A adubação nitrogenada de soqueira de cana-de-açúcar no Brasil normalmente é feita no período seco do ano e a principal fonte de N é o nitrato de amônio, apesar de a ureia ser o principal fertilizante nitrogenado consumido no Brasil e no mundo. Para viabilizar o uso de ureia em áreas de cana-de-açúcar colhida sem queima, com grande quantidade de palha recobrindo o solo, devem ser adotadas estratégias que reduzam as perdas de amônia por volatilização, como uso de ureia estabilizada com inibidores de urease. Trabalhos prévios indicaram a necessidade de aumentar a concentração do inibidor de urease NBPT na ureia para reduzir perdas de amônia por volatilização em áreas de cana-crua, porém os efeitos na produtividade da cultura ainda não foram estudados. A hipótese deste trabalho é de que o aumento da concentração do inibidor de urease NBPT na ureia irá proporcionar ganhos de produtividade comparado à ureia convencional, demonstrando a viabilidade do uso de ureia estabilizada para adubação de soqueira de cana-crua. O presente trabalho foi executado em dois locais (Experimento 1, Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico de textura muito argilosa e Experimento 2, Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo eutrófico de textura média) para avaliar o comportamento produtivo de soqueiras de cana-de-açúcar em função de doses de N nas formas de nitrato de amônio, ureia e ureia estabilizada com diferentes concentrações de NBPT. O delineamento experiemental foi de blocos inteiramente casualizados no esquema fatorial 6 x 2 + 1, sendo seis fontes de N (nitrato de amônio, ureia e ureia estabilizada com quatro doses de NBPT variando de 530 a 2000 mg kg-1), duas doses de N (50 e 100 kg ha-1 de N) e um tratamento adicional (Controle, sem adubação nitrogenada). Foram avaliados o perfilhamento, teor foliar de N, índice SPAD, produtividade de colmos, acúmulo de N na parte aérea e os atributos tecnológicos. Também foi avaliada a atividade enzimática da glutamina sintetase (GS) e nitrato redutase (NR) no Experimento 2. Os dados foram submetidos a análise de variância ao nível de 10 % de significância pelo teste F, e os fatores significativos foram comparados pelo teste Tukey a 10 % de significância. Os teores foliares de N não foram alterados pela interação dos fatores, sendo mais importante o aumento da dose de N, o que também ocorreu para atividade das enzimas GS e NR e para o índice SPAD. A produtividade de colmos foi influenciada distintamente entre as áreas. No Experimento 1, houve resposta significativa para as doses de N, independente da fonte de N . No Experimento 2 não houve diferença significativa na produtividade de colmos entre as doses e fontes de N. Os resultados deste trabalho indicam que não é necessário aumentar a concentração de NBPT na ureia e que, tanto a ureia convencional quanto a ureia estabilizada podem ser utilizadas para adubação nitrogenada de soqueira de cana-de- açúcar como fontes opcionais ao nitrato de amônio. / Nitrogen fertilization of sugarcane ratoon in Brazil is usually performed in the dry period of the year and the main source of N is ammonium nitrate, although urea is the main nitrogen fertilizer consumed in Brazil and in the world. In order to allow urea usage in green cane trash blanketing (GCTB) systems, with high amount of straw left on soil surface, strategies that reduce ammonia losses are required, such as the use of urea stabilized with urease inhibitors. Previous research indicated the need to increase the concentration of the urease inhibitor NBPT in urea to reduce ammonia losses in GCTB systems, but the effects on such increase on yield performance is unclear. This study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that increasing the concentration of NBPT in urea will provide yield gains when compared to untreated urea, demonstrating the feasibility of using stabilized urea in GCTB areas. Two field trials (Experiment 1, Oxisols of very clayey texture and Experiment 2, medium-texture Oxisols) were set up to evaluate the yield performance of sugarcane fertilized with N rates as ammonium nitrate, urea and urea stabilized with different concentrations of NBPT. The experimental design was a complete randomized blocks on factorial scheme 6 x 2 + 1, with six N sources (ammonium nitrate, urea and urea stabilized with NBPT concentration ranging from 530 to 2000 mg kg-1), two doses of N (50 and 100 kg ha-1 of N) and an additional control (no N fertilization). It was evaluated the tillering, foliar N content, SPAD index, crop yield, shoot N accumulation and the technological attributes. The enzymatic activity of glutamine synthetase (GS) and nitrate reductase (NR) was also evaluated in Experiment 2. Data were submitted to analysis of variance at the 10 % level of significance by the F test, and the significant factors were compared by the Tukey test at 10 % significance. Leaf N contents weren\'t affected by the interaction of the factors, being more important the increase of the dose of N, which also occurred for the activity of GS, NR and for the SPAD index. Sugarcane response to N fertilization varied among sites. In Experiment 1, there was a significant response to N rates, independently of N sources evaluted. In Experiment 2 there was no significant effect of N sources or rates on sugarcane yield. The results of this study indicate that increasing NBPT concentration in urea will not improve sugarcane yield. However, both urea and stabilized urea resulted in similar yield performance when compared to ammonium nitrate for fertilization of GCTB systems.

