Elaboration and surface modification of structured poly(l-lactic acid) thin film on various substrates

Biosourced or biodegradable polymers like poly(lactic acid) (PLA) are often base-material for tissue-engineered scaffolds. However, in most of the cases, their bioadhesion properties are not satisfactory. Since the adhesion is controlled both by roughness and surface chemistry, PLA films were textured by applying the breath figure procedure and, then, plasma-treated. Depending on physicochemical characteristics of the breath figure technique, nice hexagonal structures were obtained. Their surface properties, i.e. hydrophobic–hydrophilic balance were controlled by plasma modification. However, their surface decoration could be only preserved with some specific plasma parameters depending on the applied energy and also on the induced surface chemistry.     

Tunable uptake of poly(ethylene oxide) by graphite-oxide-based materials

We investigate the role of structure and chemical composition on the uptake of poly(ethylene oxide) by a series of graphite oxides (GOs) and thermally reduced GOs, leading to the formation of polymer-intercalated GO and polymer-adsorbed graphene nanostructures. To this end, a series of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) - GO hybrid materials exhibiting a variable degree of GO oxidation and exfoliation has been investigated in detail using a combination of techniques including X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, thermogravimetry, scanning-electron microscopy, and nitrogen adsorption. Intercalation of the polymer phase into well-defined GO galleries is found to correlate well with both the degree of GO oxidation and with the presence of hydroxyl groups. The latter feature is an essential prerequisite to optimize polymer uptake owing to the predominance of hydrogen-bonding interactions between intercalant and host. Unlike the bulk polymer, these intercalation compounds show neither crystallisation nor glass-transition associated with the polymer phase. Exfoliation and reduction of GO result in high-surface-area graphene layers exhibiting the highest polymer uptake in these GO-based materials. In this case, PEO undergoes surface adsorption, where we observe the recovery of glass and melting transitions associated with the polymer phase albeit at significantly lower temperatures than the bulk.     

Atmospheric deposition and migration of artificial radionuclides in Alpine soils (Val Piora, Switzerland) compared to the distribution of selected major and trace elements

Artificial radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, Pu, and ²⁴¹Am) are present in soils because of Nuclear Weapon Tests and accidents in nuclear facilities. Their distribution in soil depth varies according to soil characteristics, their own chemical properties, and their deposition history. For this project, we studied the atmospheric deposition of ¹³⁷Cs, ⁹⁰Sr, Pu, ²⁴¹Am, ²¹⁰Pb, and stable Pb. We compared the distribution of these elements in soil profiles from different soil types from an alpine Valley (Val Piora, Switzerland) with the distribution of selected major and trace elements in the same soils. Our goals were to explain the distribution of the radioisotopes as a function of soil parameters and to identify stable elements with analogous behaviors. We found that Pu and ²⁴¹Am are relatively immobile and accumulate in the topsoil. In all soils, ⁹⁰Sr is more mobile and shows some accumulations at depth into Fe-Al rich horizons. This behavior is also observed for Cu and Zn, indicating that these elements may be used as chemical analogues for the migration of ⁹⁰Sr into the soil.     

The Metalloporphyrin Antioxidant, MnTE-2-PyP, Inhibits Th2 Cell Immune Responses in an Asthma Model

MnTE-2-PyP, a superoxide dismutase mimetic, inhibited OVA-induced airway inflammation in mice suggesting an effect on Th2 responsiveness. Thus, we hypothesized that MnTE-2-PyP may alter dendritic cell-Th2 interactions. Bone marrow derived dendritic cells (DC) and OVA(323-339)-specific Th2 cells were cultured separately in the presence or absence of MnTE-2-PyP for 3 days prior to the co-culturing of the two cell types in the presence of an OVA(323-339) peptide and in some cases stimulated with CD3/CD28. MnTE-2-PyP-pretreated DC inhibited IL-4, IL-5 and IFNγ production and inhibited Th2 cell proliferation in the DC-Th2 co-culturing system in the presence of the OVA(323-339) peptide. Similar results were obtained using the CD3/CD28 cell-activation system; the addition of MnTE-2-PyP inhibited Th2 cell proliferation. MnTE-2-PyP suppressed CD25 expression on OVA-specific Th2 cells, which implied that MnTE-2-PyP can inhibit the activation of Th2 cells. MnTE-2-PyP also down-regulated co-stimulatory molecules: CD40, CD80 and CD86 on immature DC. Our studies suggest that the major mechanism by which MnTE-2-PyP inhibits airway inflammation is by acting on the DC and suppressing Th2 cell proliferation and activation.     

