Burning Characteristics and Flammability of PVC Cables in Groups

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mikado, T.; Akita, K.

1988-01-01

Because burning cables represent a danger of increasing secondary damage it is of utmost importance for disaster prevention to correctly evaluate the combustion characteristics of cable. However, in many cases cable is laid out in bundles complicating the combustion characteristics. A situation has developed where group cable characteristics are not completely understood. A new method is developed for testing the combustion of high polymer type cable and earlier reports gave comparative combustion measurement results. It was learned that there is considerable difference between the combustion characteristics of the grouped cables and those of single cables. This study is supplemental research concerning the special behavior of group PVC cables, throwing some light on their combustion characteristics.

Toxicity of combustion products from burning polymers: development and evaluation of methods

PubMed Central

Wright, P. L.; Adams, C. H.

1976-01-01

Laboratory and room-scale experiments were conducted with natural and synthetic polymers: cotton, paper, wood, wool, acetate, acrylic, nylon, and urethane. Smoke and off-gases from single materials were generated in a dual-compartment 110-liter exposure chamber. Multicomponent, composite fuel loads were burned within a 100 m3 facility subdivided into rooms. In chamber experiments, mortality depended on the amount of material burned, i.e., fuel consumption (FC). Conventional dose (FC)/mortality curves were obtained, and the amount of fuel required to produce 50% mortality (FC50) was calculated. With simple flame ignition, cotton was the only material that produced smoke concentrations lethal to rats; FC50 values for cotton ranged from 2 g to 9 g, depending on the configuration of the cotton sample burned. When supplemental conductive heat was added to flame ignition, the following FC50 values were obtained; nylon, 7 g; acrylic, 8 g; newsprint, 9 g; cotton, 10 g; and wood, 11 g. Mortality resulting from any given material depended upon the specific conditions employed for its thermal decomposition. Toxicity of off-gasses from pyrolysis of phosphorus-containing trimethylol propane—polyurethane foams was markedly decreased by addition of a flame ignition source. Further studies are needed to determine the possible relevance of single-material laboratory scale smoke toxicity experiments. Room-scale burns were conducted to assess the relative contributions of single materials to toxicity of smoke produced by a multicomponent self-perpetuating fire. Preliminary results suggest that this approach permits a realistic evaluation of the contribution of single materials to the toxicity of smoke from residential fires. ImagesFIGURE 2. PMID:1026420

Anti-Corrosion Coating

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1986-01-01

SuperSpan RM 8000 is an anti-corrosion coating which effectively counteracts acid degradation, abrasive wear, and cracking in power industry facilities. It was developed by RM Industrial Products Company, Inc. with NERAC assistance. It had previously been necessary to shut down plants to repair or replace corroded duct-work in coal burning utilities. NASA-developed technology was especially useful in areas relating to thermoconductivity of carbon steel and the bonding characteristics of polymers. The product has sold well.

Evaluation of Additives to Reduce Solid Propellant Flammability in Ambient Air.

DTIC Science & Technology

1975-12-01

been applied successfully to reduce the flammability of plastics and polymers. From that experimental data base, the following have been shown to be...consumption rate of the cube) are reported since they are more repeatable than the linear burning rate data . B. Free Convection Effects Several series of...Steady State Burning Rate Measurements Obtaining steady state burning rate data in air requires a technique for holding the characteristic length

Experimental study of the effect of electromagnetic microwave radiation on parts made of high-energy polymer materials

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khimenko, L. L.; Rybakov, A. P.; Rybakov, N. A.; Kozlov, A. N.

2014-07-01

Results of experimental measurements of Young's modulus, burning rate, and specific heat of condensed high-energy polymer compositions (solid propellants) subjected to microwave radiation are reported. Experimental equipment and arrangement of experiments are described; the results obtained are analyzed.

Side Chain Degradable Cationic-Amphiphilic Polymers with Tunable Hydrophobicity Show in Vivo Activity.

PubMed

Uppu, Divakara S S M; Samaddar, Sandip; Hoque, Jiaul; Konai, Mohini M; Krishnamoorthy, Paramanandham; Shome, Bibek R; Haldar, Jayanta

2016-09-12

Cationic-amphiphilic antibacterial polymers with optimal amphiphilicity generally target the bacterial membranes instead of mammalian membranes. To date, this balance has been achieved by varying the cationic charge or side chain hydrophobicity in a variety of cationic-amphiphilic polymers. Optimal hydrophobicity of cationic-amphiphilic polymers has been considered as the governing factor for potent antibacterial activity yet minimal mammalian cell toxicity. However, the concomitant role of hydrogen bonding and hydrophobicity with constant cationic charge in the interactions of antibacterial polymers with bacterial membranes is not understood. Also, degradable polymers that result in nontoxic degradation byproducts offer promise as safe antibacterial agents. Here we show that amide- and ester (degradable)-bearing cationic-amphiphilic polymers with tunable side chain hydrophobicity can modulate antibacterial activity and cytotoxicity. Our results suggest that an amide polymer can be a potent antibacterial agent with lower hydrophobicity whereas the corresponding ester polymer needs a relatively higher hydrophobicity to be as effective as its amide counterpart. Our studies reveal that at higher hydrophobicities both amide and ester polymers have similar profiles of membrane-active antibacterial activity and mammalian cell toxicity. On the contrary, at lower hydrophobicities, amide and ester polymers are less cytotoxic, but the former have potent antibacterial and membrane activity compared to the latter. Incorporation of amide and ester moieties made these polymers side chain degradable, with amide polymers being more stable than the ester polymers. Further, the polymers are less toxic, and their degradation byproducts are nontoxic to mice. More importantly, the optimized amide polymer reduces the bacterial burden of burn wound infections in mice models. Our design introduces a new strategy of interplay between the hydrophobic and hydrogen bonding interactions keeping constant cationic charge density for developing potent membrane-active antibacterial polymers with minimal toxicity to mammalian cells.

Abnormal strong burn-in degradation of highly efficient polymer solar cells caused by spinodal donor-acceptor demixing

PubMed Central

Li, Ning; Perea, José Darío; Kassar, Thaer; Richter, Moses; Heumueller, Thomas; Matt, Gebhard J.; Hou, Yi; Güldal, Nusret S.; Chen, Haiwei; Chen, Shi; Langner, Stefan; Berlinghof, Marvin; Unruh, Tobias; Brabec, Christoph J.

2017-01-01

The performance of organic solar cells is determined by the delicate, meticulously optimized bulk-heterojunction microstructure, which consists of finely mixed and relatively separated donor/acceptor regions. Here we demonstrate an abnormal strong burn-in degradation in highly efficient polymer solar cells caused by spinodal demixing of the donor and acceptor phases, which dramatically reduces charge generation and can be attributed to the inherently low miscibility of both materials. Even though the microstructure can be kinetically tuned for achieving high-performance, the inherently low miscibility of donor and acceptor leads to spontaneous phase separation in the solid state, even at room temperature and in the dark. A theoretical calculation of the molecular parameters and construction of the spinodal phase diagrams highlight molecular incompatibilities between the donor and acceptor as a dominant mechanism for burn-in degradation, which is to date the major short-time loss reducing the performance and stability of organic solar cells. PMID:28224984

Experimental study on flowing burning behaviors of a pool fire with dripping of melted thermoplastics.

PubMed

Xie, Qiyuan; Tu, Ran; Wang, Nan; Ma, Xin; Jiang, Xi

2014-02-28

The objective of this work is to quantitatively investigate the dripping-burning and flowing fire of thermoplastics. A new experimental setup is developed with a heating vessel and a T-trough. Hot thermoplastic liquids are generated in the vessel by electric heating. N2 gas is continuously injected into the vessel to avoid a sudden ignition of fuel in it. The detailed flowing burning behaviors of pool fire in the T-trough are analyzed through the measurements of the mass, heat flux and temperatures etc. The experimental results suggest that a continuous dripping of melted thermoplastic liquids in a nearly constant mass rate can be successfully made in the new setup. It also shows that the mass dripping rate of melted PS liquid is smaller than PP and PE since its large viscosity. In addition, the flame spread velocities of hot liquids of PS in the T-trough are also smaller than that of PP and PE because of its large viscosity. The mass burning rate of the PP and PE pool fire in T-trough are smaller than PS. Finally, considering the heating, melting, dripping and flowing burning behaviors of these polymers, it is suggested that the fire hazard of PE and PP are obviously higher than PS for their faster flowing burning. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Propellant development for the Advanced Solid Rocket Motor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Landers, L. C.; Stanley, C. B.; Ricks, D. W.

1991-01-01

The properties of a propellant developed for the NASA Advanced Solid Rocket Motor (ASRM) are described in terms of its composition, performance, and compliance to NASA specifications. The class 1.3 HTPB/AP/A1 propellant employs an ester plasticizer and the content of ballistic solids is set at 88 percent. Ammonia evolution is prevented by the utilization of a neutral bonding agent which allows continuous mixing. The propellant also comprises a bimodal AP blend with one ground fraction, ground AP of at least 20 microns, and ferric oxide to control the burning rate. The propellant's characteristics are discussed in terms of tradeoffs in AP particle size and the types of Al powder, bonding agent, and HTPB polymer. The size and shape of the ballistic solids affect the processability, ballistic properties, and structural properties of the propellant. The revised baseline composition is based on maximizing the robustness of in-process viscosity, structural integrity, and burning-rate tailoring range.

Amide side chain amphiphilic polymers disrupt surface established bacterial bio-films and protect mice from chronic Acinetobacter baumannii infection.

PubMed

Uppu, Divakara S S M; Samaddar, Sandip; Ghosh, Chandradhish; Paramanandham, Krishnamoorthy; Shome, Bibek R; Haldar, Jayanta

2016-01-01

Bacterial biofilms represent the root-cause of chronic or persistent infections in humans. Gram-negative bacterial infections due to nosocomial and opportunistic pathogens such as Acinetobacter baumannii are more difficult to treat because of their inherent and rapidly acquiring resistance to antibiotics. Due to biofilm formation, A. baumannii has been noted for its apparent ability to survive on artificial surfaces for an extended period of time, therefore allowing it to persist in the hospital environment. Here we report, maleic anhydride based novel cationic polymers appended with amide side chains that disrupt surface established multi-drug resistant A. baumannii biofilms. More importantly, these polymers significantly (p < 0.0001) decrease the bacterial burden in mice with chronic A. baumannii burn wound infection. The polymers also show potent antibacterial efficacy against methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), vancomycin resistant Enterococci (VRE) and multi-drug resistant clinical isolates of A. baumannii with minimal toxicity to mammalian cells. We observe that optimal hydrophobicity dependent on the side chain chemical structure of these polymers dictate the selective toxicity to bacteria. Polymers interact with the bacterial cell membranes by causing membrane depolarization, permeabilization and energy depletion. Bacteria develop rapid resistance to erythromycin and colistin whereas no detectable development of resistance occurs against these polymers even after several passages. These results suggest the potential use of these polymeric biomaterials in disinfecting biomedical device surfaces after the infection has become established and also for the topical treatment of chronic bacterial infections. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Experimental and Numerical Characterization of Polymer Nanocomposites for Solid Rocket Motor Internal Insulation

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-09-30

Nanophase, Thermoplastic Elastomer, EPDM Rubber , Surface Modified MMT Clay, Carbon Nanofibers 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: a. REPORT u b. ABSTRACT U...diene rubber ( EPDM ) is the baseline insulation material for solid rocket motor cases. A novel class of insulation materials was developed by the Air...Figure 1. Upon analysis of the control sample, it was observed that the EPDM rubber was totally burned forming a small amount of char, which was easily

Combustion of PTFE: The effects of gravity on ultrafine particle generation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

McKinnon, Thomas; Todd, Paul; Oberdorster, Gunter

1996-01-01

The objective of this project is to obtain an understanding of the effect of gravity on the toxicity of ultrafine particle and gas phase materials produced when fluorocarbon polymers are thermally degraded or burned. The motivation for the project is to provide a basic technical foundation on which policies for spacecraft health and safety with regard to fire and polymers can be formulated.

A novel and facile strategy for highly flame retardant polymer foam composite materials: Transforming silicone resin coating into silica self-extinguishing layer.

PubMed

Wu, Qian; Zhang, Qian; Zhao, Li; Li, Shi-Neng; Wu, Lian-Bin; Jiang, Jian-Xiong; Tang, Long-Cheng

2017-08-15

In this study, a novel strategy was developed to fabricate highly flame retardant polymer foam composite materials coated by synthesized silicone resin (SiR) polymer via a facile dip-coating processing. Applying the SiR polymer coating, the mechanical property and thermal stability of SiR-coated polymer foam (PSiR) composites are greatly enhanced without significantly altering their structure and morphology. The minimum oxygen concentration to support the combustion of foam materials is greatly increased, i.e. from LOI 14.6% for pure foam to LOI 26-29% for the PSiR composites studied. Especially, adjusting pendant group to SiOSi group ratio (R/Si ratio) of SiRs produces highly flame retardant PSiR composites with low smoke toxicity. Cone calorimetry results demonstrate that 44-68% reduction in the peak heat release rate for the PSiR composites containing different R/Si ratios over pure foam is achieved by the presence of appropriate SiR coating. Digital and SEM images of post-burn chars indicate that the SiR polymer coating can be transformed into silica self-extinguishing porous layer as effective inorganic barrier effect, thus preserving the polymer foam structure from fire. Our results show that the SiR dip-coating technique is a promising strategy for producing flame retardant polymer foam composite materials with improved mechanical properties. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Process modifications for improved carbon fiber composites: Alleviation of the electrical hazards problem

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramohalli, K.

1980-01-01

Attempts to alleviate carbon-fiber-composite electrical hazards during airplane crash fires through fiber gasification are described. Thermogravimetric and differential scanning calorimetric experiments found several catalysts that caused fibers to combust when composites were exposed to test fires. Composites were tested in the 'Burn-Bang' apparatus and in high voltage electrical detection grid apparatus. In a standard three minute burn test modified composites released no fibers, while state-of-the-art composites released several hundred fiber fragments. Expected service life with and without catalytic modification was studied and electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis furnished physical appearance and chemical composition data. An acrylic acid polymer fiber coating was developed that wet the carbon fiber surface uniformly with the catalyst, providing a marked contrast with the uneven coats obtained by solution-dipping.

Terahertz Spectroscopy for Chemical Detection and Burn Characterization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arbab, Mohammad Hassan

Terahertz (THz) frequencies represent the last frontier of the electromagnetic spectrum to be investigated by scientists. One of the main attractions of investigating this frequency range is the richness of the spectral information that can be obtained using a Terahertz Time-Domain Spectroscopy (THz-TDS) setup. Many large molecule chemicals and polymers have vibrational and rotational modes in the THz frequencies. Study of these resonance modes has revealed a wealth of new information about the intermolecular structure, and its transformation during crystallization or polymerization process. This information helps researchers develop new materials to address problems such as efficient energy conversion in polymer solar cells. Moreover, similar signature-like terahertz modes can be used for stand-off identification of substances or for nondestructive evaluation of defects in industrial applications. Finally, terahertz spectroscopy has the potential to provide a safe and non-ionizing imaging modality to study cellular and molecular events in biological and biomedical applications. The high sensitivity of terahertz waves to attenuation by both bound and free water molecules can also provides a source of signal contrast for many future biomedical imaging and diagnostic applications. In this dissertation, we aim to study and develop three such applications of terahertz spectroscopy, which form the three axes of our work: rough-surface scattering mediated stand-off detection of chemicals, characterization of burn injuries using terahertz radiation, and a new electrically tunable bandpass filter device incorporating nano-material transparent electrodes that can enable fast terahertz spectroscopy in the frequency domain.

Microstructure of the combustion zone: Thin-binder AP-polymer sandwiches

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Price, E. W.; Panyam, R. R.; Sigman, R. K.

1980-01-01

Experimental results are summarized for systematic quench-burning tests on ammonium perchlorate-HC binder sandwiches with binder thicknesses in the range 10 - 150 microns. Tests included three binders (polysulfide, polybutadiene-acrylonitrile, and hydroxy terminated polybutadiene), and pressures from 1.4 to 14 MPa. In addition, deflagration limits were determined in terms of binder thickness and pressure. Results are discussed in terms of a qualitative theory of sandwich burning consolidated from various sources. Some aspects of the observed results are explained only speculatively.

Reconstruction of epidermis by grafting of keratinocytes cultured on polymer support--clinical study.

PubMed

Dvoránková, Barbora; Holíková, Zuzana; Vacík, Jirí; Königová, Radana; Kapounková, Zuzana; Michálek, Jirí; Prádn, Martin; Smetana, Karel

2003-03-01

Extensive wound coverage still represents a challenge for contemporary medicine. We demonstrate the results of a clinical trial of the grafting of cultured keratinocytes directly on a polymer cultivation support in the treatment of skin defects in seriously burned patients and in patients with trophic ulcers. Wound closure was evaluated clinically. The morphology and phenotypic pattern of the reconstructed epidermis, including the basal lamina, as well as the presence of Langerhans cells, were evaluated immunocytochemically using a panel of monoclonal antibodies. All layers of the reconstructed epidermis were normally differentiated (cytokeratin immunocytochemistry). The basal lamina contained collagen type IV and laminin. The reconstructed epidermis was extensively colonized by Langerhans cells. The results of the described technology are encouraging, especially in patients after a burn injury. The described procedure is suitable for the treatment of skin defects in clinical practice.

Gated photochemical hole burning in photoadducts of polyacenes

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Iannone, Mark; Scott, Gary W.; Brinza, David; Coulter, Daniel R.

1986-01-01

A photoadduct of anthracene and tetracene (A-T) in a polymer matrix at 1.5 K generates an absorption spectrum which exhibits two-color, photon-gated photochemical hole burning (PHB) when irradiated with narrowband exciting light into the 0-0 band of the S1-S0 absorption. The efficiency of this PHB process is found to be enhanced by simultaneous irradiation near the maximum of the Tn-T1 absorption of A-T; hole widths of less than 0.07/cm have been observed for this photochemical cleavage of A-T.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ilnytskyi, Jaroslav M.; Neher, Dieter; Saphiannikova, Marina

Photo-induced deformations in azobenzene-containing polymers (azo-polymers) are central to a number of applications, such as optical storage and fabrication of diffractive elements. The microscopic nature of the underlying opto-mechanical coupling is yet not clear. In this study, we address the experimental finding that the scenario of the effects depends on molecular architecture of the used azo-polymer. Typically, opposite deformations in respect to the direction of light polarization are observed for liquid crystalline and amorphous azo-polymers. In this study, we undertake molecular dynamics simulations of two different models that mimic these two types of azo-polymers. We employ hybrid force field modelingmore » and consider only trans-isomers of azobenzene, represented as Gay-Berne sites. The effect of illumination on the orientation of the chromophores is considered on the level of orientational hole burning and emphasis is given to the resulting deformation of the polymer matrix. We reproduce deformations of opposite sign for the two models being considered here and discuss the relevant microscopic mechanisms in both cases.« less

A Preliminary Study on the Toxic Combustion Products Testing of Polymers Used in High-Pressure Oxygen Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hshieh, Fu-Yu; Beeson, Harold D.

2004-01-01

One likely cause of polymer ignition in a high-pressure oxygen system is adiabatic-compression heating of polymers caused by pneumatic impact. Oxidative _ pyrolysis or combustion of polymers in a high-pressure oxygen system could generate toxic gases. This paper reports the preliminary results of toxic combustion product testing of selected polymers in a pneumatic-impact test system. Five polymers commonly used in high-pressure oxygen systems, Nylon 6/6, polychlorotrifluoroethylene (CTFE), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), fluoroelastomer (Viton(TradeMark) A), and nitrile rubber (Buna N), were tested in a pneumatic-impact test system at 2500- or 3500-psia oxygen pressure. The polymers were ignited and burned, then combustion products were collected in a stainless-steel sample bottle and analyzed by GC/MS/IRD, GC/FID, and GC/Methanizer/FID. The results of adiabatic-compression tests show that combustion of hydrocarbon polymers, nitrogen-containing polymers, and halogenated polymers in high-pressure oxygen systems are relatively complete. Toxicity of the combustion product gas is presumably much lower than the combustion product gas generated from ambient-pressure oxygen (or air) environments. The NASA-Lewis equilibrium code was used to determine the composition of combustion product gas generated from a simulated, adiabatic-compression test of nine polymers. The results are presented and discussed.

Lignin-based monomers: Utilization in high-performance polymers and the effects of their structures on polymer properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stanzione, Joseph F., III

With the uncertainty of petroleum reserves and future crude oil prices, lignocellulosic biomass is becoming an increasingly valuable resource for the sustainable development of fuels, chemicals, and materials, including vinyl ester resins (VERs). Petroleum-based VERs are used to produce polymer composites for a wide variety of commercial applications. Although possessing relatively high moduli, strengths, and glass transition temperatures, commercial VERs typically contain high concentrations of a reactive diluent, such as styrene. However, these reactive diluents are often considered hazardous air pollutants (HAPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and anticipated carcinogens. Moreover, bisphenol-A, which has gained considerable attention due to potential associated health-related issues, is utilized as a precursor in the synthesis of VERs. A green chemistry and engineering approach in the development of new VERs and renewable reactive diluents that are based on lignin is presented in this dissertation. Lignin, which is currently an abundant, renewable waste product of the paper and pulping industry, is primarily burned as a low value fuel. However, lignin has the potential to be a low cost feedstock in future lignocellulosic biorefineries that could yield highly valuable aromatic chemicals (lignin model compounds, LMCs) when strategically depolymerized. The incorporation of aromaticity in a resin's chemical structure is known to improve overall polymer composite performance and the high aromatic content found in lignin is ideal for novel resin development. Highlighted in this dissertation are three projects: (1) the synthesis and characterization of a lignin-based bio-oil resin/reactive diluent, (2) the use of functionalized LMCs as styrene replacements in VERs, and (3) the synthesis and characterization of a vanillin-based resin. Through the use of traditional and new polymer theory coupled with spectroscopic, thermal, and mechanical techniques, structure-property relationships are identified and related to polymer performance. These findings have important implications for the optimization and design of polymer composites that are based on sustainable resources and processes, are petroleum-independent, and have reduced toxicity with beneficial environmental impacts. In addition, these findings provide the incentive for continued investment in using lignin as a respected materials' feedstock. Lastly, several lignin-related research opportunities of scientific and commercial interest are recommended.

iQOS: evidence of pyrolysis and release of a toxicant from plastic.

PubMed

Davis, Barbara; Williams, Monique; Talbot, Prue

2018-03-13

To evaluate performance of the I quit original smoking (iQOS) heat-not-burn system as a function of cleaning and puffing topography, investigate the validity of manufacturer's claims that this device does not burn tobacco and determine if the polymer-film filter is potentially harmful. iQOS performance was evaluated using five running conditions incorporating two different cleaning protocols. Heatsticks were visually and stereomicroscopically inspected preuse and postuse to determine the extent of tobacco plug charring (from pyrolysis) and polymer-film filter melting, and to elucidate the effects of cleaning on charring. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry headspace analysis was conducted on unused polymer-film filters to determine if potentially toxic chemicals are emitted from the filter during heating. For all testing protocols, pressure drop decreased as puff number increased. Changes in testing protocols did not affect aerosol density. Charring due to pyrolysis (a form of organic matter thermochemical decomposition) was observed in the tobacco plug after use. When the manufacturer's cleaning instructions were followed, both charring of the tobacco plug and melting of the polymer-film filter increased. Headspace analysis of the polymer-film filter revealed the release of formaldehyde cyanohydrin at 90°C, which is well below the maximum temperature reached during normal usage. Device usage limitations may contribute to decreases in interpuff intervals, potentially increasing user's intake of nicotine and other harmful chemicals. This study found that the tobacco plug does char and that charring increases when the device is not cleaned between heatsticks. Release of formaldehyde cyanohydrin is a concern as it is highly toxic at very low concentrations. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2018. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Burn Rate Modification with Carborane Polymers

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-11-01

test, ARDEC electrostatic discharge test, and DSC analysis of the small-scale runs were performed to ensure the products were safe to handle. Once...Accessions Division 8725 John J. Kingman Road, Ste 0944 Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6218 GIDEP Operations Center P.O. Box 8000 Corona , CA

Toxicological responses in SW mice exposed to inhaled pyrolysates of polymer/tobacco mixtures and blended tobacco.

PubMed

Werley, Michael S; Lee, K Monika; Lemus-Olalde, Ranulfo

2009-12-01

Modern cigarette manufacturing is highly automated and produces millions of cigarettes per day. The potential for small inclusions of non-cigarette materials such as wood, cardboard packaging, plastic, and other materials exists as a result of bulk handling and high-speed processing of tobacco. Many non-tobacco inclusions such as wood, paper, and cardboard would be expected to yield similar pyrolysis products as a burning cigarette. The aircraft industry has developed an extensive literature on the pyrolysis products of plastics, however, that have been reported to yield toxic by-products upon burning, by-products that have been lethal in animals and humans upon acute exposure under some exposure conditions. Some of these smoke constituents have also been reported in cigarette smoke. Five synthetic polymers, nylon 6, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene (ABS), nylon 12, nylon 6,6, and acrylonitrile-butadiene (AB), and the natural polymer wool were evaluated by adding them to tobacco at a 3, 10, and 30% inclusion level and then pyrolyzing the mixture. The validated smoke generation and exposure system have been described previously. We used the DIN 53-436 tube furnace and nose-only exposure chamber in combination to conduct exposures in Swiss-Webster mice. Potentially useful biological endpoints for predicting hazards in humans included sensory irritation and pulmonary irritation, respiratory function, clinical signs, body weights, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid analysis, carboxyhemoglogin, blood cyanide concentrations, and histopathology of the respiratory tract. Chemical analysis of selected smoke constituents in the test atmosphere was also performed in order to compare the toxicological responses with exposure to the test atmospheres. Under the conditions of these studies, biological responses considered relevant and useful for prediction of effects in humans were found for sensory irritation, body weights, BAL fluid analysis, and histopathology of the nose. There was a marked sensory irritation response that recovered slowly for some polymers. Sustained body weight depression, lesions of the respiratory epithelium of the nose, and morphological changes in pulmonary alveolar macrophages (PAM) were observed after exposure to some polymer/tobacco pyrolysates. These responses were increased compared to exposure to tobacco pyrolysate alone. No moribundity or mortality occurred during the study. The data suggest that polymeric inclusions pose a minimal additional toxicologic hazard in humans.

Chitosan preparations for wounds and burns: antimicrobial and wound-healing effects

PubMed Central

Dai, Tianhong; Tanaka, Masamitsu; Huang, Ying-Ying; Hamblin, Michael R

2011-01-01

Since its discovery approximately 200 years ago, chitosan, as a cationic natural polymer, has been widely used as a topical dressing in wound management owing to its hemostatic, stimulation of healing, antimicrobial, nontoxic, biocompatible and biodegradable properties. This article covers the antimicrobial and wound-healing effects of chitosan, as well as its derivatives and complexes, and its use as a vehicle to deliver biopharmaceuticals, antimicrobials and growth factors into tissue. Studies covering applications of chitosan in wounds and burns can be classified into in vitro, animal and clinical studies. Chitosan preparations are classified into native chitosan, chitosan formulations, complexes and derivatives with other substances. Chitosan can be used to prevent or treat wound and burn infections not only because of its intrinsic antimicrobial properties, but also by virtue of its ability to deliver extrinsic antimicrobial agents to wounds and burns. It can also be used as a slow-release drug-delivery vehicle for growth factors to improve wound healing. The large number of publications in this area suggests that chitosan will continue to be an important agent in the management of wounds and burns. PMID:21810057

Structure of single-wall carbon nanotubes purified and cut using polymer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, M.; Yudasaka, M.; Koshio, A.; Jabs, C.; Ichihashi, T.; Iijima, S.

2002-01-01

Following on from our previous report that a monochlorobenzene solution of polymethylmethacrylate is useful for purifying and cutting single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and thinning SWNT bundles, we show in this report that polymer and residual amorphous carbon can be removed by burning in oxygen gas. The SWNTs thus obtained had many holes (giving them a worm-eaten look) and were thermally unstable. Such severe damage caused by oxidation is unusual for SWNTs; we think that they were chemically damaged during ultrasonication in the monochlorobenzene solution of polymethylmethacrylate.

Custom-fit polymeric membrane dressing masks in the treatment of second degree facial burns.

PubMed

Weissman, Oren; Hundeshagen, Gabriel; Harats, Moti; Farber, Nimrod; Millet, Eran; Winkler, Eyal; Zilinsky, Isaac; Haik, Josef

2013-09-01

Second degree facial burns usually impart high wound site pain levels and patient discomfort due to the abundance of facial sensory innervation, as well as the development of edema and inflammation that accompany wound healing. Frequent changing of adherent dressings causes additional procedural pain and may prolong healing due to recurring damage to the wound bed. We applied face masks, made on-site from a drug free polymeric membrane dressing, to 8 patients with superficial and deep 2nd degree facial burns. Time to full re-epithlialization was recorded during treatment. Pain, overall comfort, and result satisfaction were evaluated using a questionnaire (10-point Likert scales. From 1=minimum to 10=maximum) on follow-up (mean follow up 14.4 months, range 9-18). These results were compared to a historical cohort of patients with facial burns that were treated with an antibiotic ointment. Results showed mean re-epithelialization time of 6.5 days (as compared to 8.5 days in the cohort group), low pain ratings (mean: 2.6; range: 4.7 in the control group), mixed comfort levels (mean: 4.7/10; 4 in the control group) and high result satisfaction (mean: 7.8; 6.2 in the control group). Nursing staff described pain-free dressing changes and positively noted non-adherence and high absorbance capacity of the polymer, necessitating less dressing changes. Inflammation was contained to the actual site of injury. No complications in terms of infection or allergic reaction were observed. Overall, the polymeric membrane facial dressing seems to be a promising means of reducing pain and ensuring uninterrupted wound healing in 2nd degree facial burns. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing Part I: System Analysis, Component Identification, Additive Manufacturing, and Testing of Polymer Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grady, Joseph E.; Haller, William J.; Poinsatte, Philip E.; Halbig, Michael C.; Schnulo, Sydney L.; Singh, Mrityunjay; Weir, Don; Wali, Natalie; Vinup, Michael; Jones, Michael G.;

Hybridized polymer matrix composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

London, A.

1981-01-01

Design approaches and materials are described from which are fabricated pyrostatic graphite/epoxy (Gr/Ep) laminates that show improved retention of graphite particulates when subjected to burning. Sixteen hybridized plus two standard Gr/Ep laminates were designed, fabricated, and tested in an effort to eliminate the release of carbon (graphite) fiber particles from burned/burning, mechanically disturbed samples. The term pyrostatic is defined as meaning mechanically intact in the presence of fire. Graphite particulate retentive laminates were constructed whose constituent materials, cost of fabrication, and physical and mechanical properties were not significantly different from existing Gr/Ep composites. All but one laminate (a Celion graphite/bis-maleimide polyimide) were based on an off-the-shelf Gr/Ep, the AS-1/3501-5A system. Of the 16 candidates studied, four thin (10-ply) and four thick (50-ply) hybridized composites are recommended.

Reutilization of discarded biomass for preparing functional polymer materials.

PubMed

Wang, Jianfeng; Qian, Wenzhen; He, Yufeng; Xiong, Yubing; Song, Pengfei; Wang, Rong-Min

2017-07-01

Biomass is abundant and recyclable on the earth, which has been assigned numerous roles to human beings. However, over the past decades, accompanying with the rapid expansion of man-made materials, such as alloy, plastic, synthetic rubber and fiber, a great number of natural materials had been neglected and abandoned, such as straw, which cause a waste of resource and environmental pollution. In this review, based on introducing sources of discarded biomass, the main composition and polymer chains in discarded biomass materials, the traditional treatment and novel approach for reutilization of discarded biomass were summarized. The discarded biomass mainly come from plant wastes generated in the process of agriculture and forestry production and manufacturing processes, animal wastes generated in the process of animal husbandry and fishery production as well as the residual wastes produced in the process of food processing and rural living garbage. Compared with the traditional treatment including burning, landfill, feeding and fertilizer, the novel approach for reutilization of discarded biomass principally allotted to energy, ecology and polymer materials. The prepared functional materials covered in composite materials, biopolymer based adsorbent and flocculant, carrier materials, energy materials, smart polymer materials for medical and other intelligent polymer materials, which can effectively serve the environmental management and human life, such as wastewater treatment, catalyst, new energy, tissue engineering, drug controlled release, and coating. To sum up, the renewable and biodegradable discarded biomass resources play a vital role in the sustainable development of human society, as well as will be put more emphases in the future. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hyaluronate nanoparticles included in polymer films for the prolonged release of vitamin E for the management of skin wounds.

PubMed

Pereira, Gabriela Garrastazu; Detoni, Cassia Britto; Balducci, Anna Giulia; Rondelli, Valeria; Colombo, Paolo; Guterres, Silvia Stanisçuaski; Sonvico, Fabio

2016-02-15

Lecithin and hyaluronic acid were used for the preparation of polysaccharide decorated nanoparticles loaded with vitamin E using the cationic lipid dioctadecyldimethylammonium bromide (DODMA). Nanoparticles showed mean particle size in the range 130-350 nm and narrow size distribution. Vitamin E encapsulation efficiency was higher than 99%. These nanoparticles were incorporated in polymeric films containing Aloe vera extract, hyaluronic acid, sodium alginate, polyethyleneoxide (PEO) and polyvinylalcohol (PVA) as an innovative treatment in skin wounds. Films were thin, flexible, resistant and suitable for application on burn wounds. Additionally, in vitro occlusion study highlighted the dependence of the occlusive effect on the presence of nanoparticles. The results obtained show that the bioadhesive films containing vitamin E acetate and Aloe vera could be an innovative therapeutic system for the treatment of skin wounds, such as burns. The controlled release of the vitamin along with a reduction in water loss through damaged skin provided by the nanoparticle-loaded polymer film are considered important features for an improvement in wound healing and skin regeneration. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characteristics of nano-sized yttria powder synthesized by a polyvinyl alcohol solution route at low temperature.

PubMed

Lee, Sang-Jin; Jung, Choong-Hwan

2012-01-01

Nano-sized yttria (Y2O3) powders were successfully synthesized at a low temperature of 400 degrees C by a simple polymer solution route. PVA polymer, as an organic carrier, contributed to an atom-scale homogeneous precursor gel and it resulted in fully crystallized, nano-sized yttria powder with high specific surface area through the low temperature calcination. In this process, the content of PVA, calcination temperature and heating time affected the microstructure and crystallization behavior of the powders. The development of crystalline phase and the final particle size were strongly dependant on the oxidation reaction from the polymer burn-out step and the PVA content. In this paper, the PVA solution technique for the fabrication of nano-sized yttria powders is introduced. The effects of PVA content and holding time on the powder morphology and powder specific surface area are also studied. The characterization of the synthesized powders is examined by using XRD, DTA/TG, SEM, TEM and nitrogen gas adsorption. The yttria powder synthesized from the PVA content of 3:1 ratio and calcined at 400 degrees C had a crystallite size of about 20 nm or less with a high surface areas of 93.95-120.76 m2 g(-1).

Biodegradable soy wound dressings with controlled release of antibiotics: Results from a guinea pig burn model.

PubMed

Egozi, Dana; Baranes-Zeevi, Maya; Ullmann, Yehuda; Gilhar, Amos; Keren, Aviad; Matanes, Elias; Berdicevsky, Israela; Krivoy, Norberto; Zilberman, Meital

2015-11-01

There is growing interest in the development of biodegradable materials from renewable biopolymers, such as soy protein, for biomedical applications. Soy protein is a major fraction of natural soybean and has the advantages of being economically competitive, biodegradable and biocompatible. It presents good water resistance as well as storage stability. In the current study, homogenous antibiotic-loaded soy protein films were cast from aqueous solutions. The antibiotic drug gentamicin was incorporated into the films in order to inhibit bacterial growth, and thus prevent or combat infection, upon its controlled release to the surrounding tissue. The current in vivo study of the dressing material in contaminated deep second-degree burn wounds in guinea pigs (n=20) demonstrated its ability to accelerate epithelialization with 71% epithelial coverage compared to an unloaded format of the soy material (62%) and a significant improved epithelial coverage as compared to the conventional dressing material (55%). Our new platform of antibiotic-eluting wound dressings is advantageous over currently used popular dressing materials that provide controlled release of silver ions, due to its gentamicin release profile, which is safer. Another advantage of our novel concept is that it is based on a biodegradable natural polymer and therefore does not require bandage changes and offers a potentially valuable and economic approach for treating burn-related infections. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Multistep process to produce fermentable sugars and lignosulfonates from softwood enzymolysis residues

Treesearch

Yalan Liu; Jinwu Wang; Michael P. Wolcott

2016-01-01

The residual solids from enzymatic hydrolysis are usually burned to produce energy and have been explored as a feedstock for various products including activated carbon and lignin based polymers. These products require additional procedures unrelated to the existing biorefinery equipment. In the current study, we proposed successive sulfite treatments to utilize the...

Particulates generated from combustion of polymers (plastics).

PubMed

Shemwell, B E; Levendis, Y A

2000-01-01

This is an experimental study on the characterization of particulate (soot) emissions from burning polymers. Emissions of polystyrene (PS), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastics were studied. Combustion took place in a laboratory-scale, electrically heated, drop-tube furnace at temperatures of 1300 and 1500 K, in air. The nominal bulk (global) equivalence ratio, phi, was varied in the range of 0.5-1.5, and the gas residence time in the nearly isothermal radiation zone of the furnace was approximately 1 sec. The particulate emissions were size-classified at the exit of the furnace, using a multi-stage inertial particle impactor. Results showed that both the yields and the size distributions of the emitted soot were remarkably different for the five plastics burned. Soot yields increased with an increasing bulk equivalence ratio. Combustion of PS yielded the highest amounts of soot (most highly agglomerated), several times more than the rest of the polymers. More soot was emitted from PS at 1500 than at 1300 K. Substantial amounts of soot agglomerates were larger than 9 microns. At 1500 and 1300 K, 35 and 29% of the soot mass, respectively, was PM2 (2 microns or smaller). Emissions from PE and PP were remarkably similar to each other. These polymers produced very low emissions at phi < or = 0.5, but emissions increased drastically with phi, and most of the soot was very fine (70-97% of the mass was PM2, depending on phi). Emissions from the combustion of PMMA were comparatively low and were the least influenced by the bulk phi, and 79-95% of the emissions were PM2. Combustion of PVC yielded the lowest amounts of soot; moreover, only 13-34% of the mass was PM2. On a comparative basis, at 1500 K, the following ranges of particulate yields were PM2: 19-75 mg/g of PS, 8-36 mg/g of PE, 1.5-47 mg/g of PP, 11-20 mg/g of PMMA, and 2-8 mg/g of PVC, depending on phi. These comparative results demonstrate that PS produces the highest amounts of fine particulates, followed by PP, PE, and PMMA, and then PVC. Burning these materials with excess oxygen drastically reduces the particulate emissions of PE and PP, substantially reduces those of PS, and mildly reduces those of PMMA and PVC.

Changes in the Spectral Features of Zinc Phthalocyanine Induced by Nitrogen Dioxide Gas in Solution and in Solid Polymer Nanofiber Media.

PubMed

Zugle, Ruphino; Tetteh, Samuel

2017-03-01

The changes in the spectral features of zinc phthalocyanine in the visible domain as a result of its interaction with nitrogen dioxide gas were assessed in this work. This was done both in solution and when the phthalocyanine was incorporated into a solid polystyrene polymer nanofiber matrix. The spectral changes were found to be spontaneous and marked in both cases suggesting a rapid response criterion for the detection of the gas. In particular, the functionalised nano-fabric material could serve as a practical fire alarm system as it rapidly detects the nitrogen dioxide gas generated during burning.

Development of organic non-flammable spacecraft potting, encapsulating and conformal coating compounds

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lieberman, S. L.

1971-01-01

The overall program objective was to develop a flexible compound which not only functioned in a manned aerospace environment as an effective electrical insulation, but whose flammability characteristics in 16.5 psia, 60% oxygen/40% nitrogen were evidenced by rapid self-extinguishment and minimal thermal (pyrolysis) degradation. The following polymeric matrices were examined in depth: fluoroelastomers, modified fluoroelastomers, silicone RTV's, and modified silicone and fluorosilicone RTV's. Almost none of these systems burned in air, but all burned in 6.2 psia oxygen. Inorganic, organic, and inorganic/organic additives were evaluated in conjunction with these polymers in order to achieve the required survival in the 16.5 psia 60/40 environment. Depending upon formulations, it was possible to achieve nonflammable products when tested in the 1/4 in. x 1/4 in. x 1 in. configuration, even up to and including 16.5 psia oxygen. However, in order to assure this level of flame resistance, it was found necessary to heavily load the matrix with the additives. This resulted in a significant reduction in mechanical properties and large increases in viscosities. Optimization of formulations to obtain a suitable balance between these properties and flammability resistance led to the final selection of Formulation 387 as the primary system.

Test System to Study the Ignition of Metals by Polymers in Oxygen

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shoffstall, Michael S.; Stoltzfus, Joel M.; Fries, Joseph (Technical Monitor)

2000-01-01

A new test system that uses Laser energy to ignite a polymer promoter has been developed at the NASA White Sands Test Facility. It will facilitate the study of the spread of fire from a burning polymer material to the metal surrounding it. The system can be used to answer questions regarding the effects of configuration on ignition and combustion. The data obtained from this test could also be used to develop mathematical models for analyzing the effects of configuration on ignition and combustion. The system features a 10,000-psi (69-MPa) test chamber with sight glass windows on either end and a 25-watt carbon dioxide Laser for an ignition source. The test system can be used with gaseous oxygen, nitrogen or any mixture of the two gases. To minimize the effect of preheating the metallic, the polymer is ignited with a minimal amount of Laser energy. Igniting the polymer in this fashion also simplifies the thermodynamic analysis of the ignition and propagation reactions. The system is very robust, versatile and straightforward to use. Depending on the test pressure and configuration, the test system operator can perform as many as 20 tests per day. Test results verify that ignition and combustion of the metallic sample is not only dependent on pressure, material type and temperature, but configuration of both the polymer promoter and metallic sample. Both 6061 aluminum and 316 stainless steel 0.25-inch (6.35-mm) diameter rods with a standard 0-ring groove were tested with Buna-N, Silicone, Teflon and Viton 0-rings. The system ignited all four types of 0-rings in oxygen at pressures ranging from ambient to 10,000 psi (69 MPa). However, neither the stainless steel nor the aluminum rods on which the O-rings were mounted ignited in any test conditions. Future testing may be done on the 0.25-inch (6.35-mm) rod and O-ring configuration to evaluate the lack of ignition in these tests. Future configurations may include a plug of polymer in the base of the sample and replicas of fire-damaged components. Furthermore, the test system may be used in the future to analyze the oxidation rate of Laser-heated metals in gaseous oxygen.

The Cutting Edge of High-Temperature Composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

NASA s Ultra-Efficient Engine Technology (UEET) program was formed in 1999 at Glenn Research Center to manage an important national propulsion program for the Space Agency. The UEET program s focus is on developing innovative technologies to enable intelligent, environmentally friendly, and clean-burning turbine engines capable of reducing harmful emissions while maintaining high performance and increasing reliability. Seven technology projects exist under the program, with each project working towards specific goals to provide new technology for propulsion. One of these projects, Materials and Structures for High Performance, is concentrating on developing and demonstrating advanced high-temperature materials to enable high-performance, high-efficiency, and environmentally compatible propulsion systems. Materials include ceramic matrix composite (CMC) combustor liners and turbine vanes, disk alloys, turbine airfoil material systems, high-temperature polymer matrix composites, and lightweight materials for static engine structures.

Patchwork Coating of Fragmented Ultra-Thin Films and Their Biomedical Applications in Burn Therapy and Antithrombotic Coating

PubMed Central

Okamura, Yosuke; Nagase, Yu; Takeoka, Shinji

2015-01-01

We have proposed free-standing centimeter-sized ultra-thin films (nanosheets) for biomedical applications. Such nanosheets exhibit unique properties such as transparency, flexibility, and good adhesiveness. However, they are only easily adhered to broad and flat surfaces due to their dimensions. To this end, we recently proposed an innovative nanomaterial: the nanosheets fragmented into submillimeter-size pieces. Intriguingly, such fragmented nanosheets could be adhered to uneven and irregular surfaces in addition to flat surfaces in a spread-out “patchwork” manner. We herein review the fabrication procedure and characterization of fragmented nanosheets composed of biodegradable polyesters and thermostable bio-friendly polymers, and their biomedical applications in burn therapy and antithrombotic coating using a “patchwork coating”. PMID:28793663

Patchwork Coating of Fragmented Ultra-Thin Films and Their Biomedical Applications in Burn Therapy and Antithrombotic Coating.

PubMed

Okamura, Yosuke; Nagase, Yu; Takeoka, Shinji

2015-11-11

We have proposed free-standing centimeter-sized ultra-thin films (nanosheets) for biomedical applications. Such nanosheets exhibit unique properties such as transparency, flexibility, and good adhesiveness. However, they are only easily adhered to broad and flat surfaces due to their dimensions. To this end, we recently proposed an innovative nanomaterial: the nanosheets fragmented into submillimeter-size pieces. Intriguingly, such fragmented nanosheets could be adhered to uneven and irregular surfaces in addition to flat surfaces in a spread-out "patchwork" manner. We herein review the fabrication procedure and characterization of fragmented nanosheets composed of biodegradable polyesters and thermostable bio-friendly polymers, and their biomedical applications in burn therapy and antithrombotic coating using a "patchwork coating".

Optimized polymeric film-based nitric oxide delivery inhibits bacterial growth in a mouse burn wound model.

PubMed

Brisbois, Elizabeth J; Bayliss, Jill; Wu, Jianfeng; Major, Terry C; Xi, Chuanwu; Wang, Stewart C; Bartlett, Robert H; Handa, Hitesh; Meyerhoff, Mark E

2014-10-01

Nitric oxide (NO) has many biological roles (e.g. antimicrobial agent, promoter of angiogenesis, prevention of platelet activation) that make NO releasing materials desirable for a variety of biomedical applications. Localized NO release can be achieved from biomedical grade polymers doped with diazeniumdiolated dibutylhexanediamine (DBHD/N2O2) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). In this study, the optimization of this chemistry to create film/patches that can be used to decrease microbial infection at wound sites is examined. Two polyurethanes with different water uptakes (Tecoflex SG-80A (6.2±0.7wt.%) and Tecophilic SP-60D-20 (22.5±1.1wt.%)) were doped with 25wt.% DBHD/N2O2 and 10wt.% of PLGA with various hydrolysis rates. Films prepared with the polymer that has the higher water uptake (SP-60D-20) were found to have higher NO release and for a longer duration than the polyurethane with the lower water uptake (SG-80A). The more hydrophilic polymer enhances the hydrolysis rate of the PLGA additive, thereby providing a more acidic environment that increases the rate of NO release from the NO donor. The optimal NO releasing and control SG-80A patches were then applied to scald burn wounds that were infected with Acinetobacter baumannii. The NO released from these patches applied to the wounds is shown to significantly reduce the A. baumannii infection after 24h (∼4 log reduction). The NO release patches are also able to reduce the level of transforming growth factor-β in comparison to controls, which can enhance re-epithelialization, decrease scarring and reduce migration of bacteria. The combined DBHD/N2O2 and PLGA-doped polymer patches, which could be replaced periodically throughout the wound healing process, demonstrate the potential to reduce risk of bacterial infection and promote the overall wound healing process. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optimized polymeric film-based nitric oxide delivery inhibits bacterial growth in a mouse burn wound model

PubMed Central

Brisbois, Elizabeth J.; Bayliss, Jill; Wu, Jianfeng; Major, Terry C.; Xi, Chuanwu; Wang, Stewart C.; Bartlett, Robert H.; Handa, Hitesh; Meyerhoff, Mark E.

2014-01-01

Nitric oxide (NO) has many biological roles (e.g., antimicrobial agent, promoter of angiogenesis, prevention of platelet activation, etc.) that make NO releasing materials desirable for a variety of biomedical applications. Localized NO release can be achieved from biomedical grade polymers doped with diazeniumdiolated dibutylhexanediamine (DBHD/N2O2) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). In this study, the optimization of this chemistry to create film/patches that can be used to decrease microbial infection at wound sites is examined. Two polyurethanes with different water uptakes (Tecoflex SG-80A (6.2 ± 0.7 wt %) and Tecophillic SP-60D-20 (22.5 ± 1.1 wt%)) were doped with 25 wt% DBHD/N2O2 and 10 wt% of PLGA with various hydrolysis rates. Films prepared with the polymer that has the higher water uptake (SP-60D-20) were found to have higher NO release and for a longer duration than the polyurethane with lower water uptake (SG-80A). The more hydrophilic polymer enhances the hydrolysis rate of the PLGA additive, thereby providing a more acidic environment that increases the rate of NO release from the NO donor. The optimal NO releasing and control SG-80A patches were then applied to scald burn wounds that were infected with Acinetobacter baumannii. The NO released from these patches applied to the wounds is shown to significantly reduce the A. baumannii infection after 24 h (~4 log reduction). The NO release patches are also able to reduce the TGF-β levels, in comparison to controls, which can enhance reepithelialization, decrease scarring, and reduce migration of bacteria. The combined DBHD/N2O2 and PLGA-doped polymer patches, which could be replaced periodically throughout the wound healing process, demonstrate the potential to reduce risk of bacterial infection and promote the overall wound healing process. PMID:24980058

In vitro and in vivo assessment of lactic acid-modified chitosan scaffolds for potential treatment of full-thickness burns.

PubMed

Velasquillo, Cristina; Silva-Bermudez, Phaedra; Vázquez, Nadia; Martínez, Alan; Espadín, Andres; García-López, Julieta; Medina-Vega, Antonio; Lecona, Hugo; Pichardo-Baena, Raúl; Ibarra, Clemente; Shirai, Keiko

2017-10-01

Autologous skin transplantation is today's "gold standard" treatment for full-thickness burns. However, when > 30% of total body surface area is damaged, there is an important shortage of autologous donor sites for skin grafting; then, treatment alternatives become crucial. Such alternatives can be based on polymeric scaffolds capable of functioning as protective covers and cells/factors carriers. Chitosan (CTS) is a natural-derived polymer with relevant biological-related properties but poor mechanical performance. Improved mechanical properties can be achieved through lactic acid grafting (LA-g); nevertheless, LA-g affects the biological response towards the CTS-based materials. In this work, CTS-LA scaffolds with different LA-g percentages were synthesized and evaluated to determine appropriate LA-g degrees for full-thickness burns treatment. In vitro results indicated that the higher the LA-g percentage, the lower the capability of the scaffolds to sustain fibroblasts culture. Scaffolds with LA-g around 28% (CTS-LA28) sustained cell culture and allowed normal cell functionality. Further evaluation of CTS-LA28 as acellular and cellular grafts in a full-thickness burn mouse model showed that at 28 days post-burn, macroscopic characteristic of the reparation tissue were closer to healthy skin when cellular grafts were used for treatment; histological evaluation also showed that dermis cellularity and collagenous fibers structure were similar to those in healthy skin when cellular grafts were used for burns treatment. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2875-2891, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Analysis physical properties of composites polymer from cocofiber and polypropylene plastic waste with maleic anhydrate as crosslinking agent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pelita, E.; Hidayani, T. R.; Akbar, A.

2017-07-01

This research was conducted with the aim to produce composites polymer with polypropylene plastic waste materials and cocofiber which aims to produce wood replacement material in the home furnishings industry. This research was conducted with several stages. The first stage is the process of soaking coco fiber with detergent to remove oil and 2% NaOH. The second stage is to combine the polypropylene plastic waste with cocofiber is a chemical bond, modification by adding maleic anhydride as a crosslinking agent and benzoyl peroxide as an initiator each as much as 1%. Mixing materials done by reflux method using xylene solvent. In this study, carried out a wide range of weight variation of coco fiber are added to the 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50%. The third stage is a polymer composite molding process using hot press at a temperature of 158°C. The results of polymer composites Showed optimum condition on the addition of 40% cocofiber with supple tensile strength value of 90.800 kgf /cm2 and value of elongation break at 3.6726 x 104 (kgf/cm2), melting point at 160.02°C, burning point 463.43°C, residue of TGA is 19%, the density of 0.84 g/mL. From these data, conclude that the resulting polymer composites meet the SNI 03-2105-2006 about ordinary composite polymer and polymer composite structural type 8 regular types from 17.5 to 10.5.

An Efficient, "Burn in" Free Organic Solar Cell Employing a Nonfullerene Electron Acceptor.

PubMed

Cha, Hyojung; Wu, Jiaying; Wadsworth, Andrew; Nagitta, Jade; Limbu, Saurav; Pont, Sebastian; Li, Zhe; Searle, Justin; Wyatt, Mark F; Baran, Derya; Kim, Ji-Seon; McCulloch, Iain; Durrant, James R

2017-09-01

A comparison of the efficiency, stability, and photophysics of organic solar cells employing poly[(5,6-difluoro-2,1,3-benzothiadiazol-4,7-diyl)-alt-(3,3'″-di(2-octyldodecyl)-2,2';5',2″;5″,2'″-quaterthiophen-5,5'″-diyl)] (PffBT4T-2OD) as a donor polymer blended with either the nonfullerene acceptor EH-IDTBR or the fullerene derivative, [6,6]-phenyl C 71 butyric acid methyl ester (PC 71 BM) as electron acceptors is reported. Inverted PffBT4T-2OD:EH-IDTBR blend solar cell fabricated without any processing additive achieves power conversion efficiencies (PCEs) of 9.5 ± 0.2%. The devices exhibit a high open circuit voltage of 1.08 ± 0.01 V, attributed to the high lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) level of EH-IDTBR. Photoluminescence quenching and transient absorption data are employed to elucidate the ultrafast kinetics and efficiencies of charge separation in both blends, with PffBT4T-2OD exciton diffusion kinetics within polymer domains, and geminate recombination losses following exciton separation being identified as key factors determining the efficiency of photocurrent generation. Remarkably, while encapsulated PffBT4T-2OD:PC 71 BM solar cells show significant efficiency loss under simulated solar irradiation ("burn in" degradation) due to the trap-assisted recombination through increased photoinduced trap states, PffBT4T-2OD:EH-IDTBR solar cell shows negligible burn in efficiency loss. Furthermore, PffBT4T-2OD:EH-IDTBR solar cells are found to be substantially more stable under 85 °C thermal stress than PffBT4T-2OD:PC 71 BM devices. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

[Search for antimicrobial agents and their various combinations that are effective in relation to the main microfloral representatives in the burn wound].

PubMed

Kataev, S V; Brodinova, N S; Moroz, A F

1980-03-01

Activity of 10 antibiotics, 6 surface active substances, 1 antioxidant and boric acid against P. aeruginosa, E. coli, Pr. vulgaris and Staph. aureus most frequently vegetating in burn wounds was studied. It was found that gentamicin had the highest antibacterial effect on the above organisms. Polymyxin M had a pronounced antimicrobial action on P. aeruginosa and E. coli. A significant antibacterial effect with respect to Staph. aureus, E. coli and Pr. vulgaris was observed with the use of the drugs of the nitrofuran line, i.e. salaful, furagin and furacillin. These drugs were not active against P. aeruginosa. A high antimicrobial effect with respect to all of the test-microbed used was recorded with methacyl, a surface active substance. To show the synergistic effect on the microbes most frequently vegetating in burn wounds, the antibacterial action of the drug combinations was studied. The synergistic effect (16 to 100 times) was observed with the use of polymyxin M combination with mafenide, carbenicillin with gentamicin, methacide with fenozan. The microorganisms tested were resistant to boric acid. On the basis of the study the most effective drugs and their combinations were chosen for their addition to the algipores (polymer coatings) used in treatment of burns infected with the above microbes.

The rhizosphere microbiome of burned holm-oak: potential role of the genus Arthrobacter in the recovery of burned soils.

PubMed

Fernández-González, Antonio J; Martínez-Hidalgo, Pilar; Cobo-Díaz, José F; Villadas, Pablo J; Martínez-Molina, Eustoquio; Toro, Nicolás; Tringe, Susannah G; Fernández-López, Manuel

2017-07-20

After a forest wildfire, the microbial communities have a transient alteration in their composition. The role of the soil microbial community in the recovery of an ecosystem following such an event remains poorly understood. Thus, it is necessary to understand the plant-microbe interactions that occur in burned soils. By high-throughput sequencing, we identified the main bacterial taxa of burnt holm-oak rhizosphere, then we obtained an isolate collection of the most abundant genus and its growth promoting activities were characterised. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing showed that the genus Arthrobacter comprised more than 21% of the total community. 55 Arthrobacter strains were isolated and characterized using RAPDs and sequencing of the almost complete 16S rRNA gene. Our results indicate that isolated Arthrobacter strains present a very high genetic diversity, and they could play an important ecological role in interaction with the host plant by enhancing aerial growth. Most of the selected strains exhibited a great ability to degrade organic polymers in vitro as well as possibly presenting a direct mechanism for plant growth promotion. All the above data suggests that Arthrobacter can be considered as an excellent PGP rhizobacterium that may play an important role in the recovery of burned holm-oak forests.

Hydroxyapatite scaffolds processed using a TBA-based freeze-gel casting/polymer sponge technique.

PubMed

Yang, Tae Young; Lee, Jung Min; Yoon, Seog Young; Park, Hong Chae

2010-05-01

A novel freeze-gel casting/polymer sponge technique has been introduced to fabricate porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds with controlled "designer" pore structures and improved compressive strength for bone tissue engineering applications. Tertiary-butyl alcohol (TBA) was used as a solvent in this work. The merits of each production process, freeze casting, gel casting, and polymer sponge route were characterized by the sintered microstructure and mechanical strength. A reticulated structure with large pore size of 180-360 microm, which formed on burn-out of polyurethane foam, consisted of the strut with highly interconnected, unidirectional, long pore channels (approximately 4.5 microm in dia.) by evaporation of frozen TBA produced in freeze casting together with the dense inner walls with a few, isolated fine pores (<2 microm) by gel casting. The sintered porosity and pore size generally behaved in an opposite manner to the solid loading, i.e., a high solid loading gave low porosity and small pore size, and a thickening of the strut cross section, thus leading to higher compressive strengths.

Recent Trends in Burn Epidemiology Worldwide: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Smolle, Christian; Cambiaso-Daniel, Janos; Forbes, Abigail A.; Wurzer, Paul; Hundeshagen, Gabriel; Branski, Ludwik K.; Huss, Fredrik; Kamolz, Lars-Peter

2017-01-01

Burn injuries have been more prevalent among low socioeconomic populations and in less developed regions. Incredible advances in burn care and social development over the recent decades, however, should have placed the incidence and severity of burns in a downwards trend. The aim of this review was to give an overview on current trends in burn epidemiology across the world. Also the socioeconomic development in countries that have published epidemiological data used in this study has been taken into account when comparing the results. There was a worldwide downwards trend of burn incidence, burn severity, length of hospital stay, and mortality rate. These findings were particularly pronounced in very highly developed countries. Data from highly and medium developed countries were more heterogeneous. No studies could be obtained from low developed countries. Comparisons between the different studies were compromised by the fact that studies emerged from specialized facilities on one hand and general hospitals on the other. Analyzed studies were also frequently focusing on limited patient populations such as “children” or “elderly”. Our findings indicate the need for an international burn database with a minimal data-set in order to obtain objective and comparable results in respect of burn epidemiology. PMID:27600982

Patient experiences of burn scars in adults and children and development of a health-related quality of life conceptual model: A qualitative study.

PubMed

Simons, Megan; Price, Nathaniel; Kimble, Roy; Tyack, Zephanie

2016-05-01

The aim of this study was to understand the impact of burn scars on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) from the perspective of adults and children with burn scars, and caregivers to inform the development of a conceptual model of burn scar HRQOL. Twenty-one participants (adults and children) with burn scars and nine caregivers participated in semi-structured, face-to-face interviews between 2012 and 2013. During the interviews, participants were asked to describe features about their (or their child's) burn scars and its impact on everyday life. Two coders conducted thematic analysis, with consensus achieved through discussion and review with a third coder. The literature on HRQOL models was then reviewed to further inform the development of a conceptual model of burn scar HRQOL. Five themes emerged from the qualitative data: 'physical and sensory symptoms', 'impact of burn scar interventions', 'impact of burn scar symptoms', 'personal factors' and 'change over time'. Caregivers offered further insights into family functioning after burn, and the impacts of burn scars and burn scar interventions on family life. In the conceptual model, symptoms (sensory and physical) of burn scars are considered proximal to HRQOL, with distal indicators including functioning (physical, emotional, social, cognitive), individual factors and the environment. Overall quality of life was affected by HRQOL. Understanding the impact of burn scars on HRQOL and the development of a conceptual model will inform future burn scar research and clinical practice. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An insight into burns in a developing country: a Sri Lankan experience.

PubMed

Lau, Y S

2006-10-01

Burn injuries represent a diverse and varied challenge to medical and paramedical staff. The management of burns and their sequelae in a well-equipped, modern burns unit remains demanding despite advances in surgical techniques and development of tissue-engineered biomaterials; in a developing country, these difficulties are amplified many times. Sri Lanka has a high incidence of burn-related injuries annually due to a combination of adverse social, economic and cultural factors. The management of burn injuries remains a formidable public health problem. The epidemiology of burns, challenges faced in their management and effective strategies specific to Sri Lanka, such as the Safe Bottle Lamp campaign, are highlighted in this paper.

Current methods of burn reconstruction.

PubMed

Orgill, Dennis P; Ogawa, Rei

2013-05-01

After reading this article, the participant should be able to: 1. Explain the present challenges in reconstructive burn surgery. 2. Describe the most appropriate treatment methods and techniques for specific burn injury types, including skin grafts, dermal substitutes, and a variety of flap options. 3. Identify the appropriate use, advantages, and disadvantages of specific flaps in the treatment of burn injuries, including local, regional, superthin, prefabricated, prelaminated, and free flaps. Victims of thermal burns often form heavy scars and develop contractures around joints, inhibiting movement. As burns can occur in all cutaneous areas of the body, a wide range of reconstructive options have been utilized. Each method has advantages and disadvantages that must be considered by both patients and surgeons. The authors reviewed the literature for burn reconstruction and focused their discussion on areas that have been recently developed. They reviewed the mechanism of burn injury and discussed how this relates to the pathophysiology of the burn injury. Surgeons now have a wide array of plastic surgical techniques that can be used to treat burn victims. These range from skin grafts and local flaps to free flaps, prefabricated flaps, superthin flaps, and dermal scaffolds. Recent advances in burn reconstruction provide methods to decrease scar tissue and joint contractures. In the future, the authors hope that further developments in burn treatment will foster the development of new technologies that will allow site-specific reconstruction with minimal donor-site morbidity.

Extrudable Gel-Forming Bioabsorbable Hemostatic Tissue Adhesives for Traumatic and Burn Wounds

DTIC Science & Technology

1997-07-01

and Bum Wounds DAMD17-96-1-6241 6. AUTHOR(S) Shalaby, Shalaby W., Ph.D. 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS( ES ) S. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION...REPORT NUMBER Poly-Med, Incorporated Anderson, South Carolina 29625 9. SPONSORING / MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS( ES ) 10.SPONSORING I...five test strips as shown in Figure 1, and the dimensions of each sample was measured. The healed incision strength was measured using a Satec T10000

Corneal Epitheliopathy After Trauma by Fake Snow Powder in a 7-year-old Child

PubMed Central

Al-Amry, Mohammad A.; Al-Ghadeer, Huda A.

2016-01-01

Fake snow is a polymer of sodium polyacrylates used in games and celebrations. Despite the product leaflet that indicates safety, contact with the ocular surface can cause injury. We report a case of a child with corneal epitheliopathy due to a chemical burn injury after ocular surface contact with fake snow. The case was managed with epithelial debridement and a bandage contact lenses and topical antibiotics with complete resolution. PMID:27555717

Molecular Electronics for Frequency Domain Optical Storage. Persistent Spectral Hole-Burning. A Review.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-03-25

H In a real crystal, glass, or polymer, unavoidable local strains due to vacancies, dislocations, other defects, or the randomness of the host...itself cause the various molecules in the solid to have slightly different local environments. In this case (see the lower half of Figure 1), the way in...fact that the local environments of the various molecules are different that makes the various molecules absorb slightly different laser frequencies

Search for Extraterrestrial Origin of Atmospheric Trace Molecules Radio Sub-MM Observations During The Leonids

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Depois, D.; Ricaud, P.; Lautie, N.; Schneider, N.; Jacq, T.; Biver, N.; Lis, D.; Chamberlain, R.; Phillips, T.; Miller, M.;

Risk factors for the development of heterotopic ossification in seriously burned adults: A National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research burn model system database analysis.

PubMed

Levi, Benjamin; Jayakumar, Prakash; Giladi, Avi; Jupiter, Jesse B; Ring, David C; Kowalske, Karen; Gibran, Nicole S; Herndon, David; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Ryan, Colleen M

2015-11-01

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a debilitating complication of burn injury; however, incidence and risk factors are poorly understood. In this study, we use a multicenter database of adults with burn injuries to identify and analyze clinical factors that predict HO formation. Data from six high-volume burn centers, in the Burn Injury Model System Database, were analyzed. Univariate logistic regression models were used for model selection. Cluster-adjusted multivariate logistic regression was then used to evaluate the relationship between clinical and demographic data and the development of HO. Of 2,979 patients in the database with information on HO that addressed risk factors for development of HO, 98 (3.5%) developed HO. Of these 98 patients, 97 had arm burns, and 96 had arm grafts. When controlling for age and sex in a multivariate model, patients with greater than 30% total body surface area burn had 11.5 times higher odds of developing HO (p < 0.001), and those with arm burns that required skin grafting had 96.4 times higher odds of developing HO (p = 0.04). For each additional time a patient went to the operating room, odds of HO increased by 30% (odds ratio, 1.32; p < 0.001), and each additional ventilator day increased odds by 3.5% (odds ratio, 1.035; p < 0.001). Joint contracture, inhalation injury, and bone exposure did not significantly increase odds of HO. Risk factors for HO development include greater than 30% total body surface area burn, arm burns, arm grafts, ventilator days, and number of trips to the operating room. Future studies can use these results to identify highest-risk patients to guide deployment of prophylactic and experimental treatments. Prognostic study, level III.

Risk Factors for the Development of Heterotopic Ossification in Seriously Burned Adults: A NIDRR Burn Model System Database Analysis

PubMed Central

Levi, Benjamin; Jayakumar, Prakash; Giladi, Avi; Jupiter, Jesse B.; Ring, David C.; Kowalske, Karen; Gibran, Nicole S.; Herndon, David; Schneider, Jeffrey C.; Ryan, Colleen M.

2015-01-01

Purpose Heterotopic ossification (HO) is a debilitating complication of burn injury; however, incidence and risk factors are poorly understood. In this study we utilize a multicenter database of adults with burn injuries to identify and analyze clinical factors that predict HO formation. Methods Data from 6 high-volume burn centers, in the Burn Injury Model System Database, were analyzed. Univariate logistic regression models were used for model selection. Cluster-adjusted multivariate logistic regression was then used to evaluate the relationship between clinical and demographic data and the development of HO. Results Of 2,979 patients in the database with information on HO that addressed risk factors for development of HO, 98 (3.5%) developed HO. Of these 98 patients, 97 had arm burns, and 96 had arm grafts. Controlling for age and sex in a multivariate model, patients with >30% total body surface area (TBSA) burn had 11.5x higher odds of developing HO (p<0.001), and those with arm burns that required skin grafting had 96.4x higher odds of developing HO (p=0.04). For each additional time a patient went to the operating room, odds of HO increased 30% (OR 1.32, p<0.001), and each additional ventilator day increase odds 3.5% (OR 1.035, p<0.001). Joint contracture, inhalation injury, and bone exposure did not significantly increase odds of HO. Conclusion Risk factors for HO development include >30% TBSA burn, arm burns, arm grafts, ventilator days, and number of trips to the operating room. Future studies can use these results to identify highest-risk patients to guide deployment of prophylactic and experimental treatments. PMID:26496115

Recent trends in burn epidemiology worldwide: A systematic review.

PubMed

Smolle, Christian; Cambiaso-Daniel, Janos; Forbes, Abigail A; Wurzer, Paul; Hundeshagen, Gabriel; Branski, Ludwik K; Huss, Fredrik; Kamolz, Lars-Peter

2017-03-01

Burns have been more prevalent among low socioeconomic populations and in less developed regions. Incredible advances in burn care and social development over the recent decades, however, should have placed the incidence and severity of burns in a downwards trend. The aim of this review was to give an overview on current trends in burn epidemiology across the world. Also the socioeconomic development in countries that have published epidemiological data used in this study has been taken into account when comparing the results. There was a worldwide downwards trend of burn incidence, burn severity, length of hospital stay, and mortality rate. These findings were particularly pronounced in very highly developed countries. Data from highly and medium developed countries were more heterogeneous. No studies could be obtained from low and middle income countries. Comparisons between the different studies were compromised by the fact that studies emerged from specialized facilities on one hand and general hospitals on the other. Analyzed studies were also frequently focusing on limited patient populations such as "children" or "elderly". Our findings indicate the need for an international burn database with a minimal data-set in order to obtain objective and comparable results in respect of burn epidemiology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Aspects of the mechanisms of smoke generation by burning materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bankston, C. P.; Zinn, B. T.; Browner, R. F.; Powell, E. A.

1981-01-01

An investigation of smoke generation during the burning of natural and synthetic solid materials (relevant to fire safety problems), under simulated fire conditions, is presented. Smoke formation mechanisms, including flaming and nonflaming combustion, are reviewed, and the complex physical, chemical, and electrical processes, important in smoke particulate production, are identified. With reference to the smoke formation mechanisms, measured experimental data are discussed, and include effects of ventilation gas temperature, dependence on material composition, and chemical analysis of smoke particulates. Significant differences in smoke characteristics are observed between flaming and nonflaming conditions, which is attributed to specific differences in controlling mechanisms and resultant ways leading to particulate formation. The effects of polymer substrate properties and effects of additives for a given substrate on smoke properties are also discussed in terms of basic processes. It is shown that many of the measured trends can be interpreted by considering postulated mechanisms of particulate formation.

Handling of huge multispectral image data volumes from a spectral hole burning device (SHBD)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graff, Werner; Rosselet, Armel C.; Wild, Urs P.; Gschwind, Rudolf; Keller, Christoph U.

1995-06-01

We use chlorin-doped polymer films at low temperatures as the primary imaging detector. Based on the principles of persistent spectral hole burning, this system is capable of storing spatial and spectral information simultaneously in one exposure with extremely high resolution. The sun as an extended light source has been imaged onto the film. The information recorded amounts to tens of GBytes. This data volume is read out by scanning the frequency of a tunable dye laser and reading the images with a digital CCD camera. For acquisition, archival, processing, and visualization, we use MUSIC (MUlti processor System with Intelligent Communication), a single instruction multiple data parallel processor system equipped with the necessary I/O facilities. The huge amount of data requires the developemnt of sophisticated algorithms to efficiently calibrate the data and to extract useful and new information for solar physics.

Nanolayered siRNA delivery platforms for local silencing of CTGF reduce cutaneous scar contraction in third-degree burns

PubMed Central

Castleberry, Steven A.; Golberg, Alexander; Sharkh, Malak Abu; Khan, Saiqa; Almquist, Benjamin D.; Austen, William G.; Yarmush, Martin L.; Hammond, Paula T.

2017-01-01

Wound healing is an incredibly complex biological process that often results in thickened collagen-enriched healed tissue called scar. Cutaneous scars lack many functional structures of the skin such as hair follicles, sweat glands, and papillae. The absence of these structures contributes to a number of the long-term morbidities of wound healing, including loss of function for tissues, increased risk of re-injury, and aesthetic complications. Scar formation is a pervasive factor in our daily lives; however, in the case of serious traumatic injury, scars can create long-lasting complications due to contraction and poor tissue remodeling. Within this report we target the expression of connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a key mediator of TGFβ pro-fibrotic response in cutaneous wound healing, with controlled local delivery of RNA interference. Through this work we describe both a thorough in vitro analysis of nanolayer coated sutures for the controlled delivery of siRNA and its application to improve scar outcomes in a third-degree burn induced scar model in rats. We demonstrate that the knockdown of CTGF significantly altered the local expression of αSMA, TIMP1, and Col1a1, which are known to play roles in scar formation. The knockdown of CTGF within the healing burn wounds resulted in improved tissue remodeling, reduced scar contraction, and the regeneration of papillary structures within the healing tissue. This work adds support to a number of previous reports that indicate CTGF as a potential therapeutic target for fibrosis. Additionally, we believe that the controlled local delivery of siRNA from ultrathin polymer coatings described within this work is a promising approach in RNA interference that could be applied in developing improved cancer therapies, regenerative medicine, and fundamental scientific research. PMID:27108403

Micro/nano electro mechanical systems for practical applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Esashi, Masayoshi

2009-09-01

Silicon MEMS as electrostatically levitated rotational gyroscope, 2D optical scanner and wafer level packaged devices as integrated capacitive pressure sensor and MEMS switch are described. MEMS which use non-silicon materials as diamond, PZT, conductive polymer, CNT (carbon nano tube), LTCC with electrical feedthrough, SiC (silicon carbide) and LiNbO3 for multi-probe data storage, multi-column electron beam lithography system, probe card for wafer-level burn-in test, mould for glass press moulding and SAW wireless passive sensor respectively are also described.

Optical Spectra and Kinetics of Single Impurity Molecules in a Polymer: Spectral Diffusion and Persistent Spectral Hole-Burning

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-11-07

new area of opticAl sp,,ctroscopy of solids where truly unique single environments and quantum effects can be studied in detail. In the pentacene in p...observed. Until very recentlx, the reports of SMI) have concentrated on the crystalline system of pentacene in p-terphenyl. Owing to the complex physical...excessive PSIIB, pentacene in benzoi, acid, is described briefly. The advantages of the perylene in PF_. system become evident immediately when

Development of a Consistent and Reproducible Porcine Scald Burn Model

PubMed Central

Kempf, Margit; Kimble, Roy; Cuttle, Leila

2016-01-01

There are very few porcine burn models that replicate scald injuries similar to those encountered by children. We have developed a robust porcine burn model capable of creating reproducible scald burns for a wide range of burn conditions. The study was conducted with juvenile Large White pigs, creating replicates of burn combinations; 50°C for 1, 2, 5 and 10 minutes and 60°C, 70°C, 80°C and 90°C for 5 seconds. Visual wound examination, biopsies and Laser Doppler Imaging were performed at 1, 24 hours and at 3 and 7 days post-burn. A consistent water temperature was maintained within the scald device for long durations (49.8 ± 0.1°C when set at 50°C). The macroscopic and histologic appearance was consistent between replicates of burn conditions. For 50°C water, 10 minute duration burns showed significantly deeper tissue injury than all shorter durations at 24 hours post-burn (p ≤ 0.0001), with damage seen to increase until day 3 post-burn. For 5 second duration burns, by day 7 post-burn the 80°C and 90°C scalds had damage detected significantly deeper in the tissue than the 70°C scalds (p ≤ 0.001). A reliable and safe model of porcine scald burn injury has been successfully developed. The novel apparatus with continually refreshed water improves consistency of scald creation for long exposure times. This model allows the pathophysiology of scald burn wound creation and progression to be examined. PMID:27612153

Severity of burn and its related factors: A study from the developing country Pakistan.

