In parallel computing, MPI is heavily used due to its support of popular cluster based parallel machines and the Single Program Multiple Data (SPMD) model. Normally cluster nodes are dedicated to a single parallel job/application but MPI could also be used with nodes that are concurrently shared by multiple users. In this case, nodes could become overloaded with work from other users. Even a few overloaded nodes can result in application slowdown. Thus, it is desirable to relocate affected processes in a running application to lightly loaded nodes by partial checkpointing and migrating of those processes. In some MPI applications, groups of processes communicate frequently with one another. Such groups must be near one another to ensure communication efficiency. Thus, if any member of a group is to be checkpointed and migrated, all should be. It must therefore be possible to identify such groups. I have built a prototype, using LAM/MPI, that supports partial checkpoint, migration and restart of MPI processes. To identify process groups for checkpoint and migration, I adapted TEIRESIAS (an algorithm for pattern discovery from bioinformatics) to identify frequent, recurring patterns of communication using data gathered by LAM/MPI. I then created predictors that use the discovered patterns to predict groups of communicating processes that should be checkpointed and migrated together. I have assessed the effectiveness of my technique using synthetic and real communication data (for a small set of representative applications) to show that my predictors can accurately predict process groups for those applications. Additionally, I have created a simple simulation system to allow me to explore scenarios related to network characteristics and overload conditions under which my system might provide useful speedup. Not all MPI applications will benefit from my approach (e.g. those with unpredictable communication patterns or large groups of frequently communicating processes). However, my experimental and simulation results suggest that my technique should be effective for a number of common application types, network characteristics and overload conditions. Using partial checkpoint and migration should therefore allow many long running applications to finish faster than if a subset of their processes was left running on overloaded nodes.

In parallel computing, MPI is heavily used due to its support of popular cluster based parallel machines and the Single Program Multiple Data (SPMD) model. Normally cluster nodes are dedicated to a single parallel job/application but MPI could also be used with nodes that are concurrently shared by multiple users. In this case, nodes could become overloaded with work from other users. Even a few overloaded nodes can result in application slowdown. Thus, it is desirable to relocate affected processes in a running application to lightly loaded nodes by partial checkpointing and migrating of those processes. In some MPI applications, groups of processes communicate frequently with one another. Such groups must be near one another to ensure communication efficiency. Thus, if any member of a group is to be checkpointed and migrated, all should be. It must therefore be possible to identify such groups. I have built a prototype, using LAM/MPI, that supports partial checkpoint, migration and restart of MPI processes. To identify process groups for checkpoint and migration, I adapted TEIRESIAS (an algorithm for pattern discovery from bioinformatics) to identify frequent, recurring patterns of communication using data gathered by LAM/MPI. I then created predictors that use the discovered patterns to predict groups of communicating processes that should be checkpointed and migrated together. I have assessed the effectiveness of my technique using synthetic and real communication data (for a small set of representative applications) to show that my predictors can accurately predict process groups for those applications. Additionally, I have created a simple simulation system to allow me to explore scenarios related to network characteristics and overload conditions under which my system might provide useful speedup. Not all MPI applications will benefit from my approach (e.g. those with unpredictable communication patterns or large groups of frequently communicating processes). However, my experimental and simulation results suggest that my technique should be effective for a number of common application types, network characteristics and overload conditions. Using partial checkpoint and migration should therefore allow many long running applications to finish faster than if a subset of their processes was left running on overloaded nodes.

