The Northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil contains thousands of forest fragments at different stages of regeneration, some recovering from abandoned agricultural fields, while others recovering from chronic disturbances such as fire, logging, and poaching. Some of these fragments kept protected for several reasons: corporate responsibility, compliance with the forest code, preservation of biodiversity, among others. Although these fragments are far from having the same species richness of plant and animal, they can perform important ecosystem services, such as protection of water bodies, reservoir of important nutrients and carbon (C). This is especially important if we consider that there are global initiatives such as REDD + with the objective of assessing secondary forests and forests in recovery process as important C pools. On the other hand, the management and preservation of these fragments depends on a solid knowledge about their structure and nutrient cycle. There is a relatively rich literature on the loss of biodiversity in these Northeastern forest fragments. Much less is available, however, about the structure and function of these fragments. This work intends to contribute to fill this gap, providing solid scientific information on four forest areas and a secondary forest, where a restoration program was implemented in the State of Alagoas, Northeast of Brazil. After a brief introduction, chapter one discusses the structure of these fragments through a complete forest inventory, where individuals density, height and diameter at breast height (DBH) were measured for each tree with DBH >= 10 cm. With these allometric data, we estimated the basal area and aboveground live biomass (AGLB), comparing these attributes with other estimates available in the literature. In chapter two, we investigated the distribution of nutrients in the forest fragments, where we measured the foliar concentration of C, nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P). At the same time, we measured the litterfall mass in each fragment and its nutrient content for a one year period of sampling. With this information we were able to establish how these areas cycled their main limiting nutrients and C. Finally, in the last chapter we approached the partition of C and nutrient stocks, above and belowground, in order to evaluate the importance of C pools and nutrients in the forest fragments and understand the role of these fragments in a world that urgently needs to store C in a sustainable reservoir. / A Floresta Atlântica do Nordeste do Brasil contém milhares de fragmentos de florestas em diferentes estágios de regeneração, alguns se recuperando de campos agrícolas abandonados, enquanto outros se recuperam de distúrbios crônicos como incêndio, extração de madeira e caça furtiva. Alguns desses fragmentos ficaram protegidos por várias razões: responsabilidade corporativa, cumprimento do código florestal, preservação da biodiversidade, entre outros. Embora estes fragmentos estejam longe de ter a mesma riqueza de espécies vegetais e animais, podem desempenhar importantes serviços ecossistêmicos, como proteção de corpos d\'água, reservatório de importantes nutrientes e carbono. Isso é especialmente importante se considerarmos que há iniciativas globais como o REDD+ que visam avaliar florestas secundárias e de recuperação como importantes reservatórios de carbono (C). Por outro lado, a gestão e preservação destes fragmentos dependem de um conhecimento sólido sobre a sua estrutura e ciclo de nutrientes. Há uma literatura relativamente rica sobre a perda de biodiversidade nestes fragmentos florestais do Nordeste. No entanto, muito menos está disponível sobre a estrutura e o funcionamento destes fragmentos. Este trabalho pretende contribuir para o preenchimento desta lacuna, fornecendo informações científicas sólidas sobre quatro áreas florestais e uma floresta secundária, onde foi implantado um programa de restauração no Estado de Alagoas, Nordeste do Brasil. Após uma breve introdução, o capítulo um discute a estrutura desses fragmentos através de um inventário florestal completo, onde a densidade indivíduos, sua altura e diâmetro à altura do peito (DAP) foram medidos para cada árvore com DAP >= 10 cm. Com esses dados alométricos, estimamos a área basal e a biomassa viva acima do solo (AGLB), comparando esses atributos com outras estimativas disponíveis na literatura. No capítulo dois, investigamos a distribuição de nutrientes nos fragmentos florestais, onde medimos a concentração foliar de C, nitrogênio (N) e fósforo (P). Ao mesmo tempo, medimos durante um ano a massa da serapilheira em cada fragmento e seu teor de nutrientes. Com essas informações pudemos estabelecer como essas áreas ciclam seus principais nutrientes limitantes e C. Finalmente, no último capítulo abordamos a partição dos estoques de C e nutrientes, acima e abaixo do solo, com o objetivo de avaliar a importância dos pools de C e nutrientes nos fragmentos de floresta e entender qual o papel desses fragmentos em um mundo que necessita urgentemente estocar C em um reservatório sustentável.

