Silagens de milho são mais propensas à deterioração quando expostas ao ar. As leveduras assimiladoras de ácido lático são frequentemente os primeiros microrganismos a iniciar a deterioração aeróbia nas silagens. Alguns estudos reportam que silagem de milho aerobicamente instável está associada à redução no consumo, na produção de leite e depressão no teor de gordura do leite. Portanto, o objetivo deste estudo foi avaliar a influência de inoculação de leveduras (Pichia norvegensis) e a exposição ao ar por 48 horas sobre o valor nutritivo das silagens e o desempenho de vacas leiteiras. O milho foi colhido com 34% de MS, tratado sem (Controle) ou com P. norvegensis, na dose 1×105 ufc/g MV (Levedura) e armazenado silos tipo bolsa (40 t/silo). Após 123 dias de armazenamento, os silos foram abertos e a silagem foi fornecida para vacas leiteiras. Diariamente, as silagens foram retiradas e fornecidas imediatamente (Fresca) ou após 48 horas de exposição (Exposta). Vinte vacas Holandesas foram distribuídas em 5 quadrados latinos replicados 4×4, com períodos de 21 dias (15 d para adaptação + 6 d para amostragem). As dietas foram formuladas para conter: 53% silagem de milho, 8% caroço de algodão, 18% farelo de soja, 9,5% polpa cítrica, 9% milho seco moído e 2,5% premix vitamínico e mineral. Os quatro tratamentos foram assim constituídos: silagem controle fresca (CF), silagem controle exposta (CE), silagem inoculada com levedura fresca (LF) e silagem inoculada com levedura exposta (LE). A inoculação com levedura aumentou as perdas de matéria seca (P<0,001) e reduziu o tempo de estabilidade aeróbia (P=0,03) das silagens de milho. No ensaio de desempenho animal, reduziu a produção de leite corrigida para 3,5% de gordura (P=0,03) e a eficiência alimentar (ELL leite/CMS) (P<0,01), porém não alterou o teor de gordura do leite. Quanto aos efeitos da exposição ao ar por 48 horas, estes reduziram a concentração de ácido lático (P<0,001), que consequentemente aumentou o pH (P=0,004) das silagens, além de reduzir outros produtos de fermentação. A exposição também reduziu a produção de leite corrigido para gordura (P=0,02) e a eficiência alimentar (P=0,10). Nenhum tratamento alterou o consumo de MS. Houve tendência para redução da digestibilidade da MS e FDN e do NDT, quando as silagens foram expostas ao ar. A inoculação com leveduras e a exposição ao ar por 48 horas deprimem o desempenho animal através da redução no valor nutritivo das silagens de milho. / Corn silages are prone to deterioration when exposed to air. The lactate-assimilating yeast species are frequently the first microorganisms to initiate the aerobic deterioration. Some studies reported that aerobically unstable corn silage is associated with reduced feed intake, milk production and milk fat depression. Therefore, the objective of this study was evaluate the influence of yeast inoculation (Pichia norvegensis) and the air exposure by 48 hours on the nutritive value of corn silages and the performance of dairy cows. Corn crop was harvested at 34% DM, treated without (Control) or with P. norvergensis at 1×105 cfu/g fresh matter (Yeast) and packed in bag silos (40 t/silo). After 123 d of storage, silos were opened and fed to lactating dairy cows. Every day, the silages were unloaded and fed immediately (Fresh) or after 48 h of air exposure (Exposure). Twenty Holsteins cows were assigned to five replicated 4×4 Latin squares, with 21 d periods (15 d for adaptation + 6 d for sampling). Diets were formulated to contain 53% corn silage, 8% whole cottonseed, 18% soybean meal, 9.5% citrus pulp, 9% dry corn meal, and 2.5 % vitamin and mineral premix. The four treatments were: control-fresh silage (CF), control-exposed silage (CE), yeast inoculated-fresh silage (YF), and yeast inoculated- exposed silage (YE). The yeast inoculation enhanced DM losses (P<0,001) and reduced aerobic stability (P=0,03) of corn silages. On the animal performace, decreased 3,5% fat correct milk (P=0,03) and the feed efficiency (ELL leite/CMS) (P<0,01), but did not alter the milk fat content. The effects of air exposure by 48 hours reduced lactic acid concentration (P<0,001), which consequently increased the pH (P=0,004) of silages, and reduced others fermentation products. Also, the exposure decreased the 3,5% fat correct milk (P=0,02) and the feed efficiency (P=0,10). Neither treatment altered the DM intake. There was tendency of reduction for the DM and NDF digestibility and TDN, when the silages were exposed to air. The yeast inoculation and air exposure by 48 hours decreased animal performance by the reduction on the nutritive value of corn silages.

