Experiences and Lessons Learned From Surging the Governmental Public Health Workforce During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Context: During the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States relied on the public health workforce to control the spread of COVID-19 while continuing to provide foundational public health services. Facing longstanding staffing shortages, state, tribal, local, and territorial (STLT) public health agencies (PHAs) used various strategies and supports to surge the workforce in response to the pandemic.

Objectives: The study explored (1) the types of strategies and supports STLT PHAs used to surge the public health workforce during the pandemic, (2) assessments of surge strategies and supports, and (3) approaches to using the range of surge strategies available.

Association Between Local Boards of Health Authority Over Budgets and PHAB Accreditation Standard Score.

Introduction: This study examined the relationship between local board of health authority and local health departments' budget-related activities and performance scores in the Public Health Accreditation Board standards while considering the governance structure under which the local health agencies operate.

Methods: Data from 250 local health departments were obtained from the Public Health Accreditation Board and were combined with data from the 2016 National Association of County and City Officials Profile Survey. Multilevel regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between local board of health authority on local health departments' budget-related activities, using the governance structure as the group-level variable.

Associations Between Local Health Department Expenditures on Foundational Capabilities and PHAB Accreditation Standards Scores.

Context: Foundational Capabilities (FC) are the public health (PH) infrastructure areas that are essential for local health departments (LHDs) to support a "minimum package" of programs and services that promote population health. Despite being a critical component of LHD programs, FC are chronically underfunded, and studies specific to the relationship between LHD FC expenditures and their performance-the LHDs' ability to provide essential PH programs and services to their community-have not been previously reported. Public Health Accreditation Board (PHAB) accreditation is a nationally recognized accreditation program for PH agencies.

Local Health Departments' Characteristics and Their Performance Scores in PHAB Accreditation Standards.

Context: Local health departments (LHDs) function to promote and protect population health by executing programs and activities through the 10 essential public health (PH) services in their operationalization of the core functions of PH systems-assessment, policy development, and assurance. PH accreditation supports LHDs by assessing their ability to promote community well-being through a set of standards and measures based on the 10 essential PH services. Prior studies show variation in LHD characteristics relative to their likelihood of participating in accreditation, but no studies have examined the variation in LHD accreditation scores to understand how LHD characteristics relate to performance improvement.

Laser-induced fluorescence detector with a fiber-coupled micro GRIN lens for capillary electrophoresis.

Capillary electrophoresis coupled with sheath-flow laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection has been shown to offer outstanding sensitivity for chemical and biochemical analysis. However, a major drawback remains with the complexity of the optical configuration traditionally employed. Here we present a simplified confocal optics based on fiber optics and micro gradient-index (GRIN) lenses for modular optical design in capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence.

High-Resolution Capillary Zone Electrophoresis with Mass Spectrometry Peptide Mapping of Therapeutic Proteins: Peptide Recovery and Post-translational Modification Analysis in Monoclonal Antibodies and Antibody-Drug Conjugates.

Reversed phase liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry (RPLC-MS) peptide mapping is routinely used for interrogating molecular and structural attributes such as amino acid composition, sequence variants, and post-translational modifications (PTMs) in antibody-derived therapeutics. RPLC has some limitations that often impact the analysis of certain peptides including large hydrophobic peptides, hydrophilic di-/tripeptides and glycopeptides. Capillary zone electrophoresis with mass spectrometry (CZE-MS) has great potential for peptide mapping due to high efficiency and outstanding sensitivity.

High-Resolution Capillary Zone Electrophoresis with Mass Spectrometry Peptide Mapping of Therapeutic Proteins: Improved Separation with Mixed Aqueous-Aprotic Dipolar Solvents (N,N-Dimethylacetamide and N,N-Dimethylformamide) as the Background Electrolyte.

Peptide mapping with mass spectrometry (MS) detection is a powerful technique routinely used for interrogating physicochemical properties of proteins. Peptide mapping benefits from an efficient front-end separation to increase selectivity and reduce complexity prior to MS detection. The most commonly used method for peptide mapping is based on reverse phase liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry.

Comparison of SEC and CE-SDS methods for monitoring hinge fragmentation in IgG1 monoclonal antibodies.

Fragmentation of monoclonal antibodies is a critical quality attribute routinely monitored to assess the purity and integrity of the product from development to commercialization. Cleavage in the upper hinge region of IgG1 monoclonal antibodies is a common fragmentation pattern widely studied by size exclusion chromatography (SEC). Capillary electrophoresis with sodium dodecylsulfate (CE-SDS) is a well-established technique commonly used for monitoring antibody fragments as well, but its comparability to SEC in monitoring hinge fragments has not been established until now.

Characterization of acidic and basic variants of IgG1 therapeutic monoclonal antibodies based on non-denaturing IEF fractionation.

Characterization of both the acidic and basic regions of imaged capillary isoelectric focusing (icIEF) profile of an IgG1 antibody was achieved through preparative immobilized pH gradient isoelectric focusing (IPG-IEF) fractionation. Recent attempts at using this method to fractionate charge variants of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have shown promising results, but identification of the chemical modifications in the variants was limited to the basic species. We have optimized the method to achieve enrichment of each variant across the icIEF profile of an IgG1 mAb.

Capillary electrophoresis coupled with automated fraction collection.

A fraction collector based on a drop-on-demand ink-jet printer was developed to interface capillary zone electrophoresis with a 96 well microtiter plate. We first evaluated the performance of the collector by using capillary zone electrophoresis to analyze a 1mM solution of tetramethylrhodamine; a fluorescent microtiter plate reader was then used to detect the analyte and characterize fraction carryover between wells. Relative standard deviation in peak height was 20% and the relative standard deviation in migration time was 1%.

