Yes / The sustained and controlled delivery of antimicrobial drugs has been largely studied using nanomaterials, like metal organic frameworks (MOFs), and various polymers. However, not much attention has been given to combining MOFs and biodegradable polymers towards the potentially more sustained release of active pharmaceutical ingredients. Herein, we report a comparative study of two widely used antimicrobial drugs, cephalexin and metronidazole, from zinc-based MOF-5 incorporated into biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly-lactic glycolic acid (PLGA) composites. Cephalexin and metronidazole were separately loaded into MOF-5 post-synthetically, followed by their integration into biodegradable PLGA and PCL composites. The pristine MOF-5 and the loaded MOFs were thoroughly characterised using Fourier-transformed infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD). Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy studies were carried out to assess the release of the drugs in PBS for up to 72 h, showing a cumulative release of 24.95 wt% and 27.84 wt% for cephalexin and metronidazole, respectively. The antibacterial properties of the pristine MOF, pure drugs, drug-loaded MOFs and the loaded composites were assessed against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacterial strains, Staphylococcus aureus or Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli or Acinetobacter baumanii, respectively. A cephalexin-loaded MOF-5 composite of PCL (PCL-ceph@MOF-5) showed the best efficiency for the controlled release of drugs to inhibit the growth of the bacteria compared to the other composites. This study demonstrates that the combination of MOFs with biodegradable polymers can provide an efficient platform for the sustained release of antimicrobial drugs and can be a promising tool to manage antimicrobial resistance (AMR).

Women's most common menstrual product is sanitary pads. Most disposable sanitary pads are constructed of up to 90% non-biodegradable plastics and bleached wood pulp. Throughout the sanitary pad's life cycle, there is a risk of exposure to toxic emissions harmful to humans and ecosystems. In contrast, disposable sanitary pads' health and environmental consequences have received little attention due to cultural stigma associated with menstruation and a lack of information regarding the chemical components used in sanitary pads. A case study has been performed at the Hempur company in Stockholm, Sweden, to evaluate potential environmental impacts of a sanitary disposal pad made almost entirely of unbleached bamboo pulp and polylactic plastic (PLA). The study's objectives were accomplished using a comparative life cycle assessment methodology to identify potential trade-offs between Hempur disposable sanitary pads and a conventional disposable sanitary pad consisting of non-biodegradable polymers and bleached wood pulp. Thus, understanding the study's results allows the implementation of recommendations to improve the environmental performance of Hempur sanitary pads. The study results indicate that Hempur plant-based sanitary pads, even though shipped to Sweden from China, have lower adverse environmental impacts —on average 40% less than conventional sanitary pads created using traditional materials and manufacturing sites in European countries. More than 80% of the overall impacts of the conventional sanitary pad were attributed to bleached wood pulp and low-density polyethylene. The upstream operations of Hempur sanitary pads were identified as the least environmentally friendly phase of the product due to the use of unbleached wood pulp and polylactic plastic, which together account for between 40% and 80% of all impact categories, most notably water scarcity and abiotic element depletion. Other factors and assumptions identified during the sensitivity analysis suggested the potential for reducing the environmental footprint of Hempur sanitary pads. By transitioning from coal to hydropower to generate electricity for bamboo pulp manufacturing, Hempur's upstream operations will dramatically improve their environmental performance, resulting in a reduction in global warming and acidification. Finally, this study suggests that other alternatives for PLA and use bamboo in the core part of Hempur sanitary pad should be considered and assessed. In this study, however, parts of the life cycle inventory process were omitted due to a lack of data on the materials and process method, which may affect the precision of the results.

