Seismic vulnerability of churches in Faial and Pico islands, Azores

Earthquakes represent one of the main cause of serious damage and loss of historic and architectural heritage. Interventions to preserve these building should start with a careful knowledge and assessment of their seismic vulnerability, in order to support any needed retrofitting and strengthening measures. This paper proposes a procedure to register and diagnose of the level of damage on churches after the occurrence of an earthquake, and also to assess the seismic vulnerability of this type of construction. This procedure was applied to sixteen churches in the Azores islands which were hit by the July 9th 1998 earthquake. Belfries of church towers are elements with a particular seismic vulnerability. For this reason, and based on the Italian methodology proposed by the Linee Guida (2006), it is applied to belfries of two churches from Pico (Azores), a simplified mechanical model for assessment of seismic vulnerability of this type of structures

Avaliação da eficiência do tratamento preservante em moirões de Eucalyptus dunnii pelo método de substituição de seiva.

Organizado por Patricia Póvoa de Mattos, Celso Garcia Auer, Rejane Stumpf Sberze, Katia Regina Pichelli e Paulo César Botosso

Organizational social context and psychopathology of youth in residential care: the intervening role of youth‐caregiver relationship quality

Drawing on an ecological approach with multiple informants, this study investigated the mediating role of youth–caregiver relationship quality in associations between different features of residential care settings' organizational social context and youth's psychopathology. Participants were 378 youth aged between 12 and 25 years old, and 54 caregivers aged between 24 and 57 years old, from 29 generalist residential youth care settings in Portugal. Given the hierarchical structure of data, analyses were performed using multilevel modeling. Results revealed that organizational social contexts characterized by higher levels of engagement, stress, and centralization, as perceived by the caregivers, were associated with lower levels of youth's externalizing problems (e.g., aggressive behavior and delinquency), reported by the caregivers, via better youth–caregiver relationship quality, perceived by the youth in care. These findings highlight the relevance of creating an organizational social context in residential care settings that supports caregivers in establishing high-quality relationships with the youth in care, thereby promoting their mental health. This study contributes to the clarification of conflicting findings in previous studies of this field, by offering further empirical investigation of these issues.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Classical and quantum coupled oscillators: symplectic structure

We consider a set of N linearly coupled harmonic oscillators and show that the diagonalization of this problem can be put in geometrical terms. The matrix techniques developed here allowed for solutions in both the classical and quantum regimes.Comment: 27 pages, 6 figure

Magnetic reconfiguration of MnAs/GaAs(001) observed by Magnetic Force Microscopy and Resonant Soft X-ray Scattering

We investigated the thermal evolution of the magnetic properties of MnAs epitaxial films grown on GaAs(001) during the coexistence of hexagonal/orthorhombic phases using polarized resonant (magnetic) soft X-ray scattering and magnetic force microscopy. The results of the diffuse satellite X-ray peaks were compared to those obtained by magnetic force microscopy and suggest a reorientation of ferromagnetic terraces as temperature rises. By measuring hysteresis loops at these peaks we show that this reorientation is common to all ferromagnetic terraces. The reorientation is explained by a simple model based on the shape anisotropy energy. Demagnetizing factors were calculated for different configurations suggested by the magnetic images. We noted that the magnetic moments flip from an in-plane mono-domain orientation at lower temperatures to a three-domain out-of-plane configuration at higher temperatures. The transition was observed when the ferromagnetic stripe width L is equal to 2.9 times the film thickness d. This is in good agreement with the expected theoretical value of L = 2.6d.Comment: 16 pages in PD

Astrophysics from data analysis of spherical gravitational wave detectors

The direct detection of gravitational waves will provide valuable astrophysical information about many celestial objects. Also, it will be an important test to general relativity and other theories of gravitation. The gravitational wave detector SCHENBERG has recently undergone its first test run. It is expected to have its first scientific run soon. In this work the data analysis system of this spherical, resonant mass detector is tested through the simulation of the detection of gravitational waves generated during the inspiralling phase of a binary system. It is shown from the simulated data that it is not necessary to have all six transducers operational in order to determine the source's direction and the wave's amplitudes.Comment: 8 pages and 3 figure

Measurement of interaction energy near a Feshbach resonance in a 6Li Fermi gas

We investigate the strongly interacting regime in an optically trapped $^6$Li Fermi mixture near a Feshbach resonance. The resonance is found at $800(40)$G in good agreement with theory. Anisotropic expansion of the gas is interpreted by collisional hydrodynamics. We observe an unexpected and large shift ($80$G) between the resonance peak and both the maximum of atom loss and the change of sign of the interaction energy.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure

Short stature and SHOX gene haploinsufficiency

Introdução: A haploinsuficiência do gene SHOX (short stature homeobox gene) é uma das causas genéticas mais frequentes de baixa estatura isolada ou familiar, cuja gravidade clínica pode ser muito variável. Caso Clinico: Os autores descrevem uma adolescente de 14 anos, com membros curtos e baixa estatura. A radiografia do punho demonstrou deformidade de Madelung. O estudo molecular revelou a deleção do gene SHOX (FISH del (X) (Xp22.3Xp22.3) (SHOX). Um exame físico cuidadoso assume extrema importância na avaliação clínica de baixa estatura. A deformidade de Madelung pode surgir apenas na adolescência. O tratamento com Hormona de Crescimento pode aumentar a estatura final. Discussão/conclusões: A prevalência de baixa estatura por mutações do gene SHOX parece ser semelhante ao défice de hormona de crescimento e Síndroma de Turner. O objetivo dos autores foi chamar a atenção sobre esta entidade clínica não muito conhecida, que pode ter implicações terapêuticas com um diagnóstico atempado

CORRELATION BETWEEN CLINICAL AND LABORATORIAL MEASUREMENT OF HAMSTRING FLEXIBILITY

Maximal joint range of motion (ROM) represents the muscular flexibility level. However, different methods are used to measure the ROM at clinic and laboratory. So, the aim of this study was correlate a clinical and a laboratorial measurement of hamstring flexibility. The flexibility of both lower limbs of thirty-six young and healthy subjects was assessed by two apparatus: modified knee extension test (clinical measure) and Flexmachine (laboratorial measure). The results showed a moderate positive and significant correlation (r=0.693;

Sistema de avaliação dos impactos econômicos e ambientais da Embrapa - Estudo de caso.

Resumo: Recursos para pesquisa agrícola são escassos e podem ser utilizados em outras opções de investimento. Dessa forma, avaliar os retornos econômicos que a pesquisa pública gera para a sociedade é fundamental para justificar os recursos alocados, além de incentivar seu uso nos projetos mais eficientes. No entanto, em busca do desenvolvimento sustentável, o retorno econômico não é o único que deve ser almejado. A pesquisa deve também desenvolver tecnologias que não degradem o meio ambiente ou, por outro lado, buscar identificar quais os impactos negativos que as tecnologias possam vir a gerar quando adotadas, facilitando medidas mitigadoras. Tendo isto em vista, a Embrapa tem realizado avaliações de impactos econômicos e ambientais de suas tecnologias, que procuram mostrar o retorno gerado pelos investimentos, assim como identificar quais os efeitos causados no meio ambiente. Este trabalho apresenta a metodologia de avaliação econômica e ambiental que tem sido utilizada na Embrapa, exemplificada por avaliações de duas tecnologias desenvolvidas pela Empresa: ?Eucalyptus benthamii ? tolerante a geadas severas? e ?Terminação de cordeiros em confinamento?