A Portable Luminometer with a Disposable Electrochemiluminescent Biosensor for Lactate Determination

A hand-held luminometer for measuring electrochemiluminescence (ECL) for lactate determination and based on one-shot biosensors fabricated using screen-printed electrodes is described. The lactate recognition system is based on lactate oxidase and the transduction system consists of electro-oxidation of luminol, with all the reagents immobilized in a Methocel membrane. The membrane composition and reaction conditions have been optimized to obtain adequate sensitivity. The luminometer is based on a large silicon photodiode as detector and includes a programmable potentiostat to initialize the chemical reaction and signal processing circuitry, designed to acquire a low level photocurrent with offset cancelation, low pass filtering for noise attenuation and adjustable gain up to 1012 V/A. The one-shot biosensor responds to lactate rapidly, with an acquisition time of 2.5 min, obtaining a linear dependence from 8 × 10−6 to 2 × 10−4 M, a detection limit of 2.4 × 10−6 M and a sensor-to-sensor reproducibility (relative standard deviation, RSD) of around 7–10 % at the medium level of the range

PLoS Negl Trop Dis

BACKGROUND: During the Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in Liberia, contact tracing was implemented to rapidly detect new cases and prevent further transmission. We describe the scope and characteristics of contact tracing in Liberia and assess its performance during the 2014-2015 EVD epidemic. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We performed a retrospective descriptive analysis of data collection forms for contact tracing conducted in six counties during June 2014-July 2015. EVD case counts from situation reports in the same counties were used to assess contact tracing coverage and sensitivity. Contacts who presented with symptoms and/or died, and monitoring was stopped, were classified as "potential cases". Positive predictive value (PPV) was defined as the proportion of traced contacts who were identified as potential cases. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to identify characteristics among potential cases. We analyzed 25,830 contact tracing records for contacts who had monitoring initiated or were last exposed between June 4, 2014 and July 13, 2015. Contact tracing was initiated for 26.7% of total EVD cases and detected 3.6% of all new cases during this period. Eighty-eight percent of contacts completed monitoring, and 334 contacts were identified as potential cases (PPV = 1.4%). Potential cases were more likely to be detected early in the outbreak; hail from rural areas; report multiple exposures and symptoms; have household contact or direct bodily or fluid contact; and report nausea, fever, or weakness compared to contacts who completed monitoring. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Contact tracing was a critical intervention in Liberia and represented one of the largest contact tracing efforts during an epidemic in history. While there were notable improvements in implementation over time, these data suggest there were limitations to its performance-particularly in urban districts and during peak transmission. Recommendations for improving performance include integrated surveillance, decentralized management of multidisciplinary teams, comprehensive protocols, and community-led strategies

Recent Advances in Electrochemiluminescence with Quantum Dots and Arrays of Nanoelectrodes

This review presents the last advances related to analytical and bioanalytical applications of electrochemiluminescence (ECL) achieved by exploiting the special optical or electrochemical properties of quantum dots and nanoelectrodes, respectively. After a brief introduction which covers the basic concepts of ECL detection, the review presents relevant examples dealing with in the use of quantum dots and arrays of nanoelectrodes to improve the analytical and bioanalytical capabilities of ECL. Finally, prospects and limits derived from the application of the above advanced nanomaterials to stimulate ECL emission are discussed

The Uncommon Learner: The Home Language and Literacy Practices of Children with Autism

This case study examines the home language and literacy events and practices of two families with children who have Autism Spectrum Disorder. These families are immigrants from Peru and Pakistan, they are multilingual and from working class backgrounds. Specifically, this study explores how these families create meaningful opportunities to provide language and literacy development for their children. In families who have children with ASD, there are few studies addressing language and literacy practices through a sociolinguistic and sociocultural lens. This study focuses on how parents in diverse families support language and literacy. The study contributes to the development of partnerships between home and school settings or between families and the school environment. Through interviews and observations, the parents in this study share rich and detailed narratives of their parenting experiences, thus detailing how their families use their home environment and their cultural backgrounds to find meaningful ways to provide opportunities of language and literacy development. These include the rituals of religious practices such as Ramadan, and the activity of preparing and serving cultural specific meals. The emerging data from their stories resulted in the creation of such various cross themes as: language and literacy learning (families create unique and structured spaces in their homes that provide meaningful and purposeful demonstrations of language and literacy); authentic home and public experiences (families use ongoing and designed family activities to provide opportunities for children to engage in and observe natural language interactions); and cultural values (families modify and adapt their social and cultural events to include their children in their family literacy practices, which supports learning, language and literacy development. This research aspires to add to the current literature supporting the learning of children with autism, as well as on studies that investigate families from diverse backgrounds who have a child with special needs. The findings bring forward implications for including family literacy histories and cultural practices into the teaching and treating of this population; the importance of teachers and other practitioners to conduct home visits to understand families’ experiences, strengths and values; and the need for closer partnership relationships between families and professionals

Activists as 'alternative' science communicators - Exploring the facets of science communication in societal contexts

For many decades, NGOs and social movements have acted as “alternative” science communicators. They have made strategic use of science to promote their ideological stances, to influence political and/or economic decision-making and to motivate civic action. To date, however, our understanding of science communication in activism has received little critical attention. This set of commentaries acts as a starting point for further research and reflection. The different cases and perspectives urge readers to consider the impact, democratic legitimacy, and relevance of alternative science communication, and the challenges that alternative science communicators pose for science communication and society

Balancing interests between freedom and censorship: Organizational strategies for quality assurance in science communication

Fecher B, Kuper F, Fahnrich B, et al. Balancing interests between freedom and censorship: Organizational strategies for quality assurance in science communication. Science and Public Policy. 2022: scac043.While science communication is increasingly being discussed as a third mission alongside research and teaching, there is little research on how universities and research organizations deal with issues regarding the quality of science communication. This article examines, from an organizational perspective, which new forms of quality assurance processes scientific organizations in Germany apply when addressing quality risks for science communication such as exaggeration in press releases or in the online communication of individual faculty members. Six focus group discussions were conducted with 22 participants (rectors or presidents of universities, heads of communication, ombudsmen, and high-impact researchers). Based on the results, proposals were developed to extend central as well as decentral organizational structures to assure good scientific communication practice. Their possible implementation was discussed in a workshop with representatives of all abovementioned groups. In conclusion, recommendations for future institutional policy are presented