An atom passing through a hole in a dielectric membrane: Impact of dispersion forces on mask-based matter-wave lithography

Fast, large area patterning of arbitrary structures down to the nanometre scale is of great interest for a range of applications including the semiconductor industry, quantum electronics, nanophotonics and others. It was recently proposed that nanometre-resolution mask lithography can be realised by sending metastable helium atoms through a binary holography mask consisting of a pattern of holes. However, these first calculations were done using a simple scalar wave approach, which did not consider the dispersion force interaction between the atoms and the mask material. To access the true potential of the idea, it is necessary to access how this interaction affects the atoms. Here we present a theoretical study of the dispersion force interaction between an atom and a dielectric membrane with a hole. We look at metastable and ground state helium, using experimentally realistic wavelengths (0.05-1 nm) and membrane thicknesses (5-50 nm). We find that the effective hole radius is reduced by around 1-7 nm for metastable helium and 0.5-3.5 nm for ground-state helium. As expected, the reduction is largest for thick membranes and slow atoms.

Media Adaptation of Mask Making in Malang: Study of Functional and Process for Making Fiber Masks

The mask is the main attribute in Malang Mask Show. The representation of Malang masks has undergone adaptation along with the development of the times, which were originally made of wood. This study aims to analyze the Malang mask material from the adaptation process of fiber raw materials as its component. The research approach method is descriptive qualitative. Data collection techniques using observation and interviews as the unit of analysis descriptively. The results of the study on the adaptation of the raw material for making Malang masks from wood into fiber as a medium of learning and the preservation of local culture as a medium of learning in schools. The technique of making Malang masks with fiber material uses the basic principles of printing and finishing techniques in the painting process using acrylic paint. An important finding from this research is that the Malang Mask making material using fiber has long durability, does not rot because it is synthetic

Validation of N95 respirator mask for the Re-use in the pandemic crisis

The SARS COVID 19 (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Corona Virus Disease 2019) pandemic has created a surge in the need for N95 respirators all across the world. Health care systems are struggling to find a way to cleanse and decontaminate the N95 masks for reuse. To combat the crisis there is a need to validate the N95 mask for efficiency and air filterability on repeated exposure to UV irradiation and vaporized hydrogen peroxide with equal parts of normal saline. To validate N95 respirator mask by using UVGI (Ultra Violet Germicidal Irradiation) method using UV hood and VHP (Vaporized Hydrogen peroxide 6% with equal volume saline 0.9% using an OT fogger machine). VHP decontamination is the method of choice to repeatedly re-sterilize N95 masks. Decontamination by the VHP method is more efficient in killing microorganisms within a short duration of exposure (60 minutes). The method retains the texture of the mask material, re-usability and air filterability even with repeated exposure (up to 10 times). UVGI does sterilize the mask but is inferior to VHP in retaining air filterability.

Viability of Bacillus subtilis Cells in Airborne Bioaerosols on Face Masks

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is a general health crisis and has irreversible impacts on human societies. Globally, all people are at risk of being exposed to the novel coronavirus through transmission of airborne bioaerosols. Public health actions, such as wearing a mask, are highly recommended to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases. The appropriate use of masks is necessary for effectively preventing the transmission of airborne bioaerosols. The World Health Organization (WHO) suggests washing fabric masks or throwing away disposable masks after they are used. However, people often use masks more than once without washing or disposing them. The prolonged use of a single mask might—as a result of the user habitually touching the mask—promote the spread of pathogens from airborne bioaerosols that have accumulated on the mask. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate how long the living components of bioaerosols can be viable on the masks. Here, we evaluated the viability of airborne Bacillus subtilis (B. subtilis) in bioaerosols filtered on woven and anti-droplet (non-woven) face masks. As a simulation of being simultaneously exposed to sand dust and bioaerosols, the viability rates of bioaerosols that had accumulated on masks were also tested against fine dust and airborne droplets containing bacteria. The bioaerosols survived on the masks immediately after the masks were used to filter the bioaerosols, and the bacteria significantly proliferated after one day of storage. Thereafter, the number of viable cells in the filtered bioaerosols gradually decreased over time, and the viability of B. subtilis in bioaerosols on the masks varied, depending on the mask material used (woven or non-woven). Despite the reduction in viability, bioaerosols containing living components were still found in both woven and anti-droplet masks even after six days of storage and it took nine days not to have found them on masks. The number of viable cells in bioaerosols on masks significantly decreased upon exposure of the masks to fine dust. The results of this study should provide useful information on how to appropriately use masks to increase their duration of effectiveness against bioaerosols.

