This was a university/industry research cooperation with focus on how organic fillers affect the properties of phenol-formaldehyde resole (PF) resins that are formulated for veneer applications like plywood and laminated veneer lumber. The PF formulations studied in this work used fillers that were derived from walnut shell (Juglans regia), alder bark (Alnus rubra), almond shell (Prunus dulcis), and corn cob (furfural production) residue. The chemical composition of all fillers was measured and compared to published data. The basic rheological behavior of the formulations was determined and used to develop an adhesive tack measurement based upon lubrication theory. In this work, the probe-tack test was adapted to a typical stress-controlled rheometer by using the normal force and displacement system to compress the adhesive between parallel plates. By employing a simple power law to describe the complex rheology of adhesives and a lubrication approximation for the viscous force, squeeze flow of adhesives between two flat, impermeable steels and between steel and porous wood can be successfully modeled. However, deviations from theory were encountered as related to the method of adhesive application. Both meniscus force in consequence of the surface tension of adhesive pull around the edge of plate and viscous force due to the viscosity of adhesive operate inside the meniscus when adhesive was spread on the entire surface by a hard roller. manufacture where viscosity and surface tension effects were both involved. Last but not Such is probably the case when wood veneer is cold-pressed (pre-pressed) in plywood least, rheological behavior and alkali modification of wheat flour was determined by rheological and infrared studies, respectively. / Master of Science

Veneer-based structural wood composites are typically manufactured using phenol-formaldehyde resols (PF) that are formulated with wheat flour extender and organic filler. Considering that this technology is several decades old, it is surprising to learn that many aspects of the formulation have not been the subject of detailed analysis and scientific publication. The effort described here is part of a university/industry research cooperation with a focus on how the organic fillers impact the properties of the formulated adhesives and adhesive bond performance. The fillers studied in this work are derived from walnut shell (Juglans regia), alder bark (Alnus rubra), and corn cob (furfural production) residue. Alder bark and walnut shell exhibited chemical compositions that are typical for lignocellulosic materials, whereas corn cob residue was distinctly different owing to the high pressure steam digestion used in its preparation. Also, all fillers had low surface energies with dominant dispersive effects. Surface energy of corn cob residue was a little higher than alder bark and walnut shell, which were very similar. All fillers reduced PF surface tension with effects greatest in alder bark and walnut shell. Surface tension reductions roughly correlated to the chemical compositions of the fillers, and probably resulted from the release of surface active compounds extracted from the fillers in the alkaline PF medium. It was shown that viscoelastic network structures formed within the adhesive formulations as a function of shear history, filler type, and filler particle size. Relative to alder bark and walnut shell, the unique behavior of corn cob residue was discussed with respect to chemical composition. Alder bark and walnut shell exhibited similar effects with a decrease of adhesive activation energy. However, corn cob reside caused much higher adhesive activation energy. Alder bark exhibited significant particle size effects on fracture energy and bondline thickness, but no clear size effects on penetration. Regarding corn cob residue and walnut shell, particle size effects on fracture energy were statistically significant, but magnitude of the difference was rather small. Classified corn cob residue fillers all resulted in a similar bondline thickness (statistically no difference) that was different walnut shell. / Ph. D.

Yes / Energy saving is an important consideration in process design for low cost sustainable production with reduced environmental impacts (carbon footprint). In our earlier laboratory scale pilot plant study of catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of phenol (a typical compound found in wastewater), the energy recovery was not an issue due to small amount of energy usage. However, this cannot be ignored for a large scale reactor operating around 140–160 °C due to high total energy requirement. In this work, energy savings in a large scale CWAO process is explored. The hot and cold streams of the process are paired up using 3 heat exchangers recovering significant amount of energy from the hot streams to be re-used in the process leading to over 40% less external energy consumption. In addition, overall cost (capital and operating) savings of the proposed process is more than 20% compared to that without energy recovery option.

