Fast microwave-assisted synthesis of Li-stuffed garnets and insights into Li diffusion from muon spin spectroscopy

Lithium-stuffed garnets attract huge attention due to their outstanding potential as solid-state electrolytes for lithium batteries. However, there exists a persistent challenge in the reliable synthesis of these complex functional oxides together with a lack of complete understanding of the lithium-ion diffusion mechanisms in these important materials. Addressing these issues is critical to realizing the application of garnet materials as electrolytes in all solid-state lithium-ion batteries. In this work, a cubic phase garnet of nominal composition Li6.5Al0.25La2.92Zr2O12 is synthesized through a microwave-assisted solid-state route for the first time, reducing considerably the reaction times and heating temperatures. Lithium-ion diffusion behavior is investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and state-of-art muon spin relaxation (μSR) spectroscopy, displaying activation energies of 0.55 ± 0.03 eV and 0.19 ± 0.01 eV respectively. This difference arises from the high inter-grain resistance, which contributes to the total resistance in EIS measurements. In contrast, μSR acts as a local probe providing insights on the order of the lattice, giving an estimated value of 4.62 × 10−11 cm2 s−1 for the lithium diffusion coefficient. These results demonstrate the potential of this lithium-stuffed garnet as a solid-state electrolyte for all-solid state lithium-ion batteries, an area of growing interest in the energy storage community

Nano-alambres de dioxido de manganeso como material electroactivo en supercondensadores

III Encuentro sobre Nanociencia y Nanotecnología de Investigadores y Tecnólogos Andaluce

Nanomateriales cristalinos como electrodos en bacterías acuosas Li-ión

II Encuentro sobre nanociencia y nanotecnología de investigadores y tecnólogos de la Universidad de Córdoba. NANOUC

Septic arthritis of the knee due to Prevotella loescheii following tooth extraction

This is a case report of septic arthritis of the knee due to Prevotella loescheii, in a patient with advanced arthrosis. Two weeks beforehand he had undergone a dental root extraction without antibiotic prophylaxis. His knee had become inflamed 48 hours after extraction and he was started on ibuprofen and steroid treatment (prescribed by his primary health care doctor). With a provisional diagnosis of septic arthritis, synovial fluid was taken for study. Antimicrobial therapy was commenced with amoxicillin/clavulanic acid and the patient progressed satisfactorily. Prevotella loescheii was identified by anaerobic culture. A site of origin for the infection was never found. Joint infection is generally secondary to haematogenous dissemination of bacteria from habitual sites such as odontogenic locations. We suggest that patients with inflammatory arthropathies should be considered as candidates for antibiotic prophylaxis in oral surgery and invasive dental procedures. We suggest, in these cases, the use of antibiotic with spectrum against aerobic and anaerobic bacteria

Modelo empírico para el cálculo de los residuos generados en obras de edificiación residencial

There are numerous studies developing quantification models of construction and demolition waste (CDW) in building works. Currently, knowing the amount of CDW generated in a construction site is essential to optimize its management. Therefore, any tool, which can estimate in advance the waste generated, should be considered a strategy to propose real solutions in the field of sustainability. However, the developed models up to now, offer indicators taking into consideration only the gross floor area (GFA) of the project. In general, GFA has been widely used for CDW estimation worldwide and mainly in high density urban areas such as China or Hong Kong where dwellings are sold by GFA. However, regions such as Europe, U.S or Australia may need to consider other parameters such as the numbers of dwellings as houses are usually sold by units. Also, previous research highlight that masonry work is the main activity generating CDW. Considering this issue, the amount of waste generated during masonry works in two different projects --with the same floor area—but one designed with big surface dwellings and the other with small studios, will differ --as the latter has more brick interior partitions--. Consequently, the main aim of this research is to establish a model to estimate the waste generated, both in weight and volume, considering the GFA and the number of dwellings of the project. To do this, several construction works built in the Community of Madrid have been analyzed. The results obtained offer some formulas to know in advance the amount, both in weight and volume of the total waste that will be generated in newly built construction works. In short, the methodology developed in this paper can help to optimize and systematize the management of the CDW generated in residential construction and can help building agents in the development of CDW management Plans and Reports in agreement with the legislation in force.Existen numerosos estudios que analizan distintos modelos de cuantificación de residuos de construcción y demolición (RCD) en obras de edificación. Actualmente, es esencial conocer la cantidad de residuo generado en una obra para optimizar su gestión. Por lo tanto, cualquier herramienta que permita estimar los RCD generados en una edificación debe considerarse como una estrategia que ofrece soluciones reales en el ámbito de la sostenibilidad. Sin embargo, los modelos desarrollados hasta ahora, sólo tienen en cuenta la superficie total construida del proyecto. En general, este parámetro ha sido ampliamente utilizado para la estimación de RCD, en zonas urbanas de alta densidad, como China o Hong Kong, donde las viviendas se venden por metros cuadrados. Sin embargo, otras regiones, como Europa, Estados Unidos o Australia, deben considerar otros parámetros, como el número de viviendas ya que generalmente las viviendas se venden por unidades. Por otro lado, diversas investigaciones previas destacan que la albañilería es la actividad que más residuo genera en una obra. Teniendo en cuenta esta cuestión, la cantidad de residuo de albañilería generado en dos obras diferentes con igual superficie, pero una diseñada con grandes viviendas y la otra con pequeños estudios, diferirá pues la ejecutada con pequeños estudios generará más residuo al tener más particiones interiores. En consecuencia, el objetivo principal de esta comunicación es establecer un modelo para estimar los residuos generados, tanto en peso como en volumen, considerando la superficie total y el número de viviendas del proyecto. Para ello, se han analizado varias obras construidas en la Comunidad de Madrid. Los resultados obtenidos ofrecen dos fórmulas para estimar la cantidad, tanto en peso como volumen del RCD total generado en obras de nueva construcción. En resumen, la metodología desarrollada en esta comunicación puede ayudar a optimizar y sistematizar la gestión de los RCD generados en obras residenciales, ayudando a los agentes de la construcción en el desarrollo de los Planes y Estudios de gestión de RCD de acuerdo con la legislación vigente

