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Kohlenstofffaserverstärkter Kohlenstoff weist ausgezeichnete thermische, mechanische und chemische Eigenschaften auf. Aufgrund seiner Faserarchitektur und Porosität zeigt dieser eine mit metallischen und polymeren Werkstoffen vergleichbar hohe Schadenstoleranz. Die Herstellung komplexer Leichtbaustrukturen aus C/C-Verbunden ist jedoch zeit- und kostenintensiv. Ein neuer Ansatz stellt die Integration geometrisch simpler C/C-Verbunde in komplexe, problemlos zu realisierende polymere Strukturen dar. Ein derartiges Werkstoffkonzept vereint die Vorteile seiner Komponenten in einem ganzheitlichen Werkstoffsystem. Einen Nachteil stellt jedoch die geringe wechselseitige Adhäsion seiner Komponenten dar. Die Innovation dieses Beitrags stellt sich einerseits der Herausforderung die mechanischen Eigenschaften der C/C-Verbunde in Abhängigkeit der intrinsischen Porosität zu beeinflussen. Dies geschieht durch Veränderung der chemischen und physikalischen Vernetzungsbedingungen des Matrixprecursors. Andererseits soll die dadurch herrührende inhärente Porosität zur Vergrößerung der wirksamen äußeren Oberfläche und zur gezielten Verbesserung der Adhäsion zum Polymer führen. Es wird ein Kohlenstoffprecursor mit variabler offener Porosität entwickelt und daraus neuartige verschiedenporöse C/C-Verbunde hergestellt und untersucht. Im Anschluss werden die verschiedenporösen C/C-Verbunde mit ausgewählten Polymeren unter definierten Konsolidierungsparametern thermisch gefügt und deren wechselseitiges Adhäsionsverhalten bewertet. / Fibre-reinforced ceramic matrix composite materials are characterized by excellent thermal, mechanical and chemical properties. Their high tolerance regarding damaging is a result of the intrinsic fibre structure and porosity. Due to this fact, they offer outstanding dampening characteristics, as is the case for polymeric materials. The production of complex structures is very time consuming and expensive. The integration of simple geometric ceramic composite materials in complex polymeric structures is regarded as a new approach for the production of these materials. These easy-to-produce hybrid ceramic/polymer compound materials combine the advantages of ceramics and polymers in one material system. However, one main disadvantage of these materials is the mutual adhesion of the two components. This article deals with the challenge of the manipulation of the mechanical properties of the C/C composites depending on the intrinsic porosity. This is realized by altering the physical and chemical wetting/coating conditions of the matrix precursor. In addition, the inherent porosity is supposed to increase the effective outer surface and specifically improve the adhesion. For this purpose, a novel carbon precursor with an adjustable open porosity is developed and investigated further. During this different versions of the CFRP and various C/C materials of different production steps are produced and examined. The variation of the precursors is supposed to take place in the polymeric state. The different C/C composites are subsequently thermally bonded with selected polymers and defined consolidation parameters. The mutual joining and connection behaviour is investigated further.

