Biosensors, Biofeedback, and Neurofeedback

In this chapter, the authors write about the processes of biofeedback, giving an insight about the sensors that might be used, the overall concept of biofeedback, as well as the evidence regarding the effectiveness of neurofeedback for the treatment of mental disorders.The main goal is to provide those introducing to the biofeedback as a self-regulation technique, used now for more than 50 years, with concise information about the sensors that might be used to detect the most common measured responses, the main types of physiological biofeedback, and the state-of-the-art evidence about neurofeedback as a form of brain training for individuals with the most prevalent mental disorders. Biofeedback and neurofeedback are guided therapies that include a vast and rowing variety of methodologies aimed to return information to the individual, regarding the physiological functions of the organism itself, in order to enable the modification of those otherwise considered unconscious physiological responses, designed to improve the individual's health and wellness.

All You Need to Know About UGT1A1 Genetic Testing for Patients Treated With Irinotecan: A Practitioner-Friendly Guide

Irinotecan is an anticancer agent widely used for the treatment of solid tumors, including colorectal and pancreatic cancers. Severe neutropenia and diarrhea are common dose-limiting toxicities of irinotecan-based therapy, and UGT1A1 polymorphisms are one of the major risk factors of these toxicities. In 2005, the US Food and Drug Administration revised the drug label to indicate that patients with UGT1A1*28 homozygous genotype should receive a decreased dose of irinotecan. However, UGT1A1*28 testing is not routinely used in the clinic, and specific reasons include lack of access to concise information on this wide issue as well as mixed recommendations by regulatory and professional entities. To assist oncologists in assessing whether and when to use UGT1A1 genetic testing in patients receiving irinotecan-based therapies, this article provided (1) essential knowledge of UGT1A1 polymorphisms; (2) an update on the impact of UGT1A1 polymorphisms on efficacy and toxicity of contemporary irinotecan-based regimens; (3) dosing adjustments based upon the UGT1A1 genotypes, and (4) recommendations from currently available guidelines from the US and international scientific consortia and major oncology societies.

Nanoscale self-assembly: concepts, applications and challenges

Self-assembly offers unique possibilities for fabricating nanostructures, with different morphologies and properties, typically from vapor or liquid phase precursors. Molecular units, nanoparticles, biological molecules and other discrete elements can spontaneously organise or form via interactions at the nanoscale. Currently, nanoscale self-assembly finds applications in a wide variety of areas including carbon nanomaterials and semiconductor nanowires, semiconductor heterojunctions and superlattices, the deposition of quantum dots, drug delivery, such as mRNA-based vaccines, and modern integrated circuits and nanoelectronics, to name a few. Recent advancements in drug delivery, silicon nanoelectronics, lasers and nanotechnology in general, owing to nanoscale self-assembly, coupled with its versatility, simplicity and scalability, have highlighted its importance and potential for fabricating more complex nanostructures with advanced functionalities in the future. This review aims to provide readers with concise information about the basic concepts of nanoscale self-assembly, its applications to date, and future outlook. First, an overview of various self-assembly techniques such as vapour deposition, colloidal growth, molecular self-assembly and directed self-assembly/hybrid approaches are discussed. Applications in diverse fields involving specific examples of nanoscale self-assembly then highlight the state of the art and finally, the future outlook for nanoscale self-assembly and potential for more complex nanomaterial assemblies in the future as technological functionality increases.

Resources and Services for Family Caregivers in the Time of COVID-19

COVID-19 has led to increased burden on family caregivers (FCGs) for people living with dementia (PLWD), while simultaneously limiting the resources available to them. Our study surveyed Alberta, Canada FCGs to assess their needs and generate recommendations to inform policies about care access, resources, and agency supports. We conducted a mixed methods study using a sequential triangulation design (QUANTITATIVE + qualitative). Our Community Advisory Committee was involved in all stages of study planning, execution, and dissemination. Survey results informed the qualitative data collected from focus groups with FCGs. A total of 230 FCGs participated in the survey, with an average age of 59. The average age of PLWD was 75. The majority were women (77%), 46% were spouses and 41% were adult children. Respondents reported feeling more isolated (69%), more strain (66%) and decreased quality of life (55%) compared to pre-pandemic. Resource use by FCGs decreased from an average of 5 resources pre-pandemic to 1.6 during COVID-19. Services including day programs and home care were no longer available or reconfigured, leading to greater strain and heightened need for respite, which was also unavailable. Focus groups highlighted that system navigation and accessing services during COVID-19 was overly burdensome, leaving FCGs feeling abandoned by the system. FCGs reported an increase in caregiving responsibility and less access to services resulting in PLWD experiencing a decline in wellness and function. As such: 1) resources should be consistently available for FCGs and 2) FCGs require clear, correct, and concise information about COVID-19.

Recent advancements in nonwoven bio-degradable facemasks to ameliorate the post-pandemic environmental impact

Plastics have become a severe risk to natural ecosystems and human health globally in the last two decades. The outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, which led to the manufacturing and use of billions of facemasks made from non-biodegradable and petroleum-derived polymers has aggravated the situation further. There is an urgent need to develop bio-degradable facemasks with excellent filtration efficiency and antimicrobial characteristics using scalable technology. This review article aims to provide the fundamentals of mask technology, its environmental footprint, facemask’s lifecycle assessment, conventional manufacturing routes, and state-of-the-art reports on using bio-degradable polymers for facemask applications. The article also focuses on the current challenges of the conventional facemask and the prospects of an ideal facemask that could significantly reduce the ill effects of petroleum-based polymers. The review includes concise information on the basics of polymer biodegradation and standardized tests to evaluate biodegradability. The use of currently available facemasks has been an effective measure to curb the infection rate, however, is a threat to the environment. Reusing the facemask after decontamination is not a solution from a safety perspective as cloth-based facemasks have lower filtration efficiencies which get further reduced with the washing cycle necessitating a shift towards biodegradable facemask. Systematic information is provided through this article to stimulate research on a bio-degradable facemask with excellent filtration efficiency, antimicrobial properties, and cost-effectiveness for global usage.

