Computerized and written questionnaires: Are they equivalent?

In this set of three studies, comparisons were made between computer-administered questionnaires and those administered in written form. Specifically, we examined nonclinical subjects' affective reactions to the two modes of questionnaire administration and their responses to a variety of commonly used attitude and personality measures. Subjects' affective reactions to the two modes of administration did not differ. With respect to questionnaire responses, there is some evidence suggesting that computer administration may slightly increase socially desirable responding amongst those subjects with relatively little computer experience. Overall, however, the differences between the two conditions were negligible, suggesting that social scientists should not hesitate to take advantage of the benefits of computer-administered questionnaires.     

Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid-Enriched Lipid Fingerprint of Glioblastoma Proliferative Regions Is Differentially Regulated According to Glioblastoma Molecular Subtype

Glioblastoma (GBM) represents one of the deadliest tumors owing to a lack of effective treatments. The adverse outcomes are worsened by high rates of treatment discontinuation, caused by the severe side effects of temozolomide (TMZ), the reference treatment. Therefore, understanding TMZ’s effects on GBM and healthy brain tissue could reveal new approaches to address chemotherapy side effects. In this context, we have previously demonstrated the membrane lipidome is highly cell type-specific and very sensitive to pathophysiological states. However, little remains known as to how membrane lipids participate in GBM onset and progression. Hence, we employed an ex vivo model to assess the impact of TMZ treatment on healthy and GBM lipidome, which was established through imaging mass spectrometry techniques. This approach revealed that bioactive lipid metabolic hubs (phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylethanolamine plasmalogen species) were altered in healthy brain tissue treated with TMZ. To better understand these changes, we interrogated RNA expression and DNA methylation datasets of the Cancer Genome Atlas database. The results enabled GBM subtypes and patient survival to be linked with the expression of enzymes accounting for the observed lipidome, thus proving that exploring the lipid changes could reveal promising therapeutic approaches for GBM, and ways to ameliorate TMZ side effects.     

Use of laser scanning confocal microscopy for characterizing changes in film thickness and local surface morphology of UV-exposed polymer coatings

Laser scanning confocal microscopy (LSCM) has been used to characterize the changes in film thickness and local surface morphology of polymer coatings during the UV degradation process. With the noninvasive feature of LSCM, one can obtain thickness information directly and nondestructively at various exposure times without destroying the specimens or deriving the thickness values from IR measurement by assuming uniform film ablation. Two acrylic polymer coatings were chosen for the study, and the physical and chemical changes of the two systems at various exposure times were measured and analyzed. Those measurable physical changes caused by UV exposure include film ablation, formation of pits and other surface defects, and increases in surface roughness. It was found in both coatings that changes in measured film thickness by LSCM were not correlated linearly to the predicted thickness loss using the changes in the CH band obtained by the Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy measurements in the later degradation stages. This result suggested it was not a uniform film ablation process during the UV degradation. At later stages, where surface deformation became severe, surface roughness and profile information using LSCM were also proven to be useful for analyzing the surface degradation process Presented at the 81st Annual Meeting of the Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology, November 13–14, 2004 in Philadelphia, PA.     

Phosphorus‐containing soybean‐oil copolymers: Cross‐metathesis of fatty acid derivatives as an alternative to phosphorus‐containing reactive flame retardants

Two different approaches to the creation of phosphorus‐containing soybean‐oil copolymers were investigated. First, two phosphorus‐containing styrene (ST) derivatives, diphenyl styryl phosphine oxide and dimethyl‐p‐vinylbenzylphosphonate (STP2), where tested as comonomers in the cationic copolymerization of soybean oil (SOY), ST, and divinylbenzene (DVB), to obtain heterogeneous systems in all cases. To overcome this drawback, the cross‐metathesis reaction of methyl 10‐undecenoate and STP2 was carried out to link the phosphorus moiety to the vegetable‐oil derivative. This second approach permitted the synthesis of a new reactive phosphorus‐containing plant‐oil derivative, which was incorporated into the soybean oil, ST, and DVB system. The cationic copolymerization was investigated, and the structure, thermal stability, and mechanical and flame‐retardant properties of the resulting copolymers were studied. Thermosets with moderate glass‐transition temperatures were obtained; this showed that the cross‐metathesis reaction is a convenient way to produce oil‐compatible monomers able to undergo homogeneous polymerization reactions. The resulting thermosets with 1% phosphorus had limiting oxygen index values about 24.0; this indicated an improvement in the fire‐retardant properties of the soybean‐oil‐based copolymers. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

The production of a lead glaze with galena: Thermal transformations in the PbS–SiO2 system

Galena, also known as PbS, was widely used in the production of lead glazes from the beginning of the 18th century to the second half of the 20th century. Although the PbO‐SiO₂ system has been studied for years, the PbS–SiO₂ phase diagram, involved in the formation of a glaze with galena, has not yet been investigated. Temperature transformations for the system 75 wt% PbS‐25 wt% SiO₂ are investigated in a high‐temperature resolved X‐ray diffraction experiment with synchrotron radiation and compared to those of the equivalent system 70 wt% PbO‐30 wt% SiO₂. Lanarkite, PbO·PbSO₄, is the phase predominantly formed as soon as galena decomposes during the heating. The results show that the system melts at a temperature higher than the PbO–SiO₂ system, but far lower than those expected for the PbO–PbSO₄–PbS system. A historical misfired lead glaze produced with galena is also studied. The presence of galena, lanarkite, and mattheddleite, Pb₁₀(SiO₄)_3.5(SO₄)₂Cl_2, is determined and discussed in terms of the composition of the galena mineral used and the firing conditions in light of the high‐temperature transformations previously obtained.     

