Die Funktionalisierung von tetra-PEG Makromolekülen mit fotoreaktiven Gruppen und die anschließende Umsetzung zu Hydrogelen durch fotochemische Vernetzung werden beschrieben. Die Funktionalisierung der Makromoleküle wird mittels UV-Vis- und NMR-Spektroskopie nachgewiesen, während der Verlauf der Vernetzung über die dynamische Lichtstreuung und IR-Spektroskopie betrachtet wird. Die hergestellten Hydrogele werden hinsichtlich des Sol-Anteils und der Quelleigenschaften untersucht. Über den Umsatz wird die Konzentration der Netzketten theoretisch berechnet. Einen weiteren Schwerpunkt bildet die Charakterisierung der Hydrogele hinsichtlich der mechanischen Eigenschaften. Über den Speichermodul wird die Konzentration der Netzketten experimentell bestimmt. Mittels dynamischer Lichtstreuung werden die kooperativen Diffusionskoeffizienten und Maschenweiten der Hydrogele bestimmt.

De har gjorts få studier på akvariesfiskars beteende. För att bemöta intresset för akvariefiskar så behöver vi veta mer om deras beteende i en artificiell miljö. Syftet med den här studien är att jämföra det utforskande beteendet hos vildfångade och odlade diamanttetror som är en vanlig akvariefisk. Hypotesen är att det finns en skillnad i deras beteende där vildfångade är mer djärva än de odlade. Grupper om fem individer av diamanttetra vildfångade och odlade släpptes ner i en ny artificiell miljö. De filmades i 20 minuter från de att de släpptes i. Testet upprepades 10 gånger med nya individer och för varje försök togs tiden det tog för varje individ att lämpa botten av akvariet och sedan mättes storleken på stimmen för varje grupp. Jag hittade en skillnad i hur lång tid fiskarna tog på sig för att lämna botten men det var ingen skillnad i höjd eller längd på stimmen. Detta visar att de vildfångade visade ett djärvare beteende än de odlade genom att lämna botten snabbare. Den här studien gav information om skillnaden i beteende för vildfångade och odlade diamanttetror och informationen kan användas för fortsatta studier kring akvariefisk. / The behaviour of ornamental fish is not well studied. To meet the needs of ornamental fish hobbyists, we need to know more about the behavior of fish in artificial environments. The aim of this study is to compare the explorative behaviour of wild-captured and farmed fish in a common ornamental fish, the diamond tetra. The hypothesis is that there is a difference between the two groups behavior where the wild-captured tetras are bolder. Groups of five individuals of farmed respectively wild-captured diamond tetra were released in a new artificial environment where they were monitored for 20 minutes. The test was repeated 10 times with new individuals, and the time it took for them to leave the bottom of the aquarium was measured as well as the size of the shoal. I found a difference in the time it took for the individuals to leave the bottom, with the wild-captured tetras leaving the bottom earlier than the farmed fish. There were no differences in height or length of the shoal. Thus, the wild diamond tetra were bolder than the farmed tetras. The study gave information about the differences in behavior between wild-captured and farmed diamond tetra and can give information to further studies about ornamental fish.