A qualidade do solo está relacionada ao seu funcionamento e é mensurada por indicadores físicos e químicos, como também por organismos, os quais desempenham as mais variadas funções ecossistêmicas. A diversidade da pedofauna nos ecossistemas pode ser afetada por vários fatores, justamente por esses invertebrados serem sensíveis às mudanças ambientais. A pesquisa avaliou a qualidade de solos de fragmentos florestais urbanos na cidade de São Paulo, especificamente nos parques Cientec, Cantareira e Jaraguá, utilizando espécies de minhocas como bioindicadoras. Foi realizada nas áreas de estudo uma coleta concentrada no inverno (09/2014; 10/2014) em ambientes seco e úmido, com o objetivo de verificar a diversidade, ocorrência, biomassa (g.m²) e densidade (Ind.m²) dos indivíduos coletados e sua relação com as variações ambientais, especialmente com a temperatura do solo, profundidade do solo, presença e ausência de drenagem na parcela e atributos químicos como, pH, C.O, K, P, Ca, Mg e Al. Delimitou-se aleatoriamente, em ambiente seco e úmido, uma área fixa de 1,7 hectare por parcela amostral, onde foram amostrados nove TSBF por ambiente, com espaçamento de 30 m entre cada ponto e 20 m de bordadura, totalizando 54 pontos amostrais. Os exemplares de pedofauna subsuperficial foram capturados pela técnica TSBF (Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility), que consiste em monólitos de 30x30 de largura e 30 cm de profundidade. Após a triagem do solo os exemplares foram colocados em soluções de álcool 92%, e posteriormente, mensurados estatisticamente pelos índices de diversidade, equabilidade, e biomassa; por fim, foram identificados ao nível de espécie, as minhocas, e ao nível de família e gênero, as classes arachnida, coleoptera, quilopoda e diplopoda. Nos mesmos pontos do TSBF foram coletadas amostras de solo para a análise dos atributos químicos, assim como foram utilizados dados climáticos para avaliação de atributos físicos, que serviram como variáveis ambientais explicativas. Dos atributos climáticos, nos meses analisados a precipitação mensal não atingiu 70 mm e, em geral, ficou abaixo da média climatológica, caracterizando um período extremamente seco. Encontrou-se uma correlação positiva entre temperatura do solo, diversidade ecológica funcional, distribuição vertical no solo, hábito alimentar e dinâmica de biopedoturbação das minhocas. A umidade do solo influenciou diretamente ocorrência de Ind.m², além de favorecer espécies e gêneros específicos. Na análise de parâmetros químicos, a diminuição da acidez do solo, o aumento do teor de C.O e elevada disponibilidade de macronutrientes influenciaram no aumento de Ind.m² e o que justifica os 159 Ind.m² em ambiente seco e 148 Ind. m² em ambiente úmido para o Parque Jaraguá, representando 46% do total de exemplares coletados. O parque Cientec e Cantareira apresentaram solos muito ácidos e menores índices de C.O e macronutrientes se comparados com o parque Jaraguá, totalizando 24% e 30% dos exemplares coletados. Os índices bioestatísticos apontaram que as minhocas foram predominantes, tanto em densidade (minhocas.m²) quanto em biomassa (g.m²) dentre toda a macrofauna edáfica coletada e confirmaram que as variáveis químicas e climáticas do solo tem maior relevância para explicar a diversidade, ocorrência, biomassa e densidade de minhocas e consequentemente, as funções ecossistêmicas desempenhadas pelas mesmas. / Soil quality is related to its functioning and is measured by physical and chemical indicators, but also by organisms inserted therein, which play the most diverse ecosystem functions. The diversity of soil macrofauna in ecosystems can be affected by many factors, due these organisms being sensitive to environmental changes. The research evaluated the quality of urban forest fragments soils in São Paulo, specifically in Cientec, Cantareira and Jaraguá parks, using earthworms as bioindicators. It was performed at study sites a concentrated collection in winter (09/2014, 10/2014), in dry and wet environments, in order to assess the diversity, occurrence, biomass and density of individuals collected in accordance with variations in environment ,especially with soil temperature, soil depth, presence and absence of the drainage portion and chemical attributes such as , pH, O.C, K, Ca, Mg and Al. Delimited randomly, in a dry and humid environment a fixed area of 1.7 hectare per plot sample, where was sampled nine TSBF per environment, with spacing of 30 m between each point and 20 m margin, totaling 54 sampling points. Exemplary subsurface pedofauna were captured by adapted TSBF technique (Tropical Soil Biology and Fertility) consisting of monoliths 30x30 wide and 30 cm deep. After the soil screening the specimens were fixed in 92% alcohol solution and subsequently measured statistically by the diversity index, equability, and biomass; finally, were identified to species level, earthworms, and the family level and genus, the arachnida, coleoptera, quilopoda and diplopoda classes. In the same points of TSBF soil samples were collected for analysis of chemical attributes, as well as climate data were used for evaluation of physical attributes, which served as explanatory environmental variables. About the climatic attributes in the analyzed months, the monthly rainfall did not reach 70 mm and, in general, was below the climatological average, featuring an extremely dry period. It was found a positive correlation between soil temperature, functional ecological diversity, vertical distribution in the soil, feeding habits and dynamics of bioturbation of earthworms. Soil moisture directly influenced the frequency Ind.m², besides favoring specific genus and species. In the analysis of chemical parameters, the reduction of soil acidity, increased O.C. content and the high nutrient availability influenced the increase of Ind.m² which explains the 159 ind.m² in dry conditions and 148 ind. m² in a humid environment for the Jaraguá park, representing 46% of all copies of the collection TSBF. The Cientec and Cantareira park had more acidic and lower rates of soil organic carbon and macronutrients if compared to the Jaraguá park, totaling 24% and 30% of the collected specimens. The biostatisticians indexes pointed out that the worms were prevalent in both density (earthworms.m²) and biomass (g.m²), among all the soil macrofauna collected in contrasting environments and sites and confirmed that chemical soil and climatic variables have greater relevance to explain the diversity, occurrence, biomass and density of earthworms and consequently the ecosystem functions performed by them.