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz Family Euphorbiaceae) is an important tropical food crop. However, harvested cassava roots have a shelf-life of only days due to post-harvest physiological deterioration (PPD). Within 1-3 days of harvesting, the roots show blue-black vascular streaking and are unpalatable. PPD includes altered gene expression and the accumulation of hydroxycoumarin secondary metabolites, e.g. scopoletin and esculetin, and their respective glucosides scopolin and esculin. In this research several important aspects of the biosynthesis of these phytochemically important hydroxycoumarins were resolved. Stable isotopically labelled intermediates on the postulated biosynthetic pathways of scopoletin were fed to cassava cubes and PPD was allowed to occur. Ethanolic extracts of these deteriorated roots were separated (HPLC) and analysed (HRESI-MS). Incorporation (in both scopoletin and scopolin) of only 3 deuterons from E-cinnamic-2,3,2',3',4',5',6'-d7 and E-cinnamic-3,2',3',4',5',6'-d6 is strong support that the E-Zisomerisation step is enzymatic and not photochemical. There are three hypothetical pathways for the biosynthesis of scopoletin via: 2',4'-dihydroxycinnamate, caffeate, or ferulate. High incorporation of label from p-coumaric-2-13C, caffeic-2-13C and ferulic-2-13C acids was observed into labelled scopoletin and scopolin while there was only a small incorporation from 18O-umbelliferone and 18O-esculetin. We conclude that the major biosynthetic pathway to scopoletin and scopolin is via ferulic acid. C18O2-enrichment of E-cinnamic and ferulic acids and feeding gave scopoletin containing only one 18O-labelled oxygen atom. Therefore the lactonisation step is through o-hydroxylation and not via a postulated spirolactone-dienone intermediate. These results were confirmed by feeding experiments in an atmosphere of 18O2-air which showed that the major isotopic peak was 18O3-enriched scopoletin. Three glucosyltransferases were isolated and identified from a cassava PPDrelated cDNA library. These genes are expressed in the cassava storage root during PPD and they are also expressed in the fresh root. While one of these glucosyltransferases was novel, two had previously been isolated from cassava cotyledons.

O trabalho disserta sobre a investigação dos mecanismos de degradação da placa refratária utilizada no sistema de válvula gaveta, o qual controla o fluxo de aço líquido da panela da aciaria para o distribuidor. As placas estudadas eram do tipo Al2O3-ZrO2-C. Na investigação foram caracterizadas e analisadas placas novas e usadas. Também foi feito teste de corrosão estático para avaliação da interação química das placas com a escória proveniente do processo de refino secundário. Além disso, foi feito experimento em laboratório para avaliar o desgaste das placas devido a presença de resquícios de escória entre as placas no processo de abertura da válvula. Tal experimento foi realizado nos moldes do teste de resistência de argamassa usado por Leroy (EQUIPE DE FURNAS, 1997). Para tanto foram usadas técnicas de caracterização como Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV), Espectroscopia de Dispersão em Energia (EDS), Fluorescência de raios x (FRX) e Difração de raios x (DRX). Por meio de análises foi possível propor explicações para os mecanismos de degradação, como a corrosão devido ao contato com a escória e a formação de desgaste em forma de lingueta devido ao uso de válvula semiaberta Principalmente, a partir dos experimentos realizados foi possível identificar um mecanismo de degradação ainda não abordado na literatura: o desgaste do material das placas ocasionado pela abertura da válvula gaveta quando as placas estão ligadas por escória solidificada. Devido à falta de metodologia específica para abordar esse tema, adotou-se um método usado para avaliar a resistência de cimetos e argamassas na investigação sobre a influência da adesão da escória na degradação das placas. Tal método, chamado de tração direta (L.A.Farias, 2016), mostrou uma degradação intensa das placas. A reação química entre a placa aluminosa e a escória é a responsável pela adesão entre as duas placas e a escória. A adesão por escória mostrou que pode ser tão resistente quanto a ligação entre as partículas do refratário, que teve partículas retiradas no teste de tração direta. Assim, conclui-se que a interação química entre a placa e a escória, aliada a movimentação de abre e fecha do conjunto de placas quando a escória já solidificou, são mecanismos importantes na degradação das placas Al2O3-ZrO2-C de válvula gaveta. / This master’s dissertation investigates the deterioration of one of the parts that make up the sliding gate system of a steelmaking ladle. This part controls the liquid steel flow from the ladle to the tundish. These parts are called plates and may be made of different refractory ceramic materials. However, the plates used in this study are made of Al2O3-ZrO2-C. New parts and after service parts were analyzed. A static corrosion test was performed to analyze the chemical interaction between the refractory plates and the slag derived from steelmaking refining process. A laboratory experiment was carried out to evaluate wear due to remnants of slag between the sliding gate plates during the opening and closing of the gate. Such experiment was performed based on Mortar Resistance test used by Leroy. To