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Alginate and gellan gum have both been used by researchers as reinforcing networks to create tough and biocompatible polyethylene glycol (PEG) based double network (DN) hydrogels; however, the relative advantages and disadvantages of each approach are not understood. This study directly compares the mechanical and biological properties of polyethylene glycol di-methacrylate (PEGDMA) hybrid DN hydrogels reinforced with either gellan gum or sodium alginate using PEGDMA concentrations from 10 to 20 wt% and reinforcing network concentrations of 1 and 2 wt%. The findings demonstrate that gellan gum reinforcement is more effective at increasing the strength, stiffness, and toughness of PEGDMA DN hydrogels. In contrast, alginate reinforcement yields DN hydrogels with greater stretchability compared to gellan gum reinforced PEGDMA. Furthermore, separate measurements of toughness via unnotched work of rupture testing and notched fracture toughness testing showed a strong correlation of these two properties for a single reinforcing network type, but not across the two types of reinforcing networks. This suggests that additional notched fracture toughness experiments are important for understanding the full mechanical response when comparing different tough DN hydrogel systems. Regarding the biological response, after conjugation of matrix protein to the surface of both materials robust cell attachment and spreading was supported with higher yes associated protein (YAP) nuclear expression observed in populations adhering to the stiffer gellan gum-PEGDMA material. This study provides valuable insights regarding how to design double network hydrogels for specific property requirements, e.g., for use in biomedical devices, as scaffolding for tissue engineering, or in soft robotic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Anticipating an increasing demand for hybrid double network (DN) hydrogels in biomedicine and biotechnology, this study evaluated the effects of each network on the mechanical and biological properties. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) (meth)acrylate hydrogels with varied monomer molecular weights and architectures (linear vs. 4-arm) were produced with and without an added ionically bonded alginate network and their mechanical properties were characterized using compression testing. The results showed that while some mechanical properties of PEG single network (SN) hydrogels decreased or changed negligibly with increasing molecular weight, the compressive modulus, strength, strain to failure, and toughness of DN hydrogels all significantly increased with increased PEG monomer molecular weight. At a fixed molecular weight (10 kDa), 4-arm PEG SN hydrogels exhibited better overall mechanical performance; however, this benefit was diminished for the corresponding DN hydrogels with comparable strength and toughness and lower strain to failure for the 4-arm case. Regardless of the PEG monomer structure, the alginate network made a relatively larger contribution to the overall DN mechanical properties when the covalent PEG network was looser with a larger mesh size (e.g., for larger monomer molecular weight and/or linear architecture) which presumably enabled more ionic crosslinking. Considering the biological performance, adipose derived stem cell cultures demonstrated monotonically increasing cell area and Yes-associated protein related mechanosensing with increasing amounts of alginate from 0 to 2 wt.%, demonstrating the possibility for using DN hydrogels in guiding musculoskeletal differentiation. These findings will be useful to design suitable hydrogels with controllable mechanical and biological properties for mechanically demanding applications. Hydrogels are widely used in commercial applications, and recently developed hybrid double network hydrogels have enhanced strength and toughness that will enable further expansion into more mechanically demanding applications (e.g., medical implants, etc.). The significance of this work is that it uncovers some key principles regarding monomer molecular weight, architecture, and concentration for developing strong and tough hybrid double network hydrogels that would not be predicted from their single network counterparts or a linear combination of the two networks. Additionally, novel insight is given into the biological performance of hybrid double network hydrogels in the presence of adipose derived stem cell cultures which suggests new scope for using double network hydrogels in guiding musculoskeletal differentiation. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 2D plane strain extended finite element method (XFEM) model was developed to simulate three-point bending fracture toughness tests for human bone conducted in hydrated and dehydrated conditions. Bone microstructures and crack paths observed by micro-CT imaging were simulated using an XFEM damage model. Critical damage strains for the osteons, matrix, and cement lines were deduced for both hydrated and dehydrated conditions and it was found that dehydration decreases the critical damage strains by about 50%. Subsequent parametric studies using the various microstructural models were performed to understand the impact of individual critical damage strain variations on the fracture behavior. The study revealed the significant impact of the cement line critical damage strains on the crack paths and fracture toughness during the early stages of crack growth. Furthermore, a significant sensitivity of crack growth resistance and crack paths on critical strain values of the cement lines was found to exist for the hydrated environments where a small change in critical strain values of the cement lines can alter the crack path to give a significant reduction in fracture resistance. In contrast, in the dehydrated state where toughness is low, the