Lorentz-breaking effects in scalar-tensor theories of gravity

In this work, we study the effects of breaking Lorentz symmetry in scalar-tensor theories of gravity taking torsion into account. We show that a space-time with torsion interacting with a Maxwell field by means of a Chern-Simons-like term is able to explain the optical activity in syncrotron radiation emitted by cosmological distant radio sources. Without specifying the source of the dilaton-gravity, we study the dilaton-solution. We analyse the physical implications of this result in the Jordan-Fierz frame. We also analyse the effects of the Lorentz breaking in the cosmic string formation process. We obtain the solution corresponding to a cosmic string in the presence of torsion by keeping track of the effects of the Chern-Simons coupling and calculate the charge induced on this cosmic string in this framework. We also show that the resulting charged cosmic string gives us important effects concerning the background radiation.The optical activity in this case is also worked out and discussed.Comment: 10 pages, no figures, ReVTex forma

Exponential behavior of the interlayer exchange coupling across non-magnetic metallic superlattices

It is shown that the coupling between magnetic layers separated by non-magnetic metallic superlattices can decay exponentially as a function of the spacer thickness $N$, as opposed to the usual $N^{-2}$ decay. This effect is due to the lack of constructive contributions to the coupling from extended states across the spacer. The exponential behavior is obtained by properly choosing the distinct metals and the superlattice unit cell composition.Comment: To appear in Phys. Rev.

Fatigue life predictions in polymer particle composites

This paper presents a study on fatigue life predictions in three polymer particle composites with different volume fractions of filler and different particle sizes. Central hole notched specimens were analysed using a fracture mechanics approach. A solution for the stress intensity factor of corner cracks at a hole was obtained using the finite element method and considering quarter-circular and quarter-elliptical cracks of different sizes. The solution was compared with a literature solution and significant differences were found. Fatigue crack propagation tests were performed at room temperature and constant loading amplitude, for stress ratios R=0 and R=-0.75. Finally, fatigue lives, crack shape evolution and final crack length were predicted assuming an initial crack size and considering that the crack maintains a quarter-elliptical shape. The comparison with experimental fatigue lives indicated the presence of initial defects larger than the silica particles; however, these large sizes can be explained by the residual stresses measured near the hole.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6V35-454FDJ5-7/1/4231c9abb6a4b1b364cde431359b1e1

New type II Cepheids from VVV data towards the Galactic center

The Galactic center (GC) is the densest region of the Milky Way. Variability surveys towards the GC potentially provide the largest number of variable stars per square degree within the Galaxy. However, high stellar density is also a drawback due to blending. Moreover, the GC is affected by extreme reddening, therefore near infrared observations are needed. We plan to detect new variable stars towards the GC, focusing on type II Cepheids (T2Cs) which have the advantage of being brighter than RR Lyrae stars. We perform parallel Lomb-Scargle and Generalized Lomb-Scargle periodogram analysis of the $K_s$-band time series of the VISTA variables in the Via Lactea survey, to detect periodicities. We employ statistical parameters to clean our sample. We take account of periods, light amplitudes, distances, and proper motions to provide a classification of the candidate variables. We detected 1,019 periodic variable stars, of which 164 are T2Cs, 210 are Miras and 3 are classical Cepheids. We also found the first anomalous Cepheid in this region. We compare their photometric properties with overlapping catalogs and discuss their properties on the color-magnitude and Bailey diagrams. We present the most extensive catalog of T2Cs in the GC region to date. Offsets in E($J-K_s$) and in the reddening law cause very large ($\sim$1-2 kpc) uncertainties on distances in this region. We provide a catalog which will be the starting point for future spectroscopic surveys in the innermost regions of the Galaxy.Comment: A&A, accepte

Reference Models for Production Planning and Control Systems: A Bibliometric Analysis and Future Perspectives

The activity of modeling business processes is still not a common practice among organizations which contributes to increase the cost and time of systems deployment, improvement projects and educational software, due to the need to develop new models related to Business Processes. In this context, one of the Business Processes essential for organizations, especially those located in countries such as Brazil, where production activities are more pronounced than product development, is Production Planning and Control (PCP). In this scenario, in order to present a picture of scientific production, contribute to the literature review and identify gaps in the scientific literature within the framework of the Reference Models and PCP approach. This work aims to perform a bibliometric research in these areas of study. In this study, we used the bibliometric revision method composed of four phases: definition of database, definition of research keywords, selection of papers and analysis of papers. As a result, it was found that most scientific studies are focused on very specific situations in industrial planning or addressing particular business sectors