Thermosets show excellent mechanical properties and chemical resistance (for most automotive fluids) even at high temperatures up to 300 °C. Furthermore they can be highly efficient processed by injection molding. So they should be particularly suited for e.g. under the bonnet applications. However, the reality shows that thermosets are, except fiber reinforced composites, heavily underrepresented in technical applications. E.g. thermosetting components only account 0,2 % to a vehicle’s weight. Therefore reasons can be found in limited knowledge, e.g. relating mold filling behavior. The objective of the study is to analyze the influence of the mold filling behavior during injection molding of highly filled phenolic compounds on mechanical properties. Injection molding filling studies, mechanical testing and optical microscopy were done while varying mold geometry (injection gate and cavity height), mold temperature and injection rate during injection molding a highly filled phenolic compound. It was found that the mold filling behavior varies with altered injection molding parameters as well as the mold geometry. In consequence of this the mechanical properties change according to the resulting reinforcement orientation. The results can help to improve part and mold design for optimal load transmission.

Biotransformation and biodegradation rate constants were determined for naphthalene, lindane, and phenol in water samples from three different sources. Rate constants produced from monitoring disappearance of the parent chemical (biotransformation) were compared to those obtained from mineralization of the chemical (ultimate biodegradation) by ¹⁴CO₂ evolution as well as acidification of the residual ¹⁴C-labeled compound (primary biodegradation). Rate constants were statistically different for the three chemicals. The water source affected the rate constants. When biomass measurements of the waters were considered and second-order rate constants were derived, there was no statistical evidence that this parameter gave a reliable rate constant statistic that could be useful in predicting the fate of any of naphthalene, lindane, and phenol in these waters.

Les infections ostéo-articulaires (IOA) regroupent plusieurs entités cliniques hétérogènes ayant en commun l'invasion et la destruction progressive des tissus osseux et cartilagineux par un ou plusieurs micro-organismes. Le genre Staphylococcus, impliqué dans plus de 65% des IOA, représente la première étiologie dans ces infections particulièrement sévères et difficiles à traiter. Les Staphylococcus non-aureus (SNA) incluant des espèces tels que Staphylococcus epidermidis sont responsables de près de 40% de certaines formes cliniques notamment les IOA sur matériels. Contrairement à S. aureus, pour lequel les mécanismes physiopathologiques incluent : (i) la capacité d'internalisation dans les cellules de l'hôte et (ii) la formation de biofilm, peu de données sont disponibles concernant ceux impliqués dans les IOA dues aux SNA. Dans ce contexte, mon travail de doctorat s'est attaché à caractériser les mécanismes physiopathologiques impliqués dans la genèse des IOA causées par différentes espèces de SNA. A l'aide d'une approche in silico puis in vitro conduite dans un modèle d'invasion d'ostéoblastes humains, nos travaux ont mis en évidence une capacité d'internalisation et de persistance dans les cellules osseuses pour seulement deux espèces (S. pseudintermedius et S. delphini) sur les 17 testées. De façon similaire à S. aureus, le processus d'invasion cellulaire pour ces espèces fait intervenir une liaison tripartite entre les adhésines bactériennes liant la fibronectine (FnBPs), la fibronectine de la matrice extracellulaire et l'intégrine cellulaire α5β1. Un autre point essentiel de ce travail est la mise en évidence du phénotype hautement cytotoxique de l'espèce S. pseudintermedius après internalisation dans les cellules hôtes. Nous démontrons ici que cette cytotoxicité est, au moins en partie, médiée par une action combinée de (i) la leucocidine Luk-I (toxine homologue de la leucocidine Panton-Valentine de S. aureus) qui cible spécifiquement les cellules immunitaires exprimant le récepteur CXCR2 (récepteur 2 à l'interleukine 8) et (ii) les phénol-soluble modulins (PSMs) qui perturbent les membranes des cellules immunes et non immunes. Sachant que les SNA sont les agents infectieux les plus