No description available.

In this study molecular dynamics simulation program in NVT ensemble using Velocity Verlet integration was written in order to investigate the glass forming ability of two metallic systems. The Zn-Mg system, one of the frontiers of simple metal-metal metallic glasses and Fe-B, inquiring attention due to presence of many bulk glass forming alloy systems evolved from this binary with different alloying element additions. In addition to this, atomistic calculations on the basis of ordering were carried out for both Zn-Mg and Fe-B systems. Ordering energy values are calculated using electronic theory of alloys in pseudopotential approximation and elements which increase the ordering energy between atoms were determined. The elements which increase the ordering energy most were selected as candidate elements in order to design bulk amorphous alloy systems. In the experimental branch of the study centrifugal casting experiments were done in order to see the validity of atomistic calculations. Industrial low grade ferroboron was used as the master alloy and pure element additions were performed in order to constitute selected compositions. Fe62B21Mo5W2Zr6 alloy was successfully vitrified in bulk form using nearly conventional centrifugal casting processing. Specimens produced were characterized using SEM, XRD, and DSC in order to detect the amorphous structure and also the crystalline counterpart of the structure when the cooling rate is lower. Sequential peritectic and eutectic reaction pattern was found to be important for metallic glasses which can be vitrified in bulk forms with nearly conventional solidification methods.

The synthesis of high molecular weight copolymer of carbon disulphide (CS2) and propylene oxide (PO) has not reported in literature. In the present work, zinc isopropyl xanthate (Zn(Xt)2) was used as catalyst for the copolymerisation of PO and CS2 into high copolymer. However, the product can be fractionated into high and low molecular weight components. High molecular weight copolymer was rubbery products, but low molecular weight copolymers were oily products containing cyclic dithiocarbonates. Copolymers were characterized by elemental, end group analysis, DSC, TGA, GPC, Light Scattering, UV, IR, NMR spectroscopy, polarized microscopy and refractometry. Copolymerization process was zeroth order with respect to monomers, and its non-terminated but suffered from several types of transfer reactions. As a result of transfer reactions S-(C=S)-S, O-(C=S)-O, O-(C=O)-O groups in the backbone of copolymer and SH groups at the chain terminals and cyclic dithiocarbonates are formed. Apart from SH groups, OH and double bonds were found and their amounts were determined at the chain terminals. Copolymers with high mole fractions of PO units (F1) in the copolymer are crystallized in the shape of Malta&amp / #8217 / s Cross. Melting points of products were obtained from DSC. The F1 values are calculated from elemental analysis as well as zeroth order rate constants and from melting point of the crystals. All three results were in close agreement and changed between 0.9 &amp / #8211 / 0.7. However, these ratios depend on reaction conditions (temperature, catalyst and monomer concentrations, time and dielectric constant of reaction medium). A mechanism for coordination-copolymerization on the basis of above observation was proposed.

LIMA, F. F. Interação fósforo e zinco no mamoeiro ‘tainung 01’, em neossolo quartzarênico. 2009. 46 f. Dissertação (Mestrado em Agronomia/Fitotecnia) - Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, 2009. / Submitted by Francisco Lacerda (lacerda@ufc.br) on 2014-07-02T20:54:56Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_dis_fflima.pdf: 604187 bytes, checksum: 55126ebb57d9a8f367e20196d5f375e8 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by José Jairo Viana de Sousa(jairo@ufc.br) on 2014-07-16T20:23:51Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_dis_fflima.pdf: 604187 bytes, checksum: 55126ebb57d9a8f367e20196d5f375e8 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2014-07-16T20:23:51Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2009_dis_fflima.pdf: 604187 bytes, checksum: 55126ebb57d9a8f367e20196d5f375e8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009 / Carried out an experiment under field conditions, in Russas, CE, in order to evaluate the response of papaya (Carica papaya L.) to phosphorus and zinc fertilization under irrigation for one year of cultivation. The experiment was a NEOSSOLO QUARTZARÊNICO, using a randomized block design in a factorial design with five doses of P2O5 (105, 157.5, 210, 315 and 420 kg / ha) and five Zn (0, 3.12, 6.24, 12.48 and 18.72 kilograms / ha), with four replications, totaling 