Commissioning of the CMS DT electronics under magnetic field

After several months of installation and commissioning of the CMS (Compact Muon Solenoid) DT (Drift Tube) electronics, the system has finally been operated under magnetic field during the so-called CRAFT (Cosmic Run at Four Tesla) exercise. Over 4 weeks, the full detector has been running continuously under magnetic field and managed to acquire more than 300 million cosmic muons. The performance of the trigger and data acquisition systems during this period has been very satisfactory. The main results concerning stability and reliability of the detector are presented and discussed

Phase diagram of silicon from atomistic simulations

In this letter we present a calculation of the temperature-pressure phase diagram of Si in a range of pressures covering from -5 to 20 GPa and temperatures up to the melting point. The phase boundaries and triple points between the diamond, liquid, $\beta$-Sn and ${Si}_{34}$ clathrate phases are reported. We have employed efficient simulation techniques to calculate free energies and to numerically integrate the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, combined with a tight binding model capable of an accuracy comparable to that of first-principles methods. The resulting phase diagram agrees well with the available experimental data.Comment: 5 pages, 1 figure, accepted in PR

Análisis de Ciclo de Vida para el ecodiseño del sistema Intemper TF de cubierta ecológica aljibe

The construction industry is one of the less sustainable activities on the planet: with a consumption of 40% of the materials entering the global economy and the generation of 40–50% of the global output of greenhouse gases. The biggest environmental impact caused by buildings is generated during their use phase due to the energy consumption for thermal conditioning. Addition of green elements to buildings is used to improve energy efficiency of buildings. In this study Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology has been applied to quantify the environmental impact of the green roofs materials to analyze its environmental profile. The identification of hot spots of the system permits an ecodesign strategy that effectively reduces environmental burdens associated with roof construction, optimizing the environmental performance. The results identify the high environmental impact associated to the structure, the important contribution of the felt wick irrigation system and the extruded polystyrene thermal insulation.El sector de la construcción representa una de las actividades menos sostenibles del planeta: consume el 40% de los materiales de la economía global y genera el 40-50% de las emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero. El mayor impacto ambiental de los edificios se genera durante su fase de uso, debido al gasto energético de su acondicionamiento térmico. El uso de elementos vegetales es una de las estrategias empleadas para aumentar la eficiencia energética. En este trabajo se ha empleado la metodología de Análisis de Ciclo de Vida (ACV) para cuantificar el impacto ambiental de los materiales de la cubierta vegetal. Se han identificado los puntos críticos del sistema para establecer una estrategia de ecodiseño y reducir eficazmente las cargas ambientales. Los resultados obtenidos muestran la importancia del impacto ambiental del soporte estructural, la elevada contribución de la mecha de riego de fieltro y del aislamiento de poliestireno extrudido

Effective Distance for DNA-Mediated Charge Transport between Repair Proteins

The stacked aromatic base pairs within the DNA double helix facilitate charge transport down its length in the absence of lesions, mismatches, and other stacking perturbations. DNA repair proteins containing [4Fe4S] clusters can take advantage of DNA charge transport (CT) chemistry to scan the genome for mistakes more efficiently. Here we examine the effective length over which charge can be transported along DNA between these repair proteins. We define the effective CT distance as the length of DNA within which two proteins are able to influence their ensemble affinity to the DNA duplex via CT. Endonuclease III, a DNA repair glycosylase containing a [4Fe4S] cluster, was incubated with DNA duplexes of different lengths (1.5–9 kb), and atomic force microscopy was used to quantify the binding of proteins to these duplexes to determine how the relative protein affinity changes with increasing DNA length. A sharp change in binding slope is observed at 3509 base pairs, or about 1.2 μm, that supports the existence of two regimes for protein binding, one within the range for DNA CT, one outside of the range for CT; DNA CT between the redox proteins bound to DNA effectively decreases the ensemble binding affinity of oxidized and reduced proteins to DNA. Utilizing an Endonuclease III mutant Y82A, which is defective in carrying out DNA CT, shows only one regime for protein binding. Decreasing the temperature to 4 °C or including metallointercalators on the duplex, both of which should enhance base stacking and decrease DNA floppiness, leads to extending the effective length for DNA charge transport to ∼5300 bp or 1.8 μm. These results thus support DNA charge transport between repair proteins over kilobase distances. The results furthermore highlight the ability of DNA repair proteins to search the genome quickly and efficiently using DNA charge transport chemistry

Simulación Monte Carlo del comportamiento ferroeléctrico de películas de PZT empleando un Hamiltoniano DIFFOUR dependiente de la presión

