Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) is the luminescence emitted from a previously irradiated insulator (or a wide band gap semiconductor) upon exposure to light. The OSL signal intensity is a function of the radiation dose absorbed by the sample and thus can be used as the basis of a radiation dosimetry method. In the literature, OSL studies on natural fluorites are rather limited. In order to promote the material for radiation dosimetry, OSL properties of natural fluorites of different origin were examined in this study. For this purpose, dose-response, reproducibility, thermal stability and fading of the OSL signals were analyzed. In order to find a relation between OSL and TL signals, TL signals and the effect of OSL measurements on TL signals were examined. Thermal activation energies of the light sensitive TL peaks and the OSL signals were also calculated using different methods and the results were compared. Also, absence of the thermal quenching was shown. Finally, TR-OSL signals were measured to have an opinion about the recombination centers. As a result of these studies, it is possible to conclude that natural fluorites show promising features to be used as an environmental dosimeter with regard to a suitable OSL signal, range of linearity, repeatability in response, as well as being readily available at a low cost.

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Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:22:26Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2008-05-23Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T18:49:06Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 ennes_r_me_prud.pdf: 1370679 bytes, checksum: eb4f2a4378f82b93f832cc48f75c59ef (MD5) / Os recentes avanços na tecnologia de Sensoriamento Remoto proporcionaram o desenvolvimento de sensores orbitais com altíssima resolução espectral, capazes de fornecer medidas radiométricas em bandas estreitas e contínuas para cada pixel da imagem, definindo curvas espectrais com potencial de discriminar diferentes componentes da matéria. Diante disso, o objetivo geral deste trabalho foi de avaliar a contribuição de imagens hiperespectrais na identificação de componentes opticamente ativos presentes em um corpo d’água, considerado de boa qualidade. Para tanto, uma imagem hiperespectral Hyperion foi adquirida simultaneamente com variáveis limnológicas coletadas em alguns pontos georreferenciados no reservatório de Itupararanga. Após a correção atmosférica da imagem, extraíram curvas espectrais nos locais geográficos dos pontos, nos quais se aplicaram técnicas de análise de espectros, tais como, remoção do contínuo, razão de bandas e análise derivativa. Os dados hiperespectrais originais e os resultantes da aplicação de técnicas foram correlacionados com algumas variáveis limnológicas... / The recent improvements in the technology of Remote Sensing are providing the development of sensors with high spectral resolution that can supply radiometric measurements in narrow and continuous bands for each pixel of the image, defining spectral curves with potential of separating several components of the matter. Due to that, the general objective of this work was evaluating the contribution of hyperspectral images in the identification of optically active constituents present in a body of water, considered good quality. To reach the proposed objective, a hyperspectral imagery of EO-1/Hyperion orbital sensor was acquired simultaneously with limnological variables collected in some points in the body of water. After correcting the atmospheric effects, in the geographical locations of those points, spectral curves of the hyperspectral image were extracted, in which techniques of spectral analysis were applied, such as, continuum removal, derivative analysis and ratio analysis. The hyperspectral original data and the resultants of the application of techniques were correlated with some limnological variables. Of the applied techniques, the derivative analysis provided better differentiation among the optically active constituents... (Complete abstract, click electronic access below)

A pesquisa teve como objetivo compreender o papel dos rearranjos de drenagem à evolução do relevo e da drenagem na bacia hidrográfica do Rio Capivari, situada no reverso da Serra do Mar, em São Paulo-SP. Parte-se da hipótese de que esses fenômenos seriam responsáveis por inúmeras anomalias de drenagem observadas, como: inflexões em ângulos retos, padrões de drenagem anômalos, colos, rupturas em perfis longitudinais e subdimensionamento de cursos dágua em relação aos vales. Especial ênfase foi dada à inflexão do alto Rio Capivari, localizada na confluência com o Ribeirão Embura, possível remanescente de uma captura fluvial, o qual melhor preserva as evidências de um rearranjo em toda a bacia. Os principais fatores dos rearranjos de drenagem na área foram: o forte gradiente hipsométrico proporcionado