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden zwei neuartige biodegradierbare Nanopartikel (NP)-Typen definierter Größe auf ihre Eignung als Wirkstofftransporter für die Verwendung in der Photodynamischen Therapie (PDT) untersucht. Die Verwendung biodegradierbarer NP als Wirkstofftransporter in der PDT ist ein vielversprechender neuer Ansatz, der im Rahmen dieser Arbeit erstmalig untersucht wurde. Die in dieser Arbeit untersuchten NP bestehen aus humanem Serumalbumin (HSA), beziehungsweise Polylactid-co-Glycolid (PLGA) und wurden mit den Photosensibilisatoren (PS) Phäophorbid a (Pheo), Meta-Tetra (Hydroxy-Phenyl)- Porphyrin (mTHPP) oder Meta-Tetra (Hydroxy-Phenyl)-Chlorin (mTHPC) beladen. Es wurden die endozytotische Aufnahme, der lysosomale Abbau der NP und die intrazelluläre Freisetzung der PS in Abhängigkeit von der Inkubationszeit in vitro an humanen Krebszellen untersucht. Um die Effizienz der Photosensibilisierung durch die mit PS beladenen NP zu bestimmen, wurden die Phototoxizität und die intrazelluläre Singulettsauerstoffgenerierung bestimmt. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass sowohl HSA- als auch PLGA-NP das Potential besitzen als Wirkstofftransporter in der PDT Verwendung zu finden. Insbesondere mTHPC-beladene NP wirken durch starke intrazelluläre Singulettsauerstoffgenerierung sehr phototoxisch. Die Experimente zeigen, dass die intrazelluläre PS-Konzentration geringeren Einfluss auf die Effizienz der Photosensibilisierung hat als die Freisetzung der PS und deren intrazelluläre Lokalisation. Die Biodegradierbarkeit von HSA und PLGA ermöglicht einen schnellen Abbau. Dadurch kann bereits bei sehr geringen intrazellulären PS-Konzentrationen hohe Phototoxizität erreicht werden. Der Fokus bei der Optimierung sollte einerseits in einer stabilen Verbindung zwischen PS und NP liegen, andererseits in einer effizienten Freisetzung nach der zellulären Aufnahme. Deshalb sind biodegradierbare Polymere sehr vielversprechende Materialien für die Entwicklung von PS-NP-Transportsystemen. / In the present study, two novel biodegradable nanoparticle (NP) types with a defined size were examined for their suitability as drug delivery systems for use in photodynamic therapy (PDT). NP drug transporters already found a successful application in chemotherapy but the use of biodegradable NP in PDT is a new promising challenge. The investigated NP consist of human serum albumin (HSA) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and were loaded with the photosensitizers (PS) pheophorbide a (Pheo), meta-tetra(hydroxy-phenyl)-porphyrin (mTHPP) or meta- tetra(hydroxy-phenyl)-chlorin(mTHPC). The endocytotic intracellular uptake and the time dependent drug release caused by decomposition of the biodegradable PS loaded nanoparticles were studied in vitro on Jurkat cells in suspension. The phototoxicity as well as the intracellular singlet oxygen generation was investigated for different incubation times. It was shown that both, HSA and PLGA NPs are promising carriers for PDT agents regarding uptake and phototoxicity. Especially the mTHPC loaded NPs show a very efficient phototoxicity caused by a very high singlet oxygen generation after the release of the PSs. The experiments show that the overall intracellular PS concentration is of less importance for the efficiency of the photosensitization compared to the amount of intracellular drug release and the intracellular localisation of the PS molecules. The biodegradability of the HSA and PLGA nanoparticles enables a fast intracellular drug release that causes high phototoxicity even for very low intracellular PS concentrations. Thus, the strategy for efficient PS loaded NP carriers is not a maximum loading. The main challenge is to create carriers with highly stable PS NP bonding to prevent any drug release before intracellular uptake combined with the ability of a complete drug release inside the target cells. Thus, biodegradable polymers are very promising materials for the design of NP-PS delivery systems

