Process control in the geneses and evolution of a lagoon-barrier system inside of the patos lagoon, south of Brazil

The origin and geological evolution of a complex of a beach ridgeplain in the Feitoria lagoon-barrier, located on the western margin of the southern cell Patos lagoon, Brazil was influenced by the interactions between the alocyclic (climate change and relative sea level) and autocyclic (sediment supply, waves, longshore drift and storm surges) forcing. The study of this regressive beach ridgeplain included the analysis of orthophotos; topographic detail (PRO-XRS Trimble®-post-processed); and shallow geophysical data with Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR), 150, 200 and 400 MHz antennae, combined with facies analysis and radiocarbon dating (AMS) and Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) from shallow borehole samples. The analysis of orthophotos allowed for the definition of at least nine morphologically distinct series of progradation, marked by truncations of progressive orientation changes. The integration of topographically corrected GPR data, sedimentary records, and geochronological data determined the beginning of the progradation occurred at 7.2 kaBP. At the beginning of progradation, the low tide terrace was at the height of 1.9m (EGM96) Above the Sea Current Level (ASCL). The swash zone was in the 2.5m, and the crest reached 4.3m ASCL. Currently, the low tide terrace quota is -0.4m, the swash zone to 0.3m and the crest reaches 2.1m ASCL. Among other factors, the fall of the lagoon base levels was associated with sea level fall during the Holocene regression. However, crest construction control is dependent on the lagoon base level oscillation, which in turn is controlled by the precipitation regime and storms surges. Moreover, these results suggest that the orientation of the ridges was controlled by changes in the internal lagoon hydrodynamics, due to the progressive narrowing of the lagoon connection with the open ocean

Neurodevelopment in the third year of life in children with antenatal ZIKV-exposure

We report cognitive, language and motor neurodevelopment, assessed by the Bayley-III test, in 31 non-microcephalic children at age 3 with PCR-confirmed maternal Zika virus exposure (Rio de Janeiro, 2015–2016). Most children had average neurodevelopmental scores, however, 8 children (26%) presented delay in some domain. Language was the most affected: 7 children (22.6%) had a delay in this domain (2 presenting severe delay). Moderate delay was detected in the cognitive (3.2%) and motor (10%) domains. Maternal illness in the third trimester of pregnancy and later gestational age at birth were associated with higher Bayley-III scores. Zika-exposed children require long-term follow-up until school age

Understanding the relation between Zika virus infection during pregnancy and adverse fetal, infant and child outcomes: a protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis of longitudinal studies of pregnant women and their infants and children

IntroductionZika virus (ZIKV) infection during pregnancy is a known cause of microcephaly and other congenital and developmental anomalies. In the absence of a ZIKV vaccine or prophylactics, principal investigators (PIs) and international leaders in ZIKV research have formed the ZIKV Individual Participant Data (IPD) Consortium to identify, collect and synthesise IPD from longitudinal studies of pregnant women that measure ZIKV infection during pregnancy and fetal, infant or child outcomes.Methods and analysisWe will identify eligible studies through the ZIKV IPD Consortium membership and a systematic review and invite study PIs to participate in the IPD meta-analysis (IPD-MA). We will use the combined dataset to estimate the relative and absolute risk of congenital Zika syndrome (CZS), including microcephaly and late symptomatic congenital infections; identify and explore sources of heterogeneity in those estimates and develop and validate a risk prediction model to identify the pregnancies at the highest risk of CZS or adverse developmental outcomes. The variable accuracy of diagnostic assays and differences in exposure and outcome definitions means that included studies will have a higher level of systematic variability, a component of measurement error, than an IPD-MA of studies of an established pathogen. We will use expert testimony, existing internal and external diagnostic accuracy validation studies and laboratory external quality assessments to inform the distribution of measurement error in our models. We will apply both Bayesian and frequentist methods to directly account for these and other sources of uncertainty.Ethics and disseminationThe IPD-MA was deemed exempt from ethical review. We will convene a group of patient advocates to evaluate the ethical implications and utility of the risk stratification tool. Findings from these analyses will be shared via national and international conferences and through publication in open access, peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberPROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (CRD42017068915).</jats:sec

Field-sensitivity and reversibility of the inverse magnetocaloric effect at martensitic transformations

Taake C, Samanta T, Caron L. Field-sensitivity and reversibility of the inverse magnetocaloric effect at martensitic transformations. Applied Physics Letters. 2024;124(5): 052403.The magnetic field-sensitivity of martensitic phase transitions (MPTs) responsible for magnetocaloric effects has been examined in B-substituted Ni50Mn34.8In15.2-xBx Heusler alloys (x = 1, 2, 3, and 4). Increasing boron substitution acts as a positive chemical pressure similar to the effect of hydrostatic pressure (p) and shifts the martensitic phase transition temperature (T-M) toward higher temperature. The observed structural compatibility of the MPT results in a lower thermal hysteresis (Delta T-hyst<5 K at low field). Delta T-hyst remains almost unchanged; however, the field sensitivity of T-M decreases significantly with increasing B content or application of p. As a result, the reversibility of the isothermal entropy change (|Delta S-rev|) reduces for higher B concentration or under hydrostatic pressure p. The experimental observation reveals that the lower field-sensitivity of the MPT with increasing B or p is associated with the simultaneous increase in the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) and decrease in the Zeeman energy (ZE). The relatively larger ZE and smaller MAE for x = 1 result in the improved reversibility of the entropy change (|Delta S-rev| = 21.48 J/kg K for Delta mu H-0 = 5 T), which is comparable to or even larger than the values reported for similar Heusler alloys

On entropy change measurements around first order phase transitions in caloric materials

International audienc

Entropy change reversibility in MnNi1−x Co x Ge0.97Al0.03 near the triple point

The nature of the phase transition has been studied in MnNi _1− _x Co _x Ge _0.97 Al _0.03 ( x = 0.20–0.50) through magnetization, differential scanning calorimetry and x-ray diffraction measurements; and the associated reversibility in the magnetocaloric effect has been examined. A small amount of Al substitution for Ge can lower the structural phase transition temperature, resulting in a coupled first-order magnetostructural transition (MST) from a ferromagnetic orthorhombic to a paramagnetic hexagonal phase in MnNi _1− _x Co _x Ge _0.97 Al _0.03 . Interestingly, a composition-dependent triple point (TP) has been detected in the studied system, where the first-order MST is split into an additional phase boundary at higher temperature with a second-order transition character. The critical-field-value of the field-induced MST decreases with increasing Co concentration and disappears at the TP ( x = 0.37) resembling most field-sensitive MST among the studied compositions. An increase of the hexagonal lattice parameter a _hex near the TP indicates a lattice softening associated with an enhancement of the vibrational amplitude in the Ni/Co site. The lattice softening leads to a larger field-induced structural entropy change (structural entropy change≫ magnetic entropy change, for this class of materials) with the application of a lower field, which results in a larger reversibility of the low-field entropy change (|Δ S _rev | = 6.9 J kg ^−1 K for Δ μ _0 H = 2 T) at the TP