Fluid dynamics of droplet generation from corneal tear film during non-contact tonometry in the context of pathogen transmission

Noninvasive ocular diagnostics demonstrate a propensity for droplet generation and present a potential pathway of distribution for pathogens such as the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. High-speed images of the eye subjected to air puff tonometry (glaucoma detection) reveal three-dimensional, spatiotemporal interaction between the puff and tear film. The interaction finally leads to the rupture and breakup of the tear film culminating into sub-millimeter sized droplet projectiles traveling at speeds of 0.2 m/s. The calculated droplet spread radius ( ∼ 0.5 m) confirms the likelihood of the procedure to generate droplets that may disperse in air as well as splash on instruments, raising the potential of infection. We provide a detailed physical exposition of the entire procedure using high fidelity experiments and theoretical modeling. We conclude that air puff induced corneal deformation and subsequent capillary waves lead to flow instabilities (Rayleigh-Taylor, Rayleigh-Plateau) that lead to tear film ejection, expansion, stretching, and subsequent droplet formation

Freshwater Availability for Agriculture in Sundarbans. Variability due to changes in the summer monsoon under current and climate change conditions

The India–UK Water Centre (IUKWC) funded a Pump Priming Project (PPP) titled: “The influence of the monsoon on freshwater availability for agriculture in the Sundarbans region of West Bengal, India, under current and climate change conditions” between June and September 2019. This Knowledge Exchange brief was developed from the outputs of the activities conducted during this study: i) investigating the variability of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) and the ensuing freshwater availability for agriculture in the Sundarbans region through the collection and analysis of climatic data and outputs from Global Climate Models (GCMs); and ii) understanding how changes in water resource availability are affecting livelihoods and discussing issues related to adaptation to those changes through meetings with farmers, NGOs and local government officials engaged in water resource management. The research results were communicated through a workshop with agricultural, water and climate scientists, NGOs and government stakeholders working in the Sundarbans region, where the team gained feedback, and shared knowledge and ideas for future research. This Brief was prepared by Professor Lalu Das, Principal Investigator (PI) and India Project Lead, and Professor Gautam Saha, both from Bidhan Chandra Krishi Viswavidyalaya (BCKV) in India, and Dr Alexandre Gagnon, UK Project Lead, and Dr Indrani Roy from Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU) in the UK

Pulmonary function in young females of Kolkata, India – Revisited

Rapid economic and industrial growths imposed significant impact on human health including the pulmonary health. Questions were raised regarding the validity of the existing prediction norms of pulmonary function tests (PFTs) in a particular population. The present study was conducted to investigate the applicability of the existing norms for PFTs in young healthy non-smoking female university students of Kolkata, India. Significant difference was noted in vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) when the present data were compared with the earlier study in similar population. Correlation statistic revealed significant relationship of age and body height with all the PFT parameters. Body mass had significant correlation with VC, FVC, FEV1 as a percentage of FVC (FEV1%), and peak expiratory flow rate (PEFR). Regression equations have been computed for predicting PFTs from age and body height. There has been a change of PFTs in the studied population for the last couple of decades due to increased environmental pollution in the course of economical and industrial developments. Regression equations computed in this study are not only recommended to predict PFT parameters in the studied population, but they are also considered more reliable owing to their substantially smaller standard error of estimate than those proposed in the previous study

Impacts of Competitive Seabed Allocation for Offshore Wind Energy: A cash flow analysis of implemented allocation scheme designs, results, and impacts

This is the final version. Available from AURES II via the link in this recordExecutive Summary Offshore wind is an important part of the accelerating transition to green energy sources in many maritime countries. To develop offshore wind projects, private developers require access to and tenure over the seabed, which is a scarce and valuable resource controlled and managed by governments. In this report we describe the currently implemented seabed allocation schemes for offshore wind around the world and analyse the economic effects of the fees embedded in the seabed lease agreements. We describe the allocation schemes for seabed including pre-qualification, fees, and method of competition for the examples of UK (England, Wales, and Northern Ireland), UK (Scotland), the United States and the Netherlands. Then, we use a discounted cash flow analysis to assess and compare the timeline and magnitude of the fees. We show that the costs embedded in the seabed lease agreements can be extensive and have been trending upward over time.Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC)European Union Horizon 202

Climate change impacts on freshwater availability for agriculture in Sundarbans, India: report of pump priming project

