ImageJ Freeware Research Articles

Challenging frontiers in neuroplastic cranial reconstruction: addressing neurosurgical wound healing complications through interdisciplinary collaboration – an observational study

Background and objectivesAlthough rare, complications like skin dehiscence and necrosis after neurosurgery pose significant challenges by increasing the risk of infections spreading to the epidural, subdural, or intracerebral spaces. This retrospective, single-center study aims to assess the prior clinical courses, neuroplastic repair, and outcomes of patients with skin defects following cranial neurosurgical procedures, and to outline our interdisciplinary reconstructive protocol.MethodsA retrospective analysis was performed on cranial surgeries conducted at the Department of Neurosurgery, spanning from 2017 to 2023. Patients with skin defects requiring the combined expertise of neurosurgery and plastic surgery for effective treatment were included. The sizes of the skin defects were measured using intraoperative photographs analyzed with the freeware ImageJ software, version 2018. All patients provided informed consent for the surgeries. If informed consent was not possible due to neurological deterioration, consent was sought from adult representatives or next of kin except for acute circumstances. All patients admitted to our hospital agree to the pseudonymized use of their medical data and tissue specimens for research purposes in their treatment contract.ResultsA cohort of 24 patients experiencing wound healing complications after neurosurgical procedures underwent a total of 29 interdisciplinary surgeries for the reconstruction of skin, dural, and bone defects. After the neuroplastic surgery, 8 out of 24 patients (33.3%) developed surgical complications, with 6 of these requiring revision surgeries due to persistent cranial infection. In all cases, permanent wound closure was successfully achieved following adherence to the proposed treatment algorithm.ConclusionsOur study underscores the necessity of an integrated neurosurgical and plastic surgical approach to effectively manage wound healing complications in a single stage surgery. Key interventions include differentiation between necrosis and gaping lesions, alongside precise management of neurosurgical issues like cerebrospinal fluid fistulas and hydrocephalus. Plastic surgical expertise in assessing the possibilities and limitations of both local and free flap surgeries is essential.

Validation of Glycemic Index Values Represented as Bar Graphs in Scholarly Articles for Clinical Nutrition Application

Glycemic index (GI) has been a proven clinical nutrition tool. It has been utilized in chronic diseases such as PCOS, diabetes, obesity and metabolic syndrome. The GI value of a test food is the ratio of the glucose response over 2 hours against the reference food. The references food is usually either glucose or bread. GI values may often be directly available as values in texts, tables, or figures. The indirect values may be represented as values, images or both values and, concentration of glucose over time or GI values. Less ideally, some GI data are only presented in graphs. Data from these graphs without direct values could be extracted but this potentially contributes to less accurate results. Here, we investigate the extracted outcome from the original data and if their differences could affect the GI values. There are a few software’s and methods that may be used for data extraction; however, they are costly and complex. Also, different types of graphs require different extraction methods. Herein, we describe a simple reproducible method for extracting data from bar graphs using the freeware ImageJ. Seven extractors extracted 102 outcome values from 19 different scholarly articles. Differences between extractors were compared using the Overall Concordance Correlation Coefficients (OCCC), whereas differences between the original and extracted data were compared using the Lin’s Concordance Correlation Coefficients (CCC) and Bland-Altman. Both the OCCCs and CCCs were high for both outcome values and errors, while the CCCs were good and acceptable for the outcome. The Bland Altman showed good agreement between the extracted outcome and the true reported GI values. Therefore, the current method supports the extraction GI values from bar graphs in published scholarly articles even in their absence in text.

Comparison of Efficacy and Safety of Two Commercial Artificial Tears Between 0.18% and 0.3% Sodium Hyaluronate for Corneal Epithelial Healing in Pterygium Excision with Conjunctival Autograft Transplantation: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

