1. An apparatus comprising:
a frame forming a sleeping space;
a climate control system connected to the frame, the climate control system having a hot side and a cold side, wherein the cold side is positioned toward the sleeping space; and
an insulating canopy supported by the frame, the insulating canopy comprising:
an outer layer,
a reflective layer; and
a separator layer between the outer layer and the reflective layer, the separator layer being configured to provide an air cavity that reduces conductive heat transfer between the outer layer and the reflective layer.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising physiological sensors including at least one of the group consisting of an infra-red thermometer, a three dimensional scanner, and a proximity sensor.
3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the physiological sensors are configured to provide sensor readings to a data processing unit, the data processing unit is configured to provide control signals to the climate control system based, at least in part, on the sensor readings.
4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the physiological sensors include the proximity sensor and the proximity sensor is configured to determine the presence and position of an individual within the sleeping space.
5. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the physiological sensors include the infra-red thermometer and the infra-red thermometer is configured to measure the temperature of the skin of an individual within the sleeping space.
6. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the physiological sensors include the three dimensional scanner, and the three dimensional scanner is configured to measures changes to the thoracic cavity of an individual within the sleeping space.
7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reflective layer comprises aluminized BoPET.
8. An apparatus comprising:
a frame forming a sleeping space;
an insulating canopy supported by the frame, the insulating canopy comprising:
an outer layer,
a reflective layer; and
a separator layer between the outer layer and the reflective layer, the separator layer being configured to provide an air cavity that reduces conductive heat transfer between the outer layer and the reflective layer.
9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the reflective layer comprises aluminized BoPET.
10. An apparatus comprising:
a frame forming a sleeping space;
a climate control system connected to the frame, the climate control system including a thermoelectric device having a hot side and a cold side, wherein the cold side is positioned toward the sleeping space; and
an insulating canopy supported by the frame.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising physiological sensors including at least one of the group consisting of an infra-red thermometer, a three dimensional scanner, and a proximity sensor.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the physiological sensors are configured to provide sensor readings to a data processing unit, the data processing unit is configured to provide control signals to the climate control system based, at least in part, on the sensor readings.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the physiological sensors include the proximity sensor and the proximity sensor is configured to determine the presence and position of an individual within the sleeping space.
14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the physiological sensors include the infra-red thermometer and the infra-red thermometer is configured to measure the temperature of the skin of an individual within the sleeping space.
15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the physiological sensors include the three dimensional scanner, and the three dimensional scanner is configured to measures changes to the thoracic cavity of an individual within the sleeping space.
16. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the insulating canopy comprises:
an outer layer,
a reflective layer; and
a separator layer between the outer layer and the reflective layer, the separator layer being configured to provide an air cavity that reduces conductive heat transfer between the outer layer and the reflective layer.
17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the reflective layer comprises aluminized BoPET.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. A biosensor for use in a spectroscopic detection system, comprising:
(a) a substrate;
(b) a discontinuous gold film applied to said substrate, said gold film having plasmonic nano-islands of gold grown on gold seeds; and
(c) an array of antigens disposed in discrete locations and coupled to the discontinuous gold film, whereby emission from a label bound to an analyte capture agent is enhanced by the discontinuous gold film, wherein said antigens are at least two of
(i) GAD65 (glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 kDa);
(ii) GAD67 (glutamic acid decarboxylase-67 kDa);
(iii) IA512 (islet cell autoantigen 512);
(iv) IA-2 (insulinoma antigen 2);
(v) ZnT8 (zinc transporter 8); and
(vi) human insulin or an immunologically active fragment thereof.
2. The biosensor of claim 1 wherein said antigens comprise purified recombinant proteins.
3. The biosensor of claim 2 wherein the purified recombinant antigens are at least three of, at least four of, at least five of, or at least six of, the antigens selected from antigens (i) through (vi).
4. The biosensor of claim 1 wherein the antigens are chemically linked to the plasmonic nanoislands by a branched polyethylene glycol.
5. The biosensor of claim 1 wherein the antigens further include an antigen that is reactive to antibodies raised by a vaccine.
6. The biosensor of claim 5 wherein said antigen is tetanus toxoid.
7. The biosensor of claim 1 further comprising channels on the biosensor for delivering reagents to said array of antigens.
8. The biosensor of claim 7 further comprising a separation zone for separating blood components and passing serum containing autoantibodies through the channels, whereby whole blood can be introduced into the biosensor.
