The chloride/proton antiporter ClC-5 is primarily expressed in the kidney where it aids in re-absorption of proteins from the glomerular filtrate. Functional disruption of ClC-5 causes Dent’s Disease – a renal condition characterized by proteinuria and kidney failure in a third of all cases. The majority of disease-causing mutations translate into premature truncations of the carboxy-terminal (Ct) region of ClC-5 and are predicted to disrupt the protein-protein interactions mediated by this domain. In this thesis, direct ATP binding to the two cystathionine β-synthase (CBS) domains of ClC-5 was demonstrated. ATP binding enhanced the global compactness of the ClC-5 Ct region likely through a clamping motion of the CBS domains around the nucleotide. Along with ATP, the sodium proton exchange regulatory factor 2 (NHERF2) also binds ClC-5; however, the molecular mechanism behind this interaction was unknown as ClC-5 lacked the PDZ binding motif traditionally localized at the Ct end of bait proteins. Here, we also identified a class I PDZ binding motif (657-660; TSII) within the internal sequence of ClC-5. Despite the buried position of this motif in the Ct peptide’s X-ray crystal structure (PDB: 2J9L), the high propensity of this region for dynamic flexibility prompted us to test whether it could mediate NHERF2 interactions. In support of this hypothesis, we demonstrated that the motif is transiently available to interact directly with NHERF2 in vivo and to enable an enhancement in receptor-mediated endocytosis in mammalian cells. Collectively, these results gave further evidence that the intracellular Ct region of ClC-5 serves as a hub to mediate interactions essential for its maturation, stability, and trafficking in renal epithelium, as well as providing further insights into the molecular basis of Dent’s Disease.

Our overall objective was to explore some individual and environmental determinants of eating habits with a main focus on nutrition labels and their usefulness for choosing foods for weight management. We first broadly examined these determinants using participants of the AFMNet Canadian Consumer Monitor (CCM), and found a number of attitudinal and perceived environmental barriers to healthy eating. In an experimental study with CCM respondents, we found that reduced fat claims may help consumers make better choices for weight management if calorie content on the Nutrition Facts Table is also considered. However, in our examination of foods with fat claims in the Canadian marketplace, we found that most products with fat claims are not significantly lower in calories than comparable foods without such claims. We conclude that fat claims could be useful in assisting consumers with food choices for weight management, if the foods were also reduced in calories.

Generating computer animation from natural language instructions is a complex task that encompasses several key aspects of artificial intelligence including natural language understanding, computer graphics and knowledge representation. Traditionally, this task has been approached using rule based systems which were highly successful on their respective domains, but were difficult to generalise to other domains. In this thesis, I describe the key theories and principles behind a domain-independent machine learning framework for constructing natural language based animation systems, and show how this framework can be more flexible and more powerful than the prevalent rule based approach. / I begin this thesis with a thorough introduction to the goals of the research. I then review the most relevant literature to put this research into perspective. After the literature review, I provide brief descriptions to the most relevant technologies in both natural language processing and computer graphics. I then report original research in semantic role labelling and verb sense disambiguation, followed by a detailed description and analysis of the machine learning framework for natural language based animation generation. / The key contributions of this thesis are: a novel method for performing semantic role labelling of prepositional phrases, a novel method for performing verb sense disambiguation, and a novel machine learning framework for grounding linguistic information in virtual worlds and converting verb-semantic information to computer graphics commands to create computer animation.