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2014. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) is the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), a disease that affects millions of people world-wide. The species M. tuberculosis consists of a large number of different strains that can be grouped into at least 40 different known strain families. Many of the strains present with different pathogenic characteristics and host adaptations. The F11 LAM strains and Beijing strains currently have a nearly equal representation in the population of Cape Town, making up a total of 45% of all strains in this setting. The Latin-American Mediterranean (LAM) family of M. tuberculosis is proved to be the cause of a large percentage of TB cases worldwide and it is the predominant strain in high-prevalence regions such as the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal regions of South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South America. This project aimed to investigate the evolution and biological characteristics of the members of the principle genetic group (PGG) 2 Latin-American Mediterranean (LAM) genotype of M. tuberculosis using a combination of whole genomic and proteomic analyses, coupled to mycobacterial molecular epidemiological techniques. The evolution of M. tuberculosis strain families from the Western Cape Province of South Africa proved to be consistent with previous evolutionary scenarios for M. tuberculosis isolated from other parts of the world. This genome-wide SNP-based phylogeny for the evolution of M. tuberculosis offers novel insight into the unique global representation of the M. tuberculosis isolates from the Western Cape, South Africa. The evolutionary scenario presented confirms six LAM sub-lineages, namely IS6110 RFLP families F9, F11, F13, F14, F15, and F26. A subset of sub-lineage defining SNPs was determined for each of the six LAM sub-lineages. The genomic changes in the LAM genotype strains observed through the SNP analysis presented here mostly occur in the genes involved in the cell wall, cell processes, intermediary metabolism and respiration. The same phenomenon was observed when the non-redundant SNPs of the non-LAM isolates were functionally annotated. The functional classification of the regulated proteins in the representative of the LAM RDRio lineage of M. tuberculosis suggests that proteins involved in the lipid metabolism, intermediary metabolism and respiration may be the key to the pathogenic effectiveness of the RDRio LAM lineage. A combination of the LAM SNP analysis and the LAM RDRio/non-RDRio comparison showed that the overall genomic- and proteomic features involved in the cell wall and cell processes of the LAM genotype differ to a large extent from what is seen in the reference strain, M. tuberculosis H37Rv. This genome wide phylogenetic study is the first of its kind in a South African context, and not only presents a robust phylogeny of the M. tuberculosis strain families, and specifically the LAM lineage, but also gives the first ever insight into the protein differences which distinguishes RDRio and non-RDRio M. tuberculosis strains from each other. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) is die mikrobiese agent wat tuberkulose (TB), 'n siekte wat miljoene mense wêreldwyd affekteer, veroorsaak. Die spesie M. tuberculosis bestaan uit 'n groot aantal verskillende stamme wat in ten minste 40 verskillende bekende stam-families gegroepeer word. Baie van die stamme toon verskillende patogeniese eienskappe en gasheer aanpassings. Die F11 LAM stam en Beijing stam het tans 'n byna gelyke verteenwoordiging in die bevolking van Kaapstad, wat 'n totaal opmaak van 45% van stamme wat in hierdie gebied gevind word. Die Latyns-Amerikaanse Meditereense (LAM) familie van M. tuberculosis is bewys om die oorsaak van 'n groot persentasie van TB-gevalle wêreldwyd te wees, en dit is die oorheersende stam in hoë voorkoms streke soos die Wes-Kaap en KwaZulu-Natal streke van Suid-Afrika, Zambië, Zimbabwe en Suid-Amerika. Hierdie projek het ten doel gehad om die evolusie en biologiese eienskappe van die lede van die basiese genetiese groep (BGG) 2 Latyns-Amerikaanse Meditereense (LAM) genotipe van M. tuberculosis te ondersoek deur gebruik te maak van 'n kombinasie van heel genoom en proteoom analise, gekoppel aan mikobakteriële molekulêre epidemiologiese tegnieke. Die evolusie van M. tuberculosis stam families van die Wes-Kaap Provinsie van Suid-Afrika blyk om in ooreenstemming te wees met vorige evolusionêre scenario's vir M. tuberculosis wat in ander dele van die wêreld geïsoleer is. Die genoom-wye enkelnukleotied polimorfisme-gebaseerde filogenetiese hipotese vir die evolusie van M. tuberculosis bied nuwe insig in die unieke wêreldwye verteenwoordiging van die M. tuberculosis isolate van die Wes-Kaap, Suid-Afrika. Die evolusionêre scenario wat hier aangetoon word bevestig ses LAM sub-lyne, naamlik IS6110 RFLP families F9, F11, F13, F14, F15, en F26. 'n Versameling sub-lyn definiërende enkelnukleotied polimorfismes was bepaal vir elk van die ses LAM sub-afstammelinge. Die genomiese veranderinge wat waargeneem is in die LAM-genotipe isolate deur die enkelnukleotied polimorfisme analise wat hier aangebied word, is meestal in die gene wat betrokke is in die selwand, selprosesse, intermediêre metabolisme en respirasie. Dieselfde verskynsel is waargeneem wanneer die nie-oorbodige enkelnukleotied polimorfismes van die nie-LAM isolate funksioneel geannoteer is. Die funksionele klassifikasie van die gereguleerde proteïene in die verteenwoordiger van die LAM RDRio-lyn van M. tuberculosis dui daarop dat die proteïene wat betrokke is in die lipiedmetabolisme, intermediêre metabolisme en respirasie die sleutel tot die patogene doeltreffendheid van die RDRio-LAM-lyn kan wees. 'n Kombinasie van die LAM enkelnukleotied polimorfisme analise en die LAM-RDRio/nie-RDRio vergelyking het getoon dat die totale genomiese- en proteomiese kenmerke wat verwant is aan selwand en selprosesse van die LAM genotipe tot ʼn groot mate verskil van wat gesien word in die verwysing stam, M. tuberculosis H37Rv. Hierdie genoom-wye filogenetiese studie is die eerste van sy soort in 'n Suid-Afrikaanse konteks, en bied nie net ‗n robuuste filogenie van die M. tuberculosis stam families, en spesifiek die LAM genotipe van M. tuberculosis nie, maar gee ook die eerste keer ooit insig in die proteïen verskille wat RDRio en nie-RDRio M. tuberculosis stamme van mekaar onderskei.

