Spatiotemporal variations in channel changes caused by cumulative factors in a meandering river: The lower Peixe River, Brazil

Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-26T17:06:40Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2016-11-15Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)Channel changes in meandering rivers naturally exhibit complex behaviour, and understanding the river dynamics can be challenging in environments also subject to cumulative human impacts. Planform changes were analysed on four reaches of the lower course of the Peixe River, Brazil, at decadal scales over the period 1962-2008 from aerial photographs and satellite imagery, complemented by a historical map from 1907. Analysis of the spatial and temporal patterns of channel change mechanisms and morphometry of bends and of the sinuosity and morphodynamic variations of the reaches demonstrates major changes in planform characteristics. Sinuosity in all reaches decreased from similar to 2.6 to similar to 1.7, average wavelength of bends has increased from similar to 200 to similar to 500 m, and the planform has become much simpler. Changes have been progressive from downstream to upstream, with higher intensities of processes, particularly cutoffs first in downstream reaches then more recently in upstream reaches. It is suggested that channel changes represent a morphological adjustment to human interventions, such as reservoir construction and land use. However, evidence of the autogenic behaviour of meanders is highlighted in which the existence of compound meanders reveals control over the spatial variation in the reaches. The results suggest that geomorphic thresholds associated with the compound meander formation and the bend evolution should be considered, even in impacted meandering rivers, because they exert primary controls on the spatial-temporal adjustment of channels. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Univ Estadual Paulista, Programa Posgrad Geog, Campus Presidente Prudente, Presidente Prudente, SP, BrazilUniv Liverpool, Sch Environm Sci, Dept Geog & Planning, Roxby Bldg, Liverpool L69 7ZT, Merseyside, EnglandUniv Estadual Paulista, Programa Posgrad Geog, Campus Presidente Prudente, Presidente Prudente, SP, BrazilFAPESP: 2011/11208-6FAPESP: 2012/00959-

Natural variability of lotic Mediterranean ecosystems or wildfire perturbations: who will win?

This study evaluates the impacts of wildfires in lotic Mediterranean ecosystems. It was carried out at Monchique ridge after big wildfires occurred during 2002 and 2003. Deferential impacts were evaluated comparing historical results obtained before the wildfires (1999 and 2001), with the post fire ones (2006 and 2007). Physical and chemical parameters of the water, habitat morphology, diatoms, macrophytes, macroinvertebrates and fishes were evaluated at 10 collecting places, before and after wildfires. High recovering rates were observed to the vegetation, but it is still possible to found fire impacts over macrophytes and river morphology. Wildfires, contributed to canopy decrease and, consequently to the growth of plants that usually are controlled by shadow. As a result, vegetation biodiversity tend to increase. River banks tend also to be invaded by terrestrial plants. Higher post fires recover rates were observed to the more aquatic communities (diatoms, macroinvertebrates and fishes). For those communities, comparing spring situations before and after the fires no substantial differences were observed. Sometimes differences between consecutive years are even higher. So it can be concluded that magnitude of wildfire impacts is less than the natural inter-annual variability of Mediterranean rivers. Long-term effects of forest fires, resulting from large woody debries, were also detected by morphological alterations, like debries dams. Habitat diversity increase and impacts on aquatic communities are expected

Second-order-like cluster-monomer transition within magnetic fluids and its impact upon the magnetic susceptibility

The low-field (below 5 Oe) ac and dc magnetic response of a magnetic fluid [MF] sample in the range of 305 to 360 K and 410 to 455 K was experimentally and theoretically investigated. We found a systematic deviation of Curie's law, which predicts a linear temperature dependence of inverse initial susceptibility in the range of our investigation. This finding, as we hypothesized, is due to the onset of a second-order-like cluster-to-monomer transition with a critical exponent which is equal to 0.50. The susceptibility data were well fitted by a modified Langevin function, in which cluster dissociation into monomers, at the critical temperature [T*], was included. In the ac experiments, we found that T* was reducing from 381.8 to 380.4 K as the frequency of the applied field increases from 123 to 173 Hz. In addition, our ac experiments confirm that only monomers respond for the magnetic behavior of the MF sample above T*. Furthermore, our Monte Carlo simulation and analytical results support the hypothesis of a thermal-assisted dissociation of chain-like structures

Enhanced photovoltaic performance of inverted hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells using TiO2/reduced graphene oxide films as electron transport layers

