Band-Aids of the FutureRead and Record (link)

1. (T.Lee historic note: The original Johnson & Johnson BAND-AID product that was sold in my childhood about 50 years ago (1) came in metal containers with hinged lids. I have no idea why. Today they come in cardboard boxes. Note that the product was actually called “BAND-AID plastic strips”, but over time, we have come to simply call them “band-aids”.)

2. The reign of flesh-colored band-aids may soon be disrupted. Researchers have revealed a new high-tech competitor that might just revolutionize the healing industry (2): a self-powered bandage that generates an electric field over a boo-boo (3).

3. According to a new report in ScienceDaily, engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison created a new kind of protective bandage that sends a mild electrical stimulation, thereby “dramatically” reducing the time a rat’s wound takes to heal (4). The technology could be especially useful for people who suffer from chronic wounds (5), such as diabetic foot ulcers, venous ulcers, and non-healing surgical wounds. Often, these kinds of wounds don’t respond well to general bandaging procedures.

4. This new electric bandage is powered by a wearable nanogenerator constructed of overlapping sheets of polytetrafluoroethylene (PAH lee/TET truh/FLOOR ruh/ETH uh LEEN), copper foil, and polyethylene terephthalate (PAH lee/ETH uh LEEN/tuh REFF thuh LATE). The nanogenerator converts skin movements into small electrical pulses, which then flow to two working electrodes placed on either side of the wound to produce a weak electric field (6). Basically, energy generated by a patient’s body fuels the electrical pulses.

5. “Our device is as convenient as a bandage you put on your skin,” Xudong (SYOO DONG) Wang (WONG), a professor of materials science and engineering at UW-Madison, told the university’s communications team.

6. The tests showed that such e-bandages heal wounds within three days, compared to 12 days with a normal control bandage. “We were surprised to see such a fast recovery rate,” said Wang. “We suspected that the devices would produce some effect (7), but the magnitude was much more than we expected.”

7. Moving forward , the researchers intend to further study how the pulses affect healing with a study on pig skin, which closely resembles human tissue. They also want to further increase the nanogenerators’ capabilities, which may include new ways to harness energy (8), like utilizing small, imperceptible twitches in the skin or the pulse of a heartbeat.

8. The team believes their new invention could solve a medley of medical issues (9). And better yet, it’s relatively low-cost, just a smidge more expensive than a regular bandage. “The device in itself is very simple and convenient to fabricate,” says Wang.

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Band-Aids of the FutureBand-aids can often be found in first-aid kits in the home or at the workplace. They are good to cover superficial wounds to keep them clean to prevent infection.

Comprehension Questions1. Describe why this “band-aid of the future” is better than current “low-technology” band-aids

of the present and past.2. Given that “nano” is a prefix that means a multiplication factor of 10-9, what do you think a

nanogenerator is?3. Try to describe what powers this futuristic band-aid.4. Is this new type of band-aid expected to be expensive and difficult to manufacture?

Grammar Analysis (Group effort if desired)

1. What part of speech is the first gray-highlighted clause (1)? Justify your answer.

2. In Paragraph #1, what is the subject of the verb “Note”? What mood is it in?

3. What part of speech is the third gray-highlighted clause (3)? Justify your answer.

4. In the fourth gray-highlighted clause (4), what is the relative pronoun?

5. What words could be used in place of “have come to” without changing the meaning?

6. “Boo-boo” is a baby word. From the context, what would you guess it means?

7. List at least four adverbs.

8. List at least five prepositions, including at least one two-word preposition.

9. Why is gray-highlighted clause (6) separated by a comma?

10. In Paragraph #5, could we say “in your skin” without changing the meaning?

11. In Paragraph #5, identify an appositive.

12. Identify one sentence that is a direct quote.

13. In Paragraph #6, what part of speech is the infinitive “to see” acting as?

14. What part of speech is gray-highlighted clause (7)? Justify your answer.

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Band-Aids of the Future15. In Paragraph #7, “moving forward” is a participial phrase. What part of speech is it acting as,

and what word is it modifying?

16. Identify two comparative phrases.

17. In Paragraph #8, what word could I insert that would NOT change the meaning of the sentence at all?

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