As Memórias de um Sargento de Milícias são reconhecidas pela crítica especializada como um marco na literatura nacional, pelo êxito que tiveram em tratar de forma cômico-irônica das circunstâncias socioculturais do Brasil da primeira metade do século XIX. Ao tecer seus elogios à obra, não é incomum que os críticos comparem seu autor com Machado de Assis. No entanto, as comparações costumam se restringir a comentários genéricos, sem o escrutínio analítico. Assim, o presente trabalho de pesquisa parte do questionamento sobre os pontos de convergência, similaridades e diferenças entre os autores. Notamos que ambos recorrem ao humor, à caricatura e à ironia em seus textos e que estes elementos estéticos servem a propósitos satíricos em suas obras. Portanto, buscamos analisar, a princípio, como estes componentes se manifestam nelas. No recorte comparativo, optamos por analisar a novela O Alienista no cotejo com as Memórias de um sargento de milícias, uma vez que é nesta obra machadiana que o humor, a caricatura e a verve satírica se encontram mais destacados. Sendo ambos os textos satíricos, tratamos de determinar quais os estilos deste gênero a que se filiam, o que os define, como se manifestam nas obras estudadas, quais são os objetos de motejo e de que modo são escarnecidos. Finalmente, examinamos se estes textos se prestam ao julgamento e à condenação moral da conduta de suas personagens, se são distanciados e como se dá esse distanciamento. / Memórias de um Sargento de Milícias are acknowledged by specialized critics as a milestone in Brazilian literature, for the novel was greatly successful in tackling the socio-cultural circumstances of the first half of the 19th Brazil in a comic-ironic way. When complimenting this work, it is not uncommon that critics compare its author to Machado de Assis. However, these comparisons tend to be restricted to general comments, without the analytical scrutiny. Thus, this research work questions at first how these authors are similar and converge and what differs them. We have noticed that both recur to humor, caricature and irony in their texts and that these aesthetic elements lend themselves to satire. Therefore, our starting point is to analyze how these aspects manifest in their narratives. We have opted, as a research focus in relation to Memórias de um Sargento de Milícias, to analyze O Alienista, once this is the narrative by Machado de Assis in which humor, caricature and the satirical verve outstand the most. Being both texts satirical, we set out to determine which style of this genre they abide by, what defines them, how they manifest in the narratives studied, what the objects of mockery are and by what manner they are derided. Finally, we examined if these texts engage in moral judgements and condemnation of their characters, if they are detached and how this detachment takes place.

Partindo da conexão entre comunicação e cultura, este estudo tem como objetivo contribuir para um melhor entendimento acerca das intervenções culturais contrahegemônicas, que tem na Companhia do Latão uma importante referência atual. Com essa proposta, faz-se uso de algumas das proposições metodológicas indicadas por Karl Marx, segundo as quais a apreensão do mundo real não se dá a partir de um método determinado a priori, mas sim que este deve ser deduzido do próprio objeto de estudo. Portanto, o passo inicial e determinante para todo o trajeto é a análise imanente, isto é, o exame crítico do objeto de pesquisa como fonte primeira e da qual deve retirar-se o máximo possível de determinações, bem como os caminhos para pesquisá-lo. Estipulou-se para início da pesquisa a década de 1960, momento que deixou marcas profundas na vida cultural, política, social e econômica de nosso país, podendo ser lido como um ponto chave para a compreensão da história nacional, bem como das diversas tentativas feitas pelos agentes culturais no sentido de buscar um novo tipo de relacionamento com o público receptor. É também nesta década que aparecem, em sua melhor forma, os grupos de teatro de pesquisa, tradição da qual a Companhia do Latão faz parte. Interessa-nos entender quais foram as verdadeiras mudanças, em termos de experiência cultural e política, causadas pelo Golpe de 1964 e o que foi fomentado mesmo sob a repressão do AI-5, bem como as suas consequências nas décadas que o seguiram, principalmente, na arte engajada e de intervenção política. / Based on the connection between communication and culture this study aims to contribute for a better understanding of counter-hegemonic cultural interventions, which has in Companhia do Latão an important reference nowadays. With this proposal, we use some methodological approaches indicated by Karl Marx, which claims that the seizure of the real world is not derived from a method determined in advance, but this goal must be deducted from the object of study itself. Therefore, the initial and determining step for the entire trajectory analysis is immanent, that is, the critical examination of the research object as primary source and of which we should withdraw, as much as possible, the determinations, as well as the ways to research it. The 1960s was stipulated as the starting point of this research, moment that left a deep mark on the cultural, political and economic structure of our country, and can be read as a key point to understand the national history, as well as several attempts made by cultural agents in order to seek a new kind of relationship with the receiver public. Also, in this decade, appears, in its better form, the theater groups of research, a tradition in which Companhia do Latão shares. We want to understand what were the real changes in terms of cultural and political experience caused by the Coup of 1964, and what was promoted even under the AI-5 repression, as well as its consequences in the following decades, mainly in the activist and political intervention art.

