The Guarguaraz Complex and the Neoproterozoic-Cambrian evolution of southwestern Gondwana: Geochemical signatures and geochronological constraints

The Guarguaraz Complex, in western Argentina, comprises a metasedimentary assemblage, associated with mafic sills and ultramafic bodies intruded by basaltic dikes, which are interpreted as Ordovician dismembered ophiolites. Two kinds of dikes are recognized, a group associated with the metasediments and the other ophiolite-related. Both have N-MORB signatures, with epsilon(Nd) between +3.5 and +8.2, indicating a depleted source, and Grenville model ages between 0.99 and 1.62 Ga. A whole-rock Sm-Nd isochron yielded an age of 655 +/- 76 Ma for these mafic rocks, which is compatible with cianobacteria and acritarchae recognized in the clastic metasedimentary platform sequences, that indicate a Neoproterozoic (Vendian)-Cambrian age of deposition. The Guarguaraz metasedimentary-ophiolitic complex represents, therefore, a remnant of an oceanic basin developed to the west of the Grenville-aged Cuyania terrane during the Neoproterozoic. The southernmost extension of these metasedimentary sequences in Cordon del Portillo might represent part of this platform and not fragments of the Chilenia terrane. An extensional event related to the fragmentation of Rodinia is represented by the mafic and ultramafic rocks. The Devonian docking of Chilenia emplaced remnants of ocean floor and slices of the Cuyania terrane (Las Yaretas Gneisses) in tectonic contact with the Neoproterozoic metasediments, marking the Devonian western border of Gondwana. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The basement of the Punta del Este Terrane (Uruguay): an African Mesoproterozoic fragment at the eastern border of the South American Rio de La Plata craton

The Punta del Este Terrane (eastern Uruguay) lies in a complex Neoproterozoic (Brasiliano/Pan-African) orogenic zone considered to contain a suture between South American terranes to the west of Major Gercino-Sierra Ballena Suture Zone and eastern African affinities terranes. Zircon cores from Punta del Este Terrane basement orthogneisses have U-Pb ages of ca. 1,000 Ma, which indicate an lineage with the Namaqua Belt in Southwestern Africa. U-Pb zircon ages also provide the following information on the Punta del Este terrane: the orthogneisses containing the ca. 1,000 Ma inheritance formed at ca. 750 Ma; in contrast to the related terranes now in Africa, reworking of the Punta del Este Terrane during Brasiliano/Pan-African orogenesis was very intense, reaching granulite facies at ca. 640 Ma. The termination of the Brasiliano/Pan-African orogeny is marked by formation of acid volcanic and volcanoclastic rocks at ca. 570 Ma (Sierra de Aguirre Formation), formation of late sedimentary basins (San Carlos Formation) and then intrusion at ca. 535 Ma of post-tectonic granitoids (Santa Teresa and Jos, Ignacio batholiths). The Punta del Este Terrane and unrelated western terranes represented by the Dom Feliciano Belt and the Rio de La Plata Craton were in their present positions by ca. 535 Ma.

Emprego industrial no pólo industrial de Manaus na década de 90: expectativas, resultados e possibilidades

A década de 90 representou significativas mudanças no panorama político econômico brasileiro, especificamente no projeto de desenvolvimento regional denominado Zona Franca de Manaus. Esse projeto foi concebido, primordialmente para integrar essa imensa região Amazônica ao restante do Brasil, em termos de complexa ordem geopolítica dominante nos anos 60. A análise que objetiva essa dissertação trata da evolução do emprego industrial no Pólo Industrial de Manaus na década de 90, com a conotação de expectativas, resultados e possibilidades. A implementação do projeto Zona Franca de Manaus, no que concerne seu Pólo Industrial permitiu que contingentes de mão-de-obra abundante na capital do Estado do Amazonas, tivesse a oportunidade de inserir-se no mercado de trabalho do processo de industrialização moderna. Todavia, essa mão-de-obra abundante não estava preparada para o que as indústrias demandavam, sendo necessários intensivos programas de adequação profissional para que possibilitasse o aproveitamento em processos produtivos de linhas de montagem. o Pólo Industrial de Manaus, apesar de todas as mudanças havidas na economia brasileira no período analisado, obteve significativos alcance de competências na capacitação desse contingente de trabalhadores que foram absorvidos, quando o paradigma da intensividade do fator trabalho imperava no Pólo. Entretanto, o processo de mudança que a globalização econômica e industrial provocou no sistema de produção global, trouxe para o modelo industrial da Zona Franca de Manaus acelerada mudança desse paradigma, resultando variações na demanda por mão-de-obra e acarretando significativo desemprego estrutural. É desse contexto de mudanças que trata o estudo apresentado, analisando a evolução das variáveis que influenciaram no nível de emprego industrial e no mercado de trabalho, as expectativas de novos perfis e as demandas específicas que o novo paradigma de capital intensivo, adotado pelas empresas de classe mundial desse Pólo exigem.

