The ubiquitous nature of microorganisms and their specificity to certain locations make them potentially useful for forensic investigators. Advances in microbial profiling techniques have made it possible to compare microbial community profiles obtained from evidence or crime scenes to individuals and vice versa. Profiling microbial communities associated with cadaver decomposition may provide useful information concerning post-mortem intervals and aid in the identification of clandestine graves. Four experiments using pigs as human decomposition analogues were performed over the course of 2011 and 2012 in southern Ontario to document changes in soil microbiology following decomposition. Studies were conducted in the spring and summer to document the effect of environmental conditions on the decomposition process and subsequent changes in gravesoil microbiology. Microbial activity was measured using a fluorescein diacetate assay as a preliminary indicator of changes within the soil microbial population. Both decreases and increases in microbial activity were observed throughout each decomposition experiment indicating that the microbial response to decomposition is complex. It is believed that environmental conditions and decomposition rates play a role in determining how taphonomic events affect soil microbial activity. Fatty acid methyl esters (FAME) profiling was used document community level changes throughout decomposition. Shifts in FAMEs profiles were brought on by the onset of active decay and persisted through to the dry remains stage. The fatty acids 3OH 12:0, 12:0, 16:0 and 18:0 were frequently found in higher amounts in gravesoils and may prove useful as markers of cadaver decomposition. Metagenomic profiles of soil microbial communities were obtained using Illumina?? sequencing. Decomposition was associated with changes v in microbial community composition. This allowed gravesoil samples to be differentiated from control samples for an extended period of time. Bacteria responsible for the shift in microbial profiles are those commonly associated with cadaver decomposition. Both sets of soil profiles indicated that weather had an effect on microbial community composition. Results highlight the need to document natural changes in microbial communities over seasons and years to establish normal microbial patterns to effectively use soil microbial profiles as post-mortem interval or clandestine grave indicators.

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Canterbury, 2007. / Typescript (photocopy). Includes bibliographical references (leaves 158-169). Also available via the World Wide Web.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Brown University, 2005. / Vita. Thesis advisor: Svetlana Evdokimova. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 211-221). Also available online.

No description available.

The aim of this study was to find and use a heterogeneous catalyst to catalyze the transesterification reaction of biodiesel. The purpose of this is to have a more sustainable production of biodiesel which uses fewer chemicals and can reuse the catalyst easily. Our team chose a base catalyst of calcium oxide (CaO) based on early research but with a change of doping the base catalyst with sodium, thus making sodium doped calcium oxide (Na-CaO). The catalyst was synthesized using calcium hydroxide and sodium hydroxide as precursors. The sodium concentration was chosen to be at 3 weight%. The main part of the study was on testing the efficiency of the catalyst and determining at which conditions the reaction performs best. The best conditions for the catalyst were found at 60 °C and the ratio of rapeseed oil to methanol was 1:9. The mass concentration of the catalyst was 2 weight% and the reaction time was 2 hours. These conditions resulted in a biodiesel yield of 97,6 %. / Studien som gjordes gick ut på att tillverka en heterogen katalysator för att katalysera transesterifiering reaktionen för biodieseltillverkning. Syftet med detta är att ha en mer hållbar produktion som använder sig utav färre kemikalier och samtidigt kan återanvända katalysatorn. Valet av katalysator skedde efter värdering av äldre studier och basen för katalysatorn valdes till kalciumoxid (CaO), med en ändring av att dopa denna med natrium, det vill säga natriumdopad kalciumoxid (Na-CaO). Katalysatorn syntetiserades utav kalciumhydroxid och natriumhydroxid. Koncentrationen av natriumet låg vid 3 vikt%. Nästa del utav studien gick ut på att testa den syntetiserade katalysatorn och hitta de bästa betingelserna för bästa utbyte av biodiesel. De bästa betingelserna var vid temperaturen 60 °C och ett förhållande mellan rapsolja och metanol på 1:9, där masshalten av katalysator var 2 vikts% gentemot oljan och reaktionstiden var 2 timmar. Detta gav ett utbyte på 97,6 %.

This thesis presents an account of the making of 15 Minutes of Faye, a microbudget feature-length film created in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Fine Arts in Film and Digital Media at the University of Central Florida. It chronicles the motivation behind the creation of the film, the entire creation process, plans for its distribution, and reflections on lessons learned during the creation process. The film itself was designed to challenge its viewers with the gross self-absorption of its fame-seeking protagonist, in order to promote public discourse about Generation Y's sense of entitlement, which has been well-documented in academic literature. It is the author's hope that this document will promote awareness of the film's subject matter, and will also aid others seeking to create microbudget feature-length films.

