ABSTRACT

An approach is presented for the graft copolymerization of type I atelocollagen onto the surface of polyurethane (PU) films treated with ozone. Through inducing oxidization to modify PU surface by ozone, peroxide groups are easily generated on the surface. Those peroxides are broken by redox-polymerization, and provide active species which initiate graft polymerization by reacting with amines in the collagen molecules. The ozone oxidation time and voltage could readily control the amount of peroxide production. The surface density of generated peroxides on PU surface was determined by iodide method. The maximum concentration of peroxide was about 10.20 × 10 −8 mol/cm 2 when ozone oxidation was performed at 60 V for 30 min. After the reaction of PU by ozone oxidation, type I atelocollagen was graft-copolymerized onto the PU film. All the physical measurements on the collagen-grafted surface indicated that the PU surface was effectively covered with type I atelocollagen. The interaction of the collagen-grafted PU surface with fibroblasts could be greatly enhanced by the surface graft polymerization with type I atelocollagen. Attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts on the grafted type I atelocollagen were significantly enhanced, and it is assumed that the atelocollagen matrix supported the initial attachment and growth of cells. In the early stage of proliferation, collagen synthesis in fibroblasts was not activated and remained at a relatively low level due to the grafted type I atelocollagen, increasing only with fibroblast differentiation.

Aim The awareness for the need for end‐of‐life care has increased among noncancer patients. However, studies on the topic have rarely targeted the needs of noncancer patients who want to die at home. This study assessed the end‐of‐life care needs of noncancer patients who were receiving care and wanted to die at home. Methods A cross‐sectional study design was used and involved 200 participants who were diagnosed as noncancer patients and receiving home care nursing. Data were collected on demographics, disease, Palliative Performance Scale (PPS) scores, and end‐of‐life care needs, in April and May, 2016. Results Among the six areas of care, “supporting fundamental needs” of patients required the most care, followed by “coordination among family or relatives.” Multivariate analysis revealed that the duration of home care nursing held a significant association with end‐of‐life care needs. Conclusion By reflecting on the comprehensive care needs of patients with chronic illnesses and including them in the care process, it will be possible to provide better quality palliative care to patients at home in the end‐of‐life stages.

This paper reveals joint stochastic behaviours of the world’s stock markets and geopolitical risk by a copula approach for the 37 world’s stock markets over the period of June 1997 to December 2017. The various bivariate copulas show the different degrees of tail dependences and rank correlations. The differences between overall geopolitical risk index and action‐related geopolitical risk index lie in the higher tail dependence with overall geopolitical risk index, the dominancy of concordant movements of stock market indexes with overall geopolitical risk and that of discordant movements of stock market indexes with action‐related geopolitical risk index. The results illustrate that action‐related geopolitical risk is more often adversely related to the world’s stock market performances with less tail dependence.

The hybrid of bamboo charcoal (BCC) and silica‐reinforced styrene‐butadiene rubber was prepared by a modified sol–gel method of hydrolyzing tetraethoxysilane over an acid catalyst. The fracture surface of the samples after tensile test was characterized by field emission‐scanning electron microscopy. The tensile strength, storage modulus, hardness, friction coefficient, and swelling test were discussed based on the samples with or without 3‐(methacryloxy) propyl trimethoxy silane modification. The results showed that the storage modulus clearly increased with the increasing of silica contents among the hybrid of BCC and silica‐reinforced samples. The storage modulus of the sample decreased after modification by 3‐(methacryloxy) propyl trimethoxy silane, indicating the improvement of the filler in SBR matrix. The tensile stress and the hardness both increased with the increasing of silica contents in the SBR matrix. Besides, the friction coefficient and the swelling ratio for the hybrid of BCC and silica‐reinforced SBR decreased with the decreasing of BCC contents in SBR matrix. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46219.