Simultaneous rheological, polarized light imaging, and small-angle X-ray scattering experiments (Rheo-PLI-SAXS) are developed, thereby providing unprecedented level of insight into the multiscale orientation of hierarchical systems in simple shear. Notably, it is observed that mesoscale alignment in the flow direction does not develop simultaneously across nano-micro lengthscales in sheared suspensions of rod-like chiral-nematic (meso) phase forming cellulose nanocrystals. Rather, with increasing shear rate, orientation is observed first at mesoscale and then extends to the nanoscale, with influencing factors being the aggregation state of the hierarchy and concentration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThermal conductivity enhancement in polymers is vital for advanced applications. This study introduces a novel method to align hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanosheets within polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) matrices using a Halbach array to create a highly uniform magnetic field. This technique achieves significant improvements in thermal conductivity by effectively aligning hBN nanosheets.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Shoulder dystocia is an unpredictable obstetric condition with potential long-term neonatal complications. The risk of neonatal injury might be related to the condition itself as well as to the obstetrics maneuvers used for its release.
Objectives: To examine the available evidence to assess current management and possible improvement of outcomes.
To tackle antimicrobial resistance, a global threat identified by the United Nations, is a common cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAI) and is responsible for significant costs on healthcare systems, a substantial amount of research has been devoted to developing polysaccharide-based strategies that prevent bacterial attachment and biofilm formation on surfaces. Polysaccharides are essential building blocks for life and an abundant renewable resource that have attracted much attention due to their intrinsic remarkable biological potential antibacterial activities. If converted into efficient antibacterial coatings that could be applied to a broad range of surfaces and applications, polysaccharide-based coatings could have a significant potential global impact.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAim: This review aimed to evaluate the quality of medicalinformation online for patients relating to vulvodynia. To our knowledge no evaluation of online patient information exists regarding vulvodynia and, at present, there is no standardized or validated method of evaluating medical information on the internet.
Methods: A clearly defined protocol was developed to generate keywords relating to vulvodynia.