analyze the materials, characterization techniques such as Scan Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray fluorescence (XRF), and X-ray diffraction were used. Based on the results of these analyses, a series of deterioration mechanisms were presented, such as the corrosion due to slag contact, and intensification of wear due to the use of semi-open valve. Mainly, from the performed experiments it was possible to identify a deterioration mechanism, that has not been discussed in literature yet This wear mechanism happens when the sliding gate plates are bonded by solidified slag, which is caused by opened valves, and leads to the extraction of particles from the surface of the plates. Due the lack of methodology to evaluate this kind of deterioration mechanism, a methodology based on mortar testing was developed. This method, called direct tensile test (L.A.Farias, 2016), showed intense deterioration. The chemical reaction between aluminum oxide refractory plate and the slag is responsible for the adhesion between plates and slag. This adhesion may be as strong as adhesion between the particles of the refractory, since refactory particles were removed in the test. Thus, it was concluded that the chemical interaction between refractory plate and slag, alied to the opening and closing mechanism are important in the deterioration of the Al2O3-ZrO2-C plates of the slide gate of the ladle.

Devido a diferentes razões, a população de diversos países do mundo, inclusive do Brasil, tem presenciado a ocorrência de sinistros relacionados a desabamentos de edificações, falhas localizadas ou problemas com subsistemas da edificação, que resultam em perturbações no uso e em riscos à saúde ou segurança dos usuários. No Brasil, foco especial vem sendo dado a partir da Norma de Desempenho e da percepção de que esquemas adequados de gestão da conservação de edifícios são fundamentais para proporcionar maior sustentabilidade ambiental e econômica às construções. Sabendo disso, vários estados e cidades brasileiras começaram a elaborar leis de inspeção, visando a obrigatoriedade da Inspeção Predial. Esta iniciativa se espelha em experiências internacionais, que veem a inspeção como uma atividade incorporada à rotina de conservação e manutenção das edificações. Destarte, a presente tese tem por objetivo fazer uma contribuição teórica para a construção de um sistema de inspeção brasileiro, através da identificação de boas práticas e da investigação dos padrões de deterioração recorrentes nos laudos de inspeção das cidades de Porto Alegre e Capão da Canoa. A metodologia de pesquisa consistiu em uma etapa qualitativa, que investigou e analisou documentação do contexto internacional e brasileiro, visando identificar boas práticas relativas ao escopo das leis de inspeção, perfil do inspetor, periodicidade e estrutura dos laudos - e uma etapa quantitativa, caracterizada pela análise de mais de 600 laudos obtidos junto às prefeituras das cidades alvo deste estudo. A capital gaúcha foi a primeira cidade brasileira a instituir uma lei sobre conservação de elementos de fachadas (Lei nº 6323/88), tais como marquises e outros elementos em balanço e em 2014 aprovou o Decreto nº 18.574, visando a inspeção de toda a edificação Capão da Canoa possui lei sobre o tema desde 2009, após o acidente com o Edifício Santa Fé. A realização do estudo identificou que em relação ao escopo, as leis buscam zelar pela segurança das edificações; quanto ao perfil do inspetor, vê-se uma boa prática na Austrália que possui classes de inspetores e locais aptos a certificarem os profissionais; quanto à periodicidade, basicamente a idade é o condicionante (quanto mais antigo o edifício, menor o prazo para a realização da inspeção). Quanto aos padrões de deterioração verificou-se que em Sistemas de Vedações Verticais Internas e Externas (SVVIE), é recorrente a umidade por infiltração que atinge 50% da amostra de Capão da Canoa e 27% das edificações vistoriadas em Porto Alegre. É recorrente também a presença de fissuras e deterioração na pintura. No subsistema revestimentos, os padrões referem-se à perda de aderência, principalmente na amostra de Porto Alegre, onde 36% das edificações registraram esta anomalia que impacta os requisitos de durabilidade, manutenabilidade, segurança no uso e operação. Na análise do subsistema Estrutura, a maior ocorrência foi corrosão das armaduras, relatada em 52% das edificações da cidade de Capão da Canoa. Em Porto Alegre é recorrente o registro de fissuras que impactam a estanqueidade e durabilidade da edificação. De forma geral se evidenciou que os laudos de inspeção são fontes importantes para análises relacionadas à vida útil e durabilidade das edificações. / Due to different reasons, the population of several countries in the world, including Brazil, have seen a number of accidents related to building collapses, localized faults of some of its structural components or other problems with building subsystems, which result in significant disturbances and in risks to users health and safety. In Brazil, special focus has been given on the Performance Standards and the perception that management appropriate schemes of building conservation are fundamental to provide greater environmental and economic buildings sustainability. With this in mind, several Brazilian states and cities have begun to elaborate inspection laws, aiming at the compulsory of