High Sensibility Research Articles

Privacy protection control for mobile apps users

Predominant in today society, mobile apps are rising as promising application systems for automatic control. An app can be viewed as a plant, processing input signals (queries, phone data, etc.) and generating outputs (such as a service or an answer). Guaranteeing that the app complies with a desired behavior is a major safety challenge. This work focuses on privacy issues for geolocated mobile apps. Many applications use the location data to provide a service (e.g., navigation, fitness) or to improve it (e.g., weather forecast, social media). This gain in service utility comes at the cost of personal data sharing. Such threat to user privacy can be leveraged by protection mechanisms, e.g., addition of noise to the location data. However, state-of-the-art techniques still lack means of ensuring both data utility and privacy in a dynamics utilization context. This paper presents the first non-linear analytical modeling followed by a control formulation for regulating the privacy level in a mobile app. The privacy is sensed using the well established notion of Point of Interest. Through modeling, we highlight the control challenges, namely the non-linearity and time-variance of the plant, its high sensibility to noise and the impact of the user’s mobility pattern—seen a disturbance. A controller is designed, combining feedback with anticipation action. Evaluation is performed using mobility records from two real-world multi-users datasets. Our approach enables, with a unique and universal tuning, to robustly meet privacy objectives with preserved utility and negligible computational overhead. Control algorithm, experimental evaluation and analysis scripts are available online for reproducibility.

CRITICALITIES AND USEFULNESS OF EX-VIVO SMALL INTESTINE PERFUSION: TRANSPLANT AND BEYOND

performed in very select cases due to the organ’s specific characteristics: high sensibility to ischemia, increased risk of rejection, and longer length of hospital stay in comparison to other solid organ transplants. With deteriorating donor organ quality and safety, and increasing indications for intestinal transplantation, innovative and safe alternatives to increase the donor pool should be evaluated. In this review, we present a summary of organ machine perfusion history, trends, recent findings, challenges and the potential benefits and applications for intestinal transplantation. We performed a literature review of organ machine perfusion studies published in the last decade (2012-2022) for intestine, lungs, heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas and collected data from the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) database aiming to show the trends of intestinal transplantation in the US and highlight the benefits of different perfusion techniques.

Phenotypes of hemodynamic response to fluid challenge during anesthesia: a cluster analysis.

The fluid challenge (FC) response is usually evaluated as binary, which may be inadequate to describe the complex interactions between heart function and vascular tone response after fluid administration. We applied a clustering approach to assess the different phenotypes of cardiovascular responses to FC administration, considering the associations of all the baseline variables potentially influencing pressure and flow response to a FC. Secondarily, we evaluated the reliability of baseline hemodynamic variables in discriminating fluid responsiveness, which is considered the standard approach at the bedside. Five merged datasets from elective surgical patients receiving a FC dose ≥4 mL/kg, infused over 10 minutes. In a principal component approach, hierarchical clustering was used to define hemodynamic phenotypes of response to FC administration. Hierarchical cluster analysis with Ward linkage was carried out to define similar patient groups using the Gower distance for the mixed combination of continuous and categorical variables. No a priori criteria of fluid responsiveness were applied. The area (AUC) under the pre-FC variables' receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC) was also built to predict fluid responsiveness, defined as SVI ≥10% after FC. We analyzed 223 patients. The cluster analysis identified three hemodynamic clusters of patients: cluster 1 (98 patients, 44.0%) showed an average increase of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and Stroke Volume Index (SVI) of 17.3% (11.9-23.1) and 13.1% (0.5-23.4) at the end of FC, respectively. These patients showed baseline flow and pressure variables slightly below physiological ranges, with high pulse pressure variation (PPV). Cluster 2 (68 patients, 30.5%) showed no increase of MAP and SVI at the end of FC. These patients showed baseline flow and pressure variables within physiological ranges, with low hear rate (HR) and PPV. Cluster 3 (57 patients, 25.5%) showed no MAP increase and an SVI increase of 13.1 (2.1-19.6). These patients showed baseline pressure variables within physiological ranges, low flow variables associated to high HR and PPV. The pulse pressure variation (PPV) showed an AUC of 0.82 (0.03), with a grey zone ranging from 6% to 12%, including 86 (38.5%) patients. Clustering analysis identified three hemodynamic clusters with different response phenotypes to FC. This promising approach may enhance the ability to detect fluid responsiveness at the bedside, by considering the specific association of parameters and not the presence of a single one, such as the PPV. In fact, in our cohort the reliability of the PPV was limited, showing high sensibility and specificity only above 12% and below 6%, respectively, and a grey zone including 38.5% of patients.

