Impact of a 1755-like tsunami in Huelva, Spain

Coastal areas are highly exposed to natural hazards associated with the sea. In all cases where there is historical evidence for devastating tsunamis, as is the case of the southern coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, there is a need for quantitative hazard tsunami assessment to support spatial planning. Also, local authorities must be able to act towards the population protection in a preemptive way, to inform 'what to do' and 'where to go' and in an alarm, to make people aware of the incoming danger. With this in mind, we investigated the inundation extent, run-up and water depths, of a 1755-like event on the region of Huelva, located on the Spanish southwestern coast, one of the regions that was affected in the past by several high energy events, as proved by historical documents and sedimentological data. Modelling was made with a slightly modified version of the COMCOT (Cornell Multi-grid Coupled Tsunami Model) code. Sensitivity tests were performed for a single source in order to understand the relevance and influence of the source parameters in the inundation extent and the fundamental impact parameters. We show that a 1755-like event will have a dramatic impact in a large area close to Huelva inundating an area between 82 and 92 km(2) and reaching maximum run-up around 5 m. In this sense our results show that small variations on the characteristics of the tsunami source are not too significant for the impact assessment. We show that the maximum flow depth and the maximum run-up increase with the average slip on the source, while the strike of the fault is not a critical factor as Huelva is significantly far away from the potential sources identified up to now. We also show that the maximum flow depth within the inundated area is very dependent on the tidal level, while maximum run-up is less affected, as a consequence of the complex morphology of the area.

Thick dyke emplacement and internal flow: A structural and magnetic fabric study of the deep-seated dolerite dyke of Foum Zguid (southern Morocco)

Knowledge on forced magma injection and magma flow in dykes is crucial for the understanding of how magmas migrate through the crust to the Earth's surface. Because many questions still persist, we used the long, thick, and deep-seated Foum Zguid dyke (Morocco) to investigate dyke emplacement and internal flow by means of magnetic methods, structural analysis, petrography, and scanning electron microscopy. We also investigated how the host rocks accommodated the intrusion. Regarding internal flow: 1. Important variations of the rock magnetic properties and magnetic fabric occur with distance from dyke wall; 2. anisotropy of anhysteretic remanent magnetization reveals that anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility (AMS) results mainly from the superposition of subfabrics with distinct coercivities and that the imbrication between magnetic foliation and dyke plane is more reliable to deduce flow than the orientation of the AMS maximum principal axis; and 3. a dominant upward flow near the margins can be inferred. The magnetic fabric closest to the dyke wall likely records magma flow best due to fast cooling, whereas in the core the magnetic properties have been affected by high-temperature exsolution and metasomatic effects due to slow cooling. Regarding dyke emplacement, this study shows that the thick forceful intrusion induced deformation by homogeneous flattening and/or folding of the host sedimentary strata. Dewatering related to heat, as recorded by thick quartz veins bordering the dyke in some localities, may have also helped accommodating dyke intrusion. The spatial arrangement of quartz veins and their geometrical relationship with the dyke indicate a preintrusive to synintrusive sinistral component of strike slip.

A interdisciplinaridade das tecnologias da saúde no diagnóstico e no tratamento de tumores de mama: estudo de caso

Introdução – O cancro de mama é a principal causa de morte por cancro na população feminina portuguesa. Assim, pretende-se descrever sucintamente o percurso de uma paciente com tumor de mama, evidenciando a interligação entre algumas áreas das tecnologias da saúde. Metodologia – Selecionou-se um caso clínico de uma paciente com cancro de mama e recorreu-se à pesquisa bibliográfica de forma a apoiar ou refutar os resultados obtidos com o referido caso clínico. Resultados e discussão de resultados – Em 1996 foi diagnosticado à paciente um carcinoma ductal da mama esquerda e posteriormente, em 2011, foi diagnosticada uma metástase do carcinoma mamário com padrão mucinoso. Neste caso, bem como em todos os tumores de mama, foi realizada uma abordagem multidisciplinar envolvendo diferentes áreas das tecnologias da saúde. Para deteção e diagnóstico do cancro de mama são utilizadas a mamografia e a ultrassonografia. Para casos de re-estadiamento e monitorização da terapêutica devem ser utilizadas a tomografia por emissão de positrões (TEP) e a ressonância magnética mamária. No que se refere à terapêutica, neste tipo de tumores recorre-se à cirurgia, à radioterapia e à quimioterapia. ABSTRACT - Introduction – The breast cancer is the main cause of death by cancer in the Portuguese female population. We intend to describe briefly the pathway of a patient with breast cancer, highlighting the connection between some of the health technology areas. Methodology – It was selected a clinical case of a patient with breast cancer and it was used a literature research to support or refute the results obtained with the mentioned clinical case. Results and discussion – In 1996, it was diagnosed to the patient a ductal carcinoma of the left breast and in 2011 it was diagnosed a breast metastases. In this case, as well as other breast tumours, it was done a multidisciplinary approach involving different areas of health technologies. For detection and diagnose of breast cancer it’s used the mammography and ultrasound. For cases of re-staging and treatment monitoring it should be used positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the breast. Regarding the therapy approach, in this type of tumours, it is used surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Caracterizatión de las partículas ultrafinas en suspensión generadas por la soldadura de planchas de acero

