Desarrollo y aplicaciones de un simulador de mezcla dinámica para el estudio de la reactividad química en estuarios

Estuaries constitute the parts of the ocean where the greatest salinity gradients are found. Changes in salinity cause a sharp variation in the ionic strength within a relatively few kilometres, which produces a strong level of reactivity for many chemicals transported by rivers. In this way, estuaries act as a chemical barrier for many chemicals, regulating their residence time in the ocean. So, many investigation projects about estuaries are being developed actually. Without denying the need to work on site (at field) for this kind of studies, it is possible to reduce the amount of time and money spent on field surveys by employing laboratory simulations.A dynamic laboratory simulator of estuaries has been designed and developed to reproduce the process of continuous mixing of fresh and seawater in a vertically and laterally homogeneous estuary. Residence times similar those of real estuaries can be obtained by choosing conveniently operation conditions. So, the device is able to generate a large number of longitudinal salinity gradients at stationary state as well as to simulate the tidal effect on the estuary. With this dynamic simulator it is possible to establish the behaviour of synthetic chemicals before their entry to real estuaries as well as it supports environmental management testing alternative solutions to assess their efficiency in the presence of pollution episodes (real or hypothetical). So, the simulator appears like a powerful tool to the environmental risk assessment in this systems.A set of environmental applications of the simulator has been developed to show its possibilities. So, the behaviour of inorganic carbon along different salinity gradients has been studied (quantifying CO2 fluxes water-atmosphere). Tidal variations at CO2 fluxes also were registered. By other hand, nutrient reactivity has been characterised, putting special attention in the laboratory verification of apatite formation from dissolved inorganic phosphorus. In others set of laboratory assays, effects of an episode of acute pollution by heavy metal on a population of clams have been assessed. Behaviour of linear alquilbebzene sulphonate (LAS), an anionic surfactant, has been studied during its transit along different salinity gradients appearing, in all cases, biodegradation of LAS.269 p

Influence of Partial Soil Wetting on Water Relation Parameters of the Olive Tree

A drip versus pond irrigation experiment was carried out with 30-year-old ‘Manzanilla’ olive trees planted at 7 m 5 m in an orchard in Southwest Spain. At the end of the dry season of 1998, we chose two dry-land trees, D1 and D2, and two drip-irrigated trees, I1 and I2. During the experiments, the D1 and I1 trees were pond-irrigated, increasing the soil water content to around field capacity in the whole rootzone. The D2 and I2 trees were drip-irrigated, remaining part of the rootzone in drying soil. The results showed that the ratio between the transpiration of the pond-irrigated D1 tree and that of the drip-irrigated D2 tree (D1/D2 Ep) increased from an average of 0.88 before irrigation to 1.22 fourteen days after the first water supply. For the I trees, I1/I2 Ep varied from 0.76 to 1.02 nine days after the I1 tree was pond-irrigated for the first time. Transpiration, therefore, was restricted when using a drip irrigation system which, despite supplying enough water to cover the calculated crop demand, affected a part of the rootzone only. During the drip versus pond irrigation experiment, the recovery of leaf water potential, stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rate was greater and quicker in the pond-irrigated than in the drip-irrigated trees.– Influence de l’irrigation partielle du sol sur les paramètres des relations hydriques de l’olivier. Une comparaison de l’irrigation goutte à goutte avec l’irrigation en cuvette a été conduite sur oliviers ‘Manzanilla’ âgés de 30 ans plantés à 7 m 5 m dans un verger du sud-ouest de l’Espagne. À la fin de la saison sèche de 1998, nous avons choisi deux arbres sur sol sec, D1 et D2, et deux arbres sur sol irrigué au goutte à goutte, I1 et I2. Durant les expériences, les arbres D1 et I1 ont été irrigués en cuvette, en augmentant la teneur en eau du sol jusqu’à la capacité au champ dans toute la zone racinaire. Les arbres D2 et I2 ont été irrigués au goutte à goutte, laissant une partie de la zone racinaire dans un sol se desséchant. Les résultats ont montré que le quotient entre la transpiration de l’arbre D1 irrigué en cuvette et celle de l’arbre D2 irrigué au goutte à goutte (D1/D2 Ep) a augmenté à partir d’une moyenne de 0,88 avant irrigation jusqu’à 1,22 quatorze jours après le premier apport d’eau. Pour les arbres I, I1/I2 Ep a varié entre 0,76 et 1,02 neuf jours après que l’arbre I1 ait été irrigué en cuvette pour la première fois. Par conséquent, la transpiration était réduite quand on utilisait un système d’irrigation au goutte à goutte qui, malgré l’apport d’eau suffisant pour couvrir les besoins potentiels des cultures, a affecté seulement une partie de la zone racinaire. Durant cette comparaison de l’irrigation goutte à goutte et de l’irrigation en cuvette, la récupération de la teneur en eau des feuilles, de la conductance stomatique et du taux de photosynthèse était supérieure et plus rapide pour les arbres irrigués en cuvette que pour ceux irrigués au goutte à goutte

