A área de pesquisa de materiais nanoestruturados tem recebido destacada atenção nos últimos anos por parte da comunidade científica, ressaltando-se os nanocompósitos à base de polímero e argila. Nesta Dissertação foram sintetizados nanocompósitos à base de poliuretano (NWPUs) com argilas do tipo montmorilonita (MMT), hidrofóbicas (organofílicas) e hidrofílica. Os monômeros empregados na síntese foram poli(glicol propilênico) (PPG); polibutadieno líquido hidroxilado (HTPB); ácido dimetilolpropiônico (DMPA), diisocianato de isoforona (IPDI) e hidrazina (HYD), como extensor de cadeia. Nas formulações, foram variadas as proporções de HTPB e o teor das argilas. As argilas organofílica Cloisite 30B e hidrofílica Cloisite Na+ foram incorporadas em 1, 3 e 5 %, enquanto que a organofílica Cloisite 15A foi incorporada no teor de 1%. As dispersões foram caracterizadas quanto ao teor de sólidos totais, tamanho médio de partículas e viscosidade. Os filmes vazados a partir das dispersões foram caracterizados por espectroscopia na região do infravermelho (FTIR), difração de raios-x (XDR), microscopia eletrônica de varredura (SEM) e microscopia de força atômica (AFM). A resistência térmica e a transição vítrea dos materiais foram determinadas por termogravimetria (TG) e calorimetria diferencial de varredura (DSC), respectivamente. O teor de absorção de água e o comportamento mecânico dos filmes foram avaliados. Foi verificada, por XRD, a ausência do pico de cristalinidade, característico das argilas puras e não-deslaminadas. As micrografias obtidas por SEM confirmam uma dispersão homogênea das argilas na matriz poliuretânica. Os filmes à base de nanocompósitos (NWPUs) apresentaram propriedades mecânicas superiores às apresentadas por aqueles obtidos a partir das dispersões sem a presença de argila (WPUs). A adesão dos revestimentos formados, pela aplicação das dispersões em diversos substratos, também foi verificada visualmente. Os resultados das análises mostraram que houve a formação de nanocompósitos à base de água, formados tanto a partir da argila hidrofílica quanto das organofílicas

Orientador: José Paschoal Batistuti / Banca: Rubens Monti / Banca: Alice Yoshiko Tanaka / Resumo: Recentemente, a indústria de alimentos está preocupada em desenvolver novos produtos, usando ingredientes inovadores, que promovam benefícios à saúde. O uso de proteínas de leguminosas como uma alternativa para a proteína animal tem sido estudada. O tremoço branco (Lupinus albus L.) apresenta elevada concentração de proteína e óleo, principalmente ácidos graxos insaturados e poliinsaturados, fibra alimentar, açúcares e vitaminas B1 e B2. Por outro lado, o tremoço não pode ser consumido diretamente porque possui alcaloides, que além de serem tóxicos, atribuem gosto amargo ao grão. Como a maioria dos alcaloides é solúvel em água, a quantidade de alcaloide do grão pode ser diminuída através de água corrente, fervente ou salmoura. Sucos de frutas são bastante consumidos no Brasil, especialmente no verão, não somente pelo sabor, mas como fonte de hidratação e por serem ricos em nutrientes. Os sucos de frutas tropicais conquistam cada vez mais o mercado consumidor, sendo o Brasil, um dos principais produtores. A pitanga, fruto da pitangueira (Eugenia uniflora L.) é uma planta frutífera nativa do Brasil (das regiões Sul e Sudeste e que tem se adaptado favoravelmente às condições climáticas e edáficas da região Nordeste), da Argentina e do Uruguai. A pitanga é uma fruta cuja polpa apresenta excelentes condições para industrialização, devido ao seu alto rendimento, aroma agradável e sabor exótico. O objetivo do presente estudo foi o de verificar, através da metodologia de superfície de resposta, as melhores condições para a utilização simultânea de extrato aquoso de tremoço branco e de suco tropical de pitanga, no desenvolvimento de uma bebida. Para tanto, as variáveis independentes foram representadas pelo volume de extrato aquoso de tremoço (mL) e pelo volume de suco de pitanga... (Resumo completo, clicar acesso eletrônico abaixo) / Abstract: Recently, the food industry is concerned about developing new products, using innovative ingredients that