Caracterización de desplazamientos horizontales ante sismos en modelos estructurales de edificios por medio de procesamiento digital de imágenes

Proyecto de Graduación (Licenciatura en Ingeniería Electrónica) Instituto Tecnológico de Costa Rica, Escuela de Ingeniería Electrónica, 2010.En este documento se presenta el diseño de un sistema de procesamiento digital de imágenes que permite determinar los modos de vibración de un modelo de estructura de edificio creado con un propósito educativo. Para la determinación de estos modos de vibración, en primera instancia se adquiere y almacena una serie de imágenes que capturan el movimiento de un modelo de estructura frente a un sismo simulado. El proceso de estimación utiliza métodos de umbralización y mapas de de probabilidad para discriminar entre marcas en el edificio y el fondo; seguido se procesa la imagen por métodos de re-etiquetación con consideración de área, y por último se hace un rastreo coherente de estructura. Todo lo anterior se realiza para caracterizar el movimiento de la estructura por medio de modos de vibración y cálculos de deriva. ______________________________________________________________________ Abstract: This document presents the design of a digital image processing system that estimates the vibration modes of a building structure model, created for educational purposes. To establish the vibration modes an image series is acquired, that captures the movement of a structure model against a simulated earthquake. The estimation process uses methods of thresholding and probability maps to discriminate between the color marks of the building and the background; next the image is processed by area-aware relabeling methods, and the structure model is consistently tracked. All previous steps allow the characterization of the building´s structured model by means of the vibration modes and drift estimatio

An Analysis of Viking Culture: Clichéd Views of the English Raids and Settlements through Modern Media

The Viking culture has been one of the major influencers of the history of Europe, especially in the northern territories, such as the United Kingdom. This dissertation consists on the analysis of the historical information about this culture in Britain and its future influences. Also, it establishes a comparison between this information and the current prototypical image about Vikings. The aim of this analysis is to understand how and why a prototypical image has been developed through history. Besides, it will desmythify or confirm some of the most popular clichés that surround this culture nowadays. In order to achieve this, it has been used multimedia materials such as films or TV series, and they have been compared to the historical sources written by researchers and academics who are experts of this field.La cultura vikinga ha sido una de las más influyentes en la historia de Europa, especialmente en zonas del norte del continente como el Reino Unido. Este TFG consiste en el análisis de la información histórica que se tiene sobre esta cultura y sus influencias; y en la comparación de éstas con la imagen protípica que se tiene hoy en día sobre los vikingos. Lo que se pretende con este análisis es entender cómo y por qué la concepción que se tiene sobre ellos ha ido cambiando y adaptándose al panorama histórico, a la vez que se desmitifican o confirman algunos de los clichés más famosos sobre ellos. Para ello, se ha utilizado material multimedia como películas y series de televisión y se ha comparado con fuentes históricas escritas por investigadores y académicos expertos en el tema.Departamento de Filología InglesaGrado en Estudios Inglese

Numerical modeling of continental collision and intraplate deformation. Application to the Cenozoic geodynamic evolution of North Iberia

