Short-period variation of cosmic-ray intensity and ozone density observed in the stratosphere

The energy deposition by slowing-down of energetic ionizing particles in the atmosphere enhances the production of constituent concentration which perturbs and eventually destroys the ozone (OZ) layer. Near the Brazilian anomaly region the cosmic-ray (CR) intensity varies greatly due to the magnetic activity in that region. In order to study these variations, stratospheric balloons were launched to measure, simultaneously, the CR and OZ fluxes in the atmosphere. The Fourier-analysed data collected during the flight on April 22, 1989 show evidences of a short-period variation for both fluxes measured. Attempts to verify the physical mechanisms which associate the CR change with the OZ one are not conclusive due to limited data observed on that event. © 1993 Società Italiana di Fisica.

Marcos estratigraficos regionais na Formacao Palermo: caracterizacao dos picos radioativos

During a basinal scale study on Palermo Formation (Upper Permian, Parana Basin) high elevated Gamma Ray picks were identified mainly in the lower third of that stratigraphic unit. Those Gamma Ray signatures have been used as good regional stratigraphic markers. From them it was possible one chronostratigraphic analysis of Palermo Formation as pointed out by previous papers (Perinotto). Potassium40 is the responsible for the high Gamma Ray picks in the Palermo Formation. -from English summary

Penetration of a light-cured glass ionomer and a resin sealant into occlusal fissures and etched enamel.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the penetration of a light-cured glass ionomer and a resin sealant into occlusal fissures and etched enamel. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-eight maxillary and mandibular caries-free premolars scheduled for extraction for orthodontic reasons were isolated, the occlusal surfaces subjected to prophylaxis and acid-etched with orthophosphoric acid prior to the application of the VariGlass VLC glass ionomer and Concise resin sealants. The teeth were extracted, two longitudinal median sectiors from each tooth were ground to a thickness of 80-100 microns, and the sealant penetration into the fissures evaluated. The sections were placed in nitric acid to dissolve the enamel so the lengths of the tags which had penetrated into the etched enamel could be measured at different sites on the walls of the fissures. RESULTS: Both sealants adapted well to the fissures but penetrated deeper into shallow, open fissures than into deep, constricted fissures. The VariGlass VLC tags into etched enamel were generally longer than the Concise projections.

Axial-schwinger model

We consider an extension of the axial model where local gauge symmetries are taken into account. The result is a mixing of the axial and Schwinger models. The anomaly of the axial current is calculated by means of the Fujikawa path integral technique and the model is also solved. Besides the well-known features of the particular models (axial and Schwinger) an effective interaction of scalar and gauge fields via a topological current is obtained. This term is responsible for the appearance of massive poles in the propagators that are different from those of both models.

EXAFS and XRD Study of the Structural Evolution during Isothermal Sintering of SnO2 Xerogels

The formation of an ordered (crystalline) phase during isothermal sintering of SnO2 monolithic xerogels, at 200, 250, 300, 400, 500, 600 and 700°C, has been analyzed by the combined use of EXAFS and XRD techniques. For the desiccated gel (110°C), EXAFS results show the formation of small microcrystallites with the incipient cassiterite structure. Between 110 and 250°C, the dehydratation reaction leads to an amorphization evidenced by a decrease of the long and short range crystallographic order. It is due to fissure formation in the xerogel network. For higher temperatures, a continuous coagulation of the crystallites occurs, leading to grain growth. Grain and pore growth obeys the same kinetic relation, so that the microstructure grows by simple enlargement while its morphology is static.

Gravity Data and Crustal Structure of North-Central Brazil

The Bouguer gravity anomaly of the northwest Ceará state in north-central Brazil was separated into its regional and residual components which were interpreted separately. By assuming that the sources of the regional anomalies are the depth variations of the crust-mantle interface, the mapping of these variations permited identifying crustal thickening zones which may be related to regional structures. The gravity residual sources coincide with occurrences of high-grade rocks (granulites) associated to medium-grade gneisses. Besides, the major strike-slip zones present significant signatures in the gravity data. This geophysical interpretation is compatible with the interpretation that the tectonic framework of the area is related to two crustal blocks conjoined by an A-type suture. The blocks are displaced along an oblique ramp with dextral movement, which played an important role in uplifting high-grade rocks from the lower crust to upper crustal levels. The suture zone corresponds to an imbricated compressive system dipping to the east and complicated by late dextral strike-slip shear zones.

