Nanoparticle generation is notorious for being a clumsy, awkward process that can take months to perfect. This means that research which involves multiple different types of nanoparticles is often held back by the creation of the nanoparticles themselves. To address this problem, VSPARTICLE have developed a new instrument that uses spark ablation to produce particular nanoparticles, of a set size distribution, all in one afternoon.
What are the conventional problems associated with the creation of nanoparticles? How does the VSP-G1 nanoparticle generator avoid these?
The problems faced in nanoparticle production are threefold. The process is time-consuming and it is not interchangeable for different materials, meaning a new method must be used to generate different nanoparticles and, in addition to this, reproducibility is also a big issue.
Because of this, researchers spend years of their Ph.D. on the synthesis of nanoparticles, instead of on the actual application of them. Conventional methods rely on carefully tweaked chemistries, which makes it difficult to tune the size, composition or scale of a synthesis.
Another problem is post-processing – conventional methods provide a powder or suspension as an end product. This is problematic as powders need to be re-dispersed before use, whilst suspensions require the surfactants and solvents to be removed. Both are costly procedures and often involve the risk of worker exposure.
VSPARTICLE aims to provide a complete solution from nanoparticle synthesis to the immobilization of nanoparticles on or into your product. The VSP-G1’s settings can be adjusted without effort, making changes in nanoparticle size and composition trivial and helping in scaling up.
The method used in the VSP-G1 (spark ablation) is easy, fast and reproducible. Because spark ablation is a purely physical process, the fabrication of particles and the integration of them into your device always works in exactly the same way, enabling you to start working on your product without the hassle that comes with conventional production.
A pie chart demonstrating the wide range of application areas of nanoparticles. An interactive copy can be found here.
What materials can the VSP-G1 nanoparticle generator create nanoparticles from?
The VSP-G1 can create nanoparticles from any (semi-)conducting material, allowing researchers to create nanoparticles from 90% of the elements in the periodic table. Furthermore, materials that are normally immiscible on the macroscale can be alloyed on the nanoscale using spark ablation technology. An example of this are Au-Cu particles, created using sparks between an Au and a Cu electrode.
The particles are created in a continuous flow of gas, typically argon or nitrogen. The gas can easily be delivered through post-processing stages, which facilitates size-selection, or modifications such as oxidations.
As particles become larger, they nucleate and form solid particles. The morphology and primary size that is favored during nucleation can easily be tweaked using the VSP-G1. Depending on your substrate, VSPARTICLE can also provide different solutions to immobilize the produced particles.
How precise is the nanoparticle creation process?
In terms of stability, the standard deviation of the particle size output can be reduced to less than two percent. Particles produced by the spark have a primary particle size, which can be tuned by altering the annealing temperature. Particle size distributions typically have a geometric standard deviation of 1.3-1.4 nm. For specific applications, size distributions of +/- 0.2 nm or better can be achieved.
The VSP-G1 is most precise in the 0-20 nm range. However, with additional equipment, particles can be selected on their size, accurately down to 0.1 nm.
In which fields do you see the VSP-G1 nanoparticle generator making the biggest impact?
There are four fields in which we see a great future for the VSP-G1: microelectronics, catalysis, energy and healthcare.
Compared to printing electronics with conductive inks, using beams of pure nanoparticles to print conductive lines allows for sintering at lower temperatures. The outcome of this is the creation of conducting lines which possess a higher conductivity.
‘Printing’ with a nanoparticle spray can also be achieved for the coating of an entire surface, to produce a porous later that could be used for sending – the porosity of laters produced by the VSP-G1 makes it possible to detect even the lowest amount of gas or biomolecules.
The use of nanoparticles in catalysis is already established, but a reliable method of creating nanoparticle catalysts for size and composition comparisons is not. Differing metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles of various shapes can be easily compared against one another using the VSP-G1 allowing the optimal nanoparticle properties for a particulr catalytic process to be determined. Using the new VSPARTICLE accessory particles can be directly deposited onto an in-situ TEM grid for analysis.
Because nanoparticles have strong applications in the fields of electronics and catalysis it is inevitable that they will influence the production and storage of energy as well. Nanoparticles are currently being used to improve solar cells absorption of sunlight. A higher absorption of solar enables a higher energy production, during sunny days, nanoparticles enable nano-structured super capacitors to store more energy.
In the healthcare field, scientists working on nanoparticle therapies, such as iron oxide nanoparticles for hyperthermia and enhanced MRI, antibacterial nanosilver or gold nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery are struggling to get FDA approval. This is mostly due to the presence of chemical contaminants in their nanoparticle formulations. By using spark ablation, researchers can produce nanoparticles which are contaminant free, speeding up the approval process and working faster to nanomedicine end-user applications.
Shutterstock | Andrey VP
What advantages do your nanoparticles provide for the Semiconductor and other patterning industries?
The extremely small size of nanoparticles makes them very sensitive to external stimuli. This sensitivity can be used to develop novel sensors or used as a way to create metallic interconnects using low-temperature processes.
Nanoparticle generators make it possible for a semiconductor manufacturer to have full control over their entire production chain – from nanoparticle generation to the integration of the nanoparticles in the devices they create.
What inspired the team at VSPARTICLE to develop the VSP-G1? Why did you choose to use Spark Ablation?
