Parametric Study of the Errors Obtained from the Measurement of the Oscillating Movement of a Bridge Using Image Processing

The movement of a pedestrian bridge retrieved by means of image processing technique has been analysed in this paper. An optical target has been attached to the deck and its oscillation has been tracked with fast cameras. The movement of the bridge has also been measured with a radar interferometer and this result has been taken as the reference signal. Using these data, a parametric study of the errors introduced by the image-based methods has been performed. The influence of some variables in the measurement error such as the distance to the target, the image size, the type of camera or the movement amplitude has been analysed for four different distances, and two types of excitations. Results show that the relative error decreases with the amplitude and the target diameter and it increases with the target distance. Additionally, the maximum relative error obtained in most of the analysed cases is below 10 %.The authors acknowledge the support of the Generalitat Valenciana through the project PROMETEO II/2015/015 and GV/2015/116 and the University of Alicante through the project GRE13-10

Wealth and consumption inequeality: an interquantile analysis

[Abstract] The purpose of this paper is to analyze the changes in wealth and consumption inequality in Spain and estimate the consumption effects of housing and financial wealth.The estimations are made using micro-data from the Spanish Survey of Household Finances (2002–2014) applying cross-section, panel and interquartile techniques. The findings of this paper suggest that there was an increase in wealth inequality during the period under analysis and a reduction in consumption inequality. Also, the authors find a significant positive effect of wealth on consumer expenditure. Disaggregating by asset type, the value of the main residence is the category with the highest estimated effect on consumption, whereas the remaining types of assets, although still positive and generally significant, have more modest effects on consumption. However, the estimated coefficients and their significance can change substantially depending on the phase of the economic cycle and the position of the household in the income distribution.These results provide new empirical evidence on the effects of household wealth changes on their consumption behavior, the differences depending on the household's position in the distribution and the fluctuations of these estimated coefficients throughout a period of profound economic upheavals.Consellería de Cultura, Educación e Ordenación Universitaria, Xunta de Galicia (ED481A-2016/356) e o Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Competitividad (Project CSO2017-86178-R)

Política monetaria y distribución del ingreso: evidencia empírica para la UE-15

This paper presents an empirical research on how monetary policy can affect income distribution. After describing the channels through which monetary policy may have an impact on income distribution, we perform a panel analysis of 15 EU (European Union) countries covering the period 1995-2014. The results provide evidence of a significant positive relationship between real interest rates and income inequality measured as the Gini coefficient. However, this relationship only becomes significant in the medium term but not in the short term. Our findings call for greater attention by central bankers to the redistributive effects of monetary policyEste artículo presenta una investigación empírica sobre cómo la política monetaria puede afectar a la distribución del ingreso. Tras describir los canales a través de los cuales la política monetaria puede tener un impacto en la distribución de la renta, se realiza un análisis para un panel de 15 países de la UE (Unión Europea) que abarca el período 1995-2014. Los resultados evidencian una relación positiva significativa entre los tipos de interés reales y la desigualdad de ingresos medida como el coeficiente de Gini. Sin embargo, esta relación sólo es significativa a medio plazo, pero no a corto plazo. Nuestros resultados plantean que los bancos centrales tengan en consideración los efectos redistributivos de la política monetari

Monetary Policy and Income Distribution: Empirical Evidence for the EU-15

Este artículo presenta una investigación empírica sobre cómo la política monetaria puede afectar a la distribución del ingreso. Tras describir los canales a través de los cuales la política monetaria puede tener un impacto en la distribución de la renta, se realiza un análisis para un panel de 15 países de la UE (Unión Europea) que abarca el período 1995-2014. Los resultados evidencian una relación positiva significativa entre los tipos de interés reales y la desigualdad de ingresos medida como el coeficiente de Gini. Sin embargo, esta relación sólo es significativa a medio plazo, pero no a corto plazo. Nuestros resultados plantean que los bancos centrales tengan en consideración los efectos redistributivos de la política monetaria

