A Resolvent Approach to Metastability

We provide a necessary and sufficient condition for the metastability of a Markov chain, expressed in terms of a property of the solutions of the resolvent equation. As an application of this result, we prove the metastability of reversible, critical zero-range processes starting from a configuration

In and out and out again: The travails of Brazil as a security provider in Africa

The story of Brazil as a contemporary security actor in Africa can prove a peculiar one. Marked by quick gains and an equally quick recognition over a short period of time, it has also been followed by an equally quick turnaround which has led, as of 2020, to a visible disengagement on the ground. We explore the main travails in this domain, which have compromised much of the gains previously obtained throughout the continent. The chapter begins with a general balance of the progress achieved between 2003 and 2016, followed by the highlights of the recent downturn. We then analyze a specific sub-area, namely, the inroads carried out at the defence industry level, in order to showcase the promises and contradictions often associated to what the country has offered across the Atlantic. We conclude by presenting some opportunities for a new pickup of Brazilian interest in the middle and long run

Floração de espécies apícolas no Pantanal baseada em informações de herbário e literatura.

O objetivo desse estudo foi descrever e avaliar a influência do porte das plantas apícolas do Pantanal na ocorrência de floração ao longo do ano. As informações das espécies apícolas foram organizadas a partir da compilação de dados de literatura e do acervo do herbário CPAP, anotando-se o período de floração, porte de crescimento (herbáceo, arbustivo, arbóreo ou trepadeira), sendo que as palmeiras foram consideradas como de porte arbóreo, e a ocorrência ou não em área inundável (espécies aquáticas ou anfíbias e terrestres).bitstream/CPAP-2010/57290/1/BP91.pd

Micelle Forms in Lyotropic Nematics and Cholesterics

Nematic and cholesteric lyotropic liquid crystals (lyomesophases based on micelles) with positive and negative diamagnetic aniiSotropy wexe studied by polaxizing microscopy. The textures of nematics oriented in a magnetic field confirm the disc- · like and rodlike structure of the lyomesophases. The textures of cholesterics show a characteristic helical structure where the pitch of the helix depends on the composition and temperature

Micelle Forms in Lyotropic Nematics and Cholesterics

Nematic and cholesteric lyotropic liquid crystals (lyomesophases based on micelles) with positive and negative diamagnetic aniiSotropy wexe studied by polaxizing microscopy. The textures of nematics oriented in a magnetic field confirm the disc- · like and rodlike structure of the lyomesophases. The textures of cholesterics show a characteristic helical structure where the pitch of the helix depends on the composition and temperature

Growth curve of female collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu) raised in captivity in the Brazilian Amazon Region.

Com o objetivo de ajustar modelos não-lineares, foram utilizados registros mensais do peso de 10 fêmeas de cateto (Pecari tajacu) coletados durante dois anos, no criatório do campo experimental Álvaro Adolfo da Embrapa Amazônia Oriental, Belém, PA. Utilizaram-se os modelos de Von Bertalanffy, Brody, Gompertz e Logístico. Os parâmetros foram estimados usando o procedimento NLIN do aplicativo SAS. Os critérios utilizados para verificar o ajuste dos modelos foram: desvio padrão assintótico (ASD); coeficiente de determinação (R2); desvio médio absoluto dos resíduos (ARD) e o índice assintótico (AR). Os modelos Brody e Logístico estimaram, respectivamente, o maior (19,44kg) e o menor (19,18kg) peso assintótico (A), caracterizando a menor (0,0064kg/dia) e a maior (0,0113kg/dia) taxa de maturação (K), haja vista a natureza antagônica entre estes parâmetros, comprovada pela correlação fenotípica variando entre -0,75 à -0,47. O modelo Brody estimou o menor valor para o ARD, fator limitante para caracterizar o menor valor para o AR por este modelo. Considerando o AR, o modelo Brody apresentou o melhor ajuste, contudo, pelos valores encontrados, os demais modelos também apresentaram ajuste adequando aos dados ponderais da referida espécie/sexo. Com base no AR adotado neste trabalho

Political leadership and ‘non-traditional’ development cooperation

This article explores the relationships between (so-called) ‘non-traditional’ development cooperation (NTDC) and political leadership. Using the case studies of Brazil and South Korea, we propose that certain emblematic elements of NTDC discourse and practice can act to influence the relationship with political leaders in particular ways. These are (a) elevated language of affect, (b) interleaving of personal biographies with the developmental trajectories of states, (c) the use of NTDC to legitimise domestic policies and promote domestic political leadership, (d) the prominence of presidential diplomacy and (e) the challenges confronting rapidly expanding domestic development cooperation institutions and systems