scholarly journals Face Mask: A Novel Material for Protection against Bacteria/Virus

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thilagavathi Govindharajan ◽  
Viju Subramoniapllai

Facemask is defined as a loose-fitting device which creates a physical barrier between the mouth and nose of the individual wearing mask and likely pollutants in the immediate environment. Evolution of severe viral respiratory infectious agents such as pandemic COVID-19, severe acute respiratory syndrome, pandemic influenza and avian influenza has driven the use of protective face masks by public and health workers. In this chapter, characteristics features and uses of different types of masks are discussed. Characteristics of various nonwoven technologies for manufacturing face masks are also discussed. Test methods and recent developments in face masks are briefly covered.

Author(s):  
Betty K Nannyonga ◽  
Rhoda K Wanyenze ◽  
Pontiano Kaleebu ◽  
John M Ssenkusu ◽  
Tom Lutalo ◽  
...  

AbstractEvidence that face masks provide effective protection against respiratory infections in the community is scarce. However, face masks are widely used by health workers as part of droplet precautions when caring for patients with respiratory infections. It would therefore be reasonable to suggest that consistent widespread use of face masks in the community could prevent further spread of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this study we examine public face mask wearing in Uganda where a proportion wears masks to protect against acquiring, and the other to prevent from transmitting SARS-CoV-2. The objective of this study was to determine what percentage of the population would have to wear face masks to reduce susceptibility to and infectivity of SARS-COV-2 in Uganda, keeping the basic reproduction number below unity and/or flattening the curve. We used an SEIAQRD model for the analysis. Results show that implementation of facemasks has a relatively large impact on the size of the coronavirus epidemic in Uganda. We find that the critical mask adherence is 5 per 100 when 80% wear face masks. A cost-effective analysis shows that utilizing funds to provide 1 public mask to the population has a per capita compounded cost of USD 1.34. If provision of face masks is done simultaneously with supportive care, the per capita compounded cost is USD 1.965, while for the case of only treatment and no provision of face masks costs each Ugandan USD 4.0579. We conclude that since it is hard to achieve a 100% adherence to face masks, government might consider provision of face masks in conjunction with provision of care.


2020 ◽  
pp. 4-8
Author(s):  
Peter Blattner

The article describes the main activities of the International Commission on Illumination in recent years. The most important publications are reflecting recent developments in lighting science and industry, including LED sources and luminaires test methods, fundamental recommendations concerning colorimetry, discomfort caused by glare from luminaires with a non-uniform luminance, as well as intelligent control of lighting systems. Human centric lighting and the non-visual effects of light on humans was highlighted. To promote standardization in the field of horticultural lighting the CIE is in the process of establishing a new JTC. In view of COVID‑19 pandemic outspread the use of germicidal UV radiation is of relevance to reduce both contact spread and airborne transmission of infectious agents. The CIE is responsible for worldwide standardization of the fundamentals, including metrology and vocabulary, as well as lighting education. The CIE considers it important to make digital products including validated calculation tools, apps, databases and machine-readable documents more available for many experts and it takes a step in this direction by provide open access to the individual CIE publications.


Author(s):  
James Young ◽  
Emily He ◽  
DaLoria Boone ◽  
Julia Luehr ◽  
Kazi Tasnim ◽  
...  

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission can be mitigated through a combination of preventive and proactive measures. In this review, we first highlight modes of SARS-CoV-2 transmission, quantitatively assess individual mitigation measures, and conclude with a qualitative comparison. We detail how the efficacy of specific face masks must be balanced with their availability, while for comparison, social distancing and good hygiene practices may not be as directly effective as respirators but are widely accessible methods not subject to limited supplies. Controlling environmental setting, testing, and contact tracing are highly effective mitigation practices, but typically require collective action versus the individual activity of the former strategies. Our qualitative comparative assessment of preventative mitigation factors (i.e., face mask usage, social distancing, hygiene, and choice of environment setting) and proactive mitigation measures (i.e., testing, and contact tracing) serves to inform communities on the effectiveness and feasibility of these strategies.


2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (SPL1) ◽  
pp. 748-752
Author(s):  
Swapnali Khabade ◽  
Bharat Rathi ◽  
Renu Rathi

A novel, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes severe acute respiratory syndrome and spread globally from Wuhan, China. In March 2020 the World Health Organization declared the SARS-Cov-2 virus as a COVID- 19, a global pandemic. This pandemic happened to be followed by some restrictions, and specially lockdown playing the leading role for the people to get disassociated with their personal and social schedules. And now the food is the most necessary thing to take care of. It seems the new challenge for the individual is self-isolation to maintain themselves on the health basis and fight against the pandemic situation by boosting their immunity. Food organised by proper diet may maintain the physical and mental health of the individual. Ayurveda aims to promote and preserve the health, strength and the longevity of the healthy person and to cure the disease by properly channelling with and without Ahara. In Ayurveda, diet (Ahara) is considered as one of the critical pillars of life, and Langhana plays an important role too. This article will review the relevance of dietetic approach described in Ayurveda with and without food (Asthavidhi visheshaytana & Lanhgan) during COVID-19 like a pandemic.


