August 1, 2020 | Adamas University

#PhysicsPlus : X-ray: History, Present scenario of Production and Role in Recent Pandemic situation due to COVID-19

Introduction: Importance of x-ray in 20^th century Human civilization

Discovery of ‘x-ray’ is one of the significant factors to enhance the quality of modern science and life. It enters into realm of the practical use in medical physics instantly after berth. X-ray is widely used in physical, chemical, biological science and clinical laboratory. It is noteworthy to mention that x-ray opens the many interesting doors of new science. Use of physics based techniques and instruments in medical science are very important. However, in this pandemic situation due to the spread of COVID-19 virus it becomes a centre of discussion. Although most basic research has been suspended by the coronavirus pandemic, some labs remain open to engage in a furious effort to find treatments for the disease. Physicists and chemists are vital to a key part of that quest: decoding the three-dimensional structures of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) proteins and finding locations where drugs could latch on and disable the viral machinery. It is noteworthy to mention that physics-based techniques play a huge role in the field of structural biology. And it has long history and relation with the x-ray crystallography and x-ray production technique. The vast majority of biological macromolecule structures are obtained by X-ray crystallography, going back to 1934, when John Desmond Bernal and Dorothy Hodgkin recorded the first X-ray diffraction pattern of a crystallized protein, the digestive enzyme pepsin. Their work stemmed from that of physicists such as Wilhelm Röntgen, who discovered X-rays; Max von Laue, who discovered that X-ray wavelengths are comparable with inter-atomic distances and are therefore diffracted by crystals; and William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg, who showed how to use a diffraction pattern to analyse the corresponding crystal structure. Hodgkin went on to win the 1964 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for her determinations by X-ray techniques of the structures of important biochemical substances.

Nobel Prizes awarded for Research in x-ray and discovery using x-ray

The importance of x-ray in human civilization may be understood little by the awarding of Nobel Prized in the field of “X-ray”.

Sir Wilhelm Conrad Roentgen obtained “Nobel Prize” for his remarkable discovery of x-ray in 1901.
In 1902 Endrick A.Lorentz & Pieter Zeeman were awarded Nobel Prize in recognition of extraordinary services; they have done research into influence of magnetism upon radiation phenomena.
Another research and discovery which causes a paradigm shift in the field of physical, chemical and biological science is x-ray crystallographic diffraction.
In 1914 Max Von Laue was awarded Nobel Prize for his discovery of diffraction of x rays by crystals.
William Henry Bragg & William Lawrence Bragg were awarded Nobel Prize in 1915 for their services in analysis of crystal structure by means of X-rays.
Charles Glover Barkla is remembered and awarded Nobel Prize in 1917 for his contribution in research of characteristic roentgen radiation of elements.
Karl Manne Georg Siegbahn obtained Nobel Prize for his discoveries and research in field of X ray spectroscopy in 1924.
In 1927 Arthur holly Compton was awarded Nobel Prize for his contributions to the knowledge of molecular structure through his investigations on dipole moments & on the Diffraction of x rays and electrons in gases.
McLeod Cormack & G. Newbold Hounsfield were awarded Nobel Prize in 1979 for the development of computed axial tomography.
In 1981 Kai M.Siegbahn were awarded Nobel Prize for his contribution to the development of high resolution electron microscopy.
Herbert A.Hauptman & Jerome Karle were obtained Nobel Prize on 1985 for their outstanding Achievements in development of direct methods for the determination of Crystal Structures.
In 2002 Raymond Davis Jr., Masatoshi Koshiba, Riccardo Giacconi were awarded Nobel prize for pioneering contributions to astrophysics, in particular for detection of cosmic neutrinos and discovery of cosmic x ray sources.

Production of x-ray at the early stage:

X-ray is an electromagnetic wave. The wave length range is 0.01 to 10nm. German physicist Wilhelm Röntgen is credited for discover of x-rays in 1895. However, x-ray emitting from crookes tubes and experimental discharge tubes was invented around 1875 but it was first systematic studied by the physicist Röntgen. Dr. Röntgen received the first Nobel Prize in Physics in 1901 “in recognition of the extraordinary services he has rendered by the discovery of the remarkable rays subsequently named after him”. Primarily x-ray was produced in crookes tube. But the tube is unreliable as the small quantity gas is absorbed by wall of the tube itself. X-ray production method was upgraded due to the invention of the thermionic diode by John Ambrose Fleming on 1904. Nobel Prize received by Charles Barkla in 1917 “For his discovery of the characteristic Röntgen radiation of the elements”, another important step in the development of X-ray spectroscopy. Method of the x-ray production crossed another step by invention of Coolidge x-ray tube during 1912 by Willam D. Coolidge for continuous x-ray emission and used for a long time.

