Browsing by Subject "Solutions"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Preprogrammed capillarity to passively control system-level sequential and parallel microfluidic flows
    (Royal Society of Chemistry, 2013) Kim, Sung-Jin; Paczesny, Sophie; Takayama, Shuichi; Kurabayash, Katsuo; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    In microfluidics, capillarity-driven solution flow is often beneficial, owing to its inherently spontaneous motion. However, it is commonly perceived that, in an integrated microfluidic system, the passive capillarity control alone can hardly achieve well-controlled sequential and parallel flow of multiple solutions. Despite this common notion, we hereby demonstrate system-level sequential and parallel microfluidic flow processing by fully passive capillarity-driven control. After manual loading of solutions with a pipette, a network of microfluidic channels passively regulates the flow timing of the multiple solution menisci in a sequential and synchronous manner. Also, use of auxiliary channels and preprogramming of inlet-well meniscus pressure and channel fluidic conductance allow for controlling the flow direction of multiple solutions in our microfluidic system. With those components orchestrated in a single device chip, we show preprogrammed flow control of 10 solutions. The demonstrated system-level flow control proves capillarity as a useful means even for sophisticated microfluidic processing without any actively controlled valves and pumps.
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    The use of qualitative methods in venous thromboembolism research
    (Elsevier, 2021-09-12) Hernandez-Nino, Jackeline; Thomas, Mary; Alexander, Andreia B.; Ott, Mary A.; Kline, Jeffrey A.; Emergency Medicine, School of Medicine
    Introduction: Qualitative research has been increasingly used in health care research to allow in-depth insights and understanding of patients' lived experiences for poorly understood phenomena. The psychological stress mechanisms underlying fear, dyspnea, and pain after venous thromboembolism (VTE) remain poorly understood. However, novice VTE researchers may not be familiar with the process of undertaking qualitative research. Objective: The aim of this article is to describe the planning, methodology and execution of qualitative methods, using the example of patients' lived experiences during and after the diagnosis of VTE. We discuss challenges and solutions in implementing qualitative research methods in health care research. Methods: Patients were recruited from the emergency department and clinic using in-person and phone contact. We used both in-person and video format to interview 24 patients. Interviews were guided by a set of questions to be explored but conducted to elucidate unique thoughts and opinions from patients. Results: For recruitment, "cold-calling" was found to be largely unsuccessful. Many patients have preexisting diagnoses of anxiety and depression. Video interviews were found to be at least as effective as in-person interviews. Interviews revealed unique post-VTE experiences from all participants, with a wide range of impact on quality of life. Themes that were most common included perceptions of physician communication, fear of recurrence, and concerns of death. Conclusion: A qualitative research approach can reveal individual experiences and psychosocial impact in patients diagnosed with VTE, which allow the researchers to better comprehend the complexity of this phenomenon and its impact in health care.