“A fábrica da memória: transacção e negociação das memórias colectivas”

Ao definir a memória como um processo cuja estrutura envolve três momentos, registo, acesso e expressão, cada um dos quais age e retroage sobre os outros, demos a entender que a memória não é um armazém passivo, disponível e objectivo como uma colecção de objectos que falariam por si sós. Sobretudo, a construção de narrativas recombina os elementos da memória de maneiras variáveis, mas a variação está constrangida, limitada, pela cultura do grupo enquanto variável “latente”: apenas em parte consciente para os sujeitos. A segunda etapa levou-nos um pouco mais longe: a “memória colectiva” é uma arena na qual os indivíduos e os grupos interagem influenciando-se mutuamente, efectuando “transacções” nas quais troca, influência e poder estão sempre em jogo. As memórias colectivas são negociadas, em função de interesses presentes, entre aqueles que podem reivindicar parcelas (sempre diferentes) de passados cuja existência faz problema, cuja existência está até em causa, antes que eles se tornem causas pelas quais as pessoas lutam. Mas estes processos colectivos (a outro grau também os individuais) não se desenvolvem de modo totalmente arbitrário: quando se defrontam diversas concepções da memória, diversas selecções do que vale como memória e diversas elaborações das narrativas da memória, elas ainda “jogam” no interior duma cultura que produziu o que foi (o que quer que tenha sido) como produz o presente e as visões de futuros possíveis. A tomada de consciência da natureza da complexidade do processo, tanto a nível individual (psíquico e até físico) como a nível colectivo (transacção, negociação), deve permitir escapar aos dilemas ideológicos que paralisam o conhecimento destes processos: nem “património” objectivo, legado unívoco e indiscutível como pretendem os “tradicionistas ” nem construções arbitrárias absolutamente contingentes, ligadas aos “desejos” presentes e como estes, supostamente, livres e aleatórios. A tarefa que resulta desta tomada de consciência é, sim, a duma antropologia das representações, a duma sociologia (situadas no tempo e no lugar concretos de cada sociedade) das práticas memoriais enquanto movimento e processo social sui generis: a fábrica da memória

Experimentación, simulación y análisis de artefactos improvisados-proyectiles formados por explosión

Dentro de los artefactos explosivos improvisados se encuentran aquellos que generan proyectiles formados por explosión, penetradores de blindajes y sistemas acorazados, como los utilizados por grupos insurgentes contra las fuerzas aliadas en zona de operaciones. El objeto de este estudio es reproducir y entender el comportamiento de dichos artefactos explosivos improvisados capaces de generar proyectiles de alta velocidad y gran capacidad de penetración. La comprensión de su comportamiento permitirá mejorar el conocimiento sobre ellos, y por ende, combatirlos de forma más eficaz. Para ello se han realizado los ensayos correspondientes, obteniéndose las primeras caracterizaciones de proyectiles formados por explosión construidos de manera artesanal, tal y como haría un terrorista. Además, se han creado los modelos numéricos correspondientes a cada ensayo, que simulan todo el evento desde su inicio hasta el impacto en el objetivo, recorriendo todos los pasos intermedios. Se han ensayado 3 configuraciones y posteriormente se han simulado, usando el software de análisis por elementos finitos, LS-DYNA, con una configuración 2D axisimétrica, con mallados lagrangianos. Los resultados obtenidos por el modelo han alcanzado un alto grado de precisión con relación a los datos experimentales. A partir de aquí se puede concluir que los artefactos explosivos improvisados-proyectiles formados por explosión son una seria amenaza, y que los modelos generados permitirán conocer y ahorrar costes en la lucha contra esta amenaza, y por ende contra el terrorismo, al disponer de un enfoque holístico de la amenaza, y finalmente reducir los costes de la experimentación

Neutron stars in generalized f(R) gravity

Quartic gravity theory is considered with the Einstein-Hilbert Lagrangean $R+aR^{2}+bR_{\mu \nu}R^{\mu \nu},$ $R_{\mu \nu}$ being Ricci\'s tensor and R the curvature scalar. The parameters $a$ and $b$ are taken of order 1 km$^{2}.$ Arguments are given which suggest that the effective theory so obtained may be a plausible approximation of a viable theory. A numerical integration is performed of the field equations for a free neutron gas. As in the standard Oppenheimer-Volkoff calculation the star mass increases with increasing central density until about 1 solar mass and then decreases. However a dramatic difference exists in the behaviour of the baryon number, which increases monotonically. The calculation suggests that the theory allows stars in equilibrium with arbitrary baryon number, no matter how large.Comment: Keywords: stars, neutron stars; gravity; modified gravity Accepted in Astrophysics and Space Scienc

