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Climatic changes pose public health risks. However, few studies have tried to identify how climate dynamics affect health, in order to obtain evidence-based data for risk-prediction models. Moreover, such studies are particularly scarce for tropical cities. This study aimed to verify how intra-urban atmospheric conditions affect the respiratory health of children under five in the South- eastern part of Sao Paulo, Brazil, by associating atmospheric variables and the bioclimatic index PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) with hospital admissions. A total of 12,269 admissions of children for respiratory causes were analysed - CID 10, Chapter 10: Respiratory diseases (J00-J32; J40-J47; J80-J99). Daily data about the average, lowest and highest air temperatures (ºC), relative humidity (%) and wind speed (m/s) were obtained from the meteorological station of Congonhas airport. For control purposes, the air quality indexes were obtained from CETESB (the Sao Paulo State body for transferring technology and monitoring the environment and water quality) in Congonhas. Descriptive statistical analysis and regression models were used. Data were organized following a socio-environmental profile. Results indicate a statistical association between atmospheric variables, air pollution, and hospital admissions. There were no significant differences for the group of children with respiratory diseases living in districts with different environmental conditions. Los cambios climáticos constituyen un riesgo para la salud pública. No obstante, pocos estudios han tratado de identificar cómo la dinámica meteorológica afecta a la salud a fin de obtener datos para alimentar modelos de prevención de riesgos. En las ciudades tropicales, estos estudios resultan particularmente escasos. Esta investigación tuvo como objetivo verificar en qué medida las condiciones atmosféricas urbanas afectan a la salud respiratoria de los niños menores de cinco años en el sector sursureste de la ciudad de São Paulo, relacionando las variables meteorológicas y el índice bioclimático PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) con los ingresos hospitalarios. Se analizaron 12 269 casos de ingresos de niños por enfermedades respiratorias - CIE 10, Capítulo 10 - Enfermedades Respiratorias (J00-J32; J40-J47; J80-J99). Las temperaturas medias, mínima y máxima diarias (ºC), la humedad relativa del aire (%) y la velocidad media del viento (m/s) fueron obtenidas en la estación meteorológica del aeropuerto de Congonhas y el índice de calidad del aire, utilizado como control, en CETESB (Compañía estatal de tecnología de saneamiento básico y control de la contaminación de las aguas) en Congonhas. Se realizó un análisis estadístico descriptivo y se utilizó un modelo de regresión. Los resultados apuntaron a una asociación estadística entre variables meteorológicas, contaminación atmosférica e ingresos hospitalarios. No se encontraron diferencias significativas para el grupo de niños con enfermedades respiratorias y menores de cinco años residentes en distritos con diferentes condiciones socioambientales. As alterações climáticas constituem risco para a saúde pública. Contudo, poucos estudos têm procurado identificar como a dinâmica do clima afeta a saúde, a fim de se obter dados que alimentem modelos de previsão de riscos para a saúde. Nas cidades tropicais esses estudos são particularmente escassos. Esta pesquisa teve como objetivo verificar como as condições atmosféricas intraurbanas afetam a saúde respiratória das crianças menores de cinco anos no setor Sul/Sudeste, da cidade de São Paulo, associando as variáveis atmosféricas e o índice bioclimático PET (Physiological Equivalent Temperature) com as admissões hospitalares. Analisaram-se 12.269 casos de internamento por doenças respiratórias em crianças – CID 10, Capítulo 10 - Doenças Respiratórias (J00-J32; J40-J47; J80-J99). Os dados diários de temperaturas média, mínima e máxima do ar (ºC), humidade relativa média do ar (%) e velocidade média do vento (m/s) foram obtidos na estação meteorológica do aeroporto de Congonhas e o índice de qualidade do ar, como controle, na CETESB/CONGONHAS. Utilizou-se a análise estatística descritiva e modelo de regressão. Os resultados apontaram associação estatística entre as variáveis atmosféricas, a poluição e os internamentos hospitalares. Não foram identificadas diferenças estatisticamente significativas para o grupo de crianças com doenças respiratórias, menores de cinco anos residentes em distritos com diferentes condições socioambientais.

Local polarization of magnetic materials has become a well-known and widely used method for storing binary information. Numerous applications in our daily life such as credit cards, computer hard drives, and the popular magnetic drawing board toy, rely on this principle. In this work, we review the recent advances on the magnetic recording of inhomogeneous magnetic landscapes produced by superconducting films. We summarize the current compelling experimental evidence showing that magnetic recording can be applied for imprinting in a soft magnetic layer the flux trajectory taking place in a superconducting layer at cryogenic temperatures. This approach enables the ex situ observation at room temperature of the imprinted magnetic flux landscape obtained below the critical temperature of the superconducting state. The undeniable appeal of the proposed technique lies in its simplicity and the potential to improve the spatial resolution, possibly down to the scale of a few vortices.