Em virtude do desenvolvimento desordenado da agricultura na Bacia Hidrográfica do Rio Corumbataí, esta região apresenta elevados índices de desmatamento e fragmentação florestal o que torna imprescindível o desenvolvimento de projetos de conservação e manejo dos fragmentos florestais, tanto em nível do próprio fragmento quanto em nível da paisagem na qual ele está inserido. O presente trabalho faz parte de um projeto de recuperação e conservação da cobertura florestal da Bacia do Rio Corumbataí e tem como objetivo determinar os padrões de distribuição espacial dos fragmentos florestais nesta bacia e suas relações com declividade e limitação nutricional dos solos. O Sistema de Informação Geográfica foi utilizado para digitalização, manipulação e sobreposição dos dados. As categorias de uso e ocupação do solo foram determinadas a partir de imagem de satélite Landsat TM-5. A grande maioria dos fragmentos florestais encontrados nesta bacia apresentou área inferior a 10 ha. Os maiores percentuais de cobertura por fragmentos florestais foram encontrados nas áreas de maior declividade. A relação entre limitação nutricional dos solos e tamanho médio dos fragmentos e percentual de cobertura não foi clara para esta bacia. / In view of the haphazard development of the agriculture in the Corumbataí River Basin, this area presents high deforestation rate and forest fragmentation, which makes indispensable the development of conservation projects and handling of the forest fragments, at the level of the fragment itself as well as on the scale of the landscape in which it is inserted. The present work is part of a project of Recovery and Conservation of the Forest Cover of Corumbataí River Basin and has as its objective the determination of the patterns of space distribution of the forest fragments in this basin and its relationship to slope and nutritional limitation of the soils. A Geographical Information System was used to digitalize, manipulate and overlay the data. The use categories and occupation of the soil were obtained from LandSat TM-5 satellite image. The great majority of the forest fragments found in this basin presented area of less than 10 ha. The largest percentages of forest fragments cover were found in the areas of large slopes. The relationship between nutritional limitation of the soils, average size of the fragments and percent cover was not found to be well defined for this basin.

A osteocondrose é uma das principais doenças ortopédicas de desenvolvimento que acomete os equinos, sendo usualmente definida como uma falha no processo de ossificação endocondral. Infelizmente os seus mecanismos não estão bem definidos, mas acredita-se em uma etiologia multifatorial relacionada com predisposição genética, desequilíbrio ou excesso nutricional, fatores endócrinos e forças biomecânicas atuando nas articulações. Uma das formas de manifestação da osteocondrose é a osteocondrite dissecante, quando, após interrupção do processo de ossificação, há um desarranjo das colunas de condrócitos e necrose da camada basal, gerando uma área de fragilidade, onde forças biomecânicas podem resultar na separação de fragmentos cartilaginosos ou osteocondrais. Sua incidência esta relacionada com animais jovens, de crescimento rápido, em articulações predispostas como tibiotársica, metacarpo/metatarsofalangeana e femurotibiopatelar. Normalmente a lesão se desenvolve no primeiro ano de vida, mas os sinais clínicos podem aparecer mais tardiamente ou inclusive passarem despercebidos. Dentro dos sinais clínicos o mais comum é a efusão articular, que pode vir ou não associada à claudicação. O diagnóstico é confirmado através de exame radiográfico, com alterações em locais predispostos para formação de OCD, como crista intermédia da tíbia, cristal troclear lateral do talus, bordo dorsoproximal da primeira falange, bordo plantaromedial da primeira falange e crista troclear lateral do fêmur. Como essas lesões podem acometer mais de um membro locomotor, a articulação contralateral deve ser radiografada ou até mesmo os quatro membros quando se