Thesis (MSc)--Stellenbosch University, 2015. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Biofouling is the attachment and biofilm formation that leads to negative repercussions such as persistent post-harvest infections, infections obtained from medical implants and continual surface contamination of food processing plants. Much of the problem lies with the resistance that develops against conventional treatments due to the formation of mature biofilms. Thus the focus has shifted from the removal of biofilms to the prevention of initial attachment of organisms. This entails the use of antimicrobial surfaces that either have an inherent antimicrobial activity, e.g. certain metals, or surfaces that are modified by the attachment of antimicrobial agents. The attachment of antimicrobial agents can either be through covalent bonding or adsorption, depending on the intended use of the surface as well as the mode of action of the antimicrobial agent. Antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) are ubiquitous in nature, tend to have a broad spectrum of activity, are very stable and have been shown to maintain activity when covalently bound to solid surfaces. Tyrocidines (Trcs), antimicrobial peptides produced by Bacillus aneurinolyticus, are cyclodecapeptides with a broad spectrum of activity against Grampositive bacteria, fungi, yeasts and the human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The aim of this study was to determine the antimicrobial activity of surfaces treated with a tyrocidine extract, under which conditions the activity remained stable and to look into possible applications of these peptide-treated surfaces. The study focussed on different solid surfaces namely mixed cellulose, polyvinylidene fluoride, polycarbonate, cellulose acetate, cellulose (paper)(CL) and high density cellulose packing material (HDC), as a pilot study to assess the antimicrobial activity of Trc and gramicidin S (GS) treated solid surfaces. Peptide desorption and subsequent analysis by mass spectrometry was used to confirm the presence and integrity of the Trcs adsorbed. Scanning electron microscopy was utilised to show that the adsorbed peptides did not affect the structural integrity of the treated filters. However, it was shown that the adsorbed peptides changed the hydrophobic/hydrophilic character by means of a wettability assay. A cell viability assay and erythrocyte assay were developed from existing methodologies to determine the biological activity of the AMP-functionalised polymeric material. Seven of the AMP treated solid surfaces showed antimicrobial activity when challenged with >105 Micrococcus luteus cells/cm2. Although the polycarbonate filter lost antimicrobial activity at the high cell concentrations, it was shown to have potent antimicrobial activity at lower cell concentrations. Complete inhibition of M. luteus growth was observed for both the gramicidin S and tyrocidine extract treated high density cellulose and cellulose filters. Stability tests showed that the tyrocidines remained adsorbed to cellulose filters and biologically active when exposed multiple water washes, water washes at different temperatures (25°C - 100°C) and pH changes (pH 1-12). The antimicrobial activity was only affected after exposure to the water wash of pH 13 which is possible due to susceptibility of the CL filters to high pH solvents. A preliminary study on the effect of Trcs treated CL filters on the sterilization, germination and effect on tomato seedlings was conducted. It was found that Trcs had no effect on the germination and did not fully sterilise the seeds or environment against fungi. However, it was observed that 5 μg/mL Trcs treated filters promoted root length opposed to the toxic effect seen with filters treated with higher Trc concentrations. It is hypothesised that Trcs prefer to bind to hydrophilic surfaces exposing the hydrophobic residues and the cationic residue of the peptide to interact with the bacterial membrane to elicit its antimicrobial response. The exposed residues contain some of the hydrophobic residues and the cationic Orn9/Lys9, which are crucial to the antimicrobial activity of the peptides. Hydrophobic interaction is particularly important for the haemolytic activity which is currently the only viable method of detection of the adsorbed Trcs. Trcs also have a preference for adsorption onto cellulose and cellulose analogues which points to possible application in protective food wrapping and wood surface protection. Trcs maintains its antimicrobial activity regardless of adsorption to solid surfaces. It can therefore be concluded that Trcs treated solid surfaces hold great potential in preventing the initial bacterial colonization and subsequent biofilm formation. Antimicrobial peptide enriched solid surfaces can thus be developed and tailored to a specific application such as filters, catheters and packaging materials. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Biovervuiling is die aanhegting en vorming van biofilms met negatiewe gevolge soos aanhoudende na-oes infeksies, infeksies op mediese inplantings en voortdurende oppervlak besoedeling van voedselverwerkings fabrieke. Die probleem lê grotendeels by die weerstand wat ontwikkel word teen konvensionele behandelings as gevolg van die vorming van volwasse biofilms. Die fokus het gevolglik verskuif vanaf die verwydering van biofilms na die voorkoming van aanvanklike aanhegting van organismes aan oppervlaktes. Dit behels die gebruik van antimikrobiese oppervlaktes wat of 'n inherente antimikrobiese aktiwiteit het, bv. sekere metale óf oppervlaktes wat aangepas is deur die aanhegting van antimikrobiese middels. Die aanhegting van antimikrobiese agente kan of deur kovalente binding óf adsorpsie plaasvind, afhangende van die beoogde gebruik van die oppervlak, sowel as die metode van werking van die antimikrobiese agent. Antimikrobiese peptiede (AMPe) is alomteenwoordig in die natuur, is geneig om 'n breë spektrum van aktiwiteit te hê, is baie stabiel en het getoon dat aktiwiteit in stand gehou word wanneer dit kovalent gebind word op soliede oppervlaktes. Tirosidiene (Trcs), antimikrobiese peptiede wat deur Bacillus aneurinolyticus geproduseer word, is siklodekapeptiede met 'n breë spektrum van aktiwiteit teen Gram-positiewe bakterieë, swamme, giste en die menslike malaria parasiet Plasmodium falciparum. Die doel van hierdie studie was om die antimikrobiese aktiwiteit te bepaal van oppervlaktes wat met 'n tirosidien ekstrak behandel is, te bepaal onder watter omstandighede die aktiwiteit stabiel bly en om te soek na moontlike toepassings van hierdie peptied-behandelde oppervlaktes. Die studie het gefokus op verskillende soliede oppervlaktes naamlik gemengde sellulose, polyvinylidene fluoried, polikarbonaat, sellulose asetaat, sellulose (papier)(CL) en 'n hoë digtheid sellulose verpakkings materiaal (HDC), as 'n loodsstudie om die antimikrobiese aktiwiteit van die Trcs en gramisidien S (GS) behandelde soliede oppervlaktes te ondersoek. Peptied-desorpsie en daaropvolgende ontleding deur massaspektroskopie is gebruik om die teenwoordigheid en integriteit van die geadsorbeerde Trcs te bevestig. Skandering elektronmikroskopie is gebruik om aan te toon dat die geadsorbeerde peptiede geen invloed op die strukturele integriteit van die behandelde filters het nie. Daar is egter getoon dat die geadsorbeerde peptiede die hidrofobiese / hidrofiliese karakter verander. „n Lewensvatbaarheid selgebaseerde toets en eritrosiet toets is ontwikkel uit bestaande metodes om die biologiese aktiwiteit van die AMP-gefunktionaliseerde polimeriese materiaal te bepaal. Sewe van die AMP behandel soliede oppervlaktes het antimikrobiese aktiwiteit getoon wanneer dit met > 105 Micrococcus luteus selle/cm2 gedaag is. Hoewel die polikarbonaat filter antimikrobiese aktiwiteit met hoë sel konsentrasies verloor het, is dit getoon dat dit wel uitgeproke antimikrobiese aktiwiteit het teen laer konsentrasies selle. Volledige inhibisie van M. luteus groei is waargeneem vir beide die hoë digtheid sellulose en sellulose filters wat met GS en tirosidien ekstrak behandel is. Stabiliteit toetse het getoon dat die tirosidiene geadsorbeer en biologies aktief op sellulose filters bly nadat dit blootgestel is aan verskeie water was-stappe, waterwasse by verskillende temperature (25 °C -100 °C) en pH veranderinge (pH 1-12). Die antimikrobiese aktiwiteit was net beïnvloed ná blootstelling aan die water met 'n pH 13, wat moontlik is te danke aan die vatbaarheid van die CL filters by hoë pH oplosmiddels is. 'n Voorlopige studie is gedoen om die uitwerking van Trcs behandelde CL filters op die sterilisasie, ontkieming en tamatiesaailinge te bepaal. Daar is gevind dat Trcs geen effek op die ontkieming het nie, maar dat dit nie volledig die sade en omgewing steriliseer vir fungiese groei nie. Daar is egter waargeneem dat 5 μg/mL Trcs behandelde filters wortel lengte van die saailinge bevorder teenoor die giftige uitwerking soos waargeneem vir die filters wat met hoër konsentrasies Trcs behandel is. Dit word gepostuleer dat Trcs verkies om aan hidrofiliese oppervlaktes te bind wat die van die hidrofobiese aminosure en die kationiese residu van die peptied blootstel om aan die bakteriële membraan te bind om gevolglik antimikrobiese reaksie te ontlok. Die blootgestelde deel bevat sommige van die hidrofobiese residue en positiewe Orn9/Lys9 wat noodsaaklik vir die antimikrobiese aktiwiteit van die peptiede. Die hidrofobiese interaksies is veral belangrik vir die hemolitiese aktiwiteit wat tans die enigste bruikbare metode van opsporing van die geadsorbeerde Trcs is. Trcs het ook 'n tendens vir adsorpsie op sellulose en sellulose analoë wat dui op die moontlike toepassing in beskermende voedselverpakking en die beskerming van houtoppervlaktes. Trcs handhaaf hul antimikrobiese aktiwiteit, ongeag van adsorpsie aan soliede oppervlaktes. Dit kan dus afgelei word dat Trcs-behandelde soliede oppervlaktes die potensiaal het om die aanvanklike kolonisasie van bakterië te voorkom en die daaropvolgende biofilm vorming. Antimikrobiese peptied verrykde soliede oppervlaktes kan dus ontwikkel en aangepas word vir gebruik in spesifieke toepassing soos in filters, kateters en verpakkingsmateriaal.

