Pelas fraturas que sofrem os dentes caninos, torna-se necessário tratá-los endodonticamente, e repará-los proteticamente. Porém, novas fraturas coronais, com ou sem perda de coroa metálica podem se repetir. Muitas técnicas restauradoras priorizam os dentes com maior percentual de porção coronal, porque a extensa área de coroa remanescente assegura execução facilitada, favorecendo a recuperação do elemento dental e garantindo sucesso do assentamento da peça metálica. As pesquisas realizadas para se conseguir novos tratamentos utilizam dentes naturais para simular a realidade. Não há banco de dentes rotineiro na Odontologia Veterinária. O uso de dentes naturais de animais encontra restrições por conta da grande diversidade de raças e de porte entre cães, consequentemente no tamanho e na anatomia dos dentes. Existe ainda a carência de disponibilidade de amostras naturais na quantidade necessária para desenvolver tais estudos. O material artificial capaz de substituir os dentes naturais pode estar nas resinas compostas fotopolimerizáveis que apresentam propriedades mecânicas semelhantes às da dentina. Para se replicar o dente natural em resina composta, foi criado um molde em resina acrílica transparente. A literatura deste assunto é escassa ou mesmo inexiste. Com a construção de dentes artificiais muitas pesquisas podem ser realizadas, pois as amostras dentárias serão padronizadas de acordo com a necessidade de cada estudo a ser desenvolvido. Neste trabalho objetivou-se reproduzir quarenta dentes artificiais (réplicas) para demonstrar a possibilidade do padrão de cópia a partir do uso de um molde de resina acrílica. Os resultados mostraram que as réplicas foram similares ao dente natural. / Due to the fractures that canine teeth suffer, it is necessary to treat these teeth endodonticaly and restore them prosthetically (with pin, post core and metallic crown) in its coronal portion. However a new coronal fracture can happen with or without loss of the prosthodontic work. Many of the techniques aim at the teeth with larger extension of remaining area of crown, which favors the crown preparation and fixation of the prosthesis. Many researches use natural teeth to simulate the real conditions. In Veterinary Dentistry there is no routine bank of teeth. However there is a variety of dog breeds with different sizes, as well as a great variety in extension of the teeth. Additionally there is large numbers of natural teeth available enough for use in all researches. The material that can substitute the natural teeth seems to be the photo polymerized composite resin, which has similar mechanical properties to dentin. To replicate the natural teeth in composite resin, a mold was created in acrylic transparent resin. Literature of this subject is spares or inexistent. With artificial replication of teeth many researches can be achieved, once the samples of teeth can be standardized, according to which study. This project aimed to reproduce 40 replicas to demonstrate the possibility of copy from a transparent acrylic mold. Results showed that the replicas were similar to the natural tooth.

The effect of using the eventual consistency model is evaluated, compared to the effect of immediate consistency, by increasing the stabilization time in both models and using the immediate consistent system as a baseline for evaluations. The immediate consistent system performs better if the information and the decisions are replicated adequately fast throughout the system. When the stabilization time increases the effectiveness of eventual consistency emerges, which is most obvious when time constraints make it difficult to propagate information and decisions. By using a simulation to extract data for evaluations, it is verified in this research that as the stabilization time between different parts of a system increases, the eventual consistency will always outperform the immediate consistent system. This statement is valid in all situations where consistency models are useful. Of secondary importance in the research, by adding more decision layers to the eventual consistency model, the performance output is increased significantly, as swift and less well calculated decisions can be thwarted and corrected using the second decision layer.

