28 research outputs found
Dielectric relaxations of nanocomposites composed of HEUR polymers and magnetite nanoparticles
We investigate the dynamics of nanocomposites composed of hydrophobically modified ethoxylated urethanes (HEUR) and magnetite nanoparticles (MNPs) as dry films. Weemployed dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS) in combination with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermally stimulated depolarization currents (TSDC).The three techniques reveal a strong heterogeneity of the matrix of the nanocomposites, consisting of (i) a crystalline poly(ethyleneoxide) PEO bulk phase, (ii) an amorphous PEO portion, and (iii) small PEO crystallites which experience different constraints than the PEO bulk phase. TSDC and DRS reveal a very high direct current (DC)-conductivity of the pure matrix, which increases with MNPs concentration. The increase of the DCconductivity is not related to an increase of the segmental mobility, but most likely to the change of the morphology of the hydrophobic domains of the polymer matrix, due to the formation of large MNPs clusters. Indeed, the MNPs neither influence the segmental dynamics of the polymer nor the phase behavior of the polymer matrix. The addition of MNPs slightly increases the activation energy related to the Îł-relaxation of the polymer. This effect might be related to the changes in nano-morphology as demonstrated by the slight increase of the degree of crystallinity. The analysis of the DRS data with the electrical modulus Mââ(Ï) and the derivative Δââder formalism allow us to identify a low-frequency process in addition to the conductivity relaxation. This low-frequency dispersion is also revealed by TSDC. It is most likely related to the Maxwell-Wagner- Sillars relaxation, which typically occurs in systems which feature phase separation. The detailed investigation of the dielectric properties of these novel nanocomposites with increasing MNPs concentration will be useful for their practical application, for example as absorbers of electromagnetic waves
«La relation de limitation et dâexception dans le français dâaujourdâhui : exceptĂ©, sauf et hormis comme pivots dâune relation algĂ©brique »
Lâanalyse des emplois prĂ©positionnels et des emplois conjonctifs dâ âexceptĂ©â, de âsaufâ et dâ âhormisâ permet dâenvisager les trois prĂ©positions/conjonctions comme le pivot dâun binĂŽme, comme la plaque tournante dâune structure bipolaire. PlacĂ©es au milieu du binĂŽme, ces prĂ©positions sont forcĂ©es par leur sĂ©mantisme originaire dĂ»ment mĂ©taphorisĂ© de jouer le rĂŽle de marqueurs dâinconsĂ©quence systĂ©matique entre lâĂ©lĂ©ment se trouvant Ă leur gauche et celui qui se trouve Ă leur droite. Lâopposition qui surgit entre les deux Ă©lĂ©ments nâest donc pas une incompatibilitĂ© naturelle, intrinsĂšque, mais extrinsĂšque, induite. Dans la plupart des cas (emplois limitatifs), cette opposition prend la forme dâun rapport entre une « classe » et le « membre (soustrait) de la classe », ou bien entre un « tout » et une « partie » ; dans dâautres (emplois exceptifs), cette opposition se manifeste au contraire comme une attaque de front portĂ©e par un « tout » Ă un autre « tout ». De plus, lâinconsĂ©quence induite mise en place par la prĂ©position/conjonction paraĂźt, en principe, tout Ă fait insurmontable. Dans lâassertion « les Ă©cureuils vivent partout, sauf en Australie » (que lâon peut expliciter par « Les Ă©cureuils vivent partout, sauf [quâils ne vivent pas] en Australie »), la prĂ©position semble en effet capable dâimpliquer le prĂ©dicat principal avec signe inverti, et de bĂątir sur une telle implication une sorte de sous Ă©noncĂ© qui, Ă la rigueur, est totalement inconsĂ©quent avec celui qui le prĂ©cĂšde (si « les Ă©cureuils ne vivent pas en Australie », le fait quâils « vivent partout » est faux). NĂ©anmoins, lâanalyse montre quâalors que certaines de ces oppositions peuvent enfin ĂȘtre dĂ©passĂ©es, dâautres ne le peuvent pas. Câest, respectivement, le cas des relations limitatives et des relations exceptives. La relation limitative, impliquant le rapport « tout » - « partie », permet de rĂ©soudre le conflit dans les termes dâune somme algĂ©brique entre deux sous Ă©noncĂ©s pourvus de diffĂ©rent poids informatif et de signe contraire. Les valeurs numĂ©riques des termes de la somme Ă©tant dĂ©sĂ©quilibrĂ©es, le rĂ©sultat est toujours autre que zĂ©ro. La relation exceptive, au contraire, qui nâimplique pas le rapport « tout » - « partie », nâest pas capable de rĂ©soudre le conflit entre deux sous Ă©noncĂ©s pourvus du mĂȘme poids informatif et en mĂȘme temps de signe contraire : les valeurs numĂ©riques des termes de la somme Ă©tant symĂ©triques et Ă©gales, le rĂ©sultat sera toujours Ă©quivalent Ă zĂ©ro
Qualitative aspects of teaching and manipulative skill enhancement: Is there any relationship?