Second-Order Noncausality in Multivariate GARCH Processes

Typical multivariate economic time series may exhibit co-behavior patterns not only in the conditional means, but also in the conditional variances. In this paper we give two new definitions of variance noncausality in a multivariate setting a Granger-type noncausality and a linear Granger noncausality through projections on Hilbert spaces. Both definitions are related to a previous second-order noncausality concept defined by Granger et al . in a bivariate setting. The implications of second-order noncausality on multivariate ARMA processes with GARCH-type errors are investigated. We derive exact testable restrictions on the parameters of the processes considered, implied by this type of noncausality. Conditions for the finiteness of the fourth-order moment of the multivariate GARCH process are derived and related to earlier results in the univariate framework. We include an illustration of second-order noncausality in a trivariate model of daily financial returns.     

Naloxone, but not flupenthixol, disrupts the development of conditioned ejaculatory preference in the male rat.

Male rats display a conditioned preference to ejaculate with a female bearing an odor paired previously with copulation to ejaculation. The present study examined the role of endogenous opioid and dopamine systems in this preference. Male rats received saline, the opioid receptor antagonist naloxone, or the dopamine receptor antagonist flupenthixol prior to 10 conditioning trials in a pacing chamber with an almond-scented female. On the final test, all males were injected with saline and given access to 2 females, 1 scented and the other unscented, in an open field. Only males injected with naloxone during training failed to manifest a conditioned ejaculatory preference. These findings suggest that activation of opioid, but not dopamine, systems during sexual interaction are necessary for conditioned ejaculatory preference in male rats. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Particle design Part B: batch quasi-emulsion process and mechanism of grain formation of ketoprofen

This study deals with the spherical crystallization process by the quasi-emulsion mechanism, applied to a pharmaceutical. The objective is to produce spherical agglomerates made of a number of small crystals of the drug, having properties adequate for direct compression when manufacturing tablets. The aim of this work is to make the link between the process and these properties. The different steps occurring in the process are the formation of an emulsion whose droplets are made of the drug dissolved in a solvent, the creation of the supersaturation of the drug in the droplets by mass and heat transfer and the nucleation, growth and agglomeration of drug crystals inside the droplets. The process has been carried out in a batch laboratory scale device. The variation of the operating parameters on the one hand and of the relative proportions of the various components on the other have enabled us to determine the influence on the internal and external structures of the produced agglomerates which influence the ability to be compressed. The identification of the phenomena occurring has led to a proposed mechanism for the formation of the agglomerates.     

Does Biotech Reflect a New Science-based Innovation Regime?

The purpose of this paper is to enter into the ""black box' of science-based sectors, to seek a better understanding of the nature of the dynamics of such technological regimes in their different forms. Special attention is given to the institutional dimensions, which, in the authors' view, play a major role in structuring technological regimes and organizational trajectories. After a short review of the literature on science-based sectors and technological regimes, some specificities of the new emerging biotech sector are focused on, aiming to show how and why it can be regarded as a new type of science-based technological regime, referred to in this paper as the science-based ""type 2' model. In a short final conclusion, some of the consequences of the existence of this basic distinction between two types of ""science-based' regime are explored.     

Controlled modification of octadecyltrichlorosilane self-assembled monolayer by CO2 plasma

CO₂-plasma is used to introduce functional groups on the uppermost surface of an alkoxysilane self-assembled monolayer (SAM). The structural and chemical modifications of the material surface were monitored by X-ray reflectometry, atomic force microscopy, X-ray photoelectrons spectroscopy and water contact angle measurements. Optimization of the plasma parameters is performed in order to achieve a maximum functionalization and to prevent degradation of the SAM. Finally, the ability of grafting organic compounds onto the plasma modified SAMS was demonstrated by the formation of an alkoxysilane bilayer.