Dissertationen zum Thema „Pya“

In this project, composite membranes containing nanoparticles of polydopamine PDA (dopamine polymer) will be manufactured and characterized in view of their use for the separation of CO2. Polysulfone will be used as a polymer matrix support while poly(vinyilalcohol) has been chosen as selective layer material. The work will first focus on the optimization of the manufacturing parameters of nano composite membranes and then on the influence of the integration of PDA nanoparticles in the polymeric support at different concentrations. The final objective is to test the material properties, with particular reference to the separation performances of the membranes produced, and critically comment on the results obtained.

L'objectif de ce travail de thèse est de fournir une étude systématique et détaillée des propriétés de mélanges de PLA et de PHA préparés à l'état fondu. En particulier, le comportement rhéologique, la miscibilité, la morphologie, les propriétés mécaniques et l'influence du vieillissement physique sur les propriétés en traction des mélanges PLA/PHBV réalisés en mélangeur interne et par extrusion bi-vis sur toute la gamme de composition ont été étudiés.La sensibilité du PHBV à la dégradation thermique a été mise en évidence, ainsi que l'importance des interfaces entre le PLA et le PHBV sur le comportement rhéologique aux basses fréquences. Les analyses de calorimétrie différentielle à balayage ont montré l'immiscibilité des deux polymères. Deux types de morphologies distinctes (nodulaire et co-continue) selon la composition de mélange ont été observées par microscopie électronique à balayage et microscopie optique en réflexion. La résistance au choc des mélanges PLA/PHBV avec et sans modifiant choc a été étudiée et les propriétés en traction de différents mélanges de PLA avec du PHBV, du Lotader GMA ou du PBAT ont été caractérisées. L'ajout d'une faible quantité de phase dispersée dans la matrice de PLA, initialement fragile, permet d'augmenter considérablement son allongement à la rupture. Cependant, les propriétés ductiles obtenues diminuent avec le temps écoulé entre la mise en forme des échantillons et leur test mécanique. Une étude de l'influence du vieillissement physique sur les propriétés des mélanges à base de PLA a donc été réalisée et un modèle qualitatif a été proposé.

Esse trabalho tem por objetivo o desenvolvimento de um biomaterial constituído de poli (álcool vinílico) (PVA) e poli (ácido acrílico) (PAA) contendo hidroxiapatita (HA) visando a aplicação em sistemas osteocondutores. As nanofibras poliméricas foram produzidas pelo método de eletrofiação a fim de mimetizar a matriz extracelular do osso (ECM), além de obter um material com maior relação área superfície quando comparada a materiais de maiores escalas, o que melhora a adesão e proliferação da célula óssea. Para essa finalidade foi utilizado uma matriz de PVA e PAA variando a concentração da HA na matriz. Pelas características hidrofílicas do PVA, foi necessária sua reticulação, por isso o ácido butano 1,2,3,4-tetracarboxílico (BTCA) foi utilizado e estudado variando sua concentração em duas proporções diferentes, 2 % e 6 % (m/m). A reticulação foi efetiva para a matriz PVA/PAA/HA com no mínimo 2 % BTCA, sendo que o FTIR-ATR comprovou a permanência dos principais grupamentos como a carbonila e a hidroxila e a análise de MEV comprovou a estabilidade física das nanofibras após 48 h de imersão em água. Os diâmetros médios das fibras variaram entre 273 a 437 nm, com menor tamanho e menor variação dos diâmetros das fibras na matriz com a presença de HA. Os resultados da matriz obtidos pela análise mecânica foram semelhantes com as propriedades mecânicas do osso. Os ensaios de análise térmica realizados comprovaram uma mistura homogênea na matriz PVA/PAA/HA. Os testes de viabilidade celular mostraram que na matriz com a presença da HA a atividade celular é maior quando comparada a matriz PVA/PAA, o que indica que a HA na matriz tem papel fundamental na atividade celular.
This study aims to develop a biomaterial composed of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly (acrylic acid) (PAA) containing hydroxyapatite (HA) for application in osteoconductive systems. Polymeric nanofibers were prepared by electrospinning method to mimic bone extracellular matrix (ECM), in addition to obtaining a material with large surface area to volume ratio, which improve the adhesion and proliferation of bone cells. For this purpose we used PVA and PAA matrix by varying the concentration of HA in the matrix. For the hydrophilic characteristics of the PVA, a crosslinking has been required, so BTCA was used and studied by varying its concentration in two different proportions of 2 % and 6 % (w/w). The crosslinking is effective for the PVA/PAA/HA matrix with at least 2 % BTCA, and the FTIR-ATR demonstrated the permanence of the main groups such as hydroxyl and carbonyl and SEM analysis confirmed the stability of nanofibers after 48 hours immersion in water. The medium diameters ranged from 273-437 nm with smaller size and smaller variation of fiber diameters in the array with the presence of HA. The results of the mechanical analysis matrices obtained were very similar to the mechanical properties of bone. The thermal analysis of trials proved one miscible mixture in the PVA/PAA/HA matrix. The cell viability tests showed that the matrix in the presence of HA has higher cellular activity when compared to PVA/PAA matrix, which proves that the HA in the matrix has a fundamental role in cellular activity.

This PhD project investigated the effects of a co-continuous phase structure on the ductility of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) blends. An empirical model was used to predict the phase inversion point of the blends. The co-continuous phase morphology was first observed in polybutylene succinate(PBS)/PLA blends. With as little as 10 wt% of PBS, PBS/PLA blends achieved a dramatic improvement in ductility, over 250% elongation-to-break. Clay additives were incorporated in PBS/PLA blends. Clay was found out to affect the compatibility and co-continuous phase morphology of PBS/PLA blends. The clay dispersion was found to have an intercalated and exfoliated structure at a PBS/PLA composition ratio of 20/80. The clay particles increased the mixing conditions between the polymers by producing a finer structure, but also destroyed the co-continuous phase morphology, resulting in a substantial decrease in elongation-at-break. PLA was then blended with Poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT) to examine whether the co-continuous phase model could also be applied to other PLA-polymer blends. From the melt viscosity ratio of PLA and PBAT in the processing regime used in the study, the predicted phase inversion value was 19 wt% of PBAT. This value was verified by the results of mechanical properties, where results for elongation-to-break show a dramatic rise from around 10% up to 300% in the composition range between 10 and 20wt% of PBAT. Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) was also blended with PLA and this project investigated how co-continuous phase morphology affects the blends of two brittle polymers. It was found that when PHA content ranged from 10 to 20wt%, the brittle-brittle polymer blends showed ductile behaviour due to a plane stress effect.

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Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)
A proposta deste estudo foi avaliar a capacidade osteocondutora da forma sólida do copolímero de PLA/PGA em um modelo experimental de enxerto em seio maxilar . Vinte coelhos machos, branco, da raça Nova Zelândia, cada um pesando cerca de 3,0 kg, foram utilizados e foram divididos em dois grupos de acordo com o material de preenchimento do seio, como segue: ósseo autógeno particulado e copolímero PLA/PGA . A área aumentada diferiu entre os grupos após 3, 7 e 15 dias (p = 0,004) . No entanto, os valores tornaram-se semelhante aos 40 dias (p = 0,458). Depois de 3 e 7 dias, a porcentagem óssea foi estatisticamente significativa entre osso autógeno e PLA / PGA copolímero (P = 0,004 e P = 0,004). Após 15 e 40 dias os valores foram semelhantes nos dois períodos (P = 0,087 e P = 0,087 ). Imunohistoquímica confirma os resultados sobre os dados histomorfométricos. Em conclusão, o copolímero de PLA/PGA parece ser adequado como material reabsorvível capaz de induzir o crescimento do osso em defeitos ósseos. Esta observação sugere que o material tem propriedades osteocondutoras também apropriado para aplicação em cirurgia maxilo-facial
The proposition of this study was evaluate the osteoconductive capability of the solid form of PLA/PGA copolymer in an experimental model of maxillary sinus grafting. Twenty male white New Zealand rabbits, each weighing about 3.0kg, were used and were divided into two groups, according to the sinus filling material, as follows: autogenous bone chips and PLA/PGA copolymers. Augmented area differ between the groups after 3, 7 and 15 days (P=0.004). However, the values became similar on day 40 (P=0.458). After 3 and 7 days the percentage of bone was statistically significant between autogenous bone and PLA/PGA copolymer (P=0.004 and P=0.004). After 15 and 40 days the values were comparable in the two periods (P=0.087 and P=0.087). Immunohistochemistry confirms the results on the histomorphometric data. In conclusion, PLA/PGA copolymer seems to be suitable as resorbable material able to induce bone growth in bone defects. This observation suggests that the material have osteoconductive properties also suitable for application in maxillofacial surgery

Orientador: Idelmo Rangel Garcia Júnior
Banca: Wilson Roberto Poi
Banca: Ronaldo Célio Mariano
A dissertação foi escrita em inglês
Resumo: A proposta deste estudo foi avaliar a capacidade osteocondutora da forma sólida do copolímero de PLA/PGA em um modelo experimental de enxerto em seio maxilar . Vinte coelhos machos, branco, da raça Nova Zelândia, cada um pesando cerca de 3,0 kg, foram utilizados e foram divididos em dois grupos de acordo com o material de preenchimento do seio, como segue: ósseo autógeno particulado e copolímero PLA/PGA . A área aumentada diferiu entre os grupos após 3, 7 e 15 dias (p = 0,004) . No entanto, os valores tornaram-se semelhante aos 40 dias (p = 0,458). Depois de 3 e 7 dias, a porcentagem óssea foi estatisticamente significativa entre osso autógeno e PLA / PGA copolímero (P = 0,004 e P = 0,004). Após 15 e 40 dias os valores foram semelhantes nos dois períodos (P = 0,087 e P = 0,087 ). Imunohistoquímica confirma os resultados sobre os dados histomorfométricos. Em conclusão, o copolímero de PLA/PGA parece ser adequado como material reabsorvível capaz de induzir o crescimento do osso em defeitos ósseos. Esta observação sugere que o material tem propriedades osteocondutoras também apropriado para aplicação em cirurgia maxilo-facial
Abstract: The proposition of this study was evaluate the osteoconductive capability of the solid form of PLA/PGA copolymer in an experimental model of maxillary sinus grafting. Twenty male white New Zealand rabbits, each weighing about 3.0kg, were used and were divided into two groups, according to the sinus filling material, as follows: autogenous bone chips and PLA/PGA copolymers. Augmented area differ between the groups after 3, 7 and 15 days (P=0.004). However, the values became similar on day 40 (P=0.458). After 3 and 7 days the percentage of bone was statistically significant between autogenous bone and PLA/PGA copolymer (P=0.004 and P=0.004). After 15 and 40 days the values were comparable in the two periods (P=0.087 and P=0.087). Immunohistochemistry confirms the results on the histomorphometric data. In conclusion, PLA/PGA copolymer seems to be suitable as resorbable material able to induce bone growth in bone defects. This observation suggests that the material have osteoconductive properties also suitable for application in maxillofacial surgery
Mestre

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Objetivo: Analisar a influência do copolímero de ácido polilático e poliglicólico (PLA/PGA) associado ou não ao osso autógeno no processo de reparo ósseo, em defeitos críticos criados em tíbia de coelhos, por meio da análise histomorfométrica. Material e Método: Doze coelhos receberam 2 ostectomias em cada tíbia por meio de trefina de 6.1 mm de diâmetro. Os defeitos ósseos críticos foram preenchidos de acordo com os seguintes grupos: coágulo sanguíneo (GC), osso autógeno (GA), PLA/PGA (GP) e PLA/PGA associado ao osso autógeno (GPA). Seis animais por período foram submetidos à eutanásia aos 7 e 30 dias pós-operatórios, para a análise histomorfométrica. Resultados: Aos 7 dias, na comparação entre GC(48,33%), GA(25,67%), GP(4,17%) e GPA(21,5%), notou-se diferença estatisticamente significante (Kruskal-Wallis, p=0,0163), evidenciada na comparação entre os GC e GP (Teste de Dunn, p<0,05). Aos 30 dias, a comparação entre GC(56,17%), GA(61,50%), GP(67,33%) e GPA(50,50%), não mostrou diferença estatisticamente significante (Kruskal-Wallis, p=0,2026). Conclusão: Foi possível concluir, neste modelo experimental, que o copolímero PLA/PGA é um biomaterial com propriedades osteocondutoras e pode ser utilizado de maneira isolada, sem a presença de osso autógeno associado.
Objective: To analyze the influence of polylactic/polyglycolic acid copolymer (PLA/PGA) associated or not with autogenous bone in the bone repair process in critical size defects of rabbit tibia through histomorphometric analysis. Methods: Twelve rabbits received 2 osteotomies in each tibia through trephine (6.1 mm diameter). The critical bone defects were filled according to the following groups: blood clot (GC), autogenous bone (GA), PLA / PGA (GP) and PLA / PGA associated with autogenous bone (GP). Six animals were euthanized at 7 and 30 days postoperatively. Results: At 7 days, through of groups comparison GC (48.33 %), GA (25.67 %), GP (4.17 %) and GPA (21.5 %) was observed statistically significant difference (Kruskal-Wallis, p= 0.0163), when compared GC and GP groups (Dunn, p < 0.05). At 30 days, the comparison between GC (56.17 %), GA (61.50 %), GP (67.33 %) and GPA (50.50 %) showed no statistically significant difference (Kruskal-Wallis, p = 0.2026). Conclusion: PLA / PGA copolymer is a biomaterial with osteoconductive properties and can be used isolated without autogenous bone supplementation.

