13 research outputs found
A novel loop-mediated isothermal amplification approach for sex identification of Columbidae birds
Because it is difficult to differentiate male and female Columbidae birds (e.g., Columba livia) on the basis of morphology,
detection of DNA fragments associated with Chromobox-Helicase-DNA binding genes or female-specific genes have been widely
used. The objective was to establish a loop-mediated isothermal amplification system involving the 18S ribosomal RNA gene and
a female-specific gene for sex identification of Columba livia birds. Unlike polymerase chain reaction (PCR), random amplification
polymorphic DNA-PCR and amplified fragment length polymorphism-PCR, target DNA was amplified under isothermal
conditions (the entire process was completed in 60 min). By modulating various parameters involved in amplification, e.g.,
concentrations of MgSO4, betaine, Bst polymerase, and deoxynucleotide triphosphates, as well as the relative ratio of outer/inner
primers and temperatures, optimal conditions for both targets were established that had equal detection limits (62.5 ng). To
simplify sex determination, direct observations of the presence of white precipitate (derived from magnesium pyrophosphates)
were used for positive samples, which was compared with the whitish ring which formed in a negative sample after addition of
CuSO4. This approach was a rapid alternative to electrophoresis or turbidimetry. DNA extracted from the blood and feathers of
various birds were tested using loop-mediated isothermal amplification; results were consistent with a standard PCR. Thus, the
assay was a simple, accurate, fast, and economical alternative suitable for veterinary practice
A Novel Graphical-Oriented Framework for Capturing Data within Clinical Information Systems
A Comparative study of platforms for multi-user virtual environments
Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) have been found to be engaging and provide an environment in which the elements of discovery, exploration and concept testing, fundamental to the field of science, can be experienced. Furthermore, MUVEs accommodate lifelike experiences with the benefit of the situated and distributed nature of cognition; they also provide virtual worlds to simulate the conditions that are not doable or practicable under real world circumstances making them very relevant to many other fields of study such as history, geography and foreign language learning. However, constructing MUVEs can be expensive and time consuming depending on the platform considered. Therefore, providing the most appropriate platform that requires minimal effort, cost and time will make MUVE deployment in the classroom faster and more viable. In this chapter, the authors provide a comparative study of prominent existing platforms for MUVEs that can be used to identify the right balance of functionality, flexibility, effort and cost for a given educational and technical context. A number of metrics are identified, described and used to enable the comparison. Platform assessment was done in four main metric groups: communication and interaction, characters, features and education. Communication and interaction metrics are used to assess how the communication and interaction is done within the examined platform. Character metrics are employed to measure avatar and agent affordances. Features metrics are defined to compare what the platform offers in terms of technology. Lastly, education metrics are used to identify the value of the associated platform for educational purposes.34 page(s
Survey of educational multi-user virtual environments and agents
The potential value of Multi-User Virtual Environments (MUVEs) is increasing amongst educationalists. A key issue with MUVE for education is the need to provide system intelligence and believable characters so that the learning goals may be monitored and achieved. Agent-technology offers solutions towards achieving these needs. In this chapter, the authors explore numerous existing educational MUVE and the use of agents for pedagogy in general, as they pave the way forward for delivering intelligent educational MUVE.21 page(s