Validación al español del cuestionario PEDI-EAT-10 para el cribado de disfagia

IntroductionThe Pedi-EAT-10 is a quick and simple validated tool for screening for dysphagia in the paediatric age group. The objective of our study was to translate and adapt the scale to Spanish and assess its psychometric properties, level of difficulty and speed of completion. Patients and methodsFollowing the forward and back translation and the approval by the research team of the Spanish version of the Pedi-EAT-10, we carried out a prospective study in a group of patients with dysphagia and a group of children who were healthy or had minor disease. Their legal guardians completed the questionnaire and reported the duration and difficulty of the test. ResultsThe study included 87 cases of dysphagia and 91 controls. The Cronbach alpha for internal consistency was 0.87. Most correlations between single item scores and the total scale score were greater than 0.65 (P<.001). The Pedi-EAT-10 scores were significantly higher in patients with dysphagia in every age group (P<.001), evincing a high sensibility and specificity for the screening of dysphagia. In the control group, the mean time taken to complete the questionnaire was 2.18±1.98 minutes, and all participants found it easy. ConclusionsWe verified the validity, reliability and internal consistency of the Spanish version of the Pedi-EAT-10. It is an easy and quick instrument that can be used for screening of dysphagia in paediatric clinical practice.

Comparison of Serological and Molecular Methods for Detection of Spiroplasma citri in Moroccan Citrus-Growing Areas.

Spiroplasma citri, a helical motile, wall-less, and cultivable microorganism of the class Mollicutes, is the agent of the citrus stubborn disease. There is currently a lack of data about the presence of this pathogen in Moroccan citrus orchards. This study aims to validate serological and molecular methods for routine S. citri diagnosis in Moroccan citrus groves. To provide an update on the present status of the outbreak of the pathogen in Moroccan citrus orchards, a survey of S. citri was conducted in the main citrus-growing regions of Morocco. A total of 575 leaf samples were collected from citrus trees with symptoms attributable to S. citri infection. Samples were collected during 2020 and 2021 from 23 citrus orchards. The presence of S. citri was tested in all samples using the double antibody sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (DAS-ELISA). Using this method, 57 samples were found to be infected with S. citri, 41 samples had doubtful results, and the remaining samples were negative. To corroborate the results of the DAS-ELISA test, 148 samples were chosen for additional molecular testing using conventional polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR (qPCR) based on specific primer pairs targeting three different genes (putative adhesion-like gene P58, putative adhesion gene P89, and spiralin gene). Using primers that target the putative adhesion-like gene P58, S. citri was detected by conventional and real-time PCR amplification from plant tissue with differing degrees of specificity. The results allowed us to determine the incidence of S. citri in all Moroccan citrus orchards, with a wide range of positive samples varying from 6.5% to 78%, and to show that molecular tests, particularly real-time PCR assays that target the putative adhesion-like gene P58, are the most sensitive for making an accurate diagnosis of S. citri. Indeed, the real-time PCR with P58-targeting primers yielded positive results from all positive and doubtful ELISA samples as well as some negative samples, with an OD value close to 1.5× times healthy samples, thus demonstrating a high sensibility of this technique.

