Search results for "Gels"

Disrupted Lexical Access in the Context of Intact Syntactic Planning

2020

Communication Apprehension in EFL classrooms in Lower Secondary Schools : A case study of English teachers’ awareness of speech anxiety in their own …

2019

Master's thesis education EN502 - University of Agder 2019 This thesis studies educators’ awareness offoreign language anxiety (FLA), specifically communication apprehension,in Norwegian lower secondary schools. Communication is a key skillnecessary to masteringforeign languages, yet it is also the most anxiety inducing skill forforeign language learners(Horwitz et al., 1986).Despite the many challenges in learning a newlanguage, steps can be taken to ensure that students learn effectively. However, educators must first be aware of FLA and its effects on their students. Previous research shows that speech anxiety is the biggest impediment to the learning process (Arnold & Brown, 1999). FLA …

Between good end evil: on the moral ambiguity in "Buffy and the vampire slayer"

2007

Masteroppgave i engelsk, Høgskolen i Agder, Kristiansand Joss Whedon’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer aims to empower young women through a declared feminist agenda. The main body of this thesis explores what it is that makes Buffy a television show with a feminist agenda. This thesis analyzes areas which privileges and problematizes human agency from the perspective morals in society. The series advocates using one’s agency in order to optimize potentiality. The thesis examines emotions and human agency; manslaughter and notions of the Übermensch, and finally, the claim of agency and consequent empowerment of women. I have found that several aspects of the series problematize moral choices and p…

Emplacing English as lingua franca in international higher education: A spatial perspective on linguistic diversity

2022

Within higher education, internationalisation is increasingly important for students and academics alike. In this context, English as the lingua franca has gained prominence. The ostensible ubiquity of English rests on a particular rendering of the language as unitary, fixed, and undifferentiated. In this paper, we challenge this notion of English and use a spatial approach to explore the multiplicity of Englishes on display within the higher education context. Increasingly, within higher education outside Anglophone countries, English Medium Instruction (EMI) is seen as a crucial indicator of internationalisation: the term ‘international programmes' is often used as a proxy for programmes …

In Situ Polyphosphate Nanoparticle Formation in Hybrid Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Karaya Gum Hydrogels: A Porous Scaffold Inducing Infiltration of Mesenchym…

2018

Abstract The preparation and characterization of a porous hybrid cryogel based on the two organic polymers, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and karaya gum (KG), into which polyphosphate (polyP) nanoparticles have been incorporated, are described. The PVA/KG cryogel is prepared by intermolecular cross‐linking of PVA via freeze‐thawing and Ca2+‐mediated ionic gelation of KG to form stable salt bridges. The incorporation of polyP as amorphous nanoparticles with Ca2+ ions (Ca‐polyP‐NP) is achieved using an in situ approach. The polyP constituent does not significantly affect the viscoelastic properties of the PVA/KG cryogel that are comparable to natural soft tissue. The exposure of the Ca‐polyP‐NP w…

Mesoscopic and Microscopic Investigation on Poly(vinyl alcohol) Hydrogels in the Presence of Sodium Decylsulfate

2007

The structure of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels formed as a result of freeze/thaw treatments of aqueous solutions of the polymer (11 wt % PVA) in the freshly prepared state is analyzed through the combined use of small (SANS) and ultrasmall (USANS) angle neutron scattering techniques. The structure of these hydrogels may be described in terms of polymer rich regions, with dimensions of the order of 1-2 microm, dispersed in a water rich phase, forming two bicontinuous phases. The PVA chains in the polymer rich phase form a network where the cross-linking points are mainly crystalline aggregates of PVA having average dimensions of approximately 45 A. The structural organization of freeze…

E-beam crosslinked, biocompatible functional hydrogels incorporating polyaniline nanoparticles

2012

Abstract PANI aqueous nanocolloids in their acid-doped, inherently conductive form were synthesised by means of suitable water soluble polymers used as stabilisers. In particular, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or chitosan (CT) was used to stabilise PANI nanoparticles, thus preventing PANI precipitation during synthesis and upon storage. Subsequently, e-beam irradiation of the PANI dispersions has been performed with a 12 MeV Linac accelerator. PVA-PANI nanocolloid has been transformed into a PVA-PANI hydrogel nanocomposite by radiation induced crosslinking of PVA. CT-PANI nanoparticles dispersion, in turn, was added to PVA to obtain wall-to-wall gels, as chitosan mainly undergoes chain scission…

Near-infrared light-responsive and antibacterial injectable hydrogels with antioxidant activity based on a Dopamine-functionalized Gellan Gum for wou…

2022

The development of wound dressings with combined antioxidant, antibacterial and tissue adhesion functions has been a difficult medical task for the treatment of wound infections. We synthetized a dopamine and PEG functionalized Gellan Gum (GG) to produce an injectable hydrogel with radical scavenging activity having both specific and aspecific antibiotic/antimicrobial properties. Using starting GG with different molecular weights, we obtained two derivatives that have been used to prepare the gel precursor dispersion, that undergoes gelation in the presence of colistin and dried microparticles (MPs) functionalized on the surface with polydopamine (pDA). Both were used to dope the hydrogel, …

Protein materials as sustainable non- and minimally invasive strategies for biomedical applications

2022

Protein-based materials have found applications in a wide range of biomedical fields because of their biocompatibility, biodegradability and great versatility. Materials of different physical forms including particles, hydrogels, films, fibers and microneedles have been fabricated e.g. as carriers for drug delivery, factors to promote wound healing and as structural support for the generation of new tissue. This review aims at providing an overview of the current scientific knowledge on protein-based materials, and selected preclinical and clinical studies will be reviewed in depth as examples of the latest progress within the field of protein-based materials, specifically focusing on non- …

EXAFS studies on the local structure of Er3+ ions in silica xerogels co-doped with aluminium

2001

The local environment around Er3+ ions in wet and densified (at 900°C) silica xerogels (pure and co-doped with aluminium) has been studied at the Er L3-edge by X-ray absorption spectroscopy using the fluorescence detection technique. The radial distribution functions (RDF), reconstructed from X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS), show several changes in the local co-ordination of erbium ions upon densification: shortening of the Er-O and Er-Si/Al distances, decrease of the co-ordination numbers and broadening of the Er-O RDF. The effect of Al co-doping is clearly discerned by EXAFS in both the first and second co-ordination shells for densified gels and mainly in the second shell for wet…