Immunohistochemical evaluation after Sr-enriched biphasic ceramic implantation in rabbits femoral neck: comparison of seven different bone conditions

Strontium (Sr) has shown effectiveness for stimulating bone remodeling. Nevertheless, the exact therapeutic values are not established yet. Authors hypothesized that local application of Sr-enriched ceramics would enhance bone remodeling in constant osteoporosis of rabbits’ femoral neck bone. Seven different bone conditions were analyzed: ten healthy rabbits composed a control group, while other twenty underwent ovariectomy and were divided into three groups. Bone defect was filled with hydroxyapatite 30% (HAP) and tricalcium phosphate 70% (TCP) granules in 7 rabbits, 5% of Sr-enriched HAP/TCP granules in 7, but sham defect was left unfilled in 6 rabbits. Bone samples were obtained from operated and non-operated legs 12 weeks after surgery and analyzed by histomorphometry and immunohistochemistry (IMH). Mean trabecular bone area in control group was 0.393 mm2, in HAP/TCP – 0.226 mm2, in HAP/TCP/Sr – 0.234 mm2 and after sham surgery – 0.242 mm2. IMH revealed that HAP/TCP/Sr induced most noticeable increase of nuclear factor kappa beta 105 (NFkB 105), osteoprotegerin (OPG), osteocalcin (OC), bone morphogenetic protein 2/4 (BMP 2/4), collagen type 1α (COL-1α), interleukin 1 (IL-1) with comparison to intact leg; NFkB 105 and OPG rather than pure HAP/TCP or sham bone. We concluded that Sr-enriched biomaterials induce higher potential to improve bone regeneration than pure bioceramics in constant osteoporosis of femoral neck bone. Further studies on bigger osteoporotic animals using Sr-substituted orthopedic implants for femoral neck fixation should be performed to confirm valuable role in local treatment of osteoporotic femoral neck fractures in humans.

Open image in new window

     

On Bayesian EWMA control charts under different loss functions

The motivation for this study is to analyze Bayesian exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA) control chart under 3 loss functions namely, SELF, LLF, and PLF. Informative priors (normal and mixture of normal) and non‐informative priors (Uniform and Jefferys) are considered for the analysis. The performance of Bayesian EWMA control chart using posterior and posterior predictive distribution scheme has been evaluated using average run length (ARL) and standard deviation run length (SDRL) as performance measures. Monte Carlo simulations are used to compute the performance measures for different values of smoothing constant. An illustrative example is also presented for practical considerations of Bayesian EWMA control chart.     

Spin Valve Effect of 2D‐Materials Based Magnetic Junctions

The magnetotransport properties of spin valve structure are highly influenced by the type of intervening layer inserted between the ferromagnetic electrodes. In this scenario, spin filtering effect at the interfaces plays a crucial role in determining the magnetoresistance (MR) of such magnetic structures, which can be enhanced by using a suitable intervening layer. Here, the authors investigate the spin filtering effect of the two‐dimensional layers such as hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), graphene (Gr), and Gr‐hBN hybrid system for modifying the magnetotransport characteristics of the vertical spin valve architectures (Ni/hBN/Ni, Ni/Gr/Ni, and Ni/Gr‐hBN/Ni). Compared to graphene, hBN incorporated magnetic junction reveals higher MR and spin polarizations (P) suggesting better spin filtering at the interfaces. The MR for hBN incorporated junction is calculated to be ≈0.83%, while that of graphene junction it is estimated to be ≈0.16%. Similar contrast is observed in the ‘P’ of ferromagnets (FMs) for the two junctions, that is, ≈6.4% for hBN based magnetic junction and ≈2.8% for graphene device. However, for Gr‐hBN device, the signal not only get inverts, but it also suggests efficient spin filtering mechanism at the FM interfaces. Their results can be useful to comprehend the origin of spin filtering and the choice of non‐magnetic spacer for magnetotransport characteristics.

     

Breaking the curse of dimensionality: hierarchical Bayesian network model for multi-view clustering

Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence - Clustering high-dimensional data under the curse of dimensionality is an arduous task in many applications domains. The wide dimension yields the...     

Amphiphilic Core/Shell Nanoparticles to Reduce Biocide Leaching From Treated Wood, 1 – Leaching and Biological Efficacy

Core/shell nanoparticles containing the fungicide tebuconazole were prepared from amphiphilic copolymers of gelatin grafted with MMA. The grafting was performed in water at levels of 1.5–15 wt.‐% solids based on matrix mass, to give core/shell nanoparticles with median diameters ranging from ≈200 to 400 or ≈10 to 100 nm depending on composition, conditions used, and work‐up. The biocide‐containing nanoparticles were delivered into wood in up to 85% efficiency. Wood blocks treated with tebuconazole‐containing nanoparticles leached less tebuconazole than wood blocks treated with tebuconazole solutions. The best nanoparticle formulations afforded wood blocks with a biological efficacy comparable to solution‐treated wood block controls in soil jar decay tests.

     

Investigation of buoyancy-driven flow and heat transfer in a trapezoidal cavity filled with water–Cu nanofluid

A numerical study is conducted to investigate the transport mechanism of free convection in a trapezoidal enclosure filled with water–Cu nanofluid. The horizontal walls of the enclosure are insulated while the inclined walls are kept at constant but different temperatures. The numerical approach is based on the finite element technique with Galerkin's weighted residual simulation. Solutions are obtained for a wide range of the aspect ratio (AR) and Prandtl number (Pr) with Rayleigh number (Ra = 10⁵) and solid volume fraction (? = 0.05). The streamlines, isotherm plots and the variation of the average Nusselt number at the left hot wall are presented and discussed. It is found that both AR and Pr affect the fluid flow and heat transfer in the enclosure. A correlation is also developed graphically for the average Nusselt number as a function of the Prandtl number as well as the cavity aspect ratio.     

Forces in Wingwalls of Skewed Semi-Integral Bridges

In theory, semi-integral bridges with skewed approaches have a tendency to rotate toward the acute corners due to thermal expansion. This movement causes force to be transferred into the wingwalls that are often designed only as retaining walls. The wingwall/diaphragm joint of two semi-integral bridges were instrumented and monitored in the state of Ohio. Information pertaining to the thermal expansion was successfully compiled during the extent of this research and showed wingwalls’ forces can reach magnitudes of 159?kN (35.7?kip). The maximum longitudinal movement measured 16.36?mm (0.6442?in.) and the maximum movement into the wingwall measured as 3.289?mm (0.1295?in.). The effects of skew and span on the wingwall forces were also modeled and presented.     

Electrochemical copolymerization of m-toluidine and o-phenylenediamine

Electroactive copolymers of m-toluidine (MT) and o-phenylenediamine (OPD) were prepared electrochemically in aqueous sulfuric acid by potential cycling and characterized with cyclic voltametry, in situ conductivity measurements and FT-IR spectroscopy. The voltammograms of the copolymers exhibit different behavior for different concentrations of OPD in the comonomer feed. At optimum conditions the resulting poly(OPD-co-MT) shows an extended useful potential range of the redox activity as compared to the corresponding homopolymers. The effect of scan rate and pH on the electrochemical activity was studied. The copolymer was electrochemically active even at pH 8.0. The stability of the copolymer film was also tested. The copolymer has a potential region of maximum conductivity different from that of PMT and POPD. The conductivity of the copolymer is between the conductivity of the homopolymers. The vibrational bands at 3122/3450 and 2922/875 cm⁻¹ in the FT-IR spectra of the copolymer indicate the presence of both OPD and MT units, respectively, in the copolymer backbone.