1,721,014 research outputs found
Recent Strategies in Osteochondral Substitutes Design: Towards the Mimicking of a Multifaceted Anatomical Unit from the Nano to the Macro Level
No full textSynthesis and characterization of a novel three-dimensional collagen/hydroxyapatite scaffold for osteochondral defect replacement – Part I: Collagen
No full textProcedimento di realizzazione di sostituti e/o riempitivi ossei realizzati su misura in materiali bioattivi e biomimetici
No full text
Method for producing bone substitutes and/or fillers made to measure and made of bioactive and biomimetic materials
No full textPotential of Cellulose-Based Superabsorbent Hydrogels as Water Reservoir in Agriculture
Full text linkThe present work deals with the development of a biodegradable superabsorbent hydrogel, based on cellulose derivatives, for the optimization of water resources in agriculture, horticulture and, more in general, for instilling a wiser and savvier approach to water consumption. The sorption capability of the proposed hydrogel was firstly assessed, with specific regard to two variables that might play a key role in the soil environment, that is, ionic strength and pH. Moreover, a preliminary evaluation of the hydrogel potential as water reservoir in agriculture was performed by using the hydrogel in experimental greenhouses, for the cultivation of tomatoes. The soil-water retention curve, in the presence of different hydrogel amounts, was also analysed. The preliminary results showed that the material allowed an efficient storage and sustained release of water to the soil and the plant roots. Although further investigations should be performed to completely characterize the interaction between the hydrogel and the soil, such findings suggest that the envisaged use of the hydrogel on a large scale might have a revolutionary impact on the optimization of water resources management in agriculture
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Development of a novel hybrid porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering: forsterite nanopowder reinforced chitosan
No full textBone char material for Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) adsorption: Effect of the activation on surface characteristics and performance
Full text linkAir pollution is a problem of great concern, with increasing atmospheric concentrations of toxic Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) such as BTEX (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and o-xylene).
We report the development of adsorbant materials derived from tuna fish bones. Tuna Bone Char (TBC) was obtained with a pyrolysis process; and activated with K2CO3 treatment (indicated as KTBC, due to the potassium carbonate activation). Characterisation showed that the activation protocol led to a significant increase in the surface area – from 97.45 to 1826.59 m2/g for TBC and KTBC; furthermore, the activated material also showed higher porosity (total pore volume of 2.22 cm3/g, micropore volume of 0.38 cm3/g).
BTEX dynamic adsorption tests showed KTBC excellent adsorption properties, particularly with o-xylene (adsorption capacity q of 147 mg/g). The higher adsorption of o-xylene was explained considering its kinetic diameter matching KTBC pore size dimension. KTBC also showed to be very efficient in humid conditions (q = 61.2 mg/g). Repeated tests with the same powder indicated a 20 % decrease after the first cycle, with no further decrease in additional cycles. Empirical regression models for q0 and kTh (Thomas model), and τ and KYN (Yoon-Nelson model) were developed for BTEX breakthrough curves and showed agreement with experimental breakcurve data (R2 > 0.905).
These results show that bone char can be used for gaseous pollutants with the activation playing a key role in surface modification and performance enhancement. This research offers a sustainable and effective route to convert marine biowaste into advanced adsorbents for VOC and air pollution control
- …