Rapid decrease in titer and breadth of neutralizing anti-HCV antibodies in HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved SVR

The main targets for neutralizing anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies (HCV-nAbs) are the E1 and E2 envelope glycoproteins. We have studied the characteristics of HCV-nAbs through a retrospective study involving 29 HIV/HCV-coinfected patients who achieved sustained virological response (SVR) with pegIFNα+ribavirin anti-HCV therapy. Plasma samples at baseline and week 24 after SVR were used to perform neutralization assays against fve JFH1-based HCV recombinant viruses coding for E1 and E2 from genotypes 1a (H77), 1b (J4), 2a (JFH1), 3a (S52) and 4a (ED43). At baseline, the majority of plasma samples neutralized 1a, 1b, 2a, and 4a, but not 3a, genotypes. Twenty-four weeks following SVR, most neutralizing titers declined substantially. Furthermore, titers against 3a and 2a were not detected in many patients. Plasma samples with high HCV-nAb titers neutralized all genotypes, and the highest titers at the starting point correlated with the highest titers at week 24 after SVR. In conclusion, high titers of broad-spectrum HCV-nAbs were detected in HIV/HCV-coinfected individuals, however, those titers declined soon after SVRThis study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII; grant numbers PI14/01094 and PI17/00657 to JB, PI17/00903 to JGG, PI14CIII/00011 and PI17CIII/00003 to SR) and Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (grant number EC11-241). Te study was also funded by the RD16CIII/0002/0002, RD16/0025/0018, and RD16/0025/0017 projects as part of the Plan Nacional R+D+I and co-funded by ISCIII- Subdirección General de Evaluación and the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER

Large-scale conservation treatment of cast-iron heavy artillery pieces from underwater origin. Methodological procedures

Este trabajo describe el tratamiento simultáneo de limpieza y extracción de iones cloruro, mediante electrolisis, de 17 cañones de hierro del siglo XVIII, de origen subacuático, procedentes de un hallazgo casual. En un contexto de bajo presupuesto, se desarrollaron cubas a medida y herramientas específicas para la desconcreción de las piezas: una barrena de alta precisión para acceder al ánima de los cañones y bases de trabajo giratorias. Además, se aplicó una nueva técnica de estabilización para piezas grandes de fundición mediante envolturas en material absorbente impregnado en NaOH. La selección de la densidad de corriente para los tratamientos de electrolisis se estableció mediante un ensayo previo, que demostró la mayor eficiencia de 50 μAcm¯ ² frente a 1000 μAcm¯ ². La descripción de las tareas realizadas, junto con las novedades metodológicas aportadas, conforman una valiosa información para futuras actuaciones en materia de conservación a gran escala del Patrimonio Cultural Subacuático (PCS)

Use of mixed microbial cultures to protect recycled concrete surfaces: A preliminary study

Funding Information: Funding: This work was supported by the Project BIA2017-83526-R “Self-healing processes using bio-polymers in recycled concrete and mortars”, funded by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. This work was also supported by the Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability Unit (CERIS), Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit (UCIBIO-REQUIMTE) and Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV-REQUIMTE), which are financed by national funds from FCT (UIDB/04625/2020, UIDB/04378/2020 and UID/QUI/50006/2020, respectively) and co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership. Paulo C. Lemos acknowledges the support by FCT for contract IF/01054/2014/CP1224/CT0005.One approach to tackle the problems created by the vast amounts of construction and demolition waste (CDW) generated worldwide while at the same time lengthening concrete durability and service life is to foster the use of recycled aggregate (RA) rather than natural aggregate (NA). This article discusses the use of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)-producing mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) to treat the surface of recycled concrete with a view to increase its resistance to watermediated deterioration. The microorganisms were cultured in a minimal medium using waste pinewood bio-oil as a carbon source. Post-application variations in substrate permeability were determined with the water drop absorption and penetration by water under pressure tests. The significant reduction in water absorption recorded reveals that this bioproduct is a promising surface treatment for recycled concrete.publishersversionpublishe

