Electromagnetism and multiple-valued loop-dependent wave functionals

We quantize the Maxwell theory in the presence of a electric charge in a "dual" Loop Representation, i.e. a geometric representation of magnetic Faraday's lines. It is found that the theory can be seen as a theory without sources, except by the fact that the wave functional becomes multivalued. This can be seen as the dual counterpart of what occurs in Maxwell theory with a magnetic pole, when it is quantized in the ordinary Loop Representation. The multivaluedness can be seen as a result of the multiply-connectedness of the configuration space of the quantum theory.Comment: 5 page

Attraction of Culex mosquitoes to aldehydes from human emanations.

Anecdotes related to preferential mosquito bites are very common, but to date there is no complete explanation as to why one out of two people systematically receives more mosquito bites than the other when both are equally accessible. Here we tested the hypothesis that two constituents of skin emanations, 6-methyl-5-heptan-2-one (6-MHO) and geranylacetone (GA), are natural repellents and may account for differential attraction in different ratios. We studied skin emanations from two human subjects, confirmed in behavioral assays that female southern house mosquitoes are significantly more attracted to subject A (attractant) than to subject N (non-attractant), and tested their 6-MHO/GA ratios in a dual-choice olfactometer. Although repelling at high doses, 6-MHO/GA mixtures were not active at the levels emitted by human skin. We found, however, differential attraction elicited by the aldehydes in the ratios produced by subjects A and N. When tested in a dose commensurate with the level released from human skin and in the ratio produced by subject A, the aldehyde mixture significantly attracted mosquitoes. By contrast, an aldehyde mixture at the same ratio released by subject N did not attract mosquitoes. We, therefore, hypothesized that aldehydes may play a role in the commonly observed differential attraction

Spatially resolved physical and chemical properties of the planetary nebula NGC 3242

Optical integral-field spectroscopy was used to investigate the planetary nebula NGC 3242. We analysed the main morphological components of this source, including its knots, but not the halo. In addition to revealing the properties ofthe physical and chemical nature of this nebula, we also provided reliable spatially resolved constraints that can be used for future photoionisation modelling of the nebula. The latter is ultimately necessary to obtain a fully self-consistent 3D picture of the physical and chemical properties of the object. The observations were obtained with the VIMOS instrument attached to VLT-UT3. Maps and values for specific morphological zones for the detected emission-lines were obtained and analysed with routines developed by the authors to derive physical and chemical conditions of the ionised gas in a 2D fashion. We obtained spatially resolved maps and mean values of the electron densities, temperatures, and chemical abundances, for specific morphological structures in NGC 3242. These results show the pixel-to-pixel variations of the the small- and large-scale structures of the source. These diagnostic maps provide information free from the biases introduced by traditional single long-slit observations. In general, our results are consistent with a uniform abundance distribution for the object, whether we look at abundance maps or integrated fluxes from specified morphological structures. The results indicate that special care should be taken with the calibration of the data and that only data with extremely good signal-to-noise ratio and spectral coverage should be used to ensure the detection of possible spatial variations.Comment: 11 pages, 8 figures accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysic

A redução de antihelmínticos no controle da verminose em caprinos e ovinos.

bitstream/item/32417/1/Reducao.pd

Investigation of the Function of the First Epicentral Intermuscular Bone and the First Anal-fin Radial Bone in Polymixia lowei

Beardfishes, members of the genus Polymixia, are seen as living fossils, as they are the sole survivors of a Late Cretaceous marine fish radiation. In this genus, the first intermuscular bone differs from the rest by lying in the horizontal septum and by being distinctively larger. In addition, the first anal-fin radial bone is distinctively enlarged. To investigate the function of these unique characteristics of Polymixia, we examined multiple specimens and perfected a method for staining nerves to reveal the innervation of the unique structures. In doing so, we hypothesize that the function of these structures is related to sound production involving the swim bladder, and that the nerves will reveal important clues to their functions