Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Dispersion.11'

The nonlinear refractive index (n2) of room temperature liquid CS2 in the wavelength range of 9 to 11 micrometers is measured. A line tunable hybrid C02 TEA laser and amplifier system is used for the experiments. In these measurements the well known photoacoustic method is utilized to observe the onset of whole beam self-focusing. The photoacoustic signal in a CS2 cell, much longer than the confocal parameter, is monitored. The departure of the acoustic signal from linear growth marks the critical power for the onset of nonlinearity. It is experimentally verified that the phenomenon is power dependent as expected from self-focusing theory. The value of n2 is then calculated from the theoretical model of self focusing. Measurements of the on-axis irradiance transmitted through the nonlinear material as well as the measurements of beam distortion are used to verify the validity of the photoacoustic method. In all the measurements the on-axis intensity was smaller than the calculated threshold intensity for stimulated Brillouin scattering. The back reflection was monitored to make sure that stimulated Brillouin scattering was not playing a role in the phenomenon.

The work concerns the study of surface wave dispersion in order to infer shear wave structural model of a Venice Plain area, Italy. Wave dispersion is studied using controlled source survays and seismic noise cross correlation. The study involves also local earthquakes monitoring and HVSR technique. The structural model obtained is used to compute a detrministic hazard seismic scenario of the studied area.

Lignocellulosic biomass is a natural complex composite of cellulose, hemicellulose, lignin, ashes and other soluble substances called extractives. The significant difficulties related to the separation of lignin-carbohydrates complexes are the major obstacle to overcome for lignocellulosic biomass utilization. In order to free the locked polysaccharides in cellulose, a number of lignocellulose pretreatment technologies is under intensive investigations, such as steam explosion, organosolv process, chemical treatment with acids or bases (ammonia, NaOH) and ionic liquid pretreatment. The relevance of lignocellulosic biorefinery relies not only on the recovery of carbohydrates, but also on the added value of lignin which is the second most abundant natural polymer, exceeded only by cellulose and hemicellulose. Lignin’s structure is determined by its botanical origin and the adopted isolation process. Depending on the plant source, lignins can be divided into three classes: hardwood (angiosperm), softwood (gymnosperm) and annual plant (graminaceous); on the other hand, according to the isolation process, lignins can be divided into two groups: lignin from sulfite process and sulfur free lignin. The latter is receiving increasing attentions because it offers a greater versatility than the former and it can be heat-processed avoiding the irritating odor-release commonly associated with commercial kraft lignin. In addition to cost advantages, annual renewability and huge availability are factors that could promote the use of sulfur-free lignin. Lignin’s structure contains a variety of chemical functional groups that affect its reactivity making it able to meet the needs of industry. It’s worth noting that lignin can be used for several industrial applications owing to its surface-active properties. It has also been applied as a filler in many elastomers (butadienestyrene- butadiene, isoprene-styrene-butadiene; styrenebutadiene) or in natural rubber. Moreover, lignin has shown a high antioxidant efficiency both as it is and in combination with commercial antioxidants. The main purpose of my doctorate has been testing sulfur free lignins (obtained from herbaceous plants as by-products of steam explosion and soda pulping processes) as fillers in rubber compounds in order to evaluate their reinforcement ability and their use as a partial replacement of carbon black. The objective is to realize lighter tyres characterized by a low rolling resistance and a reduced amount of material derived from no renewable sources. Lignin has some disadvantages that make its application as a rubber-reinforcing filler difficult, such as large particle size, strong polar surface and high tendency of its particles to link together by intermolecular hydrogen bonding arranging agglomerates. To improve the interaction between filler and elastomer, two strategies have been adopted: the chemical modification of lignin and the reduction of the size of its particles. Concerning the chemical modification, lignin can be functionalized by way of esterification, etherification, reaction with coupling agents (silane) and with hexamethylenetetramine (HMT), so that also its dispersion in the elastomer is improved. Instead, spray drying and the co-precipitation of latex with lignin have proved to be effective in reducing the particles’s size. All the products obtained have been characterized by IR, 31P NMR, GPC and microscope analysis and tested in rubber compounds as it is or as partial replacement of carbon black.

