Strategies for In Situ Home Improvement in Romanian Large Housing Estates

Socio-economic and physical change have visibly affected post-socialist cities, yet the state of decay of their inherited large housing estates has only deepened throughout the 1990s, despite the change in tenure through policies of large-scale privatisation. Housing disrepair has now reached a critical stage that requires rapid private and public intervention. This paper examines the extent to which Romanian block residents have been able to improve in situ their housing conditions since 2000, the strategies they employed and the challenges they faced. It focuses on the often ignored private domain of housing, flats and blocks, where changes are also likely to be less visible. By analysing the process of individual utility metering and the practice of collective block management, I argue that besides economics, the unregulated housing context and a relaxed legal culture have challenged individual and collective action and have generated a framework of housing privatism.     

In vivo barrier challenge and long‐term recovery in human facial skin

Recently, we developed a biophysical approach to characterize in vivo facial cheek skin as a function of stratum corneum (SC) depth, barrier function and during a 24‐h recovery period. The current study extends this work and characterizes the human facial cheek after barrier challenge and, for the first time, facial SC barrier recovery over a 4‐week period. Changes in the corneocyte size over the 4‐week recovery period, and correlations with changes in Trans‐Epidermal Water Loss (TEWL) were monitored. This approach allows complete characterization of SC barrier function after a full biological regeneration of the SC barrier following tape stripping. The structural and compositional changes in facial cheek were investigated using Attenuated Total Reflectance‐Fourier Transform Infra Red (ATR‐FTIR) spectroscopy, tape stripping, TEWL measurements and image analysis combined with optical microscopy to characterize the SC depth profile during the tape stripping stress and over 4‐week recovery period. TEWL increased significantly from baseline after sequential tape stripping. Corneocyte size decreased with successive tape stripping. An inverse direct correlation was determined between TEWL and corneocyte surface area. After 4 weeks, the corneocyte size and TEWL for the facial cheek recovered 100% from the tape stripping procedure. The in vivo ATR‐FTIR data demonstrated that lipid and sebum components on the surface of the facial cheek SC recovered within 24 h post tape stripping, whereas protein (Amide II) and water components recovered after 1 week.     

Fundamental studies on large area Cu(In,Ga)Se2 films for high efficiency solar cells

This work reports the growth and characterization of thin films of Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ (CIGS), which were grown by sequential sputtering, electrodeposition, and physical vapor deposition. Photovoltaic cells have been fabricated using these films with CdS heterojunction partners and the performance has been characterized. The effect of annealing conditions (temperature and duration) on the CIGS film microstructure and corresponding device performance has been investigated. Structure-property correlations were made using diffraction studies and Rietveld analysis. SEM studies were carried out to understand the effect of microstructure of the CIGS films on the solar cell efficiency. Cell efficiencies in excess of 10% have been achieved by using optimized annealing conditions. In addition, the optical properties of the sputtered CIGS films were characterized using variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry and sputtered CIGS films were found to have optimum band gap.     

Polymerization of methyl methacrylate with mechano-chemically synthesized macroinitiators

The polymerization of methyl methacrylate initiated by acrylonitrile- based homopolymers and copolymers synthesized mechanochemically by vibratory milling has been studied. The factors influencing the conversion and poly(methyl mehtacrylate) molecular weight are discussed. Both characteristics depend on polymerization parameters (reaction time, temperature and initiator concentration) as well as on macroinitiator synthesis conditions (duration of the vibratory milling process, comonomer ratio). The polymerization product consists of poly(methyl methacrylate) and small amounts of poly(acrylonitrile-g-methyl methacrylate)copolymer.     

