Poly(lactic acid)/acetylated starch blends: Effect of starch acetylation on the material properties.

This study investigated the acetylation of starch to improve its processability and compatibility with poly(lactic acid). The temperature at the maximum rate of degradation increased by 3.2% for poly(lactic acid) blends containing acetylated starch degree of substitution 2.

Sizing biological cells using a microfluidic acoustic flow cytometer.

We describe a new technique that combines ultrasound and microfluidics to rapidly size and count cells in a high-throughput and label-free fashion. Using 3D hydrodynamic flow focusing, cells are streamed single file through an ultrasound beam where ultrasound scattering events from each individual cell are acquired. The ultrasound operates at a center frequency of 375 MHz with a wavelength of 4 μm; when the ultrasound wavelength is similar to the size of a scatterer, the power spectra of the backscattered ultrasound waves have distinct features at specific frequencies that are directly related to the cell size.