pela Serra do Mar, a densa trama de foliações e fraturas presentes no embasamento geológico, movimentações tectônicas recentes e as oscilações paleoclimáticas do Quaternário tardio. Sob influência dessas forças, alguns tributários da drenagem litorânea teriam se aproveitado de sua vantagem erosiva frente aos rios de planalto, produzido uma marcha de erosão regressiva em direção ao interior, com interferências nos canais situados em níveis sucessivamente mais elevados. Com base nas propostas metodológicas de Small (1972), Bishop (1995), Zaprowski et al. (2002) e Oliveira (2003), buscou-se a identificação de elementos morfológicos e sedimentológicos sugestivos desses processos, por meio de: análise de Modelos Digitais do Terreno (MDE) por métodos geomorfométricos; observação de fotografias aéreas; trabalhos de campo para descrição e coleta de materiais sedimentológicos; análise granulométrica, morfoscópica e mineralógica de sedimentos fluviais; e datação de sedimentos fluviais por Luminescência Óptica Estimulada para se estimar a idade da captura do alto curso do Rio Capivari. Os dados apresentados corroboram a hipótese de que o alto curso desse rio sofreu uma captura há cerca de 8.000 anos, no máximo, e que diversos outros casos de rearranjos de drenagem, entre eles reversões de grandes sistemas fluviais, seriam responsáveis pelas anomalias de drenagem observadas no interior da bacia estudada. / The aim of this research was to understand the role of drainage rearrangements on the evolution of relief and drainage in the Capivari River basin, located on the reverse of Serra do Mar range, in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. It is assumed that these phenomena would be responsible for numerous drainage anomalies observed, such as: river inflections at right angles, anomalous drainage patterns, cols, knickpoints and river underfitting, considered as indicative for drainage rearrangements. Special emphasis will be given to the inflection of the Capivari River at the confluence with the Ribeirao Embura, a possible remnant of a stream capture, which best preserves the evidence of a rearrangement throughout the basin. The main factors of the drainage rearrangements in the area would be: the strong hypsometric gradient provided by Serra do Mar range, the set of foliations and fractures densely present in the geological basement, recent tectonic movements and climatic oscillations of the Quaternary. Under the influence of these forcings, some tributaries of the coastal drainage would have taken erosive advantage over the plateau upside rivers, producing a regressive erosion march towards the interior of the continent, leading to interferences in the river systems situated at successively higher levels. Based on the methodological proposals of Small (1972), Bishop (1995), Zaprowski et al. (2002) and Oliveira (2003), we seek the identification of morphological and sedimentological elements that are suggestive of these processes, by means of: Digital Elevation Models (DEM) analysis by geomorphometric methods; observation of aerial photographs; fieldwork for description and collection of sedimentological materials; granulometric, morphoscopic and mineralogical analysis of fluvial sediments; and dating of fluvial sediments by Optically Stimulated Luminescence to estimate the age of capture of the upper reaches of the Capivari River. The presented data corroborate the hypothesis that the high course of the Capivari river was captured at least 8,000 years ago and that several other cases of drainage rearrangements, including reversals of large river systems, would be responsible for the observed drainage anomalies.

A Lagoa dos Patos (LP) é um dos ambientes oticamente complexos mais bem estudados no Brasil, e sua grande abrangência espacial, permite a união de diferentes medidas in situ com produtos de sensoriamento remoto, sendo possível entender melhor como os componentes óticos da água influenciam na sua cor. Florações de fitoplâncton possuem grande relevância ecológica e econômica, sendo o desenvolvimento de metologias simples para o seu monitoramento de vital importância. O presente trabalho utilizou produtos de coloração do oceano de imagens diárias dos sensores MODIS/Aqua e SeaWiFS durante os anos de 2002-2005, dados de modelos meteorológicos de reanálise para precipitação e velocidade do vento e dados de clorofila-a e salinidade obtidos in situ. Foi identificado que o espectro de reflectância de sensoriamento remoto é controlado pelo regime de El Niño e La Niña, variação intra anual e espacial (p<0.05), sendo a cor da água da LP em geral, característica de ambientes com alta concentração de CDOM/sedimentos ou de domínio misto. Partindo do pressuposto que o fitoplâncton domina o coeficiente de absorção da luz durante florações de fitoplâncton, e que as possíveis florações na LP se restringem a diatomáceas e cianobactérias, foi desenvolvido um modelo de classificação