On the picture dependence of Ramond-Ramond cohomology

Closed string physical states are BRST cohomology classes computed on the space of states annihilated by b- 0. Since b- 0 does not commute with the operations of picture changing, BRST cohomologies at different pictures need not agree. We show explicitly that Ramond-Ramond (RR) zero-momentum physical states are inequivalent at different pictures, and prove that non-zero-momentum physical states are equivalent in all pictures. We find that D-brane states represent BRST classes that are non-polynomial on the superghost zero-modes, while RR gauge fields appear as polynomial BRST classes. We also prove that in x-cohomology, the cohomology where the zero-mode of the spatial coordinates is included, there is a unique ghost-number one BRST class responsible for the Green-Schwarz anomaly, and a unique ghost number minus one BRST class associated with RR charge. © 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Remark on the vectorlike nature of electromagnetism and electric charge quantization

In this work we study the structure of electromagnetic interactions and electric charge quantization in gauge theories of electroweak interactions based on semisimple groups. We show that in the standard model of electroweak interactions the structure of electromagnetic interactions is strongly correlated to the quantization pattern of electric charges. We examine these two questions also in all possible chiral bilepton gauge models of electroweak interactions. In all, we can explain the vectorlike nature of electromagnetic interactions and electric charge quantization together demanding nonvanishing fermion masses and anomaly cancellations. ©1999 The American Physical Society.

Use of one-bottle adhesive as an intermediate bonding layer to reduce sealant microleakage on saliva-contaminated enamel

Purpose: To evaluate the influence of three different adhesives, each used as an intermediary layer, on microleakage of sealants applied under condition of salivary contamination. Materials and Methods: Six different experimental conditions were compared, 3 with adhesives and 3 without. After prophylaxis and acid etching of enamel, salivary contamination was placed for 10 s. In Group SC the sealant was applied after saliva without bonding agent and then light-cured. In Group SCA, after saliva, the surface was air dried, and then the sealant was applied and cured. In Groups ScB, SB and PB, a bonding agent (Scotchbond Dual Cure/3M, Single Bond/3M and Prime & Bond 2.1/Dentsply, respectively) was applied after the saliva and prior to the sealant application and curing. After storage in distilled water at 37°C for 24 hrs, the teeth were submitted to 500 thermal cycles (5°C and 55°C), and silver nitrate was used as a leakage tracer. Leakage data were collected on cross sections as percentage of total enamel-sealant interface length. Representative samples were evaluated under SEM. Results: Sealants placed on contaminated enamel with no bonding agent showed extensive microleakage (94.27% in SC; 42.65% in SCA). The SEM revealed gaps as wide as 20 μm in areas where silver nitrate leakage could be visualized. In contrast, all bonding agent groups showed leakage less than 6.9%. Placement of sealant with a dentin-bonding agent on contaminated enamel significantly reduced microleakage (P< 0.0001). The use of a bonding agent as an intermediary layer between enamel and sealant significantly reduced saliva's effect on sealant microleakage.

Modelagem gravimétrica da Bacia de Taubaté-vale do Rio Paraíba do Sul, leste do estado de São Paulo

This paper presents the gravity survey refinement of the Paraíba do Sul river valley, east region of São Paulo state, by acquisition of 646 gravity stations. Further than the traditional Free-Air and Bouguer corrections, it was necessary to apply the Terrain Correction due the proximity of the Mantiqueira and Mar mountain ranges. An enhanced understanding of Taubaté Basin structural framework was the main objetive of this work. As result, we present the Bouguer Gravity Map of the east region of São Paulo State and the Residual Bouguer Gravity Map generated by Upward Continuation and High-pass filtering. The 2D Gravity Modeling was applied in 4 sections, using bi-dimensional models for the bodies that produced the anomalies (Talwani Method). After integrating the gravity data with the interpretation of 11 seismic sections, it was possible to delineate the Taubate Basin structural framework, which shows an utmost sedimentary thickness of 800 m in the depocenters. It was also interpreted an ultramaphic alkaline plug in the subsurface of Caçapava city.

N = 2 sigma models for Ramond-Ramond backgrounds

Using the U(4) hybrid formalism, manifestly N = (2,2) worldsheet supersymmetric sigma models are constructed for the type-IIB superstring in Ramond-Ramond backgrounds. The Kahler potential in these N = 2 sigma models depends on four chiral and antichiral bosonic superfields and two chiral and antichiral fermionic superfields. When the Kahler potential is quadratic, the model is a free conformal field theory which describes a flat ten-dimensional target space with Ramond-Ramond flux and non-constant dilaton. For more general Kahler potentials, the model describes curved target spaces with Ramond-Ramond flux that are not plane-wave backgrounds. Ricci-flatness of the Kahler metric implies the on-shell conditions for the background up to the usual four-loop conformal anomaly. © SISSA/ISAS 2002.

