Vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) are today a commodity on the short wavelength laser market due to the ease with which they are manufactured. Much effort has in the last decade been directed towards making long wavelength VCSELs as successful in the marketplace. This has not been achieved due to the much more difficult fabrication technologies needed for realising high performance long wavelength VCSELs. At one point, GaInNAs quantum wells gain regions grown on GaAs substrates seemed to be the solution as it enabled all-epitaxial VCSELs that could make use of high contrast AlGaAs-based distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) as mirrors and lateral selective oxidation for optical and electrical confinement, thereby mimicking the successful design of short wavelength VCSELs. Although very good device results were achieved, reproducible and reliable epitaxial growth of GaInNAs quantum wells proved difficult and the technology has not made its way into high-volume production. Other approaches to the manufacturing and material problems have been to combine mature InP-based gain regions with high contrast AlGaAs-based DBRs by wafer fusion or with high contrast dielectric DBRs. Commonly, a patterned tunnel junction provides the electrical confinement in these VCSELs. Excellent performance has been achieved in this way but the fabrication process is difficult. In this work, we have employed high strain InGaAs quantum wells along with large detuning between the gain peak and the emission wavelength to realize GaAs-based long wavelength VCSELs. All-epitaxial VCSELs with AlGaAs-based DBRs and lateral oxidation confinement were fabricated and evaluated. The efficiency of these VCSELs was limited due to the optical absorption in the doped DBRs. To improve the efficiency and manufacturability, two novel optical and electrical confinement schemes based on epitaxial regrowth of current blocking layers were developed. The first scheme is based on a single regrowth step and requires very precise processing. This scheme was therefore not developed beyond the first generation but single mode power of 0.3 mW at low temperature, -10ºC, was achieved. The second scheme is based on two epitaxial regrowth steps and does not require as precise processing. Several generations of this design were manufactured and resulted in record high power of 8 mW at low temperature, 5ºC, and more than 3 mW at high temperature, 85ºC. Single mode power was more modest with 1.5 mW at low temperature and 0.8 mW at high temperature, comparable to the performance of the single mode lateral oxidation confined VCSELs. The reason for the modest single mode power was found to be a non-optimal cavity shape after the second regrowth that leads to poor lateral overlap between the gain in the quantum wells and the intensity of the optical field. / QC 20100825

Doctor of Philosophy / The impact of the variability in timber properties has been a challenge for companies involved in drying timber, which have to handle these variations and at the same time meet the requirements stated in the Australian/New Zealand Standard for the assessment of dried timber quality (2001). The definition of quality considered in this study is to both minimize the dispersion of the final moisture contents in dried timber boards, and to reduce cracking/checking. Anecdotal evidence also suggests that the timber properties of plantation timber appear to be more variable compared with the properties of old growth or regrowth timber. Therefore, this thesis focuses on measuring the amount of variability of timber properties by conducting drying experiments using timber boards taken from different locations within a single tree and between trees, for regrowth and plantation blackbutt timber (Eucalyptus pilularis Sm.). The quantified variabilities were then used to develop optimized timber drying schedules that are intended to dry regrowth and plantation blackbutt boards as quickly as possible (highest productivity) without cracking (quality loss) in the presence of large biological variability. Blackbutt (Eucalyptus pilularis Sm.) was the chosen species for this thesis because of its abundance in New South Wales. It is considered to be one of the most important eucalypts for planting in NSW. It has superior growth and high survival rates compared with other eucalyptus species, and the timber is marketable. Lastly, conventional kiln drying was considered in this thesis compared with other drying methods such as air drying and solar kilns due to (arguably) better control of the drying conditions and faster throughput in conventional drying. The higher costs of conventional kiln drying are compensated, relative to open—air drying, by the reduction in stock level and faster turnaround of green to dried timber. Firstly, an overview of previous work on the development and evaluation of different drying schedules was given. Previous work either developed optimized drying schedules to minimize the dispersion of the final moisture contents, or reduced cracking/checking. No schedule has been developed to satisfy both aspects of quality. In addition, only one report has taken into consideration biological variability in the development of an optimized drying schedule, but this approach has not been tested experimentally. In addition, the information on the variability of biological parameters was very limited, was assumed to be normally distributed, and the parameters were assumed to be uncorrelated with one another. There is little information about the variability in timber properties with respect to drying, including how strongly they are correlated. This thesis has particularly addressed this aspect of the problem. Drying experiments using conventional kiln drying were conducted. The properties of two regrowth blackbutt logs (36 boards) and two plantation blackbutt logs (24 boards), have been measured and analysed for the within—tree variation of timber properties. In a separate set of experiments, two boards were taken from each log, from a total of 12 regrowth logs and 10 plantation logs, to study the between—tree variability of the timber properties of blackbutt timber. The timber properties measured consisted of the basic density, the initial moisture content, the diffusion coefficient, the failure strain, the failure stress, the modulus of elasticity and the shrinkage. The amount of cracking or checking and the dispersion of final moisture contents were assessed. 