A grid of Synthetic Spectra for Hot DA White Dwarfs and Its Application in Stellar Population Synthesis

In this work we present a grid of LTE and non-LTE synthetic spectra of hot DA white dwarfs (WDs). In addition to its usefulness for the determination of fundamental stellar parameters of isolated WDs and in binaries, this grid will be of interest for the construction of theoretical libraries for stellar studies from integrated light. The spectral grid covers both a wide temperature and gravity range, with 17,000 K <= T_eff <= 100,000 K and 7.0 <= log(g) <= 9.5. The stellar models are built for pure hydrogen and the spectra cover a wavelength range from 900 A to 2.5 microns. Additionally, we derive synthetic HST/ACS, HST/WFC3, Bessel UBVRI and SDSS magnitudes. The grid was also used to model integrated spectral energy distributions of simple stellar populations and our modeling suggests that DAs might be detectable in ultraviolet bands for populations older than ~8 Gyr.Comment: to be published in The Astrophysical Journal Supplement Serie

Abundance patterns in early-type galaxies: is there a 'knee' in the [Fe/H] vs. [alpha/Fe] relation?

Early-type galaxies (ETGs) are known to be enhanced in alpha elements, in accordance with their old ages and short formation timescales. In this contribution we aim to resolve the enrichment histories of ETGs. This means we study the abundance of Fe ([Fe/H]) and the alpha-element groups ([alpha/Fe]) separately for stars older than 9.5 Gyr ([Fe/H]o, [alpha/Fe]o) and for stars between 1.5 and 9.5 Gyr ([Fe/H]i, [alpha/Fe]i). Through extensive simulation we show that we can indeed recover the enrichment history per galaxy. We then analyze a spectroscopic sample of 2286 early-type galaxies from the SDSS selected to be ETGs. We separate out those galaxies for which the abundance of iron in stars grows throughout the lifetime of the galaxy, i.e. in which [Fe/H]o < [Fe/H]i. We confirm earlier work where the [Fe/H] and [alpha/Fe] parameters are correlated with the mass and velocity dispersion of ETGs. We emphasize that the strongest relation is between [alpha/Fe] and age. This relation falls into two regimes, one with a steep slope for old galaxies and one with a shallow slope for younger ETGs. The vast majority of ETGs in our sample do not show the 'knee' in the plot of [Fe/H] vs. [alpha/Fe] commonly observed in local group galaxies. This implies that for the vast majority of ETGs, the stars younger than 9.5 Gyrs are likely to have been accreted or formed from accreted gas. The properties of the intermediate-age stars in accretion-dominated ETGs indicate that mass growth through late (minor) mergers in ETGs is dominated by galaxies with low [Fe/H] and low [alpha/Fe]. The method of reconstructing the stellar enrichment histories of ETGs introduced in this paper promises to constrain the star formation and mass assembly histories of large samples of galaxies in a unique way.Comment: 22 pages, 25 figures, accepted for publication by A&

Boletim meteorológico da estação convencional de Cruz das Almas, BA: variabilidade e tendências climáticas.

Neste documento reúnem-se análises de dados dos elementos meteorológicos coletados na Estação Meteorológica da Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura entre os anos de 1971 e 2010, no município de Cruz das Almas, BA. O conjunto de informações geradas é de relevante importância para o conhecimento do clima da região, da sua variabilidade e das possíveis tendências climáticas, apesar da série de dados de apenas trinta anos. Considerando que todas as atividades sofrem influência do ambiente atmosfera e que o conhecimento dos seus elementos é base para sustentabilidade, a Embrapa Mandioca e Fruticultura atende a grande demanda da comunidade pela busca constante de informações das características climáticas da microrregião e dos seus dados meteorológicos que foram disponibilizados em escala mensal no formato digital. Portanto, uma referência para comunidade do município e importante ferramenta para o planejamento das empresas agrícolas, de ensino, de pesquisa e, principalmente, para o suporte na formulação de políticas públicasbitstream/item/145992/1/Documentos-216-Boletim-Meteorologico.pd

Exact solution of a time-dependent quantum harmonic oscillator with two frequency jumps via the Lewis-Riesenfeld dynamical invariant method

Harmonic oscillators with multiple abrupt jumps in their frequencies have been investigated by several authors during the last decades. We investigate the dynamics of a quantum harmonic oscillator with initial frequency $\omega_0$, that undergoes a sudden jump to a frequency $\omega_1$ and, after a certain time interval, suddenly returns to its initial frequency. Using the Lewis-Riesenfeld method of dynamical invariants, we present expressions for the mean energy value, the mean number of excitations, and the transition probabilities, considering the initial state different from the fundamental. We show that the mean energy of the oscillator, after the jumps, is equal or greater than the one before the jumps, even when $\omega_1<\omega_0$. We also show that, for particular values of the time interval between the jumps, the oscillator returns to the same initial state.Comment: 11 pages, 12 figure

Aquecimento global e aptidão da bananeira no Estado da Bahia.

O Brasil produziu aproximadamente 7 milhões de toneladas de banana no ano de 2008, sendo que o Nordeste é a principal região produtora (40%) e a Bahia o maior produtor nacional (20%), seguido de São Paulo (17%) (IBGE, 2009). O estresse por deficiência de água no solo é o maior limitador da expansão dos cultivos da bananeira em sequeiro, sendo este e o principal critério utilizado nos trabalhos de zoneamento climático no Nordeste brasileiro. A distribuição irregular das chuvas interfere na qualidade e produtividade de frutos e esses riscos podem ser aumentados com as previsões futuras de ocorrência de eventos extremos (seca e enchentes) e dos efeitos diretos da maior restrição hídrica no solo, devido ao aumento da evapotranspiração das culturas, relacionadas ao aquecimento global (Assad & Pinho, 2008; Semenov, 2009).O presente trabalho teve o objetivo de avaliar os impactos do aquecimento global na aptidão climática do estado da Bahia para o cultivo da bananeira em condições de sequeiro.pdf 239

Gene identification for the cblD defect of vitamin B12 metabolism

Background Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) is an essential cofactor in several metabolic pathways. Intracellular conversion of cobalamin to its two coenzymes, adenosylcobalamin in mitochondria and methylcobalamin in the cytoplasm, is necessary for the homeostasis of methylmalonic acid and homocysteine. Nine defects of intracellular cobalamin metabolism have been defined by means of somatic complementation analysis. One of these defects, the cblD defect, can cause isolated methylmalonic aciduria, isolated homocystinuria, or both. Affected persons present with multisystem clinical abnormalities, including developmental, hematologic, neurologic, and metabolic findings. The gene responsible for the cblD defect has not been identified. Methods We studied seven patients with the cblD defect, and skin fibroblasts from each were investigated in cell culture. Microcell-mediated chromosome transfer and refined genetic mapping were used to localize the responsible gene. This gene was transfected into cblD fibroblasts to test for the rescue of adenosylcobalamin and methylcobalamin synthesis. Results The cblD gene was localized to human chromosome 2q23.2, and a candidate gene, designated MMADHC (methylmalonic aciduria, cblD type, and homocystinuria), was identified in this region. Transfection of wild-type MMADHC rescued the cellular phenotype, and the functional importance of mutant alleles was shown by means of transfection with mutant constructs. The predicted MMADHC protein has sequence homology with a bacterial ATP-binding cassette transporter and contains a putative cobalamin binding motif and a putative mitochondrial targeting sequence. Conclusions Mutations in a gene we designated MMADHC are responsible for the cblD defect in vitamin B12 metabolism. Various mutations are associated with each of the three biochemical phenotypes of the disorder