Improved Fault Location on Distribution Feeders Based on Matching During-Fault Voltage Sags

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Caracterização tectono-estratigráfica da sequência transicional na sub-bacia de Sergipe

This thesis deals with the tectonic-stratigraphic evolution of the Transitional Sequence in the Sergipe Sub-basin (the southern segment of the Sergipe-Alagoas Basin, Northeast Brazil), deposited in the time interval of the upper Alagoas/Aptian stage. Sequence boundaries and higher order internal sequences were identified, as well as the structures that affect or control its deposition. This integrated approach aimed to characterize the geodynamic setting and processes active during deposition of the Transitional Sequence, and its relations with the evolutionary tectonic stages recognized in the East Brazilian Margin basins. This subject addresses more general questions discussed in the literature, regarding the evolution from the Rift to the Drift stages, the expression and significance of the breakup unconformity, the relationships between sedimentation and tectonics at extensional settings, as well as the control on subsidence processes during this time interval. The tectonic-stratigraphic analysis of the Transitional Sequence was based on seismic sections and well logs, distributed along the Sergipe Sub-basin (SBSE). Geoseismic sections and seismic facies analysis, stratigraphic profiles and sections, were compiled through the main structural blocks of this sub-basin. These products support the depositional and tectonic-stratigraphic evolutionary models built for this sequence. The structural analysis highlighted similarities in deformation styles and kinematics during deposition of the Rift and Transitional sequences, pointing to continuing lithospheric extensional processes along a NW trend (X strain axis) until the end of deposition of the latter sequence was finished by the end of late Aptian. The late stage of extension/rifting was marked by (i) continuous (or as pulses) fault activity along the basin, controling subsidence and creation of depositional space, thereby characterizing upper crustal thinning and (ii) sagstyle deposition of the Transitional Sequence at a larger scale, reflecting the ductile stretching and thinnning of lower and sub crustal layers combined with an increasing importance of the thermal subsidence regime. Besides the late increments of rift tectonics, the Transitional Sequence is also affected by reactivation of the border faults of SBSE, during and after deposition of the Riachuelo Formation (lower section of the Transgressive Marine Sequence, of Albian age). It is possible that this reactivation reflects (through stress propagation along the newlycreated continental margin) the rifting processes still active further north, between the Alagoas Sub-basin and the Pernambuco-Paraíba Basin. The evaporitic beds of the Transitional Sequence contributed to the development of post-rift structures related to halokinesis and the continental margin collapse, affecting strata of the overlying marine sequences during the Middle Albian to the Maastrichtian, or even the Paleogene time interval. The stratigraphic analysis evidenced 5 depositional sequences of higher order, whose vertical succession indicates an upward increase of the base level, marked by deposition of continental siliciclastic systems overlain by lagunar-evaporitic and restricted marine systems, indicating that the Transitional Sequence was deposited during relative increase of the eustatic sea level. At a 2nd order cycle, the Transitional Sequence may represent the initial deposition of a Transgressive Systems Tract, whose passage to a Marine Transgressive Sequence would also be marked by the drowning of the depositional systems. At a 3rd order cycle, the sequence boundary corresponds to a local unconformity that laterally grades to a widespread correlative conformity. This boundary surface corresponds to a breakup unconformity , being equivalent to the Pre-Albian Unconformity at the SBSE and contrasting with the outstanding Pre-upper Alagoas Unconformity at the base of the Transitional Sequence; the latter is alternatively referred, in the literature, as the breakup unconformity. This Thesis supports the Pre-Albian Unconformity as marker of a major change in the (Rift-Drift) depositional and tectonic setting at SBSE, with equivalent but also diachronous boundary surfaces in other basins of the Atlantic margin. The Pre-upper Alagoas Unconformity developed due to astenosphere uplift (heating under high lithospheric extension rates) and post-dates the last major fault pulse and subsequent extensive block erosion. Later on, the number and net slip of active faults significantly decrease. At deep to ultra deep water basin segments, seaward-dipping reflectors (SDRs) are unconformably overlain by the seismic horizons correlated to the Transitional Sequence. The SDRs volcanic rocks overly (at least in part) continental crust and are tentatively ascribed to melting by adiabatic decompression of the rising astenospheric mantle. Even though being a major feature of SBSE (and possibly of other basins), the Pre-upper Alagoas Unconformity do not correspond to the end of lithospheric extension processes and beginning of seafloor spreading, as shown by the crustal-scale extensional structures that post-date the Transitional Sequence. Based on this whole context, deposition of the Transitional Sequence is better placed at a late interval of the Rift Stage, with the advance of an epicontinental sea over a crustal segment still undergoing extension. Along this segment, sedimentation was controled by a combination of thermal and mechanical subsidence. In continuation, the creation of oceanic lithosphere led to a decline in the mechanical subsidence component, extension was transferred to the mesoceanic ridge and the newly-formed continental margin (and the corresponding Marine Sequence) began to be controlled exclusively by the thermal subsidence component. Classical concepts, multidisciplinary data and new architectural and evolutionary crustal models can be reconciled and better understood under these lines

Genotyping of Toxoplasma gondii strains isolated from dogs with neurological signs

From 111 dogs with neurological signs admitted in this research in a 22-month period, brain samples of 34 animals were inoculated in mice in order to isolate Toxoplasma gondii. From these 34 dogs, 9 strains of T. gondii were isolated and the genetic characterization performed by restriction analysis (RFLP) of the SAG-2 gene. RFLP analysis showed that four of them were classified as Type I, and five as Type Ill. The present report is the first description of genotyping of T. gondii isolated from brain samples of naturally infected dogs, in Brazil. (C) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genotypic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in sheep from Brazilian slaughterhouses: New atypical genotypes and the clonal type II strain identified

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Productive consequences of fasting neonatal chicks of different genetic constitutions for growing

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Virulence attenuation and phenotypic variation of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis isolates obtained from armadillos and patients

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is the etiological agent of paracoccidioidomycosis, the most important systemic mycosis in Latin America. The virulence profiles of five isolates of P. brasiliensis were studied in two different moments and correlated with some colonial phenotypic aspects. We observed a significant decrease in the virulence and an intense phenotypic variation in the mycelial colony. The recognition of all ranges of phenotypic and virulence variation of P. brasiliensis, as well as its physiological and genetic basis, will be important for a better comprehension of its pathogenic and epidemiological features.

