Antiadhesive Nanofibrous Materials for Medicine: Preventing Undesirable Tissue Adhesions.

Undesirable postoperative tissue adhesions remain among the most common complications after surgery. Apart from pharmacological antiadhesive agents, various physical barriers have been developed in order to prevent postoperative tissue adhesions. Nevertheless, many introduced materials suffer from shortcomings during application.

Does being stricter mean doing better? Different effects of environmental policy stringency on quality of life, green innovation, and international cooperation.

Nowadays, when we are facing several strict regulations, the question arises - does higher strictness lead to the desired results? This study addresses the fact that less research attention has focused on the effects of environmental policy stringency (EPS) on perceived health expressing quality of life, and on green international cooperation. In addition, previous research has provided rather mixed results on the impact of EPS on green innovation. Therefore, we fill an interesting research gap and help better understand the relationship between market-based and non-market-based EPS, perceived health, green innovations, and green international cooperation in OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries.

Optically modified second harmonic generation in silicon oxynitride thin films via local layer heating.

Strong second harmonic generation (SHG) in silicon nitride has been extensively studied-among others, in terms of laser-induced SHG enhancement in SiN waveguides. This enhancement has been ascribed to the all-optical poling induced by the coherent photogalvanic effect. Yet, an analogous process for SiN thin films has not been reported.

Small nanofibrous disks for preconcentration of environmental contaminants followed by direct in-vial elution and chromatographic determination.

A novel method for the extraction of river water contaminants as model analytes of ranging polarities, including bisphenols A, C, S, Z, fenoxycarb, kadethrin, and deltamethrin, using small compact fibrous disks has been developed and validated. Polymer nanofibers and microfibers prepared from poly(3-hydroxybutyrate), polypropylene, polyurethane, polyacrylonitrile, poly(lactic acid), and polycaprolactone doped with graphene were evaluated in terms of extraction efficiency, selectivity, and stability in organic solutions. Our novel extraction procedure comprised preconcentration of analytes from 150 mL river water to 1 mL of eluent using a compact nanofibrous disk freely vortexed in the sample.

Coronary artery perforation successfully treated with a second drug-eluting stent.

A coronary artery perforation is a rare, but potentially lethal, complication of percutaneous coronary intervention. We present a case of massive main vessel coronary perforation of the right coronary artery in a patient with acute ST segment elevation myocardial infarction, which was successfully treated with a second drug-eluting stent. This uncommon therapeutic approach was used to preserve flow to the large side branch.

Influence of the modifiers in polyol method on magnetically induced hyperthermia and biocompatibility of ultrafine magnetite nanoparticles.

Magnetite nanoparticles (FeO NPs) are widely tested in various biomedical applications, including magnetically induced hyperthermia. In this study, the influence of the modifiers, i.e.

Influence of Incorporating Recycled Windshield Glass, PVB-Foil, and Rubber Granulates on the Properties of Geopolymer Composites and Concretes.

Waste materials from the automotive industries were re-used as aggregates into metakaolin-based geopolymer (GP), geopolymer mortar (GM), and Bauhaus B20-based concrete composite (C). Specifically, the study evaluates the ability of windshield silica glass (W), PVB-Foils (P), and rubber granulates (G) to impact the mechanical and thermal properties. The addition of the recovered materials into the experimental geopolymers outperformed the commercially available B20.

Advanced micro- & nanostructuring for enhanced biocompatibility of stainless steel by multi-beam and beamshaping technology.

Biocompatibility is one of the key issues for implants, especially in the case of stainless steel with medium to low biocompatibility, which may lead to a lack of osseointegration and consequently to implant failure or rejection. To precisely control preferential cell growth sites and, consequently, the biocompatibility of prosthetic devices, two types of surfaces were analyzed, containing periodic nanogrooves laser induced periodic surface structure (LIPSS) and square-shaped micropillars. For the fast and efficient production of these surfaces, the unique combination of high energy ultrashort pulsed laser system with multi-beam and beamshaping technology was applied, resulting in increased productivity by 526% for micropillars and 14 570% for LIPSS compared to single beam methods.

