A reação química entre os hidróxidos alcalinos presentes no cimento e fases minerais reativas presentes no agregado dá origem a um gel sílico-alcalino que ao adsorver água se expande, podendo causar expansão e fissuração do concreto, afetando a sua durabilidade. Este fenômeno é chamado de reação álcali-agregado (RAA) e embora seja conhecido há aproximadamente 70 anos no meio técnico, e principalmente estar relacionado às grandes barragens e estruturas de concretos diversas de Usina hidrelétricas, nos últimos anos outros tipos de estruturas têm sido afetadas, inclusive fundações de edifícios, deixando ainda mais o problema em evidência. As medidas preventivas para esta reação já são conhecidas há muito tempo e aplicadas rotineiramente em estruturas de usinas hidrelétricas quando se tem agregados reativos, sendo recentemente normalizadas no Brasil. Porém, ainda existem grandes carências em se combater o fenômeno quando já se encontra instalado no concreto. Diante do exposto, este trabalho, desenvolvido dentro do programa de P&D de Furnas/ANEEL, teve como principal objetivo verificar a potencialidade de compostos a base de Silanos através de testes laboratoriais com vistas à aplicação em concretos contendo agregados reativos na tentativa de minimizar as expansões residuais em estruturas que já se encontram afetadas. As atividades desenvolvidas contemplam ensaios em barras de argamassas que foram tratadas, em três etapas distintas, com compostos a base de silanos. A primeira etapa foi desenvolvida como projeto piloto, e seus resultados serviram de apoio para a realização das etapas seguintes. Nas segunda e terceira etapas foi verificada a atuação dos produtos na prevenção e na mitigação da RAA, respectivamente. Os resultados obtidos na primeira etapa não foram satisfatórios, pois as expansões foram maiores do que as da referência. Já para a segunda e terceira etapas, os procedimentos para aplicação dos tratamentos previram que as barras fossem tratadas sem que estivessem previamente expostas à solução de NaOH, conforme realizado na primeira etapa, o que possivelmente ocasionou o acréscimo das expansões, sem a eficiência do produto. Os resultados obtidos nessas etapas se mostraram eficientes tanto na prevenção quanto na mitigação das expansões residuais da RAA e, embora o lítio produza uma maior eficiência na redução das expansões, os tratamentos à base de silano, e principalmente do tipo octiltrietoxisilano, mostraram muito promissores. Após o lítio, o tratamento à base do silano OCTEO, no teor de 10%, com o surfactante tipo DMSO, em aplicação múltipla, se mostrou mais eficiente. Para complemento da parte experimental da pesquisa, foram realizados ensaios de absorção de água por imersão e análises por microscopia eletrônica de varredura e verificou-se o efeito dos produtos de tratamento nos poros das argamassas. / The chemical reaction between cement alkaline hydroxides and reactive silica present in some aggregates produces an alkaline silicate gel that expands when it adsorbs water and can cause concrete expansion and cracking, thereby affecting durability. This phenomenon is known as alkali-aggregate reaction (AAR) and was first detected over 70 years ago as the cause of deterioration especially in large dams and a number of other concrete structures in hydroelectric power plants in general. In recent years, AAR has also been noted in other types of structure, such as building foundations, bringing the problem more dramatically to the fore. Preventive measures for AAR have long been known and are routinely applied in hydroelectric power plant structures when there are reactive aggregates. These measures have been recently standardized in Brazil. Nevertheless there are still flaws in our knowledge regarding how to mitigate expansion when this phenomenon is already present in the concrete. Considering these aspects, the main purpose of this study, developed within Furnas/ANEEL Research and Development Program, is to verify, at laboratory level, the mitigating potential of silane compounds in residual expansion in affected mortars which contain reactive aggregates. Assays were performed on bars of mortar treated with silane compounds in three different stages. The first stage was developed as a pilot study with results serving as support for the following stages. The second and third stages verified the activity of the products in the prevention and mitigation of AAR, respectively. The results obtained in the first stage were unsatisfactory as the expansions were greater than the references. The second and third stage treatments required bars not previously exposed to NaOH, differently from the first stage and which may have been the cause of the increased expansion and product inefficiency. The results in these stages proved satisfactory both in preventing and mitigating AAR residual expansions, and although lithium is more efficient in reducing expansions, silane based treatments, mainly the octyltriethoxysilane types proved most promising. Following lithium, the most efficient treatment was 10% content OCTEO silane with a DMSO type surfactant applied in multiple layers. To complement the experimental part of the study, assays on water absorption through immersion were performed as well as scanning electron microscopy to verify the effect of the treatment products on the mortar pores.

