La Fibrose kystique (FK), causée par des mutations du canal Cl- CFTR, entraîne une dysfonction de la sécrétion de Cl- et un débalancement dans la sécrétion des fluides. La diminution de la clairance mucociliaire qui s’en suit occasionne une accumulation du mucus. Cet environnement est alors favorable à l’installation d’infections et d’inflammation chroniques, responsables de lésions au niveau de l’épithélium respiratoire. Le vieillissement de la population FK, suite à la prise en charge plus appropriée de la maladie, est accompagné par l’émergence de pathologies associées, telles que le diabète. Celui-ci, ainsi que plusieurs autres facteurs comme l’infection à Pseudomonas aeruginosa, contribuent au déclin progressif de la fonction pulmonaire, principale cause de mortalité et de morbidité des patients FK. Le maintien de la fonction pulmonaire est dépendant notamment du transport ionique et liquidien régulant la clairance mucociliaire ainsi que de la réparation épithéliale nécessaire à la génération d’un épithélium fonctionnel en réponse aux agressions. Nous avons donc évalué l’impact de l’hyperglycémie et des exoproduits de P. aeruginosa sur ces deux mécanismes. Nos résultats ont tout d’abord montré qu’un niveau de glucose élevé diminue les courants Cl- CFTR et potassique et altère la réparation de l’épithélium bronchique FK et non FK. Nous avons aussi observé que l’hyperglycémie limite l’impact bénéfique de la correction de CFTR sur la réparation épithéliale. Dans un second temps, nous avons évalué l’impact de l’infection à Pseudomonas aeruginosa sur le CFTR, qui tient un rôle important dans la fonctionnalité de l’épithélium des voies aériennes non-FK. Nous avons noté que l’expression du CFTR ainsi que sa fonction sont réduites par l’exposition aux produits bactériens dans les cellules non-FK. De plus, ces exoproduits compromettent la maturation du CFTR muté par les correcteurs ainsi que leur bénéfice sur la réparation de l’épithélium FK. Finalement, nous avons testé différentes combinaisons de composés correcteurs et potentiateurs de CFTR afin de déterminer quelle stratégie serait la plus efficace afin de favoriser la réparation épithéliale bronchique FK malgré la présence d’infection. / Cystic fibrosis (CF), caused by mutations in the CFTR gene, is characterized by dysfunctional Cl- secretion and an imbalance in ion/fluid transport resulting in a decrease in mucociliary clearance. Accumulation of mucus then occurs and this favors bacterial infection in the airways. Chronic infection and inflammation is then responsible for progressive injuries to the lung epithelium. These mechanisms are associated with a decline in lung function, the main cause of morbidity and mortality in CF. The recent improvement in clinical care of patients with CF has led to an increase in median life expectancy, which allows the emergence of comorbidities, such as CF-related diabetes (CFRD). Because Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection and CFRD have been associated with decreased lung function, we investigated their impact on ion transports and epithelial repair, two main functions of airway epithelia. First, our results showed a reduction in Cl- secretion by CFTR and total K+ currents through CF and non-CF airway epithelial cells in hyperglycemic conditions. Moreover, our data indicated a decrease in wound closure rates of airway cell monolayers after exposure to high glucose. We also demonstrated an impairment of the beneficial effect of CFTR correctors on repair rates. The second part of our studies reveals a deleterious impact of Pseudomonas aeruginosa diffusible material (PsaDM) on CFTR expression and function in non-CF airways cells. Importantly, we showed, for the first time, that the presence of PsaDM altered the functional rescue of mutated CFTR by correctors and dampened their beneficial effect on CF wound repair. Finally, we tested several different combinations of corrector and potentiators in order to identify the most efficient compounds to improve the repair rates of CF monolayers despite the presence of PsaDM. Overall, our research demonstrated a deleterious impact of CFRD and PsaDM on ion transports and wound closure. Moreover, the new therapies with correctors may also be impacted by these two components.

