Modification of the sling operation with the use of tubing vaginal scrapdue to urine incontinence in women

It is given in an article the description of the new modification technique for the sling operation with stipulating use of the tubing scrapfrom the front vaginal wall mucosa fixed in an ureterovesical segment zone. This intervention, in our opinion, especially convenient if II type of urine incontinence takes place where dislocation of the invariable urethra is combined with cystocele and there is excess of the vaginal wall, which may be easy used as plastic material. This operation elaborated by authors is performed exclusively by vaginal way, that allows decrease the traumas and complications number, increase the cosmetic effect, simplify the surgical intervention. Recent results of treatment according to this metho dies permit to hope on its efficiency also in days that are more far-off.

Physical Characteristics and Cell-Adhesive Properties of In Vivo Fabricated Hyaluronan/Bacterial Cellulose Nanocomposites

This study attempts to clarify the basic material properties of in-vivo-fabricated hyaluronan (HA)/bacterial cellulose (BC) nanocomposites prepared previously. BC membranes (pellicles) generated by Gluconacetobacter hansenii (G. hansenii) are promising biomaterials owing to their outstanding biocompatible properties. Recently, specific demands for biomedical applications of BC have increased owing to its excellent mechanical properties. Although many techniques have been developed to improve the biofunctional properties of BC pellicles, such modifications remain limited owing to technical difficulties in the modulation of complex biosynthetic processes. Therefore, we previously developed an in vivo modification technique to produce nanocomposite pellicles composed of BC and HA (in vivo HA/BC), which are directly secreted from genetically engineered G. hansenii. In the present study, the HA extractability and content rate, physical characteristics, and cytocompatibility of in vivo HA/BC have been investigated in comparison to conventional in situ HA/BC and native BC pellicle. The results suggested that HA more strongly adsorbed to the solid BC surface of in vivo HA/BC than that of in situ HA/BC, which possibly affected the dynamic viscoelastic characteristics. Furthermore, in vivo HA/BC showed remarkably high human epidermal cell adhesion. These results indicate the great potential of in vivo modification to expand the usefulness of BC-based biomaterials.

High-Temperature Surface Oxide Growth Kinetics of Al–Si–Zr Bulk Alloys and Ribbons

A typical modification technique of the functional properties of Al–Si based alloys is the addition of some third element in trace level. In the present work, ternary Al–Si–Zr bulk and ribbon alloys have been prepared. The kinetics of high-temperature surface oxidation has been studied by thermogravimetric method. It was found that at the start of the experiment the chemical reaction velocity is rate-controlling while for longer times the (oxygen) diffusion is the rate-controlling process. Activation energy of the two stages of oxidation has been obtained. Additional studies such as thermochemical analysis, optical and electron microscopy, and microhardness tests have been done.

Mitigating Silica Fouling and Improving PPCP Removal by Modified NF90 Using In Situ Radical Graft Polymerization

This study in-situ modified a commercial nanofiltration membrane, NF90, through the concentration-polymerization-enhanced radical graft polarization method by applying two agents of 3-sulfopropyl methacrylate potassium salt (SPM) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) with different dosages. Surface characterization revealed that the modified membranes became rougher and more hydrophilic compared with the pristine membrane. The modified membranes exhibited considerably enhanced separation performance with 5.8–19.6% higher NaCl rejection and 17.2–19.9% higher pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs) rejection than the pristine membrane. When treating the feedwater with high silica concentration, the modified membranes exhibited relatively less flux decline with high percentage of reversible fouling, especially the ones modified using a lower monomer concentration (0.01 M SPM and 0.01 M HEMA). Moreover, membrane modification enhanced the PPCP rejection (1.3–5.4%) after silica fouling by mitigating foulant deposition on the membrane surface. The fouling mechanism was confirmed to be intermediate blocking of membrane pores. Therefore, the in-situ modification technique with a low monomer concentration proved to be effective for mitigating silica fouling and improving PPCP rejection, which can be easily performed and cost-effective in practical application.

