Composite Medical Tabletops Made of CFRP with Different Cross-Sections: Numerical Analysis and Laboratory Testing.

This paper presents the results of laboratory tests of CFRP (carbon fiber-reinforced polymer) laminates, which allowed the development of numerical material models. The obtained data were used in a further stage to perform numerical simulations of four variants of medical tabletops, differing, among other features, in the shape of the cross-section. Maximum deflections and effort in the composite material were analyzed. The final step was to perform a laboratory test for one of the tabletop versions, the results of which confirmed the correctness of the numerical calculations. This work is aimed at both researchers and designers involved in the practical application of fiber-reinforced polymer matrix composites.

A 3D Printing Method of Cement-Based FGM Composites Containing Granulated Cork, Polypropylene Fibres, and a Polyethylene Net Interlayer.

The increasing popularity of additive manufacturing technologies in the prototyping and building industry requires the application of novel, improved composite materials. In this paper, we propose the use of a novel 3D printing cement-based composite material with natural, granulated cork, and additional reinforcement using a continuous polyethylene interlayer net combined with polypropylene fibre reinforcement. Our assessment of different physical and mechanical properties of the used materials during the 3D printing process and after curing verified the applicability of the new composite. The composite exhibited orthotropic properties, and the compressive toughness in the direction of layer stacking was lower than that perpendicular to it, by 29.8% without net reinforcement, 42.6% with net reinforcement, and 42.9% with net reinforcement and an additional freeze-thaw test. The use of the polymer net as a continuous reinforcement led to decreased compressive toughness, lowering it on average by 38.5% for the stacking direction and 23.8% perpendicular to the stacking direction. However, the net reinforcement additionally lowered slumping and elephant's foot effects. Moreover, the net reinforcement added residual strength, which allowed for the continuous use of the composite material after the failure of the brittle material. Data obtained during the process can be used for further development and improvement of 3D-printable building materials.

Experimental Study of Single-Lap, Hybrid Joints, Made of 3D Printed Polymer and Aluminium Adherends.

This paper presents the results of an experimental study into single-lap joints. One part of the joint was made as a 3D printed polymer and had cylindrical tenons, while the other part was made of an aluminium flat bar having mortises whose diameter and distribution corresponded to the polymer tenons. In addition to the mechanical joint, a layer of double-sided VHB (Very High Bond) adhesive tape was also placed in the lap, thus creating a hybrid joint. In total, 80 specimens were made, which were divided into four groups: A-specimens with one tenon of different diameters, B-specimens with different number of tenons of the same diameter, C-specimens characterised by multi-stage operation and R-reference specimens, connected only by double-sided adhesive tape. The joints were subjected to uniaxial tensile tests. The force-displacement characteristics obtained and the energy required, up to the point of the failure of the joints, have been analysed in this paper. The four and six-stage joints designed can significantly increase the safety of the structures in which they will be used.

A Novel Approach by Spark Plasma Sintering to the Improvement of Mechanical Properties of Titanium Carbonitride-Reinforced Alumina Ceramics.

Ti(C,N)-reinforced alumina-zirconia composites with different ratios of C to N in titanium carbonitride solid solutions, such as Ti(C0.3,N0.7) (C:N = 30:70) and Ti(C0.5,N0.5) (C:N = 50:50), were tested to improve their mechanical properties. Spark plasma sintering (SPS) with temperatures ranging from 1600 °C to 1675 °C and pressureless sintering (PS) with a higher temperature of 1720 °C were used to compare results. The following mechanical and physical properties were determined: Vickers hardness, Young's modulus, apparent density, wear resistance, and fracture toughness. A composite with the addition of Ti(C0.5,N0.5)n nanopowder exhibited the highest Vickers hardness of over 19.0 GPa, and its fracture toughness was at 5.0 Mpa·m1/2. A composite with the Ti(C0.3,N0.7) phase was found to have lower values of Vickers hardness (by about 10%), friction coefficient, and specific wear rate of disc (Wsd) compared to the composite with the addition of Ti(C0.5,N0.5). The Vickers hardness values slightly decreased (from 5% to 10%) with increasing sintering temperature. The mechanical properties of the samples sintered using PS were lower than those of the samples that were spark plasma sintered. This research on alumina-zirconia composites with different ratios of C to N in titanium carbonitride solid solution Ti(C,N), sintered using an unconventional SPS method, reveals the effect of C/N ratios on improving mechanical properties of tested composites. X-ray analysis of the phase composition and an observation of the microstructure was carried out.

Worsening gradient of aortic stenosis with treatment of pulmonary arterial hypertension in scleroderma.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) can cause interstitial lung and pulmonary vascular disease that can induce pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). It is well known that severe PAH may reduce left ventricluar preload and decrease diastolic filling with the potential of reducing forward flow. We present a case in which a patient with SSc and symptomatic PAH required direct pulmonary vasodilator therapy for treatment of elevated pulmonary pressures. On follow-up echocardiogram, while improvement in right ventricular function and reduction in estimated pulmonary pressures were noted; worsening of aortic valve gradients was also found. Cardiac hemodynamics of pulmonary vasodilator therapy is discussed and the literature is reviewed.

Fibroblast growth factor-2-induced cardioprotection against myocardial infarction occurs via the interplay between nitric oxide, protein kinase signaling, and ATP-sensitive potassium channels.

Fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF2) protects the heart from ischemia-reperfusion (I-R) injury via a vast network of protein kinases. In the heart, downstream effectors of these FGF2-triggered signals have not yet been identified. It is hypothesized that nitric oxide (NO) signaling and ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel activity are key effectors of protein kinases activated by FGF2-mediated cardioprotection. Hearts with a cardiac-specific overexpression of FGF2 (FGF2 Tg) were subjected to I-R injury in the absence or the presence of selective inhibitors of NO synthase (NOS) isoforms or sarcolemmal (sarcK(ATP)) and mitochondrial (mitoK(ATP)) K(ATP) channels. Multiple NOS isoforms are necessary for FGF2-mediated cardioprotection, and nitrite levels are significantly reduced in FGF2 Tg hearts upon inhibition of protein kinase C or mitogen-activated protein kinases. Likewise, sarcK(ATP) and mitoK(ATP) channels are important for cardioprotection elicited by endogenous FGF2. These findings suggest that FGF2-induced cardioprotection occurs via protein kinase-NOS pathways as well as K(ATP) channel activity.

Biological functions of the low and high molecular weight protein isoforms of fibroblast growth factor-2 in cardiovascular development and disease.

Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) consists of multiple protein isoforms (low molecular weight, LMW, and high molecular weight, HMW) produced by alternative translation from the Fgf2 gene. These protein isoforms are localized to different cellular compartments, indicating unique biological activity. FGF2 isoforms in the heart have distinct roles in many pathological circumstances in the heart including cardiac hypertrophy, ischemia-reperfusion injury, and atherosclerosis. These studies suggest distinct biological activities of FGF2 LMW and HMW isoforms both in vitro and in vivo. Yet, due to the limitations that only the recombinant FGF2 LMW isoform is readily available and that the FGF2 antibody is nonspecific with regards to its isoforms, much remains to be determined regarding the role(s) of the FGF2 LMW and HMW isoforms in cellular behavior and in cardiovascular development and pathophysiology. This review summarizes the activities of LMW and HMW isoforms of FGF2 in cardiovascular development and disease.