In this work the polarization and hysteresis response of Lead Zirconate Titanate (PZT) ferroelectric thin films was studied in relation to the variation on temperature, stress, electric field and the content of non-ferroelectric impurities by using a MontEn este trabajo, se estudió la respuesta de polarización e histéresis de las películas finas ferroeléctricas de titanato de zirconato de plomo (PZT) en relación con la variación de temperatura, tensión, campo eléctrico y el contenido de impurezas no ferr

Primer reporte del género Cryptocheiridium (pseudoscorpiones: cheiridiidae: cheiridiinae) en Colombia

The pseudoscorpion genus Cryptocheiridium Chamberlin, 1931 is reported for the first time in Colombia, is described as new species Cryptocheiridium mairae sp. nov., in northwestern Colombia, associated with debris produced by the leafcutter ant Atta colombica Guérin-Méneville, 1844.El género de pseudoescorpion Cryptocheiridium Chamberlin, 1931 es reportado por primera vez en Colombia, es descrita como nueva especie Cryptocheiridium mairae sp. nov., del noroccidente colombiano, asociada a detritos de hormigas Atta colombica Guérin-Méneville, 1844

El comportamiento del hueco de ventana en la arquitectura vernácula mediterránea española ante las necesidades de acondicionamiento solar

The window opening is one of the most important elements of the thermal envelope of a building passive conditioning, and therefore more sensitive to heat exchange with the outside and variations in sunlight conditions that manifest in the environment. Vernacular architecture, with a broad representation of types in the Iberian Peninsula, becomes the appropriate framework of analysis of the interrelationship between the building and the environment, and in particular between the window opening and the irradiation of the place. Developing a methodology to facilitate the study of the window opening from the point of view of sunlight, can get answers on the degree of adaptation featuring the same solar conditioning needs that are required in each climate zone.El hueco de ventana es uno de los elementos de acondicionamiento pasivo más importante de la envolvente térmica de una construcción, y por tanto el más sensible al intercambio térmico con el exterior y a las variaciones en las condiciones de soleamiento que se manifiesten en el entorno. La arquitectura vernácula, que cuenta con una amplia representación de tipos en la Península Ibérica, se convierte en el marco adecuado del análisis de la interrelación existente entre la edificación y el entorno, y en concreto entre el hueco de ventana y el soleamiento del lugar. El desarrollo de una metodología que facilite el estudio del hueco de ventana, desde el punto de vista del soleamiento, permite obtener respuestas sobre la mayor o menor adaptación que ofrece el mismo a las necesidades de acondicionamiento solar que se requieran en cada zona climática

Gaudí, a New Architectural Concept of Maximum Structural Efficiency: Catenary Vaults, Complex Ruled Surfaces, Branched Pillars and an Endless Innovative Strategies

For the first time in the history of architecture, Antonio Gaudí used structural elements based on complex ruled surfaces – beyond traditional conical or cylindrical surfaces –, catenary vaults or branched pillars, in order to increase the structural efficiency of his buildings. The catenary arch had been used only in the construction of bridges by a few engineers, starting in the 18th century. Arata Isozaki said that the “scale model and the structural analysis of the church at the Güell Colony are the most original in the history of architecture”. Beyond his artistic and creative genius – which has now been widely studied and acknowledged – Gaudí was a revolutionary architect, whose experimental approaches to the design and calculation of structures implied a focus that was so far ahead of its time that later, hugely significant engineers and architects have coincided with the methods and systems used by Gaudí half a century earlier. Norman Foster said in reference to Gaudí: “his methods, a century later, are still revolutionary”

Palenque de San Basilio in Colombia: genetic data support an oral history of a paternal ancestry in Congo

The Palenque, a black community in rural Colombia, have an oral history of fugitive African slaves founding a free village near Cartagena in the seventeenth century. Recently, linguists have identified some 200 words in regular use that originate in a Kikongo language, with Yombe, mainly spoken in the Congo region, being the most likely source. The non-recombining portion of the Y chromosome (NRY) and mitochondrial DNA were analysed to establish whether there was greater similarity between present-day members of the Palenque and Yombe than between the Palenque and 42 other African groups (for all individuals,n= 2799) from which forced slaves might have been taken. NRY data are consistent with the linguistic evidence that Yombe is the most likely group from which the original male settlers of Palenque came. Mitochondrial DNA data suggested substantial maternal sub-Saharan African ancestry and a strong founder effect but did not associate Palenque with any particular African group. In addition, based on cultural data including inhabitants' claims of linguistic differences, it has been hypothesized that the two districts of the village (Abajo and Arriba) have different origins, with Arriba founded by men originating in Congo and Abajo by those born in Colombia. Although significant genetic structuring distinguished the two from each other, no supporting evidence for this hypothesis was found