Phantom Illusion based Vibrotactile Rendering of Affective Touch Patterns.

Physically accurate (authentic) reproduction of affective touch patterns on the forearm is limited by actuator technology. However, in most VR applications a direct comparison with actual touch is not possible. Here, the plausibility is only compared to the user's expectation. Focusing on the approach of plausible instead of authentic touch reproduction enables new rendering techniques, like the utilization of the phantom illusion to create the sensation of moving vibrations. Following this idea, a haptic armband array (4x2 vibrational actuators) was built to investigate the possibilities of recreating plausible affective touch patterns with vibration. The novel aspect of this work is the approach of touch reproduction with a parameterized rendering strategy, enabling the integration in VR. A first user study evaluates suitable parameter ranges for vibrational touch rendering. Duration of vibration and signal shape influence plausibility the most. A second user study found high plausibility ratings in a multimodal scenario and confirmed the expressiveness of the system. Rendering device and strategy are suitable for a various stroking patterns and applicable for emerging research on social affective touch reproduction.

Biogenic Elements and Heavy Metals in Hermann's Tortoises-Testudo hermanni: Effect on Serum Biochemistry and Oxidative Status Parameters.

BACKGROUND: Conservation of species diversity is the need of the hour for preserving life forms on Earth. Extinction of any part of the ecosystem has negative impacts on many processes and systems. The objective of this work was to analyze some biochemical and molecular indicators and their correlations to biogenic elements and heavy metals in Testudo hermanni (n = 16). METHODS: Biochemical parameters were analyzed using the commercial kit DiaSys and biochemical analyzer Randox RX Monza. Sodium, potassium, and chlorides were measured using the EasyLite analyzer. Oxidative stress was evaluated using colorimetric and luminometric methods. Quantification of chemical elements in the blood was carried out using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPS). RESULTS: Biochemical values of analyzed samples from Hermann's tortoises were almost the same as referential values described by multiple authors, with minor aberrations in the total protein parameter. Values of arsenic (As) and nickel (Ni) showed correlation with biochemical parameters and the parameters of oxidative stress. Cadmium (Cd) exhibited correlation with aspartate aminotransferase (AST). CONCLUSIONS: This study reports correlations among four heavy metals, and their levels were again correlated with biochemical and molecular parameters in Hermann's tortoises.

Quantum Dots Facilitate 3D Two-Photon Laser Lithography.

In the past two decades, direct laser writing (DLW) technologies have seen tremendous growth. However, strategies that enhance the printing resolution and the development of printing material with assorted functionalities are still sparser than expected. Herein, a cost-effective method to tackle this bottleneck is presented. Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are selected to carry out this task, most importantly via surface chemistry modification to enable their copolymerization with themonomers, resulting in transparent composites. The evaluations indicate that the QDs show great colloidal stability and their photoluminescent properties are well-preserved. This allows further exploration of the printing characteristics of such composite material. It is shown that in the presence of the QDs, the material provides a much lower polymerization threshold with faster linewidth growth, indicating that the QDs form a synergetic relationship with the monomer and the photoinitiator, widening the dynamic range of the material and thus increasing the writing efficiency for broader fields of applications. Lowering the polymerization threshold reduces the minimum achievable feature size by ≈32%, which is well-matched with STED-based (i.e., stimulated-emission depletion microscopy) methods in writing 3D structures. The study further elucidates the mechanism of the synergetic behavior, further guiding the future development of functional materials for DLW-related printing technologies.

Sperm Quality Affected by Naturally Occurring Chemical Elements in Bull Seminal Plasma.

This study monitored the chemical and biochemical composition of bovine seminal plasma (SP). Freshly ejaculated semen (n = 20) was aliquoted into two parts. The first aliquot was immediately assessed to determine the sperm motion parameters. Another motility measurement was performed following an hour-long co-incubation of spermatozoa with SP at 6 °C. The other aliquot was processed to obtain the SP. Seminal plasma underwent the analyses of chemical composition and quantification of selected proteins, lipids and RedOx markers. Determined concentrations of observed parameters served as input data to correlation analyses where associations between micro and macro elements and RedOx markers were observed. Significant correlations of total oxidant status were found with the content of Cu and Mg. Further significant correlations of glutathione peroxidase were detected in relation to Fe and Hg. Furthermore, associations of chemical elements and RedOx markers and spermatozoa quality parameters were monitored. The most notable correlations indicate beneficial effects of seminal Fe on motility and Mg on velocity and viability of spermatozoa. On the contrary, negative correlations were registered between Zn and sperm velocity and seminal cholesterol content and motility. Our findings imply that seminal plasma has a prospective to be developed as the potential biomarker of bull reproductive health.