promote health benefits. The use of vegetable protein as an alternative to animal protein is being studied. The white lupine (Lupinus albus L.) has high concentrations of protein and oil, especially non saturated fatty acids and polynonsaturated fats, dietary fiber, sugars and vitamins B1 and B2. On the other hand, the lupine bean can't be consumed straight because it has alkaloids which besides being toxic, add a bitter taste to the bean. As most alkaloids are water soluble, the amount of alkaloid in the beans can be reduced by running water, boiling or brine. Fruit juices are widely consumed in Brazil, especially in the summer, not only for their flavor, but as a source of hydration and because they are rich in nutrients. The tropical fruit juices are conquering the market more and more, with Brazil being one of the main producers in the world. The Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora L.) is the fruit of the Pitangueira, a native plant of southern Brazil (which has adapted positively to weather and soil conditions in the country's Northeast), Argentina and Uruguay. Pitanga is a fruit which pulp presents excellent conditions for industrialization, due to its high yield, pleasant aroma and exotic flavor. The aim of the present study was to verify, through the response surface methodology, the optimum conditions for the combined use of aqueous extract of white lupine and tropical pitanga juice in the development of a drink. Therefore, the independent variables were represented by the volume of aqueous extract of lupine (mL) and by the volume of pitanga juice (mL). The dependent variables (responses) were obtained through sensory test of acceptance ("appearance", "aroma", "taste" and "overall acceptability"). The combined... (Complete abstract click electronic access below) / Mestre

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Chemistry / Paul Edward Smith / The activity and function of many macromolecules in cellular environments are coupled with the binding of ions such as alkaline earth metal ions and poly oxo anions. These ions are involved in the regulation of important processes such as protein crystallization, nucleic acid and protein stability, enzyme activity, and many others. The exact mechanism of ion specificity is still elusive. In principle, computer simulations can be used to help provide a molecular level understanding of the dynamics of hydrated ions and their interactions with the biomolecules. However, most of the force fields available today often fail to accurately reproduce the properties of ions in aqueous environments. Here we develop a classical non polarizable force field for aqueous alkaline earth metal halides (MX₂) where M = Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Sr²⁺, Ba²⁺ and X = Cl⁻, Br⁻, I⁻, and for some biologically important oxo anions which are NO₃⁻, ClO₄⁻, H₂PO₄⁻ and SO₄²⁻, for use in biomolecular simulations. The new force field parameters are developed to reproduce the experimental Kirkwood-Buff integrals. The Kirkwood-Buff integrals can be used to quantify the affinity between molecular species in solution. This helps to capture the fine balance between the interactions of ions and water. Since this new force field can reproduce the experimental Kirkwood-Buff integrals for most concentrations of the respective salts, they are capable of reproduce the experimental activity derivatives, partial molar volumes, and excess coordination numbers. Use of these new models in MD simulations also leads to reasonable diffusion constants and dielectric decrements. Attempts to develop force field parameters for CO₃²⁻, HPO₄²⁻ and PO₄³⁻ ions were unsuccessful due to an excessive aggregation behavior in the simulations. Therefore, in an effort to overcome this aggregation behavior in the simulations, we have investigated scaling the anion to water interaction strength, and also the possibility of using a high frequency permittivity in the simulations. The strategy of increasing relative permittivity of the system to mimic electronic screening effects are particularly promising for decreasing the excessive ion clustering observed in the MD simulations.

