Surface-sampling and analysis of TATP by swabbing and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

The method of sample recovery for trace detection and identification of explosives plays a critical role in several criminal investigations. After bombing, there can be difficulties in sending big objects to a laboratory for analysis. Traces can also be searched for on large surfaces, on hands of suspects or on surfaces where the explosive was placed during preparatory phases (e.g. places where an IED was assembled, vehicles used for transportation, etc.). In this work, triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was synthesized from commercial precursors following reported methods. Several portions of about 6 mg of TATP were then spread on different surfaces (e.g. floors, tables, etc.) or used in handling tests. Three different swabbing systems were used: a commercial swab, pre-wetted with propan-2-ol (isopropanol) and water (7:3), dry paper swabs, and cotton swabs wetted with propan-2-ol. Paper and commercial swabs were also used to sample a metal plate, where a small charge of about 4 g of TATP was detonated. Swabs were sealed in small glass jars with screw caps and Parafilm® M and sent to the laboratory for analysis. Swabs were extracted and analysed several weeks later by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. All the three systems gave positive results, but wetted swabs collected higher amounts of TATP. The developed procedure showed its suitability for use in real cases, allowing TATP detection in several simulations, including a situation in which people wash their hands after handling the explosive.

Free-breathing renal magnetic resonance angiography with steady-state free-precession and slab-selective spin inversion combined with radial k-space sampling and water-selective excitation.

The impact of radial k-space sampling and water-selective excitation on a novel navigator-gated cardiac-triggered slab-selective inversion prepared 3D steady-state free-precession (SSFP) renal MR angiography (MRA) sequence was investigated. Renal MRA was performed on a 1.5-T MR system using three inversion prepared SSFP approaches: Cartesian (TR/TE: 5.7/2.8 ms, FA: 85 degrees), radial (TR/TE: 5.5/2.7 ms, FA: 85 degrees) SSFP, and radial SSFP combined with water-selective excitation (TR/TE: 9.9/4.9 ms, FA: 85 degrees). Radial data acquisition lead to significantly reduced motion artifacts (P < 0.05). SNR and CNR were best using Cartesian SSFP (P < 0.05). Vessel sharpness and vessel length were comparable in all sequences. The addition of a water-selective excitation could not improve image quality. In conclusion, radial k-space sampling reduces motion artifacts significantly in slab-selective inversion prepared renal MRA, while SNR and CNR are decreased. The addition of water-selective excitation could not improve the lower CNR in radial scanning.

(Re)constituer un espace public et promouvoir le débat sans prendre position

This paper presents the analysis of a website created in 2011 by the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH) to support an information campaign about the organ donation. Observing how a Swiss institution publicly communicates about an issue belonging to the private sphere, this paper describes how the semiotic and discursive resources are mobilised to meet specific goals: promoting discussion and decision about the organ donation while maintaining complete neutrality about the topic. In order to do this, we first discuss the issue of publicising organ donation in Switzerland; then we conduct a detailed analysis of the website to understand the role of the linguistic forms and structures in the communication strategy of the FOPH. This strategy relies on the representation of a public sphere in which ordinary people express conflicting positions about organ donation.

'Se dire similaire et différent': la (re)présentation de soi et la négociation discursive des références identitaires des ressortissants ex-yougoslaves musulmans au Luxembourg

Cette thèse, qui se base sur des entretiens qualitatifs, porte sur la négociation des références identitaires de musulmans immigrés et réfugiés en provenance de Γ ex-Yougoslavie au Luxembourg et s'intéresse à la pertinence changeante de la religion dans la conception de soi. Selon une approche constructiviste et interactionniste, l'identité est conçue comme un projet constamment négocié, reconstruit dans des processus d'interaction sociale et en fonction des contextes sociaux. Nos données suggèrent l'émergence de constructions identitaires complexes et attestent de la pluridimensionalité et de l'intersectionnalité des références identitaires utilisées dans la conception de soi et témoignent de la non-réduction des individus à des catégories fixes. Différentes catégories sont rendues significatives et de multiples frontières sont établies afin de se différencier de figures d'altérité changeantes, sélectivement choisies pour construire une certaine image de soi. Les discours identitaires témoignent de l'aspiration à une identité positive, dans une situation caractérisée par la perte du statut social et des stigmatisations multiples, en tant que ex-Yougoslaves, demandeurs d'asile et musulmans. Nos interlocuteurs établissent un répertoire identitaire composé de marqueurs transposés, inventés et revalorisés, leur permettant de reconstruire une identité positive pour soi et leurs audiences. Ce travail décrit les manières dont les individus établissent leur répertoire identitaire à l'aide de marqueurs transposés, inventés et revalorisés, leur permettant de reconstruire une identité positive pour soi et leurs audiences et montre comment les processus de différenciation de 'l'autre' dans le pays d'origine et d'accueil sont reliés. - The question addressed in this project with a qualitative design, is how muslim migrants and refugees from the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia in Luxemburg negotiate salient identity references in a new social political environment and discusses the changing significance of religion and the way it is integrated in the identity patchwork. According to a constructivist and interactionist approach, conceiving identity as a constantly negotiated project, reconstructed in interaction and with regard to social context, identities are relevant only in relation to particular other groups and in certain situations of interaction. Our data suggest the emergence of complex identity patterns using multiple references for self- description and attest of the intersectionnality of identity references and show that individuals can't be reduced to fixed categories. Different categories are made salient and multiple symbolic boundaries are established in order to differentiate from different "others", selected in order to construct a certain self-concept. The discourses of our participants attest of an aspiration towards a positive identity in a situation characterized by the loss of social status and multiple stigmata. This thesis describes the ways how individuals establish their identity repertoire with invented, transposed and negotiated identity references, that allow them to construct a favourable identity for themselves and their public and shows how différenciation processes in home and host country are related.