Antimoine (Sb) et tellure (Te), sont des contaminants peu étudiés (isotopes stables) et leurs radionucléides artificiels peuvent être rejetés dans le milieu aquatique lors des accidents nucléaires. La connaissance de leurs comportements biogéochimiques respectifs est nécessaire à l'évaluation du risque radiologique post-accidentel.Ce travail présente des données originales sur le comportement biogéochimique de Sb et de Te dans les systèmes de transition continent-océan, tels que l'estuaire de la Gironde et la rivière du Rhône. Un suivi de 14 ans et des campagnes océanographiques dans le bassin versant de l’estuaire de la Gironde ont permis d’identifier des concentrations, des flux, et des réactivités (variabilités spatio-temporelles et distribution solide/liquide) plus élevés pour Sb que pour Te, mettant en évidence un comportement additif pour Sb et de soustraction pour Te le long des gradients de salinité et de turbidité estuariennes. Des expériences couplant l’adsorption d’isotopes marqués sur des matières en suspension (MES) et des extractions sélectives des phases porteuses, suggèrent que les formes apportées de Sb et de Te sont plus mobiles et potentiellement plus biodisponibles que leurs équivalents naturels. De plus, l’observation de la bioaccumulation non-négligeable de Sb et de Te naturels dans les huîtres sauvages à l’embouchure de l’estuaire permet d’envisager une absorption potentielle de leurs homologues radioactifs.Ainsi, le développement de scenarios de dispersion de radionucléides rejetés dans les zones de transition dépendra (i) de la position géographique de la source (Rhône) et/ou de la zone de turbidité maximale (ZTM; système fluvio-estuarien de Gironde), (ii) de la situation hydrologique pendant et post accident, ainsi que (iii) de la réactivité biogéochimique et des temps de demi-vies des radionucléides. Les premiers scénarios de dispersion de radionucléides dans l'estuaire de la Gironde suggèrent (i) un transport préférentiel de Sb dissous vers la zone côtière, et (ii) une forte rétention de Te radioactif dans la ZTM si la dernière est présente en aval du site d’accident, impliquant le risque de migration saisonnière de la radioactivité vers la ville de Bordeaux pendant l’étiage suivant. Ainsi, la dynamique intra estuarienne (marée, débit et migration de la ZTM) sera le facteur prédominant dans le devenir de Te radioactif, depuis son rejet jusqu’à sa désintégration complète en iode radioactif. L’ensemble de ce travail met en évidence la nécessité d’une évaluation plus approfondie de la radiotoxicité potentielle de Sb et Te lors de leurs rejets en milieu aquatique
Antimony (Sb) and tellurium (Te) are relatively uncommon contaminants (stable isotopes) and may form short-lived fission products (radionuclides) released into the environment during nuclear power plants accidents. Little is known about their respective biogeochemical behaviours, necessary for general contamination studies and post-accidental radiological risk assessment.This work provides original knowledge on Sb and Te biogeochemical behaviour in highly dynamic continent-ocean transition systems: the Gironde Estuary and the Rhône River. Concentrations, spatial/temporal variations, solid/liquid partitioning (Kd), and fluxes are studied from long-term records at the watershed scale. Four estuarine sampling campaigns during contrasting hydrological conditions show higher Sb solubility and Te particle affinity in the estuary than in the upstream fluvial reaches. Historical records (1984-2017) in wild oysters from the estuary mouth do not show clear trends of past or recent contamination, but measurable bioaccumulation suggests that potential uptake of radionuclides is likely to occur. Combined adsorption experiments using isotopically-labelled (spiked) Sb and Te, and subsequent selective extractions of carrier phases from suspended particulate matter (SPM) suggest that spiked Sb and Te are more mobile and potentially bioaccessible than their environmental (inherited) equivalents. Radiotracer adsorption experiments using environmentally representative concentrations of both Gironde and Rhône systems underpin that highly soluble elements may show contrasting reactivity between inherited and spiked forms.Radionuclide dispersion will greatly depend on (i) the geographical position of the source (Rhône) and/or the maximum turbidity zone (MTZ; Gironde fluvial-estuarine system), (ii) the succession of hydrological situations during and after the accident, and (iii) the biogeochemical reactivity and half-lives of the radionuclides. First scenarios on hypothetical dissolved radionuclide dispersion in the Gironde Estuary suggest (i) low sorption of Sb to the SPM, implying a transport of radionuclides in dissolved phase towards the coast, and (ii) high retention of Te within the MTZ, especially for accidental releases during flood conditions, linking the fate of radioactive Te to long estuarine SPM residence times (1-2 years). Potential upstream migration of Te radionuclides in the MTZ towards the city of Bordeaux during the following summer season and Te decay into radioactive iodine warrants further evaluation of the associated potential radiotoxicity

The atypical protein kinase haspin is conserved in all eukaryotes and promotes the correct alignment of chromosomes on the metaphase plate by recruitment of the CPC. Here, using budding yeast as a model organism, we identified new functions for haspin paralogues (Alk1 and Alk2) in regulating actin and nuclear dynamics. Indeed, we show that haspin mutants experiencing mitotic delays accumulate actin and elongate their spindles entirely in daughter cells, with the consequence of generating anucleated mothers and binucleated daughters that are not vital. These defects are due to a hyperaccumulation of polarity proteins at the bud tip and indeed dispersion of these polarity factors or restoration of their physiological localization reduces the severity of the defects of haspin lacking cells. We also demonstrate that haspin regulates polarisome dispersion by affecting the distribution of Cdc42 activity in cells, particularly regulating the localization of Cdc24, the Cdc42 GEF. We report that localization of this GEF is regulated by Ras in mitosis and that haspin regulates the localization of Ras. We also noticed that loss of haspin causes a polarized delivery of exocytic vesicles towards the bud tip that could explain the defective localization of Ras in alk1∆alk2∆ cells. Moreover, we identified Fab1 kinase as a putative interactor of Alk2 and provide evidences for a interplay between haspin and Fab1 complex.