Algoritmo baseado em afundamentos de tensão para localização de faltas em alimentadores de distribuição de energia elétrica

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Antigenic typing of brazilian rabies virus samples isolated from animals and humans, 1989-2000

Amostras de vírus rábico isoladas de animais e humanos no período de 1989 a 2000 foram tipificadas antigenicamente com a utilização de um painel de anticorpos monoclonais contra a nucleoproteína viral, pré-estabelecido para o estudo da epidemiologia molecular do vírus rábico isolado nas Américas. As amostras testadas foram isoladas no laboratório de diagnóstico do Instituto Pasteur e outros centros de diagnóstico de raiva no Brasil. Além das cepas de vírus rábico fixo CVS-31/96-IP, mantida em cérebro de camundongos e a PV-BHK/97, mantida em cultura de células, cepas de vírus rábico isoladas de cães, gatos, bovinos, eqüinos, morcegos, ovinos, caprino, suínos, raposa, sagüí, coatí, guaxinim e humanos, totalizaram 330 amostras. Seis variantes antigênicas foram definidas, compatíveis com perfís observados no painel de anticorpos monoclonais pré-estabelecido utilizado, as de número 2 (cão), 3 (Desmodus rotundus), 4 (Tadarida brasiliensis), 5 (Vampiro da Venezuela), 6 (Lasiurus cinereus) e Lab (reagente a todos os anticorpos utilizados), além de outros seis perfís desconhecidos, não compatíveis com aqueles observados no painel utilizado. A maior variabilidade foi observada entre as amostras isoladas de morcegos insetívoros e a variante mais comum isolada entre as espécies foi a variante 3 (Desmodus rotundus). Estes fatos podem representar a existência de múltiplos ciclos de transmissão independentes, envolvendo diferentes espécies de morcegos.

Toxoplasma gondii genotyping in a dog co-infected with distemper virus and ehrlichiosis rickettsia

This paper reports a toxoplasmosis, erhlichiosis and distemper co-infection in a dog with an exuberant neuropathological clinical picture. Primary involvement was discussed based on information collected in the analysis of the clinical case, such as neurological impairment, epidemiological data, poor immunoprophylactic scheme of the dog affected and the role of these diseases on immunosuppression. Canine distemper and ehrlichiosis were diagnosed based on epidemiologic data, clinical signs, hematological and cytological evaluation. Toxoplasma gondii was isolated and genetically characterized as Type I using restriction analysis (RFLP) with SAG-2 genes. Immunosuppression features of both dogs and human beings are discussed, as well as implications on animal and public health. This is the first report on toxoplasmosis, ehrlichiosis and distemper co-infection in a dog in Brazil, associated with genotyping determination of the T. gondii strain involved.

Influência do arcabouço hidroestratigráfico nas ocorrências de arsênio em águas subterrâneas ao longo do corredor termal do rio Uruguai (Argentina - Brasil - Uruguai)

The Thermal Corridor of Uruguay River is located in the triple border of Argentine, Brazil and Uruguay, and shows an intense economic thermal tourism activity, mainly based on groundwaters from Guarani Aquifer System (GAS). Recent studies have pointed out the occurrence of high concentrations of arsenic (>10 μg/L) in GAS groundwater in this area. The complex geological and hydrogeological framework in the area is associated to the Paraná Basin geological evolution south of the Assuncion-Rio Grande Arch; it encompass paleozoic marine sequences and continental sequences permian/eotriassic to mesozoic in age, which are covered by basaltic lavas of Serra Geral Formation. Iron oxide coatings have been described in sandstones of Buena Vista and Sanga do Cabral formations, which underlie GAS units. Arsenic occurrence is associated to sodium bicarbonate groundwater with pH values over 8.0. Arsenic is released to groundwater by desorption from iron oxides/hydroxides, as result of the higher pH of these waters, indicating that arsenic is released from the units that underlie GAS units. Increase in chromium and uranium concentrations are also related to high pH groundwaters, thus indicating special care on using groundwater from this region.

Optimal phasor measurement units placement for fault location on overhead electric power distribution feeders

This paper proposes a new approach for optimal phasor measurement units placement for fault location on electric power distribution systems using Greedy Randomized Adaptive Search Procedure metaheuristic and Monte Carlo simulation. The optimized placement model herein proposed is a general methodology that can be used to place devices aiming to record the voltage sag magnitudes for any fault location algorithm that uses voltage information measured at a limited set of nodes along the feeder. An overhead, three-phase, three-wire, 13.8 kV, 134-node, real-life feeder model is used to evaluate the algorithm. Tests show that the results of the fault location methodology were improved thanks to the new optimized allocation of the meters pinpointed using this methodology. © 2011 IEEE.

Contribuições para avaliação dos impactos econômicos causados por mergulho de tensão em sistema elétrico industrial

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Geoprocessamento aplicado ao mapeamento do índice de vulnerabilidade DRASTIC, no Sistema Aquífero Guarani em Ribeirão Bonito - SP

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)