Metodologia de curvatura de bambu laminado colado (BLAC) para fabricação de mobiliário: diretrizes para o design

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Green chromatographic fingerprinting: An environmentally friendly approach for the development of separation methods for fingerprinting complex matrices

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Signal transduction-related responses to phytohormones and environmental challenges in sugarcane

Abstract Background Sugarcane is an increasingly economically and environmentally important C4 grass, used for the production of sugar and bioethanol, a low-carbon emission fuel. Sugarcane originated from crosses of Saccharum species and is noted for its unique capacity to accumulate high amounts of sucrose in its stems. Environmental stresses limit enormously sugarcane productivity worldwide. To investigate transcriptome changes in response to environmental inputs that alter yield we used cDNA microarrays to profile expression of 1,545 genes in plants submitted to drought, phosphate starvation, herbivory and N2-fixing endophytic bacteria. We also investigated the response to phytohormones (abscisic acid and methyl jasmonate). The arrayed elements correspond mostly to genes involved in signal transduction, hormone biosynthesis, transcription factors, novel genes and genes corresponding to unknown proteins. Results Adopting an outliers searching method 179 genes with strikingly different expression levels were identified as differentially expressed in at least one of the treatments analysed. Self Organizing Maps were used to cluster the expression profiles of 695 genes that showed a highly correlated expression pattern among replicates. The expression data for 22 genes was evaluated for 36 experimental data points by quantitative RT-PCR indicating a validation rate of 80.5% using three biological experimental replicates. The SUCAST Database was created that provides public access to the data described in this work, linked to tissue expression profiling and the SUCAST gene category and sequence analysis. The SUCAST database also includes a categorization of the sugarcane kinome based on a phylogenetic grouping that included 182 undefined kinases. Conclusion An extensive study on the sugarcane transcriptome was performed. Sugarcane genes responsive to phytohormones and to challenges sugarcane commonly deals with in the field were identified. Additionally, the protein kinases were annotated based on a phylogenetic approach. The experimental design and statistical analysis applied proved robust to unravel genes associated with a diverse array of conditions attributing novel functions to previously unknown or undefined genes. The data consolidated in the SUCAST database resource can guide further studies and be useful for the development of improved sugarcane varieties.

Applying design of experiments (DOE) to flavonoid extraction from Passiflora alata and P. edulis

The Passifloraceae family is extensively used in native Brazilian folk medicine to treat a wide variety of diseases. The problem of flavonoid extraction from Passiflora was treated by application of design of experiments (DOE), as an experiment with mixture including one categorical process variable. The components of the binary mixture were: ethanol (component A) and water (component B); the categorical process variable: extraction method (factor C) was varied at two levels: (+1) maceration and (-1) percolation. ANOVA suggested a cubic model for P. edulis extraction and a quadratic model for P. alata.These results indicate that the proportion of components A and B in the mixture is the main factor involved in significantly increasing flavonoid extraction. In regard to the extraction methods, no important differences were observed, which indicates that these two traditional extraction methods could be effectively used to extract flavonoids from both medicinal plants. The evaluation of antioxidant activity of the extract by ORAC method showed that P. edulis displays twice as much antioxidant activity as P. alata. Considering that maceration is a simple, rapid and environmentally friendly extraction method, in this study, the optimized conditions for flavonoid extraction from these Passiflora species is maceration with 75% ethanol for P. edulis and 50% ethanol for P. alata.

Performance evaluation of low environmental impact asphalt concretes using the mechanistic empirical design method based on laboratory fatigue and permanent deformation models

