<p>In this Masters Thesis emissions to water from diesel engines in pleasure boats when driven with alternative fuels have been investigated. Two alternative fuels, Fischer-Tropsch-diesel (FT-diesel) and a blend of FT-diesel and rapeseed methyl ester (RME) have been compared with diesel of Swedish environmental class 1 (diesel EC1). The alternative fuels have been compared using two older marine diesel engines, and water samples have been taken from the water in the exhaust system before the exhaust compounds reaches the recipient. The water samples have been analysed with gas chromatography (GC) and mass spectrometry (GC/MS), to analyse volatile and semi volatile compounds including aldehydes and ketons. To investigate the acute toxicity of the exhaust water a 24 h ecotoxicological test was preformed with the crustacean Artemia fransiscana.</p><p>The results showed considerable differences in emissions of poly aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and alkylated benzenes. From diesel EC1, the amounts of PAHs and alkylated benzenes were significantly higher than from pure FT-diesel and FT-diesel containing 20 % of RME. Pure FT-diesel generated the lowest amounts of PAH and alkylated benzenes. The FT-diesel containing 20 % RME generated higher amounts of benzene than diesel EC1. FT-diesel and FT-diesel with a 20 % blend of RME generated the same amount of acetone, which in turn was higher than the concentration of acetone in the exhaust water, using diesel EC1. Based on the analysis, FT-diesel is the best alternative from an exhaust emission point-of-view, concerning both the amounts and the difference in chemical composition of the combustion products released into the water.</p><p>The ecotoxicological test showed no effect on the test organism using either of the samples.</p> / <p>Fritidsbåtsintresset är stort i Sverige och båtlivet betyder mycket för många svenskar. Tyvärr är användningen av fritidsbåtar förknippad med en rad miljöproblem. Avgasutsläpp till vatten och luft från fritidsbåtsmotorer påverkar den lokala miljön avsevärt. Gammal teknik med dålig förbränning används fortfarande i stor utsträckning. På kort sikt, innan den gamla tekniken är utbytt, är det viktigt att den äldre motorparken använder miljöanpassade bränslen för att utsläppen till sjöar och hav ska bli så skonsamma som möjligt. Det är dock viktigt att utvärdera miljöpåverkan av dessa alternativa bränslen, så att det verkligen är ett bättre alternativ ur miljösynpunkt.</p><p>I detta examensarbete har utsläpp till vatten från dieselinombordsmotorer vid drift med olika bränslen undersökts. Två miljöanpassade dieselbränslen; FT-diesel (Fischer-Tropsch) och en procentinblandning av rapsmetylester (RME) i FT-diesel, har jämförts med diesel av svensk miljöklass 1 (MK1). Bränslena har testkörts i två äldre, marina dieselmotorer och prover har tagits på det avgasblandade kylvattnet innan det når recipienten. Det avgasblandade kylvattnet har analyserats med avseende på delvis flyktiga och flyktiga föreningar, aldehyder samt ketoner. Analyserna har skett med gaskromatografi och masspektormetri (GC/MS-screening) på externt laboratorium. För att testa avgasvattnets akuta giftighet har även ett akut (24h) ekotoxikologiskt test utförts på kräftdjuret Artemia fransiscana.</p><p>Analysresultatet visade skillnad i utsläpp av polyaromatiska kolväten (PAH) och alkylbensener. Vid körning med diesel MK1 genererades betydligt högre halter av PAH:er och alkylbensener, än vid körning med FT-diesel och FT-diesel med 20 % inblandning av RME. Ren FT-diesel gav de lägsta halterna av PAH:er och alkylbensener.</p><p>Utsläppshalterna av bensen uppvisade inte lika stor skillnad mellan de olika bränslena. Blandningen FT-diesel med 20 % RME gav lite högre halter bensen än vad diesel MK1 gjorde. Ren FT-diesel uppvisade lägst halt bensen. Utsläpp av aceton visade sig vara lika för FT-diesel och FT-diesel med 20 % RME och gav högre halter än vad diesel MK1 gjorde. Baserat på analysresultaten är FT-diesel det bästa bränslet ur emissionssynpunkt med avseende på vilka ämnen som hamnar i vattenfasen.</p><p>Det ekotoxikologiska testet visade ingen skillnad mellan de olika bränslena. Avgasvatten från bränslena hade inte någon akut toxisk effekt på testdjuret.</p>