9. The biosensor of claim 7 wherein said channels, in use, contain an anti-human IgG composition.
10. A method for determining an antibody specificity profile in a patient having a predisposition to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM), comprising:
(a) providing a protein array comprising at least three purified proteins selected from the group consisting of:
(i) GAD65 (glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 kDa);
(ii) GAD67 (glutamic acid decarboxylase-67 kDa);
(iii) IA512 (islet cell autoantigen 512);
(iv) IA-2 (insulinoma antigen 2);
(v) ZnT8 (zinc transporter 8); and
(vi) human insulin or an immunologically active fragment thereof,
said array coupled to a plasmonically active gold film in individual spots of arrayed proteins;
(b) contacting the array from step (a) with a patient sample comprising antibodies;
(c), identifying antigens among the arrayed proteins that bind to antibodies within the patient sample contacted in step (b) with a labeled antibody that binds to human antibodies and carries a fluorescent dye whose fluorescence is enhanced by the plasmonically active gold film.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising reading fluorescence in a fluorescent reader that directly exposes the array to NIR and receives NIR reflected from individual spots.
12. The method of claim 10 further comprising the step of quantifying levels of antibody to said identified antigens.
13. The method of claim 10 wherein said at least three purified proteins are recombinant proteins.
14. A method for determining an antibody profile in a subject, comprising:
(a) providing a biosensor for use in a spectroscopic detection system, comprising:
a substrate;
a discontinuous gold film applied to said substrate, said gold film having plasmonic nano-islands of gold grown on gold seeds; and
an array of antigens disposed in discrete locations and coupled to the discontinuous gold film, whereby emission from a label bound to an analyte capture agent is enhanced by the discontinuous gold film, wherein said antigens are at least two of
(i) GAD65 (glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 kDa);
(ii) GAD67 (glutamic acid decarboxylase-67 kDa);
(iii) IA512 (islet cell autoantigen 512);
(iv) IA-2 (insulinoma antigen 2);
(v) ZnT8 (zinc transporter 8);
(vi) human insulin protein or an immunologically active fragment of said insulin protein; and
(vii) an antigen reactive to antibodies commonly found in humans;
(b) contacting said array of antigens with a subject sample containing antibodies;
(c) preparing complexes of antigens binding to antibodies in step (b);
(d) labeling complexes from step (c) with a florescent label enhanced by the plasmonically active gold film; and
(e) measuring fluorescence level of said complexes as labeled in step (d) and comparing florescence levels between at least two antigens selected from (i) through (vii).
15. The method of claim 14 further comprising the step of testing a subject for predisposition to insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM).
16. The method of claim 15 wherein having testing comprises HLA-DR3 and DR4 antigen testing.
17. The method of claim 14 further comprising reading fluorescence in a fluorescent reader that exposes the array to near-infra red (\u201cNIR\u201d) and receives and measures NIR reflected from said discrete locations.
18. The method of claim 14 wherein said array comprises at least three antigens.
19. The method of claim 18 wherein said antigens are IA512, GAD65, and insulin.
20. The method of claim 19 further comprising the step of comparing levels of autoantibodies among IA512, GAD65, and insulin.
21. The method of claim 14 wherein the complexes include antibodies that are isotype specific.
22. The method of claim 21 comprising separately labeling human IgG and at least one of human IgM, human IgE, and human IgA.
23. The method of claim 14 wherein one determines one or more of
IgG and IgM subclasses of subject’s antibody to GAD65;
IgG and IgM subclasses of subject’s antibody to insulin;
IgG and IgM subclasses of subject’s antibody to IA-2; and
IgG and IgA subclasses of subject’s antibody to transglutaminase.
24. A biosensor kit for use in a spectroscopic detection system, comprising:
(a) a substrate having a discontinuous gold film applied to said substrate, said gold film having plasmonic nano-islands of gold grown on gold seeds;
(b) an array of antigens disposed in discrete locations and coupled to the discontinuous gold film, whereby emission from a label bound to an analyte capture agent is enhanced by the discontinuous gold film, wherein said antigens are at least three of
(i) GAD65 (glutamic acid decarboxylase-65 kDa);
(ii) GAD67 (glutamic acid decarboxylase-67 kDa);
(iii) IA512 (islet cell autoantigen 512);
(iv) IA-2 (insulinoma antigen 2);
(v) ZnT8 (zinc transporter 8); and
(vi) human insulin or an immunologically active fragment thereof; and
(c) a composition of detecting antibodies for detecting sample antibodies in a sample, said detecting antibodies being of classes of at least two of human IgG, IgM, and, IgA subclasses, and said detecting antibodies comprising an NIR label having different emission characteristics for different detecting antibodies binding to different classes of sample antibodies.
25. The kit of claim 24 wherein said NIR label includes IRDye 800 (emission max 806), Cy5 (emission max 670), and Cy3 (emission max 570).
26. The kit of claim 24 further comprising an NIR-field emission detection device.
27. The kit of claim 24 wherein said array comprises spots on an inert substrate and said spots include both antigens selected from antigens listed in (i) through (vi) and control spots.
28. The kit of claim 24 further comprising detection reagents specific to human Fc portions of at least IgG and IgM.
29. The kit of claim 24 wherein said antigens are linked to said substrate by PEG.