CHIRAL SCHWINGER MODEL WITH A PODOLSKY TERM AT FINITE-TEMPERATURE

We study an exactly solvable two-dimensional model which mimics the basic features of the standard model. This model combines chiral coupling with an infrared behavior which resembles low energy QCD. This is done by adding a Podolsky higher-order derivative term in the gauge field to the Lagrangian of the usual chiral Schwinger model. We adopt a finite temperature regularization procedure in order to calculate the non-trivial fermionic Jacobian and obtain the photon and fermion propagators, first at zero temperature and then at finite temperature in the imaginary and real time formalisms. Both singular and non-singular cases, corresponding to the choice of the regularization parameter, are treated. In the nonsingular case there is a tachyonic mode as usual in a higher order derivative theory, however in the singular case there is no tachyonic excitation in the spectrum.

On the stability of the extracellular hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus, in two iron oxidation states, in the presence of urea

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

Análise do escoamento de HFC-134a em tubos capilares usando o modelo de dois fluidos

This work presents a numerical model to simulate refrigerant flow through capillary tubes, commonly used as expansion devices in refrigeration systems. The capillary tube is considered straight and horizontal. The flow is taken as one-dimensional and adiabatic. Steady state and thermodynamic equilibrium conditions are assumed. The two-fluid model, involving four conservation equations and considering the hidrodynamic nonequilibrium between the liquid and vapor phases is applied to the flow region. The pressure profiles and the mass flow rates given by the model are compared with experimental data.

A steady-state model for heat pipes of circular or rectangular cross-sections

The objective of this paper is to present a generalized analytical-numerical model of the internal flow in heat pipes. The model formulation is based on two-dimensional formulation of the energy and momentum equations in the vapour and liquid regions and also in the metallic tube. The numerical solution of the model is obtained by using the descretization scheme LOAD and the SIMPLE numerical code. The flow fields, as well as the pressure fields, for different geometries were obtained and discussed. Copyright © 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd.

Two-Way Selection for Daily Gain and Feed Conversion in a Composite Rabbit Population

We conducted a two-way selection experiment in a composite rabbit population to investigate the responses to selection for postweaning ADG and feed conversion (FC). Two generations of crossing, followed by four generations of random pair matings, preceded three generations of selection. Selection was practiced within four lines: high-feed conversion (HFC), low-feed conversion (LFC), high gain (HG), and low gain (LG). Data on 1,446 rabbits from the random mating and selection generations were fitted to an animal model to estimate heritabilities of and the genetic correlation between ADG and FC. The two-trait model included rabbit and common litter random effects and line, generation, and sex fixed effects. Estimates of heritability of ADG and FC were .48 and .29, respectively, and the genetic correlation between them was -.82. Common litter environmental effects accounted for a proportion of .11 and . 13 of the phenotypic variation of the two traits, respectively. For ADG (in g/d) the regressions of mean breeding values on generation number during the selection period were 1.23 ± .12 (P < .01) in the HG line and -.86 ± .12 (P < .01) in the LG line; the regressions for FC (in g feed/g gain) were -.07 ± .01 (P < .01) in the HFC line and .03 ± .01 (P < .05) in the LFC line. Selection for ADG was effective in improving ADG and FC.

Confinement and soliton solutions in the SL(3) Toda model coupled to matter fields

We consider an integrable conformally invariant two-dimensional model associated to the affine Kac-Moody algebra sl3(ℂ). It possesses four scalar fields and six Dirac spinors. The theory does not possesses a local Lagrangian since the spinor equations of motion present interaction terms which are bilinear in the spinors. There exists a submodel presenting an equivalence between a U(1) vector current and a topological current, which leads to a confinement of the spinors inside the solitons. We calculate the one-soliton and two-soliton solutions using a procedure which is a hybrid of the dressing and Hirota methods. The soliton masses and time delays due to the soliton interactions are also calculated. We give a computer program to calculate the soliton solutions. © 2002 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

Sintering and mass transport features of (Sn,Ti)O2 polycrystalline ceramics

Different (Sn,Ti)O2 compositions were sintered at 1450 °C for 2 h with the purpose of investigating their sintering and mass transport properties. Highly dense ceramics were obtained and their structural properties studied by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The changes in lattice parameters were analyzed by the Rietveld method and two mass transport mechanisms were observed during sintering in different temperature ranges, evidenced by the linear shrinkage rate as a function of temperature. The effect of the concentration of TiO2 on mass transport and densiffication during sintering was analyzed by considering the intrinsic defects. System densiffication was attributed to a mass transport mechanism in the SnO2 matrix, caused by the presence of TiO2, which formed a solid solution phase. The change in the mass transport mechanism was attributed to chemical bonding between SnO2 and TiO2, which improves ionic difusion as the concentration of TiO2 increased in (Sn,Ti)O2 compositions. © 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Educação, Estado e Poder: o ensino médio em debate na Revista Brasileira de Estudos Pedagógicos (1962-1972)