Improving the ultraviolet protection factor of textiles through mechanical surface modification using calendering

The textile modification technique of calendering was used to change the cover factor of wearable textiles in order to improve the ultraviolet protection factor and decrease the amount of ultraviolet radiation transmitted through the fabric. Using optical microscopy and ultraviolet spectrophotometry, the quantifiable changes that occurred after repeated passes through the calender were measured. It was found that after one pass the uncovered area decreased by a factor of two and the ultraviolet protection factor increased by 200%. The thickness and air permeability of treated fabric decreased with repeated calendering. The bending stiffness remained nearly unchanged, and thus the mechanical properties were not altered substantially by the fabric compression.

A grinding-burnishing approach to enhancing surface integrity, tribological and corrosion behaviour of laser-cladded AISI 431 alloys

This paper presents the influence of the grinding-burnishing on surface integrity and corrosion performance of the laser-cladded AISI 431 alloys. As-cladded specimens were first ground followed by plasticity ball burnishing. To evaluate surface alteration and performance enhancement, six major properties were measured and analysed in terms of surface roughness, porosity, microhardness, wear, and impact and corrosion resistance. Results showed that grinding-burnishing significantly improved the surface finish by lowering Ra and Rz by up to 29% and 41%, respectively, compared to grinding, while surface porosity was found to decrease by 18%. Maximum surface microhardness increased by 32% when grinding-burnishing, with a modified depth of up to 250 μm, while wear resistance increased by up to 38%. Because of hardness improvement, the grinding-burnishing increased the impact resistance by lowering the maximum indent depth by 29%. The corrosion resistance improved by increasing positive corrosion potential from − 0.31 V (grinding) to − 0.21 V (grinding-burnishing) and lowering corrosion current density from 1.18 × 10−3 A.cm−2 (for grinding) to 2.1 × 10−5 A.cm−2 (grinding-burnishing). Burnishing further induced grain modification in terms of grain deformation and flattening within microstructure, but no significant grain refinement was observed. XRD results however showed lattice deformation indicating potential compressive residual stress generated by burnishing. Overall, it is imperative to say that the combined grinding-burnishing can be a viable surface modification technique to extend functional service life of the laser-cladded components.

RAFT-Mediated Radiation Grafting on Natural Fibers in Aqueous Emulsion

Using aqueous emulsion as the medium in radiation-induced graft polymerization (RIGP) offers an environment-friendly shift from organic solvents while increasing polymerization efficiency through known water radiolysis-based graft initiation. In the present paper, we further extend the applicability of RIGP in emulsion under the influence of reversible addition fragmentation chain transfer (RAFT) mechanisms. Emulsions prepared with Tween 20 showed good colloidal stability for several hours. Subjecting it to simultaneous irradiation with abaca fibers resulted in successful grafting, supported by gravimetric, IR, SEM, and TG analysis. A correlation was drawn between smaller monomer micelles and the enhancement of grafting driven by diffusion and surface area coverage. RAFT mechanisms were also conserved based on molecular weight evolution. RAFT-mediated RIGP in aqueous emulsion shows good potential as a versatile and green surface modification technique for natural fibers for various functional applications.

Surface Design of Liquid Separation Membrane through Graft Polymerization: A State of the Art Review

Surface modification of membranes is an effective approach for imparting unique characteristics and additional functionalities to the membranes. Chemical grafting is a commonly used membrane modification technique due to its versatility in tailoring and optimizing the membrane surface with desired functionalities. Various types of polymers can be precisely grafted onto the membrane surface and the operating conditions of grafting can be tailored to further fine-tune the membrane surface properties. This review focuses on the recent strategies in improving the surface design of liquid separation membranes through grafting-from technique, also known as graft polymerization, to improve membrane performance in wastewater treatment and desalination applications. An overview on membrane technology processes such as pressure-driven and osmotically driven membrane processes are first briefly presented. Grafting-from surface chemical modification approaches including chemical initiated, plasma initiated and UV initiated approaches are discussed in terms of their features, advantages and limitations. The innovations in membrane surface modification techniques based on grafting-from techniques are comprehensively reviewed followed by some highlights on the current challenges in this field. It is concluded that grafting-from is a versatile and effective technique to introduce various functional groups to enhance the surface properties and separation performances of liquid separation membranes.