incriminés dans les IOA sur matériel, une technique d'étude du biofilm sur biomatériaux orthopédiques (acier inoxydable, titane et polyéthylène) a été mise au point pour étudier le biofilm mature formé par les six espèces SNA les plus prévalentes dans les IOA (S. epidermidis, S. lugdunensis, S. heamolyticus, S. warneri, S. caprae, S. capitis). A l'exception de S. epidermidis qui forme plus de biofilm sur le polyéthylène, constituant placé à l'interface des pièces métalliques et/ou des os dans les prothèses orthopédiques, aucune différence significative n'a été observée entre les trois biomatériaux orthopédiques pour l'ensemble des espèces de SNA testées. Néanmoins, nos observations indiquent une forte hétérogénéité au sein des SNA en matière de capacité à former un biofilm mature. Les espèces telles que S. capitis et S. lugdunensis se distinguent significativement de S. haemolyticus et S. warneri par leurs aptitude à former plus de biofilm. La grande diversité des phénotypes observés vis-à-vis des mécanismes physiopathologiques impliqués lors des IOA par les différentes espèces de SNA testées démontre qu'il ne faut pas considérer les SNA comme une entité clinique unique. L'amélioration des connaissances apportées au cours de ce travail devraient contribuer à l'optimisation de la prise en charge chirurgicale, médicale, et thérapeutique des patients / Bone and joint infections (BJI) include several heterogeneous clinical entities that share the invasion and the progressive destruction of bone and cartilage tissue by one or more microorganisms. The genus Staphylococcus, involved in over 65% of the BJI, represents the first etiology in these particularly severe and difficult-to-treat infections. Staphylococcus non-aureus (SNA), including species such as Staphylococcus epidermidis, are responsible for nearly 40% of some clinical forms, including device-associated BJI. In contrast to S. aureus, for which pathophysiological mechanisms include (i) internalization capacity in host cells and (ii) biofilm formation, few data are available regarding those involved in BJIs due to SNA. In this context, my PhD work focused on characterizing the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in the genesis of BJI caused by different SNA species. Using an in silico together with an in vitro approach conducted in a human osteoblast invasion model, our work revealed an ability to internalize and persist in bone cells for only two species of SNA out of the 17 tested. Indeed, we have been able to demonstrate that only S. pseudintermedius and S. delphini have the ability to invade the cytoplasmic compartment of the host cells. Similar to S. aureus, the cellular invasion process for these species involves a tripartite association between bacterial adhesins fibronectin-binding proteins (FnBPs), fibronectin of the extracellular matrix, and α5β1 cell integrin. Another key point of this work is the demonstration of the highly cytotoxic phenotype of the S. pseudintermedius species after internalization in the host cells. We demonstrate here that this cytotoxicity is, at least in part, mediated by a combined action of (i) the Leukocidin Luk-I (homologous to S. aureus Panton-Valentine Leukocidin) that specifically targets immune cells expressing the CXC chemokine receptor 2 (CXCR2) with (ii) phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) that disrupt the membranes of immune and non-immune cells. Knowing that SNA are the most incriminated infectious agents in device-associated BJI, a technique for studying biofilm on orthopedic biomaterials (stainless steel, titanium and polyethylene) has been developed to study the mature biofilm formed by the six SNA species with the highest prevalence in BJI (S. epidermidis, S. lugdunensis, S. heamolyticus, S. warneri, S. caprae, S. capitis). With the exception of S. epidermidis, which forms more biofilm on polyethylene (constituting at the interface of metal parts and / or bone in orthopedic prostheses), no significant difference was observed between the three orthopedic biomaterials for all the SNA species tested. The great diversity of phenotypes observed with respect to the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in BJI by the different SNA species tested demonstrates that SNA should not be considered as a single clinical entity. Improved knowledge provided during this work should contribute to the optimization of the surgical management, medical and therapeutic patient

