The distance to the LMC cluster NGC 1866 and the surrounding field

We use the Main Sequence stars in the LMC cluster NGC 1866 and of Red Clump stars in the local field to obtain two independent estimates of the LMC distance. We apply an empirical Main Sequence-fitting technique based on a large sample of subdwarfs with accurate {\sl Hipparcos} parallaxes in order to estimate the cluster distance modulus, and the multicolor Red Clump method to derive distance and reddening of the LMC field. We find that the Main Sequence-fitting and the Red Clump distance moduli are in significant disagreement; NGC 1866 distance is equal to $\rm (m-M)_{0,NGC 1866}=18.33\pm$0.08 (consistent with a previous estimate using the same data and theoretical Main Sequence isochrones), while the field stars provide $\rm (m-M)_{0,field}=18.53\pm$0.07. This difference reflects the more general dichotomy in the LMC distance estimates found in the literature. Various possible causes for this disagreement are explored, with particular attention paid to the still uncertain metallicity of the cluster and the star formation history of the field stars.Comment: 5 pages, incl. 1 figure, uses emulateapj.sty, ApJ accepte

Crescimento e produção do cacaueiro em sistemas agroflorestais em função do manejo de plantas daninhas.

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An inverse method to interpret colour-magnitude diagrams

An inverse method is developed to determine the star formation history, the age-metallicity relation, and the IMF slope from a colour-magnitude diagram. The method is applied to the Hipparcos HR diagram. We found that the thin disk of our Galaxy shows a peak of stellar formation 1.6 Gyr ago. The stars close to the Sun have a solar metallicity and a mean IMF index equal to 3.2. However, the model and the evolutionary tracks do not correctly reproduce the horizontal giant branch.Comment: 14 pages, 11 figures. To be published in Astronomy & Astrophysic

Matrix Assisted Formation of Ferrihydrite Nanoparticles in a Siloxane/Poly(Oxyethylene) Nanohybrid

Matrix-assisted formation of ferrihydrite, an iron oxide hydroxide analogue of the protein ferritin-core, in a sol-gel derived organic-inorganic hybrid is reported. The hybrid network (named di-ureasil) is composed of poly(oxyethylene) chains of different average polymer molecular weights grafted to siloxane domains by means of urea cross-linkages and accommodates ferrihydrite nanoparticles. Magnetic measurements, Fourier transform infrared and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy reveal that the controlled modification of the polymer molecular weight allows the fine-tuning of the ability of the hybrid matrix to assist and promote iron coordination at the organic-inorganic interface and subsequent nucleation and growth of the ferrihydrite nanoparticles whose core size (2-4 nm) is tuned by the amount of iron incorporated. The polymer chain length, its arrangement and crystallinity, are key factors on the anchoring and formation of the ferrihydrite particles.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figures. To be published in J. Mater. Che

Effect of solids on O₂ mass transfer in an oscillatory flow reactor provided with smooth periodic constrictions

n the present work, it is studied for the first time the use of an oscillatory flow reactor provided with smooth period constrictions (OFR-SPC) in gas-liquid mass transfer process when a solid phase is present. The superficial gas velocities (uGuG), solids loading (calcium alginate beads: 0-15% (v/v)) and the oscillatory conditions (frequency and amplitude) effects on volumetric liquid side mass transfer coefficient (kLakLa) are experimentally evaluated. The liquid-side mass transfer coefficient, kLkL, and the specific interfacial area, a  , are studied individually. The results show that kLakLa increases with both superficial gas velocity and oscillatory conditions, in two and three-phase systems, the oscillatory conditions being the ones with the highest impact on the gas-liquid mass transfer process. The presence of solids seems to have a negligible influence on kLakLa in all experimental conditions for the range of solids loading studied. This behaviour was not observed in other reactors where a negative solids (calcium alginate beads) influence on the mass transfer process was verified. Globally, the results show the importance of hydrodynamic phenomena on the mass transfer process in two and three-phase systems, indicating OFR-SPC as a good alternative to the conventional reactors, especially when a third phase is present.This work was financially supported by: Project UID/EQU/00511/2013-LEPABE (Laboratory for Process Engineering, Environment, Biotechnology and Energy – EQU/00511); and Project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-016816 (PTDC/QEQ-PRS/3787/2014) by FEDER funds through Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização – COMPETE2020 and by national funds through FCT – Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia under the projects: IF exploratory project [IF/01087/2014]. A. Ferreira is an Investigador FCT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

ELKO Spinor Fields: Lagrangians for Gravity derived from Supergravity

Dual-helicity eigenspinors of the charge conjugation operator (ELKO spinor fields) belong -- together with Majorana spinor fields -- to a wider class of spinor fields, the so-called flagpole spinor fields, corresponding to the class-(5), according to Lounesto spinor field classification based on the relations and values taken by their associated bilinear covariants. There exists only six such disjoint classes: the first three corresponding to Dirac spinor fields, and the other three respectively corresponding to flagpole, flag-dipole and Weyl spinor fields. Using the mapping from ELKO spinor fields to the three classes Dirac spinor fields, it is shown that the Einstein-Hilbert, the Einstein-Palatini, and the Holst actions can be derived from the Quadratic Spinor Lagrangian (QSL), as the prime Lagrangian for supergravity. The Holst action is related to the Ashtekar's quantum gravity formulation. To each one of these classes, there corresponds a unique kind of action for a covariant gravity theory. Furthermore we consider the necessary and sufficient conditions to map Dirac spinor fields (DSFs) to ELKO, in order to naturally extend the Standard Model to spinor fields possessing mass dimension one. As ELKO is a prime candidate to describe dark matter and can be obtained from the DSFs, via a mapping explicitly constructed that does not preserve spinor field classes, we prove that in particular the Einstein-Hilbert, Einstein-Palatini, and Holst actions can be derived from the QSL, as a fundamental Lagrangian for supergravity, via ELKO spinor fields. The geometric meaning of the mass dimension-transmuting operator - leading ELKO Lagrangian into the Dirac Lagrangian - is also pointed out, together with its relationship to the instanton Hopf fibration.Comment: 11 pages, RevTeX, accepted for publication in Int.J.Geom.Meth.Mod.Phys. (2009

Podridão radicular em mandioca no norte do Estado do Maranhão.

bitstream/item/58029/1/CT-192-.pd