First InGaN/GaN thin Film LED using SiCOI engineered substrate

InGaN / GaN multiple quantum well (MQW) light emitting diodes (LEDs) were deposited by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) onto SiCOI engineered substrates. SiCOI substrates are composed of SiC thin film transferred on a silicon substrate through silicon oxide layer by the Smart Cut (TM) technology. LEDs structures grown on SiCOI were characterized, then transferred onto Si substrates via a metallic bonding process and SiCOI substrates were removed. Three different metallic stacks were used for metallic bonding, including mirror and barrier diffusion. Vertical thin film LED obtained were characterized and showed a 2 to 3 times increase of external quantum efficiency. These results demonstrate the potential of SiCOI engineered substrates as an alternative to laser lift off for thin film LED fabrication

Nuclear Wastes Treatment by Means of Supported Liquid Membranes Containing Calixcrown Compounds

Permeability variation with repeated caesium transport experiments has been chosen to measure the leaching of the supported liquid membrane by the contacting aqueous solutions. This allowed us to characterize the SLM stability. Whereas classical crown ethers such as the widely used 21C7 derivatives were revealed to be poorly efficient and poorly stable in SLMs, crown-6-calix[4]arene compounds in the so-called 1,3-alternate configuration led to very stable (over 50 days), highly selective (concentration factor > 100) and efficient (decontamination factor = 20) SLMs, for the removal of caesium from high salinity and acidity media. These results were achieved by using proper organic diluents and introducing hydrophobic substituents in the frame of the calixarenes

Glucocorticoid excess during adolescence leads to a major persistent deficit in bone mass and an increase in central body fat

Endogenous Cushing's syndrome (CS) in children causes growth retardation, decreased bone mass, and increased total body fat. No prospective controlled studies have been performed in children to determine the long-term sequelae of CS on peak bone mass and body composition. A 15-year-old girl with Cushing disease (CD), and her healthy identical co-twin, were followed for 6 years after the CD was cured. At the 6-year follow-up both twins had areal bone mineral density (BMD) and body composition determined by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and three-dimensional quantitative computed tomography (3DQCT). Z scores for height, weight, and body mass index (BMI) were -2.3, -0.8 and 0.2, and 1.2, 0.2, and -0.6, in the twin with CD and her co-twin, respectively. In the twin with CD, areal BMD and bone mineral apparent density (BMAD) at different sites varied from 0.7 to 3 SD below her co-twin. Volumetric lumbar spine bone density Z score was -0.75 and 1.0, and total body, abdominal visceral, and subcutaneous fat (%) was 42, 10, and 41 versus 26, 4, and 17 in the twin with CD and her co-twin, respectively. The relationship between total body fat and L2-L4 BMAD was inverse in the twin with CD (p < 0.05), which by contrast in her co-twin was opposite and direct (p < 0.001). In the twin with CD, despite cure, there was a persistent deficit in bone mass and increase in total and visceral body fat. These observations suggest that hypercortisolism (exogenous or endogenous) during adolescence may have persistent adverse effects on bone and fat mass