In this study, we investigated inverted hybrid bulk-heterojunction solar cells with the following configuration: fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO) |TiO2/RGO|P3HT:PC61BM|V2O5 or PEDOT:PSS|Ag. The TiO2/GO dispersions were prepared by sol-gel method, employing titanium isopropoxide and graphene oxide (GO) as starting materials. The GO concentration was varied from 0.1 to 4.0 wt%. The corresponding dispersions were spin-coated onto FTO substrates and a thermal treatment was performed to remove organic materials and to reduce GO to reduced graphene oxide (RGO). The TiO2/RGO films were characterized by x-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and microscopy techniques. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images showed that the addition of RGO significantly changes the morphology of the TiO2 films, with loss of uniformity and increase in surface roughness. Independent of the use of V2O5 or PEDOT: PSS films as the hole transport layer, the incorporation of 2.0 wt% of RGO into TiO2 films was the optimal concentration for the best organic photovoltaic performance. The solar cells based on TiO2/RGO (2.0 wt%) electrode exhibited a ∼22.3% and ∼28.9% short circuit current density (Jsc) and a power conversion efficiency enhancement, respectively, if compared with the devices based on pure TiO2 films. Kelvin probe force microscopy images suggest that the incorporation of RGO into TiO2 films can promote the appearance of regions with different charge dissipation capacities.The authors thank LNNano/LNLS for the AFM and KPFM images, and INEO, CNPq (fellowship 246430/2012-5), and FAPESP (fellowship 2010/18656-1) for the financial supports. MINECO for the economic support through the ENE2013-48816-C5-4-R project. The COST Action StableNextSol project MP1307. The Agència de Gestió d’Ajuts Universitaris i de Recerca for the project 2014 SGR 1212. FASL would like to thank to the Secretary of Education of the State of Ceará (SEDUC-CE) for the financial support.Peer reviewe

Assessing the Potential of Sensors Based on LbL and Sputtering Films

Funding text This research was funded by the project PCIF/GFC/0078/2018: influence of forest VOCs (volatile organic compounds) on extreme fire behavior at Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT). The authors also thankful for the research center grants no. UIDB/FIS/04559/2020 and no. UIDP/FIS/04559/2020 (LIBPhys) from FCT/MCTES, Portugal.A new theory suggests that flammable gases generated by heated vegetation, in particular the volatile organic compounds (VOC) common to Mediterranean plants, may, under certain topographic and wind conditions, accumulate in locations where, after the arrival of the ignition source, they rapidly burst into flames as explosions. Hence, there is a need for the development of a system that can monitor the development of these compounds. In this work, a sensor's array is proposed as a method for monitoring the amount of eucalyptol and α-pinene, the major VOC compounds of the Eucalyptus and Pine trees. The detection of the target compounds was assessed using the impedance spectroscopy response of thin films. Combinations of layers of polyelectrolytes, such as poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH), polyethyleneimine (PEI), poly(sodium 4-sytrenesulfonate) (PSS) graphene oxide (GO), and non/functionalized multiwall nanotubes (MWCNT-COOH or MWCNT), namely, PAH/GO, PEI/PSS, PEI/GO, PAH/MWCNT, PAH/MWCNT-COOH, films, and TiO2 and ZnO sputtered films, were deposited onto ceramic supports coated with gold interdigitated electrodes. The results showed that concentrations of the target VOCs, within the range of 68 to 999 ppmv, can be easily distinguished by analyzing the impedance spectra, particularly in the case of the ZnO- and PAH/GO-film-based sensors, which showed the best results in the detection of the target compounds. Through principal component analysis (PCA), the best set of features attained for the ZnO and PAH/GO based sensor devices revealed a linear trend of the PCA's first principal component with the concentration within the range 109 and 807 ppmv. Thus, the values of sensitivity to eucalyptol and α-pinene concentrations, which were (2.2 ± 0.3) × 10-4 and (5.0 ± 0.7) × 10-5 per decade, respectively, as well as resolutions of 118 and 136 ppbv, respectively, were identified.publishersversionpublishe

Structural, morphological, and magnetic characterizations of (FexMn1-x)2O3 nanocrystals: A comprehensive stoichiometric determination

Iron manganese trioxide (FexMn1-x)2O3 nanocrystals were synthesized by the sol-gel method. The 80 K Mossbauer spectrum was well-fitted using two doublets representing the 8b and 24d crystallographic sites of the (FexMn1-x)2O3 phase and two weak extra sextets which were attributed to crystalline and amorphous hematite. Our findings showed formation of a bixbyite primary phase. The Raman spectrum exhibits six Raman active modes, typical of (Fe,Mn)2O3, and two extra Raman modes associated with the secondary hematite phase. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis confirmed the presence of oxygen vacancy onto the (FexMn1-x)2O3 particle surface, with varying oxidation states. X-band magnetic resonance data revealed a single broad resonance line in the whole temperature range (3.8 K - 300 K). The temperature dependence of both resonance field and resonance linewidth shows a remarkable change in the range of 40 - 50 K, herein credited to surface spin glass behavior. The model picture used assumes (FexMn1-x)2O3 nanoparticles with a core-shell structure. Results indicate that below about 50 K the spin system of shell reveals a paramagnetic to spin glass-like transition upon cooling, with a critical temperature estimated at 43 K. In the higher temperature range, the superparamagnetic hematite (secondary) phase contributes remarkably to the temperature dependence of the resonance linewidth. Zero-field-cooled (ZFC) and fieldcooled (FC) data show strong irreversibility and a peak in the ZFC curve at 33 K, attributed to a paramagnetic-ferrimagnetic transition of the main phase. Hysteresis curve at 5 K shows a low coercive field of 4 kOe, with the magnetization not reaching saturation at 70 kOe, suggesting the occurrence of a ferrimagnetic core with a magnetic disorder at surface, characteristic of core-shell spin-glass-like behavior