Doubly cross-linked gels were fabricated based on tetra-poly(ethylene glycol) (Tetra-PEG) by shear strain. These are gels with two network structures present in the same polymeric network. The second network structure is introduced by applying a mechanical field to the first natural network structure. These doubly cross-linked gels indicated a negative energy elasticity supporting earlier findings where the energy elasticity was found significantly negative for Tetra-PEG gel. Acquired results indicate implications for past research on the elasticity of polymer gels where the energy contribution was approximated to zero. Obtained results also indicated that the modulus of rigidity for the doubly cross-linked gels is constant regardless of applied shear strain during fabrication. This would indicate that the same second network structure is formed for the interval of 25-800% applied shear strain. The residual strain for the fabricated gels can be well-described using an exponential fitting of the apparent shear modulus of the first network structure and an expression derived from the two-network theory and classic rubber theory. These theories also seem to predict the experimental residual strains for lower strain regions (<100%) quite well. However for larger strain regions (>100%) non-linear effects seem to affect the results causing a deviation. A slight increased modulus of rigidity was noted for the doubly cross-linked gels compared to the regular Tetra-PEG gel. However as the reproducibility of the concluded measurements could not be confirmed during this thesis the results are not conclusive and only indicate the conclusions mentioned above.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-26T13:42:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 texto completo.pdf: 1695521 bytes, checksum: 9a0915b224b9fc02033cedd8cfc42515 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-07-30 / Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais / The species of the genus Astyanax are widely distributed in the Neotropical region and have few morphological, ecological and behavioral differences, which complicates the taxonomic classification of this taxon. The nominal species Astyanax bimaculatus was described by Linnaeus in 1758 and currently species with two oval spots that occur in several Neotropical basins are considered as belonging to bimaculatus complex. The objective of this study was to determine the cytogenetic and molecular characteristics (mitochondrial DNA) of 19 populations currently assigned to Astyanax bimaculatus from complex coastal basins of southeastern Minas Gerais using conventional staining, nucleolar organizer regions Ag-NORs, C-band, DAPI, FISH and the gene cytochrome oxidase I - COI. Data were compared with other species of the complex. The karyotype 6m +20 sm +18 st +6 t occurred in all populations, with Ag-NORs ranging from two to eight stained chromosomes. The C-banding showed centromeric and pericentromeric markings, evidenced by the fluorochrome DAPI. Fluorescent 18S and 5S rDNA probes marked one chromosome pair respectively. The phylogeny obtained with the COI gene indicated the presence of two haplogroups with large molecular distance between them: haplogroup I was more closely related to the populations of the São Francisco River Basin, while haplogroup II was subdivided into a group which was more related to populations from the upper Paraná (IIA) and another group formed exclusively by coastal haplotypes (IIB). The karyotype uniformity of coastal populations is greater than the recognized Astyanax altiparanae, suggesting the persistence of large populations. Polymorphisms involving C-band patterns indicate that the addition and reduction of heterochromatin blocks are compatible with intraspecific variation. The molecular data suggest that coastal basins received migrants from continental basins, with more recent geodispersion of a coastal haplogroup, probably related to the dynamic confluence of coastal basins during glacial periods. The genetic similarity between São Francisco River Basin and coastal basins indicates that the nominal species Astyanax lacustris does not represent a valid taxon. While the Upper Paraná Basin maintained a molecular identity consistent with the existence of the nominal taxon Astyanax altiparanae that, agreeing with the cytogenetic data, also occurs in the Paraíba do Sul River Basin. It is concluded that the bimaculatus complex in southeastern Brazil is composed by three lineages, including only two species Astyanax aff. bimaculatus present in São Francisco