Conductivity of SU‐8 Thin Films through Atomic Force Microscopy Nano‐Patterning

Processing flexibility and good mechanical properties are the two major reasons for SU‐8 extensive applicability in the micro‐fabrication of devices. In order to expand its usability down to the nanoscale, conductivity of ultra‐thin SU‐8 layers as well as its patterning by AFM are explored. By performing local electrical measurements outstanding insulating properties and a dielectric strength 100 times larger than that of SiO₂ are shown. It is also demonstrated that the resist can be nano‐patterned using AFM, obtaining minimum dimensions below 40nm and that it can be combined with parallel lithographic methods like UV‐lithography. The concurrence of excellent insulating properties and nanometer‐scale patternability enables a valuable new approach for the fabrication of nanodevices. As a proof of principle, nano‐electrode arrays for electrochemical measurements which show radial diffusion and no overlap between different diffusion layers are fabricated. This indicates the potential of the developed technique for the nanofabrication of devices.     

Polymer structure and morphology of low density polyethylene filled with silica nanoparticles

The effect of silica nanoparticles on structure and morphology of low density polyethylene (LDPE) was investigated. To prepare the nanocomposites, SiO₂ nanoparticles were dispersed in a LDPE with cryogenic high‐energy ball milling (HEBM). Films of these nanocomposites with different loads (0%, 1.8%, 2.3%, 3.3%, 7.9%, 16.5% wt/wt) were obtained by hot pressing. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) was used to study the nonisothermal melting and crystallization of the films. The morphological characterization was done by atomic force microscopy (AFM). To determine the most representative periodical spacing associated to the LDPE crystallites, a new approach based on the first moment of the frequency distribution obtained from the fast Fourier transform of the AFM phase contrast images was used. Ultracryomicrotomed surfaces of the nanocomposites revealed an efficient dispersion of the nanoparticles throughout the polymer bulk. Although HEBM promotes the formation of the metastable monoclinic phase in the LDPE, nanocomposites in the form of films did not show important differences in their thermal and morphological characteristics, suggesting that there are not high interactions between the polar nanoparticles and the nonpolar polymer and that thermal treatment is enough to eliminate the specific microstructure induced by HEBM. POLYM. COMPOS., 33:2009–2021, 2012. © 2012 Society of Plastics Engineers     

Caffeine levels in beverages from Argentina's market: application to caffeine dietary intake assessment

The caffeine content of different beverages from Argentina's market was measured. Several brands of coffees, teas, mates, chocolate milks, soft and energy drinks were analysed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet detection. The highest concentration level was found in short coffee (1.38 mg ml^?1) and the highest amount per serving was found in instant coffee (95 mg per serving). A consumption study was also carried out among 471 people from 2 to 93 years of age to evaluate caffeine total dietary intake by age and to identify the sources of caffeine intake. The mean caffeine intake among adults was 288 mg day^?1 and mate was the main contributor to that intake. The mean caffeine intake among children of 10 years of age and under was 35 mg day^?1 and soft drinks were the major contributors to that intake. Children between 11 and 15 years old and teenagers (between 16 and 20 years) had caffeine mean intakes of 120 and 240 mg day^?1, respectively, and mate was the major contributor to those intakes. Drinking mate is a deep-rooted habit among Argentine people and it might be the reason for their elevated caffeine mean daily intake.     

Optimization of Lyophilized Hyperacute Serum (HAS) as a Regenerative Therapeutic in Osteoarthritis

Hyperacute serum (HAS) is a blood derivative product that promotes the proliferation of various cell types and controls inflammation in vitro. The aim of this study is to investigate the regenerative potential of different formulations of HAS, including lyophilized and hyaluronic acid combined versions, to obtain a stable and standardized therapeutic in osteoarthritis (OA), which may be able to overcome the variability limitations of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). Primary human osteoarthritic chondrocytes were used for testing cellular viability and gene expression of OA-related genes. Moreover, a co-culture of human explants of cartilage, bone and synovium under inflammatory conditions was used for investigating the inflammatory control capacities of the different therapeutics. In this study, one formulation of lyophilized HAS achieved the high cell viability rates of liquid HAS and PRP. Gene expression analysis showed that HAS induced higher Col1a1 expression than PRP. Cytokine quantification from supernatant fluids revealed that HAS treatment of inflamed co-cultures significantly reduced levels of IL-5, IL-15, IL-2, TNFα, IL-7 and IL-12. To conclude, lyophilized HAS is a stable and standardized therapeutic with high potential in joint regeneration.     

Phenolic refinery wastewater biodegradation by an expanded granular sludge bed reactor.