Ionic transport in metal oxides is crucial for the functioning of a broad range of different components, such as heat resistant alloys designed for high temperature applications and oxide electrolytes in solid oxide fuel cells. This thesis presents results from in situ electrochemical studies of properties related to ionic transport in metal oxides that are important for their applications as protective oxides and ionic conductors. Heat resistant alloys of alumina-former type are known to form an adherent, slowly growing and protective aluminium oxide (Al2O3) scale that protects metals from chemical degradation at high temperature. In situ impedance spectroscopy was used to study highly pure and dense samples of a-alumina in the temperature range 400 – 1000 °C. It was shown that surface conduction on the sample could severely distort the measurement below 700 °C. The magnitude of the distortions appeared to be sensitive to the type of electrodes used. The use of a so-called guard electrode was shown to effectively block the surface conduction in the measurements. By varying the grain size of the sintered alpha-alumina samples, the influence of grain size on the overall conductivity of the a-alumina was studied. It was shown that the activation energy for conductivity increased as the grain size decreased. Molecular dynamics calculations were performed in order to elucidate whether Al- or O ions are dominant in the ionic conductivity of the alpha-alumina. Comparing the calculation and experimental results, the dominating charge carrier was suggested to be oxygen ions. Moreover, the ionic transport in thermally grown alumina-like oxide scales formed on a FeCrAl alloy was studied in situ by impedance spectroscopy between 600 and 1000 °C. It was shown that the properties of these scales differ largely from those of pure and dense alpha-alumina. Furthermore, the conductivity is mainly electronic, due to the multiphase/multilayer microstructure and substantial incorporation of species from the base metal. However, the diffusivity obtained from the ionic conductivity was in line with diffusion data in literature obtained by other methods such as thermogravimetry. Besides, the initial stage of oxidation of a number of Fe-, Ni- and Co-based alloys at temperatures between 500 and 800 °C was studied in situ by high temperature cyclic voltammetry, in which the oxygen activity was changed over a wide range. From the resulting voltammograms the redox reactions occurring on the alloy surface could be identified. It was concluded that the base metal oxidized readily on these alloys before a protective chromia- or alumina-like scale is formed. The base metal oxide is most likely incorporated into the more protective oxide. Further, the oxygen ionic conductivity of highly pure and fully dense yttria-stabilized zirconia produced by spark plasma sintering was studied by impedance spectroscopy. The aim was to evaluate intrinsic blocking effects on the ionic conduction associated with the space charge layer in the grain boundary region. It was observed that the ionic conductivity of the spark plasma sintered oxides is equal or slightly higher than what has been achieved by conventional sintering methods. In addition, it was shown that the specific grain boundary conductivity increases with decreasing grain size, which can be explained by a decreasing Schottky barrier height (i.e., decreasing blocking effect). The quantitative results from this work verify the space charge model describing the influence of grain size on the ionic conductivity of yttria-stabilized zirconia through dopant segregation and oxygen vacancy depletion along the grain boundaries. / QC 20100825

Orientadores: Gilberto Medeiros Ribeiro, Mônica Alonso Cotta / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-17T12:21:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 FernandezSiles_PabloRoberto_D.pdf: 92147655 bytes, checksum: 90f1bd2777802f404d54c2932a48220c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Os mecanismos de confinamento e transporte em escala nanométrica continuam a ser um desafio em Física do Estado Sólido, uma vez que tanto a dimensionalidade quanto o tamanho dos dispositivos continuam a ser reduzidos. Desta forma, o estudo e entendimento do transporte em materiais amorfos e nano-cristalinos, que apresentam acoplamento de processos de transporte eletrônico e iônico é de grande relevância atualmente. Neste sentido, aplicações tecnológicas que incluem desde o desenvolvimento de sensores (TiO2) até a fabricação de novos dispositivos de memórias com características não voláteis ¿ dispositivos memoristores ¿ podem ser citadas. Esta tese consiste no estudo de propriedades de transporte em nanoestruturas semicondutoras. Dois tipos de estruturas são investigados: i) pontos quânticos autoformados de InAs sobre substratos de GaAs, e ii) dispositivos memoristores produzidos por meio de litografia por oxidação anódica local (LAO), considerando estruturas do tipo Ti-TiO2-Ti. Técnicas de Espectroscopia de Capacitância, considerando fatores de tipo estrutural (barreira de tunelamento) e experimental (temperatura, frequência e voltagem), podem ser utilizadas para a determinação dos mecanismos de transporte, densidades de estados, concentração de impurezas etc, no caso do sistema III-V InAs/GaAs. No caso do TiO2, crescido por meio de Sputtering DC, processos de caracterização permitem apontar características ópticas, por meio de Elipsometria, características estruturais, por Microscopia de Força Atômica (AFM) e Difração de Raio-X (XRD), e a composição química, por Espectroscopia de Fotoelétrons por Raio-X (XPS) e Retro-Espalhamento Rutherford (RBS). Finalmente, a litografia por oxidação anódica local pormeio de AFM permite desenhar as estruturas do tipo metal-óxido-metal, que apresentam características elétricas de chaveamento entre estados de alta e baixa condutividade, dependentes da frequência ¿ sinais típicos do comportamento memoristivo. O estudo dos pontos quânticos permite calibrar os mecanismos de transporte por meio de Espectroscopia de Capacitância. Já os dispositivos memoristores, conformados por estruturas planares, e fabricados neste trabalho por meio de litografia por oxidação local, permitem identificar importantes características elétricas retificadoras que apresentam um comportamento elétrico não volátil. Estas características memoristivas são promissoras, pois possibilitam avançar no entendimento e fabricação de um novo tipo de dispositivos com o potencial de se tornar uma nova geração de dispositivos de memória não voláteis / Abstract: As the dimension and size of electronic devices continue to be reduced, confinement and transport mechanisms at nanometric scale remains nowadays as a great challenge in Solid State Physics. Thus, the study and understanding of transport processes in amorphous and nanocrystalline materials ¿ characterized by the coupling of electronic and ionic behavior ¿ becomes highly relevant currently. Technological applications comprise for example the development of sensors (TiO2) and the fabrication of new memory devices with non volatile characteristics ¿ memristor devices. This thesis is intended to study transport properties in semiconducting nanostructures. Two different kinds of structures are investigated: i) self-assembled InAs quantum dots grown on GaAs substrates and ii) memristor devices produced by means AFM Local Anodic Oxidation Lithography (LAO), considering planar Ti-TiO2-Ti structures. Considering structural (tunneling barrier) as well as experimental factors (temperature, frequency and gate bias), Capacitance Spectroscopy is implemented here. This technique supplies information for the determination of transport mechanisms, density os states, concentration of impurities etc, considering the III-V system (InAs/GaAs). In the case of the TiO2 thin films are prepared by means of Sputtering DC. A characterization process permits to point out optical properties, by means of Elipsometry, structural properties, by means of Atomic Force Microscopy and X-Ray Diffraction, and chemical characteristics, by means of X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) and Rutherford Backscattering (RBS). Finally, an AFM Local Anodic Oxidation lithography technique permits to design metal-oxide-metal structures. These structures are characterized by frequency-dependent conductive switching states ¿ typical signature of memristive behavior. Quantum dots studies permit to perform a calibration of transport mechanisms by means of Capacitance Spectroscopy. On the other hand, the planar memristor devices fabricated in this work by means of Local Anodic Oxidation present important rectifying electrical characteristics with non volatile behavior. This memristor approach permits to put forward in the understanding and fabrication of a new family of devices with the potential to become a new generation of non volatile memory devices / Doutorado / Física da Matéria Condensada / Doutor em Ciências

No description available.

