Supermassive Black Hole Binaries: The Search Continues

Gravitationally bound supermassive black hole binaries (SBHBs) are thought to be a natural product of galactic mergers and growth of the large scale structure in the universe. They however remain observationally elusive, thus raising a question about characteristic observational signatures associated with these systems. In this conference proceeding I discuss current theoretical understanding and latest advances and prospects in observational searches for SBHBs.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures. To appear in the Proceedings of 2014 Sant Cugat Forum on Astrophysics. Astrophysics and Space Science Proceedings, ed. C.Sopuerta (Berlin: Springer-Verlag

Erosão hídrica em um Nitossolo Háplico submetido a diferentes sistemas de manejo sob chuva simulada. II - Perdas de nutrientes e carbono orgânico Water erosion on an Hapludox submitted to different soil managements under simulated rainfall. II - Nutrient and organic carbon losses

Com a erosão hídrica, há o transporte de nutrientes para fora das lavouras e, com isso, pode ocorrer o empobrecimento dos solos e a contaminação do ambiente fora do local da erosão. Utilizando um simulador de chuvas de braços rotativos, foram aplicadas, no campo, três chuvas simuladas no cultivo do milho e três no de feijão, com intensidade constante de 64 mm h-1 e energia cinética de 0,2083 MJ ha-1 mm-1 , no Planalto Sul Catarinense, entre março de 2001 e abril de 2003, para avaliar as perdas de nutrientes e carbono orgânico (CO) pela erosão hídrica sobre os seguintes tratamentos de manejo do solo, em duas repetições: solo sem cultivo com uma aração + duas gradagens (SSC); cultivos de milho e feijão com uma aração + duas gradagens sobre resíduos dessecados (PCO); cultivos de milho e feijão em semeadura direta sobre resíduos dessecados em solo previamente preparado (SDI); cultivos de milho e feijão em semeadura direta sobre resíduos dessecados em solo nunca preparado (SDD), cultivos de milho e feijão em semeadura direta sobre resíduos queimados em solo nunca preparado (SDQ); e solo sem cultivo com campo nativo melhorado (CNM). Utilizou-se um Nitossolo Háplico alumínico argiloso, com inclinação média do terreno de 0,165 m m-1. As concentrações dos nutrientes e do CO nos sedimentos transportados por erosão foram maiores nos preparos conservacionistas do que nos convencionais, enquanto as perdas totais comportaram-se de maneira inversa. Na água da enxurrada, as concentrações e as perdas de NH4+ e NO3- diminuíram do cultivo do milho para o do feijão, enquanto as de P aumentaram. No caso do K, ocorreu redução da concentração e aumento das perdas. As taxas de empobrecimento do solo situaram-se, em geral, próximas de um para os nutrientes e para o CO. As concentrações dos nutrientes e do CO nos sedimentos transportados correlacionaram-se, linear e positivamente, com a composição química da camada de 0-0,025 m de profundidade do solo de onde o sedimento foi removido.<br>Water erosion extracts nutrients from farming areas and causes soil impoverishment and environmental contamination outside the erosion site. A rotating-boom rainfall simulator operated at a constant rainfall intensity of 64 mm h-1 and 0.2083 MJ ha-1 mm-1 kinetic energy was used to investigate nutrient and organic carbon losses by water erosion and related parameters in six management systems in corn and bean crops. The experiments were carried out on a clayey loam structured soil (Hapludox) with 0.165 m m-1 average slope on the Southern Plateau of Santa Catarina State, Brazil, from March 2001 to April 2003. Three rainfall simulations were applied to the corn and three to the bean crop according to the following treatments: plowing + disking (bare soil) (SSC), corn and bean crop under plowing + disking on desiccated residue (PCO), corn and bean crop under no-tillage on desiccated residue on previously prepared soil (SDI), corn and bean crop under no-tillage on desiccated residue on never prepared soil (SDD), corn and bean crop under no-tillage on burned residue on never prepared soil (SDQ), and improved native pasture (CNM). Results showed that nutrients and organic carbon concentrations in runoff sediments were higher under conservation tillage than conventional tillage, while the total losses presented inverse behavior. In the water of the runoff, NH4+ and NO3- concentrations and losses were higher in the corn than in bean while P was lower. K concentrations were higher in corn and losses lower. Soil impoverishment rates were generally close to the unit for nutrients and organic carbon. Nutrients and organic carbon concentrations in erosion sediments were linearly and positively correlated with the chemical composition of the 0-0.025 m soil layer

