A contrainsurgência na atualidade : Ambiente OTAN

O presente trabalho de investigação versa sobre o tema “A contrainsurgência na atualidade: ambiente Organização do Tratado Atlântico Norte”. O objetivo desta investigação será identificar quais os aspetos a melhorar na organização, no aprontamento e nos meios necessários para uma Quick Reaction Force enfrentar um adversário insurgente num teatro de operações de uma força da Organização do Tratado Atlântico Norte. Pretende-se analisar o emprego das Forças Comandos integrando os módulos do Apoio de Combate e Apoio de Serviços. Assim, esta investigação iniciar-se-á com uma componente teórica, fundamentada numa pesquisa bibliográfica, seguida de uma componente prática, correspondente à realização de entrevistas que permitiram obter respostas para a questão central em apreço. Estas duas componentes culminam com a conclusão resultante do processo de investigação. O presente trabalho de investigação aplicada permitiu concluir que, relativamente à organização, a força de Comandos, integrada com os seus módulos provou ser a adequada para o cumprimento da missão de Quick Reaction Force, denotando, ainda assim, carência relativamente à inclusão de equipas de desativação de engenhos explosivos. O treino da força provou ser o adequado, estando relacionado com o tipo de tarefas que efetivamente foram realizadas no Afeganistão. Nos meios que equipavam a força, apesar de adequados, constatou-se que seria necessária uma atualização relativamente às versões dos mesmos.

SLOPE STABILITY ANALYSIS OF MOUNT MEAGER, SOUTH-WESTERN BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA

The Mount Meager Volcanic Complex (MMVC) in south-western British Columbia is a potentially active, hydrothermally altered massif comprising a series of steep, glaciated peaks. Climatic conditions and glacial retreat has led to the further weathering, exposure and de-buttressing of steep slopes composed of weak, unconsolidated material. This has resulted in an increased frequency of landslide events over the past few decades, many of which have dammed the rivers bordering the Complex. The breach of these debris dams presents a risk of flooding to the downstream communities. Preliminary mapping showed there are numerous sites around the Complex where future failure could occur. Some of these areas are currently undergoing progressive slope movement and display features to support this such as anti-scarps and tension cracks. The effect of water infiltration on stability was modelled using the Rocscience program Slide 6.0. The main site of focus was Mount Meager in the south- east of the Complex where the most recent landslide took place. Two profiles through Mount Meager were analysed along with one other location in the northern section of the MMVC, where instability had been detected. The lowest Factor of Safety (FOS) for each profile was displayed and an estimate of the volume which could be generated was deduced. A hazard map showing the inundation zones for various volumes of debris flows was created from simulations using LAHARZ. Results showed the massif is unstable, even before infiltration. Varying the amount of infiltration appears to have no significant impact on the FOS annually implying that small changes of any kind could also trigger failure. Further modelling could be done to assess the impact of infiltration over shorter time scales. The Slide models show the volume of material that could be delivered to the Lillooet River Valley to be of the order of 109 m3 which, based on the LAHARZ simulations, would completely inundate the valley and communities downstream. A major hazard of this is that the removal of such a large amount of material has the potential to trigger an explosive eruption of the geothermal system and renew volcanic activity. Although events of this size are infrequent, there is a significant risk to the communities downstream of the complex.

STABILITY ANALYSIS AND HAZARD ASSESSMENT OF THE NORTHERN SLOPES OF SAN VICENTE VOLCANO IN CENTRAL EL SALVADOR

Geologic hazards affect the lives of millions of people worldwide every year. El Salvador is a country that is regularly affected by natural disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tropical storms. Additionally, rainfall-induced landslides and debris flows are a major threat to the livelihood of thousands. The San Vicente Volcano in central El Salvador has a recurring and destructive pattern of landslides and debris flows occurring on the northern slopes of the volcano. In recent memory there have been at least seven major destructive debris flows on San Vicente volcano. Despite this problem, there has been no known attempt to study the inherent stability of these volcanic slopes and to determine the thresholds of rainfall that might lead to slope instability. This thesis explores this issue and outlines a suggested method for predicting the likelihood of slope instability during intense rainfall events. The material properties obtained from a field campaign and laboratory testing were used for a 2-D slope stability analysis on a recent landslide on San Vicente volcano. This analysis confirmed that the surface materials of the volcano are highly permeable and have very low shear strength and provided insight into the groundwater table behavior during a rainstorm. The biggest factors on the stability of the slopes were found to be slope geometry, rainfall totals and initial groundwater table location. Using the results from this analysis a stability chart was created that took into account these main factors and provided an estimate of the stability of a slope in various rainfall scenarios. This chart could be used by local authorities in the event of a known extreme rainfall event to help make decisions regarding possible evacuation. Recommendations are given to improve the methodology for future application in other areas as well as in central El Salvador.

