O objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar: 1) a resposta pulpar de dentes decíduos humanos após pulpotomia com diferentes materiais capeadores por meio de análise clínica, radiográfica e histológica; e 2) a expressão da Proteína 1 da Matriz Dentinária (DMP-1) na resposta pulpar. Vinte e cinco molares decíduos inferiores de 22 crianças com idade entre 6 e 9 anos foram criteriosamente selecionados. Os dentes foram randomicamente divididos nos grupos Formocresol de Buckley diluído a 1/5 (Grupo I - FC), Hidróxido de Cálcio (Grupo II HC), Agregado Trióxido Mineral (Grupo III MTA), Otosporin® + Hidróxido de Cálcio (Grupo IV OTO+HC) e Cimento Portland (Grupo V PC), e tratados pela técnica convencional de pulpotomia em sessão única. As avaliações clínicas e radiográficas foram realizadas até o período normal de esfoliação. Os dentes foram extraídos e processados para análise histológica e imuno-histoquímica. Os resultados clínicos e radiográficos não mostraram diferença estatisticamente significativa nos grupos estudados (p>0,05). A análise estatística da avaliação histológica revelou diferença estatisticamente significativa para presença de barreira dentinária e camada odontoblástica entre o Grupo I(FC) e os Grupos II(HC), III(MTA), IV(OTO+HC) e V(PC) visto que o Grupo I(FC) não apresentou barreira dentinária e camada odontoblástica em nenhuma das lâminas observadas. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os grupos estudados quando da avaliação da calcificação pulpar. Para o item reabsorção interna observou-se diferença estatisticamente significativa entre o Grupo I(FC), II(HC) e os Grupos III(MTA), IV(OTO+HC) e V(PC) onde não se observaram reabsorções internas nas análises histológicas. A análise da expressão da DMP-1 demonstrou para o Grupo I(FC) imunomarcação localizada na região de calcificações pulpares localizadas nas raízes dos dentes avaliados, não havendo camada odontoblástica nem formação de barreira dentinária. Os Grupos II(HC), III(MTA), IV(OTO+HC) e V(PC) apresentaram imunomarcação na região de barreira dentinária e da camada odontoblástica, evidenciando a biocompatibilidade destes materiais, bem como a capacidade indutora para secreção de dentina. A análise conjunta dos resultados obtidos neste trabalho, com o uso de diferentes técnicas, permitiu concluir que todos os materiais empregados apresentaram índices de sucesso clínico e radiográfico aceitáveis para indicação clínica. Na análise histológica os materiais HC, MTA e PC apresentaram melhores resultados no reparo pulpar. A expressão da DMP-1 na resposta pulpar permitiu visualizar a capacidade bioindutora dos materiais HC, MTA e PC no processo de reparo pulpar e formação de barreira. A comparação entre os grupos estudados permitiu constatar que o MTA e o PC se mostraram mais eficientes, proporcionando formação de barreira dentinária e respostas do complexo dentinho-pulpar mais satisfatórias. / The aim of this study was to evaluate: 1) the pulpal response of human primary teeth after pulpotomies with different pulp capping materials through clinical, radiographic and histological analysis; and 2) the expression of Dentin Matrix Protein 1 (DMP-1) in the pulpal response. Twenty-five primary molars of 22 children aged 6-9 years-old were criteriously selected. The teeth were randomly divided into the following groups: Buckleys Formocresol (diluted 1:5) (Group I - FC), Calcium Hydroxide - (Group II CH), Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (Group III MTA), Otosporin® + Calcium Hydroxide (Group IV OTO+CH) and Portland cement (Group V PC); and treated by the conventional technique of pulpotomy at a single appointment. The clinical and radiographic evaluations were performed until the teeth underwent normal exfoliation. The teeth were extracted and processed for histological and immunohistochemical analyses. The clinical and radiographic studies did not show statistically significant difference among the groups studied (p>0.05). The statistical analysis of the histological evaluation revealed statistically significant difference relating to the presence of the dentine barrier and odontoblastic layer between Group I(FC) and Groups II(CH), III(MTA), IV(OTO+CH) and V(PC) since the Group I(FC) did not exhibited dentine barrier and odontoblastic layer in any of the cuts observed. There was no statistically significant difference among the groups studied regarding to the evaluation of pulpal calcification. Concerning to internal resorption, there was a statistically significant difference among Group I(FC), II(CH) and Groups III(MTA), IV(OTO+CH) and V(PC) where internal resorption was not seen in the histological analyses. The analysis of the expression DMP-1 demonstrated for Group I(FC) immunostaining located in the area of pulpal calcifications within the roots of the teeth evaluated; however, neither odontoblastic layer nor dentine barrier were seen. The Groups II(CH), III(MTA), IV(OTO+CH) and V(PC) showed immunostaining in the area of dentine barrier and odontoblastic layer, evidencing the biocompatibility of these materials, as well as, the capacity for inducing dentine secretion. The comprehensive analyses of the results obtained in this study with the use of different techniques enabled to conclude that all materials employed showed clinical and radiographic success rates acceptable for the clinical indication. In the histological analysis, CH, MTA and PC materials exhibited the best results for pulpal repair. The expression of DMP-1 in the pulpal response allowed visualizing the biological inductive capacity of CH, MTA and PC materials on the process of pulpal repair and barrier formation. The comparison among the groups studied enable to find that MTA and PC were more efficient, providing the dentine barrier formation and more satisfactory responses of the dentino-pulpal complex.

