[pt] A preocupação ambiental é um tema que vem ganhando seu espaço em pesquisas de diversas áreas, é necessário que a dependência da utilização de combustíveis fósseis não aumente, para que os impactos gerados por eles no meio ambiente como a poluição e o efeito estufa sejam então controlados. Além disso, o uso de fontes alternativas como matéria-prima para a geração de energia possui grande importância nessa substituição. O presente trabalho visa avaliar o potencial do óleo de coco para a produção de um bio-óleo a partir da catálise heterogênea utilizando catalisadores metálicos de Ni e Mo suportados em sílica mesoporosa (SBA-15). Os catalisadores e o suporte foram sintetizados manualmente, calcinados e passaram por diversas análises de caracterização. Para a reação, utilizou-se a temperatura de 370 graus Celsius, pressão na faixa de 10 a 15 bar, e um tempo de reação de 2 horas. Após o bio-óleo ser produzido o mesmo foi filtrado e destilado, para se trabalhar na faixa do diesel. Por fim, o óleo passou por duas análises de caracterização, sendo elas, a determinação do ponto de fulgor e massa específica, para então avaliar o potencial do óleo de coco na substituição dos combustíveis tradicionais. A síntese do suporte e a impregnação dos catalisadores foi considerada satisfatória, pois os resultados se apresentaram de acordo com a literatura, mostrando que se tratam de materiais mesoporosos, e além disso, a presença dos metais foi comprovada. Após as análises de caracterização, o bio-óleo produzido a partir do catalisador de níquel foi considerado o melhor, visto que, suas propriedades ficaram dentro da faixa esperada (ponto de fulgor de 41 graus Celsius e uma massa específica de 0,8408 g/cm3) para um combustível derivado do petróleo, e além disso, teve uma eficiência de 45,05 porcento na redução da concentração de oxigênio. / [en] The environmental concern is a theme that has been gaining its place in several research, so it is necessary that the dependence on using fossil fuels must not increase, to control the impacts, like the pollution and the greenhouse effect, with are generate by them. Furthermore, the use of alternatives sources like feedstock to generation of energy has a big importance in this replacement. This work wants to evaluate the coconut oil s potential to produce a bio oil by heterogeneous catalysis using three metals catalysts (nickel, molybdenum and both of them) supported in a mesoporous silica. The catalysts and the support were manually synthesized, calcined and characterized. For the reaction, we used 370 Celsius degrees, a pressure in the range 10-15 bar and the time reaction was 2 hours. After the production of bio oil, it was filtrated and distillated, to work in the diesel range. Besides that, this oil was analyzed to determine two characteristics, flash point and specific mass, and with the result, we could evaluate the potential of coconut oil in the replacement of traditional fuels. The support s synthesis and the catalysts impregnation was considered satisfactory, because the results were presented according to the literature, showing that they are really mesoporous materials and besides that the presence of metals was proven. After characterization analyzes the bio oil produced by the nickel catalyst was considered the best, because your properties were within expected range (flash point equal 41 Celsius degrees and specific mass equal 0,8408 g/cm3 ), for a petroleum derived fuel, and had an efficiency of 45,05 percent in reducing oxygen concentration.

