The experimental reconstruction of an Early Neolithic underground oven of Portonovo (Italy)

This contribution presents the experimental reconstruction of an underground oven replicated according to the archaeological evidence unearthed from the Early Neolithic site of Portonovo-Fosso Fontanaccia (Ancona-Italy). A domed structure, measuring 190x180 cm diameter at the base and 50 cm in height, was dug in 15 hours, in a sediment compatible with the geological formation that features the archaeological site. The experimental protocol presented in this article aims to reconstruct techniques, timing and tools needed to dig the peculiar underground structures of Portonovo used by Neolithic groups and understand key topics regarding the entire technical process such as energy investment for the community, seasonality and lifespan

Nuclear response functions for the N-N*(1440) transition

Parity-conserving and -violating response functions are computed for the inclusive electroexcitation of the N*(1440)(Roper) resonance in nuclear matter modeled as a relativistic Fermi gas. Using various empirical parameterizations and theoretical models of the N-N*(1440) transition form factors, the sensitivity of the response functions to details of the structure of the Roper resonance is investigated. The possibility of disentangling this resonance from the contribution of Delta electroproduction in nuclei is addressed. Finally, the contributions of the Roper resonance to the longitudinal scaling function and to the Coulomb sum rule are also explored.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figures. Minor changes in the Introduction. Accepted in NP

Star Formation and Selective Dust Extinction in Luminous Starburst Galaxies

We investigate the star formation and dust extinction properties of very luminous infrared galaxies whose spectra display a strong Hdelta line in absorption and a moderate [OII] emission (e[a] spectrum). This spectral combination has been suggested to be a useful method to identify dusty starburst galaxies at any redshift on the basis of optical data alone. We compare the average e(a) optical spectrum with synthetic spectra that include both the stellar and the nebular contribution, allowing dust extinction to affect differentially the stellar populations of different ages. We find that reproducing the e(a) spectrum requires the youngest stellar generations to be significantly more extinguished by dust than older stellar populations, and implies a strong ongoing star formation activity at a level higher than in quiescent spirals. A model fitting the optical spectrum does not necessarily produce the observed FIR luminosity and this can be explained by the existence of stellar populations which are practically obscured at optical wavelengths. Models in which dust and stars are uniformly mixed yield a reddening of the emerging emission lines which is too low compared to observations: additional foreground reddening is required.Comment: 17 pages, 4 Postscript figures, ApJ in pres

VIABILIDADE ECONÔMICA DO USO DE REGULADORES VEGETAIS EM CANA-PLANTA

O uso de reguladores vegetais na agricultura vem se tornando uma prática rotineira com o objetivo de explorar o potencial produtivo das culturas. Na cultura da cana-de-açúcar, o estudo da viabilidade da aplicação não depende apenas da avaliação da produtividade física, devendo ser agregada à análise econômica, visto que estas variáveis são essenciais à tomada de decisão de produtores e técnicos. Assim sendo, o objetivo do trabalho foi de determinar a viabilidade técnica e econômica da aplicação de um regulador vegetal na produtividade da cultura da cana-de-açúcar no município de Colina SP, no ano agrícola 2006/07. Num delineamento experimental em blocos ao acaso foram avaliados a campo os efeitos de doses e época de aplicação do Stimulate®, sendo que os dados de produção na dose de 0,5 L/ha foi utilizada para a análise da viabilidade econômica da pulverização via tolete ou foliar, comparado com plantio sem a tecnologia. O custo total para implantação de um canavial com a utilização do regulador vegetal nos toletes foi de R$2.764,46/ha, já na aplicação via foliar foi de R$ 2.805,17/ha, enquanto que no controle foi de R$2.724,09/ha. Apesar do custo de implantação com a utilização do regulador vegetal ser maior, foram proporcionados aumentos significativo de produtividade, com incremento de 19,5$ 2.764,46/ha, already in the spray on leaf was of the R$2.805,17/ha, while in the control it was of R$ 2.724,09/ha. in spite of the implantation cost with the use of the plant regulator to be larger, they were significant of productivity proportionate increases, with increment of 19,5% when applied in the stalk and 20% in the leaf application, in order to the control. In the conditions in that took place the work, the Stimulate® application in the dose of the 0,5 L/ha it resulted in profit margins better than the control, and for the stalk application the obtained value (26,22%) it was better than in relation to the leaf spray (25,48%).Saccharum spp, biorregulador, custo operacional efetivo, rentabilidade, Saccharum spp, plant growth regulator, cost operating effective, profitability, Crop Production/Industries,