Voltage dip generator for testing wind turbines connected to electrical networks

This paper describes a new voltage dip generator that allows the shape of the time profile of the voltage generated to be configured. The use of this device as a tool to test the fault ride-through capability of wind turbines connected to the electricity grid can provide some remarkable benefits: First, this system offers the possibility of adapting the main features of the time–voltage profile generated (dip depth, dip duration, the ramp slope during the recovery process after clearing fault, etc.) to the specific requirements set forth by the grid operation codes, in accordance with different network electrical systems standards. Second, another remarkable ability of this system is to provide sinusoidal voltage and current wave forms during the overall testing process without the presence of harmonic components. This is made possible by the absence of electronic converters. Finally, the paper includes results and a discussion on the experimental data obtained with the use of a reduced size laboratory prototype that was constructed to validate the operating features of this new device

Non-adiabatic collapse of a quasi-spherical radiating star

A model is proposed of a collapsing quasi-spherical radiating star with matter content as shear-free isotropic fluid undergoing radial heat-flow with outgoing radiation. To describe the radiation of the system, we have considered both plane symmetric and spherical Vaidya solutions. Physical conditions and thermodynamical relations are studied using local conservation of momentum and surface red-shift. We have found that for existence of radiation on the boundary, pressure on the boundary is not necessary.Comment: 8 Latex pages, No figures, Revtex styl

Dynamical Chern-Simons modified gravity, Godel Universe and variable cosmological constant

We study the condition for the consistency of the G\"{o}del metric with the dynamical Chern-Simons modified gravity. It turns out to be that this compatibility can be achieved only if the cosmological constant is variable in the space.Comment: 8 pages, references adde

Measurements of the SUSY Higgs self-couplings and the reconstruction of the Higgs potential

We address the issue of the reconstruction of the scalar potential of a two-Higgs doublet model having in mind that of the MSSM. We first consider the general CP conserving dim-4 effective potential. To fully reconstruct this potential, we show that even if all the Higgs masses and their couplings to the standard model particles are measured one needs not only to measure certain trilinear Higgs self-couplings but some of the quartic couplings as well. We also advocate expressing the Higgs self couplings in the mass basis. We show explicitly, that in the so-called decoupling limit, the most easily accessible Higgs self-couplings are given in terms of the Higgs mass while all other dependencies on the parameters of the general effective potential are screened. This helps also easily explain how, in the MSSM, the largest radiative corrections which affect these self couplings are reabsorbed by using the corrected Higgs mass. We also extend our analysis to higher order operators in the effective Higgs potential. While the above screening properties do not hold, we argue that these effects must be small and may not be measured considering the foreseen poor experimental precision in the extraction of the SUSY Higgs self-couplings.Comment: 25 pages, 3 figure

Gravitational Collapse in Higher Dimensional Husain Space-Time

We investigate exact solution in higher dimensional Husain model for a null fluid source with pressure $p$ and density $\rho$ are related by the following relations (i) $p=k\rho$, (ii) $p=k\rho-\frac{B(v)}{\rho^{\alpha}}$ (variable modified Chaplygin) and (iii) $p=k\rho^{\alpha}$ (polytropic). We have studied the nature of singularity in gravitational collapse for the above equations of state and also for different choices of the of the parameters $k$ and $B$ namely, (i) $k=0$, $B=$ constant (generalized Chaplygin), (ii) $B=$ constant (modified Chaplygin). It is found that the nature of singularity is independent of these choices of different equation of state except for variable Chaplygin model. Choices of various parameters are shown in tabular form. Finally, matching of Szekeres model with exterior Husain space-time is done.Comment: 12 latex pages, No figure, RevTex styl

An alternative order parameter for the 4-state Potts model

We have investigated the dynamic critical behavior of the two-dimensional 4-state Potts model using an alternative order parameter first used by Vanderzande [J. Phys. A: Math. Gen. \textbf{20}, L549 (1987)] in the study of the Z(5) model. We have estimated the global persistence exponent $\theta_g$ by following the time evolution of the probability $P(t)$ that the considered order parameter does not change its sign up to time $t$. We have also obtained the critical exponents $\theta$, $z$, $\nu$, and $\beta$ using this alternative definition of the order parameter and our results are in complete agreement with available values found in literature.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figure

A comparative study of the dynamic critical behavior of the four-state Potts like models

We investigate the short-time critical dynamics of the Baxter-Wu (BW) and $n=3$ Turban (3TU) models to estimate their global persistence exponent $\theta _{g}$. We conclude that this new dynamical exponent can be useful in detecting differences between the critical behavior of these models which are very difficult to obtain in usual simulations. In addition, we estimate again the dynamical exponents of the four-state Potts (FSP) model in order to compare them with results previously obtained for the BW and 3TU models and to decide between two sets of estimates presented in the current literature. We also revisit the short-time dynamics of the 3TU model in order to check if, as already found for the FSP model, the anomalous dimension of the initial magnetization $x_{0}$ could be equal to zero