Silicon photonic chip-based biosensor for COVID-19 and flu detection with high sensitivity and specificity

Since the end of 2021, Omicron, the new variant of SARS-CoV-2, has continued to spread as the predominant strain of COVID-19. Compared to previous variants, Omicron causes milder symptoms, which are similar to symptoms of other common respiratory infections, such as flu. In this work, we develop a silicon photonic chip-based biosensor for COVID-19 and flu detection using subwavelength grating micro-ring resonator. The biosensor realizes the detection of two pathogens with high sensitivity (1.31 fg/mL) and specificity. Besides, the microfluidic channel offers a promising solution for point-of-care detection. © 2023 SPIE.

A Point-of-care Biosensor with Subwavelength Grating Waveguide-based Micro-ring Resonator for Detection of COVID-19

We present an on-chip optical biosensor for the detection of COVID-19. The subwavelength grating waveguide-based micro-ring resonator with high sensitivity and low limit of detection integrates with microfludic channel, which promises clinical utility in point-of-care diagnostic. © Optica Publishing Group 2022, © 2022 The Author(s)

Digital civic participation and misinformation during the 2020 taiwanese presidential election

From fact-checking chatbots to community-maintained misinformation databases, Taiwan has emerged as a critical case-study for citizen participation in politics online. Due to Taiwan’s geopolitical history with China, the recent 2020 Taiwanese Presidential Election brought fierce levels of online engagement led by citizens from both sides of the strait. In this arti-cle, we study misinformation and digital participation on three platforms, namely Line, Twitter, and Taiwan’s Professional Technology Temple (PTT, Taiwan’s equivalent of Reddit). Each of these platforms presents a different facet of the elec-tions. Results reveal that the greatest level of disagreement occurs in discussion about incumbent president Tsai. Chinese users demonstrate emergent coordination and selective discussion around topics like China, Hong Kong, and President Tsai, whereas topics like Covid-19 are avoided. We discover an imbalance of the political presence of Tsai on Twitter, which sug-gests partisan practices in disinformation regulation. The cases of Taiwan and China point toward a growing trend where regular citizens, enabled by new media, can both exacerbate and hinder the flow of misinformation. The study highlights an overlooked aspect of misinformation studies, beyond the veracity of information itself, that is the clash of ideologies, practices, and cultural history that matter to democratic ideals. © 2021 by the authors;licensee Cogitatio (Lisbon, Portugal). tion 4.0 International License (CC BY).