A statistical model of aggregate fragmentation

Processo FAPESP: 11/08171-3

Search for excited quarks in the gamma plus jet final state in proton-proton collisions at root s=8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Estudo dos parâmetros físicos na fluidização em um leito gás sólido

Through measurements of basic parameters for determining the fluidization regime, as particle size, minimum fluidization velocity, bed porosity, etc., This paper analyze the mass distribution of the phases of the bed to be discussed in relation to: the flow gas physical properties of the solid particles and the forces acting on the solid particles circulating within the bed, as the weight force, buoyancy and drag forces (Stokes' Law). Due to the weight force is constant, open up the discussion about which of the other two forces, buoyancy and drag force, influencing the behavior of the bed. We used the photographic method to realize the statistical analyzes. Therefore, we can conclude what changes can be made more convenient in fluidizing the bed to obtain the highest efficiency for a good mixing used in industrial processes

Análise da estabilidade do movimento rotacional de satélites artificiais com quatérnions e sob a influência de torques externos

The aim of this work is to analyze the stability of the rotational motion’s artificial satellite using the Routh Hurwitz Algorithm (CRH) and the quaternions to describe the satellite’s attitude. This algorithm allows the investigation of the stability of the motion using the coefficients of the characteristic equation associated with the equation of the rotational motion in the linear form. The equations of the rotational motion are given by the four cinematic equations for the quaternion and the three equations of Euler for the spin velocity’s components. In the Euler equations are included the components of the gravity gradient torque (TGG) and the solar radiation torque (TRS). The TGG is generated by the difference of the Earth gravity force direction and intensity actuating on each satellite mass element and it depends on the mass distribution and the form of the satellite. The TRS is created by changing of the linear momentum, which happens due to the interactions of solar photons with the satellite surface. The equilibrium points are gotten by the equation of rotational motion and the CRH is applied in the linear form of these equations. Simulations are developed for small and medium satellites, but the gotten equilibrium points are not stable by CRH. However, when some of the eigenvalues of the characteristic equation are analyzed, it is found some equilibrium points which can be pointed out as stables for an interval of the time, due to small magnitude of the real part of these eigenvalue

Measurement of the pp → ZZ production cross section and constraints on anomalous triple gauge couplings in four-lepton final states at √s = 8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Search for physics beyond the standard model in final states with a lepton and missing transverse energy in proton-proton collisions at root s = 8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Evidence for dark matter in the inner Milky Way

The ubiquitous presence of dark matter in the Universe is today a central tenet in modern cosmology and astrophysics(1). Throughout the Universe, the evidence for dark matter is compelling in dwarfs, spiral galaxies, galaxy clusters as well as at cosmological scales. However, it has been historically difficult to pin down the dark matter contribution to the total mass density in the Milky Way, particularly in the innermost regions of the Galaxy and in the solar neighbourhood(2). Here we present an up-to-date compilation of Milky Way rotation curve measurements(3-13), and compare it with state-of-the-art baryonic mass distribution models(14-26). We show that current data strongly disfavour baryons as the sole contribution to the Galactic mass budget, even inside the solar circle. Our findings demonstrate the existence of dark matter in the inner Galaxy without making any assumptions about its distribution. We anticipate that this result will compel new model-independent constraints on the dark matter local density and profile, thus reducing uncertainties on direct and indirect dark matter searches, and will help reveal the structure and evolution of the Galaxy.

Search for physics beyond the standard model in events with two leptons, jets, and missing transverse momentum in pp collisions at root s=8 TeV

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Dynamic analysis for different finite element models of beams with viscoelastic damping layer

Many new viscoelastic materials have been developed recently to help improve noise and vibration levels in mechanical structures for applications in automobile and aeronautical industry. The viscoelastic layer treatment applied to solid metal structures modifies two main properties which are related to the mass distribution and the damping mechanism. The other property controlling the dynamics of a mechanical system is the stiffness that does not change much with the viscoelastic material. The model of such system is usually complex, because the viscoelastic material can exhibit nonlinear behavior, in contrast with the many available tools for linear dynamics. In this work, the dynamic behavior of sandwich beam is modeled by finite element method using different element types which are then compared with experimental results developed in the laboratory for various beams with different viscoelastic layer materials. The finite element model is them updated to help understand the effects in the damping for various natural frequencies and the trade-off between attenuation and the mass add to the structure.

Análise dinâmica em vigas compostas com amortecimento utilizando o método dos elementos espectrais e elementos finitos

Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES)

Estabelecimento do capim-massai em consórcio com milho AG-1051 e Bt, em áreas infestadas pelo percevejo castanho das raízes.

The system consortium of grain crops with forage plants allows the establishment of pastures resistant, vigorous and lower cost in areas infested with stink bug brown root. Maize has favorable characteristics for intercropping as high plant height and insertion height of the studs, allowing the crop to occur without interference of forage plants. Furthermore, the production system in consortium with Bt corn reduced the infestation of Spodoptera frugiperda and was not affected by Scaptocoris carvalhoi (Hemiptera: Cydnidae), The Panicum maximum cv. Massai allowed a consortium with excellent corn and pasture provided a vigorous and excellent leaf mass distribution and very deep roots in the soil. Grain yield for Bt corn was higher and significant (P <0.05), compared to other treatments. The use of Lorsban (1.5 liters / ha) and Thiodan (2.0 liters / ha) was highly effective (P <0.05) in the control of Spodoptera frugiperda and Scaptocoris carvalhoi (Hemiptera: Cydnidae).

