Selective Al-Ti reactivity in laser-processed Al/Ti multilayers

Multilayers consisting of five (Al/Ti) bilayers were deposited on (100) silicon wafers. On top was deposited the Ti layer, aimed at preventing Al from diffusing to the surface upon laser treatment. The total thickness of the thin-film structure was 200?nm. Laser irradiations with Nd:YAG picoseconds laser pulses in the defocused regime were performed in air. Laser beam energy was 4?mJ and laser spot diameter on the sample surface was 3?mm (fluence 0.057?J?cm^?2). The samples were treated with different numbers of laser pulses. Structural characterizations were performed by different analytical methods and nano-hardness was also measured. Laser processing induced layer intermixing, formation of titanium aluminides, oxidation of the surface titanium layer and enhanced surface roughness. Aluminum appears at the sample surface only for the highest density of laser irradiation. Laser processing induces increment of nano-hardness by approximately 20% and decrease of residual Young’s modulus for a few percentages from the starting value of the untreated samples. These results can be interesting toward achieving structures with a selective extent of Al-Ti reactivity in this multilayered system, within the development of biocompatible materials.     

Defining the e-learner’s security profile: Towards awareness improvement

The paper presents an improved e-learner model that supports monitoring of user behavior related to information security. The model is built upon standardized IMS specification, according to literature research and survey conducted among e-learners. It is positioned as key part of an extended LTSA architecture in which the learner data is used to improve learner security position by continuous delivery of important information and adapting security mechanisms. The implementation is considered in Moodle LMS.     

Engineered microparticles based on drug–polymer coprecipitates for ocular-controlled delivery of Ciprofloxacin: influence of technological parameters

Abstract

Ciprofloxacin is a drug active against a broad spectrum of aerobic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, for the therapy of ocular infections. It requires frequent administrations owing to rapid ocular clearance and it is a good candidate for ocular controlled release formulations. The preparation of such drug release systems is still a challenge. Ionic interactions between ciprofloxacin and the polyelectrolytes chondroitin sulfate or lambda carrageenan result in coprecipitates that can act as microparticulate controlled release systems from which the drug is released after being displaced by the medium’s ions. In some formulations, Carbopol was added to improve the mucoadhesive properties. The aim of this research was the study of the influence of the technological parameters of the preparation method of coprecipitates on their particle size, with the goal of achieving particles engineered with a size suitable for the ocular administration. Technological parameters taken into account were: concentration of drug and polymer solutions utilized for the preparation of interaction products, possible use of surfactants (kind and concentration), temperature of the solutions and stirring during the process of preparation of the coprecipitates. Preliminary stability study tests were carried out to further characterize the leader formulation. Particle size in suspensions for ocular drug delivery is a critical parameter influencing the quality of the formulation. The results obtained from this study show that chondroitin sulfate coprecipitates present the best characteristics in terms of particle size suitable for ocular administration. A further improvement of the particle size characteristics has been obtained with the addition of surfactants.     

Differences in cytocompatibility,dynamics of the oxide layers’ formation,and nickel release between superelastic and thermo-activated nickel–titanium archwires

Superelastic (SE) and thermo-activated (TA) nickel–titanium (NiTi) archwires are used in everyday orthodontic practice, based on their acceptable biocompatibility and well-defined shape memory properties. However, the differences in their surface microstructure and cytotoxicity have not been clearly defined, and the standard cytotoxicity tests are too robust to detect small differences in the cytotoxicity of these alloys, all of which can lead to unexpected adverse reactions in some patients. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that the differences in manufacture and microstructure of commercially available SE and TA archwires may influence their biocompatibility. The archwires were studied as-received and after conditioning for 24 h or 35 days in a cell culture medium under static conditions. All of the tested archwires, including their conditioned medium (CM), were non-cytotoxic for L929 cells, but Rematitan SE (both as received and conditioned) induced the apoptosis of rat thymocytes in a direct contact. In contrast, TruFlex SE and Equire TA increased the proliferation of thymocytes. The cytotoxic effect of Rematitan SE correlated with the higher release of Ni ions in CM, higher concentration of surface Ni and an increased oxygen layer thickness after the conditioning. In conclusion, the apoptosis assay on rat thymocytes, in contrast to the less sensitive standard assay on L929 cells, revealed that Rematitan SE was less cytocompatible compared to other archwires and the effect was most probably associated with a higher exposition of the cells to Ni on the surface of the archwire, due to the formation of unstable oxide layer.     