and coastal basins and A. altiparanae present in the Upper Paraná. / As espécies do gênero Astyanax apresentam ampla distribuição na região neotropical e apresentam poucas diferenças morfológicas, ecológicas e comportamentais, o que dificulta a classificação taxonômica desse táxon. A espécie nominal Astyanax bimaculatus foi descrita em 1758 por Linnaeus e, atualmente, espécies com duas manchas ovaladas que ocorrem em diversas bacias neotropicais são consideradas como pertencentes ao complexo bimaculatus. O objetivo deste trabalho foi determinar as características citogenéticas e moleculares (DNA mitocondrial) de 19 populações consideradas como pertencentes ao complexo Astyanax bimaculatus das bacias costeiras do sudeste de Minas Gerais utilizando coloração convencional, regiões organizadoras de nucléolos Ag-NOrs, banda C, DAPI, FISH e o gene citocromo oxidase I - COI. Os dados foram comparados com outras espécies do complexo. O cariótipo 6m+20sm+18st+6t ocorreu em todas as populações, com Ag-NORs variando de dois a oito cromossomos marcados. A banda C mostrou marcações centroméricas e pericentroméricas, evidenciadas pelo fluorocromo DAPI. As sondas 18S e 5S marcaram apenas um par cromossômico respectivamente. A filogenia obtida com o gene COI indicou a presença de dois haplogrupos com grande distância molecular: o haplogrupo I mais aparentado com populações da bacia do rio São Francisco, enquanto o haplogrupo II subdividiu-se em um grupo mais aparentado com populações do alto Paraná (IIA) e outro grupo formado exclusivamente por haplótipos costeiros (IIB). A uniformidade cariotípica das populações costeiras é maior que a reconhecida em Astyanax altiparanae, sugerindo a persistência de grandes populações. Polimorfismos envolvendo padrões de banda C indicam que a adição e redução de blocos de heterocromatina são consideradas variações intraespecíficas. Os dados moleculares sugerem que as bacias costeiras receberam aporte de bacias continentais, com geodispersão mais recente de um haplogrupo costeiro, provavelmente relacionado com a dinâmica de confluência de bacias costeiras durante os períodos glaciais. A similaridade genética entre a bacia do rio São Francisco e as bacias costeiras indica que a espécie nominal Astyanax lacustris não representa um táxon válido. Enquanto a bacia do alto Paraná manteve uma identidade molecular condizente com a existência do táxon nominal Astyanax altiparanae que, condizente com os dados citogenéticos, também ocorre na bacia do rio Paraíba do Sul. Conclui-se que o complexo bimaculatus no sudeste brasileiro é composto de três linhagens, englobando apenas duas espécies: Astyanax aff. bimaculatus presente no São Francisco e nas bacias costeiras e A. altiparanae presente no alto Paraná.

Submitted by Angela Maria de Oliveira (amolivei@uepg.br) on 2018-11-29T18:26:31Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Cibeli May.pdf: 3927669 bytes, checksum: 83b271f172e7367bd94016252ee517c4 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-29T18:26:31Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Cibeli May.pdf: 3927669 bytes, checksum: 83b271f172e7367bd94016252ee517c4 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-04-13 / O texto deste trabalho esta dividido em três capítulos. No Capítulo 1 tem-se a revisão bibliográfica onde é apresentada a aplicação dos compostos orgânicos bromados, a principal forma de síntese destes e as mudanças que vêm ocorrendo devido o uso de solventes prejudiciais à camada de ozônio. Serão descritos métodos alternativos de sínteses, sendo que o mais abordado é o método eletroquímico usado, portanto neste trabalho, por meio do qual é possível realizar a bromação de anéis aromáticos e bromação de aromáticos na posição benzílica. Também serão apresentadas as aplicações dos compostos sintetizados: α, α α’, α’-tetrabromo-pxileno e α, α, α’, α’-tetrabromo-2,5-diciano-p-xileno. No Capítulo 2 são apresentados os estudos experimentais e teóricos, onde se buscou uma explicação para as diferenças observadas na reação química tradicional de tetrabromação benzílica no 2,5-diciano-p-xileno em comparação ao p-xileno. Para isso se realizou para cada composto a reação de Wohl-Ziegler por 10 horas, recolhendo-se amostras em cada tempo determinado, estas amostras formam analisadas por Ressonância Magnética Nuclear de Hidrogênio (RMN de H1) e Cromatografia Gasosa acoplada a Espectrometria de Massas (CG-MS). Também foi realizado um estudo teórico de carga a partir de simulação computacional. O que se observa é que o composto contendo o substituinte nitrila apresenta uma reação de