New improvements in shearography techniques

Shearography is a non-contact full field technique used in the assessment of spatial gradient of displacements through a preset direction, Hung and Taylor [1]. The optical set-up can be based on a Michelson interferometer scheme, for static or quasi-static measurements, and on the Mach- Zehnder interferometer if dynamic measurements have to be performed, Santos et al [2]. In both set-ups a speckle pattern, obtained from a rough surface, is laterally shifted to create the interference and the light used for the interferometer arms have a common path between the object and the set-up. So, this interferometric technique can be used with low coherence lasers and is almost insensitive to rigid body motion. The fringe patterns obtained with shearography result from the interference between two speckled wave fronts and have lower contrast that the ones obtained with specular reference interferometers

Water Quality Index In An Urban Watershed

This study aimed to verify the water quality of Ribeirão das Pedras (Stones River), Campinas, São Paulo, Brazil through the implementation of the Water Quality Index (WQI) and comparison with Brazilian legislation (Resolution of the National Environment Council - CONAMA 357/2005), thus being able to initiate discussions about anthropic interferences in watercourses located in urban areas. Ribeirão das Pedras is part of an urban watershed that suffered, and still suffers, from the rapid and intense urban and housing boom, finding its territorial space almost fully occupied. For the execution of this work, six sample points were defined in order to allow a discussion between the land use within their respective drainage area and the results of the WQI applications. The WQI is composed of nine parameters: dissolved oxygen, biochemical oxygen demand, nitrogen, temperature, thermotolerant coliforms, turbidity, phosphorus, pH, and total solids. The first sample point refers to the main watercourse source, four sample points are located throughout the watershed and the last point is located in its base level, at the confluence between Ribeirão das Pedras and its main stem, Ribeirão das Anhumas (Anhumas River). The results of water quality analysis obtained based on the WQI concept were featured as 'GOOD'; however, the isolated analysis of each parameter allows to compare them with the Brazilian legislation, where it appears that none of the points meets all established quality parameters. Thus, it can be concluded that the watercourse suffers significant impacts along its course, probably derived from the use of the surrounding drainage areas. © 2016 WIT Press.1161037104

Role of dipolar and exchange interactions in the positions and widths of EPR transitions for the single-molecule magnets Fe8 and Mn12

We examine quantitatively the temperature dependence of the linewidths and line shifts in electron paramagnetic resonance experiments on single crystals of the single-molecule magnets Fe$_8$ and Mn$_{12}$, at fixed frequency, with an applied magnetic field along the easy axis. We include inter-molecular spin-spin interactions (dipolar and exchange) and distributions in both the uniaxial anisotropy parameter $D$ and the Land\'{e} $g$-factor. The temperature dependence of the linewidths and the line shifts are mainly caused by the spin-spin interactions. For Fe$_8$ and Mn$_{12}$, the temperature dependence of the calculated line shifts and linewidths agrees well with the trends of the experimental data. The linewidths for Fe$_8$ reveal a stronger temperature dependence than those for Mn$_{12}$, because for Mn$_{12}$ a much wider distribution in $D$ overshadows the temperature dependence of the spin-spin interactions. For Fe$_8$, the line-shift analysis suggests two competing interactions: a weak ferromagnetic exchange coupling between neighboring molecules and a longer-ranged dipolar interaction. This result could have implications for ordering in Fe$_8$ at low temperatures.Comment: published versio

Semiconductive and Photoconductive Properties of the Single Molecule Magnets Mn12_{12}-Acetate and Fe8_8Br8_8

Resistivity measurements are reported for single crystals of Mn$_{12}$-Acetate and Fe$_8$Br$_8$. Both materials exhibit a semiconductor-like, thermally activated behavior over the 200-300 K range. The activation energy, $E_a$, obtained for Mn$_{12}$-Acetate was 0.37 $\pm$ 0.05 eV, which is to be contrasted with the value of 0.55 eV deduced from the earlier reported absorption edge measurements and the range of 0.3-1 eV from intramolecular density of states calculations, assuming $2E_a$= $E_g$, the optical band gap. For Fe$_8$Br$_8$, $E_a$ was measured as 0.73 $\pm$ 0.1 eV, and is discussed in light of the available approximate band structure calculations. Some plausible pathways are indicated based on the crystal structures of both lattices. For Mn$_{12}$-Acetate, we also measured photoconductivity in the visible range; the conductivity increased by a factor of about eight on increasing the photon energy from 632.8 nm (red) to 488 nm (blue). X-ray irradiation increased the resistivity, but $E_a$ was insensitive to exposure.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figure

Identificação molecular de Bartonella henselae em paciente com SIDA soronegativo para doença da arranhadura do gato no Rio de Janeiro, Brasil

Bartonella henselae is associated with a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations, including cat scratch disease, endocarditis and meningoencephalitis, in immunocompetent and immunocompromised patients. We report the first molecularly confirmed case of B. henselae infection in an AIDS patient in state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Although DNA sequence of B. henselae has been detected by polymerase chain reaction in a lymph node biopsy, acute and convalescent sera were nonreactive.Bartonella henselae está associada a um amplo espectro de manifestações clínicas, incluindo a doença da arranhadura de gato, endocardite, e meningoencefalite, em pacientes imunocompetentes e imunocomprometidos. Relatamos o primeiro caso confirmado por método molecular de B. henselae em um paciente com SIDA no estado do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Apesar da sequência de DNA de B. henselae ser detectada pela reação em cadeia da polimerase em uma biópsia do linfonodo, soros das fases aguda e convalescente foram não reativos

Transcript of The Dory Derby Accident

This story is an excerpt from a longer interview that was collected as part of the Launching through the Surf: The Dory Fleet of Pacific City project. In this story, Don Grotjohn recounts an accident that occurred during a Dory Derby competition