Low delta-V near-Earth asteroids: A survey of suitable targets for space missions

In the last decades Near-Earth Objects (NEOs) have become very important targets to study, since they can give us clues to the formation, evolution and composition of the Solar System. In addition, they may represent either a threat to humankind, or a repository of extraterrestrial resources for suitable space-borne missions. Within this framework, the choice of next-generation mission targets and the characterisation of a potential threat to our planet deserve special attention. To date, only a small part of the 11,000 discovered NEOs have been physically characterised. From ground and space-based observations one can determine some basic physical properties of these objects using visible and infrared spectroscopy. We present data for 13 objects observed with different telescopes around the world (NASA-IRTF, ESO-NTT, TNG) in the 0.4 - 2.5 um spectral range, within the NEOSURFACE survey (http://www.oa-roma.inaf.it/planet/NEOSurface.html). Objects are chosen from among the more accessible for a rendez-vous mission. All of them are characterised by a delta-V (the change in velocity needed for transferring a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit to rendez-vous with NEOs) lower than 10.5 km/s, well below the Solar System escape velocity (12.3 km/s). We taxonomically classify 9 of these objects for the first time. 11 objects belong to the S-complex taxonomy; the other 2 belong to the C-complex. We constrain the surface composition of these objects by comparing their spectra with meteorites from the RELAB database. We also compute olivine and pyroxene mineralogy for asteroids with a clear evidence of pyroxene bands. Mineralogy confirms the similarity with the already found H, L or LL ordinary chondrite analogues.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, to be published in A&A Minor changes by language edito

Selective gelation of N-(4-pyridyl)nicotinamide by copper(II) salts

We report the selective gelation properties of the copper(II) complexes of N-(4-pyridyl)nicotinamide (4PNA). The morphology of the xerogels was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The correlation between the X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) pattern of the xerogels and the single crystal structure of the copper(II) acetate complex suggests that the single crystal X-ray data represent a good structural model for the gel fibers, and that gelation arises from the presence of a 1D hydrogen-bonded chain between gelator amide groups and coordinated anions, while the presence of strongly bound water in non-gelator systems results in the formation of more extensively hydrogen-bonded crystalline networks. The selective gelation of all the copper(II) salts compared to the other metal salts may be attributed to the Jahn–Teller distorted nature of copper(II), which weakens water binding in all copper(II) salts

Developing of Sustainability Balanced Scorecard for the Chemical Industry: Preliminary Evidence from a Case Analysis

Companies today operate in an increasingly turbulent environment, with multiple (and sometimes competing) demands. Among these there is sustainability. No longer merely a buzzword, sustainability is becoming a mainstay of organizational operations, and a strategic pre-requisite for long term competitive advantages and business excellence. Crafting and implementing of strategy adapted to the company’s external context and internal resources and capabilities are fundamental, and sustainability needs to be a central element to any such strategy. As such, tools are required that can bring these components together. Long used for performance management and strategic management more generally, the Balanced Scorecard (BSC) could plausibly constitute such a framework, if appropriately extended to include sustainability concerns. The aim of this paper is thus to develop such an extension, through creation of a Sustainability Balanced Scorecard (SBSC), which includes social and environmental perspectives and their interactions with the traditional perspectives. We outline the structure for a SBSC, which takes companies’ overall sustainability objectives into account, as well as the steps required for its development. A case study of the formation and introduction of a “credible” sustainability strategy in the chemical industry is presented. The results demonstrate the usefulness of the SBSC in pursuing sustainability strategies, and provide preliminary evidence that introduction of such a system is likely to lead to fundamental changes in the way a company is managed. Practical implications and managerial guidelines are also reported

50 metų amžiaus ir vyresnių darbuotojų darbo kokybės ir ketinimų išeiti į pensiją ryšys: sisteminė literatūros apžvalga

