Multipolar Interactions in the Anderson Lattice with Orbital Degeneracy

Microscopic investigation is performed for intersite multipolar interactions in the orbitally degenerate Anderson lattice, with CeB$_6$ taken as an exemplary target. In addition to the $f^0$ intermediate state, $f^2$ Hund's-rule ground states are included as intermediate states for the interactions. The conduction-band states are taken as plane waves and the hybridization as spherically symmetric. The spatial dependences of multipolar interactions are given by the relative weight of partial wave components along the pair of sites. It is clarified how the the anisotropy arises in the interactions depending on the orbital degeneracy and the spatial configuration. The stability of the $\Gamma_5$ antiferro-quadrupole order in the phase II of CeB$_6$ is consistent with our model. Moreover, the pseudo-dipole interactions follow a tendency required by the phenomenological model for the phase III.Comment: 30 pages, 4 figure

Electronic structure investigation of CeB6 by means of soft X-ray scattering

The electronic structure of the heavy fermion compound CeB6 is probed by resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering using photon energies across the Ce 3d and 4d absorption edges. The hybridization between the localized 4f orbitals and the delocalized valence-band states is studied by identifying the different spectral contributions from inelastic Raman scattering and normal fluorescence. Pronounced energy-loss structures are observed below the elastic peak at both the 3d and 4d thresholds. The origin and character of the inelastic scattering structures are discussed in terms of charge-transfer excitations in connection to the dipole allowed transitions with 4f character. Calculations within the single impurity Anderson model with full multiplet effects are found to yield consistent spectral functions to the experimental data.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, 1 table, http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.63.07510

Environmental Emission of Pharmaceuticals from Wastewater Treatment Plants in the USA

The residual drugs, drug bioconjugates, and their metabolites, mostly from human and veterinary usage, are routinely flushed down the drain, and enter wastewater treatment plants (WWTP). Increasing population, excessive use of allopathic medicine, continual introduction of novel drugs, and existing inefficient wastewater treatment processes result in the discharge of large volumes of pharmaceuticals and their metabolites from the WWTPs into the environment. The effluent from the WWTPs globally contaminate ~25% of rivers and the lakes. Pharmaceuticals in the environment, as contaminants of emerging concerns, behave as pseudo-persistent despite their relatively short environmental half-lives in the environment. Therefore, residual levels of pharmaceuticals in the environment not only pose a threat to the wildlife but also affect human health through contaminated food and drinking water. This chapter highlights WWTPs as point-sources of their environmental emissions and various effects on the aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem

Estimativas de parâmetros genéticos para as características consideradas no índice bioeconômico (MGTe) do programa de melhoramento Nelore Brasil.

Resumo: O objetivo do presente estudo foi estimar parâmetros genéticos para características de carcaça, crescimento e reprodutivas de bovinos da raça Nelore. Foram analisadas as características de peso aos 120, 210 e 450 dias (P120, P210, P450), área do olho de lombo (AOL), perímetros escrotais aos 365 e 450 dias (PE365, PE450), idade ao primeiro parto (IPP), stayability (STAY) e probabilidade de prenhez precoce (3P). Para as características STAY e 3P foi utilizado o modelo de limiar, e para as demais características o modelo animal linear. Para a estimação dos componentes de variância e herdabildaide soi utilizado o modelo ssGBLUP. As estimativas de herdabilidade para as características P120, P210, P450, AOL, PE365, PE450, IPP, STAY e 3P foram 0,20; 0,21; 0,43; 0,33; 0,47; 0,52; 0,11; 0,12 e 0,37, respectivamente. A magnitude apresentada para as estimativas de herdabilidade foram de baixa (0,30), o que mostra que as mesmas possuem variabilidade genética suficiente para responderem a seleção. Indicando que maiores ganhos por seleção direta podem ser obtidos para as características P450, PE365, PE450, AOL e 3P, uma vez que a herdabilidade estimada destas características é superior as demais. Abstract: The aim in the present study was to estimate genetic parameters for carcass, growth and reproductive traits of Nellore cattle. The weight traits at 120, 210 and 450 days (W120, W210, W450), loin eye area (LEA), scrotal circumference at 365 (SC365) and 450 (SC450) days of age age at first calving (AFC), stayability (STAY) and probability of Precocious pregnancy (3P) with the inclusion of the genomic kinship matrix by means of the Single Step GBLUP. For the STAY and 3P traits, the threshold model was used, and for the other traits the linear animal model. Heritability estimates for traits W120, W210, W450, LEA, SP365, SP450, AFC, STAY and 3P were 0.20; 0.21; 0.43; 0.33; 0.47; 0.52; 0.11; 0.12 and 0.37, respectively. The results show that higher gains by direct selection can be obtained for the traits P450, PE365, PE450, LEA and 3P, because these traits presented heritability is higher than the others

