The Wigner function associated with the Rogers-Szego polynomials

A Wigner function associated with the Rogers-Szego polynomials is proposed and its properties are discussed. It is shown that from such a Wigner function it is possible to obtain well-behaved probability distribution functions for both angle and action variables, defined on the compact support -pi less than or equal to theta < pi, and for m greater than or equal to 0, respectively. The width of the angle probability density is governed by the free parameter q characterizing the polynomials.

Measurement of the shape of the boson-transverse momentum distribution in p(p)over-bar -> Z/gamma*-> e(+)e(-)+X events produced at root s=1.96 TeV

We present a measurement of the shape of the Z/gamma* boson transverse momentum (q(T)) distribution in p (p) over bar -> Z/gamma(*)-> e(+)e(-)+X events at a center-of-mass energy of 1.96 TeV using 0.98 fb(-1) of data collected with the D0 detector at the Fermilab Tevatron collider. The data are found to be consistent with the resummation prediction at low q(T), but above the perturbative QCD calculation in the region of q(T)> 30 GeV/c. Using events with q(T)< 30 GeV/c, we extract the value of g(2), one of the nonperturbative parameters for the resummation calculation. Data at large boson rapidity y are compared with the prediction of resummation and with alternative models that employ a resummed form factor with modifications in the small Bjorken x region of the proton wave function.

Squeezed K+K- correlations in high energy heavy ion collisions

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Quasiprobability distribution functions for finite-dimensional discrete phase spaces: Spin-tunneling effects in a toy model

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Spatial and temporal distribution of the zoobenthos community during the filling up period of Porto Primavera Reservoir (Paraná River, Brazil)

Este estudo é parte do monitoramento limnológico empreendido pela Companhia Energética do Estado de São Paulo (CESP) durante o processo de enchimento do reservatório de Porto Primavera (Usina Hidrelétrica Engenheiro Sérgio Motta). Este reservatório, localizado no alto rio Paraná, entre os Estados de São Paulo e Mato Grosso, é o quarto maior do país. A primeira etapa de enchimento do lago começou em dezembro de 1998 e a segunda em março de 2001. Amostras para a análise da comunidade bentônica e das características sedimentológicas foram coletadas trimestralmente entre agosto de 1999 e novembro de 2001 e também em agosto de 2002 (11 campanhas). As coletas foram feitas em 13 estações de amostragem distribuídas no reservatório e em uma localizada a jusante da barragem. 128 táxons de invertebrados foram encontrados, sendo Mollusca, Annelida, Insecta e Nematoda os grupos dominantes durante praticamente todos os meses analisados. A classe Insecta foi a melhor representada, com 9 diferentes ordens, dentro das quais os Diptera contribuíram com a ocorrência de 63 táxons. A espécie exótica de bivalve Corbicula fluminea foi registrada em todas as estações de amostragem mostrando sua grande capacidade para colonizar novos habitats em regiões neotropicais. Variações consideráveis na densidade da fauna foram observadas para os diferentes períodos e locais analisados. A densidade máxima (média de 7812 ind.m-2) foi registrada no centro do reservatório enquanto que as densidades mínimas foram registradas na zona lacustre próxima à barragem (média de 9 ind.m-2). A maior riqueza de espécies por local/período (24 táxons) foi encontrada no trecho superior do reservatório (trecho fluvial). A diversidade máxima foi observada nas zonas superior e central do reservatório, com valores de 3.82 e 3.86 (bits.ind-1) no início (agosto/1999) e final (agosto/2002) do processo de enchimento, respectivamente. Não foi encontrado um padrão de distribuição dos grupos faunísticos que pudesse estar associado com a textura granulométrica dos diferentes locais amostrados. Por outro lado, constatou-se a diminuição, ou mesmo a não ocorrência de organismos, nas estações com elevada concentração de matéria orgânica (>40%) em baixo estado de degradação (grandes detritos vegetais). Tal fato pode estar relacionado com a falta de depósitos de sedimentos, dificultando a fixação de organismos da fauna bentônica, bem como com condições químicas mais redutoras em função da intensidade dos processos de decomposição da fitomassa inundada.