Novel Graphene Adjustable-Barrier Transistor with Ultra-High Current Gain.

A graphene-based three-terminal barristor device was proposed to overcome the low on/off ratios and insufficient current saturation of conventional graphene field-effect transistors. In this study, we fabricated and analyzed a novel graphene-based transistor, which resembles the structure of the barristor but uses a different operating condition. This new device, termed graphene adjustable-barriers transistor (GABT), utilizes a semiconductor-based gate rather than a metal-insulator gate structure to modulate the device currents. The key feature of the device is the two graphene-semiconductor Schottky barriers with different heights that are controlled simultaneously by the gate voltage. Due to the asymmetry of the barriers, the drain current exceeds the gate current by several orders of magnitude. Thus, the GABT can be considered an amplifier with an alterable current gain. In this work, a silicon-graphene-germanium GABT with an ultra-high current gain (ID/IG up to 8 × 106) was fabricated, and the device functionality was demonstrated. Additionally, a capacitance model is applied to predict the theoretical device performance resulting in an on-off ratio above 106, a swing of 87 mV/dec, and a drive current of about 1 × 106 A/cm2.

Mid- and far-infrared localized surface plasmon resonances in chalcogen-hyperdoped silicon.

Plasmonic sensing in the infrared region employs the direct interaction of the vibrational fingerprints of molecules with the plasmonic resonances, creating surface-enhanced sensing platforms that are superior to traditional spectroscopy. However, the standard noble metals used for plasmonic resonances suffer from high radiative losses as well as fabrication challenges, such as tuning the spectral resonance positions into mid- to far-infrared regions, and the compatibility issue with the existing complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) manufacturing platform. Here, we demonstrate the occurrence of mid-infrared localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPR) in thin Si films hyperdoped with the known deep-level impurity tellurium. We show that the mid-infrared LSPR can be further enhanced and spectrally extended to the far-infrared range by fabricating two-dimensional arrays of micrometer-sized antennas in a Te-hyperdoped Si chip. Since Te-hyperdoped Si can also work as an infrared photodetector, we believe that our results will unlock the route toward the direct integration of plasmonic sensors with the on-chip CMOS platform, greatly advancing the possibility of mass manufacturing of high-performance plasmonic sensing systems.

Plasmonic 3D Self-Folding Architectures via Vacuum Microforming.

3D self-folding microarchitectures have been studied enormously since the past decade, because of the potential of utilizing the third dimension to reach a new level of device integration. However, incorporating various functionalities is a great challenge, due to the limited folding force and choice of materials. In particular, self-folding microarchitectures with advanced optical properties have yet to be demonstrated. Here, a unique folding technique is developed, namely vacuum microforming, successfully demonstrating the self-folding of microcubes that can be completed within 30 ms, a few orders of magnitudes faster as compared to various established strategies reported so far. Simultaneously, a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) plasmonic nanostructure is fabricated, invoking strong gap plasmon to obtain a wide and robust angle-independent optical behavior and high environmental sensitivity that is close to the theoretical limit. It is successfully proven that such superb plasmonic properties are well preserved in 3D architectures throughout the folding process. The nanofabrication method together with the self-folding strategy not only provide the fastest folding process so far, compatible for high-volume fabrication, but also create new opportunities in integrating various functionalities, more specifically, optical properties for untethered optical sensing and identification.

Influences on Plasmon Resonance Linewidth in Metal-Insulator-Metal Structures Obtained via Colloidal Self-Assembly.

