A Multicriteria Evaluation of Sustainable Riparian Revegetation with Local Fruit Trees around a Reservoir of a Hydroelectric Power Plant in Central Brazil

[Abstract] The construction of hydropower plants often requires the flooding of large land areas, causing considerable alterations in the natural environment. In the region surrounding the reservoir of the Corumbá IV hydroelectric plant, located in the Cerrado region of Central Brazil, two types of soil predominate, classified as Dystroferric Red Latosol and Dystroferric Haplic Cambisol. The plant owners have to restore the degraded biome after the flooding of the margins caused by the filling of the reservoir. An experiment was carried out with fifteen native species, selected for having ideal phytosociological properties. Nine of them showed a survivability considered satisfactory in a planting situation, with a view to large-scale planting. Assuming that the planting of native fruit trees can be a quick solution to the attraction and preservation of wildlife, it would therefore provide sustainable riparian revegetation around the reservoir. We adopted the SIMOS technique to rank the criteria based on four morphological features and a Fuzzy AHP model to rank the contributions of the nine fruit tree species to the sustainable restoration of part of the riparian vegetation cover around the reservoir. In practical terms, we concluded that the soil types did not have any influence on tree survival after two years of growth, but the native trees’ morphological features varied among the species. These findings simplify the large-scale planting of seedlings that must be carried out by the operator in the riparian forest around the reservoir.Brasil. Agência Nacional de Energia Elétrica; PD-2262-1204/2012Junta de Castilla y León; INVESTUN/19/BU/0004This research was funded by Corumbá Concessões S/A, grant number PD-2262-1204/2012, Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, grant number RTI2018-098900-B-I00, and the Regional Government of Castilla y León under the “Health and Safety Program” (INVESTUN/19/BU/0004

An assessment on the efficiency of clothing with UV protection among the Spanish Navy school students

[Abstract] Concern about the harmful effects that ultraviolet (UV) rays have on the skin of people who are routinely exposed to solar radiation has driven the industry of skin protection creams, sunglasses and clothing. Spanish Navy personnel are subject to different levels of exposure depending on their rank and function. The objective of this research is to analyze the behavioral variables associated to the effects on the skin caused by UV rays, denoted by the combined effects of perceived susceptibility and perceived severity, on their decision to purchase and wear uniforms with UV protection. A confirmatory analysis using a structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed on a sample of 100 respondents. The model results revealed a strong mediating characteristic of the intention to use, variable associated with the exogenous variables. Attitude towards the use of clothing and social influence, as well as the exogenous variable clothing action planning, on the sun protective clothing use during tactical maneuvers. These relationships were significant with p-values close to zero. However, exogenous variables related to perceived susceptibility and perceived severity in exposure to sunlight did not represent a significant influence when mediated by self-efficacy in use. The results revealed the consequence of awareness about the importance of protecting oneself and the influence that usage habits can have on the military with respect to the decision to purchase uniforms with UV protection.The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support provided by the Spanish Ministry of Science & Innovation under the I+D+i state program “Challenges Research Projects” (RTI2018-098900-B-I00) and the Regional Government of Castilla y León (INVESTUN/19/BU/004 and INVESTUN/22/BU/0001).Junta de Castilla y León; INVESTUN/19/BU/004Junta de Castilla y León; INVESTUN/22/BU/000

Design Thinking: experiencia en graos STEAM

[Resumo] Crear experiencias de aprendizaxe a través de proxectos na aula nas que os alumnos aprendan en equipo a resolver problemas complexos e desenvolvan o pensamento creativo e crítico, resulta un desafío. Design Thinking é unha metodoloxía cuxa meta é crear un deseño innovador baseado nas necesidades do usuario (User Experience). Empregando esta ferramenta, desenvolveuse na materia de Expresión Gráfica unha experiencia de deseño, modelado e impresión 3D ligada ao contexto actual de pandemia producida polo COVID-19. Nesta experiencia participaron estudantes de primeiro curso de tres graos do ámbito STEAM da Universidade de A Coruña. As actividades expuxéronse de tal maneira que se puidesen facer de forma presencial ou a distancia. A titorización e seguimento do progreso dos alumnos fíxose a través de Microsoft Teams e Moodle. Empregouse a ferramenta Taller de Moodle para a avaliación dos prototipos desenvolvidos. Os resultados da enquisa foron moi positivos. Os proxectos Design Thinking tamén tiveron un efecto positivo nas cualificacións.[Abstract] Creating learning experiences through classroom projects in which students learn as a team to solve complex problems and develop creative and critical thinking is a challenge. Design Thinking is a methodology whose goal is to create an innovative design based on the user's needs (User Experience). Using this tool, an experience of design, modeling and 3D printing linked to the current context of the pandemic produced by COVID-19 was developed in the subject of Graphic Expression. This experience involved first year students of three STEAM degrees of the University of A Coruña. The activities were planned in such a way that they could be done in person or remotely. Tutoring and monitoring of student progress was done through Microsoft Teams and Moodle. The Moodle Workshop tool was used for the evaluation of the developed prototypes. The survey results were very positive. Design Thinking projects also had a positive effect on the grades.http://hdl.handle.net/2183/2879