To compare the efficacy, safety, and rate of healing on the corneal epithelial defect after pterygium surgery through the application of either 0.18% or 0.3% sodium hyaluronate (SH). A randomized, double-blind clinical trial was performed on patients who had pterygium surgery. Eighty-six patients were randomized to 2 groups that would receive either 0.18% SH or 0.3% SH. Measurements of area of the corneal epithelial defect using ImageJ freeware were performed. All corneal epithelial defects were measured immediately after the operation (Day 0) and for the next 3 days. The mean and SD of the area of corneal epithelial defect measured on postoperative Day 0, 1, and 2 were 9.13 ± 3.09 mm2, 5.61 ± 3.26 mm2, and 3.39 ± 2.70 mm2 for 0.18% SH group, and 8.96 ± 3.17 mm2, 4.03 ± 1.99 mm2, and 1.55 ± 1.23 mm2 for 0.3% SH group. There was no statistically significant difference of the initial area of the corneal epithelial defect on Day 0 between 0.18% and 0.3% SH group (p = 0.802). The area of the defects in the 0.3% SH group was significantly smaller than that of the 0.18% SH group on both Day 1 and Day 2 (p = 0.007, p < 0.001), respectively. Similarly, the 0.3% SH group exhibited a statistically significant higher (p < 0.001) rate of healing of the corneal epithelial defect over days 0 and 1 (4.94 ± 2.16 mm²/day) when compared to that of the 0.18% SH group (3.53 ± 1.66 mm²/day). With two commercial artificial tears, the corneal epithelial wound healing after pterygium surgery was faster in the 0.3% SH group than that of the 0.18% SH group. Superiority of 0.3% SH may be supported by the presence of epsilon-aminocaproic acid in this drug preparation. No significant adverse effects were exhibited during the short-term follow-up.

A Randomized Controlled Trial to Manage Postoperative Ocular Pain after Pterygium Excision with Conjunctival Autograft Transplantation with a Single Application of 2% Sodium Hyaluronate.

Purpose To assess the effectiveness of a single application of 2% sodium hyaluronate (SH) in controlling pain after pterygium excision as compared with that of a control group. Methods We performed a prospective randomized controlled trial in the patients who underwent pterygium excision. The outcome of topical application of 2.0% SH was measured using the visual analogue scale (VAS), in comparison with that observed in a control group (without SH). The area of ocular surface defects was assessed by ImageJ freeware. Analysis of pain scores and ocular surface defects were observed from both groups immediately after the operation, Day 0, and 3 subsequent days. Results Thirty patients were randomly divided into control group and SH treatment group. The initial area of the ocular surface defect on Day 0 was approximately the same for both groups (p=0.242). The medians of pain score assessed by the VAS on Days 0, 1, and 2 were 5, 3, and 0 for the SH group and 6, 5, and 3 for the control group, respectively. The pain score was statistically significantly decreased in the SH group compared to the control group on Day 1 (p < 0.001) and Day 2 (p < 0.001). The pain level of both groups was nearly the same on Day 3 (p=0.141). The area of ocular surface defects was significantly different between two groups on Day 1 (p < 0.001) and Day 2 (p < 0.001). Postoperative complications were not observed. Conclusion A single topical application of 2% SH in pterygium excision was effective in relieving pain in the early postoperative period without any adverse effects. This innovation may provide alternative pain control in pterygium surgery.

Pilocarpine eye drop: As an indicator of post mortem interval

Post mortem interval (PMI) determination is a particularly crucial detail often needed in medico-legal cases. Though, today, several methods of estimating PMI exist, most of these methods lack practical relevance, which brings about a need to find new, cost-efficient, and more reliable methods. One such temperature independent method is the evaluation of post-mortem pupillary reactivity to various pharmacological substances. The objective of the present work is to test and provide evidence of the effectiveness of pupillary reactivity to pilocarpine eye drop as an indicator to determine PMI. A total of 133 deceased with known PMI were instilled with 2% pilocarpine eye drops and measure change in pupil diameter using ImageJ freeware. A negative correlation between the changes of pupil diameter under the influence of the pilocarpine eye drop showed less change with increase PMI. Pearson correlation showed the negative correlation between the pupillary changes with PMI with p value 0.0001, 0.00017, 0.0341 and 0.0021 where á=0.05 for natural death, hanging, burn and poisoning respectively. Observations showed postmortem chemical excitability could be used as an indicator in PMI using pilocarpine eye drop.

