Desarrollo de una herramienta integrada de gestión costera para las costas rocosas en el sitio de estudio del Algarve.

Coastal erosion has contributed throughout geological time to shape world coastal landscapes leading to the coastline that we know today. This natural phenomenon, allied with soil erosion in water catchments, is the source of sediment for costal systems such as beaches and marshes. These systems have several purposes and functions serving as wave energy absorbents, habitats and nesting grounds for fauna and flora, maintaining also a barrier and protection between the fresh and saltwater. Coastal systems have been proven to be very desirable places for humans that led to increasing migration of the human population towards them due to the resources that could be obtained from these areas, from fishing to industry. In Europe, the settlement of a large population on these areas, heavy exploration and the touristic high demand for coastal areas increased interference and turned erosion into a serious problem, with ever growing negative consequences, especially along the French, Spanish, Portuguese coasts and the southern coast of the United Kingdom. Although most of the population realizes that the coastal erosion is a problem that needs to be addressed, their focus is mainly on short-term based observations of a rapid erosion. Therefore, other options must be considered and made known to the public, governmental and scientific communities. In order to study and create solutions for the coastal erosion and management plans adjusted to the processes of the rocky coastlines, the case study site was the southernmost rocky coast of the Algarve region. The Algarve rocky coast displays a very crenulated physiography mainly where the intensively karstified Lagos-Portimão Formation is exposed (between Porto de Mós and Olhos de Água). Beaches occur at the cliffs’ foot separated by headlands often connected to shore platforms forming littoral cells. Currently, the survival of these beaches depends almost exclusively on the longshore drift due to the lack of sediment sources from inland transported by rivers. The erosion of cliffs has minimal contribution in this area because rocks are mainly carbonates therefore the artificial nourishing of beaches has been an increasingly frequent practice. This thesis intends to contribute to the knowledge and identification of the main factors which are most relevant to the sustainable management of the coast, with emphasis on rocky coasts. It is structured in eight chapters. Chapter 1 encompasses an introduction to the general concepts and terminology needed to understand the several chapters from geomorphology terminology to mathematical equations. Chapter 2 a general overview of the characteristics of the study area and in chapter 3, a background analysis on coastal planning, legislation and legal instruments is carried out to assess how Portugal is dealing with EU demands. In chapter 4 the conditioning factors of geomorphological record are analysed and in chapter 5 management tools applicable to the rocky shores worldwide are proposed. The latter two chapters give insights of parameters that should be considered in coastal management and tools to achieve it. In chapter 6 socio-economic interactions with coastal areas are analysed in order to relate the state of tourism with the issues that need to be overcame in coastal areas. In chapter 7 the findings of this study are discussed, and the scientific progress and management recommendations are presented. In chapter 8 the overall conclusions are presented and the scientific outputs of this study. In short, this thesis provides a review of the state of EU coastal policies and shows good examples of the benefits of using new technologies and methodologies in coastal regions, creating new cartography and indexes to identify important parameters for the rocky coast of the Algarve. It contributes to the understanding of the diverse morphological coast of Algarve and the several issues that may be found when trying to achieve an integrated coastal management approach. The main objectives were achieved. This study establishes a scientific knowledge basis for an integrated management of rocky shores by highlighting the most important factors that influence erosion, creating models and frameworks adapted to their specific features and to the fast-increasing human pressures. The acquired data and scientific outcomes contribute to a diverse range of topics providing guidelines and tools for future researchers and coastal managers to achieve a more sustainable coastal management plan

The 2004 NASA Faculty Fellowship Program Research Reports

This is the administrative report for the 2004 NASA Faculty Fellowship Program (NFFP) held at the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) for the 40th consecutive year. The NFFP offers science and engineering faculty at U.S. colleges and universities hands-on exposure to NASA s research challenges through summer research residencies and extended research opportunities at participating NASA research Centers. During this program, fellows work closely with NASA colleagues on research challenges important to NASA's strategic enterprises that are of mutual interest to the fellow and the Center. The nominal starting and .nishing dates for the 10-week program were June 1 through August 6, 2004. The program was sponsored by NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC, and operated under contract by The University of Alabama, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, and Alabama A&M University. In addition, promotion and applications are managed by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) and assessment is completed by Universities Space Research Association (USRA). The primary objectives of the NFFP are to: Increase the quality and quantity of research collaborations between NASA and the academic community that contribute to the Agency s space aeronautics and space science mission. Engage faculty from colleges, universities, and community colleges in current NASA research and development. Foster a greater public awareness of NASA science and technology, and therefore facilitate academic and workforce literacy in these areas. Strengthen faculty capabilities to enhance the STEM workforce, advance competition, and infuse mission-related research and technology content into classroom teaching. Increase participation of underrepresented and underserved faculty and institutions in NASA science and technology

A Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation Framework for Structural Problems with Disparate Variable Dependence