Thermodynamic properties of water sorption of jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lam.) as a function of moisture content

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparison between the complete Bayesian method and empirical Bayesian method for ARCH models using Brazilian financial time series

In this work we compared the estimates of the parameters of ARCH models using a complete Bayesian method and an empirical Bayesian method in which we adopted a non-informative prior distribution and informative prior distribution, respectively. We also considered a reparameterization of those models in order to map the space of the parameters into real space. This procedure permits choosing prior normal distributions for the transformed parameters. The posterior summaries were obtained using Monte Carlo Markov chain methods (MCMC). The methodology was evaluated by considering the Telebras series from the Brazilian financial market. The results show that the two methods are able to adjust ARCH models with different numbers of parameters. The empirical Bayesian method provided a more parsimonious model to the data and better adjustment than the complete Bayesian method.

Periodontal disease characterization in dogs with normal renal function or chronic renal failure

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

Spray deposition and losses in potato as a function of air-assistance and sprayer boom angle

A cultura da batata possui grande expressão econômica dentro do cenário agrícola. Para isso, equipamentos e técnicas de aplicação de produtos fitossanitários vêm sendo desenvolvidos visando melhorar o rendimento econômico da cultura. Neste sentido, experimentos foram conduzidos no delineamento em blocos ao acaso na cultura da batata cv. Ágata. Objetivando avaliar o efeito da assistência de ar combinada a diferentes ângulos de aplicação sobre a deposição da pulverização, bem como as perdas da calda para o solo utilizou-se um pulverizador com e sem assistência de ar junto à barra de pulverização posicionada a +30º, 0º e -30º (sinal + a favor e - contrário ao deslocamento) em relação a vertical. O volume de calda foi 400 L ha-1 utilizando-se pontas de jato cônico vazio JA-4 na pressão de 633 kPa. Para a avaliação dos depósitos utilizou-se um traçador cúprico. Os depósitos foram removidos dos folíolos por lavagem com água destilada, em ambas as superfícies foliares, nas posições superior e inferior das plantas de batata e quantificados por espectrofotometria de absorção atômica. As perdas da pulverização foram avaliadas em coletores plásticos colocados nas entrelinhas das parcelas experimentais. Os níveis dos depósitos do traçador cúprico nas diferentes posições da planta foram analisados pelo teste estatístico T² de Hotteling. Os maiores depósitos foram obtidos com a barra posicionada a 0º e +30º, em presença da assistência de ar, tanto na posição superior quanto inferior da planta. A presença do ar, além de propiciar maiores depósitos na parte inferior das plantas, possibilitou maior uniformidade na distribuição deles. As perdas da pulverização ficaram abaixo de 4%.

Ecological distribution of the shrimp Pleoticus muelleri (Bate, 1888) (Decapoda : Penaeoidea) in southeastern Brazil

The abundance and ecological distribution of the shrimp Pleoticus muelleri as a function of certain environmental factors were investigated from January 1998 through December 1999 in the region of Ubatuba, São Paulo, Brazil. The collections were made monthly in the bays of Ubatumirim (UBM), Ubatuba (UBA) and Mar Virado (MV). Each bay was divided into six sampling transects, four transects parallel to the shoreline and two near the rocky shores on the opposite side. We employed a commercial shrimp boat equipped with two double-rig nets. A total of 6252 shrimp were collected, including 3321 from MV, 1467 from UBM, and 1464 from UBA. Most of the shrimp were caught in the deeper, higher-salinity areas. The high abundance of P. muelleri observed in the southern part of the region studied was related to a sediments with a higher percentage of silt and clay. The numbers of P. muelleri were positively correlated with periods of cooler temperatures. Thus, temperature and the type of sediment were determinant factors in the distribution of P. muelleri in this region.

