Electrical controlled rheology of a suspension of weakly conducting particles in dielectric liquid

The properties of suspensions of fine particles in dielectric liquid (electrorheological fluids) subjected to an electric field lead to a drastic change of the apparent viscosity of the fluid. For high applied fields (~ 3-5 kV/mm) the suspension congeals to a solid gel (particles fibrillate span the electrode gap) having a finite yield stress. For moderate fields the viscosity of the suspension is continuously controlled by the electric field strength. We have roposed that in DC voltage the field distribution in the solid (particles) and liquid phases of the suspension and so the attractive induced forces between particles and the yield stress of the suspension are controlled by the conductivities of the both materials. In this paper we report investigation and results obtained with nanoelectrorheological suspensions: synthesis of coated nanoparticles (size ~ 50 to 600 nm, materials Gd2O3:Tb, SiOx...), preparation of ER fluids (nanoparticles mixed in silicone oil), electrical and rheological characterization of the ER fluids. We also propose a possible explanation of the enhanced ER effect (giant ER fluids) taking into account the combined effects of the (nano)size of the particles, the Van der Waals forces between particles in contact and the electrostatic pressure in a very thin layer of insulating liquid.Comment: Article pour la conf\'{e}rence sur les charges d'espaces (CSC 6\`{e}me \'{e}dition) qui s'est d\'{e}roul\'{e}e \`{a} Tours du 3 au 7 juillet 2006. 6page

Enhanced bioadhesivity of dopamine-functionalized polysaccharidic membranes for general surgery applications

An emerging strategy to improve adhesiveness of biomaterials in wet conditions takes inspiration from the adhesive features of marine mussel, which reside in the chemical reactivity of catechols. In this work, a catechol-bearing molecule (dopamine) was chemically grafted onto alginate to develop a polysaccharide-based membrane with improved adhesive properties. The dopamine-modified alginates were characterized by NMR, UV spectroscopy and in vitro biocompatibility. Mechanical tests and in vitro adhesion studies pointed out the effects of the grafted dopamine within the membranes. The release of HA from these resorbable membranes was shown to stimulate fibroblasts activities (in vitro). Finally, a preliminary in vivo test was performed to evaluate the adhesiveness of the membrane on porcine intestine (serosa). Overall, this functionalized membrane was shown to be biocompatible and to possess considerable adhesive properties owing to the presence of dopamine residues grafted on the alginate backbone

Is increased time to diagnosis and treatment in symptomatic cancer associated with poorer outcomes?:Systematic review

background: It is unclear whether more timely cancer diagnosis brings favourable outcomes, with much of the previous evidence, in some cancers, being equivocal. We set out to determine whether there is an association between time to diagnosis, treatment and clinical outcomes, across all cancers for symptomatic presentations. methods: Systematic review of the literature and narrative synthesis. results: We included 177 articles reporting 209 studies. These studies varied in study design, the time intervals assessed and the outcomes reported. Study quality was variable, with a small number of higher-quality studies. Heterogeneity precluded definitive findings. The cancers with more reports of an association between shorter times to diagnosis and more favourable outcomes were breast, colorectal, head and neck, testicular and melanoma. conclusions: This is the first review encompassing many cancer types, and we have demonstrated those cancers in which more evidence of an association between shorter times to diagnosis and more favourable outcomes exists, and where it is lacking. We believe that it is reasonable to assume that efforts to expedite the diagnosis of symptomatic cancer are likely to have benefits for patients in terms of improved survival, earlier-stage diagnosis and improved quality of life, although these benefits vary between cancers

Les fluides électrorhéologiques : rôle de la conductivité des différents constituants

Après un rappel sur l'influence du champ électrique sur les propriétés rhéologiques de suspensions de fines particules dans un liquide isolant, des arguments généraux sont présentés qui montrent qu'en tension continue, ce sont les propriétés de conduction des deux constituants qui déterminent l'interaction entre les particules. L'effet électrorhéologique ne peut avoir lieu que pour des particules solides plus conductrices que le liquide (dans le cas contraire un effet “négatif” est observé). Un modèle permettant d'estimer la force d'interaction entre particules d'un fluide électrorhéologique est ensuite proposé. Ce modèle est qualitativement vérifié aussi bien sur une expérience à grande échelle (sphères de rayon 0,7 cm) que sur un fluide réel. Le cas des champs alternatifs est brièvement abordé.The influence of an electric field on the rheological properties of suspensions of small particles in an insulating liquid is first recalled. Then general arguments are given which show that, under DC fields, the particle/particle interaction is controlled by the conduction properties of both constituents. The electrorheological effect occurs only for solid that present a higher conductivity than the liquid (in the reserve case, a “negative” effect is obtained). Then a model is proposed which gives estimates of the attraction force between particles of an ER fluid. This model is qualitatively confirmed by results on a large scale experiment (spheres of radius $R=0.7$ cm) as well as on a real fluid. The case of AC fields is also examined

Effects of supercritical carbon dioxide sterilization on polysaccharidic membranes for surgical applications

Sterilization methods such as &3-irradiation, steam sterilization and ethylene oxide gas treatment can have negative effects on molecular structure and properties of polysaccharide-based biomaterials. In this perspective, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO2) has been proposed as an alternative method for biomaterial sterilization. In this work, chemical, mechanical and biological properties of polysaccharidic membranes for surgical applications were investigated after sterilization by scCO2. Four sets of sterilizing conditions were considered and SEC analyses were performed in order to identify the one with lower impact on the polysaccharidic matrix of membranes (alginate). Mechanical tests showed that the resistance of membranes was slightly affected after sterilization. Biological analyses proved the biocompatibility of the sterilized membranes both in vitro and in a preliminary in vivo test. Overall, this study points out that this sterilization technique can be successfully employed to achieve an effective and safe sterilization of polysaccharidic membranes for surgical us