Submitted by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2015-01-07T12:52:36Z No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2015-01-07T12:53:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2015-01-07T12:53:01Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Rodrigo Martins Cruz (rodrigo.cruz@ufvjm.edu.br) on 2015-01-07T12:54:15Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-01-07T12:54:15Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 livia_mara_fontes_costa_torres.pdf: 2305808 bytes, checksum: 7f9c5a4633cd450fb0283a8996d7fa96 (MD5) license_rdf: 23898 bytes, checksum: e363e809996cf46ada20da1accfcd9c7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Sistemas de libera??o modificada de f?rmacos possibilitam controlar a taxa de libera??o das subst?ncias ativas e direcion?-las aos seus locais de a??o evitando outras regi?es onde o f?rmaco exerce toxicidade, dessa forma ? poss?vel reduzir a ocorr?ncia de efeitos adversos, o que aumenta a aceitabilidade do tratamento pelo paciente, al?m de torn?-lo mais eficaz. Com o prop?sito de verificar a possibilidade de utiliza??o do sistema polim?rico PHB/PCL (poli(3-hidroxibutirato) / poli(??caprolactona)) em sistemas de libera??o controlada, o presente trabalho tem como objetivo preparar filmes polim?ricos e microesferas a partir de blendas PHB/PCL compatibilizadas com o copol?mero P(HB-co-CL), e caracterizar esses materiais, uma vez que os perfis de libera??o associam-se a propriedades f?sico-qu?micas inerentes aos materiais que o constituem, atrav?s de t?cnicas de an?lise t?rmica, difra??o de raios-x e microscopia eletr?nica de varredura. Com a realiza??o deste trabalho foi poss?vel verificar que a adi??o do compatibilizante em blendas PHB/PCL(20/80) e PHB/PCL(80/20) ? capaz de aumentar a intera??o entre os componentes polim?ricos dos sistemas, favorecendo a obten??o de materiais com propriedades intermedi?rias ?s apresentadas pelos homopol?meros. Al?m disso, verificou-se que o elevado grau de cristalinidade apresentado por determinados materiais polim?ricos, que dificulta sua aplica??o em sistemas de libera??o de f?rmacos, pode ser alterado por meio de uma simples mistura f?sica entre diferentes pol?meros. Tanto atrav?s da associa??o dos pol?meros PHB e PCL na forma de blendas quanto pela compatibiliza??o desses materiais com a adi??o do copol?mero ? formula??o foi poss?vel modificar o perfil de cristalinidade apresentando por esses sistemas polim?ricos. Verificou-se que o PCL associado ao copol?mero apresentou perfil cristalino muito semelhante ao PCL puro, mas o mesmo evento n?o foi observado para o PHB compatibilizado, que apresentou menor cristalinidade se comparado ao homopol?mero. Em rela??o ?s blendas PHB/PCL(20/80) e PHB/PCL(80/20) observou-se menor cristalinidade para estes sistemas se comparados aos homopol?meros puros, no entanto a presen?a do copol?mero em ambas as blendas modifica a cristalinidade aumentando a intensidade de picos cristalinos. Essa altera??o de cristalinidade ? capaz de influenciar a degrada??o da matriz polim?rica, propriedade que pode ter aplicabilidade na modula??o da libera??o de ativos em sistemas de libera??o controlada. Estes sistemas podem ser desenvolvidos mediante a formula??o de microesferas polim?ricas e incorpora??o de ativos em sua matriz. Neste trabalho, pela primeira vez, foi poss?vel obter microesferas a partir de blendas PHB/PCL(80/20) e PHB/PCL(80/20) compatibilizada com o copol?mero P(HB-co-CL), que devido ?s propriedades de biocompatibilidade e biodegradabilidade apresentadas pelos materiais constituintes, representam sistemas promissores para aplica??o em sistemas de libera??o controlada de f?rmacos. / ABSTRACT Modified drug delivery systems allow to control the release rate of active substances and direct them to their action sites avoiding other regions where the drug produces toxic effects, so it is possible to reduce the occurrence of side effects, which increases the acceptability of treatment by the patient, and make it more effective. In order to verify the possibility to use the polymer system PHB/PCL (poly(3- hydroxybutyrate) / poly (?