Tag Archives: allergic

Got Food Allergies? Thanks to UCLA, You Can Test Your Meal on the Spot Using a Cell Phone

By Guest PostDecember 16, 2012Health, Technologyahmet f coskun, allergen concentration, allergens, allergic, almonds, andrew tey, aydogan ozcan, bioengineering, cell phone, colorimetric assay, data, delaram khodadadi, detect, eggs, electrical engineering, food allergies, food samples, function, geographic information, gluten, hazelnuts, itube, justin wong, peanuts, richie nagi, sensitivity, smart phone application, statistical allergy database, test tube

Are you allergic to peanuts and worried there might be some in that cookie? Now you can find out using a rather unlikely source: your cell phone.

A team of researchers from the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science has developed a lightweight device called the iTube, which attaches to a common cell phone to detect allergens in food samples. The iTube attachment uses the cell phone’s built-in camera, along with an accompanying smart-phone application that runs a test with the same high level of sensitivity a laboratory would. (more…)

UF Study Traces Global Red Imported Fire Ant Invasions to Southern U.S.

By Guest PostFebruary 27, 2011Environment, Natureallergic, ant stings, australia, california, China, dewayne shoemaker, effective biological control agents, fire ant, global trade, globe, humans, invasive species, marina ascunce, molecular genetic markers, mound, new zealand, pesticides, pests, phorid flies, red fire ant invasions, solenopsis invicta, south america, southern u s, taiwan, travel network

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Red imported fire ant invasions around the globe in recent years can now be traced to the southern U.S., where the nuisance insect gained a foothold in the 1930s, new University of Florida research has found.

Native to South America, the ant had been contained there and in the southeastern U.S. before turning up in faraway places in the last 20 years — including California, China, Taiwan, Australia and New Zealand. (more…)