Development of a robust microfluidic electrochimical cell for biofilm study in controlled hydrodynamic conditions

Le domaine de la bioélectrochimie a actuellement un grand impact sur les nouvelles biotechnologies, notamment les dispositifs médicaux aux points de service et la détection bioélectrochimique. D'autre part, les systèmes émergents de bioénergie offrent de nouvelles opportunités pour se passer des produits pétroliers classiques grâce à des approches alternatives plus durables sur le plan environnemental. En tant que telle, la branche de la bioélectrochimie traitant des systèmes énergétiques est sur le point d’avoir un impact incontestable sur les concepts d’énergie verte et de bioénergie. Pour faciliter ces études et d'autres, les systèmes bioélectrochimiques (BES), qui utilisent des composants biologiques tels que des bactéries (souvent appelées biocatalyseurs), sont de plus en plus développés et miniaturisés pour une nouvelle série de biotechnologies. Cette thèse porte sur la fabrication et la fonctionnalité d’un « système microfluidique électrochimique à trois électrodes » pour l’étude de biofilms de différentes bactéries (électroactives et non-électroactives) à l’aide de différentes techniques électrochimiques. Ces biofilms ont été largement étudiés par des techniques électrochimiques et d’imagerie microscopique (microscopie optique et électronique). Cette thèse pourra potentiellement ouvrir la voie à une nouvelle vague de développements de biocapteurs électrochimiques, tout en offrant des avancées scientifiques spécifiques dans les études de biocapacité de biofilm, de biorésistance, de pH du biofilm, de dépendance nutritionnelle de l'activité du biofilm et de la cinétique de respiration bactérienne.The area of bioelectrochemistry is currently making the greatest impact in new biotechnology, including point of care medical devices and bioelectrochemical sensing. On the other hand, emerging bioenergy systems offer new opportunities to move away from conventional petroleum products toward more environmentally sustainable alternative approaches. As such, the branch of bioelectrochemistry dealing with energy systems is poised to have an undoubtable impact on greenenergy and bioenergy concepts. To facilitate these and other areas of study, bioelectrochemical systems (BESs), which use biological components such as bacteria (often referred to as biocatalysts) are increasingly being developed and miniaturized for a new round of biotechnology. This PhD thesis focuses on fabrication and functionality of a “three-electrode electrochemical microfluidic system” for biofilm studies of different bacteria (electroactive and non-electroactive) using different electrochemical techniques. They were broadly studied by electrochemical and microscopic imaging (optical and electron microscopy) techniques. This thesis can potentially open the way for a new wave of electrochemical biosensor development, while offering specific scientific advances in studies of biofilm biocapacitance, bioresistance, biofilm pH, nutrient dependency of biofilm activity and bacterial respiration kinetics

Embodied Knowledge of/with the place. Review of the book: Placemaking, A New Materialist Theory of Pedagogy (Page, Tara, 2020)

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Racialising assemblages and affective events: A feminist new materialism and posthuman study of Muslim schoolgirls in London

Recent years have seen rising trends in terrorism, hate crime and Islamophobia in the UK. Enforced Prevent and counter-terrorism strategies have re-located all Muslims as threatening and having potentiality to radicalisation. This PhD thesis is concerned with how a Muslim schoolgirl feels, lives and experiences everyday life in this era. I follow fifteen Muslim schoolgirls across time and space by mapping relational materialities between things that matter for them in their ordinary everyday practices and experiences. This thesis takes up the feminist new materialist and post- humanist call for anticipating potentialities of the virtual, material and affective to find a different capacity for the analysis of events, practices, assemblages, feelings, and the backgrounds of everyday experiences against which relations unfold in their myriad potentials. I argue that the affective atmospheres around Muslims provide the conditions for the emergence of racialising encounters. Multi-sensory methods of walking intra-view, creating photo-diary and face-to- face interview were developed to explore relations between bodies, spaces, times, virtual and actual. Stories, places, objects, thoughts and feelings that emerge as data and in-between relational materialities were mapped and read diffractively through one another. Thinking through relationality, materiality and affect enabled this thesis to actualise the plurality of Muslim schoolgirls' relations-in-the-world and their subjectivity as part of the becoming-assemblages with human and more-than- human bodies. This thesis mapped and challenged some of the racialised, gendered and hegemonic views of Muslim schoolgirls as risky, threatening and with a potential to radicalisation. Mattering with what those Muslim schoolgirls mattered with, their fear of racial harassment in the course of their everyday lives, of what to say, do and wear, their desire to live in safe houses and blossom in safe schools, all showed that safeguarding educational policies need to shift their focus towards threats of racial harassment, of living in overcrowded housing and being silenced rather than seeking to prevent the threat of radicalisation

Fire Safety in Historical Theatres (Italian-Style)