PhDMultidisciplinary design optimisation incorporates several disciplines in one integrated optimisation problem. The benefi t of considering all requirements at once rather than in individual optimisations is that synergies between disciplines can be exploited to fi nd superior designs to what would otherwise be possible. The main obstacle for the use of multidisciplinary design optimisation in an industrial setting is the related computational cost which may become prohibitively large. This work is focused on the development of a multidisciplinary design optimisation framework that extends the existing trust-region based optimisation method known as the mid-range approximation method. The main novel contribution is an approach to solving multidisciplinary design optimisation problems using metamodels built in sub-spaces of the design variable space. Each metamodel is built in the sub-space relevant to the corresponding discipline while the optimisation problem is solved in the full design variable space. Since the metamodels are built in a space of reduced dimensionality, the computational budget for building them can be reduced without compromising their quality. Furthermore, a method for efficiently building kriging metamodels is proposed. This is done by means of a two-step hyper parameter tuning strategy. The fi rst step is a line search where the set of tuning parameters is treated as a single variable. The solution of the fi rst step is used in the second step, a gradient based hyper parameter optimisation where partial derivatives are obtained using the adjoint method. The framework is demonstrated on two examples, a multidisciplinary design optimisation of a thin-walled beam section subject to static and impact requirements, and a multidisciplinary design optimisation of an aircraft wing subject to static and bird strike requirements. In both cases the developed technique demonstrates a reduced computational effort compared to what would typically be achieved by existing methods.European Union Seventh Framework Programme FP7-PEOPLE-2012-ITN under grant agreement 316394, Aerospace Multidisciplinarity Enabling DEsign Optimization (AMEDEO) Marie Curie Initial Training Network

Ethnicity : UK colorectal cancer screening pilot : final report

27. In summary, the overall evaluation of the UK Pilot has demonstrated that key parameters of test and programme performance observed in randomised studies of FOBt screening can be repeated in population-based pilot programmes. However, our study provides strong evidence of very low CRC screening uptake for ethnic groups in the Pilot area. This is coupled with a very low uptake of colonoscopy for individuals from ethnic groups with a positive FOBt result. 28. It has long been acknowledged that a diverse population may require diverse responses. Following the implementation of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000, there has been a statutory duty laid upon all NHS agencies to ‘have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful discrimination’, and to make explicit consideration of the implications for racial equality of every action or policy. 29. Because the observed overall outcomes in the UK Pilot generally compare favourably with the results of previous randomised trials of FOBt screening, the main Evaluation Group has concluded that benefits observed in the trials should be repeatable in a national roll-out. 30. However, our study indicates that any national colorectal cancer screening programme would need to very carefully consider the implications of ethnicity for roll-out, and develop a strategic plan on how best to accommodate this at both a national and local level. Based on our findings, consideration will clearly need to be given to improved access and screening service provision for ethnic minorities. 31. In order to ensure adequate CRC screening provision for a diverse UK population, and to address the explicit implications for racial equality highlighted by our findings, interventions now urgently need to be evaluated to improve access for ethnic minorities. This work should be undertaken as part of the second round of CRC screening currently underway in the English Pilot

Black Hole Feedback in New Regimes: Modelling Dwarf Galaxies with Active Galactic Nuclei

Contrary to the standard lore, there is mounting observational evidence that feedback from active galactic nuclei (AGN) may also play a role at the low-mass end of the galaxy population. In this thesis, I explore that possibility employing both isolated and cosmological simulations of dwarf galaxies. Firstly, I perform high-resolution simulations of isolated dwarf galaxies. In these simulations, the AGN has only a limited direct effect on star formation rates. There is, however, a significant effect on outflows, which are notably enhanced by the AGN to much higher temperatures and velocities. This indicates that AGN may play an indirect role in quenching dwarf galaxies by hindering cosmic gas inflows. I further investigate this quenching scenario using the cosmological simulation suite FABLE. While in the local Universe the majority of AGN in dwarfs are much dimmer than the stellar component, for z ≥ 2 there is a significant population of AGN that outshine their hosts. These high-redshift overmassive black holes contribute to the quenching of dwarfs, whereas at late cosmic times supernova (SN) feedback is more efficient. However, the lack of high-luminosity X-ray AGN in FABLE at low redshifts highlights an interesting possibility that SN feedback could be too strong in FABLE's dwarfs, curtailing AGN growth and feedback. To examine the interplay between SNe and AGN accretion in more detail, I run a series of cosmological zoom-in simulations. I find that AGN feedback in tandem with more realistic SN feedback can be a successful alternative quenching mechanism to strong SN feedback in dwarfs, provided that the AGN is able to enter the high-accretion regime for at least part of its history. However, the Bondi rate generally prevents low-mass black holes from accreting efficiently, even though sufficient amounts of gas are available in these dwarfs. Finally, I present a more robust AGN accretion model based on a unified accretion disc, which combines the ADIOS flow and standard thin disc schemes. This model will allow for the self-consistent exploration of the high-accretion regime in dwarf galaxies and detailed modelling of multimessenger signatures, in preparation for the next-generation electromagnetic and gravitational-wave observatories.STFC Studentship 195190

Vitamin C in Health and Disease

Vitamin C is a pivotal water soluble electron donor in nature and an essential nutrient in man. Despite its many years as a research focus, new and increasingly regulatory functions of vitamin C in human health are continually being unravelled. This improved mechanistic insight is starting to provide rationales explaining the extensive epidemiological literature that, for decades, has consistently shown strong associations between poor vitamin C status and increased morbidity and mortality. In this Special Issue, we include original research and literature reviews by experts in the field outlining the roles of vitamin C in early, daily and late life, as well as the roles of deficiency in cardiovascular disease, inflammation and cancer