While we were at the Delft University of Technology, we noticed many people had difficulties in adapting nanoparticle recipes for their need. These were researchers in a multidisciplinary environment, with expertise in fields such as materials for energy conversion and storage, photovoltaics, healthcare and catalysis. We saw researchers spend months to obtain the nanoparticles they required before they could carry on with their research.
In contrast, students in our lab would receive 2-hours of training, and would have nanoparticles of the composition and size they wanted by the end of the day. This is largely due to the flexibility of spark ablation: if we can make the bulk electrode, we can make the nanoparticles. We want to give other people the same possibilities.
Can VSPARTICLE help their customers develop their own nanoparticle production processes tailored to their application?
Using VSPARTICLE spark generators, the need to change the particle production process is taken away. VSPARTICLE means researchers don’t have to worry about particle production and lets them focus on their true application from day one.
By considering the whole process, from nanoparticle production to application and bringing solutions in deposition/integration, VSPARTICLE can speed up research and facilitate industrialization.
Generating New Size-Specific Nanoparticles
Nanoparticle generation is notorious for being a clumsy, awkward process that can take months to perfect. This means that research which involves multiple different types of nanoparticles is often held back by the creation of the nanoparticles themselves. To address this problem, VSPARTICLE have developed a new instrument that uses spark ablation to produce particular nanoparticles, of a set size distribution, all in one afternoon.
What are the conventional problems associated with the creation of nanoparticles? How does the VSP-G1 nanoparticle generator avoid these?
The problems faced in nanoparticle production are threefold. The process is time-consuming and it is not interchangeable for different materials, meaning a new method must be used to generate different nanoparticles and, in addition to this, reproducibility is also a big issue.
Because of this, researchers spend years of their Ph.D. on the synthesis of nanoparticles, instead of on the actual application of them. Conventional methods rely on carefully tweaked chemistries, which makes it difficult to tune the size, composition or scale of a synthesis.
Another problem is post-processing – conventional methods provide a powder or suspension as an end product. This is problematic as powders need to be re-dispersed before use, whilst suspensions require the surfactants and solvents to be removed. Both are costly procedures and often involve the risk of worker exposure.
VSPARTICLE aims to provide a complete solution from nanoparticle synthesis to the immobilization of nanoparticles on or into your product. The VSP-G1’s settings can be adjusted without effort, making changes in nanoparticle size and composition trivial and helping in scaling up.
The method used in the VSP-G1 (spark ablation) is easy, fast and reproducible. Because spark ablation is a purely physical process, the fabrication of particles and the integration of them into your device always works in exactly the same way, enabling you to start working on your product without the hassle that comes with conventional production.
A pie chart demonstrating the wide range of application areas of nanoparticles. An interactive copy can be found here.
What materials can the VSP-G1 nanoparticle generator create nanoparticles from?
The VSP-G1 can create nanoparticles from any (semi-)conducting material, allowing researchers to create nanoparticles from 90% of the elements in the periodic table. Furthermore, materials that are normally immiscible on the macroscale can be alloyed on the nanoscale using spark ablation technology. An example of this are Au-Cu particles, created using sparks between an Au and a Cu electrode.
The particles are created in a continuous flow of gas, typically argon or nitrogen. The gas can easily be delivered through post-processing stages, which facilitates size-selection, or modifications such as oxidations.
As particles become larger, they nucleate and form solid particles. The morphology and primary size that is favored during nucleation can easily be tweaked using the VSP-G1. Depending on your substrate, VSPARTICLE can also provide different solutions to immobilize the produced particles.
How precise is the nanoparticle creation process?
In terms of stability, the standard deviation of the particle size output can be reduced to less than two percent. Particles produced by the spark have a primary particle size, which can be tuned by altering the annealing temperature. Particle size distributions typically have a geometric standard deviation of 1.3-1.4 nm. For specific applications, size distributions of +/- 0.2 nm or better can be achieved.
The VSP-G1 is most precise in the 0-20 nm range. However, with additional equipment, particles can be selected on their size, accurately down to 0.1 nm.
In which fields do you see the VSP-G1 nanoparticle generator making the biggest impact?
There are four fields in which we see a great future for the VSP-G1: microelectronics, catalysis, energy and healthcare.
Compared to printing electronics with conductive inks, using beams of pure nanoparticles to print conductive lines allows for sintering at lower temperatures. The outcome of this is the creation of conducting lines which possess a higher conductivity.
‘Printing’ with a nanoparticle spray can also be achieved for the coating of an entire surface, to produce a porous later that could be used for sending – the porosity of laters produced by the VSP-G1 makes it possible to detect even the lowest amount of gas or biomolecules.
The use of nanoparticles in catalysis is already established, but a reliable method of creating nanoparticle catalysts for size and composition comparisons is not. Differing metal and metal-oxide nanoparticles of various shapes can be easily compared against one another using the VSP-G1 allowing the optimal nanoparticle properties for a particulr catalytic process to be determined. Using the new VSPARTICLE accessory particles can be directly deposited onto an in-situ TEM grid for analysis.
Because nanoparticles have strong applications in the fields of electronics and catalysis it is inevitable that they will influence the production and storage of energy as well. Nanoparticles are currently being used to improve solar cells absorption of sunlight. A higher absorption of solar enables a higher energy production, during sunny days, nanoparticles enable nano-structured super capacitors to store more energy.
