Systemic hypoxia frequently occurs in patients with cardiopulmonary diseases. Maintenance of vascular reactivity and endothelial viability is essential to preserving oxygen delivery in these patients. The role of matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) and heme oxygenase-2 (HO-2) in the vascular response to hypoxia were investigated. In the first part of the thesis, the role of MMP-2 in regulating systemic arterial contraction after prolonged hypoxia was investigated. MMP-2 inhibition with cyclic peptide CTTHWGFTLC (CTT) reduced phenylephrine (PE)-induced contraction in aortae and mesenteric arteries harvested from rats exposed to hypoxia for 7 d. Responses to PE were reduced in MMP-2-/- mice exposed to hypoxia for 7 d compared to wild-type controls. CTT reduced contraction induced by big endothelin-1 (big ET-1) in aortae harvested from rats exposed to hypoxia. Increased contraction to big ET-1 after hypoxia was observed in wild-type controls, but not MMP-2-/- mice. Rat aortic MMP-2 and MT1-MMP protein levels and MMP activity were increased after 7 d of hypoxia. Rat aortic MMP-2 and MT1-MMP mRNA levels were increased in the deep medial vascular smooth muscle. These results suggest that hypoxic induction of MMP-2 activity potentiates contraction in systemic conduit and resistance arteries through proteolytic activation of big ET-1. The second part of the thesis investigated oxygen regulation of HO-2 protein and whether it plays a role in preserving endothelial cell viability during hypoxia. HO-2, but not HO-1, protein level was maintained during hypoxia in human endothelial cells through enhanced translation of HO-2 transcripts. Inhibition of HO-2 expression increased the production of reactive oxygen species, decreased mitochondrial membrane potential, and enhanced apoptotic cell death and activated caspases during hypoxia, but not during normoxia. These data indicate that HO-2 is translationally regulated and important in maintaining endothelial viability and function during hypoxia. In summary, the thesis demonstrates the importance of MMP-2 and HO-2 in preserving vascular function during prolonged systemic hypoxia. These enzymatic pathways may, therefore, represent novel therapeutic targets that may be exploited to ameliorate the effects of hypoxia in patients with cardiopulmonary disease.

Over the past ten years, the development of High Throughput (HT) synthetic chemistry techniques has allowed the rapid preparation of libraries of hundreds to thousands of compounds. These tools are now extensively used for drug and material discovery programmes. The subsequent development of analytical capabilities to carry out qualitative and quantitative assessment of the compounds generated by HT synthesis as well as their HT screening has led to a dramatic broadening of the scope of HT techniques, ranging from image based analysis techniques to mass spectrometry (MS). Based on the latter, a range of solid phase and solution phase analytical constructs was developed to enable the qualitative and quantitative assessment of mixtures of small compounds, using positive electrospray MS as the sole analytical tool. A version of the construct allowed HT reactivity profiling to be carried out on a range of ten carboxylic acids, ten aldehydes and ten isonitriles in the Ugi 4-component condensation reaction. The effect of various parameters such as the concentration of the monomers on the reactivity was investigated. The elaboration of a HT Hammett parameter assessment method was made possible by the development of an electrophilic version of the construct. The value of the Hammett value was afforded by means of combinatorial Hammett plots and values were successfully evaluated in a HT mode for around thirty anilines with substituents in the meta and para position of the aromatic ring. Finally, analytical constructs were used in an attempt to evaluate enzyme reaction kinetics via the labelling of peptides and small drug fragment with coded constructs, to afford affinity determinations between the enzyme (protease) and peptidic or fragment based substrates.