The "sustainability" concept relates to the prolonging of human economic systems with as little detrimental impact on ecological systems as possible. Construction that exhibits good environmental stewardship and practices that conserve resources in a manner that allow growth and development to be sustained for the long-term without degrading the environment are indispensable in a developed society. Past, current and future advancements in asphalt as an environmentally sustainable paving material are especially important because the quantities of asphalt used annually in Europe as well as in the U.S. are large. The asphalt industry is still developing technological improvements that will reduce the environmental impact without affecting the final mechanical performance. Warm mix asphalt (WMA) is a type of asphalt mix requiring lower production temperatures compared to hot mix asphalt (HMA), while aiming to maintain the desired post construction properties of traditional HMA. Lowering the production temperature reduce the fuel usage and the production of emissions therefore and that improve conditions for workers and supports the sustainable development. Even the crumb-rubber modifier (CRM), with shredded automobile tires and used in the United States since the mid 1980s, has proven to be an environmentally friendly alternative to conventional asphalt pavement. Furthermore, the use of waste tires is not only relevant in an environmental aspect but also for the engineering properties of asphalt [Pennisi E., 1992]. This research project is aimed to demonstrate the dual value of these Asphalt Mixes in regards to the environmental and mechanical performance and to suggest a low environmental impact design procedure. In fact, the use of eco-friendly materials is the first phase towards an eco-compatible design but it cannot be the only step. The eco-compatible approach should be extended also to the design method and material characterization because only with these phases is it possible to exploit the maximum potential properties of the used materials. Appropriate asphalt concrete characterization is essential and vital for realistic performance prediction of asphalt concrete pavements. Volumetric (Mix design) and mechanical (Permanent deformation and Fatigue performance) properties are important factors to consider. Moreover, an advanced and efficient design method is necessary in order to correctly use the material. A design method such as a Mechanistic-Empirical approach, consisting of a structural model capable of predicting the state of stresses and strains within the pavement structure under the different traffic and environmental conditions, was the application of choice. In particular this study focus on the CalME and its Incremental-Recursive (I-R) procedure, based on damage models for fatigue and permanent shear strain related to the surface cracking and to the rutting respectively. It works in increments of time and, using the output from one increment, recursively, as input to the next increment, predicts the pavement conditions in terms of layer moduli, fatigue cracking, rutting and roughness. This software procedure was adopted in order to verify the mechanical properties of the study mixes and the reciprocal relationship between surface layer and pavement structure in terms of fatigue and permanent deformation with defined traffic and environmental conditions. The asphalt mixes studied were used in a pavement structure as surface layer of 60 mm thickness. The performance of the pavement was compared to the performance of the same pavement structure where different kinds of asphalt concrete were used as surface layer. In comparison to a conventional asphalt concrete, three eco-friendly materials, two warm mix asphalt and a rubberized asphalt concrete, were analyzed. The First Two Chapters summarize the necessary steps aimed to satisfy the sustainable pavement design procedure. In Chapter I the problem of asphalt pavement eco-compatible design was introduced. The low environmental impact materials such as the Warm Mix Asphalt and the Rubberized Asphalt Concrete were described in detail. In addition the value of a rational asphalt pavement design method was discussed. Chapter II underlines the importance of a deep laboratory characterization based on appropriate materials selection and performance evaluation. In Chapter III, CalME is introduced trough a specific explanation of the different equipped design approaches and specifically explaining the I-R procedure. In Chapter IV, the experimental program is presented with a explanation of test laboratory devices adopted. The Fatigue and Rutting performances of the study mixes are shown respectively in Chapter V and VI. Through these laboratory test data the CalME I-R models parameters for Master Curve, fatigue damage and permanent shear strain were evaluated. Lastly, in Chapter VII, the results of the asphalt pavement structures simulations with different surface layers were reported. For each pavement structure, the total surface cracking, the total rutting, the fatigue damage and the rutting depth in each bound layer were analyzed.

