O objetivo desta dissertação foi estudar dispositivos para contenção de veículos desgovernados por falta de freios em declives longos e íngremes. Para tanto, fez-se uma revisão abrangente da literatura especializada e coletaram-se dados em testes realizados na área de escape construída no km 42,7 da pista sul da Via Anchieta, onde existe um declive de 12,8 km de extensão. A pesquisa relatada nesta dissertação focaliza três aspectos principais: a eficiência do dispositivo em deter caminhões sem freios, a localização do dispositivos e a determinação da velocidade segura de operação de caminhões nesse declive. Dados empíricos da desaceleração dos caminhões no dispositivo foram coletados com auxílio de GPS, o que permitiu estudar o comportamento dos caminhões dentro da caixa de retenção. Os dados coletados foram usados para a calibração de um modelo capaz de estimar a desaceleração média proporcionada pelo dispositivo em função da velocidade de entrada e do número de eixos do caminhão. Para a análise da localização do dispositivo, propôs-se um modelo que leva em consideração o perfil vertical do declive, a velocidade dos caminhões, a temperatura dos freios e a frequência de acidentes com veículos desgovernados ao longo do declive. A determinação da estratégia ótima de condução no declive consistiu em determinar a máxima velocidade que os caminhões podem percorrer o declive sem que os freios sofram superaquecimento. Os parâmetros usados na análise foram a massa bruta total do veículo e as reduções da sua caixa de câmbio. Foram estabelecidas velocidades e marchas máximas para 16 tipos de caminhão. Os resultados obtidos mostram que este tipo de dispositivo é capaz de deter caminhões desgovernados com segurança e podem subsidiar projetos de novas áreas de escape no Brasil. / The objective of the dissertation was to study devices for arresting runaway trucks on long and steep downgrades. A comprehensive review of the literature was carried out and empirical data were collected by means of real life trials at an arrester bed build at a 12.8 km downgrade on the southward lanes of Via Anchieta, the old highway connecting the cities of São Paulo and Santos, in Brazil. The research reported focused on three major aspects: arresting capability of the escape area, location of the escape area and safe operating speeds for trucks on this downgrade. Truck deceleration data were collected during the trials by means of GPS equipment installed in the vehicles and were used to determine truck behavior within the arrester bed. A mathematical model, which allows the estimation of average deceleration as a function of entry speed and number of axles, was fitted to the observed data. The location study proposed a method to establish the points along the downgrade where arrester beds are needed, based on road profile, truck speed, brake temperature and accident data. Optimal driving strategies for truck drivers to negotiate safely the downgrade were also studied, in order to determine the downgrade maximum speed that would avoid brake overheating. The parameters used in this analysis were gross vehicle mass and gearbox characteristics. Safe maximum downgrade speeds and gears were established for 16 truck models. The results, which showed that arrester beds are capable of safely stopping runaway trucks in long and steep downgrades, may also be used to assist the design of new arrester beds in Brazil.

<div>Germanium-based MOS device which is considered as one of the promising alternative channel materials has been studied with well-known FinFET, nanowire structures and HKMG (High-k metal gate). Recent introduction of Ferroelectric (FE) Zr-doped HfO₂ (Hf_xZr_1-xO₂, HZO) has opened various possibilities both in memory and logic</div><div>applications.</div><div><br></div><div>First, integration of FE HZO into the conventional Ge platform was studied to demonstrate Ge FeFET. The FE oxide was deposited with optimized atomic layer deposition (ALD) recipe by intermixing HfO₂ and ZrO₂. The HZO film was characterized with FE tester, XRD and AR-XPS. Then, it was integrated into conventional gate stack of Ge devices to demonstrate Ge FeFETs. Polarization switching was measured with ultrafast measurement set-up down to 100 ps.</div><div><br></div><div>Then, HZO layer was controlled for the first demonstration of hysteresis-free Ge negative capacitance (NC) CMOS FinFETs with sub-60mV/dec SS bi-directionally at room temperature towards possible logic applications. Short channel effect in Ge NCFETs were compared with our reported work to show superior robustness. For smaller widths that cannot be directly written by the e-beam lithography tool, digital etching on Ge fins were optimized.</div><div>Lastly, Ge FeFET-based synaptic device for neuromorphic computing was demonstrated. Optimum pulsing schemes were tested for both potentiation and depression which resulted in highly linear and symmetric conductance profiles. Simulation was done to analyze Ge FeFET's role as a synaptic device for deep neural network.</div>

Non-forested ecosystems dominate high elevation sites in coastal British Columbia, yet there has never been a comprehensive classification or mapping of all high-elevation community types. The objective of this study is to collate and expand upon previous classifications, and thereby to increase our understanding of the habitats and composition of these plant communities.

