Evolução de estruturas primordiais

Understanding the way in which large-scale structures, like galaxies, form remains one of the most challenging problems in cosmology today. The standard theory for the origin of these structures is that they grew by gravitational instability from small, perhaps quantum generated, °uctuations in the density of dark matter, baryons and photons over an uniform primordial Universe. After the recombination, the baryons began to fall into the pre-existing gravitational potential wells of the dark matter. In this dissertation a study is initially made of the primordial recombination era, the epoch of the formation of the neutral hydrogen atoms. Besides, we analyzed the evolution of the density contrast (of baryonic and dark matter), in clouds of dark matter with masses among 104M¯ ¡ 1010M¯. In particular, we take into account the several physical mechanisms that act in the baryonic component, during and after the recombination era. The analysis of the formation of these primordial objects was made in the context of three models of dark energy as background: Quintessence, ¤CDM(Cosmological Constant plus Cold Dark Matter) and Phantom. We show that the dark matter is the fundamental agent for the formation of the structures observed today. The dark energy has great importance at that epoch of its formation

Evolução do reparo por excisão de nucleotídeo

The phylogeny is one of the main activities of the modern taxonomists and a way to reconstruct the history of the life through comparative analysis of these sequences stored in their genomes aimed find any justification for the origin or evolution of them. Among the sequences with a high level of conservation are the genes of repair because it is important for the conservation and maintenance of genetic stability. Hence, variations in repair genes, as the genes of the nucleotide excision repair (NER), may indicate a possible gene transfer between species. This study aimed to examine the evolutionary history of the components of the NER. For this, sequences of UVRA, UVRB, UVRC and XPB were obtained from GenBank by Blast-p, considering 10-15 as cutoff to create a database. Phylogenetic studies were done using algorithms in PAUP programs, BAYES and PHYLIP package. Phylogenetic trees were build with protein sequences and with sequences of 16S ribosomal RNA for comparative analysis by the methods of parsimony, likelihood and Bayesian. The XPB tree shows that archaeal´s XPB helicases are similar to eukaryotic helicases. According to this data, we infer that the eukaryote nucleotide excision repair system had appeared in Archaea. At UVRA, UVRB and UVRC trees was found a monophyletic group formed by three species of epsilonproteobacterias class, three species of mollicutes class and archaeabacterias of Methanobacteria and Methanococci classes. This information is supported by a tree obtained with the proteins, UVRA, UVRB and UVRC concatenated. Thus, although there are arguments in the literature defending the horizontal transfer of the system uvrABC of bacteria to archaeabacterias, the analysis made in this study suggests that occurred a vertical transfer, from archaeabacteria, of both the NER genes: uvrABC and XPs. According the parsimony, this is the best way because of the occurrence of monophyletic groups, the time of divergence of classes and number of archaeabacterias species with uvrABC system

Detecção de predadores por dicromatas e tricromatas humanos e a sua implicação na evolução da visão de cores em primatas

Among placental mammals, primates are the only ones to present trichromatic color vision. However, the distribution of trichromacy among primates is not homogeneous: Old World primates shows an uniform trichromacy (with all individuals being trichromats) and New World primates exhibit a color vision polymorphism (with dichromatic males and dichromatic or trichromatic females). Visual ecology studies have investigated which selective pressures may have been responsible for the evolution of trichromacy in primates, diverging from the dichromat standard found in other mammals. Cues associated with foraging and the socio-reproductive status were analyzed, indicating a trichromatic advantage for the rapid detection of visually conspicuous objects against a green background. However, dichromats are characterized by an efficient capture of cryptic and camouflaged stimuli. These advantages regarding phenotype may be responsible for the maintenance of the visual polymorphism in New World primates and for the high incidence of color blindness in humans (standing around 8% in Caucasian men). An important factor that has not yet been experimentally taken into account is the predation risk and its effect on the evolution of trichromacy in primates. To answer this question, we prepared and edited pictures of animals with different coats: oncillas (Leopardus spp.), puma (Puma concolor) and ferret (Galictis cuja). The specimens were taxidermized and the photographs were taken in three different vegetation scenarios (dense forest, cerrado and grassland). The images of the predators were manipulated so that they fit into two categories of stimulus size (small or large). After color calibration and photo editing, these were presented to 40 humans (20 dichromats and 20 trichromats) by a computer program, which presented a set of four photos at a time (one picture containing the taxidermized animal amid the background vegetation and three depicting only the background vegetation) and recorded the response latency and success rate of the subjects. The results show a trichromatic advantage in detecting potential predators. The predator detection was influenced by the background, the predator species, the dimension of the stimulus and the observer s visual phenotype. As humans have a high rate of dyschromatopsias, when compared to wild Catarrhini or human tribal populations, it is possible that the increased rate of dichromats is a result of reduced pressure for rapid predator detection. Since our species came to live in more cohesive groups and resistant to attack by predators, with the advent of agriculture and the formation of villages, it is possible that the lower risk of predation has reduced the selection in favor of trichromats

