Artificial weathering pools of calcium-rich industrial waste for CO2 sequestration

Processes of carbonation of calcium-rich aqueous industrial wastes from acetylene production were performed mimicking rock weathering, using the atmospheric carbon dioxide as reactant. This residue was carbonated exposing it to the air in artificial pools with controlled solid-to-liquid and surface-to-volume ratios, and the efficiency of this simple mineral carbonation process was maximized. Considering realistic values of just one acetylene production plant, the intelligent handling of the calcium-rich waste would make it possible to counteract the emission of around 800t of carbon dioxide per year, so the CO2 emissions of the acetylene production could be completely compensated and its carbon footprint significantly reduced.X-ray diffraction patterns and thermogravimetric analyses reported the conversion, up to 88%, of the calcium hydroxide into calcium carbonate under atmospheric conditions. So, considering a realistic industrial scale-up, 476kg of CO2 could be captured with 1t of dry waste. The morphology of the grains is resolved by electron microscopy, and can be described as needles 15nm wide and 200nm long arranged in grains smaller than 1 micron. We exploit these nanometric textural parameters (nanometric pores and particles having a specific surface area ∼50m2/g) to design an efficient carbon fixation procedure. The aim of this work is to propose this simple carbonation technology, based on aqueous alkaline industrial waste, as a contribution to reducing global CO2 emissions.Junta de Andalucía TEP115Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación PIA42008-3

Staurosira magallanesica, a replacement name for Staurosira patagonica

Staurosira patagonica M.L.Garcia, Maidana, Ector & E.Morales described a new species found in material of Maar Magallanes, Patagonia, Argentina and other lakes in southern Patagonia. This new species was analysed in detail by light and electron microscopy and a comprehensive description is given in Garcia et al. (2017: 107, 114, figs 2-45). However, this name is a later homonym of Staurosira patagonica Cleve, 1882. If we compare our species to Cleve’s illustration (Cleve 1882: pl. 16: fig. 13), we can easily differentiate the two by their general valve outline and morphometric data. As pointed out by Garcia et al. (2017), re-examination of the type material of members of the Fragilariaceae is needed to confirm identities, establish taxonomic boundaries and to facilitate identification, and this is also the case with Staurosira patagonica Cleve. A new name is, however, required for Staurosira patagonica M.L.Garcia, Maidana, Ector & E.Morales as it is an illegitimate name: Staurosira magallanesica M.L.Garcia, Maidana, Ector & E.Morales nom. nov. Replaced synonym: Staurosira patagonica M.L.Garcia, Maidana, Ector & E.Morales Nova Hedwigia, Beiheft 146: 107, 114, figs 2-45, 2017, nom illeg., non Staurosira patagonica Cleve 1882 Öfversigt af Kongliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Förhandlingar 38(10): 13, pl. 16: fig. 13, 1882 ‘1881’. Etymology: we have derived the specific epithet from the name of the paleolake Maar Magallanes where this new species was found for the first time by N.I. Maidana (Maidana & Corbella 1997).Fil: García, María Luján. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Maidana, Nora Irene. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Biodiversidad y Biología Experimental y Aplicada; ArgentinaFil: Ector, Luc. Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology; LuxemburgoFil: Morales, E. A.. Universidade de Évora; Portuga

One-loop corrections for WW to HH in Higgs EFT with the electroweak chiral Lagrangian

In this work, we present the computation of the one-loop electroweak radiative corrections to the scattering process WW → HH within the context of the Higgs Effective Field Theory (HEFT). We assume that the fermionic interactions are like in the Standard Model, whereas the beyond Standard Model interactions in the bosonic sector are given by the electroweak chiral Lagrangian (EChL). The computation of the one-loop amplitude and the renormalization program is performed in terms of the involved one-particle-irreducible (1PI) functions and using Rζ covariant gauges. The renormalization of 1PI functions at arbitrary external momenta is a more ambitious program than just renormalizing the amplitude with on-shell external legs, and it has the advantage that they can be used in several scattering amplitudes. In fact, we use here some of the 1PI functions already computed in our previous work (devoted to WZ → WZ). We will complement them here with the computation of the new 1PI functions required for WW → HH. From this renormalization procedure, we will also derive the full set of renormalized coefficients of the EChL that are relevant for this scattering process. In the last part, we will present the numerical results for the EChL predictions of the one-loop level cross section, σ(WW → HH)|1-loop, as a function of the center-of-mass energy, showing the relative size of the one-loop radiative corrections with respect to the tree-level prediction in terms of the EChL coefficients. The results of the one-loop corrections to WW → HH for the SM case will be also presented, for comparison with the EChL case, following the same computational method - i.e., by means of the renormalization of 1PI function

Reinforced silica-carbon nanotube monolithic aerogels synthesised by rapid controlled gelation