Natural products as sources of novel therapeutic agents experienced a steady increase from around the turn of the twentieth century until it peaked in the 1970s and 1980s. However since this time pharmaceutical research in natural products has experienced a decline. Despite this trend the natural products industry now seems to be experiencing a revival of sorts. This thesis represents a continuation of the work on the isolation and structure elucidation of potential drug leads from terrestrial fungal sources that the natural products group at the University of Canterbury is engaged in. The known compound, pseurotin A (2.7) and two novel diastereomers, pseurotin A2 (2.8) and pseurotin A3 (2.9) were isolated from the extract of a Penicillium sp. of fungus collected from the foreshore of a beach in Vancouver, Canada. The absolute stereochemistry of pseurotin A2 and proposed absolute stereochemistry for A3 were elucidated using a combination of X-ray crystallography (A2 only), circular dichrosim, oxidative cleavage reactions, and J2-resoved 2D NMR experiments. The extract of an as yet unidentified endophytic fungus has yielded eight novel compounds related to the spirobisnaphthalene class of compounds. These eight compounds fall into to distinct groupings. The spiro-mamakones, distinguished by a structurally unprecedented oxygenated spiro-nonene skeleton, comprise five compounds, spiro-mamakones A-E (3.11, 3.15-3.18). In addition to these naturally occurring compounds, the semi-synthetic compounds, 4-oxo-spiro-mamakone A (3.12) and O-acetyl-spiro-mamakone A (3.21), were also synthesised. spiro-Mamakone A was found to be racemic, while X-ray crystallography and optical rotation revealed spiro-mamakone C (3.15) to be present as an enantiomeric mixture (4S*, 5S*, 9R*). Unfortunately the enantiomeric excess was unable to be elucidated. NOE experiments revealed spiro-mamakone B (3.16) to have the relative stereochemistry 4S*, 5S*, 9S*. The relative stereochemistry of spiro-mamakones D (3.17) (4S*, 5S*, 8S*, 9S*) and E (3.18) (4S*, 5S*, 8S*, 9R*) was proposed from comparison of coupling constant calculations from energy-minimised models with those of the experimentally determined values. The second group, comprising three novel compounds named the mamakunoic acids, mamakunoic acid A-C (3.8, 3.7, 3.10), are characterised by their acid substituted dihydro benzofuran system. The low yield obtained of these compounds, unfortunately prevented their stereochemical elucidation. In addition to structure elucidation, biosynthetic studies on spiro-mamakone A and mamakunoic acid B were also carried out. Analysis of the NMR spectra derived from spiro-mamakone A, labelled with isotopic acetate, revealed a situation complicated by the presence of isotopomers and racemisation, resulting in NMR spectra that were somewhat anomalous in appearance. These irregularities however, were resolved leading to the proposal that spiro-mamakone A was derived from a dihydroxynaphthalene (DHN) intermediate, which proceeds through to spiro-mamakone via an epoxide intermediate. Despite problems with purity and low yields of isotopically labelled mamakunoic acid B, it was proposed that like spiro-mamakone A, it proceeded via a DHN intermediate. The extract derived from a Malaysian Scleroderma sp. was found to contain a new dichlorinated pulvinic acid derivative, methyl-3',5'-dichloro-4,4'-di-O-methylatromentate (4.14), the structure of which was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. In addition three previously reported compounds, 4,4'-dimethoxyvulpinic acid (4.11), methyl-3'-chloro-4,4'-di-O-methylatromentate (4.12) and methyl-4,4'-dimethoxyvulpinate (4.13), were also isolated. The extract of another, as yet unidentified endophytic fungus was found to contain the new acetogenin, 1,5-dihydroxy-6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methoxyacetophenone (5.7), differing from the known compound, 2,4-dihydroxy-6-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methoxyacetophenone (5.8) only by virtue of the substitution pattern. The structure of 5.7 was confirmed by X-ray crystallography. The implementation of efficient dereplication procedures is paramount for those working in the field of natural products. The recent advances that have been made in the dereplication process in the natural products group at the University of Canterbury are given using examples from this research and where necessary from other group members.

