Implosiones magnetizadas para fusión nuclear por confinamiento inercial

En este trabajo se realizaron simulaciones de implosiones cilíndricas magnetizadas para fusión por confinamiento inercial, para la reacción de deuterio y tritio. El trabajo tiene como objetivo estudiar el comportamiento del plasma, tanto macroscópica como microscópicamente, bajo los efectos de campos magnéticos aplicados de 0 a 50 T. La importancia de dicho estudio recae por tanto en la comprensión de dichos efectos, para su posterior aplicación a fin de controlar y consecuentemente optimizar las implosiones para proyectos de fusión futuros. Las simulaciones estaban basadas en experimentos previos llevados a cabo en la instalación láser OMEGA de Estados Unidos, siendo por tanto realizables en dicho laboratorio. Las simulaciones de este trabajo hacían uso de un código magnetohidrodinámico, el cual caracterizaba las implosiones en términos de magnitudes macroscópicas. Las simulaciones otorgaron datos de densidad, temperaturas iónicas y electrónicas y campo magnético para cada punto de combustible. Empleando estos datos se estudió cómo de fijado estaba en cada caso el campo magnético al plasma y el cociente entre la presión térmica y magnética. El resultado de las mismas revela una compresión del campo magnético muy considerable, llegando así el campo inicial a ser multiplicado hasta por factores de 103. Este aumento resulta en presiones magnéticas extremadamente altas para tiempos avanzados de la implosión, llegando incluso a superar la presión térmica para los casos de magnetización más extrema. A mayores, se obtuvieron los radios de Larmor electrónicos e iónicos, a fin de analizar las pérdidas energéticas y la variación de la conducción térmica en función del campo. Los radios de Larmor electrónicos resultaron ser muy bajos para todos los campos, explicando así el aumento de la temperatura debido a una baja conducción térmica. Por otra parte, los radios de Larmor iónicos tenían valores superiores, de tal forma que a campos bajos, los iones eran capaces de escapar del cilindro, aumentando así las pérdidas y disminuyendo la temperatura.Simulations of magnetized cylindrical implosions for inertial confinement fusion were ca- rried out in this work, for deuterium and tritium reaction. The objective of the work is to study the behavior of plasma, both macroscopically and microscopically, under the effects of applied magnetic fields from 0 to 50 T. The importance of this study lies therefore on the understanding of those effects, for its subsequent application in order to control and consequently optimize implosions for future fusion projects. The simulations were based on previous experiments carried out at the OMEGA laser facility in the United States, and are therefore feasible in that laboratory. The simulations of this work made use of a magnetohy- drodynamic code, which characterized the implosions in terms of macroscopic magnitudes. The simulations provided density data, ionic and electronic temperatures, and magnetic field for each of fuel points. Using these data, it was studied how fixed the magnetic field was in each case to the plasma, and the ratio between the thermal and magnetic pressures. The results reveal a large compression of the magnetic field, thus reaching the initial field to be multiplied up to factors of 103. This increase results in extremely high magnetic pressures for advanced implosion times, even exceeding thermal pressure for the most extreme magne- tization cases. In addition, the electronic and ionic Larmor radii were obtained, in order to analyze the energy losses and the variation of thermal conduction depending on the field. The electronic Larmor radii turned out to be very low for all fields, thus explaining the increase in temperature due to low thermal conduction. On the other hand, the ionic Larmor radii had higher values, in such a way that at low fields, the ions were able to escape from the cylinder, thus increasing the losses and decreasing the temperature.Departamento de Física Teórica, Atómica y ÓpticaGrado en Físic