The effects of river discharge and seasonal winds on the shelf off southeastern South America

The Rio de la Plata waters form a low salinity tongue that affects the circulation, stratification and the distributions of nutrients and biological species over a wide extent of the adjacent continental shelf. The plume of coastal waters presents a seasonal meridional displacement reaching lower latitudes (28,S) during austral winter and 32 degrees S during summer. Historical data suggests that the wind causes the alongshore shift, with southwesterly (SW) winds forcing the plume to lower latitudes in winter while summer dominant northeasterly (NE) winds force its southward retreat. To establish the connection between wind and outflow variations on the distribution of the coastal waters, we conducted two quasi-synoptic surveys in the region of Plata influence on the continental shelf and slope of southeastern South America, between Mar del Plata, Argentina and the northern coast of Santa Catarina, Brazil. We observed that: (A) SW winds dominating in winter force the northward spreading of the plume to low latitudes even during low river discharge periods; (B) NE winds displace the plume southward and spread the low salinity waters offshore over the entire width of the continental shelf east of the Plata estuary. The southward retreat of the plume in summer leads to a volume decrease of low salinity waters over the shelf. This volume is compensated by an increase of Tropical waters, which dominate the northern shelf. The subsurface transition between Subantarctic and Subtropical Shelf Waters, the Subtropical Shelf Front, and the subsurface water mass distribution, however, present minor seasonal variations. Along shore winds also influence the dynamics and water mass variations along the continental shelf area. In areas under the influence of river discharge, Subtropical Shelf Waters are kept away from the coastal region. When low salinity waters retreat southward, NE winds induce a coastal upwelling system near Santa Marta Cape. In summer, solar radiation promotes the establishment of a strong thermocline that increases buoyancy and further enhances the offshore displacement of low salinity waters under the action of NE winds. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A note on a mineralogical analysis of the sediments associated with the Plata River and Patos Lagoon outflows

Riverine waters bring to seas a variety of suspended materials, which are ultimately deposited on the shelf or exported to the deep ocean. Investigation of the mineralogical contents of these continental-borne constituents on seafloors may reveal valuable information about the environmental conditions in the drainage basin. In this note we report results of X-ray diffraction and other analysis of sediments in bottom samples collected on the continental shelf under influence of the Plata River and the Patos Lagoon, in South America. The analysis reveals that non-clay materials are mostly concentrated south of 33 degrees S, while clay sediments are relatively more abundant further north. We propose that such distributions are controlled by the circulation pattern and water mass distribution of the lower and upper layers, respectively. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Postural control in women with breast hypertrophy

OBJECTIVES: The consequences of breast hypertrophy have been described based on the alteration of body mass distribution, leading to an impact on psychological and physical aspects. The principles of motor control suggest that breast hypertrophy can lead to sensorimotor alterations and the impairment of body balance due to postural misalignment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the postural control of women with breast hypertrophy under different sensory information conditions. METHOD: This cross-sectional study included 14 women with breast hypertrophy and 14 without breast hypertrophy, and the mean ages of the groups were 39 +/- 15 years and 39 +/- 16 years, respectively. A force platform was used to assess the sensory systems that contribute to postural control: somatosensory, visual and vestibular. Four postural conditions were sequentially tested: eyes open and fixed platform, eyes closed and fixed platform, eyes open and mobile platform, and eyes closed and mobile platform. The data were processed, and variables related to the center of pressure were analyzed for each condition. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare the conditions between the groups for the area of center of pressure displacement and the velocity of center of pressure displacement in the anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. The alpha level error was set at 0.05. RESULTS: Women with breast hypertrophy presented an area that was significantly higher for three out of four conditions and a higher velocity of center of pressure displacement in the anterior-posterior direction under two conditions: eyes open and mobile platform and eyes closed and mobile platform. CONCLUSIONS: Women with breast hypertrophy have altered postural control, which was demonstrated by the higher area and velocity of center of pressure displacement.

Evidence for a new boson in the search for the Standard Model Higgs particle decaying to four leptons at CMS

One of the main targets of the CMS experiment is to search for the Standard Model Higgs boson. The 4-lepton channel (from the Higgs decay h->ZZ->4l, l = e,mu) is one of the most promising. The analysis is based on the identification of two opposite-sign, same-flavor lepton pairs: leptons are required to be isolated and to come from the same primary vertex. The Higgs would be statistically revealed by the presence of a resonance peak in the 4-lepton invariant mass distribution. The 4-lepton analysis at CMS is presented, spanning on its most important aspects: lepton identification, variables of isolation, impact parameter, kinematics, event selection, background control and statistical analysis of results. The search leads to an evidence for a signal presence with a statistical significance of more than four standard deviations. The excess of data, with respect to the background-only predictions, indicates the presence of a new boson, with a mass of about 126 GeV/c2 , decaying to two Z bosons, whose characteristics are compatible with the SM Higgs ones.