Recentemente o conceito de alvo de manejo tem sido utilizado para definição de estratégias de manejo do pastejo, com a altura do pasto, dentre outras características estruturais do dossel, assumindo um papel importante para implementação desse conceito em condições de campo. Práticas de manejo podem influenciar de forma diferente os processos de crescimento e senescência, afetando assim a estrutura e o acúmulo de forragem e, por essa razão, precisam ter seu efeito conhecido de forma a permitir o planejamento práticas de manejo do pastejo eficientes e sustentáveis. Dentro desse contexto, o objetivo deste experimento foi avaliar a estrutura do dossel forrageiro, seus padrões de variação ao longo do ano e a dinâmica do acúmulo de forragem em pastos de capim-marandu mantidos a 30 cm de altura por meio de lotação contínua e submetidos a ritmos de crescimento contrastantes de janeiro de 2007 a abril de 2008. Os tratamentos corresponderam à aplicação de três doses de nitrogênio (150, 300 e 450 kg/ha de N) mais o controle (sem adubação), e foram alocados às unidades experimentais (piquetes de 1200 m2) segundo um delineamento de blocos completos casualizados, com quatro repetições. Foram avaliadas as seguintes variáveis-resposta: massa de forragem, composição morfológica, índice de área foliar, ângulo da folhagem, interceptação luminosa do dossel, densidade populacional de perfilhos e as taxas de crescimento total, de folhas, de colmos, da senescência e do acúmulo líquido de forragem. De forma geral, a aceleração dos ritmos de crescimento dos pastos resultou em aumento da massa de forragem, porcentagem de folhas e de colmos e redução da porcentagem de material morto, modificações essas coerentes com o maior IAF, maior densidade populacional de perfilho e menor ângulo da folhagem, porém sem alteração em interceptação de luz. Essas variações estruturais, apesar de pequenas, resultaram em aumento das taxas de crescimento de folhas, total, e de acúmulo líquido de forragem nos pastos adubados com as maiores doses de N. Apesar da grande amplitude entre as doses de N utilizadas, foi possível detectar um padrão comum de variação na estrutura do dossel forrageiro, cuja diferença entre tratamentos foi apenas relacionada à ordem de grandeza da variação registrada, conseqüência do maior ou menor ritmo de crescimento dos pastos. As mudanças em estrutura do dossel e acúmulo de forragem foram maiores em função da época do ano relativamente às doses de N utilizadas. Ritmos mais acelerados de crescimento associados com as doses mais altas de N resultaram em aumento de crescimento e de senescência, os quais ocorreram de forma relativamente proporcional, sugerindo um forte mecanismo compensatório que impede que grandes mudanças em eficiência de utilização da forragem produzida sejam obtidas. Os resultados demonstraram consistência e robustez da altura como critério de campo, e aponta para a possibilidade de seu uso como forma eficiente de monitorar e controlar o processo de pastejo e a estrutura do dossel forrageiro. Por outro lado, revelaram a necessidade de planejamento cuidadoso e uso estratégico do nitrogênio como forma de assegurar elevada produção de forragem, eficiência de utilização, desempenho e produtividade animal. / Recently, the concept of sward target has been used to define grazing management strategies, with sward surface height, among other swards structural characteristics, assuming an important role for implementing it in field conditions. Management practices can influence growth and senescence processes differently, interfering with herbage accumulation and, therefore, need to have their effect known in order to allow adequate planning of efficient and sustainable grazing management practices. Against that background, the objective of this study was to evaluate sward structure and its patterns of change throughout the year and the dynamics of herbage accumulation on continuously stocked marandu palisadegrass swards maintained at 30 cm and subjected to contrasting rhythms of growth from January 2007 to April 2008. Treatments corresponded to three nitrogen application rates (150, 300 and 450 kg ha-1 N) plus the control (no N fertilisation), and were allocated to experimental units (1200 m2 