; Ye, Nengsheng; Hu, Xiaoyu; Liu, Qingye; Li, Jian; Peng, Lin; Ma, Xiaotong

2018-05-25

In this study, a metal-organic framework (MOF), [Mn(cam)(bpy)], was synthesized and characterized by thermogravimetric analysis, scanning electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectrometry. An open-tubular capillary column was fabricated from [Mn(cam)(bpy)] via the amide coupling method. Ten types of sulfonamides were separated through the fabricated capillary column, which showed a good limits of detection (< 0.07 μg·mL -1 ) and a linear ranges (1-100 μg·mL -1 or 5-100 μg·mL -1 ) with a high correlation coefficients (R 2 > 0.9987). The intra-day, inter-day and column-to-column relative standard deviations (RSDs) in the migration times ranged from 0.44% to 4.87%, and the peak area RSDs ranged from 0.80% to 7.28%. The developed capillary electrochromatography method can be successfully utilized for the determination of sulfonamides in tap water and milk samples. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Experimental study on nonmonotonicity of capillary desaturation curves in a 2-D pore-network

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rodriquez de Castro, Antonio; Shokri, Nima; Karadimitriou, Nikolaos

2015-10-28

Immiscible displacement in a porous medium is important in many applications such as soil remediation and enhanced oil recovery. When gravitational forces are negligible, two-phase immiscible displacement at the pore level is controlled by capillary and viscous forces whose relative importance is quantified through the dimensionless capillary number Ca and the viscosity ratio M between liquid phases. Depending on the values of Ca and M, capillary fingering, viscous fingering, or stable displacement may be observed resulting in a variety of patterns affecting the phase entrapment. The Capillary Desaturation Curve (CDC), which represents the relationship between the residual oils saturation andmore » Ca, is an important relation to describe the phase entrapment at a given Ca. In the present study, we investigate the CDC as influenced by the viscosity ratio. A comprehensive series of experiments using a high-resolution microscope and state-of-the-art micromodels were conducted. The CDCs were calculated and the effects of Ca and M on phase entrapments were quantified. The results show that CDCs are not necessarily monotonic for all M.« less

Reprint of: High current liquid metal ion source using porous tungsten multiemitters.

PubMed

Tajmar, M; Vasiljevich, I; Grienauer, W

2011-05-01

We recently developed an indium Liquid-Metal-Ion-Source that can emit currents from sub-μA up to several mA. It is based on a porous tungsten crown structure with 28 individual emitters, which is manufactured using Micro-Powder Injection Molding (μPIM) and electrochemical etching. The emitter combines the advantages of internal capillary feeding with excellent emission properties due to micron-size tips. Significant progress was made on the homogeneity of the emission over its current-voltage characteristic as well as on investigating its long-term stability. This LMIS seems very suitable for space propulsion as well as for micro/nano manufacturing applications with greatly increased milling/drilling speeds. This paper summarizes the latest developments on our porous multiemitters with respect to manufacturing, emission properties and long-term testing. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Intense laser pulse propagation in ionizing gases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bian, Zhigang

2003-10-01

There have been considerable technological advances in the development of high intensity, short pulse lasers. However, high intensity laser pulses are subject to various laser-plasma instabilities. In this thesis, a theory is developed to study the scattering instability that occurs when a laser pulse propagates through and ionizes a gas. The instability is due to the intensity dependence of the ionization rate, which leads to a transversely structured free electron density. The instability is convective in the frame of laser pulse, but can have a relatively short growth length scaling as Lg˜k0/k2p where k0 is the laser wave number, k2p=w2p/c 2 and op is the plasma frequency. The most unstable perturbations correspond to a scattering angle for which the transverse wave number is around the plasma wave number, k p. The scattered light is frequency upshifted. The comparison between simple analytic theory and numerical simulation shows good agreement. Instabilities can drastically change the shape of the laser pulse and reduce the propagation distance of the laser pulse. Therefore, we change the propagation conditions and reduce the laser-plasma interaction possibilities in applications which require an interaction length well in excess of the Rayleigh length of the laser beam. One of the methods is to use a capillary to propagate the laser pulse. We studied the propagation of short pulses in a glass capillary. The propagation is simulated using the code WAKE, which has been modified to treat the case in which the simulation boundary is the wall of a capillary. Parameters that were examined include transmission efficiency of the waveguides as a function of gas pressure, laser intensity, and waveguide length, which is up to 40 Rayleigh lengths. The transmission efficiency decreases with waveguide length due to energy loss through the side-walls of the capillary. The loss increases with gas pressure due to ionization of the gas and scattering of the radiation. The intensity on the inner wall of the capillary is monitored to assure realistic simulations, consistent with optical breakdown of the waveguide material. Generally speaking the intensity on the wall increases with gas pressure due to the scattering of the lowest order capillary mode. Finally, the high order harmonic generation (HHG) in a capillary is investigated. The phase matching condition is studied to increase the conversion efficiency for high order harmonics generation. The phase matching occurs as a balance of the dispersion of the neutral gas, plasma and the waveguide.

Radical polymerization of capillary bridges between micron-sized particles in liquid bulk phase as a low temperature route to produce porous solid materials.

PubMed

Hauf, Katharina; Riazi, Kamran; Willenbacher, Norbert; Koos, Erin

2017-10-01

We present a generic and versatile low temperature route to produce macro-porous bodies with porosity and pore size distribution that are adjustable in a wide range. Capillary suspensions, where the minor fluid is a monomer, are used as pre-cursors. The monomer is preferentially located between the particles, creating capillary bridges, resulting in a strong, percolating network. Thermally induced polymerization of these bridges at temperatures below 100 °C for less than 5 hours and subsequent removal of the bulk fluid yields macroscopic, self-supporting solid bodies with high porosity. This process is demonstrated using methylmethacrylate and hydroxyethylmethacrlyate with glass particles as a model system. The produced PMMA had a molecular weight of about 500.000 g/mol and dispersity about three. Application specific porous bodies, including PMMA particles connected by PMMA bridges, micron-sized capsules containing phase change material with high inner surface, and porous graphite membranes with high electrical conductivity, are also shown.

Radical polymerization of capillary bridges between micron-sized particles in liquid bulk phase as a low temperature route to produce porous solid materials

PubMed Central

Hauf, Katharina; Riazi, Kamran; Willenbacher, Norbert; Koos, Erin

2018-01-01

We present a generic and versatile low temperature route to produce macro-porous bodies with porosity and pore size distribution that are adjustable in a wide range. Capillary suspensions, where the minor fluid is a monomer, are used as pre-cursors. The monomer is preferentially located between the particles, creating capillary bridges, resulting in a strong, percolating network. Thermally induced polymerization of these bridges at temperatures below 100 °C for less than 5 hours and subsequent removal of the bulk fluid yields macroscopic, self-supporting solid bodies with high porosity. This process is demonstrated using methylmethacrylate and hydroxyethylmethacrlyate with glass particles as a model system. The produced PMMA had a molecular weight of about 500.000 g/mol and dispersity about three. Application specific porous bodies, including PMMA particles connected by PMMA bridges, micron-sized capsules containing phase change material with high inner surface, and porous graphite membranes with high electrical conductivity, are also shown. PMID:29503494

Separation of profen enantiomers by capillary electrophoresis using cyclodextrins as chiral selectors.

PubMed

Blanco, M; Coello, J; Iturriaga, H; Maspoch, S; Pérez-Maseda, C

1998-01-09

A method for resolving the enantiomers of various 2-arylpropionic acids (viz. ketoprofen, ibuprofen and fenoprofen) by capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using a background electrolyte (BGE) containing a cyclodextrin as chiral selector is proposed. The effects of the type of cyclodextrin used and its concentration on resolution were studied and heptakis-2,3,6-tri- O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin was found to be the sole effective choice for the quantitative enantiomeric resolution of all the compounds tested. The influence of pH, BGE concentration, capillary temperature and addition of methanol to the BGE on resolution and other separation-related parameters was also studied. The three compounds studied can be enantiomerically resolved with a high efficiency in a short time (less than 20 min) with no capillary treatment. This makes the proposed method suitable for assessing the enantiomeric purity of commercially available pharmaceuticals.

Retinovascular physiology and pathophysiology: new experimental approach/new insights

PubMed Central

Puro, Donald G.

2012-01-01

An important challenge in visual neuroscience is understand the physiology and pathophysiology of the intra-retinal vasculature, whose function is required for ophthalmoception by humans and most other mammals. In the quest to learn more about this highly specialized portion of the circulatory system, a newly developed method for isolating vast microvascular complexes from the rodent retina has opened the way for using techniques such as patch-clamping, fluorescence imaging and time-lapse photography to elucidate the functional organization of a capillary network and its pre-capillary arteriole. For example, the ability to obtain dual perforated-patch recordings from well-defined sites within an isolated microvascular complex permitted the first characterization of the electrotonic architecture of a capillary/arteriole unit. This analysis revealed that this operational unit is not simply a homogenous synctium, but has a complex functional organization that is dynamically modulated by extracellular signals such as angiotensin II. Another recent discovery is that a capillary and its pre-capillary arteriole have distinct physiological differences; capillaries have an abundance of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels and a dearth of voltage-dependent calcium channels (VDCCs) while the converse is true for arterioles. In addition, voltage transmission between abluminal cells and the endothelium is more efficient in the capillaries. Thus, the capillary network is well-equipped to generate and transmit voltages, and the pre-capillary arteriole is well-adapted to transduce a capillary-generated voltage into a change in abluminal cell calcium and thereby, a vasomotor response. Use of microvessels isolated from the diabetic retina has led to new insights concerning retinal vascular pathophysiology. For example, soon after the onset of diabetes, the efficacy of voltage transmission through the endothelium is diminished; arteriolar VDCCs is inhibited, and there is increased vulnerability to purinergic vasotoxicity, which is a newly identified pathobiological mechanism. Other recent studies reveal that KATP channels not only have an essential physiological role in generating vasomotor responses, but their activation substantially boosts the lethality of hypoxia. Thus, the pathophysiology of the retinal microvasculature is closely linked with its physiology. PMID:22333041

High-sensitivity temperature sensor based on highly-birefringent microfiber

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Li-Peng; Li, Jie; Jin, Long; Gao, Shuai; Tian, Zhuang; Ran, Yang; Guan, Bai-Ou

2013-09-01

We demonstrate an ultrasensitive temperature sensor by sealing a highly-birefringent microfiber into an alcoholinfiltrated copper capillary. With a Sagnac loop configuration, the interferometric spectrum is strongly dependent on the external refractive index (RI) with sensitivity of 36800nm/RIU around RI=1.356. As mainly derived from the ultrahigh RI sensitivity, the temperature response can reach as high as -14.72 nm/°C in the range of 30.9-36.9 °C. The measured response time is ~8s, as determined by the heat-conducting characteristic of the device and the diameter of the copper capillary. Our sensor is featured with low cost, easy fabrication and robustness.

Analysis of Proteins, Protein Complexes, and Organellar Proteomes Using Sheathless Capillary Zone Electrophoresis - Native Mass Spectrometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Belov, Arseniy M.; Viner, Rosa; Santos, Marcia R.; Horn, David M.; Bern, Marshall; Karger, Barry L.; Ivanov, Alexander R.

2017-12-01

Native mass spectrometry (MS) is a rapidly advancing field in the analysis of proteins, protein complexes, and macromolecular species of various types. The majority of native MS experiments reported to-date has been conducted using direct infusion of purified analytes into a mass spectrometer. In this study, capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was coupled online to Orbitrap mass spectrometers using a commercial sheathless interface to enable high-performance separation, identification, and structural characterization of limited amounts of purified proteins and protein complexes, the latter with preserved non-covalent associations under native conditions. The performance of both bare-fused silica and polyacrylamide-coated capillaries was assessed using mixtures of protein standards known to form non-covalent protein-protein and protein-ligand complexes. High-efficiency separation of native complexes is demonstrated using both capillary types, while the polyacrylamide neutral-coated capillary showed better reproducibility and higher efficiency for more complex samples. The platform was then evaluated for the determination of monoclonal antibody aggregation and for analysis of proteomes of limited complexity using a ribosomal isolate from E. coli. Native CZE-MS, using accurate single stage and tandem-MS measurements, enabled identification of proteoforms and non-covalent complexes at femtomole levels. This study demonstrates that native CZE-MS can serve as an orthogonal and complementary technique to conventional native MS methodologies with the advantages of low sample consumption, minimal sample processing and losses, and high throughput and sensitivity. This study presents a novel platform for analysis of ribosomes and other macromolecular complexes and organelles, with the potential for discovery of novel structural features defining cellular phenotypes (e.g., specialized ribosomes). [Figure not available: see fulltext.

High-Throughput Genetic Analysis and Combinatorial Chiral Separations Based on Capillary Electrophoresis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhong, Wenwan

2003-01-01

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) offers many advantages over conventional analytical methods, such as speed, simplicity, high resolution, low cost, and small sample consumption, especially for the separation of enantiomers. However, chiral method developments still can be time consuming and tedious. They designed a comprehensive enantioseparation protocol employing neutral and sulfated cyclodextrins as chiral selectors for common basic, neutral, and acidic compounds with a 96-capillary array system. By using only four judiciously chosen separation buffers, successful enantioseparations were achieved for 49 out of 54 test compounds spanning a large variety of pKs and structures. Therefore, unknown compounds can be screened in thismore » manner to identify optimal enantioselective conditions in just one rn. In addition to superior separation efficiency for small molecules, CE is also the most powerful technique for DNA separations. Using the same multiplexed capillary system with UV absorption detection, the sequence of a short DNA template can be acquired without any dye-labels. Two internal standards were utilized to adjust the migration time variations among capillaries, so that the four electropherograms for the A, T, C, G Sanger reactions can be aligned and base calling can be completed with a high level of confidence. the CE separation of DNA can be applied to study differential gene expression as well. Combined with pattern recognition techniques, small variations among electropherograms obtained by the separation of cDNA fragments produced from the total RNA samples of different human tissues can be revealed. These variations reflect the differences in total RNA expression among tissues. Thus, this Ce-based approach can serve as an alternative to the DNA array techniques in gene expression analysis.« less

Optical fiber-based on-line UV/Vis spectroscopic monitoring of chemical reaction kinetics under high pressure in a capillary microreactor.

PubMed

Benito-Lopez, Fernando; Verboom, Willem; Kakuta, Masaya; Gardeniers, J Han G E; Egberink, Richard J M; Oosterbroek, Edwin R; van den Berg, Albert; Reinhoudt, David N

2005-06-14

With a miniaturized (3 microL volume) fiber-optics based system for on-line measurement by UV/Vis spectroscopy, the reaction rate constants (at different pressures) and the activation volumes (deltaV(not =)) were determined for a nucleophilic aromatic substitution and an aza Diels-Alder reaction in a capillary microreactor.

Simple semi-automated portable capillary electrophoresis instrument with contactless conductivity detection for the determination of β-agonists in pharmaceutical and pig-feed samples.

PubMed

Nguyen, Thi Anh Huong; Pham, Thi Ngoc Mai; Doan, Thi Tuoi; Ta, Thi Thao; Sáiz, Jorge; Nguyen, Thi Quynh Hoa; Hauser, Peter C; Mai, Thanh Duc

2014-09-19

An inexpensive, robust and easy to use portable capillary electrophoresis instrument with miniaturized high-voltage capacitively coupled contactless conductivity detection was developed. The system utilizes pneumatic operation to manipulate the solutions for all flushing steps. The different operations, i.e. capillary flushing, interface rinsing, and electrophoretic separation, are easily activated by turning an electronic switch. To allow the analysis of samples with limited available volume, and to render the construction less complicated compared to a computer-controlled counterpart, sample injection is carried out hydrodynamically directly from the sample vial into the capillary by manual syphoning. The system is a well performing solution where the financial means for the highly expensive commercial instruments are not available and where the in-house construction of a sophisticated automated instrument is not possible due to limited mechanical and electronic workshop facilities and software programming expertise. For demonstration, the system was employed successfully for the determination of some β-agonists, namely salbutamol, metoprolol and ractopamine down to 0.7ppm in pharmaceutical and pig-feed sample matrices in Vietnam. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

In situ electrochemical high-energy X-ray diffraction using a capillary working electrode cell geometry

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Young, Matthias J.; Bedford, Nicholas M.; Jiang, Naisheng

The ability to generate new electrochemically active materials for energy generation and storage with improved properties will likely be derived from an understanding of atomic-scale structure/function relationships during electrochemical events. Here, the design and implementation of a new capillary electrochemical cell designed specifically forin situhigh-energy X-ray diffraction measurements is described. By increasing the amount of electrochemically active material in the X-ray path while implementing low-Zcell materials with anisotropic scattering profiles, an order of magnitude enhancement in diffracted X-ray signal over traditional cell geometries for multiple electrochemically active materials is demonstrated. This signal improvement is crucial for high-energy X-ray diffraction measurementsmore » and subsequent Fourier transformation into atomic pair distribution functions for atomic-scale structural analysis. As an example, clear structural changes in LiCoO 2under reductive and oxidative conditions using the capillary cell are demonstrated, which agree with prior studies. Accurate modeling of the LiCoO 2diffraction data using reverse Monte Carlo simulations further verifies accurate background subtraction and strong signal from the electrochemically active material, enabled by the capillary working electrode geometry.« less

PNEUMATIC MICROVALVE FOR ELECTROKINETIC SAMPLE PRECONCENTRATION AND CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS INJECTION

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cong, Yongzheng; Rausch, Sarah J.; Geng, Tao

2014-10-27

Here we show that a closed pneumatic microvalve on a PDMS chip can serve as a semipermeable membrane under an applied potential, enabling current to pass through while blocking the passage of charged analytes. Enrichment of both anionic and cationic species has been demonstrated, and concentration factors of ~70 have been achieved in just 8 s. Once analytes are concentrated, the valve is briefly opened and the sample is hydrodynamically injected onto an integrated microchip or capillary electrophoresis (CE) column. In contrast to existing preconcentration approaches, the membrane-based method described here enables both rapid analyte concentration as well as highmore » resolution separations.« less

The roles of cerebral blood flow, capillary transit time heterogeneity, and oxygen tension in brain oxygenation and metabolism

PubMed Central

Jespersen, Sune N; Østergaard, Leif

2012-01-01

Normal brain function depends critically on moment-to-moment regulation of oxygen supply by the bloodstream to meet changing metabolic needs. Neurovascular coupling, a range of mechanisms that converge on arterioles to adjust local cerebral blood flow (CBF), represents our current framework for understanding this regulation. We modeled the combined effects of CBF and capillary transit time heterogeneity (CTTH) on the maximum oxygen extraction fraction (OEFmax) and metabolic rate of oxygen that can biophysically be supported, for a given tissue oxygen tension. Red blood cell velocity recordings in rat brain support close hemodynamic–metabolic coupling by means of CBF and CTTH across a range of physiological conditions. The CTTH reduction improves tissue oxygenation by counteracting inherent reductions in OEFmax as CBF increases, and seemingly secures sufficient oxygenation during episodes of hyperemia resulting from cortical activation or hypoxemia. In hypoperfusion and states of blocked CBF, both lower oxygen tension and CTTH may secure tissue oxygenation. Our model predicts that disturbed capillary flows may cause a condition of malignant CTTH, in which states of higher CBF display lower oxygen availability. We propose that conditions with altered capillary morphology, such as amyloid, diabetic or hypertensive microangiopathy, and ischemia–reperfusion, may disturb CTTH and thereby flow-metabolism coupling and cerebral oxygen metabolism. PMID:22044867

Determination of somatropin charged variants by capillary zone electrophoresis - optimisation, verification and implementation of the European pharmacopoeia method.

PubMed

Storms, S M; Feltus, A; Barker, A R; Joly, M-A; Girard, M

2009-03-01

Measurement of somatropin charged variants by isoelectric focusing was replaced with capillary zone electrophoresis in the January 2006 European Pharmacopoeia Supplement 5.3, based on results from an interlaboratory collaborative study. Due to incompatibilities and method-robustness issues encountered prior to verification, a number of method parameters required optimisation. As the use of a diode array detector at 195 nm or 200 nm led to a loss of resolution, a variable wavelength detector using a 200 nm filter was employed. Improved injection repeatability was obtained by increasing the injection time and pressure, and changing the sample diluent from water to running buffer. Finally, definition of capillary pre-treatment and rinse procedures resulted in more consistent separations over time. Method verification data are presented demonstrating linearity, specificity, repeatability, intermediate precision, limit of quantitation, sample stability, solution stability, and robustness. Based on these experiments, several modifications to the current method have been recommended and incorporated into the European Pharmacopoeia to help improve method performance across laboratories globally.

Determination of carbohydrates in honey and milk by capillary electrophoresis in combination with graphene-cobalt microsphere hybrid paste electrodes.

PubMed

Liang, Peipei; Sun, Motao; He, Peimin; Zhang, Luyan; Chen, Gang

2016-01-01

A graphene-cobalt microsphere (CoMS) hybrid paste electrode was developed for the determination of carbohydrates in honey and milk in combination with capillary electrophoresis (CE). The performance of the electrodes was demonstrated by detecting mannitol, sucrose, lactose, glucose, and fructose after CE separation. The five analytes were well separated within 9 min in a 40 cm long capillary at a separation voltage of 12 kV. The electrodes exhibited pronounced electrocatalytic activity, lower detection potentials, enhanced signal-to-noise characteristics, and higher reproducibility. The relation between peak current and analyte concentration was linear over about three orders of magnitude. The proposed method had been employed to determine lactose in bovine milk and glucose and fructose in honey with satisfactory results. Because only electroactive substances in the samples could be detected on the paste electrode, the electropherograms of both food samples were simplified to some extent. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Clusters of circulating tumor cells traverse capillary-sized vessels

PubMed Central

Au, Sam H.; Storey, Brian D.; Moore, John C.; Tang, Qin; Chen, Yeng-Long; Javaid, Sarah; Sarioglu, A. Fatih; Sullivan, Ryan; Madden, Marissa W.; O’Keefe, Ryan; Haber, Daniel A.; Maheswaran, Shyamala; Langenau, David M.; Stott, Shannon L.; Toner, Mehmet

2016-01-01

Multicellular aggregates of circulating tumor cells (CTC clusters) are potent initiators of distant organ metastasis. However, it is currently assumed that CTC clusters are too large to pass through narrow vessels to reach these organs. Here, we present evidence that challenges this assumption through the use of microfluidic devices designed to mimic human capillary constrictions and CTC clusters obtained from patient and cancer cell origins. Over 90% of clusters containing up to 20 cells successfully traversed 5- to 10-μm constrictions even in whole blood. Clusters rapidly and reversibly reorganized into single-file chain-like geometries that substantially reduced their hydrodynamic resistances. Xenotransplantation of human CTC clusters into zebrafish showed similar reorganization and transit through capillary-sized vessels in vivo. Preliminary experiments demonstrated that clusters could be disrupted during transit using drugs that affected cellular interaction energies. These findings suggest that CTC clusters may contribute a greater role to tumor dissemination than previously believed and may point to strategies for combating CTC cluster-initiated metastasis. PMID:27091969

On the Ionization and Ion Transmission Efficiencies of Different ESI-MS Interfaces

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cox, Jonathan T.; Marginean, Ioan; Smith, Richard D.

2014-09-30

It is well known that the achievable sensitivity of electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) is largely determined by the ionization efficiency in the ESI source and ion transmission efficiency through the ESI-MS interface. In this report we systematically study the ion transmission and ionization efficiencies in different ESI-MS interface configurations. The configurations under investigation include a single emitter/single inlet capillary, single emitter/multi-inlet capillary, and a subambient pressure ionization with nanoelectrospray (SPIN) MS interfaces with a single emitter and an emitter array, respectively. We present an effective method to evaluate the overall ion utilization efficiency of an ESI-MS interface by measuringmore » the total gas phase ion current transmitted through the interface and correlating it to the observed ion abundance measured in the corresponding mass spectrum. Our experimental results suggest that the overall ion utilization efficiency in the SPIN-MS interface configurations is better than that in the inlet capillary based ESI-MS interface configurations.« less

A Capillary-Based Static Phase Separator for Highly Variable Wetting Conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Thomas, Evan A.; Graf, John C.; Weislogel, Mark M.