25 treatments and 100 plots. The variables were: P and Zn in soil from 0 to 20 and 20 to 40 cm depth, content of P and Zn in the leaf (petiole), plant height, girth and productivity. The nutrient content in soil and leaf, plant height and stem diameter were evaluated after six months of planting. Productivity was assessed on the first six months of production (1 st year of cultivation). Aside from stem diameter, all other variables were influenced by the levels of P2O5 and Zn, with interaction between the two nutrients in their effect on plant height, concentration of P and Zn in the soil, P concentration in leaves and productivity. The plant height increased linearly with increasing fertilizer with phosphorus and zinc. Phosphorus decreased availability of soil Zn, but did not influence the levels of Zn in the plant. Since the Zn influenced the content of P in the soil and the leaf. The highest yield was related to doses of 293 kg / ha P2O5 and 9.83 kg / ha of Zn. / Realizou-se um experimento em condições de campo, em Russas, CE, com o objetivo de avaliar a resposta do mamoeiro sob irrigação (Carica Papaya L.) à adubação com fósforo e zinco, durante um ano de cultivo em solo NEOSSOLO QUARTZARÊNICO. O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos ao acaso, em um esquema fatorial 5 x 5 (105; 157,5; 210; 315; e 420 kg de P2O5/ha) e (0; 3,12; 6,24; 12,48 e 18,72 kg de Zn/ha), com quatro repetições. As variáveis avaliadas foram: conteúdos de P e Zn no solo nas camadas de 0 a 20 e 20 a 40 cm de profundidade, teor de P e Zn na folha (pecíolo), altura da planta, circunferência do caule e produtividade. Os teores dos nutrientes no solo e na folha, altura de planta e diâmetro do caule foram avaliados após seis meses do plantio. A produtividade avaliada foi referente aos seis primeiros meses de produção (1° ano de cultivo). Com exceção do diâmetro do caule, todas as outras variáveis foram influenciadas P (P2O5) e Zn, havendo interação entre os dois nutrientes no seu efeito sobre a altura da planta, concentração de P e Zn no solo, teor de P na folha e produtividade. A altura da planta aumentou linearmente com o incremento da adubação com fósforo e zinco. O fósforo diminuiu a disponibilidade de Zn no solo, porém não influenciou os teores de Zn na planta. Já o Zn influenciou os conteúdos de P tanto no solo como na folha. A máxima produtividade foi relacionada às doses de 293 kg/ha de P (P2O5) e 9,83 kg/ha de Zn.

Submitted by Fernanda Stuani Pereira null (ferstuani@hotmail.com) on 2016-06-22T22:22:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Tese-FERNANDA STUANI PEREIRA.pdf: 6105856 bytes, checksum: 653cf59956934017da496664aa74e886 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Ana Paula Grisoto (grisotoana@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-06-24T17:11:14Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 pereira_fs_dr_prud.pdf: 6105856 bytes, checksum: 653cf59956934017da496664aa74e886 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-24T17:11:14Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 pereira_fs_dr_prud.pdf: 6105856 bytes, checksum: 653cf59956934017da496664aa74e886 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-06-09 / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O presente trabalho descreve modificações estruturais feitas na cadeia lateral do polímero quitosana mediante a N-alquilação com diferentes aldeídos aromáticos, a qual originam bases de Schiff como produtos intermediários, seguido de uma redução com cianoborohidreto de sódio (NaBH3CN). Subsequentemente, reações de acoplamento entre o produto sintetizado N-benzil quitosana e diferentes sais de diazônio foram realizadas para produzir uma nova classe de compostos poli-azóicos a partir deste polímero. Diferentes materiais foram sintetizados para investigar a influencia de diferentes substituintes na complexação de metais e futuros estudos de eficiência biológica. Pela técnica de ressonância magnética nuclear de próton em solução, o grau de substituição dos poli-azo-compostos foi de 46 a 66%. Os compostos foram caracterizados por FT-IR e RMN de 13C no estado sólido e RMN de 15N em solução, que confirmaram a síntese dos derivados poliméricos. Também foi realizado um estudo da interação destes materiais sintetizados com os íons metálicos Cu(II) e Zn(II). Para a caracterização dos complexos, utilizou-se as técnicas de titulação complexométrica, FAAS, MEV, EDS, difratometria de raios X, EPR e TG/DTG. Por titulação complexométrica e FAAS, a quitosana pura mostrou maior capacidade em complexar/adsorver os metais do que seus derivados. A capacidade de adsorver íons Cu(II) foi maior do que íons Zn(II) para todos os compostos. Por MEV e EDS, observou-se que além do cobre coordenado pelos sítios reativos dos