Dlouhodobé vdechování částic může přispívat ke vzniku nebo zhoršení nejrůznějších plicních onemocnění. Na druhou stranu, vdechování léčiv je často používanou metodou podávání léků proti astmatu a jiným nemocem dýchacího ústrojí. V obou případech je důležité dobře porozumět mechanismům, na jejichž základě funguje pohyb částic a jejich usazování v dýchacích cestách. Cílem této disertační práce bylo získat nová experimentální data depozice částic a analyzovat vliv tvaru částic a průtoku vzduchu na depozici. Byla studována depozice porézních a vláknitých částic v realistickém modelu dýchacích cest. Porézní částice byly vyrobeny různými metodami, např. sprejovým sušením nebo metodou krystalizace. Takto vyrobené částice byly použity při depozičních experimentech. Detekce částic byla provedena pomocí UV/VIS spektrofotometrie. Vláknitý aerosol byl vytvořen rozdrcením skelné vaty. Takto vzniklé vláknité částice byly několikrát prosety přes řadu sít a dále roztříděny podle délky pomocí klasifikátoru pracujícím na principu dielektroforézy. Následná depozice byla vyhodnocena použitím mikroskopie s fázovým kontrastem. Ke zrychlení analýzy byl vyvinut program, který dokáže na základě analýzy obrazu najít a spočítat vlákna. Výsledky experimentu byly použity k určení depozičních charakteristik. S jejich pomocí pak byl kvantifikován vliv tvaru částic a průtoku na míru usazování. Depoziční účinnost částic rostla v závislosti na Stokesově čísle, což poukazuje na vliv setrvačnosti při usazování částic. Bylo prokázáno, že depoziční účinnost porézních částic je podobná té u částic kulových při stejném Stokesově čísle. Vláknité částice se usazovali méně efektivně v porovnání s kulovými částicemi majícími stejné Stokesovo číslo. Jelikož byly okrajové podmínky dostatečně popsány a model plic je k dispozici i v digitální podobě, je možné data použít k validaci výsledků numerických simulací.

A case control study was performed in the conservancy area of the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa to find out whether the faeces of impala (Aepyceros melampus) were more likely to contain tetracycline resistant Escherichia coli (TREC) when they drank from rivers that contained these bacteria, compared to rivers that were uncontaminated with TREC. Five perennial rivers (Crocodile, Letaba, Olifants, Sabie and Sand) were selected. A total of 11 points in these rivers were sampled on three separate occasions and cultured for E. coli. Impala herds within 5 kilometres of each water collection site were identified and between 5 and 10 fresh faeces were collected for each collection period (n=209 faecal specimens). Selective culturing of E. coli was done and the resulting colonies were screened for tetracycline resistance by using the Lederberg Replica Plating (LRP) method. Resistant colonies were those that grew in the presence of 4 mg/L of tetracycline. Both a resistant and/or a susceptible isolate were then selected from each specimen, and subjected to the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) micro-broth dilution test for tetracyclines. The breakpoint for the MIC method was considered ≥ 8 mg/L (which is higher than for the LRP method). Twenty one of the 33 water specimens examined were found to be contaminated by E. coli. Among them (n=21), 76.19% (n=16) were resistant to tetracycline using the LRP method, although using the MIC method only 19.05% (n=4) were resistant. All of the resistant strains originated from the Letaba, Olifants and Crocodile rivers (TRECpos rivers). Among the 209 impala faeces sampled, 191 were positive for the presence of E. coli (91.38%). Within these (n=191), 36.64% (n=70) showed TREC using the RPL method, while using the MIC, 9.95% (n=19) were found to be TREC. The RPL and MIC methods showed a concordance of only 48%. Resistant isolates screened by PCR for tet(A) and tet(B) genes were found to be negative and it was concluded that other resistant genes were responsible. The odds ratios (OR) showed that impala drinking from TRECpos rivers were 19.3 (2. 63-141.68) times more likely to be infected with TREC than unexposed impala / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Paraclinical Sciences / unrestricted

