Este trabalho teve como objetivo a reprodução, avaliação e caracterização de manchamentos provocados por desodorante antitranspirante, suor, produtos do processo de lavagem como detergente em pó, amaciante, temperatura de passadoria em camisetas de malhas de algodão. Buscando uma melhor caracterização destes manchamentos, foram realizados três grupos de estudo com indivíduos selecionados, propensos à obtenção de manchas na região das axilas. Os indivíduos fizeram uso de desodorante com e sem perfume e utilizaram camisetas por um período de onze dias, sendo que um dos indivíduos fez uso apenas da camiseta sem desodorante e, uma das camisetas foi submetida ao desodorante sem uso por indivíduos. Ao final de cada dia, as camisetas foram lavadas com detergente em pó, amaciante, secas em secadora e passadas, simulando uma condição de uso doméstico. As camisetas manchadas foram submetidas às avaliações instrumentais de espectrofotometria (colorímetro), Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV), análise por Dispersão de Energia (EDS) e medição da efusividade e condutividade térmica e Espectrometria de Emissão Atômica por Plasma Acoplado Indutivamente (ICP-OES). Essas camisetas também foram submetidas a dois processos de remoção: por lavagem a seco (LS) e por agentes químicos (RAQ). Após o processo de remoção, as camisetas foram submetidas à avaliação colorimétrica instrumental, condutividade e efusividade térmica, MEV, resistência à ruptura. As análises colorimétricas para todas as camisetas utilizadas pelos participantes dos grupos de estudo mostraram valores de E* de (0,87 a 32,43), indicando uma alteração de cor perceptível visualmente na região das axilas. As microscopias das amostras também mostram um acúmulo de alguns materiais nessa região que pode ter influenciado a troca de calor do material com o ambiente, como mostraram os resultados de efusividade e condutividade. Este material acumulado, analisado pela técnica de ICP-OES, mostrou que a camiseta manchada apresentou 99,7% de alumínio a mais do que na camiseta original na região da axila, o que pode ser oriundo do contato com o desodorante que também apresenta elevados teores de alumínio em sua formulação. Os métodos utilizados para remoção apresentaram resultados satisfatórios, promovendo a remoção dos manchamentos nas camisetas, observado através da diminuição dos valores de E* e nos índices da Escala Cinza de Alteração da Cor, na avaliação colorimétrica instrumental. Entretanto, o processo de remoção por agentes químicos apresentou melhores resultados, tendo cerca de 70% de eficácia quando comparados ao método de lavagem a seco, podendo ser um método mais efetivo na remoção deste tipo de manchamento. / This work was carried out to reproduction, evaluation and characterization of staining caused by antiperspirant deodorant, sweat, products of the washing process and detergent powder, fabric softener, temperature ironing shirts in cotton knits. Searching for a better characterization of these staining, three groups of studies selected, prone to getting stains on the underarm area individuals, were performed. Individuals made use deodorant and fragrance with shirts and used for a period of eleven days, and one of the subjects only used the shirt without deodorant and one of the shirts was submitted to without deodorant use by individuals. At the end of each day the shirts were washed with detergent powder, fabric softener, dryer dried and pressed, simulating a condition of household. The stained shirts were subjected to instrumental evaluations spectrophotometry (colorimeter), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive analysis (EDS) and measuring the effusivity and thermal conductivity and Atomic Emission Spectrometry by Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP-OES). These shirts were also subjected to two processes: removal by cleaning (LS) and chemicals (RAQ). After the removal process tees instrumental colorimetric evaluation, conductivity and thermal effusivity, SEM, tensile strength were submitted. colorimetric analyzes for all t used by the participants of the study groups showed values of E * (0.87 to 32.43), indicating a change of color visually noticeable in the underarm area. The microscopy of the samples also showed an accumulation of some materials in this region that may have influenced the heat exchange material with the environment as showed the results of effusivity and conductivity. This accumulated material, analyzed by ICP-OES technique, showed that the stained shirt showed 99.7% more aluminum than the original shirt, which can be derived from contact with the deodorant that also has a high concentration of aluminum in its formulation. The methods used for removal showed satisfactory results, promoting the removal of staining tees, observed by decreasing the values of E * and indexes of Gray Scale Change Colors, instrumental colorimetric evaluation. However, the process of removal by chemical agents showed better results, about 70% efficiency when compared to the method of cleaning, may be a more effective method in removing this type of stain.

