Fabrication of Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Xerogel based High Aspect Ratio 3-D Hierarchical C-MEMS Structures

We demonstrate a novel method to fabricate arrays of resorcinol- formaldehyde xerogel (RFX) based high aspect ratio (HAR) three- dimensional (3-D) hierarchical C-MEMS structures. Starting from a master pattern of HAR 3-D posts fabricated in SU-8 negative photoresist by photolithography, a negative PDMS stamp with arrays of holes was prepared by micromolding. The PDMS stamp was then used to fabricate HAR 3-D RFX posts by replica molding. The 3-D RFX posts thus fabricated were electrosprayed with SU-8 or an RF sol in the form of submicron or nano sized droplets and followed by pyrolysis to yield HAR 3-D hierarchical carbon posts. To characterize their use in C-MEMS based batteries, galvanostatic (charge and discharge) experiments on RFX derived carbon showed that it can be reversibly intercalated with Li ions and possesses superior intercalation properties as compared to SU- 8 derived carbon which is a widely used material in C-MEMS

Fractura subtrocantérica tras fijación percutánea con tornillos de fracturas no desplazadas en el cuello femoral : presentación de tres casos y revisión de la literatura

Objective. To show 3 cases of subtrochanteric fracture as complication of screw fixation for femoral neck undisplaced fractures. Material and methods. We present 3 cases of subtrochanteric fractures after screw fixation of valgus impacted femoral neck fractures. In all cases, intramedulary nailing was the treatment choice for this complication. Results. One year after the surgery all fractures healed without needing additional procedures and all patients walked pain-free. Discussion. The results of percutaneous fixation of undisplaced fractures of the femoral neck using cannulated screws are good in aged patients. Subtrochanteric fracture is a rare complication. Most authors attribute it to wrong surgical technique. These errors represent weakening and more direct transmission of forces on the lateral cortex. We provide several advices to avoid the failure. Conclusions. The best way to avoid this complication is an appropriate surgical technique. The treatment of choice, if present, is the intramedullary nailin

Metal·locarborans i biologia molecular: la sorprenent interacció de dos mons aparentment independents

La capacitat d'autoassemblatge dels metal·locarborans ha estat molt investigada recentment. La seva habilitat per formar membranes monocapa ens induí a l'estudi de la interacció d'aquestes membranes sintètiques amb membranes biològiques. Aquest treball evidencia que l'anió cobaltabisdicarballur, [3,3'-Co(C2B9H11)2]− (COSAN), i el seu derivat diiodat, [3,3'-Co(8-I-C2B9H10)2]− (I2-COSAN), poden interaccionar amb membranes biològiques i creuar-les, de manera que s'acumulen a l'interior de cèl·lules vives. En aplicar aquests compostos a diferents tipus de cèl·lules en cultiu, s'indueix una inhibició completa, però alhora reversible, de la proliferació cel·lular, amb una recuperació total de l'activitat de divisió cel·lular un cop extret el metal·locarborà del medi.Metallacarborane’s self-assembly has been recently widely investigated. Its ability to form monolayer membranes led us to study the interaction of these synthetic membranes with biological membranes. This work evidences that the cobaltibisdicarbollide anion, [3,3’-Co(C2B9H11)2]− (COSAN), and its di-iodinated derivative, [3,3’-Co(8-I-C2B9H10)2]− (I2-COSAN), can interact with biological membranes and cross them, accumulating inside living cells. When applying these compounds to different cells in culture, complete but reversible cell proliferation suppression is induced, with a total recovery of the cell division activity after removal of the metallacarborane from the media

Treating infants with frigg: linking disease aetiologies, medicinal plant use and careseeking behaviour in southern Morocco