The crystal structures of two thermostable carboxylesterase Est30 and Est55 from Geobacillus stearothermophilus were determined to help understand their functions and applications in industry or medicine. The crystal structure of Est30 was determined at 1.63 Å resolution by the multiple anomalous dispersion method. The two-domain Est30 structure showed a large domain with a modified alpha/beta hydrolase core including a seven, rather than an eight-stranded beta sheet, and a smaller cap domain comprising three alpha helices. A 100 Da tetrahedral ligand, propyl acetate, was observed to be covalently bound to the side chain of Ser94 in the catalytic triad. This ligand complex represents the first tetrahedral intermediate in the reaction mechanism. Therefore, this Est30 crystal structure will help understand the mode of action of all enzymes in the serine hydrolase superfamily. Est55 is a bacterial homologue of the mammalian carboxylesterases involved in hydrolysis and detoxification of numerous peptides and drugs and in prodrug activation. Est55 crystals were grown at pH 6.2 and pH 6.8 and the structures were determined at resolutions of 2.0 and 1.58 Å respectively. Est55 folds into three domains, a catalytic domain, an α/β domain and a regulatory domain. This structure is in an inactive form; the side chain of His409, one of the catalytic triad residues, is pointing away from the active site. Moreover, the adjacent Cys408 is triply oxidized and lies in the oxyanion hole, which would block the entry of substrate to its binding site. This structure suggested a self-inactivation mechanism, however, Cys408 is not essential for enzyme activity. Mutation of Cys408 showed that hydrophobic side chains at this position were favorable, while polar serine was unfavorable for enzyme activity. Both Est30 and Est55 were shown to hydrolyze the prodrug CPT-11 into the active form SN-38. Therefore, Est30 and Est55 are potential candidates for use with irinotecan in cancer therapy. The catalytic efficiency (kcat/Km) of Est30 is about 10-fold lower than that of Est55. The effects of the Cys408 substitutions on Est55 activity differed for the two substrates, p-NP butyrate and CPT-11. Mutant C408V may provide a more stable form of Est55.

Polymer-based piezoelectric and triboelectric generators form the basis of well-known energy harvesting methods that are capable of transforming ambient vibrational energy into electrical energy via electrical polarization changes in a material and contact electrification, respectively. However, the low energy conversion efficiency and limited thermal stability of polymeric materials hinder practical application. While nanostructured polymers and polymer-based nanocomposites have been widely studied to overcome these limitations, the performance improvement has not been satisfactory due to limitations pertaining to long-standing problems associated with polymeric materials; such as low crystallinity of nanostructured polymers, and in the case of nanocomposites, poor dispersion and distribution of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. In this thesis, novel functional polymeric nanomaterials, for stable and physically robust energy harvesting applications, are proposed by developing advanced nanofabrication methods. The focus is on ferroelectric polymeric nanomaterials, as this class of materials is particularly well-suited for both piezoelectric and triboelectric energy harvesting. The thesis is broadly divided into two parts. The first part focuses on Nylon-11 nanowires grown by a template-wetting method. Nylon-11 was chosen due to its reasonably good ferroelectric properties and high thermal stability, relative to more commonly studied ferroelectric polymers such as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) and polyvinylidene fluoride-trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)). However, limitations in thin-film fabrication of Nylon-11 have led to poor control over crystallinity, and thus investigation of this material for practical applications had been mostly discontinued, and its energy harvesting potential never fully realised. The work in this thesis shows that these problems can be overcome by adopting nanoporous template-wetting as a versatile tool to grow Nylon-11 nanowires with controlled crystallinity. Since the template-grown Nylon-11 nanowires exhibit a polarisation without any additional electrical poling process by exploiting the nanoconfinement effect, they have been directly incorporated into nano-piezoelectric generators, exhibiting high temperature stability and excellent fatigue performance. To further enhance the energy harvesting capability of Nylon-11 nanowires, a gas -flow assisted nano-template (GANT) infiltration method has been developed, whereby rapid crystallisation induced by gas-flow leads to the formation of the ferroelectric δʹ-phase. The well-defined crystallisation conditions resulting from the GANT method not only lead to self-polarization but also increases average crystallinity from 29 % to 38 %. δʹ-phase Nylon-11 nanowires introduced into a prototype triboelectric generator are shown to give rise to a six-fold increase in output power density as observed relative to the δʹ-phase film-based device. Interestingly, based on the accumulated understanding of the template-wetting method, Nylon-11, and energy harvesting devices, it was found that thermodynamically stable α-phase Nylon-11 nanowires are most suitable for triboelectric energy generators, but not piezoelectric generators. Notably, definitive dipole alignment of α-phase nanowires is shown to have been achieved for the first time via a novel thermally assisted nano-template infiltration (TANI) method, resulting in exceptionally strong and thermally stable spontaneous polarization, as confirmed by molecular structure simulations. The output power density of a triboelectric generator based on α-phase nanowires is shown to be enhanced by 328 % compared to a δʹ-phase nanowire-based device under the same mechanical excitation. The second part of the thesis presents recent progress on polymer-based multi-layered nanocomposites for energy harvesting applications. To solve the existing issues related to poor dispersion and distribution of nanoparticles in the polymer matrix, a dual aerosol-jet printing method has been developed and applied. As a result, outstanding dispersion and distribution. Furthermore, this method allows precise control of the various physical properties of interest, including the dielectric permittivity. The resulting nanocomposite contributes to an overall enhancement of the device capacitance, which also leads to high-performance triboelectric generators. This thesis therefore presents advances in novel functional polymeric nanomaterials for energy harvesting applications, with improved performance and thermal stability. It further offers insight regarding the long-standing issues in the field of Nylon-11, template-wetting, and polymer-based nanocomposites.

