Continuous Plasma density measurement in TJ-II infrared interferometer-Advanced signal processing based on FPGAs

This work presents the behavioral simulation in an FPGA of a novel processing system for measuring line average electronic density in the TJ-II stellarator diagnostic, Infra-Red Two-Color Interferometer. Line average electronic density is proportional to phase difference between probing and reference signals of the interferometer, as the Appleton–Hartree cold plasma model states. The novelty of the approach is the development of a real time measuring system where research work has been carried out in two ways: a new interpolation algorithm and the implementation of a new specific processor on an FPGA. The main goal of this new system is to measure line plasma electronic density for several channels in real time, also it will be useful to eliminate intermediate mixing frequency stages (the output signals coming from the interferometer are going to be directly sampled) and finally to generate real time density signals for control purposes in TJ-II and in other diagnostics. This device is intended to be the new data acquisition-processing system for the future six channel infrared interferometer that requires at least 14 input signals. The knowledge acquired could be useful in the design of W7-X and ITER IR-interferometer data acquisition and processing systems

Synoptic patterns associated with wildfires caused by lightning in Castile and Leon, Spain

The Iberian Peninsula presents the highest number of wildfires in Europe. In the NW of Spain in particular, wildfires are the natural risk with the greatest economic impact in this region. Wildfires caused by lightning are closely related to the triggering of convective phenomena. The prediction of thunderstorms is a very complex task because these weather events have a local character and are highly dependent on mesoscale atmospheric conditions. The development of convective storms is directly linked to the existence of a synoptic environment favoring convection. The aim of this study is to classify the atmospheric patterns that provide favorable environments for the occurrence of wildfires caused by lightning in the region of Castile and Leon, Spain. The database used for the study contains 376 wildfire days from the period 1987–2006. NCEP data reanalysis has been used. The atmospheric fields used to characterise each day were: geopotential heights and temperatures at 500 hPa and 850 hPa, relative humidity and the horizontal wind at 850 hPa. A Principal Component Analysis in T-mode followed by a Cluster Analysis resulted in a classification of wildfire days into five clusters. The characteristics of these clusters were analysed and described, focusing particularly on the study of those wildfire days in which more than one wildfire was detected. In these cases the main feature observed was the intensification of the disturbance typical of the cluster to which the wildfire belongs

Study of 11 September 2004 hailstorm event using radar identification of 2-D systems and 3-D cells

The most important hail event recorded in the region of the Ebro Valley (NE Spain) in 2004 was the 11 September episode. Large hailstones (some of them with a diameter of over 30 mm) caused important damages in agriculture and properties. The hail event affected an area of 3848 ha and was caused by several multicellular systems. The aim of this paper is the analysis of the associated convective structures using the meteorological radar as well as the MM5 mesoscale model, thermodynamic data and a hailpad network. To achieve this end, the new hailstorm analysis tool RHAP (Rainfall events and Hailstorms Analysis Program) has been applied. It identifies tracks and characterises precipitation systems and convective cells, taking into account 2-D and 3-D structures. The event has also been studied with the TITAN software (Thunderstorm Identification, Tracking, Analysis and Nowcasting) in an attempt to compare both methods. Results show that the episode had a strong convective activity with CAPE values over 4000 J/kg and with hail-forming cells characterised by VIL (Vertical Integrated Liguid) exceeding 40 kg/m², VILD (VIL density) over 4 g/m³, HP (Hail Probability) of 100% and SHP (Severe Hail Probability) of over 75%. The hail cells evolved into multicellular systems that lasted between 70 and 90 min. Finally, the comparison of RHAP and TITAN has shown significant correlations between methods

Carbon and oxygen abundances from recombination lines in low-metallicity star-forming galaxies. Implications for chemical evolution

