A ‘smart cap’ that can help detect
milk spoilage?
A new 3D printed ‘smart cap’ can now help you know if the
milk delivered to you is fresh or not, says a study.
The 3D printed cap for a milk carton, which has wireless
electronic sensors embedded in it, can detect signs of spoilage in the milk.
The new technology is a step in the direction when you can check your food
using your smartphone, researchers said. The findings were described in a
new open-access journal Microsystems & Nanoengineering from the
Nature Publishing Group.
‘Our paper describes the first demonstration of 3D
printing for working basic electrical components, as well as a working wireless
sensor,’ said senior author professor Liwei Lin, from the University of
California Berkeley. ‘You could imagine a scenario where you can use your
mobile phone to check the freshness of food while it’s still on the store
shelves,’ he added.
The researchers integrated the electronic components into
a plastic milk carton cap to monitor signs of spoilage. The ‘smart cap’ was
fitted with a capacitor and an inductor to form a resonant circuit. A
quick flip of the carton allowed a bit of milk to get trapped in the cap’s
capacitor gap, and the entire carton was then left unopened at room temperature
for 36 hours.
The circuit could detect the changes in electrical signals
that accompany increased levels of bacteria. The researchers periodically
monitored the changes with a wireless radio-frequency probe at the start of the
experiment and every 12 hours thereafter, up to 36 hours. The property of
milk changes gradually as it degrades, leading to variations in its electrical
characteristics. Those changes were detected wirelessly using the smart cap,
which found that the peak vibration frequency of the room temperature milk
dropped by 4.3 percent after 36 hours.
In comparison, a carton of milk kept in refrigeration saw
a relatively minor 0.12 percent shift in frequency over the same time
period. ‘This 3D-printing technology could eventually make electronic
circuits cheap enough to be added to packaging to provide food safety alerts
for consumers,’ Lin said.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
22.07.2015
Woman gives birth in a car — is it
really safe?
Preparing for childbirth is
probably as mammoth of a task as the process itself. The ride from home to the
hospital is anything but comfortable — so is everything that follows. To top
that, imagine being stuck in traffic! While getting stuck in traffic is second
nature to us, giving birth in a car — hard to picture, right? Not for Leslie
Pettijohn!
Leslie and Jonathan got stuck in traffic on their way to
the birthing center. As her contractions got closer, and her water broke,
Leslie realized she couldn’t hold the baby in any longer. What followed, is
crazy! Within four minutes, she delivered a baby boy — IN THE CAR.
Anticipating the birth before they get to the hospital,
Jonathan had set up a camera and caught the whole thing on tape.
While the baby and mother are reportedly safe, there are a
lot of things that could have gone wrong in such a situation. Unassisted
childbirth can result in a variety of complications and not having medical help
on hand can have some serious repercussions.
·
The conditions are
unsanitary and can be infectious to both the mother and the child.
·
The placenta
requires a proper disposal after birth.
·
In Leslie’s case,
the baby was born head-first, but in an off-chance that the baby came out
feet-first, there are chances of the baby suffocating.
According to Jonathan, who uploaded the video on YouTube,
this is their third baby — which means they do have an idea about what to
expect. But still, it is always good to seek medical help when the life of your
baby is at risk.
Source: www.thehealthsite.com
22.07.2015
We don’t see things as they
are, we see them as we are
Anais
Nin
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