Evaluation of a Novel System for RFID Intraoperative Cardiovascular Analytics.

To evaluate a novel technology for real time tracking of RF-Identified (RFID) surgical tools (Biotic System), providing intraoperative data analytics during simulated cardiovascular procedures. Ineffective asset management in the Operating Room (OR) leads to inefficient utilization of resources and contributes to prolonged operative times and increased costs. Analysis of captured data can assist in quantifying instrument utilization, procedure flow, performance and prevention of retained instruments.

Effect of Ethylcellulose on the Rheology and Mechanical Heterogeneity of Asphaltene Films at the Oil-Water Interface.

Asphaltenes are surface-active molecules that exist naturally in crude oil. They adsorb at the water-oil interface and form viscoelastic interfacial films that stabilize emulsion droplets, making water-oil separation extremely challenging. There is, thus, a need for chemical demulsifiers to disrupt the interfacial asphaltene films, and, thereby, facilitate water-oil separation.

Interfacial Rheology and Heterogeneity of Aging Asphaltene Layers at the Water-Oil Interface.

Surface-active asphaltene molecules are naturally found in crude oil, causing serious problems in the petroleum industry by stabilizing emulsion drops, thus hindering the separation of water and oil. Asphaltenes can adsorb at water-oil interfaces to form viscoelastic interfacial films that retard or prevent coalescence. Here, we measure the evolving interfacial shear rheology of water-oil interfaces as asphaltenes adsorb.

Measuring Interfacial Polymerization Kinetics Using Microfluidic Interferometry.

A range of academic and industrial fields exploit interfacial polymerization in producing fibers, capsules, and films. Although widely used, measurements of reaction kinetics remain challenging and rarely reported, due to film thinness and reaction rapidity. Here, polyamide film formation is studied using microfluidic interferometry, measuring monomer concentration profiles near the interface during the reaction.

Advances in Polymer Design for Enhancing Oral Drug Solubility and Delivery.

Synthetic polymers have enabled amorphous solid dispersions (ASDs) to emerge as an oral delivery strategy for overcoming poor drug solubility in aqueous environments. Modern ASD products noninvasively treat a range of chronic diseases (for example, hepatitis C, cystic fibrosis, and HIV). In such formulations, polymeric carriers generate and maintain drug supersaturation upon dissolution, increasing the apparent drug solubility to enhance gastrointestinal barrier absorption and oral bioavailability.

A framework for multi-scale simulation of crystal growth in the presence of polymers.

We present a multi-scale simulation method for modeling crystal growth in the presence of polymer excipients. The method includes a coarse-grained (CG) model for small molecules of known crystal structure whose force field is obtained using structural properties from atomistic simulations. This CG model is capable of stabilizing the molecular crystal structure and capturing the crystal growth from the melt for a wide range of small organic molecules, as demonstrated by application of our method to the molecules isoniazid, urea, sulfamethoxazole, prilocaine, oxcarbazepine, and phenytoin.

Collective Rayleigh-Plateau Instability: A Mimic of Droplet Breakup in High Internal Phase Emulsion.

Using a microfluidic multi-inlet coflow system, we show the Rayleigh-Plateau instability of adjacent, closely spaced fluid threads to be collective. Although droplet size distributions and breakup frequencies are unaffected by cooperativity when fluid threads are identical, breakup frequencies and wavelengths between mismatched fluid threads become locked due to this collective instability. Locking narrows the size distribution of drops that are produced from dissimilar threads, and thus the polydispersity of the emulsion.

Playing, sitting out, and observing the game: an investigation of faculty members' perspectives on political behavior in ethical decision making.

Ethical dilemmas are inherently ambiguous, complex, and ill-defined. Additionally, these dilemmas involve multiple stakeholders. These characteristics may induce political behavior as a resolution tactic.

Researcher perceptions of ethical guidelines and codes of conduct.

Ethical codes of conduct exist in almost every profession. Field-specific codes of conduct have been around for decades, each articulating specific ethical and professional guidelines. However, there has been little empirical research on researchers' perceptions of these codes of conduct.

