Most urinary tract infections in humans and dogs are caused by uropathogenic strains of , and increasing antimicrobial resistance among these pathogens has created a need for a novel approach to therapy. Bacterial iron uptake and metabolism are potential targets for novel antimicrobial therapy, as iron is a limiting factor in . growth during infection. As a trivalent metal of similar atomic size to iron (III), gallium can interact with a wide variety of biomolecules that normally contain or interact with iron. Gallium compounds disrupt bacterial iron metabolism, are known to accumulate at sites of infection and inflammation in mammals, exert antimicrobial activity against multiple bacterial pathogens in vitro, and may be good candidates as novel antimicrobial drugs. We assessed the suitability of orally administered gallium maltolate as a potential new antimicrobial therapy for urinary tract infections by evaluating its distribution into the bladder, its activity against uropathogenic . in vitro, and its pharmacokinetics and efficacy in a mouse cystitis model. Using a novel application of synchrotron-based analytical methods, we confirmed the distribution of gallium to the bladder mucosa and characterized the relationship between iron and gallium distribution in the bladder. In vitro experiments with human and canine uropathogenic . isolates demonstrated that gallium maltolate exerts antimicrobial effects in a time-dependent, bacteriostatic manner. Minimum inhibitory concentrations ranged from 0.144 µmol/mL to >9.20 µmol/mL with a median of 1.15 µmol/mL. Isolates resistant to ampicillin, ciprofloxacin, or with decreased susceptibility to cephalothin were susceptible to the antimicrobial activity of gallium maltolate, suggesting that resistance to conventional antimicrobials does not predict resistance to gallium maltolate. Pharmacokinetic studies in healthy mice and in a mouse model of urinary tract infection confirmed that gallium is absorbed into systemic circulation after oral administration of gallium maltolate. Gallium is slowly eliminated from the body, with a trend toward longer terminal half-lives in blood and bladder for infected mice relative to healthy mice. This study did not reveal any statistically significant effect of infection status on maximum blood gallium concentrations (4.46 nmol/mL, 95% confidence interval 2.75 nmol/mL – 6.18 nmol/mL and 4.80 nmol/mL, 95% confidence interval 2.53 nmol/mL – 7.06 nmol/mL in healthy and infected mice, respectively) or total gallium exposure in blood and kidney as represented by area under the concentration vs. time curves. Gallium exposure in the bladder was significantly greater for mice with urinary tract infections than for healthy mice. The investigation of gallium distribution within tissues represented a novel application of synchrotron-based analytical techniques to antimicrobial pharmacokinetics. Prior to analysing tissue samples, a library of x-ray absorption spectra was assembled for gallium compounds in both the hard and soft x-ray ranges. The suitability of hard x-ray fluorescence imaging and scanning and transmission x-ray microscopy for localizing and speciating trace elements in tissues was subsequently assessed. Of these methods, only hard x-ray microprobe analysis was well-suited to the analysis and was successfully used for this application. This approach confirmed that gallium arrives at the bladder mucosa after oral administration of gallium maltolate. Furthermore, comparison of iron and gallium distribution within the bladder mucosa indicated that these elements are similarly but not identically distributed and that they do not significantly inhibit one another’s distribution. This finding suggests that gallium may be distributed in part via pathways that do not involve iron. Despite the favorable distribution characteristics of gallium and the persistence of gallium in target tissues following the oral administration of gallium maltolate, its efficacy in a mouse model of urinary tract infection was disappointing. In this study, no statistically significant difference was detected between gallium maltolate, ciprofloxacin and sham treatments in their ability to eliminate bacteria in the urinary tracts. The failure of ciprofloxacin treatment to render bladder tissue culture-negative for an organism that is classified as ciprofloxacin-susceptible in vitro is consistent with observations from other research groups. The similar lack of efficacy observed for gallium maltolate may be related to the large gap between minimum inhibitory concentrations observed in vitro and gallium concentrations observed in tissues from treated mice, but may also be related to the small study size if the effect size of gallium maltolate treatment is small. Given the magnitude of the difference between tissue concentrations and minimum inhibitory concentrations, it may not be possible to increase the dose sufficiently to achieve therapeutic concentrations without causing toxicity. While the results of these experiments suggest that orally administered gallium maltolate may not be a reasonable antimicrobial drug candidate for treating urinary tract infections caused by uropathogenic . , it may be useful for other applications. Other bacterial pathogens may be more susceptible to the antimicrobial effects of gallium maltolate, and local or topical administration could produce much higher concentrations than we observed following oral administration. Continued development of the synchrotron-based analytical techniques used in these experiments could provide new and important opportunities to investigate antimicrobial distribution and metabolism within cells and tissues, particularly for metal-based drugs.