Analytische Chemie heute meint nicht länger nur die große Messtechnik, die zeit- und kostenintensiv ist, die außerdem nur von qualifiziertem Personal zu bedienen ist und deren Resultate nur durch dieses Personal auswertbar sind. Meist erfordert diese sagen wir 'klassische analytische Messtechnik' auch noch spezielle Räumlichkeiten und oft eine relative große Menge an speziell vorbereiteten Proben. Neben dieser klassischen analytischen Messtechnik hat sich besonders in den letzten Jahren eine auf bestimmte Stoffgruppen und Anforderungen zugeschnittene Messtechnik durchgesetzt, die oft auch durch einen Laien bedient werden kann. Meist sind es sehr kleine Geräte. Auch die benötigten Probenvolumina sind klein und eine spezielle Probenvorbereitung ist nicht erforderlich. Ausserdem sind die Geräte einfach zu handhaben, billig sowohl in ihrer Herstellung als auch im Gebrauch und meist erlauben sie sogar eine kontinuierliche Messwerterfassung. <br /> <br /> Zahlreiche dieser in den letzten Jahren entwickelten Geräte greifen zurück auf 40 Jahre Forschung auf dem Gebiet der Biosensorik. Seit Clark und Lyons im Jahr 1962 in der Lage waren, mit einer einfachen Sauerstoffelektrode, ergänzt durch ein Enzym, Glucose zu messen, war die Entwicklung neuer Messtechnik nicht mehr aufzuhalten. Biosensoren, spezielle Messfühler, die aus einer Kombination aus biologischer Komponente (erlaubt eine spezifische Erkennung des Analyten auch ohne vorherige Reinigung der Probe) und einem physikalischen Messfühler (wandelt den primären physikochemischen Effekt in ein elektronisch messbares Signal um) bestehen, eroberten den Markt. <br /> <br /> Im Rahmen dieser Doktorarbeit wurden verschiedene Tyrosinasesensoren entwickelt, die je nach Herkunft und Eigenschaften der verwendeten Tyrosinase unterschiedliche Anforderungen erfüllen. Beispielsweise wurde einer dieser Tyrosinasesensoren für die Bestimmung phenolischer Verbindungen in Fluss- und Seewasserproben eingesetzt, und die mit diesem Sensor gemessenen Ergebnisse konnten sehr gut mit dem entsprechenden DIN-Test zur Bestimmung phenolischer Verbindungen korreliert werden. Ein anderer entwickelter Sensor zeigte eine sehr hohe Empfindlichkeit für Catecholamine, Substanzen die speziell in der medizinischen Diagnostik von Wichtigkeit sind. <br /> <br /> Ausserdem zeigten die ebenfalls im Rahmen dieser Doktorarbeit durchgeführten Untersuchungen zweier verschiedener Tyrosinasen, dass, will man in Zukunft noch empfindlichere Tyrosinasesensoren entwickeln, eine spezielle Tyrosinase (Tyrosinase aus Streptomyces antibioticus) die bessere Wahl sein wird, als die bisher im Bereich der Biosensorforschung verwendete Tyrosinase aus Agaricus bisporus. <br /> <br /> Desweiteren wurden erste Erfolge auf molekularbiologischem Gebiet erreicht, das heisst, dass Tyrosinasemutanten mit speziellen, vorher überlegten Eigenschaften, hergestellt werden sollen. Diese Erfolge können dazu genutzt werden, eine neue Generation an Tyrosinasesensoren zu entwickeln, Tyrosinasesensoren in denen Tyrosinase gerichtet gebunden werden kann, sowohl an den entsprechenden physikalischen Messfühler oder auch an ein anderes Enzym. Davon verspricht man sich deutlich minimierte Wege, die die zu bestimmende Substanz (oder deren Produkt) sonst zurücklegen müsste, was am Ende zu einer deutlich erhöhten Empfindlichkeit des resultierenden Biosensors führen sollte. / Today, analytical chemistry does not longer consist of only the big measuring devices and methods which are time consuming and expensive, which can furthermore only be handled by the qualified staff and in addition the results can also only be evaluated by this qualified staff. Usually, this technique, which shall be described in the following as 'classic analytic measuring technique', requires also rooms equipped especially and often a relative big quantity of the test compounds which should be prepared especially. Beside this classic analytic measuring technique, limited on definite substance groups and requests, a new measuring technique has gained acceptance particularly within the last years, which one can often be used by a layman, too. Often the new measuring technique has very little pieces of equipment. The needed sample volumes are also small and a special sample preparation isn't required. In addition, the new measuring instruments are simple to