Orientador: Idelmo Rangel Garcia Júnior
Coorientador: Roberta Okamoto
Banca: Alessandra Marcondes Aranega
Banca: Pâmela Letícia dos Santos
Resumo: Objetivo: Analisar a influência do copolímero de ácido polilático e poliglicólico (PLA/PGA) associado ou não ao osso autógeno no processo de reparo ósseo, em defeitos críticos criados em tíbia de coelhos, por meio da análise histomorfométrica. Material e Método: Doze coelhos receberam 2 ostectomias em cada tíbia por meio de trefina de 6.1 mm de diâmetro. Os defeitos ósseos críticos foram preenchidos de acordo com os seguintes grupos: coágulo sanguíneo (GC), osso autógeno (GA), PLA/PGA (GP) e PLA/PGA associado ao osso autógeno (GPA). Seis animais por período foram submetidos à eutanásia aos 7 e 30 dias pós-operatórios, para a análise histomorfométrica. Resultados: Aos 7 dias, na comparação entre GC(48,33%), GA(25,67%), GP(4,17%) e GPA(21,5%), notou-se diferença estatisticamente significante (Kruskal-Wallis, p=0,0163), evidenciada na comparação entre os GC e GP (Teste de Dunn, p<0,05). Aos 30 dias, a comparação entre GC(56,17%), GA(61,50%), GP(67,33%) e GPA(50,50%), não mostrou diferença estatisticamente significante (Kruskal-Wallis, p=0,2026). Conclusão: Foi possível concluir, neste modelo experimental, que o copolímero PLA/PGA é um biomaterial com propriedades osteocondutoras e pode ser utilizado de maneira isolada, sem a presença de osso autógeno associado.
Abstract: Objective: To analyze the influence of polylactic/polyglycolic acid copolymer (PLA/PGA) associated or not with autogenous bone in the bone repair process in critical size defects of rabbit tibia through histomorphometric analysis. Methods: Twelve rabbits received 2 osteotomies in each tibia through trephine (6.1 mm diameter). The critical bone defects were filled according to the following groups: blood clot (GC), autogenous bone (GA), PLA / PGA (GP) and PLA / PGA associated with autogenous bone (GP). Six animals were euthanized at 7 and 30 days postoperatively. Results: At 7 days, through of groups comparison GC (48.33 %), GA (25.67 %), GP (4.17 %) and GPA (21.5 %) was observed statistically significant difference (Kruskal-Wallis, p= 0.0163), when compared GC and GP groups (Dunn, p < 0.05). At 30 days, the comparison between GC (56.17 %), GA (61.50 %), GP (67.33 %) and GPA (50.50 %) showed no statistically significant difference (Kruskal-Wallis, p = 0.2026). Conclusion: PLA / PGA copolymer is a biomaterial with osteoconductive properties and can be used isolated without autogenous bone supplementation.
Mestre

We present recent results on a binary threshold sensor based on the binary zero-power sensor (BIZEPS) platform which is able to use the energy provided directly from the measured relative humidity of the ambient air to mechanically switch an electrical micro contact. This zero-power switch behavior is realized by using the humidity-sensitive volume swelling of a polymer layer as the detection element deflecting a mechanically deformable silicon boss structure, thus closing the electrical contacts of the switch. For the humidity-sensitive sensor switch considered here, a humidity-sensitive hydrogel blend of poly(vinyl alcohol) and poly(acryl acid) was used. The sensitive part affected by the measurand is completely separated from the electrical part, thus providing long-term stability. By using an inverse silicone stamping technique the polymer layer with a thickness of about 15 μm was patterned on test structures possessing a thin silicon flexure plate of 5 mm x 5 mm in size and 20 μm in thickness. Reproducible deformations of up to 15 … 24 μm has been measured. Investigations of the swelling kinetics showed for several discrete relative humidity values a saturation of the water load. The time to reach this saturation state is reduced from 5 hours down to approx. 20 min by increasing the relative humidity beyond the threshold value of 70% r.H. A significant influence of the temperature to the humidity load could not be observed.

Safety and risk assessment are key priorities for nuclear power plants. Probabilistic risk assessment (PRA) is a method for quantitative evaluation of accident risk, in particular severe nuclear core damage and the associated release of radioactive materials into the environment. The reliability and certainty of PRA have at times been questioned, especially when real-world observations have indicated that the frequency of nuclear accidents is higher than the probabilities predicted by PRA. This thesis provides a philosophical review of the epistemic uncertainties in PRA, using the Fukushima Daiichi accident of March 2011 as a case study. The thesis provides an overview of the PRA model structure, its key elements, and possible sources of uncertainty, in an attempt to understand the deviation between the real frequency of nuclear core-melt accidents and the probabilities predicted by PRA.The analyses in this thesis address several sources of epistemic uncertainty in PRA. Analyses of the PRA approach reveal the difficulty involved in covering all possible initiating events, all component and system failures, as well as their possible combinations in the risk evaluations. This difficulty represents the source of a characteristic epistemic uncertainty, referred to as completeness uncertainty. Analyses from the case study (the Fukushima Daiichi accident) illustrate this difficulty, as the PRA failed to identify a combined earthquake and tsunami, with the resultant flooding and consequent power failure and total blackout, as an initiating causal event in its logic structure.The analyses further demonstrate how insufficient experience and knowledge, as well as a lack of empirical data, lead to incorrect assumptions, which are used by the model as input parameters to estimate the probabilities of accidents. With limited availability of input data, decision-makers rely upon the subjective judgements and individual experiences of experts, which adds a further source of epistemic uncertainty to the PRA, usually referred to as input parameter uncertainty. As a typical example from the case study, the Fukushima Daiichi accident revealed that the PRA had underestimated the height of a possible tsunami. Consequently, the risk mitigation systems (e.g. the barrier seawalls) built to protect the power plant were inadequate due to incorrect input data.Poor assumptions may also result in improper modeling of failure modes and sequences in the PRA logic structure, which makes room for an additional source of epistemic uncertainty referred to as model uncertainty. For instance, the Fukushima Daiichi accident indicated insufficient backup of the power supply, because the possibility of simultaneous failure of several emergency diesel generators was assumed to be negligibly small. However, that was exactly what happened when 12 out of the 13 generators failed at the same time as a result of flooding.Furthermore, the analyses highlight the difficulty of modeling the human interventions and actions, in particular during the course of unexpected accidents, taking into account the physiological and psychological effects on the cognitive performance of humans, which result in uncertain operator interventions. This represents an additional source of epistemic uncertainty, usually referred to as uncertainty in modeling human interventions. As a result, there may be an increase in the probability of human error, characterized by a delay in making a diagnosis, formulating a response and taking action. Even this statement confirms the complexity of modelling human errors. In the case of the Fukushima Daiichi accident, lack ofvsufficient instructions for dealing with this "unexpected" accident made the coordination of operators' interventions almost impossible.Given the existence of all these sources of epistemic uncertainty, it would be reasonable to expect such a detected deviation between the real frequency of nuclear core-melt accidents and the probabilities predicted by PRA.It is, however, important to highlight that the occurrence of the Fukushima Daiichi accident could lie within the uncertainty distribution that the PRA model predicted prior to the accident. Hence, from the probabilistic point of view, the occurrence of a single unexpected accident should be interpreted with care, especially in political and commercial debates. Despite the limitations that have been highlighted in this thesis, the model still can provide valuable insights for systematic examination of safety systems, risk mitigation approaches, and strategic plans aimed at protecting the nuclear power plants against failures. Nevertheless, the PRA model does have development potentials, which deserves serious attention. The validity of calculated frequencies in PRA is restricted to the parameter under study. This validity can be improved by adding further relevant scenarios to the PRA, improving the screening approaches and collecting more input data through better collaboration between nuclear power plants world-wide. Lessons learned from the Fukushima Daiichi accident have initiated further studies aimed at covering additional scenarios. In subsequent IAEA safety report series, external hazards in multi-unit nuclear power plants have been considered. Such an action shows that PRA is a dynamic approach that needs continuous improvement toward better reliability.

La sequía y la salinidad representan estreses ambientales que afectan de forma crítica el crecimiento de las plantas y limitan enormemente su potencial agrícola. La fitohormona ácido abcísico (ABA) juega un papel fundamental en la coordinación de la respuesta y adaptación de las plantas a este tipo de estreses, así como en la regulación del crecimiento y desarrollo vegetal. Elementos intermediarios de la ruta de señalización ya habían sido caracterizados, pero aún se desconocía el mecanismo de percepción y transducción de señal de la hormona. Este trabajo de tesis ha contribuido a la caracterización de una nueva familia de receptores intracelulares de la hormona ABA, formada por 14 miembros y denominada PYR/PYL (de pyrabactin resistance / PYR1-like) /RCAR (de Regulatory Component of Abscisic acid Receptor), y a su caracterización estructural y bioquímica. Estas proteínas son capaces de unir de forma específica la hormona ABA. La unión de la hormona induce en estos receptores un cambio conformacional, que les permite regular la actividad de los reguladores negativos de la ruta: fosfatasas del grupo A como ABI1, ABI2 o HAB1 ( Leung et al., 1994; Meyer et al.,1994; Saez et al., 2004). Para la caracterización de estos receptores se han llevado a cabo abordajes genéticos, bioquímicos, de calorimetría y estudios estructurales.
Santiago Cuéllar, J. (2011). Structural insights into ABA perception and signalling: structure of ABA receptor PYR1 [Tesis doctoral no publicada]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/13260
Palancia

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On certain occasions the State of Rio Grande do Sul is affected by atypical weather systems events which are among the category of mesoscale phenomena. The inability of large scale numerical models to appropriately simulate several localized effects, which occurs over the most varied regions, associated to the fast increase of computational resources, it is facilitating and increasingly inducing the use of mesoscale models to improve the knowledge on those anomalous and severe events and even for use as a necessary and indispensable operational tool. The skill of mesoescala model to proceed in providing precipitation forecasts, in space and time scale compatible with to those of a Doppler meteorological radar, it is implemented the whole system of mesoscale modeling that constitutes the MM5. The occurrence of the relatively severe precipitation event, in the area close to the city of Canguçu / RS, on January 11, 2008 was arbitrarily selected to evaluate the model skill - in inferring the reflectivity of the meteorological radar, installed in Canguçu / RS proceeding with conventional data assimilations, PCA (Processing With Assimilation) and PSA (Processing Without Assimilation), as well an approach to the analysis of the thermo-hydrodynamics and synoptic conditions.
Em certas ocasiões o Estado do Rio Grande do Sul é assolado por sistemas meteorológico com manifestações atmosféricas atípicas e que se enquadram entre os fenômenos de mesoescala. A impossibilidade de modelos numéricos de grande escala simularem adequadamente diversos efeitos localizados, que ocorrem nas mais variadas regiões, associada ao rápido aumento dos recursos computacionais, vem facilitando e crescentemente induzindo o emprego de modelos de mesoescala para melhorar os conhecimentos sobre esses eventos anômalos e severos e até mesmo para utilização como uma ferramenta operacional necessária e imprescindível. Para se proceder a destreza de um modelo de mesoescala em prover previsões de precipitação, em escala espacial e temporal compatível com àquelas de um radar meteorológico Doppler, é implantado todo o sistema de modelagem de mesoescala que constitui o MM5. A ocorrência do evento relativamente severo de precipitação, na região próxima da cidade de Canguçu/RS, do dia 11 de janeiro de 2008 foi arbitrariamente selecionada para avaliação do modelo - em inferir a refletividade do radar meteorológico instalado na cidade de Canguçu/RS - com os processamentos PCA (Processamento Com Assimilação) e PSA (Processamento Sem Assimilação) de dados convencionais e abordagem da análise da situação termo-hidrodinâmica e sinótica.

