Local classification of singular hexagonal 3-webs with holomorphic Chern connection form and infinitesimal symmetries

Implicit ODE, cubic in derivative, generically has no infinitesimal symmetries even at regular points with distinct roots. Cartan showed that at regular points, ODEs with hexagonal 3-web of solutions have symmetry algebras of the maximal possible dimension 3. At singular points such a web can lose all its symmetries. In this paper we study hexagonal 3-webs having at least one infinitesimal symmetry at singular points. In particular, we establish sufficient conditions for the existence of non-trivial symmetries and show that under natural assumptions such a symmetry is semi-simple, i.e. is a scaling in some coordinates. Using the obtained results, we provide a complete classification of hexagonal singular 3-web germs in the complex plane, satisfying the following two conditions: 1) the Chern connection form is holomorphic at the singular point, 2) the web admits at least one infinitesimal symmetry at this point. As a by-product, a classification of hexagonal weighted homogeneous 3-webs is obtained.

Titanium K-edge XAS study on local structure of Pb1-xCaxTiO3 ferroelectric ceramics

In order to characterize the local structure of Pb1-xCaxTiO3 (PCT) samples, Ti K-edge XANES measurements were performed and showed that Ca incorporation to PbTiO3 structure leads to a decreasing of local distortion of Ti atoms in relation to oxygen atoms at the TiO6 octahedra. Moreover, according to EXAFS measurements, the local structure around Ti atoms exhibits tetragonal symmetry with P4mm space group for samples with x <= 0.475, whereas orthorhombic symmetry with Pbnm space group was observed for x equals to 0.50 and 0.55.

Mapping for environmental planning the basin of Córrego Rico, São Paulo

The landuse is usually an human phenomenon that occurs over the years, due to population increase. The territorial knowledge is needed, and is the first step for environmental planning to implement conservation practices on agricultural production system. This study aimed to develop thematic maps as: hydrography, soil, slope, land use, and subbasins to obtain the main geomorphic morphometric data (physical) of the Córrego Rico Watershed. The techniques of remote sensing and geographic information system were used to elaborate the maps and for calculating the geomorphological data, as area, altitude and length of the drainage net, which were submitted to multivariate statistics. The Córrego Rico Watershed has an area of 563 km2 . The predominant slopes were 3-8%, with 55.3% of the total area; and the main use was sugar cane. The soils that predominate in the area are Oxisols towards the Mogi-Guaçú river mouth and Ultisols at the upstream of the basin.

A simplified Fermi Accelerator Model under quadratic frictional force

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Existence and asymptotic behaviour for the parabolic-parabolic Keller-Segel system with singular data

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Boundary crisis and transient in a dissipative relativistic standard map

Some dynamical properties for a problem concerning the acceleration of particles in a wave packet are studied. The model is described in terms of a two-dimensional nonlinear map obtained from a Hamiltonian which describes the motion of a relativistic standard map. The phase space is mixed in the sense that there are regular and chaotic regions coexisting. When dissipation is introduced, the property of area preservation is broken and attractors emerge. We have shown that a tiny increase of the dissipation causes a change in the phase space. A chaotic attractor as well as its basin of attraction are destroyed thereby leading the system to experience a boundary crisis. We have characterized such a boundary crisis via a collision of the chaotic attractor with the stable manifold of a saddle fixed point. Once the chaotic attractor is destroyed, a chaotic transient described by a power law with exponent 1 is observed. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

One-dimensional Fermi accelerator model with moving wall described by a nonlinear van der Pol oscillator

A modification of the one-dimensional Fermi accelerator model is considered in this work. The dynamics of a classical particle of mass m, confined to bounce elastically between two rigid walls where one is described by a nonlinear van der Pol type oscillator while the other one is fixed, working as a reinjection mechanism of the particle for a next collision, is carefully made by the use of a two-dimensional nonlinear mapping. Two cases are considered: (i) the situation where the particle has mass negligible as compared to the mass of the moving wall and does not affect the motion of it; and (ii) the case where collisions of the particle do affect the movement of the moving wall. For case (i) the phase space is of mixed type leading us to observe a scaling of the average velocity as a function of the parameter (χ) controlling the nonlinearity of the moving wall. For large χ, a diffusion on the velocity is observed leading to the conclusion that Fermi acceleration is taking place. On the other hand, for case (ii), the motion of the moving wall is affected by collisions with the particle. However, due to the properties of the van der Pol oscillator, the moving wall relaxes again to a limit cycle. Such kind of motion absorbs part of the energy of the particle leading to a suppression of the unlimited energy gain as observed in case (i). The phase space shows a set of attractors of different periods whose basin of attraction has a complicated organization. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Dynamical properties for a mixed Fermi accelerator model

The behavior of the decay of velocity in a semi-dissipative one-dimensional Fermi accelerator model is considered. Two different kinds of dissipative forces were considered: (i) F-v and; (ii) F-v2. We prove the decay of velocity is linear for (i) and exponential for (ii). During the decay, the particles move along specific corridors which are constructed by the borders of the stable manifolds of saddle points. These corridors organize themselves in a very complicated way in the phase space leading the basin of attraction of the sinks to be seemingly of fractal type. © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Reduction capability of soil humic substances from the Rio Negro basin, Brazil, towards Hg(II) studied by a multimethod approach and principal component analysis (PCA)

This paper characterizes humic substances (HS) extracted from soil samples collected in the Rio Negro basin in the state of Amazonas, Brazil, particularly investigating their reduction capabilities towards Hg(II) in order to elucidate potential mercury cycling/volatilization in this environment. For this reason, a multimethod approach was used, consisting of both instrumental methods (elemental analysis, EPR, solid-state NMR, FIA combined with cold-vapor AAS of Hg(0)) and statistical methods such as principal component analysis (PCA) and a central composite factorial planning method. The HS under study were divided into groups, complexing and reducing ones, owing to different distribution of their functionalities. The main functionalities (cor)related with reduction of Hg(II) were phenolic, carboxylic and amide groups, while the groups related with complexation of Hg(II) were ethers, hydroxyls, aldehydes and ketones. The HS extracted from floodable regions of the Rio Negro basin presented a greater capacity to retain (to complex, to adsorb physically and/or chemically) Hg(II), while nonfloodable regions showed a greater capacity to reduce Hg(II), indicating that HS extracted from different types of regions contribute in different ways to the biogeochemical mercury cycle in the basin of the mid-Rio Negro, AM, Brazil. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier B.V.