bromação mais lenta com a formação de quatro compostos intermediários, enquanto que para o composto sem substituinte a reação é mais rápida e apenas dois compostos intermediários são observados. No Capítulo 3 é descrito um método alternativo de síntese para a tetrabromação benzílica do 2,5-diciano-p-xileno e do p-xileno. A obtenção destes compostos ocorre usando-se reações eletroquímicas, onde não é necessário o uso de solventes de venda proibida (CCl4). Também se realizou um acompanhamento cinético, analisando-se as amostras coletadas por RMN de H1 e CG-MS, para fazer a comparação de síntese pelo método tradicional e eletroquímico. Sendo que a principal diferença observada é que no método eletroquímico as reações são mais lentas, também com este método é possível continuar adicionando bromos na posição benzílica ao composto p-xileno, obtendo-se este composto pentabromado e hexabromado. / The text of this paper is divided into three chapters. In Chapter 1 there is a bibliographic review where the application of brominated organic compounds is presented, the main form of synthesis of these and the changes that have been occurring due to the use of solvents harmful to the ozone layer. It will be described alternative methods of synthesis, and the most approached is the electrochemical method used, therefore in this work, through which it is possible to perform the bromination of aromatic rings and bromination of aromatics in the benzylic position. The applications of the synthesized compounds: α, α, α', α'-tetrabromo-p-xylene and α, α, α ', α'-tetrabromo-2,5-dicyano-p-xylene will also be presented. In Chapter 2 we present experimental and theoretical studies, where an explanation was sought for the differences observed in the traditional chemical reaction of benzylic tetrabromination in 2,5-dicyano-p-xylene compared to p-xylene. In order to do this, the reactions of Wohl-Ziegler were carried out for 10 hours. Samples were collected at each determined time. These samples were analyzed by Hydrogen Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (H1 NMR) and Gas Chromatography Coupled to Mass Spectrometry (CG-MS). A theoretical load study was also carried out from a computer simulation. What is observed is that the compound containing the nitrile substituent has a slower bromination reaction with the formation of four intermediate compounds, whereas for the compound without substituent the reaction is faster and only two intermediate compounds are observed. In Chapter 3 an alternative method of synthesis for the benzylic tetra-bromination of 2,5-dicyano-p-xylene and p-xylene is described. The production of these compounds occurs using electrochemical reactions, where it is not necessary to use solvents of prohibited sale (CCl4). Also, a kinetic monitoring was performed, analyzing the samples collected by H1 NMR and CG-MS, to make the comparison of synthesis by the traditional and electrochemical method. As the main difference observed is that in the electrochemical method the reactions are slower, also with this method it is possible to continue adding bromines in the benzylic position to the compound p-xylene, obtaining this compound pentabromado and hexabromado.

Research questions:   What are the brand images and brand identities of Renault Trucks, Novembal/Tetra Pak and IKEA? Is there a brand gap? How does country-of-origin have an effect on the perception of the brands? How does the respondent’s sex have an importance in the perception of the brand and the effect of country-of-origin? Purpose:   The purpose of this thesis is to describe, compare and analyze the existence of brand gaps and the effect of country-of-origin with the final intention to provide management recommendations for the studied companies. Method:   A quantitative consumer survey of 42 subjects was collected and analyzed. In addition, interviews were conducted with three Swedish companies, as well as an interview with the Swedish Chamber of Commerce in Lyon. Aaker’s (1997) Big Five model was used in the analysis. Conclusions:    The study demonstrated the brand identities and brand images of the companies. A brand gap is widely present. Aaker’s (1997) model had to be modified and includes new dimensions and traits. Country-of-origin (COO) plays a role in 100% of the consumers’ perception and purchasing process. COO bias, ethnocentrism and animosity are present and play a role in the 42 consumers’ attitudes and purchase decisions in Rhone-Alps. Men      and women have different attitudes and degree of ethnocentrism towards the effect of country-of-origin (COE).

