Effective Actions for Heterotic M-Theory

We discuss the moduli space approximation for heterotic M-theory, both for the minimal case of two boundary branes only, and when a bulk brane is included. The resulting effective actions may be used to describe the cosmological dynamics in the regime where the branes are moving slowly, away from singularities. We make use of the recently derived colliding branes solution to determine the global structure of moduli space, finding a boundary at which the trajectories undergo a hard wall reflection. This has important consequences for the allowed moduli space trajectories, and for the behaviour of cosmological perturbations in the model.Comment: 21 pages, 4 figures. References added and some discussions clarifie

Archaeological tourism: A creative approach

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via the DOI in this recordThis theoretical paper conceptualises the role of tourism providers in facilitating creative tourism experiences by focusing on their ingenious enterprise, which we argue can help capture the tourism potential of intangible archaeological heritage. Intangible archaeological heritage can be understood as knowledge emanating from actors’ own interpretation of archaeological sites that have either become physically inaccessible or been destroyed since initial exploration. Archaeological heritage is often equated with tangibility, which results in an omission of experiences that intangible archaeological heritage can offer. By proposing a rethinking of the archaeological tourism framework, we argue that the touristic value of both tangible and intangible archaeological heritage is better realised and can be further utilised to study the easily overlooked aspect of providers’ ingenuity

Corrections to the Boltzmann mean free path in disordered systems with finite size scatterers

The mean free path is an essential characteristic length in disordered systems. In microscopic calculations, it is usually approximated by the classical value of the elastic mean free path. It corresponds to the Boltzmann mean free path when only isotropic scattering is considered, but it is different for anisotropic scattering. In this paper, we work out the corrections to the so called Boltzmann mean free path due to multiple scattering effects on finite size scatterers, in the s-wave approximation, ie. when the elastic mean free path is equivalent to the Boltzmann mean free path. The main result is the expression for the mean free path expanded in powers of the perturbative parameter given by the scatterer density.Comment: 12 page

Study about attitudes, perceptions and knowledge regarding edible insects in Portugal

Os insetos têm sido apontados como uma fonte alternativa e mais sustentável de proteína animal, que pode ajudar a alimentar a crescente população mundial. Devido à menor pegada e impacto ambiental, a substituição parcial da proteína animal por insetos pode contribuir para a preservação do meio ambiente e dos ecossistemas naturais. No entanto, o consumo de insetos comestíveis, embora culturalmente aceite em algumas comunidades, não é prontamente aceite noutras. Assim, este trabalho investigou o conhecimento, atitudes, hábitos de consumo e grau de aceitabilidade de insetos ou produtos derivados entre consumidores portugueses. Este estudo foi baseado numa pesquisa por questionário, realizada numa amostra de 213 participantes. Os resultados mostraram que os portugueses tendem a ter perceções corretas sobre as questões de sustentabilidade relacionadas com a utilização de insetos como alternativa a carnes convencionais. No entanto, o grau de conhecimento sobre o valor nutritivo dos insetos e possíveis efeitos na saúde é baixo. Entre os indivíduos pesquisados, apenas uma pequena percentagem indicou já ter comido insetos, consumidos maioritariamente no estrangeiro, por iniciativa própria, seja em restaurantes ou em festas/eventos sociais. Não surpreendentemente, observou-se que há uma maior relutância em consumir insetos inteiros do que em ingeri-los como ingredientes utilizados em preparações alimentares. Assim, em conclusão, a investigação revelou que os portugueses ainda apresentam alguma resistência para aderir ao consumo de insetos como alternativa a outros produtos cárneos, mas não se descarta que o mercado de produtos à base de insetos possa ser uma forma de ultrapassar a neofobia associada a este tipo de alimentos num país tradicionalmente não comedor de insetos.Insects have been pointed out as an alternative and more sustainable source of animal protein that might help feed the growing world population. Because of the lower footprint and environmental impact, replacing partly the animal protein by insects can contribute to the preservation of the environment and natural ecosystems. However, the consumption of edible insects, although culturally accepted for some communities, is not readily accepted for others. Hence this work investigated the knowledge, attitudes, consumption habits, and degree of acceptability of edible insects or derived products among Portuguese consumers. This study was based on a questionnaire survey undertaken on a sample of 213 participants. The results showed that the Portuguese tend to have correct perceptions about the sustainability issues related to the utilization of edible insects as an alternative to conventional meats. Nevertheless, the degree of knowledge about the nutritive value of insects and possible health effects is low. Among the individuals surveyed, only a small percentage indicated they had already eaten insects, consumed mostly abroad, by self-initiative, and either in restaurants or at parties/social events. Not surprisingly, it was observed that there is a higher reluctance to consume whole insects than to ingest them as ingredients used in food preparations. So, in conclusion, the research revealed that the Portuguese still present some resistance to adhere to the consumption of insects as an alternative to other meat products, but it is not discarded that the market of insect based products can be a way to surpass the neophobia associated with this type of food on a traditionally non-insect-eating country.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Towards a Conceptualization of Sociomaterial Entanglement