A Podridão Floral dos Citros é uma doença que tem limitado a produção citrícola em várias regiões produtoras do mundo. A sintomatologia esta associada principalmente quando coincide alta pluviosidade e intensa florada. O fungo se encontra na forma quiescente em órgãos vegetais e na presença de nutrientes exógenos reinicia o processo de infecção. Os objetivos do trabalho foram: (i) avaliar o efeito das águas de lavagem bruta (ALB) obtidas a partir de flores, botões e folhas de laranjeira Valência, sobre o crescimento micelial, germinação e formação de apressórios por C. acutatum; (ii) avaliar o efeito dos compostos voláteis liberados pelas ALB e as frações produzidas a partir das águas de lavagem de flores e botões sobre a germinação e formação de apressórios; (iii) estabelecer uma metodologia para observação de estruturas de infecção em folhas de citros. Foram realizados dois bioensaios de germinação e formação de apressórios e crescimento micelial para as águas de lavagem bruta. O primeiro representado pelos tratamentos: testemunha (T), água de lavagem das flores (F), botões (B), folhas novas (FN), folhas velhas (FV) e a diluição da água das flores em 1:10, 1:100, 1:1000 e 1:10000 (v/v). O segundo por testemunha (T), água de lavagem das flores (F), botões (B), folhas novas (FN), folhas velhas (FV) e a autoclavagem destes mesmos tratamentos. Os voláteis liberados pelas águas de lavagem de flores e botões primeiramente foram identificados por SPME-CG-MS e logo após as frações foram obtidas de acordo com o tempo de retenção de cada pico encontrado, totalizando 5 frações para cada amostra. Realizou-se um bioensaio de germinação e formação de apressórios com as frações obtidas em contato direto com os esporos. Para a observação de estruturas de infecção, discos foliares de plantas cítricas foram inoculados, submetido a clareamento e posterior coloração para a observação ao microscópio. Os resultados das ALB mostraram que todos os tratamentos estimularam a germinação e formação de apressórios por C. acutatum. Os voláteis não apresentaram efeito indutor sobre os esporos, porém quando fracionados e colocados em contato direto com as estruturas, as frações botão apresentaram uma maior atividade indutora quando comparada a testemunha. Nenhum tratamento alterou o crescimento micelial do fungo. A melhor visualização dos esporos nas folhas ocorreu 48 horas após a inoculação. Com base nesses resultados, pode-se concluir que as águas de lavagem estimulam a germinação e formação de apressórios, e apenas os voláteis presentes nas frações botão estimularam a germinação de C. acutatum. / The Post Bloom Fruit Drop is a limiting disease in citrus production around the world and the symptoms are associated to high rainfall and intense blooming. The fungus is found in a quiescent state in plant organs and under the presence of exogenous nutrients it restarts the infection process. Thus, the objectives of the work were: (i) evaluate the direct effect of washing crude water (WCW) obtained from flowers, flower buds and leaves of Valencia orange trees on the mycelial growth, germination and appressorium formation by C. acutatum; ii) evaluate the effect of volatile compounds released by the WCW and the fractions obtained from the washing water from flower and flower buds in the germination and appressorium formation, and (iii) establish a methodology for observing structures of fungal infection in citrus leaves. Two bioassays were carried out to evaluate germination, appressorium formation and mycelial growth in the presence of WCW. The first one was represented by the treatments: control (C), washing water from flowers (F), flowers buds (FB), young leaves (YL), old leaves (OL), and dilution (1:10, 1:100 , 1:1000 and 1:10000; v/v ) from the flower washing water. The second one included control (C), washing water from flowers (F), flowers buds (FB), young leaves (YL), old leaves (OL) and all of washings autoclaved. The volatiles released by the washing water from flowers and flowers buds were first separated and identified by SPME-GC-MS and then fractions were obtained according to the retention time of each peak found, making up five fractions for each sample. A bioassay for germination and appressorium formation was carried out by using the fractions obtained and placed into direct contact with the spores. To observe the fungal infection structures, leaf discs from citrus plants were inoculated, subject to bleaching and then stained for observation under a microscope. The results obtained by using the WCW samples showed that all treatments stimulated spore germination and appressorium formation by C. acutatum. The volatiles did not show any inductive effect on the spores, but when fractionated and placed into direct contact with the fungal structures, the fractions from the flowers buds showed a higher inducing activity when compared to the control. None treatment changed the in vitro mycelial growth of the fungus and the best visualization of spores in the leaves occurred 48 hours after inoculation. Based upon on these results, it can be concluded that the crude washing water stimulated germination and appressorium formation, and only the volatiles present in the fraction flowers buds were able to stimulate the germination of C. acutatum spores.