Localized surface plasmon resonances (LSPRs) have been widely explored in various research fields because of their excellent ability to condense light into a nanometer scale volume. However, it suffers quite often from the broadening of the LSPR linewidths, resulting in low quality factors. Among the causes of the broadening, fabrication inaccuracies are crucial yet challenging to evaluate. In this paper, we designed a type of metal-insulator-metal structure as an example via the colloidal self-assembly approach. We then demonstrated a facile approach to identify the origin of the discrepancies in between spectra obtained from experiments and simulations. Through a series of simulations in accordance with the experimental results, we could confirm that the predominant influencing factors are the presence of defects, as well as feature size variations, though they impact the spectral response in different ways. For similar plasmonic systems, our results enabled a more cost-effective optimization process in lieu of rather intensive and iterative experimentations, which will pave the way to automated fabrication and optimization, as well as integrated design. Furthermore, our results also indicated that the typical defect ratio that is introduced via the colloidal self-assembly approach has only limited impact on the resulting plasmonic resonances, proving that for similar plasmonic structure designs, colloidal self-assembly methods can provide a reliable and efficient alternative in the field of nanofabrication of plasmonic systems.

Anisotropic Etching of Pyramidal Silica Reliefs with Metal Masks and Hydrofluoric Acid.

This work describes the fabrication of anisotropically etched, faceted pyramidal structures in amorphous layers of silicon dioxide or glass. Anisotropic and crystal-oriented etching of silicon is well known. Anisotropic etching behavior in completely amorphous layers of silicon dioxide in combination with purely isotropic hydrofluoric acid as etchant is an unexpected phenomenon. The work presents practical exploitations of this new process for self-perfecting pyramidal structures. It can be used for textured silica or glass surfaces. The reason for the observed anisotropy, leading to enhanced lateral etch rates, is the presence of thin metal layers. The lateral etch rate under the metal significantly exceeds the vertical etch rate of the non-metallized area by a factor of about 6-43 for liquid and 59 for vapor-based processes. The ratio between lateral and vertical etch rate, thus the sidewall inclination, can be controlled by etchant concentration and selected metal. The described process allows for direct fabrication of shallow angle pyramids, which for example can enhance the coupling efficiency of light emitting diodes or solar cells, can be exploited for producing dedicated silicon dioxide atomic force microscopy tips with a radius in the 50 nm range, or can potentially be used for surface plasmonics.

A pilot study on in vitro solubility of phosphorus from mineral sources, feed ingredients and compound feed for pigs, poultry, dogs and cats.

Excess phosphorus (P) as seen in cat foods can have a negative effect on health (Dobenecker, Webel, Reese, & Kienzle, ; Pastoor, Klooster, Mathot, & Beynen, ). P surpluses may affect the environment, and economics in food producing animals, whereas marginal supply may impair performance and health. P can only be absorbed if it is soluble. Solubility of feed P in water and weak acid solution-as a precondition for absorption-was investigated in feed for dogs, cats, pigs and poultry. Different P containing mineral compounds (Ca(H2 PO4 )2 , CaHPO4 •2H2 O, Ca4 Na(PO4 )3 , KH2 PO4 , K4 P2 O7 , NaH2 PO4 , Na5 P3 O10 (29 samples), as well as eight different ingredients such as wheat or meat, 64 compound feeds for pig and poultry, eight complete dry and 13 complete moist dog foods, 25 complete moist cat foods and 29 experimental diets were analysed for P solubility. Finely ground feeds were soaked in water or hydrochloric acid (0.4%) for 1 and 90 min. The samples were centrifuged and the supernatant was analysed for P (photometric vanadate molybdate method after wet ashing). The solubility of P from inorganic sources reflected the solubility of the main compound of the feed grade material. "organic" ingredients, such as fish meal or meat, showed a lower P solubility than inorganic sources. Most ingredients from animal origin (exception fish meal) had a higher P solubility than those from plant origin. When inorganic and "organic" P sources were mixed, the P solubility of the mixture reflected the P solubility and percentages of its compounds. In chicken, turkey and pig compound feed the percentage of acid soluble P increased with increasing P content. Pet moist food showed high percentages of water-soluble P. The results show that the method is suitable to obtain data on water and acid solubility of P in feed and ingredients.

