Numerical modeling of surface runoff and erosion due to moving rainstorms at the drainage basin scale

A physically-based distributed erosion model (MEFIDIS) was applied to evaluate the consequences of storm movement on runoff and erosion from the Alenquer basin in Portugal. Controlled soil flume laboratory experiments were also used to test the model. Nine synthetic circular storms were used, combining three storm diameters (0.5, 1 and 2 times the Alenquer basin's axial length) with three speeds of storm movement (0.5, 1 and 2 m/s); storm intensities were synthesized in order to maintain a constant rainfall depth of 50 mm. The model was applied to storms moving downstream as well as upstream along the basin's axis. In all tests, downstream-moving storms caused significantly higher peak runoff (56.5%) and net erosion (9.1%) than did upstream-moving storms. The consequences for peak runoff were amplified as the storm intensity increased. The hydrograph shapes were also different: for downstream-moving storms, runoff started later and the rising limb was steeper, whereas for upstream moving storms, runoff started early and the rising limb was less steep. Both laboratory and model simulations on the Alenquer basin showed that the direction of storm movement, especially in case of extreme rainfall events, significantly affected runoff and soil loss.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V6C-4K7WTYF-3/1/05f00859098982a6ae43cfee9cc48fe

Investigating the multifractality of point precipitation in the Madeira archipelago

The purpose of this work is to contribute to a better understanding of the variability of precipitation in the Madeira archipelago. This archipelago is located in the Atlantic subtropical belt under the direct influence of the Azores high pressure system. It is formed by Madeira Island (728 km<sup>2</sup>) and Porto Santo Island (42 km<sup>2</sup>) and by two other groups of very small inhabited islands. The complex topography of the islands in the Madeira archipelago and their small size play a crucial role in the local precipitation regime, which is marked by high spatial variability. <br></br> This paper explores the invariance of properties manifested across scales and determines the fractal and multifractal behaviour observed in the temporal structure of precipitation using daily and 10-min time series from several locations scattered over the main islands. The period covered by the precipitation records is 34 years for the daily data and almost 4 months for the 10-min data. The results show that the temporal structure of precipitation in the Madeira Archipelago exhibits scale-invariant and multifractal properties. The empirical exponent functions describing the scaling statistical properties of the precipitation intensity were characterized using multifractal parameters; these parameters are increasing our awareness of the dynamics of this process in these islands

Critical wave-packet dynamics in the power-law bond disordered Anderson Model

We investigate the wave-packet dynamics of the power-law bond disordered one-dimensional Anderson model with hopping amplitudes decreasing as $H_{nm}\propto |n-m|^{-\alpha}$. We consider the critical case ($\alpha=1$). Using an exact diagonalization scheme on finite chains, we compute the participation moments of all stationary energy eigenstates as well as the spreading of an initially localized wave-packet. The eigenstates multifractality is characterized by the set of fractal dimensions of the participation moments. The wave-packet shows a diffusive-like spread developing a power-law tail and achieves a stationary non-uniform profile after reflecting at the chain boundaries. As a consequence, the time-dependent participation moments exhibit two distinct scaling regimes. We formulate a finite-size scaling hypothesis for the participation moments relating their scaling exponents to the ones governing the return probability and wave-function power-law decays

Behavior of roots of savanna species in the Pantanal wetlands, Brazil.

Edição dos abstracts do 24º IUFRO World Congress, 2014, Salt Lake City. Sustaining forests, sustaining people: the role of research

Manipueira: its use in obtaining a biofungicide.

In the search for an alternative to the intensive use of fungicides in crop production, a soil bacterium was isolated in Guaira, Sao Paulo State (Brazil). This Bacillus gave good control of the fungus Fusarium solani, an important plant disease. In order to apply this bacterium in larger experimental areas, it was necessary to study its production by liquid fermentation on cheap agroindustrial residues. Manipueira (the waste water from cassava flour industry) was the main component of the medium, supplemented by sugarcane molasses. It was inoculated with the Bacillus sp. (isolated from Guaira soil) and incubated under constant agitation and temperatura in 250 ml Erlenmeyer flasks. Bacterial growth, pH and sugar consumption were analyzed over 48 h of fermentation. The results obtained indicated the ability of the residue to support the growth of the strain tested and the importance of scaling up the fermentation process

Genetic stability in synthetic wheat accessions: cytogenetic evaluation as a support in breeding programs.

ABSTRACT: Synthetic wheat is developed by crossing tetraploid species ( Triticum turgidum , AABB) with a diploid species ( Aegilops tauschii , DD), followed by chromosome duplication through the use of colchicine to restore the resultant sterile hybrid to a fertile hexaploid plant. The main importance of producing synthetically improved wheat is to increase their genetic variability and to incorporate genes that code for resistance to biotic and abiotic stressors. This study aimed to evaluate the presence of micronuclei (MN) and the meiotic index (MI) in the tetrad phase in synthetic wheat accessions and cultivars ( Triticum aestivum ) stored at the Germplasm Bank of Embrapa Trigo (Brazil), in order to identify and select genetically stable accessions for plant improvement. Five plants were collected by genotype, prior to anthesis, and the tissues were fixed in Carnoy solution. Cytological slides were prepared by the smash method, and the cells were dyed with 1% acetocarmine and observed under an optical microscope. Presence of MN was observed in all genotypes analyzed, and variability of genetic stability was reported in the two years of analysis. In 2014, the highest MI of synthetic wheat accessions was 96.86% and the lowest was 46.32%. In 2015, the highest MI was 96.60% and the lowest was 47.96%. Based on the results, some genotypes were considered meiotically stable and suitable for use in wheat breeding programs

Danos de broca do tronco (Cratosomus sp) em tipos de gravioleiras (Annona muricata L.).

O objetivo deste trabalho e relatar algumas observações sobre a broca do tronco da gravioleira em área de cerrado do Amapá