Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and adipose tissue hypoxia have been shown to independently affect adipocyte functions. The goals of this study were to (1) determine the effect of PCB-77, PCB-153, and DDE on the differentiation of human preadipocytes, and (2) investigate the cross-talk between PCB-77 and hypoxia in differentiated human adipocytes. First, human preadipocytes were exposed to PCB-77, PCB-153, or DDE during the entire 14-day differentiation period. We found no effect of low POP levels on lipid accumulation. Second, differentiated human adipocytes were exposed to a combination of PCB-77 and hypoxia. We demonstrated gene-specific cross-talk between PCB-77 and hypoxia, showing an additive effect of PCB-77 on VEGF, MCP-1, and adiponectin, as well as an inhibition of PCB-77-induced expression of CYP1A1 by hypoxia. This work has expanded our understanding of the role of POPs and hypoxia in differentiated human adipocytes.

<p>This research was aimed at employing the broad use of petrophysical analysis and reservoir modelling techniques to explore the petroleum resources in the sandstone units of deep marine play in the Bredasdorp Basin.</p>

The safe, economically viable and sustainable extraction, transportation and processing of remote sub-sea hydrocarbon reserves presents many challenges. The limits of technology are increasingly being stretched in order to find and produce more natural gas and oil. Sub-sea processing is seen as a very promising, fast emerging, technology that has the potential to meet the increasing demands for hydrocarbon resources. / As an integral part of a current research project into the development of a unique subsea natural gas dehydration system is the need to have a robust, highly reliable power generation system. This power system must be continually operated within a harsh, remote environment. The proposed system must not only display extremely high reliability, but also have the ability to draw on its surrounding resources such as wave motion, wind and solar energy to supplement / wholly utilize for the primary source of energy. / This thesis reviews current power generating technologies, including their adaptation and fuel requirements / sources, which can be applied to the sub-sea gas dehydration plant power demands.

[Truncated abstract] This thesis describes the development of synthetic rock samples, representative of core samples from hydrocarbon reservoirs. The basic process consists of screening and sorting silica particles into discrete grain sizes, and then binding them together using a proprietary process known as CIPS, (Calcite In-situ Precipitation System). In the bonding process, the porosity of the system is substantially preserved, and the technique allows the manufacture of synthetic core samples with a tailor-made permeability. The produced samples were extensively characterised using a variety of analytic techniques to determine their porosity, permeability and pore size distribution. These analyses were a necessary pre-cursor to a major part of this thesis: the characterisation of the pore space by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques. The synthetic core samples, covering a 7 times factor in grain sizes were examined using NMR, and this data formed the comparative basis for the NMR studies that followed. Two fundamental NMR questions were posed and answered in this thesis: 1. What is the effect of paramagnetic ions in the rock matrix on the NMR response? In pursuit of this question the CIPS process was extended to include co-precipitation of paramagnetic ions. A key feature is that the ions were deposited in predictable amounts at known sites (on the wall of the pore space). ... The NMR response in these double cores was then measured and examined to provide an answer to the question posed at the beginning of this paragraph. The significance of this work is that the physically distinct cores are a cylindrical analogue of adjoining sedimentary strata. By answering the question posed above, the thesis gives an indication of the vertical porosity resolution ultimately possible in an NMR logging tool. At present this ranges from 9” to 24” in the most favourable circumstances. This work suggests that the NMR signal carries porosity information at a much higher resolution, and that advanced numerical analysis of the NMR signature could realise the potential of greater stratigraphic resolution in NMR logging In addition to the research outlined above, the application of the CIPS technique to produce analogues of reservoir rocks, pioneered in this thesis, has stimulated similar research to be undertaken at other institutions, including the fabrication of synthetic reservoir cores containing clay particles (at CSIRO - the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) and a large scale application, formation of meter size blocks of CIPS bonded material, with separate strata, for laboratory studies of seismic waves (at Curtin University)

Thesis (Ph. D.). UM #74-17,941. / Title from document title page. Includes bibliographical references. Available in PDF format via the World Wide Web.

