Biomolecule storage on non-modified thermoplastic microfluidic chip by ink-jet printing of ionogels

[EN] This paper reports an innovative technique for reagents storage in microfluidic devices by means of a one-step UV-photoprintable ionogel-based microarray on non-modified polymeric substrates. Although the ionogel and the ink-jet printing technology are well published, this is the first study where both are used for long-term reagent storage in lab-on-a-chip devices. This technology for reagent storage is perfectly compatible with mass production fabrication processes since pre-treatment of the device substrate is not necessary and inkjet printing allows for an efficient reagent deposition process. The functionality of this microarray is demonstrated by testing the release of biotin-647 after being stored for 1 month at room temperature. Analysis of the fluorescence of the ionogel-based microarray that contains biotin-647 demonstrated that 90% of the biotin-647 present was released from the ionogel-based microarray after pumping PBS 0.1% Tween at 37 °C. Moreover, the activity of biotin-647 after being released from the ionogel-based microarray was investigated trough the binding capability of this biotin to a microcontact printed chip surface with avidin. These findings pave the way for a novel, one-step, cheap and mass production on-chip reagents storage method applicable to other reagents such as antibodies and proteins and enzymes.

Optimal Fiscal Policy with Rationing in the Labor Market

Published as an article in: Topics in Macroeconomics, 2005, vol. 5, issue 1, article 17.

Moral cleansing and moral licenses: experimental evidence

Research on moral cleansing and moral self-licensing has introduced dynamic considerations in the theory of moral behavior. Past bad actions trigger negative feelings that make people more likely to engage in future moral behavior to offset them. Symmetrically, past good deeds favor a positive self-perception that creates licensing effects, leading people to engage in behavior that is less likely to be moral. In short, a deviation from a “normal state of being” is balanced with a subsequent action that compensates the prior behavior. We model the decision of an individual trying to reach the optimal level of moral self-worth over time and show that under certain conditions the optimal sequence of actions follows a regular pattern which combines good and bad actions. We conduct an economic experiment where subjects play a sequence of giving decisions (dictator games) to explore this phenomenon. We find that donation in the previous period affects present decisions and the sign is negative: participants’ behavior in every round is negatively correlated to what they did in the past. Hence donations over time seem to be the result of a regular pattern of self-regulation: moral licensing (being selfish after altruist) and cleansing (altruistic after selfish).

Grafika Teknologikoa

Duración (en horas): Más de 50 horas. Destinatario: Estudiante y Docente

Petrarca y las primeras ediciones de Terencio

[ES] De entre las ediciones de Terencio publicadas en las primeras décadas de la imprenta, las de Vindelino de Espira son las que muestran una mayor voluntad filológica y, sin duda, las que ofrecen un texto más correcto. Estas ediciones dependen del texto terenciano reconstruido por Petrarca: concretamente, IGI 9408 desciende de una fase textual anterior a la que queda fijada en 1358 y responde además a algunos de los criterios propugnados por Petrarca en la Vita Terrentii; IGI 9409, por su parte, depende —parcialmente— del texto de 1358 y muestra indicios de haber sufrido la influencia de otro ejemplar de Petrarca. En fin, la presencia de la Vita Terrentii en la transmisión impresa de Terencio es una muestra más de la vigencia de la filología terencia de Petrarca durante aquellos años.

Polilaktida oinarri duten 3D zelula-euskarri (scaffold) polimeriko biodegradagarrien diseinu, fabrikazio eta propietateak

[EU]Hiru dimentsioko inprimaketa etorkizun handiko teknologia bezala azaltzen zaigu gaur egun. Esate baterako, biomedikuntza arloan aukera berritzaileak ekar ditzake, baina baita hezkuntza, heziketa eta ikerketa munduetan ere. Teknologia berri honen abantailarik nagusiena prototipatze azkarrean datza, eta honi esker, mikro- eta makro- egitura definituak dituzten objektuak diseinatu eta fabrikatu daitezke modu lehiakorrean. Lan honen helburua 3D inprimagailu baten bitartez inprimaturiko polimero biobateragarri eta biodegradagarrietan oinarrituriko ereduen garapen eta fabrikazioan datza. Hala ere, lehenik eta behin, lehengaiak bai fisikoki eta bai termikoki karakterizatu behar dira, ondoren, 3D inprimagailuaren parametroen arteko erlazioa ezarri, eta azkenik, produktu finalaren egitura propietateak eta kalitatea aztertu. Aipaturiko lana aurrera eramateko erabili den materiala polilaktida (PLA) izan da, zeinen erabilera oso zabaldua dagoen medikuntza arloan inplante (torloju, iltze, plaka eta abar) moduan eta ehun ingeniaritzaren munduan.

Polilaktida oinarri duten inplante polimeriko biodegradagarrien diseinu, fabrikazio eta propietateak

[EU]3D inprimaketa gaur egun, biomedikuntzaren garapenerako aukera ezberdinak ematen dituen teknologia iraultzaile gisa aurkezten da; bai medikuntza arloan formazio eta ikerkuntzarako erreminta gisa, baita dispositibo berrien diseinu eta fabrikaziorako. Bere abantailarik aipagarriena prototipaketa azkarra da. Gainera, teknologia honek barne egitura eta forma ezberdineko objektuak fabrikatzea ahalbidetzen du koste lehiakor batean. Lan honen helburua 3D inprimagailuen bidezko prototipoen fabrikazioan zentratzen da, horretarako lehengai bezala polimero biodegradagarri eta biobateragarria erabiliz. Horrez gain, metodo tradizionalarekin konparatuz teknologia honek izan ditzakeen abantailak ere aztertu nahi dira, ez bakarrik alde ekonomikoari edo denborari begira, baita fabrikatutako objektuen propietateei begira ere. Dena dela, horrekin hasi aurretik ezaugarritze fisiko eta termikoa burutu beharko zaie lehengaiei, 3D inprimagailuaren parametroen aukeraketa egokia egiteko eta parametro horien eta amaierako produktuaren kalitate, egitura eta propietateen artean erlazio egokia ezartzeko. Lan hau aurrera eramateko poli(L-laktida)-rekin (PLLA) egingo da lan, bai ehun ingeniaritzan baita hezurren apurketen finkapenerako dispositiboetan oso erabilia izan den polimeroa.

Metallic thin fi lms on stepped surfaces: lateral scattering of quantum well states

Quantum well states of Ag films grown on stepped Au(111) surfaces are shown to undergo lateral scattering, in analogy with surface states of vicinal Ag(111). Applying angle resolved photoemission spectroscopy we observe quantum well bands with zone-folding and gap openings driven by surface/interface step lattice scattering. Experiments performed on a curved Au(111) substrate allow us to determine a subtle terrace-size effect, i.e., a fine step-density-dependent upward shift of quantum well bands. This energy shift is explained as mainly due to the periodically stepped crystal potential offset at the interface side of the film. Finally, the surface state of the stepped Ag film is analyzed with both photoemission and scanning tunneling microscopy. We observe that the stepped film interface also affects the surface state energy, which exhibits a larger terrace-size effect compared to surface states of bulk vicinal Ag(111) crystals