Analysis of environmental fragility on the city of Monte Alto-SP and proposals for environmental zoning

The aim of this study is to identify the environmental fragilities on the city of Monte Alto-SP and propose a land use zoning for better environmental management in this region. For this, it was used the methodological proposals of Ross (1994), which addresses potential and emerging fragilities, of Ross and Fierz (2017), which updates some concepts and classifications, and of Gouveia and Ross (2019), which conducts a integration of areas subject to flooding with the proposal of environmental fragility. As a result, it was observed that the class with the greatest predominance was the strong, occupying about 92.29% and 73.58% of the total area of potential and emerging fragility, respectively. To validate the accuracy of the methodology, the coefficient of linear determination (R²) between the obtained emergent fragility degrees and the occurrence of erosive processes present in the respective degrees was used. The erosions were made available by the Technological Research Institute – IPT (2012) and some additional ones were registered by the authors from Google Earth. The determined coefficient of linear determination is 0.6359, which means that the method used developed satisfactory results for the studied location. Finally, environmental zoning was proposed based on land use proposals to improve the environmental management and quality in the region, as the research shows a high environmental fragility in the municipality of Monte Alto-SP.

Лазерные источники с низким уровнем шума: от микроволновой фотоники до плазмоники и биотехнологий

Исследования в области оптоэлектроники, нелинейной оптики, волоконных лазеров не ограничиваются только фундаментальными задачами, на их основе создаются различные датчики, приборы и устройства для широкого круга применений – от микроволновой фотоники до биотехнологий. Ряд направлений, таких как создание интегрированных оптических чипов, требует уменьшения уровня шума лазерных источников, другие нуждаются в разработке новых принципов создания распределенных датчиков физических величин, методик фотодинамической терапии различных поверхностных новообразований и управления биохимическими процессами в области клеточной терапии. Наша лаборатория работает в контексте этих направлений и в перспективе может стать центром, предлагающим научное сопровождение проектов по "Радиофотонике" и "Нанофотонике", реализуемых совместно с наукоемкими коммерческими компаниями. О лаборатории квантовой электроники и оптоэлектроники Научно-исследовательского технологического института имени С.П.Капицы (НИТИ) Ульяновского государственного университета, проводимых в ней исследованиях и их перспективах рассказывает кандидат физико-математических наук, руководитель лаборатории квантовой электроники и оптоэлектроники Фотиади Андрей Александрович. Studies in optoelectronics, nonlinear optics and fiber lasers are not limited to fundamental tasks only but also include design of various sensors, instruments and devices intended for a wide range of applications starting from microwave photonics to biotechnology. A number of tasks, such as development of the integrated optical chips, require a progress in laser sources of high spectral purity while other directions need advanced distributed sensors of physical values to be developed, techniques for photodynamic therapy of various kinds of superficial tumors and means enabling to control biochemical processes in the cell therapy. Our laboratory works in these areas and in the future it can become a center offering scientific support for projects in Radiophotonics and Nanophotonics, being realized in collaboration with high-tech commercial companies. The Head of the Quantum Electronics and Optoelectronics Laboratory of Technological Research Institute named after S.P.Kapitza of Ulyanovsk State University, Cand. Sc. (Physics and Mathematics) Dr. Andrei A. Fotiadi tells about the studies conducted in the laboratory, the prospects of current research and future plans.

Energy passivation of a building. The ICSTM building case study

The renewable energy sources are becoming more and more current in the energy supply of buildings, from residential buildings to institutional buildings. The renewable energy sources have proved to be a solution and an important element of the Romanian Energy System. We are starting from the idea of using the renewable sources to passivize a building, and we are relying on existing facilities in the Multidisciplinary Scientific and Technological Research Institute (ICSTM) from Valahia University of Targoviste (UVT) to produce the energy from its own sources. We are also considering the consumption data from previous year as well as the electric link to external power grid. This paper aims to propose new renewable energy units so that ICSTM become energetical independent. Currently, the ICSTM building consumes an amount of energy produced from renewable sources about three times less than that consumed from the external network. In order to determine the number of equipment, specifically CPV (concentrating photovoltaic) panels placed on trackers, it is desirable to create a 40% reserve above the installed power, taking in account the possible future development of the research laboratories.