Design, Synthesis and Characterization of N-Containing Organic Compounds

The needed of new intermediates/products for screening in the fields of drug discovery and material science is the driving force behind the development of new methodologies and technologies. Organic scaffolds are privileged targets for this scouting. Among them a priority place must be attributed to those including nitrogen functionalities in their scaffolds. It comes out that new methodologies, allowing the introduction of the nitrogen atom for the synthesis of an established target or for the curiosity driven researches, will always be welcome. The target of this PhD Thesis’ work is framed within this goal. Accordingly, Chapter 1 reports the preparation of new N-Heteroarylmethyl 3-carboxy-5-hydroxy piperidine scaffold, as potential and selective α-glucosidase inhibitors. The proposed reversible uncompetitive mechanism of inhibition makes them attractive as interesting candidate for drug development. Chapter 2 is more environmentally method-driven research. Eco-friendly studies on the synthesis of enantiomerically pure 1,4-dihydropyridines using “solid” ammonia (magnesium nitride) is reported via classical Hantzch method. Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 may be targeted as the core of the Thesis’s research work. Chapter 3 reports the studies addressed to the synthesis of N-containing heterocycles by using N-trialkylsilylimine/hetero-Diels–Alder (HAD) approach. New eco-friendly methodology as MAOS (Microwave Assisted Organic Synthesis) has been used as witness of our interest to a sustainable chemistry. Theoretical calculations were adopted to fully clarify the reaction mechanism. Chapter 4 is dedicated to picture the most recent studies performed on the application of N-Metallo-ketene imines (metallo= Si, Sn, Al), relatively new intermediates which are becoming very popular, in the preparation of highly functionalized N-containing derivatives, accordingly to the Thesis’ target. Derivatives obtained are designed in such a way that they could be of interest in the field of drug and new material chemistry.

Design of nanoparticle systems with antimicrobial properties

Infektiöse Komplikationen im Zusammenhang mit Implantaten stellen einen Großteil aller Krankenhausinfektionen dar und treiben die Gesundheitskosten signifikant in die Höhe. Die bakterielle Kolonisation von Implantatoberflächen zieht schwerwiegende medizinische Konsequenzen nach sich, die unter Umständen tödlich verlaufen können. Trotz umfassender Forschungsaktivitäten auf dem Gebiet der antibakteriellen Oberflächenbeschichtungen ist das Spektrum an wirksamen Substanzen aufgrund der Anpassungsfähigkeit und Ausbildung von Resistenzen verschiedener Mikroorganismen eingeschränkt. Die Erforschung und Entwicklung neuer antibakterieller Materialien ist daher von fundamentaler Bedeutung.rnIn der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden auf der Basis von Polymernanopartikeln und anorganischen/polymeren Verbundmaterialien verschiedene Systeme als Alternative zu bestehenden antibakteriellen Oberflächenbeschichtungen entwickelt. Polymerpartikel finden Anwendung in vielen verschiedenen Bereichen, da sowohl Größe als auch Zusammensetzung und Morphologie vielseitig gestaltet werden können. Mit Hilfe der Miniemulsionstechnik lassen sich u. A. funktionelle Polymernanopartikel im Größenbereich von 50-500 nm herstellen. Diese wurde im ersten System angewendet, um PEGylierte Poly(styrol)nanopartikel zu synthetisieren, deren anti-adhesives Potential in Bezug auf P. aeruginosa evaluiert wurde. Im zweiten System wurden sog. kontakt-aktive kolloide Dispersionen entwickelt, welche bakteriostatische Eigenschaften gegenüber S. aureus zeigten. In Analogie zum ersten System, wurden Poly(styrol)nanopartikel in Copolymerisation in Miniemulsion mit quaternären Ammoniumgruppen funktionalisiert. Als Costabilisator diente das zuvor quaternisierte, oberflächenaktive Monomer (2-Dimethylamino)ethylmethacrylat (qDMAEMA). Die Optimierung der antibakteriellen Eigenschaften wurde im nachfolgenden System realisiert. Hierbei wurde das oberflächenaktive Monomer qDMAEMA zu einem oberflächenaktiven Polyelektrolyt polymerisiert, welcher unter Anwendung von kombinierter Miniemulsions- und Lösemittelverdampfungstechnik, in entsprechende Polyelektrolytnanopartikel umgesetzt wurde. Infolge seiner oberflächenaktiven Eigenschaften, ließen sich aus dem Polyelektrolyt stabile Partikeldispersionen ohne Zusatz weiterer Tenside ausbilden. Die selektive Toxizität der Polyelektrolytnanopartikel gegenüber S. aureus im Unterschied zu Körperzellen, untermauert ihr vielversprechendes Potential als bakterizides, kontakt-aktives Reagenz. rnAufgrund ihrer antibakteriellen Eigenschaften wurden ZnO Nanopartikel ausgewählt und in verschiedene Freisetzungssysteme integriert. Hochdefinierte eckige ZnO Nanokristalle mit einem mittleren Durchmesser von 23 nm wurden durch thermische Zersetzung des Precursormaterials synthetisiert. Durch die nachfolgende Einkapselung in Poly(L-laktid) Latexpartikel wurden neue, antibakterielle und UV-responsive Hybridnanopartikel entwickelt. Durch die photokatalytische Aktivierung von ZnO mittels UV-Strahlung wurde der Abbau der ZnO/PLLA Hybridnanopartikel signifikant von mehreren Monaten auf mehrere Wochen verkürzt. Die Photoaktivierung von ZnO eröffnet somit die Möglichkeit einer gesteuerten Freisetzung von ZnO. Im nachfolgenden System wurden dünne Verbundfilme aus Poly(N-isopropylacrylamid)-Hydrogelschichten mit eingebetteten ZnO Nanopartikeln hergestellt, die als bakterizide Oberflächenbeschichtungen gegen E. coli zum Einsatz kamen. Mit minimalem Gehalt an ZnO zeigten die Filme eine vergleichbare antibakterielle Aktivität zu Silber-basierten Beschichtungen. Hierbei lässt sich der Gehalt an ZnO relativ einfach über die Filmdicke einstellen. Weiterhin erwiesen sich die Filme mit bakteriziden Konzentrationen an ZnO als nichtzytotoxisch gegenüber Körperzellen. Zusammenfassend wurden mehrere vielversprechende antibakterielle Prototypen entwickelt, die als potentielle Implantatbeschichtungen auf die jeweilige Anwendung weiterhin zugeschnitten und optimiert werden können.