2010-01-01

The invention, a static phase separator (SPS), uses airflow and capillary wetting characteristics to passively separate a two-phase (liquid and air) flow. The device accommodates highly variable liquid wetting characteristics. The resultant design allows for a range of wetting properties from about 0 to over 90 advancing contact angle, with frequent complete separation of liquid from gas observed when using appropriately scaled test conditions. Additionally, the design accommodates a range of air-to-liquid flow-rate ratios from only liquid flow to over 200:1 air-to-liquid flow rate. The SPS uses a helix input section with an ice-cream-cone-shaped constant area cross section (see figure). The wedge portion of the cross section is on the outer edge of the helix, and collects the liquid via centripetal acceleration. The helix then passes into an increasing cross-sectional area vane region. The liquid in the helix wedge is directed into the top of capillary wedges in the liquid containment section. The transition from diffuser to containment section includes a 90 change in capillary pumping direction, while maintaining inertial direction. This serves to impinge the liquid into the two off-center symmetrical vanes by the airflow. Rather than the airflow serving to shear liquid away from the capillary vanes, the design allows for further penetration of the liquid into the vanes by the air shear. This is also assisted by locating the air exit ports downstream of the liquid drain port. Additionally, any droplets not contained in the capillary vanes are re-entrained downstream by a third opposing capillary vane, which directs liquid back toward the liquid drain port. Finally, the dual air exit ports serve to slow the airflow down, and to reduce the likelihood of shear. The ports are stove-piped into the cavity to form an unfriendly capillary surface for a wetting fluid to carryover. The liquid drain port is located at the start of the containment region, allowing for draining the bulk fluid in a continuous circuit. The functional operation of the SPS involves introducing liquid flow (from a human body, a syringe, or other source) to the two-phase inlet while an air fan pulls on the air exit lines. The fan is operated until the liquid is fully introduced. The system is drained by negative pressure on the liquid drain lines when the SPS containment system is full.

Continuous high-frequency dissolved O2/Ar measurements by equilibrator inlet mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Cassar, Nicolas; Barnett, Bruce A; Bender, Michael L; Kaiser, Jan; Hamme, Roberta C; Tilbrook, Bronte

2009-03-01

The oxygen (O(2)) concentration in the surface ocean is influenced by biological and physical processes. With concurrent measurements of argon (Ar), which has similar solubility properties as oxygen, we can remove the physical contribution to O(2) supersaturation and determine the biological oxygen supersaturation. Biological O(2) supersaturation in the surface ocean reflects the net metabolic balance between photosynthesis and respiration, i.e., the net community productivity (NCP). We present a new method for continuous shipboard measurements of O(2)/Ar by equilibrator inlet mass spectrometry (EIMS). From these measurements and an appropriate gas exchange parametrization, NCP can be estimated at high spatial and temporal resolution. In the EIMS configuration, seawater from the ship's continuous intake flows through a cartridge enclosing a gas-permeable microporous membrane contactor. Gases in the headspace of the cartridge equilibrate with dissolved gases in the flowing seawater. A fused-silica capillary continuously samples headspace gases, and the O(2)/Ar ratio is measured by mass spectrometry. The ion current measurements on the mass spectrometer reflect the partial pressures of dissolved gases in the water flowing through the equilibrator. Calibration of the O(2)/Ar ion current ratio (32/40) is performed automatically every 2 h by sampling ambient air through a second capillary. A conceptual model demonstrates that the ratio of gases reaching the mass spectrometer is dependent on several parameters, such as the differences in molecular diffusivities and solubilities of the gases. Laboratory experiments and field observations performed by EIMS are discussed. We also present preliminary evidence that other gas measurements, such as N(2)/Ar and pCO(2) measurements, may potentially be performed with EIMS. Finally, we compare the characteristics of the EIMS with the previously described membrane inlet mass spectrometry (MIMS) approach.

Combination of ICP-MS, capillary electrophoresis, and their hyphenation for probing Ru(III) metallodrug-DNA interactions.

PubMed

Foteeva, Lidia S; Matczuk, Magdalena; Pawlak, Katarzyna; Aleksenko, Svetlana S; Nosenko, Sergey V; Karandashev, Vasily K; Jarosz, Maciej; Timerbaev, Andrei R

2017-03-01

Determination of the DNA-binding reactivity and affinity is an important part of a successful program for the selection of metallodrug candidates. For such assaying, a range of complementary analytical techniques was proposed and tested here using one of few anticancer metal-based drugs that are currently in clinical trials, indazolium trans-[tetrachloridobis(1H-indazole)ruthenate(III), and a DNA oligonucleotide. A high reactivity of the Ru drug was confirmed in affinity capillary electrophoresis (CE) mode, where adduct formation takes place in situ (i.e., in the capillary filled with an oligonucleotide-containing electrolyte). To further characterize the binding kinetics, a drug-oligonucleotide mixture was incubated for a different period of time, followed by ultrafiltration separation into two different in molecular weight fractions (>3 and <3 kDa). The time-dependent distribution profiles of the Ru drug were then assessed by CE-inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), revealing that at least two DNA adducts exist at equilibrium conditions. Using standalone ICP-MS, dominant equilibrium amount of the bound ruthenium was found to occur in a fraction of 5-10 kDa, which includes the oligonucleotide (ca. 6 kDa). Importantly, in all three assays, the drug was used for the first time in in-vitro studies, not in the intact form but as its active species released from the transferrin adduct at simulated cancer cytosolic conditions. This circumstance makes the established analytical platform promising to provide a detailed view on metallodrug targeting, including other possible biomolecules and ex vivo samples.

Coupling of non-aqueous electrokinetic chromatography using cationic cyclodextrins with electrospray ionization mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Mol, Roelof; de Jong, Gerhardus J; Somsen, Govert W

2008-01-01

Non-aqueous electrokinetic chromatography (NAEKC) using cationic cyclodextrins (CDs) was coupled to electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS). A methanolic background electrolyte (BGE) was used which contained the hydrochloride salts of the single-isomer derivative cyclodextrins 6-monodeoxy-6-mono(2-hydroxy)propylamino-beta-cyclodextrin (IPA-beta-CD) or 6-monodeoxy-6-mono(3-hydroxy)propylamino-beta-cyclodextrin (PA-beta-CD). Applying a reversed capillary electrophoresis (CE) polarity (-30 kV), efficient separation of negatively charged compounds was achieved with plate numbers of up to 190,000. PA-beta-CD appeared to be the most suitable for the separation of various acidic drugs while also providing a high chiral selectivity. Analyte detection was achieved by ESI-MS in the negative-ion mode using a sheath-liquid interface. In order to prevent current drops caused by the cathodic electroosmotic flow, a pressure of 15 mbar was applied on the inlet vial during NAEKC/MS analysis. The effect of the cationic CDs on the MS signal intensities of acidic test drugs was thoroughly studied. When a voltage is applied across the CE capillary, the overall mobility of the cationic CDs is towards the inlet vial so that no CD molecules enter the ion source. The chloride counter ions of the CDs, which migrated towards the capillary outlet, were found to cause ionization suppression, although significant analyte signals could still be detected. Depending on the CD concentration in the BGE, limits of detection for acidic drugs were in the 50-400 ng/mL range in full-scan mode.

Cocaine induced cortical microischemia in the rodent brain: Clinical implications

PubMed Central

Ren, Hugang; Du, Congwu; Yuan, Zhijia; Park, Ki; Volkow, Nora D.; Pan, Yingtian

2014-01-01

Cocaine-induced stroke is among the most serious medical complications associated with its abuse. However the extent to which acute cocaine may induce silent microischemia predisposing the cerebral tissue to neurotoxicity has not been investigated; in part, because of limitations of current neuroimaging tools, i.e., lack of high spatiotemporal resolution and sensitivity to simultaneously measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) in vessels of different calibers (including capillaries) quantitatively and over a large field of view. Here we combine ultrahigh-resolution optical coherence tomography to enable tracker-free 3D microvascular angiography (μOCA) and a new phase-intensity-mapping algorithm to enhance the sensitivity of 3D optical Doppler tomography (μODT) for simultaneous capillary CBF quantization. We apply the technique to study the responses of cerebral microvascular networks to single and repeated cocaine administration in the mouse somatosensory cortex. We show that within 2–3 minutes after cocaine administration CBF markedly decreased (e.g., ~70%) but the magnitude and recovery differed for the various types of vessels; arterioles had the fastest recovery (~5min), capillaries varied drastically (from 4–20min) and venules showed relatively slower recovery (~12min). More importantly, we showed that cocaine interrupted CBF in some arteriolar branches for over 45min and this effect was exacerbated with repeated cocaine administration. These results provide evidence that cocaine doses within the range administered by drug abusers induces cerebral microischemia and that these effects are exacerbated with repeated use. Thus cocaine-induced microischemia is likely to be a contributor to its neurotoxic effects. PMID:22124273

Hemoglobin-based O2 carrier O2 affinity and capillary inlet pO2 are important factors that influence O2 transport in a capillary.

PubMed

Dimino, Michael L; Palmer, Andre F

2007-01-01

Hemopure (Biopure; Cambridge, MA) and PolyHeme (Northfield Laboratories; Evanston, IL) are two acellular hemoglobin-based O2 carriers (HBOCs) currently in phase III clinical trials for use as red blood cell substitutes. The most common adverse side effect that these HBOCs exhibit is increased vasoconstriction. Autoregulatory theory has been presented as a possible explanation for this physiological effect, where it is hypothesized that low-affinity HBOCs over-deliver O2 to tissues surrounding arterioles, thereby eliciting vasoconstriction. In this paper, we wanted to investigate HBOC oxygenation of tissue surrounding a capillary, which is the smallest element of the circulatory system. An a priori model has been developed in which the performance of mixtures of acellular HBOCs (synthesized by our group and others) and human red blood cells (hRBCs) has been simulated using a Krogh tissue cylinder model (KTCM) comprising a capillary surrounded by a capillary membrane and skeletal muscle tissue in cylindrical coordinates with specified tissue O2 consumption rates and Michaelis-Menten kinetics. In this study, the total hemoglobin (hRBCs and HBOCs) concentration was kept constant. The HBOCs studied possessed O2 affinities that were higher and lower compared to hRBCs (P50's spanned 5-55 mmHg), and the equilibrium binding/release of oxygen to/from the HBOCs was modeled using the Adair equation. At normoxic inlet pO2's, there was no correlation between O2 flux out of the capillary and the O2 affinity of the HBOC. However, a correlation was found between the average pO2 tension in the capillary and the O2 affinity of the HBOC. Additionally, we studied the change in the O2 equilibrium curve of HBOCs with different O2 affinities over a wide range of inlet pO2's and found that changing the inlet pO2 greatly affected which HBOC, having a unique O2 affinity, best delivered O2 to the surrounding tissue. The analysis of oxygen transport presented could lead to a better prediction of which acellular HBOC is best suited for a specific transfusion application that many times depends on the capillary inlet pO2 tension.

Recombination-pumped XUV lasing in capillary discharges and dynamic z-pinches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pöckl, M.; Hebenstreit, M.; Fertner, R.; Neger, T.; Aumayr, F.

1996-08-01

A fully time-dependent collisional - radiative model is employed to calculate relevant population densities in a recombining carbon/hydrogen z-pinch plasma. In particular, the dependence of the small signal gain G on the maximum electron temperature and cooling rate, as well as the influence of Lyman-0022-3727/29/8/005/img8 reabsorption, are studied. Although in conditions typical for dynamic z-pinches the maximum electron temperature and cooling rates would, in principle, be sufficiently high, gain on the Balmer-0022-3727/29/8/005/img8 transition is strongly reduced by Lyman-0022-3727/29/8/005/img8 reabsorption. In order to investigate vacuum spark capillary discharges, the system of rate equations is coupled with balance equations of the plasma energy and the total number of heavy particles. The resulting set of equations is solved self-consistently. Results are presented that show the systematic dependence of the small signal gain on electrical input power, wall material, and capillary geometry. High gain coefficients 0022-3727/29/8/005/img11 could be achieved by modelling high-voltage discharges with short ringing periods through capillaries containing boron or carbon. While the maximum achievable gain coefficient for lithium is rather poor 0022-3727/29/8/005/img12 the duration of population inversion would be long enough (a few tens of nanoseconds) to make multi-pass operation possible.

Plasma L-ergothioneine measurement by high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis after a pre-column derivatization with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein (5-IAF) and fluorescence detection.

PubMed

Sotgia, Salvatore; Pisanu, Elisabetta; Pintus, Gianfranco; Erre, Gian Luca; Pinna, Gerard Aime; Deiana, Luca; Carru, Ciriaco; Zinellu, Angelo

2013-01-01

Two sensitive and reproducible capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence procedures were established for quantitative determination of L-egothioneine in plasma. After derivatization of L-ergothioneine with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein, the separation was carried out by HPLC on an ODS-2 C-18 sperisorb column by using a linear gradient elution and by HPCE on an uncoated fused silica capillary, 50 µm id, and 60 cm length. The methods were validated and found to be linear in the range of 0.3 to 10 µmol/l. The limit of quantification was 0.27 µmol/l for HPCE and 0.15 µmol/l for HPLC. The variations for intra- and inter-assay precision were around 6 RSD%, and the mean recovery accuracy close to 100% (96.11%).

Plasma L-Ergothioneine Measurement by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography and Capillary Electrophoresis after a Pre-Column Derivatization with 5-Iodoacetamidofluorescein (5-IAF) and Fluorescence Detection

PubMed Central

Sotgia, Salvatore; Pisanu, Elisabetta; Pintus, Gianfranco; Erre, Gian Luca; Pinna, Gerard Aime; Deiana, Luca; Carru, Ciriaco; Zinellu, Angelo

2013-01-01

Two sensitive and reproducible capillary electrophoresis and high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence procedures were established for quantitative determination of L-egothioneine in plasma. After derivatization of L-ergothioneine with 5-iodoacetamidofluorescein, the separation was carried out by HPLC on an ODS-2 C-18 sperisorb column by using a linear gradient elution and by HPCE on an uncoated fused silica capillary, 50 µm id, and 60 cm length. The methods were validated and found to be linear in the range of 0.3 to 10 µmol/l. The limit of quantification was 0.27 µmol/l for HPCE and 0.15 µmol/l for HPLC. The variations for intra- and inter-assay precision were around 6 RSD%, and the mean recovery accuracy close to 100% (96.11%). PMID:23922985

Rugged large volume injection for sensitive capillary LC-MS environmental monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roberg-Larsen, Hanne; Abele, Silvija; Demir, Deniz; Dzabijeva, Diana; Amundsen, Sunniva F.; Wilson, Steven R.; Bartkevics, Vadims; Lundanes, Elsa

2017-08-01

A rugged and high throughput capillary column (cLC) LC-MS switching platform using large volume injection and on-line automatic filtration and filter back-flush (AFFL) solid phase extraction (SPE) for analysis of environmental water samples with minimal sample preparation is presented. Although narrow columns and on-line sample preparation are used in the platform, high ruggedness is achieved e.g. injection of 100 non-filtrated water samples would did not result in a pressure rise/clogging of the SPE/capillary columns (inner diameter 300 µm). In addition, satisfactory retention time stability and chromatographic resolution were also features of the system. The potential of the platform for environmental water samples was demonstrated with various pharmaceutical products, which had detection limits (LOD) in the 0.05 - 12.5 ng/L range. Between-day and within-day repeatability of selected analytes were < 20% RSD.

A sex-specific relationship between capillary density and anaerobic threshold

PubMed Central

Robbins, Jennifer L.; Duscha, Brian D.; Bensimhon, Daniel R.; Wasserman, Karlman; Hansen, James E.; Houmard, Joseph A.; Annex, Brian H.; Kraus, William E.

2009-01-01

Although both capillary density and peak oxygen consumption (V̇o2) improve with exercise training, it is difficult to find a relationship between these two measures. It has been suggested that peak V̇o2 may be more related to central hemodynamics than to the oxidative potential of skeletal muscle, which may account for this observation. We hypothesized that change in a measure of submaximal performance, anaerobic threshold, might be related to change in skeletal muscle capillary density, a marker of oxidative potential in muscle, with training. Due to baseline differences among these variables, we also hypothesized that relationships might be sex specific. A group of 21 subjects completed an inactive control period, whereas 28 subjects (17 men and 11 women) participated in a 6-mo high-intensity exercise program. All subjects were sedentary, overweight, and dyslipidemic. Potential relationships were assessed between change in capillary density with both change in V̇o2 at peak and at anaerobic threshold with exercise training. All variables and relationships were assessed for sex-specific effects. Change in peak V̇o2 was not related to change in capillary density after exercise training in either sex. Men had a positive correlation between change in V̇o2 at anaerobic threshold and change in capillary density with exercise training (r = 0.635; P < 0.01), whereas women had an inverse relationship (r = −0.636; P < 0.05) between the change in these variables. These findings suggest that, although enhanced capillary density is associated with training-induced improvements in submaximal performance in men, this relationship is different in women. PMID:19164774

A sex-specific relationship between capillary density and anaerobic threshold.

PubMed

Robbins, Jennifer L; Duscha, Brian D; Bensimhon, Daniel R; Wasserman, Karlman; Hansen, James E; Houmard, Joseph A; Annex, Brian H; Kraus, William E

2009-04-01

Although both capillary density and peak oxygen consumption (Vo(2)) improve with exercise training, it is difficult to find a relationship between these two measures. It has been suggested that peak Vo(2) may be more related to central hemodynamics than to the oxidative potential of skeletal muscle, which may account for this observation. We hypothesized that change in a measure of submaximal performance, anaerobic threshold, might be related to change in skeletal muscle capillary density, a marker of oxidative potential in muscle, with training. Due to baseline differences among these variables, we also hypothesized that relationships might be sex specific. A group of 21 subjects completed an inactive control period, whereas 28 subjects (17 men and 11 women) participated in a 6-mo high-intensity exercise program. All subjects were sedentary, overweight, and dyslipidemic. Potential relationships were assessed between change in capillary density with both change in Vo(2) at peak and at anaerobic threshold with exercise training. All variables and relationships were assessed for sex-specific effects. Change in peak Vo(2) was not related to change in capillary density after exercise training in either sex. Men had a positive correlation between change in Vo(2) at anaerobic threshold and change in capillary density with exercise training (r = 0.635; P < 0.01), whereas women had an inverse relationship (r = -0.636; P < 0.05) between the change in these variables. These findings suggest that, although enhanced capillary density is associated with training-induced improvements in submaximal performance in men, this relationship is different in women.

Molecular transport through capillaries made with atomic-scale precision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Radha, B.; Esfandiar, A.; Wang, F. C.; Rooney, A. P.; Gopinadhan, K.; Keerthi, A.; Mishchenko, A.; Janardanan, A.; Blake, P.; Fumagalli, L.; Lozada-Hidalgo, M.; Garaj, S.; Haigh, S. J.; Grigorieva, I. V.; Wu, H. A.; Geim, A. K.

2016-10-01

Nanometre-scale pores and capillaries have long been studied because of their importance in many natural phenomena and their use in numerous applications. A more recent development is the ability to fabricate artificial capillaries with nanometre dimensions, which has enabled new research on molecular transport and led to the emergence of nanofluidics. But surface roughness in particular makes it challenging to produce capillaries with precisely controlled dimensions at this spatial scale. Here we report the fabrication of narrow and smooth capillaries through van der Waals assembly, with atomically flat sheets at the top and bottom separated by spacers made of two-dimensional crystals with a precisely controlled number of layers. We use graphene and its multilayers as archetypal two-dimensional materials to demonstrate this technology, which produces structures that can be viewed as if individual atomic planes had been removed from a bulk crystal to leave behind flat voids of a height chosen with atomic-scale precision. Water transport through the channels, ranging in height from one to several dozen atomic planes, is characterized by unexpectedly fast flow (up to 1 metre per second) that we attribute to high capillary pressures (about 1,000 bar) and large slip lengths. For channels that accommodate only a few layers of water, the flow exhibits a marked enhancement that we associate with an increased structural order in nanoconfined water. Our work opens up an avenue to making capillaries and cavities with sizes tunable to ångström precision, and with permeation properties further controlled through a wide choice of atomically flat materials available for channel walls.

Mass transfer study on the electrochemical removal of copper ions from synthetic effluents using reticulated vitreous carbon.

PubMed

Britto-Costa, Pedro H; Ruotolo, Luís Augusto M

2013-01-01

Porous electrodes have been successfully used for metal electrodeposition from diluted aqueous solution due to their high porosity and specific surface area, which lead to high mass transfer rates. This work studies the mass transfer of copper electrodeposition on reticulated vitreous carbon in a flow reactor without membrane. The flow configuration, otherwise the filter-press electrochemical reactors, was designed in order to minimize the pressure drop. The mass transfer coefficient was determined by voltammetric and galvanostatic electrodeposition. In the voltammetric experiments a Luggin capillary was used to measure the current-potential curves and to determine the limiting current (and, consequently, the mass transfer coefficient). In the galvanostatic experiments the concentration-time curves were obtained and considering a limiting current kinetics model, the mass transfer coefficient (k(m)) was determined for different flow velocities. The results showed that both methods give similar values of k(m), thus the voltammetric method can be recommended because it is faster and simpler. Finally, the reactor performance was compared with others from literature, and it was observed that the proposed reactor design has high Sherwood numbers similar to other reactor configurations using membranes and reticulated vitreous carbon electrodes.

Lysosomal Trapping Is Present in Retinal Capillary Endothelial Cells: Insight into Its Influence on Cationic Drug Transport at the Inner Blood-Retinal Barrier.

PubMed

Kubo, Yoshiyuki; Seko, Narumi; Usui, Takuya; Akanuma, Shin-Ichi; Hosoya, Ken-Ichi

2016-01-01

Lysosomal trapping was investigated in the retinal capillary endothelial cells that are responsible for the inner blood-retinal barrier (BRB) using LysoTracker(®) Red (LTR). Using confocal microscopy on TR-iBRB2 cells, an in vitro model of the inner BRB, the presence of lysosomal trapping in retinal capillary endothelial cells was suggested since TR-iBRB2 cells exhibited punctuate intracellular localization of LTR that was attenuated by NH4Cl treatment. The study confirmed that LTR uptake by retinal capillary endothelial cells took place in a time- and temperature-dependent manner, and exhibited the 1.58-fold greater uptake at pH 8.4 than that at pH 7.4 while there was no change in uptake between pH 6.4 and pH 7.4, suggesting that passive diffusion is not enough to explain LTR uptake. The inhibition study showed the possible influence of lysosomal trapping on cationic drug transport by retinal capillary endothelial cells since LTR uptake was significantly inhibited by cationic amphiphilic drugs. Inhibition profiling and the estimation of IC50 suggested the influence of lysosomal trapping on propranolol and low-affinity pyrilamine transport while lysosomal trapping had only a partial effect on verapamil, clonidine, nicotine and high-affinity pyrilamine transport in retinal capillary endothelial cells.

Cheerios Effect Controlled by Electrowetting.

