Study of timing properties of single gap high-resistive bakelite RPC

The time resolution for several single gap (2 mm) prototype Resistive Plate Chambers (RPC) made of high resistive (bulk resistivity ~ 10^10 - 10^12 ohm cm), 2 mm thick matt finished bakelite paper laminates with silicone coating on the inner surfaces, has been measured. The time resolution for all the modules has been found to be ~ 2 ns at the plateau region.Comment: 5 figures, Presented in Frontier Detectors for Frontier Physics (11th Pisa meeting on advanced detectors), La Biodala, Isola d'Elba, Italy, May 24-30, 200

The Role of Citizen Science in Earth Observation

Citizen Science (CS) and crowdsourcing are two potentially valuable sources of data for Earth Observation (EO), which have yet to be fully exploited. Research in this area has increased rapidly during the last two decades, and there are now many examples of CS projects that could provide valuable calibration and validation data for EO, yet are not integrated into operational monitoring systems. A special issue on the role of CS in EO has revealed continued trends in applications, covering a diverse set of fields from disaster response to environmental monitoring (land cover, forests, biodiversity and phenology). These papers touch upon many key challenges of CS including data quality and citizen engagement as well as the added value of CS including lower costs, higher temporal frequency and use of the data for calibration and validation of remotely-sensed imagery. Although still in the early stages of development, CS for EO clearly has a promising role to play in the future

Demonstration of new possibilities of multilayer technology on resistive microstrip/ microdot detectors

The first successful attempts to optimize the electric field in Resistive Microstrip Gas Chamber and resistive microdot detectors using additional field shaping strips located inside the detector substrate are describedComment: Presented at the RD-51 mmini week, CERN, June 201

Late Bronze Age metallic depositions in the AssureiraValley. The case study of Moinhos de Golas site (Solveira, Montalegre, Northern Portugal)

Este trabalho tem como objetivo dar a conhecer um conjunto de achados metálicos do Bronze Final, em asso-ciação com fragmentos cerâmicos e líticos, encontrados no sítio de Moinhos de Golas, freguesia de Solveira, concelho de Montalegre. A coleção metálica é composta por armas, artefactos de adorno, utensílios, possíveis elementos de produção metalúrgica, entre outros objetos de difícil classificação. As análises de composição química a peças seleciona-das, embora preliminares, mostram que a maioria dos artefactos foram produzidos numa liga de bronze binário (Cu-Sn). Pelo facto de terem sido encontradas dispersas por vários lugares do outeiro, este grupo de peças não pode considerar-se um depósito fechado.This work aims to publish a set of metal findings attributed to Bronze Age, and found in association with ceramic and lithic fragments. These were found in the Moinhos de Golas site, Solveira parish, in the Montale-gre council. This set consists of metallic weapons, ornaments, tools, and some objects that might be related to metallurgical processes, among other objects difficult to classify. Preliminary elemental analysis made on selected artefacts point out that most objects were produced in a binary bronze alloy. This set of artefacts, given their finding circumstances, should not be regarded as a closed hoard.Este trabalho foi desenvolvido no âmbito dos projetos Metalurgia Primitiva no Território Português – EARLYMETAL (PTDC/HIST-ARQ/110442/2008) e Espaços Naturais, Arquiteturas, Arte rupestre e Deposições na Pré-história Recente da Fachada Ocidental do Centro e Norte Português: das Ações aos Significados - ENARDAS (PTDC/HISARQ/112983/2009), financiado pelo Programa Operacional Temático Factores de Competitividade (COMPETE) e comparticipados pelo Fundo Comunitário Europeu FEDER. Os autores agradecem à Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) as bolsas individuais (SFRH/ BD/65143/2009) e (SFRH/BPD/73245/2010) concedidas a João Fonte e Elin Figueiredo, respetivamente, e o apoio financeiro concedido ao CENIMAT/I3N através do Projecto Estratégico LA25/2013-2014 (PEst-C/CTM/LA0025/2011); a Joe Horst os esclarecimentos gentilmente cedidos sobre as condições de achado; à empresa Metais Jaime Dias, S.A. e ao Dr. Normando Ramos a possibilidade do uso do equipamento de FRX portátil para o estudo preliminar da coleção metálica e à equipa do Museu D. Diogo de Sousa, em Braga, o tratamento e fotografia do conjunto.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Enhancing Biodiversity and Multifunctionality of an Organic Farmscape in California’s Central Valley

