Urban growth effects on rural population, export and service employment: evidence from eastern France

This paper examines how the spatial pattern of urban growth in functional economic regions influences the interplay of rural export employment, rural services employment, and population change in rural areas. Using an extension of the Boarnet’s model (Papers in Regional Science 73:135–153, 1994), we find that urban spread effects to rural areas in France are more likely than urban backwash effects, and that spatial urban (both dynamic and static) externalities affect rural population and employment growth. In the functional economic regions where the urban core is declining and the urban fringe is expanding, urban population growth involves an increase in rural export employment, and larger change in service employment favors rural population growth. However, urban export job growth reduces the growth in rural service jobs and expanding urban service jobs reduce rural export jobs, suggesting that expanding urban employment opportunities draws employees away from proximate rural communities. Conversely, where both urban core and fringe are growing, we observe an urban spread effect from the urban export sector to rural services—an export base multiplier effect with a spatial dimension—and from urban population growth to rural service employment.

The improving thick film properties of Er2O3 doping fcc-ZrO2 type solid electrolyte for SOFC applications

In this study, the binary system of (ZrO₂)_1-x(Er₂O₃)_x was investigated in the doping range of x; 0.02 ≤ x ≤ 0.12 by the Pechini method. According to X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurement results, Er₂O₃ doping face-centered cubic (fcc) ZrO₂-based solid solution was stabilized in the doping range of 0.08 ≤ x ≤ 0.12 at 1200°C for 12 hours. Thick films of fcc-ZrO₂ type powders were produced using ethyl cellulose organic binder mixture and spin-coating method. The crystallographic, microstructural, and electrical conductivity properties of the thick films were characterized via XRD, SEM, and a.c. impedance measurements, respectively. 8-ESZ ((ZrO₂)_1-x(Er₂O₃)_x, x = 0.08) thick film electrolyte showed the highest electrical conduction level which is 2.51 × 10⁻² ohm⁻¹ cm⁻¹ at 850°C under 150 mL min⁻¹ O₂ volumetric flow rate. All thick film properties of fcc-ESZ materials were optimized and improved experimentally for using as a solid electrolyte component in solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) systems. A pre-treatment of 8-ESZ and the cathode-supported type electrochemical cell were primarily fabricated. The power density measurements of 40-LNF (LaNi_1-xFe_xO₃, x = 0.4) Cathode|Cathode Active (50:50 wt % 40-LNF:8-ESZ)| 8-ESZ Electrolyte|Anode Active (60:40 wt % NiO:8-ESZ)|NiO Anode Electrode cell stack suggest that the produced electrolytes had the usefully properties for SOFC applications.     

Isolation of some active compounds from Origanum vulgare L. ssp. vulgare and determination of their genotoxic potentials

Origanum vulgare L. (oregano) is a flavoring herb widely used around the world. In the present study, crude extract of O. vulgare L. (oregano) and its petroleum ether, chloroform, ethyl acetate, n-butanol, water fractions were prepared in order to isolate and investigate antimutagenic compounds from the active extract through the bacterial genotoxicity assay guided fractionation procedures. The methanol extract and its n-butanol fraction showed significant antimutagenic activity. In the end of sub-fractionation process of the n-butanol extract, luteolin 7-O-glucuronide and luteolin 7-O-xyloside were isolated. These compounds showed significant antimutagenic activity against 9-Aminoacridine and N-Methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine mutagenicity. The inhibition rates ranged from 22.1% (luteolin 7-O-xyloside: Salmonella typhimurium TA1537 – 0.4 mM/plate) to 67.8% (luteolin 7-O-glucuronide: S. typhimurium TA1537 – 0.8 μM/plate). In conclusion, the results revealed that luteolin 7-O-glucuronide and luteolin 7-O-xyloside are two of the antimutagenic compounds of O. vulgare L. ssp. vulgare.     

An equivalent circuit approach to organic solar cell modelling

In this paper, we present a simulation study for a newly prepared organic solar cell, based on a composite of poly (2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethylhexyloxy)-1, 4-phenylenevinylene (MEH-PPV) with [6, 6]-phenyl C₆₀ butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM). Photo-current density vs. voltage (J–V) characteristics, for the cell, which were experimentally studied earlier, have been revisited here. The results indicated that the conduction mechanism in the organic solar cell is strongly influenced by the excitonic diffusion. Sound correlation, between theoretical and experimental photo-current density vs. voltage (J–V) plots, has been achieved. Moreover, the simulation clearly demonstrates that the performance of the tested device can be described, with sound accuracy, by a two-diode-equivalent model.     