Depuis la seconde moitié du XXème siècle, l’industrialisation, l’urbanisation croissante, les transports et les pratiques agricoles ont entraîné une contamination généralisée des écosystèmes et des modifications profondes dans la composition et la structure des paysages. Ces changements majeurs induisent des perturbations physiologiques et comportementales des organismes et ont des effets négatifs sur la biodiversité. L’Abeille mellifère (Apis mellifera) est au coeur de cette problématique : 1/ les colonies d’abeilles déclinent dramatiquement depuis quelques années en Europe et aux Etats-Unis, et 2/ les abeilles sont reconnues comme d’excellentes sentinelles pour évaluer la contamination environnementale grâce à leurs caractéristiques physiologiques et biologiques. C’est dans ce contexte, que des abeilles, du miel et du pollen récoltés dans l’Ouest de la France ont été analysés pour évaluer leurs contaminations et la présence dans l’environnement d’hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques, de plomb, de pesticides et de médicaments vétérinaires. Les échantillons ont été prélevés dans 18 ruchers de contextes paysagers différents (ville, bocage, culture et insulaire) sur 4 périodes (printemps, début d’été, milieu d’été et début d’automne) en 2008 et en 2009. Les résultats d’analyses toxicologiques mettent en évidence des sensibilités différentes en fonction du polluant environnemental, de la matrice étudiée, de la période de prélèvements et du contexte paysager. En dépit de ces différences, le plus souvent propres à chaque rucher, notre étude montre une contamination généralisée des matrices apicoles quels que soient le paysage et la période considérés. Même si les concentrations mesurées sont généralement faibles, cette pression par les xénobiotiques s’ajoute à, voire amplifie l’action des nombreux autres stresseurs environnementaux qui menacent la survie des abeilles en général. / Since the middle of the twentieth century, industrialization, growing urbanization, transports and agricultural practices let to an ecosystem overall contamination and to profound modifications in landscape structure and composition. Those major changes cause physiological and behavioral damages on organisms and have adverse effects on biodiversity. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) is in the central point of this problematic: 1/ bees colonies are recently dramatically declining both in Europe and USA, and 2/ bees are recognized as appropriate sentinels to assess the environmental contamination due to their physiological and biological characteristics. In this context, honeybees, honey and pollen sampled from West France, were analyzed to monitor their contamination and the presence in the environment of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, lead, pesticides and veterinary drugs. Samples were collected in eighteen apiaries from different landscape context (urban, rural-grassland, rural-cultivated and island) during four periods (spring, early summer, middle summer, early autumn) over 2008 and 2009. Toxicological analysis results show different sensitiveness according to the environmental pollutant, the studied matrix, the period and the landscape context. Despite such differences, most often specific to each apiary, our study shows an overall contamination of beehive matrices in all landscapes and during all periods. Even if the measured concentrations are generally low, this xenobiotic pressure is added to, even increases, the effect of many other environmental stressors which threaten the survival of bees in general.

Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are one of the pollutants in the environment. They are organic compounds that consist of more than one aromatic ring (Kanchanamayoon & Tatrahun 2008). Due to less information forthcoming regarding the levels of PAHs in Vaal area, this study is to evaluate the levels of PAHs in the rivers around Vaal Triangle. Three river sites such as Vaal, Barrage and Klip Rivers were selected to investigate the concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in water. Validation of an analytical method is the process by which it is established by laboratory studies, that the performance characteristics of the method meet the requirements for the intended analytical application. (Stockl et al 2009). The validation parameters tested were, linearity detection limit of quantitation, sensitivity, accuracy, specificity, selectivity, robustness and ruggedness. PAHs can be determined using High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) which is a technique for separation, identification and quantification of components in a mixture. The following ten compounds were identified and quantified with a HPLC: naphthalene, acenaphthylene, phenanthrene, anthracene, fluoranthene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene, dibenzo(a,h) anthracene and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene. The linear calibration ranges from 0.1-5ppm.The linearity ranges between 0.9993-0.9999.Three reversed sorbent phases (Strata-X, MFC18 and C18) were tested for PAH retention efficiency. An optimised reverse solid phase extraction (SPE) method was used after conditioning the sorbent to extract and collect compounds of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in river water samples. LC18 sorbent showed good recoveries after extracting PAHs standard mixture of 1 mg/l. The best performing eluting solvent was acetonitrile and very good percentage recoveries that ranged from 70% to over 100 % were obtained for eight compounds. Poor recoveries were also obtained for phenanthrene (61%) and benzo(b)fluoranthene (48%). The standard deviation ranged from 0.01 to 0.05 and the detection limits ranging from 0.01 – 0.17 mg/l were obtained. Average concentration ranges of PAHs identified within the study area were: phenanthrene (0.02 – 0.42 mg/l); anthracene (0.37 – 0.39 mg/l), fluoranthene (0.11 – 0.15 mg/l); benzo(b)fluoranthene (0.09 mg/l) and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene (0.26 mg/l). However, naphthalene, acenaphthylene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h)anthracene were not detected.

Neste trabalho foram estudadas as influências sazonais sobre as concentrações de hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos e n-alcanos no material particulado MP10, em novembro de 2001 a junho de 2002 (n = 23), e entre abril de 2003 e maio de 2004 (n=31), em continuidade aos estudos realizados no inverno de 2000 na RMSP. Todas as coletas do aerossol atmosférico ocorreram no Instituto de Astronomia, Geofísica e Ciências Atmosféricas da USP, situado na Cidade Universitária, na região oeste da cidade de São Paulo. Os parâmetros meteorológicos como temperatura, precipitação, umidade relativa, direção e velocidade do vento foram monitorados. Em média, nas estações mais frias foram obtidas as maiores concentrações de MP10, HPA e n-alcanos, em concordância com outros estudos. Os dados foram tratados com algumas ferramentas estatísticas, como análise de componentes principais e estudos das razões diagnósticas, sugerindo algumas fontes de emissões e apontando a emissão veicular como fonte majoritária destes poluentes atmosféricos. / The seasonal influences on the concentrations of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) and n-alkanes in the particulate matter PM10 were studied in this work from November 2001 to June 2002 (n = 23), and between April 2003 and May 2004 (n=31), in continuity to the studies accomplished in the winter of 2000 in the metropolitan area of São Paulo (MASP). Atmospheric aerosol samples in this work were collected in an open area on the roof of the Department of Atmospheric Sciences of USP, located in the campus in the University of São Paulo, in the west area of the city of São Paulo. The meteorological parameters, as temperature, precipitation, relative humidity, direction and wind speed were monitored. On average, in the coldest stations they were obtained the largest concentrations of PM10, PAH and n-alkanes, in agreement with other studies. The data were treated with statistical tools such as Principal Component Analysis and studies of the diagnostic ratios, suggesting some sources of emissions and pointing the vehicular emission as majority source of these pollutant ones in the atmospheric.