Diffractometer is used in laboratory for structural analysis.

Paradigm shift in X-Ray production:

As the x-ray is electromagnetic wave, shows phenomena like other light or electromagnetic wave viz. reflection, diffraction, absorption etc. Von Laue in 1912 discovers the diffraction of x-ray by crystals, building block of the solid material and emerge a new field ‘X-ray Crystallography’. It helps the scientist to look inside a solid and reveal the internal structure and symmetry of the materials.

However, x-ray imagining is the phenomena of x-ray absorption by the material and widely known to us in the field of clinical medicine. Another contribution of x-ray in the development of material science is X-ray Absorption Fine Spectroscopy (XAFS). It is one of the wide spread application of the x-ray in the scientific purpose, awaited a decade after discovery of x-ray diffraction. XAFS is the modern development of X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS). XAFS require a powerful stable x-ray source and the demand meets by the electron synchrotron with stable and brilliant storage rings (There is only one synchrotron in India at RRCAT, Indore). It also further improved the field of x-ray diffraction of the material due to high penetration depth and directionality. Synchrotron x-rays were first observed in 1947. It is note-worthy to mention that, the structure of DNA was discovered by J. Watson and F. Crick using the x-ray in 1953.

Structural Biology – Virus: Potential Contribution of Synchrotron to overcome Pandemic:

Single biological molecules diffract X-rays, but only very weakly. Crystallization, as Bernal and Hodgkin employed for pepsin, is helpful because it results in the repetition of huge numbers of molecules in an ordered, 3D lattice, so that all their tiny signals reinforce one another and become detectable – by photographic plates in the early days and by active pixel detectors today. These signals are not images of the molecules, for there are no materials that can substantially refract, and thereby focus, scattered X-rays. Rather, the signals are merely the sum of the contributions of X-rays diffracted from different parts of the molecule. To pick apart these contributions, structural biologists rely on a mathematical tool – the Fourier transform. The calculated contributions are then equated with possible atomic structures by a lot of careful (and now largely computer-driven) interpretation. For structural biologists, x-ray crystallography is by far the most commonly used tool for unravelling protein structures. It also produces the highest resolution images of structures. The process typically is performed at cryogenic temperatures to limit ionizing- radiation damage to proteins. Small-angle X-Ray scattering has dedicated beamlines at each of the synchrotron light sources. The technique lacks the angular resolution of crystallography, but it can be used to examine macromolecules in solution, nearer a protein’s native state at room temperature. The scattering can explore how structures change over time as the virus matures. That evolutionary process could occur over hours or days, says Britt Hedman, SSRL science director.

Role of high energetic x-ray beam

Here the interactive signal is X-rays. Nowadays, synchrotron radiation sources are ideal for macromolecular crystallography because they produce high-intensity X-rays with a very narrow spread of wavelengths. This tremendous job is done by the synchrotron source within just a second where as traditional x-ray diffractor machine take time around a month. The four-year delay in obtaining the structure of HIV protease was primarily due not to the brilliance or quality of X-rays, but to the lack of sizeable crystals of the enzyme. Current synchrotrons and ever newer free-electron lasers – which extract diffraction data from molecular crystals in the few femtoseconds before they are annihilated – employ techniques such as serial crystallography to build up a complete diffraction dataset from numerous partial datasets of crystals that would otherwise be too small. More¬over, both the crystallization and data collection are now automated, so that structural biologists need not even visit a light source themselves: they simply post their proteins to a facility and download the dataset when it is ready.

HIV protease

As of early April, the life sciences beam lines were open for SARS-CoV-2 research at the UK’s Diamond Light Source. In the US, at least 23 groups were working at the Advanced Photon Source at Argonne National Laboratory as of press time, according to Bob Fischetti, life sciences adviser at the APS. The National Synchrotron Light Source II at Brookhaven National Laboratory, SLAC’s Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Lightsource (SSRL), and the Advanced Light Source at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are operating with minimal staff, each keeping open several x-ray protein crystallography beamlines strictly for corona virus research. The BESSY II light source in Berlin closed briefly but resumed operations on 2 April for coronavirus research, which is also ongoing at the Shanghai synchrotron in China, where the first 3D structure of the main protease protein was resolved. Officials there did not respond to requests for comment. The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France has been closed for an upgrade, but it announced in early April that it would consider reopening beamlines on a case-by case basis for coronavirus research.

