Failure of the Embankment on Soft Soil in Recife-Brazil

This paper presents the study of the rupture of an embankment on soft clay, localized in Recife, Brazil. The data was obtained from partnership of the Department of Civil Engineering of the Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil and the company Gusmão Engineers Associates, which it was possible to perform a Master Thesis. The embankment was constructed without geotechnical investigation project, accompaniment and technological control. After the rupture, to understand the process, a geotechnical investigation was performed to permit a total stress stability analyze / back-analyze, considering circular and non-circular surfaces, occurrence of cracking in embankment, and the three-dimensional effect. The Data Base of Recife soft clays (Coutinho et al. 1998c) were used to complement the technical information necessary to the study. In the evaluation of the undrained shear strength of the foundation (Su) was used the results of field vane test, with consideration of the corrections proposals for Bjerrum (1973). All the results of this work showed that rupture was previsible if adequate geotechnical investigation and stability analysis had been done

Aqueous Biphasic Systems Comprising Natural Organic Acid-Derived Ionic Liquids

Despite the progress achieved by aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) comprising ionic liquids (ILs) in extracting valuable proteins, the quest for bio‐based and protein‐friendly ILs continues. To address this need, this work uses natural organic acids as precursors in the synthesis of four ILs, namely tetrabutylammonium formate ([N4444][HCOO]), tetrabutylammonium acetate ([N4444][CH3COO]), tetrabutylphosphonium formate ([P4444][HCOO]), and tetrabutylphosphonium acetate ([P4444][CH3COO]). It is shown that ABSs can be prepared using all four organic acid‐derived ILs paired with the salts potassium phosphate dibasic (K2HPO4) and tripotassium citrate (C6H5K3O7). According to the ABSs phase diagrams, [P4444]‐based ILs outperform their ammonium congeners in their ability to undergo liquid–liquid demixing in the presence of salts due to their lower hydrogen‐bond acidity. However, deviations to the Hofmeister series were detected in the salts’ effect, which may be related to the high charge density of the studied IL anions. As a proof of concept for their extraction potential, these ABSs were evaluated in extracting human transferrin, allowing extraction efficiencies of 100% and recovery yields ranging between 86 and 100%. To further disclose the molecular‐level mechanisms behind the extraction of human transferrin, molecular docking studies were performed. Overall, the salting‐out exerted by the salt is the main mechanism responsible for the complete extraction of human transferrin toward the IL‐rich phase, whereas the recovery yield and protein‐friendly nature of these systems depend on specific “IL-transferrin” interactions.publishe

Good's Buffer Ionic Liquids as Relevant Phase-Forming Components of Self-Buffered Aqueous Biphasic Systems

A series of new self-buffering ionic liquids (ILs) based on Good's buffers (GBs) anions and the tetrabutylphosphonium cation ([P4444]+) was here synthesized and characterized. The self-buffering behaviour of the GB-ILs was confirmed by measuring their protonation constants by potentiometry. Further, their ability to form aqueous biphasic systems with the biodegradable potassium citrate salt was evaluated, and further investigated for the extraction of proteins, using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a model protein. If these ionic structures display self-buffering characteristics as well as a low toxicity towards the luminescent bacteria Vibrio fischeri, they were additionally found to be highly effective in the formation of ABS and in the extraction of BSA - extraction efficiencies of 100% to the IL-rich phase obtained in a single-step. The BSA secondary structure in the aqueous IL-rich solutions was evaluated through infrared spectroscopic studies revealing the protein-friendly nature of the synthesized ILs. Dynamic light scattering (DLS), "COnductor-like Screening MOdel for Real Solvents" (COSMO-RS), and molecular docking studies were finally carried out to better understand the main driving forces of the extraction process. The results suggest that van der Waals and hydrogen-bonding interactions are important driving forces of the protein migration towards the GB-IL-rich phase, while the molecular docking investigations demonstrated a stabilizing effect of the studied ILs over the protein.publishe

Alkaloids as alternative probes to characterize the relative hydrophobicity of aqueous biphasic systems

In order to overcome the lack of characterization on the relative hydrophobicity of aqueous biphasic systems (ABS), the partition of three alkaloids as alternative probes, was evaluated in a series of biocompatible ABS composed of cholinium-based salts or ionic liquids (ILs) and polyethylene glycol (PEG). The caffeine partitioning in ABS was firstly addressed to infer on the effect of the phase-forming components composition. In all systems, caffeine preferentially concentrates in the lower water content PEG-rich phase. Additionally, a linear dependence between the logarithmic function of the partition coefficients and the water content ratio was found. To confirm this linear dependency, the partition coefficients of caffeine, theobromine and theophylline were determined in other ABS formed by different cholinium-based salts/ILs. In most systems, it is shown that all alkaloids partition to the most hydrophobic phase. To support the experimental results, COSMO-RS (Conductor-like Screening Model for Real Solvents) was used to compute the screening charge distributions of both phaseforming components of ABS and alkaloids, the excess enthalpy of mixing and the activity coefficients at infinite dilution. It is here demonstrated that the partition trend of alkaloids can be used to address the relative hydrophobicity of the coexisting phases in polymer-salt/-IL ABS