tratar de metacarpo/ metatarsofalangeana. Apesar de existirem diversas formas de tratamento, a maioria dos autores recomenda a retirada cirúrgica via artroscópica, já que esta possui um maior índice de sucesso com melhores resultados funcional e estético. Existem trabalhos divergentes com relação ao prognóstico e momento em que se deve submeter esses animais a cirurgia. Com o objetivo de responder essas dúvidas e apresentar os resultados obtidos com o tratamento cirúrgico a médio e longo prazo este trabalho foi realizado. Nesse estudo foram analisados 75 casos de animais acometidos por OCD, com um total de 106 articulações, tratados cirurgicamente, nos quais a cirurgia ocorreu há um tempo mínimo de 12 meses e máximo de 5 anos. As lesões acometeram principalmente (65%) animais até quatro anos, na fase anterior à doma ou no momento da doma (63%), sendo que a maioria não apresentava sinais clínicos (36%) ou apresentava claudicação associada à efusão articular (33%). A maioria das lesões se localizou na articulação tibiotársica (57%), e nessa articulação o local mais acometido foi a crista intermédia da tíbia (71%). Após o procedimento cirúrgico 72% dos animais não apresentaram sinais clínicos, sendo que a melhora foi mais significativa nos animais de 3 e 4 anos (100%) e pouco se obteve de melhora com relação a claudicação nos animais acima de 6 anos (27%). / Osteochondrosis is a major developmental orthopedic disease affecting horses and is usually defined as a failure in the endochondral ossification process. Unfortunately its mechanisms are not defined but it is believed to be a multifactorial etiology related to a genetic predisposition, nutritional imbalance or excess, endocrine factors and biomechanical forces acting on the joints. Osteochondritis dissecans, one of the presentations of osteochondrosis, occours when after stopping the process of ossification, there is a breakdown of the chondrocytes columns and necrosis of the basal layer, creating an area of weakness, where biomechanical forces when applied can result in the separation of cartilage or osteochondral fragments. Its incidence is related to foals with rapid growth, in predisposed joints as tarsocrural, metacarpal/ metatarsalphalangeal and femorotibiopatellar. Usually the lesion develops in the first year of life, but clinical signs may appear later or even go unnoticed. Within the clinical signs, joint effusion is the most common, which may come or not associated with lameness. The diagnosis is confirmed by radiographic examination including changes in prone locations to OCD formation, as intermediate ridge of the tibia, lateral ridge trochlear of the talus, dorsal proximal edge of the first phalanx, plantar medial edge of the first phalanx and the lateral trochlear ridge of the femur. Because these lesions may involve more than one limb, the contralateral joint should be radiographed or even four limbs in the metacarpal/ metatarsalphalangeal. Although there are various forms of treatment most authors recommend surgical excision arthroscopically as this has a higher success rate with best functional and cosmetic results. There are conflicting studies concerning prognosis and best time to refer the animal for surgery. To answer these questions and present the results obtained with surgical treatment in the medium and long term this work was done. In this study we analyzed 75 cases of horses suffering from OCD, with a total of 106 joints treated surgically, which where the treated took place over a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of five years. OCD affected mainly animals up to 4 years (65%) in the period prior to tame or time-taming (63%), and the majority had no clinical signs (36%) or had lameness associated with joint effusion (33%). Most lesions were located in the tarsocrural joint (57%), in the intermediate ridge of the tibia (71%). After surgery 72% of horses showed no clinical signs, and the improvement was more significant in animals 3 and 4 years (100%) and little improvement of lameness in the animals over six years (27%).

