Near-surface soil moisture is a key state variable of the hydrologic cycle and plays a significant role in the global water and energy balance by affecting several hydrological, ecological, meteorological, geomorphologic, and other natural processes in the land-atmosphere continuum. Presence of soil moisture in the root zone is vital for the crop and plant life cycle. Soil moisture distribution is highly non-linear across time and space. Various geophysical factors (e.g., soil properties, topography, vegetation, and weather/climate) and their interactions control the spatio-temporal evolution of soil moisture at various scales. Understanding these interactions is crucial for the characterization of soil moisture dynamics occurring in the vadose zone. This dissertation focuses on understanding the spatio-temporal variability of near-surface soil moisture and the associated physical control(s) across varying measurement support (point-scale and passive microwave airborne/satellite remote sensing footprint-scale), spatial extents (field-, watershed-, and regional-scale), and changing hydro-climates. Various analysis techniques (e.g., time stability, geostatistics, Empirical Orthogonal Function, and Singular Value Decomposition) have been employed to characterize near-surface soil moisture variability and the role of contributing physical control(s) across space and time. Findings of this study can be helpful in several hydrological research/applications, such as, validation/calibration and downscaling of remote sensing data products, planning and designing effective soil moisture monitoring networks and field campaigns, improving performance of soil moisture retrieval algorithm, flood/drought prediction, climate forecast modeling, and agricultural management practices.

Indicadores são ferramentas capazes de simplificar informações sobre fenômenos complexos e melhorar, com isso, o processo de comunicação. Também permitem o resumo de grande quantidade de informações relacionadas a um aspecto, auxiliando no diagnóstico e prognóstico ambiental. Alguns cuidados devem ser tomados na seleção e construção dos indicadores para que as medidas utilizadas sejam adequadas, pois influenciam a tomada de decisão. Indicadores inconsistentes fornecem informações imprecisas e enganosas sobre o que está sendo medido. Um dos propósitos desta ferramenta é auxiliar na implementação de mecanismos de proteção, recuperação e uso racional de recursos hídricos. As bacias hidrográficas têm sido usadas como uma das principais unidades de planejamento e gestão integrada por permitirem a visualização da dinâmica dos vários elementos dos meios físico e agentes naturais atrelados à ação humana. Além disso, são áreas expostas a impactos ambientais provenientes da urbanização, exploração intensa de recursos, uso e ocupação inadequados e emissão de efluentes nos cursos d\'água. Por esses motivos, o presente estudo visou abordar o uso de indicadores ambientais para o diagnóstico do potencial de degradação por erosão nas bacias hidrográficas do município de São Carlos – SP como suporte à gestão dos recursos hídricos municipais, possibilitando o melhor aproveitamento destas áreas com menor impacto ambiental possível. O modelo Pressão-Estado-Resposta (PER) foi escolhido para orientar a coleta, organizar as informações e ajudar na interpretação e comunicação dos resultados por ser um dos mais utilizado para divulgar estatísticas e indicadores ambientais. A análise de Agrupamentos e a Matriz de Vulnerabilidade foram os métodos empregados para integrar os indicadores e disponibilizar as informações às partes interessadas como suporte à tomada de decisão. Utilizou-se o Sistema de Informação Geográfica (SIG) ArcGIS® como ferramenta computacional básica para ponderar e agregar os indicadores por meio dos métodos escolhidos e, posteriormente, gerar os mapas analíticos. A partir da análise de agrupamentos as bacias foram divididas em cinco grupos de acordo com a semelhança entre elas, evidenciando a diversidade de cenários relacionados à erosão no município de São Carlos. Já a matriz de vulnerabilidade categorizou as bacias em cinco classes de potencial de degradação por erosão que apontou o menor potencial nas bacias das Gabirobas e Mogi-Guaçu e o maior na bacia do Monjolinho. A diferença entre estes métodos consiste no modo de sintetizar a informação, porém, ambos convergem para auxiliar na elaboração de estratégias de gestão. / Indicators are tools that simplify information about complex phenomena and improve, therefore, the process of communication. They also allow to summary a lot of information related to one aspect, assisting in the environmental diagnosis and prognosis. Care should be taken in the selection and construction of indicators, as they influence the decisionmaking and