Conical spouted bed combustor to obtain clean energy from avocado waste

The advantages of spouted bed technology for waste treatment are linked to the high excess of renewable biomass waste generated by the large worldwide consumption of avocado. Therefore, the applicability of avocado waste as fuel in a novel conical spouted bed combustor was investigated. The solid cyclic movement in this reactor innovatively promotes better mass and heat transfer, as well as better energy exploitation of the waste. Local heat transfer coefficients were experimentally determined in the beds of avocado waste in the combustor to assess their heat transfer and determine their value as biofuels. The combustion of the avocado beds in the spouted bed regime was performed at 300–600 °C in a conical reactor at the minimum spouting velocity. The exhaust gas evolution was monitored over time, and the emission ratios were calculated. The combustion efficiencies of avocado seeds, skin, and their binary mixtures, determined from flue gas concentrations, were compared, and the effects of temperature and bed composition on combustion efficiency were analyzed.This work is part of the project Grant PID2021-126331OB-I00 and grant TED2021-130150B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ERDF A way of making Europe”. Open Access funding provided by the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU

La euritmia y la percusión corporal como recursos educativos en Educación Infantil

La euritmia y la percusión corporal son aspectos fundamentales para trabajar en la etapa de Educación Infantil, ya que existe una estrecha interrelación entre la música y el movimiento. En el presente documento consta una fundamentación teórica en la que se reflejan los aspectos básicos que dan lugar a comprender este tema y la relevancia que ello tiene en los niños y las niñas de Educación Infantil. Además, al final de este escrito encontraremos la planificación de una propuesta metodológica con la finalidad de poder desarrollar la euritmia y la percusión corporal como recursos educativos en esta etapa.Grado en Educación Infanti

Advanced Speech Communication System for Deaf People

This paper describes the development of an Advanced Speech Communication System for Deaf People and its field evaluation in a real application domain: the renewal of Driver’s License. The system is composed of two modules. The first one is a Spanish into Spanish Sign Language (LSE: Lengua de Signos Española) translation module made up of a speech recognizer, a natural language translator (for converting a word sequence into a sequence of signs), and a 3D avatar animation module (for playing back the signs). The second module is a Spoken Spanish generator from sign writing composed of a visual interface (for specifying a sequence of signs), a language translator (for generating the sequence of words in Spanish), and finally, a text to speech converter. For language translation, the system integrates three technologies: an example based strategy, a rule based translation method and a statistical translator. This paper also includes a detailed description of the evaluation carried out in the Local Traffic Office in the city of Toledo (Spain) involving real government employees and deaf people. This evaluation includes objective measurements from the system and subjective information from questionnaire

Sun-dried pears: Phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity.

Two different regional varieties of pears, S. Bartolomeu and Amêndoa, were analyzed fresh and after sun-drying. The total phenolic composition and antioxidant capacity of these pears were determined. The total antioxidant capacity was compared using two different methods: DMPD (N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine) and the method of ABTS (2,2’-azinobis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) radical scavenging. The ABTS method, when compared with the DMPD method, showed a better correlation between the content of phenolic compounds of the pears and their antioxidant activity. The fresh pear possessed higher amounts of phenolic compounds and higher antioxidant capacity when compared to sun-dried pear. The antioxidant efficiency was expressed as Trolox equivalent and as ascorbic acid equivalent. For both methods, the Trolox equivalent was higher than the ascorbic acid equivalent

Effect of a New Natural Seasoning on the Formation of Pyrazines in Barbecued Beef Patties

The formation of pyrazines in food cooking is required to obtain satisfactory “roasted” flavor.The aim of this work was to evaluate the effect of a new red wine pomace seasoning (RWPS) on the formation of pyrazines in barbecued beef patties. Five pyrazines were successfully identified, 2,5-dimethylpyrazine being the most abundant. Although 2-ethyl-5-methylpyrazine was in lower levels, it presented the highest odor units, due to its low threshold. RWPS enhanced the formation of the five identified pyrazines (2.1 times), without relevant changes in the proportion between them.The highest increase was observed for 2-ethyl-6-methylpyrazine (3 times higher than in control). These results were corroborated by electronic nose analysis, presenting RWPS beef patties higher odor intensities. Mechanisms to explain these effects are also proposed in the present work, and the high content of polyphenols seems to be the major cause of the observed results.The use of RWPS could improve the flavor characteristics of meat products or enable using less intense cooking conditions with no changes in the flavor.Autonomous Government of Castilla y Le´on through the research Projects BU282U1

