God’s laboratory Roberts, Elizabeth F. S
2012., 20120425, 2012, 2012-05-25, 20120101
eBook
Assisted reproduction, with its test tubes, injections, and gamete donors, raises concerns about the nature of life and kinship. Yet these concerns do not take the same shape around the world. In ...this innovative ethnography of in vitro fertilization in Ecuador, Elizabeth F.S. Roberts explores how reproduction by way of biotechnological assistance is not only accepted but embraced despite widespread poverty and condemnation from the Catholic Church. Roberts' intimate portrait of IVF practitioners and their patients reveals how technological intervention is folded into an Andean understanding of reproduction as always assisted, whether through kin or God. She argues that the Ecuadorian incarnation of reproductive technology is less about a national desire for modernity than it is a product of colonial racial history, Catholic practice, and kinship configurations. God's Laboratory offers a grounded introduction to critical debates in medical anthropology and science studies, as well as a nuanced ethnography of the interplay between science, religion, race and history in the formation of Andean families.
The ongoing global pandemic (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has become a huge public health issue. Hence, we devised a multiplex reverse ...transcription loop-mediated isothermal amplification (mRT-LAMP) coupled with a nanoparticle-based lateral flow biosensor (LFB) assay (mRT-LAMP-LFB) for diagnosing COVID-19. Using two LAMP primer sets, the ORF1ab (opening reading frame 1a/b) and N (nucleoprotein) genes of SARS-CoV-2 were simultaneously amplified in a single-tube reaction, and detected with the diagnosis results easily interpreted by LFB. In presence of FITC (fluorescein)-/digoxin- and biotin-labeled primers, mRT-LAMP produced numerous FITC-/digoxin- and biotin-attached duplex amplicons, which were determined by LFB through immunoreactions (FITC/digoxin on the duplex and anti-FITC/digoxin on the test line of LFB) and biotin/treptavidin interaction (biotin on the duplex and strptavidin on the polymerase nanoparticle). The accumulation of nanoparticles leaded a characteristic crimson band, enabling multiplex analysis of ORF1ab and N gene without instrumentation. The limit of detection (LoD) of COVID-19 mRT-LAMP-LFB was 12 copies (for each detection target) per reaction, and no cross-reactivity was generated from non-SARS-CoV-2 templates. The analytical sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 was 100% (33/33 oropharynx swab samples collected from COVID-19 patients), and the assay's specificity was also 100% (96/96 oropharynx swab samples collected from non-COVID-19 patients). The total diagnostic test can be completed within 1 h from sample collection to result interpretation. In sum, the COVID-19 mRT-LAMP-LFB assay is a promising tool for diagnosing SARS-CoV-2 infections in frontline public health field and clinical laboratories, especially from resource-poor regions.
•A COVID-19 mRT-LAMP-LFB assay was successfully devised for detecting SARS-CoV-2 infection..•mRT-LAMP-LFB assy only requires simple heating equipment to maintain a constant temperature of 63 °C for 40 min.•The total diagnostic test can be completed within 1 h from sample collection to result interpretation.
The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has led to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) worldwide pandemic. This unprecedented situation has garnered ...worldwide attention. An effective strategy for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic is to develop highly accurate methods for the rapid identification and isolation of SARS-CoV-2 infected patients. Many companies and institutes are therefore striving to develop effective methods for the rapid detection of SARS-CoV-2 ribonucleic acid (RNA), antibodies, antigens, and the virus. In this review, we summarize the structure of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, its genome and gene expression characteristics, and the current progression of SARS-CoV-2 RNA, antibodies, antigens, and virus detection. Further, we discuss the reasons for the observed false-negative and false-positive RNA and antibody detection results in practical clinical applications. Finally, we provide a review of the biosensors which hold promising potential for point-of-care detection of COVID-19 patients. This review thereby provides general guidelines for both scientists in the biosensing research community and for those in the biosensor industry to develop a highly sensitive and accurate point-of-care COVID-19 detection system, which would be of enormous benefit for controlling the current COVID-19 pandemic.
•The viral particles structure, genome and gene expression characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 are described.•The current SARS-CoV-2 viral particles, RNA, antigens, and antibody detection methods are reviewed.•The clinical performance and unmet problems associated with SARS-CoV-2 RNA antigen, and antibody detection are highlighted.•Potential biosensors for use in developing point-of-care, rapid, high-sensitivity SARS-CoV-2 detection methods are discussed.
