Els sistemes objecte d'estudi en aquest treball són aliatges metàl·lics d'estructura reticular b.c.c. els quals, a baixes temperatures, experimenten una transició de fase estructural de tipus martensític (bàsicament descrita per una deformació de cisallament). Particularment interessants, entre d'altres, són els aliatges: Cu-Zn, Cu-Zn-Al, Ag-Zn, Cu-AI-Ni, ... , a causa de les propietats termomecàniques que posen de manifest i que els fan de gran utilitat en aplicacions tecnològiques (robòtica, aplicacions mèdiques... ) [1]: efecte de memòria de forma i pseudoelasticitat.Aquestes propietats tenen el seu origen en la pròpia transformació martensítica (TM) termoelàstica que experimenten aquests aliatges per sota de la temperatura M(s). A més a més, aquests sistemes (aliatges amb efecte de memòria de forma) experimenten una transició ordre-desordre a una temperatura (Tc) normalment molt més alta que M(s). Per sota de Tc presenten estructures d'ordenació B(2), D0(3) o Heusler.Partint de l'evidència experimental que posa de manifest la forta influència que l'estat d'ordre atòmic de la fase d'alta temperatura [(T)Ms, o fase-beta] té sobre les característiques de la TM [2,3], en aquest treball ens proposem desenvolupar els models pertinents quc permetin de quantificar aquest problema. així com l'associat als efectes d'envelliment observats i que es relacionen amb canvis d'ordre.En el desenvolupament del treball, primerament es fa una revisió de les característiques generals bàsiques de les TM, així com dels principals models utilitzats en l'estudi de transicions de fase i que són emprats al llarg del treball.A fi de dur a terme la quantificació esmentada, es fa indispensable una caractcrització prèvia de l'estat d'ordenació atòmic de la fase-beta. Per fer-ho hem desenvolupat un model termodinàmic en l'aproximació de Bragg-Williams per al cas d'aliatges ternaris que presenten estructures d'ordenació DO(3) (a baixes temperatures) i B(2) (a temperatures intermitges). La seva aplicació al sistema Cu-Zn-Al ens permet avaluar les energies d'ordenació tant per a parelles de primers com de segons veïns.A continuació introduïm un model termodinàmic per a l'estudi concret del nostre problema que ens permet tractar sistemes que experimenten transicions de fase de primer i de segon ordre, amb interacció entre les corresponents formes d'ordenació. Aquesta interacció s'ha introduït a través d'un terme d'acoblament biquadràtic entre els paràmetres d'ordre que descriuen respectivamente les dues transicions de fase. Quan l'apliquem a l'estudi de l'efecte del grau d'ordre atòmic en sistemes que experimenten TM termoelàstiques (aliatges amb efecte de memòria de forma) i transicions ordre-desordre, el model prediu una variació lineal de la constant elàstica C' =(C(11) - C(12))/2 (rellevant del nostre problema) de la fase-beta i el quadrat del paràmetre d'ordre de llarg abast del sistema. Aquest canvi en C' determina els canvis en les característiques termodinàmiques de la TM (T(0), - Delta - H(B->H)). Aquest comportament ha estat justificat comparant els resultats teòrics amb les dades experimentals disponibles per a l'aliatge Cu-Zn-Al.Posteriorment, hem generalitzat el model anterior per poder tractar sistemes no homogenis i s'ha estudiat, a partir d'un formalisme de Fokker-Planck, com evoluciona, a temperatura constant Tf en fase-beta, la constant elàstica C' durant un procés d'ordenació atòmic que segueix un refredament ràpid des de Ti < Tc. Dins de l'aproximació lineal, el resultat és coherent amb les dades experimentals [4].Atès el caràcter fenomenològic de l'aproximació utilitzada, que no permet d'extreure una conclusió definitiva en termes físics, pensem que fóra interessant de dur a terme un estudi a nivell microscòpic per assegurar la validesa de la funcionalitat proposada. Per fer-ho s'ha posat a punt un programa de simulació numèrica pel mètode de Monte CarIo per calcular constants elàstiques en sistemes binaris AB que presenten una estructura reticular de tipus b.c.c. Els paràmetres del potencial per a les diferentes interaccions que s'han de considerar AA, BB i AB s'han obtingut mitjançant ajustos a T =OK, de dades conegudes de la constant elàstica C' a T =T(amb) en funció de la composició [5]. No obstant, posteriorment comprovem que aquest comportament es conserva a temperatura finita, quan C' es calcula numèricament pel mètode de Monte Carlo. Finalment, hem calculat a Tf= OK, C' en sistemes parcials o totalment desordenats (després d'un refredament ràpid des de Ti a Tf = OK). Les configuracions corresponents a diferents graus d'ordenació s'han obtingut per la simulació numèrica d'un model d'lsing utilitzant el mètode de Monte Cario. Els resultats que obtenim justifiquen en forma molt satisfactòria la funcionalitat lineal entre C' i el quadrat del paràmetre d'ordre de llarg abast [6] proposada en el marc d'una aproximación de camp mig [7].REFERÈNCIES1. L. Delaey, R. V. Krishnam, H. Tas i H. Warlimont, J. Mater. Sci. 9 (1974) 1521.2. R. Rapacioli i M. Ahlers, Acta Met. 27 (1979) 777.3. A. Planes, J.L. Macqueron, M. Morin i G. Guénin, Mater. Sci. Engng. 50 (1981) 53.4. T. Castan i A. Planes, Phil. Mag. A (en premsa).5. T. Castan i A. Planes, enviat a J. Phys. F.6. T. Castan i A. Planes, Phase Transformations-87, TheInstitut of Metals (1987). En premsa.7. A. Planes, J. Viñals i V. Torra, Phil. Mag. A48 (1983) 501.