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-11-23T16:49:24Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Michele Goulart da Silva_.pdf: 4100111 bytes, checksum: f0fdff2761f7970854067ffa82d8b6ad (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-11-23T16:49:24Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Michele Goulart da Silva_.pdf: 4100111 bytes, checksum: f0fdff2761f7970854067ffa82d8b6ad (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-07-20 / UNISINOS - Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos / A solução aquosa de formaldeído metanal, mais conhecida como formol ou formalina, é utilizada por diversos setores da indústria. Em hospitais, laboratórios e universidades, essa substância apresenta grande aplicação na preservação e fixação de tecidos, amostras e peças anatômicas. Apresentam-se em concentrações que variam entre 8 e 10%. Nessas atividades, alterações nas soluções podem ocorrer como a evaporação do solvente, diluição e turvamento, alterando algumas propriedades, podendo ser necessário substituir e/ou repor as soluções para ajuste de concentração. Estas práticas levam a geração de efluentes, onde em muitos casos o descarte é realizado transferindo o poluente para que empresas terceirizadas façam o tratamento e/ou descarte correto no meio ambiente. A falta de legislação específica aplicável é um dos fatores que dificulta o processo de tratamento deste efluente. Além disso, o formaldeído, mesmo não sendo um resíduo gerado em grande escala, considerando-se a sua massa, é um efluente altamente impactante ao meio ambiente devido à sua toxicidade e persistência. Neste trabalho, o efluente contendo formaldeído gerado pelos laboratórios da UNISINOS foi caracterizado quanto a sua concentração, pH, DQO, DBO, sólidos suspensos totais, sólidos suspensos voláteis, cor aparente, cor verdadeira e turbidez. Uma avaliação preliminar com efluente sintético foi realizada onde se constatou que: 1) o pH alto favorece a reação de oxidação com H2O2, 2) quanto maior a concentração do poluente menor é o desempenho do oxidante, 3) o uso de solução tampão melhora significativamente a oxidação de formaldeído e 4) o uso de ozônio em pH médio não promoveu a oxidação do efluente. Com o efluente bruto e solução tampão o desempenho não se repetiu quando oxidada com H2O2. Assim, foram avaliados os oxidantes H2O2, O3 e H2O2 combinado com O3, no tratamento de efluentes contaminados com formaldeído com concentração inicial na faixa de 2.000 a 2.500 mg/L. Os ensaios foram monitorados a partir da concentração de formaldeído, pH e DQO. Utilizando uma relação de formaldeído/H2O2 de 1:0,8 (m/m) e um gerador de ozônio com capacidade entre 9,2 a 10,3 g/h, após 72 horas de tratamento combinado destes dois oxidantes, este processo foi capaz de remover entre 70 e 95% de formaldeído, representando, em média, 82% de degradação do poluente. Avaliando os novos padrões de emissão, depois do tratamento de melhor desempenho quanto a redução da concentração de formaldeído, o efluente ainda não atende a Resolução CONAMA 430/2011 que dispõe sobre a emissão de efluentes em corpos de água receptores, mas traz a concentração de formaldeído para um valor próximo a 400 mg/L. / The aqueous solution of formaldehyde, known as formaldehyde, is used by various sectors of industry. In hospitals, laboratories and universities, this substance has wide application in the preservation and fixation of tissues and parts of anatomy samples in concentrations ranging between 8 and 10%. In these activities, changes may occur in these solutions as evaporation of the solvent, dilution and clouding by changing some properties, may need to be replaced and / or replace the solutions for concentration adjustment. These practices lead to generation of wastewater, where in many cases the disposal is done by transferring the pollutant so that contractors do the treatment and / or proper disposal on the environment. The lack of specific legislation is one of the factors that difficult the process of treatment of this effluent. furthermore, formaldehyde, although isn’t a generated waste during large-scale, considering its mass, is a highly impacting effluent to the environment because of their toxicity and persistence. In this work, the effluent containing formaldehyde generated by UNISINOS laboratories was characterized as its concentration, pH, COD, BOD, total suspended solids, volatile suspended solids, apparent color, true color and turbidity. A preliminary evaluation with synthetic wastewater was performed which demonstrated that: 1) the hight pH favors the oxidation reaction with H2O2, 2) as higher the concentration of the pollutant the oxidant performance is lower, 3) the use of buffer solution improves significantly the reduction of formaldehyde and 4) the use of ozone in medium pH haven’t promoted