Commercial Solutions Research Articles

Visual detection of H2O2 and glucose by HBcAb-HRP fluorescence-enhanced CdTe QDs/CDs ratiometric fluorescence sensing platform

This study presents the development of a sensitive and simple enhanced ratiometric fluorescence sensing platform in the consist of CdTe quantum dots (QDs), carbon dots (CDs), and hepatitis B core antibody labeled with horseradish peroxidase (HBcAb-HRP) for the visual analysis of H2O2 and glucose. The sulfur atoms in HBcAb-HRP have a strong affinity for Cd(II), which effectively enhances the fluorescence intensity of the CdTe QDs due to the generation of more radiative centers at the CdTe/Cd-SR complex. In the presence of H2O2, the Cd-S bonds are oxidized to form disulfide products and results in linear fluorescence quenching, while CDs maintain stable. Becasue glucose can be converted into H2O2 with the aid of glucose oxidase, this sensing platform can also be used for analyzing glucose. The detection limits for H2O2 and glucose are 2.9 μmol L−1 with RSD of 2.6% and 1.6 μmol L−1 with RSD of 2.4% respectively. In addition, under UV lamp irradiation, the orange-yellow CdTe QDs gradually quench with increasing H2O2 and glucose, while the blue CDs remain unchanged. A color change from orange-yellow to blue enables a visual semi-quantitative determination of H2O2 in commercial contact lens solution and glucose in human serum without any pretreatment. Thus, this CdTe QDs/CDs ratiometric sensing platform has significant potential for the rapid analysis of H2O2 and glucose in actual application.

Автоматизированная система оперативной регистрации технических изменений предприятия радиоэлектронной промышленности

The modern production of radio-electronic equipment is a typical example of a make-to-order type of production. With custom-made products, each order is a unique product. The repeatability of orders in the total volume of orders is quite small compared to new orders, which leads to a large increase in the product range. As a rule, manufactured products are complex, high-tech products that can have a large structure, consist of a large number of components, and have a complex manufacturing process. Thus, the implementation of the full cycle of production of products and the preparation of design documentation requires the support of specialized software. Given the complexity of finished products and the large number of participants involved in production activities, there is an exponential growth in the volume of information. Without the availability of up-to-date data and methods for quick decision making, the development and production process will not be effective. The issues of automating the tracking of operational changes in design documentation at all stages of the production of radio-electronic equipment are considered. Automated systems responsible for managing the life cycle of products are called PLM – Product Lifecycle Management – this is a strategy for the production of industrial products that manages the product at all stages of the life cycle. Existing commercial solutions in this area have redundant functionality and are difficult to integrate into the existing information space of the enterprise. Aim. Study of the process of registration of technical changes in design documentation. Methods. The article presents the process of implementing technical changes in the form of a formal model and a functional model for implementing the changelog using the IDEF0 notation. The architecture of the electronic log of operational registration of changes in the form of diagrams of UML graphic notation is presented. Results. Models for the development of an automated system for managing the electronic journal of operational registration of changes are proposed. The software implementation of the system for managing the electronic journal of operational registration of changes at a research and production enterprise is considered. Conclusion. The automated system proposed in the study allows in a short time to bring to the production shops of the enterprise information about the proposed changes in the design of a prototype product, stop production, take the necessary corrective actions and finalize the product with minimization of losses for the production of a new prototype.

Test bench of a 100 Gbps radiation hardened link for future particle accelerators

Abstract Pioneering physics experiments require increasingly faster data transfers and high-throughput electronics, which drives the research towards a new class of serialisers and optical links. In this framework, the DART28, a 100 Gbps radiation tolerant serialiser and driver, has been designed in 28 nm CMOS technology, submitted in April and delivered in August 2023. The development has been coupled with an FPGA based emulation, which provided an early assessment of its behaviour, a scalable system-level demonstrator and an effective evaluation tool for compatible commercial solutions. The challenges faced in this research and the architecture of both the hardware setup and the firmware will be described.

