45 research outputs found
Transport time-independent determination of the surface charge of individual nanoparticles using the resistive pulse sensing
No full textToward characterizing extracellular vesicles at a single-particle level
No full textAbstract Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived membrane-bound vesicles that serve a means of cell-cell communication. Studying EVs at a single-particle level is important because EVs are inherently heterogeneous. Novel micro- and nanotechnological tools have open opportunities for realizing single-EV measurements exploiting their biochemical, electrical, mechanical, and/or optical properties. This review summarizes the recent development of technologies toward sorting and analyzing single EVs. Sorting EVs into a more homogeneous subset relaxes the sensitivity and throughput required on the EV detection, and hence related techniques are also included in this review. These exciting technologies are on the rise and will expand our understanding of EVs and their applications in the near future
Entrustable Professional Activities and Entrustment Decision-Making in Health Professions Education
No full textThis book discusses the ins and outs of a new approach to competency-based education in the education and training of health professionals, including doctors and medical specialists, but also nurses, dentists, pharmacists, veterinarians, physiotherapists and others. Embedded in a conceptual discussion of what competence in health professionals means, the book discusses theoretical foundations of trust and entrustment of trainees with the practice of patient care tasks. It elaborates the implications for identifying the objectives of training, formulated as entrustable professional activities (EPAs), for the associated curriculum development, for assessment of trainees in the clinical workplace, for faculty development and for the management of large scale change in health professions education. In the past decade, EPAs have been proposed, piloted or implemented in all sectors of health professions education and in countries across all continents. Yet, there is a widely felt desire for a better understanding of all related concepts.
This text was written with teachers, educational managers, educational scholars, and health profession trainees in mind. The book is the result of a collaboration of fifty highly engaged authors, all actively involved in their own projects and studies around EPAs and workplace-based assessment, as teachers, developers and managers. All chapters have been critically read and commented on by internal and external reviewers, making this work a state of the art document about the topic
Preliminary report on the Sanyi-Puli seismic zone conductivity anomaly and its correlation with velocity structure and seismicity in the Northwestern Taiwan
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Entrustable professional activities and entrustment decision-making for competency-based education in the health professions: an introduction
No full textSince the turn of the millennium, competency-based education (CBE) has become a new standard for training in the health professions in many countries. Early work to operationalize CBE has included development of detailed frameworks of competencies that every physician should demonstrate. However, these models were criticized because they do not directly translate to everyday activities of practice. For that reason, entrustable professional activities (EPAs) were introduced in 2005. EPAs are units of professional practice that may be entrusted to trainees once they show the competencies needed to execute them without supervision. EPAs have become popular within competency-based programs in many countries, with numerous examples not only in medicine but in all health professions, including nursing, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy, dentistry, and more. T his chapter provides an overview of key foundational concepts related to EPAs. Beginning with a historical overview, the chapter provides a definition and rationale for EPAs. While competencies are qualities of individuals, EPAs are units of work. The two can be seen as dimensions of a matrix. Almost all activities in health care draw upon multiple, integrated competencies (communication and collaboration skill, professional behavior, content expertise, etc.). Next, entrustment decision-making as an approach to assessment is explained, as well as the associated framework of levels of supervision, ranging from ‘allowed to observe’ to ‘ready to be a supervisor.’ The chapter concludes with a summary of important considerations for building an EPA program
Stability of enzyme immobilized on the nanofluidic channel surface
No full textThe lifetime of an enzyme is critical to prevent system failure and optimize maintenance schedules in biological and analytical chemistry. The lifetime metrics of an enzyme can be evaluated from enzyme activity in terms of catalytic cycles per enzyme at various storage times. Trypsin, which is a gold-standard enzyme in proteomics, has been known to decrease activity due to self-digestion. To improve the activity of trypsin, enzyme reactors have developed by immobilizing in micro and nanospace. However, an evaluation method for the catalytic cycle has not been established due to major issues such as nonuniform space, unstable liquid transport, and self-digestion during immobilization in conventional work. To solve these issues, we have previously developed an ultra-fast enzyme reactor with a well-defined nanofabrication method, stable liquid transport, and partial enzyme modification. Here, we aimed to investigate catalytic cycles in a nanochannel. To extend enzyme lifetime efficiently, we have evaluated the optimal immobilization process and catalytic cycles of trypsin. As a result, immobilized enzyme densities by the trypsinogen immobilization process were increased at all concentrations compared to the trypsin immobilization process. To evaluate the lifetime of trypsin, the immobilized enzyme densities and activities were almost the same before and after 72 h of enzyme storage, and the calculated catalytic cycles were 1740. These results indicated that self-digestion of the immobilized enzyme was highly suppressed. Consequently, the reaction efficiency has been evaluated depending on the catalytic cycles from the substrate for the first time, while preventing self-digestion by trypsin
A versatile microfluidic intermediate delivery reservoir for isolating fluid dynamics in serially interconnected microfluidic networks
No full textBackground: Serially interconnected microfluidic devices enable advanced applications such as multi-step chemical processing and multi-organ-on-chip systems. However, managing these systems presents challenges due to interdependent fluid dynamics in their connecting channels, where even minor disturbances can propagate throughout the network, affecting overall system performance. Methods: This study introduces a microfluidic-based intermediate delivery reservoir (mIDR) designed to decouple flow interdependencies between serially connected devices while preserving essential microfluidic features, such as consistent liquid residence time. When integrated with a pneumatic pump, the mIDR enables precise liquid pressure regulation and independent control of both inlet and outlet flow rates. Its wedge-shaped open-channel structure generates capillary force gradients, enhancing liquid transfer efficiency. Experimental validation using time-sensitive enzymatic reactions confirms its ability to maintain laminar flow characteristics, isolate crosstalk, and stabilize interconnected microfluidic device operation. Significant findings: The open-channel design of the mIDR expands its versatility, allowing for additional functionalities such as debubbling and direct accessibility, which combine the advantages of both open and closed microfluidic systems. This innovation provides a robust and flexible solution for controlling fluid dynamics in complex microfluidic networks, offering improved reliability and efficiency for multi-step (bio)chemical processes