PubMed

Yuan, Junqi; Feng, Jian; Cho, Sung Kwon

2015-08-04

The Cheerios effect is a common phenomenon in which small floating objects are either attracted or repelled by the sidewall due to capillary interaction. This attractive or repulsive behavior is highly dependent on the slope angles (angles of the interface on the wall or floating object with respect to a horizontal line) that can be mainly controlled by the wettability of the wall and floating object and the density of the object. In this paper, electrowetting on dielectric (EWOD) is implemented to the wall or floating object in order to actively control the wettability and thus capillary interaction. As such, the capillary force on buoyant and dense floating objects can be easily switched between repulsion and attraction by simply applying an electrical input. In addition, the theoretical prediction for the capillary force is verified experimentally by measuring the motion of floating particle and the critical contact angle on the wall at which the capillary force changes from attraction to repulsion. This successive verification is enabled by the merit of EWOD that allows for continuous change in the contact angle. Finally, the control method is extended to continuously move a floating object along a linear path and to continuously rotate a dumbbell-like floating object in centimeter scales using arrays of EWOD electrodes. A continuous linear motion is also accomplished in a smaller scale where the channel width (3 mm) is comparable to the capillary length.

Changes in materials properties explain the effects of humidity on gecko adhesion.

PubMed

Puthoff, Jonathan B; Prowse, Michael S; Wilkinson, Matt; Autumn, Kellar

2010-11-01

Geckos owe their remarkable stickiness to millions of dry setae on their toes, and the mechanism of adhesion in gecko setae has been the topic of scientific scrutiny for over two centuries. Previously, we demonstrated that van der Waals forces are sufficient for strong adhesion and friction in gecko setae, and that water-based capillary adhesion is not required. However, recent studies demonstrated that adhesion increases with relative humidity (RH) and proposed that surface hydration and capillary water bridge formation is important or even necessary. In this study, we confirmed a significant effect of RH on gecko adhesion, but rejected the capillary adhesion hypothesis. While contact forces of isolated tokay gecko setal arrays increased with humidity, the increase was similar on hydrophobic and hydrophilic surfaces, inconsistent with a capillary mechanism. Contact forces increased with RH even at high shear rates, where capillary bridge formation is too slow to affect adhesion. How then can a humidity-related increase in adhesion and friction be explained? The effect of RH on the mechanical properties of setal β-keratin has escaped consideration until now. We discovered that an increase in RH softens setae and increases viscoelastic damping, which increases adhesion. Changes in setal materials properties, not capillary forces, fully explain humidity-enhanced adhesion, and van der Waals forces remain the only empirically supported mechanism of adhesion in geckos.

Southern blotting.

PubMed

Brown, T

2001-05-01

Southern blotting is the transfer of DNA fragments from an electrophoresis gel to a membrane support (the properties and advantages of the different types of membrane, transfer buffer, and transfer method are discussed in detail), resulting in immobilization of the DNA fragments, so the membrane carries a semipermanent reproduction of the banding pattern of the gel. After immobilization, the DNA can be subjected to hybridization analysis, enabling bands with sequence similarity to a labeled probe to be identified. This appendix describes Southern blotting via upward capillary transfer of DNA from an agarose gel onto a nylon or nitrocellulose membrane, using a high-salt transfer buffer to promote binding of DNA to the membrane. With the high-salt buffer, the DNA becomes bound to the membrane during transfer but not permanently immobilized. Immobilization is achieved by UV irradiation (for nylon) or baking (for nitrocellulose). A Support Protocol describes how to calibrate a UV transilluminator for optimal UV irradiation of a nylon membrane. An alternate protocol details transfer using nylon membranes and an alkaline buffer, and is primarily used with positively charged nylon membranes. The advantage of this combination is that no post-transfer immobilization step is required, as the positively charged membrane binds DNA irreversibly under alkaline transfer conditions. The method can also be used with neutral nylon membranes but less DNA will be retained. A second alternate protocol describes a transfer method based on a different transfer-stack setup. The traditional method of upward capillary transfer of DNA from gel to membrane described in the first basic and alternate protocols has certain disadvantages, notably the fact that the gel can become crushed by the weighted filter papers and paper towels that are laid on top of it. This slows down the blotting process and may reduce the amount of DNA that can be transferred. The downward capillary method described in the second alternate protocol is therefore more rapid than the basic protocol and can result in more complete transfer. Although the ease and reliability of capillary transfer methods makes this far and away the most popular system for Southern blotting with agarose gels, it unfortunately does not work with polyacrylamide gels, whose smaller pore size impedes the transverse movement of the DNA molecules. The third alternate protocol describes an electroblotting procedure that is currently the most reliable method for transfer of DNA from a polyacrylamide gel. Dot and slot blotting are also described.

Transport equations for linear surface waves with random underlying flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bal, Guillaume; Chou, Tom

1999-11-01

We define the Wigner distribution and use it to develop equations for linear surface capillary-gravity wave propagation in the transport regime. The energy density a(r, k) contained in waves propagating with wavevector k at field point r is given by dota(r,k) + nabla_k[U_⊥(r,z=0) \\cdotk + Ω(k)]\\cdotnabla_ra [13pt] \\: hspace1in - (nabla_r\\cdotU_⊥)a - nabla_r(k\\cdotU_⊥)\\cdotnabla_ka = Σ(δU^2) where U_⊥(r, z=0) is a slowly varying surface current, and Ω(k) = √(k^3+k)tanh kh is the free capillary-gravity dispersion relation. Note that nabla_r\\cdotU_⊥(r,z=0) neq 0, and that the surface currents exchange energy density with the propagating waves. When an additional weak random current √\\varepsilon δU(r/\\varepsilon) varying on the scale of k-1 is included, we find an additional scattering term Σ(δU^2) as a function of correlations in δU. Our results can be applied to the study of surface wave energy transport over a turbulent ocean.

Laser Doppler flowmetry for measurement of laminar capillary blood flow in the horse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adair, Henry S., III

1998-07-01

Current methods for in vivo evaluation of digital hemodynamics in the horse include angiography, scintigraphy, Doppler ultrasound, electromagnetic flow and isolated extracorporeal pump perfused digit preparations. These techniques are either non-quantifiable, do not allow for continuous measurement, require destruction of the horse orare invasive, inducing non- physiologic variables. In vitro techniques have also been reported for the evaluation of the effects of vasoactive agents on the digital vessels. The in vitro techniques are non-physiologic and have evaluated the vasculature proximal to the coronary band. Lastly, many of these techniques require general anesthesia or euthanasia of the animal. Laser Doppler flowmetry is a non-invasive, continuous measure of capillary blood flow. Laser Doppler flowmetry has been used to measure capillary blood flow in many tissues. The principle of this method is to measure the Doppler shift, that is, the frequency change that light undergoes when reflected by moving objects, such as red blood cells. Laser Doppler flowmetry records a continuous measurement of the red cell motion in the outer layer of the tissue under study, with little or no influence on physiologic blood flow. This output value constitutes the flux of red cells and is reported as capillary perfusion units. No direct information concerning oxygen, nutrient or waste metabolite exchange in the surrounding tissue is obtained. The relationship between the flowmeter output signal and the flux of red blood cells is linear. The principles of laser Doppler flowmetry will be discussed and the technique for laminar capillary blood flow measurements will be presented.

Neutron capture therapy with deep tissue penetration using capillary neutron focusing

DOEpatents

Peurrung, Anthony J.

1997-01-01

An improved method for delivering thermal neutrons to a subsurface cancer or tumor which has been first doped with a dopant having a high cross section for neutron capture. The improvement is the use of a guide tube in cooperation with a capillary neutron focusing apparatus, or neutron focusing lens, for directing neutrons to the tumor, and thereby avoiding damage to surrounding tissue.

Microflow High-p,T Intensification of Vitamin D3 Synthesis Using an Ultraviolet Lamp

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Herewith a new process concept for synthesis is presented which combines both UV-photoirradiation and high-p,T intensification (photo-high-p,T) in continuous flow. The application of this procedure to Vitamin D3 synthesis promotes thermal shifting of the equilibrium from the reaction intermediate to the product. This is enabled by microreactors which allow operation under harsh conditions such as the high temperature used here. This provides, to our best knowledge, a new kind of process combination (novel process window). As a result, in less than 1 min, 42% conversion of 7-dehydrocholesterol can be achieved giving a 17% yield and 40% selectivity of Vitamin D3. This approach enhances productivity by up to 2 orders of magnitude compared with the current capillary based vitamin D3 synthesis, because, under the microflow conditions, photochemistry can be performed at fairly high concentration and up to 20 times faster. PMID:29503521

Trypsin inhibitor screening in traditional Chinese medicine by using an immobilized enzyme microreactor in capillary and molecular docking study.

PubMed

Cheng, Mengxia; Chen, Zilin

2017-08-01

A trypsin immobilized enzyme microreactor was successfully prepared in capillary for studying enzyme kinetics of trypsin and online screening of trypsin inhibitors from traditional Chinese medicine through capillary electrophoresis. Trypsin was immobilized on the inner wall at the inlet of the capillary treated with polydopamine. The rest of the capillary was used as a separation channel. The parameters including the separation efficiency and the activity of immobilized trypsin were comprehensively evaluated. Under the optimal conditions, online screening of trypsin inhibitors each time can be carried out within 6 min. The Michaelis-Menten constant of immobilized trypsin was calculated to be 0.50 mM, which indicated high affinity of the immobilized trypsin for the substrate. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration of known inhibitor of benzamidine hydrochloride hydrate as a model inhibitor was 13.32 mM. The proposed method was successfully applied to screen trypsin inhibitors from 15 compounds of traditional Chinese medicine. It has been found that baicalin showed inhibitory potency. Molecular docking study well supported the experimental result by exhibiting molecular interaction between enzyme and inhibitors. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Fast and Non-capillary Fluid Filling Mechanism in the Hummingbird's Tongue

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rico-Guevara, Alejandro; Fan, Tai-Hsi; Rubega, Margaret

2014-03-01

Hummingbirds gather nectar by inserting their beaks inside flowers and cycling their tongues at a frequency of up to 20 Hz. It is unclear how they achieve efficiency at this high licking rate. Ever since proposed in 1833, it has been believed that hummingbird tongues are a pair of tiny straws filled with nectar by capillary rise. Our discoveries are very different from this general consensus. The tongue does not draw up floral nectar via capillary action under experimental conditions that resemble natural ones. Theoretical models based on capillary rise were mistaken and unsuitable for estimating the fluid intake rate and to support foraging theories. We filmed (up to 1265 frames/s) the fluid uptake in 20 species of hummingbirds that belong to 7 out of the 9 main hummingbird clades. We found that the fluid filling within the portions of the tongue that remain outside the nectar is about five times faster than capillary filling. We present strong evidence to rule out the capillarity model. We introduce a new fluid-structure interaction and hydrodynamic model and compare the results with field experimental data to explain how hummingbirds actually extract fluid from flowers at the lick level.

Wave turbulence in a two-layer fluid: Coupling between free surface and interface waves

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Falcon, Eric; Issenmann, Bruno; Laroche, Claude

2017-11-01

We experimentally study gravity-capillary wave turbulence on the interface between two immiscible fluids of close density with free upper surface. We locally measure the wave height at the interface between both fluids by means of a highly sensitive laser Doppler vibrometer. We show that the inertial range of the capillary wave turbulence regime is significantly extended when the upper fluid depth is increased: The crossover frequency between the gravity and capillary wave turbulence regimes is found to decrease whereas the dissipative cut-off frequency of the spectrum is found to increase. We explain these observations by the progressive decoupling between waves propagating at the interface and the ones at the free surface, using the full dispersion relation of gravity-capillary waves in a two-layer fluid of finite depths. The cut-off evolution is due to the disappearance of parasitic capillaries responsible for the main wave dissipation for a single fluid. B. Issenmann, C. Laroche & E. Falcon, EPL 116, 64005 (2016) published online 16 feb. 2017. This work has been partially supported by CNRS (1-year postdoctoral funding), ANR Turbulon 12-BS04-0005, and ANR Dysturb 2017.

Study on the characteristics of a two gap capillary discharge

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Huang, D.; Yang, L. J., E-mail: yanglj@mail.xjtu.edu.cn; Huo, P.

2015-02-15

The paper presents a new two-gap capillary (TGC) discharge structure. The prominent innovation is the introduction of the middle electrode, which divides the capillary into the trigger gap and the main gap. The discharge circuit of the TGC comprises the trigger circuit and the main circuit. The two circuits are used for the pre-ionization of the trigger gap and providing energy of 450 J for the main gap arc discharging, respectively. When the discharge initiates, the trigger gap is pre-ionized under high voltage pulse produced by trigger circuit, and meanwhile, the weakly ionized plasma is generated. The main circuit then maintainsmore » the expansion of the plasma, which is called soft capillary discharge. Afterwards, the main gap is shorted and discharges under a relatively low voltage. With the optimization of the circuit parameter, both the energy deposition ratio in main gap and the degree of plasma ionization are enhanced. The efficiency of the energy deposition is almost twice higher compared with that of the conventional capillary structure. The life performance test indicates that the erosion of the middle electrode and the trigger gap carbonization are the key factors that limit the life performance of the TGC.« less

Near-infrared laser-induced fluorescence detection in capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

McWhorter, S; Soper, S A

2000-04-01

As capillary electrophoresis continues to focus on miniaturization, either through reducing column dimensions or situating entire electrophoresis systems on planar chips, advances in detection become necessary to meet the challenges posed by these electrophoresis platforms. The challenges result from the fact that miniaturization requires smaller load volumes, demanding highly sensitive detection. In addition, many times multiple targets must be analyzed simultaneously (multiplexed applications), further complicating detection. Near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence offers an attractive alternative to visible fluorescence for critical applications in capillary electrophoresis due to the impressive limits of detection that can be generated, in part resulting from the low background levels that are observed in the NIR. Advances in instrumentation and fluorogenic labels appropriate for NIR monitoring have led to a growing number of examples of the use of NIR fluorescence in capillary electrophoresis. In this review, we will cover instrumental components used to construct ultrasensitive NIR fluorescence detectors, including light sources and photon transducers. In addition, we will discuss various types of labeling dyes appropriate for NIR fluorescence and finally, we will present several applications that have used NIR fluorescence in capillary electrophoresis, especially for DNA sequencing and fragment analysis.

Evaluation of interactions between RAW264.7 macrophages and small molecules by capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Wang, Feng-Qin; Li, Qiao-Qiao; Zhang, Qian; Wang, Yin-Zhen; Hu, Yuan-Jia; Li, Peng; Wan, Jian-Bo; Yang, Feng-Qing; Xia, Zhi-Ning

2017-03-01

In this study, the affinity interactions between RAW 264.7 macrophages and three small molecules including naringin, oleuropein and paeoniflorin were evaluated by affinity capillary electrophoresis (ACE), partial filling affinity capillary electrophoresis (PFACE) and frontal analysis capillary electrophoresis (FACE), respectively. The result indicated that ACE (varying concentrations of cell suspension were filled in the capillary as receptor) may not be suitable for the evaluation of interactions between cell and small molecules due to the high viscosity of cell suspension; PFACE can qualitatively evaluate the interaction, but the difference in viscosity between RAW264.7 suspension and buffer effects on the liner relationship between filling length and injection time, which makes the calculation of binding constant difficult. Furthermore, based on the PFACE results, naringin showed stronger interaction with macrophages than the other two molecules; taking advantage of the aggregation phenomenon of cell induced by electric field, FACE was successfully used to determine the stoichiometry (n = 5×10 9 ) and binding constant (K b = 1×10 4 L/mol) of the interaction between RAW264.7 and naringin. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Uniform Laser Excitation And Detection In Capillary Array Electrophoresis System And Method.

DOEpatents

Li, Qingbo; Zhou, Songsan; Liu, Changsheng

2003-10-07

A capillary electrophoresis system comprises capillaries positioned in parallel to each other forming a plane. The capillaries are configured to allow samples to migrate. A light source is configured to illuminate the capillaries and the samples therein. This causes the samples to emit light. A lens is configured to receive the light emitted by the samples and positioned directly over a first group of the capillaries and obliquely over a second group of the capillaries. The light source is further configured to illuminate the second group of capillaries more than the first group of the capillaries such that amount of light received by the lens from the first group of capillaries is substantially identical to amount of light received from the second group of capillaries when an identical amount of the samples is migrating through the first and second group capillaries.

In-air PIXE analysis by means of glass capillary optics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nebiki, Takuya; Kabir, M. Hasnat; Narusawa, Tadashi

2006-08-01

A novel technique to introduce high energy ion beams to atmospheric environment is presented, which enables in-air PIXE measurements. Slightly tapered glass capillary optics is applied to work as a differential pumping orifice as well as a focusing lens. The flux intensity is enhanced by at least one order of magnitude due to the focusing effect. Using capillaries of 10-20 μm outlet diameters, we obtain several hundreds pA of 4 MeV He2+ ion beam and apply it to PIXE analysis of the seabed sludge without any sample treatments. A comparison of spectra between wet and dry sludge samples suggests the usefulness of our new technique.

A simple and inexpensive on-column frit fabrication method for fused-silica capillaries for increased capacity and versatility in LC-MS/MS applications.

PubMed

Wang, Ling-Chi; Okitsu, Cindy Yen; Kochounian, Harold; Rodriguez, Anthony; Hsieh, Chih-Lin; Zandi, Ebrahim

2008-05-01

A modified sol-gel method for a one-step on-column frit preparation for fused-silica capillaries and its utility for peptide separation in LC-MS/MS is described. This method is inexpensive, reproducible, and does not require specialized equipments. Because the frit fabrication process does not damage polyimide coating, the frit-fabricated column can be tightly connected on-line for high pressure LC. These columns can replace any capillary liquid transfer tubing without any specialized connections up-stream of a spray tip column. Therefore multiple columns with different phases can be connected in series for one- or multiple-dimensional chromatography.

Recent Developments in Instrumentation for Capillary Electrophoresis and Microchip-Capillary Electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Felhofer, Jessica L.; Blanes, Lucas; Garcia, Carlos D.

2010-01-01

Over the last years there has been an explosion in the number of developments and applications of capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microchip-CE. In part, this growth has been the direct consequence of recent developments in instrumentation associated with CE. This review, which is focused on contributions published in the last five years, is intended to complement the papers presented in this special issue dedicated to Instrumentation and to provide an overview on the general trend and some of the most remarkable developments published in the areas of high voltage power supplies, detectors, auxiliary components, and compact systems. It also includes few examples of alternative uses of and modifications to traditional CE instruments. PMID:20665910

Ion channel recordings on an injection-molded polymer chip.

PubMed

Tanzi, Simone; Matteucci, Marco; Christiansen, Thomas Lehrmann; Friis, Søren; Christensen, Mette Thylstrup; Garnaes, Joergen; Wilson, Sandra; Kutchinsky, Jonatan; Taboryski, Rafael

2013-12-21

In this paper, we demonstrate recordings of the ion channel activity across the cell membrane in a biological cell by employing the so-called patch clamping technique on an injection-molded polymer microfluidic device. The findings will allow direct recordings of ion channel activity to be made using the cheapest materials and production platform to date and with the potential for very high throughput. The employment of cornered apertures for cell capture allowed the fabrication of devices without through holes and via a scheme comprising master origination by dry etching in a silicon substrate, electroplating in nickel and injection molding of the final part. The most critical device parameters were identified as the length of the patching capillary and the very low surface roughness on the inside of the capillary. The cross-sectional shape of the orifice was found to be less critical, as both rectangular and semicircular profiles seemed to have almost the same ability to form tight seals with cells with negligible leak currents. The devices were functionally tested using human embryonic kidney cells expressing voltage-gated sodium channels (Nav1.7) and benchmarked against a commercial state-of-the-art system for automated ion channel recordings. These experiments considered current-voltage (IV) relationships for activation and inactivation of the Nav1.7 channels and their sensitivity to a local anesthetic, lidocaine. Both IVs and lidocaine dose-response curves obtained from the injection-molded polymer device were in good agreement with data obtained from the commercial system.

A new procedure for the determination of distillation temperature distribution of high-boiling petroleum products and fractions.

PubMed

Boczkaj, Grzegorz; Przyjazny, Andrzej; Kamiński, Marian

2011-03-01

The distribution of distillation temperatures of liquid and semi-fluid products, including petroleum fractions and products, is an important process and practical parameter. It provides information on properties of crude oil and content of particular fractions, classified on the basis of their boiling points, as well as the optimum conditions of atmospheric or vacuum distillation. At present, the distribution of distillation temperatures is often investigated by simulated distillation (SIMDIS) using capillary gas chromatography (CGC) with a short capillary column with polydimethylsiloxane as the stationary phase. This paper presents the results of investigations on the possibility of replacing currently used CGC columns for SIMDIS with a deactivated fused silica capillary tube without any stationary phase. The SIMDIS technique making use of such an empty fused silica column allows a considerable lowering of elution temperature of the analytes, which results in a decrease of the final oven temperature while ensuring a complete separation of the mixture. This eliminates the possibility of decomposition of less thermally stable mixture components and bleeding of the stationary phase which would result in an increase of the detector signal. It also improves the stability of the baseline, which is especially important in the determination of the end point of elution, which is the basis for finding the final temperature of distillation. This is the key parameter for the safety process of hydrocracking, where an excessively high final temperature of distillation of a batch can result in serious damage to an expensive catalyst bed. This paper compares the distribution of distillation temperatures of the fraction from vacuum distillation of petroleum obtained using SIMDIS with that obtained by the proposed procedure. A good agreement between the two procedures was observed. In addition, typical values of elution temperatures of n-paraffin standards obtained by the two procedures were compared. Finally, the agreement between boiling points of polar compounds determined from their retention times and actual boiling points was investigated.

Combining Capillary Electrophoresis with Mass Spectrometry for Applications in Proteomics

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Simpson, David C.; Smith, Richard D.

2005-04-01

Throughout the field of global proteomics, ranging from simple organism studies to human medical applications, the high sample complexity creates demands for improved separations and analysis techniques. Furthermore, with increased organism complexity, the correlation between proteome and genome becomes less certain due to extensive mRNA processing prior to translation. In this way, the same DNA sequence can potentially code for regions in a number of distinct proteins; quantitative differences in expression (or abundance) between these often-related species are of significant interest. Well-established proteomics techniques, which use genomic information to identify peptides that originate from protease digestion, often cannot easily distinguishmore » between such gene products; intact protein-level analyses are required to complete the picture, particularly for identifying post-translational modifications. While chromatographic techniques are currently better suited to peptide analysis, capillary electrophoresis (CE) in combination with mass spectrometry (MS) may become important for intact protein analysis. This review focuses on CE/MS instrumentation and techniques showing promise for such applications, highlighting those with greatest potential. Reference will also be made to developments relevant to peptide-level analyses for use in time- or sample-limited situations.« less

Investigation of microbubble response to long pulses used in ultrasound-enhanced drug delivery.

PubMed

Mannaris, Christophoros; Averkiou, Michalakis A

2012-04-01

In current drug delivery approaches, microbubbles and drugs can be co-administered while ultrasound is applied. The mechanism of microbubble interaction with ultrasound, the drug and the cells is not fully understood. The aim of this study was to investigate microbubble response to long ultrasonic pulses used in drug delivery approaches. Two different in vitro set-ups were considered: with the microbubbles diluted in an enclosure and with the microbubbles flowing in a capillary tube. Acoustic streaming, which influences the observed bubble response, was observed in "typical" drug delivery conditions in the first set-up. With the capillary set-up, streaming effects were avoided and accurate bubble responses were recorded. The diffraction pattern of the source greatly influences the bubble response and in different locations of the field different bubble responses are observed. At low nondestructive pressures, microbubbles can oscillate for thousands of cycles repeatedly. At high acoustic pressures (at 1 MHz), most bubble activity disappeared within about 100 μs despite the length of the pulse, mainly due to violent bubble destruction and subsequent accelerated diffusion. Copyright © 2012 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of capillary pressure curves from post-stack seismic data with the use of intelligent estimators: A case study from the Iranian part of the South Pars gas field, Persian Gulf Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Golsanami, Naser; Kadkhodaie-Ilkhchi, Ali; Erfani, Amir

2015-01-01

Capillary pressure curves are important data for reservoir rock typing, analyzing pore throat distribution, determining height above free water level, and reservoir simulation. Laboratory experiments provide accurate data, however they are expensive, time-consuming and discontinuous through the reservoir intervals. The current study focuses on synthesizing artificial capillary pressure (Pc) curves from seismic attributes with the use of artificial intelligent systems including Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), Fuzzy logic (FL) and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference Systems (ANFISs). The synthetic capillary pressure curves were achieved by estimating pressure values at six mercury saturation points. These points correspond to mercury filled pore volumes of core samples (Hg-saturation) at 5%, 20%, 35%, 65%, 80%, and 90% saturations. To predict the synthetic Pc curve at each saturation point, various FL, ANFIS and ANN models were constructed. The varying neural network models differ in their training algorithm. Based on the performance function, the most accurately functioning models were selected as the final solvers to do the prediction process at each of the above-mentioned mercury saturation points. The constructed models were then tested at six depth points of the studied well which were already unforeseen by the models. The results show that the Fuzzy logic and neuro-fuzzy models were not capable of making reliable estimations, while the predictions from the ANN models were satisfyingly trustworthy. The obtained results showed a good agreement between the laboratory derived and synthetic capillary pressure curves. Finally, a 3D seismic cube was captured for which the required attributes were extracted and the capillary pressure cube was estimated by using the developed models. In the next step, the synthesized Pc cube was compared with the seismic cube and an acceptable correspondence was observed.