Influência das frações granulométricas sobre a fixação de zinco pelo solo

Ao realizarem este trabalho os autores tiveram em mente verificar os efeitos das frações granulométricas do solo sobre a fixação de Zn pelo mesmo. Utilizaram, para tanto, uma técnica traçadora, sendo o 65Zn o elemento traçador. Concluíram que as frações argila e limo participam do fenômeno, mas não a fração areia.This paper was carried out in order to verify the effects of the clay, silt and sand soil fractions on zinc fixation by soils. Ten grams each of 30 samples of different soils were placed in a 250 ml Erlenmeyer flask and 4 ml of solution containing 100 mg of inert Zn and 0.70 mc of radioactive 65Zn were added. After 20 days of incubation, Zn was extracted with 20 ml of 0.01 M EDTA solution made 1 M with respect to (NH4)2CO3. An aliquot of 5 ml of the extract was transferred to a test-tube and radioactivity of 65Zn in it was measured with a scintillation counter. Quantity of fixed Zn by the different soils was calculated from the data obtained and counting made on the standard solution. It was concluded that clay and silt took part of the Zn fixation by the soil, but not the sand

Perdas de solo, água, nutrientes e carbono orgânico em Cambissolo e Latossolo sob chuva natural Soil, water, nutrients and organic carbon losses from inceptisol and Oxisol under natural rainfall

A erosão hídrica é responsável por perdas de nutrientes e carbono dos solos agrícolas. A minimização das perdas de solo, água, nutrientes e carbono orgânico constitui importante aspecto do planejamento conservacionista. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar as perdas, por erosão hídrica, de solo, água, nutrientes e carbono orgânico em Cambissolo Háplico Tb distrófico típico (CXbd) e Latossolo Vermelho distroférrico típico (LVdf). As coletas foram realizadas depois de cada evento de chuva considerada erosiva. As perdas médias anuais de solo foram de 205,65 Mg ha-1 para o CXbd e de 14,90 Mg ha-1 para o LVdf. As perdas médias anuais de água foram 369 mm para o CXbd e 113 mm para o LVdf, representando, respectivamente, 28,67% e 8,78% do total precipitado. Os atributos mineralógicos, químicos e físicos e o relevo de ocorrência desses solos explicam satisfatoriamente os resultados obtidos. O CXbd apresentou as maiores perdas de nutrientes e carbono orgânico. O carbono orgânico foi encontrado em maior quantidade no sedimento erodido, evidenciado pelo caráter seletivo da erosão.<br>Water erosion is responsible for considerable losses of nutrients and organic carbon from agricultural soils. The reduction of soil, water, nutrients and organic carbon losses constitutes an important aspect of the conservation planning. The objectives of this work were to evaluate the soil, water, nutrients and organic carbon losses from a Typic Dystrochept (TD) and a Rhodic Hapludox (RH). The samplings were performed after each considered erosive rain event. The mean annual soil losses were 205.65 Mg ha-1 for the TD and 14.90 Mg ha-1 for the RH. The mean annual water losses were 369 mm for the TD and 113 mm for the RH, representing 28.67% and 8.78% of the total precipitation, respectively. The mineralogical, chemical and physical attributes and the relief where these soils occur satisfactorily explain the obtained results. The TD presents higher nutrients and organic carbon losses than the RH. The organic carbon was the main component of the eroded sediment, evidenced by the selective character of erosion