Digital Video Disc Research Articles

Comparative Prospective Study of Microvascular Anastomosis Training by Self-Learning or with Expert Instruction

Young neurosurgeons have little opportunity to receive expert feedback while learning microvascular anastomosis. Our objective was to determine the importance of expert feedback. We compared students who studied anastomosis by self-learning with those who studied it with expert feedback. Our second objective was to determine the efficacy of intensive training by comparing the skills of the students with expert feedback with those of neurosurgeons. Twenty-five medical students and 9 neurosurgeons participated. The students were provided with instructional Digital Video Disks (DVDs) and spent 2 weeks practicing gauze fiber microsuturing followed by 6 weeks practicing end-to-side anastomosis using silicone tube. The students assigned to the expert feedback group received weekly feedback through a video call, whereas those in the self-learning group did not. After training, the students completed a final practical examination that was recorded on DVD. The DVDs and procedural products were numbered and distributed to 2 blinded independent expert neurosurgeons for grading. The neurosurgeons completed a similar examination, and their performances were also recorded and compared with those of the medical students. Compared with the self-learning group, the expert feedback group showed significantly higher anastomosis scores (P= 0.0261) and a nonsignificant tendency toward slower anastomosis times (P= 0.4188). The expert feedback group also achieved significantly higher anastomosis scores than did the neurosurgeons (P= 0.0055). Expert feedback improves mastery of microvascular anastomosis. Intensive training with regular expert feedback enables medical students to achieve microvascular anastomosis skills better than those of neurosurgeons.

Exercise Therapy Interventions in Patients With Hip Osteoarthritis: Comparison of the Effects of DVD and Website-Based Interventions.

BackgroundPrevalence of developmental hip dysplasia is high in Japan. Exercise therapy has been proven effective to treat certain aspects of hip osteoarthritis. Moreover, therapy provided via digital video discs (DVDs) and websites allows patients to exercise in the comfort of their own homes. However, no studies have evaluated the effectiveness of visual instructions in patients with hip disorders.ObjectiveThis study aimed to compare the effectiveness of exercise therapy administered via DVD and that administered via a website.MethodsWe developed a six-step progressive exercise therapy program for patients with hip osteoarthritis, which included three kinds each of open kinetic chain and closed kinetic chain exercises. Once the program was developed, exercise DVDs were produced. In addition to the six-step exercise program, our website was enabled to count the number of exercises performed by each patient and was accessible via the Internet at any time. Patients with hip osteoarthritis for whom surgery was not advised were enrolled by one university hospital in the Kansai area in Japan. Clinical symptoms and hip function were quantified using the Japanese Orthopedic Association Hip Disease Evaluation Questionnaire (JHEQ) and the Oxford Hip Score (OHS). Quality of life was measured using the SF-8 Health Survey, and self-efficacy for continued exercise was measured using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES). Questionnaires were completed preintervention and after 6 months.ResultsAt 6-month follow-up, 10 DVD users (1 male, 9 female; mean age 51.3, SD 16.1 years) and 18 website users (2 male, 16 female; mean age 52.4, SD 10.4 years) were reachable. The change in each parameter could not be confirmed a significant improvement. However, most items tended to reflect overall improvement during the 6 months of intervention (P=.05-.94; paired t test). Regarding effect size, we considered a small effect to be greater than 0.2. Little effect was observed for JHEQ pain, SF-8 physical component summary (PCS), and SF-8 mental component summary in the DVD group, as well as OHS, SF-8 (PCS), and GSES in the website group.ConclusionsWhen comparing the effectiveness of exercise therapy between our DVD and website, we found that although both groups tended to improve in physical function, only the website group showed tendency of enhanced self-efficacy.

The Effects of a Yoga Exercise and Nutritional Guidance Program on Pregnancy Outcomes Among Healthy Pregnant Japanese Women: A Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

This report provides an experimental protocol for a study designed to verify the effects of yoga exercise and a nutritional guidance program during pregnancy on several key pregnancy and birth outcomes among Japanese women. This is a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial. This intervention will be carried out in a university hospital in Tokyo. Healthy primiparous women will be recruited at 18-23 gestational weeks in the hospital. A total of 400 participants will be randomly assigned to one of four groups in this trial, with 100 participants in each group-group with yoga exercise, with nutritional guidance, with both yoga and nutritional guidance, and with standard care alone, as the control group. Yoga exercise consists of yoga classes held at the hospital 3 or 5 days a month, duration 60 min, and home practice using a digital video disk, duration 30 or 60 min per session. We recommend participants do yoga at least 3 days a week for a total of 60 min per day. Nutritional guidance is based on individual dietary intake assessed using a brief-type diet history questionnaire. The primary outcome is rate of pregnant women with adequate gestational weight gain. Secondary outcomes include physiologic and psychologic status assessed via biomarkers and health-related scales, dietary nutrition intake, and birth outcomes. This study shows the effects of a yoga exercise and nutritional intervention. If the intervention is found to be effective, our results will be useful for healthcare providers and pregnant women.