90% of the regrowth timber and 90% of the plantation timber fell in the Class C quality for surface checking, regrowth timber fell in Class B for end checking, while the end checks in the plantation timber fell in Class C for quality. Regrowth timber therefore appeared here to have slightly better quality than plantation material when dried with the same drying schedule, as here, in agreement with anecdotal suggestions that plantation material is more difficult to dry well. 95% of both the regrowth and the plantation timber fell in Class E quality for internal checking. Overall, along with the assessment that both regrowth and plantation timber was Class C quality for the variation of final moisture contents, these regrowth timber boards and the plantation timber boards fell in the lower quality classes for the criteria of checking and target moisture content for appearance products. Quality Classes A and B are higher quality categories, for appearance—grade products. The dispersion of the final moisture contents was greater with the plantation blackbutt timber (0.24 within; 0.36 between) than with the regrowth blackbutt timber (0.19 within; 0.15 between) for both within—tree and between—trees variability, respectively. In general, the diffusion coefficients for the timber in this thesis ranged between 1.14×10—10 and 6.77×10—10 m2s—1. There was a significant difference between the diffusion coefficients of the plantation and regrowth blackbutt timber for the within—tree test at a 0.05 significance level. The variation in the diffusion coefficients within a single plantation blackbutt log was higher than the variation in the diffusion coefficients within a regrowth blackbutt log. In addition, there was also a significant difference between the diffusion coefficients of regrowth and plantation blackbutt timber at a 0.05 significance level for between—trees variability. The initial moisture contents, the diffusion coefficient, and shrinkage decreased from pith to bark and the basic density and the modulus of elasticity (MOE) increased in the same direction, within a tree, for both regrowth and plantation blackbutt. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed that radial and circumferential effects were significant sources of the within—tree variations for the diffusion coefficient, the initial moisture content, the basic density, the failure strain, the failure stress, the modulus of elasticity and shrinkage. A similar result was found for the ANOVA between trees. The ANOVA results also indicated that the smaller—sized samples used for the analysis (i.e. sub—samples of eight boards for the within—tree test of regrowth blackbutt, sub—samples of four boards for the between—trees test of regrowth blackbutt, sub—samples of six boards for the within—tree test of plantation blackbutt, and sub—samples of six boards for the between—trees test of plantation timber) were sufficient to measure the key effects adequately for the variabilities of the physical, transport, and mechanical properties, provided that all combinations of sub—samples were considered. There was no significant difference between the ANOVA results for these smaller sized samples (less than 1% change), considering all combinations, and the ANOVA results for the ‘full’ board cases. Though the sample sizes were unusually small to represent population statistics by most standards, all combinations of the sub-sets were assessed and an averaged picture of the situation with smaller sample sizes was given. Moreover, MOEs (both green and kiln—dried states) of plantation blackbutt were lower compared with the MOE of regrowth blackbutt. It is possible that the MOE was correlated with the basic density, and the basic density of regrowth blackbutt was higher than the basic density of plantation blackbutt. The shrinkage in the tangential direction was approximately twice the amount of radial shrinkage. The ranges of the measured radial shrinkage values were 0.024 – 0.094 mm mm-1 for regrowth blackbutt and 0.037 – 0.125 mm mm-1 for plantation blackbutt. The higher shrinkage values for plantation blackbutt timber show that plantation material is less stable dimensionally, and this situation is possibly due to the high juvenile wood content and low basic density. These differential (tangential:radial) shrinkage values ranged from 1.12 – 2.93 for regrowth blackbutt and 1.09 – 2.92 for plantation blackbutt. Tests were conducted to determine the degree of statistical normality for the distribution of each property (physical, transport, and mechanical). The results of the normality tests showed that most timber properties for regrowth and plantation blackbutt timber were distributed normally on a linear scale based on the W test, both within and between—trees. On the other hand, some timber properties showed a better fit with the three—parameter lognormal distribution, such as the diffusion coefficient and the green failure strain for within—tree variability of regrowth timber. The means and standard deviations of these distributions were further analysed by applying significance tests at a 0.05 level. For regrowth blackbutt, the data for the initial moisture content, the basic density, the diffusion coefficient, and shrinkage showed no significant differences, comparing the cases within and between—trees. The mechanical behaviour, however, was significantly different between each group and suggested that the two regrowth trees used for the within—tree test were stiffer than the 12 trees used for the between—trees test. It was possible that the mechanical properties were dependent on the geographic location where the tree was felled, and the heartwood content of each log. On the other hand, since all the plantation logs used for the within and between—trees tests were taken from one location, the mechanical properties were not significantly different within the plantation sample. The silviculture and the age of all the plantation trees were the same, which might have contributed to the small variation of the timber properties between the within—tree and between—trees cases for plantation material. Lastly, a significance test was conducted to compare the properties of regrowth and plantation blackbutt timber. Most timber properties (except for the initial moisture content) were significantly different between regrowth and plantation blackbutt. Plantation blackbutt timber had a lower basic density, higher diffusion coefficient and shrinkage, and the modulus of elasticity (both in its green and dried states) was lower compared with regrowth blackbutt timber. In addition to geographic location, heartwood/juvenile content, maturity (age), and differences in microfibril angle may have affected these timber properties in plantation blackbutt timber. For all the experiments, the possibility that there is a correlation between high initial moisture contents, higher diffusion coefficients, low basic densities, and low green modulus of elasticity’s (MOE) was assessed using principal components analysis (PCA). A principal components analysis was performed on the four parameters: the basic density, the initial moisture content, the diffusion coefficient, and the green MOE. The results of the PCA showed that the principal component for the within—tree and between—trees test accounted for 93% and 94% (for regrowth), and 92% and 90% (for plantation), respectively, of the total amount of variation within these parameters, giving some support for the mentioned correlation between the parameters. The strong correlation between the diffusion coefficient and the basic density, D; the diffusion coefficient and the initial moisture content, Xi; and the diffusion