On the q=1/2 non-extensive maximum entropy distribution

A detailed mathematical analysis on the q = 1/2 non-extensive maximum entropydistribution of Tsallis' is undertaken. The analysis is based upon the splitting of such adistribution into two orthogonal components. One of the components corresponds to theminimum norm solution of the problem posed by the fulfillment of the a priori conditionson the given expectation values. The remaining component takes care of the normalizationconstraint and is the projection of a constant onto the Null space of the "expectation-values-transformation"

Phase discrimination and simultaneous frequency conversion of the orthogonal components of an optical signal by four-wave mixing in an SOA

Simultaneous conversion of the two orthogonal phase components of an optical input to different output frequencies has been demonstrated by simulation and experiment. A single stage of four-wave mixing between the input signal and four pumps derived from a frequency comb was employed. The nonlinear device was a semiconductor optical amplifier, which provided overall signal gain and sufficient contrast for phase sensitive signal processing. The decomposition of a quadrature phase-shift keyed signal into a pair of binary phase-shift keyed outputs at different frequencies was also demonstrated by simulation.

Investment optimization in distribution network based on fuzzy outage parameters

This paper presents a methodology that aims to increase the probability of delivering power to any load point of the electrical distribution system by identifying new investments in distribution components. The methodology is based on statistical failure and repair data of the distribution power system components and it uses fuzzy-probabilistic modelling for system component outage parameters. Fuzzy membership functions of system component outage parameters are obtained by statistical records. A mixed integer non-linear optimization technique is developed to identify adequate investments in distribution networks components that allow increasing the availability level for any customer in the distribution system at minimum cost for the system operator. To illustrate the application of the proposed methodology, the paper includes a case study that considers a real distribution network.

Modified Discrete PSO to Increase the Delivered Energy Probability in Distribution energy Systems

This paper proposes a PSO based approach to increase the probability of delivering power to any load point by identifying new investments in distribution energy systems. The statistical failure and repair data of distribution components is the main basis of the proposed methodology that uses a fuzzyprobabilistic modeling for the components outage parameters. The fuzzy membership functions of the outage parameters of each component are based on statistical records. A Modified Discrete PSO optimization model is developed in order to identify the adequate investments in distribution energy system components which allow increasing the probability of delivering power to any customer in the distribution system at the minimum possible cost for the system operator. To illustrate the application of the proposed methodology, the paper includes a case study that considers a 180 bus distribution network.

Aging based maintenance and reinvestment scheduling of electric distribution

The maintenance of electric distribution network is a topical question for distribution system operators because of increasing significance of failure costs. In this dissertation the maintenance practices of the distribution system operators are analyzed and a theory for scheduling maintenance activities and reinvestment of distribution components is created. The scheduling is based on the deterioration of components and the increasing failure rates due to aging. The dynamic programming algorithm is used as a solving method to maintenance problem which is caused by the increasing failure rates of the network. The other impacts of network maintenance like environmental and regulation reasons are not included to the scope of this thesis. Further the tree trimming of the corridors and the major disturbance of the network are not included to the problem optimized in this thesis. For optimizing, four dynamic programming models are presented and the models are tested. Programming is made in VBA-language to the computer. For testing two different kinds of test networks are used. Because electric distribution system operators want to operate with bigger component groups, optimal timing for component groups is also analyzed. A maintenance software package is created to apply the presented theories in practice. An overview of the program is presented.

Numerical investigation of the quantum fluctuations of optical fields transmitted through an atomic medium

We have numerically solved the Heisenberg-Langevin equations describing the propagation of quantized fields through an optically thick sample of atoms. Two orthogonal polarization components are considered for the field, and the complete Zeeman sublevel structure of the atomic transition is taken into account. Quantum fluctuations of atomic operators are included through appropriate Langevin forces. We have considered an incident field in a linearly polarized coherent state (driving field) and vacuum in the perpendicular polarization and calculated the noise spectra of the amplitude and phase quadratures of the output field for two orthogonal polarizations. We analyze different configurations depending on the total angular momentum of the ground and excited atomic states. We examine the generation of squeezing for the driving-field polarization component and vacuum squeezing of the orthogonal polarization. Entanglement of orthogonally polarized modes is predicted. Noise spectral features specific to (Zeeman) multilevel configurations are identified.

Increase of the delivered energy probability in DES using a fuzzy probabilistic modeling

The paper proposes a methodology to increase the probability of delivering power to any load point by identifying new investments in distribution energy systems. The proposed methodology is based on statistical failure and repair data of distribution components and it uses a fuzzy-probabilistic modeling for the components outage parameters. The fuzzy membership functions of the outage parameters of each component are based on statistical records. A mixed integer nonlinear programming optimization model is developed in order to identify the adequate investments in distribution energy system components which allow increasing the probability of delivering power to any customer in the distribution system at the minimum possible cost for the system operator. To illustrate the application of the proposed methodology, the paper includes a case study that considers a 180 bus distribution network.

