Screening recommendations for multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria comprise microbiological analyses from rectal swabs. However, essential specifications of the preanalytic steps of such screenings, i.e. the sampling technique, sampling devices and sampling site, are lacking. For standardized and optimum screening conditions these parameters are indispensable. Here, the optimum parameters...

A variety of materials require functionally graded cellular microstructures whose porosity is engineered to meet specific applications (e.g. mimic bone structure for orthopaedic applications; fulfil mechanical, thermal or acoustic constraints in structural foamed components, etc.). Although a huge variety of foams can be manufactured with homogenous porosity, there are no generic processes for ...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate sensitization to chemicals present in work environment after an outbreak of contact dermatitis in workers of vehicle equipment factory, exposed to polyurethane foam, based on 4,4'-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI). MATERIAL AND METHODS From among 300 employees, 21 individuals reporting work-related skin and/or respiratory tract symptoms underwent clinical examination, ...

This study investigated the mechanical properties of a new rectangular compaction blade and compared this blade with other types of nail. Three types of nail were tested: the Magnum lag screw (Robert Reid Inc, Tokyo, Japan), proximal femoral nail, and Magnum Fid blade (Robert Reid Inc). The nails were inserted into solid rigid polyurethane foam, and the torsional moments were loaded with an Ins...

The canine omental bursa is a virtual cavity enclosed by the greater and lesser omentum. While previous representations of this bursa were always purely schematic, a novel casting technique was developed to depict the three-dimensional organization of the omental bursa more consistently. A self-expanding polyurethane-based foam was injected into the omental bursa through the omental foramen in ...

Pressurized liquid extraction (PLE) was evaluated as a method for extracting semivolatile organic compounds (SOCs) from air sampling media, including quartz fiber filter (QFF), polyurethane foam (PUF), and a polystyrene divinyl benzene copolymer (XAD-2). Hansen solubility parameter plots were used to aid in the PLE solvent selection in order to both reduce coextraction of polyurethane and save ...

Hybrid biobased polyurethane flexible foam composites containing a residue from surf industry (polyurethane powder) as filler and graphite or graphene were synthesized. It was observed that the addition of powder at low contents did not modify final properties considerably, since cell structure compromised. Moreover, increased capacity foams to retain carbonaceous fillers. The compressive hybri...

This paper investigates the impact of the irregular microgeometry of polyurethane acoustic foam on the macroscopic acoustic behavior predicted by a unit-cell model. Two semi-empirical unit-cell models coupled to a rigorous sensitivity analysis technique are used for this purpose. In these models, the porous material is idealized as a packing of a periodic unit-cell (PUC) representative of the d...

INTRODUCTION Biomechanical properties of four different commercially available small fragment cannulated screws (Twin fix (Stryker, Freiburg, Germany), Herbert, (Zimmer, Warsaw, USA), Omnitech (Unimedical, Torino, Italy), Barouk (Depuy, Warsaw, USA)), with variable pitch, used for fracture fixation were compared. MATERIALS AND METHODS Polyurethane foam blocks of three different densities with...

Polyurethanes are a unique class of plastic in the sense that independent manufacturers buy liquid polyols and isocyanates and then react them in the presence of catalysts, surfactants and other additives in widely varying processing schemes to make the final commercial product. In some manufacturing scenarios, there is a growing concern about worker exposure to volatile organic chemicals (VOC)...