Fast-acting self-healing metallic fuse.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Schwartz, F. C.; Renton, C. A.; Rabinovici, B.

1971-01-01

Description of a fast-acting nonmechanical self-healing mercury fuse capable of protecting a high current circuit or device from overcurrent fault damages. Basically the self-healing fuse consists of two enclosed mercury reservoirs connected by a fine capillary tube filled with mercury that serves as the fusing element. It is pointed out that a better understanding of the energy conversion process involved in the operation of the device could help explore other device configurations (such as a tapering geometry and use of magnetic field to drive the arc into the fuse wall on inductive loads, etc.) and thus extend the range of capabilities for this type of protective device.

Improved Density Control in the Pegasus Toroidal Experiment using Internal Fueling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thome, K. E.; Bongard, M. W.; Cole, J. A.; Fonck, R. J.; Redd, A. J.; Winz, G. R.

2012-10-01

Routine density control up to and exceeding the Greenwald limit is critical to key Pegasus operational scenarios, including non-solenoidal startup plasmas created using single-point helicity injection and high β Ohmic plasmas. Confinement scalings suggest it is possible to achieve very high β plasmas in Pegasus by lowering the toroidal field and increasing ne/ng. In the past, Pegasus achieved β ˜ 20% in high recycling Ohmic plasmas without running into any operational boundaries.footnotetext Garstka, G.D. et al., Phys. Plasmas 10, 1705 (2003) However, recent Ohmic experiments have demonstrated that Pegasus currently operates in an extremely low-recycling regime with R < 0.8 and Zeff ˜ 1 using improved vacuum conditioning techniques, such as Ti gettering and cryogenic pumping. Hence, it is difficult to achieve ne/ng> 0.3 with these improved wall conditions. Presently, gas is injected using low-field side (LFS) modified PV-10 valves. To attain high ne/ng operation and coincidentally separate core plasma and local current source fueling two new gas fueling capabilities are under development. A centerstack capillary injection system has been commissioned and is undergoing initial tests. A LFS movable midplane needle gas injection system is currently under design and will reach r/a ˜ 0.25. Initial results from both systems will be presented.

High-fat diet induces cardiac remodelling and dysfunction: assessment of the role played by SIRT3 loss.

PubMed

Zeng, Heng; Vaka, Venkata Ramana; He, Xiaochen; Booz, George W; Chen, Jian-Xiong

2015-08-01

Mitochondrial dysfunction plays an important role in obesity-induced cardiac impairment. SIRT3 is a mitochondrial protein associated with increased human life span and metabolism. This study investigated the functional role of SIRT3 in obesity-induced cardiac dysfunction. Wild-type (WT) and SIRT3 knockout (KO) mice were fed a normal diet (ND) or high-fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. Body weight, fasting glucose levels, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, myocardial capillary density, cardiac function and expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α/-2α were assessed. HFD resulted in a significant reduction in SIRT3 expression in the heart. Both HFD and SIRT3 KO mice showed increased ROS formation, impaired HIF signalling and reduced capillary density in the heart. HFD induced cardiac hypertrophy and impaired cardiac function. SIRT3 KO mice fed HFD showed greater ROS production and a further reduction in cardiac function compared to SIRT3 KO mice on ND. Thus, the adverse effects of HFD on cardiac function were not attributable to SIRT3 loss alone. However, HFD did not further reduce capillary density in SIRT3 KO hearts, implicating SIRT3 loss in HFD-induced capillary rarefaction. Our study demonstrates the importance of SIRT3 in preserving heart function and capillary density in the setting of obesity. Thus, SIRT3 may be a potential therapeutic target for obesity-induced heart failure. © 2015 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

Frequencies of gravity-capillary waves on highly curved interfaces with edge constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shankar, P. N.

2007-06-01

A recently developed technique to calculate the natural frequencies of gravity-capillary waves in a confined liquid mass with a possibly highly curved free surface is extended to the case where the contact line is pinned. The general technique is worked out in detail for the cases of rectangular and cylindrical containers of circular section, the cases for which experimental data are available. The results of the present method are in excellent agreement with all earlier experimental and theoretical data for the flat static interface case [Benjamin and Scott, 1979. Gravity-capillary waves with edge constraints. J. Fluid Mech. 92, 241-267; Graham-Eagle, 1983. A new method for calculating eigenvalues with applications to gravity-capillary waves with edge constraints. Math. Proc. Camb. Phil. Soc. 94, 553-564; Henderson and Miles, 1994. Surface-wave damping in a circular cylinder with a fixed contact line. J. Fluid Mech. 275, 285-299]. However, the present method is applicable even when the contact angle is not π/2 and the static interface is curved. As a consequence we are able to work out the effects of a curved meniscus on the results of Cocciaro et al. [1993. Experimental investigation of capillary effects on surface gravity waves: non-wetting boundary conditions. J. Fluid Mech. 246, 43-66] where the measured contact angle was 62∘. We find that the meniscus does indeed account, as suggested by Cocciaro et al., for the earlier discrepancy between theory and experiment of about 20 mHz and there is now excellent agreement between the two.

The value of color Doppler imaging and intralesional steroid injection in pediatric orbital capillary hemangioma.

PubMed

Ke, Yifeng; Hao, Rui; He, Yanjin; Tam, Eric S; Li, Xiaorong

2014-05-01

To evaluate color Doppler imaging (CDI) as the primary imaging modality in the diagnosis of pediatric orbital capillary hemangioma. This is a retrospective study of 36 consecutive cases of orbital capillary hemangiomas between January 2006 and July 2011. Data on demographic details, clinical findings, gray-scale ultrasonography, CDI characteristics, treatment, and follow-up period were reviewed. The mean age of onset was 7 weeks. Twenty-nine (81%) lesions presented as eyelid masses, whereas seven (19%) presented as exophthalmos. Nineteen (53%) tumors were located on the upper eyelid, seven (19%) on the lower eyelid, six (17%) in the medial canthus, and one on both upper and lower eyelids. Ultrasonography depicted a heterogeneous, well-defined, irregular tumor with a low or moderate echogenicity. All lesions presented with abundant color blood flow on CDI. The intralesional blood flow had a mean peak systolic velocity of 37.5 ± 24.5 cm/second, and a mean resistance index of 0.69 ± 0.16, representing a shift in the pulse Doppler toward high velocity and high resistance. After a single intratumoral injection of betamethasone, 18 cases (50%) resolved. Additionally, 15 (42%) and four (11%) cases resolved after two injections and three injections, respectively. Only three (8%) masses persisted after three injections within the follow-up period. The blood flow characteristics of CDI play a vital role in the differentiation of orbital capillary hemangiomas from other orbital lesions. The availability and lack of adverse effects of CDI enable its utilization in the early clinical diagnosis of pediatric orbital capillary hemangioma. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Comparison of EML 105 and advantage analysers measuring capillary versus venous whole blood glucose in neonates.

PubMed

McNamara, P J; Sharief, N

2001-09-01

Near-patient blood glucose monitoring is an essential component of neonatal intensive care but the analysers currently used are unreliable and inaccurate. The aim of this study was to compare a new glucose electrode-based analyser (EML 105) and a non-wipe reflectance photometry method (Advantage) as opposed to a recognized laboratory reference method (Hexokinase). We also investigated the effect of sample route and haematocrit on the accuracy of the glucose readings obtained by each method of analysis. Whole blood glucose concentrations ranging from 0 to 3.5 mmol/l were carefully prepared in a laboratory setting and blood samples from each respective solution were then measured by EML 105 and Advantage analysers. The results obtained were then compared with the corresponding plasma glucose reading obtained by the Hexokinase method, using linear regression analysis. An in vivo study was subsequently performed on 103 neonates, over a 1-y period, using capillary and venous whole blood samples. Whole blood glucose concentration was estimated from each sample using both analysers and compared with the corresponding plasma glucose concentration estimated by the Hexokinase method. Venous blood was centrifuged and haematocrit was estimated using standardized curves. The effect of haematocrit on the agreement between whole blood and plasma glucose was investigated, estimating the degree of correlation on a scatterplot of the results and linear regression analysis. Both the EML 105 and Hexokinase methods were highly accurate, in vitro, with small proportional biases of 2% and 5%, respectively. However, in vivo, both study analysers overestimated neonatal plasma glucose, ranging from at best 0.45 mmol/l (EML 105 venous) to 0.69 mmol/l (EML capillary). There was no significant difference in the agreement of capillary (GD = 0.12, 95% CI, [-0.32,0.08], p = 0.2) or venous samples (GD = 0.05, 95% CI. [0.09, 0.19], p = 0.49) with plasma glucose when analysed by either study method (GD = glucose difference between study analyser and reference method) However, the venous samples analysed by EML 105 estimated plasma glucose significantly better than capillary samples using the same method of analysis (GD = 0.24, 95% CI. [0.09,0.38], p < 0.01). The relationship between haematocrit and the resultant glucose differences was non-linear with correlation coefficients of r = -0.057 (EML 105 capillary), r = 0.145 (EML 105 venous), r = -0.127 (Advantage capillary) and r = -0.275 (Advantage venous). There was no significant difference in the effect of haematocrit on the performance of EML 105 versus Advantage, regardless of the sample route. Both EML 105 and Advantage overestimated plasma glucose, with no significant difference in the performance of either analyser, regardless of the route of analysis. Agreement with plasma glucose was better for venous samples but this was only statistically significant when EML 105 capillary and venous results were compared. Haematocrit is not a significant confounding factor towards the performance of either EML 105 or Advantage in neonates, regardless of the route of sampling. The margin of overestimation of blood glucose prohibits the recommendation of both EML 105 and Advantage for routine neonatal glucose screening. The consequences include failure accurately to diagnose hypoglycaemia and delays in the instigation of therapeutic measures, both of which may potentially result in an adverse, long-term, neurodevelopmental outcome.

High-throughput biological small-angle X-ray scattering with a robotically loaded capillary cell

PubMed Central

Nielsen, S. S.; Møller, M.; Gillilan, R. E.

2012-01-01

With the rise in popularity of biological small-angle X-ray scattering (BioSAXS) measurements, synchrotron beamlines are confronted with an ever-increasing number of samples from a wide range of solution conditions. To meet these demands, an increasing number of beamlines worldwide have begun to provide automated liquid-handling systems for sample loading. This article presents an automated sample-loading system for BioSAXS beamlines, which combines single-channel disposable-tip pipetting with a vacuum-enclosed temperature-controlled capillary flow cell. The design incorporates an easily changeable capillary to reduce the incidence of X-ray window fouling and cross contamination. Both the robot-control and the data-processing systems are written in Python. The data-processing code, RAW, has been enhanced with several new features to form a user-friendly BioSAXS pipeline for the robot. The flow cell also supports efficient manual loading and sample recovery. An effective rinse protocol for the sample cell is developed and tested. Fluid dynamics within the sample capillary reveals a vortex ring pattern of circulation that redistributes radiation-damaged material. Radiation damage is most severe in the boundary layer near the capillary surface. At typical flow speeds, capillaries below 2 mm in diameter are beginning to enter the Stokes (creeping flow) regime in which mixing due to oscillation is limited. Analysis within this regime shows that single-pass exposure and multiple-pass exposure of a sample plug are functionally the same with regard to exposed volume when plug motion reversal is slow. The robot was tested on three different beamlines at the Cornell High-Energy Synchrotron Source, with a variety of detectors and beam characteristics, and it has been used successfully in several published studies as well as in two introductory short courses on basic BioSAXS methods. PMID:22509071

Neutron capture therapy with deep tissue penetration using capillary neutron focusing

DOEpatents

Peurrung, A.J.

1997-08-19

An improved method is disclosed for delivering thermal neutrons to a subsurface cancer or tumor which has been first doped with a dopant having a high cross section for neutron capture. The improvement is the use of a guide tube in cooperation with a capillary neutron focusing apparatus, or neutron focusing lens, for directing neutrons to the tumor, and thereby avoiding damage to surrounding tissue. 1 fig.

A portable digital microphotography unit for rapid documentation of periungual nailfold capillary changes in autoimmune connective tissue diseases.

PubMed

Sontheimer, Richard D

2004-03-01

While employing a DermLite dermoscopy unit to assess pigment pattern networks in melanocytic skin lesions, it was observed that this compact, portable dermoscopy unit can also be used to quickly detect nailfold capillary changes when entertaining a diagnosis of autoimmune connective tissue diseases (CTD) such as dermatomyositis (DM), scleroderma/systemic sclerosis (SSc), or systemic lupus erythematosus. Aware that the suppliers of the DermLite dermoscopy unit also market a portable digital microphotography unit based on the DermLite optical principles for efficiently documenting cutaneous pigment network patterns, we investigated whether this unit (DermLite Foto flash unit attached to a Nikon Coolpix digital camera) might be used to photographically document nailfold capillary changes in patients with autoimmune CTD. A DermLite Foto flash unit attached to a Nikon Coolpix digital camera was used in a controlled observational study to obtain digital photographs of nailfold capillaries in a small sequential sample of patients with autoimmune CTD attending a rheumatic skin disease subspecialty clinic in an academic department of dermatology. The digital microphotography system proved to be highly useful in documenting the nailfold vascular changes observed in a small sample of patients with DM. We observed that the nailfold capillary changes seen in patients with clinically amyopathic DM were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those seen in patients with classical DM. Digital microphotography systems designed for examining pigmented skin lesions can be used easily to document nailfold capillary changes often observed in DM and SSc. Nailfold capillary changes documented in this manner appear to be indistinguishable in clinically amyopathic DM and classical DM.

Pericytes as Inducers of Rapid, Matrix Metalloproteinase-9-Dependent Capillary Damage during Ischemia

PubMed Central

Underly, Robert G.; Levy, Manuel; Hartmann, David A.; Grant, Roger I.; Watson, Ashley N.

2017-01-01

Blood–brain barrier disruption (BBB) and release of toxic blood molecules into the brain contributes to neuronal injury during stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases. While pericytes are builders and custodians of the BBB in the normal brain, their impact on BBB integrity during ischemia remains unclear. We imaged pericyte-labeled transgenic mice with in vivo two-photon microscopy to examine the relationship between pericytes and blood plasma leakage during photothrombotic occlusion of cortical capillaries. Upon cessation of capillary flow, we observed that plasma leakage occurred with three times greater frequency in regions where pericyte somata adjoined the endothelium. Pericyte somata covered only 7% of the total capillary length in cortex, indicating that a disproportionate amount of leakage occurred from a small fraction of the capillary bed. Plasma leakage was preceded by rapid activation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) at pericyte somata, which was visualized at high resolution in vivo using a fluorescent probe for matrix metalloproteinase-2/9 activity, fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)-gelatin. Coinjection of an MMP-9 inhibitor, but not an MMP-2 inhibitor, reduced pericyte-associated FITC-gelatin fluorescence and plasma leakage. These results suggest that pericytes contribute to rapid and localized proteolytic degradation of the BBB during cerebral ischemia. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Pericytes are a key component of the neurovascular unit and are essential for normal BBB function. However, during acute ischemia, we find that pericytes are involved in creating rapid and heterogeneous BBB disruption in the capillary bed. The mechanism by which pericytes contribute to BBB damage warrants further investigation, as it may yield new therapeutic targets for acute stroke injury and other neurological diseases involving capillary flow impairment. PMID:28053036

A microfabricated hybrid device for DNA sequencing.

PubMed

Liu, Shaorong

2003-11-01

We have created a hybrid device of a microfabricated round-channel twin-T injector incorporated with a separation capillary in order to extend the straight separation distance for high speed and long readlength DNA sequencing. Semicircular grooves on glass wafers are obtained using a photomask with a narrow line-width and a standard isotropic photolithographic etching process. Round channels are made when two etched wafers are face-to-face aligned and bonded. A two-mask fabrication process has been developed to make channels of two different diameters. The twin-T injector is formed by the smaller channels whose diameter matches the bore of the separation capillary, and the "usual" separation channel, now called the connection channel, is formed by the larger ones whose diameter matches the outer diameter of the separation capillary. The separation capillary is inserted through the connection channel all the way to the twin-T injector to allow the capillary bore flush with the twin-T injector channels. The total dead-volume of the connection is estimated to be approximately 5 pL. To demonstrate the efficiency of this hybrid device, we have performed four-color DNA sequencing on it. Using a 200 microm twin-T injector coupled with a separation capillary of 20 cm effective separation distance, we have obtained readlengths of 800 plus bases at an accuracy of 98.5% in 56 min, compared to about 650 bases in 100 min on a conventional 40 cm long capillary sequencing machine under similar conditions. At an increased separation field strength and using a diluted sieving matrix, the separation time has been reduced to 20 min with a readlength of 700 bases at 98.5% base-calling accuracy.

3D Printing by Multiphase Silicone/Water Capillary Inks.

PubMed

Roh, Sangchul; Parekh, Dishit P; Bharti, Bhuvnesh; Stoyanov, Simeon D; Velev, Orlin D

2017-08-01

3D printing of polymers is accomplished easily with thermoplastics as the extruded hot melt solidifies rapidly during the printing process. Printing with liquid polymer precursors is more challenging due to their longer curing times. One curable liquid polymer of specific interest is polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). This study demonstrates a new efficient technique for 3D printing with PDMS by using a capillary suspension ink containing PDMS in the form of both precured microbeads and uncured liquid precursor, dispersed in water as continuous medium. The PDMS microbeads are held together in thixotropic granular paste by capillary attraction induced by the liquid precursor. These capillary suspensions possess high storage moduli and yield stresses that are needed for direct ink writing. They could be 3D printed and cured both in air and under water. The resulting PDMS structures are remarkably elastic, flexible, and extensible. As the ink is made of porous, biocompatible silicone that can be printed directly inside aqueous medium, it can be used in 3D printed biomedical products, or in applications such as direct printing of bioscaffolds on live tissue. This study demonstrates a number of examples using the high softness, elasticity, and resilience of these 3D printed structures. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Solvent jet desorption capillary photoionization-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Haapala, Markus; Teppo, Jaakko; Ollikainen, Elisa; Kiiski, Iiro; Vaikkinen, Anu; Kauppila, Tiina J; Kostiainen, Risto

2015-03-17

A new ambient mass spectrometry method, solvent jet desorption capillary photoionization (DCPI), is described. The method uses a solvent jet generated by a coaxial nebulizer operated at ambient conditions with nitrogen as nebulizer gas. The solvent jet is directed onto a sample surface, from which analytes are extracted into the solvent and ejected from the surface in secondary droplets formed in collisions between the jet and the sample surface. The secondary droplets are directed into the heated capillary photoionization (CPI) device, where the droplets are vaporized and the gaseous analytes are ionized by 10 eV photons generated by a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) krypton discharge lamp. As the CPI device is directly connected to the extended capillary inlet of the MS, high ion transfer efficiency to the vacuum of MS is achieved. The solvent jet DCPI provides several advantages: high sensitivity for nonpolar and polar compounds with limit of detection down to low fmol levels, capability of analyzing small and large molecules, and good spatial resolution (250 μm). Two ionization mechanisms are involved in DCPI: atmospheric pressure photoionization, capable of ionizing polar and nonpolar compounds, and solvent assisted inlet ionization capable of ionizing larger molecules like peptides. The feasibility of DCPI was successfully tested in the analysis of polar and nonpolar compounds in sage leaves and chili pepper.

Sensitive detection of malachite green and crystal violet by nonlinear laser wave mixing and capillary electrophoresis.

PubMed

Maxwell, Eric J; Tong, William G

2016-05-01

An ultrasensitive label-free antibody-free detection method for malachite green and crystal violet is presented using nonlinear laser wave-mixing spectroscopy and capillary zone electrophoresis. Wave-mixing spectroscopy provides a sensitive absorption-based detection method for trace analytes. This is accomplished by forming dynamic gratings within a sample cell, which diffracts light to create a coherent laser-like signal beam with high optical efficiency and high signal-to-noise ratio. A cubic dependence on laser power and square dependence on analyte concentration make wave mixing sensitive enough to detect molecules in their native form without the use of fluorescent labels for signal enhancement. A 532 nm laser and a 635 nm laser were used for malachite green and crystal violet sample excitation. The use of two lasers of different wavelengths allows the method to simultaneously detect both analytes. Selectivity is obtained through the capillary zone electrophoresis separation, which results in characteristic migration times. Measurement in capillary zone electrophoresis resulted in a limit of detection of 6.9 × 10(-10)M (2.5 × 10(-19) mol) for crystal violet and 8.3 × 10(-11)M (3.0 × 10(-20) mol) for malachite green at S/N of 2. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Coupling of metal-organic frameworks-containing monolithic capillary-based selective enrichment with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry for efficient analysis of protein phosphorylation.

PubMed

Li, Daojin; Yin, Danyang; Chen, Yang; Liu, Zhen

2017-05-19

Protein phosphorylation is a major post-translational modification, which plays a vital role in cellular signaling of numerous biological processes. Mass spectrometry (MS) has been an essential tool for the analysis of protein phosphorylation, for which it is a key step to selectively enrich phosphopeptides from complex biological samples. In this study, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs)-based monolithic capillary has been successfully prepared as an effective sorbent for the selective enrichment of phosphopeptides and has been off-line coupled with matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for efficient analysis of phosphopeptides. Using š-casein as a representative phosphoprotein, efficient phosphorylation analysis by this off-line platform was verified. Phosphorylation analysis of a nonfat milk sample was also demonstrated. Through introducing large surface areas and highly ordered pores of MOFs into monolithic column, the MOFs-based monolithic capillary exhibited several significant advantages, such as excellent selectivity toward phosphopeptides, superb tolerance to interference and simple operation procedure. Because of these highly desirable properties, the MOFs-based monolithic capillary could be a useful tool for protein phosphorylation analysis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Method development of enantiomer separations by affinity capillary electrophoresis, cyclodextrin electrokinetic chromatography and capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry.

PubMed

Tanaka, Yoshihide

2002-07-01

Capillary electrophoresis (CE) has become a powerful tool for enantiomer separations during the last decade. Since 1993, the author has investigated enantiomer separations by affinity capillary electrophoresis (affinity CE) with some proteins and by cyclodextrin electrokinetic chromatography (CDEKC) with some charged cyclodextrins (CDs). Many successful enantiomer separations are demonstrated from our study in this review article. In the enantiomer separations by affinity CE, the deterioration of detection sensitivity was observed under high concentration of the protein in running solutions. The partial filling technique was practically useful to solve the serious problem. It allowed operation at high protein concentrations, such as 500 mumol/L, without the detection problem. Charged CDs had several advantages for the enantiomer separations over neutral ones. Strong electrostatic interactions between a charged CD and oppositely charged analytes should be effective for the formation of the complex. A large difference in electrophoretic mobility between the free analyte and the inclusion complex should also enhance the enantiomeric resolution. In CE-mass spectrometry (CE-MS), the partial filling technique was applied to avoid the introduction of nonvolatile chiral selectors into the CE-MS interface. By replacing the nonvolatile electrolytes in the running buffer by volatile ones, the separation conditions employed in CE with the UV detection method could be transferred to CE-MS.