Ces dernières années, de nombreuses études ont prouvé que la protéine précurseur de l'amyloïde (APP) joue un rôle clé dans le processus de formation de la mémoire, le développement des connexions synaptiques et la régulation de la force synaptique. L’importance d’APP naît du fait que son clivage protéolytique produit le peptide bêta-amyloïde (Aβ), considéré comme l'un des facteurs cruciaux dans le développement de la maladie d'Alzheimer. Les recherches se sont donc concentrées sur Aβ plutôt que sur le domaine intracellulaire APP (APP-ICD). Récemment, il a été démontré qu’APP-ICD affecte l'induction de la plasticité synaptique, et Aβ à haute concentration est connu pour induire une dépression synaptique. Ici, nous montrons qu’APP-ICD et Aβ fonctionnent ensemble et induisent une dépression synaptique en modifiant la transmission synaptique par effet additif. L’activation de la caspase-3 clivant APP-ICD est nécessaire pour la dépression à long terme. Nous constatons que l’activation de la caspase-3 et son site de clivage d’APP-ICD, ainsi que le clivage d’APP par la gamma-sécrétase sont nécessaires à la dépression synaptique dépendante d’Aβ. La microglie assure la clairance d’Aβ et certains effets de plasticité. Nous démontrons qu’elle médie partiellement la dépression synaptique dépendante d’Aβ. Les mécanismes par lesquels APP-ICD et Aβ médient la dépression synaptique ne sont pas connus. Ici, nous discutons de pistes possibles pour la recherche future, notamment des changements dans l'homéostasie du calcium en tant que cible thérapeutique potentielle. Comprendre comment APP-ICD et Aβ travaillent ensemble pour induire une dépression synaptique aiderait à développer de meilleurs traitements pour la maladie d'Alzheimer. / In recent years, more and more evidence has proven that the amyloid precursor protein (APP) plays a key role in the process of memory formation, the development of synaptic connections, and the regulation of synaptic strength. APP rose to prominence since its proteolytic cleavage produces the amyloid-beta (Aβ) peptide, which is believed to be one of the crucial factors in the development of Alzheimer disease. Therefore, most of the research focused on Aβ, while APP intracellular domain (APP-ICD) received much less attention. In a recent study, APP-ICD was shown to affect the induction of synaptic plasticity, and Aβ at high concentration is known to induce synaptic depression. Here we show that APP-ICD works together with Aβ to induce synaptic depression, meaning they have an additive effect that changes synaptic transmission. Caspase-3 cleaves APP-ICD, and its activation is required for long-term depression. We found that the caspase-3 cleavage site of APP-ICD and caspase-3 activation are needed for Aβ-dependent synaptic depression. We also show that cleavage of APP by gamma-secretase is needed for the effect. Microglia mediate clearance of Aβ as well as some plasticity effects. We demonstrate that microglia partially mediate Aβ-dependent synaptic depression. The mechanisms of how APP-ICD and Aβ mediate synaptic depression are not known, here, we discuss possible avenues for future research, specifically changes in calcium homeostasis as a potential therapeutic target. Hence, understanding how APP-ICD and Aβ work together to induce synaptic depression would aid in developing better treatments for Alzheimer disease.

Nordihydroguaiaretic acid (NDGA), is a naturally-occurring lignan isolated from the creosote bush (Larrea tridentata). The aqueous extract of this shrub, commonly referred to as Chaparral tea, was listed in the American pharmacopeia as an ethnobotanical used to treat tuberculosis, arthritis and cancer. Other documented traditional applications of creosote bush extract include treatment for infertility, rheumatism, arthritis, diabetes, gallbladder and kidney stones, pain and inflammation among many others. In spite of the numerous pharmacological properties, NDGA use has been associated with toxicities including hepatotoxicity in humans. Previous studies in our group showed that oxidative cyclization of NDGA (a di-catechol) at physiological pH forms a dibenzocyclooctadiene that may have therapeutic benefits whilst oxidation to ortho-quinone likely mediates toxicological properties. In order to investigate the structural features responsible for pharmacological and toxicological properties, a series of NDGA analogues were designed, synthesized and characterized for the purpose of studying their oxidative metabolism. Literature procedures were modified to successfully prepare seven lignan analogues via multi-step synthesis. In our effort to understand the mechanisms of NDGA intramolecular cyclization, the prepared analogues were incubated under previously established conditions where NDGA autoxidized to yield the dibenzocyclooctadiene derivative. We also evaluated the stability of the analogues under the conditions of this study. Furthermore, we evaluated bioactivation potential of the prepared analogues with a goal of eliminating reactive metabolite liability through rational structural modification. We incubated NDGA and its analogues in rat liver microsomes (RLM) in the presence of glutathione as a nucleophilic trapping agent. Standards for comparison were generated by performing glutathione trapping experiments