No description available.

Global climate change is predicted to alter the weather patterns around the world, as climatic zones shift, forest carbon sequestration projects (e.g. the UK woodland carbon code) need to take into account the specific requirements of planted species. In the UK, oaks are an important charismatic group of trees favoured in recent planting programmes. The English oak (Quercus robur L.), has poor water conservation, but is a major component of natural forests in lowland UK. On the other hand, Holm oak (Quercus ilex L.) is a Mediterranean oak that has high water conservation and can also tolerate cold despite being restricted by minimum temperatures. At local scales, there may be advantages of planting either evergreen or deciduous oak species for forestry and climate mitigation. Alternatively, a comparative assessment of non native versus native productivity, may give clues to the invasiveness potential of Holm oak and its ability to out compete the deciduous oak along an urban to upland gradient. This thesis documents a series of field based experiments intended to analyse differences in carbon sequestration potential and photosynthetic efficiency between these two species and in relation to their environment within the Southwest UK. 520 one year saplings were planted, half in pots and half in nursery field beds situated on Dart- moor, the east Devon Dartmoor fringe, Totnes, and Plymouth city centre. Originally two sites were chosen for their relative ‘urban’ qualities, two at ‘rural’ localities, one upland and a control site with access to a polytunnel for comparisons with well-watered and non nutrient limited trees. However, data analyses showed that sapling characteristics were site specific with the five sites falling along an urban, rural to upland gradient. The field experiments included monthly height and diameters (ground level diameter or DAG), monthly assimilation rates and analy- sis of chlorophyll fluorescence to aid interpretation of photosystem II functioning and sapling ‘vitality’. Further laboratory experiments analysed specific leaf area (SLA), mass based leaf Nitrogen (Nleaf ) and carbon (Cleaf), with differences between sun and shade leaves included, to aid comparisons between species and sites. The final experiment was a destructive harvest and this was used to find total biomass estimates and carbon allocation to different root shoot fractions. In order to quantify differences between saplings and adult trees a smaller experiment was con- ducted in the canopy using experienced climbers and leaf level productivity analysed. Intrinsic water use (iWUE), stomatal conductance (Gs), means net assimilation rates (An) and chloro- phyll fluorescence parameters; Variable fluorescence over maximum fluorescence (Fv/Fm) and performance index (PI) were measured and relative carbon assimilation rates and productivity assessed and compared between species at one urban , rural and upland site. Results showed that Q. ilex allocated relatively more carbon to branches and leaves as a sapling which in turn increased growth rate and whole tree assimilation rates to larger values than the deciduous oak despite Q. robur being able to increase maximum assimilation rates in response to increasing temperatures. This gives Q. ilex the advantage and overall biomass was higher at all sites than Q. robur apart from the upland site where there were no differences in biomass accumulation between species. However, despite no significant difference in biomass at this site Q. robur had greater survival and photosystem II functioning. In mature trees Q. ilex was under stress and Nleaf and carbon sequestration potential were higher in the deciduous species at the urban site. In contrast, Q. robur was under stress at the upland site at Castle Drogo where thin and nutrient poor soils have made it more vulnerable to drought stress. Here, mature Q. ilex showed reduced photosynthetic efficiency in relation to cold and drought, but was able to recover when milder temperatures occurred. The results were site specific, with a reduction in both SLA and relative allocation to the leaf weight fraction (LWF) in Q.robur the only common urban related effect seen. The potential for Q. ilex to perform well at sapling stage is due to its morphological plasticity and drought tolerance. This species may become more prevalent within the Southwest as local climates continue to push it northwards from its natural Mediterranean range. In contrast, if Q. robur continues to suffer from defoliation and fungal attack and this may leave it more vulnerable to competition throughout less fertile and drier areas of its natural range.

A f1ourometric procedure for the analysis of free cyanide is described. The method is based on the dissociation of a ternary complex of si1ver-1, 10-phenanthro1ine-tetrabromof1uorescein by cyanide to produce a fluorescent product. The fluorescence intensity is found to be directly proportional to the cyanide concentration. The method can reliably detect 0.02 μg/mL cyanide.

