Soft X-rays spectroscopy with a commercial CMOS image sensor at room temperature

Besides their application in point and shoot cameras, webcams, and cell phones, it has been shown that CMOS image sensors (CIS) can be used for dosimetry, X-ray and neutron imaging applications. In this work we will discuss the application of an ON Semiconductor MT9M001 CIS, in low energy X-ray spectroscopy. The device is a monochromatic front-side illuminated sensor, very popular in consumer electronics. In this work we introduce the configuration selected for the mentioned sensor, the image processing techniques and event selection criteria, implemented in order to measure the X-ray energy in the range from 1-10 keV. Several fluorescence lines of different samples have been resolved, and for first time the line resolution have been measured and analyzed. We achieved a FWHM of 232 eV at 6.4 keV, and we concluded that incomplete charge collection (ICC) of the charge produced by the X-ray contributes to the resolution, being this effect more important at higher X-ray energies. The results analyzed in this work indicate that the mentioned CIS are specially suitable for X-ray applications in which energy and spatial resolutions are simultaneously required.Fil: Sofo Haro, Miguel Francisco. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Alcalde Bessia, Fabricio Pablo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Pérez, Martín. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Blostein, Juan Jeronimo. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Balmaceda, Darío Federico. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; ArgentinaFil: Gomez Berisso, Mariano. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Lipovetzky, José. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Centro Atómico Bariloche; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; Argentin

Aprendizajes y prácticas educativas en las actuales condiciones de época: COVID-19

“Esta obra colectiva es el resultado de una convocatoria a docentes, investigadores y profesionales del campo pedagógico a visibilizar procesos investigativos y prácticas educativas situadas en el marco de COVI-19. La misma se inscribe en el trabajo llevado a cabo por el equipo de Investigación responsable del Proyecto “Sentidos y significados acerca de aprender en las actuales condiciones de época: un estudio con docentes y estudiantes de la educación secundarias en la ciudad de Córdoba” de la Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. El momento excepcional que estamos atravesando, pero que también nos atraviesa, ha modificado la percepción temporal a punto tal que habitamos un tiempo acelerado y angustiante que nos exige la producción de conocimiento provisorio. La presente publicación surge como un espacio para detenernos a documentar lo que nos acontece y, a su vez, como oportunidad para atesorar y resguardar las experiencias educativas que hemos construido, inventado y reinventando en este contexto. En ella encontrarán pluralidad de voces acerca de enseñar y aprender durante la pandemia. Este texto es una pausa para reflexionar sobre el hacer y las prácticas educativas por venir”.Fil: Beltramino, Lucia (comp.). Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Escuela de Archivología; Argentina

¿Enseñar y Aprender en tiempos de pandemia?

En el presente trabajo me propongo ensayar algunas reflexiones y preocupaciones con respecto a los procesos de enseñanza y aprendizaje que intentamos provocar en prácticas educativas formales en el contexto de pandemia. Específicamente, me refiero al trabajo docente desplegado durante el ciclo lectivo 2020 en el marco de las políticas de confinamiento dispuestas por el gobierno nacional en Argentina. En este sentido, deseo tratar, respetuosamente, algunos núcleos centrales en relación al pasaje de la presencialidad a la virtualidad, la temporalidad de la enseñanza en tiempos de pandemia, y los aprendizajes -y evaluaciones posibles- que se pueden llegar a construir en el contexto que estamos atravesando. Las siguientes páginas se producen a partir de la propia experiencia docente y de la escucha atenta a colegas con quienes comparto el trabajo diario. Mi intención es sentar algunos principios de base, no con fines epistemológicos sino que aporten a la discusión didáctica y de los aprendizajes para fortalecer nuestras prácticas educativas. Con esto quiero decir, que invito a través de la lectura a seguir pensando y compartiendo entre docentes y especialistas ideas que pueden ser acordadas y/o discutidas.Fil: Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades. Escuela de Ciencias de la Educación; Argentina

Supply and Demand Analysis of Water Resources. Case Study: Irrigation Water Demand in a Semi-Arid Zone in Mexico

To sustainably use water resources, it is important to quantify water availability in a certain region. Due to climate change, population increase, and economic development, water demand increases continuously. Consequently, the difference between supply and demand of water becomes a significant issue, especially in arid and semi-arid regions. In this research, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model has been applied to the Guadalupe river basin, to assess supply and demand analysis of water resources in this area, specifically for the irrigation of agricultural crops and municipal uses. From the land use, soil type, and terrain slope maps, 763 Hydrostatic Release Units (HRU) were estimated, distributed in the diverse relief types making up the basin, featured by mountains, hills, plateaus, plains, and valleys. For the crop area, 159 HRU were found with the three slope classification types, where 57 HRU represent 91% of the cultivated area on slopes, from 0 to 15%, located in the Ojos Negros and Guadalupe Valleys. The Soil Conservation Service method (SCS) was used to estimate the average monthly runoff and soil moisture content. As a result, water resource parameters related to the supply were determined with this, e.g., runoff, aquifer recharge, flow, infiltration, and others. Crop coefficient values (Kc) were used to determine crop evapotranspiration (ETc), to estimate the water demand of these for each month, using the multi-year monthly average reference evapotranspiration (ETo) calculated with the SWAT model. Overall good performance was obtained considering average monthly discharges data from the Agua Caliente gauging station. The model was calibrated, modifying the parameters chosen according to sensitivity analysis: SCS curve number, base-flow factor, ground-flow delay, and the threshold for return-flow occurrence. The Soil and Water Assessment Tool–Calibration and Uncertainty Programs SWAT-CUP has different goodness-of-fit indicators for the model e.g., determination coefficient (R2), standard deviation of the measured data (RSR), Nash–Sutcliffe coefficient of efficiency (NSE), and others. Multiple iterations were performed, resulting in a ratio between the root mean square error and the standard deviation of the measured data (RSR) of 0.61, a coefficient of determination (R2) of 0.70, and a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency coefficient (NSE) of 0.63. A supply–demand analysis of the volume generated by the runoff from the basin was performed using the method of estimating useful volume for a reservoir. It is observed in these results that only positive deviations were obtained, implying that runoff in this basin is not enough to meet monthly demand. Finally, the need to establish actions to ensure water management efficiency is highlighted, both for irrigation of agricultural crops and for supply to the region population

