Morphological modification of low-density polyethylene for enhanced Phanerochaete chrysosporium surface bioerosion

Disposal of end-of-life low density polyethylene (LDPE) in landfill structures poses an ecological threat through leaching, fragmentation, and additive migration. The present study examines the mycodegradation of morphologically modified low- density polyethylene (LDPE) films by Phanerochaete chrysosporium, a lignolytic basidiomycete. Three physicochemical treatments were employed: thermo-oxidation, chemical etching, and synthetic leachate. Surface area imaging over 6 days revealed bioerosion, qualifying P. chrysosporium as a suitable agent for LDPE degradation. Analysis of crystallinity indices showed that thermo-oxidation and chemical etching induced conformational changes to the polymer surface, increasing surface area reduction by 19% and 22% respectively. Synthetic leachate (SL) was associated with a 36% increase in surface area reduction. In combination, the three treatments achieved a 99% increase in surface area reduction. These trends were corroborated by gaseous evolution in parallel, attributable to the metabolization of fungal isolates. Electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform (FTMS + pESI) profiles observed signs of leachate remediation and organic byproducts. A molecular mechanism for degradation was subsequently proposed based on SL composition.

Airside Performance of H-Type Finned Tube Banks with Surface Modifications

The present study numerically investigates some novel modifications to augment the performance of the H-type finned tube banks, which are widely used in waste heat recovery in industries. The imposed modifications upon the original H-type finned tube banks include the following: (1) Design 1 contains some triangular cuts at the edge of the original rectangular fin; (2) Design 2 modifies the original rectangular geometry into a trapezoid shape; (3) Design 3 renders the original rectangular cross-section fin thickness into trapezoid cross-section; and (4) Design 4 changes the original rectangular shape into a circular shape. Based on the simulations, it is found that Design 1 shows barely any improvements in the heat transfer performance and surface area reduction. Design 2 can provide some weight saving and surface area reduction at a slightly inferior heat transfer performance. Design 3 can offer up to 14% improvements in the overall heat transfer performance without any pumping power penalty. Yet, Design 4 provides the maximum weight saving as compared to the original reference case. With 3–9% lesser surface area than the reference case, Design 4 still offers marginally higher heat transfer performance.

Three-Dimensional Photography for Measuring Volumetric Changes After Submental Cryolipolysis

High-resolution 3-dimensional photography offers unparalleled advantages in objective and detailed skin contour characterization, quantification, volumetric and surface area analysis. This study aims to illustrate the benefits of 3-dimensional photography through analysis of noninvasive reduction of submental fat using cryolipolysis. A nonrandomized prospective analysis was performed of 14 selected patients who underwent treatment with cryolipolysis (CoolSculpting System; Zeltiq) between February and June 2016. The benefits of 3-dimensional photography (Vectra; Canfield Scientific) are presented. High-quality 3-dimensional images are presented to illustrate the utility of 3-dimensional photography as a means to quantitatively evaluate changes in submental volume, fat thickness, and surface area reduction, thereby exemplifying the broad applicability of this imaging technique. Three-dimensional photography technology provides clinicians with enhanced options that extend beyond simple 2-dimensional photography. Our study illustrates the benefits of the technology for accurately measuring volumetric changes after submental cryolipolysis treatment.

Fractal corrections of BaTiO3-ceramic sintering parameters

Morphology of ceramics grains and pores as well as Brownian character of particle dynamics inside ceramics specimen contributes to better understanding of the sintering process. BaTiO3-ceramics, studied in this paper, has light fractal form and it is emanated in three aspects. First, the surface of grains, even in starting green body as well as distribution of grains shows fractal behavior. Second, existence of pores and their distribution follow the rules of fractal geometry. Third, movement of particles inside viscous flow underlies the rule of Brownian motion, which is essentially a fractal category. These three elements, each in its domain influence sintering dynamics, and can be described by dimensionless quantitative factors, ?s ?p and ?m, being normalized to the interval [0,1]. Following sintering process, the associate formulae of Frenkel, Scherer and Mackenzie-Shuttleworth are shown from the angle of view of ceramics fractal dimension changing that approaches to 3. Also, it is shown that the energy balance is not violated after applying fractal correction to quasi equilibrium of the energy emanating from surface area reduction ES and energy adopted by viscous flow Ef .

Calcination Influence on the Structure and Morphology of Zirconia Synthesized by Combustion Reaction

This research aims to synthesize ZrO2by combustion reaction in batches of 15 g of the product and to evaluate the calcination influence on the structural and morphological characteristic about synthesized sample. For the synthesis of ZrO2, the stoichiometry of phase was established in accordance with the propellants and explosives chemical concept, whereas the stoichiometric coefficient φ =1. After the synthesis, the sample as synthesized was calcined at 600 and 700°C and subsequently characterized by XRD, SEM, textural analysis (BET) and FTIR. The results have shown to the sample as synthesized and then calcined at 600°C the majority phase formation of orthorhombic zirconia with monoclinic phase dashes. The temperature increase to 700°C, has been transformed a part of the orthorhombic ZrO2to a monoclinic phase, contributing to a surface area reduction of the samples, showing irregular agglomerates in morphology, with adsorption/desorption isotherms type IV and mesoporosity characteristic.

Wound healing: Total contact cast vs. custom-made temporary footwear for patients with diabetic foot ulceration

The objective of this study was to compare the effectiveness of irremovable total-contact casts (TCC) and custom-made temporary footwear (CTF) to heal neuropathic foot ulcerations in individuals with diabetes. In this prospective clinical trial, 43 patients with plantar ulcer Grade 1 or 2 (Wagner scale) were randomized to one of two off-loading modalities: TCC or CTF. Outcomes assessed were wound surface area reduction (cm2) and time to wound healing (days) at 2, 4, 8 and 16 weeks. To evaluate safety, possible side effects were recorded at each follow-up visit. The results showed no significant difference in wound surface area reduction (adjusted for baseline wound surface) at 2, 4, 8 or 16 weeks (adjusted mean difference 0.10 cm2; 95% CI −0.92−0.72 at 16 weeks). At 16 weeks, 12 patients had a completely healed ulcer, 6 per group. The median time to healing was shorter for the patients using a cast (52 vs. 90 days, p = 0.26). Five patients with TCC and two with CTF developed device-related complications. It was concluded that: (i) the rate of wound healing is not significantly different for patients treated with CTF or TCC. The difference in wound surface area was small and not significant at any time during follow-up; and (ii) the difference in healing time (38 days) may have attained statistical significance if the numbers in these sub-groups (2×6) had been higher. Since there appears to be little difference in effectiveness between both off-loading modalities, further investigation into the benefits of CTF is warranted.