Rheological Study on Crosslinking and Gelation of Amidated Carboxymethylcellulose Solutions

Viscosupplementation is an intra-articular symptomatic treatment of mild osteoarthritis in synovial joints. It normally consists of single or repeated injections of hyaluronan- based fluids, aimed to restore desirable viscoelastic behavior of the synovial fluid and thus recreate the intra-articular joint homeostasis. Recently, a novel viscosupplement based on amidated carboxymethylcellulose has been developed by blending the soluble polymer (CMCAp) with its crosslinked derivative (CMCAg) in appropriate proportions and concentrations in order to ensure an optimal combination of flow behavior and viscoelastic properties. The present work is concerned with the rheological monitoring of the crosslinking reaction performed at 25 °C by starting from aqueous CMCAp solutions in order to describe the time evolution of the linear viscoelastic moduli occurring along the whole gelation process and to individuate how the polymer concentration affects the mechanical response at the sol-gel transition and the fractal dimension of the incipient polymeric network

Rheological Studies Dedicated to the Development of a Novel Injectable Polymeric Blend for Viscosupplementation Treatment

Viscosupplementation is an intra-articular symptomatic treatment of mild osteoarthritis. The treatment involves the injection of high-molecular-weight hyaluronan (HA), and especially of cross-linked HA to restore the lubricating and cushioning properties of the synovial fluid. This work involves the development of a novel viscosupplementation fluid based on amidated carboxymethylcellulose and obtained by blending the soluble polymer with its crosslinked derivative. Rheological analyses carried out under both oscillatory and continuous shear provided a rationale to assess the viscosupplement formulation and the production process. The hydrogel fraction content and the total polymer concentration can be properly selected in order to ensure an optimal combination of flowability and viscoelastic properties

Education, inequality and electoral participation

In comparative terms, Italian electoral turnout has been very high since 1946. However, during the five elections from 1994 to 2008,turnout dropped more steeply than it did over the previous 12 elections from 1946 to 1992.The difference between maximum turnout in the early 1950s and the 2008 election was about 12%,and mostof this decline (8%) occurred in the period 1992-2008.This paper finds robust evidence that individual and contextual social inequalities have been key factors i therecent fall of turnout.In particular our results clearly suggest that contextual social inequality lowers the turnout of less-educated voters and leaves it unafectedamong high-educated ones. The recent decline in turnout may therefore be indicative of an important shift towards more unequal political participation. These findings are consistent with data showing that the post-1994 parties performed very poorly as mobilisation agencies compared with the old parties.Indeed, according to Franklin (2004), turnout trends can be effectively explained by changes in institutional rules and by the degree of electoral competitiveness.This paper suggests that, in order to explain turnout trends, the interactive effects of social and individual inequality should also be considered