Underwater adhesive using solid–liquid polymer mixes

Instantaneous adhesion between different materials is a requirement for several applications ranging from electronics to biomedicine. Approaches such as surface patterning, chemical cross-linking, surface modification, and chemical synthesis have been adopted to generate temporary adhesion between various materials and surfaces. Because of the lack of curing times, temporary adhesives are instantaneous, a useful property for specific applications that need quick bonding. However, to this day, temporary adhesives have been mainly demonstrated under dry conditions and do not work well in submerged or humid environments. Furthermore, most rely on chemical bonds resulting from strong interactions with the substrate such as acrylate based. This work demonstrates the synthesis of a universal amphibious adhesive solely by combining solid polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) and liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) polymers. While the dipole-dipole interactions are induced by a large electronegativity difference between fluorine atoms in PTFE and hydrogen atoms in PDMS, strong surface wetting allows the proposed adhesive to fully coat both substrates and PTFE particles, thereby maximizing the interfacial chemistry. The two-phase solid–liquid polymer system displays adhesive characteristics applicable both in air and water, and enables joining of a wide range of similar and dissimilar materials (glasses, metals, ceramics, papers, and biomaterials). The adhesive exhibits excellent mechanical properties for the joints between various surfaces as observed in lap shear testing, T-peel testing, and tensile testing. The proposed biocompatible adhesive can also be reused multiple times in different dry and wet environments. Additionally, we have developed a new reactive force field parameterization and used it in our molecular dynamics simulations to validate the adhesive nature of the mixed polymer system with different surfaces. This simple amphibious adhesive could meet the need for a universal glue that performs well with a number of materials for a wide range of conditions

Blaming Active Volcanoes or Active Volcanic Blame? Volcanic Crisis Communication and Blame Management in the Cameroon

This chapter examines the key role of blame management and avoidance in crisis communication with particular reference to developing countries and areas that frequently experience volcanic episodes and disasters. In these contexts, the chapter explores a key paradox prevalent within crisis communication and blame management concepts that has been rarely tested in empirical terms (see De Vries 2004; Brändström 2016a). In particular, the chapter examines, what it calls, the ‘paradox of frequency’ where frequency of disasters leads to twin dispositions for crisis framed as either: (i) policy failure (active about volcanic blame on others), where issues of blame for internal incompetency takes centre stage, and blame management becomes a focus of disaster managers, and/or: (ii) as event failure (in this case, the blaming of lack of external capacity on active volcanoes and thereby the blame avoidance of disaster managers). Put simply, the authors investigate whether perceptions of frequency itself is a major determinant shaping the existence, operation, and even perceived success of crisis communication in developing regions, and countries experiencing regular disaster episodes. The authors argue frequency is important in shaping the behaviour of disaster managers and rather ironically as part of crisis communication can shape expectations of community resilience and (non)-compliance. In order to explore the implications of the ‘paradox of frequency’ further, the chapter examines the case of the Cameroon, where volcanic activity and events have been regular, paying particular attention to the major disasters in 1986 (Lake Nyos Disaster - LND) and 1999 (Mount Cameroon volcanic eruption - MCE)

Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition

The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win–win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win–win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies

Crop pests and predators exhibit inconsistent responses to surrounding landscape composition

The idea that noncrop habitat enhances pest control and represents a win–win opportunity to conserve biodiversity and bolster yields has emerged as an agroecological paradigm. However, while noncrop habitat in landscapes surrounding farms sometimes benefits pest predators, natural enemy responses remain heterogeneous across studies and effects on pests are inconclusive. The observed heterogeneity in species responses to noncrop habitat may be biological in origin or could result from variation in how habitat and biocontrol are measured. Here, we use a pest-control database encompassing 132 studies and 6,759 sites worldwide to model natural enemy and pest abundances, predation rates, and crop damage as a function of landscape composition. Our results showed that although landscape composition explained significant variation within studies, pest and enemy abundances, predation rates, crop damage, and yields each exhibited different responses across studies, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing in landscapes with more noncrop habitat but overall showing no consistent trend. Thus, models that used landscape-composition variables to predict pest-control dynamics demonstrated little potential to explain variation across studies, though prediction did improve when comparing studies with similar crop and landscape features. Overall, our work shows that surrounding noncrop habitat does not consistently improve pest management, meaning habitat conservation may bolster production in some systems and depress yields in others. Future efforts to develop tools that inform farmers when habitat conservation truly represents a win–win would benefit from increased understanding of how landscape effects are modulated by local farm management and the biology of pests and their enemies