Gasoline is produced by distilling petroleum oil. This is done at a refinery, where a lot of other products are produced as well. With increasing interest in bio-fuels the fuel companies started to produce substances such as biodiesel as well as the petroleum-based fuels. These products are then transported to where they are going to be used or sold, there included both gasoline, which is a petroleum-based fuel, and biodiesel (FAME), which in Sweden is based on rapeseed oil. If the vessel for transporting gasoline, or pipeline/connections filling and emptying the tanks, has previously been used for biodiesel, there is a risk of contaminating the gasoline with biodiesel. This contamination can have a lot of different effects such as either clogging filters or injectors in both gasoline- and ethanol-based engines, or even change the properties and therefore quality of the fuel.  To ensure that the results from tests and research involving gasoline can be used and compared with each other, the quality of the fuel must have the same properties throughout all tests. This is controlled by taking samples on a regular basis and analyzing the quality and level of impurities in the fuel used in that specific test. Screening for FAME is therefore necessary which is where this thesis becomes relevant.  This thesis was carried out with the purpose to develop a new or verify an already developed method to quantify FAME in gasoline. To determine the FAME content, a standard gas chromatography method, IP 585, was used. It was changed to fit in this application, since it was originally made to determine FAME content in diesel, not gasoline. It was concluded that it was possible to determine the FAME content in gasoline when IP 585 was used as is. There were some possible alternatives to IP 585 and they will be discussed in the literature study. / Bensin framställs genom destillation av råolja. Detta görs på ett raffinaderi där ett flertal andra produkter också utvinns. På senare tid har ögonen öppnats för "biobränslen", bland annat biodiesel. Det händer därför att detta också framställs på samma plats som bensinen. Dessa produkter säljs sedan och brukar fraktas i stora tankar till företagen som köpt dem. Ifall tankarna vid transport eller rören bränslet går igenom till tankarna först använts till biodiesel och sedan används till bensin finns det stor risk att en del biodiesel hamnar i bensinen. Detta kan leda till en rad olika problem. Ett exempel är att biodieseln kan sätta igen och förstöra injektorer i bensin- och etanolmotorer. Det kan även påverka testresultat i olika testriggar, vilket är ett av fallen på Volvo. Ifall bränslet inte bibehåller samma kvalitet för varje test det används i leder det till svårigheter vid jämförelser och resultatens riktighet. Det blir därför nödvändigt att kontrollera bensinens innehåll, där inräknat screening av FAME. Detta arbete utfördes med syftet att utveckla en ny eller verifiera en redan beprövad metod för att bestämma koncentrationen FAME i bensin. För att mäta koncentrationen FAME användes en standardmetod till GC-MS, IP 585. Den modifierades något för att passa in i denna applikation då den från början var gjord för kvantifiering i diesel och inte bensin. Slutsatsen drogs att det är möjligt att mäta koncentrationen FAME i bensin med IP 585 använd som den är. Det fanns möjliga alternativ till metoden, dessa bemöts i litteraturstudien.