Haspin is a serine/threonine atypical kinase that phosphorylates histone H3-T3 during metaphase, promoting the recruitment of the chromosomal passenger complex (CPC) at kinetochores. Haspin depletion leads to cell arrest in mitosis and prevents proper chromosome positioning at the metaphase plate. Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome encodes for two haspin paralogues ALK1 and ALK2. We recently showed that these genes are essential to coordinate polarization and cell cycle progression, ensuring the correct positioning of several polarity factors following a transient mitotic delay. The aim of this project is to identify new processes where haspin kinase is involved. The first part of this work shows that Alk1 has a role at the G2/M transition in S. cerevisiae. These findings constitute the first evidence for Alk1-specific functions that are not shared by its paralogue Alk2. Our results indicate that cells lacking ALK1 are sensitive to Latrunculin A and complete nuclear division within the unbudded mother cells. These observations pointed toward a defect in the morphogenesis checkpoint. We also observed that in absence of ALK1 the Cdc28-Y19 phosphorylation signal decreases significantly during a morphogenetic stress. Exploring the underlying mechanism, we found that the decrease in phosphorylation is caused by a misregulation in Mih1 phosphatase activity in absence of Alk1. Therefore in budding yeast Alk1 modulates G2/M cell cycle switch by regulating Mih1 3 activity. The second part of this work is focused on exploring the role of Alk1 and Alk2 in polarisome dispersion. We show that the previously reported role of haspin in polarization relies on its ability to modulate Ras localization. Our observations are indicative for a mitotic role of Ras, which, by regulating Cdc24 redistribution, influences Cdc42 activation at polarized sites. These observations may help to shed light on alterations in cell polarity, which often constitute the molecular mechanism for cancer insurgence.

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo utilizar a abordagem dos modelos lineares generalizados e os modelos de dispersão no contexto do seguro agrícola. Os modelos lineares generalizados (MLG\'s) constituem uma extensão dos modelos lineares de regressão múltipla introduzida por Nelder e Wedderburn (1972), que inclui modelos cuja variável resposta pertence à família exponencial de distribuições. O MLG é formado por um componente aleatório, que possui distribuição pertencente à família exponencial, um componente sistemático, conectados por uma função de ligação. Jorgensen (1997) estende a utilização dos MLG para uma classe mais ampla de modelos probabilísticos, denominados modelos de dispersão. A estimação dos parâmetros foi baseada no método da máxima verossimilhança, e também, em função da amostra ser relativamente pequena, optou-se pelo método de bootstrap não-paramétrico. As duas abordagens foram aplicadas a dois conjuntos de dados de sinistros de 15 municípios do estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Os resultados mostraram que a precipitação acumulada tem influência na ocorrência de sinistros. Entretanto, na modelagem do montante do sinistro não foi encontrada nenhuma variável significativa. Usando o método de bootstrap, foi encontrada influência das variáveis precipitação acumulada e a temperatura média no numero de sinistros
The main objective of this work is to use the generalized linear models and dispersion models in the agricultural insurance context. The Generalized Linear Model (GLM) are an extension of the multiple regression linear models presented by Nelder e Wedderburn (1972). This approach include situations in which the response variable can be included in exponencial the family. The GLM is composed of a randomized component, a sistematic component and the link functions. JÁrgensen (1997) extend the application of the GLM for a more general class of probability models, called dispersion models. Both approaches were applied in two insurance datasets for 15 citys in Rio Grande do Sul. The parameters estimation was based in the maximum likelihood method, in addition, because of the relatively small sample, the non-parametric Bootstrap method was used. This study show, using GLM, that only the accumulated rainfall was statistically significant . However, any of the covariates was significant when modelling the amount of claims. In the analysis using Bootstrap method the accumulated rainfall and average temperature were significant when modelling the number of insurance clains.