therefore it is important that the measures used are appropriate. Inconsistent indicators provide inaccurate and misleading information about what is measured. A purpose of this tool is to assist in the implementation of water resources protection mechanisms, recovery and rational use. Watersheds are been used as major planning and integrated management units for allowing the visualization of the dynamics of the various physical elements and natural agents wattled to human action. In addition, these areas are exposed to environmental impacts from urbanization and intensive resource exploitation, inadequate use and occupation and effluents emissions into waterways. For these reasons, this study aimed to address the use of environmental indicators to diagnosis the erosion\'s degradation potencial in São Carlos\' (SP) river basins to support the local water resources management, enabling better use of these areas with less possible environmental impact. The Pressure-State-Response (PSR) model was chosen to guide the information collection and organization and help in the interpretation and communication of the results because it is one of the most used metodology to disseminate statistics and environmental indicators. The Cluster Analysis and Vulnerability Matrix were the methods employed to integrate the indicators and provide information for stakeholders to support decision making. The Geographic Information System (GIS) ArcGIS® was used as computational tool to weight and aggregate indicators through the chosen methods and subsequently generate analytical maps. From the cluster analysis the basins were divided into five groups according to the similarity between them, showing the diversity of scenarios related to erosion in São Carlos. The vulnerability matrix categorized the basins in five erosion degradation potencial classes that pointed out the basins of Gabirobas and Mogi-Guaçu as less potential and Monjolinho as higher. The difference between these two methods is the way to synthesize information, but both converge to assist in decision making and management strategies development.

RESUME: Le travail de recherche rapporté dans cette thèse concerne lamélioration de traceurs marqués au fluor-18 utilisés en routine clinique : la 2-[18F]fluoro-L-tyrosine et le 2-désoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose. Les résultats relatifs à lacide aminé, de valeur confirmative pour les connaissances publiées antérieurement dans la littérature, consistent en une validation chez le rat qui entérine le potentiel de ce traceur pour létude de la vitesse de synthèse des protéines cérébrales in vivo. Les perspectives futures pour ce traceur sont dès lors lextension de son utilité dans le domaine de loncologie et son utilisation pour létude de phénomènes physiologiques neurologiques. Durant ce travail, des techniques décrites dans la littérature, mais non pratiquées au CRC ont fait lobjet dune implémentation et sont maintenant accessibles (modèle du rat vigile, méthodes de synthèse de polymères à empreinte moléculaire). La partie principale du travail concerne la récupération du [18F]fluorure et son utilisation pour le marquage nucléophile sans étape dévaporation. La synthèse du 2-désoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose a servi de réaction témoin pour tester lapplicabilité des méthodes développées dans ce cadre. Deux stratégies différentes, lune utilisant des supports ioniques et des solvants protiques, lautre utilisant des supports non ioniques et des solvants non protiques, ont permis datteindre les buts fixés avec des rendements dincorporation du [18F]fluorure de même ordre de grandeur que ceux obtenus en radiochimie usuelle du fluor-18. La méthode utilisant les supports non ioniques a par ailleurs démontré sa grande généralité vis-à-vis de précurseurs divers, aliphatiques et aromatiques, dans des conditions de marquage diverses, notamment à température modérée. Les perspectives de ces méthodes nouvelles pour la fabrication des traceurs TEP tirent parti de la possibilité de les implanter dans un automate miniaturisé (milli- ou micro-réacteur), à visée synthétique ou analytique. Lefficacité et la simplicité des méthodes de récupération sans évaporation mises au point dans ce travail les destinent à être utilisées aussi bien en développement des traceurs quen synthèse de routine. Elles sont applicables aussi bien à léchelle des automates courants quà celle des futures applications microfluidiques. Par ailleurs, nous sommes persuadés de lintérêt des polymères à empreinte moléculaire dans le créneau des méthodes analytiques. Egalement applicables à des systèmes miniaturisés, ils devraient aider à la réalisation danalyses automatisées des produits finis et à une libération accélérée. Le gain de temps et les moindres