The laboratory calibration of a soil moisture capacitance probe in sandy soils

Determining and mitigating landslide risk is a technical-scientific objective, particularly for the protection and proper territorial management and planning. The slope stability depends on the pore pressure distribution, which is influenced by the saturation front propagation through the unsaturated zone, whose monitoring is useful to understand any possible instabilities. Such monitoring may be undertaken by sensors based on the measurement of the relative dielectric permittivity. Reliable relationships between the measurement and the soil moisture are necessary. The main objective of this study is to assess a laboratory calibration protocol for a specific capacitance sensor (Drill & Drop, Sentek Sensor Technologies). Two monogranular sands have been selected for the calibration purpose. The laboratory tests were performed under three relative density values (DR equal to 40%, 60% and 80%) for seven volumetric water content values (\u3b8v ranging from 0.00% to 36.26%). Based on the experimental measurements, the soil-specific calibration curves were determined at an assigned relative density value; in particular, a simple power law is adopted to describe the probe\u2019s reading as a function of the volumetric water content. The results point out that the relative density values slightly affect the tests, thus, the soil-specific calibration curves are derived based on a simple regression analysis fitting the whole set of the laboratory tests validated for each sand. The calculated coefficient of determination (R2 = 0.96\uf70.99) and root mean square error (RMSE = 1.4%\uf72.8%) values confirm the goodness of fit. In order to propose more general fitting curves, suitable for both the investigated sands, multiple linear regressions are performed by considering \u3b8v and the mean grain size, D50 as independent variables; again, the R2 and RMSE values equal to 0.97 and 2.41%, respectively, confirm the suitability of the calibration curve. Finally, the laboratory calibration curves are compared with the manufacturer-supplied curves, thus, enhancing the need for the soil-specific calibration

Old Stars in Young Clusters: Lithium-depleted Low-Mass Stars of the Orion Nebula Cluster*

We measured lithium in a sample of low-mass stars (~0.1-0.3 M☉) of the Orion Nebula cluster. We find evidence for significant Li depletion in four high-probability members, corresponding to nuclear ages between ~15 and 30 Myr. In two cases, there is excellent agreement between the mass and age based on models of Li burning and those derived from the H-R diagram, reinforcing our early findings. For the two other stars, the nuclear age is significantly larger than the isochronal one. Several Li-depleted stars display accretion activity, veiling, and emission lines. We discuss empirical evidence in favor of the old nuclear age and the implications on the star formation history of the Orion cluster

Microbially-enhanced composting of olive mill solid waste (wet husk): Bacterial and fungal community dynamics at industrial pilot and farm level.

Bacterial and fungal community dynamics during microbially-enhanced composting of olive mill solid waste (wet husk), used as a sole raw material, were analysed in a process carried out at industrial pilot and at farm level by the PCR-DGGE profiling of the 16 and 26S rRNA genes. The use of microbial starters enhanced the biotransformation process leading to an earlier and increased level of bacterial diversity. The bacterial community showed a change within 15 days during the first phases of composting. Without microbial starters bacterial biodiversity increased within 60 days. Moreover, the thermophilic phase was characterized by the highest bacterial biodiversity. By contrast, the biodiversity of fungal communities in the piles composted with the starters decreased during the thermophilic phase. The biodiversity of the microbial populations, along with physico-chemical traits, evolved similarly at industrial pilot and farm level, showing different maturation times

The link of biocompatibility to cytokine production

The link of biocompatibility to cytokine production. Recent studies suggest that chronic inflammation plays a role in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease. Cytokines released from jeopardized tissues stimulate the liver to synthesize acute phase proteins, including C-reactive protein (CRP). Baseline levels of CRP in apparently healthy persons or in persons with unstable angina constitute an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events. More recently, it has been suggested that CRP is useful not only as a marker of the acute phase response, but is also involved in the pathogenesis of the disease. CRP may, in fact, directly interact with the atherosclerotic vessels or ischemic myocardium by activation of the complement system, thereby promoting inflammation and thrombosis. Several studies in uremic patients have implicated CRP as a marker of malnutrition, resistance to erythropoietin, and chronic stimulation in hemodialysis. An increased cytokine production secondary to blood interaction with bioincompatible dialysis components has been reported by several studies; interleukin-1 (IL-1), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and mainly IL-6 are the three proinflammatory cytokines involved in the pathogenesis of hemodialysis-related disease. We have provided evidence for the occurrence of high CRP and IL-6 levels in chronic dialytic patients exposed to contaminate dialysate and suggest that backfiltration may induce a chronic, slowly developing inflammatory state that may be abrogated by avoiding backfiltration of contaminate dialysate. Therefore, CRP is implicated as a marker linking bioincompatibility associated with backfiltration and increased cytokine production with a clinical state of chronic inflammation