Divergência entre prática e recomendações para modelos de atuação do PMO : o caso de uma empresa de grande porte do setor industrial

Neste trabalho, o objetivo é identificar, a partir da análise de um estudo de caso, quais são as principais divergências encontradas quando se compara o que a teoria preconiza como o escopo e a abordagem dos Project Management Offices - PMOs e o que acontece na prática, no que diz respeito à real atuação destas estruturas. O tema pode ser considerado relevante devido ao fato de fornecer uma melhor compreensão sobre como as estruturas de PMO realmente atuam, principalmente no que diz respeito ao escopo, isto é, se o PMO é um Programa-Projeto, um PMO Departamental ou um PMO Corporativo e relativamente a sua amplitude, ou seja, se sua atuação é operacional, tática ou estratégica. Para este estudo foi utilizada a metodologia qualitativa, por meio da abordagem de estudo de caso. Foi selecionada uma empresa de grande porte do setor de manufatura não estruturada por projeto para avaliação. A empresa do estudo de caso possui uma estrutura organizacional complexa que possibilita um estudo abrangente. A atuação dos PMOs do estudo de caso foi discutida à luz da revisão de literatura e levando-se em conta, também, as informações colhidas a partir da observação participante. Os resultados deste trabalho permitem concluir que o pressuposto defendido, que é a existência de divergências entre o que a teoria preconiza como escopo e abordagem do PMO e a real atuação dos PMOs, foi confirmado através do estudo de caso; além disso, não existe relação de causalidade clara entre o escopo de atuação dos PMOs e sua posição hierárquica dentro da empresa; e não existe uma atuação padrão destas estruturas, quando comparadas às funções que elas exercem. Por fim, são apresentadas recomendações relativas ao estudo de caso realizado, ou seja, é importante realizar um estudo multicasos entre ao menos uma empresa não estruturada por projeto e outra estruturada por projeto e comparar a atuação dos seus PMOs para melhor compreensão do tema, incluir mais stakeholders no grupo de entrevistados dentro do estudo de caso, realizar um survey com várias empresas de vários segmentos dentro do território nacional e um possível estudo onde seja verificado se tipologias diferentes de estruturas organizacionais podem afetar a atuação práticas dos PMOs.

Design of boundary-scan testing in CMOS image sensors for industrial applications: internship repor

Tests on printed circuit boards and integrated circuits are widely used in industry,resulting in reduced design time and cost of a project. The functional and connectivity tests in this type of circuits soon began to be a concern for the manufacturers, leading to research for solutions that would allow a reliable, quick, cheap and universal solution. Initially, using test schemes were based on a set of needles that was connected to inputs and outputs of the integrated circuit board (bed-of-nails), to which signals were applied, in order to verify whether the circuit was according to the specifications and could be assembled in the production line. With the development of projects, circuit miniaturization, improvement of the production processes, improvement of the materials used, as well as the increase in the number of circuits, it was necessary to search for another solution. Thus Boundary-Scan Testing was developed which operates on the border of integrated circuits and allows testing the connectivity of the input and the output ports of a circuit. The Boundary-Scan Testing method was converted into a standard, in 1990, by the IEEE organization, being known as the IEEE 1149.1 Standard. Since then a large number of manufacturers have adopted this standard in their products. This master thesis has, as main objective: the design of Boundary-Scan Testing in an image sensor in CMOS technology, analyzing the standard requirements, the process used in the prototype production, developing the design and layout of Boundary-Scan and analyzing obtained results after production. Chapter 1 presents briefly the evolution of testing procedures used in industry, developments and applications of image sensors and the motivation for the use of architecture Boundary-Scan Testing. Chapter 2 explores the fundamentals of Boundary-Scan Testing and image sensors, starting with the Boundary-Scan architecture defined in the Standard, where functional blocks are analyzed. This understanding is necessary to implement the design on an image sensor. It also explains the architecture of image sensors currently used, focusing on sensors with a large number of inputs and outputs.Chapter 3 describes the design of the Boundary-Scan implemented and starts to analyse the design and functions of the prototype, the used software, the designs and simulations of the functional blocks of the Boundary-Scan implemented. Chapter 4 presents the layout process used based on the design developed on chapter 3, describing the software used for this purpose, the planning of the layout location (floorplan) and its dimensions, the layout of individual blocks, checks in terms of layout rules, the comparison with the final design and finally the simulation. Chapter 5 describes how the functional tests were performed to verify the design compliancy with the specifications of Standard IEEE 1149.1. These tests were focused on the application of signals to input and output ports of the produced prototype. Chapter 6 presents the conclusions that were taken throughout the execution of the work.

