Low-energy sector quantization of a massless scalar field outside a Reissner-Nordström black hole and static sources

We quantize the low-energy sector of a massless scalar field in Reissner-Nordström spacetime. This allows the analysis of processes involving soft scalar particles occurring outside charged black holes. In particular, we compute the response of a static scalar source interacting with Hawking radiation using the Unruh (and the Hartle-Hawking) vacuum. This response is compared with the one obtained when the source is uniformly accelerated in the usual vacuum of Minkowski spacetime with the same proper acceleration. We show that both responses are in general different in opposition to the result obtained when the Reissner-Nordström black hole is replaced by a Schwarzschild one. The conceptual relevance of this result is commented on. ©2000 The American Physical Society.

VAr planning using genetic algorithm and linear programming

A combined methodology consisting of successive linear programming (SLP) and a simple genetic algorithm (SGA) solves the reactive planning problem. The problem is divided into operating and planning subproblems; the operating subproblem, which is a nonlinear, ill-conditioned and nonconvex problem, consists of determining the voltage control and the adjustment of reactive sources. The planning subproblem consists of obtaining the optimal reactive source expansion considering operational, economical and physical characteristics of the system. SLP solves the optimal reactive dispatch problem related to real variables, while SGA is used to determine the necessary adjustments of both the binary and discrete variables existing in the modelling problem. Once the set of candidate busbars has been defined, the program implemented gives the location and size of the reactive sources needed, if any, to maintain the operating and security constraints.

Static lung compliance and body pressures in Tupinambis merianae with and without post-hepatic septum

The surgical removal of the post-hepatic septum (PHS) in the tegu lizard, Tupinambis merianae, significantly reduces resting lung volume (VLr) and maximal lung volume (VLm) when compared with tegus with intact PHS. Standardised for body mass (MB), static lung compliance was significantly less in tegus without PHS. Pleural and abdominal pressures followed, like ventilation, a biphasic pattern. In general, pressures increased during expiration and decreased during inspiration. However, during expiration pressure changes showed a marked intra- and interindividual variation. The removal of the PHS resulted in a lower cranio-caudal intracoelomic pressure differential, but had no effect on the general pattern of pressure changes accompanying ventilation. These results show that a perforated PHS that lacks striated muscle has significant influence on static breathing mechanics in Tupinambis and by analogy provides valuable insight into similar processes that led to the evolution of the mammalian diaphragm. © 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Influência do alecrim (Rosmarinus officinallis L.) na atividade de água e oxidação lipídica de peixes de uma espécie de tilápia (Oreochromis ssp-var. vermelha Flórida) submetidos à salga

Salting have been a very utilized fish conservation method, however only in the last years the basic mechanism involved in salting fish has been understood. The objectives of this study were determine the addition in brine salt of rosemary leaves, rosemary extracts and tocopherol, and your action in the followed parameters: water activity (Aw), moisture, ash, salt content and TBARS. The results showed that the addition of antioxidants was difficulted the salt absorption, however didn't have differences between rosemary or tocopherol use. In the salting time of 3 hours the values of Aw and salt levels, was respectively: 0.77±0.01 and 14.42±1.69. for control treatment; 0.85±0.02 and 9.09±1.39for rosemary filtrate; 0.78±0.03 and 10.63±0.69 rosemary without filtrating and 0.85±0.02 and 11.96±1.78 tocopherol, showed that didn't grow indigenous bacterias. Lipid oxidation was evaluated by TBARS and the results showed the oxidative effect of salt and the pro oxidant effects of alls antioxidants used in brine salting.

Retratibilidade da madeira de Pinus caribæa var. hondurensis e de Eucalyptus grandis e suas relações com a umidade e densidade

It had been studied the dimensional variations Pinus caribæa var. hondurensis and Eucalyptus grandiswood, emphasizing the axial, radial, tangential and volumetric shrinkage. The results had shown that the volumetric shrinkage of Pinus and Eucalyptus varied according to an exponential curve, R V=R Vmaxe -ku. The total or maximum volumetric shrinkage showed a linear behavior with the specific gravity on basis of ovendry mass and volume and the same behavior as respect of the specific gravity, where the adjusted equations were, respectively: R vmax = 3,01 + 19,15,oo e R vmax = 1,96 + 24,28,ob. It was also verified that the tangential shrinkage was 1,3 times greater than the radial one and 9,0 times greater than the axial one.

