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This thesis investigates the feasibility of producing activated carbon from polysaccharides. Activated carbons are high surface area solids with rich surface functionality and as a result, find use in a variety of industrial separation processes. The market for activated carbon is already established and growing but there is a huge push to find sustainable alternatives for the raw material used for its production, which is primarily coal. While there exists a significant amount of research on agricultural residues as potential replacements, there is minimal information on using polysaccharides as precursors for the production of activated carbon. Using the patented PGX process, two separate approaches were employed for the synthesis of activated carbon. The first method relied on the porous network of PGX materials to be maintained during pyrolysis while the second approach used a chemical agent to create porosity during the pyrolysis. Gas sorption analysis revealed that the PGX structure was not maintained during the pyrolysis stage hence losing all its pore network and extended surface area. Additionally, no significant variation between the PGX and non PGX variants of the chemically activated polymers was observed. However, it was revealed that the interaction between zinc chloride and pectin produced exceptionally high specific surface area (exceeding 2000 m2 g-1) activated carbon. The produced carbon had a high degree of microporosity (up to 100%) with some flexibility present in tuning the porosity. Elemental analysis revealed the carbon to have high surface functionality and preliminary adsorption test for removal of heavy metal ions from water (Pb2+ and Cd2+) showed promising results with the in-house carbon performing better than a representative commercial carbon. This study relies on statistical methods including multiple design of experiment studies and advanced characterization techniques to analyze the manufacturing process and the properties of carbon in an attempt to find the best conditions for producing activated carbon from polysaccharides. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

L'incidence des candidoses invasives a considérablement augmenté au cours des dernières décennies, parallèlement à l'augmentation du nombre de patients à risque. Ces pathologies sont associées à une morbi-mortalité élevée. Ce pronostic peut toutefois être amélioré par l'instauration d'un traitement antifongique précoce. Quatre classes de molécules antifongiques sont aujourd’hui disponibles pour la prévention et le traitement des candidoses invasives : échinocandines, antifongiques azolés, polyènes et pyrimidines. Du fait d’une efficacité importante et d’une meilleure tolérance, les échinocandines et les antifongiques azolés sont les plus largement utilisés. L'utilisation massive de ces molécules a conduit à une modification de l'épidémiologie des candidoses invasives, avec l'émergence d'espèces non-albicans intrinsèquement moins sensibles à ces antifongiques, à l'exemple de C. glabrata ou C. parapsilosis. De plus, des souches résistantes voire multi-résistantes aux échinocandines et aux antifongiques azolés sont de plus en plus fréquemment isolées, et associées à des échecs thérapeutiques. L'activité de ces antifongiques est également limitée par le phénomène de tolérance, résultant de la capacité d'adaptation des levures aux stress membranaires et pariétaux induits par ces molécules.Pour toutes ces raisons, l'identification et le développement de nouvelles stratégies antifongiques sont nécessaires. Ce travail de thèse s'inscrit dans cette optique, avec pour objectifs l'étude de la tolérance et de la résistance aux antifongiques chez Candida spp. et la caractérisation de nouvelles cibles thérapeutiques impliquées dans ces processus.La première partie de ce travail a permis de démontrer l'intérêt du séquençage nouvelle génération et d'une approche multigénique pour l'étude des mécanismes impliqués dans la résistance aux antifongiques azolés et aux échinocandines chez Candida spp. Par ce biais, il a été possible d'appréhender de nouveaux mécanismes potentiellement impliqués dans la résistance aux antifongiques, qui nécessitent toutefois d'être confirmés.Dans un deuxième temps, ce travail a permis de mettre en évidence que l'ensemble des protéines de la voie de signalisation du pH ou voie Rim chez les levures est impliqué dans la tolérance aux antifongiques chez C. albicans, l'espèce la plus fréquemment isolée en pathologie humaine. De plus, de nouveaux gènes Rim-dépendants ont été identifiés par RNA-sequencing, à l'exemple de HSP90, codant pour une protéine chaperone responsable de la régulation de multiples processus biologiques, et IPT1, responsable de la biosynthèse du principal sphingolipide membranaire. Ces deux gènes ont précédemment