Magnesium alloys have been widely explored as potential biomaterials, but several limitations to using these materials have prevented their widespread use, such as uncontrollable degradation kinetics which alter their mechanical properties. In an attempt to further the applicability of magnesium and its alloys for biomedical purposes, two novel magnesium alloys Mg-Zn-Cu and Mg-Zn-Se were developed with the expectation of improving upon the unfavorable qualities shown by similar magnesium based materials that have previously been explored. The overall performance of these novel magnesium alloys has been assessesed in three distinct phases of research: 1) analysing the mechanical properties of the as-cast magnesium alloys, 2) evaluating the biocompatibility of the as-cast magnesium alloys through the use of in-vitro cellular studies, and 3) profiling the degradation kinetics of the as-cast magnesium alloys through the use of electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization techqnique as well as gravimetric weight-loss methods. As compared to currently available shape memory alloys and degradable as-cast alloys, these experimental alloys possess superior as-cast mechanical properties with elongation at failure values of 12% and 13% for the Mg-Zn-Se and Mg-Zn-Se alloys, respectively. This is substantially higher than other as-cast magnesium alloys that have elongation at failure values that range from 7-10%. Biocompatibility tests revealed that both the Mg-Zn-Se and Mg-Zn-Cu alloys exhibit low cytotoxicity levels which are suitable for biomaterial applications. Gravimetric and electrochemical testing was indicative of the weight loss and initial corrosion behavior of the alloys once immersed within a simulated body fluid. The development of these novel as-cast magnesium alloys provide an advancement to the field of degradable metallic materials, while experimental results indicate their potential as cost-effective medical devices.

Dans le domaine des plastiques biodégradables, les produits se doivent d’être de plus en plus compétitifs. Ces travaux, menés entre le laboratoire IMP@UJM et la société LCI ont eu pour objectif principal l’augmentation de la part en matières d’origines renouvelables dans le mélange de polymères biodégradable poly(butylène adipate-co-téréphtalate) (PBAT)/TPF (farine thermoplastique), sans diminuer ses propriétés mécaniques. Ce mélange est obtenu par extrusion en une seule étape, comprenant la plastification de la farine et le mélange avec le polyester. L’enjeu scientifique était donc en premier lieu de comprendre les relations entre la mise en oeuvre, l’établissement de la morphologie du mélange, la concentration en chacun des polymères et les propriétés mécaniques. Dans un second temps, ces résultats ont été exploités en vue de l’augmentation des propriétés mécaniques du mélange. L’influence de la concentration en TPF et du rapport de viscosité entre les phases a donc été mise en évidence sur toute la gamme de concentration, mettant en lumière l’importance de contrôler la tension interfaciale du mélange. Des mécanismes d’établissement de la morphologie et des interprétations quant à son effet sur les propriétés mécaniques du mélange sont proposés. L’étude d’une modification par extrusion réactive du PBAT est ensuite présentée. L’évolution de la structure du polyester est caractérisée par chromatographie d’exclusion stérique en fonction de différents paramètres, dont le temps de mélange. Enfin, différentes modifications du mélange PBAT/TPF sont testées. L’influence de la modification du PBAT, de la modification de la phase TPF ou de la modification de l’interface via des agents compatibilisants est étudiée sur les propriétés rhéologiques, morphologiques et mécaniques du mélange / Biodegradable plastics need to be more and more competitive. This work, conducted between IMP@UJM laboratory and LCI company had the main objective of increasing the content of renewable materials in the biodegradable blend of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) (PBAT)/ thermoplastic flour (TPF), without decreasing its mechanical properties. The blend was obtained by a single step extrusion, including flour thermoplastification and blending with the polyester. The scientific challenge was to understand the relationship between processing parameters, the morphology establishment, the concentration of each phase of the blend and its mechanical properties. Then, these results were exploited in order to increase the mechanical properties of the mixture. The influence of the concentration of TPF and the viscosity ratio between the phases was highlighted over the entire concentration range. This highlighted the importance of controlling the interfacial tension of the blend. Mechanisms of the morphology establishment were proposed, as well as interpretations about its effect on the mechanical properties of the blend. Then, a study of the PBAT modification by reactive extrusion was proposed. The evolution of the polyester structure was characterized by size exclusion chromatography, according to various parameters including the mixing time. Finally, various modifications of PBAT/TPF mixture were tested. Modifying the PBAT, the TPF phase or the interface via the compatibilizers were studied in order to tailor the rheological, morphological and mechanical properties