Nuclear and extended spectra of NGC 1068-II. Near-infrared stellar population synthesis

We performed stellar population synthesis on the nuclear and extended regions of NGC 1068 by means of near-infrared spectroscopy to disentangle their spectral energy distribution components. This is the first time that such a technique is applied to the whole 0.8-2.4 mu m wavelength interval in this galaxy. NGC 1068 is one of the nearest and probably the most studied Seyfert 2 galaxy, becoming an excellent laboratory to study the interaction between black holes, the jets that they can produce and the medium in which they propagate. Our main result is that traces of young stellar population are found at similar to 100 pc south of the nucleus. The contribution of a power-law continuum in the centre is about 25 per cent, which is expected if the light is scattered from a Seyfert 1 nucleus. We find peaks in the contribution of the featureless continuum about 100-150 pc from the nucleus on both sides. They might be associated with regions where the jet encounters dense clouds. Further support to this scenario is given by the peaks of hot dust distribution found around these same regions and the H(2) emission-line profile, leading us to propose that the peaks might be associated to regions where stars are being formed. Hot dust also has an important contribution to the nuclear region, reinforcing the idea of the presence of a dense, circumnuclear torus in this galaxy. Cold dust appears mostly in the south direction, which supports the view that the south-west emission is behind the plane of the galaxy and is extinguished very likely by dust in the plane. Intermediate-age stellar population contributes significantly to the continuum, especially in the inner 200 pc.

A elasticidade da pobreza em relação ao crescimento e à desigualdade de renda no nordeste rural brasileiro de 1995 a 2009: uma análise comparativa

This work aims to analyze how the growth in average income and the change in inequality in income distribution have impacted rural poverty in the Northeast in the period 1995 to 2009. Under the approach in Kakwani (1993) e Duclos and Araar (2006), and under the assumption of log-normality of income per capita, exposed in Bourguignon (2002) and Hoffmann (2005), are calculated growth and inequality elasticities of poverty to FGT poverty measures in order to observe the behavior of the sensitivity of poverty to changes in average household income and the change in income distribution / Gini index. Concurrently, decomposes the changes in measures of poverty (proportion of poor) between growth and distribution components (first proposed by Datt and Ravallion, 1992) to assess the effect of weight change and the effect of income inequality change change on poverty. Regarding the estimation of elasticities of poverty and growth and inequality elasticities of the two methodologies used in this work - under the assumption of lognormal distribution of income and FGT measures under the by Kakwani (1993) andDuclos e Araar (2006) - though do not result in identical values, to corroborate same results, ie the long-term decline in rural poverty from 1995 to 2009 the Northeast and the greater sensitivity of the Northeast Rural Poverty, observed in this same period, income growth and change in inequality. The weight of growth and change in inequality in changing the Northeast rural poverty identified that most of the decline in rural poverty is linked to growth in average income. This result coincides with results found by Kraay (2005) for a group of countries

Screening of Conditions for the Preparation of Poly( -Caprolactone) Nanocapsules Containing the Local Anesthetic Articaine

The local anesthetic articaine (ATC) is widely used in dentistry; however, its side effects can include paresthesia and nerve injury. Polymeric nanocapsules (PN) can be used as carriers for drugs, and help to reduce undesirable symptoms. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of different factors on the average size, polydispersion, and encapsulation efficiency of PN containing ATC. Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) nanocapsules containing ATC were prepared by the oil-in-water emulsion/solvent evaporation method. The final ATC concentration was 2%. The preparation conditions were optimized using a central composite blocked cube-star design to investigate the influence of two variables at five levels, with 22 factorial points (–1 and +1), two replicates of the central point, 2×2 axial points (–1.414 and +1.414), and an orthogonal distribution, resulting in 10 experiments. The factors varied were the PVA concentration and the sonication time. The nanocapsules showed a satisfactory size range, a polydispersivity index less than 0.2, and high encapsulation efficiency. The values of the factors had no significant influence on either average size or polydispersion, although the encapsulation efficiency was significantly influenced by the sonication time. Improved formulations were identified using the central composite design, which revealed that the main consideration in selecting a suitable formulation was the encapsulation efficiency. Two of the formulations showed both high encapsulation efficiency and colloidal characteristics appropriate for the route of administration.