Macromolecular Crystallographic Beamline at Diamond Light Source; UK

World wide there is resurgence to uncover SARS-CoV-2 structure and get rid of this pandemic. On 5 February this year, a little over a month after the Chinese authorities disclosed the existence of the new coronavirus, a research team led by Zihe Rao and Haitao Yang at ShanghaiTech University in China uploaded the structure of the virus’s main protease to the Protein Data Bank, having obtained the dataset using X-ray crystallography at the Shanghai Synchrotron Radiation Facility. “A decade ago, that would have taken a year,” says Wlodawer. The structure is already helping pharmaceutical companies to explore potential drugs, such as those used to tackle HIV.

References:

“World’s physics instruments turn their focus to COVID-19” Physics Today 73, 5, 22 (2020) by David Kramer.
“Brief history of X-ray tube patents” World Patent Information 37, 48(2014) by Marcio Luis Ferreira Nascimento.
“Early history of X rays.” Beam Line 25, 10(1995) by A. Assmus.

#PedagogyNext: Towards a Posthuman Pedagogy

Most of the fundamental theoretical assumptions underlying contemporary pedagogical approaches are grounded in humanism, and its numerous permutations. They have hitherto formed the basis of the majority of educational policies and teaching methodologies. To understand the widespread impact of humanism as an ideology, it is necessary to look at its historical and political context, its origin and modifications.

Originating in continental Europe in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the philosophical grounding of these approaches are thus at least four hundred years old. In the ensuing centuries, these assumptions have undergone tremendous changes in the light of the Enlightenment, the Industrial Revolution, and the rise of capitalism. With the Enlightenment, humanism further emphasized the overarching importance of rationalism, empiricism, and (what it defined as) the ‘scientific method’, based on objectivism and experimentalism. The Industrial Revolution and the consequent rise of capital in the eighteenth, nineteenth and twentieth centuries perpetuated the dominance of reason, which was subjugated to the profit motif. Specialized and hierarchical labour was seen to be of paramount importance, and education became one of the means by which capitalism could ensure the reproduction of its existing conditions of production and distribution of resources. In its broadest sense, therefore, humanist pedagogy has always privileged the following approaches to education:

Reason over Emotions: Emotions were perceived as an impediment to knowledge. The avowed objective of education was perceived to be the production of ‘reasonable minds’.

Strictly Stipulated Time Divisions: A strict division between work and play, between education and entertainment was promoted. The educational ‘routine’ or ‘timetable’ operated on this basic division.

Rigid Boundaries between Disciplines: Educational policies worked on the fundamental premise that knowledge can be divided into watertight compartments. The division of students into Science, Commerce, and Humanities after tenth grade in India (altered recently by the New Education Policy, 2020) can be cited as an example of this approach.

Presence over Absence: The cornerstone of humanist philosophy is the privileging of presence over absence. In the context of education, this implies a preference for in-situ learning. The classroom was erected as the strictly defined geographical space for physical presence of students, distinctly separated from the home.

These assumptions, however, were subject to radical changes in the twenty-first century as a result of the rise of the cyberspace. The exponential development of the internet and web resources created a digital space which threw into jeopardy most of the fundamental premises on which humanism (and by extension humanist pedagogy) operated. As Professor N. Katherine Hayles points out, the cyberspace complicates and dissolves the ‘present/ absent’ binary on which humanism functions, for, in the digital world, one is simultaneously present and absent since one can explore all corners of the globe from one’s home. These monumental changes, already set in motion by revolutionary developments in cybernetics, were accelerated in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a global effort to control the spread of the coronavirus, countries all around the world were forced to implement extended periods of lockdown, nearly bringing the world economy to a grinding halt. The wheels of the system, however, cannot stay still forever, and experts all over the globe were forced to formulate and implement alternative approaches to work and education. Consequently, work and education were taken out of the office and the classroom (spaces where the contagious virus can spread rapidly) and brought into the relatively safer confines of the home. In the sphere of education, this resulted in a paradigm shift in teaching tools, approaches and methodologies, leading to the emergence of what educationist and researcher Annouchka Bayley delineates as a distinctly posthuman pedagogy. Some of the characteristic features of this radically different pedagogical approach include:

Holistic Development: Posthuman pedagogy strives to dispense with the rigid division between reason and emotions. It perceives the student as an integral human being, and emphasises the need for psychological counseling and mentoring.