PubMed

Adil, Syed Omair; Nisar, Nighat; Ehmer-Al-Ibran; Shafique, Kashif; Baig-Ansari, Naila

2016-06-01

Burns are leading cause of fatal injuries and major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. The major obstacle in controlling severity is factors related to burn. This study determines frequency of burns and the factors related to it in Karachi, Pakistan. A cross-sectional study was conducted and 384 hospitalized adult patients with burns were consecutively interviewed during August 2013 to February 2014. Information was collected on socio-demographic profile, intent of burn, severity of burn, health hazards, physical and psychological characteristics. TBSA burn of >15% was considered as higher severity of burn. Higher severity of burns was found in 76.3% patients. Multivariate analysis showed that higher severity of burns were significantly associated with age less than 25 years (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.5-4.9), never had been to school (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.7-5.9) and intentional burn (OR 20.6, 95% CI 5.0-84.9). Majority of patients had higher severity of burn. The intent of injury was intentional, age less than 25 years and no schooling were found significantly associated with higher severity of burns. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Burns education for non-burn specialist clinicians in Western Australia.

PubMed

McWilliams, Tania; Hendricks, Joyce; Twigg, Di; Wood, Fiona

2015-03-01

Burn patients often receive their initial care by non-burn specialist clinicians, with increasingly collaborative burn models of care. The provision of relevant and accessible education for these clinicians is therefore vital for optimal patient care. A two phase design was used. A state-wide survey of multidisciplinary non-burn specialist clinicians throughout Western Australia identified learning needs related to paediatric burn care. A targeted education programme was developed and delivered live via videoconference. Pre-post-test analysis evaluated changes in knowledge as a result of attendance at each education session. Non-burn specialist clinicians identified numerous areas of burn care relevant to their practice. Statistically significant differences between perceived relevance of care and confidence in care provision were reported for aspects of acute burn care. Following attendance at the education sessions, statistically significant increases in knowledge were noted for most areas of acute burn care. Identification of learning needs facilitated the development of a targeted education programme for non-burn specialist clinicians. Increased non-burn specialist clinician knowledge following attendance at most education sessions supports the use of videoconferencing as an acceptable and effective method of delivering burns education in Western Australia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Numerical simulations of microcrack-related damage and ignition behavior of mild-impacted polymer bonded explosives.

PubMed

Yang, Kun; Wu, Yanqing; Huang, Fenglei

2018-08-15

A physical model is developed to describe the viscoelastic-plastic deformation, cracking damage, and ignition behavior of polymer-bonded explosives (PBXs) under mild impact. This model improves on the viscoelastic-statistical crack mechanical model (Visco-SCRAM) in several respects. (i) The proposed model introduces rate-dependent plasticity into the framework which is more suitable for explosives with relatively high binder content. (ii) Damage evolution is calculated by the generalized Griffith instability criterion with the dominant (most unstable) crack size rather than the averaged crack size over all crack orientations. (iii) The fast burning of cracks following ignition and the effects of gaseous products on crack opening are considered. The predicted uniaxial and triaxial stress-strain responses of PBX9501 sample under dynamic compression loading are presented to illustrate the main features of the materials. For an uncovered cylindrical PBX charge impacted by a flat-nosed rod, the simulated results show that a triangular-shaped dead zone is formed beneath the front of the rod. The cracks in the dead zone are stable due to friction-locked stress state, whereas the cracks near the front edges of dead zone become unstable and turn into hotspots due to high-shear effects. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Standardization of deep partial-thickness scald burns in C57BL/6 mice

PubMed Central

Medina, Jorge L; Fourcaudot, Andrea B; Sebastian, Eliza A; Shankar, Ravi; Brown, Ammon W; Leung, Kai P

2018-01-01

Mouse burn models are used to understand the wound healing process and having a reproducible model is important. The different protocols used by researchers can lead to differences in depth of partial-thickness burn wounds. Additionally, standardizing a protocol for mouse burns in the laboratory for one strain may result in substantially different results in other strains. In our current study we describe the model development of a deep partial-thickness burn in C57BL/6 mice using hot water scalding as the source of thermal injury. As part of our model development we designed a template with specifications to allow for even contact of bare mouse skin (2×3 cm) with hot water while protecting the rest of the mouse. Burn depth was evaluated with H&E, Masson’s trichrome, and TUNEL staining. Final results were validated with pathology analysis. A water temperature of 54°C with a scalding time of 20 seconds produced consistent deep partial-thickness burns with available equipment described. Other than temperature and time, factors such as template materials and cooling steps after the burn could affect the uniformity of the burns. These findings are useful to burn research by providing some key parameters essential for researchers to simplify the development of their own mouse burn models. PMID:29755839

[Development of Terahertz Imaging Technology in the Assessment of Burn Injuries].

PubMed

Zhu, Xinjian; He, Xuan; Wang, Pin; Gao, Dandan; Qiu, Yan; He, Qinghua; Wu, Baoming

2016-02-01

Terahertz waves have unique properties and advantages, which makes it gain increasing attention and applications in the biomedical field. Burns is a common clinical trauma. Since the water-sensitive and non-destructive characteristics of terahertz, terahertz imaging techniques can be used to detect burns. So far, terahertz imaging technology in the assessment of burn injuries has been developed from ex vivo to in vivo, and high-resolution images can be obtained through the gauzes and plasters. In this paper, we mainly introduces the application of terahertz imaging technology and development in the assessment of burn injuries.

Measuring the impact of burn scarring on health-related quality of life: Development and preliminary content validation of the Brisbane Burn Scar Impact Profile (BBSIP) for children and adults.

PubMed

Tyack, Zephanie; Ziviani, Jenny; Kimble, Roy; Plaza, Anita; Jones, Amber; Cuttle, Leila; Simons, Megan

2015-11-01

No burn-scar specific, health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measure exists. This study aimed to develop a patient-reported, evaluative HRQOL measure to assess the impact of burn scarring in children and adults. Semi-structured interviews, content validation surveys, and cognitive interviews were used to develop and test content validity of a new measure - the Brisbane Burn Scar Impact Profile (BBSIP). Participants comprised Australian adults (n=23) and children (n=19) with burn scarring; caregivers of children with burn scarring (n=28); and international scar management experts (n=14). Items distinct from other burn scar measures emerged. Four versions of the BBSIP were developed; one for children aged 8-18 years, one for adults, one for caregivers (as proxies for children aged less than 8-years), and one for caregivers of children aged 8-18 years. Preliminary content validity of the BBSIP was supported. Final items covered physical and sensory symptoms; emotional reactions; impact on social functioning and daily activities; impact of treatment; and environmental factors. The BBSIP was developed to assess burn-scar specific HRQOL and will be available at http://www.coolburns.com.au under a creative commons license. Further testing is underway. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Current concepts on burn wound conversion – a review of recent advances in understanding the secondary progressions of burns

PubMed Central

Salibian, Ara A.; Del Rosario, Angelica Tan; De Almeida Moura Severo, Lucio; Nguyen, Long; Banyard, Derek A.; Toranto, Jason D.; Evans, Gregory R.D.; Widgerow, Alan D.

2016-01-01

Burn wound conversion describes the process by which superficial partial thickness burns convert into deeper burns necessitating surgical intervention. Fully understanding and thus controlling this phenomenon continues to defy burn surgeons. However, potentially guiding burn wound progression so as to obviate the need for surgery while still bringing about healing with limited scarring is the major unmet challenge. Comprehending the pathophysiologic background contributing to deeper progression of these burns is an essential prerequisite to planning any intervention. In this study, a review of articles examining burn wound progression over the last five years was conducted to analyze trends in recent burn progression research, determine changes in understanding of the pathogenesis of burn conversion, and subsequently examine the direction for future research in developing therapies. The majority of recent research focuses on applying therapies from other disease processes to common underlying pathogenic mechanisms in burn conversion. While ischemia, inflammation, and free oxygen radicals continue to demonstrate a critical role in secondary necrosis, novel mechanisms such as autophagy have also been shown to contribute affect significantly burn progression significantly. Further research will have to determine whether multiple mechanisms should be targeted when developing clinical therapies. PMID:26787127

[REVIEW OF 30 YEARS OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF AN ENZYMATIC DEBRIDEMENT AGENT FOR BURNS].

PubMed

Krieger, Yuval; Shoham, Yaron; Bogdanov-Berezovsky, Alexander; Silberstein, Eldad; Sagi, Amiram; Levy, Avraham; Rosenberg, Nir; Rubin, Guy; Egozi, Dana; Ullman, Yehuda; Haik, Josef; Rosenberg, Lior

2016-05-01

Early removal of burn eschar is a cornerstone of burn care. The most commonly practiced eschar removal technique for deep burns in modern burn care is surgical debridement but this technique is associated with surgical burden and leads to unnecessary excision of viable tissue. To review 30 years of research and development of an enzymatic debridement agent for burns. Studies performed during the last 30 years are reviewed in this manuscript. Patients who underwent enzymatic debridement had a significantly shorter time to complete debridement, the surgical burden was significantly lower, hand burns did not necessitate escharotomy, and the long term results were favorable. Early enzymatic debridement leads to an efficient debridement, preservation of viable tissue, a reduction in surgical burden and favorable long term results. We believe early enzymatic debridement will lead to better care for burn victims and perhaps, even to a paradigm shift in the treatment of burns.

Work-Related Burn Injuries Hospitalized in US Burn Centers: 2002 to 2011.

PubMed

Huang, Zhenna; Friedman, Lee S

2017-03-01

To develop a comprehensive definition to identify work-related burns in the National Burn Repository (NBR) based on multiple fields and describes injuries by occupation. The NBR, which is an inpatient dataset, was used to compare type and severity of burn injuries by occupation. Using the definition developed for this analysis, 22,969 burn injuries were identified as work-related. In contrast, the single work-related field intended to capture occupational injuries only captured 4696 cases. The highest numbers of burns were observed in construction/extraction, food preparation, and durable goods production occupations. Occupations with a mean total body surface area (TBSA) burned greater than 10% include transportation and material-moving, architecture and engineering, and arts/design/entertainment/sports/media occupations. The NBR dataset should be further utilized for occupational burn injury investigations and multiple fields should be considered for case ascertainment.

Sustained Subconjunctival Delivery of Infliximab Protects the Cornea and Retina Following Alkali Burn to the Eye.

PubMed

Zhou, Chengxin; Robert, Marie-Claude; Kapoulea, Vassiliki; Lei, Fengyang; Stagner, Anna M; Jakobiec, Frederick A; Dohlman, Claes H; Paschalis, Eleftherios I

2017-01-01

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α is upregulated in eyes following corneal alkali injury and contributes to corneal and also retinal damage. Prompt TNF-α inhibition by systemic infliximab ameliorates retinal damage and improves corneal wound healing. However, systemic administration of TNF-α inhibitors carries risk of significant complications, whereas topical eye-drop delivery is hindered by poor ocular bioavailability and the need for patient adherence. This study investigates the efficacy of subconjunctival delivery of TNF-α antibodies using a polymer-based drug delivery system (DDS). The drug delivery system was prepared using porous polydimethylsiloxane/polyvinyl alcohol composite fabrication and loaded with 85 μg of infliximab. Six Dutch-belted pigmented rabbits received ocular alkali burn with NaOH. Immediately after the burn, subconjunctival implantation of anti-TNF-α DDS was performed in three rabbits while another three received sham DDS (without antibody). Rabbits were followed with photography for 3 months. After 3 months, the device was found to be well tolerated by the host and the eyes exhibited less corneal damage as compared to eyes implanted with a sham DDS without drug. The low dose treatment suppressed CD45 and TNF-α expression in the burned cornea and inhibited retinal ganglion cell apoptosis and optic nerve degeneration, as compared to the sham DDS treated eyes. Immunolocalization revealed drug penetration in the conjunctiva, cornea, iris, and choroid, with residual infliximab in the DDS 3 months after implantation. This reduced-risk biologic DDS improves corneal wound healing and provides retinal neuroprotection, and may be applicable not only to alkali burns but also to other inflammatory surgical procedures such as penetrating keratoplasty and keratoprosthesis implantation.

Development and Implementation of an Innovative Burn Nursing Handbook for Quality Improvement

PubMed Central

Olszewski, Anna; Yanes, Amber; Stafford, Jessica; Greenhalgh, David G.; Palmieri, Tina L.; Sen, Soman; Tran, Nam

2015-01-01

Objective Evidence-based burn nursing literature is extremely limited and often non-existent. As a result, there is a lack of standardization in burn nursing care. Our objective is to evaluate burn nursing knowledge at an academic medical center and implement innovative educational tools to enhance staff competency and improve the quality of care. Methods A collaboration of practicing clinical nurses developed a 24-question knowledge assessment survey (“pre-survey”) to evaluate fundamental burn nursing knowledge (fluid management, burn pathophysiology, burn-related procedures, wound care, infection control). Pre-education knowledge surveys were administered to 59 burn nurses electronically. A writing team of new and experienced nurses was established and developed a 51-page handbook focusing on areas of need identified in the survey. This book was disseminated to staff as required reading. Post-educational surveys were sent to the same nurses who completed the initial survey. Results Forty-six nurses (46/59, 78.0%) completed the survey with a mean (SD) of 55.9 (11.0)% of questions being answered correctly. Post-surveys sent to the same 46 nurses who completed the pre-survey had a response rate of 78.3% (36/46). We observed a significant increase in correctly answered questions (mean [SD]: 69.6 (8.7)%, P<0.001) in the post-survey intervention. Conclusion The handbook improved education and significantly improved overall fundamental burn knowledge of practicing nursing staff. Use of electronic surveys to drive development of targeted educational interventions provides evidence-based tools for establishing burn nursing standards and developing quality improvement metrics. PMID:26284646

Organometallic photovoltaics: a new and versatile approach for harvesting solar energy using conjugated polymetallaynes.

PubMed

Wong, Wai-Yeung; Ho, Cheuk-Lam

2010-09-21

Energy remains one of the world's great challenges. Growing concerns about limited fossil fuel resources and the accumulation of CO(2) in the atmosphere from burning those fuels have stimulated tremendous academic and industrial interest. Researchers are focusing both on developing inexpensive renewable energy resources and on improving the technologies for energy conversion. Solar energy has the capacity to meet increasing global energy needs. Harvesting energy directly from sunlight using photovoltaic technology significantly reduces atmospheric emissions, avoiding the detrimental effects of these gases on the environment. Currently inorganic semiconductors dominate the solar cell production market, but these materials require high technology production and expensive materials, making electricity produced in this manner too costly to compete with conventional sources of electricity. Researchers have successfully fabricated efficient organic-based polymer solar cells (PSCs) as a lower cost alternative. Recently, metalated conjugated polymers have shown exceptional promise as donor materials in bulk-heterojunction solar cells and are emerging as viable alternatives to the all-organic congeners currently in use. Among these metalated conjugated polymers, soluble platinum(II)-containing poly(arylene ethynylene)s of variable bandgaps (∼1.4-3.0 eV) represent attractive candidates for a cost-effective, lightweight solar-energy conversion platform. This Account highlights and discusses the recent advances of this research frontier in organometallic photovoltaics. The emerging use of low-bandgap soluble platinum-acetylide polymers in PSCs offers a new and versatile strategy to capture sunlight for efficient solar power generation. Properties of these polyplatinynes--including their chemical structures, absorption coefficients, bandgaps, charge mobilities, accessibility of triplet excitons, molecular weights, and blend film morphologies--critically influence the device performance. Our group has developed a novel strategy that allows for tuning of the optical absorption and charge transport properties as well as the PSC efficiency of these metallopolyynes. The absorbance of these materials can also be tuned to traverse the near-visible and near-infrared spectral regions. Because of the diversity of transition metals available and chemical versatility of the central spacer unit, we anticipate that this class of materials could soon lead to exciting applications in next-generation PSCs and other electronic or photonic devices. Further research in this emerging field could spur new developments in the production of renewable energy.

Persistent optical hole-burning spectroscopy of nano-confined dye molecules in liquid at room temperature: Spectral narrowing due to a glassy state and extraordinary relaxation in a nano-cage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murakami, Hiroshi

2018-04-01

Persistent optical hole-burning spectroscopy has been conducted for a dye molecule within a very small (˜1 nm) reverse micelle at room temperature. The spectra show a spectral narrowing due to site-selective excitation. This definitely demonstrates that the surroundings of the dye molecule are in a glassy state regardless of a solution at room temperature. On the other hand, the hole-burning spectra exhibit large shifts from excitation frequencies, and their positions are almost independent of excitation frequencies. The hole-burning spectra have been theoretically calculated by taking account of a vibronic absorption band of the dye molecule under the assumption that the surroundings of the dye molecule are in a glassy state. The calculated results agree with the experimental ones that were obtained for the dye molecule in a polymer glass for comparison, where it has been found that the ratio of hole-burning efficiencies of vibronic- to electronic-band excitations is quite high. On the other hand, the theoretical results do not explain the large spectral shift from the excitation frequency and small spectral narrowing observed in the hole-burning spectra measured for the dye-containing reverse micelle. It is thought that the spectral shift and broadening occur within the measurement time owing to the relaxation process of the surroundings that are hot with the thermal energy deposited by the dye molecule optically excited. Furthermore, the relaxation should be temporary because the cooling of the inside of the reverse micelle takes place with the dissipation of the excess thermal energy to the outer oil solvent, and so the surroundings of the dye molecule return to the glassy state and do not attain the thermal equilibrium. These results suggest that a very small reverse micelle provides a unique reaction field in which the diffusional motion can be controlled by light in a glassy state.

Determination of burning area and port volume in complex burning regions of a solid rocket motor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kingsbury, J. A.

1977-01-01

An analysis of the geometry of the burning in both star-cylindrical port interface regions and regions of partially inhibited slots is presented. Some characteristics parameters are defined and illustrated. Methods are proposed for calculating burning areas which functionally depend only on the total distance burned. According to this method, several points are defined where abrupt changes in geometry occur, and these are tracked throughout the burn. Equations are developed for computing port perimeter and port area at pre-established longitudinal positions. Some common formulas and some newly developed formulas are then used to compute burning surface area and port volume. Some specific results are presented for the solid rocket motor committed to the space shuttle project.

[Lay emphasis on the treatment of massive burn casualties in conflagration].

PubMed

Tang, Hong-tai; Ma, Bing; Xia, Zhao-fan

2012-06-01

Burn surgery belongs to disaster medicine. Burn is a common trauma that occurs in social activities of human beings in all ages, either in the time of peace or war. During the development of human medicine in modern times, the summary of experience in treating massive burn casualties due to severe fire accidents has effectively promoted the renovation of treating technology and theory of burns and the development of burn surgery. The results of treatment of burn injury in casualties occurred in the fire of Cocoanut Grove night club in Boston in 1942, and the high-rise apartment house fire in Shanghai in 2010 were summarized and analyzed in this article, emphasizing the correlating issues of inhalation injury.

Progress in bacterial cellulose matrices for biotechnological applications.

PubMed

Cacicedo, Maximiliano L; Castro, M Cristina; Servetas, Ioannis; Bosnea, Loulouda; Boura, Konstantina; Tsafrakidou, Panagiota; Dima, Agapi; Terpou, Antonia; Koutinas, Athanasios; Castro, Guillermo R

2016-08-01

Bacterial cellulose (BC) is an extracellular polymer produced by many microorganisms. The Komagataeibacter genus is the best producer using semi-synthetic media and agricultural wastes. The main advantages of BC are the nanoporous structure, high water content and free hydroxyl groups. Modification of BC can be made by two strategies: in-situ, during the BC production, and ex-situ after BC purification. In bioprocesses, multilayer BC nanocomposites can contain biocatalysts designed to be suitable for outside to inside cell activities. These nanocomposites biocatalysts can (i) increase productivity in bioreactors and bioprocessing, (ii) provide cell activities does not possess without DNA cloning and (iii) provide novel nano-carriers for cell inside activity and bioprocessing. In nanomedicine, BC matrices containing therapeutic molecules can be used for pathologies like skin burns, and implantable therapeutic devices. In nanoelectronics, semiconductors BC-based using salts and synthetic polymers brings novel films showing excellent optical and photochemical properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

In view of standardization: comparison and analysis of initial management of severely burned patients in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

PubMed

Münzberg, Matthias; Ziegler, Benjamin; Fischer, Sebastian; Wölfl, Christoph Georg; Grützner, Paul Alfred; Kremer, Thomas; Kneser, Ulrich; Hirche, Christoph

2015-02-01

Initial treatment of severely injured patients in German speaking trauma centers follows precise sequences. Several guidelines and training courses ensure a constant quality in providing evidence-based treatment for these patients. Similar standards, algorithms and guidelines for the treatment of severely burned patients are lacking. This raises the question about the current standard of care for burn victims in German speaking burn centers. In order to achieve standardization, as a first step this study surveys principles of burn room organization and management in these burn centers. A questionnaire including 40 questions regarding burn room organization, personnel structure and qualification, infrastructural conditions and quality management was developed and sent to 21 level one burn centers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The rate of returned questionnaires was 81%. The analysis revealed varying personnel and infrastructural conditions in participating burn centers. Indications for admission to the burn room and admission procedures itself are different throughout surveyed hospitals. Individual standard operating procedure (SOP) for burn trauma admissions was available in most burn centers and nearly all participants register their burn trauma cases using an in-house burn register. The survey suggests a lack of standardization in personnel structure, infrastructure and treatment approach for the initial clinical care of severely burned patients in burn centers across the German speaking countries. Further evaluation of existing protocols and international standards in burn care is inevitable to develop standardized guidelines for burn care and to improve quality of care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Development a minimum data set of the information management system for burns.

PubMed

Ahmadi, Maryam; Alipour, Jahanpour; Mohammadi, Ali; Khorami, Farid

2015-08-01

Burns are the most common and destructive injuries in across of the world and especially in developing countries. Nevertheless, a standard tool for collecting the data of burn injury has not been developed yet. The purpose of this study was to develop a minimum data set (MDS) of the information management system for burns in Iran. This descriptive and cross-sectional study was performed in 2014. Data were collected from hospitals affiliated with Hormozgan and Iran University of Medical Sciences and medical documents centers, emergency centers and legal medicine centers located in Bandar Abbas city, in addition to internet access and library. Investigated documents were burn injury records in 2013, and documents that retrieved from the internet, and printed materials. Records were selected randomly based on T20-T29 categories from ICD-10. Data were collected using a checklist. In order to make a consensus about the data elements the decision Delphi technique was applied using a questionnaire. The content validity and reliability of questionnaire were assessed by expert's opinions and test-retest method, respectively. An MDS of burns was developed. This MDS divided into two categories: administrative and clinical with six and 17 section and 161 and 311 data elements respectively. This study showed that comprehensive and uniform data elements about burns do not exist in Iran. Therefore a MDS was developed for burns in Iran. Development of an MDS will result in standardization and effective management of the data through providing uniform and comprehensive data elements for burns. Thus, comparability of the extracted information from different analyses and researches will be possible in various levels. In addition, establishment of policies and prevention and control of burns will be possible, which results in the improvement of the quality of care and containment of costs. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Chapter 2 evolution of burn management in the u.s. Military: impact on nursing.

PubMed

Schmidt, Patricia; Mann-Salinas, Elizabeth A

2014-01-01

As the only burn center in the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research is the primary location for care of service members with burn injuries. The combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade have caused an increase in burn patients. As a result of this increased need, advancements in care were developed. The speed and precision of transporting patients from the battlefield to the burn center has improved over previous conflicts. Technological advancements to support treating complications of burn wound healing were leveraged and are now integrated into daily practice. Clinical decision support systems were developed and deployed at the burn center as well as to combat support hospitals in combat zones. Technology advancements in rehabilitation have allowed more service members to return to active duty or live productive civilian lives. All of these advancements were developed in a patient-centered, interdisciplinary environment where the nurses are integrated throughout the research process and clinical practice with the end goal of healing combat burns in mind.

Development and evaluation of a novel smart device-based application for burn assessment and management.

PubMed

Godwin, Zachary; Tan, James; Bockhold, Jennifer; Ma, Jason; Tran, Nam K

2015-06-01

We have developed a novel software application that provides a simple and interactive Lund-Browder diagram for automatic calculation of total body surface area (TBSA) burned, fluid formula recommendations, and serial wound photography on a smart device platform. The software was developed for the iPad (Apple, Cupertino, CA) smart device platforms. Ten burns ranging from 5 to 95% TBSA were computer generated on a patient care simulator using Adobe Photoshop CS6 (Adobe, San Jose, CA). Burn clinicians calculated the TBSA first using a paper-based Lund-Browder diagram. Following a one-week "washout period", the same clinicians calculated TBSA using the smart device application. Simulated burns were presented in a random fashion and clinicians were timed. Percent TBSA burned calculated by Peregrine vs. the paper-based Lund-Browder were similar (29.53 [25.57] vs. 28.99 [25.01], p=0.22, n=7). On average, Peregrine allowed users to calculate burn size significantly faster than the paper form (58.18 [31.46] vs. 90.22 [60.60]s, p<0.001, n=7). The smart device application also provided 5 megapixel photography capabilities, and acute burn resuscitation fluid calculator. We developed an innovative smart device application that enables accurate and rapid burn size assessment to be cost-effective and widely accessible. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Disaster planning: the basics of creating a burn mass casualty disaster plan for a burn center.

PubMed

Kearns, Randy D; Conlon, Kathe M; Valenta, Andrea L; Lord, Graydon C; Cairns, Charles B; Holmes, James H; Johnson, Daryhl D; Matherly, Annette F; Sawyer, Dalton; Skarote, Mary Beth; Siler, Sean M; Helminiak, Radm Clare; Cairns, Bruce A

2014-01-01

In 2005, the American Burn Association published burn disaster guidelines. This work recognized that local and state assets are the most important resources in the initial 24- to 48-hour management of a burn disaster. Historical experiences suggest there is ample opportunity to improve local and state preparedness for a major burn disaster. This review will focus on the basics of developing a burn surge disaster plan for a mass casualty event. In the event of a disaster, burn centers must recognize their place in the context of local and state disaster plan activation. Planning for a burn center takes on three forms; institutional/intrafacility, interfacility/intrastate, and interstate/regional. Priorities for a burn disaster plan include: coordination, communication, triage, plan activation (trigger point), surge, and regional capacity. Capacity and capability of the plan should be modeled and exercised to determine limitations and identify breaking points. When there is more than one burn center in a given state or jurisdiction, close coordination and communication between the burn centers are essential for a successful response. Burn surge mass casualty planning at the facility and specialty planning levels, including a state burn surge disaster plan, must have interface points with governmental plans. Local, state, and federal governmental agencies have key roles and responsibilities in a burn mass casualty disaster. This work will include a framework and critical concepts any burn disaster planning effort should consider when developing future plans.

Current concepts on burn wound conversion-A review of recent advances in understanding the secondary progressions of burns.

PubMed

Salibian, Ara A; Rosario, Angelica Tan Del; Severo, Lucio De Almeida Moura; Nguyen, Long; Banyard, Derek A; Toranto, Jason D; Evans, Gregory R D; Widgerow, Alan D

2016-08-01

Burn wound conversion describes the process by which superficial partial thickness burns convert into deeper burns necessitating surgical intervention. Fully understanding and thus controlling this phenomenon continues to defy burn surgeons. However, potentially guiding burn wound progression so as to obviate the need for surgery while still bringing about healing with limited scarring is the major unmet challenge. Comprehending the pathophysiologic background contributing to deeper progression of these burns is an essential prerequisite to planning any intervention. In this study, a review of articles examining burn wound progression over the last five years was conducted to analyze trends in recent burn progression research, determine changes in understanding of the pathogenesis of burn conversion, and subsequently examine the direction for future research in developing therapies. The majority of recent research focuses on applying therapies from other disease processes to common underlying pathogenic mechanisms in burn conversion. While ischemia, inflammation, and free oxygen radicals continue to demonstrate a critical role in secondary necrosis, novel mechanisms such as autophagy have also been shown to contribute affect significantly burn progression significantly. Further research will have to determine whether multiple mechanisms should be targeted when developing clinical therapies. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

NASA Lewis Research Center lean-, rich-burn materials test burner rig

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stearns, C. A.; Robinson, R. C.

1994-01-01

The lean-, rich-burn materials test burner rig at NASA LeRC is used to evaluate the high temperature environmental durability of aerospace materials. The rig burns jet fuel and pressurized air, and sample materials can be subjected to both lean-burn and rich-burn environments. As part of NASA's Enabling Propulsion Materials (EPM) program, an existing rig was adapted to simulate the rich-burn quick-quench lean-burn (RQL) combustor concept which is being considered for the HSCT (high speed civil transport) aircraft. RQL materials requirements exceed that of current superalloys, thus ceramic matrix composites (CMC's) emerged as the leading candidate materials. The performance of these materials in the quasi reducing environment of the rich-burn section of the RQL is of fundamental importance to materials development. This rig was developed to conduct such studies, and its operation and capabilities are described.

Development and validation of an in vitro pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic model to test the antibacterial efficacy of antibiotic polymer conjugates.

PubMed

Azzopardi, Ernest A; Ferguson, Elaine L; Thomas, David W

2015-04-01

This study describes the use of a novel, two-compartment, static dialysis bag model to study the release, diffusion, and antibacterial activity of a novel, bioresponsive dextrin-colistin polymer conjugate against multidrug resistant (MDR) wild-type Acinetobacter baumannii. In this model, colistin sulfate, at its MIC, produced a rapid and extensive drop in viable bacterial counts (<2 log10 CFU/ml at 4 h); however, a marked recovery was observed thereafter, with regrowth equivalent to that of control by 48 h. In contrast, dextrin-colistin conjugate, at its MIC, suppressed bacterial growth for up to 48 h, with 3 log10 CFU/ml lower bacterial counts after 48 h than those of controls. Doubling the concentration of dextrin-colistin conjugate (to 2× MIC) led to an initial bacterial killing of 3 log10 CFU/ml at 8 h, with a similar regrowth profile to 1× MIC treatment thereafter. The addition of colistin sulfate (1× MIC) to dextrin-colistin conjugate (1× MIC) resulted in undetectable bacterial counts after 4 h, followed by suppressed bacterial growth (3.5 log10 CFU/ml lower than that of control at 48 h). Incubation of dextrin-colistin conjugates with infected wound exudate from a series of burn patients (n = 6) revealed an increasing concentration of unmasked colistin in the outer compartment (OC) over time (up to 86.3% of the initial dose at 48 h), confirming that colistin would be liberated from the conjugate by endogenous α-amylase within the wound environment. These studies confirm the utility of this model system to simulate the pharmacokinetics of colistin formation in humans administered dextrin-colistin conjugates and further supports the development of antibiotic polymer conjugates in the treatment of MDR infections. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

The progress of Chinese burn medicine from the Third Military Medical University-in memory of its pioneer, Professor Li Ao.

PubMed

Li, Haisheng; Zhou, Junyi; Peng, Yizhi; Zhang, Jiaping; Peng, Xi; Luo, Qizhi; Yuan, Zhiqiang; Yan, Hong; Peng, Daizhi; He, Weifeng; Wang, Fengjun; Liang, Guangping; Huang, Yuesheng; Wu, Jun; Luo, Gaoxing

2017-01-01

Professor Li Ao was one of the founders of Chinese burn medicine and one of the most renowned doctors and researchers of burns in China. He established one of the Chinese earliest special departments for burns at Third Military Medical University (TMMU) in 1958. To memorialize Professor Li Ao on his 100th birthday in 2017 and introduce our extensive experience, it is our honor to briefly review the development and achievement of the Chinese burn medicine from TMMU. The epidemiology and outcomes of admitted burn patients since 1958 were reviewed. Furthermore, main achievements of basic and clinical research for the past roughly 60 years were presented. These achievements mainly included the Chinese Rule of Nine, fluid resuscitation protocol, experience in inhalation injury, wound treatment strategies, prevention and treatment of burn infections, nutrition therapy, organ support therapies, and rehabilitation. The progress shaped and enriched modern Chinese burn medicine and promoted the development of world burn medicine.

Development of an integrative algorithm for the treatment of various stages of full-thickness burns of the first commissure of the hand.

PubMed

Yuste, Valentin; Delgado, Julio; Agullo, Alberto; Sampietro, Jose Mauel

2017-06-01

Burns of the first commissure of the hand can evolve into an adduction contracture of the thumb. We decided to conduct a review of the existing literature on the treatment of full-thickness burns of the first commissure in order to develop a treatment algorithm that integrates the various currently available procedures. A search of the existing literature was conducted, focusing on the treatment of a burn of the first commissure in its chronic and acute phases. A total of 29 relevant articles were selected; 24 focused exclusively on the chronic contracture stage, while 3 focused exclusively on the acute burn stage, and 2 articles studied both stages. A therapeutic algorithm for full-thickness burns of the first commissure of the hand was developed. With this algorithm we sought to relate each degree and stage of the burn with a treatment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Initial fuel temperature effects on burning rate of pool fire.

PubMed

Chen, Bing; Lu, Shou-Xiang; Li, Chang-Hai; Kang, Quan-Sheng; Lecoustre, Vivien

2011-04-15

The influence of the initial fuel temperature on the burning behavior of n-heptane pool fire was experimentally studied at the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science (SKLFS) large test hall. Circular pool fires with diameters of 100mm, 141 mm, and 200 mm were considered with initial fuel temperatures ranging from 290 K to 363 K. Burning rate and temperature distributions in fuel and vessel wall were recorded during the combustion. The burning rate exhibited five typical stages: initial development, steady burning, transition, bulk boiling burning, and decay. The burning rate during the steady burning stage was observed to be relatively independent of the initial fuel temperature. In contrast, the burning rate of the bulk boiling burning stage increases with increased initial fuel temperature. It was also observed that increased initial fuel temperature decreases the duration of steady burning stage. When the initial temperature approaches the boiling point, the steady burning stage nearly disappears and the burning rate moves directly from the initial development stage to the transition stage. The fuel surface temperature increases to its boiling point at the steady burning stage, shortly after ignition, and the bulk liquid reaches boiling temperature at the bulk boiling burning stage. No distinguished cold zone is formed in the fuel bed. However, boiling zone is observed and the thickness increases to its maximum value when the bulk boiling phenomena occurs. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Developing Nations’ Municipal Waste Composition on PCDD/PCDF Emissions from Open Burning

EPA Science Inventory

Open burning tests of municipal waste from two developing nations, Mexico and China, showed composition-related differences in emissions of polychlorinated dibenzodioxin and dibenzofuran (PCDD/PCDF). 26 burn tests were conducted, comparing results from two laboratory combustion ...

Technologies and Concepts for Reducing the Fuel Burn of Subsonic Transport Aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Nickol, Craig L.

2012-01-01

There are many technologies under development that have the potential to enable large fuel burn reductions in the 2025 timeframe for subsonic transport aircraft relative to the current fleet. This paper identifies a potential technology suite and analyzes the fuel burn reduction potential of these technologies when integrated into advanced subsonic transport concepts. Advanced tube-and-wing concepts are developed in the single aisle and large twin aisle class, and a hybrid-wing-body concept is developed for the large twin aisle class. The resulting fuel burn reductions for the advanced tube-and-wing concepts range from a 42% reduction relative to the 777-200 to a 44% reduction relative to the 737-800. In addition, the hybrid-wingbody design resulted in a 47% fuel burn reduction relative to the 777-200. Of course, to achieve these fuel burn reduction levels, a significant amount of technology and concept maturation is required between now and 2025. A methodology for capturing and tracking concept maturity is also developed and presented in this paper.

Characteristics of organic matter in PM2.5 from an e-waste dismantling area in Taizhou, China.

PubMed

Gu, Zeping; Feng, Jialiang; Han, Wenliang; Wu, Minghong; Fu, Jiamo; Sheng, Guoying

2010-08-01

Solvent extractable organic compounds in PM(2.5) samples collected in Taizhou, a city famous for its electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) recycling industry in Zhejiang province of China, were analyzed to identify the main emission sources based on molecular markers. Two types of plastics which were most frequently contained in the e-wastes, wires/cables and plastic blocks, were burned in the lab and the particles emitted analyzed. The concentrations of PAHs and phthalate esters at the e-waste dismantling area during our sampling periods were about two times of that at the reference urban site, indicating the high pollution level there. The high concentrations of quaterphenyl found at the dismantling area indicated that burning of plastics or polymers was an important emission source of the PAHs in the fine particles. The diagnostic analysis based on the compositions of alkanes, hopanes and other molecular markers showed that engine exhaust, biomass burning and kitchen emissions were also important emission sources at the e-waste dismantling area. Our results suggested that more effort should be paid to control the correlative emission sources such as transportation and kitchen to achieve better air quality at the e-waste dismantling area besides regulating the recycling activities. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Economic Spillovers From Public Investments in Medical Countermeasures: A Case Study of a Burn Debridement Product.

PubMed

Farahati, Farah; Nystrom, Scott; Howell, David R; Jaffe, Richard

2017-12-01

The US federal government invests in the development of medical countermeasures for addressing adverse health effects to the civilian population from chemical, biological, and radiological or nuclear threats. We model the potential economic spillover effects in day-to-day burn care for a federal investment in a burn debridement product for responding to an improvised nuclear device. We identify and assess 4 primary components for projecting the potential economic spillover benefits of a burn debridement product: (1) market size, (2) clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness, (3) product cost, and (4) market adoption rates. Primary data sources were the American Burn Association's 2015 National Burn Repository Annual Report of Data and published clinical studies used to gain European approval for the burn debridement product. The study results showed that if approved for use in the United States, the burn debridement product has potential economic spillover benefits exceeding the federal government's initial investment of $24 million a few years after introduction into the burn care market. Economic spillover analyses can help to inform the prioritizing of scarce resources for research and development of medical countermeasures by the federal government. Future federal medical countermeasure research and development investments could incorporate economic spillover analysis to assess investment options. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2017;11:711-719).

Optimization of High Porosity Thermal Barrier Coatings Generated with a Porosity Former

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Medřický, Jan; Curry, Nicholas; Pala, Zdenek; Vilemova, Monika; Chraska, Tomas; Johansson, Jimmy; Markocsan, Nicolaie

2015-04-01

Yttria-stabilized zirconia thermal barrier coatings are extensively used in turbine industry; however, increasing performance requirements have begun to make conventional air plasma sprayed coatings insufficient for future needs. Since the thermal conductivity of bulk material cannot be lowered easily; the design of highly porous coatings may be the most efficient way to achieve coatings with low thermal conductivity. Thus the approach of fabrication of coatings with a high porosity level based on plasma spraying of ceramic particles of dysprosia-stabilized zirconia mixed with polymer particles, has been tested. Both polymer and ceramic particles melt in plasma and after impact onto a substrate they form a coating. When the coating is subjected to heat treatment, polymer burns out and a complex structure of pores and cracks is formed. In order to obtain desired porosity level and microstructural features in coatings; a design of experiments, based on changes in spray distance, powder feeding rate, and plasma-forming atmosphere, was performed. Acquired coatings were evaluated for thermal conductivity and thermo-cyclic fatigue, and their morphology was assessed using scanning electron microscopy. It was shown that porosity level can be controlled by appropriate changes in spraying parameters.

A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grady, Joseph E.

2015-01-01

The Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine project, funded by NASA Aeronautics Research Institute, represents the first comprehensive evaluation of emerging materials and manufacturing technologies that will enable fully nonmetallic gas turbine engines. This will be achieved by assessing the feasibility of using additive manufacturing technologies to fabricate polymer matrix composite and ceramic matrix composite turbine engine components. The benefits include: 50 weight reduction compared to metallic parts, reduced manufacturing costs, reduced part count and rapid design iterations. Two high payoff metallic components have been identified for replacement with PMCs and will be fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) with high temperature polymer filaments. The CMC effort uses a binder jet process to fabricate silicon carbide test coupons and demonstration articles. Microstructural analysis and mechanical testing will be conducted on the PMC and CMC materials. System studies will assess the benefits of fully nonmetallic gas turbine engine in terms of fuel burn, emissions, reduction of part count, and cost. The research project includes a multidisciplinary, multiorganization NASA - industry team that includes experts in ceramic materials and CMCs, polymers and PMCs, structural engineering, additive manufacturing, engine design and analysis, and system analysis.

The Burn Medical Assistant: Developing Machine Learning Algorithms to Aid in the Estimation of Burn Wound Size

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

hypothesis that a computer machine learning algorithm can analyze and classify burn injures using multispectral imaging within 5% of an expert clinician...morbidity. In response to these challenges, the USAISR developed and obtained FDA 510(k) clearance of the Burn Navigator™, a computer decision support... computer decision support software (CDSS), can significantly change the CDSS algorithm’s recommendations and thus the total fluid administered to a

The effect of electron-beam irradiation and halogen-free flame retardants on properties of poly butylene terephthalate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hooshangi, Zhila; Feghhi, Seyed Amir Hossein; Sheikh, Nasrin

2015-03-01

Engineering plastics like Poly (butylene terephthalate) due to their desirable properties have various industrial applications. Neat PBT is highly combustible, so it is necessary to improve significantly its fire retardancy to meet the fire safety requirements. The combustion performance of PBT can be improved by addition of appropriate flame retardant additives. In this study we have investigated the effect of halogen free flame retardants, i.e. melamine and aluminum phosphate, and instantaneously electron beam radiation-induced crosslinking in the presence of Triallyl cyanurate on various properties of PBT. The results of gel content showed that a dose range of 200-400 kGy leads to high cross linked structure in this polymer. Also mechanical experiments showed that its structure became rigid and fragile due to irradiation. Radiation crosslinking of this polymer made its dielectric loss coefficient ten times lower than non-irradiated polymer, but had no effect on its dielectric constant. Moreover the addition of the fire retardant additives as impurity decreased the dielectric loss coefficient. TGA analysis in nitrogen exhibited that irradiation increases char formation and use of the fire retardant additives leads to reduction of onset temperature and formation of higher char quantity than pure PBT. According to the results of UL-94, irradiated samples burned with lower speed and less dripping in vertical and horizontal positions than pure polymer. Finally irradiation of the polymers containing fire retardant additives with a dose of 400 kGy led to self-extinguishing and non-dripping and reach to V-0 level in the UL-94 V.

Development of Erosive Burning Models for CFD Predictions of Solid Rocket Motor Internal Environments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Qun-Zhen

2003-01-01

Four erosive burning models, equations (11) to (14). are developed in this work by using a power law relationship to correlate (1) the erosive burning ratio and the local velocity gradient at propellant surfaces; (2) the erosive burning ratio and the velocity gradient divided by centerline velocity; (3) the erosive burning difference and the local velocity gradient at propellant surfaces; and (4) the erosive burning difference and the velocity gradient divided by centerline velocity. These models depend on the local velocity gradient at the propellant surface (or the velocity gradient divided by centerline velocity) only and, unlike other empirical models, are independent of the motor size. It was argued that, since the erosive burning is a local phenomenon occurring near the surface of the solid propellant, the erosive burning ratio should be independent of the bore diameter if it is correlated with some local flow parameters such as the velocity gradient at the propellant surface. This seems to be true considering the good results obtained by applying these models, which are developed from the small size 5 inch CP tandem motor testing, to CFD simulations of much bigger motors.

Incidence and cost of non-fatal burns in Iran: a nationwide population-based study.

PubMed

Abouie, Abolfazl; Salamati, Payman; Hafezi-Nejad, Nima; Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin; Saadat, Soheil; Amin-Esmaeili, Masoumeh; Sharifi, Vandad; Hajebi, Ahmad; Rahimi-Movaghar, Vafa

2018-03-01

To determine the incidence and cost of non-fatal burns in Iran; this cross-sectional household survey of a nationally representative sample of 15-64 years old was conducted. Through face-to-face interviews and telephone calls, the data on the demographics, history and cost of burns were collected. The annual incidence rate of burns was estimated 129.85 per 1000 population. Burns occurred higher in younger age, female gender and urban residency. The most common burn description was as follows: unpaid work (activity during burn), home (place of burn), heat and hot substances (mechanism of burn) and upper limb (site of burn). The average total cost of burn includes victims seeking medical care was US$124 per case. The main findings of this study suggest that burns are a major public health concern in Iran. To stop this important health issue, a national program for burn prevention and education must be developed.

Perceived social support among patients with burn injuries: A perspective from the developing world.

PubMed

Waqas, Ahmed; Turk, Marvee; Naveed, Sadiq; Amin, Atif; Kiwanuka, Harriet; Shafique, Neha; Chaudhry, Muhammad Ashraf

2018-02-01

Social support is among the most well-established predictors of post-burn psychopathology after burn. Despite a disproportionately large burden of burns in the developing world, the nature of social support among burn patients in this context remains elusive. We, therefore, seek to investigate social support and its biopsychosocial determinants among patients with burn injuries in Pakistan. A cross-sectional study of 343 patients presenting with burn injuries at four teaching hospitals in the Punjab province of Pakistan was conducted. Patient evaluation consisted of a multi-part survey of demographic status, clinical features, and social support as measured by the validated Urdu translation of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Multiple regression analysis was performed to evaluate associations between patient characteristics and MSPSS score. Mean overall MSPSS score was 57.64 (std dev 13.57). Notable positive predictors of social support include male gender, Punjabi ethnicity, burn surface area, and ego resiliency. Our study reveals a troubling pattern of inadequate social support among certain subgroups of Pakistani burn patients. Addressing these inequities in the provision of social support must be prioritized as part of the global burn care agenda. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

New Biofunctional Loading of Natural Antimicrobial Agent in Biodegradable Polymeric Films for Biomedical Applications

PubMed Central

Ghafoor, Bakhtawar; Ansari, Umar; Bhatti, Muhammad Faraz; Akhtar, Hafsah; Darakhshan, Fatima

2016-01-01

The study focuses on the development of novel Aloe vera based polymeric composite films and antimicrobial suture coatings. Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), a synthetic biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, was combined with Aloe vera, a natural herb used for soothing burning effects and cosmetic purposes. The properties of these two materials were combined together to get additional benefits such as wound healing and prevention of surgical site infections. PVA and Aloe vera were mixed in a fixed quantity to produce polymer based films. The films were screened for antibacterial and antifungal activity against bacterial (E. coli, P. aeruginosa) and fungal strains (Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus tubingensis) screened. Aloe vera based PVA films showed antimicrobial activity against all the strains; the lowest Aloe vera concentration (5%) showed the highest activity against all the strains. In vitro degradation and release profile of these films was also evaluated. The coating for sutures was prepared, in vitro antibacterial tests of these coated sutures were carried out, and later on in vivo studies of these coated sutures were also performed. The results showed that sutures coated with Aloe vera/PVA coating solution have antibacterial effects and thus have the potential to be used in the prevention of surgical site infections and Aloe vera/PVA based films have the potential to be used for wound healing purposes. PMID:27965710

Cytokine expression profile over time in burned mice.

PubMed

Finnerty, Celeste C; Przkora, Rene; Herndon, David N; Jeschke, Marc G

2009-01-01

The persistent inflammatory response induced by a severe burn increases patient susceptibility to infections and sepsis, potentially leading to multi-organ failure and death. In order to use murine models to develop interventions that modulate the post-burn inflammatory response, the response in mice and the similarities to the human response must first be determined. Here, we present the temporal serum cytokine expression profiles in burned mice in comparison to sham mice and human burn patients. Male C57BL/6 mice were randomized to control (n=47) or subjected to a 35% TBSA scald burn (n=89). Mice were sacrificed 3, 6, 9, 12, 24, and 48 h and 7, 10, and 14 days post-burn; cytokines were measured by multi-plex array. Following the burn injury, IL-6, IL-1beta, KC, G-CSF, TNF, IL-17, MIP-1alpha, RANTES, and GM-CSF were increased, p<0.05. IL-2, IL-3, and IL-5 were decreased, p<0.05. IL-10, IFN-gamma, and IL-12p70 were expressed in a biphasic manner, p<0.05. This temporal cytokine expression pattern elucidates the pathogenesis of the inflammatory response in burned mice. Expression of 11 cytokines were similar in mice and children, returning to lowest levels by post-burn day 14, confirming the utility of the burned mouse model for development of therapeutic interventions to attenuate the post-burn inflammatory response.

Development of strand burner for solid propellant burning rate studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Aziz, A.; Mamat, R.; Ali, W. K. Wan

2013-12-01

It is well-known that a strand burner is an apparatus that provides burning rate measurements of a solid propellant at an elevated pressure in order to obtain the burning characteristics of a propellant. This paper describes the facilities developed by author that was used in his studies. The burning rate characteristics of solid propellant have be evaluated over five different chamber pressures ranging from 1 atm to 31 atm using a strand burner. The strand burner has a mounting stand that allows the propellant strand to be mounted vertically. The strand was ignited electrically using hot wire, and the burning time was recorded by electronic timer. Wire technique was used to measure the burning rate. Preliminary results from these techniques are presented. This study shows that the strand burner can be used on propellant strands to obtain accurate low pressure burning rate data.

An assessment of biofuel use and burning of agricultural waste in the developing world

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yevich, Rosemarie; Logan, Jennifer A.

2003-12-01

We present an assessment of biofuel use and agricultural field burning in the developing world. We used information from government statistics, energy assessments from the World Bank, and many technical reports, as well as from discussions with experts in agronomy, forestry, and agro-industries. We estimate that 2060 Tg biomass fuel was used in the developing world in 1985; of this, 66% was burned in Asia, and 21% and 13% in Africa and Latin America, respectively. Agricultural waste supplies about 33% of total biofuel use, providing 39%, 29%, and 13% of biofuel use in Asia, Latin America, and Africa, and 41% and 51% of the biofuel use in India and China. We find that 400 Tg of crop residues are burned in the fields, with the fraction of available residue burned in 1985 ranging from 1% in China, 16-30% in the Middle East and India, to about 70% in Indonesia; in Africa about 1% residue is burned in the fields of the northern drylands, but up to 50% in the humid tropics. We distributed this biomass burning on a spatial grid with resolution of 1° × 1°, and applied emission factors to the amount of dry matter burned to give maps of trace gas emissions in the developing world. The emissions of CO from biofuel use in the developing world, 156 Tg, are about 50% of the estimated global CO emissions from fossil fuel use and industry. The emission of 0.9 Pg C (as CO2) from burning of biofuels and field residues together is small, but nonnegligible when compared with the emissions of CO2 from fossil fuel use and industry, 5.3 Pg C. The biomass burning source of 10 Tg/yr for CH4 and 2.2 Tg N/yr of NOx are relatively small when compared with total CH4 and NOx sources; this source of NOx may be important on a regional basis.

The Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) in mechanically ventilated burn patients: An analysis of risk factors, clinical features, and outcomes using the Berlin ARDS definition.

PubMed

Cartotto, Robert; Li, Zeyu; Hanna, Steven; Spano, Stefania; Wood, Donna; Chung, Karen; Camacho, Fernando

2016-11-01

The Berlin definition of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) has been applied to military burns resulting from combat-related trauma, but has not been widely studied among civilian burns. This study's purpose was to use the Berlin definition to determine the incidence of ARDS, and its associated respiratory morbidity, and mortality among civilian burn patients. Retrospective study of burn patients mechanically ventilated for ≥48h at an American Burn Association-verified burn center. The Berlin criteria identified patients with mild, moderate, and severe ARDS. Logistic regression was used to identify variables predictive of moderate to severe ARDS, and mortality. The outcome measures of interest were duration of mechanical ventilation and in-hospital mortality. Values are shown as the median (Q1-Q3). We included 162 subjects [24% female, age 48 (35-60), % total body surface area (TBSA) burn 28 (19-40), % body surface area (BSA) full thickness (FT) burn 13 (0-30), and 62% with inhalation injury]. The incidence of ARDS was 43%. Patients with ARDS had larger %TBSA burns [30.5 (23.1-47.0) vs. 24.8 (17.1-35), p=0.007], larger FT burns [20.5(5.4-35.5) vs. 7 (0-22.1), p=0.001], but had no significant difference in the incidence of inhalation injury (p=0.216), compared to those without ARDS. The % FT burn predicted the development of moderate to severe ARDS [OR 1.034, 95%CI (1.013-1.055), p=0.001]. ARDS developed in the 1st week after burn in 86% of cases. Worsening severity of ARDS was associated with increased days of mechanical ventilation in survivors (p=0.001), a reduction in ventilator-free days/1st 30 days in all subjects (p=0.004), and a strong indication of increased mortality (0% in mild ARDS vs. 50% in severe ARDS, unadjusted p=0.02). Neither moderate ARDS nor severe ARDS were significant predictors of death. ARDS is common among mechanically ventilated civilian burn patients, and develops early after burn. The extent of full thickness burn predicted development of moderate to severe ARDS. Increasing severity of ARDS based upon the Berlin definition was associated with a significantly greater duration of mechanical ventilation and a trend toward higher mortality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

[Advances in the research of application of artificial intelligence in burn field].

PubMed

Li, H H; Bao, Z X; Liu, X B; Zhu, S H

2018-04-20

Artificial intelligence has been able to automatically learn and judge large-scale data to some extent. Based on database of a large amount of burn data and in-depth learning, artificial intelligence can assist burn surgeons to evaluate burn surface, diagnose burn depth, guide fluid supply during shock stage, and predict prognosis, with high accuracy. With the development of technology, artificial intelligence can provide more accurate information for burn surgeons to make clinical diagnosis and treatment strategies.

Development of a Conceptual Framework to Measure the Social Impact of Burns.

PubMed

Marino, Molly; Soley-Bori, Marina; Jette, Alan M; Slavin, Mary D; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Resnik, Linda; Acton, Amy; Amaya, Flor; Rossi, Melinda; Soria-Saucedo, Rene; Kazis, Lewis E

Measuring community reintegration following burn injury is important to assess the efficacy of therapies designed to optimize recovery. This project aims to develop and validate a conceptual framework for understanding the social impact of burn injuries in adults. The framework is critical for developing the item banks used for a computerized adaptive test. We performed a comprehensive literature review and consulted with clinical experts and burn survivors about social life areas impacted by burn injury. Focus groups with burn survivors and clinicians were conducted to inform and validate the framework. Transcripts were coded using grounded theory methodology. The World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health, was chosen to ground the content model. The primary construct identified was social participation, which contains two concepts: societal role and personal relationships. The subdomains chosen for item development were work, recreation and leisure, relating with strangers, and romantic, sexual, family, and informal relationships. Qualitative results strongly suggest that the conceptual model fits the constructs for societal role and personal relationships with the respective subdomains. This conceptual framework has guided the implementation of a large-scale calibration study currently underway which will lead to a computerized adaptive test for monitoring the social impacts of burn injuries during recovery.

The effect of pre-existing malnutrition on pediatric burn mortality in a sub-Saharan African burn unit.

PubMed

Grudziak, Joanna; Snock, Carolyn; Mjuweni, Stephen; Gallaher, Jared; Cairns, Bruce; Charles, Anthony

2017-11-01

Nutritional status predicts burn outcomes in the developed world, but its effect on burn mortality in the developing world has not been widely studied. In sub Saharan Africa, burn is primarily a disease of children, and the majority of children in sub-Saharan Africa are malnourished. We therefore sought to determine the prevalence and effect of malnutrition on burn mortality at our institution. This is a retrospective review of children aged 0-5, with anthropomorphic measurements available, who were admitted to our burn unit from July 2011 to May 2016. Age-adjusted Z scores were calculated for height, weight, weight for height, and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC). Following bivariate analysis, we used logistic regression to construct a fully adjusted model of predictors of mortality. Of the 1357 admitted patients, 839 (61.2%) were aged 0-5. Of those, 512 (62.9%) had one or more anthropomorphic measurements available, and were included in the analysis. 54% were male, and the median age was 28 months. The median TBSA was 15%, with a majority of burns caused by scalds (77%). Mortality was 16%. Average Z-score for any of the indicators of malnutrition was -1.45±1.66. TBSA (OR: 1.08, 95% CI: 1.06, 1.11), decreasing Z-score (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 1.00, 1.41), and flame burn (OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.40, 4.49) were associated with an increase in mortality. Preexisting malnutrition in burn patients in sub-Saharan Africa increases odds of mortality after controlling for significant covariates. Survival of burn patients in this region will not reach that of the developed world until a strategy of aggressive nutritional support is implemented in this population. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

The design and evaluation of a system for improved surveillance and prevention programmes in resource-limited settings using a hospital-based burn injury questionnaire.

PubMed

Peck, Michael; Falk, Henry; Meddings, David; Sugerman, David; Mehta, Sumi; Sage, Michael

2016-04-01

Limited and fragmented data collection systems exist for burn injury. A global registry may lead to better injury estimates and identify risk factors. A collaborative effort involving the WHO, the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves, the CDC and the International Society for Burn Injuries was undertaken to simplify and standardise inpatient burn data collection. An expert panel of epidemiologists and burn care practitioners advised on the development of a new Global Burn Registry (GBR) form and online data entry system that can be expected to be used in resource-abundant or resource-limited settings. International burn organisations, the CDC and the WHO solicited burn centre participation to pilot test the GBR system. The WHO and the CDC led a webinar tutorial for system implementation. During an 8-month period, 52 hospitals in 30 countries enrolled in the pilot and were provided the GBR instrument, guidance and a data visualisation tool. Evaluations were received from 29 hospitals (56%). Median time to upload completed forms was <10 min; physicians most commonly entered data (64%), followed by nurses (25%); layout, clarity, accuracy and relevance were all rated high; and a vast majority (85%) considered the GBR 'highly valuable' for prioritising, developing and monitoring burn prevention programmes. The GBR was shown to be simple, flexible and acceptable to users. Enhanced regional and global understanding of burn epidemiology may help prioritise the selection, development and testing of primary prevention interventions for burns in resource-limited settings. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/

The Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand: progressing the evidence base for burn care.

PubMed

Cleland, Heather; Greenwood, John E; Wood, Fiona M; Read, David J; Wong She, Richard; Maitz, Peter; Castley, Andrew; Vandervord, John G; Simcock, Jeremy; Adams, Christopher D; Gabbe, Belinda J

2016-03-21

Analysis of data from the Burns Registry of Australia and New Zealand (BRANZ) to determine the extent of variation between participating units in treatment and in specific outcomes during the first 4 years of its operation. BRANZ, an initiative of the Australian and New Zealand Burn Association, is a clinical quality registry developed in accordance with the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare national operating principles. Patients with burn injury who fulfil pre-defined criteria are transferred to and managed in designated burn units. There are 17 adult and paediatric units in Australia and New Zealand that manage almost all patients with significant burn injury. Twelve of these units treat adult patients. Data on 7184 adult cases were contributed by ten acute adult burn units to the registry between July 2010 and June 2014.Major outcomes: In-hospital mortality, hospital length of stay, skin grafting rates, and rates of admission to intensive care units. Considerable variations in unit profiles (including numbers of patients treated), in treatment and in outcomes were identified. Despite the highly centralised delivery of care to patients with severe or complex burn injury, and the relatively small number of specialist burn units, we found significant variation between units in clinical management and in outcomes. BRANZ data from its first 4 years of operation support its feasibility and the value of further development of the registry. Based on these results, the focus of ongoing research is to improve understanding of the reasons for variations in practice and of their effect on outcomes for patients, and to develop evidence-informed clinical guidelines for burn management in Australia and New Zealand.

Development of LaRC (TM): IA thermoplastic polyimide coated aerospace wiring

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keating, Jack

1995-01-01

NASA Langley has invented LaRC(exp TM) IA and IAX which are thermoplastic polyimides with good melting, thermal and chemical resistance properties. It was the objective of this contract to prepare and extrude LaRC (exp TM) polyimide onto aircraft wire and evaluate the polymers performance in this critical application. Based on rheology and chemical resistance studies at Imitec, LaRC (exp TM) IAX melts readily in an extruder, facilitating the manufacture of thin wall coatings. The polyimide does not corode the extruder, develop gel particles nor advance in viscosity. The insulated wire was tested according to MiL-W-22759E test specifications. The resulting wire coated with LaRC (exp TM) IAX displayed exceptional properties: surface resistance, non blocking, non burning, hot fluid resistance, impulse dielectric, insulation resistance, low temperature flexibility, thermal aging, wire weight, dimensions, negligible high temperature shrinkage and stripability. The light weight and other properties merit its application in satellites, missiles and aircraft applications. The extruded IAX results in a polyimide aircraft insulation without seams, outstanding moisture resistance, continuous lengths and abrasion resistance.

Burn injury pain: the continuing challenge.

PubMed

Summer, Gretchen J; Puntillo, Kathleen A; Miaskowski, Christine; Green, Paul G; Levine, Jon D

2007-07-01

The development of more effective methods of relieving pain associated with burn injury is a major unmet medical need. Not only is acute burn injury pain a source of immense suffering, but it has been linked to debilitating chronic pain and stress-related disorders. Although pain management guidelines and protocols have been developed and implemented, unrelieved moderate-to-severe pain continues to be reported after burn injury. One reason for this is that the intensity of pain associated with wound care and rehabilitation therapy, the major source of severe pain in this patient population, varies widely over the 3 phases of burn recovery, making it difficult to estimate analgesic requirements. The effects of opioids, the most commonly administered analgesics for burn injury procedural pain, are difficult to gauge over the course of burn recovery because the need for an opioid may change rapidly, resulting in the overmedication or undermedication of burn-injured patients. Understanding the mechanisms that contribute to the intensity and variability of burn injury pain over time is crucial to its proper management. We provide an overview of the types of pain associated with a burn injury, describe how these different types of pain interfere with the phases of burn recovery, and summarize pharmacologic pain management strategies across the continuum of burn care. We conclude with a discussion and suggestions for improvement. Rational management, based on the underlying mechanisms that contribute to the intensity and variability of burn injury pain, is in its infancy. The paucity of information highlights the need for research that explores and advances the identification of mechanisms of acute and chronic burn injury pain. Researchers continue to report that burn pain is undertreated. This review examines burn injury pain management across the phases of burn recovery, emphasizing 3 types of pain that require separate assessment and management. It provides insights and suggestions for future research directions to address this significant clinical problem.

Muscle Contractile Properties in Severely Burned Rats

PubMed Central

Wu, Xiaowu; Wolf, Steven E.; Walters, Thomas J.

2010-01-01

Burn induces a sustained catabolic response which causes massive loss of muscle mass after injury. A better understanding of the dynamics of muscle wasting and its impact on muscle function is necessary for the development of effective treatments. Male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent either a 40% total body surface area (TBSA) scald burn or sham burn, and were further assigned to subgroups at four time points after injury (days 3, 7, 14 and 21). In situ isometric contractile properties were measured including twitch tension (Pt), tetanic tension (Po) and fatigue properties. Body weight decreased in burn and sham groups through day 3, however, body weight in the sham groups recovered and increased over time compared to burned groups, which progressively decreased until day 21 after injury. Significant differences in muscle wet weight and protein weight were found between sham and burn. Significant differences in muscle contractile properties were found at day 14 with lower absolute Po as well as specific Po in burned rats compared to sham. After burn, the muscle twitch tension was significantly higher than the sham at day 21. No significant difference in fatigue properties was found between the groups. This study demonstrates dynamics of muscle atrophy and muscle contractile properties after severe burn; this understanding will aid in the development of approaches designed to reduce the rate and extent of burn induced muscle loss and function. PMID:20381255

Fire Safe Together. Kindergarten. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the kindergarten component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of kindergarten students, its objectives include developing basic awareness of fire and burn dangers, developing simple actions to reduce injury, and encouraging parent involvement. Texas essential…

Acute mental disorders and short and long term morbidity in patients with third degree flame burn: A population-based outcome study of 96,451 patients from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database (2001-2011).

PubMed

Mahendraraj, Krishnaraj; Durgan, Diane M; Chamberlain, Ronald S

2016-12-01

Although burn patients with preexisting mood disorders have been shown to have diminished clinical recovery, acute mental disorders (AMD) are often unrecognized despite a link with post-traumatic stress disorder and social maladjustment later on. This study assessed the clinical profile of a large cohort of burn patients who developed AMD compared to those with chronic mental illness (CMI) and those without mental health problems to assess the impact of AMI on burn outcomes. Admission data on 96,451 patients with third degree flame burns was abstracted from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) Database from 2001 to 2011. AMD was defined as adjustment disorder (ICD-10 codes F43.2-F43.29) and acute stress disorder (F43.0), while CMI was defined as major depressive disorder (F33.0-F33.9) and bipolar disorder (F31.0-F31.9). Data was compared across three subgroups: AMD, CMI, and patients without any mood disorders. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test, and continuous variables were compared using Student t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Multivariate analysis using the "backward Wald" method was performed to calculate odds ratios (OR) and determine independent factors which increased the risk of developing AMD after burn. 979 (1%) burn patients were diagnosed with AMD, compared to 5971 (6.2%) with CMI and 89,501 (92.8%) without mood disorders at the time of the burn. Patients with AMD were significantly younger, predominantly male and Caucasian. Patients with AMD had a higher frequency of multiple third-degree burn sites. AMD patients had a significantly longer length of hospitalization and shorter actuarial survival. More AMD patients lacked social or family support, suffered from alcoholism or illicit drug abuse, and had a history of psychological trauma or self-inflicted injuries compared to other groups. After burn, 4.9% of AMD patients developed burn wound infections, 5.0% had nutritional deficiencies, 1.7% had skin graft failure, 0.7% had acute psychosis, and 3.7% had suicidal ideation, p<0.05. Multivariate analysis identified age 10-39 (OR 4.6), alcoholism (OR 1.4), drug abuse (OR 1.9), psychoses (OR 1.4), and total body surface are (TBSA) 10-39% third degree burns (OR 1.8) as independently associated with developing AMD, p<0.005. The development of AMD in burn patients is associated with poor clinical outcomes including longer hospitalization, decreased survival, and increased complication rates. Premorbid psychopathology, substance abuse and age were associated with a higher incidence AMD after burn than was the severity of the burn wound itself. Routine screening for psychological symptoms of AMD should be performed in all burn patients to avoid increased rates of short and long-term morbidity and mortality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

77 FR 18297 - Air Traffic Noise, Fuel Burn, and Emissions Modeling Using the Aviation Environmental Design Tool...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-03-27

... Integrated Routing System-- NIRS].'' The FAA developed the AEDT 2a to model aircraft noise, fuel burn, and... operations schedule. These data are used to compute aircraft noise, fuel burn and emissions simultaneously... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration Air Traffic Noise, Fuel Burn, and...

Development of the crop residue and rangeland burning in the 2014 National Emissions Inventory using information from multiple sources

EPA Science Inventory

Biomass burning has been identified as an important contributor to the degradation of air quality because of its impact on ozone and particulate matter. One component of the biomass burning inventory, crop residue burning, has been poorly characterized in the National Emissions I...

Improved survival with an innovative approach to the treatment of severely burned patients: development of a burn treatment manual.

PubMed

Morisada, S; Nosaka, N; Tsukahara, K; Ugawa, T; Sato, K; Ujike, Y

2015-09-30

The management of severely burned patients remains a major issue worldwide as indicated by the high incidence of permanent debilitating complications and poor survival rates. In April 2012, the Advanced Emergency & Critical Care Medical Center of the Okayama University Hospital began implementing guidelines for severely burned patients, distributed as a standard burn treatment manual. The protocol, developed in-house, was validated by comparing the outcomes of patients with severe extensive burns (SEB) treated before and after implementation of these new guidelines at this institution. The patients included in this study had a burn index (BI) ≥30 or a prognostic burn index (PBI = BI + patient's age) ≥100. The survival rate of the patients with BI ≥30 was 65.2% with the traditional treatment and 100% with the new guidelines. Likewise, the survival rate of the patients with PBI ≥100 was 61.1% with the traditional treatment compared to 100% with the new guidelines. Together, these data demonstrate that the new treatment guidelines dramatically improved the treatment outcome and survival of SEB patients.

Burns at KCMC: epidemiology, presentation, management and treatment outcome.

PubMed

Ringo, Y; Chilonga, K

2014-08-01

About 90% of the global burden of burns occurs in the low and middle income countries. In Africa it is estimated that between 17,000 and 30,000 children under five die each year due to burns. In Tanzania there are no specialized burn centers. Burn patients are often managed in the general surgical wards in most hospitals. Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre is one of the four tertiary referral hospitals in Tanzania. This study aimed to review the epidemiology presentation management and outcome of burn patients in this challenging environment. A cross-sectional prospective study involving 41 patients was undertaken from October 2011 to April 2012. 65.9% were males. The largest age group was below 5 years (36.6%). 19.5% were epileptic. More than half of the burns were due to open flame. 80.5% had second degree burns. 56.1% had a BSA of 15% or less and 56.1% had an APACHE score of 10 or less. It was found that 73.2% of burns occurred at home. The commonest prehospital first aid applied was honey. Only 41.5% arrived in hospital within the first 24h after burn. Among the 14.6% who had skin grafting, none had early excision of burn wound. 53.7% developed wound sepsis while 24.4% developed contractures. The mortality rate was 26.8%. Children under five are the worst affected by burns. Most patients had second degree burn wounds. Inappropriate management of the burn wound started just after injury and continued even in hospital. Mortality and complication rates are high. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

A Computer Program to Evaluate Experimental Therapies for Treating Burned Patients

PubMed Central

Flora, Jairus D.; Flora, Sharyl Ann

1980-01-01

Determining the worth of new therapies for burn patients has been difficult because of the rarity of the burn injury and the disparate survival chances associated with different sizes of burns. Recently a burn survival model has been developed that estimates the risk of death from a burn as a function of the patient's age, sex, area of full thickness (third degree) burn, area of partial thickness burn, involvement of the perineum, and time from burn to admission. An alternative risk model uses the total area burned in place of the areas of partial thickness burn and full thickness burn, and is appropriate if the amount of full thickness burn is not determined accurately. This paper describes a program that uses these risk models to correct or standardize for demographic and severity factors, then, after that adjustment, tests whether a group of burn patients who received a new or experimental therapy shows a significantly better survival rate than that predicted by a baseline model. The program is a simple one written in Fortran for easy adaptation to other computer systems.

Scar formation following excisional and burn injuries in a red Duroc pig model.

PubMed

Blackstone, Britani N; Kim, Jayne Y; McFarland, Kevin L; Sen, Chandan K; Supp, Dorothy M; Bailey, J Kevin; Powell, Heather M

2017-08-01

Scar research is challenging because rodents do not naturally form excessive scars, and burn depth, size, and location cannot be controlled in human longitudinal studies. The female, red Duroc pig model has been shown to form robust scars with biological and anatomical similarities to human hypertrophic scars. To more closely mimic the mode of injury, recreate the complex chemical milieu of the burn wound environment and enhance scar development, an animal model of excessive burn-induced scarring was developed and compared with the more commonly used model, which involves excisional wounds created via dermatome. Standardized, full-thickness thermal wounds were created on the dorsum of female, red Duroc pigs. Wounds for the dermatome model were created using two different total dermatome settings: ∼1.5 mm and ≥ 1.9 mm. Results from analysis over 150 days showed that burn wounds healed at much slower rate and contracted more significantly than dermatome wounds of both settings. The burn scars were hairless, had mixed pigmentation, and displayed fourfold and twofold greater excess erythema values, respectively, compared with ∼1.5 mm and ≥ 1.9 mm deep dermatome injuries. Burn scars were less elastic, less pliable, and weaker than scars resulting from excisional injuries. Decorin and versican gene expression levels were elevated in the burn group at day 150 compared with both dermatome groups. In addition, transforming growth factor-beta 1 was significantly up-regulated in the burn group vs. the ∼1.5 mm deep dermatome group at all time points, and expression remained significantly elevated vs. both dermatome groups at day 150. Compared with scars from dermatome wounds, the burn scar model described here demonstrates greater similarity to human hypertrophic scar. Thus, this burn scar model may provide an improved platform for studying the pathophysiology of burn-related hypertrophic scarring, investigating current anti-scar therapies, and development of new strategies with greater clinical benefit. © 2017 by the Wound Healing Society.

Multispectral imaging burn wound tissue classification system: a comparison of test accuracies between several common machine learning algorithms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Squiers, John J.; Li, Weizhi; King, Darlene R.; Mo, Weirong; Zhang, Xu; Lu, Yang; Sellke, Eric W.; Fan, Wensheng; DiMaio, J. Michael; Thatcher, Jeffrey E.

2016-03-01

The clinical judgment of expert burn surgeons is currently the standard on which diagnostic and therapeutic decisionmaking regarding burn injuries is based. Multispectral imaging (MSI) has the potential to increase the accuracy of burn depth assessment and the intraoperative identification of viable wound bed during surgical debridement of burn injuries. A highly accurate classification model must be developed using machine-learning techniques in order to translate MSI data into clinically-relevant information. An animal burn model was developed to build an MSI training database and to study the burn tissue classification ability of several models trained via common machine-learning algorithms. The algorithms tested, from least to most complex, were: K-nearest neighbors (KNN), decision tree (DT), linear discriminant analysis (LDA), weighted linear discriminant analysis (W-LDA), quadratic discriminant analysis (QDA), ensemble linear discriminant analysis (EN-LDA), ensemble K-nearest neighbors (EN-KNN), and ensemble decision tree (EN-DT). After the ground-truth database of six tissue types (healthy skin, wound bed, blood, hyperemia, partial injury, full injury) was generated by histopathological analysis, we used 10-fold cross validation to compare the algorithms' performances based on their accuracies in classifying data against the ground truth, and each algorithm was tested 100 times. The mean test accuracy of the algorithms were KNN 68.3%, DT 61.5%, LDA 70.5%, W-LDA 68.1%, QDA 68.9%, EN-LDA 56.8%, EN-KNN 49.7%, and EN-DT 36.5%. LDA had the highest test accuracy, reflecting the bias-variance tradeoff over the range of complexities inherent to the algorithms tested. Several algorithms were able to match the current standard in burn tissue classification, the clinical judgment of expert burn surgeons. These results will guide further development of an MSI burn tissue classification system. Given that there are few surgeons and facilities specializing in burn care, this technology may improve the standard of burn care for patients without access to specialized facilities.

The view of severely burned patients and healthcare professionals on the blind spots in the aftercare process: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Christiaens, Wendy; Van de Walle, Elke; Devresse, Sophie; Van Halewyck, Dries; Benahmed, Nadia; Paulus, Dominique; Van den Heede, Koen

2015-08-01

In most Western countries burn centres have been developed to provide acute and critical care for patients with severe burn injuries. Nowadays, those patients have a realistic chance of survival. However severe burn injuries do have a devastating effect on all aspects of a person's life. Therefore a well-organized and specialized aftercare system is needed to enable burn patients to live with a major bodily change. The aim of this study is to identify the problems and unmet care needs of patients with severe burn injuries throughout the aftercare process, both from patient and health care professional perspectives in Belgium. By means of face-to-face interviews (n = 40) with individual patients, responsible physicians and patient organizations, current experiences with the aftercare process were explored. Additionally, allied healthcare professionals (n = 17) were interviewed in focus groups. Belgian burn patients indicate they would benefit from a more integrated aftercare process. Quality of care is often not structurally embedded, but depends on the good intentions of local health professionals. Most burn centres do not have a written discharge protocol including an individual patient-centred care plan, accessible to all caregivers involved. Patients reported discontinuity of care: nurses working at general wards or rehabilitation units are not specifically trained for burn injuries, which sometimes leads to mistakes or contradictory information transmission. Also professionals providing home care are often not trained for the care of burn injuries. Some have to be instructed by the patient, others go to the burn centre to learn the right skills. Finally, patients themselves underestimate the chronic character of burn injuries, especially at the beginning of the care process. The variability in aftercare processes and structures, as well as the failure to implement locally developed best-practices on a wider scale emphasize the need for a comprehensive network, which can initiate transversal activities such as the development of discharge protocols, common guidelines, and quality criteria.

