•The lowest electrical conductivity occurred for graphene in H2SO4 without sonication.•Graphene produced using longer sonication time was stable in DMF compared to short time.•Graphene crystallite ...size reduction was due to cavitation energy generated by sonication.
The exfoliation of graphite is an intriguing approach for simple, fast and large-scale production of graphene. In the present study, three types of electrolytes were investigated, namely an ionic liquid (H2SO4), aqueous acid (H3PO4) and inorganic salt ((NH4)2SO4). Different sonication times (15, 30, 45 and 60 min) at room temperature were used to assist the electrochemical exfoliation. The graphene that was produced was characterized by the zeta potential, surface electrical conductivity, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, field emission microscopy (FESEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). From the XRD analysis, it was observed that the graphene flakes had a broad peak centred at 26.5°, which corresponds to the (0 0 2) plane of graphene crystal. The FTIR spectrum revealed that the prominent peak was in conjunction with exfoliated graphene. The characteristic Raman bands were observed for the D, G and 2D bands and the ratio of I2D/IG was 1.7, which indicated that the exfoliated graphene was a multilayer structure. From the results, it was found that graphene obtained with the H2SO4 electrolyte that used a 45 min sonication time had the highest stability, best electrical conductivity, lowest crystallite size, fewer defects and lowest interlayer distance.
Used for both proton decay searches and neutrino physics, large water Cherenkov (WC) detectors have been very successful tools in particle physics. They are notable for their large masses and charged ...particle detection capabilities. While current WC detectors reconstruct charged particle tracks over a wide energy range, they cannot efficiently detect neutrons. Gadolinium (Gd) has the largest thermal neutron capture cross section of all stable nuclei and produces an 8 MeV gamma cascade that can be detected with high efficiency. Because of the many new physics opportunities that neutron tagging with a Gd salt dissolved in water would open up, a large-scale R&D program called EGADS was established to demonstrate this technique’s feasibility. EGADS features all the components of a WC detector, chiefly a 200-ton stainless steel water tank furnished with 240 photo-detectors, DAQ, and a water system that removes all impurities from water while keeping Gd in solution. In this paper we discuss the milestones towards demonstrating the feasibility of this novel technique, and the features of EGADS in detail.
Previous studies have shown the efficacy of foot-ankle exercises in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN), but the quality of evidence is still low. This proof-of-concept study pursues ...preliminary evidence for potential clinical and gait biomechanical benefits from an internet-based foot-ankle therapeutic exercise program for people with DPN. We randomized 30 individuals with DPN (IWGDF risk category 1 or 2) into either the control group (CG) receiving the usual care or the intervention group (IG) receiving the usual care plus an internet-based foot-ankle exercise program, fully guided by the Sistema de Orientação ao Pé Diabético (SOPeD; translation: Diabetic Foot Guidance System) three times per week for 12 weeks. We assessed face-to-face clinical and biomechanical outcomes at baseline, 12 weeks, and 24 weeks (follow up). Participants had good adherence to the proposed intervention and it led to only mild adverse events. The IG showed improvements in the ankle and first metatarsophalangeal joint motion after 12 and 24 weeks, changed forefoot load absorption during foot rollover during gait after 24 weeks, reduced foot pain after 12 weeks, and improved foot function after 24 weeks. A 12-week internet-based foot-ankle exercise program using the SOPeD software (version 1.0) has the potential to reduce foot pain, improve foot function, and modify some important foot-ankle kinematic outcomes in people with DPN.
