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Technology Platform (technology + platform)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Chemistry	57%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting	28%

Selected Abstracts

Detecting Biorecognition Events at Blocked Interface Polymeric Membrane Ion-Selective Electrodes Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy and Atomic Force Microscopy

ELECTROANALYSIS, Issue 3 2008
Marco, Roland De
Abstract Immobilization of a biorecognition element onto a polymeric membrane ion-selective electrode (ISE) using a self-assembly approach may provide scope for a novel biosensor technology platform based on the altered potentiometric response at the blocked ISE interface. In this paper, the authors have investigated the influence of solution adsorption of the model biorecognition element, avidin-biotin, on the electrode kinetics of a conventional polymeric membrane Ca2+ ISE using atomic force microscopy (AFM) coupled with electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). It is demonstrated that solution adsorption of avidin followed by biotin incorporation leads to a demonstrable biorecognition event characterized by an impediment in the Ca2+ ion transfer kinetics of the modified ISE surface. This kinetic principle is amenable to biosensing using pulsed chronopotentiometric polymeric ISEs, which is an established dynamic electrode technique for use with polymeric membrane ISEs. [source]

FedEx Ground retools its succession planning and development processes to deliver business results

GLOBAL BUSINESS AND ORGANIZATIONAL EXCELLENCE, Issue 3 2009
Heather D'Alesandro
A revamped succession planning process at FedEx Ground keeps succession and development decisions clearly focused on the road ahead to ensure the company has its best talent ready for those roles that drive its business strategies and critical initiatives. Changes to the annual talent review process were designed to find and close talent gaps in pivotal leadership roles and competencies, where near-term talent shortages could pose significant business risks. Prework and the review meeting agenda concentrate the discussion on whether the high-potential and promotable individuals are filling these pivotal roles and being developed as rapidly as possible. Enabled by a robust technology platform, officers can also devise broader targeted actions across the organization for addressing shared developmental needs related to critical leadership competencies. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]

New technologies for chemical genetics

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue S37 2001
Leslie A. Walling
Abstract Chemical genetics, in which small molecules are used in lieu of mutations to study biological processes, requires large and diverse chemical libraries to specifically perturb different biological pathways. Here we describe a suite of technologies that enable chemical libraries prepared by split-pool solid phase synthesis to be screened in a diverse range of chemical genetic assays. Compounds are synthesized on 500 micron high-capacity polystyrene beads, and arrayed into individual wells of 384-well plates using a hand-held bead arrayer. Compounds are cleaved from synthesis beads using a chemically-resistant ceramic dispensing system, producing individual stock solutions of single compounds. Nanoliter volumes of these solutions are then transferred into assay plates using an array of stainless steel pins mounted on a robotic arm. We have designed reusable 1536- and 6144-well assay plates made of silicone rubber that can be cast in the laboratory and filled by hand. This integrated technology platform enables hundreds of biological assays to be performed from the product of a single synthesis bead, enabling the results of different chemical genetic experiments to be directly compared. J. Cell. Biochem. Suppl. 37: 7,12, 2001. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]

Noncontact photo-acoustic defect detection in drug tablets

JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICAL SCIENCES, Issue 8 2007
Ivin Varghese
Abstract Quality assurance monitoring is of great importance in the pharmaceutical industry for the reason that if defects such as coating layer irregularities, internal cracks, and delamination are present in a drug tablet, the desired dose delivery and bioavailability can be compromised. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) established the Process Analytical Technology (PAT) initiative, in order to ensure efficient quality monitoring at each stage of the manufacturing process by the integration of analysis systems into the evaluation procedure. Improving consistency and predictability of tablet action by improving quality and uniformity of tablet coatings as well as ensuring core integrity is required. An ideal technique for quality monitoring would be noninvasive, nondestructive, have a short measurement time, intrinsically safe, and relatively inexpensive. In the proposed acoustic system, a pulsed laser is utilized to generate noncontact mechanical excitations and interferometric detection of transient vibrations of the drug tablets is employed for sensing. Two novel methods to excite vibrational modes in drug tablets are developed and employed: (i) a vibration plate excited by a pulsed-laser and (ii) pulsed laser-induced plasma generated shockwave expansion. Damage in coat and/or core of a tablet weakens its mechanical stiffness and, consequently, affects its acoustic response to an external dynamic force field. From the analysis of frequency spectra and the time,frequency spectrograms obtained under both mechanisms, it can be concluded that defective tablets can be effectively differentiated from the defect-free ones and the proposed proof-of-concept techniques have potential to provide a technology platform to be used in the greater PAT effort. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association J Pharm Sci 96:2125,2133, 2007 [source]

