Microwave-Assisted Extraction of Cellulose from Aloe Vera Plant Residue and Preparation of Cellulose Nanocrystal-Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels.

Biomass valorization and bio-based material development are of major research interest following the spirit of the circular economy. Aloe vera cultivation is a widespread agricultural activity oriented toward supplement production because of its well-known antioxidant and antimicrobial properties. Aloe vera juice production also produces a large amount of biomass byproducts that are usually landfilled.

Carbonaceous Shape-Stabilized Octadecane/Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotube Composite Materials for Enhanced Energy Storage and Electromagnetic Interference Shielding.

Developing materials for efficient energy storage and effective electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding is crucial in modern technology. This study explores the synthesis and characterization of carbonaceous shape-stabilized octadecane/MWCNT (multi-walled carbon nanotube) composites, utilizing activated carbon, expanded graphite or ceramic carbon foam, as shape stabilizers for phase change materials (PCMs) to enhance thermal energy storage and EMI shielding, for energy-efficient and advanced applications. The integration of octadecane, a phase change material (PCM) with carbonaceous stabilizers ensures the material's stability during phase transitions, while MWCNTs contribute to improved thermal storage properties and EMI shielding capabilities.

Oxidized-Multiwalled Carbon Nanotubes as Non-Toxic Nanocarriers for Hydroxytyrosol Delivery in Cells.

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) possess excellent physicochemical and structural properties alongside their nano dimensions, constituting a medical platform for the delivery of different therapeutic molecules and drug systems. Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is a molecule with potent antioxidant properties that, however, is rapidly metabolized in the organism. HT immobilized on functionalized CNTs could improve its oral absorption and protect it against rapid degradation and elimination.

Methods of Preparation and Performance Evaluation of ABS/Mineral Microsphere Composites Produced through FDM and Compression Molding.

The use of amorphous microspheres as filler in composites is promising due to their light weight, low cost, incombustibility, and the ability to alter relevant properties of the final composite. Contrary to glass spheres, perlite microspheres are much cheaper and can be tailor-made to facilitate purpose-oriented alteration of the final composite. We report the use of perlite microspheres for the preparation of: (1) composites, through a compression molding (hot pressing) technique; and (2) composite filaments, in a single screw extruder, as well as their use for sample printing through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM).

Natural Language Processing of Radiology Reports to Detect Complications of Ischemic Stroke.

Background: Abstraction of critical data from unstructured radiologic reports using natural language processing (NLP) is a powerful tool to automate the detection of important clinical features and enhance research efforts. We present a set of NLP approaches to identify critical findings in patients with acute ischemic stroke from radiology reports of computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: We trained machine learning classifiers to identify categorical outcomes of edema, midline shift (MLS), hemorrhagic transformation, and parenchymal hematoma, as well as rule-based systems (RBS) to identify intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) and continuous MLS measurements within CT/MRI reports.