Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:23:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2006-07-18Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:49:55Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 sousa_facg_me_sjc.pdf: 1490855 bytes, checksum: 2652eb365870bb6ca89eb1e459a435e1 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Ainda hoje muito se discute a respeito da natureza pré-maligna do líquen plano bucal. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar os tipos e o número de alterações celulares sugestivas de malignidade no líquen plano bucal, comparando-os com aqueles observados na displasia epitelial e no carcinoma epidermóide, através da microscopia de luz. As alterações mais frequentemente observadas no líquen plano bucal foram aumento da relação núcleo-citoplasma (93,33%); irregularidades ou espessamento da membrana nuclear (86,67%); multinucleações e multilobulações (86.67%) e aumento do tamanho e número dos nucléolos (83,33%). A análise de variância (ANOVA) seguida do teste de Tukey, ambos ao nível de significância de 5%, revelou não haver diferença estatisticamente significante entre o número médio de alterações celulares sugestivas de malignidade no líquen plano bucal (5,90l1,56) e na displasia epitelial (5,53l1,41), mas sim entre eles e o carcinoma epidermóide (7,60l1,81). Quanto aos tipos de alterações, também foi encontrada diferença estatística entre as três lesões avaliadas. Tais resultados, portanto, sugerem não haver semelhanças estatísticas entre os casos de líquen plano bucal, displasia epitelial e carcinoma epidermóide que comprovem a natureza pré-maligna do líquen plano bucal, pelo menos no que se refere aos tipos de alterações celulares sugestivas de malignidade avaliadas neste estudo. / Nowadays, a matter of great discussion is regarding the pre-malignant nature of oral lichen planus. Within this context, the present study has the objective of analyzing the types and number of malignancy suggestive cell alterations in oral lichen planus, comparing them with those observed in epithelial dysplasia and in squamous cell carcinoma, through light microscopy. The most frequent observed alterations in oral lichen planus were enhancement of nucleus-cytoplasm relation (93.33%); irregularities or thickening of nuclear membrane (86.67%); multinucleations or multilobuli (86.67%); and bigger and more numerous nucleolus (83.33%). Variance analysis (ANOVA) followed by Tukey test, both at 5% level of significance, revealed not to have statistically significant difference between the mean number of malignancy suggestive cell alterations in oral lichen planus (5.90l1.56) and in epithelial dysplasia (5.53.1.41), but between those and squamous cell carcinoma (7.60l1.81), this difference was present. Regarding the type of alterations, it was found statistical difference between the three evaluated lesions. Therefore, such results suggest no statistical semblances among the oral lichen planus cases, epithelial dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma, which would confirm the pre-malignant nature of oral lichen planus, at least regarding the type and number of cell alterations evaluated in this study.

