Social network analysis and modeling of cellphone-based syndromic surveillance data for ebola in Sierra Leone

Objective:To explore and visualize the connectivity of suspected Ebola cases and surveillance callers who used cellphone technology in Moyamba District in Sierra Leone for Ebola surveillance,and to examine the demographic differences and characteristics of Ebola surveillance callers who make more calls as well as those callers who are more likely to make at least one positive Ebola call.Methods:Surveillance data for 393 suspected Ebola cases(192 males,201 females) were collected from October 23,2014 to June 28,2015 using cellphone technology.UCINET and Net Draw software were used to explore and visualize the social connectivity between callers and suspected Ebola cases.Poisson and logistic regression analyses were used to do multivariable analysis.Results:The entire social network was comprised of 393 ties and 745 nodes.Women(AOR=0.33,95% CI [0.14,0.81]) were associated with decreased odds of making at least one positive Ebola surveillance call compared to men.Women(IR= 0.63,95% CI [0.49,0.82]) were also associated with making fewer Ebola surveillance calls compared to men.Conclusion:Social network visualization can analyze syndromic surveillance data for Ebola collected by cellphone technology with unique insights.

Impact of Cellphone Radiation on Sexual Behavior and Serum Concentration of Testosterone and LH in Male Mice

Background: Cellphone radiation (CR) has been reported to be related to higher risk of many health problems, but if CR can impair sexual behavior and testosterone synthesis has seldom been studied. Objective: To evaluate the effects of CR on testosterone and luteinizing hormone (LH) levels and sexual behaviors of male mice. Methods: Forty 3-month-old male mice, 22 - 25 g, were randomly allocated into four equal groups (n = 10 per group): the control group and three CR exposure groups including 8-hour group, 16-hour group and 24-hour group. Each mouse received different dose of CR exposure for 30 consecutive days. Sexual behaviors and testosterone and LH levels in serum were measured at the end of experiment. Furthermore, we also observed the weights of reproductive organs of each group, including testis, epididymis and seminal vesicle. Results: The mount latency and intromission latency in 24-hour group were significant higher than the control (both P < 0.01), while no obvious changes were seen in 8-hour group and 16-hour group (all P > 0.05). No difference in ejaculation latency existed among each group after the experiment (all P > 0.05). The frequency of mount and intromission in 24-hour group was statistically significantly lower than that of the control group (P < 0.05 and P < 0.01, respectively). No obvious change in the frequency of mount and intromission of the 8-hour group and 16-hour group was seen (all P > 0.05). Only the copulatory efficacy in the 24-hour group was statistically lower than the control group (P < 0.05). The serum levels of testosterone and LH in the 24-hour group were obviously higher than the control group (testosterone level: P < 0.05;LH level: P < 0.01). No significant differences were seen among the other two experimental groups and the control group (all P > 0.05). After the exposure of CR, the changes in the weights of sexual organs in the 24-hour group were significant compared with the control (testis weights, relative testis weight, epididymis weight, the weight of seminal vesicle, and the relative weight of seminal vesicle, all P < 0.01;the relative epididymis weight, P < 0.05). Conclusions: High dose exposure of CR can decline the testosterone and LH levels in mice and inhibit their sexual behaviors.

Effects of Cellphone Radiation on Sperm Quality and the Expression of StAR in the Testis of C57BL/6 Mice

Background: It has been reported that cellphone radiation (CR) is related to higher risk of many health problems, but whether CR can impair the expression of rate-limiting enzymes of testosterone synthesis has seldom been studied. Objective: To evaluate the effects of CR on the expression of steroidogenic acute regulatory protein (StAR) in the testes tissue and the sperm quality of adult male mice. Methods: Forty 3-month-old male mice, 22 - 26 g, were randomly assigned into four equal groups (n = 10 per group): the control group and three CR exposure groups including 8-hour group, 16-hour group and 24-hour group. Each mouse received different dosages of CR exposure for seven consecutive weeks. Semen in the epididymis, intratesticular testosterone (ITT) concentrations, and the expression of StAR were measured at the end of experiment. Results: The sperm number and motility, and the ITT concentrations in 24-h group were significant lower than those in the control group (P 0.05). Similarly, only the expression of StAR in the 24-h group was significantly decreased after the exposure of CR (P 0.05). Conclusions: High dose exposure of CR can reduce the expression of StAR and ITT concentration, and then suppress the serum quality.