The research starts from a punctual knowledge of the theatrical typology under many aspects and in-depth analysis: from the recognition of the monumental value and qualification of a historical theater, collective heritage to be preserved for future generations, we’ll investigate environmental, typological, distributive, functional, material and constructive characters in the earliest designing phases and after the adjustment and transformation interventions occurred. The main aim is identifying all the parts that are at risk of fire, the equipment implementation done to lower such a risk, with the purpose of suggesting adequate systems intended to gain a major level of fire protection in a historical theater. In theatres, as for every building, we must guarantee the “primary safety”, human lives safeguard, as well as the “secondary” one, that is to say the protection of the edifice and its intrinsic value. Beginning from the state of the studies and general and specialist documents on theatrical architecture, Italian and supranational, it be investigated the components subjected to a high risk of fire, the safety routes and fast evacuation systems. We compare the fire prevention regulations written during times in various countries, and identifying significant cases of study in order to evaluate the most appropriate actions to gain security and to reduce the risk. By means of tests and fire risk assessment, we characterize the materials used, as well as new ones, to enhance resistance to fire, the possible emergency routes, the static safe places, the existing fire systems implementation, as well as a fast emergency services access. We consider guidelines and protocols to a better design of fire systems in a historical theatre, considering both the safety of people and the building-monument. The scientific goal that aimed this research, is applying a multidisciplinary approach to recognize the original characters of the historical theatres, certifying a quality that won’t compromise their valorization. The fire systems strengthening design, to protect people and objects from possible fires, must be interpreted in its scientific, cultural and operative valences in order to gain a high fire-protection performance, without renouncing to the monumental aspect, both spatial and material-constructive. In the first chapter; historical outline, changes in the buildings of historical theaters, focusing on fire safety, has been studied and studied. And some of these fires have been described. The second chapter; Italian theater, is devoted to the any aspects of historical theaters. The parts of these buildings that are most exposed to fire risk have been identified and discussed about how fire safety can be improved. The topic of chapter three is fire safety regulations, in this section, the developments and the completion of the rules are mentioned over time. The comparison and Analysis between Performance Based Approach and Prescriptive have been done, and why performance based approach in the case of historical theaters should be 3 adopted. Fourth chapter is talking about fire risk management and the process that must be conducted to manage fire at historic theaters. Chapter Five introduces the frames method, one of the most comprehensive and up-to-date fire risk assessment software. In this section, we have tried to categorize and describe all the issues affecting fire risk. In chapter Six, the last season, two case studies have been evaluated and studied. The Niccolini Theater and The Pergola Theater, both located in the historical district of Florence city. One of the main reasons for choosing these two theaters was having full details of them, and also the authorities of these theaters were already working on their fire safety and had a safety plan. At the end of this chapter we suggest some solution for improving fire safety in historical theaters and reducing the fire risk level

Evaluation of effective indicators on formation of informal settlements of SHAHR GHODS

Iran has faced with the growing urbanization in recent years and if we do not adopt effective planning and efficiency in the face of this sudden change these challenges will become irreparable consequences. Informal settlements are one of the symbols of this change. But with a good understanding of the phenomenon of the change in attitude it can be turned into opportunities. The purpose of this study is identifying and prioritizing effective indicators on formation of informal settlements of SHAHR GHODS and tries to some extent know the situation in these settlements and by studying main factors creating and expanding these settlements, a few suggestions are given. Effective indicators of Informal settlements can be divided in three general categories, cultural - social, economic and physical – services. Thus the survey method was used and for statistical population the residents of SHAHR GHODS informal settlements have chosen by random sampling. The required information was collected using a questionnaire and factor analysis method was examined by SPSS21 software.The results indicate that the social - cultural aspects and physical infrastructure – service are the most influential factors in the formation and development of SHAHR GHODS informal settlements.Keywords: informal settlements, SHAHR GHODS, Factor Analysi

Optimization of Capillary Electrophoresis With Imaging Detection for Estimation of Diffusion Coefficients

The diffusion coefficient, D, is an important physico-chemical property of the proteins. While it can be measured using various analytical techniques, capillary electrophoresis (CE) is widely used for this purpose. CE is particularly effective in combination with whole column imaging detection (WCID) technology has enabled the CE approach to measure the diffusion coefficient in shorter time. Thus far, however, WCID has rarely been used for monitoring diffusion processes. The purpose of this study was to optimize the application of capillary electrophoresis, coupled with imaging detection, to the problem of protein diffusion coefficient measurement. This optimization addressed both experimental and data analysis aspects of the method. For data analysis, we explored the use of Fourier transformation (FT), which offers a non-parametric, shape-independent evaluation of the raw data. FT was compared with two other common methods, both of which operate in the time domain and, unlike FT, operate in the time domain and make assumptions about the fundamental shape of the signal. As part of exploring FT data analysis, we performed simulations, in which parameters such as resolution and measurement time were systematically varied in order to find the optimal experimental conditions. Moreover, a new experimental approach is introduced for fast and simple measurement of diffusion coefficients, and which we refer to as imaging plug flow (iPF). This technique combines capillary electrophoresis, in which proteins are pre-concentrated under the membrane by electrokinetic injection, with a dynamic imaging detection. The concentration gradient detection method based on Schlieren optics is a universal, inexpensive, and efficient dynamic imaging technology for high-throughput moving boundary electrophoresis. A prototype multi-channel chip has been implemented for such measurements, and the effect of channel dimensions was investigated. The simultaneous measurement of the diffusion coefficients in the channels of this microfluidic device has improved the throughput of the experiment. The proposed approach addresses the limitation of single channel detection associated with UV whole column imaging detection. The implementation of a multi-channel CE chip, coupled with Schlieren imaging detection and an improved scheme for data analysis based on FT, provides a simple, fast, and high-throughput approach to the analysis of proteins diffusion coefficients