Determining pupillary reaction time using pilocarpine eye drop – A post mortem study

Post-mortem miotic changes in the pupil using pharmacological solutions have been a topic of discussion among researchers as well as medico-legal experts to determine time since death. For many decades, researchers used different methods such as eye drop method and injection method to observe pupillary changes as convenience to make this study useful in the autopsy room. However, different researchers also used the different onset of reaction time to observe pupillary miotic changes without testing its effectiveness. The objective of the present study is to determine the reaction time for effective post mortem miotic changes in pupil using pilocarpine eye drops. Total 200 deceased with known time of death were instilled with the 2% pilocarpine eye drop into conjuctival sac and changes were analysed using ImageJ freeware every 10 minutes up to 50 minutes. In this study, author observed no statistically significant difference in reactivity of both the eyes in different time interval in different sex (p= 0.097). However, significant difference found in reactivity of both the eyes in different time interval in different age group (p= 0.0006) and cause of death (p = 0.015) at α < 0.05 using t-test and one way ANOVA test. Author concluded that left eye reacts faster than right eye and a significant number of pupillary miotic changes are observed up to 30 minutes. Therefore, minimum 30 minutes are effective time period to observe post mortem pupillary miotic changes for pilocarpine eye drop which could be useful to determine time since death. This is the first study of its kind on an Indian population.

Effect of 2% Hyaluronic Acid on the Rate of Healing of Corneal Epithelial Defect After Pterygium Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PurposeThe study aimed to investigate the effects of 2% hyaluronic acid (HA) on corneal epithelial defect after pterygium surgery in comparison with the control group, measured in terms of the healing rate of corneal epithelial defect and pain score after surgery.MethodsIn this double-blind randomized clinical trial, fifty patients with primary pterygium were randomized into 2 groups: a control group or the group treated with a single topical application of 2% HA. Comprehensive ophthalmological examinations included measuring the area of corneal epithelium defect using ImageJ freeware and the pain score assessment after the operation.ResultsThe mean and SD of the area of epithelial defect measured on postoperative Day 0, 1, and 2 were 10.89 ± 1.33 mm2, 5.04 ± 0.87mm2, and 2.44 ± 0.74 mm2 for the HA group, and 11.14 ± 1.11 mm2, 7.74 ± 1.17 mm2, and 5.31 ± 1.15 mm2 for the control group, respectively. While the initial area of the defect on Day 0 was essentially the same for both groups (p = 0.478), the area of the defect in the HA group was significantly smaller on both Day 1 and Day 2 (p < 0.001, p < 0.001), respectively. Similarly, the HA group exhibited a statistically significant higher rate of healing for the cornea epithelial defect over Day 0 and 1 compared to the control group (5.85 ± 0.89 mm2/day vs 3.14 ± 1.28 mm2/day, p < 0.001), respectively. The median (range) pain scores were evaluated at Day 0 was 7 (4–10) in the HA group and 7 (3–10) in the control group (p = 0.953). There was no statistically significant difference between two groups (p > 0.05) for Days 1, 2, and 3.ConclusionA single topical application of 2% HA tended to accelerate the healing process of corneal epithelium defect after pterygium surgery without any observable adverse effects during short-term follow-up.

Machine learning-based automated fungal cell counting under a complicated background with ilastik and ImageJ.

Measuring the concentration and viability of fungal cells is an important and fundamental procedure in scientific research and industrial fermentation. In consideration of the drawbacks of manual cell counting, large quantities of fungal cells require methods that provide easy, objective and reproducible high‐throughput calculations, especially for samples in complicated backgrounds. To answer this challenge, we explored and developed an easy‐to‐use fungal cell counting pipeline that combined the machine learning‐based ilastik tool with the freeware ImageJ, as well as a conventional photomicroscope. Briefly, learning from labels provided by the user, ilastik performs segmentation and classification automatically in batch processing mode and thus discriminates fungal cells from complex backgrounds. The files processed through ilastik can be recognized by ImageJ, which can compute the numeric results with the macro ‘Fungal Cell Counter’. Taking the yeast Cryptococccus deneoformans and the filamentous fungus Pestalotiopsis microspora as examples, we observed that the customizable software algorithm reduced inter‐operator errors significantly and achieved accurate and objective results, while manual counting with a haemocytometer exhibited some errors between repeats and required more time. In summary, a convenient, rapid, reproducible and extremely low‐cost method to count yeast cells and fungal spores is described here, which can be applied to multiple kinds of eucaryotic microorganisms in genetics, cell biology and industrial fermentation.

