The Pierre Auger Observatory: Results on Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays

The focus of this article is on recent results on ultra-high energy cosmic rays obtained with the Pierre Auger Observatory. The world's largest instrument of this type and its performance are described. The observations presented here include the energy spectrum, the primary particle composition, limits on the fluxes of photons and neutrinos and a discussion of the anisotropic distribution of the arrival directions of the most energetic particles. Finally, plans for the construction of a Northern Auger Observatory in Colorado, USA, are discussed.Comment: Proceedings of the International Workshop on Advances in Cosmic Ray Science, Waseda University, Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan, March 2008; to be published in the Journal of the Physical Society of Japan (JPSJ) supplemen

Geomagnetic origin of the radio emission from cosmic ray induced air showers observed by CODALEMA

The new setup of the CODALEMA experiment installed at the Radio Observatory in Nancay, France, is described. It includes broadband active dipole antennas and an extended and upgraded particle detector array. The latter gives access to the air shower energy, allowing us to compute the efficiency of the radio array as a function of energy. We also observe a large asymmetry in counting rates between showers coming from the North and the South in spite of the symmetry of the detector. The observed asymmetry can be interpreted as a signature of the geomagnetic origin of the air shower radio emission. A simple linear dependence of the electric field with respect to vxB is used which reproduces the angular dependencies of the number of radio events and their electric polarity.Comment: 9 pages, 15 figures, 1 tabl

The Parol Evidence Rule in North Carolina

The KASCADE-Grande observatory was a ground-based air shower array dedicated to study the energy and composition of cosmic rays in the energy interval E = 1 PeV –1 EeV. The experiment consisted of different detector systems which allowed the simultaneous measurement of distinct components of air showers (EAS), such as the muon content. In this contribution, we study the total muon number and the lateral density distribution of muons in EAS detected by KASCADE-Grande as a function of the zenith angle and the total number of charged particles. The attenuation length of the muon content of EAS is also measured. The results are compared with the predictions of the SIBYLL 2.3 high-energy hadronic interaction model

Descriptive study of injuries and deaths due to falls among adults 65 and older in Lincoln County, Wisconsin

The purpose of this article was to determine where falls are occurring in Lincoln County, Wisconsin and provide a comparison to Wisconsin data. It also determined how local hospitals and nursing homes collect data on falls. The state of Wisconsin ranks third in the nation in the number of injuries caused by falls among adults 65 years and older. In Lincoln County, falls are the leading cause of injury deaths among adults 65 and older. The study analyzed data from the Wisconsin Interactive Statistics on Health (WISH) that houses injury data for the state. Data was also collected from hospitals and nursing homes located in Lincoln County. The study found that females are at a higher risk of fall injury in Lincoln County and Wisconsin and males have a higher rate in fall-related deaths. Also most falls that lead to an emergency room visit and or hospitalization occurs on average among those who are 80 years and older. The study also revealed that local data is not readily available for analysis from local nursing homes and hospitals and that state databases for injuries due to falls is limited. This study provided guidance on the importance of state and local interventions that can reduce the burden of falls. By the collection and analysis of adequate fall data, best practice interventions at hospitals, nursing homes and the community can be made to reduce preventable injuries and deaths due to falls

Estudio del comportamiento de tableros de puentes postesados por voladizos sucesivos: Aplicación al Puente de Santa Rita en Honduras