Chemical catalysts are divided into two traditional categories: homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts. Although homogeneous (molecular) catalysts tend to have high activity and selectivity, their wide application is hampered by the difficulties in catalyst separation. In contrast, the vast majority of industrial scale catalysts are heterogeneous catalysts based on solid materials. Immobilized catalysts, combining the advantages of homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, have developed into an important field in catalysis research. This dissertation presents synthesis, characterization and evaluation of several novel immobilized catalysts. In the first part, MNP supported aluminum isoproxide was developed for ROP of Є-caprolactone to achieve facile magnetic separation of catalysts from polymerization system and reduce toxic metal residues in the poly(caprolactone) product. Chapter 3 presents a silica coated MNP supported DMAP catalyst that was synthesized and displayed good activity and regio-selectivity in epoxide ring opening reactions. In Chapter 4, hybrid sulfonic acid catalysts based on polymer brush materials have been developed. The unique polymer brush architecture permits high catalyst loadings as well as easy accessibility of the active sites to be achieved in this catalytic system. In Chapter 5, aminopolymer-silica composite supported Pd catalysts with good activity and selectivity were developed for the selective hydrogenation of alkynes. In this case, the aminopolymer composite works as a stabilizer for palladium nanoparticles, as well as a modifier to tune the catalyst selectivity. All in all, the general theme of the thesis is developing new immobilized catalysts with improved activity/selectivity as well as easy separation via rational catalyst design.

Šiame darbe yra aprašomi lengvai biologiškai skaidomų organinių teršalų koncentracijos Palangos miesto nuotekose atskirais metų laikotarpiais bei Visagino miesto nuotekose tyrimai. Tyrimams nuotekos buvo imamos prieš biologinį valymą, o veiklusis dumblas – iš veikliojo dumblo reaktoriaus pabaigos. Tyrimai atlikti VGTU Vandentvarkos katedros ir UAB „Palangos vandenys“ laboratorijose. Siekiant įvertinti teršalų bei technologinių parametrų kitimą bei jų įtaką nuotekų išvalymo rodikliams, buvo surinkti ir statistiškai apdoroti Palangos ir Visagino nuotekų tyrimų rodikliai. Analizuota nuotekų parametrų priklausomybė, teršalų koncentracijų kaita, nuotekų valymo efektyvumas ir jų įtaka biologiniam fosforo šalinimui. Ištirtos lengvai biologiškai skaidomų organinių teršalų koncentracijos. Gauti rezultatai palyginti su anksčiau VGTU Vandentvarkos katedroje atliktų magistrantų nuotekų tyrimų rezultatais. / It is the investigations for determination of concentration of easily biodegradable organic matter in wastewater of Palanga and Visaginas towns. Wastewater for investigations have been taken before biological treatment, and active sludge - from the end of active sludge reactor. The investigations were carried out at Water Management Department of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University and UAB "Palangos vandenys" laboratories. The indicators of investigations of Palanga and Visaginas wastewater were collected and statistically processed in order to evaluate alteration of technological parameters and their influence to indicators of wastewater cleaning. It was analysed the relationship between various parameters in order to find out their influence for the efficiency of biological phosphorus removal. It was studied easily biodegradable organic pollutant concentrations too. The results are compared with previously results of investigations, made by postgraduates of Water Management Department of Vilnius Gediminas Technical University.

