Experimental Analysis of Fuel Mixing Patterns in a Fluidized Bed

The mixing pattern of a tracer particle which simulates a fuel particle is studied in a cold 2-dimensional fluidized bed with respect to the influence of fluidization velocity, bed height, tracer particle size and air-distributor pressure drop under conditions typical for bubbling fluidized bed boilers as well as the bottom region of circulating fluidized bed boilers. The results show that for all conditions studied, the tracer particle follows a flow pattern structured into horizontally-aligned vortexes

An efficient and general approach for implementing thermodynamic phase equilibria information in geophysical and geodynamic studies

We present a flexible, general, and efficient approach for implementing thermodynamic phase equilibria information (in the form of sets of physical parameters) into geophysical and geodynamic studies. The approach is based on Tensor Rank Decomposition methods, which transform the original multidimensional discrete information into a separated representation that contains significantly fewer terms, thus drastically reducing the amount of information to be stored in memory during a numerical simulation or geophysical inversion. Accordingly, the amount and resolution of the thermodynamic information that can be used in a simulation or inversion increases substantially. In addition, the method is independent of the actual software used to obtain the primary thermodynamic information, and therefore, it can be used in conjunction with any thermodynamic modeling program and/or database. Also, the errors associated with the decomposition procedure are readily controlled by the user, depending on her/his actual needs (e.g., preliminary runs versus full resolution runs). We illustrate the benefits, generality, and applicability of our approach with several examples of practical interest for both geodynamic modeling and geophysical inversion/modeling. Our results demonstrate that the proposed method is a competitive and attractive candidate for implementing thermodynamic constraints into a broad range of geophysical and geodynamic studies. MATLAB implementations of the method and examples are provided as supporting information and can be downloaded from the journal's website.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Active tectonic and sedimentary processes along the São Vicente Canyon (SW Iberian Margin): High-Resolution Imaging

Marine Technology Workshop (Martech05), 17-18 November 2005, Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona.-- 2 pages, 1 figureThe authors are grateful for funding from MCYT Acción Especial HITS (REN2000-2150-E), European Commission EASSS-III programme (HPRI-CT99-0047), European Large Scale Facility (HPRI-CT2001-00120) and Spanish National Project IMPULS (REN2003-05996MAR)Peer Reviewe

Lifetime of electronic excitations in metal nanoparticles

9 páginas, 4 figuras.-- Trabajo presentado al "6th International Meeting on Photodynamics" celebrado en La Habana (Cuba) del 1 al 5 de febrero de 2010.Electronic excitations in metal particles with sizes up to a few nanometers are shown to have a one-electron character when a laser pulse is applied off the plasmon resonance. The calculated lifetimes of these excitations are in the femtosecond timescale but their values are substantially different from those in bulk. This deviation can be explained from the large weight of the excitation wave function in the nanoparticle surface region, where dynamic screening is significantly reduced. The well-known quadratic dependence of the lifetime with the excitation energy in bulk breaks down in these finite-size systems.We acknowledge the partial support of the Basque Government, the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (grant no. 9/UPV 00206.215-13639/2001) and the Spanish MEC (grants FIS2007-66711-C02-02 and MAT2008-06843-C03-01). JAA acknowledges the financial support of Ikerbasque.Peer reviewe

Lifetime of electronic excitations in metal nanoparticles

9 páginas, 4 figuras.-- Trabajo presentado al "6th International Meeting on Photodynamics" celebrado en La Habana (Cuba) del 1 al 5 de febrero de 2010.Electronic excitations in metal particles with sizes up to a few nanometers are shown to have a one-electron character when a laser pulse is applied off the plasmon resonance. The calculated lifetimes of these excitations are in the femtosecond timescale but their values are substantially different from those in bulk. This deviation can be explained from the large weight of the excitation wave function in the nanoparticle surface region, where dynamic screening is significantly reduced. The well-known quadratic dependence of the lifetime with the excitation energy in bulk breaks down in these finite-size systems.We acknowledge the partial support of the Basque Government, the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU (grant no. 9/UPV 00206.215-13639/2001) and the Spanish MEC (grants FIS2007-66711-C02-02 and MAT2008-06843-C03-01). JAA acknowledges the financial support of Ikerbasque.Peer reviewe