The objective of this Ph.D. study was to develop new and improved miniaturized particle-based optochemical sensors for the analysis of biological fluid and cellular components. This is highly important because current sensing systems can be biologically toxic and incompatible, invasive, and have limited responsiveness. To accomplish this goal we defined three tasks. The first was to develop lipobead-based sensors for chloride. The halide-specific fluorescence dye, lucigenin, was immobilized into the phospholipid membrane of the lipobeads to enable chloride ion detection. The fluorescence intensity of lucigenin decreases with increasing chloride ion concentration due to dynamic quenching. To stabilize the lipobeads we co-immobilized hexadecanesulfonate molecules into the phospholipid membrane. We also immobilized the chloride ionophore [9] mercuracarborand-3 (MC-3) into the lipobeads membrane. The study resulted in a unique submicrometric chloride ion sensor, which is suitable for chloride ion measurements in biological fluids. The second task was to develop for the first time lipobeadbased biosensors. Urea was chosen as a model substance since the urea/urease biosensing system is well known. Fluorescence sensing lipobeads were characterized by coating carboxylfunctionalized silica microspheres with phospholipids for the measurement of urea in aqueous samples. The enzyme urease and the pH indicator Fluorescein-5-thiosemicarbazide were attached covalently to the phospholipid membrane of the lipobeads. We prepared improved fluorescence sensing lipobeads by utilizing covalent chemistry to bind the phospholipid membrane to the silica particles and the fluorophores to the membrane. It led to improvement in the stability of the newly developed urea sensing lipobeads compared to previously developed micrometric fluorescence sensors. The final task of this study was to coat particle-based sensors with cell penetrating peptides to enable their permeation into cells. This step is essential for the use of particles as intracellular sensors. Streptavidin coated microspheres were modified by the strongest noncovalent interaction between avidin and biotin. Tat peptide and nonfluorescence indicator flubida were attached to the surface of the microspheres. These nanoparticles were delivered into MCF7 and Hela cancer cells for pH measurement. Before penetrating into the cells, flubida did fluoresce in cell medium; however it did not convert to fluorecein in Phosphate Buffered Saline (PBS) buffer.

The goal of the thesis is to incorporate materials with either fluorescent or conductive properties in silk fibers, by feeding silkworms with a diet containing these materials. To achieve this, one would have to breed (rear) silkworm from eggs into larvaes, then to feed the silkworms with this special diet containing fluorescent or conductive materials. Samples of silk were then collected either from spun cocoons or via removing the silk producing organs (silk glands) from the silkworms via dissection. The samples were then analyzed with absorbance spectrometer, spectrofluorometer or via photoluminesecent measurement to determine if any materials had been incorporated into the silk fibers.   Silkworms were successfully reared from eggs up to moths, once the silkworm larvae had grown enough in size their diet were switches from their regular food (silkworm chow) to food containing conjugated molecules or polymers with fluorescent or conductive properties. A total of 14 materials were tested. One material gave a clear positive result and that was from the fluorescent compound Rhodamine B. Other fluorescent materials, Nile red and POWT yielded some results indicating their presence in the silk but the results were not conclusive. The rest of the materials all failed with being incorporated within the silk fibers; this was due to their lethality, size, lack of zwitterionic properties and such.  The properties of the materials are of great importance for the uptake process, where a small zwitterionic molecule has a great change of being taken up and incorporated in the silk fibers. Whereas a big materials such as a polymer without any zwitterionic will in most cases just follow through the food in the digestive track without any uptake.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:31:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2011-06-22Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T20:01:52Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 caneppele_tmf_dr_sjc.pdf: 1905463 bytes, checksum: e4c793381875beba7660a34d248f5267 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Objetivo:O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a cor, translucidez e fluorescência do esmalte e dentina bovinos submetidos a diferentes técnicas de clareamento. Material e Método: Foram utilizados 150 dentes bovinos, dos quais foram obtidos pares de discos de esmalte e dentina com 3mm de diâmetro. Em 75 pares, 1 dos espécimes teve o esmalte removido, sendo denominado Grupo Dentina. Os espécimes de dentina e esmalte obtidos do restante dos pares foram denominados Grupo Esmalte+dentina. E finalmente, 75 espécimes tiveram a dentina removida e foram denominados Grupo Esmalte. A medição da cor, translucidez e fluorescência foi realizada por um espectrofotômetro usando o CIE L * a * b*. Cada grupo foi subdividido em 3 subgrupos: Controle, composto por espécimes que não foram clareados e 2 sugrupos experimentais, clareados com Peróxido de Carbamida 10% (PC10%) ou Peróxido de hidrogênio a 35% (PH 35%). O gel clareador foi aplicado 2h/dia sobre os espécimes para o clareamento com PC10% durante 14 dias e duas aplicações de 30 min com intervalo de uma semana entre as aplicações no clareamento com PH35%. Nos períodos intermediários, os espécimes foram imersos em saliva artificial. As avaliações de cor foram realizadas 7 dias após o término do tratamento. Resultados: Em relação a cor, foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre as técnicas de clareamento nos grupos Esmalte e Esmalte + Dentina, com maior diferença de cor para o PH 35%. O clareamento não alterou a translucidez dos tecidos dentais e a fluorescência diminuiu, apresentando diferenças significantes para o Grupo Dentina, subgrupo PH 35%, Grupo Esmalte, subgrupo PC10% e Grupo Esmalte+dentina, subgrupo PH35%. Conclusão: O clareamento dental alterou a cor e a fluorescência dos tecidos dentais, porém a translucidez não foi afetada / Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the color, translucency and fluorescence of bovine enamel and dentin submitted to different bleaching modalities. Methods: A total of 150 bovine teeth were used, which were obtained pairs of enamel and dentin discs 3mm in diameter. In 75 pairs, one of the specimens had the enamel removed (Group Dentin). Specimens of dentin and enamel obtained from the remaining pair were named Group Enamel+dentin. And finally, 75 specimens were removed from the dentin and enamel were named Group Enamel. The measurement of color, translucency and fluorescence was performed by a spectrophotometer using the CIE L * a * b. Each group was subdivided into three subgroups: Control, composed of specimens that were not bleached and two experimental subgroups, bleached with carbamide peroxide 10% (CP10%) or hydrogen peroxide 35% (HP 35%). The whitening gel was applied on specimens for 2h/day bleaching with CP10% for 14 days and two applications of 30 minutes with one week interval between applications in bleaching with HP35%. In interim periods, the specimens were immersed in artificial saliva. The color ratings were performed 7 days after the treatment. Results: Regarding the color, significant differences were found among bleaching techniques in the groups enamel and dentin + enamel, with a higher color difference for the 35% HP. Bleaching did not change the translucency of the dental tissues and the fluorescence showed significant differences for the 35% HP subgroups in Dentin and Enamel+dentin group, and for 10%CP subgroups in Enamel group. Conclusion: The dental bleaching changed the color and fluorescence of the dental tissues, however translucency was not affected