Este estudio se centra en la caracterización de las partículas ultrafinas emitidas durante el proceso de soldadura de acero utilizando mezclas de Ar+CO2, y su objetivo es analizar cuáles son, de entre los parámetros principales del proceso, aquellos que pueden influir en la propia emisión. Se halló que la cantidad de partículas ultrafinas emitidas (medidas en número de partículas y área de la superficie de depósito en la región alveolar) depende claramente de la distancia al frente de soldadura, así como de los principales parámetros de la soldadura, a saber: la intensidad de la corriente y el aporte térmico durante el proceso. La emisión de partículas ultrafinas en suspensión parece aumentar con la intensidad de la corriente, al igual que la tasa de formación de humo. Al comparar las mezclas de gas testadas, se observa una emisión mayor en las mezclas más oxidativas, es decir, mezclas con un mayor contenido de CO2, que proporcionan una mayor estabilidad del arco. Estas mezclas generan concentraciones mayores de partículas ultrafinas (medidas en número de partículas por cm3 de aire) y una mayor área de la superficie de depósito de las partículas en la región alveolar, lo que incrementa la peligrosidad de la exposición del trabajador.

Intrusion of Lamprophyre dyke and related deformation effects in the host rock salt: A case study from the Loulé Diapir, Portugal

A rock salt-lamprophyre dyke contact zone (sub-vertical, NE-SW strike) was investigated for its petrographic, mechanic and physical properties by means of anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility CAMS) and rock magnetic properties, coupled with quantitative microstructural analysis and thermal mathematical modelling. The quantitative microstructural analysis of halite texture and solid inclusions revealed good spatial correlation with AMS and halite fabrics. The fabrics of both lamprophyre and rock salt record the magmatic intrusion, "plastic" flow and regional deformation (characterized by a NW-SE trending steep foliation). AMS and microstructural analysis revealed two deformation fabrics in the rock salt: (1) the deformation fabrics in rock salt on the NW side of the dyke are associated with high temperature and high fluid activity attributed to the dyke emplacement; (2) On the opposite side of the dyke, the emplacement-related fabric is reworked by localized tectonic deformation. The paleomagnetic results suggest significant rotation of the whole dyke, probably during the diapir ascent and/or the regional Tertiary to Quaternary deformation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The 1998 Faial earthquake, Azores: Evidence for a transform fault associated with the Nubia-Eurasia plate boundary?

With very few exceptions, M > 4 tectonic earthquakes in the Azores show normal fault solution and occur away from the islands. Exceptionally, the 1998 shock was pure strike-slip and occurred within the northern edge of the Pico-Faial Ridge. Fault plane solutions show two possible planes of rupture striking ENE-WSW (dextral) and NNW-SSE (sinistral). The former has not been recognised in the Azores, but is parallel to the transform direction related to the relative motion between the Eurasia and Nubia plates. Therefore, the main question we address in the present study is: do transform faults related to the Eurasia/Nubia plate boundary exist in the Azores? Knowing that the main source of strain is related to plate kinematics, we conclude that the sinistral strike-slip NNW-SSE fault plane solution is not consistent with either the fault dip (ca. 65, which is typical of a normal fault) or the ca. ENE-WSW direction of maximum extension; both are consistent with a normal fault, as observed in most major earthquakes on faults striking around NNW-SSE in the Azores. In contrast, the dextral strike-slip ENE-WSW fault plane solution is consistent with the transform direction related to the anticlockwise rotation of Nubia relative to Eurasia. Altogether, tectonic data, measured ground motion, observed destruction, and modelling are consistent with a dextral strike-slip source fault striking ENE-WSW. Furthermore, the bulk clockwise rotation measured by GPS is typical of bookshelf block rotations observed at the termination of such master strike-slip faults. Therefore, we suggest that the 1998 earthquake can be related to the WSW termination of a transform (ENE-WSW fault plane solution) associated with the Nubia-Eurasia diffuse plate boundary. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A sátira política na televisão: O caso do "Governo Sombra"

Dissertação apresentada à Escola Superior de Comunicação Social como parte dos requisitos para obtenção de grau de mestre em Jornalismo.