The aim of the present thesis is to give a comparision on sex determination of phenotypically undifferentiated birds species focused on the Long-eared Owl (Asio otus). Compared to other species of owls is relatively a few researches on the Long-eared Owl and researches on sex differences have not led to the quantified results yet. Attention is focused on characteristics and mechanisms of birds coloration. This work includes the methods and results of colour perception and interpretation in sexual dimorphism. It focuses primarily on the differences in color of certain parts of the bird, such as the alula, secondary remiges and lower part of the wing. For those pieces is further evaluating color differences in sex and proposes solutions that could help in further researches on sex determination of the Long-eared Owl.

Baseando-se na possibilidade de inserção de um novo material de origem têxtil natural animal, bem como, a reciclagem de aproximadamente 1,175 milhões de toneladas descartadas anualmente da matéria-prima estudada (UBABEF, 2011), esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral efetuar a caracterização física e microscópica de fibra de pena de frango para finalidade têxtil seja para o desenvolvimento de fios têxteis, não tecidos e reforço em compósitos ou outras aplicações. Deste modo, foram objetivos: i) realizar levantamento bibliográfico sobre estrutura e composição de penas e fibras de penas, reciclagem, aplicações existentes, técnicas e processos de caracterização da fibra; ii) coleta do material fibroso proveniente de um matadouro doméstico de frangos; iii) preparação do material, lavagem e secagem das penas; iv) testes mecânicos de caracterização como: alongamento, elasticidade e resistência realizados por meio do dinamômetro Instrom, determinação do teor de regain, umidade e densidade da fibra, bem como a taxa de encolhimento da fibra; v) testes microscópicos de caracterização como: microscopias longitudinais e transversais; vi) propostas e direcionamento do emprego das fibras caracterizadas para finalidade de produção têxtil. As principais conclusões foram: i) bibliografia inédita em português sobre penas de frango para a área têxtil; ii) estudo inédito no Brasil e na língua portuguesa de propriedades físicas e microscópicas de fibras de pena de frango; iii) com base em suas propriedades estruturais, perceberam-se características como brilho, conforto, maciez, toque, permeabilidade à líquido, leveza, entre outras propriedades, aumentando assim seu potencial de empregabilidade têxtil; iv) potencial de fiação e fabricação de têxteis para diversas aplicações. Publicações e palestras foram realizadas com os resultados desta dissertação. / Based on the possibility of developing a new textile material of natural animal origin, as well as the recycling of the studied raw material, of which approximately 1.175 million tons are annually discarded as waste in Brazil (UBABEF, 2011), this study aimed to characterize the general physical and microscopical fibers of chicken feathers for textile purpose for the development of textile yarn, non-woven and composite reinforcement. Its objectives were: i) to analyze the academic literature about the structure and composition of feathers and feather fibers, as well as its recycling, existing applications, processes and techniques of fiber characterization, ii) the collection of fibrous material from a chicken slaughterhouse, iii) the preparation of material, washing and drying the feathers, iv) to develop mechanical characterization tests such as elongation, elasticity and resistance made by Instrom dynamometer, determining the content, moisture regain and fiber density, v) to perform the microscopic characterization tests such as microscopy longitudinal and transverse, and vi ) to draft proposals on the employment of the analyzed and characterized fibers for purposes of producing textiles (yarns, reinforcement for composites, nonwoven blankets, etc.). The main findings were: i) unpublished literature in Portuguese about chicken feathers for the textile area, ii) unpublished study in Brazil and in portuguese language of physical and microscopic properties of chicken feathers\' fibers for the development of textile products of natural origin from such chicken feathers, iii) the identification of the potential for the production of blended yarn with cotton / wool, blankets and non-woven and reinforcement for composites, based on their physical, mechanical and microscopic properties, and, iv) the identification of the potential for yarn production (via spinning) and textile manufacturing for various applications. Publications and lectures were held with the results of this dissertation.

