Aberration of the Cosmic Microwave Background

The motion of the solar system barycenter with respect to the cosmic microwave background (CMB) induces a very large apparent dipole component into the CMB brightness map at the 3 mK level. In this Letter we discuss another kinematic effect of our motion through the CMB: the small shift in apparent angular positions due to the aberration of light. The aberration angles are only of order beta ~0.001, but this leads to a potentially measurable compression (expansion) of the spatial scale in the hemisphere toward (away from) our motion through the CMB. In turn, this will shift the peaks in the acoustic power spectrum of the CMB by a factor of order 1 +/- beta. For current CMB missions, and even those in the foreseeable future, this effect is small, but should be taken into account. In principle, if the acoustic peak locations were not limited by sampling noise (i.e., the cosmic variance), this effect could be used to determine the cosmic contribution to the dipole term.Comment: 3 pages, 1 figure, comments welcome. Submitted to ApJ Letter

The GRAAL high resolution BGO calorimeter and its energy calibration and monitoring system

We describe the electromagnetic calorimeter built for the GRAAL apparatus at the ESRF. Its monitoring system is presented in detail. Results from tests and the performance obtained during the first GRAAL experiments are given. The energy calibration accuracy and stability reached is a small fraction of the intrinsic detector resolution.Comment: 19 pages, 14 figures, submitted to Nuclear Instruments and Method

Planck LFI flight model feed horns

this paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jinst The Low Frequency Instrument is optically interfaced with the ESA Planck telescope through 11 corrugated feed horns each connected to the Radiometer Chain Assembly (RCA). This paper describes the design, the manufacturing and the testing of the flight model feed horns. They have been designed to optimize the LFI optical interfaces taking into account the tight mechanical requirements imposed by the Planck focal plane layout. All the eleven units have been successfully tested and integrated with the Ortho Mode transducers.Comment: This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article accepted for publication in JINST. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The definitive publisher authenticated version is available online at 10.1088/1748-0221/4/12/T1200

The effect of copper toxicity on synergisms and antagonisms between nutrients in grapevine plants

Copper (Cu) accumulation in soils can induce toxicity and nutrient imbalances in several plant species. The aim of this work was thus to evaluate the effect of Cu toxicity on two grapevine rootstocks, Fercal and 196.17, and to elucidate if intercropping with oat can alleviate grapevine Cu toxicity using hydroponic trials and rhizobox experiments. The hydroponic trial revealed that Cu-induced root exudation was correlated with genes expression (VvPEZlike); furthermore the ionome analysis revealed that both mono- and intercropped L96.t7 rootstocks display a synergistic effect on Zn and Mn in the root tissues at high Cu concentrations. An increase of Zn and Mn in roots was also reported for the intercropped FercaJ rootstock at high Cu concentrations while an antagonistic relation was observed for root Zn in the monocropped Fercal rootstock. The rhizobox experiments further confirmed these results showing a different nutrient concentration depending on the rootstock and on the soil characteristics. lndeed, Cu availability is shaped by rhizosphere processes, which depend on soil properties and/or the co-cultivation of different plant species. The soil-based experiments revealed that nutrient availability and dissolved organic carbon including root exudates differ depending on soil properties and the rootstock rather than on the cultivation system, ln particular, we did not observe any apparent competition between the two plant species in the alkaline soil; on the other hand, in the acid soil, the intercropping revealed a beneficial etfect reducing the available Cu in the rhizosphere. Our results revealed that Fercal rootstock is able to take advantage from oat, while 196.17 seems disadvantaged by the intercropping system. Yet, even though the intercropping system seems to be a valuable tool to counteract grapevine Cu toxicity, the application of this agricultural practice has shown to be species and mostly soil type dependent and should be evaluated for each rootstock

Planck Low Frequency Instrument: Beam Patterns

The Low Frequency Instrument on board the ESA Planck satellite is coupled to the Planck 1.5 meter off-axis dual reflector telescope by an array of 27 corrugated feed horns operating at 30, 44, 70, and 100 GHz. We briefly present here a detailed study of the optical interface devoted to optimize the angular resolution (10 arcmin at 100 GHz as a goal) and at the same time to minimize all the systematics coming from the sidelobes of the radiation pattern. Through optical simulations, we provide shapes, locations on the sky, angular resolutions, and polarization properties of each beam.Comment: On behalf of the Planck collaboration. 3 pages, 1 figure. Article published in the Proceedings of the 2K1BC Experimental Cosmology at millimetre wavelength

