Bioinformática: formação acadêmica e plataformas com softwares e ferramentas.

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Infrared Emission from the Radio Supernebula in NGC 5253: A Proto-Globular Cluster?

Hidden from optical view in the starburst region of the dwarf galaxy NGC 5253 lies an intense radio source with an unusual spectrum which could be interpreted variously as nebular gas ionized by a young stellar cluster or nonthermal emission from a radio supernova or an AGN. We have obtained 11.7 and 18.7 micron images of this region at the Keck Telescope and find that it is an extremely strong mid-infrared emitter. The infrared to radio flux ratio rules out a supernova and is consistent with an HII region excited by a dense cluster of young stars. This "super nebula" provides at least 15% of the total bolometric luminosity of the galaxy. Its excitation requires 10^5-10^6 stars, giving it the total mass and size (1-2 pc diameter) of a globular cluster. However, its high obscuration, small size, and high gas density all argue that it is very young, no more than a few hundred thousand years old. This may be the youngest globular cluster yet observed.Comment: 6 pages, 2 color figures, Submitted to the ApJL, Revised 4/6/01 based on referee's comment

Understanding Link Dynamics in Wireless Sensor Networks with Dynamically Steerable Directional Antennas

Abstract. By radiating the power in the direction of choice, electronicallyswitched directional (ESD) antennas can reduce network contention and avoid packet loss. There exists some ESD antennas for wireless sensor networks, but so far researchers have mainly evaluated their directionality. There are no studies regarding the link dynamics of ESD antennas, in particular not for indoor deployments and other scenarios where nodes are not necessarily in line of sight. Our long-term experiments confirm that previous findings that have demonstrated the dependence of angleof-arrival on channel frequency also hold for directional transmissions with ESD antennas. This is important for the design of protocols for wireless sensor networks with ESD antennas: the best antenna direction, i.e., the direction that leads to the highest packet reception rate and signal strength at the receiver, is not stable but varies over time and with the selected IEEE 802.15.4 channel. As this requires protocols to incorporate some form of adaptation, we present an intentionally simple and yet efficient mechanism for selecting the best antenna direction at run-time with an energy overhead below 2 % compared to standard omni-directional transmissions.

Thermo- and Hydro-mechanical Processes along Faults during Rapid Slip

Field observations of maturely slipped faults show a generally broad zone of damage by cracking and granulation. Nevertheless, large shear deformation, and therefore heat generation, in individual earthquakes takes place with extreme localization to a zone <1–5 mm wide within a finely granulated fault core. Relevant fault weakening processes during large crustal events are therefore likely to be thermal. Further, given the porosity of the damage zones, it seems reasonable to assume groundwater presence. It is suggested that the two primary dynamic weak- ening mechanisms during seismic slip, both of which are expected to be active in at least the early phases of nearly all crustal events, are then as follows: (1) Flash heating at highly stressed frictional micro-contacts, and (2) Thermal pressurization of fault-zone pore fluid. Both have characteristics which promote extreme localization of shear. Macroscopic fault melting will occur only in cases for which those processes, or others which may sometimes become active at large enough slip (e.g., thermal decomposition, silica gelation), have not sufficiently reduced heat generation and thus limited temperature rise. Spontaneous dynamic rupture modeling, using procedures that embody mechanisms (1) and (2), shows how faults can be statically strong yet dynamically weak, and oper- ate under low overall driving stress, in a manner that generates negligible heat and meets major seismic constraints on slip, stress drop, and self-healing rupture mode.Earth and Planetary SciencesEngineering and Applied Science

Pressure-induced polarization reversal in multiferroic YMn2O5YMn_2O_5

The low-temperature ferroelectric polarization of multiferroic $YMn_2O_5$ is completely reversed at a critical pressure of 10 kbar and the phase transition from the incommensurate to the commensurate magnetic phase is induced by pressures above 14 kbar. The high-pressure data correlate with thermal expansion measurements indicating a significant lattice strain at the low-temperature transition into the incommensurate phase. The results support the exchange striction model for the ferroelectricity in multiferroic $RMn_2O_5$ compounds and they show the importance of magnetic frustration as well as the spin-lattice coupling

Three-Dimensional Elastic Compatibility: Twinning in Martensites

We show how the St.Venant compatibility relations for strain in three dimensions lead to twinning for the cubic to tetragonal transition in martensitic materials within a Ginzburg-Landau model in terms of the six components of the symmetric strain tensor. The compatibility constraints generate an anisotropic long-range interaction in the order parameter (deviatoric strain) components. In contrast to two dimensions, the free energy is characterized by a "landscape" of competing metastable states. We find a variety of textures, which result from the elastic frustration due to the effects of compatibility. Our results are also applicable to structural phase transitions in improper ferroelastics such as ferroelectrics and magnetoelastics, where strain acts as a secondary order parameter

Optical extinction due to intrinsic structural variations of photonic crystals

Unavoidable variations in size and position of the building blocks of photonic crystals cause light scattering and extinction of coherent beams. We present a new model for both 2 and 3-dimensional photonic crystals that relates the extinction length to the magnitude of the variations. The predicted lengths agree well with our new experiments on high-quality opals and inverse opals, and with literature data analyzed by us. As a result, control over photons is limited to distances up to 50 lattice parameters ($\sim 15 \mu$m) in state-of-the-art structures, thereby impeding large-scale applications such as integrated circuits. Conversely, scattering in photonic crystals may lead to novel physics such as Anderson localization and non-classical diffusion.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures. Changes include: added Lagendijk as author; simplified and generalized the tex

Photometric Properties of Long-period Variables in the Large Magellanic Cloud

Approximately four thousand light curves of red variable stars in the LMC were selected from the 2.3-years duration MOA database by a period analysis using the Phase Dispersion Minimization method. Their optical features (amplitudes, periodicities, position in CMD) were investigated. Stars with large amplitues and high periodicities were distributed on the only one strip amongst multiple structure on the LMC period-luminosity relation. In the CMD, the five strips were located in the order of the period. The stars with characterized light curves were also discussed.Comment: 8 pages, 5 figures, Proceeding of WS on Mass-Losing Pulsating Stars and Their Circumstellar Matter, Sendai, Japa

Study on vibration and stability of functionally graded cylindrical shells subjected to hydrostatic pressure

Based on the Flügge’s shell theory, the vibration characteristics and stability of submerged functionally graded (FG) cylindrical shell under hydrostatic pressure is examined. By means of conversion switch on axial wave number, the coupled frequency of submerged FG cylindrical shell with various boundary conditions is obtained, using wave propagation method and Newton method. Then the critical pressure of FG cylindrical shells is given by applying linear fitting method. Results are compared to known solutions, where these solutions exist. The natural frequency and critical pressure of FG cylindrical shell are illustrated. The effects of constituent materials, volume fraction, boundary condition and dimensions on the natural frequencies and critical pressures of submerged FG cylindrical shell are illustrated by examples