Poor aqueous solubilities of drug candidates limit the biopharmaceutical usefulness in either oral or parenteral dosage forms. Lipid assemblies, such as micelles, may provide a means of enhancing solubility. Despite their usefulness, little is known about the means by which micelles accomplish this result. The goal of the current dissertation is to provide the molecular level understanding of the mechanism by which simple micelle systems solubilize drugs. Specifically, the location, orientation and amount of the drug molecules in micelle systems are the focuses of the work. Three series of model drugs, steroids, benzodiazepines and parabens, in three surfactant systems with anionic, cationic and neutral hydrophilic headgroups were studied. Solubilization power of each micelle system for each model drug was determined by equilibrium solubility. The observed strong surface activities of model drug at hydrocarbon/water interface and the ability of the drugs to compete with surfactants for the model oil/water interface lend support to the hypothesis that drug molecules are mainly solubilized in the interfacial region of the micelles. A surface-localized thermodynamic model that considered the surfactant-drug competition at micelle surface was successfully applied to predict the micelle/water partitioning coefficients. The predictions were made without the use of adjustable parameters in the case of both dilute and concentrated solutions. The orientation of drug at micelle surface was determined by matching calculated occupied areas by solutes at oil/water interface using molecular modeling method to the experimental values. To look into the micro-structure of micelles, twodimensional and diffusion (or PGSE) NMR techniques were employed to detect the specific drug-surfactant interactions and the micelle sizes influenced by model drugs and electrolytes.

[Formulae and special characters can only be approximated here. Please see the pdf version of the Abstract for an accurate reproduction.] The kinetics for outer-sphere electron transfer between a series of cobalt(II) poly-aza cage ligand complexes and the iron(III) sarcophagine-type hexa-aza cage complex, [Fe(sar)]3+ (sar = 3,6,10,13,16,19-hexaazabicyclo[6.6.6]icosane), in aqueous solution have been investigated and the Marcus correlation is used to deduce the electron self-exchange rate constant for the [Fe(sar)]3+/2+ couple from these cross-reactions. The deduced electron self-exchange rate constant is in relatively good agreement with the experimentally determined rate constant (k ex calc = 4 ´ 10 5 M -1 s -1 ; k ex obs = 8 ´ 10 5 M -1 s -1 ). The successful application of the Marcus correlation to the electron transfer reactions of the Fe cage complex is consistent with the trend for the Co, Mn, Ni and Ru cage complexes which all follow the pattern of outer-sphere electron transfer reactivity expected from the Marcus-Hush formalism. A comparison of predictions based on the Marcus correlation with the experimentally determined kinetics of an extended series of cross reactions involving cobalt cage complexes with low-spin-high-spin cobalt(III)/(II) couples shows that electron transfer reactions involving large spin changes at the metal centre are not necessarily anomalous in the context of the adiabatic Marcus-Hush formalism. The results of this study also show that for suitable systems, the Marcus correlation can be used to reliably calculate the rates of outer-sphere electron transfer cross-reactions, with reaction free-energy changes spanning the range -6 to -41 kJ mol -1 and many different combinations of initial electronic configurations. Together, these results provide a coherent and internally consistent set of experimental data in support of the Marcus-Hush formalism for outer-sphere electron transfer. The results with the caged metal-ion systems also highlight the special nature of the mechanism of electron transfer in reactions of metal-aqua ions. ¶ A new range of symmetrically disubstituted hexa-aza sarcophagine-type cage ligand complexes are prepared in this study by the base-catalysed co-condensation of formaldehyde and a-methylene aliphatic aldehydes with cobalt(III) tris(1,2-diamine) precursors