L’objectif de ce travail est de caractériser le comportement mécanique de composites constitués à de matrices polymériques renforcées par des fibres naturelles. Les matériaux étudiés dans cette thèse sont le polypropylène pour la matrice et les fibres de coco pour les renforts. La caractérisation morphologique et mécanique de ces matériaux est entreprise grâce à l’usage de la microscopie électronique à balayage, la tomographie aux rayons X, la corrélation d’images numériques et la thermographie infrarouge. Dans une première partie, on a étudié en détail les fibres de coco dans trois états différents: à l’état naturel et après traitement chimique suivi ou non de séchage. Les fibres ont été observées en tomographie et leurs caractéristiques essentielles définies. Par ailleurs des essais mécaniques in-situ dans un microscope électronique à balayage ont été conduits pour l’obtention de leurs propriétés mécaniques. Il a quasi été procédé à la caractérisation mécanique du comportement de tissus de fibre en vue de leur utilisation dans un composite. Dans une seconde partie, le comportement mécanique du polypropylène (à l’état vierge ou recyclé) a été analysé grâce à des essais de traction à déplacement imposé et à diverses vitesses de chargement. Ces essais ont été instrumentés pour des mesures de champs de déplacement et de températures, les premiers servant à mesurer les états de déformation, la progression de l’endommagement et observer les modes de rupture du matériau. L’effet du recyclage est souligné et en particulier la dégradation des propriétés mécaniques. Les caractéristiques complètes (élasticité, pic et plateau et endommagement) et l’effet de la vitesse sur celles-ci sont exhibées pour les deux états. Dans la dernière partie du travail, on s’est intéressé au comportement du composite considérant la matrice à l’état vierge ou dans l’état recyclé. Les caractéristiques obtenues sont discutées en soulignant l’influence du mode d’élaboration utilisé et l’apport des fibres de coco. / The objective of this work is to characterize the mechanical behavior of composites made with recycled polymeric matrices reinforced with natural fibers. The materials studied in this thesis are the polypropylene matrix and the coconut fibers for reinforcement. The morphological and mechanical characterization of these materials is undertaken with the use of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray tomography, the digital image correlation and infrared thermography.In the first part, we studied in detail the coconut fibers in three different states: in its natural state and after chemical treatment followed or not drying. The fibers were observed in tomography and their essential characteristics defined. Furthermore in situ mechanical testing in a scanning electron microscope were conducted to obtain their mechanical properties. It has almost been carried out the mechanical characterization fabrics of the behavior for use in a composite. In a second part, the mechanical behavior of polypropylene (virgin or recycled state) was analyzed by tensile testing at imposed displacement and various charging speeds. These tests were instrumented for measurement of displacement fields and temperatures, the first to measure the deformation conditions, the progression of the damage and observe the failure modes of the material. The effect of recycling is particularly pointed out and degradation of mechanical properties. Complete specifications (elasticity, peak and shelf and damage) and the effect of speed on them are exhibited for both states. In the last part of the work, it was interested in the behavior of the composite matrix considering the blank state or in the recycled state. The characteristics obtained are discussed emphasizing the influence of the method of production used and the contribution of coconut fibers.

[pt] Este estudo avaliou a influência da inclusão de fibra de coco como reforço de solo. A fibra de coco utilizada foi obtida por processo mecânico na empresa ECOFIBRA, que possui uma parceria com a Companhia de Limpeza Urbana da cidade do Rio de Janeiro (COMLURB) em projeto piloto de coleta seletiva das cascas de coco verde. Foi realizada uma comparação entre a areia pura e a areia reforçada com fibras de coco para avaliar o comportamento carga-recalque por meio de ensaios de placa em verdadeira grandeza. O objetivo é usar a fibra de coco que normalmente é descartada em grande quantidade, após o consumo do fruto. Procura-se estabelecer padrões de comportamento que possam explicar a influência da inclusão de fibras aleatoriamente distribuídas e de fibras colocadas no formato de manta entre as camadas de solo. Os ensaios foram realizados utilizando uma densidade relativa padrão de 50 por cento e um teor de umidade de 10 por cento. Foi observado nas curvas carga-recalque que o reforço de fibra em manta conseguiu uma diminuição maior do recalque, mas com um maior fissuramento superficial, enquanto