Le transport d’ions et de molécules à l’intérieur de canaux nanométriques diffère du transport à l’échelle micro- ou macroscopique du fait de rapports surface/volume bien plus élevés conduisant à de nouveaux phénomènes de transport. Les nanotubes de carbone avec leurs propriétés uniques apparaissent comme des canaux exceptionnellement intéressants pour mieux comprendre le transport ionique et fluidique à l’échelle nanométrique et pour d’éventuelles applications nanofluidiques. Ce travail est dédié à l’étude et la compréhension des mécanismes de transport des ions en phase aqueuse à l’intérieur de nanotubes de carbone, un sujet particulièrement important pour le développement d’applications dans le domaine du séquençage de l’ADN ou de l’analyse biochimique de petites molécules.Durant ce travail, un protocole a été développé pour la fabrication de dispositifs microfluidiques intégrant des nanotubes de carbone et permettant des mesures à la fois électriques et optiques. Les propriétés de transport à l’intérieur de nanotubes de carbone mono-feuillets ont été étudiées en combinant mesures de courant ionique sous application d’un champ électrique, spectroscopie Raman et modélisation théorique. Les résultats obtenus par cette étude démontrent la forte influence de l’environnement du nanotube sur la densité et la distribution des charges de surface et donc sur les propriétés de transport à l’intérieur de ces nano-canaux dont les parois sont d’épaisseur atomique. Les ordres de grandeur des courants ioniques mesurés expérimentalement sont en bon accord avec les modèles standards de transport ionique dans un nanocanal en considérant des densités de charge de surface et des longueurs de glissement physiquement raisonnables. De manière importante, ce travail a permis de mettre en évidence un transport ionique activé par champ électrique à l’intérieur de nanotubes de carbone, qui peut être expliqué en considérant un modèle de transport plus élaboré intégrant une ou plusieurs barrières d’énergie le long du nanotube. Les résultats de la caractérisation Raman suggèrent que ces barrières d’énergie résultent d’un dopage hétérogène le long du nanotube induit par la matrice polymère. / Ionic and molecular transport inside nanometer scale geometries is distinct from micro- and macroscale transport due to the large surface-to-volume ratios which lead to unique transport phenomena. Carbon nanotubes with their peerless properties appear as exceptional channels for understanding fluidic and ionic transport at the nanoscale and for developing nanofluidics-based applications. This work is devoted at studying and understanding the transport mechanisms of ions in aqueous phase through carbon nanotubes, which is especially important for various applications such as DNA sequencing or biochemical analysis of small molecules.During this work, a protocol was developed for the fabrication of carbon nanotubes-based microfluidic devices which are suitable for both electrical and optical measurements. The transport properties through single-walled carbon nanotubes were investigated by combining ion current measurements under an applied voltage, Raman spectroscopy and theoretical modelling. The results obtained from this study highlight the strong influence of the nanotube environment on their surface charge density and distribution and hence on the ionic transport properties through these nanochannels having walls of atomic thickness. The orders of magnitude of the ionic currents experimentally measured are in good agreement with the standard models of ion transport through nanochannels when considering physically reasonable values of surface charge densities and slip lengths. Importantly, this work allowed us to evidence a novel voltage-activated transport of ions through carbon nanotubes which can be accounted for by considering a more elaborate transport model including the presence of one or more energy barriers along the nanotube. Raman characterization results support that these energy barriers result from a heterogeneous doping along the nanotubes induced by the polymer matrix.

Cette thèse décrit des électrolytes polymères à conduction mono-ionique (EC-SIPEs). Ces macromolécules sont constituées de n* unités répétition d’oxyde d’éthylène (OE) et d’un groupe fonctionnel ionique à une des extrémités de leur architecture macromoléculaire asymétrique. La bibliothèque des EC-SIPEs synthétisée est basée sur des poly(oxyde d’éthylène) mono méthyl éther (mPOEn-OH) ayant 8, 10, 20 et 55 unités EO. Les anions sont liés de manière covalente au squelette polymère via une des extrémités. Leur mobilité est donc limitée par celles de ces macromolécules fonctionnelles. Les EC-SIPES constituent des conducteurs mono-ioniques; la majorité des charges étant transférées par les cations Li+ comme démontré par chronoampérométrie.Les