Search results for "testing."
showing 10 items of 1654 documents
Polycaprolactone/gelatin-based scaffolds with tailored performance: in vitro and in vivo validation
2019
Abstract Nanofibrous scaffolds composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) and gelatin (Ge) were obtained through a hydrolytic assisted electrospinning process. The PCL-to-Ge proportion (100/0 to 20/80), as well as the dissolution time (24, 48, 72, 96, 120 h) into a 1:1 formic/acetic acid solvent before electrospinning were modified to obtain the different samples. A strong influence of these factors on the physicochemical properties of the scaffolds was observed. Higher Ge percentage reduced crystallinity, allowed a uniform morphology and increased water contact angle. The increase in the dissolution time considerably reduced the molar mass and, subsequently, fibre diameter and crystallinity were a…
Silica-coated calcium pectinate beads for colonic drug delivery
2013
The aim of this work is to develop novel organic-inorganic hybrid beads for colonic drug delivery. For this purpose, calcium pectinate beads with theophylline are prepared by a cross-linking reaction between amidated low-methoxyl pectin and calcium ions. The beads are then covered with silica, starting from tetraethyoxysilane (TEOS), by a sol-gel process. The influence of TEOS concentration (0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1.00 M) during the process is studied in order to modulate the thickness of the silica layer around the pectinate beads and thus to control the drug release. The interactions between the silica coating and the organic beads are weak according to the physicochemical characterizations…
Coffee grounds as filler for pectin: Green composites with competitive performances dependent on the UV irradiation.
2017
Novel composite bioplastics were successfully prepared by filling pectin matrix with treated coffee grounds. The amount of coffee dispersed into the pectin was changed within a wide filler range. The morphology of the pectin/coffee hybrid films was studied by microscopic techniques in order to investigate their mesoscopic structure as well as the sizes distribution of the particles dispersed into the matrix. The micrographs showed that the coffee grounds are uniformly dispersed within the polymeric matrix. The morphological characteristics of the biocomposite films were correlated to their properties, such as wettability, water uptake, thermal behavior and mechanical performances. Dynamic m…
Hyperpolarized helium-3 gas magnetic resonance imaging of the lung.
2003
3He magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is capable of producing new and regional information on normal and abnormal lung ventilation. The basis of 3He MRI involves "optical pumping" to hyperpolarize the 3He nuclei by photon angular momentum transfer. The hyperpolarized gas is administered via inhalation. 3He is an inert, nontoxic noble gas and absorbed in less than 0.1%. Imaging consists of a four-step protocol. 1) Gas density 3He MRI with high spatial resolution displays the distribution of a 3He bolus in a 10-second breath-hold. An almost homogeneous distribution is regarded as normal. Patients with lung diseases show multiple ventilation defects. 3He MRI has been shown to be more sensitive …
Microfocus X-ray computed tomography analysis of corroded glass objects
2009
Abstract Microfocus X-ray computed tomography (µCT) is a useful tool for non-destructive analysis of corroded archaeological glass objects and for monitoring restoration and conservation processes for these materials. This was demonstrated by µCT analysis of artificially corroded laboratory-produced glasses and corroded archaeological glasses retrieved from soil environments. Corrosion layers with a thickness of 20 µm or more can be detected as areas with lower X-ray attenuation values than the non-corroded glass. Features that are revealed by µCT analyses include the degree and patterns of corrosion and the presence of various internal structures in the corrosion layers. The study of resto…
Bond strength of metal-ceramic systems in three-point flexure bond test
1995
This study deals with a three-point flexure test for the metal-ceramic bond involving geometrically simple specimens (alloy strips partly coated with ceramic) that can be fabricated with reasonable expenditure and sufficient reproducibility. The calculation of the stress distribution in such specimens with the aid of the finite-element method (FEM) is presented. The aim of this numerical analysis is: to investigate the stress distribution in a ceramometallic specimen with dimensions that, in a large number of experiments, have proven to lead to debonding at one end of the ceramic veneer instead of a crack in the middle of the veneer; and to assign a bond strength to the measured critical be…
Evaluation of Subgrade Resilient Modulus Predictive Model for Use in Mechanistic-Empirical Pavement Design Guide
2006
The characterization of unbound materials in the mechanistic–empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG), also known as the 2002 design guide, is reviewed, and this characterization is applied to Minnesota subgrades. The main emphasis is on the collection of k1-, k2-, and k3-parameters for Minnesota fine-grained soils and the procedure for the interpretation of the resilient modulus test to provide an input to the multilayer elastic theory (MLET) analysis (Level 2 input). This is an important aspect of adaptation of the MEPDG, because the guide recommends measurement of resilient moduli from laboratory testing, but the procedure does not specify how to interpret the test data to obtain an input …
Some improvements in solving radial distributions networks through the backward/forward method
2005
In the electrical radial distribution networks analysis, the backward/forward method shows good features in terms of robustness, independence from load nature, small use of hardware resources and limited calculation time. In the present paper, some procedures to improve the b/f method with the aim of reducing the calculation time are presented. The adopted procedures regard the choice of the initial values of the nodes voltages and the way in which the convergence criterion is applied. The results of some tests carried out on some electrical test systems here reported have shown the efficiency of the proposed methodology in terms of calculation time reduction, especially when solving heavil…
Stochastic dynamics of linear elastic trusses in presence of structural uncertainties (virtual distortion approach)
2004
Structures involving uncertainties in material and/or in geometrical parameters are referred to as uncertain structures. Reliability analysis of such structures strongly depends on variation of parameters and probabilistic approach is often used to characterize structural uncertainties. In this paper dynamic analysis of linearly elastic system in presence of random parameter variations will be performed. In detail parameter fluctuations have been considered as inelastic, stress and parameter dependent superimposed strains. Analysis is then carried out via superposition principle accounting for response to external agencies and parameter dependent strains. Proposed method yields asymptotic s…
Robotic path planning for non-destructive testing – A custom MATLAB toolbox approach
2016
AbstractThe requirement to increase inspection speeds for non-destructive testing (NDT) of composite aerospace parts is common to many manufacturers. The prevalence of complex curved surfaces in the industry provides motivation for the use of 6 axis robots in these inspections. The purpose of this paper is to present work undertaken for the development of a KUKA robot manipulator based automated NDT system. A new software solution is presented that enables flexible trajectory planning to be accomplished for the inspection of complex curved surfaces often encountered in engineering production. The techniques and issues associated with conventional manual inspection techniques and automated s…