Use of Bioproducts Derived from Mixed Microbial Cultures Grown with Crude Glycerol to Protect Recycled Concrete Surfaces

This work was supported by the Project BIA2017-83526-R "Self-healing processes using bio-polymers in recycled concrete and mortars", funded by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. This work was also supported by the Civil Engineering Research and Innovation for Sustainability Unit (CERIS), Applied Molecular Biosciences Unit (UCIBIO-REQUIMTE) and Associate Laboratory for Green Chemistry (LAQV-REQUIMTE), which are financed by national funds from FCT (UIDB/04378/2020, UIDB/04625/2020 and UID/QUI/50006/2020, respectively) and co-financed by the ERDF under the PT2020 Partnership. Paulo C. Lemos acknowledge the support by FCT for contract IF/01054/2014/CP1224/CT0005.The large increase in the world population has resulted in a very large amount of construction waste, as well as a large amount of waste glycerol from transesterification reactions of acyl glycerides from oils and fats, in particular from the production of biodiesel. Only a limited percentage of these two residues are recycled, which generates a large management problem worldwide. For that reason, in this study, we used crude glycerol as a carbon source to cultivate polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA)-producing mixed microbial cultures (MMC). Two bioproducts derived from these cultures were applied on the surface of concrete with recycled aggregate to create a protective layer. To evaluate the effect of the treatments, tests of water absorption by capillarity and under low pressure with Karsten tubes were performed. Furthermore, SEM-EDS analysis showed the physical barrier caused by biotreatments that produced a reduction on capillarity water absorption of up to 20% and improved the impermeability of recycled concrete against the penetration of water under pressure up to 2.7 times relative to the reference. Therefore, this bioproduct shown to be a promising treatment to protect against penetration of water to concrete surfaces increasing its durability and useful life.publishersversionpublishe

Use of Mixed Microbial Cultures to Protect Recycled Concrete Surfaces: A Preliminary Study

[EN] One approach to tackle the problems created by the vast amounts of construction and demolition waste (CDW) generated worldwide while at the same time lengthening concrete durability and service life is to foster the use of recycled aggregate (RA) rather than natural aggregate (NA). This article discusses the use of polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs)-producing mixed microbial cultures (MMCs) to treat the surface of recycled concrete with a view to increase its resistance to water- mediated deterioration. The microorganisms were cultured in a minimal medium using waste pinewood bio-oil as a carbon source. Post-application variations in substrate permeability were determined with the water drop absorption and penetration by water under pressure tests. The significant reduction in water absorption recorded reveals that this bioproduct is a promising surface treatment for recycled concrete.N

Validación de simulación dinámica de sistema HVAC de aula docente mediante comparación con recinto real

Los centros docentes requieren confort térmico en su interior, pero existe cierta incertidumbre en cómo lo proporcionan los sistemas de climatización asociados, especialmente por las altas cargas internas y la ventilación mecánica. Por ello, se realizan modelos predictivos mediante dinámica de fluidos computacional (CFD); sin embargo, la fiabilidad de las herramientas de simulación ha de ser verificada, por lo que el objetivo principal de este trabajo es definir y desarrollar el proceso de validación de una herramienta de simulación térmica dinámica por comparación con un recinto real. Se ha definido un protocolo de validación para herramientas de simulación dinámica en espacios de tamaño medio con altas cargas internas mediante comparación con medidas de temperatura realizadas en un aula polivalente existente, cumpliendo con lo establecido en la norma ISO 7726. El aula seleccionada para dicha comparación pertenece al instituto “Eça de Queiros” de Lisboa (Portugal), utilizándose 80 sensores termopar para caracterizar el comportamiento térmico de su ambiente interior. Se obtiene una diferencia media absoluta de 0.21 ºC y una desviación estándar máxima de 0.47 ºC entre medición y simulación, inferior al límite de ± 0.5 ºC de dicha normativa La aplicación de esta metodología para validar el software Design Builder prueba la fiabilidad de la herramienta en este tipo de recintos