Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:36:02Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T13:59:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Pesquisas versando sobre a distribuição de radionuclídeos naturais na Antártica são raras e desta forma, há grande interesse em se conhecer sua ocorrência e os fatores envolvidos com sua mobilização, transferência e acúmulo neste ambiente extremamente frágil. Os radionuclídeos naturais têm sido intensamente utilizados como traçadores no meio ambiente oceânico, auxiliando na compreensão de processos como afundamento, remoção e ressuspensão de partículas, mistura de massas dágua e circulação oceânica. O 234Th (t½ = 24,1 dias) é um radionuclídeo partículo-reativo produzido continuamente na água do mar pelo decaimento radioativo de seu precursor solúvel e de caráter conservativo com a salinidade 238U (t½ = 4,5 109 anos). Como apresenta meiavida relativamente curta, o 234Th é apropriado para quantificar processos que ocorrem em escala de tempo de dias a semanas. O desequilíbrio 234Th/ 238U nas águas superficiais do oceano tem sido utilizado para determinar o fluxo de carbono orgânico que afunda via material particulado. O fluxo de partículas produtivas biologicamente para além da zona eufótica no Oceano Austral tem destaque especial devido à sua importância no controle das concentrações de CO2 na atmosfera. Os radionuclídeos 210Pb (t½ = 22,3 anos) e 210Po (t½ = 138 dias) também são partículo-reativos. O desequilíbrio 210Po/ 210Pb tem sido utilizado para estimar os fluxos de partículas exportadas no oceano em uma escala de tempo de várias semanas. Os isótopos de Ra de meias-vidas longas, 226Ra (t½ = 1.600 anos) e 228Ra (t½ = 5,75 anos) são solúveis na água do mar exibem propriedades únicas que os tornam bons traçadores de massas dágua. Este trabalho teve por objetivos estudar as distribuições dos radionuclídeos naturais 238U, 234Th, 226Ra, 228Ra, 210Pb e 210Po no Estreito de Bransfield, durante duas campanhas realizadas no Verão Austral de 2011 (OPERANTAR XXIX e XXX). / Dissertação (Mestrado) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Os corantes possuem grande importância nos diversos segmentos industriais, sendo utilizados em medicamentos, cosméticos, alimentos, roupas, plásticos, borracha, dentre outros. Atualmente, são produzidos no mundo mais de 7 x 105 toneladas de corantes por ano, sendo que aproximadamente 26.500 toneladas/ano são consumidas no Brasil. A produção desses compostos, apesar de ter grande importância econômica é alvo da preocupação ambiental, pois cerca de 2 a 50% dos corantes utilizados na indústria alcançam o ambiente aquático durante o processo de produção e de processamento têxtil. Desta forma aproximadamente 280.000 toneladas de corantes da indústria têxtil são descarregados nos efluentes industriais a cada ano no mundo. Dentro desse contexto, os estudos envolvendo a avaliação de risco de corantes e seus produtos de degradação são de grande importância para a análise do impacto que esses compostos podem causar à saúde humana e ao ecossistema. O Acid Black 210 é um azo corante frequentemente utilizado no tingimento do couro, algodão e tecido de lã, representando aproximadamente 80 a 90% do corante de cor preta utilizado na indústria. O Disperse Red 73 é um azo corante de cor vermelha, frequentemente utilizado no tingimento de tecidos. No entanto, não existem estudos publicados na literatura científica sobre o potencial genotóxico e toxicológico desses corantes e sobre o monitoramento da presença desses corantes em águas superficiais. Estudos preliminares realizados em nosso laboratório, mostraram que o corante Disperse Red 73 induziu mutagenicidade nas linhagens TA98 e TA100 de Salmonella typhimurium e que foi extremamente tóxico para a espécie de Daphnia similis em ensaios de toxicidade aguda. Desse modo, esse trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o potencial mutagênico dos corantes Acid Black 210 e Disperse Red 73 através do ensaio de micronúcleo em células HepG2 e avaliar os efeitos ecotoxicológicos agudos do corante Acid Black 210 utilizando os organismos da espécie Daphnia similis. Adicionalmente foram realizados os ensaios de avaliação de proliferação celular, ensaio de avaliação da morte celular por necrose e apoptose e ensaio de parada do ciclo celular utilizando o corante Acid Black 210 em células HepG2. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o corante Disperse Red 73 não induziu danos cromossômicos em células HepG2 nas condições testadas. O Acid Black 210 não provocou a morte celular por apoptose e/ou necrose, em altas concentrações provocou parada no ciclo celular e induziu a citotoxicidade nos ensaios de proliferação celular. Os ensaios de micronúcleo realizados com o corante Acid Black 210 foram inconclusivos. Portando, os resultados obtidos nesse trabalho mostram que não ha indícios de que o corante Disperse Red 73 induza mutações cromossômicas e sugerem que o corante Acid Black 210 possua baixa toxicidade. No entanto, outros ensaios serão necessários, para que seja realizada uma avaliação de risco ambiental e para os seres humanos. Os resultados obtidos nesse trabalho juntamente com outros resultados do nosso grupo de pesquisa fornecerão subsídios para a realização da avaliação do perigo e caracterização do risco de exposição dos seres vivos a esses corantes. / Dyes and pigments are important compounds in different areas, for example in the medicine, cosmetic, food, clothing, plastic, rubber, and other industries. Currently, the production of these compounds is around 7 x 106 tons per year all over the world, with 26,500 tons per year being consumed in Brazil. The production of dyes, despite its economic relevance, is a subject of environmental concern, because 2 to 50 % of dyes are discharged directly into wastewater during their production process, corresponding to approximately 280,000 t of textile dyes being discharged in the environment worldwide through industrial effluents every year. In this context, the studies of the risk assessment of the dyes and their degradation products are very relevant to assess the impact of these compounds to the human health and the ecosystem. The Acid Black 210 is an azo dye commonly used in the dyeing of leather, cotton, and wool, representing approximately 80 to 90 % of the black dye used in the industry. However, there are not published studies in the scientific literature about the genotoxic potential and the toxicological concerns of this dye, including its monitoring presence in surface waters. Preliminary studies in our laboratory had shown that the Disperse Red 73 dye induces mutagenicity in the TA98 and TA100 Salmonella typhimurium strains and it is extremely toxic to Daphnia similis in acute toxicity tests. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the mutagenic potential of the dyes Acid Black 210 and Disperse Red 73 through the micronucleus assay in HepG2 cell, and the acute ecotoxicological effects of the dye Acid Black 210 using the Daphnia similis test. Additionally, it was performed cell proliferation tests, the evaluation of the cell death by apoptosis and necrosis, and the cell cycle arrest assay using the Acid Black 210 dye in HepG2 cells. The results obtained in this study showed that the Disperse Red 73 dye did not induce chromosomal damage in HepG2 cells under the conditions tested. Acid Black 210 dye did not cause cell death by apoptosis and/or necrosis, at higher concentrations cause arrest cell cycle and induced cytotoxicity in cell proliferation assays. Micronucleus assays performed with the dye Acid Black 210 showed inconclusive. Therefore, the results of this study show that there is no evidence that the Disperse Red 73 dye induces chromosomal mutations and suggest that the Acid Black 210 dye has low toxicity. However, other tests will be required to do environmental and human risk assessments of these dyes. The results of this study along with other results of our research group will provide these additional requirements.

The Brazilian poet Adélia Prado says that our eyes are our only tiny window to look at and perceive the world in the restricted 24-hour period of each day. This little lens is all that we have to see the world. Therefore, what we fail to see is always far bigger than what we are able to see. Until last year, when I came to Durham to attend the meeting of the council of Societas Homiletica, Paul Murray, this “luminary of the 20th century,” was completely out of my view. By coming here I had the opportunity to get to know her, her story, her struggle, her life … With its profound sensitivity to life and to a theology born from life itself, Donyelle McCray’s paper offered us a brilliant view of this activist, poet, lawyer, professor, Episcopal priest, and preacher.

