Development of quartz fiber calorimetry

Embedding radiation hard (up to Gigarad levels) silica optical fibres into an absorber is proposed for applications in very forward LHC calorimeters. The shower particles produce Cherenkov light. The main advantages of this solution are the fast response (signal duration below 10 ns), transverse dimension of the visible energy of hadronic showers of the order of 1 cm, and insensitivity to radio- and neutron- activation. A comprehensive study of the performance of such detector is proposed

A new method for automatic Multiple Partial Discharge Classification

A new wavelet based feature parameter have been developed to represent the characteristics of PD activities, i.e. the wavelet decomposition energy of PD pulses measured from non-conventional ultra wide bandwidth PD sensors such as capacitive couplers (CC) or high frequency current transformers (HFCT). The generated feature vectors can contain different dimensions depending on the length of recorded pulses. These high dimensional feature vectors can then be processed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to map the data into a three dimensional space whilst the first three most significant components representing the feature vector are preserved. In the three dimensional mapped space, an automatic Density-Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) algorithm is then applied to classify the data cluster(s) produced by the PCA. As the procedure is undertaken in a three dimensional space, the obtained clustering results can be easily assessed. The classified PD sub-data sets are then reconstructed in the time domain as phase-resolved patterns to facilitate PD source type identification. The proposed approach has been successfully applied to PD data measured from electrical machines and power cables where measurements were undertaken in different laboratories

Effects of Long Term Hg Contamination on Soil Mercury Speciation and Soil Biological Activities.

The suspended matter discharged by the Isonzo river has carried over, for centuries, heavily contaminated mine spoils from the Idrija mercury mining site (Slovenija). A frequently flooded area at the confluence of the Isonzo and Torre rivers was chosen for a preliminary study on the effects of long term mercury pollution on soil biological activities, Hg speciation and plant bioavailability. Soil mercury contamination reached up to about 80 \ub5g g-1 near the banks of Isonzo river and decreased down to about 0.2 \ub5g g-1 near the Torre river, with the predominance of mercuric sulfide and elemental mercury. Soil microbial biomass was not adversely affected by Hg contamination as most soil biological activities, with the exception of arylsulphatase and acid phosphatase, which showed significant negative trends against total mercury and its fractions. Two plant genres (Arum spp. and Rubus spp.) were collected in four different places: Rubus spp. showed the largest uptake capacity of mercury (about 1 \ub5g g-1). Long term mercury contamination does not seem to constitute a stressing factor for soil biological activities but remains nevertheless a concern for its transfer through the food chain

Technology, Historical Foundations, and Sustainability in the Urban Evolution of Tomorrow’s Metropolis

InspiredbyFrançoiseChoay’sanalysisofinfrastructuralprosthesis,ourstudyperceivesthecityasadynamicorganisminwhichtechnologyactsasanessentialcomponent,generatingan‘alien’spaceora‘non-place’.Thisperspectiveredefinesthetraditionalurbanroleandtimeasan‘extendedpresent’.TheanalysisdrawsonErnestoNathanRogersandDipeshChakrabarty’sworks,exploringtheconnectionbetweentime,space,andapossible‘futurewithoutus’andcallingforaAQ1criticalreflectiononpasturbanpractices.Technologyemergesasanagentofsocialtransformation,highlightingtheevolutionofethicsovertimeandtheimportanceofmaintainingalinkbetweenthepastandthefuture.Theinvestigationfocuseson‘situatedknowledge’,akeytounderstandingbody-environmentinteraction,implyingananalysisofmaterialandimmaterialinteractionsinurbanevolution.Theneedtodevelopconceptsrelatedtothescaleandmultifunctionalityofurbaninfrastructuresisemphasised,aswellastheimportanceofpreservingthesensoryandculturalaspectsoftheurbanenvironmentduringgreenanddigitaltransitions(TwinTransition). Theconclusionemphasisestheneedforachangeintherelationshipbetweentechnology,nature,andsocietyforasuccessfulecologicalandsocialtransition,proposingaproactiveviewoftechnologyasatooltopreserve,adaptandtransform,embracingtheideaofasustainablemetropolitanfuture

METROPOLITAN ENCHANTMENT AND DISENCHANTMENT. METROPOLITAN ANTHROPOLOGY FOR THE CONTEMPORARY LIVING MAP CONSTRUCTION

We can no longer interpret the contemporary metropolis as we did in the last century. The thought of civil economy regarding the contemporary Metropolis conflicts more or less radically with the merely acquisitive dimension of the behaviour of its citizens. What is needed is therefore a new capacity for imagining the economic-productive future of the city: hybrid social enterprises, economically sustainable, structured and capable of using technologies, could be a solution for producing value and distributing it fairly and inclusively. Metropolitan Urbanity is another issue to establish. Metropolis needs new spaces where inclusion can occur, and where a repository of the imagery can be recreated. What is the ontology behind the technique of metropolitan planning and management, its vision and its symbols? Competitiveness, speed, and meritocracy are political words, not technical ones. Metropolitan Urbanity is the characteristic of a polis that expresses itself in its public places. Today, however, public places are private ones that are destined for public use. The Common Good has always had a space of representation in the city, which was the public space. Today, the Green-Grey Infrastructure is the metropolitan city's monument that communicates a value for future generations and must therefore be recognised and imagined; it is the production of the metropolitan symbolic imagery, the new magic of the city

Parque Pereyra Iraola

Los países de Iberoamérica poseen un patrimonio natural y cultural de reconocida importancia. A la vez, son bien conocidos los graves desajustes físicos de sus áreas urbanas y rurales, producto de problemas estructurales de planificación territorial, económicos y sociales. El caos urbano característico de las áreas metropolitanas, la degradación del patrimonio histórico y de las áreas verdes creadas o naturales, se constituyen en las causas de la destrucción del equilibrio ideal entre el hombre, la naturaleza y la ciudad. Este trabajo pretende definir criterios para la puesta en valor del patrimonio edilicio y paisajístico del Parque Pereyra Iraola, localizado en la conflictiva región metropolitana de Buenos Aires, con el objeto de recuperarlo en plenitud para el uso público y revalorizarlo no sólo como área verde de una zona de alta densidad, sino también como testimonio de un establecimiento rural característico del siglo XIX. Todo ello sin olvidar la factibilidad de la propuesta en la realidad socioeconómica que la contiene. Con especial acento en este último aspecto, se presenta una serie de medidas y acciones para el tratamiento y posterior intervención en el sector ex Estancia Santa Rosa del Parque Pereyra Iraola que, elegido como caso piloto, es analizado y evaluado en sus aspectos físicos, funcionales y económicos. La metodología aplicada a este caso singular es extensible, a nuestro juicio, a los numerosos casos de bienes de similar valor que sufren degradaciones e imponen una urgente intervención con el fin de mejorar y evitar la pérdida de tan significativos recursos