A review on the application of evolutionary computation to information retrieval

In this contribution, different proposals found in the specialized literature for the application of evolutionary computation to the field of information retrieval will be reviewed. To do so, different kinds of IR problems that have been solved by evolutionary algorithms are analyzed. Some of the specific existing approaches will be specifically described for some of these problems and the obtained results will be critically evaluated in order to give a clear view of the topic to the reader.CICYT under project TIC2002-03276University of Granada under project ‘‘Mejora de Metaheur ısticas mediante Hibridaci on y sus Aplicaciones

Heterogeneous data source integration for smart grid ecosystems based on metadata mining

The arrival of new technologies related to smart grids and the resulting ecosystem of applications andmanagement systems pose many new problems. The databases of the traditional grid and the variousinitiatives related to new technologies have given rise to many different management systems with several formats and different architectures. A heterogeneous data source integration system is necessary toupdate these systems for the new smart grid reality. Additionally, it is necessary to take advantage of theinformation smart grids provide. In this paper, the authors propose a heterogeneous data source integration based on IEC standards and metadata mining. Additionally, an automatic data mining framework isapplied to model the integrated information.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad TEC2013-40767-

La serie de santos cartujos de la celda prioral del monasterio de las Cuevas de Sevilla: dos nuevas pinturas de Duque Cornejo identificadas

El artículo estudia el ciclo de santos cartujos que Pedro Duque Cornejo pintó en 1741 para la celda prioral de la Cartuja de Santa María de las Cuevas de Sevilla, gracias al hallazgo de dos nuevos lienzos de esta serie en el convento sevillano de Santa Isabel. Su análisis permite reconstruir el programa iconográfico del ciclo y profundizar en el conocimiento del proceso creativo del artista, cuya faceta pictórica es poco conocida. Las pinturas son igualmente contextualizada relación con sus patrocinadores y se reconstruyen las circunstancias que llevaron a su dispersión en el siglo XIX

Geoquímica sedimentaria y tasas de acumulación en la plataforma nororiental del golfo de Cádiz (SO de la península Ibérica)

