Development of a portable toolkit to diagnose coral thermal stress

Abstract

Coral bleaching, precipitated by the expulsion of the algal symbionts that provide colonies with fixed carbon is a global threat to reef survival. To protect corals from anthropogenic stress, portable tools are needed to detect and diagnose stress syndromes and assess population health prior to extensive bleaching. Here, medical grade Urinalysis strips, used to detect an array of disease markers in humans, were tested on the lab stressed Hawaiian coral species, Montipora capitata (stress resistant) and Pocillopora acuta (stress sensitive), as well as samples from nature that also included Porites compressa. Of the 10 diagnostic reagent tests on these strips, two appear most applicable to corals: ketone and leukocytes. The test strip results from M. capitata were explored using existing transcriptomic data from the same samples and provided evidence of the stress syndromes detected by the strips. We designed a 3D printed smartphone holder and image processing software for field analysis of test strips (TestStripDX) and devised a simple strategy to generate color scores for corals (reflecting extent of bleaching) using a smartphone camera (CoralDX). Our approaches provide field deployable methods, that can be improved in the future (e.g., coral-specific stress test strips) to assess reef health using inexpensive tools and freely available software.

A computer vision enhanced smart phone platform for microfluidic urine glucometry

“…It is designed to fit the iPhone 12 (Apple, Inc., Cupertino, CA, USA) and acts as a whole black opaque phone holder, which can block the outside light noise that fluctuates with different environments. 34,38,41,43,46…”

“…35,36 The regression model obtained from titration experiments can show the relationship between glucose concentrations and average RGB values. 15,38,41,46 2. Methods and materials…”

A Smartphone-Based Disposable Hemoglobin Sensor Based on Colorimetric Analysis

“…The whole black phone clamp can control the light source, blocking external light noise. The LED diode (Chanzon white 8mm straw hat LED) is implemented inside to provide a consistent light source [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. After absorbing the blood, biomedical devices are slipped into the phone clamp through the sliding window, as shown in Figure 5 a.…”

“…To accelerate the reaction in the channel without the need for a redundant solution, we used PDMS micropumps to control and direct the solution [ 33 ]. Furthermore, the 3D-printed portable phone clamp can eliminate other lighting noises [ 34 , 35 , 36 ]. Using ImageJ, we obtain red-channel values from the images and obtain a logarithmic regression model that relates the hemoglobin concentration to the red-channel values.…”

A Smartphone-Based Disposable Hemoglobin Biosensor Based on Colorimetric Analysis

“…Compared with cleanroom microfabrication and PDMS, fabrication using the medical tapes is also economical, the price of which can be lowered to 0.24 USD per piece. To accelerate the reaction in the channel without the need for a redundant solution, we used PDMS micropumps to control and direct the solution [32][33][34]. Furthermore, the 3D-printed portable phone clamp can eliminate other lighting noises [35].…”