extrémités de chaînes sont sélectionnées pour développer des interactions ioniques facilitant la conduction de cation Li+ ainsi que des interactions non-covalentes de types dipôles-dipôles, Van der Waals, et d’empilements π-π. Des hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques de type naphtalène (naph) et pyrène (pyr) sont étudiés comme extrémités de chaines. Les groupes terminaux fonctionnels sont lithiés : sulfonates (-SO3Li, -PhSO3Li), N-naphtyl sulfonamide (-SO2N(Li)Naph) et N-arylamines (-N(Li)Naph, -N(Li)Pyr). Deux types d'extrémités ciblent des propriétés spécifiques : i) "double-sel" possédant deux fonctions ioniques et ii) zwittérionique conduisant le cation Li+ et l’anion TFSI-. Le doublement du nombre de Li+ par groupe terminal n’autorise pas l’amélioration attendue de la conductivité ionique (σ). Ceci implique que σ est limitée par la physicochimie des chaînes polymères et non par la concentration en Li+. L'EC-SIPE zwittérionique a un nombre de transport de lithium élevé (t+Li= 0,8) qui implique une mobilité réduite de l’anion TFIS- par rapport au cation Li+. La meilleure performance est obtenue avec le mPOEn-N(Li)Pyr (OEn= 10, 20, 55) : σ > 1,0*10-4 S/cm à T > 40 °C et 1*10-3 S/cm à 100 °C. Cet EC-SIPE à une résistivité constante en cyclage galvanostatique (j= 10 μA/cm^2 ; 10 périodes de 4h ; pile Li|Li ; 40 °C) et une stabilité électrochimique dans la plage de potentiel 0 V-3,7 V vs. Li/Li+ (pile Li|Stainless steel ; vitesse de balayage en potentiel 1,0 mV/s ; 40 °C).Le contexte de cette thèse vis à vis de l’état de l’art des électrolytes polymères pour les batteries Li-Ion est présenté dans le chapitre I. Deux sous-classes d’électrolytes sont discutées: i) les polymères dans lesquels un sel est solvaté (SiP) et ii) les polymères à conduction mono-ionique. La conception d'électrolytes polymères efficaces à conductivité ionique améliorée est ciblée. Une attention toute particulière est accordée aux concepts d'auto-organisation hiérarchique visant à la création de chemins percolant assurant le transport d’ions sur les distances microniques séparant les électrodes d’une batterie. Enfin, la stratégie de synthèse mise en œuvre dans cette thèse est décrite.Les principaux résultats de cette thèse sont présentés et discutés au chapitre II. Une bibliothèque d'EC-SIPEs est caractérisée vis-à-vis de leurs performances électrochimiques, thermiques et de leurs propriétés de transport ionique spécifique. Des caractéristiques résistives apparaissent à haute température et sont supposées résulter de l'agrégation des groupes ioniques terminaux. Les valeurs de conductivité des EC-SIPEs (55 Unités OE) s'améliorent d'un demi-ordre de grandeur lors du cyclage en température au-delà de la température de fusion des domaines cristallins de POE. La discussion se termine par la proposition d'un modèle de percolation des domaines ioniques dans les EC-SIPEs où les groupes ioniques sont localisés aux interfaces des domaines POE. La percolation des domaines ioniques devrait être améliorée dans des conditions appropriées de température et de force électromagnétique. Les méthodes de synthèse mises en œuvre dans cette thèse et les caractérisations des EC-SIPEs sont décrites au chapitre III. / This thesis presents "End-Capped Single-Ion Polymer Electrolytes" (EC-SIPEs) that are ionically conductive polymers having n repeating ethylene oxide (EO) units and an ionic functional group at one chain terminal. The library of EC-SIPEs presented are based on poly(ethylene oxide) mono methyl ether (mPEOn-OH) having EOn = 8, 10, 20 and 55. The anions of the electrolyte salt pair are covalently bound to the polymer as part of the end-group design. The mobility of the anion is thus limited by the low mobility of the polymer, relative to Li+. These are "Single-Ion" conductors because the majority of ionic charge transferred by Li+ cations, as demonstrated by chronoamperometry.The end-group designs target not only ionic interactions that facilitate "single-ion" conduction of Li+, but also other specific non-covalent interactions such as dipole-dipole, Van der Waals, and π-π stacking. End-groups having naphthalene (naph) and pyrene (pyr) polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) moieties are investigated. The functional end-groups are lithiated sulfonates (-SO3Li, -PhSO3Li), a N-naphyl sulfonamide (-SO2N(Li)Naph), and secondary N-aryl amines (-N(Li)Naph, -N(Li)Pyr). Two end-groups target specific properties: i) a "double salt" end-group has two ionic functions at one chain end, and ii) a zwitterionic EC-SIPE that conducts Li+ cations and TFSI- anions. The doubling of the number of Li+ per end-group does not correlate to an expected improvement in ionic conductivity (σ). This implies that σ is limited by the physicochemical properties of the EC-SIPE and not the Li+ concentration. The zwitterionic