Mechanical Analysis of Ice-Composite and Fibber Strength by Daily Tools

The analysis on mechanical properties of ice-composite focus on three aspects. The first is the novelty of the material. As an ice composite, the selection and placement of different fibres will have a crucial impact on the material and properties of the composite. Regarding the type of fibre,10 groups of controlled experiments are designed totally with materials commonly used in daily life, with three samples in each group and 33 samples in total. The fillers include cloth of socks, polyester fibre plastic bags (hard, soft, garbage sorting bags), pulp, hemp ropes, nylon ropes, non-woven fabrics, bamboo fibre, and the mask material applied in preventing COVID-19 specially. Considering that in most cases, the mask is a one-off, it is also creatively thought of using disinfected waste masks as reinforcement material for the ice-composite to reduce the waste of recyclable materials. Considering that disposable masks commonly used in this scheme usually consist of an inner and outer layer, as shown in the figure. The applicability of these two fibres was investigated by adding these materials prepared by the inner and outer layers of masks into the Ice-composite. In order to systematically study the influence of different variables on ice composites, different control groups in four directions are set: fibre type, fibre content, fibre length, and fibre orientation. For each control group, more than 2 types of materials were tested and relevant parameters were analysed according to the results. In addition, as a result of the experiment environment to room temperature, and in the process of operation, hands and other body parts contact could accelerate the melting of the ice, leading to the change of the sample properties. To conquer this problem, a blank control group which contains only ice at room temperature is set to make a comparison and provide a standard for determining the improvement of fibre added ice-composite. (The parameters measured in this sample will be used as correction factors in the experiment so that the real properties of the resulting ice composite can be measured.) Considering the influence of fibre orientation on material properties, an extra control group for the same kind of materials is set: one group is stirred evenly with the matrix, and the other group is placed vertically along the direction of the box. In terms of testing, the mechanical properties of the products are mainly tested, including Stiffness Properties, Elastic property. Three related physical properties, the elastic modulus E, the shear modulus G, and the Poisson’s ratio V, are measured to evaluate. Tensile and compressive strength in X, Y, and Z directions are also considered. In particular, different evaluation systems are established for uniform and multilayer unidirectional composite (longitudinal). In addition, a series of properties, such as bend strength, impact strength, and fracture toughness are measured. Considering the limits of daily measuring instruments, the melting of ice in the operation process affects the measurement of normal strain and the fact that the strain of ice composite material is relatively small, it is creatively thought to use a laser pointer and cosmetic mirror which are common in the multimedia classroom of the university campus to magnify the tiny deformation to facilitate measurement. In terms of the result presentation, it is tried to use broken line charts to show the correlation between various variables and material properties. Finally, the error sources existing in the experiment has been summarized and some improvement plans are proposed according to the existing problems of this experiment.

Innovative Textiles Used in Face Masks: Filtration Efficiency and Self-Disinfecting Properties against Coronaviruses

Within the current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, personal protective equipment, including face masks, is one important tool to interrupt virus transmission chains within the community. In this context, the quality of different face masks is frequently discussed and should, therefore, be evaluated. In this study, nanofleece textiles with a particle filtering effect and textiles with a self-disinfecting treatment were examined, which may be combined in face masks. Firstly, newly developed nanofleece textiles were tested regarding their filtration efficiency against airborne coronavirus, using feline coronavirus (FCoV) as a surrogate for SARS-CoV-2. The tested nanofleece textiles showed filtration efficiencies of over 95% against FCoV when used as a double layer and were, therefore, almost on par with the FFP-2 mask material, which was used as a reference. Secondly, eight treated, self-disinfecting textiles, which may increase the safety in the handling of potentially contaminated masks, were tested against SARS-CoV-2. Three out of eight treated textiles showed significant activity against SARS-CoV-2 and achieved about three LOG10 (99.9%) of virus titer reduction after twelve hours of incubation. Since all possible transmission paths of SARS-CoV-2, as well as the minimal infection doses, remain unknown, both investigated approaches seem to be useful tools to lower the virus spread within the community.

UV decontamination of personal protective equipment with idle laboratory biosafety cabinets during the COVID-19 pandemic

Personal protective equipment (PPE) is crucially important to the safety of both patients and medical personnel, particularly in the event of an infectious pandemic. As the incidence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) increases exponentially in the United States and many parts of the world, healthcare provider demand for these necessities is currently outpacing supply. In the midst of the current pandemic, there has been a concerted effort to identify viable ways to conserve PPE, including decontamination after use. In this study, we outline a procedure by which PPE may be decontaminated using ultraviolet (UV) radiation in biosafety cabinets (BSCs), a common element of many academic, public health, and hospital laboratories. According to the literature, effective decontamination of N95 respirator masks or surgical masks requires UV-C doses of greater than 1 Jcm−2, which was achieved after 4.3 hours per side when placing the N95 at the bottom of the BSCs tested in this study. We then demonstrated complete inactivation of the human coronavirus NL63 on N95 mask material after 15 minutes of UV-C exposure at 61 cm (232 μWcm−2). Our results provide support to healthcare organizations looking for methods to extend their reserves of PPE.