Force-sensing ‘smart scalpel’ helps hone doctors’ surgical skills

Researchers have developed a scalpel with built-in force-measuring sensors and coupled it with a machine-learning model that could streamline how doctors are trained to perform surgery and pave the way for automated surgical device.

If we have to go under the knife, we want the surgeon performing the surgery to be skilled with a scalpel. It requires striking a balance between using an appropriate amount of force for deliberate and controlled tissue dissection and not applying too much, which can cause damage.

While the level of force applied to the scalpel by its human operator is – obviously – important during surgery, there have been few tools capable of measuring it in real-life settings. Now, researchers at the University of Edinburgh in the UK have developed a ‘smart scalpel’ with built-in sensors to measure force.

“We are excited to develop this new system, which uses a combination of real-life sensing technology and machine learning methods to quantitatively assess surgical skill,” said Ram Ramamoorthy, the study’s corresponding author. “This system will enable the development of new systems for skill assessment and training and could one day lead to the creation of automated surgical devices that can assist surgical teams.”

The smart scalpel prototype

Rhona Crawford/University of Edinburgh

The low-cost, easy-to-replicate device consists of a scalpel connected to a sensor-loaded circuit board fitted inside its handle. The researchers designed a machine-learning model to analyze the force applied by the users. Twelve medical students and two professional surgeons tested their innovative scalpel by performing a series of 12 elliptical incisions on a multilayered skin replica made of gelatin and silicone.

Each procedure, which involved making two curved cuts to the skin, such as those used to remove moles and melanomas, was video-recorded and assessed by four expert surgeons – two neurosurgeons and two plastic surgeons – who rated the participants’ proficiency. The researchers then analyzed the relationships between the subjective expert evaluations and the objective force-based metrics data.

Results broadly matched the surgical experts’ assessment of each medical student’s ability, suggesting that this technology could simplify the process of assessing surgical skills. Some discrepancies arose, which, the researchers say, are partly because neurosurgeons and plastic surgeons use different instrument and tissue handling techniques.

The researchers say their findings open up possibilities for future studies, including using more participants for a more comprehensive analysis. Mapping objective measurements and patient outcomes would also be instructive. They say their method shows promise as a way of analyzing highly procedural tasks such as suturing.

The study was published in the journal Communications Engineering.

Amazon river hits century-low water levels; record drought disrupts lives in Brazilian rainforest

Amazon river is facing a tough situation with century low-levels of water causing a record-drought in the Brazilian rainforest. This led to stranded boats and isolated remote villages.

The Amazon River is the largest river by discharge volume and one of the longest rivers in the world. It is located in South America and flows through several countries, including Peru, Colombia, Brazil, and others.

1. Length and Drainage: The Amazon River has a total length of approximately 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), making it the second longest river in the world after the Nile. It has a massive drainage basin that covers about 7 million square kilometers (2.7 million square miles), which is roughly 40% of South America's land area.

2. Discharge and Tributaries: The river's average discharge is the highest among all rivers worldwide. It discharges approximately 209,000 cubic meters (7,381,000 cubic feet) of water per second into the Atlantic Ocean. The Amazon River is fed by numerous tributaries, including the Negro, Madeira, Purus, and Japurá rivers, among others. Some of its tributaries are also quite large rivers in their own right.

3. Biodiversity: The Amazon Rainforest, through which the Amazon River flows, is known for its incredible biodiversity. It is one of the most diverse ecosystems on Earth, housing an estimated 16,000 species of trees and a vast array of plants, animals, and insects. The river and its surrounding rainforest provide a habitat for numerous species, including the pink river dolphin, anaconda, piranha, and various bird species.

4. Navigation and Economic Importance: The Amazon River serves as a crucial transportation route for the region. It enables the movement of goods, people, and resources across vast distances, particularly in areas with limited road infrastructure. The river is also significant for the local economy, supporting fishing, agriculture, and tourism activities.