Integration of Work and Play: Since COVID-19 forces students to stay indoors, a posthumanist pedagogical framework does away with the strict separation of work and play. The development and implementation of infotainment systems of knowledge is encouraged with the objective of ensuring that students study while being entertained in a positive, robust way. This allows the student to proceed with his/ her education with an optimistic and positive state of mind.

Implementation of an Interdisciplinary Approach: Posthuman pedagogy advocates for a versatile and dynamic interdisciplinary approach to education. It suggests that rigid boundaries between disciplines be done away with and efforts be made for the creation and perpetuation of an interconnected web of knowledge. This enables the students to utilise the tools and techniques of one subject in their study of another subject from a different discipline, resulting in a multidisciplinary vigorousness. The emerging subjects of data ethics and algorithmic fairness can be cited as examples of such a holistic approach to knowledge.

The World in the Home and the Home in the World: Posthuman pedagogy emphasises the indelible interconnectedness of the domestic and the political. As Professor Ira Shor and Professor Paulo Freire point out, “what we do in the classroom is not an isolated moment separate from the ‘real world’. It is entirely connected to the real world… the world is in the classroom”, and in the wake of online education, the world can be said to have descended into the home. Such a coalescence of hitherto disparates spaces facilitates the dynamic development of real-life skills, allowing the student to perceive the world in a holistic and integrated way. Further, with the improvement of data coverage, global education can be brought to the remote and lesser developed parts of the world.

It can therefore be concluded that the development of posthumanist and digital approaches to pedagogy, accelerated in response to the COVID-19 crisis, can bring about positive changes in the sphere of education. In the Indian context, factors such as the stark digital divide, and the inadequate and unreliable bandwidth coverage act as challenges to the large-scale implementation of the digital revolution. However, with systematic effort, unified action, and a positive frame of mind, these impediments can be surmounted, and the education of tomorrow can be implemented today.

Bibliography:

Bayley, Annouchka. Posthuman Pedagogies in Practice: Arts Based Approaches for Developing Participatory Futures.

Hayleys, Katherine N. How We Became Posthuman: Virtual Bodies in Cybernetics, Literature, and Informatics.

Shor, I., & Freire, P. A Pedagogy for Liberation: Dialogues for Transforming Education.

#PositveCorona: The ‘Other’ Side of Pandemic 2020: Reflections from Lockdown Days

This monologue is basically a self-reflection on some observations on this current situation (this pandemic time frame).As it is a kind of reflection on a particular time frame, there is no intention to reach a conclusion or to find out some remedy or solution. Rather this reflection may raise or provoke some questions or thought regarding our own thought process, priorities, lifestyle and purpose in life.

The ‘New Not-So Normal’ World Order

‘Pandemic’ is the new word that gripped the world in a newfound fear against a novel virus that has been sweeping through continents claiming thousands of lives. Irrespective of geographical location, religion, socioeconomic status, gender, age and profession the entire human race is going through a same kind of experiences, some common threats and challenges. It basically reminds us, that at the end of the day we all are connected, interdependent and responsible for our existence.

Pandemic 2020: Story of Tragedy or New Found Optimism

People are being forced to remain indoors to break the chain of infection and check the spread of the disease and also to give relief to the hospitals that are reeling under the pressure of a sudden increase in patients. With no vaccine in sight, people are gripped with fear and uncertainty. There is no end in sight and people are now suffering from mental exhaustion and fatigue. It is important to not let go and keep positive energy flowing. The story of 2020 pandemic should not only be one of tragedy but of survival and faith.

Time to Look Within

Pandemic has given all the much needed time to look within, reflect and spend time with oneself. It has also given us the time to stop and take time out for ourselves and family which our fast paced professional and social life often prevented. It has given time to indulge in little pleasure like cooking for the family and engaging in hobbies long forgotten. While we are not generalizing, for most people this opportunity to be with loved ones for extended time has been a boon. For others the experience may not be as heart-warming as cases of domestic abuses have been on the rise but we’ll keep that discussion for some other days.

Time to Prioritize

The pandemic has exposed the uncertainty of life which though overwhelming also makes us more conscious about the value of time, life and of our loved ones. Cherish the bonds and the relations while there is still time. Take a break from the materialist world to nurture those we hold dear to us for there may be no tomorrow. The death anxiety associated with this pandemic condition, forces us to reflect on our priorities in life. What actually matters to us? How do we want to spend our precious limited time span on this planet? What actually helps us to find out the meaning of our existence in this universe?