materiais, o sal sulfato de cobre foi adsorvido pela superfície polimérica dos mesmos. Assim, foram realizadas reações de complexação utilizando o sal CuCl2.2H2O e os resultados mostraram que esse comportamento não ocorre para este sal. Para os complexos utilizando o sal sulfato de zinco, praticamente não se observa o sal adsorvido na superfície polimérica, devido à baixa capacidade de complexação por esse metal. A difratometria de raios X mostrou uma redução da cristalinidade dos complexos de cobre e zinco formados pela quitosana e o derivado Q1Benzil devido a maior capacidade desses materiais em quelar íons metálicos. Para os complexos de Cu(II) e Zn(II) formados a partir do composto Azo-Anisidina, o índice de cristalinidade aumenta, o que pode estar associado a formação de diferentes ligações de coordenação nesse composto. A formação dos complexos também foi confirmada por espectroscopia Raman. Os espectros de EPR dos complexos de Cu(II) formados a partir do sal CuCl2.2H2O mostram a presença de uma estrutura hiperfina bem resolvida, da mesma forma que foi observado para o complexo Quitosana-CuSO4, na qual a grande maioria dos centros de cobre são monoméricos e provavelmente ligados aos polímeros. As curvas de TG/DTG mostraram que os derivados poliméricos degradam a temperaturas menores que o polímero não modificado, e os complexos com sulfato de cobre apresentaram perfis TG/DTG diferentes dos complexos sintetizados a partir do sal cloreto de cobre. Por fim, tanto a quitosana quanto seus derivados Q1Benzil, Q2Benzil e Q2Benzil utilizando a quitosana de baixo peso molecular se mostraram efetivos na síntese de carbonatos através da captura e fixação de CO2 por estes materiais poliméricos. / The present work describes structural modifications in the side chain of the polymer chitosan by N-alkylation with different aromatic aldehydes, which originates Schiff base as an intermediate, followed by reduction with sodium cyanoborohydride (NaBH3CN). Subsequently, coupling reactions between the synthesized product N-benzyl chitosan and various diazonium salts were carried out to produce a new class of poly-azo compounds from this polymer. Different materials were synthesized to investigate the influence of different substituents on metal chelation and future studies of their biological efficience. From nuclear magnetic resonance technique, the degree of substitution of the poly-azo compounds was between 46 and 66%. The compounds were characterized by FT-IR, 13C NMR in solid state and 15N NMR in solution, which confirmed the synthesis of the polymeric derivatives. The interaction of the synthesized materials with the metal ions Cu(II) and Zn(II) was also studied. For the characterization of such metal complexes, the techniques complexometric titration, FAAS, SEM, EDS, X-ray diffraction, EPR and TG/DTG were employed in this work. By complexometric titration and FAAS, pure chitosan showed greater capacity for complex/adsorb metals than its derivatives. The capacity of adsorbing Cu(II) ions was greater than Zn(II) ions for all compounds. The synthesized complexes were studied by various spectroscopic techniques. By SEM and EDS, it was observed that in addition of copper coordination, copper sulphate salt was adsorbed by the polymer surface. Thus, complexation reactions were carried out using the salt CuCl2.2H2O and the results showed that this behavior does not occur for this salt. For complexes using zinc sulfate salt, hardly observes this salt adsorbed on the polymeric surface due to the low capacity for complexing this metal. The X-ray diffraction showed a reduction of the crystallinity of copper and zinc complexes formed by chitosan and Q1Benzil derivative due to the greater ability of these materials to chelate metal ions. For the complexes of Cu(II) and Zn(II) formed from Azo-Anisidine compound, the crystallinity index increases, which can be associated with formation of different coordination bonds with the compound. The formation of the complex was also confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. EPR spectra of Cu(II) formed from the CuCl2.2H2O salt showed the presence of well resolved hyperfine structure in the same way as it was observed for chitosan-CuSO4, in which the majority of copper centers are monomeric and probably bound to the polymer. The TG/DTG curves showed that polymeric derivatives are less stable than the unmodified polymer, and complexes with copper sulfate had TG/DTG curves different from the complexes synthesized from copper chloride salt. Finally, chitosan and the derivatives Q1Benzil , Q2Benzil and Q2Benzil from low molecular weight chitosan were effective in the synthesis of carbonates through the capture and sequestration of CO2 by these polymeric materials. / FAPESP: 2012/13901-3