Floorward thinking.

PubMed Central

Fisher, B E

1999-01-01

From its creation to its disposal, there are environmental and health problems associated with polyvinyl chloride (vinyl), the major component of vinyl flooring. The production of vinyl creates toxic waste that must be dumped or incinerated. Because very little vinyl is recycled, the waste material must also be landfilled or burned. Furthermore, the heavy chlorine content of these materials result in the release of dioxins into the environment. A new flooring alternative to vinyl recently entered the market. Stratica, manufactured by Amtico Company Limited based in Coventry, United Kingdom, is made from polymer resins and offers the durability of vinyl without the environmental impact. PMID:10379015

Cultivation and grafting of human keratinocytes on a poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate) support to the wound bed: a clinical study.

PubMed

Dvoránková, B; Smetana, K; Königová, R; Singerová, H; Vacík, J; Jelínková, M; Kapounková, Z; Zahradník, M

1998-01-01

Cultured epithelial sheets on a textile support are used for the treatment of seriously burned patients. In this study we demonstrate a new procedure for the grafting of keratinocytes directly on a polymer cultivation support. This procedure is much easier in comparison with classical techniques, and encouraging results of clinical trials demonstrate the improved healing of the wound bed after the use of this procedure. There is no difference in the cytokeratine pattern (LP-34, cytokeratin-10) of the reconstructed epidermis and normal human skin.

Floorward thinking.

PubMed

Fisher, B E

1999-07-01

From its creation to its disposal, there are environmental and health problems associated with polyvinyl chloride (vinyl), the major component of vinyl flooring. The production of vinyl creates toxic waste that must be dumped or incinerated. Because very little vinyl is recycled, the waste material must also be landfilled or burned. Furthermore, the heavy chlorine content of these materials result in the release of dioxins into the environment. A new flooring alternative to vinyl recently entered the market. Stratica, manufactured by Amtico Company Limited based in Coventry, United Kingdom, is made from polymer resins and offers the durability of vinyl without the environmental impact.

Porous palladium coated conducting polymer nanoparticles for ultrasensitive hydrogen sensors

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, Jun Seop; Kim, Sung Gun; Cho, Sunghun; Jang, Jyongsik

2015-12-01

Hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel, is of key importance to various industrial applications, including fuel cells and in the aerospace and automotive industries. However, hydrogen gas is odorless, colorless, and highly flammable; thus appropriate safety protocol implementation and monitoring are essential. Highly sensitive hydrogen leak detection and surveillance sensor systems are needed; additionally, the ability to maintain uniformity through repetitive hydrogen sensing is becoming increasingly important. In this report, we detail the fabrication of porous palladium coated conducting polymer (3-carboxylate polypyrrole) nanoparticles (Pd@CPPys) to detect hydrogen gas. The Pd@CPPys are produced by means of facile alkyl functionalization and chemical reduction of a pristine 3-carboxylate polypyrrole nanoparticle-contained palladium precursor (PdCl2) solution. The resulting Pd@CPPy-based sensor electrode exhibits ultrahigh sensitivity (0.1 ppm) and stability toward hydrogen gas at room temperature due to the palladium sensing layer.Hydrogen, a clean-burning fuel, is of key importance to various industrial applications, including fuel cells and in the aerospace and automotive industries. However, hydrogen gas is odorless, colorless, and highly flammable; thus appropriate safety protocol implementation and monitoring are essential. Highly sensitive hydrogen leak detection and surveillance sensor systems are needed; additionally, the ability to maintain uniformity through repetitive hydrogen sensing is becoming increasingly important. In this report, we detail the fabrication of porous palladium coated conducting polymer (3-carboxylate polypyrrole) nanoparticles (Pd@CPPys) to detect hydrogen gas. The Pd@CPPys are produced by means of facile alkyl functionalization and chemical reduction of a pristine 3-carboxylate polypyrrole nanoparticle-contained palladium precursor (PdCl2) solution. The resulting Pd@CPPy-based sensor electrode exhibits ultrahigh sensitivity (0.1 ppm) and stability toward hydrogen gas at room temperature due to the palladium sensing layer. Electronic supplementary information (ESI) available: BET surface area and pore distribution of palladium architectures without CPPyNPs; Hydrogen sensing ability of palladium architectures without CPPyNPs; HR-TEM image of Pd@CPPy_C16 after 100 cycle exposure of H2. See DOI: 10.1039/c5nr06193h

Hypertrophic scarring: the greatest unmet challenge following burn injury

PubMed Central

Finnerty, Celeste C; Jeschke, Marc G; Branski, Ludwik K; Barret, Juan P.; Dziewulski, Peter; Herndon, David N

2017-01-01

Summary Improvements in acute burn care have enabled patients to survive massive burns which would have once been fatal. Now up to 70% of patients develop hypertrophic scars following burns. The functional and psychosocial sequelae remain a major rehabilitative challenge, decreasing quality of life and delaying reintegration into society. The current approach is to optimise the healing potential of the burn wound using targeted wound care and surgery in order to minimise the development of hypertrophic scarring. This approach often fails, and modulation of established scar is continued although the optimal indication, timing, and combination of therapies have yet to be established. The need for novel treatments is paramount, and future efforts to improve outcomes and quality of life should include optimisation of wound healing to attenuate or prevent hypertrophic scarring, well-designed trials to confirm treatment efficacy, and further elucidation of molecular mechanisms to allow development of new preventative and therapeutic strategies. PMID:27707499

[To see the future development of burn medicine from the view of holistic integrative medicine].

PubMed

Hu, D H; Tao, K

2017-04-20

The therapeutic methods and effects have been improved greatly in the past few decades for burn care and management with several important advancements which have resulted in more effective patient stabilization and significantly decreased mortality in China. However, the challenges still exist, such as how to further improve the recovery of the patients' appearance and function, and how to advance the treatment of severe deep extensive burn injury, etc. The theory of holistic integrative medicine (HIM) provides a new opportunity for the development of clinical medicine. This article emphasizes the important roles of HIM in exploration of burn medicine, considering the advanced development of modern life sciences and relevant techniques.

Developing a burn injury severity score (BISS): adding age and total body surface area burned to the injury severity score (ISS) improves mortality concordance.

PubMed

Cassidy, J Tristan; Phillips, Michael; Fatovich, Daniel; Duke, Janine; Edgar, Dale; Wood, Fiona

2014-08-01

There is limited research validating the injury severity score (ISS) in burns. We examined the concordance of ISS with burn mortality. We hypothesized that combining age and total body surface area (TBSA) burned to the ISS gives a more accurate mortality risk estimate. Data from the Royal Perth Hospital Trauma Registry and the Royal Perth Hospital Burns Minimum Data Set were linked. Area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) measured concordance of ISS with mortality. Using logistic regression models with death as the dependent variable we developed a burn-specific injury severity score (BISS). There were 1344 burns with 24 (1.8%) deaths, median TBSA 5% (IQR 2-10), and median age 36 years (IQR 23-50). The results show ISS is a good predictor of death for burns when ISS≤15 (OR 1.29, p=0.02), but not for ISS>15 (ISS 16-24: OR 1.09, p=0.81; ISS 25-49: OR 0.81, p=0.19). Comparing the AUCs adjusted for age, gender and cause, ISS of 84% (95% CI 82-85%) and BISS of 95% (95% CI 92-98%), demonstrated superior performance of BISS as a mortality predictor for burns. ISS is a poor predictor of death in severe burns. The BISS combines ISS with age and TBSA and performs significantly better than the ISS. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

The Impact of Intensive Insulin Protocols and Restrictive Blood Transfusion Strategies on Glucose Measurement in American Burn Association (ABA) Verified Burn Centers

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-10-01

of these therapies is to concomi- tantly increase the prevalence of anemia and hypoglycemia in intensive care unit patients. Such a development is...ence of hypoglycemia . We hypothesized that most American Burn Association (ABA) veri- fied burn centers have adopted intensive insulin therapy while...simultaneously restricting blood transfusions potentially increasing risk of hypoglycemia . All ABA verified burn cen- ters (N 44) were contacted

Local mechanical properties of LFT injection molded parts: Numerical simulations versus experiments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Desplentere, F.; Soete, K.; Bonte, H.; Debrabandere, E.

2014-05-01

In predictive engineering for polymer processes, the proper prediction of material microstructure from known processing conditions and constituent material properties is a critical step forward properly predicting bulk properties in the finished composite. Operating within the context of long-fiber thermoplastics (LFT, length < 15mm) this investigation concentrates on the prediction of the local mechanical properties of an injection molded part. To realize this, the Autodesk Simulation Moldflow Insight 2014 software has been used. In this software, a fiber breakage algorithm for the polymer flow inside the mold is available. Using well known micro mechanic formulas allow to combine the local fiber length with the local orientation into local mechanical properties. Different experiments were performed using a commercially available glass fiber filled compound to compare the measured data with the numerical simulation results. In this investigation, tensile tests and 3 point bending tests are considered. To characterize the fiber length distribution of the polymer melt entering the mold (necessary for the numerical simulations), air shots were performed. For those air shots, similar homogenization conditions were used as during the injection molding tests. The fiber length distribution is characterized using automated optical method on samples for which the matrix material is burned away. Using the appropriate settings for the different experiments, good predictions of the local mechanical properties are obtained.

Growth of Douglas-fir seedlings after slash burning.

Treesearch

Robert F. Tarrant; Ernest. Wright

1955-01-01

An understanding of the ways slash burning may affect seedling growth is important in evaluating present slash-disposal practices. Some observations of early seedling development after slash burning are now available from a recent exploratory study.

Percutaneous pigtail catheter in the treatment of pneumothorax in major burns: the best alternative? Case report and review of literature.

PubMed

Sebastian, Raul; Ghanem, Omar; Diroma, Frank; Milner, Stephen M; Gerold, Kevin B; Price, Leigh A

2015-05-01

Multiple factors place burn patients at a high risk of pneumothorax development. Currently, no specific recommendations for the management of pneumothorax in large total body surface area (TBSA) burn patients exist. We present a case of a major burn patient who developed pneumothorax after central line insertion. After the traditional large bore (24 Fr) chest tube failed to resolve the pneumothorax, the pneumothorax was ultimately managed by a percutaneous placed pigtail catheter thoracostomy placement and resulted in its complete resolution. We will review the current recommendations of pneumothorax treatment and will highlight on the use of pigtail catheters in pneumothorax management in burn patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Animal models in burn research.

PubMed

Abdullahi, A; Amini-Nik, S; Jeschke, M G

2014-09-01

Burn injury is a severe form of trauma affecting more than 2 million people in North America each year. Burn trauma is not a single pathophysiological event but a devastating injury that causes structural and functional deficits in numerous organ systems. Due to its complexity and the involvement of multiple organs, in vitro experiments cannot capture this complexity nor address the pathophysiology. In the past two decades, a number of burn animal models have been developed to replicate the various aspects of burn injury, to elucidate the pathophysiology, and to explore potential treatment interventions. Understanding the advantages and limitations of these animal models is essential for the design and development of treatments that are clinically relevant to humans. This review aims to highlight the common animal models of burn injury in order to provide investigators with a better understanding of the benefits and limitations of these models for translational applications. While many animal models of burn exist, we limit our discussion to the skin healing of mouse, rat, and pig. Additionally, we briefly explain hypermetabolic characteristics of burn injury and the animal model utilized to study this phenomena. Finally, we discuss the economic costs associated with each of these models in order to guide decisions of choosing the appropriate animal model for burn research.

Animal Models in Burn Research

PubMed Central

Abdullahi, A.; Amini-Nik, S.; Jeschke, M.G

2014-01-01

Burn injury is a severe form of trauma affecting more than two million people in North America each year. Burn trauma is not a single pathophysiological event but a devastating injury that causes structural and functional deficits in numerous organ systems. Due to its complexity and the involvement of multiple organs, in vitro experiments cannot capture this complexity nor address the pathophysiology. In the past two decades, a number of burn animal models have been developed to replicate the various aspects of burn injury; to elucidate the pathophysiology and explore potential treatment interventions. Understanding the advantages and limitations of these animal models is essential for the design and development of treatments that are clinically relevant to humans. This review paper aims to highlight the common animal models of burn injury in order to provide investigators with a better understanding of the benefits and limitations of these models for translational applications. While many animal models of burn exist, we limit our discussion to the skin healing of mouse, rat, and pig. Additionally, we briefly explain hypermetabolic characteristics of burn injury and the animal model utilized to study this phenomena. Finally, we discuss the economic costs associated with each of these models in order to guide decisions of choosing the appropriate animal model for burn research. PMID:24714880

Risk factors for hypertrophic burn scar pain, pruritus, and paresthesia development.

PubMed

Xiao, Yongqiang; Sun, Yu; Zhu, Banghui; Wang, Kangan; Liang, Pengfei; Liu, Wenjun; Fu, Jinfeng; Zheng, Shiqing; Xiao, Shichu; Xia, Zhaofan

2018-05-02

Hypertrophic scar pain, pruritus, and paresthesia symptoms are major and particular concerns for burn patients. However, because no effective and satisfactory methods exist for their alleviation, the clinical treatment for these symptoms is generally considered unsatisfactory. Therefore, their risk factors should be identified and prevented during management. We reviewed the medical records of 129 post-burn hypertrophy scar patients and divided them into two groups for each of three different symptoms based on the University of North Carolina "4P" Scar Scale: patients with scar pain requiring occasional or continuous pharmacological intervention (HSc pain, n=75) vs. patients without such scar pain (No HSc pain, n=54); patients with scar pruritus requiring occasional or continuous pharmacological intervention (HSc pruritus, n=63) vs. patients without such scar pruritus (No HSc pruritus, n=66); patients with scar paresthesia that influenced the patients' daily activities (HSc paresthesia, n=31) vs. patients without such scar paresthesia (No HSc paresthesia, n=98). Three multivariable logistic regression models were built, respectively, to identify the risk factors for hypertrophic burn scar pain, pruritus, and paresthesia development. Multivariable analysis showed that hypertrophic burn scar pain development requiring pharmacological intervention was associated with old age (odds ratio [OR]=1.046; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.011-1.082, p=0.009), high body mass index(OR=1.242; 95%CI,1.068-1.445, p=0.005), 2-5-mm-thick post-burn hypertrophic scars (OR=3.997; 95%CI, 1.523-10.487; p=0.005), and 6-12-month post-burn hypertrophic scars (OR=4.686; 95%CI; 1.318-16.653; p=0.017). Hypertrophic burn scar pruritus development requiring pharmacological intervention was associated with smoking (OR=3.239; 95%CI, 1.380-7.603; p=0.007), having undergone surgical operation (OR=2.236; 95%CI, 1.001-4.998; p=0.049), and firm scars (OR=3.317; 95%CI, 1.237-8.894; p=0.017). Finally, hypertrophic burn scar paresthesia development which affected the patients' daily activities was associated with age (OR=1.038; 95%CI, 1.002-1.075; p=0.040), fire burns (OR=0.041; 95%CI, 0.005-0.366; p=0.004, other burns vs. flame burns), and banding and contracture scars (OR=4.705; 95%CI, 1.281-17.288, p=0.020). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. © 2018 by the Wound Healing Society.

Environmental effects on passive thermal control materials of the space station freedom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jones, C. A.; David, K. E.; LeVesque, R. J.; Babel, H. W.

The long-life Space Station Freedom (SSF) has power and weight requirements that are not to be exceeded during the detailed design development. There are requirements for both minimum and maximum temperatures associated with allowable fluid temperature ranges as well as prevention of astronaut injury during extravehicular activity, such as frozen or burned skin. In selected areas, temperature gradients must be controlled to prevent distortion of the primary structure. SSF will fly in low Earth orbit, in which atomic oxygen, ultraviolet radiation, meteoroid/orbital debris impacts, and plasma coupling are considered some of the most damaging constituents. These, in conjunction with hardware-induced contamination, required McDonnell Douglas Aerospace to focus on thermal control coatings based on the more durable metals, oxides, and fluorinated polymers. This paper describes the approach and rationale that McDonnell Douglas Aerospace employed for SSF Work Package 2 to provide the required thermal control coatings and insulation to ensure that the operational temperatures remain within acceptable limits.

Chapter 1: A Brief Introduction to Lignin Structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Katahira, Rui; Beckham, Gregg T; Elder, Thomas J.

Lignin is an alkyl-aromatic polymer found in the cell walls of terrestrial plants. Lignin provides structure and rigidity to plants, is a natural, highly effective barrier against microbial attack, and enables water and nutrient transport through plant tissues. Depending on the plant species, the constituents of lignin can vary considerably, leading to substantial diversity in lignin chemistry and structure. Despite nearly a century of research and development attempting to convert lignin into valuable products, lignin in most current and planned biorefinery contexts remains underutilized, most often being burned to generate heat and power. However, the drive towards effective lignin valorizationmore » processes has witnessed a significant resurgence in the past decade, catalyzed by advances in improved understanding of lignin chemistry, structure, and plasticity in parallel with new catalytic and biological approaches to valorize this important, prevalent biopolymer. As a preface to the subsequent chapters in this book, this chapter briefly highlights the known aspects of lignin structure.« less

On-Chip Sorting of Long Semiconducting Carbon Nanotubes for Multiple Transistors along an Identical Array.

PubMed

Otsuka, Keigo; Inoue, Taiki; Maeda, Etsuo; Kometani, Reo; Chiashi, Shohei; Maruyama, Shigeo

2017-11-28

Ballistic transport and sub-10 nm channel lengths have been achieved in transistors containing one single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNT). To fill the gap between single-tube transistors and high-performance logic circuits for the replacement of silicon, large-area, high-density, and purely semiconducting (s-) SWNT arrays are highly desired. Here we demonstrate the fabrication of multiple transistors along a purely semiconducting SWNT array via an on-chip purification method. Water- and polymer-assisted burning from site-controlled nanogaps is developed for the reliable full-length removal of metallic SWNTs with the damage to s-SWNTs minimized even in high-density arrays. All the transistors with various channel lengths show large on-state current and excellent switching behavior in the off-state. Since our method potentially provides pure s-SWNT arrays over a large area with negligible damage, numerous transistors with arbitrary dimensions could be fabricated using a conventional semiconductor process, leading to SWNT-based logic, high-speed communication, and other next-generation electronic devices.

Aetiology of adult burns treated from 2000 to 2012 in a Swiss University Hospital.

PubMed

Müller, M; Moser, E M; Pfortmueller, C A; Olariu, R; Lehmann, B; Exadaktylos, A K

2016-06-01

Burns in Switzerland are frequent and lead to high economic and social costs. However, little is known about the aetiology of burns suffered by patients seeking treatment in hospital emergency departments. This knowledge could be used to develop preventive measures. This retrospective analysis included all patients (≥16 years old) with acute thermal injuries of known cause admitted to the adult emergency department in Bern University Hospital (Switzerland, not a specialised burns unit) between 2000 and 2012. Clinical and sociodemographic data were extracted from medical records, i.e. the environment in which the burn occurred, as well as details of burn severity and aetiology. Seven hundred and one (701) patients with a mean age of 35.0±14.5 years (56% men) were included in the analysis. The winter season and the days around Christmas, turn of the year and Swiss National Day were identified as times with high risk of burns. Household (45%) and workplace (31%) were the most common locations/settings in which the burns occurred. Approximately every second burn was caused by scald, every fourth by flame and every seventh by hot objects. The analysis identified cooking, tar and electricity in workplace accidents, barbecues and the use of gasoline as aetiological factors in burns in leisure time, together with water in domestic thermal injuries. Burns occurred predominantly on non-protected skin on the hand and arms. The most severe burns were seen in electrical and flame burns. Men suffered more severe burns than women in all settings except psychopathology. The data suggest that the incidence and severity of burns in Switzerland could be reduced by preventive strategies and public campaigns, including education on fire protection systems, raising awareness about the times and locations where the risks of burns are greater, further improvement in workplace safety, particularly with cooking facilities and electrical equipment, and the development of innovative safety devices (i.e. machines, protective gloves). These findings have to be interpreted carefully, as this study includes only adult patients who presented in our ED and, in most cases, the burns covered less than 20% of the body surface. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Legionnaire's pneumonia complicating a thermal burn.

PubMed

Signorini, M; Grappolini, S; Lo Cicero, S; Candiani, P; Klinger, M; Donati, L

1989-12-01

The report describes a patient with 45 per cent BSA burns who developed Legionnaire's disease 3 days after the acute injury. The diagnosis of this life-threatening complication was late because most of its signs and symptoms can be encountered in the burned patient. This delay could have been fatal to the patient and required the evacuation of the burn centre for disinfection.

A clinician's guide to the treatment of foot burns occurring in diabetic patients.

PubMed

Jones, Larry M; Coffey, Rebecca; Khandelwal, Sorabh; Atway, Said; Gordillo, Gayle; Murphy, Claire; Fries, Jody A; Dungan, Kathleen

2014-12-01

Diabetes mellitus affects 25.8 million Americans and is predicted to almost double by 2050. The presence of diabetes complicates hospital courses because of the microvascular complications associated with disease progression. Patients with diabetes represent 18.3% of annual burn admissions to our unit and 27% have burns to the feet. The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based guideline for care of the patient with diabetes and foot burns A multidisciplinary group was charged with developing an evidence-based guideline for the treatment of foot burns in patients with diabetes. Evidence was evaluated in the areas of diabetes, burn care, hyperbaric medicine, care of diabetic foot wounds and physical therapy. After guideline development and approval, key aspects were incorporated into order sets. Key aspects of this guideline are the ability to identify patients with undiagnosed diabetes, assess diabetic control, optimize glycemic and metabolic control, optimize burn wound management, treat microvascular disease, and provide education and a discharge plan. Evaluated outcomes are glycemic control, length of stay, complication rates, amputation rates, infection rates and the use of hyperbaric oxygen. Best outcomes for this high risk population will be attainable with an evidence based guideline. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

The Development of the Wall Momentum Erosive Burning Scaling Law and Macro Scale Erosive Burning Model

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-05-01

burn rate in excess of 2 in/sec at 1000 psi, and Mach numbers that reach 1.0 at the aft end at ignition . Typically, motors with high burning rate...37 VI I. INTRODUCTION Interior ballistics of solid propellant rocket motors continues to be an engineering discipline that is...and one open source paper published between 2005 and 2009 [2, 3, 13]. II. BACKGROUND Erosive burning is a term used in the solid rocket motor

Optimizing Burn Treatment in Developing Low-and Middle-Income Countries with Limited Health Care Resources (Part 2)

PubMed Central

Atiyeh, B.; Masellis, A.; Conte, C.

2009-01-01

Summary The present review of the literature aims at analysing the challenges facing burn management in low- and middleincome countries (LMICs) and exploring probable modalities to optimize burn management in these countries. In Part 1, the epidemiology of burn injuries and the formidable challenges for proper management due to limited resources and inaccessibility to sophisticated skills and technologies in LMICs were presented. Part II will discuss the actual state of burn injuries management in LMICs. PMID:21991180

Response to: Practice of first aid in burn related injuries in a developing country.

PubMed

Baker, Benjamin; Amin, Kavit; Khor, Wee Sim; Khwaja, Nadeem

2015-12-01

Traditional remedies for burns first aid are rarely compliant with current best practice. Greater Manchester is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in the UK. Our burns centre has noted the prevalent use of traditional remedies over recognised first aid prior to presentation. We review traditional burns remedies and highlight the importance of burns first aid education that is accessible to migrant communities. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Preparation of Partial-Thickness Burn Wounds in Rodents Using a New Experimental Burning Device.

PubMed

Sakamoto, Michiharu; Morimoto, Naoki; Ogino, Shuichi; Jinno, Chizuru; Kawaguchi, Atsushi; Kawai, Katsuya; Suzuki, Shigehiko

2016-06-01

The manual application of hot water or hot metal to an animal's skin surface is often used to prepare burn wound models. However, manual burn creation is subject to human variability. We developed a new device that can control the temperature, time, and pressure of contact to produce precise and reproducible animal burn wounds and investigated the conditions required to prepare various burn wounds using our new device. We prepared burn wounds on F344 rats using 3 contact times 2, 4, and 10 seconds using a stamp heated to 80°C. We observed the wound-healing process macroscopically and histologically and evaluated the burn depth using a laser speckle contrast-imaging device, which evaluated the blood flow of the wound. The changes in the burned area over time, tissue perfusion of the burn wounds, histological evaluation of the burn depth by hematoxylin-eosin and azocarmine and aniline blue staining, and the epithelialization rate (the ratio of the epithelialized area to the wound length) were evaluated on histological sections. Results indicated that the burn wounds prepared with contact times of 2, 4, and 10 seconds corresponded to superficial dermal burns, deep dermal burns, and full-thickness burns, respectively. We demonstrated that partial- and full-thickness burn wounds can be precisely and reproducibly created with our new automated burning device.

Microexplosions and ignition dynamics in engineered aluminum/polymer fuel particles

DOE PAGES

Rubio, Mario A.; Gunduz, I. Emre; Groven, Lori J.; ...

2016-11-11

Aluminum particles are widely used as a metal fuel in solid propellants. However, poor combustion efficiencies and two-phase flow losses result due in part to particle agglomeration. Engineered composite particles of aluminum (Al) with inclusions of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) or low-density polyethylene (LDPE) have been shown to improve ignition and yield smaller agglomerates in solid propellants, recently. Reductions in agglomeration were attributed to internal pressurization and fragmentation (microexplosions) of the composite particles at the propellant surface. We explore the mechanisms responsible for microexplosions in order to better understand the combustion characteristics of composite fuel particles. Single composite particles of Al/PTFE andmore » Al/LDPE with diameters between 100 and 1200 µm are ignited on a substrate to mimic a burning propellant surface in a controlled environment using a CO 2 laser in the irradiance range of 78–7700 W/cm 2. Furthermore, the effects of particle size, milling time, and inclusion content on the resulting ignition delay, product particle size distributions, and microexplosion tendencies are reported. For example particles with higher PTFE content (30 wt%) had laser flux ignition thresholds as low as 77 W/cm 2, exhibiting more burning particle dispersion due to microexplosions compared to the other materials considered. Composite Al/LDPE particles exhibit relatively high ignition thresholds compared to Al/PTFE particles, and microexplosions were observed only with laser fluxes above 5500 W/cm 2 due to low LDPE reactivity with Al resulting in negligible particle self-heating. However, results show that microexplosions can occur for Al containing both low and high reactivity inclusions (LDPE and PTFE, respectively) and that polymer inclusions can be used to tailor the ignition threshold. Furthermore, this class of modified metal particles shows significant promise for application in many different energetic materials that use metal fuels.« less

Analysis of Flame Retardancy in Polymer Blends by Synchrotron X-ray K-edge Tomography and Interferometric Phase Contrast Movies.

PubMed

Olatinwo, Mutairu B; Ham, Kyungmin; McCarney, Jonathan; Marathe, Shashidhara; Ge, Jinghua; Knapp, Gerry; Butler, Leslie G

2016-03-10

Underwriters Laboratories 94 test bars have been imaged with X-ray K-edge tomography between 12 and 32 keV to assess the bromine and antimony concentration gradient across char layers of partially burnt samples. Phase contrast tomography on partially burnt samples showed gas bubbles and dark-field scattering ascribed to residual blend inhomogeneity. In addition, single-shot grating interferometry was used to record X-ray movies of test samples during heating (IR and flame) intended to mimic the UL 94 plastics flammability test. The UL 94 test bars were formulated with varying concentrations of a brominated flame retardant, Saytex 8010, and a synergist, Sb2O3, blended into high-impact polystyrene (HIPS). Depending on the sample composition, samples will pass or fail the UL 94 plastics flammability test. Tomography and interferometry imaging show differences that correlate with UL 94 performance. Key features such as char layer, gas bubble formation, microcracks, and dissolution of the flame retardant in the char layer regions are used in understanding the efficiency of the flame retardant and synergist. The samples that pass the UL 94 test have a thick, highly visible char layer as well as an interior rich in gas bubbles. Growth of gas bubbles from flame-retardant thermal decomposition is noted in the X-ray phase contrast movies. Also noteworthy is an absence of bubbles near the burning surface of the polymer; dark-field images after burning suggest a microcrack structure between interior bubbles and the surface. The accepted mechanism for flame retardant activity includes free radical quenching in the flame by bromine and antimony species. The imaging supports this as well as provides a fast inspection of other parameters, such as viscosity and surface tension.

Survival and Growth of Northern Red Oak Seedlings Following a Prescribed Burn

Treesearch

Paul S. Johnson

1974-01-01

Mortality of northern red oak seedlings in a spring prescribed burn was related to temperature near the root collar. Most of the 42 percent of seedlings that survived the burn developed new shoots from the root collar.

Acute and Perioperative Care of the Burn-Injured Patient

PubMed Central

Bittner, Edward A.; Shank, Erik; Woodson, Lee; Martyn, J.A. Jeevendra

2016-01-01

Care of burn-injured patients requires knowledge of the pathophysiologic changes affecting virtually all organs from the onset of injury until wounds are healed. Massive airway and/or lung edema can occur rapidly and unpredictably after burn and/or inhalation injury. Hemodynamics in the early phase of severe burn injury are characterized by a reduction in cardiac output, increased systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance. Approximately 2–5 days after major burn injury, a hyperdynamic and hypermetabolic state develops. Electrical burns result in morbidity much higher than expected based on burn size alone. Formulae for fluid resuscitation should serve only as guideline; fluids should be titrated to physiologic end points. Burn injury is associated basal and procedural pain requiring higher than normal opioid and sedative doses. Operating room concerns for the burn-injured patient include airway abnormalities, impaired lung function, vascular access, deceptively large and rapid blood loss, hypothermia and altered pharmacology. PMID:25485468

Burn disaster response planning: an urban region's approach.

PubMed

Yurt, Roger W; Lazar, Eliot J; Leahy, Nicole E; Cagliuso, Nicholas V; Rabbitts, Angela C; Akkapeddi, Vijay; Cooper, Arthur; Dajer, Antonio; Delaney, Jack; Mineo, Frank P; Silber, Steven H; Soloff, Lewis; Magbitang, Kevin; Mozingo, David W

2008-01-01

The objective of this study was to describe a draft response plan for the tiered triage, treatment, or transportation of 400 adult and pediatric victims (50/million population) of a burn disaster for the first 3 to 5 days after injury using regional resources. Review of meeting minutes and the 11 deliverables of the draft response plan was performed. The draft burn disaster response plan developed for NYC recommended: 1) City hospitals or regional burn centers within a 60-mile distance be designated as tiered Burn Disaster Receiving Hospitals (BDRH); 2) these hospitals be divided into a four-tier system, based on clinical resources; and 3) burn care supplies be provided to Tier 3 nonburn centers. Existing burn center referral guidelines were modified into a hierarchical BDRH matrix, which would vector certain patients to local or regional burn centers for initial care until capacity is reached; the remainder would be cared for in nonburn center facilities for up to 3 to 5 days until a city, regional, or national burn bed becomes available. Interfacility triage would be coordinated by a central team. Although recommendations for patient transportation, educational initiatives for prehospital and hospital providers, city-wide, interfacility or interagency communication strategies and coordination at the State or Federal levels were outlined, future initiatives will expound on these issues. An incident resulting in critically injured burn victims exceeding the capacity of local and regional burn center beds may be a reality within any community and warrants a planned response. To address this possibility within New York City, an initial draft of a burn disaster response has been created. A scaleable plan using local, state, regional, or federal health care and governmental institutions was developed.

Qualitative analysis of a psychological supportive counseling group for burn survivors and families in Malawi.

PubMed

Barnett, Brian S; Mulenga, Macjellings; Kiser, Michelle M; Charles, Anthony G

2017-05-01

While psychological care, including supportive group therapy, is a mainstay of burn treatment in the developed world, few reports of support groups for burn survivors and their caregivers in the developing world exist. This study records the findings of a support group in Malawi and provides a qualitative analysis of thematic content discussed by burn survivors and caregivers. We established a support group for burn survivors and caregivers from February-May 2012 in the burn unit at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi. Sessions were held weekly for twelve weeks and led by a Malawian counselor. The group leader compiled transcripts of each session and these transcripts were qualitatively analyzed for thematic information. Thematic analysis demonstrated a variety of psychological issues discussed by both survivors and caregivers. Caregivers discussed themes of guilt and self-blame for their children's injuries, worries about emotional distance now created between caregiver and survivor, fears that hospital admission meant likely patient death and concerns about their child's future and burn associated stigma. Burn survivors discussed frustration with long hospitalization courses, hope created through interactions with hospital staff, the association between mental and physical health, rumination about their injuries and how this would affect their future, decreased self-value, increased focus on their own mortality and family interpersonal difficulties. The establishment of a support group in our burn unit provided a venue for burn survivors and their families to discuss subjective experiences, as well as the dissemination of various coping techniques. Burn survivors and their caregivers in Malawi would benefit from the establishment of similar groups in the future to help address the psychological sequelae of burns. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Comic books can educate children about burn safety in developing countries.

PubMed

Sinha, Indranil; Patel, Anup; Kim, Francis Sun; Maccorkle, Mary Lu; Watkins, James Frease

2011-01-01

Burns in developing countries account for significant morbidity and many occur within the pediatric population. This study investigates whether a comic book can increase burn awareness in primary school age children, both domestically and abroad. Based on demographic data regarding pediatric burns in developing nations, a comic book was developed to educate primary school age children on key risk factors regarding burn safety, including teaching children to not touch active stoves, not to light fireworks without supervision, and to "stop, drop, and roll" after burn injury. Students, aged 5 to 7 years, in both West Virginia, United States (N = 74), and West Bengal, India (N = 39), answered a three-question survey regarding these issues both before and after reading the comic book. Groups were compared using Fisher's exact test and significance was defined as P < .05. Initially, students answered 67.8 and 66.9% of the questionnaire correctly overall in West Virginia and West Bengal, respectively. These scores improved to 81.6 and 99.1% (P < .01 for each group), respectively, after reading the comic as a class. Specifically, there were significant increases in both groups for the questions regarding avoiding hot stoves (P < .01) and fireworks (P < .01). The lesson required 30 minutes total per class. The teachers reported that students enjoyed reading the comic and were engaged during the sessions. This study demonstrates that a comic book has value in teaching children about burn awareness. Comic books may be a cost-effective method as an outreach tool for children.

A systematic review of the epidemiology of unintentional burn injuries in South Asia.

PubMed

Golshan, Ashkan; Patel, Cyra; Hyder, Adnan A

2013-09-01

Burns are a significant cause of mortality and morbidity in developing countries. We examined the epidemiology of unintentional burns in South Asia to identify trends and gaps in information. A MEDLINE/PUBMED search (1970-2011) was undertaken on empirical studies that focused on burns in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Data analyzed included demographics, injury details and risk factors. Twenty-seven studies were identified, mostly from India. Burns were more common among males at younger ages (0-12 years) and among females from adolescence onward (>14 years). Flame-related burns and scalds accounted for over 80% of burns in most cases, and were the most common types of injuries observed among children and women with most burns occurring in the home. Electrical burns occurred mostly among men. Important risk factors for burns included low socioeconomic status, being younger, wearing loose, flammable clothing and the use of kerosene. Data on care-seeking and treatment were limited. Preventing burns in the household in South Asia, particularly around kitchen activities, is essential. Children in South Asia are susceptible to burns and are an important target population. Future research should focus on filling the gaps in burn epidemiology found in this review.

Epidemiology of burn injuries in Nepal: a systemic review.

PubMed

Tripathee, Sanjib; Basnet, Surendra Jung

2017-01-01

Burn is a global public health problem associated with significant morbidity and mortality, mostly in low- and middle-income countries. Southeast-Asian countries share a big burden of burn injuries, and Nepal is not an exception. We performed a systemic review to examine the epidemiological characteristics of burn injures in Nepal. Relevant epidemiological studies were identified through systemic search in PubMed, EMBASE, and Google Scholar. Reference lists from relevant review articles were also searched. Studies were included if they meet our selection criteria. Eight studies were included in our systemic review. Most of the burn victims belong to the working age group between 15-60 years old. Flame burns were found to be the most common cause of burn injury followed by scald burns, whereas scald burns were the most common cause of burn injury among the pediatric population. Most patients sustained less severe burn injuries, with home being the most common place of burn injury. The average hospital stay among the burn victims ranged from 13 to 60 days. Mortality among the burn victims ranged from 4.5 to 23.5%, with highest mortality among the flame burn patients. Developed nations have significantly reduced the burn incidence through effective intervention program. Although, burn injuries are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Nepal, effective intervention programs are lacking due to the limited epidemiological data related to burn injuries. Further large scale research is imperative to investigate the problem and assess the effectiveness of an intervention program.

Production of Landsat ETM+ reference imagery of burned areas within Southern African savannahs: comparison of methods and application to MODIS

Treesearch

A. M. S. Smith; N. A. Drake; M. J. Wooster; A. T. Hudak; Z. A. Holden; C. J. Gibbons

2007-01-01

Accurate production of regional burned area maps are necessary to reduce uncertainty in emission estimates from African savannah fires. Numerous methods have been developed that map burned and unburned surfaces. These methods are typically applied to coarse spatial resolution (1 km) data to produce regional estimates of the area burned, while higher spatial resolution...

Novel porous soy protein-based blend structures for biomedical applications: Microstructure, mechanical, and physical properties.

PubMed

Barkay-Olami, Hilla; Zilberman, Meital

2016-08-01

Use of naturally derived materials for biomedical applications is steadily increasing. Soy protein has advantages over various types of natural proteins employed for biomedical applications due to its low price, nonanimal origin, and relatively long storage time and stability. In the current study, blends of soy protein with other polymers (gelatin, alginate, pectin, polyvinyl alcohol, and polyethylene glycol) were developed and studied. The mechanical tensile properties of dense films were studied in order to select the best secondary polymer for porous three-dimensional structures. The porous soy-gelatin and soy-alginate structures were then studied for physical properties, degradation behavior, and microstructure. The results show that these blends can be assembled into porous three-dimensional structures by combining chemical crosslinking with freeze-drying. The soy-alginate blends are advantageous over soy-gelatin blends, demonstrated better stability, and degradation time along with controlled swelling behavior due to more effective crosslinking and higher water uptake than soy-gelatin blends. Water vapor transmission rate experiments showed that all porous blend structures were in the desired range for burn treatment [2000-2500 g/(m(2) d)] and can be controlled by the crosslinking process. We conclude that these novel porous three-dimensional structures have a high potential for use as scaffolds for tissue engineering, especially for skin regeneration applications. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 104B: 1109-1120, 2016. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Flame Suppression of Cotton with Polymer-Clay Thin Film Assemblies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sukhonosova, Galina; Li, Yu-Chin; Grunlan, Jaime

2010-03-01

Cotton fabric was treated with flame-retardant coatings composed of branched polyethylenimine (PEI) and montmorillonite (MMT), prepared via layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly. Four coatings were created with solutions of BPEI (pH 7 or 10) and MMT (0.2 or 1 wt. %). The thickness and composition of the coatings were studied by ellipsometry and quartz crystal microbalance. PEI at pH 10 produces the thickest films. Each coating recipe was evaluated at 5 and 20 bilayers. Thermogravimetric analysis showed that coated fabrics left 13 % char after heating at 500 C, over an order of magnitude more char than from uncoated fabric, with less than 4% coming from the coating itself. Coating reduced afterglow time by 9 seconds in vertical flame tests. Post-burn chars of coated fabrics were examined by scanning electron microscopy, revealing that weave structure and fiber shape in all coated fabrics were preserved through burning. This is the first study of its kind to use layer-by-layer assembly to generate a flame retardant coating on a complex substrate like cotton fabric.

Hybridized polymer matrix composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

House, E. E.; Hoggatt, J. T.; Symonds, W. A.

1980-01-01

The extent to which graphite fibers are released from resin matrix composites that are exposed to fire and impact conditions was determined. Laboratory simulations of those conditions that could exist in the event of an aircraft crash and burn situation were evaluated. The effectiveness of various hybridizing concepts in preventing this release of graphite fibers were also evaluated. The baseline (i.e., unhybridized) laminates examined were prepared from commercially available graphite/epoxy, graphite/polyimide, and graphite/phenolic materials. Hybridizing concepts investigated included resin fillers, laminate coatings, resin blending, and mechanical interlocking of the graphite reinforcement. The baseline and hybridized laminates' mechanical properties, before and after isothermal and humidity aging, were also compared. It was found that a small amount of graphite fiber was released from the graphite/epoxy laminates during the burn and impact conditions used in this program. However, the extent to which the fibers were released is not considered a severe enough problem to preclude the use of graphite reinforced composites in civil aircraft structure. It also was found that several hybrid concepts eliminated this fiber release. Isothermal and humidity aging did not appear to alter the fiber release tendencies.

Burn Wound Infections

PubMed Central

Church, Deirdre; Elsayed, Sameer; Reid, Owen; Winston, Brent; Lindsay, Robert

2006-01-01

Burns are one of the most common and devastating forms of trauma. Patients with serious thermal injury require immediate specialized care in order to minimize morbidity and mortality. Significant thermal injuries induce a state of immunosuppression that predisposes burn patients to infectious complications. A current summary of the classifications of burn wound infections, including their diagnosis, treatment, and prevention, is given. Early excision of the eschar has substantially decreased the incidence of invasive burn wound infection and secondary sepsis, but most deaths in severely burn-injured patients are still due to burn wound sepsis or complications due to inhalation injury. Burn patients are also at risk for developing sepsis secondary to pneumonia, catheter-related infections, and suppurative thrombophlebitis. The introduction of silver-impregnated devices (e.g., central lines and Foley urinary catheters) may reduce the incidence of nosocomial infections due to prolonged placement of these devices. Improved outcomes for severely burned patients have been attributed to medical advances in fluid resuscitation, nutritional support, pulmonary and burn wound care, and infection control practices. PMID:16614255

"What do kids know": a survey of 420 Grade 5 students in Cambodia on their knowledge of burn prevention and first-aid treatment.

PubMed

Hsiao, Marvin; Tsai, Brian; Uk, Pisey; Jo, Harrison; Gomez, Manuel; Gollogly, James G; Beveridge, Massey

2007-05-01

Cambodia is a developing country of 13 million people where there are an estimated 20,000 burns and 2000 burn deaths annually. Two thirds of the burns occur to children under the age of 10 years. The purpose of this study was to determine the knowledge of burn prevention and first aid for burns in Grade 5 Cambodian school children, as baseline information to design a burn prevention campaign. A 34-question survey regarding burn prevention and first-aid treatment for burn injuries was developed. Additional questions on TV watching habits were included to determine the feasibility of a targeted TV burn educational campaign. The survey was translated into Khmer language and tested on a trial class for accuracy and ease of administration. After obtaining the school director's permission and children's consent the survey was administered by Canadian medical students helped by trained translators and teachers to Grade 5 students from eight different elementary schools in the Kampot province. A total of 420 students were surveyed. Average age was 12.5 years (range 9-17 years) and 55% were females. Seventy-four percent routinely cared for other children. Only 52% had TV at home but still 78% managed to watch TV for an average 2h per day. Even though 36% of students indicated they had received information about burn prevention and first aid, only 13% mentioned application of cool water as initial treatment, only 7% knew to roll on the ground if their clothes caught fire, and nearly 50% would pour water on a burning pot of oil. Half of students indicated that they would not believe a TV message promoting application of cold water on acute burns. Top reasons given were parental influence, belief in other treatments, and not trusting TV messages. Interestingly, 62% of these skeptics would change their mind if the TV message was endorsed by an authority figure such as a physician, teacher, parent, or the Ministry of Health. A set of five Public Service Announcements for Cambodian TV were developed and produced based on the results of this survey. This survey identified significant inadequacies in Cambodian children's knowledge about burn prevention and first aid and suggested that a televised burn prevention campaign could be an effective method to improve their knowledge, especially if it was endorsed by an authority figure.

Clinical review: The critical care management of the burn patient

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Between 4 and 22% of burn patients presenting to the emergency department are admitted to critical care. Burn injury is characterised by a hypermetabolic response with physiologic, catabolic and immune effects. Burn care has seen renewed interest in colloid resuscitation, a change in transfusion practice and the development of anti-catabolic therapies. A literature search was conducted with priority given to review articles, meta-analyses and well-designed large trials; paediatric studies were included where adult studies were lacking with the aim to review the advances in adult intensive care burn management and place them in the general context of day-to-day practical burn management. PMID:24093225

Optimizing Burn Treatment in Developing Low-and Middle-Income Countries with Limited Health Care Resources (Part 3)

PubMed Central

Atiyeh, B.; Masellis, A.; Conte, F.

2010-01-01

Summary The present review of the literature aims at analysing the challenges facing burn management in low- and middleincome countries and exploring probable modalities to optimize burn management in these countries. In Part I, epidemiology of burns injuries and the formidable challenges for proper management due to limited resources and inaccessibility to sophisticated skills and technologies in low- and middle income countries (LMICs) were presented. Part II discussed the actual state of burn injuries management in LMICs. In Part III of this review strategies for proper prevention and burn care in LMICs will be presented. PMID:21991190

Spatial frequency domain imaging of burn wounds in a preclinical model of graded burn severity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, John Quan; Crouzet, Christian; Mai, Tuan; Riola, Kathleen; Uchitel, Daniel; Liaw, Lih-Huei; Bernal, Nicole; Ponticorvo, Adrien; Choi, Bernard; Durkin, Anthony J.

2013-06-01

Frequent monitoring of early-stage burns is necessary for deciding optimal treatment and management. Both superficial and full thickness burns are relatively easy to diagnose based on clinical observation. In between these two extremes are superficial-partial thickness and deep-partial thickness burns. These burns, while visually similar, differ dramatically in terms of clinical treatment and are known to progress in severity over time. The objective of this study was to determine the potential of spatial frequency domain imaging (SFDI) for noninvasively mapping quantitative changes in chromophore and optical properties that may be an indicative of burn wound severity. A controlled protocol of graded burn severity was developed and applied to 17 rats. SFDI data was acquired at multiple near-infrared wavelengths over a course of 3 h. Burn severity was verified using hematoxylin and eosin histology. From this study, we found that changes in water concentration (edema), deoxygenated hemoglobin concentration, and optical scattering (tissue denaturation) to be statistically significant at differentiating superficial partial-thickness burns from deep-partial thickness burns.

Burns due to acid assaults in Bogotá, Colombia.

PubMed

Guerrero, Linda

2013-08-01

Acid burns are not very frequent, occupying between 3% and maximum 14% of all etiologies. They mostly occur at home or at work, however there has been an increase in publications outlining chemical burns where aggression is the cause of this burn. There is a different epidemiological profile between developed countries and developing ones. It seems an ongoing upsurge is occurring in the number of registered attacks within developing countries in recent years. A cross sectional retrospective review of attacks by acid was done in Bogota, Colombia from 1995 to the first trimester 2012. A cumulative number of 35 burn patients were registered during the study period. It is found that the main target, almost the unique target, of this attack are young women belonging to low socioeconomic status with low education degree and high dependence on her partner. The patient's age mean was 22.7 years, ranging from 13 to 41 years. The physical and psychological scars were very severe. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Aloe vera and Vitis vinifera improve wound healing in an in vivo rat burn wound model.

PubMed

Lin, Li-Xin; Wang, Peng; Wang, Yu-Ting; Huang, Yong; Jiang, Lei; Wang, Xue-Ming

2016-02-01

Aloe vera and Vitis vinifera have been traditionally used as wound healing agents. The present study aimed to investigate the effects of aloe emodin and resveratrol in the burn wound healing procedure. Burn wounds are common in developed and developing countries, however, in developing countries, the incidence of severe complications is higher and financial resources are limited. The results of the present study demonstrated that neither aloe emodin or resveratrol were cytotoxic to THP-1 macrophages at concentrations of 1, 100 and 500 ng/ml. A significant increase in wound-healing activity was observed in mice treated with the aloe emodin and resveratrol, compared with those which received control treatments. The levels of IL-1β in the exudates of the burn wound area of the treated mice increased in a time-dependent manner over 7 days following burn wound injury. At 10 days post-injury, steady and progressive wound healing was observed in the control animals. The present study confirmed that increased wound healing occurs following treatment with aloe emodin,, compared with resveratrol, providing support for the use of Aloe vera plants to improve burn wound healing.

24 CFR 3280.707 - Heat producing appliances.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... URBAN DEVELOPMENT MANUFACTURED HOME CONSTRUCTION AND SAFETY STANDARDS Heating, Cooling and Fuel Burning... oil burning comfort heating appliances shall have a flue loss of not more than 25 percent, and a...) Fuel-burning heat-producing appliances and refrigeration appliances, except ranges and ovens, shall be...

A Protocol for Measuring Pull-off Stress of Wound-Treatment Polymers

PubMed Central

Kheyfets, Vitaly O.; Thornton, Rita C.; Kowal, Mikala; Finol, Ender A.

2014-01-01

Skin wounds and burns compromise the body's natural barrier to bacteria and other pathogens. While many forms of wound dressings are available, polymeric films are advantageous for various reasons, ranging from the ease of application to durability. One common drawback of using polymeric films for a wound bandage is that the films tend to adhere to common inanimate objects. Patients spend hours in contact with soft and hard materials pressed against their skin, which, if the skin was dressed with a polymeric film, would inflict further wound damage upon body movement. In this work, we present a novel technique that allowed for measuring polymeric tackiness, after a long incubation period, with materials regularly encountered in a hospital or home setting, and soft fabrics. The polymers were exposed to an environment intended to simulate daily conditions and the technique is designed to perform multiple experiments simultaneously with ease. Four commercially available polymers (new-skin, no-sting skin-prep, skin shield, and Silesse) were tested as proof-of-concept to gather preliminary data for an overall assessment of wound treatment efficacy, resulting in the estimation of pull-off stress of the polymers from a specimen of porcine skin. Silesse did not reveal a measurable tackiness, no-sting skin-prep had the highest mean tackiness (13.8 kPa), while the mean tackiness between new-skin and skin shield was approximately equal (9.8 kPa vs. 10.1 kPa, respectively), p = 0.05. Future work on polymeric fluids for wound dressing applications should include tensile stress and dynamic viscosity estimations. PMID:24718322

Synergistic effect of the inclusion of glass fibers and halloysite nanotubes on the static and dynamic mechanical, thermal and flame retardant properties of polypropylene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jenifer, A.; Rasana, N.; Jayanarayanan, K.

2018-06-01

Hybrid composites based on polypropylene (PP), glass fiber (GF) and halloysite nanotubes (HNT) were prepared in the presence of a compatibilizer, polypropylene grafted with maleic anhydride (PP-g-MAH), in a twin screw extruder. The properties of the micro composite (PP/GF), nanocomposite (PP/HNT) and hybrid composite (PP/GF/HNT) were studied and compared. The dispersion of the fillers in the base matrix and the effectiveness of the compatibilizer were ascertained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The tensile strength and modulus of the hybrid composite prepared in the presence of PP-g-MAH were found to be superior to those of the compatibilized micro and nanocomposites. Differential scanning calorimetry gave insight to the effect of the fillers on modifying the crystallization behavior of the base polymer. The combination of GF and HNT increased the crystallization temperature of PP phase in all the composites. The dynamic mechanical analysis proved that the fillers introduced in the polymer matrix restricted the relaxation of the PP polymer chains as evidenced by the rise in the glass transition temperature (Tg). The thermal stabilities of the hybrid composites were far superior to the neat polymer as the fillers formed an insulating layer delaying the degradation tendency and elevated the activation energy. The flammability of PP could be modified tremendously by the incorporation of the fillers as they reduced the burning rate and raised the limiting oxygen index values.

Survival after burn in a sub-Saharan burn unit: challenges and opportunities.

PubMed

Tyson, Anna F; Boschini, Laura P; Kiser, Michelle M; Samuel, Jonathan C; Mjuweni, Steven N; Cairns, Bruce A; Charles, Anthony G

2013-12-01

Burns are among the most devastating of all injuries and a major global public health crisis, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In developed countries, aggressive management of burns continues to lower overall mortality and increase lethal total body surface area (TBSA) at which 50% of patients die (LA50). However, lack of resources and inadequate infrastructure significantly impede such improvements in developing countries. This study is a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the burn center at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi between June 2011 and December 2012. We collected information including patient age, gender, date of admission, mechanism of injury, time to presentation to hospital, total body surface area (TBSA) burn, comorbidities, date and type of operative procedures, date of discharge, length of hospital stay, and survival. We then performed bivariate analysis and logistic regression to identify characteristics associated with increased mortality. A total of 454 patients were admitted during the study period with a median age of 4 years (range 0.5 months to 79 years). Of these patients, 53% were male. The overall mean TBSA was 18.5%, and average TBSA increased with age--17% for 0-18 year olds, 24% for 19-60 year olds, and 41% for patients over 60 years old. Scald and flame burns were the commonest mechanisms, 52% and 41% respectively, and flame burns were associated with higher mortality. Overall survival in this population was 82%; however survival reduced with increasing age categories (84% in patients 0-18 years old, 79% in patients 19-60 years old, and 36% in patients older than 60 years). TBSA remained the strongest predictor of mortality after adjusting for age and mechanism of burn. The LA50 for this population was 39% TBSA. Our data reiterate that burn in Malawi is largely a pediatric disease and that the high burn mortality and relatively low LA50 have modestly improved over the past two decades. The lack of financial resources, health care personnel, and necessary infrastructure will continue to pose a significant challenge in this developing nation. Efforts to increase burn education and prevention in addition to improvement of burn care delivery are imperative. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Survival after burn in a sub-Saharan burn unit: Challenges and opportunities

PubMed Central

Tyson, Anna F.; Boschini, Laura P.; Kiser, Michelle M.; Samuel, Jonathan C.; Mjuweni, Steven N.; Cairns, Bruce A.; Charles, Anthony G.

2013-01-01

Background Burns are among the most devastating of all injuries and a major global public health crisis, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. In developed countries, aggressive management of burns continues to lower overall mortality and increase lethal total body surface area (TBSA) at which 50% of patients die (LA50). However, lack of resources and inadequate infrastructure significantly impede such improvements in developing countries. Methods This study is a retrospective analysis of patients admitted to the burn center at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi between June 2011 and December 2012. We collected information including patient age, gender, date of admission, mechanism of injury, time to presentation to hospital, total body surface area (TBSA) burn, comorbidities, date and type of operative procedures, date of discharge, length of hospital stay, and survival. We then performed bivariate analysis and logistic regression to identify characteristics associated with increased mortality. Results A total of 454 patients were admitted during the study period with a median age of 4 years (range 0.5 months to 79 years). Of these patients, 53% were male. The overall mean TBSA was 18.5%, and average TBSA increased with age—17% for 0–18 year olds, 24% for 19–60 year olds, and 41% for patients over 60 years old. Scald and flame burns were the commonest mechanisms, 52% and 41% respectively, and flame burns were associated with higher mortality. Overall survival in this population was 82%; however survival reduced with increasing age categories (84% in patients 0–18 years old, 79% in patients 19–60 years old, and 36% in patients older than 60 years). TBSA remained the strongest predictor of mortality after adjusting for age and mechanism of burn. The LA50 for this population was 39% TBSA. Discussion Our data reiterate that burn in Malawi is largely a pediatric disease and that the high burn mortality and relatively low LA50 have modestly improved over the past two decades. The lack of financial resources, health care personnel, and necessary infrastructure will continue to pose a significant challenge in this developing nation. Efforts to increase burn education and prevention in addition to improvement of burn care delivery are imperative. PMID:23768710

The Introduction of Standard Operating Procedures to Improve Burn Care in the United Kingdom.

PubMed

Lymperopoulos, Nikolaos Spyros; Jeevan, Ranjeet; Godwin, Lindsey; Wilkinson, Donnas; Shokrollahi, Kayvan; James, Malcolm Ian

2015-01-01

United Kingdom (UK) burn units face substantial new obstacles in delivering high quality care because of the advent of full-shift working patterns, cross-specialty cover arrangements, and increased trainee turnover. Junior trainees rely heavily on senior colleagues, who may not be readily accessible. The authors therefore proposed the introduction of standard operating procedures (SOPs), detailed written instructions used to achieve uniformity in performance and to improve outcomes. After undertaking a preliminary strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis of their use locally and nationally, the authors set out to systematically develop burn-specific SOPs. The authors first mapped our existing local SOPs to the newly introduced UK national burn care pathway to specify gaps in coverage. The authors then administered a questionnaire to other UK burn units to identify SOPs already used elsewhere. Finally, the authors developed and piloted a robust pathway for the development, introduction, and auditing of new SOPs. The strength, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats analysis identified significant benefits and minimal risks. The mapping exercise identified specific deficiencies in our coverage of the national pathway. All 26 UK burn units responded to our questionnaire; only 12 had one or more SOPs (mean, 2.1). These covered initial assessment, inhalational injuries, drug prescribing, wound care, and gastric protection; none were audited. Locally, the authors have begun to develop the additional SOPs required. SOPs have not been instituted widely in the UK, despite the shift toward a standardized national care pathway and their association with improved outcomes. The authors hope that the systematic approach to their development and implementation demonstrates the feasibility of their wider use within UK regional burn centers and beyond.

A prospective study of time to healing and hypertrophic scarring in paediatric burns: every day counts.

PubMed

Chipp, Elizabeth; Charles, Lisa; Thomas, Clare; Whiting, Kate; Moiemen, Naiem; Wilson, Yvonne

2017-01-01

It is commonly accepted that burns taking longer than 3 weeks to heal have a much higher rate of hypertrophic scarring than those which heal more quickly. However, some of our patients develop hypertrophic scars despite healing within this 3-week period. We performed a prospective study of 383 paediatric burns treated non-operatively at a regional burns centre over a 2-year period from May 2011 to April 2013. Scar assessment was performed by a senior burns therapist using the Vancouver Scar Scale. Overall rates of hypertrophic scarring were 17.2%. Time to healing was the strongest predictor of developing hypertrophic scarring, and the earliest hypertrophic scar developed in a patient who was healed after 8 days. The risk of hypertrophic scarring was multiplied by 1.138 for every additional day taken for the burn wound to heal. There was a trend towards higher rates of hypertrophic scarring in non-white skin types but this did not reach statistical significance. The risk of hypertrophic scarring increases with every day and, therefore, every effort should be made to get the wound healed as quickly as possible, even within the traditional 3-week period usually allowed for healing. We believe that the traditional dogma of aiming for healing within 3 weeks is overly simplistic and should be abandoned: in paediatric burns, every day counts. Not applicable.

Vegetation management with fire modifies peatland soil thermal regime.

PubMed

Brown, Lee E; Palmer, Sheila M; Johnston, Kerrylyn; Holden, Joseph

2015-05-01

Vegetation removal with fire can alter the thermal regime of the land surface, leading to significant changes in biogeochemistry (e.g. carbon cycling) and soil hydrology. In the UK, large expanses of carbon-rich upland environments are managed to encourage increased abundance of red grouse (Lagopus lagopus scotica) by rotational burning of shrub vegetation. To date, though, there has not been any consideration of whether prescribed vegetation burning on peatlands modifies the thermal regime of the soil mass in the years after fire. In this study thermal regime was monitored across 12 burned peatland soil plots over an 18-month period, with the aim of (i) quantifying thermal dynamics between burned plots of different ages (from <2 to 15 + years post burning), and (ii) developing statistical models to determine the magnitude of thermal change caused by vegetation management. Compared to plots burned 15 + years previously, plots recently burned (<2-4 years) showed higher mean, maximum and range of soil temperatures, and lower minima. Statistical models (generalised least square regression) were developed to predict daily mean and maximum soil temperature in plots burned 15 + years prior to the study. These models were then applied to predict temperatures of plots burned 2, 4 and 7 years previously, with significant deviations from predicted temperatures illustrating the magnitude of burn management effects. Temperatures measured in soil plots burned <2 years previously showed significant statistical disturbances from model predictions, reaching +6.2 °C for daily mean temperatures and +19.6 °C for daily maxima. Soil temperatures in plots burnt 7 years previously were most similar to plots burned 15 + years ago indicating the potential for soil temperatures to recover as vegetation regrows. Our findings that prescribed peatland vegetation burning alters soil thermal regime should provide an impetus for further research to understand the consequences of thermal regime change for carbon processing and release, and hydrological processes, in these peatlands. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Anxiety and depression in burn patients.

PubMed

Alvi, Tabassum; Assad, Fatima; Aurangzeb; Malik, M A Nasir

2009-01-01

The psychological aspects of burn injury have been researched in different parts of world producing different outcomes. Therefore objective of this research is to determine the frequency of Anxiety and Depression in burn patients. To assess the socio-demographic distribution of patients developing Anxiety and Depression and to determine the effects of burn related factors on development of Anxiety and Depression. A Case series was conducted at the Department of Burn, Pakistan Ordinance Factory Hospital, Wah Cantt. for a duration of 12 months commencing from June 2007 and concluded in May 2008. The study population comprised of hospitalized patients with 1% to 50%, selected through non probable sampling technique who were assessed for Anxiety and Depression on fifteen day after burn injury. Testing protocol comprised of questionnaire having socio-demographic variables and burn related variables. Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory was applied to evaluate Anxiety and Depression in Burn patients. Descriptive statistics like mean with Standard Deviation was calculated for age. Frequencies along with percentages were calculated for socio-demographic variables. The frequencies and proportions were also calculated for presence and extent of severity of depression and anxiety in burn patients. Fifty patients were included in the study, thirty patients (60%) were male and 20 (40%) were females. The mean age of participants was 33.64 +/- 19 years. Majority of participants, 38 (76%) had sustained burn injury up to 25%. Flame was found to be most common agent of burn injuries affecting 19 (38%) patients. Depression was seen amongst 29 (58%) patients. Thirteen (26 %) patients had mild, 7 (14%) had moderate and 9 (18%) had severe Depressive symptoms. Anxiety was seen among 41 (82%) patients, thirteen (26%) patients had mild, 11 (22%) had moderate and 17 (34%) had severe Anxiety symptoms. Anxiety was present in 41 (82%) and Depression was present in 29 (58%) patients following burn injury. This study highlights the importance of the simultaneous evaluation and management of Anxiety and Depression in burn injured patients.

Development of the life impact burn recovery evaluation (LIBRE) profile: assessing burn survivors' social participation.

PubMed

Kazis, Lewis E; Marino, Molly; Ni, Pengsheng; Soley Bori, Marina; Amaya, Flor; Dore, Emily; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeff C; Shie, Vivian; Acton, Amy; Jette, Alan M

2017-10-01

Measuring the impact burn injuries have on social participation is integral to understanding and improving survivors' quality of life, yet there are no existing instruments that comprehensively measure the social participation of burn survivors. This project aimed to develop the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation Profile (LIBRE), a patient-reported multidimensional assessment for understanding the social participation after burn injuries. 192 questions representing multiple social participation areas were administered to a convenience sample of 601 burn survivors. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to identify the underlying structure of the data. Using item response theory methods, a Graded Response Model was applied for each identified sub-domain. The resultant multidimensional LIBRE Profile can be administered via Computerized Adaptive Testing (CAT) or fixed short forms. The study sample included 54.7% women with a mean age of 44.6 (SD 15.9) years. The average time since burn injury was 15.4 years (0-74 years) and the average total body surface area burned was 40% (1-97%). The CFA indicated acceptable fit statistics (CFI range 0.913-0.977, TLI range 0.904-0.974, RMSEA range 0.06-0.096). The six unidimensional scales were named: relationships with family and friends, social interactions, social activities, work and employment, romantic relationships, and sexual relationships. The marginal reliability of the full item bank and CATs ranged from 0.84 to 0.93, with ceiling effects less than 15% for all scales. The LIBRE Profile is a promising new measure of social participation following a burn injury that enables burn survivors and their care providers to measure social participation.

Clothing-related burns in New South Wales, Australia: impact of legislation on a continuing problem.

PubMed

Harvey, Lara A; Connolley, Siobhan; Harvey, John G

2015-02-01

To combat the risk of nightwear burns a mandatory standard regulating the design, flammability and labelling requirements of children's nightwear was introduced in Australia in 1987. This population-based study examined the trends, characteristics and causes of clothing-related burns to inform a review of the current standard, and to facilitate the development of targeted prevention strategies. Clothing-related burns for 1998-2013 were identified from hospitalisation data for all hospitals in NSW and detailed information regarding circumstance of injury from a burn data registry. To investigate percentage annual change (PAC) in trends negative binomial regression analysis was performed. There were 541 hospitalisations for clothing-related burns, 18% were nightwear-related and 82% were for other clothing. All clothing burns decreased by an estimated 4% per year (95% CI -6.2 to -2.1). Nightwear-related burns decreased by a significantly higher rate (PAC -7.4%; 95% CI -12.5 to -2.1) than other clothing (PAC -2.5%; 95%CI -4.7 to -0.1). Exposure to open heat source (campfire/bonfire) was the most common cause, followed by cooking. Of factors known to be associated with clothing burns, accelerant use was reported in 27% of cases, cigarettes 17%, loose skirt or dress 8%, and angle grinders in 6% of cases. Hospitalisations for clothing burns are relatively uncommon in NSW and rates, particularly of nightwear burns, have decreased over the last 15 years. Strategies for continued reduction of these injuries include increasing the scope of the current clothing standard or developing new standards to include all children's clothing and adult nightwear, and increasing community awareness of the risk associated with open heat sources, accelerant use and loose clothing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Benchmarks for multidimensional recovery after burn injury in young adults: the development, validation, and testing of the American Burn Association/Shriners Hospitals for Children young adult burn outcome questionnaire.

PubMed

Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Kazis, Lewis E; Lee, Austin; Li, Nien-Chen; Hinson, Michelle; Bauk, Helena; Peck, Michael; Meyer, Walter J; Palmieri, Tina; Pidcock, Frank S; Reilly, Debra; Tompkins, Ronald G

2013-01-01

Although data exist on burn survival, there are little data on long-term burn recovery. Patient-centered health outcomes are useful in monitoring and predicting recovery and evaluating treatments. An outcome questionnaire for young adult burn survivors was developed and tested. This 5-year (2003-2008) prospective, controlled, multicenter study included burned and nonburned adults ages 19 to 30 years. The Young Adult Burn Outcome Questionnaires were completed at initial contact, 10 days, and 6 and 12 months. Factor analysis established construct validity. Reliability assessments used Cronbach α and test-retest. Recovery patterns were investigated using generalized linear models, with generalized estimating equations using mixed models and random effects. Burned (n = 153) and nonburned subjects (n = 112) completed 620 questionnaires (47 items). Time from injury to first questionnaire administration was 157 ± 36 days (mean ± SEM). Factor analysis included 15 factors: Physical Function, Fine Motor Function, Pain, Itch, Social Function Limited by Physical Function, Perceived Appearance, Social Function Limited by Appearance, Sexual Function, Emotion, Family Function, Family Concern, Satisfaction With Symptom Relief, Satisfaction With Role, Work Reintegration, and Religion. Cronbach α ranged from 0.72 to 0.92, with 11 scales >0.8. Test-retest reliability ranged from 0.29 to 0.94, suggesting changes in underlying health status after burns. Recovery curves in five domains, Itch, Perceived Appearance, Social Function Limited by Appearance, Family Concern, and Satisfaction with Symptom Relief, remained below the reference group at 24 months. The Young Adult Burn Outcome Questionnaire is a reliable and valid instrument for multidimensional functional outcomes assessment. Recovery in some domains was incomplete.

Pediatric burns mortality risk factors in a developing country’s tertiary burns intensive care unit

PubMed Central

Agbenorku, Pius; Agbenorku, Manolo; Fiifi-Yankson, Papa Kwesi

2013-01-01

Aim: This study aimed at identifying risk factors related to pediatric burns mortality in a middle income country such as Ghana. Methods: The data for the three years retrospective study (May 2009 – April 2012) was obtained from the pediatric burn admissions records and patients’ folders of the Reconstructive Plastic Surgery & Burns Unit (RPSBU), Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Ghana. Data retrieved included: Demographic features, Total Burned Surface Area (TBSA) incurred; Aetiology of burns; Duration of the admission; Outcome of admission; Part of the body affected and Cost incurred. Ethical approval for this study was obtained from the KNUST-SMS/KATH Committee on Human Research, Publications and Ethics. Data analyses were performed with SPSS 17.0 version. Results: Information on 197 patients was completely retrieved for the study. Burns mortality rate for the study was identified to be 21.3% (N=42). The mean age of the 42 dead patients was 3.7±0.3 years, ranging from 0-13 years, while, males (54.8%, N= 23) outnumbered females (45.2%, N=19). The TBSA burned interquartile range was 48%. In terms of etiology of burns Scald (73.8%, N=31) was the commonest cause of injury. Mortality risk factors identified were Age <6 years (P=0.028); Scald especially hot water and soup (P=0.016); TBSA >36% (P=0.028) and Inhalation injury (P=0.040). Conclusion: Age, scald, TBSA and Inhalation Injury were identified as pediatric burns mortality risk factors in a developing country such as Ghana’s RPSBU. These identified factors will serve as a guideline for plastic surgeons and other health professionals practicing in countries such as Ghana. PMID:23875121

Development of a Biomass Burning Emissions Inventory by Combining Satellite and Ground-based Information

EPA Science Inventory

A 2005 biomass burning (wildfire, prescribed, and agricultural) emission inventory has been developed for the contiguous United States using a newly developed simplified method of combining information from multiple sources for use in the US EPA’s national Emission Inventory (NEI...

Burn severity mapping in Australia 2009

USGS Publications Warehouse

McKinley, Randy; Clark, J.; Lecker, Jennifer

2012-01-01

In 2009, the Victoria Department of Sustainability and Environment estimated approximately 430,000 hectares of Victoria Australia were burned by numerous bushfires. Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams from the United States were deployed to Victoria to assist local fire managers. The U.S. Geological Survey Earth Resources Observation and Science Center (USGS/EROS) and U.S. Forest Service Remote Sensing Applications Center (USFS/RSAC) aided the support effort by providing satellite-derived "soil burn severity " maps for over 280,000 burned hectares. In the United States, BAER teams are assembled to make rapid assessments of burned lands to identify potential hazards to public health and property. An early step in the assessment process is the creation of a soil burn severity map used to identify hazard areas and prioritize treatment locations. These maps are developed primarily using Landsat satellite imagery and the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) algorithm.

An assessment of burn prevention knowledge in a high burn-risk environment: restaurants.

PubMed

Piazza-Waggoner, Carrie; Adams, C D; Goldfarb, I W; Slater, H

2002-01-01

Our facility has seen an increase in the number of cases of children burned in restaurants. Fieldwork has revealed many unsafe serving practices in restaurants in our tristate area. The current research targets what appears to be an underexamined burn-risk environment, restaurants, to examine server knowledge about burn prevention and burn care with customers. Participants included 71 local restaurant servers and 53 servers from various restaurants who were recruited from undergraduate courses. All participants completed a brief demographic form as well as a Burn Knowledge Questionnaire. It was found that server knowledge was low (ie, less than 50% accuracy). Yet, most servers reported that they felt customer burn safety was important enough to change the way that they serve. Additionally, it was found that length of time employed as a server was a significant predictor of servers' burn knowledge (ie, more years serving associated with higher knowledge). Finally, individual items were examined to identify potential targets for developing prevention programs.

[Investigation of burn rehabilitation development of China in 2014].

PubMed

Ao, M; Wu, J; Chen, J

2017-05-20

Objective: To further study the development of burn rehabilitation in China, so as to promote the development of burn rehabilitation in China. Methods: The questionnaire about the development of burn rehabilitation treatment was started by Specialized Committee of Burn Treatment and Rehabilitation Science of Chinese Association of Rehabilitation Medicine (hereinafter referred to as Specialized Committee) in the end of 2014, and 65 affiliations of Specialized Committee members participated in. There was a total of 26 questions, mainly focusing on problems as below: (1) General information of the burn department of the units, including the number of authorized beds, annual admitted burn patients, annual admitted patients with extremely severe burn, doctors, nurses, rehabilitation therapists, and the condition of rehabilitation area and rehabilitation beds, etc. (2) Development of burn rehabilitation treatment, including the development of rehabilitation treatment, the intervention time of rehabilitation treatment, the rehabilitation treatment carried out in intensive care unit (ICU), the composition of rehabilitation treating personnel, and the professional title and background, educational background, and division of responsibilities of rehabilitation therapists, etc. (3) Major problems affecting the development of burn rehabilitation treatment of the units. The burn treatment units were grouped according to the number of annual admitted patients. The units' situation of authorized beds, admitted patients, allocation of medical personnel and rehabilitation, and the ratio of beds to doctors, beds to nurses, beds to full-time burn rehabilitation treating personnel were recorded. Data were processed with t test, one-way analysis of variance, and chi-square test. Results: (1) A total of 65 questionnaires were sent, and 45 questionnaires (69.2%) were retrieved. Among the 45 units that replied the questionnaires, 35 units were burn treatment units. (2) The 35 burn treatment units were divided into less than 500 cases group ( n =8), 501-1 000 cases group ( n =11), 1 001-1 500 cases group ( n =10), and more than 1 500 cases group ( n =6) according to the number of annual admitted patients. The number of authorized beds of units in 1 001-1 500 cases group was significantly more than that in less than 500 cases group ( t =4.563, P <0.05). The number of authorized beds of units in more than 1 500 cases group was significantly more than that in the other 3 groups, respectively (with t values from 1.859 to 3.743, P values below 0.05). The number of annual admitted patients of units in 501-1 000 cases group, 1 001-1 500 cases group, and more than 1 500 cases group was dramatically more than that in less than 500 cases group (with t values from 6.027 to 12.684, P values below 0.05). The number of annual admitted patients of units in 1 001-1 500 cases group and more than 1 500 cases group was significantly more than that in 501-1 000 cases group (with t values respectively 7.408 and 6.980, P values below 0.05). The number of annual admitted patients of units in more than 1 500 cases group was significantly more than that in 1 001-1 500 cases group ( t =4.239, P <0.05). The number of annual admitted patients with extremely severe burn and the condition of rehabilitation area and rehabilitation beds of units in the 4 groups was similar ( F =0.820, with χ (2) values respectively 5.266 and 2.848, P values above 0.05). The number of doctors of units in more than 1 500 cases group was significantly more than that in less than 500 cases group ( t =2.836, P <0.05). The number of nurses of units in 1 001-1 500 cases group was significantly more than that in less than 500 cases group ( t =2.837, P <0.05). The number of nurses and that of rehabilitation therapists of units in more than 1 500 cases group were significantly more than those in the other 3 groups (with t values from 1.762 to 4.789, P values below 0.05). (3) The 35 burn treatment units were able to provide at least one rehabilitation treatment for patients, among which body positioning, motion of joint exercise, infrared ray irradiation, hydrotherapy, function training, activities of daily life training, scar massage, and drug injection in scar were carried out well, while psychological therapy, music therapy, occupational rehabilitation, and social rehabilitation were mostly not carried out. (4) Only 9 (25.7%) burn treatment units started rehabilitation treatment for patients within 3 days after injury. (5) Twenty-seven (77.1%) burn treatment units could carry out body positioning in ICU. (6) Twenty-three burn treatment units had full-time rehabilitation treating personnel, and the units were divided into less than 500 cases group ( n =1), 501-1 000 cases group ( n =8), 1 001-1 500 cases group ( n =9), and more than 1 500 cases group ( n =5) according to the number of annual admitted patients. The ratio of beds to doctors of units in more than 1 500 cases group was significantly higher than that in 501-1 000 cases group ( t =2.810, P <0.05) and the ratios of beds to doctors of units in 501-1 000 cases group and 1 001-1 500 cases group were similar ( t =1.506, P >0.05). The ratios of beds to nurses and beds to full-time burn rehabilitation treating personnel in 4 groups were similar (with F values respectively 0.783 and 0.434, P values above 0.05). (7) Twenty burn treatment units had rehabilitation therapists with rehabilitation treatment related professional background (a total of 73 person, account for 76.0%), 80.8% (59/73) rehabilitation therapists with rehabilitation and therapeutic professions, 60.3% (44/73) with bachelor degree or above, and 87.7% (64/73) with primary and intermediate titles. Besides, 39.7% (29/73) rehabilitation therapists did physical therapy; 12.3% (9/73) rehabilitation therapists did occupational therapy; 38.4% (28/73) rehabilitation therapists did not have specific duties. (8) During the development of burn rehabilitation treatment of 35 burn treatment units, the common problems were reflected in the authorized strength and professional technology level of rehabilitation treatment relating personnel, and the area and equipment for rehabilitation. There were also many problems in cooperation between burn surgeons and rehabilitation therapists and fund. The supports from hospital and department leaders were good. Conclusions: Through the development of several years, the general condition and the development of rehabilitation treatment of burn treatment units in China are improved; the beginning time of burn rehabilitation treatment is advanced; the number of rehabilitation treatment personnel is increased with their speciality improved; the burn rehabilitation work get great support from hospitals and departments.

