Contribution to the ground-based follow-up of the Gaia space mission

The Gaia Space Mission [Mignard, F., 2005. The three-dimensional universe with Gaia. ESA/SP-576; Perryman, M., 2005. The three-dimensional universe with Gaia. ESA/SP-576] will observe several transient events as supernovae, microlensing, gamma ray bursts and new Solar System objects. The satellite, due to its scanning law, will detect these events but will not be able to monitor them. So, to take these events into consideration and to perform further studies it is necessary to follow them with Earth-based observations. These observations could be efficiently done by a ground-based network of well-equipped telescopes scattered in both hemispheres. Here we focus our attention at the new Solar System objects to be discovered and observed by the Gaia satellite [Mignard, F., 2002. Observations of Solar System objects by Gaia I. Detection of NEOS. Astron. Astrophys. 393, 727] mainly asteroids, NEOs and comets. A dedicated ground-based network of telescopes as proposed by Thuillot [2005. The three-dimensional universe with Gaia. ESA/SP-576] will allow to monitor those events, to avoid losing them and to perform a quick characterization of some physical properties which will be important for the identification of these objects in further measurements by Gaia. We present in this paper, the beginning of the organization of a Latin-American ground-based network of telescopes and observers joining several institutions in Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil and other Latin-American countries aiming to contribute to the follow-up of Gaia science alerts for Solar System objects. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of roads, topography, and land use on forest cover dynamics in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest

Roads and topography can determine patterns of land use and distribution of forest cover, particularly in tropical regions. We evaluated how road density, land use, and topography affected forest fragmentation, deforestation and forest regrowth in a Brazilian Atlantic Forest region near the city of Sao Paulo. We mapped roads and land use/land cover for three years (1962, 1981 and 2000) from historical aerial photographs, and summarized the distribution of roads, land use/land cover and topography within a grid of 94 non-overlapping 100 ha squares. We used generalized least squares regression models for data analysis. Our models showed that forest fragmentation and deforestation depended on topography, land use and road density, whereas forest regrowth depended primarily on land use. However, the relationships between these variables and forest dynamics changed in the two studied periods; land use and slope were the strongest predictors from 1962 to 1981, and past (1962) road density and land use were the strongest predictors for the following period (1981-2000). Roads had the strongest relationship with deforestation and forest fragmentation when the expansions of agriculture and buildings were limited to already deforested areas, and when there was a rapid expansion of development, under influence of Sao Paulo city. Furthermore, the past(1962)road network was more important than the recent road network (1981) when explaining forest dynamics between 1981 and 2000, suggesting a long-term effect of roads. Roads are permanent scars on the landscape and facilitate deforestation and forest fragmentation due to increased accessibility and land valorization, which control land-use and land-cover dynamics. Topography directly affected deforestation, agriculture and road expansion, mainly between 1962 and 1981. Forest are thus in peril where there are more roads, and long-term conservation strategies should consider ways to mitigate roads as permanent landscape features and drivers facilitators of deforestation and forest fragmentation. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gas-Phase Acylium Ion Transfer Reactions Mediated by a Proton Shuttle Mechanism

The mechanism and the energy profile of the gas-phase reaction that mimics esterification under acidic conditions have been investigated at different levels of theory. These reactions are known to proceed with rate constants close to the collision limit in the gas-phase and questions have been raised as to whether the typical addition-elimination mechanism via a tetrahedral intermediate can explain the ease of these processes. Because these reactions are common to many organic and biochemical processes it is important to understand the intrinsic reactivity of these systems. Our calculations at different levels of theory reveal that a stepwise mechanism via a tetrahedral species is characterized by energy barriers that are inconsistent with the experimental results. For the thermoneutral exchange between protonated acetic acid and water and the exothermic reaction of protonated acetic acid and methanol our calculations show that these reactions proceed initially by a proton shuttle between the carbonyl oxygen and the hydroxy oxygen of acetic acid mediated by water, or methanol, followed by displacement at the acylium ion center. These findings suggest that the reactions in the gas-phase should be viewed as an acylium ion transfer reaction. (C) 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 111: 1596-1606, 2011

Data based Calibration System for Radar used by Vehicle Activated Signs

The accurate measurement of a vehicle’s velocity is an essential feature in adaptive vehicle activated sign systems. Since the velocities of the vehicles are acquired from a continuous wave Doppler radar, the data collection becomes challenging. Data accuracy is sensitive to the calibration of the radar on the road. However, clear methodologies for in-field calibration have not been carefully established. The signs are often installed by subjective judgment which results in measurement errors. This paper develops a calibration method based on mining the data collected and matching individual vehicles travelling between two radars. The data was cleaned and prepared in two ways: cleaning and reconstructing. The results showed that the proposed correction factor derived from the cleaned data corresponded well with the experimental factor done on site. In addition, this proposed factor showed superior performance to the one derived from the reconstructed data.

December 2006/January 2007: Space Shuttle Discovery Launch

http://digitalcommons.winthrop.edu/dacusdocsnews/1017/thumbnail.jpg

The e-only library: mission impossible?!

Trabalho apresentado na conferência Os Desafios das Bibliotecas Digitais realizado na Fundação Getulio Vargas em agosto 2014

Radar Rio+20: por dentro da conferência das Nações Unidas sobre o desenvolvimento sustentável

Dois temas centrais foram selecionados para discussão na Rio+20, e serão abordados nesta publicação: a transição para uma Economia Verde no contexto da preservação do meio ambiente e biodiversidade e com a perspectiva de erradicação da pobreza e de desigualdades e oquadro institucional (instrumentos de governança) para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável.

Radar Rio+20: marcos das negociações da Rio+20

Trecho de conversa com jornalistas realizada como parte do projeto Radar Rio +20, uma parceria GVces, ISA e Vitae Civilis

Radar Rio+20: a postura do Brasil na Rio+20

Trecho de conversa com jornalistas realizada como parte do projeto Radar Rio +20, uma parceria GVces, ISA e Vitae Civilis

Radar Rio+20: draft zero e a participação da sociedade

Trecho de conversa com jornalistas realizada como parte do projeto Radar Rio +20, uma parceria GVces, ISA e Vitae Civilis

Radar Rio+20: temas e objetivos da Rio+20: introdução

Trecho de conversa com jornalistas realizada como parte do projeto Radar Rio+20, uma parceria GVces, ISA e Vitae Civilis

Radar Rio+20: sustentabilidade e a Rio+20

Trecho de conversa com jornalistas realizada como parte do projeto Radar Rio+20, uma parceria GVces, ISA e Vitae Civilis

Radar Rio+20: O que tornará a Rio+20 bem sucedida

Trecho de conversa com jornalistas realizada como parte do projeto Radar Rio +20, uma parceria GVces, ISA e Vitae Civilis

Radar Rio+20: o governo brasileiro, a questão ambiental e a Rio+20

Trecho de conversa com jornalistas realizada como parte do projeto Radar Rio+20, uma parceria GVces, ISA e Vitae Civilis