Submitted by Renata Lopes (renatasil82@gmail.com) on 2017-04-17T14:54:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 paulojosegoncalvesdesouza.pdf: 567744 bytes, checksum: 0ace800b9b9c6f29b969d2bc1f9986cc (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Adriana Oliveira (adriana.oliveira@ufjf.edu.br) on 2017-04-18T13:43:47Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 paulojosegoncalvesdesouza.pdf: 567744 bytes, checksum: 0ace800b9b9c6f29b969d2bc1f9986cc (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-04-18T13:43:47Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 paulojosegoncalvesdesouza.pdf: 567744 bytes, checksum: 0ace800b9b9c6f29b969d2bc1f9986cc (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-08 / Introdução: O PSA ( antígeno prostático específico ) é a principal ferramenta no rastreamento do Câncer de Próstata. Estudos buscam melhoria no diagnóstico criando combinações do PSA com suas variáveis: PSAlivre/PSAtotal; Densidade do PSA; Velocidade do PSA; associação com a idade do paciente; etnia e hereditariedade para Câncer de Próstata. O diagnóstico do Câncer de Próstata é realizado através da análise do tecido prostático, obtido através da biópsia prostática, guiada por ultrassonografia, sendo considerado o procedimento padrão. O objetivo deste trabalho é avaliar a frequência de Câncer de Próstata em homens: submetidos 18 fragmentos de biópsia prostática e comparar com a positividade se analisados apenas os 12 fragmentos iniciais. Material e método: Entre maio de 2008 a outubro de 2013, foram analisados 216 prontuários de pacientes, submetidos à biópsia prostática com 18 fragmentos, que apresentavam PSAtotal ≥ 2,5ng/ml, PSAlivre/PSAtotal ≤ 19%, densidade PSA ≥ 0,15 ng/ml/cc, com toque retal normal, e ausência de nódulos prostáticos à ultrassonografia transretal. As biópsias prostáticas por agulha foram guiadas por Ultrassonografia transretal e distribuídas da seguinte maneira: 3 fragmentos base direita; 3 fragmentos base esquerda; 3 fragmentos 1/3 médio direito; 3 fragmentos 1/3 médio esquerdo; 3 fragmentos ápice direito e 3 fragmentos ápice esquerdo. Estes foram numerados de 1 a 18 e separados em 2 grupos: grupo 1 com os fragmentos 1 a 12, sendo 2 fragmentos de cada região prostática e o grupo 2 com os fragmentos 13 a 18, sendo 1 fragmento de cada região prostática, cada fragmento foi analisado separadamente. Foi realizada comparação da positividade entre os 18 fragmentos e apenas os 12 iniciais. Os pacientes com diagnóstico de câncer nos 12 fragmentos iniciais foram comparados com aqueles apenas na avaliação de todos os 18 fragmentos com relação aos valores do PSA e volume prostático. Resultados: Foram avaliados 216 homens com idade média de 64 +- 8,0 anos, com extremos de 34 a 90 anos. A incidência de pacientes com Câncer de Próstata em 12 fragmentos foi de 42/216 (19,44%) e em 18 fragmentos a incidência foi de 58/216 (26,85%); com aumento de 38% na capacidade de detecção, o que nos revela 7,45% a mais de tumores. Ao compararmos os pacientes que apresentaram positividade da biópsia já nos 12 primeiros fragmentos (42 pacientes), com aqueles com positividade apenas na avaliação de todos os 18 fragmentos (16 pacientes), verificamos que: os pacientes com positividade apenas com 18 fragmentos apresentaram maior valor de PSA e próstata maiores. O que leva a consideração que pacientes com próstata maiores e maiores valores de PSA se beneficiariam de um maior número de fragmentos. Conclusões: A análise de 18 fragmentos de biópsia de próstata em relação a 12 fragmentos, mostrou aumento de positividade na detecção de câncer de próstata e estes pacientes tiveram benefício com o aumento do número de fragmentos e apresentaram maior PSA e maior volume de próstata. / Introduction: PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) is the main tool for screening for prostate cancer, and studies now seek to improve the diagnosis by creating combinations of PSA with its variables, free/total PSA, PSA density, PSA velocity, and an association with the patient's age, ethnicity and heredity for prostate cancer.The diagnosis of prostate cancer is achieved by the analysis of prostatic tissue obtained by prostate biopsy guided by ultrasound, and it is considered the standard procedure. The objective of this study was to evaluate prostate cancer frequency in men undergoing prostate biopsy of 18 fragments and to compare that with positivity, when only the first 12 fragments were analyzed. Materials and methods: from May 2008 to October 2013, 216 medical records of patients undergoing prostate biopsy that had total PSA between 2.5 and 10 ng/ml, free/total PSA ≤ 19%, PSA density ≥ 0.15 ng/ml/cc3 with normal digital rectal exam and absence of prostate nodules of trans rectal ultrasonography were analyzed. The trans rectal ultrasound guided biopsies involving using needles were distributed as follows:3 right base fragments, 3 left base fragments, 3 1/3 right mid fragments, 3 1/3 left mid fragments, 3 right apex and 3 left apex fragments. These fragments were numbered from 1 to 18 and separated into 2 groups: Group 1 - 1 to 12, with two fragments of each prostatic region - and Group 2 - 13 to 18, with one fragment from each prostatic region (each fragment being analyzed separately).Positive comparison was made between the 18 fragments and only the first 12.Patients diagnosed with cancer in the first 12 fragments were compared with those for which all 18 fragments were analyzed regarding the values of PSA and prostate volume. Results: 216 men with mean age of 64 + - 8.0 years, with extremes 34-90 years were evaluated. The prevalence of patients with prostate cancer in 12 fragments was 42/216 (19.44%), and in 18 fragments it was 58/216 (26.85%); with an increase of 38% in the detection capacity, which shows 7.45% more tumors. When comparing the patients who had positive biopsy in the first 12 fragments (42 patients) with those with positivity only in the evaluation of all 18 fragments (16 patients), it was found that patients with positivity only in the 18 fragments showed higher PSA value and larger prostates. This leads to consider that patients with larger prostates and higher PSA values would benefit from a greater number of fragments. Conclusions: the analysis of 18 prostate biopsy samples compared to 12 fragments showed a positive increase in prostate cancer detection. Also, the patients who were benefited from the increase in the number of fragments had higher PSA and larger prostate volume.