The United States' fleet of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) produces a large amount of spent fuel each year; all of which is presently intended to be stored in a fuel repository for disposal. As these LWRs continue to operate and more are built to match the increasing demand for electricity, the required capacity for these repositories grows. Georgia Tech's Subcritical Advanced Burner Reactor (SABR) has been designed to reduce the capacity requirements for these repositories and thereby help close the back end of the nuclear fuel cycle by burning the long-lived transuranics in spent nuclear fuel. SABR's design is based heavily off of the Integral Fast Reactor (IFR). It is important to understand whether the SABR design retains the passive safety characteristics of the IFR. A full safety analysis of SABR's transient response to various possible accident scenarios needs to be performed to determine this. However, before this safety analysis can be performed, it is imperative to model all components of the reactivity feedback mechanism in SABR. The purpose of this work is to develop a calculational model for the fuel bowing reactivity coefficients that can be used in SABR's future safety analysis. This thesis discusses background on fuel bowing and other reactivity coefficients, the history of the IFR, the design of SABR, describes the method that was developed for calculating fuel bowing reactivity coefficients and its validation, and presents an example of a fuel bowing reactivity calculation for SABR.

<p>Just as heat, light and electricity do, mechanical forces can also stimulate reactions. Conventionally, these processes - known as mechanochemistry - were viewed as comprising only destructive events, such as bond scission and material failure. Recently, Moore and coworkers demonstrated that the incorporation of mechanophores, i.e., mechanochemically active moieties, can bring new types of chemistry. This demonstration has inspired a series of fruitful works, at both the molecular and material levels, in both theoretical and experimental aspects, for both fundamental research and applications. This dissertation evaluates mechanochemical behavior in all of these contexts. </p><p>At the level of fundamental reactivity, forbidden reactions, such as those that violate orbital symmetry effects as captured in the Woodward-Hoffman rules, remain an ongoing challenge for experimental characterization, because when the competing allowed pathway is available, the reactions are intrinsically difficult to trigger. Recent developments in covalent mechanochemistry have opened the door to activating otherwise inaccessible reactions. This dissertation describes the first real-time observation and quantified measurement of four mechanically activated forbidden reactions. The results provide the experimental benchmarks for mechanically induced forbidden reactions, including those that violate the Woodward-Hoffmann and Woodward-Hoffmann-DePuy rules, and in some cases suggest revisions to prior computational predictions. The single-molecule measurement also captured competing reactions between isomerization and bimolecular reaction, which to the best of our knowledge, is the first time that competing reactions are probed by force spectroscopy. </p><p> Most characterization for mechanochemistry has been focused on the reactivity of mechanophores, and investigations of the force coupling efficiency are much less reported. We discovered that the stereochemistry of a non-reactive alkene pendant to a reacting mechanophore has a dramatic effect on the magnitude of the force required to trigger reactivity on a given timescale (here, a 400 pN difference for reactivity on the timescale of 100 ms). The stereochemical perturbation has essentially no measurable effect on the force-free reactivity, providing an almost perfectly orthogonal handle for tuning mechanochemical reactivity independently of intrinsic reactivity. </p><p>Mechanochemical coupling is also applied here to the study of reaction dynamics. The dynamics of reactions at or in the immediate vicinity of transition states are critical to reaction rates and product distributions, but direct experimental probes of those dynamics are rare. The s-trans, s-trans 1,3-diradicaloid transition states are trapped by tension along the backbone of purely cis-substituted gem-difluorocyclopropanated polybutadiene using the extensional forces generated by pulsed sonication of dilute polymer solutions. Once released, the branching ratio between symmetry-allowed disrotatory ring closing (of which the trapped diradicaloid structure is the transition state) and symmetry-forbidden conrotatory ring closing (whose transition state is nearby) can be inferred. Net conrotatory ring closing occurred in 5.0 ± 0.5% of the released transition states, as compared to 19 out of 400 such events in molecular dynamics simulations.</p><p>On the materials level, the inevitable stress in materials during usage causes bond breakage, materials aging and failure. A strategy for solving this problem is to learn from biological materials, which are capable to remodel and become stronger in response to the otherwise destructive forces. Benzocyclobutene has been demonstrated to mechanically active to ortho-quinodimethide, an intermediate capable for [4+4] dimerization and [4+2] cycloaddition. These features make it an excellent candidate for and synthesis of mechanochemical remodeling. A polymer containing hundreds of benzocyclobutene on the backbone was synthesized. When the polymer was exposed to otherwise destructive shear forces generated by pulsed ultrasound, its molecular weight increased as oppose to other mechanophore-containing polymers. When a solution of the polymer with bismaleimide was subjected to pulsed ultrasonication, crosslink occurred and the modulus increased by two orders of magnitude.</p> / Dissertation

