Cytocompatibility,bioactivity and mechanical strength of calcium phosphate cement reinforced with multi-walled carbon nanotubes and bovine serum albumin

This paper reports on the in vitro cytotoxicity, bioactivity behaviour and mechanical properties of novel injectable calcium phosphate cement filled with hydroxylated multi-walled carbon nanotubes and bovine serum albumin (CPC/MWCNT-OH/BSA). To predict the in vitro bioactivity of the calcium phosphate composites, we investigated apatite formation on CPC/MWCNT-OH/BSA composites after soaking in simulated body fluid (SBF) for up to 28 days. Compressive strength tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and cell culture experiments with human CCD-18Co fibroblasts cell lines were performed to evaluate the effect of SBF pre-treatment on the mechanical, structural and biological properties of the CPC/MWCNT-OH/BSA composites. Although apatite formation increased significantly with SBF immersion period, the results showed that all soaked CPC/MWCNT-OH/BSA composites exhibited up to 2.5 times lower compressive strength (13–20 MPa), which were however higher than values reported for the strength of trabecular bone (2–12 MPa). Cell culture experiments showed that low concentrations (6.25 and 12.5 μg/ml) of bio-mineralised CPC/MWCNT-OH/BSA composites led to cell proliferative rather than cytotoxic effects on fibroblasts, evidenced by high cell viabilities (104–113%). The novel CPC/MWCNT-OH/BSA composites presented in this study showed favourable cytocompatible and bioactive behaviour along with high compressive strength (13–32 MPa) and are therefore considered as an attractive bone filling material.     

Synthesis and Characterization of Silver Selenide Nanoparticles via a Facile Sonochemical Route Starting from a Novel Inorganic Precursor

Silver selenide nanoparticles were synthesized by the reaction between silver benzoate and SeCl₄ via a sonochemical method. The as-synthesized Ag₂Se nanoparticles were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectra and energy-dispersive X-ray microanalysis. Facile preparation and separation were important features of this route. To the best of our knowledge, it is the first time that silver benzoate was used as silver precursor for the synthesis of silver selenide nanoparticles.     

Study of the Miscibility of Hard and Soft Segments of Optically Active Poly(amide-imide-ether-urethane) Copolymers based-L-Leucine with Different Soft Segments

Summary Three series of new optically active poly(amide-imide-ether-urethane) (PAIEU) copolymers with different soft segments including polyethylene glycol (PEG), polypropylene glycol (PPG) or polytetramethylene glycol (PTMG) of molecular weight (MW) of 1000 were successfully synthesized. These copolymers were prepared via direct polycondensation reaction of an aromatic diacid based on L-leucine (1), 4,4’-methylene-bis-(4-phenylisocyanate) (MDI) (2) and different polyether polyols. FTIR spectroscopy shows the different absorption bands of NH, urethane and imide-I, II groups that suggests the different intermolecular interactions due to hydrogen bonding in these PAIEUs. On the other hand, DSC analysis reveals that the glass transition temperature for hard segments (Tgh) of PAIEUs based on polyethers with higher ratio of O/CH₂ is higher than that of polyethers with lower ratio of O/CH₂ and it decreases with the soft segment length in PAIEUs consisting of the same type of PEG soft segments.     

High-velocity impact loading in honeycomb sandwich panels reinforced with polymer foam: a numerical approach study

The employment of lightweight structures is one of the most important goals in various industries. The lightweight sandwich panel is an excellent energy absorber and also a perfect way for decreasing the risk of impact. In this paper, a numerical study of high-velocity impact on honeycomb sandwich panels reinforced with polymer foam was performed. The results of numerical simulation are compared with the experimental findings. The numerical modeling of high-velocity penetration process was carried out using nonlinear explicit finite-element code, LS-DYNA. The aluminum honeycomb structure, unfilled honeycomb sandwich panel, and the sandwich panels filled with three types of polyurethane foam (foam 1: 56.94, foam 2: 108.65, and foam 3: 137.13 kg/m³) were investigated to demonstrate damage modes, ballistic limit velocity, absorbed energy, and specific energy absorption (SEA) capacity. The numerical ballistic limit velocity of sandwich panels, filled with three types of foam, was more than that of a bare honeycomb core and unfilled sandwich panel. In addition, the numerical results showed that the sandwich panel filled with the highest density foam could increase the strength of sandwich panel and the numerical specific energy absorption of this structure was 23% more than that of unfilled. Finally, the numerical results were in good agreement with experimental findings.

     

Effects of organically modified nanoclay on the transport properties and electrochemical performance of acid‐doped polybenzimidazole membranes

Nanocomposite polyelectrolyte membranes based on phosphoric acid (H₃PO₄) doped polybenzimidazoles (PBIs) with various loading weights of organically modified montmorillonite (OMMT) were prepared and characterized for direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) applications. X‐ray diffraction analysis revealed the exfoliated structure of OMMT nanolayers in the polymeric matrices. An H₃PO₄–PBI/OMMT membrane composed of 500 mol % doped acid and 3.0 wt % OMMT showed a membrane selectivity of approximately 109,761 in comparison with 40,500 for Nafion 117 and also a higher power density (186 mW/cm²) than Nafion 117 (108 mW/cm²) for a single‐cell DMFC at a 5M methanol feed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Identification of four IgE-reactive proteins in raspberry (Rubus ideaeus L.)