-caprolactone)) in controlled release systems, the present work aims to prepare polymeric films and microspheres from blends PHB/PCL compatibilized with the copolymer P(HB-co-CL) and characterize these materials, as the release profiles are associated with physico-chemical materials properties, using thermal analysis, x-ray diffraction spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. With this work we found that the addition of compatibilizer in blends PHB/PCL(20/80) and PHB/PCL(80/20) is able to increase the interaction between the polymer components of the systems, favoring to obtain materials with properties intermediate to those presented by homopolymers. Furthermore, it was found that the crystallinity degree presented by certain polymeric materials, which makes difficult their application in drug delivery systems, can be changed by a simple physical blend of different polymers. By combining both PHB and PCL polymers as compatibilizing blends of these materials by the copolymer addition to the formulation, was possible to modify the crystallinity profile present in these polymeric systems. It was found that PCL associated with the copolymer showed crystalline profile very similar to pure PCL, but the same event was not observed for the compatibilized PHB , which had lower crystallinity compared to homopolymer. Regarding blends PHB/PCL(20/80) and PHB/PCL(80/20) was observed lower crystallinity for these systems compared to pure homopolymer, however the copolymer presence in the blends modifies both systems increasing crystallinity intensity of crystalline peaks. This change of crystallinity can influence the polymer matrix degradation, a property that may have applicability in modulating the release of drugs in controlled release systems. These systems can be obtained through the development of polymeric microspheres and incorporation of drugs in its matrix. In this work, for the first time , it was possible to obtain microspheres from blends of PHB/PCL(80/20) and PHB/PCL(80/20) associated with the copolymer P(HB-co-CL), which due to the properties of biocompatibility and biodegradability presented by the constituent materials represent promising systems for application in controlled drug release systems. / Disserta??o (Mestrado) ? Programa de P?s-gradua??o em Ci?ncias Farmac?uticas, Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri, 2013.

Föreliggande studie har undersökt psykopati som begrepp i populärkulturen och i relation till film. Psykopaten i film framställs som alltifrån en sadistisk våldtäktsman, en charmig gentleman till en våldsam seriemördare. Syftet med studien var att undersöka hur väl bilden av filmpsykopaten stämmer överens med den kliniska definitionen och Hares Psykopatichecklista, PCL-R. Nitton filmer valdes ut som underlag där minst en karaktär beskrevs som psykopat. Vid analys noterades huruvida en specifik bedömningspunkt på PCL-R förekom hos en filmkaraktär eller inte. Således jämfördes karaktärerna med den kliniska psykologins bedömning av psykopati. Resultatet antydde att endast 6 av 20 filmkaraktärer kunde klassas som psykopater. Detta på grund av att filmskapare eftertraktar en intressant karaktär, och kan då överdriva vissa drag samt utnyttja de rådande stereotyperna av psykopati för att skapa spänning. Konsekvensen av detta kan bli att allmänheten får en förvrängd bild av psykopati på grund av hur det porträtteras i populärkulturen.

Submitted by Automação e Estatística (sst@bczm.ufrn.br) on 2018-06-15T20:46:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 AndreAndersonCostaPereira_TESE.pdf: 4302536 bytes, checksum: f45cc92c770f4ae012229827a544902c (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Arlan Eloi Leite Silva (eloihistoriador@yahoo.com.br) on 2018-06-18T21:13:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 AndreAndersonCostaPereira_TESE.pdf: 4302536 bytes, checksum: f45cc92c770f4ae012229827a544902c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-06-18T21:13:48Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AndreAndersonCostaPereira_TESE.pdf: 4302536 bytes, checksum: f45cc92c770f4ae012229827a544902c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-02-08 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Partículas poliméricas formadas em escala nanométrica são de fundamental interesse atualmente, principalmente quando utilizadas como sistemas carreadores na liberação controlada de fármacos, cosméticos e nutracêuticos, bem como no recobrimento de matérias com propriedades magnéticas. O presente estudo tem como objetivo desenvolver um sistema para produção de partículas de poli (metacrilato de metila) (PMMA) e policaprolactona (PCL) a partir da atomização de solução polimérica em meio antisolvente. Neste sistema, soluções poliméricas em diferentes solventes são preparadas e atomizadas na forma de um spray. As gotículas geradas com a atomização entram em contato com um líquido antisolvente que provoca a precipitação e formação das partículas poliméricas. Neste trabalho, experimentos usando o sistema proposto foram realizados em diferentes condições operacionais e as partículas obtidas foram analisadas por espalhamento dinâmico de luz (Dynamic Light Scattering - DLS), microscopia eletrônica de transmissão (MET) e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Os resultados demonstraram que é possível obter partículas com características de nanoesferas/nanocápsulas e