Dans cette thèse, nous avons combiné les approches des cultures single-cell, de cytométrie en flux,des analyses de métabolisme énergétique et de génétique moléculaire afin d’explorer les effets del’Acétate d’α-Tocopherol (α-TOA) sur les cellules stromales mésenchymateuses (MStroC) et leurs souspopulations fonctionnelles (cellules souches et progénitrices mésenchymateuses). L’autre but était de tester une molécule de miR-210 par rapport à son utilisation potentielle comme « hypoxia mimicking molecule ». Après avoir démontré l’hétérogénéité de la population MStroC et conclu que la population de premier passage est appropriée pour des expérimentations ultérieures, nous avons trouvé que l’α-TOA présentait un effet positif sur le maintien de la capacité proliférative élevée des cellules souches mésenchymateuses. Cet effet est accompagné d’une atténuation de l’activité de la chaîne de transport d’électrons (ETC) qui pourrait d’autre part expliquer l’accroissement modéré du niveau des Reactive Oxygen Species mitochondriales (mtROS) que nous avons détectées. L’augmentation du niveau de mtROS pourrait être associée à une dégradation de protéine HIF-1 dans la population MStroC exposée à l’α-TOA. Bien que nous n’ayons pas détecté d’augmentation compensatoire de la glycolyse, les phénomènes observés représentent en partie la réponse cellulaire complexe au faible niveau d’O2. Il a été établi que ce phénomène était relié au maintien de primitivité des cellules souches. Le mécanisme exact reste à clarifier ainsi que son potentiel translationnel. En outre, nous avons apporté la preuve que miR-210 fait partie intégrante de la réponse des MStroC à la faible concentration en O2. Dans cette étude, nous avons montré que l’augmentation de l’expression de miR-210 sur une période courte (jusqu’à 24 heures) et après une période étendue (jusqu’à 72 heures) d’exposition des MStroC à une faible concentration en O2. De plus, nous avons prouvé que ce micro ARN pouvait être régulé par les deux facteurs transcriptionnels HIF-1 et HIF-2, nous laissant penser que ceci faisait partie intégrante de la réponse des MStroC à une faible concentration en O2. Jusqu’à présent, nos données suggèrent que miR-210 est digne d’intérêt en tant que bonne molécule « hypoxia mimicking ». / In this thesis, we combined approaches of single-cell cultures, flow-cytometry, energetic metabolismanalysis and molecular genetics in order to get insight in the effects of α-Tocopherol-Acetate (α-TOA)on Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MStroC) and their functional subpopulations (mesenchymal stem and progenitor cells). The other aim was to test a miR-210 molecule with respect to its potential use as hypoxia mimicking molecule. After defining MStroC population heterogeneity and concluding that the first passage population is convenient for further experiments, we demonstrated that α-TOA exhibits a positive effect on the maintenance of high proliferative capacity of mesenchymal stem cells. This effect could be associated with an attenuation of electron transport chain (ETC) activity, which, on the other hand could explain moderate increase in the level of mitochondrial Reactive Oxygen Species (mtROS) we detected. The increase in mtROS level could be associated with a decreased HIF-1 alpha protein degradation in MStroC exposed to α-TOA. Although we did not detect a compensatory increase in glycolysis, the observed phenomena depict part of a complex cellular response to the low O2 that is demonstrated to be related with maintenance of stem cell primitiveness. The exact mechanism remains to be elucidated as well as its translational potential. In addition, we provided new evidences that miR-210 is integral part in MStroC response to low O2. In the study, we showed increased in miR-210 expression in a short-term (up to 24 hours) and after extended (up to 72 hours) MStroC exposed to low O2. Moreover, we demonstrated that this micro- RNA could be regulated by both HIF-1 and HIF-2 transcriptional factors, suggesting it as integral part of MStroC response to low O2. So far, our data suggest that miR-210 is worthy to be considered as good hypoxia mimicking molecule.