This report expands and clarifies previous classifications of non-forested plant communities from upper subalpine and alpine locations in coastal British Columbia. A total of 80 plots (releves) sampled specifically for this study were added to 202 releves from published and unpublished studies conducted since 1963. We used tabular and multivariate methods to synthesize and classify plant communities according to the Braun-Blanquet approach. Plant communities were classified into 37 vegetation units (associations or subassociations) which served as the basis of the resulting hierarchical classification. We describe the habitat and species composition of these vegetation units and their relationship to units recogized elsewhere in the Pacific Northwest. We then present eight generalized habitat types which we propose as the basic units for future ecosystem mapping. Each of these habitat types includes a predictable mosaic of vegetation units whose pattern occurs at too fine a scale to map individually.

Barrages de corrections torrentielles et plages de dépôts jouent un rôle clés dans la protection contre les crues des torrents. Leurs gestionnaires ont pour mission de réduire les risques d'inondations, mais doivent désormais aussi minimiser les impacts environnementaux liés aux ouvrages de protection. Ceci nécessite une meilleure compréhension des effets des barrages de corrections torrentielles et des plages de dépôts sur le transport sédimentaire des torrents. Cette thèse s'inscrit dans cet objectif et se décompose en deux parties. Sa section sur l'état de l'art présente: i) les différents effets des barrages de correction torrentielle sur la production et le transfert sédimentaire; ii) des descriptions des processus hydrauliques et de sédimentation ayant lieu dans les plages de dépôts; et iii) les processus liés à la production et au transfert de bois d'embâcle. Une nouvelle méthode de quantification de la production sédimentaire des torrents complète cet état de l’art.La seconde partie de cette thèse présente le travail réalisé en banc d’essai expérimental. Une première série d’expérience a permis de mettre en évidence un transport par charriage plus régulier lorsque des barrages de correction torrentielle sont ajoutés à un bief alluvial. Une seconde série d’essais a été réalisée sur un modèle générique de plage de dépôt dans l’objectif d’en caractériser les écoulements. Pour cela, une nouvelle procédure de mesure et de reconstruction par approche inverse a été développée. Il en résulte une description des caractéristiques d’un écoulement proche du régime critique, ainsi que des mécanismes de rétrocontrôle entre morphologie et hydraulique pendant la phase de dépôt. / Check dams and open check dams are key structures in torrent hazard protection. Their managers must mitigate flood hazards, but now must also minimize the environmental impacts of these protection structures. This requires to improve the knowledge on the effects of check dams and open check dams on the sediment transport, and this thesis forms a contribution towards this end.The section on the current state of research reviews i) the diverse effects of check dams on sediment production and transfer; ii) descriptions of the hydraulics and sedimentation processes occurring in open check dams; and iii) woody debris production and trapping processes. This state of the art is completed with proposition of new bedload transport estimation methods, specifically developed for paved streams experiencing external supply or armour breaking.Experimental results are then provided. Firstly, flume experiments highlight the emergence of a more regular bedload transport when check dams are built in alluvial reaches. In a second stage, experiments were performed on a generic Froude scale model of an open check dam basin in order to capture the features of laterally-unconstrained, highly mobile flows. A new flow measurement and inverse-reconstruction procedure has been developed. A preliminary analysis of the results describes flows that tend toward a critical regime and the occurrence of feedback mechanisms between geomorphology and hydraulics during massive bedload deposition.