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a multisystem genetic disease that is caused by a germ line mutation in the genes TSC1 and TSC2. Patients with the disease tend to suffer from benign tumors of the brain, heart, kidneys, skin, and other organs that contain giant cells. Although mTORC1 inhibitors (rapamycin and rapalogs) are often used to treat TSC because of their efficacy in promoting tumor shrinkage, clinical studies in the past have shown that when treatment is taken away, the tumor size returns to its original state. The objective of this study was to identify compounds that selectively inhibit proliferation of TSC2-deficient cells. A high-throughput screen of about 4000 compounds was performed using a lysosomal inhibitor (chloroquine [CQ], 5 μM) and a “repurposing” library of compounds. Through some yet to be determined mechanism, the combination of ritanserin (a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor [SSRI]) and chloroquine was found to synergize to selectively inhibit the cell viability of DJK MEFs and TSC2-/-KO cells (TFFs) starting at 48 hours after treatment. The effects of this combination treatment were confirmed in a second cell line (TFFs) exhibiting similar reduction in proliferation. Interestingly, treatment with CQ (5 μM) and ritanserin (20 μM) showed synergistic action (combination index [CI] = 0.6) against TSC2-deficient cells. This combination treatment induced apoptosis (41%) in TSC2-deficient cells but not in TSC2-expressing cells. These results suggest a novel treatment approach in tuberous sclerosis complex and provide an incentive for further investigation of the mechanisms contributing to the vulnerability of TSC2-deficient cells. Moreover, the use of an already Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved compound can lead to a more rapid pharmacologic approach for TSC patients.

Development of an RPIs (Request Progression Interface = communication device) that uses VIA (virtual Interface Architecture) instead of TCP on ethernet networks. / Entwicklung eines RPIs (Request Progression Interface = Kommunikations Modul) das auf ethernet Netzwerken VIA (virtual Interface Architecture) an Stelle von TCP benutzt.

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / The performance of beef heifers grazing Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam) from eight until twelve months receiving or not energetic supplement (whole corn grain or steam-rolled) at level of 1% body weight were studied. The grazing method was continuous with variable number of animals. The suplement was given daily at 2 pm and presented 9,5% crude protein, 8,4% neutral detergent fiber and 83% total digestible nutrients. The experimental design was completely randomized with repeated measures on time and the sward and animals variable were studied. The beef heifers were submitted to average values of forage mass (1525,2 kg/ha of dry matter) and sward height (9,6 cm). There was no difference between the performance of beef heifers that receiving different physical forms of corn grain (P>0,05) and the average values of whole corn grain and steam-rolled corn was used. The beef heifers receiving corn grain had higher average daily gain, body condition score and body weight:height ratio than heifers exclusively on pasture. The use of corn grain as a supplement expressed no change in pelvic area and reproductive tract score of beef heifers. The supplementation with corn grain allows higher number of beef heifers grazing on ryegrass pasture and gain per area. / Foi estudado o desempenho de bezerras de corte, dos oito aos doze meses de idade, em pastagem de azevém (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) recebendo ou não suplemento energético na proporção de 1% do peso corporal, na forma de grão de milho inteiro ou laminado (Zea mays). Foi utilizado o método de pastejo contínuo com número variável de animais. O suplemento foi ministrado diariamente às 14 horas e apresentou teores de 9,5% de proteína bruta (PB), 8,4% de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e 83% de nutrientes digestíveis totais (NDT). O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com medidas repetidas no tempo e foram estudadas variáveis do pasto e dos animais. As bezerras de corte foram submetidas a valores médios de massa de forragem (1525,2 kg/ha de matéria seca) e altura do dossel (9,6cm). Não houve diferença no desempenho de bezerras de corte que receberam diferentes formas físicas de grão de milho (P>0,05), sendo utilizada a média entre grão de milho inteiro e laminado. As bezerras que recebem grão de milho apresentam maior ganho