L’étude a pour objet d’analyser les rapports qui peuvent être établis entre l’exploitation des hydrocarbures et la protection de l’environnement en République du Congo. Malgré son intitulé, il s’agit d’une étude de droit international, dans laquelle le droit de la mer et surtout le droit international de l’environnement contribuent par leurs règles respectives à limiter les conditions d’exercice des activités d’exploitation des hydrocarbures. C’est – en effet – sous le prisme du développement en droit international et d’une évolution internationale presque continue, que ces rapports, appréciés dans le cadre du droit national congolais, peuvent revêtir leur pleine signification. L’étude fait le constat d’une exclusion mutuelle, pour des raisons qui tiennent à la fois à la priorité nationale reconnue à l’exploitation des hydrocarbures et à la faiblesse encore significative des règles environnementales, telles qu’elles sont transcrites en droit interne. Elle permet de fonder ce constat sur une approche isolée de chacune d’entre elles, qui limite les possibilités d’interaction réciproque. Rendant ces deux régimes peut complémentaires. S’appuyant sur l’exigence soulignée par le CIJ en 1997 d’une conciliation nécessaire entre eux, l’étude montre comment l’émergence en droit international de cette démarche de conciliation est traduite en droit interne sous l’effet de la dynamique du développement durable. Il en résulte, malgré la prudence nécessaire d’un pays en développement, qui ne peut compter pour l’instant que sur cette rente économique et financière, une volonté affirmée par les autorités nationales d’adopter une gestion rationnelle de l’exploitation. À cet égard, l’action positive de la conciliation devient, dans un contexte de crise climatique et de nécessité d’une nouvelle orientation vers la transition énergétique, le vecteur de cette transformation profonde qui doit se concrétiser par une réforme juridique de même ampleur, intégrant la gestion de l’ensemble des ressources énergétiques dans un cadre juridique intégré et favorable à la disparition progressive de ces ressources carbonées et leur remplacement par des énergies plus propres et renouvelables. / The purpose of the study is to analyze the relationships that can be established between the exploitation of hydrocarbons and the protection of the environment in the Republic of Congo. Despite its title, it is a study of international law, in which the law of the sea and especially international environmental law contribute by their respective rules to limit the conditions for the exercise of the activities of exploitation of the hydrocarbons. It is - indeed - under the prism of development in international law and of an almost continuous international evolution, that these relations, appreciated within the framework of the Congolese national law, can take full significance. The study finds a mutual exclusion, for reasons that are due both to the national priority recognized for the exploitation of hydrocarbons and the still significant weakness of environmental rules, as transcribed in domestic law. It makes it possible to base this observation on an isolated approach of each of them, which limits the possibilities of reciprocal interaction. Making these two schemes lowly complement to each other. Based on the requirement emphasized by the ICJ in 1997 of a necessary conciliation between them, the study shows how the emergence in international law of this process of conciliation is translated into domestic law under the effect of the dynamics of the sustainable development. As a result, in spite of the necessary prudence of a developing country, which can only count on this economic and financial rent for the moment, the will of the national authorities to adopt a rational management of the exploitation. In this respect, the positive action of conciliation becomes, in the context of a climate crisis and the need for a new orientation towards the energy transition, the vector of this profound transformation which must be translated into legal reform of the same magnitude. integrating the management of all energy resources into an integrated legal framework favorable to the gradual disappearance of these carbon resources and their replacement by cleaner and renewable energies.