the degradation of the effluent. With the raw wastewater, the buffer solution haven't had the same performance when oxidized with H2O2. Thus, have been evaluated the oxidants as H2O2, O3 and H2O2 combined with O3, in the degradation of effluents contaminated by formaldehyde with an initial concentration range of 2000 - 2500 mg/L. The assays have been monitored from the formaldehyde concentration, pH and COD. Using a formaldehyde / H2O2 ration by 1: 0.8 (w / w) and an ozone generator capacity of 9.2 to 10.3 g/hr after 72 hours of combined treatment of these two oxidizers, this method has able to remove between 70 and 95% formaldehyde, representing an average of 82% pollutant degradation. Evaluating the new emission standards, after treatment with the best performance as the reduction of formaldehyde concentration, the effluent didn’t meet the CONAMA Resolution 430/2011 that provides about the issuance of effluent into receiving bodies of water, but it brings the concentration of formaldehyde to a value close to 400 mg/L.

Les ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species), tels H2O2, HO● et O2-●, sont produites naturellementpar le métabolisme des êtres vivants. Cependant, elles peuvent apparaître en trop grandesquantités dans le cas de certaines maladies (Alzheimer, Parkinson, scléroses, cancers). Lasurproduction de ROS conduit à une mortalité des cellules plus élevée.Certains micro-oragnismes possèdent une enzyme à base de Mn capable de catalyser laréaction de dismutation du H2O2 en O2 et H2O. Plusieurs molécules ont été synthétisées pourreproduire ce procédé, cependant très peu d'entre elle sont actives en environnement aqueux.Récemment, des espèces synthétiques du Mn ont été introduites dans des silicesvoient même leur activité catalytique augmenter. Afin de perséverer dans cette voie, cettethèse présente de nouveaux composés de MnII (dinucléaire et chaîne) et MnIII(tetranucléaire) basés sur ce concept. Ils sont dotés de ligands fluorescents, ajoutés pour desfin théragnostiques. Ces composés ont été insérés dans des nanoparticules (NPs) de silice ethybrides carbone-silice afin, de permettre leur vectorisation et d'étudier la compatibilité desNPs hybrides avec ce type de système.Le travail fourni explore les propriétés magnétiques des complexes, les propriétésluminescentes des composés et matériaux et montre la bonne insertion des composés dans lesNPs hybrides, ne nécessitant pas, contrairement aux NPs de silice pure, de fonctionnalisationsupplémentaire pour la rétention des complexes. Il met aussi en évidence l'activité descomposés du Mn dans l'acétonitrile et ouvre des pistes pour une optimisation des systèmeshybrides en milieu aqueux.Le travail fourni explore les propriétés magnétiques des complexes, les propriétésluminescentes des composés et matériaux et montre la bonne insertion des composés dans lesNPs hybrides, ne nécessitant pas, contrairement aux NPs de silice pure, de fonctionnalisationsupplémentaire pour la rétention des complexes. Il met aussi en évidence l'activité descomposés du Mn dans l'acétonitrile et ouvre des pistes pour une optimisation des systèmeshybrides en milieu aqueux. / ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species), such as H2O2, HO● and O2-●, are naturally produced by themetabolism of living beings. However, they can appear in large quantities in the case of certaindiseases (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, sclerosis, cancer). Overproduction of ROS leads to highercell mortality.Some microorganisms have an Mn-based enzyme capable of catalyzing the disproportionationreaction of H2O2 into O2 and H2O. Several molecules have been synthesized to reproduce thisprocess, however very few of them are active in aqueous environment. Recently, synthetic Mn species have been introduced into mesoporous silica to protect themfrom the environment. Thus, these complexes of Mn are stable and even see their catalyticactivity increase. In order to persevere in this way, this thesis presents new compounds ofMnII (dinuclear and chain) and MnIII (tetranuclear) based on this concept. They havefluorescent ligands (9-anthracene carboxylate), added for theragnostic purposes. Thesecompounds were inserted into silica nanoparticles (Nps), resol (a polyphenol resin) -silica andcarbon-silica hybrids in order to allow their vectorization and to study the compatibility ofhybrid NPs with this type of system.This work explores the magnetic properties of the complexes, the luminescent properties of thecompounds and materials and shows the good insertion of the compounds into the hybrid NPs,not requiring, in contrast to pure silica NPs, additional functionalization for the retention of thecomplexes. It also highlights the activity of Mn compounds in acetonitrile and paves the wayfor optimizing hybrid systems in aqueous media.

