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La technique de l’impression moléculaire permettant d'obtenir des polymères hautement sélectifs est utiliséedans de nombreuses applications. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, cette technique est employée pour préparer despolymères spécifiques du benzo(a)pyrène (BaP) en vue d’une application capteur. L’introduction d’une sonderédox au sein même du réseau de polymère offre la possibilité d’une détection directe de la cible, par unetechnique électrochimique. Dans le domaine des MIPs, ce travail est le premier à décrire l’utilisation d’unmonomère participant à la formation du réseau tridimensionnel tout en apportant une propriété rédox. Lespolymères synthétisés par polymérisation par précipitation ont été caractérisés en termes de composition, destabilité thermique et de propriétés texturales. Les propriétés de rétention ont été évaluées en mode batch parHPLC-UV en présence de BaP et d'interférents de type hydrocarbures aromatiques polycycliques. Ces MIPsprésentent de bonnes propriétés d’adsorption vis-à-vis du BaP avec des facteurs d’empreinte supérieurs à 1montrant l’efficacité de l’impression. Ces propriétés sont conservées en présence d’une matière organique (seld’acide humique), mais également après plusieurs cycles d’utilisation. Les analyses électrochimiques ontdémontré que les propriétés électrochimiques de ces MIPs diffèrent selon la présence ou pas de la cible avecune limite de détection de 0,09 μM en BaP, ouvrant la porte à la réalisation de capteurs. / Molecularly Imprinted Polymers show highly selective affinity towards the target molecule and are used inmany applications. In this context, the technology is used for preparing selective polymers for benzo(a)pyrene(BaP) with the aim of sensor fabrication. The addition of a redox tracer inside the polymer allows thepossibility of direct target detection by an electrochemical technique. In the MIP field, this work is the firstreporting the use of a functional monomer that not only participates in the creation of the polymer network butalso provides a redox property. The polymers synthesized using precipitation polymerization technique werecharacterized in terms of composition, thermal stability and textural properties. The adsorption properties wereevaluated in batch mode by HPLC-UV in the presence of BaP and interfering polycyclic aromatichydrocarbons. These MIPs show good adsorption behavior towards BaP with imprinting factors superior to 1showing the efficiency of the molecular imprinting. These properties were also preserved even in presence ofan organic matter (humic acid salt), and also after several uses. Finally, electrochemical analysis showed thatthese MIPs had a different electrochemical behavior depending on the presence or the absence of the targetwith a detection limit of 0.09 μM for BaP. The use of such electrochemical MIPs can thus be interestinglyconsidered in sensor devices.

[pt] O cloridrato de sibutramina está entre os sacietógenos mais prescritos para o controle da obesidade e tem sido adicionado, de forma não declarada, a alimentos protéicos para esportistas. Nenhuma metodologia analítica é descrita em compêndios oficiais para a determinação de sibutramina. O presente trabalho objetiva o desenvolvimento e a validação de métodos analíticos baseados na voltametria de pulso diferencial (DPV) e na voltametria de onda quadrada (SWV) para quantificação do cloridrato de sibutramina em fármacos e em alimentos protéicos. A influência dos parâmetros eletroquímicos foi estudada para selecionar as melhores condições de trabalho como: eletrólito suporte (tampão Mcllvaine) pH (4,0), velocidade de varredura (40 mV s(-1) para DPV e 240 mV s(-1) para SWV) e amplitude de pulso (50 mV). Não foi possível pré-concentrar a sibutramina no eletrodo de trabalho (gota de mercúrio). O comportamento eletroquímico desta substância no eletrodo de mercúrio também foi investigado a partir de estudos com voltametria cíclica. A redução da sibutramina é aparentemente reversível envolvendo a participação de 1 próton e 1 elétron. O potencial de pico da sibutramina é cerca de - 100 mV (Ag/AgCl 3 mol L-1). No processo de validação foram avaliadas as faixas de resposta linear (do limite de quantificação até 33,3 mg L(-1) em ambos os métodos), o limite de detecção (0,4 para DPV e 0,3 mg L(-1) para SWV), e o limite de quantificação (1,4 para DPV e 1,1 mg L(-1) para SWV). A precisão do método foi satisfatória. Testes de recuperação indicaram 90,4 % em ambos os métodos. O desempenho das técnicas voltamétricas foi comparado estatisticamente com a técnica CLAE e não houve diferença significativa entre os resultados obtidos. / [en] Sibutramine hydrochloride is among the most prescribed satiety inducer for obesity control and it has also been added, in a fraudulent way, in proteinrich food complement for athletes. There is no analytical method for sibutramine described in the official literature. The goal of this work is to develop and validate electroanalytical