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Este estudo avaliou o uso do c opolímero de ácido poliláctico e poliglicólico (PLA/PGA) associado ao osso autógeno raspado, no reparo ósseo ocorrido ao redor de implantes inseridos em leitos sobrefresados, em tíbias de coelhos. (2) Material e métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo 20 coelhos e inseridos 40 implantes, divididos em dois grupos: Controle (C) e PLA/PGA adicionado a osso autógeno (G). Após fresagem controlada para simular a perda da estabilidade primária, cada implante foi inserido no leito preparado, tendo sido adicionado a sua superfície o copolímero PLA/PGA associado a osso autógeno raspado obtido manualmente. O grupo controle consistiu do implante com o espaço do leito preenchido por coágulo sangüíneo. Os animais foram sacrificados nos períodos de 15, 40 e 60 dias pós-operatórios, e foram realizadas as análises biomecânica e Imunoistoquímica. As tíbias onde estavam inseridos os implantes foram removidas, desc alcificadas, crioprotegidas e obtidos cortes que foram submetidos à reação imunoistoquímica mediante a utilização de anticorpos primários para RANKL, OPG e OC. No período de 60 dias pós-operatórios a analise biomecânica de torque-reverso foi realizada antes da descalcificação. (3) Resultados: Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que o copolímero PLA/PGA misturado ao osso autógeno apresentou-se biocompatível, bioabsorvivel e permitiu a neoformação óssea em contato com o implante, revelada pela análise da expressão das proteínas que regulam o ganho e a perda de massa óssea. E, houve predominância significante de deposição óssea e estabilidade revelada pela análise de torque-reverso (a= 0,05). (4) Conclusões: O copolímero de PLA/PGA pode ser utilizado no preenchimento de defeitos sobrefresados ao redor...
This study evaluated the polylactic and polyglycolic acid copolymer (PLA/PGA) with sc raped bone harvest in the bone repair occurrence of implants placed in large stream beds, in rabbit tibia. (2) Materials and Methods: Twenty rabbits had been enclosed in the study and 40 implants, in two groups: Control (C), PLA/PGA with the autologous bone scraped (G). After controlled drilled to simulate the loss of the primary stability, each implant was placed in the prepared stream bed, having been added to its surface the PLA/PGA copolymer with autologous bone scraped manually (G). The control group consisted of the implant placed in the space filled by blood. The animals had been sacrificed in the periods 15, 40 and 60 postoperative days, where the analyses had been carried through biomechanics and imunohistochemistry. The tibias where the implants were inserted had been removed, decalcified, frozen and getting cuts that had been submitted the imunoistochemistry reaction by means of the use of primary antibodies for RANK L, OPG and OC. In the 60 days period postoperative the against-torque biomechanics was carried through before the decalcified. (3) Results: The gotten results had disclosed that the copolymer PLA/PGA with bone graft showed biocompatibility, bioabsorption and allowed bone growing in contact with the implant, disclosed by expression of the proteins that regulate the profit and mass bone loss. And, had significant predominance of bone deposition and stability disclosed by against-torque ( = 0,05). (4) Conclusions: The PLA/PGA copolymer can be used filling defects drilled around implants in tibia of rabbits, when added bone harvest sc raped, therefore it presents characteristic s like biocompatibility and biodegradation, being totally resorpted and substituted by bone, allowing the bone formation with quality in the interface bone/implant.

Orientador: Idelmo Rangel Garcia Júnior
Banca: Paulo Sérgio Perri de Carvalho
Banca: Eduardo Hochuli Vieira
Banca: Márcio de Moraes
Banca: André Alberto Camara Puppin
Resumo: (1) Proposiç ão: Este estudo avaliou o uso do c opolímero de ácido poliláctico e poliglicólico (PLA/PGA) associado ao osso autógeno raspado, no reparo ósseo ocorrido ao redor de implantes inseridos em leitos sobrefresados, em tíbias de coelhos. (2) Material e métodos: Foram incluídos no estudo 20 coelhos e inseridos 40 implantes, divididos em dois grupos: Controle (C) e PLA/PGA adicionado a osso autógeno (G). Após fresagem controlada para simular a perda da estabilidade primária, cada implante foi inserido no leito preparado, tendo sido adicionado a sua superfície o copolímero PLA/PGA associado a osso autógeno raspado obtido manualmente. O grupo controle consistiu do implante com o espaço do leito preenchido por coágulo sangüíneo. Os animais foram sacrificados nos períodos de 15, 40 e 60 dias pós-operatórios, e foram realizadas as análises biomecânica e Imunoistoquímica. As tíbias onde estavam inseridos os implantes foram removidas, desc alcificadas, crioprotegidas e obtidos cortes que foram submetidos à reação imunoistoquímica mediante a utilização de anticorpos primários para RANKL, OPG e OC. No período de 60 dias pós-operatórios a analise biomecânica de torque-reverso foi realizada antes da descalcificação. (3) Resultados: Os resultados obtidos demonstraram que o copolímero PLA/PGA misturado ao osso autógeno apresentou-se biocompatível, bioabsorvivel e permitiu a neoformação óssea em contato com o implante, revelada pela análise da expressão das proteínas que regulam o ganho e a perda de massa óssea. E, houve predominância significante de deposição óssea e estabilidade revelada pela análise de torque-reverso (a= 0,05). (4) Conclusões: O copolímero de PLA/PGA pode ser utilizado no preenchimento de defeitos sobrefresados ao redor... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: (1) Purpose: This study evaluated the polylactic and polyglycolic acid copolymer (PLA/PGA) with sc raped bone harvest in the bone repair occurrence of implants placed in large stream beds, in rabbit tibia. (2) Materials and Methods: Twenty rabbits had been enclosed in the study and 40 implants, in two groups: Control (C), PLA/PGA with the autologous bone scraped (G). After controlled drilled to simulate the loss of the primary stability, each implant was placed in the prepared stream bed, having been added to its surface the PLA/PGA copolymer with autologous bone scraped manually (G). The control group consisted of the implant placed in the space filled by blood. The animals had been sacrificed in the periods 15, 40 and 60 postoperative days, where the analyses had been carried through biomechanics and imunohistochemistry. The tibias where the implants were inserted had been removed, decalcified, frozen and getting cuts that had been submitted the imunoistochemistry reaction by means of the use of primary antibodies for RANK L, OPG and OC. In the 60 days period postoperative the against-torque biomechanics was carried through before the decalcified. (3) Results: The gotten results had disclosed that the copolymer PLA/PGA with bone graft showed biocompatibility, bioabsorption and allowed bone growing in contact with the implant, disclosed by expression of the proteins that regulate the profit and mass bone loss. And, had significant predominance of bone deposition and stability disclosed by against-torque ( = 0,05). (4) Conclusions: The PLA/PGA copolymer can be used filling defects drilled around implants in tibia of rabbits, when added bone harvest sc raped, therefore it presents characteristic s like biocompatibility and biodegradation, being totally resorpted and substituted by bone, allowing the bone formation with quality in the interface bone/implant.
Doutor

Este proyecto intenta explicar el diseño y la implementación de una aplicación para dispositivos móviles que funcione como recordatorio de compromisos de pago. Para este propósito, el usuario tendrá que alimentar por única vez de información la plataforma de la aplicación. La finalidad de nuestra aplicación es evitar que los usuarios paguen moras y comisiones o eviten cortes en sus diferentes tipos de servicios.
Executive Summary This project tries to explain the design and implementation of an application for mobile devices that works as a reminder of payment commitments. For this purpose, the user will have to feed the application platform only once. The purpose of our application is to prevent users from paying arrears and commissions or to avoid cuts in their different types of services.
Trabajo de investigación

The pea weevil (Bruchus pisorum L.) is the most significant pest of field pea (Pisum sativum L.) in Australia. The only available means for controlling pea weevil at the present time is with chemical pesticides. The aim of this study was to introgress natural pea weevil resistance, derived from the wild pea species, Pisum fulvum Sibth. & Sm. into cultivated field pea and devise strategies for screening for the resistance with breeding applications. Traditional breeding methods were used to transfer pea weevil resistance from P. fulvum accession ‘ATC113’ to cultivated field pea, cv. ‘Pennant’. Progeny derived from this population were examined for inheritance of pod and seed resistance. Seed resistance in F2 plants segregated in a ratio of 1:37:26 (resistant: mixed response: susceptible), indicating a trigenic mode of inheritance (1:63), with at least three major recessive genes controlling pea weevil resistance. Seed resistance was conserved over consecutive generations (F2 to F5) and was successfully transferred to populations crossed with a second adapted field pea variety‘Helena’. Pod resistance presented as a quantitative trait in the F2 population, but this resistance was not retained in subsequent generations. Amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLPs) were sought in the parents and in resistant and susceptible F3 plants. Restricted maximum likelihood (REML) analysis was used to identify 13 AFLP markers with a statistically significant association with pea weevil resistance and 23 with pea weevil susceptibility. Principal coordinate analysis (PCO) showed that the AFLP marker loci formed clusters in the PCO space, which could indicate the three proposed gene locations. Eight AFLP markers were cloned, sequenced and converted to sequence characterised amplified regions (SCAR). Two SCAR markers, SC47359 and SC47435 were polymorphic between the resistant and susceptible parents. Both markers co-segregated with the resistant lines and with 30-36% of susceptible lines. Plants which did not possess either band were highly susceptible. The other PCR products were either monomorphic between the resistant and susceptible parents or produced more than one band product. A range of phenotypic traits was measured in the F2 population derived from the hybridisation between P. fulvum and P. sativum and associations with pea weevil resistance were made. In the F2 population, pea weevil resistance was not correlated with any of the negative traits originating from the wild parent, such as increased basal branching, dark seed coat or small seed size, neither was resistance correlated with flower colour, flowering time or seeds per pod. Pea weevil resistance should therefore be transferable with minimal linkage drag. A convenient morphological marker, such as flower or seed colour was not identified in this study based on these results. Using principal component analysis (PCA) as a visual tool, resistant and semi-resistant plants in the F3 and ‘backcross’ introgression populations were identified with improved trait performance compared with the wild parent

This thesis provides a review and empirical analysis of the determination of executive compensation components, long-term incentive pay ratios and the implication of tournament pay structures. The sample of 1,137 executive-year observations of comprehensive executive compensation packages from FTSE350 companies are exploited to advance our understanding of executive pay determination. The meta-analysis in chapter three provides a systematic review of prior literature on the pay-performance relationship and indicates that the true association between executive pay and firm performance is positive. The economic significance of the relationship, however, is low with less than one percent of executive pay rise is directly attributable to the improvement in firm performance. Chapter six examines the determinants of executive pay components and incentive pay ratios. The empirical results suggest that main determinants of executive pay components and incentive pay ratios are firm performance, firm size, executive tenure and the CEO position. The empirical results are sensitive to performance measures used in analysis. Chapter seven provides some evidence supporting a tournament pay structure in the UK companies with strong connection between executive pay and organizational hierarchy. The convexity of the pay-position relationship implies that extra compensation weight is placed on the most senior executive compensation and the pay-gap is increasing over time. No evidence of the effect of the number of contestants on the tournament prize suggests the growing trend of hiring external CEO candidates rather than internal promotion.

