Mother nature has laid out a beautiful blueprint to capture sunlight and convert to usable form of energy. Inspired by nature, donor-acceptor systems are predominantly studied for their light harvesting applications. This dissertation explores new donor-acceptor systems by studying their photochemical properties useful in building artificial photosynthetic systems. The systems studied are divided into phthalocyanine-porphyrin-fullerene-based, perylenediimide-based, and aluminum porphyrin-based donor-acceptor systems. Further effect of solvents in determining the energy or electron transfer was studied in chapter 6. Such complex photosynthetic analogues are designed and characterized using UV-vis, fluorescence spectroscopy, differential pulse voltammetry and cyclic voltammetry. Using ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy, the excited state properties are explored. The information obtained from the current study is critical in getting one step closer to building affordable and sustainable solar energy harvesting devices which could easily unravel the current energy demands.

Transplant medicine has been developing fast, bringing about also development of nursing care in this field. The purpose of this thesis was to examine the experience of perioperative nurses with organ procurement at the IKEM Transplant Centre and to obtain information on the procurement of different organs, organ storage, the organisation of perioperative nurses' work and on how the nurses perceive their work. This thesis applied a qualitative method, using semi-structured interviews divided into several parts, and the results were subsequently categorized. Meister's questionnaire was used to assess the mental workload of perioperative nurses. A total of 8 perioperative nurses working in full-time positions at the IKEM Transplant Centre and 8 perioperative nurses working in surgery units, all of them chosen by non-probability sampling, participated in the survey. Perioperative nurses perceive differences in the procurement of different organs from cadaver donors and know the possible modification of the procedure. What matters to them is the organ that is procured - kidney procurement or multiple organ procurement in cooperation with multiple surgeon teams, split-liver or reduction-liver transplantation or the donor's age. The nurses emphasize that their job requires responsibility, is demanding and causes stress. More experienced nurses participate in organ procurement in donor hospitals, bearing their own responsibility, but at the same time working in a well-functioning transplant team that includes also the coordinator and procurement surgeon. These nurses work on-call and are responsible for organising the work in the surgery room. They know that their job is demanding and are proud of where they work; however, they very often point out the stressfulness of their work. They know it is necessary to take time to relax and regenerate. Transplant centre perioperative nurses can be assessed as the second category of Meister's questionnaire, while perioperative nurses in surgery units as Meister's first category. This thesis may be used as study material and was used for a presentation at a medical conference.

A new and general procedure is described for a detailed analysis of time-resolved fluorescence depolarisation data in the presence of electronic energy migration. An isotropic ensemble of bifluorophoric molecules (D1-R-D2) has been studied to demonstrate its utility. Intramolecular donor-donor energy migration occurs between the two donor groups (D), which are covalently connected to a rigid linker group (R). These groups undergo restricted reorientational motions with respect to the R group. The analysis of depolarisation data basically involves the search for best-fit parameters which describe the local reorienting motions, the interfluorophore D1-D2 distance, as well as the mutual orientations of the donors. For this, the analysis is partly performed in the Fourier domain and the best-fit parameters are determined by using an approach based on a Genetic Algorithm. The energy migration process has been described by using Monte Carlo simulations and an extended Förster theory. It is found that this theory provides the least time-consuming computational method. Since one-photon and two-photon excited fluorescence experiments can be applied for energy migration studies, a general and unified theoretical formulation is given. To exemplify the developed quantitative approach the depolarisation of the fluorescence in the presence of electronic energy migration within a bis-(9-anthrylmethylphosphonate) bisteroid molecule has been studied by time-resolved two-photon excited fluorescence depolarisation experiments. To solely obtain information about local reorientations of the 9-anthrylmethyl group, also the mono-(9-anthrylmethylphosphonate) bisteroid was studied, which enabled modelling of the ordering potential of the donor. Values of the two-photon absorption tensor components were obtained. To describe the discrepancy between the measured values of the initial anisotropy and fundamental anisotropy predicted by theory the distribution of absorption tensor caused by fast processes have been introduced. An angular parameter of absorption tensor was determined. Reasonable values of the distance between the 9-anthrylmethyl groups, as well as for their mutual orientation were obtained.

