Crosslinking effect on polydimethylsiloxane elastic modulus measured by custom‐built compression instrument

A macroscopic compression test utilizing a simple custom‐built instrument was employed to measure polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastic modulus. PDMS samples with varying crosslinking density were prepared with the elastomer base to the curing agent ratio ranging from 5 : 1 to 33 : 1. The PDMS network elastic modulus varied linearly with the amount of crosslinker, ranging from 0.57 MPa to 3.7 MPa for the samples tested. PDMS elastic modulus in MPa can be expressed as 20 MPa/PDMS base to curing agent ratio. This article describes a simple method for measuring elastic properties of soft polymeric materials. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 41050.     

The OpenView Enterprise Management Framework

In OpenView, Hewlett-Packard has concentrated on creating a multivendor management platform for TCP/IP-based internets. This plays to the company's strengths in LAN management, where it has been a major player in the LAN protocol analyzer market since the early 1980s, and its expertise in TCP/IP, which the company had been using internally since the early 1980s.     

Shhedding New Light on the Role of Hedgehog Signaling in Corneal Wound Healing

The cornea, an anterior ocular tissue that notably serves to protect the eye from external insults and refract light, requires constant epithelium renewal and efficient healing following injury to maintain ocular homeostasis. Although several key cell populations and molecular pathways implicated in corneal wound healing have already been thoroughly investigated, insufficient/impaired or excessive corneal wound healing remains a major clinical issue in ophthalmology, and new avenues of research are still needed to further improve corneal wound healing. Because of its implication in numerous cellular/tissular homeostatic processes and oxidative stress, there is growing evidence of the role of Hedgehog signaling pathway in physiological and pathological corneal wound healing. Reviewing current scientific evidence, Hedgehog signaling and its effectors participate in corneal wound healing mainly at the level of the corneal and limbal epithelium, where Sonic Hedgehog-mediated signaling promotes limbal stem cell proliferation and corneal epithelial cell proliferation and migration following corneal injury. Hedgehog signaling could also participate in corneal epithelial barrier homeostasis and in pathological corneal healing such as corneal injury-related neovascularization. By gaining a better understanding of the role of this double-edged sword in physiological and pathological corneal wound healing, fascinating new research avenues and therapeutic strategies will undoubtedly emerge.     

The Molecular Basis and Pathophysiology of Trigeminal Neuralgia

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a complex orofacial pain syndrome characterized by the paroxysmal onset of pain attacks in the trigeminal distribution. The underlying mechanism for this debilitating condition is still not clearly understood. Decades of basic and clinical evidence support the demyelination hypothesis, where demyelination along the trigeminal afferent pathway is a major driver for TN pathogenesis and pathophysiology. Such pathological demyelination can be triggered by physical compression of the trigeminal ganglion or another primary demyelinating disease, such as multiple sclerosis. Further examination of TN patients and animal models has revealed significant molecular changes, channelopathies, and electrophysiological abnormalities in the affected trigeminal nerve. Interestingly, recent electrophysiological recordings and advanced functional neuroimaging data have shed new light on the global structural changes and the altered connectivity in the central pain-related circuits in TN patients. The current article aims to review the latest findings on the pathophysiology of TN and cross-examining them with the current surgical and pharmacologic management for TN patients. Understanding the underlying biology of TN could help scientists and clinicians to identify novel targets and improve treatments for this complex, debilitating disease.     

Symbolic pixel labeling for curvilinear feature detection

This paper describes a method of detecting thin curvilinear features in an image based on a detailed analysis of the local gray level patterns at each pixel. This allows operations such as thinning and gap filling to be based on more accurate information.     

Resonant frequency of gold/polycarbonate hybrid nano resonators fabricated on plastics via nano-transfer printing

We report the fabrication of gold/polycarbonate (Au/PC) hybrid nano resonators on plastic substrates through a nano-transfer printing (nTP) technique, and the parametric studies of the resonant frequency of the resulting hybrid nano resonators. nTP is a nanofabrication technique that involves an assembly process by which a printable layer can be transferred from a transfer substrate to a device substrate. In this article, we applied nTP to fabricate Au/PC hybrid nano resonators on a PC substrate. When an AC voltage is applied, the nano resonator can be mechanically excited when the AC frequency reaches the resonant frequency of the nano resonator. We then performed systematic parametric studies to identify the parameters that govern the resonant frequency of the nano resonators, using finite element method. The quantitative results for a wide range of materials and geometries offer vital guidance to design hybrid nano resonators with a tunable resonant frequency in a range of more than three orders of magnitude (e.g., 10 KHz-100 MHz). Such nano resonators could find their potential applications in nano electromechanical devices. Fabricating hybrid nano resonators via nTP further demonstrates nTP as a potential fabrication technique to enable a low-cost and scalable roll-to-roll printing process of nanodevices.     