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T15:01:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 KalyaneKPG_TESE.pdf: 3118375 bytes, checksum: 2236ef256239dd7e294613c3eed787d5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-10-27 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cient?fico e Tecnol?gico / Discussions about pollution caused by vehicles emission are old and have been developed along the years. The search for cleaner technologies and frequent weather alterations have been inducing industries and government organizations to impose limits much more rigorous to the contaminant content in fuels, which have an direct impact in atmospheric emissions. Nowadays, the quality of fuels, in relation to the sulfur content, is carried out through the process of hydrodesulfurization. Adsorption processes also represent an interesting alternative route to the removal of sulfur content. Both processes are simpler and operate to atmospheric temperatures and pressures. This work studies the synthesis and characterization of aluminophosphate impregnate with zinc, molybdenum or both, and its application in the sulfur removal from the gasoline through the adsorption process, using a pattern gasoline containing isooctane and thiophene. The adsorbents were characterized by x-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis (DTG), x-ray fluorescence and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The specific area, volume and pore diameter were determined by BET (Brunauer- Emmet-Teller) and the t-plot method. The sulfur was quantified by elementary analysis using ANTEK 9000 NS. The adsorption process was evaluated as function of the temperature variation and initial sulfur content through the adsorption isotherm and its thermodynamic parameters. The parameters of entropy (ΔS), enthalpy variation (ΔH) and free Gibbs energy (ΔG) were calculated through the graph ln(Kd) versus 1/T. Langmuir, Freundlich and Langmuir-Freundlich models were adjusted to the experimental data, and the last one had presented better results. The thermodynamic tests were accomplished in different temperatures, such as 30, 40 and 50?C, where it was concluded the adsorption process is spontaneous and exothermic. The kinetic of adsorption was studied by 24 h and it showed that the capability adsorption to the adsorbents studied respect the following order: MoZnPO > MoPO > ZnPO > AlPO. The maximum adsorption capacity was 4.91 mg/g for MoZnPO with an adsorption efficiency of 49%. / As discuss?es sobre o problema da polui??o causada por emiss?es veiculares s?o antigas e v?m evoluindo com o passar do tempo. A procura por tecnologias mais limpas e as altera??es clim?ticas cada vez mais frequentes induziram as ind?strias e os ?rg?os governamentais a impor limites cada vez mais rigorosos para os teores de contaminantes nos combust?veis, os quais impactam diretamente nas emiss?es atmosf?ricas. Atualmente a forma de melhorar a qualidade dos combust?veis, quanto ao enxofre, ? atrav?s do processo de hidrodessulfuriza??o e recentemente, os processos de adsor??o tem se mostrado como uma alternativa bastante interessante ? remo??o de enxofre, pois tais processos s?o mais simples e operam a temperaturas e press?es atmosf?ricas. O presente trabalho contempla a s?ntese e caracteriza??o do aluminofosfato impregnado com zinco, molibd?nio ou ambos e sua aplica??o no estudo da remo??o de enxofre da gasolina atrav?s do processo de adsor??o, utilizando uma gasolina modelo contendo iso-octano e tiofeno. Os adsorventes foram caracterizados por difra??o de raios-X, an?lise termogravim?trica (ATG), fluoresc?ncia de raios-X e microscopia eletr?nica de varredura (MEV). A ?rea espec?fica, volume e di?metro de poros foram determinados pelo m?todo BET (Brunauer-Emmet-Teller) e m?todo t-plot. O enxofre foi quantificado por analise elementar atrav?s do ANTEK 9000 NS. O Processo de adsor??o foi avaliado em fun??o da varia??o da temperatura e da concentra??o inicial de enxofre atrav?s das isotermas de adsor??o e de seus par?metros termodin?micos. Os par?metros varia??o de entropia (ΔS), varia??o de entalpia (ΔH) e varia??o da energia livre de Gibbs (ΔG) foram calculados pelo gr?fico de ln(K) versus 1/T. Os modelos de Langmuir, Freundlich e Langmuir-Freundlich foram ajustados aos dados experimentais, tendo o ?ltimo apresentado os melhores resultados. Os testes termodin?micos foram realizados nas temperaturas de 30, 40, 50 ?C e constatou-se que o processo de adsor??o ? espont?neo e exot?rmico. A cin?tica da adsor??o foi estudada por 24 horas e mostrou que a capacidade de adsor??o para os adsorventes estudados segue a seguinte ordem: MoZnPO > MoPO > ZnPO > AlPO. A capacidade m?xima de adsor??o foi 4,91 mg/g para o MoZnPO com uma efici?ncia de adsor??o de 49%.