Submitted by (lucia.rodrigues@ufrpe.br) on 2016-06-10T13:37:13Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Mitaliene de Deus Soares Silva.pdf: 621798 bytes, checksum: 8452afc474da55a7e9d20fa3b33c6aff (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-06-10T13:37:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Mitaliene de Deus Soares Silva.pdf: 621798 bytes, checksum: 8452afc474da55a7e9d20fa3b33c6aff (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-02-25 / Biosurfactant production was the selection factor between 20 yeasts isolated from bee pollen of Melipona seminigra merrilae of the lower Amazonas - AM. The production of biosurfactant by yeast 9II using waste as a source of carbon and nitrogen was optimized using statistical design Plackett-Burman. The metabolic liquid cell-free presented surface tension 28,30 mN/m, yield of 5,09 g/L of crude biosurfactant. The growth kinetics and production of the biosurfactant with the best production condition studied demonstrated a correlation between the growth of yeast with the biosurfactant production. The liquid metabolic presented emulsification of 100% for virgin engine oils and residual oil engine. The biosurfactant was stable before a pH range (2-12), temperature (4-120 °C) and NaCl concentrations (2-12%, w/v) and no toxicity compared to Lactuca sativa L., Brassica oleracea L. and Coriandrum sativum L. seeds and Artemia salina shrimp. / A produção de biossurfactante foi o fator de seleção entre 20 leveduras isoladas do pólen apícola de Melipona seminigra merrilae da região do baixo Amazonas - AM. A produção do biossurfactante pela levedura 9II usando resíduo como fonte de carbono e nitrogênio foi otimizada usando planejamento estatístico Plackett-Burman. O líquido metabólico livre de células apresentou tensão superficial de 28,30 mN/m e rendimento de 5,09 g/L de biossurfactante bruto. A cinética de crescimento e de produção do biossurfactante com a melhor condição de produção estudada, demonstraram que há correlação entre o crescimento da levedura com a produção de biossurfactante. O líquido metabólico apresentou emulsificação de 100% para os óleos de motor virgem e óleo residual de motor. O biossurfactante mostrou-se estável frente à diferentes pHs (2-12), temperaturas (4-120 °C) e concentrações de NaCl (2-12%, p/v) e não apresentou toxicidade frente a sementes de Lactuca sativa L., Brassica oleracea L. e Coriandrum sativum L. e ao microcrustáceo Artemia salina.

Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-01T18:20:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 nairane_silva_rosa_leao.pdf: 1864571 bytes, checksum: 1bf2d31634a6610929236b3a53702bac (MD5) Previous issue date: 2015-05-25 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / In the last three decades, the search for alternative and renewable fuels had greater evidence on the world stage, due to growing environmental concerns and the prospect of depletion of fossil energy sources. The biomass of microorganisms has been suggested as suitable for conversion to energy. This study aimed to assess the biotechnological potential of Aspergillus spp. isolated from Caatinga through the selection of ten genre samples, Aspergillus niger (3), A. flavus (3), and A. parasiticus (4). Of total lipid extractions were performed and the sample with better percentage held the growth kinetics, characterization of fatty acids and antioxidant activity of selected sample. Samples were grown in synthetic medium Czapek liquid, and reciprocating means (molasses and corn steep liquor sugarcane), using the complete factorial design 23. The total lipids were extracted using binary combination of chloroform and methanol. Total lipid amounts were obtained over 20% in both culture media, featuring the genus Aspergillus as oleaginous. The results indicated that the Aspergillus parasiticus CPU 1132, an output obtained from 2.03 g / L of biomass production and a 44.2% total lipids in Medium Czapek while in alternative production medium (sugar cane molasses and corn steep liquor) obtained in the trial (8) 2,83g biomass to 48.9% of total lipids. The fatty acid profile grown in Czapek medium indicated the presence of acid g [[ raxos linoleic (36.54%) and oleic (33.95%). And alternative way to favor the production of the compound linolenic acid (28.66%) and linoleic acid (40%). In oxidant activity of Aspergillus parasiticus, calculated in linear regression, got the EC50 4.06774 mg / mL of lipid extract. This the results obtained from Aspergillus parasiticus CPU 1182, suggest important as a source of lipids for its use in biotechnological processes such as application and biofuels drugs. / Nas últimas três décadas, a busca por combustíveis alternativos e renováveis teve maior evidência no cenário mundial, devido as crescentes preocupações ambientais e com a perspectiva de esgotamento de fontes energéticas de origem fóssil. A produção de biomassa de micro-organismos tem sido sugerida como adequada para a conversão em energia. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar o potencial biotecnológico de amostras de Aspergillus spp. isolados da Caatinga através da seleção entre dez amostras do gênero, sendo Aspergillus niger (3) A. flavus (3), e A. parasiticus (4). Foram realizadas extrações dos lipídeos totais e a amostra com melhor percentual realizou-se a cinética de crescimento, caracterização dos ácidos graxos e atividade antioxidante da amostra selecionada. As amostras foram cultivadas em meio sintético Czapek líquido, e em meio alternativo (milhocina e melaço de cana-de- açúcar), utilizando o planejamento fatorial completo 23. Os lipídeos totais foram extraídos utilizando combinação binária de clorofórmio e metanol. Foram obtidas quantidades de lipídeos totais acima de 20% em ambos meios de cultura, caracterizando o gênero Aspergillus como oleaginoso. Os resultados indicaram que o Aspergillus parasiticus UCP 1182, obteve uma produção de 2,03 g/L de biomassa e uma produção de 44,2% de lipídeos totais em Meio Czapek, enquanto na produção em meio alternativo (melaço de cana-de açúcar e Milhocina) obteve no ensaio (8) 2,83g de biomassa em 48,9% de lipídeos totais. O perfil dos ácidos graxos cultivado em meio Czapek indicou a presença de ácido graxos linolêico (36,54%) e oleico (33,95%). E no meio alternativo o composto favoreceu a produção do acido graxo linolênico (28,66%) e ácido linolêico (40%). Na atividade oxidante do A. parasiticus calculada em regressão linear, obteve o EC50 de 4,06774 &#956;g/mL do extrato lipídico. Assim, os resultados obtidos com Aspergillus parasiticus UCP 1182, sugerem como fonte de lipídeos importantes para seu emprego em processos biotecnológico, como aplicação em biocombustíveis e fármacos.

