Laser Shock Microformingof Thin Metal Sheets with ns Lasers

Continuous and long-pulse lasers have been used for the forming of metal sheets in macroscopic mechanical applications. However, for the manufacturing of micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), the use of ns laser pulses provides a suitable parameter matching over an important range of sheet components that, preserving the short interaction time scale required for the predominantly mechanical (shock) induction of deformation residual stresses, allows for the successful processing of components in a medium range of miniaturization without appreciable thermal deformation.. In the present paper, the physics of laser shock microforming and the influence of the different experimental parameters on the net bending angle are presented

Predicción de la frescura del aceite de oliva virgen extra durante el almacenamiento mediante espectroscopía de fluorescencia

Virgin olive oil quality relates to flavor and unique health benefits. Some of these properties are at the most desirable level when the oil is just extracted, since it is not a product that improves with age. On the contrary, the concentrations of many compounds change during its shelf-life. These changes reveal the aging of the oil but do not necessarily mean decay in sensory properties, so in some cases an aged oil from healthy olives may be better qualified than a fresh one from olives affected by fermentation. The aim of this work is to analyze different methodologies proposed for assessing the quality of virgin olive oil with implications in freshness and aging of the oil, and to highlight the possibilities of rapid spectrofluorimetric techniques for assessing oil freshness by checking the evolution of pigments during storage. The observed change in the selected spectral features and mathematical modelling over time was compared with the accepted model for predicting the amount of pyropheophytin a, which is based on isokinetic studies. The best regression was obtained for 655 nm (adjustedR2 = 0.91) wavelength, which matches the distinctive band of pigments. The two mathematical models described in this study highlight the usefulness of pigments in the prediction of the shelf-life of extra virgin olive oil.La calidad del aceite de oliva virgen está relacionada con su flavor y sus beneficios únicos para la salud. Algunas de estas propiedades se encuentran en el nivel más deseable cuando el aceite está recién extraído, ya que no es un producto que mejore con el tiempo. Por el contrario, las concentraciones de muchos compuestos cambian a lo largo de la vida útil. Estos cambios revelan el envejecimiento del aceite, pero no implican necesariamente la alteración de las propiedades sensoriales, por lo que en algunos casos un aceite envejecido procedente de aceitunas sanas puede presentar mejor calidad que uno fresco procedente de aceitunas afectadas por procesos de fermentación. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar diferentes metodologías propuestas para evaluar la calidad del aceite de oliva virgen con implicaciones en la frescura y el envejecimiento del aceite, destacando las posibilidades de las rápidas técnicas espectrofluorométricas para evaluar la frescura del aceite verificando la evolución de los pigmentos durante el almacenamiento. El cambio observado en las características espectrales seleccionadas y su modelado matemático a lo largo del tiempo se comparó con el modelo aceptado para predecir la cantidad de pirofeofitina a, que se basa en estudios isocinéticos. Los dos modelos matemáticos descritos en este estudio pusieron de manifiesto la utilidad de los pigmentos en la predicción de la vida útil del aceite de oliva virgen extra. La mejor regresión se obtuvo para 655 nm (R2 -ajustado = 0,91), longitud de onda que coincide con la banda distintiva de pigmentos.Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación de España-AGL2015-69320-

Predicción de la frescura del aceite de oliva virgen extra durante el almacenamiento mediante espectroscopía de fluorescencia