Structural characteristics of gels prepared from sonohydrolysis and conventional hydrolysis of TEOS: an emphasis on the mass fractal as determined from the pore size distribution

Silica gels were preparated from fixed proportion mixtures of tetraethoxysilane, water and hydrocloric acid, using either ultrasound stimulation (US) or conventional method (CO) in the hydrolysis step of the process. Wet gets were obtained with the same silica volume concentration and density. According to small-angle X-ray scattering, the structure of the wet gels can be described as mass fractal structures with mass fractal dimension D = 2.20 in a length scale xi = 7.9 nm, in the case of wet gels US, and D = 2.26 in a length scale 6.9 nm, in the case of wet gels CO. The mass fractal characteristics of the wet gels US and CO account for the different structures evolved in the drying of the gels US and CO in the obtaining of xerogels and aerogels. The pore structure of the dried gels was studied by nitrogen adsorption as a function of the temperature. Aerogels (US and CO) present high porosity with pore size distribution (PSD) curves in the mesopore region while xerogels (US and CO) present minor porosity with PSD curves mainly in the micropore region. The dried gels US (aerogels and xerogels) generally present pore volume and specific surface area greater than the dried gels CO. The mass fractal structure of the aerogels has been studied from an approach based on the PSD curves exclusively. (c) 2005 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Univariate and bivariate distribution of growth traits in beef buffaloes from Brazil

The aim of this study was to analyze the weight at birth (BW) and adjusted at 205 (W205), 365 (W365) and 550 (W55O) days in beef buffaloes from Brazil, using two approaches: parametric, by normal distribution, and non-parametric, by kernel function, and thus estimating the genetic, environmental and phenotypic correlation among traits. Information of 5,169 animals at birth (BW), 3,792 at 205 days (W205), 3.883 at 365 days (W365) and 1,524 at 550 days of age (W550) were used. The birth weight distribution presented an evident discrepancy in relation to the normal distribution. However, W205, W365 and W550 presented normal distributions. The birth weight presented weak genetic, environmental, and phenotypic associations with the other weight measurements. on the other hand, the weight traits at 205, 365, 550 days of age showed a high genetic correlation.

Charge distribution and calcium affinity of sulfated alpha-L-galactans from ascidians. Comparison between linear and highly branched polymers

Calcium binding and charge distribution on highly branched and linear sulfated L-galactans from ascidians have been studied using a metallochromic indicator and conductimetric titrations. The distance between charged groups of the linear and highly branched galactans does not vary despite their marked differences in sulfate/total sugar molar ratios. These results indicate that the sulfated L-galactose units are concentrated in the central polysaccharide core and not intercalated among non-sulfated units. This inference is consistent with the chemical studies of these galactans. Surprisingly, calcium affinity increases with increasing amounts of non-sulfated sugar branches in the molecule. Thus, calcium binding in these polymers is not a simple function of availability of anion binding sites but a more complex calcium-polysaccharide interaction. (C) 1998 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved.

Spatial distribution of solutes and water in sucrose solution dehydrated apples

Half-fresh apples were immersed in sucrose solution (50% w/w, 27 degrees C) during different times of exposition (2, 4, and 8 h). Then each fruit was sliced from the transversal exposed surface. Density, water, and sugar content were determined for each slice. A mathematical model was fitted to experimental data of water and sucrose content considering the global flux and the tissue shrinkage. By numerical analysis, the binary effective diffusion coefficients as a function of concentration were calculated, using material coordinates and integrating simultaneously two differential equations (for water and sucrose). The coefficients obtained are one or even two orders of magnitude lower than the ones for pure solutions and present an unusual concentration dependence. This comparison shows the influence of the tissue resistance to the diffusion.

The Poisson-exponential distribution: a Bayesian approach

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)