<p>U radu su predstavljeni rezultati&nbsp; ispitivanja biolo&scaron;ke&nbsp;<br />stabilnosti vode za piće primenom rotirajućih prstenastih reaktora (eng.&nbsp;<br />rotating annular reactor, RAR). Pomoću RAR praćen je uticaj odabranih&nbsp;<br />faktora na suspendovani i pričvr&scaron;ćeni mikrobni rast pri kontrolisanim&nbsp;<br />laboratorijskim uslovima koji su simulirali distributivne sisteme. Pored&nbsp;<br />toga, u cilju potpunog razumevanja biolo&scaron;ke stabilnosti vode za piće&nbsp;<br />izvr&scaron;eno je ispitivanje metoda za određivanje biodegradabilne frakcije<br />organske materije, BDOC i AOC test.</p><p>Poređenjem BDOC testova sa nativnom populacijom bakterija&nbsp;<br />pričvr&scaron;ćenom za pesak iantracit utvrđena je efikasnija primena biolo&scaron;kog&nbsp;<br />aktivnog peska. Primenom peska za inokulaciju uzorka, vrednost BDOC&nbsp;<br />u podzemnoj vodi sa teritorije srednjeg Banata iznosila je 1,27 mgC/l. U<br />ispitivanju AOC testa sa suspendovanim standardnim kulturama&nbsp;<br />Pseudomonas fluorescens P17 (ATCC 49642) i Spirillum sp. NOX&nbsp;<br />(ATCC 49643), AOC iskori&scaron;ćen od strane NOX je imao veću vrednost u&nbsp;<br />odnosu na P17, &scaron;to pokazuje da su karboksilne kiseline dominantan&nbsp;<br />supstrat za rast. Vrednost AOC u tretiranoj podzemnoj vodi iznosila 32&nbsp;<br />&mu;g acetat-C/l. Veće vrednosti BDOC ukazuju na prisustvo jedinjenja&nbsp;<br />veće molekulske mase u ovoj frakciji u odnosu na AOC frakciju&nbsp;<br />biodegradabilne organske materije.</p><p>U ispitivanju biostabilnosti podzemne vode sa teritorije srednjeg&nbsp;<br />Banatatokom tretmana, najveća količina biofilma je razvijena u RAR sa&nbsp;<br />ozoniranom vodom (13,30 CFU/cm²), &scaron;to potvrđuje efekte ozonizacije na&nbsp;<br />biodegradabilnost organske materije i ponovni rast mikroorganizama.&nbsp;<br />Tokom tretmana zabeleženo je variranje razvoja biofilma, pri čemu je&nbsp;<br />najmanji stepen rasta biofilma uočen u RAR sa vodom nakon GAC&nbsp;<br />filtracije (1,10 CFU/cm²).</p><p>Tokom mikrobne kolonizacije test-pločica RAR pri laminarnom i&nbsp;<br />turbulentnom protoku uočen je sličan trend rasta bakterija u biofilmu u sintetičkoj sme&scaron;i organskih i neorganskih nutrijenata. Međutim, tokom dominacije suspendovanog rasta u sistemu voda-biofilm pri neprotocnim uslovima, pona&scaron;anje biofilmova razvijenih pri protočnim (laminarnim i turbulentnim) uslovima je bilo različto. Uočen je manji udeo bakterija prisutnih u vodenoj fazi kod biofilma nastalim pri turbulentnom protoku u odnosu na veće oslobađanje ćelija iz biofilma nastalim pri laminarnim uslovima, nakon 48h 78% i 89% suspendovanih bakterija, redom. Ovi rezultati pokazuju da su biofilmovi razvijeni pri turbulentnom protoku snažniji, stabilniji &nbsp; i jače pričvr&scaron;ćeni nego pri laminarnom protoku.</p><p>Tokom praćenja sekundarne kolonizacije odvojenih ćelija biofilma&nbsp;<br />uočeno je da se primarni biofilm pona&scaron;a kao stalni rezervoar ćelija koje&nbsp;<br />su sposobne da zauzmu nove povr&scaron;ine vrlo brzo pri različitim&nbsp;<br />hidrodinamičkim uslovima. Brojnost bakterija u biofilmu razvijenom na&nbsp;<br />sekundarnim test-pločicama nakon 24 h iznosila je 32000&plusmn;1200&nbsp;CFU/cm^2&nbsp;<br />u odnosu na 16&plusmn;1 CFU/cm^2&nbsp;primarne test-pločice. Ustanovljen&nbsp;<br />je izraženiji potencijal kolonizacije novih povr&scaron;ina odvojenim želijama iz&nbsp;<br />primarnog biofilma koji je formiran pri turbulentnim uslovima u odnosu&nbsp;<br />na laminarne uslove.