Scalar QED ℏ\hbar-Corrections to the Coulomb Potential

The leading long-distance 1-loop quantum corrections to the Coulomb potential are derived for scalar QED and their gauge-independence is explicitly checked. The potential is obtained from the direct calculation of the 2-particle scattering amplitude, taking into account all relevant 1-loop diagrams. Our investigation should be regarded as a first step towards the same programme for effective Quantum Gravity. In particular, with our calculation in the framework of scalar QED, we are able to demonstrate the incompleteness of some previous studies concerning the Quantum Gravity counterpart.Comment: LaTeX, 16 pages, 4 figures as one ps-fil

Identification of carbonium and carbenium ions by QTAIM

The Gassman-Fentiman tool of increasing electron demand was used to identify carbonium and carbenium ions. Nonetheless, due to its ambiguous understanding, it was pivot of a historical dispute. We applied the Quantum Theory of Atoms in Molecules (QTAIM) metodology to characterize the carbonium and carbenium ions on an easier and more effective way. By comparing selected topological information of reference carbenium ions the QTAIM metodology can be used to evaluate whether a carbocation is classical or not. In addition, it is possible to rank a set of carbonium ions in order of their corresponding σ or π delocalization. There are few differences between our QTAIM-based model and Gassman-Fentiman tool. Unlike Gassman-Fentiman tool results, 7-anisyl-7-norbornenyl and 2-anisyl-2-norbornyl cations are non-classical, although they are the least nonclassical ions in their corresponding set of studied cations

Electronic nature of the aromatic adamantanediyl ions and its analogues

The relative stability of the 1,3-dehydro-5,7-adamantanediyl dication is ascribed to its tridimensional aromaticity. However, its electronic nature is not well known. In order to improve its understanding, dicationic and monocationic adamantanedyil species and some key analogues were studied by atoms in molecules (AIM) theory. They were compared to non-aromatic adamantane analogues. AIM results indicate that the density in center of the cage structure and the average of all delocalization indexes involving its bridged atoms are higher in aromatic than in non-aromatic compounds. Degeneracy in energy of the bridged atoms, uniformity and magnitude of their shared charge distinguish the dications 1,3-adamantyl and the 1,3-dehydro-5,7-adamantanediyl. However, both are aromatic as well as the 1,3-dehydro-5,7-diboroadamantane. The 1,3-dehydro-7-adamantyl cation has a characteristic planar homoaromaticity

Charge Asymmetry in the Brane World and Formation of Charged Black Holes

In theories with an infinite extra dimension, free particles localized on the brane can leak out to the extra space. We argue that if there were color confinement in the bulk, electrons would be more able to escape than quarks and than protons (which are composed states). Thus, this process generates an electric charge asymmetry on brane matter densities. A primordial charge asymmetry during Big Bang Nucleosynthesis era is predicted. We use current bounds on this and on electron disappearance to constrain the parameter space of these models. Although the generated asymmetry is generically small, it could be particularly enhanced on large densities as in astrophysical objects, like massive stars. We suggest the possibility that such accumulation of charge may be linked, upon supernova collapse, to the formation of a charged Black Hole and the generation of Gamma-Ray Bursts.Comment: Four pages, one figure. Minor changes, conclusions remai

Potencial produtivo de genótipos de alhos em Minas Gerais.

O objetivo do trabalho foi identificar genótipos de alho com melhores desempenhos agronômicos para as regiões de Diamantina-MG e Lavras-MG. Foi utilizado dez genótipos de alho, sendo oito experimentais e duas cultivares comerciais

Silica burial enhanced by iron limitation in oceanic upwelling margins

In large swaths of the ocean, primary production by diatoms may be limited by the availability of silica, which in turn limits the biological uptake of carbon dioxide. The burial of biogenic silica in the form of opal is the main sink of marine silicon. Opal burial occurs in equal parts in iron-limited open-ocean provinces and upwelling margins, especially the eastern Pacific upwelling zone. However, it is unclear why opal burial is so efficient in this margin. Here we measure fluxes of biogenic material, concentrations of diatom-bound iron and silicon isotope ratios using sediment traps and a sediment core from the Gulf of California upwelling margin. In the sediment trap material, we find that periods of intense upwelling are associated with transient iron limitation that results in a high export of silica relative to organic carbon. A similar correlation between enhanced silica burial and iron limitation is evident in the sediment core, which spans the past 26,000 years. A global compilation also indicates that hotspots of silicon burial in the ocean are all characterized by high silica to organic carbon export ratios, a diagnostic trait for diatoms growing under iron stress. We therefore propose that prevailing conditions of silica limitation in the ocean are largely caused by iron deficiency imposing an indirect constraint on oceanic carbon uptake

Tracking Changes in Bioavailable Fe Within High-Nitrate Low-Chlorophyll Oceanic Waters: A First Estimate Using a Heterotrophic Bacterial Bioreporter

It is conventional knowledge that heterotrophic bacteria play a key role in the biogeochemical cycling of oceanic carbon. However, only recently has their role in marine iron ( Fe) biogeochemical cycles been examined. Research during this past decade has demonstrated an inextricable link between Fe chemistry and the biota, as \u3e99% of Fe in marine systems is complexed to organic chelates of unknown but obviously biotic origin. Here we present a novel approach to assess and compare Fe bioavailability in low Fe HNLC waters using a bioluminescent bacterial reporter that quantitatively responds to the concentration of bioavailable Fe by producing light. Originally tested in freshwater environments, this study presents the first characterization of this halotolerant reporter organism in a defined seawater medium and then subsequently in marine surface waters. Laboratory characterizations demonstrate that this reporter displays a dose-dependent response to Fe availability in our defined marine medium. Field tests were performed during the 10-day mesoscale FeCycle experiment ( February 2003) in the Pacific sub-Antarctic high-nitrate low-chlorophyll region. Data from both biogeochemical measures and bioreporter assays are provided which describe how the bioreporter detected changes in Fe bioavailability that occurred during a natural shift in ambient dissolved Fe concentrations (similar to 40 pM). Our data explore the use of heterotrophic bioluminescent reporters as a comparable tool for marine ecosystems and demonstrate the potential utility of this tool in elucidating the relationship between Fe bioavailability and Fe chemistry in complex marine systems