Heparin-coated poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate/albumin) hydrogel networks: In vitro hemocompatibility evaluation for vascular biomaterials

Human serum albumin (AL) containing poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA; in tube form with an inner diameter of 6 mm) was synthesized for blood-contacting hydrogel networks via UV-initiated photopolymerization at 25°C. Tensile and breaking tests of pHEMA and pHEMA–AL-1–4 hydrogel networks were studied at their equilibrium water content. The mechanical strength of the hydrogel networks was found to be lowered by an increase in the ratio of AL in the polymer networks. To increase the blood compatibility and prevent thrombus formation, the surface of the pHEMA and pHEMA–AL-3 hydrogel compositions were coated with heparin (HEP). Contact-angle studies showed that the polarities (%) of the pHEMA–AL-3 and pHEMA–AL-3–HEP hydrogel networks were significantly increased in comparison with that of pure pHEMA. The fibrinogen adsorption and platelet adhesion were also reduced after the incorporation of AL and HEP into/onto hydrogel networks in comparison with the pure pHEMA control. Blood compatibility tests of the prepared hydrogel networks, which were intended to be used as blood-contacting materials, were examined with various parameters, such as the hemolytic activity, prothrombin time, activated thromboplastin time, and loss of blood cells in blood. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Synthesis and characterization of magnetic beads containing aminated fibrous surfaces for removal of Reactive Green 19 dye: kinetics and thermodynamic parameters

BACKGROUND: Poly(HEMA‐co‐MMA) beads were prepared from 2‐hydroxyethyl‐methacrylate (HEMA) and methylmethacrylate (MMA) in the presence of FeCl₃. Thermal co‐precipitation of Fe(III) ions containing beads with Fe(II) ions was carried out under alkaline conditions. The magnetic beads were grafted with poly(glycidylmethacrylate; p(GMA)), and the epoxy groups of the grafted p(GMA) brushes were converted into amino groups by reaction with ammonia. RESULTS: The magnetic beads were characterized by surface area measurement, electron spin resonance (ESR), Mössbauer spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The maximum adsorption of Reactive Green‐19 (RG‐19) dye on the p(GMA) grafted and amine modified magnetic beads was around pH 3.0. The adsorption capacity of magnetic beads was 84.6 mg dye g^?1. The effects of adsorbent dosage, ionic strength and temperature have also been reported. Batch kinetic sorption experiments showed that a pseudo‐second‐order rate kinetic model was applicable. CONCLUSION: The p(GMA) grafted and amine modified magnetic beads (adsorbent) were expected to have the advantage of mobility of the grafted chains in the removal of acidic dyes from aqueous solutions. The magnetic beads have potential as an adsorbent for removal of pollutants under various experimental conditions without significant reduction in their initial adsorption capacity. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

A mixed integer linear programming formulation for optimal balancing of mixed-model U-lines

The mixed-model U-line balancing problem was first studied by Sparling and Miltenburg (Sparling, D. and Miltenburg, J., 1998. The mixed-model U-line balancing problem. International Journal of Production Research, 36(2), 485–501) but has not been mathematically formulated to date. This paper presents a mixed integer programming formulation for optimal balancing of mixed-model U-lines. The proposed approach minimises the number of workstations required on the line for a given model sequence. The proposed formulation is illustrated and tested on an example problem and compared with an existing approach. This paper also proposes a new heuristic solution procedure to handle large scale mixed-model U-line balancing problems. A comprehensive experimental analysis is also conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed heuristic. The results show the validity and usefulness of the proposed integer formulation and effectiveness of the proposed heuristic procedure.     

Removal of toxic metal ions with magnetic hydrogels

Hydrogels, based on 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propansulfonic acid (AMPS) were synthesized via photopolymerization technique and used for the preparation of magnetic responsive composite hydrogels. These composite hydrogels with magnetic properties were further utilized for the removal of toxic metal ions such as Cd(II), Co(II), Fe(II), Pb(II), Ni(II), Cu(II) and Cr(III) from aqueous environments. It was revealed that hydrogel networks with magnetic properties can effectively be utilized in the removal of pollutants. The results verified that magnetic iron particle containing p(AMPS) hydrogel networks provide advantageous over conventional techniques. Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms were applied for toxic metal removal and both isotherms were fit reasonably well for the metal ion absorptions.     

Inflection points for network reliability

Given a finite, undirected graph G (possibly with multiple edges), we assume that the vertices are operational, but the edges are each independently operational with probability p. The (all-terminal) reliability, \(\operatorname{Rel}(G,p)\) , of G is the probability that the spanning subgraph of operational edges is connected. It has been conjectured that reliability functions have at most one point of inflection in (0,1). We show that the all-terminal reliability of almost every simple graph of order n has a point of inflection, and there are indeed infinite families of graphs (both simple and otherwise) with more than one point of inflection.     

Comparative characterization of monophenolase and diphenolase activities from a wild edible mushroom (Macrolepiota mastoidea)

In this study, Macrolepiota mastoidea, a wild edible mushroom, was evaluated for its polyphenol oxidase potential. Native electrophoresis, stained by l-dihydroxyphenylalanine, of the crude extracts from this species showed two bands having R_f values of 0.38 (minor) and 0.50 (major), supporting a polyphenol oxidase potential. The crude extracts showed monophenolase activity against 3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propionic acid and diphenolase activity against 4-methylcatechol as substrates. Monophenolase and diphenolase activities of enzyme extract prepared from M. mastoidea showed pH optimum values at pH 6.0 and pH 4.0, respectively. The extracts retained about 100% and 60% of their original monophenolase and diphenolase activities at their optimum pH values, respectively. It was estimated from thermodynamic data that M. mastoidea had a thermostable monophenolase activity. Thiourea and ascorbic acid were highly potential inhibitors for monophenolase, and ascorbic acid and sodium metabisulphite for diphenolase activity. It is clear from the present results that the enzyme extracts prepared from M. mastoidea possess polyphenol oxidase activities with interesting properties.     

Preparation and drug‐release behavior of minocycline‐loaded poly[hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐poly(ethylene glycol)–methacrylate] films

In this work, biocompatible hydrogel matrices for wound‐dressing materials and controlled drug‐release systems were prepared from poly[hydroxyethyl methacrylate‐co‐poly(ethylene glycol)–methacrylate] [p(HEMA‐co‐PEG–MA] films via UV‐initiated photopolymerization. The characterization of the hydrogels was conducted with swelling experiments, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (differential scanning calorimetry), and contact‐angle studies. The water absorbency of the hydrogel films significantly changed with the change of the medium pH from 4.0 to 7.4. The thermal stability of the copolymer was lowered by an increase in the ratio of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to methacrylate (MA) in the film structure. Contact‐angle measurements on the surface of the p(HEMA‐co‐PEG–MA) films demonstrated that the copolymer gave rise to a significant hydrophilic surface in comparison with the homopolymer of 2‐hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA). The blood protein adsorption was significantly reduced on the surface of the copolymer hydrogels in comparison with the control homopolymer of HEMA. Model antibiotic (i.e., minocycline) release experiments were performed in physiological buffer saline solutions with a continuous flow release system. The amount of minocycline release was shown to be dependent on the HEMA/PEG–MA ratio. The hydrogels have good antifouling properties and therefore are suitable candidates for wound dressing and other tissue engineering applications. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2009