Pós-graduação em Educação - FFC

On the stability of the extracellular hemoglobin of Glossoscolex paulistus, in two iron oxidation states, in the presence of urea

The stability of the Glossoscolex paulistus hemoglobin (HbGp), in two iron oxidation states (and three forms), as monitored by optical absorption, fluorescence emission and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopies, in the presence of the chaotropic agent urea, is studied. HbGp oligomeric dissociation, denaturation and iron oxidation are observed. CD data show that the cyanomet-HbGp is more stable than the oxy-form. Oxy- and cyanomet-HbGp show good fits on the basis of a two state model with critical urea concentrations at 220-222 nm of 5.1 +/- 0.2 and 6.1 +/- 0.1 mol/L, respectively. The three-state model was able to reveal a subtle second transition at lower urea concentration (1.0-2.0 mol/L) associated to partial oligomeric dissociation. The intermediate state for oxy- and cyanomet-HbGp is very similar to the native state. For met-HbGp, a different equilibrium, in the presence of urea, is observed. A sharp transition at 1.95 +/- 0.05 mol/L of denaturant is observed, associated to oligomeric dissociation and hemichrome formation. In this case, analysis by a three-state model reveals the great similarity between the intermediate and the unfolded states. Analysis of spectroscopic data, by two-state and three-state models, reveals consistency of obtained thermodynamic parameters for HbGp urea denaturation. (C) 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Agricultural commodities pricing model applied to the Brazilian sugar market

This article suggests a pricing model for commodities used to produce biofuel. The model is based on the concept that the deterministic component of the Wiener process is not constant and depends on time and exogenous variables. The model, which incorporates theory of storage, the convenience yield and the seasonality of harvests, was applied in the Brazilian sugar market. After predictions were made with the Kalman filter, the model produced results that were statistically more accurate than those returned by the two-factor model available in the literature.

Numerical study of graphene as a channel material for field-effect transistors

Graphene excellent properties make it a promising candidate for building future nanoelectronic devices. Nevertheless, the absence of an energy gap is an open problem for the transistor application. In this thesis, graphene nanoribbons and pattern-hydrogenated graphene, two alternatives for inducing an energy gap in graphene, are investigated by means of numerical simulations. A tight-binding NEGF code is developed for the simulation of GNR-FETs. To speed up the simulations, the non-parabolic effective mass model and the mode-space tight-binding method are developed. The code is used for simulation studies of both conventional and tunneling FETs. The simulations show the great potential of conventional narrow GNR-FETs, but highlight at the same time the leakage problems in the off-state due to various tunneling mechanisms. The leakage problems become more severe as the width of the devices is made larger, and thus the band gap smaller, resulting in a poor on/off current ratio. The tunneling FET architecture can partially solve these problems thanks to the improved subthreshold slope; however, it is also shown that edge roughness, unless well controlled, can have a detrimental effect in the off-state performance. In the second part of this thesis, pattern-hydrogenated graphene is simulated by means of a tight-binding model. A realistic model for patterned hydrogenation, including disorder, is developed. The model is validated by direct comparison of the momentum-energy resolved density of states with the experimental angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy. The scaling of the energy gap and the localization length on the parameters defining the pattern geometry is also presented. The results suggest that a substantial transport gap can be attainable with experimentally achievable hydrogen concentration.

Inferences on earthquake kinematic properties from data inversion: two different approaches

During my PhD, starting from the original formulations proposed by Bertrand et al., 2000 and Emolo & Zollo 2005, I developed inversion methods and applied then at different earthquakes. In particular large efforts have been devoted to the study of the model resolution and to the estimation of the model parameter errors. To study the source kinematic characteristics of the Christchurch earthquake we performed a joint inversion of strong-motion, GPS and InSAR data using a non-linear inversion method. Considering the complexity highlighted by superficial deformation data, we adopted a fault model consisting of two partially overlapping segments, with dimensions 15x11 and 7x7 km2, having different faulting styles. This two-fault model allows to better reconstruct the complex shape of the superficial deformation data. The total seismic moment resulting from the joint inversion is 3.0x1025 dyne.cm (Mw = 6.2) with an average rupture velocity of 2.0 km/s. Errors associated with the kinematic model have been estimated of around 20-30 %. The 2009 Aquila sequence was characterized by an intense aftershocks sequence that lasted several months. In this study we applied an inversion method that assumes as data the apparent Source Time Functions (aSTFs), to a Mw 4.0 aftershock of the Aquila sequence. The estimation of aSTFs was obtained using the deconvolution method proposed by Vallée et al., 2004. The inversion results show a heterogeneous slip distribution, characterized by two main slip patches located NW of the hypocenter, and a variable rupture velocity distribution (mean value of 2.5 km/s), showing a rupture front acceleration in between the two high slip zones. Errors of about 20% characterize the final estimated parameters.