[eng] This thesis aims at improving the current understanding of the geodynamic controls on tectonic deformation during plate collision, using the Cenozoic evolution of Iberia as a case scenario. Despite the vast efforts during the last decades, there is a limited understanding today about what plate properties control the propagation of tectonic deformation towards the interior of tectonic plates. Meanwhile, the classic enigmas about the timing and the processes involved in the construction of the Iberian topography also persist: What is the origin of the high average elevation of the Iberian Peninsula? What is the quantitative contribution to topography induced by the intraplate tectonics of Iberia? How was this intraplate deformation in the middle of the Iberian microplate triggered? To answer these questions, I first gathered information about the tectonic events in Iberia during the Cenozoic from previous structural tectonic and geodynamic modelling publications. Continental collision with Eurasia in the north first gave rise to the uprising of the Pyrenean and Basque-Cantabrian chains. Deformation subsequently jumped southwards and formed the elevation of the interior mountain ranges. Meanwhile in the southern margin, the subduction of the Tethys oceanic lithosphere due to the Africa-Iberia convergence gave rise to the Betics and opened the Alborán Sea. The underlaying hypothesis of this thesis is that this succession can be reproduced via a geodynamic model giving the appropriate initial conditions that are in reasonable agreement with the geological setting during the early-Cenozoic Iberia. To this purpose, we carried out a series of high-resolution mechanical and thermomechanical numerical models with a state-of-the-art code named UNDERWORLD 2.0 (still under development at Univ. Melbourne). We first review fundamental ideas such as the patterns of deformation of the lithosphere predicted for converging continental margins, as well as the elevation of mountain ranges in a continental collision scenario. Then we investigate how the crustal deformation accommodates far from the continental margins, taking into account the mathematical equations and physical laws that govern the thermal field and rock deformation. Based on these, a series of mechanical numerical models are developed to explore the possible evolutionary scenarios after a continental collision. Two deformation end member models appear: double-vergence and crustal folding. While in the first one deformation concentrates near the axial collision zone where the orogen develops, in the second, deformation is transmitted farther from the initial contact between lithospheres. We compare these results with patterns of deformation seen in the Pyrenean mountain range as well as other natural scenarios where cortical folding occurs near a thrust failure like in the Zagros Chain in Iran. This thesis then focuses on a series of high-resolution 2D numerical models for the North-Central area of the Peninsula. These models aim at linking the Cenozoic evolution of the Cantabrian chain to that of the Central System and the Duero basin. Here, deformation and failure consider creep-like behavior and plasticity in a viscoplastic rheology. We test the hypothesis of the presence of a detachment level within the Variscan basement, at the lower crust, of limited srength and thus capable of transmitting deformation towards the interior, potentially leading to the rise of the Central System. An alternative tested hypothesis is that the entire lithosphere folded in response to the convergence between Iberia and Eurasia. Finally, we extend these 2D numerical models to the southern margin of Iberia to investigate how the approximation of Africa may have affected the distribution and timing of shortening in the different domains of the microplate, with particular emphasis on the topography and deformation of the Central System and adjacent basins.[spa] La presente tesis doctoral aborda el estudio de la evolución geodinámica de sistemas de colisión continental, usando como escenario de referencia la microplaca de Iberia durante el Cenozoico (últimos 65 millones de años). Pese al enorme esfuerzo acumulado por la comunidad geológica en este ámbito, los enigmas clásicos sobre la cronología y los procesos involucrados en la construcción del relieve y el subsuelo ibéricos persisten: ¿Cuál es el origen de la elevada topografía media de la Península? ¿Cómo ha sido construida su actual topografía como resultado de la peculiar posición de la microplaca tectónica de Iberia entre África y Eurasia? Para abordar estas preguntas, he recopilado información de estudios previos sobre episodios tectónicos desde el Cretácico Superior hasta la actualidad con especial atención a los intervalos relacionados con el choque continental con Eurasia que dio lugar al levantamiento de la cadena Pirenaica y Vasco-Cantábrica, la posterior elevación de las cadenas montañosas del interior y la posterior evolución del margen sur en relación con la aproximación entre África e Iberia. Para encontrar los mecanismos responsables de esta evolución, he diseñado una serie de modelos numéricos de alta resolución que simulan en 2D la deformación de la litosfera en límites de placa convergentes, utilizando uno de los programarios más evolucionados de la geodinámica internacional (Underworld 2.0; Univ. Melbourne). Este volumen empieza por tanto explicando las ecuaciones matemáticas y leyes físicas que gobiernan el modelo numérico, las relaciones entre los parámetros físicos y su importancia y sus limitaciones. Así, se han realizado una serie de modelos numéricos sintéticos en esta tesis para identificar los posibles escenarios evolutivos tras un choque continental donde aparecen dos modelos de deformación: doble vergencia y plegamiento cortical. Mientras que en el primero la deformación se concentra en torno a la zona de colisión donde se desarrolla un orógeno mediante fallas que buzan hacia la zona axial, en el segundo se transmite la deformación más lejos de la zona de colisión. Estos modelos sintéticos explican algunos rasgos de la deformación de la Cordillera Pirenaica y de la cadena de montañas de Zagros en Irán. Seguidamente, muestro otra serie de modelos numéricos termodinámicos 2D para la zona Norte-Centro de la Península. En este caso, los modelos tratan de explicar la evolución cenozoica de la cadena Cántabra junto con el Sistema Central y la cuenca del Duero en función de la viscoplasticidad adoptada para la roca. Se pone a prueba un hipotético nivel de despegue entre el basamento Varisco y la corteza superior que hubiera permitido transmitir esfuerzos hacia el interior formando el Sistema Central y la posibilidad de que toda la litosfera sufriera un plegamiento en respuesta a la compresión. Finalmente, estos modelos numéricos 2D se extienden hasta el sur Peninsular, examinando el papel de la frontera entre las litosferas Africana e Ibérica en la formación del Sistema Central y las cuencas adyacentes