2021 ◽  
Vol 79 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neema Murembe ◽  
Teddy Kyomuhangi ◽  
Kimberly Manalili ◽  
Florence Beinempaka ◽  
Primrose Nakazibwe ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Vulnerability at the individual, family, community or organization level affects access and utilization of health services, and is a key consideration for health equity. Several frameworks have been used to explore the concept of vulnerability and identified demographics including ethnicity, economic class, level of education, and geographical location. While the magnitude of vulnerable populations is not clearly documented and understood, specific indicators, such as extreme poverty, show that vulnerability among women is pervasive. Women in low and middle-income countries often do not control economic resources and are culturally disadvantaged, which exacerbates other vulnerabilities they experience. In this commentary, we explore the different understandings of vulnerability and the importance of engaging communities in defining vulnerability for research, as well as for programming and provision of maternal newborn and child health (MNCH) services. Methodology In a recent community-based qualitative study, we examined the healthcare utilization experiences of vulnerable women with MNCH services in rural southwestern Uganda. Focus group discussions were conducted with community leaders and community health workers in two districts of Southwestern Uganda. In addition, we did individual interviews with women living in extreme poverty and having other conventional vulnerability characteristics. Findings and discussion We found that the traditional criteria of vulnerability were insufficient to identify categories of vulnerable women to target in the context of MNCH programming and service provision in resource-limited settings. Through our engagement with communities and through the narratives of the people we interviewed, we obtained insight into how nuanced vulnerability can be, and how important it is to ground definitions of vulnerability within the specific context. We identified additional aspects of vulnerability through this study, including: women who suffer from alcoholism or have husbands with alcoholism, women with a history of home births, women that have given birth only to girls, and those living on fishing sites. Conclusion Engaging communities in defining vulnerability is critical for the effective design, implementation and monitoring of MNCH programs, as it ensures these services are reaching those who are most in need.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9788879169776 ◽  
pp. 35-45
Author(s):  
Antonio M. Carrassi

Medicine showed enormous progresses since the middle of the last century and, thanks to the overwhelming research activities, which characterized that period, the average life span of people has increased extraordinarily. Many diseases that once were considered incurable are now being successfully treated. However, the disease has often been placed at the core of the clinical process rather than the person, the individual, the patient. Even in recent years, the patient doesn’t always find in his doctor the appropriate degree of empathy, and the level of communication that would be desirable. Moreover, today we are living an extraordinary development and spreading use of digital resources and search engines. Patients exploit these tools to obtain any kind of information, included the one in the medical field. Information technology and search engines play an extremely important role in medicine, and they can be seen a pivotal communication instrument between clinicians and patients, although they can also provide inaccurate or incorrect feedback to laypeople looking for answers to health questions, who do not have enough medical knowledge to evaluate the reliability of the source. This problem has been raised by clinicians and, more generally, by health workers, who today operate with a view to greater psychological proximity to the patient, passing from a so-called Disease Centred Medicine to a clinical practice much more sensitive to the needs of the patient, to his experience, to the context in which he lives, thus achieving a Patient Centred Medicine. Listening, attention, empathy and the words that a clinician is required to use towards each patient, during the clinical routine, take on more and more value for a correct doctor-patient exchange and alliance.


Author(s):  
Mehmet Fatih Yılmaz ◽  
Sedat Kalkan

Objectives: The aim of the study is to evaluate the quality and reliability of videos on manual blood pressure measurement on Youtube. Patients and Methods: In January 2021, the first 100 videos found as a result of a search with the keywords 'manual blood pressure measurement' on Youtube were watched and evaluated. According to exclusion criteria, 75 videos were included in the study. Duplicate videos, irrelevant videos, and videos in languages other than English were excluded from the study. Each video was scored according to the questions prepared based on the guidelines. The GQS score and the 'Reliability' score were used to assess the quality of the videos. Results: According to the checklist prepared according to the hypertension consensus report, the mean score of the videos was 8.33 ± 2.1. When the videos were evaluated according to their sources, the average score of the videos of the health sites was 9±2.5, the average score of the videos of the individual health workers was 8.66±1.8, the average score of the videos of the unidentified people was 7.54±2.1. Conclusion: Manual blood pressure measurement videos on Youtube have little educational value. Videos of health websites should be preferred for education.


2018 ◽  
Vol 03 (03n04) ◽  
pp. 1840002 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dandan Lyu ◽  
Shaofan Li

The development of crystal plasticity theory based on dislocation patterns dynamics has been an outstanding problem in materials science and condensed matter of physics. Dislocation is the origin of crystal plasticity, and it is both the individual dislocation behavior as well as the aggregated dislocations behaviors that govern the plastic flow. The interactions among dislocations are complex statistical and stochastic events, in which the spontaneous emergence of organized dislocation patterns formations is the most critical and intriguing events. Dislocation patterns consist of quasi-periodic dislocation-rich and dislocation poor regions, e.g. cells, veins, labyrinths, ladders structures, etc. during cyclic loadings. Dislocation patterns have prominent and decisive effects on work hardening and plastic strain localization, and thus these dislocation micro-structures are responsible to material properties at macroscale. This paper reviews the recent developments of experimental observation, physical modeling, and computer modeling on dislocation microstructure. In particular, we focus on examining the mechanism towards plastic deformation. The progress and limitations of different experiments and modeling approaches are discussed and compared. Finally, we share our perspectives on current issues and future challenges in both experimental, analytical modeling, and computational aspects of dislocation pattern dynamics.


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