médio diário, escore de condição corporal e relação peso corporal:altura do que bezerras exclusivamente em pastejo. O uso do grão de milho como suplemento não expressa alteração na área pélvica e no escore de trato reprodutivo de bezerras de corte. A suplementação com grão de milho permite maior número de bezerras em pastejo em azevém e ganho de peso corporal por área. Foi estudado o desempenho de bezerras de corte, dos oito aos doze meses de idade, em pastagem de azevém (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) recebendo ou não suplemento energético na proporção de 1% do peso corporal, na forma de grão de milho inteiro ou laminado (Zea mays). Foi utilizado o método de pastejo contínuo com número variável de animais. O suplemento foi ministrado diariamente às 14 horas e apresentou teores de 9,5% de proteína bruta (PB), 8,4% de fibra em detergente neutro (FDN) e 83% de nutrientes digestíveis totais (NDT). O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com medidas repetidas no tempo e foram estudadas variáveis do pasto e dos animais. As bezerras de corte foram submetidas a valores médios de massa de forragem (1525,2 kg/ha de matéria seca) e altura do dossel (9,6cm). Não houve diferença no desempenho de bezerras de corte que receberam diferentes formas físicas de grão de milho (P>0,05), sendo utilizada a média entre grão de milho inteiro e laminado. As bezerras que recebem grão de milho apresentam maior ganho médio diário, escore de condição corporal e relação peso corporal:altura do que bezerras exclusivamente em pastejo. O uso do grão de milho como suplemento não expressa alteração na área pélvica e no escore de trato reprodutivo de bezerras de corte. A suplementação com grão de milho permite maior número de bezerras em pastejo em azevém e ganho de peso corporal por área.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio (fiscina@bahia.fiocruz.br) on 2013-10-15T19:41:49Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Erivelton 1 Oliveira Souza Caracterizaçao dos perfis...2012.pdf: 2501634 bytes, checksum: c5ec35828b8fce881d7f6a1ae0ff2b45 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2013-10-15T19:41:49Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Erivelton 1 Oliveira Souza Caracterizaçao dos perfis...2012.pdf: 2501634 bytes, checksum: c5ec35828b8fce881d7f6a1ae0ff2b45 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012 / Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, Brasil / A resistência aos fármacos utilizados no tratamento da tuberculose (TB) é um importante desafio no combate à doença. A rifampicina e a isoniazida são dois fármacos de primeira linha essenciais para a cura da doença, a qual tem como agente o M. tuberculosis. Pacientes com TB cujos isolados de M. tuberculosis apresentem resistência in vitro simultânea a estes dois fármacos desenvolvem a TB multirresistente (TBMR). A resistência do M. tuberculosis está relacionada com mutações em genes importantes para a sobrevivência do bacilo. O tratamento da TBMR é mais longo e utiliza fármacos anti-TB de segunda linha, os quais são de maior toxicidade, predispondo os pacientes à não adesão aos esquemas de tratamento. O paciente com TBMR, quando não devidamente tratado, pode selecionar cepas resistentes aos fármacos anti-TB de segunda linha, proporcionando o surgimento da TB extensivamente resistente (TBXDR). Por sua vez, estas cepas podem ser transmitidas em comunidades, constituindo um grave problema de saúde pública. Segundo a Organização Mundial de Saúde, a TBXDR tem sido documentada em alguns países, mas no Brasil estes dados são escassos. A caracterização genética de cepas de M. tuberculosis envolvidas com os casos TBMR/TBXDR pode facilitar a identificação de vias de transmissão. OBJETIVO: Pesquisar casos de TBXDR na Bahia e caracterizar perfis genéticos de isolados de M. tuberculosis de pacientes com TB multirresistente, associando o perfil genético encontrado com as características sócio-demográficas e clínicas dos pacientes envolvidos. MATERIAIS E MÉTODOS: Isolados de M. tuberculosis obtidos de pacientes com diagnóstico de TBMR entre 2008-2011 residentes no Estado da Bahia (Brasil) foram submetidos ao teste de sensibilidade utilizando fármacos anti-TB de primeira e segunda linha e genotipados pela técnica do Número Variável de Repetições em Tandem de Unidades Repetitivas Inter-espaçadas Micobacterianas (MIRU-VNTR) para obtenção de perfis genéticos que foram associados com perfis da base de dados internacional MIRU-VNTRplus. Isolados com perfis genéticos não associáveis a linhagens com o uso desta técnica foram adicionalmente genotipados por Spoligotyping e ambas