For the automotive sector, plastics play the most important role when designing interior and exterior parts for cars. Currently, most parts are made from petroleum-based plastics but alternatives are needed to replace environmentally harmful materials while providing the appropriate mechanical performance and preferably reduce the cost for the final product. The objective of this work was to explore the use of soy flakes as natural filler in a composite with polypropylene and to investigate the mechanical properties, water absorption and thermal behaviour. For a better understanding of the filler, the soy flakes were characterized extensively with analytical and microscopic methods. Two types of soy fillers were investigated, soy flakes, provided by Bunge Inc., with a 48 wt-% protein content and an industrial soy based filler with 44 wt-% protein content and provided by Ford. The size of the soy flakes after milling was mainly between 50 and 200 µm and below 50 µm for the industrial filler. The aspect ratio for all filler was below 5. The soy flakes were used after milling and subjected to two pre-treatment methods: (1) one hour in a 50 °C pH 9 water solution in a 1 : 9 solid-liquid ratio; (2) one hour in a 50 °C pH 9 1M NaCl solution in a 1 : 9 solid-liquid ratio. A control filler, without pre-treatment was considered. The soy flakes were also compared to an industrial soy based filler provided by Ford (soy flour (Ford)). The thermogravimetric analysis showed an onset of degradation at 170 °C for the treated filler (ISH2O and ISNaCl) and 160 °C for the untreated filler. The biocomposites formulation consisted of 30 wt-% filler, and polypropylene with/without 0.35 wt-% anti-oxidant Irganox 1010 and with/without the addition of MA-PP as coupling agent. All biocomposites were compounded in a mini-extruder, pressed into bars by injection moulding and tested subsequently. The mechanical properties of the biocomposites are promising. An increase of the E-modulus was observed when compared to pure polypropylene. The addition of MA-PP as coupling agent increased the yield strength of the biocomposites. When pure polypropylene and the biocomposites were compared no difference could be seen for their yield strength. The thermal behaviour deduced from differential scanning calorimetry, revealed a similar behaviour for the biocomposites and the pure polypropylene. Only the samples treated in the presence of NaCl and without a coupling agent, appear to have a slightly higher degree of crystallinity. The melt flow index was slightly increased for the biocomposites containing soy flakes pre-treated with NaCl and decreased for biocomposites containing the soy flour. The water absorption behaviour of the biocomposites was quite similar at the beginning with a slightly lower absorption for the materials with coupling agent. After three months, all samples except the ones treated with water showed a weight loss that can be due to the leaching of the water soluble components in the untreated filler and the NaCl treated filler. In conclusion, soy flakes represent an attractive filler when used in a polypropylene matrix if an aqueous alkaline pre-treatment is performed. The aqueous alkaline extraction also leads to the recovery of the proteins that can be used in food products while the remaining insoluble material is used for the biocomposites, avoiding the competition with the use of soy for food products...

PMMA is a widely used biomaterial especially in the fields of orthopedia, orthodontia and ophthalmology. When biocompatibility is considered, modification of the biomaterials&amp / #8217 / surface may be needed to optimize interactions of the biomaterial with the biological environment. After the surface modifications one of the most important changes that occur is the change in the surface free energy (SFE). SFE is an important but an obscure property of the material and evaluation methods with different assumptions exist in the literature. In this study, SFE of pristine and oxygen plasma modified PMMA films were calculated by means of numerous theoretical approaches (Zisman, Saito, Fowkes, Berthelot, Geometric and Harmonic Mean and Acid-Base) using numerous liquids and the results were compared to each other to elucidate the differences of methods. Dispersive, polar, acidic and basic components of the SFE were calculated by the use of different liquid couples and triplets with the application of Geometric and Harmonic mean methods and Acid-Base approach. The effect of SFE and the components of SFE on the cell attachment efficiencies were examined by using fibroblast cells. It was observed that with the treatment of oxygen plasma, cell attachment capability and hydrophilicity of PMMA surfaces were altered depending on the applied power and duration of the plasma.