Orientador: Wilson de Figueiredo Jardim / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Química / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-21T12:42:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marques_EmanuelJoseNascimento_M.pdf: 2293976 bytes, checksum: 7be303ab6d3a366873fc9c1c636abfbf (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Resumo: Neste trabalho foi avaliado um processo de lavagem de solo utilizando solução oxidante, visando a remediação de áreas contaminadas com hidrocarbonetos provenientes combustíveis. O processo foi denominado de lavagem oxidativa e consistiu na mistura de H2O2 com um catalisador de Fenton modificado, chamado Fentox®. A lavagem oxidativa foi aplicada em solo contaminado artificialmente com óleo diesel em laboratório, a fim de avaliar as mudanças ocorridas no perfil de distribuição dos hidrocarbonetos remanescentes no solo tratado e verificar as condições experimentais que resultassem em máxima remoção destes contaminantes. Foi possível obter remoção de 90% para alcanos totais, 69% para hidrocarbonetos policíclicos aromáticos (HPA) totais, e 86% para hidrocarbonetos totais de petróleo (HTP). O aumento na proporção entre fase líquida e fase sólida resultou em maior eficiência na remoção dos contaminantes. A lavagem do solo utilizando o agente tensoativo dodecil benzeno sulfonato de sódio (DBSS) foi outro aspecto investigado em laboratório. Verificou-se que em solo com baixa concentração inicial de HPA o uso do tensoativo não favoreceu a solubilização dos contaminantes. Além disso, a adição de tensoativo durante a lavagem oxidativa do solo não contribuiu para melhorar o desempenho do processo de remediação. O processo de lavagem oxidativa juntamente com solução de tensoativo foi aplicado em solo contaminado com óleos combustíveis em uma área localizada na cidade de São Paulo, a fim de remover os hidrocarbonetos presentes no local. Foi obtida redução de aproximadamente 87% do parâmetro HPA total, sendo que a extensão da remoção individual dos HPA apresentou variações, principalmente em função da hidrofobicidade característica de cada composto. A lavagem oxidativa mostrou-se uma alternativa viável sob o ponto de vista técnico, considerando que os resultados obtidos em campo foram comparáveis àqueles obtidos em laboratório / Abstract: In this work a soil washing process using oxidizing solution was evaluated, aiming the remediation of contaminated areas with hydrocarbons derived from fuels. The selected process was called oxidative soil washing and consists in the use of H2O2 with a modified Fenton¿s catalyst, called Fentox®. The oxidative washing was applied first in a laboratory diesel oil contaminated soil in order to evaluate changes in the distribution profile of hydrocarbons remaining in the treated soil and to set the experimental conditions that resulted in maximum removal of these contaminants. It was possible to obtain removals of 90% for total alkanes, 69% for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and 86% for total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH). The increase in the liquid-solid ratio resulted in increase of the contaminant removal. The oxidative soil washing using the surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate (SDBS) was another aspect investigated in the laboratory. It was found that in soil having low initial PAH concentration, the use of surfactant did not increase the contaminants solubilization. Furthermore, the surfactant addition during the soil oxidative washing did not improve the performance of the remediation process. The oxidative soil washing in the presence of the surfactant solution was applied in a fuel contaminated soil to remove hydrocarbons. Results indicated removal around 87 % for total PAH, with different rates according to the hydrophobicity of each compound. Oxidative soil washing proved to be a feasible alternative under the technical point of view, considering that results obtained on site were comparable to the ones obtained under laboratory conditions / Mestrado / Quimica Analitica / Mestre em Química