Monitoring refolding of tailspike endorhamnosidase using capillary electrophoresis-laser induced tryptophan fluorescence

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jensen, P.K.; Lee, Cheng S.; King, J.A.

1997-12-31

The use of capillary electrophoresis equipped with laser-induced tryptophan fluorescence detection is presented for monitoring the refolding pathway of phage P22 tailspike endorhamnosidase. Upon initiation of refolding, tailspike polypeptides rapidly fold into structured monomeric intermediates with a high content of secondary structure. These monomeric species associate to form the triple-chain defined folding intermediates, the protrimers. Conversion of the protrimer into the native, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) resistant tailspike protein is the rate-limiting step in the refolding pathway. Refolding kinetics and yield measured by capillary electrophoresis are in good agreement with those obtained via native gel electrophoresis, SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresismore » (SDS-PAGE) and fluorescence spectrophotometry. To enhance separation resolution between protrimer and native protein in capillary electrophoresis, the use of poly(ethylene oxide) is investigated for the introduction of a sieving separation mechanism. The increased viscosity of the electrophoresis buffer may also play a role in resolution enhancement.« less

Extreme ultraviolet spectroscopy diagnostics of low-temperature plasmas based on a sliced multilayer grating and glass capillary optics.

PubMed

Kantsyrev, V L; Safronova, A S; Williamson, K M; Wilcox, P; Ouart, N D; Yilmaz, M F; Struve, K W; Voronov, D L; Feshchenko, R M; Artyukov, I A; Vinogradov, A V

2008-10-01

New extreme ultraviolet (EUV) spectroscopic diagnostics of relatively low-temperature plasmas based on the application of an EUV spectrometer and fast EUV diodes combined with glass capillary optics is described. An advanced high resolution dispersive element sliced multilayer grating was used in the compact EUV spectrometer. For monitoring of the time history of radiation, filtered fast EUV diodes were used in the same spectral region (>13 nm) as the EUV spectrometer. The radiation from the plasma was captured by using a single inexpensive glass capillary that was transported onto the spectrometer entrance slit and EUV diode. The use of glass capillary optics allowed placement of the spectrometer and diodes behind the thick radiation shield outside the direction of a possible hard x-ray radiation beam and debris from the plasma source. The results of the testing and application of this diagnostic for a compact laser plasma source are presented. Examples of modeling with parameters of plasmas are discussed.

Protection of tokamak plasma facing components by a capillary porous system with lithium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lyublinski, I.; Vertkov, A.; Mirnov, S.; Lazarev, V.

2015-08-01

Development of plasma facing material (PFM) based on the Capillary-Porous System (CPS) with lithium and activity on realization of lithium application strategy are addressed to meet the challenges under the creation of steady-state tokamak fusion reactor and fusion neutron source. Presented overview of experimental study of lithium CPS in plasma devices demonstrates the progress in protection of tokamak plasma facing components (PFC) from damage, stabilization and self-renewal of liquid lithium surface, elimination of plasma pollution and lithium accumulation in tokamak chamber. The possibility of PFC protection from the high power load related to cooling of the tokamak boundary plasma by radiation of non-fully stripped lithium ions supported by experimental results. This approach demonstrated in scheme of closed loops of Li circulation in the tokamak vacuum chamber and realized in a series of design of tokamak in-vessel elements.

Microfluidic step-emulsification in a cylindrical geometry

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakraborty, Indrajit; Leshansky, Alexander M.

2016-11-01

The model microfluidic device for high-throughput droplet generation in a confined cylindrical geometry is investigated numerically. The device comprises of core-annular pressure-driven flow of two immiscible viscous liquids through a cylindrical capillary connected co-axially to a tube of a larger diameter through a sudden expansion, mimicking the microfluidic step-emulsifier (1). To study this problem, the numerical simulations of axisymmetric Navier-Stokes equations have been carried out using an interface capturing procedure based on coupled level set and volume-of-fluid (CLSVOF) methods. The accuracy of the numerical method was favorably tested vs. the predictions of the linear stability analysis of core-annular two-phase flow in a cylindrical capillary. Three distinct flow regimes can be identified: the dripping (D) instability near the entrance to the capillary, the step- (S) and the balloon- (B) emulsification at the step-like expansion. Based on the simulation results we present the phase diagram quantifying transitions between various regimes in plane of the capillary number and the flow-rate ratio. MICROFLUSA EU H2020 project.

Condensation in Nanoporous Packed Beds.

PubMed

Ally, Javed; Molla, Shahnawaz; Mostowfi, Farshid

2016-05-10

In materials with tiny, nanometer-scale pores, liquid condensation is shifted from the bulk saturation pressure observed at larger scales. This effect is called capillary condensation and can block pores, which has major consequences in hydrocarbon production, as well as in fuel cells, catalysis, and powder adhesion. In this study, high pressure nanofluidic condensation studies are performed using propane and carbon dioxide in a colloidal crystal packed bed. Direct visualization allows the extent of condensation to be observed, as well as inference of the pore geometry from Bragg diffraction. We show experimentally that capillary condensation depends on pore geometry and wettability because these factors determine the shape of the menisci that coalesce when pore filling occurs, contrary to the typical assumption that all pore structures can be modeled as cylindrical and perfectly wetting. We also observe capillary condensation at higher pressures than has been done previously, which is important because many applications involving this phenomenon occur well above atmospheric pressure, and there is little, if any, experimental validation of capillary condensation at such pressures, particularly with direct visualization.

End-faced waveguide mediated optical propulsion of microspheres and single cells in a microfluidic device.

PubMed

Lilge, Lothar; Shah, Duoaud; Charron, Luc

2013-07-07

Single cell transport in microfluidic devices is a topic of interest as their utility is becoming appreciated by cell and molecular biologist. Cell transport should minimize mechanical stress due to friction or pressure gradients. Optical forces have the advantage of applying their forces across the cell volume and not only at the cell membrane and are thus preferable. Optical pushing by scattering force is a suitable candidate so highly dependent on the photon irradiance field inside the propagation capillary which in turn is determined by the waveguide properties delivering the radiation pressure. Here we present a numerical approach to predict the optical scattering force, speed and trajectory of cells as a function of waveguide and propagation capillary geometry. Experimental verification of the simulation approach is demonstrated using polystyrene microspheres and leukemia cells. Effects of optical fibre to waveguide alignment, capillary wall angle and temperature on the dynamic viscosity on speed and position of the microspheres and cells inside the propagation capillary are demonstrated.

Suppressing Crack Formation in Particulate Systems by Utilizing Capillary Forces

PubMed Central

Schneider, Monica; Maurath, Johannes; Fischer, Steffen B.; Weiß, Moritz; Willenbacher, Norbert; Koos, Erin

2017-01-01

Cracks, formed during the drying of particulate films, can reduce the effectiveness or even render products useless. We present a novel, generic approach to suppress crack formation in thin films made from hard particle suspensions, which are otherwise highly susceptible to cracking, using the capillary force between particles present when a trace amount of an immiscible liquid is added to a suspension. This secondary liquid preserves the particle cohesion, modifying the structure and increasing the drying rate. Crack-free films can be produced at thicknesses much greater than the critical cracking thickness for a suspension without capillary interactions, and even persists after sintering. This capillary suspension strategy is applicable to a broad range of materials including suspensions of metals, semiconductive and ceramic oxides or glassy polymeric particles and can be easily implemented in many industrial processes since it is based on well-established unit operations. Promising fields of application include ceramic foils and printed electronic devices. PMID:28263554

Development of cost-effective plasmonic biosensor using partially embedded gold nanoparticles for detection of immunoglobulin proteins

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kumari, Sudha; Moirangthem, Rakesh S.

2018-02-01

This work illustrates a label-free sensing of biomolecules using a simple capillary sensor. Here, capillary biosensor was prepared by decorating inner walls of a glass capillary with gold nanoparticles that was employed to investigate the biomolecular interactions. As a demonstration, rabbit immunoglobulin G (IgG) and anti-rabbit IgG (anti-IgG) proteins were chosen as a model system to monitor the receptor-analyte interactions. A surface binding sensitivity of 409 pg mm-2 was able to achieve towards the detection of 10 nM concentration of anti-rabbit IgG. The presented plasmonic sensor provides multiple advantages over conventional LSPR sensor by lifting requirement of the flow cell, prolonged sample preparation, complicated measurement setup etc that may enable its usage in rapid diagnostic testing. We believed that our proposed plasmonic capillary sensor could represent a potential candidate for developing cost-effective, label-free and high sensitivity sensing device for detection of biological molecules at low concentration.

The capillary bed offers the largest hemodynamic resistance to the cortical blood supply

PubMed Central

Gould, Ian Gopal; Tsai, Philbert; Kleinfeld, David

2016-01-01

The cortical angioarchitecture is a key factor in controlling cerebral blood flow and oxygen metabolism. Difficulties in imaging the complex microanatomy of the cortex have so far restricted insight about blood flow distribution in the microcirculation. A new methodology combining advanced microscopy data with large scale hemodynamic simulations enabled us to quantify the effect of the angioarchitecture on the cerebral microcirculation. High-resolution images of the mouse primary somatosensory cortex were input into with a comprehensive computational model of cerebral perfusion and oxygen supply ranging from the pial vessels to individual brain cells. Simulations of blood flow, hematocrit and oxygen tension show that the wide variation of hemodynamic states in the tortuous, randomly organized capillary bed is responsible for relatively uniform cortical tissue perfusion and oxygenation. Computational analysis of microcirculatory blood flow and pressure drops further indicates that the capillary bed, including capillaries adjacent to feeding arterioles (d < 10 µm), are the largest contributors to hydraulic resistance. PMID:27780904

Analysis of microdialysate monoamines, including noradrenaline, dopamine and serotonin, using capillary ultra-high performance liquid chromatography and electrochemical detection.

PubMed

Ferry, Barbara; Gifu, Elena-Patricia; Sandu, Ioana; Denoroy, Luc; Parrot, Sandrine

2014-03-01

Electrochemical methods are very often used to detect catecholamine and indolamine neurotransmitters separated by conventional reverse-phase high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The present paper presents the development of a chromatographic method to detect monoamines present in low-volume brain dialysis samples using a capillary column filled with sub-2μm particles. Several parameters (repeatability, linearity, accuracy, limit of detection) for this new ultrahigh performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) method with electrochemical detection were examined after optimization of the analytical conditions. Noradrenaline, adrenaline, serotonin, dopamine and its metabolite 3-methoxytyramine were separated in 1μL of injected sample volume; they were detected above concentrations of 0.5-1nmol/L, with 2.1-9.5% accuracy and intra-assay repeatability equal to or less than 6%. The final method was applied to very low volume dialysates from rat brain containing monoamine traces. The study demonstrates that capillary UHPLC with electrochemical detection is suitable for monitoring dialysate monoamines collected at high sampling rate. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A CE-FL based method for real-time detection of in-capillary self-assembly of the nanoconjugates of polycysteine ligand and quantum dots.

PubMed

Wang, Jianhao; Zhu, Zhilan; Qiu, Lin; Wang, Jianpeng; Wang, Xiang; Xiao, Qicai; Xia, Jiang; Liu, Li; Liu, Xiaoqian; Feng, Wei; Wang, Jinmei; Miao, Peng; Gao, Liqian

2018-07-06

Small molecules with free thiol groups always show high binding affinity to quantum dots (QDs). However, it is still highly challenging to detect the binding capacity between thiol-containing molecules and QDs inside a capillary. To conquer this limitation, a capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection (CE-FL) based assay was proposed and established to investigate the binding capacity between QDs and a poly-thiolated peptide (ATTO 590-DDSSGGCCPGCC, ATTO-C4). Interestingly, the results showed that interval time had a great influence on QDs and ATTO-C4 self-assembly, which can be attributed to longer interval time benefitting the binding of QDs to ATTO-C4. The stability assays on ATTO-C4-QD assembly indicated that high concentration of imidazole or GSH had a high capability of competing with the bound ATTO-C4, evidenced by dramatically dropping of S 625 /S 565 ratio from 0.78 to 0.30 or 0.29. Therefore, all these results above suggested that this novel CE-FL based detection assay could be successfully applied to the binding studies between QDs and thiol-containing biomolecules.

The use of selective adsorbents in capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry for analyte preconcentration and microreactions: a powerful three-dimensional tool for multiple chemical and biological applications.

PubMed

Guzman, N A; Stubbs, R J

2001-10-01

Much attention has recently been directed to the development and application of online sample preconcentration and microreactions in capillary electrophoresis using selective adsorbents based on chemical or biological specificity. The basic principle involves two interacting chemical or biological systems with high selectivity and affinity for each other. These molecular interactions in nature usually involve noncovalent and reversible chemical processes. Properly bound to a solid support, an "affinity ligand" can selectively adsorb a "target analyte" found in a simple or complex mixture at a wide range of concentrations. As a result, the isolated analyte is enriched and highly purified. When this affinity technique, allowing noncovalent chemical interactions and biochemical reactions to occur, is coupled on-line to high-resolution capillary electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, a powerful tool of chemical and biological information is created. This paper describes the concept of biological recognition and affinity interaction on-line with high-resolution separation, the fabrication of an "analyte concentrator-microreactor", optimization conditions of adsorption and desorption, the coupling to mass spectrometry, and various applications of clinical and pharmaceutical interest.

A CE-FL based method for real-time detection of in-capillary self-assembly of the nanoconjugates of polycysteine ligand and quantum dots

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Jianhao; Zhu, Zhilan; Qiu, Lin; Wang, Jianpeng; Wang, Xiang; Xiao, Qicai; Xia, Jiang; Liu, Li; Liu, Xiaoqian; Feng, Wei; Wang, Jinmei; Miao, Peng; Gao, Liqian

2018-07-01

Small molecules with free thiol groups always show high binding affinity to quantum dots (QDs). However, it is still highly challenging to detect the binding capacity between thiol-containing molecules and QDs inside a capillary. To conquer this limitation, a capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection (CE-FL) based assay was proposed and established to investigate the binding capacity between QDs and a poly-thiolated peptide (ATTO 590-DDSSGGCCPGCC, ATTO-C4). Interestingly, the results showed that interval time had a great influence on QDs and ATTO-C4 self-assembly, which can be attributed to longer interval time benefitting the binding of QDs to ATTO-C4. The stability assays on ATTO-C4-QD assembly indicated that high concentration of imidazole or GSH had a high capability of competing with the bound ATTO-C4, evidenced by dramatically dropping of S 625/S 565 ratio from 0.78 to 0.30 or 0.29. Therefore, all these results above suggested that this novel CE-FL based detection assay could be successfully applied to the binding studies between QDs and thiol-containing biomolecules.

High Amylose White Rice Reduces Post-Prandial Glycemic Response but Not Appetite in Humans

PubMed Central

Zenel, Alison M.; Stewart, Maria L.

2015-01-01

The present study compared the effects of three rice cultivars on postprandial glycemic control and appetite. A single-blind, randomized, crossover clinical trial was performed with 18 healthy subjects, nine males and nine females. Three treatments were administered at three separate study visits: commercially available conventional white rice (short grain), specialty high amylose white rice 1 (Dixiebelle), and specialty high amylose white rice 2 (Rondo). Postprandial capillary blood glucose, venous blood glucose and insulin measurements, and appetite visual analog scale (VAS) surveys were done over the course of two hours. The capillary blood glucose concentrations were significantly lower for Rondo compared to short grain rice at 30 min, and for Dixiebelle and Rondo compared to short grain rice at 45, 60, and 120 min. Capillary blood glucose area under the curve (AUC) was significantly lower for Dixiebelle and Rondo compared to short grain rice. Subjects were significantly more hungry at 30 min after Dixiebelle intake than Rondo intake, but there were no other significant effects in appetite ratings. The present study determined that intake of high amylose rice with resistant starch (RS) can attenuate postprandial blood glucose and insulin response in comparison to short grain rice. PMID:26147654

Sample preconcentration with chemical derivatization in capillary electrophoresis. Capillary as preconcentrator, microreactor and chiral selector for high-throughput metabolite screening.

PubMed

Ptolemy, Adam S; Britz-McKibbin, Philip

2006-02-17

New strategies for integrating sample pretreatment with chemical analyses under a single format is required for rapid, sensitive and enantioselective analyses of low abundance metabolites in complex biological samples. Capillary electrophoresis (CE) offers a unique environment for controlling analyte/reagent band dispersion and electromigration properties using discontinuous electrolyte systems. Recent work in our laboratory towards developing a high-throughput CE platform for low abundance metabolites via on-line sample preconcentration with chemical derivatization (SPCD) is primarily examined in this review, as there have been surprisingly only a few strategies reported in the literature to date. In-capillary sample preconcentration serves to enhance concentration sensitivity via electrokinetic focusing of long sample injection volumes for lower detection limits, whereas chemical derivatization by zone passing is used to expand detectability and selectivity, notably for enantiomeric resolution of metabolites lacking intrinsic chromophores using nanolitre volumes of reagent. Together, on-line SPCD-CE can provide over a 100-fold improvement in concentration sensitivity, shorter total analysis times, reduced sample handling and improved reliability for a variety of amino acid and amino sugar metabolites, which is also amenable to automated high-throughput screening. This review will highlight basic method development and optimization parameters relevant to SPCD-CE, including applications to bacterial metabolite flux and biomarker analyses. Insight into the mechanism of analyte focusing and labeling by SPCD-CE is also discussed, as well as future directions for continued research.

Determining the imaging plane of a retinal capillary layer in adaptive optical imaging

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Le-Bao; Hu, Li-Fa; Li, Da-Yu; Cao, Zhao-Liang; Mu, Quan-Quan; Ma, Ji; Xuan, Li

2016-09-01

Even in the early stage, endocrine metabolism disease may lead to micro aneurysms in retinal capillaries whose diameters are less than 10 μm. However, the fundus cameras used in clinic diagnosis can only obtain images of vessels larger than 20 μm in diameter. The human retina is a thin and multiple layer tissue, and the layer of capillaries less than 10 μm in diameter only exists in the inner nuclear layer. The layer thickness of capillaries less than 10 μm in diameter is about 40 μm and the distance range to rod&cone cell surface is tens of micrometers, which varies from person to person. Therefore, determining reasonable capillary layer (CL) position in different human eyes is very difficult. In this paper, we propose a method to determine the position of retinal CL based on the rod&cone cell layer. The public positions of CL are recognized with 15 subjects from 40 to 59 years old, and the imaging planes of CL are calculated by the effective focal length of the human eye. High resolution retinal capillary imaging results obtained from 17 subjects with a liquid crystal adaptive optics system (LCAOS) validate our method. All of the subjects’ CLs have public positions from 127 μm to 147 μm from the rod&cone cell layer, which is influenced by the depth of focus. Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 11174274, 11174279, 61205021, 11204299, 61475152, and 61405194).

Increased drop formation frequency via reduction of surfactant interactions in flow-focusing microfluidic devices.

PubMed

Josephides, Dimitris N; Sajjadi, Shahriar

2015-01-27

Glass capillary based microfluidic devices are able to create extremely uniform droplets, when formed under the dripping regime, at low setup costs due to their ease of manufacture. However, as they are rarely parallelized, simple methods to increase droplet production from a single device are sought. Surfactants used to stabilize drops in such systems often limit the maximum flow rate that highly uniform drops can be produced due to the lowering interfacial tension causing jetting. In this paper we show that by simple design changes we can limit the interactions of surfactants and maximize uniform droplet production. Three flow-focused configurations are explored: a standard glass capillary device (consisting of a single round capillary inserted into a square capillary), a nozzle fed device, and a surfactant shielding device (both consisting of two round capillaries inserted into either end of a square capillary). In principle, the maximum productivity of uniform droplets is achieved if surfactants are not present. It was found that surfactants in the standard device greatly inhibit droplet production by means of interfacial tension lowering and tip-streaming phenomena. In the nozzle fed configuration, surfactant interactions were greatly limited, yielding flow rates comparable to, but lower than, a surfactant-free system. In the surfactant shielding configuration, flow rates were equal to that of a surfactant-free system and could make uniform droplets at rates an order of magnitude above the standard surfactant system.

In-capillary probing of quantum dots and fluorescent protein self-assembly and displacement using Förster resonance energy transfer.

PubMed

Wang, Jianhao; Fan, Jie; Li, Jinchen; Liu, Li; Wang, Jianpeng; Jiang, Pengju; Liu, Xiaoqian; Qiu, Lin

2017-02-01

Herein, a Förster resonance energy transfer system was designed, which consisted of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots donor and mCherry fluorescent protein acceptor. The quantum dots and the mCherry proteins were conjugated to permit Förster resonance energy transfer. Capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection was used for the analyses for the described system. The quantum dots and mCherry were sequentially injected into the capillary, while the real-time fluorescence signal of donor and acceptor was simultaneously monitored by two channels with fixed wavelength detectors. An effective separation of complexes from free donor and acceptor was achieved. Results showed quantum dots and hexahistidine tagged mCherry had high affinity and the assembly was affected by His 6 -mCherry/quantum dot molar ratio. The kinetics of the self-assembly was calculated using the Hill equation. The microscopic dissociation constant values for out of- and in-capillary assays were 10.49 and 23.39 μM, respectively. The capillary electrophoresis with fluorescence detection that monitored ligands competition assay further delineated the different binding capacities of histidine containing peptide ligands for binding sites on quantum dots. This work demonstrated a novel approach for the improvement of Förster resonance energy transfer for higher efficiency, increased sensitivity, intuitionistic observation, and low sample requirements of the in-capillary probing system. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Device to improve detection in electro-chromatography

DOEpatents

Garguilo, Michael G.; Paul, Phillip H.; Rakestraw, David J.

2000-01-01

Apparatus and method for improving the resolution of non-pressure driven capillary chromatographic systems, and particularly for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) systems. By reducing the cross-sectional area of a packed capillary column by means of a second open capillary contiguous with the outlet end of a packed capillary column, where the packed capillary column has a cross sectional area of between about 2 and 5 times that of the open capillary column, the phenomenon of band broadening in the transition region between the open capillary and the packed capillary column, where the individual components of the mixture are analyzed, can be eliminated, thereby providing for a significant improvement in resolution and more accurate detection and analysis.

Device to improve detection in electro-chromatography

DOEpatents

Garguilo, Michael G.; Paul, Phillip H.; Rakestraw, David J.

2002-01-01

Apparatus and method for improving the resolution of non-pressure driven capillary chromatographic systems, and particularly for capillary electrochromatography (CEC) systems. By reducing the cross-sectional area of a packed capillary column by means of a second open capillary contiguous with the outlet end of a packed capillary column, where the packed capillary column has a cross sectional area of between about 2 and 5 times that of the open capillary column, the phenomenon of band broadening in the transition region between the open capillary and the packed capillary column, where the individual components of the mixture are analyzed, can be eliminated, thereby providing for a significant improvement in resolution and more accurate detection and analysis.

Study of the Effect of Heat Supply on the Hydrodynamics of the Flow and Heat Transfer in Capillary Elements of Mixing Heads Jet Thrusters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nigodjuk, V. E.; Sulinov, A. V.