as informações foram consideradas para assimilação de linhagens utilizando esta mesma base de dados. Informações clínico-epidemiológicas foram obtidas do banco de dados “Sistema TBMR” do Ministério da Saúde. RESULTADOS: Foram analisados 392 isolados. Destes, 35% foram excluídos por ausência de crescimento ou contaminação e 12% constituíam amostras em duplicata, resultando em 206 pacientes com TBMR no estudo. Comprovou-se a ocorrência da TBXDR em 7% (14/206) dos pacientes; destes, dois não possuíam registro anterior para qualquer tratamento anti-TB. Os pacientes estudados foram provenientes de 45 municípios do Estado. A capital, Salvador, concentrou 71% dos casos TBMR e 76% dos TBXDR. Dos casos TBXDR, 36% (5/14) apresentaram isolados resistentes a todos os fármacos testados. Observou-se associação de resistência combinada entre estreptomicina e etambutol (8/14, 57%) e o perfil TBXDR (RP 4,0; IC95% 1,2-13,8; P=0,01). Dos casos TBXDR, 71% (10/14) desenvolveram uma ou mais comorbidades (P=0,04), sendo o transtorno mental uma comorbidade significativa neste grupo (21%; 3/14; P=0,04). Encontrou-se 56 perfis genéticos, 38 únicos e 18 agrupados em clusters (contendo de 2 a 11 isolados). Quase a totalidade (92%) dos casos TBXDR esteve agrupada em clusters, diferindo dos casos não-TBXDR (P=0,049). Os perfis genéticos estiveram principalmente associados a seis famílias: LAM (70%), Cameroon (16%), Haarlem (10%) e as famílias X, S, Uganda I, que combinadas perfizeram 4%. Os casos TBXDR foram representados pelas famílias LAM (45%, ST’s 376, ST42, ST20), Cameroon (36%, ST61 único) e Haarlem (18%, ST50). CONCLUSÕES: A Bahia apresentou casos de TBXDR e as famílias de M.tuberculosis envolvidas com estes casos foram LAM, Cameroon e Haarlem. A genotipagem auxiliou na descoberta de casos epidemiologicamente relacionados. / Resistance to drugs used in tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy is a major challenge to fighting this disease caused by M. tuberculosis. Rifampin and isoniazid are two main first-line drugs to achieve TB cure. TB patients whose M. tuberculosis isolates exhibit resistance simultaneously to these two drugs develop multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB). M. tuberculosis resistance is related to mutations in genes important for bacillus survival. MDR-TB treatment is longer and uses more toxic second-line anti-TB drugs, predisposing patients to non-adherence to treatment regimens. Patients with MDR-TB, when not properly treated, can select strains resistant to second-line anti-TB drugs leading to the emergence of extensively drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB). These strains can be transmitted in communities, constituting a serious public health problem. According to the World Health Organization, XDR-TB has been documented in some countries, but in Brazil these data are scarce. The genetic characterization of M. tuberculosis strains involved in MDR/XDR-TB cases could facilitate the identification of transmission chains. AIMS: To investigate cases of XDR-TB in Bahia and to characterize the genetic profiles of the isolates of M. tuberculosis from patients with multidrug-resistant TB, associating the genetic profiles observed with the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of patients involved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: M. tuberculosis isolates obtained from patients diagnosed with MDR-TB between 2008-2011 resident in the State of Bahia (Brazil) were tested for sensitivity against first and second-line anti-TB drugs and genotyped by the Variable Number of Tandem Repeats in Repetitive Unit Inter- Mycobacterial spaced (MIRU-VNTR) technique to obtain the genetic profiles that were associated with profiles in the international database MIRU-VNTRplus. Isolates whose genetic profiles have not matched any lineage with the use of this technique were further genotyped by Spoligotyping and information from both methods were considered to test for the possible matching with lineages from the same database. Clinical and epidemiological data were obtained from the database "Sistema TBMR" of the Ministry Health. RESULTS: We analyzed 392 isolates. Of these, 35% were excluded due to absence of growth or contamination and 12% corresponded to duplicate samples, resulting in 206 patients with MDR-TB in the study. XDR-TB was found in 7% (14/206) of the patients, two of which had no previous record of any anti-TB treatment. The patients studied were from 45 cities of the State. The capital, Salvador, concentrated 71% of all MDR-TB and 76% of the XDR-TB cases. Among XDR-TB cases, 36% (5/14) had isolates resistant to all drugs tested here. Combined resistance to streptomycin and ethambutol (8/14, 57%) was associated with the XDR-TB profile (OR 4.0, 95% CI 1.2 to 13.8, P = 0.01). 