methods for the determination of sibutramine in pharmaceuticals and in protein-rich food complements. Differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and square wave voltammetry (SWV) were the techniques employed. The influence of electrochemical parameters was studied in order to select the best working conditions such as supporting electrolyte (Mcllvaine buffer), pH (4.0), scan rate (40 mV s(-1) for DPV and 240 mV s(-1) for SWV) and pulse amplitude (50 mV). The pre-concentration of sibutramine in the working electrode (mercury drop) was not possible. The electrochemical behavior in the mercury electrode was also investigated using cyclic voltammetry. The reduction of sibutramine is probably reversible and involves of 1 proton and 1 electron. The peak potential of sibutramine is about - 100 mV (Ag/AgCl3 mol L(-1)). In the validation process, the linear range of the analytical response (from the limit of quantification to 33.3 mg L-1, in both methods), the limit of detection (0.6 for DPV and 0.4 mg L(-1) for SWV) and the limit of quantification (1.8 for DPV and 1.1 mg L(-1) for SWV) were evaluated. Satisfactory precision was achieved. Recovery tests produced results of 90.4% for both methods. These results were compared with the ones achieved by HPLC and no significant statistical difference was found between them.

Les aciers inoxydables à haute teneur en molybdène présentent une excellente résistance à la corrosion et ont été récemment utilisés dans des applications marines. L'acier inoxydable de type 254 SMO contient du molybdène (6% Mo) et des quantités plus élevées en éléments d'alliages que les aciers inoxydables plus classiques tels que 304, 316 et 316L. Alors que Anees Uddin Malik et al. montrent que l’acier 254 SMO est moins sensible à la corrosion par piqûre en eau de mer du golfe persique, Abdulsalam et al. démontrent que bien que cet acier présente une bonne résistance à la corrosion, il reste encore sensible à une corrosion caverneuse (surtout en milieu à 16% en masse d’ion chlorure ou à plus de 30°C).La première partie de ce travail traite du comportement électrochimique de l’acier inoxydable 254 SMO immergé dans l’eau de mer naturelle en laboratoire. Ainsi deux sites de la Guyane ont été choisis pour effectuer des prélèvements d’eau. Des analyses physicochimiques de ces eaux sont réalisées et montrent que l’eau du site du Port Larivot contient une quantité en ions chlorures plus importante que celle de l’eau du site du Mahury. Une colonisation par des bactéries et crustacés (balanes) a été mise en évidence, à l’aide du microscope électronique à balayage environnemental. Les mesures électrochimiques, notamment la voltammétrie cyclique a montré l’existence d’une zone de passivation et l’augmentation du courant de passivation par un facteur de 10 en présence d’un biofilm pour l’acier inoxydable immergé en eau du Mahury durant 22 jours. La deuxième partie propose une étude approfondie du comportement de l’interface complexe métal/couche passive/biofilm. Trois différents coupons d’aciers inoxydables (brut, poli et grenaillé) ont été déposés sur site (in-situ) dans un premier temps. Dans une seconde étape, nous avons réalisé des expérimentations mixtes (incubation in-situ et croissance en laboratoire). L’évolution du potentiel d’abandon de ces aciers est très proche pour l’acier brut et l’acier poli. En revanche, celui de l’acier grenaillé, de par la présence des grains d’alumine à sa surface, affiche un comportement différent. Une étude comparative des deux expérimentations montre des différences concernant les paramètres électriques de l’interface complexe métal/couche passive/biofilm. / Stainless steels with high content in molybdenum present an excellent corrosion resistance and were recently used in marine applications. The stainless steel 254 SMO contains molybdenum (6 %) and higher amounts of alloying elements than conventional stainless steels such as 304, 316 and 316L. While Anees Uddin Malik et al. show that 254 SMO steel is less likely to be susceptible to pitting corrosion in Arabian Gulf sea water, Abdulsalam et al. demonstrate that although this steel has good resistance to corrosion, it remains still susceptible to crevice corrosion (especially in environment with 16 chloride percent weight or more than 30 ° C).The first part of this work deals with the electrochemical behaviour of stainless steel 254 SMO immersed in natural seawater at laboratory. Two sites in French Guyane were chosen to take samples of seawater. Physicochemical analyses of these waters are made and show than the in Port Larivot site seawater contains a higher quantity of chloride ion than to Mahury seawater. Colonization by bacteria and crustaceans (barnacles) was highlighted, using the environmental scanning electron microscope. The electrochemical measurements, including cyclic voltammetry showed the existence of a passivation region and increasing the passivation current by a factor of 10 in the presence of biofilm on stainless steel immersed in Mahury seawater during 22 days.The second part offers a detailed study of the behaviour of the interface metal/passive film/biofilm. Three different coupons of stainless steel (crude, polished and blasted) were deposited on the site (in-situ) in the first time. In a second step, we performed experiments mixed (in-situ incubation and growth in the laboratory). The evolution of the free potential of these steels is very close for crude steel and polished steel. Conversely, the blasted steel, by the presence of alumina grains on its surface, shows a different behaviour. A comparative study of those two experiments shows differences in the electrical parameters of the interface metal/passive film/biofilm.