Orientador: Luiz Eduardo Blumer Rosa / Banca: Luiz Eduardo Blumer Rosa / Banca: Marianne Spalding / Banca: Adriana Aigotti Haberbeck Brandão / Resumo: Ainda hoje muito se discute a respeito da natureza pré-maligna do líquen plano bucal. Neste contexto, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar os tipos e o número de alterações celulares sugestivas de malignidade no líquen plano bucal, comparando-os com aqueles observados na displasia epitelial e no carcinoma epidermóide, através da microscopia de luz. As alterações mais frequentemente observadas no líquen plano bucal foram aumento da relação núcleo-citoplasma (93,33%); irregularidades ou espessamento da membrana nuclear (86,67%); multinucleações e multilobulações (86.67%) e aumento do tamanho e número dos nucléolos (83,33%). A análise de variância (ANOVA) seguida do teste de Tukey, ambos ao nível de significância de 5%, revelou não haver diferença estatisticamente significante entre o número médio de alterações celulares sugestivas de malignidade no líquen plano bucal (5,90l1,56) e na displasia epitelial (5,53l1,41), mas sim entre eles e o carcinoma epidermóide (7,60l1,81). Quanto aos tipos de alterações, também foi encontrada diferença estatística entre as três lesões avaliadas. Tais resultados, portanto, sugerem não haver semelhanças estatísticas entre os casos de líquen plano bucal, displasia epitelial e carcinoma epidermóide que comprovem a natureza pré-maligna do líquen plano bucal, pelo menos no que se refere aos tipos de alterações celulares sugestivas de malignidade avaliadas neste estudo. / Abstract: Nowadays, a matter of great discussion is regarding the pre-malignant nature of oral lichen planus. Within this context, the present study has the objective of analyzing the types and number of malignancy suggestive cell alterations in oral lichen planus, comparing them with those observed in epithelial dysplasia and in squamous cell carcinoma, through light microscopy. The most frequent observed alterations in oral lichen planus were enhancement of nucleus-cytoplasm relation (93.33%); irregularities or thickening of nuclear membrane (86.67%); multinucleations or multilobuli (86.67%); and bigger and more numerous nucleolus (83.33%). Variance analysis (ANOVA) followed by Tukey test, both at 5% level of significance, revealed not to have statistically significant difference between the mean number of malignancy suggestive cell alterations in oral lichen planus (5.90l1.56) and in epithelial dysplasia (5.53.1.41), but between those and squamous cell carcinoma (7.60l1.81), this difference was present. Regarding the type of alterations, it was found statistical difference between the three evaluated lesions. Therefore, such results suggest no statistical semblances among the oral lichen planus cases, epithelial dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma, which would confirm the pre-malignant nature of oral lichen planus, at least regarding the type and number of cell alterations evaluated in this study. / Mestre

Resumo: O objetivo deste trabalho foi analisar possíveis alterações dos mecanismos de proliferação celular e apoptose no líquen plano bucal, comparando-as com as observadas na displasia epitelial e no carcinoma epidermóide, visando avaliar o seu potencial de transformação maligna. Foram selecionados 24 casos de cada lesão e a partir deles, novos cortes histológicos foram obtidos, sendo parte submetidos à técnica de AgNOR e parte à técnica imunoistoquímica da estreptoavidina-biotina-peroxidase para análise da expressão das proteínas PCNA, p53, bax e bcl-2. A média de NORs/núcleo no líquen plano bucal, na displasia epitelial e no carcinoma epidermóide bucal foram, respectivamente, 1,74±0,32, 2,42±0,62 e 2,41±0,61. A análise de variância revelou haver diferença estatisticamente significante entre o líquen plano bucal e as demais lesões (p<0,05). Quanto à PCNA, p53, bax e bcl-2, o teste de qui-quadrado não revelou haver diferença significante entre a expressão da p53 e da bcl-2. Contudo, a expressão da PCNA foi significativamente menor no líquen plano bucal do que nas demais lesões. Não houve diferença estaticamente significante entre a expressão da PCNA e da bax na displasia epitelial e no carcinoma epidermóide bucal. Conclui-se que alterações na expressão destas proteínas podem ser observadas tanto no líquen plano bucal quanto na displasia epitelial e no carcinoma epidermóide bucal, sugerindo o potencial de transformação maligna desta lesão e enfatizando a importância do acompanhamento em longo prazo dos pacientes. Neste contexto, a análise das NORs se mostrou ferramenta útil em avaliar os casos de líquen plano bucal que apresentem maior risco de transformação maligna. / Abstract: The purpose of this study was to analyze possible alterations in the mechanisms of cell proliferation and apoptosis in oral lichen planus, comparing them with those observed in epithelial dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma, aiming to establish its malignant transformation potential. Twenty-four cases of each lesion were selected and new histological cuts were obtained, being part of the cuts submitted to the AgNOR and part to the immunohistochemical technique of streptoavidine-biotin technique for analysis of the expression of the PCNA, bax and bcl-2 proteins. The NORs/nucleous mean for oral lichen planus, epithelial dysplasia and squamous cell carcinoma was respectively 1.74±0.32, 2.42±0.62 and 2.41±0.61. Analysis of variance showed statistically significant difference between the oral lichen planus and the others lesions (p<0.05). Regarding PCNA, p53, bax and bcl-2, chi-squared test showed no significant differences between the expression of p53 and bcl-2. However, the expression of PCNA was significantly lower in oral lichen planus than in epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma. No significant differences between the expression of PCNA and bax in epithelial dysplasia and oral squamous cell carcinoma were observed. It was concluded that alterations in the expression of these proteins can be observed in oral lichen planus, suggesting the potential of malignant transformation of this lesion and emphasizing the importance of follow-up of patients. Within this context, the NORs analysis is a useful tool to evaluate the oral lichen planus cases with high risk of malignant transformation. / Orientador: Luiz Eduardo Blumer Rosa / Coorientador: Yasmin Rodarte Carvalho / Banca: Adriana Aigotti Haberbeck Brandão / Banca: Fábio Daumas Nunes / Banca: Carlos Eduardo Dias Colombo / Banca: Horácio Faig Leite / Doutor