Jornada d'avaluació de la qualitat de les universitats

Abstract not availabl

HCO3- enrichment causes cytosolic NO3- efflux in Posidonia oceanica leaf cells

Posidonia oceanica is a seagrass, the only group of vascular plants to colonize the marine environment. Seawater is an extreme yet stable environment, characterized by high salinity, alkaline pH and low availability of essential nutrients, such as nitrate or phosphate. In addition, in aquatic environments the supply of CO2 for the photosynthesis is limited by diffusion and therefore many aquatic plants use HCO3- as the inorganic carbon source for photosynthesis. Previous results have shown that Na+ -dependent transport systems operate on the plasma membrane of P. oceanica mesophyll leaf cells for the high-affinity NO3-, Pi or amino acids uptake. Also, a direct transport of HCO3- driven by H+ has been found in this species that provides inorganic carbon for photosynthesis and could be a significant component of a carbon concentrating mechanism in this species. Interestingly, this HCO3- direct uptake caused the efflux of chloride from the cytosol, probably through S-type anion channels, pointing that other anions could also be removed from the cytosol. This hypothesis could be relevant in the case of NO3-, since the decrease of cytosolic NO3- in response to HCO3- enrichment could limit N-assimilation. Here we analyse the effect of HCO3- increase on NO3- uptake and cytosolic homeostasis in P. oceanica. Enrichment of natural seawater with 3 mM HCO3- evokes the on-going decrease of cytosolic NO3-, from 5.7 ± 0.2 to 4.8 ± 0.7 mM after 40 min of treatment. The incubation of P. oceanica leaf pieces in 3 mM HCO3- NSW causes an initial increase of NO3- concentration in the medium. Maximum efflux (21 nmol NO3- gFM-1 min-1) occurs within the first minute of incubation. Then, external NO3- is depleted from the medium at lower net uptake rate than the value observed in non HCO3- -enriched natural seawater. These results fit the hypothesis that HCO3- enrichment causes the nitrogen loose and could impair nitrogen assimilation promoting N biomass impoverishment.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. Spanish MINECO, projects BFU2017-85117-R and BIO2016-81957-RED

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

Determination of Soluble Sugars in Arabidopsis thaliana Leaves by Anion Exchange Chromatography

Determination of soluble sugars is basic for the study of carbon metabolism in plants. Soluble sugar quantitation can be achieved by enzymatic methods implying different coupled reactions. Here we describe a simple method that allows rapid determination of the most abundant soluble sugars (glucose, fructose and sucrose) in Arabidopsis leaves by anion exchange chromatography. We have applied this method to study the levels of soluble sugars during the photoperiodic transition to flowering (Ortiz-Marchena et al., 2014).España, MINECO projects CSD2007-00057, BIO2008-02292, and BIO2011-28847-C02-00España, Junta de Andalucía P06-CVI-01450 and P08-AGR-0358

CO2 multicyclic capture of pretreated/doped CaO in the Ca-looping process. Theory and experiments

We study in this paper the conversion of CaO-based CO2 sorbents when subjected to repeated carbonation/calcination cycles with a focus on thermally pretreated/doped sorbents. Analytical equations are derived to describe the evolution of conversion with the cycle number from a unifying model based on the balance between surface area loss due to sintering in the loopingcalcination stage and surface area regeneration as a consequence of solid-state diffusion during the looping-carbonation stage. Multicyclic CaO conversion is governed by the evolution of surface area loss/regeneration that strongly depends on the initial state of the pore skeleton. In the case of thermally pretreated sorbents, the initial pore skeleton is highly sintered and regeneration is relevant whereas, for nonpretreated sorbents, the initial pore skeleton is soft and regeneration is negligible. Experimental results are obtained for sorbents subjected to a preheating controlled rate thermal analysis (CRTA) program. By applying this preheating program in a CO2 enriched atmosphere, CaO can be subjected to a rapid carbonation followed by a slow rate controlled decarbonation, which yields a highly sintered skeleton displaying a small conversion in the first cycle and self-reactivation in the next ones. Conversely, carbonation of the sorbent at a slow controlled rate enhances CO2 solid-state diffusion, which gives rise, after a quick decarbonation, to a highly porous skeleton. In this case, CaO conversion in the first cycle is very large but it decays abruptly in subsequent cycles. Data on CaO conversion retrieved from the literature and from further experimental measurements performed in our work are analyzed as influenced by a variety of experimental variables such as preheating temperature program, preheating exposition time, atmosphere composition, presence of additives, and carbonation/calcination conditions. Conversion data are well fitted by the proposed model equations, which are of help for a quantitative interpretation on the effect of experimental conditions on the multicyclic sorbent performance as a function of sintering/ regeneration parameters inferred from the fittings and allow foreseeing the critical conditions to promote reactivation. The peculiar behavior of some pretreated sorbents, showing a maximum of conversion at a small number of cycles, is explained in the light of the mode