Cell-protection mechanism through autophagy in HGFs/<Emphasis Type="Italic">S. mitis</Emphasis> co-culture treated with Chitlac-nAg

Silver-based products have been proven to be effective in retarding and preventing bacterial growth since ancient times. In the field of restorative dentistry, the use of silver ions/nanoparticles has been explored to counteract bacterial infections, as silver can destroy bacterial cell walls by reacting with membrane proteins. However, it is also cytotoxic towards eukaryotic cells, which are capable of internalizing nanoparticles. In this work, we investigated the biological effects of Chitlac-nAg, a colloidal system based on a modified chitosan (Chitlac), administered for 24–48?h to a co-culture of primary human gingival fibroblasts and Streptococcus mitis in the presence of saliva, developed to mimic the microenvironment of the oral cavity. We sought to determine its efficiency to combat oral hygiene-related diseases without affecting eukaryotic cells. Cytotoxicity, reactive oxygen species production, apoptosis induction, nanoparticles uptake, and lysosome and autophagosome metabolism were evaluated. In vitro results show that Chitlac-nAg does not exert cytotoxic effects on human gingival fibroblasts, which seem to survive through a homoeostasis mechanism involving autophagy. That suggests that the novel biomaterial Chitlac-nAg could be a promising tool in the field of dentistry.     

Boundary Spanning and Engineering: A Qualitative Systematic Review

Background

Engineers are often expected to span organizational, cultural, stakeholder, geographic, temporal, and other boundaries. Yet, few studies on boundary spanning have appeared in the engineering education literature, suggesting the need for improved theoretical and conceptual foundations to guide empirical studies of boundary spanning in engineering.

Purpose

To develop a more comprehensive understanding of boundary spanning, this study addresses five research questions: (a) What types of boundaries have been identified as topics of interest? (b) How are boundary spanners and boundary spanning defined? (c) What types of activities and behaviors comprise or have been linked to boundary spanning? (d) What individual competencies and characteristics have been proposed or studied as important for boundary spanning? and (e) What boundary spanning themes are most prominent in studies of engineers and other technical professionals?

Scope/Method

Using a qualitative systematic review process, we identified and analyzed 72 scholarly papers from multiple disciplines. Multiple reviewers coded each paper using a hybrid deductive‐inductive content analysis process to identify key themes related to boundary spanning.

Conclusions

The analysis resulted in a framework consisting of six boundary types, three types of roles and definitions, and five types of activities. Discussion of boundary spanning competencies was limited in the collected works, and only seven papers exclusively focused on engineers. We conclude by proposing boundary spanning as an important meta‐attribute for engineers and a promising lens for investigating engineering practice. We also relate our findings to the engineering education literature and suggest directions for future research.     

An adaptive method based on the improved LPA-ICI algorithm for MRI enhancement

Various diseases are diagnosed using medical imaging used for analysing internal anatomical structures. However, medical images are susceptible to noise introduced in both acquisition and transmission processes. We propose an adaptive data-driven image denoising algorithm based on an improvement of the intersection of confidence intervals (ICI), called relative ICI (RICI) algorithm. The 2D mask of the adaptive size and shape is calculated for each image pixel independently, and utilized in the design of the 2D local polynomial approximation (LPA) filters. Denoising performances, in terms of the PSNR, are compared to the original ICI-based method, as well as to the fixed sized filtering. The proposed adaptive RICI-based denoising outperformed the original ICI-based method by up to 1.32 dB, and the fixed size filtering by up to 6.48 dB. Furthermore, since the denoising of each image pixel is done locally and independently, the method is easy to parallelize.     

A SLIT THROUGH PHOTOGRAPHY

Post-war experimental and conceptual photography in former Yugoslavia has only rarely been the subject of detailed study and interpretation. In considering this period, it is necessary to take into account several factors, including the absence of permanent exhibition spaces for photography, the lack of magazines in which photographic themes were presented and discussed, the impossibility of studying the field of photography and, finally, the inadequate knowledge and application of contemporary criticism and theories of photography. Nevertheless, from the mid-1950s onwards it is possible to note a variety of innovations in the field, in terms of both form and subject-matter. This article considers rare instances of institutional support for progressive photography-related events and unique, intellectual-poetic works. After the break-up of Yugoslavia, there is a dominant tendency to nationalize art created in the former state, thus ignoring the specific Yugoslav cultural field as well as the European context. Based on a methodology which surpasses the national (but still acknowledges it) and searches for meaning within the broader socio-political space to which art is referring, the research aims to change the paradigm of the peripheral position and general ignorance of the circumstances under which this innovative practice emerges.     

Plasmon hybridization engineering in self-organized anisotropic metasurfaces

Nano Research - The engineering of self-organized plasmonic metasurfaces is demonstrated using a maskless technique with defocused ion-beam sputtering and kinetically controlled deposition. The...