Buildings Inspection. This initiative is reflected in international experiences, which see inspection as an activity incorporated into the routine of conservation and buildings maintenance. The purpose of this thesis is to make a theoretical contribution to the construction of a Brazilian inspection system through the identification of good practices and investigating recurrent deterioration patterns in the inspection reports of the cities of Porto Alegre and Capão da Canoa. The research methodology consisted of a qualitative step, which investigated and analyzed documentation of the international and Brazilian context, aiming to identify good practices related to the scope of inspection laws, inspector profile, periodicity and report structure - and a quantitative step characterized by the Analysis of more than 600 reports obtained from city halls of the target cities of this study The capital of Rio Grande do Sul was the first Brazilian city, to have a legislation on conservation of front elements (Law no. 6323/88), such as marquees and other elements in balance and in 2014 approved the Decree No. 18,574, aiming at the inspection of the entire building. Capão da Canoa has had a law on the subject since 2009 after the accident with the Santa Fe Building. The study identified that in relation to the scope, the laws seek to ensure the safety of buildings; As for the inspector's profile, we can see a good practice in Australia that has classes of inspectors and places able to certify the professionals; As to periodicity, basically age is the conditioning (the older the building, the shorter the time frame for the inspection). Regarding the deterioration patterns, it was verified that in Internal and External Vertical Wall Systems, the infiltration humidity reaches 50% of the sample of Capão da Canoa and 27% of the buildings surveyed in Porto Alegre. It is also recurrent the presence of cracks and painting deterioration. In the subsystem of coatings, the standards refers to loss of adhesion, especially in the sample of Porto Alegre, where 36% of the buildings registered this anomaly that impacts the requirements of durability, maintenance, safety in use and operation. In the analysis of the subsystem structure, the highest occurrence was corrosion of the reinforcement, reported in 52% of the buildings of the city of Capão da Canoa. In Porto Alegre it is recurrent the registration of fissures that impact the watertightness and durability of the building. In general, it was evidenced that the inspection reports are important sources for analyzes related to the useful life and durability of the buildings.

Sementes de cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum (Willd. ex Spreng.) K, Schum.) são recalcitrantes e requerem conhecimento sobre os fatores que afetam a manutenção da qualidade. Assim, o objetivo desse estudo foi avaliar os efeitos do teor de água das sementes e da temperatura do ambiente na manutenção da qualidade das sementes em três ensaios. Inicialmente foram avaliados os efeitos do dessecamento na qualidade das sementes; posteriormente, os efeitos das temperaturas de 10&#176;C, 15&#176;C e 20&#176;C foram avaliados sobre as sementes armazenadas por períodos de zero, cinco, 10, 15, 20 e 25 horas; finalmente, os efeitos dos graus de umidade (59,4%, 51,6%, 42,4%, 35,4% e 28,7%) e das temperaturas (20&#176;C e ambiente não controlado) em sementes acondicionadas em sacos de polietileno foram avaliados em intervalos de 15 dias, durante dois meses. Para todos os ensaios foram realizadas avaliações de umidade, germinação e vigor. A dessecação de sementes de cupuaçu até 41,4% de água não afeta a sua qualidade fisiológica e, ao atingirem 14,6% de água as sementes morrem. Entre as temperaturas testadas, a de 20&#176;C foi a que proporcionou melhor desempenho das sementes durante o armazenamento. A combinação do grau de umidade de 59,4% e temperatura de 20&#176;C, juntamente as combinações do grau de umidade de 51,6% e temperaturas 20&#176;C e ambiente não controlado, possibilitam o armazenamento das sementes por até 60 dias. / Cupuassu (Theobroma grandiflorum (Willd. ex Spreng.) K, Schum.) has recalcitrant seeds which require knowledge on the factors that affect their quality during the storage. The objective of this study was to verify the effects of seed moisture content and ambient temperature during the storage. Firstly, it was evaluated the effects of desiccation on seed quality. Afterward, it was evaluated the effects of temperatures (10&#176;C, 15&#176;C and 20&#176;C) and storage periods (zero, five, 10, 15, 20 and 25 hours). Finally, it was evaluated the effects of seed moisture contents (59.4%, 51.6%, 42.4%, 35.4% and 28.7%) and temperatures (20&#176;C and ambient with no control temperature) on packed seeds in polyethylene bags evaluated at intervals of 15 days for two months. For all experiments it was quantified seed moisture content, germination and vigor. Cupuassu seeds can be desiccated to as low as 41.4% of moisture content with no reduction of the physiological quality, and at 14.6 of moisture content all seeds were dead. Temperature of 20&#176;C was that which maintain initial seed quality for 25 hours. Association of the seed moisture content 59.4% with temperature of 20&#176;C and moisture content of 51.6% with 20&#176;C and ambient with no control temperature make possible seed storage for 60 days.