Effects of Fertilization on Wood Formation in Naturally Regenerated Juvenile Silver Birch in a Norway Spruce Stand in South Sweden

This study investigates wood density and anatomy of juvenile silver birch stems in Sweden, grown in mixed conifer stands. Our aim is to investigate if fertilization provides increased growth, as well as an eventual reduction in stem wood density. Measurements of basic density, ring width, cell wall thickness, and vessels are analyzed for 20 birch trees. Bark to pith radial sections are analyzed using a light microscope and the freeware ImageJ to compare treatments and ages. The results show that trees with fertilizer treatment have wider growth rings and thinner cell wall thickness compared to unfertilized trees. The fertilized trees also have a lower cambium age at the same height and the same diameter, and a slightly lower stem mean density (420 kg m−3) than the unfertilized stems (460 kg m−3). Fertilizer is a significant determinant of density and cell wall thickness in nonlinear models. The fertilized trees have increased growth and reached a fixed diameter earlier. The age difference between the trees likely explains some of the differences in cell wall thickness. This study supports the use of fertilizer as a silvicultural option for increasing the growth rate of silver birch for a relatively small reduction of wood density.

Commercially available color-catching sheets for magnetic textile solid phase extraction of water-soluble dyes

Magnetic textile solid phase extraction, based on the use of magnetically separable color-catching sheets, was successfully employed for the preconcentration of water-soluble dyes methylene blue and crystal violet from water solutions. The photos of color-catching sheet squares with the adsorbed dye were taken with a mobile phone. The computer-based image analysis of the photos was performed using ImageJ freeware while smartphone-based image analysis employed On Color Measure application. The values of saturation from HSB (hue – saturation – brightness) color space, as well as red channel values from RGB (red – green – blue) color space were proportional to the methylene blue and crystal violet concentration in the analyzed samples. This novel method has a potential to be a useful semiquantitative determination procedure for dye analysis.

A comparison of two pulp revascularization techniques using platelet-rich plasma and whole blood clot.

Aim:The aim of this preliminary study was to compare outcomes of two regenerative endodontic protocols in necrotic teeth with open apices.Methodology:Forty teeth with open apices in patients with an age range of 15-54 were randomly distributed in two groups: group 1, with whole blood clot in the canal (n=20) and group 2, whole blood with Platelet rich plasma (PRP) in the canal (n=20). Clinical and radiological follow up assessments were undertaken over a period ranging from 6 months to one year. Radiographic Root Area (RRA) was measured using the freeware ImageJ. Statistical analysis was performed using the independent samples t test and the Chi-squared test, the significance level was set at p=0.05.Results:There was no difference in the percentage change in RRA between the PRP group and whole blood-clot + PRP group.Conclusion:Whole blood clot and PRP are comparable on the grounds of percentage change in RRA and there is no statistically significant difference between the two in a follow-up period of up to one year.

The Flame Characteristics of Diesel Fuel Blend with Kepuh (Sterculia Foetida) Biodiesel

Kepuh biodiesel fuel (sterculia foetida) is an alternative fuel that can be used to replace fossil fuel. Diesel fuel is performed to determine the laminar flame speed of combustion and high flame by adding biodiesel kepuh volume of 10%, 20%, 30%. The purpose of this study was to study the effect of biodiesel and the effect of bunsen burners on the laminar flame speed of combustion and flame height. Bunsen burner is made of copper and stainless steel. Testing of flame characteristics were carried out by heating the mixture of fuel and air at temperature of 200 o C. The purpose of heating the air is to prevent cooling when mixed with fuel. The mixture of fuel and air flowed into the mixing chamber and bunsen burner. The mixture of fuel and water flows into the mixing chamber and bunsen burner to form a fire. Flame images were recorded using a high speed fuji film camera with a speed of 480 fps with a resolution of 224x168. The test results were analyzed by measuring the angle and height of the flame using the freeware imageJ program. The results of the B10 (diesel oil without the addition of biodiesel) fuel mixture test using copper bunsen burner produced a maximum laminar flame speed of 23.6264 cm / s at φ = 0.8. The highest value of the B30 fuel mix flame (30% full biodiesel + 70% diesel oil) produces a maximum flame value using a stainless steel bunsen burner with a value of 25,417 mm at φ = 1.2. The results showed that B10 in copper bunsen burner had the highest laminar burn rate. The composition of the fuel and bunsen burner affects the combustion characteristics and flame height.

