Potential of electrospun nanofibers for biomedical and dental applications

YesElectrospinning is a versatile technique that has gained popularity for various biomedical applications in recent years. Electrospinning is being used for fabricating nanofibers for various biomedical and dental applications such as tooth regeneration, wound healing and prevention of dental caries. Electrospun materials have the benefits of unique properties for instance, high surface area to volume ratio, enhanced cellular interactions, protein absorption to facilitate binding sites for cell receptors. Extensive research has been conducted to explore the potential of electrospun nanofibers for repair and regeneration of various dental and oral tissues including dental pulp, dentin, periodontal tissues, oral mucosa and skeletal tissues. However, there are a few limitations of electrospinning hindering the progress of these materials to practical or clinical applications. In terms of biomaterials aspects, the better understanding of controlled fabrication, properties and functioning of electrospun materials is required to overcome the limitations. More in vivo studies are definitely required to evaluate the biocompatibility of electrospun scaffolds. Furthermore, mechanical properties of such scaffolds should be enhanced so that they resist mechanical stresses during tissue regeneration applications. The objective of this article is to review the current progress of electrospun nanofibers for biomedical and dental applications. In addition, various aspects of electrospun materials in relation to potential dental applications have been discussed

Probing the Structure-Performance Relationship of Lithium-Ion Battery Cathodes Using Pore-Networks Extracted from Three-Phase Tomograms

Pore-scale simulations of Li-ion battery electrodes were conducted using both pore-network modeling and direct numerical simulation. Ternary tomographic images of NMC811 cathodes were obtained and used to create the pore-scale computational domains. A novel network extraction method was developed to manage the extraction of N-phase networks which was used to extract all three phases of NMC-811 electrode along with their interconnections Pore network results compared favorably with direct numerical simulations (DNS) in terms of effective transport properties of each phase but were obtained in significantly less time. Simulations were then conducted with combined diffusion-reaction to simulate the limiting current behavior. It was found that when considering only ion and electron transport, the electrode structure could support current densities about 300 times higher than experimentally observed values. Additional case studies were conducted to illustrate the necessity of ternary images which allow separate consideration of carbon binder domain and active material. The results showed a 24.4% decrease in current density when the carbon binder was treated as a separate phase compared to lumping the CBD and active material into a single phase. The impact of nanoporosity in the carbon binder phase was also explored and found to enhance the reaction rate by 16.8% compared to solid binder. In addition, the developed technique used 58 times larger domain volume than DNS which opens up the possibility of modelling much larger tomographic data sets, enabling representative areas of typically inhomogeneous battery electrodes to be modelled accurately, and proposes a solution to the conflicting needs of high-resolution imaging and large volumes for image-based modelling. For the first time, three-phase pore network modelling of battery electrodes has been demonstrated and evaluated, opening the path towards a new modelling framework for lithium ion batteries.The described here was financially supported by the University of Engineering and Technology Lahore, Pakistan as well as the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) of Canada and in the UK by the Faraday Institution (EP/R042012/1 and EP/R042063/1). Pablo A. García-Salaberri thanks the support from the STFC Early Career Award (ST/R006873/1) during his stay at the Electrochemical Innovation La

Synthesis of Boron-Doped Zinc Oxide Nanosheets by Using Phyllanthus Emblica Leaf Extract: A Sustainable Environmental Applications

The use of Phyllanthus emblica (gooseberry) leaf extract to synthesize Boron-doped zinc oxide nanosheets (B-doped ZnO-NSs) is deliberated in this article. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows a network of synthesized nanosheets randomly aligned side by side in a B-doped ZnO (15 wt% B) sample. The thickness of B-doped ZnO-NSs is in the range of 20–80 nm. B-doped ZnO-NSs were tested against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacterial strains including Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Klebsiella pneumonia, and Escherichia coli. Against gram-negative bacterium (K. pneumonia and E. coli), B-doped ZnO displays enhanced antibacterial activity with 26 and 24 mm of inhibition zone, respectively. The mass attenuation coefficient (MAC), linear attenuation coefficient (LAC), mean free path (MFP), half-value layer (HVL), and tenth value layer (TVL) of B-doped ZnO were investigated as aspects linked to radiation shielding. These observations were carried out by using a PTW® electron detector and VARIAN® irradiation with 6 MeV electrons. The results of these experiments can be used to learn more about the radiation shielding properties of B-doped ZnO nanostructures

Drought induced changes in growth, osmolyte accumulation and antioxidant metabolism of three maize hybrids

Consequences of drought stress in crop production systems are perhaps more deleterious than other abiotic stresses under changing climatic scenarios. Regulations of physio-biochemical responses of plants under drought stress can be used as markers for drought stress tolerance in selection and breeding. The present study was conducted to appraise the performance of three different maize hybrids (Dong Dan 80, Wan Dan 13, and Run Nong 35) under well-watered, low, moderate and SD conditions maintained at 100, 80, 60, and 40% of field capacity, respectively. Compared with well-watered conditions, drought stress caused oxidative stress by excessive production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) which led to reduced growth and yield formation in all maize hybrids; nevertheless, negative effects of drought stress were more prominent in Run Nong 35. Drought-induced osmolyte accumulation and strong enzymatic and non-enzymatic defense systems prevented the severe damage in Dong Dan 80. Overall performance of all maize hybrids under drought stress was recorded as: Dong Dan 80 > Wan Dan 13 > Run Nong 35 with 6.39, 7.35, and 16.55% yield reductions. Consequently, these biochemical traits and differential physiological responses might be helpful to develop drought tolerance genotypes that can withstand water-deficit conditions with minimum yield losses

An adverse social welfare effect of a doubly gainful trade

Acknowledging individuals’ distaste for low relative income renders trade less appealing when trade is viewed as a technology that integrates economies by merging separate social spheres into one. We define a “trembling trade” as a situation in which gains from trade are overtaken by losses of relative income, with the result that global social welfare is reduced. A constructive example reveals that a “trembling trade” can arise even when trade is doubly gainful in that it increases the income of every individual and narrows the income gap between the trading populations