Monitoramento da dinâmica costeira da praia de Ponta Negra

This dissertation includes the monitoring of coastal environmental dynamics at three points distinct from Ponta Negra beach, located on the South Coast of Natal, capital of Rio Grande do Norte, in the period June 2012 to May, 2013. For this, the following hypotheses were developed: Which actors morphodynamic and/or anthropogenic responsible for the changes in the study area? And yet, the configuration of the morphodynamic state of the beach, dissipative, reflective or intermediate? Faced with these questions , studies on the beach environment has its relevance as they may clarify the risks and responsibilities of anthropogenic intervention and also assist managers in more targeted action regarding the protection of praiais systems, since once committed, it is very difficult recover the environmental framework of the area, being greatly more feasible the development of multidisciplinary work plans that can guide human actions possible in search of an understanding to the harmonious interaction between society and the beach system. Its main goal is the understanding of the processes of coastal dynamics, methodological procedures that supported the implementation of this research were based on the object of study related literature associated with the collection of data resulting from beach profiles made monthly in spring tides (full moon), the hydrodynamic data and statistical quantification data (%) and size classification of sediment sediment after laboratory analysis. The results obtained from annual comparative tables of beach profiles, associated sedimentological analysis, indicated a positive sediment budget, tending to equilibrium for Point 01 and Point 02 negative. Have to Step 03 were added to the hydrodynamic data, which allowed also on a comparative framework, the perception of a depositional dynamics, with a tendency to decrease the accumulation of material at the end of the annual cycle. These data also allowed for the point 03, the calculation of the volume of material transported by the longshore current was around 104.280 m³/m, plus the Dean parameter which established a morphological state of the dissipative beach with specific prevalences for point 03. Thus, given the results presented in this work in a timely monitoring of coastal dynamics is expected that managers and public authorities can articulate multidisciplinary work plans, always aiming actions that seek understanding and effective commitment to the recovery of the harmonious interaction between society and Ponta Negra beach environment

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii antibodies in ostriches (Struthio camelus) from commercial breeding facilities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil.

Toxoplasmosis is widespread zoonosis caused by Toxoplasma gondii,a protozoan that may infect mammals and birds. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of T. gondii in ostriches (Struthio camelus) from commercial breeding facilities in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, in a way to increase the knowledge on the behavior and importance of the parasite in this animal species. A total of 195 serum samples were collected from ostriches from Sorocaba, Campinas, São Carlos, Aracatuba, São Paulo, Vale do Ribeira, Botucatu and sao Jose do Rio Preto, in the state of São Paulo. These samples were analyzed by means of the Modified Agglutination Test (MAT) in order to investigate the occurrence of Toxoplasmagondii antibodies. The test showed that 14.36% of the animals were seropositive to Toxoplasmagondii. Minimum titer was considered to be equal or greater than 1:16, and the greatest dilution observed was 1:16,384. No statistically significant differences were found between males and females. Seronegative animals occurred in only two regions (São Paulo and Sao Jose do Rio Preto). These results point out the importance of further studies on this infection in ostriches, and on management practices that may minimize the risk of toxoplasmosis transmission in these birds which would, in their turn, decrease the risk for the final consumer.

The Interaction Between N-Isopropylacrylamide-Acrylic Acid-Ethyl Methacrylate Thermosensitive Polymers and Cationic Surfactants

The interaction between cationic surfactants and isopropylacrylamide-acrylic acid-ethyl methacrylate (IPA:AA:EMA) terpolymers has been investigated using steady-state fluorescence and spectrophotometric measurements to assess the effect of the polymer composition on the aggregation process and terpolymers' thermosensitivities. Micropolarity studies using pyrene show that the interaction of cationic surfactants with IPA:AA:EMA terpolymers occurs at surfactant concentrations much smaller than that observed for the pure surfactant in aqueous solution. The critical aggregation concentration (CAC) values decrease with both the hydrocarbon length of the surfactant and the content of ethyl methacrylate. These results were interpreted as a manifestation of the increasing contribution of attractive hydrophobic and electrostatic forces between negatively charged polymer chains and positively charged surfactant molecules. The increase of ethyl methacrylate in the copolymers lowers the CAC due to the larger hydrophobic character of the polymer backbone. The cloud point determination reveals that the lower critical solution temperatures (LCST) depend strongly on the copolymer composition and surfactant nature. The binding of surfactants molecules to the polymer chain screens the electrostatic repulsion between the carboxylic groups inducing a conformational transition and the dehydration of the polymer chain.

Short-term successional dynamics of a macroalgal community in a stream from northwestern São Paulo State, Brazil

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

Energy-dependent point interaction: Self-adjointness

Recently, we constructed an energy-dependent point interaction (EDPI) in its most general form in one-dimensional quantum mechanics. In this paper, we show that stationary solutions of the Schrodinger equation with the EDPI form a complete set. Then any nonstationary solution of the time-dependent Schrodinger equation can be expressed as a linear combination of stationary solutions. This, however, does not necessarily mean that the EDPI is self-adjoint and the time-development of the nonstationary state is unitary. The EDPI is self-adjoint provided that the stationary solutions are all orthogonal to one another. We illustrate situations in which this orthogonality condition is not satisfied.