Antimicrobial Potential of Single Metabolites of Curcuma longa Assessed in the Total Extract by Thin-Layer Chromatography-Based Bioautography and Image Analysis.

Curcuma longa from Zingiberaceae belongs to the major spices consumed around the world, known from its cholagogue, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial properties. Lack of data on the activity of single components of turmeric extract encouraged the authors to apply TLC (thin-layer chromatography) based bioautography studies to reveal its antimicrobial constituents and construct a universal platform for the bioactivity assessment of crude extracts, with help of a freeware ImageJ software. This optimized chromatographic bioassay performed on diethyl ether and methanol extracts of Curcuma longa was successfully applied on the total extract and revealed the antimicrobial potential of single components against a variety of Gram-positive strains, with no need for their isolation from the mixture. The obtained results were further confronted with a classic microdilution antimicrobial assay on the isolates, purified from the crude extracts by centrifugal partition chromatography in the following solvent system: heptane-chloroform-methanol-water (5:6:3:2) (v/v/v/v).

Automated smFRET microscope for the quantification of label-free DNA oligos.

Single-molecule FRET (smFRET) spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying inhomogeneous dynamics in biological systems. However, because of the intrinsic variations that accompany the sample sizes, massive data sets are essential to extract statistically reliable information. In this aspect, a simple motorized stage and autofocusing modification can save time without the expense of a high-end automated microscope. In this report, we describe a simple and economical modification of a commercial inverted microscope with a manual stage to automate the data acquisition and measurement process. We collected 8000 images with a 100 ms exposure time in 1000 fields of view in approximately 13 min, where it would take more than 8 h by manual collection. We demonstrated the method with a DNA oligo quantification experiment. In this experiment, the measurement platform is a FRET signal from a dye-labeled DNA duplex containing unmatched base pairs. The target DNA replaces one of the strands because of the formation of a perfect duplex. This thermodynamically driven exchange reaction causes FRET to disappear, which correlated with the DNA concentration. The data are batch processed with the freeware ImageJ. These modifications are feasible and economical for general smFRET experiments.

Tuning the copper Cluster´s size on HOPG by electrodeposition from perchlorate aqueous solutions. An AFM study

In this work, we report the electrochemical synthesis of nanometric copper clusters smaller than 3 nm of height and 14.3 nm of diameter from perchlorate solutions. From the number of copper clusters counted directly from the AFM (Atomic force microscopy) images, it was possible to derive an equation, which is able to predict the number of clusters formed in function on the applied potential. Also, qualitative AFM images were simulated employing a spreadsheet and the freeware ImageJ, the results obtained show concordance with the experimental AFM images.

Harnessing the Power of Global Health Studies for Sickle Cell Disease: Validation of a Rapid, Open-Source, Paper-Based Screening Assay in a Cohort of 1103 Tanzanian Children