été impliqués dans la tolérance aux antifongiques azolés et aux échinocandines chez C. albicans et pourraient participer à la tolérance aux antifongiques médiée par la voie Rim. Ces résultats ouvrent des perspectives intéressantes : en effet, en ciblant la voie Rim, il pourrait être possible de potentialiser l'activité des molécules antifongiques actuellement commercialisées et de cibler indirectement Hsp90 tout en s'affranchissant des problèmes de toxicité car cette voie de signalisation est spécifique du règne fongique.Enfin, une dernière partie de ce travail réalisée dans le cadre du partenariat de l'ANR FungiBET a permis de montrer que la protéine BET (Bromodomain and Extra-Terminal) Bdf1 de C. glabrata, impliquée dans la régulation épigénétique de la transcription, est essentielle à la croissance in vitro. Plus précisément, l'intégrité des deux bromodomaines BD1 et BD2 de Bdf1, responsables de la liaison de cette protéine aux histones, est essentielle chez cette espèce, qui est la deuxième la plus fréquemment isolée dans les candidoses invasives en Europe et aux Etats-Unis. Ce résultat confirme les premières données obtenues chez C. albicans, et l'intérêt de l'inhibition des protéines BET fongiques comme nouvelle stratégie antifongique / The incidence of invasive candidiasis (IC) has dramatically increased over the past decades, partly due to the increasing number of at-risk patients. IC is associated with high mortality rates: however, its prognosis can be improved by early treatment. Four antifungal classes are available today for the prevention and treatment of IC: echinocandins, azoles, polyenes and pyrimidines. Due to their high efficacy and interesting safety profile, echinocandins and azoles are more commonly used. Massive use of these compounds has led to epidemiological changes in IC, with the emergence of non-albicans species which are intrinsically less susceptible to these antifungals, such as C. glabrata or C. parapsilosis. In addition, Candida spp. strains resistant, or even multiresistant, to azoles and echinocandins are increasingly isolated and associated with therapeutic failures. Antifungal activity is also limited by tolerance, a reversible phenomenon resulting from the yeast's adaptation to membrane and cell wall stresses caused by these molecules.For these reasons, identification and development of new antifungal strategies are needed. This work aimed at studying antifungal resistance and tolerance in Candida spp. and characterizing new therapeutic targets involved in these process.First, this work showed the interest of next-generation sequencing and multigene approaches to study mechanisms involved in resistance to echinocandins and azoles antifungals in Candida spp. It notably allowed to identify new mechanisms involved in antifungal resistance, which still need to be confirmed.In a second part, this work allowed to show that all the proteins of the pH-signaling pathway, known as the Rim pathway in yeasts, are involved in antifungal tolerance in C. albicans, the most frequent species responsible for IC in humans. In addition, new Rim-dependent genes were identified through RNA-sequencing, such as HSP90, coding for a major chaperone involved in the regulation of multiple cellular process, as well as IPT1, responsible for the synthesis of the main membrane sphingolipid.Both genes were previously shown to be involved in azoles and echinocandins tolerance in C. albicans, and could therefore play a role in antifungal tolerance mediated by the Rim pathway. These results offer great perspectives. Indeed, targeting the Rim pathway would allow to enhance the activity of commercially available antifungals and to indirectly target Hsp90, with no or limited toxicity as this signaling pathway is fungal-specific.Thirdly, a last part of this work performed in the context of the ANR FungiBET consortium, allowed to show that the BET protein Bdf1 in C. glabrata, which is involved in epigenetic regulation of transcription, is required for in vitro growth. More precisely, the integrity of both BD1 and BD2 Bdf1 bromodomains are essential in this species, which ranks second among causes of IC. This result confirms the first data obtained in C. albicans and the interest of inhibiting fungal BET proteins as a new antifungal strategy