Gender domination and domestic violence in Nigerian video films: a paradigmatic appraisal

This paper examines the symmetry between domestic violence and gender domination by x-raying some of the issues and challenges that generate domestic violence. Using two video Films produced in the Nigerian Film Industry as case studies, the work argues that gender based violence is not limited to the female gender because, beyond physical demonstration of violence against women, men face psychological violence in the pursuance of their patriarchal ideologies. The study employed the interpretative approach to content analysis within the qualitative research methodology in undertaking a critical analysis of the films. Video Compact Discs (VCDs) and Digital Video Discs (DVDs) and related literatures in film, and feminist theory as well as postulations on domestic violence and Gender domination are used for data analysis. The findings reveal that domestic violence is not limited to the feminine gender. Beyond physical demonstration of violence against women, men also face psychological violence in varied degrees. The investigation reveals that gender domination generates violence among men and women because groups with the intent to dominate and suppress one another in a relationship cause marital crises. A strive towards mutual co-existence is therefore advocated.

Exploring the impact of sharing personal narratives of brain injury through film in Australian Indigenous communities

Aims: Culturally appropriate community education about brain injury prevention and supporting people with brain injury and their families is needed in Australian Indigenous communities. Narrative therapy offers a useful method in rehabilitation that may be particularly appropriate for Indigenous people. This paper aims to explore and describe the impact of sharing personal stories on film by Australian Indigenous families who have experienced acquired brain injury (ABI). Methods: Participatory Action Research approaches were used in the production of films describing personal stories of brain injury for three Australian Indigenous men and their families. Participants were involved in the conceptualization, development, filming and launch of the films in their own communities (one urban, one rural and one remote). The production of the films was followed by individual semi-structured interviews with film participants. Thematic analysis of interview data was undertaken. Results: While produced as an educational digital video disc (DVD) resource for improving brain injury prevention awareness and support in Australian Indigenous communities, participants identified five themes related to the benefits and challenges of the narrative filmmaking process, namely the motivation to tell their story, the experience of making the film, the social impact and benefits, the importance of the launch and the untold stories that remain. Conclusion: Storytelling by Australian Indigenous families through film was perceived by individuals with ABI and their families to have important personal benefits in addition to providing a culturally relevant community education resource. A recognition of the film as merely a snapshot in time is necessary however and ongoing opportunities for storytelling should be sought. Community launches of such resources are important for supporting families affected by brain injury and increasing awareness in their communities.

African American Veterans Storytelling: A Multisite Randomized Trial to Improve Hypertension.

Disparities in hypertension control persist for African American Veterans. To enhance cultural relevance of hypertension control self-management education, in a multisite, stratified randomized trial, we tested an interactive Veteran-to-Veteran storytelling digital video disk (DVD) intervention created with Veteran partners, versus an education-only DVD comparison. At 3 VA facilities, African American Veterans with uncontrolled hypertension were randomized to storytelling DVD intervention or didactic comparison DVD and followed for 6 months. We hypothesized that follow-up blood pressure (BP) would be lower among Veterans in the intervention group. African American Veterans (N=619) were 92% male, 39% over age 65, most had a high-school education, over 50% of both the intervention and comparison group reported a household income of <$20,000, and 40% had less than adequate health literacy. At baseline, mean intervention and comparison group BPs were 138/80 and 139/81 mm Hg, respectively; at 6 months, mean systolic BP (SBP) increased by 0.1 in the intervention group and by 1.9 for the comparison group; diastolic BP fell by 0.1 in the intervention group and rose by 0.2 in the comparison group. No differences between the intervention and control groups were statistically significant (all P>0.3). Site differences were large; at one, the intervention group improved while the comparison groups deteriorated, resulting in 6.3 and 3.9 mm Hg more improvement for the intervention group in SBP and diastolic BP (P=0.06 and 0.04), respectively; at the other 2 sites, there were positive and negative changes, all small, in the 2 measures, with minimal differences-one site favored the comparison group and the other, the intervention (these comparisons did not approach statistical significance (all P>0.20). In a secondary analysis stratified by baseline BP, there was no intervention effect among those with uncontrolled BP, but intervention patients who were in control at baseline were more likely to stay in control, compared with comparison [SBP increase by 6.3 mm Hg (SD=14.4) among intervention, and by 10.9 mm Hg (SD=16.9) in comparison, P=0.02]. In this multisite trial, we did not find a significant overall storytelling intervention effect (Clinicaltrials.gov Reg. #NCT01276197).

