Hamiltonian dynamics and Noether symmetries in Extended Gravity Cosmology

We discuss the Hamiltonian dynamics for cosmologies coming from Extended Theories of Gravity. In particular, minisuperspace models are taken into account searching for Noether symmetries. The existence of conserved quantities gives selection rule to recover classical behaviors in cosmic evolution according to the so called Hartle criterion, that allows to select correlated regions in the configuration space of dynamical variables. We show that such a statement works for general classes of Extended Theories of Gravity and is conformally preserved. Furthermore, the presence of Noether symmetries allows a straightforward classification of singularities that represent the points where the symmetry is broken. Examples of nonminimally coupled and higher-order models are discussed.Comment: 20 pages, Review paper to appear in EPJ

Prediction of spatial soil loss impacted by long-term land-use/land-cover change in a tropical watershed

The devastating effect of soil erosion is one of the major sources of land degradation that affects human lives in many ways which occur mainly due to deforestation, poor agricultural practices, overgrazing, wildfire and urbanization. Soil erosion often leads to soil truncation, loss of fertility, slope instability, etc. which causes irreversible effects on the poorly renewable soil resource. In view of this, a study was conducted in Kelantan River basin to predict soil loss as influenced by long-term land use/land-cover (LULC) changes in the area. The study was conducted with the aim of predicting and assessing soil erosion as it is influenced by long-term LULC changes. The 13,100 km2 watershed was delineated into four sub-catchments Galas, Pergau, Lebir and Nenggiri for precise result estimation and ease of execution. GIS-based Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) model was used to predict soil loss in this study. The model inputs used for the temporal and spatial calculation of soil erosion include rainfall erosivity factor, topographic factor, land cover and management factor as well as erodibility factor. The results showed that 67.54% of soil loss is located under low erosion potential (reversible soil loss) or 0–1 t ha−1 yr−1 soil loss in Galas, 59.17% in Pergau, 53.32% in Lebir and 56.76% in Nenggiri all under the 2013 LULC condition. Results from the correlation of soil erosion rates with LULC changes indicated that cleared land in all the four catchments and under all LULC conditions (1984–2013) appears to be the dominant with the highest erosion losses. Similarly, grassland and forest were also observed to regulate erosion rates in the area. This is because the vegetation cover provided by these LULC types protects the soil from direct impact of rain drops which invariably reduce soil loss to the barest minimum. Overall, it was concluded that the results have shown the significance of LULC in the control of erosion. Maps generated from the study may be useful to planners and land use managers to take appropriate decisions for soil conservation. Keywords: Soil erosion, USLE, Landuse/cover changes, GIS, Malaysi

Assessment of river plan changes in Terengganu River using RS and GIS method

River is one of the most multifarious regular systems. The database can help in the appropriate understanding of river plan change and know the stand of Terengganu River, Malaysia. The data collected from Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) database. Analysis of Types of Lateral Activity (TYLAT) techniques and Modes of Meander Movement (MOME) method utilized to identify the advancement of the river arrange changes.  Satellite images of 2010 and 2015 used in the study were sourced from USGS web. TYLAT was suitable in analyzing the advancement of the waterways plan changes where the river is an extensive and width river. The method for examination of MOME is more appropriate to be used in smaller categories of the river as for upper, middle and down ranges of the river. The result proved the recognition of features or classification of the main stream of Terengganu River.Keywords: river plan changes; remote sensing; geographic information system; types of lateral activity; modes of meander movemen

Report from the Workshop on Xenon Detector 0νββ0\nu\beta\beta Searches: Steps Towards the Kilotonne Scale

International audienceThese proceedings summarize the program and discussions of the ``Workshop on Xenon Detector $0\nu\beta\beta$ Searches: Steps Towards the Kilotonne Scale'' held on October 25-27 2023 at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This workshop brought together experts from the communities of neutrinoless double-beta decay and dark matter detection, to discuss paths forward for the realization of monolithic experiments with xenon approaching the kilotonne scale

Report from the Workshop on Xenon Detector 0νββ0\nu\beta\beta Searches: Steps Towards the Kilotonne Scale

International audienceThese proceedings summarize the program and discussions of the ``Workshop on Xenon Detector $0\nu\beta\beta$ Searches: Steps Towards the Kilotonne Scale'' held on October 25-27 2023 at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. This workshop brought together experts from the communities of neutrinoless double-beta decay and dark matter detection, to discuss paths forward for the realization of monolithic experiments with xenon approaching the kilotonne scale