Effect of dielectric material on the uniformity of nanosecond pulsed dielectric barrier discharge

Dielectric barrier discharge(DBD)is considered as a promising technique to produce large volume uniform plasma at atmospheric pressure,and the dielectric barrier layer between the electrodes plays a key role in the DBD processes and enhancing discharge uniformity.In this work,the uniformity and discharge characteristics of the nanosecond(ns)pulsed DBD with dielectric barrier layers made of alumina,quartz glass,polycarbonate(PC),and polypropylene(PP)are investigated via discharge image observation,voltage-current waveform measurement and optical emission spectral diagnosis.Through analyzing discharge image by gray value standard deviation method,the discharge uniformity is quantitatively calculated.The effects of the space electric field intensity,the electron density(Ne),and the space reactive species on the uniformity are studied with quantifying the gap voltage Ug and the discharge current Ig,analyzing the recorded optical emission spectra,and simulating the temporal distribution of Ne with a one-dimensional fluid model.It is found that as the relative permittivity of the dielectric materials increases,the space electric field intensity is enhanced,which results in a higher Ne and electron temperature(Te).Therefore,an appropriate value of space electric field intensity can promote electron avalanches,resulting in uniform and stable plasma by the merging of electron avalanches.However,an excessive value of space electric field intensity leads to the aggregation of space charges and the distortion of the space electric field,which reduce the discharge uniformity.The surface roughness and the surface charge decay are measured to explain the influences of the surface properties and the second electron emission on the discharge uniformity.The results in this work give a comprehensive understanding of the effect of the dielectric materials on the DBD uniformity,and contribute to the selection of dielectric materials for DBD reactor and the realization of atmospheric pressure uniform,stable,and reactive plasma sources.

Magnetic resonance imaging tracing of transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells in a rat model of cardiac arrest-induced global brain ischemia

BACKGROUND： Numerous studies have shown that magnetic resonance imaging （MRI） can detect survival and migration of super paramagnetic iron oxide-labeled stem cells in models of focal cerebral infarction. OBJECTIVE： To observe distribution of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells （BMSCs） in a rat model of global brain ischemia following cardiac arrest and resuscitation, and to investigate the feasibility of tracing iron oxide-labeled BMSCs using non-invasive MRI. DESIGN, TIME AND SETTING： The randomized, controlled, molecular imaging study was performed at the Linbaixin Medical Research Center, Second Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, and the Institute of Cardiopulmonary Cerebral Resuscitation, Sun Yat-sen University, China from October 2006 to February 2009. MATERIALS： A total of 40 clean, Sprague Dawley rats, aged 6 weeks and of either gender, were supplied by the Experimental Animal Center, Sun Yat-sen University, China, for isolation of BMSCs. Feridex （iron oxide）, Gyroscan Inetra 1.5T MRI system, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation device were used in this study. METHODS： A total of 30 healthy, male Sprague Dawiey rats, aged 6 months, were used to induce ventricular fibrillation using alternating current. After 8 minutes, the rats underwent 6-minute chest compression and mechanical ventilation, followed by electric defibrillation, to establish rat models of global brain ischemia due to cardiac arrest and resuscitation. A total of 24 successful models were randomly assigned to Feridex-labeled and non-labeled groups （n = 12 for each group）. At 2 hours after resuscitation, 5 ×10^8 Feridex-labeled BMSCs, with protamine sulfate as a carrier, and 5 ×10^6 non-labeled BMSCs were respectively transplanted into both groups of rats through the right carotid artery （cells were harvested in 1 mL phosphate buffered saline）. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES： Feridex-labeled BMSCs were observed by Prussian blue staining and electron microscopy. Signal intensity, celluar viability, and proliferative capacity of BMSCs were measured using MRI, Trypan blue test, and M-IT assay, respectively. Distribution of transplanted cells was observed in rats utilizing MRI and Prussian blue staining prior to and 1, 3, 7, and 14 days after transplantation. RESULTS： Prussian blue staining displayed many blue granules in the Feridex-labeled BMSCs. High density of iron granules was observed in the cytoplasm under electron microscopy. According to MRI results, and compared with the non-labeled group, the signal intensity was decreased in the Feridex-labeled group （P 〈 0.05）. The decrease was most significant in the 50 pg/mL Feridex-labeled group （P 〈 0.01）. There were no significant differences in celluar viability and proliferation of BMSCs between the Feridex-labeled and non-labeled groups after 1 week （P 〉 0.05）. Low-signal lesions were detected in the rat hippocampus and temporal cortex at 3 days after transplantation. The low-signal lesions were still detectable at 14 days, and positively stained cells were observed in the hippocampus and temporal cortex using Prussian blue staining. There were no significant differences in signal intensity in the non-labeled group. CONCLUSION： BMSC transplantation traversed the blood-brain barrier and distributed into vulnerable zones in a rat model of cardiac arrest-induced global brain ischemia. MRI provided a non-invasive method to in vivo dynamically and spatially trace Feridex-labeled BMSCs after transplantation.