In the healthcare field, scientists working on nanoparticle therapies, such as iron oxide nanoparticles for hyperthermia and enhanced MRI, antibacterial nanosilver or gold nanoparticles for targeted drug delivery are struggling to get FDA approval. This is mostly due to the presence of chemical contaminants in their nanoparticle formulations. By using spark ablation, researchers can produce nanoparticles which are contaminant free, speeding up the approval process and working faster to nanomedicine end-user applications.
Shutterstock | Andrey VP
What advantages do your nanoparticles provide for the Semiconductor and other patterning industries?
The extremely small size of nanoparticles makes them very sensitive to external stimuli. This sensitivity can be used to develop novel sensors or used as a way to create metallic interconnects using low-temperature processes.
Nanoparticle generators make it possible for a semiconductor manufacturer to have full control over their entire production chain – from nanoparticle generation to the integration of the nanoparticles in the devices they create.
What inspired the team at VSPARTICLE to develop the VSP-G1? Why did you choose to use Spark Ablation?
While we were at the Delft University of Technology, we noticed many people had difficulties in adapting nanoparticle recipes for their need. These were researchers in a multidisciplinary environment, with expertise in fields such as materials for energy conversion and storage, photovoltaics, healthcare and catalysis. We saw researchers spend months to obtain the nanoparticles they required before they could carry on with their research.
In contrast, students in our lab would receive 2-hours of training, and would have nanoparticles of the composition and size they wanted by the end of the day. This is largely due to the flexibility of spark ablation: if we can make the bulk electrode, we can make the nanoparticles. We want to give other people the same possibilities.
Can VSPARTICLE help their customers develop their own nanoparticle production processes tailored to their application?
Using VSPARTICLE spark generators, the need to change the particle production process is taken away. VSPARTICLE means researchers don’t have to worry about particle production and lets them focus on their true application from day one.
By considering the whole process, from nanoparticle production to application and bringing solutions in deposition/integration, VSPARTICLE can speed up research and facilitate industrialization.
Melatonin that regulate sleep cycles
1. Melatonin is a hormone produced in the pineal gland of the brain that is responsible for regulating sleep cycles.
2. Melatonin is often considered to be the body’s natural pacemaker. It plays an instrumental role in signaling time of day and time of year, helping to regulate your body’s internal clock.
3. To adjust the body’s internal clock and fall asleep more easily, many people take melatonin supplements in pill form. This is especially common among; shift workers (people with irregular hours), when experiencing jetlag, insomniacs and blind people.
4. Blue light: Melatonin’s arch nemesis. Studies have shown that blue light emitted by screens (TV, computer, phone etc.) suppresses melatonin levels making it more difficult to fall asleep. Red light: Melatonin’s best friend. Red lights are the least likely to suppress melatonin levels and shift circadian rhythms. This makes red light a perfect option for before bed lights and nightlights.
5. Just as different types of light affect melatonin levels, so too are melatonin levels affected by varying degrees of light. Light sensitive receptors in our brains trigger the hormones responsible for melatonin secretion. Because these light sensitive receptors in our brain play such a vital role in melatonin regulation, blind people must often take melatonin supplements to regulate the body’s level of melatonin.
6. We’ve stressed before the importance of regulating your sleep schedule and trying to go to bed and wake up at the same time. Melatonin levels begin to increase approximately two hours before a person goes to sleep, so keeping a rigid sleep schedule will aid in the regularity of melatonin secretion.
7. Melatonin plays a role in regulating the female menstruation cycle. It is responsible to regulating the hormones that affect the onset, frequency and duration of menstruation cycles, including the onset of menstruation later in life
8. Melatonin is also helpful for children with developmental disabilities such as ADHD, and autism.
9. Though melatonin supplements help people to fall asleep more easily, they do not help people to sleep more soundly or regularly throughout the night.
10. We mentioned that melatonin levels increase just before bed and begin to suppress as a person wakes up. Cortisol, a stress hormone operates on the opposite cycle, decreasing just before bed and increasing as a person wakes up. If a person is experiencing higher levels of stress, these two hormones will become misaligned causing a noticeable decline in sleep quality.
Sleep is a chance for your heart
Sleep is a chance for your heart to slow down, even though it has to keep working. Only a little larger than a fist, your heart works hard to pump about 2,000 gallons of blood each day. On average, your heart also “beats” (expands and contracts) 100,000 times a day.
I. Sleep and The Heart
The process of sleep is made up of the following two primary stages:
When you first fall asleep you are in the non-REM stage. The non-REM stage of sleep is a time when your heart does not have to work so hard. About 80% of a full night’s sleep is spent in this stage. During non-REM sleep, your heart rate, breathing and blood pressure all drop to levels below those that occur while you are awake.
REM is the stage of sleep when you have most of your dreams. It is only about 20% of your total sleep time. Your blood pressure and heart rate can go up and down during this stage. If you have a nightmare that wakes you up, you may find that your heart is racing.
When you wake up in the morning, your blood pressure and heart rate both go back up. It is time for you to be active again, and your heart has to get ready for a long day of work.
II. Sleep and Cardiovascular Disease
Sleep and sleep disorders both play a role in cardiovascular disease (CVD). The exact role that they play is still not quite clear. One thing that is certain is that there is a higher risk of sudden cardiac death in the first few hours after you wake up. This may be due to the amount of work your heart has to do when your body gets up and moving again. CVD is a leading cause of death in the U.S. It takes the life of nearly 2,600 Americans every day.
