No description available.

No description available.

Thesis (M.Sc.). / Written for the Dept. of Atmospheric and Oceanic Sciences. Title from title page of PDF (viewed 2008/12/08). Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1987.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, Los Angeles, 1987. / Vita. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 326-355).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1987.

Thousands of sexual assault cases in the United States are backlogged. This has been a growing issue for years that has increased the difficulty of solving these cases and providing closure to the victims. The analysis process for each case includes the identification of body fluids, presumptive testing, confirmatory testing, and DNA extraction. The only confirmatory method for semen identification is a microscopic visualization of sperm cells. The time spent on microscopic analysis varies depending on the complexity of the samples and the skills of the analyst. While the identification of sperm cells is informative, it can be very time-consuming and labor intensive. Some forensic laboratories choose to skip this step and submit samples directly for DNA analysis. Conducting DNA analysis on unscreened samples can increase the cost of testing when negative samples are analyzed as well as the time it takes to process each case. Automated microscopy has been available for decades and more recently has been paired with artificial intelligence to detect sperm cells on microscope slides. In this research, the MetaSystems automated microscope was used to analyze slides that mimic forensic sexual assault samples. Slides were also examined using traditional microscopy. The automated system quickly provided an accurate quantification of the number of sperm cells present in a sample, which can inform downstream DNA testing. The software was successful in identifying sperm cells treated with Christmas tree and hematoxylin and eosin stains, even among epithelial cells and various contaminants. Results demonstrated that an artificial intelligence-driven forensic sperm cell detection microscope can significantly reduce the time it takes to locate and identify sperm cells and estimate sperm cell quantity compared to a lengthier and more tedious manual search. Drawbacks to the system include the relatively high cost and reduced ability to accurately detect sperm cells amid contaminants that are of similar morphology.

Nesta pesquisa in vitro verificou-se a possibilidade de remoção do manchamento causado por café ou vinho tinto em cinco resinas compostas disponíveis comercialmente, após serem submetidas ao processo de envelhecimento. Trinta e seis espécimes de cada resina composta foram confeccionados em uma matriz de teflon, com 10 mm de diâmetro e 1,5 mm de espessura. Os espécimes foram mantidos em água destilada a 37ºC por 24 horas e, em seguida, polidos com irrigação na politriz (Ecomet Buehler USA) nas duas superfícies, com lixa de carbureto de silício com granulação de número 600, até atingirem a espessura de 1,3 ±0,01 mm. Após o polimento, a cor dos espécimes foi aferida com espectrofotômetro Cintra 10 UV (Visible Spectrometer, GBC, Austrália). Todos os espécimes foram submetidos à ciclagem térmica com temperaturas de 5 e 55ºC, com tempo de imersão de 1 minuto, por 1000 ciclos em solução de 75% álcool-água. Após a ciclagem térmica, os espécimes foram mantidos imersos em água destilada a 37ºC até completar o período de 7 dias da confecção das amostras. Após esse período, todos os espécimes foram levados ao espectrofotômetro para leitura da cor. Os espécimes foram divididos em três grupos, cada um com n=12, de acordo com as soluções em que foram imersos: água destilada (controle), café e vinho tinto. Para que o processo de manchamento acontecesse em uma única superfície do espécime, uma das faces e a superfície lateral do espécime foram isoladas com cera branca. Os espécimes foram imersos nas diferentes soluções e mantidos a 37ºC por 14 dias. Após o período de manchamento, a cera foi removida e a superfície submetida ao manchamento passou por escovação com escova elétrica (Escova Elétrica Braun Oral-B Procter & Gamble do Brasil S.A., Manaus, Brasil) por 30 segundos com pressão leve. Os espécimes foram secos com papel absorvente e novamente levados ao espectrofotômetro para medição da cor. Em seguida, os espécimes foram submetidos a três desgastes de 20 m e a cor foi aferida após cada um dos desgastes. O cálculo da diferença de cor foi realizado através da fórmula CIEDE2000. De acordo com a metodologia utilizada neste estudo, concluiuse que o manchamento provocado por café e vinho tinto nos compósitos avaliados foi superficial e um desgaste de 20 m foi suficiente para remoção de tal manchamento. / This in vitro research verified the possible elimination of staining caused by coffee and red wine in five commercial composite resins, after being submitted to thermal cycling. Thirty six specimens were prepared in a teflon mold with 10 mm in diameter and 1.5 mm thick. The specimens were immersed in water at 37ºC for 24 h and polished (Ecomet Buehler - USA) in both surfaces with a # 600 grit silicon carbide paper until achieve 1.3 ±0.01 mm thickness. After polishing, specimens color was measured in a spectrophotometer Cintra 10 UV (Visible Spectrometer, GBC, Austrália). All specimens were submitted to thermal cycling with temperatures of 5 and 55ºC with a dwell time of 1 minute, for 1000 cycles in a 75% ethanol/water solution. After thermal cycling the specimens were immersed in water at 37ºC until complete 7 days from the preparation of the specimens. All the specimens were then taken into spectrophotometer for measuring the color. The specimens were divided into 3 groups (n=12): distilled water (control), coffee and red wine. For the purpose of the staining process to occur in only one surface, all the side and one of the surfaces were isolated with white wax. The specimens were immersed in one of the solutions at 37ºC for 14 days. After the staining period, the wax was removed and the specimens were brushed with electric toothbrush (Braun Oral-B, Procter & Gamble do Brasil S.A., Manaus, Brasil) for 30 seconds with a slight pressure. The specimens were dry with a tissue paper and were taken to spectrophotometer for measuring the color. Following, the specimens were submitted to three wears of 20 m and the color was measured after each one of the wears. The calculation of the color difference was made through CIEDE2000 formula. According to the methodology used in this research, it was concluded that the staining caused by coffee and red wine was superficial and one wear of 20 m was enough for removing the discoloration.