Accelerated Adaptation through Stimulated Copy Number Variation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Ryan Matthew Hull Repetitive regions of the genome, such as the centromeres, telomeres and ribosomal DNA account for a large proportion of the genetic variation between individuals. Differences in the number of repeat sequences between individuals is termed copy number variation (CNV) and is rife across eukaryotic genomes. CNV is of clinical importance as it has been implicated in many human disorders, in particularly cancers where is has been associated with tumour growth and drug resistance. The copper-resistance gene CUP1 in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is one such CNV gene. CUP1 is transcribed from a copper inducible promoter and encodes a protein involved in copper detoxification. In this work I show that yeast can regulate their repeat levels of the CUP1 gene through a transcriptionally stimulated CNV mechanism, as a direct adaptation response to a hostile environment. I characterise the requirement of the epigenetic mark Histone H3 Lysine 56 acetylation (H3K56ac) for stimulated CNV and its limitation of only working at actively transcribed genes. Based upon my findings, I propose a model for how stimulated CNV is regulated in yeast and show how we can pharmacologically manipulate this mechanism using drugs, like nicotinamide and rapamycin, to stimulate and repress a cell's ability to adapt to its environment. I further show that the model is not limited to high-copy CUP1 repeat arrays, but is also applicable to low-copy systems. Finally, I show that the model extends to other genetic loci in response to different challenging environments, such as formaldehyde stimulation of the formaldehyde-resistance gene SFA1. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of any eukaryotic cell undergoing genome optimisation as a novel means to accelerate its adaptation in direct response to its environment. If conserved in higher eukaryotes, such a mechanism could have major implications in how we consider and treat disorders associated with changes in CNV.

Três procedimentos analíticos envolvendo microextração líquido-líquido (MELL) em fluxo foram desenvolvidos para as determinações de formaldeído em leite, detergentes aniônicos em águas de rios e bisfenol A (BPA) em águas de torneira. Microextração líquido-líquido dispersiva (MELLD) foi empregada no primeiro e no segundo procedimentos. O primeiro procedimento foi conduzido em um sistema fluxo-batelada no qual a quantificação espectrofotométrica era realizada diretamente na câmara de mistura/reação, através do acoplamento de fibras ópticas. No segundo, foi explorada a estratégia lab-in-syringe, em que a formação do par iônico entre os detergentes aniônicos e corante catiônico azul de metileno, bem como MELLD ocorriam no interior da seringa, sendo os analitos quantificados na fase orgânica por espectrofotometria. O terceiro procedimento envolveu MELL em sistema de análises por injeção sequencial (SIA), baseada na formação de um filme de 1-octanol na parede da bobina de extração. O extrato foi eluído com etanol e a quantificação de BPA foi realizada por espectrofluorimetria. As linearidades das curvas analíticas, os limites de detecção e os limites de quantificação ao nível de 95% de confiança foram: 0,5-5,0 mg L-1, 100 e 300 ?g L-1 para formaldeído, 0,03-0,5 mg L-1, 9,0 e 29,0 ?g L-1 para detergentes, e 5,0 - 100 ?g L-1, 1,8 ?g L-1 e 5,4 ?g L-1 para BPA. Os procedimentos desenvolvidos não apresentaram efeitos de matriz, e as recuperações se situaram entre 91 e 112%. A precisão e exatidão do procedimento foram concordantes com os procedimentos de referência, ao nível de 95% de confiança. Todos os procedimentos apresentaram