que o reforço com as fibras colocadas aleatoriamente conseguiu uma menor redução dos recalques, mas uma melhor inibição da propagação de fissuras. Ambos os resultados, comparados com a areia sem adição de fibras, demostraram uma maior resistência e redução do recalque ocorrido na areia pura. Os resultados são satisfatórios para a aplicação de reforço de solo com fibras de coco em camadas de aterros sanitários e aterros sobre solos moles, dentre outros, dando um fim mais nobre para este material e obtendo-se uma solução para o problema da acumulação da fibra de coco, devido ao grande consumo existente na cidade de Rio de Janeiro. / [en] This study evaluated the influence of the inclusion of coconut fiber as reinforcement of soil. The coconut fiber used is obtained by a mechanical process in ECOFIBRA Company, which has a partnership with the Urban Cleaning Company of the city of Rio de Janeiro (COMLURB) in a pilot project about separate collection of green coconut. Sandy soil reinforced and unreinforced were compared, evaluating load-settlement behavior through real-scale plate load testing. The aim is to use the coconut fiber, discarded in large quantities after consumption of the fruit. It seeks to establish patterns of behavior that may explain the influence of the inclusion of fibers randomly (individual) and as a reinforcing mat (composed) between layers of soil. The tests were performed using as a standard, a relative density of 50 per cent and a humidity content of 10 per cent. The load-settlement curves showed a better stress distribution using fiber rug but a greater degree of surface fissuring was noted. Instead using randomization distribution, stress distribution was lower but was inhibited surface fissuring propagation; both results were compared with soil without addition of fibers increased resistance to settlement. The results are satisfactory for an application of reinforcement layers of soil in landfills and platforms over soft ground, giving a nobler end to this material, trying to give a solution to the problem of accumulation due to the large consumption existing in Rio de Janeiro city.

Multi-modality fusion is an area of research that has shown promising results in the domain of 2D and 3D object detection. However, multi-modality fusion methods have largely not been utilized in the domain of instance segmentation. This master’s thesis investigated if multi-modality fusion methods can be applied to deep learning instance segmentation models to improve their performance on multi-modality data. The two multi-modality fusion methods presented, input extension and feature fusions, were applied to a two-stage instance segmentation model, Mask R-CNN, and a single-stage instance segmentation model, RTMDet. Models were trained on different variations of preprocessed RGBD and ToF data provided by SICK IVP, as well as RGBD data from the publicly available NYUDepth dataset. The master’s thesis concludes that the multi-modality fusion method presented as feature fusion can be applied to the Mask R-CNN model to improve the networks performance by 1.8%points (1.8%pt.) bounding box mAP and 1.6%pt. segmentation mAP on SICK RGBD, 7.7%pt. bounding box mAP and 7.4%pt. segmentation mAP on ToF, and 7.4%pt. bounding box mAP and 7.4%pt. segmentation mAP on NYUDepth. The RTMDet model saw little to no improvements from the inclusion of depth but had similar baseline performance as the improved Mask R-CNN model that utilized feature fusion. The input extension method saw no improvements to performance as it faced technical implementation limitations.

[pt] Os catalisadores de platina, níquel e platina suportados em sílica-alumina e sílica mesoporosa (SBA-15) foram investigados para o hidrotratamento do óleo de coco para produção de bio-óleo. Os suportes foram carregados com 1 por cento de Pt e 5 por cento de Ni e os catalisadores resultantes foram caracterizados para determinar suas propriedades estruturais e de textura. Os catalisadores foram reduzidos e testados em um reator semi-descontínuo a 360 C sob 10 MPa de hidrogênio durante 4 horas. Foram obtidos 30-40 por cento de remoção de oxigênio. As curvas de destilação dos produtos e seu ponto de inflamação e gravidade específica (a 20 C) foram determinados pelos métodos oficiais ASTM e ABNT/NBR a serem comparados com o diesel derivado do petróleo. As curvas de destilação e as propriedades físico-químicas foram muito próximas das especificações estabelecidas pela legislação brasileira para o diesel comercial. Destilou-se 90 por cento do volume de cada produto na faixa de temperatura de 180-370 C, o ponto de inflamação ficou entre 76-81 e o número do índice de cetano foi calculado como 47-48, de acordo com as especificações do diesel comercial. Os produtos obtidos com os catalisadores Pt/SiO2Al2O3 e PtNi/SBA-15 também apresentaram gravidade específica dentro da faixa de especificação (865 e 860,0 kg/m3, respectivamente). Os