by Frederick H. Silver  , Nikita Kelkar  , Tanmay Deshmukh  , Istvan Horvath  and Ruchit G. Shah

Received: 04 February 2020;  Published: 29 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2002010

Elastic moduli of tissues and synthetic polymeric materials are important design properties needed to develop new implants. In this paper we report the use of vibrational optical coherence tomography (VOCT) to measure the resonant frequency and calculate the modulus of tissues and synthetic polymers non-invasively and non-destructively in vitro and in vivo. Values of tissue and polymer moduli were obtained by applying an audible sinusoidal sound wave to the surface of each specimen. The sound wave travels to the i [...]

by Erik B Karlsson

Received: 29 December 2019;  Published: 13 April 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2002009

Decoherence is a relatively recent concept in the field of quantum mechanics. Although the pioneers of the field must have understood that loss of phase coherence in quantum superpositions is the reason underlying the appearance of definite outcomes in the quantum measurement problem, the latter was not treated in terms of decoherence until sixty years after the formulation of quantum mechanics as described in a report by Joos and Zeh in 1983 [1]. However, soon after, the theory was developed in further detail, and [...]

by Rohan R. Ravindranath  , Issaka Yougbare  , Brian De La Franier  , Jason E. Fish  and Michael Thompson

Received: 25 January 2020;  Published: 27 March 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001008

Coronary artery disease is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Coronary stents, tube-shaped medical implants that are placed in narrowed coronary arteries, have been used successfully in the management of this condition. However, re-narrowing (i.e. restenosis) of the artery can occur which is instigated by an immune response towards the implanted ‘foreign’ material. A new approach to prevent restenosis and reduce the stent-induced immune response has been proposed previously, which involve [...]

by Rolf R. Gerhardts

Received: 11 November 2019;  Published: 17 March 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001007

We summarize and discuss a self-consistent screening and magneto-transport theory, developed to understand the results of scanning-force-microscope experiments on the current distribution in a two-dimensional electron system (2DES), located in a narrow Hall bar under the conditions of the integer quantum Hall effect (IQHE) and its breakdown. The theory explains why, at low temperatures, at certain intervals of the applied perpendicular magnetic field, the current density is confined to “incompressible stripes” (ISs [...]

by H. Hakemi  , M. Khenkin  , R. Tamari  and D. Gal-Fuss

Received: 10 December 2019;  Published: 05 March 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001006

In the present study, we report the experimental results related to the transient phenomenon, i.e., the time-dependent changes in the electro-optical properties of as-made polymer-dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC) films prepared by the UV-curing phase-separation method. This phenomenon occurs explicitly via polymer-induced phase separation when the matrix curing is not complete, some liquid crystal plasticized in the matrix, and some uncured pre-polymer components remain in the liquid crystal droplets. The outcome is [...]

by Ryan L Dimmock  , Xuyiling Wang  , Yibin Fu  , Alicia J El Haj  and Ying Yang

Received: 09 December 2019;  Published: 28 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001005

Advancements in surface engineering and material fabrication techniques have enabled the creation and replication of naturally occurring surface topographies or the extrapolation of natural patterns to become achievable targets. Polymers are used extensively in the field of biomedical sciences for containment, handling, and as cell culture substrates. It is well established that several polymers exhibit good biocompatibility for cell culture, with properties that include exhibiting minimal to no cytotoxicity and be [...]

by Maria Alonso-González  , José Fernando Rubio-Valle  , Victor Perez-Puyana  , Mercedes Jiménez-Rosado  and Alberto Romero

Received: 01 November 2019;  Published: 26 February 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001004

The present study deals with the development of scaffolds based on gelatin (G) and/or chitosan (CH) through modifications in the central processing method. This process consists of the fabrication of a hydrogel which is, then submitted to a freeze-drying stage. To compare the effects of the different modifications, the mechanical properties of the various systems were characterized, employing both dynamic compressive strain and frequency sweep tests. In addition, their porosity as well as the structure and fiber di [...]

by Satoshi Migita  and Tomoya Yamaguchi

Received: 18 September 2019;  Published: 14 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001003

The surface roughness of titanium could regulate various cellular functions such as survival and growth. In the context of cell adhesion to materials, cell spreading and cell shape are also closely linked to various cellular functions. Previously, we found that Ti substrate with a 100-nm scale surface roughness reduced cell survival. However, effects of surface roughness on cell shape were not investigated. Herein, we quantified the initial adhesion behavior of osteoblasts on a Ti substrate with ~100 nm scale surfa [...]

by Fabrice Debbasch

Received: 15 October 2019;  Published: 06 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001002

A relativistic Wigner function for free Discrete Time Quantum Walks (DTQWs) on the square 2D space-time lattice is defined. The transport equation obeyed by the relativistic Wigner function is derived in terms of discrete derivatives and degenerates in the continuum limit into the transport equation obeyed by the Wigner function of 2D Dirac fermions. The first corrections to the continuous equation induced by the discreteness of the lattice are also determined and the similarities with non-quantum relativistic tran [...]

by Hassan-Ali Hakemi  and Ghazal Hakemi

Received: 05 December 2019;  Published: 03 January 2020;  doi: 10.21926/rpm.2001001

In this study, we explored the phase equilibria in blends of a nematic liquid crystal monomer and a nematic liquid crystal flexible polymer within the whole composition of the phase diagram. The crystal-nematic and nematic-isotropic transition temperatures, as well as the transition enthalpies and entropies, indicated the total miscibility in this mesogenic blend system. We also extracted an empirical axial ratio of 4.52 for the polymer from the nematic-isotropic transitions of the blends. Further, from the biphasi [...]