The latest developments in thin-film-transistor digital-microfluidics (TFT-DMF, also known by the commercial name aQdrop™) are reported, and proof of concept application to molecular diagnostics ...(e.g. for coronavirus disease, COVID-19) at the point-of-need demonstrated. The TFT-DMF array has 41 thousand independently addressable electrodes that are capable of manipulating large numbers of droplets of any size and shape, along any pathway to perform multiple parallel reactions. Droplets are continually tracked and adjusted through closed-loop feedback enabled by TFT based sensors at each array element. The sample-to-answer molecular in vitro diagnostic (IVD) test for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) includes nucleic acid extractions from saliva, removal of dsDNA and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). This proof of concept illustrates how the highly configurable TFT-DMF technology can perform many reactions in parallel and thus support the processing of a range of sample types followed by multiple complex multi-step assays.
The consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure were first described more than 40 years ago.1,2 The term "fetal alcohol syndrome" (FAS) was first used to describe the cluster of birth defects due to ...prenatal alcohol exposure (including growth restriction, craniofacial abnormalities and intellectual disabilities) with lifetime consequences.2 The term "fetal alcohol spectrum disorder" (FASD) has since been adopted to describe a broader spectrum of presentations and disabilities resulting from alcohol exposure in utero. The prevalence has been estimated at 1 in 100 people, which translates to more than 330 000 affected individuals in Canada.3 The development of clinical capacity for FASD diagnosis remains difficult,4 because the diagnosis requires a medical evaluation and neurodevelopmental assessment conducted by a multidisciplinary team. In 2005, an international, collaborative, evidence-based guideline for diagnoses related to prenatal alcohol exposure was published.5 Since then, the field has evolved, and additional evidence, expertise and experience have emerged to suggest that a revision was required to improve both diagnoses and outcomes. The literature has also shown that impairments in behaviour and function associated with FASD have been detected from exposure to binge drinking, even infrequently or early in pregnancy, which underscores the importance of pre-pregnancy counselling. Specific research involving infants, young children and adults with FASD, as well as further insight into the neurodevelopmental dysfunction and nomenclature, prompted the update and revision process. A literature review and broad consultation process was undertaken to revise the 2005 guideline for diagnosing FASD.5 The guideline was developed according to the Appraisal of Guidelines, Research and Evaluation (AGREE II) framework,6 which provides a rigorous, evidence-based approach. The steering committee identified the scope of the guidelines and developed the key questions. These tasks were accomplished during the first meetings, after which the scope and questions were further refined and approved by consensus. The literature review was then conducted by two committee members (J.L.C. and C.R.G.) using the following combinations of MeSH (medical subject heading) search terms to address the key questions: "fetal alcohol," "diagnosis*," "infant*," "prenatal alcohol" and "adult." Relevant reports published from 2005 to September 2014 were identified from the following databases: PubMed, PsychLIT, Medscape, MEDLINE, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research funding database and the Cochrane Library.
This article is based on fieldwork with young Muslim refugees from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan, who attend small-town schools in the Danish countryside. The article explores the Danish schools’ ’mixed ...bag’ approach to religious education. Drawing on theology, philosophy, cultural history and the sociology of religion, the national curriculum privileges evangelical Lutheran Christianity while postulating a universal ’religious dimension’ in people’s lives. The article discusses how this school theology that highlights a common human religious attitude simultaneously excludes any serious discussion of a child’s relationship with God and the many other dimensions of religion that impact the lives of Muslim refugee children. While reporting that they enjoy learning about Christianity, Muslim children also feel compelled by God, family, classmates and their teacher’s lack of knowledge of Islam to find and hold on to their own religious convictions. In this they are surprisingly little helped by a subject designed to get at the religious dimension in people’s lives.
Over the past 40 years, a significant body of animal and human research has documented the teratogenic effects of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE). Neurobehavioral Disorder associated with PAE is ...proposed as a new clarifying term, intended to encompass the neurodevelopmental and mental health symptoms associated with PAE. Defining this disorder is a necessary step to adequately characterize these symptoms and allow clinical assessment not possible using existing physically-based diagnostic schemes. Without appropriate diagnostic guidelines, affected individuals are frequently misdiagnosed and treated inappropriately (often to their considerable detriment) by mental health, educational, and criminal justice systems. Three core areas of deficits identified from the available research, including neurocognitive, self-regulation, and adaptive functioning impairments, are discussed and information regarding associated features and disorders, prevalence, course, familial patterns, differential diagnosis, and treatment of the proposed disorder are also provided.