Foram sintetizadas duas séries de tensoativos catiônicos de estruturas gerais RCONH(CH2)2-N+(CH3)3 Cl- e RCONH(CH2)2-N+(CH3)2-CH2-C6H5 Cl-, sendo RCO uma cadeia acílica contendo 10, 12, 14 e 16 átomos de carbono. Estes tensoativos foram sintetizados pela reação do ácido carboxílico puro com N,N-dimetiletilenodiamina resultando na amidoamina correspondente. A quaternização desta última foi feita pela reação com cloreto de benzila ou com iodeto de metila. Os iodetos foram convertidos nos correspondentes cloretos por troca-iônica. A localização média da interface micelar e a conformação do grupo hidrofílico na micela foram investigadas por IV e RMN. A adsorção na interface solução-ar e a micelização foram estudadas por diversas técnicas: calorimetria, condutância, FEM (força eletromotriz), IV de FT, RMN e tensão superficial. Os resultados foram comparados com os de tensoativos catiônicos comuns, como R\'N+(CH3)3R\" Cl-, sendo R\' = grupo alquílico contendo de 10 a 16 carbonos e R\" = um grupo metila ou benzila. A adsorção e a micelização dos tensoativos contendo o \"espaçador\" (CONH-CH2-CH2) são mais favoráveis. Os valores de ΔGºads e ΔGºmic mais negativos para estes tensoativos, refletem principalmente a transferência mais favorável do grupo polar da solução aquosa para a interface solução/ar e/ou para a micela. Isto ocorre devido à formação de ligações de H, diretas e/ou via água, entre os grupos amida dos monômeros de tensoativo na interface e micela. As diferenças nos valores de ΔGºcabeça+CH3 dos tensoativos com e sem o grupo amida na adsorção (ΔΔGº ads cabeça+CH3 = -17.2 kJ mol-1) e micelização (ΔΔGº ads cabeça+CH3 = -5 a -7 kJ mol-1) estão de acordo com a energia de ligações de H fracas. Os resultados de IV de FT e RMN de 1H comprovaram a formação destas ligações de H e indicaram que a carbonila está presente na interface e o grupo benzila está voltado para o interior da micela. / Two series of cationic surfactants have been synthesized: benzyl-(2acylaminoetil) dimethylammonium chlorides, RCONH(CH2)2-N+(CH3)3 Cl-, and (2-acylaminoethyl)dimethylammonium chlorides, RCONH(CH2)2-N+(CH3)2-CH2-C6H5 Cl-, where RCO refers to an acyl group with 10, 12, 14 and 16 carbon atoms. These surfactants were obtained by reacting chromatographically pure carboxylic acids with N,N-dimethylethylenediamine to give an intermediate amidoamine. The latter was quaternized with benzyl chloride or methyl iodide. Surfactants with iodide counter-ion were transformed into the corresponding chlorides by ion exchange on a macro-porous resin. The average position of micellar interface and conformation of the headgroup were studied by FTIR and NMR. A multi-technique approach has been employed in order to study the effects of the presence of the \"spacer\" group (-CONH- CH2-CH2) on the adsorption and aggregation of these surfactants. The techniques employed were: calorimetry, conductance and EMF measurements, FTIR, NMR, surface tension, and Iight scattering. Surfactants with the spacer group (CONH-CH2-CH2) have more favorable Gibbs free energies of adsorption and/or micellization due to the more favorable transfer of the head-group from bulk phase to the interface and/or the micelle. This is attributed to the formation of direct, and/or water-mediated H-bonding between the surfactant amide groups. Differences in values of ΔGºHead-group+CH3 of surfactants with and without spacer group (ΔΔGº ads Head-group+CH3 = -17.2 kJ mol-1 and ΔΔGº ads Head-group+CH3 = -5 a -7 kJ mol-1 for adsorption and/or micellization, respectively) are in agreement with weak hydrogen bonding. Additional evidence for H-bond formation and for the (average) conformation of the benzyl head-group in the micelle was provided by FTIR and NMR data. The former showed that the amide group is highly hydrated, whereas the latter showed shielding/deshielding of the methylene groups of the surfactant hydrophobic tail, in agreement with a conformation in which the benzyl group is \"bent\" toward the micellar interior.