scholarly journals MoFlus: An Open-Source Android Software for Fluorescence-Based Point of Care

2022 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 39-48
Author(s):  
Panji Wisnu Wirawan ◽  
Adi Wibowo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Region Of Interest ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Dynamic Selection ◽  
Monitoring Tools ◽  
Color Data

High-sensitivity fluorescence-based tests are utilized to monitor various activities in life science research. These tests are specifically used as health monitoring tools to detect diseases. Fluorescence-based test facilities in rural areas and developing countries, however, remain limited. Point-of-care (POC) tests based on fluorescence detection have become a solution to the limitations of fluorescence-based tools in developing countries. POC software for smartphone cameras was generally developed for specific devices and tools, and it ability to select the desired region of interest (ROI) is limited. In this work, we developed Mobile Fluorescence Spectroscopy (MoFlus), an open-source Android software for camera-based POC. We mainly aimed to develop camera-based POC software that can be used for the dynamic selection of ROI; the number of samples; and the types of detection, color, data, and for communication with servers. MoFlus facilitated the use of touch screens and data given that it was developed on the basis of the SurfaceView library in Android and Javascript object notation applications. Moreover, the function and endurance of the app when used multiple times and with different numbers of images were tested.

Techno-Feminist View on the Open Source Software Development

2008 ◽  
pp. 3365-3373 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuwei Lin
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Gender Issue ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
To Come

Current debate on women in free/libre open source software (FLOSS) tends to fall into the gender stereotype of men and women when coming across to the gender issue. This article stays away from a reductionism that simplifies the gender issue in the FLOSS community to the level of a fight between men and women. Instead of splitting women from men in the FLOSS development, this analysis helps motivate both men and women to work together, reduce the gender gap and improve the disadvantaged statuses of women and a wider users’ community in the FLOSS development. More importantly, it addresses not only the inequality that women face in computing, but also other inequalities that other users face, mainly emerging from the power relationships between expert and lay person (namely, developer and user) in software design. In so doing, the issue at stake is not only to create a welcome environment for women to join the FLOSS development, but also to come up with a better way of encouraging both sexes to collaborate with each other. This article starts from how FLOSS can make a difference for today’s information society, and present some successful stories of implementing FLOSS in developing countries and rural areas to empower women and the minority. Consequently, it discusses the problem of including more women and the minority in the FLOSS development through deconstructing the myth of the programming skill.

scholarly journals Globalisation and poverty

2012 ◽  
Vol 48 (No. 2) ◽  
pp. 81-86
Author(s):  
Ľ. Bartová
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Slovak Republic ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Absolute Poverty ◽  
World Bank Report ◽  
Poverty And Inequality ◽  
Eastern European Countries

Transitional process in Central and Eastern European countries has been affected by globalisation. Evaluation of poverty and inequality become an integral part of economic thinking a few years ago. The importance of this topic is documented in the 2000 World Bank Report. In comparison with living standards of developing countries (especially Africa, South Asia, partially Latin America), Slovakia does not belong to the group of countries with the highest absolute poverty and according to the World Bank Report, the Slovak Republic is one of the countries with the lowest level of inequality. The paper presents an assessment of poverty and inequality in the Slovak Republic and a comparative analysis of indicators of selected countries. From 1992 the poverty in the Slovak Republic was evident, lasting and befalling more and more inhabitants. Household living costs were affected by price liberalisation. Inequality increased too. In 1996, inequality was correlated with the size of settlements and reached the highest level in settlements with over 50 thousand inhabitants. The share of population under poverty line has been increasing as well. Poverty assessment depends on the poverty line, which changes over time and across the regions. Distribution of household income in the Slovak Republic by the size of settlements (Microcenzus 1996) is shallow and densely concentrated around the poverty line. Therefore high sensitivity of poverty incidence, its depth and severity is observed. Contrary to the situation in developing countries, where the highest share of poor is observed in rural areas, the share of the Slovak Republic population under the poverty line was the highest in the settlements with 5 thousand to 10 thousand inhabitants in 1996.

