In vitro osteogenic cell proliferation, mineralization, and in vivo osseointegration of injection molded high-density polyethylene-based hybrid composites in rabbit animal model

The present work reports the biocompatibility property of injection molded HDPE-HA-Al2O3 hybrid composites. In vitro cytocompatibility results reveal that osteogenic cell viability and bone mineralization are favorably supported in a statistically significant manner on HDPE-20% HA-20% Al2O3 composite, in comparison to HDPE-40 wt.% HA or HDPE-40 wt.% Al2O3. The difference in cytocompatibility property is explained in terms of difference in substrate wettability/surface energy and importantly, both the cell proliferation at 7 days or bone mineralization at 21 days on HDPE-20% HA-20% Al2O3 composite are either comparable or better than sintered HA. The progressive healing of cylindrical femoral bone defects in rabbit animal model was assessed by implantation experiments over 1, 4 and 12 weeks. Based on the histological analysis as well as histomorphometrical evaluation, a better efficacy of HDPE-20% HA-20% Al2O3 over high-density polyethylene (HDPE) for bone regeneration and neobone formation at host bone-implant interface was established. Taken together, the present study unequivocally establishes that despite the presence of 20% Al2O3, HDPE-based hybrid composites are as biocompatible as HA in vitro or better than HDPE in vivo.

New Insights into Electronic and Geometric Effects in the Enhanced Photoelectrooxidation of Ethanol Using ZnO Nanorod/Ultrathin Au Nanowire Hybrids

Oxidation of small organic molecules in a fuel cell is a viable method for energy production. However, the key issue is the development of suitable catalysts that exhibit high efficiencies and remain stable during operation. Here, we demonstrate that amine-modified ZnO nanorods on which ultrathin Au nanowires are grown act as an excellent catalyst for the oxidation of ethanol. We show that the modification of the ZnO nanorods with oleylamine not only modifies the electronic structure favorably but also serves to anchor the Au nanowires on the nanorods. The adsorption of OH- species on the Au nanowires that is essential for ethanol oxidation is facilitated at much lower potentials as compared to bare Au nanowires leading to high activity. While ZnO shows negligible electrocatalytic activity under normal conditions, there is significant enhancement in the activity under light irradiation. We demonstrate a synergistic enhancement in the photoelectrocatalytic activity of the ZnO/Au nanowire hybrid and provide mechanistic explanation for this enhancement based on both electronic as well as geometric effects. The principles developed are applicable for tuning the properties of other metal/semiconductor hybrids with potentially interesting applications beyond the fuel cell application demonstrated here.

Pullout capacity of inclined plate anchors embedded in sand

The pullout capacity of an inclined strip plate anchor embedded in sand has been determined by using the lower bound theorem of the limit analysis in combination with finite elements and linear optimization. The numerical results in the form of pullout factors have been presented by changing gradually the inclination of the plate from horizontal to vertical. The pullout resistance increases significantly with an increase in the horizontal inclination (theta) of the plate especially for theta > 30 degrees. The effect of the anchor plate-soil interface friction angle (delta) on the pullout resistance becomes extensive for a vertical anchor but remains insignificant for a horizontal anchor. The development of the failure zone around the anchor plates was also studied by varying theta and delta. The results from the analysis match well with the theoretical and experimental results reported in literature.

Throwing light on platinized carbon nanostructured composites for hydrogen generation

In the present study, we have synthesised carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) through a relatively simple process using a hydrocarbon precursor. These synthesised CNPs in the form of elongated spherules and/or agglomerates of 30-55 nm were further used as a support to anchor platinum nanoparticles. The broad light absorption (300-700 nm) and a facile charge transfer property of CNPs in addition to the plasmonic property of Pt make these platinized carbon nanostructures (CNPs/Pt) a promising candidate in photocatalytic water splitting. The photocatalytic activity was evaluated using ethanol as the sacrificial donor. The photocatalyst has shown remarkable activity for hydrogen production under UV-visible light while retaining its stability for nearly 70 h. The broadband absorption of CNPs, along with the Surface Plasmon Resonance (SPR) effect of PtNPs singly and in composites has pronounced influence on the photocatalytic activity, which has not been explored earlier. The steady rate of hydrogen was observed to be 20 mu mol h(-1) with an exceptional cumulative hydrogen yield of 32.16 mmol h(-1) g(-1) observed for CNPs/Pt, which is significantly higher than that reported for carbon-based systems.

Long-Term Sustained Release of Salicylic Acid from Cross-Linked Biodegradable Polyester Induces a Reduced Foreign Body Response in Mice

There has been a continuous surge toward developing new biopolymers that exhibit better in vivo biocompatibility properties in terms of demonstrating a reduced foreign body response (FBR). One approach to mitigate the undesired FBR is to develop an implant capable of releasing anti-inflammatory molecules in a sustained manner over a long time period. Implants causing inflammation are also more susceptible to infection. In this article, the in vivo biocompatibility of a novel, biodegradable salicylic acid releasing polyester (SAP) has been investigated by subcutaneous implantation in a mouse model. The tissue response to SAP was compared with that of a widely used biodegradable polymer, poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), as a control over three time points: 2, 4, and 16 weeks postimplantation. A long-term in vitro study illustrates a continuous, linear (zero order) release of salicylic acid with a cumulative mass percent release rate of 7.34 x 10(-4) h(-1) over similar to 1.5-17 months. On the basis of physicochemical analysis, surface erosion for SAP and bulk erosion for PLGA have been confirmed as their dominant degradation modes in vivo. On the basis of the histomorphometrical analysis of inflammatory cell densities and collagen distribution as well as quantification of proinflammatory cytokine levels (TNF-alpha and IL-1 beta), a reduced foreign body response toward SAP with respect to that generated by PLGA has been unambiguously established. The favorable in vivo tissue response to SAP, as manifest from the uniform and well-vascularized encapsulation around the implant, is consistent with the decrease in inflammatory cell density and increase in angiogenesis with time. The above observations, together with the demonstration of long-term and sustained release of salicylic acid, establish the potential use of SAP for applications in improved matrices for tissue engineering and chronic wound healing.

Spray: A Multi-Modal Localization System for Stationary Sensor Network Deployment

We present a localization system that targets rapid deployment of stationary wireless sensor networks (WSN). The system uses a particle filter to fuse measurements from multiple localization modalities, such as RF ranging, neighbor information or maps, to obtain position estimations with higher accuracy than that of the individual modalities. The system isolates different modalities into separate components which can be included or excluded independently to tailor the system to a specific scenario. We show that position estimations can be improved with our system by combining multiple modalities. We evaluate the performance of the system in both an indoor and outdoor environment using combinations of five different modalities. Using two anchor nodes as reference points and combining all five modalities, we obtain RMS (Root Mean Square) estimation errors of approximately 2.5m in both cases, while using the components individually results in errors within the range of 3.5 and 9 m.