Common forms of CVD include the following:
People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been shown to have higher rates of coronary heart disease and strokes. People who have had a heart attack are more likely to have OSA than those without heart disease. It can be even harder for someone to fully recover from a heart attack if their OSA is not treated.
OSA is a sleep disorder that occurs when the tissue in the back of the throat blocks the airway. This is very common, because the muscles inside the throat relax as you sleep. You stop breathing, keeping the oxygen you need from getting to the lungs. When you stop breathing, your body wakes up. It happens so quickly, you aren’t even aware of it. You can stop breathing hundreds of times in one night. Being treated for OSA reduces your risk of death due to CVD.
Sleep and High Blood Pressure (hypertension)
Several studies have shown that people with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are at a much greater risk of having high blood pressure. OSA causes your oxygen level to drop. Your heart beats faster due to the lack of oxygen. This causes your blood pressure to rise. Over time, this can lead to an ongoing increase in blood pressure. It is important to treat high blood pressure since it is a proven cause of other forms of cardiovascular disease. This includes heart attack, heart failure and stroke.
But treating high blood pressure may not be enough. When high blood pressure does not respond well to treatment, it is often due to the presence of untreated sleep apnea. Once the OSA is treated, then the high blood pressure tends to improve as well. It is vital for your doctor to determine if a sleep disorder such as OSA is a factor in your high blood pressure.
Sleep and Coronary Artery Disease
People with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) have been shown to have higher rates of coronary artery disease (CAD). There are two main reasons why this may occur:
CAD limits the flow of blood due to narrow arteries. This prevents the right amount of oxygen from reaching the heart. Sleep apnea also causes the blood oxygen level to drop during pauses in breathing. This leads to a rise in the heart rate and blood pressure. An extra strain is put on the heart. The amount of oxygen sent to the heart decreases at the time when the heart needs more oxygen. Studies have shown that the presence of OSA increases the risk of death from CAD. But if the sleep apnea is treated, death due to CAD is reduced.
Sleep and Congestive Heart Failure
Damage to the heart that hurts its ability to pump blood is called congestive heart failure (CHF). Sleep disorders can be both a cause and an effect of CHF. The low oxygen levels and high blood pressure related to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can cause the kind of damage that leads to CHF. The heart muscle is unable to handle the stress caused by the OSA. People who have CHF from another cause will see it get worse if they then develop sleep apnea. If sleep apnea is treated, however, patients with CHF will see their heart function improve.
About 40% of people with CHF have a sleep disorder called central sleep apnea (CSA). CSA occurs when the brain fails to tell the lungs to breathe. As this signal is lost, the lungs do not take in the oxygen that your body needs. This happens most often as people are falling asleep. CSA also causes people to wake up many times in the night. When they wake up, their heart rate and blood pressure both rise.
The low levels of oxygen that result from CSA are very harmful. The result is that CSA may worsen heart failure. In return, the heart failure may promote CSA. This causes a horrible cycle of declining heart function. Properly treating the heart failure is the best way to prevent CSA. If CSA still develops, there are treatments that can be used to keep it from occurring.
Sleep and Stroke
A stroke damages the brain when the blood supply to the brain is cut off. This occurs when an artery that brings blood to the brain either clots or bursts. Brain cells can die if the flow of blood to the brain stops for longer than a few seconds. This can cause permanent brain damage. The part of the body controlled by that section of the brain will not be able to function normally. Strokes are the cause of one out of every 15 deaths in the U.S.
High blood pressure is the most common cause of a stroke. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) may indirectly lead to a stroke by causing a rise in blood pressure. Sleep apnea can also directly cause a stroke by reducing the blood flow to the brain. This occurs when the level of oxygen drops during pauses in breathing. It is also common for OSA to begin to occur after someone has had a stroke. This may hinder a person as he tries to recover from the stroke.
III. The Effects of Heart Disease on Sleep
Heart disease can affect your ability to sleep in subtle ways. People with congestive heart failure (CHF) often have a hard time falling asleep or staying asleep. This is due to the shortness of breath that is caused by CHF. This shortness of breath is often made worse when you lie down. The blood in your legs flows back into the heart. This can bring the heart more blood than it is able to pump.
People who have these symptoms may feel like they have insomnia. Doctors call these symptoms:
Heart disease also causes people to worry about their health. They are often afraid that they might have a heart attack or stroke. This anxiety can make it very hard to sleep at night. Over time, this sleep problem can develop into chronic insomnia.
IV. Sleep and a Healthy Heart
There are many things you can do to keep your heart healthy. You should be sure to do the following:
Another thing you can do is to make sure that you get enough sleep to keep your body well rested. You can often sleep better by simply following the practices of good sleep hygiene. Sleep hygiene consists of basic habits and tips that help you develop a pattern of healthy sleep. See the Resources section of this site to find out how you can start down the path to better sleep.
Watch for signs that you may have a sleep disorder. Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder that can put great stress on your heart. Men who are overweight and have large necks are most likely to have OSA.
Symptoms of OSA include the following:
You may not be aware of these signs because they only occur while you are sleeping. Your breathing is normal when you are awake. Ask a bed partner or someone else who has observed your sleep to find out if you snore or stop breathing during your sleep.
Talk with your doctor about your risk of having a sleep disorder. This is very important if you already have high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease. People with congestive heart failure must be monitored for CSA and other sleep disorders. In contrast to OSA, people with heart failure and CSA are often thin and may not snore at all.