Water-Pollution Research and Its Application in Developing Countries

1982 ◽  
Vol 14 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 205-213
Author(s):  
P Isaac ◽  
W Pescod
Keyword(s):  
Water Pollution ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Multidisciplinary Approach ◽  
Science Research ◽  
Practical Application ◽  
Full Account ◽  
Pollution Research ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Third World

Much research into the control of water pollution is of little practical application in developing countries, being too concerned with abstract science. Research to be applied in the Third World must not only lead to inexpensive solutions, that can be developed as finances allow, but must take account of the social, political, religious and financial factors in the poorer rural areas of the world. This paper draws the attention of research-workers in this field to the wider realities of developing countries, and emphasizes that success in the field, as opposed to success in the laboratory, will demand a multidisciplinary approach. Research must be prepared to take full account of non-technical and non-scientific factors.

Techno-Femenist View on the Open Source Software Development

2011 ◽  
pp. 1148-1153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuwei Lin
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Open Source ◽  
Gender Gap ◽  
Open Source Software ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Gender Issue ◽  
Current Debate ◽  
Power Relationships ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
To Come

Current debate on women in free/libre open source software (FLOSS) tends to fall into the gender stereotype of men and women when coming across to the gender issue. This article stays away from a reductionism that simplifies the gender issue in the FLOSS community to the level of a fight between men and women. Instead of splitting women from men in the FLOSS development, this analysis helps motivate both men and women to work together, reduce the gender gap and improve the disadvantaged statuses of women and a wider users’ community in the FLOSS development. More importantly, it addresses not only the inequality that women face in computing, but also other inequalities that other users face, mainly emerging from the power relationships between expert and lay person (namely, developer and user) in software design. In so doing, the issue at stake is not only to create a welcome environment for women to join the FLOSS development, but also to come up with a better way of encouraging both sexes to collaborate with each other. This article starts from how FLOSS can make a difference for today’s information society, and present some successful stories of implementing FLOSS in developing countries and rural areas to empower women and the minority. Consequently, it discusses the problem of including more women and the minority in the FLOSS development through deconstructing the myth of the programming skill.

scholarly journals The Strategic Importance of Entrepreneurship as a mechanism for Sustainable Economic Growth in Nigeria

2021 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-105
Author(s):  
Prince Adesanya Abel Segun ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Science Research ◽  
Science Research ◽  
The United States ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Entrepreneurship Development ◽  
Sustainable Economic Growth

The focus of this paper is on the importance of entrepreneurship as a mechanism for sustainable economic growth in Nigeria considering the experiences of developed nations like the United States, Europe, India, and China. Entrepreneurship has been instrumental in economic growth, balanced regional development, and job creation in most dynamic economies, where technology is changing at a faster rate and the product lifetime cycle is shrinking. Research in entrepreneurship development indicates that there is a lack of a theoretical model to examine rural entrepreneurship development particularly in the developing countries. The methodology adopted in this paper is the narrative – textual case study (NTCS); it is a social science research method that relies on the information and data from several sources for problem-solving. It is undeniable fact that entrepreneurship development plays a vital role in economic development of any nation including the developing countries like Nigeria. However, despite this, most entrepreneurial policies and programs seems to favour the urban cities except recently when efforts are geared towards the rural areas. Thus, this paper examines the role of entrepreneurship in the development of the rural areas in the developing economy. The study reveals that the right business environment for entrepreneurship is lacking in Nigeria on account of bad and inadequate infrastructural facilities, political instability, terrorism, multiple taxes, all stand as barriers to entrepreneurship and economic growth. The paper concludes that government should focus on adequate security, improve infrastructural facilities and enabling environment that will lead to economic growth.

scholarly journals Applying Loop-mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) in the Diagnosis of Malaria, Leishmaniasis and Trypanosomiasis as Point-of-Care Tests (POCTs)

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 1358-1374 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Auxiliadora Dea-Ayuela ◽  
Cristina Galiana-Roselló ◽  
Aikaterini Lalatsa ◽  
Dolores R. Serrano
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Diagnostic Tests ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Genetic Material ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Good Alternative ◽  
Isothermal Amplification ◽  
Vector Borne Diseases ◽  
Loop Mediated Isothermal Amplification ◽  
Therapeutic Regime

One of the main objectives of the WHO is controlling transmission of parasitic protozoa vector- borne diseases. A quick and precise diagnosis is critical in selecting the optimal therapeutic regime that avoids unnecessary treatments and the emergence of resistance. Molecular assays based on Loop- Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP) techniques are a good alternative to light microscopy and antigen-based rapid diagnostic tests in developing countries, since they allow for a large amount of genetic material generated from a few copies of DNA, and use primers that lead to high sensitivity and specificity, while the amplification process can be performed in isothermal conditions without the need of sophisticated equipment to interpret the results. In this review, the main advances in the development of LAMP assays for the diagnosis of malaria, leishmaniasis and Chagas' disease are discussed as well as the feasibility of their implementation in developing countries and use as point- of-care diagnostic tests.