Boost to Minimalist Living

Pandemic has also exposed the mindlessness of the excesses we all indulge in. Buying things we never use and pandemic has been teaching us restraint. When countrywide lockdown was announced people hurried to buy food stuff knowing that they may not be available. Not for once did anyone spare a thought for jewelleries, beauty products and clothes. With online e-commerce closed people were content with the bare essentials and tried to curb wastages. Even without excesses life went on at its own pace and people learnt that it is possible to do without most of the things that we buy mindlessly. Practicing minimalist living, eating home cooked meals, living a simple life has been extremely rewarding and pandemic has played a major role in highlighting these small pleasures. By being conscious about this change, we can actually reexamine our priorities in life, life style and can give more attention to intentional, purposeful living and redefine our own happiness.

Response to Uncertain Times

Another positive outcome has been the way most have tried to deal with the uncertainties that is haunting us. Dealing with these uncertainties, we are actually learning to tolerate and cope with ambiguity and uncertainties in a latent manner. People are being forced to adapt to the changes brought forth by the pandemic, way of life is being redefined and re-learnt and there is a tremendous effort to meet the challenges head on.

Challenging Road Ahead

The familiar world we lived in even months back has been rudely shaken. The days of simple socialization and interacting with people are gone and an unknown fear is driving each one of us. Road ahead will be extremely challenging at least till a vaccine becomes available but that too is a time-consuming process. We have to continue to live in these challenging times for some time more and which will need huge doses of positivity to keep the balance intact. How positively we respond will help define our future as individuals and as a society.

Reference:

http://youtube.be/RbD2-d4oYs4

#PositiveCorona: Journalism Continues To Evolve Rapidly As Covid-19 Wreaks Havoc

Journalists are a challenged lot! The increasing hunger for news and the scourge of paid and fake news seem to have pushed journalists to a point of no return. As Covid-19 continues to ravage the world, the sheer necessity of verified and credible journalism appears all the more important. However, as it is, the pandemic has had irreversible impact on the profession. While we all know how salaries have been cut and mass firings have been conducted across media organizations globally, it might be interesting to look at how the Coronavirus disaster has made some systemic changes to the profession. Forgive me for pointing out that some of these changes are extremely heartening and are here to stay. Without being overtly morbid, it might be interesting to look at how the fourth estate of the government stands to gain from the global tragedy, melancholy as it is:

Increasing Trust in Journalists: For once, the netizens are trusting the actual journalists and not the social media. If we take a closer look at the media ecosystem, we shall be able to appreciate that over the past half a decade, institutional journalism had given way to social media in terms of news dissemination. However, for a change, people are realizing that only a journalist can provide him/ her with a verified piece of information. Therefore, there seems to be a renewed interest in information dished out by mainstream media organizations. As the social media continues to be a trash bin spreading rumours about the deadly disease, the media organizations seem to have done well for themselves.
The Obvious Infusion of Technology: As the world continues to be locked down while the disease spreads like wildfire, journalists from across the world are increasingly banking on novel technologies for both collection and dissemination of information. The advent of the pandemic has acted as the right catalyst for journalists to instantly go digital. Earlier, news items that were produced based on just hearsay have been replaced by concrete multimedia content that can be verified by anyone and everyone. Multimedia news is dominating the news paradigm and audio-visual interviews seem to go with every story thus making it more credible. It is no clairvoyance to say that Mobile Journalism or MoJo would be the dominant force in the world of news.
Journalists Have Understood the Primacy of Research: Interestingly, stories that are appearing these days are more nuanced and researched. Given the gravity of the current situation, any half-baked story can be disastrous. Hence, more and more journalists are coming up with detailed stories with multifaceted information. Journalists have understood the hard reality that the only way to survive in the current market scenario is to churn out stories that have the potential to make a difference. While it can’t be denied that the scene is also replete with stories that don’t do justice to the topic, it can’t also be denied that the sheer number of meaningful stories has also significantly increased.
The Subscription Revenue Model Is Gaining in Prominence: As an increasing number of businesses continue to bleed amid the global economic turmoil caused by the pandemic, the revenue garnered by media organizations from advertisements is evidently on the wane. This has made organizations understand the importance of a subscription-based revenue model, where the consumers themselves pay for the news that they are consuming. This trend has a direct bearing on the quality of news being churned out. We all are aware of the basic news reality that advertisers have a significant say in editorial decisions. However, with an increasing number of organizations opting for the subscription-based model, editorial integrity and freedom would drastically increase.
Rationalization in the Media Industry: While job and pay cuts can never be supported, the bare fact remains that the industry was set for a rationalization of sorts under any circumstances. The boom that was setting in the news industry was bound to bust at some point in time or the other. The Coronavirus scare has quickened the process and cut the news industry to the right size. The multiplicity of information, often from malafide sources, was significantly hampering the credibility of the profession. While the news industry has always been and will continue to remain a business, it possibly can’t be emphasized enough that the business has a public service angle as well. The springing up of spurious news organizations that were maligning the image of the news industry would be a thing of the past thanks to Covid-19.
The Sudden Popularization of Data Journalism: While data journalism was gaining in prominence even before the onset of Coronavirus, the disease has pushed the practice to the next level altogether. Now, we are experiencing an increasing number of data-driven stories, not necessarily on the disease itself but on many other issues. Data significantly enhances the credibility of stories. As we irreversibly move towards a world dominated by multimedia, data-driven stories will constitute the biggest trend in the world of journalism. The sudden onset of Coronavirus has only quickened the process that had gained pace possibly over the past half a decade.