coefficient, D, and the modulus of elasticity, EG were represented by empirical equations. The F significance test was conducted to determine if the equations from the within—tree and between—trees tests, and the regrowth blackbutt and plantation blackbutt tests, were significantly different. The difference between the equations for the within—tree and between—trees variability of plantation blackbutt timber (Factual= 1.35  Fexpected= 2.13) was the only result that showed no significant difference. A possible reason for this finding is that the boards from the within—tree and between—tree variability tests, hence the trees, were all felled from one location. On the other hand, the other tests compared boards that were taken from trees felled from different locations, including the regrowth blackbutt within trees, compared with between trees. The results of the significance tests imply that boards taken from one location, whether they are within—tree and between—tree samples, have probably come from the same overall population. Hence using any of the correlations (within—tree or between—trees for plantation blackbutt) would be suitable to estimate the diffusion coefficient of other plantation blackbutt samples at the same location. Overall, these empirical equations can be used to estimate important drying properties of other regrowth and plantation blackbutt samples, such as the diffusion coefficient, using easily measured properties, like the initial moisture content or the basic density, as long as the boards are taken from the same age group (i.e. regrowth or plantation) and the same location. Thereafter, the blackbutt timber boards may be segregated based on the range of diffusion coefficients as estimated from the densities or the initial moisture contents. Hence a suitable drying schedule should be chosen for each segregated group. Collapse was not significant for blackbutt samples studied in this thesis, and possibly this timber species in general, but it may be significant for other eucalyptus species such as collapse—prone Eucalyptus regnans F. Muell (mountain ash) This potential limitation means that care is needed in applying the relationships found in this thesis to collapse—prone species. The same drying model was used to assess the effects of different drying schedules (i.e. increasing and decreasing the dry—bulb and wet—bulb temperatures of the original drying schedule by 5oC and 10oC) and of the potential correlations between the diffusion coefficient, the green MOE, the shrinkage coefficient (calculated from the tangential shrinkage), and the initial moisture content on the variability of final moisture contents, when the average moisture content within a stack of timber reached 15%. In addition, the maximum strain attained by the timber boards was also predicted. The results show that for regrowth blackbutt timber and accounting for within—tree variability, there was no relationship between the length of the drying schedule and the dispersion of final moisture contents. As the temperatures increased, the dispersion of the final moisture contents showed no consistent trend. The absence of a clear trend may be due to the different locations where the logs used for the within—tree test of regrowth variability were taken. On the other hand, the between—tree variability sensitivity tests for both regrowth and plantation blackbutt timber and the within—tree variability sensitivity test for plantation blackbutt timber show a relationship between the length of the drying schedule and the dispersion of final moisture contents. The dispersion of the final moisture contents decreased as temperatures increased. Generally, the ‘+10oC’ drying schedule gave the shortest time for the stack of timber to reach the target average moisture content, and its conditions produced the smallest dispersion of final moisture contents. It was also observed, however, for all sensitivity tests, that as the temperature of the drying schedule increased, the average predicted values decreased for the maximum strains reached. This is a very unusual result, because normally the strains and stresses would be expected to increase with increasing temperature. A possible reason for this is that within a piece of timber, as the temperatures increase, the diffusion coefficient will increase because the internal average temperature increases, so the internal resistance to mass transfer decreases, which leads to the moisture content gradient decreasing, even though the drying rate may slightly increase. This decreases both the drying time and the maximum strain reached as the temperature increases. There are limitations, however, associated when using high temperatures in kiln drying such as collapse and timber discolouration. The optimization technique created by Pordage (2006) was improved by using a large number of measurements to quantify the variability in the properties of blackbutt timber. The first simulation accounted for the between—tree variability of the biological parameters in regrowth blackbutt, and the second simulation accounted for both the within and between—tree variability of the timber properties in plantation blackbutt. Since location was observed as a main source of variability, the timber properties used for each simulation were taken from the logs that were felled from the same location. The mean and the standard deviations of the initial moisture content, the reference diffusion coefficient, and the shrinkage coefficient of regrowth and plantation blackbutt timber boards measured in the actual drying experiments, along with the covariance between these properties represented by a covariance matrix, were used for each simulation. The total drying time of the optimized drying schedule of plantation blackbutt timber was longer (an additional 168 hours, i.e. 472 hours) compared with the total drying time of the optimized drying schedule of regrowth blackbutt timber (304 hours). Due to the greater variability present in plantation blackbutt, slower drying is required. Moreover, the total drying times from the ‘regrowth blackbutt’ optimization and the ‘plantation blackbutt’ optimization (which both accounted for variability) were shorter compared with the total drying time of the original drying schedule for 28 mm—thick mixed—sawn blackbutt boards, i.e. 504 hours. On the other hand, the total drying times of the optimized drying schedules of regrowth and plantation blackbutt timber were greater than the total drying time (152 hours) predicted by Pordage’s (2006) optimized drying schedule accounting for the variability of Eucalyptus paniculata (grey ironbark). He had limited information on the variability of the parameters of grey ironbark and thus used an estimate from another eucalyptus species, Eucalyptus obliqua (messmate), whereas in this thesis, the variabilities for regrowth and plantation blackbutt used for the optimization technique were measured and part of the scope for this study. Overall, this is a typical application of the data obtained in this thesis to the optimization of drying schedules.