PROMET&O: A Multidisciplinary Approach to Monitor Indoor Environmental Quality

Recent studies have explored the influence of Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) on the occupants’ perception, behavior and productivity at work [1]. Also, it has been proved that a poor IEQ may turn in negative further consequences on occupants also affecting mental comfort and health [2]. The assessment of IEQ is thus a complex task due to its nature that considers the thermal, air quality, lighting and acoustics domains at the same time. Alongside with these aspects, there is no evidence of the extent to which exposure to day-to-day low-frequency electromagnetic fields may arise long term health issues, although international guidelines specify exposure limits for work places. Recent works, such as [3], have also investigated the use of Wireless Sensor Networks (WNSs) for air pollution monitoring, however, they typically refer to urban environment. To sum up, multi-domain investigations are therefore needed, and the use of accurate devices for the acquisition of objective IEQ metrics is mandatory. This research aims at developing an innovative, accurate and low-cost system for the in-field monitoring of IEQ, i.e., the so called PROMET&O system. With respect to the current state of the art, PROMET&O will provide the integration of the measured IEQ metrics with feedback of the perceived Indoor Environmental Comfort (IEC) from occupants, encouraging best practices for energy saving. The proposed system architecture is shown in Fig. 1 and consists in several Multi-Sensors (MSs) collecting data related to the IEQ metrics to be monitored, which are sent to an open-access platform for further processing. Each MS is provided with a set of sensors, whose outputs are periodically sampled by a controller, shown in Fig. 2. Sensors have been selected being low-cost, low-power and small-sized. The respective measurement range and accuracy are reported in Tab. 1 and agree with the specific IEQ standards. To avoid self-heating or cross-sensitivity issues, a first placement of the MS layout is proposed as shown in Fig. 3. Based on the sampled data, statistics of the measured quantities are evaluated and transferred to the server to be stored in a database. Future work will focus on further development and experimental validation of such system in an open space offices to correlate IEQ measured metrics with occupants’ feedback

The first ASIC prototype of a 28 nm time-space front-end electronics for real-time tracking

A front-end ASIC for 4D tracking is presented. The prototype includes the block necessary to build a pixel front-end chain for timing measurement, as independent circuits. The architecture includes a charge-sensitive amplifier, a discriminator with programmable threshold, and a time- to-digital converter. The blocks were designed with target specifications in mind including: an area occupation of 55 μm × 55 μm, a power consumption tens of micro ampere per channel and timing a resolution of at least 100 ps. The prototype has been designed and integrated in 28 nm CMOS technology. The presented design is part of the TimeSpOT project which aims to reach a high-resolution particle tracking both in space and in time, in order to provide front-end circuitry suitable for next generation colliders

Prevalence of comorbidities in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, overlap syndrome and obesity hypoventilation syndrome

Sleep-disordered breathing causes a burden to the sufferer, the health care system and the society. Most studies have focused on obstructive sleep apnea (OSA); however, the prevalence of comorbidities in patients affected by overlap syndrome (OS) and obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) has not been carefully evaluated

The role of small airway dysfunction in asthma control and exacerbations:a longitudinal, observational analysis using data from the ATLANTIS study