Aging effects of nanoscale ceria in ceria–platinum composite electrodes for direct alcohol electro-oxidation

Nanocrystalline Pt/CeO₂ composite electrodes were fabricated to study the electrochemical oxidation of methanol and ethanol. The performance of the electrodes was tested as the ceria solutions aged over time. It was observed that the performance oscillated with time, suggesting that the catalytic behavior towards alcohol oxidation was greatly dependent on the aging of the particles. These results point to a great dependence of the catalytic effect on the redox state of the ceria particles.     

Degradation of Nextel™ 610‐based oxide‐oxide ceramic composites by aluminum oxychloride decomposition products

Nextel? 610 alumina fibers and alumina‐YAG (yttrium‐aluminum garnet) matrices were used to make oxide‐oxide ceramic matrix composites (CMCs) with and without monazite (LaPO₄) fiber‐matrix interfaces. Twelve sequential aluminum oxychloride (AlOCl) infiltrations with 1 hour heat treatments at 1100°C and a final 1 hour heat treatment at 1200°C were used for matrix densification. This matrix processing sequence severely degraded CMC mechanical properties. CMC tensile strengths and interlaminar tensile (ILT) strengths were less than 10 MPa and 1 MPa, respectively. Axial fracture of Nextel? 610 fibers was observed after ILT testing, highlighting the extreme degradation of fiber strength. Extensive characterization was done to attempt to determine the responsible degradation mechanisms. Changes in Nextel? 610 fiber microstructure after CMC processing were characterized by optical microscopy, SEM, and extensively by TEM. In AlOCl degraded fibers, grain boundaries near the fiber surface were wetted with a glass that contained Y₂O₃/SiO₂ or Y₂O₃/La₂O₃/P₂O₅/SiO₂, and near‐surface pores were partially filled with Al₂O₃. This glass must also contain some Al₂O₃ and initially some chlorine. AlOCl decomposition products were predicted using the FactSage^® Thermochemical code, and were characterized by mass spectrometry. Effects of AlOCl precursors on monazite coated and uncoated Nextel? 610 fibers tow and filament strength were evaluated. A mechanism for the severe degradation of the oxide‐oxide CMCs and Nextel? 610 fibers that involves subcritical crack growth promoted by release of chlorine containing species during breakdown of intergranular glasses in an anhydrous environment is proposed.     

Nanoindentation study of polydimethylsiloxane elastic modulus using Berkovich and flat punch tips

This article explores polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mechanical properties, and presents nanoindentation experiments with Berkovich and flat punch indenters. In the Berkovich tip quasi‐static nanoindentation test, there are pull‐in and pull‐off events observed during the initial tip contact, and when withdrawing from the surface, respectively. The pull‐in interaction needs to be accounted for to properly determine the initial contact point, and thus the accurate contact area. Once accounted for the pull‐in event, the Berkovich and flat punch tips quasi‐static nanoindentation tests give comparable results of about 1.5 MPa for the PDMS elastic modulus (5 : 1 elastomer base to the curing agent ratio). However, PDMS unloading stiffness is higher than the loading stiffness, and dynamic PDMS testing yields higher elastic modulus of about 3.6 MPa. While these results are comparable with the large strain macroscopic compression test results, the difference underscores the complexity of elastomer mechanical characterization and illustrates the discrepancies typical of the reported values. This article describes nanoindentation methods and critical aspects of interpreting results to assess PDMS mechanical properties. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41384.     

Aligned carbon nanotubes sandwiched in epitaxial NbC film for enhanced superconductivity

Highly aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) ribbons were sandwiched in epitaxial superconducting NbC films by a chemical solution deposition method. The incorporation of aligned long CNTs into NbC film enhances the normal-state conductivity and improves the superconducting properties of the assembly.