PLA nanofibers were successively produced by thermo-responsive transformation of PLA particles in water. The morphological structure of the nanofibers could be optimized by the heat treatment as well as the incorporation of GO to the fiber surface. PLA/GO fiber demonstrated a more stable morphology and GO provided good compatibility between PLA and starch. Both PLA and PLA/GO fibers incorporated in starch films resulted in increased thermal stability and mechanical properties. However, the most favorable properties were assigned starch films containing high concentration of PLA/GO fibers. These films with completely green components could possibly be utilized in biodegradable packaging applications.

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This thesis aims to analyze the process of Workforce Movement's emergence and elaboration in Amazonas in early 1930s. This period was characterized by the rise of Getulio Vargas as president of the provisional Government. Amazonas, in this context, lived the reordering of its political forces. The fading of the oligarchic system, gave oppotunity to the projection of a new regional political leadership of Vargas' projects. At the same time, we were living important changes in the relationship between governments and unions, indicated by the foundation of the Ministry of Labor, Industry and Commerce in late 1930. Since then, the union movement becomes better observed by some political leaders who, in Amazonas, came to align themselves with this segment, and in some cases, acted as agents of Vargas policy with workers' organizations. In this context, some leaders such as Álvaro Botelho Maia and Luís Tirelli begin to stand out in the local political context. The Partido Socialista Amazonense (PSA) and the Partido Trabalhista Amazonense (PTA) respectively, their performances were extremely important in aggregating the main political forces of that period in Amazonas. Their performances in the elections of 1933, 1934 and 1935 highlighted as political party agents, at first in antagonistic positions, and then, under one party - Partido Popular Amazonense - (PPA) - became allies of the Getulio Vargas' proposals. In this scenario, Tribuna Popular newspaper's foundation, first as the PTA disclosure institution and subsequently linked to the PPA, is revealed as an important information source in that period, and the aforementioned party leaders. Its periodicity between 1933 and 1936, not only allows to build the constitution of the political Amazonas profile, but also alert us to their other function, which was to offer itself as a place for the labor proposals draft their proposals, concerns and discussions about some of the people involved in the workforce and trade union world at that time.
Esta dissertação tem por objetivo analisar o processo de surgimento e gestação do Movimento Trabalhista no Estado do Amazonas, por volta da primeira metade da década de 1930. Esse período seria caracterizado pelos desdobramentos, em todo país, da ascensão de Getúlio Vargas como presidente do então Governo Provisório. O Amazonas, sob tal contexto, assistiria ao reordenamento de suas forças políticas. O enfraquecimento do sistema oligárquico oportunizaria a projeção de novas lideranças políticas regionais que, naquele momento, colocavam-se à disposição dos projetos pretendidos por Vargas. Ao mesmo tempo, vivenciaríamos ali importantes transformações nas relações entre governos e sindicatos, indicadas pela criação do Ministério do Trabalho, Indústria e Comércio em fins de 1930. A partir de então, o movimento sindical passa a ser melhor observado por algumas lideranças políticas que, no caso do Amazonas, alinham-se com esse segmento, chegando, em alguns casos, a atuarem como agentes da política varguista junto às organizações de trabalhadores. Nesse contexto, algumas lideranças como Álvaro Botelho Maia e Luís Tirelli passam a destacar-se no quadro político local. À frente do Partido Socialista Amazonense (PSA) e do Partido Trabalhista Amazonense (PTA), respectivamente, suas atuações foram fundamentais em agregarem em torno de si as principais forças políticas daquele período no Estado. Seus desempenhos nos processos eleitorais de 1933, 1934 e 1935 destacaram-nos enquanto agentes político-partidários, num primeiro momento em posições antagônicas para, logo em seguida, sob uma única legenda – o Partido Popular Amazonense (PPA) - seguirem como aliados em torno das propostas de Getúlio Vargas. Em meio a esse cenário, a fundação do periódico Tribuna Popular, primeiro como órgão de divulgação do PTA e, posteriormente, vinculado ao PPA, revela-se como uma fonte primorosa sob o período e as lideranças partidárias acima mencionadas. Sua periodicidade entre os anos de 1933 e 1936, além de permitir traçar a constituição do perfil político do Amazonas, desperta-nos para sua outra função, que era oferecer-se enquanto espaço para que as propostas Trabalhistas pudessem, ao longo desses anos, esboçarem suas propostas, anseios e discussões sobre parte do mundo operário e sindical da época.

[ES] El crecimiento de las plantas se ve afectado por el estrés abiótico, sequía, salinidad o altas temperaturas. La transducción de señales de estrés abiótico es fundamental para generar una respuesta fisiológica adecuada, que implica la participación de diferentes hormonas vegetales, siendo el ácido abscísico (ABA) el regulador hormonal crítico en la regulación de la respuesta de la planta a situaciones de estrés por déficit hídrico. La vía de señalización de ABA y los componentes principales están bien caracterizados molecular y bioquímicamente. Los receptores de ABA "Pyrabactin Resistance 1"(PYR)/"PYR1-LIKE" (PYL)/ "Regulatory Component of ABA Receptor" (RCAR) juegan un papel importante en la regulación cuantitativa de la señalización ABA tanto en semillas como en tejidos vegetativos. Aunque la función bioquímica de los receptores PYR/PYL/RCARs de ABA, está bien caracterizada, se conoce poco sobre otros aspectos con relevancia biológica, como sus modificaciones postraduccionales o la regulación de su vida media. Uno de los avances recientes en este campo ha sido el descubrimiento de una nueva familia de E3 ligasas llamadas RSL1/RFAs ("RING-finger-ABA-related") que consta de al menos 10 miembros, reguladores clave de la estabilidad de los receptores PYR/PYL/RCAR de ABA en tejidos de raíces y hojas, regulando su degradación en diferentes ubicaciones celulares. Un estudio detallado de esta familia génica reveló que RSL1/RFA se caracterizan estructuralmente por la presencia de tres dominios RING putativos en tándem, denominados "RING1-IN BETWEEN RING-RING2" (RBR), y en consecuencia pertenecen a la familia de E3 ligasas de tipo RBR. Cinco miembros de la familia RSL1/RFA, RSL1 y RFA6-RFA9, contienen un dominio TM en el extremo C-terminal, lo que sugiere que RFA6-RFA9 también se localizan en la membrana plasmática. Sin embargo, otros miembros de las E3 ligasas como RFA1-RFA5 carecen del dominio TM C-terminal y su caracterización funcional, así como su ubicación celular, aún no se conocen. Nosotros mostramos que la E3 ligasa RFA1 se localiza en núcleo y citosol, mientras que RFA4 muestra una localización específica en el núcleo promoviendo la degradación nuclear de los receptores ABA. Por lo tanto, los miembros de la familia RSL1/RFA interactúan con los receptores ABA en la membrana plasmática, el citosol y el núcleo, dirigiéndolos a su degradación a través de la vía endosomal/vacuolar (en el caso de RSL1) o el proteosoma 26S (para RFA1 y RFA4). Proporcionamos información sobre la función fisiológica de estas E3 ligasas de tipo RBR. Realizando tanto mutagénesis como ensayos bioquímicos para identificar la cisteína 361 (Cys361) en RFA4 como la Cys del sitio activo, que es una característica distintiva de las E3 ligasas de tipo RBR. Demostramos mediante análisis de inmunotransferencia del mutante con pérdida de función de rfa1rfa4 que los niveles endógenos de los receptores de ABA PYR1 y PYL4 aumentan en comparación con las plantas de tipo silvestre. Hemos identificado una enzima E2, "Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme 26" (UBC26), como la enzima nuclear canónica E2 que interactúa con la E3 ligasa RFA4 y forma complejos UBC26-RFA4-Receptor, formando agregados nucleares. Generamos alelos ubc26 con pérdida de función que mostraban una mayor sensibilidad a ABA y acumulación de receptores ABA en comparación con el tipo silvestre. En definitiva, hemos revelado un sofisticado sistema de ubiquitinación de receptores ABA en diferentes ubicaciones subcelulares llevado a cabo a través de la familia de E3 ligasas RSL1/RFA de tipo RBR. Por otro lado, hemos iniciado pruebas bioquímicas para identificar la S-acilación en el dominio TM de RSL1. Generando RSL1C334S, RSL1 C5S y RSL1C6S mediante mutagénesis y RSL1ΔTM que presenta una delección del dominio TM. Los estudios iniciales han demostrado que los residuos de Cys cercanos al dominio TM están S-acilados. Finalmente, generamos nu
[CA] El creixement de les plantes es pot veure afectat per l'estrès abiòtic, sequera, salinitat o altes temperatures. La transducció de senyals d'estrès abiòtic és fonamental per a generar una resposta fisiològica adequada, que implica la participació de diferents hormones vegetals, sent l'àcid abscísic (ABA) el regulador hormonal crític en la regulació de la resposta de la planta a situacions d'estrès per dèficit hídric. La ruta de senyalització d'ABA i els components principals de la ruta estan ben caracteritzats molecularment i bioquímica. Els receptors "Pyrabactin Resistance 1"(PYR)/"PYR1-LIKE"(PYL)/"Regulatory Component of ABA Receptor" (RCAR) exerceixen un paper important en la regulació quantitativa en resposta a l'estrès tant en llavors com en planta. Encara que la funció bioquímica dels receptors PYR/PYL/RCARs d'ABA, està ben caracteritzada en els últims anys, es coneix poc sobre altres aspectes amb rellevància biològica, com les seues modificacions postraduccionals o la regulació de la seua vida mitjana. Un dels avanços recents en aquest camp ha sigut el descobriment d'una nova família d'E3 ligases anomenades RSL1/RFAs ("RING-finger-ABA-related") que consta d'almenys 10 membres, que són reguladors clau de l'estabilitat dels receptors PYR/PYL/RCAR d'ABA en teixits d'arrels i fulles, regulant la seua degradació en diferents ubicacions cel·lulars. Un estudi més detallat d'aquesta família gènica va revelar que RSL1/RFAs es caracteritzen estructuralment per la presència de tres dominis RING putatius en tàndem, denominats "RING1-IN BETWEEN RING-RING2" (RBR), i en conseqüència pertanyen a la família d'E3 ligases de tipus RBR. Cinc membres de la família RSL1/RFA, RSL1 i RFA6-RFA9, contenen un domini TM en l'extrem C-terminal, la qual cosa suggereix que RFA6-RFA9 també es localitzen en la membrana plasmàtica. No obstant això, altres membres d'aquesta família d'E3 ligases com RFA1-RFA5 manquen del domini TM C-terminal i la seua caracterització funcional, així com la seua ubicació cel·lular, encara no ha sigut investigada. Vam mostrar que l'E3 ligasa RFA1 es localitza tant en el nucli com en el citosol, mentre que RFA4 mostra una localització específica en el nucli promovent la degradació nuclear dels receptors ABA. Per tant, els membres de la família RSL1/RFA interactuen amb els receptors ABA en la membrana plasmàtica, el citosol i el nucli, dirigint-los a la seua degradació a través de la vía endosomal/vacuolar (en el cas de RSL1) o el proteosoma 26S (per a RFA1 i RFA4). Proporcionem informació sobre la funció fisiològica d'aquestes E3 ligases de tipus RBR. Realitzant tant mutagènesis com a assajos bioquímics per a identificar la cisteïna 361 (Cys361) en RFA4 com la Cys del lloc actiu, que és una característica distintiva de les E3 ligases de tipus RBR. Hem demostrat mitjançant una anàlisi d'immuno-transferència del mutant amb pèrdua de funció de rfa1rfa4 que els nivells endògens dels receptors d'ABA PYR1 i PYL4 augmenten en comparació amb les plantes de tipus silvestre. D'altra banda, hem identificat un enzim E2, "Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme 26" (UBC26), com l'enzim nuclear canònic E2 que interactua amb l'E3 ligasa RFA4 i forma complexos UBC26-RFA4-Receptor, formant agregats nuclears. També generem al·lels ubc26 amb pèrdua de funció que mostraven una major sensibilitat a ABA i acumulació de receptors ABA en comparació amb el tipus silvestre. En definitiva, hem revelat un sofisticat sistema d'ubiquitinació de receptors ABA en diferents ubicacions subcel·lulars dut a terme a través de la família d'E3 ligases RSL1/RFA de tipus RBR. Hem iniciat proves bioquímiques per a identificar la S-acilació en el domini TM de RSL1. Hem generat RSL1C334S, RSL1 C5S i RSL1C6S mitjançant mutagènesis, així com RSL1ΔTM que presenta una delecció del domini TM. Els estudis inicials han demostrat que els residus de Cys pròxims al domini TM estan S-acilados. Final
[EN] Plant growth is affected by abiotic stress, drought, salinity or high temperature. Signal transduction of abiotic stress is crucial to generate an appropriated physiological response, which involves the participation of different plant hormones, being abscisic acid (ABA) the critical hormonal regulator in regulating the plant's response to situations of stress due to water deficit. The ABA signaling pathway and the major components of the pathway are well characterized molecularly and biochemically. Pyrabactin Resistance 1 (PYR)/PYR1-LIKE (PYL)/Regulatory Component of ABA Receptor (RCAR) ABA receptors play an important role in quantitative regulation of ABA signaling both in seeds and vegetative tissues. Although the biochemical function of the PYR/PYL/RCAR ABA receptors has been well established in recent years, little is known about other aspects with biological relevance, such as their post-translational modifications or the regulation of their half-life. One of the recent advances in this field has been the discovery of a new family of E3 ligases called RSL1/RFAs (RING-finger-ABA-related) that consists of at least 10 members, which are key regulators of the stability of PYR/PYL/RCARs in root and leaf tissues, and regulate the degradation of ABA receptors at different cellular locations. Further inspection of the gene family revealed that RSL1/RFAs are structurally characterized by the presence of three putative RING domains in tandem, named as RING1-IN BETWEEN RING (IBR)-RING2, and accordingly they belong to the RBR-type E3 ligase family. Five members of the RSL1/RFA family, that is, RSL1 and RFA6-RFA9, contain a TM domain at the C-terminal end of the proteins, which suggests that RFA6-RFA9 are also localized in plasma membrane. However, other members of this family of E3 ligases such as RFA1-RFA5 lack the C-terminal TM domain and their functional characterization, as well as their cellular location, has not been investigated yet. In this study we show that the E3 ligase RFA1 is localized both in the nucleus and in the cytosol, while RFA4 shows a specific localization in the nucleus promoting the nuclear degradation of ABA receptors. Therefore, we members of the RSL1/RFA family interact with ABA receptors at the plasma membrane, cytosol and nucleus, targeting them for degradation via the endosomal/vacuolar pathway (in the case of RSL1) or the 26S- proteasome (for RFA1 and RFA4). We provide information on the physiological function of these RBR-type E3 ligases, which are hardly explored in plants. Additionally, we performed mutagenesis and biochemical assays to identify Cys361 in RFA4 as the active site cysteine, which is a distinctive feature of RBR-type E3 ligases. We have shown by immunoblot analysis of the rfa1rfa4 loss-of-function mutant that endogenous levels of ABA receptors PYR1 and PYL4 are increased compared to wild-type plants. On the other hand, we have identified an E2 enzyme, Ubiquitin Conjugating Enzyme 26 (UBC26), as the canonical nuclear enzyme E2 that interacts with the E3 ligase RFA4 and forms UBC26-RFA4-Receptor complexes, forming nuclear aggregates. We also generated loss-of function ubc26 alleles that exhibited higher sensitivity to ABA and accumulation of ABA receptors compared to wild type. We have revealed a sophisticated ubiquitination system of ABA receptors in different subcellular locations carried out through the RBR-type RSL1/RFA family of E3 ligases. We have proceeded with the biochemical and genetic study of the different members of the family. We have started biochemical tests to identify the S-acylation in the TM domain of RSL1. To this end, we have generated RSL1C334S, RSL1 C5S and RSL1C6S by mutagenesis as well as RSL1ΔTM, a deletion of the TM domain. Initial studies have shown that Cys residues close to the TM domain are S-acylated. Finally, we have also generated new combined mutants: rsl1rfa1, rsl1rfa5, rfa1rfa5 and rsl1rfa1rfa5.
Fernández López, MA. (2021). Regulación de la señalización del ABA mediante mecanismos que controlan vida media y actividad de los receptores PYR/PYL [Tesis doctoral]. Universitat Politècnica de València. https://doi.org/10.4995/Thesis/10251/172364
TESIS

