Optimización de modelos en elementos finitos de los maniquíes Hybrid-III percentiles 50% y 95% para su aplicación en transporte ferroviario

En este artículo se presenta la metodología seguida para el desarrollo de los modelos matemáticos de los maniquíes Hybrid-III 50% y 95%, los cuales son capaces de predecir correctamente los criterios de lesión asociados a cada región del cuerpo. Como aplicación práctica de los modelos, se evalúa la seguridad de butacas de tren mediante técnicas de simulación. En primer lugar se han desarrollado los modelos a través de su geometría tridimensional. También han sido asignados los diferentes materiales y propiedades de cada parte de los maniquíes. Posteriormente se ha seguido un proceso de optimización y de mejora que incluye la verificación y validación de los maniquíes virtuales. Dicha validación se realiza a partir de los maniquíes físicos y de los datos experimentales que posee el Laboratorio de Seguridad Pasiva (LSP) del INSIA de la UPM, utilizando los maniquíes en varias configuraciones. Finalmente, se realiza el proceso de optimización de estos modelos virtuales para que representen lo más fielmente posible la realidad, que su comportamiento sea preciso y que el tiempo de cálculo o coste computacional sea el menor posible. Una vez creados los modelos en elementos finitos de ambos maniquíes, se emplean para analizar la seguridad de las butacas de tren mediante la simulación de los ensayos dinámicos que se describen en la norma GM/RT2100. Esta norma exige dos configuraciones de ensayo para evaluar la seguridad de las butacas. La primera configuración sirve para evaluar la resistencia y la integridad estructural de la butaca y sus anclajes mediante el uso de dos maniquíes Hybrid-III 95%. La segunda configuración se utiliza para evaluar la protección que las butacas ofrecen al ocupante mediante el uso de un maniquí Hybrid-III 50% instrumentado. En ambas configuraciones se realizan impactos en sentido de la marcha y en el sentido contrario y se compran los valores registrados en los maniquíes tanto en los ensayos reales como en las simulaciones matemáticas

En las Bodas de Oro del SENA los Servicios Tecnológicos y la Transferencia de Conocimientos, evolucionan con proyección

Este artículo es un informe Especial de la reseña histórica del Centro Nacional de Asistencia Técnica a la industria ASTIN

Influence of biomass on metallurgical coke quality

Two industrial coal blends used in coke making were subjected to tests in order to assess the influence of waste sawdust (SC2 from chestnut and SP1 from pine) on the quality of the coke produced. The biomass was added in quantities of up to 5 wt.%. It was observed that biomass produced a substantial decrease in the plastic properties of the industrial coal blend, with reductions in Gieseler maximum fluidity of around 50% for 3 wt.% additions of the two different sawdusts. Carbonizations with sawdust additions ranging from 0.75 to 5 wt.% were carried out in a movable wall oven of 17 kg capacity. The bulk density of the charge was observed to decrease with increasing amounts of sawdust with negative consequences on the quality of the cokes produced. Mechanical strength was determined by means of the JIS test. Coke reactivity and post-reaction strength (CRI/CSR indices) were also assessed. The amount of sawdust added was low to prevent any deterioration in coke quality. The advantage of using biomass in coking blends should be seen as a possible way to reduce costs and CO2 emissions and to incorporate alternative raw materials in coke production.The authors are grateful to the Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) for financial support (Project RFCR-CT-2010-00007). M.G.M. thanks the Government of the Principado de Asturias for the award of a predoctoral grant with funds from the PCTI-Asturias within the Severo Ochoa program. Comments by anonymous reviewers on a previous version of this paper are acknowledged.Peer reviewe

Multidisciplinary assessment of the agricultural supply of desalinated seawater in south-eastern Spain