Thermo-stabilized lignin fibers from pH-fractionated softwood kraft lignin were carbonized to various temperatures during thermomechanical analysis (TMA) under static and increasing load and different rates of heating. The aim was to optimize the carbonization process to obtain suitable carbon fiber material with good mechanical strength potential (high tensile strength and high E-modulus). The carbon fibers were therefore mainly evaluated of mechanical strength in Dia-Stron uniaxial tensile testing. In addition, chemical composition, in terms of functional groups, and elemental (atomic) composition was studied in Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and in energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), respectively. The structure of carbon fibers was imaged in scanning electron microscope (SEM) and light microscopy. Thermogravimetrical analysis was performed on thermo-stabilized lignin fibers to evaluate the loss of mass and to calculate the stress-changes and diameter-changes that occur during carbonization. The TMA-analysis of the deformation showed, for thermo-stabilized lignin fibers, a characteristic behavior of contraction during carbonization. Carbonization temperatures above 1000°C seemed most efficient in terms of E-modulus and tensile strength whereas rate of heating did not matter considerably. The E-modulus for the fibers was improved significantly by slowly increasing the load during the carbonization. The tensile strength remained however unchanged. The FTIR-analysis indicated that many functional groups, mainly oxygen containing, dissociate from the lignin polymers during carbonization. The EDS supported this by showing that the oxygen content decreased. Accordingly, the relative carbon content increased passively to around 90% at 1000°C. Aromatic structures in the carbon fibers are thought to contribute to the mechanical strength and are likely formed during the carbonization. However, the FTIR result showed no evident signs that aromatic structures had been formed, possible due to some difficulties with the KBr-method. In the SEM and light microscopy imaging one could observe that porous formations on the surface of the fibers increased as the temperature increased in the carbonization. These formations may have affected the mechanical strength of the carbon fibers, mainly tensile strength. The carbonization process was optimized in the sense that any heating rate can be used. No restriction in production speed exists. The carbonization should be run to at least 1000°C to achieve maximum mechanical strength, both in E-modulus and tensile strength. To improve the E-modulus further, a slowly increasing load can be applied to the lignin fibers during carbonization. The earlier the force is applied, to counteract the lignin fiber contraction that occurs (namely around 300°C), the better. However, in terms of mechanical performance, the lignin carbon fibers are still far from practical use in the industry.

Parabens are effective antibacterial and anti-fungal agents and are used extensively as preservatives in cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical products. Because of the presence of parabens in the environment and their negative effects on human health, there is an increasing interest in their trace analysis. Since the concentration of parabens in the environment are rather low and cosmetics present rather complex matrices for the analysis, it is necessary to apply a preconcentration or isolation step prior to the chromatographic analysis. The aim of this work was to develop liquid-phase microextraction methods – single drop microextraction, hollow fibre liquid phase microextraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction – for parabens and to apply the methods for determination of parabens in water samples and cosmetic products. Extraction conditions for single drop microextraction, hollow fibre liquid phase microextraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction were optimized and the quality parameters of the suggested methods were calculated. The influence of derivatization on the paraben extraction efficiency was evaluated. Prepared microextraction methods were applied for the determination of parabens in real samples. / Parabenai pasižymi antibakterinėmis bei priešgrybelinėmis savybėmis ir plačiai naudojami kosmetikos, maisto, farmacijos pramonėje kaip konservantai, apsaugantys produktus nuo ankstyvo gedimo ir prailginantys jų galiojimo laiką. Padidėjus įtarimams, jog prasiskverbę per odą parabenai gali sukelti alergines reakcijas, ardyti endokrininę sistemą, skatinti vėžinių ląstelių gamybą, buvo pradėta kontroliuoti jų kiekį aplinkoje, maisto bei kosmetikos produktuose. Tačiau parabenų koncentracijos dažnai yra per mažos, o mėginiai per daug sudėtingi, kad juos būtų galima analizuoti nesukoncentravus ir neizoliavus nuo trukdančios matricos. Šioje daktaro disertacijoje apibendrintų mokslinių tyrimų tikslas – sukurti parabenų skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcijos metodus – mikroekstrakciją tirpiklio lašu, skystafazę mikroekstrakciją kapiliare ir dispersinę skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakciją – bei pritaikyti juos parabenų nustatymui vandenyje bei kosmetikos produktuose. Optimizuotos mikroekstrakcijos tirpiklio lašu, skystafazės mikroekstrakcijos kapiliare ir dispersinės skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcijos ekstrakcijos sąlygos ir nustatytos pagrindinės analizinės charakteristikos. Ištirta parabenų derivatizacijos įtaka parabenų dujų chromatografinio nustatymo efektyvumui. Paruošti parabenų mikroekstrakcijos metodai pritaikyti vandens ir kosmetikos mėginių analizei.

