Gamow-Teller properties of the double beta-decay partners 116Cd(Sn) and 150Nd(Sm)

The two Gamow-Teller (GT) branches connecting the double-beta decay partners (116Cd, 116Sn) and (150Nd, 150Sm) with the intermediate nuclei 116In and 150Pm are studied within a microscopic approach based on a deformed proton-neutron quasiparticle random-phase approximation built on a Skyrme selfconsistent mean field with pairing correlations and spin-isospin residual forces. The results are compared with the experimental GT strength distributions extracted from charge-exchange reactions. Combining the two branches, the nuclear matrix elements for the two-neutrino double-beta decay are evaluated and compared to experimental values derived from the measured half-lives.Comment: 10 pages, 16 figure

Remanence of Ni nanowire arrays: Influence of size and labyrinth magnetic structure

The influence of the macroscopic size of the Ni nanowire array system on their remanence state has been investigated. A simple magnetic phenomenological model has been developed to obtain the remanence as a function of the magnetostatic interactions in the array. We observe that, due to the long range of the dipolar interactions between the wires, the size of the sample strongly influence the remanence of the array. On the other hand, the magnetic state of nanowires has been studied by variable field magnetic force microscopy for different remanent states. The distribution of nanowires with the magnetization in up or down directions and the subsequent remanent magnetization has been deduced from the magnetic images. The existence of two short-range magnetic orderings with similar energies can explain the typical labyrinth pattern observed in magnetic force microscopy images of the nanowire arrays

Dinâmica populacional: variação sazonal dos grupos funcionais fitoplanctônicos em reservatórios brasileiros (Billings e Guarapiranga, São Paulo)

Phytoplankton may function as a "sensor" of changes in aquatic environment and responds rapidly to such changes. In freshwaters, coexistence of species that have similar ecological requirements and show the same environmental requirements frequently occurs; such species groups are named functional groups. The use of phytoplankton functional groups to evaluate these changes has proven to be very useful and effective. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the occurrence of functional groups of phytoplankton in two reservoirs (Billings and Guarapiranga) that supply water to millions of people in São Paulo city Metropolitan Area, southeastern Brazil. Surface water samples were collected monthly and physical, chemical and biological (quantitative and qualitative analyses of the phytoplankton) were performed. The highest biovolume (mm³.L-1) of the descriptor species and functional groups were represented respectively by Anabaena circinalis Rabenh. (H1), Microcystis aeruginosa (Kützing) Kützing (L M/M) and Mougeotia sp. (T) in the Guarapiranga reservoir and Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Wolosz.) Seen. and Subba Raju (S N), Microcystis aeruginosa and M. panniformis Komárek et al. (L M/M), Planktothrix agardhii (Gom.) Anagn. and Komárek and P. cf. clathrata (Skuja) Anagn. and Komárek (S1) in the Billings reservoir. The environmental factors that most influenced the phytoplankton dynamics were water temperature, euphotic zone, turbidity, conductivity, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate and total phosphorous.A comunidade fitoplanctônica pode funcionar como sensor das variações do ambiente aquático respondendo rapidamente as essas alterações. Em sistemas aquáticos continentais é comum a coexistência de espécies que possuem as mesmas necessidades ecológicas e apresentam as mesmas tolerâncias ambientais, tais grupos de espécies fitoplanctônicas são denominados grupos funcionais. O uso de grupos funcionais fitoplanctônicos para avaliar tais alterações tem se mostrado muito útil e eficaz. Assim, o objetivo do estudo foi avaliar a ocorrência de grupos funcionais fitoplanctônicos em dois reservatórios (Billings e Guarapiranga) que suprem de água milhões de pessoas na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, Sudeste do Brasil. As amostras foram coletadas mensalmente na superfície da coluna d'água e foram analisadas as variáveis físicas, químicas e biológicas (análises qualitativa e quantitativa do fitoplâncton). Os maiores valores de biovolume (mm³.L-1) das espécies descritoras e grupos funcionais foram representados por Anabaena circinalis (H1), Microcystis aeruginosa (L M/M) e Mougeotia sp. (T) no Reservatório Guarapiranga e por Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (S N), Microcystis aeruginosa e M. panniformis (L M/M), Planktothrix agardhii e P. cf. clathrata (S1) no Reservatório Billings. Os principais fatores ambientais que interferiram na dinâmica do fitoplâncton foram: temperatura da água, zona eufótica, turbidez, condutividade, pH, oxigênio dissolvido, nitrato e fósforo total

