Submitted by Diego da Silva Manoel null (diegosma@rc.unesp.br) on 2017-02-05T16:40:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação Diego.pdf: 1793320 bytes, checksum: ba0a17055ebb3486b214146535165ef9 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Juliano Benedito Ferreira (julianoferreira@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2017-02-06T18:25:08Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 manoel_ds_me_rcla.pdf: 1793320 bytes, checksum: ba0a17055ebb3486b214146535165ef9 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-02-06T18:25:08Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 manoel_ds_me_rcla.pdf: 1793320 bytes, checksum: ba0a17055ebb3486b214146535165ef9 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-01-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / O processo sol-gel permite a produção de materiais Híbridos Orgânicos/Inorgânicos para aplicações em óptica e fotônica. Materiais Híbridos de Sílica/orgânico unem propriedades da Sílica e dos polímeros orgânicos e permitem a incorporação de diversas moléculas orgânicas na matriz, possibilitando a obtenção de materiais fotoativos avançados. Destas moléculas destacam-se os corantes lasers, como a Rodamina-B, que possui comprimento de onda de emissão bem definido e alta eficiência quântica. Neste trabalho preparamos materiais híbridos de sílica/orgânico via processo sol-gel utilizando como precursores os alcóxidos de silício 3-glicidoxipropiltrimetoxisilano (GPTS) e tetraetilortosilicato (TEOS). Amostras ainda na fase de sol foram dopadas com Rodamina-B em concentrações variando de 0,01 a 5 mmol/L. A fluorescência das amostras foi caracterizada mostrando dependência entre as características da emissão e a concentração de dopante. Os espectros de fluorescência sofrem um deslocamento para a região do vermelho com o aumento da concentração do dopante, enquanto a intensidade de emissão apresenta maior valor para a amostra com concentração de 0,5 mmol/L. Também foram determinados os coeficientes de absorção óptica, que apresentaram comportamento linear com a concentração. A partir das amostras (sol) foram produzidos xerogéis com concentrações de Rodamina-B de 0,0386 a 19,3 mmol/L. Os espectros de fluorescência destes xerogéis também apresentaram deslocamento para a região do vermelho para maiores concentrações de dopante, a intensidade de emissão é máxima para o xerogel com concentração de 6,56 mmol/L. Os coeficientes de absorção óptica dos xerogéis apresentaram um comportamento linear com a concentração de dopante. O xerogel com concentração de 19,3 mmol/L de Rodamina-B apresentou emissão de laser randômico quando excitado com laser pulsado (532 nm, 8ns), fenômeno caracterizado por um estreitamento da banda de emissão devido a dímeros da Rodamina-B em 630 nm. Microscopia eletrônica de transmissão revelou a formação de partículas de Sílica com diâmetro médio de 6,3 nm distribuídas na matriz sólida. Estes resultados são de grande interesse para aplicações em fotônica. / Organic-Inorganic Hybrid Materials prepared by sol-gel process have applications in different areas such as optics and photonics. Silica/organic hybrid materials combine the properties from the silica and the organic polymers and can be doped with organic molecules with different optical properties, allowing preparation of advanced photoactive materials. In the wide range of photoactive organic materials one of interest is the Rhodamine-B, a laser dye which presents tunable emission and high quantum yield. In this work we have produced hybrid silica/organic samples derived from 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTS) and tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) by sol-gel process. Silica/organic sols were doped with Rhodamine-B concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 5 mmol/L. The fluorescence spectra of the samples were characterized and a relationship between emission characteristics and dopant concentration has been observed. A red shift in the wavelength emission was observed, as the dopant concentration increased and the maximum emission intensity was achieved for the sample with concentration of 0.5mmol/L. Were determined the optical absorption coefficients that showed a linear relation with the concentration. The sol samples were dried and xerogels were obtained and the new concentrations of Rhodamine-B in the solid matrix were determined, ranging from 0.0386 to 19.3 mmol/L. The fluorescence spectra of the xerogels were characterized, showing a red shift as the dopant concentration increased and the maximum emission intensity was achieved for the xerogel with concentration of 6.56 mmol/L. The optical absorption coefficients of these xerogels showed a linear behavior with the dopant concentration. Random laser action for the xerogel with concentration of 19.3 mmol/L was measured using an pulsed laser (532 nm, 8ns), and characterized by a narrowing emission of the Rhodamine-B dimmers emission at 630 nm. Transmission electron microscopy revealed silica particles with 6.3 nm average diameter in the solid matrix. These results are very important for applications in photonics.

Exposomics applies metabolomics methods and technologies to the comprehensive analysis of all low molecular weight molecules (< 1.5 kDa) in complex biological samples to characterize the interaction between cellular metabolism and exogenous lifestyle exposures that determine health and quality of life. To fully access the diverse classes of biological molecules related to an individual’s metabolic profile, metabolomics frequently requires the use of complementary analytical platforms, and employs targeted and untargeted molecular profiling strategies to identify biomarkers that are clinically relevant to an individual’s health status. Chapter 2 describes a quinoline-based boronic acid biosensor for N-acetylneuraminic acid that undergoes a striking binding enhancement under strongly acidic conditions. For the first time, this work allows for direct analysis of acidic sugars with high selectivity when using UV absorbance or fluorescence detection based on formation of a highly stable boronate ester complex with metabolites containing an α-hydroxycarboxylate moiety. Chapter 3 describes a targeted analysis of 24 different organic contaminants using GC-MS that can serve as biomarkers of recent smoke exposure following search-and-rescue training exercises by firefighters located at three different sites across the province of Ontario. Importantly, skin and possible respiratory uptake of various polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, methoxyphenols, and resin acids was confirmed by peak excretion of several wood smoke biomarkers in urine within 6 h following acute exposure. Chapter 4 applied a cross-platform metabolomics strategy based on CE-MS and GC-MS in order to identify and validate dietary biomarkers in matching plasma and urine samples collected from healthy participants in the pilot Diet and Gene Interaction Study (DIGEST). For the first time, we demonstrate that a panel of metabolites can serve as reliable biomarkers following contrasting Prudent and Western diets over 2 weeks of food provisions, which correlated well with self-reported diet records. This work paves the way for the development of objective biomarkers for accurate assessment of wood smoke exposures, as well as complex dietary patterns as required for new advances in occupational health and nutritional epidemiology. / Dissertation / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) / Exposomics is an emerging multidisciplinary science aimed at deciphering the complex interactions that impact human health and gene expression, such as lifestyle choices (i.e., habitual diet) and lifelong environmental exposures. There is growing interest in identifying biomarkers that can be readily measured for chronic disease prevention given an alarming global prevalence of obesity and cardiometabolic disorders, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. The research in this thesis focuses on developing new analytical methods for identifying and quantifying metabolites that may allow for better assessments of human health, and has contributed to the development of novel biosensors for the targeted analysis of N-acetylneuraminic (sialic) acid and related acidic sugars, as well as high resolution methods for broad spectrum analysis of biotransformed organic contaminants from smoke exposure by GC-MS, and plasma and urinary metabolites that differentiate contrasting Prudent and Western diets and correlate well with self-reported diet records.