Historic Landscapes of the Guadiamar River basin (Seville): Mining and metallurgy in the easternmost area of the Iberian Pyritic Belt

En este artículo se presentan los primeros resultados, incidiendo especialmente en los aspectos arqueometalúrgicos, del proyecto de investigación Los Paisajes del Guadiamar. Este proyecto se desarrolla desde el año 2010, f inanciado por la “Fundación Focus-Abengoa”, en el valle medio del río Guadiamar (centro-oeste de la provincia de Sevilla). Aunque aún no se ha con- cluido la obtención de todos los datos arqueológicos y analíticos, una valoración preliminar permite adelantar algunas conclusiones y, sobre todo, contrastar hipótesis y teorías enunciadas en anteriores trabajos de investigación.The f irst results of the research project Los Paisajes del Guadiamar are presented in this paper, paying special attention to archaeometallurgical aspects. This project has been going on since 2010, located in the mid-valley of the River Guadiamar (central-western area of the province of Seville) and backed by the “Fundación Focus-Abengoa”. Although not all the archaeo- logical and analytical data are yet available, a preliminary approach permits to put forward some conclusions and, above all, to validate or to refute hypotheses and theories proposed in previous research works

The simulation of molecular clouds formation in the Milky Way

Using 3D hydrodynamic calculations we simulate formation of molecular clouds in the Galaxy. The simulations take into account molecular hydrogen chemical kinetics, cooling and heating processes. Comprehensive gravitational potential accounts for contributions from the stellar bulge, two and four armed spiral structure, stellar disk, dark halo and takes into account self-gravitation of the gaseous component. Gas clouds in our model form in the spiral arms due to shear and wiggle instabilities and turn into molecular clouds after t\simgt 100 Myr. At the times $t\sim 100 - 300$ Myr the clouds form hierarchical structures and agglomerations with the sizes of 100 pc and greater. We analyze physical properties of the simulated clouds and find that synthetic statistical distributions like mass spectrum, "mass-size" relation and velocity dispersion are close to those observed in the Galaxy. The synthetic $l-v$ (galactic longitude - radial velocity) diagram of the simulated molecular gas distribution resembles observed one and displays a structure with appearance similar to Molecular Ring of the Galaxy. Existence of this structure in our modelling can be explained by superposition of emission from the galactic bar and the spiral arms at $\sim$3-4 kpc.Comment: 10 pages, 8 figure

World squid fisheries

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Almost Periodic and Asymptotically Almost Periodic Solutions of Liénard Equations

The aim of this paper is to study the almost periodic and asymptotically almost periodic solutions on (0,+1) of the Li´enard equation x′′ + f(x)x′ + g(x) = F(t), where F : T ! R (T = R+ or R) is an almost periodic or asymptotically almost periodic function and g : (a, b) ! R is a strictly decreasing function. We study also this problem for the vectorial Li´enard equation. We analyze this problem in the framework of general non-autonomous dynamical systems (cocycles). We apply the general results obtained in our early papers [3, 7] to prove the existence of almost periodic (almost automorphic, recurrent, pseudo recurrent) and asymptotically almost periodic (asymptotically almost automorphic, asymptotically recurrent, asymptotically pseudo recurrent) solutions of Li´enard equations (both scalar and vectorial)