Submitted by RAONI XAVIER DE MELO null (raonimelo@hotmail.com) on 2016-05-16T12:12:19Z No. of bitstreams: 1 RAONI_DEFINITIVO_FINAL.pdf: 2675385 bytes, checksum: 082419f2fd50aacd7928c9746ddabbde (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Felipe Augusto Arakaki (arakaki@reitoria.unesp.br) on 2016-05-16T17:45:56Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 melo_rx_me_bot.pdf: 2675385 bytes, checksum: 082419f2fd50aacd7928c9746ddabbde (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-16T17:45:56Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 melo_rx_me_bot.pdf: 2675385 bytes, checksum: 082419f2fd50aacd7928c9746ddabbde (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-24 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / A preocupação com as questões ambientais e o desenvolvimento de diversos tipos de energias alternativas estimula a participação cada vez maior de fontes renováveis de energia. A energia gerada por meio da queima da biomassa é o maior destaque dentre as fontes renováveis, sendo uma das mais exploradas atualmente. O aumento da demanda de biomassa aumentou a necessidade de gerar uma maior quantidade de material em menor tempo e em áreas cada vez mais reduzidas. O presente estudo avaliou o crescimento e a produção da biomassa aérea em plantio de Eucalyptus grandis (Clone G21), no sistema de talhadia com enfoque na produção de biomassa florestal ao fim do ciclo de dois anos. O trabalho foi realizado na Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), em área experimental da Fazenda Lageado, localizada no município de Botucatu – SP. A floresta de Eucalyptus grandis foi implantada em março de 2012 no sistema florestal de curta rotação em espaçamento de 3 x 1 m e colhida com a colhedora florestal FR 9060 da New Holland. A segunda rotação foi conduzida a partir da rebrota do plantio anterior com início em de outubro de 2013. A área foi subdivida em quatro tratamentos, os quais foram dispostos em dois fatores: com a desbrota e sem a desbrota; e com a aplicação da adubação comercial e sem a aplicação de adubação. O trabalho foi desenvolvido em um experimento inteiramente casualizado e considerou-se um esquema fatorial (2 x 2) com dois fatores, desbrota e adubação, foi realizado a ANOVA e quando apresentou diferença significativa foi realizado o teste TUKEY para a comparação entre as médias. A produção de biomassa florestal seca resultou em uma média geral dentre os tratamentos de 17,34 toneladas por hectare e o fuste foi o componente arbóreo que mais produziu tanto biomassa fresca quanto biomassa seca por hectare, o qual representa cerca de 91 % de toda a biomassa produzida na área. A densidade básica da madeira também não apresentou diferença estatística quando comparado os fatores silviculturais, obtendo uma média de 369 kg m-3. A umidade apresentou-se maior no componente fuste seguido das folhas e os galhos. Para os materiais voláteis e o teor de cinzas apenas apresentaram diferença no componente fuste, que apresentou maior média de materiais voláteis e menor média de carbono fixo. As folhas apresentaram o maior poder calorífico dentre os componentes, mas representam apenas 4,1% do total de biomassa por hectare. Nenhuma prática silvicultural comparada neste trabalho, desbrota e a adubação, apresentou um resultado com diferença significativa a 5% de probabilidade para a produção de biomassa e para a produção de energia. Desse modo, pode-se afirmar que para a talhadia de sistemas florestais de curta rotação com o enfoque para a produção de biomassa e bioenergia não faz necessário realizar as adubações e nem a desbrota, sendo que estas duas operações são onerosas, tanto economicamente como no dispêndio energético, mas para que isso ocorra devem-se atentar as boas práticas silviculturais no primeiro ciclo, principalmente para o fator adubação. / The power generated by biomass burning is the biggest highlight from renewable sources, one of the most currently used. With the increasing use of biomass, the need arises to produce more biomass in less time in a smaller area. This study aims to evaluate the growth and biomass production of Eucalyptus grandis, G21 clone, the coppice system, with a focus on production of forest biomass. The study was conducted at São Paulo State University (UNESP) in the experimental area of Lageado Farm, located in Botucatu SP. The Eucalyptus grandis forest was established in March 2012 in forest system of short rotation with spacing of 3 x 1 m at 18 months of age was held the first thinning in total area, with forest harvester FR 9060 New Holland, which gathers all the tree components, stem, branches and leaves. After harvesting the area was subdivided into 4 equal parts where set 4 treatments, which are arranged on two factors: With the completion of thinning and without the use of thinning; and the application of commercial fertilizer or without the application of commercial fertilizer. The study was conducted in a completely randomized experiment and considered a factorial arrangement (2 x 2) with two factors, thinning and fertilizing. It was found that the thinning and fertilization influenced some physical properties of forest biomass. The components of biomass differed in all the treatments. Especially the leaves which had the highest average values of the gross calorific value (20.9 MJ kg-1 ), higher fixed carbon (15 %). The highest dry matter yield, 18,690 kg, was presented by the treatment without thinning and fertilization. The same treatment also showed the highest amount of energy potential, 336.06 GJ ha-1 . Fertilization worked significantly in the production of dry biomass and consequently the energy potential per area.

Abstract This thesis operates at two levels of ecological research, describing the effects of withdrawal and re-introduction of management on grasslands. The aim of the community-level survey was to explore the effects of abandonment, mowing and grazing on semi-natural meadows in northern Finland. At the species level, the aim was to evaluate the responses of three monocarpic meadow species to various degrees of simulated grazing under natural growth conditions. The community-level studies suggest that strongly competitive grass species with rapid vegetative growth, especially those forming tussocks, are able to retain or increase their cover in abandoned meadows. However, most species are able to persist in a meadow for a long time after abandonment, even when a group of immigrants arrive. This leads to a temporary increase in species diversity, and it may therefore be used as an indicator of ongoing succession. Nevertheless, abandonment is harmful for the rare archaeophytic species in the long run. Late mowing does not have extensive short-term impacts on grass-dominated semi-natural meadows. Therefore, it is neither an efficient nor a substitutional way of management when the goal is to restore a formerly grazed pasture. Mowing executed early in the season may, however, be a more appropriate way of inducing changes in species composition and enhancing species richness. According to the results of the species-level studies, Erysimum strictum and Rhinanthus minor tolerate well minor apical damage, while more severe damage has a detrimental impact on the performance of both species. The observed differences in regrowth responses between the two species are presumably due to their different habitat requirements in relation to competition. The species-level experiment with two late-flowering populations of field gentian Gentianella campestris ssp. campestris revealed that the southern, Swedish population that has been regularly grazed and mown overcompensated for the intermediate (50%) damage level, whereas the northern, Finnish field gentians growing in unmanaged habitats showed at best partial or full compensation. Regular grazing and mowing have presumably favoured grazing-tolerant plant species, i.e. species with a good regrowth capacity. Herbivory reshapes grassland plant communities in two ways: directly by affecting the survival and reproductive success of individual plants and indirectly by changing the competitive environment. Tall and competitive perennial species suffer relatively more from damage than true grassland species, i.e. small herbs and grasses, which are better able to tolerate regular tissue losses and respond to damage within the ongoing growing season. As a result, certain species benefit from grazing and mowing in the sense that they may gain more through competitive relaxation than they lose in defoliation.