Biocompatibilidade é uma das principais propriedades que um cimento retrobturador deve possuir, para não provocar no hospedeiro reações tóxica e imunopatológica. Desta forma, a sucessão de experimentos que comprovem tal propriedade, é fundamental para o uso clínico desse material. O objetivo deste estudo foi comparar a reação tecidual frente ao MTA Branco Angelus®, MTA Bio Ângelus® e Sealepox RP. Para isso, foram utilizados 54 ratos Wistar albinos, que foram divididos em 3 grupos iguais. Os materiais foram implantados no tecido subcutâneo do dorso desses animais, dentro de tubos de polietileno. Como controle, todos os tubos tiveram uma de suas extremidades seladas com guta-percha. Os períodos experimentais analisados foram de 15, 30 e 60 dias após o procedimento cirúrgico, quando, então, os animais foram mortos. As amostras coletadas passaram pelo processamento histotécnico e foram feitos cortes de 5µm de espessura e coloração com hematoxilina e eosina. Os dados obtidos após a análise morfométrica foram submetidos à análise de variância a dois critérios (ANOVA) e teste de Kruskal-Wallis para comparação; a significância foi para p<0,05. Os resultados demonstraram que em todos os grupos e períodos houve um padrão de comportamento da reação inflamatória, ou seja, aos 15 dias havia uma densidade de volume de células inflamatórias maior, que foi decrescendo com o passar do tempo. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os materiais com relação a densidade de volume de células inflamatórias observadas. Com base na metodologia empregada e levando em conta suas limitações, pode-se concluir que todos os materiais testados são biocompatíveis. / Biocompatibility is one of the most important properties that a root-end filling material might have. Thus, experiments that prove this characteristic are very important. The purpose of this study was to compare the connective tissue reaction caused by MTA White Angelus, MTA Bio and Sealepox RP. Fifty-four Wistar albino rats were divided in three equal groups. The materials were implanted in subcutaneous connective tissue of the animals, into polyethylene tubes. As control group, gutta-percha was placed in one of the tubes border. The rats were sacrificed after 15, 30 and 60 days. Histologic samples were sectioned in 5µm thickness and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. ANOVA and Kruskal-Wallis tests were used for statistical analysis (p<0,05). The results showed that in all groups there was a standard result on the inflammatory infiltrate observed. The 15 days period showed a more severe response, which has been diminishing over time. There was no statistically significant difference between the materials with respect to the volume density of inflammatory cells observed. Based on the methodology used and taking into account its limitations, it can be concluded that all materials are biocompatible.

The central nervous system is a complex, yet well-organised, often laminated, tissue. This robust organisation is evident in the architecture of the retina: consisting of 5 different neuronal types organised into distinct layers: Retinal Ganglion Cell (RGC), Amacrine Cell (AC), Bipolar Cell (BP), Horizontal Cell (HC) and Photoreceptor cell (PR) layers. This remarkable organisation is evolutionarily conserved in vertebrates, yet little is known about the mechanisms by which these cells form the correct layers. Live imaging has revealed overlapping periods of birth and extensive inter-digitation followed by cells sorting out into their appropriate positions, suggesting cell-cell interactions are important. To investigate possible cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for the establishment of the tissue architecture I developed an organoid culture system for zebrafish retinal cells. To identify the cells in culture I used a Spectrum of Fates fish line which is a multiply transgenic line in which each retinal cell type can be identified based on expression of a combination of fluorescently tagged cell fate markers. The development of the protocol by which I cultured the cells and observed their cell-cell interactions involved establishing the best methods to dissociate and culture zebrafish retinal cells in a non-adhesive environment, then imaging the resulting reaggregates to examine the position of the different retinal cell types. By doing this I observed their inherent self-organising properties, in the absence of extrinsic cues or scaffolds. These cells appeared to be arranged in an inside-out layering, although all cell types are layered in the same relative order as they are in vivo. To analyse the organization in these aggregates I developed a Matlab script in collaboration with Leila Muresan which analyses the relative positioning of cells in concentric rings from the periphery to the centre of the aggregates according to the cell fate-tagged fluorescent markers. The script then fits this data as an empirical cumulative distribution function for different groups of cells to determine how spatially distinct populations of cells are. This gave me my measure of organisation. I then investigated the cell-cell interactions involved in this self-organisation by genetically or pharmacologically removing individual cell types and assaying the resulting organisation of the reaggregated, cell-type deficient, retinal organoids. I revealed that Müller Glia are important for retinal cell self-organisation. I also investigated the role of Retinal Pigment Epithelial (RPE) cells and Retinal Ganglion Cells and found they had no impact on the ability of the remaining cell types to organize. I began to investigate the role of Amacrine Cells but found that retinas void of ACs were susceptible to disaggregating in our dissection setup, preventing me from collecting the material needed for culture. I also investigated the role of candidate molecules in this system and revealed that R-Cognin is critical for retinal cells to reaggregate. Not only can I remove cells or molecules from the system, but I show how it can also be manipulated to replace molecules of interest such as laminin, by coating beads with the substance of choice and placing it amongst the cells to see if their organisational behaviour is affected. In summary, I have developed a system which provides a simple and easy platform to manipulate in various ways to help us potentially reveal some of the important players in neuronal patterning.

