Determinação fotométrica do ácido ascórbico

The photometric determination of ascorbic acid with the "E. E. L. portable colorimeter" can be carried" out rapid and conveniently using either 3% HPO3 or 0,4% (COOH) 2 as protective agent. The standards would contain from 2 to 20 micrograms of ascorbic acid per ml of metaphosphoric or oxalic acid solutions. We mix 10 ml of these solutions with 3 ml of the adequate citrate buffer solutions, and we pipet 5 ml of the resulting mixture to a matched test tube containing 5 ml of sodium - 2,6 - dichlorobenzenoneindophenol (80 mg per liter); then we shake well and after 15 seconds the extintion is read using green filter. The readings are subtracted from the blank one. Designating the differences by x and the concentrations of ascorbic acid/ml in the standards by y, we get, with the acid of the method of least squares, the following regression equations: for the metaphosphoric acid Y = 0,543x + 0,629 for the oxalic acid Y = 0,516x + 0,422, which permit, by interpolating, the determination of the ascorbic acid content in plant materials.

Diet of Procyon cancrivorus (Carnivora, Procyonidae) in restinga and estuarine environments of southern Brazil

Despite its wide range and abundance on certain habitats, the crab-eating raccoon Procyon cancrivorus (G. Cuvier, 1798) is considered one of the less known Neotropical carnivore species. In the present study we analyzed the diet of P. cancrivorus in a peat forest and in an estuarine island in southernmost Brazil. Fruits of the gerivá palm tree Syagrus romanzoffiana were the most consumed item in the peat forest, followed by insects and mollusks. Small mammals, followed by Bromelia antiacantha (Bromeliaceae) fruits and brachyuran crustaceans were the most frequent items in the estuarine island. Other items found in lower frequencies were Solanum sp., Psidium sp., Smilax sp. and Dyospiros sp. fruits, diplopods, scorpions, fishes, anuran amphibians, reptiles (black tegu lizard and snakes), birds and medium-sized mammals (white-eared opossum, armadillo and coypu). Levin’s index values (peat forest: 0.38; estuarine island: 0.45) indicate an approximation to a median position between a specialist and a well distributed diet. Pianka’s index (0.80) showed a considerable diet similarity between the two systems. Procyon cancrivorus presented a varied diet in the studied areas and may play an important role as seed disperser on coastal environments in southernmost Brazil.

Approximating subtree distances between Phylogenies

We give a 5-approximation algorithm to the rooted Subtree-Prune-and-Regraft (rSPR) distance between two phylogenies, which was recently shown to be NP-complete by Bordewich and Semple [5]. This paper presents the first approximation result for this important tree distance. The algorithm follows a standard format for tree distances such as Rodrigues et al. [24] and Hein et al. [13]. The novel ideas are in the analysis. In the analysis, the cost of the algorithm uses a \cascading" scheme that accounts for possible wrong moves. This accounting is missing from previous analysis of tree distance approximation algorithms. Further, we show how all algorithms of this type can be implemented in linear time and give experimental results.

Convergence of the mass-transport steepest descent scheme for the sub-critical Patlak-Keller-Segel model

Variational steepest descent approximation schemes for the modified Patlak-Keller-Segel equation with a logarithmic interaction kernel in any dimension are considered. We prove the convergence of the suitably interpolated in time implicit Euler scheme, defined in terms of the Euclidean Wasserstein distance, associated to this equation for sub-critical masses. As a consequence, we recover the recent result about the global in time existence of weak-solutions to the modified Patlak-Keller-Segel equation for the logarithmic interaction kernel in any dimension in the sub-critical case. Moreover, we show how this method performs numerically in one dimension. In this particular case, this numerical scheme corresponds to a standard implicit Euler method for the pseudo-inverse of the cumulative distribution function. We demonstrate its capabilities to reproduce easily without the need of mesh-refinement the blow-up of solutions for super-critical masses.