A produção de álcool combustível vem aumentando a cada ano devido à necessidade de substituir as fontes de combustíveis fósseis, que é finita, e por outro lado o álcool que é uma fonte de energia renovável. Porém, a produção deste combustível gera uma grande quantidade de resíduos, sendo a vinhaça o que chama mais atenção, pelo seu alto valor como fertilizante e, principalmente, pela quantidade expressiva de potássio. O íon potássio, por se tratar de um cátion monovalente tem a característica de promover a dispersão das partículas de argila, assim como o sódio, provocando um entupimento dos poros do solo e diminuindo a sua permeabilidade, o que pode resultar em encharcamento e aumentar o escoamento superficial. Para avaliar este efeito dispersivo da aplicação de vinhaça no solo foram implementados dois experimentos: O Experimento I teve o objetivo de avaliar o efeito de diferentes doses de vinhaça na condutividade hidráulica do solo saturado e o Experimento II avaliou diferentes doses de aplicação de vinhaça no escoamento superficial. No Experimento I foram utilizadas colunas de PVC preenchidas com 3 tipos de solos (Latossolo Vermelho-Escuro LVE, Latossolo Roxo LR e Nitossolo Vermelho Eutrófico NVE), nas quais foram aplicadas quatro doses de vinhaça (0, 150, 300 e 450 m3 ha-1), em um delineamento inteiramente casualizado em esquema fatorial 3x4 com três repetições. Neste experimento, utilizou-se um permeâmetro de carga constante para obtenção da condutividade hidráulica do solo saturado. No segundo experimento, montou-se uma estrutura na área pertencente ao Departamento de Engenharia Rural (ESALQ/USP) para avaliação de escoamento superficial em um Nitossolo Vermelho Eutrófico. O delineamento experimental adotado neste experimento foi blocos ao acaso num esquema fatorial 3x3 com três blocos, sendo: 3 variedades de cana-de-açúcar (IAC87-3396, SP81-3250 e RB86-7515) e 3 doses de vinhaça (150, 300 e 450 m3 ha-1). Os parâmetros avaliados foram a perda de água e de solo, perda do potássio e de sólidos dissolvidos totais (SDT). Diante dos resultados obtidos, observou-se que no solo LVE com o aumento das doses de vinhaça diminuiu-se os valores de condutividade hidráulica do solo saturado e para os solos LR e NVE os valores deste parâmetro aumentaram com o acréscimo das doses. Em relação ao escoamento superficial não houve efeito significativo para os fatores em estudo, demonstrando que as doses não contribuíram para o aumento do escoamento superficial como se era suposto.
The production of alcohol used as fuel is increasing every year due to the need to replace the sources of fossil fuels, which is finite, and on the other hand alcohol is a renewable energy source. But the production of this fuel generates large quantities of waste and the vinasse draws most attention by its high value as fertilizer, primarily by the amount of potassium. The potassium ion due to a monovalent feature is to promote the dispersion of the clay particles as well as sodium, clogged the pores of the soil by decreasing the permeability, may cause flooding and increase runoff. For evaluating the dispersive effect of vinasse on the soil were implemented two experiments: Experiment I aimed to evaluate the effect of different doses of vinasse in saturated hydraulic conductivity, and Experiment II, which evaluated different doses of vinasse in runoff. In Experiment I were used PVC columns filled with 3 kinds of soils (Dark Red Latosol - LVE, Dusky Red Latosol- LR and Rhodic Kandiustalf - NVE), and applied four doses of vinasse (0, 150, 300 and 450 m3 ha -1), in a completely randomized design in a 3x4 factorial design with three replications. In this experiment we used a constant load permeameter to obtain the hydraulic conductivity of saturated soil. In the second experiment was mounted in a structure belonging to the Department of Rural Engineering (ESALQ / USP) for evaluation of runoff in a Rhodic Kandiustalf. The experimental design used in this experiment was a randomized block design in a 3x3 factorial with three blocks, and these factors were: 3 varieties of sugarcane (IAC87-3396, SP81-3250 and RB86-7515) and 3 doses of vinasse (150 , 300 and 450 m3 ha-1). The parameteres evaluated were the loss of water and soil, loss of potassium and total dissolved solids (TDS). Results obtained showed that the soil LVE with increasing doses of vinasse also decreased the values of hydraulic conductivity, and for the LR soil and NVE values of this parameter increased with increased doses. In the runoff no significant effect on the factors under study, showing that the doses did not contribute to the increase in runoff as was supposed.

