pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Life cycle assessment as a policy-support tool: the case of taxis in the city of Madrid

This paper examined the potentialities of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as instrument for policy-support. To this respect, the adoption of an initiative within the Madrid Air Quality Plan (AQP) 2011–2015 regarding the substitution of diesel taxis with hybrid, natural gas and LPG alternatives was studied. Four different scenarios were elaborated, a business-as-usual scenario (BAU), the scenario of the AQP, and two extreme-situation scenarios: all-diesel (ADI) and all-ecologic (AEC). Impacts were characterized according to the ILCD methodology, focusing especially on climate change (CC) and photochemical ozone formation (PO). SimaPro 7.3 was used as analysis and inventory-construction tool. The results indicate that the shift to ecologic alternatives reduced impacts, especially those related to CC and PO. For the complete life cycle, reductions of 13% (CC) and 25% (PO) were observed for AQP against BAU (CC:1365 GgCO2, PO:13336 MgNMVOC). Deeper reductions were observed for AEC (CC:34%, PO:59%), while ADI produced slight increases in impacts if against BAU. The analysis of the use-phase revealed that the central and highest speed zones of the city benefit from the adoption of AQP. This is especially evident in zone 7, with reductions of 16% in CC and 31% in PO respectively against BAU (CCzone1:3443 kgCO2/veh·km, POzone7:11.1 kgNMVOC/veh·km)
TITIM GIS-tool: A GIS-based decision support system for measuring the territorial impact of transport infrastructures

To achieve sustainability in the area of transport we need to view the decision-making process as a whole and consider all the most important socio-economic and environmental aspects involved. Improvements in transport infrastructures have a positive impact on regional development and significant repercussions on the economy, as well as affecting a large number of ecological processes. This article presents a DSS to assess the territorial effects of new linear transport infrastructures based on the use of GIS. The TITIM ? Transport Infrastructure Territorial Impact Measurement ? GIS tool allows these effects to be calculated by evaluating the improvement in accessibility, loss of landscape connectivity, and the impact on other local territorial variables such as landscape quality, biodiversity and land-use quality. The TITIM GIS tool assesses these variables automatically, simply by entering the required inputs, and thus avoiding the manual reiteration and execution of these multiple processes. TITIM allows researchers to use their own GIS databases as inputs, in contrast with other tools that use official or predefined maps. The TITIM GIS-tool is tested by application to six HSR projects in the Spanish Strategic Transport and Infrastructure Plan 2005?2020 (PEIT). The tool creates all 65 possible combinations of these projects, which will be the real test scenarios. For each one, the tool calculates the accessibility improvement, the landscape connectivity loss, and the impact on the landscape, biodiversity and land-use quality. The results reveal which of the HSR projects causes the greatest benefit to the transport system, any potential synergies that exist, and help define a priority for implementing the infrastructures in the pla
Characteristics of the turbulent/nonturbulent interface in boundary layers, jets and shear-free turbulence

The characteristics of turbulent/nonturbulent interfaces (TNTI) from boundary layers, jets and shear-free turbulence are compared using direct numerical simulations. The TNTI location is detected by assessing the volume of turbulent flow as function of the vorticity magnitude and is shown to be equivalent to other procedures using a scalar field. Vorticity maps show that the boundary layer contains a larger range of scales at the interface than in jets and shear-free turbulence where the change in vorticity characteristics across the TNTI is much more dramatic. The intermittency parameter shows that the extent of the intermittency region for jets and boundary layers is similar and is much bigger than in shear-free turbulence, and can be used to compute the vorticity threshold defining the TNTI location. The statistics of the vorticity jump across the TNTI exhibit the imprint of a large range of scales, from the Kolmogorov micro-scale to scales much bigger than the Taylor scale. Finally, it is shown that contrary to the classical view, the low-vorticity spots inside the jet are statistically similar to isotropic turbulence, suggesting that engulfing pockets simply do not exist in jet
Integrability of second-order Lagrangians admitting a first-order Hamiltonian formalism