sensitivity to changes in critical strain values of the cement lines is low. Overall, our XFEM model was able to provide new insights into how dehydration affects the micromechanisms of fracture in bone and this approach could be further extended to study the effects of aging, disease, and medical therapies on bone fracture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conduct a first in vivo study on the large deformation stress relaxation behavior of the human scalp. This study was conducted during Mohs micrographic surgery of the scalp of 14 patients aged 59–90 with wounds initially ranging from 9 to 41 mm wide. The initial wound diameter was measured under zero applied force. Then, the force required to close each wound using a single size 1 nylon suture and a SUTUREGARD suture retention device was measured, after which the suture was then locked in the retention device at fixed displacement. At time points of 300 s, 600 s, and 1800 s, the suture retention device was released, and the wound opening was again recorded at zero force, and the force required to close the wound was recorded. The average wound closure force relaxed by 44% and 65% after 300 s and 1800 s, respectively. Average wound width decreased 30% and 42%, after 300 s and 1800 s, respectively, due to creep deformation. Furthermore, all wounds relaxed to be below 15 N of closure force after 600 s, which is considered the maximum clinically acceptable force. A relaxation time of ∼270 s and a threshold force for creep of ∼ 5 N was found. Results of this study provide the first quantitative clinical guidance for efficient scalp closure of large wounds by creep deformation and stress relaxation. Furthermore, the methodology developed here can be used as a basis for future in vivo studies of the stress relaxation and creep deformation of human scalp, which in turn can provide data for the development and validation of constitutive models for scalp deformation. Image 1 • First in vivo study of stress relaxation and creep behavior of the human scalp. • First quantitative clinical guidance for efficient scalp closure of large wounds. • Novel methodology to develop constitutive models for in vivo scalp deformation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Dental composite and ceramic restorative materials are designed to closely mimic the aesthetics and function of natural tooth tissue, and their longevity in the oral environment depends to a large degree on their fatigue and wear properties. The purpose of this review is to highlight some recent advances in our understanding of fatigue and wear mechanisms, and how they contribute to restoration failures in the complex oral environment. Overall, fatigue and wear processes are found to be closely related, with wear of dental ceramic occlusal surfaces providing initiation sites for fatigue failures, and subsurface fatigue crack propagation driving key wear mechanisms for composites, ceramics, and enamel. Furthermore, both fatigue and wear of composite restorations may be important in enabling secondary caries formation, which is the leading cause of composite restoration failures. Overall, developing a mechanistic description of fatigue, wear, and secondary caries formation, along with understanding the interconnectivity of all three processes, are together seen as essential keys to successfully using in vitro studies to predict in vivo outcomes and develop improved dental restorative materials. Graphical abstract fx1 Highlights • Dental restorations fail due to fatigue and wear in the complex oral environment. • Material microstructure plays key role in restoration failure by fatigue and wear. • The mechanistic processes of fatigue and wear are interrelated. • Restoration failure by secondary caries is influenced by fatigue and wear mechanisms. • Understanding the mechanistic processes of failure links in vitro and in vivo studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated the endocarp of the fruit of Cocos nucifera ( i.e. , the inner coconut shell), examining the structure across multiple length scales through advanced characterization techniques and in situ testing of mechanical properties. Like many biological materials, the coconut shell possesses a hierarchical structure with distinct features at different length scales that depend on orientation and age. Aged coconut was found to have a significantly stronger (ultimate tensile strength, UTS = 48.5 MPa), stiffer (Young's modulus, E = 1.92 GPa), and tougher (fracture resistance ( R -curve) peak of K J = 3.2 MPa m 1/2 ) endocarp than the younger fruit for loading in the latitudinal orientation. While the mechanical properties of coconut shell were observed to improve with age, they also become more anisotropic: the young coconut shell had the same strength (17 MPa) and modulus (0.64 GPa) values and similar R -curves for both longitudinal and latitudinal loading configurations, whereas the old coconut had 82% higher strength for loading in the latitudinal orientation, and >50% higher crack growth toughness for cracking on the latitudinal plane. Structural aspects affecting the mechanical properties across multiple length scales with aging were identified as improved load transfer to the cellulose crystalline nanostructure (identified by synchrotron x-ray diffraction) and sclerification of the endocarp, the latter of which included closing of the cell lumens and lignification of the cell walls. The structural changes gave a denser and mechanically superior micro and nanostructure to the old coconut shell. Additionally, the development of anisotropy was attributed to the formation of an anisotropic open channel structure throughout the shell of the old coconut that affected both crack initiation during uniaxial tensile tests and the toughening mechanisms of crack trapping and deflection during crack propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on advantages, challenges and opportunities online career counseling at Capella University. It mentions expanding availability of web-based career tools and the increasing demand of clients for on-demand resources and seminars taught within a learning management system. It also mentions students choose online learning and job search preparation and skills and career exploration such as teaching in higher education, nursing and healthcare, and information technology.

