AN UNIFIED DESCRIPTION OF HERA AND RHIC DATA

Perturbative Quantum Chromodynamics (pQCD) predicts that the small-x gluons in the hadron wavefunction should form a Color Glass Condensate (CGC), which has universal properties, which are the same for nucleon or nuclei. Making use of the results in V.P. Goncalves, M.S. Kugeratski, M.V.T. Machado, F.S. Navarra, Phys. Lett. B643, 273 (2006), we study the behavior of the anomalous dimension in the saturation models as a function of the photon virtuality and of the scaling variable rQ(s), since the main difference among the known parameterizations are characterized by this quantity.

Interpretation of MINOS data in terms of nonstandard neutrino interactions

The MINOS experiment at Fermilab has recently reported a tension between the oscillation results for neutrinos and antineutrinos. We show that this tension, if it persists, can be understood in the framework of nonstandard neutrino interactions (NSI). While neutral current NSI (nonstandard matter effects) are disfavored by atmospheric neutrinos, a new charged current coupling between tau neutrinos and nucleons can fit the MINOS data without violating other constraints. In particular, we show that loop-level contributions to flavor-violating tau decays are sufficiently suppressed. However, conflicts with existing bounds could arise once the effective theory considered here is embedded into a complete renormalizable model. We predict the future sensitivity of the T2K and NOvA experiments to the NSI parameter region favored by the MINOS fit, and show that both experiments are excellent tools to test the NSI interpretation of the MINOS data.

Gravity-Induced Vacuum Dominance

has been widely believed that, except in very extreme situations, the influence of gravity on quantum fields should amount to just small, subdominant contributions. This view seemed to be endorsed by the seminal results obtained over the last decades in the context of renormalization of quantum fields in curved spacetimes. Here, however, we argue that this belief is false by showing that there exist well-behaved spacetime evolutions where the vacuum energy density of free quantum fields is forced, by the very same background spacetime, to become dominant over any classical energy-density component. By estimating the time scale for the vacuum energy density to become dominant, and therefore for back-reaction on the background spacetime to become important, we argue that this (infrared) vacuum dominance may bear unexpected astrophysical and cosmological implications.

Geodynamic evolution of the SW Variscides: Orogenic collapse shown by new tectonometamorphic and isotopic data from western Ossa-Morena Zone, SW Iberia

The pre-Mesozoic geodynamic evolution of SW Iberia has been investigated on the basis of detailed structural analysis, isotope dating, and petrologic study of high-pressure (HP) rocks, revealing the superposition of several tectonometamorphic events: (1) An HP event older than circa 358 Ma is recorded in basic rocks preserved inside marbles, which suggests subduction of a continental margin. The deformation associated with this stage is recorded by a refractory graphite fabric and noncoaxial mesoscopic structures found within the host metasediments. The sense of shear is top to south, revealing thrusting synthetic with subduction (underthrusting) to the north. (2) Recrystallization before circa 358 Ma is due to a regional-scale thermal episode and magmatism. (3) Noncoaxial deformation with top to north sense of shear in northward dipping large-scale shear zones is associated with pervasive hydration and metamorphic retrogression under mostly greenschist facies. This indicates exhumation by normal faulting in a detachment zone confined to the top to north and north dipping shear zones during postorogenic collapse soon after 358 Ma ago (inversion of earlier top to south thrusts). (4) Static recrystallization at circa 318 Ma is due to regional-scale granitic intrusions. Citation: Rosas, F. M., F. O. Marques, M. Ballevre, and C. Tassinari (2008), Geodynamic evolution of the SW Variscides: Orogenic collapse shown by new tectonometamorphic and isotopic data from western Ossa-Morena Zone, SW Iberia, Tectonics, 27, TC6008, doi:10.1029/2008TC002333.

X-ray diffraction data of tibolone Delta(4) isomer (isotibolone)

Tibolone is used for hormone reposition of postmenopause women and isotibolone is considered the major degradation product of tibolone. Isotibolone can also be present in tibolone API raw materials due to some inadequate synthesis. Its presence is then necessary to be identified and quantified in the quality control of both API and drug products. In this work we present the indexing of an isotibolone X-ray diffraction pattern measured with synchrotron light (lambda=1.2407 angstrom) in the transmission mode. The characterization of the isotibolone sample by IR spectroscopy, elemental analysis, and thermal analysis are also presented. The isotibolone crystallographic data are a=6.8066 angstrom, b=20.7350 angstrom, c=6.4489 angstrom, beta=76.428 degrees, V=884.75 angstrom(3), and space group P2(1), rho(o)= 1.187 g cm(-3), Z=2. (C) 2009 International Centre for Diffraction Data. [DOI: 10.1154/1.3257612]