Diseño de filtros con topología apilada mediante resonadores FBAR

Els continguts de la memòria es divideixen en dues parts fonamentals, precedides d’una breu explicació on s’introdueix al lector en el tema; primer s’exposen les bases d’un ressonador simple FBAR, d’on s’obtenen equacions de control vitals, i seguidament es plantegen les bases per a un ressonador apilat SCR, derivades de l’estudi previ d’un ressonador simple. La primera part fonamental del treball es centra en l’anàlisi d’un ressonador SCR. Aquest anàlisi es recolza sobre el punt de vista teòric dels paràmetres imatge, el nostre punt de sortida. Aquesta primera part és la més teòrica: obtenció i aplicació dels paràmetres imatge i obtenció dels elements discrets que conformen el circuit equivalent SCR, una xarxa de dos ports. Posteriorment, s’analitza què succeeix modificant els valors dels elements discrets sense variar determinats paràmetres imatge i finalment, es proposa una aproximació per a controlar determinades especificacions de disseny, com són l’ample de banda de transmissió de la xarxa i el factor de qualitat, en funció de les modificacions dels elements discrets. En la segona part s’analitzen, de forma qualitativa, xarxes compostes per diferents ressonadors apilats connectats en cascada. Aquest segon estudi es divideix en dues subparts. En la primera connectem N ressonadors idèntics, plantegem algunes equacions de control i analitzem les respostes. En la segona, es planteja la connexió de dos (N=2) ressonadors diferents amb freqüències de ressonància properes. Aquest segon anàlisi es també totalment qualitatiu, però ens aporta informació que amb la unió de N ressonadors iguals no aconseguíem. Finalitzant aquesta segona part, es planteja l’optimització dels resultats obtinguts per a N=2, mitjançant estructures N=3 ressonadors.

T-cell receptor V beta use predicts reactivity and tolerance to Mlsa-encoded antigens.

T lymphocytes reactive with the product of the Mlsa-allele of the minor lymphocyte stimulating (Mls) locus use a predominant T-cell receptor beta-chain variable gene segment (V beta 6). Such V beta 6-bearing T cells are selectively eliminated in the thymus of Mlsa-bearing mice, consistent with a model in which tolerance to self antigens is achieved by clonal deletion.

Ordering Policy Rules with an Unconditional Welfare Measure

The unconditional expectation of social welfare is often used to assess alternative macroeconomic policy rules in applied quantitative research. It is shown that it is generally possible to derive a linear - quadratic problem that approximates the exact non-linear problem where the unconditional expectation of the objective is maximised and the steady-state is distorted. Thus, the measure of pol icy performance is a linear combinat ion of second moments of economic variables which is relatively easy to compute numerically, and can be used to rank alternative policy rules. The approach is applied to a simple Calvo-type model under various monetary policy rules.

Tractable Consumer Choice

We derive a rational model of separable consumer choice which can also serve as a behavioral model. The central construct is [lambda] , the marginal utility of money, derived from the consumer's rest-of-life problem. We present a robust approximation of [lambda], and show how to incorporate liquidity constraints, indivisibilities and adaptation to a changing environment. We fi nd connections with numerous historical and recent constructs, both behavioral and neoclassical, and draw contrasts with standard partial equilibrium analysis. The result is a better grounded, more flexible and more intuitive description of consumer choice.

The Inflation Bias under Calvo and Rotemberg Pricing.

New Keynesian models rely heavily on two workhorse models of nominal inertia - price contracts of random duration (Calvo, 1983) and price adjustment costs (Rotemberg, 1982) - to generate a meaningful role for monetary policy. These alternative descriptions of price stickiness are often used interchangeably since, to a first order of approximation they imply an isomorphic Phillips curve and, if the steady-state is efficient, identical objectives for the policy maker and as a result in an LQ framework, the same policy conclusions. In this paper we compute time-consistent optimal monetary policy in bench-mark New Keynesian models containing each form of price stickiness. Using global solution techniques we find that the inflation bias problem under Calvo contracts is significantly greater than under Rotemberg pricing, despite the fact that the former typically significant exhibits far greater welfare costs of inflation. The rates of inflation observed under this policy are non-trivial and suggest that the model can comfortably generate the rates of inflation at which the problematic issues highlighted in the trend inflation literature emerge, as well as the movements in trend inflation emphasized in empirical studies of the evolution of inflation. Finally, we consider the response to cost push shocks across both models and find these can also be significantly different. The choice of which form of nominal inertia to adopt is not innocuous.

