scholarly journals Making cotton face masks extra-protective by use of impervious cloth as the front layer to restrict flow of aerosols and droplets

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyanka L Shahane-Kapse ◽  
Moreshwar R Shende ◽  
Sumit Kar ◽  
Pradeep Deshmukh ◽  
Dhiraj Bhandari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Layer ◽  
Middle Layer ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
The Other ◽  
Outer Side ◽  
Carbol Fuchsin ◽  
Triple Layer ◽  
Impervious Layer ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
The Face

Introduction: One of the important measures to prevent spread of COVID-19 in community is use of face mask. Though the debate is going on regarding the airborne transmission of SARS-CoV-2 it makes reasonable point for universal use of face masks. A large variety of face masks are available in the market or people can make their own using household items. The efficacy of masks depends upon the type of cloth and number of layers of the cloth. Material and methods: We have created an innovative mask with two layers of cotton and an impervious layer. The impervious layer made from polypropylene coated with polyurethane was applied on the outer side in the middle half of the mask in front of mouth and nose. The efficacy of this test mask was measured against N95FFR (reference standard), triple layer surgical masks and single layer cotton mask. A manikin was used wearing these masks/respirator and aerosols/droplets of diluted red colored carbol fuchsin and fluorescent Auramine O were sprayed from distance of 1m and 2m. We also tested use of face shield. Both macroscopic and microscopic examination of the dissected masks and respirator was performed. Results: The N95FFR was able to block the aerosols/droplets by its front layer. One triple layer surgical mask showed microscopic presence of stain in its innermost layer while the other blocked it with middle layer. The single layer cotton mask was not able to protect as we observed stain on the face itself. The test mask blocked most of the stain on impervious layer and also on the front cotton layer on lateral sides, where impervious layer was absent. When fluorescent stain was used, ultraviolet examination demonstrated that the whole area covered by test mask was clean while the other non covered area was fluorescent. Conclusion: We believe that our innovation can be used in the community as well as in general areas of the hospital like, offices, labs, etc. and can be a better alternative to single use triple layer surgical masks. Further testing may be done by other organizations to rule out bias in our study.

scholarly journals Kinetics of slow release of nitrogen fertiliser from multi-layered nanofibrous structures

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila Javazmi ◽  
Anthony Young ◽  
Gavin J. Ash ◽  
Tobias Low
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Slow Release ◽  
New Technology ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Middle Layer ◽  
Modern Agriculture ◽  
Triple Layer ◽  
Urea Release ◽  
Electrospun Nanofibres ◽  
Kinetics Of

AbstractFertilisers are essential in modern agriculture to enhance plant growth, crop production and product quality. Recent research has focused on the development of delivery systems designed to prolong fertiliser release. This study introduces a new technology to encapsulate and release molecules of fertilisers by using multi-layered electrospun nanofibre as a carrier. Single-layer poly L-lactic acid (PLLA) nanofibres loaded with urea were fabricated using electrospinning. Triple-layer nanofibrous structures were produced by electrospinning polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) nanofibres as external layers with PLLA nanofibres impregnated with urea fertiliser as the middle layer. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR) were employed to characterize the morphology of electrospun nanofibres. Urea release dynamic was analysed using a total nitrogen instrument (TNM-1). The results indicated that triple-layered urea-impregnated nanofibrous structures led to lower initial rate of nitrogen release and slower release rate of cumulative nitrogen which extended for more than three months. It is concluded that triple-layer nanofibrous structures have the potential for slow release delivery of fertilisers.

scholarly journals Use of face mask in COVID-19 pandemic-a review

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 3750
Author(s):  
Santosh Kumar Swain ◽  
Pragnya Paramita Jena
Keyword(s):  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Virus Disease ◽  
Minimum Cost ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Medical Community ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
The World ◽  
The Face

