Lensing Magnification and QSO-Galaxy Cross-Correlations: Observations, Theory and Simulations

We review observations and gravitational lensing theory related to the magnification of background QSOs by intervening overdensities, and the induced cross-correlation between sources and foreground galaxies. We pay special attention to simulations, and present some preliminary results from high resolution cluster simulations, which show the role of the halo core and substructure on non-linear magnification. For massive clusters, deviations from the weak gravitational lensing regime are significant on arcmin scales and bellow. The accumulated knowledge in the field already shows that gravitational lensing magnification is an important astrophysical and cosmological tool.Comment: 6 pages. Presented at "100 years of relativity -- international conference on classical and quantum aspects of gravity and cosmology", 200

On duality of the noncommutative extension of the Maxwell-Chern-Simons model

We study issues of duality in 3D field theory models over a canonical noncommutative spacetime and obtain the noncommutative extension of the Self-Dual model induced by the Seiberg-Witten map. We apply the dual projection technique to uncover some properties of the noncommutative Maxwell-Chern-Simons theory up to first-order in the noncommutative parameter. A duality between this theory and a model similar to the ordinary self-dual model is estabilished. The correspondence of the basic fields is obtained and the equivalence of algebras and equations of motion are directly verified. We also comment on previous results in this subject.Comment: Revtex, 9 pages, accepted for publication PL

On the dimensional dependence of duality groups for massive p-forms

We study the soldering formalism in the context of abelian p-form theories. We develop further the fusion process of massless antisymmetric tensors of different ranks into a massive p-form and establish its duality properties. To illustrate the formalism we consider two situations. First the soldering mass generation mechanism is compared with the Higgs and Julia-Toulouse mechanisms for mass generation due to condensation of electric and magnetic topological defects. We show that the soldering mechanism interpolates between them for even dimensional spacetimes, in this way confirming the Higgs/Julia-Toulouse duality proposed by Quevedo and Trugenberger \cite{QT} a few years ago. Next, soldering is applied to the study of duality group classification of the massive forms. We show a dichotomy controlled by the parity of the operator defining the symplectic structure of the theory and find their explicit actions.Comment: Reference [8] has been properly place

Alternativas atuais e potenciais de suplementação alimentar de caprinos no semi-árido do Nordeste.

A caprinocultura na reglao semi-árida do Nordeste se caracteriza pela extensividade e por baixos níveis de produtividade decorrentes, principalmente, da acentuada variação estacional na oferta de forragem da caatinga, a qual constitui sua base alimentar. Existe um consenso quanto a necessidade de suplementar os animais nos períodos críticos, tanto com energia como com proteína. As alternativas atualmente disponíveis, como a palma forrageira (Opuntia ficus indica Mill), os restolhos de cultura, e o capim buffel (Cenchrus ciliaris) sao volumosos de reduzido valor energético e são mais utilizados dentro de um enfoque de sobrevivência dos animais. Os suplementos de maior valor nutritivo são de uso limitado e apresentam problemas de economicidade. As perspectivas de uso da ureia, da leucena (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit) e do guandu (Cajanus cajan (L.) Millsp) na suplementaçao de caprinos no semi-árido, são discutidas com base no seu potencial como fontes de nutrientes e como alternativas adaptáveis às condições agro-ecológicas e sócio-econômicas da região.bitstream/item/143279/1/07629.pdfTrabalho apresentado no II Seminário Nordestino de Caprinocultura, Recife, 1984