Seleção simultânea de caracteres em progênies de Pinus caribaea Morelet var. bahamensis

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

Genetic algorithm of chu and beasley for static and multistage transmission expansion planning

In this paper the genetic algorithm of Chu and Beasley (GACB) is applied to solve the static and multistage transmission expansion planning problem. The characteristics of the GACB, and some modifications that were done, to efficiently solve the problem described above are also presented. Results using some known systems show that the GACB is very efficient. To validate the GACB, we compare the results achieved using it with the results using other meta-heuristics like tabu-search, simulated annealing, extended genetic algorithm and hibrid algorithms. © 2006 IEEE.

Design of SPR systems with dynamic compensators and output variable structure control

This paper presents necessary and sufficient conditions for the following problem: given a linear time invariant plant G(s) = N(s)D(s)-1 = C(sI - A]-1B, with m inputs, p outputs, p > m, rank(C) = p, rank(B) = rank(CB) = m, £nd a tandem dynamic controller Gc(s) = D c(s)-1Nc(s) = Cc(sI - A c)-1Bc + Dc, with p inputs and m outputs and a constant output feedback matrix Ko ε ℝm×p such that the feedback system is Strictly Positive Real (SPR). It is shown that this problem has solution if and only if all transmission zeros of the plant have negative real parts. When there exists solution, the proposed method firstly obtains Gc(s) in order to all transmission zeros of Gc(s)G(s) present negative real parts and then Ko is found as the solution of some Linear Matrix Inequalities (LMIs). Then, taking into account this result, a new LMI based design for output Variable Structure Control (VSC) of uncertain dynamic plants is presented. The method can consider the following design specifications: matched disturbances or nonlinearities of the plant, output constraints, decay rate and matched and nonmatched plant uncertainties. © 2006 IEEE.

Efeito do desbaste seletivo sobre a divergência genética em progênies de Pinus caribaea Morelet var. bahamensis

The objective of this work was to study the effect of selective thinning on the genetic divergence in progenies of Pinus caribaea var. bahamensis, aiming to identify the most productive and divergent progenies for the use of improvement program. The test of progenies containing 119 progenies and two commercial controls were planted in March 1990, using 11 × 11 square lattice design, sextuple, partially balanced, disposed in lineal plots with six trees in the spacing of 3,0 × 3,0m. 13 years after planting thinning was realized (selection for DBH), with 50% selection intensity based on Multi-effect index, leaving three trees per plot in all the experiment. The evaluations were done at four situations: A (before the thinning); B (thinned trees); C (remaining trees after thinning) and D (one year after thinning). The analyzed traits were: height, diameter at breast height (DBH), volume, form of stem and wood density. The genetic divergence among the progenies was studied with aid of the canonical variables and of clustering of Tocher method, using the generalized distance matrix of Mahalanobis (D2) as estimate of the genetic similarity. The progenies were grouped in four groups in situation A, fourteen in the situation B, two in the situation C and three in the situation D. The selective thinning of the trees within of the progenies caused a change in the genetic divergence among the progenies, genetically homogenizing the progenies, as demonstrated by the generalized distances of Mahalanobis, clustering of Tocher' and canonical variables methods. The thinning made possible a high uniformity in respect to the relative contribution of the traits for the total genetic divergence. The techniques of clustering were efficient to identify groups of divergent progenies for the use hybridization and little divergent progenies for the use in backcross program.

Efeito do desbaste seletivo nas estimativas de parâmetros genéticos em progénies de Pinus caribaea Morelet var. hondurensis

The objective of this work was to study the effect of selective thinning on the estimates of genetic parameters in progenies of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis. The progeny test was installed in June 1986, following a 10 × 10, triple square lattice design, containing ten trees in linear plots in 3.0 × 3.0m spacing. Twelve years after the planting, a selective thinning based on Multi-effect index (selection for DBH) was performed, leaving six trees per plot. The assessments were done in four situations: A (before thinning); B (among thinned trees); C (among remnant trees at 13 years of age) and D (two years after the thinning). The following traits were analyzed: total height (H), diameter at breast height (DBH), volume (VOL), stem form (FOR), foxtail (FT), wood density at 1.3 m (WD1) and wood density at the half height (WD2). The thinning led to increase in the estimates of variability among progenies for VOL and decrease for ALT and DBH. There was a high and positive genetic correlation among the growth traits, mainly between DBH and VOL. The latter remained unchanged after thinning. The narrow-sense heritabilities at the individual level, showed a slight increase while at the family mean level had a reduction with the thinning. The estimates of breeding values increased with the thinning. This may lead to an easier identification of the best progenies in further selection.