Arsenic (As), Chromium (Cr), and Copper (Cu) are ubiquitous in soils as a result of anthropogenic and geogenic processes. The fate of As, Cr, and Cu in the environment is largely governed by their speciation, which is influenced by soil physiochemical properties. This study investigated the influence of soil physiochemical properties and landscape position on As, Cr, and Cu concentration and speciation in soils adjacent to Chromated Copper Arsenate (CCA) treated lumber fence posts. Concentration gradients showed elevated total As and Cu adjacent to the three fence posts, which decreased with increasing distance from the posts. In addition, As and Cu had higher concentrations in the surface soil samples than the subsoil samples possibly due to enhanced weathering of the CCA treated posts at the surface. Concentrations of As, Cr, and Cu were similar among the Maury and Donerail silt loam, however, they were closer to the background concentration in the Newark silt loam, a partially hydric soil, indicating mobility of the metals. Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy indicates As(V) is the predominate species which is principally coordinated with Fe and Al whereas, Cu(II) is coordinated with soil organic matter. Overall, the use of CCA treated lumber as a metal source can help determine how soil properties influence mobility and speciation of As, Cr, and Cu across the soil landscape.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. [225]-236).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (p. [139]-145).

Neste trabalho, filmes amorfos de oxinitreto de silício (alfa-SiO IND.XN IND.Y:H) foram crescidos pelo processo de Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) a temperatura da 320ºC. No processo de deposição foi utilizada a mistura dos gases óxido nitroso (N IND.2O) e silano (SiH IND.4), variando-se a razão entre os seus fluxos (Re= N2O/SiH4) num intervalo de 0,25 Re 5,00. Foram obtidos filmes com diferentes composições químicas, sendo ricos em O (65 at.%) para Re 2,00 e ricos em Si (44 at. %) para Re 1,50. A técnica de Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) foi utilizada para determinar a composição química dos filmes. Os dados de RBS mostram um decréscimo da quantidade de O, enquanto que as quantidades de Si e N aumentam com o decréscimo de Re. A morfologia dos filmes foi estudada por Small Angell X-ray scattering (SAXS), Transmissio Electron Microscopy (TEM) e medida de densidade pelo método de flutuação. Os dados de SAXS revelam a presença de centros espalhadores com raio médio que varia de 10 Ã a 100 Ã. Os resultados de TEM mostram a presença de aglomerados esféricos dispersos numa matriz de mesmas espécies atômicas. A concentração de poros nos filmes é inferior a 10% e diminui com o aumento do conteúdo de oxigênio. Tanto a estrutura de ordem local quanto as ligações químicas foram investigadas pelas técnicas de X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES), Extented X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) e Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). foi desenvolvido um potencial modelo de interação para simular a estrutura atômica do oxinitreto de silício amorfo e compará-la com os dados experimentais. As simulações computacionais foram realizadas utilizando o método de Monte Carlo (MC)-Metropolis. A análise estrutural das amostras ricas em O, tanto do ponto de vista experimental quanto teórico (obtidos por MC), mostram que a estrutura básica da rede é um tetraedro, onde o átomo central é o Si conectado por O e N. Os resultados experimentais das amostras ricas em si, apontam para a formação de agregados de Si, embebidos dentro de uma matriz de Si-O-N. Tratamentos térmicos a vácuo em temperaturas entre 550 e 1000 ºC promovem a efusão de hidrogênio e segregação de diferentes fases. / In this work, thin films of amorphous silicon oxynitride(alfa-SiOxNy:H) were deposited by Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition (PECVD) at 320 ºC. In the deposition process a mixture of nitrous oxide (N2O) and silane (SiH4) was used, varying their flow ratio (Re= N2O/SiH4) in an interval of 0,25 Re 5,00. Films with different chemical composition were obtained, being O-rich (65 at.%) for Re 2,00 and Si-rich (44 at.%) for Re 1,50. The Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) was used to determine the atomic content of the films. The RBS data showed a decrease of the oxygen content while the Si and N contents increase with the decrease of Re. The films morphology was studied by Small Angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and density measurements by the flotation method. The SAXS data revealed the presence of scattering centers with mean radius from 10 Ã to 100 Ã. The TEM data showed the presence of spherical clusters dispersed in a matrix of the same atomic species. The concentration of pores in the material is less than 10% and decreases with the increase of oxygen content. The local atomic structure and chemical bonds were investigated by X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure (XANES), Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). A model of interatomic potential was developed to simulate the atomic structure of the amorphous silicon oxynitride in order to be compared with the experimental data. The computer simulations were performed by the Monte Carlo (MC) Metropolis method. The structural analysis of the O-rich samples, obtained by both experimental and theoretical simulations (obtained by MC), showed that the basic structure of the network is tetrahedral, being Si the central atom connected by O and N. The experimental results of the Si-rich samples indicate the formation of Si aggregates, embedded in a Si-O-N matrix. Annealing in vacuum, at temperatures between 550 e 1000 ºC, promoted hydrogen effusion and segregation of different phases.

