Las casas solariegas de la hidalguía gallega. Estudio sobre las casas de los condes de Amarante en el siglo XVIII

The enrichment of the Galician nobility during the Modern epoch would be reflected, among other things, on their settlement in urban areas, leaving their old homesteads, with few exceptions, in the hands of their administrators, of their householders or totally uninhabited. In this article we analize the specific example of the houses accumulated by the counts of Amarante along the modern epoch, in which major works would be carried out at various times of the eighteenth century, although major investments would be concentrated in those buildings where the counts were residing with their families.<br><br>El enriquecimiento de la hidalguía gallega durante la época moderna se reflejaría, entre otros aspectos, en su asentamiento en núcleos urbanos, quedando sus antiguas casas solariegas, con escasas excepciones, en manos de sus administradores, de algunos de sus caseros o totalmente deshabitadas. En este artículo se analiza el ejemplo concreto de las casas acumuladas por los condes de Amarante a lo largo de la época moderna, en las que se realizarían importantes obras en diversos momentos del siglo XVIII, aunque las mayores inversiones se concentrarían en aquellos edificios en donde los condes residían junto con sus familias

Nonlinear frequency response curves estimation and stability analysis of randomly excited systems in the subspace framework

In this paper, the periodic solutions of nonlinear mechanical systems are studied starting from the nonlinear state-space model estimated using the nonlinear subspace identification (NSI) technique. In its standard form, NSI needs the input-output data from a nonlinear structure undergoing broadband excitation and requires the prior knowledge of the locations and kind of nonlinearities to be estimated. The method allows the estimation of the nonlinear features of the system and the indirect study of its periodic solutions using a single broadband excitation, without the need of feedback control loops. To this end, the nonlinear frequency response curves of the system are estimated merging the harmonic balance method with the NSI technique and using a continuation approach. Then, a monodromy-based stability analysis is developed in the nonlinear state-space framework to study the stability of the periodic solutions of the system and to track its bifurcations. The method is validated considering conservative nonlinearities on two numerical examples and one experimental application, the latter comprising a double-well oscillator with period-doubling phenomena. The effects of noise and nonlinear modeling errors are also evaluated

On the nucleon self-energy in nuclear matter

We consider the nucleon self-energy in nuclear matter in the absence of Pauli blocking. It is evaluated using the partial-wave analysis of $NN$ scattering data. Our results are compared with that of a realistic calculation to estimate the effect of this blocking. It is also possible to use our results as a check on the realistic calculations.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figure

Nonlinear Dynamics of a Duffing-Like Negative Stiffness Oscillator: Modeling and Experimental Characterization

In this paper, a negative stiffness oscillator is modelled and tested to exploit its nonlinear dynamical characteristics. The oscillator is part of a device designed to improve the current collection quality in railway overhead contact lines, and it acts like an asymmetric double-well Duffing system. Thus, it exhibits two stable equilibrium positions plus an unstable one, and the oscillations can either be bounded around one stable point (small oscillations) or include all the three positions (large oscillations). Depending on the input amplitude, the oscillator can exhibit linear and nonlinear dynamics and chaotic motion as well. Furthermore, its design is asymmetrical, and this plays a key role in its dynamic response, as the two natural frequencies associated with the two stable positions differ from each other. The first purpose of this study is to understand the dynamical behavior of the system in the case of linear and nonlinear oscillations around the two stable points and in the case of large oscillations associated with a chaotic motion. To accomplish this task, the device is mounted on a shaking table and it is driven with several levels of excitations and with both harmonic and random inputs. Finally, the nonlinear coefficients associated with the nonlinearities of the system are identified from the measured data

The GAP-TPC

Several experiments have been conducted worldwide, with the goal of observing low-energy nuclear recoils induced by WIMPs scattering off target nuclei in ultra-sensitive, low-background detectors. In the last few decades noble liquid detectors designed to search for dark matter in the form of WIMPs have been extremely successful in improving their sensitivities and setting the best limits. One of the crucial problems to be faced for the development of large size (multi ton-scale) liquid argon experiments is the lack of reliable and low background cryogenic PMTs: their intrinsic radioactivity, cost, and borderline performance at 87 K rule them out as a possible candidate for photosensors. We propose a brand new concept of liquid argon-based detector for direct dark matter search: the Geiger-mode Avalanche Photodiode Time Projection Chamber (GAP-TPC) optimized in terms of residual radioactivity of the photosensors, energy and spatial resolution, light and charge collection efficiencyComment: 7 pages, 5 figures, Accepted for publication on JINS

The effects of claw ligatures in American lobster (Homarus americanus) storage: a preliminary study of haemolymph parameters