Organic farmers in the USA increasingly manage the margins of previously monocultured farmed landscapes to increase biodiversity, e.g. they restore and protect riparian corridors, plant hedgerows and construct vegetated tailwater ponds. This study attempts to link habitat enhancements, biodiversity and changes in ecosystem functions by: 1. inventorying the existing biodiversity and the associated belowground community structure and composition in the various habitats of an organic farm in California’s Central Valley; and 2. monitoring key ecosystem functions of these habitats. Two years of inventories show greater native plant diversity in non-cropped areas. While nematode diversity did not differ between habitats, functional groups were clearly associated with particular habitats as were soil microbial communities (phospholipid fatty acid analysis). Earthworm diversity did not differ between habitats, but biomass was higher in non-cropped areas. Habitats with woody vegetation stored 20% of the farmscape’s total carbon (C), despite their relatively small size (only 5% of the total farm). Two years of monitoring data of farmscape C and nitrogen (N) through emissions, run-off and leaching showed distinct tradeoffs in function associated with each habitat. Clearly habitat restoration in field margins will increase both landscape biodiversity and the multifunctionality of the farmscape as a whole

A Comparative Numerical Study on GEM, MHSP and MSGC

In this work, we have tried to develop a detailed understanding of the physical processes occurring in those variants of Micro Pattern Gas Detectors (MPGDs) that share micro hole and micro strip geometry, like GEM, MHSP and MSGC etc. Some of the important and fundamental characteristics of these detectors such as gain, transparency, efficiency and their operational dependence on different device parameters have been estimated following detailed numerical simulation of the detector dynamics. We have used a relatively new simulation framework developed especially for the MPGDs that combines packages such as GARFIELD, neBEM, MAGBOLTZ and HEED. The results compare closely with the available experimental data. This suggests the efficacy of the framework to model the intricacies of these micro-structured detectors in addition to providing insight into their inherent complex dynamical processes

Insights into nanomedicine for head and neck cancer diagnosis and treatment

Head and neck cancers rank sixth among the most common cancers today, and the survival rate has remained virtually unchanged over the past 25 years, due to late diagnosis and ineffective treatments. They have two main risk factors, tobacco and alcohol, and human papillomavirus infection is a secondary risk factor. These cancers affect areas of the body that are fundamental for the five senses. Therefore, it is necessary to treat them effectively and non-invasively as early as possible, in order to do not compromise vital functions, which is not always possible with conventional treatments (chemotherapy or radiotherapy). In this sense, nanomedicine plays a key role in the treatment and diagnosis of head and neck cancers. Nanomedicine involves using nanocarriers to deliver drugs to sites of action and reducing the necessary doses and possible side effects. The main purpose of this review is to give an overview of the applications of nanocarrier systems to the diagnosis and treatment of head and neck cancer. Herein, several types of delivery strategies, radiation enhancement, inside-out hyperthermia, and theragnostic approaches are addressed.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

OPTIMIZATION OF ZIRCONIA INKS TO FABRICATE 3D POROUS SCAFFOLDS BY ROBOCASTING

High-performance bioceramics such as zirconia, alumina, and their composites, are attractive materials for the fabrication of load-bearing bone implants because of their outstanding mechanical properties, biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, and aesthetic quality. A suitable level of porosity and pore sizes with a few hundred microns are required for a good bone integration of the scaffolds. This requirement can be achieved through additive manufacturing, like robocasting. For this purpose, the optimization of colloidal inks is one of paramount importance as the rheological properties of the inks determine the quality of the three-dimensional structures. This target has not been satisfactorily accomplished in previous research works. The present study aims at closing this gap by carrying out a systematic investigation about the influence of the most important parameters that determine the printing ability of zirconia inks. The dispersing ability of the zirconia powder was studied in order to maximize the solids loading while keeping a high degree of homogeneity of the starting suspensions. The viscoelastic properties of the suspensions were then altered by adding suitable doses of a coagulating agent to obtain easily extrudable pastes for the robocasting process. The green samples were dried and sintered at the heating rate of 1ºC/min up to 600ºC, an holding at this temperature for 1 h, followed by an heating rate of 5ºC/min up to 1350ºC and holding for 1 h at this temperature, and then cooling down to room temperature. Zirconia inks with high fraction of solids (48 vol.%) could be successfully prepared. The extruded cylinders exhibited an excellent shape retention in scaffolds with different macropore sizes (200, 300, 400 and 500 mm)