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / South African Carpobrotus species have been found to contain hydrolysable tannins,various flavonoids e.g. rutin and hyperoside, phytosterols and aromatic acids which have a diverse range of pharmacological properties including antimicrobial and, antioxidant activities. The main aim of the thesis was to determine the natural products in C. mellei and C. quadrifidus using chromatographic techniques and electrochemical analysis. The antioxidant activity of both Carpobrotus species was determined by using a superoxide dismutase (SOD) biosensor. ESI-LC-MS was used to separate and determine flavonoids in C. mellei and C. quadrifidus. 8 flavonoid compounds: catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin-epicatechin, coumarylquinic acid, isorhamnetin, quercetin-hexose (hyperoside), rutin and myricetin-deoxyhexose were identified. Cyclic and square wave voltammetry were used to detect flavonoids from C. mellei and C. quadrifidus. Catechin was detected in the ethyl acetate extract of C. mellei and C. quadrifidus. The oxidation potential of the plant extracts were observed at +150.6 mV to +1072.6 mV. The oxidation mechanism proceeds in sequential steps, related to the catechol moiety, -OH groups in C ring and the resorcinol group. The oxidation process of the catechol moiety involves a two electron - two proton reversible reaction and forms o-quinone. This occurs first at low potential and is a reversible reaction. The hydroxyl group in the C ring and resorcinol group oxidise there after and undergo an irreversible reaction. UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy were used to confirm the presence of catechin in the ethyl acetate extract of both plants.UV-visible spectroelectrochemistry confirmed the oxidation process of catechin at constant potential. Since C. mellei and C. quadrifidus were confirmed to contain flavonoids by ESI-LC-MS and electrochemical analysis, the antioxidant activity was further investigated using a SOD biosensor. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme was immobilised with 1% Nafion on a platinum electrode. Detection limit and sensitivity of the SOD biosensor were found to be 0.03918 μmol L-1 and 1.44 μA(μmol L-1)-1, respectively. The results showed that C. mellei and C. quadrifidus have antioxidant activity, with relative antioxidant capacity (RAC) of 24% and 42%, respectively. May 2009

>Magister Scientiae - MSc / Tuberculosis (TB) is a disease that results from infection by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which is regarded the most common infecting organism. TB has killed countless numbers of people particularly in underdeveloped countries. TB bacteria can remain inactive or in dormant state for years without causing symptoms or spreading to other subjects, but as soon as the immune system of the host becomes weakened, the bacteria become active and infect mainly the lungs along with other parts of body. TB cases are further aggravated by other illnesses that affect the immune system, such as human immune virus (HIV), which is very prevalent in resource-poor countries. Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) is a TB biomarker that has found to have all the qualities that are needed to help and cure Tuberculosis disease. Early diagnosis and treatment are essential measures for effectively controlling the disease. Traditional microbial culture-based tests are the most common methodologies currently used. Usually, these methods involve cell culture, cell counts, and cell enrichment, but this process is time-consuming and laborious, especially for the slow-growing bacteria like M. tuberculosis. Sputum smear is one of the methods currently used to detect acid fast bacilli (AFB) in clinical specimens or fluorescent staining. It is a cost-effective tool for diagnosing patients with TB and to monitor the progress of treatment especially in developing countries. The traditional method of inoculating solid medium such as Lowerstein-Jensen (L-J) or 7H10/7H11 media is also used currently it is slow and takes 6-8 weeks of incubation to diagnose the infection and further more time to determine the susceptibility patterns. The microscopic observation drug susceptibility (MODS) assay they are also used currently they rely on light microscopy to visualize the characteristic cording morphology of M. tuberculosis in liquid culture. MODS has shorter time to culture positivity (average 8 days) compared with LJ medium (average ~26 days), they are very expensive. The Gen-Probe assay specific for M. tuberculosis complex is a rapid detection that is also used, nucleic acid amplification (NAA) test results can be obtained as fast as in two hours (provided if a positive culture is present); it also has a high sensitivity of 99% and specificity of 99.2%. It holds the disadvantage of needing of positive culture that can take several days. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), is a test that uses antibodies and colour change to identify a substance. ELISA is an assay that uses a solid-phase enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence of a substance, usually an antigen, in a liquid sample or wet sample. It can be used to detection of Mycobacterium antibodies in tuberculosis. The Amplified Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Direct Test (AMTDT) is used for the detection of M. tuberculosis it enables the amplification and detection of M. tuberculosis rRNA directly from respiratory specimens. The diagnostic methods employing genetechnology based on the amplification of DNA or RNA are expected to improve the speed, sensitivity, and specificity of Mycobacterium tuberculosis detection. TB rapid cultivation detection technique, such as MB/BacT system, BactecMGIT 960 system and flow cytometry. The BACTEC MGIT960 system (Becton Dickinson, Sparks, MD) performs incubation and reading of the tubes continuously inside the machine using a predefined algorithm to interpret the fluorescent signal and giving the results as positive or negative. When performing DST, the BACTEC MGIT960 interprets the results as susceptible or resistant to the antibiotic under study. Results are available within 8 days. A recent meta-analysis of the published studies found high accuracy and high predictive values associated with the use of BACTEC MGIT960. These methods are more sensitive and rapid than the traditional microbial culture-based methods. However, they cannot provide the detection results in real-time and most of these methods are centralized in large stationary laboratories because complex instrumentation and highly qualified technical staff are required. Recently, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved two new assays that were introduced. These two assays detect in vitro a specific immune response to M. tuberculosis. These tests are the QuantiFERON-TB Gold In-Tube (Cellestis/Qiagen, Carnegie, Australia) and the T-SPOT.TB assay (Oxford Immunotec, Abingdon, United Kingdom). Both assays use whole blood from the patient and measure the production of interferon gamma after the whole blood is exposed to specific antigens from M. tuberculosis. These tests are based on the knowledge that IFN-γ is a product of an active cell-mediated immune response induced by M. tuberculosis. However, TB detection remains a major obstacle due to several drawbacks of these methods. To date, the number of diagnosis approaches for TB has increased as the disease continues to be a major public health problem worldwide and most conventional detection technologies present difficulties in recognizing the presence of M. tuberculosis, since they are time consuming, do not provide clinically reliable results and significantly lack of sensitivity. This thesis focusedon developing two binary and one ternary-electrochemically quantum dots, all synthesised at room temperature in aqueous media for detecting (IFN-γ). Copper telluride (CuTe) and Zinc telluride (ZnTe) was prepared to check how does the two quantum dot behave individual and also to check on how they behave when they are combined and formed ternary quantum dots (CuZnTe). The electrochemical studies of the binary CuTe quantum dots, ZnTe quantum dots and the ternary CuZnTe core-shell quantum dots reveal that ternary quantum dots were stable and showed a significant enhancement in the conductivity of CuZnTe core-shell solution compared to that of CuTe and ZnTe, all studied in solution. The three different quantum dots were capped with three different capping reagents which are tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), thioglycolic acid (TGA), (3-mercaptopropyl) trimethoxysilane (MPS). In the study, a label-free electrochemical immunosensor for the detection of interferon gamma (IFN-γ) was prepared for the first time using ternary quantum dots. The biosensor consists of water-soluble silica coated Copper Zinc telluride (CuZnTe core-shell) quantum dots conjugated to a gold electrode. The antibody-antigen were then conjugated on the CuZnTe core-shell QD modified gold electrode. Results from synthesis of two different binary quantum dots are also presented in the study and compared to the results of the CuZnTe core-shell QDs. The CuTe quantum dots had a small average size which was confirmed through HRTEM, SAXS and XRD analysis