L'objectif de cette thèse a été de développer une technologie pour l'assainissement des sols / sédiments sélénifères et d’étudier la réduction microbienne des oxy-anions de sélénium dans différentes conditions de respiration et de configurations du bioréacteur.Le sol sélénifère prélevé, dans les terres agricoles cultivées de blé au Pendjab (Inde), a été caractérisé et son lavage a été optimisé en faisant varier les paramètres tels que le temps de réaction, la température, le pH et le rapport liquide / solide. Afin de maximiser l'élimination et la récupération du sélénium à partir de ce sol, l'effet des ions compétiteurs et les composés oxydants comme les agents d'extraction pour le lavage du sol, ont également été étudiés. Bien que les agents oxydants aient montré une efficacité maximale d'élimination du sélénium (39%), la présence d'agents oxydants dans le lixiviat et le sol agricole peut augmenter le coût de leur post-traitement. Les plantes aquatiques, Lemma minor et Egeria densa ont été utilisées pour étudier la phyto-remédiation du lixiviat du sol contenant des agents oxydants. Cependant, l'efficacité d'élimination du sélénium par les plantes aquatiques a été significativement affectée par les fortes concentrations de ces agents oxydants dans le lixiviat du sol.Le rinçage du sol sélénifère a révélé un motif de migration du sélénium à travers la colonne du sol. La migration de la fraction de sélénium soluble de la couche supérieure vers la couche inférieure et sa réduction et son accumulation subséquentes dans les couches inférieures de la colonne de sol, ont été observées pendant le rinçage du sol. L'efficacité d'élimination du sélénium par la méthode de rinçage du sol a diminué avec une augmentation de la hauteur de la colonne. De plus, le lixiviat contenant des oxy-anions de sélénium obtenus à partir du lavage du sol, a été traité dans un réacteur UASB en faisant varier l'alimentation organique. Des effluents contenant moins de 5 μg de sélénium L-1 ont été obtenus, ce qui est conforme aux normes de l'USEPA pour la limite de rejet de sélénium dans les eaux usées.De plus, la bio-remédiation ex situ des oxy-anions de sélénium a été étudiée dans des conditions variables. Une bactérie aérobie (Delftia lacustris) capable de transformer le sélénate et le sélénite en sélénium élémentaire, mais aussi en composés d'ester de sélénium solubles jusque-là inconnus, a été isolée et caractérisée de manière fortuite. Alternativement, la bio-réduction anaérobie du sélénate couplé au méthane en tant que donneur d'électrons, a été étudiée dans des bouteilles de sérum et un filtre percolateur en utilisant des sédiments marins comme inoculum. Enfin, l'effet de la contamination d'autres oxy-anions chalcogènes, en plus du sélénium, a été étudié. La réduction simultanée de la sélénite et de la tellurite par un consortium microbien mixte ainsi que la rétention des nanostructures de Se et de Te biogènes dans l'EPS, ont été réalisées durant une opération de 120 jours dans un bioréacteur UASB / The aim of this Ph.D. was to develop a technology for the remediation of seleniferous soils/sediments and to explore microbial reduction of selenium oxyanions under different respiration conditions and bioreactor configurations.Seleniferous soil collected from the wheat-grown agricultural land in Punjab (India) was characterized and its soil washing was optimized by varying parameters such as reaction time, temperature, pH and liquid to solid ratio. In order to maximize selenium removal and recovery from this soil, effect of competing ions and oxidizing agents as chemical extractants for soil washing were also studied. Although oxidizing agents showed a maximum selenium removal efficiency (39%), the presence of oxidizing agents in the leachate and the agricultural soil may increase the cost of their post-treatment. Aquatic plants, Lemma minor and Egeria densa were used to study phytoremediation of the soil leachate containing oxidizing agents. However, the selenium removal efficiency by aquatic weeds was significantly affected by the high concentrations of these oxidizing agents in the soil leachate.Seleniferous soil flushing revealed the selenium migration pattern across the soil column. Migration of soluble selenium fraction from the upper to the lower layers and its subsequent reduction and accumulation in the lower layers of the soil column was observed during soil flushing. The selenium removal efficiency by the soil flushing method decreased with