A Ilha de São Sebastião, localizada no Embaiamento de São Paulo, representa a fronteira entre a plataforma ao sul, coberta predominantemente por sedimentos lamosos derivados da pluma de água do Rio da Prata, e a plataforma ao norte, onde a distribuição de sedimentos provém de múltiplas fontes e com granulometria variável. O ressurgimento gerado pelas dinâmicas de massas de água, através do avanço e retração da Água Central do Atlântico Sul, aporta quantidade considerável de sedimentos para a plataforma interna, que então são transportados devido aos regimes oceanográficos atuantes, com correntes que alternam sazonalmente e que fluem em resposta à direção dominante dos ventos. A interação entre estes sedimentos e a complexa fisiografia da costa da Ilha de São Sebastião possibilita a deposição de um depósito sedimentar em forma de cunha de escala quilométrica, identificado pela primeira vez durante o cruzeiro oceanográfico NAP-Geosedex, em 2013, a bordo do NOc. Alpha Crucis. A análise de dados sísmicos coletados com quatro tipos de fontes diferentes ao longo de três cruzeiros oceanográficos, aliada a resultados ainda não publicados de datação e taxa de sedimentação de um testemunho sedimentar de 4 m de comprimento, permitiram a proposição de um modelo genético e evolutivo para a cunha sedimentar. Ademais, propõe-se a inserção da cunha no contexto global de depósitos progradantes de sedimentos fluviais da plataforma interna, segundo as nomenclaturas Cunha Progradante Infralitoral (Infralitoral Prograding Wedge - IPW) e Depocentros Lamosos (Mud Depocenters- MDCs). O depósito é formado por uma unidade inferior transgressiva (TST- Unidade U1) subjacente a um depósito característico de nível de mar alto (TSNA), formado, por sua vez, por três unidades (U2, U3 e U4), que exibem padrões progradantes e agradacionais. De acordo com a análise do testemunho, as idades da base das unidades superiores U3 e U4 datam de 1484 e 422 anos, respectivamente, sendo estimada uma idade de 6520 anos para o início da deposição do TSNA, o que ocorreu ao final da subida do nível do mar após o Último Máximo Glacial. As características de idade e de estrutura interna da cunha sedimentar possibilitam concluir que se trata de um depósito misto, com características tanto de IPWs como de MDCs. / The Sao Sebastião Island, located in the Bight of São Paulo, is the boundary between the continental shelf to the south, covered by muddy sediments mainly derived from the La Plata River\'s water plume, and the shelf to the north, where the sediment distribution comes from multiple sources and is variable in grain size. The upwelling generated by the water masses dynamics through the advance and retreat of the South Atlantic Central Water, carries considerable amount of sediment to the inner shelf, which are then transported due to active oceanographic regimes, with seasonally alternating current that flows in response to the prevailing wind direction. The interaction between these sediments and the complex physiography of the coast of São Sebastião Island enables the deposition of a sedimentary deposit in the form of a kilometric scale wedge, first identified during the oceanographic cruise NAP-Geosedex in 2013, aboard the R/V Alpha Crucis. The analysis of seismic data collected from four different sources over three oceanographic cruises, combined with results of dating and sedimentation rate of a 4 m long core, allowed the proposition of a genetic and evolutionary model for the sedimentary wedge. Furthermore, it is proposed the wedge insertion in the global context of progradational deposits of river sediments in the inner shelf, according to the terms Infralittoral Prograding Wedge (IPW) and Mud Depocenters (MDCs). The deposit is composed by a lower transgressive unit (TST - Unit U1) underlying a characteristic deposit of highstand sea level (HST), which comprises three units (U2, U3 and U4). These HST units exhibit a progradational and agradational patterns. According to the sediment core analysis, the ages of the base of the two topmost units U3 and U4 dating from 1484 and 422 years B.P., respectively. The estimated age of the onset of deposition of the HST is 6520 years B.P., which occurred at the end of the sea level rise after the Last Glacial Maximum transgression. The age and the internal structure of the sedimentary wedge allow the conclusion that it is a mixed deposit, which has characteristics of both IPWs and MDCs.

