Université de Sherbrooke

About: Université de Sherbrooke is a education organization based out in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Population & Receptor. The organization has 14922 authors who have published 28783 publications receiving 792511 citations. The organization is also known as: Universite de Sherbrooke & Sherbrooke University.

Polymer Micelles Stabilization on Demand through Reversible Photo-Cross-Linking

Abstract: The stability of polymer micelles, which affects the stability of encapsulation of guest molecules, may be a crucial condition for some controlled delivery applications. It is possible that polymer micelles are disintegrated after being administrated in the body due to an extreme dilution to below the critical micelle concentration of the polymer. If this happens, the entrapped guest such as a drug can leak out quickly, which renders any strategy for site-specific transport of the micelles useless. 1

Biomolecular Damage Induced by Ionizing Radiation: The Direct and Indirect Effects of Low-Energy Electrons on DNA

Abstract: Many experimental and theoretical advances have recently allowed the study of direct and indirect effects of low-energy electrons (LEEs) on DNA damage. In an effort to explain how LEEs damage the human genome, researchers have focused efforts on LEE interactions with bacterial plasmids, DNA bases, sugar analogs, phosphate groups, and longer DNA moieties. Here, we summarize the current understanding of the fundamental mechanisms involved in LEE-induced damage of DNA and complex biomolecule films. Results obtained by several laboratories on films prepared and analyzed by different methods and irradiated with different electron-beam current densities and fluencies are presented. Despite varied conditions (e.g., film thicknesses and morphologies, intrinsic water content, substrate interactions, and extrinsic atmospheric compositions), comparisons show a striking resemblance in the types of damage produced and their yield functions. The potential of controlling this damage using molecular and nanoparticle targets with high LEE yields in targeted radiation-based cancer therapies is also discussed.

Observation of Resonant Photon Blockade at Microwave Frequencies Using Correlation Function Measurements

Abstract: Creating a train of single photons and monitoring its propagation and interaction is challenging in most physical systems, as photons generally interact very weakly with other systems. However, when confining microwave frequency photons in a transmission line resonator, effective photon-photon interactions can be mediated by qubits embedded in the resonator. Here, we observe the phenomenon of photon blockade through second-order correlation function measurements. The experiments clearly demonstrate antibunching in a continuously pumped source of single microwave photons measured by using microwave beam splitters, linear amplifiers, and quadrature amplitude detectors. We also investigate resonance fluorescence and Rayleigh scattering in Mollow-triplet-like spectra.

The durability characteristics of high performance concrete: a review

Abstract: Durability problems of ordinary concrete can be associated with the severity of the environment and the use of inappropriate high water/binder ratios. High-performance concrete that have a water/binder ratio between 0.30 and 0.40 are usually more durable than ordinary concrete not only because they are less porous, but also because their capillary and pore networks are somewhat disconnected due to the development of self-desiccation. In high-performance concrete (HPC), the penetration of aggressive agents is quite difficult and only superficial. However, self-desiccation can be very harmful if it is not controlled during the early phase of the development of hydration reaction, therefore, HPC must be cured quite differently from ordinary concrete. Field experience in the North Sea and in Canada has shown that HPCs, when they are properly designed and cured, perform satisfactorily in very harsh environments. However, the fire resistance of HPC is not as good as that of ordinary concrete but not as bad as is sometimes written in a few pessimistic reports. Concrete, whatever its type, remains a safe material, from a fire resistance point of view, when compared to other building materials.