an increase in the column height. Furthermore, the soil leachate containing selenium oxyanions obtained from soil washing was treated in a UASB reactor by varying the organic feed. Effluent containing less than 5 μg L-1 selenium was achieved, which is in accordance with the USEPA guidelines for selenium wastewater discharge limit.Moreover, ex situ bioremediation of selenium oxyanions was studied under variable conditions. An aerobic bacterium (Delftia lacustris) capable of transforming selenate and selenite to elemental selenium, but also to hitherto unknown soluble selenium ester compounds was serendipitously isolated and characterized. Alternatively, anaerobic bioreduction of selenate coupled to methane as electron donor was investigated in serum bottles and a biotrickling filter using marine sediment as inoculum. Finally, the effect of contamination of other chalcogen oxyanions in addition to selenium was studied. Simultaneous reduction of selenite and tellurite by a mixed microbial consortium along with the retention of biogenic Se and Te nanostructures in the EPS was achieved during a 120-day UASB bioreactor operation

Les fines de lavage de carrières sont à l’heure actuelle peu valorisées. Pourtant, leurs caractéristiques physiques font de ces fines une matière première intéressante pour le domaine de la construction. L’objectif de cette thèse est de développer la formulation de produits préfabriqués non porteurs à base de fines de lavage, en considérant ces fines comme de la terre crue. Deux catégories de produits préfabriqués sont visées : un produit dit « lourd » (brique de terre comprimée) et un produit « léger » (carreau). Pour la valorisation en BTC, une étude de compacité par essai Proctor a permis de cibler la teneur en eau de fabrication et la masse volumique sèche à obtenir. Les performances mécaniques des briques ont été améliorées par surcompactage, renforcement granulaire et traitement au liant hydraulique. L’étude de formulation du carreau a associé les fines de lavage et la chènevotte. La consistance des mélanges à l’état frais a été étudiée avec le consistomètre VEBE. Les performances mécaniques en flexion et en compression des mélanges fibrés ont été mesurées. De la chaux et un superplastifiant ont été ajoutés dans la formulation pour satisfaire aux conditions de tenue mécanique. Les deux voies de valorisation ont été validées par mesures des performances physico-mécaniques sur produits fabriqués à l’échelle industrielle. La formulation optimale de BTC valorise près de 80% de fines de lavage et se classe dans la catégorie BTC 40 de la norme expérimentale XP13-901 (brique faiblement capillaire et résistante à la projection en eau). La formulation optimale de carreau se compose de 60% de fines de lavage, et répond aux exigences mécaniques des carreaux de plâtre. / Currently, few re-use ways are developed with clay fines from washing units in quarries. However, these clayey fines represent interesting materials for construction domain. This research work aims to develop non-load bearing precast products and to re-use these fines without thermal treatment as for unfired clay products. Two types of precast products are wished: a “heavy” product (compressed earth brick) and a “light” product (tile hemp-clay).For the CEB re-use way, the level of compaction has to be high. Proctor tests have been done to define the moisture content and dry density to obtain. Mechanical performances of bricks have been increased by overcompaction, granular reinforcement and lime treatment.For the tile re-use way, mixes with quarry fines and hemp have been studied. The behaviour of fresh material has been studied with VEBE consistometer. Flexural and compression strengths have been measured on hardened mixes. Lime and water-reducing agent have been necessary for a good mechanical behaviour.The two re-use ways have been validated by measuring mechanical and physical performances of products manufactured at industrial scale. The optimal mix for CEB includes almost 80% of quarry fines. The CEB is classed in BTC40 category according to experimental standard XP13-901 (brick with a low water absorption level and resistant to water spray). The optimal mix for tile includes 60% of quarry fines and satisfies mechanical requirements for gypsum blocks.