La maladie d’Alzheimer touche plus de 40 millions de personnes dans le monde et résulte de l’agrégation du peptide beta-amyloïde de 40/42 résidus. En dépit de nombreuses études expérimentales et théoriques, le mécanisme de formation des fibres et des plaques n’est pas élucidé, et les structures des espèces les plus toxiques restent à déterminer. Dans cette thèse, je me suis intéressée à deux aspects. (1) La détermination du noyau de nucléation (N*) de deux fragments (Aβ)16-22 et (Aβ)37-42. Mon approche consiste à déterminer les paramètres OPEP du dimère (Aβ)16-22 en comparant des simulations Monte Carlo sur réseau et des dynamiques moléculaires atomiques par échange de répliques. Les paramètres fonctionnant aussi sur le trimère (Aβ)16-22 et les dimères et trimères (Aβ)37-42, j’ai étudié la surface d’énergie libre des décamères et mes simulations montrent que N* est de 10 chaines pour (Aβ)16-22 et est supérieure à 20 chaines pour (Aβ)37-42. (2) J’ai ensuite étudié les structures du dimère (Aβ)1-40 par simulations de dynamique moléculaire atomistique par échanges de répliques. Cette étude, qui fournit les conformations d’équilibre du dimère Aβ1-40 en solution aqueuse, ouvre des perspectives pour une compréhension de l’impact des mutations pathogènes et protectrices au niveau moléculaire. / The neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease (AD) is affecting more than 40 million people worldwide and is linked to the aggregation of the amyloid-β proteins of 40/42 amino acids. Despite many experimental and theoretical studies, the mechanism by which amyloid fibrils form and the 3D structures of the early toxic species in aqueous solution remain to be determined. In this thesis, I studied the structures of the eraly formed oligomers of the amyloid-β peptide and the critical nucleus size of two amyloid-β peptide fragments using either coarse-grained or all-atom simulations. First, at the coarse-grained level, I developed a lattice model for amyloid protein, which allows us to study the nucleus sizes of two experimentally well-characterized peptide fragments (Aβ)16-22 and (Aβ)37-42 of the Alzheimer's peptide (Aβ)1-42. After presenting a comprehensive OPEP force-field parameterization using an on-lattice protein model with Monte Carlo simulations and atomistic simulations, I determined the nucleus sizes of the two fragments. My results show that the nucleation number is 10 chains for (Aβ)16-22 and larger than 20 chains for (Aβ)37-42. This knowledge is important to help design more effective drugs against AD. Second, I investigated the structures of the dimer (Aβ)1-40 using extensive atomistic REMD simulations. This study provides insights into the equilibrium structure of the (Aβ)1-40 dimer in aqueous solution, opening a new avenue for a comprehensive understanding of the impact of pathogenic and protective mutations in early-stage Alzheimer’s disease on a molecular level.

No description available.

Characterization of small precipitates is important for development of new alloys. One inherent  difficulty  in  characterisation  of  small  precipitates  with  electron microscopy techniques  while  the  particles  are  embedded  in  the  matrix,  is  that the surrounding bulk material will contribute to the analysed signal- limiting, for example, the quantification of the composition of particles.  In order to avoid the matrix contribution, the extraction replica technique was developed in the 1950's. Extraction replicas are made by extracting only the particles from a material onto a thin film for further analysis by scanning or transmission electron microscopy. Different types of particles can be examined by this technique, including various carbides, nitrides, oxides and borides, as well as many intermetallic phases.  In this work, direct replication techniques were compared to two-stage replication for low-alloyed steel, concluding that both are suitable for qualitative analysis, but direct replication is preferred for quantitative analysis.  Successful replication of the zirconium-based Zirlo and the stainless steel 254 SMO was performed, where the precipitated phases were isolated and the composition quantified.   Particle extraction was successful also for the zirconium-based Zircaloy-2 and two types of  aluminium  alloys,  but  no  quantification of  composition  could  be  made  due to different problems associated with etching of each alloy, showing that properchoice of etchant is crucial for the quality of the replicas. / Karaktärisering av små utskiljningar är viktigt för utveckling av nya legeringar. En svårighet  vid  karaktärisering  av  små  utskiljningar  med elektronmikroskopi när partiklarna  sitter  kvar  i  matrisen  är  att  matrisen kommer  ge  ett  bidrag till den analyserade signalen,  därför är t.ex.   möjligheterna för kvantifiering av sammansättning begränsade. För att undvika bidraget från matrisen utvecklades extraktionsrepliker  på  1950-talet.  Extraktionsrepliker  tillverkas  genom  att extrahera partiklar från ett material till en tunn film som sedan kan analyseras med hjälp av svep- eller transmissionselektronmikroskopi. Olika sorters partiklar kan  undersökas  med hjälp  av  denna  metod.     Dessa  inkluderar  olika  typer av  karbider, nitrider, borider, oxider  och  många  olika  sorters  intermetalliska partiklar. I  detta arbete  jämfördes direkta  metoder  med  tvåstegsrepliker  på låglegerat  stål. Slutsatsen  blev  att  båda metoderna  lämpar  sig  för  kvalitativ analys av små partiklar, men direkta metoder är att föredra för kvantitativ analys. Lyckade repliker tillverkades även av zirkoniumlegeringen Zirlo och det rostfria stålet  254  SMO,  där  utskiljningarna  kunde isoleras  och sammansättningen kvantifieras.   Extraktion  av  partiklar  var  lyckad  även  för zirkoniumlegeringen Zircaloy-2  samt  två  typer  av  aluminiumlegeringar, men ingen  kvantifiering  av sammansättningen  kunde  göras  på  grund  av  olika problem  relaterade  till  den valda etsmetoden för varje legering, vilket visar att valet av etsmedel ar avgörande för kvaliteten av replikerna.

