Evaluation of fetal condition in uncomplicated pregnancies at 40 weeks and beyond by calculation of amniotic fluid indexes and Doppler in the middle cerebral artery.

Objective. The aim of our data is to reveal the method of prognosis abnormal perinatal outcome, using combination US and Doppler results in uncomplicated pregnancies at 40 weeks and beyond. Design.1020 uncomplicated pregnant women at 40 weeks and beyond were examined 48 hours before delivery. We analyzed fetus’s condition during labor and just after. Setting. According these dates all women were divided into 3 groups after amniotic index(AI)and pulsatility indices(PI) in the middle cerebral artery(MCA). Population.260 women were included in the study because they met the inclusion criteria. Methods.All women were divided into 3 groups (group 1 - PI>0.835, any value of AI, group 2-AI >85, PI ≤ 0.835, group 3- AI ≤ 85 and PI ≤ 0.835).We analyzed fetus’s condition during labor and just after delivery (Apgar score <=7 and >7 on the 1st minute). Result. We’ve got trigger level for pulsatility index (PI) as 0.835, if we had PI less than that threshold cases of emergency cesarean section increases in 2,12 times, if PI less than 0,835 in combination with Amniotic Index(AI) 85 and less in 5,28 times. If PI =<0,835 risk of newborns having Apgar 7 and less increases in 1,18, but in combination with AI =<85 in 4,72 times. Conclusion. In results we found out the following data: low PI in the MCA may be parameter which cans prognoses fetus distress. Combination of PI reduce with low AI increases its specific and can use in practical ways to avoid hypoxic brain damage during labor.

Label-free impedance flow cytometry for nanotoxicity screening

The development of reliable and cost-efficient methods to assess the toxicity of nanomaterials (NMs) is critical for the proper identification of their impact on human health and for ensuring a safe progress of nanotechnology. In this study, we investigated the reliability and applicability of label-free impedance flow cytometry (IFC) for in vitro nanotoxicity screening, which avoids time-consuming labelling steps and minimizes possible NM-induced interferences. U937 human lymphoma cells were exposed for 24 h to eight different nanomaterials at five concentrations (2, 10, 20, 50, and 100 μg/mL). The NMs’ effect on viability was measured using IFC and the results were compared to those obtained by trypan blue (TB) dye exclusion and conventional flow cytometry (FC). To discriminate viable from necrotic cells, the IFC measurement settings regarding signal trigger level and frequency, as well as the buffer composition, were optimised. A clear discrimination between viable and necrotic cells was obtained at 6 MHz in a sucrose-based measurement buffer. Nanomaterial-induced interferences were not detected for IFC. The IFC and TB assay results were in accordance for all NMs. The IFC was found to be robust, reliable and less prone to interferences due to the advantage of being label-free.

Particle Flow reconstruction in the CMS Level-1 Trigger For The HL-LHC

With the planned addition of the tracking information in the Level-1 trigger in CMS for the High-Luminosity Large Hadron Collider (HL-LHC), the algorithms for the Level-1 trigger can be completely reconceptualized. Following the example for offline reconstruction in CMS to use complementary subsystem information and mitigate pileup, we explore the feasibility of using Particle Flow-like and pileup-per-particle identification techniques at the hardware trigger level. We present the challenges of adapting these algorithm to the timing and resource constraints of the Level-1 trigger, the first prototype implementations, and the expected performance on physics object reconstruction.

Analysis of Quantum Dot Vertical Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifier with Saturable Absorber

We analyze the bistable characteristics of quantum dot vertical cavity semiconductor optical amplifier integrated with saturable absorber. The device demonstrates bistable characteristics in the input-output powers which can be controlled by changing the voltage of the saturable absorber. We observe that the lower trigger level is more sensitive to variation of the absorption coefficient of the saturable absorber than that of upper trigger level. For clockwise and butterfly loops, we find that the upper and lower trigger levels increase as the absorption coefficient increases, and consequently the hysteresis width decreases. For counter clockwise, the upper and lower trigger levels decrease as the absorption coefficient increases and the corresponding hysteresis width increases.