Spin-wave phase inverter upon a single nanodefect

Local modification of magnetic properties of nanoelements is a key to design future-generation magnonic devices, in which information is carried and processed via spin waves. One of the biggest challenges here is to fabricate simple and miniature phase-controlling elements with broad tunability. Here, we successfully realize such spin-wave phase shifter upon a single nanogroove milled by focused ion beam in a Co-Fe microsized magnonic waveguide. By varying the groove depth and the in-plane bias magnetic field we continuously tune the spin-wave phase and experimentally evidence a complete phase inversion. The microscopic mechanism of the phase shift is based on the combined action of the nanogroove as a geometrical defect and the lower spin-wave group velocity in the waveguide under the groove where the magnetization is reduced due to the incorporation of Ga ions during the ion-beam milling. The proposed phase shifter can easily be on-chip integrated with spin-wave logic gates and other magnonic devices. Our findings are crucial for designing nano-magnonic circuits and for the development of spin-wave nano-optics.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Growth hormone AluI polymorphism analysis in eight Portuguese bovine breeds

A total of 195 bulls of eight Portuguese beef cattle breeds (Alentejana, Arouquesa, Barros , Maronesa, Marinhoa, Mertolenga, Mirandesa and Preta) were genotyped for the GH AluI polymorphism by the polymerase chain reaction and restriction length polymorphism (PCRRFLP). The genotype and gene frequencies for each breed were determined and shown to be quite variable among the breeds. The overall gene frequencies for L and V were 0.759 and 0.241, respectively. The relation between the bGH-AluI polymorphism and growth performances was ascertained in 168 of the animals analysed. According to our results there is a significant association between the genotypes LL and LV of the bGH and the average live body weight of the animals of the breeds Alentejana, Marinhoa and Preta

RIVERSIDE WALK

En el marco de la Ley de Barrios desde el año 2009 existe un plan para integrar los barrios de Baró de Viver y Bon Pastor en la ciudad de Barcelona. Las directrices del plan son la mejora del espacio público y mejorar la conexión de los barrios entre sí y con los barrios y municipios que colinda. Dentro de la estrategia se incluye el abrirse al Río Besós a través de corredores verdes y la instalación de equipamiento. En este sentido y con el argumento de dotar de espacio público de calidad para favorecer la cohesión urbana de los barrios barceloneses se plantea el proyecto del Paseo de Ribera. El proyecto consiste en convertir una autopista urbana en un paseo. El paseo intenta también pacificar la zona mediante la eliminación de la contaminación visual y acústica causada por la Ronda Litoral (al margen del Río Besós). Como respuesta a dicha problemática el proyecto consiste en el cubrimiento de la Ronda Litoral, creando así 1.5km de espacio público de calidad, en donde mediante un juego de vegetación y zonas de sol se crean distintos espacios que dinamizan la zona y conectan los barrios. El proyecto contempla que la plataforma que cubre la Ronda cuente con encuentros pacíficos con todas y cada una de las calles que aciertan con el. El Paseo de Ribera se encontraría a menos de 400m de 4 estaciones de metro y contaría con tres pasarelas peatonales que darían entrada a Barcelona desde el municipio vecino de Santa Coloma. Como eje rector de la estrategia integradora se encuentra la instalación de equipamiento en común, que compartirían ambos barrios, en la parte central del Paseo de Ribera. Dentro de las directrices del plan para la zona de la ley de barrios se encuentra la importancia de la participación ciudadana, en ese sentido se contempla realizar un proceso participativo desde la fase inicial de diseño del Paseo, en donde se someta a debate, reflexión y propuesta de los vecinos el diseño mismo del Paseo de Ribera y de su equipamiento partiendo de la idea de cubrir la Ronda Litoral en un inicio. El Paseo de Ribera vincularía a los barrios y al Polígono Industrial con el Río Besós, además de que articularía la zona a través de espacio público de calidad. Con un lenguaje de diseño urbano aquí se presenta el proyecto del Paseo de Ribera como uno de los tres ejes articuladores de la estrategia de cohesión urbana en la zona.Since 2009, and as part of the Neighborhood Law (Ley de Barrios of Catalonia) there is a strategic plan to integrate neighborhoods Baró de Viver and Bon Pastor in the city of Barcelona. The guidelines of the plan are to improve public space and to better connect neighborhoods to each other and the adjoining districts and municipalities. Within the strategy includes opening the Besos River to the urban territory through green corridors and installation of equipment. In this sense, the argument is to provide qualified public space to encourage the urban cohesiveness of the neighborhoods through the creation of a new Riverside Walk. The project consists in converting an urban highway into a pacified walk. The stroll also attempts to pacify the area by removing the visual and acoustic pollution caused by the Ronda Litoral (Highway next to the Besos River). In response to this problem the project consists in covering the Ronda Litoral, creating 1.5km of qualified public space, where a set of vegetation and the generation of sun areas will create different spaces that invigorate the territory and connect the neighborhoods. The platform covering the Ronda Litoral includes peaceful meetings with each and every one of the streets that are right with it. The Riverside Walk will be found within less than 400m from 4 metro stations and will have three pedestrian walkways as an access to Barcelona from the neighboring municipality of Santa Coloma. The installation of common equipment, to be shared by the two neighborhoods in the central part of the Riverside Walk is a guiding principle of the integrated strategy. Within the guidelines of the plan for the area of Ley de Barrios lies the importance of public participation; in that sense it is contemplated a participatory process from the initial design phase of the stroll, where subject for debate, reflection and proposal neighbors will design the walk and their equipment. The process will contemplate since the beginning the idea of covering the Ronda Litoral. The Riverside Walk will link the neighborhoods and the industrial area to the Besos River, plus articulate the area through qualified public space. With a language of urban design the Riverside Walk project is presented as one of the three strands of the strategy of articulations for urban cohesion in the area