coeficientes de variação menores do que 3,5% (n=10), frequência de amostragem de 10-17 h-1, consumiram apenas 30-40 µL de solventes orgânicos e geraram 2,7-6,7 mL de resíduos por determinação / Three analytical procedures involving flow-based liquid-liquid microextraction (LLME) were developed for the determinations of formaldehyde in milk, anionic detergents in river waters, and bisphenol A (BPA) in tap waters. The first and second procedures involved dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) and spectrophotometric detection. The first one was carried out in a flow-batch system, in which the spectrophotometric quantification was performed directly in the mixing/reaction chamber by coupling optical fibers. The second one exploited the lab-in-syringe strategy, in which the ion-pair formation between the anionic detergents and the methylene blue cationic dye, as well as DLLME, were carried out inside the syringe. The third procedure involved LLME in a sequential injection system based on the formation of a 1-octanol film on the inner wall of the extraction coil. The extract was eluted with ethanol and BPA was quantified by spectrofluorimetry. Linear response ranges, detection and quantification limits estimated at the 95% confidence level were: 0.5-5.0 mg L-1, 100 and 300 ?g L-1 for formaldehyde; 0.03-0.5 mg L-1, 9.0 and 29.0 ?g L-1 for detergents, and 5.0-100 ?g L-1, 1.8 and 5.4 ?g L-1 for BPA. Matrix effects were not observed for the assayed samples and recoveries ranged from 91 to 112%. Accuracy and precision of the results agreed with those attained by reference procedures at the 95% confidence level. All procedures yielded coefficients of variation lower than 3.5% (n = 10), sampling rates within 10 and 17 h-1, consumed only 30-40 ?L of organic solvents, and generated 2.7-6.7 mL of waste by determination

The Quantum chemical cluster approach has been shown to be quite powerful and efficient in the modeling of enzyme active sites and reaction mechanisms. In this thesis, the reaction mechanisms of several enzymes have been investigated using the hybrid density functional B3LYP. The enzymes studied include four dinuclear zinc enzymes, namely dihydroorotase, N-acyl-homoserine lactone hydrolase, RNase Z, and human renal dipeptidase, two trinuclear zinc enzymes, namely phospholipase C and nuclease P1, two tungstoenzymes, namely formaldehyde ferredoxin oxidoreductase and acetylene hydratase, aspartate α-decarboxylase, and mycolic acid cyclopropane synthase. The potential energy profiles for various mechanistic scenarios have been calculated and analyzed. The role of the metal ions as well as important active site residues has been discussed.   In the cluster approach, the effects of the parts of the enzyme that are not explicitly included in the model are taken into account using implicit solvation methods.   For all six zinc-dependent enzymes studied, the di-zinc bridging hydroxide has been shown to be capable of performing nucleophilic attack on the substrate. In addition, one, two, or even all three zinc ions participate in the stabilization of the negative charge in the transition states and intermediates, thereby lowering the barriers.   For the two tungstoenzymes, several different mechanistic scenarios have been considered to identify the energetically most feasible one. For both enzymes, new mechanisms are proposed.   Finally, the mechanism of mycolic acid cyclopropane synthase has been shown to be a direct methyl transfer to the substrate double bond, followed by proton transfer to the bicarbonate.   From the studies of these enzymes, we demonstrate that density functional calculations are able to solve mechanistic problems related to enzymatic reactions, and a wealth of new insight can be obtained.