Thesis (PhD (Chemical Engineering))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2020 / The use of bioproducts in different commercial sectors such as medicine, agriculture, cosmetics, food, and chemical industries motivates the need for easy production and recovery techniques of bioproducts at laboratory and pilot scale. This study aims at the production and recovery of some selected bioproducts using supercritical fluid extraction techniques. Three products are chosen as case studies: these are ethanol, acetoin, and vanillin, since the ease of separation is influenced by the concentration of the product in the broth, these compounds were selected based on their concentration in the fermentation broth, according to literature sources. A standard method was developed in a spectrophotometer for quantifying the targeted product in the broth, while the product recovery studies was carried out using a supercritical fluid extraction pilot plant. Saccharomyces and Bacillus species were chosen for the bioproduction of the selected bioproducts. Experimental design and statistical analysis of results were carried out using response surface methodology (RSM) and artificial neural network (ANN). Studies on each of the selected bioproducts are as justified in the paragraphs below. Bioethanol production has recently become an increasing trend in research, with a focus on increasing its economic viability. Hence, the need to develop a low-cost fermentation medium with minimum redundant nutritional supplements, thereby minimizing the costs associated with nutritional supplements whereby inoculum preparation becomes necessary for ethanol production. Corn steep liquor (CSL) in glucose fermentation by Saccharomyces Type 1 (ST1) strain and Anchor Instant Yeast (AIY), which are low-cost media, are used as replacements for yeast extract (YE). The fermentation process parameters were optimized using artificial neural networks (ANN) and the response surface methodology (RSM). The study shows that for CSL, a maximum average ethanol concentration of 41.92 and 45.16 g/L representing 82% and 88% of the theoretical yield were obtained after 36 h of fermentation in a shake flask for ST1 and AIY respectively. For YE, ethanol concentration equivalent to 86% and 88% of theoretical yield were obtained with ST1 and AIY respectively after 48 h. Although, ANN predicted the responses of ethanol yield better than RSM, optimum conditions for ethanol production were better predicted by RSM. The consumers’ preference for ‘naturally’ produced aromas drives the development of bioproduction of acetoin from glucose with a view to optimize its production. The results revealed that by using a cheap nitrogen source, corn steep liquor, the yield of acetoin was similar to those of yeast and beef extracts. Furthermore, it was shown that by using Box-Behnken design, the optimum parameters such as glucose concentration, corn steep liquor, and inoculum size to maximize the concentration of acetoin produced were 78.40 g/L, 15.00% w/v and 2.70% v/v respectively. The validated concentration of acetoin produced in a triplicate analysis, 10.7 g/L, was 0.06% less than the predicted value. Increasing awareness of consumers of healthy, eco-friendly flavors and fragrances motivates the bioproduction of vanillin. The interactive effects of three variables on vanillin yield were evaluated by response surface methodology (RSM) with Box-Behnken design (BBD) model. The results showed the optimum conditions for the biotransformation of ferulic acid into vanillin can be achieved with maximum overall desirability (D) of 1.0 and a significant (p<0.05) quadratic model with regression coefficient (R2) of 0.995. Corn steep liquor, initial ferulic acid concentration and pH significantly influence the concentration of vanillin in the broth. The results in triplicate experiments confirmed vanillin yield of 386 mg/L after validation, which was in agreement with the prediction of the model. The maximum vanillin yield of 384.40 mg/L was predicted when corn steep liquor, ferulic acid concentration and pH were 7.72 g/L, 2.33 g/L, and 9.34 respectively. Fermentation system in a bioreactor has been proven to be an efficient system for the study of controlled fermentation variables when compared to a shake flask study. The influence of agitation, aeration, time and pH were analysed by Taguchi orthogonal array design for the upscale of acetoin in a bioreactor. The optimized parameters in 1.3L of fermentation vessel were as follows: 300 rpm agitation, 1.5 slpm aeration; 2 days’ fermentation time and 6.5 pH value. Agitation with above 70% was the most contributing factor and other variables were less than 30% in the percentage analysis of variance of each fermentation variables in the batch study of acetoin. A fourfold gain in acetoin titre (42.30 g/L) was obtained with the same substrate concentration in a lab-scale bioreactor on scaling up when compared with the shake flask batch study. The validated acetoin concentration of 41.72 g/L was obtained after a triplicate experiment to confirm the possibility of reproducing acetoin using the optimized conditions. Many separation techniques have been proven to recover value-added products from fermentation broth with a preference for several methods above other and new techniques that are emerging. Supercritical fluids separation using CO2 is one such technique. The feasibility of acetoin concentration and recovery was studied in supercritical CO2 pilot plant with pressure ranges of 100 to 300 bar, CO2 feed rate of 5 to 15 kg/h, at a process temperature of 37 and 80 °C in simulated and fermentation broth, respectively. The validated conditions for the fractionation of acetoin by supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) were determined as follows: extraction pressure, 300 bar; CO2 feed rate, 15 kg/h; extraction temperature 37 °C; and fractionation time of 30 minutes. At these operating conditions, the percentage recovery of acetoin with respect to the feed solution at the raffinate for the simulated and actual ermentation broth was 77.8% (0.20 g/L) and 77% (0.15 g/L) respectively. A two-fold extract increase was obtained after 30 minutes of fractionation. The study provides the technical feasibility and the base case data which are critical to the development and design of processes for production and recovery of acetoin. The lesson gleaned from this study may be extended to develop processes for the production and recovery of other bioproducts (ethanol and vanillin).