Refinery spent caustics (SC) were diluted with sour waters (SW) in a ratio 1:7, neutralized with CO2 (SC/SW(CO2)) and 83% of H2S was striped during this procedure, remaining an aromatic portion that contained 2123, 2730 and 1379 mg L(-1) of phenol, p-cresol and o-cresol, respectively. The mixture was teated anaerobically in an EGSB reactor fed with 1.5 gCOD L(-1) d(-1), without mineral supplements causing loss of COD removal efficiency that dropped to 23%, methane production ceased and no phenol or cresols were biodegraded. The EGSB experiments were resumed by feeding the reactor with nutrients and phenol at 1.0 gCOD L(-1) d(-1). The mixture SC/SWco2 added to the phenol load, was step increased from 0.10 to 0.87 gCODL(-1) d(-1) maximum. When total organic load was increased to 1.6, COD removal efficiency was 90% and at the highest load attained, 1.87, efficiency dropped to 23% attributed to the toxic effect produced by cresols.     

Optical label switched networks: laboratory trial and network emulator in the IST-STOLAS project

This article reviews the performance of an optical-label-controlled packet routing node as implemented in the European FP5-IST STOLAS project including a set of general engineering rules. Experimental networking scenarios and results from a STOLAS based network emulator supporting optical overspill routing are presented.     

Polyphenol oxidase activity in grass and its effect on plant‐mediated lipolysis and proteolysis of Dactylis glomerata (cocksfoot) in a simulated rumen environment

Little is known about the level or activity of polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in grasses and its potential impact on proteolysis and lipolysis. Six grass species were initially screened for PPO activity (740.6, 291.9, 213.6, 119.0, 16.3 and 6.5 U g^?1 fresh weight (FW) for cocksfoot, hybrid ryegrass, Italian ryegrass, perennial ryegrass, timothy and tall fescue respectively). Cocksfoot, which expressed the highest activity, was then used to determine the effect of PPO on plant‐mediated proteolysis and lipolysis in a simulated rumen environment. Sourced cocksfoot was macerated and incubated in an antibiotic‐containing anaerobic medium with or without ascorbate to deactivate PPO in the dark at 39 °C over five time points. At each time point (0, 1, 2, 6 and 24 h), six replicate samples were destructively harvested; three of the replicates were used for lipid analysis and the other three for protein, free amino acid and bound phenol determination. Characterisation of the herbage showed PPO activities of 649.6 and 0 U g^?1 FW, which were reflected in the extent of phenol (derived from quinones) binding to protein after 24 h of incubation, namely 65.1 and 29.6 mg bound phenol g^?1 protein (P < 0.001) for cocksfoot and cocksfoot + ascorbate respectively. Proteolysis, measured as free amino acids released into the incubation buffer, was significantly reduced (P < 0.001) with increasing PPO activity, with values after the 24 h incubation of 0.03 and 0.07 mmol L^?1 g^?1 FW for cocksfoot and cocksfoot + ascorbate respectively. Lipolysis, measured as the proportional decline in the membrane lipid polar fraction, was likewise reduced (P < 0.001) with increasing PPO activity, with values after the 24 h incubation of 0.43 and 0.65 for cocksfoot and cocksfoot + ascorbate respectively. Changes that occurred in protein and the lipid fractions (polar fraction, monoacylglycerol + diacylglycerol, triacylglycerol and free fatty acids) during the incubations are also reported and discussed. These results support the selection of forages high in PPO activity to reduce protein and lipid losses in silo and potentially in the rumen. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry     

Nanomorphology and nanomechanical characteristics of solution-blow-spun PVDF-based fibers filled with carbon nanotubes

Fibers of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) filled with multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were prepared by solution blow spinning (SBS). The influence of the MWCNTs on the surface morphology and mechanical behavior of single fibers was studied. The morphology of the materials prepared and the dispersion of the MWCNTs within the polymer were studied by optical microscopy (OM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), while atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to inspect the topography of single fibers and to perform nanoindentation tests. OM and TEM images indicated a good dispersion of the MWCNTs within the PVDF. AFM images evidenced clear changes in the topography of the blow-spun fibers when the MWCNTs were present in the polymer. A greater amount of MWCNTs in the PVDF led to more heterogeneous fiber surfaces. The nanoindentation force curves revealed that the stiffness was practically constant along the fibers, which indicated that the mechanical response was homogeneous and, in turn, an even distribution of the MWCNTs. The incorporation of the MWCNTs produced a mechanical reinforcement of the PVDF fibers, showing increases of 31% and 49% in the elastic modulus when 1% and 5% by weight of MWCNTs were added to the polymer, respectively. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47115.     

A reconstruction method for electrical capacitance tomography based on image fusion techniques

In this work, a method based on image fusion for the formation of Electrical Capacitance Tomography (ECT) images is presented. This method is based on the modification of the classical algebraic superposition of sensitivity maps, weighted with the inter-electrode capacitance measurements, which is the basis of most of the existing image reconstruction algorithms. This fusion-based approach replaces this superposition with the scalar multiplication of partial images generated considering only the data corresponding to fixed source electrodes. Results obtained with this new method show that the quality of the images can be improved without any image post-processing, which is very interesting especially for real-time applications.