Desalinated seawater (DSW) has provided a steady supply of agricultural water for the last decade in south-eastern (SE) Spain, overcoming climatological and hydrological constraints. This article analyses the impacts of the progressive replacement of traditional irrigation water resources with DSW on the main crops of SE Spain, from agronomic, environmental, and economic perspectives, for the first time. The regional magnitude and spatial variability of these impacts have also been evaluated. To that end, six impact indicators were identified and calculated for three water supply scenarios using increasing proportions of DSW, which is representative of the current and possible future situations. The results reflect the high variability of the impact indicators for the different crops. The agronomic impact is favourable but the benefits of reducing water salinity become saturated when DSW exceeds 50 %. The detrimental environmental impact is due to the higher specific energy consumption associated with increased DSW supply, although this is not an intrinsic problem of seawater desalination since it could be mitigated using renewable energies. The economic impact is very sensitive to the cost of DSW and offers heterogeneous results for the different crops. The results show that the combined use of DSW with traditional resources is the most efficient option from the different perspectives of the study, rather than irrigating with DSW alone. The insights from this study could be useful for the assessment of the feasibility of integrating DSW to support agriculture in other regions where desalination plants are being considered to support the water supply.This work is a result of a internship funded by the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia through the Fundación Séneca - Agencia de Ciencia y Tecnología de la Región de Murcia (Seneca Foundation - Agency for Science and Technology in the Region of Murcia) and European programme NextGenerationEU. The research was also funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, project SEA4CROP (PID2020-118492RA-C22). Imbernón-Mulero acknowledges the financial support for his PhD work from the project SEA4CROP and the predoctoral programme of the Technical University of Cartagena (RV-484/21, UPCT, Spain). B. Gallego-Elvira acknowledges the support from the Spanish Ministry of Universities (‘Beatriz Galindo’ Fellowship BEAGAL18/00081). The financial support of Catedra Trasvase y Sostenibilidad – Jose Manuel Claver Valderas and the Autonomous Community of Murcia Region is also acknowledged

Role of Nutrient and Energy Sensors in the Development of Type 2 Diabetes

Cell survival depends on the constant challenge to match energy demands with nutrient availability. This process is mediated through a highly conserved network of metabolic fuel sensors that orchestrate both a cellular and whole-body energy balance. A mismatch between cellular energy demand and nutrient availability is a key factor in the development of type 2 diabetes, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and other associated pathologies; thus, understanding the fundamental mechanisms by which cells detect nutrient availability and energy demand may lead to the development of new treatments. This chapter reviews the role of the sensor PASK (protein kinase with PAS domain), analyzing its role in the mechanisms of adaptation to nutrient availability and the metabolic response in different organs (liver, hypothalamus) actively cooperating to control food intake, maintain glycaemia homeostasis, and prevent insulin resistance and weight gain

Diseño de mecanismos de línea recta mediante software de Geometría dinámica.

Durante siglos, las máquinas se han utilizado para reemplazar el trabajo humano y la sociedad moderna las ha sustituido asimismo por robots, ampliamente utilizados en ámbitos como la medicina, la agricultura y la industria. Algunas máquinas requieren dispositivos que deben realizar ciertos movimientos, como los citados robots que necesitan describir una ruta precisa para realizar tareas específicas. En los siglos XVIII y XIX, el mayor problema práctico fue obtener curvas de acoplador de línea recta, como fue el caso del ingeniero James Watt, que necesitó un mecanismo con una salida de línea recta aproximada para mejorar su motor de vapor. Muchos mecanismos jugaron un papel clave en la revolución industrial y desde entonces, la generación de trayectorias de línea recta, exacta o aproximada ha sido largamente estudiada y clasificada. En este trabajo se presentan simulaciones de los principales mecanismos de línea recta o aproximadamente recta, creados por los autores con el software de geometría dinámica GeoGebra, accesible gratuitamente en internet. Estas simulaciones están disponibles para cualquier usuario que acceda a la web de GeoGebra, pudiéndose verificar en todas que un punto del mecanismo describe una línea recta o aproximadamente recta. Este software es asimismo utilizable en el aula por los profesores para la enseñanza de diversas materias, ya que en los últimos años han percibido que existe una dificultad por parte del alumnado para entender el movimiento de diversos cuerpos y máquinas, entre otros.