in acetonitrile solution. Encapsulation reactions based on the condensation of the weak carbon di-acids propanal and decanal with formaldehyde and the cobalt(III) tris(1,2-diamine) precursors, [Co(en)3 ] 3+ (en = 1,2-ethanediamine) and D-lel3 -[Co((R, R)-chxn)3 ] 3+ (chxn = 1,2-cyclohexanediamine), yield unsaturated cobalt(III) cage complexes with an endo-cyclic imine function in each cap. The Co III -coordinated endo-cyclic imine units of the cage ligands are reactive electrophiles that are readily reduced by the BH4 - ion to give the corresponding symmetrically di-substituted hexaamine macrobicyclic cage ligands. The nitromethane carbanion is also shown to add at the endo-cyclic imine function to yield a novel nitromethylated cage ligand complex. The latter reaction introduces a new method for the regioselective functionalisation of cage ligands at sites removed from the more commonly substituted bridgehead positions. The capping of cobalt(III) tris(1,2-diamine)-type complexes with weak CH-acids developed in this study introduces a new and more direct route to symmetrically di-substituted cage ligand complexes. ¶ A new range of cobalt(III) surfactant cage complexes, with linear octyl, dodecyl and hexadecyl hydrocarbon chains built directly into the bridgehead structure of the cage ligand, have been prepared by the base catalysed co-condensation of formaldehyde and long chain aliphatic aldehydes with the tripodal cobalt(III) hexaamine complex, [Co(sen)]3+ (sen = 4,4',4''-ethylidynetris(3-azabutan-1-amine)), in acetonitrile solution. Chiral surfactant cage complexes are obtained by capping reactions beginning with the optically pure L-[Co(sen)]3+ precursor complex. The cobalt(III) cage complexes with octyl to hexadecyl substituents are surface active and reduce the surface tension of water to levels approaching those of organic solvents. The dodecyl substituted cage complex forms micelles in aqueous solution when the concentration of cage complex is > 1 ´ 10 -3 mol dm -3 at 25 °C. The cobalt(III) cage head-group of these surfactants undergoes an electrochemically reversible one-electron reduction to the corresponding cobalt(II) cage complex. The reduction potential of the surfactant head group can be tuned to more positive potentials by replacing the bridgehead hydrocarbon chain substituent with an ether linked hydrocarbon chain. The cobalt(III) surfactant-cage complexes are biologically active and are lethal to the tapeworm Hymenolepis diminuta, and the vaginal parasites, Trichomonas vaginalis and Tritrichomonas foetus. The surfactant cage complexes also cause lysis in red-blood cell membranes at concentrations as low 10 -5 mol dm -3 . Their biological activity is linked to the high head-group charge (3+) and size which cause distortions in biological membranes when the membrane is treated with these molecules. The combination of the chemically reversible outer-sphere redox properties of the cobalt cage head-groups and the chirality of the head group introduces a new and possibly unique series of chiral surfactant coordination complexes which are also redox active. ¶ The chiral carboxylic-acid ionophore, lasalocid A, has been used to promote the selective supramolecular transport and extraction of cobalt(III) hexa-aza cage cations and related tripodal cobalt(III) complexes. The conjugate base anion of lasalocid A forms stoichiometric outer-sphere complexes with the cobalt(III) cage and tripod complexes. These outer-sphere complexes are highly lipophilic and partition strongly from water into a chloroform phase. The extraction of the dissymmetric cobalt(III) complexes by the chiral polyether anion is enantioselective for many systems and results in the partial resolution of initially racemic complexes in the aqueous phase. A strong structural preference was demonstrated by the ionophore for symmetrically disubstituted cobalt(III) hexa-aza cage cations with a D-absolute configuration of the ligand about the metal-ion and an R configuration of the coordinated secondary amine N-H groups. The lasalocid A anion was also shown to promote the transport of the complexes, intact, across a chloroform bulk-liquid membrane against an NH4 + concentration gradient. The transport of the cobalt(III) complexes was also enantioselective and resulted in partial resolution of the initially racemic aqueous phase. The most efficiently transported enantiomer of each complex was also the most efficiently extracted isomer in all systems examined, consistent with a transport process limited by interfacial diffusion. The magnitude of the enantiomer separation obtained in some systems was sufficient to indicate that lasalocid A mediated extraction and transport may become a practical method for the resolution of particular types of kinetically-inert chiral metal-amine complexes.