Virgin olive oil quality relates to flavor and unique health benefits. Some of these properties are at the most desirable level when the oil is just extracted, since it is not a product that improves with age. On the contrary, the concentrations of many compounds change during its shelf-life. These changes reveal the aging of the oil but do not necessarily mean decay in sensory properties, so in some cases an aged oil from healthy olives may be better qualified than a fresh one from olives affected by fermentation. The aim of this work is to analyze different methodologies proposed for assessing the quality of virgin olive oil with implications in freshness and aging of the oil, and to highlight the possibilities of rapid spectrofluorimetric techniques for assessing oil freshness by checking the evolution of pigments during storage. The observed change in the selected spectral features and mathematical modelling over time was compared with the accepted model for predicting the amount of pyropheophytin a, which is based on isokinetic studies. The best regression was obtained for 655 nm (adjustedR2 = 0.91) wavelength, which matches the distinctive band of pigments. The two mathematical models described in this study highlight the usefulness of pigments in the prediction of the shelf-life of extra virgin olive oil.La calidad del aceite de oliva virgen está relacionada con su flavor y sus beneficios únicos para la salud. Algunas de estas propiedades se encuentran en el nivel más deseable cuando el aceite está recién extraído, ya que no es un producto que mejore con el tiempo. Por el contrario, las concentraciones de muchos compuestos cambian a lo largo de la vida útil. Estos cambios revelan el envejecimiento del aceite, pero no implican necesariamente la alteración de las propiedades sensoriales, por lo que en algunos casos un aceite envejecido procedente de aceitunas sanas puede presentar mejor calidad que uno fresco procedente de aceitunas afectadas por procesos de fermentación. El objetivo de este trabajo es estudiar diferentes metodologías propuestas para evaluar la calidad del aceite de oliva virgen con implicaciones en la frescura y el envejecimiento del aceite, destacando las posibilidades de las rápidas técnicas espectrofluorométricas para evaluar la frescura del aceite verificando la evolución de los pigmentos durante el almacenamiento. El cambio observado en las características espectrales seleccionadas y su modelado matemático a lo largo del tiempo se comparó con el modelo aceptado para predecir la cantidad de pirofeofitina a, que se basa en estudios isocinéticos. Los dos modelos matemáticos descritos en este estudio pusieron de manifiesto la utilidad de los pigmentos en la predicción de la vida útil del aceite de oliva virgen extra. La mejor regresión se obtuvo para 655 nm (R2 -ajustado = 0,91), longitud de onda que coincide con la banda distintiva de pigmentos.Secretaría de Estado de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación de España-AGL2015-69320-

Valorización energética de la biomasa : aplicación en industrias del sector agroalimentario

La utilización de la biomasa proveniente del sector agroalimentario como una fuente de energía renovable es de gran interés en la actualidad. Ésta puede generar energía, a través de procesos tanto termoquímicos como bioquímicos, susceptible de utilizarse en forma de calor, energía mecánica o electricidad, y en diferentes estados de agregación: sólida, líquida o gas. La Digestión Anaerobia de vertidos de destilerías vínicas es un ejemplo idóneo de los procesos bioquímicos de conversión de la biomasa para obtener energía, ya que la vinaza se genera en el propio proceso de obtención del alcohol etílico (destilación de vinos y subproductos de la vinificación) producido por fermentación de una disolución azucarada y el metano se genera en la digestión anaerobia del residuo de la destilación. En este trabajo se estudia el funcionamiento y operación de diferentes tecnologías anaerobias susceptibles de ser utilizadas para la degradación de vertidos de destilerías vínicas (vinazas de vino) en condiciones anaerobias termofílicas (55°C), estableciéndose una comparación entre procesos con biomasa en suspensión y sistemas con biomasa adherida de tipo filtro anaerobio. En este último caso, además, se comparan diferentes tipos de materiales soportes y se analiza el efecto de la tasa de recirculación sobre el proceso.____________________________________Nowadays, the use of food industry biomass as a resource of renewable energy is a very interesting management alternative. Biomass can be converted to energy via thermal, biochemical and mechanical processes. This energy can be used like heat, mechanic o electric energies, and in different aggregation states (solid, liquid or gaseous). Anaerobic digestion of wine distilleries wastewater (vinasses) is a suitable example of biochemical conversion process of biomass to obtain energy. Vinasses are generated in the obtaining of ethylic alcohol on wine and wine-subproducts distillation process. This alcohol is previously generated in the biological fermentation of sugars from must. Subsequently, the biogas, mainly methane, can be obtained from anaerobic digestion of the residue of alcohol distillation, the vinasses. This work presents the main operational conditions of different anaerobic technologies used for anaerobic digestion of wine distilleries wastewater (vinasses) in the thermophilic range of temperature (55ºC). This study makes the comparison between technologies that used suspended biomass and fixed-film biorreactors (anaerobic filters). In the anaerobic filter technology there is a comparison between different support media and different recirculation rate regimes and its influence in the process

