Performance of the CLEO III LiF-TEA Ring Imaging Cherenkov Detector in a High Energy Muon Beam

The CLEO III Ring Imaging Cherenkov detector uses LiF radiators to generate Cherenkov photons which are then detected by proportional wire chambers using a mixture of CH$_4$ and TEA gases. The first two photon detector modules which were constructed, were taken to Fermilab and tested in a beam dump that provided high momentum muons. We report on results using both plane and sawtooth shaped radiators. Specifically, we discuss the number of photoelectrons observed per ring and the angular resolution. The particle separation ability is shown to be sufficient for the physics of CLEO III

Drought trend analysis in a semi-arid area of Iraq based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, Normalized Difference Water Index and Standardized Precipitation Index

Drought was a severe recurring phenomenon in Iraq over the past two decades due to climate change despite the fact that Iraq has been one of the most water-rich countries in the Middle East in the past. The Iraqi Kurdistan Region (IKR) is located in the north of Iraq, which has also suffered from extreme drought. In this study, the drought severity status in Sulaimaniyah Province, one of four provinces of the IKR, was investigated for the years from 1998 to 2017. Thus, Landsat time series dataset, including 40 images, were downloaded and used in this study. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) were utilized as spectral-based drought indices and the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) was employed as a meteorological-based drought index, to assess the drought severity and analyse the changes of vegetative cover and water bodies. The study area experienced precipitation deficiency and severe drought in 1999, 2000, 2008, 2009, and 2012. Study findings also revealed a drop in the vegetative cover by 33.3% in the year 2000. Furthermore, the most significant shrinkage in water bodies was observed in the Lake Darbandikhan (LDK), which lost 40.5% of its total surface area in 2009. The statistical analyses revealed that precipitation was significantly positively correlated with the SPI and the surface area of the LDK (correlation coefficients of 0.92 and 0.72, respectively). The relationship between SPI and NDVI-based vegetation cover was positive but not significant. Low precipitation did not always correspond to vegetative drought; the delay of the effect of precipitation on NDVI was one year

Yeast: a potential biomass substrate for the production of cleaner energy (Biogas)

Yeast cell wall and its entire contents disruption treatments are required in the enhancement of protein and the overall biodegradability of the cell wall materials during homogenization process. Yeast as a cheap, good resource and easily available source of energy from biomass into biogas, it was used as a substrate for the cleaner energy production due to its richly and high level content of protein contained in it. An initial study on the effects of high-pressure homogenizer mechanical pretreatment has been conducted in sequence as generated by the design matrix of the design of experiment (DOE) focusing on protein yields from bakers’ yeast also known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae and in order to achieve the maximum yield of protein which in other words aid biogas production, the following optimum process parameters were set in. The yeast block was refrigerated at between 0 – 4 °C with fermentation at (0 – 24 h), a pH value of (5.3) maximum was used in the preparation of the buffer solution C. This was obtained through diluting solution B into A until the pH was attained (details as shown in the materials and methods section). Number of cycles (passes) of the soluble yeast were undergone to enable the yeast cell walls be broken down for the release of more protein and at temperature range (15 – 25 °C). The pressure for the compressed state during homogenization was set between (30 – 90 MPa). The results presented therefore showed the rates of protein released from the disruption through using the Design Expert Software V.8 in identifying the ideal conditions as set in the parameters

LOS INTERESES DE SARKOZY Y LAS TRIBULACIONES DE LA POLÍTICA FRANCESA HACIA LIBIA

The French foreign policy process that accompanied the birth of the Fifth Republic and the collapse of the colonial system was inspired by the idea of greatness (grandeur de La France). National pride in the exercise of foreign policy, operated for many years as a counterweight to the decline of its international position as a power. However, from De Gaulle to Chirac, French policy was able to get some achievements based on a design that combined the national interest with the idea of grandeur. Although some scholars argue that “the foreign policy of no other Western state is driven by such narcissism” (Muravchick, 2007), other studies focus on the particularities of the French political system and the concept of monochromatic presidential government (Elgie & Griggs, 2000), a system of government in which the president decides the contents of the policy and is responsible for their successes and failures. For the Mediterranean region, the policy of the governments of the Fifth Republic acted on broadly similar principles until Nicolas Sarkozy came to power. Therefore, this paper focuses on the changes that occurred in the French position towards the Mediterranean region during the presidential term of Sarkozy and stresses the president’s unequivocal responsibility. Furthermore, the article emphasizes the direct engagement of France during the events in Libya in 2011 as the result of a personal interest rather than a foreign policy design

Synthesis, Characterization and Photodegradation Studies of Copper Oxide–Graphene Nanocomposites

In this work, a simple hydrothermal method was employed to prepare a pristine sample of copper oxide (CuO) and three samples of copper oxide–graphene nanocomposites (CuO-xG) with x = 2.5, 5, and 10 mg of graphene. The synthesized samples were characterized using X-ray powder diffractometry (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy. The XRD patterns of CuO-xG nanocomposites exhibited the diffraction peaks related to the crystal planes of monoclinic CuO and hexagonal graphite. The surface morphology of the prepared samples was investigated using FESEM images. EDX analysis was used to investigate the chemical composition of the synthesized samples. FTIR spectroscopy identified the vibrational modes of the covalent bonds present in the samples. The allowed direct optical bandgap energy was calculated for all prepared samples using UV-Vis absorption spectra. The small bandgap of CuO-xG nanocomposites indicates their potential use as an effective photocatalyst in the presence of visible light. Photocatalytic activity of the samples was explored for the degradation of methylene blue (MB) dye contaminant under visible light irradiation. The results showed that the CuO-5G sample has the highest photodegradation efficiency (~56%)