Orientadores: Gustavo Fernandes Lopes, Eduardo Granado Monteiro da Silva / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Fisica Gleb Wataghin / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-14T22:47:18Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Fabbris_GilbertoFernandesLopes_M.pdf: 3782519 bytes, checksum: d66cd36be4756310d108388eaef23b5e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Resumo: Materiais multiferróicos apresentam pelo menos duas propriedades ferróicas na mesma temperatura: (anti) ferroeletricidade, (anti) ferromagnetismo, ou ferroelasticidade. Esses materiais têm atraído grande atenção da comunidade científica nos últimos anos devido às suas potenciais aplicações e ao complexo acoplamento entre suas propriedades, o que ainda não é bem compreendido. Neste trabalho, nos concentramos nos materiais multiferróicos da família RMn2O5, que possuem estrutura ortorrômbica com grupo espacial Pbam. Nestes compostos, a transição antiferromagnética acontece a ~40K e a ferroelétrica em torno de 39K para todos os membros da família. A ferroeletricidade vista nesse material é incompatível com o centro de simetria existente no grupo espacial Pbam. Resultados de EXAFS para o composto TbMn2O5 existentes na literatura indicam uma distribuição bimodal de Tb-O na primeira camada de coordenação. Este desdobramento da primeira camada de coordenação independe da temperatura e indica uma possível variação do grupo espacial Pbam. Tais resultados nos motivaram a empreender o estudo da estrutura local da família RMn2O5 a fim de entendermos a correlação entre a estrutura local e a natureza do íon R. Medidas do espectro de XAFS como função da temperatura foram realizadas na linha XAFS2 do Laboratório Nacional de Luz Síncrotron (LNLS). Foram realizadas varreduras na borda K do Mn e em torno da borda L3 dos íons R (Bi, Gd, Pr, Tb). Os resultados para a borda do manganês em todos os compostos indicam que os poliedros de MnO são rígidos. Já na borda do íon R há comportamentos distintos. Enquanto no composto com bismuto observamos uma possível vibração rígida dos poliedros de MnO, para os outros compostos estudados identificamos uma distorção rígida desses poliedros. O comportamento distinto do composto com Bi, em relação aos demais membros da família, parece estar relacionado ao lone pair do bismuto / Abstract: Multiferroic materials present, at the same temperature, at least two of the so-called ferroic properties: (anti) ferroelectricity, (anti) ferromagnetism and ferroelasticity. They have attracted great attention in the last few years due to their potential applications as well as from the basic science point of view, given the intricate coupling between their physical properties, which remains poorly understood. In this work, we have focused on the study of the RMn2O5 family multiferroic materials. Their crystalline structure belongs to the Pbam orthorhombic space group, with an antiferromagnetic and ferroelectric phase transition temperatures below 40 K and 39K, respectively. Such ferroelectric phase is incompatible with the inversion center of symmetry in the Pbam space group. Recently published EXAFS results for TbM n2O5 revealed a first coordination shell with a bimodal Tb-O bond length distribution. Such bond length splitting is temperature-independent and may be related to a change of the Pbam space group. Such results were our main motivation to undertake a systematic study of the local structure of the RMn2O5 multiferroic family, aiming at a better understanding the correlation between the ion R and the local structure. Mn K-Edge and R-ion L3 Edge (R=Bi, Gd, Pr, Tb) temperature-dependent XAFS measurements were performed at the Brazilian Synchrotron Light Laboratory XAFS2 beam line. Results for the Mn K-edge in all studied compounds reveal the Mn-O coordination polyhedral are rigid. The R-ion results reveal distinct behaviours. For the R=Bi compound, we identified that low energy Mn-O rigid unit vibrational modes are likely to be operative. For the other compounds, we have identified a rigid distortion of the Mn-O polyhedra. The distinct behavior of the BiMn2O5 seems to be related to the Bi 6s2 lone pair / Mestrado / Física da Matéria Condensada / Mestre em Física

No description available.

