Social Health Is Associated With Tract-Specific Brain White Matter Microstructure in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.

Background: Poor social health has been linked to a risk of neuropsychiatric disorders. Neuroimaging studies have shown associations between social health and global white matter microstructural integrity. We aimed to identify which white matter tracts are involved in these associations. Methods: Social health markers (loneliness, perceived social support, and partnership status) and white matter microstructural integrity of 15 white matter tracts (identified with probabilistic tractography after diffusion magnetic resonance imaging) were collected for 3352 participants (mean age 58.4 years, 54.9% female) from 2002 to 2008 in the Rotterdam Study. Cross-sectional associations were studied using multivariable linear regression. Results: Loneliness was associated with higher mean diffusivity (MD) in the superior thalamic radiation and the parahippocampal part of the cingulum (standardized mean difference for both tracts: 0.21, 95% CI, 0.09 to 0.34). Better perceived social support was associated with lower MD in the forceps minor (standardized mean difference per point increase in social support: -0.06, 95% CI, -0.09 to -0.03), inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and uncinate fasciculus. In male participants, better perceived social support was associated with lower MD in the forceps minor, and not having a partner was associated with lower fractional anisotropy in the forceps minor. Loneliness was associated with higher MD in the superior thalamic radiation in female participants only. Conclusions: Social health was associated with tract-specific white matter microstructure. Loneliness was associated with lower integrity of limbic and sensorimotor tracts, whereas better perceived social support was associated with higher integrity of association and commissural tracts, indicating that social health domains involve distinct neural pathways of the brain.

The Role of Molar Mass in Achieving Isotropy and Inter-Layer Strength in Mat-Ex Printed Polylactic Acid.

There has been extensive research in the field of material-extrusion (Mat-Ex) 3D printing to improve the inter-layer bonding process. Much research focusses on how various printing conditions may be detrimental to weld strength; many different feedstocks have been investigated along with various additives to improve strength. Surprisingly, there has been little attention directed toward how fundamental molecular properties of the feedstock, in particular the average molar mass of the polymer, may contribute to microstructure of the weld. Here we showed that weld strength increases with decreasing average molar mass, contrary to common observations in specimens processed in more traditional ways, e.g., by compression molding. Using a combination of synchrotron infra-red polarisation modulation microspectroscopy measurements and continuum modelling, we demonstrated how residual molecular anisotropy in the weld region leads to poor strength and how it can be eradicated by decreasing the relaxation time of the polymer. This is achieved more effectively by reducing the molar mass than by the usual approach of attempting to govern the temperature in this hard to control non-isothermal process. Thus, we propose that molar mass of the polymer feedstock should be considered as a key control parameter for achieving high weld strength in Mat-Ex.

Fused Deposition Modeling of Polyamides: Crystallization and Weld Formation.

International newspapers and experts have called 3D printing the industrial revolution of this century. Among all its available variants, the fused deposition modeling (FDM) technique is of greater interest since its application is possible using simple desktop printers. FDM is a complex process, characterized by a large number of parameters that influence the quality and final properties of the product. In particular, in the case of semicrystalline polymers, which afford better mechanical properties than amorphous ones, it is necessary to understand the crystallization kinetics as the processing conditions vary, in order to be able to develop models that allow having a better control over the process and consequently on the final properties of the material. In this work it was proposed to study the crystallization kinetics of two different polyamides used for FDM 3D printing and to link it to the microstructure and properties obtained during FDM. The kinetics are studied both in isothermal and fast cooling conditions, thanks to a home-built device which allows mimicking the quenching experienced during filament deposition. The temperature history of a single filament is then determined by mean of a micro-thermocouple and the final crystallinity of the sample printed in a variety of conditions is assessed by differential scanning calorimetry. It is found that the applied processing conditions always allowed for the achievement of the maximum crystallinity, although in one condition the polyamide mesomorphic phase possibly develops. Despite the degree of crystallinity is not a strong function of printing variables, the weld strength of adjacent layers shows remarkable variations. In particular, a decrease of its value with printing speed is observed, linked to the probable development of molecular anisotropy under the more extreme printing conditions.