The problem of how sand and mud was distributed downslope, within linked alluvial-brackish water-marine shoreline systems of an extensive clastic wedge is addressed here. The Iles Clastic wedge accumulated over a time period of a few million years (my), and its component high-frequency regressive-transgressive sequences have a duration of a few 100 thousand years (ky). The sediment partitioning study provides insight into where the thickest sandstones and mudstones were located, and generates a model that can be applied to improving the management of hydrocarbons or water resources. A 300 km 2-D study transect across the Iles Clastic Wedge in SW Wyoming and N Colorado included subsurface well log information and outcrop stratigraphic columns. This information was used to correlate high-frequency sequences across several hundred kilometers, characterize depositional processes from proximal to distal reaches, develop a sediment partitioning model, and understand the role of the likely drivers in the development of the wedge and its internal sequences. The main results of this study are: (1) The Iles Clastic Wedge spans 3 my (500 m thick) and is composed internally of 11 sequences of 200-400 ky, each of which have significant regressive-transgressive transits of up to 90 km. Sediment partitioning analysis shows that within the regressive limb of the large wedge, the component regressive compartments tend to thicken basinwards, whereas transgressive compartments thicken landwards. This geometry is driven by preferential erosion in proximal areas during regression, bypassing much sediment to the marine shorelines, and transgressive backfilling into proximal areas previously eroded more deeply. (2) The greatest concentration of sands tends to be located in the proximal fluvial and estuarine facies of the transgressive compartments and within the medial shoreline/deltaic facies of the regressive compartments. (3) As the high-frequency sequences developed, the effectiveness of basinward sand partitioning reaches a maximum value near the peak regression level of the wedge, reflecting stronger erosion and sediment bypass during this times. (4) The development of the Iles Clastic Wedge was influenced by both tectonic and eustatic drivers, with important tectonic control in the upstream reaches. On a 4th-order timescale, the Iles Wedge internal sequences were likely influenced mainly by eustasy. / text

Ice and frost wedges are a geomorphological phenomenon which is directly related to periglacial environment and permafrost (Murton, 2007). The presence of permafrost in the territory of the Czech Republic in the Pleistocene period is directly proven by polygonal nets of ice and frost wedge pseudomorphs, which are clearly visible in some remote sensing images. Among others, they can also be used as indicators of paleoenvironmental conditions for the period in which their recent forms originated and developed and for the period of their secondary infilling (Sekyra, 1958). The present thesis focuses on the spatial distribution and morphology of polygonal nets of ice and frost wedge pseudomorphs which were created in the territory of the Czech Republic at the end of Pleistocene and the beginning of Holocene. The analysis of the spatial distribution of polygonal nets was carried out with freely available remote sensing images provided by the GoogleEarth Pro application (Google Inc., 2011). The number of locations with a potential presence of pseudomorphs was 629. Out of these, 49 were subjected to a morphometric analysis of polygonal nets and their corresponding landscape. Statistical data analysis showed that the described polygonal nets of ice and frost wedge pseudomorphs in the territory of the Czech Republic...

Le syndrome confusionnel postopératoire (SCPO) chez la personne âgée (PA) est une complication fréquente et potentiellement grave. Sa prévention constitue donc un axe de travail essentiel dans une démarche globale et multidisciplinaire d’amélioration de la prise en soin des PA en chirurgie. Après une revue de la littérature, nous avons élaboré un programme multidisciplinaire de prévention du SCPO et sa méthodologie d’évaluation. Ce programme est actuellement en cours d’évaluation grâce à une étude interventionnelle, contrôlée, randomisée en stepped wedge (étude CONFUCIUS, financée par le Programme de Recherche en Qualité Hospitalière) au sein de trois services de chirurgie (orthopédie, digestif, urologie). À ce jour, 51 patients (âge moyen = 81,6 ans et 45% de femmes) ont été inclus. Le programme de prévention sera déployé à partir de novembre 2012 dans le service de chirurgie orthopédique en collaboration avec l’équipe mobile de gériatrie de l’établissement. Préalablement, nous avons évalué les connaissances et la perception des soignants relatives au SCPO grâce à une approche quantitative et qualitative. Celles-ci sont insuffisantes, tout particulièrement concernant les signes cliniques et le diagnostic. En effet, seuls 4% des soignants connaissaient la forme hypoactive et aucun l’outil diagnostique de référence, la Confusion Assessment Method. Une banalisation du SCPO a été mise en évidence, des croyances et des représentations persistent. Cela montre qu’il est nécessaire de lutter contre les idées reçues avant d’engager toute action de prévention. Nos travaux s’inscrivent dans une démarche globale et multidisciplinaire d’amélioration de la qualité et de la sécurité des soins en chirurgie et seront poursuivis, notamment par une étude permettant de déterminer le rôle prédictif des biomarqueurs du liquide céphalo-rachidien dans la survenue de SCPO et d’une démence 12 mois après l’intervention chirurgicale chez la PA / Postoperative delirium is common in elderly and is associated with a significant increase in mortality, complications, length of hospital stay and admission in long care facility. Although several interventions have proved their effectiveness to prevent it, the Cochrane advises an assessment of multifaceted intervention using rigorous methodology bases on randomized study design. After a review of literature, a multifaceted program of delirium prevention coordinated by a mobile geriatric team (MGT) was created. This program is currently being evaluated in a randomized, controlled, interventional, stepped wedge study (the CONFUCIUS study funding by the National French Program of Hospital Quality Research) within three surgical departments (orthopedics, gastroenterology, and urology). To date, 51 patients (mean age of 81.6 years; 45% female) have been included. The program will be rolled out from November 2012 in the department of orthopedic surgery in collaboration with the hospital’s MGT. Prior to the implementation of the prevention program, the knowledge base in older postoperative delirium. Only 4% of nursing staff knew the hypoactive form and none of nursing staff knew the Confusion Assessment Method. In addition, some stereotypes persist. This work is part of a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to improving quality and safety in surgical care. It will be followed by a study aiming to determine the capacity of cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in predicting the onset of POD and dementia 12 months after surgery

