Le projet DYLAN ou les enjeux politiques, cognitifs et stratégiques du plurilinguisme

Composed of 19 universities from 12 countries, the Dylan Project is an integrated project (IP) of the 6th Framework Programme of the European Union, under Priority 7 « Citizenship and governance in a knowledge-based society ».The project addresses the core issue underlying topic 3.3.1: establish whether and how a European knowledge based society designed to ensure economic competitiveness and social cohesion can be created within a European Union that is linguistically more diverse than ever. The overarching objectives are to show that, in this respect, the linguistic diversity prevalent in Europe is potentially an asset rather than an obstacle and to identify the conditions under which individual and societal multilingualism can be turned to advantage.It will show in what ways the usage of multilingual repertoires can promote the creation and the transfer of knowledge (cognitive asset) and have an impact on communication control, problem solving and decision making (strategic asset), in the diversity of economic, political and educational contexts

Modulating the photoluminescence of bridged silsesquioxanes incorporating Eu(3+)-complexed n,n '-diureido-2,2 '-bipyridine isomers: application for luminescent solar concentrators

Two new urea-bipyridine derived bridged organosilanes (P5 and P6) have been synthesized and their hydrolysis-condensation under nucleophilic catalysis in the presence of Eu(3+) salts led to luminescent bridged silsesquioxanes (M5-Eu and M6-Eu). An important loading of Eu(3+) (up to 11%(w)) can be obtained for the material based on the 6,6'-isomer. Indeed the photoluminescence properties of these materials, that have been investigated in depth (photoluminescence (PL), quantum yield, lifetimes), show a significantly different complexation mode of the Eu(3+) ions for M6-Eu, compared with M4-Eu (obtained from the already-reported 4,4'-isomer) and M5-Eu. Moreover, M6-Eu exhibits the highest absolute emission quantum yield value (0.18 +/- 0.02) among these three materials. The modification of the sol composition upon the addition of a malonamide derivative led to similar luminescent features but with an increased quantum yield (026 +/- 0.03). In addition, M6-Eu can be processed as thin films by spin-coating on glass substrates, leading to plates coated by a thin layer (similar to 54 nm) of Eu(3+)-containing hybrid silica exhibiting one of the highest emission quantum yields reported so far for films of Eu(3+)-containing hybrids (0.34 +/- 0.03) and an interesting potential as new luminescent solar concentrators (LSCs) with an optical conversion efficiency of similar to 4%. The ratio between the light guided to the film edges and the one emitted by the surface of the film was quantified through the mapping of the intensity of the red pixels (in the RGB color model) from a film image. This quantification enabled a more accurate estimation of the transport losses due to the scattering of the emitted light in the film (0.40), thereby correcting the initial optical conversion efficiency to a value of 1.7%.FCT - PTDC/CTM/101324/2008COMPETEFEDE

Biomimetic self-assembling copolymer-hydroxyapatite nanocomposites with the nanocrystal size controlled by citrate

Citrate binds strongly to the surface of calcium phosphate (apatite) nanocrystals in bone and is thought to prevent crystal thickening. In this work, citrate added as a regulatory element enabled molecular control of the size and stability of hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocrystals in synthetic nanocomposites, fabricated with self-assembling block copolymer templates. The decrease of the HAp crystal size within the polymer matrix with increasing citrate concentration was documented by solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques and wide-angle X-ray diffraction (XRD), while the shapes of HAp nanocrystals were determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Advanced NMR techniques were used to characterize the interfacial species and reveal enhanced interactions between mineral and organic matrix, concomitant with the size effects. The surface-to-volume ratios determined by NMR spectroscopy and long-range 31P{1H} dipolar dephasing show that 2, 10, and 40 mM citrate changes the thicknesses of the HAp crystals from 4 nm without citrate to 2.9, 2.8, and 2.3 nm, respectively. With citrate concentrations comparable to those in body fluids, HAp nanocrystals of sizes and morphologies similar to those in avian and bovine bones have been produced

A Symmetry Metric for Graphs and Line Diagrams

Symmetry is often considered a desirable feature of diagrams. However, quantifying the exact amount of symmetry present is often difficult. We propose a novel symmetry metric that can score the amount of rotational, translational, and reflective symmetry present in a graph or line diagram

Tratamento da hiperidrose palmar com onabotulinumtoxinA veiculada por iontoforese ou fonoforese: relato de casos

Hiperidrose palmar idiopática é doença frequente, que tem grande impacto na qualidade de vida dos pacientes, e seu tratamento definitivo (simpatectomia) associa-se a risco cirúrgico e efeitos adversos. Fármacos, como onabotulinumtoxinA, podem ser veiculados percutaneamente por iontoforese ou fonoforese e contribuir no tratamento da hiperidrose. Os autores apresentam quatro casos em que houve melhora objetiva e subjetiva da sudorese após dez sessões consecutivas de iontoforese ou fonoforese, sem evidências de efeitos adversos. Os resultados clínicos mantiveram-se por 16 semanas de observação após a interrupção do tratamento. Técnicas de veiculação percutânea de medicamentos devem ser percebidas como opções nos tratamentos dermatológicos.Idiopathic palmar hyperhidrosis is a common disease that exerts a considerable effect on patients' quality of life. The definitive treatment of this condition (sympathectomy) is associated with some adverse effects and surgical risks. Drugs such as onabotulinumtoxinA can be percutaneously delivered by phonophoresis or by iontophoresis and may be useful in the treatment of hyperhidrosis. In this paper, the authors describe four cases in which an objective and subjective improvement in sweating was seen following 10 daily sessions of phonophoresis or iontophoresis. No adverse effects were reported. The clinical results achieved with treatment were maintained over 16 weeks of follow-up after the end of treatment. Percutaneous drug delivery techniques should be perceived as an option for the treatment of dermatologic conditions