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi o desenvolvimento e a validação de métodos analíticos para determinação de cloridrato de tizanidina (TZ) matéria-prima e forma farmacêutica. Na fase de identificação, a matéria-prima (substância química de referência) foi analisada e caracterizada utilizando-se medidas físicas (ponto de fusão e solubilidade), espectrometria no infravermelho e por técnicas cromatográficas (cromatografia líquida de alta eficiência e cromatografia em camada delgada). Após foi desenvolvido e validado método analítico para o doseamento de cloridrato de tizanidina matéria-prima utilizando a titulação por volumetria em meio não-aquoso, que pode ser realizada em estabelecimentos de pequeno porte. No estágio posterior, para quantificação da forma farmacêutica utilizou-se desenhos experimentais (fatorial fracionado e desenhos de composto central). O método CLAE com detector Charged Aerosol Detection (CAD) foi validado e um produto de degradação foi obtido na condição de degradação de estresse oxidativo (H2O2 13%). Foi também quantificado o cloreto presente na molécula. Tanto a volumetria em meio não-aquoso com determinação do ponto final por indicador, quanto o método cromatográfico foram comparados com métodos descritos em compêndios oficiais e não demonstraram diferença significativa quando aplicados ao doseamento da matéria-prima e forma farmacêutica, respectivamente. / The aim of this work was the development and validation of analytical methods for determination of tizanidine hydrochloride (TZ) raw material and dosage form. In the identification phase, the raw material drug (chemical reference) was analyzed and characterized using physical measures (melting point and solubility), infrared spectrophotometry and chromatographic techniques (high performance liquid chromatography and thin layer chromatography). An analytical method for assay of tizanidine hydrochloride raw material was developed and validated by using volumetric titration in a non-aqueous liquid, which can be performed in small establishments. In a later stage, for the measurement of the dosage form an experimental design was used (fractional factorial and centered composite design. The HPLC method with charged aerosol detection (CAD) was validated and a degradation product was obtained under the oxidative stress condition (H2O2 13%). Chloride present in the molecule also was quantified. Both, the non-aqueous titration method with coloured indicator and the chromatographic one were compared to the methods described in official compendia and do not present significant difference when applied to the determination of the raw material and dosage form, respectively.

Traditional excess Gibbs energy models in terms of temperature, pressure, and concentration become progressively less effective in describing the thermodynamics of aqueous solutions at temperatures above 300 ¢ªC, and are totally inadequate in the critical region of water. This deficiency is due to the strong ion association and the large property fluctuations (such as density) with small variations in pressure, temperature, and solute concentration around the critical point of water. In this work, a speciation-based model has been developed to describe the thermodynamic properties of aqueous sodium chloride solutions in the critical region of water. The anomalous fluctuation problem is avoided by adopting a residual Helmholtz energy approach in terms of temperature, density, and solute concentration. Partial ion dissociation is accounted for by including an isochoric equilibrium constant equation and a mean spherical approximation in the present model. The present model includes such classical interactions or effects as hard-sphere interactions, dipole-dipole interactions, ion dissociation effects, long-range ion-ion interactions, and a non-classical perturbation term. The related parameters that account for these effects were regressed to fit the measured values in the critical region of water. Densities, compressibility factors, apparent molar volumes, heats of dilution, and apparent isobaric molar heat capacities were used to test the validity of the model. The predicted values in this work agree well with the literature data over a wide range of temperatures (350 to 400 ¢ªC), pressures (17.5 to 40 MPa), and sodium chloride concentrations (0 to 5 mol/kg). Comparisons with other models are also included in this work. This model can be used to predict speciation, solute dissociation reaction, and many other comprehensive properties in aqueous sodium chloride solutions at near-critical conditions.

