La deformabilidad del suelo "in situ". Un método para la interpretación conjunta de los ensayos de laboratorio y de campo

Los ensayos de laboratorio y de campo que permiten evaluar la defonnabilidad del terreno conducen generalmente a resultados poco acordes entre sí. La interpretación conjunta de los resultados de ambos tipos de ensayos es un procedimiento habitual para el establecimiento de leyes constitutivas tensióndeformación del suelo "in situ", con validez para estados tensionales variables dentro de límites determinados. El ensayo "in situ" estudiado en este caso (placa de carga) se reproduce de forma numérica utilizando un modelo de cálculo capaz de admitir la ley constitutiva establecida en el laboratorio (modelo hiperbólico) y, posteriormente, se comparan sus resultados con los del ensayo real. Para simular el ensayo de carga se ha desarrollado un modelo simplificado que permite tener en cuenta la respuesta heterogénea del suelo debida a la existencia de presiones de confinamiento variables y la no linealidad entre tensiones y deformaciones para un confinamiento dado. El modelo simplificado se ha desarrollado en lenguaje FORTRAN ("PLACAR"), consiguiéndose un programa de utilización sencilla y coste reducido. Los resultados se han contrastado con un modelo de elementos finitos. Finalmente, se incluyen dos ejemplos de aplicación práctica. En el primero la interpretación conjunta resulta eficaz y se analiza la extrapolación de los resultados a las dimensiones de las cimentaciones reales. En cambio, en el segundo ejemplo la interpretación no tiene utilidad práctica

Magnetic Domains and Surface Effects in Hollow Maghemite Nanoparticles

In the present work, we investigate the magnetic properties of ferrimagnetic and noninteracting maghemite (g-Fe2O3) hollow nanoparticles obtained by the Kirkendall effect. From the experimental characterization of their magnetic behavior, we find that polycrystalline hollow maghemite nanoparticles are characterized by low superparamagnetic-to-ferromagnetic transition temperatures, small magnetic moments, significant coercivities and irreversibility fields, and no magnetic saturation on external magnetic fields up to 5 T. These results are interpreted in terms of the microstructural parameters characterizing the maghemite shells by means of an atomistic Monte Carlo simulation of an individual spherical shell model. The model comprises strongly interacting crystallographic domains arranged in a spherical shell with random orientations and anisotropy axis. The Monte Carlo simulation allows discernment between the influence of the structure polycrystalline and its hollow geometry, while revealing the magnetic domain arrangement in the different temperature regimes.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures. In press in Phys. Rev.

On a nonlinear flux--limited equation arising in the transport of morphogens

Motivated by a mathematical model for the transport of morphogenes in biological systems, we study existence and uniqueness of entropy solutions for a mixed initial-boundary value problem associated with a nonlinear flux--limited diffusion system. From a mathematical point of view the problem behaves more as an hyperbolic system that a parabolic one

Mathematical skills in undergraduate students. A ten-year survey of a Plant Physiology course

In the health and life sciences, as well as in other scientific disciplines, problem solving depends on mathematical skills. However, significant deficiencies are commonly found in this regard in undergraduate students. In an attempt to understand the underlying causes and to improve students' performance, this paper reports a ten-year survey (2000-2010) on mathematical skills of undergraduate Spanish students enrolled in a Plant Physiology course, based on data from tests performed throughout this time period. The results show that the percentage of correct answers decreases for questions requiring some mathematical skills, particularly those needing some calculations. Interestingly, percentages of failure are similar for both types of questions. These results suggest not only the existence of weaknesses in students' mathematical competency but also a lack of self-efficacy. Additionally, although mathematical questions represented only about 14 % of all the questions and did not show higher discrimination coefficients (0.27 versus 0.29), they demonstrated to be a good predictor of the students final grade

A caricature of a singular curvature flow in the plane

We study a singular parabolic equation of the total variation type in one dimension. The problem is a simplification of the singular curvature flow. We show existence and uniqueness of weak solutions. We also prove existence of weak solutions to the semi-discretization of the problem as well as convergence of the approximating sequences. The semi-discretization shows that facets must form. For a class of initial data we are able to study in details the facet formation and interactions and their asymptotic behavior. We notice that our qualitative results may be interpreted with the help of a special composition of multivalued operators

Energy solutions to one-dimensional singular parabolic problems with BVBV data are viscosity solutions

We study one-dimensional very singular parabolic equations with periodic boundary conditions and initial data in $BV$, which is the energy space. We show existence of solutions in this energy space and then we prove that they are viscosity solutions in the sense of Giga-Giga.Comment: 15 page

Professor Buenaventura Delgado Bujalance. Looks and creative teaching

El profesor Buenaventura Delgado Bujalance desarrolló hasta su muerte una dilatada y creativa actividad como geógrafo. De ella, a modo de homenaje y reconocimiento, queremos destacar en este artículo, por una parte, su convicción de la validez del viaje como fuente de conocimiento, sustentado en la sorpresa, el atrevimiento o la empatía. Por otra, el valor del cuaderno de campo como instrumento de comprensión y trasmisión del conocimiento adquirido y como herramienta de aprendizaje y evaluación. El texto plantea, pues, en primer lugar las bases conceptuales en las que Buenaventura apoya su actividad, para después analizar sus cuadernos de campo y terminar presentando algunos resultados de la propuesta didáctica a través del viaje que, junto a él, hemos ido realizando en los últimos años