Solanum lycocarpum. St.Hil. (Solanaceae) é uma planta lenhosa encontrada nos cerrados e campos cerrados do Brasil Central. É heliófila e característica de formações secundárias abertas. É conhecida popularmente como lobeira. A polpa do fruto é utilizada na produção de um fitoterápico, o polvilho-de-lobeira, amplamente empregado no controle de diabetes e de obesidade, assim como para diminuição no nível de colesterol, sendo comercializado na forma de cápsulas. A espécie é andromonóica, com produção constante de flores hermafroditas e funcionalmente masculinas. A síndrome de polinização é vibrátil e as flores são polinizadas por abelhas do gênero Xylocopa. Os frutos carnosos são consumidos por diversos animais do cerrado. Os principais dispersores das sementes são o lobo-guará, o cachorro-do-mato, a raposa-do-campo, a anta e a formiga saúva. Conhecendo-se as principais características da biologia da reprodução de S. lycocarpum e os agentes polinizadores e dispersores de sementes dessa espécie, objetivou-se com esse trabalho estudar a contribuição relativa da migração mediada por pólen e por sementes no fluxo gênico total e na estrutura genética, em quatro populações naturais de S. lycocarpum situadas na região Sudeste do estado de Goiás. A razão de fluxo de pólen e semente no fluxo gênico total foi estimada por meio da análise comparativa de marcadores microssatélites nucleares e cloroplastidiais. O sistema de reprodução e a distribuição espacial dos genótipos nas populações também foram estudados. Buscou-se, ainda, avaliar a diversidade genética em plantas situadas na margem da estrada de terra que interliga três populações, com o objetivo de inferir sobre a origem das sementes que colonizaram esse ambiente. Os 294 indivíduos amostrados foram estudados com seis locos microssatélites nucleares e seis locos microssatélites cloroplastidiais. Observou-se menor diversidade gênica com os locos nucleares ( He =0,330±0,013) do que com os locos cloroplastidiais (h = 0,947±0,012). A estimativa do número médio de haplótipos por população ( nh =28,4±2,67) mostrou que tanto as populações naturais como a margem da estrada foram fundadas por número elevado de sementes de origens diversas. Estrutura espacial dos genótipos a uma distância de até 50 m foi observada em duas populações, sendo decorrentes da dispersão de sementes espacialmente restrita. A diferenciação genética entre populações estimada com marcadores cloroplastidiais ( ϑpC=0,042) foi ligeiramente menor que a obtida com marcadores nucleares ( ϑp=0,054). A razão de fluxo gênico (mp/ms ) para o conjunto de populações foi 1,22, mostrando que nessa escala de estudo as taxas de fluxo gênico via pólen e sementes são praticamente semelhantes. A margem da estrada foi colonizada por sementes vindas das populações naturais adjacentes e a distância média de dispersão de sementes foi de cerca de 20km. S. lycocarpum é predominantemente alógama, os cruzamentos entre parentes não são comuns e o número de doadores de pólen nos cruzamentos é superior a dez. Considerando apenas a área de abrangência do presente estudo, é necessário conservar 54 populações para reter um Ne=500. Na coleta de sementes para conservação ex situ, deve-se coletar igual número de sementes de 150 a 200 matrizes para reter o Ne=500 e as matrizes devem estar distantes umas das outras mais de 50m
Solanum lycocarpum St.Hil. (Solanaceae) is a woody plant that is found in the Brazilian Cerrados (savanna fields) in Central Brazil. It is heliophile, and it features open secondary formations. It\'s popularly known as wolf\'s fruit. The meat of its fruit is used in the production of a phytomedicine, the wolf\'s fruit powder, which is traded in the form of capsules, being widely used for the control of diabetes, obesity and cholesterol levels. The species is andromonoecious, with constant production of hermaphrodite and functionally male flowers. The pollination syndrome is vibratille, and Xylocopa bees pollinate flowers. Various animals in the Cerrado consume the fleshy fruits. The main seed dispersers are the maned wolf, the bush dog, the crab-eating-fox, the tapir, and the sauba ant. The main mating features of S. lycocarpum as well as its pollinators and seed dispersing agents were used as a basis for this study. Thus, this enquiry aimed at studying the relative contribution of migration mediated by pollen and by seeds in the total gene flow and in the genetic structure of four natural populations of Solanum lycocarpum located in the Southeast region of Goiás State. The pollen to seed flow rate in the total gene flow was estimated by means of comparative analysis of nuclear and chloroplast microsatellite markers. The mating system and genotype spatial distribution in the populations were also studied. We also focused on evaluating the genetic diversity in plants located on the dirt roadside that interlinks three of the populations as a means of inferring about the origin of the seeds that colonized the environment. The 294 individuals sampled were studied with six nuclear microsatellite loci and six chloroplast microsatellite loci. The nuclear loci ( He =0,330±0,013) showed smaller gene diversity than chloroplast loci (h = 0,947±0,012). The estimation of the average number of haplotypes per population ( nh =28,4±2,67) indicated that both natural and roadside populations were founded by a great number of seeds of