Parabolic trough collectors. Fundamentals of heat transfer applied to solar thermal energy.

Solar thermal energy has undergone major development in recent years. The most widely used technologies are central receiver solar towers and parabolic trough collectors (PTC)[1]. The latter technology has great advantages due to its higher optical and thermal efficiency, but, despite being a well-proven technique, it presents certain problems inherent to the manufacturing and durability of some critical elements in the system. They are generally composed of an absorber tube surrounded by a glass cover and in the intermediate space, a vacuum is created to minimize thermal losses by convection[2]. The absorber tube is located at the focal line of a parabolic mirror that concentrates sun’s rays. To predict the thermal behavior of this type of system, ray-tracing techniques are used to determine the thermal load and accurate correlations are also needed to calculate the convective heat transfer. Also, the original design shows some problems such as the selective coating applied on the absorber surface, whose thermal performance decays with time. Besides, the metal-glass welding are also a significant weak spot, which due to the thermal expansion can cause the partial or total loss of the vacuum in the aforementioned annulus. In this work we present the results of the modeling of this type of systems in different working configurations, as well as a new design proposal to improve the thermal transfer in this type of systems.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Effects of ketosis on cocaine-induced reinstatement in male mice;

In recent years, the benefits of the ketogenic diet (KD) on different psychiatric disorders have been gaining attention, but the substance abuse field is still unexplored. Some studies have reported that palatable food can modulate the rewarding effects of cocaine, but the negative metabolic consequences rule out the recommendation of using it as a complementary treatment. Thus, the main aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the KD on cocaine conditioned place preference (CPP) during acquisition, extinction, and reinstatement. 41 OF1 male mice were employed to assess the effects of the KD on a 10 mg/kg cocaine-induced CPP. Animals were divided into three groups: SD, KD, and KD after the Post-Conditioning test. The results revealed that, while access to the KD did not block CPP acquisition, it did significantly reduce the number of sessions required to extinguish the drug-associated memories and it blocked the priming-induced reinstatement. © 2022 The Author(s

Aproximación ontosemiótica de prácticas de aula sobre la medida en educación primaria

En este trabajo se presenta un estudio exploratorio sobre prácticas de aula, relacionadas con las magnitudes longitud, tiempo y masa, llevadas a cabo en Educación Primaria en Portugal. El estudio fijó como objetivos determinar qué objetos y procesos matemáticos están implicados en esas prácticas y qué funciones ejecutan profesor y alumnos durante la realización de las mismas. Los resultados han evidenciado el predominio del conocimiento procedimental y algorítmico y el uso de situaciones extramatemáticas o de la vida cotidiana. El profesor es el gestor sistemático del trabajo de los alumnos así como de los tiempos, espacios y materiales disponibles en el aula

Surface mesoscale pico–nanoplankton patterns at the main fronts of the Alboran Sea

