Identifying Clusters of Complex Urban–Rural Issues as Part of Policy Making Process Using a Network Analysis Approach: A Case Study in Bahía de Los Ángeles, Mexico

Improving human settlements diagnosis is a key factor in effective urban planning and the design of efficient policy making. In this paper, we illustrate how network theory concepts can be applied to reveal the topological structure of functional relationships in a network of heterogeneous urban–rural issues. This mapping is done using clustering algorithms and centrality value techniques. By analyzing emergent groups of urban–rural related issues, our methodology was applied to a rural community, considering in this exercise environmental matters and real estate interests as a way to better understand the structure of salient issues in the context of its urban development program design. Results show clusters that arrange themselves not by an obvious similarity in their constituent components, but by relations observed in urban–rural settings that hint on the issues that the urban development program must focus. Due to its complex nature, the classification of these emerging clusters and how they must be treated in traditional planning instruments is a new challenge that this novel methodology reveals

Casting A356+SiCp with ultrasonically treated melts: effect reinforcement and processing in the microstructure

Low mass fractions (0.05 wt%) of SiC micro sized particles have been added to an A356 melt and dispersed by ultrasonic vibration to study their impact on the microstructural morphology of cast samples. It is shown that the ultrasonic melt treatment at 680°C can promote a homogenizeddistribution of the reinforcement while also degassing the melt and induces a moderate grain refinement. Even though SiC may act as a nucleant, its use did not induce a significant grain refinement relatively to ultrasonically treated unreinforced melts. Adding SiC microparticles, however, seems to enhance Eutectic Si modification, although it contributes to its slight coarsening at the expense of Mg2Si.publishe

Conserved mechanism of bicarbonate-induced sensitization of CatSper channels in human and mouse sperm

To fertilize an egg, mammalian sperm must undergo capacitation in the female genital tract. A key contributor to capacitation is the calcium (C

Petrology, geochemistry and origin of the Sierra de Baza ophiolites (Betic Cordillera, Spain)

In this work we present for the first time a petrological-geochemical and genetic study of the Sierra de Baza ophiolites, which represent one of the ophiolitic occurrences of the Betic Cordillera (Southern Spain). They are composed of ultramafic, mafic and sedimentary rocks, largely affected both by ocean floor and polyphasic metamorphism during the Alpine orogeny. Ultramafic rocks are serpentinized lherzolites and harzburgites, whereas the metabasites are meta-gabbros and meta-basalts. On the whole, Sierra de Baza ophiolites show striking geochemical similarities with those from other Betic occurrences, as well as with other Tethyan ophiolites of the Western Mediterranean (Calabria, Internal and External Ligurides, Platta, Corsica and Western Alps). In particular, metabasites show petrological and geochemical features similar to the E-MORB magmatism of the Atlantic Ridge between 45 and 63ºN generated under ultra-slow spreading ridge conditions. This process originated a strip of few hundreds km of ocean floor at the western end of the Tethys, located SE of the Iberian-European margin during the Mesozoic. The inversion of the stress regime in the European-Iberian and African geodynamics, starting from the Late-Middle Cretaceous, caused subduction and metamorphism in the eclogite facies of oceanic slices that were partially exhumed on the continental margin, forming the Betic Ophiolites. These ophiolites were disarticulated and dismembered as a result of the shift towards SW of the Alboran continental block, progressively separated from the AlKaPeCa (Alboran, Kabilias, Peloritani, Calabria) microplate, finally occupying their current position in the Betic Internal Zones

Ceramic sonotrodes for light alloy melt treatment

Alloy melt treatment by ultrasonic vibration is a physical processing technique that has been gathering the support of the scientific community. The use of metallic sonotrodes for this purpose has been proven very efficient; however, it promotes melt inclusion by sonotrode erosion. Such an issue is being addressed by the use of ceramic sonotrodes in low-amplitude resonance. Given that these novel sonotrodes generally have complex shapes and low displacements, this study shows an innovative approach for their characterization. Based on scanning laser Doppler vibrometry, the signal processing Python-based script was used to map the overall resonant behavior of a tubular SiAlON sonotrode, and this route is able to characterize the complex shapes in low-amplitude and high-frequency radial resonance in resonant ceramic sonotrodes. Velocity time-domain profiles are shown to be dependent on the position, and even though the radial natural frequencies of ceramic sonotrodes have low amplitudes, they are proposed as an efficient tool for melt treatment. While characterizing the radial natural mode in ceramic sonotrodes, this study proves that their low-amplitude Lamb waves are responsible for the refinement of a-grains and secondary phases in light alloys.This work was supported by PTDC/EMEEME/30967/ 2017 and NORTE-0145-FEDER-030967, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), through the Operational Programme for Competitive ness and Internationalization (COMPETE 2020), under Portugal 2020, and by the Fundação para a Cência e a Tecnologia – FCT I.P. national funds. Also, this work was supported by Portuguese FCT, under the reference project UIDB/04436/2020, and Stimulus of Scientific Employment Application CEECIND/03991/2017

Influence of arterial mechanical properties on carotid blood flow: comparison of CFD and FSI studies

