Biosensors & Bioelectronics

Bovine Viral Diarrheoa (BVD) is a worldwide disease with severe financial implications for the Bovine beef and dairy industries. A key challenge to BVD eradication is that the requirement to send samples to, and receive results from, specialized laboratories slows down the diagnostic process and leads to uncontrolled spread of the virus within a herd until diagnostic confirmation is received. Consequently, rapid identification of BVD is now critical for herd protection and prevention of costly herd outbreaks and new diagnostic devices, suitable for on-farm analysis, that deliver rapid and early identification of animal disease states, are required. We report, here, an electrochemical onchip fully integrated nanowire based immunosensor device for detection of BVD in serum. The capture biomolecule, BVD virus, is covalently immobilized via a carboxylic terminated polymer firstly electrodeposited onto a single nanowire. Electrochemical characterization including faradaic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry is performed. Label free immunologic detection of antibodies (10 μg/mL, 20 min) is first demonstrated using a bovine serum albumin as a model antigen-antibody system. Then, the immunosensor is applied to detection of bovine viral diarrhoea antibodies (10 μg/mL, 20 min) in both buffer and serum. The sensor clearly discriminates between positive and negative infected bovine sera. This study clearly shows the potential of this chip nanowirebased electrochemical sensor for immunoassays application in serum with a view to developing portable devices for on-farm diagnosis or therapeutic monitoring in animal health applications.

Background: Testosterone therapy is commonly used by individuals dealing with testosterone deficiency (TD). TD affects older men and athletes with a history of anabolic steroid use. In this study a novel nutraceutical product, Taxadrol, was tested in rodents and human subjects to assess toxicity and activity as a testosterone therapy.

Materials: Taxadrol, consisting of a proprietary mixture of natural products, was tested for toxicity and efficacy in rodents and humans.

Results: Rodents examined at 10, 17, 24 and 7 days post withdrawal of Taxadrol were found to have increases in free and total testosterone compared to control animals when given 4 and 8 mg/kg doses. An average of 180% improvement in testosterone levels were also noted in two human subjects who ingested a 30 mg per day dose of Taxadrol.

Conclusion: Increases in free and total testosterone were noted in rodent models with no signs of toxicity. Taxadrol was additionally shown to effectively raise testosterone levels in two male athletes with no major side effects.

A novel carbon paste Zinc (II) ion-chemically modified carbon paste sensors highly selective and sensitive (CMCPE) based on the metal complexes Zn- incorporating thiosemicarbazide, [Zn(TS)₂(ac)₂]. C₂H₅OH (Zn-TSC) and Zn-acetaldehyde thiosemicarbazone [Zn(ATS)₂]. 4H₂O (Zn-ATSC) dissolved in tricresyl phthalate (TCP) as binder liquid. The chemically modified sensors were developed for determination of Zinc (II) in vitamin and waste water. The constructed sensors showed good linear response of Nernstian slopes 32.5 ± 0.5 and 28.5 ± 0.5 mV per decade over the concentration range of 5.0×10^-8-2.0×10^-3 and 6.3×10^-8 - 7.9×10^-3 M with a detection limit of 0.25 and 0.50 nM for (Zn-TSC) and (Zn-ATSC) ions respectively. The selectivity coefficients of the proposed sensors revealed very good selectivity with respect to alkali, alkaline earth and some transition metal ions and could be used in pH range of 3.5-8.0. As a result the proposed sensors were successfully applied to (Zn- TSC) or (Zn- ATSC) ions determination in mixture solutions, multivitamins and wastewater samples and as an indicator sensors for potentiometric titration of Zn2+ with EDTA. The isolated complexes, (Zn- TSC) or (Zn- ATSC) were synthesized by the anodic dissolution of Zinc metal in an anhydrous acetone solution of the ligands where TSC is thiosemicarbazide, ATSC is acetaldehyde thiosemicarbazone ligand and ac = acetone. Applications of the proposed sensors to the determination of zinc as an indicator sensor for potentiometric titration of Zinc (II) ion with EDTA are successfully applied. The obtained results were compared using the US Pharmacopeia method and there is no significant difference was observed.

The analytical performance of developed DNA film screen printed biosensors designed for the detection of metals was evaluated. The modified surface exhibited an affinity to chelating metal ions in solution, forming complexes. Square wave voltammetry combined with a pre-concentrating process and standard additions were employed for trace analysis. Finally, cyclic voltammetry technique was used to characterize the developed DNA film surface behavior in presence of heavy metal.

A common path interferometer has been made with a ball lens packaged in a metal cylinder, dielectric mirror, and lucent type connector (LC) fiber patch cord. By simply placing metal cylinder packaged mirror and a ball lens directly in front of a fiber patch cord, a compact and potentially disposable sensing probe for optical bio-sensor could be implemented. To achieve a sufficiently long working distance, the proper ball lens diameter and the distance between the ball lens and the fiber patch cord were investigated. A working distance of up to 1.6 mm was achieved. With common path sensing probe, measurements of the index matching oil and glucose solutions were implemented and used to demonstrate the fesibility as the liquid sensing probe.

Mathematical equations for the multi-criteria task of the optimisation of chemical engineering systems, for example for the optimisation of working regimes for industrial installations for benzene production, have been formulated and developed, and based on fuzzy mathematical methods, algorithms for their solution have been developed. Since the chemical engineering system which is being researched is characterised by multiple criteria and often functions in conditions of uncertainty, the presenting problem is formulated in the form of multi-criteria equations for fuzzy mathematical programming. New mathematical formulations for the problems being solved in a fuzzy environment and heuristic algorithms for their solution have been developed by the modification of various optimisation principles based on fuzzy mathematical methods.

As it's known a lot of chemical substances of a different types are released to the environment and they form a big dangerous for living organisms. To prevent such threats there is necessary to provide continuously monitor not only the level of overall toxicity of the environment, but also to control the degree of stress on the genetic apparatus of living organisms, determining genotoxicity of various unfavorable factors, including various anthropological effects. The total toxicity may be determined with the participation of living organisms. In this review some most applicable methods with the using number of sensitive objects such as Daphnia sp., bioluminescent bacteria and plants are considered at the control of the total toxicity of environmental factors. It is described the main principles of the realization of these methods, peculiarities of their application and instrumental providing.

The aim of this paper is to present a system for controlling the cursor position in a computer by human eye movements. Many modules have been developed to help the physical world interact with the digital world. Here we present a novel approach for Human Computer Interaction (HCI) where, we control cursor movement using a real time camera and color pointers. Our method is to use a camera and computer vision technology, such as image segmentation, background subtraction and color tracking, to control mouse tasks and we show how it can perform everything as current mouse devices can. A color pointer has been used for the object recognition and tracking, so as to implement the module without any physical contact with the system. The application has been created on matlab environment with operating system as windows 8.1. This method mainly focuses on the use of a web camera to develop a virtual human computer interaction device in a cost effective manner presents hands free interface between computer and human especially for physically disabled persons.