Wetting and spreading of liquid systems on solid substrates under transient conditions, driven by surface tension and viscous forces along with the interface interactions (e.g., a substrate dissolution or diffusion and/or chemical reaction) is a complex problem, still waiting to be fully understood. In this study we have performed an extensive experimental investigation of liquid aluminum alloy spreading over aluminum substrate along with corroboration with theoretical modeling, performed in separate but coordinate study. Wetting and spreading to be considered take place during a transient formation of the free liquid surface in both sessile drop and wedge-tee mating surfaces’ configurations. The AA3003 is used as a substrate and a novel self-fluxing material called TrilliumTM is considered as the filler metal. In addition, benchmark, non-reactive cases of spreading of water and silicon oil over quartz glass are considered. The study is performed experimentally by a high temperature optical dynamic contact angle measuring system and a standard and high speed visible light camera, as well as with infra read imaging. Benchmark tests of non-reactive systems are conducted under ambient environment’s conditions. Molten metal experiment series featured aluminum and silicone alloys under controlled atmosphere at elevated temperatures. The chamber atmosphere is maintained by the ultra-high purity nitrogen gas purge process with the temperature monitored in real time in situ. Different configurations of the wedge-tee joints are designed to explore different parameters impacting the kinetics of the triple line movement process. Different power law relationships are identified, supporting subsequent theoretical analysis and simulation. Under ambient temperature conditions, the non-reactive liquid wetting and spreading experiments (water and oil systems) were studied to verify the equilibrium triple line location relationships. The kinetics relationship between the dynamic contact angle and the triple line location is identified. Additional simulation and theoretical analysis of the triple line movement is conducted using the commercial computer software platform Comsol in a collaboration with a team from Washington State University within the NSF sponsored Grant #1235759 and # 1234581. The experimental work conducted here has been complemented by a verification of the Comsol phase-field modeling. Both segments of work (experimental and numerical) are parts of the collaborative NSF sponsored project involving the University of Kentucky and Washington State University. The phase field modeling used in this work was developed at the Washington State University and data are corroborated with experimental results obtained within the scope of this Thesis.