Simulcasting is a spectrally efficient wide area coverage technique that can be advantageous in private mobile radio applications such as emergency services. In a simulcast network, multiple base stations broadcast the same information on a single nominal carrier frequency, causing severe multipath interference at a receiver in the overlap region of several neighboring base stations. In this thesis, we introduce a transmit delay scheme for simulcast networks and investigate the performance of the scheme in LOS and Rayleigh fading environments. In this scheme a relative transmit delay is introduced between neighboring base stations to extend the differential delay between different paths in the overlap regions, from the order of the carrier period to the order of the symbol period, thus transform RF carrier interference into ISI. The receiver employs MLSE to obtain diversity gain from ISI. The performance of the system is evaluated using analytical bounds and simulations carried out for an MLSE based &amp / #960 / /4 DQPSK receiver and the results show that the proposed scheme operates succesfully, turning destructive interference disadvantage into a multipath diversity advantage, provided that a sufficient delay is used between the base stations. The &ldquo / sufficient&rdquo / delay value is determined by considering the coverage properties of the scheme and is in fact &ldquo / optimum&rdquo / , since more than sufficient transmit delays result in useless increased receiver complexity. We provide our results using parameters for the TETRA system, however, the results of the work can readily be used for other systems.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-12-06T23:45:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2013 / Associação Fundo de Incentivo à Psicofarmacologia (AFIP) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / A cocaina produz potentes efeitos reforcadores devido ao bloqueio de transportadores dopaminergicos, causando um grande e rapido aumento de dopamina na fenda sinaptica. Este aumento de dopamina no sistema mesolimbico e provavelmente o maior responsavel pelo abuso da droga, que pode levar a dependencia. No entanto, ate o momento, nao foi estabelecido nenhum tratamento para a dependencia de cocaina. Neste sentido, este estudo foi proposto a fim de avaliar o efeito de duas drogas sobre a preferencia condicionada por lugar (PCL) induzida por cocaina, o agonista parcial de receptores D1, SKF 38393, e o inibidor da sintese de dopamina, α-metil-p-tirosina (AMPT). Camundongos machos adultos C57BL/6J foram condicionados a um ambiente com administracao de cocaina (10 mg/kg) via intraperitoneal (i.p.) em dias alternados em um procedimento obiasedo. Apos o teste de preferencia pos-condicionamento, os animais foram submetidos a tres dias de tratamento com SKF 38393 (10 mg/kg) ou AMPT (250 mg/kg) ou com a associacao das duas drogas. O tratamento com SKF 38393 foi capaz de reverter a PCL induzida pela cocaina. Contrariamente, a administracao repetida de AMPT potencializou este comportamento. A associacao de SKF 38393 e AMPT bloqueou o comportamento previamente estabelecido pela cocaina. Adicionalmente, foi avaliado o efeito do SKF 38393 sobre os niveis de BDNF no nucleo accumbens (NAcc) e na area tegmental ventral (ATV) apos o procedimento de PCL induzido por cocaina. Houve aumento de BDNF na ATV tanto pela administracao repetida de cocaina quanto de SKF 38393, sendo que a associacao destas duas drogas potencializou o aumento de BDNF nesta regiao. No entanto, nao foram verificadas alteracoes nos niveis de BDNF no NAcc em nenhum grupo. Este estudo fornece indicios de que os receptores D1 participam diretamente do mecanismo de reforco condicionado no modelo de PCL induzida por cocaina; e que a ativacao parcial destes receptores concomitante ao uso da cocaina desencadeia alteracoes neurobiologicas que podem ser a chave para o desenvolvimento de medicamentos para a dependencia de cocaina / Cocaine produces potent reward effects by the block age of dopamine transporters. This blockage triggers a fast and large increase of dopamine levels in the synaptic cleft. This increase of dopamine in the mesolimbic system is probably the major responsible for the drug abuse that may lead to add iction. However, until now, it was not yet established a treatment for cocaine addicti on. Therefore, the aims of this study were to evaluate the effects of the partial D 1 agonist SKF 38393 and of the dopamine synthesis