Background Although small airway disease is a feature of asthma, its association with relevant asthma outcomes remains unclear. The ATLANTIS study was designed to identify the combination of physiological and imaging variables that best measure the presence and extent of small airway disease in asthma, both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. In this longitudinal analysis, we evaluated which small airway parameters studied were most strongly associated with asthma control, exacerbations, and quality of life.Methods In this observational cohort study, participants with mild, moderate, or severe stable asthma were recruited between June 30, 2014, and March 3, 2017, via medical databases and advertisements in nine countries worldwide. Eligible participants were aged 18-65 years with a clinical asthma diagnosis for at least 6 months. Participants were followed up for 1 year, with visits at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Physiological tests included spirometry, lung volumes, impulse oscillometry, multiple breath nitrogen washout (MBNW), and percentage decrease in forced vital capacity during methacholine challenge. CT densitometry was performed to evaluate small airway disease. We examined the associations between these measurements and asthma exacerbations, asthma control, and quality of life using univariate and multivariate analyses. A composite ordinal score comprising percent predicted R5-20 (resistance of small-to-mid-sized airways), AX (area of reactance), and X5 (reactance of more central, conducting small airways at 5 Hz) was constructed.Findings 773 participants (median age 46 years [IQR 34-54]; 450 [58%] female) were included in this longitudinal study. Univariate analyses showed that components of impulse oscillometry, lung volumes, MBNW, and forced expiratory flow at 25-75% of FVC were significantly correlated with asthma control and exacerbations (Spearman correlations 0.20-0.25, p<0.0001 after Bonferroni correction). As a composite of impulse oscillometry, the ordinal score independently predicted asthma control and exacerbations in a multivariate analysis with known exacerbation predictors. CT parameters were not significantly correlated with asthma control, exacerbation, or quality of life.Interpretation Small airway disease, as measured by physiological tests, is longitudinally associated with clinically important asthma outcomes, such as asthma control and exacerbations. Copyright (C) 2022 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Development and Metrological Characterization of a Multi-sensor Device for Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) monitoring

Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ), which affects people's health, comfort, well-being and productivity, combines thermal, visual, acoustic and air quality conditions. This work deals with design, development and metrological characterization of a low-cost multi-sensor device that is able to detect the quality conditions of indoor environments for IEQ purposes. The device, hereafter referred as PROMET&O (PROactive Monitoring for indoor EnvironmenTal quality & cOmfort) embeds a set of low-cost sensors that measure air temperature and relative humidity, illuminance, sound pressure level, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, formaldehyde, and nitrogen dioxide. The basic architecture of the device is described and the design criteria that are related to the measurement requirements are highlighted. Particular attention has been paid towards the traceability assurance of the measurements provided by PROMET&O by means of specifically conceived calibration procedures, which have been tailored to the requirements of each measurement quantity. The calibration is based on the comparison to reference standards following commonly employed or ad-hoc developed technical procedures. The defined calibration procedures can be applied both for the single sensors and for the set of sensors integrated in the multi-sensor case. For the latter, the effects of the percentage of permeable case surface and the sensors allocation are also investigated. A preliminary uncertainty evaluation of the proposed multi-sensor device is reported for the carbon dioxide and the illuminance sensors taking the defined calibration procedures into account

Measurement of the Lifetime Difference Between B_s Mass Eigenstates

We present measurements of the lifetimes and polarization amplitudes for B_s --> J/psi phi and B_d --> J/psi K*0 decays. Lifetimes of the heavy (H) and light (L) mass eigenstates in the B_s system are separately measured for the first time by determining the relative contributions of amplitudes with definite CP as a function of the decay time. Using 203 +/- 15 B_s decays, we obtain tau_L = (1.05 +{0.16}/-{0.13} +/- 0.02) ps and tau_H = (2.07 +{0.58}/-{0.46} +/- 0.03) ps. Expressed in terms of the difference DeltaGamma_s and average Gamma_s, of the decay rates of the two eigenstates, the results are DeltaGamma_s/Gamma_s = (65 +{25}/-{33} +/- 1)%, and DeltaGamma_s = (0.47 +{0.19}/-{0.24} +/- 0.01) inverse ps.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables; as published in Physical Review Letters on 16 March 2005; revisions are for length and typesetting only, no changes in results or conclusion