The overall objective of this research consists of two main parts: (1) provide evidence that autocrine production of IGF-I modulates tight junction permeability and (2) demonstrate the ability of IGFBPs to regulate IGF-I delivery across cell layers. To meet the first objective, parental and IGF-I secreting bovine mammary epithelial cells were tested for cell layer permeability, tight and adherens junction proteins, IGF-IR, and a downstream signaling components of IGF-IR. In comparison with parental cells, IGF-I secreting cells had high levels of IGF-IRs, but low levels of the junction components E-cadherin, b-catenin, and occludin. The differences in parental and IGF-I secreting cells was not due to extracellular stimuli since inclusion of IGF-I, IGFBP-3, or co-culture with SV40-IGF-I cells did not alter the barrier properties of parental cells, suggesting that intracrine signaling may alter cell connectivity. The second objective focused on exogenous rather than endogenous IGF-I and the role of IGFBPs and IGF-IRs in ligand transcytosis. Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) cultured on surfaces optimized to minimize paracellular transport were utilized to investigate the kinetics involved in the transport of insulin-like growth factor-I from the apical side of confluent monolayers to the basolateral side. Binding competitors were used to determine the role of the cell surface insulin-like growth factor-I receptor (IGF-IR) and cell surface insulin-like growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) in this transport process. Although IGFBPs initially retard delivery of IGF-I, using a computation model, this report shows that pulse durations of less than 6 hrs resulted in enhanced delivery of IGF-I in the presence of IGFBPs, above that for delivery in the absence of IGFBPs. In addition, the model was utilized to identify key parameters to target when developing engineered growth factors for the treatment of diseases. It is shown that the sorting factions and internalization rates are reasonable targets for the design of engineered growth factors. Since the sorting fractions are dictated by binding affinities in the acidic environment of the endosomes, it may be beneficial to design and analog of IGF-I that is more resistant to changes in pH, similar to those develop from epidermal growth factor. / Ph. D.

This master thesis studies the recycling prospects of textiles. The textile industry contributes negatively to the global environmentthrough the release of greenhouse gases and consumption of resources. In order to achieve a circular textile industry, textiles must be recyclable by both chemical and mechanical means. Here, the focus is on mechanical extraction of staple fibres, particularly cotton, for reentry into yarn production. Experiments show that used, but undamaged, cotton sateen and cotton twill responds differently to abrasion with stochastic surfaces. Previous studies on the conventional shredding processes have shown positive impact from lubricants on extracted fibre lengths, by reducing inter-fibre friction. In the present study on abrasion, variables such as alignment of the weave pattern, lubrication and load are shown to have little to no impact on extracted fibre length, but notable effects on overall fibre quality. These analyses are supported by manual length assessment, electron micrographs and tensile tests using load cells. Furthermore, simple tests and observations on structured diamond surfaces constructed through chemical vapor deposition are promising for mechanical fibre release directly from a woven fabric. Suggestions are made on continued research in this field.

Le Soulier de satin, tour à tour perçu comme oeuvre Dada, drame baroque ou pièce àclef, est une oeuvre dont l’étude de la création et la réception permet de mieuxappréhender les liens de Paul Claudel avec son temps. Dans cette pièce, Claudeleffectue la somme de l’héritage artistique de remise en cause de la société positiviste desa jeunesse et livre le récit de sa vocation poétique, enracinée dans la penséebaudelairienne et mallarméenne sur la modernité. La prégnance du paradigme picturalpour livrer son manifeste esthétique et l’utilisation de l’image sous toutes ses formespour entrer en dialogue avec le sens du texte vérifient la concordance d’intérêts entreClaudel et les artistes de sa génération. L’originalité du dramaturge réside dans sonrecours à l’image pour faire de son oeuvre un ex-voto qui retrace l’itinéraire de saconversion, l’inspiration thomiste le conduisant à privilégier l’image dans l’économiedu salut à l’oeuvre dans la pièce. L’oeuvre révèle enfin son affinité avec l’art modernepar son utilisation de procédés et de formes propres à l’art moderne, comme le collageet le montage, ou redécouverts par la modernité, comme l’empreinte ou la planéité,procédés et formes que Claudel emploie de manière polysémique et dialectique. Eninscrivant la question de sa vocation poétique, de sa conversion et de la réception de sonoeuvre par ses contemporains au coeur de la pièce, avec Le Soulier de satin, Claudeldonne une oeuvre qui s’inscrit pleinement dans le programme de la modernité tout enrévélant son originalité propre. / The Satin Slipper has been received alternately as a Dada work, a Baroque drama or a‘pièce à clé’, and studying both its first production and its reception allows one to graspbetter Claudel’s relationships with his days. In this work, Claudel adds up together theartistic legacy of his questioning the positivist society of his youth and gives thenarrative of his poetic vocation, which is rooted in the Baudelairean and Mallarméanthoughts on modernity. Claudel delivers his aesthetic manifesto through the primacy ofthe pictural paradigm and makes the reader establish a dialogue with the meaning of thetext, and all this makes him meet the concerns of the artists of his generation. Theplaywright’s originality lies in his resorting to the image to make his work into an exvoto that traces the itinerary of his conversion, as the Thomistic inspiration drives himto favour the image, in God’s plan at work in the play. Ultimately, the work discloses itscloseness to modern art through the use of devices and forms that are proper to modernart, such as collages and montages, or that were rediscovered by modernity, like theimprint or the planeness, that Claudel uses in a polysemous and dialectical way. As heincludes the questions of his poetic vocation, his conversion and the reception of hiswork by his contemporaries in the heart of the play, Claudel thrusts The Satin Slipperdeeply into the programme of modernity, original though it may be revealed.

Mode I interlaminar fracture of 3k 8-Harness-Satin Carbon cloth, with identical fill and weft yarns, pre-impregnated with Newport 307 resin was investigated through the DCB test (ASTM D5528). Crack propagations along both the fill and weft yarns were considered for both post-bonded (co-bonded) and co-cured laminates. A patent-pending delamination insertion method was compared to the standard Teflon film option to assess its applicability to mode I fracture testing. The Modified Beam Theory, Compliance Calibration method, and Modified Compliance Calibration method were used for comparative purposes for these investigations and to evaluate the validity of the proposed Equivalent Stiffness (EQS) method. Crack propagation, in all specimens, proceeded in a run-arrest manner for both delamination directions. Energy dissipation in the form of transverse yarn debonding, matrix deformation, and out of plane crack growth was witnessed for specimens with delaminations along weft yarns. A complete comparison between post-bonded and co-cured laminates was not achieved. The patent pending delamination insertion method was found to cause fewer instances of non-linear crack initiation behavior than the Teflon insert and, when non-linear behavior did occur, it was less prevalent. The EQS method was found to achieve fracture toughness values within 5% of the other three data reduction methods for 63% of the propagation values and achieved conservative values for over 33% of the propagations. Suggestions for future studies aimed at completing the comparisons above are provided in Chapter 5.