We report the sulfonation of surface-initiated polynorbornene with acetyl sulfate to produce ultrathin ionomer films. The complete process consists of exposure of a hydroxyl-terminated self-assembled monolayer (SAM) on gold to a norbornenyl diacid chloride, attachment of Grubbs first generation catalyst, ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP), and sulfonation. Structural and chemical cha...

The six-minute walking test (6MWT) is used to assess exercise tolerance that is associated with motor function of the lower limbs in hemiparetic patients. It is suggested that, for post-stroke subjects, performance in the 6MWT may be limited by biomechanical and cardiovascular factors. Our aim is to determine the correlation between the six-minute walk distance (6MWD) and the biomechanical prof...

METHODS: DP was examined in three studies (A-C), involving roller skiing on a treadmill. In study A (n=6), the subjects performed 10 min of DP at ~74% of their VO2max. Catheters were inserted in a. and v. femoralis, v. subclavia and right atrium to measure a-v O2 difference at systemic level as well as over the arms and legs. Blood flow in arms and legs was measured by constant-infusion thermod...

In the laboratory, gait analysis is often completed with goniometry. In a previous article (Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, Vol. 30 No. 2), reference data for basic gait parameters were presented. The aim of this study was to provide such reference data for joint angle parameters. Two hundred and thirty-three healthy subjects (116 men and 117 women) 10-79 years of age, were ...

Flexibility testing is one of the most important fitness assessments. It is generally evaluated by measuring the range of motion (RoM) of body segments around a joint center. This study presents a novel assessment of flexibility in the microcirculatory aspect. Eighteen college students were recruited for the flexibility assessment. The flexibility of the leg was defined according to the angle o...

Aims: Over exercise is the most frequent cause of chronic shoulder pain and rotator cuff muscles chronic tendonitis is the most frequent problem among professional athletes. The purpose of this study was to review the effect of a period of compound treatment (physiotherapy, massage therapy, PNF stretching exercises) on rotator cuff muscles chronic tendonitis in Professional athletes. Materials ...

There is wide anecdotal recognition that biological cell viability and behavior can vary significantly as a function of the source of commercial tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) culture vessels to which those cells adhere. However, this marked material dependency is typically resolved by selecting and then consistently using the same manufacturer's product - following protocol - rather than by...

This work describes the surface modification of 300PEO-PEOT/PBT 55/45 thin films using a medium pressure dielectric barrier discharge system operated in argon, helium, nitrogen or dry air to improve cell-surface interactions of this established biomaterial. The first part of the paper describes the optimization of the plasma processing parameters using water contact angle goniometry. The optimi...

Polyetheretherketone (PEEK) has good chemical and biomechanical properties that are excellent for biomedical applications. However, PEEK exhibits hydrophobic and other surface characteristics which cause limited cell adhesion. We have investigated the potential of Ar plasma treatment for the formation of a nanostructured PEEK surface in order to enhance cell adhesion. The specific aim of this s...

A new facility for high-pressure diffraction and spectroscopy using diamond anvil high-pressure cells has been built at the Advanced Light Source on beamline 12.2.2. This beamline benefits from the hard X-radiation generated by a 6 T superconducting bending magnet (superbend). Useful X-ray flux is available between 5 keV and 35 keV. The radiation is transferred from the superbend to the experim...