Foi feito um estudo comparativo da ação inibidora dos compostos benzotriazol (BTAH) e tolitriazol (TTAH) sobre a oxidação de metais ferrosos e sobre a reação H+/H2, sobre ferro, em meios de ácido sulfúrico. Foram estudados, como metais ferrosos, o ferro puro (99,9% de pureza), em meio de H2SO4 0,5molL-1, o aço carbono 1008, em H2SO4 0,5mol L-1e o aço inoxidável 304, em meio de H2SO4 4,5 mol L-1. Foram empregadas, como técnicas, medidas de potencial de circuito aberto em função do tempo, ensaios gravimétricos, curvas de polarização potenciostáticas, voltametria linear com eletrodo parado e com eletrodo de disco rotativo, cronoamperometria, espectroscopia por impedância eletroquímica, espectroscopia Raman e microscopia eletrônica de varredura (MEV). Os compostos BTAH e TTAH atuaram como inibidores para os três materiais ferrosos estudados. No caso do aço carbono 1008 e do aço inoxidável 304, os efeitos dos dois inibidores se comparam e, para uma concentração igual a 1,0 x 10-2 mol L-1 apresentam uma eficiência máxima de 98%, verificada por técnicas estacionárias e não estacionárias. O TTAH, em mais baixa concentração, se mostrou melhor inibidor para o aço carbono, enquanto para o aço inoxidável 304 foi tão bom inibidor quanto o BTAH. Análise das superfícies por MEV mostrou que os inibidores não impedem a dissolução das inclusões presentes nos aços estudados, permitindo o ataque localizado no entorno das mesmas, no caso do aço 304. Os compostos BTAH e TTAH se mostraram inibidores menos efetivos para o ferro, com eficiências comparáveis e iguais a 60% na concentração mais elevada estudada, 1,0 x 10-2 mol L-1 . O estudo da oxidação do ferro, na região de Tafel, empregando impedância eletroquímica, mostrou que o BTAH e o TTAH atuam de forma comparável, formando um complexo com o intermediário Fe (II) adsorvido. Ensaios por espectroscopia Raman in situ revelaram que há formação de complexos de ferro com o BTAH e TTAH. Os resultados de impedância eletroquímica, juntamente com os de espectroscopia Raman do complexo Fe(II)BTA sólido levaram à conclusão de que o filme inibidor sobre ferro é o próprio complexo Fe(II)BTA. Estudos de polarização catódica sobre ferro, em meio desaerado, mostraram que tanto o BTAH quanto o TTAH inibem a reação H+/H2, através da formação de um filme que obedece à isoterma de adsorção de Langmuir. Valores de &#916;Gº de adsorção sugerem que a adsorção é de natureza química, o que foi confirmado por espectroscopia Raman. Estudos empregando voltametria de baixa velocidade de varredura, com eletrodo de disco rotativo, mostraram que a ação inibidora é favorecida pelo maior transporte de massa à superfície do eletrodo de ferro. Os resultados de impedância permitiram sugerir dois diferentes mecanismos para a ação dos inibidores sobre o processo de oxidação do ferro em meio de ácido sulfúrico. / A comparative study of the inhibitor behavior of benzotriazol (BTAH) and tolitriazol (TTAH) over the oxidation of ferrous metals and over the reaction H+/H2, over iron in sulfuric acid media has been performed. The ferrous metals studied were pure Iron (99.9% purity) and carbon steel 1008, both in 0.5 mol.L-1 H2SO4 and 304 stainless steel in 4.5 mol.L-1 H2SO4. The techniques employed were, open circuit potential vs. time, gravimetry, potentiostatic polarization curves, linear voltammetry with both stationary and rotating disk electrodes, chronoamperometry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). BTAH and TTAH have shown to act as inhibitors for the three studied ferrous metals. The inhibiting effect of these compounds was analogous for both carbon steel 1008 and 304 stainless steel. Furthermore stationary and non-stationary techniques have shown that both inhibitors exhibited the maximum of efficiency (98%) in 1.0 x 10-2 mol.L-1. For the lowest studied concentration, TTAH exhibited a better inhibiting effect over the carbon steel, while for the 304 stainless steel TTAH and BTAH