Mathematical Modeling of the Mojave Solar Plants

Competitiveness of solar energy is one of current main research topics. Overall efficiency of solar plants can be improved by using advanced control strategies. To design and tuning properly advanced control strategies, a mathematical model of the plant is needed. The model has to fulfill two important points: (1) It has to reproduce accurately the dynamics of the real system; and (2) since the model is used to test advanced control strategies, its computational burden has to be as low as possible. This trade-off is essential to optimize the tuning process of the controller and minimize the commissioning time. In this paper, the modeling of the large-scale commercial solar trough plants Mojave Beta and Mojave Alpha is presented. These two models were used to test advanced control strategies to operate the plants.Comisión Europea OCONTSOLAR 78905

Cortes de Medina del Campo : celebradas en la era 1343 (año 1305)

Copia digital. Valladolid : Junta de Castilla y León. Consejería de Cultura y Turismo, 2009-201

Cortes de Valladolid : celebradas en la era 1345 (año 1307)

Copia digital. Valladolid : Junta de Castilla y León. Consejería de Cultura y Turismo, 2009-201

La práctica de ocio deportivo de los jóvenes en situación de vulnerabilidad

La actividad físico deportiva puede considerarse una ocupación que incide directamente en el bienestar personal y social y que guarda una estrecha relación con la percepción de la salud, la adquisición de valores y la enseñanza de competencias de vida. Con el objetivo de caracterizar la práctica de ocio deportivo de los jóvenes en situación de vulnerabilidad, se aplicó un cuestionario a 1762 jóvenes españoles de los cuales 493 son considerados dentro de la población de jóvenes vulnerables. Los resultados pusieron de manifiesto que los jóvenes vulnerables consideran la realización de actividades de ocio deportivo de un modo diferenciado al de los jóvenes no vulnerables. Igualmente, se encuentran diferencias en las preferencias de ocio deportivo en función de la variable sexo y el tipo de actividad deportiva que realizan. Los resultados derivan en implicaciones psico-educativas que se presentan.Sports physical activity can be considered an occupation that directly affects the personal and social welfare and closely related to the perception of health, the acquisition of values and teaching life skills. In order to characterize the practice of sports leisure of young people in vulnerable situations, a questionnaire was handed out to 1762 Spanish youth of which 493 are considered within the population of vulnerable youth. The results showed that vulnerable young people consider conducting leisure sports activities in a different way than non-vulnerable young people. Similarly, there are differences in leisure sports preferences depending on the variable sex and type of sport they do. The results derive in psycho-educational implications that arise

Effects of palmitoylethanolamide in cocaine-induced behaviours

Aims. Cocaine addiction is a chronically relapsing disorder characterized by the compulsion to seek and take the drug. Previous investigations have demonstrated that several drugs of abuse, as cocaine, can alter the levels of lipid-based signalling molecules such as the N-acylethanolamines (NAEs). In addition, NAEs levels in the brain are sensitive to cocaine self-administration and extinction training. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the effect of repeated and acute palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), an endogenous NAE, on the behavioural effects of cocaine using mouse models of conditioned reward and psychomotor activation. Methods. Using male C57BL/6J mice, the ability of repeated PEA injections (1 or 10 mg/kg i.p) to modulate the development of a conditioned place preference (CPP) and behavioural sensitization (BS) induced by cocaine (20 mg/kg i.p.) was evaluated. In addition, the expression of cocaine-induced CPP and BS after acute PEA administration was also studied. Results. PEA (1 and 10 mg/kg i.p) significantly reduced the development of cocaine-induced BS, but did not modify the acquisition of cocaine-induced CPP. Furthermore, both doses of PEA were able to reduce the expression of BS and CPP. Conclusions. Altogether, these findings show that exogenous administration of PEA attenuated psychomotor activation and impaired the expression of CPP induced by cocaine. Our results may be relevant in order to understand the role of NAEs in the development and treatment of cocaine addiction.Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. PSI2013-44901-P, AP2010-2044, FPU13/04819, CD12/0045

Título: Provision 1756 08 27

Tít. tomado del principio del textoTexto fechado en Madrid a 27 de Agosto de 1756Inic. viñeta xi

