Electrostatic Adsorption Behaviors of Polymer Plates to a Droplet.

Electrostatic transfer and adsorption of electrically conductive polymer-coated poly(ethylene terephthalate) plates from a particle bed to a water droplet were studied, with the influence of plate thickness and shape observed. After synthesis and confirmation of the particles' properties using stereo and scanning electron microscopies, elemental microanalysis, and water contact angle measurement, the electric field strength and droplet-bed separation distance required for transfer were measured. An electrometer and high-speed video footage were used to measure the charge transferred by each particle, and its orientation and adsorption behavior during transfer and at the droplet interface.

Impact of surface free energy on electrostatic extraction of particles from a bed.

Hypothesis: Electrostatic extraction of particles from a bed to a pendent droplet to form liquid marbles has previously been investigated with respect to particle conductivity, size and shape, however, interparticle forces have not been specifically interrogated. If cohesion is the dominant force within the particle bed, then particles will be more readily extracted with reduced surface free energy.

Experiments: Glass particles were surface-modified using various alkyltrichlorosilanes.

Drug-induced hepatocellular injury due to herbal supplement ashwagandha.

A 39-year-old female presented with a one-week history of jaundice and nausea after taking an over-the-counter herbal supplement containing ashwagandha root extract. Initial investigations revealed a hepatocellular pattern of liver enzyme abnormality with jaundice. Investigations, including viral serology, liver specific autoantibodies and an ultrasound scan of the abdomen, were unremarkable.

Influence of particle size on extraction from a charged bed - toward liquid marble formation.

The interactions between particles and the role of their physical properties are not well understood for the electrostatic formation of liquid marbles. Here we focus initially on the impact of increasing particle diameter (notionally 20 to 140 μm) on the ease of particle extraction from an advancing bed of charged particles beneath an earthed, suspended water droplet. A larger particle diameter increased the ease of extraction, due to decreased interparticle cohesion, with increased potential applied to the particle bed.

An Electrostatic Method for Manufacturing Liquid Marbles and Particle-Stabilized Aggregates.

We have developed a method for transferring particles from a powder bed to a liquid droplet using an electric field. This process has been used to create liquid marbles with characteristics not normally found in those formed by direct contact methods such as rolling. It has also been used to manufacture hydrophilic particle-liquid aggregates and more complex layered aggregates incorporating both hydrophobic and hydrophilic particles.

pH-Responsive Particle-Liquid Aggregates-Electrostatic Formation Kinetics.

Liquid-particle aggregates were formed electrostatically using pH-responsive poly[2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDEA)-coated polystyrene particles. This novel non-contact electrostatic method has been used to assess the particle stimulus-responsive wettability in detail. Video footage and fractal analysis were used in conjunction with a two-stage model to characterize the kinetics of transfer of particles to a water droplet surface, and internalization of particles by the droplet.

Electrostatic formation of polymer particle stabilised liquid marbles and metastable droplets - Effect of latex shell conductivity.

Hypothesis: Particle cohesion and conductivity affects the electrostatically driven transport of particles to a suspended water droplet. The conditions at which liquid marbles and particle stabilised liquid droplets form are a function of these parameters.

Experiment: Particle beds placed below an earthed pendent water drop had a negative potential applied, thus inducing an opposing positive charge on the liquid, which results in particle transfer and eventual coating of the liquid drop.

Formation of Liquid Marbles Using pH-Responsive Particles: Rolling vs Electrostatic Methods.

Aqueous dispersions of micrometer-sized, monodisperse polystyrene (PS) particles carrying pH-responsive poly[2-(diethylamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDEA) colloidal stabilizer on their surfaces were dried under ambient conditions at pH 3.0 and 10.0.

Giant Pickering Droplets: Effect of Nanoparticle Size and Morphology on Stability.

The interaction between a pair of millimeter-sized nanoparticle-stabilized n-dodecane droplets was analyzed using a high-speed video camera. The droplets were grown in the presence of either poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)-poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PGMA-PBzMA) diblock copolymer spheres or poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)-poly(2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate)-poly(benzyl methacrylate) (PGMA-PHPMA-PBzMA) triblock copolymer worms prepared by polymerization-induced self-assembly. The effect of nanoparticle morphology on droplet coalescence was analyzed by comparing 22 nm spheres to highly anisotropic worms with a mean worm width of 26 nm and comparable particle contact angle.

The Health, Functioning and Wellbeing Summary Traffic Light Communication Tool: a survey of families' views.

Aim: To ascertain families' views about the utility of the Health, Functioning and Wellbeing Summary (HFWS) in positively supporting communication in clinics.

Method: The HFWS was co-developed with families and members of the multidisciplinary team. A sequential convenience sample of 60 families who attended clinics in Sunderland, UK in 2015 agreed to participate and answered eight questions about their views on the tool's usefulness.

Synthetic α-Hydroxytropolones Inhibit Replication of Wild-Type and Acyclovir-Resistant Herpes Simplex Viruses.

Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 remain major human pathogens despite the development of anti-HSV therapeutics as some of the first antiviral drugs. Current therapies are incompletely effective and frequently drive the evolution of drug-resistant mutants. We recently determined that certain natural troponoid compounds such as β-thujaplicinol readily suppress HSV-1 and HSV-2 replication.

Mechanisms for the clustering of inertial particles in the inertial range of isotropic turbulence.

In this paper, we consider the physical mechanism for the clustering of inertial particles in the inertial range of isotropic turbulence. We analyze the exact, but unclosed, equation governing the radial distribution function (RDF) and compare the mechanisms it describes for clustering in the dissipation and inertial ranges. We demonstrate that in the limit Str≪1, where Str is the Stokes number based on the eddy turnover time scale at separation r, the clustering in the inertial range can be understood to be due to the preferential sampling of the coarse-grained fluid velocity gradient tensor at that scale.

Improving Antibiotic De-Escalation in Suspected Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia: An Observational Study With a Pharmacist-Driven Intervention.

Background: Recommendations for treatment of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) emphasize early empiric broad-spectrum antibiotics. However, appropriate antibiotic de-escalation is also critical for optimal patient care.

Materials And Methods: We examined how often intensivists in our institution appropriately de-escalated antibiotics in cases of suspected VAP, and whether decision support by intensive care unit pharmacists could improve rates of antibiotic targeting and early antibiotic discontinuation in low-risk patients.

Use of postoperative creatinine to predict sustained kidney injury in patients undergoing mesothelioma surgery.

Background And Objectives: AKI leads to increased morbidity and mortality and progression to chronic kidney injury is a frequent consequence of AKI. Surgical treatment of mesothelioma is associated with increased risk for kidney injury. However, sustained kidney injury may limit therapeutic options for treating residual cancer.

Candidaemia associated with decreased in vitro fluconazole susceptibility: is Candida speciation predictive of the susceptibility pattern?

Background: Candidaemia is often treated with fluconazole in the absence of susceptibility testing. We examined factors associated with candidaemia caused by Candida isolates with reduced susceptibility to fluconazole.

Methods: We identified consecutive episodes of candidaemia at two hospitals from 2001 to 2007.

Liquid transport in a multi-layer froth.

When a gas is sparged into an aqueous solution of surfactant in a column, a froth layer is formed above the layer of liquid. If water is injected into the rising column of froth at a particular position, two distinct layers are formed in the froth: a wet layer below the injection plane, and a dry layer above it. In this study, a phase coexistence analysis was performed on the three-layer system.