Der Gender-Pay-Gap ist eine statistische Kennzahl zur Messung der Ungleichheit zwischen Männern* und Frauen* beim Verdienst. Es gibt zwei Versionen: einen "unbereinigten" und einen "bereinigten". Der "unbereinigte" Gender-Pay-Gap berechnet den geschlechtsspezifischen Verdienstunterschied auf Basis der Bruttostundenlöhne aller Männer* und Frauen* der Grundgesamtheit. Beim "bereinigten" Wert hingegen werden je nach Studie verschiedene Faktoren wie Branche, Position und Berufserfahrung herausgerechnet. Neben dem Gender-Pay-Gap gibt es noch weitere Kennzahlen von Einkommensdiskriminierung wie dem Gender-Pension- oder auch dem Racial-Pay-Gap.

This master thesis examines the possibility of performing asimplified uncertainty analysis on a probabilistic safety assessment(PSA) of the Oskarshamn 3 nuclear power plant. The aim of the thesiswas divided in two parts, first to examine the uncertainty parametersof a PSA-model for Oskarshamn 3 and the second part was to developand examine a simplified method of uncertainty analysis as comparedto a more regular method of Monte Carlo-simulation. The thesis ismostly concerned with examining the core damage frequency. Theexamination of uncertainty parameters showed that many parameterswere missing from the model and thus further investigation areneeded, if a full Monte Carlo is to be performed. The simplifiedmethod for uncertainty analysis that was developed consisted ofassuming a lognormal distribution for the frequency of basic eventsand then using the minimal cutset-list to calculate an approximationto the end distribution. The simplified method was then compared tothe Monte Carlo-analysis for Oskarshamn 2 for different MCS-lists anda preliminary uncertainty analysis was performed for Oskarshamn 3.

The global interest in vegetable oil is due to greater environmental concerns and increasing demand for renewable sources of energy in recent decades. In order to meet the growing demand for vegetable oil, oilseed production has increased globally, and needs to be further extended. In warm temperate regions of Canada, protein and vegetable oil are primarily produced by soybean, which is replaced by canola (Brassica napus) and field pea (Pisum sativum) in less temperate regions of western Canada. The objective of this research was to examine a variety of field pea accessions for the total lipid content in the seeds to create a comparable dual purpose (protein and oil) crop for western Canada. The research was initiated by validation of lipid extraction methods, and multiplication of 174 acquired pea accessions in 2009 and 2010 at McGill University (Quebec, Canada). Lipid extraction was carried out by the validated method (the butanol extraction procedure) presented in chapter 2 and applied to the seeds of pea accessions which were grown to maturity as presented in chapter 3. Lipid content ranged from 0.3 % to 6.3 % with the accession (p<0.0001), the year (p=0.0002) and the interaction of accession by year (p <0.0001) being significant factors on the total lipid production in pea seeds. Among the plant characteristics, which were investigated in the research, seed surface type (wrinkled as compared to smooth) had a significant effect (p= 0.001) on the total lipid production in the seeds. The data can contribute to the selective breeding of field pea accessions for specific traits suitable for lipid production
L'intérêt global dans l'huile végétal est due en partie aux problémes environnementaux et en partie à la hausse de la demande pour des ressources d'énergie renouvables ces dernières décennies. Afin de pouvoir répondre à cette hausse de besoin pour l'huile végétal, il y a eu lieu une hausse globale de la production de l'huile de graines, une hausse qui continue d'augmenter. Dans les régions tempérées chauds du Canada, les protéines et les huiles végétales sont produites surtout par les graines de soja. Dans les régions moins tempérées du Canada, les graines de soja sont remplacées par le canola et les pois. L'objectif de cette recherche a été d'examiner une variété de pois desquelles nous avons extracté les lipides afin de définir une variété destinée à produire une récolte à l'Ouest du Canada. Cette récolte de pois visant à: extraire les protéines et l'huile. La recherche a été initiée par la validation des méthodes d'extraction de lipides, et par la multiplication de 174 accessions de pois en 2009 et 2010 à l'Université de McGill (Québec, Canada). L'extraction de lipides a été effectuée par la méthode validée (la procédure d'extraction par le butanol) présenté au chapitre 2 et a été appliquée aux graines de pois d'accessions qui ont été produites jusqu'à maturité maturité (chapitre 3). La quantité de lipides variait de 0.3% à 6.3% selon l'accession (p<0.0001), l'année (p=0.0002) et l'intéraction d'accession par année (p <0.0001). Pour les autres charactérisques des plantes étudiées dans cette recherche, le type de surface des graines (ridée ou lisse) a eu un effet important (p= 0.001) sur la production totale de lipide dans les graines. Ces données peuvent contribuer à facilité la sélection des pois d'accession: en faveur de ceux qui ont un meilleur potentiel pour la production de d'huile végétale.

Equal Pay Audits are the latest tool in the campaign for gender equality at work. I use two pay audits, in a bank and an insurance company, to demonstrate how they can be used and abused, and in the process I explore the reasons for the massive gender pay gap of forty three per cent in the finance sector of the United Kingdom. The conduct of a pay audit allows an employer to claim conformity with government approved procedures, but I ask how reliable those procedures are, and how the process can be improved. The introduction of 'nev/ payment systems such as performance related pay has allowed employers to claim that pay and promotion are fair because they are determined by 'objective' criteria. The validity of such claims is tested, and other elements of the pay process that contribute to unequal pay sought out. The potential for 'new' payment systems to be transparent is found to be offset by provision for management discretion, but the major contributor to the gap is found to be the development of a two tier workforce following recent restructuring of the industry. This effectively reproduces the gendered divisions that existed prior to the implementation of Equal Opportunities legislation. The women who occupy most of the lower tier are mainly employed in call centres and customer service departments, where they have better pay and conditions than they could expect for alternative jobs in the same locality, sufficient flexibility to accommodate domestic commitments, but a flat career structure with little opportunity for promotion. The few men who join this tier do so as a stepping stone to the traditional departments where promotion provides access to some of the highest salaries in the UK.

