Chemotherapy resistance in human epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is a significant reason for the high rate of death among patients. We hypothesized that chemotherapy- resistant EOC cells will be killed by novel drug treatments in non-adherent culture conditions. The objective of this study was to test the efficacy of novel drugs to affect platinum resistant EOC cell viability. To achieve this, the cell killing efficacy of several drugs were tested on drug-resistant EOCs growing in non-adherent cultures. Both EOC cell lines and primary EOC cells isolated from patient ascites were used for these studies. Two different classes of drugs were tested including multikinase inhibitors (dorsomorphin and LDN-193189), and an understudied class of novel chemotherapeutic agents called glycosylated antitumor ether lipids (GAELs). EOC cells were treated with the drugs at different doses alone or in combination with cisplatin. Because GAELs exhibited promising results in resistant EOC cells, the mechanism of GAEL-induced cell-death was evaluated. / October 2016

Cerebral electrostimulation (CES) as a treatment for migraine headache was investigated. Eighteen participants recorded data on headaches for two baseline weeks. Six were assigned to each of three groups--an active treatment group receiving CES, a placebo group receiving a simulated version of CES, and a no-treatment control group placed on a waiting list during the study. The CES group evidenced a significant reduction in headache duration and intensity relative to the placebo group. The waiting list control group did as well as the CES group. A number of hypotheses were put forth in an attempt to account for the unexpected finding.

<p>Aluminum-Silicon (Al-Si) alloys are often preferred in the die casting industry due to excellent castability, high strength, corrosion resistance and low cost. Commonly, iron (Fe) is alloyed with the alloys to prevent die soldering. However, the addition of Fe in most of Al-Si alloys leads to formation of the intermetallic β-AlFeSi. The β-AlFeSi is harmful to the alloy structural integrity due to its needle-like morphology that creates stress concentration at the microscopic level. The phase presence is unfavorable to the mechanical properties and significantly reduces the elongation of the alloys. This research attempted to find viable way to control the morphology and formation of the β-AlFeSi phase.</p> <p>Thermodynamic simulations were done to investigate the sequence of intermetallic formation and other phases at different alloy compositions. The analysis of solidification paths of different alloys provided the correlation between the phase formation sequence and the fraction of the β-AlFeSi phase. The analysis also identified the feasible region of alloy design for minimizing the β-AlFeSi formation. Based on the thermodynamics simulation analysis, five alloys of different compositions were designed to validate the finding of the simulation. </p> <p>The tensile test results of the alloys indicated that lowering the Fe content increases the elongation of the alloy. The results also showed that elongation was reduced with the increase of Si level due to the formation of eutectic Silicon. The change of both Fe and Mn did not significantly affect the mechanical property of the alloy when the ratio of Fe to Mn was constant. Microscopic analysis showed that lowering the Fe level had effectively altered the morphology of the β-AlFeSi needle like structure. The β-AlFeSi was found to be smaller in terms of size when Fe is lower, subsequently reducing the probability of β-AlFeSi phase to be stress riser and crack initiation. </p> <p>The influence of heat treatment to the mechanical property of the alloys was also studied. The mechanical result on the heat-treated samples indicated that heat treatment is a viable method to improve the elongation property of the alloy. Microscopic observations showed that the β-AlFeSi phase was broken into shorter structures over the solution heat treatment process, resulting in better elongation. </p>

O íntimo contato entre osso e implante é considerado um pré-requisito fundamental para o sucesso dos implantes dentários, condição esta conhecida como osseointegração. Devido a isto, um grande número de pesquisas com tratamentos de superfícies de implantes vem sendo desenvolvido por várias empresas nos últimos anos, visando acelerar esse fenômeno. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar histomorfometricamente o percentual de contato osso-implante (BIC) e área de osso novo (BA) entre implantes de tratamento de superfície Neoporos (GC - hidrofóbico) e implantes com energia de superfície molhada Acqua (GE - hidrofílicos). Foram utilizados 15 coelhos da raça new zealand, que receberam 30 implantes divididos em cada lado de suas tíbias direita e esquerda, ambos de titânio comercialmente puro grau IV com 3.5x8mm de dimensão, sendo ao final de 15 dias, a região dos implantes coletada e processada histologicamente para obtenção de cortes teciduais não desmineralizados, embora dois implantes do grupo Esm tenham sido excluídos da pesquisa devido à instalação ter ocorrido dentro do canal medular e terem obtido tecido necrosado, não cumprindo as características de osseointegração. Para análise dos dados estatísticos, utilizou-se o teste t de Students para amostras independents e teste Mann-Whitney Rank Sum com nível de significância de p<0.05. Os resultados mostraram que não houve diferença estatisticamente significante entre os grupos para a análise de BIC. O grupo GC apresentou a média de 42.9% de BIC, ligeiramente menor que o grupo GE, que apresentou 49.3% de média. Já para o teste BA houve diferenças de 15%, em que o grupo GC apresentou 58.6% e o grupo GE, 74.4%. A conclusão é que há, ainda, necessidade de maiores estudos a cerca do referido tema. / The near contact between bone and implant is considered an essential pre-requisite for the success of dental implants, a condition known as osseointegration. Due to it, a great amount of researches on implants surface treatments has been developed by several companies in recent years to accelerate the phenomenon of osseointegration. The aim of the present study is to evaluate histomorphometrically the percentage of bone-implants contact (BIC) and the area of new bone (BA) between implants with surfaces treatment Neoporos (GC - hydrophobic) and implants with wets surface energy Acqua (GE - hydrophilic). It was used fifteen (n=15) New Zealand rabbits, which received thirty implants installed dividing them between its right and left tibias. Implants were commercially pure titanium grade IV with 3.5x8mm dimension. After fifteen days, the implants area were collected and processed histologically in order to obtain not demineralized tissue sections. For statistical data analysis, it was used the t test for independents samples and Mann-Whitney Rank Sum test. The significance level was p<0.05. Results showed no statistical significant difference between groups for BIC analysis. The control group showed a mean of 42.9% of BIC, slightly lower than the GE group, which showed a mean of 49.3%. For BA test, there was a significant difference of more than 15% in the control group (58.6% for the GC group and 74.4% for GE group). It was concluded that futher studies is needed on this topic of osseointegration and hydrophobic /hydrophilic implants.

Filmes de nitreto de titânio e carbeto de titânio foram obtidos por deposição reativa via magnetron sputtering, utilizando como gases reativos, nitrogênio e metano, respectivamente. Foram depositados filmes de TiN e TiC, primeiramente sobre substratos de aços ferramenta AISI H13 e AISI D2 temperados e revenidos. Posteriormente, realizou-se o tratamento duplex de nitretação e deposição de TiN e TiC em reator híbrido, construído durante o presente trabalho. Os revestimentos foram caracterizados por microscopia eletrônica de varredura, difração de raios-X, espectrometria XPS e WDS e a rugosidade foi caracterizada por microscopia de força atômica. As propriedades mecânicas dos filmes foram determinadas utilizando a técnica de nanoindentação instrumentada, para avaliar a dureza(H), o módulo de elasticidade reduzido (E*), a recuperação elástica(we), a razão H/E* e a relação H3/E*2. Além disso, a adesão do filme ao substrato foi avaliada usando ensaios Rockwell e esclerometria linear. A resistência ao risco dos filmes depositados foi avaliada por nanoesclerometria instrumentada. O tratamento termoquímico de nitretação a plasma foi realizado em condições experimentais que inibem a formação da camada branca obtendo, assim, somente zona de difusão. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que quando os filmes de TiN e TiC são depositados sobre substratos não nitretados a adesão do filme cerâmico ao substrato metálico é baixa. O endurecimento do substrato, devido à nitretação a plasma, resultou em uma melhoria significativa na adesão(LC40 N) do filme de TiN sobre os substratos de aços ferramenta. Entretanto, o endurecimento prévio e o aumento da capacidade de suportar carga do substrato não constituem uma garantia de melhora de adesão do filme cerâmico ao substrato metálico. Para o filme de TiC depositado sobre aços ferramenta nitretados, a adesão(LC10 N) ao substrato foi baixa. A grande diferença entre as propriedades elastoplásticas, do filme de TiC e do substrato nitretado são as responsáveis pela baixa adesão. Este comportamento é semelhante ao observado para filmes de TiN e TiC depositados sobre os aços ferramenta não nitretados. Uma alternativa encontrada para melhorar a adesão dos filmes cerâmicos ao substrato foi a deposição de multicoberturas de TiN/TiC, depositados de modo a aumentar gradativamente os valores de H/E*, da relação H3/E*2 e da recuperação elástica obtendo, assim, um gradiente funcional destas propriedades. Em relação aos ensaios de nanoesclerometria conclui-se que a dureza não é por