Implications of anomalous gauge boson interactions to the fermion electromagnetic moments

We calculate the electromagnetic fermion form-factors induced by the anomalous gauge boson interactions contained in the operators ODW and ODB. Other results regarding anomalous triple gauge boson interactions are briefly overviewed. We study the interplay between vertex corrections and gauge boson self-energies extended to the longitudinal degrees of freedom. The physical couplings to an external electromagnetic field are then derived.Comment: 14 pages, LATeX, to appear in Modern Physics Letters A, some literary changes, a few notation correction

Life-cycle performance of structures: combining expert judgment and results of inspection

Life-Cycle Civil Engineering – Biondini & FrangopolCurrent bridge management systems base decisions on the results of visual inspections. These systems consider visual inspection results as accurate and disregard any further information available. In the present study, the result of each inspection is considered as a random variable, dependent of a wide range of factors, that can be integrated with other sources of information, including expert judgment and results of other inspections. The combination of different sources of information results in reliable posterior information and allows more accurate predictions of future deterioration. In the present paper, performance of an existing structure is obtained in terms of the condition index, which describes the effects of deterioration as can be seen by an inspector, and the safety index, which measures the safety margin of the structure. The reduction in uncertainty associated with periodical inspections is considered through updating of performance profiles. The updating of the condition index is direct, as new information on this parameter is collected by the inspector. In terms of safety, however, only indirect information is collected and the uncertainty reduction associated with an inspection is significantly lower. Several realistic examples show the impact of inspections on the predicted life-cycle performance of structures.UNIC - Research Center in the New University of Lisbo

The effects of monetary policy on total factor productivity in the Euro Area

This paper analyses the impact that Monetary Policy has on Total Factor Produc-tivity (TFP) in the Euro Area, by computing a utilization corrected TFP measure andobtaining impulse response functions by using Local Projections with a high frequencyidentification external instrument. It finds evidence of a negative relationship betweentightening monetary policy and aggregate TFP, being part of this effect explained by afall in capital utilization. A sample split shows that the response of TFP to a monetaryshock is twice as large during the pre crisis period, suggesting that the financial crisisaftermath had a considerable impact on this linkage

O Digital e a Sociedade em Rede: contribuições para a importância de considerar a questão da (ciber)defesa

A complexidade originada pelo digital e pelo crescente recurso a computadores e redes está a criar um novo espaço de transformação social que, para muitos, é um caraterizador da sociedade em rede. Em consequência, as organizações e os indivíduos têm de considerar novos desafios que envolvem a necessidade de repensar as organizações e os seus modelos de funcionamento. A evolução tecnológica e a cooperação em rede, como aspetos caraterizadores de uma nova ordem organizacional que exige repensar a postura de cooperação com implicações para nações, organizações e mesmo indivíduos. Nesse contexto, o presente artigo propõe uma reflexão sobre o papel da sociedade em rede e da importância de se considerar a sua discussão e o papel do ciberespaço como um novo campo de poder e, em consequência, alertar para as questões de cibersegurança e ciberdefesa como novos espaços de soberania, quer no plano maior da sociedade, mas também ao nível das organizações e dos indivíduos

A constraint on local definitions of quantum internal energy

Recent advances in quantum thermodynamics have been focusing on ever more elementary systems of interest, approaching the limit of a single qubit, with correlations, strong coupling and non-equilibrium environments coming into play. Under such scenarios, it is clear that fundamental physical quantities must be revisited. This article questions whether a universal definition of internal energy for open quantum systems may be devised, setting limits on its possible properties. We argue that, for such a definition to be regarded as local, it should be implemented as a functional of the open system's reduced density operator and its time derivatives. Then we show that it should involve at least up to the second-order derivative, otherwise failing to recover the previously-known internal energy of the "universe". Possible implications of this general result are discussed.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures. Version 2: new references added; further discussions on the hypotheses and connection to other approaches included in Sections I and

