262,293 research outputs found
A Novel Steerable Catheter Controlled with a Biohybrid Actuator: A Feasibility Study
No full textTargeted therapies allow increasing the efficacy of treatments for several diseases, including cancer. The release of drugs or chemicals directly in the site of interest will be beneficial for maximizing the therapy and minimize side effects. Here, we report the concept and a preliminary analysis of an innovative intravascular steerable catheter guided by an on-board biohybrid actuator, aiming to release drugs into deep and tortuous regions within the cardiovascular systems. The catheter performance has been estimated through analytical and numerical analyses, varying catheter diameter, wall thickness, and actuator force. Results show how larger catheter deflections can be obtained with a smaller outer diameter and decreasing wall thickness. Besides, improved outcomes can be achieved by applying the biohybrid actuator distant from the catheter tip extremity and maximizing the magnitude of the applied forces. Despite the need to further improve the performance of this concept (e.g., by decreasing material stiffness), these preliminary results show great promise in view of future experimentation of such kind of actuation to drive microcatheters through the cardiovascular network
Injectable gelatin-based photocurable fiber-reinforced hydrogel for the treatment of osteochondral defects
No full textOsteochondral defects are one of the most motor-disabling conditions worldwide. A limited intrinsic regenerative capability features cartilage and bone tissues involved in large osteochondral lesions and, to date, there is no clinical treatment capable of appropriately restoring them. We report an innovative injectable composite hydrogel based on gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) loaded with dispersed fibers made of a blend polycaprolactone (PCL)/GelMA. The fibers were produced by electrospinning, and cut in stripes using a cryostat-based cutting approach. Their embodiment in the GelMA matrix improved the compressive mechanical properties of the pristine GelMA hydrogel. Specific conditions (needle size: 18G and 20G; temperature: 30 and 37°C) were found compatible with the injection of the composite hydrogel, before crosslinking, matching the criteria reported in EN ISO 7886 1:2018 standard. These preliminary results are promising in view of the optimization of injectable reinforced GelMA-based formulations to be used for the treatment of osteochondral injuries
Injectable gelatin-based photocurable fiber-reinforced hydrogel for the treatment of osteochondral defects
No full textOsteochondral defects are one of the most motor-disabling conditions worldwide. A limited intrinsic regenerative capability features cartilage and bone tissues involved in large osteochondral lesions and, to date, there is no clinical treatment capable of appropriately restoring them. We report an innovative injectable composite hydrogel based on gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) loaded with dispersed fibers made of a blend polycaprolactone (PCL)/GelMA. The fibers were produced by electrospinning, and cut in stripes using a cryostat-based cutting approach. Their embodiment in the GelMA matrix improved the compressive mechanical properties of the pristine GelMA hydrogel. Specific conditions (needle size: 18G and 20G; temperature: 30 and 37°C) were found compatible with the injection of the composite hydrogel, before crosslinking, matching the criteria reported in EN ISO 7886 1:2018 standard. These preliminary results are promising in view of the optimization of injectable reinforced GelMA-based formulations to be used for the treatment of osteochondral injuries
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
No full textThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Capturing wave energy converter's extreme response: Experimental validation of DualSPHysics and STAR CCM+
No full textValidating numerical models against their physical realizations is an integral aspect, very essential for their development and a reliable assessment of their accuracy. This study focuses on comparing two different approaches: the open-source DualSPHysics, and the commercial software STAR CCM+, which have emerged as high-fidelity tools in evaluating wave energy converters’ (WEC) performance. Notably, they belong to opposite ends of the modelling spectrum, with the former relying on a Lagrangian approach, and the latter employing a Eulerian one. As ground through, our validation is performed using an experimental investigation of the Pendulum Wave Energy Converter (PeWEC), focusing on its kinematic and mooring forces. In addition to rigours validations, this comparative analysis provides an overview of the advantages and short-comings of each employed numerical model, discussing pre-processing time, computational performance, and overall code platform flexibility for end-users. The aim of this comprehensive assessment is to under-line and compare performance and accuracy of these models when employed to capture the extreme response of resonant devices, such as WECs
Protecting Animals 36: Author Witi Ihimaera
No full textIn this very special episode of Knowing Animals I am joined by beloved New Zealand author Witi Ihimaera. Witi has written many books featuring nonhuman animals. He offers us a non-colonial lens through which to think about the human/nonhuman relationship
Author Under Sail The Imagination of Jack London, 1893-1902
No full textIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Spirit Truth -- 2. From Absorption to Theatricality and Back Again -- 3. "I Will Build a New Present" -- 4. Sons as Authors -- 5. Fathers as Publishers -- 6. The Daughter as Author -- 7. Lovers as Authors -- 8. At Sea with the Family -- 9. Yellow News, Yellow Stories -- 10. The Return Home -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About Jay WilliamsIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
- …