si só 2 determinante da profundidade residual no ensaio. Filmes com mesmo valor de dureza podem apresentar profundidades residuais diferentes. Nos ensaios de nanoesclerometria os filmes com altos valores de razão H/E*, da relação H3/E*2 e recuperação elástica possuem profundidades residuais menores. / DC Triode Reactive Magnetron Sputtered TiN and TiC films were deposited on quenched and tempered AISI H13 AISI D2 tool steels, and silicon (111) substrates, under nitrogen and argon or methane and argon reactive plasma. Hybrid duplex treatments were carried out in a home-built hybrid reactor, where pulsed plasma nitriding and unbalanced DC Reactive Magnetron Sputtering were performed in the same cycle, without exposing the surface of the sample to atmospheric pressure. The ceramic thin films were characterized by X-ray diffraction, WDS spectrometry, scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, depth sensing techniques (nanoscale), nanoscratch tests, Rockwell C and linear sclerometry adhesion tests. Nanoscale depth sensing was used for measuring hardness (H), Young modulus (E*), the H/E* ratio (elastic strain to failure), resistance to plastic deformation, H3/E*2 and elastic recovery. The pulsed plasma nitriding was performed in conditions which avoided the formation of a white layer obtaining only a diffusion zone. When TiN and TiC films were deposited on the quenched and tempered tool steels the adhesion of the ceramic films to the substrate was poor. When the steels were plasma nitrided before deposition the adhesion of the TiN layer to the substrate was improved. However, the adhesion of the TiC film deposited on the nitrided tool steels was also very poor. Therefore, plasma nitriding does not guarantee a better adhesion of the TiC film to the substrate. The abrupt transition of mechanical properties (hardness, Young Modulus and elastic recovery) between the TiC film and the substrate were responsible for the lower adhesion observed. To improve the adhesion of the ceramic film to the substrate, TiN-TiC multilayers were deposited on the surface of the nitrided tool steels, so as to obtain functionally graded films, in which the values of H/E* ratio and elastic recovery, increased in a less abrupt way from the substrate to the film. In the nanoscratch test high it was observed that high values of the H/E* and the H3/E*2 ratios and of the elastic recovery presented lower residual scratch depth.

A resistência à corrosão das ligas de alumínio está relacionada ao meio de exposição, composição química, presença de intermetálicos e microestrutura do metal, entre outras. Neste trabalho investigou-se a corrosão nas ligas de alumínio 3105 H16 e 5052 H34, comumente utilizadas na indústria de carrocerias de ônibus, em meio aquoso continham íons agressivos, tais como cloretos, sulfatos e hidroxilas. Avaliou-se comparativamente o comportamento destas ligas com os revestimentos de proteção de Nanocerâmico, Cromo VI, Cromo III e Sistema de Pintura em exposição atmosférica acelerada e imersão em diferentes meios agressivos. Estudos mais aprofundados restringiram-se às ligas sem tratamento, para as quais foram realizados ensaios de exposição acelerada em névoa salina neutra, névoa salina acética, câmara de umidade e exposição atmosférica natural. Microscopia eletrônica de varredura por emissão de campo foi empregada para caracterizar a superfície das ligas antes e após os ensaios de névoa salina neutra e acética. O comportamento eletroquímico das ligas sem tratamento foi determinado através do monitoramento do potencial de circuito aberto, curvas de polarização potenciodinâmica anódicas e espectroscopia de impedância eletroquímica. Os resultados mostraram que o tratamento de Cromo VI foi o que obteve melhor desempenho na proteção de ligas de alumínio, particularmente para a liga 5052. De um modo geral, a liga 5052 apresentou maior resistência à corrosão nos meios testados em presença ou não de tratamentos superficiais. Na exposição à névoa salina, a corrosão manifestou-se principalmente na forma de pites. Ficou comprovado que o efeito do íon Cl- é importante, porém o fator preponderante do comportamento à corrosão das ligas de alumínio está relacionado ao pH do meio de exposição, sendo este recomendado para avaliar revestimentos protetores. Além das condições do meio ao qual o metal será exposto, na seleção de tratamentos anticorrosivos é importante considerar as particularidades de cada liga, uma vez que suas características composicionais e microestruturais exercem relevante influência no desempenho à corrosão. / The corrosion resistance of aluminum alloys is related to the exposure medium, chemical composition, presence of intermetallic particles and metallic microstructure, among others. This work investigated corrosion of 3105 H16 and 5052 H34 aluminum alloys commonly used in the bus body industry in aqueous media containing aggressive ions, such as chlorides, sulfates and hydroxyls. The behavior of these