Carotid artery blood flow is studied to compare models with rigid and elastic walls. Considering a patient-specific geometry and transient boundary conditions. In the case of rigid walls, only the fluid (blood) behavior is considered, in a typical Computational Fluid Dynamics study. With the elastic walls, the reciprocal influence of both fluid and solid (blood and artery) are taken into account, constituting a Fluid-Structure Interaction study. Further more, the study of the influence of mechanical properties of the artery, which become stiffer with the progression of atherosclerosis, on blood flow is also presented, an innovative approach relative to the work done in this field. Results show that the carotid sinus is the preferential zone to develop atherosclerosis, given its low values of Time-Averaged Wall Shear Stress. Additionally, it is fundamental to consider the arterial wall as elastic bodies, given that the rigid model overestimates the flow velocity and Wall Shear Stress. On the different mechanical properties of the vessel, its influence is minimal in the Time-Averaged Wall Shear Stress profiles. However, given the results of the displacement and velocity profiles, their inclusion in blood flow simulations in stenosed arteries should be considered.This work was supported by FEDER funds through the COMPETE program with the reference project PTDC/SEM-TEC/3827/2014. Additionally, this work is supported by FCT with the reference projects UID/EEA/04436/2019, UID/CEC/00319/2019 and UID/EMS/04077/2019

Identification of transitional disks in Chamaeleon with Herschel

Transitional disks are circumstellar disks with inner holes that in some cases are produced by planets and/or substellar companions in these systems. For this reason, these disks are extremely important for the study of planetary system formation. The Herschel Space Observatory provides an unique opportunity for studying the outer regions of protoplanetary disks. In this work we update previous knowledge on the transitional disks in the Chamaeleon I and II regions with data from the Herschel Gould Belt Survey. We propose a new method for transitional disk classification based on the WISE 12 micron-PACS 70 micron color, together with inspection of the Herschel images. We applied this method to the population of Class II sources in the Chamaeleon region and studied the spectral energy distributions of the transitional disks in the sample. We also built the median spectral energy distribution of Class II objects in these regions for comparison with transitional disks. The proposed method allows a clear separation of the known transitional disks from the Class II sources. We find 6 transitional disks, all previously known, and identify 5 objects previously thought to be transitional as possibly non-transitional. We find higher fluxes at the PACS wavelengths in the sample of transitional disks than those of Class II objects. We show the Herschel 70 micron band to be an efficient tool for transitional disk identification. The sensitivity and spatial resolution of Herschel reveals a significant contamination level among the previously identified transitional disk candidates for the two regions, which calls for a revision of previous samples of transitional disks in other regions. The systematic excess found at the PACS bands could be a result of the mechanism that produces the transitional phase, or an indication of different evolutionary paths for transitional disks and Class II sources.Comment: Accepted for publication in A&A: 11 March 2013 11 pages, 15 figure

Jogo da memória consciente, uma proposta de ensino

A aproximação da realidade de nossos alunos com os conteúdos trabalhados em sala de aula, é importante para a motivação e concretização do aprendizado. O Jogo da Memória Consciente foi criado com os objetivos de trabalhar de forma lúdica e interativa, com materiais de fácil aquisição, conceitos relacionados ao tema água como: sua importância na vida do homem e na preservação do nosso planeta e oferecer uma proposta de metodologia de ensino alternativa, utilizando o jogo como recurso pedagógico. O Jogo foi aplicado para professores do Ensino Fundamental, em oito municípios do Estado do Rio de Janeiro, em 2010 e 2011. De acordo com os resultados obtidos o Jogo da Memória Consciente teve uma boa aceitação pelos professores, mostrando ser uma atividade que possibilita reflexões a respeito de atitudes em relação aos cuidados com a água e com o ambiente e incentiva novas formas de agir, facilitando o ensino-aprendizagem

Vinculação da Mulher como Preditor da Dor Durante o Parto e Após o Nascimento: um Estudo Observacional Prospectivo

INTRODUCTION: Labour is considered to be one of the most painful and significant experiences in a woman's life. The aim of this study was to examine whether women's attachment style is a predictor of the pain experienced throughout labour and post-delivery. MATERIAL AND METHODS:Thirty-two pregnant women were assessed during the third trimester of pregnancy and during labour. Adult attachment was assessed with the Adult Attachment Scale ' Revised. The perceived intensity of labour pain was measured using a visual analogue scale for pain in the early stage of labour, throughout labour and post-delivery. RESULTS:Women with an insecure attachment style reported more pain at 3 cm of cervical dilatation (p < 0.05), before the administration of analgesia (p < 0.01) and post-delivery (p < 0.05) than those securely attached. In multivariate models, attachment style was a significant predictor of labour pain at 3 cm of cervical dilatation and before the first administration of analgesia but not of the perceived pain post-delivery. DISCUSSION: These findings confirm that labour pain is influenced by relevant psychological factors and suggest that a woman's attachment style may be a risk factor for greater pain during labour. CONCLUSION:Future studies in the context of obstetric pain may consider the attachment style as an indicator of individual differences in the pain response during labour. This may have important implications in anaesthesiology and to promote a relevant shift in institutional practices and therapeutic procedures