Silicone Adhesives in Medical Applications

This chapter will review silicone based adhesive technologies, applications and characterization, emphasizing those self-adhesive materials often used in skin contact applications including transdermal drug delivery and wound care device attachment. The silicone pressure sensitive adhesives used in transdermal applications today are thermoplastic and based on silicone polymer and silicate resin chemistries. Previous research has suggested that some drugs readily diffuse through silicone adhesives, prompting their use in transdermal patches. A recently developed silicone acrylate hybrid adhesive technology combines polyacrylate and silicone molecular structures to form a stable, semi-interpenetrated network. This technology provides ease in formulating transdermal drug delivery systems through improved physical stability over simple blends of acrylate and silicone adhesives. The ability of some silicone adhesives to affix bandages without disrupting the wound bed upon removal has led to the wide acceptance of a third type of silicone adhesive technology that unlike the aforementioned thermoplastic materials is thermoset. This adhesive form is based on a platinum catalyzed, cross-linking reaction between vinyl functional and silicon-hydride functional silicone polymers. The various silicone adhesive types have been characterized via classical measurements of physical performances. Rheological techniques elucidated herein provide further understanding of the structure-property relationships previously unavailable using classical characterization approaches

The response of temperate aquatic ecosystems to global warming: novel insights from a multidisciplinary project

This article serves as an introduction to this special issue of Marine Biology, but also as a review of the key findings of the AQUASHIFT research program which is the source of the articles published in this issue. AQUASHIFT is an interdisciplinary research program targeted to analyze the response of temperate zone aquatic ecosystems (both marine and freshwater) to global warming. The main conclusions of AQUASHIFT relate to (a) shifts in geographic distribution, (b) shifts in seasonality, (c) temporal mismatch in food chains, (d) biomass responses to warming, (e) responses of body size, (f) harmful bloom intensity, (f), changes of biodiversity, and (g) the dependence of shifts to temperature changes during critical seasonal windows

Climate change and freshwater zooplankton: what does it boil down to?

Recently, major advances in the climate–zooplankton interface have been made some of which appeared to receive much attention in a broader audience of ecologists as well. In contrast to the marine realm, however, we still lack a more holistic summary of recent knowledge in freshwater. We discuss climate change-related variation in physical and biological attributes of lakes and running waters, high-order ecological functions, and subsequent alteration in zooplankton abundance, phenology, distribution, body size, community structure, life history parameters, and behavior by focusing on community level responses. The adequacy of large-scale climatic indices in ecology has received considerable support and provided a framework for the interpretation of community and species level responses in freshwater zooplankton. Modeling perspectives deserve particular consideration, since this promising stream of ecology is of particular applicability in climate change research owing to the inherently predictive nature of this field. In the future, ecologists should expand their research on species beyond daphnids, should address questions as to how different intrinsic and extrinsic drivers interact, should move beyond correlative approaches toward more mechanistic explanations, and last but not least, should facilitate transfer of biological data both across space and time

Hop Production in Northern Arizona: Opportunity and Challenges for Small-scale Growers?

Hops are an essential crop in the world for beer production and are mostly grown between latitudes 35° to 55° north (Dodds 2017). This includes northern Arizona. The U.S. leads world hop production (40%) and is closely followed by Germany (38%). In the U.S., Washington state is the highest producer (68%), followed by Idaho and Oregon in the second and third positions, respectively, with a total of about 28%. According to Dobis et al. (2019), craft breweries are driving local hop production expansion to most states in the USA with promising opportunities for small-scale, beginner farmers, and other related stakeholders. This could open a new frontier to the large population of small-scale growers in the region. This paper aims to provide growers and potential hop growers information about hop production in central and northern Arizona, and the possible challenges ahead

The Role of Fences in Commercial Horticulture and Small-Acreage Agriculture

Fences are used in agriculture to control the timing and intensity of use by domestic grazing animals or to preclude wildlife species that could damage a given crop. This bulletin focus on fences use in crop production to guard against damage and fecal contamination by wildlife. The impact of wildlife such as beaver, elk, deer, raccoons, rabbits, feral burros, javelina, and coyote could be an issue for growers. In areas such as Arizona with limited rainfall, forage diversity is limited, so irrigated cultivated plants may attract wildlife, including field and horticulture crops that are not well protected. Therefore, fencing is crucial for Arizona's crop production, especially among small-scale growers who do not have much to spare. Designing and properly constructing the best fence for the species and abundance of wildlife present is an important decision. In this bulletin, the aim is to highlight the critical roles of fences in commercial horticulture and small acreage operations, including factors to consider in selecting a fence, types of fences available, and associated challenges

Needs Assessment for Commercial Horticulture and Small Acreage in North Central Arizona

Understanding the needs of stakeholders is crucial for extension and outreach programs, especially in developing new programs. From January to April 2020, a needs assessment was conducted in Yavapai and Coconino Counties for the newly created Commercial Horticulture and Small Acreage (CHSA) program. The information from the needs assessment is important to extension agents, farmers (existing and potential future farmers), researches, policymakers, and private organizations interested in CHSA farming in the region. This needs assessment helped to identify the stakeholders in north central Arizona for the CHSA program and has established the needed connections for fruitful collaboration

COVID-19 Effects on Farming Activities in Arizona and How Farmers and Ranchers Responded

The unprecedented outbreak of the novel COVID-19 pandemic has stalled or critically stifled most of the world’s economies. The United States (US) reported a 9.8% drop in gross domestic product by the end of June. The devastating impact of the pandemic can be readily recognized by surveillance data, but these numbers fail to recognize the complexities, barriers and constraints placed on the US agricultural system, especially at the local and state levels. Farmers and ranchers that supply the nation with food and fiber may be disproportionately impacted. The intent of this survey was to understand the effects of COVID-19 on Arizona’s agricultural production operations and how farmers and ranchers responded to the crisis. This data will inform policymakers, industry, researchers, extension agents, and consumers on how to support local farmers and ranchers for a continual distribution of agricultural products and services without disruptions