Ca-looping for postcombustion CO2 capture: A comparative analysis on the performances of dolomite and limestone

The low cost and wide availability of natural limestone (CaCO3) is at the basis of the industrial competitiveness of the Ca-looping (CaL) technology for postcombustion CO2 capture as already demonstrated by ~1Mwt scale pilot projects. A major focus of studies oriented towards further improving the efficiency of the CaL technology is how to prevent the gradual loss of capture capacity of limestone derived CaO as the number of carbonation/calcination cycles is increased. Natural dolomite (MgCa(CO3)2) has been proposed as an alternative sorbent precursor to limestone. Yet, carbonation of MgO is not thermodynamically favorable at CaL conditions, which may hinder the capture performance of dolomite. In the work described in this paper we carried out a thermogravimetric analysis on the multicyclic capture performance of natural dolomite under realistic regeneration conditions necessarily implying high calcination temperature, high CO2 concentration and fast transitions between the carbonation and calcination stages. Our study demonstrates that the sorbent derived from dolomite has a greater capture capacity as compared to limestone. SEM analysis shows that MgO grains in the decomposed dolomite are resistant to sintering under severe calcination conditions and segregate from CaO acting as a thermally stable support which mitigates the multicyclic loss of CaO conversion. Moreover, full decomposition of dolomite is achieved at significantly lower calcination temperatures as compared to limestone, which would help improving further the industrial competitiveness of the technology.Junta de Andalucía FQM-5735, TEP-7858, TEP-1900Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad FIS2011-25161, CTQ2011- 2762

Electro-optical Simulation of a-Si Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid Crystal Display Pixels

An analysis of an amorphous silicon (a-Si) thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD) pixel is presented. The electro-optical model combines the electrical properties of the switching element and the optical performance of a twisted nematic (TN) liquid-crystal cell.Publicad

GWAS-Identified Variants for Obesity Do Not Influence the Risk of Developing Multiple Myeloma: A Population-Based Study and Meta-Analysis

Multiple myeloma (MM) is an incurable disease characterized by the presence of malignant plasma cells in the bone marrow that secrete specific monoclonal immunoglobulins into the blood. Obesity has been associated with the risk of developing solid and hematological cancers, but its role as a risk factor for MM needs to be further explored. Here, we evaluated whether 32 genome-wide association study (GWAS)-identified variants for obesity were associated with the risk of MM in 4189 German subjects from the German Multiple Myeloma Group (GMMG) cohort (2121 MM cases and 2068 controls) and 1293 Spanish subjects (206 MM cases and 1087 controls). Results were then validated through meta-analysis with data from the UKBiobank (554 MM cases and 402,714 controls) and FinnGen cohorts (914 MM cases and 248,695 controls). Finally, we evaluated the correlation of these single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with cQTL data, serum inflammatory proteins, steroid hormones, and absolute numbers of blood-derived cell populations (n = 520). The meta-analysis of the four European cohorts showed no effect of obesity-related variants on the risk of developing MM. We only found a very modest association of the POC5rs2112347G and ADCY3rs11676272G alleles with MM risk that did not remain significant after correction for multiple testing (per-allele OR = 1.08, p = 0.0083 and per-allele OR = 1.06, p = 0.046). No correlation between these SNPs and functional data was found, which confirms that obesity-related variants do not influence MM risk.Instituto de Salud Carlos III (Madrid, Spain; PI17/02256 and PI20/01845)Consejería de Salud y Familia de la Junta de Andalucía (PY20/01282)Dietmar Hopp Foundation and the German Ministry of Education and Science (BMBF: CLIOMMICS (01ZX1309

Enhancement of CO2 capture in limestone and dolomite granular beds by high intensity sound waves

The calcium looping (CaL) process, based on the calcination/carbonation of CaCO3 at high temperatures, has emerged in the last years as a potentially low cost technology for CO2 capture. In this work, we show that the application of high intensity sound waves to granular beds of limestone and dolomite in a CaL reactor enhances significantly their multicycle CO2 capture capacity. Sound waves are applied either during the calcination stage of each CaL cycle or in the carbonation stage. The effect of sound is to intensify the transfer of heat, mass and momentum and is more marked when sound is applied during calcination by promoting CaO regeneration. The application of sound would allow reducing the calcination temperature thereby mitigating the decay of capture capacity with the number of cycles and reducing the energy penalty of the technology.Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad CTQ2014-52763-C2-2-

«A Baptism of Fire»: Towards a Practical Hybrid Approach for the Lexicographic Indexation of Phraseological Units with Religious Lexical Components in English and Spanish