The trend to take a stand in campaigns has been identified as an upcoming phenomenon and the term brand activism has been discovered in the context. One of the challenges that brands are facing is to keep the core identity and at the same time communicate responsible positions that consumers demand without getting inauthentic. Since little or no research has been done from the brand's perspective the study has found a research gap that could be filled by examining how their brand identity and political or social messages affect their campaigns. The purpose of the study is to look at three brands and their campaigns in relation to their brand identity and their role within the campaigns. Furthermore, the study investigates if there are any connections between brands taking a stand and brand activism. To achieve the aim of this research, a qualitative method has been conducted based on semi-structured interviews with three types of brands and an expert in communication. The results showed that brand activism in some cases has been used as a tool for brands to challenge structures and cause a dialogue, but the result also identified how brands manage to stay authentic while communicating societal issues.

Surfactans are synthetically made surface-active ingredients contained in washing and cleaning products. They decrease the surface tension and remove dirt. Surfactans can be divided into four basic classes: anionic, cationic, non-inonic and ampholitic. The most commonly used are the anionic ones. Thanks to the massive use they penetrate into waste water and can disturb the environment. This thesis is focused on the optimization methods and the determination of three anionic surfactants by capillary zone electrophoresis.

Biomass liquefaction by fast pyrolysis is considered to be a key technology in future biorefineries for the production of low-carbon renewable liquids. These liquids may be used as a fuel for heat and power, as an intermediate for catalytic upgrading to distillate transportation fuels (such as renewable diesel or biojet) and as a raw material for advanced bioproducts. With the estimated supply of bioenergy required to meet international GHG reduction targets, the use of high ash (mineral-containing) biomass sources, such as harvest residues, hog fuels, and other unmerchantable wood sources is also expected to increase. However, the elevated presence of suspended char particulate (solids), as well as minerals and other ash components contained in pyrolytic liquids resulting from the conversion of these lower quality biomass residues may create new challenges for end-users. In light of this, two treatment pathways were investigated in this work: biomass pretreatment through sieving and acid washing, and post-condensation microfiltration of fast pyrolysis bio-oils. Selection of these two pathways was prioritized based on scarcity of published data, as well as the technical potential of both approaches for suspended char particulate and ash reduction in fast pyrolysis bio-oils. For biomass sieving and acid washing carried out at pilot scale, it was found that removing up to 80% of the ash contained in a hog fuel feedstock was possible by sieving out a fraction of the fines and subsequently washing with 0.1M nitric acid provided up to 40% increase in organic liquid yield after fast pyrolysis. Reaction water in the product was minimized when acid leaching was performed, while the solids content and ash content of the produced liquids were reduced by up to 80% and 87%, respectively. Cross-flow microfiltration of fast pyrolysis bio-oils produced principally from non-pretreated mill and harvest residues in the 1-40 µm range was performed. Microfiltration was found to remove between 80-95% of suspended solid particles, while only removing 4-45% of ash, presumably in the solid phase. To achieve high ash removal (>90%), microfiltration was combined with use of solid-phase adsorbents, such as Amberlyst 15, to remove cationic ash elements such as magnesium, calcium, iron, etc. The flux profiles from bio-oil cross-flow microfiltration were analyzed and consistently demonstrated a transient rapid and intermediate decline operating region, followed by a pseudo steady-state operating region. It was found that the initial flux of permeate in the transient operating region ranged from 100-1000 L m-2 h-1, while the pseudo steady-state flux ranged from 20-50 L m-2 h-1 for the experimental trials included in this study. It was determined that bio-oil temperatures of 50-60 ˚C, transmembrane pressures less than 1 bar and the addition of diluent solvents provided the highest pseudo steady-state fluxes of such a process. To improve the throughput of the process, different fouling remediation strategies were experimentally evaluated. The use of permeate, solvent and air backflushing confirmed that on-line cleaning strategies are suitable for active flux remediation, as fouling was found to be reversible over continuous operating periods up to 10 hours. Furthermore, it was found that the use of non-optimized on-line air backflushing resulted in increased throughput of low solids fast pyrolysis bio-oil from cross-flow microfiltration by 100%. Ultimately, the data produced from this work is intended to be used to generate design parameters and associated cost estimates for biomass washing and post-condensation microfiltration as processing strategies to generate high quality bio-oils from low cost biomass feedstocks.

