The interest in micro- and nano-devices based on biodegradable polymers for in vivo applications is growing rapidly and the key to these applications lies in the fashioning of features analogous to the size of cells. This paper presents fabrication techniques for leveraging micro- and nanostructures on biodegradable polymers. Innovative approaches such as replication molding, laser interference...

AIMS The efficacy of durable polymer drug-eluting stents (DES) is delivered at the expense of delayed healing of the stented vessel. Biodegradable polymer DES aim to avoid this shortcoming and may potentially improve long-term clinical outcomes, with benefit expected to accrue over time. We sought to compare long-term outcomes in patients treated with biodegradable polymer DES vs. durable polym...

Interbody fusion with posterior instrumentation is a common method for treating lumbar degenerative disc diseases. However, the high rigidity of the fusion construct may produce abnormal stresses at the adjacent segment and lead to adjacent segment degeneration (ASD). As such, biodegradable implants are becoming more popular for use in orthopaedic surgery. These implants offer sufficient stabil...

The increasing shortage of resources has enforced the search for production techniques for biodegradable polymers made of renewable raw materials. An example is polylactide (PLA), an aliphatic polyester, which can be obtained by the metal-catalysed ring-opening polymerisation (ROP) of lactide (Fig. 1). The monomer for PLA production is available from corn or sugar beets by a bacterial fermentat...

Assumptions of individual rationality and preference stability provide the foundation for a convenient and tractable modeling approach. While both of these assumptions have come under scrutiny in distinct literatures, the two lines of research remain disjointed. This study begins by explicitly linking the two literatures while providing insights into perhaps the central issue facing behavioral ...

Computers can be very helpful to us by performing tasks on our behalf. For example, they are very good at performing calculations, storing information and producing visualisations of objects that do not yet exist as a made artifact. Increasingly, however, a different role is being found for the computer. It is the role of a catalyst, or a stimulant, to our own creative thinking. In such cases t...

OBJECTIVES To assess biodegradable nasal packing effectiveness for improving postoperative symptoms and mucosal healing after endoscopic sinonasal surgery as compared with conventional/non-packing groups. METHODS Relevant articles were searched on PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared biodegradable...

Biodegradable polyesters allow the development of acceptable bio-composites and bio-blends from agricultural-based raw materials without impairing their biodegradability and other useful properties. The tensile properties of binary blends of polystyrene (PS) with the biodegradable polyesters polycaprolactone (PCL), D,L-polylactic acid (PLA), and Eastar Bio Ultra (EBU) were investigated. Blend c...

Wet air oxidation (WAO) and catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) were investigated as suitable precursors for the biological treatment of industrial wastewater containing sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (DBS). Two hours WAO semi-batch experiments were conducted at 15 bar of oxygen partial pressure (P(O2)) and at 180, 200 and 220 degrees C. It was found that the highest temperature provides apprec...

The contemporary status of computational flow modelling encourages strongly the application of modern CFD codes on the design and investigation of process equipment and aims to accomplish novel and stringent environmental regulations on the decontamination of high strength wastewaters. The application of CFD is envisaged as a prevailing tool to gain more control in the delivery of reactants or ...