CrossMDA2: Uma abordagem para minimizar o problema da fragilidade de pointcuts na evolução de sistemas orientados a aspectos

This work proposes a model based approach for pointcut management in the presence of evolution in aspect oriented systems. The proposed approach, called conceptual visions based pointcuts, is motivated by the observation of the shortcomings in traditional approaches pointcuts definition, which generally refer directly to software structure and/or behavior, thereby creating a strong coupling between pointcut definition and the base code. This coupling causes the problem known as pointcut fragility problem and hinders the evolution of aspect-oriented systems. This problem occurs when all the pointcuts of each aspect should be reviewed due to any software changes/evolution, to ensure that they remain valid even after the changes made in the software. Our approach is focused on the pointcuts definition based on a conceptual model, which has definitions of the system's structure in a more abstract level. The conceptual model consists of classifications (called conceptual views) on entities of the business model elements based on common characteristics, and relationships between these views. Thus the pointcuts definitions are created based on the conceptual model rather than directly referencing the base model. Moreover, the conceptual model contains a set of relationships that allows it to be automatically verified if the classifications in the conceptual model remain valid even after a software change. To this end, all the development using the conceptual views based pointcuts approach is supported by a conceptual framework called CrossMDA2 and a development process based on MDA, both also proposed in this work. As proof of concept, we present two versions of a case study, setting up a scenario of evolution that shows how the use of conceptual visions based pointcuts helps detecting and minimizing the pointcuts fragility. For the proposal evaluation the Goal/Question/Metric (GQM) technique is used together with metrics for efficiency analysis in the pointcuts definition

Um modelo conceitual baseado em MDD e padrões para evolução de sistemas OA

Aspect-Oriented Software Development (AOSD) is a technique that complements the Object- Oriented Software Development (OOSD) modularizing several concepts that OOSD approaches do not modularize appropriately. However, the current state-of-the art on AOSD suffers with software evolution, mainly because aspect definition can stop to work correctly when base elements evolve. A promising approach to deal with that problem is the definition of model-based pointcuts, where pointcuts are defined based on a conceptual model. That strategy makes pointcut less prone to software evolution than model-base elements. Based on that strategy, this work defines a conceptual model at high abstraction level where we can specify software patterns and architectures that through Model Driven Development techniques they can be instantiated and composed in architecture description language that allows aspect modeling at architecture level. Our MDD approach allows propagate concepts in architecture level to another abstraction levels (design level, for example) through MDA transformation rules. Also, this work shows a plug-in implemented to Eclipse platform called AOADLwithCM. That plug-in was created to support our development process. The AOADLwithCM plug-in was used to describe a case study based on MobileMedia System. MobileMedia case study shows step-by-step how the Conceptual Model approach could minimize Pointcut Fragile Problems, due to software evolution. MobileMedia case study was used as input to analyses evolutions on software according to software metrics proposed by KHATCHADOURIAN, GREENWOOD and RASHID. Also, we analyze how evolution in base model could affect maintenance on aspectual model with and without Conceptual Model approaches

Estudo comparativo da evolução e sobrevida de pacientes com claudicação intermitente, com ou sem limitação para exercícios, acompanhados em ambulatório específico