Subsidence is one of the main factors controlling the stratigraphy and overall stratal architecture in tectonically active basins. This was particularly important in the Western US Cordilleran foreland and Laramide basins when some other controls were minor, e.g. reduced eustatic fluctuations in the late Cretaceous greenhouse period. The first part of the dissertation examines the upper Campanian Williams Fork Clastic Wedge (WFCW) in southern Wyoming and northern Colorado, through an outcrop and subsurface database. The WFCW built out from the Sevier orogenic belt like earlier clastic wedges, but its large-scale geometry changed as basement involved Laramide structures partitioned it. At the center of the WFCW there is an extensive fluvial sandstone sheet, the Canyon Creek Member of the Ericson Formation. From its proximal to distal reaches (~200 km) there is a first order trend of stratigraphic thickening and net-to-gross reduction, and a change from braided to meandering depositional style. These trends are caused by isostatic rebound of the foreland basin during periods of relative quiescence in the Sevier orogenic belt and by the eastward migration of dynamic subsidence. However, this long spatial trend was markedly modified by differential subsidence across Laramide-style structures. The Campanian age initiation of the Laramide structures appears to be earlier than the Maastrichtian to Paleogene age commonly attributed to the initiation of this orogeny. The second part of this research focuses on the transgressive limb of the WFCW, particularly on two sandstone bodies isolated in marine mudstones in the uppermost Almond Formation. The sandstone bodies previously interpreted as lowstand shoreline deposits are re-interpreted as transgressive shelf ridges generated by tidal currents and storm waves. There are limited examples of ancient tidal shelf ridges published and no facies model was described. Using Almond Fm. outcrops and examples from the literature, the diagnostic characteristics of storm and tidal shelf ridges are presented. The third part of the dissertation investigates the effects of differential subsidence on the large scale stratigraphic infill of a foreland basin through a geometric model and a series of flume experiments. The mathematical model and flume experiments show that despite constant allogenic forcing, three distinct autogenic responses in stratal architecture, associated with the imposed tectonic and sediment supply conditions are possible. The first response was “autoretreat”, where shoreline migration switched from initial progradation to retrogradation. The second response was progradation followed by constant aggradation. The third response was maintained progradation with a markedly accelerating rate, a new autogenic behavior termed “shoreline autoacceleration”. / text

Climate warming has the potential to alter the structure and function of Arctic ecosystems in ways that are not fully understood. Polygonal terrain is a widespread permafrost feature of Arctic landscapes that is likely to be impacted by warming ground temperatures. This is of particular relevance in the uplands in the Mackenzie Delta region, where high-centre ice wedge polygon fields comprise 10% of the terrestrial landscape, and mean annual ground temperatures have increased between 1 and 2°C over the last 40 years (Burn and Kokelj 2009). I used broad-scale airphoto analysis and fine-scale field studies to investigate the impacts and possible trajectories of ice wedge degradation in the upland tundra north of Inuvik, NWT. Field investigations were undertaken to characterize biotic and abiotic conditions and feedbacks in stable and degrading high-centre polygons. Field surveys were conducted along transects which crossed three polygon micropositions (centres, edges and troughs) and targeted a degradation sequence from stable troughs to ice wedge melt ponds. I measured surface microtopography, active layer depth, water depth, plant community composition, soil gravimetric moisture, late winter snow depth, and shallow annual ground temperatures. Field data showed that ice wedge degradation drove increases in soil moisture, standing water depth, ground surface collapse, ground temperature, and active layer thaw and snow pack compared to stable troughs. These changing abiotic conditions drove the shift from mesic upland tundra plant communities to unvegetated melt ponds. Interactions between abiotic and biotic factors in degrading troughs increase ground temperature and contribute to positive feedbacks for ice wedge degradation. Analysis of broad-scale factors affecting ice wedge degradation involved the mapping of high-centre polygon distribution across the study area and the distribution of ice wedge melt ponds using high-resolution aerial photographs from 2004. Recent changes in melt pond area were also mapped using imagery dating from 1972. Thermokarst activity in polygonal terrain adjacent to anthropogenic disturbances was also assessed. Polygon fields were more abundant and larger in the northern part of the study area, where ground temperature conditions were most favourable for ice wedge formation. Spatial variation in polygonal terrain density was also related to topography, drainage, and the distribution of lacustrine sediments. Melt pond mapping and assessment of thermokarst at anthropogenic disturbances showed that ice wedges at higher latitudes are more susceptible to degradation primarily because these areas are underlain by larger and more abundant ice wedges. Melt pond mapping confirmed that the polygonal fields north of 69.4°N have shown both large increases and decreases in area, and that polygons in the south have been relatively stable in recent decades. The increased thaw sensitivity of polygonal terrain at higher latitudes has implications for soil carbon dynamics, terrestrial ecosystems, and the planning and maintenance of infrastructure as air and ground temperatures continue to increase. / Graduate / 0329 / 0372 / 0388

