The study was made at Lubigi sewage treatment plant in Kampala, Uganda, during February and March 2018. The aim of this master thesis was to treat faecal sludge with two different methods, urea and lime, to investigate the efficiency of the chemicals to inactivate pathogens and to estimate the feasibility and the costs of the treatment. The chemical treatments were performed on sludge of two different moisture contents. The results from the treated sludge were compared with an untreated drying bed filled at the start of the study period to use as a control. The investigated pathogens were E. coli, bacteriophages and Ascaris eggs. The total solids and volatile solids were analysed, and the pH was measured. The results of the study including a calculation of costs were used to assess the feasibility of these treatment methods at Lubigi sewage treatment plant. The results show that the treatment using lime and urea reduces the level of active pathogens in the faecal sludge. The drying process in the beds at the treatment plant also decreases the level of detected pathogens in the sludge, but not to the same extent as when adding chemicals. The E. coli in the treated sludge were under the detection limit before the study period was done. Ascaris eggs were still detected in the sludge by the final sampling occasion. Further monitoring of the treated sludge might show an additional decrease of Ascaris since the time of storage after treatment enables pathogen die-off. The bacteriophages analyses only succeeded for two sampling occasions, although a decrease of detected phages is visible in the results. Again, the time of storage is significant for pathogen reduction, which is why a decrease of bacteriophages is expected if the sludge were to be further monitored. The feasibility of the two treatment methods is mainly restricted by costs. Lime treatment is approximately seven times more expensive than urea treatment and is also required in a larger amount to treat the sludge. On the other hand, using lime to treat faecal sludge is a proven and effective method. Further studies would improve the knowledge of the sludge characteristics at Lubigi and help determine the most preferable treatment for the sludge to protect the environment and public health. For example, by focusing on one treatment method, more detailed information can be gathered, and if performing a study in a larger scale, the representativeness would increase. To make sure there is no risk of spreading pathogens to the environment, further analyses should be carried out directly before selling the sludge to farmers.

Sex chromosomes represent a unique part of the genome in many eukaryotic organisms. They differ significantly from autosomes by their evolution, specific features, and meiotic behaviour. Recent advances in the knowledge of sex chromosomes in non-model organisms have been largely enabled by modern cytogenetic methods. The present study explores several topics related to sex chromosomes in Lepidoptera, the largest group of animals with female heterogamety, using methods of molecular cytogenetics, immunocytogenetics, and molecular biology. These topics include physical mapping of chromosomes by BAC-FISH, molecular differentiation and composition of the W chromosome, differences in the evolution of the W and Z chromosome, and meiotic sex chromosome inactivation. The results obtained brought new information not only about the W and Z chromosomes in Lepidoptera, but also about the evolution and specific features of sex chromosomes in general.

Abstract The influence of the X and Y chromosomes on the size and shape of the dental arches and occlusion as well as on craniofacial cephalometric dimensions, angles and dimensional ratios is studied. The material consists of Finnish patients with sex chromosome aneuploidies and normal population controls from the "Kvantti Study" series, which was collected in the 1970's and 1980's at the Institute of Dentistry, University of Turku. The patients are five individuals with complete testicular feminization (CTF), eight 47,XYY males, and fourteen 45,X/46,XX females. The controls are population female and male controls, as well as five first degree relatives of the individuals with CTF, three of the 47,XYY males and nine of the 45,X/46,XX females studied. Dental arch dimensions and occlusion as well as craniofacial cephalometric dimensions, angles and dimensional ratios are measured from dental study casts and standardized lateral cephalograms. The results show that the presence of the Y chromosome in 46,XY females and the supernumerary Y chromosomal gene(s) in 47,XYY males result in the enlargement of the dental arches and craniofacial dimensions without substantial effects on dimensional ratios and plane angles, but with special influence on the growth of the mandibular corpus. The reduction of X chromosomal genetic material in 45,X/46,XX females results in the reduction of craniofacial dimensions, affecting dimensional ratios and especially plane angles of the cranial base.