Over the last few years, policies have been introduced in the UK which aim to improve organ transplantation rates by changing the way that potential organ donors are treated before death. Patients incapacitated due to catastrophic brain injury may now undergo ante-mortem donor optimisation procedures to facilitate deceased organ donation. As I identify in this thesis, the most significant ethical and legal problem with these policies is that they are not based on what the patient would have chosen for themselves in the specific circumstances. The policies identify and treat patients meeting certain clinical criteria as a group rather than the individuals, with their own viewpoints, that the law on best interests requires. They equate registration on the Organ Donation Register with ante-mortem donor optimisation procedures being in their best interests, despite registrants having neither been informed about nor given consent to ante-mortem interventions. The overarching claim I make in this thesis is that a system of specific advance consent is needed to provide a clear and unequivocal legal justification for ante-mortem donor optimisation procedures. The ethical foundation for this claim is autonomy, and this is the central theme running through all six chapters. I argue that autonomy should be incorporated into donor optimisation policy to promote the dignity and integrity of potential organ donors and to safeguard trust in the organ donation programme. I argue that a system of specific advance consent is needed as part of the duty of care owed to registrants on the Organ Donor Register and to facilitate the determination of the best interests of the potential organ donor. I argue that the state has not established the necessity of the current policy of non-consensual donor optimisation procedures and that they are under an ethical and legal obligation to introduce an autonomy-based framework for ante-mortem interventions to facilitate organ donation.

The present thesis is focused on rational design and synthesis of π-conjugated donor-acceptor (D-A) type oligomers and polymers. It is organized in six different chapters and a brief discussion on the content of the individual chapter is provided below. Chapter 1 briefly describes the charge transport properties of organic semiconductors followed by recent development of different organic semiconducting materials mainly for applications in OFET and solar cells have been highlighted. Chapter 2 explores the synthesis and characterization of two new liquid crystalline, D-A type bithiophene-benzothiazole derivatives. The liquid crystalline properties of the materials have been studied in detail with optical polarizing microscopic images and differential scanning calorimetry and found that these materials possess highly ordered smectic A liquid crystalline phase. Their charge transport properties have also been investigated by fabricating OFET devices. Chapter 3 describes the photophysical properties and OFET performance of quinoxaline based donors-acceptor-donor (D-A-D) type molecules. Depending on the flexibility and rigidity of the conjugated backbone these materials show liquid crystalline behaviour. Investigation of their OFET performance indicated that these molecules exhibit p-type mobility up to 9.7 x 10-4 cm2V-1s-1 and on/ off ratio of 104. Chapter 4 investigates excited state properties and OFET behavior of D-A-D type diketopyrrolopyrrole (DPP) derivatives end-capped with alkoxynaphthalene group. UV-Visible spectroscopy measurement shows strong intramolecular charge transfer (ICT) between donor and acceptor unit. Steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence measurements confirm the formation of excimer. The excited state interactions, the interchromophore separation and geometry of the molecules influence the extent of excimer formation. Finally, the OFET behavior of these DPP based materials has been studied using different dielectric layers. Chapter 5 discusses the synthesis, characterization and properties of two new thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-DPP based donor-acceptor (D-A) type low band gap polymers (PTTDPP-BDT and PTTDPP-BZT). Investigation of OFET performance indicated that polymers exhibited ambipolar behaviour with hole mobility upto 1.0 x 10-3 cm2/Vs and electron mobility upto 8 x 10-5 cm2/Vs. Using polymer PTTDPP-BDT with electron acceptor C70PCBM, power conversion efficiency (PCE) around 3.26% in bulk heterojunction solar cell has been achieved. Chapter 6 describes the approach to tailor the energy levels of conjugated polymers (PTDPP-IDT and PTTDPP-IDT) based on Indacenodithiophene (IDT) coupled with DPP moieties. We have studied the photovoltaic performance of these conjugated polymers by blending with PCBM and P3HT. The importance of these materials in polymer/polymer blend solar cell has been emphasized. The photovoltaic devices with polymer/polymer blend solar cell exhibit high open-circuit voltages (VOC) of ~ 0.8 V. In summary, the work presented in this thesis describes synthesis, characterization and photophysical properties of new organic semiconductors and their importance in optoelectronic devices. This work also describes a general design principle of nonfullerene organic solar cell. The results described here show that these materials have potential application as active components in plastic electronics.