Bistable magnetic microwire for contactless sensor of intracranial pressure

The given paper presents one new opportunity of glass-coated microwires for biomedical applications, especially the possibility of pressure measuring inside a human cranium. The application allows noninvasive and contactless sensing of the intracranial pressure (ICP) using FeSiBP glass-coated microwire for a sensor in a model of skull. First, the measurement of the mechanical dependence of the switching time dt on the microwire shows almost linear progression. In this case the middle tensile sensibility ST (slope value) of microwire is 1.84 μs/MPa. The studied microwire, implanted in the skull as a sensor, could measure intracranial parameters simultaneously at any time, only by attaching the probe from the outside of the head. The experimental measurements have been carried out on the skull model with the water balloon, which has similar properties and Young's modulus of cerebral membrane - dura. The measurements, in the range of values corresponding to normal intracranial pressure show, that the switching time dt monotonously increases with increasing hydrostatic pressure in the water balloon, where the average tensile sensibility ST is about 38 ns/Pa. The high theoretical sensibility about 0.3 Pa can be achieved. This approach makes this technology very interesting for the practical application.

Intraoperative Cortico-Cortical Evoked Potentials for Monitoring Language Function during Brain Tumor Resection in Anesthetized Patients.

Cortico-cortical evoked potentials (CCEPs) have been used to map the frontal (FLA) and parietal (PLA) cortical regions related to language function. However, they have usually been employed as a complementary method during sleep-awake surgery. Five male and two female patients received surgery for tumors located near language areas. Six patients received general anesthesia and the sleep-awake method was used for patients with tumors located near the cortical language areas. We performed motor and somatosensory mapping with CCEPs to identify language areas and we monitored responses during surgery based on the mapping results. Electrocorticography was performed throughout the surgery. Single pulses of 1 ms duration at 5-20 mA were delivered by direct cortical stimulation using one grid at one region (e.g., FLA) and then recording using a second gird at another area (i.e., PLA). Next, reversed stimulation (from PLA to FLA) was performed. The charge density for electrical stimulation was computed. Sensibility, specificity, predictive positive values, and predicted negative values were also computed for warning alterations of CCEPs. Gross tumor resection was achieved in four cases. The first postsurgical day showed language alterations in three patients, but one year later six patients remained asymptomatic and one patient showed the same symptomatology as previously. Seizures were observed in two patients that were easily jugulated. CCEPs predicted warning events with high sensibility and specificity. Postsurgical language deficits were mostly transitory. Although the latency between frontal and parietal regions showed symmetry, the amplitude and the relationship between amplitude and latency were different for FLA than for PLA. The charge density elicited by CCEPs ranged from 442 to 1768 μC/cm2. CCEPs have proven to be a reliable neurophysiological technique for mapping and monitoring the regions associated with language function in a small group of anesthetized patients. The high correlation between warning events and postsurgical outcomes suggested a high sensitivity and specificity and CCEPs can be used systematically in patients under general anesthesia. Nevertheless, the small number of studied patients suggests considering these results cautiously.

Molecular detection of Schistosoma species in unusual snail hosts: a note of caution.

The interaction between snails and species of Schistosoma results from an evolutionary process with an intrinsic host-parasite specificity to the snail genus. Faced with this fact, the recent molecular-based report on the potential infection of the thiarid Melanoides tuberculata with human schistosome should be cautiously interpreted. The high sensibility of molecular tools can result in false positives, perhaps by amplifying DNA from an external (contaminant) or invasive stage of schistosome found in this non-permissive snail host. Thus, parasitological data are mandatory to extrapolate the importance of the finding for the epidemiology and control of schistosomiasis.

