The BabyLux device is a hybrid diffuse optical neuromonitor that has been developed and built to be employed in neonatal intensive care unit for the noninvasive, cot-side monitoring of microvascular cerebral blood flow and blood oxygenation. It integrates time-resolved near-infrared and diffuse correlation spectroscopies in a user-friendly device as a prototype for a future medical grade device. We present a thorough characterization of the device performance using test measurements in laboratory settings. Tests on solid phantoms report an accuracy of optical property estimation of about 10%, which is expected when using the photon diffusion equation as the model. The measurement of the optical and dynamic properties is stable during several hours of measurements within 3% of the average value. In addition, these measurements are repeatable between different days of measurement, showing a maximal variation of 5% in the optical properties and 8% for the particle diffusion coefficient on a liquid phantom. The variability over test/retest evaluation is <3%. The integration of the two modalities is robust and without any cross talk between the two. We also perform in vivo measurements on the adult forearm during arterial cuff occlusion to show that the device can measure a wide range of tissue hemodynamic parameters. We suggest that this platform can form the basis of the next-generation neonatal neuromonitors to be developed for extensive, multicenter clinical testing.
Herein, we report the first fully automated continuous‐flow platform for fluorescence quenching studies and Stern–Volmer analysis. All the components of the platform were automated and controlled by a self‐written Python script. A user‐friendly software allows even inexperienced operators to perform automated screening of novel quenchers or Stern–Volmer analysis, thus accelerating and facilitating both reaction discovery and mechanistic studies. The operational simplicity of our system affords a time and labor reduction over batch methods while increasing the accuracy and reproducibility of the data produced. Finally, the applicability of our platform is elucidated through relevant case studies.
Photocatalytic radical trifluoromethylation strategies have impacted the synthesis of trifluoromethyl-containing molecules. However, mechanistic aspects concerning such transformations remain poorly understood. Here, we describe in detail the mechanism of the visible-light photocatalytic trifluoromethylation of N-methylpyrrole with gaseous CF3 I in flow. The use of continuous-flow microreactor technology allowed for the determination of different important parameters with high precision (e.g., photon flux, quantum yield, reaction rate constants) and for the handling of CF3 I in a convenient manner. Our data indicates that the reaction occurs through a reductive quenching mechanism and that there is no radical chain process present.
Although regenerative medicine products are at the forefront of scientific research, technological innovation, and clinical translation, their reproducibility and large-scale production are compromised by automation, monitoring, and standardization issues. To overcome these limitations, new technologies at software (e.g., algorithms and artificial intelligence models, combined with imaging software and machine learning techniques) and hardware (e.g., automated liquid handling, automated cell expansion bioreactor systems, automated colony-forming unit counting and characterization units, and scalable cell culture plates) level are under intense investigation. Automation, monitoring and standardization should be considered at the early stages of the developmental cycle of cell products to deliver more robust and effective therapies and treatment plans to the bedside, reducing healthcare expenditure and improving services and patient care.
In the last decade, two-photon polymerization (2PP) has gained increasing interest for the production of individually shaped 3D structures. For the successful implementation of 2PP within a production chain for the industrial manufacturing of optical microstructures, advanced material properties of the photo polymer are required. The usable laser dynamic range, shape accuracy as well as surface roughness play a crucial role. In this publication, we present the results of an iterative optimization process aiming at a material applicable for 3D structures written by 2PP. The special focus here lies on the influence of the photo initiator and stabilizer on the usable laser dynamic range and shape fidelity. The application of the optimized photo polymer for the production of a complex prism array, which could be used as master mold, is also shown.
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