Europe, notably in countries like Lithuania, is facing substantial demographic shifts due to aging, impacting various systems, including the labor market. In this context understanding retirement intentions is crucial. Quality of work is a key determinant of retirement intentions, yet other factors such as financial situation, health, or family pressures also play a role, and a comprehensive understanding of their interactions remains a research gap. Therefore, the aim of this study was to conduct a systematic literature review of research on the relationship between retirement intentions and quality of work, with a specific focus on potential control factors, moderators and mediators of this relationship. This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses (PRISMA). Articles were electronically retrieved from Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, and EBSCO databases. Studies selected were full-text, peer-reviewed articles in English from 2003 to 2023, which used quantitative methodologies and focused on the relationship between retirement intentions and quality of work for workers aged 50+. The quality of the selected publications was assessed using the Appraisal Tool for Cross-Sectional Studies – AXIS tool. Of the initial 776 sources, after removing duplicates and irrelevant articles, 91 were fully screened, and 17 met the criteria for inclusion in the systematic review. This systematic literature review provided further insights into the relationship between retirement intentions and quality of work, highlighting the roles of moderators, mediators, and control factors in this relationship.Europoje stebimas visuomenės senėjimas, kuris veikia darbo rinką, tad darosi aktualu suprasti ketinimo išeiti į pensiją reiškinį. Tarp įvairių ketinimo išeiti į pensiją veiksnių išsiskiria darbo vietos kokybė, tačiau yra mažai informacijos apie galimas jos sąveikas su kitais veiksniais. Tikslas – atlikti sisteminę tyrimų, kuriuose analizuojamas ketinimo išeiti į pensiją ir darbo vietos kokybės ryšys, apžvalgą, skiriant dėmesio galimiems kontroliniams šio ryšio veiksniams, mediatoriams ir moderatoriams. Išanalizuota 17 straipsnių, atrinktų iš Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect ir EBSCO duomenų bazių. Apžvalga suteikė įžvalgų apie ketinimo išeiti į pensiją ir darbo vietos kokybės ryšį, išryškinant šio ryšio moderatorių, mediatorių ir kontrolinių veiksnių vaidmenį

The NEOShield-2 EU project: The Italian contribution

The NEOShield-2 (2015-2017) project has been recently approved by the European Commission in the framework of the Horizon 2020 programme with the aim i) to study specific technologies and instruments to conduct close approach missions to NEOs or to undertake mitigation demonstration, and ii) to acquire in-depth information of physical properties of the population of small NEOs (50-300 m), in order to design mitigation missions and assess the consequences of an impact on Earth. The Italian scientific community is widely involved in this project

Search for spontaneous muon emission from lead nuclei

We describe a possible search for muonic radioactivity from lead nuclei using the base elements ("bricks" composed by lead and nuclear emulsion sheets) of the long-baseline OPERA neutrino experiment. We present the results of a Monte Carlo simulation concerning the expected event topologies and estimates of the background events. Using few bricks, we could reach a good sensitivity level.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

Factors Affecting Surgical Waiting Time in Cancer Patients at Referral Hospitals of West Java Province

A challenge for hospitals in facing the high number of patient visits is to provide quality services. One of the vital services in dealing with patients, especially those who will have cancer surgery considering the high rate of mortality cancer, is an improvement in waiting time (WT). Waiting time for elective surgery is one indicator of service quality with a standard of ≤2 days. This research aimed to determine the average WT for surgery, influencing factors, and optimal queuing models. The method used was quantitative and qualitative methods applied to 207 samples with consecutive sampling at West Java Provincial Al-Ihsan Regional General Hospital Bandung from October to December 2016. The analysis used partial least squares (PLS). The results of the study showed that the average WT for surgery was 32 days. Factors that influence WT were inpatient rooms, number of medical personnel, condition of patients, and health insurance. The optimal queue model to reduce surgical waiting time are adding inpatient beds, oncologist doctor, and creating an online system for registration and confirmation of inpatient rooms and operating.   FAKTOR YANG MEMENGARUHI WAKTU TUNGGU OPERASI PASIEN KANKER DI RUMAH SAKIT RUJUKAN JAWA BARAT Tantangan bagi rumah sakit dalam menghadapi jumlah kunjungan pasien yang tinggi adalah mampu memberikan pelayanan berkualitas. Salah satu pelayanan signifikan bagi pasien kanker yang akan menjalani operasi adalah perbaikan waktu tunggu karena mortalitas pasien kanker yang tinggi. Waktu tunggu operasi elektif merupakan salah satu indikator mutu pelayanan dengan standar ≤2 hari. Penelitian bertujuan mengetahui waktu tunggu operasi rerata, faktor yang memengaruhi, dan model antrean yang optimal. Metode yang digunakan adalah kuantitatif dan kualitatif yang diterapkan pada 207 sampel secara consecutive sampling di RSUD Al-Ihsan Provinsi Jawa Barat Bandung dari Oktober hingga Desember 2016. Analisis menggunakan partial least squares (PLS). Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa waktu tunggu operasi rerata adalah 32 hari. Faktor yang berpengaruh terhadap waktu tunggu operasi adalah ruang rawat inap, jumlah tenaga medis, kondisi pasien, dan jaminan kesehatan. Model antrean yang optimal untuk menurunkan waktu tunggu operasi adalah penambahan tempat tidur rawat inap, penambahan dokter spesialis bedah onkologi, serta pembuatan sistem daring untuk pendaftaran dan konfirmasi kesiapan ruang rawat inap dan ruang operasi

