An Introduction to Breakdown Phenomena in Disordered Systems

The rupture of a medium under stress typifies breakdown phenomena. More generally, the latter encompass the dynamics of systems of many interacting elements governed by the interplay of a driving force with a pinning disorder, resulting in a macroscopic transition. A simple mean-field formalism incorporating these features is presented and applied to systems representative of fracture phenomena, social dilemmas, and magnets out of equilibrium. The similarities and differences in the corresponding mathematical structures are emphasized. The solutions are best obtained from a graphical method, from which very general conclusions may be drawn. In particular, the various classes of disorder distribution are treated without reference to a particular analytical or numerical form, and are found to lead to qualitatively different transitions. Finally, the notion of effective (or phenomenological) theory is introduced and illustrated for non-equilibrium disordered magnets.Comment: Pedagogical article published as part of a special issue on thermodynamics and statistical physics; 20 page

Psychosocial Factors Affecting Pregnant Hispanic Women

Prenatal psychosocial stress, anxiety, and depression are common, with higher rates among Hispanic women. While evidence supports an adverse effect of psychosocial factors on glucose intolerance and oral health, studies during pregnancy are sparse, particularly among Hispanic women. Therefore, we examined correlates of psychosocial factors and their associations with glucose intolerance and oral health among pregnant women. The first project examined correlates of high stress among 1,426 pregnant Hispanic participants in Proyecto Buena Salud, a prospective cohort study. Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale was administered in early, mid- and late pregnancy. Using multivariable logistic regression, we found that increasing age, pre-pregnancy alcohol, and smoking were positively associated with high early pregnancy stress. Greater number of adults in the household was positively associated with high mid-pregnancy stress; while Spanish language preference and annual household income were inversely associated with high mid-pregnancy stress. Likewise, income was inversely associated with high late pregnancy stress. The second project examined the association between perceived stress and glucose intolerance among 1,115 pregnant Hispanic women from Proyecto Buena Salud. Stress during early and mid-pregnancy was measured using perceived stress scale. Medical records were abstracted for blood glucose values. In multivariable logistic regression models, increase in stress from early-mid pregnancy was positively associated with risk of gestational diabetes. The third project examined the association between anxiety and depression and risk of tooth loss and use of oral health services among 402 pregnant participants in the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a state-based telephone survey among the non-institutionalized U.S. adult population. Using multivariable logistic regression, we found that lifetime diagnosed anxiety was positively associated with tooth loss and non-use of oral health services in the past year. We found no association between depression and oral health. To summarize, this dissertation adds to the limited research on psychosocial factors and their associated impacts on the health of pregnant women. Evaluation of correlates of stress may be useful in identifying women at high risk for prenatal stress, particularly Hispanic women. Early identification of modifiable psychosocial risk factors may provide an opportunity for prevention of glucose intolerance and oral disease during pregnancy

Applying a new version of the Brazilian-Portuguese UPSIT smell test in Brazil

Standardized olfactory tests are now available to quantitatively assess disorders of olfaction. A Brazilian-Portuguese version of the University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) is currently being developed specifically for the Brazilian population. The most recent Brazilian-Portuguese version of the UPSIT (UPSIT-Br2) was administered to 88 Brazilian subjects who had no history of neurological or otorhinolaryngological disease. UPSIT-Br2 scores decreased with age, were lower in men than in women, and were lower in subjects with lower income. The degree to which the poorer performance of subjects with lower socio-economic status reflects lack of familiarity with test items is not known. Although this version of the UPSIT provides a sensitive and useful test of smell function for the Brazilian population, a revision of some test items is needed to achieve comparable norms to those found using the North American UPSIT in the United States

Thermal treatment of superconductor thin film of the BSCCO system using domestic microwave oven

In this work, we report the preparation of a superconductor thin film of the BSCCO system using a good quality powder with nominal composition Bi_{1.8}Pb_{0.4}Sr_2CaCu_2O_x which was thermally treated using a domestic microwave oven (2.45 GHz, 800 W). This film was grew on a single crystal of LaAlO_3(100) substrate and exhibited a crystalline structure with the c-axis perpendicular to the plane of the substrate. An onset superconducting transition temperature was measured at 80 K.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figure

The evolution of the sustainability assessment tool SBToolPT: from buildings to the built environment

This paper analyses the current trends in sustainability assessment. After about 15 years from the launch of sustainability assessment tools, focused on buildings evaluation, the paradigm of sustainability assessment tools is changing from the building scale to the built environment scale. Currently European cities and cities around the world are concerned with sustainable development, as well as its evolution. Cities seek a way to adapt to contemporary changes, in order to meet the required needs and ensure population?s well-being. Considering this, the new generations of sustainability assessment tools are being developed to be used to guide and help cities and urban areas to become more sustainable. Following the trend of the most important sustainability assessment tools, the sustainability assessment tool SBToolPT is also developing its version for assessing the sustainability of the built environment, namely, the urban planning projects and the urban regeneration projects, to be developed in Portugal, the SBToolPT-UP. The application of the methodology to three case studies will demonstrate its feasibility; at the same time this will identify the best practices which will serve as reference for new projects, thereby assisting the development of the tool