This research focused on designing a grout mixture using lightweight aggregate that achieves the minimum 28-day compressive strength required for normal-weight grout, 2000 psi. This research specifically studied the effects of aggregate proportion, slump, and aggregate soaking on the compressive strength of the mixture. The variable ranges investigated were 3-4.75 parts aggregate to cement volumetrically, 8-11 in. slump, and 0 and 2 cycles of soaking. The statistical model developed to analyze the significance of variable effects included a three-way interaction between the explanatory variables. All three explanatory variables had a statistically significant effect on the grout compressive strength, but the effect of soaking was minimal and decreased as aggregate proportion decreased. This research also showed that lightweight grout, when prepared using aggregate proportion and slumps within the ranges suggested in American Society for Testing and Materials C476, reaches the required minimum 28-day compressive strength with a factor of safety of at least 2.7.

The installation of geogrid as a means of extending the service life of a roadway or reducing the required base course thickness of a pavement structure has become increasingly popular. The realization of these benefits depends largely on the degree to which the geogrid reinforcement leads to an increase in the stiffness of the aggregate base course layer. The objective of this research was to investigate the structural capacity of geogrid-reinforced aggregate base materials in flexible pavements through full-scale testing. The scope involved field testing at two sites in northern Utah that each included five different geogrid-reinforced sections and five accompanying unreinforced control sections. Five different geogrid types were utilized to ensure that the experimentation was representative of the geogrid products available in the industry at the time of the study. At each of the two field sites, 10 test sections were established, and several field tests were conducted during and following construction of the two pavements to characterize the in-situ structural properties of the subgrade, base, and hot mix asphalt layers of each geogrid-reinforced and unreinforced test section. The procedures involved nuclear density gauge, soil stiffness gauge, Clegg impact soil tester, dynamic cone penetrometer (DCP), portable falling-weight deflectometer, and falling-weight deflectometer testing of each test section. Samples of the subgrade and base materials were also obtained from both field sites for laboratory testing, which included dry and washed sieve analyses, Atterberg limits testing, and material classification. An analysis of covariance (ANOCOVA) was conducted on the results of each field test to determine if the structural capacity of the geogrid-reinforced sections was different than that of the accompanying unreinforced control sections.Among the 24 ANOCOVA models developed for the two field sites, only four indicated that geogrid presence was statistically significant. Of these four models, three indicated that the presence of geogrid reinforcement led to higher values of the given measurement of structural capacity compared to the unreinforced condition; however, in none of the cases was the difference practically important as defined in this research and would therefore not result in a different input in the pavement design process. Notably, in all three of these models, the same testing procedure, namely the DCP, was used for the testing. A measurable increase in the structural capacity of the reinforced layer may not be immediately observable using standard pavement testing procedures. Further field research is recommended to investigate the duration of the required conditioning period and also the extent of the zone of influence of geogrid reinforcement in aggregate base courses.