Effect of sugarcane harvesting systems on soil carbon stocks in Brazil: an examination of existing data

Agricultural management practices that promote net carbon (C) accumulation in the soil have been considered as an important potential mitigation option to combat global warming. The change in the sugarcane harvesting system, to one which incorporates C into the soil from crop residues, is the focus of this work. The main objective was to assess and discuss the changes in soil organic C stocks caused by the conversion of burnt to unburnt sugarcane harvesting systems in Brazil, when considering the main soils and climates associated with this crop. For this purpose, a dataset was obtained from a literature review of soils under sugarcane in Brazil. Although not necessarily from experimental studies, only paired comparisons were examined, and for each site the dominant soil type, topography and climate were similar. The results show a mean annual C accumulation rate of 1.5 Mg ha-1 year-1 for the surface to 30-cm depth (0.73 and 2.04 Mg ha-1 year-1 for sandy and clay soils, respectively) caused by the conversion from a burnt to an unburnt sugarcane harvesting system. The findings suggest that soil should be included in future studies related to life cycle assessment and C footprint of Brazilian sugarcane ethanol.

Physical controls on carbon dioxide transfer velocity and flux in low-gradient river systems and implications for regional carbon budgets

Outgassing of carbon dioxide (CO(2)) from rivers and streams to the atmosphere is a major loss term in the coupled terrestrial-aquatic carbon cycle of major low-gradient river systems (the term ""river system"" encompasses the rivers and streams of all sizes that compose the drainage network in a river basin). However, the magnitude and controls on this important carbon flux are not well quantified. We measured carbon dioxide flux rates (F(CO2)), gas transfer velocity (k), and partial pressures (p(CO2)) in rivers and streams of the Amazon and Mekong river systems in South America and Southeast Asia, respectively. F(CO2) and k values were significantly higher in small rivers and streams (channels <100 m wide) than in large rivers (channels >100 m wide). Small rivers and streams also had substantially higher variability in k values than large rivers. Observed F(CO2) and k values suggest that previous estimates of basinwide CO(2) evasion from tropical rivers and wetlands have been conservative and are likely to be revised upward substantially in the future. Data from the present study combined with data compiled from the literature collectively suggest that the physical control of gas exchange velocities and fluxes in low-gradient river systems makes a transition from the dominance of wind control at the largest spatial scales (in estuaries and river mainstems) toward increasing importance of water current velocity and depth at progressively smaller channel dimensions upstream. These results highlight the importance of incorporating scale-appropriate k values into basinwide models of whole ecosystem carbon balance.

Middle Pleistocene sea surface temperature in the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence Zone: Paleoceanographic implications based on planktonic foraminifera

We reconstructed Middle Pleistocene surface hydrography in the western South Atlantic based on planktonic foraminiferal assemblages, modern analog technique and Globorotalia truncatulinoides isotopic ratios of core SP1251 (38 degrees 29.7`S / 53 degrees 40.7`W / 3400 m water depth). Biostratigraphic analysis suggests that sediments were deposited between 0.3 and 0.12 Ma and therefore correlate to Marine Isotopic Stage 6 or 8. Faunal assemblage-based winter and summer SST estimates suggest that the western South Atlantic at 38 degrees S was 4-6 degrees C colder than at present, within the expected range for a glacial interval. High relative abundances of subantarctic species, particularly the dominance of Neogloboquadrina pachyderma (left), support lower than present SSTs throughout the recorded period. The oxygen isotopic composition of G. truncatulinoides suggests a northward shift of the Brazil-Malvinas Confluence Zone and of the associated mid-latitude frontal system during this Middle Pleistocene cold period, and a stronger than present influence of superficial subantarctic waters and lowering in SSTs at our core site during the recorded Middle Pleistocene glacial.

Equivalence between hot tensile and creep testing data for Kanthal A1 alloy

Hot tensile and creep tests were carried out on Kanthal A1 alloy in the temperature range from 600 to 800 degrees C. Each of these sets of data were analyzed separately according to their own methodologies, but an attempt was made to find a correlation between them. A new criterion proposed for converting hot tensile data to creep data, makes possible the analysis of the two kinds of results according to usual creep relations like: Norton, Monkman-Grant, Larson-Miller and others. The remarkable compatibility verified between both sets of data by this procedure strongly suggests that hot tensile data can be converted to creep data and vice-versa for Kanthal A1 alloy, as verified previously for other metallic materials.