IgE-reactive proteins in raspberry (Rubus ideaus L.) were identified using PCR, RT-PCR, 2-DE and MS/MS peptide sequencing. Specific polyclonal antibodies and patient sera were used in Western blotting to identify crossreactive epitopes. Initially, two potential allergens Rub i 1 and Rub i 3 were detected using PCR, showing high sequence identity to proteins in Rosaceous species like Mal d 1 and Mal d 3 from apple, Pru av 1 and Pru av 3 from cherry and Pru p 1 and Pru p 3 from peach. Furthermore, de novo identified peptides of a protein band at about 30 kDa reacting with most of the patient sera tested (> 80%) revealed a high sequence homology with class III chitinases. Raspberry chitinase, when subjected to glycoproteomic analysis, showed typical complex plant-type N-glycans with a core alpha1,3 fucose and a beta1,2 xylose at least at one position, indicating the presence of crossreacting carbohydrate determinants (CCDs). Finally, MS/MS analysis revealed an IgE-reactive raspberry cyclophilin, homologous to Bet v 7. Results obtained suggest that the consumption of raspberries might be responsible for adverse reactions in sensitised individuals.     

Characteristic intervals in suspension polymerisation reactors: An experimental and modelling study

Suspension polymerisation of methyl methacrylate was carried out as a model to elaborate on the evolution of particle size average and distribution in the course of polymerisation. Four characteristic intervals in the evolution of particle size were identified as: transition, quasi-steady-state, growth, and identification stages. The effects of stabiliser and initiator concentrations, monomer hold up, reaction temperature, and agitation speed on the characteristic intervals, as well as the kinetics of polymerisation, were examined. The transition stage, which has been totally ignored in the literature, was found to have significant effect on the evolution of particle size. The transition stage is shortened by increasing the rate of polymerisation in the drops (either by increasing initiator concentration or using a higher reaction temperature). Increasing the impeller speed and stabiliser concentration will also lead to a shorter transition period. However, the delayed adsorption of the stabiliser on the surface of drops will prolong the transition stage. It is shown that the occurrence of the quasi-steady state depends on the polymerisation conditions. The quasi-steady state occurs only if the balance between drop break up and coalescence can be maintained. This requires a high rate of drop break up within a period of time during polymerisation (i.e., a low rate of polymerisation in the drops by using a low initiator concentration and reaction temperature, a high agitation speed and a high stabiliser concentration). The mechanisms underlying the growth stage are explained in terms of the overall rates of drop break up and coalescence in the course of polymerisation reactions. It is also shown that the onset of growth stage cannot be defined in terms of a critical conversation or viscosity, and it depends on the polymerisation conditions including mixing. The growth stage occurs if drops are not sufficiently stable against both break up and coalescence. The onset of the growth stage is advanced with a decrease in the rate of drop break up (e.g., decreasing agitation speed and stabiliser concentration). The growth stage can be totally eliminated from a polymerisation process if dispersions with a static steady state can be formed. That requires a high concentration of stabiliser, or a low concentration of monomer, to be used. A population balance model, which included the transition stage and the delayed adsorption of the stabiliser, was developed that is capable of predicting the evolution of drop size in the suspension polymerisation.     

Convenient synthesis of benzoate esters mediated by polymer supported benzoyl chloride

Use of polymeric reagents simplifies routine acylation of alcohols because it eliminates traditional purification. We describe the use of readily available crosslinked poly(N‐benzoyl‐4‐vinylpyridinium)chloride, [P₄VP] COPh, in the solution phase synthesis of esters from alcohols or phenols in the presence of K₂CO₃ in high yields and purity. The products can be obtained by filtration and evaporation of the solvent and the polymeric reagent can be regenerated. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

An architecture for a focused trend parallel Web crawler with the application of clickstream analysis

The tremendous growth of the Web poses many challenges for all-purpose single-process crawlers including the presence of some irrelevant answers among search results and the coverage and scaling issues regarding the enormous dimension of the World Wide Web. Hence, more enhanced and convincing algorithms are on demand to yield more precise and relevant search results in an appropriate amount of time. Since employing link based Web page importance metrics within a multi-processes crawler bears a considerable communication overhead on the overall system and cannot produce the precise answer set, employing these metrics in search engines is not an absolute solution to identify the best search answer set by the overall search system. Thus considering the employment of a link independent Web page importance metric is required to govern the priority rule within the queue of fetched URLs. The aim of this paper is to propose a modest weighted architecture for a focused structured parallel Web crawler which employs a link independent clickstream based Web page importance metric. The experiments of this metric over the restricted boundary Web zone of our crowded UTM University Web site shows the efficiency of the proposed metric.