various origins. Genotypes\' spatial structure at distance of up 50m was detected in two of the populations, resulting from spatially restricted seed dispersion. The genetic differentiation between populations estimated with chloroplast markers ( ϑpC=0,042) were slightly smaller than that obtained with nuclear markers ( ϑp=0,054). Gene flow ratio (mp/ms ) for the set of populations was 1.22, showing that gene flow rates by pollen and seed are practically similar in the scale of this study. The roadside was colonized by seeds from adjacent natural populations, and the average seed dispersion distance was about 20 Km. S. lycocarpum is predominantly alogamic. Biparental inbreeding was not common and the number of pollen donors in the crossings was above ten. Considering only the area comprised in this study, it is necessary to preserve 54 populations to retain Ne=500. When sampling seeds for ex situ conservation, the same number of seeds must be collected from 150 to 200 mother-trees to retain Ne=500. The mother-trees must be more than 50m away from each other

Formulações a base de dispersões oleosas de conídios aéreos de fungos entomopatogênicos apresentam diversas vantagens em comparação à aplicação de produtos não formulados; entretanto, a complexidade e a falta de compreensão dos fatores que influenciam a persistência desse tipo de formulação fazem com que ainda seja pouco utilizada. O efeito de diferentes níveis de secagem de conídios, tipo de óleo, métodos de extração, estabilidade de blastosporos, compatibilidade de surfactantes e adição de aditivos foram avaliados para o desenvolvimento de micopesticidas formulados em óleo. Os melhores resultados obtidos com os conídios em óleo foram avaliados quanto à proteção conferida à radiação UV e a eficiência das formulações na mortalidade de Tenebrio molitor. Zeolita foi a argila mais eficiente na manutenção da viabilidade de blastosporos de M. anisopliae e B. bassiana, e apesar de resultados promissores a estabilidade desses propágulos foi muito inferior a de conídios aéreos. Vinte surfactantes foram avaliados quanto a inocuidade aos conídios, em dois ensaios, culminando com a seleção dos quatro mais compatíveis, dois deles E5 e E7, avaliados nos experimentos posteriores demonstraram bom potencial para compor a formulação como agentes emulsionantes. Dois aditivos foram avaliados na formulação e respostas distintas foram observadas. O A1 foi altamente incompatível, enquanto diferentes concentrações de A2 (1, 3 e 5%) incrementaram a sobrevivência dos conídios em até sete vezes. As vantagens da presença do A2 ficaram evidentes também em combinações de óleo com os quatro emulsionantes selecionados. As dispersões oleosas proporcionaram sobrevivência até sete vezes superior para conídios expostos a radiação UV em relação a conídios não formulados e dois experimentos comprovaram que as formulações oleosas testadas foram mais eficientes no controle de insetos, com reduções de até 2,3 vezes no tempo de sobrevivência de insetos. Os 12 bioensaios com mais de 20.000 leituras de viabilidade descritos neste trabalho permitiram um melhor entendimento dos fatores críticos que afetam a vida de prateleira de conídios, e indicam procedimentos que podem ser utilizados para melhorar a estabilidade de micopesticidas formulados em óleo.
Oil-based formulations of aerial conidia of entomopatogenic fungi have several advantages compared to the use of unformulated products; however, the complexity and lack of understanding of the factors that influence the persistence of this type of formulation make it still not widely used. The effect of different levels of drying conidia, oil type, extraction methods, blastospores stability, compatibility of surfactants and addition of additives were evaluated for the development of a mycopesticide oil formulation. The best results obtained with aerial conidia were evaluated regarding the protection against UV radiation and the efficacy of the formulations to control Tenebrio molitor. Zeolita was the most compatible clay in maintaining the viability of blastospores of M. anisopliae and B. bassiana, and despite promising results in the stability, the shelf life of these propagules was much lower than aerial conidia. Twenty surfactants were evaluated for safety to conidia in two trials resulting in the selection of the four most compatible, two of them E5 and E8, were evaluated in subsequent experiments demonstrating good potential as emulsifiers in oil-based formulations. Two additives were evaluated in the formulation and distinct responses were observed. A1 was highly toxic to the fungi, while different concentrations of A2 increased the survival of the conidia up to seven times. The advantages of A2 were evident also in combinations of oil with the four selected emulsifiers. Oil-based formulation provided survival up to seven times higher for conidia exposed to simulated UV radiation compared to unformulated conidia, and two experiments showed that oil formulations were more efficient in the insect control, with reductions of up to 2.3 times on the survival time of insects. Twelve bioassays and over 20.000 viability readings described in this work, allowed a better understanding of the critical factors that affect the shelf-life of conidia, and indicate methods that can be used to improve the stability of mycopesticides in oil-based formulations.