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I provide initial evidence that international taxation impacts the magnitude of R&D investments in the UK. Relying on a simple theoretical model, I show that the observed response is consistent with the mispricing of intra-group transactions. My structural estimates suggest that transfer prices for internally provided innovation increase by around three percent in response to a one percentage point increase in foreign taxation. This response is more pronounced than previous estimates of aggregate profit shifting indicate, supporting concerns on the susceptibility of intangible assets to facilitate profit relocation. (author's abstract) / Series: WU International Taxation Research Paper Series

We discuss the effects of rising shareholder power on distribution and capital accumulation in a Kaleckian model. Increasing shareholder power is associated with decreasing managements' animal spirits, on the one hand, and increasing dividends distributed to shareholders, on the other hand. In the short run, increasing shareholder power may either have positive ('finance-led'), negative ('normal') or intermediate ('profits without investment') effects on capacity utilisation, profits and capital accumulation. In the medium run, the positive ('finance-led') effects may be maintained in a stable environment under very special conditions, whereas the negative ('normal') and the intermediate ('profits without investment') effects turn into cumulative disequilibrium processes with falling rates of capacity utilisation, profits and capital accumulation and rising debt- and rentiers' equity-capital-ratios. (author´s abstract) / Series: Department of Economics Working Paper Series

The open innovation approach has been one of the most discussed topics in innovation management literature in the 2000's. Existing literature on open innovation shows an evolving diffusion of open innovation in certain industries and contexts. Various case studies and theoretical work suggest that the open innovation adoption decision within a company could be triggered by internal and external factors. The goal of this dissertation is to provide comprehensive empirical evidence for the adoption of inbound and outbound open innovation activities in Europe. Furthermore, the thesis will provide empirical evidence for a set of open innovation drivers using primary data from European firms to link the adoption of open innovation with organizational capabilities, characteristics of the market environment, and human resource capabilities. The results will show the current level of open innovation adoption in Europe and its drivers. This could have managerial implications by showing influencing of organizational and human variable on the adoption of open innovation strategies.

Neste trabalho foi estudada a degradação eletroquímica do azo corante Preto Ácido 210 (PA210) utilizando ânodos dimensionalmente estáveis de composição Ti/Ir0,10Sn0,90O2 e Ti/Ir0,30Sn0,70O2 preparados pelo método de decomposição térmica de precursores poliméricos. Os efeitos da presença e da concentração de cloreto, da composição eletródica, da densidade de corrente e do tempo de eletrólise sobre a oxidação eletroquímica de 100 ppm do corante PA210 foram avaliados. Em todas as condições estudadas, a remoção da absorbância em 465 nm (max) foi superior a 94% depois de 30 min de eletrólise. A redução de TOC foi proporcional à concentração de íons cloreto no eletrólito e não mostrou dependência da composição eletródica. A formação de espécies organocloradas variou na faixa de 8 a 16 ppm, sendo que as maiores concentrações de AOX foram obtidas para o eletrólito com maior concentração de cloreto. A redução máxima de TOC obtida foi de 25% depois de 90 min de eletrólise à densidade de corrente de 25 mA cm-2 para o eletrólito HCl 0,1 mol L-1. A eficiência de corrente foi calculada em relação ao TOC, sendo obtido o melhor resultado, de 9,14%, em 30 min de eletrólise com HCl 0,1 mol L-1 a 25 mA cm-2, sendo esta eficiência quatro vezes maior que para melhor eficiência em meio de H2SO4 0,1 mol L-1. O estudo da relação TOC / AOX indica que após as eletrólises houve a adição de cloreto as substâncias orgânicas gerando espécies organocloradas que apresentam uma relação de aproximadamente 1 átomo de cloro para cada 5 átomos de carbono. / The electrochemical degradation of the azo dye Acid Black 210 (AB210) using dimensionally stable anodes of composition Ti/Ir0,10Sn0,90O2 and Ti/Ir0,30Sn0,70O2 prepared by thermal decomposition of polymeric precursors was studied. The effects of the presence and concentration of chloride, electrode composition, current density, and electrolysis time on the electrochemical oxidation of 100 ppm dye PA210 were evaluated. In all the studied conditions, the removal of the absorbance at 465 nm (max) was greater than 94% after 30 min of electrolysis. The reduction of TOC was proportional to the concentration of chloride ions in the electrolyte and was not shown to be dependent on electrode composition. The formation of organochloride species varied in the range from 8 to 16 ppm, with higher concentrations of AOX being obtained for the electrolyte with high chloride concentration. The maximum reduction of TOC was 25% after 90 min of electrolysis, at a current density of 25 mA cm-2, for the electrolyte HCl 0.1 mol L-1. The current efficiency was calculated in relation to TOC, and the best result was 9.14% after 30 min of electrolysis in HCl 0.1 mol L-1 at 25 mA cm-2. This efficiency is four times higher than the best efficiency obtained by using only H2SO4 0.1 mol L-1 as electrolyte. The study of the TOC / AOX relationship indicates that there was addition of chloride to the organic substances after electrolysis, thus genetaring organochloride species with a ratio of about 1 atom of chlorine for every 5 carbon atoms.