Pharmacological and local toxicity studies of a liposomal formulation for the novel local anaesthetic ropivacaine

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Impact of coal mining on water quality of three artificial lakes in Morozini River Basin (Treviso, Santa Catarina State, Brazil)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Local order around of germanium atoms in Ga10Ge25S65 glass by EXAFS

Irreversible photoexpansion effect has been observed in amorphous Ga10Ge2S65 glasses when its surface was exposed to light with energy greater than the band gap, 3.52 eV. A volume change of about 5% was reached in bulk samples by controlling illumination time and the laser power density. To understand the atomic scale processes of the photoexpansion effect, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy has been used as a local probe of the germanium environment in the glass samples before and after illumination. Modifications are observed in the average coordination shell around Ge atoms in the illuminated sample compared to the non-illuminated one. For the non-illuminated sample, the Ge coordination shell is described by a distorted tetrahedron of sulfur atoms at around 2.20 Angstrom. After illumination, the EXAFS signal can be explained by introducing an additional contribution to this average environment. Based on an analysis of the EXAFS data we proposed a two-shell model of 0.5 oxygen atoms at 2.01 Angstrom and 3.6 sulfur atoms at a 2.20 Angstrom. The existence of Ge-O bonds in the glass after illumination was confirmed by infrared measurements. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Local and nanoscopic structure of potassium triflate-doped siloxane-polyoxyethylene ormolytes

Siloxane-poly(oxyethylene) hybrids obtained by the sol-gel process and containing short polymer chain have been doped with potassium triflate (KCF3SO3). The local structure of these hybrids was investigated by X-ray absorption spectroscopy near the potassium K-edge. Small angle X-ray scattering was used to determine the structure at the nanometer scale. Results revealed that at low and medium potassium concentration (n = [O][K] >= 8, where n represents the molar ratio of ether-type oxygen atoms per alkaline cation) the cations interact mainly with the polymer chains, while at larger doping level (n < 8) the formation of a polyehter:KCF3SO3 Complex is observed. The nanoscopic structure of the hybrids is also affected by doping. By increasing the doping level, decreasing trends in the electronic density contrast between siloxane nanoparticles and polyether matrix and in the siloxane interparticle distance are observed. At high doping level the small angle X-ray scattering patterns are strongly modified, showing the disappearance of the correlation peak and the formation of a potassium-containing nanophase. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Prevalence of trachoma in a population of the upper Rio Negro basin and risk factors for active disease

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of trachoma in Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira (SGC), the only urban community of the upper Rio Negro Basin of the Amazon state in Brazil, near the Colombian border, and to investigate the risk factors associated with the active forms of the disease. Methods: A total of 1702 people (440 children up to 9 years and 1069 adults aged 15 years and above) were examined. The sample was selected from a probabilistic household sampling procedure based on census data and a previous study of trachoma prevalence in Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira. A two-stage probabilistic household cluster sample was drawn. Household units were randomly selected within each cluster. A variety of socioeconomic and hygiene variables were studied in order to determine the risk factors for active trachoma in a household. Results: The total prevalence of trachoma was 8.9%. Prevalence of active trachoma (TF and/or TI) in children aged 1-9 years was 11.1% and trachomatous trichiasis in adults aged 15 years and above was 0.19%. Trachomatous scarring reached a peak of 22.4% for subjects between 50 to 60 years of age. Corneal opacity occurred in subjects aged 50 years and older with a prevalence of 2.0%. No sex effect was found on the overall prevalence of trachoma in SGC. Risk factors associated with active trachoma were mainly related to poor socioeconomic indicators. Conclusions: Despite the ubiquitous presence of water, the analysis of the risk factors associated with the active forms of the disease supports the idea that a low personal standard of hygiene and not water availability per se, is the key factor associated with trachoma. Copyright © 2008 Informa Healthcare USA, Inc.

Local and regional features of surface radiation fluxes over the tropical Atlantic ocean near Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo archipelago: Evidence of small scale upwelling

To properly describe the interactions between the ocean and atmosphere, it is necessary to assess a variety of time and spatial scales phenomena. Here, high resolution oceanographic and meteorological data collected during an observational campaign carried out aboard a ship in the tropical Atlantic Ocean, on May 15-24, 2002, is used to describe the radiation balance at the ocean interface. Data collected by two PIRATA buoys, along the equator at 23°W and 35°W and satellite and climate data are compared with the data obtained during the observational campaign. Comparison indicates remarkable similarity for daily and hourly values of radiation fluxes components as consequence of the temporal and spatial consistence presented by the air and water temperatures measured in situ and estimated from large scale information. The discrepancy, mainly in the Sao Pedro and Sao Paulo Archipelago area, seems to be associated to the local upwelling of cold water, which is not detected in all other estimates investigated here. More in situ data are necessary to clarify whether this upwelling flow has a larger scale effect and what are the meteorological and oceanographic implications of the local upwelling area on the tropical waters at the Brazilian coast.