Consequences of dark matter-dark energy interaction on cosmological parameters derived from type Ia supernova data

Models where the dark matter component of the Universe interacts with the dark energy field have been proposed as a solution to the cosmic coincidence problem, since in the attractor regime both dark energy and dark matter scale in the same way. In these models the mass of the cold dark matter particles is a function of the dark energy field responsible for the present acceleration of the Universe, and different scenarios can be parametrized by how the mass of the cold dark matter particles evolves with time. In this article we study the impact of a constant coupling delta between dark energy and dark matter on the determination of a redshift dependent dark energy equation of state w(DE)(z) and on the dark matter density today from SNIa data. We derive an analytical expression for the luminosity distance in this case. In particular, we show that the presence of such a coupling increases the tension between the cosmic microwave background data from the analysis of the shift parameter in models with constant w(DE) and SNIa data for realistic values of the present dark matter density fraction. Thus, an independent measurement of the present dark matter density can place constraints on models with interacting dark energy.

Mixing-demixing transition and collapse of a vortex state in a quasi-two-dimensional boson-fermion mixture

We investigate the mixing-demixing transition and the collapse in a quasi-two-dimensional degenerate boson-fermion mixture (DBFM) with a bosonic vortex. We solve numerically a quantum-hydrodynamic model based on a new density functional which accurately takes into account the dimensional crossover. It is demonstrated that with the increase of interspecies repulsion, a mixed state of DBFM could turn into a demixed state. The system collapses for interspecies attraction above a critical value which depends on the vortex quantum number. For interspecies attraction just below this critical limit there is almost complete mixing of boson and fermion components. Such mixed and demixed states of a DBFM could be experimentally realized by varying an external magnetic field near a boson-fermion Feshbach resonance, which will result in a continuous variation of interspecies interaction.

Bose-Einstein condensation thermodynamics of a trapped gas with attractive interaction

We study the Bose-Einstein condensation of an interacting gas with attractive interaction confined in a harmonic trap using a semiclassical two-fluid mean-field model. The condensed state is described by the converged numerical solution of the Gross-Pitaevskii equation. By solving the system of coupled equations of this model iteratively we obtain the converged results for the temperature dependencies of the condensate fraction, chemical potential, and internal energy for the Bose-Einstein condensate of Li-7 atoms. (C) 2000 Elsevier B.V. B.V. All rights reserved.

Positronium interaction and its Bose-Einstein condensation

We present the actual state of affairs and future perspectives in the study of a quantum system of a collection of positronium (Ps) atoms. The interaction of a Ps atom with other atoms and molecules and specially with another Ps atom is described in some detail as Ps-Ps interaction should play a crucial role in the dynamics of an assembly of Ps atoms. Using a simple model-exchange potential, we could describe the available experimental results of Ps scattering reasonably well. The present scenario of the observation of Ps2 molecule, Ps Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) and the annihilation laser from a Ps BEC is presented. Possibilities of a Ps BEC formation via laser cooling of Ps atoms and via Ps formation in cavities are considered and difficulties with each procedure discussed (C) 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

Self-trapping of a binary Bose-Einstein condensate induced by interspecies interaction

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

Neutron-C-19 scattering near an Efimov state

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

Transport properties and equation of state of quark-nuclear matter

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

Identification of Landslide Scars in the Region of the Serra do Mar, São Paulo State, Brazil, Using Digital Image Processing and Spatial Analysis Tools

The objective of the present study, developed in a mountainous region in Brazil where many landslides occur, is to present a method for detecting landslide scars that couples image processing techniques with spatial analysis tools. An IKONOS image was initially segmented, and then classified through a Batthacharrya classifier, with an acceptance limit of 99%, resulting in 216 polygons identified with a spectral response similar to landslide scars. After making use of some spatial analysis tools that took into account a susceptibility map, a map of local drainage channels and highways, and the maximum expected size of scars in the study area, some features misinterpreted as scars were excluded. The 43 resulting features were then compared with visually interpreted landslide scars and field observations. The proposed method can be reproduced and enhanced by adding filtering criteria and was able to find new scars on the image, with a final error rate of 2.3%.

Avaliação final de clones IAC de cana-de-açúcar da série 1982, em latossolo roxo da região de Ribeirão Preto

Doze clones de cana-de-açúcar, provenientes de hibridações realizadas em 1982, foram avaliados em três experimentos, em latossolo roxo, da região de Ribeirão Preto (SP). Para tanto, utilizou-se o delineamento em blocos ao acaso, com seis repetições, efetuando-se a análise estatística com a média das quatro colheitas (1. º, 2.º, 3.º e 4.º cortes). Avaliaram-se as produtividades de cana e açúcar, pol% cana, fibra% cana, população de colmos e intensidade de florescimento. Considerando-se essas características, assim como a curva de maturação dos clones, e tomando-se como padrões as variedades SP70-1143, SP71-1406, IAC64-257 e RB76-5418, o clone IAC82-2045 apresentou um desempenho equivalente, caracterizando-se como material de alta produtividade agrícola, boa riqueza, com a maturação do meio para o final de safra, podendo ser incluído em novos estudos de manejo varietal para outras condições paulistas. Ainda se destacou, com algumas restrições, indicadas pela interação ambiente x clone para a produtividade agrícola, o clone IAC82-2120, com boa riqueza e possibilidade de ser colhido a partir de junho. Estimando-se os parâmetros genéticos, observou-se, mediante a componente da variância genótipo x ambiente, a significativa resposta dos genótipos a ambientes específicos, mais acentuadamente para os caracteres produtivi-dade agrícola e produtividade média de açúcar, e menos expressiva para teor de sacarose.

Temporal dynamics of two species of Chaetophoraceae (Chlorophyta) in tropical streams of São Paulo State, Southeastern Brazil

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