4,382 research outputs found
Correlating the interstellar magnetic field with protostellar jets and its sources
This article combines new CCD polarimetric data with previous information
about protostellar objects in a search for correlations involving the
interstellar magnetic field. Specifically, we carried out an optical
polarimetric study of a sample of 28 fields of 10 X 10 arcmin^2 located in the
neighborhood of protostellar jets and randomly spread over the Galaxy. The
polarimetry of a large number of field stars is used to estimate both the
average and dispersion of the interstellar magnetic field (ISMF) direction in
each region. The results of the applied statistical tests are as follows.
Concerning the alignment between the jet direction and the interstellar
magnetic field, the whole sample does not show alignment. There is, however, a
statistically significant alignment for objects of Classes 0 and I. Regarding
the interstellar magnetic field dispersion, our sample presents values slightly
larger for regions containing T Tauri objects than for those harboring younger
protostars. Moreover the ISMF dispersion in regions containing high-mass
objects tends to be larger than in those including only low-mass protostars. In
our sample, the mean interstellar polarization as a function of the average
interstellar extinction in a region reaches a maximum value around 3% for A(V)
= 5, after which it decreases. Our data also show a clear correlation of the
mean value of the interstellar polarization with the dispersion of the
interstellar magnetic field: the larger the dispersion, the smaller the
polarization. Based on a comparison of our and previous results, we suggest
that the dispersion in regions forming stars is larger than in quiescent
regions.Comment: ApJ accepte
Effect of grain size and hydrogen passivation on the electrical properties of nanocrystalline silicon films
The properties of mixed-phase (nanocrystalline/amorphous) silicon layers produced by reactive RF-sputtering are described. The chemical composition and nanostructure [i.e. nanocrystal (NC) size and volume fraction] of the films were studied by Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) and micro-Raman spectroscopy, respectively. Samples with different fractions of the nanocrystalline phase and NC mean size were produced by changing the deposition parameters, without post-growth annealing. The electrical conductivity of the films, measured as function of temperature, is discussed in relation to their nanostructureFCT Project POCTI/CTM/39395/200
Gender asymmetries in Portuguese trade unions: the case of the CGTP-IN
Gender imbalances persist throughout the world, particularly at leadership level, and equally also visible in the case of trade unions. This article focuses on CGTP-IN, the largest Portuguese trade union confederation, and sets out analysis incorporating both figures from this organisation and accounts by female members of CGTP-IN unions. Results confirm the existence of gender asymmetries, especially at the highest leadership levels. Analysis of the discourses of these women leaders reveals some awareness of the influence of gender on professional relations, placing women at a disadvantage, especially where leadership is concerned. Furthermore, four reasons driving the persistence of these gender asymmetries in trade union leadership/decision-making roles were identified: family responsibilities, gendered professional segregation, masculine trade union cultures and traditional gender stereotypes. Nevertheless, the interviewees resist to means of affirmative action such as gender quotas, and instead prefer to prioritise education and raising awareness around gender equality.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Production of fully-heavy tetraquark states through the double parton scattering mechanism in and collisions
The production of fully-heavy tetraquark states in proton-proton () and
proton-nucleus () collisions at the center-of-mass energies of the Large
Hadron Collider (LHC) and at the Future Circular Collider (FCC) is investigated
considering that these states are produced through the double parton scattering
mechanism. We estimate the cross sections for the , and
states and present predictions for , and collisions
considering the rapidity ranges covered by central and forward detectors. We
demonstrate that the cross sections for collisions are enhanced in
comparison to the predictions scaled by the atomic number. Moreover, our
results indicate that a search of these exotic states is, in principle,
feasible in the future runs of the LHC and FCC.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 2 table
Microstrucure and thermal features a-Si:H and nc-Si:H thin films produced by r.f. sputtering
Amorphous and nanocrystalline silicon thin films have been produced by reactive r.f. sputtering and their microstructure, optical and thermal properties were evaluated. A good correlation was found between the microstructure determined by Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction and the thermal transport parametersFCT Project POCTI / CTM / 39395 / 200
The influence of electric field on the microstructure of nc-Si:H films produced by RF magnetron sputtering
Hydrogenated nanocrystalline silicon thin films were prepared by RF magnetron sputtering. Different bias fields (no bias–no ground, grounded and negative bias) were applied to the substrate. The effect of the ion bombardment on the structure, chemical composition and optical property were studied by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering (RBS) and optical transmission spectroscopy. The deposition rate and the optical bandgap decrease as the bias voltage increases from 0 to -50 V. The structural characterization indicates that compressive stress is developed in plane and tensile stress is induced in the growth direction. No significant variation on the chemical composition was observed.FCT Project POCTI/CTM/ 39395/2001INTAS Project #03-51-648
The Copepod Acartia tonsa as live feed for fat snook (Centropomus parallelus) larvae from notochord flexion to advanced metamorphosis.
From early development until the completion of metamorphosis, fat snook (Centropomus parallelus) larvae are commonly fed the rotifers Brachionus spp. and Artemia spp. nauplii. In this study, cultivated copepods Acartia tonsa were evaluated as feed for 15-to 45-day-old larvae. Two experiments were performed using twelve 30-L tanks stocked with 3.3 fat snook larvae L-1. Their initial mean weight and length were 1.35 ± 0.01 mg (mean ± standard deviation) and 3.83 ± 0.33 mm for 15-day-old larvae and 2.79 ± 1.2 mg and 6.99 ± 0.88 mm for 31-day-old larvae. Three dietary treatments were carried out in four replicates, including Rotifer (R), Artemia (A) and/or Copepod (C). Experiment 1 included Diet RA (control), Diet RC and Diet RCA; while experiment 2 included Diet A (control), Diet C and Diet AC. The survival and growth of larvae fed the Diet RCA in experiment 1 were significantly higher than the others. In experiment 2, the inclusion of copepods in the diet did not improve survival and growth, however, larvae fed Diet C had the highest DHA/EPA ratio. We conclude that the copepod Acartia tonsa provides an important nutritional benefit to fat snook larvae undergoing metamorphosis
Classification of fermented cocoa beans (cut test) using computer vision
Fermentation of cocoa beans is a critical step for chocolate manufacturing, since fermentation influences the development of flavour, affecting components such as free amino acids, peptides and sugars. The degree of fermentation is determined by visual inspection of changes in the internal colour and texture of beans, through the cut-test. Although considered standard for evaluation of fermentation in cocoa beans, this method is time consuming and relies on specialized personnel. Therefore, this study aims to classify fermented cocoa beans using computer vision as a fast and accurate method. Imaging and image analysis provides hand-crafted features computed from the beans, that were used as predictors in random decision forests to classify the samples. A total of 1800 beans were classified into four grades of fermentation. Concerning all image features, 0.93 of accuracy was obtained for validation of unbalanced dataset, with precision of 0.85, recall of 0.81. Although the unbalanced dataset represents actual variation of fermentation, the method was tested for a balanced dataset, to investigate the influence of a smaller number of samples per class, obtaining 0.92, 0.92 and 0.90 for accuracy, precision and recall, respectively. The technique can evolve into an industrial application with a proper integration framework, substituting the traditional method to classify fermented cocoa beans
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