Segregation-induced grain boundary electrical potential in ionic oxide materials: A first principles model

A first principles continuum analytical model for cationic segregation to the grain boundaries in complex ceramic oxides is presented. The model permits one to determine the electric charge density and the segregation-induced electric potential profiles through the grain and can be extrapolated to the range of nanostructured grain sizes. The theoretical predictions are compared with existing data for yttria-stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystals. The implications for physical properties (mainly high temperature plasticity and hardening behaviour) are then discussed.Gobierno de España MAT2009-14351-C02-01, MAT2009-14351-C02-0

Energy Recovery Potential in Industrial and Municipal Wastewater Networks Using Micro-Hydropower in Spain

The use of micro-hydropower (MHP) for energy recovery in water distribution networks is becoming increasingly widespread. The incorporation of this technology, which offers low-cost solutions, allows for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions linked to energy consumption. In this work, the MHP energy recovery potential in Spain from all available wastewater discharges, both municipal and private industrial, was assessed, based on discharge licenses. From a total of 16,778 licenses, less than 1% of the sites presented an MHP potential higher than 2 kW, with a total power potential between 3.31 and 3.54 MW. This total was distributed between industry, fish farms and municipal wastewater treatment plants following the proportion 51–54%, 14–13% and 35–33%, respectively. The total energy production estimated reached 29 GWh∙year−1, from which 80% corresponded to sites with power potential over 15 kW. Energy-related industries, not included in previous investigations, amounted to 45% of the total energy potential for Spain, a finding which could greatly influence MHP potential estimates across the world. The estimated energy production represented a potential CO2 emission savings of around 11 thousand tonnes, with a corresponding reduction between M€ 2.11 and M€ 4.24 in the total energy consumption in the country

Raman spectrum of group IV nanowires: influence of temperature

Group IV semiconductor nanowires are characterized by Raman spectroscopy. The results are analyzed in terms of the heating induced by the laser beam on the nanowires. By solving the heat transport equation one can simulate the temperature reached by the NWs under the exposure to a laser beam. The results are illustrated with Si and Si1-xGex nanowires. Both bundles of nanowires and individual nanowires are studied. The main experimental conditions contributing to the nanowire heating are discusse

Security Assessment of the Spanish Contactless Identity Card

The theft of personal information to assume the identity of a person is a common threat. Individual criminals, terrorists, or crime rings normally do it to commit fraud or other felonies. Recently, the Spanish identity card, which provides enough information to hire on-line products such as mortgages or loans, was updated to incorporate a Near Field Communication (NFC) chip as electronic passports do. This contactless interface brings a new attack vector for these criminals, who might take advantage of the RFID communication to secretly steal personal information. In this paper, we assess the security of contactless Spanish identity card against identity theft. In particular, we evaluated the resistance of one of the contactless access protocol against brute-force attacks and found that no defenses were incorporated. We suggest how to avoid brute-force attacks. Furthermore, we also analyzed the pseudo-random number generator within the card, which passed all performed tests with good results.MINECO CyCriSec (TIN2014-58457-R).University of Zaragoza and Centro Universitario de la Defensa UZCUD2016-TEC-06.Project TEC2015-69665-R (MINECO/FEDER, UE)

Radiative forcing under mixed aerosol conditions

The mixture of mineral dust with biomass burning or urban-industrial aerosols presents significant differences in optical properties when compared to those of the individual constituents, leading to different impacts on solar radiation levels. This effect is assessed by estimating the direct radiative forcing (ΔF) of these aerosols from solar flux models using the radiative parameters derived from the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET). These data reveal that, in oceanic and vegetative covers (surface albedo (SA) 0.30 are not present in East Asia region. At the bottom of atmosphere (BOA) the maximum ΔF values are associated with the highest AOD levels obtained for the mixture of mineral dust and biomass burning aerosols (−130 ± 44 Wm−2 with AOD = 0.8 ± 0.4 for SA < 0.30).Support for this study was given by Spanish Ministry of Education and Science, projects CGL2005‐03428‐C04‐02, CGL2007‐66477‐C02‐02/CLI, PI042005/033, and CGL2008‐04740/CLI

Entangled microwaves as a resource for entangling spatially separate solid-state qubits: Superconducting qubits, nitrogen-vacancy centers, and magnetic molecules

