Chromatographic performance of microfluidic liquid chromatography devices: Experimental evaluation of straight versus serpentine packed channels.

We prepared a series of planar titanium microfluidic (µLC) columns, each 100 mm long, with 0.15, 0.3 and 0.5 mm i.d.'s. The microfluidic columns were packed with 1.8 µm C18 sorbent and tested under isocratic and gradient conditions. The efficiency and peak capacity of these devices were monitored using a micro LC instrument with minimal extra column dispersion. Columns with serpentine channels were shown to perform worse than those with straight channels. The loss of efficiency and peak capacity was more prominent for wider i.d. columns, presumably due to on-column band broadening imparted by the so-called "race-track" effect. The loss of chromatographic performance was partially mitigated by tapering the turns (reduction in i.d. through the curved region). While good performance was obtained for 0.15 mm i.d. devices even without turn tapering, the performance of 0.3 mm i.d. columns could be brought on par with capillary LC devices by tapering down to 2/3 of the nominal channel width in the turn regions. The loss of performance was not fully compensated for in 0.5 mm devices even when tapering was employed; 30% loss in efficiency and 10% loss in peak capacity was observed. The experimental data for various devices were compared using the expected theoretical relationship between peak capacity Pc and efficiency N; (Pc-1) = N0.5 × const. While straight µLC columns showed the expected behavior, the devices with serpentine channels did not adhere to the plot. The results suggest that the loss of efficiency due to the turns is more pronounced than the corresponding loss of peak capacity.

Influence of mastication and edentulism on mandibular bone density.

The aim of this study was to demonstrate that external loading due to daily activities, including mastication, speech and involuntary open-close cycles of the jaw contributes to the internal architecture of the mandible. A bone remodelling algorithm that regulates the bone density as a function of stress and loading cycles is incorporated into finite element analysis. A three-dimensional computational model is constructed on the basis of computerised tomography (CT) images of a human mandible. Masticatory muscle activation involved during clenching is modelled by static analysis using linear optimisation. Other loading conditions are approximated by imposing mandibular flexure. The simulations predict that mandibular bone density distribution results in a tubular structure similar to what is observed in the CT images. Such bone architecture is known to provide the bone optimum strength to resist bending and torsion during mastication while reducing the bone mass. The remodelling algorithm is used to simulate the influence of edentulism on mandibular bone loss. It is shown that depending on the location and number of missing teeth, up to one-third of the mandibular bone mass can be lost due to lack of adequate mechanical stimulation.