Les réactions d'oxydation impliquant les composés phénoliques semblent induire des modifications non négligeables du profil chimique et sensoriel des vins. Les travaux concernent l’étude des mécanismes réactionnels impliquant certains thiols volatils, contributeurs de l’arôme distinctif et de la complexité des vins des différents cépages avec les composés phénoliques oxydés des vins blancs, principalement les flavan-3-ols. En solution modèle de composition proche du vin, une réactivité différente des thiols volatils selon leur nature chimique vis à vis des formes oxydées des flavan-3-ols a été établie. La synthèse et la caractérisation des adduits par RMN entre les principaux composés phénoliques des moûts et des vins blancs et le 3-sulfanylhexanol, présentant des nuances d’agrumes, a ensuite été réalisée en conditions d’oxydation chimique et enzymatique. La suivi cinétique de la formation des adduits par CLHP-ESI-SM a permis de mettre en évidence une réactivité du thiol spécifique vis à vis d’un substrat polyphénolique, d’établir le rôle catalytique des métaux (Fe2+) et la capacité antioxydante du dioxyde de soufre vis à vis de ces mécanismes réactionnels. La compréhension de mécanismes fondamentaux de la réactivité de la (+)-catéchine et de la (-)-épicatéchine en conditions œnologiques avec les thiols volatils nous a permis de décliner les travaux à l’étude de l’influence de la présence des flavan-3-ols au cours de la vinification et de l’élevage des vins sur ces composants de l’arôme des vins blancs. / Oxidation reactions involving phenolics might change wines chemical and sensory profile. The present work concern the study of reactional mechanisms implying certain volatile thiols, responsible of distinctiveness and complexity of various wines, with white wines oxidized phenolic compounds, mainly flavan-3-ols. In a model wine solution, a different volatile thiol reactivity pattern according to their chemical nature with respect to oxidized flavan-3-ols forms was established. The adducts synthesis and characterization by NMR between the principal white musts and wines phenolic compounds and the 3-sulfanylhexanol, presenting citrus fruits nuances, were carried out under chemical and enzymatic oxidation conditions. Their formation monitoring by HPLC-ESI-MS highlighted a specific reactivity of thiol with polyphenolic substrate and established the catalytic role of metals (Fe2+) as well as, the antioxidant effect of sulphur dioxide into these mechanisms. The comprehension of fundamental mechanisms for the reactivity of (+)-catechin and of (-)-epicatechin with volatile thiols in oenological conditions enabled us to elucidate the influence of flavan-3-ols into white wines aroma compounds during wine making and ageing.

The reactivity of the [(Phen)Cr(CO)_3] intermediate with phosphines and phosphites (L) has been investigated through ligand-competition studies. This intermediate possesses virtually no ability to discriminate among L. The agreement between reactivity data for the thermal and photochemically-generated intermediates indicates that the same intermediate is produced via each process. Pulsed laser flash photolysis of (n^2-NP)M(CO)_4 (I) (M = Cr, Mo; NP = 1-diethylamino-2-diphenylphosphinoethane) in the absence and presence of P (OPr-i)_3 (L) in 1,2-dichloroethane and chlorobenzene induces unimolecular ring-opening to afford [(n^1-NP)M(CO)_4] (II), in which the bidentate ligand is coordinated through P. Reaction of this intermediate takes place through competitive ring-reclosure and attack at (II) by L to afford (I) and cis-(n^1-NP) (L)M(CO)_4.

