Shell-model half-lives for r-process waiting point nuclei including first-forbidden contributions

We have performed large-scale shell-model calculations of the half-lives and neutron-branching probabilities of the r-process waiting point nuclei at the magic neutron numbers N=50, 82, and 126. The calculations include contributions from allowed Gamow-Teller and first-forbidden transitions. We find good agreement with the measured half-lives for the N=50 nuclei with charge numbers Z=28-32 and for the N=82 nuclei 129Ag and 130Cd. The contribution of forbidden transitions reduce the half-lives of the N=126 waiting point nuclei significantly, while they have only a small effect on the half-lives of the N=50 and 82 r-process nuclei.Comment: 14 pages, 17 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Instrumentos relacionados con la actividad textil de época tardoantigua y altomedieval en Cantabria

Los instrumentos relacionados con la actividad textil son relativamente abundantes en el repertorio de cultura material de época tardoantigua y altomedieval en Cantabria. Muchos de estos objetos han pasado desapercibidos o no han sido correctamente identificados en trabajos previos. Recogemos en este estudio un inventario detallado de los diferentes instrumentos, relacionados con el hilado (fusayolas, ganchos de huso, ruecas de mano) y con el tejido (punzones, pesas de telar), con numerosos paralelos en diferentes zonas de Europa. La mayor parte de los hallazgos procede de cuevas, algunas con depósitos sepulcrales, y se pueden datar en líneas generales entre los siglos VI y X

Use of nano-additions to improve the performance of UHPFRCs used in geothermal power plant infrastructures

he interest of scientific community on application of nano-additions in concrete is continuously growing due to their outstanding physical and chemical properties. These nano-additions are usually added into concrete to increase the durability in aggressive environments, such as XA environmental exposure classes. This work shows preliminary results on the use of nano-additions in an Ultra High Performance Fiber-Reinforced Concrete (UHPFRC) used as a reference. This reference UHPFRC has been modified adding three types of nano-additions: alumina nanofibers (0.25% by weight of cement), cellulose nanocrystals (0.15% by weight of cement) and cellulose nanofibrils (0.15% by weight of cement). The influence of the nano-additions has been analyzed in terms of mechanical properties, such as flexural and compressive strength and on shrinkage and durability properties, analyzed by means of sorptivity tests on uncracked, cracked and self-healed specimens

Modified Debye-Huckel Electron Shielding and Penetration Factor

Screened potential, modified by non standard electron cloud distributions responsible for the shielding effect on fusion of reacting nuclei in astrophysical plasmas, is derived. The case of clouds with depleted tails in space coordinates is discussed. The modified screened potential is obtained both from statistical mechanics arguments based on fluctuations of the inverse of the Debye-Huckel radius and from the solution of a Bernoulli equation used in generalized statistical mechanics. Plots and tables useful in evaluating penetration probability at any energy are provided.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figures, 3 table

LogMap family participation in the OAEI2018

We present the participation of LogMap and its variants in the OAEI 2018 campaign. The LogMap project started in January 2011 with the objective of developing a scalable and logic-based ontology matching system. This is our eight participation in the OAEI and the experience has so far been very positive. LogMap is one of the few systems that participates in (almost) all OAEI tracks

What drives the helpfulness of online reviews? A deep learning study of sentiment analysis, pictorial content and reviewer expertise for mature destinations.

User-generated content (UGC) is a growing driver of destination choice. Drawing on dual-process theories on how individuals process information, this study focuses on the role of central and peripheral information processing routes in the formation of consumers’ perceptions of the helpfulness of online reviews. We carried out a two-step process to address the perceived helpfulness of user-generated content, a sentiment analysis using advanced machine-learning techniques (deep learning), and a regression analysis. We used a database of 2,023 comments posted on TripAdvisor about two iconic Venetian cultural attractions, St. Mark’s Square (an open, free attraction) and the Doge’s Palace (a museum which charges an entry fee). Following the application of deep-learning techniques, we first identified which factors influenced whether a review received a “helpful” vote by means of logistic regression. Second, we selected those reviews which received at least one helpful vote to identify, through linear regression, the significant determinants of TripAdvisor users’ voting behaviour. The results showed that reviewer expertise is an influential factor in both free and paid-for attractions, although the impact of central cues (sentiment polarity, subjectivity and pictorial content) is different in both attractions. Our study suggests that managers should look beyond individual ratings and focus on the sentiment analysis of online reviews, which are shown to be based on the nature of the attraction (free vs. paid-for)