Polydimethylsiloxane/silica composites incorporating pyrite powders for actuation elements

BACKGROUND: Among polymers, elastomers can achieve very large deformations and deliver relatively high forces when an electric field is applied to them. In addition, a number of active components, such as carbon black, multi‐walled nanotubes or metallic powders, can be used to obtain increased effects. One elastomer used as a host for these active fillers is polydimethylsiloxane. RESULTS: Pyrite powders were physically incorporated in a polymeric matrix consisting of interconnected polydimethylsiloxane/silica networks. The mixtures were processed as films by casting on a Teflon substrate before crosslinking. The films thus formed were investigated from the point of view of their mechanical behaviour and were tested as active elements in an actuation system. CONCLUSION: Electromechanical tests of the polymeric membranes under investigation revealed a very good behaviour for applications in nano‐ and micro‐actuation. Some of the prepared films showed significant displacements at reasonable voltages (i.e. 56 000 nm at 460 V or 1000 nm at 6 V). Sensitivities between 2.608 and 333.33 nm V^?1 were obtained in inverse dependence on the Young's modulus values. Copyright © 2009 Society of Chemical Industry     

Three- and four-photon absorption of a multiphoton absorbing fluorescent probe

High-order multiphoton excitation processes are becoming a reality for fluorescence imaging and phototherapy treatment because they afford minimization of scattered light losses and a reduction of unwanted linear absorption in the living organism transparency window, making them less susceptible to photodamage, while improving the irradiation penetration depth and spatial resolution. We report the four-photon-excited fluorescence emission of (7-benzothiazol-2-yl-9,-didecylfluoren-2-yl)diphenylamine in hexane and its four-photon absorption cross section sigma4' = 8.1 x 10(-109) cm8 s3 photon(-3) for the transition S0 --> S1 when excited at 1600 nm with a tunable optical parametric generator (OPG) pumped by picosecond laser pulses. When pumped at 1200 nm, three-photon absorption was observed, corresponding to the same transition.     

The importance of immunological markers in the diagnosis of central nervous system infections produced by mycobacteria

More than 40 different oral diseases and conditions have been described in patients infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). The recognition of the oral manifestations of HIV disease is of great significance because they may represent the first signs of the disease and have been shown to be highly predictive markers of severe immune deterioration and disease progression. Although some oral diseases and conditions have a weak association with HIV disease, others are strongly linked with the disorder, and a few are acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)-defining in nature. The spectrum of oral manifestations of HIV disease is reviewed with emphasis on clinical recognition, diagnosis, and treatment.     

Bioactive Polymers 62. A Novel Macromolecular Drug Based on 5-Acetylamino-2-Sulfamoyl-1,3,4 Thiodiazole

The condensation reaction of 5-acetylamino-2-sulfamoyl-1,3,4 thiodiazole (acetazolamide) on the poly(acrylic acid-co-styrene) copolymer was studied, with a view to obtaining a retard drug. Coupling was performed in a THF medium in the presence of dicyclohexylcarbodiimide as activator. The diuretic effect of the newly obtained drug was checked in rats.     

PEGylation Effects on the Interaction of Sphingomyelin Nanoemulsions with Serum Albumin: A Thermodynamic Investigation

The recent focus in the development of novel nanosystems for biomedical applications lays firmly on their interactions with biomolecules. Thermodynamic parameters driving the interaction between nanoparticles and proteins provide insights into complex processes at bio/nanointerface. The present work aims to investigate the binding mechanisms and the dominant contributions that determine the adsorption processes during the interactions of a model protein, that is, bovine serum albumin, with a new type of drug delivery systems, Vitamin E/sphingomyelin nanoemulsions, plain and coated with polyethylene glycol, and d -ɑ-tocopheryl polyethylene glycol succinate. The binding parameters (binding constant, binding stoichiometry, enthalpy, Gibbs energy, and entropy changes of binding) are evaluated by the isothermal titration calorimetry with a MicroCaliTC200 equipment. The effect of nanoemulsions on the protein stability is examined by measuring the thermodynamic parameters for the protein's unfolding (heat capacity; enthalpy, entropy, and free energy changes) with a NanoDSC (TA Instrument) apparatus. The thermodynamic profile shows for all compositions an entropy-driven interaction dominated by hydrophobic forces due to the rearrangements/displacement of the surrounding water molecules, while maintaining the native conformation of the protein. All the information acquired by thermodynamic approach may significantly enhance the knowledge with special focus on PEGylated nanoemulsions used for biomedical applications.