This work introduces a new synthesis procedure for obtaining homogeneous silica hybrid aerogels with carbon nanotube contents up to 2.50 wt.%. The inclusion of nanotubes in the highly porous silica matrix was performed by a two-step sol–gel process, resulting in samples with densities below 80 mg/cm3. The structural analyses (N2 physisorption and SEM) revealed the hierarchical structure of the porous matrix formed by nanoparticles arranged in clusters of 100 and 300 nm in size, specific surface areas around 600 m2/g and porous volumes above 4.0 cm3/g. In addition, a relevant increase on the mechanical performance was found, and an increment of 50% for the compressive strength and 90% for the maximum deformation were measured by uniaxial compression. This reinforcement was possible thanks to the outstanding dispersion of the CNT within the silica matrix and the formation of Si–O–C bridges between nanotubes and silica matrix, as suggested by FTIR. Therefore, the original synthesis procedure introduced in this work allows the fabrication of highly porous hybrid materials loaded with carbon nanotubes homogeneously distributed in the space, which remain available for a variety of technological applications

Modelling the number of olive groves in Spanish municipalities

The univariate generalized Waring distribution (UGWD) is presented as a new model to describe the goodness of fit, applicable in the context of agriculture. In this paper, it was used to model the number of olive groves recorded in Spain in the 8,091 municipalities recorded in the 2009 Agricultural Census, according to which the production of oil olives accounted for 94% of total output, while that of table olives represented 6% (with an average of 44.84 and 4.06 holdings per Spanish municipality, respectively). UGWD is suitable for fitting this type of discrete data, with strong left-sided asymmetry. This novel use of UGWD can provide the foundation for future research in agriculture, with the advantage over other discrete distributions that enables the analyst to split the variance. After defining the distribution, we analysed various methods for fitting the parameters associated with it, namely estimation by maximum likelihood, estimation by the method of moments and a variant of the latter, estimation by the method of frequencies and moments. For oil olives, the chi-square goodness of fit test gives p-values of 0.9992, 0.9967 and 0.9977, respectively. However, a poor fit was obtained for the table olive distribution. Finally, the variance was split, following Irwin, into three components related to random factors, external factors and internal differences. For the distribution of the number of olive grove holdings, this splitting showed that random and external factors only account about 0.22% and 0.05%. Therefore, internal differences within municipalities play an important role in determining total variability.This research is financed by Vice-Rector’s Office for Political Science and Research-University of Granada, through the project “Social-Labour Statistics and Demography” (30.BB.11.1101) at the Faculty of Labour Sciences

Diagnosis of tuberculosis in wildlife: a systematic review

[EN] Animal tuberculosis (TB) is a multi-host disease caused by members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC). Due to its impact on economy, sanitary standards of milk and meat industry, public health and conservation, TB control is an actively ongoing research subject. Several wildlife species are involved in the maintenance and transmission of TB, so that new approaches to wildlife TB diagnosis have gained relevance in recent years. Diagnosis is a paramount step for screening, epidemiological investigation, as well as for ensuring the success of control strategies such as vaccination trials. This is the first review that systematically addresses data available for the diagnosis of TB in wildlife following the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The article also gives an overview of the factors related to host, environment, sampling, and diagnostic techniques which can affect test performance. After three screenings, 124 articles were considered for systematic review. Literature indicates that post-mortem examination and culture are useful methods for disease surveillance, but immunological diagnostic tests based on cellular and humoral immune response detection are gaining importance in wildlife TB diagnosis. Among them, serological tests are especially useful in wildlife because they are relatively inexpensive and easy to perform, facilitate large-scale surveillance and can be used both ante- and post-mortem. Currently available studies assessed test performance mostly in cervids, European badgers, wild suids and wild bovids. Research to improve diagnostic tests for wildlife TB diagnosis is still needed in order to reach accurate, rapid and cost-effective diagnostic techniques adequate to a broad range of target species and consistent over space and time to allow proper disease monitoring.SIThis work has been funded by project MYCOTRAINING SBPLY/19/180501/000174 (Junta de Castilla-La Mancha), Agencia Estatal de Investigación grant WildDriver CGL2017-89866 (MINECO, Spain and EU FEDER), project RTI2018-096010-B-C21 (MCIU and AEI; FEDER co-funded), and PCTI 2018–2020 (GRUPIN: IDI2018-000237) (Gobierno del Principado de Asturias and FEDER). J. Thomas was supported by a grant from the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-International Fellowship 2014–2015 (ICAR-IF 2014–2015)