Next generation phenotyping for diagnosis and phenotype–genotype correlations in Kabuki syndrome

The field of dysmorphology has been changed by the use Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the development of Next Generation Phenotyping (NGP). The aim of this study was to propose a new NGP model for predicting KS (Kabuki Syndrome) on 2D facial photographs and distinguish KS1 (KS type 1, KMT2D-related) from KS2 (KS type 2, KDM6A-related). We included retrospectively and prospectively, from 1998 to 2023, all frontal and lateral pictures of patients with a molecular confirmation of KS. After automatic preprocessing, we extracted geometric and textural features. After incorporation of age, gender, and ethnicity, we used XGboost (eXtreme Gradient Boosting), a supervised machine learning classifier. The model was tested on an independent validation set. Finally, we compared the performances of our model with DeepGestalt (Face2Gene). The study included 1448 frontal and lateral facial photographs from 6 centers, corresponding to 634 patients (527 controls, 107 KS); 82 (78%) of KS patients had a variation in the KMT2D gene (KS1) and 23 (22%) in the KDM6A gene (KS2). We were able to distinguish KS from controls in the independent validation group with an accuracy of 95.8% (78.9–99.9%, p < 0.001) and distinguish KS1 from KS2 with an empirical Area Under the Curve (AUC) of 0.805 (0.729–0.880, p < 0.001). We report an automatic detection model for KS with high performances (AUC 0.993 and accuracy 95.8%). We were able to distinguish patients with KS1 from KS2, with an AUC of 0.805. These results outperform the current commercial AI-based solutions and expert clinicians.

Nanopore Fabrication Made Easy: A Portable, Affordable Microcontroller-Assisted Approach for Tailored Pore Formation via Controlled Breakdown.

With growing interest in solid-state nanopore sensing─a single-molecule technique capable of profiling a host of analyte classes─establishing facile and scalable approaches for fabricating molecular-size pores is becoming increasingly important. The introduction of nanopore fabrication by controlled breakdown (CBD) has transformed the economics and accessibility of nanopore fabrication. Here, we introduce the design of an Arduino-based, portable USB-powered CBD device, with an estimated cost of <150 USD, which is ≈10-100× cheaper than most commercial solutions, capable of fabricating single nanopores conducive for single molecule sensing experiments. We demonstrate the facile fabrication of 60 tailored nanopores (∼2.6-12.6 nm) with ∼80% of the pores within 1 nm of the target diameter. Selected pores were then tested with double-stranded DNA, the canonical molecular ruler, demonstrating their performance for single-molecule sensing applications. The device is constructed with off-the-shelf readily available components and controlled using a highly customizable MATLAB application, which has capabilities encompassing pore fabrication, pore enlargement, and current-voltage acquisition for pore size estimation. When combined with a portable amplifier, this device also provides a fully portable sensing platform, an important step toward portable solid-state nanopore sensing applications.

Design and Development of Cefpodoxime Proxetil Dry Suspension Using Fenugreek Powder as Natural Suspending Agent

Dry suspension refers to commercial dry solutions that must be dispensed with water. The bitter taste has had a significant impact on the development of oral preparations and therapeutic uses for numerous toxic medicines. The majority of patients want to take effective treatments that taste good and are easy to administer. It is also defined as an intimate mixture of dry, finely split medication and excipients that, when mixed with an appropriate vehicle, produces a suspension. Reconstitutable suspension is reconstituted at the time of use and can thus be used as a liquid formulation, avoiding swallowing issues. When drug stability is a critical concern, the reconstituted system is the formulation of choice. A variety of commercial and government remedies are available as dry powder combinations or granules that are meant to be suspended in water or another vehicle before being taken orally. The current study attempted to compare assessment criteria by employing three natural gums as a suspending agent in a cefpodoxime proxetil oral dry suspensions: acacia, Trigonella foenum graecum (Family: Leguminosae) seeds, also known as fenugreek seeds, and xanthan gum.

Multi-Phase Flow Metering in Offshore Oil and Gas Pipelines

Multi-phase flow meters are of huge importance to the offshore oil and gas industry. Unreliable measurements can lead to many disadvantages and even wrong decision-making. It is especially important for mature reservoirs as the gas volume fraction and water cut is increasing during the lifetime of a well. Hence, it is essential to accurately monitor the multi-phase flow of oil, water and gas inside the transportation pipelines. The objective of this review paper is to present the current trends and technologies within multi-phase flow measurements and to introduce the most promising methods based on parameters such as accuracy, footprint, safety, maintenance and calibration. Typical meters, such as tomography, gamma densitometry and virtual flow meters are described and compared based on their performance with respect to multi-phase flow measurements. Both experimental prototypes and commercial solutions are presented and evaluated. For a non-intrusive, non-invasive and inexpensive meter solution, this review paper predicts a progress for virtual flow meters in the near future. The application of multi-phase flow s meters are expected to further expand in the future as fields are maturing, thus, efficient utilization of existin

A novel mass cytometry protocol optimized for immunophenotyping of low-frequency antigen-specific T cells.