Parabenai pasižymi antibakterinėmis bei priešgrybelinėmis savybėmis ir plačiai naudojami kosmetikos, maisto, farmacijos pramonėje kaip konservantai, apsaugantys produktus nuo ankstyvo gedimo ir prailginantys jų galiojimo laiką. Padidėjus įtarimams, jog prasiskverbę per odą parabenai gali sukelti alergines reakcijas, ardyti endokrininę sistemą, skatinti vėžinių ląstelių gamybą, buvo pradėta kontroliuoti jų kiekį aplinkoje, maisto bei kosmetikos produktuose. Tačiau parabenų koncentracijos dažnai yra per mažos, o mėginiai per daug sudėtingi, kad juos būtų galima analizuoti nesukoncentravus ir neizoliavus nuo trukdančios matricos. Šioje daktaro disertacijoje apibendrintų mokslinių tyrimų tikslas – sukurti parabenų skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcijos metodus – mikroekstrakciją tirpiklio lašu, skystafazę mikroekstrakciją kapiliare ir dispersinę skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakciją – bei pritaikyti juos parabenų nustatymui vandenyje bei kosmetikos produktuose. Optimizuotos mikroekstrakcijos tirpiklio lašu, skystafazės mikroekstrakcijos kapiliare ir dispersinės skysčių-skysčių mikroekstrakcijos ekstrakcijos sąlygos ir nustatytos pagrindinės analizinės charakteristikos. Ištirta parabenų derivatizacijos įtaka parabenų dujų chromatografinio nustatymo efektyvumui. Paruošti parabenų mikroekstrakcijos metodai pritaikyti vandens ir kosmetikos mėginių analizei. / Parabens are effective antibacterial and anti-fungal agents and are used extensively as preservatives in cosmetics, food and pharmaceutical products. Because of the presence of parabens in the environment and their negative effects on human health, there is an increasing interest in their trace analysis. Since the concentration of parabens in the environment are rather low and cosmetics present rather complex matrices for the analysis, it is necessary to apply a preconcentration or isolation step prior to the chromatographic analysis. The aim of this work was to develop liquid-phase microextraction methods – single drop microextraction, hollow fibre liquid phase microextraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction – for parabens and to apply the methods for determination of parabens in water samples and cosmetic products. Extraction conditions for single drop microextraction, hollow fibre liquid phase microextraction and dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction were optimized and the quality parameters of the suggested methods were calculated. The influence of derivatization on the paraben extraction efficiency was evaluated. Prepared microextraction methods were applied for the determination of parabens in real samples.

The central objective of this thesis is to suggest and develop one simple, unified method for communication over optical fiber networks, valid for all values of dispersion and nonlinearity parameters, and for a single-user channel or a multiple-user network. The method is based on the nonlinear Fourier transform (NFT), a powerful tool in soliton theory and exactly solvable models for solving integrable partial differential equations governing wave propagation in certain nonlinear media. The NFT decorrelates signal degrees of freedom in such models, in much the same way that the Fourier transform does for linear systems. In this thesis, this observation is exploited for data transmission over integrable channels such as optical fibers, where pulse propagation is governed by the nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) equation. In this transmission scheme, which can be viewed as a nonlinear analogue of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing commonly used in linear channels, information is encoded in the nonlinear spectrum of the signal. Just as the (ordinary) Fourier transform converts a linear convolutional channel into a number of parallel scalar channels, the nonlinear Fourier transform converts a nonlinear dispersive channel described by a \emph{Lax convolution} into a number of parallel scalar channels. Since, in the spectral coordinates the NLS equation is multiplicative, users of a network can operate in independent nonlinear frequency bands with no deterministic inter-channel interference. Unlike most other fiber-optic transmission schemes, this technique deals with both dispersion and nonlinearity directly and unconditionally without the need for dispersion or nonlinearity compensation methods. This thesis lays the foundations of such a nonlinear frequency-division multiplexing system.