71 %(10/14) of XDR-TB cases developed one or more comorbidities (P= 0.04), mental disorder being a significant comorbidity in this group (21%, 3/14, P=0.04). Genotyping yielded 56 profiles, 38 unique and 18 in clusters (containing 2 to 11 isolates). Almost all (92%) XDR-TB cases were clustered, differing from non-XDR-TB cases (P=0.049). The genetic profiles were mainly associated with six families: LAM (70%), Cameroon (16%), Haarlem (10%), and the families X, S, Uganda I, which altogether amounted to 4%. The XDR-TB cases were represented by LAM (45% ST's 376, ST42, ST20), Cameroon (36%, single ST61) and Haarlem (18% ST50). CONCLUSIONS AND STUDY CONTRIBUTIONS: Bahia presented cases of XDR-TB and the families involved with these cases were LAM, Haarlem and Cameroon. Genotyping helped in epidemiologically linked case finding.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The productive and reproductive performance of beef heifers grazing Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam) were studied with animals exclusively on pasture or receiving 0.8% of body weight of rice bran plus monensin or not. The rice bran was given daily at 2 pm and the monensin was provided in the amount of 200mg per animal. The grazing method was continuous with variable number of animals. The experimental design was completely randomized with repeated measures on time, three treatments and three area replicates. The beef heifers were submitted to average values of forage mass (1490.0±134.9kg ha-1 MS) and sward height (10±0.68cm). Beef heifers supplemented with rice bran plus monensin or not had higher daily gain, weight body, body condition score and body weight:height ratio. Beef heifers receiving rice bran with or without ionophore in 112 days of grazing gain 28% of body weight in relation to adult weight. The supplementation with rice bran to grazing animals no change in pelvic area, stocking rate and area weight gain. / Foi estudado o desempenho de bezerras de corte em pastagem de azevém (Lolium multiflorum Lam.), com animais exclusivamente em pastejo ou recebendo farelo de arroz integral (FAI) em nível de 0,8% do peso corporal associado ou não à monensina. O FAI foi ministrado diariamente às 14 horas, e a monensina foi fornecida na quantidade de 200mg por animal. O método de pastejo foi contínuo com número variável de animais. O delineamento experimental foi o inteiramente casualizado, com medidas repetidas no tempo, com três tratamentos e três repetições de área. As bezerras de corte foram submetidas a valores médios de massa de forragem (1490,0±134,9kg ha-1 MS) e altura do dossel (10±0,68cm). As bezerras que receberam FAI independente do uso da monensina, apresentaram maior ganho diário, peso corporal, escore de condição corporal e relação peso corporal:altura. Em 112 dias de pastejo, as bezerras que receberam FAI com ou sem ionóforo, ganharam 28% do peso corporal em relação ao peso adulto projetado. O uso de FAI associado ou não a monensina não expressou alteração na área pélvica das bezerras, na taxa de lotação e no ganho de peso por área.

An oilfield lifecycle naturally exhibits a transition time when it becomes exhausted, since forward large water to oil ratios starts to be experienced, due to the proper conditions of oil reservoir or as a consequence of water injection with the purpose of oil secondary recovering. The development of new technologies for produced water treatment or the improvement of the existing ones is an issue of great importance to the petroleum industry development, minimizing environmental impacts. The flotation process has been extensively used to remove oil, mainly by dissolved air flotation (DAF) that consists of four basic steps: generation of bubbles in oily wastewater; contact between the gas bubbles and oil drops suspended in water; attachment of oil drops to gas bubbles; flotation of air-oil mixture to the surface where the oil is separated. In cases where the effluent needs coagulation, this step becomes an important point to any downstream processing technology. The use of environmentally correct coagulants represents an alternative way to the treatment of sewage and has demonstrated some advantages in relation to chemical coagulants, specifically due to its biodegradability, low toxicity and low surplus sludge production. This study proposes to evaluate the oil-water separation efficiency from produced water through DAF process by using Moringa oleifera Lam as a natural