The current novel corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a highly infectious disease of the respiratory tract and rapidly spreading all over the world in short span of time. In current COVID-19 pandemic, use of the face mask is becoming usual and ubiquitous for both health care workers and public individuals. Wearing face mask is one of the non-pharmaceutical interventions which need minimum cost and provide dramatic response for preventing the COVID-19 infection. Limited availability of the vaccine and inadequate supply of therapeutic options, face mask use is an important part for public health measures for restricting the COVID-19 spread. Regardless of the debate among medical community regarding global face mask production shortage, a greater number of countries in the world are moving ahead with recommendations or mandates for using face mask in public. As currently global shortage of N95/FFP2 respirators and surgical masks for use by health care workers in the hospitals, simple cloth masks will act as a pragmatic solution for the use of the public. General public often use the surgical mask or even filtering facepiece (FFP) masks irrespective of their need, resulting unnecessary shortage for needy individuals those are exposed to the patients or those are health care workers. So, this review article will clarify the indication of the different types of masks and their rational use in the current COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Face masks as layers of meaning in times of COVID-19

2020 ◽  
pp. 1354067X2095754
Author(s):  
Luca Tateo
Keyword(s):  
University Students ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Cultural Psychology ◽  
Meaning Making ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
The Other ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Way

The pandemic of COVID-19 has brought to the front a particular object: the face mask. I have explored the way people make-meaning of an object generally associated with the medical context that, under exceptional circumstances, can become a presence in everyday life. Understanding how people make meaning of their use is important. Using cultural psychology, I analyse preferences toward different types of face masks people would wear in public. The study involved 2 groups, 44 Norwegian university students and 60 international academics. In particular, I have focused on the role of the mask in regulating people affective experience. The mask evokes safety and fear, it mediates in the auto-dialogue between “I” and “Me” through the “Other”, and in the hetero-dialogue between “I” and the “Other” through “Me” The dialogue is characterized by a certain ambivalence, as expected. Meaning-making is indeed the way to deal with the ambivalence of human existence.

Graphene versus coronavirus: A study of the graphene properties that can help to combat coronavirus

Coronaviruses ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 02 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Guerra ◽  
I. O. Assis ◽  
A. B. Guerra
Keyword(s):  
Water Molecule ◽  
Graphene Sheet ◽  
Density Functional ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Spatial Dimension ◽  
Biological Phenomena ◽  
High Elasticity ◽  
The Face ◽  
Novel Coronavirus

: New and fascinating physical, chemical and biological phenomena arise in ultra-small materials, such as graphene. Graphene is a single layer formed only for carbon atoms, super-strong, 200 times stronger than steel and as much as 6 times lighter. It also has a high elasticity and density. Furthermore, it seems to be impermeable to almost everything, but it allows the passage of water and air. Due to its versatility, modern and urgent applications arise every day, one of the most necessary, currently, is the control of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV2), the virus responsible for the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), which has dimensions around 100 nm and has caused a worldwide public health emergency. Different ways to prevent coronavirus contagion has been proposed and one of them is through the use of masks. Here, we investigated some properties of graphene that can help combat COVID-19. A scale appropriate for comparison shows that the spatial dimension of a virus is much larger than the graphene sheet, making it a great candidate for manufacturing face masks, filters and respirators. We also make use of first-principles calculations, based on the density functional theory (DFT), to investigate the interaction between graphene and a water molecule. We observed that the water molecule undergoes a repulsion force when it is very close to the graphene sheet. The hydrophobicity of graphene can be important to prevent the face mask that doesn’t get wet when you breathe with it.

The Filtration Efficiency of Single-Layer Textiles for Respiratory protection

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Behnam Pourdeyhimi ◽  
Simon Schick ◽  
Robert Groten
Keyword(s):  
Particle Size ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Filtration Efficiency ◽  
Respiratory Protection ◽  
Test Protocol ◽  
Astm Standard ◽  
The Face

Due to the increasing number of corona cases and the face mask industry's associated bottleneck, this work focuses on the various single-layer textiles used as cloth masks. The purpose of this work is to test ten different single-layer textiles for their suitability as face masks. All tests in this work were carried out based on the ASTM F2299 and the new ASTM Standard for barrier masks (3502-21). The new standard offers a more precisely defined test protocol and is consistent with how respirators are tested. The results show that only one of the ten textiles tested meets the ASTM requirements for a barrier mask. We also include data for ASTM F2299 and report the results for unneutralized challenge particles at various face velocities for the same single-layer textiles. These results are different from those of the ASTM 3502 because the particle size and the procedure used are different.  Under ASTM 3502, the resistance values ​​are significantly higher, and the efficiency values ​​are significantly lower than those reported by using the ASTM F2299.

