Reimagining urban destinations: Adaptive and transformative city brand attributes and values in the pandemic crisis.

This paper contributes to the post-Covid urban tourism debate. It focuses on how cities respond to the pandemic asking how and to what extent urban destination brands are leverged by city marketers for coping with the Covid-19 crisis. It explores city brand values and attributes change as a component of the urban approach to facing the current crisis.

Ferrofluid-based optofluidic switch using femtosecond laser-micromachined waveguides.

We present a portable optofluidic switch using a ferrofluid plug in a commercially produced microfluidic chip with waveguides added via femtosecond laser micromachining (FLM). FLM enabled the one-step fabrication of highly reproducible, perfectly aligned integrated waveguides orthogonally crossing an existing microfluidic channel. In the "ON" state for each output, the ferrofluid plug is outside the intersection and input light arrives at the output with relatively small loss.

The application of optical coherence tomography to image subsurface tissue structure of Antarctic krill Euphausia superba.

Many small open ocean animals, such as Antarctic krill, are an important part of marine ecosystems. To discover what will happen to animals such as krill in a changing ocean, experiments are run in aquaria where conditions can be controlled to simulate water characteristics predicted to occur in the future. The response of individual animals to changing water conditions can be hard to observe, and with current observation techniques it is very difficult to follow the progress of an individual animal through its life.

Multi-modal approach using Raman spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography for the discrimination of colonic adenocarcinoma from normal colon.

We report a multimodal optical approach using both Raman spectroscopy and optical coherence tomography (OCT) in tandem to discriminate between colonic adenocarcinoma and normal colon. Although both of these non-invasive techniques are capable of discriminating between normal and tumour tissues, they are unable individually to provide both the high specificity and high sensitivity required for disease diagnosis. We combine the chemical information derived from Raman spectroscopy with the texture parameters extracted from OCT images.

Validation and perspectives of a femtosecond laser fabricated monolithic optical stretcher.

The combination of high power laser beams with microfluidic delivery of cells is at the heart of high-throughput, single-cell analysis and disease diagnosis with an optical stretcher. So far, the challenges arising from this combination have been addressed by externally aligning optical fibres with microfluidic glass capillaries, which has a limited potential for integration into lab-on-a-chip environments. Here we demonstrate the successful production and use of a monolithic glass chip for optical stretching of white blood cells, featuring microfluidic channels and optical waveguides directly written into bulk glass by femtosecond laser pulses.

Integrated three-dimensional filter separates nanoscale from microscale elements in a microfluidic chip.

We report on the integration of a size-based three-dimensional filter, with micrometre-sized pores, in a commercial microfluidic chip. The filter is fabricated inside an already sealed microfluidic channel using the unique capabilities of two-photon polymerization. This direct-write technique enables integration of the filter by post-processing in a chip that has been fabricated by standard technologies.

Dual-point dual-wavelength fluorescence monitoring of DNA separation in a lab on a chip.

We present a simple approach in electrophoretic DNA separation and fluorescent monitoring that allows to identify the insertion or deletion of base-pairs in DNA probe molecules from genetic samples, and to perform intrinsic calibration/referencing for highly accurate DNA analysis. The principle is based on dual-point, dual-wavelength laser-induced fluorescence excitation using one or two excitation windows at the intersection of integrated waveguides and microfluidic channels in an optofluidic chip and a single, color-blind photodetector, resulting in a limit of detection of ~200 pM for single-end-labeled DNA molecules. The approach using a single excitation window is demonstrated experimentally, while the option exploiting two excitation windows is proposed theoretically.

Optofluidic chip for single cell trapping and stretching fabricated by a femtosecond laser.

The authors present the design and optimization of an optofluidic monolithic chip, able to provide optical trapping and controlled stretching of single cells. The chip is fabricated in a fused silica glass substrate by femtosecond laser micromachining which can produce both optical waveguides and microfluidic channels with great accuracy. A new fabrication procedure adopted in this work allows the demonstration of microchannels with a square cross-section, thus guaranteeing an improved quality of the trapped cell images.

Shape control of microchannels fabricated in fused silica by femtosecond laser irradiation and chemical etching.

We report on the fabrication of shape-controlled microchannels in fused silica by femtosecond laser irradiation at 600 kHz repetition rate followed by chemical etching. The shape control is achieved by suitable wobbling of the glass substrate during the irradiation process. Cylindrical microchannels with uniform cross-sections are demonstrated with an unprecedented length of 4 mm.

Double waveguide couplers produced by simultaneous femtosecond writing.

We report on a novel method to create waveguide coupler devices in fused silica by combining the technique of beam shaping with femtosecond laser writing. The method is based on a programmable phase modulator and a dynamic variation of the phase-pattern during the writing process. The major advantage is the possibility to create complex devices in a single sweep by simultaneously writing two or more waveguides with changing separation.

The anal bag: a modern approach to fecal incontinence management.

In the past 30 years, colostomy and urostomy bags have dramatically improved the quality of life of ostomy patients. However, the anatomical characteristics and physiological motility of the pelvic floor have hampered the development of suitable disposable containers that can be applied directly to the anus. Use of a recently developed anal bag that insulates the anus and peri-anal area and collects stool was evaluated in two inpatient care settings in Italy from 1994 to 2004.

Human cytomegalovirus infection of the gastrointestinal tract in apparently immunocompetent patients.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection is usually reported in immunocompromised patients. This study reports 11 cases of HCMV infection of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract diagnosed in apparently immunocompetent hosts. The median age of the patients studied was 76 years, and the major presenting symptoms were diarrhea, epigastric pain, and abdominal discomfort.

Pseudoneoplastic appearance of cytomegalovirus-associated colitis in nonimmunocompromised patients: report of 2 cases.

Two cases of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) colitis with pseudoneoplastic appearance are described. Patients presented with abdominal pain, fever, and diarrhea. Colonoscopy revealed a stenosing lesion in one patient and a broad-based, vegetant mass in the other patient, and histopathological examination of colectomy specimens revealed exuberant inflammatory masses with infiltration of mononuclear cells and ulcers with granulation tissue.