Guayusa (Ilex guayusa) is a native tree of the western Amazon region grown by indigenou farmers in traditional agroforestry systems. Its leaves are used as a drink similar to tea, which is now commercialized and marketed outside of the Amazon. To assess the impacts from theearly stages of commercial guayusa production, we conducted interviews in four commercial guayusa-producing communities with i

Deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) is a promising method for particle separation in the micrometer range, the proof of principle of which has been demonstrated to be successful in fields such as biomedicine and physics [1]. However, the enhanced particle dispersion (Figure 1 & 2) arising when separating very small particles (such as viruses and proteins) constitutes the main functional b

Context: Miniaturized instruments for percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PNL), utilizing tracts sized ≤22 Fr, have been developed in an effort to reduce the morbidity and increase the efficiency of stone removal compared with standard PNL (>22 Fr). Objective: We systematically reviewed all available evidence on the efficacy and safety of miniaturized PNL for removing renal calculi. Evidence acquisition

We make Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD) flexible by combining it with AC electrokinetics.

The Star-C is a new multilevel converter topology that is characterized by presenting a close to perfect sinusoidal output voltage. Its main purpose is to reduce the electromagnetic emissions that can interfere with other equipment placed nearby and to provide a high output power quality without the need of external filters. At the same time, the Star-C requires a significantly lower amount of com

Using Deterministic Lateral Displacement (DLD), we are able to separate bacteria by their size and their chain length. This separation enables the study of these properties as factors of virulence.

We have experimentally studied the conditions for acoustic particle focusing inside aqueous droplets in two-phase-systems, and confirmed our findings by theoretical analysis. The results show that the acoustic properties of the two fluids have to be matched to achieve strong acoustic resonance and focusing in the system.

During the past decade there has been a resurgence of interest in the concept of recognition in international theory. Once the narrow concern of social theorists, the concept of recognition is nowadays invoked in at least three different senses in order to explain three different things. First, it is commonly used to explain how states and their identities are shaped by interaction, and how the mo

The placenta and tumors share important characteristics, including a requirement to establish effective angiogenesis. In the case of the placenta, optimal angiogenesis is required to sustain the blood flow required to maintain a successful pregnancy, whereas in tumors establishing new blood supplies is considered a key step in supporting metastases. Therefore the development of novel angiogenesis

A combination of mesoscale hydrodynamic simulations and microfluidic experiments are used to explore the use of cells' mechanical and dynamical properties as biomarkers for separation. Dynamic behaviour of red blood cells (RBCs) within deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) devices is investigated within various array geometries and for different viscosity contrasts between the intra- and extra-

We derive an expression for the acoustic force density acting on an inhomogeneous fluid with a continuous spatial variation in density and compressibility. A key prediction of our theory, validated by confocal imaging in an acoustofluidic microchip, is that inhomogeneous fluid configurations can be stabilized in the presence of destabilizing forces due to gravity or acoustic streaming flows.

Objective: This study assessed the applicability and outcomes of the closure of unused cuffs in branched endovascular aneurysm repair (b-EVAR) of thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysm. Methods: We reviewed b-EVAR procedures at a tertiary referral center to identify patients who underwent incomplete branching and needed closure of the unused branch cuffs. An electronic database and intraoperative and fo

In this work we present theoretical modeling and additional experiments to characterize noncontact acoustic trapping in a small glass capillary. We provide numerical 3D-simulations that captures several key features of the experiment.

Mesoscopic simulations with two-dimensional (2D) models have been performed to elucidate the dynamics of deformable red blood cells (RBCs) in deterministic lateral displacement (DLD) devices. Several shapes of posts, including circular, diamond, square and triangular structures and RBCs with different rigidities are considered. In comparison to rigid particles, the deformable RBCs exhibit much mor

In the 20th century early management of acute pancreatitis often included surgical intervention, despite overwhelming mortality. The emergence of high-quality evidence (randomized controlled trials and meta-analyses) over the past two decades has notably shifted the treatment paradigm towards predominantly non-surgical management early in the course of acute pancreatitis. The present evidence-base

In 2015, the world's first self-defined feminist government was formed in Sweden with the explicit ambition of pursuing a feminist foreign policy. This essay seeks to unpack and highlight some of the substance and plausible future directions of a feminist foreign policy. The overarching ambition is three-fold: (1) to probe the normative contents of feminist foreign policy in theory and in practice

Optical mapping relies on the preparation of fluorescent DNA. DNA must be imaged with good signal to noise and therefore the background of unwanted DNA fragments, fluorescent dyes and other reagents need to be removed. We use deterministic lateral displacement to separate 48.5 kbp DNA from < 10 kbp DNA. We also show the removal of 48.5 kbp DNA fragments from a background of fluorescent ATTO647N mo

Many microfluidic devices have been developed to separate rare cells, e.g. circulating tumor cells. The collection and analysis of the separated rare cells pose a challenge as it may lead to loss of target cells since extremely small number of cells are usually suspended in a large volume after separation. Here, we present an integrated device that allows acoustophoretic target cell separation and

Objective: Previous research has indicated that components of the metabolic syndrome (MetS), such as hyperglycemia and hypertension, are negatively associated with cognition. However, evidence that MetS itself is related to cognitive performance has been inconsistent. This longitudinal study investigates whether MetS or its components affect cognitive decline in aging men and whether any interacti