Liquid crystalline elastomers as stimuli-responsive microactuators

Liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) are known to perform a reversible change of shape upon the phase transition from the semi-ordered liquid crystalline state to the chaotic isotropic state. This unique behavior of these “artificial muscles” arises from the self-organizing properties of liquid crystals (mesogens) in combination with the entropy-elasticity of the slightly crosslinked elastomer network. In this work, micrometer-sized LCE actuators are fabricated in a microfluidic setup. The microtubular shear flow provides for a uniform orientation of the mesogens during the crosslinking, a perquisite for obtaining actuating LCE samples. The scope of this work was to design different actuator geometries and to broaden the applicability of the microfluidic device for different types of liquid crystalline mesogens, ranging from side-chain to main-chain systems, as well as monomer and polymer precursors. For example, the thiol-ene “click” mechanism was used for the polymerization and crosslinking of main-chain LCE actuators. The main focus was, however, placed on acrylate monomers and polymers with LC side chains. A LC polymer precursor, comprising mesogenic and crosslinkable side-chains was synthesized. Used in combination with an LC monomer, the polymeric crosslinker promoted a stable LC phase, which allowed the mixture to be isothermally handled in the microfluidic reactor. If processed without the additional LC components, the polymer precursor yielded actuating fibers. A suitable co-flowing continuous phase facilitates the formation of a liquid jet and lowers the tendency for drop formation. By modification of the microfluidic device, it was further possible to prepare core-shell particles, comprised of an LCE shell and filled with an isotropic liquid. In analogy to the heart, a hollow muscle, the elastomer shell expels the inner liquid core upon its contraction. The feasibility of the core-shell particles as micropumps was demonstrated. In general, the synthesized LCE microactuators may be utilized as active components in micromechanical and lab-on-chip systems.

Design and Use of an Alternative Fuel Testing Apparatus and Assessment of the Feasibility of Biodiesel

Petroleum supply and environmental pollution issues constantly increase interest in renewable low polluting alternative fuels. Published test results show decreased pollution with similar power output and fuel consumption from Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) burning alternative fuels. More specifically, diesel engines burning biodiesel derived from plant oils and animal fats not only reduce harmful exhaust emissions but are renewable and environmentally friendly. To validate these claims and assess the feasibility of alternative fuels, independent engine dynamometer and emissions testing was performed. A testing apparatus capable of making relevant measurements was designed, built, and used to test and determine the feasibility of biodiesel. The apparatus marks the addition of a valuable testing tool to the University and provides a foundation for future experiments. This thesis will discuss the background of biodiesel, testing methods, design and function of the testing apparatus, experimental results, relevant calculations, and conclusions.

