scholarly journals Portable, handheld, and affordable blood perfusion imager for screening of subsurface cancer in resource-limited settings

2022 ◽  
Vol 119 (2) ◽  
pp. e2026201119
Author(s):  
Arka Bhowmik ◽  
Biswajoy Ghosh ◽  
Mousumi Pal ◽  
Ranjan Rashmi Paul ◽  
Jyotirmoy Chatterjee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Medical Image Analysis ◽  
Blood Perfusion ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Noninvasive Diagnostics ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Double Blinded ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Contact Free

Precise information on localized variations in blood circulation holds the key for noninvasive diagnostics and therapeutic assessment of various forms of cancer. While thermal imaging by itself may provide significant insights on the combined implications of the relevant physiological parameters, viz. local blood perfusion and metabolic balance due to active tumors as well as the ambient conditions, knowledge of the tissue surface temperature alone may be somewhat inadequate in distinguishing between some ambiguous manifestations of precancer and cancerous lesions, resulting in compromise of the selectivity in detection. This, along with the lack of availability of a user-friendly and inexpensive portable device for thermal-image acquisition, blood perfusion mapping, and data integration acts as a deterrent against the emergence of an inexpensive, contact-free, and accurate in situ screening and diagnostic approach for cancer detection and management. Circumventing these constraints, here we report a portable noninvasive blood perfusion imager augmented with machine learning–based quantitative analytics for screening precancerous and cancerous traits in oral lesions, by probing the localized alterations in microcirculation. With a proven overall sensitivity >96.66% and specificity of 100% as compared to gold-standard biopsy-based tests, the method successfully classified oral cancer and precancer in a resource-limited clinical setting in a double-blinded patient trial and exhibited favorable predictive capabilities considering other complementary modes of medical image analysis as well. The method holds further potential to achieve contrast-free, accurate, and low-cost diagnosis of abnormal microvascular physiology and other clinically vulnerable conditions, when interpreted along with complementary clinically evidenced decision-making perspectives.

scholarly journals Nanofiber-Membrane-Supported TiO2as a Catalyst for Oxidation of Benzene to Phenol

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chanbasha Basheer
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Laboratory Scale ◽  
Gas Chromatography Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Nanofiber Membrane ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Glass Capillary ◽  
Reaction Conditions ◽  
Capillary Microreactor ◽  
Oxidation Of Benzene

We applied a simple, low-cost design of glass capillary microreactor for the catalytic oxidation of benzene to phenol at ambient conditions. Polyvinylchloride-nanofiber-membrane-supported titania nanoparticle (TiO2-PVC) as catalyst and in situ production of hydroxyl radicals as oxidant. The reaction was monitored by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The reaction conditions were optimized and the performance of the microreactor was then compared with the conventional laboratory scale reaction which used hydrogen peroxide as oxidant. The microreactor gave a better yield of 14% for phenol compared to 0.14% in the conventional laboratory scale reaction. Reaction conditions such as reaction time, reaction pH, and applied potential were optimized. With optimized reaction conditions selectivity of >37% and >88% conversion of benzene were obtained.

scholarly journals Design of Reference Phantom for Quality Control of Conventional X-ray Radiography Units in Port Sudan

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 01-09
Author(s):  
Yousif Mohamed Y. Abdallah ◽  
Wail Zaki ◽  
Babeker Ahmadoun ◽  
Abuobeada Musa
Keyword(s):  
Quality Control ◽  
Quality Assurance ◽  
Medical Physics ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Management Program ◽  
X Rays ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Physics Department ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Product Output

The Quality Control (QC) system, based on simple, cheap equipment and minimum personnel time, enables a resource-limited facility and staff to control the fundamental components of the imaging process on a low cost basis. Quality Assurance (QA) is a product or service quality management program. Customer reviews, capacity building and quality control can also be included. Quality control requires specific measures for ensuring measurable process-related aspects of product output or for the delivery of services within a given limit. Research was conducted at the Medical Physics Department of Red Sea University. The main objective of this work was to boost quality assurance rays. The imagination is more user-friendly and produces better results than a person or object. Phantoms, including fluoroscopy or x-rays, and certain image quality measurements have been used in x-rays imaging. The manufactured phantom in this study showed high precision in different QC tests.

scholarly journals Smartphone-Based NFC Potentiostat for Wireless Electrochemical Sensing

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 392
Author(s):  
Karnpimon Krorakai ◽  
Supannika Klangphukhiew ◽  
Sirinan Kulchat ◽  
Rina Patramanon
Keyword(s):  
Cyclic Voltammetry ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Electrochemical Techniques ◽  
Electrochemical Sensing ◽  
Voltage Range ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Electrochemical Devices ◽  
User Friendly