handle. They are cheap both in their production and in the use and they permit even a continuous measurement recording usually. <br /> <br /> Numerous of this new measuring instruments base on the research in the field of Biosensorik during the last 40 years. Since Clark and Lyon in the year 1962 were able to measure glucose with a simple oxygen electrode, completed by an enzyme the development of the new measuring technique did not have to be held back any longer. Biosensors, special pickups which consists of a combination from a biological component (permits a specific recognition of the analyte also without purification of the sample previously) and a physical pickup (convert the primary physicochemical effect into an electronically measurable signal), conquered the market. <br /> <br /> In the context of this thesis different tyrosinasesensors were developed which fulfilling the various requests, depending on origin and features of the used tyrosinase. One of the tyrosinasesensors for example was used for quantification of phenolic compounds in river and sea water and the results could correlated very well with the corresponding DIN-test for the determination of phenolic compounds. An other developed tyrosinasesensor showed a very high sensitiveness for catecholamines, substances which are of special importance in the medical diagnostics. <br /> <br /> In addition, the investigations of two different tyrosinases, which were carried out also in the context of this thesis, have shown, that a special tyrosinase (tyrosinase from Streptomyces antibioticus) will be the better choice as tyrosinase from Agaricus bisporus, which is used in the area of biosensor research till now, if one wants to develop in future even more sensitive tyrosinasesensors. <br /> <br /> Furthermore, first successes became reached on a molecular biological field, the production of tyrosinasemutants with special, before well-considered features. These successes can be used to develop a new generation of tyrosinasesensors, tyrosinasesensors in which tyrosinase can be bound directionally both to the corresponding physical pickup or also to another enzyme. From this one expects to achieve ways minimized which the substance to be determined (or whose product) otherwise must cover. Finally, this should result in an clearly visible increase of sensitivity of the Biosensor.

Staphylococcus aureus est capable d’être internalisé par les cellules eucaryotes, notamment au cours des infections osseuses, puis d’induire la mort de la cellule. Deux principaux mécanismes ont été décrits comme associés à la cytotoxicité de S. aureus : l’échappement phagosomal et le détournement de l’autophagie. Nous avons exploré ces deux mécanismes et le rôle de plusieurs toxines staphylococciques majeures (alpha-toxine (Hla), phenol-soluble modulins (PSM), bêta-toxine (Hlb)) dans la mort cellulaire, grâce à un modèle in vitro d’infection intracellulaire et des mutants isogéniques. L’échappement phagosomal nécessitant l’expression d’Hlb, inactivée par l’insertion d’un phage chez la majorité des souches cliniques, nous avons testé l’hypothèse d’une excision de ce phage induite par le stress intracellulaire. Nous avons montré que la restauration de l’expression d’Hlb par excision du phage existe de manière spontanée mais n’est pas induite par le passage intracellulaire et n’est pas associée à une hausse de la cytotoxicité. Dans un second temps, nous avons exploré la cytotoxicité d’une souche de S. aureus hypervirulente et avons montré qu’elle est associée à un détournement de l’autophagie via l’inhibition de la fusion autophagosome-lysosome, ceci étant associé à l’expressions des PSMa. Au contraire, Hla, les PSMß et la d-toxine ne semblent jouer aucun rôle intracellulaire chez les S. aureus hypervirulents. Enfin, nous avons mis en évidence que, dans un autre fond génétique de S. aureus, associé au pied diabétique, la cytotoxicité est principalement liée à la capacité de multiplication intracellulaire de la souche, modulée par la présence d’un phage / Staphylococcus aureus is able to invade eukaryotic cells, in particular during bone infections, and induce cell death. Two mechanisms have been described as associated with S. aureus cytotoxicity: phagosomal escape and autophagy subversion. We investigated these two mechanisms and the respective roles of several staphylococcal toxins, alpha-toxin (Hla), phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) and beta-toxin (Hlb), in cell death, using an in vitro intracellular infection model and isogenic mutants of S. aureus. Because Hlb is required for phagosomal escape but this toxin is inactivated by a prophage inserted into the hlb gene in most of clinical isolates of S. aureus, we tested the hypothesis of an excision of this phage induced by intracellular stress. We showed that restoration of Hlb expression due to the excision of hlb-converting phage exists spontaneously but is not induced by intracellular environment and does not increase the cytotoxicity of the strain. In a second part, we explored the cytotoxicity of an hypervirulent strain of S. aureus and demonstrated that it is associated with a subversion of host cell autophagy via an inhibition of autophagosome-lysosome fusion, in a PSMa-dependent manner. Conversely, Hla, PSMß and d-toxin appear to have no intracellular role in the cytotoxicity of hypervirulent S. aureus strains. Finally, we showed that, in another genetic background of S. aureus associated with diabetic foot ulcer, cytotoxicity was linked to the ability of intracellular replication of the strain, which was modulated by the presence of a phage

Staphylococcus aureus est une bactérie Gram positive qui colonise la peau des animaux et des humains sains. Dans certaines conditions, telles que la perturbation du microbiote, S. aureus peut induire différentes maladies en déjouant les fonctions de défenses de la cellule hôte. Récemment, notre équipe a montré que les S. aureus méthiciline-résistant (MRSA) souche MW2 (USA400) étaient capables d’induire un retard de la transition de phase G2/M des cellules HeLa. Dans ce travail, nous avons démontré que cette action est initiée par des composants du surnagent de culture de S. aureus.Différentes fractions de surnagents de culture de MW2 ont été obtenues par la chromatographie d’exclusion et analysées par la spectrométrie de masse. Ces techniques nous ont permis d’identifier les peptides phenol-soluble modulins alpha (PSMa) comme responsables du retard du cycle cellulaire des cellules hôtes. Confirmant l’implication de ces modulines, la souche LAC¿psma déficiente en PSMa 1 – 4, n’a pas affecté la progression normale du cyle cellulaire de cellules epitheliales HeLa. De plus, le traitement de ces cellules avec des PSMa1 et PSMa3 synthétiques a induit un retard de la transition de phase G2/M qui a été associé à la diminution de l’expression de gènes codant des défensines ß. Enfin, nous avons démontré que la souche MW2 diminue le niveau d’optineurine et d’optineurine phosphorylée sur la sérine-177, une protéine hôte qui est impliquée dans la transition de phase G2/M. Ce travail représente une étape importante de la compréhension du mécanisme d’interférence de S. aureus / Staphylococcus aureus is a Gram-positive bacterium that colonizes the skin of healthy animals and humans. In certain conditions, including the disruption of the commensal microbiota, S aureus can cause different diseases by deviating the host defense functions. Recently, our group has shown that the methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) MW2 (USA400) strain causes delay in the transition of the G2/M phase of HeLa cells. In the present work, we demonstrated that this action is initiated by components of the supernatant of the S. aureus culture. Different supernatant fractions were obtained by size exclusion chromatography and were analyzed by mass spectrometry, which allowed to identify phenol-soluble modulins alpha (PSMa) as responsible for the host cell cycle delay.Confirming the involvement of these modulins in the delay, the MRSA LAC¿psma strain, which is deficient in PSMa1–4, did not affect the normal progression of the cycle in HeLa cells. In addition, the treatment of these cells with synthetic PSMa1 and PSMa3 caused delay in the transition of the G2/M phase associated with the decreased production of host ß-defensins. Lastly, we demonstrated that the MW2 strain, which produce PSMa, decreases the level of optineurin and optineurin phosphorylated at serine 177, a host protein that is involved in the G2/M phase transition. The work conducted in this thesis represents an important achievement in the understanding of how S. aureus interferes with the host cell cycle, revealing a new role for PSMa produced by this bacterium.

No description available.