390 research outputs found
Adhesion and non-linear rheology of adhesives with supramolecular crosslinking points
Soft supramolecular materials are promising for the design of innovative and
highly tunable adhesives. These materials are composed of polymer chains
functionalized by strongly interacting moieties, sometimes called "stickers".
In order to systematically investigate the effect of the presence of
associative groups on the debonding properties of a supramolecular adhesive, a
series of supramolecular model systems has been characterized by probe-tack
tests. These model materials, composed of linear and low dispersity
poly(butylacrylate) chains functionalized in the middle by a single tri-urea
sticker, are able to self-associate by six hydrogen bonds and range in
molecular weight (M n) between 5 and 85 kg/mol. The linear rheology and the
nanostructure of the same materials (called "PnBA3U") was the object of a
previous study 1,2. At room temperature, the association of polymers via
hydrogen bonds induces the formation of rod-like aggregates structured into
bundles for M n \textless{} 40kg/mol and the behavior of a soft elastic
material was observed (G'\textgreater{}\textgreater{}G "and G'~ 0). For
higher M n , the filaments were randomly oriented and polymers displayed a
crossover towards viscous behavior although terminal relaxation was not reached
in the experimental frequency window. All these materials show however similar
adhesive properties characterized by a cohesive mode of failure and low
debonding energies (W adh \textless{}40J/m 2 for a debonding speed of
100m/s). The debonding mechanisms observed during the adhesion tests have
been investigated in detail with an Image tools analysis developed by our group
3. The measure of the projected area covered by cavities growing in the
adhesive layer during debonding can be used to estimate the true stress in the
walls of the cavities and thus, to characterize the in-situ large strain
deformation of the thin layer during the adhesion test itself. This analysis
revealed in particular that the PnBA3U materials with M n \textless{} 40 kg/mol
soften very markedly at large deformation like yield stress fluids, explaining
the low adhesion energies measured for these viscoelastic gels.
Aspects géologiques et géomorphologiques de la Casamance : étude de la sédimentation actuelle
AprĂšs une synthĂšse des donnĂ©es gĂ©ologiques et gĂ©omorphologiques de la rĂ©gion de Basse Casamance oĂč il apparaĂźt que les variations du niveau marin et les variations climatiques au cours du Quaternaire rĂ©cent ont une part essentielle dans l'Ă©volution du modelĂ© des paysages, l'Ă©tude de la sĂ©dimentation actuelle est abordĂ©e Ă partir de prĂ©lĂšvement effectuĂ©s sur une sĂ©rie de profils bathymĂ©triques dans les cent derniers kilomĂštres du fleuve Casamance entre AdĂ©ane et l'embouchure. Cette approche nous permet de dĂ©finir ensuite les principaux faciĂšs et leurs aires de rĂ©partition. Trois zones apparaissent : un domaine maritime oĂč domine un sable marin unimodal; un domaine intermĂ©diaire oĂč les apports marins et continentaux, brassĂ©s par les courants de marĂ©e donnent des sĂ©diments plus hĂ©tĂ©rogĂšnes souvent riches en sables grossiers dans les fonds de chenaux; et un domaine continental caractĂ©risĂ© par une dominance des limons fins. (RĂ©sumĂ© d'auteur
Theoretical vibrational study of the FXâ â â O(CH3)2 hydrogenâbonded complex
This paper presents the first ab initio attempt to reconstruct the observed band profile of the stretching fundamental vFX (X=H,D) in the FXâ
â
â
O(CH3)2 hydrogenâbonded system. The twoâdimensional potential energy surface V(rFH,RFâ
â
â
O) is evaluated by means of large basis set SCF calculations. The related force constants up to the fourth order are obtained via the analytical fit to a polynomial expansion. The vibrational problem is solved by means of a variational treatment which includes the effects of mechanical anharmonicity. The side bands of the stretching fundamental vFX are described in terms of the vFX ±nvFXâ
â
â
O combination bands in excellent agreement with experiment
Angular momentum evolution in laser-plasma accelerators
The transverse properties of an electron beam are characterized by two
quantities, the emittance which indicates the electron beam extend in the phase
space and the angular momentum which allows for non-planar electron
trajectories. Whereas the emittance of electron beams produced in laser- plasma
accelerator has been measured in several experiments, their angular momentum
has been scarcely studied. It was demonstrated that electrons in laser-plasma
accelerator carry some angular momentum, but its origin was not established.