A presença de metais pesados tóxicos em fertilizantes tem sido motivo de preocupação e apontada como um dos obstáculos à produção sustentável de alimentos. Por outro lado, há uma crescente busca por produtos agrícolas de melhor qualidade, com maior teor de micronutrientes e menos fatores antinutricionais, como os metais pesados tóxicos. No Brasil, há poucos trabalhos relacionando fertilização e qualidade dos produtos agrícolas, em termos de micronutrientes e metais pesados tóxicos. Neste contexto, no presente trabalho foram realizados quatro experimentos tendo como objetivos avaliar: 1) a eficiência de métodos de extração e de quantificação simultânea de micronutrientes e de metais pesados tóxicos em fertilizantes; 2) a influência da fertilização nos teores de micronutrientes e metais pesados tóxicos no solo, nos indicadores microbiológicos, nas atividades enzimáticas em plantas e na qualidade dos produtos agrícolas; 3) a variação genotípica para teor de Cd, micronutrientes e suas relações em 35 cultivares de arroz de terras altas do Brasil; 4) a influência do estado nutricional e genotípica nos teores de Cd e 70Zn no arroz. Quando se usa reagentes e água de alta pureza, a análise de metais pesados tóxicos em amostras de fertilizantes pode ser realizada por micro-ondas ou sistema aberto, sendo que as quantificações dos elementos por ICP-MS e ICP-AES produzem resultados semelhantes. Porém, na análise dos teores naturais de Cd, Cr e Pb apenas a quantificação por ICP-MS foi adequada. Nas condições deste trabalho, tanto os subprodutos e rocha fosfática quanto os fertilizantes foram capazes de fornecer nutrientes às plantas, sem causar aumentos excessivos de metais pesados tóxicos nos solos e nos produtos agrícolas. Os indicadores microbiológicos do solo e as atividades enzimáticas em plantas de alface reagiram positivamente à fertilização. Foram identificadas variedades de arroz de terras altas com baixo e alto teor de Cd nos grãos. Os teores de Fe, Zn e Se apresentaram relações inversas ao teor de Cd. Observou-se interação entre estado nutricional da planta e genótipo no teor de Cd em grãos de arroz de terras altas cultivado em solução nutritiva. Concluiu-se que, com manejo adequado, a fertilização aumenta a produtividade e melhorar qualidade dos produtos agrícolas para alimentação humana e animal / The presence of toxic heavy metals in fertilizers has been a big concern. It has been indicated as one of the obstacles to sustainable food production. On the other hand, there is a growing demand for better-quality products, with high micronutrient content and low malnutrition factors, such as toxic heavy metals. In Brazil there are scarce number of studies regarding fertilization and the quality of agricultural products for micronutrients and toxic heavy metals. In this context, the present study, involving four experiments, was conducted with the objectives: 1) to assess the efficiency of methods to extract and quantify micronutrients and toxic heavy metals in fertilizers; 2) to study the influence of fertilization on the levels of micronutrients and toxic heavy metals in agricultural products; 3) to evaluate the genotypic variation in response to the content of Cd, micronutrients and their relations in 35 upland rice cultivars from Brazil; and 4) to determine the influence of the nutritional status and genotype on the levels of Cd and 70Zn in rice plant. The results showed that with the use of reagents and water of high purity, toxic heavy metals can be extracted for analysis by microwave or an open air system, and that quantification of the elements by ICP-MS and ICP-AES yields similar results. However, for the analysis of natural contents of Cd, Cr and Pb only ICP-MS quantification was appropriate. Further, both by-products and phosphate rock, as fertilizers were able to supply nutrients to the plants without causing excessive increases of toxic heavy metals in soil and agricultural products. Microbiological soil indicators and enzyme activities in plants responded positively to fertilization. Furthermore, results also showed that there were upland rice cultivars with low and high Cd content in the grains, and the levels of Fe, Zn and Se showed inverse relations with the Cd content. There was an interaction between plants the nutritional status and genotype for Cd content in grains of upland rice cultivars. Based on the results, it can be concluded that with adequate management, fertilization can increase crop yields and improve the quality of agricultural products for human and animal consumption