VALIDATION OF A 'DISPLACEMENT TOMOGRAPHY' INVERSION METHOD FOR MODELING SHEET INTRUSIONS

The study of volcano deformation data can provide information on magma processes and help assess the potential for future eruptions. In employing inverse deformation modeling on these data, we attempt to characterize the geometry, location and volume/pressure change of a deformation source. Techniques currently used to model sheet intrusions (e.g., dikes and sills) often require significant a priori assumptions about source geometry and can require testing a large number of parameters. Moreover, surface deformations are a non-linear function of the source geometry and location. This requires the use of Monte Carlo inversion techniques which leads to long computation times. Recently, ‘displacement tomography’ models have been used to characterize magma reservoirs by inverting source deformation data for volume changes using a grid of point sources in the subsurface. The computations involved in these models are less intensive as no assumptions are made on the source geometry and location, and the relationship between the point sources and the surface deformation is linear. In this project, seeking a less computationally intensive technique for fracture sources, we tested if this displacement tomography method for reservoirs could be used for sheet intrusions. We began by simulating the opening of three synthetic dikes of known geometry and location using an established deformation model for fracture sources. We then sought to reproduce the displacements and volume changes undergone by the fractures using the sources employed in the tomography methodology. Results of this validation indicate the volumetric point sources are not appropriate for locating fracture sources, however they may provide useful qualitative information on volume changes occurring in the surrounding rock, and therefore indirectly indicate the source location.

The Development of Calibrants through Characterization of Volatile Organic Compounds from Peroxide Based Explosives and a Non-target Chemical Calibration Compound

Detection canines represent the fastest and most versatile means of illicit material detection. This research endeavor in its most simplistic form is the improvement of detection canines through training, training aids, and calibration. This study focuses on developing a universal calibration compound for which all detection canines, regardless of detection substance, can be tested daily to ensure that they are working with acceptable parameters. Surrogate continuation aids (SCAs) were developed for peroxide based explosives along with the validation of the SCAs already developed within the International Forensic Research Institute (IFRI) prototype surrogate explosives kit. Storage parameters of the SCAs were evaluated to give recommendations to the detection canine community on the best possible training aid storage solution that minimizes the likelihood of contamination. Two commonly used and accepted detection canine imprinting methods were also evaluated for the speed in which the canine is trained and their reliability. As a result of the completion of this study, SCAs have been developed for explosive detection canine use covering: peroxide based explosives, TNT based explosives, nitroglycerin based explosives, tagged explosives, plasticized explosives, and smokeless powders. Through the use of these surrogate continuation aids a more uniform and reliable system of training can be implemented in the field than is currently used today. By examining the storage parameters of the SCAs, an ideal storage system has been developed using three levels of containment for the reduction of possible contamination. The developed calibration compound will ease the growing concerns over the legality and reliability of detection canine use by detailing the daily working parameters of the canine, allowing for Daubert rules of evidence admissibility to be applied. Through canine field testing, it has been shown that the IFRI SCAs outperform other commercially available training aids on the market. Additionally, of the imprinting methods tested, no difference was found in the speed in which the canines are trained or their reliability to detect illicit materials. Therefore, if the recommendations discovered in this study are followed, the detection canine community will greatly benefit through the use of scientifically validated training techniques and training aids.

Determining magmatic processes from analysis of phenocrysts and gabbroic xenoliths contained in Calbuco andesites

Calbuco Volcano, in Southern Chile, has eruptive products of predominantly andesitic hornblende-bearing lava. A purpose of this work is to understand magmatic processes and how Calbuco magma chemistry is related to the explosive volcanic character. Calbuco lava has a mineral assemblage of plagioclase, hornblende, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, olivine, and magnetite and entrained gabbroic xenoliths with the same mineral assemblage. The presence of hornblende is evidence for dissolved water in the magma. Detailed petrographic/textural analysis has been done using petrographic microscopy and back-scattered electron imaging (BSE); geochemical analysis by electron microprobe (EPMA). Major findings include 1) that hornblende and hornblende-bearing gabbroic cumulates crystallize from Calbuco magma, 2) that plagioclase grains are compositionally zoned, recording evidence of temperature, chemical, and water content fluctuations in the magma, and 3) that hornblende is unstable under upper magma chamber conditions at Calbuco, and is breaking down into plagioclase, olivine, orthopyroxene, clinopyroxene, and magnetite in the magma.