nanofibras com distribuição de tamanho na faixa de 50 a 5000 nm. Também foi possível observar que as variáveis do processo como a natureza do polímero, o tipo de solvente (acetona, acetato de etila, álcool etílico, álcool isopropílico e álcool propílico), a pressão da atomização (0,25 – 3 bar) e a temperatura do líquido antisolvente (10 – 40°C) afetam diretamente a morfologia e a distribuição de tamanho de partícula (DTP). Além disso, foi avaliado o potencial de encapsulamento do sistema proposto. Óleo de algodão e aluminato de ferro (espinélio inverso) foram utilizados como material a ser encapsulado. As partículas produzidas nesta avaliação foram analisadas por DLS, MET, microscopia eletrônica de varredura com emissão de campo (MEV-FEG), espectroscopia de infravermelho com transformada de fourier (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy - FTIR) e difração de raios X (DRX) para a verificação do encapsulamento. De acordo com estes resultados, constatou-se a formação de partículas carreadoras, com características de nanocápsulas e nanoesferas. Ou seja, o material encapsulado pode ser encontrado dentro da partícula polimérica ou aderido a superfície da mesma, respectivamente. / Polymeric particles formed on a nanometric scale are of fundamental interest today, especially when used as carrier systems in the controlled release of drugs, cosmetics and nutraceuticals, as well as in the coating of materials with magnetic properties. The present study aims to develop a system for the production of poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and polycaprolactone (PCL) particles from the atomization of polymer solution in antisolvent medium. In this system, polymer solutions in different solvents are prepared and atomized in the form of a spray. The droplets generated with the atomization come into contact with an antisolvent liquid which causes the precipitation and formation of the polymer particles. In this work, experiments using the proposed system were performed under different operating conditions and the particles obtained were analyzed by Dynamic Light Scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results demonstrated that it is possible to obtain particles with characteristics of nanospheres / nanocapsules and nanofibers with size distribution in the range of 50 to 5000 nm. It was also possible to observe that the process variables such as the nature of the polymer, type of solvent (acetone, ethyl acetate, ethyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol and propyl alcohol), atomization pressure (0.25-3 bar) and antisolvent medium temperature (10-40°C) directly affect the morphology and particle size distribution (DTP). In addition, the potential of encapsulation of the proposed system was evaluated. Cotton oil and iron aluminate (inverse spinel) were used as the material to be encapsulated. The particles produced in this evaluation were analyzed by DLS, MET, field emission scanning electron microscopy (MEV-FEG), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for the encapsulation check. According to these results, it was verified the formation of carrier particles, with characteristics of nanocapsules and nanospheres. That is, the encapsulated material can be found within the polymer particle or adhered to the surface thereof, respectively.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:27:25Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2004-04-26Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:56:11Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 campos_a_me_rcla.pdf: 4152569 bytes, checksum: 41a529d2c0be5a0a79eb44e0ec1448ea (MD5) / Os plasticos constituem um dos materiais mais utilizados em nosso cotidiano. Assim, os residuos plasticos tem aumentado bastante e hoje representam 20% do total do volume de residuos, em lixoes municipais. O PVC (policloreto de vinila) e um polimero sintetico, instavel em relacao ao calor e luz, que degrada a temperatura relativamente baixa (aproximadamente 130oC), e libera HCl. A desidrocloracao gera novas especies na cadeia polimerica, ou seja, sequencias de polienos que podem ser verificadas atraves da espectroscopia de absorcao na faixa do UV-Visivel. A reciclagem do PVC apresenta algumas dificuldades intrinsecas ao comportamento do polimero, durante o processo tecnologico e, alem disso, sua biodegradacao e dificil. O PCL (poli α-caprolactona), um poliester sintetico, e sensivel a acao de enzimas microbianas, e pode sofrer hidrolise e degradacao. A mistura desses polimeros, isto e, a blenda de PVC e PCL pode constituir um meio para facilitar o ataque microbiano ao PVC, alem de melhorar ou manter as propriedades mecanicas da blenda. Processos termo e fotodegradativos podem facilitar o ataque microbiano a matriz