2,892 research outputs found
Colon Cancer Awareness Month: Focusing on Treatment Strategies (Colon Cancer Awareness Month Guest Comment)
No full textColon Cancer Awareness Month Guest Comment by Ruku Verma and Simran Singh Sachde
I Was Addicted to Sex With Married Women
No full textAs a young man, Akhil Sharma revelled in the most dangerous of liaisons, having sex with other men's wives – until the thrill began to pall
Maldives Resorts: Eco-Friendly Vacations
No full textLuxurious, exclusive and remote, the Maldives are the ultimate beach escape. They’re also a case study in the risks of global warming. Writer Akhil Sharma visits the country’s most eco-friendly resorts and discovers a remarkable cuisine worth protecting
Recollections of a Hindu Hedonist
No full textNovelist Akhil Sharma grew up in a teetotaling Indian household. Here, he tells how discovering a passion for great wine helped him create a new identity out of a painful past
Interview with Lakshmi Raj Sharma, Author of The Tailor’s Needle
No full textInterview with Indian writer Lakshmi Raj Sharma, author of 'The Tailor's needle
Ocular manifestations of emerging viral diseases
No full textEmerging infectious diseases (EIDs) are an increasing threat to public health on a global scale. In recent times, the most prominent outbreaks have constituted RNA viruses, spreading via droplets (COVID-19 and Influenza A H1N1), directly between humans (Ebola and Marburg), via arthropod vectors (Dengue, Zika, West Nile, Chikungunya, Crimean Congo) and zoonotically (Lassa fever, Nipah, Rift Valley fever, Hantaviruses). However, specific approved antiviral therapies and vaccine availability are scarce, and public health measures remain critical. Patients can present with a spectrum of ocular manifestations. Emerging infectious diseases should therefore be considered in the differential diagnosis of ocular inflammatory conditions in patients inhabiting or returning from endemic territories, and more general vigilance is advisable in the context of a global pandemic. Eye specialists are in a position to facilitate swift diagnosis, improve clinical outcomes, and contribute to wider public health efforts during outbreaks. This article reviews those emerging viral diseases associated with reports of ocular manifestations and summarizes details pertinent to practicing eye specialists.</p
Printable Graphene-Sustainable Elastomer-Based Cross Talk Free Sensor for Point of Care Diagnostics
No full textDeveloping sensors for monitoring physiological parameters
such
as temperature and strain for point of care (POC) diagnostics is critical
for better care of the patients. Various commercial sensors are available
to get the job done; however, challenges like the structural rigidity
of such sensors confine their usage. As an alternative, flexible sensors
have been looked upon recently. In most cases, flexible sensors cannot
discriminate the signals from different stimuli. While there have
been reports on the printable sensors providing cross-talk-free solutions,
research related to developing sensors from a sustainable source providing
discriminability between signals is not well-explored. Herein, we
report the development of a stencil printable composition made of
graphene and epoxidized natural rubber. The stencil printability index
was vetted using rheological studies. Post usage, the developed sensor
was dissolved in an organic solvent at room temperature. This, along
with the choice of a sustainable elastomer, warrants the minimization
of electronic waste and carbon footprint. The developed material demonstrated
good conformability with the skin and could perceive and decouple
the signals from temperature and strain without inducing any crosstalks.
Using a representative volume element model, a comparison between
experimental findings and computation studies was made. The developed
sensors demonstrated gauge factors of −506 and 407 in the bending
strain regimes of 0–0.04% and 0.04%–0.09%, respectively,
while the temperature sensitivity was noted to be −0.96%/°C.
The printed sensors demonstrated a multifunctional sensing behavior
for monitoring various active physiological parameters ranging from
temperature, strain, pulse, and breathing to auditory responses. Using
a Bluetooth module, various parameters like temperature and strain
could be monitored seamlessly in a smart-phone. The current development
would be crucial to open new avenues to fabricate crosstalk-free
sensors from sustainable sources for POC diagnostics
Printable Carbon Nanotube-Liquid Elastomer-Based Multifunctional Adhesive Sensors for Monitoring Physiological Parameters
No full textDeveloping a printed elastomeric wearable sensor with
good conformity
and proper adhesion to skin, coupled with the capability of monitoring
various physiological parameters, is very crucial for the development
of point-of-care sensing devices with high precision and sensitivity.
While there have been previous reports on the fabrication of elastomeric
multifunctional sensors, research on the printable elastomeric multifunctional
adhesive sensor is not very well explored. Herein, we report the development
of a stencil printable multifunctional adhesive sensor fabricated
in a solvent-free condition, which demonstrated the capability of
having good contact with skin and its ability to function as a temperature
and strain sensor. Functionalized liquid isoprene rubber was selected
as the matrix while carboxylated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-CNTs)
were used as the nanofiller. The selection of the above model compounds
facilitated the printability and also helped the same composition
to demonstrate stretchability and adhesiveness. A realistic three-dimensional
microstructure (representative volume element model) was generated
through a computational framework for the current c-CNT-liquid elastomer.
Further computational simulations were performed to test and validate
the correlation between electrical responses to that of experimental
studies. Various physiological parameters like motion sensing, pulse,
respiratory rate, and phonetics detection were detected by leveraging
the electrically resistive nature of the sensor. This development
route can be extended toward developing different innovative adhesives
for point-of-care sensing applications
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