5. Environmental Challenges: The Amazon River and its rainforest face several environmental challenges, including deforestation, illegal logging, and habitat destruction. These factors contribute to biodiversity loss and have broader implications for climate change and global carbon dioxide levels. Conservation efforts and sustainable practices are being pursued to address these challenges and protect the river's ecosystem.

The Amazon River and its surrounding rainforest are not only remarkable natural features but also play a vital role in the global ecosystem and have significant cultural and economic importance for the countries and communities that rely on them.

What is and Auto - Recloser?

Auto Recloser:

The auto recloser is a protective device that would automatically trip and reclose for a preset number of times. 

Reclosers are used for quick, temporary fault clearance, while circuit breakers permanently isolate the faulted area.

An auto-recloser is an electrical device used in power distribution systems to automatically detect and isolate faults on overhead lines. It is designed to quickly restore power after a temporary fault, such as a momentary short circuit or transient fault.

When a fault occurs on a power line, such as a tree branch coming into contact with the line, the auto-recloser detects the fault and automatically interrupts the flow of electricity. It then attempts to restore power by automatically closing the circuit again after a predetermined time delay, typically a few seconds.

If the fault is persistent or continues to occur, the auto-recloser will attempt to re-close the circuit a set number of times (usually three) before it locks out, signaling a more severe fault that requires manual intervention by utility personnel.

Auto-reclosers provide several benefits in power distribution systems. By automatically isolating and restoring power to temporary faults, they help minimize the duration of power outages and improve the reliability of electrical supply. They can also help reduce the need for manual inspections and repairs, as they can often clear transient faults without human intervention.

Overall, auto-reclosers play a crucial role in maintaining the continuity of electrical power and ensuring efficient and reliable distribution in overhead line systems.

Mild sleep restriction increases endothelial oxidative stress in female persons

Sleep restriction is associated with increased cardiovascular risk, which is more pronounced in female than male persons. We reported recently first causal evidence that mild, prolonged sleep restriction mimicking “real-life” conditions impairs endothelial function, a key step in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease, in healthy female persons. However, the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In model organisms, sleep restriction increases oxidative stress and upregulates antioxidant response via induction of the antioxidant regulator nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2). Here, we assessed directly endothelial cell oxidative stress and antioxidant responses in healthy female persons (n = 35) after 6 weeks of mild sleep restriction (1.5 h less than habitual sleep) using randomized crossover design. Sleep restriction markedly increased endothelial oxidative stress without upregulating antioxidant response. Using RNA-seq and a predicted protein–protein interaction database, we identified reduced expression of endothelial Defective in Cullin Neddylation-1 Domain Containing 3 (DCUN1D3), a protein that licenses Nrf2 antioxidant responses, as a mediator of impaired endothelial antioxidant response in sleep restriction. Thus, sleep restriction impairs clearance of endothelial oxidative stress that over time increases cardiovascular risk.

More than a third of US adults sleep less than recommended 7–8 h per night1,2. Insufficient sleep is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk, leading the American Heart Association to include sleep duration as the 8th metric of cardiovascular health in Life’s Essential 82,3,4. Female persons report sleep disturbances more frequently and have a more pronounced inflammatory response and cardiovascular risk associated with insufficient sleep than males2,4,5,6,7,8. We recently reported that randomly allocated mild, prolonged sleep restriction causes endothelial inflammation and dysfunction, early steps in the development of cardiovascular disease, in healthy female persons7. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear.

One suggested major function of healthy sleep is prevention of oxidative stress, an important contributor to endothelial inflammation and dysfunction9,10,11. Insufficient sleep, much like other cardiovascular risk factors, including cigarette smoking, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes, generates intracellular oxidative stress11. Studies in Drosophila and rodent models have shown that sleep restriction increases oxidative stress (defined as increased generation of reactive oxygen species) and upregulates antioxidant response via induction of the antioxidant regulator nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2)-like 2 (Nrf2), a redox sensitive transcription factor that is kept in a latent state through its interaction with its repressor cullin-3 (Cul3)-containing ubiquitin ligase complex12,13,14. In response to increased oxidative stress, an adaptor protein Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1) that binds to Nrf2 and Cul3 is modified and ubiquitin ligase complex is inactivated, allowing for Nrf2 accumulation and translocation into the nucleus where it binds to the antioxidant response element (ARE) and initiates the transcription of antioxidant genes15.