CONTEXTO: Os fatores de risco para doença aterosclerótica, que influenciam na evolução natural dessa doença, estão bem estabelecidos, assim como o benefício do programa de exercícios para pacientes claudicantes. Entretanto, faltam informações sobre a relação entres limitações clínicas e fatores de risco, com desempenho do programa de caminhadas e suas implicações na evolução e mortalidade destes pacientes. OBJETIVO: Comparar, ao longo do tempo, a distância de claudicação e sobrevida de pacientes claudicantes em ambulatório específico, com ou sem limitação para exercícios. MÉTODOS: Foi feito um estudo tipo coorte retrospectivo de 185 pacientes e 469 retornos correspondentes, no período de 1999 a 2005, avaliando-se dados demográficos, distância média de claudicação (CI) e óbito. Os dados foram analisados nos programas Epi Info, versão 3.2, e SAS, versão 8.2. RESULTADOS: A idade média foi de 60,9±11,1 anos, sendo 61,1% do sexo masculino e 38,9% do sexo feminino. Oitenta e sete por cento eram brancos, e 13%, não-brancos. Os fatores de risco associados foram: hipertensão (69,7%), tabagismo (44,3%), dislipidemia (32,4%) e diabetes (28,6%). Nos claudicantes para menos de 500 m, a CI inicial em esteira foi de 154,0±107,6 m, e a CI final, de 199,8±120,5 m. Cerca de 45% dos pacientes tinham alguma limitação clínica para realizar o programa de exercícios preconizado, como: angina (26,0%), acidente vascular cerebral (4,3%), artropatia (3,8%), amputação menor ou maior com prótese (2,1%) ou doença pulmonar obstrutiva crônica (1,6%). Cerca de 11,4% dos pacientes tinham infarto do miocárdio prévio, e 5,4% deles usavam cardiotônico. O tempo de seguimento médio foi de 16,0±14,4 meses. A distância média de CI referida pelos pacientes aumentou 100% (de 418,47 m para 817,74 m) ao longo de 2 anos, nos grupos não-limitante (p < 0,001) e não-tabagista (p < 0,001). A sobrevida dos claudicantes foi significativamente menor no grupo com limitação. A análise de regressão logística mostrou que a limitação para realização de exercícios, isoladamente, influenciou significativamente na mortalidade (p < 0,001). CONCLUSÃO: A realização correta e regular dos exercícios e o abandono do fumo melhoram a distância de claudicação, além de reduzir a mortalidade nesses casos, seja por meio de efeitos positivos próprios do exercício, seja por meio de controle dos fatores de risco e de seus efeitos adversos.

Caracterização genética e evolução dos vírus dengue no Estado do Rio Grande do Norte

Dengue is considered as the most important arthropod-borne viral disease throughout the world due to the high number of people at risk to be infected, mainly in tropical and subtropical regions of the planet. The etiologic agent is Dengue Virus (DENV), it is a single positive-stranded RNA virus of the family Flavivirus, genus Flaviviridae. Four serotypes are known, DENV-1, DENV-2, DENV-3 and DENV-4. One of the most important characteristic of these viruses is the genetic variability, which demands phylogenetic and evolutionary studies to understand key aspects like: epidemiology, virulence, migration patterns and antigenic characteristics. The objective of this study is the genetic characterization of dengue viruses circulating in the state of Rio Grande does Norte from January 2010 to December 2012. The complete E gene (1485 pb) of DENV1, 2 e 4 from Brazilian (Rio Grande do Norte) patients was sequenced. Phylogenetic analysis was performed using MEGA 5.2 software, Tamura-Nei model and Neighbor-Joining trees were inferred for the datasets. In Brazil, there is just one DENV-1 genotype (genotype V), one DENV-2 genotype (Asian/American) and two DENV-4 genotypes (genotypes I and II). Brazilian strains of DENV-1 are subdivided in two different lineages (BR-I and BR-II), the Brazilian strains of DENV-2 are subdivided in four lineages (BRI-IV) and genotype II of DENV-4 is subdivided in three Brazilian lineages (BRI-III). The viruses isolated in RN belong to lineage BR-II (DENV-1), BR-IV (DENV-2) and BR-III (DENV-4).The Caribbean and near Latin American countries are the main source of these viruses to Brazil. Amino acids substitutions were detected in three domains of E protein, this makes clear the necessity of studies that associate epidemiological and molecular data to better understand the effects of these mutations. This is the first study about genetic characterization and evolution of Dengue viruses in Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil

Evolução da terminoliga princípio contábil baseada na Escola Norte-Americana

This research has as objective of study the evolution of the accountancy princliple terminology which is present in the accounting conceptual framework. The scene of this research will have as target the North American School of Accounting. The choice of the searched terminology is its relevance in the study of the Accounting Theory. To understand the evolution of the accountancy thought, will be boarded: the influence of the Feudal System and the Mercantilism in the European economic conception; the importance of the Industrial Revolution in the beginning of the accounting standards and the influence of England in the formation of the North American School of Accounting. With relation to U.S.A., the development of the economic-financial scene of the American society will be evaluated, focusing the contribution in the search of the construction of an applied theoretical framework to the Accounting. The economic-financial development of U.S.A. provided the sprouting of new users with specific necessities. The necessity of the user for useful information for the decision taking, unchained the process of research directed toward the establishment of an applied Accountancy terminology. In this process, the paper exerted for the responsible accountancy organisms for the accounting standards will be boarded, as well as the professionals associations which had invested in researches, aiming at to elaborate a body of accountancy principles and to adjust the accountancy procedures to the necessities of the users. To reach the research objective, a bibliographical revision in specialized literature will be effected, adopting the historical method, in the period that understands the development of the North American School of Accounting. As result of the research, it can conclude that the evolution process of the terminology which is studied presents a structural logical problem, because the impossibility of the construction of a theoretical framework, having as bases the principle terminology. The impossibility occurred in function of the reach attributed to the term, which made a difficult in its application in the elaboration of the accountancy procedures

Arcabouço geofísico, isostasia e causas do magmatismo cenozóico da província Borborema e de sua margem continental (Nordeste do Brasil)