In knowledge representation, socio-technical systems can be modeled as multiagent systems in which the local knowledge of each individual agent can be seen as a context. In this paper we propose formal ontologies as a means to describe the assumptions driving the construction of contexts as local theories and to enable interoperability among them. In particular, we present two alternative conceptualizations of the notion of sociomateriality (and entanglement), which is central in the recent debates on socio-technical systems in the social sciences, namely critical and agential realism. We thus start by providing a model of entanglement according to the critical realist view, representing it as a property of objects that are essentially dependent on different modules of an already given ontology. We refine then our treatment by proposing a taxonomy of sociomaterial entanglements that distinguishes between ontological and epistemological entanglement. In the final section, we discuss the second perspective, which is more challenging form the point of view of knowledge representation, and we show that the very distinction of information into modules can be at least in principle built out of the assumption of an entangled reality

Individual differences in musical ability among adults with no music training

Good musical abilities are typically considered to be a consequence of music training, such that they are studied in samples of formally trained individuals. Here, we asked what predicts musical abilities in the absence of music training. Participants with no formal music training (N = 190) completed the Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index, measures of personality and cognitive ability, and the Musical Ear Test (MET). The MET is an objective test of musical abilities that provides a Total score and separate scores for its two subtests (Melody and Rhythm), which require listeners to determine whether standard and comparison auditory sequences are identical. MET scores had no associations with personality traits. They correlated positively, however, with informal musical experience and cognitive abilities. Informal musical experience was a better predictor of Melody than of Rhythm scores. Some participants (12%) had Total scores higher than the mean from a sample of musically trained individuals (⩾6 years of formal training), tested previously by Correia et al. Untrained participants with particularly good musical abilities (top 25%, n = 51) scored higher than trained participants on the Rhythm subtest and similarly on the Melody subtest. High-ability untrained participants were also similar to trained ones in cognitive ability, but lower in the personality trait openness-to-experience. These results imply that formal music training is not required to achieve musician-like performance on tests of musical and cognitive abilities. They also suggest that informal music practice and music-related predispositions should be considered in studies of musical expertise.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Efeito de substratos e da idade do porta-enxerto na formação de mudas de cajueiro anão precoce (Anacardium occidentale L.) em tubetes.

O objeto deste estudo foi avaliar o efeito de diferentes substratos e idades do porta-enxertos na formação de mudas de cajueiro anão precoce utilizando tubetes como recipiente.bitstream/item/83521/1/CT1220001.pd

Spatial distribution of Atta laevigata (hymenoptera: formicidae) in forest ecosystems with mahogany in the Eastern Amazon.

Atta laevigata (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) é uma formiga cortadeira que desfolha fortemente as plantações de mogno (Swietenia macrophylla – Meliaceae). Neste trabalho, foi analisada a distribuição espacial de A. laevigata em parcelas de 1 ha de três ecossistemas florestais com mogno com 13 anos de idade na Amazônia oriental, Brasil. Os tratamentos foram definidos como Consórcio (plantação de mogno com outras espécies de Meliaceae), Monocultura (somente plantação de mogno) e Enriquecimento (floresta secundária enriquecida com mogno). O esforço amostral contou com 80 armadilhas de queda enterradas por 48 horas por tratamento durante oito períodos da estação chuvosa (janeiro-junho) e seca (julho-dezembro) ao longo de dois anos (2015 e 2016). Cada armadilha foi georreferenciada e as análises foram realizadas através do software estatístico SUFER 11.0, que produziu os mapas de krigagem. Atta laevigata apresentou distribuição espacial agrupada em todos os tratamentos com dependência espacial descrita por modelos esféricos e exponenciais. Os clusters estavam mais concentrados nas bordas das parcelas do que no centro, e nas áreas abertas apresentaram maior variação ao longo do tempo. Entre os tratamentos, o Monocultivo apresentou alcance mínimo (13,7 m), com área de influência mínima de A. laevigata de 589,65 m², enquanto Consórcio e Enriquecimento apresentaram mínimos iguais, com área de influência de A. laevigata de 804,25 m