Contamination of Cluster Radio Sources in the Measurement of the Thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich Angular Power Spectrum

We present a quantitative estimate of the confusion of cluster radio halos and galaxies in the measurement of the angular power spectrum of the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich (SZ) effect. To achieve the goal, we use a purely analytic approach to both radio sources and dark matter of clusters by incorporating empirical models and observational facts together with some theoretical considerations. It is shown that the correction of cluster radio halos and galaxies to the measurement of the thermal SZ angular power spectrum is no more than 20% at $l>2000$ for observing frequencies $\nu>30$ GHz. This eliminates the concern that the SZ measurement may be seriously contaminated by the existence of cluster radio sources.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figures, accepted for publication in Ap

Crossover of thermal to shot noise in chaotic cavities

We study the crossover between thermal and shot-noise power in a chaotic quantum dot in the presence of non-ideal contacts at finite temperature. The result explicitly demonstrates that the temperature affect the suppression-amplification effect present in the main quantum noise. In particular, the weak localization contribution to the noise has an anomalous thermal behavior when one let the barriers vary, indicating the presence of a critical point related to specific value of the tunneling barriers. We also show how to get to the opaque limit of the quantum dot at finite temperature.Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures. To be published in Europhysics Letter

Noncommutative Conformally Coupled Scalar Field Cosmology and its Commutative Counterpart

We study the implications of a noncommutative geometry of the minisuperspace variables for the FRW universe with a conformally coupled scalar field. The investigation is carried out by means of a comparative study of the universe evolution in four different scenarios: classical commutative, classical noncommutative, quantum commutative, and quantum noncommutative, the last two employing the Bohmian formalism of quantum trajectories. The role of noncommutativity is discussed by drawing a parallel between its realizations in two possible frameworks for physical interpretation: the NC-frame, where it is manifest in the universe degrees of freedom, and in the C-frame, where it is manifest through theta-dependent terms in the Hamiltonian. As a result of our comparative analysis, we find that noncommutative geometry can remove singularities in the classical context for sufficiently large values of theta. Moreover, under special conditions, the classical noncommutative model can admit bouncing solutions characteristic of the commutative quantum FRW universe. In the quantum context, we find non-singular universe solutions containing bounces or being periodic in the quantum commutative model. When noncommutativity effects are turned on in the quantum scenario, they can introduce significant modifications that change the singular behavior of the universe solutions or that render them dynamical whenever they are static in the commutative case. The effects of noncommutativity are completely specified only when one of the frames for its realization is adopted as the physical one. Non-singular solutions in the NC-frame can be mapped into singular ones in the C-frame.Comment: explanations added, references include

Private Outsourcing of Polynomial Evaluation and Matrix Multiplication using Multilinear Maps

{\em Verifiable computation} (VC) allows a computationally weak client to outsource the evaluation of a function on many inputs to a powerful but untrusted server. The client invests a large amount of off-line computation and gives an encoding of its function to the server. The server returns both an evaluation of the function on the client's input and a proof such that the client can verify the evaluation using substantially less effort than doing the evaluation on its own. We consider how to privately outsource computations using {\em privacy preserving} VC schemes whose executions reveal no information on the client's input or function to the server. We construct VC schemes with {\em input privacy} for univariate polynomial evaluation and matrix multiplication and then extend them such that the {\em function privacy} is also achieved. Our tool is the recently developed {mutilinear maps}. The proposed VC schemes can be used in outsourcing {private information retrieval (PIR)}.Comment: 23 pages, A preliminary version appears in the 12th International Conference on Cryptology and Network Security (CANS 2013

The Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect: simulation and observation

The Sunyaev Zel'dovich effect (SZ effect) is a complete probe of ionized baryons, the majority of which are likely hiding in the intergalactic medium. We ran a $512^3$ $\Lambda$CDM simulation using a moving mesh hydro code to compute the statistics of the thermal and kinetic SZ effect such as the power spectra and measures of non-Gaussianity. The thermal SZ power spectrum has a very broad peak at multipole $l\sim 2000-10^4$ with temperature fluctuations $\Delta T \sim 15\mu$K. The power spectrum is consistent with available observations and suggests a high $\sigma_8\simeq 1.0$ and a possible role of non-gravitational heating. The non-Gaussianity is significant and increases the cosmic variance of the power spectrum by a factor of $\sim 5$ for $l<6000$. We explore optimal driftscan survey strategies for the AMIBA CMB interferometer and their dependence on cosmology. For SZ power spectrum estimation, we find that the optimal sky coverage for a 1000 hours of integration time is several hundred square degrees. One achieves an accuracy better than 40% in the SZ measurement of power spectrum and an accuracy better than 20% in the cross correlation with Sloan galaxies for $2000<l<5000$. For cluster searches, the optimal scan rate is around 280 hours per square degree with a cluster detection rate 1 every 7 hours, allowing for a false positive rate of 20% and better than 30% accuracy in the cluster SZ distribution function measurement.Comment: 34 pages, 20 figures. Submitted to ApJ. Simulation maps have been replaced by high resolution images. For higher resolution color images, please download from http://www.cita.utoronto.ca/~zhangpj/research/SZ/ We corrected a bug in our analysis. the SZ power spectrum decreases 50% and y parameter decrease 25