alloys with the protective coatings of Nanoceramic, Chromium VI, Chromium III and Paint System in accelerated atmospheric exposure and immersion in different aggressive media was evaluated comparatively. Further studies were restricted to untreated alloys for which accelerated exposure tests were performed on neutral salt spray, acetic salt spray, moisture chamber and natural atmospheric exposure. Field scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the alloys surface before and after neutral and acetic salt spray tests. The electrochemical statement of the untreated alloys was determined by monitoring the open circuit potential, anodic potentiodynamic polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Results have shown that the treatment with Chromium VI was the one that obtained better performance in the protection of the aluminum alloys, particularly for 5052 alloy. In general, 5052 aluminum alloy presented greater resistance to corrosion in all tested media, with or without surface treatments. Under salt spray exposure, the corrosion attack appeared mainly in the form of pitting. It has been proven that the effect of Cl- ion is important, but the predominant factor on the corrosion behavior of aluminum alloys is related to the pH of the exposure medium, which is recommended to evaluate protective coatings. Besides the conditions of the medium to which the metal will be exposed, in the selection of anticorrosive treatments it is important to consider the particularities of each alloy, since its compositional and microstructural characteristics exert a relevant influence on the corrosion performance.

Tratamentos termoquímicos são processos utilizados pela indústria em componentes de sistemas mecânicos com o intuito de melhorar as suas propriedades superficiais, em especial o desempenho em desgaste. Esses sistemas são utilizados em conjunto com lubrificantes em máquinas e equipamentos dos mais variados tipos. Normalmente os lubrificantes mais usados em função do seu bom desempenho, são de base mineral. Entretanto, há vários estudos propondo o uso de lubrificantes de base vegetal mas pouco se conhece da interação da superfície com esses biofluidos. Sendo assim é importante se identificar como uma superfície tratada ou não, irá interagir com os diferentes tipos de lubrificantes. Dentro deste escopo, este trabalho se propõe a comparar a resposta tribológica de superfícies tratadas termoquimicamente ou não quando lubrificada com biofluidos e com óleos derivados de petróleo. O estudo foi realizado por meio do método \"ball-cratering test\". Como corpos de prova, foram utilizados pastilhas de aço AISI 4140 submetidas aos tratamentos termoquímicos de nitretação e nitrocementação e também sem tratamento além de partilhas de aço LN28 cementadas, como contracorpo foi utilizado uma esfera de aço AISI 52100 adquiridas comercialmente. Três tipos de óleos lubrificantes foram utilizados: óleo mineral, óleo de mamona e óleo de soja epoxidado. Com intuito de analisar os resultados obtidos nestes ensaios, foi calculado o volume desgastado de material nas amostras, e após a realização destes ensaios foi analisada a superfície dos corpos de prova em microscópio óptico, MEV e AFM. Foi medida também a molhabilidade dos lubrificantes nas superfícies estudadas. Os materiais submetidos a tratamento termoquímico apresentaram um melhor desempenho tribológico na maioria dos testes. Assim também, o óleo mineral, que apesar de possuir uma viscosidade inferior aos óleos vegetais utilizados, apresentou um melhor desempenho devido as propriedades inerentes a este tipo de lubrificante. / Thermochemical processes are used in the industry to improve the surface properties of the components of mechanical systems. In such systems lubrication are very important as well. Most common lubricants are mineral oil based but there are several studies analyzing performance of lubricants formulated from vegetable oils. However there are few studies about the interaction between surface and biofluids. It is important to know the behavior of the modified surface by thermochemical treatments interacting with different lubricants. In order to address this subject this study proposed to compare tribological behavior of surfaces modified by thermochemically and not modified when different lubricants are acting in the surface. Lubricants used were vegetable based (castor oil and epoxidized soybean oil) and mineral based (paraffinic oil). Tribological studies were performed by ball cratering test using samples from SAE 4140 submitted to nitriding and nitrocarburizing against AISI 52100 spheres. It was also tested samples from carburized LN 28 steel. Worn volume were calculated and characterization of the crater after test were made using SEM and AFM. Wetting was also measured for the different surface condition and lubricants. Results showed better performance of the modified surfaces using mineral oil as lubricant despite their lower viscosities.