The Borborema Province (BP) is a geologic domain located in Northeastern Brazil. The BP is limited at the south by the São Francisco craton, at the west by the Parnaíba basin, and both at the north and east by coastal sedimentary basins. Nonetheless the BP surface geology is well known, several key aspects of its evolution are still open, notably: i)its tectonic compartmentalization established after the Brasiliano orogenesis, ii) the architecture of its cretaceous continental margin, iii) the elastic properties of its lithosphere, and iv) the causes of magmatism and uplifting which occurred in the Cenozoic. In this thesis, a regional coverage of geophysical data (elevation, gravity, magnetic, geoid height, and surface wave global tomography) were integrated with surface geologic information aiming to attain a better understanding of the above questions. In the Riacho do Pontal belt and in the western sector of the Sergipano belt, the neoproterozoic suture of the collision of the Sul domain of the BP with the Sanfranciscana plate (SFP) is correlated with an expressive dipolar gravity anomaly. The positive lobule of this anomaly is due to the BP lower continental crust uplifting whilst the negative lobule is due to the supracrustal nappes overthrusting the SFP. In the eastern sector of the Sergipano belt, this dipolar gravity anomaly does not exist. However the suture still can be identified at the southern sector of the Marancó complex arc, alongside of the Porto da Folha shear zone, where the SFP N-S geophysical alignments are truncated. The boundary associated to the collision of the Ceará domain of the BP with the West African craton is also correlated with a dipolar gravity anomaly. The positive lobule of this anomaly coincides with the Sobral-Pedro II shear zone whilst the negative lobule is associated with the Santa Quitéria magmatic arc. Judging by their geophysical signatures, the major BP internal boundaries are: i)the western sector of the Pernambuco shear zone and the eastern continuation of this shear zone as the Congo shear zone, ii) the Patos shear zone, and iii) the Jaguaribe shear zone and its southwestern continuation as the Tatajuba shear zone. These boundaries divide the BP in five tectonic domains in the geophysical criteria: Sul, Transversal, Rio Grande do Norte, Ceará, and Médio Coreaú. The Sul domain is characterized by geophysical signatures associated with the BP and SFP collision. The fact that Congo shear zone is now proposed as part of the Transversal domain boundary implies an important change in the original definition of this domain. The Rio Grande do Norte domain presents a highly magnetized crust resulted from the superposition of precambrian and phanerozoic events. The Ceará domain is divided by the Senador Pompeu shear zone in two subdomains: the eastern one corresponds to the Orós-Jaguaribe belt and the western one to the Ceará-Central subdomain. The latter subdomain exhibits a positive ENE-W SW gravity anomaly which was associated to a crustal discontinuity. This discontinuity would have acted as a rampart against to the N-S Brasiliano orogenic nappes. The Médio Coreaú domain also presents a dipolar gravity anomaly. Its positive lobule is due to granulitic rocks whereas the negative one is caused by supracrustal rocks. The boundary between Médio Coreaú and Ceará domains can be traced below the Parnaíba basin sediments by its geophysical signature. The joint analysis of free air anomalies, free air admittances, and effective elastic thickness estimates (Te) revealed that the Brazilian East and Equatorial continental margins have quite different elastic properties. In the first one 10 km < Te < 20 km whereas in the second one Te ≤ 10 km. The weakness of the Equatorial margin lithosphere was caused by the cenozoic magmatism. The BP continental margin presents segmentations; some of them have inheritance from precambrian structures and domains. The segmentations conform markedly with some sedimentary basin features which are below described from south to north. The limit between Sergipe and Alagoas subbasins coincides with the suture between BP and SFP. Te estimates indicates concordantly that in Sergipe subbasin Te is around 20 km while Alagoas subbasin has Te around 10 km, thus revealing that the lithosphere in the Sergipe subbasin has a greater rigidity than the lithosphere in the Alagoas subbasin. Additionally inside the crust beneath Sergipe subbasin occurs a very dense body (underplating or crustal heritage?) which is not present in the crust beneath Alagoas subbasin. The continental margin of the Pernambuco basin (15 < Te < 25 km) presents a very distinct free air edge effect displaying two anomalies. This fact indicates the existence in the Pernambuco plateau of a relatively thick crust. In the Paraíba basin the free air edge effect is quite uniform, Te ≈ 15 km, and the lower crust is abnormally dense probably due to its alteration by a magmatic underplating in the Cenozoic. The Potiguar basin segmentation in three parts was corroborated by the Te estimates: in the Potiguar rift Te ≅ 5 km, in the Aracati platform Te ≅ 25 km, and in the Touros platform Te ≅ 10 km. The observed weakness of the lithosphere in the Potiguar rift segment is due to the high heat flux while the relatively high strength of the lithosphere in the Touros platform may be due to the existence of an archaean crust. The Ceará basin, in the region of Mundaú and Icaraí subbasins, presents a quite uniform free air edge effect and Te ranges from 10 to 15 km. The analysis of the Bouguer admittance revealed that isostasy in BP can be explained with an isostatic model where combined surface and buried loadings are present. The estimated ratio of the buried loading relative to the surface loading is equal to 15. In addition, the lower crust in BP is abnormally dense. These affirmations are particularly adequate to the northern portion of BP where adherence of the observed data to the isostatic model is quite good. Using the same above described isostatic model to calculate the coherence function, it was obtained that a single Te estimate for the entire BP must be lower than 60 km; in addition, the BP north portion has Te around 20 km. Using the conventional elastic flexural model to isostasy, an inversion of crust thickness was performed. It was identified two regions in BP where the crust is thickened: one below the Borborema plateau (associated to an uplifting in the Cenozoic) and the other one in the Ceará domain beneath the Santa Quitéria magmatic arc (a residue associated to the Brasiliano orogenesis). On the other hand, along the Cariri-Potiguar trend, the crust is thinned due to an aborted rifting in the Cretaceous. Based on the interpretation of free air anomalies, it was inferred the existence of a large magmatism in the oceanic crust surrounding the BP, in contrast with the incipient magmatism in the continent as shown by surface geology. In BP a quite important positive geoid anomaly exists. This anomaly is spatially correlated with the Borborema plateau and the Macaú-Queimadas volcanic lineament. The integrated interpretation of geoid height anomaly data, global shear velocity model, and geologic data allow to propose that and Edge Driven Convection (EDC) may have caused the Cenozoic magmatism. The EDC is an instability that presumably occurs at the boundary between thick stable lithosphere and oceanic thin lithosphere. In the BP lithosphere, the EDC mechanism would have dragged the cold lithospheric mantle into the hot asthenospheric mantle thus causing a positive density contrast that would have generated the main component of the geoid height anomaly. In addition, the compatibility of the gravity data with the isostatic model, where combined surface and buried loadings are present, together with the temporal correlation between the Cenozoic magmatism and the Borborema plateau uplifting allow to propose that this uplifting would have been caused by the buoyancy effect of a crustal root generated by a magmatic underplating in the Cenozoic

Evolução da paisagem do baixo curso do rio de Piranhas-Assu (1988-2024): uso de autômatos celulares em modelo dinâmico espacial para simulação de cenários futuros