Neonatal mannequin comparison of the Upright self-inflating bag and snap-fit mask versus standard resuscitators and masks: leak, applied load and tidal volumes

2017 ◽  
Vol 103 (6) ◽  
pp. F562-F566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Richard Rafferty ◽  
Lucy Johnson ◽  
Peter G Davis ◽  
Jennifer Anne Dawson ◽  
Marta Thio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Tidal Volume ◽  
Airway Pressure ◽  
Applied Load ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
The Other ◽  
Mask Ventilation ◽  
Additional Load ◽  
The Face

ObjectiveNeonatal mask ventilation is a difficult skill to acquire and maintain. Mask leak is common and can lead to ineffective ventilation. The aim of this study was to determine whether newly available neonatal self-inflating bags and masks could reduce mask leak without additional load being applied to the face.DesignForty operators delivered 1 min episodes of mask ventilation to a mannequin using the Laerdal Upright Resuscitator, a standard Laerdal infant resuscitator (Laerdal Medical) and a T-Piece Resuscitator (Neopuff), using both the Laerdal snap-fit face mask and the standard Laerdal size 0/1 face mask (equivalent sizes). Participants were asked to use pressure sufficient to achieve ‘appropriate’ chest rise. Leak, applied load, airway pressure and tidal volume were measured continuously. Participants were unaware that load was being recorded.ResultsThere was no difference in mask leak between resuscitation devices. Leak was significantly lower when the snap-fit mask was used with all resuscitation devices, compared with the standard mask (14% vs 37% leak, P<0.01). The snap-fit mask was preferred by 83% of participants. The device-mask combinations had no significant effect on applied load.ConclusionsThe Laerdal Upright Resuscitator resulted in similar leak to the other resuscitation devices studied, and did not exert additional load to the face and head. The snap-fit mask significantly reduced overall leak with all resuscitation devices and was the mask preferred by participants.

scholarly journals Efficacy of face masks, neck gaiters and face shields for reducing the expulsion of simulated cough-generated aerosols

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Lindsley ◽  
Francoise M. Blachere ◽  
Brandon F. Law ◽  
Donald H. Beezhold ◽  
John D. Noti
Keyword(s):  
Double Layer ◽  
Aerosol Particles ◽  
Single Layer ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Cotton Cloth ◽  
Source Control ◽  
The Face ◽  
Community Transmission ◽  
Small Aerosol ◽  
Control Devices

AbstractFace masks are recommended to reduce community transmission of SARS-CoV-2. One of the primary benefits of face masks and other coverings is as source control devices to reduce the expulsion of respiratory aerosols during coughing, breathing, and speaking. Face shields and neck gaiters have been proposed as an alternative to face masks, but information about face shields and neck gaiters as source control devices is limited. We used a cough aerosol simulator with a pliable skin headform to propel small aerosol particles (0 to 7 µm) into different face coverings. An N95 respirator blocked 99% of the cough aerosol, a medical grade procedure mask blocked 59%, a 3-ply cotton cloth face mask blocked 51%, and a polyester neck gaiter blocked 47% as a single layer and 60% when folded into a double layer. In contrast, the face shield blocked 2% of the cough aerosol. Our results suggest that face masks and neck gaiters are preferable to face shields as source control devices for cough aerosols.

scholarly journals A Customized Mask Retainer and Its Effects on Improving the Fit Performance of Surgical Masks

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xi Chen ◽  
Qi Xi ◽  
Wei Lu ◽  
Fangfang Sun ◽  
Lirong Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fold Increase ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Matched Pairs ◽  
3D Face ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
The Face ◽  
3D Printed ◽  
Scan Data ◽  
N95 Respirators ◽  
Chinese Standard