A cellphone-based colorimetric multi-channel sensor for water environmental monitoring

The development of colorimetric analysis technologies for the commercial cellphone platform has attracted great attention in environmental monitoring due to the low cost,high versatility,easy miniaturization,and widespread ownership of cellphones.This work demonstrates a cellphone-based colorimetric multi-channel sensor for quantifying multiple environmental contaminants simultaneously with high sensitivity and stability.To improve the sensitivity of the sensor,a delicate optical path system was created by using a diffraction grating to split six white beams transmitting through the multiple colored samples,which allows the cellphone CMOS camera to capture the diffracted light for image analysis.The proposed sensor is a universal colorimetric detection platform for a variety of environmental contaminants with the colorimetry assay in the range of 400–700 nm.By introducing the diffraction grating for splitting light,the sensitivity was improved by over six folds compared with a system that directly photographed transmitted light.As a successful proof-of-concept,the sensor was used to detect turbidity,orthophosphate,ammonia nitrogen and three heavy metals simultaneously with high sensitivity(turbidity:detection limit of 1.3 NTU,linear range of 5–400 NTU;ammonia nitrogen:0.014 mg/L,0.05–5 mg/L;orthophosphate:0.028 mg/L,0.1–10 mg/L;Cr(VI):0.0069 mg/L,0.01–0.5 mg/L;Fe:0.025 mg/L,0.1–2 mg/L;Zn:0.032 mg/L,0.05–2 mg/L)and reliability(relative standard deviations of six parallel measurements of 0.37%–1.60%and recoveries of 95.5%–106.0%in surface water).The miniature sensor demonstrated in-field sensing ability in environmental monitoring,which can be extended to point-of-care diagnosis and food safety control.

Field-portable ratiometric fluorescence imaging of dual-color label-free carbon dots for uranyl ions detection with cellphone-based optical platform

Under the public spotlight,uranyl(UO22+)ions has attracted considerable attention for the extreme radioactive and chemical toxicity to ourselves and our environment.Herein,we present a simple and effective ratiometric fluorescence imaging method for the visualizing and quantitative detection UO22+ions by cellphone-based optical platform.The sensing solution was prepared by mixing label-free red carbon dots(r-CDs)and blue carbon dots(b-CDs)together with a fixed photoluminescence intensity ratio of 4:1.When UO22+ions were added,the fluorescence of r-CDs can be selectively quenched,while the fluorescence of b-CDs remains stable without spectral cha nges.With the gradually increase the amounts of UO22+ions,the different response of dual-color CDs resulted in a signification color evolution from deep red to dark purple under the ultraviolet(UV)light illumination.Then,a cellphone-based optical platform was constructed for directly imaging the color change of the samples,and the built-in Colorpicker APP quickly output the red,green and blue(RGB)channel values of these images within one second.Interesting,there was a linear relationship between the ratio of red and blue(R/B)channel values and UO22+ions concentration from 0μmol/L to 30.0μmol/L(R^2=0.92804)with the detection limit of^8.15μmol/L(signal-to-noise ratio of 3).In addition,the optical platform has also been applied to the quantification of UO22+ions in tap water and river water sample.With the advantage of low-cost,portable,easy to operation,we anticipate that this method would greatly improve the accessibility of UO22+ions detection even in resource-limited areas.

Can ID Cellphone Purchases Stop Spam?

Although the issue was first thrust into the public eye three years ago, the cell phonereal-name registration system is back in

Pride and Passion

On aerospace engineer Wen Bo's cellphone,there are four photos of herself in the same pose and against the same backdrop,but taken at four different junctures marking milestones in her career as well as China's lunar probe program.