Beneficial algal species
discovered in western coast of India
1) Two new
bloom-forming algal species were discovered recently off the west coast of
India.
2) The algae
species named Ulva paschima Bast,
and Cladophora
goensis Bast were discovered by Dr. Felix Bast and two research students
working with him, Mr. Satej Bhushan and Mr. Aijaz Ahmad John, from the Central
University of Punjab, Bhatinda.
3) These two
species have excellent carbon capture properties — ability to absorb carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere and reduce global warming.
4) They are
also promising candidates for use as bio fuels.
5) Both of the
newly discovered species are endemic and bloom-forming. Hence, their cultivation is not going to
cause any environmental harm.
Ø had it been
a species of Atlantic or Mediterranean origin, it might overgrow local flora
and might wreak havoc on the local habitats — the so called bio-invasion.
6) Bloom
forming indicates spontaneous growth. There is no need for fertilizers /
pesticides or any expensive cultivation systems such as photo-bioreactors for
their cultivation.
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A Smartphone dongle to diagnose
HIV, syphilis
1) A
palm-sized dongle connected to a smartphone will soon be able to diagnose HIV
and syphilis with good accuracy. It was recently field-tested on 96 patients in
Rwanda.
2) The device had
high sensitivity and specificity for both HIV and syphilis, which is comparable
to the lab-based ELISA test.
3) In the case
of HIV, the sensitivity was 100 per cent and specificity was 87 per cent. For
syphilis, the sensitivity was 92-100 per cent and specificity was 79-92 per
cent.
4) By
increasing detection of syphilis infections, it might be possible to reduce
deaths by 10-fold.
5) Highlights
of the device :
i.
both HIV and syphilis can be diagnosed in about 15
minutes.
ii.
diagnosis is at a fraction of the cost of a lab-based
ELISA test. The dongle cost under $34 compared with an astronomical $18,450 for
ELISA equipment.
iii.
Also, the material and reagent required for testing
HIV and syphilis cost no more than $1.44; in the case of conventional lab-based
equipment the cost for testing these infections is $8.50.
iv.
The device consumes very low power to run it. This
would be of immense value when the device is used in the field where power may
not be available 24x7.
v.
The total power consumed by the device for a test is
1.6 mW. By comparison, a smartphone uses 751 mW on a 3G network; even in a
standby mode, a smartphone consumes as much as 17.5 mW.
vi.
The researchers came out with a second innovation to
power the device using a smartphone audio jack, making the use of a battery
redundant. Since audio jacks are standardized among smartphones, the dongle can
be attached to any compatible smart device.
6) It is very
easy to operate the dongle. Health workers needed all of 30 minutes of training
before they started using the device.
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