If your doctor thinks that you have a sleep disorder, he or she may suggest that you take a sleep study. This is called a polysomnogram. A sleep study is usually done overnight in a sleep center. It charts your brain waves, heart beat, and breathing as you sleep. It also records your eye and leg movements as well as muscle tension.
A sleep specialist will be able to see if there are any problems in the quality of your sleep. Your primary doctor is then given the results of the study. The two of you can decide on the best course of treatment. It is important to remember that sleep disorders are common and treatable. Treating your sleep disorder can help you have a healthier heart.
HUMON BODY
MAJOR CLASSES OF COMPOUNDS IN THE HUMAN BODY
Most of the elements are found within compounds. Water and minerals are inorganic compounds. Organic compounds include fat, protein, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids.
ELEMENTS IN THE HUMAN BODY
Six elements account for 99% of the mass of the human body. The acronym CHNOPS may be used to help remember the six key chemical elements that are used in biological molecules.
C is carbon, H is hydrogen, N is nitrogen, O is oxygen, P is phosphorus, and S is sulfur. While the acronym is a good way to remember the identities of the elements, it doesn’t reflect their abundance.
NATURAL REMEDY FOR COUGH
1. Turmeric
The herb turmeric has a therapeutic effect on coughs, particularly a dry cough.
2. Ginger
Ginger is one of the most popular natural cures for a cough.
3. Lemon
Lemons can be used in a variety of ways for curing coughs. Lemons have properties that reduce inflammation and also provide a dose of infection-fighting vitamin C.
4. Garlic
Garlic has both antibacterial and antimicrobial components that help treat coughs.
5. Onion
One of the simplest home remedies for a cough is to cut onions. Breathing in the strong vapors can help stop coughing.
6. Hot Milk with Honey
Hot milk with honey can relieve a dry cough and reduce chest pain you may be experiencing from continuous coughing. For best results, drink it before going to sleep. For added benefits from the analgesic properties of honey, swallow a teaspoon of plain honey on empty stomach. This will help clear the mucus and soothe your throat.
Remedies for Scar
When skin is injured, fibrous tissue, known as scar tissue, forms over the wound to repair and protect it. This leads to the formation of scar.
You can get a scar on your skin due to accidents, insect bites, scrapes, acne, burns, chickenpox, piercings, surgical cuts and vaccinations.
Scars come in all shapes and sizes, and can affect your appearance and make you self-conscious.
The human body is capable of taking care of scars and they tend to get lighter with time. To speed up healing, you can try some home remedies. The focus of scar removal remedies is to support effective cell growth, minimize scar tissue and create healthy skin.
Here are the remedies for scar removal.
Aloe vera is a natural scar removal remedy due to its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.
It works as a natural emollient to help repair damaged skin and promote growth of healthy skin. In addition, it will improve your skin texture.
Note: Do not apply aloe vera gel on open wounds.
Coconut oil is another excellent ingredient that can help fade scars. The vitamin E, an antioxidant, in coconut oil accelerates the healing time and prevents new scars from forming. In addition, the lauric, caprylic and capric acids found in coconut oil stimulate collagen production, promote healing of damaged skin and reverse free-radical damage.
Vitamin E oil is an effective antioxidant that can help fade scars. Its moisturizing property hydrates the skin and helps repair damaged tissue and improve the appearance of scars.
Note: Test this on a small patch of skin first, as vitamin E oil may cause an allergic reaction in some people.
Olive oil is another effective natural scar removal treatment. It is rich in vitamin E and helps keep the skin soft and moisturized. This in turn promotes the healing of damaged skin. For best results, use extra-virgin olive oil.
Repeat either of these remedies several times a day until you get the desired result.
Lemon contains alpha hydroxy acids, which have healing properties that can help treat scars of all types. Lemon can remove dead skin cells, promote the growth of new skin cells and improve skin elasticity. The vitamin C in lemon also helps regenerate and repair damaged skin. In addition, the bleaching property of lemon helps lighten scars.
Note: As lemon can make your skin photosensitive, avoid going out in the sun immediately after use and be sure to use sunscreen when you go outside.
Honey is a natural moisturizer, making it an effective scar removal treatment. It prevents accumulation of dead skin cells and stimulates skin tissue regeneration.
Remedies for Scars
Graphene-Based Tattoo Functions as Wearable Electronic Device
Researchers have designed a graphene-based tattoo that can be directly laminated onto the skin with water, similar to a temporary tattoo. But instead of featuring artistic or colorful designs, the new tattoo is nearly transparent.
The graphene tattoos retain their full function for about two days, but can be peeled off by a piece of adhesive tape if desired. (Credit: Shideh Kabiri Ameri et al. 2017 American Chemical Society)
Its main attraction is that graphene’s unique electronic properties enable the tattoo to function as a wearable electronic device, with potential applications including biometric uses (such as measuring the electrical activity of the heart, brain, and muscles), as well as human-machine interactions.
The researchers, led by Deji Akinwande and Nanshu Lu at the University of Texas at Austin, have published a paper on the new graphene electronic tattoo in a recent issue of ACS Nano.
In some ways, the graphene electronic tattoo is similar to commercially available electronic devices for health and fitness tracking: both kinds of devices are capable of heart rate monitoring and bioimpedence (a measure of the body’s response to an electric current). But because the ultrathin graphene tattoos can fully conform to the skin, they offer medical-grade data quality, in contrast with the lower performance of the rigid electrode sensors mounted on bands and strapped to the wrist or chest. Due to the high-quality sensing, the researchers expect that the graphene tattoos may offer promising replacements for existing medical sensors, which are typically taped to the skin and require gel or paste to enable the electrodes to function.