Chicken feathers are the most abundant keratinous biomass in the world. Disposal of thehuge and increasing volume of waste feathers presents as a major concern for poultryindustry. On the other hand, energy and material recovery of this valuable protein sourceis an important issue for organic solid waste treatment and bioenergy generation.Anaerobic digestion is an environmentally and economically promising alternativeprocess for biogas production of waste feathers.In this study in order to enhance the methane potential of batch anaerobic digestion ofchicken feathers this waste was treated by various kinds of pretreatments includingthermal, thermo-chemical, enzymatic, thermo-enzymatic and chemo-enzymatic methods.Also the effect of different treatment conditions on the methane yield was investigated.As a whole, thermo-chemical pretreatment with lime (Ca(OH)2) rendered the mostsignificant effect on enhancement of the chicken feathers methane potential. In particularlime treated triplicate samples under treatment condition of 40g TS feather/l water, 0.1gCa (OH)2 /g TS feather, 100°C and 30 min produced the highest amount of methane (anaverage maximum volume of 480 Nml/g VS, which is about 96.8% of the theoreticalmethane potential of protein), during 50 days of anaerobic incubation. Increasing theoperational parameters such as feather concentration, lime loading, temperature andreaction time improved the feathers solublisation resulting in a higher soluble chemicaloxygen demand (SCOD) concentration of the samples but inserted negative impacts onthe anaerobic digestion performance. Although other pretreatment methods improved theSCOD concentrations of the feathers too, compared to the lime treatment those methodsdidn’t show considerable effects on the enhancement of methane yield from the chickenfeathers. Thermo-enzymatic, enzymatic, and thermal pretreated triplicate samplesproduced an average maximum of 185 Nml/g VS, 154 Nml/g VS, and 143 Nml/g VS(37.3%, 31%, 28.8% of the theoretical methane potential) respectively, during 33 days of50 days of anaerobic incubation. Especially, chemo-enzymatic pretreated sample showednegative methane potential of only 41 Nml/g VS, i.e. 8% of the theoretical methanepotential. Consequently, lime pretreatment under the above recommended conditions canbe suggested for hydrolysis of chicken feathers to achieve significant enhancement of itsmethane potential.

Med ett växande energibehov i världen, sinande energikällor i form av fossila bränslen och en miljö som vi under en längre tid har förorenat behövs det nya energiformer som är mer långsiktiga och framförallt miljövänliga. En sådan energiform är biogas. Biogasprocessen är dock inte helt optimerad. Flera av de substrat som används idag tar lång tid att röta och bryts bara ner till viss del i processen eller innehåller onödigt mycket vatten, vilket ger höga transportkostnader. Med syfte att göra biogasprocessen mer ekonomisk lönsam utvärderas i denna rapport på uppdrag från E.ON några olika förbehandlingstekniker: Ångexplosion, extrusion, avvattning och kalkbehandling. Förhoppningen är att dessa ska kunna öka lönsamheten för storskalig biogasproduktion och kanske möjliggöra biogasproduktion från tidigare obrukbara substrat som fjädrar och halm.  För att jämföra och utvärdera förbehandlingsteknikerna utfördes batchrötningsförsök i 330 ml flaskor med obehandlade och förbehandlade substrat. De flesta förbehandle substraten gav snabbare nedbrytning och några gav även högre metanutbyte än de obehandlade. Fjädrar och halm, som från början hade ett lågt utbyte, påverkades mest av förbehandlingen. Ångexploderade fjädrar gav efter 44 dagars rötning 141% högre metanutbyte och extruderad halm gav 22% högre metanutbyte än obehandlad.  För ekonomiska beräkningarna användes en referensanläggning med en förutbestämd substratmix: 12500 ton majs och 11500 ton hästgödsel. Att tillgå för referensanläggningen finns dessutom fjädrar. Cambis THP-anläggning för ångexplosion visade sig vara alldeles för dyr för referensanläggningen. En THP-anläggning kräver en större biogasanläggning där en större mängd svårnedbrytbara substrat rötas för att bli lönsam. En extruder skulle kunna vara lönsam för för refernsanläggningen om hästgödseln som de har tillgång till innehåller halm som strömaterial. En investering i en extruder bara för att förbehandla majsensilage visade sig inte lönsam.  Avvattning av gödsel gav signifikant lägre utbyte av biogas per torrvikt men signifikant högre utbyte per våtvikt. Avvattningsutrustningen från Splitvision, som testades, var för dyr för att bli lönsam. Först när gården låg 4 mil från biogasanläggningen blev det billigare att avvattna gödsel och transportera den jämfört med att transportera den obehandlad. Andra avvattningsutrustningar i studien var billigare i drift så det finns möjligheter att tekniken kan bli lönsam med någon av dessa. / The world needs new energy sources that are durable for long time and which not affect the environment negatively. Biogas fulfills those demands. The biogas process is however not completely optimized. Several of the substrates used today for biogas production are slowly degraded and only partly digested in the process. Other substrates consist