© 2014 Elsevier B.V. The mesoscale (10-100. km, days-weeks) plays a key role in the Ocean's ecosystem structure and dynamics. This work compares the pico-nanoplankton patterns observed in the Alboran Sea (Western Mediterranean) during three oceanographic cruises. We analyse its response to different expressions of mesoscale circulation associated with the three major hydrodynamic features in the basin; namely the Northwestern Alboran Front (NWAF, surveyed in OMEGA-1 cruise), the Almeria-Oran Front (AOF, surveyed in OMEGA-2 cruise) and the Western Alboran Gyre (WAG, surveyed in BIOMEGA cruise). The first two surveys were carried out under the most typical quasi-stationary twin gyre conditions of the Alboran Sea, whereas the third cruise was performed after an eastward migration of the WAG. The analysis of pico and nanoplankton populations was carried out using flow cytometry. The patchiness observed in the three cruises indicates an association of phytoplankton peaks with the main frontal structures: abundances were higher in the NWAF/upwelling area in OMEGA-1, at the Mediterranean side of the AOF in OMEGA-2, and at a tongue of recent Atlantic Water west of the WAG in BIOMEGA. However, a more detailed analysis reveals that different factors explain the origin of the phytoplankton biomass in each front/cruise. Mixing processes at the Strait of Gibraltar and the subsequent advection of water properties into the Western Alboran Sea were the mechanisms responsible for the abundances observed in the NWAF. The highest concentrations observed in the AOF were related to the intrusion of Mediterranean Surface Waters to the north of the front. During the migrating WAG the phytoplankton distribution was influenced by the formation of a new gyre. The relation between phytoplankton and mesoscale dynamics is further explored in terms of vertical velocity diagnosis. In all cases, intense vertical motion is negatively correlated with the abundance of phytoplankton populations. This resulted from the intense geostrophic background flow associated with large vertical velocities, which drove low residence times of water mass properties and hence a weak biological response. Fast-repeated surveys made during the OMEGA-1 and OMEGA-2 cruises reveal that the surveyed hydrographic features are subjected to significant temporal variability. In this case, the impact on the biology is most evident at taxa level.This work was partially supported by the EU funded MAST project OMEGA (MAS3-CT95-0001) and by the BIOMEGA project, funded by the Spanish Marine Science and Technology Program (REN2002-04044-C02-02). P. Leon was financed by a FPI grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education and Science (BES-2003-1032)Peer Reviewe

Estado comparativo de las masas de Pinus uncinata Ram. potencialmente protectoras frente a aludes de una zona de Andorra y Cataluña

A comparative study was carried out among stands of Pinus uncinata Ram. located, respectively, in La Massana (Andorra) and in the Catalonian Pyrenees, and give these sites an important role against snow avalanches. To check if there exist some differential attributes between Andorran and Catalonian sites, a dendrometric database was generated from sampling (Andorra) and from the information provided by the Third Forest National Inventory (Catalonian Pyrenees). As for their tendency towards uneven-aged stand structure, both geographical regions are quite similar. In fact, stand regeneration is not associated to other stocking variables, and stand stocking is not closely linked to the altitudinal gradient (which little affects mortality). However, Catalonian stands have shown less stocking and, in general, they offer worse characteristics for their protective role against avalanches compared with the Andorran stands.Se aborda el estudio comparativo entre las masas de Pinus uncinata Ram., localizadas en la parroquia La Massana de Andorra y en el Pirineo catalán, desde la perspectiva de su potencial papel protector frente a aludes. La base de datos dasométricos se obtuvo, en el primer caso, de un inventario ad hoc, y en el segundo, de la información proporcionada por el Tercer Inventario Forestal Nacional. Los resultados sugieren que las masas de ambos entornos geográficos ofrecen aspectos comunes en cuanto a que muestran tendencia hacia la irregularidad, con una regeneración no ligada a las otras variables de masa y con una espesura poco condicionada por el gradiente altitudinal y que escasamente incide en la mortalidad. Las diferencias advertidas se centran en que en las masas de Cataluña se aprecia menores niveles de espesura, aunque aparecen estructuras capitalizadas en existencias volumétricas ausentes en Andorra, y que de modo general, ofrecen peores características en cuanto a su papel protector frente al desencadenamiento de avalanchas

Mechanisms of refractive index modification during femtosecond laser writing of waveguides in alkaline lead-oxide silicate glass

3 pages, 3 figures.We report on the mechanisms responsible for the formation of optical waveguides upon femtosecond laser irradiation of an alkaline lead-oxide silicate glass. MicroRaman spectroscopy and nonlinear fluorescence were employed to probe the local glass network structure and the formation of optically active defects respectively. At low laser pulse energies, the laser modified region is formed by a single light guiding region, whereas for pulses above 14 µJ the modified region is formed by a central dark zone, which does not guide light, accompanied by light guiding zones located in the surrounding of the dark one. This behavior is different from that observed in common silica glass systems but agrees with recent results obtained in phosphate and heavy metal oxide glasses. However, our results show that, unlike the latter glass, local densification of the glass occurs in the whole laser modified region, i.e., in the dark and the guiding zones. The suppression of light guiding in the dark region is explained by a high density of absorbing color centers.This work was partially supported by CICYT (Spain) under Project No. DPI2002-00151. One of the authors (V.D.B.) acknowledges the financial support of the CSIC and the European Social Fund through an I3P Ph.D. fellowship. Another author (P.L.-A. acknowledges funding from the Spanish Government ( the Ramón y Cajal program and Grant No. TIC2003-07485).Peer reviewe