Zinkgruvan is a Pb-Zn-Ag deposit located in south-central Sweden, owned and operated by Lundin Mining. The ore is beneficiated by a collective-selective flotation circuit, recovering both galena and sphalerite in a bulk rougher-scavenger flotation stage and later on separating them into two final products. Opportunities for increase in zinc recovery in the bulk rougher scavenger flotation stage have been identified as the plant is relying on natural Pb-activation to process the ore. Process mineralogical tools were used to characterize four different orebodies from Zinkgruvan (Burkland, Borta Bakom, Nygruvan and Sävsjön) and evaluate the metallurgical performance for flotation and magnetic separation, following a geometallurgical approach to better understand and predict the behavior of such ore types in processing plant. The first hypothesis in this thesis is that by addition of copper sulfate and increased collector dosage, Zn recovery will be improved without being detrimental to galena flotation. Results demonstrated that there is a significant increase in Zn recovery by further increasing collector dosage and copper-activating the flotation pulp in the scavenger stage. For instance, an increase in zinc recovery up to 16% has been achieved after addition of copper sulfate. Galena is readily floatable while sphalerite takes longer to be recovered. In addition, iron sulfides take longer to be recovered and, after addition of copper sulfate, there was an increase in iron sulfide recovery. The amount of iron sulfides reporting to the concentrate should still not be a problem to the plant. Most of the Fe in the concentrate is still coming from the sphalerite lattice. However, it might be that some orebodies coming into production in the near future have higher amounts of pyrrhotite, which might be a problem. Therefore, magnetic separation methods have been tested to remove pyrrhotite from the bulk ore. The second hypothesis is that the high Fe content in the concentrate might be due to the presence of iron sulfides, in which case they could be selectively removed by magnetic separation. XRD analyses demonstrated that Sävsjön is a highly variable orebody, and that its high Fe content varies with the location inside the orebody, being caused by either iron sulfide or iron oxide minerals. Both monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotite have been observed. Davis Tube could remove monoclinic pyrrhotite but it was very inefficient when dealing with hexagonal pyrrhotite. WHIMS, on the other hand, performed well for both types of pyrrhotite. When applying Davis Tube on Sävsjön OLD feed, a concentrate with up to 52.3% pyrrhotite is achieved, at a recovery of 35.32%. However, sphalerite is also reporting to the magnetic concentrate, which would generate Zn losses for the overall process. Zinc losses were up to 15.3% when the highest field strength was applied. Therefore, the applicability of magnetic separation for Zinkgruvan ore must be further evaluated.

This dissertation is focused on the study of selected additives and their effect on positive and negative electrodes of Ni-Zn secondary cells. The first group of additives consists of the inorganic compounds that reduce zinc oxide solubility and thus prevents shape changes of the zinc electrode. The second group contains organic additives that have the beneficial effect of dendrite growth prevention. All additives were examined in relationship to their compatibility with the positive electrode and to their effect on the zinc electrode dendrites inhibition, hydrogen evolution and corrosion inhibition. Moreover, the study of decomposition kinetics of supersaturated zincate solution with the first group of additives was performed. Finally, a short study of pulse regime charging mode with regard to dendrites inhibition was performed and evaluated.

Evidence from human amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients and ALS-linked Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn-SOD) transgenic mice bearing the mutation of glycine to alanine at position 93 (G93A) suggests that the pro-apoptotic protein prostate apoptosis response-4 (Par-4) might be a critical link in the chain of events leading to motor neuron degeneration. We now report that Par-4 is enriched in synaptosomes and post-synaptic density from the ventral horn of the spinal cord. Levels of Par-4 in synaptic compartments increased significantly during rapid and slow declining stages of muscle strength in hSOD1 G93A mutant mice. In the pre-muscle weakness stage, hSOD1 G93A mutation sensitized synaptosomes from the ventral horn of the spinal cord to increased levels of Par-4 expression following excitotoxic and apoptotic insults. In ventral spinal synaptosomes, Par-4-mediated production of pro-apoptotic cytosolic factor(s) was significantly enhanced by the hSOD1 G93A mutation. RNA interference (RNAi) knockdown of Par-4 inhibited mitochondrial dysfunction and caspase-3 activation induced by G93A mutation in synaptosomes from the ventral horn of the spinal cord, and protected spinal motor neurons from apoptosis. These results identify the synapse as a crucial cellular site for the cell death promoting actions of Par-4 in motor neurons, and suggest that targeted inhibition of Par-4 by RNAi may prove to be a neuroprotective strategy for motor neuron degeneration.