Orientador: Guilherme de Camargo Ferraz
Resumo: A descoberta de polímeros biodegradáveis influenciou a pesquisa biomédica. O poli (ácido lático) (PLA) e a Poli (Ɛ-caprolactona) (PCL) e suas blendas se tornaram foco de vários estudos por serem biodegradáveis e biorreabsorvíveis, particularmente em pesquisas envolvendo a implantação in vivo. Pelo presente, objetivou-se avaliar se o implante subcutâneo (SC) e intraperitoneal (IP) de PLA ou blenda PLA/ PCL são seguros, biocompatíveis e biodegradáveis em ratos machos Wistar. Os ratos foram distribuídos em cinco grupos avaliados em duas fases; aguda: -1, 1, 2, 7 e 14 dias e crônica: 2, 8 e 24 semanas após a implantação. Assim, estudaram se os grupos PLA (PLA puro), PLA/PCL (mistura PLA/PCL), instrumentado (GI), controle (C) e grupo controle inflamatório (CI). Para avaliar a biocompatibilidade utilizou-se teste comportamental de campo aberto (CA), filamentos de von Frey (FvF) e análises histopatológicas utilizando coloração de hematoxilina-eosina (HE) e picrosirius-hematoxilina (PSH). A biodegradação in vivo e degradação in vitro em solução de PBS a 37°C do PLA e PLA/PCL foram avaliadas por microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). As comparações foram realizadas entre os grupos subdivididos conforme a implantação IP e SC. No teste CA, realizado dois dias após a implantação, o grupo CI demonstrou redução nas frequências de locomoção e levantar e aumento na frequência de grooming em relação aos grupos implantados PLA, PLA/PCL, GI pela via IP ou SC e grupo C. As avaliações de FvF ... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo)
Abstract: The discovery of biodegradable polymers influenced biomedical research. Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) and poly (Ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) and their blends have become the focus of several studies because they are biodegradable and bioreabsorbable, particularly in research involving implantation in vivo. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the subcutaneous (SC) and intraperitoneal (IP) implantation of PLA or PLA / PCL blends are safe, biocompatible and biodegradable in male Wistar rats. The rats were distributed in five groups evaluated in two phases; acute: -1, 1, 2, 7 and 14 days and chronic: 2, 8 and 24 weeks after implantation. Thus, we studied whether the groups PLA (pure PLA), PLA / PCL (PLA / PCL mixture), sham (S), control (C) and inflammatory control group (IC). To evaluate the biocompatibility, the open field behavioral test (OF), von Frey filaments (FvF) and histopathological analyzes using hematoxylin-eosin (HE) staining and picrosirius-hematoxylin (PSH) were used. In vivo biodegradation and degradation in vitro in PBS solution at 37°C of PLA and PLA / PCL were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The comparisons were made between groups subdivided according to the IP and SC implementation. In the OF test, performed two days after implantation, the IC group demonstrated a reduction in the locomotion frequencies and augmentation and increase in the grooming frequency in relation to the PLA, PLA / PCL, sham implanted groups via IP or SC and C groups. FvF... (Complete abstract click electronic access below)
Mestre

Native yellow pea (Pisum sativum) protein isolates (PPIs) showed good foaming and emulsifying properties but a poor gelling characteristic. However, this can be corrected by Transglutaminase (TGase) treatment. PPIs were obtained using alkaline extraction method in which extracting pH, precipitating pH, flour?to?water ratio, and extraction time were optimized to obtain maximum yields and least change in protein functionalities. Extraction pH of 10.0, precipitating pH of 4.3, flour?to?water ratio of 1:6, and 30 minute extraction time were found to be optimum values for pea protein extraction. SDS?PAGE gels showed that the PPI had a very similar protein molecular weight profile as its original flour. TGase treatment was applied on PPIs at different pH levels from 4.3 to 7.0. The SDS?PAGE and RVA tests showed that treatment at pH 6.0 provided the best overall functionality. Large molecular weight (MW) proteins (~ 90,000 Da) and medium MW proteins (~50,000 ? 80,000 Da) were the main substrates for TGase catalyzed reaction whereas most low MW the proteins (< 45,000 Da) were not involved. RVA results indicated that treatments at pH 6.0 and 7.0 had the highest viscosities but the treatment at pH 6.0 had better stability and consistency. Functionality tests indicated that modified PPIs possessed a better viscosity profile than the native PPIs but no improvement in gelling capacity and only minor impact on foaming and emulsifying properties. PPIs performance greatly depended on their final pHs. The foaming capacity, foaming stability, and emulsion capacity were significantly improved when the final pH of PPIs was adjusted from 4.3 to 7.0. The overall sensory evaluation results suggested that TGase?treated PPIs and PPIs were not yet able to replace egg in the cake system. Only PPI can replace egg in the cookie system. TGase?treated samples had a lower acceptability due to an ?off?taste? and a ?strange? flavor. Future work, therefore, should study TGase combined with other treatments to further improve PPIs functionalities. Purification should be integrated into extraction process and other food systems should also be included to extent the scope and role of modified PPIs in food industry.

Over the last three decades, executive compensation has attracted considerable media attention worldwide and has become a significant issue in corporate governance debates among academic and business communities. Specifically, due to corporate collapses and scandals in the early 2000s as well as the global financial crisis of 2008, managerial remuneration has been subjected to much criticism in recent years. Regulators and activist shareholders around the world have advocated that shareholders have a greater say (vote) on executive pay and greater influence in the boardroom to restrain managerial power and rent extraction. Therefore, Say-on-Pay (SoP) legislation has been enacted in several countries including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Germany, Japan, Canada, Brazil, China, Russia, India, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Finland, Denmark, Norway, Italy, South Africa, Israel, and Slovenia. Australia also has introduced SoP regulation, namely the ‘two-strikes’ rule in 2011 after a decade of growing concerns with the ‘fat cat’ pay and rewards for failure. Australia’s ‘two-strikes’ rule is viewed as a unique and innovative governance tool in that it empowers minority shareholders to remove a board of directors if a listed company receives a ‘strike’ against its remuneration report in two consecutive years. However, giving shareholders more power to have a greater direct say over the executive pay have been heavily debated. Proponents of SoP laws argued that allowing shareholders votes on executive compensation would increase accountability and transparency and incentivize boards to fulfil their fiduciary duty and ensure that CEOs are paid for performance, and thereby maximise shareholder value. In contrast, opponents argued that SoP rules would empower shareholders who lack the required expertise and sophistication, and therefore are likely to abuse their voting rights and put unnecessary pressure on the board of directors to adopt compensation contracts that may potentially destroy firm value. Given that Australia has moved away from the CLERP9 advisory vote to Australia’s ‘two-strikes’ rule, an important policy question to address is whether this change has had a positive or negative effect and whether this transition achieved or failed the intended goal to align the interests of management with those of shareholders by improving the relationship between executive compensation and firm performance. Given that the ‘two-strikes’ rule has specific and predictable consequences for Australian firms, this thesis has three objectives. First, this thesis examines the pay-performance relation before and after the introduction of the ‘two-strikes’ rule on ‘non-strike’ firms. Second, this thesis investigates whether the incidence of receiving a ‘first strike’ improves the pay-performance link in the long term. Third, this thesis investigates whether auditors respond to the incidence of receiving the first ‘strike’ by increasing the audit fees, issuing modified audit opinion, or resigning from an audit engagement. Within executive remuneration, CEO pay draws the most attention from the media, politicians, and the public. CEO pay also captures the philosophy and essence of executive remuneration structure. Hence, this thesis focuses on CEO pay. Using a large sample of Australian Securities Exchange (ASX)-listed firms with 9,513 firm-year observations for the period 2004-2016, this thesis estimates both CEO pay-performance sensitivity (PPS) and pay-performance elasticity (PPE). To avoid possible sample selection bias, this thesis employs a propensity score matching (PSM) design to match ‘first strike’ firms (treatment) with ‘non-strike’ (control) firms. As part of robustness tests and to enhance the credibility of the findings, the thesis adopts an alternative control sample. It employs a Matched-Pair Design (MPD) with a three-way matching strategy: financial year, GICS-based economic-sector classification, and firm size. Multivariate panel data estimation and logistic regression techniques were used for analysing data and drawing inferences. Findings in relation to the first research question suggest that, among the ‘nonstrike’ firms, the pay-performance relation was positive and statistically significant before the enactment of the ‘two-strikes’ rule in 2011. Specifically, CEO wealth of Australian firms increased by $51 for every $1000 increase in the shareholder value. With respect to pay-performance elasticity for Australian firms, CEO remuneration increased by 8% for each 10% increase in shareholder value. However, the relationship was reversed after the introduction of the ‘two-strikes’ rule. Specifically, CEOs of the Australian firms experienced pay cuts of about $12 for each $1,000 increase in shareholder value post-2011. With respect to pay-performance elasticity, CEO pay decreased by 0.78% for each 10% increase in shareholder value during the 2012-2016 period. The results for both sensitivity and elasticity support the interference hypothesis that the implementation of the ‘two-strikes’ rule with the threat of removing the boards in a very public way may have put unnecessary pressure on Australian boards to punish their CEOs more severely than they deserved. The reversal of the pay-performance link post-2011 can be explained as the following. There is no collective definitive view of the shareholders about the remuneration report until the annual general meeting takes place. A ‘first strike’ itself can bring a firm under negative spotlight. Further, it can be viewed as a reprimand of the board’s poor corporate governance practice. A ‘first strike’ can suggest the presence of high agency costs in the firm signalling other potential problems to shareholders, lenders, and auditors. Regulators might also take interest in the firm to have a closer scrutiny of its governance practice. All things considered; most firms listed on the ASX might have taken a pre-emptive measure of avoiding a ‘first strike’ by significantly reducing CEO compensation while improving firm performance. This could create a negative relation between CEO pay and firm performance in the ASX-listed firms after the implementation of the ‘two-strikes’ rule (2012-2016). Findings regarding the second research question suggest that, unlike the ‘nonstrike’ firms, the estimated sensitivity of CEO compensation of the ‘first strike’ firms with respect to shareholder wealth following the ‘first strike’ were all negative and significant. The sum of the shareholder wealth change coefficients implies that the wealth of CEOs of the ‘first strike’ firms decreased by about $15 whenever shareholder wealth increased by $1,000 during 2012-2016. With respect to the elasticity model, the results indicate that for a 10% increase in shareholder wealth, the CEO received pay cuts of about 0.12%. By examining the significance of coefficients on the interactions between the ‘first strike’ and changes in shareholder wealth, this thesis finds evidence that receiving a ‘first strike’ is not significantly associated with pay-performance sensitivity or elasticity in the year of the ‘first strike’. Overall, the results suggest that Australian shareholders may focus more on how much executives are paid (the total of CEO remuneration) rather than how they are paid (the pay-performance link). Furthermore, the results imply that after receiving the ‘first strike’ boards may punish CEOs more severely than they deserve by reducing future remuneration even though shareholder wealth is increasing in the long run. Thus, allowing minority shareholders to remove the boards may put public pressure on Australian firms and lead to the unintended consequence of decreasing the total CEO compensation, rather than improving the alignment of executive pay and firm performance in the long run. Further, the results suggest that shareholders may not have the sophistication necessary to use their new voting power and to target firms with weaker pay-performance relation. Thus, it might be argued that the dissatisfaction of minority shareholders may not reflect specific concerns about poor remuneration design but rather other issues such as capital raising, declining share price, and poor or unexpected financial results. Findings with regard to the third research question suggest that relative to ‘nonstrike’ firms, auditors were more likely to increase audit fees, resign or be removed from the office in the year following the ‘first strike’. Furthermore, the thesis finds that firms receiving a ‘first strike’ tend to have higher incidence of modified audit opinions than control firms. This result suggests that the incidence of a ‘first strike’ may signal clients’ higher business and/or audit risk to the auditors. In sum, the findings support the notion that the public scrutiny associated with campaigns by shareholder activists heightens auditors’ concerns about reputational damage and litigation risk. The results also suggest that the external auditors should use the incidence of a ‘first strike’ as an input in their risk assessments. This thesis contributes to the CEO compensation literature in general and the pay-performance link literature in particular by investigating the pay-performance link in preand post-implementation periods of Australia’s ‘two-strikes’ rule (2005-2011 and 2012-2016, respectively). The findings of the thesis have important policy implications for other countries that are in the process of adopting some form of SoP regulation. The findings are important in informing investors, analysts, and managers that shareholder activism in the form of votes on the remuneration report can have diverse consequences. Moreover, awarding ‘excessive’ power to minority shareholders can lead to unintended consequences. The findings of this thesis would have important implications for boards in terms of taking defensive actions to avoid a ‘first strike’ against remuneration reports. Furthermore, the findings of this study are important for activist shareholders in terms of helping them to vote wisely because such a ‘strike’ could lead to negative effects on the firm in the future. The findings of this thesis would have important implications for auditors in terms of using the ‘first strike’ as an input to their audit risk assessments. Finally, the findings of this thesis provide important insights for the global debate on governance of executive compensation.
Thesis (PhD Doctorate)
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Dept Account,Finance & Econ
Griffith Business School
Full Text