paddocks) according to a complete randomised block design, with four replications. The following response variables were evaluated: sward herbage mass, morphological composition, leaf area index (LAI), foliage angle, canopy light interception, tiller population density and the rates of total, leaf and stem growth, senescence, net herbage accumulation. Overall, the increase in nitrogen application rates resulted in increase of sward herbage mass, leaf and stem percentage and decrease of dead material percentage, modifications in line with the increase in LAI, light interception and tiller population density and decrease in foliage angle. These changes in sward structural characteristics were relatively small, but resulted in increased rates of total and leaf growth as well as net herbage accumulation on swards fertilised with high rates of nitrogen application. In spite of the wide range of nitrogen application rates used, it was possible to detect a common pattern of variation in sward structure, there was a common pattern of variation in sward structure, and treatments differences were related only to the size of the variation recorded, consequence of the faster or slower growth rhythm of swards. Changes in sward structure and herbage accumulation were larger with season of the year relative to nitrogen application rates. Faster growth rhythms associated with high nitrogen application rates resulted in proportionately similar increases in growth and senescence, suggesting a strong compensatory mechanism that would avoid that significant variations in utilisation efficiency were obtained. This indicates consistency and robustness of sward height as a field indicator, and highlights the possibility of using it as an efficient management tool to monitor and control the grazing process and sward structure. Further, it also highlights the need for careful planning and strategic use of nitrogen as a means of ensuring high levels of herbage production, utilisation efficiency, animal performance and productivity.

Sveriges geomorfologi har till största del bildats under den senaste glaciationens erosion och depositions processer. Vid denna glaciations avsmältning rann smältvattnet bort från glaciären i isälvarna genom tunnlar under inlandsisen. Från dessa isälvar bildas åsar när materialet som transporterats med glaciären förs med i det turbulenta flödet i isälven innan det avsätts och bygger upp dessa långsträckta terrängformer. Isälvarnas position under inlandsisen bestäms av hydrauliska potentialen vilken bestämmer rörelseriktningen för vatten under glaciären. I vissa områden kommer den ha en lägre potential och andra en högre potential beroende på isens tjocklek och formen av den underliggande terrängen. Där den hydrauliska potentialen konvergerar kommer isälvar bildas av de stora mängder smältvatten som transporteras bort. Syftet med detta projekt var att bekräfta åsbildningen i Svealand genom att göra en modellering av den hydrauliska potentialen under inlandsisen i ArcGIS. Två modelleringsalgoritmer för flödesriktning kallade D8 och D-infinity, jämfördes också för att avföra vilken av dessa som bäst modellerar smältvattnets flödesvägar under inlandsisen. Tidsintervallen 11 000, 12 000 och 13 000 år sedan valdes för denna undersökning då inlandsisen då gick från att ligga strax söder om Svealand till mellersta Svealand. Mellan 11 000 och 10 000 år sedan avsmälte glaciären väldigt hastigt och retirerade till Kaledoniderna i norra Sverige och används därför ej i denna undersökning.   I ArcGIS beräknades hydropotentialen för de olika tidpunkterna varefter sänkor i rastret fylldes upp. Flödesriktningen och flödesackumulationen beräknades för både D8 och D-infinity. Från flödesackumulationen togs isälvarna fram genom en omklassning av rastret. För att avgöra vilken flödesriktningsalgoritm som modellerade smältvattnets flödesvägar under inlandsisen bäst användes ett verktyg som summerade antalet pixlar av isälvar som låg under polygoner över nutida åsar i Svealand. Från detta beräknades en procentskillnad mellan D8 och D-infinity för att avgöra vilken av dem som stämde bäst överens med de nutida åsarna. En karta för varje tidsintervall som undersöktes samanställdes med de modellerade isälvarna och de nutida åsarna i Svealand för att visuellt avgöra om det gick urskilja en kronologisk bildningsföljd av åsarna.  