A Novel Contrast-Enhanced Brain Mimicking Hydrogel for Testing Implantable Brain Electrodes
Paralysis is a debilitating disorder that does not currently have safe and effective treatments. Implantable brain electrodes can be used to read brain waves and convert them into a corresponding motor function to restore movement in paralyzed patients. Tissue deformation induced around the implant site is believed to reduce their viability through the foreign body response. Developing electrodes that minimize deformation is challenging because the mechanical aspects of deformation are not fully understood and non-animal tissue models for testing electrodes are unavailable. Development of pre-clinical models for in vitro testing of the mechanical properties of electrodes can lead to a better understanding of this prevalent problem. The objective of this study was to construct a novel contrast-enhanced, brain mimicking hydrogel using photopolymerizable polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymer that contains alginate microspheres with enclosed gadolinium (Gd) contrast agent. 1.5% alginate microspheres were constructed with enclosed Gd-DTPA-BSA contrast agent and successively added into 10% PEG. Then, this mixture was photopolymerized using a 5 mW/cm2UV lamp to result in a successful brain mimicking hydrogel. Rheological testing showed that its elastic modulus was approximately 1.5 kPa, which is similar to that of a normal human brain. The model is valuable because the presence of the contrast agent in the hydrogel resulted in distinct bright spots on the MRI. This can facilitate the visualization of tissue deformation caused by electrode insertion via comparison of pre-insertion and post-insertion images. This brain-mimicking model has the potential to improve understanding of neural deformation from electrode implants in order to assist patients suffering from paralysis.
Reduction fuel's amount when working the Internal-combustion engine
The aim of the work is inventing the way in which the power of the ICE is the same and consuming of the fuel decreases. The following methods of investigation were used: analysis of the experience of the improvement of ICE, modeling, the brainstorming, methods of Decition Theory of Invention’s Tasks (DTIT). In this work Ivan Semyonov based on a hypothesis that if the non-supporting combustion exhausts will be drawn with the vacuum from cylinder fuel for the same power it needed less. The practical meaning of this work is in the attempt of studying the question of improving the ICE for getting and making the more perfect ICE.