Les particules fines émises par l'activité humaine sont la cause de diverses pathologies pulmonaires et cardiaques. Les particules de taille inférieure à 100 nm, appelées nanoparticules, sont particulièrement nocives car une fois inhalées, elles peuvent atteindre les alvéoles pulmonaires, lieux des échanges gazeux. Dans les alvéoles, les nanoparticules entrent d'abord en contact avec le surfactant pulmonaire. Ce fluide biologique tapisse les cellules épithéliales des alvéoles sur une épaisseur de quelques centaines de nanomètres et est composé de phospholipides et de protéines, les phospholipides étant assemblés sous forme de vésicules et corps multi-lamellaires. Dans ce travail, nous avons sélectionné des nanoparticules modèles de nature différente connues pour leur toxicité cellulaire (latex, oxydes métalliques, silice). Leur interaction avec un fluide pulmonaire mimétique administré aux prématurés (Curosurf®) a été étudiée en détail par microscopie optique et électronique, et par diffusion de la lumière. Nous avons mis en évidence que cette interaction est non spécifique et d'origine électrostatique. La diversité des structures hybrides obtenues entre particules et vésicules témoigne cependant de la complexité de cette interaction. En contrôlant cette interaction, nous avons formulé des particules couvertes d’une bicouche supportée de Curosurf® qui possèdent des propriétés remarquables de stabilité et de furtivité en milieu biologique.Dans une seconde partie, nous avons étudié le rôle du surfactant pulmonaire sur l’interaction entre particules et cellules épithéliales alvéolaires (A459). A l'aide d'expériences de biologie cellulaire réalisées in vitro, nous avons observé que la présence de surfactant diminue de manière significative le nombre de particules internalisées par les cellules. Dans le même temps, nous avons constaté une augmentation importante de la viabilité cellulaire. Une conclusion majeure de notre travail concerne la mise en évidence du rôle protecteur joué par le surfactant pulmonaire dans les mécanismes d'interaction des nanoparticules avec l'épithélium alvéolaire / Particulate matter emitted by human activity are the cause of various pulmonary and cardiac diseases. After inhalation, nanoparticles (ie particles smaller than 100 nm) can reach the pulmonary alveoli, where the gas exchanges take place. In the alveoli, the nanoparticles first encounter the pulmonary surfactant which is the fluid that lines the epithelial cells. Of a few hundreds of nanometers in thickness, the pulmonary fluid is composed of phospholipids and proteins, the phospholipids being assembled in multilamellar vesicles. In this work, we considered model nanoparticles of different nature (latex, metal oxides, silica). Their interaction with a mimetic pulmonary fluid administered to premature infants (Curosurf®) was studied by light scattering and by optical and electron microscopy. We have shown that the interaction is non-specific and mainly of electrostatic origin. The wide variety of hybrid structures found in this work attests however of the complexity of the phospholipid/particle interaction. In addition, we succeeded in formulating particles covered with a Curosurf® supported bilayer. These particles exhibit remarkable stability and stealthiness in biological environment. In a second part, we studied the role of the pulmonary surfactant on the interactions between nanoparticles and alveolar epithelial cells (A459). With cellular biology assays, we observed that the number of internalized particles decreases dramatically in presence of surfactant. At the same time, we found a significant increase in the A459 cell viability. Our study shows the importance of the pulmonary surfactant in protecting the alveolar epithelium in case of nanoparticle exposure

Most systems in HPC make use of hierarchical designs that allow multiple levels of parallelism to be exploited by programmers. The use of multiple multi-core/multi-processor computers to form a computer cluster supports both fine-grain and large-grain parallel computation. Aggregate function communications provide an easy to use and efficient set of mechanisms for communicating and coordinating between processing elements, but the model originally targeted only fine grain parallel hardware. This work shows that a hierarchical implementation of aggregate functions is a viable alternative to MPI (the standard Message Passing Interface library) for programming clusters that provide both fine grain and large grain execution. Performance of a prototype implementation is evaluated and compared to that of MPI.

A comparison of concrete containing recycled concrete coarse aggregates and natural coarse aggregates subjected to high strain, low cycle compressive fatigue is presented. Using a strain based feedback control loop, concrete cylinders are compressed at 15µε/s to a specified strain then unloaded to zero stress for 10 cycles. After cycling, all samples are loaded to a strain of 0.008. Direct concrete material variables are the water to cement (w/c) ratio, taken as 0.60, 0.45, and 0.39, and percent coarse recycled concrete aggregate content, varied from zero to 100 percent. The primary testing variable is the specified unloading strain. Unloading strains include 60, 75, 90, 100, and 120 percent of the strain at peak stress. Ten batches of concrete were made, generating a total of 224 samples for testing. Findings confirm previous research showing a reduction in strength with increasing recycled concrete coarse aggregate content, an equivalent concrete with only 25 percent replacement of natural coarse aggregates and an equivalent strength concrete with a decrease in the w/c ratio and 100 percent recycled concrete coarse aggregates. Fatigue testing indicates that each cycle’s maximum stress remains unchanged, but the stiffness degrades more rapidly with increasing recycled aggregate content and a constant w/c ratio.