Colloid detachment and mobilization can be of significant interest to those studying colloid behavior in the environment. The transport of pathogens such as viruses, bacteria, and protozoa can cause health problems in animals and humans. The transport of organics, radionuclides, and other hydrophobic contaminants can be enhanced by adsorption to mobilized colloid surfaces. Research has been done by others quantifying the detachment of colloids from smooth porous media. Real surfaces in the environment and engineered systems are rough. Glass beads were chemically roughened by procedures similar to those from Shellenberger and Logan (2002) and It et al. (2001) using chromic acid and a citric acid/ammonium fluoride solution. Surface asperities were measured using Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and the roughness was defined by three parameters: Root Mean Square (RMS) roughness, peak to valley height (P/V height), and peak to peak distance (λ). Detachment from the chemically etched porous media was measured in column tests. The controlling roughness parameter between the two batches of beads was found to be λ. A theoretical model to predict the effect of roughness on detachment was developed. Using a moment balance around the downstream point of contact, the parameters incorporated into the model were particle diameter, P/V height, and λ. The model predicted the shear required for colloid detachment in column tests. Surface roughness was found to significantly inhibit colloid detachment.

The study of soil erodibility has become of paramount interest in the last few decades. The effects of soil erosion are serious and extensive and affect nearly all people.

Biofilm systems such as the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) are finding increased application in wastewater treatment. One important process that governs MBBRs and yet is poorly understood is the rate of biofilm detachment. The detachment of cells from biofilm surfaces controls both the accumulation of biofilm and the quantity of biomass that is suspended in the bulk liquid phase. This changing balance of attached and suspended cells, in this thesis named the biosolids dynamics, can impact the efficacy of MBBRs. The goal of this research was to investigate how the biosolids dynamics are influenced by process changes relevant to applied wastewater treatment systems and suggest new routes to reactor design and optimization. To achieve this goal, the work addresses three separate but interconnected lines of inquiry. First, multivariate analysis (Principal Component Analysis, Partial Least Squares) was used to examine 2 years of historical data from an MBBR operating at a Canadian pulp mill in order to identify key process variables, perform process diagnostics, and act as a predictive tool. Secondly, the effect of calcium concentration on biofilm structure, microbiology and reactor performance was investigated in four laboratory-scale MBBRs operated at a range of calcium concentrations (1 to 300 mg/L Ca2+). It was found that above a threshold calcium concentration between 1-50 mg/L, MBBR biofilms were observed to be thicker with greater density, contain larger anoxic regions adjacent to the carrier substratum, have more proteinaceous EPS, and have altered microbial community structure. The results suggest an important role for calcium that should be considered in the design and operation of MBBRs. In the final line of inquiry, a diffusion-reaction biofilm model was adapted to represent the key processes of the MBBR. The model was found to simulate average trends observed in the lab-scale experiments allowing for quantification of the detachment rate. Transient periods of reactor starvation were also simulated by introducing a novel metabolic state function to account for down-regulation of metabolism as a result of starvation. This approach was found to accurately simulate starvation response when coupled with detachment expressions that were growth-dependant.