Submitted by Irene Nascimento (irene.kessia@ufpe.br) on 2017-06-16T18:06:11Z No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Gustavo Carielo da Silva - PROTEN - CTG - 2016.pdf: 2521602 bytes, checksum: abf8ae7ec10e5228299b2ddaba572b59 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-16T18:06:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 license_rdf: 811 bytes, checksum: e39d27027a6cc9cb039ad269a5db8e34 (MD5) Gustavo Carielo da Silva - PROTEN - CTG - 2016.pdf: 2521602 bytes, checksum: abf8ae7ec10e5228299b2ddaba572b59 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-03-31 / CAPES / A ingestão de água contaminada é uma das principais causas de doenças e mortes nos países em desenvolvimento. A descontaminação da água pode ser conseguida por diferentes métodos de tratamento, entretanto, a pasteurização solar se mostra promissora por inativar micro-organismos em diferentes temperaturas e utilizar o Sol como fonte de energia limpa. Neste trabalho, um sistema de pasteurização solar automatizado que opera por bateladas foi concebido e testado. O sistema consiste de um coletor solar plano de 2 m2 de abertura, um trocador de calor, duas válvulas solenoides e um controle eletrônico. O sistema foi configurado para executar o tratamento da água em diferentes “setpoints” pré-programados: 3600 s a 55 ºC; 2700 s a 60 ºC; 1800 s a 65 ºC; 900 s a 75 ºC e 15 s a 85 ºC. O uso do trocador de calor resultou tanto no aumento da produtividade em cerca de 113%, quanto na redução significativa da irradiância solar de corte para 6,6 MJ/m2.dia. Os dados experimentais mostraram que foi possível alcançar uma produtividade de 80 L de água tratada em um dia de céu claro, com inclinação do coletor solar em 20º N. Além disso, o pasteurizador se mostrou estável quanto à eficiência de eliminação dos micro-organismos testados, considerando a temperatura de tratamento de 85 °C durante 15 s. As análises bacteriológicas depois do tratamento mostraram ausência de coliformes totais e E. coli, NMP <1,1 para P. aeruginosa e redução média de 98,7% para bactérias heterotróficas em diferentes níveis de contaminação das amostras de água. / The ingestion of contaminated water is a major cause of disease and death in developing countries. The decontamination of water can be achieved by different methods of treatment, however, solar pasteurization shows promise for inactivating micro-organisms at different temperatures and using the Sun as a source of clean energy. In this work, a solar pasteurization system operating by automated batches has been both designed and tested. A flat solar collector with 2 m² of opening, a heat exchanger, two solenoid valves and an electronic control were used. The system was configured to perform water treatment in different "setpoints" preprogrammed: 3600 s at 55 °C; 2700 s at 60 °C; 1800 s at 65 °C; 900 s at 75 °C and 15 s at 85 °C. The use of the heat exchanger has great importance since it implies increased productivity at about 113% as the significant reduction of the solar radiation cutting at about 6.6 MJ/m2.day. The experimental data showed that it was possible to achieve a productivity of 80 liters of treated water in a day of clear sky, using 20º (N) inclination. Furthermore, the pasteurizer remained stable for disposal efficiency of the tested microorganisms, considering the 85 °C treatment temperature for 15 seconds. Bacteriological analysis after treatment showed absence of total coliforms and E. coli, MPN <1.1 P. aeruginosa and for average reduction of 98.7 % for heterotrophic bacteria at different levels of contamination of water samples.

Microbial cross-contamination remains an on-going challenge in the food sector despite implemented sanitation programs. Antimicrobial coatings with inherent self-sanitizing properties have been explored to enhance current cleaning practice and support food safety. Prior work has demonstrated successful incorporation of dual antimicrobial characters, cationic polymers and N-halamines, into one coating system. In addition to the rechargeable nature of N-halamines, the coating was reported to exhibit biocidal effects due to the inherently antimicrobial cationic moieties and the chlorinated N-halamines. However, while these polymer coatings were able to retain antimicrobial activity after repeated chlorination, signs of hydrolysis was observed for the N-halamine bonds, indicating potential issues for long-term usage. Herein, we introduced varied molecular weight cross-linkers in an adaption of the established fabrication method to evaluate cross-linker molecular weight (styrene maleic anhydride (SMA) of 6, 8, 120, 250 kDa) influence on surface properties of the coating. All antimicrobial polymer coatings exhibited similar FTIR spectra, with a prominent absorption band at ~1650 cm-1 suggesting successful cross-link of the polyethyleneimine and SMA. Surface concentration of primary amines ranged from 350-900 nmol/cm2, and N-halamines from 90-130 nmol/cm2. Surface energy decreased with increasing molecular weight of SMA, but were not statistically different from one another. In the end, optimal cross-linker molecular weight was determined based on antimicrobial performance, where the coated PPs with 6 kDa SMAs demonstrated enhanced biocidal effects against E. coli O157:H7 in its chlorinated form. Further, the antimicrobial coating demonstrated efficacy of ~3 to >5 log reductions of microbial load in its unchlorinated and chlorinated form against E. coli O157:H7, L. monocytogenes, and P. fluorescens. Storage studies support the stability of the chlorinated halamines, with full retention of chlorinated N-halamines over a 24 h study (representative of time between sanitation cycles). These results support the potential application of this antimicrobial polymer coating in food processing and handling operations, in support of reducing cross-contamination of spoilage and pathogenic microorganisms.