2018-01-01

The article presents the results of experimental studies of hydrodynamics and those of loobman single-phase and two-phase flows in capillary nozzle elements propellant thrusters and the proposed method of their calculation. An experimental study was performed in capillaries with a sharp entrance edge of the internal diameter of 0.16 and 0.33 mm and a relative length 188 and 161, respectively, in pouring distilled water and acetone in the following range of parameters Reynolds number Re = (0,3 ... 10) · 103, Prandtl number Pr = (2 ... 10), pressure p = (0,1 ... 0,3) MPa, the heat flux q = (0...2)×106 W/m2, the difference of temperature under-heating of liquid Δtn = (5 ... 80)K. The dependences for calculation of single phase boundaries, the undeveloped and the developed surface of the bubble and film key singing of subcooled liquid. It is shown theoretically and experimentally confirmed the virtual absence of areas of undeveloped nucleate boiling in laminar flow. The dependence for calculation of hydraulic resistance and heat transfer in the investigated areas of current. It is shown that in the region of nucleate boiling surface in the flow in capillary tubes, influence of the formed vapor phase on the hydrodynamics and heat transfer substantially higher than in larger diameter pipes.

Hydrodynamic flow in capillary-channel fiber columns for liquid chromatography.

PubMed

Stanelle, Rayman D; Sander, Lane C; Marcus, R Kenneth

2005-12-23

The flow characteristics of capillary-channel polymer (C-CP) fiber liquid chromatographic (LC) columns have been investigated. The C-CP fibers are manufactured with eight longitudinal grooves (capillary channels) extending the length of the fibers. Three C-CP fiber examples were studied, with fiber dimensions ranging from approximately 35 microm to 65 microm, and capillary-channel dimensions ranging from approximately 6 microm to 35 microm. The influence of fiber packing density and column inner diameter on peak asymmetry, peak width, and run-to-run reproducibility have been studied for stainless steel LC columns packed with polyester (PET) and polypropylene (PP) C-CP fibers. The van Deemter A-term was evaluated as a function of fiber packing density (approximately 0.3 g/cm(3)-0.75 g/cm(3)) for columns of 4.6 mm inner diameter (i.d.) and at constant packing densities for 1.5 mm, 3.2 mm, 4.6 mm, and 7.7 mm i.d. columns. Although column diameter had little influence on the eluting peak widths, peak asymmetry increased with increasing column diameter. The A-terms for the C-CP fiber packed columns are somewhat larger than current commercial, microparticulate-packed columns, and means for improvement are discussed. Applications in the area of protein (macromolecule) separations appear the most promising at this stage of the system development.

Sheathless interface for coupling capillary electrophoresis with mass spectrometry

DOEpatents

Wang, Chenchen; Tang, Keqi; Smith, Richard D.

2014-06-17

A sheathless interface for coupling capillary electrophoresis (CE) with mass spectrometry is disclosed. The sheathless interface includes a separation capillary for performing CE separation and an emitter capillary for electrospray ionization. A portion of the emitter capillary is porous or, alternatively, is coated to form an electrically conductive surface. A section of the emitter capillary is disposed within the separation capillary, forming a joint. A metal tube, containing a conductive liquid, encloses the joint.

High pressure capillary micro-fluidic valve device and a method of fabricating same

DOEpatents

Crocker, Robert W [Fremont, CA; Caton, Pamela F [Berkely, CA; Gerhardt, Geoff C [Milbury, MA

2007-04-17

A freeze-thaw valve and a method of micro-machining the freeze-thaw valve is provided and includes a valve housing, wherein the valve housing defines a housing cavity and includes a housing inlet, a housing vent, a capillary tubing inlet and a capillary tubing outlet. A valve body is provided, at least a portion of which is lithographically constructed, wherein the valve body includes a refrigerant inlet, a refrigerant outlet and an expansion chamber. The expansion chamber is disposed to communicate the refrigerant inlet with the refrigerant outlet and includes a restriction region having a flow restriction. Additionally, the valve body is disposed within the housing cavity to form an insulating channel between the valve housing and the valve body.

Flow Modification Induced by Quincke Rotation in a Capillary

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cebers, A.; Lemaire, E.; Lobry, L.

When particles immersed in a semi-insulating liquid are submitted to a sufficiently high DC field, they can rotate spontaneously around any axis perpendicular to the field (Quincke rotation). Recently we have shown that due to Quincke effect the effective viscosity of a colloidal suspension could be reduced. When the suspension is submitted to a shear, the particles rotation is amplified by the electric torque and drives the suspending liquid. For a flow in a capillary, this effect manifests itself by an increase of the flow rate. We present the results of our experiments carried out with a rectangular cross section capillary. These results are compared with the direct determination of the apparent viscosity in a Couette flow rheometer.

Velocity measurements of heterogeneous RBC flow in capillary vessels using dynamic laser speckle signal.

PubMed

Li, Chenxi; Wang, Ruikang

2017-04-01

We propose an approach to measure heterogeneous velocities of red blood cells (RBCs) in capillary vessels using full-field time-varying dynamic speckle signals. The approach utilizes a low coherent laser speckle imaging system to record the instantaneous speckle pattern, followed by an eigen-decomposition-based filtering algorithm to extract dynamic speckle signal due to the moving RBCs. The velocity of heterogeneous RBC flows is determined by cross-correlating the temporal dynamic speckle signals obtained at adjacent locations. We verify the approach by imaging mouse pinna in vivo, demonstrating its capability for full-field RBC flow mapping and quantifying flow pattern with high resolution. It is expected to investigate the dynamic action of RBCs flow in capillaries under physiological changes.

Bubble deformations and segmented flows in corrugated microchannels at large capillary numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sauzade, Martin; Cubaud, Thomas

2018-03-01

We experimentally investigate the interaction between individual bubble deformations and collective distortions of segmented flows in nonlinear microfluidic geometries. Using highly viscous carrier fluids, we study the evolution of monodisperse trains of gas bubbles from a square to a smoothly corrugated microchannel characterized with a series of extensions and constrictions along the flow path. The hysteresis in the bubble shape between accelerating and decelerating flow fields is shown to increase with the capillary number. Measurements of instantaneous bubble velocities reveal the presence of a capillary pull that produces a nonmonotonic behavior for the front velocity in accelerating flow regions. Functional relationships are developed for predicting the morphology and dynamics of viscous multiphase flow patterns at the pore scale.

High-order harmonic generation in a capillary discharge

DOEpatents

Rocca, Jorge J.; Kapteyn, Henry C.; Mumane, Margaret M.; Gaudiosi, David; Grisham, Michael E.; Popmintchev, Tenio V.; Reagan, Brendan A.

2010-06-01

A pre-ionized medium created by a capillary discharge results in more efficient use of laser energy in high-order harmonic generation (HHG) from ions. It extends the cutoff photon energy, and reduces the distortion of the laser pulse as it propagates down the waveguide. The observed enhancements result from a combination of reduced ionization energy loss and reduced ionization-induced defocusing of the driving laser as well as waveguiding of the driving laser pulse. The discharge plasma also provides a means to spectrally tune the harmonics by tailoring the initial level of ionization of the medium.

ICSH recommendations for assessing automated high-performance liquid chromatography and capillary electrophoresis equipment for the quantitation of HbA2.

PubMed

Stephens, A D; Colah, R; Fucharoen, S; Hoyer, J; Keren, D; McFarlane, A; Perrett, D; Wild, B J

2015-10-01

Automated high performance liquid chromatography and Capillary electrophoresis are used to quantitate the proportion of Hemoglobin A2 (HbA2 ) in blood samples order to enable screening and diagnosis of carriers of β-thalassemia. Since there is only a very small difference in HbA2 levels between people who are carriers and people who are not carriers such analyses need to be both precise and accurate. This paper examines the different parameters of such equipment and discusses how they should be assessed. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Two-phase convective CO 2 dissolution in saline aquifers

DOE PAGES

Martinez, Mario J.; Hesse, Marc A.

2016-01-30

Geologic carbon storage in deep saline aquifers is a promising technology for reducing anthropogenic emissions into the atmosphere. Dissolution of injected CO 2 into resident brines is one of the primary trapping mechanisms generally considered necessary to provide long-term storage security. Given that diffusion of CO 2 in brine is woefully slow, convective dissolution, driven by a small increase in brine density with CO 2 saturation, is considered to be the primary mechanism of dissolution trapping. Previous studies of convective dissolution have typically only considered the convective process in the single-phase region below the capillary transition zone and have eithermore » ignored the overlying two-phase region where dissolution actually takes place or replaced it with a virtual region with reduced or enhanced constant permeability. Our objective is to improve estimates of the long-term dissolution flux of CO 2 into brine by including the capillary transition zone in two-phase model simulations. In the fully two-phase model, there is a capillary transition zone above the brine-saturated region over which the brine saturation decreases with increasing elevation. Our two-phase simulations show that the dissolution flux obtained by assuming a brine-saturated, single-phase porous region with a closed upper boundary is recovered in the limit of vanishing entry pressure and capillary transition zone. For typical finite entry pressures and capillary transition zone, however, convection currents penetrate into the two-phase region. As a result, this removes the mass transfer limitation of the diffusive boundary layer and enhances the convective dissolution flux of CO 2 more than 3 times above the rate assuming single-phase conditions.« less

An improved loopless mounting method for cryocrystallography

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qi, Jian-Xun; Jiang, Fan

2010-01-01

Based on a recent loopless mounting method, a simplified loopless and bufferless crystal mounting method is developed for macromolecular crystallography. This simplified crystal mounting system is composed of the following components: a home-made glass capillary, a brass seat for holding the glass capillary, a flow regulator, and a vacuum pump for evacuation. Compared with the currently prevalent loop mounting method, this simplified method has almost the same mounting procedure and thus is compatible with the current automated crystal mounting system. The advantages of this method include higher signal-to-noise ratio, more accurate measurement, more rapid flash cooling, less x-ray absorption and thus less radiation damage to the crystal. This method can be extended to the flash-freeing of a crystal without or with soaking it in a lower concentration of cryoprotectant, thus it may be the best option for data collection in the absence of suitable cryoprotectant. Therefore, it is suggested that this mounting method should be further improved and extensively applied to cryocrystallographic experiments.

ANALYSIS OF GLYCANS DERIVED FROM GLYCOCONJUGATES BY CAPILLARY ELECTROPHORESIS-MASS SPECTROMETRY

PubMed Central

Mechref, Yehia

2012-01-01

The high structural variation of glycan derived from glycoconjugates, which substantially increases with the molecular size of a protein, contributes to the complexity of glycosylation patterns commonly associated with glycoconjugates. In the case of glycoproteins, such variation originates from the multiple glycosylation sites of proteins and the number of glycan structures associated with each site (microheterogeneity). The ability to comprehensively characterize highly complex mixture of glycans has been analytically stimulating and challenging. Although the most powerful mass spectrometric (MS) and tandem MS techniques are capable of providing a wealth of structural information, they are still not able to readily identify isomeric glycan structures without high order tandem MS (MSn). The analysis of isomeric glycan structures has been attained using several separation methods, including high-pH anion exchange chromatography (HPAEC), hydrophilic interaction chromatography (HILIC) and gas chromatography (GC). However, capillary electrophoresis (CE) and microfluidics capillary electrophoresis (MCE) offer high separation efficiency and resolutions, allowing the separation of closely related glycan structures. Therefore, interfacing CE and MCE to MS is a powerful analytical approach, allowing potentially comprehensive and sensitive analysis of complex glycan samples. This review describes and discusses the utility of different CE and MCE approaches in the structural characterization of glycoproteins and the feasibility of interfacing these approaches to mass spectrometry. PMID:22180203

Coplanar electrowetting-induced stirring as a tool to manipulate biological samples in lubricated digital microfluidics. Impact of ambient phase on drop internal flow patterna)

PubMed Central

Davoust, Laurent; Fouillet, Yves; Malk, Rachid; Theisen, Johannes

2013-01-01

Oscillating electrowetting on dielectrics (EWOD) with coplanar electrodes is investigated in this paper as a way to provide efficient stirring within a drop with biological content. A supporting model inspired from Ko et al. [Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 194102 (2009)] is proposed allowing to interpret oscillating EWOD-induced drop internal flow as the result of a current streaming along the drop surface deformed by capillary waves. Current streaming behaves essentially as a surface flow generator and the momentum it sustains within the (viscous) drop is even more significant as the surface to volume ratio is small. With the circular electrode pair considered in this paper, oscillating EWOD sustains toroidal vortical flows when the experiments are conducted with aqueous drops in air as ambient phase. But when oil is used as ambient phase, it is demonstrated that the presence of an electrode gap is responsible for a change in drop shape: a pinch-off at the electrode gap yields a peanut-shaped drop and a symmetry break-up of the EWOD-induced flow pattern. Viscosity of oil is also responsible for promoting an efficient damping of the capillary waves which populate the surface of the actuated drop. As a result, the capillary network switches from one standing wave to two superimposed traveling waves of different mechanical energy, provided that actuation frequency is large enough, for instance, as large as the one commonly used in electrowetting applications (f ∼ 500 Hz and beyond). Special emphasis is put on stirring of biological samples. As a typical application, it is demonstrated how beads or cell clusters can be focused under flow either at mid-height of the drop or near the wetting plane, depending on how the nature of the capillary waves is (standing or traveling), and therefore, depending on the actuation frequency (150 Hz–1 KHz). PMID:24404038

Sol-gel niobia sorbent with a positively charged octadecyl ligand providing enhanced enrichment of nucleotides and organophosphorus pesticides in capillary microextraction for online HPLC analysis.

PubMed

Kesani, Sheshanka; Malik, Abdul

2018-04-01

A niobia-based sol-gel organic-inorganic hybrid sorbent carrying a positively charged C 18 ligand (Nb 2 O 5 -C 18 (+ve)) was synthesized to achieve enhanced enrichment capability in capillary microextraction of organophosphorus compounds (which include organophosphorus pesticides and nucleotides) before their online analysis by high-performance liquid chromatography. The sorbent was designed to simultaneously provide three different types of molecular level interactions: electrostatic, Lewis acid-base, and van der Waals interactions. To understand relative contributions of various molecular level analyte-sorbent interactions in the extraction process, two other sol-gel niobia sorbents were also created: (a) a purely inorganic sol-gel niobia sorbent (Nb 2 O 5 ) and (b) an organic-inorganic hybrid sol-gel niobia sorbent carrying an electrically neutral-bonded octadecyl ligand (Nb 2 O 5 -C 18 ). The extraction efficiency of the created sol-gel niobia sorbent (Nb 2 O 5 -C 18 (+ve)) was compared with that of analogously designed and synthesized titania-based sol-gel sorbent (TiO 2 -C 18 (+ve)), taking into consideration that titania-based sorbents present state-of-the-art extraction media for organophosphorus compounds. In capillary microextraction with high-performance liquid chromatography analysis, Nb 2 O 5 -C 18 (+ve) had shown 40-50% higher specific extraction values (a measure of extraction efficiency) over that of TiO 2 -C 18 (+ve). Compared to TiO 2 -C 18 (+ve), Nb 2 O 5 -C 18 (+ve) also provided superior analyte desorption efficiency (96 vs. 90%) during the online release of the extracted organophosphorus pesticides from the sorbent coating in the capillary microextraction capillary to the chromatographic column using reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography mobile phase. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Analysis of bovine milk caseins on organic monolithic columns: an integrated capillary liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry approach for the study of time-dependent casein degradation.

PubMed

Pierri, Giuseppe; Kotoni, Dorina; Simone, Patrizia; Villani, Claudio; Pepe, Giacomo; Campiglia, Pietro; Dugo, Paola; Gasparrini, Francesco

2013-10-25

Casein proteins constitute approximately 80% of the proteins present in bovine milk and account for many of its nutritional and technological properties. The analysis of the casein fraction in commercially available pasteurized milk and the study of its time-dependent degradation is of considerable interest in the agro-food industry. Here we present new analytical methods for the study of caseins in fresh and expired bovine milk, based on the use of lab-made capillary organic monolithic columns. An integrated capillary high performance liquid chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry (Cap-LC-HRMS) approach was developed, exploiting the excellent resolution, permeability and biocompatibility of organic monoliths, which is easily adaptable to the analysis of intact proteins. The resolution obtained on the lab-made Protein-Cap-RP-Lauryl-γ-Monolithic column (270 mm × 0.250 mm length × internal diameter, L × I.D.) in the analysis of commercial standard caseins (αS-CN, β-CN and κ-CN) through Cap-HPLC-UV was compared to the one observe using two packed capillary C4 columns, the ACE C4 (3 μm, 150 mm × 0.300 mm, L × I.D.) and the Jupiter C4 column (5 μm, 150 mm × 0.300 mm, L × I.D.). Thanks to the higher resolution observed, the monolithic capillary column was chosen for the successive degradation studies of casein fractions extracted from bovine milk 1-4 weeks after expiry date. The comparison of the UV chromatographic profiles of skim, semi-skim and whole milk showed a major stability of whole milk towards time-dependent degradation of caseins, which was further sustained by high-resolution analysis on a 50-cm long monolithic column using a 120-min time gradient. Contemporarily, the exact monoisotopic and average molecular masses of intact αS-CN and β-CN protein standards were obtained through high resolution mass spectrometry and used for casein identification in Cap-LC-HRMS analysis. Finally, the proteolytic degradation of β-CN in skim milk and the contemporary formation of low-molecular-weight proteose-peptones (PP) with exact monoisotopic Mr between 9444.0989 Da and 14098.9861 Da was confirmed through the deconvolution of high resolution mass spectra and literature data. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

High hydrostatic pressures in traumatic joints require elevated synovial capillary pressure probably associated with arteriolar vasodilatation.

PubMed

Ahlqvist, J; Harilainen, A; Aalto, K; Sarna, S; Lalla, M; Osterlund, K

1994-11-01

Three out of the four Starling pressures were determined at arthroscopy of traumatic effusions of the knee. The range of the joint fluid hydrostatic pressure Pjoint was 5-83 cmH2O (0.5-8.1 kPa, 4-61 mmHg), that of the colloid osmotic pressure difference COPplasma-COPjoint 0-21.7 cmH2O. In 11 of 15 cases the sum Pjoint+COP difference exceeded 32.6 cmH2O (3.19 kPa, 24 mmHg), a high estimate of average capillary pressure at the level of the heart. The number of 'exceeding' cases was 8/15 if only 80% of the COP difference was considered effective. Pjoint and the COP difference oppose filtration of fluid from plasma into joints, indicating that mean capillary pressure, the only Starling pressure not determined, was elevated unless the effusions were being resorbed back into the blood. The findings can be explained by tamponade compensated by arteriolar vasodilatation, suspected to be metabolically mediated.

Analysis of mutational spectra by denaturant capillary electrophoresis

PubMed Central

Ekstrøm, Per O.; Khrapko, Konstantin; Li-Sucholeiki, Xiao-Cheng; Hunter, Ian W.; Thilly, William G.

2009-01-01

Numbers and kinds of point mutant within DNA from cells, tissues and human population may be discovered for nearly any 75–250bp DNA sequence. High fidelity DNA amplification incorporating a thermally stable DNA “clamp” is followed by separation by denaturing capillary electrophoresis (DCE). DCE allows for peak collection and verification sequencing. DCE in a mode of cycling temperature, e.g.+/− 5°C, CyDCE, permits high resolution of mutant sequences using computer defined analytes without preliminary optimization experiments. DNA sequencers have been modified to permit higher throughput CyDCE and a massively parallel,~25,000 capillary system, has been designed for pangenomic scans in large human populations. DCE has been used to define quantitative point mutational spectra for study a wide variety of genetic phenomena: errors of DNA polymerases, mutations induced in human cells by chemicals and irradiation, testing of human gene-common disease associations and the discovery of origins of point mutations in human development and carcinogenesis. PMID:18600220

Multi-Site N-glycan mapping study 1: Capillary electrophoresis – laser induced fluorescence

PubMed Central

Szekrényes, Ákos; Park, SungAe Suhr; Santos, Marcia; Lew, Clarence; Jones, Aled; Haxo, Ted; Kimzey, Michael; Pourkaveh, Shiva; Szabó, Zoltán; Sosic, Zoran; Feng, Peng; Váradi, Csaba; de l'Escaille, François; Falmagne, Jean-Bernard; Sejwal, Preeti; Niedringhaus, Thomas; Michels, David; Freckleton, Gordon; Hamm, Melissa; Manuilov, Anastasiya; Schwartz, Melissa; Luo, Jiann-Kae; van Dyck, Jonathan; Leung, Pui-King; Olajos, Marcell; Gu, Yingmei; Gao, Kai; Wang, Wenbo; Wegstein, Jo; Tep, Samnang; Guttman, András

2016-01-01

An international team that included 20 independent laboratories from biopharmaceutical companies, universities, analytical contract laboratories and national authorities in the United States, Europe and Asia was formed to evaluate the reproducibility of sample preparation and analysis of N-glycans using capillary electrophoresis of 8-aminopyrene-1,3,6-trisulfonic acid (APTS)-labeled glycans with laser induced fluorescence (CE-LIF) detection (16 sites) and ultra high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC, 12 sites; results to be reported in a subsequent publication). All participants used the same lot of chemicals, samples, reagents, and columns/capillaries to run their assays. Migration time, peak area and peak area percent values were determined for all peaks with >0.1% peak area. Our results demonstrated low variability and high reproducibility, both, within any given site as well across all sites, which indicates that a standard N-glycan analysis platform appropriate for general use (clone selection, process development, lot release, etc.) within the industry can be established. PMID:26466659

Analysis of Anions in Ambient Aerosols by Microchip Capillary Electrophoresis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Liu, Yan; MacDonald, David A.; Yu, Xiao-Ying

2006-10-01

We describe a microchip capillary electrophoresis method for the analysis of nitrate and sulfate in ambient aerosols. Investigating the chemical composition of ambient aerosol particles is essential for understanding their sources and effects. Significant progress has been made towards developing mass spectrometry-based instrumentation for rapid qualitative analysis of aerosols. Alternative methods for rapid quantification of selected high abundance compounds are needed to augment the capacity for widespread routine analysis. Such methods could provide much higher temporal and spatial resolution than can be achieved currently. Inorganic anions comprise a large percentage of particulate mass with nitrate and sulfate among the mostmore » abundant species. While ion chromatography has proven very useful for analyzing extracts of time-integrated ambient aerosol samples collected on filters and for semi-continuous, on-line particle composition measurements, there is a growing need for development of new compact, inexpensive approaches to routine on-line aerosol ion analysis for deployment in spatially dense, atmospheric measurement networks. Microchip capillary electrophoresis provides the necessary speed and portability to address this need. In this report, on-column contact conductivity detection is used with hydrodynamic injection to create a simple microchip instrument for analysis of nitrate and sulfate. On-column contact conductivity detection was achieved using a Pd decoupler placed upstream from the working electrodes. Microchips containing two Au or Pd working electrodes showed a good linear range (5-500 µM) and low limits-of-detection for sulfate and nitrate with Au providing the lowest detection limits (1 µM) for both ions. The completed microchip system was used to analyze ambient aerosol filter samples. Nitrate and sulfate concentrations measured by the microchip matched the concentrations measured by ion chromatography.« less

‘Chip-olate’ and dry-film resists for efficient fabrication, singulation and sealing of microfluidic chips

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Temiz, Yuksel; Delamarche, Emmanuel

2014-09-01

This paper describes a technique for high-throughput fabrication and efficient singulation of chips having closed microfluidic structures and takes advantage of dry-film resists (DFRs) for efficient sealing of capillary systems. The technique is illustrated using 4-inch Si/SiO2 wafers. Wafers carrying open microfluidic structures are partially diced to about half of their thickness. Treatments such as surface cleaning are done at wafer-level, then the structures are sealed using low-temperature (45 °C) lamination of a DFR that is pre-patterned using a craft cutter, and ready-to-use chips are finally separated manually like a chocolate bar by applying a small force (≤ 4 N). We further show that some DFRs have low auto-fluorescence at wavelengths typically used for common fluorescent dyes and that mechanical properties of some DFRs allow for the lamination of 200 μm wide microfluidic structures with negligible sagging (~1 μm). The hydrophilicity (advancing contact angle of ~60°) of the DFR supports autonomous capillary-driven flow without the need for additional surface treatment of the microfluidic chips. Flow rates from 1 to 5 µL min-1 are generated using different geometries of channels and capillary pumps. In addition, the ‘chip-olate’ technique is compatible with the patterning of capture antibodies on DFR for use in immunoassays. We believe this technique to be applicable to the fabrication of a wide range of microfluidic and lab-on-a-chip devices and to offer a viable alternative to many labor-intensive processes that are currently based on wafer bonding techniques or on the molding of poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) layers.