inhibitor α -metil- p -tyrosine (AMPT) on cocaine-conditioned place preference (CPP). Male adult C57BL/6J mice were con ditioned with cocaine (10 mg/kg; i.p.) each other day in a biased procedure. After the post-conditioning test, the mice were submitted to three consecutive days of tr eatment with SKF 38393 (10 mg/kg; i.p.) or AMPT (250 mg/kg; i.p.), or the asso ciation of the two drugs. After the post-treatment preference test, it was demonstrated that the SKF 38393 reversed the CPP; while conversely, AMPT potentiated it. The ass ociation of the two drugs was able to block the effects of cocaine-induced CPP. A dditionally, we investigated the effects of the three days of treatment with SKF 383 93 (10 mg/kg) on the BDNF levels in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) and nucleus acc umbens (NAcc) after the cocaine-induced CPP procedure. Both cocaine and SKF 38393 treatments increased the BDNF levels in the VTA. The increase of BDNF wa s potentialized with the association of cocaine and SKF 38393 in this area. However there were no changes in BDNF levels in the NAcc in any experimental grou p. This study provides evidences that D1 receptors are directly involved with the co nditioned reward mechanism in cocaine-induced CPP. Moreover, the partial activati on of D1 receptors concomitant with cocaine use triggers neurobiological changes t hat may be the key role for the development of a treatment for cocaine addiction / BV UNIFESP: Teses e dissertações

Orientadores: Alessandra Alves de Souza, Marco Aurélio Takita / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Biologia / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-16T03:21:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Muranaka_LigiaSegatto_M.pdf: 4670725 bytes, checksum: f903ecd21649fe431b36cd1ea62d804b (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Resumo: Xylella fastidiosa é uma bactéria Gram-negativa que causa várias doenças em diferentes espécies de plantas, como a clorose variegada dos citros (CVC) em Citrus sinensis, cujos danos econômicos são da ordem de milhões de dólares anuais. O desenvolvimento dos sintomas tem sido associado ao bloqueio dos vasos do xilema causado pela formação de um biofilme pela bactéria. Recentemente foi verificado que o biofilme de X. fastidiosa é mais resistente a compostos antimicrobianos que a forma planctônica. Essa resistência tem se mostrado um fenômeno complexo que não pode ser explicado por um único mecanismo, e sim por multifatores. Nesse sentido, a proposta desse trabalho foi identificar, por microarranjos de DNA, genes possivelmente associados à adaptação do biofilme na presença de compostos antimicrobianos, em concentrações letais para células em crescimento planctônico, mas que não inibiram o crescimento do biofilme. Foram encontrados 223 (7,87%) CDS induzidas na presença de cobre e 150 (5,29%) reprimidas. Com tetraciclina foram 450 (15,89%) induzidas e 449 (15,85%) reprimidas. Muitas sequências codificadoras envolvidas com funções da síntese proteica, metabolismo energético, divisão celular e movimentação foram moduladas negativamente em ambas as situações, sugerindo que tais modificações contribuiriam para um provável estado de resistência. Com a adição da dose subinibitória de cobre também foi observada a indução de genes relacionados à adesão e produção de toxinas, que estão envolvidos com a virulência da bactéria em planta, o que sugere esta seria aumentada possivelmente induzindo maior severidade de sintomas. Já com tetraciclina o oposto foi observado, repressão de genes relacionados à formação do biofilme e produção de toxinas. No entanto, identificamos a indução de um possível mecanismo de resposta SOS, pela qual genes relacionados ao sistema toxina-antitoxina seriam superexpressos. Esse sistema provavelmente está envolvido com a morte celular programada e formação de células persistentes. Assim é possível concluir que doses subinibitórias de compostos antimicrobianos poderiam ao invés de matar, induzir a virulência da bactéria, como ocorrido com o cobre, ou a formação de células persistentes, como observado com a tetraciclina. Outra abordagem desse trabalho foi à realização de experimentos in vitro e in vivo com um análogo de cisteína, o N-acetyl-L-cysteina (NAC), que já vem sendo utilizado na medicina para desestruturação de biofilmes de bactériaspatógenas de humanos. Resultados da quantificação da massa celular, número de célulasviáveis e exopolissacarídeos totais revelaram