Análise da eficiência energética em indústrias madeireiras através da lógica fuzzy

This paper presents the application of fuzzy theory to support the decision of implementing energy efficiency program in sawmills operating in the processing of Pinustaeda and Pinuselliotii. The justification of using a system based on fuzzy theory for analysis of consumption and the specific factors involved, such is the diversity of rates / factors. With the fuzzy theory, we can build a reliable system for verifying actual energy efficiency. The indices and factors characteristic of industrial activity were measured and used as the basis for the fuzzy system. We developed a management system and technology. The system involves the management practices in energy efficiency, maintenance of plant and equipment and the presence of qualified staff. The technological system involves the power factor, load factor, the factor of demand and the specific consumption. The first response provides the possibility of increased energy efficiency and the second level of energy efficiency in the industry studied. With this tool, programs can be developed for energy conservation and energy efficiency in the industrial timber with wide application in this area that is as diverse as production processes. The same systems developed can be used in other industrial activities, provided they are used indices and characteristic features of the sectors involved.

Desenvolvimento inicial da amburana (Amburana cearensis) em áreas de Cerrado degradado

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of nitrogen (N) and the phosphorus (P) in seedlings of Amburana cearensis planted in areas occupied by Brachiaria decumbens, in an Oxisol, which originally had a Dense Savanna and in a Plinthic surrounding a Gallery Forest. We evaluated the response of A. cearensisgrowth and survival in the absence and doses of -1 10, 20 and 40 kg ha N, as urea and absence and doses of 10, 20 and -1 40 kg ha P, in the form of triple superphosphate in a randomized complete block design. We evaluated the stem diameter at four, eight and twelve months after planting. At the end of the first year were evaluated crown diameter and survival. According to the classification proposed in this study the growth of A. cearensis can be considered very slow in the Oxisol, regardless of fertilization, very slow when fertilized with N in the Plinthic and slow when fertilized with P. Despite the lower growth in Oxisol, the A. cearensis showed higher nutritional requirement there. The A. cearensis seedlings showed moderate nutritional requirement for N and high for P. In Plinthic, their nutritional requirement for P was moderate and total N present in the soil was sufficient to meet growth demand in this stage. This small nutritional requirement for N may be associated with its ability to nodulation.

Avaliação de desempenho no processo de lixamento de madeiras das espécies Pinus elliottii e Corymbia citriodora

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Desenvolvimento inicial de um reflorestamento de guanandi (Calophyllum brasiliense Cambess. Calophyllaceae) em sistema de plantio sombreado e a pleno sol

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Influência da temperatura e do termoperíodo sobre a taxa metabólica de repouso em cascavéis, Crotalus durissus (Serpentes: Viperidae)

Snakes are ectothermic animals and, therefore, their physiological functions are strongly affected by temperature. For instance, the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of this animals increase with the rise in body temperature. However, metabolic determinations in ectothermic organisms, including snakes, are generally made by submitting the animals to constant temperature regimes. This experimental procedure, although widely used, accepted and certainly suitable in several cases, submit the animals to a very different situation from that experienced by them in nature. In fact, ectothermics are known by presenting extensive variations in their body temperatures trough the day and/or seasons. If this disagreement between the thermal biology of the animals and the experimental conditions, for instance over the circadian cycle, affects the determinations of metabolic rates of ectotherm animals, remains quite uncertain. Thus, this study aimed to test the effects of different thermal regimes (fluctuating vs constant) in different temperature ranges over the TMR of rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus). Therefore, the TMR of rattlesnakes was measured by the oxygen consumption rates ( V O2) in the constant temperatures of 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C and 35°C. For fluctuating regimes, snakes were measured in thermoperiods of 12/12 hours, as follows: 15°C and 25°C; 20°C and 30°C; 25°C and 35°C. Our results show that the RMR of C. durissus rises as the temperature increases, regardless of the thermal regime. The obtained RMR in the constant regimes of 20°C and 25°C was not different from that measured in the correspondent fluctuating regimes (i.e., 15 - 25°C e 20 - 30°C). However, at constant 30°C, the RMR was significantly higher than that obtained in the 30°C fluctuating regime (25 - 35ºC). This indicates that the potential effects in submitting of snakes to different thermal regimes of its thermal biology become more important with...