“The graphene tattoo is a dry physiological sensor which, because of its thinness, forms an ultra-conformal contact to skin, resulting in increased signal fidelity,” coauthor Shideh Kabiri Ameri at the University of Texas at Austin told Phys.org. “Conformability results in less susceptibility to motion artifacts, which is one the biggest drawbacks of conventional dry sensors and electrodes for physiological measurements.”
The new tattoos are made of graphene that is coated with an ultrathin backing layer of transparent polymer poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA). During fabrication, the graphene/PMMA bilayer is transferred to a piece of ordinary tattoo paper, and the bilayer is then carved into different patterns of serpentine ribbons to make different types of sensors. The finished tattoo is then transferred to any part of the body by bringing the graphene side in contact with the skin and applying water to the back of the tattoo paper to release the tattoo. The tattoos retain their full function for around two days or more, but can be peeled off by a piece of adhesive tape if desired.
Since the researchers previously showed that, theoretically, a graphene tattoo must be less than 510 nm thick to fully conform to human skin and exhibit optimal performance, the tattoo they fabricated here is just 460 nm thick. Combined with graphene/PMMA bilayer optical transparency of approximately 85%, and the fact that the tattoos are more stretchable than human skin, the resulting graphene tattoos are barely perceptible, both mechanically and optically.
Tests showed that the graphene electronic tattoos can be successfully used to measure a variety of electrophysiological signals, including skin temperature and skin hydration, and can function as an electrocardiogram (ECG), electromyogram (EMG), and electroencephalogram (EEG) for measuring the electrical activity of the heart, muscles, and brain, respectively.
“Graphene electronic tattoos are most promising for potential applications in mobile health care, assisted technologies, and human machine interfaces,” Kabiri Ameri said. “In the area of human machine interfaces, electrophysiological signals recorded from the brain and muscles can be classified and assigned for specific action in a machine. This area of research can have applications for the internet of things, smart houses and cities, human computer interaction, smart wheelchairs, speech assistance technology, monitoring of distracted driving, and human-robot control. Recently we have demonstrated the application of graphene tattoos for sensing human signals to wirelessly control flying objects. That demonstration will be reported in the near future.”
Graphene Nanocomposite to Improve Desalination Processes
The use of reverse osmosis desalination technology has gathered more and more usage and interest over the last few years. It is responsible for producing a large amount of fresh water for the growing populations around the world.
Despite their widespread usage, there are still fundamental issues that need to be addressed, and in an effort to expand this technology to more desalination plants worldwide, a team of Researchers from Australia and Egypt have created a new thin film nano-composite (TFNC) membrane to address the issues surrounding water flux, salt rejection and biofouling in these processes.
Currently, reverse osmosis (RO) desalination technology is used in more than 50% of the world’s desalination plants for the production of fresh water. Within these technologies, thin-film composite (TFC) membranes are the most common material utilized for nanofiltration processes.
However, even though this technology is used across most of our drinking water purification processes, they are still privy to some drawbacks, namely a trade-off between both water flux and salt rejection, chlorine degradation and biofouling- all of which lead to the loss of membrane flux and salt rejection performance.
Biofouling is currently the biggest challenge facing desalination plants. Biofouling in these desalination processes has been linked to microorganisms that attach themselves to the filter membrane, where the membrane(ligand)-organism(receptor) interactions cause the formation of extracellular polymeric substances which increase the adherence of bacteria to the membrane.
To combat this, the Researchers required a material with a large (and smooth) surface area for filtering processes, which also possessed biocidal properties.
Naturally, a derivative of graphene is the obvious choice and the Researchers decided upon graphene oxide (GO) nanosheets that help improve the flux, selectivity and antibacterial properties of TFNC membranes.
The Researchers created the composite by incorporating the graphene oxide nanosheets into a thin polyamide (PA) active layer, in the form of poly tannic acid-functionalized graphene oxide nanosheets (pTA-f-GO).
The layers were produced through interfacial polymerization. The graphene oxide was first functionalized with tannic acid (TA) followed by polyethyleneimine (PEI). The tannic acid groups were found to bind tightly to the graphene oxide surface whilst the PEI groups provided free amine groups which helped to facilitate crosslinking to both the tannic acid groups and the polyamide active layer.
The crosslinking chains were found to interact very strongly with the graphene oxide sheets and tightly integrate them into the nanocomposite matrix.
The Researchers characterized the new TNFC using Transmission electron microscopy (TEM, FEI Tecnai G2 Spirit), atomic force microscopy (AFM, NT-MDT NTEGRA SPM), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, Nicolet Nexus 8700 FTIR Spectrophotometer, Thermo Electron Corporation) with a smart orbit attenuated total reflectance probe, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS, Kratos Axis-Ultra DLD, Kratos Analytical) with CasaXPS software (Neal Fairly), electrokinetic analysis methods (Anton Paar) and captive bubble techniques.
By incorporating the pTA-f-GO layer into the TFNC membranes, the Researchers achieved a filtration material with a thinner PA layer, lower surface roughness and a higher hydrophobicity. The presence of such properties increased both the membrane water flux by up to 40% and the salt rejection by 8%.