Chronic Elevation of Liver Enzymes in Acute Intermittent Porphyria Initially Misdiagnosed as Autoimmune Hepatitis

Autoimmune hepatitis is a disease characterized by an elevation of liver enzymes, as well as specific autoantibodies. It is more common in women than men. We describe a 32-year-old woman with elevated transaminases, autoantibodies, and a liver biopsy result suggestive of autoimmune hepatitis. The indicated treatment was administered without showing a satisfactory response. The patient had a family history of acute intermittent porphyria (AIP) so we decided to begin treatment with hematin, achieving a complete remission of the symptoms. Acute intermittent porphyria is a rare condition characterized by neurovisceral symptoms, abdominal pain being the most common of them. The disease has a higher prevalence among young women and certain European countries such as Sweden, Great Britain, and Spain. A correct diagnosis and prompt treatment are essential because patients affected by AIP must have a strict followup due to the fatal outcome of the outbreaks

Evaluation of a potential umbrella species using favourability models: the case of the endangered little bustard (Tetrax tetrax) and steppe birds

Farmland biodiversity is in alarming decline worldwide due to agriculture intensifcation. In this context, the umbrella species concept may help in better targeting conservation eforts, focusing on species whose requirements may best cover those of other components of biological communities. We test this idea using the little bustard (Tetrax tetrax), a strongly declining steppe bird depending on extensive agricultural landscapes of southwestern Europe, to explore the degree to which its habitat requirements can predict those of other sympatric endangered steppe birds. We use little bustard and other nine species distribution data at 10×10 km scale in Castilla-La Mancha (the most important region for the little bustard in Spain and the EU) and habitat favourability models to identify variables explaining little bustard favourability that can robustly predict habitat favourability also for the other nine species. Models ftted with variables explaining little bustard favourability and applied on co-occurring species yielded varying performance results. Models support the role of the little bustard as umbrella species only for a part of the steppe bird community, and more precisely, for species linked to cereal and grassland-dominated landscapes, but not for landscape generalist species, distributed over mosaic landscapes including shrublands and woody crops. Results also highlight the importance of favourable extensive cereal steppes for the conservation of strongly endangered species (little and great bustard, Montagu’s harrier, pin-tailed sandgrouse, calandra lark), some of which are largely understudied (pin-tailed sandgrouse and calandra lark), despite their marginal coverage by the Natura 2000 protected area networkData analysed here come from a consultancy study “Revisión Fichas Red Natura 2000 aves esteparias Castilla–La Mancha” done by ELGM for the government of Castilla-La Mancha. contributes to project REMEDINAL TE-CM P2018/EMT-4338 of Comunidad de Madri

Schrödinger Equation with Position-Dependent Mass: Staggered Mass Distributions

The Point canonical transformation method is applied for solving the Schrödinger equation with position-dependent mass. This class of problem has been solved for continuous mass distributions. In this work, a staggered mass distribution for the case of a free particle in an infinite square well potential has been proposed. The continuity conditions as well as normalization for the wave function are also considered. The proposal can be used for dealing with other kind of staggered mass distributions in the Schrödinger equation with different quantum potentials

El estrés en los peces. II-Factores estresantes comunes en los peces cultivados

Los peces cultivados están sometidos habitualmente a una serie de condiciones negativas que provienen tanto de las características físico-químicas de su medio ambiente, como de las operaciones propias del cultivo. En este trabajo se revisan los principales factores causantes de estrés a los peces, tales como calidad del agua (temperatura, pH, oxígeno disuelto, contaminantes, etc.), manipulación, tratamiento de enfermedades y anestesi