The lower course of Piranhas-Assu river, located in the north coast of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil, arouses a keen interest as a study field, once it concentrates, besides petroleum and gas exploration, activities related to shrimp culture, salt and horticulture, factors that also deserve special attention. Thus, the awareness of the study field environmental stage demands studies from researchers and discernment from society, as a way of understanding the inter-relation between environment and men. Therefore, this work attempts at understanding and studying the dynamics of land use in the lower course of Piranhas-Assu river, through a multitemporal analysis of present and past, accomplishing future projections through simulation models. The work is divided in stages that include the research, analysis, interpretation of results, and the generation of simulation models, to analyze the landscape tendencies, making possible to identify indicators which cause such changes in the lower course of the river. From Geographical Database, the necessary exploratory analyses were accomplished to the following items: land use evolution, natural and environmental vulnerability, multiple geodiversity indexes, and preparation of the data to be used in the simulation model. Later, the construction of the landscape simulation model was conducted. Sequentially, simulations of future sceneries were accomplished through the execution of the model in a specific software environment. Last, the analyses of landscape tendencies in the study field were carried out. The lower course of Piranhas-Assu River didn't show any intense dynamics in landscape changing, once in the period taken into account (from 1988 to 2004) class stability proved to be superior to its transformations. Activities related to agriculture and livestock are the ones that influence, mostly, the landscape dynamics. The production of sea shrimp and petroleum also infers in the landscape, although in smaller proportion. INCRA s public policies excessively determined the dynamics of the landscape in the lower course of Piranhas-Assu River, RN. In respect to its natural vulnerability, the lower course of Piranhas-Assu River, RN, features more vulnerable than stable areas. The landscape simulation, in the first taken period (2004-2009), indicated considerable increases and decreases of antropic activities, if compared to its sequent periods (2009-2014, 2014-2019 and 2019-2024). The simulation, in a wider analysis, showed that the determining factors for the space mobility of antropic activities, in the focused area, are related to the pre-existence of communities with agricultural capability and to the existence of access routes and drainage. Considering the area that features fixed and mobile dunes, located in Porto do Mangue district, we recommend its conversion into a conservation area

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

Evolução tectono-estrutural do Campo de Xaréu (Sub-bacia de Mundaú, Bacia do Ceará - NE do Brasil: abordagem multiescala e pluriferramental

The Xaréu Oil Field, located in the center-southern portion of the Mundaú Sub-Basin (eastern portion of the Ceará Basin), is characterized by a main Iramework of NW-trending and NE-dipping faults. The faults in the Xaréu Oil Field, among which the Xaréu Fautt stands out, are arranged according to an extensional-listriclan, rooted on a detachment surface corresponding to the Mundaú Fault, the border fautt of Mundaú Sub-Basin. During the tectonic-structural evolution of the Xaréu Oil Field and the Mundaú Sub-Basin, the Mundaú Fault played a crucial role on the control of the geometry of both compartments. The main carbonatic unit in the Xaréu Oil Field, named the Trairí Member(Paracuru Formation of Late Aptian to Early Albian age), contains the largest oil volume in the field, concentrated in structurally-controlled accumulations. The Trairí Member is composed by a variety of carbonatic rocks (massive, bedded or laminated calcilutites, ostracodites, calcarenites and carbonatic rudites, all of them presenting variable degrees of dolomitization). The carbonatic rocks are interbedded into thick packages of black shales and marls, besides local beds of siliciclastic conglomerates, sandstones, siltnes and argillites. From the spatial association and the genetic relationships between the carbonatic and siliciclastic units, it is possible to group them in three lithofacies associations (Marginal Plain, Ramp and Lacustrine Interior) that, together, were developed in a lacustrine system associated to a marginal sabkha. Structural studies based on drill coresthat sample the Trairí Member in the Xaréu Oil Field allowed to characterize two generations of meso- to microscale structures: the D1 group presents a typical hydroplastic character, being characterized by intra/interstratal to oblique-bedding shear zones. The hydroplastic character related to these structures allowed to infer their development at an early-lithilication stage of the Trairí Member, leading to infer an Early Cretaceous age to them. The second group of structures identified in the drill cores, nominated D2 and ascribed to a Neogene age, presents a strictly brttle character, being typilied by normal faults and slickenfibers of re-crystallized clayminerals, ali olthem displaying variable orientations. Although the present faults in the Xaréu Oil Field (and, consequently, in the Mundaú Sub-Basin) were classically relerred as struetures of essentially normal displacement, the kinematics analysis of the meso-to microscaie D1 struetures in the drill cores led to deline oblique displacements (normal with a clockwise strike-slip component) to these faults, indicating a main tectonic transport to ENE. These oblique movements would be responsible for the installation of a transtensive context in the Mundaú Sub-Basin, as part of the transcurrent to translormant opening of the Atlantic Equatorial Margin. The balancing of four struetural cross-sections ofthe Xaréu Oil Field indicates that the Mundaú Fault was responsible for more than 50% of the total stretching (ß factor) registered during the Early Aptian. At the initial stages of the "rifting", during Early Aptianuntil the Holocene, the Mundaú Sub-Basin (and consequently the Xaréu Oil Fleld) accumulated a total stretching between 1.21 and 1.23; in other words, the crust in this segment of the Atlantic Equatorial Margin was subjeeted to an elongation of about 20%. From estimates of oblique displacements related to the faults, it ws possible to construct diagrams that allow the determination of stretching factors related to these displacements. Using these diagrams and assuming the sense 01 dominant teetonictransport towards ENE, it was possible to calculate the real stretching lactors related to the oblique movement 0 of the faults in the Mundaú Sub-Basin. which reached actual values between 1.28 and 1.42. ln addnion to the tectonic-structural studies in the Xaréu Oil Field, the interpretation of remote sensing products, coupled wnh characterization of terrain analogues in seleeted areas along the northern Ceará State (continental margins of the Ceará and Potiguar basins), provided addnional data and constraints about the teetonic-structural evolution of the oil lield. The work at the analogue sites was particularly effective in the recognition and mapping, in semidetail scale, several generations of struetures originated under a brittle regime. Ali the obtained information (from the Xaréu Oil Field, the remote sensor data and the terrain analogues) were jointly interpreted, culminating with the proposnion of an evolutionary model lor this segment of the Atlantic Equatorial Margin; this model that can be applied to the whole Margin, as well. This segmentof the Atlantic Equatorial Margin was delormedin an early E-W (when considered lhe present-day position of the South American Plate) transcurrent to transform regime with dextral kinematics, started Irom, at least, the Early Aptian, which left its record in several outcrops along the continental margin of the Ceará State and specilically in the Xaréu off Field. The continuous operation of the regime, through the Albian and later periods, led to the definitive separation between the South American and African plates, with the formation of oceanic lithosphere between the two continental blocks, due to the emplacement off spreading centers. This process involved the subsequent transition of the transcurrent to a translorm dextral regime, creating lhe Equatorial Atlantic Oceano With the separation between the South American and African plates already completed and the increasing separation between lhe continental masses, other tecton ic mechanisms began to act during the Cenozoic (even though the Cretaceous tectonic regime lasted until the Neogene), like an E-W compressive stress líeld (related to the spreading olthe oceanic floor along lhe M id-Atlantic Ridge and to the compression of the Andean Chain) effective Irom the Late Cretaceous, and a state of general extension olthe horizontal surface (due to the thermal uplift ofthe central portion of Borborema Province), effective during the Neogene. The overlap of these mechanisms during the Cenozoic led to the imprint of a complex tectonic framework, which apparently influenced the migration and entrapment 01 hydrocarbon in the Ceará Basin