Les sols de cokerie sont très hétérogènes, composés de matériaux de construction et de diverses phases organiques telles que du coke, du charbon, du goudron de houille et du bitume routier, jouant un rôle majeur sur les propriétés de ces sols. Leur nature et leur état de dégradation vont influencer la mobilité des différents contaminants. Cette thèse porte sur l’étude du vieillissement d’un sol de cokerie et ses conséquences sur le devenir des polluants organiques et métalliques. Elle intègre des études réalisées à différentes échelles permettant de considérer différents degrés de complexité, par l’utilisation (i) de composés purs, de matériaux organiques isolés (charbon, goudron de houille)et de sols et (ii) de dispositifs intégrant progressivement les différents processus intervenant lors de l’atténuation naturelle : expériences d’oxydation et de biodégradation en laboratoire, dispositif simplifié permettant de suivre l’évolution naturelle de quelques grammes d’échantillon, parcelles lysimétriques du GISFI permettant un suivi à l’échelle du terrain. Deux schémas de dégradation ont été identifiés au cours des expériences en laboratoire : (i) l’oxydation conduit à un phénomène de condensation qui suggère une stabilisation du compartiment organique ; (ii) la biodégradation induit la formation de plus petites unités moléculaires et la libération de composés organiques présents dans la fraction organique insoluble. Si des tendances sont identifiées au cours des expériences d’atténuation naturelle, elles suggèrent plutôt que le processus majeur impliqué est la biodégradation. La sorption du cuivre est variable selon les constituants organiques considérés, et augmente significativement après les expériences d’altération / Coking plant soils are highly heterogeneous and are made of building materials and various organic constituents such as coke, coal, coal –tar and road asphalt. Those materials can strongly influence soil properties. Thus, the retention of the various contaminants will depend on the nature and the degradation of the soil organic constituents. This work deals with the ageing of a coking plant soil and its consequences on the fate of both organic and metallic pollutants. The multi-scale approach applied in this study allows to consider the different levels of complexity through the use of (i) pure compounds, isolated organic fraction of soils such as coal tar and coal and a soil with its mineral fraction, and (ii) experimental devices gradually integrating the processes involved in natural attenuation : laboratory oxidation and biodegradation experiments, simplified device allowing the study of few grams of samples exposed to natural attenuation, and the GISFI (French Scientific Interest Group – Industrial Wasteland) lysimeter plots allowing the study at field scale). Two major evolutions were evidenced: (i) the oxidation led to a condensation suggesting a stabilization process of the organic compartment; (ii) the biodegradation induce the formation of smaller molecular units and the release of organic compounds from the non extractable part of the organic matter. The trends identified during the natural attenuation experiments suggest that the biodegradation is the major process involved in our ageing experiments. The sorption of copper varied according to the different organic constituents that were tested but was clearly enhanced by the degradation of these constituents

L’hypertension artérielle pulmonaire (HTAP) est une maladie grave caractérisée par une obstruction progressive des petites artères pulmonaires, conduisant à une augmentation progressive des résistances vasculaires pulmonaires (RVP) et à terme à une défaillance cardiaque droite et au décès du patient. La vasoconstriction, le remodelage vasculaire pulmonaire, la thrombose in situ et la dysfonction endothéliale sont autant de facteurs qui contribuent au développement et à la progression de la maladie. Ces travaux de doctorat ont visé à préciser et mieux comprendre le phénotype anormal de la cellule endothéliale (CE) pulmonaire de patients HTAP afin d’identifier de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques adéquates pour corriger et restaurer la dysfonction endothéliale associée à l’hypertension pulmonaire. Plusieurs perturbations fonctionnelles liées à des anomalies moléculaires ont pu être identifiées. Les CE HTAPi sont caractérisées par une prolifération, une migration, une survie et une réponse excessive à différents facteurs de croissance : PDGF, EGF, et FGF2. Parmi les anomalies moléculaires à l’origine de ces perturbations fonctionnelles, nous avons retrouvé une production et une libération anormale de FGF2, de MMP2, de MIF, d’IL-6 et de MCP-1, mais aussi une activité constitutive de la MAPK, une surexpression des facteurs anti-apoptotiques BCL2 et BCL-xL, de FGFR2, de p130cas et de CD74. Cette meilleure compréhension de la CE-HTAPi a déjà permis d’identifier plusieurs cibles qui pourraient être évaluées et à aussi permis de soulever un certain nombre de questions qui requiert des études plus poussées. / Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a severe disease characterized by progressive obstruction of small pulmonary arteries, leading to a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance and to right heart failure and death. Vasoconstriction, pulmonary vascular remodeling, in situ thrombosis and endothelial dysfunction are all factors that contribute to the development and progression of the disease. These work aimed to clarify and better understand the abnormal phenotype of the pulmonary endothelial cell (P-EC) of PAH patients to identify new therapeutic targets to correct and restore the endothelial dysfunction associated with pulmonary hypertension. Several functional disturbances related to molecular abnormalities have been identified. The IPAH-P-EC is characterized by proliferation, migration, survival and an excessive response to various growth factors: PDGF, EGF, and FGF2. Among the molecular abnormalities responsible for these functional disturbances, we found an abnormal production and release of FGF2, MMP2, MIF, IL-6 and MCP-1, but also a constitutive activity of MAPK, overexpression of anti-apoptotic factors BCL2 and BCL-xL, of FGFR2, of p130Cas and CD74. This better understanding of the EC-IPAH has already identified several targets that could be evaluated and also helped raise a number of issues requiring further study.