catalisadores utilizados mostraram sua potencial aplicação para a produção de biocombustíveis na faixa de diesel de petróleo pelo processo de hidrotratamento de óleo de coco. / [en] Platinum, platinum nickel and nickel catalysts supported on silicaalumina and mesoporous silica (SBA-15) were investigated for hydrotreating of coconut oil to produce bio oil. The supports were loaded with 1 percent Pt and 5 percent Ni content and the resulted catalysts were caracterized to determine their strutural and textural properties. The catalysts were reduced and tested in a semi-batch reactor at 360 C under 10 MPa of hydrogen during 4 hours. It was obtainned 30-40 percent of oxygen removal. The distillation curves of products and their flash point and specific gravity (at 20 C) were determined by oficials ASTM, and ABNT/NBR methods to be compared with the petroleum-derived diesel. The distillation curves and physicochemical properties were very close to specifications stabilished by Brazilian legislation for comercial diesel. 90 percent of the volume of each product was distilled in the temperature range of 180-370 C, the flash point was between 76-81 and the cetane index number was calculated as 47-48 in agreement with the specifications for comercial diesel. The products obtainned using the Pt/SiO2Al2O3 and PtNi/SBA-15 catalysts also presented specific gravity within the specification range (865 e 860.0 kg/m3 respectively). The catalysts used showed their potential application for the production of biofuels in the petroleum diesel range by coconut oil hydrotreatment process.

Psychoactive plants have played a significant role in Andean cultures for millennia. Whilst there is evidence of the importance of psychoactive plants in the Andean archaeological record, none of these are direct proof that these culturally significant plants were used by ancient Andean populations. This project utilised liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to investigate the use of psychoactive plants in individuals from cemetery sites in Chile and Peru by analysing hair specimens for a variety of psychoactive compounds. Hair specimens from 46 individuals buried at cemetery sites in the Azapa Valley (northern Chile) belonging to the Cabuza culture (c AD 300 ¿ 1000) indicated around half of these people ingested coca, as evidenced by the detection of BZE in hair specimens. Two individuals from this population tested positive for bufotenine, the main alkaloid in Anadenanthera snuff. There is a specific material culture associated with snuffing. These findings confirm Anadenanthera was consumed in the Azapa Valley. The 11 individuals from Peru came from the necropolis at Puruchuco-Huaquerones in the Rímac valley near Lima. These individuals belonged to the Ichma culture, but would have been under Inca imperial control during the Late Horizon. Although only a small sample, two-thirds tested positive for BZE, suggestive that access to coca was widespread. This project presents a synthesis of the archaeological evidence for the use of various psychoactive plants in Andes. Also presented is the first report of the detection of bufotenine in ancient hair samples and additional data contributing to the understanding of the use of coca in the Andes. / Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC). Andy Jagger and Francis Raymond Hudson funds at the University of Bradford

Freshwater is a finite resource that is rapidly becoming more scrutinized in agricultural consumption. Specialty crop producers, especially ornamental crop producers, must continually improve production sustainability, with regards to water resource management, in order to continue to stay economically viable. Soilless substrates were initially developed to have increased porosity and relatively low water holding capacity to ensure container crops would not remain overhydrated after irrigations or rain events. As a result, substrates were selected that are now considered to be in efficient in regards to water resource management. Therefore, to provide growers with additional means to improve production sustainability, soilless substrate hydrology needs be innovated to provide increased water availability while continuing to provide ample air filled porosity to ensure productive and efficient water interactions. Historically, soilless substrates have been characterized using "static" physical properties (i.e. maximum water holding capacity and minimum air-filled porosity). The research herein involves integrating dynamic soilless substrate hydraulic properties to understand how substrate hydrology can be manipulated to design sustainable substrates. This task involved adapting new technologies to analyze hydrological properties of peat and pine bark substrates by employing evaporative moisture characteristic measurements, which were originally designed for mineral soils, for soilless substrate analyses. Utilizing these evaporative measurements