Restructuring Justice: Moving Towards Gender-Responsive Programming and Alternatives to Incarceration for Non-Violent Female Offenders

The United States¿ Federal and State laws differentiate between acceptable (or, legal) and unacceptable (illegal) behavior by prescribing restrictive punishment to citizens and/or groups that violate these established rules. These regulations are written to treat every person equally and to fairly serve justice; furthermore, the sanctions placed on offenders seek to reform illegal behavior through limitations on freedoms and rehabilitative programs. Despite the effort to treat all offenders fairly regardless of social identity categories (e.g., sex, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, ability, and gender and sexual orientation) and to humanely eliminate illegal behavior, the American penal system perpetuates de facto discrimination against a multitude of peoples. Furthermore, soaring recidivism rates caused by unsuccessful re-entry of incarcerated offenders puts economic stress on Federal and State budgets. For these reasons, offenders, policy-makers, and law-abiding citizens should all have a vested interest in reforming the prison system. This thesis focuses on the failure of the United States corrections system to adequately address the gender-specific needs of non-violent female offenders. Several factors contribute to the gender-specific discrimination that women experience in the criminal justice system: 1) Trends in female criminality that skew women¿s crime towards drug-related crimes, prostitution, and property offenses; 2) Mandatory minimum sentences for drug crimes that are disproportionate to the crime committed; 3) So-called ¿gender-neutral¿ educational, vocational, substance abuse, and mental health programming that intends to equally rehabilitate men and women, but in fact favors men; and 4) The isolating nature of prison structures that inhibits smooth re-entry into society. I argue that a shift in the placement and treatment of non-violent female offenders is necessary for effective rehabilitation and for reducing recidivism rates. The first component of this shift is the design and implementation of gender- responsive treatment (GRT) rather than gender-neutral approaches in rehabilitative programming. The second shift is the utilization of alternatives to incarceration, which provide both more humane treatment of offenders and smoother reintegration to society. Drawing on recent scholarship, information from prison advocacy organizations, and research with men in an alternative program, I provide a critical analysis of current policies and alternative programs, and suggest several proposals for future gender- responsive programs in prisons and in place of incarceration. I argue that the expansion of gender-responsive programming and alternatives to incarceration respond to the marginalization of female offenders, address concerns about the financial sustainability of the United States criminal justice system, and tackle high recidivism rates.

DESIGN AND IMPLEMENT DYNAMIC PROGRAMMING BASED DISCRETE POWER LEVEL SMART HOME SCHEDULING USING FPGA

With the development and capabilities of the Smart Home system, people today are entering an era in which household appliances are no longer just controlled by people, but also operated by a Smart System. This results in a more efficient, convenient, comfortable, and environmentally friendly living environment. A critical part of the Smart Home system is Home Automation, which means that there is a Micro-Controller Unit (MCU) to control all the household appliances and schedule their operating times. This reduces electricity bills by shifting amounts of power consumption from the on-peak hour consumption to the off-peak hour consumption, in terms of different “hour price”. In this paper, we propose an algorithm for scheduling multi-user power consumption and implement it on an FPGA board, using it as the MCU. This algorithm for discrete power level tasks scheduling is based on dynamic programming, which could find a scheduling solution close to the optimal one. We chose FPGA as our system’s controller because FPGA has low complexity, parallel processing capability, a large amount of I/O interface for further development and is programmable on both software and hardware. In conclusion, it costs little time running on FPGA board and the solution obtained is good enough for the consumers.