A model has been developed to assess the hazard presented by a condensed phase explosion in a built-up area. The principal application of this model is as an aid to quantitative risk assessment (QRA) of operations involving the transport of high explosive substances' and articles by road or by rail. The methodology employed is to utilise a consequence model in conjunction with a scenario model. The consequence model is used to establish as a function of distance the intensities of the various explosion phenomena and then to estimate, again as a function of distance, the injuries that are likely to result. This yields probabilities that persons will become casualties of the accident, given that people are exposed to the hazard. This effectively determines the level of individual risk as a function of distance. The scenario model is employed to define the location of the population in terms of its vulnerability (exposure) at the time of the explosion. This enables the total number of casualties to be estimated and is effectively a measure of societal risk. Elements of the consequence model include submodels for housing damage and. indoor injury; window breakage and injury from flying glass; air blast and injury by lung damage, eardrum rupture and impact as a result of bodily displacement; fireball and bum injury; generation, flight and wounding power of primary fragments; other explosion ejecta; and falling building debris (glass and masonry). The overall model has been implemented as a computer program, 'EXMOD'. The primary fragmentation submodel has been used as the basis of another, 'EXFRAG'. Many of the results presented in this thesis have been obtained with the aid of these computer programs.

Le Liban a fait face à 15 ans de guerre civile qui ont détruit non seulement son économie et son infrastructure, mais aussi son image de communication. En effet, dans cette ère de mondialisation où la communication joue un rôle essentiel dans le tissage de liens sociaux et où les médias ont une place importante dans l’expansion des différentes cultures, les libanais perdent cette habilité et classent l’autre selon sa confession et son opinion politique. Les médias, en particulier les chaines télévisées locales (fondées par les différents leaders confessionnels ou politico-confessionnels), n’aident pas l’opinion publique à mieux connaitre l’autre. La cible la plus fragile est les jeunes Libanais nés après la guerre civile mais fortement influencés par ce que leurs parents ont vécu pendant la guerre. Ils sont peu ou pas soutenus dans la réception de l’information télévisée, l’école et le foyer n’étant pas toujours les milieux les plus adaptés pour les aider à interpréter l’actualité sous un angle d’ouverture au monde et d’acceptation d’autrui. Cette crise majeure nous a poussé à signaler un fort besoin d’établir de nouvelles bases aux standards de communication à enseigner aux jeunes en particulier dans les cours d’histoire et d’éducation civique, dans le but de les préparer à un avenir où ils auront à mieux connaitre les autres communautés et à apprendre à les accepter afin de cohabiter ensemble. / Lebanon has faced 15 years of civil war that destroyed severely not only his economy, and his infrastructure, but also his image of communication between different communities constituting it. In fact, after being known, since the era of Phoenicians, as the country that linked the east and the west, the country of people who created the first alphabet, the trilingual society open to other populations, Lebanon is facing nowadays a problem of communication among his communities divided into small fragments. In a century where communication became a must, where media is spreading the culture of different communities and minorities, Lebanon has lost this ability and people are identifying the “Other” by their confession and their political point of view. Moreover, the media, especially the local televisions (founded by the different parties and confessional leaders in Lebanon) are not helping the public opinion to learn about other communities. The most fragile target is the Lebanese youth, born after the civil war but paying the price of what their parents faced or did during the war, and sadly misinterpreting the local TV information. This major crisis pushed us to notice an urgent need of resetting some basic communication standards, to be taught at schools in history or civic education classes, in order to prepare our youth for a better future where they can accept the “Other” and know more about his different background.