Thesis (Ph. D. (Botany)) -- University of Limpopo, 2014 / Refer to document

Protein PEGylation is the covalent bonding of polyethylene glycol (PEG) polymers to amino acid residues of the protein and it is one of the most promising techniques for improving the therapeutic effect of biopharmaceuticals and long-term stability of protein-based biosensors. This chemical modification brings advantages to biopharmaceuticals, such as an increased half-life, enhanced stability, and reduced immunogenicity. Moreover, in the analytical field, PEGylation improves the multiple properties of protein-based biosensors including biocompatibility, thermal and long-term stability, and solubility in organic solvents. However, the use of PEGylated conjugates in the analytical and therapeutic fields has not been widely explored. The limited industrial application of PEGylated bioconjugates can be attributed to the fact that the reaction and separation steps are currently a challenge. The correct selection of the PEGylation reaction design and the purification process are important challenges in the field of bioconjugation. In this sense, the design and optimization of site-specific PEGylation reactions and application of aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) as purification platforms for PEGylated conjugates are the two main objectives of this thesis. Regarding the purification step, the efficient fractionation (i) of the PEGylated conjugates from the native protein and (ii) of the PEGylated conjugates based on their degree of PEGylation was studied. Centrifugal partition chromatography (CPC) was applied as a continuous regime platform based on ABS technology to efficiently purify the PEGylated proteins. The two proteins under study are L-asparaginase, an important biopharmaceutical applied in the treatment of acute lymphoblastic leukemia and cytochrome c, a promising biosensor. The current work developed in this thesis demonstrates the great potential of ABS in the fractionation of PEGylated proteins, under batch and continuous regime. In addition, in situ recovery of the PEGylated products through one-pot bioconjugation and ABS purification was successfully demonstrated for both enzymes studied. Although further research on scale-up is still required, the results presented show the relevance of ABS platforms for the development of separation processes of PEGylated proteins. / A PEGuilação de proteínas é a ligação covalente de polímeros de polietilenoglicol (PEG) a resíduos de aminoácidos da proteína e é uma das técnicas mais promissoras para melhorar o efeito terapêutico dos biofármacos e a estabilidade a longo prazo de biossensores proteícos. Esta modificação química traz vantagens aos produtos biofarmacêuticos, como um aumento da meia-vida, maior estabilidade e imunogenicidade reduzida. Além disso, no campo analítico, a PEGuilação melhora as múltiplas propriedades dos biossensores baseados em proteínas, incluindo biocompatibilidade, estabilidade térmica e a longo prazo, e solubilidade em solventes orgânicos. No entanto, o uso de conjugados PEGuilados em campos analíticos e terapêuticos não tem sido amplamente explorado. A aplicação industrial limitada dos bioconjugados PEGuilados pode ser atribuída ao facto de as etapas de reacção e separação serem atualmente um desafio. A seleção correcta do design da reacção de PEGuilação e do processo de purificação são importantes desafios no campo da bioconjugação. Neste sentido, a concepção e otimização de reações de PEGuilação sítio-específicas e aplicação de sistemas aquosos bifásicos (ABS) como plataformas de purificação de conjugados PEGuilados são os dois principais objetivos desta tese. No que concerne à etapa de purificação foi estudado o eficiente fracionamento (i) dos conjugados PEGuilados, da proteína nativa e (ii) dos conjugados PEGuilados baseados no seu grau de PEGuilação. A cromatografia por partição centrífuga (CPC) foi aplicada como uma plataforma de regime contínuo baseada na tecnologia de ABS para purificar eficientemente as proteínas PEGuiladas. As duas proteínas em estudo são a L-asparaginase, importante biofármaco aplicado no tratamento da leucemia linfoblástica aguda e o citocromo c, um potencial biossensor. A partir dos trabalhos desenvolvidos, é possível confirmar o grande potencial dos ABS no fracionamento de proteínas PEGuiladas, em regime contínuo e descontínuo. Além disso, a recuperação in situ dos produtos PEGuilados através da integração em uma única etapa de bioconjugação e purificação por ABS foi comprovada com sucesso para ambas as enzimas estudadas. Embora ainda sejam necessários estudos adicionais sobre a viabilidade destes sistemas em larga escala, os resultados aqui apresentados demonstram a relevância dos ABS para o desenvolvimento de processos de separação de proteínas PEGuiladas.