que todas as doses de NAC (1, 2 e 6 mg/mL) testadas nos experimentos in vitro diminuiram a formação do biofilme e inibiram o crescimento de X. fastidiosa, o que indica um possível efeito tóxico dessa substância. Nos experimentos in vivo foi observada uma grande redução dos sintomas de CVC em plantas de C. sinensis infectadas e tratadas com diferentes doses de NAC. Esses estudos abrem uma real perspectiva ao uso dessa substância para o manejo da CVC. / Abstract: Xylella fastidiosa is a Gram-negative bacterium that causes several diseases in different plant species, including citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) in sweet orange (Citrus sinensis L. Osbeck), whose economic damage is of millions of dollars annually. The symptoms development has been associated with the blockage of xylem vessels caused by bacterial biofilm formation. Recently it was found that the biofilm of X. fastidiosa is more resistant to antimicrobial compounds than the planktonic cells. This resistance has been considered as a complex phenomenon that cannot be explained by a single mechanism, but by multi-factors. Accordingly, the intent of this study was to identify through DNA microarray technology, genes possibly involved in adaptation of biofilm cells to the presence of antimicrobial compounds in concentrations that are lethal to cells in planktonic growth, but do not inhibit the cell growth in biofilm. We found 223 (7.87%) genes induced in presence of copper and 150 (5.29%) genes repressed. For tetracycline, there were 450 (15.89%) induced genes and 449 (15.85%) repressed ones. Many genes encoding proteins related to protein synthesis, energy metabolism and cell division were negatively modulated in both, copper and tetracycline treatments, suggesting that these changes could contribute to a state of resistance. When a subinhibitory dose of copper was applied we could also observe the induction of genes related to adhesion and thus biofilm formation and toxin production, suggesting that the bacterial virulence should be increased. The opposite was found for tetracycline. However, we observed the induction of a possible SOS response mechanism in which genes related to a toxin-antitoxin system was overexpressed. This system is probably involved with programmed cell death and formation of persistent cells. We then concluded that subinhibitory doses of antimicrobial compounds could induce bacterial virulence as occurred for copper, or the formation of persistent cells, as observed for tetracycline rather than kill the cells. Another approach of this work was to carry out experiments in vitro and in vivo with an analogue of cysteine, N-acetyl-L-cysteine (NAC), which has been already used in medicine as a drug for disruption of biofilms formed by human pathogenic bacteria. Results of cellular mass quantification, number of viable cells and total exopolysaccharide content revealed that all doses (1.0, 2.0 and 6.0 mg / mL) of NAC tested in in vitro experiments decreased the biofilm formation and inhibited growth of X. fastidiosa, which indicated that this substance could also be toxic for the bacteria. In vivo experiments showed a strong reduction in CVC symptoms in C. sinensis plants infected and treated with different doses of NAC. These studies open a real prospect for the use of this compound in CVC management. / Mestrado / Genetica de Microorganismos / Mestre em Genética e Biologia Molecular

The course of polymer film functioning has been a crucial concern in the advent of packaging technology. The thesis project aims towards obtaining an understanding of mechanical properties for a class of these materials, namely LDPE and PET. A constitutive understanding of this behavior in the case of LDPE is acquired through incorporating a plastic stress strain relationship in an iterative approach with focus put on the sensitivity of a few parameters by following a simple linear curve-fit technique in a way that the global as well as the local response are predictable. FE-models also developed in this way are validated with experimental data. An inverse analysis testing validity or usefulness of DIC technique in identifying a material model is done and some discussions are drawn towards this area. A relative numerical study with respect to experimentally obtained global response for tearing of these polymers is done through use of a similar material model developed from tensile tests and the challenges faced in this area have been addressed.