Second-order  Lagrangian  densities  admitting  a  first-order  Hamiltonian  formalism\ud
are studied; namely, i) necessary and sufficient conditions for the Poincaré–Cartan\ud
form of a second-order Lagrangian on an arbitrary fibred manifold\ud
p\ud
:\ud
E\ud
→\ud
N\ud
to be\ud
projectable  onto\ud
J\ud
1\ud
E\ud
are  explicitly  determined;  ii)  for  each  of  such  Lagrangians,\ud
a first-order Hamiltonian formalism is developed and a new notion of regularity is\ud
introduced; iii) the variational problems of this class defined by regular Lagrangians\ud
areprovedtobeinvolutiv
Scaling and universality in the human voice

Speech is a distinctive complex feature of human capabilities. In order to understand the physics underlying speech production, in this work, we empirically\ud
analyse the statistics of large human speech datasets ranging several languages. We first show that during speech, the energy is unevenly released and powerlaw\ud
distributed, reporting a universal robust Gutenberg–Richter-like law in speech. We further show that such ‘earthquakes in speech’ show temporal correlations, as the interevent statistics are again power-law distributed. As this\ud
feature takes place in the intraphoneme range, we conjecture that the process responsible for this complex phenomenon is not cognitive, but it resides in\ud
the physiological (mechanical) mechanisms of speech production. Moreover, we show that these waiting time distributions are scale invariant under a renormalization\ud
group transformation, suggesting that the process of speech\ud
generation is indeed operating close to a critical point. These results are put in contrast with current paradigms in speech processing, which point towards low dimensional deterministic chaos as the origin of nonlinear traits in speech fluctuations. As these latter fluctuations are indeed the aspects that humanize synthetic speech, these findings may have an impact in future speech synthesis\ud
technologies. Results are robust and independent of the communication language or the number of speakers, pointing towards a universal pattern and yet another hint of complexity in human speech
Identifying the multidimen-sional poor in developed countries using relative thresholds: An application to Spanish data

Producción CientíficaIn order to contribute to providing a methodology to ensure objectivity and transparency
in the measurement of multidimensional poverty, this paper proposes a new threshold
for the identification of the multidimensional poor which is also applicable to each of
the dimensions of poverty, suitable for identifying the severely poor in developed
countries. This new methodology is applied to analyse the evolution of material
deprivation in Spain during the period of economic crisis, comparing the results with
those obtained using other traditional approaches.Ministerio de Economıa y Competitividad (Proyect  ECO2014-56676-C2-2-P)Ministerio de Economıa y Competitividad  (Proyect  ECO2012-32178)Comunidad de Madrid (proyect S2015/HUM-3416-DEPOPOR-CM)Comunidad de Madrid  (Proyect  S2015/HUM-3416-DEPOPOR-CM
Toluene biodegradation in an algal-bacterial airlift photobioreactor: Influence of the biomass concentration and of the presence of an organic phase

Producción CientíficaThe potential of algal-bacterial symbiosis for off-gas abatement was investigated for the first time by comparatively evaluating the performance of a bacterial (CB) and an algal-bacterial (PB) airlift bioreactors during the treatment of a 6 g m−3 toluene laden air emission. The influence of biomass concentration and of the addition of a non-aqueous phase was also investigated. A poor and fluctuating performance was recorded during the initial stages of the experiment, which was attributed to the low biomass concentration present in both reactors and to the accumulation of toxic metabolites. In this sense, an increase in the dilution rate from 0.23 to 0.45 d−1 and in biomass concentration from ∼1 to ∼5 g L−1 resulted in elimination capacities (ECs) of 300 g m−3 h−1 (corresponding to removal efficiencies ∼ 90%). Microalgae activity allowed for a reduction in the emitted CO2 and an increase in dissolved O2 concentration in the PB. However, excess biomass growth over 11 g L−1 hindered light penetration and severely decreased photosynthetic activity. The addition of silicone oil at 20% (on a volume basis) stabilized system performance, leading to dissolved O2 concentrations of 7 mg L−1 and steady ECs of 320 g m−3 h−1 in the PB. The ECs here recorded were considerably higher than those previously reported in toluene-degrading bioreactors. Finally, microbial population analysis by DGGE-sequencing demonstrated the differential specialization of the microbial community in both reactors, likely resulting in different toluene degradation pathways and metabolites production.Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Proyect CTM2015-70442-R)Junta de Castilla y León (programa de apoyo a proyectos de investigación – Ref. VA024U14 y UIC 71
Radioelectric fields from cosmic-ray air showers at large impact parameters