Ultrasensitive online SERS detection of structural isomers separated by capillary zone electrophoresis.

A mixture of structural isomers was separated and identified at nanomolar concentrations (∼100,000 molecules) by incorporating capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) with a sheath flow surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) detector. Baseline resolution was obtained from three structural isomers of rhodamine using a planar silver SERS substrate, demonstrating the utility of this approach for trace chemical analysis.

Ultrasensitive surface-enhanced Raman scattering flow detector using hydrodynamic focusing.

Label-free, chemical specific detection in flow is important for high throughput characterization of analytes in applications such as flow injection analysis, electrophoresis, and chromatography. We have developed a surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) flow detector capable of ultrasensitive optical detection on the millisecond time scale. The device employs hydrodynamic focusing to improve SERS detection in a flow channel where a sheath flow confines analyte molecules eluted from a fused silica capillary over a planar SERS-active substrate.

Nicked-sleeve interface for two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis.

We report an improved interface for two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis. This interface is based on capillary tubing and a Plexiglas chip, both of which were milled using a micro-dicing saw. The interface was evaluated and compared to a traditional interface design for both pseudo one-dimensional and two-dimensional capillary electrophoresis.

Simplified sheath flow cuvette design for ultrasensitive laser induced fluorescence detection in capillary electrophoresis.

We present a design for a sheath-flow cuvette that uses a relatively inexpensive quartz cuvette. The cuvette has a high optical quality square flow chamber that is fused to quartz tubes at each end. PEEK/TEFZEL fittings hold and seal the quartz flow chamber without putting strain on the cuvette.

Thermal diffusivity imaging with the thermal lens microscope.

A coaxial thermal lens microscope was used to generate images based on both the absorbance and thermal diffusivity of histological samples. A pump beam was modulated at frequencies ranging from 50 kHz to 5 MHz using an acousto-optic modulator. The pump and a CW probe beam were combined with a dichroic mirror, directed into an inverted microscope, and focused onto the specimen.

Capillary isoelectric focusing with pH 9.7 cathode for the analysis of gastric biopsies.

Capillary isoelectric focusing tends to suffer from poor reproducibility, particularly for the analysis of complex protein samples from cellular or tissue homogenates. This poor reproducibility appears to be associated with erratic variations in electroosmotic flow. One cause of electroosmotic flow variation is degradation of the capillary coating caused by the extremely basic solution commonly used during mobilization and focusing; this degradation of the capillary coating can be reduced by employing a CAPS mobilization buffer at pH 9.

Nine orders of magnitude dynamic range: picomolar to millimolar concentration measurement in capillary electrophoresis with laser induced fluorescence detection employing cascaded avalanche photodiode photon counters.

The dynamic range of capillary electrophoresis analysis is ultimately limited by molecular shot noise at low concentrations and by concentration-induced band broadening at high concentrations. We report a system that approaches these fundamental limits. A laser-induced fluorescence detector is reported that employs a cascade of four fiber-optic beam splitters connected in series to generate a primary signal and four attenuated signals, each monitored by a single-photon counting avalanche photodiode.

Simplified capillary electrophoresis nanospray sheath-flow interface for high efficiency and sensitive peptide analysis.

We report a simple nanospray sheath-flow interface for capillary electrophoresis. This interface relies on electrokinetic flow to drive both the separation and the electrospray; no mechanical pump is used for the sheath flow. This system was interfaced with an LCQ mass spectrometer.

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

CIEF and CZE are coupled with LIF detection to create an ultrasensitive 2-D 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.

Capillary array isoelectric focusing with laser-induced fluorescence detection: milli-pH unit resolution and yoctomole mass detection limits in a 32-channel system.

We report a multiplexed capillary electrophoresis system employing an array of 32 capillaries with a micromachined sheath-flow cuvette as the detection chamber. The sample streams were simultaneously excited with a 473-nm laser beam, and the fluorescence emission was imaged on a CCD camera with a pair of doublet achromat lens. The instrument produced mass detection limits of 380 +/- 120 yoctomoles for fluorescein in zone electrophoresis.

Pulsed laser excited photothermal lens spectrometry of CdSxSe(1-x) doped silica glasses.

Experimental results for photothermal lens measurements are compared to finite elemental analysis models for commercial colored glass filters. Finite elemental analysis software is used to model the photothermal effect by simulating the coupling of heat both within the sample and out to the surroundings. Modeling shows that heat transfer between the glass surface and the air coupling fluid has a significant effect on the predicted time-dependent photothermal lens signals.

Development of infrared photothermal deflection spectroscopy (mirage effect) for analysis of condensed-phase aerosols collected in a micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor.

The potential of mid-infrared photothermal deflection spectrometry for aerosol analysis is demonstrated. Ammonium nitrate aerosols are deposited on a flat substrate using a micro-orifice uniform deposit impactor (MOUDI). Photothermal spectroscopy with optical beam deflection (mirage effect) is used to detect deposited aerosols.

Finite element analysis modeling of pulse-laser excited photothermal deflection (mirage effect) from aerosols.

A finite element analysis method for numerical modeling of the photothermal deflection spectroscopy of aerosols is presented. The models simulate pulse-laser excited photothermal deflection from aerosols collected on a plane surface substrate in air medium. The influence of the aerosol and substrate properties on the transient photothermal deflection signal is examined.