Les hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques (HAP), sont des molécules toxiques, voire cancérigènes principalement issues de la combustion incomplète de matière carbonée. De nombreux outils ont été développés afin d’identifier leurs origines et leur devenir. Cependant, ces derniers ne permettent pas toujours de parvenir à une identification précise des sources d’émissions. Une méthode prenant en compte les variations des rapports isotopiques δ 13C et δ 2H dans 16 composés a été développée et comparée à celle des ratios moléculaires. Le développement du protocole a consisté en la préparation puis la validation d’une méthode d’extraction sélective par type de matrice (eau/sédiment) et d’une méthode de purification permettant d’obtenir pour chaque molécule une résolution adaptée à leur analyse isotopique. Cette méthode a été appliquée sur divers produits de combustion franciliens ainsi que sur des échantillons de dépôts atmosphériques, d’eau et de sédiments de rivière. La mesure du δ13C et du δ2H a permis de confirmer la présence de sources locales et de caractériser les variations saisonnières de ratios. L’originalité de ce travail de recherche réside dans l’utilisation du δ2H spécifique à chaque molécule et non sur un mélange de composés. Les résultats permettent d’envisager de nouvelles perspectives sur l’utilisation des mesures isotopiques. Cette thèse représente un premier élément de réponse sur la problématique de l’emploi d’outils de traçage de molécules dans des environnements complexes. / Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are a group of toxic and carcinogenic organic compounds formed by petrogenic and incomplete pyrolytic processes. Although emission reductions were observed over the past 20 years, PAH contamination is still an environmental concern as these compounds are the main contaminants in the Seine watershed. Many tools were developed to identify their origins and fate. However, these methods do not always allow accurate identification of emission sources. A method integrating the variations of the isotopic ratios of δ13C and δ2H among 16 compounds was developed and compared to those of the molecular diagnostic ratio techniques. The development of the protocol consisted of the preparation and the validation of a selective extraction method by matrix type (water / sediment) and a purification step to obtain for each molecule, a resolution adapted to its isotopic analysis. That method applied to various combustion products in the Ile-de-France region, such as samples of atmospheric deposition, water and river sediments. The measurement of δ13C and δ2H signatures confirmed the presence of local sources and helped to characterize the seasonal variations of the ratios. The originality of this research work is the use of δ2H on individual PAH instead of bulk compounds. The results allow considering new perspectives for the use of isotopic measurements.

Orientador: Everaldo Carlos Venâncio. / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do ABC. Programa de Pós Graduação em Nanociências e Materiais Avançados, 2010.