U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center Grain Evaluation Software to Numerically Predict Linear Burn Regression for Solid Propellant Grain Geometries

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

ENGINEERING CENTER GRAIN EVALUATION SOFTWARE TO NUMERICALLY PREDICT LINEAR BURN REGRESSION FOR SOLID PROPELLANT GRAIN GEOMETRIES Brian...author(s) and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy, or decision, unless so designated by other documentation...U.S. ARMY ARMAMENT RESEARCH, DEVELOPMENT AND ENGINEERING CENTER GRAIN EVALUATION SOFTWARE TO NUMERICALLY PREDICT LINEAR BURN REGRESSION FOR SOLID

[Holistic integrative medicine: the road to the future of the development of burn medicine].

PubMed

Fan, D M

2017-01-20

Holistic integrative medicine is the road to the future of the development of burn medicine. Not only burn medicine, but also human medicine gradually enters the era of holistic integrative medicine. Holistic integrative medicine is different from translational medicine, evidence-based medicine or precision medicine, which integrates the most advanced knowledge and theories in medicine fields with the most effective practices and experiences in clinical specialties to form a new medical system.

Antimicrobial blue light therapy for Candida albicans burn infection in mice

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Yunsong; Wang, Yucheng; Murray, Clinton K.; Hamblin, Michael R.; Gu, Ying; Dai, Tianhong

2015-05-01

In this preclinical study, we investigated the utility of antimicrobial blue light therapy for Candida albicans infection in acutely burned mice. A bioluminescent strain of C. albicans was used. The susceptibilities to blue light inactivation were compared between C. albicans and human keratinocyte. In vitro serial passaging of C. albicans on blue light exposure was performed to evaluate the potential development of resistance to blue light inactivation. A mouse model of acute thermal burn injury infected with the bioluminescent strain of C. albicans was developed. Blue light (415 nm) was delivered to mouse burns for decolonization of C. albicans. Bioluminescence imaging was used to monitor in real time the extent of fungal infection in mouse burns. Experimental results showed that C. albicans was approximately 42-fold more susceptible to blue light inactivation in vitro than human keratinocyte (P=0.0022). Serial passaging of C. albicans on blue light exposure implied a tendency for the fungal susceptibility to blue light inactivation to decrease with the numbers of passages. Blue light reduced fungal burden by over 4-log10 (99.99%) in acute mouse burns infected with C. albicans in comparison to infected mouse burns without blue light therapy (P=0.015).

Whole blood neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin predicts acute kidney injury in burn patients.

PubMed

Sen, Soman; Godwin, Zack R; Palmieri, Tina; Greenhalgh, David; Steele, Amanda N; Tran, Nam K

2015-06-15

Early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI) in severely burn-injured patients can help alter treatment to prevent progression to acute failure and reduce the need for renal replacement therapy. We hypothesized that whole blood neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) will be increased in severely burn-injured patients who develop AKI during acute resuscitation. We performed a prospective observation study of adult burn patients with a 20% total body surface area (TBSA) burned or greater burn injury. Two-hour serial measurements of NGAL, serum creatinine (Cr), and hourly urine output (UO) were collected for 48 h after admission. Our primary goal was to correlate the risk of AKI in the first week after burn injury with serial NGAL levels in the first 48 h after admission. Our secondary goal was to determine if NGAL was an earlier independent predictor of AKI compared with Cr and UO. We enrolled 30 adult (age ≥ 18 y) burn patients with the mean ± standard deviation age of 40.9 ± 15.4 and mean TBSA of 46.4 ± 22.4. Fourteen patients developed AKI within the first 7 d after burn injury. There were no differences in age, TBSA, fluid administration, mean arterial pressure, UO, and Cr between AKI and no-AKI patients. NGAL was significantly increased as early as 4 h after injury (182.67 ± 83.3 versus 107.37 ± 46.15) in the AKI group. Controlling for age, TBSA, and inhalation injury, NGAL was a predictor of AKI at 4 h after injury (odds ratio, 1.02) and remained predictive of AKI for the period of more than the first 24 h after admission. UO and Cr were not predictive of AKI in the first 24 h after admission. Whole blood NGAL is markedly increased in burn patients who develop AKI in the first week after injury. In addition, NGAL is an early independent predictor of AKI during acute resuscitation for severe burn injury. UO and Cr are not predictive of AKI during this time period. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Exogenous peripheral blood mononuclear cells affect the healing process of deep-degree burns

PubMed Central

Yu, Guanying; Li, Yaonan; Ye, Lan; Wang, Xinglei; Zhang, Jixun; Dong, Zhengxue; Jiang, Duyin

2017-01-01

The regenerative repair of deep-degree (second degree) burned skin remains a notable challenge in the treatment of burn injury, despite improvements being made with regards to treatment modality and the emergence of novel therapies. Fetal skin constitutes an attractive target for investigating scarless healing of burned skin. To investigate the inflammatory response during scarless healing of burned fetal skin, the present study developed a nude mouse model, which was implanted with normal human fetal skin and burned fetal skin. Subsequently, human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were used to treat the nude mouse model carrying the burned fetal skin. The expression levels of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (TIMP)-1 were investigated during this process. In the present study, fetal skin was subcutaneously implanted into the nude mice to establish the murine model. Hematoxylin and eosin staining was used to detect alterations in the skin during the development of fetal skin and during the healing process of deep-degree burned fetal skin. The expression levels of MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were determined using immunochemical staining, and their staining intensity was evaluated by mean optical density. The results demonstrated that fetal skin subcutaneously implanted into the dorsal skin flap of nude mice developed similarly to the normal growth process in the womb. In addition, the scarless healing process was clearly observed in the mice carrying the burned fetal skin. A total of 2 weeks was required to complete scarless healing. Following treatment with PBMCs, the burned fetal skin generated inflammatory factors and enhanced the inflammatory response, which consequently resulted in a reduction in the speed of healing and in the formation of scars. Therefore, exogenous PBMCs may alter the lowered immune response environment, which is required for scarless healing, resulting in scar formation. In conclusion, the present study indicated that the involvement of inflammatory cells is important during the healing process of deep-degree burned skin, and MMP-9 and TIMP-1 may serve important roles in the process of scar formation. PMID:28990101

Burn hazards of the deployed environment in wartime: epidemiology of noncombat burns from ongoing United States military operations.

PubMed

Kauvar, David S; Wade, Charles E; Baer, David G

2009-10-01

Service in the deployed military environment carries risks for accidental (noncombat-related) burns. Examining these risks can assist in the development of military burn prevention measures. This study endeavored to examine noncombat burn epidemiology in the context of similar civilian data. We performed a retrospective cohort study of consecutive casualties evacuated from operational military theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan to the sole tertiary military burn center in the US. Military data were compared with database samples of the US population from the American Burn Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The main causes of the 180 noncombat burns seen from March 2003 to June 2008 were waste burning, fuel mishaps, and unintentional ordinance detonations. Overall prevalence of noncombat burns was 19.5 burns/100,000 person-years lived. If causes specific to military operations are removed, military prevalence was 13.0/100,000. More than one-third of noncombat burns occurred in the first year of the study; a period of stability followed. A similar US population had an accidental burn prevalence of 7.1/100,000 from 2003 to 2007. Burn size, presence of inhalation injury, and burn center mortality were not different from those in a similar civilian cohort. Deployed service members have a greater risk of unintentional burns than a similar civilian cohort does. This is in part because of the specific dangers of military activities. More attention to deployed military burn prevention is needed, especially early in combat support operations.

In-Situ Burning of Spilled Oil.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Allen, Alan A.

1991-01-01

Reviews in-situ burning with particular emphasis on how it can be applied in water-related oil spill situations. Presents and discusses the use of nomograms and development of techniques cited for safe and effective ignition and controlled burning of spilled oil. Includes representative oil spill scenarios and possible responses. (15 references)…

ISBI Practice Guidelines for Burn Care.

PubMed

2016-08-01

Practice guidelines (PGs) are recommendations for diagnosis and treatment of diseases and injuries, and are designed to define optimal evaluation and management. The first PGs for burn care addressed the issues encountered in developed countries, lacking consideration for circumstances in resource-limited settings (RLS). Thus, the mission of the 2014-2016 committee established by the International Society for Burn Injury (ISBI) was to create PGs for burn care to improve the care of burn patients in both RLS and resource-abundant settings. An important component of this effort is to communicate a consensus opinion on recommendations for burn care for different aspects of burn management. An additional goal is to reduce costs by outlining effective and efficient recommendations for management of medical problems specific to burn care. These recommendations are supported by the best research evidence, as well as by expert opinion. Although our vision was the creation of clinical guidelines that could be applicable in RLS, the ISBI PGs for Burn Care have been written to address the needs of burn specialists everywhere in the world. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Novel burn device for rapid, reproducible burn wound generation.

PubMed

Kim, J Y; Dunham, D M; Supp, D M; Sen, C K; Powell, H M

2016-03-01

Scarring following full thickness burns leads to significant reductions in range of motion and quality of life for burn patients. To effectively study scar development and the efficacy of anti-scarring treatments in a large animal model (female red Duroc pigs), reproducible, uniform, full-thickness, burn wounds are needed to reduce variability in observed results that occur with burn depth. Prior studies have proposed that initial temperature of the burner, contact time with skin, thermal capacity of burner material, and the amount of pressure applied to the skin need to be strictly controlled to ensure reproducibility. The purpose of this study was to develop a new burner that enables temperature and pressure to be digitally controlled and monitored in real-time throughout burn wound creation and compare it to a standard burn device. A custom burn device was manufactured with an electrically heated burn stylus and a temperature control feedback loop via an electronic microstat. Pressure monitoring was controlled by incorporation of a digital scale into the device, which measured downward force. The standard device was comprised of a heat resistant handle with a long rod connected to the burn stylus, which was heated using a hot plate. To quantify skin surface temperature and internal stylus temperature as a function of contact time, the burners were heated to the target temperature (200±5°C) and pressed into the skin for 40s to create the thermal injuries. Time to reach target temperature and elapsed time between burns were recorded. In addition, each unit was evaluated for reproducibility within and across three independent users by generating burn wounds at contact times spanning from 5 to 40s at a constant pressure and at pressures of 1 or 3lbs with a constant contact time of 40s. Biopsies were collected for histological analysis and burn depth quantification using digital image analysis (ImageJ). The custom burn device maintained both its internal temperature and the skin surface temperature near target temperature throughout contact time. In contrast, the standard burner required more than 20s of contact time to raise the skin surface temperature to target due to its quickly decreasing internal temperature. The custom burner was able to create four consecutive burns in less than half the time of the standard burner. Average burn depth scaled positively with time and pressure in both burn units. However, the distribution of burn depth within each time-pressure combination in the custom device was significantly smaller than with the standard device and independent of user. The custom burn device's ability to continually heat the burn stylus and actively control pressure and temperature allowed for more rapid and reproducible burn wounds. Burns of tailored and repeatable depths, independent of user, provide a platform for the study of anti-scar and other wound healing therapies without the added variable of non-uniform starting injury. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Novel burn device for rapid, reproducible burn wound generation

PubMed Central

Kim, J.Y.; Dunham, D.M.; Supp, D.M.; Sen, C.K.; Powell, H.M.

2016-01-01

Introduction Scarring following full thickness burns leads to significant reductions in range of motion and quality of life for burn patients. To effectively study scar development and the efficacy of anti-scarring treatments in a large animal model (female red Duroc pigs), reproducible, uniform, full-thickness, burn wounds are needed to reduce variability in observed results that occur with burn depth. Prior studies have proposed that initial temperature of the burner, contact time with skin, thermal capacity of burner material, and the amount of pressure applied to the skin need to be strictly controlled to ensure reproducibility. The purpose of this study was to develop a new burner that enables temperature and pressure to be digitally controlled and monitored in real-time throughout burn wound creation and compare it to a standard burn device. Methods A custom burn device was manufactured with an electrically heated burn stylus and a temperature control feedback loop via an electronic microstat. Pressure monitoring was controlled by incorporation of a digital scale into the device, which measured downward force. The standard device was comprised of a heat resistant handle with a long rod connected to the burn stylus, which was heated using a hot plate. To quantify skin surface temperature and internal stylus temperature as a function of contact time, the burners were heated to the target temperature (200 ± 5 °C) and pressed into the skin for 40 s to create the thermal injuries. Time to reach target temperature and elapsed time between burns were recorded. In addition, each unit was evaluated for reproducibility within and across three independent users by generating burn wounds at contact times spanning from 5 to 40 s at a constant pressure and at pressures of 1 or 3 lbs with a constant contact time of 40 s. Biopsies were collected for histological analysis and burn depth quantification using digital image analysis (ImageJ). Results The custom burn device maintained both its internal temperature and the skin surface temperature near target temperature throughout contact time. In contrast, the standard burner required more than 20 s of contact time to raise the skin surface temperature to target due to its quickly decreasing internal temperature. The custom burner was able to create four consecutive burns in less than half the time of the standard burner. Average burn depth scaled positively with time and pressure in both burn units. However, the distribution of burn depth within each time-pressure combination in the custom device was significantly smaller than with the standard device and independent of user. Conclusions The custom burn device's ability to continually heat the burn stylus and actively control pressure and temperature allowed for more rapid and reproducible burn wounds. Burns of tailored and repeatable depths, independent of user, provide a platform for the study of anti-scar and other wound healing therapies without the added variable of non-uniform starting injury. PMID:26803369

Fire-Resistant Hydrogel-Fabric Laminates: A Simple Concept That May Save Lives.

PubMed

Illeperuma, Widusha R K; Rothemund, Philipp; Suo, Zhigang; Vlassak, Joost J

2016-01-27

There is a large demand for fabrics that can survive high-temperature fires for an extended period of time, and protect the skin from burn injuries. Even though fire-resistant polymer fabrics are commercially available, many of these fabrics are expensive, decompose rapidly, and/or become very hot when exposed to high temperatures. We have developed a new class of fire-retarding materials by laminating a hydrogel and a fabric. The hydrogel contains around 90% water, which has a large heat capacity and enthalpy of vaporization. When the laminate is exposed to fire, a large amount of energy is absorbed as water heats up and evaporates. The temperature of the hydrogel cannot exceed 100 °C until it is fully dehydrated. The fabric has a low thermal conductivity and maintains the temperature gradient between the hydrogel and the skin. The laminates are fabricated using a recently developed tough hydrogel to ensure integrity of the laminate during processing and use. A thermal model predicts the performance of the laminates and shows that they have excellent heat resistance in good agreement with experiments, making them viable candidates in life saving applications such as fire-resistant blankets or apparel.

Preserving self-concept in the burn survivors: a qualitative study.

PubMed

Zamanzadeh, Vahid; Valizadeh, Llila; Lotfi, Mojgan; Salehi, Feridoon

2015-01-01

Burn injury is a devastating experience affecting all aspects of a person's essence, including his/her identity and perception. These patients require complex cognitive efforts to redefine their identity to deal with difficult condition after burn injury and preserve self-concept. The experience of life after burn injury is generally a solitary one, closely related to the patients' cultural and religious context. Therefore, this study was conducted aiming at investigating burn patients' experiences regarding how to preserve self-concept in life after burn injury in Iran. This qualitative study was carried out using qualitative content analysis and in-depth unstructured interviews with 17 surviving burn subjects. During the qualitative content analysis process, the concept of "locating" as the essence of the participants' experience was extracted as follows: (A) self-exploration (exploring the changes in one's life), (B) others' exploration (exploring the changes in the life of family members and the relationship between self and others), (C) position evaluation (self-position analysis), and (D) self-concept preservation. The present study has developed new understandings of mental experiences of burn patients' self-concept by describing the concept of "self-locating". It helps us in classifying and understanding the concepts described in comprehensive theories developed in this area. They do this by focusing on what burn patients experience for choosing self-preservation strategies and having a meaningful life. The finding can be used as a conceptual framework for palliative care program in Iran.

Preserving Self-Concept in the Burn Survivors: A Qualitative Study

PubMed Central

Zamanzadeh, Vahid; Valizadeh, Llila; Lotfi, Mojgan; Salehi, Feridoon

2015-01-01

Background: Burn injury is a devastating experience affecting all aspects of a person's essence, including his/her identity and perception. These patients require complex cognitive efforts to redefine their identity to deal with difficult condition after burn injury and preserve self-concept. The experience of life after burn injury is generally a solitary one, closely related to the patients’ cultural and religious context. Therefore, this study was conducted aiming at investigating burn patients’ experiences regarding how to preserve self-concept in life after burn injury in Iran. Materials and Methods: This qualitative study was carried out using qualitative content analysis and in-depth unstructured interviews with 17 surviving burn subjects. Results: During the qualitative content analysis process, the concept of “locating” as the essence of the participants’ experience was extracted as follows: (A) self-exploration (exploring the changes in one's life), (B) others’ exploration (exploring the changes in the life of family members and the relationship between self and others), (C) position evaluation (self-position analysis), and (D) self-concept preservation. Conclusion: The present study has developed new understandings of mental experiences of burn patients’ self-concept by describing the concept of “self-locating”. It helps us in classifying and understanding the concepts described in comprehensive theories developed in this area. They do this by focusing on what burn patients experience for choosing self-preservation strategies and having a meaningful life. The finding can be used as a conceptual framework for palliative care program in Iran. PMID:26009672

Management of patients in a dedicated burns intensive care unit (BICU) in a developing country.

PubMed

Hashmi, Madiha; Kamal, Rehana

2013-05-01

In Pakistan the practice of managing extensive burns in dedicated intensive care units is not well established. This audit aims to define the characteristics of the victims of major burns and factors that increase mortality and outcome of the protocol-based management in a dedicated burns intensive care unit (BICU). This prospective audit included all patients admitted to the BICU of Suleiman Dawood Burns Unit in Karachi from 1st September 2002 to 31st August 2011. Demographic information, type and place of burn, total body surface area burn (TBSA), type of organ support provided, length of ICU stay, any associated medical diseases, and out outcome were documented. A total of 1597 patients were admitted to the BICU in 9 years. Median age of the patients was 22 (IQR =32-7). 32% victims were children <14 years and only 7% were >50 years old. Male to female ratio was 1.4:1. Fire was the leading cause of burns in adults (64%) and scald burns were most common in (64%) in children. 72.4% of the accidents happened at home, where kitchen was the commonest location (597 cases). Mean TBSA burnt was 32.5% (SD ± 22.95%, 95%CI: 31.36-33.61). 27% patients needed ventilatory support, 4% were dialyzed and split skin graftings were performed in 20% patients. Average length of ICU stay was 10.42 days. Epilepsy, psychiatric illness and drug addiction were not common associations with burns. Overall mortality was 41.30% but it decreased over the years from 75% to 27%. Groups of people most vulnerable to sustain burn are young females getting burnt in the kitchen, young males getting burnt at work, and small children falling in pots of hot water stored for drinking or bathing. TBSA >40%, age >50 years, fire burn and female gender were associated with a higher risk of death. Carefully planned, protocol based management of burn patients by burn teams of dedicated healthcare professionals, even with limited resources reduced mortality. Burn hazard awareness, prevention and educational programmes targeted at the vulnerable population, i.e. women and young children at home and men at their work place is the single most cost-effective way of reducing the incidence of burns in developing countries. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Management of facial burns with a collagen/glycosaminoglycan skin substitute-prospective experience with 12 consecutive patients with large, deep facial burns.

PubMed

Klein, Matthew B; Engrav, Loren H; Holmes, James H; Friedrich, Jeffrey B; Costa, Beth A; Honari, Shari; Gibran, Nicole S

2005-05-01

Management of deep facial burns remains one of the greatest challenges in burn care. We have developed a protocol over the past 20 years for management of facial burns that includes excision and coverage with thick autograft. However, the results were not perfect. Deformities of the eyelids, nose and mouth as well as the prominence of skin graft junctures demonstrated the need to explore novel approaches. Integra has been used with success in the management of burns of the trunk and extremities. The purpose of this study was to prospectively evaluate the aesthetic outcome of the use of Integra for deep facial burns. Twelve consecutive patients underwent excision of large, deep facial burns and placement of Integra. Integra provides excellent color and minimally visible skin graft junctures. The texture is good but not as supple as thick autograft. Integra is not well suited for use in the coverage of eyelid burns due to the need to wait 2 weeks for adequate vascularization. In summary, thick autograft remains the gold standard for deep facial burns. However, for patients with extensive burns and limited donor sites, Integra provides an acceptable alternative.

A comprehensive biomass burning emission inventory with high spatial and temporal resolution in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Ying; Xing, Xiaofan; Lang, Jianlei; Chen, Dongsheng; Cheng, Shuiyuan; Wei, Lin; Wei, Xiao; Liu, Chao

2017-02-01

Biomass burning injects many different gases and aerosols into the atmosphere that could have a harmful effect on air quality, climate, and human health. In this study, a comprehensive biomass burning emission inventory including domestic and in-field straw burning, firewood burning, livestock excrement burning, and forest and grassland fires is presented, which was developed for mainland China in 2012 based on county-level activity data, satellite data, and updated source-specific emission factors (EFs). The emission inventory within a 1 × 1 km2 grid was generated using geographical information system (GIS) technology according to source-based spatial surrogates. A range of key information related to emission estimation (e.g. province-specific proportion of domestic and in-field straw burning, detailed firewood burning quantities, uneven temporal distribution coefficient) was obtained from field investigation, systematic combing of the latest research, and regression analysis of statistical data. The established emission inventory includes the major precursors of complex pollution, greenhouse gases, and heavy metal released from biomass burning. The results show that the emissions of SO2, NOx, PM10, PM2.5, NMVOC, NH3, CO, EC, OC, CO2, CH4, and Hg in 2012 are 336.8 Gg, 990.7 Gg, 3728.3 Gg, 3526.7 Gg, 3474.2 Gg, 401.2 Gg, 34 380.4 Gg, 369.7 Gg, 1189.5 Gg, 675 299.0 Gg, 2092.4 Gg, and 4.12 Mg, respectively. Domestic straw burning, in-field straw burning, and firewood burning are identified as the dominant biomass burning sources. The largest contributing source is different for various pollutants. Domestic straw burning is the largest source of biomass burning emissions for all the pollutants considered, except for NH3, EC (firewood), and NOx (in-field straw). Corn, rice, and wheat represent the major crop straws. The combined emission of these three straw types accounts for 80 % of the total straw-burned emissions for each specific pollutant mentioned in this study. As for the straw burning emission of various crops, corn straw burning has the largest contribution to all of the pollutants considered, except for CH4; rice straw burning has highest contribution to CH4 and the second largest contribution to other pollutants, except for SO2, OC, and Hg; wheat straw burning is the second largest contributor to SO2, OC, and Hg and the third largest contributor to other pollutants. Heilongjiang, Shandong, and Henan provinces located in the north-eastern and central-southern regions of China have higher emissions compared to other provinces in China. Gridded emissions, which were obtained through spatial allocation based on the gridded rural population and fire point data from emission inventories at county resolution, could better represent the actual situation. High biomass burning emissions are concentrated in the areas with more agricultural and rural activity. The months of April, May, June, and October account for 65 % of emissions from in-field crop residue burning, while, regarding EC, the emissions in January, February, October, November, and December are relatively higher than other months due to biomass domestic burning in heating season. There are regional differences in the monthly variations of emissions due to the diversity of main planted crops and climatic conditions. Furthermore, PM2.5 component results showed that OC, Cl-, EC, K+, NH4+, elemental K, and SO42- are the main PM2.5 species, accounting for 80 % of the total emissions. The species with relatively high contribution to NMVOC emission include ethylene, propylene, toluene, mp-xylene, and ethyl benzene, which are key species for the formation of secondary air pollution. The detailed biomass burning emission inventory developed by this study could provide useful information for air-quality modelling and could support the development of appropriate pollution-control strategies.

[Pay close attention to the quality of life of patients and look to the future of burn rehabilitation].

PubMed

Wu, Jun; Chen, Jian

2013-04-01

After 50 years' development, a rather comprehensive burn care system has been built up in China, and it has played key roles in wound healing and salvaging victims of burn trauma. Since survival is no longer the main priority of treatment, more efforts should be made to cut down the incidence of disabilities and to improve the quality of life of the survivors. The further progress on burn rehabilitation therapies, including functional improvement, psychological rehabilitation, aesthetic recovery, and occupational and social recuperation, would bring new perspectives to our burn care system.

What's in a story? A text analysis of burn survivors' web-posted narratives.

PubMed

Badger, Karen; Royse, David; Moore, Kelly

2011-01-01

Story-telling has been found to be beneficial following trauma, suggesting a potential intervention for burn survivors who frequently make use of? telling their story? as part of their recovery. This study is the first to examine the word content of burn survivors' Web-posted narratives to explore their perceptions of the event, supportive resources, their post-burn well-being, and re-integration using a comparison group and a text data analysis software developed by the widely recognized James Pennebaker. Suggestions for using expressive writing or story-telling as a guided psychosocial intervention with burn survivors are made.

The value of WhatsApp communication in paediatric burn care.

PubMed

Martinez, R; Rogers, A D; Numanoglu, A; Rode, H

2018-06-01

Telemedicine is increasingly applied in developed settings to facilitate transfer of information to and from burn surgeons across vast geographic areas. WhatsApp is a widely available and extremely user-friendly encrypted smartphone application that does not require the expensive physical and personnel infrastructure that characterizes many of these telemedicine systems. The aim of this study was to review the use of WhatsApp to facilitate paediatric burn injury consultations to a regional burn centre in a developing country, where burn care continues to be thwarted by administrative apathy, poor resource allocation and lack of attention to medical and nursing education at all levels. A retrospective review was undertaken of all consultations using WhatsApp over an 18-month period, received by the burn centre's two senior medical practitioners. The specific origin and nature of the telemedicine requests for advice, transfer or follow-up were collected, as were data relating to the demographics of the patients, the aetiology, mechanism and extent of the burn injury. The impact of the system of communication in terms of reductions in admissions and clinic visits was assessed, and a cost analysis was undertaken. Feedback was also obtained from those health practitioners regularly using the service. 838 communications occurred during the study period, which included 1562 distinct clinical queries. 486 interactions (58%) originated from within the hospital, the majority of which were initiated by surgeons in training or burn nurse practitioners. 352 (42%) consultations were from outside the hospital. Queries related to the full spectrum of burn care, including emergency management and stabilization, triage and transfer, the need for escharotomy, fluid resuscitation, wound care, the timing and nature of surgical intervention, as well as follow-up and rehabilitation. While no significant changes in the number of surgical interventions or admissions were observed when compared to the five years prior to the intervention, outpatient visits reduced significantly during the study period. It was estimated that over 150 unnecessary admissions were also avoided as a result of the triage made possible by WhatsApp, which translated into considerable cost saving for the institution. Incorporating WhatsApp technology into the daily processes of burn care has significantly improved the quality of paediatric burn care referrals to specialist burn services. Specifically, WhatsApp has contributed to reductions in unnecessary referrals and outpatient visits, facilitated opportunities for continuing medical education, improved the care of major burn injuries through more effective prehospital communication, and enabled greater allocation of scarce specialist resources at the burn centre. This study motivates for the wider application of WhatsApp for burn care referrals, especially in developing countries. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Fire-Retardant, Self-Extinguishing Inorganic/Polymer Composite Memory Foams.

PubMed

Chatterjee, Soumyajyoti; Shanmuganathan, Kadhiravan; Kumaraswamy, Guruswamy

2017-12-27

Polymeric foams used in furniture and automotive and aircraft seating applications rely on the incorporation of environmentally hazardous fire-retardant additives to meet fire safety norms. This has occasioned significant interest in novel approaches to the elimination of fire-retardant additives. Foams based on polymer nanocomposites or based on fire-retardant coatings show compromised mechanical performance and require additional processing steps. Here, we demonstrate a one-step preparation of a fire-retardant ice-templated inorganic/polymer hybrid that does not incorporate fire-retardant additives. The hybrid foams exhibit excellent mechanical properties. They are elastic to large compressional strain, despite the high inorganic content. They also exhibit tunable mechanical recovery, including viscoelastic "memory". These hybrid foams are prepared using ice-templating that relies on a green solvent, water, as a porogen. Because these foams are predominantly comprised of inorganic components, they exhibit exceptional fire retardance in torch burn tests and are self-extinguishing. After being subjected to a flame, the foam retains its porous structure and does not drip or collapse. In micro-combustion calorimetry, the hybrid foams show a peak heat release rate that is only 25% that of a commercial fire-retardant polyurethanes. Finally, we demonstrate that we can use ice-templating to prepare hybrid foams with different inorganic colloids, including cheap commercial materials. We also demonstrate that ice-templating is amenable to scale up, without loss of mechanical performance or fire-retardant properties.

Differences between intentional and non-intentional burns in India: implications for prevention.

PubMed

Natarajan, Mangai

2014-08-01

Non-intentional and deliberate burns in India and other developing countries present particular challenges of prevention and treatment. This exploratory study sought improved understanding of burns in order to inform treatment and prevention. It gathered data in 2011/2012 on burns from the hospital registry (N=768) of a government hospital in India and from interviews with women patients (N=60) admitted to the burns ward. Analysis indicated that: (1) the conditions that facilitate intentional and non-intentional burns are similar, but intentional burns involve additional contributory factors; (2) a high proportion of patients subjected to burns are young women in domestic situations; and (3) a higher proportion of their TBSA was burned, with consequent higher mortality than for men. It was concluded that: (1) Haddon's matrix and the situational crime prevention framework of criminology assist in understanding the etiology of intentional burns and in identifying preventive measures; (2) social service and criminal justice agencies have important roles in dealing with victims of intentional burns during and after treatment; (3) full account should be taken of gender-related physical, psychological and family factors in planning treatment; and (4) maintaining careful records of burns cases is vital for estimating the prevalence and incidence of intentional injuries. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Early changes in arbuscular mycorrhiza development in sugarcane under two harvest management systems.

PubMed

de Azevedo, Lucas Carvalho Basilio; Stürmer, Sidney Luiz; Lambais, Marcio Rodrigues

2014-01-01

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is grown on over 8 million ha in Brazil and is used to produce ethanol and sugar. Some sugarcane fields are burned to facilitate harvesting, which can affect the soil microbial community. However, whether sugarcane pre-harvest burning affects the community of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and symbioses development is not known. In this study, we investigated the early impacts of harvest management on AMF spore communities and root colonization in three sugarcane varieties, under two harvest management systems (no-burning and pre-harvest burning). Soil and root samples were collected in the field after the first harvest of sugarcane varieties SP813250, SP801842, and RB72454, and AMF species were identified based on spore morphology. Diversity indices were determined based on spore populations and root colonization determined as an indicator of symbioses development. Based on the diversity indices, spore number and species occurrence in soil, no significant differences were observed among the AMF communities, regardless of harvest management type, sugarcane variety or interactions between harvest management type and sugarcane variety. However, mycorrhiza development was stimulated in sugarcane under the no-burning management system. Our data suggest that the sugarcane harvest management system may cause early changes in arbuscular mycorrhiza development.

A porcine deep dermal partial thickness burn model with hypertrophic scarring.

PubMed

Cuttle, Leila; Kempf, Margit; Phillips, Gael E; Mill, Julie; Hayes, Mark T; Fraser, John F; Wang, Xue-Qing; Kimble, Roy M

2006-11-01

We developed a reproducible model of deep dermal partial thickness burn injury in juvenile Large White pigs. The contact burn is created using water at 92 degrees C for 15s in a bottle with the bottom replaced with plastic wrap. The depth of injury was determined by a histopathologist who examined tissue sections 2 and 6 days after injury in a blinded manner. Upon creation, the circular wound area developed white eschar and a hyperaemic zone around the wound border. Animals were kept for 6 weeks or 99 days to examine the wound healing process. The wounds took between 3 and 5 weeks for complete re-epithelialisation. Most wounds developed contracted, purple, hypertrophic scars. On measurement, the thickness of the burned skin was approximately 1.8 times that of the control skin at week 6 and approximately 2.2 times thicker than control skin at 99 days after injury. We have developed various methods to assess healing wounds, including digital photographic analysis, depth of organising granulation tissue, immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy and tensiometry. Immunohistochemistry and electron microscopy showed that our porcine hypertrophic scar appears similar to human hypertrophic scarring. The development of this model allows us to test and compare different treatments on burn wounds.

Early changes in arbuscular mycorrhiza development in sugarcane under two harvest management systems

PubMed Central

de Azevedo, Lucas Carvalho Basilio; Stürmer, Sidney Luiz; Lambais, Marcio Rodrigues

2014-01-01

Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.) is grown on over 8 million ha in Brazil and is used to produce ethanol and sugar. Some sugarcane fields are burned to facilitate harvesting, which can affect the soil microbial community. However, whether sugarcane pre-harvest burning affects the community of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and symbioses development is not known. In this study, we investigated the early impacts of harvest management on AMF spore communities and root colonization in three sugarcane varieties, under two harvest management systems (no-burning and pre-harvest burning). Soil and root samples were collected in the field after the first harvest of sugarcane varieties SP813250, SP801842, and RB72454, and AMF species were identified based on spore morphology. Diversity indices were determined based on spore populations and root colonization determined as an indicator of symbioses development. Based on the diversity indices, spore number and species occurrence in soil, no significant differences were observed among the AMF communities, regardless of harvest management type, sugarcane variety or interactions between harvest management type and sugarcane variety. However, mycorrhiza development was stimulated in sugarcane under the no-burning management system. Our data suggest that the sugarcane harvest management system may cause early changes in arbuscular mycorrhiza development. PMID:25477936

Infection Casualty Estimation (ICE) Model: Predicting Sepsis in Nuclear Detonation Burn Patient Populations using Procalcitonin as a Biomarker

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-06

environments may be injured or killed from the primary blast wave, thermal pulse and ionizing radiation . Burn casualties surviving the initial blast wave are...32]/1.8 degree Celsius (oC) degree Fahrenheit (oF) [T(oF) + 459.67]/1.8 kelvin (K) Radiation activity of radionuclides [curie (Ci)] 3.7 × 1010...develop casualty estimation models for improvised nuclear device (IND) scenarios. The HSRDIPT team has developed health effects models of radiation , burn

An in vitro biofilm model to examine the effect of antibiotic ointments on biofilms produced by burn wound bacterial isolates.

PubMed

Hammond, Adrienne A; Miller, Kyle G; Kruczek, Cassandra J; Dertien, Janet; Colmer-Hamood, Jane A; Griswold, John A; Horswill, Alexander R; Hamood, Abdul N

2011-03-01

Topical treatment of burn wounds is essential as reduced blood supply in the burned tissues restricts the effect of systemic antibiotics. On the burn surface, microorganisms exist within a complex structure termed a biofilm, which enhances bacterial resistance to antimicrobial agents significantly. Since bacteria differ in their ability to develop biofilms, the susceptibility of these biofilms to topically applied antibiotics varies, making it essential to identify which topical antibiotics efficiently disrupt or prevent biofilms produced by these pathogens. Yet, a simple in vitro assay to compare the susceptibility of biofilms produced by burn wound isolates to different topical antibiotics has not been reported. Biofilms were developed by inoculating cellulose disks on agar plates with burn wound isolates and incubating for 24h. The biofilms were then covered for 24h with untreated gauze or gauze coated with antibiotic ointment and remaining microorganisms were quantified and visualized microscopically. Mupirocin and triple antibiotic ointments significantly reduced biofilms produced by the Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa burn wound isolates tested, as did gentamicin ointment, with the exception of one P. aeruginosa clinical isolate. The described assay is a practical and reproducible approach to identify topical antibiotics most effective in eliminating biofilms produced by burn wound isolates. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Development of a burn prevention teaching tool for Amish children.

PubMed

Rieman, Mary T; Kagan, Richard J

2012-01-01

Although there are inherent risks for burn injury associated with the Amish lifestyle, burn prevention is not taught in Amish schools. The purpose of this study was to develop a burn prevention teaching tool for Amish children. An anonymous parental survey was designed to explore the content and acceptability of a teaching tool within an Old Order Amish community. After institutional review board approval, the Amish teacher distributed surveys to 16 families of the 30 children attending the one-room school. Fourteen (88%) of the families responded to identify these burn risks in and around their homes, barns, and shops: lighters, wood and coal stoves, kerosene heaters, gasoline-powered engines, and hot liquids used for canning, butchering, mopping, washing clothes, and making lye soap. All respondents were in favor of teaching familiar safety precautions, fire escape plans, burn first aid, and emergency care to the children. There was some minor objection to more modern devices such as bath tub thermometers (25%), fire extinguishers (19%), and smoke detectors (6%). The teacher was interested in a magnetic teaching board depicting Amish children and typical objects in their home environment. Movable pieces could afford the opportunity to identify hazards and to rearrange them for a safer situation. This survey served to introduce burn prevention to one Amish community and to develop an appropriate teaching tool for the school. It is anticipated that community participation would support its acceptance and eventual utilization within this tenaciously traditional culture.

High performance polymer development

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hergenrother, Paul M.

1991-01-01

The term high performance as applied to polymers is generally associated with polymers that operate at high temperatures. High performance is used to describe polymers that perform at temperatures of 177 C or higher. In addition to temperature, other factors obviously influence the performance of polymers such as thermal cycling, stress level, and environmental effects. Some recent developments at NASA Langley in polyimides, poly(arylene ethers), and acetylenic terminated materials are discussed. The high performance/high temperature polymers discussed are representative of the type of work underway at NASA Langley Research Center. Further improvement in these materials as well as the development of new polymers will provide technology to help meet NASA future needs in high performance/high temperature applications. In addition, because of the combination of properties offered by many of these polymers, they should find use in many other applications.

Atomic Oxygen Erosion Yield Dependence Upon Texture Development in Polymers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Banks, Bruce A.; Loftus, Ryan J.; Miller, Sharon K.

2016-01-01

The atomic oxygen erosion yield (volume of a polymer that is lost due to oxidation per incident atom) of polymers is typically assumed to be reasonably constant with increasing fluence. However polymers containing ash or inorganic pigments, tend to have erosion yields that decrease with fluence due to an increasing presence of protective particles on the polymer surface. This paper investigates two additional possible causes for erosion yields of polymers that are dependent upon atomic oxygen. These are the development of surface texture which can cause the erosion yield to change with fluence due to changes in the aspect ratio of the surface texture that develops and polymer specific atomic oxygen interaction parameters. The surface texture development under directed hyperthermal attack produces higher aspect ratio surface texture than isotropic thermal energy atomic oxygen attack. The fluence dependence of erosion yields is documented for low Kapton H (DuPont, Wilmington, DE) effective fluences for a variety of polymers under directed hyperthermal and isotropic thermal energy attack.

Contributions of open crop straw burning emissions to PM 2.5 concentrations in China

Treesearch

Libo Zhang; Yongqiang Liu; Lu Hao

2016-01-01

PM2.5 inventories have been developed in major Chinese cities to quantify the contributions from various sources based on annual emissions. This approach, however, could substantially underestimate the contribution from open straw burning during the harvest or other active burning periods. This study examines this issue by estimating...

Development of an Animal Model for Burn-Blast Combined Injury and Cardiopulmonary System Changes in the Early Shock Stage.

PubMed

Hu, Quan; Chai, Jiake; Hu, Sen; Fan, Jun; Wang, Hong-Wei; Ma, Li; Duan, Hong-Jie; Liu, Lingying; Yang, Hongming; Li, Bai-Ling; Wang, Yi-He

2015-12-01

The purposes of this study were to establish an animal model for burn-blast combined injury research and elaborate cardiopulmonary system changes in the early shock stage. In this study, royal demolition explosive or RDX (hexagon, ring trimethylene nitramine) was used as an explosive source, and the injury conditions of the canine test subjects at various distances to the explosion (30, 50, and 70 cm) were observed by gross anatomy and pathology to determine a larger animal model of moderate blast injury. The canines were then subjected to a 35 % total body surface area (TBSA) full-thickness flame injury using napalm, which completed the development of a burn-blast combined injury model. Based on this model, the hemodynamic changes and arterial blood gas analysis after the burn-blast combined injury were measured to identify the cardiopulmonary system characteristics. In this research, RDX explosion and flame injury were used to develop a severe burn-blast injury animal model that was stable, close to reality, and easily controllable. The hemodynamic and arterial blood gas changes in the canine subjects after burn-blast injury changed distinctly from the burn and blast injuries. Blood pressure and cardiac output fluctuated, and the preload was significantly reduced, whereas the afterload significantly increased. Meanwhile, the oxygen saturation (SO2) decreased markedly with carbon dioxide partial pressure (PCO2), and lactic acid (Lac) rose, and oxygen partial pressure (PO2) reduced. These changes suggested that immediate clinical treatment is important during burn-blast injury both to stabilize cardiac function and supply blood volume and to reduce the vascular permeability, thereby preventing acute pneumonedema or other complications.

Engineered Polymers for Advanced Drug Delivery

PubMed Central

Kim, Sungwon; Kim, Jong-Ho; Jeon, Oju; Kwon, Ick Chan; Park, Kinam

2009-01-01

Engineered polymers have been utilized for developing advanced drug delivery systems. The development of such polymers has caused advances in polymer chemistry, which, in turn, has resulted in smart polymers that can respond to changes in environmental condition, such as temperature, pH, and biomolecules. The responses vary widely from swelling/deswelling to degradation. Drug-polymer conjugates and drug-containing nano/micro-particles have been used for drug targeting. Engineered polymers and polymeric systems have also been used in new areas, such as molecular imaging as well as in nanotechnology. This review examines the engineered polymers that have been used as traditional drug delivery and as more recent applications in nanotechnology. PMID:18977434

The Development for Polymer Actuator Active Catheter System

PubMed Central

Sewa, S.; Onishi, K.; Oguro, K.; Asaka, K.; Taki, W.; Toma, N.

2001-01-01

Summary Electric stimuli polymer-metal composite actuator material has been developed for active catheter system and other widely new applications. The polymer actuator is made of ion exchange polymer and gold as electrode, and a pulse voltage of 3 volts on the actuator gave a quick bend 90 degree angle. This composite material is possible to make small size, light and soft actuator. So now we can actually develop an active catheter for the interventional radiology surgery. The prototype polymer actuator active catheter has been developed by using polymer actuator technology and Micro Electronics Mechanical System (MEMS) technologies. The active catheter is controllable from the outside of the body by electric signal. The tip part of the catheter is made of the polymer actuator tube and bends 90 degree angles. The animal tests (dog) showed good actuator performance to control right direction and bending angle at bifurcation of blood vessel and aneurysms. PMID:20663388

Uncontrolled burning of solid waste by households in Mexico is a significant contributor to climate change in the country.

PubMed

Reyna-Bensusan, Natalia; Wilson, David C; Smith, Stephen R

2018-05-01

Uncontrolled burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) is an important source of air pollution and is wide spread in many developing countries, but only limited data quantify the extent of domestic open burning of household waste. Here, we present some of the first field data to be reported on the uncontrolled domestic burning of waste. A representative community of Mexico (Huejutla de Reyes Municipality) was investigated and household surveys, interviews with waste operators and a waste characterisation analysis were completed to assess the extent of, and factors controlling, the open burning of waste. Waste collection provision to rural communities was very limited and, consequently 92% of households in rural areas reported that they disposed of waste by uncontrolled burning in backyards or unofficial dumps. Overall, 24% of the total MSW generated in the Municipality was disposed by uncontrolled burning. Urban and periurban areas received twice-weekly collections and the rate of uncontrolled burning was considerably smaller compared to rural households, corresponding to approximately 2% of total waste generation. Carbon equivalency calculations showed that burning waste in backyards represented approximately 6% of the total and 8.5% of fuel related CO 2 Eq emissions by the municipality. Moreover, the equivalent carbon dioxide (CO 2 Eq) from black carbon (BC) emitted by uncontrolled burning in backyards was over fifteen times larger compared to methane (CH 4 ) potentially released from equivalent amounts of combustible biodegradable waste disposal at the official dumpsite. An assessment of local respiratory health data showed the incidence of disease was higher in rural than in urban areas, when the opposite trend is typically observed in the international literature; given the high rate of burning activity found in rural areas we suggest that open burning of waste could be a major reason for the apparent poorer respiratory health status of the rural population and requires further investigation. The results emphasise the importance of including BC from uncontrolled burning of waste in international emission inventories of greenhouse gases and in the assessment of the health status of local communities in developing countries where this practice is prevalent. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The trends of burns epidemiology in a tropical regional burns centre.

PubMed

Hwee, Jolie; Song, Christopher; Tan, Kok Chai; Tan, Bien Keem; Chong, Si Jack

2016-05-01

Singapore General Hospital (SGH) is a regional burns centre in Southeast Asia and is the only dedicated burns facility providing specialized burns care in Singapore. A cohort study was performed for burns patients admitted to SGH from 2011 to 2013. We compared our data with earlier studies and observed the trends of burns epidemiology in Singapore. Results were analyzed using the SPSS programme. 655 patients were admitted during this study period, a 35.9% increase from 2003 to 2005. Scalding by water and flame injury remain the top causes of burns and the mean extent of burn is 9.5%. TBSA correlates with the incidence of burn infection, bacteremia and mortality. Patients with ≥20% TBSA are at a higher risk of bacteremia, and ≥ 34% TBSA is a predictor of mortality. 4.9% (n=32) of our patients developed bacteremia. Bacteremia was associated with a surgical duration of ≥80min. Patients with bacteremia incurred longer hospitalization, and had higher mortality rates. Overall mortality rate of our burns patients has decreased from 4.5% to 2.7% (n=18). Key factors of mortality include inhalational injury, bacteremia and ≥20% TBSA. This is a large epidemiology study of a tropical region burns centre. A total of 655 burns cases over a 3-year period were analyzed. We analysed the key factors associated with adverse outcomes including burns infection, bacteremia and mortality, factors associated with mortality, and discussed strategies on the optimization of burns care. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Mechanisms of Morphology Development and Control in Polymer- Polymer Blends

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Macosko, Christopher W.

1998-03-01

Polymer-polymer blends continue to be the most important method for achieving optimization of properties in plastics products. Over 30 percent of all plastics are blends. While miscible blends generally give average properties between the components, immiscible blends offer synergistic possibilities such as high modulus with high toughness; high flow with high impact strength or diffusion barriers with good mechanical properties and low cost. The key to performance of these immiscible blends is their morphology. There are several important types of morphology which can lead to valuable property improvement: emulsion - small polymer spheres well dispersed in a polymer matrix. double emulsion - spheres inside spheres which are dispersed in another matrix. microlayer - thin, parallel layers of one polymer in a matrix. cocontinuous - two (or more) continuous, interpenetrating polymer phases. To be economical it is desirable to create these morphologies via melt mixing of powder or pellets in conventional compounding equipment. The melting stage during compounding is very important for morphology development. This presentation will demonstrate the role of melting or softening of each phase as well as their viscosity, elasticity and interfacial tension in morphology development. Interfacial modification with premade block copolymers or reactively formed copolymers can greatly alter morphology formation and stability. Experimental results will be presented which quantify the role of these additives. References to recent work in this area by our group are listed below: DeBrule, M. B., L. Levitt and C.W. Macosko, "The Rheology and Morphology of Layered Polymer Melts in Shear," Soc. Plastics Eng. Tech Papers (ANTEC), 84-89 (1996). Guegan, P., C. W. Macosko, T. Ishizone, A. Hirao and S. Nakahama, "Kinetics of Chain Coupling at Melt Interfaces, Macromol. 27, 4993-4997 (1994). Lee, M. S., T.P. Lodge, and C. W. Macosko, "Can Random Copolymers Serve as Effective Polymeric Compatibilizers?" accepted for publication by Journal of Polymer Science, Polymer Physics Edition, 1997. Levitt, L. and C. W. Macosko, "Extensional Rheometry of Polymer Multilayers: A Sensitive Probe of Interfaces," J. Rheol, 41, 3, 671-685, (1997). Levitt, L., C.W. Macosko and S.D. Pearson, "Influence of Normal Stress Difference on Polymer Drop Deformation," Polym. Eng. Sci., 36, Part 12, 1647-1655 (1996). Nakayama, A., T. Inoue, A. Hirao, P. Guegan, A. Khandpur, and C. W. Macosko, "Compatibilization of Blends: Effect of Reaction Rate," PPS Proceedings, Sorrento, May 1996. Levitt, L., "Microlayer Morphology Via Polymer Melt Processing, Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota, 1997. Orr, C. A., A. Adedeji, A. Hirao, F. S. Bates, and C. W. Macosko, "Flow-Induced Reactive Self-Assembly", Macromolecules, 30, 4, 1243-1246, (1997). Orr, C. A., "Reactive Compatibilization of Polymer Blends," Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Chemical Engineering & Materials Science, University of Minnesota, 1997. Scott, C. E., and C. W. Macosko, "Morphology Development During the Initial Stages of Polymer-Polymer Blending," Polymer, 36, 461-470 (1995). Scott, C. E. and C. W. Macosko, "Model Experiments Concerning Morphology Development During the Initial Stages of Polymer Blending," Polymer Bulletin 26, 341- 348 (1991). Sundararaj, U., C. K. Shih, and C. W. Macosko, "Evidence For Inversion of Phase Continuity During Morphology Development in Polymer Blending," Polymer Eng. and Sci., 36, 1769-1781 (1996). Sundararaj, U., and C. W. Macosko, "Drop Breakup and Coalescence in Polymer Blends: The Effects of Concentration and Compatibilization, Macromolecules, 28, 2647-2657 (1995). Sundararaj, U., Y. Dori and C. W. Macosko, "Sheet Formation in Immiscible Polymer Blends: Model Experiments on Initial Blend Morphology," Polymer, 36, 1957-1968 (1995). Sundararaj, U., C. W. Macosko, A. Nakayama, and T. Inoue, "Milligrams to Kilograms: An Evaluation of Mixers for Reactive Polymer Blending," Polym. Eng. Sci. 35, 100-114 (1995). Sundararaj, U, R. J. Rolando, H. T. Chan and C. W. Macosko, "Morphology Development in Polymer Blends," Polymer Eng. Sci. 32, 1814-1823 (1992). Utracki, L., Polymer Alloys and Blends; Hanser: New York, 1989.

Prospective comparison of two management strategies of central venous catheters in burn patients.

PubMed

Kealey, G P; Chang, P; Heinle, J; Rosenquist, M D; Lewis, R W

1995-03-01

Central venous catheters (CVCs) are associated with sepsis in burn patients. This study was undertaken to compare two strategies of CVC management in patients with major burn injuries. Forty-two burn patients with major burn injuries were randomly assigned to undergo site change every 48 hours of the CVC or to undergo wire guide exchange of the CVC every 48 hours at the same site. Catheter insertion site, distance from the burn wound, cultures of catheter tips, and blood cultures were obtained from all patients in a prospective manner. There was no difference in the incidence of CVC sepsis between the two groups studied. CVCs inserted less than 5 cm from the burn wound developed bacterial contamination at an earlier time than CVCs inserted more than 5 cm from the burn wound. There was no advantage to changing the CVC insertion site every 48 hours. Changing the CVC using the wire guide technique did not prevent, nor predict, CVC bacterial contamination.

Fusarium spp infections in a pediatric burn unit: nine years of experience.

PubMed

Rosanova, María Teresa; Brizuela, Martín; Villasboas, Mabel; Guarracino, Fabian; Alvarez, Veronica; Santos, Patricia; Finquelievich, Jorge

2016-01-01

Fusarium spp are ubiquitous fungi recognized as opportunistic agents of human infections, and can produce severe infections in burn patients. The literature on Fusarium spp infections in pediatric burn patients is scarce. To describe the clinical and epidemiological features as well as outcome of Fusarium spp infections in pediatric burn patients. Retrospective, descriptive study of Fusarium spp infections in a specialized intensive care burn unit. In 15 patients Fusarium spp infections were diagnosed. Median age was 48 months. Direct fire injury was observed in ten patients. The median affected burn surface area was 45%. Twelve patients had a full thickness burn. Fourteen patients had a Garces Index ≥3. Fungal infection developed at a median of 11 days after burn injury. Fungi were isolated from burn wound in 14 patients and from the bone in one patient. Amphotericin B was the drug of choice for treatment followed by voriconazole. Median time of treatment completion was 23 days. One patient (7%) died of fungal infection-related causes. In our series Fusarium spp was an uncommon pathogen in severely burnt patients. The burn wound was the most common site of infection and mortality was low. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.

Chemical Markup, XML and the World-Wide Web. 8. Polymer Markup Language.

PubMed

Adams, Nico; Winter, Jerry; Murray-Rust, Peter; Rzepa, Henry S

2008-11-01

Polymers are among the most important classes of materials but are only inadequately supported by modern informatics. The paper discusses the reasons why polymer informatics is considerably more challenging than small molecule informatics and develops a vision for the computer-aided design of polymers, based on modern semantic web technologies. The paper then discusses the development of Polymer Markup Language (PML). PML is an extensible language, designed to support the (structural) representation of polymers and polymer-related information. PML closely interoperates with Chemical Markup Language (CML) and overcomes a number of the previously identified challenges.

Prescribed burning consumes key forest structural components: implications for landscape heterogeneity.

PubMed

Holland, Greg J; Clarke, Michael F; Bennett, Andrew F

2017-04-01

Prescribed burning to achieve management objectives is a common practice in fire-prone regions worldwide. Structural components of habitat that are combustible and slow to develop are particularly susceptible to change associated with prescribed burning. We used an experimental, "whole-landscape" approach to investigate the effect of differing patterns of prescribed burning on key habitat components (logs, stumps, dead trees, litter cover, litter depth, and understorey vegetation). Twenty-two landscapes (each ~100 ha) were selected in a dry forest ecosystem in southeast Australia. Experimental burns were conducted in 16 landscapes (stratified by burn extent) while six served as untreated controls. We measured habitat components prior to and after burning. Landscape burn extent ranged from 22% to 89% across the 16 burn treatments. With the exception of dead standing trees (no change), all measures of habitat components declined as a consequence of burning. The degree of loss increased as the extent to which a landscape was burned also increased. Prescribed burning had complex effects on the spatial heterogeneity (beta diversity) of structural components within landscapes. Landscapes that were more heterogeneous pre-fire were homogenized by burning, while those that were more homogenous pre-fire tended to display greater differentiation post-burning. Thus, the notion that patch mosaic burning enhances heterogeneity at the landscape-scale depends on prior conditions. These findings have important management implications. Where prescribed burns must be undertaken, effects on important resources can be moderated via control of burn characteristics (e.g., burn extent). Longer-term impacts of prescribed burning will be strongly influenced by the return interval, given the slow rate at which some structural components accumulate (decades to centuries). Management of habitat structural components is important given the critical role they play in (1) provision of habitat resources for diverse organisms, (2) retention of moisture and nutrients in otherwise dry, low-productivity systems, and (3) carbon storage. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Developing ecological criteria for prescribed fire in South Florida pine rockland ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Snyder, James R.; Ross, Michael S.; Koptur, Suzanne; Sah, Jay P.

2005-01-01

The pine rocklands of South Florida, characterized by a rich herbaceous flora with many narrowly endemic taxa beneath an overstory of south Florida slash pine (Pinus elliottii var. densa), are found in three areas: the Miami Rock Ridge of southeastern peninsular Florida, the Lower Florida Keys, and slightly elevated portions of the southern Big Cypress National Preserve. Fire is an important element in these ecosystems, since in its absence the pine canopy is likely to be replaced by dense hardwoods, resulting in loss of the characteristic pineland herb flora. Prescribed fire has been used in Florida Keys pine forests since the creation of the National Key Deer Refuge (NKDR), with the primary aim of reducing fuels. Because fire can also be an effective tool in shaping ecological communities, we conducted a 4-year research study which explored a range of fire management options in NKDR. The intent of the study was to provide the Fish and Wildlife Service and other land managers with information regarding when and where to burn in order to perpetuate these unique forests. In 1998 we initiated a burning experiment in a randomized complete block design. Three treatments were to be carried out in a single well-defined block in each of two characteristic understory types during each year from 1998 through 2000. One understory type was characterized by a relatively sparse shrub layer and a well-developed herb layer ('open'), and the second had a dense shrub layer and poorly developed herb layer ('shrubby'). The three burn treatments were: (a) summer burn, (b) winter burn, and (c) no burn, or control. Three 1- ha plots were established in each block, and randomly assigned to the three treatments. Though the first year experimental burns were carried out without incident, constraints posed by external factors, including nationwide and statewide prohibitions on prescribed burning due to wildfires in other regions, delayed the experimental burns and precluded collection of postburn data on one third of the burns. Ultimately we burned only eleven plots, three in winter and eight in summer, over a four-year period from 1998 to 2001. Vegetation was sampled in a stratified, nested design within 18 plots. Trees were sampled in a 1.0-ha plot, shrubs in twenty 50-m2 circular (radius 4 m) subplots within the tree plot, and the herb layer in four circular 1-m2 quadrats (radius 0.57 m) within each subplot. The amount of fuel in the shrub layer was estimated by applying regression models to plant dimensional data, and ground layer fuel was estimated by a harvest method. The effects of Key deer herbivory on regeneration of the understory pine rockland plant community after fire was studied by monitoring inside and outside exclosures established within two of the six blocks. Pine trees constituted more than half (53.3%) of the biomass, but understory fine fuels comprised a surprisingly high proportion of total aboveground biomass. In the three blocks in which paired summer and winter burns were successfully conducted, the summer burns were more intense than the winter burns as judged by our indicators of fire intensity. Because of the differences in fire intensity between seasons, it was not possible to say whether observed differences in vegetation response between summer and winter burns were due to season or to fire intensity. The mortality of South Florida slash pine trees was greater after the summer burn than the winter burn in each block, but other vegetation responses were rarely as consistent. For instance, Metopium showed less recovery after summer burns in two blocks and after the winter burn in the third block. Moreover, there were instances in which alternative growth stages of the same species responded differently. Adult palms succumbed more frequently to summer than winter burns, and mortality of Coccothrinax exceeded that of Thrinax. In contrast, small palms recovered more readily after summer burns than winter burns. High in

Using Logistic Regression to Predict the Probability of Debris Flows in Areas Burned by Wildfires, Southern California, 2003-2006

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rupert, Michael G.; Cannon, Susan H.; Gartner, Joseph E.; Michael, John A.; Helsel, Dennis R.

2008-01-01

Logistic regression was used to develop statistical models that can be used to predict the probability of debris flows in areas recently burned by wildfires by using data from 14 wildfires that burned in southern California during 2003-2006. Twenty-eight independent variables describing the basin morphology, burn severity, rainfall, and soil properties of 306 drainage basins located within those burned areas were evaluated. The models were developed as follows: (1) Basins that did and did not produce debris flows soon after the 2003 to 2006 fires were delineated from data in the National Elevation Dataset using a geographic information system; (2) Data describing the basin morphology, burn severity, rainfall, and soil properties were compiled for each basin. These data were then input to a statistics software package for analysis using logistic regression; and (3) Relations between the occurrence or absence of debris flows and the basin morphology, burn severity, rainfall, and soil properties were evaluated, and five multivariate logistic regression models were constructed. All possible combinations of independent variables were evaluated to determine which combinations produced the most effective models, and the multivariate models that best predicted the occurrence of debris flows were identified. Percentage of high burn severity and 3-hour peak rainfall intensity were significant variables in all models. Soil organic matter content and soil clay content were significant variables in all models except Model 5. Soil slope was a significant variable in all models except Model 4. The most suitable model can be selected from these five models on the basis of the availability of independent variables in the particular area of interest and field checking of probability maps. The multivariate logistic regression models can be entered into a geographic information system, and maps showing the probability of debris flows can be constructed in recently burned areas of southern California. This study demonstrates that logistic regression is a valuable tool for developing models that predict the probability of debris flows occurring in recently burned landscapes.

Development of clinical process measures for pediatric burn care: Understanding variation in practice patterns.

PubMed

Kazis, Lewis E; Sheridan, Robert L; Shapiro, Gabriel D; Lee, Austin F; Liang, Matthew H; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Lydon, Martha; Soley-Bori, Marina; Sonis, Lily A; Dore, Emily C; Palmieri, Tina; Herndon, David; Meyer, Walter; Warner, Petra; Kagan, Richard; Stoddard, Frederick J; Murphy, Michael; Tompkins, Ronald G

2018-04-01

There has been little systematic examination of variation in pediatric burn care clinical practices and its effect on outcomes. As a first step, current clinical care processes need to be operationally defined. The highly specialized burn care units of the Shriners Hospitals for Children system present an opportunity to describe the processes of care. The aim of this study was to develop a set of process-based measures for pediatric burn care and examine adherence to them by providers in a cohort of pediatric burn patients. We conducted a systematic literature review to compile a set of process-based indicators. These measures were refined by an expert panel of burn care providers, yielding 36 process-based indicators in four clinical areas: initial evaluation and resuscitation, acute excisional surgery and critical care, psychosocial and pain control, and reconstruction and aftercare. We assessed variability in adherence to the indicators in a cohort of 1,076 children with burns at four regional pediatric burn programs in the Shriners Hospital system. The percentages of the cohort at each of the four sites were as follows: Boston, 20.8%; Cincinnati, 21.1%; Galveston, 36.0%; and Sacramento, 22.1%. The cohort included children who received care between 2006 and 2010. Adherence to the process indicators varied both across sites and by clinical area. Adherence was lowest for the clinical areas of acute excisional surgery and critical care, with a range of 35% to 48% across sites, followed by initial evaluation and resuscitation (range, 34%-60%). In contrast, the clinical areas of psychosocial and pain control and reconstruction and aftercare had relatively high adherence across sites, with ranges of 62% to 93% and 71% to 87%, respectively. Of the 36 process indicators, 89% differed significantly in adherence between clinical sites (p < 0.05). Acute excisional surgery and critical care exhibited the most variability. The development of this set of process-based measures represents an important step in the assessment of clinical practice in pediatric burn care. Substantial variation was observed in practices of pediatric burn care. However, further research is needed to link these process-based measures to clinical outcomes. Therapeutic/care management, level IV.

Oxygen Compatibility of Brass-Filled PTFE Compared to Commonly Used Fluorinated Polymers for Oxygen Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Herald, Stephen D.; Frisby, Paul M.; Davis, Samuel Eddie

2009-01-01

Safe and reliable seal materials for high-pressure oxygen systems sometimes appear to be extinct species when sought out by oxygen systems designers. Materials that seal well are easy to find, but these materials are typically incompatible with oxygen, especially in cryogenic liquid form. This incompatibility can result in seals that leak, or much worse, seals that easily ignite and burn during use. Materials that are compatible with oxygen are easy to find, such as the long list of compatible metals, but these metallic materials are limiting as seal materials. A material that seals well and is oxygen compatible has been the big game in the designer's safari. Scientists at the Materials Combustion Research Facility (MCRF), part of NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), are constantly searching for better materials and processes to improve the safety of oxygen systems. One focus of this effort is improving the characteristics of polymers used in the presence of an oxygen enriched environment. Very few systems can be built which contain no polymeric materials; therefore, materials which have good impact resistance, low heat of combustion, high auto-ignition temperature and that maintain good mechanical properties are essential. The scientists and engineers at the Materials Combustion Research Facility, in cooperation with seal suppliers, are currently testing a new formulation of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) with Brass filler. This Brass-filled PTFE is showing great promise as a seal and seat material for high pressure oxygen systems. Early research has demonstrated very encouraging results, which could rank this material as one of the best fluorinated polymers ever tested. This paper will compare the data obtained for Brass-filled PTFE with other fluorinated polymers, such as TFE-Teflon (PTFE) , Kel-F 81, Viton A, Viton A-500, Fluorel , and Algoflon . A similar metal filled fluorinated polymer, Salox-M , was tested in comparison to Brass-filled PTFE to demonstrate the importance of the metal chosen and relative percentage of filler. General conclusions on the oxygen compatibility of this formulation are drawn, with an emphasis on comparing and contrasting the materials performance to the performance of the current state-of-the-art oxygen compatible polymers.

[Risk factors for development of hypomagnesemia in the burned patient].

PubMed

Durán-Vega, Héctor César; Romero-Aviña, Francisco Javier; Gutiérrez-Salgado, Jorge Eduardo; Silva-Díaz, Teresita; Ramos-Durón, Luis Ernesto; Carrera-Gómez, Francisco Javier

2004-01-01

Electrolyte abnormalities are common in the severely burned patient. There is little information with regard to the frequency and magnitude of hypomagnesemia, as well as on risk factors for this condition. We performed an observational, retrospective analysis of 35 burned patients treated at the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Service at the Hospital Central Sur PEMEX, Mexico City. We determined serum magnesium behavior and divided patients into two groups: the first included 11 patients with burns and hypomagnesemia, and the second, 24 patients with burns but without hypomagnesemia. Risk factor identification was performed. We found patient at risk was the one with more than 40% of 2nd or 3rd degree total burned body area, in day 4 or 10 after the burn, and with hypokalemia, hypocalcemia, or both, and without intravenous (i.v.) supplementation of magnesium. The best way to prevent or avoid major complications is to identify the high-risk patient, or to diagnose earlier.

Improving the accuracy of burn-surface estimation.

PubMed

Nichter, L S; Williams, J; Bryant, C A; Edlich, R F

1985-09-01

A user-friendly computer-assisted method of calculating total body surface area burned (TBSAB) has been developed. This method is more accurate, faster, and subject to less error than conventional methods. For comparison, the ability of 30 physicians to estimate TBSAB was tested. Parameters studied included the effect of prior burn care experience, the influence of burn size, the ability to accurately sketch the size of burns on standard burn charts, and the ability to estimate percent TBSAB from the sketches. Despite the ability for physicians of all levels of training to accurately sketch TBSAB, significant burn size over-estimation (p less than 0.01) and large interrater variability of potential consequence was noted. Direct benefits of a computerized system are many. These include the need for minimal user experience and the ability for wound-trend analysis, permanent record storage, calculation of fluid and caloric requirements, hemodynamic parameters, and the ability to compare meaningfully the different treatment protocols.

Erosive burning research. [for solid-propellant rocket engines

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Strand, L.; Yang, L. C.; Nguyen, M. H.; Cohen, N. S.

1986-01-01

A status report is given on the results for the completed tests in a series of motor firings being carried out to measure the effects of the parameters that are considered to most strongly influence the scaling to larger rocket motor sizes of the transition to/or threshold conditions for erosive burning rate augmentation. Propellant burning rates at locations along the axis of the test motors are measured with a newly developed plasma capacitance gauge technique. The measured results are compared with erosive-burning predictions from a supporting ballistics analysis. The completed motor firings have successfully demonstrated response to the designed test variables. The trends with varying propellant burning rate, chamber pressure, and mass flow rate are consistent with existing results, but no pronounced effect of surface roughness has been observed. Rather, the influence of propellant oxidizer particle size on erosive burning is through its effect on the base, no-corssflow burning rate.

JTEC monograph on biodegradable polymers and plastics in Japan: Research, development, and applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lenz, Robert W.

1995-01-01

A fact-finding team of American scientists and engineers visited Japan to assess the status of research and development and applications in biodegradable polymers. The visit was sponsored by the National Science Foundation and industry. In Japan, the team met with representatives of 31 universities, government ministries and institutes, companies, and associations. Japan's national program on biodegradable polymers and plastics evaluates new technologies, testing methods, and potential markets for biodegradables. The program is coordinated by the Biodegradable Plastics Society of Japan, which seeks to achieve world leadership in biodegradable polymer technology and identify commercial opportunities for exploiting this technology. The team saw no major new technology breakthroughs. Japanese scientists and engineers are focusing on natural polymers from renewable resources, synthetic polymers, and bacterially-produced polymers such as polyhydroxyalkanoates, poly(amino acids), and polysaccharides. The major polymers receiving attention are the Zeneca PHBV copolymers, Biopol(registered trademark), poly(lactic acid) from several sources, polycaprolactone, and the new synthetic polyester, Bionolle(registered trademark), from Showa High Polymer. In their present state of development, these polymers all have major deficiencies that inhibit their acceptance for large-scale applications.

Technology and Development of Self-Reinforced Polymer Composites

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alcock, Ben; Peijs, Ton

In recent years there has been an increasing amount of interest, both commercially and scientifically, in the emerging field of "self-reinforced polymer composites". These materials, which are sometimes also referred to as "single polymer composites", or "all-polymer composites", were first conceived in the 1970s, and are now beginning to appear in a range of commercial products. While high mechanical performance polymer fibres or tapes are an obvious precursor for composite development, various different technologies have been developed to consolidate these into two- or three-dimensional structures. This paper presents a review of the various processing techniques that have been reported in the literature for the manufacture of self-reinforced polymer composites from fibres or tapes of different polymers, and so exploit the fibre or tape performance in a commercial material or product.

Pattern of unintentional burns: A hospital based study from Pakistan.

PubMed

Adil, Syed Omair; Ibran, Ehmer-Al; Nisar, Nighat; Shafique, Kashif

2016-09-01

Burns are major cause of morbidity and mortality in developing countries. Better understanding of the nature and extent of injury remains the major and only available way to halt the occurrence of the event. The present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of by self and by other unintentional burn, their comparison and the possible mode of acquisition by obtaining the history of exposure to known risk factors. A cross-sectional questionnaire based survey was conducted in Burns Centre of Civil Hospital Karachi, Pakistan and 324 hospitalized adult patients with unintentional burns were consecutively interviewed during August 2013 to February 2014. Information was collected on socio-demographic profile. The source of burn, affected body part and place of injury acquisition in terms of home, outside or work were also noted. Logistic regression model was conducted using SPSS software. Out of 324 patients, 295 (91%) had unintentional burn by self and 29 (9%) had unintentional burn by others. Male gender were 2.37 times and no schooling were 1.75 times more likely to have self-inflicted unintentional burn. Lower limb and head and neck were less likely to involve in unintentional burn by self. The burden of unintentional burn by self was considerably higher. Male gender and no schooling were found more at risk to have unintentional burn by self. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

A polygon-based modeling approach to assess exposure of resources and assets to wildfire

Treesearch

Matthew P. Thompson; Joe Scott; Jeffrey D. Kaiden; Julie W. Gilbertson-Day

2013-01-01

Spatially explicit burn probability modeling is increasingly applied to assess wildfire risk and inform mitigation strategy development. Burn probabilities are typically expressed on a per-pixel basis, calculated as the number of times a pixel burns divided by the number of simulation iterations. Spatial intersection of highly valued resources and assets (HVRAs) with...

Post-fire saguaro community: impacts on associated vegetation still apparent 10 years later [Abstract

Treesearch

Marcia Narog; Ruth Wilson

2005-01-01

In recent decades thousands of hectares of saguaro habitat burned by wildfire have converted to grasslands. Historically, this was desirable and saguaro-shrub was burned to improve rangeland for livestock. New priorities now support conservation of healthy saguaro communities and restoration of burned or degraded habitat. Understanding regeneration and developing...

Dr. Biswell's influence on the development of prescribed burning in California

Treesearch

Jan W.\\t van Wagtendonk

1995-01-01

Prescribed burning in California has evolved from the original practices of the Native Americans, through years of experimentation and controversy, to finally become an accepted ecosystem management activity. When Dr. Harold Biswell arrived in California, he began research on improving game range by using prescribed fires and on understory burning in ponderosa pine (...

Field guide for mapping post-fire soil burn severity

Treesearch

Annette Parson; Peter R. Robichaud; Sarah A. Lewis; Carolyn Napper; Jess T. Clark

2010-01-01

Following wildfires in the United States, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of the Interior mobilize Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) teams to assess immediate post-fire watershed conditions. BAER teams must determine threats from flooding, soil erosion, and instability. Developing a postfire soil burn severity map is an important first step...

The research on new type fast burning systems for biogas engine

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Xia, L.; Zheng, B.; Chen, Z.

1996-12-31

In order to meet the demands of energy supply and environmental protection, the large and medium-sized biogas engineering are developed quickly. The biogas engines are also beginning to be developed in China. However, the problems of afterburning and short lifespan of spark ignited biogas engine have not been solved. According to the fast burning theory in gas engines, the authors developed four kinds of new combustion systems which could promote the fast burning of mixture gas and gained good effects. This paper discusses in detail the structural features and experimental results of one combustion system: the Fan shaped combustion chamber.

Building a balanced scorecard for a burn center.

PubMed

Wachtel, T L; Hartford, C E; Hughes, J A

1999-08-01

The Balanced Scorecard provides a model that can be adapted to the management of any burn center, burn service or burn program. This model enables an organization to translate its mission and vision into specific strategic objectives across the four perspective: (1) the financial perspective; (2) the customer service perspective; (3) the internal business perspective; and (4) the growth and learning perspective. Once the appropriate objectives are identified, the Balanced Scorecard guides the organization to develop reasonable performance measures and establishes targets, initiatives and alternatives to meet programmatic goals and pursue longer-term visionary improvements. We used the burn center at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center to test whether the Balanced Scorecard methodology was appropriate for the core business plan of a healthcare strategic business unit (i.e. a burn center).

Synthesis and Characterization of SF-PPV-I

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wang, Y.; Fan, Z.; Taft, C.; Sun, S.

2001-01-01

Conjugated electro-active polymers find their potential applications in developing variety inexpensive and flexible shaped electronic and photonic devices, such as photovoltaic or photo/electro light emitting devices. In many of these opto-electronic polymeric materials, certain electron rich donors and electron deficient acceptors are needed in order to fine-tune the electronic or photonic properties of the desired materials and structures. While many donor type of conjugated polymers have been widely studied and developed in the past decades, there are relatively fewer acceptor type of conjugated polymers have been developed. Key acceptor type conjugated polymers developed so far include C60 and CN-PPV, and each has its limitations. Due to the complexity and diversity of variety future electronic materials and structural needs, alternative and synthetically amenable acceptor conjugated polymers need to be developed. In this paper, we present the synthesis and characterization of a new acceptor conjugated polymer, a sulfone derivatized polyphenylenevinylene "SF-PPV".