O valor econômico da extração manejada de madeira no baixo Amazonas, estado do Pará

O objetivo deste trabalho foi estimar o valor econômico e a margem de comercialização da madeira em tora oriunda de áreas manejadas. Essa cadeia, além de produzir margem positiva, os valores são relativamente superiores aos gerados nas atividades que concorrem para o desmatamento na Amazônia para se estabelecerem. Adicionalmente, determinou-se o coeficiente médio de desdobramento de 37,3% (2,68 m³ de madeira em tora para cada 1,0 m³ de madeira serrada), o qual revelou baixo grau tecnológico das empresas. O valor econômico médio da extração e comercialização da madeira em pé no mercado local foi de R$ 23,48/m³, tendo um valor mínimo de R$ 9,06/m³ para as espécies da categoria C4 (madeira branca) e um máximo de R$ 55,63/m³ para as espécies da categoria C1 (madeira especial). Assim, para um fluxo de 30 anos e extração de 25 m³/ha nos planos de manejo das áreas de concessão florestal do Estado do Pará, gera-se um valor médio de R$ 587,00/ha, ou R$ 19,56/ha/ano. No fluxo de 30 anos, esse resultado é relativamente superior ao gerado pelas atividades de pecuária extensiva (em torno de R$ 180,00/ha) e das lavouras de grãos (em torno dos R$ 420,00/ha), principais responsáveis pelo desmatamento da Amazônia. Também, apresenta maior rentabilidade do que o reflorestamento com paricá, que gera R$ 192,26/ha. A margem de comercialização indicou que a sociedade tende a se apropriar de 14,3% do valor econômico gerado na cadeia da madeira oriunda dos contratos de concessão florestal.

Book Review of Plains Earthlodges: Ethnographic and Archaeological Perspectives Edited by Donna C. Roper and Elizabeth P. Pauls

Nomadic Plains peoples such as the Cheyenne and Sioux have become the stereotypical image of North American Indians in general. In contrast to the hunting and gathering lifestyle of these groups, however, many Plains tribes lived in settled villages and grew extensive garden crops through much of the past millennium. These groups developed a habitation distinctly characteristic of the Plains village way of life-sturdy, earth-covered timber structures known as earth lodges. The remains of thousands of these structures dot the landscape of the Central and Northern Plains. Lodges of various forms persisted from about 1000 CE into the twentieth century. Particularly characteristic of the Pawnee, Arikara, Mandan, and Hidatsa, earthlodges were also adopted by several other Plains tribes. In this well-illustrated volume eight authors offer nine essays that explore the earth lodge as a subject warranting archaeological and anthropological research in its own right and from numerous perspectives.

Elk in Nebraska: Opportunity or Another Private-Public Land Conundrum

We conducted a comprehensive research project on elk in the Pine Ridge region of northwestern Nebraska from 1995 to 2002 to determine ecological factors that could be used to improve management and reduce damage. The population ranged from 120 to 150 animals, with an average calf:cow ratio of 0.5:1 and bull:cow ratio of 0.4:1. We located 21 radio-collared female elk 6,311 times during 1995 to 1997. Seasonal home ranges of 2 herds were 10 and 44 km2, while average annual home ranges of the herds were much larger (483 and 440 km2, respectively). All wintering areas (n = 21) and 80% of the calving areas (n = 22) were located on privately-owned land. Active timber harvest temporarily displaced elk, most notably during the calving season. Elk shifted home ranges in association with the seasonal availability of agricultural crops, in particular, alfalfa, oats, and winter wheat. Population models indicated that static levels of hunting mortality would lead to a stable population of about 130 elk over 10 years. Most landowners in the Pine Ridge (57%) favored free-ranging elk, but 26% were concerned about damage to agricultural crops and competition with livestock. Habitat suitability models and estimates of social carrying capacity indicate that up to 600 elk could be sustained in the Pine Ridge without significant impacts to landowners. We recommended an integrated management program used to enhance elk habitat on publicly-owned land and redistribute elk from privately-owned land.

Influência da temperatura e do termoperíodo sobre a taxa metabólica de repouso em cascavéis, Crotalus durissus (Serpentes: Viperidae)

Snakes are ectothermic animals and, therefore, their physiological functions are strongly affected by temperature. For instance, the resting metabolic rate (RMR) of this animals increase with the rise in body temperature. However, metabolic determinations in ectothermic organisms, including snakes, are generally made by submitting the animals to constant temperature regimes. This experimental procedure, although widely used, accepted and certainly suitable in several cases, submit the animals to a very different situation from that experienced by them in nature. In fact, ectothermics are known by presenting extensive variations in their body temperatures trough the day and/or seasons. If this disagreement between the thermal biology of the animals and the experimental conditions, for instance over the circadian cycle, affects the determinations of metabolic rates of ectotherm animals, remains quite uncertain. Thus, this study aimed to test the effects of different thermal regimes (fluctuating vs constant) in different temperature ranges over the TMR of rattlesnakes (Crotalus durissus). Therefore, the TMR of rattlesnakes was measured by the oxygen consumption rates ( V O2) in the constant temperatures of 15°C, 20°C, 25°C, 30°C and 35°C. For fluctuating regimes, snakes were measured in thermoperiods of 12/12 hours, as follows: 15°C and 25°C; 20°C and 30°C; 25°C and 35°C. Our results show that the RMR of C. durissus rises as the temperature increases, regardless of the thermal regime. The obtained RMR in the constant regimes of 20°C and 25°C was not different from that measured in the correspondent fluctuating regimes (i.e., 15 - 25°C e 20 - 30°C). However, at constant 30°C, the RMR was significantly higher than that obtained in the 30°C fluctuating regime (25 - 35ºC). This indicates that the potential effects in submitting of snakes to different thermal regimes of its thermal biology become more important with...

