Robust and Biocompatible Functionalization of ZnS Nanoparticles by Catechol-Bearing Poly(2-Methyl-2-Oxazoline)s.

Zinc sulfide (ZnS) nanoparticles (NPs) are particularly interesting materials for their electronic and luminescent properties. Unfortunately, their robust and stable functionalization and stabilization, especially in aqueous media, has represented a challenging and not yet completely accomplished task. In this work, we report the synthesis of colloidally stable, photoluminescent and biocompatible core\u2013polymer shell ZnS and ZnS:Tb NPs by employing a water-in-oil miniemulsion (ME) process combined with surface functionalization via catechol-bearing poly-2-methyl-2-oxazoline (PMOXA) of various molar masses. The strong binding of catechol anchors to the metal cations of the ZnS surface, coupled with the high stability of PMOXA against chemical degradation, enable the formation of suspensions presenting excellent colloidal stability. This feature, combined with the assessed photoluminescence and biocompatibility, make these hybrid NPs suitable for optical bioimaging

Waarborging van publieke belangen bij uitbesteding in de kansspelsector

Dit onderzoeksrapport behandelt het vraagstuk hoe publieke belangen kunnen worden geborgd als kansspelaanbieders bedrijfsprocessen uitbesteden. De publieke belangen zijn het voorkómen van kansspelverslaving, het informeren en beschermen van de consument en het tegengaan van fraude en criminaliteit, zoals witwassen. Een eerste stap in het onderzoek is het opzetten van een analytisch kader, dat is toegepast op de vraag wanneer het uitbesteden van bedrijfsprocessen tot een toename in risico’s leidt. Vervolgens is gekeken naar het huidige locatiegebonden kansspelaanbod en het toekomstige online kansspelaanbod. Waar liggen gegeven de regulering mogelijke risico’s van uitbesteding door vergunninghouders? Een uitbesteding door een vergunninghouder kan leiden tot een toename in het risico op schending van publieke belangen als de vergunninghouder risico’s niet goed inschat of als de vergunninghouder de consequenties van risico’s voor anderen niet meeneemt in de beslissing om uit te besteden. De vergunninghouder blijft overigens hoe dan ook verantwoordelijk. Bij het locatiegebonden kansspelaanbod liggen er mogelijk risico’s bij de uitbesteding van lotenverkoop (als de vergunninghouder geen goede controles uitvoert op bijvoorbeeld onverkochte loten) en bij de trekking van loten en het systeembeheer hiervan (risico’s die een vergunninghouder zou moeten kunnen beperken middels een goede boekhouding en controles, maar die desondanks kunnen toenemen bij uitbesteding). Bij het toekomstige online kansspelaanbod hangen de risico’s deels af van de eisen van en controles op inputs als spelsoftware, servers, platforms en websites. De belangrijkste onderdelen van bedrijfsprocessen met het oog op waarborging van publieke belangen zijn de spelsoftware inclusief de toevalsgenerator, de servers waarop de kansspelwebsites draaien, de platforms oftewel white labels en het betalingsverkeer. Een vergunninghouder zal moeten kunnen laten zien hoe mogelijke risico’s op het schenden van publieke belangen worden beperkt, hoe bij uitbestedingen de juiste prikkels worden gegeven aan de partij aan wie wordt uitbesteed en hoe de vergunninghouder zicht houdt op het mogelijk toenemen van risico’s. Het moeten opstellen van uitbestedingsovereenkomsten en het verstrekken van deze overeenkomsten aan de Kansspelautoriteit zou een zinvol onderdeel van toezicht op uitbestede bedrijfsprocessen zijn

Chemical design of non-ionic polymer brushes as biointerfaces : poly(2-oxazine)s outperform both poly(2-oxazoline)s and PEG