EC-SIPE has a high lithium transference number (t+Li= 0.8) that implies decreased mobility of the TFIS- counter-anion relative to Li+. The best overall performance is achieved by mPEOn-N(Li)Pyr (EOn= 10, 20, 55), that has σ > 1.0*10-4 S/cm at T > 40 °C, and reaches 1*10-3 S/cm at 100 °C. It exhibits constant resistivity under galvanostatic cycling (j= 10 μA.cm-2, 10*4h periods, Li|Li cell, 40 °C) and is electrochemically stable in the 0 V-3.7 V vs. Li/Li+ potential range (Li|stainless steel cell, 1.0 mV/s sweep rate, 40 °C).In Chapter I the context of the thesis is discussed through review of state-of-the-art polymer electrolytes for Li-ion batteries. These are divided into two sub-classes: i) Salt-in-Polymer (SiP) and ii) "Single-Ion" polymer electrolytes. The design of polymer electrolytes towards efficient and effective ionic conductivity is emphasized. Special attention is given to concepts for the organisation of bulk morphology for the creation of ion transport pathways that efficiently percolate through the micron length scale separating electrodes of a battery. Finally, the synthetic strategy implemented in this thesis is described.The principle results of the thesis are presented and discussed in Chapter II. A library of EC-SIPEs are characterised in terms of their electrochemical, thermal and specific ion-transport performances. Resistive features appear at high temperature and are expected to result from the aggregation of ionic end-groups. Surprisingly, the σ of EC-SIPEs having EOn= 55 improves by as much as half an order of magnitude with repeated cycling of temperature to above Tm of crystalline PEO (in the +40 °C to +100 °C range). The analysis of EC-SIPEs having different end-groups and PEO chains having EOn= 8, 10, 20, and 55 lead to the proposition of a tentative model for the percolation of ionic pathways through the EC-SIPE bulk. It is hypothesized that the ionic end-groups are localised at the grain boundaries of PEO domains. Percolation of these boundaries are proposed to be improved under appropriate, mild conditions of temperature and electromagnetic force. Finally, the synthesis methods implemented in this thesis and characterizations of EC-SIPEs are described in Chapter III.

Chloride-induced corrosion of reinforcing steel in concrete is a worldwide problem. In order to predict how chlorides penetrate in concrete and how other ionic species in con-crete pore solution affect the penetration of chlorides, this thesis presents a numerical study on multi-phase modelling of ionic transport in concrete dominated by migration process. There are many advantages in rapid chloride migration test (RCM) method and numeri-cal approach. However, most of models in the literature predicting chloride diffusivity in concrete are diffusion models, which not consider the action of externally applied electric field. In view of this, the specific aim of this thesis is to develop a rational nu-merical migration model to simulate chloride migration tests. By using this model, the diffusion coefficient of chlorides in concrete will be efficiently predicted. Furthermore, other mechanisms of ionic transportation in composite materials can be scientifically in-vestigated in the meantime. In most existing work, researchers tend to use the assumption of electro-neutrality con-dition, which ensures that no external charge can be imported (Bockris and Reddy, 1998), to determine the electrostatic potential within concrete as well as considering a 1-D problem with only one phase structure and single species (i.e. the chlorides) for pre-dicting the ionic migration. In contrast, this thesis presents a number of sets of multi-phase migration models in more than one dimension and uses the Poisson’s equation for controlling the multi-species interactions. By solving both mass conservation and Pois-son’s equations, the distribution profiles of each ionic species and electrostatic potential at any required time are successfully obtained. Some significant factors, i.e. the influ-ence of dimensions, aggregates, interfacial transition zones (ITZs), cracks and binding effect have also been discussed in detail. The results reveal a series of important features which may not be seen from existing numerical models. For quantitative study, this thesis also provides the prediction method of chloride diffu-sivity not only by the traditional stationary diffusion models but also by the migration models presented in the thesis. The obtained results are compared with three proven analytical models, i.e., Maxwell’s model (Dormieux and Lemarchand, 2000), Brug-geman’s equation (Bruggeman’s, 1935) and the lower bound of the effective diffusion coefficient proposed by Li et al. (2012) as well as validated against experimental data sets of an accelerated chloride migration test (ACMT) brought by Yang and Su (2002).