Recognizing how climate change will impact populations can aid in making decisions about approaches for conservation of endangered species. The Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard (Gambelia sila) is a federally endangered species that, despite protection, remains in extremely arid, hot areas and may be at risk of extirpation due to climate change. We collected data on the field-active body temperatures, preferred body temperatures, and upper thermal tolerance of G. sila. We then described available thermal habitat using biophysical models, which allowed us to (1) describe patterns in lizard body temperatures, microhabitat temperatures, and lizard microhabitat use, (2) quantify the lizards’ thermoregulatory accuracy, (3) calculate the number of hours they are currently thermally restricted in microhabitat use, (4) project how the number of restricted hours will change in the future as ambient temperatures rise, and (5) assess the importance of Giant Kangaroo Rat burrows and shade-providing shrubs in the current and projected future thermal ecology of G. sila. Lizards maintained fairly consistent daytime body temperatures over the course of the active season, and use of burrows and shrubs increased as the season progressed and ambient temperatures rose. During the hottest part of the year, lizards shuttled among kangaroo rat burrows, shrubs, and open habitat to maintain body temperatures below their upper thermal tolerance, but occasionally, higher than their preferred body temperature range. Lizards are restricted from staying in the open habitat for 75% of daylight hours and are forced to seek refuge under shrubs or burrows to avoid surpassing their upper thermal threshold. After applying climatic projections of 1 and 2˚C increases to 2018 ambient temperatures, G. sila will lose additional hours of activity time that could compound stressors faced by this population, potentially leading to extirpation. Finally, temperature-based activity estimation (TBAE) is an automated method for predicting surface activity and microhabitat use based on the temperature of an organism and its habitat. In an attempt to lessen impacts on sensitive species and costs, we assessed continuously logged field active body temperatures as a tool to predict the surface activity and microhabitat use of an endangered lizard (Blunt-nosed Leopard Lizard, Gambelia sila). We found that TBAE accurately predicts whether a lizard is above or below ground 75.7% of the time when calculated using air temperature, and 60.5% of the time when calculated using biophysical models. While surface activity was correctly predicted about 93% of the time using either method, accuracy in predicting below ground (burrow) occupancy was 62% for air temperature and 51% for biophysical models. Using biophysical model data, TBAE accurately predicts microhabitat use in 79% of observations in which lizards are in the sun, 47% in the shade, and 51% in burrows. Heliotherms bask in the sun, and thus body temperatures can shift rapidly when the animal moves to a new microhabitat. This sensitivity, makes TBAE a promising means of remotely monitoring animal activity, particularly for specific variables like emergence time and surface activity.

No description available.