The influence of the spatial pattern of foliage removal on regrowth was investigated in the field with a tussock grass, Agropyron desertorum. Tussocks were hand clipped in different spatial patterns that represented extremes of defoliation patterns which could be inflicted by natural herbivores. All defoliated tussocks exhibited increases in specific growth rates following clipping in mid-May. When foliage was removed from the upper portion of the canopy (younger foliage), regrowth rates and season-long aboveground biomass production were less than if the same amount of foliage was removed from low in the canopy (older foliage). The spatial pattern of defoliation also influenced tussock regrowth in a late-May clipping experiment, but differences in the effects of the clipping patterns were associated with the removal of apical meristems rather than with the age or location of foliage removed. Changes in tussock carbon dioxide and water vapor exchange that were associated with changes in growth following mid-May clipping were explored. All clipped tussocks showed increases in integrated daytime carbon dioxide uptake per unit foliage area after defoliation. Differences among treatments in the response of net daytime carbon gain during the first 24 hours after clipping corresponded well with differences in tussock regrowth over a 14-day period following clipping. Increased carbon gain of clipped tussocks was associated with increases in tussock water vapor conductance and intercellular carbon dioxide concentration, and decreases in the ratio of carbon dioxide uptake to water vapor loss. Differences among treatments in daytime carbon gain and regrowth were paralleled by the response of instantaneous rates of light-saturated net photosynthesis for entire tussocks. Defoliation increased the proportion of foliage directly illuminated within the tussock at solar noon. Changes in the fraction of sunlit foliage and the relative amounts of different-aged foliage in tussock canopies were correlated with the responses of light-saturated photosynthesis. Thus, the effects of the spatial pattern of foliage removal on canopy light microclimate and the age of remaining foliage had important implications for carbon gain and regrowth of tussocks following mid-May defoliation.

<p> The work described in this thesis is devoted to the application of defect engineering in the development of silicon photonic devices. The thesis is divided into simulation and experimental portions, each focusing on a different form of defect engineered silicon: ion implantation induced amorphous silicon and solid-phase epitaxial regrowth suppressed polycrystalline silicon.</p> <p> The simulations are directed at silicon rib waveguide Raman laser applications. It is shown that a uniform, divacancy defect concentration will not enhance Raman gain. The excess optical loss and free carrier lifetime of rib waveguides with remote amorphous silicon volumes were simulated. Net gain was demonstrated depending on the geometry of the structure. For a waveguide structure with rib width, rib height and slab height of W = 1.5, H = 1.5 and h = 0.8 μm respectively, the optimal separation between the edge of the rib and the amorphous region is ~2.0 μm. Surface recombination velocity modification was shown to be an effective means to reduce free carrier lifetime.</p> <p> Experimental work was devoted to the characterization of a novel form of polycrystalline silicon created by amorphizing the entire silicon overlayer of a silicon-on-insulator wafer. Solid-phase epitaxial regrowth of the amorphous silicon is suppressed upon annealing due to the lack of a crystal seed and results in polycrystalline silicon. This material was characterized with ellipsometry, positron annihilation spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction. The material properties are shown to be heavily dependent on the annealing conditions. Ellipsometry showed that the refractive index at 1550 nm is comparable to crystalline silicon. Positron annihilation spectroscopy showed that the polycrystalline material exhibits a high concentration of vacancy-type defects while vertically regrown crystalline silicon does not. X-ray diffraction showed that the polycrystalline silicon is non-textured, strained in tension and is characterized by grain sizes less than 300 nm.</p> <p> Defect etching and optical measurements using a waveguide geometry were performed in order to characterize the lateral regrowth and the optical loss of the polycrystalline material. Lateral regrowth in the [011] direction was 1.53 and 0.96 μm for 10 minute anneals at 750 and 900 °C respectively, and at least 2.5 μm at 650 °C. Waveguide optical loss measurements with adjacent polycrystalline regions separated from the rib by at least 5.5 μm showed no separation dependence. The intrinsic optical loss of the polycrystalline material was estimated to be 1.05 and 1.57 dB/cm for TM and TE polarizations after a 900 °C anneal. Vertically regrown c-Si was shown to exhibit less than 3.0 dB/cm optical loss after annealing at 550 °C .</p> / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