Fabrication and Electrical Characterization of Translucent Bi 12

The production of high-density Bi12TiO20 ceramics, their transmission spectrum, and impedance features are reported. The samples were synthesized at 700°C/6 h and sintered at 800°C/3 h. This procedure yielded translucent ceramics with relative density of 99.2±0.5% and average grain size of 3.1±1.6 μm. Samples with 0.5 mm thickness were translucent with optical transmission of about 30% at 800 nm. The electrical and dielectric properties of the high-density ceramics were studied and compared with those measured for samples with lower density and also with the literature about Bi12TiO20 single crystals. The activation energy for the conduction process in high-density ceramic was 0.99 eV, and the dielectric permittivity was 40 at 200°C. These values are comparable to those reported for single crystals

Qualidade da água em corpos d'água urbanos das cidades de Corumbá e Ladário e no Rio Paraguai, MS.

O rio Paraguai é a principal fonte de abastecimento de água para as comunidades urbanas das cidades de Corumbá e Ladário, Estado de Mato Grosso do Sul. Suas águas são utilizadas, após tratamento convencional, para higiene, preparo de alimentos, lazer, irrigação de hortaliças, etc.. Nas cidades de Corumbá e Ladário, a situação do saneamento é caracterizada como crítica, pois não existe rede de esgoto doméstico, nem sistemas de tratamento. O esgoto é destinado principalmente para fossas sépticas, mas são comuns as ligações clandestinas em galerias pluviais e despejo direto em pequenos cursos d'água que drenam para o rio Paraguai. O mesmo ocorre no lado boliviano do sistema Laguna Cáceres - Canal do Tamengo, pertencentes à área de inundação do rio Paraguai, que recebe efluentes domésticos de três pequenas cidades da Bolívia (Puerto Quijarro, Puerto Aguirre e Arroyo Concepción), desaguando no rio Paraguai, à jusante da estação de captação de água de Corumbá A água potável não deve conter microorganismos considerados patogênicos, e estar livre de bactérias indicadoras de contaminação fecal. O primeiro indicador bacteriano que se recomenda para este propósito é o grupo de organismos coliformes. As águas que contenham uma concentração baixa desses coliformes não são nocivas à saúde. A concentração limite, estabelecida pelo Serviço de Saúde Pública dos EUA, através do seu chamado "Padrão Treasure", é de 1 coliforme fecal no máximo, por 100mL de água, em média, não excedendo 6 por 100 mL em mais de 5% do total de amostras examinadas, para que essa água possa ser bebida sem tratamento. Para avaliar a qualidade da água dos corpos d'água urbanos e a influência destes sobre a qualidade da água do rio Paraguai, foram amostrados nos meses de abril a junho, agosto e novembro de 2001, três corpos d'água urbanos, dois na cidade de Corumbá e um em Ladário. Também foram tomadas amostras na margem do rio Paraguai, em frente a Corumbá em maio de 2002. O leito do rio Paraguai foi amostrado entre 1998 e 2002, à montante e à jusante da cidade Corumbá e à jusante de Ladário. O Canal do Tamengo também foi amostrado no período de 1998 e 2002. Foram utilizados coliformes totais (CT) e fecais (CF), nitrogênio total (NT), fósforo total (PT), nitrato, ortofosfato como indicadores da qualidade da água.bitstream/item/80571/1/CT36.pd

Spin-phonon coupling in Gd(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3 perovskite

We have investigated the temperature-dependent Raman-active phonons and the magnetic properties of Gd(Co1/2Mn1/2)O3 perovskite ceramics in the temperature range from 40 K to 300 K. The samples crystallized in an orthorhombic distorted simple perovskite, whose symmetry belongs to the Pnma space group. The data reveals spin-phonon coupling near the ferromagnetic transition occurring at around 120 K. The correlation of the Raman and magnetization data suggests that the structural order influences the magnitude of the spin-phonon coupling.Comment: 3 Figures, suplementary materia

Avaliação da capacidade de adesão de células de biofilmes de Candida após tratamento com nanopartículas de prata

O objetivo deste estudo foi investigar a capacidade de adesão a células epiteliais humanas e a superfície de poliestireno de leveduras viáveis recuperadas de biofilmes de Candida albicans e Candida glabrata tratados com nanopartículas de prata (NP). Métodos: Biofilmes de Candida (48 hrs) foram formados em placas de microtitulação de 6 poços e tratados por 24 horas com NP (5 nm) nas concentrações de 13,5 e 54 mg/L. Suspensões de células de Candida (107 células viáveis/mL em RPMI 1640) provenientes dos biofilmes tratados com NP foram adicionadas a monocamadas de células HeLa e a poços vazios de placas de microtitulação de 24 poços (para estudar adesão a poliestireno). Após 2 horas de contato, a adesão das leveduras foi determinada usando a coloração com violeta cristal. Resultados: A capacidade de adesão de leveduras viáveis a células HeLa e a superfícies de poliestireno foi significativamente reduzida, e esta redução foi maior quando os biofilmes foram pré-tratados com NP na concentração de 54 mg/L. Ainda, a quantidade de leveduras aderidas das duas cepas diferiu de acordo com o substrato (células epiteliais e superfície de poliestireno). Conclusão: NP podem induzir modificações em leveduras viáveis, as quais podem diminuir a disseminação de infecções por Candida, principalmente em pacientes imunocomprometidos