More accurate knowledge of gamma-ray heating in nuclear reactors has beenlisted as a high priority request by the NEA [23]. In response to this the SpecTrometerfor Exotic Fission Fragments (STEFF), a 2-velocity, 2-energy spectrometer assembledby the Manchester Fission Group has been used to take measurements ofprompt gamma-rays from thermal fission of U-235. Through the procedures discussed,the average total gamma-ray energy and average multiplicity were determined to be8.40 +/- 0.26 MeV and 7.74 +/- 0.12, respectively. The single energy spectrum for eachindividual detector has been determined as well as the total energy distribution. A new parallel plate avalanche counter has been tested for its potential to improvethe timing resolution of the current STEFF stop detector. The timing resolution ofthe new detector is found to be 337 ps, an improvement of 75 % on the previous stopdetector. The pulse shapes created by a fission fragment in an ionisation chamber havebeen investigated. The relationship with fragment atomic number has been tested byemploying the Lohengrin spectrometer to separate fragments by mass so that theirindividual pulse shapes can be studied. Evaluation work has been performed at the NNL, Cumbria, under the supervisionof Dr Robert Mills. Experimental data determined from the spontaneous fission ofCf-252 has been extracted and evaluation techniques performed upon it so that thedata can be considered for inclusion within an evaluated nuclear database.

Les sols sont définis comme étant caillouteux à partir d’une proportion supérieure à 35 % d’éléments grossiers. Les sols caillouteux - dont certains supportent des zones de grandes cultures - couvrent environ 30% de la superficie de l’Europe occidentale. Outre le fait qu’ils sont plus contraignants pour la production agricole car les opérations culturales y sont plus délicates, les sols caillouteux sont souvent des sols peu épais ; ils contribuent ainsi de façon significative à la recharge des nappes mais sont a priori très sensibles au lessivage hivernal du nitrate et des produits phytosanitaires. Malgré leur grande étendue géographique et leurs propriétés spécifiques, les sols caillouteux ont été peu étudiés. Devant ce déficit de connaissances et devant les problèmes spécifiques posés par les sols caillouteux (variabilité de la phase caillouteuse, échanges entre la phase caillouteuse et la fraction fine des sols), tant en termes de production végétale qu’en termes de protection de l’environnement, ce projet de thèse a eu pour objectifs de : i) déterminer la réserve utile des éléments grossiers de sols caillouteux d’origine sédimentaire ; ii) d’évaluer qualitativement et quantitativement la pierrosité de sols caillouteux à l’échelle parcellaire ; et iii) d’estimer la réserve utile effective de sols caillouteux et leur fonctionnement hydrique sur de grands territoires agricoles. Grâce à des analyses au laboratoire, nous avons montré que les cailloux étaient saturés en eau à -100 hPa et que les teneurs en eau à la capacité au champ et au point de flétrissement pouvaient s’exprimer simplement en fonction de la masse volumique, ce qui a permis de définir des fonctions de pédotransfert robustes et opérationnelles pour le calcul de l’humidité utile des éléments grossiers. Grâce à l’analyse du bruit du signal de la résistivité électrique, mesurée in situ par prospections géophysiques, il a été possible d’évaluer leur pierrosité volumique à l’échelle d’une parcelle. Enfin, à l’échelle régionale, nous avons montré que la non-prise en compte du volume de la phase caillouteuse et/ou de ses propriétés conduisait à des sous-estimations de 20 % de la réserve utile, ce qui avait pour conséquence une surestimation du déficit hydrique de 20 mm par an en moyenne, avec une grande variabilité spatiale. Ces travaux permettront, à terme, une meilleure gestion spatialisée des agrosystèmes, aux échelles locales et régionales. En effet, les nouvelles propriétés hydriques calculées permettront d’améliorer la compréhension du fonctionnement environnemental spatialisé des sols afin de mieux estimer certains risques (lessivage de nitrate, émissions de gaz à effet de serre par les sols, etc.). / Stony soils are soils containing a proportion of rock fragments larger than 35%. These soils - including intensive agricultural areas - cover about 30% of the surface of Western Europe. Stony soils are not only more stringent for agricultural production because the farming operations are usually more difficult, but also they are often thin; they then significantly contribute to the groundwater recharge, but are they are very sensitive to winter leaching of nitrate and pesticides. Despite their geographical spread and their specific properties, the stony soils have not been largely studied whereas they present specific scientific problems (variability of phase stony, exchanges between the stony phase and the fine fraction of soil). In that context, this thesis aimed at: i) determining the available water content of rock fragments from rock fragments of sedimentary origin; ii) assessing qualitatively and quantitatively the stoniness of stony soils at field scale; and iii) estimating the effective available water content of stony soils and their hydric functioning for large agricultural areas. From laboratory experiments, we demonstrated that rock fragments were saturated for a water potential of -100 hPa and that their water content at field capacity and at permanent wilting point could be easily estimated from their bulk density, which enable to define robust and operational pedotransfer functions for the estimation of the available water content of rock fragments. Thanks to the analysis of the signal noise of the electrical resistivity, measured in situ by geophysical prospectings, it was possible to assess the stoniness of stony soils at the plot scale. Finally, at the regional scale, we demonstrated that the available water content could be underestimated of about 20 % when the volume and/or properties of rock fragments were not taken into account, which induced overestimations of the hydric deficit of about 20 mm as a mean, with high spatial variability. This work will ultimately be used for a better spatial management of agricultural soils, at local and regional scales. Indeed, the new hydric properties will help in improving our knowledge of the environmental spatial soil functioning in order to better estimate some risks (nitrate leaching, greenhouse gas emissions from soils).