provide more accurate measures of substrate water potentials between -10 and -800 hPa than traditional pressure plate measurements. Soilless substrates were engineered, utilizing only three common substrate components [stabilized pine bark (Pinus taedea L.), Sphagnum peatmoss, and coconut coir fiber], via particle fractionation and fibrous additions. The engineering process yielded substrates with increased unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, pore connectivity, and more uniform pore size distributions. These substrates were tested in a greenhouse with irrigation systems designed to hold substrates at (-100 to -300 hPa) or approaching (-50 to -100 hPa) water potentials associated with drought stress. Substrate-water dynamics were monitored, as were plant morphology and drought stress indicators. It was determined that increased substrate unsaturated hydraulic conductivity within the production water potentials, allowed for increased crop growth, reduction in drought stress indicators, while producing marketable plants. Furthermore, individual plants were produced using as low as 5.3 L per plant. Increased production range substrate hydraulic conductivity was able to maintain necessary levels of air-filled porosity due to reduced irrigation volumes, while providing water for plants when needed. The substrates were able to conduct water from throughout the container volume to the plant roots for uptake when roots reduced substrate water potential. Furthermore, increased substrate hydraulic conductivity allowed plants within the substrate to continue absorbing water at much lower water potentials than those in unaltered (control) pine bark. Finally, HYDRUS models were utilized to simulate water flux through containerized substrates. These models allowed for better understanding of how individual hydraulic properties influence substrate water flux, and provided insight towards proportions of inaccessible pores, which do not maintain sufficient levels of available water. With the models, researchers will be able to simulate new substrates, and utilize model predictions to provide insight toward new substrates prior to implementing production tests. It has been determined, that increasing substrate hydraulic conductivity, which can be done with just commonly used components, water requirements for production can be reduced, to produce crops with minimal wasted water resources. Concluding, that re-engineering substrate hydrology can ameliorate production sustainability and decrease environmental impact. / Ph. D. / The world is rapidly approaching a time when water will become a limited resource, not only for agriculture, but all daily uses. As a result specialty crop production must continue to increase sustainability in order to continue to thrive. One area where growers and researchers believe environmental stewardship can be increased is through designing more resource efficient soilless substrates. Soilless substrates (potting media) are utilized world-wide by container crop producers as a rooting medium for specialty crops. These substrates were developed to be very forgiving for growers. By that, growers could apply excess water through irrigation or precipitations and these substrates were designed to readily drain excess water. This provides an opportunity to create more water efficient substrates to help reduce water consumption by container nurseries. The processes involving water-air-substrate interactions within the container are not well understood. As a result, my research involves measuring, manipulating, maintaining, and modeling substrate hydrology in an effort to design substrates that will conserve water in container production. I incorporated new technology used in Soil Science to measure hydraulic properties of soilless substrates through the evaporative method. I then understood how growers and allied suppliers can easily modify these substrate hydraulic properties. Next, I researched how these manipulated hydraulic properties would influence plant growth and vitality, by maintaining drought level irrigation levels over multiple crops. Finally, I modeled substrate hydraulic properties to better understand water movement through a container. Through the research herein, I was able to determine that substrate hydrology can be easily modified to provide container crops with more easily accessed water, while still keeping sufficient air-space for plant growth. Increasing unsaturated hydraulic conductivity in soilless substrates, allows ornamental crops to be held at lower water regimes moisture levels traditionally considered to be drought levels. Utilizing the HYDRUS model, I was able to determine how to develop future substrate models that will accurately simulate real-world outcomes, providing researchers with another tool to quickly predict impacts of newly developed (or still in development) soilless substrates on water status in container production.

