Immobilization of C. elegans on cultivation plates by thermoelectric cooling for high-throughput subcellular-resolution microscopy

Imaging, visual screens, and optical surgery are frequently applied to the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans at subcellular resolution for in vivo biological research. However, these approaches remain low-throughput and require significant manual effort. To improve throughput and enable automation in these techniques, we implement a novel cooling method to immobilize C. elegans directly on their cultivation plate. Previous studies cooled animals in microfluidics or flooded wells to 1-4 C. Counterintuitively, we find that cooling to 5-7 C immobilizes animals more effectively than lower temperatures. At 6 C, animal movement consists of bouts of submicron nose tip movement occurring at a sufficiently low magnitude and frequency to permit clear imaging. We demonstrate the ability to perform subcellular-resolution fluorescence imaging, including 64x magnification 3D image stacks and 2-min long timelapse recordings of the ASJ neuron without blurring from animal motion. We also observe no long-term side effects from cooling immobilization on animal lifespan or fecundity. We believe our cooling method enables high-throughput and high-resolution microscopy with no chemical or mechanical interventions.

Phase-Changing Glauber Salt Solution for Medical Applications in the 28–32 °C Interval

(1) Background: The field of medicine requires simple cooling materials. However, there is little knowledge documented about phase change materials (PCM) covering the range of 28 to 40 degrees Celsius, as needed for medical use. Induced mild hypothermia, started within 6 h after birth, is an emerging therapy for reducing death and severe disabilities in asphyxiated infants. Currently, this hypothermia is accomplished with equipment that needs a power source and a liquid supply. Neonatal cooling is more frequent in low-resource settings, where ~1 million deaths are caused by birth-asphyxia. (2) Methods: A simple and safe cooling method suitable for medical application is needed for the 28 to 37.5 °C window. (3) Results: Using empirical experiments in which the ingredients in Glauber salt were changed, we studied the effects of temperature on material in the indicated temperature range. The examination, in a controlled manner, of different mixtures of NaCl, Na2SO4 and water resulted in a better understanding of how the different mixtures act and how to compose salt solutions that can satisfy clinical cooling specifications. (4) Conclusions: Our Glauber salt solution is a clinically suited PCM in the temperature interval needed for the cooling of infants suffering from asphyxia.

Dynamic Infrared Thermography (DIRT) in Biomedical Applications: DIEP Flap Breast Reconstruction and Skin Cancer

Infrared thermography technology has improved drastically in recent years and is regaining interest in medicine for applications such as deep inferior epigastric perforate flap breast reconstruction, breast cancer diagnosis, skin tissue identification, psoriasis detection, etc. However, there is still a need for an optimised measurement setup and protocol in order to capture the most suitable images for decision making and further processing. Nowadays, different cooling methods are being used; nevertheless, a general optimised cooling protocol is not yet defined. In this manuscript, several cooling techniques, as well as the measurement setups, are reviewed and optimised. It is possible to enhance the thermal images by selecting an appropriate cooling method and duration, and additionally, an optimised measurement setup enables a comparison between different inspections.

The effects of vacuum cooling to post-pasteurized honey on diastase enzyme activity and physical properties of Riau Forest Honey

Honey is defined as a traditional natural liquid which usually has a sweet taste derived from the nectar of flowers. The main component of honey is a natural saturated sugar solution consisting of a mixture of complex carbohydrates and contains various important micro-nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes, and organic compounds. These micro-nutrients are very susceptible to damage during the honey processing process. In this study, a cooling method in the form of vacuum cooling was applied with the aim of maintaining the micro-nutrients in honey. Vacuum cooling that is applied after the pasteurization process aims to release the latent heat trapped in the honey in a relatively short time and minimize damage to micronutrient, especially the diastase enzyme. The research design consisted of 2 factors, namely the volume chamber consisting of 12.5%, 25%, and 50%. The second factor is the cooling method which consists of conventional and vacuum cooling. The samples from the research were tested on diastase enzyme activity and the physical properties of honey such as moisture content, density, and acidity. The results showed that cooling with the vacuum cooling method had lower water content, low acidity, high density, and better diastase enzyme activity compared to conventional cooling.

Eco-efficiency analysis of waste cooking oil recycling into liquid dish soap using life cycle assessment

Waste Cooking Oil (WCO) is an oil with a chemical composition containing carcinogenic compounds formed during frying and unsaturated fatty acids. Improper handling of WCO can cause environmental pollution, especially water and soil. However, several studies have provided information that WCO can be recycled into products that are more value-added and have economic potential. Previous research has succeeded in finding the best combination of treatments for making soap from waste cooking oil that meets the standards of SNI 06-2048-1990, namely with a concentration of 22.5% KOH, cooling method and adsorption of activated charcoal and kepok banana peels. This study intends to analyze the environmental impact if WCO is recycled into liquid dish soap. The analysis was carried out using Life Cycle Assessment with the help of simapro software. The recycling process has the most significant impact on indicators of climate change and acidification. The eco-efficiency index is included in the affordable and sustainable categories.