Is there a propeller neutron star in γ\gamma Cas?

$\gamma$ Cas is the prototype of a small population of B0-B1.5 III-V classical Be (cBe) stars that emit anomalous and hard X-rays with a unique array of properties. $\gamma$ Cas is known to host, like other cBe stars, a decretion disk and also a low mass companion. Recently Postnov et al. have posited that this companion is a magnetized rapidly spinning neutron star that deflects direct gravitational accretion from a stellar/disk wind via the "propeller mechanism." These authors state that the key X-ray observations are "remarkably well produced" in this scenario. We reexamine this mechanism in detail and conclude that there are a number of fatal objections in its application to the $\gamma$ Cas case. Among other considerations these issues include the prediction under the propeller scenario of a much smaller population of $\gamma$ Cas stars than is observed and the lack of allowance for observed correlations of X-ray and UV and/or optical properties over a variety of timescales.Comment: 9 page

Portuguese term extraction methods: comparing linguistic and statistical approaches.

This paper discuss different extraction methods, linguistic informed and pure statistical, through a comparative analysis using usual metrics: Precision, Recall and F-measure. The experiments were made over a corpus from Pediatrics in portuguese, and the extracted terms were compared with a reference list.Propor 2010

Energy-lowering and constant-energy spin flips: Emergence of the percolating cluster in the kinetic Ising model

After a sudden quench from the disordered high-temperature T0→∞ phase to a final temperature well below the critical point TF≪Tc, the nonconserved order parameter dynamics of the two-dimensional ferromagnetic Ising model on a square lattice initially approaches the critical percolation state before entering the coarsening regime. This approach involves two timescales associated with the first appearance (at time tp1>0) and stabilization (at time tp>tp1) of a giant percolation cluster, as previously reported. However, the microscopic mechanisms that control such timescales are not yet fully understood. In this paper, to study their role on each time regime after the quench (TF=0), we distinguish between spin flips that decrease the total energy of the system from those that keep it constant, the latter being parametrized by the probability p. We show that observables such as the cluster size heterogeneity H(t,p) and the typical domain size ℓ(t,p) have no dependence on p in the first time regime up to tp1. Furthermore, when energy-decreasing flips are forbidden while allowing constant-energy flips, the kinetics is essentially frozen after the quench and there is no percolation event whatsoever. Taken together, these results indicate that the emergence of the first percolating cluster at tp1 is completely driven by energy decreasing flips. However, the time for stabilizing a percolating cluster is controlled by the acceptance probability of constant-energy flips: tp(p)∼p−1 for p≪1 (at p=0, the dynamics gets stuck in a metastable state). These flips are also the relevant ones in the later coarsening regime where dynamical scaling takes place. Because the phenomenology on the approach to the percolation point seems to be shared by many 2D systems with a nonconserved order parameter dynamics (and certain cases of conserved ones as well), our results may suggest a simple and effective way to set, through the dynamics itself, tp1 and tp in such systems

Relação entre características bioquímicas e agronômicas e o enfezamento pálido em milho.

Foram avaliadas, em plântulas de milho, características bioquímicas, como possíveis marcadores para seleção de genótipos resistentes ao enfezamento pálido, causado por Spiroplasma kunkelii, bem como o efeito dessa doença sobre o crescimento e a produção de genótipos de milho. Para isto, espiroplasma foi inoculado nas plântulas das linhagens parentais susceptíveis, P1, e resistente, P2, e nas gerações F1, F2 e F3. Essas linhagens parentais, utilizadas também em intercruzamentos para obtenção das demais gerações, são oriundas do programa de melhoramento da Embrapa Milho e Sorgo. A altura das plantas (AP), a altura de espiga (AE) e a produção de grãos (PG) foram as características afetadas pela infecção por espiroplasma, que causou reduções médias de, respectivamente, 9,60%, 12,83% e 42% nesses parâmetros. Elevados valores, acima de 0,80, foram obtidos em correlações fenotípica e genotípica entre nota da espiga (NE) e severidade da doença enfezamento pálido (SEV), entre SEV e PG e entre NE e PG, mostrando que essas características podem ser utilizadas como critério para seleção de genótipos resistentes ao enfezamento pálido. Dentre as características bioquímicas avaliadas, verificou-se tendência de as plantas resistentes apresentarem maiores valores de teor de proteínas solúveis e menores valores de atividade específica da peroxidase (PODesp). As correlações fenotípicas entre os teores de ácido ferúlico (FA) e 5,5`-di-ferúlico (DFA) e SEV não foram significativas e os zimogramas da peroxidase não apresentaram isoformas que estivessem associadas especificamente à resistência ou à susceptibilidade ao enfezamento pálido

Produção integrada de frutas.

Elaborado com a colaboração da equipe técnica de Produção Integrada de Frutas da Embrapa Semi-Árido: Flávia Rabelo Barbosa, Joston Simão de Assis, Paulo Roberto Coelho Lopes, Selma Cavalcanti Cruz de Holanda Tavares