13 págs.; 10 figs.; 2 apps.Quantum correlations present in a broadband two-line squeezed microwave state can induce entanglement in a spatially separated bipartite system consisting of either two single qubits or two-qubit ensembles. By using an appropriate master equation for a bipartite quantum system in contact with two separate but entangled baths, the generating entanglement process in spatially separated quantum systems is thoroughly characterized. Decoherence thermal effects on the entanglement transfer are also discussed. Our results provide evidence that this entanglement transfer by dissipation is feasible, yielding to a steady-state amount of entanglement in the bipartite quantum system which can be optimized for a wide range of realistic physical systems that include state-of-the-art experiments with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond, superconducting qubits, or even magnetic molecules embedded in a crystalline matrix. ©2016 American Physical SocietyA.V.G., F.J.R., and L.Q. acknowledge financial support from Facultad de Ciencias at UniAndes-2015 Project “Transfer of Correlations from Non-classically Correlated Reservoirs to Solid State Systems” and Project “Quantum Control of Non-equilibrium Hybrid Systems-Part II,” UniAndes-2015. J.J.G.R. acknowledges support from Spanish Mineco Project No. FIS2012-33022, from EU FP7 Project PROMISCE, from CAM Research Network QUITEMAD+.Peer Reviewe

Effectiveness of acute geriatric units on functional decline, living at home, and case fatality among older patients admitted to hospital for acute medical disorders: meta-analysis

Objective To assess the effectiveness of acute geriatric units compared with conventional care units in adults aged 65 or more admitted to hospital for acute medical disorders

Designing a minimal reactive goalie for the RoboCup SPL

This paper presents the basic design and implementation of a goalkeeper made according to the regulations of the two-legged Standard Platform League of the RoboCup Federation. The paper describes the perceptive schemas created using the architecture of the TeamChaos-URJC team as well as the action schemes designed to create a minimal reactive goalie. This player was tested in the 2009 German Open international competition. The results obtained there are analyzed and the future works derived from that analysis are presente

Energy Saving Measures in Pressurized Irrigation Networks: A New Challenge for Power Generation

In Spain and other countries, open channel distribution networks have been replaced by on demand-pressurized networks to improve the water-use efficiency of the water distribution systems, but at the same time the energy requirements have dramatically risen. Under this scenario, methodologies to reduce the energy consumption are critical such as: irrigation network sectoring, critical hydrant detection, improving the efficiency of the pumping system and the irrigation system, or introducing solar energy for water supply. But once these measures are undertaken, the recovery of the energy inherent in excess pressure in the network should be investigated. Hydropower energy recovery in irrigation is still largely unexplored and requires further investigation and demonstration. All of these methodologies should be considered as useful tools for both, the reduction of energy consumption and the recovery of the excess energy in pressurized irrigation networks. To accomplish this, the REDAWN project (Reducing Energy Dependency in Atlantic Area Water Networks) aims to improve the energy efficiency of water networks through the installation of innovative micro-hydropower (MHP) technology. This technology will recover wasted energy in existing pipe networks across irrigation, public water supply, process industry, and waste-water network settings

Pump-as-Turbine Selection Methodology for Energy Recovery in Irrigation Networks: Minimising the Payback Period

In pressurized irrigation networks, energy reaches around 40% of the total water costs. Pump-as-Turbines (PATs) are a cost-effective technology for energy recovery, although they can present low efficiencies when operating outside of the best efficiency point (BEP). Flow fluctuations are very important in on-demand irrigation networks. This makes flow prediction and the selection of the optimal PAT more complex. In this research, an advanced statistical methodology was developed, which predicts the monthly flow fluctuations and the duration of each flow value. This was used to estimate the monthly time for which a PAT would work under BEP conditions and the time for which it would work with lower efficiencies. In addition, the optimal PAT power for each Excess Pressure Point (EPP) studied was determined following the strategy of minimising the PAT investment payback period (PP). The methodology was tested in Sector VII of the right bank of the Bembézar River (BMD), in Southern Spain. Five potential sites for PAT installation were found. The results showed a potential energy recovery of 93.9 MWh and an annual energy index per irrigated surface area of 0.10 MWh year−1 ha−1. Renewable energy will become increasingly important in the agriculture sector, to reduce both water costs and the contribution to climate change. PATs represent an attractive technology that can help achieve such goals