pertes de principe actif conduiront alors à une meilleure disponibilité des traceurs TEP et à leur participation accrue aux objectifs de la médecine personnalisée. Nous pensons dès lors avoir ouvert quelques pistes de recherche prometteuses pour la mise en application de ses nouvelles technologies au domaine de la tomographie à émission de positon. / SUMMARY: The results reported in this work concern the improvement of 18-fluorine labelled radiopharmaceuticals used in routine clinical applications: 2-[18F]fluoro-L-tyrosine and 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose. The study of the metabolism of non carrier added 2-[18F]fluoro-L-tyrosine in rats confirms that this tracer is rapidly and extensively incorporated into cerebral proteins and is therefore well suited to the assessment of Protein Synthesis Rate (PSR) in vivo by PET. A correction for the appearance of metabolites is advised for quantitative interpretation of the data. An improvement in the radiosynthesis is necessary to make 2-[18F]fluoro-L-tyrosine widely available for its application in oncology and to envisage the extended use of this tracer for the study of the protein synthesis in other physiological or pathological processes. The second chapter deals with use of molecular imprints in the PET radiochemistry. The molecularly imprinted polymers were synthetized, characterized and tested for the production of specific PET tracers and the plasma analysis of the parent metabolites. The third part of the work consisted in a development of new methods for the [18F]fluoride recovery in order to permit the labelling of different precursors through nucleophilic substitution without the evaporation step classically performed in 18-fluorine radiochemistry. The synthesis of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose has been used as a tool for the evaluation of the developed methods. Two strategies were considered to concentrate and recover the [18F]fluoride. The first one used ionic solid supports and protic solvents. The second one relied on the use of non ionic solid supports and non protic solvents. Both strategies led us to reach [18F]fluoride incorporation yields as high as in classical radiosyntheses with evaporation. Ionic liquids and tertiary alcohols were also evaluated in order to improve the tolerance of the [18F]fluoride nucleophilic substitution to water. The molecularly imprinted polymers and the new methods for the recovery of [18F]fluoride will now be tested for the implementation of PET tracers radiosynthesis and quality control into microchip devices.

The application of environmental performance indicators (EPIs) has received increasing attention by both governments and international organisations as a tool for assessing complex environmental scenarios in national and local decision making processes. However, at the regional scale there is a gap in the application of EPIs, as this has not been well understood and defined due to a limited theoretical foundation and often insufficient data from all participant countries. The regional scale is important because it can incorporate natural ecosystems which often transcend national boundaries. A case study is developed for the Lower Mekong Subregion (LMS), where four riparian Southeast Asian countries (Lao PDR, Thailand, Cambodia, and Viet Nam) share the Lower Mekong River. The research proposes a conceptual framework to identify approaches for developing criteria for acceptable and appropriate EPIs which can be used to support and implement decision making processes by relevant organisations at the regional level. This research evaluates the application of environmental performance indicators using methodologies that assess cross-national quantitative and qualitative data and existing decision support systems. In addition, global and national indicators are examined for application and relation to the regional context. The research finds that the application of EPIs varies according to spatial scale, and is diverse among the four countries. Data availability is also identified as a major problem encountered during the development and selection of EPIs. The study finds that the governance of the existing regional body is ineffective due to differing agendas pursued by each participating country. This is because the current regional body is structured only to facilitate information exchange and cooperation in a limited manner, focusing so far only on water management issues. LMS regional goals need to be set in order to guide the stakeholders in identifying an appropriate set of EPIs. Most importantly, the research is intended to be a catalyst for encouraging the participants to integrate methods and other species of EPIs proposed in this research in their environmental assessment policies.