Electrical and mechanical characterization by instrumented indentation technique of La0.85Sr0.15Ga0.8Mg0.2O3−δ electrolyte for SOFCs

La_0.85Sr_0.15Ga_0.8Mg_0.2O_3?δ pellets obtained by the polymeric organic complex solution method, isostatic pressing and sintering at 1350 °C have been electrical and mechanically studied. Electrical measurements evidenced reasonable ionic conductivities (0.01 S cm^?1 at 800 °C), which were comparable to those reported for the La_1?xSr_xGa_1?yMg_yO_3?δ prepared by other synthesis methods. On the other hand, the mechanical properties (elastic modulus, E and hardness, H) have been determined at micro/nanometric scale using the instrumented indentation technique. While E did not vary significantly with the increasing indentation depth (h), H values strongly decreased with the indentation depth up to 500 nm. For h > 500 nm, both mechanical properties remained almost constant, thus obtaining E = 271 ± 6 GPa and H = 13.2 ± 0.4 GPa. Finally, the residual imprints and fracture mechanisms have been observed by atomic force microscopy (AFM).     

Active nano-CuPt3 electrocatalyst supported on graphene for enhancing reactions at the cathode in all-vanadium redox flow batteries

Graphene-supported monometallic (Pt) and bimetallic (CuPt₃) cubic nanocatalysts have been investigated as new positive electrode materials for improving the VO₂⁺/VO²⁺ redox process occurring in the vanadium redox flow batteries (VRB). High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) have been employed to characterize the electrodes. The presence of the CuPt₃ nanocubes on graphene conferred higher electrocatalytic activity due to the much higher electroactive area compared to that obtained with the Pt nanoparticles. The electrochemical surface area of the nano-(CuPt₃)-decorated graphene electrode was 105% higher compared to non-decorated graphene, being then a promising alternative for improving the VRB.     

The catalytic activity of the Pr2Zr2−xFexO7±δ system for the CO oxidation reaction

One of the alternatives to decrease the concentration of CO is its oxidation reaction to CO₂, which can be made more efficient using catalysts. In this work, it is shown that pyrochlore structures are a promising candidate to act as heterogeneous catalysts due to their chemical and physical properties. For use as a catalyst in this reaction, the Pr₂Zr_2−xFe_xO_7±δ (x = 0, 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15) system was synthesized by the solvothermal method, firing the powder obtained at temperatures of 1200 and 1400°C. The diffraction patterns confirmed the pyrochlore structure as the single phase in all the nominal compositions. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller method and dynamic light-scattering analysis showed an increase in the particle size and a decrease in the specific surface area when increasing the iron concentration and increasing the calcination temperature. The compositions that presented the best catalytic activity were the samples with the highest iron concentration. Moreover, these samples were able to convert all the CO oxidation reactions in a narrower temperature range than a conventional CeO₂ sample. The presence of vacancies and the redox behavior of the elements present are the key factors for the catalysis of this system in the CO oxidation reaction.     

Quasi-Diamond Platelet-Shaped Zinc Oxide Nanostructures Display Enhanced Antibacterial Activity

The current study compares the antibacterial activity of zinc oxide nanostructures (neZnO). For this purpose, two bacterial strains, Escherichia coli (ATCC 4157) and Staphylococcus aureus (ATCC 29213) were challenged in room light conditions with the aforementioned materials. Colloidal and hydrothermal methods were used to obtain the quasi-round and quasi-diamond platelet-shape nanostructures. Thus, the oxygen vacancy (V_O) effects on the surface of neZnO are also considered to assess its effects on antibacterial activity. The neZnO characterization was achieved by X-ray diffraction (XRD), a selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and Raman spectroscopy. The microstructural effects were monitored by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Furthermore, optical absorption ultraviolet visible spectrophotometry (UV-Vis) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses complement the physical characterization of these nanostructures; neZnO caused 50 % inhibition (IC₅₀) at concentrations from 0.064 to 0.072 mg/mL for S. aureus and from 0.083 to 0.104 mg/mL for E. coli, indicating an increase in activity against S. aureus compared to E. coli. Consequently, quasi-diamond platelet-shaped nanostructures (average particle size of 377.6±10 nm) showed enhanced antibacterial activity compared to quasi-round agglomerated particles (average size of 442.8±12 nm), regardless of Vo presence or absence.