Geochemistry, total organic carbon and total nitrogen of three sediment cores collected in the Gulf of Cádiz and the Guadalquivir prodelta areas in Spain were investigated. The C/N ratio, mostly around 10, seems to indicate a predominantly marine origin for the sedimentary organic matter. Major and minor elements (Si, Ti, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, K, Na, P, S) and trace elements (Mn, Sc, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, Ce, Pb, Hg) showed significant differences in bulk chemical composition between the two areas. Despite the effects of bioturbation, vertical changes in downcore profiles of heavy metals occur only in the cores of the Cádiz area, although the concentrations keep to low levels. The relatively high concentrations of Zr and Y, elements commonly associated with the heavy minerals fraction, at the top of cores from the Cádiz area are attributed to an enrichment of heavy minerals related to selective transport that concentrates this fraction. 137Cs and 210Pb activities in one of the two sediment cores collected in the Gulf of Cádiz were also measured. The distribution of excess 210Pb was used to determine the modern (last 100 yr) mass accumulation rate and the depth of sediment mixing on the continental shelf of the gulf. Estimated sediment accumulation rate was 0.1 g cm-2 yr-1. The uppermost 4 cm had uniform excess 210Pb activity profiles above a region of steadily decreasing 210Pb activity, and this phenomenon was attributed to sediment mixing (bioturbation). 137Cs activity was lower than 3 Bq kg-1 and the profile does not show evidence of fallout peaks.Se ha estudiado la geoquímica, el carbono orgánico total y el nitrógeno total de tres testigos de sedimento tomados en el área del Golfo de Cádiz así como en el área del prodelta del río Guadalquivir (España). El cociente C/N, con un valor alrededor de 10, parece indicar un origen predominantemente marino para la materia orgánica sedimentaria. Elementos mayoritarios y minoritarios (Si, Ti, Al, Fe, Mg, Ca, K, Na, P, S) y oligoelementos (Mn, Sc, V, Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn, Rb, Sr, Y, Zr, Ba, Ce, Pb, Hg) muestran diferencias significativas en el grueso de la composición química entre las dos áreas. A pesar de los efectos de la bioturbación, sólo aparecen cambios verticales en los perfiles de metales traza de los testigos del área de Cádiz, si bien las concentraciones se mantuvieron en niveles bajos. Las concentraciones relativamente altas de Zr y Y, elementos generalmente asociados a fracciones de minerales pesados, en la parte superior de los testigos del área de Cádiz se atribuyen a un enriquecimiento de minerales pesados relacionado con el transporte selectivo que ayuda a concentrar esta fracción. También se han medido las actividades de 137Cs y 210Pb en uno de los dos testigos de sedimento tomados en el Golfo de Cádiz. Se ha empleado la distribución de exceso de 210Pb para determinar la tasa reciente de acumulación de masa (para los últimos 100 años), así como la profundidad de mezcla de sedimentos en la plataforma continental del golfo. La tasa de acumulación de sedimentos estimada fue de 0.1 g -2 yr-1. Los 4 cm superiores mostraron unos perfiles de exceso de actividad de 210Pb uniformes, por encima de una región de firme actividad decreciente en actividad de 210Pb y este fenómeno se atribuyó a mezcla del sedimento (bioturbación). La actividad de 137Cs fue inferior a 3 Bq kg-1 sin presentar los perfiles evidencias de picos debidos a lluvia radiactiva

Predicted photoreflectance signatures on QD selective contacts for hot carrier solar cells

The CO2 emission of our present energy transformation processes, based mainly on burning fossil fuels, is possibly the main cause of global climatic change. The photovoltaic conversion of solar energy is a clean way of producing which for sustainability should (and most probably will) become a major source of electricity. The sun is a huge resource but relatively diluted and it is reasonable to expect that only high efficiency extraction can be cost effective for mass exploitation. New concepts are neccessary such as hot carrier solar cells

Fluctuación del Perfil de Estados de Ánimo (POMS) en un periodo competitivo en judokas de élite

The purpose of this paper is to analyse the relationship between the evolution of the training load and the mood states of elite judo athletes during the competition season. Seven elite judo athletes were selected. The training load (judo-specific, weight training, and aerobic training) was monitored quantitatively and an adapted Profile of Mood States questionnaire (Balaguer et al., 1995) was administered weekly (for 6 weeks), including competitions days. Analyses showed that the type of training load has an effect on mood states. When aerobic training increased, scores on Tension, Depression and Anger also rose, while there was a drop in the Vigour factor. These findings may be helpful to coaches who have to programme aerobic training during competition periods.El objetivo de este estudio es analizar la relación entre la evolución de la carga de entrenamiento y el perfil de los estados de ánimo a lo largo de un periodo competitivo en judokas de élite. Se seleccionaron 7 judokas de élite, a los que se les administró el cuestionario Profile of Mood States, POMS, adaptado al castellano (Balaguer et al., 1995) a lo largo de 6 semanas de un período competitivo. A su vez se controló el volumen de entrenamiento clasificado en específico (entrenamiento técnico-táctico en tatami), entrenamiento de fuerza (sala de musculación) y entrenamiento aeróbico (fundamentalmente carrera continua), y se observaron la relación entre ambas variables. Los resultados indican cómo el tipo de carga de entrenamiento puede afectar directamente a los estados de ánimo, un incremento del entrenamiento aeróbico produce un incremento en la Tensión, Depresión y Hostilidad, así como un descenso del factor Vigor, el cual, a pesar de estar por encima del resto de factores, el tipo de entrenamiento realizado tiene una implicación directa sobre él. Este tipo de análisis contribuyen a un mejor conocimiento del deportista de élite y su respuesta ante períodos competitivos

