Modelling diffractive effects in silicon pore optics for the ATHENA X-ray telescope

Silicon Pore Optics (SPO) are the technology selected for the assembly of the mirror module of the ATHENA X-ray telescope. An SPO mirror module consists of a quadruple stack of etched and wedged silicon wafers, in order to create a stiff and lightweight structure, able to reproduce in each pore the Wolter-I geometry required to image X-rays on the telescope focal plane. Due to the small pore size (a few mm2), aperture diffraction effects in X-rays are small, but not totally negligible to the angular resolutions at play. In contrast, diffraction effects are the dominant term in the UV light illumination that will be used to co-align the 600 mirror modules of ATHENA to a common focus. For this reason, diffractive effects need to be properly modeled, and this constitutes a specific task of the ESA-led SImPOSIUM (SIlicon Pore Optic SImUlation and Modelling) project, involving INAF-Brera and DTU. In this context, a specific software tool (SWORDS: SoftWare fOR Diffraction of Silicon pore optics) has been developed to the end of simulating diffraction effects in SPO mirror modules. This approach also allows the user to effectively predict the effects of various imperfections (figure errors, misalignments) in a self-consistent way, in different experimental configurations (X-ray source off-axis or at finite distance), as a fast and reliable alternative to ray-tracing, also at X-ray wavelengths

A fully-analytical treatment of stray light in silicon pore optics for the ATHENA X-ray telescope

Just like in any other X-ray telescope, stray light is expected to be a potential issue for the ATHENA X-ray telescope, with a significant impact on the scientific goals. The most prominent cause of stray light in Wolter-I type optics is represented by rays that did not undergo double reflection and were reflected only singly, on either the parabolic or the hyperbolic segment. A minor contribution may, additionally, arise from the diffuse reflections on the backside of the pore membrane and ribs. Aiming at determining whether the resulting background is tolerable or not, the effective area for stray light has to be calculated. While ray-tracing is a standard and well-assessed tool to perform this task, it usually takes a considerable amount of computation time to trace a number of rays sufficient to reach an appropriate statistical significance, because only a minority of stray rays emerge unobstructed from the mirror assembly. In contrast, approaching the stray light from the analytical viewpoint takes several upsides: it is faster than ray-tracing, does not suffer from any statistical uncertainties, and allows one to better understand the role of the parameters at play. The only approximation involved is the double cone geometry, which however is largely applicable to ATHENA as far as the sole effective area is concerned. In this paper, we show how the analytical approach can be successfully adopted to model the stray light effective area in the ATHENA mirror assembly, as a function of the X-ray energy and of the source off-axis angle

The McXtrace AstroX toolbox: a general ray tracing software package for end to end simulation of x-ray optics for astronomical instrumentation

McXtrace is a general, highly modular, X-ray tracing open source software package for simulating X-ray optics. While initially intended for simulating synchrotron beamlines, it has recently found use in astrophysics. Here it is being used to evaluate the projected performance of X-ray telescope designs. We present the software add-on toolbox "AstroX" to McXtrace containing all of the common optical elements found in satellite based X-ray telescopes. In addition, the toolbox contains detector and source models relevant for astronomical applications. As an added benefit, users may exploit the heritage of McXtrace and use its beamline elements, to simulate characterization measurements of optical elements. McXtrace AstroX allows for simulation of X-rays telescopes based on different optical concepts such as nested mirror shells and Silicon Pore Optics technology. In this study we present examples of McXtrace AstroX use for ATHENA-, and NuSTAR-like telescope concepts

Optical simulations for the Wolter-I collimator in the VERT-X calibration facility

The VERT-X X-ray calibration facility, currently in prototypal realization phase supported by ESA, will be a vertical X-ray beamline able to test and calibrate the entire optical assembly of the ATHENA X-ray telescope. Owing to its long focal length (12 m), a full-illumination test of the entire focusing system would require a parallel and uniform X-ray beam as large as the optical assembly itself (2.5 m). Moreover, the module should better be laid parallel to the ground in order to minimize the effects of gravity deformations. Therefore, the ideal calibration facility would consist of a vertical beam, with the source placed at very large distance (>> 500 m) under high vacuum (10-6 mbar). Since such calibration systems do not exist, and also appear to be very hard to manufacture, VERT-X will be based on a different concept, i.e., the raster scan of a tightly (≈ 1 arcsec) collimated X-ray beam, generated by a microfocus source and made parallel via a precisely shaped Wolter-I mirror. In this design, the mirror will be made of two segments (paraboloid + hyperboloid) that, for the X-ray beam collimation to be preserved, will have to be accurately finished and maintain their mutual alignment to high accuracy during the scan. In this paper, we show simulations of the reflected wavefront based on physical optics and the expected final imaging quality, for different polishing levels and misalignments for the two segments of the VERT-X collimator

Influence of multicomponent exercise program or self-selected physical activity on physical, mental, and biochemical health indicators of older women