JUVENILE RECRUITMENT, EARLY GROWTH, AND MORPHOLOGICAL VARIATION IN THE ENDANGERED SANTA CATALINA ISLAND RATTLESNAKE, CROTALUS CATALINENSIS

Life-history information constitutes the raw data for building population models used in species conservation. We provide life-history data for the endangered Santa Catalina Island Rattlesnake, Crotalus catalinensis. We use data from 277 observations of C. catalinensis made between 2002 and 2011 on the island. Mean snout-vent length (SVL) of adult C. catalinensis was 643 mm for males and 631 mm for females; the difference was not significant. The degree of sexual size dimorphism (SSD; using SVL) was -0.02. However, sexes were dimorphic in total length ( SVL + tail length), relative tail length, and stoutness. Juvenile recruitment occurs during late-summer. In their first year of life, juveniles seem to grow at a rate of about 1.7 cm/mo. Females seem to become mature around 570 mm SVL, probably in the year when they become 2 y old. Scattered literature data corroborates the time of juvenile recruitment described herein. Growth in C. catalinensis seems to be slower than that of C. ruber, its sister taxa, but similar to other rattlesnakes.

CHEMICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL PROPERTIES OF ARAUCARIA ANGUSTIFOLIA (BERT.) KTZE. FOREST SOILS IN THE STATE OF SAO PAULO

Araucaria angustifolia, commonly named Araucaria, is a Brazilian native species that is intensively exploited due to its timber quality. Therefore, Araucaria is on the list of species threatened by extinction. Despite the importance of soil for forest production, little is known about the soil properties of the highly fragmented Araucaria forests. This study was designed to investigate the use of chemical and biological properties as indicators of conservation and anthropogenic disturbance of Araucaria forests in different sampling periods. The research was carried out in two State parks of Sao Paulo: Parque Estadual Turistico do Alto do Ribeira and Parque Estadual de Campos de Jordao. The biochemical properties carbon and nitrogen in microbial biomass (MB-C and MB-N), basal respiration (BR), the metabolic quotient (qCO(2)) and the following enzyme activities: beta-glucosidase, urease, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis (FDA) were evaluated. The sampling period (dry or rainy season) influenced the results of mainly MB-C, MB-N, BR, and qCO(2). The chemical and biochemical properties, except K content, were sensitive indicators of differences in the conservation and anthropogenic disturbance stages of Araucaria forests. Although these forests differ in biochemical and chemical properties, they are efficient in energy use and conservation, which is shown by their low qCO(2), suggesting an advanced stage of succession.

MICROSATELLITE MARKERS FOR PLATHYMENIA RETICULATA (LEGUMINOSAE)

Premise of the study: Microsatellite markers were developed and characterized to investigate genetic diversity and gene flow and to help in conservation efforts for the endangered timber species Plathymenia reticulata. Methods and Results: Eleven microsatellite loci were characterized using 60 adult trees of two populations of P. reticulata from the Atlantic Forest of southern Bahia, Brazil. Of these, nine loci were polymorphic, with an average of 4.39 alleles per locus. The average expected heterozygosity per population ranged from 0.47 to 0.55. The combined exclusion probability was 0.99996. Conclusions: Our results reveal that the microsatellite markers developed in this study are an effective tool for paternity and genetic structure analysis that may be useful for conservation strategies.

