Morphological characterization was performed with scanning electron JQ-EZ-05 microscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The initial modulus, stress and strain at yield, strain at break, and impact toughness of the biodegradable polymer blends were investigated. The properties were described by model,,; assuming different interfacial behaviors (e.g., good adhesion and no adhesion between the dissimilar materials). The results indicated that PCL behaved as a polymeric plasticizer to PLA and improved the flexibility and ductility of the blends, giving the blends higher impact toughness ss. The strain at break was effectively improved by file addition of PCL to PLA, and this was followed by

a decrease in the stress at break. The two biodegradable polymers were proved to be immiscible but nevertheless showed some degree of adhesion between the two phases. This was also quantified by the mechanical property prediction models, which, in conjunction with material property characterization, allowed unambiguous detection of the interfacial

behavior of the polymer blends. (c) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 112:345-352, 2009″
“We present a method to determine the local dielectric permittivity of thin insulating layers. The measurement is based on the detection of force gradients in electric force microscopy by means of a double pass method. The proposed experimental JPH203 mw protocol is simple to implement and does not need any modification of standard commercial devices. Numerical simulations based on the equivalent charge method make it possible to carry out quantification

whatever the thickness of film, the radius of the tip, and the tip-sample distance. This method has been validated on a thin SiO2 sample for which the dielectric permittivity at the nanoscale has been characterized in the literature. We also show how we can quantitatively measure the local dielectric permittivity buy Bafilomycin A1 for ultrathin polymer film of poly(vinyl acetate) and polystyrene. (C) 2009 American Institute of Physics. [DOI: 10.1063/1.3182726]“
“Background Although radiofrequency thermocoagulation is considered as a primary treatment for most patients with trigeminal neuralgia, neuronavigator-guided percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation has been rarely reported. The object of this study was to assess the clinical value of neuronavigator-guided percutaneous radiofrequency thermocoagulation in the treatment of trigeminal neuralgia.

Methods The radiofrequency thermocoagulation was performed in 100 cases of trigeminal neuralgia. The patients were positioned supine or sitting, under Hartel’s technique (reported by Sweet and Wepsic J Neurosurg 40: 143-156, 1974), by anterior lateral facial approaches. The Gasserian ganglions were acupunctured, assisted by intraoperative CT scanning (3-digital reconstruction) and electrophysiology in order to accurately locate target.