Background: Although most Moroccans rely to some extent on traditional medicine, the practice of frigg to treat paediatric ailments by elderly women traditional healers known as ferraggat, has not yet been documented. We describe the role of these specialist healers, document the medicinal plants they use, and evaluate how and why their practice is changing. Methods: Ethnomedicinal and ethnobotanical data were collected using semi-structured interviews and observations of medical encounters. Information was collected from traditional healers, namely ferraggat, patients, herbalists and public health professionals. Patients’ and healers’ narratives about traditional medicine were analysed and medicinal plant lists were compiled from healers and herbalists. Plants used were collected, vouchered and deposited in herbaria. Results: Ferragat remain a key health resource to treat infant ailments in the rural High Atlas, because mothers believe only they can treat what are perceived to be illnesses with a supernatural cause. Ferragat possess baraka, or the gift of healing, and treat mainly three folk ailments, taqait, taumist and iqdi, which present symptoms similar to those of ear infections, tonsillitis and gastroenteritis. Seventy plant species were used to treat these ailments, but the emphasis on plants may be a recent substitute for treatments that used primarily wool and blood. This change in materia medica is a shift in the objects of cultural meaningfulness in response to the increasing influence of orthodox Islam and state-sponsored modernisation, including public healthcare and schooling. Conclusions: Religious and other sociocultural changes are impacting the ways in which ferraggat practice. Treatments based on no-longer accepted symbolic elements have been readily abandoned and substituted by licit remedies, namely medicinal plants, which play a legitimisation role for the practice of frigg. However, beliefs in supernatural ailment aetiologies, as well as lack or difficult access to biomedical alternatives, still underlie the need for specialist traditional healers

Presència i distribució espacial de concentracions anormals d'ió nitrat a les aigües subterrànies dels aqüífers del Baix Fluvià (Alt Empordà)

Presentem una caracterització de la distribució espacial de la contaminació per nitrats en els aqüífers de la plana del baix Fluvià. En concret, els valors de concentració més elevats s’han observat a l’aqüífer superficial, on sobrepassen, amb escreix, els límits de potabilitat aconsellats pel RD 1138/1990. L’àrea més afectada ocupa part dels termes municipals de Vilamacolum i Torroella de Fluvià, en els quals hi predominen concentracions que oscil·len entre 50 i 200 mg × L–1. Els focus de contaminació són de tipus puntual i difús. Documentada la presència anormal de nitrats en aquest aqüífer, es planteja el correcte maneig agrícola, en vistes a una doble finalitat: d’una banda, contribuir a la planificació d’unes bones pràctiques agrícoles tenint en compte la relació entre volums de reg i aportacions de nitrogen; d’altra banda, preveure una progressiva recuperació de la qualitat de l’aqüífer, a partir de l’ús de tecnologies que integrin la ubicació d’unes zones favorables on es pugui maximitzar l’extracció del recurs contaminat, i la ubicació d’uns sòls aptes per a l’aplicació d’aquest recurs, amb uns criteris agronòmics coherents.Presentamos una caracterización de la distribución espacial de la contaminación por nitratos en los acuíferos de la llanura del baix Fluvià. En concreto, los valores de concentración más elevados se han observado en el acuífero superficial, donde sobrepasan, con creces, los límites de potabilidad aconsejados por el RD 1138/1990. El área más afectada ocupa parte de los términos municipales de Vilamacolum y Torroella de Fluvià, en los cuales predominan concentraciones que oscilan entre 50 y 200 mg × L–1. Los focos de contaminación son de tipo puntual y difuso. Documentada la presencia anormal de nitratos en este acuífero, se plantea el correcto manejo agrícola, en vistas a una doble finalidad: por un lado, contribuir a la planificación de unas buenas prácticas agrícolas teniendo en cuenta la relación entre volúmenes de riego y aportaciones de nitrógeno; por otro lado, prever una progresiva recuperación de la calidad del acuífero, a partir de usar tecnologías que integren la ubicación de unas zonas favorables donde se pueda maximizar la extracción del recurso contaminado, y la ubicación de unos suelos aptos para la aplicación de este recurso, con unos criterios agronómicos coherentes.A characterisation of spatial distribution of the nitrate groundwater contamination in the baix Fluvià plain is presented. Specially, the highest values have been found in the upper aquifer, where the critical values specified by RD 1138/1990 for drinking water are clearly surpassed in some cases. The worse afeected areas are the municipalities of Vilamacolum and Torroella de Fluvià where concentrations between 50 and 200 meq × l–1 are dominant. The contamination comes from both point and non-point sources. After documenting the abnormal amounts of nitrate in such aquifer the next issue is good agricultural management. This has two aims. Firstly, to contribute to the planning of good agricultural practices taking the relationship between amount of irrigation water and inputs of nitrogen into account. Secondly, to try to recover the aquifer progressively using technologies capable of integrating the setting of favourable areas where the polluted resource could be withdranw and other spots where there are soils suitable for the application of such resource, all with coherent agronomic criteria

Historical, archaeological and linguistic evidence test the phylogenetic inference of Viking-Age plant use

