Sub-Optimal Orbital Maneuvers for Artificial Satellites

The determination of a specific orbit and the procedure to calculate orbital maneuvers of artificial satellites are problems of extreme importance in the study of orbital mechanics. Therefore, the transferring problem of a spaceship from one orbit to another, and the attention due to this subject has in increased during the last years. Many applications can be found in several space activities, for example, to put a satellite in a geostationary orbit, to change the position of a spaceship, to maintain a specific satellite's orbit, in the design of an interplanetary mission, and others. The Brazilian Satellite SCD-1 (Data Collecting Satellite) will be used as example in this paper. It is the first satellite developed entirely in Brazil, and it remains in operation to this date. SCD-1 was designed, developed, built, and tested by Brazilian scientists, engineers, and technicians working at INPE (National Institute for Space Research, and in Brazilian Industries. During the lifetime, it might be necessary do some complementary maneuvers, being this one either an orbital transferring, or just to make periodical corrections. The purpose of transferring problem is to change the position, velocity and the satellite's mass to a new pre determined state. This transfer can be totally linked (in the case of "Rendezvous") or partially free (free time, free final velocity, etc). In the global case, the direction, the orientation and the magnitude of the thrust to be applied must be chosen, respecting the equipment's limit. In order to make this transferring, either sub-optimal or optimal maneuvers may be used. In the present study, only the sub-optimal will be shown. Hence, this method will simplify the direction of thrust application, to allow a fast calculation that may be used in real time, with a very fast processing. The thrust application direction to be applied will be assumed small and constant, and the purpose of this paper is to find the time interval that the thrust is applied. This paper is basically divided into three parts: during the first one the sub-optimal maneuver is explained and detailed, the second presents the Satellite SCD-1, and finally the last part shows the results using the sub-optimal maneuver applied to the Brazilian Satellite.

Time series analysis for minority game simulations of financial markets

The minority game (MG) model introduced recently provides promising insights into the understanding of the evolution of prices, indices and rates in the financial markets. In this paper we perform a time series analysis of the model employing tools from statistics, dynamical systems theory and stochastic processes. Using benchmark systems and a financial index for comparison, several conclusions are obtained about the generating mechanism for this kind of evolution. The motion is deterministic, driven by occasional random external perturbation. When the interval between two successive perturbations is sufficiently large, one can find low dimensional chaos in this regime. However, the full motion of the MG model is found to be similar to that of the first differences of the SP500 index: stochastic, nonlinear and (unit root) stationary. (C) 2002 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Intense blue and green photoluminescence emissions at room temperature in barium zirconate powders

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

A proposta de reabilitação psicossocial de Saraceno: um modelo de auto-organização?

Discute-se a teoria da Reabilitação Psicossocial, proposta por Benedetto Saraceno, tomando como referencial a teoria de Sistemas Auto-Organizados, elaborada, entre outros, por Michel Debrun. Observa-se que a proposta de Saraceno satisfaz diversos aspectos do processo de auto-organização, porém não chega a se constituir plenamente como tal. A partir dessa reflexão, pode-se entender melhor algumas das dificuldades da prática de reabilitação na área de Saúde Mental.

Gli infortuni sul lavoro in Brasile. Studio nello Stato di San Paolo del Brasile, regione di Botucatu, utilizzando il metodo dell'albero delle cause

This paper discusses, within the prevaling Brazilian situation, the possibility of applying 'Causal Tree' (CT) method in investigating occupational accidents by safety personnel in the public health services and workers' unions. The method was developed during the seventies in France, for use by plant safety personnel. The authors used this method in Botucatu, State of Sao Paulo, Brazil, in order to investigate 40 serious occupational accidents that occurred in industrial plants during the second half of 1993, that had been registered by Social Security. In these cases, the predominance of situations in which the lack of safety measures were identified by inspection indicates that in most instances, the use of CT is unnecessary. However, the authors discuss its use by safety personnel from the public health services and workers' unions to investigate certain accidents to contribute to the knowledge base and help overcome the cultural based guilt which, in Brazil, has turned the victim into the person responsible for the accident.

Local dimension and finite time prediction in coupled map lattices

Forecasting, for obvious reasons, often become the most important goal to be achieved. For spatially extended systems (e.g. atmospheric system) where the local nonlinearities lead to the most unpredictable chaotic evolution, it is highly desirable to have a simple diagnostic tool to identify regions of predictable behaviour. In this paper, we discuss the use of the bred vector (BV) dimension, a recently introduced statistics, to identify the regimes where a finite time forecast is feasible. Using the tools from dynamical systems theory and Bayesian modelling, we show the finite time predictability in two-dimensional coupled map lattices in the regions of low BV dimension. © Indian Academy of Sciences.