Cost Efficiency of the Banking Sector in Vietnam: A Bayesian Stochastic Frontier Approach with Regularity Constraints

ASIAN ECONOMIC JOURNAL, Issue 2 2010
Ha Thu Vu
C11; D24; G21 This paper investigates the cost efficiency of the Vietnamese banking industry. To obtain an appropriate estimate of cost efficiency, monotonicity and concavity constraints are incorporated in the estimation of the cost frontier using the Bayesian approach. Overall, the level of cost efficiency of Vietnam's banking sector is relatively high, around 87 percent. The findings reveal minor and insignificant differences in the cost efficiency of different groups of banks classified by ownership. Furthermore, throughout the estimation period, the industry faced a slight decrease in cost efficiency. This could be explained by increases in the costs of managing diverse activities, the enlargement of branch networks and the upgrading of the banking technology platform. [source]

Prevalidation of potential protein biomarkers in toxicology using iTRAQÔ reagent technology

PROTEINS: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION AND BIOINFORMATICS, Issue 10 2007
Matthias Glückmann
Abstract Today, toxicoproteomics still relies mainly on 2-DE followed by MS for detection and identification of proteins, which might characterize a certain state of disease, indicate toxicity or even predict carcinogenicity. We utilized the classical 2-DE/MS approach for the evaluation of early protein biomarkers which are predictive for chemically induced hepatocarcinogenesis in rats. We were able to identify statistically significantly deregulated proteins in N -nitrosomorpholine exposed rat liver tissue. Based on literature data, biological relevance in the early molecular process of hepatocarcinogenicity could be suggested for most of these potential biomarkers. However, in order to ensure reliable results and to create the prerequisites necessary for integration in routine toxicology studies in the future, these protein expression patterns need to be prevalidated using independent technology platforms. In the current study, we evaluated the usefulness of iTRAQÔ reagent technology (Applied Biosystems, Framingham, USA), a recently introduced MS-based protein quantitation method, for verification of the 2-DE/MS biomarkers. In summary, the regulation of 26 2-DE/MS derived protein biomarkers could be verified. Proteins like HSP 90-beta, annexin A5, ketohexokinase, N -hydroxyarylamine sulfotransferase, ornithine aminotransferase, and adenosine kinase showed highly comparable fold changes using both proteomic quantitation strategies. In addition, iTRAQ analysis delivered further potential biomarkers with biological relevance to the processes of hepatocarcinogenicity: e.g. placental form of glutathione S-transferase (GST-P), carbonic anhydrase, and aflatoxin B1 aldehyde reductase. Our results show both the usefulness of iTRAQ reagent technology for biomarker prevalidation as well as for identification of further potential marker proteins, which are indicative for liver hepatocarcinogenicity. [source]

Combining Enabling Techniques in Organic Synthesis: Continuous Flow Processes with Heterogenized Catalysts

CHEMISTRY - A EUROPEAN JOURNAL, Issue 23 2006
Andreas Kirschning Prof. Dr.
Abstract The concepts article describes enabling techniques (solid-phase assisted synthesis, new reactor design, microwave irradiation and new solvents) in organic chemistry and emphasizes the combination of several of them for creating new synthetic technology platforms. Particular focus is put on the combination of immobilized catalysts as well as biocatalysts with continuous flow processes. In this context, the PASSflow continuous flow technique fulfils both chemical as well as chemical engineering requirements. It combines reactor design with optimized, monolithic solid phases as well as reversible immobilization techniques for performing small as well as large scale synthesis with heterogenized catalysts under continuous flow conditions. [source]