coagulant. Some tests were performed to characterize the oil and the Moringa s cake. Further, other experiments were performed to optimize the coagulation-flocculation process by changing the concentration of Moringa oleifera Lam in the range of 0.05 to 3.5 g/L, with samples of synthetic produced water (SPW) and real produced water (RPW) to get the optimum coagulant concentration in each sample and to determine its action on salted and unsalted emulsions, prepared, respectively, by adding or not NaCl. In the second stage, tests were also performed to optimize DAF process with RPW and SPW samples to evaluate the coagulant agent performance and to establish the kinetic modeling to estimate the separation efficiency. The optimal Moringa s concentration was 2.5 g/L for SPW samples and 1.5 g/L for RPW samples. The greatest DAF s efficiencies by using Moringa oleifera Lam were obtained when the recycling ratio (RR) were set to 40% and 60%, corresponding to oil removal efficiencies of 63.84 and 64.45 %, respectively, for SPW samples, and 55.28 and 59.63%, respectively, for RPW samples. In the case of SPW, the fit of an order one kinetic model provided k=0.03261s-1, showing satisfactory results compared to experimental data. For the case of RPW, the k value to a second-order kinetics model was 3.614x10-4 L.mg-1s-1, exhibiting weak correlation with the experimental results. The use of Moringa oleifera Lam as natural coagulant in the DAF process provided very good results, been considered an available alternative technique for produced water treatment. / Na vida de um poço de petróleo, chega sempre o momento em que uma grande quantidade de água começa a ser produzida junto com o óleo, seja pelas próprias condições do reservatório, ou como uma conseqüência da injeção de água no processo de recuperação secundária do poço. O desenvolvimento de novas tecnologias para o tratamento da água produzida ou ainda o aperfeiçoamento das existentes é de extrema importância para que a indústria de petróleo continue a se expandir, minimizando os impactos ao meio ambiente. O processo de flotação vem sendo extensivamente utilizado para remoção de óleos, principalmente através da flotação por ar dissolvido (FAD) e consiste em quatro passos básicos: Geração de bolhas na água oleosa; Contato entre as bolhas de gás e as gotas de óleo suspensas na água; União das gotas de óleo às bolhas de gás; Elevação da combinação ar/óleo até a superfície de onde o óleo é removido. Quando a água a ser tratada necessita da coagulação, essa etapa passa a ser importante, em qualquer tecnologia de tratamento. O uso de coagulantes ambientalmente corretos apresenta uma alternativa viável para o tratamento de água e têm demonstrado vantagens em relação aos químicos, especificamente em relação à biodegradabilidade, baixa toxicidade e baixo índice de produção de lodos residuais. Assim, este trabalho propõe avaliar a eficiência de separação óleo/água de água produzida através do processo da FAD utilizando o coagulante natural Moringa oleifera Lam. Foram realizados ensaios visando à caracterização do óleo e da torta da moringa. Em seguida, executou-se experimentos para a otimização do processo de coagulação/floculação com uma variação da concentração de Moringa oleifera Lam entre 0,05 a 3,5 g/L, com amostras de água produzida sintética (APS) e água produzida real (APR) para determinar a concentração ótima do coagulante em cada amostra e verificar a sua ação em emulsões preparadas com e sem adição de NaCl. Numa segunda etapa realizou-se ensaios para a otimização do processo de FAD também com amostras de APS e APR para avaliar o comportamento do agente coagulante e realizar a modelagem cinética para estimar a eficiência do referido processo. A concentração ótima de moringa determinada foi de 2,5 g/L para as amostras de APS e de 1,5 g/L para as amostras de APR. A maior eficiência do processo de FAD foi obtida quando se utilizou a Moringa, nas razões de reciclo (RR) 40 e 60%, sendo que, para amostras de APS, a remoção de óleo foi de 63,84 e 64,45%, respectivamente e para amostras de APR 55,28 e 59,63%, respectivamente. Para o caso da APS, a modelagem cinética utilizando a constante de ordem um k=0,03261 s-1, apresentou resultados satisfatórios comparados aos dados experimentais. Já para o caso da APR o valor de k = 3,614x10-4 L.mg-1s-1 para a cinética de segunda ordem, não representou bem os resultados experimentais. A utilização do agente coagulante Moringa oleifera Lam apresentou resultados muito significativos como coagulante natural no processo de FAD, podendo ser considerada como uma técnica alternativa para o tratamento de água produzida.