Vacuum scanning capillary photoemission microscopy.

PubMed

Aseyev, S A; Cherkun, A P; Mironov, B N; Petrunin, V V; Chekalin, S V

2017-08-01

We demonstrate the use of a conical capillary in a scanning probe microscopy for surface analysis. The probe can measure photoemission from a substrate by transmitting photoelectrons along the capillary as a function of probe position. The technique is demonstrated on a model substrate consisting of a gold reflecting layer on a compact disc which has been illuminated by an unfocused laser beam with a wavelength 400nm, from a femtosecond laser with a beam size of 4mm. A quartz capillary with a 2-µm aperture has been used in the experiments. The period of gold microstructure, shown to be 1.6µ, was measured by the conical probe operating in shear force mode. In shear force regime, the dielectric capillary has been used as a "classical" SPM tip, which provided images reflecting the surface topology. In a photoelectron regime photoelectrons passed through hollow tip and entered a detector. The spatial distribution of the recorded photoelectrons consisted of periodic mountain-valley strips, resembling the surface profile of the sample. Submicron spatial resolution has been achieved. This approach paves the way to study pulsed photodesorption of large organic molecular ions with high spatial and element resolution using the combination of a hollow-tip scanner with time-of-flight technique. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Advances and challenges in skeletal muscle angiogenesis

PubMed Central

Baum, Oliver; Hellsten, Ylva; Egginton, Stuart

2015-01-01

The role of capillaries is to serve as the interface for delivery of oxygen and removal of metabolites to/from tissues. During the past decade there has been a proliferation of studies that have advanced our understanding of angiogenesis, demonstrating that tissue capillary supply is under strict control during health but poorly controlled in disease, resulting in either excessive capillary growth (pathological angiogenesis) or losses in capillarity (rarefaction). Given that skeletal muscle comprises nearly 40% of body mass in humans, skeletal muscle capillary density has a significant impact on metabolism, endocrine function, and locomotion and is tightly regulated at many different levels. Skeletal muscle is also high adaptable and thus one of the few organ systems that can be experimentally manipulated (e.g., by exercise) to study physiological regulation of angiogenesis. This review will focus on the methodological concerns that have arisen in determining skeletal muscle capillarity and highlight the concepts that are reshaping our understanding of the angio-adaptation process. We also summarize selected new findings (physical influences, molecular changes, and ultrastructural rearrangement of capillaries) that identify areas of future research with the greatest potential to expand our understanding of how angiogenesis is normally regulated, and that may also help to better understand conditions of uncontrolled (pathological) angiogenesis. PMID:26608338

PCR/LDR/capillary electrophoresis for detection of single-nucleotide differences between fetal and maternal DNA in maternal plasma.

PubMed

Yi, Ping; Chen, Zhuqin; Zhao, Yan; Guo, Jianxin; Fu, Huabin; Zhou, Yuanguo; Yu, Lili; Li, Li

2009-03-01

The discovery of fetal DNA in maternal plasma has opened up an approach for noninvasive diagnosis. We have now assessed the possibility of detecting single-nucleotide differences between fetal and maternal DNA in maternal plasma by polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/ligase detection reaction((LDR)/capillary electrophoresis. PCR/LDR/capillary electrophoresis was applied to detect the genotype of c.454-397T>gene (ESR1) from experimental DNA models of maternal plasma at different sensitivity levels and 13 maternal plasma samples.alphaC in estrogen receptor. (1) Our results demonstrated that the technique could discriminate low abundance single-nucleotide mutation with a mutant/normal allele ratio up to 1:10 000. (2) Examination of ESR1 c.454-397T>C genotypes by using the method of restriction fragment length analysis was performed in 25 pregnant women, of whom 13 pregnant women had homozygous genotypes. The c.454-397T>C genotypes of paternally inherited fetal DNA in maternal plasma of these 13 women were detected by PCR/LDR/capillary electrophoresis, which were accordant with the results of umbilical cord blood. PCR/LDR/capillary electrophoresis has very high sensitivity to distinguish low abundance single nucleotide differences and can discriminate point mutations and single-nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs) of paternally inherited fetal DNA in maternal plasma.

In Vivo Microscopy Reveals Extensive Embedding of Capillaries within the Sarcolemma of Skeletal Muscle Fibers

PubMed Central

Glancy, Brian; Hsu, Li-Yueh; Dao, Lam; Bakalar, Matthew; French, Stephanie; Chess, David J.; Taylor, Joni L.; Picard, Martin; Aponte, Angel; Daniels, Mathew P.; Esfahani, Shervin; Cushman, Samuel; Balaban, Robert S.

2013-01-01

Objective To provide insight into mitochondrial function in vivo, we evaluated the 3D spatial relationship between capillaries, mitochondria, and muscle fibers in live mice. Methods 3D volumes of in vivo murine Tibialis anterior muscles were imaged by multi-photon microscopy (MPM). Muscle fiber type, mitochondrial distribution, number of capillaries, and capillary-to-fiber contact were assessed. The role of myoglobin-facilitated diffusion was examined in myoglobin knockout mice. Distribution of GLUT4 was also evaluated in the context of the capillary and mitochondrial network. Results MPM revealed that 43.6 ± 3.3% of oxidative fiber capillaries had ≥ 50% of their circumference embedded in a groove in the sarcolemma, in vivo. Embedded capillaries were tightly associated with dense mitochondrial populations lateral to capillary grooves and nearly absent below the groove. Mitochondrial distribution, number of embedded capillaries, and capillary-to-fiber contact were proportional to fiber oxidative capacity and unaffected by myoglobin knockout. GLUT4 did not preferentially localize to embedded capillaries. Conclusions Embedding capillaries in the sarcolemma may provide a regulatory mechanism to optimize delivery of oxygen to heterogeneous groups of muscle fibers. We hypothesize that mitochondria locate to paravascular regions due to myofibril voids created by embedded capillaries, not to enhance the delivery of oxygen to the mitochondria. PMID:25279425

Quality control of benserazide-levodopa and carbidopa-levodopa tablets by capillary zone electrophoresis.

PubMed

Fanali, S; Pucci, V; Sabbioni, C; Raggi, M A

2000-07-01

In modern practice, the treatment of Parkinson's disease and syndrome is carried out using pharmaceutical formulations containing a combination of levodopa and a decarboxylation inhibitor (carbidopa or benserazide). Two pharmaceutical formulations were quantified by capillary zone electrophoresis using two procedures which differed only in the kind of background electrolyte used. One procedure used a 25 mM phosphate buffer, pH 2.5, while the second one used a 25 mM borate buffer, pH 8.5. The electrophoretic analysis was carried out using an uncoated fused- silica capillary, a separation voltage of 20 kV with currents typically less than 60 microA, and spectrophotometric detection at 205 nm. Calibration curves were performed for levodopa (concentration range 1-100 microg/mL), for carbidopa and benserazide (1-50 microg/mL), and the plots of the peak area versus concentration were found to be linear with a correlation coefficient better than 0.9990. Satisfactory results were obtained when commercial tablets were analyzed in terms of accuracy (98-102%), repeatability (0.6-2.0%), and intermediate precision (1.1-2.6%).

CSE-MECC two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis analysis of proteins in the mouse tumor cell (AtT-20) homogenate

PubMed Central

Chen, Xingguo; Fazal, Md. Abul; Dovichi, Norman J.

2007-01-01

Two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis was used for the separation of proteins and biogenic amines from the mouse AtT-20 cell line. The first-dimension capillary contained a TRIS-CHES-SDS-dextran buffer to perform capillary sieving electrophoresis, which is based on molecular weight of proteins. The second-dimension capillary contained a TRIS-CHES-SDS buffer for micel1ar electrokinetic capillary chromatography. After a 61 seconds preliminary separation, fractions from the first-dimension capillary were successively transferred to the second-dimension capillary, where they further separated by MECC. The two-dimensional separation required 60 minutes. PMID:17637850

Robust ion current oscillations under a steady electric field: An ion channel analog.

PubMed

Yan, Yu; Wang, Yunshan; Senapati, Satyajyoti; Schiffbauer, Jarrod; Yossifon, Gilad; Chang, Hsueh-Chia

2016-08-01

We demonstrate a nonlinear, nonequilibrium field-driven ion flux phenomenon, which unlike Teorell's nonlinear multiple field theory, requires only the application of one field: robust autonomous current-mass flux oscillations across a porous monolith coupled to a capillary with a long air bubble, which mimics a hydrophobic protein in an ion channel. The oscillations are driven by the hysteretic wetting dynamics of the meniscus when electro-osmotic flow and pressure driven backflow, due to bubble expansion, compete to approach zero mass flux within the monolith. Delayed rupture of the film around the advancing bubble cuts off the electric field and switches the monolith mass flow from the former to the latter. The meniscus then recedes and repairs the rupture to sustain an oscillation for a range of applied fields. This generic mechanism shares many analogs with current oscillations in cell membrane ion channel. At sufficiently high voltage, the system undergoes a state transition characterized by appearance of the ubiquitous 1/f power spectrum.

The use of impedance matching capillaries for reducing resonance in rosette infrasonic spatial filters.

PubMed

Hedlin, Michael A H; Alcoverro, Benoit

2005-04-01

Rosette spatial filters are used at International Monitoring System infrasound array sites to reduce noise due to atmospheric turbulence. A rosette filter consists of several clusters, or rosettes, of low-impedance inlets. Acoustic energy entering each rosette of inlets is summed, acoustically, at a secondary summing manifold. Acoustic energy from the secondary manifolds are summed acoustically at a primary summing manifold before entering the microbarometer. Although rosette filters have been found to be effective at reducing infrasonic noise across a broad frequency band, resonance inside the filters reduces the effectiveness of the filters at high frequencies. This paper presents theoretical and observational evidence that the resonance inside these filters that is seen below 10 Hz is due to reflections occuring at impedance discontinuities at the primary and secondary summing manifolds. Resonance involving reflections at the inlets amplifies noise levels at frequencies above 10 Hz. This paper further reports results from theoretical and observational tests of impedance matching capillaries for removing the resonance problem. Almost total removal of resonant energy below 5 Hz was found by placing impedance matching capillaries adjacent to the secondary summing manifolds in the pipes leading to the primary summing manifold and the microbarometer. Theory and recorded data indicate that capillaries with resistance equal to the characteristic impedance of the pipe connecting the secondary and primary summing manifolds suppresses resonance but does not degrade the reception of acoustic signals. Capillaries at the inlets can be used to remove resonant energy at higher frequencies but are found to be less effective due to the high frequency of this energy outside the frequency band of interest.

Water Displacement in Oil-Wet Tight Reservoirs by Dynamic Network Simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Y.; Li, M.; Chen, M.

2017-12-01

Pore network simulation is an effective tool for studying the multiphase flow in porous media. Based on the topological information and pore-throat size distribution obtained from the analysis of Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and constant-rate mercury injection (CRMI) for tight cores (composed by micro-nano scale throats and micro scale pores), a simple cubic (SC) pore-throat network was built with equilateral triangular cross-section throats and cubic bodies. Rules for oil and water movement and redistribution were devised in accordance with the physics process at pore-throat scale. Water flooding from oil-saturated under irreducible water were simulated by considering the changing displacement rate and viscosity ratio at the slightly oil-wet condition (the static contact angle ranges between π/2 to 2π/3). Different from the double pressure field algorithm, a single pressure field which solved by using successive over relaxation method was used with the flow of irreducible water in corners was ignored while its swilling was take into consideration. Dynamic of displacement fronts, relative permeability curves and residual oil saturation were obtained. It showed that there were obviously snap-off at low capillary number (Nc<10-5) and fingering at high capillary number (Nc<10-4) even at a favorable viscosity ratio (M=1). The magnitude of viscosity ratio effect on relative permeability depended largely on the capillary number, which the effect wasn't noticeable for a high capillary number. For residual oil saturation Sor, it showed that Sor decreased with the increase of capillary number at different viscosity ratio. Changing of residual oil saturation from simulation was in good agreement with the experimental results in a certain range, which indicated that this network model could be used to character the water flooding in tight reservoirs.

A sensitive biosensor using double-layer capillary based immunomagnetic separation and invertase-nanocluster based signal amplification for rapid detection of foodborne pathogen.

PubMed

Huang, Fengchun; Zhang, Huilin; Wang, Lei; Lai, Weihua; Lin, Jianhan

2018-02-15

Combining double-layer capillary based high gradient immunomagnetic separation, invertase-nanocluster based signal amplification and glucose meter based signal detection, a novel biosensor was developed for sensitive and rapid detection of E. coli O157:H7 in this study. The streptavidin modified magnetic nanobeads (MNBs) were conjugated with the biotinylated polyclonal antibodies against E. coli O157:H7 to form the immune MNBs, which were captured by the high gradient magnetic field in the double-layer capillary to specifically separate and efficiently concentrate the target bacteria. Calcium chloride was used with the monoclonal antibodies against E. coli O157:H7 and the invertase to form the immune invertase-nanoclusters (INCs), which were used to react with the target bacteria to form the MNB-bacteria-INC complexes in the capillary. The sucrose was then injected into the capillary and catalyzed by the invertase on the complexes into the glucose, which was detected using the glucose meter to obtain the concentration of the glucose for final determination of the E. coli O157:H7 cells in the sample. A linear relationship between the readout of the glucose meter and the concentration of the E. coli O157:H7 cells (from 10 2 to 10 7 CFU/mL) was found and the lower detection limit of this biosensor was 79 CFU/mL. This biosensor might be extended for the detection of other foodborne pathogens by changing the antibodies and has shown the potential for the detection of foodborne pathogens in a large volume of sample to further increase the sensitivity. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Reproducible Computerized Method for Quantitation of Capillary Density using Nailfold Capillaroscopy.

PubMed

Cheng, Cynthia; Lee, Chadd W; Daskalakis, Constantine

2015-10-27

Capillaroscopy is a non-invasive, efficient, relatively inexpensive and easy to learn methodology for directly visualizing the microcirculation. The capillaroscopy technique can provide insight into a patient's microvascular health, leading to a variety of potentially valuable dermatologic, ophthalmologic, rheumatologic and cardiovascular clinical applications. In addition, tumor growth may be dependent on angiogenesis, which can be quantitated by measuring microvessel density within the tumor. However, there is currently little to no standardization of techniques, and only one publication to date reports the reliability of a currently available, complex computer based algorithms for quantitating capillaroscopy data.(1) This paper describes a new, simpler, reliable, standardized capillary counting algorithm for quantitating nailfold capillaroscopy data. A simple, reproducible computerized capillaroscopy algorithm such as this would facilitate more widespread use of the technique among researchers and clinicians. Many researchers currently analyze capillaroscopy images by hand, promoting user fatigue and subjectivity of the results. This paper describes a novel, easy-to-use automated image processing algorithm in addition to a reproducible, semi-automated counting algorithm. This algorithm enables analysis of images in minutes while reducing subjectivity; only a minimal amount of training time (in our experience, less than 1 hr) is needed to learn the technique.

A Reproducible Computerized Method for Quantitation of Capillary Density using Nailfold Capillaroscopy

PubMed Central

Daskalakis, Constantine

2015-01-01

Capillaroscopy is a non-invasive, efficient, relatively inexpensive and easy to learn methodology for directly visualizing the microcirculation. The capillaroscopy technique can provide insight into a patient’s microvascular health, leading to a variety of potentially valuable dermatologic, ophthalmologic, rheumatologic and cardiovascular clinical applications. In addition, tumor growth may be dependent on angiogenesis, which can be quantitated by measuring microvessel density within the tumor. However, there is currently little to no standardization of techniques, and only one publication to date reports the reliability of a currently available, complex computer based algorithms for quantitating capillaroscopy data.1 This paper describes a new, simpler, reliable, standardized capillary counting algorithm for quantitating nailfold capillaroscopy data. A simple, reproducible computerized capillaroscopy algorithm such as this would facilitate more widespread use of the technique among researchers and clinicians. Many researchers currently analyze capillaroscopy images by hand, promoting user fatigue and subjectivity of the results. This paper describes a novel, easy-to-use automated image processing algorithm in addition to a reproducible, semi-automated counting algorithm. This algorithm enables analysis of images in minutes while reducing subjectivity; only a minimal amount of training time (in our experience, less than 1 hr) is needed to learn the technique. PMID:26554744

Electroosmotic Push–Pull Perfusion: Description and Application to Qualitative Analysis of the Hydrolysis of Exogenous Galanin in Organotypic Hippocampal Slice Cultures

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

We demonstrate here a method that perfuses a small region of an organotypic hippocampal culture with a solution containing an enzyme substrate, a neuropeptide. Perfusate containing hydrolysis products is continually collected and subsequently analyzed for the products of the enzymatic degradation of the peptide substrate. The driving force for perfusion is an electric field. The fused silica capillaries used as “push” and “pull” or “source” and “collection” capillaries have a ζ-potential that is negative and greater in magnitude than the tissue’s ζ-potential. Thus, depending on the magnitudes of particular dimensions, the electroosmotic flow in the capillaries augments the fluid velocity in the tissue. The flow rate is not directly measured; however, we determine it using a finite-element approach. We have determined the collection efficiency of the system using an all d-amino acid internal standard. The flow rates are low, in the nL/min range, and adjustable by controlling the current or voltage in the system. The collection efficiency of the d-amino acid peptide internal standard is variable, increasing with increased current and thus electroosmotic flow rate. The collection efficiency can be rationalized in the context of a Peclet number. Electroosmotic push–pull perfusion of the neuropeptide galanin (gal1–29) through the extracellular space of an organotypic hippocampal culture results in its hydrolysis by ectopeptidase reactions occurring in the extracellular space. The products of hydrolysis were identified by MALDI-MS. Experiments at two levels of current (8–12 μA and 19–40 μA) show that the probability of seeing hydrolysis products (apparently from aminopeptidases) is greater in the Cornu Ammonis area 3 (CA3) than in the Cornu Ammonis area 1 (CA1) in the higher current experiments. In the lower current experiments, shorter peptide products of aminopeptidases (gal13–29 to gal20–19) are seen with greater frequency in CA3 than in CA1 but there is no statistically significant difference for longer peptides (gal3–29 to gal12–29). PMID:23614879

[Study on the micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography (MECC) for several water soluble vitamins].

PubMed

Li, X; He, J

1997-03-01

In the paper, the influences of the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and borax (Na2B4O7), pH value and applied voltage on the MECC of water soluble vitamins--VB1, VB2, VB6, VB12 and VC in fused silica capillary were studied. In the system of SDS-Na2B4O7, the retention times of the vitamins mentioned above increase with the increase of concentration of SDS and Na2B4O7. But if SDS concentration is too high the separation will become worse, and if Na2B4O7 concentration is too high the peak will be broad because the increase of retention time will lead to the increase of diffusion of molecules. With the pH increasing, the separation efficiency is always increasing. The change of the applied voltage has little effect on the separation efficiency. However, at higher pH and applied voltage, the high ionic strength and large current will produce more Joule heat and cause higher background noise. The optimum run buffer for this separation contains 18mmol/L Na2B4O7 and 25mmol/L SDS, with pH at 8.5 by adjusted with hydrochloric acid. The separation was completed within 4min at an applied voltage of 14.0kV. The separation efficiencies ranged from 1.1 x 10(5) to 2.4 x 10(5) theoretical plates/meter. The application of this method to drug analysis is demonstrated.

Insulin-induced changes in microvascular vasomotion and capillary recruitment are associated in humans.

PubMed

de Boer, Michiel P; Meijer, Rick I; Newman, John; Stehouwer, Coen D A; Eringa, Etto C; Smulders, Yvo M; Serné, Erik H

2014-07-01

Insulin-induced capillary recruitment is considered a significant regulator of overall insulin-stimulated glucose uptake. Insulin's action to recruit capillaries has been hypothesized to involve insulin-induced changes in vasomotion. Data directly linking vasomotion to capillary perfusion, however, are presently lacking. We, therefore, investigated whether insulin's actions on capillary recruitment and vasomotion were interrelated in a group of healthy individuals. We further assessed the role of capillary recruitment in the association between vasomotion and insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Changes in vasomotion and capillary density were determined by LDF and capillary videomicroscopy in skin, respectively, before and during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp in 19 healthy volunteers. Insulin-induced increase in the neurogenic vasomotion domain was positively related to insulin-augmented capillary recruitment (r = 0.51, p = 0.04), and both parameters were related to insulin-mediated glucose uptake (r = 0.47, p = 0.06 and r = 0.73, p = 0.001, respectively). The change in insulin-augmented capillary recruitment could, at least statistically, largely explain the association between the neurogenic domain and insulin-mediated glucose uptake. Insulin-induced changes in vasomotion and capillary recruitment are associated in healthy volunteers. These data suggest that insulin's action to recruit capillaries may in part involve action on the neurogenic vasomotion domain, thereby enhancing capillary perfusion and glucose uptake. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Observation of emission process in hydrogen-like nitrogen Z-pinch discharge with time integrated soft X-ray spectrum pinhole image

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sakai, Y.; Kumai, H.; Nakanishi, Y.

2013-02-15

The emission spectra of hydrogen-like nitrogen Balmer at the wavelength of 13.4 nm in capillary Z-pinch discharge plasma are experimentally examined. Ionization to fully strip nitrogen at the pinch maximum, and subsequent rapid expansion cooling are required to establish the population inversion between the principal quantum number of n = 2 and n = 3. The ionization and recombination processes with estimated plasma parameters are evaluated by utilizing a time integrated spectrum pinhole image containing radial spatial information. A cylindrical capillary plasma is pinched by a triangular pulsed current with peak amplitude of 50 kA and pulse width of 50more » ns.« less

High magnification bronchovideoscopy combined with narrow band imaging could detect capillary loops of angiogenic squamous dysplasia in heavy smokers at high risk for lung cancer.

PubMed

Shibuya, K; Hoshino, H; Chiyo, M; Iyoda, A; Yoshida, S; Sekine, Y; Iizasa, T; Saitoh, Y; Baba, M; Hiroshima, K; Ohwada, H; Fujisawa, T

2003-11-01

We investigated the use of high magnification bronchovideoscopy combined with narrow band imaging (NBI) for the detailed examination of angiogenic squamous dysplasia (ASD). This was carried out in relation to bronchial vascular patterns with abnormal mucosal fluorescence in heavy smokers at high risk for lung cancer. Forty eight patients with sputum cytology specimens suspicious or positive for malignancy were entered into the study. Conventional white light and fluorescence bronchoscopic examination was first performed. Observations by high magnification bronchovideoscopy with conventional white light were made primarily at sites of abnormal fluorescence, and then repeated with NBI light to examine microvascular networks in the bronchial mucosa. Spectral features on the RGB (Red/Green/Blue) sequential videoscope system were changed from the conventional RGB broadband filter to the new NBI filter. The wavelength ranges of the new NBI filter were B1: 400-430 nm, B2: 420-470 nm, and G: 560-590 nm. ASD tissues were also examined using a confocal laser scanning microscope equipped with argon-krypton (488 nm) and argon (514 nm) laser sources. The microvessels, vascular networks of various grades, and dotted vessels in ASD tissues were clearly observed in NBI-B1 images. Diameters of the dotted vessels visible on NBI-B1 images agreed with the diameters of ASD capillary blood vessels diagnosed by pathological examination. Capillary blood vessels were also clearly visualised by green fluorescence by confocal laser scanning microscopy. There was a significant association between the frequency of dotted vessels by NBI-B1 imaging and tissues confirmed as ASD pathologically (p=0.002). High magnification bronchovideoscopy combined with NBI was useful in the detection of capillary blood vessels in ASD lesions at sites of abnormal fluorescence. This may enable the discrimination between ASD and another pre-invasive bronchial lesion.