SANS study of hybrid silica aerogels under "in situ" uniaxial compression

We have modified the inorganic silica network of aerogels with polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), a hydroxyl-terminated polymer, to obtain an organic modified silicate (ORMOSIL). Reactions were assisted by high-power ultrasounds. The resulting gels were dried under supercritical conditions of the solvent to obtain a monolithic sono-aerogel. The mechanical behaviour of these aerogels can be tuned from brittle to rubbery as a function of the organic polymer content. In order to determine the links between the mechanical behaviour and modifications made to the microstructure, SANS (small-angle neutron scattering) experiments were carried out. To measure the intensities under "in situ" uniaxial compression of the aerogel, a specific sample-holder was built. Under uniaxial compression the 2D-diagrams were significantly anisotropic (butterfly pattern), indicating the rearrangement of the polymer. The form factor of these aerogels is described well by two correlation lengths, small microporous silica clusters surrounded by entangled polymer chains of 6 nm average size (blobs), which form a larger secondary level of agglomerates governed by the "frozen-in" elastic constraints.Comisión Interministerial de Ciencia y Tecnología MAT2005-1583European Commission CT-2003-50592

On the local existence of maximal slicings in spherically symmetric spacetimes

In this talk we show that any spherically symmetric spacetime admits locally a maximal spacelike slicing. The above condition is reduced to solve a decoupled system of first order quasi-linear partial differential equations. The solution may be accomplished analytical or numerically. We provide a general procedure to construct such maximal slicings.Comment: 4 pages. Accepted for publication in Journal of Physics: Conference Series, Proceedings of the Spanish Relativity Meeting ERE200

SilvAdapt.Net: A Site-Based Network of Adaptive Forest Management Related to Climate Change in Spain

Funding: A.J. Molina is beneficiary of an “APOSTD” fellowship (APOSTD/2019/111) funded by the Generalitat Valenciana. M. Moreno-de las Heras is beneficiary of a Serra Hunter fellowship (UB-LE-9055) funded by the Generalitat de Catalunya. F.J. Ruiz-Gómez is supported by a postdoctoral fellowship of the Junta de Andalucía (Sevilla, Spain), and the European Social Fund 2014–2020 Program (DOC_0055). The authors received national and international funding through the following projects: SILVADAPT.NET (RED2018-102719-T), ESPECTRAMED (CGL2017-86161-R), Life-FOREST CO2 (LIFE14 CCM/ES/001271), ALTERACLIM (CGL2015-69773-C2-1-P), INERTIA (PID2019-111332RB-C22-BDV), CEHYRFO-MED (CGL2017-86839-C3-2-R), DEHESACLIM (IB16185), RESILIENTFORESTS (LIFE17 CCA/ES/000063), Rhysotto (PID2019-106583RB-I00), AGL2017-83828-C2-2-R, RTI2018-096884-B-C31, ESPAS (CGL2015-65569-R), and caRRRascal (RTI2018-095037-B-I00).Acknowledgments: We thank the financial support from the “Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación -Redes de Investigación 2018, Programa Estatal de Generación de Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Científico y Tecnológico del Sistema de I + D + I”.Adaptive forest management (AFM) is an urgent need because of the uncertainty regarding how changes in the climate will affect the structure, composition and function of forests during the next decades. Current research initiatives for the long-term monitoring of impacts of silviculture are scattered and not integrated into research networks, with the consequent losses of opportunities and capacity for action. To increase the scientific and practical impacts of these experiences, it is necessary to establish logical frameworks that harmonize the information and help us to define the most appropriate treatments. In this context, a number of research groups in Spain have produced research achievements and know-how during the last decades that can allow for the improvement in AFM. These groups address the issue of AFM from different fields, such as ecophysiology, ecohydrology and forest ecology, thus resulting in valuable but dispersed expertise. The main objective of this work is to introduce a comprehensive strategy aimed to study the implementation of AFM in Spain. As a first step, a network of 34 experimental sites managed by 14 different research groups is proposed and justified. As a second step, the most important AFM impacts on Mediterranean pines, as one of the most extended natural and planted forest types in Spain, are presented. Finally, open questions dealing with key aspects when attempting to implement an AFM framework are discussed. This study is expected to contribute to better outlining the procedures and steps needed to implement regional frameworks for AFM.CEHYRFO-MED CGL2017-86839-C3-2-RDEHESACLIM AGL2017-83828-C2-2-R, IB16185, LIFE17 CCA/ES/000063, PID2019-106583RB-I00, RTI2018-096884-B-C31ESPAS CGL2015-65569-R, RTI2018-095037-B-I00ESPECTRAMED CGL2015-69773-C2-1-P, CGL2017-86161-R, LIFE14 CCM/ES/001271European Social Fund 2014–2020 ProgramINERTIA PID2019-111332RB-C22-BDVGeneralitat de CatalunyaGeneralitat Valenciana UB-LE-9055Ministerio de Ciencia e InnovaciónEuropean Social Fund DOC_0055, RED2018-102719-TJunta de Andalucí