Electro-copolymerisation of indene and styrene

Electroinitiated cationic copolymerisation of indene and styrene was investigated by constant potential electrolysis. Effects of copolymerisation potential and temperature on the copolymer composition and the reactivity ratios are discussed. The reactivity ratios of the monomers were calculated according to the integrated Lewis-Mayo equation.     

Calcitonin treatment in reflex sympathetic dystrophy: a preliminary study

Reflex sympathetic dystrophy is one of the important complications effecting the rehabilitation programmes of hemiplegic patients in a negative manner by causing pain and function loss. In this study, the aim was to investigate the effects of salmon calcitonin treatment in reflex sympathetic dystrophy that develops in hemiplegia. Forty-one patients with hemiplegia resulting from cerebrovascular events and stage 1-2 reflex sympathetic dystrophy were included in the study. Salmon calcitonin, 1 x 100 IU/day intramuscularly for 4 weeks, was administered to 25 of these patients (calcitonin group) to the other 16 patients physiological saline, 1 ml/day intramuscularly for 4 weeks, was administered (control group). At the end of the fourth week of treatment the pain score of the calcitonin group was significantly lower than that of the control group. Shoulder abduction and external rotation, wrist flexion and metacarpophalangeal extension of the calcitonin group were found to be significantly better than those of the control group. In the calcitonin group the significant decrease in pain and tenderness resulted in improvement of range of motion and motor functions.     

Visualizing Extracellular Vesicles and Their Function in 3D Tumor Microenvironment Models

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nanostructures that mediate intercellular communication by delivering complex signals in normal tissues and cancer. The cellular coordination required for tumor development and maintenance is mediated, in part, through EV transport of molecular cargo to resident and distant cells. Most studies on EV-mediated signaling have been performed in two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cell cultures, largely because of their simplicity and high-throughput screening capacity. Three-dimensional (3D) cell cultures can be used to study cell-to-cell and cell-to-matrix interactions, enabling the study of EV-mediated cellular communication. 3D cultures may best model the role of EVs in formation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) and cancer cell-stromal interactions that sustain tumor growth. In this review, we discuss EV biology in 3D culture correlates of the TME. This includes EV communication between cell types of the TME, differences in EV biogenesis and signaling associated with differing scaffold choices and in scaffold-free 3D cultures and cultivation of the premetastatic niche. An understanding of EV biogenesis and signaling within a 3D TME will improve culture correlates of oncogenesis, enable molecular control of the TME and aid development of drug delivery tools based on EV-mediated signaling.     

Loss mechanisms and high power piezoelectrics

Heat generation is one of the significant problems in piezoelectrics for high power density applications. In this paper, we review the loss mechanisms in piezoelectrics first, followed by the heat generation processes for various drive conditions. Heat generation at off-resonance is caused mainly by dielectric loss tan δ′ (i.e., P-E hysteresis loss), not by mechanical loss, while the heat generation at resonance is mainly attributed to mechanical loss tan φ′. Then, practical high power materials developed at Penn State is introduced, which exhibit the vibration velocity more than 1 m/s, leading to the power density capability 10 times of the commercially available “hard” PZTs. We propose a internal bias field model to explain the low loss and high power origin of these materials. Finally, using a low temperature sinterable “hard” PZT, we demonstrated a high power multilayer piezoelectric transformers.     

Dry wear and friction behaviour of plasma nitrided Ti–6AL–4 V alloy after explosive shock treatment

The unlubricated wear behaviour of explosive shock treated and, subsequently plasma nitrided Ti–6Al–4 V alloy was studied using a ball-on-disc wear tester. Plasma nitriding was carried out at three different temperatures (700, 800 and 900 °C) for 3, 6, 9 and 12 h. Plasma nitriding after explosive shock treatment enabled a reduction in the wear rate of two orders of magnitude. Detailed investigations of this improved wear performance dependent on the nitriding temperature and time were carried out. The friction and wear data showed a clear breakthrough transition from the nitrided layer to the core of the Ti–6Al–4 V alloy matrix. The lowest wear volume was obtained for the sample, nitrided at 900 °C for 12 h, especially at loads of 2.5, 5 and 7.5 N. Obviously, the hard nitride layers were intimately associated with low wear rate, providing a smooth low friction surface. The coefficient of friction reduced from 0.46 to 0.2 due to a thick and hard compound layer resulting from a high nitrogen diffusion rate caused by explosive shock treatment that expected to increase point defects in the alloy. Detailed examination of the wear tracks showed that plasma nitriding changes the mechanism of wear from one of adhesion for untreated Ti–6Al–4 V to both delamination and mild abrasive.     