<p>This thesis reports the results of biomarker measurements in three environmental monitoring projects. In the first project, which was part of the Swedish national environmental monitoring, biomarkers were measured annually in female perch (<i>Perca fluviatilis</i>) in two background areas in the Baltic Sea during 1988–2000, resulting in a unique 13-year series of measurements. The most important results were a strong decreasing temporal trend in the gonadosomatic index (GSI) and a strong increasing temporal trend in the hepatic ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase (EROD) activity in the Baltic Proper. In the second project, biomarkers and concentrations of classic pollutants were measured in female perch in the Stockholm recipient 1999–2001. This was the first time a large city was investigated as a point source of pollution, and the gradient was longer and included more stations than customary. Severe pollution conditions in central Stockholm were indicated by the poor health status of the perch: retarded growth, decreased frequency of sexually mature females, low GSI, disturbed visceral fat metabolism, increased hepatic EROD activity, decreased muscle acetylcholinesterase activity, increased frequency of hepatic DNA adducts, and a high concentration of biliary 1-pyrenol. Muscle ΣDDT and ΣPCB were measured as pollution indicators and were 10–28 respectively 12–35 times higher than the background levels in perch from the Baltic Proper. In the Stockholm archipelago two superimposed gradients were found. Whereas the response of several biomarkers consistently decreased with increasing distance from central Stockholm, the response of others first decreased from Stockholm to the middle archipelago and then increased to the open Baltic Sea. The latter biomarkers included the frequency of sexually mature females, GSI, hepatic EROD activity, and hepatic DNA adducts. In the third project, potential toxicity from munitions on the seafloor, at a dumpsite in the Stockholm archipelago, was analysed by the nanoinjection of sediment extracts into newly fertilised rainbow trout (<i>Oncorhynchus mykiss</i>) eggs, followed by the measurement of biomarkers in the developing larvae. No biological effects of the dumped munitions were found. The same stations in the Stockholm archipelago as in the second project were investigated as a positive control. The results of the three projects agreed well, which demonstrated the continuous pollution of the Baltic Sea and the severe pollution conditions and adverse biological effects in central Stockholm. Further investigations are urgently needed to identify which pollutants or other factors are causing the observed biological effects, both in the background areas in the Baltic Sea and in the Stockholm recipient.</p>

<p>Many human diseases are associated with the malfunction of enzymes in the aromatic amino acid hydroxylase family, e.g. phenylketonuria (PKU), hyperphenylalaninemia (HPA), schizophrenia and Parkinson's disease. The family of aromatic aminoacid hydroxylases comprises the enzymes phenylalanine hydroxylase (PheOH), tyrosine hydroxylase (TyrOH) and tryptophane hydroxylase (TrpOH). These enzymes require the cofactor (6R)-L-erythro-5,6,7,8-tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) and atomic oxygen. In eukaryotes, the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases share the same organization with a N-terminal regulatory domain, a central catalytic domain and a C-terminal tetramerization domain. Aromatic amino acid hydroxylases that correspond to the core catalytic domain of the eukaryotic enzymes are found in bacteria. The main focus of this thesis is the structural characterization of a phenylalanine hydroxylase from the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PaPheOH). </p><p>To initiate the structural characterization, the active site environment was investigated with X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). The experimental data support a model where the active site iron is coordinated by four oxygen atoms and two nitrogen atoms. We suggest that two water molecules, His121, His126 and Glu166 coordinates the active site iron. In this model, Glu166 provides two of the oxygen atoms in a bidentate binding geometry. EXAFS and XANES studies indicate that structural rearrangements are induced in the second and third coordination shells in samples of PaPheOH with BH4 and/or L-Phe. </p><p>The 1.6 Å X-ray structure of PaPheOH shows a catalytic core that is composed of helices and strands in a bowl-like arrangement. The iron is octahedrally coordinated, by two water molecules and the evolutionary conserved His121, His126 and Glu166 that coordinates the iron with bidentate geometry. The pterin binding loop of PaPheOH (residue 81-86) adopts a conformation that is displaced by 5-6 Å from the expected pterin binding site. Consistent with the unfavourable position of the pterin binding loop is the observation that PaPheOH has a low specific activity compared to the enzymes from human and Chromobacterium violaceum. </p><p>The second part of this thesis focus on the crystallization and structure determination of the actin binding domain of a-actinin (ABD). a-Actinin is located in the Z-disc of skeletal muscle were it crosslinks actin filaments to the filamentous protein titin. The ABD domain of a-actinin crystallizes in space group P21 with four molecules in the asymmetric unit. The structure of the ABD domain has been solved to a d-spacing of 2.0 Å. The two CH-domains of ABD is composed of 5 a-helices each. The a-helices fold into a closed compact conformation with extensive intramolecular contacts between the two domains.</p>