La lutte contre les effets des Engins Explosifs Improvisés (EEI) constitue un enjeu majeur pour la sécurité intérieure et pour la protection des Forces Armées déployées à l’extérieur du territoire national. Parmi différents matériaux poreux, il a été démontré expérimentalement depuis les années 70 que les mousses aqueuses présentent une capacité à atténuer les ondes de choc. Différents mécanismes d’atténuation ont déjà été identifiés mais leur quantification reste encore peu expliquée. L’objectif de cette étude est de décrire les mécanismes physiques d’interaction d’une onde de choc sphérique entraînant de multiples fragments métalliques avec un volume de mousse aqueuse. En fonction de la distance entre la charge et la couche d’absorption, le choc est susceptible d’arriver avant les fragments, modifiant ainsi significativement la structure de la mousse et ses capacités d’atténuation et de ralentissement. Des essais de fragment unitaire ont été menés sur une configuration monodimensionnelle, essais dont les conclusions ont été validées sur une charge complète en champ libre à l’Institut franco-allemand de recherche de Saint Louis (ISL) dans le groupe "Protection contre les Explosifs". Des mesures de pression en tube à choc couplées à des visualisations d’interaction entre un choc et une couche de bulle ou une bulle unitaire ont permis de préciser la modification de la structure de l’onde de choc par la mousse. Ces essais ont été réalisés au LBMS (ENSTA Bretagne) et dans le groupe de recherche "Aérodynamique, mesures et simulations" (ISL) où il est possible de générer des profils de type souffle en tube à choc. / The fight against Improvised Explosive Device (IED) effects represents a permanent challenge for homeland security and armed forces protection deployed abroad. Aqueous foam was identified as a protective technology against blast effects in the 1970s. Several physical characteristics can account for this attenuation but their relative influences are still not completely determined and require further investigation. The objective of this study is to improve the knowledge of the physical phenomena governing the interaction between an aqueous foam layer and a shock/metallic fragments combination. Depending on the distance between the explosive charge and the absorption medium, the shock is likely to arrive before the fragments consequently modifying the foam structure. Experiments with a single fragment were undertaken in a one dimensional configuration. Obtained results were applied to predict the foam mitigation capability against a complete explosive charge detonated in free field at the French-German Research Institute of Saint-Louis (ISL) in the research group "Protection against Explosives". Pressure measurements in shock tube with visualization of shock/bubbles interaction provided precise information on the foam structure evolution during the impact process. These last experiments were conducted in LBMS (ENSTA Bretagne) and in the research group "Aerodynamic, Measurements and Simulations" (ISL), using a shock tube generating blast wave profiles.

<p>Infrared absorption spectra can provide analytically useful information on a large variety of compounds, ranging from small ions to large biological molecules. In fact, all analytes that possess a dipole moment that changes during vibration are infrared-active. The infrared (IR) spectrum can be subdivided into far-, mid- and near- regions. The focus of attention in this thesis is the mid-IR region, in which the fundamental vibrations of most organic compounds are located, thus providing scope for positive structural identification. However, while such near-ubiquitous signals can be very useful for monitoring simple molecules in simple systems, they can be increasingly disadvantageous as the number of analytes and/or the complexity of the sample matrix increases. Thus, hyphenation to a separation system prior to detection is desirable. Paper I appended to this thesis presents (for the first time) the on-line hyphenation between Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, FTIR, and capillary zone electrophoresis, CZE. CZE is a highly efficient separation technique that separates ionic analytes with respect to their charge-to-size ratio. It is most commonly performed in aqueous buffers in fused silica capillaries. Since these capillaries absorb virtually all infrared light an IR-transparent flow cell had to be developed. In further studies (Paper II) the applicability of CZE is expanded to include neutral analytes by the addition of micelles to the buffer, and micellar electrokinetic chromatography, MEKC, was successfully hyphenated to FTIR for the first time. Paper III describes an application of the on-line CZE-FTIR technique in which non-UV-absorbing analytes in a complex matrix were separated, identified and quantified in one run.</p><p>Measuring aqueous solutions in the mid-IR region is not straightforward since water absorbs intensely in this region, sometimes completely, leaving no transmitted, detectable light. For this reason, quantum cascade lasers are interesting. These lasers represent a new type of mid-IR semiconducting lasers with high output power due to their ingenious design. The laser action lies within one conduction band (intersubband) and can be tailored to emit light in the entire mid-IR region using the same semiconducting material. To investigate their potential to increase the optical path length in aqueous solutions, these lasers were used with an aqueous flow system (Paper IV), and the experience gained in these experiments enabled hyphenation of such lasers to a CZE system (Paper V).</p>