A Bacia de Santos é uma das principais bacias brasileiras para exploração e produção de hidrocarbonetos, e vem recebendo grandes investimentos em pesquisa nos últimos anos. O estudo das rochas geradoras serve como importante ferramenta para o estudo de modelos de geração, explusão e migração de hidrocarbonetos e na identificação de sistemas petrolíferos. O principal objetivo deste trabalho é a identificação de intervalos e áreas com maior potential para a geração de hidrocarbonetos dentro do pacote sedimentar estudado (Cretáceo-Terciário). As amostras de calha de 6 poços exploratórios, obtidas junto à Agência Nacional de Petróleo, Gás Natural e Biocombustíveis (ANP), foram analisadas através da geoquímica orgânica (Carbono Orgânico Total (COT), Pirólise Rock Eval e análise de Biomarcadores) e da petrologia orgânica (Reflectância da Vitrinita e Palinofácies) e foram interpretadas juntamente com os resultados do estudo de outros 10 poços exploratórios, obtidos pela Geochemical Solutions International cedidos para este trabalho. Esses 16 poços formam um perfil strike SW-NE que recobre praticamente toda a extensão da bacia. Amostras das formações Marambaia, Juréia, Santos, Itajaí-Açu, Itanhaem, Guarujá e Florianópolis foram analisadas, apresentando resultados semelhantes para o tipo de matéria orgânica, sua origem e ambiente deposicional (querogênio tipo II e III, originado pela mistura de material de origem terrestre e marinha depositado em ambiente transicional levemente oxidante). Os perfis analisados identificaram dois intervalos de maior conteúdo de carbono orgânico, maturação e potencial de geração de petróleo, um entre 2500 e 3000 metros de profundidade, que pode estar relacionado a eventos transgressivos do Terciário, e outro entre 4000 a 5000 metros de profundidade, possivelmente relacionado a um importante evento transgressivo de caráter regional ocorrido durante o Turoniano. A matéria orgânica encontrada nos poços situados na região sudoeste do perfil foi a que apresentou as melhores condições para a geração de hidrocarbonetos, tornando-se mais empobrecida na direção nordeste. Com base nos resultados geoquímicos e petrográficos obtidos, a matéria orgânica presente na Formação Itajaí-Açu possui o melhor potencial para geração de hidrocarbonetos, principalmente na porção basal do intervalo, na região sudoeste da bacia. / The Santos Basin is one of the main Brazilian sedimentary basin for hydrocarbon exploration and production and has been the focus of major geological research on hydrocarbon occurrences in recent years. Source rock studies are important tools for construction of hydrocarbon generation, expulsion and migration models of the basin and for identifying petroleum systems. The main objective of the present study is to identify areas and intervals with hydrocarbon generation potential inside the sedimentary sequence studied (Cretaceous-Tertiary). Cutting samples from 6 petroleum exploration wells obtained from the National Agency of Petroleum, Natural Gas and Biofuels (ANP) were analysed by organic geochemical methods (Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Rock Eval Pyrolysis and Biomarkers analysis) and organic petrography (Vitrinite Reflectance and Palynofacies) and were interpreted together with results from organic geochemical studies on samples from 10 addictional petroleum exploratory wells obtained from Geochemical Solution International (GSI), provided for this study. These 16 wells form a SW-NE strike section, that covers the basin almost completely in this direction. The samples from Marambaia, Juréia, Santos, Itajaí-Açu, Itanhaem, Guarujá and Florianópolis formations show similar results in regard to organic matter type, its origin and depositional paleoenvironment (type II-III kerogen, indicating a contribution of terrestrial and marine material, deposited in a transitional and slightly oxic environment). The stratigraphic profiles analysed identify two intervals with relatively high organic matter content, maturation and hydrocarbon generation potential, one between 2500 and 3000 meters depth, perhaps related to a Tertiary transgressive event and the other one between 4000 and 5000 meters depth, possibly related to an important regional transgressive event, which occurred during the Turonian. The organic matter encountered in the well samples located in the southwest of the SW-NE section has the best potential for hydrocarbon generation, whereas the organic matter of well samples located in the northwest direction has less potential to form hydrocarbons. Based on the results of the present study, the organic matter present in the Itajaí-Açu Formation has the best potential for hydrocarbon generation, in particular in the basal part of the formation in the southwest region of the basin.

xvii, 209 p. : ill. A print copy of this thesis is available through the UO Libraries. Search the library catalog for the location and call number. / Altering and controlling the properties of solid surfaces in aqueous or other liquid phase environments has been a sought after objective for decades. With the discovery of chemisorbed self-assembled monolayers, this dream has become a reality. Oxide and metal surfaces can now be readily coated with an array of commercially available products to produce a desired fnctionality. The presence of these coatings on solid surfaces affects properties of the interfacial region by altering interfacial electrostatic fields, changing the structure of interfacial water molecules and altering the interactions of adsorbed species. This dissertation reports on in situ studies of adsorption at several solid/aqueous interfaces using vibrational sum-frequency spectroscopy, a surface specific technique. These studies are augmented by the use of atomic force microscopy and contact angle goniometry to characterize the prepared surfaces and their interactions with adsorbates. The studies investigate how changes in the surface structure and chemistry, as well as the bulk aqueous phase, affect interfacial structure. The studies within are primarily focused on the interactions of water with bare and functionalized fused silica and the relationship between the aqueous phase composition and the structure of fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon self-assembled monolayers. The variations in aqueous structure are then examined in detail using ionic strength controlled experiments to understand the direct interactions of water hydrophobically coated silica. This analysis is followed by an investigation of the competitive adsorption of methanol and water at fluorocarbon and hydrocarbon monolayers which show spectroscopic signatures of the interaction strength between fluorocarbons and hydrocarbons. Further studies are performed using butylammonium chloride to verify these spectroscopic signatures and reveal different molecular structures of adsorbed species at chemically different hydrophobic surfaces. Lastly, specific ion effects on the CaF 2 /water interface are shown using equilibrium and time-resolved sum-frequency spectroscopy. The results of all these studies have implications for an array of surface chemical applications from mineral flotation to biocompatibility. This dissertation includes previously published co-authored material. / Committee in charge: Thomas Dyke, Chairperson, Chemistry; Geraldine Richmond, Advisor, Chemistry; James Hutchison, Member, Chemistry; Mark Lonergan, Member, Chemistry; Qusheng Jin, Outside Member, Geological Sciences