Probabilistic prediction of asphalt pavement performance

Variability of pavement design parameters has always been a concern to pavement designers and highway agencies. A robust pavement design should take into account the variability of the design inputs and its impact on the reliability of the design. In this study, the variability effect of thickness and stiffness of pavement layers was investigated. The variability of these parameters was described by their mean values, standard deviations and probability distribution functions. Monte Carlo Simulation method was utilised to incorporate variability of the design parameters and to construct the probability distribution function of the outputs. KENLAYER software was used to calculate pavement response at predetermined critical locations; pavement reponse was then used to predict pavement performance regarding permanent deformation, bottom-up and top-down fatigue cracking by using the mechanistic empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) models. A Matlab code was developed to run that analysis and obtain the probability distribution function of pavement performance indicators over time. It was found that the variability of pavement layer thickness and stiffness has a significant impact on pavement performance. Also, it was found that not only the mean of the predicted performance indicators is increasing over time, but the variance of these indicators is also increasing. This means that pavement condition cannot be described by the mean values of the indicators but by the probability distribution function which can describe pavement condition at any reliability level

Robustness of timber structures in seismic areas

Major similarities between robustness assessment and seismic design exist, and significant information can be brought from seismic design to robustness design. As will be discussed, although some methods and limitations considered in seismic design can improve robustness, the capacity of the structure to sustain limited damage without disproportionate effects is significantly more complex. In fact, seismic design can either improve or reduce the resistance of structures to unforeseeable events, depending on the structural type, triggering event, structural material, among others. Based on a case study, the influence of redundancy and ductility on the seismic behavior and robustness of a long-span timber structure is assessed.COST E 5

Time scaling internal state predictive control of a solar plant

The control of a distributed collector solar field is addressed in this work, exploiting the plant's transport characteristic. The plant is modeled by a hyperbolic type partial differential equation (PDE) where the transport speed is the manipulated flow, i.e. the controller output. The model has an external distributed source, which is the solar radiation captured along the collector, approximated to depend only of time. From the solution of the PDE, a linear discrete state space model is obtained by using time-scaling and the redefinition of the control input. This method allows overcoming the dependency of the time constants with the operating point. A model-based predictive adaptive controller is derived with the internal temperature distribution estimated with a state observer. Experimental results at the solar power plant are presented, illustrating the advantages of the approach under consideration

Investigação clínica e neurofisiológica de família com doença de Charcot-Marie-Tooth tipo 2 com sinais piramidais

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a hereditary neuropathy of motor and sensory impairment with distal predominance. Atrophy and weakness of lower limbs are the first signs of the disease. It can be classified, with the aid of electromyography and nerve conduction studies, as demyelinating (CMT1) or axonal (CMT2). OBJECTIVE: Clinical and neurophysiological investigation of a large multigenerational family with CMT2 with autosomal dominant mode of transmission. METHOD: Fifty individuals were evaluated and neurophysiological studies performed in 22 patients. RESULTS: Thirty individuals had clinical signs of motor-sensory neuropathy. Babinski sign was present in 14 individuals. Neurophysiological study showed motor-sensory axonal polyneuropathy. CONCLUSION: The clinical and neurophysiological characteristics of this family does not differ from those observed with other forms of CMT, except for the high prevalence of Babinski sign.A doença de Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) é uma neuropatia hereditária de acometimento sensitivo e motor de predomínio distal. Atrofia e fraqueza em membros inferiores são os primeiros sinais da doença. Pode ser classificada, com auxílio da eletroneuromiografia, em desmielinizante (CMT1) ou axonal (CMT2). OBJETIVO: Investigação clínica e neurofisiológica de família com portadores de CMT2 de herança dominante. MÉTODO: Foi feita avaliação neurológica de 50 indivíduos e eletroneuromiografia em 22 pacientes. RESULTADOS: Trinta indivíduos tinham sinais clínicos de neuropatia sensitivo-motora. Sinal de Babinski estava presente em 14 indivíduos. A eletroneuromiografia demonstrou polineuropatia axonal sensitiva e motora. CONCLUSÃO: As características clínicas e neurofisiológicas desta família não se diferem das observadas em outras formas de CMT, exceto pela alta prevalência de sinal de Babinski