a)Objetivos: Traçar um perfil dos procedimentos melódicos modais presentes nas manifestações étnicas e populares do nordeste brasileiro afim de verificá-los em autores ligados à música popular do Brasil na década de 1960, cotejando os diferentes procedimentos harmônicos realizados. b)Métodos: O principal método utilizado foi o da análise a partir da transcrição de exemplos em áudio. A partir dessas análises uma série de comparações com materiais similares encontrados na bibliografia foi realizada. c) Resultados: Como resultado dessa pesquisa foram apontados os principais modos e traços cadenciais utilizados no repertório étnico e popular escolhido do nordeste brasileiro. Esses traços foram importantes na construção das canções aqui selecionadas, características da chamada MPB da década de 1960 apresentando, a partir dessas análises, os principais procedimentos harmônicos desses autores relacionados aos modos e traços cadenciais encontrados. / e)Objectives: Delineating a profile of the modal melodic procedures present in the ethnic and popular manifestations of the Northeast region of Brazil in order to verify them in authors connected to the Brazilian popular music from the 1960s, comparing the different harmonic procedures produced. f)Methods: The main method used was the analysis of transcripts of audio samples. From these analyses a series of comparisons with similar materials found in the bibliography was made. g)Results: As a result of this research, the main modes and cadential traces used in the ethnic and popular repertoire chosen from the Northeast of Brazil were indicated. These traces were important in the construction of the songs here selected, characteristics of the so-called MPB of the 1960s presenting, from those analyses, the main harmonic procedures of those authors related to the cadential modes and traces found.

A dança e a música dos Cocos e Sambas de Caboclo, do Samba rural e das Cirandas e cantigas de roda, por suas características próprias de ludicidade e de significação cultural, são o território das experiências estéticas e saberes dos jogos rapsódicos. Esta pesquisa propõe uma pedagogia das artes cênicas através de uma educação corporal e musical que integra tais saberes e experiências da dança popular e da música nos processos de criação e aprendizagem do atuante. Deste modo, os jogos rapsódicos são brincadeiras cantadas, dançadas, tocadas e contadas que colocam em movimento as vozes poéticas e corporeidades do narrador e do brincante das nossas celebrações e práticas culturais, para complementar as teorias e métodos da pedagogia das artes cênicas ensinados no Brasil. / Dance and music of Coco and Caboclo\'s Samba, from rural Samba and from Cirandas, Northeastern Brazilian circle dances, for their own playful features and their cultural meaning, are territory for aesthetic experiments, and knowledge for the rhapsodic games. This research proposes performimg art pedagogy by means of body and musical education, which integrates such knowledge and experience of popular dance and music into the actor\'s processes of learning and creation. Thus, rhapsodic games are sung, danced, played and told games, which prompt the poetic voices and corporeity of narrators and players from our celebrations and cultural practices, in order to complement the theories and methods of the performing art pedagogy taught in Brazil.

A dança e a música dos Cocos e Sambas de Caboclo, do Samba rural e das Cirandas e cantigas de roda, por suas características próprias de ludicidade e de significação cultural, são o território das experiências estéticas e saberes dos jogos rapsódicos. Esta pesquisa propõe uma pedagogia das artes cênicas através de uma educação corporal e musical que integra tais saberes e experiências da dança popular e da música nos processos de criação e aprendizagem do atuante. Deste modo, os jogos rapsódicos são brincadeiras cantadas, dançadas, tocadas e contadas que colocam em movimento as vozes poéticas e corporeidades do narrador e do brincante das nossas celebrações e práticas culturais, para complementar as teorias e métodos da pedagogia das artes cênicas ensinados no Brasil. / Dance and music of Coco and Caboclo\'s Samba, from rural Samba and from Cirandas, Northeastern Brazilian circle dances, for their own playful features and their cultural meaning, are territory for aesthetic experiments, and knowledge for the rhapsodic games. This research proposes performimg art pedagogy by means of body and musical education, which integrates such knowledge and experience of popular dance and music into the actor\'s processes of learning and creation. Thus, rhapsodic games are sung, danced, played and told games, which prompt the poetic voices and corporeity of narrators and players from our celebrations and cultural practices, in order to complement the theories and methods of the performing art pedagogy taught in Brazil.