Les activités humaines sont à l’origine de nombreuses pollutions par des hydrocarbures au niveau des écosystèmes, et plus particulièrement au niveau des sols. Afin de préserver la santé humaine et environnementale, il est nécessaire d’éliminer les polluants présents. Dans ce but, les techniques de bioremédiation apparaissent aujourd’hui comme de réelles alternatives aux techniques classiques, invasives et onéreuses. Cependant, l’utilisation optimale de tels procédés nécessite une meilleure connaissance des capacités métaboliques des communautés microbiennes impliquées dans la biodégradation de ces polluants. Dans ce cadre, l’utilisation des biopuces ADN fonctionnelles pour analyser ces écosystèmes semble très appropriée.Cependant, une de ses limitations actuelles est la détermination des sondes, qui ne ciblent que les gènes dont les séquences ont été caractérisées. Pour cela, un outil informatique (Metabolic Design) a été mis au point, afin de déterminer des sondes exploratoires pour biopuces fonctionnelles. L’étude, avec notre biopuce fonctionnelle, des capacités métaboliques de dégradation des HAP de la souche Sphingomonas paucimobilis sp. EPA505 a permis de mettre en évidence la sensibilité et la spécificité des sondes développées, ainsi que leur aspect exploratoire. Puis, nous nous sommes attachés à caractériser les capacités métaboliques des communautés bactériennes d’un sol pollué principalement par des HAP, sans à priori sur les séquences ou les organismes présents, montrant l’efficacité de notre approche. / Soil ecosystems are sensitive to damage from pollutions, and there is an increasing need to develop better methods for removing pollutants from soils. The removal of pollutants, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, by bioremediation, is a less invasive and expensive process than classical decontamination. However, use and optimization of bioremediation treatments require knowledge on metabolic capacites of microbial communities involved in the biodegradation of such pollutants. To assess their huge metabolic potentialities, we need high throughput tools, such as functional microarrays, that allow the simultaneous analysis of thousands of genes. However, most classical functional microarrays use specific probes that monitor only known sequences and so, fail to cover the full microbial gene diversity present in complex environments. We have thus developed a program, named Metabolic Design, to design efficient explorative probes for functional microarrays. Then, we successfully validated our new functional microarray studying metabolic capacities of Sphnigomonas paucimobilis sp. EPA505 able to degrade polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Finally, we assessed metabolic capacities of microbial communities in soil, contaminated with aromatic hydrocarbons. Results show that our probe design (sensitivity and explorative quality) can be used to study a complex environment efficiently.

Challenged by a huge and diverse antigenic stimulus, the intestinal mucosa has developed a unique immune system that mainly functions to maintain tolerance to innocuous antigens while retaining the ability to respond swiftly to pathogenic threats. Central to this specialised immune system are the Intraepithelial Lymphocytes (IELs). These cells are uniquely located between Intestinal Epithelial Cells (IECs) ready to respond to exogenous antigens in the intestinal lumen. The intestinal immune system is constantly influenced, not only by the commensal microbiota, but also by the nutritional status of the host and the availability of certain essential micronutrients that are derived from a healthy-balanced diet. Additionally, age has a significant impact on the efficiency of gut immunity in responding to infectious pathogens, as reflected by the increased burden of gastrointestinal infections at the extremes of age. In this thesis, using the Murine Norovirus (MNV) oral infection model, I aimed to characterize intestinal mucosal antiviral-responses with specific focus on the role of IELs, the impact of aging and the influence of certain micronutrients whose effects are mediated through the Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR). Employing different knock-out and adoptive transfer experiments, I concluded that, at least in our experimental conditions and in a viral strain-specific manner, the activated IELs are not essential and may play a minor role in the protective response against MNV infection. This work also demonstrated that various MNV virus strains activate IELs differentially and for the first time (to our knowledge) revealed distinct abilities of these different Norovirus variants to infect IECs. Recognising an impaired response in old (2-year) mice, we were also able to identify a specific defect in the IFN-Lambda response of aged IECs. Furthermore, using the model of MNV infection to investigate the role of AhR signalling, the data I generated suggested a direct link between constitutive AhR signalling and innate interferon-mediated responses. These findings have uncovered a potential preventive/therapeutic targets for enhancing anti-viral responses.