An Ultra-Low-Power and High Sensibility of the Smart CMOS (Si and 4H-SiC) Temperature Sensor in 130nm Technology

An Ultra-Low-Power and High Sensibility of the Smart CMOS (Si and 4H-SiC) Temperature Sensor in 130nm Technology

Development of a Chemically Modified Sensor Based on a Pentapeptide and Its Application for Sensitive Detection of Verbascoside in Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

In addition to their antioxidant and antimicrobial action in functional foods, beverages, and in some dermato-cosmetic products, olive phenolic compounds are also recognized for their role in the prevention of diabetes and inflammation, treatment of heart disease and, consequently, of the numerous chronic diseases mediated by the free radicals. In recent years, attention has increased, in particular, regarding one of the most important compound in extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) having glycosidic structure, namely verbocoside, due to the existence in the literature of numerous studies demonstrating its remarkable contribution to the prophylaxis and treatment of various disorders of the human body. The purpose of this study was the qualitative and quantitative determination of verbascoside in commercial EVOOs from different regions by means of a newly developed sensor based on a screen-printed carbon electrode (SPCE) modified with graphene oxide (GPHOX), on the surface of which a pentapeptide was immobilized by means of glutaraldehyde as cross-linking agent. The modified electrode surface was investigated using both Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) methods. This newly developed sensor has shown a high sensibility compared to the unmodified electrode, a low detection limit (LOD) of up to 9.38 × 10-8 M, and a wide linearity range between 0.1 µM and 10.55 µM. The applicability of the modified sensor was confirmed by detecting verbascoside in ten different EVOOs samples using the cyclic voltammetry (CV) method, with very good results. The validation of the electroanalytical method was performed by using the standard addition method with very good recoveries in the range of 97.48-103.77%.

Melt-stretched poly(vinylidene fluoride)/zinc oxide nanocomposite films with enhanced piezoelectricity by stress concentrations in piezoelectric domains for wearable electronics

Till date, fabrication of polymeric-inorganic piezoelectric nanocomposites with enhanced piezoelectricity is considered a potential solution for future high-performance flexible sensing devices. Herein, we report the preparation of poly(vinylidene fluoride)/zinc oxide (PVDF/ZnO) piezoelectric nanocomposite films via a combined approach of adding nanofillers, irradiation crosslinking and melt stretching. The melt-stretched film contains closely aligned β-phase nanofibrils with a high content (>90 % of the crystalline phase) serving as piezoelectric domains. Meanwhile, the incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles creates stress concentrations, promoting the piezoelectric response of β-nanofibrils and also the stress-induced polarization under loading. As a result, the film displays not only a superior mechanical strength (>100 MPa), but also largely enhanced piezoelectric output performance after poling, including wide response range, high sensibility to weak force and excellent working durability (>10,000 cycles). The optimal film with ZnO content of 5 wt% has a pressure sensitivity of ∼ 1.7 V/kPa under 0–1 kPa, almost twice that (∼0.8 V/kPa) of the pure PVDF without nanofillers. With the outstanding piezoelectric properties, potential applications of film as a flexible wearable sensor in monitoring human motions and subtle physiological signals are demonstrated. The results provide a new melt processing strategy that is easily scalable for developing high-performance PVDF-based piezoelectric nanocomposite films towards wearable electronics.

High Sensibility Optical Methane Sensor Based on Insertion of Cryptophane-E Cavity in 1D Photonic Crystal

High Sensibility Optical Methane Sensor Based on Insertion of Cryptophane-E Cavity in 1D Photonic Crystal

Glucose biosensor based on a flexible Au/ZnO film to enhance the glucose oxidase catalytic response

• The indirect isoelectric effect boosts the glucose oxidase immobilization. • The flexible electrode is mechanically stable. • Biosensor performance toward glucose detection is improved by ZnO thin film. • The bioelectrode shows high sensibility and low LOD and LOQ. • The area covered by ZnO shows higher current density toward glucose oxidation. The present work shows the influence of the isoelectric indirect effect of the semiconductor ZnO in the enzymatic immobilization in a glucose biosensor. For this purpose, thin films based on Au and Au/ZnO were synthesized on a microstructured flexible substrate of polyamide filter membrane (P.F) and characterized by FESEM and XRD. Both flexible surfaces were used to immobilize glucose oxidase (GOx) enzyme mixed with ferrocene methanol (Fc) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (GOx-Fc/MWCNT). Subsequently, these surfaces were used as working electrodes to be evaluated as glucose biosensors. The effect of the ZnO film was compared. The performance of the flexible substrate based on Au/GOx-Fc/MWCNT and Au/ZnO/GOx-Fc/MWCNT as glucose sensor showed similar linearity between 0 – 12 mM glucose; however a higher sensitivity (30.00 µA mM -1 cm -2 ) and lower limit of detection and quantification values were obtained (0.25 mM and 0.83 mM, respectively) when ZnO thin film was used. The results suggest that the ZnO thin film in junction with GOx enzyme enhance the immobilization process of the biocatalyst, resulting in an improvement of the glucose biosensor parameters.