D-infinity beräknades modellera isälvarna upp till 2,5 procentenheter bättre än D8. Skillnaden mellan modelleringsalgoritmerna minskade i takt med att glaciärtäckningen av Svealand minskade. I kartorna som sammanställdes gick en viss kronologisk trend att se. Vissa åsar som när de låg långt från inlandsisens kant blev inte modellerade som isälvar förrän inlandsisens kant kom närmare dem. Vissa modellerade isälvar låg inte direkt på de nutida åsarna utan lite till sidan av dem vilket skulle kunna bero på att den rumsliga upplösningen som modelleringen gjordes i var för grov eller att fler faktorer behöver tas med i modelleringen. Till exempel skulle snävare tidsintervall kunnat användas i modelleringen för att bekräfta den kronologiska bildningsföljden av åsar. Transmissivitetens koppling till den hydrauliska potentialen och avståndet mellan isälvar hade möjligtvis också förbättrat modelleringen av isälvarnas rumsliga position. / Sweden's geomorphology has largely been formed during the recent glaciation erosion deposition processes of recent glaciation. During the deglaciation, the meltwater ran away from the glacier in the channel ice streams through tunnels under the ice sheet from which eskers were formed. The position of the glaciers in the ice sheet is determined by the hydraulic potential, which determines the direction of movement of water below the glacier. In some areas, it will have a lower potential and others a higher potential depending on the thickness of the ice and the shape of the underlying terrain. In places where the hydraulic potential converges, ice rivers will be formed by the large amounts of melt water transported away. The purpose of this project was to confirm the esker formation in Svealand by modelling the hydraulic potential during the glaciation in ArcGIS. Two flow direction modelling algorithms, D8 and D-infinity, were also compared to determine which of these best models the meltwater flow paths under the ice sheet. The years 11,000, 12,000 and 13,000 years ago were chosen for this study as the ice sheet then went from lying just south of Svealand to central Svealand. Between 11,000 and 10,000 years ago, the glacier melted very rapidly and retreated to the Caledonids in northern Sweden and is therefore not used in this study. In ArcGIS, the hydraulic potential for the different time intervals was calculated, after which sinks in the grid were filled up, the flow direction and the flow accumulation were calculated for both D8 and D-infinity. From the flow accumulation, the channel ice streams were generated by a reclassification of the grid. To determine which flow direction algorithm best modelled the meltwater flow paths under the ice sheet, a tool was used that summed the number of pixels of channel ice stream that were below polygons over current eskers in Svealand. From this, a percentage between D8 and D-infinity was calculated to determine which of them best matched the current eskers. A map for each assessed year was compiled with the modelled channel ice streams, ice sheet edge and the current eskers in Svealand to visually determine whether a chronological sequence of the eskers could be discerned. D-infinity was estimated to model the channel ice streams up to 2.5 percentage points better than D8. The difference between the modelling algorithms decreased as the glacier coverage of Svealand decreased. In the maps that were compiled, a chronological trend could be inferred to a certain point. Some eskers that, when they were far from the edge of the ice sheet, were not modelled as channel ice streams until the edge of the ice sheet were much closer to them. The modelling could be improved by increasing the resolution in which the modelling was made as it might have been too coarse or that more factors need to be included in the modelling. For example, narrower time intervals could be used in the modelling to confirm the chronological sequence of ridges. The connection between the transmissivity and the hydraulic potential and the distance between ice rivers may have also improved the modelling of the spatial position of the ice rivers.