This thesis describes strategies for and examples ofcellulose fiber modification.The ability of an engineered biocatalyst, acellulose-binding module fused to theCandida antarcticalipase B, to catalyze ring-openingpolymerization of e-caprolactone in close proximity tocellulose fiber surfaces was explored. The water content in thesystem was found to regulate the polymer molecular weight,whereas the temperature primarily influenced the reaction rate.The hydrophobicity of the cellulose sample increased as aresult of the presence of surface-deposited polyester. A two-step enzymatic method was also investigated. Here,Candida antarctica lipase B catalyzed the acylation ofxyloglucan oligosaccharides.The modified carbohydrates werethen incorporated into longer xyloglucan molecules through theaction of a xyloglucan endotransglycosylase. The modifiedxyloglucan chains were finally deposited on a cellulosesubstrate. The action ofCandida antarcticalipase B was further investigated inthe copolymerization of e-caprolactone and D,L-lactide.Copolymerizations with different e-caprolactone-to-D,L-lactideratios were carried out. Initially, the polymerization wasslowed by the presence of D,L-lactide. During this stage,D,L-lactide was consumed more rapidly than ε-caprolactoneand the incorporation occurred dimer-wise with regard to thelactic acid units. Morphological studies on wood fibers were conducted using asol-gel mineralization method. The replicas produced werestudied, without additional sample preparation, by electronmicroscopy and nitrogen adsorption. Information concerning thestructure and accessibility of the porous fiber wall wasobtained. Studies of never-dried kraft pulp casts revealedmicro-cavities and cellulose fibrils with mean widths of 4.7(±2) and 3.6 (±1) nm, respectively. Finally, cationic catalysis by simple carboxylic acids wasstudied. L-Lactic acid was shown to catalyze the ring-openingpolymerization of ε-caprolactone in bulk at 120 °C.The reaction was initiated with methylß-D-glucopyranoside, sucrose or raffinose, which resultedin carbohydrate-functionalized polyesters. The regioselectivityof the acylation was well in agreement with the correspondinglipase-catalyzed reaction. The polymerization was alsoinitiated with a hexahydroxy-functional compound, whichresulted in a dendrimer-like star polymer. The L-lactic acidwas readily recycled, which made consecutive reactions usingthe same catalyst possible. Keywords:Candida antarcticalipase B, cationic catalysis,cellulose-binding module, dendrimer, enzymatic polymerization,fiber modification, silica-cast replica, sol-gelmineralization, organocatalysis, xyloglucanendotransglycosylase

This thesis aims to compare two Czech translations of John Steinbeck's novel Tortilla flat considering the theories of acknowledged translatologists (Levý, Knittlová, Krijtová). For Steinbeck's work differentiation of the language used in direct speech from the language used by the narrator by using colloquial and slang expressions is characteristic, so Steinbeck's translators were to cope with an uneasy task to find a functional equivalent of the different language layers in the target language. The thesis focuses among other on the means by which the differentiation was reached by two different translators considering the development of functional aspect in Czech translatology. A very significant element in Steinbeck's Tortilla Flat is the aim to outline the local atmosphere by using local names, facts and not translated Spanish expressions, which needs to be transferred to the target language considering the requirement both to preserve the local atmosphere in the translation and to create a translation, which is a valuable and understandable piece of literature in the target language.

