Diode-based additive manufacturing of metals using an optically-addressable light valve.

Selective Laser Melting (SLM) of metal powder bed layers, whereby 3D metal objects can be printed from a digital file with unprecedented design flexibility, is spurring manufacturing innovations in medical, automotive, aerospace and textile industries. Because SLM is based on raster-scanning a laser beam over each layer, the process is relatively slow compared to most traditional manufacturing methods (hours to days), thus limiting wider spread use. Here we demonstrate the use of a large area, photolithographic method for 3D metal printing, using an optically-addressable light valve (OALV) as the photomask, to print entire layers of metal powder at once. An optical sheet of multiplexed ~5 kW, 20 ms laser diode and ~1 MW, 7 ns Q-switched laser pulses are used to selectively melt each layer. The patterning of near infrared light is accomplished by imaging 470 nm light onto the transmissive OALV, which consists of polarization-selective nematic liquid crystal sandwiched between a photoconductor and transparent conductor for switching.

Summary of the 2014 Land O'Lakes Bioanalytical Conference.

This Land O'Lakes Conference is presented each year by the Division of Pharmacy Professional Development within the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA). The purpose of this 3-day conference is to provide an educational forum to discuss issues and applications associated with the analysis of xenobiotics, metabolites, biologics and biomarkers in biological matrices. The conference is designed to include and encourage an open exchange of scientific and methodological applications for bioanalysis. To increase the interactive nature of the conference, the program is a mixture of lectures, interactive discussions and a poster session. This report summarized the presentations at the Fifteenth Annual Conference.

New setting for the Land O'Lakes Bioanalytical Conference.

The University of Wisconsin bioanalytical conference is presented each year by the Extension Services in Pharmacy, the professional development department within the School of Pharmacy. The purpose of this 3-day conference was to provide an educational forum to discuss issues and applications associated with the analysis of xenobiotics, metabolites, biologics and biomarkers in biological matrices. The conference was designed to include and encourage an open exchange of scientific and methodological applications for bioanalysis. To increase the interactive nature of the conference the program was composed of a mixture of lectures, interactive discussions, poster sessions and roundtables. This paper summarizes the presentations at the Fourteenth Annual Conference, offered in a new venue.

Conference report: emerging technology for bioanalysis in the next decade.

This University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy bioanalytical conference is presented each year by the Extension Services in Pharmacy, the professional development department within the School. The purpose of this 4-day conference is to provide an educational forum to discuss issues and applications associated with the analysis of xenobiotics, metabolites, biologics and biomarkers in biological matrices. The conference is designed to include and encourage an open exchange of scientific and methodological applications for bioanalysis. To increase the interactive nature of the conference, the program was a mixture of lectures, poster sessions, round table discussions and workshops. This article summarizes the presentations at the 13th Annual Conference.

Conference report: 12th Annual University of Wisconsin Land O'Lakes Bioanalytical Conference.

This University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy bioanalytical conference is presented each year by the Extension Services in Pharmacy, the professional development department within the school. The purpose of this 4-day conference is to provide an educational forum to discuss issues and applications associated with the analysis of xenobiotics, metabolites, biologics and biomarkers in biological matrices. The conference is designed to include and encourage an open exchange of scientific and methodological applications for bioanalysis. To increase the interactive nature of the conference, the program was a mixture of lectures, poster sessions, round table discussions and workshops. This article summarizes the presentations at the 12th Annual Conference.

10th Annual University of Wisconsin Land O'Lakes Bioanalytical Conference.

This conference was arranged by the Extension Services in Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin School of Pharmacy. The purpose of this annual 4-day conference is to provide an educational forum to discuss issues and applications associated with the analysis of xenobiotics and metabolites in biological matrices. The conference is designed to include and encourage an open exchange of scientific and methodological applications for bioanalysis. To increase the interactive nature of the conference, the program will be a mixture of lectures, poster sessions, round table discussions and workshops. This paper summarizes the presentations at the Tenth Annual Conference.

Gene expression, fiber type, and strength are similar between left and right legs in older adults.

Methodological issues relevant to studies using microarrays and reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) in human aging have rarely been evaluated. Because aging may accentuate biological differences between muscles, we compared transcriptome expression patterns, targeted messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance, strength, and muscle fiber type in the right and left legs of older adults. Muscle biopsies were taken from each Vastus lateralis in eight older (71 +/- 2 years) men, and isometric strength was determined. Samples were analyzed using an Affymetrix gene array, ATPase histochemistry, and RT-PCR for mRNA species involved in metabolism, apoptosis, vascular growth, and antioxidant status. Microarray analysis found that 31 of 5499 genes (0.6%) were significantly different between legs (negative log of the p value [NLOGP] >/= 2.0, but fold < 1.5), with only one gene, jumonji domain containing 1C (JMJD1C), being significantly different by >/= 1.50-fold. None of the mRNA species, or muscle fiber type, size, or strength, was different between legs. These findings are important for the design and analysis of studies using muscle data in older adults.

Pharmacists' perceptions of facilitators and barriers to lifelong learning.

OBJECTIVES: To reevaluate facilitators of and barriers to pharmacists' participation in lifelong learning previously examined in a 1990 study. METHODS: A survey instrument was mailed to 274 pharmacists who volunteered to participate based on a prior random sample survey. Data based on perceptions of facilitators and barriers to lifelong learning, as well as self-perception as a lifelong learner, were analyzed and compared to a similar 1990 survey. RESULTS: The response rate for the survey was 88%. The top 3 facilitators and barriers to lifelong learning from the 2003 and the 1990 samples were: (1) personal desire to learn; (2) requirement to maintain professional licensure; and (3) enjoyment/relaxation provided by learning as change of pace from the "routine." The top 3 barriers were: (1) job constraints; (2) scheduling (location, distance, time) of group learning activities; and (3) family constraints (eg, spouse, children, personal). Respondents' broad self-perception as lifelong learners continued to be highly positive overall, but remained less positive relative to more specific lifelong learning skills such as the ability to identify learning objectives as well as to evaluate learning outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: Little has changed in the last decade relative to how pharmacists view themselves as lifelong learners, as well as what they perceive as facilitators and barriers to lifelong learning. To address factors identified as facilitators and barriers, continuing education (CE) providers should focus on pharmacists' time constraints, whether due to employment, family responsibilities, or time invested in the educational activity itself, and pharmacists' internal motivations to learn (personal desire, enjoyment), as well as external forces such as mandatory CE for relicensure.