Psychological profiling of triathlon and road cycling athletes

Psychological characteristics of athletes play a key role in sport performance and may moderate and mediate the influence of technical, tactical, and physical abilities athletes show. Different authors have emphasized the special attention such psychological characteristics should receive considering the extent they can influence athletes' behavior either in training or in competition. This paper is aimed at describing the psychological profiles of two cycling sports: triathlon and road cycling. One hundred and twenty-nine male and female professional and amateur cycling athletes (35.74 years old average age ±12.79; 14.94 average number of years practicing cycling ±11.20) were assessed on different psychological characteristics. For that purpose, the Psychological Characteristics related to the Sport Performance (CPRD) Questionnaire and the Psychological Skills Inventory for Sports (PSIS) was used. Results showed significant differences among triathlon and road cyclists (Stress control = t116=-3.711, p = 0.000, d = 0.48 ; Influence of Performance Evaluation = t115=-3-115, p = 0.002, d = 0.49; Motivation = t124=-5.520, p = 0.000, d = 0.82; Mental Skills = t119=-4.985, p = 0.000, d = 1.02). There were no significant differences between men and women though there were differences among pros and amateur athletes. Triathlon professional, compared to amateurs, showed higher scores in all the psychological dimensions assessed (Stress control = t85= 3.005, p = 0.003, d = 1.07; Influence of Performance Evaluation = t83= 2.858, p = 0.005, 0.77; Motivation = t91= 2.721, p = 0.008, d = 0.26; Mental Skills = t87= 2.556, p = 0.012, d = 0.77). The results of this descriptive study contribute to establishing a model of optimal psychological profiling applied to the different cycling groups that can be used by sport psychologist, trainers, and coaches in order to promote peak performance of these athletes.This research was supported by ELIT-in “Integration of elite athletes into the labour market through the valorization of their transversal competences” (590520-EPP-1-2017-1-ES-SPO-SCP

Combined TGA-MS kinetic analysis of multistep processes. Thermal decomposition and ceramification of polysilazane and polysiloxane preceramic polymers.

The polymer-to-ceramic transformation kinetics of two widely employed ceramic precursors; 1,3,5,7-tetramethyl-1,3,5,7-tetravinylcyclotetrasiloxane (TTCS) and polyureamethylvinylsilazane (CERASET) have been investigated using coupled thermogravimetry and mass spectrometry (TG-MS), Raman, XRD and FTIR. The thermally induced decomposition of the pre-ceramic polymer is the critical step in the synthesis of Polymer Derived Ceramics (PDCs) and an accurate kinetic modeling is key to attain a complete understanding of the underlying process and to attempt any behavior predictions. However, obtaining a precise kinetic description of processes of such complexity, consisting of several largely overlapping physico-chemical processes comprising the cleavage of the starting polymeric network and the release of organic moieties, is extremely difficult. Here, using the evolved gases detected by MS as a guide it has been possible to determine the number of steps that compose the overall process, which was subsequently resolved using a semiempirical deconvolution method based on the Frasier-Suzuki function. Such function is more appropriate that the more usual Gaussian or Lorentzian functions since it takes into account the intrinsic asymmetry of kinetic curves. Then, the kinetic parameters of each constituent step was independently determined using both model-free and model-fitting procedures, finding the processes obey mostly diffusion models that can be attributed to the diffusion of the released gases through the solid matrix. The validity of the obtained kinetic parameters was tested not only by the successful reconstruction of the original experimental curves but also by predicting the kinetic curves of the overall processes yielded by different thermal schedules and by a mixed TTCS-CERASET precursorEspaña Mineco FEDER CTQ2011-27626 CTQ2014-52763-C2-1-RJunta de Andalucia FEDERTEP-7858 TEP-190