Aspectos dinâmicos e ergódicos dos intercâmbios de intervalos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Ergodic properties of triangle partitions

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Ergodic crossover in partially self-avoiding stochastic walks

Consider a one-dimensional environment with N randomly distributed sites. An agent explores this random medium moving deterministically with a spatial memory μ. A crossover from local to global exploration occurs in one dimension at a well-defined memory value μ1=log2N. In its stochastic version, the dynamics is ruled by the memory and by temperature T, which affects the hopping displacement. This dynamics also shows a crossover in one dimension, obtained computationally, between exploration schemes, characterized yet by the trajectory size (Np) (aging effect). In this paper we provide an analytical approach considering the modified stochastic version where the parameter T plays the role of a maximum hopping distance. This modification allows us to obtain a general analytical expression for the crossover, as a function of the parameters μ, T, and Np. Differently from what has been proposed by previous studies, we find that the crossover occurs in any dimension d. These results have been validated by numerical experiments and may be of great value for fixing optimal parameters in search algorithms. © 2013 American Physical Society.

Fluorescent amplified fragment length polymorphism genotyping of human and animal Staphylococcus aureus isolates from dairy farms with manual milking

Fluorescence amplified fragment length polymorphism (fAFLP) was used to assess the genetic relatedness of 40 Staphylococcus aureus strains isolated from human and animal skin samples in seven dairy farms with manual milking. S. aureus was isolated from 11 out of 30 (36%) human skin samples and from 29 out of 100 (29%) teat skin samples from apparently healthy cows. Genomic DNA from each isolate was double-digested with EcoRI and MseI and complementary oligonucleotide adaptors were ligated to the restriction fragments. Pre-selective and selective, amplification reactions were performed, the amplified fragments were separated by electrophoresis in an ABI377 sequencer and analysed using GeneScan 3.1 and Genotyper 2.5. Three single isolates (a-c), a predominant cluster with 35 isolates (d) and another cluster with two isolates (e) were identified. Both clusters d and e included human and animal isolates genetically related, because the profiles had 90-100% homology. Since no cluster was comprised uniquely of human or animal isolates and given the close genetic relatedness among human and animal samples in the farms, the present findings support the. hypothesis that dairy workers can spread S. aureus through manual milking. (C) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Black string corrections in variable tension braneworld scenarios

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and x-ray diffraction characterization of CuO-TiO2-CeO2 catalyst system

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), and x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) techniques have been applied to characterize the surface composition and structure of a series of CuO-TiO2-CeO2 catalysts. For a small loading of cerium, ceria was mainly dispersed on the titania surface and a minor amount of CeO2 crystallite appeared. At higher loading of cerium, the CeO2 phase increased and the atomic Ce/Ti ratio values were smaller than the nominal composition, as a consequence of cerium agglomeration. This result suggests that only a fraction of cerium can be spread on the titania surface. For titanium-based mixed oxide, we observed that cerium is found as Ce3+ uniquely on the surface. The atomic Cu/(Ce+Ti) ratio values showed no influence from cerium concentration on the dispersion of copper, although the copper on the surface was shown to be dependent on the cerium species. For samples with a high amount of cerium, XPS analysis indicated the raise of second titanium species due cerium with spin-orbit components at higher binding energies than those presented by Ti4+ in a tetragonal structure. The structural results obtained by XAS are consistent with those obtained by XRD and XPS. (C) 2001 American Vacuum Society.

Teleparallel origin of the Fierz picture for spin-2 particle

A new approach to the description of a spin-2 particle in flat and curved spacetime is developed on the basis of the teleparallel gravity theory. We show that such an approach is in fact a true and natural framework for the Fierz representation proposed recently by Novello and Neves. More specifically, we demonstrate how the teleparallel theory fixes uniquely the structure of the Fierz tensor, discover the transparent origin of the gauge symmetry of the spin-2 model, and derive the linearized Einstein operator from the fundamental identity of the teleparallel gravity. In order to cope with the consistency problem on the curved spacetime, similarly to the usual Riemannian approach, one needs to include the nonminimal (torsion dependent) coupling terms.

Magnetic Field Line Escape: Comparison with Mean Free Path

In the present work, we determine the fraction of magnetic field lines that reach the tokamak wall leaving the plasma surrounded by a chaotic layer created by resonant perturbations at the plasma edge. The chaotic layer arises in a scenario where an integrable magnetic field with reversed magnetic shear is perturbed by an ergodic magnetic limiter. For each considered line, we calculate its connection length, i.e. the number of toroidal turns that the field lines complete before reaching the wall. We represent the results in the poloidal section in which the initial coordinates are chosen. We also estimate the radial profile of the fraction of field lines, for different temperatures, whose connection lengths are smaller than the electron collisional mean free path.

Heterospecific sociality of birds on beaches from southeastern Brazil

Studies on the sociality of heterospecific assemblages of birds have promoted a greater understanding of the types of interactions and survivorship between coexisting species. This study verified the group compositions in bird assemblages and analyzed the sociality of migratory and resident species on sandy beaches of southeastern Brazil. A transect was established on the median portion of beaches and all the groups of bird species (monospecific, heterospecific) and solitary individuals were registered four days per month from November 2006 to April 2007. The sociality of each species was calculated by its frequency in heterospecific groups, its proportional number of contacts with other species in heterospecific groups, and the number of species that it associated with. Semipalmated Sandpiper Calidris pusilla (Linnaeus, 1766) and Semipalmated Plover Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte, 1825 (both migratory) had the highest degree of sociality and did not show a preference to associate with either residents or migratory species. Sanderling Calidris alba (Pallas, 1764) (migratory) occupied the third position in the sociality rank and associated with migratory species frequently. Southern Caracara Carara plancus (Miller, 1777) and Black Vulture Coragyps atratus (Beschstein, 1793) (both resident) were uniquely found among heterospecific groups with necrophagous and resident species. Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus Lichtenstein, 1823 (resident) associated more frequently with resident species. The sociality in assemblages of birds may promote advantages such as an increased collective awareness in dangerous situations and indication of sites with abundant food sources.

