Inclusive and differential measurements of the t(t)over-bar charge asymmetry in proton-proton collisions root s=7 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Effect of a frictional force on the Fermi-Ulam model

The dynamical properties of a classical particle bouncing between two rigid walls, in the presence of a drag force, are studied for the case where one wall is fixed and the other one moves periodically in time. The system is described in terms of a two-dimensional nonlinear map obtained by solution of the relevant differential equations. It is shown that the structure of the KAM curves and the chaotic sea is destroyed as the drag force is introduced. At high energy, the velocity of the particle decreases linearly with increasing iteration number, but with a small superimposed sinusoidal modulation. If the motion passes near enough to a fixed point, the particle approaches it exponentially as the iteration number evolves, with a speed of approach that depends on the strength of the drag force. For a simplified version of the model it is shown that, at low energies corresponding to the region of the chaotic sea in the non-dissipative model, the particle wanders in a chaotic transient that depends on the strength of the drag coefficient. However, the KAM islands survive in the presence of dissipation. It is confirmed that the fixed points and periodic orbits go over smoothly into the orbits of the well-known (non-dissipative) Fermi-Ulam model as the drag force goes to zero.

Dissipative area-preserving one-dimensional Fermi accelerator model

The influence of dissipation on the simplified Fermi-Ulam accelerator model (SFUM) is investigated. The model is described in terms of a two-dimensional nonlinear mapping obtained from differential equations. It is shown that a dissipative SFUM possesses regions of phase space characterized by the property of area preservation.

On Lugre Friction Model to Mitigate Nonideal Vibrations

In this paper, a nonideal mechanical system with the LuGre friction damping model is considered. The mechanical model of the system is an oscillator not necessarily linear connected with an unbalanced motor of excitation with limited power supply. The control of motion and the attenuation of the Sommerfeld effect of the considered nonideal system are analyzed in this paper The mathematical model of the system is represented by coupled non-linear differential equations. The identification of some interesting nonlinear phenomenon in the transient and steady state motion of the system during the passage through resonance (using applied voltages at dc motor as control parameter) is investigated in detail using numerical simulation. [DOI: 10.1115/1.3124783]

On non-linear dynamics and an optimal control synthesis of the action potential of membranes (ideal and non-ideal cases) of the Hodgkin-Huxley (HH) mathematical model

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

The STATFLUX code: a statistical method for calculation of flow and set of parameters, based on the Multiple-Compartment Biokinetical Model

The code STATFLUX, implementing a new and simple statistical procedure for the calculation of transfer coefficients in radionuclide transport to animals and plants, is proposed. The method is based on the general multiple-compartment model, which uses a system of linear equations involving geometrical volume considerations. Flow parameters were estimated by employing two different least-squares procedures: Derivative and Gauss-Marquardt methods, with the available experimental data of radionuclide concentrations as the input functions of time. The solution of the inverse problem, which relates a given set of flow parameter with the time evolution of concentration functions, is achieved via a Monte Carlo Simulation procedure.Program summaryTitle of program: STATFLUXCatalogue identifier: ADYS_v1_0Program summary URL: http://cpc.cs.qub.ac.uk/summaries/ADYS_v1_0Program obtainable from: CPC Program Library, Queen's University of Belfast, N. IrelandLicensing provisions: noneComputer for which the program is designed and others on which it has been tested: Micro-computer with Intel Pentium III, 3.0 GHzInstallation: Laboratory of Linear Accelerator, Department of Experimental Physics, University of São Paulo, BrazilOperating system: Windows 2000 and Windows XPProgramming language used: Fortran-77 as implemented in Microsoft Fortran 4.0. NOTE: Microsoft Fortran includes non-standard features which are used in this program. Standard Fortran compilers such as, g77, f77, ifort and NAG95, are not able to compile the code and therefore it has not been possible for the CPC Program Library to test the program.Memory, required to execute with typical data: 8 Mbytes of RAM memory and 100 MB of Hard disk memoryNo. of bits in a word: 16No. of lines in distributed program, including test data, etc.: 6912No. of bytes in distributed Program, including test data, etc.: 229 541Distribution format: tar.gzNature of the physical problem: the investigation of transport mechanisms for radioactive substances, through environmental pathways, is very important for radiological protection of populations. One such pathway, associated with the food chain, is the grass-animal-man sequence. The distribution of trace elements in humans and laboratory animals has been intensively studied over the past 60 years [R.C. Pendlenton, C.W. Mays, R.D. Lloyd, A.L. Brooks, Differential accumulation of iodine-131 from local fallout in people and milk, Health Phys. 9 (1963) 1253-1262]. In addition, investigations on the incidence of cancer in humans, and a possible causal relationship to radioactive fallout, have been undertaken [E.S. Weiss, M.L. Rallison, W.T. London, W.T. Carlyle Thompson, Thyroid nodularity in southwestern Utah school children exposed to fallout radiation, Amer. J. Public Health 61 (1971) 241-249; M.L. Rallison, B.M. Dobyns, F.R. Keating, J.E. Rall, F.H. Tyler, Thyroid diseases in children, Amer. J. Med. 56 (1974) 457-463; J.L. Lyon, M.R. Klauber, J.W. Gardner, K.S. Udall, Childhood leukemia associated with fallout from nuclear testing, N. Engl. J. Med. 300 (1979) 397-402]. From the pathways of entry of radionuclides in the human (or animal) body, ingestion is the most important because it is closely related to life-long alimentary (or dietary) habits. Those radionuclides which are able to enter the living cells by either metabolic or other processes give rise to localized doses which can be very high. The evaluation of these internally localized doses is of paramount importance for the assessment of radiobiological risks and radiological protection. The time behavior of trace concentration in organs is the principal input for prediction of internal doses after acute or chronic exposure. The General Multiple-Compartment Model (GMCM) is the powerful and more accepted method for biokinetical studies, which allows the calculation of concentration of trace elements in organs as a function of time, when the flow parameters of the model are known. However, few biokinetics data exist in the literature, and the determination of flow and transfer parameters by statistical fitting for each system is an open problem.Restriction on the complexity of the problem: This version of the code works with the constant volume approximation, which is valid for many situations where the biological half-live of a trace is lower than the volume rise time. Another restriction is related to the central flux model. The model considered in the code assumes that exist one central compartment (e.g., blood), that connect the flow with all compartments, and the flow between other compartments is not included.Typical running time: Depends on the choice for calculations. Using the Derivative Method the time is very short (a few minutes) for any number of compartments considered. When the Gauss-Marquardt iterative method is used the calculation time can be approximately 5-6 hours when similar to 15 compartments are considered. (C) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A MODEL OF THE DEUTERON BASED ON A BREIT TYPE EQUATION