Guayparime S-10, nueva variedad de soya resistente a mosca blanca y geminivirus para Sinaloa

México importa prácticamente toda la soya (Glycine max L) Merr. que requiere, del periodo 2000 a 2008 la producción anual promedio de soya fue de sólo 119 924 toneladas, mientras que la importación fue de 3 905 596 t. El cultivo de soya es una de las pocas alternativas de cultivo durante el verano en Sinaloa. El Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP), ha liberado las variedades Cajeme, Nainari (Héctor) y Esperanza que toleran el ataque directo de la mosca blanca. La mosca blanca (Bemisia tabaci biotipo “B”) es uno de los principales problemas que ocasionaron la reducción en superficie cultivada de soya en el noroeste de México, debido al daño directo que ocasiona (al succionar la savia la planta pierde de vigor, hay pérdida de flores y rendimiento) y los geminivirus que transmite. Debido a que la mosca blanca, vector de geminivirus es un problema fuerte en las principales zonas productoras del mundo, se tuvo que iniciar una intensa búsqueda de fuentes de resistencia en el germoplasma mundial, para buscar fuentes de resistencia a mosca blanca y geminivirus, en donde en el primavera- verano 2000-2000, se identificó la accesión del grupo VI PI-171443, con resistencia genética a geminivirus, confirmándose su resistencia y corroborándose mediante el ensayo por inmunoadsorción ligado a enzimas (Elisa) que no detectó la presencia de geminivirus en el follaje (PI-171443 se obtuvo de la colección de soya, del USDA- ARS en Urbana, IL. Originalmente fue colectada del Shaanxi Tianbao Soya Food Technological Research Institute, en China). Una vez identificada la fuente de resistencia a geminivirus se realizaron los cruzamientos con variedades locales.

Condição de trabalho de técnicos e pesquisadores nos institutos públicos de pesquisa: o caso do IPT | Work conditions for technicians and researchers in public research institutes: the IPT case

Resumo Este texto pretende discutir como a produção tecnológica vem sofrendo efeitos das transformações internacionais em termos de reorganização institucional dos centros de pesquisa. Técnicos e cientistas tiveram suas atividades a partir de novos formatos organizacionais que se estabelecem atualmente. A globalização e a internacionalização do campo científico representam tendências que têm afetado fortemente a constituição dos grupos sociais que conduzem a prática tecnológica em âmbito mundial. Hoje é possível detectar processos globais de articulação de empresas, laboratórios e instituições públicas de pesquisa criando uma ciência e uma tecnologia ao mesmo tempo desenraizadas e assimétricas. As questões colocadas para os países em desenvolvimento são como a internacionalização da pesquisa científica está impactando nas instituições nacionais e como as elites científicas nacionais se comportam frente aos novos parâmetros de financiamento da Pesquisas Tecnológicas. O intuito deste texto é verificar como essas tendências estão impactando na produção científica e tecnológica dos Institutos Públicos de Pesquisa. Para elucidar essas questões parte-se para um estudo de caso sobre o Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas (IPT) que é ligado à USP e vinculado à Secretaria de Desenvolvimento Econômico, Ciência e Tecnologia do Estado de São Paulo.Palavras-chave Ciência e Tecnologia; pesquisa científica; pesquisadores; IPTAbstract This paper discusses how technological production has been suffering effects of international transformations in terms of institutional reorganization of research centers. Technicians and scientists had their activities redefined from new organizational formats that are established nowadays. The globalization and internationalization of the scientific field represent tendencies that have affected the constitution of social groups that lead technological practice worldwide. Today it is possible to detect articulation of global processes of companies, laboratories and public research institutions by creating science and technology while uprooted and asymmetric. The questions posed to developing countries is how internationalization of scientific research has been impacting national institutions; and how have national scientific elites been behaving before the new parameters of technological research funding. The aim of this text is to verify how these tendencies have been impacting the scientific and technological production of the Public Research Institute. To elucidate these questions we analyze the case of the Technological Research Institute (Instituto de Pesquisas Tecnológicas - IPT) that is embedded in USP and linked to the Development, Economy, Science and Technology Secretariat of São Paulo State.Keywords Science & Technology; scientific research; researchers; IPT

Investigation on the Effects of Risers in the Dynamics of Floating Systems

This paper presents the experimental results obtained from the model tests performed at the IPT (State of Sa˜o Paulo Technological Research Institute) towing tank, located in Sa˜o Paulo, Brazil. The model used was the semi-submersible ITTC-SR192, at a scale 1:105. The main focus of this study is the analysis of the risers influence on the floating unit dynamics, taking into account damping effects caused by the lines. In order to establish basis of comparison the tests were performed with and without risers. These were modeled as a group of large diameter hoses that are able to provide a significant increment in the damping of the system. By such approach, it was possible to evaluate the changes on the dynamic behavior of the unit induced by the presence of risers. As an additional investigation tool, these results were analyzed with the aid of the software Numerical Offshore Tank (Tanque de Provas Nume´rico - TPN), which is a dynamic simulator of offshore systems based on parallel-processing developed by means of a partnership between the University of Sa˜o Paulo, Petrobras and other Brazilian research institutions. By means of the comparisons between the model tests results with and without risers and of the results from the numerical tool, TPN, the dynamic behavior of the floating unit was investigated in terms of the effects caused by the presence of risers, which is a very relevant subject as offshore industry walks towards ultra-depth waters.