Bilateral oligopoly and quantity competition

Bilateral oligopoly is a strategic market game with two commodities, allowing strategic behavior on both sides of the market. When the number of buyers is large, such a game approximates a game of quantity competition played by sellers. We present examples which show that this is not typically a Cournot game. Rather, we introduce an alternative game of quantity competition (the market share game) and, appealing to results in the literature on contests, show that this yields the same equilibria as the many-buyer limit of bilateral oligopoly, under standard assumptions on costs and preferences. We also show that the market share and Cournot games have the same equilibria if and only if the price elasticity of the latter is one. These results lead to necessary and sufficient conditions for the Cournot game to be a good approximation to bilateral oligopoly with many buyers and to an ordering of total output when they are not satisfied.

The non-linear Dirichlet problem in Hadamard manifolds

We prove existence theorems for the Dirichlet problem for hypersurfaces of constant special Lagrangian curvature in Hadamard manifolds. The first results are obtained using the continuity method and approximation and then refined using two iterations of the Perron method. The a-priori estimates used in the continuity method are valid in any ambient manifold.

Quantification of the neurochemical profile using simulated macromolecule resonances at 3 T.

The broad resonances underlying the entire (1) H NMR spectrum of the brain, ascribed to macromolecules, can influence metabolite quantification. At the intermediate field strength of 3 T, distinct approaches for the determination of the macromolecule signal, previously used at either 1.5 or 7 T and higher, may become equivalent. The aim of this study was to evaluate, at 3 T for healthy subjects using LCModel, the impact on the metabolite quantification of two different macromolecule approaches: (i) experimentally measured macromolecules; and (ii) mathematically estimated macromolecules. Although small, but significant, differences in metabolite quantification (up to 23% for glutamate) were noted for some metabolites, 10 metabolites were quantified reproducibly with both approaches with a Cramer-Rao lower bound below 20%, and the neurochemical profiles were therefore similar. We conclude that the mathematical approximation can provide sufficiently accurate and reproducible estimation of the macromolecule contribution to the (1) H spectrum at 3 T. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Discontinuous Galerkin methods for the one-dimensional Vlasov-Poisson system

We construct a new family of semi-discrete numerical schemes for the approximation of the one-dimensional periodic Vlasov-Poisson system. The methods are based on the coupling of discontinuous Galerkin approximation to the Vlasov equation and several finite element (conforming, non-conforming and mixed) approximations for the Poisson problem. We show optimal error estimates for the all proposed methods in the case of smooth compactly supported initial data. The issue of energy conservation is also analyzed for some of the methods.

Application of standard and refined heat balance integral methods to one-dimensional Stefan problems

The work in this paper concerns the study of conventional and refined heat balance integral methods for a number of phase change problems. These include standard test problems, both with one and two phase changes, which have exact solutions to enable us to test the accuracy of the approximate solutions. We also consider situations where no analytical solution is available and compare these to numerical solutions. It is popular to use a quadratic profile as an approximation of the temperature, but we show that a cubic profile, seldom considered in the literature, is far more accurate in most circumstances. In addition, the refined integral method can give greater improvement still and we develop a variation on this method which turns out to be optimal in some cases. We assess which integral method is better for various problems, showing that it is largely dependent on the specified boundary conditions.

A numerical solver for a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation representation of neuronal network dynamics

To describe the collective behavior of large ensembles of neurons in neuronal network, a kinetic theory description was developed in [13, 12], where a macroscopic representation of the network dynamics was directly derived from the microscopic dynamics of individual neurons, which are modeled by conductance-based, linear, integrate-and-fire point neurons. A diffusion approximation then led to a nonlinear Fokker-Planck equation for the probability density function of neuronal membrane potentials and synaptic conductances. In this work, we propose a deterministic numerical scheme for a Fokker-Planck model of an excitatory-only network. Our numerical solver allows us to obtain the time evolution of probability distribution functions, and thus, the evolution of all possible macroscopic quantities that are given by suitable moments of the probability density function. We show that this deterministic scheme is capable of capturing the bistability of stationary states observed in Monte Carlo simulations. Moreover, the transient behavior of the firing rates computed from the Fokker-Planck equation is analyzed in this bistable situation, where a bifurcation scenario, of asynchronous convergence towards stationary states, periodic synchronous solutions or damped oscillatory convergence towards stationary states, can be uncovered by increasing the strength of the excitatory coupling. Finally, the computation of moments of the probability distribution allows us to validate the applicability of a moment closure assumption used in [13] to further simplify the kinetic theory.