The central objective of this thesis is to suggest and develop one simple, unified method for communication over optical fiber networks, valid for all values of dispersion and nonlinearity parameters, and for a single-user channel or a multiple-user network. The method is based on the nonlinear Fourier transform (NFT), a powerful tool in soliton theory and exactly solvable models for solving integrable partial differential equations governing wave propagation in certain nonlinear media. The NFT decorrelates signal degrees of freedom in such models, in much the same way that the Fourier transform does for linear systems. In this thesis, this observation is exploited for data transmission over integrable channels such as optical fibers, where pulse propagation is governed by the nonlinear Schr\"odinger (NLS) equation. In this transmission scheme, which can be viewed as a nonlinear analogue of orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing commonly used in linear channels, information is encoded in the nonlinear spectrum of the signal. Just as the (ordinary) Fourier transform converts a linear convolutional channel into a number of parallel scalar channels, the nonlinear Fourier transform converts a nonlinear dispersive channel described by a \emph{Lax convolution} into a number of parallel scalar channels. Since, in the spectral coordinates the NLS equation is multiplicative, users of a network can operate in independent nonlinear frequency bands with no deterministic inter-channel interference. Unlike most other fiber-optic transmission schemes, this technique deals with both dispersion and nonlinearity directly and unconditionally without the need for dispersion or nonlinearity compensation methods. This thesis lays the foundations of such a nonlinear frequency-division multiplexing system.

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Submitted by Johnny Rodrigues (johnnyrodrigues@ufcg.edu.br) on 2018-09-12T14:36:34Z No. of bitstreams: 1 JOELMA SALES DOS SANTOS - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGEA 2008..pdf: 2148772 bytes, checksum: df2be91fa70bfec779b2da346fa4693c (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-12T14:36:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 JOELMA SALES DOS SANTOS - DISSERTAÇÃO PPGEA 2008..pdf: 2148772 bytes, checksum: df2be91fa70bfec779b2da346fa4693c (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02 / Capes / Com o objetivo de avaliar os parâmetros de transporte fator de retardamento, coeficiente de dispersão-difusão e curva de efluente dos íons cálcio, magnésio, sódio, potássio e da condutividade elétrica presentes nas águas residuárias de origem de doméstica tratada e de suinocultura realizou-se um experimento em laboratório com colunas de solos Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo Eutrófico e Neossolo Regolítico Eutrófico. Através de frascos de Mariotte passou-se cerca de dois volumes de água destilada nas colunas e, em seguida, interligou-se outro frasco contendo as águas residuárias que lixiviou 3,75 volume de poros divididos em 25 alíquotas. Os efluentes obtidos das colunas foram encaminhados ao laboratório e com os valores das concentrações relativas foram construídas as curvas de distribuição de efluentes para os solutos cálcio, magnésio, sódio e potássio. Os parâmetros de transportes foram calculados através modelo computacional DISP (Programa para cálculo dos parâmetros de transporte de solutos no solo em deslocamento de fluidos miscíveis). Os resultados obtidos permitiram concluir que os fatores de retardamento foram mais altos para o sódio no solo Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo Eutrófico e para o íon magnésio no Neossolo Regolítico Eutrófico lixiviados com água residuária doméstica tratada. Para a água residuária de suinocultura os maiores valores foram calculados para o íon magnésio nos dois solos. Em relação aos coeficientes de dispersão-difusão verificou-se que os maiores valores foram observados para o Neossolo Regolítico Eutrófico independe do tipo de água. De modo geral o maior aporte de nutrientes foi detectado nos solos Argissolo Vermelho-Amarelo Eutrófico e Neossolo Regolítico Eutrófico após ser lixiviado com as águas residuárias doméstica tratada e de suinocultura.