</p><p>Proces stvaranja biofilma na test-pločicama od nerđajućeg čelika&nbsp;<br />(SS), polivinilhlorida(PVC) i polietilena(PE) je bio vrlo sličan. Samo&nbsp;<br />debljina biofilma je bila veća na PE (4,0-5,5 kg/m³) nego na SS i PVC&nbsp;<br />test-pločicama (2,7-3,6 kg/m^3&nbsp;i 2,8-3,9 kg/m³, redom). Ustanovljen je&nbsp;<br />uticaj materijala cevi na rast biofilma u RAR snabdevanim vodom iz&nbsp;<br />distributivnog sistema grada Novog Sada, naročito za vreme početne faze&nbsp;<br />procesa. Biofilmovi formirani na različitim materijalima u RAR su uticali&nbsp;<br />na mikrobiolo&scaron;ki kvalitet vode, zavisno od njihove bakterijske gustine.&nbsp;</p><p>SEM analiza potvrdila je prisustvo biofilma na test-pločicama u&nbsp;<br />eksperimentima, ukazujući na uspe!nu primenu RAR u ispitivanju&nbsp;<br />biofilma i biostabilnosti vode za piće.</p><p>Rezultati dobijeni tokom ispitivanja ukazuju da se primenom&nbsp;<br />odabranih i optimizovanih, zavisno od cilja ispitivanja i vrste uzorka,&nbsp;<br />BDOC i AOC testova može efikasno definisati biolo!ka stabilnost vode&nbsp;<br />za piće. Pored toga, sistematski pristup odabiru odgovarajućih materijala&nbsp;<br />cevi, koji je zasnovan na pouzdanim testovima i definisanim&nbsp;<br />kriterijumima, može se primeniti u cilju osiguravanja kvaliteta vode sa&nbsp;<br />mikrobiolo&scaron;kog aspekta.</p><p>Ispitivanja su pokazala uspe&scaron;nu primenuRAR u simulaciji&nbsp;<br />mikrobnog rasta u cevima pri kontrolisanim laboratorijskim uslovima i&nbsp;<br />značaj istovremenog ispitivanja imobilisanog i suspendovanog rasta u&nbsp;<br />definisanom hidrodinamičkom sistemu.&nbsp; Primena RAR kao model biofilma je ukazala na njegov značaj u ispitivanju potencijala ponovnog naseljavanja povr&scaron;ina otkinutih delova i/ili pojedinačnih ćelija biofilma za uspostavljanje efikasne kontrole mikrobnih problema u distributivnim sitemima vode za piće.</p> / <p>This thesis presents theresults of investigation of drinking water biostability using the&nbsp; rotating annular reactor (RAR). The effects of selected factors on the suspended and attached microbial growth under controlled laboratory conditions that simulated the&nbsp;distribution systems were monitored using RAR. In addition, in order to completeunderstanding of the drinking water biological stability,&nbsp;methods for determining biodegradable organic matter fractions, BDOC&nbsp;and AOC methods were tested.</p><p>Comparing the BDOC tests with the native population of bacteria&nbsp;attached to sand and anthracite, a better application of biologically active&nbsp;sand was established. Using BDOC test with sand, the BDOC value in&nbsp;groundwater from the territory of the Central Banat (Republic of Serbia)&nbsp;was 1.27 mgC/L. In the investigation of AOC tests with standard&nbsp;<br />suspended culture of Pseudomonas fluorescens P17(ATCC 49642) and&nbsp;Sprillumsp. NOX (ATCC 49643), AOC utilized by NOX had a higher&nbsp;value compared to the P17, which shows that the carboxylic acid are&nbsp;dominant substrate for growth. The AOC value in the treated ground&nbsp;water was 32 &mu;g acetate-C/L. The higher BDOC values indicate the&nbsp;presence of higher molecular weight compounds in this fraction&nbsp;compared to the AOC biodegradable fraction of organic matter.&nbsp;</p><p>In the investigation of biostability during treatment of&nbsp;groundwater from the territory of the Central Banat (Republic of Serbia),&nbsp;the largest amount of biofilm was developed in the RAR with ozonated&nbsp;water (13.30 CFU/cm²), confirming the effects of ozonation on organic&nbsp;matter biodegradability and microbial regrowth. During treatment the&nbsp;<br />variation of biofilm development was detected and in the RAR with water after GAC filtration the lowest level of biofilm growth (1.10 CFU/cm²) was observed.