[Calculating the basal metabolic rate and severe and morbid obesity]

The aim of this study was to evaluate the currently available predictive equations for basal metabolic rate (BMR) in subjects with obesity class II and III, and to assess the contribution by the components of a two-compartment model of body composition, namely the lean body mass (LBM) and the fat mass (FM) to the prediction. A second objective was to examine the reliability of the Harris Benedict equation in obese subjects, especially with a weight > or = 120 kg.

Modeling contaminant behavior in Lake Superior : a comparison of PCBs, PBDEs, and mercury

A mass‐balance model for Lake Superior was applied to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), and mercury to determine the major routes of entry and the major mechanisms of loss from this ecosystem as well as the time required for each contaminant class to approach steady state. A two‐box model (water column, surface sediments) incorporating seasonally adjusted environmental parameters was used. Both numerical (forward Euler) and analytical solutions were employed and compared. For validation, the model was compared with current and historical concentrations and fluxes in the lake and sediments. Results for PCBs were similar to prior work showing that air‐water exchange is the most rapid input and loss process. The model indicates that mercury behaves similarly to a moderately‐chlorinated PCB, with air‐water exchange being a relatively rapid input and loss process. Modeled accumulation fluxes of PBDEs in sediments agreed with measured values reported in the literature. Wet deposition rates were about three times greater than dry particulate deposition rates for PBDEs. Gas deposition was an important process for tri‐ and tetra‐BDEs (BDEs 28 and 47), but not for higher‐brominated BDEs. Sediment burial was the dominant loss mechanism for most of the PBDE congeners while volatilization was still significant for tri‐ and tetra‐BDEs. Because volatilization is a relatively rapid loss process for both mercury and the most abundant PCBs (tri‐ through penta‐), the model predicts that similar times (from 2 ‐ 10 yr) are required for the compounds to approach steady state in the lake. The model predicts that if inputs of Hg(II) to the lake decrease in the future then concentrations of mercury in the lake will decrease at a rate similar to the historical decline in PCB concentrations following the ban on production and most uses in the U.S. In contrast, PBDEs are likely to respond more slowly if atmospheric concentrations are reduced in the future because loss by volatilization is a much slower process for PBDEs, leading to lesser overall loss rates for PBDEs in comparison to PCBs and mercury. Uncertainties in the chemical degradation rates and partitioning constants of PBDEs are the largest source of uncertainty in the modeled times to steady‐state for this class of chemicals. The modeled organic PBT loading rates are sensitive to uncertainties in scavenging efficiencies by rain and snow, dry deposition velocity, watershed runoff concentrations, and uncertainties in air‐water exchange such as the effect of atmospheric stability.

Dominance and the maintenance of polymorphism in multiallelic migration-selection models with two demes

The maintenance of genetic variation in a spatially heterogeneous environment has been one of the main research themes in theoretical population genetics. Despite considerable progress in understanding the consequences of spatially structured environments on genetic variation, many problems remain unsolved. One of them concerns the relationship between the number of demes, the degree of dominance, and the maximum number of alleles that can be maintained by selection in a subdivided population. In this work, we study the potential of maintaining genetic variation in a two-deme model with deme-independent degree of intermediate dominance, which includes absence of G x E interaction as a special case. We present a thorough numerical analysis of a two-deme three-allele model, which allows us to identify dominance and selection patterns that harbor the potential for stable triallelic equilibria. The information gained by this approach is then used to construct an example in which existence and asymptotic stability of a fully polymorphic equilibrium can be proved analytically. Noteworthy, in this example the parameter range in which three alleles can coexist is maximized for intermediate migration rates. Our results can be interpreted in a specialist-generalist context and (among others) show when two specialists can coexist with a generalist in two demes if the degree of dominance is deme independent and intermediate. The dominance relation between the generalist allele and the specialist alleles play a decisive role. We also discuss linear selection on a quantitative trait and show that G x E interaction is not necessary for the maintenance of more than two alleles in two demes.