Gas Market Integration in the Southern Cone

"Gas Market Integration in the Southern Cone" is part of a larger effort by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to promote integration of energy markets in South America's Southern Cone region. This book offers a comprehensive analysis of the gas industry's evolution in the region, highlighting the drivers of and obstacles to regional market integration. The authors identify barriers to integration and also present a concrete proposal based on a wealth of experience in other world regions, for overcoming these barriers to advance toward regional integration

Circulation patterns and associated rainfall over south tropical South America: GCMs evaluation during the dry-to-wet transition season

The representation of the South American Monsoon System (SAMS) by general circulation models (GCMs) is of key relevance for a better understanding of the physical rationale behind the recent climate changes over South Tropical South America (STSA) and their expected changes in a global warming scenario. During the last four decades, STSA experienced a lengthening of the dry season associated with diverse forcings. In this work, a set of 16 GCMs historical Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 coupled simulations were evaluated during 1979–2014 in terms of how well they reproduced the atmospheric circulation over STSA through a circulation-patterns (CPs) approach. Nine CPs were first identified based on low-level winds from the ERA5 reanalysis. Focus was put on the representation of CPs during the dry-to-wet transition season (July-October). Model performance depended on the seasonal cycle and spatial structure of the CPs. GCMs adequately reproduced the different CPs, with lower skills in the transition seasons. GCMs tended to go from dry to wet conditions too quickly, evidencing deficiencies in the representation of the SAMS onset, related to a poor representation of the southerly wind intrusions to STSA and the variability of the South American low-level jet. Some GCMs were able to associate the occurrence of anomalous dry and wet years with specific CPs, suggesting well-represented physical mechanisms controlling precipitation variability. This study could identify a few GCMs that adequately simulated the CPs in STSA (among them, CESM2, CMCC-CM2-HR4 and MPI-ESM1-2-HR), which is relevant for driving high-resolution models and the analysis of future projections.Fil: Olmo, Matías Ezequiel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; ArgentinaFil: Espinoza, J. C.. Universite Grenoble Alpes; FranciaFil: Bettolli, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; ArgentinaFil: Sierra, Juan Pablo. Universite Grenoble Alpes; FranciaFil: Junquas, C.. Universite Grenoble Alpes; FranciaFil: Arias, P. A.. Universidad de Antioquia; ColombiaFil: Moron, Vincent. Aix-Marseille University; Francia. Columbia University; Estados UnidosFil: Balmaceda Huarte, Rocio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria; Argentina. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Ciencias de la Atmósfera y los Océanos; Argentina. Instituto Franco-Argentino sobre Estudios del Clima y sus Impactos; Argentin

Santa Ana Winds: Fractal-Based Analysis in a Semi-Arid Zone of Northern Mexico

A fractal analysis based on the time series of precipitation, temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and wind speed was performed for 16 weather stations located in the hydrographic basin of the Guadalupe River in Baja California, Mexico. Days on which the phenomenon known as Santa Ana winds occurs were identified based on the corresponding criteria of wind speed (≥4.5 m/s) and wind direction (between 0° and 90°). Subsequently, the time series was formed with data representing the days on which this phenomenon occurs in each of the analyzed weather stations. A time series was additionally formed from the days in which the Santa Ana winds condition does not occur. Hurst exponents and fractal dimension were estimated applying the rescaled range method to characterize the established time series in terms of characteristics of persistence, anti-persistence, or randomness along with the calculation of the climate predictability Index. This enabled the behavior and correlation analysis of the meteorological variables associated with Santa Ana winds occurrence. Finally, this type of research study is instrumental in understanding the regional dynamics of the climate in the basin, and allows us to establish a basis for developing models that can forecast the days of occurrence of the Santa Ana winds, in such a way that actions or measures can be taken to mitigate the negative consequences generated when said phenomenon occurs, such as fires and droughts

Santa Ana Winds: Fractal-Based Analysis in a Semi-Arid Zone of Northern Mexico

A fractal analysis based on the time series of precipitation, temperature, pressure, relative humidity, and wind speed was performed for 16 weather stations located in the hydrographic basin of the Guadalupe River in Baja California, Mexico. Days on which the phenomenon known as Santa Ana winds occurs were identified based on the corresponding criteria of wind speed (≥4.5 m/s) and wind direction (between 0° and 90°). Subsequently, the time series was formed with data representing the days on which this phenomenon occurs in each of the analyzed weather stations. A time series was additionally formed from the days in which the Santa Ana winds condition does not occur. Hurst exponents and fractal dimension were estimated applying the rescaled range method to characterize the established time series in terms of characteristics of persistence, anti-persistence, or randomness along with the calculation of the climate predictability Index. This enabled the behavior and correlation analysis of the meteorological variables associated with Santa Ana winds occurrence. Finally, this type of research study is instrumental in understanding the regional dynamics of the climate in the basin, and allows us to establish a basis for developing models that can forecast the days of occurrence of the Santa Ana winds, in such a way that actions or measures can be taken to mitigate the negative consequences generated when said phenomenon occurs, such as fires and droughts