Formulation, characterization, and cytotoxicity evaluation of lactoferrin functionalized lipid nanoparticles for riluzole delivery to the brain

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease with a very poor prognosis. Its treatment is hindered by a lack of new therapeutic alternatives and the existence of the blood–brain barrier (BBB), which restricts the access of drugs commonly used in ALS, such as riluzole, to the brain. To overcome these limitations and increase brain targeting, riluzole-loaded nanostructured lipid carriers (NLC) were prepared and functionalized with lactoferrin (Lf), facilitating transport across the BBB by interacting with Lf receptors expressed in the brain endothelium. NLC were characterized with respect to their physicochemical properties (size, zeta potential, polydispersity index) as well as their stability, encapsulation efficiency, morphology, in vitro release profile, and biocompatibility. Moreover, crystallinity and melting behavior were assessed by DSC and PXRD. Nanoparticles exhibited initial mean diameters between 180 and 220 nm and a polydispersity index below 0.3, indicating a narrow size distribution. NLC remained stable over at least 3 months. Riluzole encapsulation efficiency was very high, around 94–98%. FTIR and protein quantification studies confirmed the conjugation of Lf on the surface of the nanocarriers, with TEM images showing that the functionalized NLC presented a smooth surface and uniform spherical shape. An MTT assay revealed that the nanocarriers developed in this study did not cause a substantial reduction in the viability of NSC-34 and hCMEC/D3 cells at a riluzole concentration up to 10 μM, being therefore biocompatible. The results suggest that Lf-functionalized NLC are a suitable and promising delivery system to target riluzole to the brain.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Kormendy relation of cluster galaxies in PPS regions

We study a sample of 936 early-type galaxies located in 48 low-z regular galaxy clusters with $M_{200}\geq 10^{14}~ M_\odot$ at $z< 0.1$. We examine variations in the Kormendy relation (KR) according to their location in the projected phase space (PPS) of the clusters. We have used a combination of Bayesian statistical methods to identify possible differences between the fitted relations. Our results indicate that the overall KR is better fitted when we take into account the information about PPS regions. We also find that objects with time since infall $\geq 6.5$ Gyr have a significant statistical difference of the KR coefficients relative to objects that are more recent in the cluster environment. We show that giant central ellipticals are responsible for tilting the KR relation towards smaller slopes. These galaxies present a late growth probably due to cumulative preprocessing during infall, plus cannibalism and accretion of smaller stripped objects near the center of the clusters.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, appendix, published in MNRAS. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2302.0428

A proactive approach to the conservation of historic and cultural Heritage: The HeritageCare methodology

Presently, no systematic policy for the preventive conservation of the built cultural heritage exists in South-West Europe. Current approaches for inspection, diagnosis, monitoring and reactive conservation are normally intermittent, unplanned, expensive and lack methodical strategy. The available financial resources are scarce and are mostly addressed to listed buildings. Besides, owners and stakeholders often reveal reluctance to invest in preventive conservation and maintenance programs. In view of these considerations, and driven by the principle “prevention is better than cure”, the HeritageCare project has developed a system for the preventive conservation and maintenance of the built heritage. The main aim of this paper is to briefly describe the methodology, including its three levels of service, and present the main results of the implementation and validation of the service level 1 on a case study belonging to the Portuguese architectural heritage.This work was carried out within the scope of the project HeritageCare (SOE1/P5/P0258), co-funded by the Interreg-Sudoe/FEDER program and included in the research activities of the ISISE Research Centre, also financed by FEDER funds through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Program – COMPETE and by national funds through FCT – Foundation for Science and Technology within the scope of the project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007633. Authors would like to express their gratitude to the Centre for Computer Graphics, HeritageCare partner, for the development of the platform (and supporting database) and the mobile application, outputs of the project HeritageCare. Authors would like to express their gratitude to the Santa Maria de la Real Foundation, HeritageCare partner, for the placement of the monitoring system at the Ducal Palace, Guimarães, Portugal