Water pollution is a major concern in vast countries such as India and other developing nations. Several methods of water purification have been practiced since many decades, Semiconductor photocatalysis is a promising technique, for photodegradation of various hazardous chemicals that are encountered in waste waters. The great significance of this technique is that, it can degrade (detoxify) various complex organic chemicals, which has not been addressed by several other methods of purification. This unique advantage made this field of research to attract many investigators particularly in latter eighties and after. This thesis incorporates the studies on the various semiconductor photocatalysts that have been employed for the detoxification purposes. The fundamental principles involved in the photoelectrochemistry, reactions at the interface (solid - liquid or solid - gas) and photocatalytic reactions on fine particles are briefed. General nature and size quantization in semiconductor particles, photocatalytically active semiconductors, TiCh and ABO3 systems, chemical systems and modifications for solar energy conversions are brought out in the introduction chapter besides giving brief description about photocatalytic mineralization of water pollutants with mechanism involved, formation of reactive species and the factors influencing photomineralization reactions. Scope of the present work is given at the end of the first chapter. Second chapter deals with the materials used for the preparation of photocatalyst, preparative techniques, methods of analysis, instruments employed for the photodegradation experiments and a brief description of material characterization methods such as X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, differential thermal analysis, optical absorption spectro photometry, Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), and gas chromatograph - mass spectroscopy (GC - MS). Various preparative routes such as wet chemical and hydrothermal methods for obtaining TiO2 (both rutile and anatase forms), BaTiOs and SrTiO3 fine particles and the chemical analysis of their constituents have been described in brief. Third chapter presents the results of materials characterization. T1O2 (rutile and anatase), BaTiO3 and SrTiO3 have been characterized separately using various techniques. Different routes of obtaining the photocatalyst fine particles, heat treatment at various temperature ranges, experimental procedures and the results of characterization are brought out in this chapter. Fourth and fifth chapters present the details of degradation studies carried out on the photomineralization of chlorophenol, trichloroethylene and formaldehyde. Studies include photodegradation of the pollutants with different catalysts varying experimental conditions to check the effects of change in concentration of pollutants, oxidizer, pH, surface hydroxylation, etc. The most favorable conditions for the complete mineralization of the pollutants have been studied. In case of TiO2, anatase form has shown greater photoactivity when compared to rutile and complete mineralization of chlorophenols has been achieved at low pollutant concentrations, neutral pH, with H2O2 and UV illumination. Retarding effects of surface hydroxylation and the formation of peroxotitanium species during photodegradation have been presented. TCE and HCHO degradation with BaTiO3/SrTiO3 has been studied. Photocatalyst heat-treated at 1100°G-1300°C is found to be highly active in combination with H2O2 as electron scavenger. HCHO is not getting degraded to its completeness in aqueous conditions owing to the strong competition in surface adsorption posed by H2O molecules. Vapour-solid phase reaction however gave good results in the detoxification of HCHO via disproportionation. Summary and conclusions are given at the end of the thesis.

A wide range of organic compounds are released from building and furnishing products and these have the potential to adversely affect indoor air quality. There are growing international requirements for testing and controlling these emissions for the protection of public health. The test methods require specialist analytical chemistry facilities based on thermal desorption/gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD/GC/MS). This project has addressed the need for better performance and greater automation of the analysis, as well as development of simpler screening tests. A variety of products were tested using screening techniques, with an emission cell method being used as a reference test. Short duration tests, using a micro-scale chamber at slightly elevated temperature, were shown to have the potential to predict emissions occurring during longer term reference tests. Multi-sorbent air sampling tubes, that have the potential to extend the volatility range of compounds determined by a single TD/GC/MS analysis, were compared with Tenax TA tubes specified by current standard methods. This showed no difference in performance for the range of compounds for which Tenax is optimal, with improved performance for a number of more volatile compounds. The determination of formaldehyde was investigated using 2-hydroxymethylpiperidine as a derivatising agent, followed by TD/GC/MS. The results showed the possibility of this method being developed as an alternative to the current standard method that involves solvent elution and liquid chromatography. The performance of a newly developed time-of-flight mass spectrometer was compared with a standard quadrupole instrument. This showed its potential, with the use of re-collection, to extend the concentration range of compounds quantified from a single air sample, of particular benefit for the determination of carcinogens. New compound identification software was applied to increase automation of analysis of the TD/GC/MS data. Good correlation with manual processing was achieved, demonstrating the possibility of routine application to material emissions testing.