In addition, the biocidal properties of the graphene sheet within the active layer improved the antibacterial properties of the membrane by 80% compared to standard non-composite membranes.
The process of fabrication was also found to be practical, scalable, versatile, of lower energy consumption, have an improved performance and possess an increased cost-efficiency against current methods. Such production benefits lend the nanocomposite membranes to be implemented across a wide range of applications.
Couple this with the TFNC’s excellent separation and anti-biofouling properties, and the material is one that could easily see itself become a commercially used membrane in the near future, and will perhaps help to increase the number of desalination plants around the world which use of reverse osmosis desalination methods.
Human pheromones
The existence of human pheromones remains controversial. It’s clear that many plants and animals species use hormonal secretions to communicate information relating to reproduction. For example, in 1959 researchers discovered that female silkworms secreted a powerful aphrodisiac, called bombykol, that can attract male silkworms from miles away. To date, however, ironclad evidence that human behavior is governed by pheromones remains elusive.
Nevertheless, there are a number of intriguing studies, which suggest the surprising ways that scents, secretions and body odors containing pheromones may influence human behavior unconsciously.
Unconscious communicationAccording to Bettina Pause, a psychologist, “We’ve just started to understand that there is communication below the level of consciousness. My guess is that a lot of our communication is influenced by chemosignals.”
In mammals, for instance, pheromones are detected by a structure in the nose called the vomeronasal organ, which relays signals to the hypothalamus a region of the brain that controls emotional states, hormonal regulation and sexual arousal.
Some of the most important evidence for the existence of human pheromones comes from a 1998 study by Dr. Martha McClintock, who found that women who live in close proximity (the same dorm, for example) tend to have synchronized menstrual cycles. Scientists believe that chemical messages in sweat are responsible for this harmonization of periods.
Pheromones and brain imagingResearchers have found that certain smells activate the part of the brain related to sexuality.
One powerful form of evidence that pheromones exist comes from PET scanning technology, which can examine the effect of chemical odors on male and female brains. In one study, researchers found that certain hormone-like smells activated specific areas in the hypothalamus related to sexuality, which are not triggered by other odors.
In the words of Dr. David Berliner, “These findings corroborate that human pheromones do exist, and that women can communicate chemically with men and vice versa. This is a very important finding because it shows specific areas of the brain that are activated by these chemicals.”
As you might expect, the brains of heterosexual men and women respond very differently to specific chemical messengers. For example, the brain regions in the female hypothalamus are highly active when women are exposed to testosterone-like chemicals (while exposure to estrogen-like messengers has no effect). Conversely, the brain areas in the male hypothalami light up like a Christmas tree when men are exposed to estrogen-like hormones.
Scientists believe this gender-specific response to chemical secretions shapes the way men and women to perceive each other on an unconscious level.
Can pheromones make you more attractive?
If pheromones govern sexual arousal, then can they be harnessed to make people more attractive? More specifically, could pheromones be added to perfumes, which could be used to lure desired mates?
One study from the University of Chicago found that pheromone-type chemical can heighten the heart rate, increase body temperature and change mood. As of yet, however, scientists have been unable to isolate the specific chemicals that trigger attraction and sexual desire.
Of course, many perfume manufacturers claim that their fragrances can spark desire. In fact, most of these products contain pheromones from animals. However, most scientists insist that pheromones are species specific. In other words, until researchers can isolate specific human pheromones or develop synthetic analogs, then a true love potion of love will remain elusive.
Nevertheless, scientists are continuing to investigate pheromones for their scientific, commercial and therapeutic potential. For example, a company called Pherin Pharmaceuticals is looking into ways to use pheromones messengers to alleviate stress, anxiety and menstrual cramps.
How pheromones may influence human behavior
Research by Wysocki and others indicates that women prefer the musky scent of men who happen to have gene characteristics that match up well with their own DNA. In other words, the nose knows. That is, odor prints may be a huge driver of attractiveness in so far as they help people pick mates with DNA that complements their own. This unconscious form of selection benefits offspring.
Love is in the air
Scientists are still a long way off from unraveling the mysteries of attraction and the role that pheromones may play in influencing sexual behavior. For centuries, people have used expressions like “love is in the air” and “love is a matter of chemistry.” The emerging science of pheromones suggests that these proverbial adages may be far truer than anyone imagined.
Golden spice
Let’s take a quick look at five of the most compelling examples where pharmaceutical drugs pale in comparison to turmeric’s ability to protect and heal your body:
1.Anti-inflammatories
Scientists have now pegged inflammation as a primary risk factor for almost every disease known to man. If you can reduce inflammation, chances are you’ll experience less disease.
So in 2004, scientists at the Cytokine Research Laboratory in Houston, Texas compared a dozen compounds in their ability to reduce inflammation.
Published in the journal Oncogene, researchers discovered that curcumin was among the most effective anti-inflammatory compounds in the world. In fact, it performed better than the powerful and most commonly prescribed steroid dexamethasone, as well as seven popular NSAIDs—including both aspirin and ibuprofen!5
Which means, turmeric may be the key to reversing disease…by reducing inflammation in the body.
Rheumatoid arthritis is a progressive disease and much more devastating than previously understood. Conventional treatment includes using dangerous drugs like prednisone (a steroid), methotrexate (a cancer drug), and diclofenac sodium (an NSAID). Sadly, these types of drugs are associated with close to 100 serious side effects, including damage to your heart, gut, kidneys, liver, hearing, pregnancy, and more!
