The synthesis and characterization of water-reducible nanoscale colloidal unimolecular polymer (CUP) particles

The coatings industry has adapted to more stringent guidelines in paint formulations. Current VOC (volatile organic compound) limits placed by the federal government have pushed the industry toward the development of paint formulations which have very little to no VOC\u27s. The development of Colloidal Unimolecular Polymer (CUP) particles is a step in the direction of providing a resin system which exists in zero VOC aqueous dispersion. The CUP particles are a part of the polymer field of Single Chain Nano Particles (SCNP) and ranged in diameters of 3-9 nm. The research presented in this dissertation describes the synthesis and design of these particles along with the various means of instrumentation used to gain insight into the structure and nature of these particles when suspended in aqueous medium --Abstract, page iv

Parliament of Owls

In this work of poems, I experiment with different forms (villanelles, sonnets, cinquains, sestinas, prose poems, and free verse) to create an original accompanying space for the existence of my speakers. I also use many of my poems to illustrate moments, feelings, and scenarios of relationships as well as place new perspectives on poems based on the work of other poets. Parliament of Owls provides an array of vistas on relationships, loneliness, and triumph

Coal Slurry Pipeline

Coal, a primary energy source, is presently fueling the fires of debate in Virginia. The controversy has arisen over a plan developed by private investors to construct a coal slurry pipeline. The pipeline, as proposed, would transport between five and twenty-five million tons of coal annually from southwest Virginia to the Tidewater area. The coal would be pulverized and combined in a fifty percent mixture with water. Once the coal reaches its destination, the water would be extracted by centrifuge, leaving the coal ready for use

Fear of crime, place and the moral order: A secondary analysis of gated communities

Magister Artium (Development Studies) - MA(DVS)This study will use secondary data analysis of academic articles to study the topic under question. Much has been written on fear of crime from a quantitative and to a lesser extent qualitative approach (Burgess and Doran 2012) but little attention has been on this fear as an emotion from an interpretive sociological approach. The approach to emotions employed in this study will draw on Hochschild’s (1983) notion that emotions have signal functions and that emotions constitute a sense just like hearing and seeing, and in her estimation the most important one. Briefly stated, fear (of crime) signals to the person experiencing the emotion that something is worth being wary of; this in turn is based on expectations –and assumptions– of what a safe and orderly situation/environment or person is

Functionalization of wool with L-cysteine : process characterization and assessment of antimicrobial activity and cytotoxicity

This investigation reports a new biotechnological process that uses L-cysteine (L-Cys) which provides a permanent, nontoxic and effective antimicrobial effect over wool-based materials. This process is simple and carried out via idespread exhausting methods. Typically, wool fabrics are incubated with L-Cys for 50 min at 60°C in a pH 4.8 acetate buffer solution 25 mM, under mild agitation to give a good absorption rate. The minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) of L-Cys was evaluated by the NCCLS M07-A6 standard method, and the results showed a good antibacterial activity against S. aureus and K. pneumoniae within the range of 6.0 × 10−3 − 4.8 × 10−2 g/mL [MIC 0.6% (w/v)] and 6.0 × 10−3 − 4.8 × 10−2 g/mL [MIC 0.6% (w/v)], respectively. In addition, the antimicrobial activity of the functionalized wool was assessed by the international standard JIS 1902-2002 showing a good inhibition of bacterial growth for an L-Cys concentration of 1% over the weight of fabric, both against Staphylococcus aureus and Klebsiella pneumoniae. Moreover, the biocidal mechanism was found to be related with the increase of sulfhydryl's groups onto wool fibers, which were quantified by the Ellman's reagent (5,5′-Dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) method. The new process is easy to perform, non toxic, preserve wool quality and is a novel biomimetic approach that uses antimicrobial amino acids and may open new avenues for the design of biomedical textiles with a broad range of applications in healthcare.Contract grant sponsor: FCT; contract grant number: PTDC/EBB-BIO/113671/2009.Contract grant sponsor: R and D Unit of Textile and Paper Materials, Faculty of Engineering, University of Beira Interior

Cultural production and the struggle for authenticity : a Study of the Rastafarian student organization at the University of the Western Cape

Magister Artium - MAThis thesis explores the precarious nature of authenticity as it manifested itself in the activities of H.I.M. Society, the Rastafarian student organization at the University of the Western Cape. Ethnographic research was conducted, to explore the above mentioned issue, which involved observation of various activities and in depth interviews. I also inquired about outsiders' perspectives on Rastafarianism and H.I.M. Society in particular. Authenticity, as it is conceived in this thesis, is about what a group of people deem culturally important. Three important ideas follow from this. The first is that not everyone in a group agrees on what is important. Put differently authenticating processes tend to be characterized by legitimizing crises. Therefore, secondly, social actors need to invest cultural ideas, objects and practices with authenticity. Lastly the authenticating processes are predicated on boundaries not necessarily as a means of exclusion but as fundamental to determining the core of cultural being and belongin

Comparative studies of the preparation of immunoliposomes with the use of two bifunctional coupling agents and investigation of in vitro immunoliposome-target cell binding by cytofluorometry and electron microscopy

The two coupling agents SPDP (N-succinimidyl-3-(2-pyridyldithio)propionate) and SATA (N-succinimidyl-S-acetylthioacetate) were compared in their efficiency and feasibility to couple monoclonal antibodies (Abs) via thioether linkage to liposomes functionalized by various lipophilic maleimide compounds like Full-size image methyl ester (MP-PL), N-(3-maleimidopropionyl)phosphatidylethanolamide (MP-PE), Full-size image methyl ester (EMC-PL), and N-(6-maleimidocaproyl)phosphatidylethanolamine (EMC-PE). The composition of the liposomes was soy phosphatidylcholine (SPC), cholesterol, maleimide compounds and -tocopherol (1:0.2:0.02:0.01, mol parts), plus N4-oleylcytosine arabinoside (NOAC) as cytostatic prodrug (0.2 mol parts) and a new, lipophilic and highly fluorescent dye N,N′-bis(1-hexylheptyl)-3,4:9,10-perylenebis(dicarboximide) (BHPD, 0.006 mol parts). From the maleimide derivatives MP-PL was the most effective in terms of preservation of the coupling activity in dependence of liposome storage. The coupling of the monoclonal A B8-24.3 (mouse IgG2b, MHC class I, anti H-2kb) and IB16-6 (rat IgG2a, anti B16 mouse melanoma) to the drug carrying liposomes was more effective and easier to accomplish with SATA as compared to SPDP. Coupling rates of 60–65% were obtained with SATA at molar ratios of 12 SATA:1 Ab:40 maleimide spacer groups on the surface of one liposome. The highest coupling rates with SPDP were obtained at the ratio of 24 SPDP:1 Ab:40 liposomal maleimide groups, with an Ab binding efficiency of only 20–25%. The optimal in vitro binding conditions to specific target cells (EL4 for B8-24.3-liposomes and B16-F10 for IB16-6-liposomes) were determined by cytofluorometric measurement of the liposomal BHPD fluorescence with SATA linked Abs. Optimal immunoliposome binding to specific epitopes on the target cells was achieved with 1–2 Ab molecules coupled to one liposome, with immunoliposome concentrations of 20–130 nM and with a small incubation volume of 0.3–0.4 ml. The specificity of the binding of B8-24.3-liposomes to EL4 target cells was visualized by scanning electron microscopy. Antibody mediated endocytic uptake of immunoliposomes could be demonstrated by transmission electron microscopy