High Dynamic Range Imaging Erik Reinhard, Greg Ward, Sumanta Pattanaik, Paul Debevec
2005, 2006-12-31
eBook
High dynamic range imaging produces images with a much greater range of light and color than conventional imaging. The effect is stunning, as great as the difference between black-and-white and color ...television. High Dynamic Range Imaging is the first book to describe this exciting new field that is transforming the media and entertainment industries. Written by the foremost researchers in HDRI, it will explain and define this new technology for anyone who works with images, whether it is for computer graphics, film, video, photography, or lighting design.* Written by the leading researchers in HDRI * Covers all the areas of high dynamic range imaging including capture devices, display devices, file formats, dynamic range reduction, and image-based lighting * Includes a DVD with over 4 GB of HDR images as well as source code and binaries for numerous tone reproduction operators for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X
Over the past decades, researchers have been seeking attractive substrate materials to keep microfluidics improving to outbalance the drawbacks and issues. Cellulose substrates, including thread, ...paper and hydrogels are alternatives due to their distinct structural and mechanical properties for a number of applications. Thread have gained considerable attention and become promising powerful tool due to its advantages over paper-based systems thus finds numerous applications in the development of diagnostic systems, smart bandages and tissue engineering. To the best of our knowledge, no comprehensive review articles on the topic of thread-based microfluidics have been published and it is of significance for many scientific communities working on Microfluidics, Biosensors and Lab-on-Chip. This review gives an overview of the advances of thread-based microfluidic diagnostic devices in a variety of applications. It begins with an overall introduction of the fabrication followed by an in-depth review on the detection techniques in such devices and various applications with respect to effort and performance to date. A few perspective directions of thread-based microfluidics in its development are also discussed. Thread-based microfluidics are still at an early development stage and further improvements in terms of fabrication, analytical strategies, and function to become low-cost, low-volume and easy-to-use point-of-care (POC) diagnostic devices that can be adapted or commercialized for real world applications.
•Thread microfluidics is a powerful tool in making diagnostic systems.•This review focus on the advances of thread-based microfluidic diagnostic devices.•Thread microfluidic devices have numerous advantages over traditional and paper-based microfluidics.•A perspective on the future trends for the thread microfluidics is also given.
Prompt diagnosis, patient isolation, and contact tracing are key measures to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Molecular tests are the current gold standard for COVID-19 detection, but ...are carried out at central laboratories, delaying treatment and control decisions. Here we describe a portable assay system for rapid, onsite COVID-19 diagnosis. Termed CODA (CRISPR Optical Detection of Anisotropy), the method combined isothermal nucleic acid amplification, activation of CRISPR/Cas12a, and signal generation in a single assay, eliminating extra manual steps. Importantly, signal detection was based on the ratiometric measurement of fluorescent anisotropy, which allowed CODA to achieve a high signal-to-noise ratio. For point-of-care operation, we built a compact, standalone CODA device integrating optoelectronics, an embedded heater, and a microcontroller for data processing. The developed system completed SARS-CoV-2 RNA detection within 20 min of sample loading; the limit of detection reached 3 copy/μL. When applied to clinical samples (10 confirmed COVID-19 patients; 10 controls), the rapid CODA test accurately classified COVID-19 status, in concordance with gold-standard clinical diagnostics.
•We developed a CODA (CRISPR Optical Detection of Anisotropy) system for point-of-care COVID-19 diagnostics.•CODA detected SARS-CoV-2 RNA down to 3 copy/μL within 20 min in a one-pot assay.•CODA assays accurately identified COVID-19 when applied to patient samples (n = 20).
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been a major public health challenge in 2020. Early diagnosis of COVID-19 is the most effective method to control disease spread and prevent ...further mortality. As such, a high-precision and rapid yet economic assay method is urgently required. Herein, we propose an innovative method to detect severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) using isothermal amplification of nucleic acids on a mesh containing multiple microfluidic pores. Hybridization of pathogen DNA and immobilized probes forms a DNA hydrogel by rolling circle amplification and, consequently, blocks the pores to prevent fluid movement, as observed. Following optimization of several factors, including pore size, mesh location, and precision microfluidics, the limit of detection (LOD) for SARS-CoV-2 was determined to be 0.7 aM at 15-min incubation. These results indicate rapid, easy, and effective detection with a moderate-sized LOD of the target pathogen by remote point-of-care testing and without the requirement of any sophisticated device.
•Rapid DNA gelation formed with modified RCA using a dumbbell-shaped template.•The smaller pores of nylon mesh, the quicker the blockage can occur.•Significant enhancement in detection of clogging pores with precision microfluidics.•The LOD of SARS-CoV-2 was 0.7 aM within 15 min incubation, equivalent to conventional PCR performance.
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