Exploring the Interplay between CAD and FreeFem++ as an Energy Decision-Making Tool for Architectural Design

The energy modelling software tools commonly used for architectural purposes do not allow a straightforward real-time implementation within the architectural design programs. In addition, the surrounding exterior spaces of the building, including the inner courtyards, hardly present a specific treatment distinguishing these spaces from the general external temperature in the thermal simulations. This is a clear disadvantage when it comes to streamlining the design process in relation to the whole-building energy optimization. In this context, the present study aims to demonstrate the advantages of the FreeFem++ open source program for performing simulations in architectural environments. These simulations include microclimate tests that describe the interactions between a building architecture and its local exterior. The great potential of this mathematical tool can be realized through its complete system integration within CAD (Computer-Aided Design) software such as SketchUp or AutoCAD. In order to establish the suitability of FreeFem++ for the performance of simulations, the most widely employed energy simulation tools able to consider a proposed architectural geometry in a specific environment are compared. On the basis of this analysis, it can be concluded that FreeFem++ is the only program displaying the best features for the thermal performance simulation of these specific outdoor spaces, excluding the currently unavailable easy interaction with architectural drawing programs. The main contribution of this research is, in fact, the enhancement of FreeFem++ usability by proposing a simple intuitive method for the creation of building geometries and their respective meshing (pre-processing). FreeFem++ is also considered a tool for data analysis (post-processing) able to help engineers and architects with building energy-efficiency-related tasks

Sourdough technology as a tool for the development of healthier grain-based products: An update

There has been growing demand by consumers for grain-based products with well-balanced nutritional profiles and health-promoting properties. The components of the flours obtained from different grains can be modified or improved at a nutritional level by using sourdough technology, which has gained increasing interest in recent years. Sourdough hydrolyse dietary fibre, reduces fat rancidity, and enables an increase in starch and protein digestibility, as well as vitamin levels and mineral bioavailability. In addition, bioactive compounds are synthesized during fermentation, while components that interfere with the digestion of grain-based products or digestion-linked pathologies, such as gluten sensitivity or gastrointestinal syndromes, are reduced. Finally, it has been observed that sourdough fermented products can play a role in gut microbiota regulation. Thanks to this health-promoting potential, sourdough can stand out among other fermentation processes and opens up a new range of healthier commercial products to be developed. The current review discusses the extensive research carried out in the last 15 years and aims at updating and deepening understanding on how sourdough can enhance the nutritional and health-related characteristics of the different components present in the grains.Fil: Fernández Peláez, Juan. Universidad de Valladolid; EspañaFil: Paesani, Candela. Universidad de Valladolid; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Ciencias Químicas. Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Gómez, Manuel. Universidad de Valladolid; Españ

On the Influence of Shade in Improving Thermal Comfort in Courtyards

This study analyzes the thermal performance of courtyards in traditional buildings in the city center of Córdoba (South of Spain), one of them displaying a shading component, to determine the influence of this precise element. The courtyards have been monitored simultaneously during a summer period when temperatures during the day reached over 45 °C. The obtained data was contrasted, and we confirmed that the shading element provided an improvement of the thermal performance of the courtyard which doubled the thermal leap between outdoor and inside the courtyard temperatures when the shading element was installed, in comparison to the courtyard without shade. Therefore, the tempering effect of courtyards can be significantly improved by means of using these simple elements

Mobile Robot Lab Project to Introduce Engineering Students to Fault Diagnosis in Mechatronic Systems

This document is a self-archiving copy of the accepted version of the paper. Please find the final published version in IEEEXplore: http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/TE.2014.2358551This paper proposes lab work for learning fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) in mechatronic systems. These skills are important for engineering education because FDD is a key capability of competitive processes and products. The intended outcome of the lab work is that students become aware of the importance of faulty conditions and learn to design FDD strategies for a real system. To this end, the paper proposes a lab project where students are requested to develop a discrete event dynamic system (DEDS) diagnosis to cope with two faulty conditions in an autonomous mobile robot task. A sample solution is discussed for LEGO Mindstorms NXT robots with LabVIEW. This innovative practice is relevant to higher education engineering courses related to mechatronics, robotics, or DEDS. Results are also given of the application of this strategy as part of a postgraduate course on fault-tolerant mechatronic systems.This work was supported in part by the Spanish CICYT under Project DPI2011-22443