<p>Background. Immunohistochemistry is a useful method in the differential diagnosis between pleural mesotheliomas and metastatic adenocarcinomas in the pleura. Cytokeratin 20 and 7 have been used successfully as markers in studies determining primary location of adenocarcinomas from metastases. The current study is a complementary research of archived paraffininbedded material of cases with cancer origin. This study contributes a bigger statistical material that may facilitate the search for unknown primary site of adenocarcinoma by identification of metastatic cells in the pleura.</p><p>Methods. Cells from the pleura taken from fifteen patients with diagnosed cancer of different types and eleven patients with cancer of unknown origin, were stained with antibodies against the tumour markers: Ber EP 4, calretinin, cytokeratin 20 and 7, estrogen receptor α, thyroid transcription factor, prostate-specific antigen and Cdx2.The staining was conducted in an automated immunohistochemical system. The staining of each kind of antibody was confirmed by a control section staining.</p><p>Results. All control staining ended perfect The whole panel of antibodies used on mammary cancer showed the same pattern for every antibody. Of the patients with cancer of unknown origin there were four that gave the same pattern, two men and two women. The women are deceased. To make a more careful evaluation more information and clinic background is needed. The number of samples is too small to draw any statistical conclusions.</p><p>Comment. Although the control staining was perfect the negative result of CK20 in the cases of diagnosed colon cancer was unexpected. This staining should be performed again to confirm the result. In some cases the number of cells were to few for a certain evaluation. The slides and the results of this work will be archived for further research.</p>

When cultivated properly in bioreactors, microalgae have been found to produce vast amounts of biomass. In the case of diatom cultivation where the organisms will fall out of suspension quite easily, paddle wheels or pumps are the primary means to maintain the necessary velocity in the raceway. This study will focus on the potentially harmful shear stress these devices may impart onto the organisms. The system used to impart shear stress to a diatom culture was a cone and plate viscometer. Cells were counted using a fluorescein diacetate staining method with a fluorescent and brightfield microscope. Under the white light all cells were visible while only the healthy cells were visible under fluorescent light. The sample was exposed to shear stress with the cone and plate viscometer at 6 Pascals for 10 minutes and compared against a non-sheared sample. For each sample, 5 pairs of white and fluorescent light images were captured, counted, and averaged. A non-sheared sample was paired with a sheared sample to calculate the decrease in cell viability. The slope was calculated from the plot of shear stress and cell viability for 9 strains. In each case shear stress resulted in a significant decrease in cell viability; however, there was no statistical difference between strains. While effective, this method would be impractical for a commercial algae cultivation facility as the viscometer in this study costs approximately $100,000. Therefore, tests were performed to determine if a rotary mixer could be substituted for the viscometer. The hypothesis was that the cell damage was a product of shear stress and exposure time. For the viscometer test, the shear exposure was 3600 Pa s. Two rotational mixer tests were performed, one at 1250 RPM for 7 hours and one at 313 RPM for 28 hours, providing the same 3600 Pa s shear exposure. After staining, cell viability decreased 35.62% and 11.07% in the 1250 RPM and 313 RPM test, respectively. This difference was significant compared to the 6.04% decrease in the viscometer test. The increased cell damage was attributed to turbulence in the mixer tests and the basis for further study.