We electrochemically deposit conducting polymer to bridge two closely placed electrodes, and then form a polymer nanowire by stretching the polymer bridge with the electrodes. During stretching, the conductance increases initially as the polymer chains are aligned in parallel, and then decreases in a stepwise fashion, due to abrupt changes in the nanowire thickness. We study the current– voltag...

This study aimed to compare the effect of different static stretching durations followed by dynamic stretching on repeated sprint ability (RSA) and change of direction (COD). Twenty-five participants performed the RSA and COD tests in a randomized order. After a 5 min aerobic warm up, participants performed one of the three static stretching protocols of 30 s, 60 s or 90 s total duration (3 str...

In this work, some implications of a recent model for the mechanical behavior of biological membranes (Deseri et al. in Continuum Mech Thermodyn 20(5):255-273, 2008) are exploited by means of a prototypical one-dimensional problem. We show that the knowledge of the membrane stretching elasticity permits to establish a precise connection among surface tension, bending rigidities and line tension...

This paper reports the design, fabrication and characterization of a cell stretching device based on the side stretching approach. Numerical simulation using finite element method provides a guideline for optimizing the geometry and maximizing the output strain of the stretched membrane. An unique PDMS-based micro fabrication process was developed for obtaining high parallelization, well contro...

We investigate the stretching response of a thick polymer model by means of extensive stochastic simulations. The computational results are synthesized in an analytic expression that characterizes how the force versus elongation curve depends on the polymer structural parameters: its thickness and granularity (spacing of the monomers). The expression is used to analyze experimental data for the...

An animal model that allows for assessment of the degree of stretching or contraction of the implant area and the in vivo degradation properties of biological meshes is required to evaluate their performance in vivo. Adult New Zealand rabbits underwent full thickness subtotal unilateral rectus abdominis muscle excision and were reconstructed with the non-biodegradable Peri-Guard®, Prolene® or b...

Stretching is often included as part of a warm-up procedure for basketball activity. However, the efficacy of stretching with respect to sport performance has come into question. We determined the effects of 4 different warm-up protocols followed by 20 minutes of basketball activity on flexibility and vertical jump height. Subjects participated in 6 weeks (2 times per week) of warm-up and baske...

Stretching before performance is a common practice among athletes in hopes of increasing performance and reducing the risk of injury. However, cumulative results indicate a negative impact of static stretching and proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) on performance; thus, there is a need for evaluating other stretching strategies for effective warm-up. The purpose of this study was t...

Polybutene-1 (PB-1), a typical semicrystalline polymer, in its stable form I shows a peculiar temperature dependent strain-whitening behavior when being stretched at temperatures in between room temperature and melting temperature of the crystallites where the extent of strain-whitening weakens with the increasing of stretching temperature reaching a minima value followed by an increase at high...

Aim of the present work was to develop alginate raft forming tablets for controlled release pantoprazole sodium sesquihydrate (PSS). Box behnken design was used to optimize 15 formulations with three independent and three dependent variables. Physical tests of all formulations were within pharmacopoeial limits. Raft was characterized by their strength, thickness, resilience, acid neutralizing c...