Molecular Cloud Evolution VI. Measuring cloud ages

This article has been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.In previous contributions, we have presented an analytical model describing the evolution and star formation rate (SFR) of molecular clouds (MCs) undergoing hierarchical gravitational contraction. The cloud’s evolution is characterized by an initial increase in its mass, density, SFR, and star formation efficiency (SFE), as it contracts, followed by a decrease of these quantities as newly formed massive stars begin to disrupt the cloud. The main parameter of the model is the maximum mass reached by the cloud during its evolution. Thus, specifying the instantaneous mass and some other variable completely determines the cloud’s evolutionary stage. We apply the model to interpret the observed scatter in SFEs of the cloud sample compiled by Lada et al. as an evolutionary effect so that, although clouds such as California and Orion A have similar masses, they are in very different evolutionary stages, causing their very different observed SFRs and SFEs. The model predicts that the California cloud will eventually reach a significantly larger total mass than the Orion A cloud. Next, we apply the model to derive estimated ages of the clouds since the time when approximately 25 per cent of their mass had become molecular. We find ages from ∼1.5 to 27 Myr, with the most inactive clouds being the youngest. Further predictions of the model are that clouds with very low SFEs should have massive atomic envelopes constituting the majority of their gravitational mass, and that low-mass clouds (M ∼ 103–104M⊙) end their lives with a mini-burst of star formation, reaching SFRs ∼300–500M⊙ Myr−1. By this time, they have contracted to become compact (∼1 pc) massive star-forming clumps, in general embedded within larger giant molecular clouds.Peer reviewe

POTENCIALIDADES DA APRENDIZAGEM OBSERVACIONAL PARA O ENSINO INCLUSIVO EM EDUCAÇÃO FÍSICA

Understanding how future teachers filter, select and use learned information to judge their own capacity it is important to promote more appropriate teaching preparation strategies. This study investigated self-efficacy of undergraduate students in a physical education teacher preparation program towards including students with disabilities in regular physical education classes, the source of vicarious experience, and possible associations with their progress in the major, number of courses, perceived readiness, and contribution of the training for inclusive education. Participants included 188 undergraduate students in physical education teacher education program, who responded the scale of self-efficacy towards inclusion and sources of teacher self-efficacy. Self-efficacy towards inclusion was associated with perceived readiness to teach in an inclusive setting, while vicarious experience, although related to self-efficacy, was not associated with any of the variables studied. It is considered that the development of strategies to teach physical education in an inclusive setting should occur throughout the teacher education training program. It was also understood that the vicarious experience has not yet been explored as having an educational and formative potential, especially when teaching in order to promote the inclusion of students.Comprender cómo los futuros maestros filtran, seleccionan y usan la información de aprendizaje para evaluar su capacidad es importante para promover estrategias de capacitación más apropiadas. Se investigó la autoeficacia docente de futuros profesores de educación física para incluir a los estudiantes con discapacidades en las clases escolares regulares, la fuente de la experiencia indirecta y posibles asociaciones con la progresión del curso, el número de materias y la contribución percibida del curso para educación inclusiva. Participaron 188 estudiantes universitarios en educación física, quienes respondieron a una escala de autoeficacia de inclusión y fuentes de autoeficacia docente. La autoeficacia para la inclusión se asoció con la disposición percibida para enseñar de manera inclusiva, mientras que la experiencia indirecta, aunque relacionada con la autoeficacia, no se asoció con ninguna de las variables estudiadas. Se considera que el desarrollo de estrategias para enseñar educación física de manera inclusiva debe ocurrir a lo largo de la capacitación de maestros. También se entendió que la experiencia indirecta tiene un potencial educativo y formativo poco explorado, especialmente cuando se trata de la enseñanza para promover la inclusión de los estudiantes.Compreender como futuros professores filtram, selecionam e utilizam a informação da aprendizagem para avaliar a própria capacidade, é importante para se promover estratégias formativas mais apropriadas. Este estudo investigou a autoeficácia docente de licenciandos em educação física para a inclusão de alunos com deficiência em aulas regulares na escola, a fonte da experiência vicária, e possíveis associações com a progressão no curso, número de disciplinas e percepção de preparação e de contribuição do curso para o ensino inclusivo. Participaram 188 licenciandos em educação física, que responderam a uma escala de autoeficácia para inclusão e de fontes de autoeficácia do professor. A autoeficácia para inclusão se mostrou associada à percepção de preparação para ensinar de maneira inclusiva, enquanto a experiência vicária, apesar de relacionar-se com a autoeficácia, não se associou à nenhuma das variáveis estudadas. Considera-se que o desenvolvimento de estratégias para ensinar educação física de forma inclusiva deveria ocorrer ao longo da formação professores. De outro lado, entendeu-se que a experiência vicária tem um potencial educativo e formativo ainda pouco explorado, principalmente em se tratando do ensino de maneira a promover a inclusão de alunos

