Chiral phase transitions in strong chromomagnetic fields at finite temperature and dimensional reduction

Dynamical fermion mass generation in external chromomagnetic fields is considered at non--zero temperature. The general features of dynamical chiral symmetry breaking ($D\chi SB$) are investigated for several field configurations in relation to their symmetry properties and the form of the quark spectrum. According to the fields, there arises dimensional reduction by one or two units. In all cases there exists $D\chi SB$ even at weak quark attraction, confirming the idea about the dimensional insensitivity of this mechanism in a chromomagnetic field.Comment: LATEX file, 12 pages, no figure

On the Equivalence between the Effective Potential and Zero-Point Energy

We investigate a possible difference between the effective potential and zero-point energy. We define the zero-point ambiguity (ZPA) as the difference between these two definitions of vacuum energy. Using the zeta function technique, in order to obtain renormalized quantities, we show that ZPA vanishes, implying that both of the above definitions of vacuum energy coincide for a large class of geometries and a very general potential. In addition, we show explicitly that an extra term, obtained by E. Myers some years ago for the ZPA, disappears when a scale parameter $\mu$ is consistently introduced in all zeta functions in order to keep them dimensionless.Comment: 11 pages, Latex fil

Morphological characterization of injection molded parts in Ren Shape 5166 polyurethane inserts for rapid tooling

The Rapid Tooling techniques have been emerging to produce rapid moulds for injecting plas-tics parts. Among the current solutions, material removal by milling machining of polymeric resin or poly-meric composites is an attractive alternative for manufacturing moulds for injecting short series of products. This work assesses the morphology of parts injected in mould cavities manufactured by a polyurethane resin (PUR) Ren Shape 5166, as an alternative for Rapid Tooling, and the parts injected in cavities manufactured by the ordinary mould steel. Both cavities were used for injecting the parts with polypropylene. The speci-mens were characterized by Optical Microscopy and Differential Scanning Calorimetry, to observe the mor-phology and the resulting degree of crystallization from the moulding process. The results show the differ-ences in the microstructure structure from the parts injected in both cavities. It was observed that the parts injected in the PUR cavities are slightly more crystalline and display morphology different than the parts in-jected in the mould steel.Sociedade Edu-cacional de Santa Catarina (SOCIESC)CAPES - bolsa PROCAD 139/2007Promol-de research groupPROENGEN-HARIAS PE 27/2008 (Brasil

How do dispersal costs and habitat selection influence realized population connectivity?

Despite the importance of dispersal for population connectivity, dispersal is often costly to the individual. A major impediment to understanding connectivity has been a lack of data combining the movement of individuals and their survival to reproduction in the new habitat (realized connectivity). Although mortality often occurs during dispersal (an immediate cost), in many organisms costs are paid after dispersal (deferred costs). It is unclear how such deferred costs influence the mismatch between dispersal and realized connectivity. Through a series of experiments in the field and laboratory, we estimated both direct and indirect deferred costs in a marine bryozoan (Bugula neritina). We then used the empirical data to parameterize a theoretical model in order to formalize predictions about how dispersal costs influence realized connectivity. Individuals were more likely to colonize poor-quality habitat after prolonged dispersal durations. Individuals that colonized poor-quality habitat performed poorly after colonization because of some property of the habitat (an indirect deferred cost) rather than from prolonged dispersal per se (a direct deferred cost). Our theoretical model predicted that indirect deferred costs could result in nonlinear mismatches between spatial patterns of potential and realized connectivity. The deferred costs of dispersal are likely to be crucial for determining how well patterns of dispersal reflect realized connectivity. Ignoring these deferred costs could lead to inaccurate predictions of spatial population dynamics

Dispersal capacity predicts both population genetic structure and species richness in reef fishes

Dispersal is a fundamental species characteristic that should directly affect both rates of gene flow among spatially distributed populations and opportunities for speciation. Yet no single trait associated with dispersal has been demonstrated to affect both micro- and macroevolutionary patterns of diversity across a diverse biological assemblage. Here, we examine patterns of genetic differentiation and species richness in reef fishes, an assemblage of over 7,000 species comprising approximately one-third of the extant bony fishes and over one-tenth of living vertebrates. In reef fishes, dispersal occurs primarily during a planktonic larval stage. There are two major reproductive and parental investment syndromes among reef fishes, and the differences between them have implications for dispersal: (1) benthic guarding fishes lay negatively buoyant eggs, typically guarded by the male parent, and from these eggs hatch large, strongly swimming larvae; in contrast, (2) pelagic spawning fishes release small floating eggs directly into the water column, which drift unprotected before small weakly swimming larvae hatch. Using phylogenetic comparative methods, we show that benthic guarders have significantly greater population structure than pelagic spawners and additionally that taxonomic families of benthic guarders are more species rich than families of pelagic spawners. Our findings provide a compelling case for the continuity between micro- and macroevolutionary processes of biological diversification and underscore the importance of dispersalrelated traits in influencing the mode and tempo of evolution

No First-Order Phase Transition in the Gross-Neveu Model?

Within a variational calculation we investigate the role of baryons for the structure of dense matter in the Gross-Neveu model. We construct a trial ground state at finite baryon density which breaks translational invariance. Its scalar potential interpolates between widely spaced kinks and antikinks at low density and the value zero at infinite density. Its energy is lower than the one of the standard Fermi gas at all densities considered. This suggests that the discrete gamma_5 symmetry of the Gross-Neveu model does not get restored in a first order phase transition at finite density, at variance with common wisdom.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, LaTe

Evolving coral reef conservation with genetic information

Targeted conservation and management programs are crucial for mitigating anthropogenic threats to declining biodiversity. Although evolutionary processes underpin extant patterns of biodiversity, it is uncommon for resource managers to explicitly consider genetic data in conservation prioritization. Genetic information is inherently relevant to management because it describes genetic diversity, population connectedness, and evolutionary history; thereby typifying their behavioral traits, physiological climate tolerance, evolutionary potential, and dispersal ability. Incorporating genetic information into spatial conservation prioritization starts with reconciling the terminology and techniques used in genetics and conservation science. Genetic data vary widely in analyses and their interpretations can be challenging even for experienced geneticists. Therefore, identifying objectives, decision rules, and implementations in decision support tools specifically for management using genetic data is challenging. Here, we outline a framework for eight genetic system characteristics, their measurement, and how they could be incorporated in spatial conservation prioritization for two contrasting objectives: biodiversity preservation vs maintaining ecological function and sustainable use. We illustrate this framework with an example using data from Tridacna crocea (Lamarck, 1819) (boring giant clam) in the Coral Triangle. We find that many reefs highlighted as conservation priorities with genetic data based on genetic subregions, genetic diversity, genetic distinctness, and connectivity are not prioritized using standard practices. Moreover, different characteristics calculated from the same samples resulted in different spatial conservation priorities. Our results highlight that omitting genetic information from conservation decisions may fail to adequately represent processes regulating biodiversity, but that conservation objectives related to the choice of genetic system characteristics require careful consideration