Highly Customizable Bone Fracture Fixation through the Marriage of Composites and Screws

Open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) metal plates provide exceptional support for unstable bone fractures; however, they often result in debilitating soft-tissue adhesions and their rigid shape cannot be easily customized by surgeons. In this work, a surgically feasible ORIF methodology, called AdhFix, is developed by combining screws with polymer/hydroxyapatite composites, which are applied and shaped in situ before being rapidly cured on demand via high-energy visible-light-induced thiol–ene coupling chemistry. The method is developed on porcine metacarpals with transverse and multifragmented fractures, resulting in strong and stable fixations with a bending rigidity of 0.28 (0.03) N m² and a maximum load before break of 220 (15) N. Evaluations on human cadaver hands with proximal phalanx fractures show that AdhFix withstands the forces from finger flexing exercises, while short- and long-term in vivo rat femur fracture models show that AdhFix successfully supports bone healing without degradation, adverse effects, or soft-tissue adhesions. This procedure represents a radical new approach to fracture fixation, which grants surgeons unparalleled customizability and does not result in soft-tissue adhesions.     

Driving forces for and barriers to providing energy services—a study of local and regional energy companies in Sweden

Improving energy efficiency is a cornerstone in climate change mitigation, and energy services are portrayed as a promising market-based approach to achieve this. This paper examines the barriers to, and driving forces needed for, the implementation of energy services from the perspective of Swedish local and regional energy companies. This includes an analysis of the resources needed in three phases of energy service implementation, i.e., development, sales, and deployment. The results indicate a supply-side interest in providing energy services, with the major challenges being related to (a) intra-organizational issues such as a lack of strategic direction and intent and (b) a perceived lack of knowledge, interest, and trust on the part of potential energy service customers. The paper concludes with managerial and policy implications on how an increased focus and impact of energy service can be achieved among local and regional companies.     

Nb doped TiO2 nanotubes for enhanced photoelectrochemical water-splitting

Nanostructured titanium dioxide is one of the classic materials for photoelectrochemical water splitting. In the present work we dope TiO(2) nanotube anodes. For this, various low concentration bulk-Nb-doped TiO(2) nanotube layers were grown by self-organizing anodization of Ti-Nb alloys. At Nb-contents around 0.1 at%, and after an adequate heat-treatment, a strongly increased and stable photoelectrochemical water-splitting rate is obtained.     

Communication of emotions in vocal expression and music performance: Different channels, same code?

Many authors have speculated about a close relationship between vocal expression of emotions and musical expression of emotions, but evidence bearing on this relationship has unfortunately been lacking. This review of 104 studies of vocal expression and 41 studies of music performance reveals similarities between the 2 channels concerning (a) the accuracy with which discrete emotions were communicated to listeners and (b) the emotion-specific patterns of acoustic cues used to communicate each emotion. The patterns are generally consistent with K. R. Scherer's (1986) theoretical predictions. The results can explain why music is perceived as expressive of emotion, and they are consistent with an evolutionary perspective on vocal expression of emotions. Discussion focuses on theoretical accounts and directions for future research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Short-term consolidation of individual identities leads to Lag-1 sparing.

A rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) technique was used to investigate the role of the nature of processing carried out on targets in the Lag-1 sparing phenomenon. Lag-1 sparing refers to a higher accuracy in the task associated with the 2nd target when the 2 targets are immediately successive in the RSVP stream relative to when there are 1 or 2 intervening items between the targets. In 5 experiments, 0, 1, or 2 digits were embedded with equal probability in RSVP streams of letter distractors. In 4 of the experiments, subjects identified the digits in some blocks of trials, and they counted the number of presented digits in other blocks. In a 5th experiment, the counting task was replaced with a digit-sum task. The most interesting results were those from trials with 2 digits. Lag-1 sparing was always evident when the task involved the explicit identification of the digits. In addition, Lag-1 sparing was evident when subjects were required to sum 2 digits or to count digits of a prespecified parity subclass (e.g., count only even digits). In striking contrast, Lag-1 sparing was absent when subjects were required to count the digits independent of their parity subclass. These results suggest that the occurrence of Lag-1 sparing depends on the type of mental representation that must be generated on the basis of target information. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

High-pressure jet-assisted cooling: a new possibility for near net shape turning of decarburized steel

Ultra-high-pressure cooling (UHPC) in turning operations is an effective method for achieving higher productivity. Previous research has demonstrated that the introduction of a high-pressure fluid jet into the gap between the tool and chip interface can control chip form and breakage. The present work shows the effect of UHPC in the turning of near net shape (NNS) decarburized parts. The workpiece material properties are strongly influenced by the loss of carbon atoms to a depth of up to 1 mm, due to the aggressive atmosphere during forming (decarburization). The extremely soft material makes chips difficult to control. Consequently, productivity decreases since the machine must be frequently stopped in order to manually remove the chips from the working area. The results show the influence of UHPC on chip form, surface topography and tool life when turning decarburized parts close to NNS. An interesting observation was that the combination of small cutting depth (near net shape) and soft material (decarburization) allowed for the presence of built-up edge formation, even at a high cutting speed.     

Human error driving the development of a checklist for foreign material exclusion in the nuclear industry

In this article we describe an approach to develop a checklist for foreign material exclusion. Foreign material is material that should not be part of, or supplied with, the product because it can affect the performance of, for example, nuclear fuel rods of nuclear plants. The research itself was initiated by the presence of different types of human errors. Specifically in the nuclear industry, where there is zero tolerance for errors, work to continuously improve safety and quality is of major importance. Our approach should support such work. As a theoretical base, we have considered team errors as well as individual errors. The suggested practical approach is based on foreign materials that originate in or are introduced into a product or a process. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Hum Factors Man 17: 283–298, 2007.