Xylanolytic complex from Aspergillus giganteus: production and characterization

An Aspergillus giganteus strain was isolated as an excellent producer of xylanase associated with low levels of cellulase. Optimal xylanase production was obtained in liquid VOGEL medium containing xylan as carbon source, pH 6.5 to 7.0, at 25degreesC and. under shaking at 120 rpm during 84h. Among the several carbon sources tested, higher xylanase production was verified in xylan, xylose, sugar-cane bagasse, wheat bran and corn cob cultures, respectively. Optimal conditions for activity determination were 50degreesC and pH 6.0. The xylanolytic complex of A. giganteus showed low thermal stability with T-50 of 2 h, 13 min and I min when it was incubated at 40, 50 and 60degreesC, respectively, and high stability from pH 4.5 to 10.5, with the best interval between 7.0 to 7.5. This broad range of stability in alkali pH indicates a potential applicability in some industrial processes, which require such condition. Xylanolytic activity of A. giganteus was totally inhibited by Hg+2, Cu+2 and SDS at 10 mm. The analysis of the products from the oat spelts xylan hydrolysis through thin-layer chromatography indicated endoxylanase activity, lack of debranching enzymes and P-xylosidase activity in assay conditions.

Contrasting fluvial styles of the Paraguay River in the northwestern border of the Pantanal wetland, Brazil

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

Glucose and Fructose Fermentation by Wine Yeasts in Media Containing Structurally Complex Nitrogen Sources

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

Evaluation of Brazilian ethanol production yeasts for maltose fermentation in media containing structurally complex nitrogen sources

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

Sucrose Fermentation by Brazilian Ethanol Production Yeasts in Media Containing Structurally Complex Nitrogen Sources

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

Xylanases from fungi: properties and industrial applications

Xylan is the principal type of hemicellulose. It is a linear polymer of beta-D-xylopyranosyl units linked by (1-4) glycosidic bonds. In nature, the polysaccharide backbone may be added to 4-O-methyl-alpha-D-glucuronopyranosyl units, acetyl groups, alpha-L-arabinofuranosyl, etc., in variable proportions. An enzymatic complex is responsible for the hydrolysis of xylan, but the main enzymes involved are endo-1,4-beta-xylanase and beta-xylosidase. These enzymes are produced by fungi, bacteria, yeast, marine algae, protozoans, snails, crustaceans, insect, seeds, etc., but the principal commercial source is filamentous fungi. Recently, there has been much industrial interest in xylan and its hydrolytic enzymatic complex, as a supplement in animal feed, for the manufacture of bread, food and drinks, textiles, bleaching of cellulose pulp, ethanol and xylitol production. This review describes some properties of xylan and its metabolism, as well as the biochemical properties of xylanases and their commercial applications.

Pectin and pectinases: Production, characterization and industrial application of microbial pectinolytic enzymes

Pectinases are a big group of enzymes that break down pectic polysaccharides of plant tissues into simpler molecules like galacturonic acids. It has long been used to increase yields and clarity of fruit juices. Since pectic substances are a very complex macromolecule group, various pectinolytic enzymes are required to degrade it completely. These enzymes present differences in their cleavage mode and specificity being basically classified into two main groups that act on pectin smooth regions or on pectin hairy regions. Pectinases are one of the most widely distributed enzymes in bacteria, fungi and plants. This review describes the pectinolytic enzymes and their substrates, the microbial pectinase production and characterization, and the industrial application of these enzymes. © Pedrolli et al.; Licensee Bentham Open.

The Mexican maquila industry and the environment: an overview of the issues

Includes bibliography

Alianzas público-privadas y escalamiento industrial. El caso del Complejo de Alta Tecnología de Jalisco, México

Incluye Bibliografía

Computer techniques towards the automatic characterization of graphite particles in metallographic images of industrial materials

The automatic characterization of particles in metallographic images has been paramount, mainly because of the importance of quantifying such microstructures in order to assess the mechanical properties of materials common used in industry. This automated characterization may avoid problems related with fatigue and possible measurement errors. In this paper, computer techniques are used and assessed towards the accomplishment of this crucial industrial goal in an efficient and robust manner. Hence, the use of the most actively pursued machine learning classification techniques. In particularity, Support Vector Machine, Bayesian and Optimum-Path Forest based classifiers, and also the Otsu's method, which is commonly used in computer imaging to binarize automatically simply images and used here to demonstrated the need for more complex methods, are evaluated in the characterization of graphite particles in metallographic images. The statistical based analysis performed confirmed that these computer techniques are efficient solutions to accomplish the aimed characterization. Additionally, the Optimum-Path Forest based classifier demonstrated an overall superior performance, both in terms of accuracy and speed. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.