Diss. (sammanfattning)--Göteborg : University, 2002. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Le colza est une culture oléagineuse très exigeante en intrants azotés associée à une faible efficience d’usage de l’azote (EUA). Le défi majeur vise à améliorer le bilan agroenvironnemental du colza par une optimisation de l’EUA, notamment en condition où l’azote est limitant dans le sol. L’EUA est limitée par une faible efficience de remobilisation de l’azote (ERA) lors de la sénescence des feuilles. L’objectif de ce travail de thèse a consisté à rechercher, chez le colza, la topologie et l’orientation des attributs métaboliques associées à l’ERA pendant la sénescence foliaire.Les résultats montrent que le métabolome des feuilles évolue tout au long de leur développement végétatif, de leur croissance à leur chute. Il est spécifique à chaque étage foliaire et traduit des relations trophiques et environnementales particulières liées au positionnement des feuilles dans le couvert végétal. Ces spécificités sont associées à des variations de teneurs en glucides, d’acides aminés,de glucosinolates et de coumarines en lien étroit avec la régulation phytohormonale du développement foliaire et avec leur translocation dans le phloème. Le cas de la Proline a été plus particulièrement approfondi et l’activation de son catabolisme sous régulation circadienne dans les tissus sénescents a été mise en évidence. Une approche combinée de transcriptomique et de métabolomique a permis de démontrer une variabilité génotypique importante dans les processus de dégradation et de transport des protéines, glucides et acides aminés entre deux génotypes à forte ERA. De la même manière, des relati / Oilseed rape is a very demanding oleaginous crop for nitrogen inputs associated with a low nitrogen use efficiency (NUE). The main challenge to improve the agri-environmental balance of oilseed rape is to optimize the NUE, especially under nitrogen deprivation. The NUE is limited by a low nitrogen remobilization efficiency (NRE) during leaf senescence. The aim of this thesis was to define the metabolome topology and orientation associated with NRE during leaf senescence in oilseed rape.The results show that leaf metabolome dynamically evolves throughout their vegetative growth, until their fall. Metabolome was found specific to each leaf rank, reflecting the trophic and environmental relationships related to the leaf positioning in the canopy. These specificities are associated with variations in carbohydrates, amino acids, glucosinolates and coumarins contents in close connection with the phytohormonal regulation of leaf development and with their translocation in the phloem.In particular, the activation of Proline circadian-controlled catabolism in senescent tissues was demonstrated. Finally, significant variations in the degradation and transport of proteins, carbohydrates and amino acids between two highly efficient NRE genotypes were highlighted using a combined transcriptomic and metabolomic approach. Similarly, a close relationship has been described between the genes expression levels and the metabolic content involved to increase NRE under low nitrogen input.The results are discussed regarding nitrogen remobilization improvement and more generally nutrients i

Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T12:35:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2014-10-09T14:03:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Tese (Doutoramento) / IPEN/T / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

Submitted by Claudinei Pracidelli (cpracide@ipen.br) on 2015-12-22T09:27:04Z No. of bitstreams: 0 / Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-22T09:27:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 / Dissertação (Mestrado em Tecnologia Nuclear) / IPEN/D / Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares - IPEN-CNEN/SP