Effect of intracanal medicaments on the push-out bond strength of Biodentine in comparison with Bioaggregate apical plugs

To evaluate the effect of intracanal medicaments on the push-out bond strength of Biodentine in comparison with DiaRoot BioAggregate (BA) when used as apical plugs. Forty single-rooted teeth were prepared using Peeso reamers. The samples were divided into four groups. The intracanal medicaments were applied to the root canals as follows: Group1: a combination of metronidazole–ciprofloxacin–cefaclor, Group2: a combination of metronidazole–ciprofloxacin, Group3: calcium hydroxide, and Group4: no medication. After 21 days, the medicaments were removed. The apical part of each root was horizontally sectioned into 1-mm thick slices. The samples were divided into two subgroups, and the following materials were placed: Biodentine, DiaRoot-BioAggregate. After 48-h incubation, the push-out bond strength was measured. The data were analyzed by a two-way ANOVA. Biodentine showed a significantly higher mean push-out bond strength value than DiaRoot-BioAggregate (P = 0.00). The medications have an effect on the push-out bond strength of both materials (P = 0.002). Biodentine showed better adhesive performance as an apical plug than DiaRoot-BioAggregate.     

Conductive polyaniline/poly(methyl methacrylate) films obtained by electropolymerization

Electrochemical polymerization of aniline, on a Pt foil electrode coated with poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), produces a homogeneous, free-standing, flexible, and conductive polymer film. The conductivity of the films depends on the aniline content and reaches 0.1–0.2 S/cm for films having aniline content of 15% or more. The optimum thickness of precoated PMMA to obtain durable conducting films was found to be in the range of 10–15 μm. Cyclic voltammetric investigation revealed that aniline exhibits a similar electrochemical behavior on a PMMA coated platinum electrode similar to a bare Pt surface. The film gives a fast and reproducible response against ammonia gas within a concentration range of 1.0–0.01%. Scanning electron micrographs indicate that the films have a rough structure consisting of globular regions. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Piezoelectric properties of low temperature sintering in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3–Pb(Zn,Ni)1/3Nb2/3O3 ceramics for piezoelectric transformer applications

In this study, in order to develop low-temperature sintering ceramics for a multilayer piezoelectric transformer application, we explored CuO and Bi₂O₃ as sintering aids at low temperature (900 °C) sintering condition for Sb, Li and Mn-substituted 0.8Pb(Zr_0.48Ti_0.52)O₃–0.16Pb(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–0.04Pb(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ ceramics. These substituted ceramics have excellent piezoelectric and dielectric properties such as d₃₃  347 pC/N, k_p  0.57 and Q_m  1469 when sintered at 1200 °C. The addition of CuO decreased the sintering temperature through the formation of a liquid phase. However, the piezoelectric properties of the CuO-added ceramics sintered below 900 °C were lower than the desired values. The additional Bi₂O₃ resulted in a significant improvement in the piezoelectric properties. The composition Sb, Li and Mn-substituted 0.8Pb(Zr_0.48Ti_0.52)O₃–0.16Pb(Zn_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃–0.04Pb(Ni_1/3Nb_2/3)O₃ + 0.5 wt% CuO + 0.5 wt% Bi₂O₃ showed the value of k_p = 0.56, Q_m = 1042 (planar mode), d₃₃ = 350 pC/N, when it was sintered at 900 °C for 2 h. These values indicated that the newly developed composition might be suitable for multilayer piezoelectric transformer application.     

Energy and exergy analyses of thin layer drying of mulberry in a forced solar dryer

This paper is concerned with the energy and exergy analyses of the thin layer drying process of mulberry via forced solar dryer. Using the first law of thermodynamics, energy analysis was carried out to estimate the ratios of energy utilization and the amounts of energy gain from the solar air collector. However, exergy analysis was accomplished to determine exergy losses during the drying process by applying the second law of thermodynamics. The drying experiments were conducted at different five drying mass flow rate varied between 0.014 kg/s and 0.036 kg/s. The effects of inlet air velocity and drying time on both energy and exergy were studied. The main values of energy utilization ratio were found to be as 55.2%, 32.19%, 29.2%, 21.5% and 20.5% for the five different drying mass flow rate ranged between 0.014 kg/s and 0.036 kg/s. The main values of exergy loss were found to be as 10.82 W, 6.41 W, 4.92 W, 4.06 W and 2.65 W with the drying mass flow rate varied between 0.014 kg/s and 0.036 kg/s. It was concluded that both energy utilization ratio and exergy loss decreased with increasing drying mass flow rate while the exergetic efficiency increased.     

The preparation of core–shell Al2O3/Ni composite powders by electroless plating

Core–shell nanostructured Ni-coated Al₂O₃ composite powders were synthesised by using the electroless plating method. The influence of the chemical components and powder concentration in the Ni coating was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction techniques. The results show that the concentration of the plating components plays an important role in the formation of core–shell Al₂O₃/Ni composite powders. The nickel content in the composite powders could be effectively controlled by adjusting the nickel chloride content and the concentration of NaH₂PO₂·H₂O in the plating solution. The nanostructure of the crystalline Ni coatings was observed to be very attractive for achieving good bonding between ceramic particles and matrices for composite production.