Traditionally, researchers have had a particular interest in the study of the relationship between phraseology and lexicography [e.g., Alonso Ramos (2006); Mellado Blanco (2008); Buendía Castro and Faber (2015); Paquot (2015); Nuccorini (2020)] to the point of having labeled it a «scientific marriage» (Leroyer 2006). In addition, scholars have been increasingly interested in the semantic analysis of phraseological units (henceforth PUs) [e.g., Grčić Simeunović and de Santiago (2016) and Torijano and Recio (2019)]. Among the problems that these and several other studies have pointed out, there is the recurrent reference to inaccuracy and difficulty in indexing PUs in lexicographic resources. Although some scholars consider onomasiological approaches as an interesting starting point [e.g., Bosque (2017) and Siepmann (2008)], a systematic methodology in phraseology that includes both the semantical analysis of the entries and their indexation is still needed./nWe intend to address that need here through the analysis of 242 idioms (199 in Spanish and 43 in English) extracted from a 21,045-idiom database that was compiled from two phraseological dictionaries: the Diccionario fraseológico documentado del español actual (henceforth DFDEA) (Seco, Andrés et al., 2004), and the Collins COBUILD Dictionary of Idioms (henceforth CCDOI) (Sinclair and Moon 1997). The criteria employed to select the resulting analysis units were: (i) they had to include at least one lexical component related to religion, and (ii) the idiom had to be nominal or verbal. The religious component was identified semi-automatically by using the UCREL's Semantic Analysis System (USAS) (Archer et al., 2002)./nThe contributions of this paper are as follows: (i) it presents a lexicographic analysis of the macrostructure and microstructure of the two phraseological resources previously mentioned, (ii) it offers a model of semantic analysis for PUs with religion-related components, (iii) it proposes an alternative indexation method of PUs in lexicographic resources involving semasiological and onomasiological approaches; and finally, (iv) it shows a systematic way to use semantic and pragmatic information in order to create semantic entries for PUs./nIn conclusion, by closely examining said set of phraseological entries, this study sheds light on the semantic composition of Pus. It also suggests a systematic hybrid approach for their lexicographic indexation in English and Spanish.Tradicionalmente, los investigadores han demostrado un particular interés por el estudio de la relación entre fraseología y lexicografía [p. ej. Alonso Ramos (2006); Mellado Blanco (2008); Buendía Castro y Faber (2015); Paquot (2015); Nuccorini (2020)] hasta el punto de denominarlo «matrimonio científico» (Leroyer 2006). De igual manera, los académicos se han interesado de manera creciente por el análisis semántico de las unidades fraseológicas (en nuestro texto, PUs, por sus siglas en inglés) [e.g., Grčić Simeunović y de Santiago (2016) y Torijano y Recio (2019)]. Entre los problemas que estos y otros estudios han señalado se encuentra la recurrente referencia a la inexactitud y la dificultad para indexar las PUs en los recursos lexicográficos. Aunque algunos investigadores consideran los enfoques onomasiológicos como un interesante punto de partida [e.g., Bosque (2017) y Siepmann (2008)], sigue siendo necesario establecer una metodología sistemática respecto a la fraseología que incluya tanto el análisis semántico de las entradas como su indexación./nNos proponemos abordar esta necesidad analizando 242 modismos (199 en español y 43 en inglés) extraídos de una base de datos con 21.045 modismos que ha sido compilada a partir de dos diccionarios fraseológicos: el Diccionario fraseológico documentado del español actual (en adelante DFDEA) (Seco, Andrés et al., 2004), y el Collins COBUILD Dictionary of Idioms (en adelante CCDOI) (Sinclair y Moon 1997). Los criterios empleados para seleccionar las unidades resultantes con vistas a su análisis han sido: (i) debían incluir al menos un componente léxico relacionado con la religión, y (ii) el modismo tenía que ser nominal o verbal. El componente religioso fue identificado de manera semi-automática utilizando el UCREL's Semantic Analysis System (USAS) (Archer et al., 2002)./nLas aportaciones de este artículo son las siguientes: (i) presenta un análisis lexicográfico de la macroestructura y la microestructura de los dos recursos fraseológicos antes mencionados, (ii) ofrece un modelo de análisis semántico para las PUs con componentes relacionados con la religión, (iii) propone un método de indexación alternativa de las PUs en recursos lexicográficos que implican enfoques semasiológicos y onomasiológicos; y finalmente, (iv) propone una manera sistemática de utilizar la información semántica y pragmática para crear entradas semánticas para las PUs./nEn conclusión, al examinar dicha serie de entradas fraseológicas, este estudio arroja luz sobre la composición semántica de las PUs. También sugiere un enfoque híbrido sistemático para su indexación lexicográfica en inglés y español

A scalar approximation to the survey of the architectural, artistic and cultural heritage of the University of Alcalá (Madrid, Spain)

This work presents part of the experience accumulated by the research team of which the authors are members in data collection and information management for the representation of architectural and artistic heritage. To do so, we will analyze the results according to the characteristics of the elements to be studied, which we shall classify according to their scale, location, and nature. In this sense, we propose three working approaches: the L scale, linked to exterior urban spaces, the M scale, for buildings and their interiors, and the S scale, for movable objects and sculptures. Likewise, we address an aspect that is not often dealt with in scientific publications, such as the importance of the graphic planning of tasks and timings in order to make campaigns more efficient. In addition, we performed a critical analysis of the workflows prioritizing the characteristics of the object and the physical constraints that researchers in this field must overcome. As a case study, we shall use the Chapel of San Ildefonso, the foundational space of the University of Alcalá (Madrid), declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The heritage qualities of this space allow us to test and exemplify the work process according to the aforementioned scales of approximation. That is to say, the facade as an example of urban scale (L), the wooden coffered ceiling as the main element of the buildings interior (M) and the tomb of Cardinal Cisneros and the adjacent altarpiece as an example of movable scale (S). In short, the contribution is a reference for the effective planning and execution of the survey process, as well as for the processing of the models discussed

Constant rate thermal analysis for thermal stability studies of polymers

This paper explores the relationship between the shapes of temperature-time curves obtained from experimental data recorded by means of constant rate thermal analysis (CRTA) and the kinetic model followed by the thermal degradation reaction. A detailed shape analysis of CRTA curves has been performed as a function of the most common kinetic models. The analysis has been validated with simulated data, and with experimental data recorded from the thermal degradation of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), poly(1,4-butylene terephthalate) (PBT), polyethylene (PE) and poly(vinyl chloride) (PVC). The resulting temperature-time profiles indicate that the studied polymers decompose through phase boundary, random scission, diffusion and nucleation mechanisms respectively. The results here presented demonstrate that the strong dependence of the temperature-time profile on the reaction mechanism would allow the real kinetic model obeyed by a reaction to be discerned from a single CRTA curve.Junta de Andalucía TEP-03002Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación MAT 2008-06619/MA