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In this study, an analytical method was developed for the quantification of statins Atorvastatin and Simvastatin, in hospital effluent (University Hospital of Santa Maria, using Solid phase extraction and Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction, followed in liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detector. The principal variables of Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction were investigated with aid of experimental central composite design. The recovery rates of Solid phase extraction varied from 95% for Atorvastatin and 83.2% for Simvastatin, in aqueous solution, and 92.0% for Atorvastatin and 81.5% for Simvastatin, in hospital effluent. As for the Dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction the recovery rates ranged from 85.5% for Atorvastatin and 89.4% for Simvastatin, in aqueous solution, and 83.0% for Atorvastatin and 83.1% for Simvastatin, in hospital effluent. The sampling was carried out in two sample points called Emergency Effluent and General Effluent . The concentration rates detected in the effluent were 30.1 μg L-1 in Emergency Effluent and 29.0 μg L-1 in General Effluent for Atorvastatin and 37.1 μg L-1 in Emergency Effluent and 36.1 μg L-1 in GE for Simvastatin. Ozonation and electrocoagulation were applied for the degradation/removal of statins. The principal variables of electrocoagulation were investigated with aid of experimental central composite design. The degradation rate obtained in ozonation was 100% for Atorvastatin, in 25 minutes reaction for aqueous solution and hospital effluent; and 100% for Simvastatin, in 4 minutes reaction for aqueous solution and 10 minutes reaction in hospital effluent. As for the electrocoagulation the removal rate was 75.6% in aqueous solution and 70.9% in hospital effluent for Atorvastatin; and 100% in aqueous solution and hospital effluent for Simvastatin in 60 minutes reaction. A preliminary risk evaluation revealed that the statins showed a low environmental risk, PEC/PNEC < 1. / Neste trabalho foi desenvolvida metodologia analítica para a quantificação de estatinas Atorvastatina e Sinvastatina, em efluente hospitalar (Hospital Universitário de Santa Maria), utilizando Extração em fase sólida e Microextração dispersiva líquido-líquido seguida de cromatografia líquida com detector de arranjo de diodos. As principais variáveis da Microextração dispersiva líquido-líquido foram investigadas utilizando a Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta através de um delineamento composto central rotacional. As taxas de recuperação da Extração em fase sólida foram de 95,8% para Atorvastatina e 83,5% para Sinvastatina, em solução aquosa e 92,0% para Atorvastatina e 81,5% para Sinvastatina em efluente hospitalar. Já para a Microextração dispersiva líquido-líquido as taxas de recuperação foram de 85,5% para Atorvastatina e 89,4% para Sinvastatina, em solução aquosa e 83,0% para Atorvastatina e 83,1% para Sinvastatina, em efluente hospitalar. A amostragem foi feita em dois pontos de coleta, denominados Efluente PA e Efluente Geral . A concentração média detectada no efluente foi de 30,1 μg L-1 no Efluente PA e 29,0 μg L-1 no Efluente Geral para Atorvastatina e 37,1 μg L-1 no Efluente PA e 36,1 μg L-1 no Efluente Geral para Sinvastatina. Ozonização e eletrocoagulação foram aplicados na degradação/remoção das estatinas. As principais variáveis da eletrocoagulação foram investigadas utilizando a Metodologia de Superfície de Resposta através de um delineamento composto central. As taxas de degradação obtidas na ozonização foram de 100% para Atorvastatina, em 25 min de reação, para solução aquosa e efluente hospitalar; e 100% para Sinvastatina em 4 min em solução aquosa, e 10 min em efluente hospitalar. Já para a eletrocoagulação as taxas de remoção foram de 75,9% em solução aquosa e 70,9% em efluente hospitalar para Atorvastatina; e 100% para solução aquosa e afluente hospitalar para Sinvastatina, em 60 min de reação. A análise preliminar de risco ambiental revelou que as estatinas apresentam baixo risco ambiental, com PEC/PNEC < 1.