Software Transactional Memory (STM) helps programmers write correct concurrent code by allowing them to identify atomic sections rather than focusing on the mechanics of concurrency control. Given code with atomic sections, the compiler and STM runtime can work together to ensure proper controlled access to shared memory. STM runtimes use either lazy or eager version management. Lazy versioning buffers transaction updates, whereas eager versioning applies updates in-place. The current set of primitives suit lazy versioning since memory needs to be accessed through the runtime. We present a new set of runtime primitives that better suit eager versioned STM. We propose a novel extension to the compiler/runtime interface, consisting of memory reservations and memory releases. These extensions enable optimizations specific to eager versioned runtimes. A memory reservation allows a transaction to perform instrumentation-free access on a memory address. A release allows a read-only address to be modified by another transaction. Together, these reduce the instrumentation overhead required to support STM and improve concurrency between readers and writers. We have implemented these primitives and evaluated its performance on the STAMP benchmarks. Our results show strong performance and scalability improvements to eager versioned algorithms.

Software Transactional Memory (STM) helps programmers write correct concurrent code by allowing them to identify atomic sections rather than focusing on the mechanics of concurrency control. Given code with atomic sections, the compiler and STM runtime can work together to ensure proper controlled access to shared memory. STM runtimes use either lazy or eager version management. Lazy versioning buffers transaction updates, whereas eager versioning applies updates in-place. The current set of primitives suit lazy versioning since memory needs to be accessed through the runtime. We present a new set of runtime primitives that better suit eager versioned STM. We propose a novel extension to the compiler/runtime interface, consisting of memory reservations and memory releases. These extensions enable optimizations specific to eager versioned runtimes. A memory reservation allows a transaction to perform instrumentation-free access on a memory address. A release allows a read-only address to be modified by another transaction. Together, these reduce the instrumentation overhead required to support STM and improve concurrency between readers and writers. We have implemented these primitives and evaluated its performance on the STAMP benchmarks. Our results show strong performance and scalability improvements to eager versioned algorithms.