Meeting Notes 2006-03-09

Caracterización de la variabilidad climática en la Cordillera de los Andes necesita un de un análisis especial debido a que en esto región, la precipitación y temperatura ser extremadamente variables tanto a escala espacial como en escala temporal. En este artículo se examina las anomalías de datos mensuales de precipitación y temperatura media observada en 25 y 16 estaciones respectivamente, que datan desde inicios de 1960 hasta 1990, y los compara versus las anomalías de diferentes influencias climáticas externas de la región en bloques de periodos anuales y trimestrales. Las estaciones están ubicadas en la cuenca del Río Paute en el sur de los andes ecuatorianos. Las estaciones se encuentran en un rango de elevación entre 1800 y 4200 m s.n.m. y principalmente están afectados por influencias climáticas externas correspondientes al Pacifico tropical, la Amazonía y el Atlántico tropical. Los resultados muestran variaciones de temperatura homogéneas en toda la región, las mismas que están altamente influenciadas por el ENSO (El Nino South Oscillation) especialmente durante el trimestre Diciembre-Enero-Febrero. Durante Junio-Julio-Agosto, la correlación es menor, mostrando posibles influencias de otros factores climáticos. Se encontró valores altos y significativos de anomalías en temperatura en sitios de alta elevación, mientras que en los valles interandinos las anomalías son menores y de menor grado significativo. La variación en precipitación depende, además de la elevación, a factores adicionales como la orientación del terreno, la pendiente y el MASKANA, Vol. 2, No. 1, 2011 Revista semestral de la DIUC 32 régimen hidrológico. Los valores altos y significativos de anomalías en precipitación fueron encontrados en los sitios ubicados en la región oriental de la cuenca.Characterization of climate variability in the Andes mountain range needs special assessment as rainfall and temperature are extremely variable in space and time. This paper examines the anomalies of observed month rainfall and temperature data of respectively 25 and 16 stations, from the early 1960‟s to the 1990‟s and compare them against anomalies from different external climate influences in annual and 3-month seasonal block periods. The stations are located in the Río Paute Basin in the Ecuador‟s southern Andes. All stations are within the elevation band 1800 and 4200 m a.s.l. and affected by the Tropical Pacific, Amazon and Tropical Atlantic climate. The results show similar temperature variations for the entire region, which are highly influenced by the ENSO, especially during the DJF season. During JJA, the correlation is weaker showing the influence of other climate factors. Higher temperature anomalies are found at the high elevation sites while in deep valleys the anomalies are less significant. Rainfall variations depend, in addition to elevation, on additional factors such as the aspect orientation, slope and hydrological regime. Highest and most significant rainfall anomalies are found in the eastern sites.CuencaVol. 2; no. 1 (julio 2011

Copernicus’ Role in the Scientific Revolution: Philosophical Merits and Influence on Later Scientists

Nicolaus Copernicus\u27 publication of De Revolutionibus Orbium Coesltium marks the beginning of a revolution in the field of astronomy and physics. Within 150 years, a heliocentric system became almost universally accepted in the scientific community. Copernicus’ model was significant not because it of its scientific merit, but because of its ideological appeal to scientists during the 16th through 18th century. This paper explores the philosophical foundations of Copernicus\u27 model, and examines his influence in later work of four significant astronomers and physicists, Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton

Probing the role of point mutations in the cyp51A gene from Aspergillus fumigatus in the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Azole-resistant strains of Aspergillus fumigatus have been detected and the underlying molecular mechanisms of resistance characterized. Point mutations in the cyp51A gene have been proved to be related to azole resistance in A. fumigatus clinical strains and with different resistance profiles depending on the amino acid change (G54E, G54V, G54R, G54W, M220V, M220K, M220T, M220I). The aim of this work was to express A. fumigatus cyp51A genes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae in order to better assess the contribution of each independent amino acid substitution to resistance. A tetracycline regulatable system allowing repression of the endogenous essential ERG11 gene was used. The expression of Aspergillus cyp51A alleles could efficiently restore the absence of ERG11 in S. cerevisiae. In general, S. cerevisiae clones expressing. A. fumigatus cyp51A alleles from azole-resistant isolates showed higher MICs to all azoles tested than those expressing alleles from susceptible isolates. The azole susceptibility profiles obtained in S. cerevisiae upon expression of specific cyp51A alleles recapitulated susceptibility profiles observed from their A. fumigatus origins. In conclusion this work supports the concept that characteristics of specific A. fumigatus cyp51A alleles could be investigated in the heterologous host S. cerevisia