Self-Reinforced Composite Materials: Frictional Analysis and Its Implications for Prosthetic Socket Design.

Friction and wear characteristics play a critical role in the functionality and durability of prosthetic sockets, which are essential components in lower-limb prostheses. Traditionally, these sockets are manufactured from bulk polymers or composite materials reinforced with advanced carbon, glass, and Kevlar fibres. However, issues of accessibility, affordability, and sustainability remain, particularly in less-resourced regions.

Effects of Seawater on Mechanical Performance of Composite Sandwich Structures: A Machine Learning Framework.

Sandwich structures made with fibre-reinforced plastics are commonly used in maritime vessels thanks to their high strength-to-weight ratios, corrosion resistance, and buoyancy. Understanding their mechanical performance after moisture uptake and the implications of moisture uptake for their structural integrity and safety within out-of-plane loading regimes is vital for material optimisation. The use of modern methods such as acoustic emission (AE) and machine learning (ML) could provide effective techniques for the assessment of mechanical behaviour and structural health monitoring.

Damage Assessment of Glass-Fibre-Reinforced Plastic Structures under Quasi-Static Indentation with Acoustic Emission.

The use of fibre-reinforced plastics (FRPs) in various industrial applications continues to increase thanks to their good strength-to-weight ratio and impact resistance, as well as the high strength that provides engineers with advanced options for the design of modern structures subjected to a variety of out-of-plane impacts. An assessment of the damage morphology under such conditions using non-destructive techniques could provide useful data for material design and optimisation. This study investigated the damage mechanism and energy-absorption characteristics of E-glass laminates and sandwich structures with GFRP face sheets with PVC cores under quasi-static indentation with conical, square, and hemispherical indenters.

Assessing Crimp of Fibres in Random Networks with 3D Imaging.

The analysis of fibrous structures using micro-computer tomography (µCT) is becoming more important as it provides an opportunity to characterise the mechanical properties and performance of materials. This study is the first attempt to provide computations of fibre crimp for various random fibrous networks (RFNs) based on µCT data. A parametric algorithm was developed to compute fibre crimp in fibres in a virtual domain.

Algorithm to determine orientation distribution function from microscopic images of fibrous networks: Validation with X-ray microtomography.

Quantitative analysis of fibre orientation in a random fibrous network (RFN) is important to understand their microstructure, properties and performance. 2D fibre orientation distribution presents an in-plane fibre orientation without any information on fibre orientation in thickness direction. This research introduces a fully parametric algorithm for computing 3D fibre orientation as thickness is important for high-density or thick fibrous networks.

Endothelial Dysfunction and Ischemia-Modified Albumin Levels in Males with Diabetic and Nondiabetic Erectile Dysfunction.

In this study, we aimed to determine endothelial dysfunction and ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) levels in patients diagnosed with erectile dysfunction (ED) and to examine the relationship between these and diabetes disease. 86 male patients (46 patients with diabetes, age: 51.5 ± 9.

A Rare Complication of Amplatz Sheath: Amplatz Sheath Rupture During Percutaneous Nephrolithotomy.

Amplatz sheaths are hollow tubes that serve as the portal for the insertion of the nephroscope during percutaneous nephrolithotomy (PCNL). Breakage of this tube during the procedure is rare, but when it does occur it should be recognized and addressed promptly. A 46-year-old Caucasian male patient was scheduled for PCNL.

Anisotropic cytocompatible electrospun scaffold for tendon tissue engineering elicits limited inflammatory response in vitro.

Tendon tears are a relevant concern for today's national health systems because of their social impact and high recurrence rate. The current gold standard for fixing tendon tears is surgical repair; however, this strategy is not able to fully re-establish tendon integrity and functionality. Tissue engineering approaches aim at promoting tissue regeneration by delivering the opportune signals to the injured site combining biomaterials, cells and biochemical cues.

Diagnostic Value of Plasma Pentraxin3- Level For Diagnosis of Erectile Dysfunction.

Purpose: Erectile dysfunction (ED) is a sexual dysfunction described as the inability to develop or maintain an erection of the penis adequate for sexual intercourse, and its prevalence increases with age. Seen as a common sexual disorder worldwide, organic causes are the underlying reason for 80 percent of ED cases, with the most characteristic pathology responsible for organic ED being atherosclerosis. This study investigates the diagnostic value of plasma PTX-3 levels in arterial ED.

Efficacy of Duloxetine in the Early Management of Urinary Continence after Radical Prostatectomy.

Aim: To evaluate the efficacy of early duloxetine therapy in stress urinary incontinence occurring after radical prostatectomy (RP).

Material And Method: Patients that had RP were randomly divided into 2 groups following the removal of the urinary catheter. Group A patients (n = 28) had pelvic floor exercise and duloxetine therapy.

Penetration of cutting tool into cortical bone: experimental and numerical investigation of anisotropic mechanical behaviour.

An anisotropic mechanical behaviour of cortical bone and its intrinsic hierarchical microstructure act as protective mechanisms to prevent catastrophic failure due to natural loading conditions; however, they increase the extent of complexity of a penetration process in the case of orthopaedic surgery. Experimental results available in literature provide only limited information about processes in the vicinity of a tool-bone interaction zone. Also, available numerical models the bone-cutting process do not account for material anisotropy or the effect of damage mechanisms.

Variability and anisotropy of mechanical behavior of cortical bone in tension and compression.

The mechanical properties of cortical bone vary not only from bone to bone; they demonstrate a spatial viability even within the same bone due to its changing microstructure. They also depend considerably on different loading modes and orientations. To understand the variability and anisotropic mechanical behavior of a cortical bone tissue, specimens cut from four anatomical quadrants of bovine femurs were investigated both in tension and compression tests.