<p>  </p> <p>By means of this dissertation we bring to light that FETs (that are either Si or 2D-TMD based) when coupled with piezoelectric or ferroelectric materials can offer attractive solutions such as (i) technology scaling, (ii) non-volatile memory functionality and (iii) beyond-von-Neumann computing paradigms that address the limitations of current architectures. Our efforts encompass the domains of steep switching devices, non-volatile memories, computation-in-memory and non-Boolean computing, wherein we explore devices embedded with piezoelectric (strain-based) and ferroelectric (polarization-based) properties and propose novel circuits based on them, while focusing on understanding their device-circuit interactions and system implications.</p>

It is important for practical and legal reasons that water and sediments in disturbed areas around the mining operation should be controlled. The construction of a well-designed drainage system that controls erosion and thus restores the proper hydraulic function of the surface is one of the most important post-disturbance features which should be done as part of the mining activities. However, even with the best planning and design, unless proper construction practices are adapted; both the disturbed and reclaimed areas are very much likely to be susceptible to erosion, sedimentation and stability problems. In order to tackle the problem, guidelines on how to design and construct the drainage system should be well prepared. The main objective of this study was to prepare guidelines for the proper design, construction and monitoring of the water drainage management system in the study areas (Kankberg, Maurliden and Renström-Petiknäs). This report has analysed the results from the outcome of HEC-RAS software for the case study of the new ditch around the Maurliden mine site and integrated with different guidelines. Based on the results of the HEC-RAS, the most common problems in the drainage system have been identified. Moreover the thesis project identified important physical parameters such as cross-sections and slopes of the representative ditch which affect the function of the ditch in the study areas. Hydraulic parameters such as velocity which is very important for designing the type of lining and also Froude number which is very important in identifying the type of flow whether it is super-critical, critical or sub-critical were identified. The latter helps to select the type of guideline to be used between steep slope and mild slope.