with chemical and enzyme oxidation systems. The potential of the dibenzocyclooctadiene lignan 2 derived from NDGA under physiological conditions to contribute to toxicological properties via reactive metabolite formation was also evaluated. Glutathione conjugates were detected by electrospray ionization-mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) scanning for neutral loss (NL) 129 Da or 307 Da in positive ion mode or precursor ion (PI) scanning for 272 Da in negative ion mode and further characterized by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC–MS/MS) or in a single LC-MS run using multiple reactions monitoring (MRM) as a survey scan to trigger acquisition of enhanced product ion (EPI) data. We determined that NDGA autoxidation at pH 7.4 is dependent on substituents and/or substitution pattern on the two aromatic rings. In particular, spontaneous intramolecular cyclization to a dibenzocyclooctadiene required a di-catechol lignan, raising the possibility that o-Q formation may not be necessary for cyclization to occur. Cyclization was significantly inhibited in the presence of excess GSH which supports the involvement of free radicals as opposed to o-Q in the intramolecular cyclization process. The mono-catechol analogues A1 and A4 underwent oxidation to o-Q but no evidence of cyclization was found implying that electrophilic substitution cannot account for NDGA cyclization. The phenol-type analogues were oxidatively more stable in comparison with the catechol-type analogues at pH 7.4. The results demonstrate that electrophilic substitution makes no contribution to the intramolecular cyclization process and that a radical mediated process accurately describes the situation for NDGA. Oxidative metabolism and bioactivation studies on NDGA and its analogues revealed that reactive metabolites formation is dependent on substitution and/or substitution pattern of the aromatic rings. Cytochrome P450-mediated oxidation of NDGA and its catechol-type analogues yielded electrophilic intermediates which reacted with GSH. The GSH mono-conjugates were identified as ring adducts derived from o-Q although the position at which the GSH binds to the aromatic rings could not be determined. We also found that NL 129 or 307 scanning in positive ionization mode has potential diagnostic utility in distinguishing between aromatic and benzylic GSH conjugates although further studies may be required for validation. We found no evidence of p-QM either directly or via isomerization of o-Q intermediates suggesting that o-Q is the major reactive toxicophore responsible for reactive metabolite mediated toxicities associated with NDGA use. In addition, we demonstrated that the NDGA-derived dibenzycyclooctadiene lignan (cNDGA 2) undergoes P450-mediated oxidation to a reactive metabolite which might have toxicological implications. There was no evidence of P450-mediated oxidation to reactive metabolites for the phenol-type NDGA analogues. It is concluded that structural modification efforts should focus on phenol-type analogues to potentially enhance the safety profile of NDGA.

An evaluation of the utility of assessing and treating severe problem behavior through precursor functional analysis was completed. Ongoing measurement of problem behavior in two settings in the participant's natural environment was conducted for the duration of the study. A precursor to self-injurious behavior was identified using descriptive assessment and conditional probability analyses. A precursor functional analysis was then conducted. Subsequently, a treatment, in which precursor behavior produced the maintaining variable identified in the precursor functional analysis, was implemented in the natural environment. Treatment resulted in increases in the precursor behavior and decreases in self-injury in both the treatment setting and the second setting in which observations occurred. Implications of the assessment and treatment procedures are discussed.

Leukemia is the most common malignant disease in children patients. In our laboratory (CLIP) a novel subtype of B-cell precursor Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (BCP-ALL) with lineage switch during early phase of treatment towards myeloid lineage (swALL) was recently documented. SwALL incidence is almost 4 % of all BCP-ALLs (Slámová et al., 2014). DNA methylation (presence of 5-methylcytosine) is together with post-translational histone modifications and non- coding RNAs an epigenetic mechanism which regulates gene expression without changes of genetic code. DNA methylation is easily detected by bisulphite conversion and subsequent sequencing. The aim of this work was to compare genome-wide DNA methylation patterns between patients with swALL and control BCP-ALLs. The first step in achieving that was revision and improvement of bioinformatic processing protocol for eRRBS data from massive parallel sequencing. To improve the sequence adapter trimming I tested four bioinformatic tools - FAR, cutadapt, Trimmomatic and fastx_clipper. I implemented the fastest and most effective - Trimmomatic into the processing protocol. As a next step I analysed the data with improved protocol and extended the analysis in R programming environment where the comparison of studied groups was performed. The comparison of...