of unnecessarily much water which makes transportation costly. To optimize the process and make the biogas process more profitable, several pretreatment techniques are evaluated by direction of E.ON in this report: steam explosion, extrusion, lime treatment and dewatering. The hope is that one of those could increase the profitability and hopefully also enable substrates that not are working today like feathers and straw. To compare and evaluate the different pretreatment batch digester, experiments were carried out during 31-44 days for untreated and pretreated substrates. Most pretreated substrates were faster degraded than untreated and some also gave a higher methane yield. Chicken waste feathers and wheat straw, which had low methane yields untreated, were affected most by pretreatment. Steam exploded feathers gave after 44 days of digestion 141% higher methane yield and extruded straw gave 22% higher methane yield than untreated samples of the same substrate. A reference plant with a substrate mixture of 12500 tonnes of maize silage and 11500 tons of horsemanure annually was used to make economical calculations. Additionally, chicken waste feathers waste could be included. Obtainable for the reference plant were also chicken waste feathers. Steam explosion appeared to be too expensive for a plant in the size of the reference plant. Its large capacity could probably make it profitable for a much larger biogas plant running on a lot of hard digestible substrates. An extruder could be a profitable investment for the reference plant if the plant gets horse manure with straw as bedding material. To just use the extruder to pretreat maize silage could not make the investment profitable. Dewatering of manure gave significantly lower methane yield per dry weight but significantly higher methane yield per wet weight. The increase in methane yield per wet weight makes the substrate better for transportation. The dewatering equipment from Splitvision tried in this study had too high operational costs and was too expensive to make dewatering particularly profitable. Only when the farm was situated farther away than 40km from the biogas plant it was cheaper to dewater the manure before transport than to transport the manure without any pretreatment. Other dewatering equipments evaluated in this study had much lower operational costs and among those an equipment that makes dewatering profitable might therefore be found. The world needs new energy sources that are durable for long time and which not affect the environment negatively. Biogas fulfills those demands. The biogas process is however not completely optimized. Several of the substrates used today for biogas production are slowly degraded and only partly digested in the process. Other substrates consist of unnecessarily much water which makes transportation costly. To optimize the process and make the biogas process more profitable, several pretreatment techniques are evaluated by direction of E.ON in this report: steam explosion, extrusion, lime treatment and dewatering. The hope is that one of those could increase the profitability and hopefully also enable substrates that not are working today like feathers and straw. To compare and evaluate the different pretreatment batch digester, experiments were carried out during 31-44 days for untreated and pretreated substrates. Most pretreated substrates were faster degraded than untreated and some also gave a higher methane yield. Chicken waste feathers and wheat straw, which had low methane yields untreated, were affected most by pretreatment. Steam exploded feathers gave after 44 days of digestion 141% higher methane yield and extruded straw gave 22% higher methane yield than untreated samples of the same substrate. A reference plant with a substrate mixture of 12500 tonnes of maize silage and 11500 tons of horsemanure annually was used to make economical calculations. Additionally, chicken waste feathers waste could be included. Obtainable for the reference plant were also chicken waste feathers. Steam explosion appeared to be too expensive for a plant in the size of the reference plant. Its large capacity could probably make it profitable for a much larger biogas plant running on a lot of hard digestible substrates. An extruder could be a profitable investment for the reference plant if the plant gets horse manure with straw as bedding material. To just use the extruder to pretreat maize silage could not make the investment profitable. Dewatering of manure gave significantly lower methane yield per dry weight but significantly higher methane yield per wet weight. The increase in methane yield per wet weight makes the substrate better for transportation. The dewatering equipment from Splitvision tried in this study had too high operational costs and was too expensive to make dewatering particularly profitable. Only when the farm was situated farther away than 40km from the biogas plant it was cheaper to dewater the manure before transport than to transport the manure without any pretreatment. Other dewatering equipments evaluated in this study had much lower operational costs and among those an equipment that makes dewatering profitable might therefore be found.