3D CT-Inclusive Deep-Learning Model to Predict Mortality, ICU Admittance, and Intubation in COVID-19 Patients

Chest CT is a useful initial exam in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) for assessing lung damage. AI-powered predictive models could be useful to better allocate resources in the midst of the pandemic. Our aim was to build a deep-learning (DL) model for COVID-19 outcome prediction inclusive of 3D chest CT images acquired at hospital admission. This retrospective multicentric study included 1051 patients (mean age 69, SD = 15) who presented to the emergency department of three different institutions between 20th March 2020 and 20th January 2021 with COVID-19 confirmed by real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Chest CT at hospital admission were evaluated by a 3D residual neural network algorithm. Training, internal validation, and external validation groups included 608, 153, and 290 patients, respectively. Images, clinical, and laboratory data were fed into different customizations of a dense neural network to choose the best performing architecture for the prediction of mortality, intubation, and intensive care unit (ICU) admission. The AI model tested on CT and clinical features displayed accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and ROC-AUC, respectively, of 91.7%, 90.5%, 92.4%, and 95% for the prediction of patient’s mortality; 91.3%, 91.5%, 89.8%, and 95% for intubation; and 89.6%, 90.2%, 86.5%, and 94% for ICU admission (internal validation) in the testing cohort. The performance was lower in the validation cohort for mortality (71.7%, 55.6%, 74.8%, 72%), intubation (72.6%, 74.7%, 45.7%, 64%), and ICU admission (74.7%, 77%, 46%, 70%) prediction. The addition of the available laboratory data led to an increase in sensitivity for patient’s mortality (66%) and specificity for intubation and ICU admission (50%, 52%, respectively), while the other metrics maintained similar performance results. We present a deep-learning model to predict mortality, ICU admittance, and intubation in COVID-19 patients.Key Points• 3D CT-based deep learning model predicted the internal validation set with high accuracy, sensibility and specificity (> 90%) mortality, ICU admittance, and intubation in COVID-19 patients.• The model slightly increased prediction results when laboratory data were added to the analysis, despite data imbalance. However, the model accuracy dropped when CT images were not considered in the analysis, implying an important role of CT in predicting outcomes.

The Predictive Role of Maternal Biological Markers and Inflammatory Scores NLR, PLR, MLR, SII, and SIRI for the Risk of Preterm Delivery.

In many countries, preterm birth, defined as birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation, is the primary cause of infant death and morbidity. An increasing body of research suggests that inflammation (both clinical and subclinical) plays a significant role in inducing preterm labor or developing pregnancy problems that lead to premature birth. Consequently, the purpose of this research was to determine the predictive value of the Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (NLR), derived Neutrophil-Lymphocyte Ratio (dNLR), Monocytes-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (MLR), Platelets-to-Lymphocyte Ratio (PLR), Systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), and systemic inflammatory response index (SIRI), for premature delivery. A retrospective study analyzed a total of 243 eligible pregnancies that resulted in a preterm birth during 2020 and 2021. A control group without a history of preterm birth was matched by age and trimester of laboratory analysis at a 1:1 ratio. Although the number of comorbidities was similar among study groups, the body-mass index estimated for the week of gestation was significantly higher among the patients from the prematurity group, as well as the prevalence of urinary tract infections and smoking. Laboratory data showed that patients with a preterm birth had significantly higher white blood cell count and monocytes, but significantly lower lymphocytes, platelets, and hemoglobin. The NLR, dNLR, PLR, and MLR scores showed to be significantly higher among patients from the prematurity group, but SII and SIRI were not significantly different between the study groups. It was observed that the AUC values of NLR, dNLR, PLR, and MLR were higher than 0.600, respectively NLR had the highest value among the tested scores (AUC = 0.694) and the highest sensitivity in this study (71%). The highest sensibility was achieved by dNLR, with 70%, and an AUC value of 0.655 (p-value = 0.022). PLR had the second-highest AUC value (0.682) and the best score in terms of sensitivity (70%) and sensibility (69%) (p-value = 0.015). Lastly, MLR had the lowest significant AUC score (0.607) and lowest sensitivity/sensibility. The significant cut-off values for the inflammatory scores were 9.0 for NLR, 9.8 for dNLR, 250 for PLR, and 4.07 for MLR. After evaluating the importance of these inflammatory scores, further clinical applications should be conducted to confirm the results and improve therapy and care to reduce the burden of premature deliveries.