Multidimensional cluster stability analysis from a Brazilian Bradyrhizobium sp RFLP/PCR data set

The taxonomy of the N(2)-fixing bacteria belonging to the genus Bradyrhizobium is still poorly refined, mainly due to conflicting results obtained by the analysis of the phenotypic and genotypic properties. This paper presents an application of a method aiming at the identification of possible new clusters within a Brazilian collection of 119 Bradryrhizobium strains showing phenotypic characteristics of B. japonicum and B. elkanii. The stability was studied as a function of the number of restriction enzymes used in the RFLP-PCR analysis of three ribosomal regions with three restriction enzymes per region. The method proposed here uses Clustering algorithms with distances calculated by average-linkage clustering. Introducing perturbations using sub-sampling techniques makes the stability analysis. The method showed efficacy in the grouping of the species B. japonicum and B. elkanii. Furthermore, two new clusters were clearly defined, indicating possible new species, and sub-clusters within each detected cluster. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Data Mining Applied to Harmonic Current Sources Identification in Residential Consumers

This work proposes a method based on both preprocessing and data mining with the objective of identify harmonic current sources in residential consumers. In addition, this methodology can also be applied to identify linear and nonlinear loads. It should be emphasized that the entire database was obtained through laboratory essays, i.e., real data were acquired from residential loads. Thus, the residential system created in laboratory was fed by a configurable power source and in its output were placed the loads and the power quality analyzers (all measurements were stored in a microcomputer). So, the data were submitted to pre-processing, which was based on attribute selection techniques in order to minimize the complexity in identifying the loads. A newer database was generated maintaining only the attributes selected, thus, Artificial Neural Networks were trained to realized the identification of loads. In order to validate the methodology proposed, the loads were fed both under ideal conditions (without harmonics), but also by harmonic voltages within limits pre-established. These limits are in accordance with IEEE Std. 519-1992 and PRODIST (procedures to delivery energy employed by Brazilian`s utilities). The results obtained seek to validate the methodology proposed and furnish a method that can serve as alternative to conventional methods.

Determination of in situ uniaxial compressive strength of coal seams based on geophysical data

The central issue for pillar design in underground coal mining is the in situ uniaxial compressive strength (sigma (cm)). The paper proposes a new method for estimating in situ uniaxial compressive strength in coal seams based on laboratory strength and P wave propagation velocity. It describes the collection of samples in the Bonito coal seam, Fontanella Mine, southern Brazil, the techniques used for the structural mapping of the coal seam and determination of seismic wave propagation velocity as well as the laboratory procedures used to determine the strength and ultrasonic wave velocity. The results obtained using the new methodology are compared with those from seven other techniques for estimating in situ rock mass uniaxial compressive strength.

Artificial neural networks analysis of Sao Paulo subway tunnel settlement data

Artificial neural networks have been used to analyze a number of engineering problems, including settlement caused by different tunneling methods in various types of ground mass. This paper focuses on settlement over shotcrete- supported tunnels on Sao Paulo subway line 2 (West Extension) that were excavated in Tertiary sediments using the sequential excavation method. The adjusted network is a good tool for predicting settlement above new tunnels to be excavated in similar conditions. The influence of network training parameters on the quality of results is also discussed. (C) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Short-term experimental data of drying shrinkage of ground granulated blast-furnace slag cement concrete

This paper presents results of laboratory testing of unrestrained drying shrinkage during a period of 154 days of different concrete mixtures from the Brazilian production line that utilize ground granulated blast-furnace slag in their compositions. Three concrete mixtures with water/cement ratio of 0.78(M1), 0.41(M2), and 0.37(M3) were studied. The obtained experimental data were compared with the analytical results from prediction models available in the literature: the ACI 209 model (ACI), the B3 model (B3), the Eurocode 2 model (EC2), the GL 2000 model (GL), and the Brazilian NBR 6118 model (NBR), and an analysis of the efficacy of these models was conducted utilizing these experimental data. In addition, the development of the mechanical properties (compressive strength and modulus of elasticity) of the studied concrete mixtures was also measured in the laboratory until 126 days. From this study, it could be concluded that the ACI and the GL were the models that most approximated the experimental drying shrinkage data measured during the analyzed period of time.

Experimental data and modeling of the thermodynamic properties of bread dough at refrigeration and freezing temperatures

Thermodynamic properties of bread dough (fusion enthalpy, apparent specific heat, initial freezing point and unfreezable water) were measured at temperatures from -40 degrees C to 35 degrees C using differential scanning calorimetry. The initial freezing point was also calculated based on the water activity of dough. The apparent specific heat varied as a function of temperature: specific heat in the freezing region varied from (1.7-23.1) J g(-1) degrees C(-1), and was constant at temperatures above freezing (2.7 J g(-1) degrees C(-1)). Unfreezable water content varied from (0.174-0.182) g/g of total product. Values of heat capacity as a function of temperature were correlated using thermodynamic models. A modification for low-moisture foodstuffs (such as bread dough) was successfully applied to the experimental data. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.