The 2003 Tracker Inner Barrel Beam Test

Before starting the CMS Silicon Strip Tracker (SST) mass production, where the quality control tests can only be done on single components, an extensive collection of activities aiming at validating the tracker system functionality has been performed. In this framework, a final component prototype of the Inner Barrel part (TIB) of the SST has been assembled and tested in the INFN laboratories and then moved to CERN to check its behaviour in a 25~ns LHC-like particle beam. A set of preproduction single-sided silicon microstrip modules was mounted on a mechanical structure very similar to a sector of the third layer of the TIB and read out using a system functionally identical to the final one. In this note the system setup configuration is fully described and the results of the test, concerning both detector performance and system characteristics, are presented and discussed

Charged Particle Tracking in Real-Time Using a Full-Mesh Data Delivery Architecture and Associative Memory Techniques

We present a flexible and scalable approach to address the challenges of charged particle track reconstruction in real-time event filters (Level-1 triggers) in collider physics experiments. The method described here is based on a full-mesh architecture for data distribution and relies on the Associative Memory approach to implement a pattern recognition algorithm that quickly identifies and organizes hits associated to trajectories of particles originating from particle collisions. We describe a successful implementation of a demonstration system composed of several innovative hardware and algorithmic elements. The implementation of a full-size system relies on the assumption that an Associative Memory device with the sufficient pattern density becomes available in the future, either through a dedicated ASIC or a modern FPGA. We demonstrate excellent performance in terms of track reconstruction efficiency, purity, momentum resolution, and processing time measured with data from a simulated LHC-like tracking detector

Search for CP Violation in the Decay Z -> b (b bar) g

About three million hadronic decays of the Z collected by ALEPH in the years 1991-1994 are used to search for anomalous CP violation beyond the Standard Model in the decay Z -> b \bar{b} g. The study is performed by analyzing angular correlations between the two quarks and the gluon in three-jet events and by measuring the differential two-jet rate. No signal of CP violation is found. For the combinations of anomalous CP violating couplings, ${\hat{h}}_b = {\hat{h}}_{Ab}g_{Vb}-{\hat{h}}_{Vb}g_{Ab}$ and $h^{\ast}_b = \sqrt{\hat{h}_{Vb}^{2}+\hat{h}_{Ab}^{2}}$, limits of \hat{h}_b < 0.59$and$h^{\ast}_{b} < 3.02$ are given at 95\% CL.Comment: 8 pages, 1 postscript figure, uses here.sty, epsfig.st

The ALMA-CRISTAL survey: Widespread dust-obscured star formation in typical star-forming galaxies at z=4-6

We present the morphological parameters and global properties of dust-obscured star formation in typical star-forming galaxies at z=4-6. Among 26 galaxies composed of 20 galaxies observed by the Cycle-8 ALMA Large Program, CRISTAL, and six galaxies from archival data, we have individually detected rest-frame 158$\mu$m dust continuum emission from 19 galaxies, nine of which are reported for the first time. The derived far-infrared luminosities are in the range $\log_{10} L_{\rm IR}\,[L_{\odot}]=$10.9-12.4, an order of magnitude lower than previously detected massive dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs). The average relationship between the fraction of dust-obscured star formation ($f_{\rm obs}$) and the stellar mass is consistent with previous results at z=4-6 in a mass range of $\log_{10} M_{\ast}\,[M_{\odot}]\sim$9.5-11.0 and show potential evolution from z=6-9. The individual $f_{\rm obs}$ exhibits a significant diversity, and it shows a correlation with the spatial offset between the dust and the UV continuum, suggesting the inhomogeneous dust reddening may cause the source-to-source scatter in $f_{\rm obs}$. The effective radii of the dust emission are on average $\sim$1.5 kpc and are $\sim2$ times more extended than the rest-frame UV. The infrared surface densities of these galaxies ($\Sigma_{\rm IR}\sim2.0\times10^{10}\,L_{\odot}\,{\rm kpc}^{-2}$) are one order of magnitude lower than those of DSFGs that host compact central starbursts. On the basis of the comparable contribution of dust-obscured and dust-unobscured star formation along with their similar spatial extent, we suggest that typical star-forming galaxies at z=4-6 form stars throughout the entirety of their disks