Soil-mediated effects on potential Euterpe edulis (Arecaceae) fruit and palm heart sustainable management in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Euterpe edulis is an endangered species due to palm heart overharvesting, the most important non-timber forest product of the Brazilian Atlantic Forest, and fruit exploitation has been introduced as a low impacting alternative. However, E. edulis is a keystone species for frugivores birds, and even the impact of fruit exploitation needs to be better investigated. Since this species occurs over contrasting habitats, the establishment of site-specific standards and limits for exploitation may also be essential to achieve truly sustainable management. In this context, we sought to investigate how soil chemical composition would potentially affect E. edulis (Arecaceae) palm heart and fruit exploitation considering current standards of management. We studied natural populations found in Restinga Forest and Atlantic Rainforest remnants established within Natural Reserves of Sao Paulo State, SE Brazil, where 10.24 ha permanent plots, composed of a grid of 256 subplots (20 m x 20 m), were located. In each of these subplots, we evaluated soil chemical composition and diameter at breast height of E. edulis individuals. Additionally, we evaluated fruit yield in 2008 and 2009 in 20 individuals per year. The Atlantic Rainforest population had a much higher proportion of larger diameter individuals than the population from the Restinga Forest, as a result of habitat-mediated effects, especially those related to soil. Sodium and potassium concentration in Restinga Forest soils, which have strong negative and positive effect on palm growth, respectively, played a key role in determining those differences. Overall, the number of fruits that could be exploited in the Atlantic Rainforest was four times higher than in Restinga Forest. If current rules for palm heart and fruit harvesting were followed without any restriction to different habitats, Restinga Forest populations are under severe threat, as this study shows that they are not suitable for sustainable management of both fruits and palm heart. Hence, a habitat-specific approach of sustainable management is needed for this species in order to respect the demographic and ecological dynamics of each population to be managed. These findings suggest that any effort to create general management standards of low impacting harvesting may be unsuccessful if the species of interest occur over a wide range of ecosystems. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of pretreatment on morphology, chemical composition and enzymatic digestibility of eucalyptus bark: a potentially valuable source of fermentable sugars for biofuel production – part 1

Abstract Background In recent years, the growing demand for biofuels has encouraged the search for different sources of underutilized lignocellulosic feedstocks that are available in sufficient abundance to be used for sustainable biofuel production. Much attention has been focused on biomass from grass. However, large amounts of timber residues such as eucalyptus bark are available and represent a potential source for conversion to bioethanol. In the present paper, we investigate the effects of a delignification process with increasing sodium hydroxide concentrations, preceded or not by diluted acid, on the bark of two eucalyptus clones: Eucalyptus grandis (EG) and the hybrid, E. grandis x urophylla (HGU). The enzymatic digestibility and total cellulose conversion were measured, along with the effect on the composition of the solid and the liquor fractions. Barks were also assessed using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), X-Ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results Compositional analysis revealed an increase in the cellulose content, reaching around 81% and 76% of glucose for HGU and EG, respectively, using a two-step treatment with HCl 1%, followed by 4% NaOH. Lignin removal was 84% (HGU) and 79% (EG), while the hemicellulose removal was 95% and 97% for HGU and EG, respectively. However, when we applied a one-step treatment, with 4% NaOH, higher hydrolysis efficiencies were found after 48 h for both clones, reaching almost 100% for HGU and 80% for EG, in spite of the lower lignin and hemicellulose removal. Total cellulose conversion increased from 5% and 7% to around 65% for HGU and 59% for EG. NMR and FTIR provided important insight into the lignin and hemicellulose removal and SEM studies shed light on the cell-wall unstructuring after pretreatment and lignin migration and precipitation on the fibers surface, which explain the different hydrolysis rates found for the clones. Conclusion Our results show that the single step alkaline pretreatment improves the enzymatic digestibility of Eucalyptus bark. Furthermore, the chemical and physical methods combined in this study provide a better comprehension of the pretreatment effects on cell-wall and the factors that influence enzymatic digestibility of this forest residue.

Chemical and biochemical properties of Araucaria angustifolia (Bert.) Ktze. forest soils in the state of São Paulo

Araucaria angustifolia, commonly named Araucaria, is a Brazilian native species that is intensively exploited due to its timber quality. Therefore, Araucaria is on the list of species threatened by extinction. Despite the importance of soil for forest production, little is known about the soil properties of the highly fragmented Araucaria forests. This study was designed to investigate the use of chemical and biological properties as indicators of conservation and anthropogenic disturbance of Araucaria forests in different sampling periods. The research was carried out in two State parks of São Paulo: Parque Estadual Turístico do Alto do Ribeira and Parque Estadual de Campos de Jordão. The biochemical properties carbon and nitrogen in microbial biomass (MB-C and MB-N), basal respiration (BR), the metabolic quotient (qCO2) and the following enzyme activities: β-glucosidase, urease, and fluorescein diacetate hydrolysis (FDA) were evaluated. The sampling period (dry or rainy season) influenced the results of mainly MB-C, MB-N, BR, and qCO2. The chemical and biochemical properties, except K content, were sensitive indicators of differences in the conservation and anthropogenic disturbance stages of Araucaria forests. Although these forests differ in biochemical and chemical properties, they are efficient in energy use and conservation, which is shown by their low qCO2, suggesting an advanced stage of succession.