O capim-amargoso (Digitaria insularis) é uma planta daninha que ganhou importância no cenário agrícola brasileiro recentemente, decorrente da dificuldade natural de se controlar essa espécie de planta daninha e pela descoberta de populações resistentes ao glyphosate. Esse trabalho teve o objetivo de estudar os níveis de resistência apresentados por populações de capim-amargoso dos estados do Paraná e São Paulo e avaliar o controle de proporcionado por aplicações de herbicidas associados ou não a duas formulações de 2,4-D, em plantas perenizadas adultas e após roçada mecânica. No primeiro experimento foram coletadas populações de capim-amargoso em quinze áreas nos estados do Paraná e São Paulo. Foi feita a aplicação de 8 doses crescentes de glyphosate (0; 67,5; 135; 270; 540; 1080; 2160 e 4320 g e.a.ha-1) em 5 repetições para a obtenção da curva de dose resposta. Os dados de controle foram submetidos ao modelo de regressão não-linear do tipo log-logístico para determinação dos parâmetros das curvas de dose-resposta, em seguida foi determinado o fator de resistência para cada população. No segundo e terceiro experimentos foi avaliada a eficácia de controle de capim-amargoso através de 31 associações entre os herbicidas glyphosate, 2,4-D dimethylamine, 2,4-D choline, haloxyfop, clethodim, glufosinate, em plantas perenizadas adultas e após roçada mecânica a 20cm. Existe um cenário de evolução nos casos de resistência de capim-amargoso ao herbicida glyphosate nos estados de São Paulo e Paraná. Grande parte das populações estudadas apresentaram algum nível de resistência ao glyphosate, mas em maioria (67%) baixa resistência. No entanto, a constatação de populações com fatores de resistência muito altos serve como alerta para a necessidade do uso do manejo integrado de plantas daninhas, buscando usar boas práticas agrícolas para que as populações que ainda apresentam baixo nível de resistência não atinjam esse mesmo patamar. É possível afirmar que o controle de plantas adultas de capim-amargoso resistente ao glyphosate é facilitado com a roçada mecânica, podendo atingir resultados semelhantes ao controle das plantas não roçadas, com uma aplicação sequencial. Existem diversas combinações de associações e aplicações sequenciais entre glyphosate, haloxyfop, clethodim e glufosinate, em associação ou não com 2,4-D colina e 2,4-D dimetilamina, capazes de proporcionar controle superior a 90% em plantas de capim-amargoso, roçadas ou não. Independente do tratamento algumas plantas sofreram rebrota, sendo a intensidade dessa importante na ocasião da aplicação sequencial. É recomendado que esse parâmetro seja observado com cautela para tomada de decisão correta, principalmente no caso de roçada mecânica das plantas, prévia a aplicação de herbicidas. Foi possível observar que a nova formulação de 2,4-D colina possui comportamento similar ao 2,4-D dimetilamina em relação a possíveis antagonismos em associações com graminicidas. Isso indica que os conhecimentos anteriores servem como uma boa referência para uso da nova formulação enquanto novos estudos são desenvolvidos. / The sourgrass (Digitaria insularis) is a weed that has gained importance in the Brazilian agricultural scene recently, due to the natural difficulty to control this species of weed and the discovery of populations resistant to glyphosate. The objective of this work was to study the resistance levels of sourgrass populations in the states of Paraná and São Paulo, and to evaluate the control provided by herbicides applications associated or not with two 2,4-D formulations in perennial plants and after mechanical mowing. In the first experiment, sourgrass populations were collected in fifteen areas in the states of Paraná and São Paulo. Eight growing doses of glyphosate (0, 67.5, 135, 270, 540, 1080, 2160 and 4320 g a.a.ha-1) were applied in 5 replicates to obtain the dose response curve. The control data were submitted to the log-logistic nonlinear regression model to determine the parameters of the dose-response curves, after the resistance factor for each population was determined. In the second and third experiments, was evaluated the effectiveness of sourgrass control through 31 associations between herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D dimethylamine, 2,4-D choline, haloxyfop, clethodim, glufosinate, in adult perennial plants and after mowing at 20cm. There is a scenario of evolution in the cases of sourgrass resistance to glyphosate herbicide in the states of São Paulo and Paraná. Most of the populations studied showed some resistance to glyphosate, but most (67%) low resistance. However, the observation of populations with very high resistance factors serves as an alert to the need of using integrated weed management, seeking to use good agricultural practices, so that populations that still have a low resistance level do not reach this high level. It is possible to affirm that the control of adult plants of sourgrass resistant to glyphosate is facilitated with the mechanical mowing, being able to reach results similar to the control of the non-cropped plants, with a sequential application less. There are several combinations of sequential applications and associations between glyphosate, haloxyfop, clethodim and glufosinate, in association or not with 2,4-D choline and 2,4-D dimethylamine, capable of providing superior control to 90% in sourgrass plants, mowed or not. Regardless of the treatment, some plants regrowth, where the intensity is important at the occasion of the sequential application. It is recommended that this parameter get observed with caution for correct decision making, especially in the case of mechanical mowing of the plants, prior to the application of herbicides. It was possible to observe that the new formulation of 2,4-D choline has similar behavior to 2,4-D dimethylamine in relation to possible antagonisms in combinations with graminicides. This indicates that prior knowledge serves as a good reference for use of the new formulation while new studies are developed.