Search for composite and exotic fermions at LEP 2

A search for unstable heavy fermions with the DELPHI detector at LEP is reported. Sequential and non-canonical leptons, as well as excited leptons and quarks, are considered. The data analysed correspond to an integrated luminosity of about 48 pb^{-1} at an e^+e^- centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV and about 20 pb^{-1} equally shared between the centre-of-mass energies of 172 GeV and 161 GeV. The search for pair-produced new leptons establishes 95% confidence level mass limits in the region between 70 GeV/c^2 and 90 GeV/c^2, depending on the channel. The search for singly produced excited leptons and quarks establishes upper limits on the ratio of the coupling of the excited fermio

Search for charginos in e+e- interactions at sqrt(s) = 189 GeV

An update of the searches for charginos and gravitinos is presented, based on a data sample corresponding to the 158 pb^{-1} recorded by the DELPHI detector in 1998, at a centre-of-mass energy of 189 GeV. No evidence for a signal was found. The lower mass limits are 4-5 GeV/c^2 higher than those obtained at a centre-of-mass energy of 183 GeV. The (\mu,M_2) MSSM domain excluded by combining the chargino searches with neutralino searches at the Z resonance implies a limit on the mass of the lightest neutralino which, for a heavy sneutrino, is constrained to be above 31.0 GeV/c^2 for tan(beta) \geq 1.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figure

Search for lightest neutralino and stau pair production in light gravitino scenarios with stau NLSP

Promptly decaying lightest neutralinos and long-lived staus are searched for in the context of light gravitino scenarios. It is assumed that the stau is the next to lightest supersymmetric particle (NLSP) and that the lightest neutralino is the next to NLSP (NNLSP). Data collected with the Delphi detector at centre-of-mass energies from 161 to 183 \GeV are analysed. No evidence of the production of these particles is found. Hence, lower mass limits for both kinds of particles are set at 95% C.L.. The mass of gaugino-like neutralinos is found to be greater than 71.5 GeV/c^2. In the search for long-lived stau, masses less than 70.0 to 77.5 \GeVcc are excluded for gravitino masses from 10 to 150 \eVcc . Combining this search with the searches for stable heavy leptons and Minimal Supersymmetric Standard Model staus a lower limit of 68.5 \GeVcc may be set for the stau mas

Hadronization properties of b quarks compared to light quarks in e+e- -> q qbar from 183 to 200 GeV

The DELPHI detector at LEP has collected 54 pb^{-1} of data at a centre-of-mass energy around 183 GeV during 1997, 158 pb^{-1} around 189 GeV during 1998, and 187 pb^{-1} between 192 and 200 GeV during 1999. These data were used to measure the average charged particle multiplicity in e+e- -> b bbar events, _{bb}, and the difference delta_{bl} between _{bb} and the multiplicity, _{ll}, in generic light quark (u,d,s) events: delta_{bl}(183 GeV) = 4.55 +/- 1.31 (stat) +/- 0.73 (syst) delta_{bl}(189 GeV) = 4.43 +/- 0.85 (stat) +/- 0.61 (syst) delta_{bl}(200 GeV) = 3.39 +/- 0.89 (stat) +/- 1.01 (syst). This result is consistent with QCD predictions, while it is inconsistent with calculations assuming that the multiplicity accompanying the decay of a heavy quark is independent of the mass of the quark itself.Comment: 13 pages, 2 figure