Body Image and Life Satisfaction in Amish, Catholic, and Non-Religious Women

Dissatisfaction with one's appearance is commonplace in Western women. Body image dissatisfaction is believed to be a consequence of societal emphases on appearance reinforced through norms and media. However, some Amish cultural values and norms differ from prevailing Western influences, which may result in a rate of body image dissatisfaction at variance within women. The following pilot study explores how religious affiliation and religiosity may relate to body image factors (body dissatisfaction, appearance investment, and body image coping strategies) and life satisfaction in Amish (n = 32), Catholic (n = 40), and non-religious (n = 40) women. Results show that the Amish women reported having more positive body image on several factors than Catholic women, but the same results were not always replicated in non-religious women. Specifically, non-religious women showed similar levels of body satisfaction in comparison to Amish women, although they demonstrated use of different body image coping strategies. Additionally, when comparing women's reported current versus ideal figure, all women showed a preference for a thinner ideal. As this pilot study's methodology is preliminary, our ability to draw definitive conclusions is limited: future research should address these methodological limitations. If results from this study are confirmed, research is needed that examines the specific aspects of the Amish culture that may be associated with higher rates of body image satisfaction

On time-parallel preconditioning for the state formulation of incremental weak constraint 4D-Var

Using a high degree of parallelism is essential to perform data assimilation efficiently. The state formulation of the incremental weak constraint four-dimensional variational data assimilation method allows parallel calculations in the time dimension. In this approach, the solution is approximated by minimising a series of quadratic cost functions using the conjugate gradient method. To use this method in practice, effective preconditioning strategies that maintain the potential for parallel calculations are needed. We examine approximations to the control variable transform (CVT) technique when the latter is beneficial. The new strategy employs a randomised singular value decomposition and retains the potential for parallelism in the time domain. Numerical results for the Lorenz 96 model show that this approach accelerates the minimisation in the first few iterations, with better results when CVT performs well

Randomised preconditioning for the forcing formulation of weak constraint 4D‐Var

There is growing awareness that errors in the model equations cannot be ignored in data assimilation methods such as four-dimensional variational assimilation (4D-Var). If allowed for, more information can be extracted from observations, longer time windows are possible, and the minimisation process is easier, at least in principle. Weak constraint 4D-Var estimates the model error and minimises a series of linear least-squares cost functions, which can be achieved using the conjugate gradient (CG) method; minimising each cost function is called an inner loop. CG needs preconditioning to improve its performance. In previous work, limited memory preconditioners (LMPs) have been constructed using approximations of the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the Hessian in the previous inner loop. If the Hessian changes significantly in consecutive inner loops, the LMP may be of limited usefulness. To circumvent this, we propose using randomised methods for low rank eigenvalue decomposition and use these approximations to cheaply construct LMPs using information from the current inner loop. Three randomised methods are compared. Numerical experiments in idealized systems show that the resulting LMPs perform better than the existing LMPs. Using these methods may allow more efficient and robust implementations of incremental weak constraint 4D-Var