Externalizing behavior is stable as early as 2 years of age and is a precursor to many childhood and adult negative outcomes. Although global self report data show a relationship between parenting and children's externalizing, few studies have examined the proximal effect of observed mother's parenting on children's expression of aggression. A sample of 55 primarily African American, toddler-mother dyads were observed in their homes. Data was collected on the 2-year-old children's emotional reactivity, externalizing behavior, social competence and mother's harsh and supportive parenting. A second wave of data was collected one year later with a smaller sample, n=37.Children who were boys and more emotionally reactive had higher Externalizing scores on the CBCL, both at age 2 and 3. Mothers who used contingent harsh parenting in response to child noncompliance had children who were higher on Externalizing behavior concurrently, but not across time. Mother's contingent supportive parenting in response to child compliance at age 2 predicted children's Social Competence at age 3. Results lend support to a transactional model of parent-child interaction very early in development that can be linked variously to children's aggressive, acting out and prosocial behaviors.

Size selective reactivity has been observed in pure aluminum cluster anions as a result of Lewis acid and base pairs. Using this a starting point, the goal of this study has been to explore how reactivity is affected with the addition of one or more ligand, which may induce active sites on the surface of the metal clusters. To study this, a theoretical investigation was undertaken on Al13Ix- and Al14Iy- (x=0-2, y=2-4) and their reactivity with methanol. The hypothesis was that iodine can induce a Lewis base site on the opposite side of the cluster, which may enhance reactivity. In results that are consistent with preliminary experimental data, it was found that the Al13Ix- series has a large energy barrier with respect to the cleavage of the O-H bond of methanol. The clusters of the series act as an extremely poor Lewis acids, and as a result, these clusters are relatively inert to methanol etching. On the other hand, the Al14Iy- series has a low barrier and is expected to react rapidly with methanol. The series is found to be most reactive at an aluminum adatom that is bound to an iodine due to the iodine extracting charge from the aluminum cluster creating a strong Lewis acid site.

Depuis l’avènement des environnements dits turbulents, une réflexion a vu le jour puis s’est développée autour du type de comportement stratégique et de compétences clés à adopter afin d’en limiter les effets négatifs. Cette réflexion a élevé le débat sur les processus d’adaptation en continu des organisations par rapport aux fluctuations exogènes. Ces perturbations peuvent également provenir de facteurs endogènes qui remodèlent les activités et les trajectoires organisationnelles. Les organisations sont alors contraintes à reconfigurer leurs processus pour mieux intégrer les changements. Mieux appréhender les fluctuations amène les organisations à plus d’anticipation, à plus de rapidité d’exécution, à plus de flexibilité et à plus d’apprentissages pour soutenir leurs projets de développement sur la durée. L’ensemble de ces mutations amènent ainsi les décideurs de tous bords à reconsidérer les hommes, les structures et les capacités organisationnelles dans une visée « agile ». L'agilité organisationnelle, entendue comme l’aptitude à se mouvoir promptement et justement dans des environnements incertains nécessite selon nous une investigation qualitative dans une perspective de meilleure compréhension du concept, car l’incomplétude de la littérature évacue les limites d’une notion qui semble figée. Notre investigation explore ainsi les représentations différenciées de la part des acteurs du concept, son opérabilité –complexe- dans les organisations, et vise enfin à élargir l’existant en apportant de nouveaux éléments de compréhension tels que la proximité, l’entrepreneuriat, la redéfinition de l’articulation du triptyque réactivité-flexibilité-proactivité… / Since the beginning of the so-called turbulent environments, thought has appeared and has developed around the type of strategic behaviour and key skills to be adopted in order to limit their negative effects. This thinking process has lifted up the debate to the ongoing adaptation processes of organisations according to exogenous fluctuations. These disturbances can also stem from endogenous factors that remodel activities and organisational paths. Organisations are therefore compelled to rearrange their processes to better integrate changes. A better approach to fluctuations leads organisations to more anticipation, quicker implementation, more flexibility and more learning that will enable them to sustain their development projects in the long run. All these alterations bring decision makers from all spheres of activity to reconsider men, structures and organisational capacities from an “agile” point of view.Organisational agility understood as the ability to move swiftly and rightly within uncertain environments requires according to this research a qualitative examination leading to a better understanding of the concept since it appears from the review of literature that the theoretical object of agility is described as rigid whereas it has its limits. This research thus explores the differentiated representations that the actors of agility make of the concept, its effectiveness, its (complex) functioning inside organisations. Finally, it also aims at enlarging the state-of-the-art by bringing new elements of understanding as proximity, entrepreneurship, redefinition of the triptych articulation: reactivity-flexibility-pro-activity.