Determination of crude protein, crude fiber and crude fat in twenty-five genotypes of kale (B. oleracea var. acephala)

The aim of the study was to determine the percentage of crude protein, crude fiber and crude fat (ether extract) of 25 genotypes of kale from the Germplasm Bank of Instituto Agronômico de Campinas and of one genotype grown in the region of Jaboticabal-SP. The plants were cultivated in the field, and the leaves after collection were pre-dried in a convection oven at 65°C for 72 h. Afterward, the leaves were analyzed for crude protein, crude fiber and crude fat (ether-soluble materials). Significant differences were detected among the different genotypes for all the characteristics examined. Of the genotypes studied, six showed more than 30% crude protein: HS-20 (32.56%), Comum (31.70%), Couve de Arthur Nogueira 2 (31.16%), Pires 2 de Campinas (30.63%), Manteiga I-916 (30.36%), and Manteiga de Ribeirao Pires I-2446 (30.03%). In relation to crude fiber, the highest percentage was seen in the genotype Manteiga de Mococa (10.92%), differing significantly from the other genotypes studied. With regard to crude fat, the highest percentage was found in the genotype HS-20 (3.72%), and Pires 1 de Campinas (3.34%). Of the genotypes tested, HS-20 stood out among the others, showing both the highest percentage of protein and fat.

Selective current compensators based on the conservative power theory

This paper presents possible selective current compensation strategies based on the Conservative Power Theory (CPT). This recently proposed theory, introduces the concept of complex power conservation under non-sinusoidal conditions. Moreover, the related current decompositions results in several current terms, which are associated with a specific physical phenomena (power absorption P, energy storage Q, voltage and current distortion D). Such current components are used in this work for the definition of different current compensators, which can be selective in terms of minimizing particular disturbing effects. The choice of one or other current component for compensation directly affects the sizing and cost of active and/or passive devices and it will be demonstrated that it can be done to attend predefined limits for harmonic distortion, unbalances and/or power factor. Single-phase compensation strategies will be discussed by means of the CPT and simulation results will demonstrate their performance. © 2009 IEEE.

Do men and women use similar adaptive locomotion to clear static and dynamic obstacles?

Purpose. The purpose of this study was to analyze the influence of gender on the adaptive locomotion in the clearance of obstacles. Specifically, it was evaluated if there are differences in the space-temporal parameters between male and female in the clearance of and dynamic obstacles moving at both slow and fast speeds. Basic procedures. Five young male adults and five young female adults took part in this study. The task was performed in three conditions: static obstacle and dynamic obstacle - clearance perpendicular to the participant's trajectory at slow speed (1.07 m/s) and at fast speed (1.71 m/s). The trials were recorded by two digital cameras and spatial-temporal information was obtained. Main findings. The dynamic obstacle conditions required more visual inspection. The results showed different adaptive locomotion between the sexes. The distinct gait patterns were evidenced for the spatial and temporal variables and cadence in the three conditions. Conclusions. The women presented a more conservative behavior, which was evidenced by the increase of the length in the penultimate step and in the toe clearance.

Multi-area decentralized optimal VAr planning using the Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition principle

This paper presents a new methodology for solving the optimal VAr planning problem in multi-area electric power systems, using the Dantzig-Wolfe decomposition. The original multi-area problem is decomposed into subproblems (one for each area) and a master problem (coordinator). The solution of the VAr planning problem in each area is based on the application of successive linear programming, and the coordination scheme is based on the reactive power marginal costs in the border bus. The aim of the model is to provide coordinated mechanisms to carry out the VAr planning studies maximizing autonomy and confidentiality for each area, assuring global economy to the whole system. Using the mathematical model and computational implementation of the proposed methodology, numerical results are presented for two interconnected systems, each of them composed of three equal subsystems formed by IEEE30 and IEEE118 test systems. © 2011 IEEE.

An enhanced genetic algorithm to solve the static and multistage transmission network expansion planning

An enhanced genetic algorithm (EGA) is applied to solve the long-term transmission expansion planning (LTTEP) problem. The following characteristics of the proposed EGA to solve the static and multistage LTTEP problem are presented, (1) generation of an initial population using fast, efficient heuristic algorithms, (2) better implementation of the local improvement phase and (3) efficient solution of linear programming problems (LPs). Critical comparative analysis is made between the proposed genetic algorithm and traditional genetic algorithms. Results using some known systems show that the proposed EGA presented higher efficiency in solving the static and multistage LTTEP problem, solving a smaller number of linear programming problems to find the optimal solutions and thus finding a better solution to the multistage LTTEP problem. Copyright © 2012 Luis A. Gallego et al.