Mechanical Properties of LDPE and PS Polymer Matrix Composites Reinforced with GNP and CF — A Critical Review

There is always a vital need for more robust, affordable, and multifunctional materials to satisfy the demands of industrial consumers. Therefore, polymer matrix composites (dual and hybrid matrix) have become popular with multiple fillers to meet these needs. Graphene nano-platelet (GNP) and Carbon fibre (CF) are popular among those fillers due to their superior properties, such as good mechanical, thermal, and electrical properties. Low density polyethylene (LDPE), Polystyrene (PS), GNP, and CF are popular and heavily used in the packaging, automotive, and aerospace industries. However, it would be good to look at how these areas have evolved over the last few decades. Hence, this review focuses on a comparison of LDPE and PS as a matrix and GNP and CF as a filler, considering the content that determines the overall performance of blends and composites. The literature was screened for the last few decades. The blends and/or composites produced by a twin-screw extruder were included. A total of 1628 relevant papers were retrieved from all databases. Based on the review, it was deduced that more research should be needed in areas such as the aerospace industry to identify optimum content. Most of the analysis showed that factors such as filler surface area, dispersion, and content affect overall blends and composites' performance in terms of mechanical properties, especially elastic modulus and tensile strength, and other properties. Based on the review, it was realised that using 20 and 30 wt%, 2 and 30 wt%, 2 and 4 wt%, and 20 and 30 wt% filler was the most common combination giving the optimum content for LDPE, PS, GNP, and CF, respectively. EMS and TSH changes of the composites were calculated according to their optimum content. Overall, LDPE and PS are good in packaging areas, but their mechanical properties still need to be improved for use in industries such as automotive, aerospace etc. Due to the advantages of GNP and CF, they are used in different applications, such as electrical devices, medical tools, and automobile vehicles. However, these properties are affected easily by interfacial adhesion, dispersion, and aggregation. Many researchers have searched these parameters and analysed how to prevent the negative effects of these parameters. In conclusion, this review will be helpful for researchers and industrial people to be aware of the state-of-the-art of carbon-based composites and the evolution of LDPE, PS, GNP, and CF

Rare predicted loss-of-function variants of type I IFN immunity genes are associated with life-threatening COVID-19

Background: We previously reported that impaired type I IFN activity, due to inborn errors of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I interferon (IFN) immunity or to autoantibodies against type I IFN, account for 15–20% of cases of life-threatening COVID-19 in unvaccinated patients. Therefore, the determinants of life-threatening COVID-19 remain to be identified in ~ 80% of cases. Methods: We report here a genome-wide rare variant burden association analysis in 3269 unvaccinated patients with life-threatening COVID-19, and 1373 unvaccinated SARS-CoV-2-infected individuals without pneumonia. Among the 928 patients tested for autoantibodies against type I IFN, a quarter (234) were positive and were excluded. Results: No gene reached genome-wide significance. Under a recessive model, the most significant gene with at-risk variants was TLR7, with an OR of 27.68 (95%CI 1.5–528.7, P = 1.1 × 10−4) for biochemically loss-of-function (bLOF) variants. We replicated the enrichment in rare predicted LOF (pLOF) variants at 13 influenza susceptibility loci involved in TLR3-dependent type I IFN immunity (OR = 3.70[95%CI 1.3–8.2], P = 2.1 × 10−4). This enrichment was further strengthened by (1) adding the recently reported TYK2 and TLR7 COVID-19 loci, particularly under a recessive model (OR = 19.65[95%CI 2.1–2635.4], P = 3.4 × 10−3), and (2) considering as pLOF branchpoint variants with potentially strong impacts on splicing among the 15 loci (OR = 4.40[9%CI 2.3–8.4], P = 7.7 × 10−8). Finally, the patients with pLOF/bLOF variants at these 15 loci were significantly younger (mean age [SD] = 43.3 [20.3] years) than the other patients (56.0 [17.3] years; P = 1.68 × 10−5). Conclusions: Rare variants of TLR3- and TLR7-dependent type I IFN immunity genes can underlie life-threatening COVID-19, particularly with recessive inheritance, in patients under 60 years old

Effects of the Addition of Calcium Acetate into Silicate-Based Electrolytes on the Properties of MAO Coatings Produced on Zirconium (Acta Physica Polonica A 129, 504 (2016), ERRATUM)

The article was originally published on October 2014. In this paper "calcium acetate monohydrate" was used in electrolyte solution, however by mistake authors had written the name of the chemical as "calcium acetate tetrahydrate". The authors apologize for their error

Effects of the Addition of Calcium Acetate into Silicate-Based Electrolytes on the Properties of MAO Coatings Produced on Zirconium

Zirconium (Zr) is a potential implant material due to its excellent biocompatibility and low elastic modulus for biomedical applications. Its poor bioactivity, however, limits its use as biomaterials. In this study, microarc oxidation which is a plasma-electrochemical based process was applied to produce oxide coatings on pure zirconium. The coating processes were conducted in different electrolytes containing sodium silicate and varying amounts of calcium acetate tetrahydrate (CA) for 30 min to investigate the effect of the introduction of CA into the electrolyte solution on the morphology and chemical composition of the fabricated coatings. It was found that the coatings consisted of monoclinic-ZrO₂ and tetragonal-ZrO₂ phases. The amount of the tetragonal-ZrO₂ phase increased with the increasing CA concentration in the electrolyte. The coating thickness and surface roughness showed a tendency to increase with the increasing CA concentration in the electrolyte. It was observed that the vicinity of plasma channels were Zr-rich, while their surroundings were rich in Si and Ca elements. The outer region of the coating was denser compared to inner region consisting of Zr-rich porous structure

Cystic fibrosis in Turkey: First data from the national registry.

Background Cystic fibrosis (CF) care has been implemented in Turkey for a long time; however, there had been no patient registry. For this purpose, the Turkish National CF Registry was established. We present the first results of registry using data collected in 2017. Methods The data were collected using a data-entry software system, which was accessed from the internet. Demographic and annually recorded data consisted of 15 and 79 variables, respectively. Results There were 1170 patients registered from 23 centers; the estimated coverage rate was 30%. The median age at diagnosis was 1.7 years (median current age: 7.3 years); 51 (4.6%) patients were aged over 18 years. Among 293 patients who were under 3 years of age, 240 patients (81.9%) were diagnosed through newborn screening. Meconium ileus was detected in 65 (5.5%) patients. Genotyping was performed in 978 (87.4%) patients and 246 (25.2%) patients' mutations were unidentified. The most common mutation was deltaF508 with an allelic frequency of 28%, followed by N1303K (4.9%). The median FEV1% predicted was 86. Chronic colonization with Pseudomonas aeruginosa was seen in 245 patients. The most common complication was pseudo-Bartter syndrome in 120 patients. The median age of death was 13.5 years in a total of 15 patients. Conclusions Low coverage rate, lack of genotyping, unidentified mutations, and missing data of lung functions are some of our greatest challenges. Including data of all centers and reducing missing data will provide more accurate data and help to improve the CF care in Turkey in the future