The aim of this study was to compare physical, mental, and biochemical health indicators of 48 older women (67 ± 1 year) who practiced multicomponent exercise program (ME, n = 25) and self-selected physical activity (PA, n = 23) for 6 months. It was an observational study, which aimed to relate a prospective intervention. Displacement speed, lower limb (LL) power, functional capacity, body composition, biochemical profile, physical activity levels (PAL), sedentary behavior (SB), quality of life (QoL), and mental illness risk (MIR) were evaluated. ME presented better values compared to the PA in the gait speed (p = 0.001, large ES), aerobic capacity (p = 0.0001, large ES), agility/dynamic balance (p = 0.0001, large ES), LL flexibility (p = 0.0003, large ES), UL flexibility (p = 0.04, large ES), upper limb (UL) strength (p = 0.07, moderate ES), Total cholesterol (p = 0.009, large ES), triglycerides (p = 0.003, large ES), creatinine (p = 0.007, large ES), glycated hemoglobin (p= 0.007, large ES), and lower mean glucose value (p = 0.008, large ES). ME was more efficient than PA to improve indicators of gait speed, and functional capacity, regulate glycated hemoglobin, blood glucose, and serum creatinine. Thys study also brings practical applications for coaches, which could adapt and use creativity to develop different types of systematized ME, aiming to enhance positive adaptations in the older people at multilevel outcomes.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ensino de Ciências interdisciplinar em um espaço não-formal de aprendizagem na UFV

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Evaluation of the pharmacotherapeutic profile of HIV/AIDS bearers

In this work was evaluated the pharmacotherapeutic profile of HIV/AIDS bearers registered in the Service of Specialized Attendance located in Campina Grande–PB, Brazil. The research was of the type traverse, documental, descriptive and analytical and was realized in the period of August to October 2010. Were appraised the patient records of 188 people being 66 % males and 34% females. The most part (36 %) just studied the education fundamental level and presented age group between 40-49 years old. Antiretrovirals more prescribed were nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors (NRTIs) and non-nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors (NNRTIs). Schemes no recommended by the Ministry of Health also were evidenced. The Negative Results associated to the use of medicine was registered in the three supra-categories. It is necessary a larger integration of the multidisciplinary team of prescribers (physicians and dentists) and pharmacists in the evaluation of the pharmacotherapy to guarantee the reduction of the morbidity and the presence of opportunists infections, guaranteeing so a better surviving for the seropositive patients.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

ENRAIZAMENTO DE MINIESTACAS E PRODUTIVIDADE DE MINICEPAS DE CEDRO AUSTRALIANO MANEJADAS EM CANALET 5ES E TUBETES

The planted forest stands aim to supply the growing demand for wood, especially for the sawing and veneer industries, that exclusively used wood from native forests. The Australian cedar ( Toona ciliata ) belongs to the family Meliaceae, is the species of interest for this sector. Studies with the Australian cedar propagation have carried out in latest years, mainly involving the use of mini-cuttings due to the need for high quality cuttings. The objectives of this paper were to evaluate the rooting and the productive capacity of Australian cedar mini-strains, managed in lifted seedbeds and 180 cm3 plastic tubes systems. So, two mini-clone gardens were set up. The mini-strains of both gardens were grown from cut-off seedlings originated from seeds. Successive collections of sprouts were carried out to get the mini-cuttings. Afterwards, they remained in the rooting area under intermittent mist. Thirty days later the rooting characteristics of the cuttings originated from both mini-gardens were evaluated. The period of permanence of the cuttings in the gardens was seven-month long. During this period, six collections from the lifted seedbed and four from the plastic tubes were carried out. The mini-strains in the two systems showed 100 % of survival rate. At the end of this seven-month period, an increasing tendency of the average number of mini-cutting was found out in both systems. Those from the lifted seedbed showed more productivity than those ones from the tubes. The plants from the mini-cuttings of the tube showed higher number and length of adventitious roots at the end rooting stage.Os povoamentos florestais plantados buscam atender \ue0 demanda crescente por madeira, principalmente, para as ind\ufastrias de serraria e de lamina\ue7\ue3o, que utilizavam madeira exclusivamente de matas nativas. O cedro australiano ( Toona ciliata ), pertencente \ue0 fam\uedlia Meliaceae, \ue9 uma das esp\ue9cies de interesse desse setor. Pela necessidade cada vez maior por mudas de alta qualidade, estudos sobre propaga\ue7\ue3o de cedro australiano t\ueam sido realizados nos \ufaltimos anos, principalmente envolvendo o uso da miniestaquia. Os objetivos deste trabalho foram avaliar o enraizamento e a capacidade produtiva das minicepas de cedro australiano, manejadas em sistemas de canalet\uf5es e em tubetes de 180 cm3. Assim, estabeleceram-se dois minijardins de minicepas formadas a partir de mudas recepadas, produzidas por sementes. Nestes dois sistemas, foram realizadas coletas sucessivas de brota\ue7\uf5es para confec\ue7\ue3o de miniestacas, que permaneceram por 30 dias no setor de enraizamento, em c\ue2mara com nebuliza\ue7\ue3o intermitente. Ap\uf3s este per\uedodo, foram avaliadas as caracter\uedsticas do enraizamento das mudas originadas nos dois sistemas de minijardins testados, que foram conduzidos por sete meses e, durante este per\uedodo, foram realizadas seis coletas no minijardim de canalet\ue3o e quatro, no de tubetes. As minicepas dos dois sistemas apresentam 100 % de sobreviv\ueancia. Ao final do per\uedodo observou-se tend\ueancia no aumento do n\ufamero m\ue9dio de miniestacas em ambos os sistemas. As minicepas do sistema de minijardim em canalet\ue3o s\ue3o mais produtivas que as do sistema conduzido em tubetes. As mudas originadas de miniestacas do sistema de tubetes apresentam maior n\ufamero e comprimento de ra\uedzes advent\uedcias na expedi\ue7\ue3o do setor de enraizamento