Introduction: Global health research is hampered by the lack of inexpensive and reliable assays to annotate clinical study cohorts for geographically localized endemic genetic disorders. The most prevalent modifier in Africa is sickle cell disease (SCD, HbSS). In SCD, sickling of erythrocytes by polymerization of hemoglobin S (HbS) causes vaso-occlusion and hemolysis, leading to significant morbidity/mortality and constituting a major healthcare and economic burden. The inhomogeneity bias introduced into the clinical data of patient cohorts by the changes associated to undiagnosed SCD is a significant challenge. Thus, our aims were to: a) optimize a paper-based screening test for SCD for its application in suboptimal and resource-limited conditions, b) demonstrate the feasibility of retrospective SCD annotation of a large cohort of children enrolled in a global health research study, and c) extract novel evidence on potential differences in clinical presentation between febrile children with and without SCD enrolled in this cohort.Materials & Methods: First, we adapted and simplified a paper-based SCD assay (Piety et al. 2017) for suboptimal sample conditions (frozen EDTA-whole blood) and limited-resource settings. Five microlitres of thawed EDTA-whole blood was solubilized (high phosphate buffer with saponin/sodium hydrosulfite), and blotted on standard blotting paper. Dots formed by capillarity, and their aspect depended on HbS%. A high-resolution scanner and two smartphone brands were compared for image capture. An algorithm for visual calling of the presence an HbS allele was developed, and the freeware ImageJ determined peripheral/central pixel intensities. An HbS dosimetric curve was determined after identification of optimal parameter correlations by scatter plot matrix. Second, blood samples from 1103 children aged 9 to 35 months enrolled in a randomized open prospective non-inferiority pediatric cohort study on algorithm-based management of febrile illnesses in Tanzania (ePOCT Trial, 2014-6, NCT02225769, Swiss/Tanzanian IRB approval, Keitel et al.2017) were assayed with the optimized paper test. In parallel, confirmation by gold-standard alkaline Hb electrophoresis (Helena Biosciences, UK) was performed. Third, clinical data from the newly SCD-annotated ePOCT database was analyzed (STATA software suite) to identify clinical features associated with febrile illnesses in the HbAA/AS/SS groups.Results: All EDTA-blood samples frozen onsite in Tanzania (shipped and then stored for >1 year) could be assayed. The test was rapid (5'), inexpensive (0.05 USD/test) and accessible (widely available reagents, no requirement for costly equipment, open-source freeware). Determination of HbS status (homozygous HbSS/AA or heterozygous HbSA) was effective both visually and by informatic means. Smartphone cameras yielded identical results (R2=0.96 & 0.97) when compared to a high-definition scanner. Local prevalence was at 1.6% and 13.6% for HbSS and HbAS respectively, in line with previously published data. By visual sorting of blood dots, the assay was 100% sensitive and 75.8% specific for the determination of HbSS-SCD and 97.6% sensitive and 87.5% specific for the identification of an HbS allele (in an hetero- or homozygous state). After analysis of the annotated ePOCT multiparametric clinical dataset, we observed that cough as the main complaint was more prevalent in children with HbSS (OR 3.1, 95% CI: 1.1-8.3). HbSS children were more severely malnourished (MUAC/age average z-scores -0.7 vs 0.0, p=0.01) and slightly more anemic (Hb 9.1 vs 9.8 g/dL, p=0.06) when compared to HbAA counterparts. Interestingly, children with HbAS had a better nutrition status than those with HbAA (MUAC/age average z-score 0.14, p<0.01). Also, education of mothers of HbSS children was significantly lower (primary education OR 0.3 (95% CI: 0.1-0.8).Conclusions: We demonstrated that the retrospective annotation of clinical cohorts for SCD with an optimized paper-based assay is feasible, straightforward and inexpensive. Our approach has the potential to eliminate the interpretation bias associated with SCD, and thus facilitate the downstream analysis of valuable datasets in other studies. As a proof of principle, we examined a properly annotated dataset highlighting novel features of febrile illness in children with SCD and HbAS carriers in Africa. DisclosuresNo relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Evaluation of corneal epithelial wound healing after penetrating keratoplasty in patients receiving a new matrix therapy agent (regenerating agent).

Complete epithelial wound healing is a milestone in early postoperative care after penetrating keratoplasty. The re-epithelialization rate after penetrating keratoplasty was measured in patients receiving a new matrix therapy agent (regenerating agent, Cacicol®) that mimics heparan sulphates. This was a prospective, open-label, uncontrolled, single-centre observational study. A total of 33 consecutive patients (33 eyes) who underwent an 8.25-mm diameter penetrating keratoplasty were treated with regenerating agent eye drops: one drop in the operating theatre immediately after graft, then on alternate days. Patients were divided into those at low risk (13 patients) and high risk (20 patients) of delayed wound healing, and follow-up was performed by digital slit lamp with fluorescein-dye testing repeated daily at a fixed time. Dye area was measured using ImageJ freeware. The main endpoint was epithelial healing after regenerating agent therapy. The mean ± standard deviation time to complete healing for all patients was 2.7 ± 1.1 (median: 3, range: 1-6) days. This was obtained on Day 1 for 15% of patients, Day 2 for 33%, Day 3 for 88%, Day 4 for 94% and Day 6 for 100%. There was no significant difference between low- and high-risk patients. The area of epithelial defect decreased by a mean ± standard deviation of 75% ± 22% between Day 1 and Day 2, corresponding to a mean ± standard deviation wound-healing rate of 11.5 ± 6.5 mm2/D. There were no systemic or local side effects related to regenerating agent. These preliminary data suggest that regenerating agent could be a useful, non-invasive therapeutic approach in postoperative management of penetrating keratoplasty with the potential to accelerate re-epithelialization.