Philosophiae Doctor - PhD / Starch is a major carbohydrate reserve in many plants, providing energy during heterotrophic growth and it is contained in large amounts in staple foods such as potatoes, wheat, maize, rice, sorghum and cassava. Apart from being a major product for use in the food industry, starch is also attracting interest from the biofuels industry as a source of bioethanol. This study reports on the development of genetic tools aimed at increasing starch production in sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L Moench), a crop of key agronomic importance worldwide by exploiting a new discovery of a transcription factor gene that regulates starch accumulation in Arabidopsis thaliana namely LEAFY COTYLEDON I (LECl). Ectopic over expression of this gene in arabidopsis has previously been shown to induce a massive hyper accumulation of starch in vegetative tissues. Therefore, we set out to investigate the function of its orthologous gene counterpart in sorghum with the aim of manipulating starch yield directly. Deduced protein sequence analyses showed that the putative sorghum LEAFY COTYLEDON I gene (SbLEC1) cloned in this study shares an overall high amino acid sequence identity (70 %) with the arabidopsis LEC 1, while the functional central B domain shows an even higher percentage sequence identity (91 %) with the same region of arabidopsis LEC 1. The putative SbLEC1 protein shares 14 out of the 16, signature ammo acids characteristic of the Central B Domain with arabidopsis. Furthermore, the putative SbLEC1 protein was also shown to share a significantly high sequence identity (> 80 %) with other well-characterized LEC1 protein sequences from organisms such as maize, rice, rapeseed as well as other organisms documented in the NCB I database. Similarly, much of the sequence similarity lies within the functional central B domain compared to any other region. Gene expression profiling using semi-quantitative PCR showed that SbLEC1 transcripts accumulated in developing seeds as well as in embryogenic calli tissue and no SbLEC 1 transcripts were detectable in leaf, root or sheath tissue. In order to confirm that the identified transcription factor is a functional ortholog, the full cDNA encoding putative SbLEC 1 transcription factor was identified, isolated and cloned from the sweet sorghum MN 1812 genotype. Plant transformation gene constructs based on the pCAMBIA1305.2 binary vector harbouring the transcription factor gene under the control of different promoter sequences were then assembled and immobilized into Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain LBA4404 in preparation for sorghum and arabidopsis transformation. Transient GUS expression studies showed that the five SbLEC1 gene constructs developed in this study were successfully transformed into arabidopsis (Ws ecotype) and sorghum (variety MN1812) callus and cell suspension cultures. The transformed tissues thus represent essential tools that are useful to evaluate the effect of over expressing the putative SbLEC1 protein. Transient GUS expression assays also further revealed differences in efficiency among promoters in driving transgene expression. Transient GUS activity was highest for the maize ubiquitin promoter (MUbi1), followed by the sorghum LEC1 promoter (SLECP), the arabidopsis LEC1 promoter (ALECP) and lastly the maize alcohol dehydrogenase promoter (MAdh1). The ability of the putative SbLEC 1 gene to complement the arabidopsis lecI mutation was also investigated and our findings were not conclusive as they only revealed partial complementation. A detailed comparison of SbLECI full cDNA sequences isolated and cloned from twenty-eight different F2 population plants from different sorghum varieties revealed the existence of sequence variation within the SbLEC 1 gene, which appeared to be allelic. The allelic variation was further shown to affect the amino acid composition of the putative SbLEC 1 protein. Heterologous protein expression studies of the SbLECI gene using an E. coli system showed that the predicted 29.16 kDa putative SbLEC 1 protein could be expressed in vitro both as an development of an efficient tissue culture protocol is a prerequisite for plant genetic engineering, this study also reports on the evaluation of thirteen sorghum genotypes from different genetic backgrounds for their in vitro culture response. A tissue culture protocol for three previously unexplored sorghum genotypes namely Agricol white, AS4 and MNI812 was established. The effect of plant genotype, explant and medium composition on in vitro culture response was highly significant (95 % Cl) in this study. Taken together, the findings in our study demonstrate efforts to draw a baseline foundation for the development of molecular technologies that can be used to increase starch production in sweet sorghum as a water efficient and sustainable feedstock for biofuel production.

The master thesis will concern design of hybrid photovoltaic system for a family house with accumulation of electric energy. Three alternatives of power consumption will be made. For each alternative multiple simulations will be carried out with different amount of photovoltaic panels and batteries. The most appropriate alternative and size of photovoltaic system will be chosen based on those simulations. Finally the choice of alternative will be described.