Reduction of adult hippocampal neurogenesis modifies brain functional connectivity and enhances cocaine-seeking in mice

Recently, adult hippocampal neurogenesis has been proposed as a putative neuroplastic mechanism involved in those behavioural processes. In this work, we studied the effect of the inhibition of adult hippocampal neurogenesis using the DNA alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ), in cocaine-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) behaviour. In a first experiment, we investigated both CPP acquisition/expression and the functional brain circuits underlying CPP expression in control and neurogenesis-reduced conditions by analysing c-Fos immunoreactivity (c-Fos IR) in hippocampal and extrahippocampal addiction-related areas. A second experiment was designed to study the involvement of adult-born neurons in the extinction and cocaine-induced reinstatement of drug-seeking in the CPP model. We performed two independent studies where adult hippocampal neurogenesis was inhibited either before or after the CPP was acquired. Our results showed that TMZ treatment had no effect on the acquisition of the cocaine-induced CPP, but c-Fos IR associated to the test trial (CPP expression) revealed an increased activity in some of the analysed brain areas in the CPP-TMZ mice. Correlational and multivariate analysis revealed that, under normal conditions, the hippocampus showed widespread functional connectivity with other brain areas and strongly contributed to the functional brain network associated with CPP expression. However, mice with reduced neurogenesis showed an alternative brain circuit. The results of the second experiment revealed that mice acquiring the cocaine-induced CPP under neurogenesis-reduced conditions were delayed in extinguishing their drug seeking behaviour. However, when neurogenesis was inhibited after CPP acquisition, extinction was not affected but an enhanced long-term CPP retention was found, suggesting that the role of the adult-born neurons may differ depending on whether they are generated before or after drug-contextual associations are established. Importantly, cocaine-induced reinstatement of CPP behaviour was increased in the TMZ mice, regardless of the time of neurogenesis inhibition.Universidad de Málaga. Andalucía Tech, Campus de Excelencia Internacional. Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (PSI2013-44901-P to L.J.S.; Subprograma RETICS Red de Trastornos Adictivos RD12/0028/0001, to F.R.F.). Author E.C-O. holds a ‘Sara Borrell’ research contract from the Spanish Carlos III Health Institute, Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiviness (grant number CD12/00455). Author D.L.G-M. holds a ‘FPU’ grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports (grant number FPU13/04819)

Behavioral traits predicting cocaine-conditioned place reference in mice: role of anxiety adn the basolateral amygdala

Aims. The individual susceptibility to cocaine addiction, a factor of interest in the understanding and prevention of this disorder, may be predicted by certain behavioral traits. However, these are not usually taken into account in research, making it difficult to identify whether they are a cause or a consequence of drug use. Methods. Male C57BL/6J mice underwent a battery of behavioral tests (elevated plus maze, hole-board, novelty preference in the Y maze, episodic-like object recognition memory and forced swimming test), followed by a cocaine-conditioned place preference (CPP) training to assess the reinforcing effect of the drug. In a second study, we aimed to determine the existence of neurobiological differences between the mice expressing high or low CPP by studying the number of neurons in certain addiction-related structures: the medial prefrontal cortex, the basolateral amygdala and the ventral tegmental area. Results. Anxiety-like behaviors in the elevated plus maze successfully predicted the cocaine-CPP behavior, so that the most anxious mice were also more likely to search for cocaine in a CPP paradigm. In addition, these mice exhibited an increased number of neurons in the basolateral amygdala, a key structure in emotional response including anxiety expression, without differences in the others regions analyzed. Conclusions. Our results suggest a relevant role of anxiety as a psychological risk factor for cocaine vulnerability, with the basolateral amygdala as potential common neural center for both anxiety and addiction.Universidad de Málaga, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech. PSI2013-44901-P, FPU13/04819, CD12/00455, Red de Trastornos Adictivo

Título: Ordenanzas reales 1751 06 30

Tit. tomado de encabezamiento de textoPie de imp. tomado de colofónInicial grab. xilPort. con esc. real xilSign.: A-F

El Macizo Paleozoico de Santa María La Real de Nieva

Bibliogr.: p.154-156