Production of high-titer human influenza A virus with adherent and suspension MDCK cells cultured in a single-use hollow fiber bioreactor.

PubMed

Tapia, Felipe; Vogel, Thomas; Genzel, Yvonne; Behrendt, Ilona; Hirschel, Mark; Gangemi, J David; Reichl, Udo

2014-02-12

Hollow fiber bioreactors (HFBRs) have been widely described as capable of supporting the production of highly concentrated monoclonal antibodies and recombinant proteins. Only recently HFBRs have been proposed as new single-use platforms for production of high-titer influenza A virus. These bioreactors contain multiple hollow fiber capillary tubes that separate the bioreactor in an intra- and an extra-capillary space. Cells are usually cultured in the extra-capillary space and can grow to a very high cell concentration. This work describes the evaluation of the single-use hollow fiber bioreactor PRIMER HF (Biovest International Inc., USA) for production of influenza A virus. The process was setup, characterized and optimized by running a total of 15 cultivations. The HFBRs were seeded with either adherent or suspension MDCK cells, and infected with influenza virus A/PR/8/34 (H1N1), and the pandemic strain A/Mexico/4108/2009 (H1N1). High HA titers and TCID₅₀ of up to 3.87 log₁₀(HA units/100 μL) and 1.8 × 10(10)virions/mL, respectively, were obtained for A/PR/8/34 influenza strain. Influenza virus was collected by performing multiple harvests of the extra-capillary space during a virus production time of up to 12 days. Cell-specific virus yields between 2,000 and 8,000 virions/cell were estimated for adherent MDCK cells, and between 11,000 and 19,000 virions/cell for suspension MDCK.SUS2 cells. These results do not only coincide with the cell-specific virus yields obtained with cultivations in stirred tank bioreactors and other high cell density systems, but also demonstrate that HFBRs are promising and competitive single-use platforms that can be considered for commercial production of influenza virus. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A contoured gap coaxial plasma gun with injected plasma armature.

PubMed

Witherspoon, F Douglas; Case, Andrew; Messer, Sarah J; Bomgardner, Richard; Phillips, Michael W; Brockington, Samuel; Elton, Raymond

2009-08-01

A new coaxial plasma gun is described. The long term objective is to accelerate 100-200 microg of plasma with density above 10(17) cm(-3) to greater than 200 km/s with a Mach number above 10. Such high velocity dense plasma jets have a number of potential fusion applications, including plasma refueling, magnetized target fusion, injection of angular momentum into centrifugally confined mirrors, high energy density plasmas, and others. The approach uses symmetric injection of high density plasma into a coaxial electromagnetic accelerator having an annular gap geometry tailored to prevent formation of the blow-by instability. The injected plasma is generated by numerous (currently 32) radially oriented capillary discharges arranged uniformly around the circumference of the angled annular injection region of the accelerator. Magnetohydrodynamic modeling identified electrode profiles that can achieve the desired plasma jet parameters. The experimental hardware is described along with initial experimental results in which approximately 200 microg has been accelerated to 100 km/s in a half-scale prototype gun. Initial observations of 64 merging injector jets in a planar cylindrical testing array are presented. Density and velocity are presently limited by available peak current and injection sources. Steps to increase both the drive current and the injected plasma mass are described for next generation experiments.

A simple capillary gel electrophoresis approach for efficient and reproducible DNA separations. Analysis of genetically modified soy and maize.

PubMed

Sánchez, Laura; González, Ramón; Crego, Antonio L; Cifuentes, Alejandro

2007-03-01

It is generally assumed that in order to achieve suitable separations of DNA fragments, capillary gel electrophoresis (CGE)-coated capillaries should be used. In this work, a new method is presented that allows to obtain reproducible CGE separations of DNA fragments using bare fused-silica capillaries without any previous coating step. The proposed method only requires: (i) a capillary washing with 0.1 M hydrochloric acid between injections and (ii) a running buffer composed of Tris-phosphate-ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 4.5% of 2-hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) as sieving polymer. The use of this new CGE procedure gives highly resolved and reproducible separations of DNA fragments ranging from 50 to 750 bp. The separation of these DNA fragments is accomplished in less than 30 min with efficiencies up to 1.7 x 10(6) plates/m. Reproducibility values of migration times (given as %RSD) for the analyzed DNA fragments are better than 1.0% (n = 4) for the same day, 2.2% (n = 16) for four different days, and 2.3% (n = 16) for four different capillaries. The usefulness of this separation method is demonstrated by detecting genetically modified maize and genetically modified soy after DNA amplification by PCR. This new CGE procedure together with LIF as detector provides sensitive analysis of 0.9% of Bt11 maize, Mon810 maize, and Roundup Ready soy in flours with S/ N up to 542. These results demonstrate the usefulness of this procedure to fulfill the European regulation on detection of genetically modified organisms in foods.

Phosphodiesterase-4 inhibition as a therapeutic approach to treat capillary leakage in systemic inflammation.

PubMed

Schick, Martin Alexander; Wunder, Christian; Wollborn, Jakob; Roewer, Norbert; Waschke, Jens; Germer, Christoph-Thomas; Schlegel, Nicolas

2012-06-01

In sepsis and systemic inflammation, increased microvascular permeability and consecutive breakdown of microcirculatory flow significantly contribute to organ failure and death. Evidence points to a critical role of cAMP levels in endothelial cells to maintain capillary endothelial barrier properties in acute inflammation. However, approaches to verify this observation in systemic models are rare. Therefore we tested here whether systemic application of the phosphodiesterase-4-inhibitors (PD-4-Is) rolipram or roflumilast to increase endothelial cAMP was effective to attenuate capillary leakage and breakdown of microcirculatory flow in severe lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced systemic inflammation in rats. Measurements of cAMP in mesenteric microvessels demonstrated significant LPS-induced loss of cAMP levels which was blocked by application of rolipram. Increased endothelial cAMP by application of either PD-4-I rolipram or roflumilast led to stabilization of endothelial barrier properties as revealed by measurements of extravasated FITC-albumin in postcapillary mesenteric venules. Accordingly, microcirculatory flow in mesenteric venules was significantly increased following PD-4-I treatment and blood gas analyses indicated improved metabolism. Furthermore application of PD-4-I after manifestation of LPS-induced systemic inflammation and capillary leakage therapeutically stabilized endothelial barrier properties as revealed by significantly reduced volume resuscitation for haemodynamic stabilization. Accordingly microcirculation was significantly improved following treatment with PD-4-Is. Our results demonstrate that inflammation-derived loss of endothelial cAMP contributes to capillary leakage which was blocked by systemic PD-4-I treatment. Therefore these data suggest a highly clinically relevant and applicable approach to stabilize capillary leakage in sepsis and systemic inflammation.

Charging YOYO-1 on Capillary Wall for Online DNA Intercalation and Integrating This Approach with Multiplex PCR and Bare Narrow Capillary–Hydrodynamic Chromatography for Online DNA Analysis

PubMed Central

2016-01-01

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has been widely utilized for high-throughput pathogen identification. Often, a dye is used to intercalate the amplified DNA fragments, and identifications of the pathogens are carried out by DNA melting curve analysis or gel electrophoresis. Integrating DNA amplification and identification is a logic path toward maximizing the benefit of multiplex PCR. Although PCR and gel electrophoresis have been integrated, replenishing the gels after each run is tedious and time-consuming. In this technical note, we develop an approach to address this issue. We perform multiplex PCR inside a capillary, transfer the amplified fragments to a bare narrow capillary, and measure their lengths online using bare narrow capillary–hydrodynamic chromatography (BaNC-HDC), a new technique recently developed in our laboratory for free-solution DNA separation. To intercalate the DNA with YOYO-1 (a fluorescent dye) for BaNC-HDC, we flush the capillary column with a YOYO-1 solution; positively charged YOYO-1 is adsorbed (or charged) onto the negatively charged capillary wall. As DNA molecules are driven down the column for separation, they react with the YOYO-1 stored on the capillary wall and are online-intercalated with the dye. With a single YOYO-1 charging, the column can be used for more than 40 runs, although the fluorescence signal intensities of the DNA peaks decrease gradually. Although the dye-DNA intercalation occurs during the separation, it does not affect the retention times, separation efficiencies, or resolutions. PMID:25555111

Scalable fabrication of strongly textured organic semiconductor micropatterns by capillary force lithography.

PubMed

Jo, Pil Sung; Vailionis, Arturas; Park, Young Min; Salleo, Alberto

2012-06-26

Strongly textured organic semiconductor micropatterns made of the small molecule dioctylbenzothienobenzothiophene (C(8)-BTBT) are fabricated by using a method based on capillary force lithography (CFL). This technique provides the C(8)-BTBT solution with nucleation sites for directional growth, and can be used as a scalable way to produce high quality crystalline arrays in desired regions of a substrate for OFET applications. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Development of and fabrication of high resolution gas chromatographic capillary columns

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Zlatkis, A.

1982-01-01

Gas chromatographic columns which are used in the trace gas analyzer (TGA) for the space shuttle are coated with a polyoxyethylene lauryl ether. This stationary phase is of medium polarity and has a temperature limit of 160 C. A polymer for this application which has an improved thermal stability is investigated. The use of fused silica capillary columns with specially bonded phases as well as an introduction system (on column) was also studied.

Twisting microfluidics in a planetary centrifuge.

PubMed

Yasuda, Shoya; Hayakawa, Masayuki; Onoe, Hiroaki; Takinoue, Masahiro

2017-03-15

This paper reports a twisting microfluidic method utilising a centrifuge-based fluid extruding system in a planetary centrifuge which simultaneously generates an orbital rotation and an axial spin. In this method, fluid extrusion from a micro-scale capillary to an 'open-space' solution or air enables release of the fluid from the capillary-based microchannel, which physically means that there is a release of fluids from a confined low-Reynolds-number environment to an open non-low-Reynolds-number environment. As a result, the extruded fluids are separated from the axial spin of the capillary, and the difference in the angular rates of the axial spin between the capillary and the extruded fluids produces the 'twisting' of the fluid. In this study, we achieve control of the twist of highly viscous fluids, and we construct a simple physical model for the fluid twist. In addition, we demonstrate the formation of twisted hydrogel microstructures (stripe-patterned microbeads and multi-helical microfibres) with control over the stripe pattern and the helical pitch length. We believe that this method will enable the generation of more sophisticated microstructures which cannot easily be formed by usual channel-based microfluidic devices. This method can also provide advanced control of microfluids, as in the case of rapid mixing of highly viscous fluids. This method can contribute to a wide range of applications in materials science, biophysics, biomedical science, and microengineering in the future.

Reduction of the capillary water absorption of foamed concrete by using the porous aggregate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Namsone, E.; Sahmenko, G.; Namsone, E.; Korjakins, A.

2017-10-01

The article reports on the research of reduction of the capillary water absorption of foamed concrete (FC) by using the porous aggregate such as the granules of expanded glass (EG) and the cenospheres (CS). The EG granular aggregate is produced by using recycled glass and blowing agents, melted down in high temperature. The unique structure of the EG granules is obtained where the air is kept closed inside the pellet. The use of the porous aggregate in the preparation process of the FC samples provides an opportunity to improve some physical and mechanical properties of the FC, classifying it as a product of high-performance. In this research the FC samples were produced by adding the EG granules and the CS. The capillary water absorption of hardened samples has been verified. The pore size distribution has been determined by microscope. It is a very important characteristic, specifically in the cold climate territories-where temperature often falls below zero degrees. It is necessary to prevent forming of the micro sized pores in the final structure of the material as it reduces its water absorption capacity. In addition, at a below zero temperature water inside these micro sized pores can increase them by expanding the stress on their walls during the freezing process. Research of the capillary water absorption kinetics can be practical for prevision of the FC durability.

Method and apparatus for the in situ decontamination of underground water with the aid of solar energy

DOEpatents

Bench, Thomas R.; McCann, Larry D.

1989-01-01

A method for the in situ decontamination of underground water containing -volatile contaminants comprising continuously contacting in situ underground water containing non-volatile contaminants with a liquid-absorbent material possessing high capillary activity, allowing the non-volatile contaminants to deposit in the material while the water moves upwardly through the material by capillary action, allowing substantially decontaminated water to be volatilized by impinging solar radiation, and then allowing the volatilized water to escape from the material into the atmosphere. An apparatus for the in situ decontamination of underground water containing non-volatile contaminants comprising at least one water-impermeable elongated conduit having an upper portion and first and second open ends and containing a homogeneous liquid-absorbent material possessing high capillary activity, means for supporting said conduit, and means for accelerating the escape of the volatilized decontamined water from the material, said means being detachably connected to the second end of the elongated conduit; wherein when underground water contaminated with non-volatile contaminants is continuously contacted in situ with the material contained in the first end of the conduit and the second end of the conduit is placed in contact with atmospheric air, non-volatile contaminants deposit in said material as the water moves upwardly through the material by capillary action, is then volatilized by impinging solar energy and escapes to the atmosphere.

Effect of Capillary Tube’s Shape on Capillary Rising Regime for Viscos Fluids

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soroush, F.; Moosavi, A.

2018-05-01

When properties of the displacing fluid are considered, the rising profile of the penetrating fluid in a capillary tube deviates from its classical Lucas-Washburn profile. Also, shape of capillary tube can affect the rising profile in different aspects. In this article, effect of capillary tube’s shape on the vertical capillary motion in presence of gravity is investigated by considering the properties of the displacing fluid. According to the fact that the differential equation of the capillary rising for a non-simple wall type is very difficult to solve analytically, a finite element simulation model is used for this study. After validation of the simulation model with an experiment that has been done with a simple capillary tube, shape of the capillary tube’s wall is changed in order to understand its effects on the capillary rising and different motion regimes that may appear according to different geometries. The main focus of this article is on the sinusoidal wall shapes and comparing them with a simple wall.

Means and method for capillary zone electrophoresis with laser-induced indirect fluorescence detection

DOEpatents

Yeung, Edward S.; Kuhr, Werner G.

1996-02-20

A means and method for capillary zone electrphoresis with laser-induced indirect fluorescence detection. A detector is positioned on the capillary tube of a capillary zone electrophoresis system. The detector includes a laser which generates a laser beam which is imposed upon a small portion of the capillary tube. Fluorescence of the elutant electromigrating through the capillary tube is indirectly detected and recorded.

Means and method for capillary zone electrophoresis with laser-induced indirect fluorescence detection

DOEpatents

Yeung, Edwards; Kuhr, Werner G.

1991-04-09

A means and method for capillary zone electrphoresis with laser-induced indirect fluorescence detection. A detector is positioned on the capillary tube of a capillary zone electrophoresis system. The detector includes a laser which generates a laser beam which is imposed upon a small portion of the capillary tube. Fluorescence of the elutant electromigrating through the capillary tube is indirectly detected and recorded.

Enhancing separation in short-capillary electrophoresis via pressure-driven backflow.

PubMed

Tian, Miaomiao; Wang, Yujia; Mohamed, Amara Camara; Guo, Liping; Yang, Li

2015-07-01

We present a novel easy-to-operate and efficient method to improve the separation efficiency in short-capillary electrophoresis by introducing steady backflow to counterbalance electro-osmotic flow without the use of any external pressure. The backflow was easily generated by tapering the capillary end, which was achieved by heating a straight capillary and stretching it with a constant force. We investigated the net fluidic transport rate under different tip lengths and separation voltages. Good run-to-run repeatability and capillary-to-capillary reproducibility of the present method were obtained with RSD less than 1.5%, indicating the stability of the fluid transport rate in the tapered capillary, which ensures the quantification and repeatability of capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) analysis. Enhanced separation of the tapered short capillary electrophoresis was demonstrated by CZE analyzing amino acids and positional isomers. Baseline separations were achieved in less than 60 s using a tapered capillary with the effective length of 5 cm, while no separation was achieved using a normal capillary without a tapered tip. The present study provides a promising method to use pressure-driven backflow to enhance separation efficiency in short-capillary electrophoresis, which would be of potential value in a wide application for fast analysis of complex samples. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Altered metabolites in the plasma of autism spectrum disorder: a capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectroscopy study.

PubMed

Kuwabara, Hitoshi; Yamasue, Hidenori; Koike, Shinsuke; Inoue, Hideyuki; Kawakubo, Yuki; Kuroda, Miho; Takano, Yosuke; Iwashiro, Norichika; Natsubori, Tatsunobu; Aoki, Yuta; Kano, Yukiko; Kasai, Kiyoto

2013-01-01

Clinical diagnosis and severity of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are determined by trained clinicians based on clinical evaluations of observed behaviors. As such, this approach is inevitably dependent on the expertise and subjective assessment of those administering the clinical evaluations. There is a need to identify objective biological markers associated with diagnosis or clinical severity of the disorder. To identify novel candidate metabolites as potential biomarkers for ASD, the current study applied capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (CE-TOFMS) for high-throughput profiling of metabolite levels in the plasma of 25 psychotropic-naïve adult males with high-functioning ASD and 28 age-matched typically-developed control subjects. Ten ASD participants and ten age-matched controls were assigned in the first exploration set, while 15 ASD participants and 18 controls were included in the second replication set. By CE-TOFMS analysis, a total of 143 metabolites were detected in the plasma of the first set. Of these, 17 metabolites showed significantly different relative areas between the ASD participants and the controls (p<0.05). Of the 17 metabolites, we consistently found that the ASD participants had significantly high plasma levels of arginine (p = 0.024) and taurine (p = 0.018), and significantly low levels of 5-oxoproline (p<0.001) and lactic acid (p = 0.031) compared with the controls in the second sample set. Further confirmatory analysis using quantification of absolute metabolite concentrations supported the robustness of high arginine (p = 0.001) and low lactic acid (p = 0.003) in the combined sample (n = 53). The present study identified deviated plasma metabolite levels associated with oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in individuals with ASD.

Altered Metabolites in the Plasma of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Capillary Electrophoresis Time-of-Flight Mass Spectroscopy Study

PubMed Central

Kuwabara, Hitoshi; Yamasue, Hidenori; Koike, Shinsuke; Inoue, Hideyuki; Kawakubo, Yuki; Kuroda, Miho; Takano, Yosuke; Iwashiro, Norichika; Natsubori, Tatsunobu; Aoki, Yuta; Kano, Yukiko; Kasai, Kiyoto

2013-01-01

Clinical diagnosis and severity of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are determined by trained clinicians based on clinical evaluations of observed behaviors. As such, this approach is inevitably dependent on the expertise and subjective assessment of those administering the clinical evaluations. There is a need to identify objective biological markers associated with diagnosis or clinical severity of the disorder. To identify novel candidate metabolites as potential biomarkers for ASD, the current study applied capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (CE-TOFMS) for high-throughput profiling of metabolite levels in the plasma of 25 psychotropic-naïve adult males with high-functioning ASD and 28 age-matched typically-developed control subjects. Ten ASD participants and ten age-matched controls were assigned in the first exploration set, while 15 ASD participants and 18 controls were included in the second replication set. By CE-TOFMS analysis, a total of 143 metabolites were detected in the plasma of the first set. Of these, 17 metabolites showed significantly different relative areas between the ASD participants and the controls (p<0.05). Of the 17 metabolites, we consistently found that the ASD participants had significantly high plasma levels of arginine (p = 0.024) and taurine (p = 0.018), and significantly low levels of 5-oxoproline (p<0.001) and lactic acid (p = 0.031) compared with the controls in the second sample set. Further confirmatory analysis using quantification of absolute metabolite concentrations supported the robustness of high arginine (p = 0.001) and low lactic acid (p = 0.003) in the combined sample (n = 53). The present study identified deviated plasma metabolite levels associated with oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction in individuals with ASD. PMID:24058493

Velocity measurements of heterogeneous RBC flow in capillary vessels using dynamic laser speckle signal

PubMed Central

Li, Chenxi; Wang, Ruikang

2017-01-01

Abstract. We propose an approach to measure heterogeneous velocities of red blood cells (RBCs) in capillary vessels using full-field time-varying dynamic speckle signals. The approach utilizes a low coherent laser speckle imaging system to record the instantaneous speckle pattern, followed by an eigen-decomposition-based filtering algorithm to extract dynamic speckle signal due to the moving RBCs. The velocity of heterogeneous RBC flows is determined by cross-correlating the temporal dynamic speckle signals obtained at adjacent locations. We verify the approach by imaging mouse pinna in vivo, demonstrating its capability for full-field RBC flow mapping and quantifying flow pattern with high resolution. It is expected to investigate the dynamic action of RBCs flow in capillaries under physiological changes. PMID:28384709

Separation of granulocytes from whole blood by leukoadhesion, phase 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1976-01-01

Capillary glass tubes are investigated for the separation and retrieval of large quantities of viable granulocytes and monocytes from whole blood on a continuous basis from a single donor. This effort represented the feasibility demonstration of a three phase program for development of a capillary tube cell separation device. The activity included the analysis and parametric laboratory testing with subscale models required to design a prototype device. Capillary tubes 40 cm long with a nominal 0.030 cm internal diameter yielded the highest total process efficiency. Recovery efficiencies as high as 89% of the adhering cell population were obtained. Granulocyte phagocytosis of latex particles indicated approximately 90% viability. Monocytes recovered from the separation column retained their capability to stimulate human bone marrow colony growth, as demonstrated in an in vitro cell culture assay.

The elevation, slope, and curvature spectra of a wind roughened sea surface

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pierson, W. J., Jr.; Stacy, R. A.

1973-01-01

The elevation, slope and curvature spectra are defined as a function of wave number and depend on the friction velocity. There are five wave number ranges of definition called the gravity wave-gravity equilibrium range, the isotropic turbulence range, the connecting range due to Leykin Rosenberg, the capillary range, and the viscous cutoff range. The higher wave number ranges are strongly wind speed dependent, and there is no equilibrium (or saturated) capillary range, at least for winds up to 30 meters/sec. Some properties of the angular variation of the spectra are also found. For high wave numbers, especially in the capillary range, the results are shown to be consistent with the Rayleigh-Rice backscattering theory (Bragg scattering), and certain properties of the angular variation are deduced from backscatter measurements.

Quantitative fine structure of capillaries in subregions of the rat subfornical organ.

PubMed

Shaver, S W; Sposito, N M; Gross, P M

1990-04-01

The differentiated cytology across subregions of the rat subfornical organ (SFO) prompted our hypothesis that ultrastructural features of capillary endothelial cells would vary topographically and quantitatively within this small nucleus. We used electron microscopic and computer-based morphometric methods to assess fine structural dimensions of the capillary endothelium in four distinct subregions of the SFO from Long-Evans and homozygous Brattleboro rats. Three types of capillary were present. Type III capillaries (resembling those of endocrine glands) had an average wall thickness of 0.17 microns, 54% thinner than those of Type I and II capillaries. Pericapillary spaces around Type III capillaries measured 56 microns2, 100% larger than for Type I vessels (resembling those of skeletal muscle). Only Type III capillaries contained fenestrations (9 per microns2 of endothelial cell) and were the predominant type of capillary in central and caudal subregions of the SFO. Type I capillaries, prevalent in the transitional subregion between the central and rostral parts of the SFO, had 10 cytoplasmic vesicles per micron2 of endothelial cell area, a number not different from that of Type III capillaries but 3x the frequency found in Type II vessels. Type II capillaries (those typical of "blood-brain barrier" endothelium) had low vesicular density (3 per microns2), no fenestrations, and no pericapillary spaces. Luminal diameters and the densities of mitochondria and intercellular junctions were not different among capillary types or subregions in the SFO. Furthermore, there were no morphometric differences for any capillary dimensions between Long-Evans and Brattleboro rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)