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / Esters from vegetable oils have been considered an alternative for diesel substitution in compression-ignition engines. In Brazil, several kinds of oil plants, that have potential to be used as raw-material for biodiesel production, are cultivated, such as soybean, castor, sunflower, corn, oil palm and moringa. Moringa oleifera Lam is a tropical plant that belongs to the Moringaceae family, native to India. The oil extracted from its seeds shows good resistance to oxidation and contains high content of unsaturated fatty acids, especially oleic acid (78%). An important point is that moringa seeds can be used for oil extraction whereas their by-products can be useful for wastewater treatment. Then, this work intends to study the potentiality of moringa in biodiesel production by transesterification, hydroesterification and transesterification in situ reactions and in the treatment of the water produced from oil extraction, using the by-products (pod, cake and shell) in oil/water separation by filtration and coagulation/flocculation. Physical-chemical analyses were carried out aiming to characterize the oil obtained from moringa seeds. Reactions for biodiesel production were performed by the above-mentioned processes. In transesterification and transesterification in situ reactions, the alcohol (methanol and ethanol) and the catalyst (sodium or potassium hydroxide) were permuted; the temperature was kept constant at 25°C for one hour. Hydroesterification was carried out in a batch reactor using, for hydrolysis, 20% of niobium oxide (catalyst), oil/water ratio of 20:1 at 300°C for one-hour reaction. Esterification was performed with 20% of niobium catalyst and alcohol/fatty acid ratio of 3:1 at 300°C for one hour. Coagulationflocculation tests, with produced water, were carried out varying the concentration of moringa extract in salt and water medium. The filtration experiments took place in a bench-scale PVC tube. The shell, the cake (obtained from transesterification in situ) and the pod of moringa were used as filter media, whose efficiency were compared to nut shell, which is commonly used by oil industries to remove oil and greases in water. The results showed an ester conversion higher than 90% in transesterification and hydroesterification reactions. Concerning the transesterification in situ, the oxidation stability stood out, being higher than 300 hours. In the studies of oil/water separation, the process of coagulation/flocculation was efficient, mainly when using the coagulant extracted on saline media. In this media, at a concentration of 0,5 mL/L, a oil removal of 96% was achieved. Regarding the filtration process, moringa shell was the most efficient media once an oil removal of 95% was achieved. The potentiality of moringa was observed in all the process of biodiesel production and water treatment studied in this work. / Os ésteres de ácidos graxos aparecem como uma alternativa para a substituição ao óleo diesel em motores de ignição por compressão. No país, são cultivadas diversas espécies oleaginosas que possuem potencial para serem utilizadas como matéria prima na produção de biodiesel, tais como soja, dendê, mamona, girassol dentre outras. A moringa oleifera Lam é uma planta tropical pertencente à família Moringaceae nativa da Índia, o óleo extraído dessas sementes apresenta alta resistência à oxidação e contém elevados teores de ácidos graxos insaturados, especialmente o oléico (78%). Um ponto importante é que as sementes da moringa podem ser usadas para a extração de óleo e seus coprodutos para tratamento de efluentes. Assim, o presente trabalho propôs estudar a potencialidade da moringa na produção de biodiesel pelas reações de transesterificação, hidroesterificação e transesterificação in situ e no tratamento de água produzida na extração de petróleo, utilizando os coprodutos (vagem, torta e casca) na separação óleo/água através dos processos de filtração e coagulação/floculação. Foram realizadas análises físico químicas visando caracterizar o óleo obtido a partir das sementes de moringa. Em seguida, foram realizadas reações para produção de biodiesel pelos processos acima descritos. Nas reações de transesterificação e transesterificação in situ variou-se o tipo de álcool (etílico e metílico) e o tipo de catalisador (hidróxido de sódio e hidróxido de potássio), a temperatura foi mantida à 25°C durante uma hora de reação. A hidroesterificação foi realizada em um reator batelada utilizando-se, para a hidrólise, 20% de óxido de nióbio (catalisador), uma razão molar água: óleo de 20:1 e uma temperatura de 300°C durante 1 hora de reação e para a esterificação, 20% de óxido de nióbio, uma razão molar álcool: àcido graxo de 3:1 e uma temperatura de 200°C durante 1 hora de reação. Os ensaios de coagulação/floculação, com água produzida sintética, foram realizados variando as concentrações do extrato de moringa em meio salino e em meio aquoso. Para os experimentos de filtração utilizou-se um filtro PVC em escala de bancada sendo a casca, a torta (obtida na transesterificação in situ) e vagem da moringa os meios filtrantes que foram comparados com a eficiência da casca de nozes, geralmente utilizada pelas indústrias de petróleo na remoção de óleos e graxas em água. Os resultados mostraram conversão em éster maior do que 90% nas reações de transesterificação e hidroesterificação. Já nas reações de transesterificação in situ a estabilidade a oxidação se destacou, sendo maior do que 300 horas. Nos estudos de separação óleo/água o processo de coagulação/floculação mostrou-se eficiente, principalmente com o coagulante extraído em meio salino, na concentração de 0,5 mL/L, onde obteve-se remoção de óleo em água de 96% e no processo de filtração, a casca de moringa foi o meio filtrante mais eficiente, pois foi neste onde observou-se a maior remoção de óleo em água (maior do que 95%). A potencialidade da moringa foi observada em todos os processos de produção de biodiesel e tratamento de água estudados neste trabalho.