The pi-electron oligomers: Their synthesis and properties This diploma thesis is focused on the synthesis of p-oligophenyleneethynylene rods (dimer and trimer) containing laterally attached naphtalenediimide units as electron acceptor groups. These functionalised short oligomers are intended to serve as model oligodentate acceptors in the study on multiple interactions with electron rich molecules. The oligomers were assembled from building blocks such as aryl iodides and aryl alkynes bearing a naphthalenediimide unit. The functionalised monomers were combined in a stepwise way by using Sonogashira reaction to form the target p-oligophenyleneethynylene oligomers. The introductory UV-VIS spectroscopic studies on charge transfer complexes between electron donor (pyrene) and electron acceptor (a naphthalenediimide derivative) were performed. In addition, multiple noncovalent interaction between the electron acceptor dimer containing two naphthalenedimide moieties and the electron donor dimer containing two pyrene moieties were investigated by using 1 H NMR titration. The resulting oligomers and their precursors were characterized by using 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, MS and IR spectroscopy.

Kidney transplantation is the treatment of choice for patients with end stage renal failure and is associated with prolonged survival of patients and better quality of life than long-term dialysis. Simultaneously, however, transplantation carries the risk of immunological complications leading to graft rejection. A serious problem in patients after organ transplantation is the development of humoral rejection, which is most often associated with the presence of antibodies specific to HLA antigens, particularly against mismatched HLA antigens of the organ donor. In certain cases antibodies may be specific to antigens expressed on endothelial cells, not on lymphocytes, like MICA, MICB, ICAM, and up till now unidentified tissue-specific antigens. Humoral rejection has significantly worse prognosis for the transplanted kidney than cellular rejection, and therefore its timely diagnosis is of great importance for the subsequent choice of appropriate therapy. The diagnosis of humoral rejection is based on the simultaneous detection of C4d deposits in the peritubular capillaries of the transplanted kidney and the finding of antibodies specific to the mismatched antigens of the donor (donor specific antibodies, DSA). The aim of our retrospective study was to contribute to improvement of the diagnosis of acute and...

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Introdução: O Transplante de Célula Tronco Hematopoiética (TCTH) é um tratamento potencialmente curativo para muitas desordens hematológicas. A disparidade HLA entre doador e receptor é um fator crítico para os resultados do TCTH. No entanto novas evidencias tem demonstrado que outros fatores como a fonte de célula tronco, o tipo de condicionamento e fatores relacionados aos doadores, entre eles o sexo, a idade e o status sorológico para Citomegalovirus (CMV) podem influenciar os desfechos do procedimento. Objetivo: Avaliar as características dos doadores de medula óssea e seu impacto nos desfechos do TCTH em um centro do Sul do Brasil. Métodos: Foram avaliadas retrospectivamente as características dos doadores como sexo, idade, presença de exposição previa ao CMV, incompatibilidade ABO e suas relações com a ocorrência de doença do enxerto contra hospedeiro (DECH) aguda e crônica, a mortalidade relacionada ao transplante (do inglês tumor related mortality – TRM) sobrevida livre de doença (SLD) e sobrevida Global (SG) em todos os pacientes submetidos a TCTH alogênico em um único centro durante o período de 1994 a 2012. Resultados: 347 pacientes foram incluídos na análise. O TCTH aparentado foi significativamente mais freqüente que o não aparentado (81.2 x 18.7), a mediana de idade foi de 34 (1-61) para os receptores e 33 (1-65) para os doadores. Na analise multivariada a presença de DECH agudo (33% vs 47%) p=0,04 e ter doadores mais idosos (>40 anos) foram associados a uma redução de SG em 5 anos (41% vs 52%) p=0,038. Ter um doador acima de 40 anos aumenta significativamente a incidência de DECH aguda (52% vs 65,8%) p=0,03 e crônica (60% vs 43%) p=0,015. O sexo do doador, presença de CMV e incompatibilidade ABO não tiveram influencia nos desfechos. Conclusão: Em um centro único avaliado receber um transplante de CTH de doadores acima de 40 anos aumenta a incidência de DECH aguda e crônica e influencia negativamente na SG. / Background: Hematopoietic Stem cell Transplantation (HSCT) is a curative treatment for many patients with hematological disorders. Donor – recipient genetic disparity, especially involving the HLA systems is a critical factor for HSCT outcome There are increasing evidences, however that other issues as source of stem cell, conditioning regimen, donor gender, age and CMV infection can affect HSCT outcomes. Objective: To study the influence of donor’s characteristics on the HSCT outcomes in a south Brazilian population subjected to allogeneic SCT in a single center. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated donor characteristics such as gender, age, CMV serologic status and ABO compatibility and its relation to the occurrence of acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in all patients submitted to related and unrelated allogeneic HSCT, performed between 1994 and 2012. Results: Overall 347 consecutives HSCT were included in this analysis. Related HSCT was significantly more frequent than unrelated (81.2% x 18.7%); donor and recipient median age were 34 (1- 61) and 33 (1-65), respectively. In the multivariate analyses, presence acute GVHD (33%vs 47%)p=0.04 ,with relative risk and donors older than 40 years old was associated with lower probability of OS in 5 years (41% vs 52%) p=0,038 and higher rate of acute (65.8%vs 52%) p=0.03 and chronic GVHD (43% vs 60%) p=0,015. Donor’s sex, CMV status, ABO incompatibility have not influenced 5-years survival. Conclusions: In a single center population of patients submitted to related and unrelated HSCT in southern Brazil donor older then 40 years of age is a factor negatively influencing HSCT outcome.