Fuel level sensor based on polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings for aircraft applications

Safety in civil aviation is increasingly important due to the increase in flight routes and their more challenging nature. Like other important systems in aircraft, fuel level monitoring is always a technical challenge. The most frequently used level sensors in aircraft fuel systems are based on capacitive, ultrasonic and electric techniques, however they suffer from intrinsic safety concerns in explosive environments combined with issues relating to reliability and maintainability. In the last few years, optical fiber liquid level sensors (OFLLSs) have been reported to be safe and reliable and present many advantages for aircraft fuel measurement. Different OFLLSs have been developed, such as the pressure type, float type, optical radar type, TIR type and side-leaking type. Amongst these, many types of OFLLSs based on fiber gratings have been demonstrated. However, these sensors have not been commercialized because they exhibit some drawbacks: low sensitivity, limited range, long-term instability, or limited resolution. In addition, any sensors that involve direct interaction of the optical field with the fuel (either by launching light into the fuel tank or via the evanescent field of a fiber-guided mode) must be able to cope with the potential build up of contamination-often bacterial-on the optical surface. In this paper, a fuel level sensor based on microstructured polymer optical fiber Bragg gratings (mPOFBGs), including poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and TOPAS fibers, embedded in diaphragms is investigated in detail. The mPOFBGs are embedded in two different types of diaphragms and their performance is investigated with aviation fuel for the first time, in contrast to our previous works, where water was used. Our new system exhibits a high performance when compared with other previously published in the literature, making it a potentially useful tool for aircraft fuel monitoring.

Developmental and physical-fitness associations with gross motor coordination problems in peruvian children

he aims of this cross-sectional study were to examine the developmental characteristics (biological maturation and body size) associated with gross motor coordination problems in 5193 Peruvian children (2787 girls) aged 6–14 years from different geographical locations, and to investigate how the probability that children suffer with gross motor coordination problems varies with physical fitness. Children with gross motor coordination problems were more likely to have lower flexibility and explosive strength levels, having adjusted for age, sex, maturation and study site. Older children were more likely to suffer from gross motor coordination problems, as were those with greater body mass index. However, more mature children were less likely to have gross motor coordination problems, although children who live at sea level or at high altitude were more likely to suffer from gross motor coordination problems than children living in the jungle. Our results provide evidence that children and adolescents with lower physical fitness are more likely to have gross motor coordination difficulties. The identification of youths with gross motor coordination problems and providing them with effective intervention programs is an important priority in order to overcome such developmental problems, and help to improve their general health status.

A influência de um protocolo de treino pliométrico na força explosiva em jovens atletas de voleibol feminino

Projeto de Graduação apresentado à Universidade Fernando Pessoa como parte dos requisitos para obtenção do grau de Licenciado em Fisioterapia

Comparación entre los efectos de un programa de entrenamiento de fuerza explosiva mediante bandas elásticas y un programa de entrenamiento con electro-estimulación de cuerpo completo

El objetivo del presente estudio fue analizar los cambios en el rendimiento en función de dos métodos de entrenamiento, el desarrollado mediante electro-estimulación muscular integral (EMI) frente a otro en el que se utilizaron bandas elásticas y que denominamos entrenamiento funcional con elásticos (EFE). La muestra estuvo compuesta por un grupo de diez (N=10) personas físicamente activas (23,04 ± 2,5 años). Se utilizó un diseño cuasi-experimental con medidas pre-post. Y fueron analizados los resultados de las pruebas: salto vertical con ayuda de brazos; y velocidad de desplazamiento en una carrera de ida y vuelta de 12 metros de distancia (6+6). Se realizó un análisis descriptivo de casos y medias. Y dado el tamaño de la muestra se calculó el tamaño del efecto, el cual fue bajo o moderado (d<0,5). Por último se compararon las diferencias de las medias de los grupos mediante la U de Mann Whitney, y las diferencias de las medias en función del tiempo (pre-post) mediante Friedman; en ambos casos los resultados no fueron significativos (p<0,5). En cuanto a los valores descriptivos del pre-post en ambos grupos: el grupo que entrenó con bandas elásticas obtuvo mejores resultados en ambas pruebas que el grupo que entrenó con EMI. En conclusión, el entrenamiento con bandas elásticas, a pesar de no ser significativo, parece mostrarse más efectivo que el entrenamiento con electro-estimulación muscular integral. Si bien, dadas las limitaciones del estudio estos datos hay que tomarlos con la pertinente cautela.