Efeitos dos subsídios, controle de mercado e imposição de formação específica na qualidade de uma região turística

Certas regiões turísticas são consideradas de baixa qualidade enquanto que outras são-no de elevada qualidade condicionando os preços de todas as empresas na região em causa. A qualidade consegue-se principalmente pela contratação de trabalhadores com elevada formação específica cujos salários são mais elevados que a média. Nas regiões de baixa qualidade, como as empresas turísticas são pequenas e os preços baixos, não é lucrativo que implementem projectos de qualidade. Então nessas regiões, os trabalhadores com formação específica elevada não encontram ocupação adequada pelo que não é rentável que invistam em formação. Esta situação traduz uma armadilha de pobreza. Neste trabalho investigamos num modelo microeconómico, resolvido por simulação, qual o impacte da imposição aos trabalhadores um nível mínimo de formação específica em comparação com a atribuição de subsídios à contratação ou controlo do nível de concorrência. Concluímos que estas políticas são alternativas no procurar uma melhoria da qualidade da região turística.Certain tourist regions are considered of low quality while others are taken as high quality conditioning the prices of all the companies in the given region. The quality is obtained mainly from the act of contracting workers with high specific training whose wages are above the average. In the low quality regions, as tourist companies are small and the prices are low, is not profitable that they implement high quality projects. Then in these regions, the workers with high specific training do not find adequate occupation being not profitable to invest in training. This situation translates a ‘low quality trap’. In this work we investigate using a microeconomic model, computed by simulation, what is the effect of the imposition to workers of a minimum level of specific training relative to the attribution of hiring subsidies or controlling for of the level of competition. We conclude that these policies measures are alternative in looking for an improvement of the quality of the tourist region

Neurohormonal activation induces intracellular iron deficiency and mitochondrial dysfunction in cardiac cells

Cèl·lula cardíaca; Deficiència de ferro; Activació neurohormonalCardiac cell; Iron deficiency; Neurohormonal activationCélula cardíaca; Deficiencia de hierro; Activación neurohormonalBackground Iron deficiency (ID) is common in patients with heart failure (HF) and is associated with poor outcomes, yet its role in the pathophysiology of HF is not well-defined. We sought to determine the consequences of HF neurohormonal activation in iron homeostasis and mitochondrial function in cardiac cells. Methods HF was induced in C57BL/6 mice by using isoproterenol osmotic pumps and embryonic rat heart-derived H9c2 cells were subsequently challenged with Angiotensin II and/or Norepinephrine. The expression of several genes and proteins related to intracellular iron metabolism were assessed by Real time-PCR and immunoblotting, respectively. The intracellular iron levels were also determined. Mitochondrial function was analyzed by studying the mitochondrial membrane potential, the accumulation of radical oxygen species (ROS) and the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) production. Results Hearts from isoproterenol-stimulated mice showed a decreased in both mRNA and protein levels of iron regulatory proteins, transferrin receptor 1, ferroportin 1 and hepcidin compared to control mice. Furthermore, mitoferrin 2 and mitochondrial ferritin were also downregulated in the hearts from HF mice. Similar data regarding these key iron regulatory molecules were found in the H9c2 cells challenged with neurohormonal stimuli. Accordingly, a depletion of intracellular iron levels was found in the stimulated cells compared to non-stimulated cells, as well as in the hearts from the isoproterenol-induced HF mice. Finally, neurohormonal activation impaired mitochondrial function as indicated by the accumulation of ROS, the impaired mitochondrial membrane potential and the decrease in the ATP levels in the cardiac cells. Conclusions HF characteristic neurohormonal activation induced changes in the regulation of key molecules involved in iron homeostasis, reduced intracellular iron levels and impaired mitochondrial function. The current results suggest that iron could be involved in the pathophysiology of HF.This work was funded by the following Grants: unrestricted grant from Vifor Pharma and Basic Research Competitive Grant in Cardiology from the Spanish Society of Cardiology 2015