une approche de l'économie de communion

La doctrina social de la Iglesia, desde la Rerum Novarum de León XIII (1891) hasta la Caritas in Veritate de Benedicto XVI (2009), ha propuesto un modelo de empresa basado en la libertad individual para la puesta en marcha de iniciativas empresariales conjugado con la responsabilidad social y el respeto medioambiental. De esta manera, la misión principal del empresario no consistiría en maximizar de cualquier manera el beneficio empresarial, sino en convertirse en un innovador que genera e impulsa proyectos. De manera expresa, en la encíclica Caritas in Veritate se anima al empresario a ir más allá de la lógica del beneficio, sin renunciar a él. De igual manera, se pone de manifiesto la importancia de la empresa como un valioso lugar de creatividad y de generación de puestos de trabajo, riqueza y nuevos productos y servicios. Adicionalmente, en la encíclica se señala que la gestión de la empresa debe responder no solamente al interés de sus propietarios, sino también al interés del conjunto de sujetos que se relacionan con ella (trabajadores, clientes, proveedores,…) y al interés del entorno social en el que se inserta, teniendo en cuenta la sostenibilidad ambiental de ese mismo entorno. En esta comunicación, en primer lugar, se presentarán los principios básicos sobre los que se asienta actualmente la economía de mercado. En segundo lugar, se efectuará un breve repaso de las ideas principales de la encíclica Caritas in Veritate sobre la actividad económica y empresarial. En tercer lugar, se introducirá la idea de “economía de comunión” y será analizada a la luz de la encíclica Caritas in Veritate. El artículo se cierra con un apartado de conclusiones

Extension of bilinear forms from subespaces of L1 -space

We study the extension of bilinear forms from a given subspace of an L1 -space to the whole space. Precisely, an isomorphic embedding j: E → X is said to be (linearly) 2-exact if bilinear forms on E can be (linear and continuously) extended to X through j . We present some necesary and some sufficient conditions for an embedding j: E → X to be 2-exact when X is an L1 -space

Discrete element modelling of the fresh state behavior of pervious concrete

The objective of this paper is to propose a novel numerical approach to evaluate the fresh state behavior of pervious concrete (PC). A new constitutive law applied to Discrete Element Method was developed for the simulation of the interaction between aggregates connected by fresh cement paste. Several innovative aspects regarding the type of contact model, the consideration of the contact bridge and the inclusion of the rheology coefficients were proposed. A calibration was performed with data from the literature. Furthermore, an extensive experimental program considering different shapes of aggregates, grading curves and aggregate-to-cement paste ratios was conducted to evaluate the fresh state behavior and validate the numerical models. The good fit obtained between numerical and experimental results confirm the model and the constitutive law reproduce the under uniaxial compaction, thus representing a step forward in the design and application of pervious concrete mixes.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Using Ontologies in Autonomous Robots Engineering

The construction and operation of autonomous robots is heavily based of systemic conceptualizations of the reality constituted by the robot, its controller and the environment where it performs. In this chapter we address the role that computer ontologies play in the whole life cycle—engineering and operation—of autonomous robots: from its conception and construction by human engineering teams to deployment and autonomous operation in dynamic and uncertain environments. This chapter summarizes the state of the art, gives some examples and establishes a roadmap for future activity in this domain to produce shareable ontologies that could streamline autonomous robot development and exploitation

Science and technology parks : measuring their contribution to society through social accounting

Science and Technology Parks (STPs) have made a positive contribution to regional development in the last decades. In general, the assessment of their level of performance has been based on two major variables: number of new companies and number of new jobs created. In this paper we propose the use of social accounting to measure the social value (SV) generated by STPs as an additional tool to assess the level of contribution of STPs to social development. Social accounting could be of interest for policy makers and regional governments in order to evaluate regional STPs and their social performance. In addition, in this paper we present an innovative methodology for calculating SV. Instead of using primary data to calculate SV (through interviews or consultations with individual stakeholders), we propose the use of secondary data available in open databases to measure SV. In this way, the measurement of SV for a large number of individual organizations can be achieved using a limited amount of resources. In this line, and as a seminal implementation of this methodology, we calculate the SV generated by four STPs in two different regions and countries belonging to the European Union using secondary data. Thus, the main contribution of the paper is twofold: on one hand it proposes social accounting to assess the performance of STPs through the calculation of SV, and on the other hand it implements a new methodology to calculate SV which requires the use of a lesser number of resources

Contabilidad social en organizaciones de la Economía Social: el programa ARTE aplicado al Grupo CLADE