Dopamine induced multiple bonding in hyaluronic acid network to construct particle-free conductive hydrogel for reliable electro-biosensing

Conductive hydrogel (CH) as flexible electrophysiology interface has become the new trend of bioelectronics, but still challenging in synergizing the biocompatibility, mechanics and comprehensive electrical performance. Hyaluronic acid (HA), featured with abundant active sites for personalized-modification and well-known biocompatibility, is one of the alterative candidates. The obstacle lies in the unstable conductivity from the ionic conduction, and the electronic conduction by embedding conductive nanoparticles (NPs) is likely to result in inhomogeneous CH with poor stretchability and discontinuous conductive network. Herein, inspired by catechol chemistry, dopamine (DA)-modified HA was homogeneously composited with DA-modified poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS, named PP), to produce particle-free conductive hydrogel (HA-DA-PP). The DA-introduced multiple bondings in HA network and PP molecules brought aqueous conductive PP into HA hydrogel to form a homogeneous crosslinking network, imparted the flexible stretchability. By accurately regulation, HA-DA-PP achieved high stretchability with large tensile deformation (over 470 %) in the category of natural polymer-based hydrogels. Moreover, the interaction between DA and PP (conformational transition and charge transfer) could effectively enhance the hydrogel's conductivity. Consequently, HA-DA-PP hydrogel showed high sensibility to human movement, epidermal and in vivo electrophysiological signals monitoring. Overall, DA-mediated multiple bonding is a powerful strategy for constructing CH with high performance for bioelectronics.

Monitoring surface contamination for thirty antineoplastic drugs: a new proposal for surface exposure levels (SELs).

Chemotherapy drugs are widely used to treat cancer, but their active compounds represent a danger for workers who could be exposed to them. However, they aren't yet included in directive CE No. 1272/2008 and the European Biosafety Network has only recommended a limit value of 100 pg/cm2 for surface contamination. Thus, it is crucial to assess surface contaminations in healthcare environments. Currently, the technique of choice is surface wipe test combined with liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry to achieve high sensibility. A campaign involving Careggi University Hospital (Florence, Italy) was performed from January 2020 to December 2021, collecting 1449 wipe samples between administration units, preparation unit, and personnel gloves. From the obtained data, the 90th percentile was calculated for 30 antiblastic drugs and proposed as surface exposure levels (SELs); while from data concerning personnel glove contamination, weekly contamination was estimated. In the 2-year period only 417 wipe samples were found positive (28.8%), the majority of which regard samples coming from administration unit bathrooms. The proposed SELs are almost all <100 pg/cm2, except for few drugs which produce higher contamination on bathroom surfaces. Also, the estimation of pharmacy personnel's glove contamination highlighted very low results (ng/week). Deeply established protocols and procedures for safe handling of ADs allow for obtaining excellent cleaning results and thus a safer work environment, however, the risk of cytostatic contaminations cannot be avoided in healthcare workplaces, and thus a harmonization of classification and labeling of chemotherapy drugs throughout the European Union should be done. Med Pr. 2022;73(5):383-96.

