University of Mons

About: University of Mons is a education organization based out in Mons, Belgium. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Large Hadron Collider & Standard Model. The organization has 3073 authors who have published 9465 publications receiving 294776 citations.

Mastering the Shape and Composition of Dendronized Iron Oxide Nanoparticles To Tailor Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Hyperthermia

Abstract: The current challenge in the field of nanomedicine is the design of multifunctional nano-objects effective both for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases. Here, dendronized FeO1–x@Fe3–xO4 nanoparticles with spherical, cubic, and octopode shapes and oxidized Fe3–xO4 nanocubes have been synthesized and structurally and magnetically characterized. Strong exchange bias properties are highlighted in core–shell nanoparticles (NPs) due to magnetic interactions between their antiferromagnetic core and ferrimagnetic shell. Both in vitro relaxivity measurements and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) distribution profiles have confirmed the very good in vitro magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) properties of core–shell and cubic shape NPs, especially at low concentration. This might be related to the supplementary anisotropy introduced by the exchange bias properties and the cubic shape. The high heating values of core–shell NPs and oxidized nanocubes at low concentration are attributed to dipolar interactions inducing...

Near-infrared grating-assisted SPR optical fiber sensors: design rules for ultimate refractometric sensitivity.

Abstract: Plasmonic optical fiber sensors are continuously developed for (bio)chemical sensing purposes. Recently, surface plasmon resonance (SPR) generation was achieved in gold-coated tilted fiber Bragg gratings (TFBGs). These sensors probe the surrounding medium with near-infrared narrowband resonances, which enhances both the penetration depth of the evanescent field in the external medium and the wavelength resolution of the interrogation. They constitute a unique configuration to probe all the fiber cladding modes individually. We use them to analyze the modal distribution of gold-coated telecommunication-grade optical fibers immersed in aqueous solutions. Theoretical investigations with a finite-difference complex mode solver are confirmed by experimental data obtained on TFBGs. We show that the refractometric sensitivity varies with the mode order and that the global SPR envelope shift in response to surrounding refractive index (SRI) changes higher than 1e-2 RIU (refractive index unit) can be ~25% bigger than the local SPR mode shift arising from SRI changes limited to 1e-4 RIU. We bring clear evidence that the optimum gold thickness for SPR generation lies in the range between 50 and 70 nm while a cladding diameter decrease from 125 µm to 80 µm enhances the refractometric sensitivity by ~20%. Finally, we demonstrate that the ultimate refractometric sensitivity of cladding modes is ~550 nm/RIU when they are probed by gold-coated TFBGs.

Mechanical Properties and Flame‐Retardant Behavior of Ethylene Vinyl Acetate/High‐Density Polyethylene Coated Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites

Abstract: High-density polyethylene coated multiwalled carbon nanotubes (c-MWNTs) and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have been dispersed into an ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) copolymer by mechanical kneading. The effect of c-MWNTs on tensile properties, thermo-oxidative degradation, and fire behavior has been studied in comparison with virgin EVA and EVA/MWNTs nanocomposites. Due to the better dispersion of the coated nanotubes, the incorporation of 3 wt % of c-MWNTs leads to an increase of the Young's modulus, the cohesion of the combustion residues, and a decrease of the peak heat-release rate.

Global warming and plant–pollinator mismatches

Abstract: The mutualism between plants and their pollinators provides globally important ecosystem services, but it is likely to be disrupted by global warming that can cause mismatches between both halves of this interaction. In this review, we summarise the available evidence on (i) spatial or (ii) phenological shifts of one or both of the actors of this mutualism. While the occurrence of future spatial mismatches is predominantly theoretical and based on predictive models, there is growing empirical evidence of phenological mismatches occurring at the present day. Mismatches may also occur when pollinators and their host plants are still found together. These mismatches can arise due to (iii) morphological modifications and (iv) disruptions to host attraction and foraging behaviours, and it is expected that these mismatches will lead to novel community assemblages. Overall plant-pollinator interactions seem to be resilient biological networks, particularly because generalist species can buffer these changes due to their plastic behaviour. However, we currently lack information on where and why spatial mismatches do occur and how they impact the fitness of plants and pollinators, in order to fully assess if adaptive evolutionary changes can keep pace with global warming predictions.