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-size: 12px;">During the microbial colonization of the RAR test-coupons under&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">laminar and turbulent flow, the similar trend of growth of bacteria in the&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">biofilm in synthetic mixture of organic &nbsp;and inorganic nutrients was&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">observed. However, the higher numbers of immobilized bacteria under&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">the turbulent conditions in the same growth period (16 days) were&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">recorded. During the domination of suspended growth in water-biofilm system under &nbsp;non-flow conditions, the behavior of biofilms developed under flow (laminar and turbulent) conditions were different. There was a smaller proportion of bacteria present inthe aqueous phase of the biofilm formed under the turbulent flow over a larger release of cells &nbsp;from biofilms formed under laminar conditions, after 48h 78% and 89% of the suspended &nbsp;bacteria, respectively. These results indicate that biofilms developed under turbulent flow &nbsp;were stronger, more stable and more strongly attached than the ones under laminar flow.</span></p><p>During monitoring of the secondary colonization of the dettached&nbsp;biofilm cells, it was noted that the primary biofilm was a constant&nbsp;reservoir of cells that are able to occupy the new areas very quickly&nbsp;under different hydrodynamic conditions. The abundance of bacteria in&nbsp;the biofilm developed on the secondary test-coupons after 24 h was 32&nbsp;<br />000&plusmn;1200 CFU/cm² compared to 16&plusmn;1 CFU/cm²on the primary test-coupons. A stronger potential for colonization of new areas by dettached&nbsp;cells from the primary biofilm formed under the turbulent conditions in&nbsp;comparison to laminar conditions was found.&nbsp;</p><p>The biofilm formation processes on SS, PVC and PE test-coupons&nbsp;werevery similar. Only biofilm thickness was greater on the PE (4.0 to&nbsp;5.5 kg/m³) than the SS and PVC &nbsp;test-coupons (2.7 to 3.6 kg/m³ and 2.8 to&nbsp;3.9 kg/m³, respectively). There was a slight influence of pipe material on&nbsp;the biofilm growth, especially during the initial stages of the process.&nbsp;Biofilms formed on different materials in the RAR with water from the&nbsp;distribution system of the city of Novi Sad (Vojvodina, Republic of&nbsp;Serbia) have showed the influence on the microbiological quality of&nbsp;water, depending on their bacterial density.</p><p>SEM analysis confirmed the biofilm presence on test-coupons in&nbsp;the experiments, indicating the successful implementation of RAR in the&nbsp;examination of biofilm and drinking water biostability.&nbsp;</p><p><span style="font-size: 12px;">The results obtained during the investigations indicate that the&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">application of selected and optimized, depending on the test objective&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 12px;">and sample types, BDOC and AOC tests can effectively define the&nbsp; biological stability. In addition, a systematic approach for &nbsp;electing appropriate pipe materials, which is based on reliable tests and defined criteria, specific for the investigated drinking water distribution system can be applied to ensure &nbsp;he water quality from a microbiological point of view.</span></p><p>The investigations have shown the successful application of RAR&nbsp;in the simulation of microbial growth in the pipes under controlled&nbsp;laboratory conditions as well as the importance of simultaneous&nbsp;examination of immobilized and suspended growth under defined&nbsp;hydrodynamic system. Implementation of RAR as amodel biofilm&nbsp;indicated its importance in examining the potential resettlement area by&nbsp;dettached parts and/or individual biofilm cells to establish effective&nbsp;control of microbial problems in the drinking water distribution system.&nbsp;</p>