presented the same inhibiting efficiency. SEM Analysis of the surfaces showed that the inhibitors do not avoid the dissolution of the inclusions that exist in the studied steels, instead, for 304 stainless steel they permit a localized attack on the contour of the inclusions. Both BTAH and TTAH have shown a less effective inhibitory effect for iron with 60% of efficiency for the highest studied concentration (1.0 x 10-2 mol.L-1). The study of the oxidation of iron performed on the Tafel region by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy showed that both BTAH and TTAH act similarly, forming a complex with the adsorbed intermediary Fe(II). Raman spectroscopy measurements performed in situ indicated the formation of iron complexes with BTAH and TTAH. The analysis of the results obtained for the complex Fe(II)BTA with both electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy techniques revealed that this complex forms the inhibitor film. Cathodic polarization studies performed for iron in dearated media showed that both BTAH and TTAH forma film that obeys to the Langmuir adsorption isotherm on the iron surface which inhibits the H+/H2 reaction. Furthermore &#916;Gº adsorption values suggest that the adsorption is chemical in nature which was confirmed by Raman spectroscopy. Low rate voltammetry studies performed with rotating disk electrode, showed that the inhibitory effect is favored by the mass transport towards the iron electrode surface. From the impedance spectroscopy results two different mechanisms could be proposed to the inhibitor effect over the process of iron oxidation in sulfuric acid media.

The rapid postharvest deterioration of the roots, known as postharvest physiological deterioration (PPD), has been a major problem to the utilisation and development of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) as a food and industrial crop. PPD usually occurs within two to three days after harvest and it is characterised by a blue-black discoloration of the roots, which renders the roots unpalatable and unmarketable. Scopoletin, which is synthesised de novo and released from its glucoside, scopolin, during PPD, plays a central role in this discoloration response. Interconversion of scopoletin and scopolin, which is catalysed by scopoletin-glucosyltransferase (scopoletin-GT) and scopolin-beta-glucosidase (scopolin-BG), regulates homeostasis of scopoletin in the cells. However, how this interconversion contributes to root discoloration development is poorly understood. In the present study, we identified and characterised cassava genes for the enzymes that are responsible for the interconversion of scopoletin and scopolin, subsequently manipulated their expression in transgenic cassava through scopoletin-GT RNAi gene silencing and scopolin-BG overexpression constructs. These approaches would potentially alter scopoletin and scopolin content in the root, thereby affecting PPD response. A BLAST search for homologous cassava genes revealed that scopoletin-GT and scopolin-BG are encoded by multiple genes, most of which belong to glucosyltransferase family-1 (GT1) and glycosyl hydrolase family-1 (GH1), respectively. Scopoletin-GT-down-regulated and scopolin-BG overexpressed transgenic cassava lines showed reduced not only scopolin but surprisingly also scopoletin, and delayed PPD. Additionally, other coumarins esculetin and esculin were also identified and both scopoletin-GT, MeSGT1, and scopolin-BG, BGLU23, were up-regulated during PPD development at day 4 and day 2, respectively. Our study reveals that disrupting the interconversion of scopoletin and scopolin by inhibiting scopoletin-GT and overexpressing scopolin-BG led to the decrease of both scopoletin and scopolin content and delayed PPD in cassava. These findings provide useful insights into the role of interconversion of scopoletin and scopolin in cassava PPD response and may suggest alternative ways to tackle PPD.