para discriminar a ocorrência desses eventos. O modelo proposto permite a classificação de águas oticamente complexas de acordo com o componente ótico predominante, e é pioneiro na exploração de dados do sensor MODIS/Aqua para detecção de florações de fitoplâncton em um ambiente lagunar / Patos Lagoon (PL) is one of the optical complex environment best studied in Brazil, and it large spatial extent, allows the union of different in situ and remote sensing measures, enabling a better understandment of how the optical components in water can influence its color. Phytoplankton blooms have great ecological and economic relevance, and the development of simple methodologies for your monitoring of vital importance. The present work used ocean color products from daily MODIS/Aqua and SeaWiFS images during the years 2002-2005, meteorological model data for precipitation and wind speed and chlorophyll-a and sailinity data obtained in situ. It was detected that remote sensing reflectance spectra is controlled by the regime of El Niño and La Niña, intra annual and spatial changes (p<0.05), ande the water color from PL in general, characteristic of environments with high CDOM/sediments concentration or with mixed domain. Assuming that the phytoplankton dominate light absorption coefficient during phytoplankton blooms, and that PL possible blooms are restricted to diatom and cyanobacteria, a classification model was developed to discriminate the occurance of those events. The proposed model allows for the classification of optically complex waters according to the predominant optical component, and it is pioneer in the exploration of data from MODIS/Aqua sensor to detect phytoplankton blooms in lagunar environment

O Grupo Guaritas (Eocambriano da Bacia do Camaquã, RS) é formado por rochas siliciclásticas, predominantemente arenosas e conglomeráticas, interpretadas como de origem aluvial e eólica. Esta unidade estratigráfica pode apresentar mais de 1500 m de espessura de sedimentos e abrange as formações Guarda Velha, Pedra das Torrinhas, Varzinha, Pedra Pintada e Serra do Apertado. O Grupo Guaritas relaciona-se a importantes eventos geológicos do sul do Brasil, pois registra o encerramento da sedimentação em bacia extensional do tipo rifte (Bacia do Camaquã) durante o Cambriano, a qual se desenvolveu em área que seria posteriormente recoberta por ampla bacia intracratônica (a Bacia do Paraná), a partir do Ordoviciano. Para contribuir com novas informações sobre a proveniência das unidades eopaleozóicas brasileiras, as rochas arenosas do Grupo Guaritas foram submetidas à análise de minerais pesados, petrografia de lâminas delgadas e luminescência opticamente estimulada (LOE). As análises de minerais pesados foram realizadas na fração areia muito fina de 44 amostras coletadas em afloramentos. Essas análises abrangeram a identificação e quantificação da assembléia de minerais pesados transparentes não-micáceos, além da determinação dos índices ZTR (zircão+turmalina+rutilo), ATi (apatita/(apatita+turmalina)), ZTi (zircão/(turmalina+zircão)) e ZRi (zircão/(rutilo+zircão). As seções delgadas foram utilizadas para descrever os componentes deposicionais e diagenéticos e para classificar os arenitos estudados. Quatro amostras selecionadas foram submetidas ainda à análise da sensibilidade LOE de grãos individuais de quartzo. A sensibilidade LOE foi calculada utilizando a integral da curva LOE assim como de seus componentes, chamados informalmente de rápido, médio e lento. A sensibilidade LOE foi usada para avaliação de grau de retrabalhamento sedimentar. As amostras estudadas foram classificadas como arcóseos, subarcóseos e sublitoarenitos. Os minerais pesados identificados e suas porcentagens médias foram: zircão (36%), turmalina (13%), rutilo (3%), apatita (23%), granada (16%), anatásio (7%), titanita (1%), sillimanita (1%), monazita (<1%), epidoto (<1%), hornblenda (<1%), estaurolita (<1%) e cianita (<1%). Esses minerais pesados foram descritos em todas as unidades estudadas do Grupo Guaritas. Os valores médios do índice ZTR variam de 20 (Fm. Serra do Apertado) a 40 (Fm. Pedra Pintada) enquanto que o índice ZTi apresenta valores médios entre 62 (Fm. Guarda Velha) e 73 (Fm. Pedra Pintada). Os valores médios dos índices ZRi e ATi variam de 81 (Fm. Guarda Velha) a 90 (Fm. Varzinha) e de 79 (Fm. Guarda Velha) a 83 (Fm. Serra do Apertado), respectivamente. As médias da sensibilidade LOE total do quartzo apresentaram valores médios maiores para as unidades inferiores (Fm. Guarda Velha = 3295 contagens e Fm. Varzinha = 3655 contagens) em relação às superiores (Fm. Pedra Pintada = 2271contagens e Fm. Serra do Apertado = 2457 contagens). As médias dos componentes LOE rápido (15-19%), médio (37-38%) e lento (43-46%) não apresentam diferenças marcantes entre as unidades. A assembléia de minerais pesados dominada por zircão, apatita e turmalina sugere que os sedimentos arenosos do Grupo Guaritas