A escória de aciaria LD, principal coproduto da conversão do ferro gusa em aço, se utilizada como agregado na produção de concreto, pode reduzir custos com a estocagem de resíduos e reduzir a extração predatória de agregados naturais. Para tal, este estudo utilizou a escória de aciaria LD em substituição ao agregado miúdo do concreto, a areia, em teores de 0, 25, 50 e 75 %, em massa. O desempenho mecânico do concreto se mostrou próximo ao de referência, com exceção do módulo de elasticidade, que foi significativamente reduzido. A durabilidade dos concretos foi avaliada quanto à resistividade elétrica superficial, absorção de água, índice de vazios permeáveis, resistência à carbonatação acelerada, resistência à migração de cloretos, envelhecimento acelerado e natural. Quanto à durabilidade, apesar de verificada a redução da resistividade do concretos com escória, a substituição parcial da areia não promoveu o aumento da migração de cloretos, o que se atribui a fixação de clores pela formação de sal de Friedel; no entanto, a instabilidade volumétrica da escória se mostrou um fenômeno que gera graves patologias ao material, de modo que os corpos de prova com maior teor de substituição, após 70 dias de envelhecimento acelerado, romperam por expansão. / The basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag, the main co-product of the process pig iron conversion to steel, if used as an aggregate in the concrete production, can reduce costs with the waste storage and reduce the predatory extraction of natural aggregates. For this, in this study the BOF slag was used in substitution to the small aggregate of the concrete, the sand, in contents of 0, 25, 50 and 75% by mass. The mechanical performance of the concrete was similar to that of reference, with the exception of the elasticity modulus, which was significantly reduced. The durability properties of the concretes were evaluated for surface electrical resistivity, water absorption, permeable voids index, resistance to accelerated carbonation, resistance to chloride migration, accelerated and natural aging. Regarding the durability, despite the reduction of the resistivity of slag concrete, the partial replacement of the sand did not promote the increase of chloride migration, which is attributed to the fixation of chlorides by Friedel Salt formation. However, the volumetric instability of the slag was a phenomenon that causes serious pathologies to the material, so that the specimens with higher substitution content, after 70 days of accelerated aging, ruptured by expansion.

The desire of the minerals industry to be more sustainable has led towards the increasing development of by-products. One such industry is the production of Alumina. The Alumina industry in Australia is the major producer of alumina in the western world with over 25 million tonnes of Bauxite Residue per annum. Alcoa World Alumina (Alcoa) has three refineries in Western Australia producing approximately 20,000 tonnes of Mud and a similar level of Red Sand each day. These as yet unutilised potential resources are being stockpiled, occupying a significant footprint. It is widely recognised within industry that there would be economic, environment and social benefits if a sustainable use for these materials were found. One such potential by-product is the production of coarse bauxite residue (Red Sand), neutralised and washed low in salt. The main purpose of this research was to establish a potential market for this material, through scientific evaluation of Red Sand as a replacement of natural fine aggregate (Natural Yellow Sand) in concrete mixes. For this research, the mixed stream of Bauxite Residue (fine and coarse) obtained in the Bayer process was neutralized by a process of carbonation then washed using cyclones and counter current wash towers to a value added byproduct. The coarse particles (Washed and Carbonated Sand-WCS) of the stream were separated by Wet High Intensity Magnetic Separation technique (WHIMS) so that different segments such as High Iron Sand (HIS) and Low Iron Sand (LIS) were formed. Physical, chemical and mineralogical properties of these materials have been tested and compared with that of natural sand. Several mixes of concrete were then designed using Red Sand as a fine aggregate in order to verify their effects on strength and durability indicators of concrete. / The comparative analysis between normal mix proportions and the mix proportions utilizing Red Sand was also achieved. In addition, the impact of marine environment on concrete mix design and properties of manufactured concrete were evaluated with a series of standard laboratory tests. The findings were promising in terms of both mechanical properties and durability and suggested that Red Sand, in particular Low Iron Sand is likely to be effective in place of fine aggregates and can be used within marine grade concrete with no major differences when compared to normal concrete. From the results obtained, it can be deduced that this material can be used in a wide range of concrete applications in Civil Engineering and Construction.