AUTOFLY-Aid: Flight Deck Automation Support with Dynamic 4D Trajectory Management for Responsive and Adaptive Airborne Collision Avoidance

AUTOFLY-Aid Project aims to develop and demonstrate novel automation support algorithms and tools to the flight crew for flight critical collision avoidance using “dynamic 4D trajectory management”. The automation support system is envisioned to improve the primary shortcomings of TCAS, and to aid the pilot through add-on avionics/head-up displays and reality augmentation devices in dynamically evolving collision avoidance scenarios. The main theoretical innovative and novel concepts to be developed by AUTOFLY-Aid project are a) design and development of the mathematical models of the full composite airspace picture from the flight deck’s perspective, as seen/measured/informed by the aircraft flying in SESAR 2020, b) design and development of a dynamic trajectory planning algorithm that can generate at real-time (on the order of seconds) flyable (i.e. dynamically and performance-wise feasible) alternative trajectories across the evolving stochastic composite airspace picture (which includes new conflicts, blunder risks, terrain and weather limitations) and c) development and testing of the Collision Avoidance Automation Support System on a Boeing 737 NG FNPT II Flight Simulator with synthetic vision and reality augmentation while providing the flight crew with quantified and visual understanding of collision risks in terms of time and directions and countermeasures.

Rational design of a bacterial transcriptional cascade for amplifying gene expression capacity

Cascade regulatory circuits have been described that control numerous cell processes, and may provide models for the design of artificial circuits with novel properties. Here we describe the design of a transcriptional regulatory cascade to amplify the cell response to a given signal. We used the salicylate-responsive activators of Pseudomonas putida NahR of the naphthalene degradation plasmid NAH7 and XylS2, a mutant regulator of the TOL plasmid for catabolism of m-xylene and their respective cognate promoters Psal and Pm. Control of the expression of xylS2 with the nahR/Psal system permitted either their selective activation with specific effectors for each protein or the simultaneous activation of both of them with salicylate. When cells face the common effector of the two regulators, both the increase in XylS2 concentration and the stimulation of its activity act synergistically on the Pm promoter, amplifying the gene expression capacity by at least one order of magnitude with respect to the individual systems. By changing the hierarchy of regulators, we showed that the specific features of the downstream regulator were crucial for the amplification effect. Directed changes in the effector profile of the regulators allowed the extension of the amplifying system to other molecular signals.

Identification of receptor-binding domains on human interleukin 5 and design of an interleukin 5-derived receptor antagonist.

A detailed structure-function analysis of human interleukin 5 (hIL5) has been performed. The hIL5 receptor is composed of two different polypeptide chains, the alpha and beta subunits. The alpha subunit alone is sufficient for ligand binding, but association with the beta subunit leads to a 2- to 3-fold increase in binding affinity. The beta chain is shared with the receptors for IL3 and granulocyte/macrophage-colony-stimulating factor--hence the descriptor beta C (C for common). All hIL5 mutants were analyzed in a solid-phase binding assay for hIL5R alpha interaction and in a proliferation assay using IL5-dependent cell lines for receptor-complex activation. Most residues affecting binding to the receptor alpha subunit were clustered in a loop connecting beta-strand 1 and helix B (mutants H38A, K39A, and H41A), in beta-strand 2 (E89A and R91A; weaker effect for E90A) and close to the C terminus (T109A, E110A, W111S, and I112A). Mutations at one position, E13 (Glu13), caused a reduced activation of the hIL5 receptor complex. In the case of E13Q, only 0.05% bioactivity was detected on a hIL5-responsive subclone of the mouse promyelocytic cell line FDC-P1. Moreover, on hIL5-responsive TF1 cells, the same mutant was completely inactive and proved to have antagonistic properties. Interactions of this mutant with both receptor subunits were nevertheless indistinguishable from those of nonmutated hIL5 by crosslinking and Scatchard plot analysis of transfected COS-1 cells.

Industry Professionals Who Attain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accreditation: An Examination of Motivations in Human Resource (HR) Training and Development

Despite the economy, the green building industry continues to grow and drive the demand for environmentally conscious, highly skilled professionals (USGBC 2009). LEED Accredited Professionals (APs) have the knowledge and skills to meet such demand; however, information is limited regarding LEED APs or their motivations and expectations toward prospective employers. The author surveyed a sample of LEED Accredited architects and found a combination of job and personal factors motivated them to attain accreditation. LEED APs value both a competitive salary and commitment to sustainability in prospective employers. To attract, retain, and utilize LEED APs, executives in this industry must reexamine corporate culture, their willingness to pay for credentialing, and the alignment of their reputation with the desires of potential applicants.