A SEM-based method to determine the mineralogical composition and the particle size distribution of suspended sediment

A robust method for characterizing the mineralogy of suspended sediment in continental rivers is introduced. It encompasses 3 steps: the filtration of a few milliliters of water, measurements of X-ray energy dispersive spectra using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), and robust machine learning tools of classification. The method is applied to suspended particles collected from various Amazonian rivers. A total of more than 204,000 particles were analyzed by SEM-EDXS (Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy), i.e. about 15,700 particles per sampling station, which lead to the identification of 15 distinct groups of mineralogical phases. The size distribution of particles collected on the filters was derived from the SEM micrographs taken in the backscattered electron imaging mode and analyzed with ImageJ freeware. The determination of the main mineralogical groups composing the bulk sediment associated with physical parameters such as particle size distribution or aspect ratio allows a precise characterization of the load of the terrigenous particles in rivers or lakes. In the case of the Amazonian rivers investigated, the results show that the identified mineralogies are consistent with previous studies as well as between the different samples collected. The method enabled the evolution of grain size distribution from fine to coarse material to be described in the water column. Implications about hydrodynamic sorting of mineral particles in the water column are also briefly discussed. The proposed method appears well suited for intensive routine monitoring of suspended sediment in river systems.

Drying timber in a solar kiln using an intermittent drying schedule of conventional laboratory kiln

The purpose of this study was to apply an intermittent drying schedule developed from a conventional kiln to a solar kiln. Implementing this experiment could help better understand the oscillation of the temperature inside a solar kiln and timber quality during drying progress. The theoretical recharge and discharge curves were used to predict the temperature inside the solar kiln using experimental data obtained previously using a solar kiln. The surface and internal checks were measured using ImageJ freeware, and the development of the Moisture Content (MC) profile was assessed by coring and slicing method for the Eucalyptus delegatensis boards during drying. The results showed that the recharge and discharge model can predict the temperature with less than 2 °C error from the experimental data in the solar kiln. The total drying time to 12% MC was 87 days for the solar kiln. The drying rate was equivalent to the conventional kiln decreasing at an average rate of 0.2% per day. The surface check formation was found when the MC gradient between the core and the case of the board was greater than 42% at 9 days of drying in the solar kiln and conventional laboratory kiln. The applied drying schedule used in the solar kiln was successful and offered similar drying time. However, the oscillation of temperature in the intermittent drying will require further improvement to get closer conditions in a solar kiln.

A bead-based immunofluorescence-assay on a microfluidic dielectrophoresis platform for rapid dengue virus detection

The proof of concept of utilizing a microfluidic dielectrophoresis (DEP) chip was conducted to rapidly detect a dengue virus (DENV) in vitro based on the fluorescence immunosensing. The mechanism of detection was that the DEP force was employed to capture the modified beads (mouse anti-flavivirus monoclonal antibody-coated beads) in the microfluidic chip and the DENV modified with fluorescence label, as the detection target, can be then captured on the modified beads by immunoreaction. The fluorescent signal was then obtained through fluorescence microscopy, and then quantified by ImageJ freeware. The platform can accelerate an immuno-reaction time, in which the on-chip detection time was 5min, and demonstrating an ability for DENV detection as low as 104 PFU/mL. Furthermore, the required volume of DENV samples dramatically reduced, from the commonly used ~50µL to ~15µL, and the chip was reusable (>50x). Overall, this platform provides a rapid detection (5min) of the DENV with a low sample volume, compared to conventional methods. This proof of concept with regard to a microfluidic dielectrophoresis chip thus shows the potential of immunofluorescence based-assay applications to meet diagnostic needs.