Characterizations of NiCu/Cu Multilayers: Dependence of Nonmagnetic Layer Thickness

A series of NiCu/Cu multilayers were grown on (110) textured polycrystalline Cu substrates from a single electrolyte under potentiostatic deposition conditions. Microstructure, magnetoresistance and magnetic properties of the multilayers were investigated as a function of the nonmagnetic layer thicknesses. The structural studies by X-ray diffraction revealed that the multilayers have face-centered-cubic structure with preferred (110) crystal orientation as their substrates. The composition of the deposits determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy showed that the Cu content of the films increased as the Cu layer thickness increased. The scanning electron microscope studies showed that samples have homogeneous and smooth surfaces. Multilayers exhibited either anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) or giant magnetoresistance (GMR) depending on the non-magnetic Cu layer thickness. The multilayers with Cu layer thickness thicker than 0.7 nm exhibited GMR, but the AMR effect was observed to be dominant for the Cu layer thickness less than 0.7 nm. The GMR curves are broad in shape and the nonsaturated curves indicated the predominance of a superparamagnetic contribution. The GMR magnitudes of NiCu/Cu multilayers are found to be about 1–1.5 %. The vibrating sample magnetometer measurements revealed that the saturation magnetization decrease with increasing nonmagnetic layer thickness. The changes in the magnetic and magnetotransport properties might arise from the change in the Ni and Cu content of the samples caused by the variation of Cu layer thicknesses.     

Detection of vascular alterations by in vivo magnetic resonance angiography and histology in APP/PS1 mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease

Object

The brain of patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by the presence of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Vascular alterations such as amyloid angiopathy are also commonly reported in patients with AD and participate in mechanisms involved in disease onset and progression. Transgenic mouse models of AD have been engineered to evaluate the pathophysiology and new treatments of the disease. Our study evaluated vascular alterations in APP_SweLon/PS1_M146L mouse model of AD.

Materials and methods

Histological analysis and in vivo magnetic resonance angiography protocols based on time of flight (TOF) and contrast-enhanced (CE) angiography were applied to evaluate cerebrovascular alterations.

Results

Histological analysis showed that cerebrovascular amyloid deposition starts by the same time as extracellular amyloid plaques. However, unlike plaques deposition, severity of cerebrovascular alterations is stabilized in older animals. Alteration of the middle cerebral artery was detected in old APP_SweLon/PS1_M146L mice with respect to adult ones by evaluating the severity of vessel voids and the reduction of vessel length on TOF- and CE-angiograms. Age-related alterations in control PS1 mice were only detected as a reduced vessel length on CE-angiograms.

Conclusion

These results show that macroscopic vascular abnormalities are part of the pathological alterations developed by APP_SweLon/PS1_M146L mouse models of AD.     

Analysis of deposition mechanism during ultrafiltration of glycerin-rich solutions

Clarification of glycerin-rich solution is one of the potential applications of membrane within the oleochemical industry. However, one of the barriers in successfully utilizing the use of membranes such as ultrafiltration (UF) has been due to the fouling. In this work, flux decline during ultrafiltration of the glycerin-rich solutions was studied by using commercialized polymeric polyethersulphone (PES) membrane. Influence of fatty acids as foulants model (palmitic acid, stearic acid and oleic acid), pH of feed solution (3-10) and molecular weight cut-off (5 kDa, 20 kDa and 25 kDa) were analyzed. All the experiments were performed at constant pressure (2 bar) and temperature (40 °C). The Hermia's model was used to analyze the fouling mechanism during the flux decline which involve cake layer model due to adsorption of solute as well as pore blocking model. All the different types of flux decline kinetics were found to occur during the permeation of glycerin-rich solutions. However, the contribution of resistance due to cake layer formation was small for all the conditions studied. The fouling mechanisms were found to depend on the hydrophobicity of the PES membrane itself as well as the nature of foulants used in the study.     

PolyHIPE/pullulan composites derived from glycidyl methacrylate and 1,3‐butanediol dimethacrylate‐based high internal phase emulsions

Highly porous composites of poly(glycidyl methacrylate‐co‐1,3‐butanediol dimethacrylate) and pullulan were prepared as semi‐interpenetrating polymer networks by cross‐linking of high internal phase emulsions (HIPEs). HIPEs were prepared by using an aqueous phase made of pullulan dissolved in deionised water. Instead of conventional cross‐linkers such as divinyl benzene, 1,3‐butanediol dimethacrylate was used as a flexible co‐monomer. Morphological and mechanical properties of the porous composites with an initial pullulan loading ranging from 1 to 10 wt % have been investigated. Resulting composites were tested in terms of uniaxial compression stress and it was found out that the use of pullulan and flexible co‐monomer in the HIPE preparation increases the compression modulus from 13.53 to 30.8 MPa. Textural analyses of the resulting composites show that in all cases open cellular foams composed of primary cavities (～112–74 μm) connected with secondary interconnected pores were produced with a specific surface area in the range of 1.7–3.0 m² g^?1. In addition, the influence of using porogen in the oil phase was investigated. It was found that using a porogen reduces the cavity size diameter from ～112 to 20 µm and increases the compression modulus from 13.53 to 47.06 MPa. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 55:2636–2642, 2015. © 2015 Society of Plastics Engineers