Organ-specific overexpression of antioxidant genes rescues the survival of severely sleep-deprived Drosophila11 and activation of the Nrf2-ARE pathway confers protection from cardiovascular diseases16, suggesting that intact antioxidant responses are essential to counteract detrimental effects of sleep restriction. Studies of the effects of insufficient sleep on oxidative stress in model organisms employed severe, acute sleep restriction or genetic manipulations that limit models’ lifespan11,17. Such extreme, short-term sleep curtailment has limited relevance to predominant populational sleep patterns of chronic, mild sleep curtailment owing to maintaining work/life balance in modern societies2,4,11,17,18. Whether chronic, mild sleep curtailment that mimics “real-life” sleep patterns affect endothelial oxidative stress and antioxidant responses is unknown. Using a randomized crossover design, we assessed oxidative stress and antioxidant responses directly in endothelial cells (ECs) freshly harvested from healthy female participants before and after objectively monitored 6 weeks of mild sleep restriction or adequate sleep.

How do I keep my engine healthy?

𝑯𝑶𝑾 𝑫𝑶 𝑰 𝑲𝑬𝑬𝑷 𝑴𝒀 𝑬𝑵𝑮𝑰𝑵𝑬 𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑳𝑻𝑯𝒀?

𝐷𝑟𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑤𝑎𝑦 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑏𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑔𝑒, 𝑙𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑐𝑜𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑚𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔𝑒𝑟 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒. 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑠 𝑐𝑎𝑛 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑒𝑦 𝑜𝑛 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑎𝑖𝑟𝑠, 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒.

 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗼𝗶𝗹

𝐸𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑖𝑙 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑟𝑢𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑢𝑏𝑟𝑖𝑐𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑡𝑒𝑎𝑟. 𝐼𝑡 𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑝𝑠 𝑑𝑢𝑠𝑡, 𝑑𝑖𝑟𝑡, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑐𝑘𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑡ℎ𝑙𝑦. 𝑂𝑖𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑠 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑗𝑢𝑛𝑘 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑖𝑙, 𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑠𝑚𝑜𝑜𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑐𝑜𝑜𝑙 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.

𝗗𝗼𝗻’𝘁 𝗸𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗻 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹

𝑃𝑒𝑡𝑟𝑜𝑙 𝑠𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑎𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑘'𝑠 𝑏𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚, 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑤𝑒𝑎𝑟 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝. 𝑇𝑜𝑝 𝑢𝑝 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑡𝑎𝑛𝑘 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑𝑢𝑝, 𝑠𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑢𝑚𝑝 𝑟𝑒𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑐𝑒𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝑡𝑠.

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗳𝘂𝗲𝗹 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿

𝐴 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑓𝑖𝑙𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑟𝑒𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒𝑠 𝑗𝑢𝑛𝑘 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙, 𝑎𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑡𝑜 𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟, 𝑟𝑒𝑑𝑢𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑒𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑖𝑙𝑑-𝑢𝑝 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑞𝑢𝑒𝑛𝑐ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑢𝑒𝑙 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡.

𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸 𝗽𝗹𝘂𝗴𝘀

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑝𝑙𝑢𝑔, 𝑎 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟, 𝑟𝑒𝑞𝑢𝑖𝑟𝑒𝑠 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑙 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑎𝑛𝑐𝑒 𝑑𝑢𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑖𝑡𝑠 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑙𝑖𝑓𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑛. 𝑅𝑒𝑔𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑟 𝑐𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑐𝑎𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛𝑡𝑎𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑘 𝑟𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑝𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑜𝑡 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑢𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛.

The power available in the wind

The power available in the wind spectra refers to the amount of energy that can be extracted from the wind at different wind speeds and frequencies. The power available in the wind spectra is determined by several factors, including the wind speed, air density, blade length, and rotor diameter of the wind turbine.