The two tryptophans of β2-microglobulin have distinct roles in function and folding and might represent two independent responses to evolutionary pressure

We have recently discovered that the two tryptophans of human β2-microglobulin have distinctive roles within the structure and function of the protein. Deeply buried in the core, Trp95 is essential for folding stability, whereas Trp60, which is solvent-exposed, plays a crucial role in promoting the binding of β2-microglobulin to the heavy chain of the class I major histocompatibility complex (MHCI). We have previously shown that the thermodynamic disadvantage of having Trp60 exposed on the surface is counter-balanced by the perfect fit between it and a cavity within the MHCI heavy chain that contributes significantly to the functional stabilization of the MHCI. Therefore, based on the peculiar differences of the two tryptophans, we have analysed the evolution of β2-microglobulin with respect to these residues

Aqueous Biphasic Systems Comprising Natural Organic Acid-Derived Ionic Liquids

Despite the progress achieved by aqueous biphasic systems (ABSs) comprising ionic liquids (ILs) in extracting valuable proteins, the quest for bio-based and protein-friendly ILs continues. To address this need, this work uses natural organic acids as precursors in the synthesis of four ILs, namely tetrabutylammonium formate ([N4444][HCOO]), tetrabutylammonium acetate ([N4444][CH3COO]), tetrabutylphosphonium formate ([P4444][HCOO]), and tetrabutylphosphonium acetate ([P4444][CH3COO]). It is shown that ABSs can be prepared using all four organic acid-derived ILs paired with the salts potassium phosphate dibasic (K2HPO4) and tripotassium citrate (C6H5K3O7). According to the ABSs phase diagrams, [P4444]-based ILs outperform their ammonium congeners in their ability to undergo liquid–liquid demixing in the presence of salts due to their lower hydrogen-bond acidity. However, deviations to the Hofmeister series were detected in the salts’ effect, which may be related to the high charge density of the studied IL anions. As a proof of concept for their extraction potential, these ABSs were evaluated in extracting human transferrin, allowing extraction efficiencies of 100% and recovery yields ranging between 86 and 100%. To further disclose the molecular-level mechanisms behind the extraction of human transferrin, molecular docking studies were performed. Overall, the salting-out exerted by the salt is the main mechanism responsible for the complete extraction of human transferrin toward the IL-rich phase, whereas the recovery yield and protein-friendly nature of these systems depend on specific “IL-transferrin” interactions

Integrated approach to extract and purify proteins from honey by ionic liquid-based three-phase partitioning

The purification of value-added compounds by three phase partitioning (TPP) is a promising alternative to conventional processes since the target compound can be easily recovered from the liquid-liquid interphase. Although this technique has been successfully applied to the recovery of proteins, the minimization of the use of salts and solvents must be pursued to improve the overall process sustainability. Accordingly, we have here investigated the use of bio-based glycine-betaine ionic liquids (IL) directly with honey, a carbohydrate-rich matrix, as phase-forming components of TPP systems. These ILTPP systems were applied in the purification of Major Royal Jelly Proteins (MRJPs) from honey. The results obtained show that MRJPs mostly precipitate in the ILTPP interphase, with a recovery yield ranging between 82.8 and 97.3%. In particular, MRJP1 can be obtained with a purity level up to 90.1%. Furthermore, these systems allow the simultaneous separation of antioxidants and carbohydrates to different liquid phases. The proposed approach allows the separation of proteins, antioxidants, and carbohydrates from honey in a single step, while using only ILs and a real carbohydrate-rich matrix, being thus sustainable TPP processes.publishe

Towards the improved monitoring of bacterial infections by the isolation of DNA from human serum using ionic-liquid-based aqueous biphasic systems

Early infection diagnosis is crucial to decrease morbidity and mortality rates. However, complex biological samples, like human blood or serum, contain high abundance proteins and metabolites that reduce the sensitivity of methods used to identify and quantify nucleic acids in bacterial infections diagnosis. To address this issue, we investigated aqueous biphasic systems (ABS) composed of polypropylene glycol 400 and cholinium-based ionic liquids (ILs) at different pH values for the pre-treatment of human serum, aiming the separation of DNA from human serum albumin (HSA) to reduce the interference on the DNA quantification by real-time PCR (qPCR). Remarkable extraction efficiencies of DNA to the IL-rich phase were obtained with all investigated systems, ranging between 90 and 100% in a single-step, with no significant losses of DNA observed (yield at the IL-rich phase > 90%). At low pH values HSA precipitates, whereas at neutral pH no HSA precipitation is observed. This trend suggests that IL-based ABS can be tuned to selectively isolate DNA from HSA by adjusting the pH. The most effective ABS identified is composed of cholinium glycolate at pH 5, allowing to completely precipitate HSA at the ABS interface and leading to an IL-rich phase enriched in DNA with high purity (>98%) that can be quantified by qPCR. Finally, it is shown that the IL-rich phase is able to maintain the DNA’s structural integrity at room temperature, for up to six months, implying that the IL-rich phase of the selected ABS could also be a suitable DNA storage medium. In summary, designed IL-based ABS can be applied as a pretreatment strategy of human serum, allowing to isolate bacterial DNA and opening new perspectives in the monitoring of bacterial infections.publishe