International audience; Tuning the polarization of a periodic array of magnetic stripes on top of a superconducting film allows control of Abrikosov vortex motion. Using direct magneto-optical imaging of the vortex patterns, we demonstrate that the proximity of the magnetic stripe ends to the edges of the superconducting film can strongly alter the vortex dynamics. We observe qualitatively different vortex behavior when the stripes overlap with the film edges. From the resulting unique magnetic flux patterns, we calculate the magnetic pinning strength of our stripe array and study effects of the modified edge barrier on vortex guidance and gating that result from different polarizations of the stripes.

International audience; The influence of a conducting layer on the magnetic flux penetration in a superconducting Nb film is studied by magneto-optical imaging. The metallic layer partially covering the superconductor provides an additional velocity-dependent damping mechanism for the flux motion that helps to protect the superconducting state when thermomagnetic instabilities develop. If the flux advances with a velocity slower than w = 2/μ 0 σ t, where σ is the cap layer conductivity and t is its thickness, the flux penetration remains unaffected, whereas for incoming flux moving faster than w, the metallic layer becomes an active screening shield. When the metallic layer is replaced by a perfect conductor, it is expected that the flux braking effect will occur for all flux velocities. We investigate this effect by studying Nb samples with a thickness step. Some of the observed features, namely the deflection of the flux trajectories at the border of the thick center, as well as the favored flux penetration at the indentation, are reproduced by time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau simulations.

International audience; We image the motion of superconducting vortices in niobium film covered with a regular array of thin permalloy strips. By altering the magnetization orientation in the strips using a small in-plane magnetic field, we can tune the strength of interactions between vortices and the strip edges, enabling acceleration or retardation of the superconducting vortices in the sample and consequently introducing strong tunable anisotropy into the vortex dynamics. We discuss our observations in terms of the attraction/repulsion between point magnetic charges carried by vortices and lines of magnetic charges at the strip edges and derive analytical formulas for the vortex-magnetic strips coupling. Our approach demonstrates the analogy between the vortex motion regulated by the magnetic strip array and electric carrier flow in gated semiconducting devices. Scaling down the geometrical features of the proposed design may enable controlled manipulation of single vortices, paving the way for Abrikosov vortex microcircuits and memories.

We present a thorough investigation by magneto-optical imaging of the magnetic flux penetration in Nb thin films with lithographically defined border indentations. We demonstrate that discontinuity lines ($d$ lines), caused by the abrupt bending of current streamlines around the indentations, depart from the expected parabolic trend close to the defect and depend on the shape and size of the indentation as well as on the temperature. These findings are backed up and compared with theoretical results obtained by numerical simulations and analytical calculations highlighting the key role played by demagnetization effects and the creep exponent $n$. In addition, we show that the presence of nearby indentations and submicrometer random roughness of the sample border can severely modify the flux front topology and dynamics. Strikingly, in contrast to what has been repeatedly predicted in the literature, we do not observe that indentations act as nucleation spots for flux avalanches, but they instead help to release the flux pressure and avoid thermomagnetic instabilities.

International audience; MgO particles are added to high-alumina castables to provide in situ spinel formation at high temperatures. However, the MgO hydration upon curing may damage the material because of localized volumetric expansion. Usually, the damage is evaluated by the ex situ overall measurement of Young's modulus changes during processing via Impulse Excitation Techniques. In this paper, an experimental setup was designed to use Digital Image Correlation (DIC) as an in situ alternative to evaluate the damage. Tomographic scans highlighted that all cracks initiated on the sample surfaces, and propagated in the bulk in an intergranular mode. Crack initiation and growth were assessed, for different temperatures, via Surface Crack Density (SCD) measurements, and Mean Crack Opening Displacement (MCOD) fields. They provided important insights into heterogeneous expansion phenomena and crack network quantification; for example, the SCD flattened out while the overall damage was still increasing. The results attested the usefulness of DIC for in-situ quantification of ceramics cracking during the processing.

International audience; This study determined the effect of the incorporation of micronized salt on physicochemical, yield and consumer's sensory characteristics of beef burger. The micronized salt was obtained by sieving the commercial salt in a 60-mesh stainless steel sieve. The commercial (regular salt) and micronized salt presented differences in the mean size, size distribution and bulk density. Half of the amount of the micronized salt was mixed with pork back fat, and the other half was added to the meat batter in the beef burger manufacture. A Pivot profile method was used with consumers to describe the sensory properties of the burger samples (ranging from 0.5% to 1.5% NaCl). The Pivot profile data revealed that treatments with 0.75% and 0.5% micronized salt were mainly characterized as dry, besides showing the highest cooking loss and diameter reduction. However, beef burgers with 1.0% micronized salt and 1.5% regular salt had similar perceived salty taste. In terms of salt reduction, the results indicated that it would be possible to reduce salt from 1.5% to 1.0% when using micronized salt, without affecting the pH, color parameters, yield properties and some sensory characteristics of the burger, such as salty, tasty, juicy, fatty, and spicy. Therefore, this strategy promises great potential for industrial application in products that contain lipids in their composition, such as meat products.