abstract: This study evaluates five different hypotheses potentially accounting for the prehistoric movement of vesicular basalt during the Hohokam occupation of the Salt-Gila Basin (ca. A.D. 700-1450): 1) direct procurement; 2) direct exchange; 3) down-the-line exchange; 4) market exchange; and 5) elite-controlled exchange. The plausibility of each hypothesis is assessed by examining the relative frequency of different vesicular basalt source types at sites as related to the geographic distance from their source; intra-site variance in vesicular basalt source type diversity; inter-site variance in vesicular basalt source type diversity; and temporal specificity and continuity in source preference. The study sample is comprised of 484 vesicular basalt artifacts recovered from nine Hohokam sites: Casa Grande, Gila Crossing, the Hospital Site, La Plaza, Las Colinas, Los Hornos, Lower Santan, Pueblo Grande, and Upper Santan. Geographic provenance data for artifacts are generated by comparing their chemical composition to a geochemical reference database composed of more than 700 vesicular basalt raw material samples from 17 different source areas in the Salt-Gila Basin. Geochemical data for both artifact and raw material samples were collected using a portable X-ray fluorescence spectrometer and a newly developed sampling procedure that provides an efficient, reliable, and nondestructive means of analysis. The results of the hypothesis testing found that direct procurement is a possible material provisioning practice for perhaps only a small number of households in the Salt-Gila Basin; specifically those located less than 10 km from a vesicular basalt outcrop. Direct exchange is also an unlikely explanation, though it cannot be rejected outright. The other exchange hypotheses, down-the-line, market, and elite-controlled exchange, as defined in this study, are all rejected as possible explanations. From these results, a new model of Hohokam vesicular basalt provisioning practices is developed for future testing. This model posits that vesicular basalt groundstone tools were produced by specialists in a handful of locations during both the Preclassic and Classic periods, and that finished tools were acquired through workshop procurement or local distributers. The implications of these findings for understanding the organization of Hohokam domestic and political economies are also discussed. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Anthropology 2014

No description available.

