OBJECTIVES Wolbachia, an endosymbiont of filarial nematode, is considered a promising target for therapy against lymphatic filariasis. Transcription elongation factor GreA is an essential factor that mediates transcriptional transition from abortive initiation to productive elongation by stimulating the escape of RNA polymerase (RNAP) from native prokaryotic promoters. Upon screening of 6257 es...

An ion trap/time-of-flight (TOF) mass spectrometer combination has been developed in order to combine the storage capabilities of an ion trap with the speed and resolution of a time-of-flight device. The ion trap is an rf quadrupole trap which operates in the total storage mode, i.e., with the dc voltage=0 on the end caps and rf voltage on the ring electrode. The trap has an ion storage time of...

Microarray devices are powerful for detecting and analyzing biological targets. However, the potential of these devices may not be fully realized due to the lack of optimization of their design and implementation. In this work, we consider a microsphere-trap array device by employing microfluidic techniques and a hydrodynamic trapping mechanism. We design a novel geometric structure of the trap...

We compared eight spinal needle biopsy procedures performed with an investigational disposable real-time stereotactic device and eight spinal needle freehand biopsies in which a standard technique was used, to determine whether the investigational device added value to the procedure. The device uses a simple stereotactic diaphragm pattern to define two vector points. The procedures in which the...

We describe a setup for addressable optical trapping in which a laser source is focused on a digital micromirror device and generates an optical trap in a microfluidic cell. In this paper, we report a proof-of-principle single beam/single micromirror/single three-dimensional trap arrangement that should serve as the basis for a multiple-trap instrument.

A renewable flow cell integrating a microstructured pillar-array filter and a pneumatic microvalve was microfabricated to trap and release beads. A bead-based immunoassay using this device was also developed. This microfabricated device consists of a microfluidic channel connecting to a beads chamber in which the pillar-array filter is built. Underneath the filter, there is a pneumatic microval...

We present a novel device that allows the user to measure the Young Modulus of a material at the opening of a 5 mm diameter needle. The device relies on a miniaturized cantilever spring mounted at the end of the needle and interrogated via Fabry-Pérot optical fiber interferometry. The probe is repetitively brought in and out of contact with the sample at the end of the needle by means of a stee...

This paper proposes a scheme to produce realistic force reflection in a needle insertion problem. The target system is the spine needle biopsy simulator for tumor inspection by needle insertion. Simulated force is calculated using the 3D human tissue model, the orientation and position of the needle, and this force is produced through the PHANToM device. To generate realistic force reflection, ...