O manejo do pastejo é fator determinante da eficiência do processo de colheita e condicionante do valor nutritivo da forragem produzida. O presente experimento, conduzido em área do Departamento de Biotecnologia Vegetal do Centro de Ciências Agrárias da Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Campus de Araras, São Paulo, durante o período de janeiro de 2001 a fevereiro de 2002, teve como objetivo analisar e descrever a dinâmica de acúmulo de forragem de pastos de capim-Mombaça submetidos a regimes de desfolhação intermitente. Os tratamentos corresponderam a combinações entre duas condições de pós-pastejo (altura de resíduo de 30 ou 50 cm) e duas condições de pré-pastejo (interceptação luminosa pelo dossel de 95 e 100%). O delineamento experimental utilizado foi o de blocos completos casualizados, quatro repetições e arranjo fatorial 2 x 2. Foram avaliadas as seguintes respostas: altura do dossel forrageiro, índice de área foliar (IAF), massa de forragem, número e peso de perfilhos individuais, alongamento e senescência de lâminas foliares e hastes, perdas por pastejo e composição morfológica da forragem. As avaliações foram realizadas imediatamente após o pastejo e a cada incremento de 20 cm em altura do dossel até o início de um novo pastejo. A altura do dossel forrageiro se mostrou um bom parâmetro para determinação prática do momento de entrada dos animais nos pastos, uma vez que 95 ou 100% de interceptação luminosa (IL) ocorreram consistentemente a 90 ou 115 cm de altura, respectivamente, durante todo o período experimental, independentemente do estádio de desenvolvimento das plantas (vegetativo ou reprodutivo). Os tratamentos de 95% de IL proporcionaram maior número de pastejos (7,6) que os tratamentos de 100% de IL (5,9) (P<0,10) nos 411 dias de experimento, resultado de períodos de descanso diferenciados (24 e 35 dias, em média, para 95 e 100% de IL, respectivamente, durante a estação de crescimento) (P<0,10). Essa diferença foi suficiente para causar mudanças na produção e composição morfológica da forragem, na dinâmica de acúmulo de massa seca, nos padrões de perfilhamento e nas perdas por pastejo. O acúmulo líquido de lâminas foliares foi 6.300 kg ha -1 de MS maior quando os pastejos foram realizados com 95% de IL. A partir desse ponto, as taxas de alongamento de folhas decresceram (30 para 20 mg perfilho -1 dia -1 ) (P<0,10) e as taxas de alongamento de hastes (0,24 para 0,42 mg perfilho -1 dia -1 ) (P<0,10) e senescência (9,3 para 18,2 mg perfilho -1 dia -1 ) aumentaram consideravelmente (P<0,10), prejudicando a estrutura do dossel na condição de pré-pastejo (maior proporção de hastes e material morto) e dificultando o retorno às condições especificadas de pós-pastejo, particularmente para o resíduo de 30 cm. O tratamento de pastejos realizados com 95% de IL e 30 cm de altura de resíduo resultou na maior produção (25.900 kg ha -1 de MS) e eficiência de colheita de forragem (82%). / Grazing management is a key element determining the utilization efficiency and the nutritive value of the herbage produced. This study aimed at evaluating and describing the dynamics of herbage accumulation in Mombaça grass pastures submitted to intermittent defoliation regimes. The experiment was carried out at Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Araras, SP, from January 2001 to February 2002. Treatments corresponded to combinations between two grazing intensities (30 and 50 cm post-grazing height) and two grazing intervals (grazing initiated at 95 and 100% canopy light interception - LI) and were allocated to experimental units according to a complete randomized block design, in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement, with 4 replicates. The following responses were measured in all grazing cycles: sward height, sward leaf area index and herbage mass, tiller population density and tiller weight, leaf and stem elongation and senescence rates, losses due to grazing and morphological composition of the herbage. Measurements were performed immediately after grazing (post-grazing condition) and at 20 cm increments in sward height during regrowth until the next grazing (pre-grazing condition). Sward height proved to be a satisfactory parameter for determining the timing of grazing in field conditions, since 95 or 100% canopy light interception occurred consistently at 90 or 115 cm, respectively, throughout the experimental period regardless of plants physiological state (vegetative or reproductive). The 95% LI treatments resulted in bigger number of grazings (7.6) than the 100% LI treatments (5.9) (P<0.10) during the 411 days of experiment, that being a consequence of the resulting different intervals between grazings (24 and 35 days for 95 and 100% LI, respectively, during the spring/summer period) (P<0.10). This difference was big enough to cause changes in production and morphological composition of the herbage, dynamics of herbage accumulation, tiller demography patterns and losses due to grazing. Net accumulation of leaf dry matter was 6300 kg ha -1 higher when grazings were performed with 95% LI. From this point, leaf elongation rates decreased (30 to 20 mg tiller -1 day -1 ) (P<0.10) and stem elongation (0.24 to 0.42 mg tiller -1 day -1 ) (P<0.10) and senescence rates (9.3 to 18.2 mg tiller -1 day -1 ) increased considerably (P<0.10), influencing negatively the sward structure at the pre-grazing condition (higher proportion of stem and dead material) and increasing the difficulty of accomplishing the specified post-grazing targets, particularly for the 30 cm residue. The defoliation treatment characterized by grazings at 95% canopy light interception (90 cm sward surface height) and 30 cm residue resulted in the highest herbage dry matter production (25,900 kg ha -1 ) and utilization efficiency (82%).