As we continue to wait for a viable vaccine to combat Covid-19, the world is changing for good and journalism is no exception. The fundamental question, though, remains unchanged. Would journalism survive the pandemic? It would suffice to say that the profession would not only survive but reemerge in a stronger and better avatar. As they say, time would constitute the biggest testimony.

#MediaPlus : The Necessity Of New Media Studies After Covid

What is New Media?

New media is any media that is delivered to the people through digital means. Any medium through which you can distribute digital content, for example, email, podcast, smartphone applications, streaming video content, all are examples of new media. The technological advancements, the need to stay connected, and the global world have brought a rapid growth in the media sector. Marshall McLuhan said that we have left the Gutenberg Galaxy behind and it is now electronic communication, rather than print media, which dominates. Today, electronic communication has given way to the age of the Internet. The new media is digital, interactive, and convergent. It allows the audience to actively interact with the communicator.

What is Media and Communication?

According to Wikipedia, “Media studies, is a discipline and field of study that deals with the content, history, and effects of various media; in particular, the mass media. Media Studies may draw on traditions from both the social sciences and the humanities, but mostly from its core disciplines of mass communication, communication, communication sciences, and communication studies”.

John Fiske, in his book Introduction to Communication Studies, says that one school of thought sees communication as the ‘transmission of messages’ and the other school perceives communication as the ‘production and exchange of meanings’. He elaborates that scholars of communication are concerned with matters like efficiency and accuracy of using the channels and media of communication, and how senders and receivers encode and decode information. Also, they are concerned with how messages, or texts, interact with people to produce meanings; that is, it is concerned with the role of texts in our culture. Fiske says that the former process school tends to address itself to acts of communication whereas the latter school’s main method of study is semiotics (the science of signs and meanings).

The Evolution from Old Media to New Media

To understand this field of study more deeply, let me take you down the lane to the days when mass communication started flourishing. The primitive man used drawings, signs, and facial expressions to communicate. His grunts and growls gave way to actual words. As he became more civilized, he learned the art of writing and developed the language script and started keeping written records.

The rulers used to circulate news across their kingdom as proclamations by the drummers. Civilizations used stone, animal skin, and tree barks to write upon until paper was discovered. The invention of the printing press was a revolution in the field of mass communication, as mass production of books and other written material made them cheap and easily available.

Today, there are many mediums of mass communication like television, newspapers, radio, and the internet. The emergence of new technologies has revolutionized the field of media. The world has become global and we can send messages across to any part of the world in less than a second. You can connect to your old school friend instantly on Facebook or Skype, even if they shifted to a far off place.

What are the prospects of learning about the new media in the future?

A very popular quote says, “News is what somebody somewhere wants to suppress; all the rest is advertising”. Studying media as a subject can enhance your knowledge of the field of news gathering and news writing across all media like newspapers – online or print, radio, television. To practice journalism, the ability to handle new media will become indispensable. The COVID – 19 pandemic will lead to an outbreak of platforms for online news delivery. The advent of the digital has opened more possibilities in photography and movie making, enabling you to take your art across the globe. The rise of online streaming platforms gives opportunities for producing good and quality content. Also, the animation and gaming industry is growing rapidly and is producing a lot of prospects. According to Neuman, “We are witnessing the evolution of a universal interconnected network of audio, video, and electronic text communications that will blur the distinction between interpersonal and mass communication and between public and private communication”. At such a time, as media students, it will be utmost necessary for you to understand new media.