Estimation of the degree of polarization through computational sensing

The degree of polarization of a refected field from active laser illumination can be used for object identifcation and classifcation. The goal of this study is to investigate methods for estimating the degree of polarization for refected fields with active laser illumination, which involves the measurement and processing of two orthogonal field components (complex amplitudes), two orthogonal intensity components, and the total field intensity. We propose to replace interferometric optical apparatuses with a computational approach for estimating the degree of polarization from two orthogonal intensity data and total intensity data. Cramer-Rao bounds for each of the three sensing modalities with various noise models are computed. Algebraic estimators and maximum-likelihood (ML) estimators are proposed. Active-set algorithm and expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm are used to compute ML estimates. The performances of the estimators are compared with each other and with their corresponding Cramer-Rao bounds. Estimators for four-channel polarimeter (intensity interferometer) sensing have a better performance than orthogonal intensities estimators and total intensity estimators. Processing the four intensities data from polarimeter, however, requires complicated optical devices, alignment, and four CCD detectors. It only requires one or two detectors and a computer to process orthogonal intensities data and total intensity data, and the bounds and estimator performances demonstrate that reasonable estimates may still be obtained from orthogonal intensities or total intensity data. Computational sensing is a promising way to estimate the degree of polarization.

The role of age and emotional valence in word recognition: an ex-Gaussian analysis

The aim of this work is to evaluate the roles of age and emotional valence in word recognition in terms of ex-Gaussian distribution components. In order to do that, a word recognition task was carried out with two age groups, in which emotional valence was manipulated. Older participants did not present a clear trend for reaction times. The younger participants showed significant statistical differences in negative words for target and distracting conditions. Addressing the ex-Gaussian tau parameter, often related to attentional demands in the literature, age-related differences in emotional valence seem not to have an effect for negative words. Focusing on emotional valence for each group, the younger participants only showed an effect on negative distracting words. The older participants showed an effect regarding negative and positive target words, and negative distracting words. This suggests that the attentional demand is higher for emotional words, in particular, for the older participants.

Hydrolysis Influence on Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant Activity, Plasma Concentration, and Tissue Distribution of Hydroethanolic Ilex paraguariensis Extract Components

The infusion of aerial parts of Ilex paraguariensis is widely consumed. Its antioxidant activity suggests an important role of this plant in the treatment/prevention of oxidative stress related diseases. Plant extract active compounds are frequently found in esterified form that may be poorly absorbed. Hydrolysis of the extract is a possible approach to increase its bioavailability. The aim of this study was to perform a phytochemical analysis and evaluate in rats the plasma concentration and tissue distribution of antioxidant compounds in the hydroethanolic extract of Ilex paraguariensis, before and after enzymatic hydrolysis. Both extracts presented high antioxidant activity and phenolic content. Rats given single or repeated doses of the hydrolyzed extract showed increased plasma antioxidant activity and higher plasma levels of caffeic acid. However, no changes of endogenous antioxidants were observed. In conclusion, hydrolysis of the extract of Ilex paraguariensis is a strategy to improve its bioavailability and in vivo antioxidant activity.

The pH-dependent phase distribution of wood pitch components in papermaking processes

Wood contains only a very small amount of lipophilic extractives, commonly known as wood pitch. The pitch is known to cause severe problems in papermaking processes. The amount of pitch in process waters can be decreased by seasoning of the raw material prior to pulping, pulp washing, removal of pitch by flotation, adsorption of pitch onto various mineral surfaces, and retention of pitch to the fibre material by cationic polymers. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of pH on some of the methods used for pitch control. Experiments were performed using laboratory-made wood pitch emulsions with varying pH, salt concentration, hemicellulose concentration and pitch composition. These emulsions were used to study the phase distribution of resin and fatty acids, the colloidal stability of pitch with and without steric stabilisation by galactoglucomannans, and the interactions between wood pitch and mineral particles. Purification of unbleached and peroxidebleached mill process water was performed by froth flotation in combination with a foaming agent. The distribution of resin and fatty acids (RFAs) between colloidal pitch droplets and the water phase was very dependent on pH. At pH 3, almost all of the RFAs were attached to the pitch droplets, while increasing the pH led to increasing concentration of dissolved RFAs in the water phase. The presence of salt shifted the release of RFAs towards higher pH, while lower ratio of neutral pitch in the emulsion resulted in release of RFAs at lower pH. It was also seen that the dissolution and adsorption of RFAs at sudden pHchanges takes place very quickly. Colloidal pitch was more stable against electrolyte-induced aggregation at higher pH, due to its higher anionic charge. The concentration of cationic polymers needed to aggregate colloidal pitch also increased with increasing pH. The surface characteristics of solid particles, such as amount of charged groups, were very important for understanding their interactions with colloidal wood pitch. Water-soluble galactoglucomannans stabilised the colloidal pitch sterically against aggregation, but could not completely prevent interactions between wood pitch and hydrophilic particles. Froth flotation of unbleached and peroxidebleached process water showed that the pitch could be removed more effectively and selectively at low pH, compared to at neutral pH. The pitch was removed more effectively, using lower concentrations of foaming agent, from peroxide-bleached water than from unbleached water. The results show that pH has a major impact on various pulping and papermaking processes. It determines the anionic charge of the colloidal pitch and the solubility of certain pitch components. Because of this, the pH influences the effectiveness of pitch retention and removal of pitch. The results indicate that pitch problems could be diminished by acknowledging the importance of pH in various papermaking processes.