This thesis aims at developing a method of chemical aftertreatment for reduction of free formaldehyde release of a tetrakis (hydroxymethyl) phosphonium chloride (THPC) urea precondensate, ammonia cured durable flame retardant finished cotton fabric, by preventing the formation of free formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is toxic and carcinogenic. According to the worldwide standards, acceptable limit of free formaldehyde release, for the fabrics that have skin contact, is only 75 ppm (measured by water extraction method). In this research, a cotton fabric flame retardant finished in an industrial plant in Pakistan is used. Fabric is finished by the application of THPC urea precondensate and ammonia cured, oxidized and washed. After finishing, it is not aftertreated with sodium metabisulfite that is a commonly used aftertreatment method for the reduction of free formaldehyde release. Aftertreatment with sodium metabisulfite has various problems that include large number of hot washings and there is an increase in the formaldehyde release during fabric storage. If the fabric has 75 ppm of free formaldehyde, there is often an increase in free formaldehyde release during fabric storage. There is a very limited research on the aftertreatment methods and few reports of application of these aftertreatments on flame retardant fabrics have been published. In this research, two methods of aftertreatments are developed to reduce the free formaldehyde contents to 75 ppm or less. One is the aftertreatment with a combination of resorcinol 1% and diethylene glycol 4%. The other is the combination of resorcinol 1% and boric acid 6%. For both these aftertreatments, ammonium acetate 0.5% is used as a catalyst. Fabric is padded with the solution and then dried at 130̊ C for 8 minutes. After drying, fabric is rinsed with water at 40̊ C. The aftertreatment methods developed in this research have shown a long term effect in keeping the formaldehyde release below 75 ppm during fabric storage that is not available with other conventional aftertreatment methods. These aftertreatment methods have no adverse effect on the flame retardancy of the THPC ammonia cured finished fabric and the fabric is soft as compared to the original flame retardant finished fabric and to the fabric after treated with existing methods. These new developed methods have industrial application because there is no use of any solvent and there is no use of any special equipment for the aftertreatment.

La régulation transcriptionnelle des gènes est un processus indispensable sans lequel la diversité phénotypique des cellules ainsi que l’adaptation à leur environnement serait inexistant. L’identification des éléments de régulation dans le génome est d’une importance capitale afin de comprendre les mécanismes gouvernant l’expression des gènes spécifiques à un type cellulaire donné. Ainsi, suite au pic de LH, le follicule ovarien entre dans un programme intensif de différentiation cellulaire, orchestré par des modifications majeures du profile transcriptionnel des cellules de granulosa, déclenchant ultimement l’ovulation et la lutéinisation, processus indispensables à la fertilité femelle. L’hypothèse supportée par cette étude stipule qu’une réorganisation de la structure chromatinienne survient aux régions régulatrices d’une panoplie de gènes dans les heures suivant le pic de LH et qu’en isolant et identifiant ces régions, il serait possible de retrouver des éléments essentiels aux processus d’ovulation et de lutéinisation. Ainsi, en utilisant un protocole standard de superovulation chez la souris, les éléments de régulation se modifiant 4h suivant l’administration de hCG ont été isolés et identifiés dans les cellules de granulosa en utilisant la méthode FAIRE (Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements) combinée à un séquençage haut débit. Cette étude a démontré que suite au stimulus ovulatoire, les cellules de granulosa subissent une reprogrammation majeure des éléments de régulation, qui est corrélée avec une modification drastique de leurs fonctions biologiques. De plus, cette étude a mis en évidence une association majoritaire des éléments de régulation à des régions intergéniques distales et à des introns, indiquant que ces régions ont une importance capitale dans la régulation transcriptionnelle dans les cellules de granulosa. Cette étude a également permis d’identifier une panoplie de régulateurs transcriptionnels reconnus pour être essentiels à la fonction ovarienne, ainsi que leur sites de liaison dans le génome, démontrant que la méthode FAIRE est une méthode assez puissante pour permettre la prédiction d’événements moléculaires précis ayant un sens physiologique réel. / Identification of regulatory elements in the genome is of paramount importance to understanding the mechanisms governing the expression of specific genes in a given cell type. Following the LH surge, the ovarian peri-ovulatory follicle enters an intensive program of cellular differentiation, orchestrated by major changes in the transcriptional profile of granulosa cells, ultimately triggering ovulation and luteinization, processes essentials for fertility in females. In the mouse, several genes essential to the success of this program are induced 2 to 6 hours after the ovulatory stimulus. Using a standard protocol for superovulation in mice, the regulatory elements were isolated and identified in granulosa cells 4h after administration of hCG using the method FAIRE (Formaldehyde-Assisted Isolation of Regulatory Elements) combined with next generation sequencing. The results of this analysis demonstrate that after the ovulatory stimulus, granulosa cells undergo a major reprogramming of regulatory elements, which is correlated with the extensive changes in their biological functions. In addition, this study showed that most regulatory elements were associated with distal intergenic regions and introns, indicating that these regions are important in transcriptional regulation in granulosa cells. A variety of transcriptional regulators known to be essential for ovarian function, and their binding sites were also identified in this analysis, demonstrating that the FAIRE method has the power to predict molecular events that have correlates in the known physiology of ovarian processes.