Vasoconstriction and vascular medial hypertrophy, resulting from increased intracellular Ca²⁺ in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC), contribute to elevated vascular resistance in patients ...with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH). Caveolae, microdomains within the plasma membrane, contain the protein caveolin, which binds certain signaling molecules. We tested the hypothesis that PASMC from IPAH patients express more caveolin-1 (Cav-1) and caveolae, which contribute to increased capacitative Ca²⁺ entry (CCE) and DNA synthesis. Immunohistochemistry showed increased expression of Cav-1 in smooth muscle cells but not endothelial cells of pulmonary arteries from patients with IPAH. Subcellular fractionation and electron microscopy confirmed the increase in Cav-1 and caveolae expression in IPAH-PASMC. Treatment of IPAH-PASMC with agents that deplete membrane cholesterol (methyl-β-cyclodextrin or lovastatin) disrupted caveolae, attenuated CCE, and inhibited DNA synthesis of IPAH-PASMC. Increasing Cav-1 expression of normal PASMC with a Cav-1-encoding adenovirus increased caveolae formation, CCE, and DNA synthesis; treatment of IPAH-PASMC with siRNA targeted to Cav-1 produced the opposite effects. Treatments that down-regulate caveolin/caveolae expression, including cholesterol-lowering drugs, reversed the increased CCE and DNA synthesis in IPAH-PASMC. Increased caveolin and caveolae expression thus contribute to IPAH-PASMC pathophysiology. The close relationship between caveolin/caveolae expression and altered cell physiology in IPAH contrast with previous results obtained in various animal models, including caveolin-knockout mice, thus emphasizing unique features of the human disease. The results imply that disruption of caveolae in PASMC may provide a novel therapeutic approach to attenuate disease manifestations of IPAH.--Patel, H. H., Zhang, S., Murray, F., Suda, R. Y. S., Head, B. P., Yokoyama, U., Swaney, J. S., Niesman, I. R., Schermuly, R. T., Savai Pullamsetti, S., Thistlethwaite, P. A., Miyanohara, A., Farquhar, M. G., Yuan, J. X.-J., Insel, P. A. Increased smooth muscle cell expression of caveolin-1 and caveolae contribute to the pathophysiology of idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Abstract
This study sought to assess the feasibility of design, adherence, satisfaction, safety and changes in outcomes followed by a home-based foot–ankle exercise guided by a booklet in individuals ...with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN). 20 participants were allocated usual care control group (CG) or usual care plus home-based foot–ankle exercises intervention group (IG) for 8 weeks. For feasibility, we assessed contact, preliminary screening and recruitment rates, adherence, and using a 5-point Likert scale to satisfaction and safety of the booklet. In the IG, we assessed preliminary changes in DPN symptoms, DPN severity (classified by a fuzzy model) and foot–ankle range of motion between baseline and Week 8. In the first 20 weeks, 1310 individuals were screened for eligibility by phone contact. Contact rate was 89% (contacted participants/20w), preliminary screening success 28% (participants underwent screening/20w), and recruitment rate 1.0 participants/week (eligible participants/20w). The recruitment rate was less than the ideal rate of 5 participants/week. The adherence to the exercises programme was 77%, and the dropout was 11% and 9% for the IG and CG, respectively. In the IG, participants’ median level of satisfaction was 4 (IQR: 4–5) and perceived safety was 3 (IQR: 3–5). IG significantly decreased the DPN severity (p = 0.020), increased hallux relative to forefoot (first metatarsal) range of motion (ROM) (p < 0.001) and decreased maximum forefoot relative to hindfoot (midfoot motion) dorsiflexion during gait (p = 0.029). The home-based programme was feasible, satisfactory, safe and showed preliminary positive changes in DPN severity and foot motion during gait.
Trial Registration
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04008745. Registered 02/07/2019.
https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04008745
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This study is a part of a series of two clinical trials. We consider diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN), a common chronic and progressive complication of diabetes mellitus that has several impacts on ...individuals' foot health and quality of life. Based on the current trends of self-monitoring and self-care, providing a tool with foot-related exercises and educational care may help patients to avoid or reduce the musculoskeletal complications resulting from DPN, improving autonomous performance in daily living tasks. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the effects of an educational booklet for foot care and foot muscle strengthening on DPN symptoms and severity, clinical outcomes, and gait biomechanics in patients with DPN.
The FOotCAre (FOCA) trial II study has been designed as a single-blind, two-parallel-arm randomized controlled trial. It will include 48 patients with DPN who will be randomly allocated to a control (recommended foot care by international consensus with no foot exercises) group or an intervention (foot-related exercises using an educational booklet three times/week at home for 8 weeks) group. Participants from both groups will be assessed at baseline, after 8 weeks, and at 16 weeks for follow-up. The primary outcomes are the DPN symptoms and severity, and the secondary outcomes are foot-ankle kinematics, gait kinetics, plantar pressure distribution during gait, tactile and vibratory sensitivities, foot strength, functional balance, and foot health and functionality.