Implementation of Bar-Code Medication Administration to Reduce Patient Harm.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the impact of implementing bar-code medication administration (BCMA) technology on the rate of medication administration errors in the inpatient setting, specifically those that affect the patient and result in harm. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Implementation of the new technology began in September 2008 in a staged rollout of 4 or 5 units at a time in 11 separate waves. All corresponding medication administrations and voluntarily reported medication-related adverse events from March 1, 2007, through September 30, 2013, were included for analyses. Adherence to the use of BCMA technology and the number of adverse events were tracked and compared across the preimplementation period through follow-up. Actual errors, not potential errors, were included in the analysis. RESULTS: After the BCMA technology was introduced, reported medication administration errors decreased by 43.5%. More importantly, the rate of harmful medication errors decreased from 0.65 per 100,000 medications preintervention to 0.29 per 100,000 medications postintervention. This resulted in a 55.4% decrease in actual patient harm events. None of the errors at category E or higher was caused by BCMA factors. CONCLUSION: Consistent use of BCMA technology improves patient safety by decreasing the number of patients harmed by medication administration errors.

Leadership Strategies, An Interdisciplinary Team, and Ongoing Nurse Feedback: Ingredients For a Successful BCMA Project.

Barcode medication administration (BCMA) implementation represents a change in a complex process requiring significant modifications in the work of nurses. Nurses' voices are critical for successfully implementing BCMA technology to support this change in nursing practice. Feedback from nurses who administered medications was critical to selecting and refining a BCMA system that supported their practice needs. Feedback regarding implementation status was critical for keeping key stakeholders across the institution informed of the progress and initial impact of the implementation. Nursing leadership engagement throughout the process supported the successful adoption of new workflow processes and technology.

Novel 3D micro- and nanofabrication method using thermally activated selective topography equilibration (TASTE) of polymers.

Micro- and nanostructures with three-dimensional (3D) shapes are needed for a variety of applications in optics and fluidics where structures with both smooth and sharp features enhance the performance and functionality. We present a novel method for the generation of true 3D surfaces based on thermally activated selective topography equilibration (TASTE). This technique allows generating almost arbitrary sloped, convex and concave profiles in the same polymer film with dimensions in micro- and nanometer scale. We describe its principal mechanism exemplified by pre-patterned poly (methyl methacrylate) resist which is exposed to high energy electrons prior to a thermal annealing step enabling the selective transformation of stepped contours into smooth surfaces. From this we conclude, that TASTE not only offers an enormous degree of freedom for future process variations, but also will advance the patterning capabilities of current standard 3D micro- and nanofabrication methods.

An angiographic and intravascular ultrasound study of the left anterior descending coronary artery in takotsubo cardiomyopathy.

The precise cause of takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TC) remains controversial. Plaque rupture with transient thrombotic occlusion of a transapical left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) has been advanced as a potential mechanism. To explore this hypothesis, the investigators analyzed data from 11 patients prospectively enrolled in the Rhode Island Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy Registry who underwent coronary angiography and intravascular ultrasound evaluation of the LAD during their initial presentation. Despite the presence of nonobstructive coronary artery disease, no culprit lesion was identified in any patient. Similarly, the course of the LAD failed to account for the characteristic left ventricular apical ballooning seen in TC. In conclusion, an atherosclerotic coronary lesion in the LAD causing an aborted myocardial infarction may not be the primary underlying cause of TC, and nonobstructive coronary artery disease and TC may coexist without a direct causal association.

Interobserver reliability in the assessment of coronary stenoses by multidetector computed tomography.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the interobserver reliability for grading coronary stenosis severity with coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA). METHODS: Five readers independently reviewed 40 CCTA studies, first the axial images alone, then in combination with multiplanar reconstructions. The stenosis severity in each segment was scored on a 5-point scale. Intraclass correlation (ICC) analysis was performed to assess interobserver reliability on a segmental basis. RESULTS: The reliability was good to moderate in the right coronary artery, left main artery, left anterior descending artery and branches, and the proximal circumflex (ICC: 0.44-0.75) but fair to poor for the posterior descending artery, the posterolateral branch, the obtuse marginal branches, and the distal circumflex (ICC: 0.15-0.39). The ICC correlated with the reference diameter. Although there was no significant difference in the ICC between the scanner types, there were more unevaluable segments in the 16-row scanner compared with the 64-row scanner (2.4 vs 1.4 segments/patient). Addition of multiplanar reconstruction to axial images led to fewer uninterpretable segments and reclassification of stenosis grade in 23% of the segments. CONCLUSIONS: Interobserver reliability for stenosis severity by CCTA varies between segments and correlates with the reference diameter.