An array of Bacillus licheniformis strains were isolated from a commercial powdered milk process. Bacteriophages exhibiting activity against B. licheniformis were isolated from cattle manure and effluent samples destined for a lagoon at a dairy farm. After sequencing, 8 of the 10 phages were found to be novel and genetically differentiated. Transmission electron scanning microscopy (TSEM) was performed. All bacteriophages were of the family Herelleviridae with contractile tail sheaths ranging from 80µm to 150µm and, surprisingly, survived a common fluid milk processing treatment used to inactivate vegetative cells. The survival of the phage after high temperature short time pasteurization of 73℃ for 20 s shows that the use of bacteriophages in milk to control B. licheniformis could be applied as a potential quality control, retarding the germination of spores and reduction of final spore counts in products with long run times such as dairy powders.

The oral route of administration is the most widely used mode of drug administration due to advantages such as the convenience of oral drug administration, patient choice, cost-effectiveness, and ease of generating oral dosage forms on a large scale. How effectively an oral drug is absorbed and made accessible to the target organ depends on a variety of factors. Poor absorption from the absorption site, excessive metabolism in the gut and liver, and pharmacokinetic drug-drug (PK-DDI) interactions can all contribute to inadequate therapy. The PK-DDI may result in greater than anticipated bioavailability and toxicity due to irreversible enzyme inhibition including time-dependent inactivation (TDI) of the intestinal enzymes.There are different in vitro models available to predict the fraction escaping gut metabolism (Fg), which is a major determinant of intestinal bioavailability. On the other hand, using pre-clinical species, Fg can be extrapolated in humans using allometric scaling, but there has been significant discordance due to the variable intestinal metabolism in humans vs. pre-clinical species. A number of absorption models have been developed over the years to predict oral drug absorption, and intestinal TDI can be incorporated into many of those models. In this study, the continuous intestinal absorption model has been refined, including the intestinal metabolism model, to predict the oral absorption of midazolam and nicardipine in both humans and rats. This absorption model was also used to predict the Fg of these drugs in those two species. The in vitro metabolic characteristics of the model drugs were investigated using both human and rat microsomes. The kinetic profiles of their metabolic conversion in rats and humans were developed using numerical techniques. The continuous absorption model explains how drug concentration changes with time and distance. A physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model describes the intestine. The physiological inputs to the model, as well as the structure of the gastrointestinal tract, vary depending on the species. Rats and humans have different lengths of the small intestine's regions, such as the jejunum, and absorptive surface area amplifiers, such as the villi and microvilli. Along with the metabolic characteristics established through in vitro metabolic investigations, physiological aspects (applied to both rats and humans) and physicochemical drug characteristics were also added to the model. To estimate the absorption characteristics of midazolam and nicardipine, this model was further connected to the traditional compartmental model that represents the rest of the body. Chapter one details the background and importance concerning this project, along with the hypothesis and goals. Chapter two involves developing and validating bioanalytical methods for the drugs of interest. Chapters three and four detail the in vitro metabolic studies in rat and human microsomes (both intestinal and liver). Chapter five represents the TDI studies which were finally excluded from the absorption modeling in this thesis. Finally, chapter six illustrates the prediction of the oral PK profile of midazolam and nicardipine in rats and humans, rendering predicted values of Fg of these drugs in both species. Finally, chapter seven presents the significance, summary, and some directions to take this research further down the future. / Pharmaceutical Sciences

The kinetics of Escherichia coli inactivation were studied using ultraviolet (UV) radiation, ozone, and UV and ozone (UVO) in combination in a batch reactor at varying pH levels (6, 7, and 8) and at a constant temperature of 25°C. The inactivation kinetics for all three treatment processes was pseudo first order, and the reaction rate constants were considered to be additive such that a combined reaction rate could be obtained by adding the kinetic rates of the processes applied and numerically small rates could be neglected in the computation of the combined rate. Statistical tests (ANOVA and student's t-test) performed on the inactivation data indicated no apparent effect of pH on the kinetics of the processes. It was found that the UVO process was the most efficient in inactivating E. coli. The increase in the inactivation rate with the UVO process is attributed to synergetic activity of UV and ozone which results in the generation of hydroxyl radicals from ozone decomposition.

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