Coupling constants and unification

The first part of this work gives a general background for the ideas involved in the research presented in this thesis. Coupling constants, Renor-malisation Group Equation, Grand Unified Theories (GUTs) and Super symmetry (SUSY) are briefly introduced. Following this, we analyse the unification parameters M(_GUT) and l/α(_GUT) as functions of the number of fermion families (F) and Higgs boson multiplets (S). Analytical and numerical solutions to the leading and next-to-leading order evolution equation for the couplings a, are obtained. This is done in the context of the Standard Model embedded in SU(5), SUSY SU(5) and L-R SO(IO). In all these GUTs, the first order analytical approach proves itself a useful probe to examine the structure of M(_GUT) and l/α(_GUT) in terms of the variables F and S. General trends remain the same after including second order corrections to the evolution equations. Recent precision data for the coupling constants allow more definitive conclusions to be reached. We find that restrictions on the unification parameters constrain F and S in such a way that SU(5) is ruled out by constraints on 5 (in agreement with previous results), F is severely limited in SUSY SU(5) and, unlike SUSY SU(5), an acceptable unification scenario can still be obtained when Higgs bosons are ignored in L-R SO(IO). The structures of the latter two GUTs are found to be very different although some features are common to both

SEMA4A: An ontology for emergency notification systems accessibility

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in Expert Systems with Applications. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2009 Elsevier B.V.Providing alert communication in emergency situations is vital to reduce the number of victims. Reaching this goal is challenging due to users’ diversity: people with disabilities, elderly and children, and other vulnerable groups. Notifications are critical when an emergency scenario is going to happen (e.g. a typhoon approaching) so the ability to transmit notifications to different kind of users is a crucial feature for such systems. In this work an ontology was developed by investigating different sources: accessibility guidelines, emergency response systems, communication devices and technologies, taking into account the different abilities of people to react to different alarms (e.g. mobile phone vibration as an alarm for deafblind people). We think that the proposed ontology addresses the information needs for sharing and integrating emergency notification messages over distinct emergency response information systems providing accessibility under different conditions and for different kind of users.Ministerio de Educación y Cienci

A short version of the amyloid-like protein TasA fibrillates and supports biofilm formation in Bacillus cereus

The formation of bacterial biofilms is a doable thanks to the assembly of an extracellular matrix that provides to the entire community with i) an outstanding architectonic structure and ii) protection to the cells from external aggressions. In Bacillus subtilis, a structural element dedicated to the formation of the extracellular matrix is the amyloid-like protein TasA. To form fibers, TasA needs the participation of the protein TapA. Indeed, a tapA mutant resembles phenotypically to a tasA mutant, which is wrinkle-less pellicles or colonies with no distinguishable morphological features. tasA is widely spread within the Bacillus genus, but tapA is absent in the heterogeneous group of Bacillus cereus which includes environmental and pathogenic members; some of them are responsible for important food intoxication outbreaks. Then, we asked whether TasA would still retain functionality in biofilm formation in B. cereus. Comparative genomic analysis showed a region in B. cereus containing two orthologous of tasA, tasA and calY, and the orthologous of sipW, that encodes a signal peptidase. Our mutagenic studies revealed that the entire region was relevant for biofilm formation, and electron microscopy proved the major propensity of TasA than CalY to form fibers in the cell surfaces. These findings also indicated that in B. cereus as opposed to B. subtilis, an accessory TapA protein is not necessary for the fibrillation of TasA. Indeed, the heterologous expression of this region of B. cereus restored the capacity of a B. subtilis tasA operon mutant or a single tasA mutant to form pellicles. These pellicles stained with the amyloid dye Congo Red and the cells were decorated with fibers, both findings suggestive of an amyloid-like nature of the B. cereus TasA. Intriguingly, in a B. subtilis tapA mutant, only the entire region of B. cereus fully rescued pellicle formation, fibrillation or Congo Red staining, to a lesser extent did sipw-tasA, and no restoration was observed with sipW-calY. These observations led us to speculate that TapA might cross seed the fibrillation of TasA or CalY in B. subtilis. In summary, TasA is relevant for biofilm formation in these two bacterial species, which appears to be governed by its polymerizing nature. The fact that we count with two bacterial species containing versions of TasA with subtle differences will be of great value in our studies of the mechanistic of polymerization of these bacterial amyloid-like fibers and their contribution to the assembly of the extracellular matrix.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Propuesta de recuperación de calor residual en una planta de almacenamiento refrigerado, a partir de la metodología de Análisis del Ciclo de Vida

[ES] La industria portuaria es uno de los sectores clave para el mercado global, transportando cerca del 90% de los bienes comercializados. Esta actividad no ha sido ajena a la emergencia climática, declarando como prioridades el cuidado de la calidad del aire y el consumo de energía. Dentro de las actividades del sector logístico del puerto, se encuentra el almacenamiento en frío, el cual tiene asociado una alta demanda de electricidad para su operación. Con el objetivo de reducir los impactos ambientales asociados al ciclo de vida del almacén, se aplica la metodología de análisis de ciclo de vida (ACV). Los resultados permiten contrastar escenarios en la operación, a fin de valorar propuestas que apunten a la recuperación del calor residual y reducir los impactos del ciclo de vida.[EN] Port industry is one of the key sectors for global market, transporting about 90% of goods traded. This activity has been no stranger to the climate emergency, with air quality care and energy consumption being a priority. Within the port¿s logistic activities is cold storage, which is related to a high demand for electricity for its operation. To reduce environmental impacts associated with the warehouse life cycle, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is applied. The results allow for the contrasting of operation scenarios, in order to evaluate proposals that target the recovery of waste heat and reduce life cycle impacts.Astorga Mendoza, FJ. (2021). Propuesta de recuperación de calor residual en una planta de almacenamiento refrigerado, a partir de la metodología de Análisis del Ciclo de Vida. Universitat Politècnica de València. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/174944TFG