A relativistic treatment of the deuteron and its observables based on a two-body Dirac (Breit) equation, with phenomenological interactions, associated to one-boson exchanges with cutoff masses, is presented. The 16-component wave function for the deuteron (J(pi) = 1+) solution contains four independent radial functions which obey a system of four coupled differential equations of first order. This radial system is numerically integrated, from infinity to the origin, by fixing the value of the deuteron binding energy and using appropriate boundary conditions at infinity. Specific examples of mixtures containing scalar, pseudoscalar and vector like terms are discussed in some detail and several observables of the deuteron are calculated. Our treatment differs from more conventional ones in that nonrelativistic reductions of the order c-2 are not used.

Temperature and concentration dependence of heat capacity of model aqueous solutions

Heat capacities of binary aqueous solutions of different concentrations of sucrose, glucose, fructose, citric acid, malic acid, and inorganic salts were measured with a differential scanning calorimeter in the temperature range from 5degreesC to 65degreesC. Heat capacity increased with increasing water content and increasing temperature. At low concentrations, heat capacity approached that of pure water, with a less pronounced effect of temperature, and similar abnormal behavior of pure water with a minimum around 30degreesC-40degreesC. Literature data, when available agreed relatively well with experimental values. A correction factor, based on the assumption of chemical equilibrium between liquid and gas phase in the Differential Scanning Calorimeter, was proposed to correct for the water evaporation due to temperature rise. Experimental data were fitted to predictive models. Excess molar heat capacity was calculated using the Redlich-Kister equation to represent the deviation from the additive ideal model.

Viscoelastic behavior of persimmons dried at constant air temperature

The viscoelastic behavior of dried persimmons at different air-drying temperatures and velocities was evaluated. Air temperatures and velocities were varied according to a second-order central composite design, with temperature ranging from 40degreesC to 70degreesC and air velocity from 0.8 to 2.0 m/s. After drying, persimmons were equilibrated at four different water activities: 0.432, 0.576, 0.625 and 0.751. The rheological behavior of dried and conditioned persimmons was studied under uniaxial compression-relaxation tests. Three different rheological models were fitted to the experimental relaxation curves: Maxwell, Generalized Maxwell and Peleg and Normand. Based on the root mean square of residuals, the Generalized Maxwell model showed the best fit and a regression analysis was applied to obtain response surfaces for the model parameters. The dependence of the rheological properties on water activity was also analysed. Results showed that only the linear effect of air temperature was significant at a 5% level on the equilibrium stress and relaxation times. In a general way, these parameters increased with increasing air temperature and decreasing water activity. (C) 2004 Swiss Society of Food Science and Technology. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Differential gene expression by Paracoccidioides brasiliensis in host interaction conditions: Representational difference analysis identifies candidate genes associated with fungal pathogenesis