Abstract Background: With the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the effectiveness of providing mask protection is important for people. This article introduces a customized mask retainer to improve the fit performance of face masks.Methods: The participant’s 3D face scans with and without a surgical mask were taken by using a 3D face scanner. The fitter was designed on the 3D face scan data according to the facial anthropometric landmarks, and examined and adjusted on the face scan data with a mask. The fitter was 3D printed using a metal printer for Titanium. The effectiveness of the fitter on augmentation of fit of surgical mask was test according to the Chinese Standard. Tests were repeated three times per participant, and compare differences between groups by Wilcoxon Matched-Pairs Signed-Ranks Test using software (a=.05).Results: The effectiveness test of the retainer on augmentation of fit performance showed a result more than 25-fold increase of overall Fit Factor, which have met the fit requirement for KN95 respirators in China.Conclusions: Fit Factor results indicated that by using the retainer, the Fit Factors of overall and each exercise have significantly increased as compared to that of face mask alone group. It may provide a solution to the shortage of N95 respirators the world is now encountering as fighting against the COVID-19 epidemic.

scholarly journals The Effects of the Face Mask on the Skin Underneath: A Prospective Survey During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 215013272096616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leelawadee Techasatian ◽  
Sirirus Lebsing ◽  
Rattapon Uppala ◽  
Wilairat Thaowandee ◽  
Jitjira Chaiyarit ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Skin Reaction ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
Skin Reactions ◽  
Prospective Survey ◽  
Care Workers ◽  
Surgical Masks ◽  
The Face

Purpose: The study aimed to explore the prevalence and possible risk factors to prevent the face mask related adverse skin reactions during the ongoing COVID-19 after a recommendation of face mask wearing for public use in Thailand. Results: The prevalence of face mask related adverse skin reactions was 454 cases (54.5%), of which acne was the most frequent (399; 39.9%), followed by rashes on the face (154; 18.4%), and itch symptoms (130; 15.6%). Wearing a surgical mask showed a higher risk of adverse skin reaction compared to a cloth mask, OR (95% CI) = 1.54 (1.16-2.06). A duration of face mask wearing of more than 4 hours/day and the reuse of face masks increased the risk of adverse skin reactions compared to changing the mask every day, adjusted OR(95% CI) = 1.96 (1.29-2.98), and 1.5 (1.11-2.02). Conclusion: Suggestions were made for wearing a cloth mask in non-health care workers (HCW) to decrease the risk of face mask related adverse skin reactions. This suggestion could potentially help in decreasing the demand of surgical masks which should be reserved for the HCW population during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals ‘Omani Burqa’ vs. Decorated Façade of Modern Omani House; the Case of Salalah, Dhofar Region, Oman

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 101
Author(s):  
Balkiz Yapicioglu ◽  
Liudmila Cazacova
Keyword(s):  
Architectural Design ◽  
Visual Analysis ◽  
Face Mask ◽  
The Other ◽  
Overall Design ◽  
Architectural Elements ◽  
Traditional Design ◽  
Visual Access ◽  
The Face ◽  
Closed Society

Visiting Oman, one firstly encounters wide roads and exaggerated decorations of house façades—situated behind high walls. These broad roads and decorated dwellings are unlike traditional Omani architecture which can be identified as very sensitive to scale and climate. Omani architecture can also be visualized from the narrow streets and low height buildings across many well-preserved villages; built using humble mud or stone structures. Another encounter one might have is the traditional ‘Omani burqa.’ It is worn by some Omani women, originally designed for protection from dust and sand, which mimics the features of a falcon. Lately, the ‘Omani burqa’ has developed into a true fashion-item and is used as a ‘face mask’ with different colors and shapes. Fashionable burqas are often decorated with shimmering crystals or diamonds which differs from the traditional design. What is visible behind the ‘burqa’, the ‘eye’, and the ‘burqa’ itself, become quite embellished, subsiding the importance of the other parts of the face. The façade design of a modern Omani house and its walls are like the modern ‘burqa’ and the ‘eye’. Even though the house is separated from the street by high walls, the importance of visual access from the street to façade can be perceived from the highly decorated house façades, and decorated walls at the same time. This study—using visual analysis of house façades in Salalah, Oman—attempts to identify the architectural elements used in architectural design. These elements are repeated all over Oman, to accentuate visibility from the street to the façade. Eventually, the study concludes that the importance of the visuality from the street to the façade, in a changing ‘closed’ society, is the leading factor for the embellishment of the wall and the façades, rendering the overall design behind the wall insignificant.

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