O procedimento de controle on-line de processos por atributos, proposto por Taguchi et al. (1989), consiste em amostrar um item a cada m produzidos e decidir, a cada inspeção, se houve ou não aumento na fração de itens não-conformes produzidos. Caso o item inspecionado seja não-conforme, pára-se o processo para ajuste supondo-se que tenha ocorrido uma mudança para a condição fora de controle. Como i) o sistema de inspeção pode estar sujeito a erros de classificação e o item inspecionado ser submetido à classificações repetidas; ii) a fração de itens não-conformes no estado fora de controle pode variar em função do número de itens produzidos (x) segundo uma função y (x); iii) e a decisão de parar o processo pode ser tomada com base no resultado das últimas h inspeções, desenvolve-se um modelo que engloba estes pontos. Utilizando-se as propriedades de uma cadeia de Markov ergódica, obtém-se a expressão do custo médio do sistema de controle, que é minimizada por parâmetros que vão além do intervalo de inspeção m: o número de classificações repetidas r; o número mínimo de classificações conformes para declarar um item como conforme s, o comprimento do histórico de inspeções considerado h e o critério de parada para ajuste u. Os resultados obtidos mostram que: o uso de classificações repetidas pode ser uma alternativa econômica quando apenas um item é considerado na decisão sobre o ajuste do processo; uma cadeia da Markov finita pode ser utilizada para representar o sistema de controle na presença de uma função y (x) não-constante; tomar a decisão de ajuste com base na observação de uma seqüência de itens inspecionados é a alternativa de maior impacto sobre o custo de controle do processo. / The quality control procedure for attributes, proposed by Taguchi et al. (1989), consists in inspecting a single item at every m produced items and, based on the result of each inspection, deciding weather the non-conforming fraction has increased or not. If an inspected item is declared non-conforming, the process is stopped and adjusted, assuming that it has changed to out-of-control condition. Once: i) the inspection system is subject to misclassification and it is possible to carry out repetitive classifications in the inspected item; ii) the non-conforming fraction, when the process is out-of-control, can be described by y(x); iii) the decision about stopping the process can be based on last h inspections, a model which considers those points is developed. Using properties of ergodic Markov chains, the average cost expression is calculated and can be minimized by parameters beyond m: number of repetitive classifications (r); minimum number of classifications as conforming to declare an item as conforming (s); number of inspections taken into account (h) and stopping criteria (u). The results obtained show that: repetitive classifications of the inspected item can be a viable option if only one item is used to decide about the process condition; a finite Markov chain can be used to represent the control procedure in presence of a function y(x); deciding about the process condition based on last h inspections has a significant impact on the average cost.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-12T17:40:37Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 arquivo720_1.pdf: 2087569 bytes, checksum: 4e440439e51674690e086dbc501c7a58 (MD5) license.txt: 1748 bytes, checksum: 8a4605be74aa9ea9d79846c1fba20a33 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / A modelagem de deterioracão tem estado na vanguarda das analises Bayesianas de confiabilidade. As abordagens mais conhecidas encontradas na literatura para este proposito avaliam o comportamento da medida de confiabilidade ao longo do tempo a luz dos dados empiricos, apenas. No contexto de engenharia de confiabilidade, essas abordagens têm aplicabilidade limitada uma vez que frequentemente lida-se com situacões caracterizadas pela escassez de dados empiricos. Inspirado em estrategias Bayesianas que agregam dados empiricos e opiniões de especialistas na modelagem de medidas de confiabilidade não-dependentes do tempo, este trabalho propõe uma metodologia para lidar com confiabilidade dependente do tempo. A metodologia proposta encapsula conhecidas abordagens Bayesianas, como metodos Bayesianos para combinar dados empiricos e opiniões de especialistas e modelos Bayesianos indexados no tempo, promovendo melhorias sobre eles a fim de encontrar um modelo mais realista para descrever o processo de deterioracão de um determinado componente ou sistema. Os casos a serem discutidos são os tipicamente encontrados na pratica de confiabilidade (por meio de simulacão): avaliacão dos dados sobre tempo de execucão para taxas de falha e a quantidade de deterioracão, dados com base na demanda para probabilidade de falha; e opiniões de especialistas para analise da taxa de falha, quantidade de deterioracão e probabilidade de falha. Estes estudos de caso mostram que o uso de informacões especializadas pode levar a uma reducão da incerteza sobre distribuicões de medidas de confiabilidade, especialmente em situacões em que poucas ou nenhuma falha e observada.