Submitted by ANA KARLA PEREIRA RODRIGUES (anakarla_@hotmail.com) on 2017-08-02T16:27:58Z No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 14733739 bytes, checksum: 0038b680f5c8c43d5ec591f62505739b (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-02T16:27:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 arquivototal.pdf: 14733739 bytes, checksum: 0038b680f5c8c43d5ec591f62505739b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-11-21 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - CAPES / Microalgae are microorganisms with high levels of lipids, proteins, carbohydrates and various metabolites of interest to biofuel and nutraceutical compounds industry. Despite numerous indications for its use as a source for biodiesel production, there are still scientific and technological obstacles that prevent this large-scale production. So this study aimed to evaluate the potential of microalgae strains, isolated from the Northeast of Brazil, for biodiesel production, taking into account their cell growth rates, fuel properties that each biodiesel present and the development of these species in waste media arising from human and agro-industrial activities. Besides analyzing the metabolic changes during the growth stages of some species through conventional and FTIR techniques. Were identified eight species potentials for biodiesel production: Pediastrum tetras (D121WC), Scenedesmus acuminatus (D115WC), Chlamydomonas sp. (D132WC) Lagerheimia longiseta (D133WC), Amphora sp. (M84C), Monoraphidium contortum (D173WC), Chlorella sp. (D101Z) and Cosmarium sp. (D174WC), whose biomass productivity was high, ranging from 0.28 to 0.95 g L-1 d-1 and the ester contents were up to 2.9 times higher than soybeans. As regards the evaluation of fuel parameters of a possible biodiesel produced by microalgae, statistical analysis discriminated chloroficea D101Z as promising species for all the high lipid productivity, low clogging point value filter cold and sharp little iodine value. However, it was found that among the twelve species studied, only chloroficea Monoraphidium contortum and cyanobacterium Synechococcus nidulans not meet the fuel quality specifications. In studies of alternative culture medium, it was observed that formulations with domestic sewage (MDS) and biocomposts of fruit/horticultural wastes (HB) demonstrated promising results for cultivation, especially of Chlorella sp., Chlamydomonas sp., and Lagerheimia longiseta, which demonstrated productivities superior to those seen when grown on the control media. The highest concentrations of lipids were obtained in medium BH and changes in the biochemical composition and esters profile species were observed by varying the culture medium. It was also verified that the protein, carbohydrate and lipid accumulation occurs so distinct phases and the microalgal growth, particularly when modifying the culture medium. And from this perspective that the FTIR technique has demonstrated effectiveness in monitoring these components, especially lipids, which showed for all samples a direct relationship with the conventional technique. A general way species viable for large scale production, can grow in waste media have been proposed in this study. / As microalgas são micro-organismos que podem apresentar elevados teores de lipídeos, proteínas, carboidratos e diversos metabólitos de interesse à indústria de biocombustível e de compostos nutracêuticos. Apesar das inúmeras indicações para sua utilização como fonte para produção de biodiesel, ainda existem entraves econômicos que inviabilizam esta produção em larga escala. Assim, essa pesquisa teve como objetivo avaliar a potencialidade de cepas de microalgas, isoladas da região Nordeste do Brasil, para a produção de biodiesel, levando em consideração suas taxas de crescimento celular, as propriedades combustíveis que cada biodiesel apresentaria e o desenvolvimento destas espécies em meios residuais oriundos de atividades humanas e agroindustriais. Além disto, foram analisadas as mudanças metabólicas ocorridas durante as fases de crescimento, de algumas espécies, através de técnicas convencionais e FTIR. Entre as 25 espécies estudadas foram identificadas 8 potenciais para produção de biodiesel: Pediastrum tetras (D121WC), Scenedesmus acuminatus (D115WC), Chlamydomonas sp. (D132WC), Lagerheimia longiseta (D133WC), Amphora sp. (M84C), Monoraphidium contortum (D173WC), Chlorella sp. (D101Z) e Cosmarium sp. (D174WC), com produtividade elevada em biomassa, variando de 0,28 a 0,95 g L-1 d-1, e teores de ésteres de até 2,9 vezes superiores à soja. Quanto à avaliação dos parâmetros combustíveis, de um possível biodiesel produzido pelas microalgas, a análise estatística discriminou a clorofícea D101Z como espécie promissora, por apresentar elevada produtividade lipídica, baixo valor de ponto de entupimento de filtro a frio e índice de iodo pouco acentuado. Entretanto, verificou-se que dentre as 12 espécies em estudo, apenas a clorofícea Monoraphidium contortum e a cianobactéria Synechococcus nidulans não atenderiam as especificações de qualidade combustíveis. Nos estudos sobre meios de cultivos alternativos, observou-se que as formulações com esgoto doméstico (ESG) e biocomposto hortifrutis (BH) mostraram-se muito promissoras especialmente para Chlorella sp., Chlamydomonas sp. e Lagerheimia longiseta que apresentaram rendimento máximo celular superior ao cultivo controle. As concentrações mais elevadas de lipídeos foram obtidas em meio BH, e alterações na composição bioquímica e no perfil de ésteres das espécies foram observadas ao se variar os meios de cultivo. Constatou-se também, que o acúmulo de proteína, carboidrato e lipídeo ocorre de forma e em fases distintas do crescimento microalgal, principalmente quando se modifica o meio de cultivo. E é nessa perspectiva que a técnica de FTIR demonstrou eficiência no acompanhamento desses componentes, principalmente dos lipídeos, apresentando para todas as amostras uma relação direta com a técnica convencional. De forma geral, espécies viáveis para produção em larga escala, capazes de crescer em meios residuais foram propostas neste estudo.