Human tooth enamel must withstand the cyclic contact forces, wear, and corrosion processes involved with typical oral functions. Furthermore, unlike other human tissues, dental enamel does not have a significant capacity for healing or self-repair and thus the longevity of natural teeth in the oral environment depends to a large degree on the fatigue and wear properties of enamel. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of our understanding of the fatigue and wear mechanisms of human enamel and how they relate to in vivo observations of tooth damage in the complex oral environment. A key finding of this review is that fatigue and wear processes are closely related. For example, the presence of abrasive wear particles significantly lowers the forces needed to initiate contact fatigue cracking while subsurface fatigue crack propagation drives key delamination wear mechanisms during attrition or attrition-corrosion of enamel. Furthermore, this review seeks to bring a materials science and mechanical engineering perspective to fatigue and wear phenomena. In this regard, we see developing a mechanistic description of fatigue and wear, and understanding the interconnectivity of the processes, as essential for successfully modelling enamel fatigue and wear damage and developing strategies and treatments to improve the longevity of our natural teeth. Furthermore, we anticipate that this review will stimulate ideas for extending the lifetime of the natural tooth structure and will help highlight where our understanding is too limited and where additional research into fatigue and wear of human tooth enamel is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To test the hypothesis that the mechanical strength of wounds closed with a combination of buried dermal absorbable sutures and superficial nonabsorbable nylon sutures will be higher than wounds closed with only superficial nonabsorbable nylon sutures. Methods Four Yucatan pigs were anesthetized and each received four 4.5 cm full thickness incisions on their dorsal surfaces, placed 8 cm apart. Half of all incisions were randomly allocated and repaired with 3–0 polyglactin 910 (Vicryl ™ ) buried dermal absorbable sutures and superficial 3–0 nylon sutures, using a simple interrupted pattern. The other half received only 3–0 nylon sutures. Two pigs were humanely euthanized at day 10, with specimen harvest for mechanical testing; the other two pigs had superficial nylon sutures removed at day 10, as per current clinical practice, and were humanely euthanized at day 42, with specimen harvest for mechanical testing. Tensile loads were applied perpendicularly to the wounds with a displacement rate of 40 mm per minute. Results Wounds at day 42 were >9 times stronger than wounds at day 10 ( p <0.0001). There was no difference in average wound strength at either day 10 or day 42 between wounds with and without buried dermal absorbable sutures. Significance Buried dermal absorbable sutures failed to provide additional wound support at either 10 or 42 days. This result may have immediate implications for clinicians who perform cutaneous surgery and keep superficial sutures in for at least 10 days. Future research will be directed to shorter time studies, other buried dermal absorbable suture materials, and alternatives to buried dermal absorbable sutures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In evaluations on the fracture behavior of hard tissues and many biomaterials, the volume of material available to study is not always sufficient to apply a standard method of practice. In the present study an inset Compact Tension (inset CT) specimen is described, which uses a small cube of material (approximately 2×2×2mm3) that is molded within a secondary material to form the compact tension geometry. A generalized equation describing the Mode I stress intensity was developed for the specimen using the solutions from a finite element model that was defined over permissible crack lengths, variations in specimen geometry, and a range in elastic properties of the inset and mold materials. A validation of the generalized equation was performed using estimates for the fracture toughness of a commercial dental composite via the “inset CT” specimen and the standard geometry defined by ASTM E399 (2006). Results showed that the average fracture toughness obtained from the new specimen (1.23±0.02MPam0.5) was within 2% of that from the standard. Applications of the inset CT specimen are presented for experimental evaluations on the crack growth resistance of dental enamel and root dentin, including their fracture resistance curves. Potential errors in adopting this specimen are then discussed, including the effects of debonding between the inset and molding material on the estimated stress intensity distribution. Results of the investigation show that the inset CT specimen offers a viable approach for studying the fracture behavior of small volumes of structural materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is a crucial component of bone, affecting the interplay of collagen and minerals and contributing to bone's high strength and ductility. Dehydration has been shown to significantly effect osseous mechanical properties; however, studies comparing the effects of various dehydrating environments on fracture toughness of bone are scarce. Accordingly, the crack resistance curve (R -curve) behavior of human and sheep