Owners of infrastructure assets have responsibility for the management of a diverse portfolio of civil engineering assets. These assets make up the foundations of modern society and are arguably pivotal in the economic growth and wellbeing of a nation. It is of no surprise therefore, that asset management business practises have risen in popularity as the UK’s infrastructure asset base continues to grow and inevitably ages with time. In the context of water and waste water infrastructure assets, which communities rely upon for health, economy and environmental sustainability, it is widely acknowledged that these assets have historically suffered from underinvestment. Whilst funding shortfalls have been evidenced historically, through the inadequacy of infrastructure to meet the needs and challenges of the past, it is of great concern that infrastructure expenditure is reducing in real terms as a result of the global financial crisis. This is leading to a widening funding gap between the available and the required finances for infrastructure investment which is further compounded by natural phenomena and human behaviours, i.e., climate change, population growth and urbanisation. To further intensify the problem, asset planning and management in the water industry is considered a complex and challenging discipline because of high interdependencies and the vast quantity of assets themselves. In acknowledgement of this global position, this thesis seeks to address some of the key challenges faced by utility companies in the adoption of asset management best practice across water and waste water assets, namely: • Operational decision making - the efficient and effective specification of least-cost rehabilitation programmes from condition information that ensure behavioural alignment with an organisations strategic objectives. • Tactical decision making - achieving risk based asset level inspection prioritisation that considers serviceability performance, for two particularly challenging asset groups: i.) High value - low volume assets and ii). Low value - high volume buried infrastructure. • Strategic decision making - identifying optimal long-term investment plans and asset management policies for assets that have previously not benefited from such technological advancements. To improve upon operational decision making, the author capitalises on the availability of condition inspection information for buried sewerage infrastructure by applying advanced optimisation techniques to help form an environment where the decision makers is presented with an array of optimal rehabilitation solutions. The trade-off curve that is presented uniquely evaluates solutions for the benefits they offer in-terms of: condition improvement, cost and operational performance. A financially favourable comparison (up to 45% saving) is drawn between the optimisation results which are automatically generated by the model and those that have been developed manually by experienced engineers in a ‘real world’ case study. However, it could be argued that the greatest benefit arises from the trade curve of feasible solutions which are presented to the decision maker across a range of investment levels. In recognition that tactical and strategic decision making have been the focus of a substantial amount of research for commonly found infrastructure assets, i.e., public sewers and water mains, a focus has been placed on improving upon and adopting best practise across infrastructure assets which have not previously benefited from the technological developments across these decision making levels. Firstly, a methodology for translating standardised condition inspection information into more meaningful reliability scores, to support risk based planning and decision making, is presented for service reservoirs. A service reservoir can be regarded as high value- low volume infrastructure asset and would typically have its condition evaluated between 1 (poor) to 5 (good). A case study demonstrates how this new reliability scoring mechanism has been successfully applied during a typical structural condition survey. The output from this process is a fully document reliability assessment for each component of the service reservoir. The output can be aggregated to provide an overall reliability assessment for the structure and/or used to target specific remedial works to troublesome components. Secondly, two methodologies are presented which address the fact that high volume – low value infrastructure assets across both the water distribution and wastewater collection networks, are typically less well understood and often sub-optimally managed in comparison to more critical or higher value assets. 1. A methodology has been developed to help UK water companies overcome the recent legislative changes associated with Section105A of the Water Act; which has transferred ownership of the private sewer network to UK water companies. The new methodology which has been developed, has allowed one of the UK’s water and sewerage companies to initiate a proactive asset management programme with the aim of addressing the deteriorating condition of these assets whilst also tackling their associated serviceability performance. Initially, a number of GIS tools are used to provide an estimate of the likely extent of the transferred network before a well-established public sewer deterioration model is used to predict the condition and operational performance of these S105A assets over time. 2. A novel deterioration modelling framework is developed by coupling the latest geospatial technologies with statistical deterioration modelling techniques. The modelling framework is specifically applied to small diameter water distribution assets (25-50mm diameter), known as communication pipes, which connect individual properties to the water distribution mains. Reliability curves are developed from failure data provided by two UK based Water Companies that have captured specific communication pipe failure records since 2001. The deterioration modelling curves and supporting data are compared and contrasted to demonstrate the robustness of this modelling approach, which is shown to be capable of modelling failure rates to a high degree of accuracy. This was validated by comparing the predicted number of failures against three years of failure data not used during the model building process. The yearly failure counts were predicted to within +/-5% accuracy and the overall cumulative modelled failure count at the end of 2014 was predicted within 1%. To conclude, the successful deterioration modelling tools for communication pipes are explored further, via the development of a strategic whole life cost optimisation framework for these assets. The outputs from the previous geospatial mapping tool are used alongside the calibrated Weibull deterioration curves to drive a whole life cost and performance analysis. Against this improved understanding of whole life costs, an optimisation algorithm is used to evaluate the trade-off between whole life costs (totex) and the prevention of future asset failures (serviceability). The model successfully identifies optimised investment policies according to the decision maker’s priorities which is evidenced in a case study that shows outperformance against existing maintenance policies for these assets. Financial savings in the region of £8.5M, or the prevention of 1,320 asset failures, were shown to be possible over a 25 years planning horizon in the case study. For the avoidance of confusion, the term ‘integrated’ is considered from the perspective of the three decision making levels associated with the management of an asset, namely: strategic, tactical and operational decision making. Therefore, data quality improvements and the management of information transactions between decisional levels are inherently considered within all of the methodologies developed in this thesis.