são derivados principalmente de rochas ígneas ácidas (granitos neoproterozóicos). A pequena variação do índice ZRi aponta manutenção da configuração litológica da área-fonte durante a deposição das unidades estudadas. A abundância de feldspatos, fragmentos líticos e, principalmente, de apatita indica deposição em ambiente árido e/ou soterramento rápido. Isto é coerente com a sensibilidade LOE do quartzo, que é relativamente reduzida, indicando baixo grau de retrabalhamento sedimentar para as areias do Grupo Guaritas. A sensibilidade LOE mais elevada das areias da Formação Guarda Velha representaria maior contribuição de sedimentos distais mais retrabalhados.A sensibilidade LOE do quartzo permite avaliar o grau de retrabalhamento de sedimentos antigos (Cambriano), já que até então este método tinha sido aplicado somente à sedimentos quaternários. / The Guaritas Group (Eocambrian of the Camaquã Basin, southern Brazil) is mainly composed of fine to coarse-gravelly sandstones, interpreted as a record of fluvial and aeolian depositional systems. This stratigraphic unity may present more than 1500m thick of sediments, comprising the Guarda Velha, Pedra das Torrinhas, Varzinha, Pedra Pintada and Serra do Apertado formations. The Guaritas Group relates to important geological events occurred in southern Brazil during the Eopaleozoic. Its deposition marks the final episode of sedimentary filling of an extensional rift basin (Camaquã Basin) during the Cambrian, in an area after covered by a huge intracratonic basin (Paraná Basin) during the Ordovician. To contribute with new information about the provenance of Eopalaezoic Brazilian sediments, the sandy rocks of the Guaritas Group were analyzed through heavy minerals, thin section petrography and luminescence methods. Heavy minerals analyses were carried out in the very fine sand fraction of 44 rock samples collected from outcrops. These analyses included the identification and quantification of the transparent non-micaceous heavy minerals as well as the determination of the ZTR (zircon+tourmaline+rutile), ATi (apatite/(apatite+tourmaline)), ZTi (zircon/(tourmaline+zircon)) and ZRi (zircon/(rutile+zircon) indices. Thin section petrography was used to describe depositional and diagenetic components and classify the studied sandstones. Further, four samples were selected for measurements of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) sensitivity in quartz single-grains. The OSL sensitivity was calculated using the total OSL curve as well as specific components, informally named fast, medium and slow. The OSL sensitivity of quartz has been used as a proxy for sedimentary reworking. The studied sandstones were classified as arkoses, subarkoses and sublitharenites. The identified heavy minerals and their mean percentages were: zircon (36%), tourmaline (13%), rutile (3%), apatite (23%), garnet (16%), anatase (7%), titanite (1%), sillimanite (1%), monazite (<1%), epidote (<1%), hornblende (<1%), staurolite (<1%) and kyanite (<1%). These heavy minerals were described in all studied units of the Guaritas Group. The mean values of the ZTR indice varied from 20 (Serra do Apertado Fm.) to 40 (Pedra Pintada Fm.) while the ZTi indice presented mean values between 62 (Guarda Velha Fm.) and 73 (Pedra Pintada Fm.). The mean values of the ZRi and ATi indices ranged from 81 (Guarda Velha Fm.) to 90 (Varzinha Fm.) and from 79 (Guarda Velha Fm.) to 83 (Serra do Apertado Fm.), respectively. The total OSL sensitivity of quartz demonstrated higher mean values for the bottom units (Guarda Velha Fm. = 3295 counts; Varzinha Fm. = 3655 counts) than for the upper units (Pedra Pintada Fm. = 2271 counts, and Serra do Apertado Fm. = 2457 counts). The means of the fast OSL component (15-19%), medium (37-38%) and slow (43-46%) did not differ markedly among the units. The heavy minerals assemblage dominated by zircon, tourmaline and apatite suggests that the sandy sediments of the Guaritas Group are mainly derived from acid igneous rocks (neoproterozoic granites).The low range of variation of the ZRi indice points out the maintenance of similar primary source rocks during the deposition of the Guaritas sediments. The abundance of unstable grains such as feldspars, lithic fragments and apatite indicates deposition under arid climate and/or high rate of sediment accumulation. The OSL sensitivity of quartz grains is relatively low, suggesting sands with low degree of reworking. This is compatible with the high content of unstable sand grains (apatite, feldspar and lithic fragments) and elevated rate of sediment accumulation. The greater proportion of grains with higher OSL sensitivity in the Guarda Velha Formation represents an increased contribution of sediments from distal more reworked sources.The OSL sensitivity of quartz allows evaluate the degree of reworking of older sediments (Cambrian), since this method had been applied only to Quaternary sediments.