Identification of novel molecular determinants of tissue mineralization in fish

Tese de doutoramento, Ciências Biomédicas, Departamento de Ciências Biomédicas e Medicina, Universidade do Algarve, 2015

A practical MEMS gravimeter

The ability to measure tiny variations in the local gravitational acceleration allows – amongst other applications – the detection of hidden hydrocarbon reserves, magma build-up before volcanic eruptions, and subterranean tunnels. Several technologies are available that achieve the sensitivities required (tens of μGal/√Hz), and stabilities required (periods of days to weeks) for such applications: free-fall gravimeters, spring-based gravimeters, superconducting gravimeters, and atom interferometers. All of these devices can observe the Earth tides; the elastic deformation of the Earth’s crust as a result of tidal forces. This is a universally predictable gravitational signal that requires both high sensitivity and high stability over timescales of several days to measure. All present gravimeters, however, have limitations of excessive cost (£70 k) and high mass (<8 kg). In this thesis, the building of a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) gravimeter with a sensitivity of 40 μGal/√Hz in a package size of only a few cubic centimetres is discussed. MEMS accelerometers – found in most smart phones – can be mass-produced remarkably cheaply, but most are not sensitive enough, and none have been stable enough to be called a ‘gravimeter’. The remarkable stability and sensitivity of the device is demonstrated with a measurement of the Earth tides. Such a measurement has never been undertaken with a MEMS device, and proves the long term stability of the instrument compared to any other MEMS device, making it the first MEMS accelerometer that can be classed as a gravimeter. This heralds a transformative step in MEMS accelerometer technology. Due to their small size and low cost, MEMS gravimeters could create a new paradigm in gravity mapping: exploration surveys could be carried out with drones instead of low-flying aircraft; they could be used for distributed land surveys in exploration settings, for the monitoring of volcanoes; or built into multi-pixel density contrast imaging arrays.

Developmental and physical-fitness associations with gross motor coordination problems in peruvian children

he aims of this cross-sectional study were to examine the developmental characteristics (biological maturation and body size) associated with gross motor coordination problems in 5193 Peruvian children (2787 girls) aged 6–14 years from different geographical locations, and to investigate how the probability that children suffer with gross motor coordination problems varies with physical fitness. Children with gross motor coordination problems were more likely to have lower flexibility and explosive strength levels, having adjusted for age, sex, maturation and study site. Older children were more likely to suffer from gross motor coordination problems, as were those with greater body mass index. However, more mature children were less likely to have gross motor coordination problems, although children who live at sea level or at high altitude were more likely to suffer from gross motor coordination problems than children living in the jungle. Our results provide evidence that children and adolescents with lower physical fitness are more likely to have gross motor coordination difficulties. The identification of youths with gross motor coordination problems and providing them with effective intervention programs is an important priority in order to overcome such developmental problems, and help to improve their general health status.

Percentiles de salto con contramovimiento en escolares de Bogotá, Colombia: Estudio FUPRECOL

Objetivo: Determinar la distribución por percentiles de salto con contramovimiento (CMJ) en una población escolar de Bogotá, Colombia, perteneciente al estudio Fuprecol. Métodos: Estudio transversal realizado entre 2846 niños y 2754 adolescentes, entre 9 a 17 años de edad, pertenecientes a 18 instituciones educativas oficiales de Bogotá, Colombia. Se evaluó el CMJ, de acuerdo, con lo establecido por la batería de condición física, Fuprecol. Se calcularon, los percentiles (P3, P10, P25, P50, P75, P90 y P97), y curvas centiles por el método LMS, según su sexo y edad. Se realizó una comparación entre los valores de la CMJ observados con estándares internacionales. Resultados: La muestra estuvo constituida por 5.600 niños y adolescentes entre 9 y 17 años; el promedio de edad fue 12,6 ± 2,4 años. En el CMJ, los valores altos, los obtuvieron los niños, franja en la que la media osciló entre 25,1 cm a los 9 años, y 38,6 cm a los 17; para las niñas, la media fluctuó entre 23,2 cm a los 9 años, y 28,6 a los 17; en ambos sexos esos valores aumentan proporcional a la edad. Conclusiones: Se registran percentiles del CMJ de acuerdo con la edad y el sexo, que podrán ser usados como referencia en la evaluación del salto vertical desde edades tempranas.

Normative reference of standing long jump for Colombian schoolchildren aged 9-17.9 years: The FUPRECOL study

El propósito del presente estudio era generar los valores normativos de salto largo para niños de 9-17.9 años, e investigar las diferencias de sexo y grupo de edad