An ECG Monitoring and Alarming System Based On Android Smart Phone

ECG monitoring in daily life is an important means of treating heart disease. To make it easier for the medical to monitor the ECG of their patients outside the hospital, we designed and developed an ECG monitoring and alarming system based on Android smart phone. In our system, an ECG device collects the ECG signal and transmits it to an Android phone. The Android phone detects alarms which come from the ECG devices. When alarms occur, Android phone will capture the ECG images and the details about the alarms, and sends them to the cloud Alarm Server (AS). Once received, AS push the messages to doctors’ phone, so the doctors could see the ECG images and alarm details on their mobile phone. In our system, high resolution ECG pictures are transmitted to doctors’ phone in a user-friendly way, which can help doctors keep track of their patient’s condition easily.

Design and Implementation of a Real Time Wireless Monitor System for Urinary Incontinence

Urinary incontinence is the most common health problem in aged people. Leaving incontinence events unmanaged will make a negative influence on the aged and the patient both mentally and physically. This paper presents a design and implementation of a real time wireless monitor system for urinary incontinence, which has been applied in two nursing homes in Beijing and Shanghai. We collect real time moisture information by using non-contact humidity sensor designed and manufactured by us. When urinary incontinence, the sensor will send alert to mobile device via Bluetooth. If got the alert, the mobile device will send the alert to relatives of the aged or disabled people and cloud computing platform, through which we can make this information managed and displayed and the paramedic can be informed about the alarm. This paper gives a brief introduction to the framework of this system, the design of the non-contact sensor, the transmission of wireless data and the results of tests.

Manganese-doped mesoporous polydopamine nanoagent for T1-T2 magnetic resonance imaging and tumor therapy

Theranostic nanodrugs combining magnetic resonance imaging(MRI)and cancer therapy have attracted extensive interest in cancer diagnosis and treatment.Herein,a manganese(Mn)-doped mesoporous polydopamine(Mn-MPDA)nanodrug incorporating the nitric oxide(NO)prodrug BNN6 and immune agonist R848 was developed.The nanodrug responded to the H^(+)and glutathione being enriched in tumor microenvironment to release R848 and Mn^(2+).The abundant Mn^(2+)produced through a Fenton-like reaction enabled a highly sensitive T1-T2 dual-mode MRI for monitoring the tumor accumulation process of the nanodrug,based on which an MRI-guided laser irradiation was achieved to trigger the NO gas therapy.Meanwhile,R848 induced the re-polarization of tumor-promoting M2-like macrophage to a tumoricidal M1 phenotype.Consequently,a potent synergistic antitumor effect was realized in mice bearing subcutaneous 4T1 breast cancer,which manifested the great promise of this multifunctional nanoplatform in cancer treatment.

An iridium(Ⅲ)-palladium(Ⅱ) metal-organic cage for efficient mitochondria-targeted photodynamic therapy

An Ir8 Pd4-heteronuclear metal-organic cage(MOC-51)was assembled from bipodal metalloligand[Ir(ppy)2(qpy)(BF4)](qpy=4,4′:2′,2″:4″,4′′′-quaterpyridine;ppy-2-phenylpridine)with Pd(Ⅱ)salt.The cubic barrel shaped MOC shows one-photon and two-photon excited deep-red emission,as well as large singlet oxygen quantum yields under visible light irradiation,therefore exhibiting great potentials in organelles-targeted cell imaging and photodynamic therapy(PDT).Compared with the Ir(Ⅲ)metalloligand,the Ir8 Pd4-MOC showed less dark toxicity and higher mitochondria-targeting efficiency.The localization in mitochondria overco mes the limitation of short lifetime and diffusion distance of ROS in cell,thus improved PDT effect can be obtained in low light dose usage of the MOC.This study presents the first case of Ir-based metal-organic cages for bio-applications in successful integration of imaging diagnosis and photodynamic therapy.

Platinum-crosslinking polymeric nanoparticle for synergetic chemoradiotherapy of nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Despite extensive use of radiotherapy in nasopharyngeal carcinoma(NPC)treatment because of its high radiosensitivity,there have been huge challenges in further improving therapeutic effect,meanwhile obviously reducing radiation damage.To this end,synergistic chemoradiotherapy has emerged as a potential strategy for highly effective NPC therapy.Here,we developed RGD-targeted platinum-based nanoparticles(RGD-PtNPs,denoted as RPNs)to achieve targeted chemoradiotherapy for NPC.Such nanoparticles consist of an RGD-conjugated shell and a cis-platinum(CDDP)crosslinking core.Taking advantage of RGD,the RPNs may effectively accumulate in tumor,penetrate into tumor tissues and be taken by cancer cells,giving rise to a high delivery efficiency of CDDP.When they are fully enriched in tumor sites,the CDDP loaded RPNs can act as radiotherapy sensitizer and chemotherapy agents.By means of X-ray-promoted tumor cell uptake of nanoparticle and CDDP-induced cell cycle arrest in radiation-sensitive G2/M phases,RPNs may offer remarkable therapeutic outcome in the synergistic chemoradiotherapy for NPC.