Anisotropic dehydration of hydrogel surfaces

Efforts to develop tissue-engineered skin for regenerative medicine have explored natural, synthetic, and hybrid hydrogels. The creation of a bilayer material, with the stratification exhibited by native skin is a complex problem. The mechanically robust, waterproof epidermis presents the stratum corneum at the tissue/air interface, which confers many of these protective properties. In this work we explore the effect of high temperatures on alginate hydrogels, which are widely employed for tissue engineering due to their excellent mechanical properties and cellular compatibility. In particular, we investigate the rapid dehydration of the hydrogel surface which occurs following local exposure to heated surfaces with temperatures in the range 100-200 oC. We report the creation of a mechanically strengthened hydrogel surface, with improved puncture resistance and increased coefficient of friction, compared to the unheated surface. The use of a mechanical restraint during heating promoted differences in the rate of mass loss; the rate of temperature increase within the hydrogel, in the presence and absence of restraint, is simulated and discussed. It is hoped that the results will be of use in the development of processes suitable for preparing skin-like analogues; application areas could include wound healing and skin restoration

Oncolog, Volume 36, Issue 03, July-September 1991

From cell culture to clinical protocol: In cancer research, the goals of scientist and clinician converge New clinic treats depressed cancer patients Half-century of progress in leukemia researchhttps://openworks.mdanderson.org/oncolog/1035/thumbnail.jp

Exploring Intersections of Race, Gender, Culture, and Power: Collaborative Autoethnography, Freire, and Model for Reform

In a time when the Critical Race Theory is being used as a weapon to eliminate educational learning by ratifying American history at a proliferated rate, this study illustrates the individual experiences of racial inequity across race, gender, culture, and power. This collaborative autoethnography is informed by the Critical Race Theory and Freire’s Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Crenshaw observes about criticism of CRT, “It’s not about a theory. … It’s about an effort to shut down all conversation about the sources and the reproduction of racial inequality” (2021, p. 7). Defending the application of CRT in American classrooms is beyond the scope of this study. This study illustrates that promotion of equality through having honest conversations about inequality

Oncolog, Volume 36, Issue 02, April-June 1991

Redefining the risks of chemotherapy during pregnancy Renewing the assault on pancreatic cancer Significance of cancer volume in radiotherapyhttps://openworks.mdanderson.org/oncolog/1034/thumbnail.jp

Oncolog, Volume 36, Issue 04, October-December 1991

Antisense RNA technology successfully blocks K-ras-induced cancer Immediate breast reconstruction reduces the trauma of mastectomy The human face of datahttps://openworks.mdanderson.org/oncolog/1036/thumbnail.jp

Weather Impacts the Agricultural Production Efficiency of Wheat: The Importance of Precipitation Shocks

Many studies have explored the determinants of technical efficiency in crop production, but fewer have examined how weather might change technical efficiency over time. We estimate weather effects on technical efficiency using data from 540 Kansas winter wheat farms from 2007/08 to 2016/17 using a panel stochastic frontier model that controls for farm-specific heterogeneity with farm fixed effects. Results show that precipitation is nonlinearly related to technical efficiency and that extreme temperature is associated with lower technical efficiency. Improving resilience to precipitation shocks is key to sustained efficient wheat production in Kansas

The Boarder Baby and Foster Care Crises in New York City: Problems of Policy and Poverty

In this article, we will examine the conditions which have created the boarder baby epidemic and the attendant problem of lack of availability of foster care. We will briefly examine the social, cultural, psychological and political parameters which have determined the dynamics of this problem. Finally, we will review some earlier attempts toward the resolution of the problem and provide an overview evaluating the bona fides of those approaches. Our analysis will also draw upon relevant events which have occurred in other American cities that help us to understand this problem

The Boarder Baby and Foster Care Crises in New York City: Problems of Policy and Poverty

In this article, we will examine the conditions which have created the boarder baby epidemic and the attendant problem of lack of availability of foster care. We will briefly examine the social, cultural, psychological and political parameters which have determined the dynamics of this problem. Finally, we will review some earlier attempts toward the resolution of the problem and provide an overview evaluating the bona fides of those approaches. Our analysis will also draw upon relevant events which have occurred in other American cities that help us to understand this problem

Confirmatory Factor Analysis of a Measure of Comprehensive Airman Fitness

The U.S. Air Force has committed significant resources to implementing policies and programs consistent with the Department of Defense\u27s concept of total force fitness. A 12-item measure of Comprehensive Airman Fitness was proposed and empirically examined, using component measures of mental fitness, physical fitness, social fitness, and spiritual fitness from the Support and Resiliency Inventory. Results confirm that the components of airman fitness can be conceptualized as pieces of a total fitness construct and that the measure is invariant across subgroups. Implications for policy and practice are discussed, and an agenda for future research is presented

The formation of a nanohybrid shish-kebab (NHSK) structure in melt-processed composites of poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)

The combination of synchrotron Small- and Wide-Angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS), and thermal analysis was used to follow the evolution of crystalline morphology and crystallization kinetics in a series of melt-processed composites of poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) and multiwall carbon nanotubes (MWCNT). The as-extruded PET-MWCNT composites underwent both hot and cold isothermal crystallizations where a final oriented nanohybrid shish-kebab (NHSK) crystalline structure was observed. An oriented NHSK structure was seen to persist even after melting and recrystallization of the composites. From the scattering data, we propose a model whereby the oriented MWCNTs act as heterogeneous nucleation surfaces (shish) and the polymer chains wrap around them and the crystallites (kebabs) grow epitaxially outwards during crystallization. However, depending on crystallization temperature, unoriented crystallites also grow in the polymer matrix, resulting in a combination of a NHSK and lamellar morphology. In contrast, the neat PET homopolymer showed the sporadic nucleation of a classic unoriented lamellar structure under the same isothermal crystallization conditions. These results provide a valuable insight into the distinctive modification of the crystalline morphology of melt-processed polymer-MWCNT composites prior to any secondary processing, having a significant impact on the use of MWCNTs as fillers in the processing and modification of the physical and mechanical properties of engineering polymers