Understanding frictional behavior in fascia tissues through tribological modeling and material substitution.

The objective of this study is to develop a reliable tribological model to enable a more thorough investigation of the frictional behavior of fascia tissues connected to non-specific lower back pain. Several models were designed and evaluated based on their coefficient of friction, using a low-frequency, low-load reciprocating motion. The study found that two technical elastomers, layered on PDMS to simulate the fascia and underlying muscle, are suitable substitutes for biological tissue in the model.

Possible charge ordering and anomalous transport in graphene/graphene quantum dot heterostructure.

Observations of superconductivity and charge density waves (CDW) in graphene have been elusive thus far due to weak electron-phonon coupling (EPC) interactions. Here, we report a unique observation of anomalous transport and multiple charge ordering phases at high temperatures (T1∼213K,T2∼325K) in a 0D-2D van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure comprising of single layer graphene (SLG) and functionalized (amine) graphene quantum dots (GQD). The presence of functionalized GQD contributed to charge transfer with shifting of the Dirac point ∼ 0.

The Biomimetic Synthesis of Polyarylated Fluorenes, Relevant to Selaginellaceae Polyphenols, Leading to the Spontaneous Formation of Stable Radicals.

This work reports a biomimetic synthesis of polyarylated fluorene derivatives. The molecules are formed via intramolecular electrophilic aromatic substitution, resembling a cyclization leading towards the natural selaginpulvilins from selaginellins. The scope of the reaction was investigated, and the products were obtained in 60-95 % yields.

Injecting hyaluronan in the thoracolumbar fascia: A model study.

Hyaluronan (HA) has been recently identified as a key component of the densification of thoracolumbar fascia (TLF), a potential contributor to non-specific lower back pain (LBP) currently treated with manual therapy and systemic or local delivery of anti-inflammatory drugs. The aim of this study was to establish a novel animal model suitable for studying ultrasound-guided intrafascial injection prepared from HA with low and high Mw. Effects of these preparations on the profibrotic switch and mechanical properties of TLF were measured by qPCR and rheology, respectively, while their lubricating properties were evaluated by tribology.

Scanning Probe Microscopy controller with advanced sampling support.

A low-cost Digital Signal Processor (DSP) unit for advanced Scanning Probe Microscopy measurements is presented. It is based on Red Pitaya board and custom built electronic boards with additional high bit depth AD and DA converters. By providing all the necessary information (position and time) with each data point collected it can be used for any scan path, using either existing libraries for scan path generation or creating adaptive scan paths using Lua scripting interface.