Background: There is a paucity of research into Cluster C personality disorders, however there is increasing recognition that they are highly prevalent, associated with significant distress and frequently present alongside co-occurring axis I disorders. Research has led to significant progress in the understanding of the psychological mechanisms and has guided the development of evidence based treatment for borderline personality disorder and therefore it is likely that increased focus on Cluster C personality disorders may lead to similar developments. This thesis aimed to examine and evaluate current research on psychological interventions for the treatment of Cluster C personality disorders. It also sought to explore psychological factors involved in the development and maintenance of cluster C personality disorder. Method: A systematic literature review examining the effectiveness of psychological treatments for cluster C personality disorder identified 16 studies. The empirical study recruited individuals identified by clinicians as meeting criteria for Cluster C personality disorders. Participants completed a range of self-report measures of personality psychopathology, interpersonal problems and axis I disorders and a series of interviews exploring adult attachment style, reflective function, autobiographical memories. These were completed at 2 time points, 4 months apart. Participants also provided responses to a semi-structured qualitative interview to gain insight into their beliefs about their difficulties. Additional information was also gained through participants’ psychiatric notes. Results: The systematic review results indicate that psychological interventions are effective in the treatment of cluster C personality disorders however studies generally focused on cognitive behavioural or psychodynamic approaches. There is a lack of clarity over which treatment components are most effective in treating particular features of cluster C personality disorders. The empirical paper identifies no significant changes in personality psychopathology, anxiety and depressive symptoms, interpersonal problems, reflective function and autobiographical memory across time. Participants demonstrated insecure adult attachment styles. Conclusions: Results from the systematic review and empirical study identify a need for more research to explore the complexity of personality psychopathology and co-occurring axis I and axis II disorders. It is also necessary for research to identify psychological factors involved in the development and maintenance of Cluster C personality disorders in order to guide evidence based treatments. The systematic review highlights the need for research to identify the most effective psychological treatments for cluster C personality disorders and to establish which components of treatment are most effective in targeting particular symptoms associated with cluster C personality disorder.