Magnetic resonance study of the crystallization behavior of InF3-based glasses doped with Cu2+, Mn2+ and Gd3+

The crystallization of fluoroindate glasses doped with Gd3+, Mn2+ and Cu2+ heat treated at different temperatures, ranging from the glass transition temperature (Tg) to the crystallization temperature (Tc), are investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and 19F nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The EPR spectra indicate that the Cu2+ ions in the glass are located in axially distorted octahedral sites. In the crystallized glass, the g-values agreed with those reported for Ba2ZnF6, which correspond to Cu2+ in a tetragonal compressed F- octahedron and to Cu2+ on interstitial sites with a square-planar F- co-ordination. The EPR spectra of the Mn2+ doped glasses exhibit a sextet structure due to the Mn2+ hyperfine interaction. These spectra suggest a highly ordered environment for the Mn2+ ions (close to octahedral symmetry) in the glass. The EPR spectra of the recrystallized sample exhibit resonances at the same position, suggesting that the Mn2+ ions are located in sites of highly symmetric crystalline field. The increase of the line intensity of the sextet and the decrease of the background line in the thermal treated samples suggest that the Mn2+ ions move to the highly ordered sites which contribute to the sextet structure. The EPR spectra of the Gd3+ doped glasses exhibit the typical U-spectrum of a s-state ion in a low symmetry site in disordered systems. The EPR of the crystallized glasses, in contrast, have shown a strong resonance in g ≈ 2.0, suggesting Gd3+ ions in environment close to cubic symmetry. The 19F NMR spin-lattice relaxation rates were also strongly influenced by the crystallization process that takes over in samples annealed above Tc. For the glass samples (doped or undoped) the 19F magnetization recoveries were found to be adjusted by an exponential function and the spin-lattice relaxation was characterized by a single relaxation time. In contrast, for the samples treated above Tc, the 19F magnetization-recovery becomes non-exponential. A remarkable feature of our results is that the changes in the Cu2+, Mn2+, Gd3+ EPR spectra and NMR relaxation, are always observed for the samples annealed above Tc. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Avaliação da dinâmica dos processos erosivos lineares e sua relação com a evolução do uso da terra

The development of linear erosion processes is directly related with the environment natural characteristics or with modifications that have occurred on them by the anthropic action. In this context, the present article has as a general objective to evaluate the dynamic of the linear erosion processes and their relations with the evolution of the land use and with the lito-pedologic characteristics of the Cavalheiro hydrographic basin - Analândia, SP. In order to reach such objective, maps of erosive features and land use of several settings were elaborated, besides cartographic representations of the geological and pedological data of the study area. The obtained data were analyzed starting from the principles that concern to the General Systems Theory. Such analysis evidenced the intrinsic bond of the development of linear erosion processes with the several forms of land use and with the natural attributes of the studied area. Therefore, the methodological procedure adopted in this research has been considered as fundamental tool to understand the linear erosion processes dynamic, making it possible to take data of extreme relevance for the planning of the use and occupation of the land.

Alterações hidrogeomorfológicas devido à dinâmica de uso da terra na Bacia Hidrográfica do Ribeirão Santa Gertrudes (SP)

Agricultural and mining activities are directly related to changes in natural landscapes. From the perspective of anthropogenic geomorphology supported by general systems theory, this research has developed, in order to identify and analyze changes in the land use, mainly from agriculture and the exploitation of clay, and its implications in the hydro-geomorphological characteristics in the Santa Gertrudes Stream watershed (SP). This area is within the context of the Ceramic Pole Santa Gertrudes (SP), which besides its importance as a supplier of raw material, is characterized as the largest center of international reference in ceramic tiles on the American continent. For this purpose, we made land use and geomorphology maps of two scenarios, corresponding to the years 1962 and 2006, which allowed the identification of changes caused by human activities on the landforms of the area, such as the increase in area of parcels intended for mining activity, which went from 3.1% to occupy 19% of the catchment area of the respective period and that, among other changes, gave rise to new forms of relief as, for example, in levels of pit mining abrupt and smooth. The results indicate that the main features of representative of human changes in relief are represented for opening of large clay mining pits and agricultural activities, which intensified the denudation and sedimentation processes in the Santa Gertrudes Stream watershed.

A estética do BijaRi: em busca da permanência

Pós-graduação em Artes - IA

Inovações tecnológicas e a complexidade do sistema econômico

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Pensamento e criatividade: Uma abordagem à luz da semiótica peirceana

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)