This study examines two marketing campaigns on the social media platform Twitter by the brand Nike, with the campaigns involving American football player Colin Kaepernick and tennis player Serena Williams respectively. The study specifically explores how Nike utilizes socially and politically progressive values in these marketing   campaigns and how users then respond to it on Twitter, with the source material consisting of four Twitter-posts, two by Nike and one each by the two athletes involved, as well as the replies by other Twitter-users to those posts. The replies to these four Twitter-posts were then sorted into reply types for each post, in other words categorized according to the sentiments and attitudes in the replies that were most prominently and frequently expressed. A grounded theory approach was used thereafter in order to apply relevant theoretical perspectives to the reply types and original posts, through which the source material was split into several analytical themes. The theoretical perspectives used in the analysis were Rosalind Gill’s postfeminist sensibility, Ron Von Burg and Paul E. Johnson’s writings on nostalgia as a critical perspective, Ernesto Laclau and Chantal Mouffe’s floating signifier concept, Eduardo Bonilla-Silva¨s racial grammar theory, Susan Cahn’s writings on female athlete stereotypes, and Lauren Copeland’s writings on postmaterialism. The analysis showed that Nike utilized socially progressive causes such as racial and gender equality in an individualistic way by conveying them through the identities of Williams and Kaepernick in their Twitter-posts. It also showed that the replies to the marketing in turn also focused on the identities of the athletes, with repliers either declaring their approval or disapproval of Nike and their marketing campaigns based on whether they were ethically and ideologically aligned with the progressive causes and values that the athletes were proxies for in their respective marketing campaigns. Ultimately, this study revealed an individualization of political expression on social media, both when a corporation like Nike uses it to improve their brand image and in how individuals engage with political and social issues.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) are man-made fluorinated compounds that havebeen detected in humans, the environment, and wildlife. The strong C-F bonds contribute tothe high thermal stability of some PFASs and make them extremely resistant to degradationunder normal environmental conditions. The commonly studied classes of PFASs areperfluoroalkyl carboxylic acids and perfluoroalkyl sulfonic acids. Though the phase-out ofperfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid for some time, they were the mostfrequent compounds measured and detected in biota.In this study, the total oxidisable precursor (TOP) assay, which is a method used to indirectlymeasure and estimate PFAS precursors, was evaluated. Different parameters were studied tounderstand their effects on oxidation of precursor compounds following TOP assay method(e.g., oxidation rate, pH of the oxidation solution and different washing steps during solidphaseextraction)The results from this experiment showed that the target precursors were oxidised and part ofthe proportion of the compounds formed ranged from 37 to 100% (molar ratio). Whenperforming TOP assay, it was shown that some precursors oxidised before 0.5 h while otherprecursors were oxidised after 4 hours. However, it was still unknown what products wereformed when some precursors were oxidised e.g., 7:3 fluorotelomer carboxylic acid (7:3-FTCA) and 10:2 fluorotelomer unsaturated carboxylic acid (10:2- FTUCA) because of animbalance of precursors to degradation products (molar to molar ratio).When the washing steps for solid-phase extraction were evaluated for potential losses ofprecursors, it could be seen that the ammonium acetate and the 20% methanol in Milli-Q waterled to the loss of some precursors. These results showed precautions were needed wheninterpreting the results using TOP assay.