The synoptic gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are commonly regarded as biographical in nature in their presentation of the life and teachings of Jesus. The gospels of Matthew and Luke report that Jesus was born a Hebrew among Hebrews, raised as a Jew within the Jewish nation, and functioned a first century Rabbi in a completely Jewish context during which time he started his own movement called the kingdom of heaven. The Rabbis of that day commonly enlisted a group of followers or disciples. The combination of a Rabbi and his students constituted an academy. Two schools or academies existed during the time of Jesus and were contemporary with him, the school of Shammai and the school of Hillel. The Babylonian Talmud dating from 500 C.E. records exactly three hundred and sixteen legal controversies between these two schools. Legal disputes between Jesus and representatives of one or the other existing schools of thought are recorded in the synoptic gospels. Each record clearly identifies the subject under dispute and the positions of the disputing parties. Nevertheless, the incomplete information provided in the synoptic gospels is not sufficient to allow readers to understand the dispute at hand. For example, a group of unidentified Pharisees approach Jesus with a specific question regarding the legalities of divorce. They ask the following question: "Is it lawful to divorce one's wife for any cause (Matthew 19:3)?" This question can raise these questions in the readers minds: Why was this question presented to Jesus? What is the background of this legality? What is the actual law regarding this matter? Is this an unresolved issue? Who are the parties involved in resolving this issue? Is there more detailed information regarding this issue? Ancient Jewish sources provide answers to all of these questions. This dissertation provides the material lacking in the synoptic gospels to enable one to understand the controversy and Jesus' interpretation. This will be accomplished through use of Jewish sources that provide the details of the disputes recorded in the synoptic gospels as well as identifying the various parties involved. Behind the process of presenting background information in this dissertation lies the premise that any study of the life and teachings of Jesus performed without consulting ancient Jewish sources will result in confusion and misunderstanding. This dissertation highlights information relating to these controversies that is lacking in the synoptic gospels and will enable the reader to understand the nature of the controversy and Jesus' conclusions. / text

Submitted by Marilene Donadel (marilene.donadel@unioeste.br) on 2018-10-26T00:04:37Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Francimeiri_Borsato_2018.pdf: 2616199 bytes, checksum: 0597ddbb345dfc4d204c2b2092f5ee59 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-26T00:04:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Francimeiri_Borsato_2018.pdf: 2616199 bytes, checksum: 0597ddbb345dfc4d204c2b2092f5ee59 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-07-25 / This work has evaluated the adsorption capability of three coal produced in the Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (tilapia bone residual coal, soybean bark coal and chestnut from Pará) and other kind of coal commercially obtained (babaçu coconut pealing coal) to remove the metronidazole from aqueous solution. The coal which better absorbed the metranidazole was the babaçu coconut peal one (CCCB) with temperature from 40ºC, 150 rpm of stirring and with no pH adjustment. Thus, the kinetic tests were performed by using the SOTAX dissolution apparatus, with 1000 mL of metronidazole solution, varying the concentration (200, 400, 650 and 850 mg/ L) and the temperature (30, 40, 45ºC), 1 g of the coal and 150 rpm of stirring. The equilibrium time observed was around 20 hours and in the first 4 hours a bigger amount of metranidazole was adsorbed, this inicial amount corresponds to the metranidazole adsorption in the outer layer of the CCCB. The results obtained from the adsorption kinetics were described by the intraparticule diffusion in which were verified the appearing of four well defined regions corresponding to the adsorption in the outer layer, in the macropores, in the CCCB mesopores and the equilibrium, respectively. In the equilibrium studies, were presented two adsorption mechanisms: monolayer and multilayer with increasing concentration of the adsorbate, corresponding to the hybrid model of Langmuir + BET. The removing process of metranidazole by using CCCB became economically viable due to the low cost in the obtention or production of the adsorbent, the easily extracetion of the babaçu coconut biomass and the excellent capability of maximum adsorptive to the metranidazole. / Neste trabalho, avaliou-se a capacidade de adsorção de três carvões produzidos na Universidade Estadual do Oeste do Paraná (carvão do resíduo ósseo de tilápia, carvão da casca da soja e o carvão da casca da castanha do Pará) e um carvão obtido comercialmente (carvão da casca do coco babaçu) para remoção do antibiótico metronidazol de solução aquosa. O carvão que melhor adsorveu o metronidazol foi o carvão da casca do coco babaçu (CCCB) com temperatura de 40ºC, 150 rpm de agitação e sem ajuste de pH. Dessa forma, os testes cinéticos foram realizados com o auxílio de um dissolutor (Sotax), utilizando 1000 mL de solução de metronidazol, variando a concentração (200, 400, 650 e 850 mg L-1) e a temperatura (30, 40 e 45ºC), 1 g do carvão e 150 rpm de agitação. O tempo de equilíbrio observado foi de aproximadamente 20 horas e nas primeiras 4 horas uma maior quantidade de metronidazol foi adsorvida, essa quantidade inicial corresponde à adsorção do metronidazol na camada externa do CCCB. Os dados obtidos a partir da cinética de adsorção foram descritos pelo modelo de difusão intrapartícula, no qual verificou-se o aparecimento de quatro regiões bem definidas correspondendo respectivamente a adsorção na camada externa, nos macroporos, nos mesoporos do CCCB e por último o equilíbrio. No estudo de equilíbrio, apresentou dois mecanismos de adsorção: monocamada e multicamadas com o aumento da concentração do adsorvato, correspondendo ao modelo híbrido de Langmuir+ BET. O processo de remoção de metronidazol utilizando o CCCB é economicamente viável visto o baixo custo na obtenção ou fabricação do adsorvente por ser extraído da biomassa do coco babaçu, além de possuir uma excelente capacidade máxima adsortiva para o antibiótico estudado.

International Telemetering Conference Proceedings / October 28-31, 1996 / Town and Country Hotel and Convention Center, San Diego, California / In the last few years there has been a proliferation of GPS receivers and receiver manufacturers. Couple this with a growing number of DoD test programs requiring high accuracy Time-Space-Position-Information (TSPI) with diminishing test support funds and/or needing a wide area, low altitude or surface tracking capability. The Air Force Development Test Center (AFDTC) recognized the growing requirements for using GPS in test programs and the need for a low cost, portable TSPI processing capability which sparked the development of the Desktop GPS Analyst. The Desktop GPS Analyst is a personal computer (PC) based software application for the generation of GPS-based TSPI.

This paper explores the general attitudes of African Americans towards the programming disseminated on the BET network past and present (pre-Viacom/post-Viacom). The mass media company Viacom acquired BET from African American founder Robert L. Johnson in 1980. BET under Johnson took pride in its ability to provide sophisticated, value-driven, and positive programming for African Americans. This study looks to see if the cultural values at BET have changed via its programming since Viacom’s purchase. This study utilized social media to survey 100 participants who were born prior to 1984 who identify as African American or mixed African American and are familiar with BET. This paper uses social identity theory to examine the attitudes that the African American participants hold towards BET as they use their value-set to negotiate their social identity via their attitudes with the content shown on BET. This research reveals the importance of viewing cultures as heterogeneous as well as the importance of cultural groups such as African Americans controlling the dissemination of their own cultural messages and images. A paired T-test analysis revealed statistically a significant difference of participant attitudes of BET in the past (1980-1999) and the present (2000-2015). The participants therefore rated BET higher on the average in the past when BET was black owned (pre-Viacom), as opposed to the present now that BET is white owned (post-Viacom).

The PCI technology is well established for reducing the consumption of economic and environmentally expensive coke in blast furnace iron-making. Often, coal blends show unexpected combustion performance which cannot be explained on the basis of individual coal properties particularly coal rank and volatile matter. Several coals were combusted in this study under controlled conditions in a drop tube furnace. Fixed bed reactor, XRD, SEM and BET analyses were used to understand the mechanism of combustion of coal blends. Burnout of the coal blends did not change linearly with volatile matter of blends. The study demonstrated that combustion behaviour of coal blends was influenced by several properties of individual coals and cannot be estimated by using any single coal parameter. Carbon structure of coal as well as the interaction of volatile matter of individual coals was found to have a strong influence on the burnout of coal blends. Pet-cokes were generally found to burn with a greater difficulty. Carbon structure of pet-cokes was found to have a significant effect on the burnout such that coal blends with highly ordered pet-coke indicated lower burnout. The study shows that up to 10% of pet coke did not change the burnout of PCI blends significantly. As far as combustion is concerned, the drop tube furnace test provides a reasonable distinction of the effect of coal properties for PCI application.