But if you could get relief from RA without suffering these side effects…wouldn’t you want to know about it? Now you can.
In the first study of its kind, researchers from India set out to compare the benefits of curcumin in turmeric to arthritis drugs. They divided 45 volunteers with rheumatoid arthritis into three groups. One group got curcumin…another diclofenac sodium…and the third, a combination of the two.
The results were extraordinary!
The curcumin group experienced significantly greater reduction in pain, inflammation, and number of swollen and tender joints than the patients in the diclofenac only group. More importantly, curcumin did not relate with any adverse events and was found to be completely safe.6
This study provided the first evidence highlighting the safety and superiority of curcumin treatments in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
3.Cancer Treatment
Despite significant advances in cancer treatment modalities over the last decade, neither the incidence of the disease nor its mortality has changed in the last thirty years. Available anti-cancer drugs exhibit limited effectiveness…produce severe side effects…and are extremely expensive.
However, curcumin in turmeric has been extensively studied and written about over the last three to four decades for its potential anti-cancer effects. In 2015, a team of international researchers conducted a thorough review of this existing scientific literature showing the efficacy of curcumin against various cancers.
And they wrote:
“Curcumin has been found to suppress initiation, progression, and metastasis of a variety of tumors.”7
In an article exploring whether turmeric can prevent or treat cancer, experts at Cancer Research UK wrote…
“A number of laboratory studies on cancer cells have shown that curcumin does have anticancer effects. It seems to be able to kill cancer cells and prevent more from growing. It has the best effects on breast cancer, bowel cancer, stomach cancer and skin cancer cells.
A 2007 American study that combined curcumin with chemotherapy to treat bowel cancer cells in a laboratory showed that the combined treatment killed more cancer cells than the chemotherapy alone.”8
Bottom line…you can feel confident using turmeric as a proven natural cancer treatment.
4.Diabetes Managementiabetes Management
If there was a natural, risk-free remedy for managing your type-2 diabetes, would you be interested? Then consider this…
A 2009 study published in the journal Biochemistry and Biophysical Research Communications explored how supplementing with turmeric offered a lower-risk, more effective solution for managing diabetes.
When Auburn University researchers compared turmeric to the popular diabetes drug Metformin, they found that curcumin in turmeric is literally 400 times more potent than Metformin in activating AMPK—an enzyme that plays a crucial role in glucose transport and increases insulin sensitivity, which can help reverse type 2 diabetes.9
Not only that, another study found that curcumin supplementation protected against two common and debilitating complications of diabetes—diabetic neuropathy and retinopathy.10
For lowering blood sugar, reversing insulin resistance, and protecting against complications of diabetes, turmeric has become the natural treatment of choice.
5.Anti-Depressants-Depressants
In 2014, scientists from India published the results of an innovative study in the journal Phytotherapy Research. The team of researchers split 60 volunteers diagnosed with a major depressive disorder (MDD) into three groups. One group took curcumin, one took the anti-depressant fluoxetine (Prozac), and a third used a combination of the two.
Turns out, curcumin was found to be just as effective as Prozac in managing depression. But more importantly, all patients in the first group tolerated curcumin extremely well. Yet Prozac—along with other depression medications—can cause serious side effects. Brand new symptoms like anxiety, tremors, irregular heartbeats, diarrhea, memory problems, severe skin reactions, insomnia, headaches, weight gain…the list goes on and on!
Which makes using curcumin for alleviating depression a much healthier and safer choice.
Of course, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Going back more than 4,000 years, turmeric has been a treatment of choice in traditional Chinese, Indian, and Ayurveda medicine.1
In China, turmeric was mixed with cinnamon twig and astragalus to effectively treat upper back and shoulder pain.
Ayurvedics inhaled the fumes from burning turmeric to alleviate congestion, used turmeric juice to heal wounds and bruises, and applied a turmeric paste to relieve all sorts of skin conditions.
In India, turmeric has been used traditionally to disinfect surfaces and treat laryngitis, bronchitis, and elevated blood sugar.
But you’re probably wondering the same thing I was. These aren’t exactly the world’s deadliest diseases, so how might turmeric stack up against something bigger, something more debilitating, like…Alzheimer’s!
Interestingly, population studies seem to indicate elderly villagers in India suffer less Alzheimer’s disease compared to their peers in other parts of the world.
See, Alzheimer’s begins as an inflammatory process in the nerve cells of the brain. And Indians eat turmeric with almost every meal…leading researchers to conclude that curcumin’s anti-inflammatory properties are partly responsible for the lower rates of Alzheimer’s.
That’s great news, wouldn’t you agree? Especially if you or someone you know suffers from the overwhelming pain and debilitation that accompanies Alzheimer’s disease.
Yet the healing power of turmeric goes way beyond Alzheimer’s. Hundreds of studies reveal it treats no less that 619 different health concerns.2 Tough health conditions like Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, heart disease—even depression!
Well, for one, turmeric is one of the most studied natural substances ever, going back to 1949. In fact, the amazing health properties of turmeric and its healing compound curcumin are so extensive—there have been 9,487 peer-reviewed articles published in the U.S. National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health!3
Which makes turmeric one of the most frequently mentioned medicinal herbs in all of science!
In fact, there seems to be no end to the incredible healing power of turmeric and its star compound curcumin. Scientists are finding an astonishing array of antioxidant, anticancer, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antibiotic, antifungal, and antibacterial properties.