There is a growing concern in corporations (and specifically inside social economy organizations) in order to align the interests of stakeholders and society at large with the traditional interest of corporations, focused on profits. Business schools have difficulties in adapting their curricula and pedagogical tools to help current and new generations of managers to strategically implement that alignment of interests. In this paper we propose an executive management education program (Action Research Training Experience-ARTE) as a practical tool to tackle this problem of alignment. ARTE incorporates two kinds of innovations. On one hand, the object of ARTE is to design and implement a social accounting method able to inform participating organizations about their results in financial, social and sustainability issues. On the other hand, ARTE is implemented through a non-traditional methodology: critical action learning. In the paper we analyze the theoretical framework of ARTE and we develop its practical application to seven subsidiaries of a large industrial group belonging to the social economy. The article shows the feasibility of introducing a social accounting method in a corporation belonging to the social economy able to produce information valid to understand and align the value that each organization produces with stakeholders’ interests and the wellbeing of the community where the corporation operates.Existe una preocupación creciente en las empresas (y específicamente dentro de las organizaciones de economía social) y en la sociedad sobre la necesidad de alinear los intereses de estas con los del conjunto de los partícipes sociales y el bienestar de la sociedad. Las Universidades y sus Facultades de Ciencias Empresariales están encontrando dificultades en adaptar sus curricula y herramientas pedagógicas para ayudar a la actual y futuras generaciones de gestores en la implementación estratégica de este alineamiento de intereses. En este artículo proponemos un programa de educación ejecutiva en gestión (Action Research Training Experience-ARTE) como una herramienta práctica para contribuir a este alineamiento de intereses. El programa ARTE incorpora dos tipos de innovaciones. En primer lugar, el objetivo de ARTE es diseñar e implementar un método de contabilidad social capaz de informar a las organizaciones participantes acerca de sus resultados en el ámbito financiero, social y de la sostenibilidad. En segundo lugar, el programa ARTE se implementa a través de una metodología no tradicional: aprendizaje activo y crítico (critical action learning). En el artículo analizamos el marco teórico de ARTE y desarrollamos su aplicación práctica a siete subsidiarias de un gran grupo empresarial perteneciente a la economía social. El artículo muestra la posibilidad de introducir en una empresa de economía social un método de contabilidad social capaz de producir información válida para comprender y alinear el valor que esa organización produce con los intereses de los partícipes sociales, y con el bienestar de la comunidad en la que se inserta.Escuela de Estudios CooperativosFac. de Ciencias Económicas y EmpresarialesTRUEpu

Category Theory for Autonomous Robots: The Marathon 2 Use Case

Model-based systems engineering (MBSE) is a methodology that exploits system representation during the entire system life-cycle. The use of formal models has gained momentum in robotics engineering over the past few years. Models play a crucial role in robot design; they serve as the basis for achieving holistic properties, such as functional reliability or adaptive resilience, and facilitate the automated production of modules. We propose the use of formal conceptualizations beyond the engineering phase, providing accurate models that can be leveraged at runtime. This paper explores the use of Category Theory, a mathematical framework for describing abstractions, as a formal language to produce such robot models. To showcase its practical application, we present a concrete example based on the Marathon 2 experiment. Here, we illustrate the potential of formalizing systems -- including their recovery mechanisms -- which allows engineers to design more trustworthy autonomous robots. This, in turn, enhances their dependability and performance

Quality control test for SFRC to be used in precast segments

Current methods to measure tensile strength and toughness in Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (SFRC) show a considerable scatter. That scatter makes difficult the quality control, in particular when such properties are taken into account in the evaluation of overall strength of the precast tunnel lining segments, as in the case of the Line 9 of the subway in Barcelona. In order to improve the material assessment procedure, the Double Punch Test (DPT) has been recovered for the quality control of the tension behavior of SFRC. Results of an initial feasibility research are presented, showing a significant reduction of the scatter in the values of the tension strength and in the toughness. Other advantages shown by this test are: (1) the reduced size 150x150 mm of the cylindrical specimens, compared with those used in beam test, and (2) the use of a conventional compression press controlled by displacement.Peer Reviewe

The role of shapeholders as a link between a firm and non-stakeholders: the pursuit of an economy for the common good based on stakeholder theory

Stakeholder theory may be the Archimedes lever that allows defining a possible Economy for the Common Good; however, the theory’s current level of development does not enable it to escape the criticism that considers it nothing more than shared egotism. The expansion of the concept of stakeholder, including not only groups that collaborate in the creation of value or which are actively impacted by the organisation, but also incorporating those affected by omission –non-stakeholders- would lead to the reconciliation of stakeholder theory and the common good. Nevertheless, to set it within corporate practice, besides having selfish and altruist incentives, would be of interest for the conceptual development of shapeholders, understood as the link between non-stakeholders’ interests and needs, and firms