The fundamental process by which an alpha-helical membrane protein attains its ultimate structure has previously been depicted as two energetically distinct stages where (1) the transmembrane (TM) segments are first threaded into the membrane bilayer as stable alpha-helices; and then (2) laterally interact to form the correct tertiary and/or quaternary structures. Central to the second stage of this model is the presence of amino acid sequence motifs in the TM segments that provide interaction-compatible surfaces through which the TM alpha-helices interact. Although these ideas have proven to be pivotal to the progress of the membrane protein folding field, a growing number of examples indicates that a variety of additional factors work together to dictate the ultimate interaction fate of TM embedded segments. In this context, we expand on these factors and explore other properties that can modulate the association of TM alpha-helices. A peptide model of myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) TM4 is capable of TM helix-helix interactions in SDS and biological membranes. Increasing the side chain volumes of two disease relevant residues (Ala242 and A248) reduces peptide self-association, indicating that these sites mediate TM helix packing through van der Waals interactions. Examination of the PLP TM2 alpha-helix shows that it is also capable of self-association and that its dimeric state depends on the presence or absence of residues at its C-terminus. Specifically, this sensitivity was attributed to changes in local hydrophobicity; a decrease in hydrophobicity likely reduces detergent-peptide interactions, which disrupts peptide alpha-helicity and the effectiveness of a nearby interaction compatible surface. We take advantage of this finding to determine the feasibility of coupling helix-helix interactions to an external factor such as pH. Our results indicate that pH can indeed modulate the dimerization state of the TM2 peptide and does so through the change in protonation state of Glu88. Increasing our knowledge of the variables contributing to TM helix-helix interactions provides valuable insights into membrane protein folding and how mutations can compromise this process. This knowledge will allow us to expand our arsenal of approaches to counter membrane protein misassembly--and ultimately human disease.

The fundamental process by which an alpha-helical membrane protein attains its ultimate structure has previously been depicted as two energetically distinct stages where (1) the transmembrane (TM) segments are first threaded into the membrane bilayer as stable alpha-helices; and then (2) laterally interact to form the correct tertiary and/or quaternary structures. Central to the second stage of this model is the presence of amino acid sequence motifs in the TM segments that provide interaction-compatible surfaces through which the TM alpha-helices interact. Although these ideas have proven to be pivotal to the progress of the membrane protein folding field, a growing number of examples indicates that a variety of additional factors work together to dictate the ultimate interaction fate of TM embedded segments. In this context, we expand on these factors and explore other properties that can modulate the association of TM alpha-helices. A peptide model of myelin proteolipid protein (PLP) TM4 is capable of TM helix-helix interactions in SDS and biological membranes. Increasing the side chain volumes of two disease relevant residues (Ala242 and A248) reduces peptide self-association, indicating that these sites mediate TM helix packing through van der Waals interactions. Examination of the PLP TM2 alpha-helix shows that it is also capable of self-association and that its dimeric state depends on the presence or absence of residues at its C-terminus. Specifically, this sensitivity was attributed to changes in local hydrophobicity; a decrease in hydrophobicity likely reduces detergent-peptide interactions, which disrupts peptide alpha-helicity and the effectiveness of a nearby interaction compatible surface. We take advantage of this finding to determine the feasibility of coupling helix-helix interactions to an external factor such as pH. Our results indicate that pH can indeed modulate the dimerization state of the TM2 peptide and does so through the change in protonation state of Glu88. Increasing our knowledge of the variables contributing to TM helix-helix interactions provides valuable insights into membrane protein folding and how mutations can compromise this process. This knowledge will allow us to expand our arsenal of approaches to counter membrane protein misassembly--and ultimately human disease.