Steel fibre reinforced concrete for elements failing in bending and in shear

Discrete steel fibres can increase significantly the bending and the shear resistance of concrete structural elements when Steel Fibre Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) is designed in such a way that fibre reinforcing mechanisms are optimized. To assess the fibre reinforcement effectiveness in shallow structural elements failing in bending and in shear, experimental and numerical research were performed. Uniaxial compression and bending tests were executed to derive the constitutive laws of the developed SFRC. Using a cross-section layered model and the material constitutive laws, the deformational behaviour of structural elements failing in bending was predicted from the moment-curvature relationship of the representative cross sections. To evaluate the influence of the percentage of fibres on the shear resistance of shallow structures, three point bending tests with shallow beams were performed. The applicability of the formulation proposed by RILEM TC 162-TDF for the prediction of the shear resistance of SFRC elements was evaluated. Inverse analysis was adopted to determine indirectly the values of the fracture mode I parameters of the developed SFRC. With these values, and using a softening diagram for modelling the crack shear softening behaviour, the response of the SFRC beams failing in shear was predicted.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT

Caracterização do desequilíbrio de ligação em uma população de bovinos da raça Nelore.

Resumo: Tendo em vista a importância da estimação do desequilíbrio de ligação para a seleção genômica, o objetivo deste estudo foi estimar o desequilíbrio de ligação de uma população de bovinos da raça Nelore participantes do programa de melhoramento da ANCP. Foram utilizadas informações de 9.459 animais genotipados com um painel de alta densidade, totalizando 735.044 SNP?s, antes do controle de qualidade. A estimação do desequilíbrio de ligação foi realizada através do programa SNP1101. Os valores de LD observados para os cromossomos autossômicos variaram de 0,18 a 0,25. Para marcadores distanciados até 1 Kb a média de r² foi de 0,53 e para marcadores distanciados entre 90 e 100 Kb 0,14. Para MAF a média variou de 0,23 a 0,25, considerando MAF mínimo de 5%. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo indicam que, a densidade de marcadores utilizados foi capaz de detectar altos níveis de LD. Adicionalmente, conclui-se que marcadores distanciados até 50 Kb ainda detectam consideráveis níveis de LD. Abstract: Considering the importance of estimating linkage disequilibrium for genomic selection, the objective of this study was to estimate the linkage disequilibrium in a population of Nellore cattle participating in the ANCP breeding program. Information from 9,396 genotyped animals with a high density panel, totaling 735,044 SNP's before quality control were used. The estimation of linkage dissequilibrium (LD) was performed using the SNP1101 program. The mean LD values observed for the autosomal chromosomes ranged from 0.18 to 0.25. For markers distanced lower than 1 Kb the r² mean was 0.53, and for markers distanced between 90 and 100 Kb was 0.14. For MAF, the mean ranged from 0.23 to 0.25, a minimum MAF of 0.05 was considered. The results obtained in this study indicated that the density of markers used was able to detect high levels of LD. Additionally, for markers distanced up to 50 Kb, considerable levels of LD was detected