Correlations between GIS-Based Urban Building Densification Analysis and Climate Guidelines for Mediterranean Courtyards

This study identifies and proposes A GIS-based exploration of the relationships between aspect ratio of inner courtyards, porosity of the urban fabric and the climatic factors where it is located. To perform that comparison, morphological and measurement methods have been used to delineate spatial boundaries of urban densification. This methodology has been applied to a case study in Spain, where regulation establishes several climatic zones. Examples of cities in these zones have been examined to establish possible correlations. This paper analyses the particularities of these different urban scenarios, considering the effects of climate on the real urban densification. The purpose of this study is to find a relationship between the historical inner courtyards dimensions and the climate of the zone where they are located. In order to frame the real thermal behaviour of the inner courtyard in the context of the vernacular typologies studied, a representative sample of inner courtyards has been selected. The monitoring data presented allow quantifying the courtyard’s ability to temper the maximum temperature values

Dealing with the Resolubility of Evolution Algebras

Although since their introduction by Tian in 2004, evolution algebras have been the subject of a very deep study in the last years due to their numerous applications to other disciplines, this study is not easy since these algebras lack an identity that characterizes them, such as the identity of Jacobi, for Lie algebras or those of Leibniz and Malcev for those corresponding algebras. In this paper we deal with the concepts of solvability and nilpotency of these evolution algebras. Some novel results on them obtained from using the evolution operator of these algebras are given and some examples illustrating these results are also shown. The main result obtained states that an evolution algebra is solvable if and only if its structure matrix is nilpotent, which implies, in turn, that the solvability and the nilpotency indices of that algebra coincide provided the corresponding evolution operator is an endomorphism of the algebra

Using the Evolution Operator to Classify Evolution Algebras

Evolution algebras are currently widely studied due to their importance not only “per se” but also for their many applications to different scientific disciplines, such as Physics or Engineering, for instance. This paper deals with these types of algebras and their applications. A criterion for classifying those satisfying certain conditions is given and an algorithm to obtain degenerate evolution algebras starting from those of smaller dimensions is also analyzed and constructed

Isotropy and marginally trapped surfaces in a spacetime

In this note we shall study the notions of isotropic and marginally trapped surface in a spacetime by using a differential geometric approach. We first consider spacelike isotropic surfaces in a Lorentzian manifold and, in particular, in a four-dimensional spacetime, where the isotropy function appears to be determined by the mean curvature vector field of the surface. Explicit examples of isotropic marginally outer trapped surfaces are given in the standard fourdimensional space forms: Minkowski, De Sitter and anti De Sitter spaces. Then we prove ridigity theorems for complete spacelike 0-isotropic surfaces without flat points in these standard space forms. As a consequence, we also obtain characterizations of complete spacelike isotropic marginally trapped surfaces in these backgrounds.Oficina de Gestión de Investigación Científica y TécnicaJunta de Andalucí

The contact magnetic flow in 3D Sasakian manifolds

We first present a geometrical approach to magnetic fields in three-dimensional Riemannian manifolds, because this particular dimension allows one to easily tie vector fields and 2-forms. When the vector field is divergence free, it defines a magnetic field on the manifold whose Lorentz force equation presents a simple and useful form. In particular, for any three-dimensional Sasakian manifold the contact magnetic field is studied, and the normal magnetics trajectories are determined. As an application, we consider the three-dimensional unit sphere, where we prove the existence of closed magnetic trajectories of the contact magnetic field, and that this magnetic flow is quantized in the set of rational numbers.Oficina de Gestión de la Investigación Científica y TécnicaJunta de Andalucí

The contact number of a pseudo-Euclidean submanifold

In this paper we define the contact number of a pseudo-Riemannian submanifold into the pseudo-Euclidean space, and prove that this contact number is closely related to the notion of pseudo-isotropic submanifold. We give a classification of hypersurfaces into the pseudo-Euclidean space with contact number at least 3. A classification of the complete spacelike codimension-2 submanifolds of the Lorentz-Minkowski space with contact number at least 3 is also obtained.Ministerio de Ciencia y TecnologíaJunta de Andalucí