The treatment of animal models of malaria with iron chelators by use of a novel polymeric device for slow drug release

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Study of the Influence of Plaque Growth and Hydrostatic Properties in an Atherosclerotic Artery, for the Prevention of Arterial Wall Damage: Application to Vascular Diseases

International audienceThe objective of this work is to prevent damage of the arterial wall, using a theoretical model of hyperelastic, anisotropic, and dynamic behavior of the human arterial. This work is mainly focused on the properties of the hydrostatic stress and the evolution of stenosis. This work is mainly focused on the properties of the hydrostatic stress and the evolution of stenosis in order to understand the effect of the size of the plaque deposit, the loss of elasticity of the wall, and the increase in the density of the blood on the mechanical behavior of the human arterial wall. The great contribution of this work shows us that increasing the size of the plaque also increases arterial stress, and the radial growth of the plaque is very dangerous compared to the longitudinal growth. Furthermore, atherosclerosis promotes the loss of elasticity of the arterial wall and increases the density of blood mass. Indeed, all these subsequent phenomena increase arterial stress. All the results are in good agreement with the expected result of the literature and could play an important role in the diagnosis of the patient with an arterial injury. It will also help the doctor and the surgeon to make a good clinical decision and good treatment planning

The treatment of animal models of malaria with iron chelators using a novel polymeric device for slow drug release

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Xenoliths of dunites, wehrlites and clinopyroxenites in the basanites from Batoke volcanic cone (Mount Cameroon, Central Africa): petrogenetic implications

International audienceThe lavas of the Mount Cameroon, a Plio-Quaternary stratovolcano and the most important volcano along the Cameroon Volcanic Line (CVL), constitute a weakly differentiated alkaline series: mainly comprising basanites as well as alkaline basalts, hawaiites and mugearites. Ultramafic xenoliths (1–5 × 0.5–4 cm) of dunites, wehrlites and clinopyroxenites have been discovered in the basanites of a strombolian cone, located near Batoke on the South flank of the massif at an elevation of 500 m. K-Ar whole rock dating of the basanitic host rock has yielded an age of 0.73 ± 0.08 Ma. This result falls within the range of the seven new K-Ar age determinations of mafic lavas, between 2.83 Ma and the Present. These are the first K-Ar data on this massif. The 87Sr/86Sr ratios of basic lavas are low (0.703198–0.703344), and 143Nd/144Nd ratios are intermediate (0.512851–0.512773). These ratios are typical of a mantle origin. The main characteristics of the xenoliths are: (a) total FeO contents are 15.1 to 19.1 wt.% in olivines (chrysolite, Mg# ranging from 79 to 84) of xenoliths, and 4.7 to 6.9 wt.% in diopsides of xenoliths, (b) diopsides of the clinopyroxenites have up to 7.2 wt.% Al2O3 and 2.3 wt.% TiO2, (c) spinels occur as interstitial grains between chrysolite and diopside grains, i.e. Cr2O3-rich magnetites (19 to 21 wt.% Cr2O3) in the dunites as well as (22 to 25 wt.% Cr2O3) in the wehrlites and titanomagnetites (14 to 15 wt.% TiO2) in the clinopyroxenites. Mineralogical analyses show an important re-equilibration between the chrysolite xenocrysts and the host basanitic magma. We observed a decrease in Mg and Ni towards the rim, and an enrichment in all others cations like Fe, Mn, Ca, Si. The changes of Fe2+ / Mg2+ are the most important. The xenoliths are interpreted as cumulates: clinopyroxenite xenoliths have probably crystallized and fractionated at an early stage from the mafic (host basanitic) magma, while dunite and wehrlite xenoliths seem to have crystallized from a previous more primitive batch of magma. These alkaline liquids could have been derived from partial melting of a garnet- rich lherzolite in the upper mantle beneath the Cameroon Volcanic Line. The AlIV/AlVI ratios remain high (1.2 to 4.9) in the clinopyroxenes of the xenoliths. This suggests crystallization under a lower pressure than that of equilibration of the clinopyroxenes (ratios 0.6 to 0.8) found in typical mantle xenoliths from the CVL