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between certain qualitative aspects of teaching and students' achievement in fundamental manipulative skills. Six elementary physical education teachers were required to teach to their students an eight-lesson unit in throwing and catching, as part of their normal curriculum. Students were pre- and post-tested on the above manipulative skills using the Test of Gross Motor Development (Ulrich, 1985) for the qualitative performance and the Michigan Educational Assessment Program (MEAP, 1984) for the quantitative performance. All lessons were video- and audio-taped, and coded using the Qualitative Measures of Teaching Performance Scale (QMPTS: Rink and Werner, 1989) to evaluate teaching performance. Results showed that the total QMTPS score was significantly correlated with a) quantitative performance on catching, and b) qualitative performance on throwing. A correlation (although not significant) was also found between the total QMTPS score and a) student overall performance, b) student overall quantitative performance. It seems that certain qualitative aspects of teaching contribute to fundamental manipulative skill enhancement
Women and Peace Negotiations in Cyprus
The integration of a gender agenda in the peace negotiations in Cyprus has been elusive over the five decades. However, it is only since the late 2000s that civil society and international observers have problematized this lack and attempted to address it through various initiatives. These have included local and international efforts to mobilize Cypriot women across the divide around an agenda based on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, which led to the formation of the Gender Advisory Team in 2009. They have also included research efforts by local and international organizations and think tanks to document the extent to womenâs inclusion in the peace process on the island. These efforts eventually led to the setup of the Technical Committee on Gender Equality which is attached to the peace negotiations since 2015, but the impact of which has remained marginal. One of the key problems frustrating the integration of a gender agenda in the peace negotiations remains the fact that despite great advances in both societies north and south of the dividing line in many areas of gender equality, the hard politics relating to the Cyprus conflict and its resolution remain contentious and politically perilous to oppose while also being discursively disconnected from perceptions of âgenderâ and feminist concerns
Qualitative aspects of teaching and manipulative skill enhancement : is there any relationship ?
Utilisation d'un outil de mesure de la qualité des interventions de l'enseignant d'éducation physique (Qualitative measures of teaching performance scale de Rink et Werner, 1989) pour évaluer les effets sur les apprentissages du lancer et de la réception de balle chez des enfants de 6-7 ans
Biomarkers of exposure in environment-wide association studies â Opportunities to decode the exposome using human biomonitoring data
Background: The European Union's 7th Framework Programme (EU's FP7) project HEALS â Health and Environment-wide Associations based on Large Population Surveys â aims a refinement of the methodology to elucidate the human exposome. Human biomonitoring (HBM) provides a valuable tool for understanding the magnitude of human exposure from all pathways and sources. However, availability of specific biomarkers of exposure (BoE) is limited. Objectives: The objective was to summarize the availability of BoEs for a broad range of environmental stressors and exposure determinants and corresponding reference and exposure limit values and biomonitoring equivalents useful for unraveling the exposome using the framework of environment-wide association studies (EWAS). Methods: In a face-to-face group discussion, scope, content, and structure of the HEALS deliverable âGuidelines for appropriate BoE selection for EWAS studiesâ were determined. An expert-driven, distributed, narrative review process involving around 30 individuals of the HEALS consortium made it possible to include extensive information targeted towards the specific characteristics of various environmental stressors and exposure determinants. From the resulting 265 page report, targeted information about BoE, corresponding reference values (e.g., 95th percentile or measures of central tendency), exposure limit values (e.g., the German HBM I and II values) and biomonitoring equivalents (BEs) were summarized and updated. Results: 64 individual biological, chemical, physical, psychological and social environmental stressors or exposure determinants were included to fulfil the requirements of EWAS. The list of available BoEs is extensive with a number of 135; however, 12 of the stressors and exposure determinants considered do not leave any measurable specific substance in accessible body specimens. Opportunities to estimate the internal exposure stressors not (yet) detectable in human specimens were discussed. Conclusions: Data about internal exposures are useful to decode the exposome. The paper provides extensive information for EWAS. Information included serves as a guideline â snapshot in time without any claim to comprehensiveness â to interpret HBM data and offers opportunities to collect information about the internal exposure of stressors if no specific BoE is available