Les zéolites, aluminosilicates cristallisés microporeux, sont largement utilisés en raffinage, en pétrochimie et en conversion de la biomasse. En raison du faible diamètre des micropores, limitations diffusionnelles et effets de confinement peuvent favoriser la formation de sous-Produits non désirés. L'introduction de mésopores par désalumination et/ou désilication ("zéolites hiérarchisées") peut diminuer ces phénomènes. Cependant, les mécanismes ces réactions restent méconnus à l'échelle moléculaire. Par calculs quantiques périodiques, au niveau de la théorie de la fonctionnelle de la densité (DFT) et selon une approche hybride QM/QM, nous avons pu mettre en évidence l'importance de l'attaque de la molécule d'eau sur l'atome d'aluminium, qui se fait en anti par rapport au site acide de Brønsted. Des structures d'Al penta ou tetra coordinées ont aussi été suggérées expérimentalement comme précurseurs de la désalumination. Malgré une forte hétérogénéité structurale des sites T, l'élucidation des chemins réactionnels et les énergies d’activation des étapes d’hydrolyse des liaisons Al-O (70-100 kJ/mol) dans les systèmes zéolitiques investigués (MOR, FAU, MFI, CHA) nous a permis d'établir des corrélations du type Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi. Ces corrélations permettent d'estimer et prédire des énergies d'activation par le biais de la thermodynamique, donne ainsi une prédiction aisée des sites T sensibles à la désalumination. Un autre facteur clé pour la compréhension de la désalumination est l'effet de confinement sur l'espèce aluminique extra-Réseau générée (EFAL), exercé par les cavités. Finalement nous avons pu montrer que le chemin réactionnel de désalumination et désilication, consécutif ou simultané, , est thermodynamiquement plus favorable qu'une simple désalumination ce qui est en accord avec les propositions mécanistiques de la littérature sur la genèse de mésopores par démétallation. / Zeolites are crystalline microporous aluminosilicates widely used in refining, petrochemistry and biomass conversion. However, diffusion limitation and confinement effect can promote the formation of undesired products. The introduction of mesopores by dealumination and/or desilication ("hierarchical zeolites") is a possible solution widely used experimentally. Nevertheless, the mechanisms of these demetallation reactions are poorly described at the molecular scale. We determine the mechanisms of the formation of extraframework Al species (EFAL) for zeotypes MOR, FAU, MFI and CHA occurring during the dealumination process, possibly associated with desilication. First-Principles periodic density functional theory (DFT) and hybrid QM/QM calculations have been employed in order to analyze full reaction paths leading to extraframework species and to quantify the activation energies of the determining steps. It has been demonstrated that the initiation of an Al-O(H) bond break takes place via water adsorption on the Al atom in anti-Position to the Brønsted acid site, via a penta- or tetra-Coordinated Al species. Such species are shown to be at the initiation of the Al dislodgement from the zeolitic framework. Despite a strong structural heterogeneity of T sites, we determined Brønsted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) relationships for the entire dealumination pathway. Moreover, it is shown that not only the initiation and propagation mechanisms are primordial for the understanding of an Al extraction, but also the confinement effect on EFAL species within the zeolites cavities. Finally, from the energy profile of combined dealumination/desilication pathways, we show that it is thermodynamically favoured to extract extraframework Si species (EFSI) in the course of dealumination.