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis causes infection by the host inhalation of airborne propagules of the mycelia phase of the fungus. These particles reach the lungs, and disseminate to virtually all organs. Here we describe the identification of differentially expressed genes in studies of host-fungus interaction. We analyzed two cDNA populations of P. brasiliensis, one obtained from infected animals and the other an admixture of fungus and human blood thus mimicking the hematologic events of the fungal dissemination. Our analysis identified transcripts differentially expressed. Genes related to iron acquisition, melanin synthesis and cell defense were specially upregulated in the mouse model of infection. The upregulated transcripts of yeast cells during incubation with human blood were those predominantly related to cell wall remodeling/synthesis. The expression pattern of genes was independently confirmed in host conditions, revealing their potential role in the infection process. This work can facilitate functional studies of novel regulated genes that may be important for the survival and growth strategies of P. brasiliensis in humans. (c) 2006 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Viscoelastic and Thermal Properties of Collagen-Xanthan Gum and Collagen-Maltodextrin Suspensions During Heating and Cooling

The purpose of this work was to investigate the viscoelastic properties of aqueous suspensions of crude collagen powder extracted from bovine hides and nonsubmitted to the hydrolysis reaction that leads to gelatin. The studied variables included the collagen concentration and the addition of xanthan gum or maltodextrin at varied concentrations during heating/cooling of the mixtures. Differential scanning calorimetry thermograms showed that the addition of polysaccharides decreased the endothermic peak areas observed at the denaturation temperature of collagen. The rheological properties of the pure collagen suspensions were highly dependent on concentration: 4% and 6% collagen suspensions presented a great increase in the storage modulus after heating/cooling, whereas for concentrations of 8% and 10% G' decreased during heating and did not recover its original value after heating/cooling. The frequency sweeps showed that the thermal treatment was responsible by the strengthening of the interactions that formed the polymer network. Addition of 0.1% xanthan gum to collagen suspensions increased the gel strength, especially after heating/cooling of the system, whereas increasing gum concentration to 0.3% resulted in a weaker gel, which could indicate thermodynamic incompatibility between the biopolymers. Mixtures of collagen and maltodextrin resulted in more fluid structures than those obtained with pure collagen at the same collagen concentration and the range of temperatures in which these mixtures behaved as a gel decreased with increasing concentrations of both collagen and maltodextrin, suggesting incompatibilities between the biopolymers.

Dielectric and viscoelastic properties of cross-linked polyethylene aged under multi stressing conditions

Different measurements were performed in cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) employed as insulating material in coaxial cables that were field-aged and laboratory-aged under multi-stressing conditions at room temperature. Samples were peeled from the XLPE cable insulation in three different positions: just below the external semiconductor layer (outer layer), in the middle (middle layer) and just above the internal semiconductor layer of the cable (inner layer). The imaginary part of the electric susceptibility showed three peaks that obey the Dissado-Hill model. For laboratory-aged XLPE samples peeled from the inner and from the middle positions the peak at very low frequency region increased while in samples from the outer position a quasi-DC conduction process was observed. In medium frequency range a broadening of the peak was observed for all samples. Viscoelastic properties determined through dynamic mechanical analysis suggested that the aging generates processes that promoted changes of the crystallinity and the cross-linking degrees of the polymer. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) measurements revealed an increase of oxidation products (esters), evidence of polar residues of the bow-tie tree and the presence of cross-linking by-products (acetophenone). Optical and scanning electronic microscope (SEM) measurements in aged samples revealed the existence of voids and bow-tie trees that were formed during aging in the middle region of the cable.

Euclidean 4d exact solitons in a Skyrme type model

We introduce a Skyrme type, four-dimensional Euclidean field theory made of a triplet of scalar fields n→, taking values on the sphere S2, and an additional real scalar field φ, which is dynamical only on a three-dimensional surface embedded in R4. Using a special ansatz we reduce the 4d non-linear equations of motion into linear ordinary differential equations, which lead to the construction of an infinite number of exact soliton solutions with vanishing Euclidean action. The theory possesses a mass scale which fixes the size of the solitons in way which differs from Derrick's scaling arguments. The model may be relevant to the study of the low energy limit of pure SU(2) Yang-Mills theory. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Harris-Todaro agent-based model to rural-urban migration

The Harris-Todaro model of the rural-urban migration process is revisited under an agent-based approach. The migration of the workers is interpreted as a process of social learning by imitation, formalized by a computational model. By simulating this model, we observe a transitional dynamics with continuous growth of the urban fraction of overall population toward an equilibrium. Such an equilibrium is characterized by stabilization of rural-urban expected wages differential (generalized Harris-Todaro equilibrium condition), urban concentration and urban unemployment. These classic results obtained originally by Harris and Todaro are emergent properties of our model.

Consequences of quadratic frictional force on the one dimensional bouncing ball model

Some dynamical properties of the one dimensional Fermi accelerator model, under the presence of frictional force are studied. The frictional force is assumed as being proportional to the square particle's velocity. The problem is described by use of a two dimensional non linear mapping, therefore obtained via the solution of differential equations. We confirm that the model experiences contraction of the phase space area and in special, we characterized the behavior of the particle approaching an attracting fixed point. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.