The control of viscoelastic properties of alginate biopolymer that mimics the matrix properties of biological substrates plays an important role for the success of its biomedical applications. For this purpose stress relaxation behavior of glycerol plasticized sodium alginate films is characterized at room temperature as a function of the glycerol concentration ranging up to 40%. A series of experiments are thus conducted at relative humidity levels of 38 ± 1% and 51 ± 1%. The glycerol content is demonstrated to amplify the effect of humidity on relaxation profiles. In the case of 30% glycerol, normalized stress at the level of 65% is recorded at the end of the first 30 min at the low humidity level, whereas the corresponding value drops to 8% with increased humidity. Alginate films with no glycerol content exhibit much higher normalized stresses of 89% and 73% at low and high humidity levels, respectively. In addition, stress relaxation is observed to continue well beyond the first 30 min, especially for glycerol concentrations lower than 30%, where 9-hour parameters for a stretched exponential Kohlrausch - Williams - Watts function are reported demonstrating the importance of relaxation time for successful modeling.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jmbbm.2019.103374 | DOI Listing |
Alzheimers Dement
December 2024
University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.
Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) has traditionally been recognized as progressive dementia with brain deposits of amyloid (Aβ) and Tau (MAPT) proteins starting 20 and 10 years before the onset of clinical symptoms. Aggregation and deposition of Aβ and Tau proteins have been successfully studied in vitro, cell cultures, and animal models, but clinical deficits have been more difficult to assess. Behavior in mice is a complex phenomenon and subject to variation based on mouse interest, moods, stress-induced distraction, and other undefined parameters.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAlzheimers Dement
December 2024
Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL, USA.
Background: Elevated iron in brain is a source of free radicals that causes oxidative stress which has been linked to neuropathologies and cognitive impairment among older adults. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of iron levels with transverse relaxation rate, R, and white matter hyperintensities (WMH), independent of the effects of other metals and age-related neuropathologies.
Method: Cerebral hemispheres from 437 older adults participating in the Rush Memory and Aging Project study (Table 1) were imaged ex-vivo using 3T MRI scanners.
Alzheimers Dement
December 2024
University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Background: Impaired interstitial fluid drainage in the brain is indicated by the presence of perivascular β-amyloid (Aβ) deposits and is attributed to alterations in contractility and relaxation of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). The brain microvasculature in Alzheimer disease (AD) accumulates amyloid-forming amylin secreted from the pancreas. Here, we tested the hypothesis that cerebrovascular amylin deposits perturbs cerebral Aβ efflux by impairing cerebral vasodilation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHibernating brown bears, due to a drastic reduction in metabolic rate, show only moderate muscle wasting. Here, we evaluate if ATPase activity of resting skeletal muscle myosin can contribute to this energy sparing. By analyzing single muscle fibers taken from the same bears, either during hibernation or in summer, we find that fibers from hibernating bears have a mild decline in force production and a significant reduction in ATPase activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInt J Biol Macromol
December 2024
Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Food Technology, University of Agriculture, Balicka St. 122, PL-30-149 Cracow, Poland; Department of Product Packaging, Cracow University of Economics, Rakowicka 27, PL-31-510 Cracow, Poland. Electronic address:
Effect of different evening primrose oil content (1-20 %) on the rheological, mechanical, textural and microstructure of furcellaran/whey protein isolate emulsion gels were investigated at neutral, unmodified pH environment. The results indicate that, irrespective of the concentration, the oil acted as an inactive filler and was not chemically bound in the polymer network but only physically immobilized in it. The increasing oil amount in the material from 1 to 20 % resulted in a percentage decrease in hardness (52 %), gumminess (71 %) and stress relaxation ratio (17 %) which means that presence of the hydrophobic components weakens the structure of the material, but all samples exhibit elastic behaviour.
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