cortical bone was characterized in a bio-bath, in ambient pressure air, and in scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) under three different environmental conditions (water vapor pressure, air pressure, and high-vacuum). The aim of this work was to better understand the impact of test environment on both intrinsic and extrinsic toughening and hence crack initiation toughness, K 0 and crack growth resistance, dK / d Δ a. Results show significantly lower K 0 values for samples that were tested inside SEMs combined with pronounced extrinsic toughening through microcracking and crack path deflections out of the mode I plane. Importantly, all three SEM test environments gave similar results, and thus it does not matter which type of SEM is used. Ex situ testing of hydrated samples revealed similar K 0 for both environments but elevated crack growth resistance for testing in ambient air relative to the bio-bath. Our data reveals the experimental difficulties to directly observe microscale crack propagation in cortical bone that resembles the in vivo situation. Ex situ testing immersed in Hanks' Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) with subsequent crack path analysis, while tedious, is thought to presents the most realistic picture of the in vivo structure-fracture property relations in biological tissue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new technique using contrast enhanced micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) was developed to improve the ability to detect dentinal cracks in teeth and assess associated risks to oral health. Extracted, whole human molars that exhibited visual evidence of external cracks following extraction and machined, partially fractured elephant dentin specimens were labeled by BaSO4 precipitation and imaged by micro-CT. Contrast-enhanced micro-CT was demonstrated in vitro to enable non-destructive, 3-D imaging of the presence, morphology and spatial location of dentinal cracks in whole human molars and machined specimens. BaSO4 staining provided enhanced contrast for the detection of cracks that could not be detected prior to staining. Backscattered SEM micrographs showed that BaSO4 was precipitated on the surfaces of dentinal cracks and within adjacent tubules. The new methods demonstrated in this study are expected to be useful for clinical and scientific studies investigating the etiology and treatment of dentinal cracks in teeth. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The fracture properties and micromechanisms of fracture for two commercial dental composites, one microhybrid (Filtek™Z250) and one nanofill (Filtek™Supreme Plus), were studied by measuring fracture resistance curves (-curves) using pre-cracked compact-tension specimens and by conducting both unnotched and double notched four point beam bending experiments. Four point bending experiments showed about 20% higher mean flexural strength of the microhybrid composite compared to the nanofill. Rising fracture resistance was observed over ∼1 mm of crack extension for both composites, and higher overall fracture resistance was observed for the microhybrid composite. Such fracture behavior was attributed to crack deflection and crack bridging toughening mechanisms that developed with crack extension, causing the toughness to increase. Despite the lower strength and toughness of the present nanofill composite, based on micromechanics observations, large nanoparticle clusters appear to be as effective at deflecting cracks and imparting toughening as solid particles. Thus, with further microstructural refinement, it should be possible to achieve a superior combination of aesthetic and mechanical performance using the nanocluster approach for dental composites. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Indentation techniques for assessing fracture toughness are attractive due to the simplicity and expediency of experiments, and because they potentially allow the characterization of both local and bulk fracture properties. Unfortunately, rarely have such techniques been proven to give accurate fracture toughness values. This is a concern, as such techniques are seeing increasing usage in the study of biomaterials and biological hard tissues. Four available indentation techniques are considered in the present article: the Vickers indentation fracture (VIF) test, the cube corner indentation fracture (CCIF) test, the Vickers crack opening displacement (VCOD) test and the interface indentation fracture (IIF) test. Each technique is discussed in terms of its suitability for assessing the absolute and relative toughness of materials or material interfaces based on the published literature on the topic. In general, the VIF and CCIF techniques are found to be poor for quantitatively evaluating toughness of any brittle material, and the large errors involved (∼±50%) make their applicability as comparative techniques limited. Indeed, indentation toughness values must differ by at least by a factor of three to conclude a significant difference in actual toughness. Additionally, new experimental results are presented on using the CCIF test to evaluate the fracture resistance of human cortical bone. Those new results indicate that inducing cracking is difficult, and that the cracks that do form are embedded in the plastic zone of the indent, invalidating the use of linear elastic fracture mechanics based techniques for evaluating the toughness associated with those cracks. The VCOD test appears to be a good quantitative method for some glasses, but initial results suggest there may be problems associated with applying this technique to other brittle materials. Finally, the IIF technique should only be considered a comparative or semi-quantitative technique for comparing material interfaces and/or the neighboring materials. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Although healthy dentin is invariably hydrated in vivo, from a perspective of examining the mechanisms of fracture in dentin, it is interesting to consider the role of water hydration. Furthermore, it is feasible that exposure to certain polar solvents, e.g., those found in clinical adhesives, can induce dehydration. In the present study, in vitro deformation and fracture experiments, the latter involving a resistance-curve (R-curve) approach (i.e., toughness evolution with crack extension), were conducted in order to assess changes in the constitutive and fracture behavior induced by three common solvents—acetone, ethanol and methanol. In addition, nanoindentation-based experiments were performed to evaluate the deformation behavior at the level of individual collagen fibers and ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy to evaluate changes in bonding. The results indicate a reversible effect of chemical dehydration, with increased fracture resistance, strength, and stiffness associated with lower hydrogen bonding ability of the solvent. These results are analyzed both in terms of intrinsic and extrinsic toughening phenomena to further understand the micromechanisms of fracture in dentin and the specific role of water hydration. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Field application of dairy effluent at nitrogen (N) agronomic rates generally leads to an over-application of phosphorus (P). A build up of soil P then occurs that can increase the soluble P in rainfall-runoff. Increases in runoff soluble P can cause surface water quality problems, because P is generally the limiting nutrient to algal growth in freshwater systems. Chemical amendments may reduce P solubility from effluent application fields by binding P into less soluble forms. This demonstration was conducted to display the impacts of two amendments, alum and gypsum, to soils and runoff using simulated rainfall conditions on a field historically used for dairy effluent application. Large decreases in soluble P in runoff and soil extractable P were seen on the alum-amended plot compared to the control. On the gypsum-amended plot, changes in soluble P concentrations in runoff were not observed, although small but notable decreases in soil P were indicated. These results indicate that alum may be a suitable chemical amendment for reducing soluble P from dairy effluent application fields. Long-term, replicated studies under natural rainfall conditions are needed to evaluate the impact of alum not only on runoff and soil P concentrations but also on forage quality and yield. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Habitat use studies have shown that juvenile coho salmon Oncorhynchus kisutch select pools over riffles. However, stream alterations have caused pool habitat to be lost or degraded throughout the Pacific Northwest. This study compared the growth and survival of age-0 coho salmon in riffles and pools in four streams in the South Umpqua River basin, Oregon. Hatchery coho salmon were stocked in block-netted riffles and pools. At the end of the study, the fish were recovered in order to measure their growth and survival in each habitat type. The survival of coho salmon was significantly higher ( P < 0.01) in pools (67%) than in riffles (27%). This variation in survival was related primarily to water depth. The growth of coho salmon did not differ significantly ( P > 0.05) between pools and riffles. The condition factor of the coho salmon was significantly ( P < 0.05) lower at the end of the experiment but did not differ between fish in pools and riffles ( P > 0.05). The results of this study suggest that land management activities that reduce pool habitat may also reduce juvenile coho salmon survival or rearing capacity in small streams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to understand the fracture toughness anisotropy of avian eggshells, we have investigated eggshells of the emu (Dromaius novaehollandiae) whereby the large size (~13 cm × 9.5 cm) enabled the fabrication of beam samples in various orientations. The emu eggshell was found to have a hierarchical microstructure similar to chicken eggshell, with the only significant difference being the absence of a continuous cuticle layer. Emu eggshell was found to have significantly lower strength when samples were tested in the outwards direction (i.e. , a crack initiates on the inside of the shell and propagates towards the outer surface) as compared to the inwards testing direction. Furthermore, samples that were oriented parallel to the egg axis (i.e. , the longitudinal direction) and tested inwards showed higher strength, ~24 MPa, compared to the samples that were made from the latitudinal orientation, ~20 MPa. Independent of orientation, the outwards testing direction resulted in strength values of ~15 MPa. The fracture toughness of the emu eggshell for cracking in the circumferential direction was ~0.3 MPa√m, independent of sample orientation, and this value was comparable to the fracture toughness of chicken eggshell tested in the same orientation. In the radial outwards direction, however, the fracture toughness was ~80% lower (~0.06 MPa√m) than in the circumferential direction. The low fracture toughness for this orientation was associated with the separation of the highly oriented calcite crystals in the mammillary cone layer of the eggshell structure which is easier compared to calcite crystal fracture. The large anisotropy in fracture toughness is thought to allow for easy escape of the chick while simultaneously protecting the embryo during development. Image 1 • Avian eggshell has anisotropic strength and fracture behavior. • Microstructure is similar among avian eggshells. • Fracture toughness of emu eggshell is similar to chicken eggshell. • Radial fracture toughness is ~20% of circumferential fracture toughness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]