UV-activated persulfates oxidation of anthraquinone dye: Kinetics and ecotoxicological assessment.

Sulfate radical-based advanced oxidation processes (SR-AOPs) are gaining popularity as a feasible alternative for removing recalcitrant pollutants in an aqueous environment. Persulfates, namely peroxydisulfate (PDS) and peroxymonosulfate (PMS) are the most common sulfate radical donors. Persulfates activation by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation is considered feasible due to the high concentration of radicals produced as well as the lack of catalysts leaching.

Method of Failure Diagnostics to Linear Rolling Guides in Handling Machines.

Linear rolling guides, used in production machines for the realisation of linear motion, demand in industrial practice early damage identification to prevent production outages and losses. Therefore, the article aims for early damage diagnostics that use the principle of a load-free diagnostic part integrated into the carriage of the linear rolling guide. This principle was employed for developing an innovative method of damage identification to a guiding profile or rolling elements.

Comparison of nursing students’ performance of cardiopulmonary resuscitation between 1 semester and 3 semesters of manikin simulations in the Czech Republic: a non-randomized controlled study.

Purpose: This study aimed to assess the effect of simulation teaching in critical care courses in a nursing study program on the quality of chest compressions of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).

Methods: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted at the Faculty of Health Studies at the Technical University of Liberec. The success rate of CPR was tested in exams comparing 2 groups of students, totaling 66 different individuals, who completed half a year (group 1: intermediate exam with model simulation) or 1.

The Application of Nanofibrous Resonant Membranes for Room Acoustics.

Solitary sound absorbing elements exist; however, their construction is massive and heavy, which largely limits their use. These elements are generally made of porous materials that serve to reduce the amplitude of the reflected sound waves. Materials based on the resonance principle (oscillating membranes, plates, and Helmholtz's resonators) can also be used for sound absorption.

Facile One-Pot Green Synthesis of Magneto-Luminescent Bimetallic Nanocomposites with Potential as Dual Imaging Agent.

Nanocomposites serving as dual (bimodal) probes have great potential in the field of bio-imaging. Here, we developed a simple one-pot synthesis for the reproducible generation of new luminescent and magnetically active bimetallic nanocomposites. The developed one-pot synthesis was performed in a sequential manner and obeys the principles of green chemistry.

Experimental and Numerical Analysis of the Residual Stresses in Seamed Pipe in Dependence on Welding and Metal Forming.

Concerning the increasingly widespread utilization of the finite element method (FEM), the concept of the so-called virtual factory is also gaining ground, and not only in the engineering industry. This approach does not use numerical simulations of individual production technologies separately but treats the entire production process as a chain of interrelated technologies. Thus, the output data from one technology is taken as input data for the following technology.

Adipose-Derived Stem Cells in Reinforced Collagen Gel: A Comparison between Two Approaches to Differentiation towards Smooth Muscle Cells.

Scaffolds made of degradable polymers, such as collagen, polyesters or polysaccharides, are promising matrices for fabrication of bioartificial vascular grafts or patches. In this study, collagen isolated from porcine skin was processed into a gel, reinforced with collagen particles and with incorporated adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs). The cell-material constructs were then incubated in a DMEM medium with 2% of FS (DMEM_part), with added polyvinylalcohol nanofibers (PVA_part sample), and for ASCs differentiation towards smooth muscle cells (SMCs), the medium was supplemented either with human platelet lysate released from PVA nanofibers (PVA_PL_part) or with TGF-β1 + BMP-4 (TGF + BMP_part).

Sensing Properties of g-CN/Au Nanocomposite for Organic Vapor Detection.

Alleviating the increasingly critical environmental pollution problems entails the sensing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as a hazardous factor for human health wherein the development of gas sensor platforms offers an efficient strategy to detect such noxious gases. Nanomaterials, particularly carbon-based nanocomposites, are desired sensing compounds for gas detection owing to their unique properties, namely a facile and affordable synthesis process, high surface area, great selectivity, and possibility of working at room temperature. To achieve that objective, g-CN (graphitic carbon nitride) was prepared from urea deploying simple heating.