We examined the short-term (1 - 4 years postharvest) effects of 7 silvicultural treatments on terrestrial salamander populations at 4 sites in southwest Virginia and West Virginia. The 3 silvicultural treatments with the most canopy removal (4-7 m2 basal area Shelterwood, Leavetree, Clearcut) had significantly fewer salamanders than the control (p < 0.10) postharvest. No differences were found among treatments in age class distribution, the percent of females that were gravid, or average clutch size. We tested the nighttime, surface-count census method for visibility and behavior-induced bias among silviculture treatments and estimated the proportion of a salamander population that is active on the surface in harvested and control habitats. Instantaneous rates of salamander activity ranged from 1.3 to 11.7% of the population for redback (Plethodon cinereus) and slimy salamanders (P. glutinosus). Timber harvest caused up to a 2-fold increase or decrease in activity rates. There was evidence for bias in the night census method, but differences were not consistent enough to suggest general bias corrections. We also tested whether poorly fed salamanders exhibited risk-sensitive foraging in a dry environment in a laboratory experiment. Poorly fed salamanders were observed out of their simulated burrows less than well fed salamanders suggesting salamanders, particularly females and small adults, are risk-averse. / Master of Science

Jihomoravský lignit pocházející z dolu Mír v Mikulčicích, Lignit s.r.o. byl přesítován a vybraná frakce byla modifikována tzv. mokrou cestou pomocí dvou oxidačních (HNO3, H2O2) a dvou „amfifilních“ (kyselina octová, kyselina citronová) činidel. Alkalickou extrakcí byly získány jak huminové kyseliny z neupraveného tak předupraveného lignitu (tzv. regenerované huminové kyseliny). Na základě výsledku elementární analýzy byly vypočítány C/O a C/H poměry, které společně s FTIR spektry podaly informaci o stupni alifaticity/aromaticity a dále o stupni oxidace organického uhlíku. Pomocí vysokoúčinné vylučovací chromatografie byla stanovena distribuce velikosti huminových agregátů. K objasnění procesů probíhajících v povrchové vrstvě bylo proměřeno povrchové napětí studovaných roztoků vzorků. Získaná data byla proložena Szyszkowského rovnicí a obdržené parametry poukázaly jak na povrchovou aktivitu jednotlivých huminových kyselin tak i na povahu molekul zodpovědných za snižování povrchového napětí. Pro vzájemnou korelaci dat získaných výše zmíněnými metodami byl použit Pearsonův korelační koeficient.

V předložené práci byly testovány modifikované lignitické huminové kyseliny za účelem zjištění jejich schopnosti remediace zemědělské půdy. Před samotnou extrakcí jednotlivých huminových kyselin byl lignit modifikován jednou ze série deseti organických kyselin. Cílem modifikace byla simulace procesů vyskytujících se v rizosféře, tj. procesů, kdy malé organické molekuly způsobují změny ve struktuře půdní organické hmoty, během nichž dochází k produkci biologicky aktivních agregátů/molekul podílejících se na růstu rostlin. Prvním krokem této práce bylo zkoumání fyzikálně chemických vlastností vyprodukovaných huminových kyselin a jejich molekulové struktury prostřednictvím elementární analýzy, infračervené spektroskopie s Fourierovou transformací (FTIR), vysokoúčinné gelové chromatografie (HPSEC), metodou měření povrchového napětí a plynovou chromatografií s hmotnostní spektrometrií (GC-MS). Dalším krokem bylo studium parametrů biologické aktivity, získaných z experimentů zaměřených jak na vyšší rostliny, tak na remediaci mikrobiologické aktivity zemědělské půdy. Biologická aktivita vůči vyšším rostlinám byla zkoumána na základě experimentu s kukuřicí, byla měřena délka a hmotnost kořenů, rozvětvení jejich laterálních kořenů a obsah sacharidů a proteinů. Z experimentů cílených na půdu se jednalo o měření množství uvolněného CO2 při laboratorní inkubaci ošetřené půdy a půdní hydrofobicitu (metoda měření kontaktního úhlu). Na závěr byly výsledky podrobeny statistické analýze s využitím Pearsonova korelačního koeficientu s cílem nalézt vztahy mezi fyzikálně chemickými vlastnostmi a biologickou a povrchovou aktivitou studovaných huminových kyselin. Korelace byly zjištěny mezi biologickou aktivitou a fyzikálně chemickými vlastnostmi huminových kyselin. Naopak, nebyly zjištěny mezi povrchovými a fyzikálně chemickými vlastnostmi. Nejefektivnějším modifikačním činidlem z pohledu biologické aktivity byla 20% kyselina mravenčí, nejméně efektivním 20% kyselina propionová.

