12,354 research outputs found
Wetland restoration and nitrate reduction: the example of the periurban wetland of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, North Spain)
Changes in land use and agricultural intensification caused wetlands on the quaternary aquifer of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country) to disappear some years ago and nitrate concentration in groundwaters increased very quickly. The Basque Government recently declared the East Sector of this aquifer a Vulnerable Zone according to the 91/676/CEE European Directive. Recently, the wetlands have been restored through the closure of the main drainage ditches, the consequent elevation of the water table and the abondonment of agricultural practices near the wetlands. This is the case of the Zurbano wetland. Restoration has allowed the recovery of its biogeochemical function, which has reduced nitrate concentrations in waters. Nitrate concentrations which exceed 50 mg l–1 in groundwaters entering into the wetland are less than 10 mg l–1 at the outlet. Conditions in the wetland are conducive to the loss of nitrates: organic matter rich wetted soils, clay presence allowing a local semiconfined flow and very low hydraulic gradient. Water quality monitoring at several points around the wetland showed the processes involved in nitrate loss, although some aspects still remain unresolved. However, during storm events, the wetland effectively reduces the nitrate concentration entering the Alegria River, the most important river on the quaternary aquifer
Coupling single molecule magnets to quantum circuits
In this work we study theoretically the coupling of single molecule magnets
(SMMs) to a variety of quantum circuits, including microwave resonators with
and without constrictions and flux qubits. The main results of this study is
that it is possible to achieve strong and ultrastrong coupling regimes between
SMM crystals and the superconducting circuit, with strong hints that such a
coupling could also be reached for individual molecules close to constrictions.
Building on the resulting coupling strengths and the typical coherence times of
these molecules (of the order of microseconds), we conclude that SMMs can be
used for coherent storage and manipulation of quantum information, either in
the context of quantum computing or in quantum simulations. Throughout the work
we also discuss in detail the family of molecules that are most suitable for
such operations, based not only on the coupling strength, but also on the
typical energy gaps and the simplicity with which they can be tuned and
oriented. Finally, we also discuss practical advantages of SMMs, such as the
possibility to fabricate the SMMs ensembles on the chip through the deposition
of small droplets.Comment: 23 pages, 12 figure
Slide-Down Prevention for Wheeled Mobile Robots on Slopes
Wheeled mobile robots on inclined terrain can slide down due to loss of traction and gravity. This type of instability, which is different from tip-over, can provoke uncontrolled motion or get the vehicle stuck. This paper proposes slide-down prevention by real-time computation of a straightforward stability margin for a given ground-wheel friction coefficient. This margin is applied to the case study of Lazaro, a hybrid skid-steer mobile robot with caster-leg mechanism that allows tests with four or five wheel contact points. Experimental results for both ADAMS simulations and the actual vehicle demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech
El paradigma de la complejidad como instrumento teórico y metodológico en la investigación didáctica sobre la contaminación y sobre la energía
En dos investigaciones recientes (Cano, 2008; García, Rodríguez y Solís, 2008; Rodríguez, 2008), hemos utilizado el Paradigma de la Complejidad como instrumento teórico que ha orientado el diseño y desarrollo de dichas investigaciones. En la primera investigación (Cano, 2008), se realizó un estudio pormenorizado del proceso de construcción de conocimiento relevante y significativo sobre la contaminación del agua con alumnos de cuarto de ESO. En la segunda (García, Rodríguez y Solís, 2008; Rodríguez, 2008), se realizó una descripción del desarrollo de una experiencia de Agenda 21 Escolar, centrada en el tratamiento didáctico del uso de la energía en Primaria y Secundaria
InAs/InP single quantum wire formation and emission at 1.5 microns
Isolated InAs/InP self-assembled quantum wires have been grown using in situ
accumulated stress measurements to adjust the optimal InAs thickness. Atomic
force microscopy imaging shows highly asymmetric nanostructures with average
length exceeding more than ten times their width. High resolution optical
investigation of as-grown samples reveals strong photoluminescence from
individual quantum wires at 1.5 microns. Additional sharp features are related
to monolayer fluctuations of the two dimensional InAs layer present during the
early stages of the quantum wire self-assembling process.Comment: 4 pages and 3 figures submitted to Applied Physics Letter
Kinematic study of planetary nebulae in NGC 6822
By measuring precise radial velocities of planetary nebulae (which belong to
the intermediate age population), H II regions, and A-type supergiant stars
(which are members of the young population) in NGC 6822, we aim to determine if
both types of population share the kinematics of the disk of H I found in this
galaxy.
Spectroscopic data for four planetary nebulae were obtained with the high
spectral resolution spectrograph Magellan Inamori Kyocera Echelle (MIKE) on the
Magellan telescope at Las Campanas Observatory. Data for other three PNe and
one H II region were obtained from the SPM Catalog of Extragalactic Planetary
Nebulae which employed the Manchester Echelle Spectrometer attached to the 2.1m
telescope at the Observatorio Astron\'omico Nacional, M\'exico. In the
wavelength calibrated spectra, the heliocentric radial velocities were measured
with a precision better than 5-6 km s. Data for three additional H II
regions and a couple of A-type supergiant stars were collected from the
literature. The heliocentric radial velocities of the different objects were
compared to the velocities of the H i disk at the same position.
From the analysis of radial velocities it is found that H II regions and
A-type supergiants do share the kinematics of the H I disk at the same
position, as expected for these young objects. On the contrary, planetary
nebula velocities differ significantly from that of the H I at the same
position. The kinematics of planetary nebulae is independent from the young
population kinematics and it is closer to the behavior shown by carbon stars,
which are intermediate-age members of the stellar spheroid existing in this
galaxy. Our results are confirming that there are at least two very different
kinematical systems in NGC 6822
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