Recent Advancements in Nanobiosensors: Current Trends, Challenges, Applications, and Future Scope.

In recent years, there has been immense advancement in the development of nanobiosensors as these are a fundamental need of the hour that act as a potential candidate integrated with point-of-care-testing for several applications, such as healthcare, the environment, energy harvesting, electronics, and the food industry. Nanomaterials have an important part in efficiently sensing bioreceptors such as cells, enzymes, and antibodies to develop biosensors with high selectivity, peculiarity, and sensibility. It is virtually impossible in science and technology to perform any application without nanomaterials. Nanomaterials are distinguished from fine particles used for numerous applications as a result of being unique in properties such as electrical, thermal, chemical, optical, mechanical, and physical. The combination of nanostructured materials and biosensors is generally known as nanobiosensor technology. These miniaturized nanobiosensors are revolutionizing the healthcare domain for sensing, monitoring, and diagnosing pathogens, viruses, and bacteria. However, the conventional approach is time-consuming, expensive, laborious, and requires sophisticated instruments with skilled operators. Further, automating and integrating is quite a challenging process. Thus, there is a considerable demand for the development of nanobiosensors that can be used along with the POCT module for testing real samples. Additionally, with the advent of nano/biotechnology and the impact on designing portable ultrasensitive devices, it can be stated that it is probably one of the most capable ways of overcoming the aforementioned problems concerning the cumulative requirement for the development of a rapid, economical, and highly sensible device for analyzing applications within biomedical diagnostics, energy harvesting, the environment, food and water, agriculture, and the pharmaceutical industry.

Polysaccharide Biomacromolecule Film Integrated with Lycium ruthenicum Anthocyanins for Food Freshness Monitoring

AbstractThis study establishes a new kind of polysaccharide biomacromolecule film through solution blended and liquid phase separation methods, hydroxypropyl starch is used as the matrix material, carboxymethyl cellulose is used as the physic cross‐linking agent, glycerin is used as the plasticizer, and Lycium ruthenicum anthocyanins is used as the color indicator. The physic properties (solubility, swelling ratio, thermostability), structure characterization, and mechanical properties (tensile strength and elongation at break) are tested. Due to the high pH sensibility of L. ruthenicum anthocyanins, this polysaccharide biomacromolecule film can monitor the freshness of pork, shrimp, and milk, and it can be applied in intelligent food packaging material.

Deduplicating records in systematic reviews: there are free, accurate automated ways to do so

ObjectiveHere, we examined the accuracy measures of a set of automated deduplication tools to identify duplicate in the eligibility process of systematic reviews. Study Design and SettingA planned search strategy was carried out on seven electronic databases until May 31, 2021. Using manual search as the reference standard, we assessed sensibility, specificity, negative predictive value, and positive predictive value (PPV). ResultsSpecificity ranged from 0.96 to 1.00. Rayyan, Mendeley, and Systematic Review Accelerator (SRA) presented high sensibility (0.98 [95% CI = 0.94–1.00]; 0.93 [95% CI = 0.88–0.97] and 0.90 [95% CI = 0.84–0.95], respectively), whereas EndNote X9 and Zotero had only fair sensitivity (0.73 [95% CI = 0.65–0.80] and 0.74 [95% CI = 0.66–0.81], respectively). Negative predictive value ranged from 0.99 to 1.00. Mendeley and SRA had good PPV (0.93 [95% CI = 0.88–0.97] and 0.99 [95% CI = 0.96–1.00], respectively). PPV was fair for EndNote X9 (0.61 [95% CI = 0.54–0.69]) and Zotero (0.62 [95% CI = 0.54–0.69]) and poor for Rayyan (0.41 [95% CI = 0.36–0.47]). ConclusionChoosing the most suitable tool depends on its interface's characteristics, the algorithm to identify and exclude duplicates, and the transparency of the process. Therefore, Rayyan, Mendeley, and SRA proved to be accurate enough for the systematic reviews' deduplication step.