Análise da evolução costeira do litoral setentrional do estado do rio grande do norte, região sob influência da indústria petrolífera

The northern coast of Rio Grande do Norte State is characterized by strong changes in coastal morphology, caused by various geological and climatic factors. In this region are installed the main socio-economic activities of the State, highlighting the oil industry, which exerts much of its activities in the coastal area studied. Erosion is a constant problem in this region because it affects the entire local populace to the destruction of houses and trade, rendering tourism, affecting the livelihood activities and industrial activities. The greatest risk is related to environmental damage that can be caused by the oil spill in this region. To understand what determines the changes in coastal morphology this Doctoral Thesis is proposed to identify the factors at local, regional and even global corroborate coastal dynamics to this coast in question. For this study, used several different products and tools for interpreting the conditions of the erosive effect that dominates the whole northern coast of the State, in an attempt to quantify and describe the causes and effects that affect the entire coastal zone monitored. The development of activities is built into the projects Rede 05 PETROMAR (CTPETRO-FINEP/PETROBRAS/CNPq), PETRORISCO, HIDROSEMA, PETROMAR e Rede 05/04 POTMAR (FNDCT/CTPETROFINEP/ CNPq), in the activities of multidisciplinary and inter-features in issues involving environmental monitoring and oil activity

Evolução morfodinâmica da região de influência estuarina do Rio Curimataú/RN, com ênfase nas alternativas do ambiente deposicional de manguezal e a integração de geodados em Sig