Understanding antigen-specific T-cell responses, for example, following virus infections or allergen exposure, is of high relevance for the development of vaccines and therapeutics. We aimed on optimizing immunophenotyping of T cells after antigen stimulation by improving staining procedures for flow and mass cytometry. Our method can be used for primary cells of both mouse and human origin for the detection of low-frequency T-cell response using a dual-barcoding system for individual samples and conditions. First, live-cell barcoding was performed using anti-CD45 antibodies prior to an in vitro T-cell stimulation assay. Second, to discriminate between stimulation conditions and prevent cell loss, sample barcoding was combined with a commercial barcoding solution. This dual-barcoding approach is cell sparing and, therefore, particularly relevant for samples with low cell numbers. To further reduce cell loss and to increase debarcoding efficiency of multiplexed samples, we combined our dual-barcoding approach with a new centrifugation-free washing system by laminar flow (Curiox™). Finally, to demonstrate the benefits of our established protocol, we assayed virus-specific T-cell response in SARS-CoV-2-vaccinated and SARS-CoV-2-infected patients and compared with healthy non-exposed individuals by a high-parameter CyTOF analysis. We could reveal a heterogeneity of phenotypes among responding CD4, CD8, and gd-T cells following antigen-specific stimulations. Our protocol allows to assay antigen-specific responses of minute populations of T cells to virus-derived peptides, allergens, or other antigens from the same donor sample, in order to investigate qualitative and quantitative differences.

Relevance of Secondary Enrichment in the Detection of Salmonella spp. in Food Samples by qPCR According to DIN 10135.

When detecting Salmonella spp. in food samples, unlike with culture-based procedures where there are solid standards, PCR techniques are generally dominated by commercial solutions, often backed by the conformity of reference organizations, and based on rigorous validation studies. The few independent standards that exist are not subject to revision and improvement to the same extent as the manufacturer's methods. Moreover, since commercial networks do not promote them, they are implemented less in everyday practice. The German standard DIN 10135 is an example of this. In this method, before PCR detection, a primary enrichment (16-20 h) followed by a secondary selective enrichment of at least 6 h is needed. Nevertheless, it allows the possibility of only applying the first step if evidence of their correct operation is provided. To evaluate how necessary is the secondary enrichment for DIN 10135 standard. Short and complete enrichment steps were compared in the context of the evaluation of the limit of detection for 11 types of food. Additionally, a blind assay was performed with 75 food samples. The data show that a simple primary enrichment may be sufficient and that the second selective enrichment with the tested matrixes would not be strictly essential. The blind study obtained a 98.6% of trueness and precision of 100%. At least for the end consumer products, a secondary enrichment of 6 h is not necessary for all the products tested. In the context of the DIN 10135 standard, the primary enrichment (16-20 h, 37 ± 1°C) can be enough for detecting Salmonella spp.

Determining The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Commercial Activities in Istanbul

The purpose of this study is to investigate the initial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on enterprises and identify differences in the effects of COVID-19 across scales and sectors. This study employed AHP to prioritize solution proposals, factor analysis to determine problem components by sectors and scales, and machine learning methods to estimate enterprise sector and scale based on survey data. The study included 255 statistically reliable samples collected between July to October 2020. Survey and comparison questions were used to determine the impact level of enterprise problems. Open-ended questions categorized pandemic-related commercial activity problems and solution proposals by enterprise scale and sector. The AHP analysis prioritized the same three problems across different scales and sectors, but machine learning-based classification analysis revealed varying criteria for determining sector and scale. Due to the fragility of developing markets public authorities expanding their economic activities during crises need to design appropriate different policies especially to protect SMEs s and keep enterprises standing. This paper presents a unique and high-quality dataset collected through a survey, examining similar issues from a historical perspective, and providing insight into the initial impacts of COVID-19 on enterprises for policymakers. The study stands out for its analysis of COVID-19 from both scale and sector perspectives, with Istanbul providing a representative sample of all sectors and scales due to Istanbul having the highest diversity among the regions in Turkey in terms of enterprises.

