Surface chemistry at Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences

In the Swiss Universities of Applied Sciences, a number of research groups are involved in surface science, with different methodological approaches and a broad range of sophisticated characterization techniques. A snapshot of the current research going on in different groups from the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland (HES-SO), the Zurich University of Applied Sciences (ZHAW) and the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW) is given

Epitaxial lithium niobate thin films grown by chemical beam epitaxy on sapphire

Lithium Niobate (LiNbO3) is a versatile material with a number of remarkable qualities. It finds application in optical modulators because of its electro-optic properties. Nonlinearity opens its use in bio-physical applications where particles or wires of LiNbO3 can be used as highly localized optical probes. Optical frequency conversion is another possible use, as well. One of the current commercial applications of the material is in optical modulators in telecomunication devices. Nowadays bulk crystals of the material are used. However, in order to make devices more compact and affordable it is necessary to be able to produce LiNbO3 films on suitable substrates with sufficient crystalline and optical quality

Characteristics and properties of nano-LiCoO2 synthesized by pre-organized single source precursors: Li-ion diffusivity, electrochemistry and biological assessment

Background: LiCoO2 is one of the most used cathode materials in Li-ion batteries. Its conventional synthesis requires high temperature (>800 degrees C) and long heating time (>24 h) to obtain the micronscale rhombohedral layered high-temperature phase of LiCoO2 ( HT-LCO). Nanoscale HT-LCO is of interest to improve the battery performance as the lithium (Li+) ion pathway is expected to be shorter in nanoparticles as compared to micron sized ones. Since batteries typically get recycled, the exposure to nanoparticles during this process needs to be evaluated. Results: Several new single source precursors containing lithium (Li+) and cobalt (Co2+) ions, based on alkoxides and aryloxides have been structurally characterized and were thermally transformed into nanoscale HT-LCO at 450 degrees C within few hours. The size of the nanoparticles depends on the precursor, determining the electrochemical performance. The Li-ion diffusion coefficients of our - LiCoO2 nanoparticles improved at least by a factor of 10 compared to commercial one, while showing good reversibility upon charging and discharging. The hazard of occupational exposure to nanoparticles during battery recycling was investigated with an in vitro multicellular lung model. Conclusions: Our heterobimetallic single source precursors allow to dramatically reduce the production temperature and time for HT-LCO. The obtained nanoparticles of LiCoO2 have faster kinetics for Li+ insertion/extraction compared to microparticles. Overall, nano-sized - LiCoO2 particles indicate a lower cytotoxic and (pro-)inflammogenic potential in vitro compared to their micron-sized counterparts. However, nanoparticles aggregate in air and behave partially like microparticles

Antiretroviral-naive and -treated HIV-1 patients can harbour more resistant viruses in CSF than in plasma

Objectives The neurological disorders in HIV-1-infected patients remain prevalent. The HIV-1 resistance in plasma and CSF was compared in patients with neurological disorders in a multicentre study. Methods Blood and CSF samples were collected at time of neurological disorders for 244 patients. The viral loads were >50 copies/mL in both compartments and bulk genotypic tests were realized. Results On 244 patients, 89 and 155 were antiretroviral (ARV) naive and ARV treated, respectively. In ARV-naive patients, detection of mutations in CSF and not in plasma were reported for the reverse transcriptase (RT) gene in 2/89 patients (2.2%) and for the protease gene in 1/89 patients (1.1%). In ARV-treated patients, 19/152 (12.5%) patients had HIV-1 mutations only in the CSF for the RT gene and 30/151 (19.8%) for the protease gene. Two mutations appeared statistically more prevalent in the CSF than in plasma: M41L (P = 0.0455) and T215Y (P = 0.0455). Conclusions In most cases, resistance mutations were present and similar in both studied compartments. However, in 3.4% of ARV-naive and 8.8% of ARV-treated patients, the virus was more resistant in CSF than in plasma. These results support the need for genotypic resistance testing when lumbar puncture is performe

Rédiger une étude de cas en TCC : Guide à l’usage des thérapeutes qui souhaitent défendre leur travail de façon rigoureuse

La rédaction d’une étude de cas est demandée lors des formations en psychothérapie afin de favoriser la réflexivité chez le clinicien et de consolider les liens entre les connaissances scientifiques et la pratique clinique. L’étude de cas permet aussi au psychothérapeute expérimenté de valoriser son travail ou de contribuer à l’évolution d’une théorie. Dans cet article, nous proposons un guide pour le thérapeute cognitivo-comportemental qui se lance dans l’exercice de rédaction d’une étude de cas. Chaque chapitre est détaillé avec des exemples, afin d’accompagner le futur auteur dans une démarche rigoureuse. Ce guide met en exergue la complexité de ce travail, et devrait contribuer à générer des travaux scientifiques profitant plus directement au travail des cliniciens

Réflexivité parentale et pratiques éducatives : exploration des liens à travers une étude transversale chez des parents d'enfants en âge préscolaire

La littérature a démontré le rôle clé de la mentalisation du parent, parfois nommée « réflexivité parentale », dans le développement socio-affectif de l’enfant. Cette étude explore les liens entre la réflexivité parentale évaluée à l’aide du PRFQ (The Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, 2017) et neuf pratiques éducatives mesurées avec l’EPEPPPSF (Évaluation des pratiques éducatives parentales – Preschool and Primary Form, 2009) chez 359 parents d’enfants âgés de 2 à 5 ans. La dimension « intérêt et curiosité pour les états mentaux » du PRFQ se révèle davantage corrélée aux pratiques éducatives dites positives. Les implications cliniques, les limites ainsi que des propositions pour de futures recherches sont discutées

Contribution du genre bacillus à la dégradation bactérienne des hydrocarbures

Evolution of marine oil pollution made the study of microbial degradation a current matter of importance. The present work dealt with preliminary assays in vitro of a sys­tematic study of petroleum degrading Bacillus species. Degradation of petrol during the different experimentations was followed with infra­red analyses. Progressive elimination of alcanes and isoalcanes was controlled by gas- chromatography. Out of the 37 strains of Bacillus subtilis, B_. polymyxa, B. megaterium and Sporosar- cina tested, 10 could grow with petrol as unique source of carbon. The factors of growth as supplemented in these experiments hardly accelerated the degradation.L'augmentation de la pollution marine par les hydrocarbures renforce l'importance de l'étude de la dégradation bactérienne de ces derniers. Ce rapport décrit les essais préliminaires réalisés en laboratoire d'une étude systématique de l'activité de dégradation de certaines souches du genre Bacillus vis à vis d'un produit pétrolier brut. L'analyse infra-rouge a permis non seulement de doser le polluant au cours des différentes expérimentations, mais également de suivre la dégradation de celui-ci par l'étude de son spectre. En parallèle, la chromatographie en phase gazeuse à colonne capillaire a contrôlé l'élimination progressive des alcanes. Sur les trente sept différentes souches de Bacillus subtilis, B. polymyxa, B. megaterium et de Sporosarcina testées, 10 furent sélectionnées comme pouvant se développer en utilisant le pétrole comme seule source de carbone. L'apport d'une quantité donnée de facteurs de croissance dans les conditions d'expérience décrites, accélère sensiblement le phénomène. Les premières conclusions confirment que l'action des bactéries du genre Bacillus est lente vis-à-vis d'un pétrole brut léger