Artefacts created from big game material proliferated during the period between 1870 and 1920 and, through their physical and metaphorical circulation as trophies, mementos, furnishings, garments, and personal accoutrements, became increasingly visible as they percolated from their predominantly elite genesis, into a multiplicity of public, domestic and civic spaces. This study seeks to discern the effect of their dissemination, showing how it impacted on the museum displays, domestic decor, fashionable dress and commodity culture of the era. It reflects the extensive representation of big game hunting, and its material effusions, in the text and images of the expanding periodical press, recognising the contribution of published sources to public reception of these artefacts and their developing role as commodities. My thesis aims to demonstrate that detailed examination of the varied and abundant artefacts which stemmed from big game hunting can offer valuable insights into the social and cultural history of the era and argues that this material's entanglement in Britain's imperial project is too significant to overlook. It contends that the transitions from nature to culture, which these objects illustrate, map the reach of the burgeoning Empire, and plot the dichotomies of late Victorian, and Edwardian, engagements with the natural world and subaltern nations. Scholarly work by John M. Mackenzie and Harriet Ritvo, in the mid 1980's, firmly established the relevance of the examination of material culture, within the contexts of animal studies and imperial history, as a fruitful field for academic research, arguing convincingly for further examination of its varied manifestations. However, a generation later, no comprehensive exploration of those elements appertaining to big game hunting has been attempted. Encouraged by the post-millennial 'material turn' in social history, identified by scholars including Bill Brown (2001), Erica Rappaport (2006) and Frank Trentmann (2009), my work draws on a wealth of contemporaneous factual sources including museum, exhibition and trade catalogues, fashion plates, unpublished correspondence, biographical material, museum records, archival sources and popular fiction, to explore the circulation and representation of big game material culture, during a long fin de siècle, and reveal its extensive influence. As a whole, this thesis seeks to offer a nuanced, detailed and holistic view of the visibility and affect of the material culture of big game hunting in the period.

Baseando-se na possibilidade de inserção de um novo material de origem têxtil natural animal, bem como, a reciclagem de aproximadamente 1,175 milhões de toneladas descartadas anualmente da matéria-prima estudada (UBABEF, 2011), esta pesquisa teve como objetivo geral efetuar a caracterização física e microscópica de fibra de pena de frango para finalidade têxtil seja para o desenvolvimento de fios têxteis, não tecidos e reforço em compósitos ou outras aplicações. Deste modo, foram objetivos: i) realizar levantamento bibliográfico sobre estrutura e composição de penas e fibras de penas, reciclagem, aplicações existentes, técnicas e processos de caracterização da fibra; ii) coleta do material fibroso proveniente de um matadouro doméstico de frangos; iii) preparação do material, lavagem e secagem das penas; iv) testes mecânicos de caracterização como: alongamento, elasticidade e resistência realizados por meio do dinamômetro Instrom, determinação do teor de regain, umidade e densidade da fibra, bem como a taxa de encolhimento da fibra; v) testes microscópicos de caracterização como: microscopias longitudinais e transversais; vi) propostas e direcionamento do emprego das fibras caracterizadas para finalidade de produção têxtil. As principais conclusões foram: i) bibliografia inédita em português sobre penas de frango para a área têxtil; ii) estudo inédito no Brasil e na língua portuguesa de propriedades físicas e microscópicas de fibras de pena de frango; iii) com base em suas propriedades estruturais, perceberam-se características como brilho, conforto, maciez, toque, permeabilidade à líquido, leveza, entre outras propriedades, aumentando assim seu potencial de empregabilidade têxtil; iv) potencial de fiação e fabricação de têxteis para diversas aplicações. Publicações e palestras foram realizadas com os resultados desta dissertação. / Based on the possibility of developing a new textile material of natural animal origin, as well as the recycling of the studied raw material, of which approximately 1.175 million tons are annually discarded as waste in Brazil (UBABEF, 2011), this study aimed to characterize the general physical and microscopical fibers of chicken feathers for textile purpose for the development of textile yarn, non-woven and composite reinforcement. Its objectives were: i) to analyze the academic literature about the structure and composition of feathers and feather fibers, as well as its recycling, existing applications, processes and techniques of fiber characterization, ii) the collection of fibrous material from a chicken slaughterhouse, iii) the preparation of material, washing and drying the feathers, iv) to develop mechanical characterization tests such as elongation, elasticity and resistance made by Instrom dynamometer, determining the content, moisture regain and fiber density, v) to perform the microscopic characterization tests such as microscopy longitudinal and transverse, and vi ) to draft proposals on the employment of the analyzed and characterized fibers for purposes of producing textiles (yarns, reinforcement for composites, nonwoven blankets, etc.). The main findings were: i) unpublished literature in Portuguese about chicken feathers for the textile area, ii) unpublished study in Brazil and in portuguese language of physical and microscopic properties of chicken feathers\' fibers for the development of textile products of natural origin from such chicken feathers, iii) the identification of the potential for the production of blended yarn with cotton / wool, blankets and non-woven and reinforcement for composites, based on their physical, mechanical and microscopic properties, and, iv) the identification of the potential for yarn production (via spinning) and textile manufacturing for various applications. Publications and lectures were held with the results of this dissertation.