One of the traditional approaches to reduce costs of solar energy is to use inexpensive reflectors to focus the light onto highly efficient solar cells. Several research projects have resulted in designs, where the excess heat is used as solar thermal energy. Unlike a solar thermal system, which has a selective surface to reduce the radiant heat loss, a CPV/T (Concentrating PhotoVoltaic/Thermal) system uses a receiver covered with solar cells with high thermal emittance. This project analyzes whether the heat loss from the receiver can be reduced by covering parts of the receiver surface, not already covered with solar cells, with an optically selective coating. Comparing different methods of applying such a coating and the long-term stability of low cost alternatives are also part of the objectives of this project. To calculate the heat loss reductions of the optically selective surface coating a mathematical model was developed, which takes the thermal emittances and the solar absorptances of the different surfaces into account. Furthermore, a full-size experiment was constructed to verify the theoretical predictions. The coating results in a heat loss reduction of approximately 20 % in such a CPV/T system and one of the companies involved in the study is already changing their design to make use of the results.

<div> <div> <div> <p>Composite materials have become widely used in engineering applications, in order to reduce the overall weight of structures while retaining their required strength. Due to their light weight, relatively high stiffness properties, and formability into complex shapes, discontinuous fiber composites are advantageous for producing small and medium size components. However, qualifying their mechanical properties can be expensive, and therefore there is a need to improve predictive capabilities to help reduce the overall cost of large scale testing. To address this challenge, a composite material consisting of discontinuous glass fibers in a polypropylene matrix is studied at the microstructural level through coupled experiments and simulations, in order to uncover the mechanisms that cause microvoids to initiate and progress, as well as certain fiber breakage events to occur, during macroscopic tension. Specifically, this work coupled in-situ X-ray micro computed tomography (μ-CT) experiments with a finite element simulation of the exact microstructure to enable a 3D study that tracked damage initiation and propagation, and computed the local stresses and strains in the microstructure. In order to have a comprehensive 3D understanding of the evolution of the microstructure, high fidelity characterization procedures were developed and applied to the μ-CT images in order to understand the exact morphology of the microstructure. To aid in this process, ModLayer - an interactive image processing tool - was created as a MATLAB executable, and the 3D microstructural feature detection techniques were compared to traditional destructive optical microscopy techniques. For damage initiation, this work showed how high hydrostatic stresses in the matrix can be used as a metric to explain and predict the exact locations of microvoid nucleation within the composite’s microstructure. From a damage propagation standpoint, matrix cracking - a mechanism that has been notably difficult to predict because of its apparent stochastic nature - was studied during damage propagation. The analysis revealed the role of shear stress in fiber mediated flat matrix cracking, and the role of hydrostatic stress in fiber-avoidance conoidal matrix cracking. Overall, a sub-fiber simulation and an in-situ experimental analysis provided the microstructural physical phenomena that govern certain damage initiation and progression mechanisms, further enabling the strength and failure predictions of short fiber thermoplastic composites. </p></div></div></div>

A total of 17 samples were collected for OSL dating from a Swift Creek archaeological site, known as Harrison Ring, which lies on the Tyndall Air force peninsula in northwest Florida. High-resolution vertical sampling conducted at 10 cm intervals from the surface was performed in order to determine the timing of occupation at the site, and to look for patterns in radiation dosimetry and post-depositional disturbance that can compromise OSL results. We find OSL ages determined using both 0.5 mm aliquots and single grains at the archaeological levels (approximately 1751 ± 339 years ago) to be consistent with the timing of early Swift Creek cultures on the Florida Gulf Coast. The ages we report are both consistent with radiocarbon dates taken at Harrison Ring, and those taken at other Swift Creek sites on the Gulf Coast. In general, we find OSL equivalent doses that show high overdispersion and skewness that we attribute to beta-microdosimetry and possible bioturbation in the profiles. We also present results from a test with a novel dosimetric technique employing Al2O3:C chips. By using Al2O3:C dosimeters, we find that large variability in beta dose rates exist in the sedimentary profile at Harrison Ring. By testing a combination of dosimetric techniques in a site with a well-constrained age, we find that the best agreement with independent age control exists when calculating ages using a beta dose rate from NAA/DNC and gamma dose rate from Al2O3:C dosimetry. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

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