Os Hidróxidos Duplos Lamelares (HDL) constituem uma classe de materiais que apresentam estrutura lamelar, consistindo de camadas positivamente carregadas de um hidróxido duplo, intercaladas com ânions hidratados no domínio interlamelar. Estes materiais têm recebido bastante atenção nos últimos tempos, devido ao baixo custo e relativa simplicidade de preparação, a possibilidade de combinação de uma variedade de cátions e ânions, aliados às propriedades que os HDL podem apresentar como: propriedades ácidas e básicas, \"efeito memória\", elevada área superficial, etc. Os HDL também podem ser utilizados em combinação com outros materiais, como por exemplo, óxido de grafeno, formando compósitos, com a finalidade melhorar as propriedades destes materiais. Podem ainda serem utilizados para a preparação de outros compósitos e/ou réplicas de carbono, por tratamento térmico de um HDL intercalado com um monômero, por exemplo, 4-vinil benzeno sulfonato (VBS), que pode ser polimerizado \"in situ\" e posteriormente carbonizado produzindo a réplica de carbono. A utilização dos materiais descritos anteriormente como suporte para imobilização de enzimas pode proporcionar uma plataforma alternativa para construção de dispositivos biossensores. O objetivo geral do trabalho foi a preparação e caracterização de materiais como HDL, Compósitos e/ou Réplicas de Carbono derivadas de HDL ou compósitos de HDL/ óxido de grafeno, como suporte da enzima Glicose Oxidase, estudando suas propriedades eletroquímicas, visando as potenciais aplicações destes materiais como biossensores. Para isto, foram preparados e caracterizados HDL de Mg-Al e Zn-Al intercalados com o ânion carbonato, pelo método de coprecipitação a pH variável; compósitos e/ou réplicas de carbono derivadas de um HDL precursor de Mg-Al-VBS, preparados, por coprecipitação a pH constante e compósitos de Mg-Al/óxido de grafeno que também foram preparados por coprecipitação a pH constante. Estes materiais foram utilizados na imobilização da enzima Glicose Oxidase (GOx), em eletrodos modificados e foi realizado o estudo eletroquímico dos mesmos e de suas potenciais aplicações. Foi possível observar que os HDL de Mg-Al-CO3, Zn-Al-CO3, Mg-Al-VBS e o compósito Mg-Al/óxido de grafeno exibiram boa cristalinidade, estabilidade térmica, e outras características como porosidade e superfícies positivamente carregadas, viabilizando a xiii utilização dos mesmos para a imobilização e estudo eletroquímico da enzima Glicose Oxidase. O estudo eletroquímico dos eletrodos modificados com estes materiais e a enzima Glicose Oxidase mostrou que os mesmos apresentam boa resposta catalítica frente ao substrato glicose e a importância destes materiais na atividade desta enzima. Os eletrodos modificados apresentaram boa sensibilidade, estabilidade à longo prazo e reprodutibilidade do método, podendo estes serem aplicados para a preparação de biossensores. / Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH) constitute a class of materials with a layered structure consisting of positively charged layers of a double hydroxide and hydrated anions intercalated in the interlayer domain. These materials have received much attention lately because they offer many advantages: they display acidic and basic properties, \"memory effect\", and high surface area; are inexpensive and easy to prepare; and can combine with a variety of cations and anions. Combination of LDH with materials like graphene oxide affords composites with improved properties as compared to the starting organic component. Heat treatment of LDH intercalated with a monomer such as 4-vinyl-benzene sulfonate (VBS), followed by \"in situ\" polymerization and carbonization, produces composites and/or carbon replica. The materials described above could be applied as support to immobilize enzymes and may provide an alternative platform for biosensor devices. In this study, we aimed to prepare and characterize LDH, composites and/or carbon replica derived from LDH, and LDH/graphene oxide composites and support glucose oxidase enzyme (GOx) on these matrixes. We investigated the electrochemical properties of the resulting materials and evaluated their potential application as biosensors. More specifically, we prepared and characterized Mg-Al and Zn-Al LDH systems intercalated with carbonate ion by the coprecipitation method; composites and/or carbon replica derived from a precursor LDH Mg-Al-VBS by coprecipitation at constant pH; and Mg-Al/graphene composites by coprecipitation at constant pH. We used these materials to immobilize GOx on modified electrodes and assessed the electrochemical activity and potential application of the immobilized enzyme as biosensor. Mg-Al-CO3, Zn-Al-CO3, Mg-Al-VBS LDH and Mg-Al/graphene oxide composite were crystalline, thermally stable, and porous and exhibited positively charged surface, which favored immobilization and electrochemical investigation of the GOx enzyme. The modified electrodes displayed good catalytic response to glucose, as substrate, and improved the activity of the enzyme as compared to GOx alone. Additionally, the modified electrodes were sensitive, stable, and reproducible, paving the way for their use in the design of biosensors.