Novel High Sensitivity Tuberculosis Point-of-Care Test for People Living with HIV

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tobias Broger ◽  
Bianca Sossen ◽  
Elloise du Toit ◽  
Andrew D. Kerkhoff ◽  
Charlotte Schutz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Point Of Care ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
People Living With Hiv ◽  
Point Of Care Test ◽  
Living With Hiv

Trends in Diagnosis for Active Tuberculosis Using Nanomaterials

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (11) ◽  
pp. 1946-1959 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Minh Tu Phan ◽  
Lemma Teshome Tufa ◽  
Hwa-Jung Kim ◽  
Jaebeom Lee ◽  
Tae Jung Park
Keyword(s):  
Sensitivity And Specificity ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Signs And Symptoms ◽  
Diagnostic Methods ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
Treatment And Prevention ◽  
Clinical Tools ◽  
Diagnostic Applications

Background:Tuberculosis (TB), one of the leading causes of death worldwide, is difficult to diagnose based only on signs and symptoms. Methods for TB detection are continuously being researched to design novel effective clinical tools for the diagnosis of TB.Objective:This article reviews the methods to diagnose TB at the latent and active stages and to recognize prospective TB diagnostic methods based on nanomaterials.Methods:The current methods for TB diagnosis were reviewed by evaluating their advantages and disadvantages. Furthermore, the trends in TB detection using nanomaterials were discussed regarding their performance capacity for clinical diagnostic applications.Results:Current methods such as microscopy, culture, and tuberculin skin test are still being employed to diagnose TB, however, a highly sensitive point of care tool without false results is still needed. The utilization of nanomaterials to detect the specific TB biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity can provide a possible strategy to rapidly diagnose TB. Although it is challenging for nanodiagnostic platforms to be assessed in clinical trials, active TB diagnosis using nanomaterials is highly expected to achieve clinical significance for regular application. In addition, aspects and future directions in developing the high-efficiency tools to diagnose active TB using advanced nanomaterials are expounded.Conclusion:This review suggests that nanomaterials have high potential as rapid, costeffective tools to enhance the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity for the accurate diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of TB. Hence, portable nanobiosensors can be alternative effective tests to be exploited globally after clinical trial execution.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Production Lots of a Rapid Point-of-Care Lateral Flow Serological Test Intended for Identification of IgM and IgG against the N-Terminal Part of the Spike Protein (S1) of SARS-CoV-2

Viruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1043
Author(s):  
Tove Hoffman ◽  
Linda Kolstad ◽  
Bengt Rönnberg ◽  
Åke Lundkvist
Keyword(s):  
Predictive Value ◽  
Serological Test ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
External Validation ◽  
High Sensitivity ◽  
Lateral Flow ◽  
Spike Protein ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Lateral Flow Test ◽  
Production Errors

The potential of rapid point-of-care (POC) tests has been subject of doubt due to an eventual risk of production errors. The aim was therefore to evaluate the two separate production lots of a commercial POC lateral flow test, intended for the detection of IgM and IgG against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein (S1). Control samples consisted of serum from individuals with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection and pre-COVID-19 negative sera gathered from a biobank. The presence of anti-S1 IgM/IgG in the sera was verified by an in-house Luminex-based serological assay (COVID-19 SIA). One hundred samples were verified as positive for anti-S1 IgG and 74 for anti-S1 IgM. Two hundred samples were verified as negative for anti-S1 IgM/IgG. For the two lots of the POC-test, the sensitivities were 93.2% and 87.8% for IgM and 93.0% and 100% for IgG. The specificities were 100% for IgM and 99.5% for IgG. The positive predictive value was 100% for IgM and 98.9% and 99.0% for IgG. The negative predictive value was 97.6% and 95.7% for IgM, and 96.6% and 100% for IgG. The evaluated POC-test is suitable to assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 S1 IgM and IgG, as a measure of previous virus exposure on an individual level. The external validation of separate lots of rapid POC-tests is encouraged to ensure high sensitivity before market introduction.

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