The India-UK Water Centre (IUKWC) promotes cooperation and collaboration between the complementary priorities of NERC-MoES water security research. This report presents an overview of the activities undertaken as part of a Pump Priming Project in Sundarbans from June through September 2019. The project activities were led by Professor Lalu Das in India and Dr Alexandre Gagnon in the UK, and included analyses of climatic data from observations, re-analyses and global climate models, interactive sessions with farmers and other water resource stakeholders, and a workshop with scientists, NGOs and government stakeholders working in the region. The report outlines a summary of the activities and its main conclusions, and is intended for the India-UK Water Centre members and stakeholders

Examining the Role of Soft Dimensions on the Implementation of ISO 14000 Environmental Management Systems: A Graph-Theoretic Approach

Organizations worldwide are now embracing different standards while approaching environmental management systems (EMS) to be environmentally and economically sustainable. The ISO 14001 EMS has captured much attention by offering efficient environmental practices organization-wide and throughout the supply chain. Human factors (HFs) are crucial behind implementing ISO 14001 EMS since research articles about ISO 14001 strongly emphasize different HFs. This study proposes a framework that solely focuses on those HFs. Influential HFs are extracted through content analysis of related literature and categorized into 5 main HFs. Opinions from experts in the relevant field about interrelationships and inheritances of the HFs are collected and converted into quantitative data. Incorporating the graph theoretic and matrix approach (GTMA), the data delivered permanent values corresponding to the main HFs and their best and worst possible values. Among the main HFs, EMS Training has been found to have the most scopes for improvement, followed by Employee Empowerment and EMS Teamwork. This study demonstrates a framework about how to assess the role of HFs behind internalizing ISO 14001 EMS and enables organizations to go for competitive benchmarking and to define and adjust goals for environmental management

Developing an experimental challenge model for gill disease caused by gelatinous zooplankton

Harmful zooplankton, such as jellyfish or cnidarians, play an important role in gill disease development, but there is a lack of scientific and technical understanding of the interactions between gelatinous zooplankton and fish gills that can only be obtained through a lab-based challenge model using lab-reared organisms. Such a model does not exist, so we set out to develop one. We were able to produce a pre-determined quantity of gelatinous zooplankton at a pre-determined point in time, transport them, and challenge salmon with these live gelatinous zooplankton, and present initial results. Currently we are optimizing the model. When developed further, the model is intended to be used as a tool to improve understanding of the role of gelatinous zooplankton in gill disease, identify host responses and assess techniques to mitigate the effects of gelatinous zooplankton on gill health

Developing an experimental challenge model for gill disease caused by gelatinous zooplankton

Harmful zooplankton, such as jellyfish or cnidarians, play an important role in gill disease development, but there is a lack of scientific and technical understanding of the interactions between gelatinous zooplankton and fish gills that can only be obtained through a lab-based challenge model using lab-reared organisms. Such a model does not exist, so we set out to develop one. We were able to produce a pre-determined quantity of gelatinous zooplankton at a pre-determined point in time, transport them, and challenge salmon with these live gelatinous zooplankton, and present initial results. Currently we are optimizing the model. When developed further, the model is intended to be used as a tool to improve understanding of the role of gelatinous zooplankton in gill disease, identify host responses and assess techniques to mitigate the effects of gelatinous zooplankton on gill health

Functional outcome of rotating platform total knee arthroplasty - A prospective observational study

Introduction: Rotating platform (RP) is a form of mobile-bearing design for total knee arthroplasty (TKA). This reduces the polyethylene contact stresses and the forces acting on tibial component and bone cement interfaces. It increases the femoral roll-back and flexion. The objective was to assess the functional outcome of rotating platform design in primary TKA, in patients with osteoarthritis of knee and the association of age and gender with the outcome. Materials and methods: A prospective observational study was done on 42 patients who underwent primary TKA with RP design and followed-up for one year. The outcome was assessed with the Knee Society Score at one year. Data analysis was done using statistical package SPSS V-27.0. Results: The mean age was 64.33(±6.12). The mean pre-op knee clinical score was 30(±6.409), which improved to mean post–op score of 92.17(±5.53). 37(88.1%) had excellent and 5(11.9%) had good results. 7(70%) patients in the age group <60 years, 24(96%) cases of 60–69 years and 6(85.7%) cases of ≥70 years had excellent results. 23(95.8%) females and 14(77.8%) males had excellent knee clinical scores. The mean pre-op knee functional score was 33.81(±9.988), which improved to a mean post–op score of 82.38(±6.917). 36 cases (85.7%) had excellent and 6(14.3%) had good results. 7(70%) patients <60 years, 22(88%) of 60- 69 years and 7(100%) of ≥70 years had excellent results. 21(87.5%) females and 15(83.3%) males had excellent knee functional scores. Conclusion: Total knee arthroplasty with rotating platform design has shown excellent clinical and functional outcome without any serious complications at one year follow-up