Information-Measuring System to Measure Fluid and Granular Media Flow Velocities in Pipelines

All articles must contain an abstract. The abstract text should be formatted using 10 point Times or Times New Roman and indented 25 mm from the left margin. Leave 10 mm space after the abstract before you begin the main text of your article, starting on the same page as the abstract. The abstract should give readers concise information about the content of the article and indicate the main results obtained and conclusions drawn. The abstract is not part of the text and should be complete in itself; no table numbers, figure numbers, references or displayed mathematical expressions should be included. It should be suitable for direct inclusion in abstracting services and should not normally exceed 200 words in a single paragraph. Since contemporary information-retrieval systems rely heavily on the content of titles and abstracts to identify relevant articles in literature searches, great care should be taken in constructing both

Bridge Failure and Public Perception of Safety: Managing Situations the Public See as Dangerous

<p>Occasionally, bridge projects present a challenge to the general public in terms of how they look or feel. This can happen during construction, demolition or even through the working operational lifespan. Concern can understandably arise if a structure looks or feels unstable or unsafe, for any reason. Some bridges seem ‘wrong’ even when they are quite safe.</p><p>The question of safety, and more particularly the perception of safety, are areas where structural engineering, the commercial realities of bridge ownership/operation, human psychology and public relations meet. When a bridge looks or feel unsafe, despite it being quite stable and without danger, the public may deem such a scenario unacceptable, and this can create friction with what is desirable from the point of view of the bridge owner or operator.</p><p>When the above occurs, the interface with the public and clients must be carefully managed. Clear, concise information is vital, communicated in non-jargon language. To persuade the uninitiated that something is safe, despite it looking the opposite, requires skills that bridge professionals sometimes lack. Identifying, understanding, and practicing these skills will sometimes feel counterintuitive to bridge practioners, but they are skills which nonetheless are sometimes essential.</p>

EP.TU.45Organising The Huddle: An Audit Loop of the Surgical Handover

Aim Structured patient handover is a critical element for the patient safety. There are several guidelines including the ones from NICE and Royal College of surgeons emphasizing its importance in today’s practice. It entails appropriate coordination and communication among health-care providers to ensure safety of the patients and avoid adverse incidences. This audit was performed to assess and improve the current Surgical Handover Meeting in line with the Handover Guidelines from the Royal College of Surgeons of England (Rcseng.ac.uk, 2007). Method A questionnaire was circulated among the surgical doctors involved in the handover meetings. Outcomes were compared with the NICE and RCS guidelines. Recommended changes were implemented after training the staff which was followed by second cycle of audit. Results During the first cycle of audit, 80% of the junior surgical doctors contributed towards the study who agreed there was no standard format of handover, information was incomplete and there was lack of privacy. A standardized handover sheet was introduced which included accurate and concise information about patients with their management plans. There was noticeable improvement in staff satisfaction in second cycle but use of quiet room and nurse’s attendance remained poor. Conclusion Safe handover reflects quality of patient care. Despite achieving remarkable improvement after first audit we still lag behind the recommended practice. With all the support and coordination; further projects, meetings and presentations are required to achieve the outstanding standards.

Vrikshayurved Plantation Techniques: A Review

Use of chemicals for plant growth and its management has led to soil and water pollution. It has ultimately affected the quality of medicinal plants. In the other hand Vrikshayurved (science of plant life) have fully organic and time tested methods to deal with entire plant life. It mostly emphasizes on the selection of land, seed collection, seed treatment, different plant propagation methods, irrigation, manure, plant protection, plant disease management, crop harvesting and storage of produce. Thus, Vrikshayurved encompasses both agriculture and forestry. Materials and method- Collection and compilation of useful information has been done from concerned articles and texts of Ayurved and Vrikshayurved texts such as Surpala’s Vrikshayurved, Upavan Vinod, Varahamihir’s Brihat Samhita, Charak Samhita and Sushruta Samhita. Discussion and Conclusion- This article represents concise information of Vrikshayurved plantation techniques for seed propagation, grafting, stem propagation, tuber propagation and plant transplantation. All these methods are affordable, natural, and chemical free. All substances used by Vrikshayurved methodology have its Ayurvedic significance. Thus, Vrikshayurved and Manushya Ayurved are interdependent. Use of Vrikshayurved in modern agriculture and forestry can result in better agriculture system and sustainable forestry. Hence formation of standard guidelines for Vrikshayurved methodologies through research work is mandatory for better tomorrow.

Health aspects of innovation in modern society

Wide use of computers, information and communication technologies and gadgets in industry and society unlocks creativity, refines logic, stimulates analytical and research skills, makes work much easier, and allows many types of activities to be performed remotely. But despite their indisputable advantages, information technologies have a downside. The negative impact of computers and electronic gadgets on the cognitive, emotional and mental states, the gastrointestinal tract, vision and the musculoskeletal system have been proved. Children are particularly sensitive to the negative effects of IT. This study provides concise information on some IT-associated health conditions (IT-associated morbidity) and proposes some measure to minimize the negative effects of IT on children’s health.