Background: Although physical inactivity has been linked with numerous chronic health conditions and overall mortality, the majority of English adults report insufficient physical activity. To increase population physical activity levels, researchers have called for more community-level interventions. To evaluate these complex public health interventions, innovative study designs are required. The aim of this thesis was to evaluate whether a community-level physical activity intervention—‘Devon Active Villages’—increased the activity levels of rural communities. Methods: The Devon Active Villages intervention provided villages with 12 weeks of physical activity opportunities for all age groups. Community engagement helped tailor activity programmes for each village; communities were then supported for a further 12 months. 128 rural villages from south-west England were randomised to receive the intervention in one of four time periods, as part of a stepped wedge cluster randomised controlled trial. Data collection consisted of a postal survey of a random sample of adults (≥18 years), at baseline, and after each of the four intervention periods. The primary outcome of interest was the proportion of adults who reported sufficient physical activity to meet the current guidelines (≥150mins of moderate-and-vigorous, or ≥75mins of vigorous-intensity activity per week). The number of minutes spent in moderate-and-vigorous activity per week was analysed as a secondary outcome. Using data from all five periods, a comparison of study outcomes between intervention and control arms was performed, allowing for time period (as a fixed effect), and the random effect induced by correlation of outcomes (clustering) within villages. Additionally, the baseline data were analysed separately using logistic and linear regression models to examine the correlates of physical activity behaviour in rural adults. Results: Baseline study: 2415 adults completed the postal survey (response rate 37.7%). The following factors both increased the odds of meeting the recommended activity guidelines and were associated with more leisure-time physical activity: being male, in good health, greater commitment to being more active, favourable activity social norms, greater physical activity habit, and recent use of recreational facilities. In addition, there was evidence that younger age, lower body mass index, having a physical occupation, dog ownership, inconvenience of public transport, and using recreational facilities outside the local village were associated with greater reported leisure-time physical activity. Main study: 10,412 adults (4693 intervention, 5719 control) completed the postal survey (response rate 32.2%). The intervention did not increase the odds of adults meeting the physical activity guideline, although there was weak evidence of an increase in the minutes of moderate-and-vigorous-intensity activity per week. The ineffectiveness of the intervention may have been due to its low penetration—only 16% of intervention participants reported being aware of the intervention, and just 4% reported participating in intervention events. Conclusions: Baseline study: This study highlights potentially important correlates of physical activity that could be the focus of interventions targeting rural populations, and demonstrates the need to examine rural adults separately from their urban counterparts. Main study: A community-level physical activity intervention providing tailored physical activity opportunities to rural villages did not improve physical activity levels in adults. Greater penetration of such interventions needs to be achieved for them to have any chance of increasing the prevalence of physical activity at the community level.

Slamming of marine planing craft is expected to arise due to the high speed nature of their operating conditions. High hydrodynamic forces are inevitably induced causing the shell plating to deflect, which in turn can influence the flow physics surrounding the hull. In order to study the hull’s hydroelastic response due to a slamming event, wedge drop experiments were performed with an aluminum wedge of 57 inches in length, 47 inches in breadth, and 20 degree deadrise with 1/4 in. thick unstiffened bottom panels. The elastic behavior of the hull plating was measured via two methods. The first method uses strain gages to analyze the wedge’s deadrise panel deflections, and the second method is a Stereoscopic- Digital Image Correlation (S-DIC) technique. In the present investigation, an S-DIC code has been developed and utilized to study the deflections and to advance the capabilities of future research. Comparisons are made between the methods and also with theoretical studies. The deflections measured are approximately 0.1 in. on a panel spanning 24.5 inches, and the predictions made using S-DIC and strain gages differ by approximately 23%.

The diverse applications of advanced marine craft ascribed to their high speed and technological advancements has led to the use of stronger and lighter metals in such crafts. High speed, in effect also increases slamming loads as higher speed increases frequency of wave encounter while operating in waves. The present study is limited to wedge impact models. Fundamentally, the study is thus about two-dimensional (2D) wedge impact in water. In an attempt to predict the structural response to impact hydrodynamic force, a beam element based finite element (FE) computer program is written and the results of the code are presented in the thesis. A computational tool is developed to predict the transient elastic response of a 2D wedge under impact force using two different numerical methods. Both explicit and implicit numerical schemes have also been studied in order to apply to the present work. Explicit forth order Runge-Kutta (RK4) method and implicit Newmark-b (NB) method have been used in the present work. Coupling effects between excitation and response are ignored in the present numerical computations. Both the numerical schemes are validated using simple static solution and also modal expansion technique.