The Effect of Powder Re-Use on the Coalescence Behaviour and Isothermal Crystallisation Kinetics of Polyamide 12 within Powder Bed Fusion.

Polymer powder bed fusion (PBF) is becoming increasingly popular for the fabrication of lightweight, high-performance parts, particularly for medical and aerospace applications. This study investigates the effect of powder re-use and material aging on the coalescence behaviour, melt flowability, and isothermal crystallisation kinetics of polyamide-12 (PA-12) powder. With increased powder re-use, a progressive reduction in melt flowability and material coalescence is observed; at 200 °C, the particle consolidation time increases from 15 s in virgin powder to 180 s in powder recovered from build 6.

PEDOT:PSS Conductivity Enhancement through Addition of the Surfactant Tween 80.

Replacement of indium tin oxide with the intrinsically conducting polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) has been of significant interest in recent years as a result of lower processing and material costs. In addition, the inclusion of additives has been reported to further enhance the conductivity, rheology, and wettability of PEDOT:PSS. In this study, Tween 80 was shown to decrease the sheet resistance of PEDOT:PSS films from approximately 1000 to 76 Ω□ at a 2.

Development of a Coaching Protocol to Enhance Self-efficacy Within Outpatient Physical Therapy.

Objective: To describe the development of the Specific, Measurable, Action-Oriented, Realistic, and Timed (SMART) Coaching Protocol to increase exercise self-efficacy in middle-aged and older adults participating in Live Long Walk Strong (LLWS) Rehabilitation Program. LLWS Rehabilitation Program is an innovative physical therapist (PT) delivered outpatient intervention for middle- and older-aged adults with slow gait speed.

Design: Phase II randomized controlled trial (RCT) with masked outcome assessment.

An Untargeted Thermogravimetric Analysis-Fourier Transform Infrared-Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry Approach for Plastic Polymer Identification.

Reliable chemical identification of specific polymers in environmental samples represents a major challenge in plastic research, especially with the wide range of commercial polymers available, along with variable additive mixtures. Thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared-gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (TGA-FTIR-GC-MS) offers a unique characterization platform that provides both physical and chemical properties of the analyzed polymers. This study presents a library of 11 polymers generated using virgin plastics and post-consumer products.

The Effect of a Secondary Process on the Analysis of Isothermal Crystallisation Kinetics by Differential Scanning Calorimetry.

This paper demonstrates the application of a modified Avrami equation in the analysis of crystallisation curves obtained using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). The model incorporates a square root of time dependence of the secondary process into the conventional Avrami equation and, although previously validated using laser flash analysis and infrared spectroscopy, is not currently transferable to DSC. Application of the model to calorimetric data required long-duration isotherms and a series of data treatments.

Crosslinker Copolymerization for Property Control in Inverse Vulcanization.

Sulfur is an underused by-product of the petrochemicals industry. Recent research into inverse vulcanization has shown how this excess sulfur can be transformed into functional polymers, by stabilization with organic crosslinkers. For these interesting new materials to realize their potential for applications, more understanding and control of their physical properties is needed.

Development of a rapid method to isolate polyhydroxyalkanoates from bacteria for screening studies.

We describe a novel method of Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) extraction using dimethyl sulphoxide (DMSO) for use in screening studies. Compared to conventional chloroform extraction, the DMSO method was shown to release comparable quantities of PHA from Cupriavidus necator cells, with comparable properties as determined using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry.

Stability of human growth hormone in supercritical carbon dioxide.

The instability of human growth hormone (hGH) to temperature and interfaces makes its formulation into injectable, sustained-release drug delivery systems challenging. A novel method of encapsulating hGH in polymeric microparticles has been developed using supercritical CO(2) (scCO(2)) technology, but there is limited understanding of the stability of hGH within this system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the stability of hGH in scCO(2) processing.

Differences in treatment advice for common poisons by poisons centres--an international comparison.

Objective: To investigate how poisons centres advise on management of common drug poisonings and compare advice on gut decontamination with the EAPCCT/AACT Position Statements.

Methods: An interactive questionnaire was sent to 14 poisons centres asking about working practices, "top 20" enquiries in 2002, and management of 4 specific drug poisonings.

Results: Replies were received from centres in 11 countries.

Comparison of consciousness level assessment in the poisoned patient using the alert/verbal/painful/unresponsive scale and the Glasgow Coma Scale.

Study Objective: We determine how the alert/verbal/painful/unresponsive (AVPU) responsiveness scale (alert, responsive to verbal stimulation, responsive to painful stimulation, and unresponsive) corresponds to the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) when assessing consciousness level in the poisoned patient.

Methods: Consciousness level was assessed using the AVPU responsiveness scale and the GCS in all patients admitted to the hospital during a 6-month period with deliberate or accidental poisoning. An AVPU responsiveness scale algorithm and details of the individual components of the GCS were provided.

Web based information on clinical toxicology for the United Kingdom: uptake and utilization of TOXBASE in 2000.

Aims: To examine the use and uptake of TOXBASE, an Internet database for point of care provision of poisons information in the United Kingdom during its first calendar year of web-based access.

Methods: Interrogation of the database software to examine: use by different types of user and geographical origin; profile of ingredient and product access; time of access to the system; profile of access to other parts of the database.

Results: Registered users of the system increased in the first full year of operation (1224 new users) and usage of the system increased to 111 410 sessions with 190 223 product monograph accesses in 2000.