Balancing melt processability with stiffness and heat resistance remains a central challenge for PA6 nanocomposites. Here, graphene oxide (GO) was synthesized by a modified Hummers method and incorporated into PA6 via a hybrid route (solution-made masterbatch, melt dilution and injection molding) at 0.1-2.0 wt%. Melt rheology at 240 degrees C shows higher zero-shear viscosity and stronger shear thinning, while SAOS and Cole-Cole plots reveal the development of a GO-induced network. Capillary rheometry over 80-11,500 s-1 indicates viscosity convergence to Pa s for all compositions, confirming preserved moldability. By tracking / before and after injection molding, we show that the second melt-processing step relaxes, but does not destroy, the filler-induced network and shifts the onset of rheological percolation to around 2 wt% GO. In the solid state, DMA and HDT demonstrate a increase of approximate to 6 degrees C-8 degrees C, a 21% rise in HDT (80.8 degrees C-97.7 degrees C) and higher rubbery modulus, whereas tensile tests reveal up to +22% yield stress and +59% ultimate strength at 2 wt% GO, at the cost of reduced ductility. Correlating unified rheological parameters with HDT and tensile data yields a concise rheology-to-performance map, with an optimum near 1 wt% GO. The results link injection relevant melt signatures to molded part performance, targeting electrical connector housings.
This study introduces cellulose films enriched with vitamin A/E liposomes as sustainable, bioactive dressings for tattoo aftercare. Morphological analysis showed a smoother, more continuous microtexture than the neat cellulose films, while x-ray diffraction indicated reduced crystallinity upon liposome incorporation. Optically, the liposome-cellulose films combined strong ultraviolet shielding across 300-400 nm with visible transparency. Time-resolved contact-angle measurements placed them between neat cellulose and polyurethane, indicating controlled fluid uptake consistent with a moist, non-occlusive interface. Thermogravimetry revealed a higher peak degradation temperature with only a minimal change in onset. In uniaxial tension, the films reached a peak modulus of 16 GPa and maximum strength of 290 MPa at 50 degrees C temperature, approaching high-performance nanocellulose benchmarks. Together, these results show that liposome-cellulose films integrate UV shielding, tunable wettability, and enhanced thermal-mechanical response, advancing a bio-based alternative to conventional dressings for newly tattooed skin.
This work presents optimized architectures for the discrete Haar Wavelet transform (DHWT) and its inverse (IDHWT), targeting high-efficiency image compression and accurate reconstruction. The DHWT decomposes images into four coefficients: LL (low-frequency approximation) and LH, HL, and HH (high-frequency details). Compression primarily utilizes the LL coefficient, while the IDHWT reconstructs the image using all coefficients. The architectures integrate various approximate adders (AxAs) to improve energy efficiency and reduce circuit area, including the approximate parallel-prefix adder (AxPPA), copy (COPY), truncation (TRUNC), nonzeroing bit truncation (NBT), lower-part OR adder (LOA), and error-tolerant adder (ETAI). The methodology evaluates compression rates of 0.5 and 0.25 bits per pixel (bpp), analyzing the impact of AxAs on compression accuracy-measured by normalized cross-correlation (NC), peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR), and structural similarity index (SSIM)-and hardware performance. At 0.5 bits per pixel, the proposed architecture achieves a PSNR of up to 47.85 dB and an SSIM above 0.99. At 0.25 bpp, it maintains a PSNR above 40 dB with energy savings of up to 99.10%. FPGA and ASIC implementations confirm critical path delays as low as 0.33 ns, alongside significant area and power reductions compared to state-of-the-art solutions.
Assessing the size of twins at birth using charts developed for singletons may over diagnose small for gestational age in this sub-population. The study aimed to produce international, twin-specific, newborn size normative charts by gestational age and sex. This longitudinal observational study in eight geographically diverse settings prospectively collected data between May 2009 and August 2013 from healthy pregnant women and their newborn twins. The participants were enrolled as part of the INTERGROWTH-21st study, and recruited based on World Health Organization recommendations for evaluation of anthropometric measures. All the women met, in addition to the underlying population characteristics of low perinatal risk, strict individual criteria for a population at low risk of impaired fetal growth. Newborn weight, length and head circumference measures were collected independently in duplicate by two trained anthropometrists within 12 hours of birth using identical equipment and protocols at all sites. From 1034 multiple pregnancies, after exclusions of condition such as smoking, high maternal BMI, and congenital malformations, the final sample was 864 twin newborns. Most of the twins were below the 50th centile of the INTERGROWTH-21st standards for singletons. We present international newborn size normative charts for twins using the same methodological approach adopted to construct the singleton standards.
Aim of the review Psoriasis is increasingly recognized as a systemic inflammatory disease frequently associated with a cluster of cardiometabolic comorbidities, including obesity, type 2 diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Central to this association is the interleukin-17 (IL-17) signaling axis, a key driver of both cutaneous inflammation and systemic metabolic dysfunction.Materials and methods This review examines the complex immunometabolic interactions mediated by IL-17 and synergistic cytokines such as TNF‑α, IL‑6, IL‑1β, IL‑23, and adipokines, which contribute to endothelial dysfunction, insulin resistance, and adipose-tissue inflammation.Results Beyond its established role in psoriasis pathogenesis, the IL-17 pathway is implicated in the ‘psoriatic march,’ linking chronic skin inflammation to accelerated atherosclerosis. The advent of IL-17 inhibitors has transformed the management of moderate-to-severe psoriasis, achieving unprecedented skin clearance (PASI 90/100). Emerging evidence suggests that these agents may also exert potential beneficial effects on selected inflammatory and cardiometabolic markers. However, their direct impact on metabolic parameters remains under investigation.Conclusion Understanding these shared molecular pathways is essential for adopting a holistic therapeutic approach that addresses both cutaneous disease and the systemic burden of psoriatic patients.