The thesis presents an experimental investigation of combustion performance and emissions of waste cooking oil (WCO) based biodiesel. To evaluate the comparative performance of biodiesel and diesel, combustions tests were conducted using Continuous Combustion rig (CCR) and Land Rover VM diesel engine. Firstly, physical properties of WCO biodiesel and diesel samples were measured in the laboratory. Elemental analysis of WCO biodiesel showed that there are differences between the functional groups in diesel and biodiesel which lead to major differences in the combustion characteristics of the two fuel types. It was found that biodiesel had 10% lower carbon content, almost no sulphur content for biodiesel and up to 12% more oxygen content compared with diesel. This explains the lower caloric value for WCO biodiesel (up to l8 %) compared with diesel. However, higher oxygen content and double bounds in WCO biodiesel increase its susceptibility to oxidation. The CCR test results showed an increase in combustion gas temperature with the increases in biodiesel blend ratio in diesel. This was due to a faster reaction rate for biodiesel than that of diesel leading to a faster brakeage of the hydrocarbon chain to release more heat. The engine tests were performed to measure the torque and emissions for different engine speeds and loads. In general a decrease in engine torque with up to 9% for biodiesel was observed, which was due to the lower calorific value of biodiesel compared with that of diesel. The brake specific fuel consumption (BSFC) increased as the biodiesel blend ratio in diesel increases due a greater mass of fuel being injected at a given injection pressure, compared with diesel. Using WCO blends ratio up to 75% in diesel showed a reduction in exhaust emission compared with diesel, however, at the cost of increased fuel consumption. A common conclusion can be drawn in favour of the WCO biodiesel as being a greener alternative to petro-diesel when used in blend with diesel. However, due to large variations in the biomass used for biodiesel production could lead to variations in physical and chemical properties between biodiesel produced from different biomass. Therefore more stringent standards need to be imposed for biodiesel quality in order to diminish the effect of variation in physicochemical properties on engine performance and emissions. The future work in developing standard test procedures for establishing fuel properties and limits/targets would be beneficial in using a large amount of waste cooking oil in the production of biodiesel, thus contributing to reduction in CO2 and waste minimisation.

As salas limpas são amplamente empregadas em indústrias farmacêuticas destinadas a fabricar medicamentos e dispositivos estéreis. Nós empregamos coloração de Gram e cromatografia gasosa de ésteres metílicos de ácidos graxos extraídos de células íntegras de microrganismos ambientais para caracterizar e identificar bactérias isoladas em 50 salas limpas diferentes projetadas para a fabricação de medicamentos estéreis e para fornecer um perfil de ácidos graxos das espécies mais comuns de bactérias isoladas. Uma análise estatística nos permitiu corroborar estudos anteriores e confirmar que cocos Gram positivos é o grupo mais relevante de microrganismos presentes nas salas limpas avaliadas. A espécie predominante é Micrococcus luteus, isolada de salas classe B e de pessoal, seguida de Staphylococcus cohnii em classe C, Bacillus subtilis em classe A e Staphylococcus hominis em classe D. Os perfis de ácidos graxos destas bactérias são, na maioria, consistentes com as bibliotecas padrão. Nós também tentamos estabelecer uma correlação entre a estação do ano e o nível de contaminação, embora a análise de variância tenha mostrado que não há diferença significativa entre o nível de contaminação no decorrer das estações. Além do mais, análises repetidas com um aumento gradual de massa celular nos permitiram concluir que a quantidade ótima de material celular necessário para extração de ácidos graxos varia com a espécie de bactéria. Finalmente, um estudo comparativo de algumas bactérias incubadas em diferentes temperaturas confirmou que o perfil de ácidos graxos é altamente influenciado pela temperatura. Portanto, nós acreditamos que este trabalho possa contribuir para identificar e compreender a comunidade bacteriana de algumas salas limpas farmacêuticas. / Clean rooms are largely employed in pharmaceutical companies whose purpose is to produce sterile drugs and devices. We employed Gram staining and gas chromatography of fatty acid methyl esters extracted from whole cells of environmental isolates to characterize and identify bacteria isolated in each of 50 different clean rooms designed for the manufacturing of sterile medicinal products and to provide a fatty acid profile of the most common species of isolated bacteria. Statistical analysis allowed us to corroborate previous studies and confirm that Gram-positive cocci are the most relevant group of microorganisms inside the studied clean rooms. The predominant species is Micrococcus luteus, isolated from Grade B zones and from personnel, followed by Staphylococcus cohnii in Grade C, Bacillus subtilis in Grade A and S. hominis in Grade D. Fatty acid profiles of these bacteria are, to a great extent, consistent with standard libraries. We also attempted to establish a correlation between season and level of contamination, although variance analysis showed that there is no significant difference on the level of contamination throughout seasons. Furthermore, repeated analysis with a gradual increase in cell mass allowed us to conclude that the optimal amount of cell material depends on the species of the bacteria studied. Finally, a comparative study with some bacteria incubated in different temperatures confirmed that fatty acid profile is highly influenced by temperature. Therefore, we believe that this work can contribute to identify and understand the bacterial community of some pharmaceutical clean rooms.