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Biofuel production from microalgae is currently not economically competitive with fossil fuels due to high operational costs. A sustainable system needs to be developed which considers cultivation, harvesting and conversion to fuels as a single loop. The harvesting step has been identified as a major bottleneck within the biofuel production process, contributing to a significant proportion of the operational cost (20-30%). Chemical flocculation is a more affordable alternative to centrifugation and filtration. Chemical flocculants however negatively impact the quality of biomass and conversion efficiency to biofuel by increasing biomass ash content. Bioflocculation with biopolymers or microbes have a minimal impact on the quality of biomass. In this study, the interaction between the filamentous fungus Isaria fumosorosea and the microalgae C. sorokiniana is investigated. Under strict autotrophic conditions at pH 7-8, co-culture of microalgae (2-20 μm) with fungal blastospores resulted in theidevelopment of large pellets (1-2 mm) which may be easily harvested by sedimentation or filtration at 95% harvesting efficiency. Fungal assisted bioflocculation was compared to other harvesting methods with respect to cost and impact on the hydrothermal conversion process. Low cost carbon sources, including waste hydrothermal nutrients, minimal sugar concentrations and algal exudate may reduce fungal cultivation costs. Waste products, such as organic carbon, N, P, CO₂ and trace metals can be recycled and used for algae and fungal cultivation, closing the loop to make the system sustainable. / National Research Foundation; Swiss Government

The aim of this study was to determine if the occurrence, thalli length and cover of the epiphytic lichens Alectoria sarmentosa, Bryoria capillaris and Usnea dasypogea differ between sites with inland and coastal climate in Norrbotten county, Sweden. The trunk and branch diameter of the Picea abies trees, on which the lichens were inventoried, were measured as well. B. capillaris was the most common lichen species in both habitats. B. capillaris and A. sarmentosa had significant higher percentage occurrence in inland sites, while the occurrence of U. dasypogea was higher in the coastal sites. For B. capillaris, the percentage cover per branch was also higher in inland than in coastal sites. No significant difference in thallus lengths were found for any species. Obtained climate data suggest that humidity is higher inland, which is favourable for B. capillaris. Litterateur suggest that of all studied species, B. capillaris is the most common species in colder climates while A. sarmentosa is an intermediate and U.dasypogea is a lichen species normally occurring in warmer climates, which might explain their observed occurrence pattern outcome of the study. Linear regression was executed as well where only A.sarmentosa had significant and positive relationships to branch diameter. Other studies support the correlation with branch diameter but not with trunk diameter.