Acute and long-term exercise differently modulate plasma levels of oxylipins, endocannabinoids, and their analogues in young sedentary adults: A sub-study and secondary analyses from the ACTIBATE randomized controlled-trial

Background Fatty acid-derived lipid mediators including oxylipins, endocannabinoids (eCBs), and their analogues, have emerged as key metabolites in the inflammatory and immune response to physiological stressors. Methods This report was based on a sub-study and secondary analyses the ACTIBATE single-center unblinded randomized controlled trial (ClinicalTrials.gov ID: NCT02365129). The study was performed in the Sport and Health University Research Institute and the Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital of the University of Granada. Eligible participants were young, sedentary adults with no chronic diseases. Here, we performed both an acute endurance and resistance exercise sub-studies (n = 14 and 17 respectively), and a 24-week supervised exercise intervention, combining endurance and resistance exercise training at moderate-intensity (MOD-EX) or vigorous-intensity (VIG-EX) exercise groups, in young sedentary adults. Randomization was performed by unrestricted randomization. Plasma levels of oxylipins, eCBs, and their analogues were measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Findings Both endurance and resistance exercise increased by +50% the plasma levels of dihomo-γ-linolenic acid and arachidonic acid (AA) omega-6 derived oxylipins, as well as eicosapentaenoic acid and docosahexaenoic acid omega-3 derived after 3 and 120 min of the bout of exercise (all η2 ≥ 0.219 and P ≤ 0.039). These exercise modalities also increased the levels of anandamide and eCBs analogues (+25%). 145 young sedentary adults were assigned to a control (CON, n = 54), a MOD-EX (n = 48) or a VIG-EX (n = 43). 102 participants were included in the final longterm analyses (CON, n = 36; MOD-EX, n = 33; and VIG-EX, n = 33) of the trial. After 24-week of supervised exercise, MOD-EX decreased plasma levels of omega-6 oxylipins, concretely linoleic acid (LA) and adrenic acid derived oxylipins, and the eCBs analogues OEA and LEA in comparison to the CON (all P ≤ 0.021). VIG-EX decreased LA-derived oxylipins and LEA compared to CON. No relevant adverse events were recorded. Interpretation Endurance and resistance exercises acutely increased plasma levels of oxylipins, eCBs, and their analogues, whereas 24 weeks of exercise training decreased fasting plasma levels of omega-6 oxylipins, and eCBs analogues in young, sedentary adults

Low frequency variability in two atmospheric modes of the Mediterranean basin

Ponencia presentada en: XII Congreso de la Asociación Española de Climatología celebrado en Santiago de Compostela entre el 19 y el 21 de octubre de 2022.[ES]Dos modos atmosféricos, la Oscilación del Mediterráneo (MO) y la Oscilación del Mediterráneo Occidental (WeMO) contribuyen significativamente a la variabilidad climática anómala de la región Mediterránea. En este estudio se examinaron los índices de MO y WeMO con una resolución temporal diaria y estacional para detectar la variabilidad de baja frecuencia. Para llevar a cabo este análisis se ha utilizado el método de Descomposición en Modos Empíricos (EMD), que está indicado para el análisis de series temporales no lineales y no estacionarias, y se comprobó la significancia estadística de los modos frente al ruido rojo. Los resultados muestran que la variabilidad multidecadal del índice MO en verano es estadísticamente significativa, y relacionada con la variabilidad del mismo tipo detectada en los índices relacionados con la temperatura superficial del mar (TSM) en el Mediterráneo. En los índices estacionales WeMO, se detectan tendencias significativamente diferentes del ruido en verano y otoño, además de una variabilidad multidecadal significativa en otoño. Estas tendencias y variabilidad multidecadal en los índices WeMO se relacionan con las de los índices del modo Dipolar de las TSM en el Mediterráneo.[EN]Two atmospheric modes, the Mediterranean Oscillation (MO) and the Western Mediterranean Oscillation (WeMO) contribute to the anomalous climatic variability in the Mediterranean region. In this study MO and WeMO indices at daily and seasonal temporal resolution were examined for trends and low frequency variability. Here, the Empirical Mode Decomposition method, intended for nonlinear and non- stationary time series analysis was applied and the statistical significance of the modes was tested against red noise. A trend was detected in the daily WeMO index. In the seasonal MO indices case, the multidecadal variability was significant in summer and related to a similar variability detected in the Sea Surface Temperature (SST) Mediterranean field. In the seasonal WeMO indices, trends were found significantly different from noise in summer and autumn, while the multidecadal variability was significant in autumn. The multidecadal variability in the MO indices were related to those of the Western Mediterranean SST indices, while the (decreasing) trends and low frequency variability in the WeMO indices were associated to those of the SST Mediterranean Dipole Mode indices