A Critical Review and Systematic Design Approach for Linkage-Based Gait Rehabilitation Devices

This study aims to provide a comprehensive critical review of the existing body of evidence pertaining to gait rehabilitation. It also seeks to introduce a systematic approach for the development of innovative design solutions in this domain. The field of gait rehabilitation has witnessed a surge in the development of novel robotic devices. This trend has emerged in response to limitations observed in most commercial solutions, particularly regarding their high costs. Consequently, there is a growing need to explore more cost-effective alternatives and create opportunities for greater accessibility. Within the realm of cost-effective options, linkage-based gait trainers have emerged as viable alternatives, prompting a thorough examination of this category, which is carried out in this work. Notably, there is a wide heterogeneity in research approaches and presentation methods. This divergence has prompted discourse regarding the standardization of key elements relevant to the proposals of new linkage-based devices. As a result, this study proposes a comprehensive and standardized design process and offers a brief illustration of the application of this design process through the presentation of a potential new design.

Condutividades elétricas de solução nutritiva completa em comparação com solução nutritiva usada comercialmente na produção de mudas

ABSTRACT: Fertigation is widely used in seedling production for different crops, including passion fruit. There is no consensus on the ideal nutrient solution, and as such, nurseries have used fertigation empirically. This study assessed the electrical conductivity of nutrient solution containing macro and micronutrients in passion fruit seedling production and compared it with commercially used fertigation. A completely randomized design was used, with five treatments and six repetitions. Four electrical conductivities (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 and 4.0 dS m-1) of a complete nutrient solution and an additional treatment (commercial nutrient solution) were analyzed. Daily fertigation with a complete nutrient solution (macro and micronutrients) at electrical conductivities between 2.6 and 3.3 dS m-1 followed by two daily irrigations are efficient at producing FB 300 “Araguari” passion fruit seedlings in coconut fiber substrate, with benefits such as greater biomass and better Dickson quality index when compared to commercial nutrient solution.

The challenges of artificial intelligence in odontology

Artificial intelligence has numerous potential applications in dentistry, as these algorithms aim to improve the efficiency and safety of several clinical situations. While the first commercial solutions are being proposed, most of these algorithms have not been sufficiently validated for clinical use. This article describes the challenges surrounding the development of these new tools, to help clinicians to keep a critical eye on this technology.

Single-cycle CEP-stable Cr:ZnS lasers

We showcase a coherent infrared light source capable of producing single-cycle pulses with exceptional waveform stability. With ALBATROSS, a commercial solution is made available to chart new horizons in infrared spectroscopy and high-speed opto-electronics. © 2024 The Author(s)

Implementing EDRMS in public procurement: a retrofit approach

In public procurement, a multitude of data is used, produced, and exchanged in various ways and formats. Laws and regulations often require that the exchange of information takes place through signed and recorded documents, following specific authorization processes. On the other hand, many modern Project Management techniques rely on accurate knowledge of project data, which requires information flow to occur in a structured and digital manner. The concept of an Electronic Document and Records Management System was created for this purpose, to combine document flow and structured information flow. However, in practice, it is difficult to find ready-to-use commercial solutions, and many administrations choose to use traditional document management systems. This work aims to investigate the two requirements independently and then jointly, proposing a clean and simple approach to align them. The chosen approach envisions a two-tier system with defined functional specifications, where the first tier coincides with an existing document management system. The outcome demonstrates how to implement an Electronic Document and Records Management System by retrofitting a traditional document engine. The described approach will be tested through a case study related to a large public construction contract.

Fabrication of a synergistic dual-functional layer-modified Cu current collector using a Co-FCVA apparatus for high-performance anode-free lithium metal batteries

A novel Co-FCVA device was employed to prepare a synergistic dual-functional layer-modified Cu current collector for anode-free lithium metal batteries (AFLMBs), which provides an effective solution for the large-scale commercialization of AFLMBs.

