Fibre-Wood Laminate Biocomposites: Seawater Immersion Effects on Flexural and Low Energy Impact Properties.

The present paper explores a new concept of a hybrid eco-composite by substituting the natural fibre plies with thin wood veneers. The new composite, named Fibre-Wood Laminate (FWL), is inspired by fibre-metal laminate materials. The studied FWL configuration consisted of a single thin pinewood veneer at each of the outer layers of a flax woven fabric reinforced bio-epoxy composite manufactured by infusion.

Experimental Evaluation of Perfluorocarbon Aerosol Generation with Two Novel Nebulizer Prototypes.

The potential of non-invasive ventilation procedures and new minimally invasive techniques has resulted in the research of alternative approaches as the aerosolization for the treatment of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The aim of this work was to design two nebulizer prototypes and to evaluate them studying the particle size distribution of the inhaled droplets generated with distilled water and two perfluorocarbons (PFCs). Different experiments were performed with driving pressures of 1⁻3 bar for each compound.

Experimental and Numerical Modeling of Aerosol Delivery for Preterm Infants.

Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) represents one of the major causes of mortality among preterm infants, and the best approach to treat it is an open research issue. The use of perfluorocarbons (PFC) along with non-invasive respiratory support techniques has proven the usefulness of PFC as a complementary substance to achieve a more homogeneous surfactant distribution. The aim of this work was to study the inhaled particles generated by means of an intracorporeal inhalation catheter, evaluating the size and mass distribution of different PFC aerosols.

In vitro surfactant and perfluorocarbon aerosol deposition in a neonatal physical model of the upper conducting airways.

Objective: Aerosol delivery holds potential to release surfactant or perfluorocarbon (PFC) to the lungs of neonates with respiratory distress syndrome with minimal airway manipulation. Nevertheless, lung deposition in neonates tends to be very low due to extremely low lung volumes, narrow airways and high respiratory rates. In the present study, the feasibility of enhancing lung deposition by intracorporeal delivery of aerosols was investigated using a physical model of neonatal conducting airways.