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / South African Carpobrotus species have been found to contain hydrolysable tannins, various tlavonoids e.g. rutin and hyperoside, phytosterols and aromatic acids which have a diverse range of pharmacological properties including antimicrobial and, antioxidant activities. The main aim of the thesis was to determine the natural products in C. mellei and C. quadrifidus using chromatographic techniques and electrochemical analysis. The antioxidant activity of both Carpobrotus species was determined by using a superoxide dismutase (SOD) biosensor. ESI-LC-MS was used to separate and determine tlavonoids in C. mellei and C. quadrifidus. 8 tlavonoid compounds: catechin, epicatechin, epicatechin-epicatechin, coumarylquinic acid, isorhamnetin, quercetin-hexose (hyperoside), rutin and myricetin-deoxyhexose were identified. Cyclic and square wave voltammetry were used to detect tlavonoids from C. mellei and C. quadrifidus. Catechin was detected in the ethyl acetate extract of C. mellei and C. quadrifidus. The oxidation potential of the plant extracts were observed at +150.6 mV to +1072.6 mV. The oxidation mechanism proceeds in sequential steps, related to the catechol moiety, -OH groups in C ring and the resorcinol group. The oxidation process of the catechol moiety involves a two electron - two proton reversible reaction and forms o-quinone. This occurs first at low potential and is a reversible reaction. The hydroxyl group in the C ring and resorcinol group oxidise there after and undergo an irreversible reaction. UV-vis and FTIR spectroscopy were used to confirm the presence of catechin in the ethyl acetate extract of both plants. UV -visible spectroelectrochemistry confirmed the oxidation process of catechin at constant potential. Since C. mellei and C. quadrifidus were confirmed to contain flavonoids by ESI-LC-MS and electrochemical analysis, the antioxidant activity was further investigated using a SOD biosensor. The superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzyme was immobilised with 1% Nafion on a platinum electrode. Detection limit and sensitivity of the SOD biosensor were found to be 0.03918 umol L-' and 1.44 !lA (umol i.'):', respectively. The results showed that C. mellei and C. quadrifidus have antioxidant activity, with relative antioxidant capacity (RAC) of 24% and 42%, respectively.

of the Diploma Thesis In this Diploma Thesis, the electrochemical behavior of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) was studied at a newly prepared large-surface carbon film electrode (ls-CFE) using techniques of DC voltammetry (DCV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) with the aim to develop sensitive analytical methods for its determination. Voltammetric behavior of 4-NP was investigated in the region of anodic potentials, in dependence on the pH of the medium used (realized using Britton-Robinson buffer). The optimum pH values for the determination of 4-NP were chosen as follows: pH 3.0 (for DCV) and pH 7.0 (for DPV). During anodic oxidation of 4-NP on the ls-CFE at the concentration of the analyte of 1·10-4 mol/l, the passivation of the electrode surface occurred. Thus, it was decided to record series of measurements always at a new carbon film. Using the sample of 4-NP (at the concentration of 1·10-4 mol/l), the repeatability of the application of individual carbon films was tested, with obtained RSD values of 3.7% and 3.6% for DCV and DPV, respectively. Under optimum conditions, the calibration dependences of 4-NP were measured in the concentration range from 1·10-6 to 1·10-4 mol/l, with the limits of quantification (LQs) of 1.5·10-6 mol/l (for DCV at the ls-CFE) and 4.6·10-7 mol/l (for DPV at the...

This master's thesis is focused on the determination of 6-thioguanine (6-T) by DC voltammetry (DCV), differential pulse voltammetry (DPV) and flow injection analysis with electrochemical detection (FIA-ED) on a boron doped diamond electrode (BDDFE). The optimum conditions for determination of 6-T were found and under these conditions, concentration dependences were measured and the limits of quantification (LOQ) were calculated for each method. Medium of 60% methanol and phosphate buffer (PB) pH 2,0 was chosen as optimum for DCV and DPV determination of 6-T at BDDFE. For both DCV and DPV, the linear concentration dependences were obtained in concentration ranges of 6-T from 2 µmol·l-1 to 10 µmol·l-1 with LOQ 0,9 µmol·l-1 for DCV and 1,5 µmol·l-1 for DPV. Lower LOQ was achieved in PB pH 2,0, where LOQ was 0,6 µmol·l-1 for both DCV and DPV, but the problem was lower repeatability. In PB pH 2 6-T was determined by DCV in drinking and river water with LOQ 1,3 µmol·l-1 in both drinking and river water. The possibility of solid phase extraction was investigated as a method for preliminary separation of 6-T from urine. For FIA under optimized conditions (polarization potential 1300 mV, flow rate 5 ml·min1 and sample volume 50 µl) the linear concentrations dependences were obtained in concentration ranges...