Mitochondrial processing peptidase (MPP) is a heterodimeric enzyme which belongs to M16B subfamily of metaloendopeptidases. A universal function of this enzyme is in recognition and cleavage of great number of mitochondrial preprotein presequences, which differ in length and amino acid sequence. MPP consists of catalytical β-MPP and probably recognizing α-MPP. The most conservative region in α-MPP is GRL - glycine-rich loop. Its function is supposed in primary interaction with preprotein presequence. It is possible to study conformational change of GRL after binding the substrate by fluorescence experiments. In this diploma thesis the constructs coding the α-MPP with the single reporter tryptophan residue in the position 289 or 299 were prepared using site-directed mutagenesis. These forms of α-MPP were produced in E. coli BL21(DE3)+pGroESL. Activities of MPP dimer containing α-MPP with the single tryptophan residue in the reporter position were compared with MPP from wild type of S. cerevisiae. Used substrate was yeast malate dehydrogenase precursor with fused presequence (pMDH) from three organisms (yeast, mouse and melon). These presequences differ in their length. Activities of MPP dimer containing α-MPP with the single reporter tryptophan residue in the position 289 were about 70 % while...

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is extensively used in a broad range of industrial and medical applications, such as aseptic processing of food and pharmaceuticals, disinfection, water treatment plants, and decontamination of industrial effluents. H2O2 is believed to be responsible for chemical degradation of polymer membranes in Polymer-Electrolyte-Membrane (PEM) fuel cells. Therefore, a versatile H2O2 sensor that functions in different environments with different conditions is of practical importance in various fields. This dissertation presents the fabrication of a fiber-optic H2O2 sensing probe (optrode) and its H2O2 sensing behavior in different conditions. An H2O2 optrode is fabricated using chemical deposition of Prussian blue (PB) onto the tip of a multimode optical fiber. Sensing tests are performed in aqueous solutions at a constant pH and different concentrations of H2O2. Sensing features of the optrode (i.e. repeatability, durability, and reproducibility) are assessed by performing multiple sensing tests with several optrodes. The results show the prepared optrode is able to detect concentrations of H2O2 in aqueous solutions at a constant pH of 4 and the optrode features a repeatable and durable response at this condition. The functionality of optrodes at different pH values is further investigated by performing additional sensing experiments. These experiments are carried out in aqueous solutions with different concentrations of H2O2 at different pH values (i.e. pH 2-7). The sensor detects the presence of H2O2 at a range of pH values. Sensing behavior of optrodes toward detection and measurement of H2O2 concentrations is studied at the pH value corresponding to an operating PEM fuel cell (i.e. pH 2). The optrode is able to detect concentrations of H2O2 at this condition with a repeatable and durable response. The stability of PB films, prepared through different conditions, is investigated to address the stability of optrodes at elevated temperatures. PB films are first deposited onto the glass slides through three different chemical processes, and then at different synthesis temperatures. The PB films are left in Phosphate-Buffer-Solutions (PBS) with pH 2 and at elevated temperatures for a day. Finally, PB films are characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) to analyze their stability following PBS processing at operating temperatures and pH value corresponding to an operating PEM fuel cell (i.e. 80 °C and pH 2). The results of these experiments illustrate the PB films prepared through the single-source precursor (SSP) technique and at synthesis temperatures above 60 °C remain stable after the PBS processing. The proposed optrode shows reliable sensing behavior toward detection and measurement of H2O2 concentrations in aqueous solutions at different conditions. The prepared optrode has the potential for being developed and used in different industrial and medical fields, as well as an operating PEM fuel cell, to detect and measure H2O2 concentrations. / Graduate / 0794 / 0548 / 0485 / hakbarik@uvic.ca