Emissions of unintentional persistent organic pollutants from open burning of municipal solid waste from developing countries

EPA Science Inventory

Open burning of waste is the most significant source of polychlorinated dibenzo-para-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/PCDF) in many national inventories prepared pursuant to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs). This is particularly true for developing ...

A mobile app for measuring the surface area of a burn in three dimensions: comparison to the Lund and Browder assessment.

PubMed

Goldberg, Harry; Klaff, Justin; Spjut, Aaron; Milner, Stephen

2014-01-01

The aim of this study was to compare the ease and accuracy of measuring the surface area of a severe burn through the use of a mobile software application (BurnMed) to the traditional method of assessment, the Lund and Browder chart. BurnMed calculates the surface area of a burn by enabling the user to first manipulate a three-dimensional model on a mobile device and then by touching the model at the locations representing the patient's injury. The surface area of the burn is calculated in real time. Using a cohort of 18 first-year medical students with no experience in burn care, the surface area of a simulated burn on a mannequin was made using BurnMed and compared to estimates derived from the Lund and Browder chart. At the completion of this study, students were asked to complete a questionnaire designed to assess the ease of use of BurnMed. Users were able to easily and accurately measure the surface area of a simulated burn using the BurnMed application. In addition, there was less variability in surface area measurements with the application compared to the results obtained using the Lund and Browder chart. Users also reported that BurnMed was easier to use than the Lund and Browder chart. A software application, BurnMed, has been developed for a mobile device that easily and accurately determines the surface area of a burn. This system uses a three-dimensional model that can be rotated, enlarged, and transposed by the health care provider to easily determine the extent of a burn. Results show that the variability of measurements using BurnMed is lower than the measurements obtained using the Lund and Browder chart. BurnMed is available at no charge in the Apple™ Store.

Burns in Baghdad from 2003 to 2014: Results of a randomized household cluster survey.

PubMed

Stewart, Barclay T; Lafta, Riyadh; Esa Al Shatari, Sahar A; Cherewick, Megan; Burnham, Gilbert; Hagopian, Amy; Galway, Lindsay P; Kushner, Adam L

2016-02-01

Civilians living amid conflict are at high-risk of burns. However, the epidemiology of burns among this vulnerable group is poorly understood, yet vital for health policy and relief planning. To address this gap, we aimed to determine the death and disability, healthcare needs and household financial consequences of burns in post-invasion Baghdad. A two-stage, cluster randomized, community-based household survey was performed in May 2014 to determine the civilian burden of injury from 2003 to 2014 in Baghdad. In addition to questions about cause of household member death, households were interviewed regarding burn specifics, healthcare required, disability, relationship to conflict and resultant financial hardship. Nine-hundred households, totaling 5148 individuals, were interviewed. There were 55 burns, which were 10% of all injuries reported. There were an estimated 2340 serious burns (39 per 100,000 persons) in Baghdad in 2003. The frequency of serious burns generally increased post-invasion to 8780 burns in 2013 (117 per 100,000 persons). Eight burns (15%) were the direct result of conflict. Individuals aged over 45 years had more than twice the odds of burn than children aged less than 13 years (aOR 2.42; 95%CI 1.08-5.44). Nineteen burns (35%) involved ≥ 20% body surface area. Death (16% of burns), disability (40%), household financial hardship (48%) and food insecurity (50%) were common after burn. Civilian burn in Baghdad is epidemic, increasing in frequency and associated with household financial hardship. Challenges of healthcare provision during prolonged conflict were evidenced by a high mortality rate and likelihood of disability after burn. Ongoing conflict will directly and indirectly generates more burns, which mandates planning for burn prevention and care within local capacity development initiatives, as well as humanitarian assistance. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Burns in Baghdad from 2003–2014: results of a randomized household cluster survey

PubMed Central

Stewart, Barclay T; Lafta, Riyadh; Shatari, Sahar A Esa Al; Cherewick, Megan; Burnham, Gilbert; Hagopian, Amy; Galway, Lindsay P; Kushner, Adam L

2015-01-01

Purpose Civilians living amid conflict are at high-risk of burns. However, the epidemiology of burns among this vulnerable group is poorly understood, yet vital for health policy and relief planning. To address this gap, we aimed to determine the death and disability, healthcare needs and household financial consequences of burns in post-invasion Baghdad. Methods A two-stage, cluster randomized, community-based household survey was performed in May of 2014 to determine the civilian burden of injury from 2003 to 2014 in Baghdad. In addition to questions about cause of household member death, households were interviewed regarding burn specifics, healthcare required, disability, relationship to conflict and resultant financial hardship. Results Nine-hundred households, totaling 5,148 individuals, were interviewed. There were 55 burns, which were 10% of all injuries reported. There were an estimated 2,340 serious burn injures (39 per 100,000 persons) in Baghdad in 2003. The frequency of serious burn injuries generally increased post-invasion to 8,780 burns in 2013 (117 per 100,000 persons). Eight burns (15%) were the direct result of conflict. Individuals aged over 45 years had more than twice the odds of burn injury than children aged less than 13 years (aOR 2.42; 95%CI 1.08 – 5.44). Nineteen burns (35%) involved ≥20% body surface area. Death (16% of burn injuries), disability (40%), household financial hardship (48%) and food insecurity (50%) were common after burn injury. Conclusion Civilian burn injury in Baghdad is epidemic, increasing in frequency and associated with household financial hardship. Challenges of healthcare provision during prolonged conflict were evidenced by a high mortality rate and likelihood of disability after burn injury. Ongoing conflict will directly and indirectly generate more burns, which mandates planning for burn prevention and care within local capacity development initiatives, as well as humanitarian assistance. PMID:26526376

NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Agarwal, Shri

2012-01-01

Recent Findings from Audits, New Technology Data Reviews a) Disabled Chip Burn-ins A recent audit for a QML device discovered that the chip was disabled during the static burn-in, thus it was not drawing any current. Recommendation: For new SMDs add a statement within the burn-in paragraphs stating that the parts shall be kept in their enabled state during the burn-in. b) Class Q 160-hr/125oC Burn-in This is being interpreted as a static burn-in (even for CMOS technology). Recommendation: Provide clarification in MIL-STD-883, Test Method 5004. c) At Frequency (Dynamic) Burn-ins Test equipment limitation is being cited for not doing burn-ins at the application frequency. Recommendation: The burn-in task group to discuss and provide guidance. When the SMD says that the part can be used at 200 MHz, then doing burn-in at 6 MHz (cited as burn-in equipment limitation frequency) is not going to be meaningful! d) Two Static Burn-ins Some manufacturers are doing electrical testing between the two static burn-ins, whereas others do electricals after completing both static burn-ins. Recommendation: Provide clarification in MIL-STD-883, Test Method 5004. e) Thermal Imaging For a device with hot spots, the thermal resistance, junction-to-case, would be much higher than the guidelines given in MIL-STD-1835. One of the suppliers used thermal imaging to find hot spots on the die. Recommendation: Assign a task group to evaluate the effectiveness of thermal imaging at the product development stage.

Select practices in management and rehabilitation of burns: a survey report.

PubMed

Holavanahalli, Radha K; Helm, Phala A; Parry, Ingrid S; Dolezal, Cynthia A; Greenhalgh, David G

2011-01-01

The purpose of this study is to document the organization and current practices in physical rehabilitation across burn centers. An online survey developed for the specific purposes of this study sought information regarding a) logistics of the burn center; b) inpatient and outpatient treatment of patients with burn injury; and c) specific protocols in the treatment of a few complications secondary to burn injuries. Of the 159 responses received, 115 were received from the United States, 20 from Australia, 16 from Canada, and 7 from New Zealand. The overall sample included responses from 76 physical therapists (PTs) and 78 occupational therapists. Seventy-three of those surveyed considered themselves primarily a burn therapist. Nurses (86%) were reported as primarily responsible for wound care of inpatients, followed by wound care technicians (24%). Ninety-seven percent of the therapists reported following their own treatment plans. The trunk and areas of head and neck were treated by both PTs and occupational therapists, whereas the lower extremities continue to be treated predominantly by PTs. Some common practices regarding treatment of a few complications secondary to burn injuries such as splinting to prevent contractures, treatment of exposed or ruptured extensor tendons, exposed Achilles tendons, heterotopic ossification, postoperative ambulation, conditioning, scar massage, and use of compression garments are described. Opportunities exist for 1) developing a common document for practice guidelines in physical rehabilitation of burns; and 2) conducting collaborative studies to evaluate treatment interventions and outcomes.

Burns in low- and middle-income countries: a review of available literature on descriptive epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, and prevention.

PubMed

Forjuoh, S N

2006-08-01

Burn prevention requires adequate knowledge of the epidemiological characteristics and associated risk factors. While much has been accomplished in the areas of primary and secondary prevention of fires and burns in many developed or high-income countries (HICs), such as the United States, due to sustained research on the descriptive epidemiology and risk factors, the same cannot be said of developing or low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). To move from data to action and assist preventive efforts in LMICs, a review of the available literature was conducted to assess the current status of burn preventive efforts. A MEDLINE search (1974-2003) was conducted on empirical studies published in English on the descriptive epidemiology, risk factors, treatment, and prevention of burns in LMICs. Review of the 117 identified studies revealed basically the same descriptive epidemiological characteristics but slightly different risk factors of burns including the presence of pre-existing impairments in children, lapses in child supervision, storage of flammable substances in the home, low maternal education, and overcrowding as well as several treatment modalities and preventive efforts including immediate application of cool water to a burned area. Continuous evaluation of promising interventions and those with unknown efficacy that have been attempted in LMICs, along with testing interventions that have proven effective in HICs in these LIMC settings, is needed to spearhead the move from data to action in preventing burns in LMICs.

High temperature adhesive silicone foam composition, foam generating system and method of generating foam

DOEpatents

Mead, Judith W.; Montoya, Orelio J.; Rand, Peter B.; Willan, Vernon O.

1984-01-01

Access to a space is impeded by generation of a sticky foam from a silicone polymer and a low boiling solvent such as a halogenated hydrocarbon. In a preferred aspect, the formulation is polydimethylsiloxane gel mixed with F502 Freon as a solvent and blowing agent, and pressurized with CO.sub.2 in a vessel to about 250 PSI, whereby when the vessel is opened, a sticky and solvent resistant foam is deployed. The foam is deployable, over a wide range of temperatures, adhering to wet surfaces as well as dry, is stable over long periods of time and does not propagate flame or lose adhesive properties during an externally supported burn.

Signatures of Biomass Burning Aerosols during a Smoke Plume Event from a Saltmarsh Wildfire in South Texas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louchouarn, P.; Griffin, R. J.; Norwood, M. J.; Sterne, A. M. E.; Karakurt Cevik, B.

2014-12-01

The most conventional and abundant tracers of biomass combustion in aerosol particles include potassium and biomarkers derived from thermally altered cellulose/hemicellulose (anhydrosugars) and lignin (methoxyphenols). However, little is known of the role of biomass combustion as a particulate source of major plant polymers to the atmosphere. Here, concentrations of "free" (solvent-extractable) anhydrosugars and methoxyphenols are compared to the yields of polymeric lignin oxidation products (LOPs) during a smoke plume event in Houston, Texas. Downwind aerosol samples (PM2.5) were collected prior to, during, and following a two-day wildfire event that burned ~5,000 acres of a spartina saltmarsh ecosystem in the McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, 125 km southeast of Houston. In addition, charcoals of the burned plants were collected within a week of the fire at the wildfire site. HYSPLIT modeling shows that Houston was directly downwind of this wildfire during the peak of the burn, with an approximate travel time from source to aerosol sampling site of 12-16 hrs. Concentrations of all organic markers, K+, and Ca2+ jumped by a factor of 2-13 within 1-2 days of the start of the fire and dropped to pre-fire levels three days after the peak event. Source signatures of anhydrosugars and free methoxyphenols during the peak of the plume were identical to those of grass charcoals collected from the site, confirming the potential use of charcoals as endmembers for source input reconstruction during atmospheric transport. An enrichment factor of 20 in the anhydrosugar to methoxyphenol ratio of aerosols vs. charcoals can partially be explained by differences in degradation rate constants between the two biomarker groups. Polymeric LOP comprised 73-91% of all lignin material in the aerosols, pointing to fires as major sources of primary biogenic aerosol particles and confirming an earlier study that lignin phenols in atmospheric particles occur predominantly in polymeric form.

Web-Based Toxic Gas Dispersion Model for Shuttle Launch Operations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bardina, Jorge; Thirumalainambi, Rajkumar

2004-01-01

During the launch of the Space Shuttle vehicle, the burning of liquid hydrogen fuel with liquid oxygen at extreme high temperatures inside the three space shuttle main engines, and the burning of the solid propellant mixture of ammonium perchlorate oxidizer, aluminum fuel, iron oxide catalyst, polymer binder, and epoxy curing agent in the two solid rocket boosters result in the formation of a large cloud of hot, buoyant toxic exhaust gases near the ground level which subsequently rises and entrains into ambient air until the temperature and density of the cloud reaches an approximate equilibrium with ambient conditions. In this paper, toxic gas dispersion for various gases are simulated over the web for varying environmental conditions which is provided by rawinsonde data. The model simulates chemical concentration at ground level up to 10 miles (1 KM grids) in downrange up to an hour after launch. The ambient concentration of the gas dispersion and the deposition of toxic particles are used as inputs for a human health risk assessment model. The advantage of the present model is the accessibility and dissemination of model results to other NASA centers over the web. The model can be remotely operated and various scenarios can be analyzed.

A population-based study of the epidemiology of acute adult burns in Ecuador from 2005 to 2014.

PubMed

Ortiz-Prado, Esteban; Armijos, Luciana; Iturralde, Ana Lucia

2015-05-01

To describe the demographic, risk factor, occupational, and morbidity and mortality characteristics of burns in adults in Ecuador using national data. These data are from the only specialized public hospital in Ecuador that has a 12-bed burn unit. The National Institute of Statistics and Census provided data from the burn unit of the Hospital Eugenio Espejo, in Quito. Three different datasets pertaining to burn deaths, burn unit inpatient admissions, and hospital discharge were analyzed. Patients who died or were discharged before entering the burn unit were not included in this analysis. During the 10-year period, 1106 patients were admitted to the burn unit, men represent 69.37% with 768 cases and women represent 30.62% with 337 patients; the number of patients per year was on average 123 cases; the average age was 33-34 years old, with a range between 16 and 96 years old. Heat (thermal) burns represent 65.78% followed by electrical with 30.53%, friction burns with 2.06%, and chemical burns with 1.62%. Domestic methane gas was the most frequent agent causing thermal burns and the most affected occupational groups are construction workers and people who stay at home. The overall mortality is 10.2% and the average length of stay was 23 days. Thermal burns are more frequent than any other cause of burns. Electrical burns are more frequent in Ecuador than anywhere else according to our research, meaning that control and prevention of workplace safety, urban planning, and home safety are scarce. The most affected groups are those dedicated to labor work. Finally, mortality in hospitalized patient is higher when compared with developed countries. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Imaging Techniques for Clinical Burn Assessment with a Focus on Multispectral Imaging

PubMed Central

Thatcher, Jeffrey E.; Squiers, John J.; Kanick, Stephen C.; King, Darlene R.; Lu, Yang; Wang, Yulin; Mohan, Rachit; Sellke, Eric W.; DiMaio, J. Michael

2016-01-01

Significance: Burn assessments, including extent and severity, are some of the most critical diagnoses in burn care, and many recently developed imaging techniques may have the potential to improve the accuracy of these evaluations. Recent Advances: Optical devices, telemedicine, and high-frequency ultrasound are among the highlights in recent burn imaging advancements. We present another promising technology, multispectral imaging (MSI), which also has the potential to impact current medical practice in burn care, among a variety of other specialties. Critical Issues: At this time, it is still a matter of debate as to why there is no consensus on the use of technology to assist burn assessments in the United States. Fortunately, the availability of techniques does not appear to be a limitation. However, the selection of appropriate imaging technology to augment the provision of burn care can be difficult for clinicians to navigate. There are many technologies available, but a comprehensive review summarizing the tissue characteristics measured by each technology in light of aiding clinicians in selecting the proper device is missing. This would be especially valuable for the nonburn specialists who encounter burn injuries. Future Directions: The questions of when burn assessment devices are useful to the burn team, how the various imaging devices work, and where the various burn imaging technologies fit into the spectrum of burn care will continue to be addressed. Technologies that can image a large surface area quickly, such as thermography or laser speckle imaging, may be suitable for initial burn assessment and triage. In the setting of presurgical planning, ultrasound or optical microscopy techniques, including optical coherence tomography, may prove useful. MSI, which actually has origins in burn care, may ultimately meet a high number of requirements for burn assessment in routine clinical use. PMID:27602255

In vivo high-resolution 3D photoacoustic imaging of superficial vascular anatomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, E. Z.; Laufer, J. G.; Pedley, R. B.; Beard, P. C.

2009-02-01

The application of a photoacoustic imaging instrument based upon a Fabry-Perot polymer film ultrasound sensor to imaging the superficial vasculature is described. This approach provides a backward mode-sensing configuration that has the potential to overcome the limitations of current piezoelectric based detection systems used in superficial photoacoustic imaging. The system has been evaluated by obtaining non-invasive images of the vasculature in human and mouse skin as well as mouse models of human colorectal tumours. These studies showed that the system can provide high-resolution 3D images of vascular structures to depths of up to 5 mm. It is considered that this type of instrument may find a role in the clinical assessment of conditions characterized by changes in the vasculature such as skin tumours and superficial soft tissue damage due to burns, wounds or ulceration. It may also find application in the characterization of small animal cancer models where it is important to follow the tumour vasculature over time in order to study its development and/or response to therapy.

Constitutive modeling of glassy shape memory polymers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Khanolkar, Mahesh

The aim of this research is to develop constitutive models for non-linear materials. Here, issues related for developing constitutive model for glassy shape memory polymers are addressed in detail. Shape memory polymers are novel material that can be easily formed into complex shapes, retaining memory of their original shape even after undergoing large deformations. The temporary shape is stable and return to the original shape is triggered by a suitable mechanism such heating the polymer above a transition temperature. Glassy shape memory polymers are called glassy because the temporary shape is fixed by the formation of a glassy solid, while return to the original shape is due to the melting of this glassy phase. The constitutive model has been developed to capture the thermo-mechanical behavior of glassy shape memory polymers using elements of nonlinear mechanics and polymer physics. The key feature of this framework is that a body can exist stress free in numerous natural configurations, the underlying natural configuration of the body changing during the process, with the response of the body being elastic from these evolving natural configurations. The aim of this research is to formulate a constitutive model for glassy shape memory polymers (GSMP) which takes in to account the fact that the stress-strain response depends on thermal expansion of polymers. The model developed is for the original amorphous phase, the temporary glassy phase and transition between these phases. The glass transition process has been modeled using a framework that was developed recently for studying crystallization in polymers and is based on the theory of multiple natural configurations. Using the same frame work, the melting of the glassy phase to capture the return of the polymer to its original shape is also modeled. The effect of nanoreinforcement on the response of shape memory polymers (GSMP) is studied and a model is developed. In addition to modeling and solving boundary value problems for GSMP's, problems of importance for CSMP, specifically a shape memory cycle (Torsion of a Cylinder) is solved using the developed crystallizable shape memory polymer model. To solve complex boundary value problems in realistic geometries a user material subroutine (UMAT) for GSMP model has been developed for use in conjunction with the commercial finite element software ABAQUS. The accuracy of the UMAT has been verified by testing it against problems for which the results are known.

[Lymphocyte metabolism in children with extensive burns].

PubMed

Artem'ev, S A; Nazarov, I P; Kamzalakova, N I; Bulygin, G V

2009-01-01

The results of the study lead to the conclusion that the development of burn disease in children is accompanied by significant lymphocytic structural metabolic changes that determine the functional capabilities of cells and the immune system as a whole. There is an evident activation of the glutathione antioxidant system, a drastic activation of enzymes that ensure Krebs cycle reactions, as well as activation of anaerobic processes. The above changes are mainly caused by the activated sympathoadrenal system that is characteristic of stresses. The knowledge about the metabolic mechanisms responsible for the development of cellular reactions to burn shock and burn disease permits specification of the elements of the pathogenesis of these severe conditions and substantiation of the possibility of using metabolic correction in the complex treatment of children with the above pathology.

Treatment Strategies for Hypopigmentation in the Context of Burn Hypertrophic Scars

PubMed Central

Carney, Bonnie C.; McKesey, Jacqueline P.; Rosenthal, Dean S.

2018-01-01

Dyspigmentation in burn scars can contribute to the development of psychosocial complications after injury and can be detrimental to social reintegration and quality of life for burn survivors. Although treatments for skin lightening to treat hyperpigmentation have been well reviewed in the literature, skin-darkening strategies to treat hypopigmentation have not. The following potential treatment options in the context of burn hypertrophic scar will be discussed: use of the melanocyte-keratinocyte transplantation procedure, use of ectopic synthetic analogues of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone to initiate melanogenesis, and use of FK506 to induce melanogenesis. A proposed future direction of research in laser-assisted drug delivery of inducers of local melanin production, with the hope of developing a targeted, effective approach to dyspigmentation in hypertrophic scar is also discussed. PMID:29464168

Simulation of mixing in the quick quench region of a rich burn-quick quench mix-lean burn combustor

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Shih, Tom I.-P.; Nguyen, H. Lee; Howe, Gregory W.; Li, Z.

1991-01-01

A computer program was developed to study the mixing process in the quick quench region of a rich burn-quick quench mix-lean burn combustor. The computer program developed was based on the density-weighted, ensemble-averaged conservation equations of mass, momentum (full compressible Navier-Stokes), total energy, and species, closed by a k-epsilon turbulence model with wall functions. The combustion process was modeled by a two-step global reaction mechanism, and NO(x) formation was modeled by the Zeldovich mechanism. The formulation employed in the computer program and the essence of the numerical method of solution are described. Some results obtained for nonreacting and reacting flows with different main-flow to dilution-jet momentum flux ratios are also presented.

Positively Fire Safe. Third Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the third grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of third grade students, its objectives include: (1) acquiring basic knowledge of hazards and safe storage of flammable liquids; and (2) developing positive actions to prevent fires and burns or to…

Integrating satellite imagery with simulation modeling to improve burn severity mapping

Treesearch

Eva C. Karau; Pamela G. Sikkink; Robert E. Keane; Gregory K. Dillon

2014-01-01

Both satellite imagery and spatial fire effects models are valuable tools for generating burn severity maps that are useful to fire scientists and resource managers. The purpose of this study was to test a new mapping approach that integrates imagery and modeling to create more accurate burn severity maps. We developed and assessed a statistical model that combines the...

Fire Safety: Any Time, Any Place. First Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the first grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of first grade students, its objectives include acquiring basic knowledge of fire and burn hazards, developing a basic understanding of simple injury reduction, and encouraging parent involvement.…

Controlled Radical Polymerization as an Enabling Approach for the Next Generation of Protein-Polymer Conjugates.

PubMed

Pelegri-O'Day, Emma M; Maynard, Heather D

2016-09-20

Protein-polymer conjugates are unique constructs that combine the chemical properties of a synthetic polymer chain with the biological properties of a biomacromolecule. This often leads to improved stabilities, solubilities, and in vivo half-lives of the resulting conjugates, and expands the range of applications for the proteins. However, early chemical methods for protein-polymer conjugation often required multiple polymer modifications, which were tedious and low yielding. To solve these issues, work in our laboratory has focused on the development of controlled radical polymerization (CRP) techniques to improve synthesis of protein-polymer conjugates. Initial efforts focused on the one-step syntheses of protein-reactive polymers through the use of functionalized initiators and chain transfer agents. A variety of functional groups such as maleimide and pyridyl disulfide could be installed with high end-group retention, which could then react with protein functional groups through mild and biocompatible chemistries. While this grafting to method represented a significant advance in conjugation technique, purification and steric hindrance between large biomacromolecules and polymer chains often led to low conjugation yields. Therefore, a grafting from approach was developed, wherein a polymer chain is grown from an initiating site on a functionalized protein. These conjugates have demonstrated improved homogeneity, characterization, and easier purification, while maintaining protein activity. Much of this early work utilizing CRP techniques focused on polymers made up of biocompatible but nonfunctional monomer units, often containing oligoethylene glycol meth(acrylate) or N-isopropylacrylamide. These branched polymers have significant advantages compared to the historically used linear poly(ethylene glycols) including decreased viscosities and thermally responsive behavior, respectively. Recently, we were motivated to use CRP techniques to develop polymers with rationally designed and functional biological properties for conjugate preparation. Specifically, two families of saccharide-inspired polymers were developed for stabilization and activation of therapeutic biomolecules. A series of polymers with trehalose side-chains and vinyl backbones were prepared and used to stabilize proteins against heat and lyophilization stress as both conjugates and additives. These materials, which combine properties of osmolytes with nonionic surfactants, have significant potential for in vivo therapeutic use. Additionally, polymers that mimic the structure of the naturally occurring polysaccharide heparin were prepared. These polymers contained negatively charged sulfonate groups and imparted stabilization to a heparin-binding growth factor after conjugation. A screen of other sulfonated polymers led to the development of a polymer with improved heparin mimesis, enhancing both stability and activity of the protein to which it was attached. Chemical improvements over the past decade have enabled the preparation of a diverse set of protein-polymer conjugates by controlled polymerization techniques. Now, the field should thoroughly explore and expand both the range of polymer structures and also the applications available to protein-polymer conjugates. As we move beyond medicine toward broader applications, increased collaboration and interdisciplinary work will result in the further development of this exciting field.

A burn center paradigm to fulfill deferred consent public disclosure and community consultation requirements for emergency care research.

PubMed

Blackford, Martha G; Falletta, Lynn; Andrews, David A; Reed, Michael D

2012-09-01

To fulfill Food and Drug Administration and Department of Health and Human Services emergency care research informed consent requirements, our burn center planned and executed a deferred consent strategy gaining Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval to proceed with the clinical study. These federal regulations dictate public disclosure and community consultation unique to acute care research. Our regional burn center developed and implemented a deferred consent public notification and community consultation paradigm appropriate for a burn study. Published accounts of deferred consent strategies focus on acute care resuscitation practices. We adapted those strategies to design and conduct a comprehensive public notification/community consultation plan to satisfy deferred consent requirements for burn center research. To implement a robust media campaign we engaged the hospital's public relations department, distributed media materials, recruited hospital staff for speaking engagements, enlisted community volunteers, and developed initiatives to inform "hard-to-reach" populations. The hospital's IRB determined we fulfilled our obligation to notify the defined community. Our communication strategy should provide a paradigm other burn centers may appropriate and adapt when planning and executing a deferred consent initiative. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Suicide by burning: epidemiological and clinical profiles.

PubMed

Theodorou, Panagiotis; Phan, Vu T Q; Weinand, Christian; Maegele, Marc; Maurer, Christoph A; Perbix, Walter; Leitsch, Sebastian; Lefering, Rolf; Spilker, Gerald

2011-04-01

Self-immolation constitutes a rare form of suicide in developed countries, though it accounts for unique injury characteristics in the burn intensive care unit. The aim of this study was to present the epidemiological and clinical features of patients burned during a suicidal attempt seen in a North Rhine-Westphalia burn intensive care unit (BICU). To address this aim, we undertook a 21-year retrospective study involving patients with thermal injuries admitted to the largest burn unit in Germany. A total of 125 suicide-related burn victims were identified in the study period (9.4%). Comparing the self-immolation group with the rest burn patient cohort, suicide victims were more likely to be single and to act under the influence of alcohol. The suicidal group had a larger extent of burns, higher incidence of inhalation injury, required more surgical procedures, catecholamines, blood transfusions, and a longer BICU stay. Their clinical course was complicated by prolonged intubation period, higher rate of multiple drug-resistant bacteria acquisition and sepsis, leading to a higher mortality rate. Although the proportion of self-immolation victims among all burned patients is not high, the markedly higher severity of their burns and their poorer quality of outcomes makes them an important clinical subgroup for further study.

A novel perspective for burn-induced myopathy: Membrane repair defect

PubMed Central

Wang, Chao; Wang, Hongyu; Wu, Dan; Hu, Jianhong; Wu, Wei; Zhang, Yong; Peng, Xi

2016-01-01

Myopathy is a common complication of severe burn patients. One potential cause of this myopathy could be failure of the plasma membrane to undergo repair following injuries generated from toxin or exercise. The aim of this study is to assess systemic effect on muscle membrane repair deficiency in burn injury. Skeletal muscle fibers isolated from burn-injured mice were damaged with a UV laser and dye influx imaged confocally to evaluate membrane repair capacity. Membrane repair failure was also tested in burn-injured mice subjected to myotoxin or treadmill exercise. We further used C2C12 myotubules and animal models to investigate the role of MG53 in development of burn-induced membrane repair defect. We demonstrated that skeletal muscle myofibers in burn-injured mice showed significantly more dye uptake after laser damage than controls, indicating a membrane repair deficiency. Myotoxin or treadmill exercise also resulted in a higher-grade repair defect in burn-injured mice. Furthermore, we observed that burn injury induced a significant decrease in MG53 levels and its dimerization in skeletal muscles. Our findings highlight a new mechanism that implicates membrane repair failure as an underlying cause of burn-induced myopathy. And, the disorders in MG53 expression and MG53 dimerization are involved in this cellular pathology. PMID:27545095

Physical functional outcome assessment of patients with major burns admitted to a UK Burn Intensive Care Unit.

PubMed

Smailes, Sarah T; Engelsman, Kayleen; Dziewulski, Peter

2013-02-01

Determining the discharge outcome of burn patients can be challenging and therefore a validated objective measure of functional independence would assist with this process. We developed the Functional Assessment for Burns (FAB) score to measure burn patients' functional independence. FAB scores were taken on discharge from ICU (FAB 1) and on discharge from inpatient burn care (FAB 2) in 56 patients meeting the American Burn Association criteria for major burn. We retrospectively analysed prospectively collected data to measure the progress of patients' physical functional outcomes and to evaluate the predictive validity of the FAB score for discharge outcome. Mean age was 38.6 years and median burn size 35%. Significant improvements were made in the physical functional outcomes between FAB 1 and FAB 2 scores (p<0.0001). 48 patients were discharged home, 8 of these with social care. 8 patients were transferred to another hospital for further inpatient rehabilitation. FAB 1 score (≤ 9) is strongly associated with discharge outcome (p<0.006) and as such can be used to facilitate early discharge planning. FAB 2 score (≤ 26) independently predicts discharge outcome (p<0.0001) and therefore is a valid outcome measure to determine discharge outcome of burn patients. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Burn care in South Africa: a micro cosmos of Africa.

PubMed

Rode, H; Cox, S G; Numanoglu, A; Berg, A M

2014-07-01

Burn injuries in Africa are common with between 300,000 and 17.5 million children under 5 years sustaining burn injuries annually, resulting in a high estimated fatality rate. These burns are largely environmentally conditioned and therefore preventable. The Western Cape Province in South Africa can be regarded as a prototype of paediatric burns seen on the continent, with large numbers, high morbidity and mortality rates and an area inclusive of all factors contributing to this extraordinary burden of injury. Most of the mechanisms to prevent burns are not easily modified due to the restraint of low socio-economic homes, overcrowding, unsafe appliances, multiple and complex daily demands on families and multiple psycho-social stressors. Children <4 years are at highest risk of burns with an average annual rate of 6.0/10,000 child-years. Burn care in South Africa is predominantly emergency driven and variable in terms of organization, clinical management, facilities and staffing. Various treatment strategies were introduced. The management of HIV positive children poses a problem, as well as the conflict of achieving equity of burn care for all children. Without alleviating poverty, developing minimum standards for housing, burn education, safe appliances and legislation, we will not be able to reduce the "curse of poor people" and will continue to treat the consequences.

The epidemiology of burns in young children from Mexico treated at a U.S. hospital.

PubMed

Patel, Dipen D; Rosenberg, Laura; Rosenberg, Marta; Leal, Jesus; Andersen, Clark R; Foncerrada, Guillermo; Lee, Jong O; Jimenez, Carlos J; Branski, Ludwik; Meyer, Walter J; Herndon, David N

2016-12-01

Young children are the most vulnerable for sustaining burns. At this pediatric burn hospital we have provided medical care to young children with severe burns from Mexico for many years. This study identified modifiable risk factors that could be used to assist in prevention of burns in this age group. A retrospective chart review was performed with children <5 years of age from Mexico who were injured from 2000 to 2013. The medical records of 447 acute patients were reviewed. There were 187 females and 260 males with large burns >20% total body surface area (TBSA) burned. Primary causes of burns were flame and scalds. Children with flame injuries were older (3.0±1.5 years of age) than those with scalds (2.6±1.2 years of age). Admissions attributed to flame burns were largely from explosions by propane tanks, gas line leaks, and house fires. Most admissions for scalds were predominantly from falling in large containers of hot water, food, or grease; and fewer were attributed to spills from hot liquids. Most cases reported to a social service agency were to find resources for families. Mortality rate for flame and scald burns was low. It is important take into account demographic, cultural, and socioeconomic variables when developing and implementing prevention programs. Burn prevention instruction for parents is crucial. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Pine Oil Effects on Chemical and Thermal Injury in Mice and Cultured Mouse Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons

PubMed Central

Clark, SP; Bollag, WB; Westlund, KN; Ma, F; Falls, G; Xie, D; Johnson, M; Isales, CM; Bhattacharyya, MH

2013-01-01

A commercial resin-based pine oil derived from Pinus palustris and Pinus elliottii was the major focus of this investigation. Extracts of pine resins, needles and bark are folk medicines commonly used to treat skin ailments, including burns. The American Burn Association estimates that 500,000 people with burn injuries receive medical treatment each year; one-half of US burn victims are children, most with scald burns. This systematic study was initiated as follow-up to personal anecdotal evidence acquired over more than 10 years by MH Bhattacharyya regarding pine oil’s efficacy for treating burns. The results demonstrate that pine oil counteracted dermal inflammation in both a mouse ear model of contact irritant-induced dermal inflammation and a 2nd degree scald burn to the mouse paw. Furthermore, pine oil significantly counteracted the tactile allodynia and soft tissue injury caused by the scald burn. In mouse dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neuronal cultures, pine oil added to the medium blocked ATP-activated, but not capsaicin-activated, pain pathways, demonstrating specificity. These results together support the hypothesis that a pine-oil-based treatment can be developed to provide effective in-home care for 2nd degree burns. PMID:23595692

Reversible Shape Memory Polymers and Composites: Synthesis, Modeling and Design

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-03-01

Polymer; and (iii) Development of a Shape Memory Assisted Self - Healing Polymer. Page 3 of 19 Mather/FA9550-09-1-0195 IV(i) Modeling and Model...0195 IV(iii) Development of a Shape Memory Assisted Self - Healing Polymer Erika D. Rodriguez, X. Luo, and P.T. Mather, “Linear and Crosslinked...Poly (ε- Caprolactone) Polymers for Shape Memory Assisted Self - Healing (SMASH),” ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces 3 152-161 (2011). Self

A ten-year experience with hemodialysis in burn patients at Los Angeles County + USC Medical Center.

PubMed

Soltani, Ali; Karsidag, Semra; Garner, Warren

2009-01-01

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a rare, but serious, complication after burn injury that is commonly thought to be fatal. Before the modern era, there were few survivors of burn injuries who required dialysis. We report our 10-year experience with ARF and dialysis at the Los Angeles County + USC burn unit. During the period of August 1994 to February 2004, 3356 patients were admitted. Furthermore, 1143 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit and 1125 had burns >10% TBSA. Thirty-three patients developed ARF necessitating dialysis, equaling 0.98% of all admitted patients, and 2.7% of patients with TBSA >10% burns, which is at the low end of published burn unit data. The average age of these patients requiring dialysis was 49 years, 91% were men, 24% were diabetic, and 39% were positive for substances of abuse at admission, and the average TBSA burned was 36%. This is compared with an average age of 31 years, 70% men, 7.3% diabetic, and 14.7% intoxicated in the general burned population at our burn unit. Furthermore, our overall mortality in the burn unit was 5% overall and 14% in patients with >10% TBSA burns during the study period. In patients requiring hemodialysis, the mortality rate was 69.7%. The average time to hemodialysis was 14 days in our series, and patients, on average, required 10.3 days of dialysis support. These mortality data are the lowest recorded for burned patients requiring dialysis and suggest that ARF is a survivable complication in some of these patients.

School reintegration.

PubMed

Blakeney, P

1995-01-01

School reintegration programs have been developed to enhance a positive sense of self-worth in a child who has been burned. The premise of these programs is that cognitive and affective education about children with burns will diminish the anxiety of the patient with burns, the patient's family, faculty and staff of the school, and the students. Five principles guide school reentry programs: (1) preparation begins as soon as possible; (2) planning includes the patient and family; (3) each program is individualized; (4) each patient is encouraged to return to school quickly after hospital discharge; and (5) burn team professionals remain available for consultation to the school. Reintegration programs can vary in format depending on patient and/or family need and capability of the burn team, thus allowing flexibility in assisting every child with burns make the transition from hospital patient to normal living.

Fast and safe gas detection from underground coal fire by drone fly over.

PubMed

Dunnington, Lucila; Nakagawa, Masami

2017-10-01

Underground coal fires start naturally or as a result of human activities. Besides burning away the important non-renewable energy resource and causing financial losses, burning coal seams emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, sulfur oxide and methane, and is a leading cause of smog, acid rain, global warming, and air toxins. In the U.S. alone, the combined cost of coal-fire remediation projects that have been completed, budgeted, or projected by the U.S. Department of the Interior's Office of Surface Mining Remediation and Enforcement (OSM), exceeds $1 billion. It is estimated that these fires generate as much as 3% of the world's annual carbon dioxide emissions and consume as much as 5% of its minable coal. Considering the magnitude of environmental impact and economic loss caused by burning underground coal seams, we have developed a new, safe, reliable surface measurement of coal fire gases to assess the nature of underground coal fires. We use a drone mounted with gas sensors. Drone collected gas concentration data provides a safe alternative for evaluating the rank of a burning coal seam. In this study, a new method of determining coal rank by gas ratios is developed. Coal rank is valuable for defining parameters of a coal seam such as burn temperature, burn rate, and volume of burning seam. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Development and characterization of novel hydrogel containing antimicrobial drug for treatment of burns

PubMed Central

Thakkar, Vaishali; Korat, Vaishali; Baldaniya, Lalji; Gohel, Mukesh; Gandhi, Tejal; Patel, Nirav

2016-01-01

Introduction: The aim of burn management and therapy is fast healing and epithelisation to prevent infection. The present study is concerned with the development and characterization of a novel nanaoparticulate system; cubosomes, loaded with silver sulfadiazine (SSD) and Aloe vera for topical treatment of infected burns. Methods: Cubosome dispersions were formulated by an emulsification technique using different concentrations of a lipid phase Glyceryl Monooleate (GMO) and Poloxamer 407. The optimum formulae were incorporated in an aloe vera gel containing carbopol 934, to form cubosomal hydrogels (cubogels). The cubogels were characterized by in vitro release of SSD, rheological properties, pH, bioadhesion, Transmission Electron Microscopy and in-vivo Wound Healing Study. Results: The results show that the different concentration of GMO had significant effect on particle size, % EE and in vitro drug release. From the in-vitro drug release pattern and similarity factor (f2), it was concluded that batch CG3 (15% GMO and 1% P407) exhibited complete and controlled drug release within 12 hour (i.e. 98.25%), better bio adhesion and superior burn healing as compared to the marketed product. Conclusion: The in vivo burns healing study in rats revealed that the prepared optimized cubogel containing SSD and aloe vera has superior burns healing rate than cubogel with only SSD and marketed preparation so, it may be successfully used in the treatment of deep second degree burn. PMID:27606259

Development and characterization of novel hydrogel containing antimicrobial drug for treatment of burns.

PubMed

Thakkar, Vaishali; Korat, Vaishali; Baldaniya, Lalji; Gohel, Mukesh; Gandhi, Tejal; Patel, Nirav

2016-01-01

The aim of burn management and therapy is fast healing and epithelisation to prevent infection. The present study is concerned with the development and characterization of a novel nanaoparticulate system; cubosomes, loaded with silver sulfadiazine (SSD) and Aloe vera for topical treatment of infected burns. Cubosome dispersions were formulated by an emulsification technique using different concentrations of a lipid phase Glyceryl Monooleate (GMO) and Poloxamer 407. The optimum formulae were incorporated in an aloe vera gel containing carbopol 934, to form cubosomal hydrogels (cubogels). The cubogels were characterized by in vitro release of SSD, rheological properties, pH, bioadhesion, Transmission Electron Microscopy and in-vivo Wound Healing Study. The results show that the different concentration of GMO had significant effect on particle size, % EE and in vitro drug release. From the in-vitro drug release pattern and similarity factor (f2), it was concluded that batch CG3 (15% GMO and 1% P407) exhibited complete and controlled drug release within 12 hour (i.e. 98.25%), better bio adhesion and superior burn healing as compared to the marketed product. The in vivo burns healing study in rats revealed that the prepared optimized cubogel containing SSD and aloe vera has superior burns healing rate than cubogel with only SSD and marketed preparation so, it may be successfully used in the treatment of deep second degree burn.

The American Burn Association/Shriners Hospitals for Children Burn Outcomes Program: a progress report at 15 years.

PubMed

Tompkins, Ronald G; Liang, Matthew H; Lee, Austin F; Kazis, Lewis E

2012-09-01

The American Burn Association and the Shriners Hospitals for Children Outcomes Program has been in development for more than 15 years. Many of the tools and important findings are described in this special issue of The Journal of Trauma. This unique program in outcomes research introduces a model for outcome assessments from the patient-centered perspective with a cohort of 1,140 children with burn injury after hospitalization for up to 4 years. The findings represent a fundamental contribution to the field of burn care for monitoring outcomes from the perspective of the parent or child/adolescent. The Multi-Center Benchmarking Study of four burn centers serve as a model for collecting empiric scientific data on the variation and the expected trajectories of recovery in the most important domains of patient outcomes and can inform clinical decisions and the conduct of health service research. The dramatic progress in survival of children with severe burn injury and other advances in burn management can now move into a new phase of understanding the most cost-effective components of this care.

Psychiatric diagnoses after hospitalization with work-related burn injuries in Washington State.

PubMed

Anderson, Naomi J; Bonauto, David K; Adams, Darrin

2011-01-01

This study aims to describe workers who were hospitalized with work-related burn injuries and their psychiatric sequelae in Washington State. Psychiatric sequelae of interest were depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and other anxiety disorders. Workers' compensation claims meeting a definition for a hospitalized burn patient from Washington State from January 2001 through April 2008 were analyzed. The resulting claims were searched for the presence of certain psychiatric diagnoses or treatment codes, and descriptive analyses performed. In Washington State during the time period, the prevalence of claims with psychiatric diagnoses after hospitalization with burn injury was 19%. Claims with psychiatric diagnoses had higher medical costs and more days of time loss than those without these diagnoses. Workers with electrical burns in the construction industry and in construction and extraction occupations had a higher proportion of psychiatric sequelae. Burns are devastating yet preventable injuries. Workers who were hospitalized with work-related burn injuries, particularly those in certain industries and occupations and those with electrical burns, are at high risk for developing serious psychiatric sequelae with major costs to both the individual and the society.

A five-year review of burn injuries in Irrua

PubMed Central

Dongo, Andrew E; Irekpita, Eshobo E; Oseghale, Lilian O; Ogbebor, Charles E; Iyamu, Christopher E; Onuminya, John E

2007-01-01

Background The management of burns remains a challenge in developing countries. Few data exist to document the extent of the problem. This study provides data from a suburban setting by documenting the epidemiology of burn injury and ascertaining outcome of management. This will help in planning strategies for prevention of burns and reducing severity of complications. Methods A total of 72 patients admitted for burns between January 1st, 2002 and December 31st, 2006 at the Irrua specialist teaching hospital were studied retrospectively. Sources of information were the case notes and operation registers. Data extracted included demographics as well as treatment methods and outcome Results The results revealed male to female ratio of 2.1:1. Over 50% of the injuries occurred at home. There was a seasonal variation with over 40% of injuries occurring between November and January. The commonest etiologic agent was flame burn from kerosene explosion. There were 7 deaths in the series. Conclusion Burns are preventable. We recommend adequate supply of unadulterated petroleum products and establishment of burn centers. PMID:17956614

Predictive Modeling of Polymer Mechanical Behavior Coupled to Chemical Change/ Technique Development for Measuring Polymer Physical Aging.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kropka, Jamie Michael; Stavig, Mark E.; Arechederra, Gabe Kenneth

Develop an understanding of the evolution of glassy polymer mechanical response during aging and the mechanisms associated with that evolution. That understanding will be used to develop constitutive models to assess the impact of stress evolution in encapsulants on NW designs.

The development of an erosive burning model for solid rocket motors using direct numerical simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McDonald, Brian A.

A method for developing an erosive burning model for use in solid propellant design-and-analysis interior ballistics codes is described and evaluated. Using Direct Numerical Simulation, the primary mechanisms controlling erosive burning (turbulent heat transfer, and finite rate reactions) have been studied independently through the development of models using finite rate chemistry, and infinite rate chemistry. Both approaches are calibrated to strand burn rate data by modeling the propellant burning in an environment with no cross-flow, and adjusting thermophysical properties until the predicted regression rate matches test data. Subsequent runs are conducted where the cross-flow is increased from M = 0.0 up to M = 0.8. The resulting relationship of burn rate increase versus Mach Number is used in an interior ballistics analysis to compute the chamber pressure of an existing solid rocket motor. The resulting predictions are compared to static test data. Both the infinite rate model and the finite rate model show good agreement when compared to test data. The propellant considered is an AP/HTPB with an average AP particle size of 37 microns. The finite rate model shows that as the cross-flow increases, near wall vorticity increases due to the lifting of the boundary caused by the side injection of gases from the burning propellant surface. The point of maximum vorticity corresponds to the outer edge of the APd-binder flame. As the cross-flow increases, the APd-binder flame thickness becomes thinner; however, the point of highest reaction rate moves only slightly closer to the propellant surface. As such, the net increase of heat transfer to the propellant surface due to finite rate chemistry affects is small. This leads to the conclusion that augmentation of thermal transport properties and the resulting heat transfer increase due to turbulence dominates over combustion chemistry in the erosive burning problem. This conclusion is advantageous in the development of future models that can be calibrated to heat transfer conditions without the necessity for finite rate chemistry. These results are considered applicable for propellants with small, evenly distributed AP particles where the assumption of premixed APd-binder gases is reasonable.

[The relationship between corneal lymphangiogenesis and inflammation index after corneal alkali injury].

PubMed

Ling, Shi-qi; Li, Wei-hua; Xu, Jian-gang; Kuang, Wen-hui; Li, Chao-yang

2010-11-01

To discuss the relationship between corneal lymphangiogenesis and inflammation index (IF) in alkali burned corneas. Experimental research. Rat corneal hemangiogenesis and lymphangiogenesis were examined by 5'-nase-alkaline phosphatase (5'-NA-ALP) double enzyme-histochemistry and whole mount immunofluorescence at 1 day, 3 days, and 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 weeks after alkaline burns, and the blood vessel counting (BVC) and the lymphatic vessel counting (LVC) were recorded. The state of corneal inflammation was observed under the slit lamp and evaluated by inflammation index (IF) grading at the same time. Then, the association of LVC with IF was examined. In addition, eleven human alkali burned corneas were obtained from 11 patients undergoing corneal transplantation in Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center from January 2005 to June 2008. Corneal lymphangiogenesis was examined by lymphatic vessel endothelial receptor (LYVE-1) immunohistochemistry. The significance of the differences in IF, inflammatory cells counting, burn history, and age between two groups was analyzed by using paired student's t-test. New lymphatic vessels were present in rat alkali burned corneas. Corneal lymphangiogenesis developed 3 days after alkaline burns, reached the top 2 weeks after the injury, then decreased gradually, and disappeared at the end of the 5th week. Corneal lymphatics occurred behind corneal inflammation, but disappeared before corneal inflammation and hemangiogenesis. LVC was strongly and positively correlated with IF (r = 0.572, P < 0.01) after corneal alkaline burns. Among eleven human alkali burned corneas, corneal lymphatic vessels were present in 3 corneas. Compared with the other 8 cases without corneal lymphangiogenesis, the scores of IF was significantly higher (t = 3.28, P < 0.05), the inflammatory cells counting dramatically increased (t = 2.42, P < 0.05), but the age decreased significantly (t = 2.62, P < 0.05). However, the difference in burn history between two groups was not significant (t = 1.28, P > 0.05). Corneal lymphangiogenesis develops after alkaline-burns and correlates closely with inflammation index.

A Model to Improve Detection of Nonaccidental Pediatric Burns.

PubMed

Nigro, Lauren C; Feldman, Michael J; Foster, Robin L; Pozez, Andrea L

2018-06-01

Pediatric burn patients warrant thorough evaluation because a sizeable proportion of pediatric burns are nonaccidental. A multidisciplinary method involving an internal child protection team (CPT) was developed and used to identify suspected nonaccidental pediatric burns in all pediatric burn patients 5 years of age or younger who were evaluated by the CPT and social workers at our institution over a 55-month period. We identified 343 cases for review that fit our age criteria, 6 of which we identified as cases of suspected abuse or neglect. On average, these patients were younger, suffered greater total body surface area burns (TBSA), and required a longer length of stay in the hospital than the total population. We have not had readmissions for repeat nonaccidental pediatric burn injuries in this group of patients since this model was implemented. Our multidisciplinary method might provide a more consistent and reliable method for identifying cases of suspected abuse. © 2018 American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved.

The burning issue of white phosphorus: a case report and review of the literature.

PubMed

Aviv, Uri; Kornhaber, Rachel; Harats, Moti; Haik, Josef

2017-01-01

Burns from white phosphorus are rare and remain a challenge for clinicians. White phosphorus burns are often associated with smaller surface areas and high morbidity rates. Classed as a chemical burn, white phosphorus is used for military purposes and within industry, for the manufacture of fireworks and agricultural products. In this report, we discuss the case of a 40 years old female who sustained 2% Total Body Surface Area partial to full thickness burns from white phosphorus. The burns were treated conservatively with mafenide acetate on the medial calf and dorsum of foot and Flaminal Forte was used for the palmar region. The patient was discharged 22 days after admission and followed up in the outpatient clinic. Despite the use of pressure garments, hypertrophic scarring began to develop on the dorsum of her right foot. During peacetime, white phosphorus possess a significant danger to civilians. Awareness of the unique nature of white phosphorus among military burn clinicians should be emphasized.

Health-related quality of life (EQ-5D) early after injury predicts long-term pain after burn.

PubMed

Gauffin, Emelie; Öster, Caisa; Sjöberg, Folke; Gerdin, Bengt; Ekselius, Lisa

2016-12-01

Chronic pain after burn can have severe physical and psychological effects on former patients years after the initial injury. Although the issue of pain after burn has gained increased attention over the past years, prospective, longitudinal studies are scarce. Our aim was to prospectively investigate consecutive burn patients for pain severity over time and to evaluate the prevalence and characteristics of post-burn pain to 2-7 years after the burn. As an additional aim, the effects of burn and individual-related factors, especially health-related Quality of Life (HRQoL), were investigated. Sixty-seven consecutive burn patients were assessed during acute care at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months, as well as at 2-7 years post-burn. HRQoL, symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other psychiatric disorders were investigated. During the interviews that took place 2-7 years after the injury (mean 4.6±1.9 years), current chronic post-burn pain was assessed using the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form (BPI-SF). One-third of the patients still reported pain 2-7 years after the injury. Pain severity and interference with daily life were mainly mild to moderate though they were found to be associated with significantly lower HRQoL. Chronic pain after burn was associated with both burn- and individual-related factors. In logistic regression analysis HRQoL at 3 and 12 months and symptoms of PTSD at 12 months were independent factors in predicting chronic pain after burn. Pain after burn becomes a chronic burden for many former burn patients and decreases HRQoL. A novel finding in this study was that HRQoL assessed early after burn was a predictor for the development of chronic pain. This finding may help to predict future pain problems and serve as an indicator for pain preventive measures. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Acute Kidney Injury: It's not just the 'big' burns.

PubMed

Kimmel, L A; Wilson, S; Walker, R G; Singer, Y; Cleland, H

2018-02-01

Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) complicates the management of at least 25% of patients with severe burns and is associated with long term complications. Most research focuses on the patients with more severe burns, and whether the same factors are associated with the development of AKI in patients with burns between 10 and 19% total body surface area (TBSA) is unknown. The aims of this study were to examine the incidence of, and factors associated with, the development of AKI in patients with %TBSA≥10, as well as the relationship with hospital metrics such as length of stay (LOS). Retrospective medical record review of consecutive burns patients admitted to The Alfred Hospital, the major adult burns centre in Victoria, Australia. Demographic and injury details were recorded. Factors associated with AKI were determined using multiple logistic regression. Between 2010 and June 2014, 300 patients were admitted with burn injury and data on 267 patients was available for analysis. Median age was 54.5 years with 78% being male. Median %TBSA was 15 (IQR 12, 20). The AKI incidence, as measured by the RIFLE criteria, was 22.5%, including 15% (27/184) in patients with %TBSA 10-19. Factors associated with AKI included increasing age and %TBSA (OR 1.05 p<0.001) as well as increased surgeries (p<0.041) and a cardiac comorbidity (p<0.01). All patients with renal comorbidity developed AKI. In the %TBSA 10-19 cohort, only increasing age (OR 1.05 p<0.001) was associated with AKI. After accounting for confounding factors, the probability of discharge from hospital in Non-AKI group was greater than for the AKI patients at all time points (P<0.001). This is the first study to show an association between patients with %TBSA 10-19 and AKI. Given the association between AKI and complications, prospective research is needed to further understand AKI in burns with the aim of risk reduction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Twenty Years of Prescribed Burning Influence the Development of Direct-Seeded Longleaf Pine on a Wet Pine Site in Louisiana

Treesearch

James D. Haywood; Harold E. Grelen

2000-01-01

Prescribed burning treatments were applied over a 20 yr period in a commonly randomized field study to determine the effects of various fire regimes on vegetation in a direct seeded standof longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.). Seeding was done in November 1968. The study area was broadcast-burned about 16 months after seeding. The initial...

Development of Methods to Account for HCl and Cl2 from Open Burning and Characterization of Emissions from the Open Burning of Three Selected Propellants

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-09-01

Burning of Three Selected Propellants 6. AUTHOR(S) J.L Wilcox, B. Entezam, M.J. Molenaar , & T.R. Shreeve 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS...Physical Test Division West Desert Test Center Ben Entezam Michael J Molenaar Thomas Russell Shreeve Andrulis Research Corporation Contract No. DAAD09

A Lifetime for Fire Safety. Health (High School). Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the high school health component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. It is designed to meet the age-specific needs of ninth and tenth grade students. Objectives include: (1) reviewing comprehensive fire and burn prevention techniques and emergency actions; (2) developing an awareness of fire safety…

Assessing the response of area burned to changing climate in western boreal North America using a Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS) approach

Treesearch

Michael S. Balshi; A. David McGuire; Paul Duffy; Mike Flannigan; John Walsh; Jerry Melillo

2009-01-01

We developed temporally and spatially explicit relationships between air temperature and fuel moisture codes derived from the Canadian Fire Weather Index System to estimate annual area burned at 2.5o (latitude x longitude) resolution using a Multivariate Adaptive Regression Spline (MARS) approach across Alaska and Canada. Burned area was...

Reciprocal Risk of Acute Kidney Injury and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome in Critically Ill Burn Patients.

PubMed

Clemens, Michael S; Stewart, Ian J; Sosnov, Jonathan A; Howard, Jeffrey T; Belenkiy, Slava M; Sine, Christy R; Henderson, Jonathan L; Buel, Allison R; Batchinsky, Andriy I; Cancio, Leopoldo C; Chung, Kevin K

2016-10-01

To evaluate the association between acute respiratory distress syndrome and acute kidney injury with respect to their contributions to mortality in critically ill patients. Retrospective analysis of consecutive adult burn patients requiring mechanical ventilation. A 16-bed burn ICU at tertiary military teaching hospital. Adult patients more than 18 years old requiring mechanical ventilation during their initial admission to our burn ICU from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2011. None. A total 830 patients were included, of whom 48.2% had acute kidney injury (n = 400). These patients had a 73% increased risk of developing acute respiratory distress syndrome after controlling for age, gender, total body surface area burned, and inhalation injury (hazard ratio, 1.73; 95% CI, 1.18-2.54; p = 0.005). In a reciprocal multivariate analysis, acute respiratory distress syndrome (n = 299; 36%) demonstrated a strong trend toward developing acute kidney injury (hazard ratio, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.99-1.95; p = 0.05). There was a 24% overall in-hospital mortality (n = 198). After adjusting for the aforementioned confounders, both acute kidney injury (hazard ratio, 3.73; 95% CI, 2.39-5.82; p < 0.001) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (hazard ratio, 2.16; 95% CI, 1.58-2.94; p < 0.001) significantly contributed to mortality. Age, total body surface area burned, and inhalation injury were also significantly associated with increased mortality. Acute kidney injury increases the risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome in mechanically ventilated burn patients, whereas acute respiratory distress syndrome similarly demonstrates a strong trend toward the development of acute kidney injury. Acute kidney injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome are both independent risks for subsequent death. Future research should look at this interplay for possible early interventions.

Progress in the development of the MARBLE platform for studying thermonuclear burn in the presence of heterogeneous mix on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Murphy, T. J.; Douglas, M. R.; Fincke, J. R.; Olson, R. E.; Cobble, J. A.; Haines, B. M.; Hamilton, C. E.; Lee, M. N.; Oertel, J. A.; Parra-Vasquez, N. A. G.; Randolph, R. B.; Schmidt, D. W.; Shah, R. C.; Smidt, J. M.; Tregillis, I. L.

2016-05-01

Mix of ablator material into fuel of an ICF capsule adds non-burning material, diluting the fuel and reducing burn. The amount of the reduction is dependent in part on the morphology of the mix. A probability distribution function (PDF) burn model has been developed [6] that utilizes the average concentration of mixed materials as well as the variance in this quantity across cells provided by the BHR turbulent transport model [3] and its revisions [4] to describe the mix in terms of a PDF of concentrations of fuel and ablator material, and provides the burn rate in mixed material. Work is underway to develop the MARBLE ICF platform for use on the National Ignition Facility in experiments to quantify the influence of heterogeneous mix on fusion burn. This platform consists of a plastic (CH) capsule filled with a deuterated plastic foam (CD) with a density of a few tens of milligrams per cubic centimeter, with tritium gas filling the voids in the foam. This capsule will be driven using x-ray drive on NIF, and the resulting shocks will induce turbulent mix that will result in the mixing of deuterium from the foam with the tritium gas. In order to affect the morphology of the mix, engineered foams with voids of diameter up to 100 microns will be utilized. The degree of mix will be determined from the ratio of DT to DD neutron yield. As the mix increases, the yield from reactions between the deuterium of the CD foam with tritium from the gas will increase. The ratio of DT to DD neutrons will be compared to a variation of the PDF burn model that quantifies reactions from initially separated reactants.

Development of advanced diagnostics for characterization of burning droplets in microgravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sankar, Subramanian; Buermann, Dale H.; Bachalo, William D.

1995-01-01

Diagnostic techniques currently used for microgravity research are generally not as advanced as those used in earth based gravity experiments. Diagnostic techniques for measuring the instantaneous radial temperature profile (or temperature gradients) within the burning droplet do not exist. Over the past few years, Aerometrics has been researching and developing a rainbow thermometric technique for measuring the droplet temperatures of burning droplets. This technique has recently been integrated with the phase Doppler interferometric technique to yield a diagnostic instrument that can be used to simultaneously measure the size, velocity, and temperature of burning droplets in complex spray flames. Also, the rainbow thermometric technique has been recently integrated with a point-diffraction interferometric technique for measuring the instantaneous gas phase temperature field surrounding a burning droplet. These research programs, apart from being very successful, have also helped us identify other innovative techniques for the characterization of burning droplets. For example, new techniques have been identified for measuring the instantaneous regression rate of burning droplets. Also, there is the possibility of extracting the instantaneous radial temperature distribution or the temperature gradients within a droplet during transient heating. What is important is that these diagnostic techniques have the potential for making use of inexpensive, light-weight, and rugged devices such as diode lasers and linear CCD arrays. As a result, they can be easily packaged for incorporation into microgravity drop-test and flight-test facilities. Furthermore, with the use of linear CCD arrays, data rates as high as 10-100 kHz can be easily achieved. This data rate is orders of magnitude higher than what is currently achievable. In this research and development program, a compact and rugged diagnostic system will be developed that can be used to measure instantaneous fuel droplet diameter, droplet regression rate, and the droplet internal temperature profiles or gradients at very high data rates in microgravity experiments.

Minimum deltaV Burn Planning for the International Space Station Using a Hybrid Optimization Technique, Level 1

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, Aaron J.

2015-01-01

The International Space Station's (ISS) trajectory is coordinated and executed by the Trajectory Operations and Planning (TOPO) group at NASA's Johnson Space Center. TOPO group personnel routinely generate look-ahead trajectories for the ISS that incorporate translation burns needed to maintain its orbit over the next three to twelve months. The burns are modeled as in-plane, horizontal burns, and must meet operational trajectory constraints imposed by both NASA and the Russian Space Agency. In generating these trajectories, TOPO personnel must determine the number of burns to model, each burn's Time of Ignition (TIG), and magnitude (i.e. deltaV) that meet these constraints. The current process for targeting these burns is manually intensive, and does not take advantage of more modern techniques that can reduce the workload needed to find feasible burn solutions, i.e. solutions that simply meet the constraints, or provide optimal burn solutions that minimize the total DeltaV while simultaneously meeting the constraints. A two-level, hybrid optimization technique is proposed to find both feasible and globally optimal burn solutions for ISS trajectory planning. For optimal solutions, the technique breaks the optimization problem into two distinct sub-problems, one for choosing the optimal number of burns and each burn's optimal TIG, and the other for computing the minimum total deltaV burn solution that satisfies the trajectory constraints. Each of the two aforementioned levels uses a different optimization algorithm to solve one of the sub-problems, giving rise to a hybrid technique. Level 2, or the outer level, uses a genetic algorithm to select the number of burns and each burn's TIG. Level 1, or the inner level, uses the burn TIGs from Level 2 in a sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm to compute a minimum total deltaV burn solution subject to the trajectory constraints. The total deltaV from Level 1 is then used as a fitness function by the genetic algorithm in Level 2 to select the number of burns and their TIGs for the next generation. In this manner, the two levels solve their respective sub-problems separately but collaboratively until a burn solution is found that globally minimizes the deltaV across the entire trajectory. Feasible solutions can also be found by simply using the SQP algorithm in Level 1 with a zero cost function. This paper discusses the formulation of the Level 1 sub-problem and the development of a prototype software tool to solve it. The Level 2 sub-problem will be discussed in a future work. Following the Level 1 formulation and solution, several look-ahead trajectory examples for the ISS are explored. In each case, the burn targeting results using the current process are compared against a feasible solution found using Level 1 in the proposed technique. Level 1 is then used to find a minimum deltaV solution given the fixed number of burns and burn TIGs. The optimal solution is compared with the previously found feasible solution to determine the deltaV (and therefore propellant) savings. The proposed technique seeks to both improve the current process for targeting ISS burns, and to add the capability to optimize ISS burns in a novel fashion. The optimal solutions found using this technique can potentially save hundreds of kilograms of propellant over the course of the ISS mission compared to feasible solutions alone. While the software tool being developed to implement this technique is specific to ISS, the concept is extensible to other long-duration, central-body orbiting missions that must perform orbit maintenance burns to meet operational trajectory constraints.

Scheduled Civil Aircraft Emission Inventories for 1976 and 1984: Database Development and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baughcum, Steven L.; Henderson, Stephen C.; Tritz, Terrance G.

1996-01-01

This report describes the development of a three-dimensional database of aircraft fuel burn and emissions (fuel burned, NOx, CO, and hydrocarbons) from scheduled commercial aircraft for four months (February, May, August, and November) of 1976 and 1984. Combining this data with earlier published data for 1990 and 1992, trend analyses for fuel burned, NOx, carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons were calculated for selected regions (global, North America, Europe, North Atlantic, and North Pacific). These emissions inventories are available for use by atmospheric scientists conducting the Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Project (AEAP) modeling studies. Fuel burned and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx as NO2), carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons have been calculated on a 1 degree latitude x 1 degree longitude x 1 kilometer altitude grid and delivered to NASA as electronic files.

Scheduled Civil Aircraft Emission Inventories for 1999: Database Development and Analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sutkus, Donald J., Jr.; Baughcum, Steven L.; DuBois, Douglas P.

2001-01-01

This report describes the development of a three-dimensional database of aircraft fuel burn and emissions (NO(x), CO, and hydrocarbons) for the scheduled commercial aircraft fleet for each month of 1999. Global totals of emissions and fuel burn for 1999 are compared to global totals from 1992 and 2015 databases. 1999 fuel burn, departure and distance totals for selected airlines are compared to data reported on DOT Form 41 to evaluate the accuracy of the calculations. DOT Form T-100 data were used to determine typical payloads for freighter aircraft and this information was used to model freighter aircraft more accurately by using more realistic payloads. Differences in the calculation methodology used to create the 1999 fuel burn and emissions database from the methodology used in previous work are described and evaluated.

Raoultella planticola bacteremia-induced fatal septic shock following burn injury.

PubMed

Yumoto, Tetsuya; Naito, Hiromichi; Ihoriya, Hiromi; Tsukahara, Kohei; Ota, Tomoyuki; Watanabe, Toshiyuki; Nakao, Atsunori

2018-05-04

Raoultella planticola, a Gram-negative, aerobic bacillus commonly isolated from soil and water, rarely causes invasive infections in humans. Septic shock from R. planticola after burn injury has not been previously reported. A 79-year-old male was admitted to the emergency intensive care unit after extensive flame burn injury. He accidently caught fire while burning trash and plunged into a nearby tank filled with contaminated rainwater to extinguish the fire. The patient developed septic shock on day 10. The blood culture detected R. planticola, which was identified using the VITEK-2 biochemical identification system. Although appropriate antibiotic treatment was continued, the patient died on day 12. Clinicians should be aware of fatal infections in patients with burn injury complicated by exposure to contaminated water.

Investigation of critical burning of fuel droplets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allison, C. B.; Canada, G. S.

1972-01-01

Fuel droplets were simulated by porous spheres having diameters in the range 0.63 to 1.9 cm and combustion tests were conducted at pressures up to 78 atm in a quiescent cold air environment. Measurements were made of the burning rate and liquid surface temperature during steady combustion. A high pressure flat flame burner apparatus is under development in order to allow testing of high pressure droplet burning in a combustion gas environment. Work was continued on the high pressure strand combustion characteristics of liquid fuels, with the major emphasis on hydrazine. Data was obtained on the burning rate and liquid surface temperatures at pressures in the range 7 to 500 psia. The response of a burning liquid monopropellant to imposed pressure oscillations is being investigated.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Marschman, Steven Craig

While low burn-up fuel [that characterized as having a burn-up of less than 45 gigawatt days per metric ton uranium (GWD/MTU)] has been stored for nearly three decades, the storage of high burn-up used fuels is more recent. The DOE has funded a High Burn-Up (HBU) Confirmatory Data Project to confirm the behavior of used high burn-up fuel under prototypic conditions. The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is leading a project team to develop and implement the Test Plan to collect this data from a UNF dry storage system containing high burn-up fuel. As part of that project, 25 “sister”more » fuel rods have been selected, removed from assemblies, and placed in a fuel container ready for shipment to a national laboratory. This report documents that status of readiness to receive the fuel if that fuel were to be sent to Idaho National Laboratory (INL).« less

In Situ Burning of Oil Spills

PubMed Central

Evans, David D.; Mulholland, George W.; Baum, Howard R.; Walton, William D.; McGrattan, Kevin B.

2001-01-01

For more than a decade NIST conducted research to understand, measure and predict the important features of burning oil on water. Results of that research have been included in nationally recognized guidelines for approval of intentional burning. NIST measurements and predictions have played a major role in establishing in situ burning as a primary oil spill response method. Data are given for pool fire burning rates, smoke yield, smoke particulate size distribution, smoke aging, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content of the smoke for crude and fuel oil fires with effective diameters up to 17.2 m. New user-friendly software, ALOFT, was developed to quantify the large-scale features and trajectory of wind blown smoke plumes in the atmosphere and estimate the ground level smoke particulate concentrations. Predictions using the model were tested successfully against data from large-scale tests. ALOFT software is being used by oil spill response teams to help assess the potential impact of intentional burning. PMID:27500022

Development of the crop residue and rangeland burning in the ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Biomass burning has been identified as an important contributor to the degradation of air quality because of its impact on ozone and particulate matter. One component of the biomass burning inventory, crop residue burning, has been poorly characterized in the National Emissions Inventory (NEI). In the 2011 NEI, wildland fires, prescribed fires, and crop residue burning collectively were the largest source of PM2.5. This paper summarizes our 2014 NEI method to estimate crop residue burning emissions and grass/pasture burning emissions using remote sensing data and field information and literature-based, crop-specific emission factors. We focus on both the postharvest and pre-harvest burning that takes place with bluegrass, corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, sugarcane and wheat. Estimates for 2014 indicate that over the continental United States (CONUS), crop residue burning excluding all areas identified as Pasture/Grass, Grassland Herbaceous, and Pasture/Hay occurred over approximately 1.5 million acres of land and produced 19,600 short tons of PM2.5. For areas identified as Pasture/Grass, Grassland Herbaceous, and Pasture/Hay, biomass burning emissions occurred over approximately 1.6 million acres of land and produced 30,000 short tons of PM2.5. This estimate compares with the 2011 NEI and 2008 NEI as follows: 2008: 49,650 short tons and 2011: 141,180 short tons. Note that in the previous two NEIs rangeland burning was not well defined and so the comparison is not e

A Soft Casting Technique for Managing Pediatric Hand and Foot Burns.

PubMed

Choi, Young Mee; Nederveld, Cindy; Campbell, Kristen; Moulton, Steven

2018-04-04

Hand and foot burns in children are difficult to dress. The authors have developed a soft casting technique to manage burns to these areas. The aim of this study is to report the outcomes using weekly dressing changes with a soft casting technique to manage pediatric hand and foot burns in the outpatient setting. A retrospective chart review was performed on children with burns to the hands or feet, who underwent dressing changes with a soft casting technique at the Children's Hospital Colorado Burn Center. Soft casting was performed by placing antibiotic ointment-impregnated nonadherent gauze over the burn wound(s), wrapping the extremity using rolled gauze, applying soft cast pad, plaster, soft cast tape, and an elastic bandage. This was changed weekly. Two hundred ninety-eight children with hand burns had a mean age of 16.8 ± 2 months. Two hundred forty-eight children had partial thickness burn injuries (83%), 50 had full thickness burn injuries (17%), and the mean total body surface area (TBSA) was 1 ± 2.4%. The mean time to heal was 10.1 ± 1.7 days for all subjects. Sixty-six children with foot burns were identified with a mean age of 24 ± 2.6 months. Forty-six children had partial thickness injuries (70%), 20 had full thickness burn injuries (30%), and the mean TBSA was 2.3 ± 2.9%. The mean time to heal was 14.1 ± 2.2 days for all subjects. Weekly dressing changes using a soft casting technique are effective for the outpatient management of pediatric hand and foot burns. This method avoids costly inpatient hospital care, reduces the number of painful dressing changes, and allows children to heal in their own environment.

Burn-associated bloodstream infections in pediatric burn patients: Time distribution of etiologic agents.

PubMed

Devrim, İlker; Kara, Ahu; Düzgöl, Mine; Karkıner, Aytaç; Bayram, Nuri; Temir, Günyüz; Şencan, Arzu; Sorguç, Yelda; Gülfidan, Gamze; Hoşgör, Münevver

2017-02-01

Infections are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with burns in burn units. Bloodstream infections (BSIs) in patients with burns may result from burn wound infection, use of invasive devices such as central venous catheters, and translocation of the gastrointestinal flora. In this study, we investigated the distribution and antimicrobial drug resistance of causative pathogens in children with burns and the durational changes of microorganisms in the distribution of BSIs in children. This study was conducted at the Pediatric Burn Unit (PBU) of Dr. Behçet Uz Children Research and Training Hospital during the period of November 2008-April 2015. The study subjects were all the patients admitted to the PBU, in whom microorganisms were isolated at least from one of the cultures, including blood and catheter cultures. Gram-positive bacteria were the most common causative agents of BSI in patients with burns (66.4%), followed by gram-negative bacteria (22.1%) and fungi (11.5%). The median duration of development of BSIs caused by gram-positive bacteria from the time of burn was 5 days (ranging from 2 to 54 days of burn), which was significantly shorter than that of BSIs caused by gram-negative bacteria (12 days) and fungal pathogens (13 days). The etiologic agents of BSIs in children may differ from those in adults. Gram-negative drug-resistant bacteria such as multidrug-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Acinetobacter baumannii were important agents of BSI in patients with burns, especially in the long term; however, gram-positive bacteria should also be considered while deciding the antimicrobial therapy, especially in the early periods of burn. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

A qualitative exploration of psychosocial specialists' experiences of providing support in UK burn care services.

PubMed

Guest, Ella; Griffiths, Catrin; Harcourt, Diana

2018-01-01

A burn can have a significant and long-lasting psychosocial impact on a patient and their family. The National Burn Care Standards (2013) recommend psychosocial support should be available in all UK burn services; however, little is known about how it is provided. The current study aimed to explore experiences of psychosocial specialists working in UK burn care, with a focus on the challenges they experience in their role. Semi-structured telephone interviews with eight psychosocial specialists (two psychotherapists and six clinical psychologists) who worked within UK burn care explored their experiences of providing support to patients and their families. Thematic analysis revealed two main themes: burn service-related experiences and challenges reflected health professionals having little time and resources to support all patients; reduced patient attendance due to them living large distances from service; psychosocial appointments being prioritised below wound-related treatments; and difficulties detecting patient needs with current outcome measures. Therapy-related experiences and challenges outlined the sociocultural and familial factors affecting engagement with support, difficulties treating patients with pre-existing mental health conditions within the burn service and individual differences in the stage at which patients are amenable to support. Findings provide an insight into the experiences of psychosocial specialists working in UK burn care and suggest a number of ways in which psychosocial provision in the NHS burn service could be developed.

Recent Developments in Thiolated Polymeric Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications.