La Fibrose Kystique (FK) est une maladie dégénérative qui entraine une dégénération des poumons dû au problème de clairance mucociliaire (CMC). Le volume de surface liquide (SL) couvrant les cellules pulmonaires est essentiel à la clairance de mucus et au combat contre les infections. Les nucléotides extracellulaires jouent un rôle important dans la CMC des voies aériennes, en modifiant le volume de la SL pulmonaire. Cependant, les mécanismes du relâchement de l’ATP et de leurs déplacements à travers la SL, restent inconnus. Des études ultérieures démontrent que l’exocytose d’ATP mécano-sensible et Ca2+-dépendant, dans les cellules A549, est amplifié par les actions synergétiques autocrine/paracrine des cellules avoisinantes. Nous avions comme but de confirmer la présence de la boucle purinergique dans plusieurs modèles de cellules épithéliales et de développer un système nous permettant d’observer directement la SL. Nous avons démontrés que la boucle purinergique est fonctionnelle dans les modèles de cellules épithéliales examinés, mis appart les cellules Calu-3. L’utilisation de modulateur de la signalisation purinergique nous a permis d’observer que le relâchement d’ATP ainsi que l’augmentation du [Ca2+]i suivant un stress hypotonique, sont modulés par le biais de cette boucle purinergique et des récepteurs P2Y. De plus, nous avons développé un système de microscopie qui permet d’observer les changements de volume de SL en temps réel. Notre système permet de contrôler la température et l’humidité de l’environnement où se trouvent les cellules, reproduisant l’environnement pulmonaire humain. Nous avons démontré que notre système peut identifier même les petits changements de volume de SL. / Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients suffer from respiratory problems associated with pulmonary infections and exacerbations, due to improper mucociliary clearance (MCC). The airway surface liquid (ASL) covering pulmonary epithelial cells plays a pivotal role in MCC and infection control. Extracellular nucleotides control MCC in airway epithelia by modulating ASL volume, ciliary beating and mucin secretion. The mechanism(s) of their release and dispersal within the ASL remain incompletely understood. Studies with A549 cells, a human alveolar type II cell model, have shown that mechanosensitive, Ca2+-dependent ATP secretion is strongly amplified by the synergistic autocrine/paracrine actions of released nucleotides. The aim of this study was to examine whether the autocrine purinergic loop operates in different lung epithelial cell models and to develop an imaging system allowing the direct monitoring of ASL height during purinergic stimulation. We demonstrated that the signaling loop is functional in all epithelial cells tested, with the exception of Calu-3 epithelial cells. With different purinergic signaling modulators, we demonstrated that ATP release and [Ca2+]i elevations evoked by hypotonic stress were strongly amplified by autocrine/paracrine effects in cells expressing the P2Y receptor family. To monitor ASL volume changes in real time, we developed a novel epi-fluorescence, side-view microscopy system to observe ASL height. During experiments, cell cultures grown on permeable filters were mounted in a custom-designed chamber that allows control of the temperature, humidity and air flow above the cell monolayer, mimicking the pulmonary environment. This system detects even small changes in ASL volume following purinergic stimulation.

Electrodialysis performance strongly depends on the boundary layer near ion exchange membranes. The thickness of the boundary layer has not been clearly evaluated due to its substantial fluctuation around the spacer geometry. In this study, the boundary layer thickness was defined with three statistical parameters: the mean, standard deviation, and correlation coefficient between the two boundary layers facing across the spacer. The relationship between the current and potential under conditions of the competitive transport between mono- and di-valent cations was used to estimate the statistical parameters. An uncertainty model was developed for the steady-state ionic transport in a two-dimensional cell pair. Faster ionic separations were achieved with smaller means, greater standard deviations, and more positive correlation coefficients. With the increasing flow velocity from 1.06 to 4.24 cm/s in the bench-scale electrodialyzer, the best fit values for the mean thickness reduced from 40 to less than 10 μm, and the standard deviation was in the same order of magnitude as the mean. For the partitioning of mono- and di-valent cations, a CMV membrane was examined in various KCl and CaCl₂ mixtures. The equivalent fraction correlation and separation factor responded sensitively to the composition of the mixture; however, the selectivity coefficient was consistent over the range of aqueous-phase ionic contents between 5 and 100 mN and the range of equivalent fractions of each cation between 0.2 and 0.8. It was shown that small analytic errors in measuring the concentration of the mono-valent cation are amplified when estimating the selectivity coefficient. To minimize the effects