International audienceWe discuss electric fields generated by cosmic-ray air showers at large impact parameters b. An approximation relevant to this situation is given. The formulation makes explicit the relationship between the shower profile and the radio pulse shapes at large b, putting forward one important observational consequence, namely the decrease of the high-frequency cutoff νc∝1/b when the impact parameter increases. The approximation is also used to give a detailed comparison between two emission models, the geosynchrotron model and the transverse current model
Real time monitoring of the Bragg-peak position in ion therapy by means of single photon detection

For real-time monitoring of the longitudinal position of the Bragg-peak during an ion therapy treatment, a novel non-invasive technique has been recently proposed that exploits the detection of prompt -rays issued from nuclear fragmentation. Two series of experiments have been performed at the GANIL and GSI facilities with 95 MeV/u and 305 MeV/u 12C6+ ion beams stopped in PMMA and water phantoms. In both experiments a clear correlation was obtained between the carbon ion range and the prompt photon profile. Additionally, an extensive study has been performed to investigate whether a prompt neutron component may be correlated with the carbon ion range. No such correlation was found. The present paper demonstrates that a collimated set-up can be used to detect single photons by means of time-of-flight measurements, at those high energies typical for ion therapy. Moreover, the applicability of the technique both at cyclotron and synchrotron facilities is shown. It is concluded that the detected photon count rates provide sufficiently high statistics to allow real-time control of the longitudinal position of the Bragg-peak under clinical conditions
Transfer and breakup of light weakly-bound nuclei

We investigate the origin of the effects observed in the fusion cross section of light weakly bound nuclei, through a review of the most recent experimental and theoretical works. In particular we focus on the well-documented fusion suppression at energies just above the potential barrier. We show that, besides the couplings to the breakup process, effects due to the couplings to transfer need be taken into account. The magnitude of the cross section for the direct process, breakup or transfer, is not a reliable indicator of the size of the effects induced on the elastic scattering and fusion
Molten salts and nuclear energy production

Molten salts (fluorides or chlorides) have been taken in consideration very soon in nuclear energy production researches. This was initially due to their advantageous physical properties: good heat transfer capacity, radiation insensitivity, high boiling point, .. and they can be used in various situations: heat transfer, core coolants with solid fuels, liquid fuel in molten salt reactor, solvents for spent nuclear solid fuel in the case of pyro- reprocessing, fusion. Molten salt reactors which are one of the six innovative concepts chosen by the Generation IV international forum may be particularly interesting in the case of waste incinerators or of the thorium cycle. As the neutron balance is very tight, the possibility to quickly extract poisoning fission products is very attractive. The most important questions addressed to demonstrate the scientific feasibility of Molten Salt Reactor will be reviewed
On the characteristics of landslide tsunamis