The booklet is a management tool that allows users to be autonomous in their treatment by choosing how and where to perform the exercises. This allows the patients to perform the exercises regularly as a continuous habit for foot care and health, which is an important element in the management of the diabetic foot. As the booklet focuses on specific foot-ankle exercises, we expect that it will improve the clinical aspects of DPN and produce beneficial biomechanical changes during gait, becoming a powerful self-management tool that can be easily implemented to improve the performance of daily living tasks.
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04008745. Registered on 2 July 2019.
This study is part of a series of two clinical trials. Taking into account the various musculoskeletal alterations of the foot and ankle in people with diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) and the ...need for self-care to avoid more serious dysfunctions and complications, a self-manageable exercise protocol that focuses on strengthening the foot muscles is presented as a potentially effective preventive method for foot and gait complications. The aim of this trial is to investigate the effect of a customized rehabilitation technology, the Diabetic Foot Guidance System (SOPeD), on DPN status, functional outcomes and gait biomechanics in people with DPN.
Footcare (FOCA) trial I is a randomized, controlled and parallel two-arm trial with blind assessment. A total of 62 patients with DPN will be allocated into either a control group (recommended foot care by international consensus with no foot exercises) or an intervention group (who will perform exercises through SOPeD at home three times a week for 12 weeks). The exercise program will be customized throughout its course by a perceived effort scale reported by the participant after completion of each exercise. The participants will be assessed at three different times (baseline, completion at 12 weeks, and follow-up at 24 weeks) for all outcomes. The primary outcomes will be DPN symptoms and severity classification. The secondary outcomes will be foot-ankle kinematics and kinetic and plantar pressure distribution during gait, tactile and vibration sensitivities, foot health and functionality, foot strength, and functional balance.
As there is no evidence about the efficacy of rehabilitation technology in reducing DPN symptoms and severity or improving biomechanical, clinical, and functional outcomes for people with DPN, this research can contribute substantially to clarifying the therapeutic merits of software interventions. We hope that the use of our application for people with DPN complications will reduce or attenuate the deficits caused by DPN. This rehabilitation technology is freely available, and we intend to introduce it into the public health system in Brazil after demonstrating its effectiveness.
ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT04011267. Registered on 8 July 2019.
In this paper, the performance of the electro-mechanical suspension is discussed on the energy consumption, vibration isolation, and vehicle manoeuvrability. On the basis of the formulation of ...electro-mechanical suspension, the energy consumption and vibration isolation are discussed through the contour maps with the sprung and unsprung mass velocity feedback gain axes. From the numerical simulation and experimental results, the contour maps for the evaluation of the performance with feedback gain axes are proposed, and on these maps, the abilities of vibration isolation and manoeuvrability are evaluated. On the energy consumption, the regeneration region exists, and the velocity feedback gain of unsprung mass should be considered for regeneration and energy saving. Moreover, Gain settings for improving each vehicle performance are proposed and verified by shaker tests. From simulation and experimental results, it is demonstrated that the proposed active suspension system is able to solve the compatibility between vibration isolation and energy saving.
We investigated the characteristics of patients who achieved Japanese-style deep flexion (seiza-sitting) after total knee replacement (TKR) and measured three-dimensional positioning and the contact ...positions of the femoral and tibial components. Seiza-sitting was achieved after surgery by 23 patients (29 knees) of a series of 463 TKRs in 341 patients. Pre-operatively most of these patients were capable of seiza-sitting, had a lower body mass index and a favourable attitude towards the Japanese lifestyle (27 of 29 knees). According to two-/three-dimensional image registration analysis in the seiza-sitting position, flexion, varus and internal rotation angles of the tibial component relative to the femoral component had means of 148° (SD 8.0), 1.9° (SD 3.2) and 13.4° (SD 5.9), respectively. Femoral surface contact positions tended to be close to the posterior edge of the tibial polyethylene insert, particularly in the lateral compartment, but only 8.3% (two of 24) of knees showed femoral subluxation over the posterior edge. The mean contact positions of the femoral cam on the tibial post were located 7.8 mm (sd 1.5) proximal to the lowest point of the polyethylene surface and 5.5 mm (SD 0.9) medial to the centre of the post, indicating that the post-cam contact position translated medially during seiza-sitting, but not proximally. Collectively, the seiza-sitting position seems safe against component dislocation, but the risks of posterior edge loading and breakage of the tibial polyethylene post remain.
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