Training in Endoscopy: Endoscopic Ultrasound

Endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) has been recently established as an indispensable modality for the diagnosis and management of pancreatobiliary and gastrointestinal (GI) disorders. EUS proficiency requires both cognitive and technical abilities, including an understanding of the appropriate indications, the performance of appropriate evaluations before and after the procedure, and the management of procedure-related complications. An increasing demand for skills to handle a growing range of interventional EUS procedures and a continual shortage of EUS training programs are two major obstacles for EUS training. Acquiring the skills necessary to comprehend and conduct EUS often requires training beyond the scope of a standard GI fellowship program. In addition to traditional formal EUS training and preceptorships, regular short-term intensive EUS training programs that provide training at various levels may help EUS practitioners improve and maintain EUS-related knowledges and skills. Theoretical knowledge can be acquired from lectures, textbooks, atlases, slides, videotapes, digital video discs, interactive compact discs, and websites. Informal EUS training is generally based on 1- or 2-day intensive seminars, including didactic lectures, skills demonstrated by expert practitioners through live video-streaming of procedures, and hands-on learning using animal or phantom models.

Childhood preoperative anxiolysis: Is sedation and distraction better than either alone? A prospective randomized study.

Preoperative anxiety management receives special attention in pediatric anesthesia. Different pharmacological and nonpharmacological techniques can be employed. This study was designed to assess three different strategies for childhood preoperative anxiolysis: midazolam premedication, midazolam in combination with portable Digital Video-Disk player, or video distraction strategy alone. In this prospective randomized study, children aged 2-12 years were assigned to one of the three study groups. The primary outcome was a change in preoperative children's anxiety, from baseline (before transfer to the preanesthetic holding area) to separation from parents, assessed by the Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS) and the Visual Analog Anxiety Scale (VAS-Anxiety). Delirium emergence, postoperative pain, and parental satisfaction were also collected. One hundred and thirty-five patients were enrolled. The three preventive strategies allowed control of preoperative distress. Within the three study groups, no significant change was objectified in the anxiety level from baseline to separation from parents (mean change in mYPAS midazolam group: 2.4 95% CI [-1.7 to 6.3]; midazolam+Digital Video-Disk group: -1.0 95% CI [-5.9 to 3]; and Digital Video-Disk group: 1.4 95% CI [-4 to 6.7]). Comparison of change in preoperative children's anxiety between the groups did not show any difference. Emergence delirium, postoperative pain scores, and analgesic consumption were similar between the groups and parents' satisfaction was excellent. Both pharmacological premedication and video distraction are effective strategies for controlling preoperative childhood anxiety. The combination of midazolam and Digital Video-Disk player was not better than either alone.

Antipiracy-Aware IP Chipset Design for CE Devices: A Robust Watermarking Approach [Hardware Matters

Intellectual property (IP) chip sets are indispensable components of consumer electronics (CE) products, such as set-top boxes, digital televisions, digital video discs (DVDs), tablets, digital cameras, and audio-video receivers. They represent several years of investment, research, and development through expensive infrastructure. Watermarking in IP chip sets for the protection of CE devices against false claims of ownership, piracy, and counterfeiting has proven to be a promising solution. However, the design process of a watermarked (antipiracy-aware) IP chip set is complex, and no published work exists in the literature to introduce a formal design methodology. This column presents a formal design approach for antipiracy-aware IP chip sets for CE devices. Using robust multivariable signature-encoding methodology, decoded watermarking constraints are embedded into the formal architectural synthesis design steps of an IP chip set. Each step of the IP chip set design is lucidly introduced with the aid of a real-life benchmark from the domain of multimedia and digital signal processing.

