249 research outputs found
Characterisation of the electromagnetic component in ultra-high energy inclined air showers
Inclined air showers - those arriving at ground with zenith angle with
respect to the vertical theta > 60 deg - are characterised by the dominance of
the muonic component at ground which is accompanied by an electromagnetic halo
produced mainly by muon decay and muon interactions. By means of Monte Carlo
simulations we give a full characterisation of the particle densities at ground
in ultra-high energy inclined showers as a function of primary energy and mass
composition, as well as for different hadronic models assumed in the
simulations. We also investigate the effect of intrinsic shower-to-shower
fluctuations in the particle densities.Comment: 31 pages, 18 figures, accepted for publication in Astroparticle
Physic
Experimental results and modelling of humidity control strategies for greenhouses in continental and coastal settings in the Mediterranean region. II: Modelling of strategies
Strategies for humidity control —with and without heating— were evaluated via simulations performed with apreviously developed model (see accompanying paper, this issue, part I). With heating, the best strategy combined theuse of a humidity setpoint with step control of the roof window, increasing the ventilation in line with the outsidetemperature. Without heating, the best strategy again combined the use of a humidity setpoint with step control of theroof window, but required ventilation to be increased in line with the inside air temperatur
Subjective Well-Being in Higher Education: Psychometric Properties of the Satisfaction with Life and Subjective Vitality Scales in Spanish University Students
[Abstract]
Satisfaction with life (SWL) and subjective vitality (SV) are indicators of subjective well-being
and quality of life. University students are at risk of low levels of subjective well-being, and therefore it
is necessary to have properly validated tools to assess SWL and SV in this population. The aim of this
study was to test the psychometric properties of the satisfaction with life scale (SWLS) and subjective
vitality scale (SVS) in Spanish university students. Participants were 435 undergraduate students
enrolled in 50 different courses (M = 20.9 years, SD = 2.1; female students = 71.2%). Confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) was used to test the structure of the scales. Internal consistency, criterion
and discriminant validity were also evaluated. Results confirmed the 5-item model of the SWLS
(NNFI = 0.975, CFI = 0.987, RMSEA = 0.076) and the six-item model of the SVS (NNFI = 0.980,
CFI = 0.988, RMSEA = 0.102). Internal consistency was excellent in both scales. The SWLS and the
SVS were significantly associated, and students with low self-esteem showed lower SWL and SV,
indicating good criterion and discriminant validity. These findings support the use of the SWLS and
SVS for the assessment of subjective well-being in higher education context
Atmospheric deposition of inorganic nitrogen in Spanish holm oak forests measured with ion-exchange resins and conventional collectors
Atmospheric nitrogen deposition is one of the main threats for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Measurement techniques like ion-exchange resin collectors (IECs), which are less expensive and timeconsuming than conventional methods, are gaining relevance in the study of atmospheric deposition and are recommended to expand monitoring networks. In the present work, bulk and throughfall deposition of inorganic nitrogen were monitored in three different holm oak forests in Spain during two years. The results obtained with IECs were contrasted with a conventional technique using bottle collectors and with a literature review of similar studies. The performance of IECs in comparison with the conventional method was good for measuring bulk deposition of nitrate and acceptable for ammonium and total dissolved inorganic nitrogen. Mean annual bulk deposition of inorganic nitrogen ranged 3.09 e5.43 kg N ha1 according to IEC methodology, and 2.42e6.83 kg N ha1 y1 using the conventional method. Intra-annual variability of the net throughfall deposition of nitrogen measured with the conventional method revealed the existence of input pulses of nitrogen into the forest soil after dry periods, presumably originated from the washing of dry deposition accumulated in the canopy. Important methodological recommendations on the IEC method and discussed, compiled and summarized
Atmospheric pollutants in peri-urban forests of Quercus ilex : evidence of pollution abatement and threats for vegetation
Peri-urban vegetation is generally accepted as a significant remover of atmospheric pollutants, but it could also be threatened by these compounds, with origin in both urban and non-urban areas. To characterize the seasonal and geographical variation of pollutant concentrations and to improve the empirical understanding of the influence of Mediterranean broadleaf evergreen forests on air quality, four forests of Quercus ilex (three peri-urban and one remote) were monitored in different areas in Spain. Concentrations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ammonia (NH₃), nitric acid (HNO₃) and ozone (O₃) were measured during 2 years in open areas and inside the forests and aerosols (PM₁₀) were monitored in open areas during 1 year. Ozone was the only air pollutant expected to have direct phytotoxic effects on vegetation according to current thresholds for the protection of vegetation. The concentrations of N compounds were not high enough to directly affect vegetation but could be contributing through atmospheric N deposition to the eutrophization of these ecosystems. Peri-urban forests of Q. ilex showed a significant below-canopy reduction of gaseous concentrations (particularly NH₃, with a mean reduction of 29-38 %), which indicated the feasibility of these forests to provide an ecosystem service of air quality improvement. Well-designed monitoring programs are needed to further investigate air quality improvement by peri-urban ecosystems while assessing the threat that air pollution can pose to vegetation
Caracterización climática de las etapas áridas del Pleistoceno Superior en la Región Central Peninsular
Evidences from different paleoclimatic records have shown the existence of arid periods during the Upper Pleistocene and the Holocene in the central Iberian Peninsula. We present the palynological records from two aeolian deposits of central Iberian Peninsula which were developed during two of that arid periods in the Upper Pleistocene. One deposit is a clay dune, dated by OSL/TL on 22-23 ka, corresponding to the Last Glacial Maximum. The second deposit is a sand formation with massive structure and facies loess-like, dated by IRSL on I I ka, corresponding to the Younger Dryas event. Both palynological records confirm the existence of arid periods at 22-23 ka and at Ilka, showing a vegetation made up of Pinus, Juniperus and steppe-like taxa. The differences between both records indicate that the cold-and-arid climatic conditions were more intense and longer during the Last Glacial Maximum than during the Younger Dryas
Tecnologías del hidrógeno
El interés por las tecnologías del hidrógeno ha crecido en los últimos años, principalmente porque una economía basada en el hidrógeno puede dar respuesta a los grandes desafíos de la economía global del futuro: seguridad energética y cambio climático. Aprovechando este impulso, cada vez son más los países que están implementando un número creciente de políticas en favor del hidrógeno. Prueba de ello es la Estrategia Europea del Hidrógeno que establece al hidrógeno como un elemento esencial en| la descarbonización total del actual sistema energético para alcanzar el compromiso de la UE con la neutralidad de carbono en 2050. No obstante, el desarrollo exitoso de las tecnologías del hidrógeno requiere que todos los actores, incluidos los sectores público y privado, aumenten sus esfuerzos para acelerar su despliegue y hacer que su implantación a gran escala resulte competitiva. Los grupos de investigación que forman parte del área de trabajo de tecnologías del hidrógeno, dentro de la Plataforma Temática Interdisciplinar PTI Mobility 2030 del CSIC, trabajan en este sentido, desarrollando su labor en áreas tan diversas como la generación, el almacenamiento, la distribución y los usos del hidrógeno.
