Attaining High Functional Performance in Biodegradable Mg-Alloys: An Overview of Challenges and Prospects for the Mg-Zn-Ca System.

This article presents a concise overview of modern achievements and existing knowledge gaps in the area of biodegradable magnesium alloys. Hundreds of Mg-based alloys have been proposed as candidates for temporary implants, and this number tends to increase day by day. Therefore, while reviewing common aspects of research in this field, we confine ourselves primarily to the popular Mg-Zn-Ca system, taken as a representative example.

Effect of Air Storage on Stress Corrosion Cracking of ZK60 Alloy Induced by Preliminary Immersion in NaCl-Based Corrosion Solution.

The preliminary exposure of Mg alloys to corrosion solutions can cause their embrittlement. The phenomenon is referred to as pre-exposure stress corrosion cracking (PESCC). It has been reported that relatively long storage in air after pre-exposure to the corrosion solution is capable of eliminating PESCC.

A Three-Site Clinical Feasibility Study of a Flexible Functional Electrical Stimulation System to Support Functional Task Practice for Upper Limb Recovery in People With Stroke.

Of those people who survive a stroke, only between 40 and 70% regain upper limb dexterity. A number of reviews have suggested that functional electrical stimulation (FES) may have a beneficial effect on upper limb motor recovery. In light of the promise offered by FES and the limitations with current systems a new system was developed (FES-UPP) to support people with stroke (PwS) to practice a range of voluntary controlled, FES-assisted functional activities.

FES-UPP: A Flexible Functional Electrical Stimulation System to Support Upper Limb Functional Activity Practice.

There is good evidence supporting highly intensive, repetitive, activity-focused, voluntary-initiated practice as a key to driving recovery of upper limb function following stroke. Functional electrical stimulation (FES) offers a potential mechanism to efficiently deliver this type of therapy, but current commercial devices are too inflexible and/or insufficiently automated, in some cases requiring engineering support. In this paper, we report a new, flexible upper limb FES system, FES-UPP, which addresses the issues above.

Electron backscatter diffraction as a domain analysis technique in BiFeO(3)-PbTiO(3) single crystals.

xBiFeO(3)-(1-x)PbTiO(3) single crystals were grown via a flux method for a range of compositions. Presented here is a study of the domain configuration in the 0.5BiFeO(3)-0.