The Influence of the Adult Entertainment Industry on Technology Standards for Computer, Video, and Smartphone Applications

The proliferation and diffusion of products that are based on technological standards, such as digital video discs, depends on gathering co‐sponsors who provide complementary goods (such as films and games in the case of digital video discs) that are valued by the end users. Previous studies have documented how complementary goods are delivered through the creation of business ecosystems, informal agreements, and strategic alliances. Few of those studies, however, have addressed the nature of the complementary goods that are offered, or sponsors’ attitudes toward them. This study, which focuses on the impact of the adult entertainment industry on the spread of new technological standards, highlights the extent to which the sponsor of a new technological standard is willing to go to reach an agreement with a co‐sponsor, despite the controversial nature of the goods being produced. A review of three case studies involving adult entertainment content for online, video, and smartphone applications shows that the main technology sponsor often has difficulty deciding how to deal with the availability of certain complementary goods. It also sheds light on how providers of complementary goods in any industry can gain acceptance from the main sponsor of a new technological standard. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Response to comment on the article, "Yoga protocol for treatment of breast cancer-related lymphedema".

Byline: S. Narahari, Madhur. Aggithaya, Liselotte. Thernoe, K. Bose, T. Ryan Dear Sir, We welcome the suggestion by Loudon et al . that the currently available evidence of use of in lymphedema affecting both upper and lower extremities should be enhanced by valid research and a valuable academic debate could now be beginning. Our paper explained how we used and breathing as a self-care intervention for breast cancer-related lymphedema (BCRL). [sup][1] We compared Loudon et al ., using as an intervention for BCRL for ease of practice by patients and its alignment, with Foldi et al .'s principles of lymph drainage. [sup][2] Loudon et al . adopted the postures from Satyananda Saraswati's book, Asana, Pranayama, Mudra Bandha. [sup][3] Although they do not name their methods of practicing postures as a yoga their methods section states that the was based on their previous publication on the protocol, [sup][4] in which they called it a intervention. There are multiple definitions of protocol. We prefer it as a precise and detailed plan for the of a biomedical problem or for a regimen of therapy. The protocols are instructions on what to do in particular circumstances. They are similar to guidelines but include less room for individual judgment. They are often provided for less experienced staff or for use in situations where eventualities are predictable. [sup][5] The sessions in Loudon et al .'s practice included documented breathing, physical postures, meditation, and relaxation techniques according to the Satyananda Yoga tradition as explained in Table 1 of their article. There is consequently little room for individual judgment and practice has to be carried out as explained in the reference; hence, the module used by Loudon et al . is named by us as a protocol. The module was initially published under the study and the same methodology was followed while doing a randomized controlled trial. Our identified the sequence to be practiced as self-care in BCRL. [sup][1] It began with warm up, prolonged exercise with appropriate rests, and suitable education of training staff. There is growing evidence to support this kind of exercises in BCRL. [sup][6] Table 1 of Loudon et al . lists 17 postures that are numbered from 1a to 17. We assumed that patients are advised to carry out this in that sequence. More so, if given in digital video disc, patients are likely to follow the same sequence, unless instructed otherwise. We compared both methods of using in Figure 5 of Narahari et al . [sup][1] Detailed explanation of the postures carried out was not mentioned by Loudon et al . instead they cited Satyananda Saraswati's book. We have adopted full descriptions of each practice of reference 3 of Table 3 from Loudon et al . Although Loudon et al . did not describe the variations from Satyananda Saraswati in their protocol/trial, they described variations adopted by Satyananda Saraswati in response to our article. Since there was no description of the variation, we compared our protocol to their method of using as described in the cited reference. For example, Satyananda Saraswati describes the initial position of Marjari asana ( Marjari = cat) as Vajra asana , a sitting position. From the Vajra asana position, the person should rise while the buttocks and knees should be kept touching the floor. Then, the person should bend forward place the hands on the floor with the fingers facing anteriorly. The final position looks like a standing cat, hence named as Marjari asana . Loudon et al . changed this initial position to a standing cat. The positions were developed by either mimicking the movements of animals (viz., backward bending in Bhujanga asana resembles the snake posture; Bhujanga = snake) or comparing the shape of the body in its final position ( Gomukha [like cow's face] asana ). …

Levels of Participants Satisfaction with Initial Contact and Examination Visit: The Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL).