Experimental and Numerical Evaluation of the Installation of Sub-Sea Equipments for Risers Support

The installations of sub-sea equipments are very complex operations, requiring previous analysis in order to define the correct procedure and the environmental “window” for a safe operation. This paper addresses the installations of a Mid Water Arch (MWA) that consists of a structure to provide risers support. Connecting the risers to the MWA largely eliminates the dynamic forces that would otherwise cause friction and fatigue. Such structure is composed by the riser guides and several buoyancy tanks. It is kept in the water by means of tethers connected to an anchor. The MWA is to be installed 42m from the seabed. The installation procedure has several steps evolving the launching of each component of the MWA (anchor, main structure and the tethers). A tug boat with an A-frame is used during the whole launching, and an assisting vessel is required to keep the buoy away from the tether and the launching cable. The presence of exciting waves induces oscillatory motions in the whole system, and may cause large dynamic forces in the cables and tethers. Due to the complexity of the multi-body system, a comprehensive numerical and experimental analysis was then carried out in order to dimensioning the launching cables and to define the limit environmental condition. The numerical analysis was carried out in the Numerical Offshore Tank (TPN), a multi-processor offshore system simulator that considers the 6 DOF of each body and all environmental forces acting in them. The lines are modeled by finite-element method. Furthermore, a full set of small-scale experiments were carried out at the State of Sa˜o Paulo Technological Research Institute (IPT) towing tank, considering the system excited by a sinusoidal motion at the top, emulating the wave excitation. Comparisons between numerical and experimental results were performed, with good adherence between them. The validated numerical simulator was then used to make predictions of the behavior of the systems during the installation, considering several environmental conditions and configurations.

A Case Study on the Axial-Torsional Behavior of Flexible Risers

Flexible risers are complex structures composed of several concentric polymeric and steel armor layers which withstand static and dynamic loads applied by the floating production vessel and by the ocean environment. Determining the axial and torsional stiffness values of such structures is an important task for the global structural analysis, since it provides a probable value that can be used in this analysis to predict the load distribution along the line and permitting, thus, to estimate the expected life of the structure. Although such stiffness values may be provided by the manufacturer, it is quite desirable that they can be estimated by analytical models instead. However, any analytical model proposed for such a task must be checked with well-conducted experimental results in order to be considered as an acceptable analysis tool. The aim of this work is to present the main results involving axial-torsional tests in a 2.5" flexible riser, carried out at the Technological Research Institute of Sa˜o Paulo (IPT). Besides presenting full data concerning the internal structure of the riser, this paper describes the experimental procedures used to perform the tests and the main obtained results (e.g., Force × Displacement and Twisting moment × Displacement curves). Tests involving internal pressure were also performed and the obtained results are also presented in this work. Comparisons between analytically calculated values of the axial and torsional stiffnesses with those obtained experimentally are made and discussed. A brief discussion about the validity of some hypotheses which are usually assumed by analytical models found in the technical literature is made at the end of the work.

Added Mass of Elastically Mounted Rigid Cylinder in Water Subjected to Vortex-Induced Vibrations

Vortex Induced Vibrations (VIV) of elastically mounted rigid cylinders, with low mass-damping parameter values, are strongly dependent on the added mass coefficient. This paper aims to contribute to the technical literature by presenting some results from experiments carried out at University of Sa˜o Paulo – USP and at the Sa˜o Paulo State Technological Research Institute – IPT. A cantilevered rigid cylinder was mounted on an elastic (leaf spring) two-degree-of-freedom device. The device is not only an elastic support, but acts also as a special mechanical transducer to measure accelerations/forces/displacements in the stream-wise (x) and the cross-wise (y) directions. A comprehensive experimental calibration of such a device was carried out, both “in air” and “in water”. The added mass coefficient in the cross-wise direction was indirectly determined from forces and acceleration measurements as a function of the reduced velocity. Results from time-domain and frequency-domain analyses are compared with those obtained by Vikestad et al. (2000) [1].