Highly controlled synthesis of nanometric gold particles by citrate reduction using the short mixing, heating and quenching times achievable in a microfluidic device

Homodispersed 1.8 nm gold nanoparticles were obtained reproducibly in high yields using the classical Turkevich protocol at a high concentration in a continuous flow capillary reactor. The microfluidic reactor made from commercially available items permitted short mixing, heating and quenching times which are the key parameters of this synthesis.     

Estimating an endpoint with high-order moments

We present a new method for estimating the endpoint of a unidimensional sample when the distribution function decreases at a polynomial rate to zero in the neighborhood of the endpoint. The estimator is based on the use of high-order moments of the variable of interest. It is assumed that the order of the moments goes to infinity, and we give conditions on its rate of divergence to get the asymptotic normality of the estimator. The good performance of the estimator is illustrated on some finite sample situations.     

Size-partitioning of an urban aerosol to identify particle determinants involved in the proinflammatory response induced in airway epithelial cells

Background  

The contribution of air particles in human cardio-respiratory diseases has been enlightened by several epidemiological studies. However the respective involvement of coarse, fine and ultrafine particles in health effects is still unclear. The aim of the present study is to determine which size fraction from a chemically characterized background aerosol has the most important short term biological effect and to decipher the determinants of such a behaviour.     

Peptide hormone and growth factor regulation of nuclear proto-oncogenes and specific functions in adrenal cells

Among the large number of immediate early genes, nuclear proto-oncogenes of the Fos and Jun families, have been postulated to be involved in the long-term effects of several growth factors on cell differentiation and/or multiplication. Since adrenal cell differentiated functions appear to be regulated by specific hormones and growth factors, the effects of these factors on proto-oncogene mRNA levels were analysed in bovine adrenal fasciculata cells (BAC) in culture. Corticotropin (ACTH) and insulin-like growth factor I increased c-fos and jun-B mRNA, but had no effect on c-jun mRNA and these early changes were associated with a later increase in BAC specific function [ACTH receptors, cytochrome P450 17 alpha) and 3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3 beta-HSD)] and an enhanced steroidogenic responsiveness to both ACTH and angiotensin-II (A-II). On the other hand, A-II increased the three proto-oncogene (c-fos, c-jun and jun-B) mRNAs, induced a decrease of P450 17 alpha and 3 beta-HSD and caused a marked homologous and heterologous (ACTH) densitization. Transforming growth factor beta 1 which only increased jun-B mRNA, markedly reduced BAC differentiated functions and the steroidogenic responsiveness to both ACTH and A-II. Thus, it is postulated that the proto-oncoproteins encoded by the immediate early genes may play a role in the long-term effects of peptide hormones and growth factors on BAC differentiated functions.     

Combed single DNA molecules imaged by secondary ion mass spectrometry

Studies of replication, recombination, and rearrangements at the level of individual molecules of DNA are often limited by problems of resolution or of perturbations caused by the modifications that are needed for imaging. The Combing-Imaging by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) (CIS) method helps solve these problems by combining DNA combing, cesium flooding, and quantitative imaging via the NanoSIMS 50. We show here that CIS can reveal, on the 50 nm scale, individual DNA fibers labeled with different, nonradioactive isotopes and, moreover, that it can quantify these isotopes so as to detect and measure the length of one or more short nucleic acid fragments associated with a longer fiber.     

Solubility and electrochemical studies of LiFeO2–LiCoO2–NiO materials for the MCFC cathode application

The dissolution of the state-of-the-art lithiated NiO is still considered as one of the main obstacles to the commercialisation of the molten carbonate fuel cell (MCFC). Development of alternative cathode materials has been considered as a main strategy for solving this problem. Ternary compositions of LiFeO₂, LiCoO₂ and NiO are expected to decrease the cathode solubility while ensuring a good electrical conductivity and electrochemical activity towards the oxygen reduction.

In this work, new material compositions in the LiFeO₂–LiCoO₂–NiO ternary system were synthesised using Pechini method and investigating their electrical conductivity by the DC four probe method. Then the influence of the cobalt content in the composition was determined in terms of AC impedance analysis and solubility measurements after 200 h of immersion in Li₂CO₃–Na₂CO₃ at 650 °C. The DC electrical conductivity study reveals the ability of improving the electrical conductivity, adequate for MCFC cathode application, by controlling the Co content of the composition. A special attention was given to the evolution of the open circuit potential as a function of time and to the impedance spectroscopy characterization related to microstructure modifications. Taking into account solubility, electrical conductivity, as well as electrochemical performance in the fuel cell, this study reveals the possibility of using LiFeO₂–LiCoO₂–NiO ternary materials for MCFC cathode.     

A generic cognitive framework for supervising the radio dynamic reconfiguration

Cognitive radio is a technological concept pushing for the introduction of intelligent radio operation that goes beyond traditional system adaptation. So far, a rather limited amount of work has been published on the cognitive mechanisms that should be embedded into communicating equipments to achieve such an intelligent behavior. This paper presents a generic cognitive framework for autonomous decision making with regard to multiple, possibly conflicting, operational objectives in a time-varying environment. The framework is based on the definition of two scales introducing order relationships between the configurations that help the reasoning and learning processes. The resulting cognitive engine learns to progressively identify the optimal configurations for the design objectives imposed given the current radio environment. The proposed approach is illustrated for a case of cognitive waveform design and extensive simulation results validate the cognitive engine behavior.