Body fluid and tissue analysis using filter paper sampling support prior to LC-MS/MS: application to fatal overdose with colchicine

Because of the various matrices available for forensic investigations, the development of versatile analytical approaches allowing the simultaneous determination of drugs is challenging. The aim of this work was to assess a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) platform allowing the rapid quantification of colchicine in body fluids and tissues collected in the context of a fatal overdose. For this purpose, filter paper was used as a sampling support and was associated with an automated 96-well plate extraction performed by the LC autosampler itself. The developed method features a 7-min total run time including automated filter paper extraction (2 min) and chromatographic separation (5 min). The sample preparation was reduced to a minimum regardless of the matrix analyzed. This platform was fully validated for dried blood spots (DBS) in the toxic concentration range of colchicine. The DBS calibration curve was applied successfully to quantification in all other matrices (body fluids and tissues) except for bile, where an excessive matrix effect was found. The distribution of colchicine for a fatal overdose case was reported as follows: peripheral blood, 29 ng/ml; urine, 94 ng/ml; vitreous humour and cerebrospinal fluid, < 5 ng/ml; pericardial fluid, 14 ng/ml; brain, < 5 pg/mg; heart, 121 pg/mg; kidney, 245 pg/mg; and liver, 143 pg/mg. Although filter paper is usually employed for DBS, we report here the extension of this alternative sampling support to the analysis of other body fluids and tissues. The developed platform represents a rapid and versatile approach for drug determination in multiple forensic media.

Anti-Nogo-A Antibody Treatment Promotes Recovery of Manual Dexterity after Unilateral Cervical Lesion in Adult Primates--re-examination and Extension of Behavioral Data.

In rodents and nonhuman primates subjected to spinal cord lesion, neutralizing the neurite growth inhibitor Nogo-A has been shown to promote regenerative axonal sprouting and functional recovery. The goal of the present report was to re-examine the data on the recovery of the primate manual dexterity using refined behavioral analyses and further statistical assessments, representing secondary outcome measures from the same manual dexterity test. Thirteen adult monkeys were studied; seven received an anti-Nogo-A antibody whereas a control antibody was infused into the other monkeys. Monkeys were trained to perform the modified Brinkman board task requiring opposition of index finger and thumb to grasp food pellets placed in vertically and horizontally oriented slots. Two parameters were quantified before and following spinal cord injury: (i) the standard 'score' as defined by the number of pellets retrieved within 30 s from the two types of slots; (ii) the newly introduced 'contact time' as defined by the duration of digit contact with the food pellet before successful retrieval. After lesion the hand was severely impaired in all monkeys; this was followed by progressive functional recovery. Remarkably, anti-Nogo-A antibody-treated monkeys recovered faster and significantly better than control antibody-treated monkeys, considering both the score for vertical and horizontal slots (Mann-Whitney test: P = 0.05 and 0.035, respectively) and the contact time (P = 0.008 and 0.005, respectively). Detailed analysis of the lesions excluded the possibility that this conclusion may have been caused by differences in lesion properties between the two groups of monkeys.

Wipe sampling procedure coupled to LC-MS/MS analysis for the simultaneous determination of 10 cytotoxic drugs on different surfaces.

A simple wipe sampling procedure was developed for the surface contamination determination of ten cytotoxic drugs: cytarabine, gemcitabine, methotrexate, etoposide phosphate, cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, irinotecan, doxorubicin, epirubicin and vincristine. Wiping was performed using Whatman filter paper on different surfaces such as stainless steel, polypropylene, polystyrol, glass, latex gloves, computer mouse and coated paperboard. Wiping and desorption procedures were investigated: The same solution containing 20% acetonitrile and 0.1% formic acid in water gave the best results. After ultrasonic desorption and then centrifugation, samples were analysed by a validated liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in selected reaction monitoring mode. The whole analytical strategy from wipe sampling to LC-MS/MS analysis was evaluated to determine quantitative performance. The lowest limit of quantification of 10 ng per wiping sample (i.e. 0.1 ng cm(-2)) was determined for the ten investigated cytotoxic drugs. Relative standard deviation for intermediate precision was always inferior to 20%. As recovery was dependent on the tested surface for each drug, a correction factor was determined and applied for real samples. The method was then successfully applied at the cytotoxic production unit of the Geneva University Hospitals pharmacy.