Enlightening wellbeing in the home: the impact of natural light design on perceived happiness and sadness in residential spaces

As more people move towards work-from-home options during the COVID-19 pandemic, residential indoor environments are increasingly becoming places where we spend a large share of our time living, working and studying. While the relevance of indoor environments for our emotional wellbeing is well established, little is known about the specific aspects of residential indoor spaces that affect negative and positive emotions. This article studies the relationship between natural lighting in the home and the emotional subjective wellbeing (E-SWB) of its inhabitants. In a randomised control trial, we test the hypothesis that natural lighting improvements in housing contribute to residents' E-SWB, determining which aspects of housing daylight design are more relevant for this. A total of 750 participants took part in the experiment and rated, according to their perceived happiness or sadness, a series of 3D computer simulations representing seven types of natural lighting improvements in the home. The results show that the natural lighting conditions of housing significantly impact people's perceptions of happiness and sadness, with settings that have an increased amount of daylight entering the home leading to the greatest impacts

Health effects of increasing income for the elderly: evidence from a Chilean pension program

We estimate the effect of a permanent income increase on the health outcomes of the elderly poor. Our regression discontinuity design exploits an eligibility cut-off in a Chilean basic pension program that grants monthly payments to retirees without a contributory pension. Using administrative data we find that, four years after applying, basic pension recipients are 2.7 percentage points less likely to have died. Survey evidence suggests an increase in food consumption and visits to health centers as relevant drivers of the mortality reduction. (JEL I14, I38, J14

A Multi-Isotope Approach Reveals Seasonal Variation in the Reliance on Marine Resources, Production of Metabolic Water, and Ingestion of Seawater by Two Species of Coastal Passerine to Maintain Water Balance

Tracing how free-ranging organisms interact with their environment to maintain water balance is a difficult topic to study for logistical and methodological reasons. We use a novel combination of triple-oxygen stable isotope analyses of water extracted from plasma (δ16O, δ17O, δ18O) and bulk tissue carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes of feathers and blood to estimate the proportional contribution of marine resources, seawater, and metabolic water used by two species of unique songbirds (genus Cinclodes) to maintain their water balance in a seasonal coastal environment. We also assessed the physiological adjustments that these birds use to maintain their water balance. In agreement with previous work on these species, δ13C and δ15N data show that the coastal resident and invertivore C. nigrofumosus consumes a diet rich in marine resources, while the diet of migratory C. oustaleti shifts seasonally between marine (winter) to freshwater aquatic resources (summer). Triple-oxygen isotope analysis (Δ17O) of blood plasma, basal metabolic rate (BMR), and total evaporative water loss (TEWL) revealed that ~25% of the body water pool of both species originated from metabolic water, while the rest originated from a mix of seawater and fresh water. Δ17O measurements suggest that the contribution of metabolic water tends to increase in summer in C. nigrofumosus, which is coupled with a significant increase in BMR and TEWL. The two species had similar BMR and TEWL during the austral winter when they occur sympatrically in coastal environments. We also found a positive and significant association between the use of marine resources as measured by δ13C and δ15N values and the estimated δ18O values of ingested (pre-formed) water in both species, which indicates that Cinclodes do not directly drink seawater but rather passively ingest when consuming marine invertebrates. Finally, results obtained from physiological parameters and the isotope-based estimates of marine (food and water) resource use are consistent, supporting the use of the triple-oxygen isotopes to quantify the contribution of water sources to the total water balance of free-ranging birds

Performance of the CMS Cathode Strip Chambers with Cosmic Rays

The Cathode Strip Chambers (CSCs) constitute the primary muon tracking device in the CMS endcaps. Their performance has been evaluated using data taken during a cosmic ray run in fall 2008. Measured noise levels are low, with the number of noisy channels well below 1%. Coordinate resolution was measured for all types of chambers, and fall in the range 47 microns to 243 microns. The efficiencies for local charged track triggers, for hit and for segments reconstruction were measured, and are above 99%. The timing resolution per layer is approximately 5 ns

Performance and Operation of the CMS Electromagnetic Calorimeter

The operation and general performance of the CMS electromagnetic calorimeter using cosmic-ray muons are described. These muons were recorded after the closure of the CMS detector in late 2008. The calorimeter is made of lead tungstate crystals and the overall status of the 75848 channels corresponding to the barrel and endcap detectors is reported. The stability of crucial operational parameters, such as high voltage, temperature and electronic noise, is summarised and the performance of the light monitoring system is presented

Electrospray Ionization with High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry as a Tool for Lignomics: Lignin Mass Spectrum Deconvolution

Capability to characterize lignin, lignocellulose, and their degradation products is essential for development of new renewable feedstocks. Electrospray ionization high-resolution time-offlight mass spectrometry (ESI HR TOF MS) method was developed expanding the lignomics toolkit while targeting the simultaneous detection of low and high molecular weight (MW) lignin species. The effect of a broad range of electrolytes and various ionization conditions on ion formation and ionization effectiveness was studied using a suite of mono-, di- and triarene lignin model compounds as well as intact lignin. Contrary to the previous studies, the positive ionization mode was found to be more effective for methoxy-substituted arenes and polyphenols, i.e., species of a broadly varied MW structurally similar to the native lignin. For the first time, we report an effective formation of multiply charged species of lignin with the subsequent mass spectrum deconvolution in the presence of 100 mmol·L-1 formic acid in the positive ESI mode. The developed method enabled the detection of lignin species with an MW between 150 and 9,000 Da or higher, depending on the mass analyzer. The obtained Mn and Mw values of 1,500 and 2,500 Da, respectively, were in good agreement with those determined by gel permeation chromatography. Furthermore, the deconvoluted ESI mass spectrum was similar to that obtained with matrixassisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) TOF MS, yet featuring a higher signal-to-noise ratio. The formation of multiply charged species was confirmed with ESI ion mobility HR Q-TOF MS

The 1990 Calan/Tololo Supernova Search

We have started a search for supernovae as a collaboration between the University of Chile and the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory, with the aim of producing a moderately distant (0.01 < z <0.10) sample of Type Ia and Type II supernovae suitable for cosmological studies. The project began in mid-1990 and continues to the present. This paper reports on the Calan/Tololo discoveries in the course of 1990, and on the spectroscopic and photometric observations gathered for these objects. All of these observations were obtained with CCDs, with the extensive collaboration of visiting astronomers. Great care was exercised in the reduction of the light curves in order to properly correct for the background light of the host galaxy of each supernova. Of the four supernovae found in 1990, one proved to be a SN II-n; the remaining three were members of the Type Ia class at redshifts that ranged between z = 0.04-0.05. One of the Type Ia events, SN 1990af, was found in the elusive premaximum phase at a redshift of z = 0.0503, and was observed through maximum light. Peak magnitudes for the other two SNe Ia, which were not observed at maximum light, were derived using a χ^2^ minimization technique to fit the data with various template curves that represent a broad range of SNe Ia light curves. In future papers we will make use of these estimates in order to discuss the Hubble diagram of SNe Ia

CMS physics technical design report : Addendum on high density QCD with heavy ions

Peer reviewe

Calibration of the CMS Drift Tube Chambers and Measurement of the Drift Velocity with Cosmic Rays

Peer reviewe

CMS Data Processing Workflows during an Extended Cosmic Ray Run

Peer reviewe