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In the field of granular materials, a link between microscopic variables (contact force and displacement) and macroscopic variables (stress and strain) requires the use of an intermediate scale called "the mesoscopic scale." At this scale, several mesostructures have been identified and studied as aggregates of attached grains or voids, such as loops, pore spaces, and force chains. From these mesostructures, loops are particularly noteworthy, as they are the only structures not yet defined in 3D conditions. Loops form simple polygons that are capable of partitioning a 2D media into smaller closed spaces, where the sum of the loop surfaces is equal to the total surface of the specimen (known as the pavement property). Therefore, direct application of the definition of loops to 3D conditions leads to the formation of 2D shapes in a 3D media, thereby compromising the pavement property. In this thesis, we propose to extend the loop definition to the 3D case. First, a method to identify loops (2D) based on the merger of cells created through a Delaunay triangulation is analyzed. Then, an extension of this procedure to 3D conditions is proposed. As the newfound structures are no longer representative of the mathematical concept of a loop or cycle, they are named "clusters." These structures are shown to be more complex than their 2D counterpart, necessitating a larger number of metrics to quantify them. For this reason, the concepts of size and order are distinguished as the number of grains and the number of external frontiers, respectively. Furthermore, the concept of deformability is introduced as a way to quantify the interconnectivity of a loop-like structure. A series of 3D discrete element method (DEM) triaxial tests were performed in the software LIGGGHTS. An application was then developed to analyze the properties of clusters during the loading path and in regard to proximity to other coexisting internal granular structures (force chains and shear bands). It is shown that the average void ratio and deformability (capacity to deform) of clusters increase with their size. Furthermore, an increase in the number of denser clusters is observed during the macroscopic strain contraction phase and of looser ones during the dilation. Finally, a relation between force chains, shear bands, and clusters is established. All the aforementioned cluster characteristics are known for 2D loops. Thus, clusters can be seen as extensions of loops in 3D conditions.

This book shows how individuals develop a unique style or 'melody' of living, beyond physical and social constraints.

Rede Alta Velocidade, SA (RAVE), the state-owned company responsible for planning and developing a major high-speed rail project in Portugal, must persuade both public officials and lenders that the project is worth undertaking. It must also make a recommendation on the appropriate organizational form for the enterprise. Specifically, it must determine the role of the Portuguese government in financing and operating the high-speed rail network, with options ranging from full development and management of the project by the public sector to completely private development and management. Lying in between these two polar cases were a variety of hybrid models, often referred to as public-private partnerships (PPPs). Using data in the case, students have the opportunity to perform a benefit-cost analysis of the project. They also must think carefully about the optimal role of the government in a major new infrastructure project. After analyzing and discussing the case, students will be able to: -Understand the nature of a global public good -Perform a back-of-the-envelope benefit-cost analysis of polio eradication -Discuss the appropriate strategy for eradicating an infectious disease -Apply game theory to analyzing which countries would be likely to contribute funds toward global polio eradication -Discuss the role of private organizations in the provision of global public goods.

This book intends to open the debate between three main aspects of clinical practice: psychotherapy (including psychological and philosophical influences), neurobiology and pharmacology. These three main themes are clinically applied in what we call the “Intervention Triangle”. The book will first focus on epistemologically distinct frameworks and gradually attempt to consider the integration of these three fundamental vertexes of practice. These vertexes are substantially unbalanced in the mental health field, and thus, this book tries to make sense of this phenomenon. Unique in its interdisciplinary and comprehensive view of mental health problems and approaches, this book offers a new perspective on unidisciplinary integration that previous publications have not considered. As an innovative contribution to its field, this volume will be particularly relevant to practitioners working towards integrative frameworks. It will also be of interest to students, clinicians and researchers, in particular, those working in psychology, medicine, psychiatry, philosophy, social work, and pharmacy.

A Porta do Sol Luis Filipe é um jovem engenheiro com uma carreira promissora. O trabalho leva-o ao Norte de África inserido num grande projecto da ”Cidade do Futuro”. Sem querer, descobre um ficheiro com informação confidencia de um grande grupo económico e a sua vida transformou-se na aventura mais alucinante que algum dia pôde imaginar. Quando menos esperava, apaixonou-se perdidamente por Ryana, uma bela argelina descendente da Dinastia de Homar Saíde. Com uma persistência quase obsessiva pela descoberta, vai desenterrar uma história guardada durante quatro séculos que lhe mudou o destino para o resto da vida. A aventura de Luis Filipe é marcada por dramas, perdas irreparáveis e paixões marcantes. Aprende a sobreviver mesmo quando sente a vida presa pelo fio da navalha. “Alina” significa o Além que representa o Céu, o Mar e o Deserto.

Literatura de cordel is a genre of folk literature popular in the northeastern region of Brazil. From The Cambridge history of Latin American literature: " ... there is a large and vibrant printed literature known as literatura de cordel (the name refers to the cord on which the little booklets were customarily suspended for display.)" Popular topics include "a wide array of journalistic accounts, religious fables, comic escapades, and love and adventure stories which might feature regional figures such as the northeastern bandits known as cangaceiros." (Candace Slater, The Cambridge history of Latin American literature, 1996, pp. 315-316.).

Alternative and renewable energy sources already play a very decisive role in the development of human society, helping to fulfill increasing energy demands from both industrialized and underdeveloped countries, as well as economic needs, which must comply with a decarbonized economy, decreasing the energy impact on the global environment. Among these alternative energy sources, fuels such as biodiesel, methanol, and methane are good examples of how the previous design can be achieved, as these fuels can be obtained from renewable sources, used in applications such as transportation systems, electricity generation, fuel conversion, and even for electricity storage, with reduced impact on air emissions. This Special Issue includes papers on new and innovative technical developments or approaches, reviews, case studies, as well as assessment, papers from different disciplines, which are relevant to the optimization of biodiesel, methane/methanol production systems, simultaneously resulting in air quality improvement.