Determinação de fósforo microbiano: comparação entre métodos e coberturas florestais

Muitos trabalhos mostram a importância da biomassa microbiana do solo (BMS), principalmente como fonte/dreno de C e de N em plantações florestais; contudo, são escassos os trabalhos relacionados ao fósforo microbiano (PBM), sobretudo aqueles relativos aos métodos de determinação do PBM nesses ecossistemas. O presente trabalho foi realizado com o objetivo de avaliar métodos de determinação do PBM em solo com diferentes coberturas vegetais. O trabalho consistiu da análise de amostras de Latossolo Vermelho-Amarelo distrófico muito argiloso (LVAd) localizado no município de Viçosa (MG), coletadas nas profundidades de 0 a 5 e 5 a 10 cm, em áreas com as seguintes coberturas vegetais: pínus (Pinus taeda), eucalipto (Eucalyptus grandis) e floresta nativa. Para determinação do P microbiano, foram empregados os métodos fumigação-extração (FE), irradiação com micro-ondas-extração (IE) e irradiação com micro-ondas-extração com membrana de troca aniônica (EMTA). em termos gerais, menores teores de PBM foram obtidos com o método irradiação-extração. Considerando a cobertura vegetal, foi detectada diferença significativa entre os três métodos sob floresta de eucalipto e floresta nativa, principalmente na camada superficial. Sob pínus, apenas o método IE diferiu dos demais, na camada subsuperficial. Menores coeficientes de variação (CV) foram obtidos com o FE, retratando maior precisão do método. Entretanto, o método IE mostrou-se, em termos operacionais, o mais adequado à determinação do PBM quando se tem maior número de amostras. Com relação às coberturas vegetais, a grande variabilidade observada nos CVs obtidos para cada cobertura, nos três métodos testados, inviabiliza a escolha de um único método que apresente maior precisão na avaliação do PBM.

Fluorometric fiber optic drop sensor for atmospheric hydrogen sulfide

A fluorometric technique based on a liquid drop excited from its interior by an optical fiber is described for the measurement of low concentrations of atmospheric hydrogen sulfide (H2S). A drop of alkaline fluorescein mercuric acetate (FMA) solution is suspended in a flowing air sample stream and serves as a renewable sensor. An optical fiber contained within the conduit that forms the drop, brings in the excitation beam; the fluorescence emission is measured by an inexpensive photodiode positioned close to the drop. As H2S in the sample is collected by the alkaline drop, it reacts rapidly with FMA resulting in a significant decrease in fluorescence intensity, proportional to the concentration of H2S sampled. The chemistry of this uniquely selective reaction has been well established for many years, the present technique permits a simple fast inexpensive near real-time measurement with very little reagent consumption. Even without prolonged sampling/preconcentration steps, limits of detection (LODs) in the double digit ppbv range is readily attainable. (C) 1997 Elsevier B.V. B.V.

Virasoro constraints and flavor-topology duality in QCD

We derive Virasoro constraints for the zero momentum part of the QCD-like partition functions in the sector of topological charge v. The constraints depend on the topological charge only through the combination N-f +betav/2 where the value of the Dyson index beta is determined by the reality type of the fermions. This duality between flavor and topology is inherited by the small-mass expansion of the partition function and all spectral sum rules of inverse powers of the eigenvalues of the Dirac operator. For the special case beta =2 but arbitrary topological charge the Virasoro constraints are solved uniquely by a generalized Kontsevich model with the potential V(X) = 1/X.

Theory with a unique thermal effective potential

We show that for the pion-nucleon theory the thermal bubble graph is analytic at the origin of the momentum-frequency space, although the internal propagators in the loop have the same mass. This means that, for this theory, the thermal effective potential is uniquely defined. We then examine how a slight modification of the interaction term results in a theory for which the thermal bubble graph displays the usual nonanalyticity at the origin and the thermal effective potential is not uniquely defined.

Partial hyperbolicity for symplectic diffeomorphisms

We prove that every robustly transitive and every stably ergodic symplectic diffeomorphism on a compact manifold admits a dominated splitting. In fact, these diffeomorphisms are partially hyperbolic. (c) 2005 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Non-periodic bifurcations of one-dimensional maps

We prove that a 'positive probability' subset of the boundary of '{uniformly expanding circle transformations}' consists of Kupka-Smale maps. More precisely, we construct an open class of two-parameter families of circle maps (f(alpha,theta))(alpha,theta) such that, for a positive Lebesgue measure subset of values of alpha, the family (f(alpha,theta))(theta) crosses the boundary of the uniformly expanding domain at a map for which all periodic points are hyperbolic (expanding) and no critical point is pre-periodic. Furthermore, these maps admit an absolutely continuous invariant measure. We also provide information about the geometry of the boundary of the set of hyperbolic maps.