Currents and pseudomagnetic fields in strained graphene rings

We study the effects of strain on the electronic properties and persistent current characteristics of a graphene ring using the Dirac representation. For a slightly deformed graphene ring flake, one obtains sizable pseudomagnetic (gauge) fields that may effectively reduce or enhance locally the applied magnetic flux through the ring. Flux-induced persistent currents in a flat ring have full rotational symmetry throughout the structure; in contrast, we show that currents in the presence of a circularly symmetric deformation are strongly inhomogeneous, due to the underlying symmetries of graphene. This result illustrates the inherent competition between the `real' magnetic field and the `pseudo' field arising from strains, and suggest an alternative way to probe the strength and symmetries of pseudomagnetic fields on graphene systems

Effect of N and P Fertilizers on Nutritive Value of Dwarf Elephantgrass (Pennisetum Purpureum) CV N-75 Mott

Crude protein (CP), Ca and P concentrations and in vitro dry matter digestibility (IVDMD) of irrigated dwarf elephantgrass (Pennisetum purpureum cv. N-75 Mott) as affected by the factorial combination of N (0, 150, 300 and 450 kg N/ha/year) and P (0, 50 and 100 kg P205/ha/year) fertilization was evaluated in a tropical dry forest in Zulia State, western region of Venezuela. A randomized complete block design with three replications was used. Soil was a low-fertility sandy-loam Udic Paleustalf (pH 6.1). Nitrogen fertilization did not influence (P\u3e0.05) any of the variables. Mean CP, IVDMD, Ca and P were: 8.13, 61.3, 0.26 and 0.33 %. Phosphorus fertilization only influenced forage Ca content, which decreased (P\u3c0.05) from 0.30 to 0.23 % as applied P rate was increased. The NxP interaction was not significant (P\u3e0.05)

The quantum brachistochrone problem for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians

Recently Bender, Brody, Jones and Meister found that in the quantum brachistochrone problem the passage time needed for the evolution of certain initial states into specified final states can be made arbitrarily small, when the time-evolution operator is taken to be non-Hermitian but PT-symmetric. Here we demonstrate that such phenomena can also be obtained for non-Hermitian Hamiltonians for which PT-symmetry is completely broken, i.e. dissipative systems. We observe that the effect of a tunable passage time can be achieved by projecting between orthogonal eigenstates by means of a time-evolution operator associated with a non-Hermitian Hamiltonian. It is not essential that this Hamiltonian is PT-symmetric

Vacuumless kinks systems from vacuum ones, an example

Some years ago, Cho and Vilenkin, introduced a model which presents topological solutions, despite not having degenerate vacua as is usually expected. Here we present a new model with topological defects, connecting degenerate vacua but which in a certain limit recovers precisely the one proposed originally by Cho and Vilenkin. In other words, we found a kind of parent model for the so called vacuumless model. Then the idea is extended to a model recently introduced by Bazeia et al. Finally, we trace some comments the case of the Liouville model.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

Effect of the Cutting Frequency on Yield and Crude Protein and Mineral Contents of Panicum Maximum

Dry matter yield per cutting and total production, crude protein content and mineral composition of Guineagrass (Panicum maximum Jacq.) as affected by three cutting frequencies (28, 42 and 56 days) were evaluated in a wet/dry tropical area in Venezuela. Only CP was affected (P\u3c0.05) by the cutting frequency, decreasing (P\u3c0.05) from 11.9 to 9.2 % as the harvest interval increased. Mean DM yield per cutting and accumulated over the 336-day experiment (661 and 5140 kg/ha) were low, probably due to low rainfall (600 mm) during the trial. Mean macro (%) and microelement (ppm) concentrations were: Ca, 0.9; P, 0.31; Mg, 0.45; K, 2,17; Na, 0.09; Cu, 11; Fe, 133 and Mn, 269, which were regarded as nutritionally adequate for grazing ruminants

Runoff at the micro-plot and slope scale following wildfire, central Portugal

Through their effects on soil properties and vegetation/litter cover, wildfires can strongly enhance overland flow generation and accelerate soil erosion [1] and, thereby, negatively affect land-use sustainability as well as downstream aquatic and flood zones. Wildfires are a common phenomenon in present-day Portugal, devastating in an average year some 100.000 ha of forest and woodlands and in an exceptional year like 2003 over 400.000 ha. There therefore exists a clear need in Portugal for a tool that can provide guidance to post-fire land management by predicting soil erosion risk, on the one hand, and, on the other, the mitigation effectiveness of soil conservation measures. Such a tool has recently been developed for the Western U.S.A. [3: ERMiT] but its suitability for Portuguese forests will need to be corroborated by field observations. Testing the suitability of existing erosion models in recently burned forest areas in Portugal is, in a nutshell, the aim of the EROSFIRE projects. In the first EROSFIRE project the emphasis was on the prediction of erosion at the scale of individual hill slopes. In the ongoing EROSFIRE-II project the spatial scope is extended to include the catchment scale, so that also the connectivity between hill slopes as well as channel and road processes are being addressed. Besides ERMiT, the principal models under evaluation for slope-scale erosion prediction are: (i) the variant of USLE [4] applied by the Portuguese Water Institute after the wildfires of 2003; (ii) the Morgan–Morgan–Finney model (MMF) [5]; (iii) MEFIDIS [6]. From these models, MEFIDIS and perhaps MMF will, after successful calibration at the slope scale, also be applied for predicting catchment-scale sediment yields of extreme events

Runoff and erosion at the micro-plot and slope scale in a small burnt catchment, central Portugal

Wildfires can have important impacts on hydrological processes and soil erosion in forest catchments, due to the destruction of vegetation cover and changes to soil properties. However, the processes involved are non-linear and not fully understood. This has severely limited the understanding on the impacts of wildfires, especially in the up-scaling from hillslopes to catchments; in consequence, current models are poorly adapted for burnt forest conditions. The objective of this presentation is to give an overview of the hydrological response and sediment yield from the micro-plot to slope scale, in the first year following a wildfire (2008/2009) that burnt an entire catchment nearby the Colmeal village, central Portugal. The overview will focus on three slopes inside the catchment, with samples including: • Runoff at micro-plot scale (12 bounded plots) and slope scale (12 open plots); • Sediments and Organic Matter loss at micro-plot scale (12 bounded plots) and slope scale (12 open plots plus 3 Sediment fences); • Rainfall and Soil moisture data; • Soil Water Repellency and Ground Cover data. The analysis of the first year following the wildfire clearly shows the complexity of runoff generation and the associated sediment transport in recently burnt areas, with pronounced differences between hillslopes and across spatial scales as well as with marked variations through time. This work was performed in the framework of the EROSFIRE-II project (PTDC/AGR-CFL/70968/2006) which has as overall aim to predict soil erosion risk in recently burnt forest areas, including common post-fire forest management practices; the project focuses on the simultaneous measurement of runoff and soil erosion at multiple spatial scales.The results to be presented in this session are expected to show how sediment is generated, transported and exported in the Colmeal watershed; and contribute to understand and simulate erosion processes in burnt catchments, including for model development and evaluation