Faced with the degradation of natural resources, the discussions about environmental issues towards the search for sustainability become common. Thus, the study of forest fragments is important regarding the maintenance of biodiversity. This study aimed to propose, systemically, mechanisms that may contribute to the protection of forest remnants located in the hydrographic basin of the Poxim River. Therefore, it was necessary to characterize the forest fragments from the point of view of landscape studies and also to survey the existing riparian vegetation in the hydrographic basin of the Poxim River in accordance with current legislation, to propose actions of vegetation restoration. In order to survey the use and occupation of the Poxim River hydrographic basin, it was used aerial photographs corresponding to the year 2004, UTM zone 24 South Datum SAD-69 projection, with the help of the program ARCGIS 9.2 on display scale of 1:10,000. Similarly, there was a survey of forest fragments of atlantic forest about the size, shape, and connectivity to the vicinity of these fragments, but it was also possible to do a survey of riparian forest in the hydrographic basin of the Poxim River. It was observed that pasture (40.54%) and agricultural crops (15.63%) occupy the largest areas in the hydrographic basin of the Poxim River and those are the main activities that impact the neighboring fragments. Related to the fragments, 92.71% have an average size of 18.58 hectares and circularity index of 0.34. As to connectivity, most of the fragments (26.53%) are over 900 meters away to the nearest forest patch. In the hydrographic basin there is only 01 registered reservation with 198.84 hectares, demonstrating the failure of the Brazilian Forest Code (1965). The riparian forest in the hydrographic basin corresponds to 7.01%, in which less than half of the total (46.22%) is in accordance with the Brazilian Forest Code (1965) which stipulates a minimum of 30 meters width of riparian vegetation. It becomes necessary to adopt public policies aimed at the protection of forest fragments and restoration of permanent preservation areas, forming ecological corridors allied to planning and management of water resources. / Diante da degradação dos recursos naturais, tornam-se comuns os debates a respeito das questões ambientais no sentido da busca pela sustentabilidade. Dessa forma, o estudo dos fragmentos florestais são importantes no que se refere à manutenção da biodiversidade. Este trabalho teve como objetivo propor, de forma sistêmica, mecanismos que venham contribuir para a proteção dos remanescentes florestais localizados na bacia hidrográfica do rio Poxim-SE. Para isso, foi necessário caracterizar os fragmentos florestais sob a ótica do estudo da paisagem; realizar o levantamento da mata ciliar existente na bacia hidrográfica do rio Poxim, de acordo com a legislação vigente, no sentido de propor ações de restauração da vegetação. Para o levantamento do uso e cobertura do solo da bacia hidrográfica do rio Poxim, utilizou-se de fotografias aéreas correspondentes ao ano de 2004, tendo projeção UTM, Zona 24 Sul e Datum SAD-69, com o auxílio do programa ARCGIS 9.2 na escala de visualização de 1:10.000. Do mesmo modo, realizou-se o levantamento dos fragmentos florestais de mata atlântica com relação ao tamanho, à forma, à conectividade e à vizinhança desses fragmentos, como também, foi possível fazer um levantamento da mata ciliar da bacia hidrográfica do rio Poxim. Observou-se que a pastagem (40,54%) e os cultivos agrícolas (15,63%) ocupam as maiores áreas na bacia hidrográfica do rio Poxim, sendo as principais atividades que impactam os fragmentos vizinhos. Com relação aos fragmentos, 92,71% possuem tamanho médio de 18,58 hectares e índice de circularidade de 0,34. Quanto à conectividade, a maioria dos fragmentos (26,53%) está com a distância superior a 900 metros em relação ao fragmento florestal mais próximo. Na bacia hidrográfica há apenas 01 reserva legal averbada com 198,84 hectares, demonstrando o descumprimento do Código Florestal Brasileiro (1965). A mata ciliar na bacia hidrográfica corresponde a 7,01%, deste, menos da metade (46,22%) está em conformidade com o Código Florestal Brasileiro (1965) que estipula uma largura mínima de 30 metros de mata ciliar. Torna-se necessária a adoção de políticas públicas visando à proteção dos fragmentos florestais e restauração das áreas de preservação permanente, formando corredores ecológicos aliados ao planejamento e gestão dos recursos hídricos.