Alginate-Based Biomaterials in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine.

Today, with the salient advancements of modern and smart technologies related to tissue engineering and regenerative medicine (TE-RM), the use of sustainable and biodegradable materials with biocompatibility and cost-effective advantages have been investigated more than before. Alginate as a naturally occurring anionic polymer can be obtained from brown seaweed to develop a wide variety of composites for TE, drug delivery, wound healing, and cancer therapy. This sustainable and renewable biomaterial displays several fascinating properties such as high biocompatibility, low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, and mild gelation by inserting divalent cations (e.

MXene-based composites against antibiotic-resistant bacteria: current trends and future perspectives.

Today, finding novel nanomaterial-based strategies to combat bacterial resistance is an important field of science. MXene-based composites have shown excellent antimicrobial potential owing to their fascinating properties such as excellent photothermal effects, highly active sites, large interlayer spacing, unique chemical structures, and hydrophilicity; they have great potential to damage the bacterial cells by rupturing the bacterial cell membranes, enhancing the permeability across the membrane, causing DNA damages, reducing the metabolic activity, and generating oxidative stress. After inserting into or attaching on the surface of pathogenic bacteria, these two-dimensional structures can cause bacterial membrane disruption and cell content leakage owing to their sharp edges.

Structural Analysis of Phase Change Materials (PCMs)/Expanded Graphite (EG) Composites and Their Thermal Behavior under Hot and Humid Conditions.

Expanded graphite (EG) has been used to store phase change materials (PCM) to enhance thermal conductivity and avoid leakage. However, systematic investigation on physical structure of various embedded PCMs in EG is not reported. Besides, the effect of environment on thermal behavior of PCM/EG composites has not been investigated yet.

MOF-based composites as photoluminescence sensing platforms for pesticides: Applications and mechanisms.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently garnered considerable attention among reticular compounds due to their unique physicochemical properties and applications in sensing toxic compounds. On the other hand, fluorometric sensing has been widely studied for food safety and environmental protection among the various sensing methods. Thus, designing MOF-based fluorescence sensors for specific detection of hazardous compounds, especially pesticides, are incessantly needed to keep up with the continuous demands for monitoring these environmental pollution.

Recent catalytic applications of MXene-based layered nanomaterials.

The urgent issues related to the catalytic processes and energy applications have accelerated the development of hybrid and smart materials. MXenes are a new family of atomic layered nanostructured materials that require considerable research. Tailorable morphologies, strong electrical conductivity, great chemical stability, large surface-to-volume ratios, tunable structures, among others are some significant characteristics that make MXenes appropriate for various electrochemical reactions, including dry reforming of methane, hydrogen evolution reaction, methanol oxidation reaction, sulfur reduction reaction, Suzuki-Miyaura coupling reaction, water-gas shift reaction, and so forth.

Phosphorus-Containing Polymers as Sensitive Biocompatible Probes for P Magnetic Resonance.

The visualization of organs and tissues using P magnetic resonance (MR) imaging represents an immense challenge. This is largely due to the lack of sensitive biocompatible probes required to deliver a high-intensity MR signal that can be distinguished from the natural biological background. Synthetic water-soluble phosphorus-containing polymers appear to be suitable materials for this purpose due to their adjustable chain architecture, low toxicity, and favorable pharmacokinetics.

Anisotropic minimum dissipation subgrid-scale model in hybrid aeroacoustic simulations of human phonation.

This article deals with large-eddy simulations of three-dimensional incompressible laryngeal flow followed by acoustic simulations of human phonation of five cardinal English vowels, /ɑ, æ, i, o, u/. The flow and aeroacoustic simulations were performed in OpenFOAM and in-house code openCFS, respectively. Given the large variety of scales in the flow and acoustics, the simulation is separated into two steps: (1) computing the flow in the larynx using the finite volume method on a fine moving grid with 2.