Corrosion Behavior of Biocompatible Stainless Steels in Physiological Medium for Non‐invasive Diagnosis of Small Fiber Neuropathies Applications

A non‐invasive device based on measurements of electrochemical skin conductance can detect small fiber neuropathy, a sweat gland dysfunction implicated in several diseases. The measurement is related to sweat composition and notably to chloride concentration. To optimize the electrode material, in vitro experiments are performed in mimetic sweat solutions. This work reports on the resistance to pitting corrosion of biocompatible stainless steels (AISI 304L, AISI 430, AISI 430T, D2205) in sweat mimicking electrolyte at pH 7 with variable chloride concentration, to determine the most sensitive material to sweat composition. AISI 430 is promising due to its high sensitivity to chloride concentration variations.     

Computer-aided product design of alternative solvents based on phase equilibrium synergism in mixtures

A systematic methodology is proposed to find binary azeotropic mixtures as new alternative solvents for the extraction process of volatile aroma molecules widely used in perfume and cosmetic industries. We investigated the use of the reverse engineering approach with computer-aided product design (CAPD) instead of the traditional “trial and error” approach. First, the design problem is defined from the real functionalities of the classical solvents. The latter are translated into physicochemical properties and the corresponding boundary values for each property are defined. The reverse engineering method coupled with CAPD consists in using optimization techniques for building molecular structures that match as best as possible the complete set of target physicochemical properties, thus defining for each candidate a performance index. Property values are evaluated by using group contribution methods for each molecular structure generated by a CAPD tool or by using database values. Acknowledging the contradictory relationship between two selected physicochemical properties, that is, low boiling temperature and high flash point, which is rarely found in pure components, binary azeotropic mixtures were studied to enhance the global performance of solvent candidates. Dimethyl carbonate used as a solvent for the extraction of aroma molecules from plants exhibits between the boiling temperature and the flash point. It was selected as the key component for designing binary azeotropic mixtures. The global performance of the binary azeotropic mixtures was verified by means of calculations of the vapor–liquid and liquid–liquid equilibrium using modified universal functional activity coefficient (UNIFAC) method as a thermodynamic method.     

YouTube for Good: A Content Analysis and Examination of Elicitors of Self-Transcendent Media

Despite the increased attention to eudaimonic media experiences, to date scholars have paid little attention to the specific portrayals responsible for those experiences. Study 1 of this project reports the first systematic content analysis of self-transcendent media—a particular type of eudaimonic media—using a sample of 100 “inspirational” YouTube videos. The presence of 20 specific elicitors associated with self-transcendent emotions was examined and reported. In Study 2, respondents provided real-time self-transcendent emotional reactions while viewing 3 “inspirational” videos. As expected, ratings significantly increased immediately following exposure to each specific elicitor. Thus, this project reports the first empirical evidence directly linking specific representations to content identified as “inspirational” and directly linking those representations to self-transcendent emotional reactions.     

Molecular Evolution of Polymers through Photoageing: A New UV in situ Viscoelastic Technique

Summary: Dienic elastomers are highly sensitive towards oxidation. During UV exposure, both scission and/or recombination reactions compete which involves an evolution of the molecular structure of the material. We developed an in situ technique to monitor the viscoelastic property changes upon UV irradiation of polymers in a single experiment. We illustrated this photorheology technique in the case of two kinds of elastomers. From our findings, this method is assumed to bring significant new advantages.

Photograph of the photorheometer used in this study.     

Study of the chemical derivatization of zearalenone and its metabolites for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis of environmental samples

This study compares different silylation procedures of zearalenone and its metabolites: alpha-zearalenol, beta-zearalenol, zearalanone, alpha-zearalanol and beta-zearalanol for gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis. Four silylating agents among the most frequently used to derivatize polar organic compounds were tested: N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)trifluoroacetamide (BSTFA), N-methyl-N-trimethylsilyltrifluoroacetamide (MSTFA), N,N-diethyltrimethylsilylamine (TMSDEA) and a commercial mixture of N,O-bis(trimethylsilyl)acetamide, trimethylchlorosilane and N-trimethylsilyimidazole. Previous studies showed that the addition of polar and/or basic solvents can significantly improve the yield of a reaction of derivatization. In this work, four solvents were tested: pyridine, dimethylformamide, acetonitrile and acetone. The influence of each solvent was studied as a function of the silylating agent/solvent ratio. The influences of the temperature and of the reaction time on the reaction yields were also evaluated. A GC-MS quantitation method associating methanol chemical ionization and selected ion storage with three ions was developed and successfully tested on a reconstituted sediment spiked in zearalenone and its metabolites.     

Group 2 metal salts of pyromellitic acid: [Mg(H2O)6](C10H4O8) and [Ba(C10H4O8)(H2O)5]

Structural determinations of the magnesium(II) and barium(II) salts of pyromellitic acid (benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetra­carboxyl­ic acid) are presented. Hexa­aqua­magnesium(II) benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetra­carboxyl­ate(2−), [Mg(H₂O)₆](C₁₀H₄O₈), (I), and penta­aqua­[benzene‐1,2,4,5‐tetra­carboxyl­ato(2−)]­barium(II), [Ba(C₁₀H₄O₈)(H₂O)₅], (II), are both centrosymmetric and both possess a 1:1 metal–ligand ratio, but the two structures are found to differ in that the magnesium salt contains a hexaaqua cation and possesses only hydrogen‐bonding interactions between cations and anions, while the barium salt exhibits coordination of the carboxyl­ate ligand to the nine‐coordinate metal centre. In (I), both ions sit on a 2/m site symmetry, and in (II), the cation and anion are located on m and i site symmetries, respectively.     

Impact of the Atmosphere on the Reactivity of Peroxidic Species upon Photooxidation of Polymers

Summary: This paper gives an account of preliminary results about the impact of an oxidative atmosphere on peroxidation. Attention is focused on the level, nature, and reactivity of (hydro)peroxides with respect to the oxidative component concentration. Our main result is surprising: a lower peroxidation rate occurs, but a higher content of hydroperoxides are formed in air than in pure oxygen atmospheres. The results may lead to an approach to understand the influence of atmospheric factors on the outdoor weathering of polymers.

The device used to measure the oxygen uptake of the systems studied here.