ABSTRACT
The research on cellulose fiber-reinforced nanocomposites has increased by an unprecedented magnitude over the past few years due to its wide application range and low production cost. However, the incompatibility between cellulose and most thermoplastics has raised significant challenges in composite fabrication. This paper addresses the behavior of plasma-modified polyethylene (PE) reinforced with cellulose nanofibers extracted from isora plants (i.e., isora nanofibrils (INFs)). The crystallization kinetics of PE-INF composites were explained using the Avrami model. The effect of cellulose nanofillers on tuning the physiochemical properties of the nanocomposite was also explored in this work. The increase in mechanical properties was due to the uniform dispersion of fillers in the PE. The investigation on viscoelastic properties confirmed good filler-matrix interactions, facilitating the stress transfer.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Palliative care in low and middle-income countries is a new discipline, responding to a greater patient need, than in high-income countries. By its very nature, palliative as a specialty has to network with other specialties to provide quality care to patients. For any medical discipline to grow as a specialty, it should be well established in the teaching medical institutions of that country. Data show that palliative care is more likely to establish and grow in an academic health care institution. It is a necessity that multiple networking strategies are adopted to reach this goal. OBJECTIVES: (1) To describe a strategic approach to palliative care service development and integration into clinical academic setting. (2) To present the change in metrics to evaluate progress. DESIGN AND SETTING: This is a descriptive study wherein, the different strategies that are adopted by the Department of Palliative Medicine for networking in an academic health care institution and outside the institution are scrutinized. MEASUREMENT: The impact of this networking was assessed, one, at the level of academics and the other, at the level of service. The number of people who attended various training programs conducted by the department and the number of patients who availed palliative care service over the years were assessed. RESULTS: Ten different strategies were identified that helped with networking of palliative care in the institution. During this time, the referrals to the department increased both for malignant diseases (52-395) and nonmalignant diseases (5-353) from 2000 to 2013. The academic sessions conducted by the department for undergraduates also saw an increase in the number of hours from 6 to 12, apart from the increase in a number of courses conducted by the department for doctors and nurses. CONCLUSION: Networking is an essential strategy for the establishment of a relatively new medical discipline like palliative care in a developing and populous country like India, where the service is disproportionate to the demands.
ABSTRACT
Nanocellulose (NC) reinforced unsaturated polyester (UPR) composites were prepared by mechanical mixing process. Effect of isora nanocellulose on the properties of polyester composites has been studied in detail. Rheological properties of unsaturated polyester resin suspensions containing various amounts (0.5, 1 and 3wt%) of nanocellulose were investigated by oscillatory rheometer with parallel plate geometry. Analysis of curing revealed that the time required for gelation in NC filled UPR is lower than neat resin, which describe the catalytic action of NC on cure reaction. NC reinforced polyester suspensions showed shear thinning behaviour initially and at higher shear rates they showed Newtonian behaviour. Tensile and impact properties showed superior behaviour revealing improved interfacial bonding between nanofiller and the polymer matrix. With respect to the neat polyester the percentage increase in tensile strength of 0.5wt% NC reinforced composite is 57%. Optical and atomic force microscopic studies confirmed that the dispersion state of NC within the polyester matrix was adequate. Maximum glass transition temperature is obtained for 0.5wt% NC reinforced composite, which showed an increase of 10°C than neat resin.