La reinserción laboral en los pacientes con cáncer colorrectal

Aim: Employment and work-related disability were investigated in a cohort of colorectal cancer patients to describe a possible discrimination and other work issues. Patients and Methods: The study included consecutively 73 colorectal cancer patients who were employed at diagnosis. The questionnaire included cancer-related symptoms and work-related factors. Clinical details were obtained from the medical record. Patients were interviewed face to face. The study was approved by the Ethical Committee of La Paz Hospital. All patients gave consent to participate. Results: Eighty six per cent of patients were unable to work after diagnosis, but 55% returned to work at the end of treatment. The age, having a metastatic illness and the sequelae of the disease or its treatment were independently associated with the ability to work after the end of treatment. Almost all patients told their employers and co-workers about their disease. Conclusions: This is the fi rst exploratory study in Spain about labour reintegration in colorectal cancer. Further studies are necessary.Objetivo: Analizar los factores que infl uyen en la vuelta al trabajo en una cohorte de enfermos con cáncer colorrectal y los posibles problemas de discriminación que pueden tener. Pacientes y métodos: El estudio incluyó 73 pacientes consecutivos diagnosticados de un cáncer colorrectal y empleados en el momento del diagnóstico. Los pacientes rellenaron un cuestionario que incluía aspectos demográficos, clínicos y laborales. El estudio fue aprobado por el Comité Ético y de Investigación Clínica del Hospital La Paz. Todos los pacientes dieron su consentimiento para participar en el estudio y para la utilización de los datos de su historia clínica. Resultados: El 86% de los pacientes pasaron a inactivos tras comenzar el tratamiento de la enfermedad y un 45% lo seguían estando tras éste. No hubo diferencias en la influencia de las distintas variables analizadas con respecto a la actividad laboral tras el diagnóstico. Sin embargo, la edad avanzada, el tener un estadio IV de la enfermedad y la presencia de secuelas derivadas del tumor o del tratamiento de éste, sí infl uyeron en la reinserción laboral una vez fi nalizado el tratamiento específico. La mayoría de los pacientes no creían que el tener la enfermedad les perjudicaría en su puesto de trabajo y, en casi todos los casos, tanto sus compañeros como sus jefes conocían que tenían un tumor. Conclusiones: Éste es el primer estudio exploratorio en nuestro país acerca de la reinserción laboral de los pacientes diagnosticados de una neoplasia maligna colorrectal. Son necesarios más trabajos para poder establecer las medidas adecuadas para la mejora de este proceso

Wine pomace product ameliorates hypertensive and diabetic aorta vascular remodeling through antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions

Vascular remodeling in hypertension and diabetes is characterized by a low-grade inflammation of the arterial wall and enhanced oxidative stress. Wine pomace products attenuate hyperglycemia and hypertension through reduction of oxidative stress and inflammation by their polyphenol composition. The aim of the study was to assess the influence of the wine pomace product (WP) on morphometric parameters of the arterial wall in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and streptozotocin-diabetic rats (STZ). Oxidative stress was also evaluated by determination of radical oxygen species (ROS) and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activation in thoracic aortas. Wine pomace reduces wall aortic thickness, cross sectional area and wall/lumen ratio, and decreases ROS and increases eNOS activation. In summary, the supplementation of hypertensive or diabetic rats with the wine pomace product exhibits a protective role against the endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling.Autonomous Government of Castilla y León (Research project BU282U1

Automatic Identification Algorithm of Equivalent Electrochemical Circuit Based on Electroscopic Impedance Data for a Lead Acid Battery

Obtaining tools to analyze and predict the performance of batteries is a non-trivial challenge because it involves non-destructive evaluation procedures. At the research level, the development of sensors to allow cell-level monitoring is an innovative path, and electrochemical impedance spectrometry (EIS) has been identified as one of the most promising tools, as is the generation of advanced multivariable models that integrate environmental and internal-battery information. In this article, we describe an algorithm that automatically identifies a battery-equivalent electrochemical model based on electroscopic impedance data. This algorithm allows in operando monitoring of variations in the equivalent circuit parameters that will be used to further estimate variations in the state of health (SoH) and state of charge (SoC) of the battery based on a correlation with experimental aging data corresponding to states of failure or degradation. In the current work, the authors propose a two-step parameter identification algorithm. The first consists of a rough differential evolution algorithm-based identification. The second is based on the Nelder–Mead Simplex search method, which gives a fine parameter estimation. These algorithm results were compared with those of the commercially available Z-view, an equivalent circuit tool estimation that requires expert human input.Special thanks should also be expressed for the Torres Quevedo (PTQ) 2019 Aid from the State Research Agency, within the framework of the State Program for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability in R + D + i, Ref. PTQ2019-010787 /AEI/10.13039/501100011033

Online Identification of VLRA Battery Model Parameters Using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

This paper introduces the use of a new low-computation cost algorithm combining neural networks with the Nelder–Mead simplex method to monitor the variations of the parameters of a previously selected equivalent circuit calculated from Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) corresponding to a series of battery aging experiments. These variations could be correlated with variations in the battery state over time and, therefore, identify or predict battery degradation patterns or failure modes. The authors have benchmarked four different Electrical Equivalent Circuit (EEC) parameter identification algorithms: plain neural network mapping EIS raw data to EEC parameters, Particle Swarm Optimization, Zview, and the proposed new one. In order to improve the prediction accuracy of the neural network, a data augmentation method has been proposed to improve the neural network training error. The proposed parameter identification algorithms have been compared and validated through real data obtained from a six-month aging test experiment carried out with a set of six commercial 80 Ah VLRA batteries under different cycling and temperature operation conditions.Special thanks should also be expressed to the Torres Quevedo (PTQ) 2019 Aid from the State Research Agency, within the framework of the State Program for the Promotion of Talent and its Employability in R + D + i, Ref. PTQ2019-010787/AEI/10.13039/501100011033