PubMed

Gajendiran, Mani; Rhee, Jae-Sung; Kim, Kyobum

2018-02-01

This review focuses on the recent strategy in the preparation of thiolated polymers and fabrication of their hydrogel matrices. The mechanism involved in the synthesis of thiolated polymers and fabrication of thiolated polymer hydrogels is exemplified with suitable schematic representations reported in the recent literature. The 2-iminothiolane namely "Traut's reagent" has been widely used for effectively thiolating the natural polymers such as collagen and gelatin, which contain free amino group in their backbone. The free carboxylic acid group containing polymers such as hyaluronic acid and heparin have been thiolated by using the bifunctional molecules such as cysteamine and L-cysteine via N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) coupling reaction. The degree of thiolation in the polymer chain has been widely determined by using Ellman's assay method. The thiolated polymer hydrogels are prepared by disulfide bond formation (or) thiol-ene reaction (or) Michael-type addition reaction. The thiolated polymers such as thiolated gelatin are reacted with polyethylene glycol diacrylate for obtaining interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel scaffolds. Several in vitro cell culture experiments indicate that the developed thiolated polymer hydrogels exhibited biocompatibility and cellular mimicking properties. The developed hydrogel scaffolds efficiently support proliferation and differentiation of various cell types. In the present review article, the thiol-functionalized protein-based biopolymers, carbohydrate-based polymers, and some synthetic polymers have been covered with recently published research articles. In addition, the usage of new thiolated nanomaterials as a crosslinking agent for the preparation of three-dimensional tissue-engineered hydrogels is highlighted.

Staphylococcus aureus carriage at admission predicts early-onset pneumonia after burn trauma.

PubMed

Fournier, A; Voirol, P; Krähenbühl, M; Bonnemain, C-L; Fournier, C; Dupuis-Lozeron, E; Pantet, O; Pagani, J-L; Revelly, J-P; Sadeghipour, F; Eggimann, P; Que, Y-A

2017-03-01

Early-onset pneumonia (EOP) is frequent after burn trauma, increasing morbidity in the critical resuscitation phase, which may preclude early aggressive management of burn wounds. Currently, however, preemptive treatment is not recommended. The aim of this study was to identify predictive factors for EOP that may justify early empirical antibiotic treatment. Data for all burn patients requiring ≥4 h mechanical ventilation (MV) who were admitted between January 2001 and October 2012 were extracted from the hospital's computerized information system. We reviewed EOP episodes (≤7 days) among patients who underwent endotracheal aspiration (ETA) within 5 days after admission. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to identify independent factors associated with EOP. Logistic regression was used to identify factors predicting EOP development. During the study period, 396 burn patients were admitted. ETA was performed within 5 days in 204/290 patients receiving ≥4 h MV. One hundred and eight patients developed EOP; 47 cases were caused by Staphylococcus aureus, 37 by Haemophilus influenzae, and 23 by Streptococcus pneumoniae. Among the 33 patients showing S. aureus positivity on ETA samples, 16 (48.5 %) developed S. aureus EOP. Among the 156 S. aureus non-carriers, 16 (10.2 %) developed EOP. Staphylococcus aureus carriage independently predicted EOP (p < 0.0001). We identified S. aureus carriage as an independent and strong predictor of EOP. As rapid point-of-care testing for S. aureus is readily available, we recommend testing of all patients at admission for burn trauma and the consideration of early preemptive treatment in all positive patients. Further studies are needed to evaluate this new strategy.

A ranking system for prescribed burn prioritization in Table Mountain National Park, South Africa.

PubMed

Cowell, Carly Ruth; Cheney, Chad

2017-04-01

To aid prescribed burn decision making in Table Mountain National Park, in South Africa a priority ranking system was tested. Historically a wildfire suppression strategy was adopted due to wildfires threatening urban areas close to the park, with few prescribed burns conducted. A large percentage of vegetation across the park exceeded the ecological threshold of 15 years. We held a multidisciplinary workshop, to prioritize areas for prescribed burning. Fire Management Blocks were mapped and assessed using the following seven categories: (1) ecological, (2) management, (3) tourism, (4) infrastructure, (5) invasive alien vegetation, (6) wildland-urban interface and (7) heritage. A priority ranking system was used to score each block. The oldest or most threatened vegetation types were not necessarily the top priority blocks. Selected blocks were burnt and burning fewer large blocks proved more effective economically, ecologically and practically due to the limited burning days permitted. The prioritization process was efficient as it could be updated annually following prescribed burns and wildfire incidents. Integration of prescribed burn planning and wildfire suppression strategies resulted in a reduction in operational costs. We recommend protected areas make use of a priority ranking system developed with expert knowledge and stakeholder engagement to determine objective prescribed burn plans. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Burn Resuscitation Decision Support System (BRDSS)

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-11-01

agreement was to package the software into a mobile device (the BRDSS-M, trade name Burn Navigator™) with substantial input from caregivers at the USAISR...combat casualties with >30% TBSA burns developed abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) and perished.2 Between January 2006 and June 2007, after the...or even an open-loop system, could integrate the urine output monitor and infusion pump and free up the caregiver from manual data entry tasks to

[Up-to-date methods of cell therapy in treatment of burns].

PubMed

Smirnov, S V; Kiselev, I V; Vasil'ev, A V; Terskikh, V V

2003-01-01

Complex of methods for repair of wounded and burned skin with transplantation of keratinocytes and fibroblasts grown in vitro is proposed. Five different tissue constructions may be used. Original method of skin recovery based on use of alive equivalent of skin is developed. Results of its clinical application are presented. It is concluded that cell constructions may be used in combined treatment of wounds and burns.

[Toxic ulcerative contact dermatitis due to prefabricated concrete (cement burns)].

PubMed

Bandmann, H J; Agathos, M

1977-01-01

In the present report the case of a toxic ulcerous contact dermatitis (cement burns) by pre-fabricated concrete is described. This can be clearly distinguished by anamnesis, findings and development from the allergic and cumulative-toxic contact dermatitis caused by cement and related substances. It is pointed out, that in the few cases of "cement burns" made known up to now, pre-fabricated concrete was always the triggering agent.

Identification and Validation of Established and Novel Biomarkers for Infections in Burns

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-10-01

in burn patients have been proposed, but not validated. In our four site study , we are enrolling severely burned adults and children , and...identify the early stages of infection prior to clinical detection. This multicenter study will enable us to identify novel biomarkers, validate whether...a multicenter study 3. Develop a model of prediction of infection using clinical data and proteomic information. Relevance: 5% of combat-sustained

The Healing Effect of Curcumin on Burn Wounds in Rat

PubMed Central

Mehrabani, Davood; Farjam, Mojtaba; Geramizadeh, Bita; Tanideh, Nader; Amini, Masood; Panjehshahin, Mohammad Reza

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Burns are still considered one of the most devastating conditions in emergency medicine affecting both genders and all age groups in developed and developing countries, resulting into physical and psychological scars and cause chronic disabilities. This study was performed to determine the healing effect of curcumin on burn wounds in rat. METHODS Seventy female Sprague-Dawley 180-220 g rats were randomly divided into 5 equal groups. Groups of A-C received 0.1, 0.5 and 2% curcumin respectively and Group D, silver sulfadiazine ointment. Group E was considered as control group and received eucerin. After 7, 14 and 21 days of therapy, the animals were sacrificed and burn areas were macroscopically examined and histologically were scored. RESULTS Administration of curcumin resulted into a decrease in size of the burn wounds and a reduction in inflammation after 14th days. Reepithelialization was prominent in groups A-C while more distinguishable in group C. In group C, epidermis exhibited well structured layers without any crusting. There were spindle shaped fibroblasts in fascicular pattern, oriented parallel to the epithelial surface with eosinophilic collagen matrix. CONCLUSION Curcumin as an available and inexpensive herbal was shown be a suitable substitute in healing of burn wounds especially when 2% concentration was applied. PMID:25606474

Translational systems biology: introduction of an engineering approach to the pathophysiology of the burn patient.

PubMed

An, Gary; Faeder, James; Vodovotz, Yoram

2008-01-01

The pathophysiology of the burn patient manifests the full spectrum of the complexity of the inflammatory response. In the acute phase, inflammation may have negative effects via capillary leak, the propagation of inhalation injury, and development of multiple organ failure. Attempts to mediate these processes remain a central subject of burn care research. Conversely, inflammation is a necessary prologue and component in the later stage processes of wound healing. Despite the volume of information concerning the cellular and molecular processes involved in inflammation, there exists a significant gap between the knowledge of mechanistic pathophysiology and the development of effective clinical therapeutic regimens. Translational systems biology (TSB) is the application of dynamic mathematical modeling and certain engineering principles to biological systems to integrate mechanism with phenomenon and, importantly, to revise clinical practice. This study will review the existing applications of TSB in the areas of inflammation and wound healing, relate them to specific areas of interest to the burn community, and present an integrated framework that links TSB with traditional burn research.

Burden of burns in Portugal, 2000-2013: A clinical and economic analysis of 26,447 hospitalisations.

PubMed

Santos, João V; Oliveira, Andreia; Costa-Pereira, Altamiro; Amarante, José; Freitas, Alberto

2016-06-01

There is a lack of recent and nation-wide epidemiological studies of burns in Europe, mainly in southern Europe. There are no recent studies describing the clinical and economic burden of burns in this European area. Hence, this research aimed to describe the clinical and economic burden of burn hospitalisations in Portugal. A retrospective observational study was performed and the Portuguese hospitalisation database of public hospitals was used; all inpatients, discharged between 2000 and 2013, with a main or secondary diagnosis of burns (ICD-9-CM: 940.xx-949.xx) were taken into account. Furthermore, admissions to hospitals with and without burn centres were compared. A total of 26,447 burn hospitalisations were registered (mean of 1889burn admissions/year). The total hospitalisation rate was of 18.9hospitalisations/100,000inhabitants/year, and there was a higher incidence of male patients. Burn hospitalisations and hospitalisation rates are significantly decreasing - mostly in 0-14-year-old patients - and children below the age of 5 years represented a fifth of all admissions. Besides the important morbidity, the in-hospital mortality rate was of 4.4%. With a total annual charge of almost 13million Euros, the average cost per burn admission is increasing, and reached 8032Euros in 2013. Additionally, more than half of the patients admitted to hospitals without burn centres were not transferred to hospitals with burn centres, not following the European Burns Association transferral criteria. As the largest southern European nation-wide epidemiological study of burn patients, this research highlights that burn admissions, as well as hospitalisation rates, are decreasing significantly. This was particularly obvious among the youngest patients despite the fact that the numbers still remain very high. Moreover, the in-hospital mortality rate is still excessively high and the burn transferral criteria are not being followed. Thus, it is important to improve preventive measures, reach out to and educate providers about the burn transferral criteria, and develop specific health care strategies for children with these injuries. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Spark-Ignition Engine Knock as Seen in Photographs Taken at 200,000 Frames Per Second

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Miller, Cearcy D.; Olsen, H. Lowell; Logan, Walter O., Jr.; Osterstrom, Gordon E

1946-01-01

A motion picture of the development of knock in a spark-ignition engine, is presented, which consists of 20 photographs taken at intervals of 5 microseconds, or at a rate of 200,000 photographs a second, with an equivalent wide-open exposure time of 6.4 microseconds for each photograph. A motion picture of a complete combustion process, including the development of knock, taken at the rate of 40,000 photographs a second is also presented to assist the reader in orienting the photographs of the knock development taken at 200,000 frames per second. The photographs taken at 200,000 frames per second are analyzed and the conclusion is made that the type of knock in the spark-ignition engine involving violent gas vibration originates as self-propagating disturbance starting at a point in the.burn1ig or autoigniting gases and spreading out from that point through the incompletely burned gases at a rate as high as 6800 feet per second, or about twice the speed of sound in the burned gases. Apparent formation of free carbon particles in both the burning and the burned gas is observed within 10 microseconds after passage of the knock disturbance through the gases.

Functional and Multifunctional Polymers: Materials for Smart Structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Arnold, S.; Pratt, L. M.; Li, J.; Wuagaman, M.; Khan, I. M.

1996-01-01

The ultimate goal of the research in smart structures and smart materials is the development of a new generation of products/devices which will perform better than products/devices built from passive materials. There are a few examples of multilayer polymer systems which function as smart structures, e.g. a synthetic muscle which is a multilayer assembly of a poly(ethylene) layer, a gold layer, and a poly(pyrrole) layer immersed in a liquid electrolyte. Oxidation and reductions of the active pyrrole layer causes the assembly to reversibly deflect and mimic biological muscles. The drawback of such a setup is slow response times and the use of a liquid electrolyte. We have developed multifunctional polymers which will eliminate the use of a liquid electrolyte, and also because the functionalities of the polymers are within a few hundred angstroms, an improved response time to changes in the external field should be possible. Such multifunctional polymers may be classified as the futuristic 'smart materials.' These materials are composed of a number of different functionalities which work in a synergistic fashion to function as a device. The device performs on the application of an external field and such multifunctional polymers may be scientifically labeled as 'field responsive polymers.' Our group has undertaken a systematic approach to develop functional and multifunctional polymers capable of functioning as field responsive polymers. Our approach utilizes multicomponent polymer systems (block copolymers and graft copolymers), the strategy involves the preparation of block or graft copolymers where the functionalities are limited to different phases in a microphase separated system. Depending on the weight (or volume) fractions of each of the components, different microstructures are possible. And, because of the intimate contact between the functional components, an increase in the synergism between the functionalities may be observed. In this presentation, three examples of multifunctional polymers developed in our labs will be reported. The first class of multifunctional polymers are the microphase separated mixed (ionic and electronic) conducting or MIEC block copolymers. The second class being developed in our labs are the biocompatible conductive materials and the conductive fluids. The final class may be considered microwave active smart polymers.

An educational board game for learning and teaching burn care: A preliminary evaluation.

PubMed

Whittam, Alexander M; Chow, Whitney

2017-01-01

Timely and effective assessment, resuscitation and transfer of patients with severe burns has been demonstrated to improve outcome. A dedicated one-day course exists to equip all frontline emergency healthcare workers with the necessary knowledge and skills to manage severe burn injuries. More recently, a board game has been developed which aims to act as a learning and practice development tool for those managing burn injuries. We present the findings of our preliminary evaluation of this game. We played this game with a multidisciplinary group of staff including doctors, nurses and therapists. A proportion of these participants had previously completed the Emergency Management of Severe Burns (EMSB) course. We obtained subjective results from a questionnaire, using both Likert-type ratings and open-ended questions. The styling of the game and ease of instructions was rated from 'average' to 'excellent'. The relevance of questions was rated from 'good' to 'excellent'. The usefulness of the game to increase knowledge and stimulate discussion was rated between 'good' and 'excellent'. All participants stated that they would recommend the game to other healthcare professionals. This is the only burns and plastic surgery-related educational game in the literature. Educational games adhere to principles of adult learning but there is insufficient evidence in the literature to either confirm or refute their utility. Our preliminary evaluation of this game has shown that it achieves its main aims, namely to increase knowledge in burn care and to stimulate discussion. Further work is required to assess the board game.

Polymer Energy Rechargeable System Battery Being Developed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Manzo, Michelle A.

2003-01-01

Long description. Illustrations of discotic liquid crystals, rod-coil polymers, lithium-ion conducting channel dilithium phthalocyanine (Li2Pc) from top and side, novel star polyethylene oxide structures, composite polyethylene oxide materials (showing polyethylene oxide + lithium salt, carbon atoms and oxygen atoms), homopolyrotaxanes, and diblock copolymers In fiscal year 2000, NASA established a program to develop the next generation, lithium-based, polymer electrolyte batteries for aerospace applications. The goal of this program, known as Polymer Energy Rechargeable Systems (PERS), is to develop a space-qualified, advanced battery system embodying polymer electrolyte and lithium-based electrode technologies and to establish world-class domestic manufacturing capabilities for advanced batteries with improved performance characteristics that address NASA s future aerospace battery requirements.

Newly Developed Techniques on Polycondensation, Ring-Opening Polymerization and Polymer Modification: Focus on Poly(Lactic Acid)

PubMed Central

Hu, Yunzi; Daoud, Walid A.; Cheuk, Kevin Ka Leung; Lin, Carol Sze Ki

2016-01-01

Polycondensation and ring-opening polymerization are two important polymer synthesis methods. Poly(lactic acid), the most typical biodegradable polymer, has been researched extensively from 1900s. It is of significant importance to have an up-to-date review on the recent improvement in techniques for biodegradable polymers. This review takes poly(lactic acid) as the example to present newly developed polymer synthesis techniques on polycondensation and ring-opening polymerization reported in the recent decade (2005–2015) on the basis of industrial technique modifications and advanced laboratory research. Different polymerization methods, including various solvents, heating programs, reaction apparatus and catalyst systems, are summarized and compared with the current industrial production situation. Newly developed modification techniques for polymer properties improvement are also discussed based on the case of poly(lactic acid). PMID:28773260

A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grady, Joseph E.; Halbig, Michael C.; Singh, Mrityunjay

2015-01-01

In a NASA Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI) sponsored program entitled "A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing," evaluation of emerging materials and additive manufacturing technologies was carried out. These technologies may enable fully non-metallic gas turbine engines in the future. This paper highlights the results of engine system trade studies which were carried out to estimate reduction in engine emissions and fuel burn enabled due to advanced materials and manufacturing processes. A number of key engine components were identified in which advanced materials and additive manufacturing processes would provide the most significant benefits to engine operation. In addition, feasibility of using additive manufacturing technologies to fabricate gas turbine engine components from polymer and ceramic matrix composite were demonstrated. A wide variety of prototype components (inlet guide vanes (IGV), acoustic liners, engine access door, were additively manufactured using high temperature polymer materials. Ceramic matrix composite components included first stage nozzle segments and high pressure turbine nozzle segments for a cooled doublet vane. In addition, IGVs and acoustic liners were tested in simulated engine conditions in test rigs. The test results are reported and discussed in detail.

A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grady, Joseph E.; Halbig, Michael C.; Singh, Mrityunjay

2015-01-01

In a NASA Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI) sponsored program entitled "A Fully Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing", evaluation of emerging materials and additive manufacturing technologies was carried out. These technologies may enable fully non-metallic gas turbine engines in the future. This paper highlights the results of engine system trade studies which were carried out to estimate reduction in engine emissions and fuel burn enabled due to advanced materials and manufacturing processes. A number of key engine components were identified in which advanced materials and additive manufacturing processes would provide the most significant benefits to engine operation. In addition, feasibility of using additive manufacturing technologies to fabricate gas turbine engine components from polymer and ceramic matrix composite were demonstrated. A wide variety of prototype components (inlet guide vanes (IGV), acoustic liners, engine access door) were additively manufactured using high temperature polymer materials. Ceramic matrix composite components included first stage nozzle segments and high pressure turbine nozzle segments for a cooled doublet vane. In addition, IGVs and acoustic liners were tested in simulated engine conditions in test rigs. The test results are reported and discussed in detail.

Investigating interphase development is wood polymer composites by inverse gas chromatography

Treesearch

Timothy G. Rials; John Simonsen

2000-01-01

The influence of secondary interactions on the development of interfacial structure in composites of wood and amorphous thermoplastic polymers is not well understood. This study used inverse gas chromatography to investigate the effect of different polymers on the surfirce energy of partially or fully coated white pine wood meal. In this way, the development of the...

Reacting Chemistry Based Burn Model for Explosive Hydrocodes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwaab, Matthew; Greendyke, Robert; Steward, Bryan

2017-06-01

Currently, in hydrocodes designed to simulate explosive material undergoing shock-induced ignition, the state of the art is to use one of numerous reaction burn rate models. These burn models are designed to estimate the bulk chemical reaction rate. Unfortunately, these models are largely based on empirical data and must be recalibrated for every new material being simulated. We propose that the use of an equilibrium Arrhenius rate reacting chemistry model in place of these empirically derived burn models will improve the accuracy for these computational codes. Such models have been successfully used in codes simulating the flow physics around hypersonic vehicles. A reacting chemistry model of this form was developed for the cyclic nitramine RDX by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL). Initial implementation of this chemistry based burn model has been conducted on the Air Force Research Laboratory's MPEXS multi-phase continuum hydrocode. In its present form, the burn rate is based on the destruction rate of RDX from NRL's chemistry model. Early results using the chemistry based burn model show promise in capturing deflagration to detonation features more accurately in continuum hydrocodes than previously achieved using empirically derived burn models.

Improving global fire carbon emissions estimates by combining moderate resolution burned area and active fire observations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Randerson, J. T.; Chen, Y.; Giglio, L.; Rogers, B. M.; van der Werf, G.

2011-12-01

In several important biomes, including croplands and tropical forests, many small fires exist that have sizes that are well below the detection limit for the current generation of burned area products derived from moderate resolution spectroradiometers. These fires likely have important effects on greenhouse gas and aerosol emissions and regional air quality. Here we developed an approach for combining 1km thermal anomalies (active fires; MOD14A2) and 500m burned area observations (MCD64A1) to estimate the prevalence of these fires and their likely contribution to burned area and carbon emissions. We first estimated active fires within and outside of 500m burn scars in 0.5 degree grid cells during 2001-2010 for which MCD64A1 burned area observations were available. For these two sets of active fires we then examined mean fire radiative power (FRP) and changes in enhanced vegetation index (EVI) derived from 16-day intervals immediately before and after each active fire observation. To estimate the burned area associated with sub-500m fires, we first applied burned area to active fire ratios derived solely from within burned area perimeters to active fires outside of burn perimeters. In a second step, we further modified our sub-500m burned area estimates using EVI changes from active fires outside and within of burned areas (after subtracting EVI changes derived from control regions). We found that in northern and southern Africa savanna regions and in Central and South America dry forest regions, the number of active fires outside of MCD64A1 burned areas increased considerably towards the end of the fire season. EVI changes for active fires outside of burn perimeters were, on average, considerably smaller than EVI changes associated with active fires inside burn scars, providing evidence for burn scars that were substantially smaller than the 25 ha area of a single 500m pixel. FRP estimates also were lower for active fires outside of burn perimeters. In our analysis we quantified how including sub-500m burned area influenced global burned area, carbon emissions, and net ecosystem exchange (NEE) in different continental regions using the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) biogeochemical model. We conclude by discussing validation needs using higher resolution visible and thermal imagery.

Novel Nitric Oxide (NO)-Releasing Polymers and Their Biomedical Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Brisbois, Elizabeth J.

Two common factors that can cause complications with indwelling biomedical devices are thrombus and infection. Nitric oxide (NO) is known to be a potent inhibitor of platelet activation and adhesion. Healthy endothelial cells exhibit a NO flux into the bloodstream of 0.5˜4x10-10 mol cm -2 min-1. In addition, NO that is released within the sinus cavities and by neutrophils/macrophages functions as a potent natural antimicrobial agent. Therefore, polymer materials that release NO are expected to have similar anti-thrombotic and antimicrobial properties. In this dissertation work, two novel approaches to achieving long-term NO release from polymers were studied and evaluated for their potential biomedical applications. In the first approach, S-nitroso-N -acetypenicillamine (SNAP)-doped polymers were studied for potential hemocompatibility. The SNAP-doped Elast-eon E2As (block copolymer of poly(dimethylsiloxane) and polyurethane) creates an inexpensive polymer that can locally deliver physiologically relevant levels of NO (via thermal and photochemical reactions). SNAP was also found to be surprisingly stable in the E2As polymer during shelf-life stability and ethylene oxide sterilization studies. The SNAP/E2As polymer was coated on the inner walls of extracorporeal circulation (ECC) circuits and was found to preserve the platelet count at ˜100% of baseline and reduce thrombus area after 4 h blood flow in a rabbit model. The SNAP/E2As polymer was also used to fabricate NO-releasing catheters that were implanted in sheep veins for 7 d. The SNAP/E2As catheters significantly reduced the amount of thrombus and bacterial adhesion (in comparison to E2As control catheters). In the second approach, the NO release from diazeniumdiolated dibutylhexanediamine (DBHD/N2 O 2)-doped polymers was significantly improved using various poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) additives. Using acid-capped PLGA additives was found to cause high initial bursts of NO, while using an ester-capped PLGA additive extended the NO release for up to 14 d. The pH changes corresponding to the NO release profiles from these films was visualized by doping films with pH indicator dyes. Poly(vinyl chloride)- and Elast-eon E2As were used as the base polymers for combined DBHD/N 2 O 2 and PLGA coatings on the inner walls of ECC circuits. After 4 h of blood flow in a rabbit model, the E2As-based NOrel circuits preserved platelets at a higher level than PVC-based NOrel circuits (97% and 80% of baseline, respectively). This demonstrates that the inherent hemocompatibility properties of the base polymer can also influence the efficiency of the NO release coatings. A DBHD/N2 O 2-doped SG-80A polymer material was also studied and used to fabricate patches that were applied to scald burn wounds infected with Acinetobacter baumannii. The NO released from these patches applied to the wounds is shown to significantly reduce the A. baumannii infection after 24 h (˜4 log reduction). The results for both of types of NO-releasing polymers studied here demonstrated greatly enhanced biocompatibility properties, in terms of reducing thrombus and infection. These materials have the potential for improving the hemocompatibility of a wide variety of blood-contacting medical devices.

Catalysis as an Enabling Science for Sustainable Polymers.

PubMed

Zhang, Xiangyi; Fevre, Mareva; Jones, Gavin O; Waymouth, Robert M

2018-01-24

The replacement of current petroleum-based plastics with sustainable alternatives is a crucial but formidable challenge for the modern society. Catalysis presents an enabling tool to facilitate the development of sustainable polymers. This review provides a system-level analysis of sustainable polymers and outlines key criteria with respect to the feedstocks the polymers are derived from, the manner in which the polymers are generated, and the end-of-use options. Specifically, we define sustainable polymers as a class of materials that are derived from renewable feedstocks and exhibit closed-loop life cycles. Among potential candidates, aliphatic polyesters and polycarbonates are promising materials due to their renewable resources and excellent biodegradability. The development of renewable monomers, the versatile synthetic routes to convert these monomers to polyesters and polycarbonate, and the different end-of-use options for these polymers are critically reviewed, with a focus on recent advances in catalytic transformations that lower the technological barriers for developing more sustainable replacements for petroleum-based plastics.

Utilization of SRNL-developed radiation-resistant polymer in high radiation environments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Skibo, A.

The radiation-resistant polymer developed by the Savannah River National Laboratory is adaptable for multiple applications to enhance polymer endurance and effectiveness in radiation environments. SRNL offers to collaborate with TEPCO in evaluation, testing, and utilization of SRNL’s radiation-resistant polymer in the D&D of the Fukushima Daiichi NPS. Refinement of the scope and associated costs will be conducted in consultation with TECPO.

Measuring the impact of a burns school reintegration programme on the time taken to return to school: A multi-disciplinary team intervention for children returning to school after a significant burn injury.

PubMed

Arshad, Sira N; Gaskell, Sarah L; Baker, Charlotte; Ellis, Nicola; Potts, Jennie; Coucill, Theresa; Ryan, Lynn; Smith, Jan; Nixon, Anna; Greaves, Kate; Monk, Rebecca; Shelmerdine, Teresa; Leach, Alison; Shah, Mamta

2015-06-01

Returning to school can be a major step for burn-injured children, their family, and staff and pupils at the receiving school. Previous literature has recognised the difficulties children may face after a significant injury and factors that may influence a successful reintegration. A regional paediatric burns service recognised that some patients were experiencing difficulties in returning to school. A baseline audit confirmed this and suggested factors that hindered or facilitated this process, initiating the development of a school reintegration programme (SRP). Since the programme's development in 2009, it has been audited annually. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the impact of the SRP by presenting data from the 2009 to 2011 audits. For the baseline audit, the burn care team gathered information from clinical records (age, gender, total body surface area burned (TBSA), skin grafting and length of stay) and telephone interviews with parents and teachers of the school returners. For the re-audits, the same information was gathered from clinical records and feedback questionnaires. Since its introduction, the mean length of time from discharge to return to school has dropped annually for those that opted into the programme, when compared to the baseline by 62.3% (53 days to 20 days). Thematic analysis highlights positive responses to the programme from all involved. Increased awareness and feeling supported were amongst the main themes to emerge. Returning to school after a significant burn injury can be challenging for all involved, but we hypothesise that outreach interventions in schools by burns services can have a positive impact on the time it takes children to successfully reintegrate. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Cancer complicating chronic ulcerative and scarifying mucocutaneous disorders

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kaplan, R.P.

1987-01-01

Skin affected by a burn cancer is scarred, ulcerated, and often appears as erythema ab igne clinically in adjacent skin. The latent period in burn scar malignancy is much longer for SCC than BCC. Malignant melanoma and various sarcomas are reported to arise in burn scars, too. The other extreme on the temperature scale can less often result in enough permanent acral damage that poor wound healing may eventually result in cancer, usually SCC. About 1% of patients with chronic osteomyelitis develop cancer, usually SCC in sinus tracts. As with tumors arising in burn scars and chronic leg ulcers ofmore » varied etiology, black patients are disproportionately overrepresented in osteomyelitic malignancy. In nearly all of the patients with radiation-induced skin cancer, concomitant radiodermatitis is present. As with burn scar and osteomyelitic cancer, x-ray related cancer has a long latent period. Similar to burn scar cancer, SCC predominates in osteomyelitis and occurs on the extremities. BCC, when it arises, is more common on the face and neck in burn- and radiation-induced tumors. Multiple tumors are frequent as is recurrence in x-ray malignancy. Mortality is high: one out of three to four patients with burn scar, osteomyelitic, and radiation cancer die of dermatosis-related malignancy. Recently, radioactivity-contaminated gold rings have been implicated in causing SCC. Carcinoma tends to occur in irradiated benign dermatoses whereas sarcomas tend to complicate irradiated malignancies. Stasis ulceration and anogenital fistulae may rarely lead to cancer, SCC in the former and adenocarcinoma in the latter. SCC can rarely develop in four related conditions (acne conglobata, dissecting perifolliculitis of the scalp, hidradenitis suppurativa, and pilonidal sinus) after a lengthy latent period; prognosis is poor with a high metastatic rate. 147 references.« less

Effects of Burning Alternative Fuel in a 5-Cup Combustor Sector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tacina, K. M.; Chang, C. T.; Lee, C.-M.; He, Z.; Herbon, J.

2015-01-01

A goal of NASA's Environmentally Responsible Aviation (ERA) program is to develop a combustor that will reduce the NOx emissions and that can burn both standard and alternative fuels. To meet this goal, NASA partnered with General Electric Aviation to develop a 5-cup combustor sector; this sector was tested in NASA Glenn's Advanced Subsonic Combustion Rig (ASCR). To verify that the combustor sector was fuel-flexible, it was tested with a 50-50 blend of JP-8 and a biofuel made from the camelina sativa plant. Results from this test were compared to results from tests where the fuel was neat JP-8. Testing was done at three combustor inlet conditions: cruise, 30% power, and 7% power. When compared to burning JP-8, burning the 50-50 blend did not significantly affect emissions of NOx, CO, or total hydrocarbons. Furthermore, it did not significantly affect the magnitude and frequency of the dynamic pressure fluctuations.

Poverty, population density, and the epidemiology of burns in young children from Mexico treated at a U.S. pediatric burn facility.

PubMed

Patel, Dipen D; Rosenberg, Marta; Rosenberg, Laura; Foncerrada, Guillermo; Andersen, Clark R; Capek, Karel D; Leal, Jesus; Lee, Jong O; Jimenez, Carlos; Branski, Ludwik; Meyer, Walter J; Herndon, David N

2018-08-01

Children 5 and younger are at risk for sustaining serious burn injuries. The causes of burns vary depending on demographic, cultural and socioeconomic variables. At this pediatric burn center we provided medical care to children from Mexico with severe injuries. The purpose of this study was to understand the impact of demographic distribution and modifiable risk factors of burns in young children to help guide prevention. A retrospective chart review was performed with children 5 and younger from Mexico who were injured from 2000-2013. The medical records of 447 acute patients were reviewed. Frequency counts and percentages were used to identify geographic distribution and calculate incidence of burns. Microsoft Powermap software was used to create a geographical map of Mexico based on types of burns. A binomial logistic regression was used to model the incidence of flame burns as opposed to scald burns in each state with relation to population density and poverty percentage. In all statistical tests, alpha=0.05 for a 95% level of confidence. Burns were primarily caused by flame and scald injuries. Admissions from flame injuries were mainly from explosions of propane tanks and gas lines and house fires. Flame injuries were predominantly from the states of Jalisco, Chihuahua, and Distrito Federal. Scalds were attributed to falling in large containers of hot water or food on the ground, and spills of hot liquids. Scald injuries were largely from the states of Oaxaca, Distrito Federal, and Hidalgo. The odds of a patient having flame burns were significantly associated with poverty percentage (p<0.0001) and population density (p=0.0085). Increasing levels of poverty led to decrease in odds of a flame burn, but an increase in the odds of scald burns. Similarly, we found that increasing population density led to a decrease in the odds of a flame burn, but an increase in the odds of a scald burn. Burns in young children from Mexico who received medical care at this pediatric burn center were attributed to flame and scalds. Potential demographic associations have been identified. Different states in Mexico have diverse cultural and socioeconomic variables that may influence the etiology of burns in young children and this information may help efficiently tailor burn prevention campaigns for burn prevention efforts in each region. This information will be used to develop and help modify existing prevention campaigns. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

High temperature adhesive silicone foam composition, foam generating system and method of generating foam. [For access denial

DOEpatents

Mead, J.W.; Montoya, O.J.; Rand, P.B.; Willan, V.O.

1983-12-21

Access to a space is impeded by generation of a sticky foam from a silicone polymer and a low boiling solvent such as a halogenated hydrocarbon. In a preferred aspect, the formulation is polydimethylsiloxane gel mixed with F502 Freon as a solvent and blowing agent, and pressurized with CO/sub 2/ in a vessel to about 250 PSI, whereby when the vessel is opened, a sticky and solvent resistant foam is deployed. The foam is deployable, over a wide range of temperatures, adhering to wet surfaces as well as dry, is stable over long periods of time and does not propagate flame or lose adhesive properties during an externally supported burn.

Evaluating an outreach service for paediatric burns follow up.

PubMed

Cubitt, Jonathan J; Chesney, Amy; Brown, Liz; Nguyen, Dai Q

2015-09-01

Complications following paediatric burns are well documented and care needs to be taken to ensure the appropriate follow up of these patients. Historically this has meant follow up into adulthood however this is often not necessary. The centralisation of burns services in the UK means that patients and their parents may have to travel significant distances to receive this follow up care. To optimise our burns service we have introduced a burns outreach service to enable the patients to be treated closer to home. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of the introduction of the burns outreach service and within this environment define the optimum length of time needed to follow up these patients. A retrospective analysis was carried out of 100 consecutive paediatric burns patients who underwent surgical management of their burn. During the follow up period there were 43 complications in 32 patients (32%). These included adverse scarring (either hypertrophic or keloid), delayed healing (taking >1 month to heal) and contractures (utilising either splinting or surgical correction). Fifty-nine percent of these complications occurred within 6 months of injury and all occurred within 18 months. Size of burn was directly correlated to the risk of developing a complication. The outreach service reduced the distance the patient needs to travel for follow up by more than 50%. There was also a significant financial benefit for the service as the follow up clinics were on average 50% cheaper with burns outreach than burns physician. Burns outreach is a feasible service that not only benefits the patients but also is cheaper for the burns service. The optimum length of follow up for paediatric burns in 18 months, after which if there have not been any complications they can be discharged. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Cardiac troponin I: A potent biomarker for myocardial damage assessment following high voltage electric burn

PubMed Central

Bose, Arindam; Chhabra, Chandra B.; Chamania, Shobha; Hemvani, Nanda; Chitnis, Dhananjay S.

2016-01-01

Myocardial infarction (MI) following high voltage electric burn is very rare, and its pathogenesis remains controversial. Electrical burns represent only 4% of all burns. Hence, clinical managements have taken a slow pace in developing. The recent guidelines laid down by the cardiology societies include cardiac troponin I (cTnI) as the gold standard marker for the assessment of myocardial damage assessment. Two patients were admitted to our hospital at the different time with the same kind of high voltage electric burn. Both patients had complained with chest discomfort during admission, and cardiac parameter assessment was done for both the patients. cTnI was also measured for both patients, and marked increase in the values was seen within 5 h of onset of myocardial damage and got into normal range within 72 h. Myocardial damage following electric burn needs to be suspected and assessed as early as possible. Hence, cTnI should be the valuable tool to detect the severity of myocardial damage incurred in the electric burn cases. PMID:28216824

Lymphatic vessels correlate closely with inflammation index in alkali burned cornea.

PubMed

Yan, Hao; Qi, Chaoxiu; Ling, Shiqi; Li, Weihua; Liang, Linyi

2010-08-01

To study the relationship between corneal lymphangiogenesis and inflammation in alkali burned corneas. Rat corneal lymphatic and blood vessels were labeled and distinguished by whole mount immunofluorescence and 5'-nase-alkaline phosphatase (5'-NA-ALP) double enzyme-histochemistry. Then, lymphatic vessel areas (LVA) and lymphatic vessel counting (LVC) were examined. Corneal inflammation was evaluated by inflammation index (IF) grading, histopathology, electron microscope, and polymorphonuclear leukocyte (PMN) infiltration. The relationship between LVC, LVA, IF, and PMN was examined, respectively. In addition, corneal lymphatic vessels of eleven human alkali burned corneas were examined by lymphatic vessel endothelial receptor (LYVE-1) immunohistochemistry. Corneal lymphangiogenesis occurred on Day 3, reached the peak at the end of two weeks, and disappeared five weeks after alkaline burns. Both LVA and LVC were strongly and positively correlated with IF after corneal alkaline burns. However, the relationship between LVC and PMN, between LVA and PMN were significant but converse. Among eleven human alkali burned corneas, corneal lymphangiogenesis was present in three corneas. Corneal lymphagiogenesis develops after alkaline burns and correlates closely with corneal inflammation.

Applying Quality Function Deployment Model in Burn Unit Service Improvement.

PubMed

Keshtkaran, Ali; Hashemi, Neda; Kharazmi, Erfan; Abbasi, Mehdi

2016-01-01

Quality function deployment (QFD) is one of the most effective quality design tools. This study applies QFD technique to improve the quality of the burn unit services in Ghotbedin Hospital in Shiraz, Iran. First, the patients' expectations of burn unit services and their priorities were determined through Delphi method. Thereafter, burn unit service specifications were determined through Delphi method. Further, the relationships between the patients' expectations and service specifications and also the relationships between service specifications were determined through an expert group's opinion. Last, the final importance scores of service specifications were calculated through simple additive weighting method. The findings show that burn unit patients have 40 expectations in six different areas. These expectations are in 16 priority levels. Burn units also have 45 service specifications in six different areas. There are four-level relationships between the patients' expectations and service specifications and four-level relationships between service specifications. The most important burn unit service specifications have been identified in this study. The QFD model developed in the study can be a general guideline for QFD planners and executives.

Adult survivors' lived experience of burns and post-burn health: A qualitative analysis.

PubMed

Abrams, Thereasa E; Ogletree, Roberta J; Ratnapradipa, Dhitinut; Neumeister, Michael W

2016-02-01

The individual implications of major burns are likely to affect the full spectrum of patients' physical, emotional, psychological, social, environmental, spiritual and vocational health. Yet, not all of the post-burn health implications are inevitably negative. Utilizing a qualitative approach, this heuristic phenomenological study explores the experiences and perceptions early (ages 18-35) and midlife (ages 36-64) adults providing insight for how participants perceived their burns in relationship to their post-burn health. Participants were interviewed using semi-structured interview questions framed around seven domains of health. Interview recordings were transcribed verbatim then coded line by line, identifying dominant categories related to health. Categories were analyzed identifying shared themes among the study sample. Participants were Caucasian, seven males and one female. Mean age at time of interviews was 54.38 and 42.38 at time of burns. Mean time since burns occurred was 9.38 years with a minimum of (20%) total body surface area (TBSA) burns. Qualitative content analysis rendered three emergent health-related categories and associated themes that represented shared meanings within the participant sample. The category of "Physical Health" reflected the theme physical limitations, pain and sensitivity to temperature. Within the category of "Intellectual Health" were themes of insight, goal setting and self-efficacy, optimism and humor and within "Emotional Health" were the themes empathy and gratitude. By exploring subjective experiences and perceptions of health shared through dialog with experienced burned persons, there are opportunities to develop a more complete picture of how holistic health may be affected by major burns that in turn could support future long-term rehabilitative trajectories of early and midlife adult burn patients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Severe childhood burns in the Czech Republic: risk factors and prevention

PubMed Central

Čelko, Alexander Martin; Dáňová, Jana; Barss, Peter

2009-01-01

Abstract Objective To assess risk factors for paediatric burn injuries in the Czech Republic and to suggest preventive measures. Methods This study included all children aged 0–16 years hospitalized during 1993–2000 at the Prague Burn Centre and data from the Czech Ministry of Health on national paediatric burn hospitalizations during 1996–2006. Personal, equipment and environmental risk factors were identified from hospital records. Findings The incidence of burn admissions among 0–14 year-olds increased from 85 to 96 per 100 000 between 1996 and 2006, mainly due to a 13% increase among 1–4 year-olds. Between 1993–2000 and 2006, the proportion of burn victims in the country hospitalized at the Prague Burn Centre increased from 9% to 21%. Detailed data were available on 1064 children (64% boys). Around 31% of all burn hospitalizations were in 1 year-olds. Some 79% of burns occurred at home: 70% in the kitchen, 14% in the living room or bedroom and 11% in the bathroom. Of the 18% occurring outdoors, 80% involved boys. Scalds from hot liquids accounted for 70% of all burns. The mean hospital stay was 22 days for boys and 18 days for girls. Conclusion Most burns involved scalds from hot liquids at home: beverages in kitchens and water in bathrooms. There is a need for passive preventive measures, such as redesigned domestic cooking and eating areas, safer electrical kettles and temperature control devices for bathrooms. Educational programmes should be developed for parents and caregivers. A national plan for child burn prevention with specific targets would be helpful. PMID:19551256

Cystathionine-gamma-lyase deficient mice are protected against the development of multiorgan failure and exhibit reduced inflammatory response during burn.

PubMed

Ahmad, Akbar; Druzhyna, Nadiya; Szabo, Csaba

2017-08-01

Considering the role of H 2 S in critical illness, the aim of this study was to compare the outcome of burn in wild-type mice and in mice deficient in CSE, one of the principal mammalian H 2 S-generating enzymes. Animals were subjected to scald burn. Outcome variables included indices of organ injury, clinical chemistry parameters and plasma levels of inflammatory mediators. Plasma levels of H 2 S significantly increased in response to burn in wild-type mice, but remained unchanged in CSE -/- mice. Expression of the three H 2 S-producing enzymes (CSE, CBS and 3-MST) in the lung and liver, and the capacity of tissue homogenates to produce H 2 S, however, was not affected by burn. In CSE deficient mice there was a significant amelioration of burn-induced accumulation of myeloperoxidase levels in heart, lung, liver and kidney and significantly lower degree of malon dialdehyde accumulation in the heart, lung and kidney than in wild-type mice. CSE deficient mice, compared to wild-type mice, showed a significant attenuation of the burn-induced elevation in circulating alkaline aminotransferase and blood urea nitrogen and creatinine levels, indicative of protective effects of CSE deficiency against burn-induced hepatic, and renal functional impairment. Multiple burn-induced inflammatory mediators (TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10 and IL-12) were significantly lower in the plasma of CSE -/- animals after burn than in the plasma of wild-type controls subjected to burns. In conclusion, CSE deficiency improves organ function and attenuates the inflammatory response in a murine model of burn. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Global burned-land estimation in Latin America using MODIS composite data.

PubMed

Chuvieco, Emilio; Opazo, Sergio; Sione, Walter; Del Valle, Hector; Anaya, Jesús; Di Bella, Carlos; Cruz, Isabel; Manzo, Lilia; López, Gerardo; Mari, Nicolas; González-Alonso, Federico; Morelli, Fabiano; Setzer, Alberto; Csiszar, Ivan; Kanpandegi, Jon Ander; Bastarrika, Aitor; Libonati, Renata

2008-01-01

This paper presents results of the AQL2004 project, which has been develope within the GOFC-GOLD Latin American network of remote sensing and forest fires (RedLatif). The project intended to obtain monthly burned-land maps of the entire region, from Mexico to Patagonia, using MODIS (moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer) reflectance data. The project has been organized in three different phases: acquisition and preprocessing of satellite data; discrimination of burned pixels; and validation of results. In the first phase, input data consisting of 32-day composites of MODIS 500-m reflectance data generated by the Global Land Cover Facility (GLCF) of the University of Maryland (College Park, Maryland, U.S.A.) were collected and processed. The discrimination of burned areas was addressed in two steps: searching for "burned core" pixels using postfire spectral indices and multitemporal change detection and mapping of burned scars using contextual techniques. The validation phase was based on visual analysis of Landsat and CBERS (China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite) images. Validation of the burned-land category showed an agreement ranging from 30% to 60%, depending on the ecosystem and vegetation species present. The total burned area for the entire year was estimated to be 153 215 km2. The most affected countries in relation to their territory were Cuba, Colombia, Bolivia, and Venezuela. Burned areas were found in most land covers; herbaceous vegetation (savannas and grasslands) presented the highest proportions of burned area, while perennial forest had the lowest proportions. The importance of croplands in the total burned area should be taken with reserve, since this cover presented the highest commission errors. The importance of generating systematic products of burned land areas for different ecological processes is emphasized.

Characterization and measurement of polymer wear

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Buckley, D. H.; Aron, P. R.

1984-01-01

Analytical tools which characterize the polymer wear process are discussed. The devices discussed include: visual observation of polymer wear with SEM, the quantification with surface profilometry and ellipsometry, to study the chemistry with AES, XPS and SIMS, to establish interfacial polymer orientation and accordingly bonding with QUARTIR, polymer state with Raman spectroscopy and stresses that develop in polymer films using a X-ray double crystal camera technique.

The Management of Pemphigus Vulgaris in a Burn Intensive Care Unit: A Case Report and Treatment Review

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-10-01

phenobarbital, interferon, interleukin, propranolol, and nifedipine.5 As a result of the disruption in keratinocyte adhe- sion, afflicted patients develop...by a positive Nikolsky’s sign, mean- ing that lateral pressure applied to normal-appearing Copyright © 2014 by the American Burn Association 1559...severe pemphigus vulgaris who was admitted to the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center, to demonstrate the potential complications

Space Shuttle Five-Segment Booster (Short Course)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graves, Stanley R.; Rudolphi, Michael (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

NASA is considering upgrading the Space Shuttle by adding a fifth segment (FSB) to the current four-segment solid rocket booster. Course materials cover design and engineering issues related to the Reusable Solid Rocket Motor (RSRM) raised by the addition of a fifth segment to the rocket booster. Topics cover include: four segment vs. five segment booster, abort modes, FSB grain design, erosive burning, enhanced propellant burn rate, FSB erosive burning model development and hardware configuration.

Projecting climate-driven increases in North American fire activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, D.; Morton, D. C.; Collatz, G. J.

2013-12-01

Climate regulates fire activity through controls on vegetation productivity (fuels), lightning ignitions, and conditions governing fire spread. In many regions of the world, human management also influences the timing, duration, and extent of fire activity. These coupled interactions between human and natural systems make fire a complex component of the Earth system. Satellite data provide valuable information on the spatial and temporal dynamics of recent fire activity, as active fires, burned area, and land cover information can be combined to separate wildfires from intentional burning for agriculture and forestry. Here, we combined satellite-derived burned area data with land cover and climate data to assess fire-climate relationships in North America between 2000-2012. We used the latest versions of the Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) burned area product and Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) climate data to develop regional relationships between burned area and potential evaporation (PE), an integrated dryness metric. Logistic regression models were developed to link burned area with PE and individual climate variables during and preceding the fire season, and optimal models were selected based on Akaike Information Criterion (AIC). Overall, our model explained 85% of the variance in burned area since 2000 across North America. Fire-climate relationships from the era of satellite observations provide a blueprint for potential changes in fire activity under scenarios of climate change. We used that blueprint to evaluate potential changes in fire activity over the next 50 years based on twenty models from the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5). All models suggest an increase of PE under low and high emissions scenarios (Representative Concentration Pathways (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5, respectively), with largest increases in projected burned area across the western US and central Canada. Overall, near-term climate projections point to pronounced changes in fire season length, total burned area, and the frequency of extreme events across North America by 2050.

Burned area detection based on Landsat time series in savannas of southern Burkina Faso

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Jinxiu; Heiskanen, Janne; Maeda, Eduardo Eiji; Pellikka, Petri K. E.

2018-02-01

West African savannas are subject to regular fires, which have impacts on vegetation structure, biodiversity and carbon balance. An efficient and accurate mapping of burned area associated with seasonal fires can greatly benefit decision making in land management. Since coarse resolution burned area products cannot meet the accuracy needed for fire management and climate modelling at local scales, the medium resolution Landsat data is a promising alternative for local scale studies. In this study, we developed an algorithm for continuous monitoring of annual burned areas using Landsat time series. The algorithm is based on burned pixel detection using harmonic model fitting with Landsat time series and breakpoint identification in the time series data. This approach was tested in a savanna area in southern Burkina Faso using 281 images acquired between October 2000 and April 2016. An overall accuracy of 79.2% was obtained with balanced omission and commission errors. This represents a significant improvement in comparison with MODIS burned area product (67.6%), which had more omission errors than commission errors, indicating underestimation of the total burned area. By observing the spatial distribution of burned areas, we found that the Landsat based method misclassified cropland and cloud shadows as burned areas due to the similar spectral response, and MODIS burned area product omitted small and fragmented burned areas. The proposed algorithm is flexible and robust against decreased data availability caused by clouds and Landsat 7 missing lines, therefore having a high potential for being applied in other landscapes in future studies.

Recent Biomass Burning in the Tropics and Related Changes in Tropospheric Ozone

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ziemke; Chandra, J. R. S.; Duncan, B. N.; Schoeberl, M. R.; Torres, O.; Damon, M. R.; Bhartia, P. K.

2009-01-01

Biomass burning is an important source of chemical precursors of tropospheric ozone. In the tropics, biomass burning produces ozone enhancements over broad regions of Indonesia, Africa, and South America including Brazil. Fires are intentionally set in these regions during the dry season each year to clear cropland and to clear land for human/industrial expansion. In Indonesia enhanced burning occurs during dry El Nino conditions such as in 1997 and 2006. These burning activities cause enhancement in atmospheric particulates and trace gases which are harmful to human health. Measurements from the Aura Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) and Microwave Limb Sounder (MLS) from October 2004-November 2008 are used to evaluate the effects of biomass burning on tropical tropospheric ozone. These measurements show sizeable decreases approx.15-20% in ozone in Brazil during 2008 compared to 2007 which we attribute to the reduction in biomass burning. Three broad biomass burning regions in the tropics (South America including Brazil, western Africa, and Indonesia) were analyzed in the context of OMI/MLS measurements and the Global Modeling Initiative (GMI) chemical transport model developed at Goddard Space Flight Center. The results indicate that the impact of biomass burning on ozone is significant within and near the burning regions with increases of approx.10-25% in tropospheric column ozone relative to average background concentrations. The model suggests that about half of the increases in ozone from these burning events come from altitudes below 3 km. Globally the model indicates increases of approx.4-5% in ozone, approx.7-9% in NO, (NO+NO2), and approx.30-40% in CO.

Forest edge burning in the Brazilian Amazon promoted by escaping fires from managed pastures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cano-Crespo, Ana; Oliveira, Paulo J. C.; Boit, Alice; Cardoso, Manoel; Thonicke, Kirsten

2015-10-01

Understanding to what extent different land uses influence fire occurrence in the Amazonian forest is particularly relevant for its conservation. We evaluate the relationship between forest fires and different anthropogenic activities linked to a variety of land uses in the Brazilian states of Mato Grosso, Pará, and Rondônia. We combine the new high-resolution (30 m) TerraClass land use database with Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer burned area data for 2008 and the extreme dry year of 2010. Excluding the non-forest class, most of the burned area was found in pastures, primary and secondary forests, and agricultural lands across all three states, while only around 1% of the total was located in deforested areas. The trend in burned area did not follow the declining deforestation rates from 2001 to 2010, and the spatial overlap between deforested and burned areas was only 8% on average. This supports the claim of deforestation being disconnected from burning since 2005. Forest degradation showed an even lower correlation with burned area. We found that fires used in managing pastoral and agricultural lands that escape into the neighboring forests largely contribute to forest fires. Such escaping fires are responsible for up to 52% of the burned forest edges adjacent to burned pastures and up to 22% of the burned forest edges adjacent to burned agricultural fields, respectively. Our findings call for the development of control and monitoring plans to prevent fires from escaping from managed lands into forests to support effective land use and ecosystem management.

Low Stretch PMMA Burning in Microgravity: Status of the Ground-Based Program and New ISS Glovebox Experiment SALSA

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Olson, S. L.; T'ien, J. S.; Armstrong, J. B.

2001-01-01

The objective of this ground-based program is to study low stretch diffusion flames burning PMMA as the solid fuel to determine the relationship between buoyant low stretch burning in normal gravity and forced flow low stretch burning in microgravity. The low stretch is generated in normal gravity by using the buoyant convection induced by burning the bottom of a large radius of curvature sample. Low stretch is also generated using the Combustion Tunnel drop tower rig (2.2 and 5.2 second facilities), which provides a forced convective low velocity flow past smaller radius of curvature samples. Lastly, an ISS glovebox investigation is being developed to study low stretch burning of PMMA spheres to obtain long duration testing needed to accurately assess the flammability and burning characteristics of the material in microgravity. A comparison of microgravity experiment results with normal gravity test results allows us to establish a direct link between a material's burning characteristics in normal gravity (easily measured) with its burning characteristics in extraterrestrial environments, including microgravity forced convective environments. Theoretical predictions and recent experimental results indicate that it should be possible to understand a material's burning characteristics in the low stretch environment of spacecraft (non-buoyant air movement induced by fans and crew disturbances) by understanding its burning characteristics in an equivalent Earth-based low stretch environment (induced by normal gravity buoyancy). Similarly, Earth-based stretch environments can be made equivalent to those in Lunar- and Martian-surface stretch environments (which would induce partial-gravity buoyancy).

Fabrication and hemocompatibility assessment of novel polyurethane-based bio-nanofibrous dressing loaded with honey and Carica papaya extract for the management of burn injuries.

PubMed

Balaji, Arunpandian; Jaganathan, Saravana Kumar; Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi; Rajasekar, Rathanasamy

Management of burn injury is an onerous clinical task since it requires continuous monitoring and extensive usage of specialized facilities. Despite rapid improvizations and investments in burn management, >30% of victims hospitalized each year face severe morbidity and mortality. Excessive loss of body fluids, accumulation of exudate, and the development of septic shock are reported to be the main reasons for morbidity in burn victims. To assist burn wound management, a novel polyurethane (PU)-based bio-nanofibrous dressing loaded with honey (HN) and Carica papaya (PA) fruit extract was fabricated using a one-step electrospinning technique. The developed dressing material had a mean fiber diameter of 190±19.93 nm with pore sizes of 4-50 µm to support effective infiltration of nutrients and gas exchange. The successful blending of HN- and PA-based active biomolecules in PU was inferred through changes in surface chemistry. The blend subsequently increased the wettability (14%) and surface energy (24%) of the novel dressing. Ultimately, the presence of hydrophilic biomolecules and high porosity enhanced the water absorption ability of the PU-HN-PA nanofiber samples to 761.67% from 285.13% in PU. Furthermore, the ability of the bio-nanofibrous dressing to support specific protein adsorption (45%), delay thrombus formation, and reduce hemolysis demonstrated its nontoxic and compatible nature with the host tissues. In summary, the excellent physicochemical and hemocompatible properties of the developed PU-HN-PA dressing exhibit its potential in reducing the clinical complications associated with the treatment of burn injuries.

Fabrication and hemocompatibility assessment of novel polyurethane-based bio-nanofibrous dressing loaded with honey and Carica papaya extract for the management of burn injuries

PubMed Central

Balaji, Arunpandian; Jaganathan, Saravana Kumar; Ismail, Ahmad Fauzi; Rajasekar, Rathanasamy

2016-01-01

Management of burn injury is an onerous clinical task since it requires continuous monitoring and extensive usage of specialized facilities. Despite rapid improvizations and investments in burn management, >30% of victims hospitalized each year face severe morbidity and mortality. Excessive loss of body fluids, accumulation of exudate, and the development of septic shock are reported to be the main reasons for morbidity in burn victims. To assist burn wound management, a novel polyurethane (PU)-based bio-nanofibrous dressing loaded with honey (HN) and Carica papaya (PA) fruit extract was fabricated using a one-step electrospinning technique. The developed dressing material had a mean fiber diameter of 190±19.93 nm with pore sizes of 4–50 µm to support effective infiltration of nutrients and gas exchange. The successful blending of HN- and PA-based active biomolecules in PU was inferred through changes in surface chemistry. The blend subsequently increased the wettability (14%) and surface energy (24%) of the novel dressing. Ultimately, the presence of hydrophilic biomolecules and high porosity enhanced the water absorption ability of the PU-HN-PA nanofiber samples to 761.67% from 285.13% in PU. Furthermore, the ability of the bio-nanofibrous dressing to support specific protein adsorption (45%), delay thrombus formation, and reduce hemolysis demonstrated its nontoxic and compatible nature with the host tissues. In summary, the excellent physicochemical and hemocompatible properties of the developed PU-HN-PA dressing exhibit its potential in reducing the clinical complications associated with the treatment of burn injuries. PMID:27621626

Release characteristics of selected carbon nanotube polymer composites

EPA Science Inventory

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are commonly used in polymer formulations to improve strength, conductivity, and other attributes. A developing concern is the potential for carbon nanotube polymer nanocomposites to release nanoparticles into the environment as the polymer ...

Undergraduate HBCU Student Summer Training Program for Developing Nanomedicines to Treat Prostate Cancers

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-08-01

and interpret generated MS data. She also got familiarized with synthesis of HPMA polymer and conjugation of targeted peptide to the polymer . During...techniques (Ciera), polymer synthesis and nanomedicine development (Starr and Andrea), the effect of drug treatment on prostate cancer cells (My’Chelle...career in the field of prostate cancer. W81XWH-15-1-0202 15. SUBJECT TERMS Prostate cancer, co- polymer , anti-androgen, peptide-based targeting

Investigation of the required length for fully developed pipe flow with drag-reducing polymer solutions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farsiani, Yasaman; Elbing, Brian

2015-11-01

Adding trace amounts of long chain polymers into a liquid flow is known to reduce skin friction drag by up to 80%. While polymer drag reduction (PDR) has been successfully implemented in internal flows, diffusion and degradation have limited its external flow applications. A weakness in many previous PDR studies is that there was no characterization of the polymer being injected into the turbulent boundary layer, which can be accomplished by testing a sample in a pressure-drop tube. An implicit assumption in polymer characterization is that the flow is fully developed at the differential pressure measurement. While available data in the literature shows that the entry length to achieve fully developed flow increases with polymeric solutions, it is unclear how long is required to achieve fully developed flow for non-Newtonian turbulent flows. In the present study, the pressure-drop is measured across a 1.05 meter length section of a 1.04 cm inner diameter pipe. Differential pressure is measured with a pressure transducer for different entry lengths, flow and polymer solution properties. This presentation will present preliminary data on the required entrance length as well as characterization of polymer solution an estimate of the mean molecular weight.

Study on dissolution behavior of polymer-bound and polymer-blended photo-acid generator (PAG) resists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yamamoto, Hiroki; Kozawa, Takahiro; Tagawa, Seiichi

2013-03-01

The requirements for the next generation resist materials are so challenging that it is indispensable for feasibility of EUV lithography to grasp basic chemistry of resist matrices in all stage of resist processes. Under such circumstances, it is very important to know dissolution characteristics of the resist film into alkaline developer though the dissolution of exposed area of resist films in alkaline developer to form a pattern is a complex reactive process. In this study, the influence of EUV and KrF exposure on the dissolution behavior of polymer bound PAG and polymer blended PAG was studied in detail using quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) methods. The difference in swelling formation between KrF and EUV exposure was observed. It is likely that difference of reaction mechanism induces the difference of these swelling. Also, it is observed that the swelling of polymer-bound PAG is less than that of polymer blended PAG in both KrF and EUV exposure. This result indicates that polymer-bound PAG suppresses swelling very well and showed an excellent performance. Actually, the developed polymer bound-PAG resist showed an excellent performance (half pitch 50 nm line and space pattern). Thus, polymer bound PAG is one of the promising candidate for 16 nm EUV resist.

Microbial properties and litter and soil nutrients after two prescribed fires in developing savannas in an upland Missouri Ozark Forest

Treesearch

Felix, Jr. Ponder; Mahasin Tadros; Edward F. Loewenstein

2009-01-01

On some landscapes periodic fire may be necessary to develop and maintain oak-dominated savannas. We studied the effects of two annual prescribed burns to determine their effect on microbial activity and soil and litter nutrients 1 year after the last burn. Surface litter and soil from the upper 0?5 cm soil layer in three developing savannas (oak-hickory, ...

Ingestion of white spirit resulting in perineal skin burns: a case report and review of the literature.

PubMed

Vanhoucke, Joke; Buylaert, Walter; Colpaert, Kirsten; De Paepe, Peter

2017-10-01

In the literature, possible systemic effects on health of inhalation or ingestion of white spirit are well described. Only a few case reports discuss the toxic skin effects that can occur following massive ingestion. Ingestion of large amounts of white spirit produces a watery diarrhoea with a high concentration of white spirit, resulting in perineal skin burns when there is prolonged contact. We describe a patient who developed partial thickness perineal skin burns after ingestion of white spirit and review the literature. The present data indicate that conservative therapy of the skin burns is recommended.

[Prevention of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with advanced burns].

PubMed

Vagner, D O; Krylov, K M; Verbitsky, V G; Shlyk, I V

2018-01-01

To reduce the incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding in patients with advanced burns by developing a prophylactic algorithm. The study consisted of retrospective group of 488 patients with thermal burns grade II-III over 20% of body surface area and prospective group of 135 patients with a similar thermal trauma. Standard clinical and laboratory examination was applied. Instrumental survey included fibrogastroduodenoscopy, endoscopic pH-metry and invasive volumetric monitoring (PICCO plus). Statistical processing was carried out with Microsoft Office Excel 2007 and IBM SPSS 20.0. New algorithm significantly decreased incidence of gastrointestinal bleeding (p<0.001) and mortality rate (p=0.006) in patients with advanced burns.

Computational Methods for MOF/Polymer Membranes.

PubMed

Erucar, Ilknur; Keskin, Seda

2016-04-01

Metal-organic framework (MOF)/polymer mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) have received significant interest in the last decade. MOFs are incorporated into polymers to make MMMs that exhibit improved gas permeability and selectivity compared with pure polymer membranes. The fundamental challenge in this area is to choose the appropriate MOF/polymer combinations for a gas separation of interest. Even if a single polymer is considered, there are thousands of MOFs that could potentially be used as fillers in MMMs. As a result, there has been a large demand for computational studies that can accurately predict the gas separation performance of MOF/polymer MMMs prior to experiments. We have developed computational approaches to assess gas separation potentials of MOF/polymer MMMs and used them to identify the most promising MOF/polymer pairs. In this Personal Account, we aim to provide a critical overview of current computational methods for modeling MOF/polymer MMMs. We give our perspective on the background, successes, and failures that led to developments in this area and discuss the opportunities and challenges of using computational methods for MOF/polymer MMMs. © 2016 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Atomic Oxygen Erosion Yield Predictive Tool for Spacecraft Polymers in Low Earth Orbit

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bank, Bruce A.; de Groh, Kim K.; Backus, Jane A.

2008-01-01

A predictive tool was developed to estimate the low Earth orbit (LEO) atomic oxygen erosion yield of polymers based on the results of the Polymer Erosion and Contamination Experiment (PEACE) Polymers experiment flown as part of the Materials International Space Station Experiment 2 (MISSE 2). The MISSE 2 PEACE experiment accurately measured the erosion yield of a wide variety of polymers and pyrolytic graphite. The 40 different materials tested were selected specifically to represent a variety of polymers used in space as well as a wide variety of polymer chemical structures. The resulting erosion yield data was used to develop a predictive tool which utilizes chemical structure and physical properties of polymers that can be measured in ground laboratory testing to predict the in-space atomic oxygen erosion yield of a polymer. The properties include chemical structure, bonding information, density and ash content. The resulting predictive tool has a correlation coefficient of 0.914 when compared with actual MISSE 2 space data for 38 polymers and pyrolytic graphite. The intent of the predictive tool is to be able to make estimates of atomic oxygen erosion yields for new polymers without requiring expensive and time consumptive in-space testing.

Biodegradable Polymers

PubMed Central

Vroman, Isabelle; Tighzert, Lan

2009-01-01

Biodegradable materials are used in packaging, agriculture, medicine and other areas. In recent years there has been an increase in interest in biodegradable polymers. Two classes of biodegradable polymers can be distinguished: synthetic or natural polymers. There are polymers produced from feedstocks derived either from petroleum resources (non renewable resources) or from biological resources (renewable resources). In general natural polymers offer fewer advantages than synthetic polymers. The following review presents an overview of the different biodegradable polymers that are currently being used and their properties, as well as new developments in their synthesis and applications.

[Estimating Biomass Burned Areas from Multispectral Dataset Detected by Multiple-Satellite].

PubMed

Yu, Chao; Chen, Liang-fu; Li, Shen-shen; Tao, Jin-hua; Su, Lin

2015-03-01

Biomass burning makes up an important part of both trace gases and particulate matter emissions, which can efficiently degrade air quality and reduce visibility, destabilize the global climate system at regional to global scales. Burned area is one of the primary parameters necessary to estimate emissions, and considered to be the largest source of error in the emission inventory. Satellite-based fire observations can offer a reliable source of fire occurrence data on regional and global scales, a variety of sensors have been used to detect and map fires in two general approaches: burn scar mapping and active fire detection. However, both of the two approaches have limitations. In this article, we explore the relationship between hotspot data and burned area for the Southeastern United States, where a significant amount of biomass burnings from both prescribed and wild fire took place. MODIS (Moderate resolution imaging spectrometer) data, which has high temporal-resolution, can be used to monitor ground biomass. burning in time and provided hot spot data in this study. However, pixel size of MODIS hot spot can't stand for the real ground burned area. Through analysis of the variation of vegetation band reflectance between pre- and post-burn, we extracted the burned area from Landsat-5 TM (Thematic Mapper) images by using the differential normalized burn ratio (dNBR) which is based on TM band4 (0.84 μm) and TM band 7(2.22 μm) data. We combined MODIS fire hot spot data and Landsat-5 TM burned scars data to build the burned area estimation model, results showed that the linear correlation coefficient is 0.63 and the relationships vary as a function of vegetation cover. Based on the National Land Cover Database (NLCD), we built burned area estimation model over different vegetation cover, and got effective burned area per fire pixel, values for forest, grassland, shrub, cropland and wetland are 0.69, 1.27, 0.86, 0.72 and 0.94 km2 respectively. We validated the burned area estimates by using the ground survey data from National interagency Fire Center (NIFC), our results are more close to the ground survey data than burned area from Global Fire Emissions Database (GFED) and MODIS burned area product (MCD45), which omitted many small prescribed fires. We concluded that our model can provide more accurate burned area parameters for developing fire emission inventory, and be better for estimating emissions from biomass burning.

Variations in guideline use and practice relating to diagnosis and management of infection in paediatric burns services in England and Wales: A national survey.

PubMed

Davies, Anna; Spickett-Jones, Francesca; Brock, Paula; Coy, Karen; Young, Amber

2017-02-01

Wound infection causes morbidity and mortality in burns. UK National Burns Care Standards state that guidance should be used to diagnose and treat burn wound infection. However, surveys of senior staff about standard operating procedures or guidance in UK burns services indicate that they are infrequently available (Papini et al., 1995; Lymperopoulos et al., 2015). Staff may have differing views and experiences of guidance use according to their role. This survey investigated the extent to which guidance is available, and current practices used for diagnosis and treatment of burn wound infection, both within and between paediatric burns services. Staff from paediatric burns services in England and Wales were individually interviewed by two nurses about guidance and practices around antibiotic prophylaxis, diagnosis and management of burn wound infection and toxic shock syndrome, and antibiotic use. In each service staff from three categories were interviewed: lead consultant/burns specialist nurse, junior doctor/senior nurse, ward based nurse. Data were subjected to content analysis and reliably coded by two researchers using a coding frame. Guidance documents were also requested. Thirteen services took part. Staff in fewer than half of services reported that they had guidance for antibiotic prophylaxis, diagnosis, and management of burn wound infection. In nine services at least one staff member reported that they had guidance for antibiotic use. Guidance was available for diagnosis and management of toxic shock syndrome in ten services, and staff in five were consistently aware of it. One service routinely used antibiotic prophylaxis, but had no written guidance for it. In five services where at least one member of staff reported that they had guidance for diagnosing infection, at least one interviewed staff member was unaware of it. Swabbing practice varied between and within services, with 10 staff across six services cleaning before swabbing, and four staff in three services cleaning after swabbing. Staff from fewer than half of burns services report that they have guidance for diagnosing and managing burn wound infection, and there is variation between and within services relating to staff awareness of available guidance. There are some consistencies in practice; the majority of services do not use antibiotic prophylaxis, and there is consistent prescribing for suspected infection and tests used for infection diagnosis. Swabbing practices are less consistent. This survey indicates a need for evidence-based guidelines to be developed in order to meet national burns care standards, and for staff to be made aware of them and trained in their use. Guidelines do not need to replace clinical judgement and should be developed with the involvement of those who will implement them. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

A project for monitoring trends in burn severity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eidenshink, Jeffery C.; Schwind, Brian; Brewer, Ken; Zhu, Zhu-Liang; Quayle, Brad; Howard, Stephen M.

2007-01-01

Jeff Eidenshink, Brian Schwind, Ken Brewer, Zhi-Liang Zhu, Brad Quayle, and Elected officials and leaders of environmental agencies need information about the effects of large wildfires in order to set policy and make management decisions. Recently, the Wildland Fire Leadership Council (WFLC), which implements and coordinates the National Fire Plan (NFP) and Federal Wildland Fire Management Policies (National Fire Plan 2004), adopted a strategy to monitor the effectiveness of the National Fire Plan and the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA). One component of this strategy is to assess the environmental impacts of large wildland fires and identify the trends of burn severity on all lands across the United States. To that end, WFLC has sponsored a six-year project, Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity (MTBS), which requires the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service (USDA-FS) and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to map and assess the burn severity for all large current and historical fires. Using Landsat data and the differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) algorithm, the USGS Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) and USDA-FS Remote Sensing Applications Center will map burn severity of all fires since 1984 greater than 202 ha (500ac) in the east, and 404 ha (1,000 ac) in the west. The number of historical fires from this period combined with current fires occurring during the course of the project will exceed 9,000. The MTBS project will generate burn severity data, maps, and reports, which will be available for use at local, state, and national levels to evaluate trends in burn severity and help develop and assess the effectiveness of land management decisions. Additionally, the information developed will provide a baseline from which to monitor the recovery and health of fire-affected landscapes over time. Spatial and tabular data quantifying burn severity will augment existing information used to estimate risk associated with a range of current and future resource threats. The annual report of 2004 fires has been completed. All data and results will be distributed to the public on a Web site. A Project for Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity

Possible Role of Green Chemistry in Addressing Environmenal Plastic Debris: Scientific, Economic and Policy Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bayha, K. M.

2016-02-01

Plastics have revolutionized modern life, replacing other raw materials in a vast array of products, due to their ease in molding and shaping, as well as superior recalcitrance to wearing and aging. However, this functional benefit makes plastic one of the most problematic pollutants, since they accumulate as environmental debris for decades and possibly for centuries. Rightfully so, programs addressing plastic debris typically involve efforts to reduce consumption, reuse plastic products and recycle them when usefulness is complete. However, some of these options can be problematic for certain applications, as well as in countries that lack efficient municipal solid waste or recycling facilities. The principles of Green Chemistry were developed to help scientists design chemical products that reduce or eliminate the use or generation of hazardous substances. These principles have also been applied to developing sustainable or greener polymers for use in consumer plastics. For instance, the EPA's Green Chemistry Program awards the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Awards each year, with a large percentage of awards having gone to developments in greener polymers. Many of these advancements involve the development of sustainable bio-based, more degradable or more recyclable polymers that deliver significant environmental benefits. This presentation is meant to address what role the development of truly greener polymers might have in addressing environmental plastic debris in parallel with efforts to reduce, reuse and recycle. The intention is to evaluate the issues posed by traditional polymer types, address the ultimate goals of alternative polymer development and evaluate research on current alternative polymer technologies, in order to objectively assess their usefulness in addressing environmental plastic debris accumulation. In addition, the scientific, policy and market issues that may be impeding accurate development, evaluation and implementation of alternative polymers will be discussed.

Flame Retardant Fibers for Human Space Exploration - Past, Present, and Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Orndoff, Evelyne

2017-01-01

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has led in the development of unique flame retardant fibers for human spaceflight since the beginning of the Apollo program. After the Apollo 1 fire which killed Command Pilot Virgil I 'Gus' Grissom, Senior Pilot Edward H. White II, and Pilot Roger B. Chaffee from cardiac arrest on January 27, 1967, the accident investigators found severe third degree burns and melted spacesuits on the astronauts bodies. NASA immediately initiated an extensive research program aimed at developing flame retardant and flame resistant fibers for the enriched oxygen atmosphere of the Apollo crew cabin. Fibers are flame retardant when they have been modified by chemical and thermal treatments. Fibers are flame resistant when they are made of inherently flame resistant materials (i.e. glass, ceramic, highly aromatic polymers). Immediately after this tragic accident, NASA funded extensive research in specifically developing flame retardant fibers and fabrics. The early developmental efforts for human spaceflight were for the outer layer of the Apollo spacesuit. It was imperative that non-flammable fabrics be used in a 100% oxygen environment. Owens-Corning thus developed the Beta fiber that was immediately used in the Apollo program and later in the Space Shuttle program. Aside from the urgent need for protective fabrics for the spacesuit, NASA also needed flame retardant fabrics for both clothing and equipment inside the spacecraft. From the mid-1960s to the early 1980's, NASA contracted with many companies to develop inherently flame retardant fibers and flame retardant finishes for existing fibers. Fluorocarbons and aromatic polyamides were the polymers of great interest for the development of new inherently flame retardant fibers for enriched oxygen environments. These enriched environments varied for different space programs. For example, the Apollo program requirements were for materials that would not support combustion in a 70%/30% oxygen/nitrogen environment at 6.3 pounds per square inch (psi). The Skylab program flammability requirements were set at 80%/20% oxygen/nitrogen ratios at 5 psi. While many fibers produced under several NASA contracts were never used, a few have become commercial products. The intent of this paper is to present the developmental history of some of these new or modified textile fibers. These developmental efforts are presented at various levels of details depending on the source of the historical records.

Recent New Methodologies for Acetylenic Polymers with Advanced Functionalities.

PubMed

Qiu, Zijie; Han, Ting; Lam, Jacky W Y; Tang, Ben Zhong

2017-08-01

Polymers synthesized from acetylenic monomers often possess electronically unsaturated fused rings and thus show versatile optoelectronic properties and advanced functionalities. To expand the family of acetylenic polymers, development of new catalyst systems and synthetic routes is critically important. We summarize herein recent research progress on development of new methodologies towards functional polymers using alkyne building blocks since 2014. The polymerizations are categorized by the number of monomer components, namely homopolymerizations, two-component polymerizations, and multicomponent polymerizations. The properties and applications of acetylenic polymers, such as aggregation-induced emission, fluorescent photopatterning, light refraction, chemosensing, mechanochromism, chain helicity, etc., are also discussed.