The era of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) brushes as a universal panacea for preventing non-specific protein adsorption and providing lubrication to surfaces is coming to an end. In the functionalization of medical devices and implants, in addition to preventing non-specific protein adsorption and cell adhesion, polymer-brush formulations are often required to generate highly lubricious films. Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline) (PAOXA) brushes meet these requirements, and depending on their side-group composition, they can form films that match, and in some cases surpass, the bioinert and lubricious properties of PEG analogues. Poly(2-methyl-2-oxazine) (PMOZI) provides an additional enhancement of brush hydration and main-chain flexibility, leading to complete bioinertness and a further reduction in friction. These data redefine the combination of structural parameters necessary to design polymer-brush-based biointerfaces, identifying a novel, superior polymer formulation

Dissemination of Drinking Water Contamination Data to Consumers: A Systematic Review of Impact on Consumer Behaviors

Drinking water contaminated by chemicals or pathogens is a major public health threat in the developing world. Responses to this threat often require water consumers (households or communities) to improve their own management or treatment of water. One approach hypothesized to increase such positive behaviors is increasing knowledge of the risks of unsafe water through the dissemination of water contamination data. This paper reviews the evidence for this approach in changing behavior and subsequent health outcomes.A systematic review was conducted for studies where results of tests for contaminants in drinking water were disseminated to populations whose water supply posed a known health risk. Studies of any design were included where data were available from a contemporaneous comparison or control group. Using multiple sources >14,000 documents were located. Six studies met inclusion criteria (four of arsenic contamination and two of microbiological contamination). Meta-analysis was not possible in most cases due to heterogeneity of outcomes and study designs. Outcomes included water quality, change of water source, treatment of water, knowledge of contamination, and urinary arsenic. Source switching was most frequently reported: of 5 reporting studies 4 report significantly higher rates of switching (26–72%) among those who received a positive test result and a pooled risk difference was calculate for 2 studies (RD = 0.43 [CI0.4.0–0.46] 6–12 months post intervention) suggesting 43% more of those with unsafe wells switched source compared to those with safe wells. Strength of evidence is low since the comparison is between non-equivalent groups. Two studies concerning fecal contamination reported non-significant increases in point-of-use water treatment.Despite the publication of some large cohort studies and some encouraging results the evidence base to support dissemination of contamination data to improve water management is currently equivocal. Rigorous studies on this topic are needed, ideally using common outcome measures

The implications of three major new trials for the effect of water, sanitation and hygiene on childhood diarrhea and stunting: a consensus statement

BACKGROUND: Three large new trials of unprecedented scale and cost, which included novel factorial designs, have found no effect of basic water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) interventions on childhood stunting, and only mixed effects on childhood diarrhea. Arriving at the inception of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and the bold new target of safely managed water, sanitation and hygiene for all by 2030, these results warrant the attention of researchers, policy-makers and practitioners. MAIN BODY: Here we report the conclusions of an expert meeting convened by the World Health Organization and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss these findings, and present five key consensus messages as a basis for wider discussion and debate in the WASH and nutrition sectors. We judge these trials to have high internal validity, constituting good evidence that these specific interventions had no effect on childhood linear growth, and mixed effects on childhood diarrhea. These results suggest that, in settings such as these, more comprehensive or ambitious WASH interventions may be needed to achieve a major impact on child health. CONCLUSION: These results are important because such basic interventions are often deployed in low-income rural settings with the expectation of improving child health, although this is rarely the sole justification. Our view is that these three new trials do not show that WASH in general cannot influence child linear growth, but they do demonstrate that these specific interventions had no influence in settings where stunting remains an important public health challenge. We support a call for transformative WASH, in so much as it encapsulates the guiding principle that - in any context - a comprehensive package of WASH interventions is needed that is tailored to address the local exposure landscape and enteric disease burden

Workshops of the Sixth International Brain–Computer Interface Meeting: brain–computer interfaces past, present, and future

Brain–computer interfaces (BCI) (also referred to as brain–machine interfaces; BMI) are, by definition, an interface between the human brain and a technological application. Brain activity for interpretation by the BCI can be acquired with either invasive or non-invasive methods. The key point is that the signals that are interpreted come directly from the brain, bypassing sensorimotor output channels that may or may not have impaired function. This paper provides a concise glimpse of the breadth of BCI research and development topics covered by the workshops of the 6th International Brain–Computer Interface Meeting