In this thesis technical nonionic surfactants are studied using multivariate techniques. The surfactants studied were alkyl ethoxylates (AEOs) and alkyl polyglucosides (APGs). The aquatic toxicity of the surfactants towards two organisms, a shrimp and a rotifer, was examined. The specified effect was lethality, LC50, as indicated by immobilisation. In a comparative study, the LC50 values obtained were used to develop two different types of model. In the log P model the toxicity was correlated to log P alone, while in the multivariate model several physicochemical variables, including log P, were correlated to the toxicity. The multivariate model gave smaller prediction errors than the log P model. Further, the change in reactivity when a surfactant mixture was added to dissolving pulp under alkaline conditions was studied, using the amount of residual cellulose as a measure of the reactivity. Ten AEO/APG mixtures were tested, and the mixture with greatest potential was studied in more detail. An optimum in the amount of added surfactant was found that seems to coincide, according to surface tension measurements, with the CMC.

L'estudi de la reacció de vulcanització en presència de càrregues mostra la influència de la superfície del negre de carboni a la reacció de vulcanització, i més concretament de l'activitat superficial del negre de carboni. Aquest estudi de la influència a la vulcanització s'amplia a altres paràmetres com la microestructura superficial del negre de carboni. Els resultats mostren un efecte d'activació de la reacció a major superfície específica, a major activitat superficial i en especial de la major component polar de la superfície. Per tal de millorar el seguiment de la reacció de vulcanització s'ha desenvolupat una metodologia analítica d'HPLC. Aquest mateix procés a la superfície del negre de carboni s'ha estudiat mitjançant ToF-SIMS, confirmant-se com una eina útil per al seguiment dels intermedis de reacció a la superfície de la càrrega. Finalment, s'ha modificat l'activitat superficial d'alguns dels components de la vulcanització, en aquest cas l'accelerant i el sofre, mitjançant polimerització amb plasma fred per tal d'estudiar-ne l'efecte a la vulcanització i el seu comportament al sí de la mescla. En el cas de l'accelerant els resultats mostren la possibilitat de modificar l'activitat de l'accelerant a la vulcanització sense alterar les propietats finals del producte. Pel que respecta a la modificació del sofre, els resultats obren les portes a un camí de tractament superficial de les partícules de sofre per a reduir l'efecte de migració del sofre. / El estudio de la reacción de vulcanización en presencia de cargas muestra la influencia de la superficie del negro de carbono en la reacción de vulcanización, y más concretamente de la actividad superficial del negro de carbono. Este estudio de la influencia en la vulcanización se amplia a otros parámetros como la microestructura superficial del negro de carbono. Los resultados muestran un efecto de activación de la reacción a mayor superficie específica, a mayor actividad superficial y en especial de la mayor componente polar de la superficie. Para mejorar el seguimiento de la reacción de vulcanización se ha desarrollado una metodología analítica de HPLC. Este mismo proceso en la superficie del negro de carbono se ha estudiado mediante ToF-SIMS, confirmándose como una herramienta útil para el seguimiento de los intermedios de reacción en la superficie de la carga. Finalmente, se ha modificado la actividad superficial de algunos de los componentes de la vulcanización, en este caso el acelerante y el azufre, mediante polimerización con plasma frío para estudiar el efecto en la vulcanización y su comportamiento en el sí de la mezcla. En el caso del acelerante los resultados muestran la posibilidad de modificar la actividad del acelerante en la vulcanización sin alterar las propiedades finales del producto. Referente a la modificación del azufre, los resultados abren las puertas a un camino de tratamiento superficial de las partículas de azufre para reducir el efecto de la migración del azufre. / The study of the vulcanization in the presence of fillers shows the carbon black surface influence on the vulcanization reaction and specially its surface activity component. These studies have been opened to other parameters like the microstructure of the carbon black surface. Results show the activation effect of the vulcanization reaction at higher surface activity and specially at higher polar component. To improve the following of vulcanization reaction it has been developed a new analytical HPLC methodology. The same process on the carbon black surface has been studied by ToF-SIMS, and it has been demonstrated to be a useful technique to follow the vulcanization reaction. Taking in account the significance of surface activity, surface activity of some components like the accelerator and sulfur has been modified by cold plasma polymerization in order to study the effect on the vulcanization and the behavior in the mix. Concerning the accelerator, results show that it's possible to modify the accelerator performance without modifying the properties of the rubber goods. Sulfur surface activity treatment results open a new field for surface activity treatments to minimize the blooming effect.