Solution plasma-cobalt hydroxide-enabled nitrogen fixation.

Solution plasma-Co(OH)2 interaction significantly boosts nitrogen fixation and achieves a high concentration of NOx- at 9.42 mmol L-1. This surpasses the nitrogen content requirement of 7.67 mmol L-1 for commercial nutrient solutions, offering a sustainable approach for nitrogen fixation from nitrogen, water and electricity.

Measuring Phosphoglycolate Phosphatase Activity Using NMR Detection of Glycolate.

Besides the historical and traditional use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy as a structure elucidation tool for proteins and metabolites, its quantification ability allows the determination of metabolite amounts and therefore enzymatic activity measurements. For this purpose, 1H-NMR with adapted water pulse pre-saturation sequences and calibration curves with commercial standard solutions can be used to quantify the photorespiratory cycle intermediates, 2-phosphoglycolate and glycolate, associated with the phosphoglycolate phosphatase reaction. The intensity of the 1H-NMR signal of glycolate produced by the activity of purified recombinant Arabidopsis thaliana PGLP1 can therefore be used to determine PGLP1 enzymatic activities and kinetic parameters.

Next generation meshes for hernia repair: Polypropylene meshes coated with antimicrobial benzalkonium chloride induced proliferative activity of fibroblasts

Hernia repair is one of the most frequently performed world-wide surgical procedures in which hernia meshes are becoming increasingly used. Polypropylene (PP) mesh implants reduce the risk of recurrence and post-operative pain, although many other risks are associated with it, such as bacterial infection. In this study we developed PP meshes coated with the well-known antimicrobial compound, benzalkonium chloride (BAK) by dip-coating. Several dilutions (40, 20, 30, 10, 7.5, 5, 2.5, 1, 0.5, 0.1 and 0.05 % v/v) of commercial BAK solution (BAK diluted in 70 % ethyl alcohol at 0.1 % w/v) were used to produce antimicrobial meshes with different amounts of BAK. The dip-coating treatment with low concentrations of BAK (1, 0.5, 0.1 and 0.05 % v/v dilutions) was found to have biocompatible results in fibroblast. The use of 0.1 and 0.05 % v/v dilutions (PP meshes with up to ∼2 % w/w of BAK) showed proliferative activity on fibroblast cells, indicating that these novel antimicrobial meshes show great promise for hernia repair due to their ability to prevent infections while inducing fibroblast proliferation.

In vitro effect of TiF4/NaF solution on the development of radiation-induced dentin caries.

To evaluate the protective effect of an experimental solution containing TiF4/NaF on the development of radiation-induced dentin caries lesions. bovine root samples were irradiated (70Gy) and distributed as following (n=12/group): Commercial Saliva (BioXtra), NaF (500 ppm F-), TiF4 (500 ppm F), TiF4/NaF (TiF4: 300 ppm F-, NaF: 190 ppm F-), and Phosphate buffer solution (PBS, negative control). Biofilm was produced using biofilm from irradiated patients and McBain saliva (0.2% of sucrose, at 37oC and 5% CO2) for five days. The treatments were applied 1x/day. Colony-forming units (CFU) were counted and demineralization was quantified by transversal microradiography. The ANOVA/Tukey test was applied for all parameters. All treatments reduced CFU for total microorganisms. TiF4 reduced Lactobacillus sp. (7.04±0.26 log10 CFU/mL) and mutans streptococci (7.18±0.28) CFU the most, when compared to PBS (7.58±0.21 and 7.75±0.17) and followed by NaF (7.12±0.31 and 7.34±0.22) and TiF4/NaF (7.16±0.35 and 7.29± 0.29). TiF4 and Commercial saliva showed the lowest integrated mineral loss (ΔZ-vol%.mm) (1977±150 and 2062±243, respectively) when compared to PBS (4540±335), followed by NaF (2403±235) and TiF4/NaF (2340±200). Commercial saliva was the only to significantly reduce mineral loss (LD-µm) (111±25) compared to PBS (153±24).Mean mineral loss (R-vol%) decreased by 35.2% for TiF4 (18.2±3.3) when compared to PBS (28.1±2.9) Conclusion: TiF4/NaF has a comparable anti-cariogenic effect to TiF4 and Commercial saliva under the model in this study.