-This review presents modelling techniques and processes that govern landslide tsunami generation, with emphasis on tsunamis induced by fully submerged landslides. The analysis focuses on a set of representative examples in simplified geometries demonstrating the main kinematic landslide parameters influencing initial tsunami amplitudes and wavelengths. Scaling relations from laboratory experiments for subaerial landslide tsunamis are also briefly reviewed. It is found that the landslide acceleration determines the initial tsunami elevation for translational landslides, while the landslide velocity is more important for impulsive events such as rapid slumps and subaerial landslides. Retrogressive effects stretch the tsunami, and in certain cases produce enlarged amplitudes due to positive interference. In an example involving a deformable landslide, it is found that the landslide deformation has only a weak influence on tsunamigenesis. However, more research is needed to determine how landslide flow processes that involve strong deformation and long run-out determine tsunami generation
Long-term survival in the randomized trial of drug treatment in mild to moderate to moderate hypertension of the Oslo study 1972–3

Dette er siste tekst-versjon av artikkelen, og den kan inneholde små forskjeller
fra forlagets pdf-versjon. Forlagets pdf-versjon finner du på
www.elsevier.com: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2015.01.013 / This is the final text version of the article, and it may contain minor differences
from the journal's pdf version. The original publication is available at
www.elsevier.com: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejim.2015.01.013Background:

In the Oslo cardiovascular study of 1972–3 a 5-year randomized trial in mild to moderate hypertension was performed. Several changes in treatment practices have been recommended since that time. We followed the mortality patterns up to 40 years.

Methods:

Invited to the Oslo study screening were 25,915 middle-aged men and 16,203 (63%) participated. Reexaminations were done to select suitable participants into the trial. Men had blood pressure 150–179/95–109 mm Hg and the active group (n = 406) was treated with thiazides, alpha-methyldopa and propranolol versus untreated controls (n = 379). Cox regression analysis was used for statistical analyses.

Results:

There was no trend towards reduction in total mortality by treatment. A nominally significant increase in risk of death at first myocardial infarction was observed in the trial treatment group across the follow-up period, HR = 1.51 (1.01–2.25); (P = 0.042). The excess risk developed rapidly during the first 15 years, but the gap between the groups diminished to a large extent during the next 15 years, but the curves stayed at a certain distance for the last 10 years. Cerebrovascular death tended to be non-significantly reduced, HR = 0.85 (0.52–1.41).

Conclusions:

Drug treatment of mild hypertensive men initiated in the 1970s did not reduce mortality at first MI or total mortality. However, during the period (late 1980s and whole 1990s), when large changes in hypertension treatment practices occurred into regimes with more use of combination therapies including metabolically neutral drugs at lower doses, beneficial effects on MI mortality could be observed.Seksjon for idrettsmedisinske fag / Department of Sports Medicin
Listen carefully: transgender voices in the workplace

We find that only 17% of FTSE 100 company websites refer directly to transgender (‘trans’) individuals, illustrating the extent to which trans voices are unheard in the workplace. We propose that these voices are missing for a number of reasons: voluntary silence to protect oneself from adverse circumstances; the subsumption of trans voices within the larger ‘LGBT’ community; assimilation, wherein many trans voices become affiliated with those of their post-transition gender; multiple trans voices arising from diversity within the transgender community; and limited access to voice mechanisms for transgender employees. We identify the negative implications of being unheard for individual trans employees, for organizational outcomes, and for business and management scholarship, and propose ways in which organizations can listen more carefully to trans voices. Finally, we introduce an agenda for future research that tests the applicability of the theoretical framework of invisible stigma disclosure to transgender individuals, and calls for new theoretical and empirical developments to identify HRM challenges and best practices for respecting trans employees and their choices to remain silent or be heard
Environmental gradients and succession patterns of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae) in an alpine glacier retreat zone