Cova Eirós (Galicia, Spain): The 'Finisterre' of Paleolithic cave art

Our knowledge about Paleolithic art has been changing substantially and new discoveries and dates are modifying some traditionally accepted considerations. In this context, the geographic spread and the end of this graphic-artistic cycle are two of the main topics of the current scientific debate. The discovery and study of rock art in Cova Eirós, located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, whose walls display geometric / stylized animals with linear interior fills, widens the territory of Paleolithic rock art in North Iberia beyond the traditional Franco-Cantabrian core. This find is framed in the successive discoveries made in the last 20 years that break with the perception of the Franco-Cantabrian region as being the core of the Paleolithic art. Moreover, the formal and stylistic features of some motifs from Cova Eirós allow to ascribe them to the final stages of the Paleolithic-style portable and rock art, classified as Style V or fini-Paleolithic; a pan-European tradition that began ~ 12,000–11,500 BP and lasted up to ~9,500–9,000 BP, in correspondence with the last hunter-gatherer groups.Fieldwork and research at Cova Eirós were funded by the Spanish Ministerio de Ciencia (PID2019-107480 GB-I00) and the Consellería de Cultura e Turismo da Xunta de Galicia. The Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social (IPHES) has received financial support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through the “María de Maeztu” program for Units of Excellence (CEX2019-000945-M)S

Production of small peptides and low molecular weight amino acids by subcritical water from fish meal: Effect of pressurization agent and temperature

Trabajo presentado en: 19th European meeting on Supercritical Fluids (EMSF 2023), organized by the International Society for the Advancement of Supercritical Fluids, Budapest, 21-24 may, 2023Fish meal is a by-product obtained in the marine food industry that is actually used in aquaculture and pet-food industry. It presents a high protein content as well as a valuable lipid fraction composition. The protein fraction from marine origin has a high nutritional value and a great amino acid profile. In order to improve the use of this by-product, more sustainable forms of exploiting it must be considered and the products obtained more useful.This work was supported by the AEI [grant numbers PID2019-104950RB-I00, PID2020-116716RJ-I00, TED2021-129311B-I00, PDC2022-133443-I00] and the JCyL and the ERDF [grant number BU050P20]. P. Barea predoctoral contract was funded by JCyL and the European Social Fund (ESF) by ORDEN EDU/1868/2022, de 19 de diciembre. P. Alonso-Riaño predoctoral contract was funded by JCyL and the European Social Fund (ESF) by ORDEN EDU/556/2019, de 5 de junio. R. Melgosa contract was funded by a Beatriz Galindo Research Fellowship [BG20/00182]. A. Bermejo López acknowledges the Margarita Salas grant (MARSA22/03)

Lactic acid production from biomass-derived sugars using acid or base catalysts

Póster presentado en: 19th European meeting on Supercritical Fluids (EMSF 2023), organized by the International Society for the Advancement of Supercritical Fluids, Budapest, 21-24 may, 2023Lactic acid can be produced from biomass-derived sugars, both with basic and acid catalysts, and is a stable system, as no degradation of the produced lactic acid is observed over timeThis work was supported by AEI [PID2019-104950RB-I00, PID2020-116716RJ-I00, TED2021-129311B-I00, PDC2022-133443-I00] and JCyL-ERDF [BU050P20]. ABL wants to acknowledge the Margarita Salas grant [MARSA22/03], PAR to JCyL and ESF [ORDEN EDU/556/2019] and RM the Beatriz Galindo Research Fellowship [BG20/00182]