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A utilização de biomateriais em implantodontia, principalmente em casos em que o leito receptor do implante apresenta quantidade e qualidade ósseas inadequadas, se torna importante. Diversos estudos mostram a possibilidade do usar copolímeros de PLA/PGA, no entanto, estes mesmos estudos mostram que a proporção de PLA e PGA irá influenciar a taxa de degradação do copolímero. Portanto, objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar o comportamento biológico do copolímero de PLA/PGA como substitutos ósseos para técnica de levantamento da membrana do seio maxilar por meio de análises histomorfométrica e imunoistoquímica. Vinte coelhos machos, branco, da raça Nova Zelândia, cada um pesando cerca de 3,0 kg, foram utilizados e foram divididos em dois grupos de acordo com o material de preenchimento do seio: grupo coágulo (GC) e grupo copolímero (GP). Foi realizado descolamento bilateral da membrana sinusal com períodos de eutanásia aso 3, 10, 20 e 40 dias para as análises histomorfométricas e imunoistoquímica para a expressão de osteocalcina (OC). De uma forma geral, para todas as variáveis avaliadas, a diferença estatisticamente significante mostrou-se entre 3 e 10 dias pós-operatórios (p<0,05), como pode ser demostrado também na expressão de OC. Foi possível concluir que o copolímero PLA/PGA mostrou-se capaz de conduzir o processo de formação óssea, mantendo o volume inicial, impedindo o colabamento da membrana com a parede do seio, como pode ser observado em GC.
The use of biomaterials in dental implantology, especially in cases where the receptor region of implant has inadequate bone quantity and quality, becomes important. Several studies have shown the possibility to use copolymers of PLA / PGA, however these same studies show that the proportion of PLA and PGA copolymer will influence the degradation rate. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the biological behavior of PLA / PGA copolymer as bone substitutes for lifting technique of the maxillary sinus membrane through histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyzes. Twenty male rabbits, white, New Zealand race, each weighing about 3.0 kg, were used and were divided into two groups in accordance with within the filling material: Clot group (CG) and a copolymer group (PG) . Were realized the bilateral sinus lift of rabbits and inserted the respective materials with euthanasia periods as 3, 10, 20 and 40 days for histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analysis for the expression of osteocalcin (OC). In general, for all variables, a statistically significant difference was shown between 3 and 10 days postoperatively (p <0.05), as can be demonstrated also in OC expression. It was concluded that the PLA / PGA copolymer was shown to be able to conduct the process of bone formation, maintaining the initial volume, preventing the collapse of the membrane with the sinus wall, as can be observed in GC.

Orientador: Idelmo Rangel Garcia Júnior
Banca: Wilson Roberto Poi
Banca: Roberta Okamoto
Banca: Martha Alayde Alcantara Salim
Banca: Sergio Luiz Melo Gonçalves
Resumo: A utilização de biomateriais em implantodontia, principalmente em casos em que o leito receptor do implante apresenta quantidade e qualidade ósseas inadequadas, se torna importante. Diversos estudos mostram a possibilidade do usar copolímeros de PLA/PGA, no entanto, estes mesmos estudos mostram que a proporção de PLA e PGA irá influenciar a taxa de degradação do copolímero. Portanto, objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar o comportamento biológico do copolímero de PLA/PGA como substitutos ósseos para técnica de levantamento da membrana do seio maxilar por meio de análises histomorfométrica e imunoistoquímica. Vinte coelhos machos, branco, da raça Nova Zelândia, cada um pesando cerca de 3,0 kg, foram utilizados e foram divididos em dois grupos de acordo com o material de preenchimento do seio: grupo coágulo (GC) e grupo copolímero (GP). Foi realizado descolamento bilateral da membrana sinusal com períodos de eutanásia aso 3, 10, 20 e 40 dias para as análises histomorfométricas e imunoistoquímica para a expressão de osteocalcina (OC). De uma forma geral, para todas as variáveis avaliadas, a diferença estatisticamente significante mostrou-se entre 3 e 10 dias pós-operatórios (p<0,05), como pode ser demostrado também na expressão de OC. Foi possível concluir que o copolímero PLA/PGA mostrou-se capaz de conduzir o processo de formação óssea, mantendo o volume inicial, impedindo o colabamento da membrana com a parede do seio, como pode ser observado em GC
Abstract: The use of biomaterials in dental implantology, especially in cases where the receptor region of implant has inadequate bone quantity and quality, becomes important. Several studies have shown the possibility to use copolymers of PLA / PGA, however these same studies show that the proportion of PLA and PGA copolymer will influence the degradation rate. So the aim of this study was to evaluate the biological behavior of PLA / PGA copolymer as bone substitutes for lifting technique of the maxillary sinus membrane through histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analyzes. Twenty male rabbits, white, New Zealand race, each weighing about 3.0 kg, were used and were divided into two groups in accordance with within the filling material: Clot group (CG) and a copolymer group (PG) . Were realized the bilateral sinus lift of rabbits and inserted the respective materials with euthanasia periods as 3, 10, 20 and 40 days for histomorphometric and immunohistochemical analysis for the expression of osteocalcin (OC). In general, for all variables, a statistically significant difference was shown between 3 and 10 days postoperatively (p <0.05), as can be demonstrated also in OC expression. It was concluded that the PLA / PGA copolymer was shown to be able to conduct the process of bone formation, maintaining the initial volume, preventing the collapse of the membrane with the sinus wall, as can be observed in GC
Doutor

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Ciências Físicas e Matemáticas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Química, Florianópolis, 2015.
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A busca por materiais biodegradáveis tem sido intensificada nos últimos anos com o objetivo de reduzir impactos ambientais. O poli(vinil álcool) (PVAL) e o poli(ácido lático) (PLA) são polímeros biodegradáveis amplamente produzidos. Uma alternativa para a obtenção de um material com propriedades diferentes dos polímeros puros é a preparação de blendas poliméricas. O presente trabalho avaliou o efeito do enxerto de anidrido maleico (MA) na cadeia polimérica do PLA na morfologia de blendas PLA-g-MA/PVAL, em comparação às blendas PLA/PVAL, bem como a influência do processamento, do enxerto e da presença de PVAL na cinética de cristalização isotérmica do PLA. A reação de enxerto foi realizada em reômetro de torque e o produto caracterizado por espectroscopia de UV-Vis, sendo ácido maleico o grupo funcional enxertado. As blendas PLA/PVAL e PLA-g-MA/PVAL foram preparadas por extrusão, em diferentes composições. Uma análise morfológica comparativa dos sistemas PLA/PVAL e PLA-g-MA/PVAL mostrou uma mudança na forma dos domínios de PVAL, de domínios esféricos para domínios fibrilares de dispersão regular nas blendas com componente enxertado, sugerindo uma estabilização da interface entre os dois polímeros. Efeitos significativos do processamento na cinética de cristalização, com base nos parâmetros cinéticos de Avrami, foram associados à diminuição do emaranhamento das cadeias, devido ao cisalhamento dos materiais no processamento. Os resultados mostraram que o PVAL pode atuar como agente de nucleação e que a taxa de cristalização aumentou com a área superficial dos domínios. Em quantidades elevadas, o PVAL atuou inibindo o efeito causado pelo processamento. O enxerto também apresentou influência no mecanismo de nucleação, bem como na forma dos cristais, que passaram da forma esferulítica (PLA) para hexagonal (PLA-g-MA).

Abstract : The search for biodegradable materials has been intensified in recent years in order to reduce environmental impacts. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVAL) and poly(lactic acid) (PLA) are widely produced biodegradable polymers. An alternative to materials with intermediate properties in relation to neat polymers is the formulation of polymer blends. The present study evaluated the effect of maleic anhydride (MA) graft on the PLA polymeric chain in the morphology of PLA-g-MA/PVAL blends compared to PLA/PVAL blends, as well as the effect of processing, graft, and the presence of PVAL in the isothermal crystallization kinetics of PLA. The graft reaction was performed in a torque rheometer, the product was characterized by UV-Vis spectroscopy, and the maleic acid was the grafted functional group. Blends of PLA/PVAL and PLA-g-MA/PVAL were prepared through extrusion of the materials at different compositions. A comparative morphological analysis of the systems PLA/PVAL and PLA-g-MA/PVAL shows that there was a change in the form of PVAL domains, from spherical to fibrilar domains of regular dispersion in blends with a grafted component, suggesting some interface stabilization between the polymers. Significant processing effects in the crystallization kinetics, based on the Avrami kinetic parameters, were associated to a reduction of chain entanglement due to a high shearing of the materials in the processing. The results shows that the PVAL can act as a nucleating agent, and the crystallization rate increases with the surface area of the PVAL domains. PVAL acted by inhibiting the processing effect in blends of high PVAL proportion. The graft also showed an influence on the nucleation mechanism, as the PLA-g-MA presented a hexagonal spherulitic shape (PLA).

This is an interdisciplinary thesis in women's and gender studies combining legal analysis with archival research. It traverses Australian women's struggle for equal pay and pay equity from the end of the nineteenth century to the beginnings of the twenty-first. It recounts and analyses women's activism through campaigns targeting state and federal politicians, prime ministers, premiers and state and federal ministers for labour and industrial relations; engagement in the industrial arena; and through women's organisations and work with the trade union movement. The thesis analyses achievements and setbacks through the federal industrial arena, and references, too, major state industrial cases and legislation. It analyses women's intervention and impact in the Equal Pay, Minimum Wage, Basic Wage and National Wage Cases. Through archives, original letters, articles, pamphlets, books, interviews and other sources, the thesis recounts women's agreements and disagreements on how the struggle would be won, and the solid campaigning in which women engaged from the late years of the nineteenth century, through every decade of the twentieth, and in the first years of the first decade of the twenty-first century. It covers a span of over one hundred years, during which the claim was characterised as one for equal pay, the rate for the job and, more recently, pay equity. Looking at the past and the present, the thesis concludes that women's direct engagement with the industrial system and parallel working within women's organisations and trade unions has been central to gains in equal pay and pay equity. Apart from women's and men's earnings in Scandinavia, relativities between women's and men's wages and salaries in Australia have been -- despite the disparity - the most approximate of all OECD countries. The thesis posits that it is only with a return to centralised wage fixing, with women's organisations intervening and bringing their own experts to educate industrial commissions, employers and unions, that the value of women's work will be recognised as equal to the value of men's work, and equal pay, the rate for the job, or pay equity will be achieved.

This thesis develops a policy-oriented account and evaluation of pay determination and associated employment changes for U.K. nursing staff in the 1980s, within an analytical framework for understanding nursing pay processes and outcomes over longer time horizons and with greater generalisability. In particular, an analysis is conducted of the Pay Review Body for Nurses and Midwives and of the interlinkages between pay determination, grading and training at different levels of aggregation. The study is multidisciplinary, employing a wide range of primary documentation, and findings from national-level interviews and local case studies at eight district health authorities in the West Midlands region. The thesis divides into three parts. The first locates nursing pay determination in historical context. Structural characteristics in the health division of labour and in the wider political economy lend a degree of apparent continuity to nursing pay levels. However, this appearance masks important change which must also be understood. The second evaluates the origins of nursing pay review, its processes and outcomes. The conflicting bargaining positions and power relations between the 'Sides' in pay review are noted, together with the continued importance of negotiation and of 'non-pay' issues. The role of the Pay Review Body is considered alongside nursing pay outcomes. Although the Review Body could be seen as contributing to conservative outcomes for nurses' pay, there are complex feedbacks within the system which must also be understood. The third section considers 'non-pay' issues and tne interplay of national and local forces in an evaluation of local managerial perspectives on nurse resourcing and employment changes in the 1980s. It is argued that a 'crisis' occurred in the late 1980s, rooted in history and political economic circumstance, and that the process of pay deceritralisation should be understood in this light. This process, however, is a risky and uncertain one.

With mobile usage on the rise developers are more than ever faced with the issue of developing for multiple platforms. With Google's introduction of Progressive Web Applications (PWA) it is possible to build app-like web applications that can run on any platform. This study aims to investigate if PWA is mature enough to replace an already developed native iOS application. Specifically it aims to investigate if a PWA can achieve the same functionality and security as a native application, as well as what technologies are needed to do so.  To verify this question an iOS application called iHug developed by a software company called Cloud Enablers was used as a reference point. With this reference a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) copy was developed as a PWA to verify that the functionality could be achieved. This PWA was not intended to replace the existing native application, but instead coexist with it. That means that the PWA must be able to communicate with the original application. In addition an investigation was done to see what measures needed to be taken to achieve security. The results showed that the same functionality was achievable, as was the security. Even though the results are promising, due to the native application not being developed with a PWA in mind there was a lot of extra work that had to be done to replicate certain functionalities and SDK choices. On this basis, while it is certainly possible to achieve the same functionality it is much harder to do so when the counterpart was not developed to be able to communicate with a PWA.