Erworben im Rahmen der Schweizer Nationallizenzen (http://www.nationallizenzen.ch)Accelerated by global warming, retreating glaciers leave behind spatially ordered moraines with underlying primary succession and disturbance. Current knowledge of primary succession comes mainly from studies of vegetation dynamics. Information about above-ground macroinvertebrates is still scarce. We used carabid beetles (Coleoptera; Carabidae) as indicator taxon to assess the effects of (1) terrain age (species turnover along the proglacial chronosequence) and (2) small-scale habitat architecture(vegetation cover, surface texture) on the carabid assembly. For this purpose, 33 sampling sites with pitfall traps were installed throughout the glacier foreland Morteratsch (Engadine, Switzerland), adjacent sparse forests serving as reference sites. With a total of 33 carabid species on the foreland and another 2 on the reference sites, the study area yielded a very high carabid species diversity compared to other glacier forelands. In general, the age of deglaciation proved to be a highly significant predictor for the carabid distribution, especially for particularly discriminant species.
Observed species richness and activity densities showed bimodal patterns with a steep increase within the first ca. 40 years, a decline between around 40-90 years, and a further increase towards the terminal moraine. There was no evidence of dispersal-stochasticity: distinct clusters of sites with similar species composition were found.
Microhabitat suitability proved to be a secondary effect, embedded in a temporal framework of primary succession. Surface cover with litter, herbs and dwarf-shrubs turned out to be the crucial habitat factors. Habitat loss as a result of climate warming will primarily affect cold-stenotopic carabids, but may potentially be absorbed by active selection for cooler microhabitats.
Causation, physics, and fit

Our ordinary causal concept seems to fit poorly with how our best physics describes the world. We think of causation as a time-asymmetric dependence relation between relatively local events. Yet fundamental physics describes the world in terms of dynamical laws that are, possible small exceptions aside, time symmetric and that relate global time slices. My goal in this paper is to show why we are successful at using local, time-asymmetric models in causal explanations despite this apparent mismatch with fundamental physics. In particular, I will argue that there is an important connection between time asymmetry and locality, namely: understanding the locality of our causal models is the key to understanding why the physical time asymmetries in our universe give rise to time asymmetry in causal explanation. My theory thus provides a unified account of why causation is local and time asymmetric and thereby enables a reply to Russell’s famous attack on causation
Behavioral evidence for left-hemisphere specialization of motor planning

Contains fulltext :
                  99849.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)Recent studies suggest that the left hemisphere is dominant for the planning of motor actions. This left-hemisphere specialization hypothesis was proposed in various lines of research, including patient studies, motor imagery studies, and studies involving neurophysiological techniques. However, most of these studies are primarily based on experiments involving right-hand-dominant participants. Here, we present the results of a behavioral study with left-hand-dominant participants, which follows up previous work in right-hand-dominant participants. In our experiment, participants grasped CD casings and replaced them in a different, pre-cued orientation. Task performance was measured by the end-state comfort effect, i.e., the anticipated degree of physical comfort associated with the posture that is planned to be adopted at movement completion. Both left- and right-handed participants showed stronger end-state comfort effects for their right hand compared to their left hand. These results lend behavioral support to the left-hemisphere-dominance motion-planning hypothesis
Assessment of maintenance strategies for railway vehicles using Petri-Nets

The density of railway traffic has been steadily increasing over past years and decades. The developments have implicated a growing need for efficient operation and maintenance of railway rolling stock systems. Also the increased operation of articulated trains has induced new challenges on maintenance organization and planning.
Selecting optimal maintenance strategies for each component does not only influence the availability of the railway vehicles but also the operational performance and the profitability of the operator. Suitable tools to analyse, compare and optimize different maintenance strategies are therefore required.
Petri nets are such a mathematical tool that and have been applied for maintenance modeling and simulations of different applications. Several types of Petri nets with different properties have been introduced. One of the recently proposed extensions of Petri nets are the Abridged Petri Nets (APN) which fulfill the specific requirements of railway rolling stock maintenance.
In this paper, we propose the application of APN in combination with the Monte-Carlo simulation for railway rolling stock maintenance evaluation. In a first step, the applicability of the APN approach was demonstrated on a theoretical case study comprising a condition based maintenance strategy for a system. In a second case study, several real application case studies were modeled and compared based on the processes and real application field data of three railway vehicle components.
The tool can be further extended by pre-defining selected strategies that be easily implemented within an overall decision support system