International audience; Ga K-edge energy dispersive x-ray absorption spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy measurements were employed to follow the pressure-induced semiconductor–metal phase transition of nanocrystalline GaSb produced by mechanical alloying up to 26 GPa. The results showed a slight increase of the phase transition pressures for both as-milled (8 GPa) and annealed (10 GPa) GaSb samples, as compared to that for the bulk one. The extended x-ray absorption fine structure analysis of the zinc blende (ZB) pressure domain (

International audience; A mesh refinement procedure designed for Digital Image Correlation analyses of cracked media is proposed, based on the pixel color for an artificial case, and the crack opening displacement field for two experimental cases. Although evidence that this procedure can improve every case if tiny elements are sought, it is also shown that the size of matrices and consequently, the computational cost can be reduced while maintaining accuracy, especially for low surface crack densities (e.g., single macrocrack).

International audience; The objectives of this study were to determine the effect of reducing the content and size of NaCl on the instrumental texture and dynamic sensory profile, and to determine the temporal drivers of liking (TDL). The reduction of the NaCl content decreased the hardness and chewiness parameters, and affected the dynamic sensory profile of the product. The NaCl reduction ( < 1.0% NaCl) was related to a higher incidence of the attributes off-flavor and dry. In general, the overall liking was driven by the juicy and tasty attributes, the latter being associated with the presence of the sensory attributes salty and seasoned and the texture parameters hardness and chewiness. According to the results, among the treatments with NaCl reduction, the beef burger added with 1.0% micronized salt stood out, since it did not affect considerably the texture parameters, the dynamic sensory profile during chewing and the consumers' liking.

Combined effects of trisodium citrate (TSC), transglutaminase (Tgase) and heating were studied with relation to the mechanical properties of acid milk gels. Acidification of skimmed microfiltered milk samples was performed at 30 °C by addition of glucono – δ lactone to achieve final pH of 4.6 in 4 h. Increasing levels of TSC (0, 10 and 20 mM) were added to the samples, followed by addition of a constant level of Tgase (3 U/g of protein), and subsequent heating to 85 °C for 30 min. Prior to acidification, suspensions were analyzed in terms of amount of sedimentable material, hydration, hydrodynamic diameter (Dh) and ζ-potential (ζ) of the particles. Acid-induced gelation was studied using small deformation rheology followed by large deformation test. The water holding capacity of the gels (WHC) was performed at pH 4.6. Gels microstructure were investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy at pH 4.6 and determination of mean pore size was performed by 2D-correlation analysis. Results showed that combined Tgase and TSC treatments had significant effect on rheological properties, WHC and gel microstructure. Higher stiffness of the gels was observed with Tgase and TSC at 10 mM, whereas a homogenous network distribution with smaller pore size was observed in the presence of Tgase and TSC at 20 mM.

Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-26T17:51:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2018-05-01 Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq) The role of niche differences and competition is invoked when one finds coexisting species to be more dissimilar in trait composition than expected at random in community assembly studies. This approach has been questioned as competition has been hypothesized to either lead to communities assembled by similar or dissimilar species, depending on whether species similarity reflects fitness or niche differences, respectively. A current problem is that the arguments used to draw relationships between competition and species similarity are based on pairwise theoretical examples, while in nature competition can occurs among a constellation of species with different levels of versatility in resources used. By versatility we mean the documented ability of some species to escape competition for commonly used resources by changing for marginal and unused resources. Thus, a versatile species will have the ability to decrease niche overlap with all other species when facing strong competitors. When these species are embedded in multiple interactions the role of pairwise niche and fitness differences could be reduced due to indirect effects and thus competition would not be detectable. Here we developed a coexistence theory where competition occurs simultaneously among multiple species with different levels of versatility and then used it in a simulation to unravel patterns of species similarity during community assembly. We found that simulated communities can be assembled by species with more, less or equal similarity compared to a null model when using a mean distance based metric (SES.MPD). However, contrasting these varied results, we consistently found species overdispersion using a nearest neighbor-based metric (SES.MNTD), even when species differences reflected more directly their competitive abilities than their niche differences. Strong tendency to overdispersion emerged when high ecological versatility promoted large niche differences and enabled coexistence. This is because versatility to use marginal resources compensates possible fitness differences among species. Our findings provide mounting evidence of the important role of minimum niche differences and versatility in resource consumption for species embedded in multiple direct and indirect interactions. Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Dept Ciencias Ambientais DCAm, Rodovia Washington Luis,Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil Univ Fed Sao Carlos, Programa Posgrad Ecol & Recursos, Rodovia Washington Luis,Km 235, BR-13565905 Sao Carlos, SP, Brazil UPMC, Sorbonne Univ, Ctr Ecol & Sci Conservat CESCO UMR7204, MNHN,CNRS, CP51,43-61 Rue Buffon, F-75005 Paris, France Irstea, UR EFNO, F-45290 Nogent Sur Vernisson, France Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, UNESP, Av 24-A,1515, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista, Inst Biociencias, Dept Ecol, UNESP, Av 24-A,1515, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil FAPESP: 2013/50424-1 FAPESP: 2013/20540-0 FAPESP: 2014/24532-4 CNPq: 403723/2012-4