Evaluation of Analytical Performances of Magnetic Force-Assisted Electrochemical Sandwich Immunoassay for the Quantification of Carcinoembryonic Antigen

Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) is a biomarker indicated in different cancers, targeted for quantitative analysis via immunoassay. Here we introduce a new technique called magnetic force-assisted electrochemical sandwich immunoassay (MESIA) for determination of CEA level in a drop of human serum using a fully automated point-of-care testing (POCT) device. The analytical performances of the assay are assessed based on precision, accuracy, limit of blank (LoB), limit of detection (LoD) and limit of quantitation (LoQ), linearity, Hook effect, interference, cross-reactivity, and method comparison following the guidelines of the Clinical Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI). The LoD is 0.50 ng/ml. A linear relationship is shown in the range of 0.5–200 ng/ml. A high dose effect is not seen up to approximately 500,000 ng/ml. The recovery range is from 94.7 to 108.9%. The %CV of run-to-run and within-lab variations are less than 2.04 and 4.41% across the CEA concentrations, respectively, whereas reproducibility is 4.45–6.24%. Method comparison shows that the assay correlates well with the reference device (R2 = 0.9884). The assay demonstrates acceptable precision, accuracy, LoB, LoD and LoQ, hook effect, linearity, interference, cross-reactivity, and high correlation with its reference device. Thus, the system is suitable for the quantification of CEA in clinical practices with a POCT manner.

Validation and usability of AIDMED - telemedical system for cardiological and pulmonary diseases

Aim: The aim of this paper is to present the results of the validation of AIDMED as a telemedical system, i.e. its capability in faithful registration of biomedical signals, its acquisition in a telemedical scenario and its representation in online application. Usability of sucha tool for a dedicated population was also assessed.Methods: We describe and discuss functionalities provided by AIDMED. We perform a series of experiments where we measure biological signals with AIDMED and with a reference device. We provide statistical analysis of experiments. We also compare the functionality of AIDMED with other similar solutions. We discuss the usability of AIDMED in tele observation of COVID-19 patients.Results: We show diagnostic equivalence of AIDMED device and reference devices.Moreover, we indicate advantages of AIDMED system (as task management and patient’s feedback via mobile app) for at home telemonitoring in comparison to standard of care.Conclusions: AIDMED system provides an integrated platform which enables observation of COVID-19, cardiological and pulmonary patients and many more. Thus, an opportunity for both better quality of care and better subjective patient satisfaction with use of AIDMED has got a solid foundation.

Improved Light Harvesting of Fiber-Shaped Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells by Using a Bacteriophage Doping Method

Fiber-shaped solar cells (FSCs) with flexibility, wearability, and wearability have emerged as a topic of intensive interest and development in recent years. Although the development of this material is still in its early stages, bacteriophage-metallic nanostructures, which exhibit prominent localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) properties, are one such material that has been utilized to further improve the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of solar cells. This study confirmed that fiber-shaped dye-sensitized solar cells (FDSSCs) enhanced by silver nanoparticles-embedded M13 bacteriophage (Ag@M13) can be developed as solar cell devices with better PCE than the solar cells without them. The PCE of FDSSCs was improved by adding the Ag@M13 into an iodine species (I−/I3−) based electrolyte, which is used for redox couple reactions. The optimized Ag@M13 enhanced FDSSC showed a PCE of up to 5.80%, which was improved by 16.7% compared to that of the reference device with 4.97%.

A Statically Balanced Compliant Ortho-Planar Mechanism for Low-Frequency Energy Harvesting

The usually high eigenfrequencies of miniaturized oscillators can be significantly lowered by reducing the stiffness through static balancing. In this work, a mechanical design for a statically balanced compliant ortho-planar mechanism is proposed. The mechanism was prototyped using laser micro-machining and subsequently preloaded through packaging. The statically balanced property of the mechanism was experimentally validated by a measurement of the force-deflection relation. A piezoelectric transducer was added and the resulting energy harvesting device was tested at low-frequency vibration of 2Hz. Compared to a reference device, an almost sixfold increase in performance was observed due to the static balancing. Therefore, it was found that the use of static balancing can improve the power output of piezoelectric energy harvesters for low-frequency vibrations.

Absolute characterization of high numerical aperture microscope objectives utilizing a dipole scatterer

Measuring the aberrations of optical systems is an essential step in the fabrication of high precision optical components. Such a characterization is usually based on comparing the device under investigation with a calibrated reference object. However, when working at the cutting-edge of technology, it is increasingly difficult to provide an even better or well-known reference device. In this manuscript we present a method for the characterization of high numerical aperture microscope objectives, functioning without the need of calibrated reference optics. The technique constitutes a nanoparticle, acting as a dipole-like scatterer, that is placed in the focal volume of the microscope objective. The light that is scattered by the particle can be measured individually and serves as the reference wave in our system. Utilizing the well-characterized scattered light as nearly perfect reference wave is the main idea behind this manuscript.

Noise Improvement of a-Si Microbolometers by the Post-Metal Annealing Process

To realize high-resolution thermal images with high quality, it is essential to improve the noise characteristics of the widely adopted uncooled microbolometers. In this work, we applied the post-metal annealing (PMA) process under the condition of deuterium forming gas, at 10 atm and 300 °C for 30 min, to reduce the noise level of amorphous-Si microbolometers. Here, the DC and temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) measurements of the devices as well as 1/f noise analysis were performed before and after the PMA treatment, while changing the width of the resistance layer of the microbolometers with 35 μm or 12 μm pixel. As a result, the microbolometers treated by the PMA process show the decrease in resistance by about 60% and the increase in TCR value up to 48.2% at 10 Hz, as compared to the reference device. Moreover, it is observed that the noise characteristics are improved in inverse proportion to the width of the resistance layer. This improvement is attributed to the cured poly-silicon grain boundary through the hydrogen passivation by heat and deuterium atoms applied during the PMA, which leads to the uniform current path inside the pixel.

Evaluating the influence of hematocrit: comparison of three POCT devices pursuant to ISO 15197 guidelines. (Preprint)

BACKGROUND Maintaining normal blood glucose levels in diabetes therapy is fundamentally linked to precise and accurate blood glucose measurements. In the light of interfering quantities like various substances or hematocrit, these aspects are of utmost clinical importance within a standardized validation of blood glucose monitors for personal use as well as a continuous quality assessment. OBJECTIVE Continuous and independent quality assurance of aspects affecting a blood glucose monitoring system’s performance. METHODS The influence of the hematocrit on the performance of three blood glucose monitors was assessed in accordance with ISO 15197 and sponsor’s requirements. RESULTS Only one device showed acceptable deviations of ≤ 10 mg/dL / 10 % to the reference device across the entire range. The other devices showed minor to clinically relevant interferences, particularly in response to higher hematocrit values. CONCLUSIONS Suitable BGM systems should be selected carefully by health care professionals and patients, especially with medical conditions known to interfere with blood glucose measurements.