Tingkat Pencemaran Udara Co Akibat Lalu Lintas Dengan Model Prediksi Polusi Udara Skala Mikro

Pencemaran udara memberi dampak negatif bagi kesehatan manusia akibat polutan yang dikeluarkan oleh kendaraan bermotor. Dari beberapa jenis polutan yang dihasilkan, CO merupakan salah satu polutan yangpaling banyak yang dikeluarkan oleh kendaraan bermotor. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui besarnya konsentrasi CO yang dikeluarkan oleh lalu lintas kendaraan bermotor khususnya di ruas jalan Sam Ratulangi Manado. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini yaitu melalui survei dan observasi lapangan.Analisis data dilakukan dengan menggunakan pemodelan polusi udara skala mikro. Untuk menentukan persentase CO yang ditimbulkan oleh lalu lintas yaitu dengan membandingkan hasil perhitungan pemodelandengan hasil pengukuran udara ambient. Hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa besarnya konsentrasi gas CO akibat lalulintas di ruas jalan Sam Ratulangi Manado berkisar 7242.99 μg/m3 sampai 15577,07 μg/m3, belum melampaui ambang batas baku mutu udara ambient nasional. Dari jumlah polutan CO yang ada di udara, 80,22% - 92,00% berasal dari kendaraan bermotor

Planck-LFI radiometers' spectral response

The Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) is an array of pseudo-correlation radiometers on board the Planck satellite, the ESA mission dedicated to precision measurements of the Cosmic Microwave Background. The LFI covers three bands centred at 30, 44 and 70 GHz, with a goal bandwidth of 20% of the central frequency. The characterization of the broadband frequency response of each radiometer is necessary to understand and correct for systematic effects, particularly those related to foreground residuals and polarization measurements. In this paper we present the measured band shape of all the LFI channels and discuss the methods adopted for their estimation. The spectral characterization of each radiometer was obtained by combining the measured spectral response of individual units through a dedicated RF model of the LFI receiver scheme. As a consistency check, we also attempted end-to-end spectral measurements of the integrated radiometer chain in a cryogenic chamber. However, due to systematic effects in the measurement setup, only qualitative results were obtained from these tests. The measured LFI bandpasses exhibit a moderate level of ripple, compatible with the instrument scientific requirements.Comment: 16 pages, 9 figures, this paper is part of the Prelaunch status LFI papers published on JINST: http://www.iop.org/EJ/journal/-page=extra.proc5/jins

High Performances Corrugated Feed Horns for Space Applications at Millimetre Wavelengths

We report on the design, fabrication and testing of a set of high performance corrugated feed horns at 30 GHz, 70 GHz and 100 GHz, built as advanced prototypes for the Low Frequency Instrument (LFI) of the ESA Planck mission. The electromagnetic designs include linear (100 GHz) and dual shaped (30 and 70 GHz) profiles. Fabrication has been achieved by direct machining at 30 GHz, and by electro-formation at higher frequencies. The measured performances on side lobes and return loss meet the stringent Planck requirements over the large (20%) instrument bandwidth. Moreover, the advantage in terms of main lobe shape and side lobes levels of the dual profiled designs has been demonstrated.Comment: 16 pages, 7 figures, accepted for publication in Experimental Astronom

An integrated framework for clinical problem solving in agriculture.

The goal of this paper is to give an overview of a general problem-solving framework for diagnosis, investigation and treatment tasks, that incorporates concepts of abductive inference, fuzzy set logic and decision theory. In this work we focus on the use of this framework in agriculture, with an illustration in corn plantations. The general framework models time durations and intensity of manifestations as fuzzy sets, and, in the particular case of agriculture, it takes into account the favorable conditions for the development of a given disorder and the severity of its manifestations to recommend a treatment, together with other important factors such as risk and cost