L’auto-assemblage de copolymères à blocs amphiphiles est un outil puissant de la chimie supramoléculaire pour la conception de nano-objets complexes et fonctionnels. Dans ces travaux de thèse, l’étude approfondie d’un copolymère à blocs « hybride » synthétique-b-peptidique poly(triméthylène carbonate)-b-poly(acide glutamique) pour des applications de vectorisation a été menée. Des morphologies vésiculaires, obtenues par auto-assemblage en voie « co-solvant » et présentant une grande stabilité ainsi qu’un caractère stimulable ont été mises en évidence. Une transition inédite en température, par des phénomènes de fusion et de fission, a pu être observée. L’encapsulation dans ces vésicules polymères d’un principe actif anti-tumoral et de nanoparticules magnétiques, à des taux très élevés, permet d’améliorer le contraste en IRM ainsi que de moduler la libération de la molécule par une variation des paramètres environnementaux (pH, T) ou par un effet d’hyperthermie magnétique. / Block copolymer self-assembly is a powerful tool within supramolecular chemistry to design smart and functional nano-objects. In this thesis work, comprehensive study of hybrid poly(trimethylene carbonate)-b-poly(glutamic acid) block copolymers for drug delivery applications has been conducted. Highly stable vesicular morphologies presenting stimuli-responsive behaviour were prepared using a solvent-injection method. In particular, original temperature responsiveness mediated by fusion and fission events has been evidenced. Dual loading of an anticancer drug and superparamagnetic nanoparticles in these vesicles, at very high loading contents, allows enhancing MRI contrast and controlling drug release kinetics by varying environmental conditions (pH, T) or by using a magnetic hyperthermia effect.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi produzir poli-3-hidroxibutirato (P3HB) e poli-3-hidroxibutirato-co-3-hidroxivalerato (PHB-co-3HV), polímeros biodegradáveis, utilizando hidrolisado hemicelulósico, rico em xilose, de bagaço de cana-de-açúcar. O estudo dos fluxos metabólicos de xilose in silico indicou que, através do redirecionamento do metabolismo, é possível aumentar o rendimento P3HB a partir de xilose de 0.25 g g-1 para 0.40 g g-1. Obtiveram-se mutantes no sistema repressão catabólica nos quais se verificaram consumo simultâneo de carboidratos e redução do tempo de consumo dos açúcares. Porém, diferenças de fluxos de carbono resultaram em menores valores de crescimento e produção de PH3B em relação às linhagens parentais. Um programa de bioprospecção destacou Burkholderia sp. F24, em experimentos em biorreator obteve-se 25.04 g l-1 de biomassa, 49.31% de acúmulo de P3HB na massa seca celular, alcançando uma produtividade de 0.28 g l-1 h-1. Além disso, foi possível controlar a fração molar de 3HV na síntese PHB-3HV em F24 utilizando xilose e ácido levulínico. / The aim of this thesis is to produce poly3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) and poli-3-hidroxibutirate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate (PHB-co-3HV), biodegradable polymers, using hemicellulosic hydrolysate, rich in xylose, from sugarcane bagasse. Metabolic flux analysis in silico of xylose metabolism indicated that, though metabolism redirection is possible to increase P3HB yield from 0.25 g g-1 to 0.40 g g-1. It was observed simultaneous consumption of sugars and reduction of time necessary to exhaust of all sugars in the media culture in mutants with catabolite repression partially abolished. However, differences in carbon flux resulted in lower growth and P3HB production in comparison to the parental strain. A bioprospecting program selected Burkholderia sp. F24, in experiments in bioreactor it reached 25.04 g l-1, 49.31% of P3HB accumulation of the dry cell mass and 0.28 g l-1 h-1 of productivity. Moreover, it was possible to modulate to molar fraction of 3HV in PHB-co-3HV biosyntheses with Burkholderia sp. F24 using xylose and levulinic acid.