The estuaries are important investigation zones of the actual morphodynamic and of depositional facies of recent geological history. They are constituted in important receptor means of the coastal area sediments, where the evolutionary processes occur quickly. They are also attractive means for the development of anthropic activities, which in a disordered way interfere in the active processes in the sedimentary balance of the coastal areas. Among the human interventions, the alterations of the depositional environment of mangroves in areas of tropical estuary is deserving relevance, whose implications for the environment estuarine and the coastal adjacent, they are still far to be known. Due to the interest of the sedimentologic component in the comprehension of the processes linked to the evolution of the environments estuarine and coastal adjacent, this work, aimed at the understanding of the morphodynamic coastal phenomena that comprise the region of estuarine influence of the River Curimataú / RN. It was also evaluated in the morphodynamic context the implications due to alterations of the depositional environment of mangrove by anthropic activity. The Curimataú Estuary, located in the south portion of the oriental coast of Rio Grande do Norte, in the last decades has been objective of the overwhelming occupation of the shrimp farm in areas of mangroves, which were implanted with perspectives of development in a short to medium period. On the other hand, the estuary and its region of coastal influence lacks enough information to subsidize the planning and reorganization more effective of the surrounding activities. Thus, it was intended with this work to give a contribution target tothe maintainable use of the coastal resources of this region. A series of studies using data of orbital and acoustic remote sensing, as of sediments sampling, were executed in the gutter of the estuary. The obtained results starting from the interpretation of bathymetric maps, echo sounder graphics and of distribution of sediments made possible the location of the estuary based in morpho-sedimentar criteria. The estuarine tidal flat was dissected in environments of intertidal mangroves, supratidal mangroves and apicuns with base in the integration of data of sensor optic and of radar following by the field control. The adjacent coast that is influenced by the Curimataú estuary, was segmented according to their geomorphologic characteristics, where each segment had a point of observation of the beach morphodynamic, during the period from january/2001 to february/2002. Once every month, beaches profiles, collections of sediments in the beach zones, as measurement of hydrodynamic parameters were executed. The results of the observations of the tidal environment showed that the area of estuarine influence of the Curimataú begins to suffer negative sedimentary taxes, where in some beaches, the erosive processes are already observed. The granulometric characteristics of the beach sediments start to tend for the increase of thin sand in the erosive periods. The destruction of the depositional environments of mangroves of the Curimataú estuary, to the construction of shrimp farms, can be providing the diminution of the tidal prism of the estuary, enlarging the effects of the local increasing of the sea level, through the smaller supplying of sediments to the adjacent coast. Besides this, it was verified the possibility of the sanding of the tidal channel in the margins of the destroyed areas of mangroves, where very high taxes of sedimentation of thin materials were estimated in case of these areas were preserve

Estudo de Fractalidade e Evolução Dinâmica de Sistemas Complexos

In this work, the study of some complex systems is done with use of two distinct procedures. In the first part, we have studied the usage of Wavelet transform on analysis and characterization of (multi)fractal time series. We have test the reliability of Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima method (WTMM) in respect to the multifractal formalism, trough the calculation of the singularity spectrum of time series whose fractality is well known a priori. Next, we have use the Wavelet Transform Modulus Maxima method to study the fractality of lungs crackles sounds, a biological time series. Since the crackles sounds are due to the opening of a pulmonary airway bronchi, bronchioles and alveoli which was initially closed, we can get information on the phenomenon of the airway opening cascade of the whole lung. Once this phenomenon is associated with the pulmonar tree architecture, which displays fractal geometry, the analysis and fractal characterization of this noise may provide us with important parameters for comparison between healthy lungs and those affected by disorders that affect the geometry of the tree lung, such as the obstructive and parenchymal degenerative diseases, which occurs, for example, in pulmonary emphysema. In the second part, we study a site percolation model for square lattices, where the percolating cluster grows governed by a control rule, corresponding to a method of automatic search. In this model of percolation, which have characteristics of self-organized criticality, the method does not use the automated search on Leaths algorithm. It uses the following control rule: pt+1 = pt + k(Rc − Rt), where p is the probability of percolation, k is a kinetic parameter where 0 < k < 1 and R is the fraction of percolating finite square lattices with side L, LxL. This rule provides a time series corresponding to the dynamical evolution of the system, in particular the likelihood of percolation p. We proceed an analysis of scaling of the signal obtained in this way. The model used here enables the study of the automatic search method used for site percolation in square lattices, evaluating the dynamics of their parameters when the system goes to the critical point. It shows that the scaling of , the time elapsed until the system reaches the critical point, and tcor, the time required for the system loses its correlations, are both inversely proportional to k, the kinetic parameter of the control rule. We verify yet that the system has two different time scales after: one in which the system shows noise of type 1 f , indicating to be strongly correlated. Another in which it shows white noise, indicating that the correlation is lost. For large intervals of time the dynamics of the system shows ergodicity