Compression therapy is frequently used to prevent hypertrophy of post-burn scars. This pilot study was performed in 6 patients to assess non-invasive changes induced in the tensile strength of the skin before any clinical improvement can be perceived. Assessments were performed using a computerized suction device delivering three 5 s cycles of 500 mbar depression. Measurements were made at one-...

An existing coupon compression fixture was modified for testing cylindrical coupon samples of a pultruded material in compression. Then a new fixture was developed for testing full-sized structural shapes, which presents all the advantages of the coupon fixture. Particularly, splitting of the end of the sample is prevented while reducing the stress concentration factor at the ends, yielding com...

Adobe is commonly found in Aveiro's ancient constructions. Preservation and rehabilitation of those constructions, some of them with architectural and historical interest, has been forgotten for many years. As a result, in Aveiro region, the majority of existing constructions in adobe is structurally weak, and, in several cases, they are in the threshold of ruin. Rehabilitation and/or strengthe...

PURPOSES The present study investigated whether a combination of the thickness and hardness of muscles without muscle tension can be used to estimate muscle strength during knee extension in adult males and females. METHODS Seventy-two males and thirty-three females, whose ages ranged from 18 to 35 years, participated in this study. We measured muscle thickness and hardness in the right anter...

BACKGROUND Several strategies to reduce construct stiffness have been proposed to promote secondary bone healing following fracture fixation with locked bridge plating constructs. However, stiffness reduction is typically gained at the cost of construct strength. In the present study, we tested whether a novel strategy for stiffness reduction, termed far cortical locking, can significantly redu...

Lightweight sandwich panels have been widely used for structural applications in the building and furniture industry. The advantages of using these materials comprise their high stiffnessand strength-to-weight ratios. A large variety of applied materials and a wide assortment of developed manufacturing methods allow a purposeful design tailoring of sandwich components and a usage of different m...

In this paper, the compressive behavior of fiber-reinforced concrete with end-hooked steel fibers has been investigated through a uniaxial compression test in which the variables were concrete compressive strength, fiber volumetric ratio, and fiber aspect ratio (length to diameter). In order to minimize the effect of specimen size on fiber distribution, 48 cylinder specimens 150 mm in diameter ...