O capim-amargoso (Digitaria insularis) é uma planta daninha que ganhou importância no cenário agrícola brasileiro recentemente, decorrente da dificuldade natural de se controlar essa espécie de planta daninha e pela descoberta de populações resistentes ao glyphosate. Esse trabalho teve o objetivo de estudar os níveis de resistência apresentados por populações de capim-amargoso dos estados do Paraná e São Paulo e avaliar o controle de proporcionado por aplicações de herbicidas associados ou não a duas formulações de 2,4-D, em plantas perenizadas adultas e após roçada mecânica. No primeiro experimento foram coletadas populações de capim-amargoso em quinze áreas nos estados do Paraná e São Paulo. Foi feita a aplicação de 8 doses crescentes de glyphosate (0; 67,5; 135; 270; 540; 1080; 2160 e 4320 g e.a.ha-1) em 5 repetições para a obtenção da curva de dose resposta. Os dados de controle foram submetidos ao modelo de regressão não-linear do tipo log-logístico para determinação dos parâmetros das curvas de dose-resposta, em seguida foi determinado o fator de resistência para cada população. No segundo e terceiro experimentos foi avaliada a eficácia de controle de capim-amargoso através de 31 associações entre os herbicidas glyphosate, 2,4-D dimethylamine, 2,4-D choline, haloxyfop, clethodim, glufosinate, em plantas perenizadas adultas e após roçada mecânica a 20cm. Existe um cenário de evolução nos casos de resistência de capim-amargoso ao herbicida glyphosate nos estados de São Paulo e Paraná. Grande parte das populações estudadas apresentaram algum nível de resistência ao glyphosate, mas em maioria (67%) baixa resistência. No entanto, a constatação de populações com fatores de resistência muito altos serve como alerta para a necessidade do uso do manejo integrado de plantas daninhas, buscando usar boas práticas agrícolas para que as populações que ainda apresentam baixo nível de resistência não atinjam esse mesmo patamar. É possível afirmar que o controle de plantas adultas de capim-amargoso resistente ao glyphosate é facilitado com a roçada mecânica, podendo atingir resultados semelhantes ao controle das plantas não roçadas, com uma aplicação sequencial. Existem diversas combinações de associações e aplicações sequenciais entre glyphosate, haloxyfop, clethodim e glufosinate, em associação ou não com 2,4-D colina e 2,4-D dimetilamina, capazes de proporcionar controle superior a 90% em plantas de capim-amargoso, roçadas ou não. Independente do tratamento algumas plantas sofreram rebrota, sendo a intensidade dessa importante na ocasião da aplicação sequencial. É recomendado que esse parâmetro seja observado com cautela para tomada de decisão correta, principalmente no caso de roçada mecânica das plantas, prévia a aplicação de herbicidas. Foi possível observar que a nova formulação de 2,4-D colina possui comportamento similar ao 2,4-D dimetilamina em relação a possíveis antagonismos em associações com graminicidas. Isso indica que os conhecimentos anteriores servem como uma boa referência para uso da nova formulação enquanto novos estudos são desenvolvidos. / The sourgrass (Digitaria insularis) is a weed that has gained importance in the Brazilian agricultural scene recently, due to the natural difficulty to control this species of weed and the discovery of populations resistant to glyphosate. The objective of this work was to study the resistance levels of sourgrass populations in the states of Paraná and São Paulo, and to evaluate the control provided by herbicides applications associated or not with two 2,4-D formulations in perennial plants and after mechanical mowing. In the first experiment, sourgrass populations were collected in fifteen areas in the states of Paraná and São Paulo. Eight growing doses of glyphosate (0, 67.5, 135, 270, 540, 1080, 2160 and 4320 g a.a.ha-1) were applied in 5 replicates to obtain the dose response curve. The control data were submitted to the log-logistic nonlinear regression model to determine the parameters of the dose-response curves, after the resistance factor for each population was determined. In the second and third experiments, was evaluated the effectiveness of sourgrass control through 31 associations between herbicides glyphosate, 2,4-D dimethylamine, 2,4-D choline, haloxyfop, clethodim, glufosinate, in adult perennial plants and after mowing at 20cm. There is a scenario of evolution in the cases of sourgrass resistance to glyphosate herbicide in the states of São Paulo and Paraná. Most of the populations studied showed some resistance to glyphosate, but most (67%) low resistance. However, the observation of populations with very high resistance factors serves as an alert to the need of using integrated weed management, seeking to use good agricultural practices, so that populations that still have a low resistance level do not reach this high level. It is possible to affirm that the control of adult plants of sourgrass resistant to glyphosate is facilitated with the mechanical mowing, being able to reach results similar to the control of the non-cropped plants, with a sequential application less. There are several combinations of sequential applications and associations between glyphosate, haloxyfop, clethodim and glufosinate, in association or not with 2,4-D choline and 2,4-D dimethylamine, capable of providing superior control to 90% in sourgrass plants, mowed or not. Regardless of the treatment, some plants regrowth, where the intensity is important at the occasion of the sequential application. It is recommended that this parameter get observed with caution for correct decision making, especially in the case of mechanical mowing of the plants, prior to the application of herbicides. It was possible to observe that the new formulation of 2,4-D choline has similar behavior to 2,4-D dimethylamine in relation to possible antagonisms in combinations with graminicides. This indicates that prior knowledge serves as a good reference for use of the new formulation while new studies are developed.

The disposal of sewage sludge is becoming an ever-increasing problem and a range of re-use options are being developed, with traditional composting and advanced alkaline stabilisation emerging as priority re-use alternatives in NSW. However, concerns have been raised regarding the dissemination of sludge related pathogens in the environment. Salmonella spp pose the greatest risk since they have the ability to proliferate in the absence of human and animal hosts. Composting processes eliminate salmonellae from sludge, but the opportunity for post-processing recontamination is considerable. This project examined the significance of post-processing recontamination of Salmonella broughton, introduced into composted sludge and N-Virosoil. In compost, inactivation rates of S. broughton showed an inverse relationship with simulated processing temperatures, with competitive exclusion by autocthonous compost flora thought to be the major mechanism of inhibition. S. broughton numbers were reduced to below the limits of detection after several weeks. S. broughton inactivation was also assessed in processed N-Virosoil and was found to be more immediate. It was concluded that both compost and N.Virosoil products have a low potential to support the regrowth of Salmonella spp. / Master of Science (Hons)(Environmental Science)