polimerica do PVC. O presente trabalho pretende investigar a termo, foto e biotransformacao de filmes de blendas de PVC/PCL 1:1 e 3:1 com fungos de solo (Phanerochaete chrysosporium e Aspergillus fumigatus). As mudancas estruturais foram analisadas atraves da espectroscopia de absorcao no infravermelho (FTIR) e no UV-Visivel e as mudancas morfologicas, atraves de Microscopia Eletronica de Varredura (MEV) / The plastics are one of used the most materials daily. Thus, the plastics wastes have increased considerably and today represent 20% of the waste total volume in the municipal landfills. PVC (poly vinyl chloride) is a synthetic polymer, unstable in the presence of heat and light, that degrades on relative low temperature (approximately 130ºC), and releases HCl. The dehydrochlorination produces new species on polymeric chain, thus, polyenes sequences, that can be checked by the UV-Visible absorption spectroscopy. The recycling of PVC presents some difficulties due its behaviour during the technological processing and its biodegradation is difficult. PCL (polycaprolactone), a synthetic polyester is susceptible to enzymes action, and undergo hydrolysis and degradation. The blend of PVC and PCL can be one way to facilitate the microorganisms attack to the PVC polymer and to improve the mechanical properties of the blend. Thermal and photodegradation process can to facilite the microorganisms attack on PVC polymeric chain. The present work intends to investigate the thermal, photo and biotransformation of polymer films and blends of PVC/PCL 1:1 and 3:1 blends, with soil fungi (Phanerochaete chrysosporium and Aspergillus fumigatus). The structural changes were analysed by infrared absorption spectroscopy (FTIR) and the UV-Visible. The morphologics changes were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM)

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effectiveness of spheres-in-tube structured scaffolds to sequentially deliver two biomolecules during two phases of tissue regeneration following spinal cord injury (SCI). Scaffolds were synthesized of a poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) base combined with Poly (L-lactic acid) / Poly (ε-caprolactone) (PLLA/PCL) microspheres. The scaffolds are constructed by leveraging the different solubilities of PLGA, PLLA and PCL in super critical carbon dioxide and ethyl acetate during fabrication processes. Microspheres can reduce the pore size and porosity of PLGA scaffolds; this enhances their mechanical strength and enables them to provide long-term treatment without collapse. The release of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-b) are being used to study the release profiles of the designed scaffolds. The analysis shows that FGF-b is released from high porosity PLGA base as the first delivery vehicle and completes the release in the first week. PLLA or PCL microspheres, having the property of sustainably delivering encapsulated EGF in 36 days, are used as the second drug delivery vehicle. FGF-b released within the first week can mimic biomolecules used to protect the surviving neurons and promote the development of sprout axons. The sustained release of EGF from microspheres is used for long-term therapy to differentiate multipotent cells into determined types at the injury site. The results demonstrate that these enhanced parameters along with the ability of sequential co-delivery of growth factors, make these designed scaffolds a promising candidate in SCI studies.

Supercritical CO2 foam processing of biopolymers represents a green processing route to environmentally friendly media and packaging foams. Mater-Bi, a multiconstituent biopolymer of polyester, starch and vegetable oils has shown much promise for biodegradation. The polymer, however, is not foamable with CO2 so blended with another polymer which is. Polycaprolactone is a biopolymer with potential of 4000% change in volume with CO2. Thus we investigate blends of Mater-Bi (MB) and polycaprolactone (PCL) foamed in supercritical CO2 using the batch process. Characterization of the foamed and unfoamed samples were done using X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Micrographs of the samples from the SEM revealed that the cell size of the foams reduced and increased with increase in MB concentration and increase in the foaming temperature respectively. Mechanical tests; tensile, compression, shear and impact were performed on the foamed samples. It was noted that between the 20-25% wt. MB, there was an improvement in the mechanical properties. This suggests that at these compositions, there is a high interaction between PCL and MB at the molecular level compared to other compositions. The results indicate that green processing of polymer blends is viable.