American lobsters are crustaceans that are offered for sale live and are stored in controlled temperature recirculating aquaria. During their marketing they are subjected to stressors that can affect their welfare, such as air exposure, confinement and handling. European legislation does not provide specific criteria or retention requirements, and so their management depends largely on the common sense of food business operators. Claw ligatures before and during storage are not legally required but are recommended because they prevent lobsters from damaging each other and ensure workers\u2019 safety. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effect of claw ligatures on lobsters\u2019 welfare by analysing eight different haemolymph stress parameters, vitality and weight. The calcium level showed statistical differences in the two experimental groups (P < 0.05). Our results suggested that the absence of rubber bands did not offer any significant contribution to the lobsters\u2019 welfare

The stochastic digital human is now enrolling for in silico imaging trials -- Methods and tools for generating digital cohorts

Randomized clinical trials, while often viewed as the highest evidentiary bar by which to judge the quality of a medical intervention, are far from perfect. In silico imaging trials are computational studies that seek to ascertain the performance of a medical device by collecting this information entirely via computer simulations. The benefits of in silico trials for evaluating new technology include significant resource and time savings, minimization of subject risk, the ability to study devices that are not achievable in the physical world, allow for the rapid and effective investigation of new technologies and ensure representation from all relevant subgroups. To conduct in silico trials, digital representations of humans are needed. We review the latest developments in methods and tools for obtaining digital humans for in silico imaging studies. First, we introduce terminology and a classification of digital human models. Second, we survey available methodologies for generating digital humans with healthy and diseased status and examine briefly the role of augmentation methods. Finally, we discuss the trade-offs of four approaches for sampling digital cohorts and the associated potential for study bias with selecting specific patient distributions

POLYCHLORODIBENZODIOXINS (PCDDs), POLYCHLORODIBENZO-FURANS (PCDFs), AND DIOXIN-LIKE POLYCHLOROBIPHENYLS (DL-PCBs) IN MILK, MOZZARELLA CHEESE, WHEY, AND WHEY CHEESE FROM BUFFALOES RAISED IN THE CAMPANIA REGION

Dioxins (PCDDs and PCDFs) and PCBs are a group of and toxic organo-chlorinated chemicals comprising hundreds of structurally related compounds (congeners) classified as persistent organic pollutants (POPs). It is acknowledged that 17 PCDD and PCDF congeners are of major concern due to their toxicity; 12 PCB congeners are also recognized to express dioxin-like toxicity and are thereby identified as DL-PCBs. Due to their high persistence and lipophilic nature, dioxins and PCBs tend to accumulate in fat and their bio-accumulation through the food chain may pose the risk of causing adverse effects to human health. For the general population, dietary intake is the most important pathway of exposure to the aforesaid environmental contaminants: meat, milk and dairy products, and fish and other seafood products contribute to total daily intake for more than 90 %. To prevent excessive human exposure to dioxins and DL-PCBs, the European Commission established maximum levels for dioxins and the sum of dioxins and DL-PCBs in an array of food components mainly of animal origin (Regulation EC 1881/2006). In this study, dioxins and DL-PCB concentrations were measured in buffalo milk collected from three impounded Campania farms producing milk with different contamination levels. The fate of contaminants in mozzarella cheese, whey, and whey cheese was also investigated. Analyses were carried out by HRGC-HRMS using US EPA Method 1613. The results of this study show the carry-over of the contamination from milk to its dairy products

The influence of broilers’ body weight on the efficiency of electrical stunning and meat quality under field conditions

Water-bath stunning represents the most-applied stunning system in poultry slaughtering, but within the European Union, specific indications on electric parameters that should be used, such as voltage, are missing. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficiency of two commercially available types of electrical equipment (A and B) on broilers with different live body weights and the influence of the tested parameters on meat quality. Experimental trials in a European Union-approved slaughterhouse were carried out using two different stunners. 6600 broilers, divided into three weight groups, were stunned applying different protocols based on the same current frequencies and intensity but different voltages. The state of unconsciousness (presence of corneal reflex and wings flapping) and post-mortem defects (pectoral hemorrhages and dark meat) were evaluated by blinded trained operators. The presence of corneal reflex and petechiae were the most reported consciousness signs and post-mortem injuries, respectively. Different weights played an important role within stunner A, registering statistical differences (p < 0.01) among groups. Considering injuries, an inverse relationship between body weight and lesions was found. The results highlighted the effectiveness of both stunning systems applying the best combination of electrical parameters considering the weight of the animal and ensuring its well-being

Relativistic Structure of the Nucleon Self-Energy in Asymmetric Nuclei

The Dirac structure of the nucleon self-energy in asymmetric nuclear matter cannot reliably be deduced from the momentum dependence of the single-particle energies. It is demonstrated that such attempts yield an isospin dependence with even a wrong sign. Relativistic studies of finite nuclei have been based on such studies of asymmetric nuclear matter. The effects of these isospin components on the results for finite nuclei are investigated.Comment: 9 pages, Latex 4 figures include