Il presente studio si inserisce nell’ambito del progetto VALSOVIT - Valorizzazione sostenibile degli scarti della filiera vitivinicola per l'industria chimica e salutistica - finanziato dal programma POR FESR della regione Emilia-Romagna, il cui obiettivo è la valorizzazione degli scarti vitivinicoli per la produzione di sostanze ad alto valore aggiunto. Obiettivo dello studio è la valutazione della sostenibilità di un processo innovativo di produzione di polimeri a base biologica e biodegradabili (poliidrossialcanoati, PHA) da vinacce e fanghi, utilizzando una coltura microbica mista in grado di accumulare granuli di PHA come riserva di carbonio ed energia, sviluppato dal CIRI Energia e Ambiente dell’Università di Bologna. Le prestazioni ambientali, calcolate secondo la metodologia LCA, sono state confrontate con quelle di altre plastiche sia a base fossile sia bio-based. Innanzitutto è stata svolta una ricerca bibliografica per analizzare lo stato dell’arte delle valutazioni di sostenibilità applicate al processo di produzione dei PHA. In seguito, si è proceduto alla raccolta dei dati a scala di laboratorio, costruendo un inventario comprendente tutti i flussi di materia ed energia in input e in output rientranti nei confini del sistema del processo analizzato. Successivamente, tramite calcoli ingegneristici è stato effettuato un upscaling a livello industriale di ogni fase del processo, e con il software GaBi si sono effettuate la modellazione ed il calcolo degli impatti ambientali. Dallo studio è emerso che le prestazioni ambientali dei PHA per le diverse categorie di impatto sono in genere peggiori di quelle delle altre plastiche analizzate. Gli impatti derivano principalmente dalla fase di produzione della biomassa e dal processo di produzione dei nutrienti. Bisogna però sottolineare che con un'analisi LCA non è possibile tenere in considerazione l'ottima biodegradabilità dei PHA, caratteristica estremamente importante dal punto di vista ambientale.

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O presente trabalho tem como objetivos extrair a fibra da folha do abacaxizeiro tipo P?rola para obter bast?es (?whiskers) de celulose destas fibras tratadas quimicamente, para utiliza??o como refor?o na fabrica??o de filmes de Biocomp?sito com Poli ?lcool Vin?lico (PVA) e Poli (?cido l?tico) (PLA) como matrizes. As amostras foram caracterizadas utilizando an?lises como TGA, FTIR e DSC. Tamb?m foram realizados ensaios das folhas para a identifica??o de macro e micro nutrientes. As amostras dos filmes de biocomp?sitos foram usadas para ensaios mec?nicos de tra??o nos filmes e o teste de biodegrada??o aer?bica, bem como nos filmes de 100% de PVA e PLA. A extra??o da fibra foi efetuada numa desfibradeira autom?tica, e em seguida as fibras extra?das foram lavadas v?rias vezes para remover as impurezas e foram tratadas com NaOH (hidr?xido de s?dio) e NaClO (hipoclorito de s?dio), para remover as impurezas inerentes ?s fibras e a cor natural, respectivamente. Em seguida, as fibras tratadas foram submetidas a um processo de hidr?lise com ?cido sulf?rico a 13,5%, para obten??o de bast?es de celulose. Foram produzidos filmes biocomp?sitos de PVA e PLA com bast?es de celulose nas concentra??es de 0%, 1%, 3%, 6%, 9% e 12%. ?gua destilada a 80?C ? 5 na dilui??o de PVA e diclorometano para a dilui??o do PLA na temperatura ambiente. Na prepara??o dos filmes foi utilizado o m?todo de ?casting?. Posteriormente foram realizados os testes de absor??o de ?gua pelos filmes produzidos. Para o ensaio mec?nico de tra??o dos filmes foi utilizada a norma ASTM D638-10 com velocidade de 50 mm/min. O teste estat?stico Qui-quadrado foi empregado para a verifica??o da exist?ncia de diferen?as significativas em n?vel de 0,05: comprimentos das folhas do abacaxizeiro e dos bast?es, procedimentos utilizados para filtra??o em filtro utilizando seringa de 0,2 ?m e filtragem atrav?s de centrifuga??o. Foi realizado estudo de hidrofilidade dos filmes com base no ?ngulo de contato. Tamb?m foi aplicado o teste Estat?stico T-Student com n?vel de signific?ncia (0,05) para comparar as espessuras dos filmes de PVA e PLA e das propriedades mec?nicas (tra??o). Na avalia??o da biodegradabilidade dos biocomp?sitos, bem como os filmes de 100% das matrizes de PVA e PLA, foi utilizado o teste de Sturm norma D5209. Os resultados indicam a presen?a de bast?es de celulose com comprimentos variandos de 7,33 nm a 186,17 nm. As espessuras em m?dia dos filmes de PVA e PLA eram de 0,153 ?m e 0,210 ?m, respectivamente. Foi observada uma forte correla??o linear diretamente proporcional entre a tra??o dos filmes de PVA e a concentra??o de bast?es de celulose nos filmes (0,7336), da espessura do filme de 0,1404. Juntos, a porcentagem de bast?es de celulose e a espessura dos filmes, correlacionaram 0,8740. No caso dos filmes de PLA, a correla??o entre o teor dos bast?es de celulose e a tra??o foi fraca, inversamente proporcional (-0,0057) e a espessura em -0,2602, totalizando -0,2659, isto ?, os bast?es de celulose n?o aderiram totalmente ao PLA. Na compara??o dos resultados da tra??o das duas matrizes polim?ricas, os bast?es de celulose contribu?ram na melhoria das propriedades mec?nicas no caso de PVA, mas h? uma diferen?a com rela??o a PLA. Nos testes de biodegradabilidade, foi observado a degrada??o total do filme de PVA ap?s 27 dias, enquanto o filme de PLA degradou em 20 dias, o que comprova que os filmes produzidos s?o biodegrad?veis.
This work has the main objective to obtain nano and microcrystals of cellulose, extracted from the pineapple leaf fibres (PALF), as reinforcement for the manufacture of biocomposite films with polymeric matrices of Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and Poly(lactic acid) (PLA). The polymer matrices and the nano and microcrystals of cellulose were characterised by means of TGA, FTIR and DSC. The analysis was performed on the pineapple leaves to identify the macro and micronutrients. The fibers of the leaves of the pineapple were extracted in a desfibradeira mechanical. The PALF extracted were washed to remove washable impurities and subsequently treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium hypochlorite (NaClO) in the removal of impurities, such as fat, grease, pectates, pectin and lignin. The processed PALF fibers were hydrolysed in sulfuric acid (H2SO4) at a concentration of 13.5 %, to obtain nano and microcrystals of cellulose. In the manufacture of biocomposite films, concentrations of cellulose, 0 %, 1 %, 3 %, 6 %, 9% and 12% were used as reinforcement to the matrices of PVA and PLA. The PVA was dissolved in distilled water at 80 ? 5 oC and the PLA was dissolved in dichloromethane at room temperature. The manufacture of biocomp?sitos in the form of films was carried out by "casting". Tests were carried out to study the water absorption by the films and mechanical test of resistance to traction according to ASTM D638-10 with a velocity of 50 mm/min.. Chi-square statistical test was used to check for the existence of significant differences in the level of 0.05: the lengths of the PALF, lengths of the nano and microcrystals of cellulose and the procedures used for the filtration using filter syringe of 0.2 ?m or filtration and centrifugation. The hydrophilicity of biocomp?sitos was analysed by measuring the contact angle and the thickness of biocomp?sitos were compared as well as the results of tests of traction. Statistical T test - Student was also applied with the significance level (0.05). In biodegradation, Sturm test of standard D5209 was used. Nano and microcrystals of cellulose with lengths ranging from 7.33 nm to 186.17 nm were found. The PVA films showed average thicknesses of 0.153 ?m and PLA 0.210 ?m. There is a strong linear correlation directly proportional between the traction of the films of PVA and the concentration of cellulose in the films (composite) (0,7336), while the thickness of the film was correlated in 0.1404. Nano and microcrystals of cellulose and thickness together, correlated to 0.8740. While the correlation between the cellulose content and tensile strength was weak and inversely proportional (- 0,0057) and thickness in -0.2602, totaling -0,2659 in PLA films. This can be attributed to the nano and microcrystals of cellulose not fully adsorbed to the PLA matrix. In the comparison of the results of the traction of the two polymer matrices, the nano and microcrystals have helped in reducing the traction of the films (composite) of PLA. There was still the degradation of the film of PVA, within a period of 20 days, which was not seen in the PLA film, on the other hand, the observations made in the literature, the average time to start the degradation is above 60 days. What can be said that the films are biodegradable composites, with hydrophilicity and the nano and microcrystals of cellulose, contribute positively in the improvement of the results of polymer matrices used.

Polihidroxialcanoatos (PHA) são poliésteres acumulados por diversas bactérias a partir de fontes renováveis e são termoplásticos, biodegradáveis e biocompatíveis. A variabilidade da composição monomérica de PHA determina suas propriedades mecânicas e permite seu uso em diversas aplicações. A PHA sintase é a enzima responsável pela polimerização do PHA. O objetivo deste trabalho foi à busca por genes codificadores desta enzima, construção e avaliação de recombinantes portando tais genes. Inicialmente buscaram-se novos genes de PHA sintase a partir de clones de uma biblioteca metagenômica previamente detectados por PCR como positivos para algum tipo de PHA sintase. Posteriormente buscou-se PHA sintases de classe III e construiram-se recombinantes de Pseudomonas sp e B. sacchari pela introdução de genes de C. vinosum (phaECCv). Nas duas recombinantes, os genes inseridos foram capazes de aumentar a fração de 3HHx em relação a linhagem selvagem, quando se utilizou glicose e hexanoato como fontes de carbono.
Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) are polyesters accumulated from renewable sources by several bacteria and are thermoplastic, biodegradable and biocompatible. The variability of the PHA monomer composition determines its mechanical properties and allows their use in many applications. PHA synthase is the enzyme responsible for the polymerization of PHA. The objective was to search for genes encoding this enzyme, construction and the assessment of recombinant bacteria carrying such genes. Initially a screening of PHA synthase genes was made from a metagenomic library clones previously identified as positive by PCR for any type of PHA synthase. Later a search for class III PHA synthases was made as a construction of a recombinant Pseudomonas sp and B. sacchari by introducing genes of C. vinosum (phaECCv). In the two recombinant strains, the genes inserted were able to increase the fraction of 3HHx compared to the wild strain when glucose and hexanoate was used as carbon sources.

Pea seeds were tempered at moisture contents of 12.0&
#61617
0.1, 13.0&
#61617
0.1, 14.0&
#61617
0.1 and 15.0&
#61617
0.3%. The seeds with different moisture contents were then milled and fractioned according to the particle size of 53, 106, 212, 425 and 850 &
#956
m. Tempering the pea seeds (12.0&
#61617
0.1, 13.0&
#61617
0.1, 14.0&
#61617
0.1 and 15.0&
#61617
0.3%) did not significantly affect the mass and protein fraction in comparison with the pea seeds that are not tempered (11.45&
#61617
0.05%). For the production of pea protein isolate, aqueous-solvent extraction method was used. The protein was extracted with an alkali solution from the ground pea-seeds and precipitated from the extract by bringing the pH down to isoelectric point (pH=4.5). The precipitated protein was separated from the supernatant by centrifugation. The effects of extraction parameters on the yield of extraction such as pH, particle size, temperature, solvent to solid ratio, and salt were studied. The maximum yields were obtained at these conditions
pH: 12.0 for the alkalinity of the extraction medium, 53 &
#956
m for the particle size, 40&
#61616
C for the extraction temperature, 5.0 for the solvent to solid ratio and 0.0 M for the saline concentration. At these extraction conditions, the maximum protein recovery was 72.75% resulting in a product containing 93.29% protein on a dry basis.