Orientador: Carlos Rocha Gomes Torres / Banca: Alessandra Bühler Borges / Banca: Sergio Eduardo de Paiva Gonçalves / Banca: Glauco Fioranelli Vieira / Banca: Osmir Batista de Oliveira / Resumo: O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a cor, translucidez e fluorescência do esmalte e dentina bovinos submetidos a diferentes técnicas de clareamento. Material e Método: Foram utilizados 150 dentes bovinos, dos quais foram obtidos pares de discos de esmalte e dentina com 3mm de diâmetro. Em 75 pares, 1 dos espécimes teve o esmalte removido, sendo denominado Grupo Dentina. Os espécimes de dentina e esmalte obtidos do restante dos pares foram denominados Grupo Esmalte+dentina. E finalmente, 75 espécimes tiveram a dentina removida e foram denominados Grupo Esmalte. A medição da cor, translucidez e fluorescência foi realizada por um espectrofotômetro usando o CIE L * a * b*. Cada grupo foi subdividido em 3 subgrupos: Controle, composto por espécimes que não foram clareados e 2 sugrupos experimentais, clareados com Peróxido de Carbamida 10% (PC10%) ou Peróxido de hidrogênio a 35% (PH 35%). O gel clareador foi aplicado 2h/dia sobre os espécimes para o clareamento com PC10% durante 14 dias e duas aplicações de 30 min com intervalo de uma semana entre as aplicações no clareamento com PH35%. Nos períodos intermediários, os espécimes foram imersos em saliva artificial. As avaliações de cor foram realizadas 7 dias após o término do tratamento. Resultados: Em relação a cor, foram encontradas diferenças significativas entre as técnicas de clareamento nos grupos Esmalte e Esmalte + Dentina, com maior diferença de cor para o PH 35%. O clareamento não alterou a translucidez dos tecidos dentais e a fluorescência diminuiu, apresentando diferenças significantes para o Grupo Dentina, subgrupo PH 35%, Grupo Esmalte, subgrupo PC10% e Grupo Esmalte+dentina, subgrupo PH35%. Conclusão: O clareamento dental alterou a cor e a fluorescência dos tecidos dentais, porém a translucidez não foi afetada / Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the color, translucency and fluorescence of bovine enamel and dentin submitted to different bleaching modalities. Methods: A total of 150 bovine teeth were used, which were obtained pairs of enamel and dentin discs 3mm in diameter. In 75 pairs, one of the specimens had the enamel removed (Group Dentin). Specimens of dentin and enamel obtained from the remaining pair were named Group Enamel+dentin. And finally, 75 specimens were removed from the dentin and enamel were named Group Enamel. The measurement of color, translucency and fluorescence was performed by a spectrophotometer using the CIE L * a * b. Each group was subdivided into three subgroups: Control, composed of specimens that were not bleached and two experimental subgroups, bleached with carbamide peroxide 10% (CP10%) or hydrogen peroxide 35% (HP 35%). The whitening gel was applied on specimens for 2h/day bleaching with CP10% for 14 days and two applications of 30 minutes with one week interval between applications in bleaching with HP35%. In interim periods, the specimens were immersed in artificial saliva. The color ratings were performed 7 days after the treatment. Results: Regarding the color, significant differences were found among bleaching techniques in the groups enamel and dentin + enamel, with a higher color difference for the 35% HP. Bleaching did not change the translucency of the dental tissues and the fluorescence showed significant differences for the 35% HP subgroups in Dentin and Enamel+dentin group, and for 10%CP subgroups in Enamel group. Conclusion: The dental bleaching changed the color and fluorescence of the dental tissues, however translucency was not affected / Doutor

Over the last decade our understanding of mercury cycling has dramatically changed. Evidence of rapid atmospheric oxidation has been observed in the Arctic, Antarctic, the MBL, coastal environments, saline lakes, and the upper troposphere/lower stratosphere. These results show that, Hg0, can undergo rapid gas-phase oxidation under standard atmospheric conditions. However, the mechanism and importance of this transformation is still unclear. The goal of this work was two-fold: to investigate of the kinetics of potential pathway for the gas phase oxidation of atmospheric mercury and to develop new laser based techniques, which can be employed for both laboratory and field studies of Hg(0) and the products of mercury oxidation. First and foremost, this work determined kinetic rate coefficients for the potentially important mercury reactions. Rate coefficients were determined using a Pulse Laser Photolysis - Laser Induced Fluorescence (PLP-LIF) technique monitoring one or more of the following species, Hg(0), Cl, Br, HgCl, and HgBr. The concentrations of these species were measured by LIF as the reaction occurred and a concentration vs. time profile was generated. From these profiles a rate coefficient for the reaction can be obtained. In the course of this work kinetic rate coefficients for the following mercury reactions were measured. Hg(0) + Cl + M --> HgCl + M Hg(0) + Br + M --> HgBr + M HgBr + M --> Hg(0) + Br + M HgBr + Br --> products HgCl + O2 --> products This work is the first direct measurement of a kinetic rate coefficient for these reactions, and the first work which employed one photon LIF to monitor the HgCl and HgBr products. The second aspect of this work was the development of new laser based techniques to detect atmospheric mercury and its oxidation products for both laboratory and field application. In this work a LIF technique was develop to detect HgCl and HgBr. In addition, a two photon LIF technique initially developed by Bauer et al., 2002 was verified and expanded. The two photon LIF technique was used to directly monitor Hg(0) atoms in-situ, to monitor Hg(0) evolving form a gold tube, and to monitor the Hg(0) evolving from the thermal decomposition of reactive gaseous mercury collected on a KCl coated or uncoated denuder. This work represents a significant advance in the development of a viable method the detect mercury and the mercury oxidation products in the laboratory and in the field and is the first study to observe clear differences in the characteristic desorption profiles of HgO and HgX2. This work has broad implications, it enhanced our current knowledge concerning the biogeochemical cycling of mercury, broadened our understanding of the mercury chemistry in high halogen environment, and provided new techniques which can be applied in future field and laboratory studies.