Thesis (M. Pharm.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The genotoxicity of energetic compounds (i.e., explosives) that are known to be present in contaminated soils at military training sites has not been extensively investigated. Thus, the Salmonella mutagenicity and Muta(TM)Mouse assays were employed as in vitro assays to examine the mutagenic activity of twelve explosive compounds, as well as three soil samples from Canadian Forces Base Petawawa. Salmonella analyses employed strains TA98 (frameshift mutations) and TA100 (base-pair substitution mutations), as well as the metabolically-enhanced YG1041 (TA98 background) and YG1042 (TA100 background), with and without exogenous metabolic activation (S9). For Salmonella analyses, the results indicate that ten of the explosive compounds were mutagenic, and consistently elicited direct-acting, base-pair substitution activity. All three soil samples were also observed to be mutagenic, eliciting direct-acting, frameshift activity. Mutagenic potencies were significantly higher on the metabolically-enhanced strains for all compounds and soil samples. For Muta(TM)Mouse analyses on FE1 cells, the results indicate that the majority of explosive compounds did not exhibit mutagenic activity. All three soil samples elicited significant positive responses (PET 1 and PET 3 without S9, and PET 2 with S9), and although there is some evidence of a concentration-related trend, the responses were weak. Correspondence of the mutagenic activity observed with the two assay systems, for both the explosive compounds and soil samples, was negligible. The differential response is likely due to differences in metabolic capacity between the two assay systems. Furthermore, it is likely that there are unidentified compounds present in these soil samples that are, at least in part, responsible for the observed mutagenic activity. Additional testing of other explosive compounds, as well as soil samples from other military training sites, using a variety of in vitro and in vivo assays, is warranted in order to reliably estimate mutagenic hazard and subsequently assess risk to human health.

Thesis (M. Pharm.)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Universiẗat, Diss., 2000--Freiburg (Breisgau).

Orientador:Caris Maroni Nunes / Co-orientador:David Anthony Orin Courtenay / Banca:Márcia Dalastra Laurenti / Banca:Mary Marcondes / Resumo:As estratégias de controle da leishmaniose visceral (LV) no Brasil estão baseadas no diagnóstico e tratamento precoce de casos humanos, no controle dos vetores, através do uso de inseticidas e na triagem sorológica com posterior eutanásia de cães positivos para leishmaniose. Assim, o diagnóstico da leishmaniose visceral canina (LVC) deve ser capaz de identificar adequadamente o reservatório canino, garantindo a eficiência desta medida de controle. Considerando-se que a resposta imune humoral desenvolvida por cães à infecção natural por Leishmania spp. é dependente da carga parasitária, o objetivo desta pesquisa foi avaliar se o resultado dos testes diagnósticos atualmente utilizados em inquéritos soro epidemiológicos no Brasil (teste rápido-DPP BioManguinhos® e teste ELISA indireto EIE-ELISA BioManguinhos®) apresentam relação com a carga parasitária do sangue de cães. Para tal foram avaliadas amostras de 610 cães da região noroeste do Estado de São Paulo a qual é endêmica para LV. A positividade variou de 15,9 a 68.4% acordo com as técnicas utilizadas, devido às diferenças na sensibilidade e especificidade dos testes. De modo geral, cães sorologicamente positivos apresentaram carga parasitária média maior que a dos cães negativos. Entretanto, a avaliação do potencial de transmissão dos cães sorologicamente negativos faz-se necessária / Abstract:Visceral leishmaniasis (VL) control strategies in Brazil are based on the early detection and treatment of the patients, vector control by insecticide and the serological screening and euthanasia of positive dogs. Thus, canine visceral leishmaniasis (CVL) diagnosis must accurately identify canine reservoir hosts to ensure the efficiency of screening. Considering that the humoral immune response of dogs to natural Leishmania spp. infection is dependent on parasite load, our aim was to evaluate if outcomes of the diagnostic kits currently used in canine seroepidemiological surveys in Brazil (DPP-BioManguinhos™ rapid test and EIA-ELISA Indirect ELISA BioManguinhos™) could be related to the blood parasite loads in dogs. Six hundred and 10 dogs from the VL endemic region of Northwest São Paulo State were sampled for this evaluation. Positivity varied from 15.9 to 68.4% between diagnostic techniques, due to differences in test sensitivity and specificity. Overall, positive dogs had higher mean parasite loads than negative dogs. Nevertheless, the potential of transmission of the negative dogs shall be investigated / Mestre