A new device can scan a room for the Covid-19 virus in the air and produce a result in around five minutes, Washington University said on Monday.
It is a foot wide and 10 inches tall, and lights up if the virus is detected.
The WHO declared the global health emergency sparked by the disease over in May, more than three years after its detection in Wuhan, China. Covid-19 went on to kill more than seven million people and infect about 764 million.
The device uses aerosol sampling technology and an ultrasensitive biosensing technique to take in air at a fast rate and test it for Covid-19 particles.
It is an adaptation of a micro-immunoelectrode biosensor created originally to detect amyloid beta as a biomarker for Alzheimer’s disease. In the original piece of kit, an antibody that recognises the amyloid beta was swapped for a nanobody that recognises the spike protein from the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
This nanobody, a smaller and more simplistic version of an antibody found in llamas, is tiny as well as being cheap and easy to produce.
China recorded spikes in the disease again last month, with 239 deaths from the disease. Other nations have halted free testing services, so knowing the numbers of cases is increasingly difficult.
This makes personal choice around exposure levels tricky. Many choose still to wear masks as millions return to workplaces more regularly and use public transport. But the new device, the most senstivie available according to the makers, allows users to take evasive action such as increasing airflows in rooms where viruses are detected.
Researchers lab-tested the device in room-sized chambers, one with aerosolised SARS-CoV-2 and one without, as well as in the apartments of two people who had tested positive for the virus. The machine correctly detected the presence of Covid-19, and found none in the control room.
The device has so far only been created as a proof-of-concept, but encouraging results mean it could be a step closer to becoming a part of the fight against Covid and other airborne diseases. The team is working to make a commercial version available.
The makers, from Washington University's McKelvey Schools of Engineering and Medicine, say that although Covid-19 was the first disease the product was made to detect, it could be used to monitor levels of influenza, rhinovirus, staph or strep in hospital and other settings.
“There is nothing at the moment that tells us how safe a room is,” said project researcher John Cirrito, a professor of neurology at the School of Medicine.
“If you are in a room with 100 people, you don’t want to find out five days later whether you could be sick or not. The idea with this device is that you can know essentially in real time, or every five minutes, if there is a live virus.”
The full research was published in Nature Communications on Monday.
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Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
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Dr Afridi's warning signs of digital addiction
Spending an excessive amount of time on the phone.
Neglecting personal, social, or academic responsibilities.
Losing interest in other activities or hobbies that were once enjoyed.
Having withdrawal symptoms like feeling anxious, restless, or upset when the technology is not available.
Experiencing sleep disturbances or changes in sleep patterns.
What are the guidelines?
Under 18 months: Avoid screen time altogether, except for video chatting with family.
Aged 18-24 months: If screens are introduced, it should be high-quality content watched with a caregiver to help the child understand what they are seeing.
Aged 2-5 years: Limit to one-hour per day of high-quality programming, with co-viewing whenever possible.
Aged 6-12 years: Set consistent limits on screen time to ensure it does not interfere with sleep, physical activity, or social interactions.
Teenagers: Encourage a balanced approach – screens should not replace sleep, exercise, or face-to-face socialisation.
Source: American Paediatric Association
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116 pitches
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Asuka won the SmackDown Women's title in a TLC triple threat with Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair
Dean Ambrose won the Intercontinental title against Seth Rollins
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Rey Mysterio beat Randy Orton in a chairs match
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Natalya beat Ruby Riott in a tables match
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Sheamus and Cesaro retained the SmackDown Tag Titles against The Usos and New Day
R-Truth and Carmella won the Mixed Match Challenge by beating Jinder Mahal and Alicia Fox
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McIlroy's struggles in 2016/17
European Tour: 6 events, 16 rounds, 5 cuts, 0 wins, 3 top-10s, 4 top-25s, 72,5567 points, ranked 16th
PGA Tour: 8 events, 26 rounds, 6 cuts, 0 wins, 4 top-10s, 5 top-25s, 526 points, ranked 71st
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Trippier bio
Date of birth September 19, 1990
Place of birth Bury, United Kingdom
Age 26
Height 1.74 metres
Nationality England
Position Right-back
Foot Right
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