of such error propagation, a novel method employing the least square fitting was proposed to determine the selectivity coefficient. Each of thermodynamic factors, such as the aqueous- and membrane-phase activity coefficients, water activity, and standard state, was found to affect the magnitude of the selectivity coefficient. The overlimiting current, occurring beyond the electroneutral limit, has not been clearly explained because of the difficulty in solving the singularly perturbed Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations. The steady-state Nernst-Planck-Poisson equations were converted into the Painlevé equation of the second kind (P[subscript II] equation). The converted model domain is explicitly divided into the space charge and electroneutral regions. Given this property, two mathematical formulae were proposed for the limiting current and the width of the space charge region. The Airy solution of the P[subscript II] equation described the ionic transport in the space charge region. By using a hybrid numerical scheme including the fixed point iteration and Newton Raphson methods, the P[subscript II] equation was successfully solved for the ionic transport in the space charge and electroneutral regions as well as their transition zone. Above the limiting current, the sum of the ionic charge in the aqueous-phase electric double layer and in the space charge region remains stationary. Thus, growth of the space charge region involves shrinkage of the aqueous-phase electric double layer. Based on this observation, a repetitive mechanism of expansion and shrinkage of the aqueous-phase electric double layer was suggested to explain additional current above the limiting current. / text

La Fibrose Kystique (FK) est une maladie dégénérative qui entraine une dégénération des poumons dû au problème de clairance mucociliaire (CMC). Le volume de surface liquide (SL) couvrant les cellules pulmonaires est essentiel à la clairance de mucus et au combat contre les infections. Les nucléotides extracellulaires jouent un rôle important dans la CMC des voies aériennes, en modifiant le volume de la SL pulmonaire. Cependant, les mécanismes du relâchement de l’ATP et de leurs déplacements à travers la SL, restent inconnus. Des études ultérieures démontrent que l’exocytose d’ATP mécano-sensible et Ca2+-dépendant, dans les cellules A549, est amplifié par les actions synergétiques autocrine/paracrine des cellules avoisinantes. Nous avions comme but de confirmer la présence de la boucle purinergique dans plusieurs modèles de cellules épithéliales et de développer un système nous permettant d’observer directement la SL. Nous avons démontrés que la boucle purinergique est fonctionnelle dans les modèles de cellules épithéliales examinés, mis appart les cellules Calu-3. L’utilisation de modulateur de la signalisation purinergique nous a permis d’observer que le relâchement d’ATP ainsi que l’augmentation du [Ca2+]i suivant un stress hypotonique, sont modulés par le biais de cette boucle purinergique et des récepteurs P2Y. De plus, nous avons développé un système de microscopie qui permet d’observer les changements de volume de SL en temps réel. Notre système permet de contrôler la température et l’humidité de l’environnement où se trouvent les cellules, reproduisant l’environnement pulmonaire humain. Nous avons démontré que notre système peut identifier même les petits changements de volume de SL. / Cystic Fibrosis (CF) patients suffer from respiratory problems associated with pulmonary infections and exacerbations, due to improper mucociliary clearance (MCC). The airway surface liquid (ASL) covering pulmonary epithelial cells plays a pivotal role in MCC and infection control. Extracellular nucleotides control MCC in airway epithelia by modulating ASL volume, ciliary beating and mucin secretion. The mechanism(s) of their release and dispersal within the ASL remain incompletely understood. Studies with A549 cells, a human alveolar type II cell model, have shown that mechanosensitive, Ca2+-dependent ATP secretion is strongly amplified by the synergistic autocrine/paracrine actions of released nucleotides. The aim of this study was to examine whether the autocrine purinergic loop operates in different lung epithelial cell models and to develop an imaging system allowing the direct monitoring of ASL height during purinergic stimulation. We demonstrated that the signaling loop is functional in all epithelial cells tested, with the exception of Calu-3 epithelial cells. With different purinergic signaling modulators, we demonstrated that ATP release and [Ca2+]i elevations evoked by hypotonic stress were strongly amplified by autocrine/paracrine effects in cells expressing the P2Y receptor family. To monitor ASL volume changes in real time, we developed a novel epi-fluorescence, side-view microscopy system to observe ASL height. During experiments, cell cultures grown on permeable filters were mounted in a custom-designed chamber that allows control of the temperature, humidity and air flow above the cell monolayer, mimicking the pulmonary environment. This system detects even small changes in ASL volume following purinergic stimulation.