Introdução: O Transplante de Célula Tronco Hematopoiética (TCTH) é um tratamento potencialmente curativo para muitas desordens hematológicas. A disparidade HLA entre doador e receptor é um fator crítico para os resultados do TCTH. No entanto novas evidencias tem demonstrado que outros fatores como a fonte de célula tronco, o tipo de condicionamento e fatores relacionados aos doadores, entre eles o sexo, a idade e o status sorológico para Citomegalovirus (CMV) podem influenciar os desfechos do procedimento. Objetivo: Avaliar as características dos doadores de medula óssea e seu impacto nos desfechos do TCTH em um centro do Sul do Brasil. Métodos: Foram avaliadas retrospectivamente as características dos doadores como sexo, idade, presença de exposição previa ao CMV, incompatibilidade ABO e suas relações com a ocorrência de doença do enxerto contra hospedeiro (DECH) aguda e crônica, a mortalidade relacionada ao transplante (do inglês tumor related mortality – TRM) sobrevida livre de doença (SLD) e sobrevida Global (SG) em todos os pacientes submetidos a TCTH alogênico em um único centro durante o período de 1994 a 2012. Resultados: 347 pacientes foram incluídos na análise. O TCTH aparentado foi significativamente mais freqüente que o não aparentado (81.2 x 18.7), a mediana de idade foi de 34 (1-61) para os receptores e 33 (1-65) para os doadores. Na analise multivariada a presença de DECH agudo (33% vs 47%) p=0,04 e ter doadores mais idosos (>40 anos) foram associados a uma redução de SG em 5 anos (41% vs 52%) p=0,038. Ter um doador acima de 40 anos aumenta significativamente a incidência de DECH aguda (52% vs 65,8%) p=0,03 e crônica (60% vs 43%) p=0,015. O sexo do doador, presença de CMV e incompatibilidade ABO não tiveram influencia nos desfechos. Conclusão: Em um centro único avaliado receber um transplante de CTH de doadores acima de 40 anos aumenta a incidência de DECH aguda e crônica e influencia negativamente na SG. / Background: Hematopoietic Stem cell Transplantation (HSCT) is a curative treatment for many patients with hematological disorders. Donor – recipient genetic disparity, especially involving the HLA systems is a critical factor for HSCT outcome There are increasing evidences, however that other issues as source of stem cell, conditioning regimen, donor gender, age and CMV infection can affect HSCT outcomes. Objective: To study the influence of donor’s characteristics on the HSCT outcomes in a south Brazilian population subjected to allogeneic SCT in a single center. Methods: We retrospectively evaluated donor characteristics such as gender, age, CMV serologic status and ABO compatibility and its relation to the occurrence of acute and chronic graft versus host disease (GVHD), disease free survival (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in all patients submitted to related and unrelated allogeneic HSCT, performed between 1994 and 2012. Results: Overall 347 consecutives HSCT were included in this analysis. Related HSCT was significantly more frequent than unrelated (81.2% x 18.7%); donor and recipient median age were 34 (1- 61) and 33 (1-65), respectively. In the multivariate analyses, presence acute GVHD (33%vs 47%)p=0.04 ,with relative risk and donors older than 40 years old was associated with lower probability of OS in 5 years (41% vs 52%) p=0,038 and higher rate of acute (65.8%vs 52%) p=0.03 and chronic GVHD (43% vs 60%) p=0,015. Donor’s sex, CMV status, ABO incompatibility have not influenced 5-years survival. Conclusions: In a single center population of patients submitted to related and unrelated HSCT in southern Brazil donor older then 40 years of age is a factor negatively influencing HSCT outcome.