Synthesis and electrospinning of ε-polycaprolactone-bioactive glass hybrid biomaterials via a sol-gel process

Strategies of bone tissue engineering and regeneration rely on bioactive scaffolds to mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) as templates onto which cells attach, multiply, migrate, and function. For this purpose, hybrid biomaterials based on smart combinations of biodegradable polymers and bioactive glasses (BGs) are of particular interest, since they exhibit tailored physical, biological, and mechanical properties, as well as predictable degradation behavior. In this study, hybrid biomaterials with different organic-inorganic ratios were successfully synthesized via a sol-gel process. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and tertiary bioactive glass (BG) with a glass composition of 70 mol % SiO(2), 26 mol % CaO, and 4 mol % of P(2)O(5) were used as the polymer and inorganic phases, respectively. The polymer chains were successfully introduced into the inorganic sol while the networks were formed. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analyses (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) were used to investigate the presence of different chemical groups, structural crystallinity, thermal property, elemental composition, and homogeneity of the synthesized hybrid biomaterials. Identification of chemical groups and the presence of molecular interaction by hydrogen bonding between the organic and inorganic phases was confirmed by FTIR. The XRD patterns showed that all PCL/BG hybrids (up to 60% polymer content) were amorphous. The TGA study revealed that the PCL/BG hybrid biomaterials were thermally stable, and good agreement was observed between the experimental and theoretical organic-inorganic ratios. The SEM/EDX results also revealed a homogeneous elemental distribution and demonstrated the successful incorporation of all the elements in the hybrid system. Finally, these synthesized hybrid biomaterials were successfully electrospun into 3D scaffolds. The resultant fibers have potential use as scaffolds for bone regeneration.     

Advertisement allocation for generalized second-pricing schemes

Recently, there has been a surge of interest in algorithms that allocate advertisement space in an online revenue-competitive manner. Most such algorithms, however, assume a pay-as-you-bid pricing scheme. In this paper, we study the query allocation problem where the ad space is priced using the well-known and widely used generalized second-price (GSP) scheme. We observe that the previous algorithms fail to achieve a bounded competitive ratio under the GSP scheme. On the positive side, we present online constant-competitive algorithms for the problem.     

Finding relevant search engines results: a minimax linear programming approach

For a submitted query to multiple search engines finding relevant results is an important task. This paper formulates the problem of aggregation and ranking of multiple search engines results in the form of a minimax linear programming model. Besides the novel application, this study detects the most relevant information among a return set of ranked lists of documents retrieved by distinct search engines. Furthermore, two numerical examples aree used to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed approach.     

How to distribute antidote to control epidemics

We give a rigorous analysis of variations of the contact process on a finite graph in which the cure rate is allowed to vary from one vertex to the next, and even to depend on the current state of the system. In particular, we study the epidemic threshold in the models where the cure rate is proportional to the degree of the node or when it is proportional to the number of its infected neighbors. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Random Struct. Alg., 2010     

Fabrication and characterization of dual-band organic/inorganic photodetector for optoelectronic applications

In this work, the optoelectronic performance of organic/inorganic heterojunction photodiode based on alpha-sexithiophene (α-6T/n-Si) is introduced. A thin film of α-6T was deposited on the n-type silicon substrate by a thermal evaporation technique. The topographical properties of the α-6T thin film grown on the n-Si substrate were investigated using a field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) technique. A network of nanocrystalline needles over the film surface was observed which give rise to an improvement in the electric charge transport. The optical properties of the prepared thin film were investigated using a spectrophotometric technique. The high absorption of α-6T in UV and visible region suggested the ability of this architecture for UV and visible light detection. The I-V characteristics of the fabricated photodiode were investigated in dark and under different illumination intensities and different wavelengths. The present architecture showed a good response to halogen lamb light, where the estimated values of rising and falling time at 160 mW/cm² were about 400 ms and 450 ms, respectively. The results show the possibility of using Au/α-6T/n-Si/Al structure as a photodetector for a wide range of the solar spectrum (UV–Visible).     

The effects induced by proton irradiation on structural characteristics of nuclear graphite

A grade TSX graphite was irradiated by a 2.5 MeV proton and a dose of 1.47 × 10¹⁸ ion cm⁻² at 330 K. The displacement per atom under this irradiation condition was about 0.02. The lattice parameter, crystallite size and the vacancies density in the graphite was measured before and after irradiation. It was found that the proton irradiation led to an increase in the volume of the sample. The volume change in the irradiated sample was confirmed by atomic force and scanning electron microscopes observations as increased roughness and pore size. Also, FTIR results showed that graphite is slightly oxidized by irradiation.

     

Field-dependent electric conductivities of silicone rubbers deduced from measured currents and surface potential decay characteristics

Measurements of DC electric conductivities of four types of silicone rubber-based polymers for use in high voltage insulation systems of power components are reported. The field dependences of the conductivities obtained by two different techniques, namely by utilizing steady-state currents through materials’ samples placed between metallic electrodes and by employing surface potential decay characteristics in an open circuit configuration, are compared and discussed. It is shown that the surface potential decay technique allows for a wider range of electric field strength and reduces the time span of the measurements.     

Synthesis,physico-chemical and DNA interactive studies of l-tryptophan based mononuclear Schiff base complexes of first transition metal series

l-Tryptophan derived Schiff base ligand and its complexes of the type, [ML(H₂O)₂]·H₂O [M?=?Co(II), Ni(II), Zn(II)] and [CuL] have been synthesized and characterized on the basis of results obtained from elemental analysis, conductivity measurements, ESI-Mass spectral studies, FT-IR, ¹H and ¹³C NMR, UV–Vis spectroscopy and magnetic moment data. The synthesized complexes were subjected to thermogravimetric analysis to study their decomposition pattern and stability. The fluorescence and viscosity measurements reveal that complexes have significant CT-DNA binding. However, upon comparing the DNA binding analyses, Cu(II) complex exhibited significant binding affinity.     

Numerical study of the effects of nanofluids and phase-change materials in photovoltaic thermal (PVT) systems

In this paper, the effects of pure water, SiO₂/water nanofluid, and a phase-change material (PCM) as coolants on the performance of a photovoltaic thermal (PVT) system are numerically investigated. The simulations are performed on two modules of PVT with PCM (PVT/PCM module) and without (PVT module). Parameters including PV surface temperature, thermal, and electrical efficiencies of the systems are studied and compared with each other. Moreover, the results of nanofluid as a working fluid is compared with those obtained using pure water. The results show that in the water-based PVT/PCM, the average PV cell temperature is decreased by 16 °C compared to that of the PVT system. This results in an increase of 8% in the electrical efficiency and 25% in the thermal efficiency. In addition, using nanofluid (SiO₂ with 1 and 3 mass% mass fraction) as a coolant in the PVT/PCM system increases the thermal efficiency by 3.51% and 10.40%, for 1 and 3 mass%, respectively, compared to that of the PVT/PCM with pure water as a coolant. This study shows that increasing the melting temperature of the phase-change material leads to an increase in the thermal efficiency of the PVT/PCM system.