The power available in the wind spectra can be described by a power curve, which shows the relationship between the wind speed and the power output of the wind turbine. The power curve is typically obtained by testing the wind turbine under different wind speeds and measuring the power output.

The power available in the wind spectra can be estimated using the following equation:

P = 0.5 x A x rho x v^3 x Cp

where P is the power available in the wind spectra, A is the swept area of the rotor, rho is the air density, v is the wind speed, and Cp is the power coefficient of the wind turbine. The power coefficient represents the efficiency of the wind turbine in converting the kinetic energy of the wind into electrical power.

The power coefficient of a wind turbine depends on several factors, including the blade design, the tip speed ratio, and the pitch angle of the blades. The power coefficient is typically highest at a specific wind speed, known as the rated wind speed, and decreases at higher and lower wind speeds.

In general, the power available in the wind spectra increases with the cube of the wind speed, which means that a small increase in wind speed can result in a significant increase in power output. Therefore, wind turbines are designed to operate at the highest possible wind speeds while avoiding damage from excessive wind loads.

 

World 1920 vs World 2023

Over the course of 103 years, from 1923 to 2023, everything in the world has undergone profound transformations, encompassing advancements in technology, shifts in societal norms, and remarkable progress in various fields of knowledge.

World 1920 vs. World 2023: 

🌍 Members:

1920: 78 Independent Nations

2023: 195 Countries

🗺️ Area:

1920: 148,940,431 in km²

2023: 148,940,298 in km²

👥 Population:

1920: 1.9 billion

2023: 8.1 billion

🏞️ Population density:

1920: 12.7 per km²

2023: 53.4 per km²

📈 Population growth rate:

1920: 1.8

2023: 1.05

👶 Fertility rate:

1920: 5.1

2023: 2.4

👫 Gender ratio (female/male):

1920: 1000/1051

2023: 990/1010

🌡️ Average temperature:

1920: 56.89 °F

2023: 57.00 °F

🌎 Largest country:

1920: British Empire (35,000,000+ km²)

2023: Russia (17,098,240 km²)

🌍 Most populated country:

1920: British Empire (458 million)

2023: India (1.43 billion)

🗣️ Most spoken language:

1920: Mandarin Chinese (474 million)

2023: English (1.2 billion)

🕍 Most followed religion:

1920: Christianity (690 million)

2023: Christianity (2.38 billion)

🌲 Forest area:

1920: 5,500,000,000 hectares

2023: 4,060,000,000 hectares

💰 GDP (nominal):

1920: $612 billion

2023: $212.6 trillion

💰 GDP per capita:

1920: $322

2023: $12,641

🏛️ Highest GDP country:

1920: US ($115 billion)

2023: US ($26.5 trillion)

💰 Richest country:

1920: Australia ($5,482)

2023: Liechtenstein ($180,000)

🏙️ Most density country:

1920: Netherlands (168/km²)

2023: Monaco (26,337/km²)

👶 Highest fertility rate country:

1920: Armenia (7.84 births per woman)

2023: Niger (6.91 births per woman)

👶 Lowest fertility rate country:

1920: Switzerland (2.37 births per woman)

2023: South Korea (0.9 births per woman)

💪 Most powerful country:

1920: British Empire

2023: United States

🏙️ Richest city by GDP:

1920: New York ($8 billion)

2023: Tokyo ($2.05 trillion)

🌆 Most populated city:

1920: New York (7.77 million)

2023: Tokyo (37.3 million)

🏟️ Largest stadium:

1920: Ohio Stadium (102,730)

2023: Narendra Modi Stadium (132,000)

🏢 Tallest building:

1920: Woolworth Building (241 meters)

2023: Burj Khalifa (828 meters)

🏭 Steel production (in metric tons):

1920: 58,908,006

2023: 158,500,000

💰 Richest person:

1920: Henry Ford ($1.2 billion)

2023: Elon Musk ($228 billion)

💵 Most valuable currency:

1920: Swiss Franc

2023: Kuwait Dinar