Com a publicação e vigência da norma brasileira de desempenho NBR 15575:2013 amplia-se a necessidade de pesquisas que avaliem os fatores influentes sobre o desempenho dos materiais em função do local em que são empregados, principalmente no caso de materiais cimentícios, uma vez que, além de serem altamente utilizados no país, são severamente danificados por condições de umidade, radiações solares e variações de temperatura. Sendo assim, frente à exposição e função da argamassa de rejuntamento em sistemas de revestimento aderido, o material de preenchimento requer maior atenção principalmente porque o seu desempenho de forma isolada afeta no desempenho do sistema como um todo, seja do ponto de vista estético, de estanqueidade à água ou de segurança ao uso. Dessa forma, objetivando avaliar a influência do intemperismo sobre o desempenho de argamassas de rejuntamento à base de cimento Portland, essa pesquisa desenvolveu um plano experimental com 4 variáveis de influência, quais sejam: fabricante da argamassa (três níveis), cor da argamassa (branco, cinza e preto), tratamento superficial (sem tratamento, dois produtos hidrofugantes de bases diferentes) e tipo de exposição (referência, natural e artificial). A exposição ao intemperismo natural ocorreu na cidade de Porto Alegre durante 252 dias e a exposição artificial foi realizada em simulador ambiental do tipo radiação UVA e umidade por condensação durante 140 dias. Os resultados apontam para degradação física das argamassas do ponto de vista de alteração de cor e aumento da absorção de água das argamassas após intemperismo. A aplicação de produtos de proteção altera a cor das argamassas, sendo que o tratamento à base de metil siliconato de potássio causa manchas desuniformes em argamassas escuras e não apresentou melhorias quanto à absorção de água das argamassas de rejuntamento. O ensaio em câmara de intemperismo não foi capaz de reproduzir as degradações alcançadas no ambiente de Porto Alegre para as argamassas pretas. Por fim, todos fatores controláveis de forma isolada têm efeito significativo sobre as características cor, absorção de água e abrasão. Dessa forma, não é possível eleger uma argamassa que atenda de forma satisfatória a todas as propriedades avaliadas, demonstrando a ausência de requisitos em norma. / Since the Brazilian performance standard NBR 15575:2013 was published and entered into effect, the need for research that assesses the factors that influence the performance of materials as a function of the location where they are employed, has grown, especially in the case of cimenticious materials, given that these are not only frequently employed in the country, but also severely damaged by moisture, solar radiation and temperature variations. Because of the exposure and function of tile grout in coating systems, the filling material requires greater attention, mainly because its isolated performance affects the performance of the system as a whole from an aesthetic, water proofing or safety perspective. This research was therefore developed to evaluate the influence of weathering on the performance of grouts based on Portland cement using an experimental plan with 4 variables of influence, namely: the manufacturer of the grout (three levels), the color of the grout (white, gray and black), the surface treatment (without treatment, two water-repellent products with different bases) and type of exposure (reference, artificial and natural). The natural exposure to weather occurred in the city of Porto Alegre for 252 days and the artificial exposure was performed in an UVA radiation and moisture condensation environmental simulator for 140 days. The results point to the physical degradation of the grout regarding the change of color and an increase in water absorption of the grout after weathering. The application of protection products changes the color of the grouts, with the treatment based on Potassium Methyl Siliconate causing uneven staining in dark grouts without presenting improvements regarding the water absorption of the tile grout. The test in the weathering chamber wasn't able to reproduce the degradation reached in the environment of Porto Alegre for the black grouts. Finally, all controllable factors in isolation had a significant effect on the Color, Water Absorption and Abrasion characteristics. It's therefore not possible to point to a mortar that meets all assessed properties in a satisfactory manner, demonstrating the non-compliance with the requirements in the standard.

Magister Artium - MA / Hypertension is estimated to a ect 20 million people in South Africa, with lifestyle factors predisposing certain individuals to this condition disease (Hughes et al., 2013). The prevalence rate of hypertension is higher in areas with low socio-economic status, with women more at risk of developing it than men. Current research suggests that 60-80% of people in South Africa use 'traditional'- most often plant based - medicines at some point for their primary healthcare needs (WHO, 2008; Hughes et al., 2013). In rural and underprivileged areas, such as the community of Nuwerus in the Western Cape Province, the use of herbal medicines and its practices are maintained in an ageing population. This study looks at the ways in which the elderly and the home based care workers of Nuwerus understand hypertension. I focus on the transition from hypertension to high blood pressure and how the two concepts overlap in Nuwerus. I highlight the way the elderly maintain their sense of vitality. I also look at concepts of resilience and vitality to unpack the personal, religious and social dimensions of old age. I focus on the various activities the elderly participate in to unpack the subtle ways with which they push the boundaries of old age consequently challenging conventional notions of health and wellness amongst the aged. The vigour with which the elderly go about their everyday life is what ultimately makes them the pillars and knowledge holders of the community. / National Research Foundation (NRF)