The interest in hydrogen technologies has grown in recent years, mainly because an economy based on hydrogen can help to solve important challenges related to the global economy of the future: energy security and climate change. Taking advantage of this momentum, more and more countries are implementing a growing number of policies related to hydrogen. Indeed, the European Hydrogen Strategy establishes hydrogen as essential drivers for the total decarbonization of the current energy system in order to achieve the Ells commitment related to carbon neutrality by 2050. However, the successful development of the hydrogen technologies requires the collaboration of the public and private sectors to accelerate its deployment and make more competitive its implementation at large-scale. The research groups that take part of the line of work dedicated to hydrogen technologies, within the CSIC Interdisciplinary Thematic Platform PTI Mobility 2030, work in this regard, developing their investigations in several important areas related to the hydrogen technologies such as hydrogen generation, storage, distribution and uses
Calibration of the Logarithmic-Periodic Dipole Antenna (LPDA) Radio Stations at the Pierre Auger Observatory using an Octocopter
An in-situ calibration of a logarithmic periodic dipole antenna with a
frequency coverage of 30 MHz to 80 MHz is performed. Such antennas are part of
a radio station system used for detection of cosmic ray induced air showers at
the Engineering Radio Array of the Pierre Auger Observatory, the so-called
Auger Engineering Radio Array (AERA). The directional and frequency
characteristics of the broadband antenna are investigated using a remotely
piloted aircraft (RPA) carrying a small transmitting antenna. The antenna
sensitivity is described by the vector effective length relating the measured
voltage with the electric-field components perpendicular to the incoming signal
direction. The horizontal and meridional components are determined with an
overall uncertainty of 7.4^{+0.9}_{-0.3} % and 10.3^{+2.8}_{-1.7} %
respectively. The measurement is used to correct a simulated response of the
frequency and directional response of the antenna. In addition, the influence
of the ground conductivity and permittivity on the antenna response is
simulated. Both have a negligible influence given the ground conditions
measured at the detector site. The overall uncertainties of the vector
effective length components result in an uncertainty of 8.8^{+2.1}_{-1.3} % in
the square root of the energy fluence for incoming signal directions with
zenith angles smaller than 60{\deg}.Comment: Published version. Updated online abstract only. Manuscript is
unchanged with respect to v2. 39 pages, 15 figures, 2 table
Multi-resolution anisotropy studies of ultrahigh-energy cosmic rays detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory
We report a multi-resolution search for anisotropies in the arrival
directions of cosmic rays detected at the Pierre Auger Observatory with local
zenith angles up to and energies in excess of 4 EeV ( eV). This search is conducted by measuring the angular power spectrum
and performing a needlet wavelet analysis in two independent energy ranges.
Both analyses are complementary since the angular power spectrum achieves a
better performance in identifying large-scale patterns while the needlet
wavelet analysis, considering the parameters used in this work, presents a
higher efficiency in detecting smaller-scale anisotropies, potentially
providing directional information on any observed anisotropies. No deviation
from isotropy is observed on any angular scale in the energy range between 4
and 8 EeV. Above 8 EeV, an indication for a dipole moment is captured; while no
other deviation from isotropy is observed for moments beyond the dipole one.
The corresponding -values obtained after accounting for searches blindly
performed at several angular scales, are in the case of
the angular power spectrum, and in the case of the needlet
analysis. While these results are consistent with previous reports making use
of the same data set, they provide extensions of the previous works through the
thorough scans of the angular scales.Comment: Published version. Added journal reference and DOI. Added Report
Numbe
A search for point sources of EeV photons
Measurements of air showers made using the hybrid technique developed with
the fluorescence and surface detectors of the Pierre Auger Observatory allow a
sensitive search for point sources of EeV photons anywhere in the exposed sky.
A multivariate analysis reduces the background of hadronic cosmic rays. The
search is sensitive to a declination band from -85{\deg} to +20{\deg}, in an
energy range from 10^17.3 eV to 10^18.5 eV. No photon point source has been
detected. An upper limit on the photon flux has been derived for every
direction. The mean value of the energy flux limit that results from this,
assuming a photon spectral index of -2, is 0.06 eV cm^-2 s^-1, and no celestial
direction exceeds 0.25 eV cm^-2 s^-1. These upper limits constrain scenarios in
which EeV cosmic ray protons are emitted by non-transient sources in the
Galaxy.Comment: 28 pages, 10 figures, accepted for publication in The Astrophysical
Journa
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