This thesis is focused on determining the sex of the Long-eared Owl (Asio otus). Bird feathers were used during determination that were taken from owl`s back while capturing and ringing. We have attempted to differentiate the sex of captured Long-eared Owl by DNA isolation from blood platelets in the bird quail and subsequent PCR reaction. This thesis also describes the PCR method, which is one of the most used methods in the todays laboratories of many different field of science. I also mention the individual components that are needed for the process of this reaction, its history and its individual steps. Part of my diploma thesis is also the characteristic of the tested order and possible gender division based on morphological features. On this basis, there is also mention of the sexual dimorphism of birds, their plumage and its subsequent coloring. At birds and also at other animals are used different techniques of molecular determination of sex, which I also refer to in my work. Keywords Long-eared Owl (Asio otus), sex, chromosomes, feathers, colour, PCR, DNA

This study has conducted an OLS-regression to examine the relationship between gasoline and crude oil prices in the Swedish petroleum market, focusing on potential asymmetry, where gasoline prices respond more quickly to increases in crude oil prices compared to decreases. Additionally, we examine the impact of individual petroleum stations' competitiveness on this asymmetry, applying the distance to the nearest station as a measure of competitiveness. To explore this relationship, we utilise two datasets: one comprises unique user-generated data for individual gas stations spanning the period from 2019 to 2022, while the other includes recommended prices covering the period from 2001 to 2020. The findings provide some evidence supporting the existence of asymmetry, indicating the presence of inefficiencies within the market. However, no evidence suggesting larger asymmetry concerning individual competitiveness was discovered. Overall, this research offers novel insights into the dynamics of the Swedish fuel market in recent years.

This thesis firstly aims at discussing the early works of American poet Marianne Moore (1887-1972) through the bio-philosophical perspectives developed since the investigations of Estonian Jacob von Uexküll (1864-1944). The study elucidates Uexküll’s research on the web-like forms of life that is the Umwelt of animals and Moore’s creation of poetic environments. Such investigations provide a basis for the analysis of Moore’s animals and environments in dialogue with Martin Heidegger’s (1889-1976) concepts of “poverty in world”, and “animal captivation”. Uexküll’s and Heidegger’s concepts are revised by Italian Giorgio Agamben (1942- ), who proposes that there is an openness in the state of being ontologically captivated, caused by interactional processes occurring within the environment. Subsequently, taking into account these same perspectives, this thesis offers a comparative study of Marianne Moore and Brazilian poet João Cabral de Melo Neto (1920-1999), engaging, respectively, her early poems with his book O Cão Sem Plumas [The Dog without Feathers], written in 1950. From the bio-philosophical perspectives previously discussed, this study focuses on moral and ethical stances addressed towards interpretations of the onto-ethological (Buchanan, 2008) nature of animals. The study analyses how both Moore and Melo Neto convey their ethical reflections and specific moral issues through expressions of nature and animal life, especially when they emphasise contexts of violence, misery and deprivation, either in material or conceptual respects, involved with the ontological and world-forming conditions of both animals and human beings. Therefore, the research will focus on their use of literary devices, such as allegories, and literary genres, such as fables, in order to develop both explicit and implicit dimensions of their poetry, thus providing a deeper understanding of the ontological status of animals and human beings.