In order to elucidate the effects of nanostructuring on electron behavior in vanadium oxides, a suite of x-ray spectroscopy techniques was employed to comprehensively characterize the electronic structures of V2O5 and VO2 nanoparticles and compare them to their bulk counterparts. V2O5 and VO2 nanoparticle powders were characterized via PXRD, TEM, and HR-TEM to confirm size, purity, and crystallinity. Additionally, DSC and temperature-varied PXRD measurements on both VO2 samples confirmed the structural aspect of the monoclinic to rutile metal-insulator phase transition, and UV-Vis measurements allowed for Kubelka-Munk analysis on the V2O5 samples. XAS measurements enable the comparison of unoccupied conduction band states, while XES and RIXS measurements reveal occupied valence band states and the individual vanadium and oxygen PDOS below the Fermi level. XPS measurements of both core and valence band states both confirmed the valence band structure revealed by XES and also provide information on core-state energy levels. In the case of V2O5, the valence band O 2p states are upshifted in the nanoparticle sample, while the lowest V 3d conduction band states are unshifting but provide more available unoccupied states for excitation. These changes produce a shrunken bandgap in the V2O5 nanoparticles that is in line with much previous computational work, but unexpected from previous experimental results and defies the Moss-Burstein effect usually observed in V2O5. The resulting changes in band structure are attributed to a higher concentration of oxygen vacancy defects in the nanoparticle sample. Additionally, electron correlation effects in V2O5 nanoparticles are found to be enhanced relative to the bulk, likely due to added electron presence in the V 3d split-off band. In the case of VO2, dramatic changes in both the valence band and conduction band states are observed both below and above the structural phase transition temperature. These changes (lowered unoccupied conduction band states coupled with broadened and upshifted occupied valence band states) also lead to nanoparticle bandgap reduction and enhanced metallicity. The enhanced metallic nature of the VO2 nanoparticles is again attributed to the increased presence of surface oxygen vacancy defects, as well as a V2O3-like surface reconstruction. Additionally, electron correlation effects are found to be reduced in the VO2 nanoparticle samples relative to the bulk, unlike in the case of V2O5.

A comprehensive study on growth of ferrimagnetic manganese zinc ferrite (Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4) films on single crystalline strontium titanate(001) (SrTiO3) substrates was carried out. Under the optimized conditions, a thin film with a layer thickness of 200 nm was deposited, and the structural properties were investigated. Contrary to data published in literature, no buffer layer was necessary to achieve epitaxial growth of a poorly lattice-matched layer. This was confirmed for Mn0.5Zn0.5Fe2O4(001) on SrTiO3(001) by x-ray diffraction and the adjoined phi scans, which also revealed a lattice compression of 1.2% of the manganese zinc ferrite film in the out-of-plane direction. Using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, the near surface stoichiometry of the film could be shown to agree with the intended one within the uncertainty of the method. X-ray absorption spectroscopy showed an electronic structure close to that published for bulk samples. Additional x-ray magnetic circular dichroism investigations were performed to answer detailed structural questions by a comparison of experimental data with the calculated ones. The calculations took into account ion sites (tetrahedral vs. octahedral coordination) as well as the charge of Fe ions (Fe2+ vs. Fe3+). Contrary to the expectation for a perfect normal spinel that only Fe3þ ions are present in octahedral sites, hints regarding the presence of additional Fe2+ in octahedral sites as well as Fe3+ ions in tetrahedral sites have been obtained. Altogether, the layer could be shown to be mostly in a normal spinel configuration.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(工学) / 甲第18981号 / 工博第4023号 / 新制||工||1619(附属図書館) / 31932 / 京都大学大学院工学研究科材料工学専攻 / (主査)教授 松原 英一郎, 教授 邑瀬 邦明, 教授 宇田 哲也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DGAM