The Influence of Compensatory Strategies on Ethical Decision Making.

Ethical decision making is of concern to researchers across all fields. However, researchers typically focus on the biases that may act to undermine ethical decision making. Taking a new approach, this study focused on identifying the most common compensatory strategies that counteract those biases.

Differences in Biases and Compensatory Strategies Across Discipline, Rank, and Gender Among University Academics.

The study of ethical behavior and ethical decision making is of increasing importance in many fields, and there is a growing literature addressing the issue. However, research examining differences in ethical decision making across fields and levels of experience is limited. In the present study, biases that undermine ethical decision making and compensatory strategies that may aid ethical decision making were identified in a series of interviews with 63 faculty members across six academic fields (e.

A Qualitative Analysis of Power Differentials in Ethical Situations in Academia.

Power and organizational hierarchies are ubiquitous to social institutions that form the foundation of modern society. Power differentials may act to constrain or enhance people's ability to make good ethical decisions. However, little scholarly work has examined perceptions of this important topic.

Researcher Perspectives on Conflicts of Interest: A Qualitative Analysis of Views from Academia.

The increasing interconnectedness of academic research and external industry has left research vulnerable to conflicts of interest. These conflicts have the potential to undermine the integrity of scientific research as well as to threaten public trust in scientific findings. The present effort sought to identify themes in the perspectives of faculty researchers regarding conflicts of interest.

Surface shear inviscidity of soluble surfactants.

Foam and emulsion stability has long been believed to correlate with the surface shear viscosity of the surfactant used to stabilize them. Many subtleties arise in interpreting surface shear viscosity measurements, however, and correlations do not necessarily indicate causation. Using a sensitive technique designed to excite purely surface shear deformations, we make the most sensitive and precise measurements to date of the surface shear viscosity of a variety of soluble surfactants, focusing on SDS in particular.

Perspectives on whistleblowing: faculty member viewpoints and suggestions for organizational change.

Given the prevalence of unethical behavior in research, whistleblowing may serve an important policing function. Despite this potential value of whistleblowing to organizations, engaging in this type of activity often has negative ramifications for those who choose to blow the whistle. Organizations may fail to provide adequate support for these individuals.

Hybrid modeling of xanthan gum bioproduction in batch bioreactor.

This work is focused on hybrid modeling of xanthan gum bioproduction process by Xanthomonas campestris pv. mangiferaeindicae. Experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of stirred speed and superficial gas velocity on the kinetics of cell growth, lactose consumption and xanthan gum production in a batch bioreactor using cheese whey as substrate.

Quality control of Toxoplasma gondii in meat packages: standardization of an ELISA test and its use for detection in rabbit meat cuts.

Toxoplasma gondii causes severe disease both to man and livestock and its detection in meat after slaughtering requires PCR or biological tests. Meat packages contain retained exudate that could be used for serology due to its blood content. Similar studies reported false negative assays in those tests.

Multiplex PCR assay and simple preparation method for stool specimens detect enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli DNA during course of infection.

Infection with enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a common cause of diarrhea among travelers and residents of developing countries. ETEC produces either a heat-stable toxin or a heat-labile toxin, or both, encoded by plasmid-borne ST and LT genes, respectively. Diagnosis of infection with this subclass of E.

Comparison of PCR and other diagnostic techniques for detection of Helicobacter pylori infection in dyspeptic patients.

A sensitive and specific PCR-based assay to detect the Helicobacter pylori 16S rRNA gene present in formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded gastric biopsy specimens has been developed. A total of 95 patients with dyspepsia were evaluated for the presence of chronic active gastritis and an infection with H. pylori through the use of diagnostic assays based on biopsy specimens and serology.

Enhancement of Borrelia burgdorferi PCR by uracil N-glycosylase.

Uracil DNA glycosylases are DNA repair enzymes present in virtually every organism. These enzymes function by excising from DNA uracil residues resulting from either misincorporation of dUMP residues by a DNA polymerase or deamination of cytosine. Recently, the enzyme has been exploited in PCRs as a means for controlling carryover contamination from previously amplified DNA.