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The article discusses research on the use of the Yaskawa CSDA10F dual-arm robot in automating life science laboratory sample preparation. Topics explored include the programming of this robot for the specified operation, the integration of the SAMI Workstation EX process control software in the automation program, and the analysis and processing of laboratory samples prepared by the robot.

The continued growth in life sciences is being accompanied by the constantly rising demand for robotic systems. Today, bioscreening and high–throughput screening processes are well automated. In contrast, a deficit can be found in the area of analytical measurements with complex and frequently changing processes. Robots undertake not only transportation tasks, but also direct sample manipulation and subsequent analytical measurements. Due to their human-like structure, dual-arm robots perform such processes similar to human operation. Liquid handling is required to transfer chemicals, to prepare standard solutions, or to dilute samples. Two electronic pipettes with different volume ranges (5–200 µL and 50–1000 µL) were integrated into a dual–arm robotic system. The main focus in this publication is the software interface for alternating robot and pipette control as well as the high–level process control system. The performance using a dual–arm robot equipped with electronic pipettes and conventional manual pipettes was determined and compared. The automation system presented is the first integration of a dual-arm robot in analytical measurement processes. Conventional manual laboratory pipettes and electronic pipettes are simultaneously used for liquid-handling tasks. The software control system enables a flexible and user-friendly process generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Colonoscopy is a valuable tool for diagnosing various colonic pathologies. There is little recent research regarding the use of colonoscopy in South Africa. Objective: To describe the findings of the audit done on the practice of colonoscopy in a specialised gastroenterology unit (GEU) of a tertiary teaching hospital. Design: A retrospective audit of colonoscopies performed between the 01 January 2008 and 31 March 2010 in a single gastroenterology unit at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital(CMJAH) was conducted. Details of colonoscopy records were obtained from an administrative database of patient files. No patient specific inclusion or exclusion criteria were applied. Results: In total 1143 colonoscopies were performed during the study period, and 989 were analysed. The mean age was 63.04 years (10 - 93), 61.58% female, 61.48% were Caucasians and 25.88% were of black ethnicity. The indications for colonoscopies were; screening for colorectal cancer (22.95%), case findings (14.16%) and surveillance (14.96%). Caecal intubation rate (CIR) was 80.08%. Findings included macroscopically normal colons (38.12%), polyps (28.18%) and diverticular disease (23.15%). Of the biopsies obtained during colonoscopy procedures 30.50% were reported as normal colonic mucosa, 10.40% revealed adenocarcinoma and 55.37% were tubular adenomas. Conclusions: The audit identified a number of shortfalls, which include: poor colonoscopy performance quality as reflected by the low CIR, non standardised colonoscopy reporting format resulting in paucity of information on scope reports, underrepresentation of the black community, to mention a few. It therefore would appear, based on the findings from this study that there is room for improvement in a number of areas in the practice of colonoscopy in this unit. Further studies may be of value to identify reasons behind these shortfalls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid core-shell nanoparticles with metal cores and conductive polymer shells yield materials that are sinter-free and highly conductive but mechanically weak. Conventional composites of such nanoparticles are electrically insulating. Here, we introduce microscale phase-separated nanocomposites of hybrid gold-PEDOT:PPS particles in insulating poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA). They combine electrical conductivities of up to 2.1 × 10 5 S/m at 10 vol % PVA with increased mechanical adhesion on polyethylene terephthalate and glass substrates. We studied the effects of the PVA molecular weight, hydrolyzation degree, and volume fraction. Composites with 10 vol % highly hydrolyzed PVA at a M W of 89-98 kDa had the highest conductivities and stabilities; highly hydrolyzed PVA even increased the conductivity of the hybrid particle layers. We propose the formation of hydrogen bonds between PVA and PEDOT:PSS that lead to demixing and the formation of stable, structured composites. Finally, we demonstrated the inkjet-printability of inks containing PVA in water with viscosities of 1.6-2.0 Pa s at 50.1 s -1 and prepared bending-resistant electrical leads.

Syntheses of Mn 3 O 4 involve either high sintering temperatures to produce well crystallized products or the use of water-soluble precursors, surfactants, and organic solvents to generate nanocrystalline products. Mechanochemical approaches are known to be effective in the preparation of fine-grained or nanoscaled materials, while also being environmentally friendly because no solvents and no sintering at high temperatures are required. We report the solvent free mechanochemical synthesis of Mn 3 O 4 nanocrystals at room temperature, from a mixture of MnO and Mn 2 O 3 . The single-phase product was characterized by Rietveld refinement and SEM images. The obtained crystallite size was 14.2(2) nm, which is among the smallest ever produced crystallite sizes of Mn 3 O 4 . The obtained product reveals an enormous increase in lithium intercalation capability, which was proven via chemical lithium intercalation at room temperature. More than 50% lithiation of nanocrystalline Mn 3 O 4 is observed after a reaction time of 1 h, while coarse-grained material from a solid-state reaction shows no intercalation under the same reaction conditions. Therefore, the produced manganese oxide has a high potential in lithium battery applications.