This study examined perceived satisfaction among Hispanic/Latino individuals who participated in a baseline examination for the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a large cohort study of 16,415 adults living in four selected communities. An estimated 22% (n= 3,584) of participants completed a questionnaire regarding satisfaction with staff attention, the overall experience during the study examination, and the influence of the informed consent digital video disc (DVD). The majority of participants who completed the questionnaire expressed overall satisfaction with the study. Most participants reported that staff were friendly, courteous and respectful and study test procedures were clearly explained. Participants who preferred to complete the interview in Spanish felt that the informed consent DVD positively influenced their ability to make an informed decision to enroll in the study. Participants who preferred to complete the interview in English tended to report that the baseline examination was longer than expected compared with participants who completed the interview in Spanish. Results demonstrate that culturally and linguistically trained staff and the use of the study's informed consent DVD were effective in explaining study procedures and positively influenced decisions to participate in the HCHS/SOL study. These results can inform recruitment and enrollment strategies for future participation of minority groups into longitudinal cohort studies.

School Pharmacist/School Environmental Hygienic Activities at School Site.

The "School Health and Safety Act" was enforced in April 2009 in Japan, and "school environmental health standards" were established by the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology. In Article 24 of the Enforcement Regulations, the duties of the school pharmacist have been clarified; school pharmacists have charged with promoting health activities in schools and carrying out complete and regular checks based on the "school environmental health standards" in order to protect the health of students and staff. In supported of this, the school pharmacist group of Japan Pharmaceutical Association has created and distributed digital video discs (DVDs) on "check methods of school environmental health standards" as support material. We use the DVD to ensure the basic issues that school pharmacists deal with, such as objectives, criteria, and methods for each item to be checked, advice, and post-measures. We conduct various workshops and classes, and set up Q&A committees so that inquiries from members are answered with the help of such activities. In addition, school pharmacists try to improve the knowledge of the school staff on environmental hygiene during their in-service training. They also conduct "drug abuse prevention classes" at school and seek to improve knowledge and recognition of drugs, including "dangerous drugs".

Analysis of medical student's book reports on Cronin's The Citadel: would young doctors give up ideals for prestige and wealth?

Purpose:The purpose of this study is to find what medical students think the reward for their future work should be and whether they would keep their ideals or abandon them for prestige and wealth by analyzing the book reports of Cronin’s The Citadel.Methods:Participants were 50 medical students of junior class. A month before the classroom lecture, the book and digital video disk were provided. Students had discussions in groups of seven and wrote book reports which include answers of three questions.Results:Regarding what should be the reward for the medical doctor, two-thirds of students (66.7%) answered with spiritual compensation, while one-third (33.3%) chose material reward. In the situation presented to Manson, three-fifths (60.0%) answered they would keep their ideals (idealist), while the remaining two-fifths (40.0%) decided they would abandon them. Less than one-third of students (30.0%) answered they would reveal the corruptions of the doctor’s society, while two-thirds (64.0%) would not.Conclusion:The larger number of idealists who prefer spiritual reward rather than a material reward represents the innocence of youth as in portrayed in The Citadel.

Enhancing the quality factor of grating coupled plasmon resonance in optical recording media

Optical recording media such as Digital Video Discs (DVDs) or Blu-ray discs provide a readily available source for high quality 1D diffractive structures at the sub-wavelength scale in the visible spectrum. These are useful for several optical sensing methodologies such as Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) where the grating couples incident light into plasmon modes supported by the structure. The gratings available in these off-the-shelf devices are not optimized for SPR based sensing. Here we describe a simple method to improve the quality factor, an important performance metric of SPR based sensors, of optical recording media based plasmonic sensors. We reduced the linewidth of SPR response from a DVD based SPR sensor by an order of magnitude using a 100nm thick polyelectrolyte multilayer film deposited using sequential layer by layer assembly from solutions. Numerical modeling and Atomic Force Microscopy studies established the origin of quality factor improvement from the change in the topography of the grating due to a polymer assembly. We demonstrate a limit of detection (LoD) of 7×10−6 RIU using the modified DVD based grating coupled SPR sensor.

Retrospective Rn-220 Measurements by Compact Discs

Recently, a method for retrospective $^{220}{\rm Rn}$ measurements by etching alpha-tracks in compact discs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs) has been proposed. In that method the tracks at the front surface (with respect to the reading laser beam) of the discs are analyzed. These measurements are influenced by $^{222}{\rm Rn}$ absorbed in the disc material and the signal must be corrected for $^{222}{\rm Rn}$ presence. In this work we study whether the influence of $^{222}{\rm Rn}$ can be eliminated if the back (labeled) side of the CDs is analyzed. Because of the coating on the back side of the disc, $^{222}{\rm Rn}$ absorption is prevented and its influence on $^{220}{\rm Rn}$ signal is significantly reduced. Moreover, it has been found that in most discs the signal at the back side is an order of magnitude greater than that at the front side, which significantly improves the sensitivity of the method. Thus, this work proposes a new practical approach for retrospective $^{220}{\rm Rn}$ measurements of improved sensitivity and reduced $^{222}{\rm Rn}$ influence.