The prospects here are endless; one just needs some passion, desire to know more about the media, and determination to succeed.

References

Theories of Media Evolution by W. Russell Neuman
Introduction to Communication Studies by John Fiske
www.wikipedia.org
www.dailyinfographic.com/the-evolution-of-communication-infographic

#HealthcareNext: Wearable Biosensors will be the next big thing in healthcare technology

Wearable technologies offer a convenient mode of monitoring many vital statistics of physiological conditions, presenting a horde of medical solutions. A recent report from Research and Markets predicts global sales of wearable devices will exceed $60 billion by 2025. The greatest benefit of these healthcare wearable devices is that they offer individuals with the data they require to gain much better control over their health outcomes. Not only are these devices easy for the consumer to use, but they offer real-time data for physicians to analyse as well. Widely available and often inexpensive, the tools are finding a role among physicians and in many elements of care delivery.

With increasing consumer demand to monitor their own health, a study by Business Insider Intelligence showed more than 80% of the consumers are eager to wear fitness monitoring devices. The use of wearable technology has more than tripled in the last four years and would grow exponentially in post COVID scenario.

The popularity of wearable originated from smartwatches and wristband fitness trackers like Fitbit. Wearable technology relies mostly on different types of miniaturized sensors. The data gathered by the sensors are monitored through different Apps in smartphones. Initially used to count steps and tell time, smartwatches have now transformed into clinically viable healthcare tools. According to Jacek Urbanek, assistant professor of medicine at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine “People can overestimate or underestimate on surveys how much and when they move, but wearable devices provide accurate data that cuts through the bias and guesswork.”

Wearables technology in healthcare has moved beyond smartwatches in last two years. From wearable ECG monitors to wearable blood pressure monitors, blood glucose level monitors and various other types of biosensors. Wearable devices can provide a completely new level of monitoring, diagnosis and treatment. Many companies across the world are using this technology because of its benefits and asking app development companies to develop wearable apps. This technology is specifically right for people with chronic conditions requiring continuous monitoring. It becomes easier to gather medical data regularly so that the underlying disease can be seen accurately and necessary action like hospitalization can be done immediately. These devices also reduce recurring medical expenses like visiting the doctor/ hospital/ diagnostic centre regularly. Real time monitoring helps doctors understand the severity and prioritize cases.

Some of the emerging wearables

Current Health’s artificial intelligence (AI) wearable device that measures multiple vital signs has recently received FDA-clearance for patients to use at home.

Smartphone applications, wearable devices such as smartwatches and rings, and other consumer devices offer an accurate and convenient means of monitoring physiological changes associated with Alzheimer’s Disease. Parameters like gait data, fine motor control in terms of finger tapping speed, motor control of eye, sleep pattern and heart rate can be made available which can predict Alzheimer’s Disease.

A research team of Northwestern University, USA has come up with a Wearable Sweat-Sensor that informs athletes of water and electrolyte loss from their body, preventing health deterioration.

Researchers from University of Michigan have recently developed a wearable device precisely detects cancer cells in blood. It can continuously collect and examine circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the blood. These cancer cells are typically obtained via blood samples to provide a biomarker for treatment.

A Singapore based company, AWAK Technologies, have recently received FDA Breakthrough Device designation for their wearable and portable Peritoneal dialysis device. Once fully commercialized, it would be immensely convenient for renal diseases patients undergoing dialysis.

The future looks promising

The healthcare industry has quickly adopted these connected medical devices for lowering operational costs and improving efficiency. Medical Director’s CEO Matthew Bardsley said that the increased wellness digital usage of individual users will have a wealth of data on their own wellbeing at their fingertips, making them far more empowered and equipped to track and monitor their own health and to some extent, even self-diagnose. There is no stopping for the healthcare wearable market and will continue to evolve in the years to come. Areas of concern that will need addressing are data security, privacy as well as opportunities for advanced data analytics. IoT healthcare wearable devices will enable consumers to remain accessible to the cloud for transmitting data back to appropriate persons, enable healthcare providers to gain the information they require and ensure regulatory compliance by protecting patient data. It will thus reduce human intervention in healthcare, enabling context-based automation. Therefore, when it comes to wearable technology, the sky is the limit, and it will continue to make waves in the healthcare industry.