Dry adhesion systems adhere via physical bonds without any significant contribution from a liquid medium. In nature, these systems are found among the footpads of spiders, lizards and many other small animals, with high adhesion force, low detachment force and elfcleaning properties. These features are highly interesting for biomimetic man-made adhesives. Heavy animals have an adhesion force much higher than its muscle force, and to enable detachment, they have evolved a functional surface with hair-like structures called setae. Each seta branches into numerous microcontact elements that interact with the contacting area. This thesis continue on previous work, analyzing the functional surface in terms of contact geometries and stress distribution, and considers, for the first time, the effect of thermal fluctuations. Numerical and analytical results show how the muscle force is concentrated to a small fraction of the adhesion area, where each microcontact element is trapped in a potential well. The rate of detachment depends on the maximal concentration of stress across the crocontacts. When a seta is axially loaded, the concentration of stress is minimized, whereas radial loading amplifies the concentration of stress by a factor of maximum 68 and enable detachment with the animal’s limited muscle force. The results give theoretical insight in the adhesion and detachment of a functional surface. This knowledge is valuable and can be considered when constructing man-made adhesives with inspiration from nature’s dry adhesion solutions.

Biofilm systems such as the moving bed biofilm reactor (MBBR) are finding increased application in wastewater treatment. One important process that governs MBBRs and yet is poorly understood is the rate of biofilm detachment. The detachment of cells from biofilm surfaces controls both the accumulation of biofilm and the quantity of biomass that is suspended in the bulk liquid phase. This changing balance of attached and suspended cells, in this thesis named the biosolids dynamics, can impact the efficacy of MBBRs. The goal of this research was to investigate how the biosolids dynamics are influenced by process changes relevant to applied wastewater treatment systems and suggest new routes to reactor design and optimization. To achieve this goal, the work addresses three separate but interconnected lines of inquiry. First, multivariate analysis (Principal Component Analysis, Partial Least Squares) was used to examine 2 years of historical data from an MBBR operating at a Canadian pulp mill in order to identify key process variables, perform process diagnostics, and act as a predictive tool. Secondly, the effect of calcium concentration on biofilm structure, microbiology and reactor performance was investigated in four laboratory-scale MBBRs operated at a range of calcium concentrations (1 to 300 mg/L Ca2+). It was found that above a threshold calcium concentration between 1-50 mg/L, MBBR biofilms were observed to be thicker with greater density, contain larger anoxic regions adjacent to the carrier substratum, have more proteinaceous EPS, and have altered microbial community structure. The results suggest an important role for calcium that should be considered in the design and operation of MBBRs. In the final line of inquiry, a diffusion-reaction biofilm model was adapted to represent the key processes of the MBBR. The model was found to simulate average trends observed in the lab-scale experiments allowing for quantification of the detachment rate. Transient periods of reactor starvation were also simulated by introducing a novel metabolic state function to account for down-regulation of metabolism as a result of starvation. This approach was found to accurately simulate starvation response when coupled with detachment expressions that were growth-dependant.

No description available.

No description available.

The Perdido fold belt is the compressional toe of the complex system of detached structures in the western Gulf of Mexico. Located in the Alaminos Canyon protraction area in ultra deep-water, this extensive fold belt has the potential to accommodate large amounts of hydrocarbons. These folds detach upon Jurassic-age Louann salt, and are northeast-southwest trending and symmetrical to asymmetrical. The lower units in these folds are comprised of mostly carbonates and limy carbonate mud, whereas the upper portion consist of fine grained and muddy siliciclastics which are typical of turbidite and other typical deep water deposits. 2-D, prestacked, depth-migrated seismic data (TGS Phase 45) was interpreted in conjunction with Hess Corporation to determine the geometry and timing of the folds outboard of the allochthonous Sigsbee salt nappe. The interpretation of the seismic data consisted of evaluating the folds by mapping age-dated reflections and kink-band boundaries (fold axial surfaces), along with creating isochores and dip maps. Through the development of new geometric model building of excess areas, which identifies material being added to the cores of the anticlines, along with the extensive seismic interpretation, the Perdido fold belt is identified to have originated in the west as early as the early Paleocene, with some continual fold growth to near present day. The folds in the Perdido fold belt continue to form eastward into the basin, up to the basinward limit of the autochthonous Louann salt. Also, it has been determined that the geometries and structural styles of the folds are partially dependent on the type of sediment or rock type in place. The lower portions consisting of the carbonates give shallower dipping fold axial surfaces, whereas the upper portions (siliciclastics) provide more steeply dipping fold axial surfaces.