Diplomová práce se zabývá vlivem nutričních a aeračních faktorů na produkci lipáz bakterií Bacillus subtilis (CCM 1999). Produkce lipáz byla studována zejména z hlediska katalytického působení lipáz při degradaci polyesterových řetězců. Mezi studované parametry patřily: růst bakterií, lipolytická aktivita, pH optimum, teplotní optimum, tepelná stabilita, proteolytická aktivita, množství bílkovin, atd. a to v různých typech živných medií zaočkovaných Bacillus subtilis. Jedna série vzorků kultivačních médií pro BS na bázi: pepton a kvasničný extrakt (NB), pepton, kvasničný extrakt s 2% přídavkem (w/v) glukózy (NBG) a minerální médium s kvasničným extraktem (MS-YE) obsahovala jeden PCL vzorek o definovaných rozměrech (Mn = 10 kDa, = 1.4). Experimenty probíhaly po dobu 21 dnů pří rychlosti třepání 160 a 200 rpm. Přítomnost PCL způsobila v obou typech médií (NB, NBG) inokulovaných BS zvýšení lipolytické aktivity, což naznačuje, uvolnění a následné uplatnění se nízko-molekulekulárních řetězců PCL jako substrátů pro BS. BS kultivovaný v MS-YE medium vykazoval ve srovnání s NB a NBG médii nízké hodnoty lipolytické aktivity a to i v přítomnost PCL. Během experimentů se hodnota pH posunula z neutrální (pH 7.0) do alkalické (pH 8.5-9.3) oblasti a to ve všech typech médií s i bez přítomnosti PCL vzorku v důsledku metabolických pochodů BS využívajících různé substráty. Lipolytické enzymy stanovené v supernatanech bez bakteriálních buněk vykazují dvě pH optima v přítomnosti PCL, pH 7 a 9. V nepřítomnosti polymeru vykazují pouze jedno pH optimum při pH 7. Na základě měření tepelné stability bylo prokázáno, že extracelulární lipázy jsou relativně termostabilní enzymy, zejména v nepřítomnosti polymeru. Dále byla provedena základní proteomická analýza lipáz produkovaných bakterií Bacillus subtilis v NBG médiu pomocí metody peptidového mapování (PMF). Byla ověřena přítomnost proteinů s molární hmotnosti (19.3 kDa) pomocí FPLC. SDS-PAGE a IEF-PAGE prokázaly přítomnost těchto proteinů v obou studovaných mediích inokulovaných BS (NBG vs. NBG/PCL). Zásadní rozdíly proteinového složení v přítomnosti PCL nebyly potvrzeny a identifikace pomoci MALDI-TOF hmotnostní spektrometrie nestanovila žádnou lipázu. Proces degradace v PCL vzorcích byl vyhodnocen také na základě hmotnostních úbytků, které byly zjištěny ve všech typech médií inokulovaných BS pravděpodobně v důsledku synergického účinku enzymaticky-katalyzované a biotické hydrolýzy v alkalickém prostředí. . Modelová degradační studie PCL a jeho kompozitu s oxidem grafenu (2.7 hm.%, GO) byla provedena v přítomnosti bakterie Bacillus subtilis v NBG při 30 °C a počátečním pH 7 po dobu tří týdnů. Hmotností úbytky PCL filmů se postupně zvyšovaly během celého degradačního testu až ke 12 hm%. Degradace PLC/GO kompozitu probíhala pomaleji, což je prokázáno maximální hmotnostním úbytkem 5 hm%. Podobný charakter elučních křivek PCL a jeho kompozitu stanovený pomocí SEC potvrzoval snížení molární hmotnosti po degradaci.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The PTSD Checklist-civilian (PCL-C) is one of the most commonly used self-report measures of PTSD symptoms, however, little is known about its validity when used in pregnancy. This study aims to evaluate the reliability and validity of the PCL-C as a screen for detecting PTSD symptoms among pregnant women. METHODS: A total of 3372 pregnant women who attended their first prenatal care visit in Lima, Peru participated in the study. We assessed the reliability of the PCL-C items using Cronbach's alpha. Criterion validity and performance characteristics of PCL-C were assessed against an independent, blinded Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) interview using measures of sensitivity, specificity and receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curves. We tested construct validity using exploratory and confirmatory factor analytic approaches. RESULTS: The reliability of the PCL-C was excellent (Cronbach's alpha =0.90). ROC analysis showed that a cut-off score of 26 offered optimal discriminatory power, with a sensitivity of 0.86 (95% CI: 0.78-0.92) and a specificity of 0.63 (95% CI: 0.62-0.65). The area under the ROC curve was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.71-0.78). A three-factor solution was extracted using exploratory factor analysis and was further complemented with three other models using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). In a CFA, a three-factor model based on DSM-IV symptom structure had reasonable fit statistics with comparative fit index of 0.86 and root mean square error of approximation of 0.09. CONCLUSION: The Spanish-language version of the PCL-C may be used as a screening tool for pregnant women. The PCL-C has good reliability, criterion validity and factorial validity. The optimal cut-off score obtained by maximizing the sensitivity and specificity should be considered cautiously; women who screened positive may require further investigation to confirm PTSD diagnosis. / Revisión por pares