Most electrochemical sensing requires affordable, portable and easy-to-use electrochemical devices for use in point-of-care testing and resource-limited settings. This work presents the design and evaluates the analytical performance of a near-field communication (NFC) potentiostat, a flat card-sized electrochemical device containing a microchip for electrical analysis and an NFC antenna for smartphone connection. The NFC interface is a wireless connection between the microchip and smartphone to simplify measuring units and make the potentiostat into a passive operated device, running without a battery. The proposed potentiostat can perform the common electrochemical techniques including cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry with a current range and voltage range of ±20 µA and ±0.8 V. The performance of the NFC potentiostat is compared to a commercial benchtop potentiostat using ferricyanide as a standard solution. The results show that the NFC potentiostat is comparable to a commercial benchtop potentiostat for both cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometry measurements. The application of the proposed potentiostat is demonstrated by measuring ascorbic acid concentration. As described, the NFC potentiostat, which is compatible with a smartphone, is low-cost, small in size and user-friendly. Thus, the device can be developed for on-site measurement to apply in various fields.

scholarly journals Disposable and Low-Cost Colorimetric Sensors for Environmental Analysis

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (22) ◽  
pp. 8331
Author(s):  
Giancarla Alberti ◽  
Camilla Zanoni ◽  
Lisa Rita Magnaghi ◽  
Raffaela Biesuz
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Analysis ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Single Shot ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Naked Eye Detection ◽  
Colorimetric Sensors

Environmental contamination affects human health and reduces the quality of life. Therefore, the monitoring of water and air quality is important, ensuring that all areas are acquiescent with the current legislation. Colorimetric sensors deliver quick, naked-eye detection, low-cost, and adequate determination of environmental analytes. In particular, disposable sensors are cheap and easy-to-use devices for single-shot measurements. Due to increasing requests for in situ analysis or resource-limited zones, disposable sensors’ development has increased. This review provides a brief insight into low-cost and disposable colorimetric sensors currently used for environmental analysis. The advantages and disadvantages of different colorimetric devices for environmental analysis are discussed.

To Eliminate Curtain Effect of FIB TEM Samples by a Combination of Sample Dicing and Backside Milling

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Shing Luo ◽  
Hsiu Ting Lee
Keyword(s):  
Sample Preparation ◽  
Focused Ion Beam ◽  
Preparation Method ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Ion Beam ◽  
Sample Preparation Method ◽  
Site Specific ◽  
Dual Beam ◽  
Transmission Electron

Abstract Several methods are used to invert samples 180 deg in a dual beam focused ion beam (FIB) system for backside milling by a specific in-situ lift out system or stages. However, most of those methods occupied too much time on FIB systems or requires a specific in-situ lift out system. This paper provides a novel transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation method to eliminate the curtain effect completely by a combination of backside milling and sample dicing with low cost and less FIB time. The procedures of the TEM pre-thinned sample preparation method using a combination of sample dicing and backside milling are described step by step. From the analysis results, the method has applied successfully to eliminate the curtain effect of dual beam FIB TEM samples for both random and site specific addresses.

Feasibility study of technology-enabled prevention intervention for children and families (Preprint)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikki Theofanopoulou ◽  
Katherine Isbister ◽  
Julian Edbrooke-Childs ◽  
Petr Slovák
Keyword(s):  
Emotion Regulation ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Digital Camera ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Object A ◽  
Intervention Delivery ◽  
Parents And Children

BACKGROUND A common challenge within psychiatry and prevention science more broadly is the lack of effective, engaging, and scale-able mechanisms to deliver psycho-social interventions for children, especially beyond in-person therapeutic or school-based contexts. Although digital technology has the potential to address these issues, existing research on technology-enabled interventions for families remains limited. OBJECTIVE The aim of this pilot study was to examine the feasibility of in-situ deployments of a low-cost, bespoke prototype, which has been designed to support children’s in-the-moment emotion regulation efforts. This prototype instantiates a novel intervention model that aims to address the existing limitations by delivering the intervention through an interactive object (a ‘smart toy’) sent home with the child, without any prior training necessary for either the child or their carer. This pilot study examined (i) engagement and acceptability of the device in the homes during 1 week deployments; and (ii) qualitative indicators of emotion regulation effects, as reported by parents and children. METHODS In this qualitative study, ten families (altogether 11 children aged 6-10 years) were recruited from three under-privileged communities in the UK. The RA visited participants in their homes to give children the ‘smart toy’ and conduct a semi-structured interview with at least one parent from each family. Children were given the prototype, a discovery book, and a simple digital camera to keep at home for 7-8 days, after which we interviewed each child and their parent about their experience. Thematic analysis guided the identification and organisation of common themes and patterns across the dataset. In addition, the prototypes automatically logged every interaction with the toy throughout the week-long deployments. RESULTS Across all 10 families, parents and children reported that the ‘smart toy’ was incorporated into children’s emotion regulation practices and engaged with naturally in moments children wanted to relax or calm down. Data suggests that children interacted with the toy throughout the duration of the deployment, found the experience enjoyable, and all requested to keep the toy longer. Child emotional connection to the toy—caring for its ‘well-being’—appears to have driven this strong engagement. Parents reported satisfaction with and acceptability of the toy. CONCLUSIONS This is the first known study investigation of the use of object-enabled intervention delivery to support emotion regulation in-situ. The strong engagement and qualitative indications of effects are promising – children were able to use the prototype without any training and incorporated it into their emotion regulation practices during daily challenges. Future work is needed to extend this indicative data with efficacy studies examining the psychological efficacy of the proposed intervention. More broadly, our findings suggest the potential of a technology-enabled shift in how prevention interventions are designed and delivered: empowering children and parents through ‘child-led, situated interventions’, where participants learn through actionable support directly within family life, as opposed to didactic in-person workshops and a subsequent skills application.