We describe a low cost thin-film transistor (TFT) nanoribbon sensor for detection of the inflammatory biomarker C-reactive protein (CRP) in human serum via a miniature bead-based enzyme-linked ...immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The TFT nanoribbon sensor measures the reaction products from the ELISA via pH changes. The bead-based ELISA decouples the protein functionalization steps from the sensor surface, increasing the signal and simplifying the assay. The ability to directly sense proteins in human serum in this way overcomes the Debye length limitation associated with nanowire and nanoribbon biosensors. Compared to classically fabricated nanowires, the TFT nanoribbon sensors are simple, extremely easy to fabricate, and should therefore be much cheaper to manufacture. TFT nanoribbon sensors, configured to measure pH, were used for quantitative detection of CRP spiked into human serum at concentrations as low as 0.2 ng/mL, which is 10 000 times lower than needed for diagnostic purposes, providing the potential for applications that require very high sensitivity.
There is increasing evidence that uncultivated bacterial symbionts are the true producers of numerous bioactive compounds isolated from marine sponges. The localization and heterologous expression of ...biosynthetic genes could clarify this issue and provide sustainable supplies for a wide range of pharmaceuticals. However, identification of genes in the usually highly complex symbiont communities remains a challenging task. For polyketides, one of the most important groups of sponge-derived drug candidates, we have developed a general strategy that allows one to rapidly access biosynthetic gene clusters based on chemical moieties. Using this method, we targeted polyketide synthase genes from two different sponge metagenomes. We have obtained from a sponge-bacterial association a complete pathway for the rare and potent antitumor agent psymberin from Psammocinia aff. bulbosa. The data support the symbiont hypothesis and provide insights into natural product evolution in previously inaccessible bacteria.
Abstract
Molecular fingerprinting of 16S rRNA genes using terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism (T-RFLP) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) was used to characterize the ...temporal and spatial variability among sponge-associated bacteria from Mycale hentscheli having distinct bioactive chemotypes. Cluster analysis of T-RFLP and DGGE profiles from M. hentscheli chemotypes largely grouped sponge microbial diversity to their distinct chemotype pattern. Repeat sampling of individual M. hentscheli at one location over a 21-month period showed that the T-RFLP profiles from individual sponges had similarity indices ranging from 60% to 82% and calculated DGGE similarities between 23% and 95%. However, a portion (>35% from DGGE and >19% from T-RFLP) of the microbial community from M. hentscheli appeared to be spatially conserved through all M. hentscheli populations. Sequence analysis of DGGE band fragments showed a similarity among the bands originating from different individuals, different times, and different locations. The sponge-associated relationship of these bands was confirmed, with sequences having similarity to sponge-associated bacteria reported from global locations. This study highlights the spatial and temporal complexity in the distribution of bacterial communities associated with different chemotypes of the marine sponge M. hentscheli.
While much theoretical work on value takes point of departure in what adults presumably value, this chapter addresses the valuing work children do. Articulating ideals of 'being social' and 'being ...oneself' as good forms of personhood, Danish teachers oblige children to enact a good form of 'being together as a class', a sociability considered vital to democratic society. Drawing on discussions of value exemplarity, I suggest that Danish school classes may be viewed from an adult perspective as exemplars representing, and to some extent realising, a high-sung value of egalitarian community. For children tasked with living out an idealised social form, the class is a limited social field, one they 'value' through myriad small valuing acts lodged in the sociable give and take of everyday class activity. The verb form is crucial here for exploring, not how children take on adult values, but rather what comes to matter to children as they, inescapably themselves, navigate the 'class' as an imposed social field and highly valued form of sociability.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
BFBNIB, DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Interrelationships between urban and rural areas are fundamental for the development and safeguarding of viable future living conditions and quality of life. These areas are not well-delineated or ...self-sufficient, and existing interrelations may privilege one over the other. Major urban challenges facing China and Europe are related to changes in climate, environment, and to decision-making that makes urban and rural landscapes more susceptible to environmental pressures. Focusing on the six European and Chinese cities and surrounding rural areas, under study in the joint EC and MOST-funded REGREEN project, we examine how nature-based solutions (NBS) may assist in counteracting these pressures. We explore urban-rural dependencies and partnerships regarding NBS that can enhance resilience in Europe and China. We analyse differences between European and Chinese systems of governance, reflecting on the significance of the scale of research needed to understand how NBS provide benefits. We highlight interactions between differently delineated sheds (watershed, airshed, natureshed, and peopleshed), which influence the interrelationships between urban and rural areas. There may be one-way or two-way interdependence, and the impact may be uni or multi-directional. The European and Chinese solutions, exemplified in this article, tackle the nexus of environmental and peoplesheds. We discuss complex human interactions (and how to model them) that may, or may not, lead to viable and equitable partnerships for implementing NBS in cities within Europe and in China.
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