Here we identify one source of angular momentum growth and we present
experimental results showing that the angular momentum content evolves during
the acceleration
The miRNA pathway limits AGO1 availability during siRNA-mediated PTGS defense against exogenous RNA
In plants, most microRNAs (miRNAs) and several endogenous small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) bind to ARGONAUTE1 (AGO1) to regulate the expression of endogenous genes through post-transcriptional gene silencing (PTGS). AGO1 also participates in a siRNA-mediated PTGS defense response that thwarts exogenous RNA deriving from viruses and transgenes. Here, we reveal that plants supporting transgene PTGS exhibit increased levels of AGO1 protein. Moreover, increasing AGO1 levels either by mutating miRNA pathway components or, more specifically, by impairing miR168-directed regulation of AGO1 mRNA leads to increased PTGS efficiency, indicating that the miRNA pathway dampens the efficiency of PTGS, likely by limiting the availability of AGO1. We propose that during the transgene PTGS initiation phase, transgene siRNAs and endogenous siRNAs and miRNA compete to bind to AGO1, leading to a transient reduction in AGO1âmiR168 complexes and a decline in AGO1 mRNA cleavage. The concomitant increase in AGO1 protein levels would facilitate the formation of AGO1âtransgene siRNA complexes and the entry into the PTGS amplification phase. We suggest that the miRNA pathway imposes an important limitation on PTGS efficiency, which could help protect endogenous mRNAs from being routinely targeted by PTGS
Probabilistic and predictive performance-based approach for assessing reinforced concrete structures lifetime: The applet project
International audienceConcrete deterioration results in different damage extents, from cracking to concrete spalling, from losses of reinforcement cross-sections to bond losses. A relevant prediction of this performance is the basis for a successful management of the concrete structures. Conversely, the large amount of uncertainties related to parameters and models require a specific analysis in order to provide relevant results. The APPLET project intends to develop a probabilistic and predictive performance-based approach by quantifying the various sources of variability (material and structure), studying the interaction between environmental aggressive agents and the concrete material, ensuring a transfer of the physical-chemical models at the material scale towards models at the structure level, including and understanding in a better manner the corrosion process, integrating interface models between reinforcement and concrete, proposing relevant numerical models, integrating know-how from monitoring or inspection. To provide answers, a consortium of 19 partners has been established and has promoted a research project funded by the French Research Science Agency (ANR). Started in May 2007, the project has ended in November 2010. This paper will resume the most significant advances targeted by this research project
Editorial: Influence of Inter- and Intra-Synaptic Factors on Information Processing in the Brain
Admittance Method for Estimating Local Field Potentials Generated in a Multi-Scale Neuron Model of the Hippocampus
Significant progress has been made toward model-based prediction of neral tissue activation in response to extracellular electrical stimulation, but challenges remain in the accurate and efficient estimation of distributed local field potentials (LFP). Analytical methods of estimating electric fields are a first-order approximation that may be suitable for model validation, but they are computationally expensive and cannot accurately capture boundary conditions in heterogeneous tissue. While there are many appropriate numerical methods of solving electric fields in neural tissue models, there isn\u27t an established standard for mesh geometry nor a well-known rule for handling any mismatch in spatial resolution. Moreover, the challenge of misalignment between current sources and mesh nodes in a finite-element or resistor-network method volume conduction model needs to be further investigated. Therefore, using a previously published and validated multi-scale model of the hippocampus, the authors have formulated an algorithm for LFP estimation, and by extension, bidirectional communication between discretized and numerically solved volume conduction models and biologically detailed neural circuit models constructed in NEURON. Development of this algorithm required that we assess meshes of (i) unstructured tetrahedral and grid-based hexahedral geometries as well as (ii) differing approaches for managing the spatial misalignment of current sources and mesh nodes. The resulting algorithm is validated through the comparison of Admittance Method predicted evoked potentials with analytically estimated LFPs. Establishing this method is a critical step toward closed-loop integration of volume conductor and NEURON models that could lead to substantial improvement of the predictive power of multi-scale stimulation models of cortical tissue. These models may be used to deepen our understanding of hippocampal pathologies and the identification of efficacious electroceutical treatments
Self-assembly in solution of a reversible comb-shaped supramolecular polymer
We report a single step synthesis of a polyisobutene with a bis-urea moiety
in the middle of the chain. In low polarity solvents, this polymer
self-assembles by hydrogen bonding to form a combshaped polymer with a central
hydrogen bonded backbone and polyisobutene arms. The comb backbone can be
reversibly broken, and consequently, its length can be tuned by changing the
solvent, the concentration or the temperature. Moreover, we have proved that
the bulkiness of the side-chains have a strong influence on both the
self-assembly pattern and the length of the backbone. Finally, the density of
arms can be reduced, by simply mixing with a low molar mass bis-urea
- âŠ