Vestibular rehabilitation with visual stimuli in peripheral vestibular disorders

IntroductionVisual stimuli can induce vestibular adaptation and recovery of body balance. ObjectiveTo verify the effect of visual stimuli by digital images on vestibular and body balance rehabilitation of peripheral vestibular disorders. MethodsClinical, randomized, prospective study. Forty patients aged between 23 and 63 years with chronic peripheral vestibular disorders underwent 12 sessions of rehabilitation with visual stimuli using digital video disk (DVD) (experimental group) or Cawthorne-Cooksey exercises (control group). The Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI), dizziness analog scale, and the sensitized Romberg static balance and one-leg stance tests were applied before and after the intervention. ResultsBefore and after the intervention, there was no difference between the experimental and control groups (p>0.005) regarding the findings of DHI, dizziness analog scale, and static balance tests. After the intervention, the experimental and control groups showed lower values (p<0.05) in the DHI and the dizziness analog scale, and higher values (p<0.05) in the static balance tests in some of the assessed conditions. ConclusionThe inclusion of visual stimuli by digital images on vestibular and body balance rehabilitation is effective in reducing dizziness and improving quality of life and postural control in individuals with peripheral vestibular disorders.

The Program Cost of a Brief Video Intervention Shown in Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic Waiting Rooms.

Patients in sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic waiting rooms represent a potential audience for delivering health messages via video-based interventions. A controlled trial at 3 sites found that patients exposed to one intervention, Safe in the City, had a significantly lower incidence of STDs compared with patients in the control condition. An evaluation of the intervention's cost could help determine whether such interventions are programmatically viable. The cost of producing the Safe in the City intervention was estimated using study records, including logs, calendars, and contract invoices. Production costs were divided by the 1650 digital video kits initially fabricated to get an estimated cost per digital video. Clinic costs for showing the video in waiting rooms included staff time costs for equipment operation and hardware depreciation and were estimated for the 21-month study observation period retrospectively. The intervention cost an estimated $416,966 to develop, equaling $253 per digital video disk produced. Per-site costs to show the video intervention were estimated to be $2699 during the randomized trial. The cost of producing and implementing Safe in the City intervention suggests that similar interventions could potentially be produced and made available to end users at a price that would both cover production costs and be low enough that the end users could afford them.

Real-time loop-mediated isothermal DNA amplification in compact disc micro-reactors

An integrated device composed of micro-reactors embedded onto compact discs is proposed for real-time targeted DNA determination. The method principle is based on in-disc loop-mediated isothermal amplification (iD-LAMP) and quantitative optical read-out by a disc drive. In the presence of a target, the turbidimetric or colorimetric properties of reaction solution change, and the transmitted intensity of the disc drive laser modifies according to reaction yield. Monitoring real-time curves allowed the quantitative determination of DNA template amounts. The best amplification/detection results were obtained with micro-reactors (2mm diameter and 1.1mm in depth) drilled on a digital video disc (DVD) and detection based on the colorimetric mode. As proof-of-concept, the assay was applied to detect pathogenic bacteria Salmonella spp. and to identify bovine meat in food samples. Ninety-six samples were simultaneously analysed in 15min, with high selectivity and sensitivity (5CFU/mL and 10µg/g for bacteria and meat, respectively). The in-disc results were comparable to those obtained by conventional LAMP or qPCR approaches. The developed device allows low sample and reagent consumption (3µL of reaction), portability, ease-of-use, and rapid low-cost high-throughput analyses.

Light emission enhancement based on surface plasmon resonance in zinc oxide/silver film on digital video disk template

ABSTRACTThe photoluminescence signals of zinc oxide/silver films based on digital video disk template were carried out compared with that of the planar mode. The spectra that on silicon showed a strong bandgap emission around 378 nm and a defect related emission band centered at ∼470 nm. After adding digital video disk template, it resulted in an increased signal of both the ultraviolet and the visible region, but the ultraviolet emission enhancement was notable. That the enhancement of band edge emission resulted from surface plasmon resonance coupling between silver and zinc oxide was discussed in detail.