Study of hydrogen sulfide biosynthesis in synovial tissue from diabetes-associated osteoarthritis and its influence on macrophage phenotype and abundance

[Abstract] Type 2 diabetes (DB) is an independent risk factor for osteoarthritis (OA). However, the mechanisms underlying the connection between both diseases remain unclear. Synovial macrophages from OA patients with DB present a marked pro-inflammatory phenotype. Since hydrogen sulphide (H2S) has been previously described to be involved in macrophage polarization, in this study we examined H2S biosynthesis in synovial tissue from OA patients with DB, observing a reduction of H2S-synthetizing enzymes in this subset of individuals. To elucidate these findings, we detected that differentiated TPH-1 cells to macrophages exposed to high levels of glucose presented a lower expression of H2S-synthetizing enzymes and an increased inflammatory response to LPS, showing upregulated expression of markers associated with M1 phenotype (i.e., CD11c, CD86, iNOS, and IL-6) and reduced levels of those related to M2 fate (CD206 and CD163). The co-treatment of the cells with a slow-releasing H2S donor, GYY-4137, attenuated the expression of M1 markers, but failed to modulate the levels of M2 indicators. GYY-4137 also reduced HIF-1α expression and upregulated the protein levels of HO-1, suggesting their involvement in the anti-inflammatory effects of H2S induction. In addition, we observed that intraarticular administration of H2S donor attenuated synovial abundance of CD68+ cells, mainly macrophages, in an in vivo model of OA. Taken together, the findings of this study seem to reinforce the key role of H2S in the M1-like polarization of synovial macrophages associated to OA and specifically its metabolic phenotype, opening new therapeutic perspectives in the management of this pathology

Observation of surface magnons and crystalline electric field shifts in superantiferromagnetic NdCu 2 nanoparticles

An ensemble of superantiferromagnetic NdCu2 nanoparticles has been produced to perform a detailed analysis of magnetic excitations using inelastic neutron scattering. Neutron diffraction measurements indicate a mean nanoparticle size of ?D??13 nm, where the bulk commensurate antiferromagnetic structure is retained at the nanoparticle core. Magnetic measurements evidence the interaction among the magnetic moments located at the nanoparticle surface to be strong enough to establish a spin glass behavior. Specific heat analyses show a broad Schottky contribution, revealing the existence of a crystalline electric field. Inelastic neutron scattering analyses disclose that the splitting of the crystalline electric field levels associated with the Nd3+ ions, as well as the spin-wave excitations that emerged below the Néel transition (TN?6K) in polycrystalline NdCu2 are maintained in the nanoparticle state. We have been able to isolate the scattering contribution arising from the nanoparticle surface where both crystalline electric field splitting and the collective magnetic excitations are well-defined despite the symmetry breaking. Quantitative analyses of this surface scattering reveal that finite-size effects and microstrain lead to a partial inhibition of the transitions from the ground state to the first excited level, as well as a positive shift (?15%) of the energy associated to collective magnon excitations.This work has been fi nancially supported by Spain's MCIU MAT2017-83631-C3-R and RTI2018-094683-B-C52 projects and Principado de Asturias Regional Government IDI/2018/000185 project. EMJ's work was sup- ported by "Beca C. Arenal" BDNS: 406333 (Gobierno de Cantabria-U. Cantabria). MRF's work was supported by FPI (BES-2012-058722). We acknowledge L. Léon Brillouin and Institut Laue-Langevin for allocation of beam-time and resources