The Intermountain West is comprised of impressive land formations, numerous ecoregions, and a unique biota. The area has many flora and fauna that have been investigated, but the region is generally considered undersampled when it comes to insects. However, I propose the matter to be a lack of shared experience in identifying key insect species and the underutilization of professional and personal collections. These impediments are highlighted by two insect groups in the Intermountain West: spongillaflies and tiger moths. Spongillaflies can be difficult to recognize for the general entomologist and have rarely been recorded in the Intermountain West. My colleagues and I recently discovered a large population of spongillaflies in Utah that we present as a substantial additional record. I also followed the population throughout the 2016 field season to make natural history observations. I identified the spongillaflies to be Climacia californica and their associated host to be Ephydatia fluviatilis. During the season, a total of 1,731 specimens were collected, light traps were the most effective sampling technique and the population had one mass emergence event. I hope my work and figures will help investigators as they continue to search the area for spongillaflies. Tiger moths on the other hand have largely been collected in the Intermountain West and are easily recognized, generally being brightly colored. Because of these bright colors, they attract collectors and have been sampled heavily throughout the Intermountain West. However, until now, these records have not been utilized and tucked away in collections. We took the vast amount of records and used them to create predicted models of biogeography for each tiger moth species in the area. We successfully created species level ecological niche models (ENM) analyzing environmental variables such as temperature, precipitation, elevation, and vegetation. Overall, I found tiger moths can be collected almost everywhere and during each month of the year with 93 different species scattered across the region. I anticipate our ENM models to help researchers locate tiger moths of interest to investigate within the Intermountain West. During my studies, I investigated in detail the lichen feeding tiger moths (Lithosiini). Many tiger moths eat toxic plants, but only a few in the area consume lichen, an unusual host because of their secondary defensive chemicals. I investigated how these chemicals impacted Cisthene angelus caterpillars host selection by simultaneously offering them various lichens with differing chemistries. I expected these caterpillars to avoid usnic acid as it deterred other lichen feeding tiger moths. However, these caterpillars surprised me by consistently consuming the acid and being largely polyphagous. Our future work will be directed at how caterpillars balance nutritional needs and the chemicals they sequester.

Humans use creativity and manual dexterity to create things, usually in a labor-intensive process. Procedural content generation (PCG) is an approach where computers do most of the manual work of creating virtual objects, while a human leads the creative process. One problem with PCG is that created objects tend to look too perfect and artificial, leading to research into simulating the aging process of created virtual objects. Simulating the growth of living organisms such as lichens on existing virtual objects has been a focus of research. Most previous techniques lack a clear evaluation of the realism of the results. In this thesis, a lichen growth simulation is implemented and evaluated in terms of perceived realism. Specifically, the target of the simulation is lichen growth on horizontal stone surfaces represented using a set of textures. The lichen growth simulation is slow but robust and flexible, capable of generating a wide range of output textures. 75 participants were recruited among university students and video game industry professionals, asked to compare the realism of lichens generated with different parameter settings. The investigated parameters are the scale of the lichens, the compactness of the lichens, and the number of lichen clusters (density). Participants perceived surfaces with a dense or medium-dense cover of small scale, semi-compact lichen clusters as the most realistic, while surfaces with a sparse cover of large scale, very compact or very lacy lichen clusters were perceived as the least realistic. The lichens perceived as the most realistic are also among the most computationally expensive to produce. This outcome tells us that there is a trade-off between realism and simulation time in the lichen growth simulation. The simulation is able to generate a wide range of lichen appearances, though the speed of the simulation can be greatly improved in multiple ways. / Människor använder kreativitet och manuell färdighet för att skapa saker, vanligtvis i en arbetsintensiv process. Procedurell innehållsgenerering (eng. PCG) är ett tillvägagångssätt där datorer gör majoriteten av det manuella arbetet i skapandet av virtuella objekt, och en människa leder den kreativa processen. Ett problem med PCG är att de skapade objekten tenderar att ha ett för nytt och artificiellt utseende, vilket har lett till forskning kring att simulera åldrandeprocessen för virtuella objekt. Forskning har bland annat fokuserat på att simulera tillväxten av levande organismer såsom lavar på existerande virtuella objekt. Flera tidigare tekniker saknar en tydlig evaluering av resultatens realism. I denna studie implementeras en lavtillväxtsimulering som evalueras med avseende på upplevd realism. Simuleringens mål är specifikt att simulera lavar på horisontella stenytor representerade av en uppsättning texturer. Simuleringen är långsam men robust och flexibel, och kapabel till att generera ett brett omfång av resultat. 75 deltagare rekryterades bland universitetsstudenter och bland arbetare i datorspelsindustrin, och ombads jämföra realismen hos lavar genererade med olika parameterinställningar. De undersökta parametrarna är skalan på lavarna, kompaktheten på lavarna och antalet lavar (densitet). Deltagarna upplevde att ytor med hög och mellanhög densitet av småskaliga semikompakta lavar var mest realistiska, medan ytor med låg densitet av storskaliga kompakta eller mycket utspridda lavar upplevdes som minst realistiska. De lavar som upplevdes vara mest realistiska är också bland de beräkningsmässigt dyraste att generera. Detta resultat visar att det finns en avvägning mellan realism och simuleringstid i lavtillväxtsimuleringen. Simuleringen kan generera ett brett omfång av lavutseenden, men simuleringens snabbhet kan förbättras på flera sätt.