We present deep echelle spectrophotometry of the brightest emission-line knots of the star-forming galaxies He 2-10, Mkn 1271, NGC 3125, NGC 5408, POX 4, SDSS J1253-0312, Tol 1457-262, Tol 1924-416 and the HII region Hubble V in the Local Group dwarf irregular galaxy NGC 6822. The data have been taken with the Very Large Telescope Ultraviolet-Visual Echelle Spectrograph in the 3100-10420 {\AA} range. We determine electron densities and temperatures of the ionized gas from several emission-line intensity ratios for all the objects. We derive the ionic abundances of C$^{2+}$ and/or O$^{2+}$ from faint pure recombination lines (RLs) in several of the objects, permitting to derive their C/H and C/O ratios. We have explored the chemical evolution at low metallicities analysing the C/O vs. O/H, C/O vs. N/O and C/N vs. O/H relations for Galactic and extragalactic HII regions and comparing with results for halo stars and DLAs. We find that HII regions in star-forming dwarf galaxies occupy a different locus in the C/O vs. O/H diagram than those belonging to the inner discs of spiral galaxies, indicating their different chemical evolution histories, and that the bulk of C in the most metal-poor extragalactic HII regions should have the same origin than in halo stars. The comparison between the C/O ratios in HII regions and in stars of the Galactic thick and thin discs seems to give arguments to support the merging scenario for the origin of the Galactic thick disc. Finally, we find an apparent coupling between C and N enrichment at the usual metallicities determined for HII regions and that this coupling breaks in very low-metallicity objects.Comment: 27 pages, 12 figures, Accepted for publication in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Societ

Blockverse: A Cloud Blockchain-based Platform for Tracking in Affiliate Systems

Affiliate systems are a crucial piece of today’s online advertising. In affiliate systems, web traffic is directed from certain sites displaying ads to the websites of those company whose products or services are advertised. The way in which these ads are monetized is diverse and can respond to different models. In many cases, affiliates establish a cost based on impressions (displays of the ad) or on clicks. However, more intricate models are becoming widespread, such as the cost per action, where the affiliate incomes are due to the users performing certain actions in the target website. In particular, in the world of iGaming, it is frequent that affiliates charges are based on registrations, deposits or money lost on bets. In this scenario, Blockverse is a tool whose objective is to record transactions occurring in affiliate systems at large scale, using a permissioned blockchain implemented atop state-of-the-art cloud technology. Additionally, the system will be able to execute smart deals that generate income for affiliates based on the agreed conditions, and to provide real-time analytics in the context of the affiliate system

Estudio y control automático de la operación de extrusión de baldosas cerámicas

The ever-larger tile sizes demanded by the market, the higher quality requirements, and the increasingly similar installation to that of pressed products make it necessary to narrow the tolerance limits of final extruded tile size in order to maintain the product’s competitiveness. The results of this study show that, though mixing water has a great influence on drying shrinkage, it hardly affects extruded tile firing shrinkage. This indicates that control of the water added in the extrusion process is indispensable in order avoid variations in drying shrinkage and, thus, to assure good dimensional stability of the end produc

Transpiración nocturna en vid

Se presentan las medidas de transpiración media cada quince minutos, de la vid (Vitis vinifera cv. Tempranillo), en tres periodos fenológicos del cultivo: cerrado de racimo, envero y maduración. El estudio se realizó en dos plantas de 16 años de edad, a un marco de plantación de 3 m x 1,5 m, regadas mediante goteo y plantadas en un lisímetro de pesada continua monolítico de 9 m2 de superficie. Con la finalidad de poder medir la transpiración, la superficie del lisímetro fue cubierta con una lona impermeable, para evitar la pérdida de agua por evaporación, dejándose únicamente al aire libre el cultivo; de esta manera, las medidas registradas de pérdida de peso se debieron únicamente al efecto de la transpiración. Los resultados indicaron transpiración antes y después de la salida del sol, oscilando los valores de un 7% a un 16%, con respecto a la transpiración total del día.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad AGL2014- 54201-C4-4-RMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad RTA2011-00100-C05-04Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad RTA 2014-00049-C05-0