The purpose of this systematic review was to characterize further the structural differences in the prefrontal cortex, limbic and paralimbic regions and amygdala alone in psychopaths. Psychopathy is a multifaceted personality disorder characterized by interpersonal and affective traits like lack of empathy, guilt or remorse, shallow affect, and carelessness, as well as behavioral traits such as impulsivity, and poor behavioral control. In recent years, the interest in the neuroanatomical differences in psychopaths has grown. This review aims to understand the prefrontal cortex, limbic and paralimbic areas, and how these regions differ between psychopathic patients and healthy controls. By systematically screening articles that used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and voxel based morphometry (VBM) the studies in this review examined people with psychopathic traits. To assess for psychopathy, the most used assessment tool, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was used. Results show that the higher the PCL-R scores of the offenders, the less gray matter volume was found in the superior parts of the prefrontal cortex, limbic and paralimbic areas. Additionally, amygdala deficits in individuals with psychopathy were found. This systematic review may benefit in the way that if we increase our understanding of psychopathy and pave the way forthe creation of effective psychopathic treatments it could prevent future acts of violence. The link between a structural brain anomaly and psychopathy may have a profound clinical, legal, and scientific impact. A psychopathy diagnosis may serve as a precursor to severe societal violence.

Polylactide (PLA) is a biodegradable and biocompatible polymer which is attracting much attention for environmental issues imposed by the petroleum-based polymers. PLA can be used as medical polymer in surgical sutures, implants tissue and many other areas. However, one of the main shortcomings of PLA is its brittleness in nature and relatively poor mechanical properties, which often limits its further application. It is generally accepted for polymeric materials that some mechanical properties of oriented structures can be improved as the molecular weight of PLA increases. The outcome of this thesis will provide the knowhow to achieve ultrahigh molecular weight of polylactides, and further to improve the mechanical properties and extend its range of applications. In this work, different catalytic systems for the synthesis of ultra-high molecular weight (UHMW) polylactide are considered. For the catalytic systems considered, the reaction conditions and initiators are investigated. The resulting molecular characteristics and mechanical properties of the synthesized polymers will be evaluated. On the contrary to the brittle nature of PLA, Poly(ε-carprolactone) (PCL) is elastic and flexible with a relatively low melting point (60 oC) and low glass transition temperature (-60 oC). Hence, ultra-high molecular weight PCL will be also synthesized by using the same catalytic systems employed for achieving UHMWPLAs. PCL is also used in different biomedical applications, such as in scaffolds for tissue engineering. It is well documented that the complementary physical properties of PLA and PCL have the potential to enhance toughness of PLA. To enhance the toughness and mechanical properties of the block copolymers attempt is made to synthesize ultra-high molar mass of the two polymers in the block copolymer. But their molar masses (and consequently their mechanical properties) are always on the low side. For this reason, the synthesis of high molecular mass PLA and PCL multiblocks will be attempted. Furthermore, it is interesting to study the synthesis of high molar masses PLLA and PDLA stereoblocks especially their ability to crystallize during the polymerization and test the possibility to prepare stereocomplex only during synthesis. The resulting molecular characteristics and mechanical properties of the synthesized multiblock-polymers will be also evaluated.