Control of thermal damage in grinding by digital signal processing of raw acoustic emission

Grinding process is usually the last finishing process of a precision component in the manufacturing industries. This process is utilized for manufacturing parts of different materials, so it demands results such as low roughness, dimensional and shape error control, optimum tool-life, with minimum cost and time. Damages on the parts are very expensive since the previous processes and the grinding itself are useless when the part is damaged in this stage. This work aims to investigate the efficiency of digital signal processing tools of acoustic emission signals in order to detect thermal damages in grinding process. To accomplish such a goal, an experimental work was carried out for 15 runs in a surface grinding machine operating with an aluminum oxide grinding wheel and ABNT 1045 e VC131 steels. The acoustic emission signals were acquired from a fixed sensor placed on the workpiece holder. A high sampling rate acquisition system at 2.5 MHz was used to collect the raw acoustic emission instead of root mean square value usually employed. In each test AE data was analyzed off-line, with results compared to inspection of each workpiece for burn and other metallurgical anomaly. A number of statistical signal processing tools have been evaluated.

Geochemical Study of the Itabirite Iron Ores of the Alegria Mine - Quadrilátero Ferrífero, Minas Gerais, Brazil

The iron ores of Alegria mine are composed of itabirites enclosing minor bodies of high-grade ores. The itabirites are classified according to mineralogical composition in five types: martite-rich, goethite-rich, specularite-rich, magnetite-rich and anphibolite-rich ores. The hematites are martite-rich, magnetite-rich, specularite-rich and more rarely, amphibolite-rich. Other classification criteria of the ores are based on the physical properties and the degree of compaction. As such, the itabirites and hematites can be classified as hard, friable and soft types. The mineralogical/textural evolution of the ores is linked to the pressure and temperature conditions that accompanied the tectonic processes in anphibolite facies and the different degrees of subsequent surficial weathering processes. Petrographic and microstructural studies indicate that the magnetite and amphibole bearing itabirites represent the parent rocks that created the other itabirites and that the specularite itabirites and the hard martite types are related to silica dissolution and redeposition in zones of high and low strain. Most of itabirites ores correspond to chert oxide facies banded iron formation, except the goethite and amphibole bearing itabirite that resemble a silicate or oxide-silicate facies with minor carbonate impurities. The great mass and pods of soft martite itabirites are probably shaley oxide facies BIFs with little volcanic contribution. Trace element contents of the Alegria's itabirites show strong dissimilarities with BIFs associated with volcanism (Algoma type), but closely ressemble to the Lake Superior type, with high content in Cr, Co and low V, Ni, Cu and Zn. Although the absolute contents of REE present in the Alegria's itabirites are, in general very low, the pattern when normalised by NASC is similar to the great majority of the Archean and Paleoproterozoic BIFs elsewhere in the world, and characterised by positive Eu anomaly.

Aplicação do Índice Relaçáo Declividade-Extensão - RDE Na Bacia do Rio do Peixe (SP) para Detecção de Deformações Neotectô nicas

This paper presents the identification of tectonic deformation through the application of the stream-gradient index (slope x length) method in the Rio do Peixe hydrographic basin, located in western State of Sã o Paulo. The main principle used is that river valleys are the best tools for this type of analysis because of their fast adjustment to even the most gentle crustal deformations. This type of analysis for structural studies is extremely useful in the western region of the State of São Paulo, where deep chemical weathering results in a thick regolith and scarce outcrops. The stream length index is the ratio of the altimetric amplitude of each drainage and the natural logarithm of its length. The value obtained is plotted on maps at the median point of each drainage, allowing the drawings of lines with the same values (isodefs). Three anomalies (A, B and C) were identified along the Rio do Peixe valley representing uplift sectors indicated by the formation and distribution of Upper Quaternary deposits in terraces and modern fluvial plains and alluvial fans. In correlation with known tectonic data for this region it is possible to attribute the A and B anomalies to the Ribeirão Preto and Presidente Prudente crustal sutures, respectively. The smaller C anomaly needs further field investigation, but it could be associated with the Três Lagoas crustal suture. It must be emphasised that these sutures are inherited from the Precambrian Basement which had a strong influence on the Phanerozoic evolution in the whole sedimentary and volcanic stratigraphic pile of the Paraná Basin and on the dominant structural lineaments directions developed therein .The A, Band C anomalies are suggestive of renewed uplift as a result of neotectonic action in modern times.

Fenda cervical mediana

The midline cervical cleft is an unusual congenital anomaly of the ventral neck and fewer than 100 cases have been reported overall and the first described by Bailey in 1924. This anomaly is report in association with median cleft of lower lip, cleft mandible and tongue, and hypoplasia of other midline neck structures. Its considered an anomaly originated from the two first branchial arches. The treatment of this cleft is a vertical complete excision and a closure with multiple Z-plasty. Many authors recommend avoid linear closure and prefer multiple Z-plasty for evicted fibrosis and local retraction. In this paper we report 2 case of this anomaly and the literature is reviewed.