En la concepción y diseño de puentes, la elección del método y del sistema para la construcción de los tableros es una de las decisiones más críticas, ya que, posteriormente condicionarán la planificación de la obra y el proceso constructivo. Dichos sistemas vienen de la mano con una serie de efectos que deben ser considerados y estudiados para lograr estructuras seguras y económicas, en donde los fallos durante la etapa de construcción evidencian la importancia que tiene el conocimiento de los mismos. En el análisis de las construcciones evolutivas en el tiempo, el proyectista debe plantearse la posibilidad de las diferentes situaciones durante la construcción, de manera que, sea capaz de crear un modelo estructural lo suficientemente robusto que tome en cuenta desde las condiciones de contorno, pasando por las propiedades de los materiales hasta las acciones con sus combinaciones y cualquier otro detalle específico de cada método de montaje y su proceso. En la construcción por voladizos sucesivos, cabe resaltar, la existencia de cargas que inciden de forma transitoria o permanente en etapa constructiva capaces de producir tensiones y deformaciones considerables a la estructura antes de estar en servicio. Sumando a esto están las propiedades de los materiales que producen deformaciones no instantáneas, o sea, que dependen del tiempo, tales como la retracción y la fluencia del hormigón y la relajación del acero que a su vez derivan de las condiciones del medio en el que se encuentre la obra, de la edad, las cargas a la que se somete la misma y del método empleado. Ante lo expuesto, es evidente que la forma en que estos efectos interactúan corresponde a un proceso no-lineal complejo, interdependiente e iterativo que hacen de este uno muy sensible en fase constructiva. Por tales motivos, en el presente documento se introduce un estudio del comportamiento de los tableros de puentes construidos con concreto presforzado hormigonados in-situ, donde en su primera parte (Marco teórico) se brindan las justificaciones y objetivos del mismo, así como, un estudio exhaustivo para la concepción y análisis de este tipo de sistemas en los que se aborda sus principales características, utilizando la filosofía de diseño de la «American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials» agrupada en su norma «AASHTO LRFD Bridge Construction Specifications». Del mismo modo, se aplican estos conocimientos en un caso práctico donde se conjugan todos los efectos, lo que resulta en una técnica muy útil para interpretar mejor estos fenómenos, así que, en su segunda parte (Marco práctico) esta investigación se plantea el diseño del tablero del Puente de Santa Rita en Honduras, utilizando el software informático CSiBridge® como una herramienta sofisticada para el análisis de puentes basada en el Método por Elementos Finitos. Finalmente, una vez obtenidos los resultados del software, se procede a su análisis e interpretación para proseguir con las siguientes fases del diseño y armado; con lo que, luego se es capaz de presentar las conclusiones a las que ha llevado esta investigación y plantear unas líneas futuras en las que esta puede desembocar. Al final se incluyen algunas informaciones en formato de tablas y/o gráficas consideradas importantes para el desarrollo del proyecto.The choice of the method and system to build bridge superstructures is one of the most critical decisions in conception and design phase since they will condition the planning and construction process. Consequently, design engineers must consider and study the series of effects that come along with these systems to meet safe and economic structures; furthermore, failures during construction have proven the importance of comprehending them. Besides, in the analysis of evolutionary construction over time, the design engineer must acknowledge the different stages of construction. So that could be able to create a sufficiently robust structural model which bear in mind loads and its combinations, boundary conditions, material properties and any other specific detail from each erection method and its process. When building balanced cantilever bridges, loads that can affect permanently or ephemerally in the construction phase, are capable of producing stress and deformations to the structure before being in service. This behavior is a result of time-depending material properties (creep and shrinkage of concrete and relaxation in prestressed steel), which in turn trigger from the environmental conditions surrounding the structure; also loads applied, the time when loads are applied and method used. Given the above, it is noticeable that the way these effects interact match with an iterative, interdependent and complex non-linear process, which make this one a very sensitive in the construction phase. Because of all aforementioned factors, this paper develops a study of the behavior of prestressed bridge superstructures constructed by balanced cantilever method, wherein its first section (Theoretical Framework) the justifications and objectives are given. In addition, an exhaustive literature review for the conception and analysis of this type of systems is presented, in which its main characteristics are addressed using the design philosophy of ¿American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials¿ grouped in its standard ¿AASHTO LRFD Bridge Construction Specifications¿. Additionally, a practical case of study where the described concepts are applied and all the effects are combined outcomes as a very useful technique to better interpret these phenomena. Hence, in its second section (Practical Framework) this research proposes the Santa Rita Bridge (Honduras) superstructure design, using the computer software CSiBridge® as a sophisticated tool for bridge analysis based on Finite Element Method. Finally, once are obtained the calculations from the software, they are analyzed and interpreted to continue with the following phases of the design process. These results allow deriving the conclusions of this study and proposing future lines in which this research can lead. At the end of this document, some information considered important for the development of the project in a format of tables and/or graphics is given.Santos Hernandez, HLE. (2018). Estudio del comportamiento de tableros de puentes postesados por voladizos sucesivos: Aplicación al Puente de Santa Rita en Honduras. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/101493TFG