Polymer Chemistry. An Activity-Oriented Instructional Module. Volume 1. Bulletin 1840.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jones, Aline; And Others

This teaching module was developed by the project "Recent Developments in Science and Technology with Applications for Secondary Science Teaching." Premises about students and their learning and generalizations about content are described. Chapters included are: (1) "Introduction"; (2) "Monomers into Polymers"; (3) "Natural Polymers"; (4)…

Safety and efficacy of excision and direct closure in acute burns surgery: outcome analysis in a prospective series of 100 patients and a survey of UK burns surgeons' attitudes.

PubMed

Bain, Charles J; Wang, Tim; McArthur, Gordon; Williams, Greg; Atkins, Joanne; Jones, Isabel

2014-12-01

Many burns surgeons avoid excision and direct closure of acute burns owing to concerns over wound dehiscence, scarring and infection. There is no evidence in the literature to support this practice. We present outcomes of a prospective series of 100 patients who underwent excision and direct closure of 138 burns over a 2-year period, along with results from a survey sent to 33 senior burns surgeons to gauge attitudes towards direct closure in burns surgery. 47% of survey respondents never perform direct closure. Dehiscence was cited as the most common concern, followed by hypertrophic scarring (HTS). In our cohort, the superficial dehiscence rate was 12% and the HTS rate was 16%, with no scarring contractures. Patients with healing time greater than 14 days were more likely to develop HTS (p=0.008), as were those with wound dehiscence (p=0.014). Patients undergoing part-grafting in addition to direct closure took significantly longer to heal than those undergoing direct closure alone (p=0.0002), with the donor site or graft delaying healing in the majority. Excision and direct closure of acute burn wounds avoids donor site morbidity and has an acceptable complication rate. It is a safe and effective treatment for full thickness burns in selected cases. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

A prospective observational study investigating all children presenting to a specialty paediatric burns centre.

PubMed

Stockton, K A; Harvey, J; Kimble, R M

2015-05-01

The aim of this study was to describe the mechanism of injury and outcome of all children who presented to The Stuart Pegg Paediatric Burns Centre (SPPBC) with a burn injury in the year 2013. A detailed proforma was completed prospectively at time of presentation to hospital. During the one year period, 758 children with a median age of 2 years 3 months presented with a burn injury. Overall, 12.7% of patients (n=96) were initially treated as inpatients. Similarities existed between in and outpatients. Over half the children admitted had a scald injury (53.1%). Whilst slightly higher than the outpatient scald rate of 43.1% there was no statistical significant difference. However, there was a significant difference between inpatients and outpatients with respect to other mechanisms of injury. Contact burns were under represented in inpatients (27.1%) compared to outpatients (44.5%), p<0.05. In contrast, flame burns were over represented in inpatients, 11.5% compared to outpatients, 2.9% (p<0.05). Paediatric burns are a common cause of childhood injury. The majority of children present with small to medium sized partial thickness injuries and are managed as outpatients. In order to understand the true impact of paediatric burn injury and to develop appropriate targeted injury prevention campaigns, data repositories must include detailed information regarding outpatient paediatric burns. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Challenges to the Standardization of Burn Data Collection: A Call for Common Data Elements for Burn Care.

PubMed

Schneider, Jeffrey C; Chen, Liang; Simko, Laura C; Warren, Katherine N; Nguyen, Brian Phu; Thorpe, Catherine R; Jeng, James C; Hickerson, William L; Kazis, Lewis E; Ryan, Colleen M

2018-02-20

The use of common data elements (CDEs) is growing in medical research; CDEs have demonstrated benefit in maximizing the impact of existing research infrastructure and funding. However, the field of burn care does not have a standard set of CDEs. The objective of this study is to examine the extent of common data collected in current burn databases.This study examines the data dictionaries of six U.S. burn databases to ascertain the extent of common data. This was assessed from a quantitative and qualitative perspective. Thirty-two demographic and clinical data elements were examined. The number of databases that collect each data element was calculated. The data values for each data element were compared across the six databases for common terminology. Finally, the data prompts of the data elements were examined for common language and structure.Five (16%) of the 32 data elements are collected by all six burn databases; additionally, five data elements (16%) are present in only one database. Furthermore, there are considerable variations in data values and prompts used among the burn databases. Only one of the 32 data elements (age) contains the same data values across all databases.The burn databases examined show minimal evidence of common data. There is a need to develop CDEs and standardized coding to enhance interoperability of burn databases.

Results of Propellant Mixing Variable Study Using Precise Pressure-Based Burn Rate Calculations

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stefanski, Philip L.

2014-01-01

A designed experiment was conducted in which three mix processing variables (pre-curative addition mix temperature, pre-curative addition mixing time, and mixer speed) were varied to estimate their effects on within-mix propellant burn rate variability. The chosen discriminator for the experiment was the 2-inch diameter by 4-inch long (2x4) Center-Perforated (CP) ballistic evaluation motor. Motor nozzle throat diameters were sized to produce a common targeted chamber pressure. Initial data analysis did not show a statistically significant effect. Because propellant burn rate must be directly related to chamber pressure, a method was developed that showed statistically significant effects on chamber pressure (either maximum or average) by adjustments to the process settings. Burn rates were calculated from chamber pressures and these were then normalized to a common pressure for comparative purposes. The pressure-based method of burn rate determination showed significant reduction in error when compared to results obtained from the Brooks' modification of the propellant web-bisector burn rate determination method. Analysis of effects using burn rates calculated by the pressure-based method showed a significant correlation of within-mix burn rate dispersion to mixing duration and the quadratic of mixing duration. The findings were confirmed in a series of mixes that examined the effects of mixing time on burn rate variation, which yielded the same results.

The 2014 National Emission Inventory for Rangeland Fires ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Biomass burning has been identified as an important contributor to the degradation of air quality because of its impact on ozone and particulate matter. One component of the biomass burning inventory, crop residue burning, has been poorly characterized in the National Emissions Inventory. In the 2011 NEI, Wildland fires, prescribed fires, and crop residue burning collectively were the largest source of PM2.5 This paper summarizes our 2014 NEI method to estimate crop residue burning emissions and grass/pasture burning emissions using remote sensing data and field information and literature-based, crop-specific emission factors. We will focus on both the post-harvest and pre-harvest burning that takes place with bluegrass, corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, sugarcane and wheat. Estimates for 2014 indicate that over the continental United States (CONUS), crop residue burning including all areas identified as Pasture/Grass, Grassland Herbaceous, and Pasture/Hay produced 64,994 short tons of PM2.5. This estimate compares with the 2011 NEI and 2008 NEI as follows: 2008: 49,653 short tons and 2011: 141,184 short tons. Note that in the previous two NEI’s rangeland burning was not well-defined and so the comparison is not exact. In addition, the entire database used to estimate this sector of emissions is available on EPA’s Clearinghouse for Inventories and Emission Factors (CHIEF http://www3.epa.gov/ttn/chief/index.html The National Emissions Inventory is developed on

Developing Item Response Theory-Based Short Forms to Measure the Social Impact of Burn Injuries.

PubMed

Marino, Molly E; Dore, Emily C; Ni, Pengsheng; Ryan, Colleen M; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Acton, Amy; Jette, Alan M; Kazis, Lewis E

2018-03-01

To develop self-reported short forms for the Life Impact Burn Recovery Evaluation (LIBRE) Profile. Short forms based on the item parameters of discrimination and average difficulty. A support network for burn survivors, peer support networks, social media, and mailings. Burn survivors (N=601) older than 18 years. Not applicable. The LIBRE Profile. Ten-item short forms were developed to cover the 6 LIBRE Profile scales: Relationships with Family & Friends, Social Interactions, Social Activities, Work & Employment, Romantic Relationships, and Sexual Relationships. Ceiling effects were ≤15% for all scales; floor effects were <1% for all scales. The marginal reliability of the short forms ranged from .85 to .89. The LIBRE Profile-Short Forms demonstrated credible psychometric properties. The short form version provides a viable alternative to administering the LIBRE Profile when resources do not allow computer or Internet access. The full item bank, computerized adaptive test, and short forms are all scored along the same metric, and therefore scores are comparable regardless of the mode of administration. Copyright © 2017 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[The skin substitute center--a need in the treatment of patients with severe burns].

PubMed

Pieptu, D; Luchian, S

1999-01-01

The treatment of the severe burned patient has two main dimensions acting in an interdependent manner. First it is the life keeping and the second is skin resurfacing in a fair period of time. The failure of one of these two components leads to the patient's death. In the absence of the autografts the skin resurfacing has to be made by permanent skin substitutes--cultured epithelium, dermal equivalents or reconstructed skin, developed by a special unit, a Skin Substitute Center. The paper is setting the utility of such a center in our area, and the possible developing directions. It is our firm opinion that in case of failure to develop such a center, despite all the financial efforts directed toward the infrastructure of a modern Burn Unit affiliated to an University Accident Hospital, all the surgical experience cumulated during the past 13 years by a very motivated team, good quality results are still to be expected. Any patient with a deep second degree burn on more than 50% TBSA will be a potentially victim as in early 60s.

Experience and outcomes of micrografting for major paediatric burns.

PubMed

Rode, H; Martinez, R; Potgieter, D; Adams, S; Rogers, A D

2017-08-01

The deficit of donor sites in major burns over 50% of the total body surface area has necessitated the application of methods besides traditional meshed autografting to achieve definitive skin cover. The Meek micrografting technique was introduced at this hospital in 2011, especially in the absence of a reliable source of deceased donor allograft skin. The purpose of this study was to evaluate this strategy with reference to its technical execution, efficacy and indications in the context of major paediatric burn surgery. A cohort study was performed of all paediatric patients with major burn who underwent Meek micrografting at a dedicated paediatric burn centre in a developing country over a five year period. Demographics, details of their burns, operative management and clinical course and outcomes were collected from patient records and operative notes and analysed. Thirty-five patients were managed using the micrografting technique during the study period. The mean patient age was 4.1 years (range 3 months-11 years) and their mean total body surface area (TBSA) burn was 49.7% (range 15-86%). Eleven patients sustained inhalation injuries and five developed a re-feeding syndrome on account of delayed referral. The mean abbreviated burn severity index (ABSI) was 8.5 (range 2-13). The hospital length of stay in the 27 survivors was a mean of 75.5 days, equating to 1.4 days per percentage burn. Eight patients died during the course of treatment, with a mean TBSA burn of 67.75% (range 38-86%). Graft take one month after surgery was documented to be more than 90% in 24 patients, of whom 3 subsequently died. Eleven patients had less than 90% graft take at this time, of whom 5 died. There is a considerable 'learning curve' associated with this technique. In order to achieve success one must ensure a completely viable, non-infected bed, obtained by tangential or fascial excision, followed by allografting as temporary coverage and to 'test the wound bed' for definitive coverage. Infection resulted in the majority of autograft loss in this series, and in addition to risk factors like burn size and inhalation injury, accounted for many of the deaths in this series. Meek micrografting offers high expansion ratios, thereby facilitating durable wound cover in the presence of limited donor sites. It is unlikely that a lethal dose, 50% (LD 50 ) of almost 70% TBSA would have been possible in this context without the regular application of this technique. This study advocates for the widespread availability of Meek micrografting and deceased donor allograft skin in developing countries. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Diketopyrrolopyrrole-based Conjugated Polymers Bearing Branched Oligo(Ethylene Glycol) Side Chains for Photovoltaic Devices.

PubMed

Chen, Xingxing; Zhang, Zijian; Ding, Zicheng; Liu, Jun; Wang, Lixiang

2016-08-22

Conjugated polymers are essential for solution-processable organic opto-electronic devices. In contrast to the great efforts on developing new conjugated polymer backbones, research on developing side chains is rare. Herein, we report branched oligo(ethylene glycol) (OEG) as side chains of conjugated polymers. Compared with typical alkyl side chains, branched OEG side chains endowed the resulting conjugated polymers with a smaller π-π stacking distance, higher hole mobility, smaller optical band gap, higher dielectric constant, and larger surface energy. Moreover, the conjugated polymers with branched OEG side chains exhibited outstanding photovoltaic performance in polymer solar cells. A power conversion efficiency of 5.37 % with near-infrared photoresponse was demonstrated and the device performance could be insensitive to the active layer thickness. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Artificially Engineered Protein Polymers.

PubMed

Yang, Yun Jung; Holmberg, Angela L; Olsen, Bradley D

2017-06-07

Modern polymer science increasingly requires precise control over macromolecular structure and properties for engineering advanced materials and biomedical systems. The application of biological processes to design and synthesize artificial protein polymers offers a means for furthering macromolecular tunability, enabling polymers with dispersities of ∼1.0 and monomer-level sequence control. Taking inspiration from materials evolved in nature, scientists have created modular building blocks with simplified monomer sequences that replicate the function of natural systems. The corresponding protein engineering toolbox has enabled the systematic development of complex functional polymeric materials across areas as diverse as adhesives, responsive polymers, and medical materials. This review discusses the natural proteins that have inspired the development of key building blocks for protein polymer engineering and the function of these elements in material design. The prospects and progress for scalable commercialization of protein polymers are reviewed, discussing both technology needs and opportunities.

Surface-selective laser sintering of thermolabile polymer particles using water as heating sensitizer

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Antonov, E. N.; Krotova, L. I.; Minaev, N. V.; Minaeva, S. A.; Mironov, A. V.; Popov, V. K.; Bagratashvili, V. N.

2015-11-01

We report the implementation of a novel scheme for surface-selective laser sintering (SSLS) of polymer particles, based on using water as a sensitizer of laser heating and sintering of particles as well as laser radiation at a wavelength of 1.94 μm, corresponding to the strong absorption band of water. A method of sintering powders of poly(lactide-co-glycolide), a hydrophobic bioresorbable polymer, after modifying its surface with an aqueous solution of hyaluronic acid is developed. The sintering thresholds for wetted polymer are by 3 - 4 times lower than those for sintering in air. The presence of water restricts the temperature of the heated polymer, preventing its thermal destruction. Polymer matrices with a developed porous structure are obtained. The proposed SSLS method can be applied to produce bioresorbable polymer matrices for tissue engineering.

Acute respiratory distress syndrome in wartime military burns: application of the Berlin criteria.

PubMed

Belenkiy, Slava M; Buel, Allison R; Cannon, Jeremy W; Sine, Christy R; Aden, James K; Henderson, Jonathan L; Liu, Nehemiah T; Lundy, Jonathan B; Renz, Evan M; Batchinsky, Andriy I; Cancio, Leopoldo C; Chung, Kevin K

2014-03-01

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) prevalence and related outcomes in burned military casualties from Iraq and Afghanistan have not been described previously. The objective of this article was to report ARDS prevalence and its associated in-hospital mortality in military burn patients. Demographic and physiologic data were collected retrospectively on mechanically ventilated military casualties admitted to our burn intensive care unit from January 2003 to December 2011. Patients with ARDS were identified in accordance with the new Berlin definition of ARDS. Subjects were categorized as having mild, moderate, or severe ARDS. Multivariate logistic regression identified independent risk factors for developing moderate-to-severe ARDS. The main outcome measure was the prevalence of ARDS in a cohort of patients burned as a result of recent combat operations. A total of 876 burned military casualties presented during the study period, of whom 291 (33.2%) required mechanical ventilation. Prevalence of ARDS in this cohort was 32.6%, with a crude overall mortality of 16.5%. Mortality increased significantly with ARDS severity: mild (11.1%), moderate (36.1%), and severe (43.8%) compared with no ARDS (8.7%) (p < 0.001). Predictors for the development of moderate or severe ARDS were inhalation injury (odds ratio [OR], 1.90; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01-3.54; p = 0.046), Injury Severity Score (ISS) (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.01-1.07; p = 0.0021), pneumonia (OR, 198; 95% CI, 1.07-3.66; p = 0.03), and transfusion of fresh frozen plasma (OR, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.01-1.72; p = 0.04). Size of burn was associated with moderate or severe ARDS by univariate analysis but was not an independent predictor of ARDS by multivariate logistic regression (p > 0.05). Age, size of burn, and moderate or severe ARDS were independent predictors of mortality. In this cohort of military casualties with thermal injuries, nearly a third required mechanical ventilation; of those, nearly one third developed ARDS, and nearly one third of patients with ARDS did not survive. Moderate and severe ARDS increased the odds of death by more than fourfold and ninefold, respectively. Epidemiologic/prognostic study, level III.

Utilization of biocatalysts in cellulose waste minimization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Woodward, J.; Evans, B.R.

1996-09-01

Cellulose, a polymer of glucose, is the principal component of biomass and, therefore, a major source of waste that is either buried or burned. Examples of biomass waste include agricultural crop residues, forestry products, and municipal wastes. Recycling of this waste is important for energy conservation as well as waste minimization and there is some probability that in the future biomass could become a major energy source and replace fossil fuels that are currently used for fuels and chemicals production. It has been estimated that in the United States, between 100-450 million dry tons of agricultural waste are produced annually,more » approximately 6 million dry tons of animal waste, and of the 190 million tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated annually, approximately two-thirds is cellulosic in nature and over one-third is paper waste. Interestingly, more than 70% of MSW is landfilled or burned, however landfill space is becoming increasingly scarce. On a smaller scale, important cellulosic products such as cellulose acetate also present waste problems; an estimated 43 thousand tons of cellulose ester waste are generated annually in the United States. Biocatalysts could be used in cellulose waste minimization and this chapter describes their characteristics and potential in bioconversion and bioremediation processes.« less

The Healing Effect of Arnebia Euchroma Ointment versus Silver Sulfadiazine on Burn Wounds in Rat

PubMed Central

Nasiri, Ebrahim; Hosseinimehr, Seyed Jalal; Azadbakht, Mohammad; Akbari, Jafar; Enayati-Fard, Reza; Azizi, Sohail; Azadbakht, Masoud

2015-01-01

BACKGROUND Burn is still a majordevastating condition in emergency medicine departments among both genders and all age groups in all developed and developing countries, leading to physical, psychological scars and economical burden. The present study aimed to determine the healing effect of topical treatment with Arnebia euchroma on second-degree burn wound in rats. METHODS Fifty rats were divided into 4 equal groups receiving the ointment base, normal saline (NS), standard 1% silver sulfadiazine (SSD), and 5% and 10% Arnebia euchroma ointments (AEO). The mean of burn area, percentage of wound contraction, histopathological and bacteriological assessments in the injured area were dtermined during the study. RESULTS Average area of wound on the 10th day was 10.2±2.3, 8.4±2.6, 12.4±2.5, 5.9±2.2 and 5.7±2 cm2 for ointment base, NS, 1% SSD, and 5% and 10% AEO, respectively. Wound size was significantly lower in 10% AEO than 1% SSD and control groups on the 10th day post-burn injury. On day 11, the percentage of wound contraction in 5% and 10% AEO was 53.9%±14.7% and 55.9±10.5% which was more than 1% SSD (15.3±10.8%). The collagen fibers were well formed and horizontally-oriented in 5% and 10% AEO groups when compared with other groups. CONCLUSION Arnebia euchroma ointment was an effective treatment for healing of burn wounds in comparison with SSD and can be regarded as an alternative topical treatment for burn wounds. PMID:26284182

Sharp and blunt force trauma concealment by thermal alteration in homicides: An in-vitro experiment for methodology and protocol development in forensic anthropological analysis of burnt bones.

PubMed

Macoveciuc, Ioana; Márquez-Grant, Nicholas; Horsfall, Ian; Zioupos, Peter

2017-06-01

Burning of human remains is one method used by perpetrators to conceal fatal trauma and expert opinions regarding the degree of skeletal evidence concealment are often disparate. This experiment aimed to reduce this incongruence in forensic anthropological interpretation of burned human remains and implicitly contribute to the development of research methodologies sufficiently robust to withstand forensic scrutiny in the courtroom. We have tested the influence of thermal alteration on pre-existing sharp and blunt trauma on twenty juvenile sheep radii in the laboratory using an automated impact testing system and an electric furnace. The testing conditions simulated a worst-case scenario where remains with pre-existing sharp or blunt trauma were exposed to burning with an intentional vehicular fire scenario in mind. All impact parameters as well as the burning conditions were based on those most commonly encountered in forensic cases and maintained constant throughout the experiment. The results have shown that signatures associated with sharp and blunt force trauma were not masked by heat exposure and highlights the potential for future standardization of fracture analysis in burned bone. Our results further emphasize the recommendation given by other experts on handling, processing and recording burned remains at the crime scene and mortuary. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Biotechnological Management of Skin Burn Injuries: Challenges and Perspectives in Wound Healing and Sensory Recovery.

PubMed

Girard, Dorothée; Laverdet, Betty; Buhé, Virginie; Trouillas, Marina; Ghazi, Kamélia; Alexaline, Maïa M; Egles, Christophe; Misery, Laurent; Coulomb, Bernard; Lataillade, Jean-Jacques; Berthod, François; Desmoulière, Alexis

2017-02-01

Many wound management protocols have been developed to improve wound healing after burn with the primordial aim to restore the barrier function of the skin and also provide a better esthetic outcome. Autologous skin grafts remain the gold standard in the treatment of skin burn, but this treatment has its limitation especially for patients presenting limited donor sites due to extensive burn areas. Deep burn injuries also alter the integrity of skin-sensitive innervation and have an impact on patient's quality of life by compromising perceptions of touch, temperature, and pain. Thus, patients can suffer from long-term disabilities ranging from cutaneous sensibility loss to chronic pain. The cellular mechanisms involved in skin reinnervation following injury are not elucidated yet. Depending on the depth of the burn, nerve sprouting can occur from the wound bed or the surrounding healthy tissue, but somehow this process fails to provide correct reinnervation of the wound during scarring. In addition, several clinical observations indicate that damage to the peripheral nervous system influences wound healing, resulting in delayed wound healing or chronic wounds, underlining the role of innervation and neuromediators for normal cutaneous tissue repair development. Promising tissue engineering strategies, including the use of biomaterials, skin substitutes, and stem cells, could provide novel alternative treatments in wound healing and help in improving patient's sensory recovery.

Early assessment and identification of posttraumatic stress disorder, satisfaction with appearance and coping in patients with burns.

PubMed

Dahl, Oili; Wickman, Marie; Björnhagen, Viveca; Friberg, Mona; Wengström, Yvonne

2016-12-01

The first year after severe burn is a psychologically challenging period for the patient. Patients may still struggle with burn-related physical and psychological problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and body image dissatisfaction (BID). This study investigates the presence of PTSD, BID and coping, at three, six and twelve months after discharge for early identification of patients in need of focused support during rehabilitation. Fifty-two adult patients with different degrees of burns were followed at three, six and twelve months after discharge and 36 patients completed all assessment points. A standardized clinical protocol was used for systematic assessment of PTSD (IES-R), BID (SWAP-Swe) and Coping (CBQ). The follow-up included an intervention with a burn nurse as a complement to the existing program. Approximately half of the patients had a risk of developing PTSD three months after discharge from hospital, and body image dissatisfaction was found to potentially predict risk of PTSD during follow-up. The findings suggest that it is important to include patients with less extensive burns in follow-up as this group is at risk of development of PTSD. Using standardized questionnaires in early follow-up along with assessment of body image dissatisfaction may facilitate detection of psychological problems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Two-year follow-up of outcomes related to scarring and distress in children with severe burns.

PubMed

Wurzer, Paul; Forbes, Abigail A; Hundeshagen, Gabriel; Andersen, Clark R; Epperson, Kathryn M; Meyer, Walter J; Kamolz, Lars P; Branski, Ludwik K; Suman, Oscar E; Herndon, David N; Finnerty, Celeste C

2017-08-01

We assessed the perception of scarring and distress by pediatric burn survivors with burns covering more than one-third of total body surface area (TBSA) for up to 2 years post-burn. Children with severe burns were admitted to our hospital between 2004 and 2012, and consented to this IRB-approved-study. Subjects completed at least one Scars Problems and/or Distress questionnaire between discharge and 24 months post burn. Outcomes were modeled with generalized estimating equations or using mixed linear models. Significance was accepted at p < 0.01. Responses of 167 children with a mean age of 7 ± 5 years and burns covering an average 54 ± 14% of TBSA were analyzed. Significant improvements over the 2-year period were seen in reduction of pain, itching, sleeping disturbance, tightness, range of motion, and strength (p < 0.01). There was a significantly increased persistent desire to hide the scarred body areas over time (p < 0.01). The perception of mouth scarring, inability to portray accurate facial expressions, and skin coloration did not improve over the follow-up period. According to self-assessment questionnaires, severely burned children exhibit significant improvements in their overall perception of scarring and distress. However, these patients remain self-conscious with respect to their body image even 2 years after burn injury. Implications for Rehabilitation According to self-assessment questionnaires, severely burned children perceive significant improvements in scarring and distress during the first 2 years post burn. Significant improvements were seen in reduction of pain, itching, sleeping disturbances, tightness, range of motion, and strength (p < 0.01). Burn care providers should improve the treatment of burns surrounding the mouth that with result in scarring, and develop strategies to prevent skin discoloration. Careful evaluation of pain and sleeping disorders during the first year post burn are warranted to improve the patient rehabilitation. Overall, significantly more female patients expressed a persistent desire to hide their scarred body areas. The rehabilitation team should provide access to wigs or other aids to pediatric burn survivors to address these needs.

Development of the crop residue and rangeland burning in the 2014 National Emissions Inventory using information from multiple sources.

PubMed

Pouliot, George; Rao, Venkatesh; McCarty, Jessica L; Soja, Amber

2017-05-01

Biomass burning has been identified as an important contributor to the degradation of air quality because of its impact on ozone and particulate matter. One component of the biomass burning inventory, crop residue burning, has been poorly characterized in the National Emissions Inventory (NEI). In the 2011 NEI, wildland fires, prescribed fires, and crop residue burning collectively were the largest source of PM 2.5 . This paper summarizes our 2014 NEI method to estimate crop residue burning emissions and grass/pasture burning emissions using remote sensing data and field information and literature-based, crop-specific emission factors. We focus on both the postharvest and pre-harvest burning that takes place with bluegrass, corn, cotton, rice, soybeans, sugarcane and wheat. Estimates for 2014 indicate that over the continental United States (CONUS), crop residue burning excluding all areas identified as Pasture/Grass, Grassland Herbaceous, and Pasture/Hay occurred over approximately 1.5 million acres of land and produced 19,600 short tons of PM 2.5 . For areas identified as Pasture/Grass, Grassland Herbaceous, and Pasture/Hay, biomass burning emissions occurred over approximately 1.6 million acres of land and produced 30,000 short tons of PM 2.5 . This estimate compares with the 2011 NEI and 2008 NEI as follows: 2008: 49,650 short tons and 2011: 141,180 short tons. Note that in the previous two NEIs rangeland burning was not well defined and so the comparison is not exact. The remote sensing data also provided verification of our existing diurnal profile for crop residue burning emissions used in chemical transport modeling. In addition, the entire database used to estimate this sector of emissions is available on EPA's Clearinghouse for Inventories and Emission Factors (CHIEF, http://www3.epa.gov/ttn/chief/index.html ). Estimates of crop residue burning and rangeland burning emissions can be improved by using satellite detections. Local information is helpful in distinguishing crop residue and rangeland burning from all other types of fires.

Solid Rocket Fuel Constitutive Theory and Polymer Cure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ream, Robert

2006-01-01

Solid Rocket Fuel is a complex composite material for which no general constitutive theory, based on first principles, has been developed. One of the principles such a relation would depend on is the morphology of the binder. A theory of polymer curing is required to determine this morphology. During work on such a theory an algorithm was developed for counting the number of ways a polymer chain could assemble. The methods used to develop and check this algorithm led to an analytic solution to the problem. This solution is used in a probability distribution function which characterizes the morphology of the polymer.

Resuscitation burn card--a useful tool for burn injury assessment.

PubMed

Malic, C C; Karoo, R O S; Austin, O; Phipps, A

2007-03-01

It is well recognised that the initial assessment of body surface area affected by a burn is often over estimated in Accident and Emergency Departments. A useful aide-memoir in the acute setting is Wallace's "rule of nines" or using the patients' palmar surface of the hand, which approximates 1% of the total body surface area, as a method of assessment. Unfortunately, as with every system, limitations apply. Factors such as patient size and the interpretation of what is exactly the 'palmar surface' may significantly influence burn size estimations and subsequently fluid resuscitation. Our aim is to develop a simple, quick and easy reproducible method of calculating burn injuries for medical professionals in the acute setting. Worldwide, the dimensions of a credit card are standardized (8.5 cm x 5.3 cm), thus producing a surface area of 45 cm2. We created a resuscitation burn card (RBC) using these exact same proportions, upon which a modified body surface area (BSA) nomogram was printed. Knowing the patient height and weight, we calculated the surface area of the card as percentage of total body surface area (TBSA). On the opposite site of the RBC, a Lund and Browder chart was printed, as well as the Parkland formula and a formula to calculate paediatric burn fluid requirements. The plastic, flexible RBC conformed well to the body contour and was designed for single use. We used the resuscitation burn card in the initial assessment of simulated burns in a Regional Burn Centre and in an Accident and Emergency Department. The information present on the card was found to be clear and straightforward to use. The evaluation of burn extent was found to be more accurately measured than the estimation obtained without the RBC. The resuscitation burn card can be a valuable tool in the hands of less experienced medical professionals for the early assessment and fluid resuscitation of a burn.

Prehospital treatment of burns: a qualitative study of experiences, perceptions and reactions of victims.

PubMed

Sadeghi Bazargani, H; Fouladi, N; Alimohammadi, H; Sadeghieh Ahari, S; Agamohammadi, M; Mohamadi, R

2013-08-01

The manner in which burns are initially managed, at an incident scene, can affect the extent and depth of burn wounds and their final prognosis. The aim of this study was to understand people's experiences, perceptions and reactions towards the initial management of burns and fire accidents in Ardabil Province, Iran. In a qualitative study, 48 burn victims accompanied by their caregivers were enrolled. Focus group discussion (FGD) was used to collect data. All the interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed using content analysis method. Four categories of information were retrieved in this study, including fire control, scald and burn wound management, seeking medical consultation and severity indicators. Uncertainty regarding what to do when someone catches fire was an evident finding that was explored through the discussions. The results revealed that transferring the patient to the hospital most often takes place after initial treatments administered at home. People believed that cooling a burn wound for a time longer than a few seconds may harm the wound. A strong belief in the efficacy of traditional remedies was disclosed when the statements of participants revealed that traditional or home-made remedies were widely used either to control pain immediately after burn and later during the wound repair process to accelerate the repair or to control the infection and prevent oedema and scar. Among these remedies, pennyroyal and grated potatoes seemed to be the most popular ones. Pennyroyal was thought to prevent infection and potatoes were used to relieve pain. People doubted the capability of health-care workers who work in rural health houses. People considered electrical burns and burns on the chest to be the most severe types of burns. Inappropriate perceptions regarding initial management of burns existed among the participants that should be addressed in future quantitative research or through developing programmes on secondary prevention of burns. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Beneficial Effects of Hydrogen-Rich Saline on Early Burn-Wound Progression in Rats

PubMed Central

Guo, Song Xue; Jin, Yun Yun; Fang, Quan; You, Chuan Gang; Wang, Xin Gang; Hu, Xin Lei; Han, Chun-Mao

2015-01-01

Introduction Deep burn wounds undergo a dynamic process known as wound progression that results in a deepening and extension of the initial burn area. The zone of stasis is more likely to develop more severe during wound progression in the presence of hypoperfusion. Hydrogen has been reported to alleviate injury triggered by ischaemia/reperfusion and burns in various organs by selectively quenching oxygen free radicals. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible protective effects of hydrogen against early burn-wound progression. Methods Deep-burn models were established through contact with a boiled, rectangular, brass comb for 20 s. Fifty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into sham, burn plus saline, and burn plus hydrogen-rich saline (HS) groups with sacrifice and analysis at various time windows (6 h, 24 h, 48 h) post burn. Indexes of oxidative stress, apoptosis and autophagy were measured in each group. The zone of stasis was evaluated using immunofluorescence staining, ELISA, and Western blot to explore the underlying effects and mechanisms post burn. Results The burn-induced increase in malondialdehyde was markedly reduced with HS, while the activities of endogenous antioxidant enzymes were significantly increased. Moreover, HS treatment attenuated increases in apoptosis and autophagy postburn in wounds, according to the TUNEL staining results and the expression analysis of Bax, Bcl-2, caspase-3, Beclin-1 and Atg-5 proteins. Additionally, HS lowered the level of myeloperoxidase and expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the zone of stasis while augmenting IL-10. The elevated levels of Akt phosphorylation and NF-κB p65 expression post burn were also downregulated by HS management. Conclusion Hydrogen can attenuate early wound progression following deep burn injury. The beneficial effect of hydrogen was mediated by attenuating oxidative stress, which inhibited apoptosis and inflammation, and the Akt/NF-κB signalling pathway may be involved in regulating the release of inflammatory cytokines. PMID:25874619

Contributions of Kansas rangeland burning to ambient O3: Analysis of data from 2001 to 2016.

PubMed

Liu, Zifei; Liu, Yang; Murphy, James P; Maghirang, Ronaldo

2018-03-15

Prescribed range/pasture burning is a common practice in Kansas to enhance the nutritional value of native grasses and control invading weeds, trees, and brush. A major concern associated with the burning is the contribution of smoke to elevated ground level ambient ozone (O 3 ). The objective of this study is to estimate contributions of Kansas rangeland burning to ambient O 3 mixing ratios through regression analysis (1) between observed O 3 data and available satellite burn activity data from 2001 to 2016; and (2) between observed O 3 data and the smoke contributions to PM 2.5 which were resolved from receptor modeling. Positive correlations were observed between ambient O 3 levels and the acres burned each year estimated from satellite imagery. When burned acres in April were larger than or equal to 1.9 million, O 3 >70ppb occurred at least at one of the ten monitoring sites in Kansas. Statistical regression models of daily maximum 8-hour O 3 mixing ratios were developed at each of the ten monitoring sites using meteorological predictors. The O 3 model residuals that were not explained by the meteorological effect models were affected by PM 2.5 contributors including sulfate/industrial sources and emissions that generated secondary organic particles, such as rangeland burning, which were derived from receptor modeling. The average O 3 model residual on the high O 3 days in April was 21±9ppb, which was likely associated with smoke emissions from burning. Research will continue to obtain daily satellite burn activity data and to correlate burn data with daily O 3 data, so that modeling of O 3 levels can be improved under influences of daily burn activities. Less frequency of high O 3 days was observed in April since 2011, which may be partly due to implementation of the Flint Hills Smoke Management Plan which promoted better timing of burns. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of oblique air flow on burning rates of square ethanol pool fires.

PubMed

Tao, Changfa; He, Yaping; Li, Yuan; Wang, Xishi

2013-09-15

The effects of downward airflow on the burning rate and/or burning intensity of square alcohol pool fires for different airflow speeds and directions have been studied experimentally in an inclined wind tunnel. An interesting flame-wrapping phenomenon, caused by impingement of air flow, was observed. The mass burning intensity was found to increase with the airflow speed and the impinging angle. The fuel pan rim temperatures were also measured to study the effect of wind direction and speed on heat transfer from the flame to the fuel source. A model based on heat transfer analysis was developed to correlate the burning intensity with the pan rim characteristic temperature. A good correlation was established between the model results and the experimental results. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Therapeutic efficacy of a therapeutic cooking group from the patients' perspective.

PubMed

Hill, Kimberly H; O'Brien, Kimberly A; Yurt, Roger W

2007-01-01

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of the cooking group from the burn survivors' perspective. By incorporating concepts of kitchen skills, energy conservation, and desensitization techniques, the cooking group can assist patients with the functional use of their hands, standing tolerance, return to former vocational activities, and socialization with other patients. A questionnaire was developed based on commonly expressed benefits of cooking group. Areas of interest included decreasing anxiety in the kitchen, distraction from their burns, socializing with other burn survivors, and the physical benefits of participating in the group. The results of this study indicate that participants regard the therapeutic cooking group as a valuable treatment modality that effectively combines functional activities with socialization to decrease burn related anxiety and increase motion in a supportive environment for patients with burns.

Titanium subhydride potassium perchlorate (TiH1.65/KClO4) burn rates from hybrid closed bomb-strand burner experiments.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cooper, Marcia A.; Oliver, Michael S.

2012-08-01

A hybrid closed bomb-strand burner is used to measure the burning behavior of the titanium subhydride potassium perchlorate pyrotechnic with an equivalent hydrogen concentration of 1.65. This experimental facility allows for simultaneous measurement of the closed bomb pressure rise and pyrotechnic burn rate as detected by electrical break wires over a range of pressures. Strands were formed by pressing the pyrotechnic powders to bulk densities between 60% and 90% theoretical maximum density. The burn rate dependance on initial density and vessel pressure are measured. At all initial strand densities, the burn is observed to transition from conductive to convective burningmore » within the strand. The measured vessel pressure history is further analyzed following the closed bomb analysis methods developed for solid propellants.« less

Treatment of heterotopic ossification through remote ATP hydrolysis.

PubMed

Peterson, Jonathan R; De La Rosa, Sara; Eboda, Oluwatobi; Cilwa, Katherine E; Agarwal, Shailesh; Buchman, Steven R; Cederna, Paul S; Xi, Chuanwu; Morris, Michael D; Herndon, David N; Xiao, Wenzhong; Tompkins, Ronald G; Krebsbach, Paul H; Wang, Stewart C; Levi, Benjamin

2014-09-24

Heterotopic ossification (HO) is the pathologic development of ectopic bone in soft tissues because of a local or systemic inflammatory insult, such as burn injury or trauma. In HO, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are inappropriately activated to undergo osteogenic differentiation. Through the correlation of in vitro assays and in vivo studies (dorsal scald burn with Achilles tenotomy), we have shown that burn injury enhances the osteogenic potential of MSCs and causes ectopic endochondral heterotopic bone formation and functional contractures through bone morphogenetic protein-mediated canonical SMAD signaling. We further demonstrated a prevention strategy for HO through adenosine triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis at the burn site using apyrase. Burn site apyrase treatment decreased ATP, increased adenosine 3',5'-monophosphate, and decreased phosphorylation of SMAD1/5/8 in MSCs in vitro. This ATP hydrolysis also decreased HO formation and mitigated functional impairment in vivo. Similarly, selective inhibition of SMAD1/5/8 phosphorylation with LDN-193189 decreased HO formation and increased range of motion at the injury site in our burn model in vivo. Our results suggest that burn injury-exacerbated HO formation can be treated through therapeutics that target burn site ATP hydrolysis and modulation of SMAD1/5/8 phosphorylation. Copyright © 2014, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The Synthesis of 44Ti and 56Ni in Massive Stars

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chieffi, Alessandro; Limongi, Marco

2017-02-01

We discuss the influence of rotation on the combined synthesis of {}44{Ti} and {}56{Ni} in massive stars. While {}56{Ni} is significantly produced by both complete and incomplete explosive Si burning, {}44{Ti} is mainly produced by complete explosive Si burning, with a minor contribution (in standard non-rotating models) from incomplete explosive Si burning and O burning (both explosive and hydrostatic). We find that, in most cases, the thickness of the region exposed to incomplete explosive Si burning increases in rotating models (initial velocity, v ini = 300 km s-1) and since {}56{Ni} is significantly produced in this zone, the fraction of mass coming from the complete explosive Si burning zone necessary to get the required amount of {}56{Ni} reduces. Therefore the amount of {}44{Ti} ejected for a given fixed amount of {}56{Ni} decreases in rotating models. However, some rotating models at [Fe/H] = -1 develop a very extended O convective shell in which a consistent amount of {}44{Ti} is formed, preserved, and ejected in the interstellar medium. Hence a better modeling of the thermal instabilities (convection) in the advanced burning phases together with a critical analysis of the cross sections of the nuclear reactions operating in O burning are relevant for the understanding of the synthesis of {}44{Ti}.

A systematic review of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) used in child and adolescent burn research.

PubMed

Griffiths, C; Armstrong-James, L; White, P; Rumsey, N; Pleat, J; Harcourt, D

2015-03-01

Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) can identify important information about patient needs and therapeutic progress. The aim of this review was to identify the PROMs that are being used in child and adolescent burn care and to determine the quality of such scales. Computerised and manual bibliographic searches of Medline, Social Sciences Index, Cinahl, Psychinfo, Psycharticles, AMED, and HAPI, were used to identify English-language articles using English-language PROMs from January 2001 to March 2013. The psychometric quality of the PROMs was assessed. 23 studies met the entry criteria and identified 32 different PROMs (31 generic, 1 burns-specific). Overall, the psychometric quality of the PROMs was low; only two generic scales (the Perceived Stigmatisation Questionnaire and the Social Comfort Scale) and only one burns-specific scale (the Children Burn Outcomes Questionnaire for children aged 5-18) had psychometric evidence relevant to this population. The majority of PROMs did not have psychometric evidence for their use with child or adolescent burn patients. To appropriately identify the needs and treatment progress of child and adolescent burn patients, new burns-specific PROMs need to be developed and validated to reflect issues that are of importance to this population. Crown Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Application of Haddon's matrix in qualitative research methodology: an experience in burns epidemiology.

PubMed

Deljavan, Reza; Sadeghi-Bazargani, Homayoun; Fouladi, Nasrin; Arshi, Shahnam; Mohammadi, Reza

2012-01-01

Little has been done to investigate the application of injury specific qualitative research methods in the field of burn injuries. The aim of this study was to use an analytical tool (Haddon's matrix) through qualitative research methods to better understand people's perceptions about burn injuries. This study applied Haddon's matrix as a framework and an analytical tool for a qualitative research methodology in burn research. Both child and adult burn injury victims were enrolled into a qualitative study conducted using focus group discussion. Haddon's matrix was used to develop an interview guide and also through the analysis phase. The main analysis clusters were pre-event level/human (including risky behaviors, belief and cultural factors, and knowledge and education), pre-event level/object, pre-event phase/environment and event and post-event phase (including fire control, emergency scald and burn wound management, traditional remedies, medical consultation, and severity indicators). This research gave rise to results that are possibly useful both for future injury research and for designing burn injury prevention plans. Haddon's matrix is applicable in a qualitative research methodology both at data collection and data analysis phases. The study using Haddon's matrix through a qualitative research methodology yielded substantially rich information regarding burn injuries that may possibly be useful for prevention or future quantitative research.

Data Filtering of Western Hemisphere GOES Wildfire ABBA Products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Theisen, M.; Prins, E.; Schmidt, C.; Reid, J. S.; Hunter, J.; Westphal, D.

2002-05-01

The Fire Locating and Modeling of Burning Emissions (FLAMBE') project was developed to model biomass burning emissions, transport, and radiative effects in real time. The model relies on data from the Geostationary Operational Environment Satellites (GOES-8, GOES-10), that is generated by the Wildfire Automated Biomass Burning Algorithm (WF ABBA). In an attempt to develop the most accurate modeling system the data set needs to be filtered to distinguish the true fire pixels from false alarms. False alarms occur due to reflection of solar radiation off of standing water, surface structure variances, and heat anomalies. The Reoccurring Fire Filtering algorithm (ReFF) was developed to address such false alarms by filtering data dependent on reoccurrence, location in relation to region and satellite, as well as heat intensity. WF ABBA data for the year 2000 during the peak of the burning season were analyzed using ReFF. The analysis resulted in a 45% decrease in North America and only a 15% decrease in South America, respectively, in total fire pixel occurrence. The lower percentage decrease in South America is a result of fires burning for longer periods of time, less surface variance, as well as an increase in heat intensity of fires for that region. Also fires are so prevalent in the region that multiple fires may coexist in the same 4-kilometer pixel.

EIVAN - AN INTERACTIVE ORBITAL TRAJECTORY PLANNING TOOL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brody, A. R.

1994-01-01

The Interactive Orbital Trajectory planning Tool, EIVAN, is a forward looking interactive orbit trajectory plotting tool for use with Proximity Operations (operations occurring within a one kilometer sphere of the space station) and other maneuvers. The result of vehicle burns on-orbit is very difficult to anticipate because of non-linearities in the equations of motion governing orbiting bodies. EIVAN was developed to plot resulting trajectories, to provide a better comprehension of orbital mechanics effects, and to help the user develop heuristics for onorbit mission planning. EIVAN comprises a worksheet and a chart from Microsoft Excel on a Macintosh computer. The orbital path for a user-specified time interval is plotted given operator burn inputs. Fuel use is also calculated. After the thrust parameters (magnitude, direction, and time) are input, EIVAN plots the resulting trajectory. Up to five burns may be inserted at any time in the mission. Twenty data points are plotted for each burn and the time interval can be varied to accommodate any desired time frame or degree of resolution. Since the number of data points for each burn is constant, the mission duration can be increased or decreased by increasing or decreasing the time interval. The EIVAN program runs with Microsoft's Excel for execution on a Macintosh running Macintosh OS. A working knowledge of Excel is helpful, but not imperative, for interacting with EIVAN. The program was developed in 1989.

Progress in the development of the MARBLE platform for studying thermonuclear burn in the presence of heterogeneous mix on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Murphy, T. J.; Douglas, M. R.; Fincke, J. R.

Mix of ablator material into fuel of an ICF capsule adds non-burning material, diluting the fuel and reducing burn. The amount of the reduction is dependent in part on the morphology of the mix. A probability distribution function (PDF) burn model has been developed [6] that utilizes the average concentration of mixed materials as well as the variance in this quantity across cells provided by the BHR turbulent transport model [3] and its revisions [4] to describe the mix in terms of a PDF of concentrations of fuel and ablator material, and provides the burn rate in mixed material. Workmore » is underway to develop the MARBLE ICF platform for use on the National Ignition Facility in experiments to quantify the influence of heterogeneous mix on fusion burn. This platform consists of a plastic (CH) capsule filled with a deuterated plastic foam (CD) with a density of a few tens of milligrams per cubic centimeter, with tritium gas filling the voids in the foam. This capsule will be driven using x-ray drive on NIF, and the resulting shocks will induce turbulent mix that will result in the mixing of deuterium from the foam with the tritium gas. In order to affect the morphology of the mix, engineered foams with voids of diameter up to 100 microns will be utilized. The degree of mix will be determined from the ratio of DT to DD neutron yield. As the mix increases, the yield from reactions between the deuterium of the CD foam with tritium from the gas will increase. Lastly, the ratio of DT to DD neutrons will be compared to a variation of the PDF burn model that quantifies reactions from initially separated reactants.« less

Progress in the development of the MARBLE platform for studying thermonuclear burn in the presence of heterogeneous mix on OMEGA and the National Ignition Facility

DOE PAGES

Murphy, T. J.; Douglas, M. R.; Fincke, J. R.; ...

2016-05-26

Mix of ablator material into fuel of an ICF capsule adds non-burning material, diluting the fuel and reducing burn. The amount of the reduction is dependent in part on the morphology of the mix. A probability distribution function (PDF) burn model has been developed [6] that utilizes the average concentration of mixed materials as well as the variance in this quantity across cells provided by the BHR turbulent transport model [3] and its revisions [4] to describe the mix in terms of a PDF of concentrations of fuel and ablator material, and provides the burn rate in mixed material. Workmore » is underway to develop the MARBLE ICF platform for use on the National Ignition Facility in experiments to quantify the influence of heterogeneous mix on fusion burn. This platform consists of a plastic (CH) capsule filled with a deuterated plastic foam (CD) with a density of a few tens of milligrams per cubic centimeter, with tritium gas filling the voids in the foam. This capsule will be driven using x-ray drive on NIF, and the resulting shocks will induce turbulent mix that will result in the mixing of deuterium from the foam with the tritium gas. In order to affect the morphology of the mix, engineered foams with voids of diameter up to 100 microns will be utilized. The degree of mix will be determined from the ratio of DT to DD neutron yield. As the mix increases, the yield from reactions between the deuterium of the CD foam with tritium from the gas will increase. Lastly, the ratio of DT to DD neutrons will be compared to a variation of the PDF burn model that quantifies reactions from initially separated reactants.« less

Innovative Technology Development for Comprehensive Air Quality Characterization from Open Burning

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-04-01

Burning/Open Detonation (OB/OD) has been used as a safe, effective , and economic way to demilitarize munitions for energetic material disposal. Field...target analyte i (lb/lb i in ordnance) ERDC-CERL Engineer Research Development Center, Construction Engineering Research Laboratory GC/FID gas ...chromatograph(y) - flame ionization detector GC/MS gas chromatography/mass spectrometry GPS global positioning system ISO International Organization for

Predicting gully rejuvenation after wildfire using remotely sensed burn severity data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hyde, Kevin; Woods, Scott W.; Donahue, Jack

2007-05-01

The loss of surface vegetation and reduced infiltration caused by wildfires can trigger gully rejuvenation, resulting in damage to downstream aquatic resources and risk to human life and property. We developed a spatially explicit metric of burn severity — the Burn Severity Distribution Index (BSDI) — and tested its ability to predict post-fire gully rejuvenation in 1st and 2nd order basins burned in the 2000 Valley Complex fires in the Sapphire Mountains of western Montana. The BSDI was derived from burn severity data interpreted from Landsat 7 satellite imagery using the Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) method, and ranged from 0.0 for completely unburned basins to 4.0 for basins burned entirely at high severity. In July 2001 rainstorms with peak 30-minute intensities of up to 17 mm h - 1 triggered gully rejuvenation in 66 of the 171 basins examined. The frequency of gully rejuvenation was higher in basins with higher BSDI values, increasing from zero for basins with a BSDI less than 1.3 to 67% for basins with a BSDI greater than 3.0. Binary logistic regression indicated that BSDI was a more significant predictor of gully rejuvenation than basin morphometric variables. The absence of gully rejuvenation in several basins with a high BSDI was attributed to low gradient, dense riparian vegetation, or concentration of high burn severity at lower elevations in the basin. The presence of gully rejuvenation in several basins with a low BSDI was associated with false negative NBR classification errors in northwest aspects, and concentration of severe burn impacts in the drainage headslopes. BSDI is a useful metric for predicting gully rejuvenation after wildfire. The use of the BSDI in Burned Area Emergency Response team assessments could improve the planning, implementation, and monitoring of burned area recovery treatments.

Determining relative contributions of vegetation and topography to burn severity from LANDSAT imagery.

PubMed

Wu, Zhiwei; He, Hong S; Liang, Yu; Cai, Longyan; Lewis, Bernard J

2013-10-01

Fire is a dominant process in boreal forest landscapes and creates a spatial patch mosaic with different burn severities and age classes. Quantifying effects of vegetation and topography on burn severity provides a scientific basis on which forest fire management plans are developed to reduce catastrophic fires. However, the relative contribution of vegetation and topography to burn severity is highly debated especially under extreme weather conditions. In this study, we hypothesized that relationships of vegetation and topography to burn severity vary with fire size. We examined this hypothesis in a boreal forest landscape of northeastern China by computing the burn severity of 24 fire patches as the difference between the pre- and post-fire Normalized Difference Vegetation Index obtained from two Landsat TM images. The vegetation and topography to burn severity relationships were evaluated at three fire-size levels of small (<100 ha, n = 12), moderate (100-1,000 ha, n = 9), and large (>1,000 ha, n = 3). Our results showed that vegetation and topography to burn severity relationships were fire-size-dependent. The burn severity of small fires was primary controlled by vegetation conditions (e.g., understory cover), and the burn severity of large fires was strongly influenced by topographic conditions (e.g., elevation). For moderate fires, the relationships were complex and indistinguishable. Our results also indicated that the pattern trends of relative importance for both vegetation and topography factors were not dependent on fire size. Our study can help managers to design fire management plans according to vegetation characteristics that are found important in controlling burn severity and prioritize management locations based on the relative importance of vegetation and topography.

Exploring social and infrastructural factors affecting open burning of municipal solid waste (MSW) in Indian cities: A comparative case study of three neighborhoods of Delhi.

PubMed

Ramaswami, Anu; Baidwan, Navneet Kaur; Nagpure, Ajay Singh

2016-11-01

Open municipal solid waste (MSW)-burning is a major source of particulate matter emissions in developing world cities. Despite a legal ban, MSW-burning is observed ubiquitously in Indian cities with little being known about the factors shaping it. This study seeks to uncover social and infrastructural factors that affect MSW-burning at the neighborhood level. We couple physical assessments of the infrastructure provision and the MSW-burning incidences in three different neighborhoods of varying socio-economic status in Delhi, with an accompanying study of the social actors (interviews of waste handlers and households) to explore the extent to which, and potential reasons why, MSW-burning occurs. The observed differences in MSW-burning incidences range from 130 km -2  day -1 in low-income to 30 km -2  day -1 in the high-income areas. However, two high-income areas neighborhoods with functional infrastructure service also showed statistical differences in MSW-burning incidences. Our interviews revealed that, while the waste handlers were aware of the health risks associated with MSW-burning, it was not a high priority in the context of the other difficulties they faced. The awareness of the legal ban on MSW-burning was low among both waste handlers and households. In addition to providing infrastructure for waste pickup, informal restrictions from residents and neighborhood associations can play a significant role in restricting MSW-burning at the neighborhood scale. A more efficient management of MSW requires a combined effort that involves interplay of both social and infrastructural systems. © The Author(s) 2016.

Epidemiology of pediatric burns and future prevention strategies-a study of 475 patients from a high-volume burn center in North India.

PubMed

Dhopte, Amol; Tiwari, V K; Patel, Pankaj; Bamal, Rahul

2017-01-01

Pediatric burns have a long-term social impact. This is more apparent in a developing country such as India, where their incidence and morbidity are high. The aim of this study was to provide recent prospective epidemiological data on pediatric burns in India and to suggest future preventive strategies. Children up to 18 years old admitted to the Department of Burns, Plastic & Maxillofacial Surgery, VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, between January and December 2014 were included in the study. Data regarding age, sex, etiology, total body surface area (TBSA), circumstances of injury, and clinical assessment were collected. The Mann-Whitney test or Kruskal-Wallis test or ANOVA was used to compare involved TBSA among various cohort groups accordingly. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to determine the predictors of TBSA. There were a total of 475 patients involved in the study, including seven suicidal burns, all of whom were females with a mean age greater than the cohort average. Age, type of burns, mode of injury, presence or absence of inhalation injury, gender, and time of year (quarter) for admission were found to independently affect the TBSA involved. Electrical burns also formed an important number of presenting burn patients, mainly involving teenagers. Several societal issues have come forth, e.g., child marriage, child labor, and likely psychological problems among female children as suggested by a high incidence of suicidal burns. This study also highlights several issues such as overcrowding, lack of awareness, dangerous cooking practices, and improper use of kerosene oil. There is an emergent need to recognize the problems, formulate strategies, spread awareness, and ban or replace hazardous substances responsible for most burn accidents.

A phase II prospective, non-comparative assessment of a new silver sodium carboxymethylcellulose (AQUACEL(®) Ag BURN) glove in the management of partial thickness hand burns.

PubMed

Duteille, Franck; Jeffery, Steven L A

2012-11-01

Nylon-reinforced silver sodium carboxymethylcellulose (AQUACEL(®) Ag BURN) dressings were developed to be pliable and conforming for the management of partial-thickness burns. This study evaluated the AQUACEL(®) Ag BURN glove for the management of hand burns. This 21-day, phase II, prospective, non-comparative study included 23 patients with partial-thickness hand burn of at least two fingers. The AQUACEL(®) Ag BURN glove was applied to one hand and could remain in place up to 21 days until clinically indicated to change the glove. Dressings were evaluated 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 14, and 21 days after initial application. Safety was the primary study endpoint. Sixteen (70%) hand burns re-epithelialized fully over a mean of 15.6 days. Initial application was easy/very easy for 20 (87%) patients. Mean time for initial dressing application was 5.4 min. At final evaluation, most patients gave ratings of excellent/good for conformability (91%), overall glove performance (74%), and appropriateness of sizes (83%). Mean pain score from 0 (none) to 10 (worst imaginable) was 3.43 at baseline; during the study, mean scores were 1.15 at rest and 2.29 during movement. Of 61 glove removals, most (72%) were easy/very easy, and 12% had fallen off. Adverse events (wound site or elsewhere) occurred in 15 (65%) patients. Treatment-related adverse events were wound pain (17%), maceration (9%), and stiff fingers (4%). The AQUACEL(®) Ag BURN glove was well tolerated in the management of partial-thickness hand burn. Many patients used only one glove. When glove changes were required, they were usually quick and easy. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Determining Relative Contributions of Vegetation and Topography to Burn Severity from LANDSAT Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Zhiwei; He, Hong S.; Liang, Yu; Cai, Longyan; Lewis, Bernard J.

2013-10-01

Fire is a dominant process in boreal forest landscapes and creates a spatial patch mosaic with different burn severities and age classes. Quantifying effects of vegetation and topography on burn severity provides a scientific basis on which forest fire management plans are developed to reduce catastrophic fires. However, the relative contribution of vegetation and topography to burn severity is highly debated especially under extreme weather conditions. In this study, we hypothesized that relationships of vegetation and topography to burn severity vary with fire size. We examined this hypothesis in a boreal forest landscape of northeastern China by computing the burn severity of 24 fire patches as the difference between the pre- and post-fire Normalized Difference Vegetation Index obtained from two Landsat TM images. The vegetation and topography to burn severity relationships were evaluated at three fire-size levels of small (<100 ha, n = 12), moderate (100-1,000 ha, n = 9), and large (>1,000 ha, n = 3). Our results showed that vegetation and topography to burn severity relationships were fire-size-dependent. The burn severity of small fires was primary controlled by vegetation conditions (e.g., understory cover), and the burn severity of large fires was strongly influenced by topographic conditions (e.g., elevation). For moderate fires, the relationships were complex and indistinguishable. Our results also indicated that the pattern trends of relative importance for both vegetation and topography factors were not dependent on fire size. Our study can help managers to design fire management plans according to vegetation characteristics that are found important in controlling burn severity and prioritize management locations based on the relative importance of vegetation and topography.

Molecular design toward highly efficient photovoltaic polymers based on two-dimensional conjugated benzodithiophene.

PubMed

Ye, Long; Zhang, Shaoqing; Huo, Lijun; Zhang, Maojie; Hou, Jianhui

2014-05-20

As researchers continue to develop new organic materials for solar cells, benzo[1,2-b:4,5-b']dithiophene (BDT)-based polymers have come to the fore. To improve the photovoltaic properties of BDT-based polymers, researchers have developed and applied various strategies leading to the successful molecular design of highly efficient photovoltaic polymers. Novel polymer materials composed of two-dimensional conjugated BDT (2D-conjugated BDT) have boosted the power conversion efficiency of polymer solar cells (PSCs) to levels that exceed 9%. In this Account, we summarize recent progress related to the design and synthesis of 2D-conjugated BDT-based polymers and discuss their applications in highly efficient photovoltaic devices. We introduce the basic considerations for the construction of 2D-conjugated BDT-based polymers and systematic molecular design guidelines. For example, simply modifying an alkoxyl-substituted BDT to form an alkylthienyl-substituted BDT can improve the polymer hole mobilities substantially with little effect on their molecular energy level. Secondly, the addition of a variety of chemical moieties to the polymer can produce a 2D-conjugated BDT unit with more functions. For example, the introduction of a conjugated side chain with electron deficient groups (such as para-alkyl-phenyl, meta-alkoxyl-phenyl, and 2-alkyl-3-fluoro-thienyl) allowed us to modulate the molecular energy levels of 2D-conjugated BDT-based polymers. Through the rational design of BDT analogues such as dithienobenzodithiophene (DTBDT) or the insertion of larger π bridges, we can tune the backbone conformations of these polymers and modulate their photovoltaic properties. We also discuss the influence of 2D-conjugated BDT on polymer morphology and the blends of these polymers with phenyl-C61 (or C71)-butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Finally, we summarize the various applications of the 2D-conjugated BDT-based polymers in highly efficient PSC devices. Overall, this Account correlates the molecular structures of the 2D-conjugated BDT-based polymers with their photovoltaic properties. As a result, this Account can guide the molecular design of organic photovoltaic materials and the development of organic materials for other types of optoelectronic devices.

Development of biodegradable metaloxide/polymer nanocomposite films based on poly-ε-caprolactone and terephthalic acid.

PubMed

Varaprasad, Kokkarachedu; Pariguana, Manuel; Raghavendra, Gownolla Malegowd; Jayaramudu, Tippabattini; Sadiku, Emmanuel Rotimi

2017-01-01

The present investigation describes the development of metal-oxide polymer nanocomposite films from biodegradable poly-ε-caprolactone, disposed poly(ethylene terephthalate) oil bottles monomer and zinc oxide-copper oxide nanoparticles. The terephthalic acid and zinc oxide-copper oxide nanoparticles were synthesized by using a temperature-dependent precipitation technique and double precipitation method, respectively. The terephthalic acid synthesized was confirmed by FTIR analysis and furthermore, it was characterized by thermal analysis. The as-prepared CuO-ZnO nanoparticles structure was confirmed by XRD analysis and its morphology was analyzed by SEM/EDS and TEM. Furthermore, the metal-oxide polymer nanocomposite films have excellent mechanical properties, with tensile strength and modulus better than pure films. The metal-oxide polymer nanocomposite films that were successfully developed show a relatively brighter colour when compared to CuO film. These new metal-oxide polymer nanocomposite films can replace many non-degradable plastics. The new metal-oxide polymer nanocomposite films developed are envisaged to be suitable for use in industrial and domestic packaging applications. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Green polymer chemistry: Some recent developments and examples

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Green polymer chemistry continues to be a popular field, with many books and publications in print. Research is being conducted in several areas within this field, including: 1) green catalysis, 2) diverse feedstock base, 3) degradable polymers and waste minimization, 4) recycling of polymer produc...

Recent Progress in the Development of Conducting Polymer-Based Nanocomposites for Electrochemical Biosensors Applications: A Mini-Review.

PubMed

Naseri, Maryam; Fotouhi, Lida; Ehsani, Ali

2018-06-01

Among various immobilizing materials, conductive polymer-based nanocomposites have been widely applied to fabricate the biosensors, because of their outstanding properties such as excellent electrocatalytic activity, high conductivity, and strong adsorptive ability compared to conventional conductive polymers. Electrochemical biosensors have played a significant role in delivering the diagnostic information and therapy monitoring in a rapid, simple, and low cost portable device. This paper reviews the recent developments in conductive polymer-based nanocomposites and their applications in electrochemical biosensors. The article starts with a general and concise comparison between the properties of conducting polymers and conducting polymer nanocomposites. Next, the current applications of conductive polymer-based nanocomposites of some important conducting polymers such as PANI, PPy, and PEDOT in enzymatic and nonenzymatic electrochemical biosensors are overviewed. This review article covers an 8-year period beginning in 2010. © 2018 The Chemical Society of Japan & Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Developing conjugated polymers with high electron affinity by replacing a C-C unit with a B←N unit.

PubMed

Dou, Chuandong; Ding, Zicheng; Zhang, Zijian; Xie, Zhiyuan; Liu, Jun; Wang, Lixiang

2015-03-16

The key parameters of conjugated polymers are lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy levels. Few approaches can simultaneously lower LUMO and HOMO energy levels of conjugated polymers to a large extent (>0.5 eV). Disclosed herein is a novel strategy to decrease both LUMO and HOMO energy levels of conjugated polymers by about 0.6 eV through replacement of a C-C unit by a B←N unit. The replacement makes the resulting polymer transform from an electron donor into an electron acceptor, and is proven by fluorescence quenching experiments and the photovoltaic response. This work not only provides an effective approach to tune the LUMO/HOMO energy levels of conjugated polymers, but also uses organic boron chemistry as a new toolbox to develop conjugated polymers with high electron affinity for polymer optoelectronic devices. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Art and Science of Polymer Brushes: Recent Developments in Patterning and Characterization Approaches.

PubMed

Panzarasa, Guido

2017-06-28

Polymer brushes are dense arrays of macromolecular chains tethered by one end at a surface. They are at the cutting edge of polymer nanotechnology since the dawn of controlled surface-initiated polymerization techniques unlocked new prospects for the synthesis of polymer brushes with tailorable properties. More recently, thanks to the growing interest in the use of brushes for the generation of functional surfaces, the need for advanced patterning and characterization approaches rapidly increased. Meeting these needs requires the contribution of experts from different disciplines: polymer chemistry, surface science, electrochemistry and particle physics. The focus of this review is to highlight recent developments in the field of polymer brushes, specifically the application of photocatalytic lithography as a versatile patterning strategy, the study of grafted-from polymer brushes by electrochemical methods and, most importantly, the introduction of positron annihilation spectroscopy as a powerful technique for the investigation of the structure of polymer brushes and of their composites with nanoparticles.

Using Polymer Semiconductors and a 3-in-1 Plastic Electronics STEM Education Kit to Engage Students in Hands-On Polymer Inquiry Activities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Enlow, Jessica L.; Marin, Dawn M.; Walter, Michael G.

2017-01-01

To improve polymer education for 9-12 and undergraduate students, a plastic electronics laboratory kit using polymer semiconductors has been developed. The three-module kit and curriculum use polymer semiconductors to provide hands-on inquiry activities with overlapping themes of electrical conductivity, light emission, and light-harvesting solar…

Molecular Engineering for Mechanically Resilient and Stretchable Electronic Polymers and Composites

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-06-08

conjugated polymers and composites by analysis of the structural determinants of the mechanical properties. We developed coarse-grained molecular...dynamics simulations that predicted the mechanical properties of conjugated polymers and polymer -fullerene composites. We elucidated the mechanical...We also determined the effect of cyclic stretching on the microstructure and mechanical properties of conjugated polymers . We used many of

Modification of a Turbulent Boundary Layer within a Homogeneous Concentration of Drag reducing Polymer Solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farsiani, Yasaman; Elbing, Brian

2017-11-01

High molecular weight polymer solutions in wall-bounded flows can reduce the local skin friction by as much as 80%. External flow studies have typical focused on injection of polymer within a developing turbulent boundary layer (TBL), allowing the concentration and drag reduction level to evolve with downstream distance. Modification of the log-law region of the TBL is directly related to drag reduction, but recent results suggest that the exact behavior is dependent on flow and polymer properties. Weissenberg number and the viscosity ratio (ratio of solvent viscosity to the zero-shear viscosity) are concentration dependent, thus the current study uses a polymer ocean (i.e. a homogenous concentration of polymer solution) with a developing TBL to eliminate uncertainty related to polymer properties. The near-wall modified TBL velocity profiles are acquired with particle image velocimetry. In the current presentation the mean velocity profiles and the corresponding flow (Reynolds number) and polymer (Weissenberg number, viscosity ratio, and length ratio) properties are reported. Note that the impact of polymer degradation on molecular weight will also be quantified and accounted for when estimating polymer properties This work was supported by NSF Grant 1604978.

Extrudable polymer-polymer composites based on ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Panin, S. V.; Kornienko, L. A.; Alexenko, V. O.; Buslovich, D. G.; Dontsov, Yu. V.

2017-12-01

Mechanical and tribotechnical characteristics of polymer-polymeric composites of UHMWPE are studied with the aim of developing extrudable, wear-resistant, self-lubricant polymer mixtures for Additive Manufacturing (AM). The motivation of the study is their further application as feedstocks for 3D printing. Blends of UHMWPE with graft- and block copolymers of low-density polyethylene (HDPE-g-VTMS, HDPE-g-SMA, HDPE-b-EVA), polypropylene (PP), block copolymers of polypropylene and polyamide with linear low density polyethylene (PP-b-LLDPE, PA-b-LLDPE), as well as cross-linked polyethylene (PEX-b), are examined. The choice of compatible polymer components for an ultra- high molecular weight matrix for increasing processability (extrudability) is motivated by the search for commercially available and efficient additives aimed at developing wear-resistant extrudable polymer composites for additive manufacturing. The extrudability, mechanical properties and wear resistance of UHMWPE-based polymer-polymeric composites under sliding friction with different velocities and loads are studied.

Slash-and-burn farmers: villains or victims?

PubMed

Rambo, T

1990-01-01

Slash and burn farmers in southeast Asia are blamed for deforestation and are considered backward or ignorant. Efforts have been made by agricultural development experts to urge farmers to switch to fixed field methods. Slash and burn methods are used in upland areas with steep slopes, low soil fertility, and unpredictable natural hazards in order to allow survival in an environment made difficult for cultivation by other methods. Slash and burn farmers may be stable or migratory and use rotational or pioneering methods. Rotational methods involve clearing and burning a new plot every year, and then allowing regeneration of forest for 10-20 years. When population density is 40/square km, this method does not degrade the environment. Pioneering involves clearance of primary forest, cultivation for several years until soil fertility is destroyed, and then replacement with low productivity "imperata cylindrica grass." Pioneering tends to cause long-term environmental degradation. Humid tropic soils tend toward infertility, and in many areas of southeast Asia the soils are nutrient-poor and acidic. Ash from burning also reduces soil acidity. In northeast Thailand, 454 kg of calcium are released from burning one hectare of mature forest. The advantages are affordable natural fertilization and freedom from technical experts and imported spare parts. Frequent rotation also helps to expand the crops and provide disease protection. Population densities, competition for scarce resources, and social and economic pressures make the slash and burn technique inappropriate. As yet unavailable alternative farming techniques are needed which take advantage of slash and burn benefits. Slash and burn farmers are victims of deforestation even though they may appear to be the villains.

Global Performance Characterization of the Three Burn Trans-Earth Injection Maneuver Sequence over the Lunar Nodal Cycle

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Williams, Jacob; Davis, Elizabeth C.; Lee, David E.; Condon, Gerald L.; Dawn, Tim

2009-01-01

The Orion spacecraft will be required to perform a three-burn trans-Earth injection (TEI) maneuver sequence to return to Earth from low lunar orbit. The origin of this approach lies in the Constellation Program requirements for access to any lunar landing site location combined with anytime lunar departure. This paper documents the development of optimized databases used to rapidly model the performance requirements of the TEI three-burn sequence for an extremely large number of mission cases. It also discusses performance results for lunar departures covering a complete 18.6 year lunar nodal cycle as well as general characteristics of the optimized three-burn TEI sequence.

A Fully Non-metallic Gas Turbine Engine Enabled by Additive Manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grady, Joseph E.

2014-01-01

The Non-Metallic Gas Turbine Engine project, funded by NASA Aeronautics Research Institute (NARI), represents the first comprehensive evaluation of emerging materials and manufacturing technologies that will enable fully nonmetallic gas turbine engines. This will be achieved by assessing the feasibility of using additive manufacturing technologies for fabricating polymer matrix composite (PMC) and ceramic matrix composite (CMC) gas turbine engine components. The benefits of the proposed effort include: 50 weight reduction compared to metallic parts, reduced manufacturing costs due to less machining and no tooling requirements, reduced part count due to net shape single component fabrication, and rapid design change and production iterations. Two high payoff metallic components have been identified for replacement with PMCs and will be fabricated using fused deposition modeling (FDM) with high temperature capable polymer filaments. The first component is an acoustic panel treatment with a honeycomb structure with an integrated back sheet and perforated front sheet. The second component is a compressor inlet guide vane. The CMC effort, which is starting at a lower technology readiness level, will use a binder jet process to fabricate silicon carbide test coupons and demonstration articles. The polymer and ceramic additive manufacturing efforts will advance from monolithic materials toward silicon carbide and carbon fiber reinforced composites for improved properties. Microstructural analysis and mechanical testing will be conducted on the PMC and CMC materials. System studies will assess the benefits of fully nonmetallic gas turbine engine in terms of fuel burn, emissions, reduction of part count, and cost. The proposed effort will be focused on a small 7000 lbf gas turbine engine. However, the concepts are equally applicable to large gas turbine engines. The proposed effort includes a multidisciplinary, multiorganization NASA - industry team that includes experts in ceramic materials and CMCs, polymers and PMCs, structural engineering, additive manufacturing, engine design and analysis, and system analysis.

Toward meaningful snag-management guidelines for postfire salvage logging in North American conifer forests.

PubMed

Hutto, Richard L

2006-08-01

The bird species in western North America that are most restricted to, and therefore most dependent on, severely burned conifer forests during the first years following afire event depend heavily on the abundant standing snags for perch sites, nest sites, and food resources. Thus, it is critical to develop and apply appropriate snag-management guidelines to implement postfire timber harvest operations in the same locations. Unfortunately, existing guidelines designed for green-tree forests cannot be applied to postfire salvage sales because the snag needs of snag-dependent species in burned forests are not at all similar to the snag needs of snag-dependent species in green-tree forests. Birds in burned forests have very different snag-retention needs from those cavity-nesting bird species that have served as the focus for the development of existing snag-management guidelines. Specifically, many postfire specialists use standing dead trees not only for nesting purposes but for feeding purposes as well. Woodpeckers, in particular specialize on wood-boring beetle larvae that are superabundant in fire-killed trees for several years following severe fire. Species such as the Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus) are nearly restricted in their habitat distribution to severely burned forests. Moreover existing postfire salvage-logging studies reveal that most postfire specialist species are completely absent from burned forests that have been (even partially) salvage logged. I call for the long-overdue development and use of more meaningful snag-retention guidelines for postfire specialists, and I note that the biology of the most fire-dependent bird species suggests that even a cursory attempt to meet their snag needs would preclude postfire salvage logging in those severely burned conifer forests wherein the maintenance of biological diversity is deemed important.

Rice cooker steam hand burn in the pediatric patient.

PubMed

Roh, T S; Kim, Y S; Burm, J S; Chung, C H; Kim, J B; Oh, S J

2000-07-01

Burn injuries often lead to significant cosmetic and functional deformity. In the Orient, household electric rice cookers have caused a significant number of steam burns to infant hands. The clinical course and treatment outcome of these burns have been studied retrospectively in a review of the medical records of 79 pediatric patients treated for acute hand steam burns and of 38 other patients who underwent correction for postburn contracture. Electric rice cookers caused all of the acute pediatric steam burns treated at our institute. Of the 81 hands treated between 1995 and 1998, 38.3 percent healed with conservative treatment and 61.7 percent required skin grafting. The volar aspects of the index and middle fingers were those most frequently involved. Eighteen of 36 hands (50 percent) grafted with split-thickness skin developed late contractures requiring additional procedures. Among the 38 patients who underwent correction for postburn deformity, initial treatment was split-thickness grafting for 60.5 percent, full-thickness skin grafting for 7.9 percent, and spontaneous healing for 31.6 percent. Awareness among medical personnel and continued public education should be promoted to help prevent this unique type of pediatric steam burn from occurring.

Laser in the management of burn scars.

PubMed

Willows, Brooke M; Ilyas, Muneeb; Sharma, Amit

2017-11-01

Burn scars are associated with significant morbidity ranging from contractures, pruritus, and disfigurement to psychosocial impairment. Traditional therapies include silicone gel, compression garments, corticosteroid injections, massage therapy, and surgical procedures, however, newer and advanced therapies for the treatment of burn scars have been developed. Lasers, specifically ablative fractional lasers, show potential for the treatment of burn scars. Both MeSH and keyword searches of the PubMed, Medline and Embase databases were performed and relevant articles were read in full for the compilation of this review. Fifty-one relevant observational studies, clinical trials, and systematic reviews published in English from 2006 to 2016 were reviewed and summarized. Laser therapy is effective for the treatment of burn scar appearance, including measures such as pigmentation, vascularity, pliability, and thickness. Ablative fractional laser therapy, in particular, shows significant potential for the release of contractures allowing for improved range of motion of affected joints. Patients may benefit from the use of lasers in the treatment of burn scars, and the safety profile of lasers allows the benefits of treatment to outweigh the risks. Laser therapy should be included in burn scar treatment protocols as an adjuvant therapy to traditional interventions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Upper gastrointestinal bleeding in severely burned patients: a case-control study to assess risk factors, causes, and outcome.