Submitted by Catarino Lacerda e Silva (catarinolacerda@gmail.com) on 2018-09-18T12:35:32Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Catarino Lacerda e Silva - ESTRATÉGIAS DE INVESTIMENTOS EM AÇÕES .pdf: 1217319 bytes, checksum: 472a152e89a76ba49bfdb192b147d76f (MD5) / Rejected by Thais Oliveira (thais.oliveira@fgv.br), reason: Boa tarde, Catarino, Para que possamos aprovar sua Dissertação, serão necessárias as seguintes alterações: - A numeração de páginas começa na capa, porém deve aparecer A PARTIR da "Introdução" (pág 12) - A Ficha catalográfica deve conter o "texto" que existe fora do quadro, exatamente como foi enviado. Por gentileza, alterar e submeter novamente. Obrigada. on 2018-09-18T21:10:24Z (GMT) / Submitted by Catarino Lacerda e Silva (catarinolacerda@gmail.com) on 2018-09-19T10:54:33Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Catarino Lacerda e Silva - ESTRATÉGIAS DE INVESTIMENTOS EM AÇÕES .pdf: 1219830 bytes, checksum: a2aa93b6d34310ed33ec91af8f364412 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Joana Martorini (joana.martorini@fgv.br) on 2018-09-19T14:33:48Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Catarino Lacerda e Silva - ESTRATÉGIAS DE INVESTIMENTOS EM AÇÕES .pdf: 1219830 bytes, checksum: a2aa93b6d34310ed33ec91af8f364412 (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Suzane Guimarães (suzane.guimaraes@fgv.br) on 2018-09-19T17:39:21Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Catarino Lacerda e Silva - ESTRATÉGIAS DE INVESTIMENTOS EM AÇÕES .pdf: 1219830 bytes, checksum: a2aa93b6d34310ed33ec91af8f364412 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-19T17:39:21Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Dissertação - Catarino Lacerda e Silva - ESTRATÉGIAS DE INVESTIMENTOS EM AÇÕES .pdf: 1219830 bytes, checksum: a2aa93b6d34310ed33ec91af8f364412 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-27 / O objetivo deste trabalho é examinar quais indicadores levaram a retornos excedentes no mercado brasileiro durante o período de 31 de março de 2000 a 31 de março de 2018, através das carteiras de ações construídas anualmente com base em um indicador ou dois indicadores quantitativos. Sendo os fatores testados: Retorno sobre Capital Investido (ROIC), Retorno sobre Ativos (ROA), Earnings Yield, Preço sobre Valor Patrimonial (PVPA), Preço sobre Vendas (PSR) e Índice de Força Relativa 120 dias úteis. Nas estratégias de um fator, o primeiro quartil do indicador Earnings Yield mostrou ser o melhor para seleção de ações no período, com maior índice de Sharpe 0,571, com maior média dos retornos anuais 41,03%, maior alfa 27,82%, superando Ibovespa 88,89% do tempo e com maior discrepância entre os retornos dos quartis, tanto que o pior resultado foi 4º quartil do Earnings Yield. Nas estratégias de dois fatores, a combinação dos indicadores de valor PSR e Earnings Yield, P/VPA e Earnings Yield obteve os maiores retornos médios anuais 42,51% e 39,1%, maiores alfas 29,40% e 26,19%, superando o Ibovespa em 88,89% e 83,33% do tempo, respectivamente. Porém foram as estratégias que combinaram um indicador de valor com um indicador de retorno, ROIC e Earnings Yield, ROA e Earnings Yield, que apresentaram os maiores índices de sharpe 0,623 e 0,619, respectivamente. / The objective of this study is examine which indicators led to excess returns in the Brazilian market during the period from March 31 2000 to March 31 2018, through stock portfolios constructed annually based on one indicator or two quantitative indicators. The following factors were test: Return on invested capital (ROIC), Return on Assets (ROA), Earnings Yield, Price-to-book (PVPA), Price Sales Ratio (PSR) and Relative Strength Index 120. In the one-factor strategies, the first quartile of the Earnings Yield indicator was the best for stock selection in the period, with highest Sharpe ratio 0.571, with the highest average annual returns 41.03%, the highest alpha 27.82% outperformed the Ibovespa 88.89% of the time and with greater discrepancy among quartile returns, so much that the worse result was fourth quartile of the Earnings Yield. In the two-factor strategies, the combination of the PSR and Earnings Yield, P/VPA and Earnings Yield value indicators obtained the highest average annual returns of 42.51% and 39.1%, higher alpha 29.40% and 26.19%, outperformed the Ibovespa in 88.89% and 83.33% of the time, respectively. However, it was the strategies that combined a value indicator with a return indicator, ROIC and Earnings Yield, ROA and Earnings Yield, which had the highest Sharpe ratio of 0.623 and 0.619, respectively.