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:58:13Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 AlcioneOG_DISSERT.pdf: 4986234 bytes, checksum: d81c2eeeb91a55690b1f5b9671a9a5e3 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2011-08-26 / Use of natural fibres as a reinforcement material in the manufacture of composites show a series of advantages: availability, biodegradability, low weight and regeneration in relation to synthetic fibres, thus justifying its utilization. In the present research work, composites were developed with chicken feathers (KF), using unsaturated polyester resin as matrix, for diversified applications, mainly in the furniture/timber industry.At present, in Brazil the chicken feathers are used as part of the animal feed, even though this material possesses low aggregated value. The chicken feathers are hollow, light and resistant. After washing with water at room temperature, a part of the chicken feathers were treated with 2% NaOH. Composites were manufactured using treated and untreated chicken feathers with unsaturated orthothalic polyester resin and 1% peroxide as catalyser, obtained in the commerce. Samples with size 150x25x3 mm for mechanical tests were cut by laser in the composite plate. Mechanical analyses were carried out in the Laborat?rio de Metais e Ensaios Mec?nicos UFRN. All the analyses were in accordance with ASTM standards. SEM analyses were also carried out on the samples.In the analyses of the results obtained, it was observed that the composites made with untreated chicken feathers showed better results (Traction 11.406 MPa and 9.107 MPa Bending 34.947 and 20.918 MPa for samples with and without treatment respectively) compared to the composite with treated feathers. Very low values of the water absorption results, evidenced the impermeability characteristic of the feathers. From the SEM images, the structure, fracture and the fibre/matrix adsorption can be evidenced. In the flammability test, it was observed that despite the feathers having sulfur as a constituent, natural inhibitor of flame, no burning support of the composites, because the manufacturing process of the composite / O uso de fibras naturais como refor?o em comp?sitos apresenta uma s?rie de vantagens: abund?ncia, biodegradabilidade, baixo peso e regenerabilidade em rela??o ?s fibras sint?ticas, justificando sua utiliza??o. Na presente pesquisa foram desenvolvidos comp?sitos com penas de frango (KF), utilizando resina de poli?ster n?o-saturado como matriz. Atualmente, no Brasil, as penas de frango s?o utilizadas como parte de ra??o animal, por?m este produto possui um baixo valor agregado. As penas s?o um material oco, leve e resistente. Ap?s a lavagem com ?gua em temperatura ambiente uma parte das penas foi tratada com 2% de NaOH. Foram fabricados dois comp?sitos, um com as penas tratadas e outro sem tratamento, usando o processo de molde fechado por compress?o, utilizando a resina de poli?ster ortoft?lica e 1% de per?xido MEK (per?xido de metil etil cetona) como iniciador, adquiridos no com?rcio local. As amostras com 150x25x3 mm de tamanho para os ensaios mec?nicos foram cortadas a laser na placa do comp?sito. Os ensaios de tra??o e flex?o em tr?s pontos foram realizados no Laborat?rio de Metais e Ensaios Mec?nicos - UFRN. Todas as an?lises estavam de acordo com as normas da ASTM. As amostras resultantes dos ensaios mec?nicas foram avaliadas no MEV. Com base nas observa??es dos resultados nos ensaios mec?nicos, (Tra??o 11,2 Mpa e 8,3 Mpa; Flex?o 34,9 Mpa e 22,9 MPa para as amostras sem e com tratamento respectivamente) observou-se que os comp?sitos refor?ados com as penas sem tratamento apresentaram um melhor comportamento quando foram expostos a carregamentos tanto de tra??o quanto de flex?o. O ensaio de absor??o evidenciou nos valores de absor??o de ?gua, uma das caracter?sticas da prote?na existente nas penas, a queratina, a sua capaciade de impermiabiliza??o a ?gua. Nas imagens do MEV foi poss?vel verificar a estrutura da pena, as regi?es de ruptura do comp?sito e a ades?o fibra/matriz. No ensaio de inflamabilidade, observou-se que apesar das penas terem como constituinte o enxofre, inibidor natural de chama, n?o houve a susten??o da queima nos comp?sitos, devido o processo de fabrica??o do comp?sito