This diploma thesis deals with analysis of particular elements of ground water storage tanks, their comparison and describtion of their characteristic. Basic information of designing volume of accumulation tank is included in the first part followed by a key section where particular construction parts and elements are described. In the next section, new types of water tanks are mentioned. In the final section of this thesis, study of 5 existing water tanks was accomplished. A technical recommendation is summed up in the final part that can be taken into account when constructing a new water storage tank.

This master`s thesis deals with low-temperature heating that employs a heat pump. The introduction gives reasons for utilization of the renewable heat sources for heating. The next part focuses on a practical application of renewables on the heating of a family house. It covers a detailed description of the building and the designed heating system which includes: the calculation of thermal losses, design of the low-temperature boiler, heat pump, safety devices, heating elements, sizing and control of the system. The last part is devoted to the assessment of the system performance.

Thesis (M. A.) --University of Limpopo, 2019. / This study explores a literary comparative examination of crime between Africa and Scandinavia, with special attention to Botswana and Norway. Smith’s and Nesbo’s selected novels are used as primary texts for analysis. The novels are, therefore, set in two different areas. These writers depict crime from the African and European perspectives. Chapter One deals with a brief introduction, and the aim and objectives of the study. It also expands on the theoretical background and provides definitions of terms that are used in this paper. Chapter Two presents views from various scholars on crime. This study is based on an Afro-Western approach of literary analysis. In other words, there are thoughts by both African and Western writers which assist in determining possible and noticeable similarities and differences, on the issue of crime. Chapter Three analyses crime from an African perspective while Chapter Four discusses crime from a Western point of view. Each of these chapters reflects on crime through character portrayal and depiction within its context. Chapter Five is a comparative analysis of both novels. The chapter identifies possible similarities and differences, mainly of the depiction of crime in different settings – Africa and Scandinavia, committed by blacks and whites. However, the structural and linguistic approaches of both the novels are also reviewed, assisting in discovering the life, in comparison, of the authors. The last chapter (Chapter Six), is a conclusion of the study and future suggestions. Basically, the study argues that blacks only should not be portrayed as perpetrators, but that whites too can be culprits. Again, there should be an equal of measurement on the weight and honour of the two races. Lastly, the moral is that without considering skin colour, financial and social backgrounds, justice must be served equally. Hence, whoever is caught in any form of wrongdoing, they must be given the appropriate punishment – regardless of race, colour, religious creed, gender, financial and social background. Key Words: Crime, Afro-Western, Marxism, suspense, detective, identity, puzzle, fix, accumulation, class, characterisation and setting.

Whenever someone starts a company from scratch there is a great chance he or she (the entrepreneur) looks for funding. People who fund entrepreneurs and start-­‐ups are usually venture capitalists or business angels. Whether it is one or the other these people want to invest wisely. However without last year’s report piling up at the reception of this start-­‐up another approach is necessary. This master thesis focuses on how valuation is possible without haveing financial data. The main focus the thesis is to find whitch personal attributes you should look for in a successful future entrepreneur.

This diploma thesis is a case study focused on the concept of the voting bonus for mayors, which it further expands. Voting bonus for mayors shows whether mayors have an advantage against their opponents and if so, how great this advantage is. It uses a dataset of mayors from all cities in the Czech Republic, whose population exceeds 10 000. These mayors were first elected to the office between years 2002 and 2014. The thesis itself examines the very concept of the voting bonus for mayors from several different angles. The first part of the thesis is devoted to the voting bonus in the municipal elections. It builds on previous research and addresses not only the advantage for mayors in their second elections but in all of the following elections. It also examines the bonus that mayors bring to their political parties. In addition, it shows the difference between the basic voting bonus for mayors and its advanced concept which counts with voter turnout. The second part focuses on the voting bonus for mayors in regional elections. It distinguishes between two things. First are the election results in the mayor's city and second are the results in the entire region. A significant part of the work is a comparison of those two results which shows the role of mayors in the regional elections. The thesis...