O ozônio (O3) é um poderoso oxidante e quantidades significativas podem ser formadas em ambientes urbanos, como resultado de uma série de eventos fotoquímicos, sendo um risco para a saúde humana. Devido a sua reatividade química, o ozônio é capaz de promover modificações oxidativas em diversas biomoléculas, tais como, DNA, proteínas e lipídios. As reações do O3 com biomoléculas geram quantidades significativas de O2 (1Δg). Sendo assim, essas reações são caracterizadas pela transferência de um átomo de oxigênio do O3 ao substrato oxidado. Devido à regra de conservação do Spin, isto requer que o dioxigênio gerado nesta reação esteja no seu estado singlete. Neste específico mecanismo, a formação do hidrotrióxido tem sido frequentemente assumida como um importante intermediário da ozonização. Ainda, constatou-se o elevado potencial mutagênico do O3 sobre o DNA, levando, principalmente, à substituição de suas bases. A frequência das substituições das bases foi essencialmente localizada no par G: C\'s (75%), uma característica das espécies reativas de oxigênio, como o O2 (1Δg). No entanto, os mecanismos pelos quais O3 causa danos ao DNA ainda não foram completamente elucidados. No presente trabalho, as evidências espectroscópicas na geração do O2 (1Δg) foram obtidas através da emissão de luz bimolecular na região vermelha do espectro (λ = 634 nm) e através da emissão de luz monomolecular na região do infravermelho próximo (λ = 1270 nm ) durante a reação de O3 com dGuo e 8-oxodGuo. Além disso, desenvolveu-se uma metodologia para a geração de ozônio isotopicamente marcado com átomo de oxigênio-18 a partir do 18O2 (3Σg-). Deste modo, as evidências da formação dos diastereoisômeros da spiroiminodihidantoina, tanto a isotopicamente marcada no 18O quanto a não marcada, juntamente com a 8-oxodGuo, imidazolona e oxazolona, foram detectados como produtos de oxidação das reações com 18O3. Para tal observação, análises foram realizadas por HPLC acoplado ao espectrômetro de massas. Ademais, a detecção do 18O2 (1Δg) durante a decomposição do 18O3 foi obtida por captação química do O2 (1Δg) pelo derivado de antraceno, EAS, detectando o endoperóxido corresponde com a adição de dois átomos de 18O na posição 9,10 do antraceno. Além disso, mais uma evidência da presença do O2 (1Δg) foi inequivocamente demonstrada pela caracterização do espectro de emissão no infravermelho próximo. / Ozone (O3) is a potent oxidant and significant amounts can be formed in urban environments as a result of a series of complex photochemical events. It is a threat for human health. Due its chemical reactivity towards biological targets, ozone is able to promote oxidative modification in several biomolecules, such as DNA, proteins and lipids. Reactions of O3 with biomolecules are able to generate in high yields of singlet molecular oxygen [O2 (1Δg)]. The transfer of one oxygen atom from O3 to the oxidized substrate characterizes these reactions. Spin conservation rules require that the dioxygen generated in this reaction has to be in its singlet state. In this specific mechanism, hydrotrioxide has often been assumed as important intermediates in the ozonization process. In addition, ozone has been established as a powerful mutagenic agent, and the most observed mutation is in G:C transversion. This kind of transversion is typical in reactions involving DNA and reactive oxygen species, such as O2 (1Δg). However, the mechanisms by which O3 causes DNA damage have not yet been fully elucidated. In the present research, spectroscopic evidence for the generation of O2 (1Δg) was obtained by measuring the dimol light emission in the red spectral region (λ = 634 nm) and the monomol light emission in the near-infrared region (λ=1270 nm). Both measuements were done during interaction of O3 with dGuo and 8-oxodGuo. In addition, a system was built to produce isotopically labeled ozone with 18O. Thefore, in the same system that 8-oxodGuo, imidazolone and oxazolone, 18O-labeled and unlabeled diastereoisomeric spiroiminodihydantoin nucleosides were detected as the oxidation products with 18O3. In that case, analyses by HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry were performed. Moreover, in the O3 decomposition the formation of 18O-labeled O2 (1Δg) from 18O-labeled ozone was obtained by chemical trapping of O2 (1Δg) with EAS anthracene derivative and detected the corresponding 18O-labeled EAS endoperoxide. More evidence of the presence of O2 (1Δg) was unequivocally demonstrated by the direct characterization of the near-infrared light emission spectrum.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T17:21:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo6112_1.pdf: 862556 bytes, checksum: 78bac9b60838aa079ebda6706cb55338 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006 / Comércio, não ajuda, esta é a essência do comércio justo ou fair trade, que tem o propósito de ajudar pequenos produtores localizados em países em desenvolvimento possibilitando o desenvolvimento sustentável nestas regiões. Para ser fornecedor desta rede internacional de comércio o produtor precisa atender algumas exigências que fazem seu produto apresentar apelo social tais como: dar igual oportunidades a homens e mulheres, ser administrado de forma transparente e democrática, preservar o meio ambiente entre outras. Este apelo social deve ser comprovado através de uma instituição certificadora internacional que atue no comércio justo mundial. Os governos mundiais têm demonstrado preocupação com a preservação do meio ambiente realizando campanhas de conscientização da finitude dos recursos naturais, um reflexo destas campanhas é que o cidadão passou a ter mais informações sobre estas agressões realizadas contra o meio ambiente e passou a valorizar o produto que tem conotação orgânica (produzido sem grandes agressões ao meio ambiente, sem uso de agrotóxico etc). Água Branca é um município do estado de Alagoas que está entre os 900 municípios brasileiros menos desenvolvidos (CPRM, 2000). Sua agricultura mostra uma particularidade interessante que é a não utilização de agrotóxicos ou corretivos de solo e tem uma tradicional exploração de cultivo da cana-de-açúcar e produção de seus derivados também sem a utilização de aditivos químicos. Este estudo teve o propósito de analisar o sistema de produção de açúcar mascavo em Água Branca apontando as simetrias e ajustes a serem realizados para que esta produção obtenha o selo internacional da Fairtrade Labelling Organizations Internacional FLO, como também quais os ajustes e simetrias apresentadas com a produção e cultivo orgânico, tomando como parâmetro as exigências para certificação de produtos orgânicos do Instituto Biodinâmico IBD, instituição credenciada pela International Federation of the Agriculture Moviments IFOAM, cujo selo de certificação orgânica tem creditação nos Estados Unidos da América, Japão, Europa e América do Sul. Para obtenção de certificação orgânica o projeto a ser credenciado deve estar devidamente regulamentado nos órgãos de vigilância sanitária. Foram estudadas as exigências da Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária (ANVISA) para registro do produto e da unidade produtora, como também foram apontados os ajustes e investimentos a serem realizados para obtenção do registro. Por fim este estudo concluiu que existe a possibilidade de inserção da produção de açúcar mascavo de Água Branca na rede internacional de comércio justo, para tanto é necessário fazer alguns ajustes que atendam as solicitações das instituições acima citadas