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

Development of groundwater radon continuous monitors: Comparison between α scintillation and γ spectrometry systems

Two temporised continuous monitoring systems, designed to measure the radon concentration in natural environments, mainly groundwater, were assembled, tested and cross-check compared, evaluating the background noise, sensitivity, calibration values and soundest application in the Earth Science framework. The two systems have been customised by DINCE Laboratory, based on best-fitting criteria selected according to the ING laboratory, partially in the frame of two EC funded, Geochemical Seismic Zonation (GSZ) and Automatic Geochemical Monitoring of Volcanoes, addressed to earthquake prediction research and prototype developing, aimed to seismic and volcanic risks surveillance. Following best-fitting criteria of the radon monitoring aimed to natural risk research, both systems are operative by discrete temporised sampling of an aliquot of groundwater, with a minimal interval of six hours. During their functioning at the ENEA Centre of Frascati (Rome), the test-site chosen, both systems provided a continuous and reliable response

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

Factors Affecting Gut Microbiota of Puppies from Birth to Weaning

The review described the most important factors affecting the development of the intestinal microbiota in puppies from birth to weaning. The health and well-being of the microbiome in puppies is influenced by the type of parturition, the maternal microbiota, and the diet of the mother, directly or indirectly. The isolation of bacteria in dogs from the placenta, fetal fluids, and fetuses suggests that colonization could occur before birth, although this is still a matter of debate. Accordingly, newborn puppies could harbor bacteria that could be of maternal origin and that could influence microbial colonization later in life. However, the long-term impacts on health and the clinical significance of this transfer is not yet clear and needs to be investigated. The same maternal bacteria were found in puppies that were born vaginally and in those delivered via cesarean section. Potentially, the relationship between the type of parturition and the colonization of the microbiome will influence the occurrence of diseases, since it can modulate the gut microbiome during early life. In addition, puppies’ gut microbiota becomes progressively more similar to adult dogs at weaning, as a consequence of the transition from milk to solid food that works together with behavioral factors. A number of researches have investigated the effects of diet on the gut microbiota of dogs, revealing that dietary interference may affect the microbial composition and activity through the production of short-chain fatty acids and vitamins. These compounds play a fundamental role during the development of the fetus and the initial growth of the puppy. The composition of the diet fed during pregnancy to the bitches is also an important factor to consider for the health of newborns. As far as it is known, the effects of the type of parturition, the maternal microbiota, and the diet on the microbial colonization and the long-term health of the dogs deserve further studies. Definitely, longitudinal studies with a larger number of dogs will be required to assess a causal link between microbiome composition in puppies and diseases in adult dogs

Uma abordagem nebulosa para solução de problemas de diagnóstico, investigação e tratamento de desordens.

Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar uma abordagem integrada para diagnóstico, investigação e tratamentos de desordens (doenças, falhas de computadores, etc.). Nesta nova abordagem, denominada Teoria das Coberturas Nebulosas (TCN), o conhecimento é basicamente modelado através de associações causais e a inferência é abdutiva. Conceitos de Parsimonious Covering Theory (PCT), lógica nebulosa e teoria de decisão são também integrados, de maneira a tratar os vários aspectos inerentes aos processos envolvidos em raciocínio clínico. Por exemplo, a possibilidade de diversas desordens estarem conjuntamente causando um conjunto de manifestações, a manipulação de informações temporais, a consideração de condições favoráveis ao desenvolvimento de uma desordem, a incapacidade do especialista em oferecer conhecimento generalizado desprovido de incerteza e/ou imprecisão, a manipulação de fatores cruciais na tomada de decisão nas tarefas de investigação e tratamento como o custo e o risco são alguns dos aspectos abordados neste trabalho. A validação do modelo teórico foi realizada em fitopatologia, abordando especificamente a diagnose, investigação e tratamento de doenças de milho. Entretanto, devido a sua generalidade, espera-se que os desenvolvimentos teóricos obtidos possam ser aplicados para resolver problemas de diagnóstico em outras áreas de conhecimento.bitstream/CNPTIA/10820/1/bp12.pdfAcesso em: 28 maio 2008

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

ANALISIS ISI PESAN NILAI KEMANUSIAAN DALAM FILM BULAN TERBELAH DI LANGIT AMERIKA

Film merupakan karya estetika dan alat informasi yang memiliki sifat penghibur dan sarana edukasi bagi penikmatnya. Film Bulan Terbelah Di Langit Amerika memberikan nuansa baru pada industri perfilman di Indonesia. Film ini membahas kehidupan masyarakat dunia Barat Amerika serikat yang anti terhadap ajaran Islam. Film drama religius ini, memuat tentang pesan kemanusiaan yang disampaikan oleh para pemainnya. Film ini mengambil background tragedi runtuhnya World Trade Center (WTC) di New York pada 11 September 2001. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian kuantitatif berbasis analisis isi deskriptif, data berupa scene atau dialog dengan alat ukur lembar coding untuk mencatat pesan pada film Bulan Terbelah Di Langit Amerika. Pesan-pesan dan frekuensi nilai kemanusiaan menjadi fokus pembahasan dalam penelitian. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan pesan yang paling dominan adalah saling tolong menolong dengan jumlah 16 scene dan jumlah presentase sebesar 35,56 %. selanjutnya kasih sayang dengan jumlah 9 scene dan jumlah presentase sebesar 20 %. saling menghormati dengan jumlah 5 scene dan jumlah presentase sebesar 11,11 %. keadilan dengan jumlah 5 scene dan jumlah presentase sebesar 11,11%. bersikap sabar dengan jumlah 5 scene dan jumlah presentase sebesar 11,11 %. toleransi dengan jumlah 4 scene dan jumlah presentase sebesar 8,89 %. dan terakhir menepati janji dengan jumlah 1 scene dan jumlah presentase sebesar 2,22 %. Kata Kunci : Analisis Isi, Pesan Nilai Kemanusiaan, Film Bulan Terbelah Di Langit Amerika

The Dual Role of the Pervasive "Fattish" Tissue Remodeling With Age

Human aging is characterized by dramatic changes in body mass composition that include a general increase of the total fat mass. Within the fat mass, a change in the proportions of adipose tissues also occurs with aging, affecting body metabolism, and playing a central role in many chronic diseases, including insulin resistance, obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and type II diabetes. In mammals, fat accumulates as white (WAT) and brown (BAT) adipose tissue, which differ both in morphology and function. While WAT is involved in lipid storage and immuno-endocrine responses, BAT is aimed at generating heat. With advancing age BAT declines, while WAT increases reaching the maximum peak by early old age and changes its distribution toward a higher proportion of visceral WAT. However, lipids tend to accumulate also within lipid droplets (LDs) in non-adipose tissues, including muscle, liver, and heart. The excess of such ectopic lipid deposition and the alteration of LD homeostasis contribute to the pathogenesis of the above-mentioned age-related diseases. It is not clear why age-associated tissue remodeling seems to lean toward lipid deposition as a "default program." However, it can be noted that such remodeling is not inevitably detrimental. In fact, such a programmed redistribution of fat throughout life could be considered physiological and even protective, in particular at extreme old age. In this regard, it has to be considered that an excessive decrease of subcutaneous peripheral fat is associated with a pro-inflammatory status, and a decrease of LD is associated with lipotoxicity leading to an increased risk of insulin resistance, type II diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. At variance, a balanced rate of fat content and distribution has beneficial effects for health and metabolic homeostasis, positively affecting longevity. In this review, we will summarize the present knowledge on the mechanisms of the age-related changes in lipid distribution and we will discuss how fat mass negatively or positively impacts on human health and longevity