In this paper, past plant knowledge serves as a case study to highlight the promise and challenges of interdisciplinary data collection and interpretation in cultural evolution. Plants are central to human life and yet, apart from the role of major crops, people–plant relations have been marginal to the study of culture. Archaeological, linguistic, and historical evidence are often limited when it comes to studying the past role of plants. This is the case in the Nordic countries, where extensive collections of various plant use records are absent until the 1700s. Here, we test if relatively recent ethnobotanical data can be used to trace back ancient plant knowledge in the Nordic countries. Phylogenetic inferences of ancestral states are evaluated against historical, linguistic, and archaeobotanical evidence. The exercise allows us to discuss the opportunities and shortcomings of using phylogenetic comparative methods to study past botanical knowledge. We propose a ‘triangulation method’ that not only combines multiple lines of evidence, but also quantitative and qualitative approaches. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Foundations of cultural evolution’

Micro-fabrication of Carbon Structures by Pattern Miniaturization in Resorcinol-Formaldehyde Gel

A simple and novel method to fabricate and miniaturize surface and sub-surface micro-structures and micro-patterns in glassy carbon is proposed and demonstrated. An aqueous resorcinol-formaldehyde (RF) sol is employed for micro-molding of the master-pattern to be replicated, followed by controlled drying and pyrolysis of the gel to reproduce an isotropically shrunk replica in carbon. The miniaturized version of the master-pattern thus replicated in carbon is about one order of magnitude smaller than original master by repeating three times the above cycle of molding and drying. The micro-fabrication method proposed will greatly enhance the toolbox for a facile fabrication of a variety of Carbon-MEMS and C-microfluidic devices.Comment: 16 pages, 5 figure

Carborane-stilbene dyads: influence of substituents and cluster isomers on the photoluminescence properties

Two novel styrene-containing meta-carborane derivatives substituted at the second carbon cluster atom (Cc) with either a methyl (Me), or a phenyl (Ph) group, are introduced herein alongside with a new set of stilbene-containing ortho- (o-) and meta- (m-) carborane dyads. The latter set of compounds has been prepared from styrenecontaining carborane derivatives via Heck coupling reaction. High regioselectivity has been achieved for these compounds by using a combination of palladium complexes [Pd2(dba)3]/[Pd(t-Bu3P)2] as a catalytic system, yielding exclusively E isomers. All compounds have been fully characterized and the crystal structures of seven of them analyzed by X-ray diffraction. The absorption spectra of these compounds are similar to those of their respective fluorophore groups (styrene or stilbene), showing very low influence of the substituent (Me or Ph) linked to the second Cc atom or the cluster isomer (o- or m-). On the other hand, fluorescence spectroscopy revealed high emission intensities for Me-o-carborane derivatives, whereas their Ph-o-carborane analogues evidenced an almost total lack of fluorescence, confirming the significant role of the substituent bound to the adjacent Cc in o-carboranes. In contrast, all the m-carborane derivatives display similar photoluminescence (PL) behavior regardless of the substituent attached to the second Cc, demonstrating its small influence on the emission properties. Additionally, m-carborane derivatives are significantly more fluorescent than their o- counterparts, reaching quantum yield values as high as 30.2%. Regarding the solid state emission, only stilbene-containing Ph-o-carborane derivatives, which showed very low fluorescence in solution, exhibited a notable PL emission in films attributed to the aggregation-induced emission. DFT calculations were performed to successfully complement the photoluminescence studies, supporting the experimentally observed photophysical behavior of the styrene and stilbene-containing carborane derivatives. In conclusion, in this work is proved that it is possible to tailor the PL properties of the carborane-stilbene dyads by changing the Cc substituent and the carborane isomer.This work has been supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, MINECO, (CTQ2013-44670-R and CTQ2013-41339-P), and Generalitat de Catalunya (2014/SGR/149). Theoretical calculations have been achieved using computers from the Centro Técnico de Informática del Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Ciéntificas (CTI-CSIC). ICMAB acknowledges financial support from the MINECO, through the “Severo Ochoa” Program for Centers of Excellence in R&D (SEV- 2015-0496).Peer reviewe

New PtII diimine–dithiolate complexes containing a 1,2-dithiolate-1,2-closo-dicarbadodecarborane: an experimental and theoretical investigation

A new class of solvatochromic diimine–dithiolate complexes [Pt(N^N)(dtoc)] (dtoc2− = 1,2-dithiolate-1,2-closo-dicarbadodecaborane) is reported