PubMed

Kim, Young Jin; Koh, Dong Hee; Park, Se Woo; Park, Sun Man; Choi, Min Ho; Jang, Hyun Joo; Kae, Sea Hyub; Lee, Jin; Byun, Hyun Woo

2014-01-01

To determine the risk factors, causes, and outcome of clinically important upper gastrointestinal bleeding that occurs in severely burned patients. The charts of all patients admitted to the burn intensive care unit were analyzed retrospectively over a 4-year period (from January 2006 to December 2009). Cases consisted of burned patients who developed upper gastrointestinal bleeding more than 24 hours after admission to the burn intensive care unit. Controls were a set of patients, in the burn intensive care unit, without upper gastrointestinal bleeding matched with cases for age and gender. Cases and controls were compared with respect to the risk factors of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and outcomes. During the study period, clinically important upper gastrointestinal bleeding occurred in 20 patients out of all 964 patients. The most common cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding was duodenal ulcer (11 of 20 cases, 55%). In the multivariate analysis, mechanical ventilation (p = 0.044) and coagulopathy (p = 0.035) were found to be the independent predictors of upper gastrointestinal bleeding in severely burned patients. Upper gastrointestinal hemorrhage tends to occur more frequently after having prolonged mechanical ventilation and coagulopathy.

The effect of azeotropism on combustion characteristics of blended fuel pool fire.

PubMed

Ding, Yanming; Wang, Changjian; Lu, Shouxiang

2014-04-30

The effect of azeotropism on combustion characteristics of blended fuel pool fire was experimentally studied in an open fire test space of State Key Laboratory of Fire Science. A 30 cm × 30 cm square pool filled with n-heptane and ethanol blended fuel was employed. Flame images, burning rate and temperature distribution were collected and recorded in the whole combustion process. Results show that azeotropism obviously dominates the combustion behavior of n-heptane/ethanol blended fuel pool fire. The combustion process after ignition exhibits four typical stages: initial development, azeotropic burning, single-component burning and decay stage. Azeotropism appears when temperature of fuel surface reaches azeotropic point and blended fuel burns at azeotropic ratio. Compared with individual pure fuel, the effect of azeotropism on main fire parameters, such as flame height, burning rate, flame puffing frequency and centerline temperature were analyzed. Burning rate and centerline temperature of blended fuel are higher than that of individual pure fuel respectively at azeotropic burning stage, and flame puffing frequency follows the empirical formula between Strouhal and Froude number for pure fuel. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Investigation of critical burning of fuel droplets

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Allison, C. B.; Canada, G. S.; Faeth, G. M.

1972-01-01

Measurements were made on the burning of liquid hydrazine, MMH, and UDMH in a combustion gas environment. The experimental range of these tests involved gas temperatures of 1660-2530 K, oxygen concentrations of 0-42% by mass and droplet diameters (employing both droplets and porous spheres) of 0.11-1.91 cm. at atmospheric pressure. A simplified hybrid combustion theory was developed which was found to correlate the present results as well as the experimental measurements of other investigators. Measurements were also made of the monopropellant strand burning rates and liquid surface temperatures of a number of nitrate ester fuels and hydrazine at elevated pressures. The temperature measurements for the nitrate esters were found to be in good agreement with a theoretical model which allowed for gas solubility in the liquid phase at high pressures. Experimental results were also obtained on the burning rates and liquid surface temperatures of a number of paraffin and alcohol fuels burning in air pressures up to 72 atm. For these tests, the fuels were burned from porous spheres in a natural convection environment. Initial findings on a pressurized flat flame burner are also described as well as the design of an oscillatory combustion apparatus to test the response of burning liquid fuels.

Global emissions of trace gases, particulate matter, and hazardous air pollutants from open burning of domestic waste.

PubMed

Wiedinmyer, Christine; Yokelson, Robert J; Gullett, Brian K

2014-08-19

The open burning of waste, whether at individual residences, businesses, or dump sites, is a large source of air pollutants. These emissions, however, are not included in many current emission inventories used for chemistry and climate modeling applications. This paper presents the first comprehensive and consistent estimates of the global emissions of greenhouse gases, particulate matter, reactive trace gases, and toxic compounds from open waste burning. Global emissions of CO2 from open waste burning are relatively small compared to total anthropogenic CO2; however, regional CO2 emissions, particularly in many developing countries in Asia and Africa, are substantial. Further, emissions of reactive trace gases and particulate matter from open waste burning are more significant on regional scales. For example, the emissions of PM10 from open domestic waste burning in China is equivalent to 22% of China's total reported anthropogenic PM10 emissions. The results of the emissions model presented here suggest that emissions of many air pollutants are significantly underestimated in current inventories because open waste burning is not included, consistent with studies that compare model results with available observations.

Emission from open burning of municipal solid waste in India.

PubMed

Kumari, Kanchan; Kumar, Sunil; Rajagopal, Vineel; Khare, Ankur; Kumar, Rakesh

2017-07-27

Open burning of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) is a potential non-point source of emission, which causes greater concern especially in developing countries such as India. Lack of awareness about environmental impact of open burning, and ignorance of the fact, i.e. 'Open burning is a source of emission of carcinogenic substances' are major hindrances towards an appropriate municipal solid waste management system in India. The paper highlights the open burning of MSW practices in India, and the current and projected emission of 10 major pollutants (dioxin, furans, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and 1-hexene) emitted due to the open burning of MSW. Waste to Energy potential of MSW was also estimated adopting effective biological and thermal techniques. Statistical techniques were applied to analyse the data and current and projected emission of various pollutants were estimated. Data pertaining to population, MSW generation and its collection efficiency were compiled for 29 States and 7 Union Territories. Thereafter, emission of 10 pollutants was measured following methodology prescribed in Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change guideline for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, 2006. The study revealed that people living in Metropolitan cities are more affected by emissions from open burning.

EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS IN A NOVEL WOUND HEALING OINTMENT-CROCODILE OIL BURN OINTMENT

PubMed Central

Li, Hua-Liang; Deng, Yi-Tao; Zhang, Zi-Ran; Fu, Qi-Rui; Zheng, Ya-Hui; Cao, Xing-Mei; Nie, Jing; Fu, Li-Wen; Chen, Li-Ping; Xiong, You-Xiong; Shen, Dong-Yan; Chen, Qing-Xi

2017-01-01

Background: Crocodile oil and its products are used as ointments for burns and scalds in traditional medicines. A new ointment formulation - crocodile oil burn ointment (COBO) was developed to provide more efficient wound healing activity. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the burn healing efficacy of this new formulation by employing deep second-degree burns in a Wistar rat model. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of COBO were also studied to provide some evidences for its further use. Materials and methods: The wound healing potential of this formulation was evaluated by employing a deep second-degree burn rat model and the efficiency was comparatively assessed against a reference ointment - (1% wt/wt) silver sulfadiazine (SSD). After 28 days, the animals were euthanized and the wounds were removed for transversal and longitudinal histological studies. Acetic acid-induced writhing in mice was used to evaluate the analgesic activity and its anti-inflammatory activity was observed in xylene -induced edema in mice. Results: COBO enhanced the burn wound healing (20.5±1.3 d) as indicated by significant decrease in wound closure time compared with the burn control (25.0±2.16 d) (P<0.01). Hair follicles played an importance role in the physiological functions of the skin, and their growth in the wound could be revealed for the skin regeneration situation. Histological results showed that the hair follicles were well-distributed in the post-burn skin of COBO treatment group, and the amounts of total, active, primary and secondary hair follicles in post-burn 28-day skin of COBO treatment groups were more than those in burn control and SSD groups. On the other hand, the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of COBO were much better than those of control group, while they were very close to those of moist exposed burn ointment (MEBO). Conclusions: COBO accelerated wound closure, reduced inflammation, and had analgesic effects compared with SSD in deep second degree rat burn model. These findings suggest that COBO would be a potential therapy for treating human burns. Abbreviations: COBO, crocodile oil burn ointment; SSD, silver sulfadiazine; MEBO, moist exposed burn ointment; TCM, traditional Chinese medicine; CHM, Chinese herbal medicine; GC-MS, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. PMID:28480384

EVALUATION OF EFFECTIVENESS IN A NOVEL WOUND HEALING OINTMENT-CROCODILE OIL BURN OINTMENT.

PubMed

Li, Hua-Liang; Deng, Yi-Tao; Zhang, Zi-Ran; Fu, Qi-Rui; Zheng, Ya-Hui; Cao, Xing-Mei; Nie, Jing; Fu, Li-Wen; Chen, Li-Ping; Xiong, You-Xiong; Shen, Dong-Yan; Chen, Qing-Xi

2017-01-01

Crocodile oil and its products are used as ointments for burns and scalds in traditional medicines. A new ointment formulation - crocodile oil burn ointment (COBO) was developed to provide more efficient wound healing activity. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the burn healing efficacy of this new formulation by employing deep second-degree burns in a Wistar rat model. The analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities of COBO were also studied to provide some evidences for its further use. The wound healing potential of this formulation was evaluated by employing a deep second-degree burn rat model and the efficiency was comparatively assessed against a reference ointment - (1% wt/wt) silver sulfadiazine (SSD). After 28 days, the animals were euthanized and the wounds were removed for transversal and longitudinal histological studies. Acetic acid-induced writhing in mice was used to evaluate the analgesic activity and its anti-inflammatory activity was observed in xylene -induced edema in mice. COBO enhanced the burn wound healing (20.5±1.3 d) as indicated by significant decrease in wound closure time compared with the burn control (25.0±2.16 d) ( P <0.01). Hair follicles played an importance role in the physiological functions of the skin, and their growth in the wound could be revealed for the skin regeneration situation. Histological results showed that the hair follicles were well-distributed in the post-burn skin of COBO treatment group, and the amounts of total, active, primary and secondary hair follicles in post-burn 28-day skin of COBO treatment groups were more than those in burn control and SSD groups. On the other hand, the analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity of COBO were much better than those of control group, while they were very close to those of moist exposed burn ointment (MEBO). COBO accelerated wound closure, reduced inflammation, and had analgesic effects compared with SSD in deep second degree rat burn model. These findings suggest that COBO would be a potential therapy for treating human burns. Abbreviations: COBO, crocodile oil burn ointment; SSD, silver sulfadiazine; MEBO, moist exposed burn ointment; TCM, traditional Chinese medicine; CHM, Chinese herbal medicine; GC-MS, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Burns and military clothing.

PubMed

McLean, A D

2001-02-01

Burn injury is a ubiquitous threat in the military environment. The risks during combat are well recognised, but the handling of fuel, oil, munitions and other hot or flammable materials during peacetime deployment and training also imposes an inherent risk of accidental burn injury. Over the last hundred years, the burn threat in combat has ranged from nuclear weapons to small shoulder-launched missiles. Materials such as napalm and white phosphorus plainly present a risk of burn, but the threat extends to encompass personnel in vehicles attacked by anti-armour weapons, large missiles, fuel-air explosives and detonations/conflagrations on weapons platforms such as ships. Large numbers of burn casualties were caused at Pearl Harbor, in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Vietnam, during the Arab/Israeli Wars and in the Falkland Islands conflict. The threat from burns is unlikely to diminish, indeed new developments in weapons seek to exploit the vulnerability of the serviceman and servicewoman to burns. Clothing can be a barrier to some types of burn--both inherently in the properties of the material, but also by trapping air between clothing layers. Conversely, ignition of the clothing may exacerbate a burn. There is hearsay that burnt clothing products within a wound may complicate the clinical management, or that materials that melt (thermoplastic materials) should not be worn if there is a burn threat. This paper explores the incidence of burn injury, the mechanisms of heat transfer to bare skin and skin covered by materials, and the published evidence for the complication of wound management by materials. Even light-weight combat clothing can offer significant protection to skin from short duration flash burns; the most vulnerable areas are the parts of the body not covered--face and hands. Multilayered combat clothing can offer significant protection for short periods from engulfment by flames; lightweight tropical wear with few layers offers little protection. Under high heat loads in the laboratory, combat clothing can ignite, but there is little evidence that clothing ignition is a common occurrence in military burn casualties. Thermoplastic materials have many benefits in civil and military clothing. There is little objective evidence that they exacerbate burns, or complicate burn management. Their use in military clothing must be based on objective evidence, not hearsay.

Preparation and characterization of PTFE coating in new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor for testing liquor products

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gu, Yu; Li, Qiang

2015-07-01

A new method was developed based on the electron beam vacuum dispersion (EBVD) technology to prepare the PTFE polymer coating of the new polymer quartz piezoelectric crystal sensor for testing liquor products. The new method was applied in the new EBVD equipment which we designed. A real-time system monitoring the polymer coating’s thickness was designed for the new EBVD equipment according to the quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) principle, playing an important role in preparing stable and uniform PTFE polymer coatings of the same thickness. 30 pieces of PTFE polymer coatings on the surface of the quartz crystal basis were prepared with the PTFE polymer ultrafine powder (purity ≥ 99.99%) as the starting material. We obtained 30 pieces of new PTFE polymer sensors. By using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the structure of the PTFE polymer coating’s column clusters was studied. One sample from the 30 pieces of new PTFE polymer sensors was analysed by SEM in four scales, i.e., 400×, 1000×, 10000×, and 25000×. It was shown that under the condition of high bias voltage and low bias current, uniformly PTFE polymer coating could be achieved, which indicates that the new EBVD equipment is suitable for mass production of stable and uniform polymer coating. Project supported by the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (Grant No. 2013AA030901).

Molecular engineered conjugated polymer with high thermal conductivity

PubMed Central

Song, Bai; Lee, Elizabeth M. Y.; Gleason, Karen K.

2018-01-01

Traditional polymers are both electrically and thermally insulating. The development of electrically conductive polymers has led to novel applications such as flexible displays, solar cells, and wearable biosensors. As in the case of electrically conductive polymers, the development of polymers with high thermal conductivity would open up a range of applications in next-generation electronic, optoelectronic, and energy devices. Current research has so far been limited to engineering polymers either by strong intramolecular interactions, which enable efficient phonon transport along the polymer chains, or by strong intermolecular interactions, which enable efficient phonon transport between the polymer chains. However, it has not been possible until now to engineer both interactions simultaneously. We report the first realization of high thermal conductivity in the thin film of a conjugated polymer, poly(3-hexylthiophene), via bottom-up oxidative chemical vapor deposition (oCVD), taking advantage of both strong C=C covalent bonding along the extended polymer chain and strong π-π stacking noncovalent interactions between chains. We confirm the presence of both types of interactions by systematic structural characterization, achieving a near–room temperature thermal conductivity of 2.2 W/m·K, which is 10 times higher than that of conventional polymers. With the solvent-free oCVD technique, it is now possible to grow polymer films conformally on a variety of substrates as lightweight, flexible heat conductors that are also electrically insulating and resistant to corrosion. PMID:29670943

Synthetic biodegradable functional polymers for tissue engineering: a brief review.

PubMed

BaoLin, Guo; Ma, Peter X

2014-04-01

Scaffolds play a crucial role in tissue engineering. Biodegradable polymers with great processing flexibility are the predominant scaffolding materials. Synthetic biodegradable polymers with well-defined structure and without immunological concerns associated with naturally derived polymers are widely used in tissue engineering. The synthetic biodegradable polymers that are widely used in tissue engineering, including polyesters, polyanhydrides, polyphosphazenes, polyurethane, and poly (glycerol sebacate) are summarized in this article. New developments in conducting polymers, photoresponsive polymers, amino-acid-based polymers, enzymatically degradable polymers, and peptide-activated polymers are also discussed. In addition to chemical functionalization, the scaffold designs that mimic the nano and micro features of the extracellular matrix (ECM) are presented as well, and composite and nanocomposite scaffolds are also reviewed.

Epidermal aquaporin-3 is increased in the cutaneous burn wound

PubMed Central

Sebastian, R.; Chau, E.; Fillmore, P.; Matthews, J.; Price, L.A.; Sidhaye, V.; Milner, S.M.

2018-01-01

Introduction Aquaporins (AQP) are a family of transmembrane proteins that transport water and small solutes such as glycerol across cell membranes. It is a mediator of transcellular water flow and plays an important role in maintaining intra/extracellular fluid homeostasis by facilitating water transport in response to changing osmotic gradients. In the skin, AQPs permit rapid, regulated, and selective water permeability and have been demonstrated to play a role in skin hydration, cell proliferation, migration, immunity, and wound healing. However, the expression of AQP-3 in the cutaneous burn wound has never been elucidated. We sought to assess the expression of AQP-3 in patients with burn wounds. Methods A fresh full thickness biopsy sample was taken from the center of the burn wound, the burn wound edge, and the graft donor site in 7 patients (n = 21), approximately 3–7 days post injury. Fixed, paraffin embedded sections were stained using AQP-3 specific antibody and examined by immunofluorescence. Fresh samples were processed to quantify AQP-3 protein expression with Western blot analysis. Results The central portion of the burn wound revealed destruction of the epidermis and dermis with no AQP-3 present. Along the burn wound edge where the epidermal architecture was disrupted, there was robust AQP-3 staining. Western blot analysis demonstrated deeper staining along the burn wound edge compared to unburned skin (control). Quantification of the protein shows a significant amount of AQP-3 expression along the burn wound edge (3.6 ± 0.34) compared to unburned skin (2.1 ± 0.28, N = 7, *p < 0.05). There is no AQP-3 expression in the burn wound center. Conclusion AQP-3 expression is increased in the burn wound following injury. While its role in wound healing has been defined, we report for the first time the effect of cutaneous burns on AQP-3 expression. Our data provides the first step in determining its functional role in burn wounds. We hypothesize that development of AQP3 targeted therapies may improve burn wound healing. PMID:25603981

They're heating up: Internet search query trends reveal significant public interest in heat-not-burn tobacco products.

PubMed

Caputi, Theodore L; Leas, Eric; Dredze, Mark; Cohen, Joanna E; Ayers, John W

2017-01-01

Heat-not-burn tobacco products, battery powered devices that heat leaf tobacco to approximately 500 degrees Fahrenheit to produce an inhalable aerosol, are being introduced in markets around the world. Japan, where manufacturers have marketed several heat-not-burn brands since 2014, has been the focal national test market, with the intention of developing global marketing strategies. We used Google search query data to estimate, for the first time, the scale and growth potential of heat-not-burn tobacco products. Average monthly searches for heat-not-burn products rose 1,426% (95%CI: 746,3574) between their first (2015) and second (2016) complete years on the market and an additional 100% (95%CI: 60, 173) between the products second (2016) and third years on the market (Jan-Sep 2017). There are now between 5.9 and 7.5 million heat-not-burn related Google searches in Japan each month based on September 2017 estimates. Moreover, forecasts relying on the historical trends suggest heat-not-burn searches will increase an additional 32% (95%CI: -4 to 79) during 2018, compared to current estimates for 2017 (Jan-Sep), with continued growth thereafter expected. Contrasting heat-not-burn's rise in Japan to electronic cigarettes' rise in the United States we find searches for heat-not-burn eclipsed electronic cigarette searches during April 2016. Moreover, the change in average monthly queries for heat-not-burn in Japan between 2015 and 2017 was 399 (95% CI: 184, 1490) times larger than the change in average monthly queries for electronic cigarettes in the Unites States over the same time period, increasing by 2,956% (95% CI: 1729, 7304) compared to only 7% (95% CI: 3,13). Our findings are a clarion call for tobacco control leaders to ready themselves as heat-not-burn tobacco products will likely garner substantial interest as they are introduced into new markets. Public health practitioners should expand heat-not-burn tobacco product surveillance, adjust existing tobacco control strategies to account for heat-not-burn tobacco products, and preemptively study the health risks/benefits, popular perceptions, and health messaging around heat-not-burn tobacco products.

Evaluation of wildfire patterns at the wildland-urban fringe across the continental U.S.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinoshita, A. M.; Hogue, T. S.

2014-12-01

Wildfires threaten ecosystems and urban development across the United States, posing significant implications for land management and natural processes such as watershed hydrology. This study investigates the spatial association between large wildfires and urbanization. Several geospatial dataset are combined to map wildfires (Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity for 1984 to 2012) and housing density (SILVIS Lab Spatial Analysis for Conservation and Sustainability decadal housing density for 1940 to 2030) relative to natural wildlands across the contiguous U.S. Several buffers (i.e. 25 km) are developed around wildlands (Protected Areas Database of the United States) to quantify the change and relationship in spatial fire and housing density patterns. Since 1984, wildfire behavior is cyclical and follows general climatology, where warmer years have more and larger fires. Ignition locations also follow transportation corridors and development which provide easy accessibility to wildlands. In California, both fire frequency and total acres burned exhibit increasing trends (statistically significant at 95%). The 1980s average wildfire frequency and total acres burned was 3100 fires and approximately 1200 km2, respectively. These numbers have increased to 2200 fires and over 1500 km2 in the 2010 to 2012 period alone. Initial observations also show that decennial population and area burned for four major Californian counties (Los Angeles, San Bernardino, San Diego, and Shasta) show strong correlation between the last decade of burned area, urban-fringe proximity, and urbanization trends. Improving our understanding of human induced wildfire regimes provides key information on urban fringe communities most vulnerable to the wildfire risks and can help inform regional development planning.

Additive Manufacturing of Silicon Carbide-Based Ceramic Matrix Composites: Technical Challenges and Opportunities

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Singh, Mrityunjay; Halbig, Michael C.; Grady, Joseph E.

2016-01-01

Advanced SiC-based ceramic matrix composites offer significant contributions toward reducing fuel burn and emissions by enabling high overall pressure ratio (OPR) of gas turbine engines and reducing or eliminating cooling air in the hot-section components, such as shrouds, combustor liners, vanes, and blades. Additive manufacturing (AM), which allows high value, custom designed parts layer by layer, has been demonstrated for metals and polymer matrix composites. However, there has been limited activity on additive manufacturing of ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). In this presentation, laminated object manufacturing (LOM), binder jet process, and 3-D printing approaches for developing ceramic composite materials are presented. For the laminated object manufacturing (LOM), fiber prepreg laminates were cut into shape with a laser and stacked to form the desired part followed by high temperature heat treatments. For the binder jet, processing optimization was pursued through silicon carbide powder blending, infiltration with and without SiC nano powder loading, and integration of fibers into the powder bed. Scanning electron microscopy was conducted along with XRD, TGA, and mechanical testing. Various technical challenges and opportunities for additive manufacturing of ceramics and CMCs will be presented.

Flexible poly(ethylene carbonate)/garnet composite solid electrolyte reinforced by poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) for lithium metal batteries

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

He, Zijian; Chen, Long; Zhang, Bochen; Liu, Yongchang; Fan, Li-Zhen

2018-07-01

Solid-state electrolytes with high ionic conductivities, great flexibility, and easy processability are needed for high-performance solid-state rechargeable lithium batteries. In this work, we synthesize nanosized cubic Li6.25Al0.25La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) by solution combustion method and develop a flexible garnet-based composite solid electrolyte composed of LLZO, poly(ethylene carbonate) (PEC), poly(vinylidene fluoride-hexafluoropropylene) (P(VdF-HFP) and lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI)). In the flexible composite solid electrolytes, LLZO nanoparticles, as ceramic matrix, have a positive effect on ionic conductivities and lithium ion transference number (tLi+). PEC, as a fast ion-conducting polymer, possesses high tLi+ inherently. P(VdF-HFP), as a binder, can strengthen mechanical properties. Consequently, the as-prepared composite solid electrolyte demonstrates high tLi+ (0.82) and superb thermal stability (remaining LLZO matrix after burning). All-solid-state LiFePO4|Li cells assembled with the flexible composite solid electrolyte deliver a high initial discharge specific capacity of 121.4 mAh g-1 and good cycling stability at 55 °C.

THz Imaging of Skin Burn: Seeing the Unseen—An Overview

PubMed Central

Dutta, Moumita; Bhalla, Amar S.; Guo, Ruyan

2016-01-01

Significance: This review article puts together all the studies performed so far in realizing terahertz (THz) spectra as a probing mechanism for burn evaluation, summarizing their experimental conditions, observations, outcomes, merits, and demerits, along with a comparative discussion of other currently used technologies to present the state of art in a condensed manner. The key features of this noncontact investigation technique like its precise burn depth analysis and the approaches it follows to convert the probed data into a quantitative measure have also been discussed in this article. Recent Advances: The current research developments in THz regime observed in device design technologies (like THz time domain spectrometer, quantum cascade THz lasers, THz single-photon detectors, etc.) and in understanding its unique properties (like nonionizing nature, penetrability through dry dielectrics, etc.) have motivated the research world to realize THz window as a potential candidate for burn detection. Critical Issues: Application of appropriate medical measure for burn injury is primarily subjective to proper estimation of burn depth. Tool modality distinguishing between partial and full-thickness burn contributing toward correct medical care is indeed awaited. Future Directions: The overview of THz imaging as a burn assessment tool as provided in this article will certainly help in further nurturing of this emerging diagnostic technique particularly in improving its detection and accompanied image processing methods so that the minute nuances captured by the THz beam can be correlated with the physiological–anatomical changes in skin structures, caused by burn, for better sensitivity, resolution, and quantitative analysis. PMID:27602253

THz Imaging of Skin Burn: Seeing the Unseen-An Overview.

PubMed

Dutta, Moumita; Bhalla, Amar S; Guo, Ruyan

2016-08-01

Significance: This review article puts together all the studies performed so far in realizing terahertz (THz) spectra as a probing mechanism for burn evaluation, summarizing their experimental conditions, observations, outcomes, merits, and demerits, along with a comparative discussion of other currently used technologies to present the state of art in a condensed manner. The key features of this noncontact investigation technique like its precise burn depth analysis and the approaches it follows to convert the probed data into a quantitative measure have also been discussed in this article. Recent Advances: The current research developments in THz regime observed in device design technologies (like THz time domain spectrometer, quantum cascade THz lasers, THz single-photon detectors, etc.) and in understanding its unique properties (like nonionizing nature, penetrability through dry dielectrics, etc.) have motivated the research world to realize THz window as a potential candidate for burn detection. Critical Issues: Application of appropriate medical measure for burn injury is primarily subjective to proper estimation of burn depth. Tool modality distinguishing between partial and full-thickness burn contributing toward correct medical care is indeed awaited. Future Directions: The overview of THz imaging as a burn assessment tool as provided in this article will certainly help in further nurturing of this emerging diagnostic technique particularly in improving its detection and accompanied image processing methods so that the minute nuances captured by the THz beam can be correlated with the physiological-anatomical changes in skin structures, caused by burn, for better sensitivity, resolution, and quantitative analysis.

Risk factors for childhood burns: a case-control study of Ghanaian children.

PubMed

Forjuoh, S N; Guyer, B; Strobino, D M; Keyl, P M; Diener-West, M; Smith, G S

1995-04-01

To study risk factors for childhood burns in order to identify possible preventive strategies. Case-control design with pair matching of controls to cases in relation to age, sex, and area of residence. The cases and controls were identified by a community based, multisite survey. The effects of host and socioenvironmental variables reported by mothers were investigated in a multivariate analysis using conditional logistic regression. A developing country setting the Ashanti Region in Ghana. These comprised 610 cases aged 0-5 years who had been burned (as evidenced by a visible scar) and 610 controls with no burn history. The presence of a pre-existing impairment in a child was the strongest risk factor in this population (OR = 6.71; 95% CI 2.78, 16.16). Other significant risk factor included: sibling death from a burn (OR = 4.41; 95% CI 1.16, 16.68); history of burn in a sibling (OR = 1.79; 95% CI 1.24, 2.58); and storage of a flammable substance in the home (OR = 1.51; 95% CI 1.03; 2.21). Maternal education had a protective effect against childhood burns, although this effect was not strong (OR = 0.76; 95% CI 0.55, 1.05). Community programmes to ensure adequate child supervision and general child wellbeing, particularly for those with impairments, as well as parental education about burns are recommended, to reduce childhood burns in this region of Ghana. The public should bed advised against storing flammable substances in the home.

Basic investigation into the present burn care system in China: burn units, doctors, nurses, beds and special treatment equipment.

PubMed

Zhanzeng, Feng; Yurong, Zheng; Chuangang, You; Yunyun, Jin; Xingang, Wang; Zhaofan, Xia; Chunmao, Han

2015-03-01

The aim of the study was to survey the current burn units in China to understand the burn care system in the country and supply basic data for the National Burn Repository of China (NBRC) and further research. A questionnaire was developed and sent to burn unit directors in China via e-mail, which was followed up with reminder text messages to obtain information for the study. Of the 405 hospitals from the 31 provinces in mainland China that responded to the questionnaire, 63.7% of the responses came from Grade 3A hospitals, and the most popular model of organisation was the Burns and Plastic Surgery arrangement (63.0%). An average of 9.43±0.351 doctors work in each burn unit with 70.4% of all units having 4-11 doctors. The ratio of chief surgeon to associate chief surgeon to attending surgeon to resident surgeon and surgeon assistant was 1:1.8:2.2:2.3. An average of 30% of all doctors in each burn unit held postgraduate degrees, and more than 90% of all surgeons held a bachelor's degree or higher. There were 16.48±0.637 nurses per burn unit, 56.5% of burn units had 8-15 nurses, and the ratio of chief nurse to associate chief nurse to supervisor nurse to nurse practitioner to junior nurse was 1:11.8:57.0:82.1:86.1. More than 80% of all nurses had received a college education or above. However, only 30% of nurses held bachelor's degrees or higher, while only 0.66% of nurses had received postgraduate degrees. A total of 39.91±1.50 beds were available in each burn unit and 45% of burn units had 20-39 beds. Up to 70% of the total beds were prepared for patients with burn, and more than 10% of the beds were specifically for patients with severe burn. The ratios of doctors to nurses, beds to doctors, beds to nurses, and beds to doctors and nurses were 0.64±0.01, 4.48±0.12, 2.67±0.09, and 1.66±0.06, respectively. The workload of each doctor and nurse was most heavy in units with 40-59 beds. In addition, we estimated that there were 0.05, 0.5, 0.8, and 1.9 burn units, burn doctors, nurses, and beds, respectively, per 100,000 members of the population in mainland China. Chinese burn units lack special burn treatments, nursing equipment, and operation apparatuses. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first survey of the present burn care system in China. These results confirm that the burn care system is not equivalent to the national power of this country and the system lacks a great number of trained burn professionals. Burn doctors and nurses bear a heavy burden of work. This report supplies basic data to spur further research. We propose creating a burn unit registration system and a special database in China. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

A Florida validation study of the Standardized Field Sobriety Test (S.F.S.T.) battery

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-01-01

During the years 1975 - 1981, a battery of field sobriety tests was developed under funding by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Department of Transportation (Burns and Moskowitz, 1977; Tharp, Burns, and Moskowitz, 1981...

Scheduled civil aircraft emission inventories for 1992: Database development and analysis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Baughcum, Steven L.; Tritz, Terrance G.; Henderson, Stephen C.; Pickett, David C.

1996-01-01

This report describes the development of a three-dimensional database of aircraft fuel burn and emissions (fuel burned, NOx, CO, and hydrocarbons) from scheduled commercial aircraft for each month of 1992. The seasonal variation in aircraft emissions was calculated for selected regions (global, North America, Europe, North Atlantic, and North Pacific). A series of parametric calculations were done to quantify the possible errors introduced from making approximations necessary to calculate the global emission inventory. The effects of wind, temperature, load factor, payload, and fuel tankering on fuel burn were evaluated to identify how they might affect the accuracy of aircraft emission inventories. These emissions inventories are available for use by atmospheric scientists conducting the Atmospheric Effects of Aviation Project (AEAP) modeling studies. Fuel burned and emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx as N02), carbon monoxide, and hydrocarbons have been calculated on a 1 degree latitude x 1 degree longitude x 1 kilometer altitude grid and delivered to NASA as electronic files.

Nitramine smokeless propellant research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cohen, N. S.; Strand, L. P.

1977-01-01

A transient ballistics and combustion model is derived to represent the closed vessel experiment that is widely used to characterize propellants. A computer program is developed to solve the time-dependent equations, and is applied to explain aspects of closed vessel behavior. In the case of nitramine propellants the cratering of the burning surface associated with combustion above break-point pressures augments the effective burning rate as deduced from the closed vessel experiment. Low pressure combustion is significantly affected by the ignition process and, in the case of nitramine propellants, by the developing and changing surface structure. Thus, burning rates deduced from the closed vessel experiment may or may not agree with those measured in the equilibrium strand burner. Series of T burner experiments are performed to compare the combustion instability characteristics of nitramine (HMX) containing propellants and ammonium perchlorate (AP)propellants. Although ash produced by more fuel rich propellants could have provided mechanical suppression, results from clean-burning propellants permit the conclusion that HMX reduces the acoustic driving.

Polymer Electrolytes for Lithium/Sulfur Batteries

PubMed Central

Zhao, Yan; Zhang, Yongguang; Gosselink, Denise; Doan, The Nam Long; Sadhu, Mikhail; Cheang, Ho-Jae; Chen, Pu

2012-01-01

This review evaluates the characteristics and advantages of employing polymer electrolytes in lithium/sulfur (Li/S) batteries. The main highlights of this study constitute detailed information on the advanced developments for solid polymer electrolytes and gel polymer electrolytes, used in the lithium/sulfur battery. This includes an in-depth analysis conducted on the preparation and electrochemical characteristics of the Li/S batteries based on these polymer electrolytes. PMID:24958296

Advances and challenges in the field of plasma polymer nanoparticles

PubMed Central

Pleskunov, Pavel; Nikitin, Daniil; Titov, Valerii; Shelemin, Artem; Vaidulych, Mykhailo; Kuzminova, Anna; Solař, Pavel; Hanuš, Jan; Kousal, Jaroslav; Kylián, Ondřej; Slavínská, Danka; Biederman, Hynek

2017-01-01

This contribution reviews plasma polymer nanoparticles produced by gas aggregation cluster sources either via plasma polymerization of volatile monomers or via radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering of conventional polymers. The formation of hydrocarbon, fluorocarbon, silicon- and nitrogen-containing plasma polymer nanoparticles as well as core@shell nanoparticles based on plasma polymers is discussed with a focus on the development of novel nanostructured surfaces. PMID:29046847

Advances and challenges in the field of plasma polymer nanoparticles.

PubMed

Choukourov, Andrei; Pleskunov, Pavel; Nikitin, Daniil; Titov, Valerii; Shelemin, Artem; Vaidulych, Mykhailo; Kuzminova, Anna; Solař, Pavel; Hanuš, Jan; Kousal, Jaroslav; Kylián, Ondřej; Slavínská, Danka; Biederman, Hynek

2017-01-01

This contribution reviews plasma polymer nanoparticles produced by gas aggregation cluster sources either via plasma polymerization of volatile monomers or via radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering of conventional polymers. The formation of hydrocarbon, fluorocarbon, silicon- and nitrogen-containing plasma polymer nanoparticles as well as core@shell nanoparticles based on plasma polymers is discussed with a focus on the development of novel nanostructured surfaces.

Propagation of Cutaneous Thermal Injury: A Mathematical Model

PubMed Central

Xue, Chuan; Chou, Ching-Shan; Kao, Chiu-Yen; Sen, Chandan K.; Friedman, Avner

2012-01-01

Cutaneous burn wounds represent a significant public health problem with 500,000 patients per year in the U.S. seeking medical attention. Immediately after skin burn injury, the volume of the wound burn expands due to a cascade of chemical reactions, including lipid peroxidation chain reactions. Based on these chemical reactions, the present paper develops for the first time a three-dimensional mathematical model to quantify the propagation of tissue damage within 12 hours post initial burn. We use the model to investigate the effect of supplemental antioxidant vitamin E for stopping the propagation. We show, for example, that if the production rate of vitamin E is increased, post burn, by five times the natural production in a healthy tissue, then this would slow down the lipid peroxide propagation by at least 50%. Our model is formulated in terms of differential equations, and sensitivity analysis is performed on the parameters to ensure the robustness of the results. PMID:22211391

Investigation of burn effect on skin using simultaneous Raman-Brillouin spectroscopy, and fluorescence microspectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Coker, Zachary; Meng, Zhaokai; Troyanova-Wood, Maria; Traverso, Andrew; Ballmann, Charles; Petrov, Georgi; Ibey, Bennett L.; Yakovlev, Vladislav

2017-02-01

Burns are thermal injuries that can completely damage or at least compromise the protective function of skin, and affect the ability of tissues to manage moisture. Burn-damaged tissues exhibit lower elasticity than healthy tissues, due to significantly reduced water concentrations and plasma retention. Current methods for determining burn intensity are limited to visual inspection, and potential hospital x-ray examination. We present a unique confocal microscope capable of measuring Raman and Brillouin spectra simultaneously, with concurrent fluorescence investigation from a single spatial location, and demonstrate application by investigating and characterizing the properties of burn-afflicted tissue on chicken skin model. Raman and Brillouin scattering offer complementary information about a material's chemical and mechanical structure, while fluorescence can serve as a useful diagnostic indicator and imaging tool. The developed instrument has the potential for very diverse analytical applications in basic biomedical science and biomedical diagnostics and imaging.

Clay Improvement with Burned Olive Waste Ash

PubMed Central

Mutman, Utkan

2013-01-01

Olive oil is concentrated in the Mediterranean basin countries. Since the olive oil industries are incriminated for a high quantity of pollution, it has become imperative to solve this problem by developing optimized systems for the treatment of olive oil wastes. This study proposes a solution to the problem. Burned olive waste ash is evaluated for using it as clay stabilizer. In a laboratory, bentonite clay is used to improve olive waste ash. Before the laboratory, the olive waste is burned at 550°C in the high temperature oven. The burned olive waste ash was added to bentonite clay with increasing 1% by weight from 1% to 10%. The study consisted of the following tests on samples treated with burned olive waste ash: Atterberg Limits, Standard Proctor Density, and Unconfined Compressive Strength Tests. The test results show promise for this material to be used as stabilizer and to solve many of the problems associated with its accumulation. PMID:23766671

Erosive Burning Study Utilizing Ultrasonic Measurement Techniques

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Furfaro, James A.

2003-01-01

A 6-segment subscale motor was developed to generate a range of internal environments from which multiple propellants could be characterized for erosive burning. The motor test bed was designed to provide a high Mach number, high mass flux environment. Propellant regression rates were monitored for each segment utilizing ultrasonic measurement techniques. These data were obtained for three propellants RSRM, ETM- 03, and Castor@ IVA, which span two propellant types, PBAN (polybutadiene acrylonitrile) and HTPB (hydroxyl terminated polybutadiene). The characterization of these propellants indicates a remarkably similar erosive burning response to the induced flow environment. Propellant burnrates for each type had a conventional response with respect to pressure up to a bulk flow velocity threshold. Each propellant, however, had a unique threshold at which it would experience an increase in observed propellant burn rate. Above the observed threshold each propellant again demonstrated a similar enhanced burn rate response corresponding to the local flow environment.

Development of the ClearSky smoke dispersion forecast system for agricultural field burning in the Pacific Northwest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jain, Rahul; Vaughan, Joseph; Heitkamp, Kyle; Ramos, Charleston; Claiborn, Candis; Schreuder, Maarten; Schaaf, Mark; Lamb, Brian

The post-harvest burning of agricultural fields is commonly used to dispose of crop residue and provide other desired services such as pest control. Despite careful regulation of burning, smoke plumes from field burning in the Pacific Northwest commonly degrade air quality, particularly for rural populations. In this paper, ClearSky, a numerical smoke dispersion forecast system for agricultural field burning that was developed to support smoke management in the Inland Pacific Northwest, is described. ClearSky began operation during the summer through fall burn season of 2002 and continues to the present. ClearSky utilizes Mesoscale Meteorological Model version 5 (MM5v3) forecasts from the University of Washington, data on agricultural fields, a web-based user interface for defining burn scenarios, the Lagrangian CALPUFF dispersion model and web-served animations of plume forecasts. The ClearSky system employs a unique hybrid source configuration, which treats the flaming portion of a field as a buoyant line source and the smoldering portion of the field as a buoyant area source. Limited field observations show that this hybrid approach yields reasonable plume rise estimates using source parameters derived from recent field burning emission field studies. The performance of this modeling system was evaluated for 2003 by comparing forecast meteorology against meteorological observations, and comparing model-predicted hourly averaged PM 2.5 concentrations against observations. Examples from this evaluation illustrate that while the ClearSky system can accurately predict PM 2.5 surface concentrations due to field burning, the overall model performance depends strongly on meteorological forecast error. Statistical evaluation of the meteorological forecast at seven surface stations indicates a strong relationship between topographical complexity near the station and absolute wind direction error with wind direction errors increasing from approximately 20° for sites in open areas to 70° or more for sites in very complex terrain. The analysis also showed some days with good forecast meteorology with absolute mean error in wind direction less than 30° when ClearSky correctly predicted PM 2.5 surface concentrations at receptors affected by field burns. On several other days with similar levels of wind direction error the model did not predict apparent plume impacts. In most of these cases, there were no reported burns in the vicinity of the monitor and, thus, it appeared that other, non-reported burns were responsible for the apparent plume impact at the monitoring site. These cases do not provide information on the performance of the model, but rather indicate that further work is needed to identify all burns and to improve burn reports in an accurate and timely manner. There were also a number of days with wind direction errors exceeding 70° when the forecast system did not correctly predict plume behavior.

Polymer Fluid Dynamics.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bird, R. Byron

1980-01-01

Problems in polymer fluid dynamics are described, including development of constitutive equations, rheometry, kinetic theory, flow visualization, heat transfer studies, flows with phase change, two-phase flow, polymer unit operations, and drag reduction. (JN)

Electrically conducting polymers for aerospace applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meador, Mary Ann B.; Gaier, James R.; Good, Brian S.; Sharp, G. R.; Meador, Michael A.

1991-01-01

Current research on electrically conducting polymers from 1974 to the present is reviewed focusing on the development of materials for aeronautic and space applications. Problems discussed include extended pi-systems, pyrolytic polymers, charge-transfer systems, conductive matrix resins for composite materials, and prospects for the use of conducting polymers in space photovoltaics.

A Developmental History of Polymer Mass Spectrometry

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vergne, Matthew J.; Hercules, David M.; Lattimer, Robert P.

2007-01-01

The history of the development of mass spectroscopic methods used to characterize polymers is discussed. The continued improvements in methods and instrumentation will offer new and better ways for the mass spectral characterization of polymers and mass spectroscopy (MS) should be recognized as a complementary polymer characterization method along…

Two-year hospital records of burns from a referral center in Western Iran: March 2010-March 2012.

PubMed

Ahmadijouybari, Touraj; Najafi, Farid; Moradinazar, Mehdi; Karami-matin, Behzad; Karami-matin, Reza; Ataie, Maria; Hatami, Masoumeh; Purghorbani, Samira; Amee, Vahid

2014-01-01

Burns are among the most common injuries affecting a great number of people worldwide annually. In Iran, especially in its western region and in Kermanshah province, burns have a relatively high incidence. The present study was aimed at investigating epidemiological characteristics in Western Iran. Within a cross-sectional study, the data on all patients attending the Burns Center at Imam Khomeini Hospital (Kermanshah, Iran) during 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 (24 months) were collected. Then, age, gender, cause of burns, total body surface area, and time of the occurrence were extracted from the hospital records. The data were analyzed using the SPSS statistical package (Version 19, for Windows). We used chi-squared test when we compared the categorical responses between two or more groups. For comparing means between two groups we used t-test. In addition, trends were investigated using linear regression. Overall 13,248 people were referred to the Burns Center at Imam Khomeini Hospital (Kermanshah, Iran) during the period of study, including 328 cases of self-immolation. The mean age of the patients was 27±19 years and 29±13 years for unintentional burns and self-immolation respectively. Out of the total number of unintentional cases, 6,519 (50.5%) were men, while the corresponding percentage of men among the self-immolation cases was 16.6% (p less than 0.001). Trends in the number of cases were cyclic, with the highest and lowest number of burns cases being in March and May. Overall, hot liquids and flammable materials were the two most important causes of unintentional burns. However, flammable materials were the main cause of burns among self-immolation cases. During hospital admission, 168 (51%) self-immolation victims and 43 (0.33%) unintentional burn victims died. While major preventive measures are not adequately used in developing countries, burns and their burden can be significantly reduced by increasing public awareness and by applying simple preventive measures. © 2014 KUMS, All rights reserved.

Sodium Butyrate Protects against Severe Burn-Induced Remote Acute Lung Injury in Rats

PubMed Central

Liu, Sheng; Guo, Feng; Sun, Li; Wang, Yong-Jie; Sun, Ye-Xiang; Chen, Xu-Lin

2013-01-01

High-mobility group box 1 protein (HMGB1), a ubiquitous nuclear protein, drives proinflammatory responses when released extracellularly. It plays a key role as a distal mediator in the development of acute lung injury (ALI). Sodium butyrate, an inhibitor of histone deacetylase, has been demonstrated to inhibit HMGB1 expression. This study investigates the effect of sodium butyrate on burn-induced lung injury. Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into three groups: 1) sham group, sham burn treatment; 2) burn group, third-degree burns over 30% total body surface area (TBSA) with lactated Ringer’s solution for resuscitation; 3) burn plus sodium butyrate group, third-degree burns over 30% TBSA with lactated Ringer’s solution containing sodium butyrate for resuscitation. The burned animals were sacrificed at 12, 24, and 48 h after burn injury. Lung injury was assessed in terms of histologic changes and wet weight to dry weight (W/D) ratio. Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and interleukin (IL)-8 protein concentrations in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and serum were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and HMGB1 expression in the lung was determined by Western blot analysis. Pulmonary myeloperoxidase (MPO) activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentration were measured to reflect neutrophil infiltration and oxidative stress in the lung, respectively. As a result, sodium butyrate significantly inhibited the HMGB1 expressions in the lungs, reduced the lung W/D ratio, and improved the pulmonary histologic changes induced by burn trauma. Furthermore, sodium butyrate administration decreased the TNF-α and IL-8 concentrations in BALF and serum, suppressed MPO activity, and reduced the MDA content in the lungs after severe burn. These results suggest that sodium butyrate attenuates inflammatory responses, neutrophil infiltration, and oxidative stress in the lungs, and protects against remote ALI induced by severe burn, which is associated with inhibiting HMGB1 expression. PMID:23874764

Pediatric deep burns caused by hot incense ashes during 2014 Spring Festival in Fuyang city, China.

PubMed

Wang, Jian; Zhou, Bo; Tao, Ren Qin; Chen, Xu Lin

2016-01-01

The Chinese people in Fuyang city, a northwest city of Anhui Province, are accustomed to burning incense at home for blessing during the Spring Festival. Their children, especially toddlers, like playing around the burning incense and are at risk of burning by hot incense ashes. The purpose of this study was to describe the unique cause and clinical characteristics of pediatric deep burns caused by hot incense ashes during 2014 Spring Festival. Twelve consecutive children admitted to our Burn Center and Fuyang People's Hospital during 2014 Spring Festival, with burn injuries caused by hot incense ashes which were epidemiologically studied retrospectively. Data on age, gender, size, depth and site of burn, incidence by day, number of operation, hospital stay, and causes of burns were collected. All patients came from Fuyang city. Of the 12 patients, the average age was 2.17 years, with a range of 1-6. The boy-to-girl ratio was 2: 1. The mean total burn surface area (TBSA) was 5.83%, and 91.67% of the children sustained full-thickness burn. Hands were the most common parts of the body to be injured. Dry necrosis developed in 14 fingers of 3 patients. January 31, 2014, the first day of the Chinese New Year, was the time of highest incidence. Six patients (50%) required surgical intervention while the number of operations including escharectomy, excision, skin grafting, or amputation of necrotic fingers, per patient was 2. A total of 14 fingers were amputated of the necrotic parts. All children survived and mean length of hospital stay of the patients was 20 days. Hot incense ashes cause serious injuries to children in Fuyang city during the Spring Festival. Preventive programs should be directed towards high risk groups to reduce the incidence of this burn.

The epidemiology of geriatric burns in Iran: A national burn registry-based study.

PubMed

Emami, Seyed-Abolhassan; Motevalian, Seyed Abbas; Momeni, Mahnoush; Karimi, Hamid

2016-08-01

Defining the epidemiology and outcome of geriatric burn patients is critical for specialized burn centers, health-care workers, and governments. Better resource use and effective guidelines are some of the advantages of studies focusing on this aspect. The outcome of these patients serves as an objective criterion for quality control, research, and preventive programs. We used data from the burn registry program in our country. For 2 years, >28,700 burn patients were recorded, 1721 of whom were admitted. Among them, 187 patients were ≥55 years old. Sixty-nine percent of patients were male and 31% female, with a male to female ratio of 2.22:1. The mean±standard deviation (SD) of age was 63.4±8.1. The cause of burns was flame (58.2%) and scalds (20.3%). Most of the burns were sustained at home. The mean duration of hospital stay was 19.5 days (range 3-59 days). The mean (SD) of the total body surface area (TBSA) was 20.3% (8.4%). The median hospital stay (length of stay (LOS)) was 11 days (SD=14). The increase in TBSA was related to a longer LOS (p<0.02). Burn wound infection developed in 44.3% of patients. The presence of inhalation injury was significantly related to mortality (p<0.001). Among the patients, 9% recovered completely, 74.9% recovered partially (requiring further treatment), 1% underwent amputation, and 12.8% died. The lack of insurance coverage did not affect the survival of our geriatric burn patients. However, being alone or single, ignition of clothing, cause of burn, comorbid illnesses, complications following the burn, TBSA, age, and sepsis were positively correlated with mortality. The mean cost of treatment for each patient was about $7450. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Returning fire to the mountains: can we successfully restore the ecological role of pre-Euroamerican fire regimes to the Sierra Nevada?

Treesearch

Anthony C. Caprio; David M. Graber

2000-01-01

This paper examines the resultant conditions of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park’s burn program relative to knowledge about past fire regimes in this ecosystem. Estimates of past fire-return intervals provide management direction and were used to develop approximations of area burned prior to Euroamerican settlement. This information was used to develop simple...

Experimental Polymer Mechanochemistry and its Interpretational Frameworks.

PubMed

Akbulatov, Sergey; Boulatov, Roman

2017-06-02

Polymer mechanochemistry is an emerging field at the interface of chemistry, materials science, physics and engineering. It aims at understanding and exploiting unique reactivities of polymer chains confined to highly non-equilibrium stretched geometries by interactions with their surroundings. Macromolecular chains or their segments become stretched in bulk polymers under mechanical loads or when polymer solutions are sonicated or flow rapidly through abrupt contractions. An increasing amount of empirical data suggests that mechanochemical phenomena are widespread wherever polymers are used. In the past decade, empirical mechanochemistry has progressed enormously, from studying fragmentations of commodity polymers by simple backbone homolysis to demonstrations of self-strengthening and stress-reporting materials and mechanochemical cascades using purposefully designed monomers. This progress has not yet been matched by the development of conceptual frameworks within which to rationalize, systematize and generalize empirical mechanochemical observations. As a result, mechanistic and/or quantitative understanding of mechanochemical phenomena remains, with few exceptions, tentative. In this review we aim at systematizing reported macroscopic manifestations of polymer mechanochemistry, and critically assessing the interpretational framework that underlies their molecular rationalizations from a physical chemist's perspective. We propose a hierarchy of mechanochemical phenomena which may guide the development of multiscale models of mechanochemical reactivity to match the breadth and utility of the Eyring equation of chemical kinetics. We discuss the limitations of the approaches to quantifying and validating mechanochemical reactivity, with particular focus on sonicated polymer solutions, in order to identify outstanding questions that need to be solved for polymer mechanochemistry to become a rigorous, quantitative field. We conclude by proposing 7 problems whose solution may have a disproportionate impact on the development of polymer mechanochemistry. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Water-Based Coating Simplifies Circuit Board Manufacturing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2008-01-01

The Structures and Materials Division at Glenn Research Center is devoted to developing advanced, high-temperature materials and processes for future aerospace propulsion and power generation systems. The Polymers Branch falls under this division, and it is involved in the development of high-performance materials, including polymers for high-temperature polymer matrix composites; nanocomposites for both high- and low-temperature applications; durable aerogels; purification and functionalization of carbon nanotubes and their use in composites; computational modeling of materials and biological systems and processes; and developing polymer-derived molecular sensors. Essentially, this branch creates high-performance materials to reduce the weight and boost performance of components for space missions and aircraft engine components. Under the leadership of chemical engineer, Dr. Michael Meador, the Polymers Branch boasts world-class laboratories, composite manufacturing facilities, testing stations, and some of the best scientists in the field.

Computational investigations of low-emission burner facilities for char gas burning in a power boiler

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roslyakov, P. V.; Morozov, I. V.; Zaychenko, M. N.; Sidorkin, V. T.

2016-04-01

Various variants for the structure of low-emission burner facilities, which are meant for char gas burning in an operating TP-101 boiler of the Estonia power plant, are considered. The planned increase in volumes of shale reprocessing and, correspondingly, a rise in char gas volumes cause the necessity in their cocombustion. In this connection, there was a need to develop a burner facility with a given capacity, which yields effective char gas burning with the fulfillment of reliability and environmental requirements. For this purpose, the burner structure base was based on the staging burning of fuel with the gas recirculation. As a result of the preliminary analysis of possible structure variants, three types of early well-operated burner facilities were chosen: vortex burner with the supply of recirculation gases into the secondary air, vortex burner with the baffle supply of recirculation gases between flows of the primary and secondary air, and burner facility with the vortex pilot burner. Optimum structural characteristics and operation parameters were determined using numerical experiments. These experiments using ANSYS CFX bundled software of computational hydrodynamics were carried out with simulation of mixing, ignition, and burning of char gas. Numerical experiments determined the structural and operation parameters, which gave effective char gas burning and corresponded to required environmental standard on nitrogen oxide emission, for every type of the burner facility. The burner facility for char gas burning with the pilot diffusion burner in the central part was developed and made subject to computation results. Preliminary verification nature tests on the TP-101 boiler showed that the actual content of nitrogen oxides in burner flames of char gas did not exceed a claimed concentration of 150 ppm (200 mg/m3).

The role of silver sulphadiazine in the conservative treatment of partial thickness burn wounds: A systematic review.

PubMed

Heyneman, A; Hoeksema, H; Vandekerckhove, D; Pirayesh, A; Monstrey, S

2016-11-01

For more than 40 years, silver sulphadiazine 1% (SSD) is considered as standard therapy for the conservative treatment of burn wounds. However, in the last 10 years, substantial disadvantages of SSD have been reported in the literature and probably as a result of this, several new dressings for burn wounds have been developed and put on the market. The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate the available evidence on SSD in the conservative treatment of burns, specifically in comparison with the newer burn dressings that are increasingly being used nowadays. A search filter was composed to select randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from the MEDLINE database. Only RCTs studying the effect of conservative treatment on burns were selected. At least one of the two comparative groups was treated with SSD. Each included article was analysed and relevant data (baseline parameters, interventions, outcomes and methodological parameters) were registered using Microsoft Office Excel 2007. Many dressings showed superior healing properties compared to SSD, but no dressing was able to show a clear benefit over SSD regarding infection. The number of dressing changes, pain and patient's satisfaction are more favourable in the newer dressings, especially with solid and biological dressings. The results of this systematic review clearly demonstrate that a faster wound healing is obtained with the newly developed burn dressings. Additionally, these new dressings tend to be more comfortable for the patients and easier to use for care givers. The minor differences in antibacterial activity between SSD and the new products did not seem to have any influence on the rate of wound healing. Since rapid wound closure is essential to obtain an optimal functional and aesthetic outcome, it can be concluded from the results of this systemic review that the standard use of SSD in the conservative treatment of burn wounds can no longer be supported. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd and ISBI. All rights reserved.

Synthesis of metal-polymer nanocomposites for fuel applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pontes Lima, Ricardo Jose

Metal particles have long been of interest as fuel and fuel additives for propellants and explosives because their high-density energy. In general, their volumetric energy density is higher as compared to conventional hydrocarbon-based fuel. This advantage is clearly beneficial for volume-limited rocket propulsion systems, in which the most important parameter is the density-based specific impulse. It is widely known that the reactivity of metal particles increases when particle size decreases. Significant improvements in combustion behaviors of propellant have been attributed to the use of nanosize metal particles, for example faster burning rates and shorter ignition delay time. For this reason the application of nanosize particles as fuel could be preferable than large particles. However, several difficulties limit the use of ultrafine particles in fuel applications and propellants. Most of them are attributed to the oxide layer formation on the particles that prevents good combustion performance. In boron applications, practical difficulties such as poor ignition and combustion performance, have so far limited extensive use of boron for fuel applications. Indications are that application of non-oxide coatings on particles protects them against premature oxidation and enhances their combustion properties. A number of methods have been proposed to coat metal particles with a variety of organic compounds or other metals. Common applications provides coatings of saturated hydrocarbons or fatty acids, such as oleic acid as a means to passivation the particles. Recently, high-energy ball milling, in combination with chemical reactions, was applied to fabricate nanostructured metal particles coated with organic compounds. One of the advantages of this technique is that the passivation be integrated into the production of particles as a single step. For example, the reactive milling of boron in oleic acid solution showed an improved reactivity of as-milled powders. However, the versatility of the mechanical milling technique suggests that a vast range of organic compounds could be applied to the capping of particles. Thus, developing a new method to obtain metal nanosized particles coated with chemical substances that can further improve the properties of particles is a great challenge. The first contribution of this work is to investigate the reactive milling process of metal powders, such as boron and aluminum, to better understand the experimental methodology as a means to obtain energetic-capped metal particles. To this end, a comparative experimental study was performed to evaluate two variations of the mechanical milling. In a typical procedure, metal powders and the reagents are poured into the mill vial at the start of milling. The organic reactions occur simultaneously in the milling process. In the alternative procedure, the powders are milled prior the addition of the organic reagent, thus a stepwise process is done. For both methods, an organic functionalized compound was grafted onto the particles, followed by their incorporation into an energetic polymer matrix to create a metal-polymer composite. The results highlight the differences in shape in size of particles, identifying some drawbacks for both applications, as well as analyzing the effects on combustion properties of the organic-capped powders and the binder composites. The analysis of the first results of the reactive milling showed that this way might lead to by-products and self-polymerization of organic coatings. That is the main drawback for the simultaneous milling process, preventing a better performance of as-milled powders. Considering this problem, it was necessary to modify the milling procedure to further improve the capping of metal particle. Thus, the second part of experiments applies an energetic polymer direct grafted onto particles as a means to further improvements in the energetic properties of powders. Glycidyl azide polymer (GAP) was chosen as candidate to coat the particles because of its good energetic properties. Since the mixture viscosity increases as the size of particles decreases, low-viscosity reagents are recommended to avoid very high viscosity. The molecular weight of GAP can range from 700 to 5500 and the number of hydroxyl end groups from 0 (GAP plasticizer) to 3. Among these polymers, the GAP plasticizer (700 g mol-1, low viscosity) has good properties to be applied in reactive milling. However, some functionalized groups are necessary to graft the polymer onto metal particles and the GAP plasticizer does not carry telechelic hydroxyl groups. To achieve a better reactivity of this polymer and the fresh metal surface, the GAP plasticizer was chemically modified to make some additional acid-functionalized branches in the main chain of the polymer. The direct method for coating the metal particles with the modified GAP was more effective in forming the energetic layer, which has influenced the dispersion of powders into polymers and increased the total energy release by the combustion of metal-polymer composites. The last phase of this research addressed the production of boron-polymer composites for combustion purposes. Boron has a very high gravimetric (58 kJ/g) and volumetric (136 kJ/cc) heating value. This clearly exceeds other metal or other conventional hydrocarbon fuels in both mass and volumetric energy production. Despite of this great potential energy, boron has rarely achieved its potential in propulsion systems, whereas the aluminum is the most common metal employed in the preparation of composite solid propellants. A number of studies addressed to the boron combustion attribute its reduced performance to a certain combustion property of the metal. The boron oxide (B2O3) layer, normally found on the particles is highly stable and leads to long ignition delay times. Therefore, the elemental boron ignites in a two-stage process. The first stage corresponds to the burning of boron covered with an oxide layer, and the second stage involves the completion of the combustion of the bare boron particle. The use of light metals, such as magnesium and aluminum as additives in boron formulations, has been indicated as a means to enhance its combustion efficiency. Recently, improvements of the combustion efficiency of boron were associated with the use of magnesium and aluminum as additives. The mechanism proposed for these improvements was boron oxide removal by reaction with aluminum and the additional heat release by the easy ignition of magnesium. In this work, it was proposed to apply of a layer of energetic polymer on the boron particles, which, in addition to releasing a significant amount of energy, brings other benefits in terms of the final application of the particles as fuel (i.e., the dispersion of particles into a polymer binder).

The Use of Virtual Reality Facilitates Dialectical Behavior Therapy® "Observing Sounds and Visuals" Mindfulness Skills Training Exercises for a Latino Patient with Severe Burns: A Case Study.

PubMed

Gomez, Jocelyn; Hoffman, Hunter G; Bistricky, Steven L; Gonzalez, Miriam; Rosenberg, Laura; Sampaio, Mariana; Garcia-Palacios, Azucena; Navarro-Haro, Maria V; Alhalabi, Wadee; Rosenberg, Marta; Meyer, Walter J; Linehan, Marsha M

2017-01-01

Sustaining a burn injury increases an individual's risk of developing psychological problems such as generalized anxiety, negative emotions, depression, acute stress disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite the growing use of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy® (DBT®) by clinical psychologists, to date, there are no published studies using standard DBT® or DBT® skills learning for severe burn patients. The current study explored the feasibility and clinical potential of using Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) enhanced DBT® mindfulness skills training to reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions of a patient with severe burn injuries. The participant was a hospitalized (in house) 21-year-old Spanish speaking Latino male patient being treated for a large (>35% TBSA) severe flame burn injury. Methods: The patient looked into a pair of Oculus Rift DK2 virtual reality goggles to perceive the computer-generated virtual reality illusion of floating down a river, with rocks, boulders, trees, mountains, and clouds, while listening to DBT® mindfulness training audios during 4 VR sessions over a 1 month period. Study measures were administered before and after each VR session. Results: As predicted, the patient reported increased positive emotions and decreased negative emotions. The patient also accepted the VR mindfulness treatment technique. He reported the sessions helped him become more comfortable with his emotions and he wanted to keep using mindfulness after returning home. Conclusions: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is an empirically validated treatment approach that has proved effective with non-burn patient populations for treating many of the psychological problems experienced by severe burn patients. The current case study explored for the first time, the use of immersive virtual reality enhanced DBT® mindfulness skills training with a burn patient. The patient reported reductions in negative emotions and increases in positive emotions, after VR DBT® mindfulness skills training. Immersive Virtual Reality is becoming widely available to mainstream consumers, and thus has the potential to make this treatment available to a much wider number of patient populations, including severe burn patients. Additional development, and controlled studies are needed.

The Use of Virtual Reality Facilitates Dialectical Behavior Therapy® “Observing Sounds and Visuals” Mindfulness Skills Training Exercises for a Latino Patient with Severe Burns: A Case Study

PubMed Central

Gomez, Jocelyn; Hoffman, Hunter G.; Bistricky, Steven L.; Gonzalez, Miriam; Rosenberg, Laura; Sampaio, Mariana; Garcia-Palacios, Azucena; Navarro-Haro, Maria V.; Alhalabi, Wadee; Rosenberg, Marta; Meyer, Walter J.; Linehan, Marsha M.

2017-01-01

Sustaining a burn injury increases an individual's risk of developing psychological problems such as generalized anxiety, negative emotions, depression, acute stress disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder. Despite the growing use of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy® (DBT®) by clinical psychologists, to date, there are no published studies using standard DBT® or DBT® skills learning for severe burn patients. The current study explored the feasibility and clinical potential of using Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) enhanced DBT® mindfulness skills training to reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions of a patient with severe burn injuries. The participant was a hospitalized (in house) 21-year-old Spanish speaking Latino male patient being treated for a large (>35% TBSA) severe flame burn injury. Methods: The patient looked into a pair of Oculus Rift DK2 virtual reality goggles to perceive the computer-generated virtual reality illusion of floating down a river, with rocks, boulders, trees, mountains, and clouds, while listening to DBT® mindfulness training audios during 4 VR sessions over a 1 month period. Study measures were administered before and after each VR session. Results: As predicted, the patient reported increased positive emotions and decreased negative emotions. The patient also accepted the VR mindfulness treatment technique. He reported the sessions helped him become more comfortable with his emotions and he wanted to keep using mindfulness after returning home. Conclusions: Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is an empirically validated treatment approach that has proved effective with non-burn patient populations for treating many of the psychological problems experienced by severe burn patients. The current case study explored for the first time, the use of immersive virtual reality enhanced DBT® mindfulness skills training with a burn patient. The patient reported reductions in negative emotions and increases in positive emotions, after VR DBT® mindfulness skills training. Immersive Virtual Reality is becoming widely available to mainstream consumers, and thus has the potential to make this treatment available to a much wider number of patient populations, including severe burn patients. Additional development, and controlled studies are needed. PMID:28993747

Development of Bioorthogonally Degradable Linkers and Polymers Using alpha-Azidoethers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rajagopalan, Chandrasekhar Ramasubramanian

Degradable polymers have gained a lot of attention in recent years for applications in biotechnology and medicine. External control over polymer degradation can be obtained by incorporating functional groups that cleave in the presence of triggers that would normally be absent in biological environments, i.e. are bioorthogonal. This thesis explores the use of chemically cleavable alpha-azidoethers as a new method to obtain external control over the degradation behavior of polymers. My first goal is to illustrate the potential of alpha-azidoethers toward developing cleavable linkers. We have studied the relationship between alpha-azidoether structure and hydrolytic stability, to prepare linkers that withstand background hydrolytic cleavage until they are exposed to the cleaving trigger. The cleavage kinetics of the alpha-azidoether functional group was quantified. In addition to the conventionally used tris(2-carboxyethyl)phosphine (TCEP), dihydrolipoic acid (DHLA), a previously unexplored, biocompatible reducing agent, was also evaluated as a cleaving trigger. Based on these results, we have proposed design rules for utilizing alpha-azidoethers as cleavable linkers in applications that require bioorthogonal control over linker cleavage. Secondly, the alpha-azidoether cleavable linker chemistry was implemented into the development of polymeric materials. Two different types of polymers were developed. Polyamides incorporating alpha-azidoethers along the backbone were synthesized, and their physical properties and chemically triggered degradation behavior were characterized. The degradation timescale of these polymers can be tuned simply by manipulating the concentration of the externally applied chemical trigger. The alpha-azidoether functional group was then utilized to develop a unique triggered-release polymeric adhesive for potential applications in dental adhesive formulations. A methacrylamide-phosphonate adhesive monomer incorporating an alpha-azidoether group was designed and synthesized. The monomer was polymerized to adhere polymer-composite substrates. Adhesion strength was quantified, and on-demand release of bonded substrates was demonstrated using DHLA as a trigger. The results presented here shed some light on the scope, advantages and drawbacks of utilizing alpha-azidoethers to develop new types of cleavable linkers and degradable polymers. In principle, the triggered degradation method described here could be incorporated into polymers with different chemical structures, to develop a variety of materials that offer an external control over degradation.

Quantifying soil burn severity for hydrologic modeling to assess post-fire effects on sediment delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dobre, Mariana; Brooks, Erin; Lew, Roger; Kolden, Crystal; Quinn, Dylan; Elliot, William; Robichaud, Pete

2017-04-01

Soil erosion is a secondary fire effect with great implications for many ecosystem resources. Depending on the burn severity, topography, and the weather immediately after the fire, soil erosion can impact municipal water supplies, degrade water quality, and reduce reservoirs' storage capacity. Scientists and managers use field and remotely sensed data to quickly assess post-fire burn severity in ecologically-sensitive areas. From these assessments, mitigation activities are implemented to minimize post-fire flood and soil erosion and to facilitate post-fire vegetation recovery. Alternatively, land managers can use fire behavior and spread models (e.g. FlamMap, FARSITE, FOFEM, or CONSUME) to identify sensitive areas a priori, and apply strategies such as fuel reduction treatments to proactively minimize the risk of wildfire spread and increased burn severity. There is a growing interest in linking fire behavior and spread models with hydrology-based soil erosion models to provide site-specific assessment of mitigation treatments on post-fire runoff and erosion. The challenge remains, however, that many burn severity mapping and modeling products quantify vegetation loss rather than measuring soil burn severity. Wildfire burn severity is spatially heterogeneous and depends on the pre-fire vegetation cover, fuel load, topography, and weather. Severities also differ depending on the variable of interest (e.g. soil, vegetation). In the United States, Burned Area Reflectance Classification (BARC) maps, derived from Landsat satellite images, are used as an initial burn severity assessment. BARC maps are classified from either a Normalized Burn Ratio (NBR) or differenced Normalized Burned Ratio (dNBR) scene into four classes (Unburned, Low, Moderate, and High severity). The development of soil burn severity maps requires further manual field validation efforts to transform the BARC maps into a product more applicable for post-fire soil rehabilitation activities. Alternative spectral indices and modeled output approaches may prove better predictors of soil burn severity and hydrologic effects, but these have not yet been assessed in a model framework. In this project we compare field-verified soil burn severity maps to satellite-derived and modeled burn severity maps. We quantify the extent to which there are systematic differences in these mapping products. We then use the Water Erosion Prediction Project (WEPP) hydrologic soil erosion model to assess sediment delivery from these fires using the predicted and observed soil burn severity maps. Finally, we discuss differences in observed and predicted soil burn severity maps and application to watersheds in the Pacific Northwest to estimate post-fire sediment delivery.

A Descriptive Study of the Temporal Patterns of Volume and Contents Change in Human Acute Burn Edema: Application in Evidence-Based Intervention and Research Design.

PubMed

Edgar, Dale W; Fear, Mark; Wood, Fiona M

2016-01-01

Edema after burn contributes significantly to burn wound depth conversion. In humans after burn injury, there is a lack of detailed understanding of the contents and temporal changes in volume of acute tissue edema. The novel findings of these studies relate to the collection of edema fluid after partial-thickness burn injury. Edema volume peaks on day 1 after burn without formal fluid resuscitation. The studies indicated that the peak was on day 2 for a resuscitated burn. In contrast, animal studies suggest that the peak of edema occurs by or before day 1 after injury. The findings confirm the pitfalls of evidence derived from animal models and assuming direct transference to humans. Postburn edema was demonstrated to be a high-protein fluid (ie, ≥10 g/L) for the duration of the inflammatory period. The presence of high-protein edema presents greater challenges to clinicians developing novel treatment options. The rate of volume change over time tapered to insignificant levels after day 4 following burn. Greater than 98% of the edema contents was fluid. However, the size of particulate matter did not preclude it passing through patent lymphatic collectors. The results indicate a necessity for urgent postburn intervention, which should incorporate the active stimulation of the lymphatic system to improve efficacy of edema removal.

Precordial skin burns after endoscopic submucosal dissection for gastric tube cancer.

PubMed

Miyagi, Motoshi; Yoshio, Toshiyuki; Hirasawa, Toshiaki; Ishiyama, Akiyoshi; Yamamoto, Yorimasa; Tsuchida, Tomohiro; Fujisaki, Junko; Igarashi, Masahiro

2015-11-01

Endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is useful as a minimally invasive treatment option for early gastric cancer. ESD is also used in the management of postoperative remnant gastric cancers in the stomach and gastric tube cancers. Perforation and delayed bleeding have been the main complications of ESD reported in the management of gastric tube cancer. However, in the current literature, there is no description of precordial skin burns caused by electrical coagulation. While we treated 22 patients with gastric tube cancers by ESD from 2005 to 2014, we experienced five skin burns in four patients after ESD. We retrospectively analyzed clinical characteristics of precordial skin burn as a complication of ESD. All skin burns occurred in patients reconstructed using a presternal route, whose incidence of precordial skin burn was 55.6%. In all cases, lesions were located in the upper or middle third of gastric tubes irrespective of their direction. Skin burn developed on postoperative day (POD) 1 or POD 2, taking 4-7 days to heal and was accompanied by high fever in 60% of cases. The present study suggests that when carrying out ESD for gastric tube cancer using the presternal route, it is necessary to consider the occurrence of a precordial skin burn as a possible complication. © 2015 The Authors. Digestive Endoscopy © 2015 Japan Gastroenterological Endoscopy Society.

Parecoxib Reduces Systemic Inflammation and Acute Lung Injury in Burned Animals with Delayed Fluid Resuscitation

PubMed Central

Chong, Si Jack; Wu, Jian; Lu, Jia; Moochhala, Shabbir M.

2014-01-01

Burn injuries result in the release of proinflammatory mediators causing both local and systemic inflammation. Multiple organ dysfunctions secondary to systemic inflammation after severe burn contribute to adverse outcome, with the lungs being the first organ to fail. In this study, we evaluate the anti-inflammatory effects of Parecoxib, a parenteral COX-2 inhibitor, in a delayed fluid resuscitation burned rat model. Anaesthetized Sprague Dawley rats were inflicted with 45% total body surface area full-thickness scald burns and subsequently subjected to delayed resuscitation with Hartmann's solution. Parecoxib (0.1, 1.0, and 10 mg/kg) was delivered intramuscularly 20 min after injury followed by 12 h interval and the rats were sacrificed at 6 h, 24 h, and 48 h. Burn rats developed elevated blood cytokines, transaminase, creatinine, and increased lung MPO levels. Animals treated with 1 mg/kg Parecoxib showed significantly reduced plasma level of CINC-1, IL-6, PGEM, and lung MPO. Treatment of 1 mg/kg Parecoxib is shown to mitigate systemic and lung inflammation without significantly affecting other organs. At present, no specific therapeutic agent is available to attenuate the systemic inflammatory response secondary to burn injury. The results suggest that Parecoxib may have the potential to be used both as an analgesic and ameliorate the effects of lung injury following burn. PMID:24579056

Aging impairs the mobilization and homing of bone marrow-derived angiogenic cells to burn wounds

PubMed Central

Zhang, Xianjie; Sarkar, Kakali; Rey, Sergio; Sebastian, Raul; Andrikopoulou, Efstathia; Marti, Guy P.; Fox-Talbot, Karen

2013-01-01

Impaired wound healing in the elderly represents a major clinical problem. Delineating the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which aging impairs wound healing may lead to the development of improved treatment strategies for elderly patients with non-healing wounds. Neovascularization is an essential step in wound healing, and bone marrow-derived angiogenic cells (BMDACs) play an important role in vascularization. Using a mouse full-thickness burn wound model, we demonstrate that perfusion and vascularization of burn wounds were impaired by aging and were associated with dramatically reduced mobilization of BMDACs bearing the cell surface molecules CXCR4 and Sca1. Expression of stromal-derived factor 1 (SDF-1), the cytokine ligand for CXCR4, was significantly decreased in peripheral blood and burn wounds of old mice. Expression of hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF)-1α was detected in burn wounds from young (2-month-old), but not old (2-year-old), mice. When BMDACs from young donor mice were injected intravenously, homing to burn wound tissue was impaired in old recipient mice, whereas the age of the BMDAC donor mice had no effect on homing. Our results indicate that aging impairs burn wound vascularization by impairing the mobilization of BMDACs and their homing to burn wound tissue as a result of impaired HIF-1 induction and SDF-1 signaling. PMID:21499736