Stop…Don’t Put On Your Dancing Shoes

Let me transport you back to your child hood and tell you a bed time story. Fairy tales have often had a very special place in my heart . Years back it was given to me as a bribe to visit the dentist who excavated or at times uprooted my chocolate indulged teeth. Sometimes I got it as a prize for not failing in class . Whatever the reasons being quite an introvert who welcomes solitude wholeheartedly the wonders of the fairy tales always enchanted and captured my imagination.

A Fairy Tale

Out of the many stories the story of “The Red Shoe”by Hans Anderson somehow scared me when I was small. The story is about a little girl named Karen who got a pair of red shoes by a kind old lady who adopted her after her parents died. She loved the shoes so much that she wore in everywhere. Every Sunday she put on her bright red shoes and went to the church with this lady . Oneday she met an old soldier near the church who cleaned their shoes for a shilling. While cleaning her shoes he kept on repeating’ pretty dancing shoes’. When she left the soldier she realized she couldn’t stop dancing , as a result she was forcefully hauled into the carriage and her shoes were taken out. For the next few weeks she did not touch her shoes . Meanwhile the old lady fell ill. Karen was stuck in the house and longed to go out dancing, but instead she had to look after the lady . Once seeing an opportunity for escape she put on her red shoes and ran to the village for dancing . While coming back the shoes seem to have a life on its own they kept on dancing taking her here and there till she was so tired that she could not dance anymore. Yet they would not stop dancing till she forced herself to go uphill to the house of a swordsman. Where she requested him to cut off her feet as the shoes were enchanted. The swordsman did as he was asked and also made her a pair of wooden legs and crutches. Only then she found peace.

A Strange History

The story was meant to teach a lesson about vanity and avoiding responsibilities however while studying about mental illness I found a remarkable likeness with an illness called ‘ dance mania’ which erupted in the 14^th century in the wake of the Black Death. This illness recurred for centuries in central Europe- particularly Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium- finally abating in the early 17^th century.

Original caption: Dancing mania sweeps through Europe during medieval plague.

The term ‘Dancing Mania” was derived from “choreomania’ . Here “choreo” meant dance and Mania meant “Madness”. This took the form of epidemics of raving, jumping, dancing, and convulsions. Records of a physician from the thirteenth century revealed that a person affected from this disease would suddenly jump out and feel the acute pain like a sting of a bee . Some saw spiders and others didn’t . They would then run out in the streets, marketplace and would dance in great excitement. Soon they would be joined by others who have been bitten previously or recently. They would dance wildly and erotically wearing queer clothes . Some would tear their clothes being naked, roll in the dirt, drink and talk like drunken people.

In the end most simply dropped down, overwhelmed with exhaustion and some ended up in a state of ecstasy.

This disease was referred to as tarantism which was prevalent in Southern Italy from the 15^th to the 17^th centuries and was attributed to bites from the tarantula spider. and when it spread to Germany it was referred to as St. Vitus’s dance.

Possible Causes

In the 16^th century this mania was considered as an ordeal sent by saint, or a punishment from God for people’s sins. However it is in this century that Paracelsus (1493-1541) refuting the idea that saints or God had created this suggested psychogenic cause or malingered etiology putting it under the purview of physicians. Some of the causes of dance mania has been attributed to

A mass stress induced psychosis
A mass psychogenic illness
A culturally determined form of ritualistic behaviour
A manifestation of religious ecstasy
Food poisoning caused by the toxic and psychoactive chemical products of ergot fungi.
‘Shared stress’ by people caused by natural disasters of that time. (Hetherington and Munro,1997)

Dance Mania appears to have completely died out in the mid 17^th Century. In reality dancing mania did not have a single cause. Any of these could have been a reason for such a manifestation. Whatever the reasons it showed how strange human behaviour can be and how fascinating the realm of Psychology is. So next time you put on your dancing shoes, think twice.

Reference:

Andersen, H. C. (Hans Christian), 1805-1875. (2006). The complete Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales. New York :Gramercy Books.
Bogousslavsky, J. (2017). Neurologic-Psychiatric Syndromes in Focus Part II – From Psychiatry to Neurology.
Coleman, J. C. (1950). Abnormal psychology and modern life.Scott, Foresman
Hetherington, Kevin; Munro, Rolland (1997). Ideas of difference. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-20768-9.
http://cvltnation.com/dance-util-you-drop-the-dancing-plague-of-1518/