Cloud Screening and Quality Control Algorithm for Star Photometer Data: Assessment with Lidar Measurements and with All-sky Images

This paper presents the development and set up of a cloud screening and data quality control algorithm for a star photometer based on CCD camera as detector. These algorithms are necessary for passive remote sensing techniques to retrieve the columnar aerosol optical depth, delta Ae(lambda), and precipitable water vapor content, W, at nighttime. This cloud screening procedure consists of calculating moving averages of delta Ae() and W under different time-windows combined with a procedure for detecting outliers. Additionally, to avoid undesirable Ae(lambda) and W fluctuations caused by the atmospheric turbulence, the data are averaged on 30 min. The algorithm is applied to the star photometer deployed in the city of Granada (37.16 N, 3.60 W, 680 ma.s.l.; South-East of Spain) for the measurements acquired between March 2007 and September 2009. The algorithm is evaluated with correlative measurements registered by a lidar system and also with all-sky images obtained at the sunset and sunrise of the previous and following days. Promising results are obtained detecting cloud-affected data. Additionally, the cloud screening algorithm has been evaluated under different aerosol conditions including Saharan dust intrusion, biomass burning and pollution events

Vegetación del Parque Natural de las Sierras Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama (Málaga-Granada, España).

Vegetación del Parque Natural de las Sierras Tejeda, Almijara y Alhama (Málaga-Granada, Andalucía, España). Se ha realizado un estudio florístico, fitocenológico y fitogeográfico del territorio comprendido en el Parque Natural. Bioclimáticamente aparecen los pisos termo, meso (el más extenso), supra y oromediterráneo con ombrotipos seco, subhúmedo y húmedo. Se propone una sectorización fitogeográfica a un nivel inferior al de sector, con cinco unidades: unidad Tejedense (Sierra Tejeda) la más occidental y diversa, unidad Jayenense (área de Jayena) con influencias ibérico-orientales, Almijarense (Sierra Almijara) la más representativa, Nerjeña (Sierra de Nerja) con influencia alpujarreña, y Cazulense (Sierra de Cázulas) la más oriental. El territorio presenta una gran diversidad de asociaciones y comunidades (126), algunas de ellas novedades sintaxonómicas, destacando Genistetalia haenseleri-ramosissimae ordo novus. Se han catalogado 23 series de vegetación. 9 de tipo climatófilo, caracterizadas por planifolios (Quercus rotundifolia, Q.suber, Q. pyrenaica y Acer granatensis), por gimnospermas (Juniperus communis subsp. hemisphaerica, J. sabina) o por arbustos sabanoides relictos (Maytenus senegalensis). 7 edafohidrófilas (caracterizadas respectivamente por Salix pedicellata, Salix eleagnos, Salix atrocinerea, Salix alba y Nerium oleander). Existe un complejo edafogénico de vegetación hidrófila (Erica erigena, E. terminalis, Schoenus nigricans). La vegetación permanente y edafoxerófila corresponde a 3 comunidades (caracterizadas por Buxus balearica, Pinus halepensis, Juniperus phoenicea o Pistacia lentiscus) y 3 series (de B. balearica, y de J. phoenicea con Pinus pinaster o con P. nigra subsp. salzmanii). Se aportan el esquema sintaxonómico, los inventarios y/o tablas fitosociológicas de novedades, un cuadro de series y un mapa fitogeográfico