The inhalation of small amounts of carbon monoxide (CO) by a transplant organ recipient has been shown to significantly improve transplant outcomes. Currently, medical grade CO is only available in hi...
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Transfection is the process of introducing nucleic acids into cells. Two main strategies are viral (utilizing viruses as vectors) and non-viral. Non-viral methods are less efficient but attractive for...
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Drills are commonly used during orthopedic surgery to place screws that allow fixation of fractured bones. One problem that surgeons face while drilling is the overlying soft tissue becoming entangled...
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Touch screen systems have many advantages, including simplification of the user's task and elimination of a separate keyboard. However, touch screen systems present an insurmountable barrier to ma...
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Compact solid-state LED/LD (light-emitting diode) light sources are by their nature near-point sources. Applications that take advantage of these highly efficient, spectrally engineered light sources ...
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The Braille language is the universally accepted form of written communication for the visually impaired. A system of dots, arranged in a three row by two column grid, is used to display different let...
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A cochlear implant is a surgically implanted prosthetic device that can provide profoundly deaf individuals with sensations of sound. These devices improve the quality of life for hundreds of thousand...
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Newborn screening is the practice of testing newborns for certain harmful or potentially fatal disorders that are not otherwise apparent at birth. Generally, blood drops are obtained from the heel, fi...
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Hydrocephalus is a disorder in which a subject’s body produces cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) at a rate faster than the venous system is able to absorb the fluid. The increase in intracranial pressure (I...
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Wound healing is a complex and dynamic process of rebuilding skin and tissue. Chronic or impaired wounds result when tissues fail to progress through the necessary stages of healing. This is a signifi...
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Glottic insufficiency is the medical term used to describe inadequate vocal fold contact during voice production. Glottic insufficiency results in poor voice quality and “breathiness” during phona...
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Hearing impairment rarely extends across the entire frequency range of hearing. Commonly, hearing loss is most severe at higher frequencies, although listeners can have selective losses at frequencies...
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Time-frequency analysis involves detecting when oscillations of certain frequencies turn on and off. This kind of analysis is useful in nearly every field of science and engineering. The traditional a...
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Methods that allow reactive polymer films to be deposited or assembled on topologically complex substrates are useful for the patterning or chemical modification of surfaces in a broad range of applic...
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Studying how neurons and other cells work may require stimulating individual or small clusters of cells. The cells conventionally are stimulated through the use of fine electrodes inserted into or nea...
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The ability to deliver proteins into cells has many therapeutic and research applications. However, peptide drugs and therapeutic proteins are notoriously difficult to administer, in part because of t...
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Chitosan is a soluble biopolymer derived from chitin, which is a structural element in the shell of marine arthropods.  Chitosan is used in water processing and agriculture.  It also is used in band...
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One of the frontiers in biomedical science is the development of brain-computer interface (BCI) systems. A need exists for small-scale neurological interfaces that can potentially transmit information...
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Studying how neurons and other cells work may require stimulating individual or small clusters of cells.  The cells conventionally are stimulated through the use of fine electrodes inserted into or n...
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Cerebral aneurysms develop when the wall of a cerebral artery or vein become weakened and the blood vessel begins to balloon. To avoid this type of complication, procedures have been developed to prev...
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A fracture requiring orthopedic treatment occurs approximately every 14 seconds in the United States.  Musculoskeletal conditions cost an estimated $254 billion each year in the United States, and bo...
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Anesthetics are a critical part of modern surgical practice. Unfortunately, once in every 1000 to 2000 operations a patient may temporarily regain consciousness or even remain conscious during surgery...
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Oral ingestion of pharmaceuticals currently is considered the safest, most convenient and most economical method of drug administration. However, oral delivery of many pharmaceuticals is not possible ...
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Movement of human limbs requires the coordination of multiple muscles. Such coordination is learned through extensive practice but can be disrupted by injuries or diseases such as traumatic brain inju...
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UW-Madison researchers previously described a piece of exercise equipment for rehabilitation of stroke patients and sport-specific training of athletes that allows users to measure and train the magni...
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