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Teaching alternating currents, ac or sound waves, is incomplete without an introduction to the oscilloscope. An oscilloscope is a tool that graphically displays electrical signals and shows their time dependence. However, due to the pandemic, triggered by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, many students do not have the opportunity to master the use of an oscilloscope. Face-to-face teaching activity has been interrupted in both schools and higher institutions. The sudden change to online teaching created problems among educators, especially for laboratory activities. The central issue is creating laboratory activities without going into the labs for the students to acquire the required skills, especially the basics of how to operate an oscilloscope. In order to create an opportunity and engaging environment, we suggested the use of the 'web-based and stand-alone oscilloscope'. The software consists of a low-frequency (signal) generator (LFG), a direct current power supply, and an oscilloscope. The LFG is capable of producing several types of signal and the software is designed to aid the undergraduate engineering and physics students in learning the operation and functions of a digital storage oscilloscope. It can be used as an alternative to face-to-face laboratory activity for physics experiments. It is free and easy to use. The experiments enable students to develop the experimental and measurement skills related to signal generators and oscilloscopes. Hence it opens the opportunity of 'doing' virtual physics investigations individually at home.

Objective: The current research study aimed to access the relationship between obesity and asthma exacerbations and severity among adult patients at the outpatient section of a federal hospital (PIMS) in Islamabad, Pakistan. Methods: A cross‑sectional research study was carried out on 207 asthma adult patients belonging to different areas and ethnic groups from the country. The study setting was the PIMS hospital, which attracts patients from all over the country due to its facilities and cost‑effective treatments. The body mass index (BMI) of asthma patients was calculated using the heights and weights of the study subjects. However, the pulmonary functions were calculated using a computerized spirometer i‑e Spirolab III S/N 303681 in line with Winspiro PRO 7.1.version software. It presents the patient’s forced vital capacity that expires in the first second of expiration to full (FEV1) in comparison to forced vital capacity (FVC) ratio, that is, Tiffeneau–Pinelli index was also recorded to determine the asthma severity. Results: According to recent surveys, the overall prevalence of patients with overweight and obesity was 29.0% and 23.7%, respectively. A Chi‑square test was used, and a statistically significant relationship was observed between BMI and asthma severity (P < 0.001). The adult obese female patients presented poor pulmonary functions. The average FEV1/FVC ratio presented significant variance among four different categories of BMI with P < 0.05. This difference was due to the normal BMI category as the Tiffeneau–Pinelli index, that is, FEV1/FVC in the normal BMI group was significantly lower as compared to that in underweight and obese patients. Conclusion: The study subjects presented raised asthma severity in accordance with the raised BMI. Obese patients presented comparatively raised asthma exacerbations. Moreover, a statistically significant association of gender difference was observed between obesity and asthma severity. It was concluded that adult asthmatic women with obesity presented raised asthma severity as compared to adult asthmatic males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]