Tools of Transformation: Appropriate Technology in U.S. Countercultural Literature

2012 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-93
Author(s):  
Peter Mortensen
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Appropriate Technology ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Environmental Transformation ◽  
Buckminster Fuller ◽  
1960S And 1970S ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Environmentally Sound ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
Second Wave

This essay takes its cue from second-wave ecocriticism and from recent scholarly interest in the “appropriate technology” movement that evolved during the 1960s and 1970s in California and elsewhere. “Appropriate technology” (or AT) refers to a loosely-knit group of writers, engineers and designers active in the years around 1970, and more generally to the counterculture’s promotion, development and application of technologies that were small-scale, low-cost, user-friendly, human-empowering and environmentally sound. Focusing on two roughly contemporary but now largely forgotten American texts Sidney Goldfarb’s lyric poem “Solar-Heated-Rhombic-Dodecahedron” (1969) and Gurney Norman’s novel Divine Right’s Trip (1971)—I consider how “hip” literary writers contributed to eco-technological discourse and argue for the 1960s counterculture’s relevance to present-day ecological concerns. Goldfarb’s and Norman’s texts interest me because they conceptualize iconic 1960s technologies—especially the Buckminster Fuller-inspired geodesic dome and the Volkswagen van—not as inherently alienating machines but as tools of profound individual, social and environmental transformation. Synthesizing antimodernist back-to-nature desires with modernist enthusiasm for (certain kinds of) machinery, these texts adumbrate a humanity- and modernity-centered post-wilderness model of environmentalism that resonates with the dilemmas that we face in our increasingly resource-impoverished, rapidly warming and densely populated world.

scholarly journals Validation of a point-of-care rapid diagnostic test for hepatitis C for use in resource-limited settings

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 314-315
Author(s):  
James S Leathers ◽  
Maria Belen Pisano ◽  
Viviana Re ◽  
Gertine van Oord ◽  
Amir Sultan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Rapid Diagnosis ◽  
Direct Acting Antivirals ◽  
Resource Limited Settings ◽  
Rapid Diagnosis Test ◽  
Resource Limited ◽  
Specificity And Sensitivity ◽  
Hcv Screening ◽  
Direct Acting

Abstract Background Treatment of HCV with direct-acting antivirals has enabled the discussion of HCV eradication worldwide. Envisioning this aim requires implementation of mass screening in resource-limited areas, usually constrained by testing costs. Methods We validated a low-cost, rapid diagnosis test (RDT) for HCV in three different continents in 141 individuals. Results The HCV RDT showed 100% specificity and sensitivity across different samples regardless of genotype or viral load (in samples with such information, 90%). Conclusions The HCV test validated in this study can allow for HCV screening in areas of need when properly used.

scholarly journals Converting copper sulfide to copper with surface sulfur for electrocatalytic alkyne semi-hydrogenation with water

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yongmeng Wu ◽  
Cuibo Liu ◽  
Changhong Wang ◽  
Yifu Yu ◽  
Yanmei Shi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Binding Energy ◽  
Noble Metal ◽  
Atomic Hydrogen ◽  
Copper Sulfide ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Water Electrolysis ◽  
Metal Free ◽  
Copper Nanowire

AbstractElectrocatalytic alkyne semi-hydrogenation to alkenes with water as the hydrogen source using a low-cost noble-metal-free catalyst is highly desirable but challenging because of their over-hydrogenation to undesired alkanes. Here, we propose that an ideal catalyst should have the appropriate binding energy with active atomic hydrogen (H*) from water electrolysis and a weaker adsorption with an alkene, thus promoting alkyne semi-hydrogenation and avoiding over-hydrogenation. So, surface sulfur-doped and -adsorbed low-coordinated copper nanowire sponges are designedly synthesized via in situ electroreduction of copper sulfide and enable electrocatalytic alkyne semi-hydrogenation with over 99% selectivity using water as the hydrogen source, outperforming a copper counterpart without surface sulfur. Sulfur anion-hydrated cation (S2−-K+(H2O)n) networks between the surface adsorbed S2− and K+ in the KOH electrolyte boost the production of active H* from water electrolysis. And the trace doping of sulfur weakens the alkene adsorption, avoiding over-hydrogenation. Our catalyst also shows wide substrate scopes, up to 99% alkenes selectivity, good reducible groups compatibility, and easily synthesized deuterated alkenes, highlighting the promising potential of this method.

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