O desenvolvimento econômico brasileiro depende da crescente produção agropecuária, aliada ao conservacionismo. O sistema de plantio direto é o manejo de solo que reúne o mais amplo conjunto de preceitos da agricultura conservacionista. As áreas agrícolas cultivadas sob plantio direto, entretanto, têm apresentado duas camadas de solo distintas: uma entre, aproximadamente, 0 e 7 cm de profundidade, com condições físicas e químicas favoráveis ao desenvolvimento radicular; e uma entre, aproximadamente, 7 e 20 cm de profundidade, com menor permeabilidade do solo ao ar e a água, elevada resistência à penetração e baixa fertilidade química do solo. Estas condições promovem a concentração do sistema radicular das plantas agrícolas cultivadas na camada mais superficial do solo (0 a 7 cm), motivando perdas de produtividade por estresse hídrico. A magnitude desse problema se estende a mais de 30 milhões de hectares de lavoura cultivada sob plantio direto no Brasil, colocando em risco as projeções de exuberância da agricultura no país. Assim, o desenvolvimento desta tese teve o objetivo de estudar fatores que, além do processo de compactação mecânica do solo, possam estar promovendo a estratificação física e química de solos altamente intemperizados cultivados sob sistema de plantio direto. Dentre os possíveis fatores causadores deste tipo de degradação, foram avaliados: i) a aplicação excessiva de calcário, exclusivamente em superfície, ocasionando, na camada de 0 a 7 cm, a elevação do pH do solo para além do ponto de carga zero do solo, elevando o potencial eletronegativo do solo e por consequência, promovendo a dispersão de argila; ii) a migração da argila dispersa no perfil do solo, pela água de percolação, como um fator promotor de degradação física em subsuperfície; iii) o aporte de fitomassa ao solo em quantidade e qualidade para manter a estabilidade estrutural dos solos cultivados. Os resultados obtidos mostraram que o movimento de calcário no perfil dos solos estudados é muito lento, limitando o efeito deste produto a poucos centímetros abaixo do local onde ele é depositado ou incorporado (2,5 cm em 130 semanas), independentemente da dose aplicada (até 33,2 Mg ha-1). Assim, a calagem superficial promove e intensifica a estratificação dos atributos químicos no perfil do solo, aumentando, demasiadamente, o pH próximo à superfície e sendo ineficiente em mitigar a acidez na subsuperficie destes solos. A concentração de calcário na camada mais superficial dos solos altamente intemperizados aumenta a eletronegatividade do solo, resultando na dispersão de argila. A migração dos argilominerais dispersos no perfil do solo, pela água de percolação, promove uma série de alterações estruturais, incluindo a diminuição da porosidade total e da continuidade dos poros e o aumento da densidade e da resistência do solo à penetração na camada subsuperficial. A diminuição da estabilidade estrutural dos Latossolos sob cultivo também está ligada ao aporte de material orgânico ao solo em quantidade e qualidade inferiores à que ocorre no solo sob sistema nativo. Os Latossolos cauliníticos são mais propensos a diminuição da estabilidade estrutural quando submetidos ao cultivo. Portanto, a recomendação de calagem em solos altamente intemperizados cultivados sob plantio direto, precisa considerar a mineralogia do solo e a possível degradação estrutural promovida pela calagem em excesso.
The economic development of Brazil depends upon the increasing agricultural production associated with conservation practices. The no-tillage system is the soil management practice that brings together the broadest set of principles for conservation agriculture. Areas under no-till system, however, generally have two completely different soils layers: a surface layer, around 0 to 7 cm, with physical and chemical conditions favorable for root development; and a sub-surface layer, around 7 to 20 cm, with lower permeability to air and water, high soil penetration resistance, and low soil fertility. The existence of these stratified layers dramatically restricts the development of the root system into the sub-surface soil layer, which may result in reducing plant productivity by water deficit. This problem exists on more than 30 million hectares cultivated under no-tillage system in Brazil, and can compromise the optimistic projections of agricultural growth in the country. Therefore, more research is necessary to explore challenges that come with no-tillage. The aim of this thesis was to study the factors that can promote the physical and chemical stratification of highly weathered soils cultivated under no-till system. Among the factors that could cause this degradation, the following were studied: i) the application of excessive lime only on surface soil, or into the uppermost soil layer, which can increase its pH to levels beyond of the zero point of charge of soil, raising its electronegative potential and promoting, as a consequence, the clay dispersion; ii) the dispersed clay migration thtough the soil profile, by the percolation water, as a factor of physical degradation of sub-surface of soil cultiveted under no-tillage; and iii) the aplication of phytomass to the soil in insufficient amount and quality to maintain the soil structural stability of the soil. The results of this study showed that lime movement into the deeper soil profile, is very slow, as its impacts are limited to just a few centimeters below of where it is applied or incorporated (2.5 cm after 130 weeks), independent of the applied amount of lime. Thus, the surface lime application intensifies the chemical stratification of the clayey soils under no-tillage, increasing to much the soil pH of the uppermost soil layer, and being inefficient to decrease the soil acidity in the subsurface soil layer. The concentration of lime into the uppermost soil layer can significantly increase the electronegativity of the soil system and result in clay dispersion in the topsoil layer (0 to 5 cm). The resulting clay migration into the soil profile led to a series of structural alterations in subsurface layers, including: decrease of both soil porosity and pore continuity; and increase of both soil bulk density and soil penetration resistance in the sub-superficial layer. The structural stability decreasing of Oxisols under no-till system also is linked with the low addition of organic matter to the cultivated soil, in relation to the non-cultivated soils. The kaolinitic Oxisols are more susceptible to degradation than the gibbsitic Oxisols. Thus, it could be conclude that liming practices (rate and application methods of lime), mainly under no-till systems, need to consider both type and mineralogy of soil, as well as considering soil structure degradation promoted by over-liming in the uppermost soil layer.

ANOTATION The work deals with translation and interpretation of the original Hebrew text of Genesis 11, making the use of synchronous exegetical method. The method focuses mostly on careful observation of multi-layered meanings of Hebrew terms, direct speeches, macrosyntactical markers, parallelisms and sentence constituents. To reach deeper dimension of the text, the work also takes into account the original non-vocalized text, graphical form of the text, consonances and metathesis. One of the most significant features of this work is the attention paid to the timeless nature of Hebrew verbs, which allows to read the narrative about human desire, pride, non-hearing, illusions, inner decay and the way back to God not as a story from the past, but as a lively anthropological message.