In this work is the realm of lichens. Lichens are everywhere around us but generally unseen by many people. Lichens adjust and react to the circumstances of its surrounding: humid or dry. The responsive property of the lichens to humidity led to the investigation of this species in combination with the flexible properties of knitted textiles. The knit enhances the lichens’ properties in its stretchable, textural, and color possibilities. While activating the textiles through moisture, there is a change in haptic- and visual expression. Working towards a material library, the transformable properties of the textiles are being explored. Lichen in combination with knit is investigated in four categories: transformation, shape, texture, and dye. The lichen and the knit adapt their role according to the category and demonstrate the potential of their various collaborations in each category. In several countries, lichens are protected due to the increase in air pollution. Through visualizing and emphasizing these precious and unseen species, the changeable textiles aim to activate the viewer in rethinking human’s relationship to nature.

Prinzipiell ist es möglich, dass sich Plattenepithelkarzinome aus klinisch gesund erscheinender Mundschleimhaut bilden. Allerdings konnte nachgewiesen werden, dass ein hoher Anteil aus bereits langfristig bestehenden Vorläuferläsionen, wie z.B. Leukoplakien und Läsionen, die dem Lichen planus zugeschrieben werden, hervorgeht. Der Expressionsnachweis verschiedener Tumormarker konnte bereits genutzt werden, um den Prozess der Karzinogenese besser zu verstehen und vielversprechende Methoden der Früherkennung zu entwickeln. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit der Analyse von immunzytochemisch gefärbten Bürstenbiopsien oraler Läsionen im Hinblick auf die Expression von GLUT1 und SHH und deren Bedeutung für den Prozess der malignen Transformation. Die untersuchte diagnostische Methode erreichte in der vorliegenden Arbeit eine Sensitivität von 80 % und eine Spezifität von 68 % für die Verwendung eines GLUT1-Antikörpers. Für SHH konnte eine Sensitivität von 60 % und eine Spezifität von 96 % ermittelt werden. / In principle, it is possible that squamous cell carcinomas form from seemingly clinically healthy oral mucosa. However, it has been shown that a large proportion results from long-term precursor lesions, such as leukoplakia and lesions attributed to lichen planus. The detection of various tumor markers has already been used to better understand the process of carcinogenesis and to develop promising methods of early detection. The present work deals with the analysis of immunocytochemically stained brush biopsies of oral lesions with regard to the expression of GLUT1 and SHH and their significance for the process of malignant transformation. In the investigated diagnostic method we achieve a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 68% for the use of a GLUT1 antibody. For SHH, a sensitivity of 60 % and a specificity of 96 % could be determined.

<p> Energy-budget calculations and equilibrium model estimates of evaporation from a lichen-dominated upland site in the Hudson Bay low-lands are presented. The energy budget calculations reveal that the lichen surface is relatively resistant to evaporation with an average of only 54 percent of the daily net radiation being utilized in the evaporative process. Equilibrium estimates of evaporation consistently overestimate actual evaporation by 5 and 8 percent for hourly values and daily totals respectively. A simple model, a function of the equilibrium model, is derived from a comparison of actual and equilibrium evaporation. The only inputs required for the model are net radiation, soil heat flow and screen temperatures. Tests of the model indicate that it will predict actual evaporation within 5 percent and that it can probably be applied to any high latitude surface which exhibits a relatively large resistance to evaporation.</p> / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)