Four Days that Transformed Spain 11-M Impact on Memory Recovery Examined through the Lens of Duality

This thesis studies the controversial aftermath of the Madrid terrorist attack of March 11, 2004 and how it impacted the history of memory and silence in Spain since the Spanish Civil War. The terrorist attack had surprising and significant short-term political impacts, which have been well documented by historians, political scientists, and journalists. However, surveying the attack aftermath through the lens of the history of duality in Spain has been less studied. The lens of duality is the viewpoint that Spain\u27s history in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries can be explained as a clash between deeply-divided sectors within society which created a sense of duality. This duality has been exhibited not only in society, but also in politics, and came to the forefront of conversation following the Madrid train bombings. The thesis offers a new perspective from the viewpoint of the history of memory and silence regarding the controversies following the terrorist attack and its effect on society in Spain.;This thesis is divided into four parts: 1) introduction and duality of Spain; 2) controversies following the Madrid terrorist attack; 3) impact on Spanish historical memory, silence, and society, and 4) conclusion and recommendations.;One of the purposes of this thesis is to demonstrate that the Madrid terrorist attack and its aftermath intensified the recovery of Spanish Civil War memories and the breaking of post-Civil War silence in Spain. Another purpose is to present a theory for the surprising response of the Spanish people to the 11-M crisis

Purificació catalítica d'hidrogen en microcanals

En aquest treball mostrem el funcionament d'un microdispositiu catalític dissenyat al nostre grup de recerca per purificar de manera catalítica i selectiva monòxid de carboni en presència d'hidrogen. Hem aconseguit desenvolupar un mètode per recobrir amb èxit els seus canals, d'entre 2 i 4 μm de diàmetre, amb una capa homogènia d'òxid de titani de només uns 100 nm de gruix. Sobre aquesta fina capa s'han ancorat unes nanopartícules d'or innovadores embolcallades amb lligands rics en silici que presenten una gran estabilitat i activitat per oxidar selectivament el monòxid de carboni (CO-PrOx) en un rang de temperatures comprès entre els 363 i els 473 K. El microreactor representa una intensificació del procés d'oxidació selectiva de CO i, gràcies a la reducció d'escala obtinguda en aquesta microestructura (en comparació amb reactors de parets catalítiques convencionals), s'han obtingut activitats específiques (quantitat de CO convertit per unitat de volum de reactor) cent vegades majors treballant a la mateixa temperatura i amb les mateixes mescles d'alimentació. Així, doncs, el microreactor desenvolupat resulta molt atractiu per realitzar la reacció de CO-PrOx a microescala i per ser combinat amb una etapa de reformació prèvia. L'acoblament d'ambdós processos per alimentar piles de combustible de baixa temperatura ofereix noves possibilitats dins del món de la tecnologia del vector hidrogen i, en concret, per a aplicacions de petita escala i portàtils.This paper describes the operation of a catalytic microdevice designed by our research group to catalytically and selectively purify carbon monoxide in the presence of hydrogen. We have developed a method of successfully coating channels of only 2-4 μm in diameter with a homogenous 100 nm-thick titanium oxide layer. Novel gold nanoparticles protected with a Si-rich shell have been anchored onto this thin layer. The gold nanoparticles show great stability and activity in preferentially oxidizing carbon monoxide (CO-PrOx) in a temperature range of 363 to 473 K. The microreactor intensifies the CO selective oxidation process. Due to the scale reduction achieved in this structure (compared to conventional catalytic wall reactors), specific activities (amount of converted CO per reactor volume) that are 100 times larger were obtained, operating at the same temperature level and with the same feed mixtures. Consequently, this microreactor is very interesting for performance of the CO-PrOx reaction at microscale and for combination with a preliminary reforming stage. The connection of both processes to feed low-temperature fuel cells offers new possibilities in hydrogen technology and, particularly, in small-scale and portable applications

CO-PrOx over nano-Au/TiO2: Monolithic catalyst performance and empirical kinetic model fitting

In this work, the performance of ceramic monoliths washcoated with Au/TiO2 is studied on CO preferential oxidation (CO-PrOx) reaction in H2-rich environments under a wide range of operating conditions of practical interest. The parameter estimation of a nonlinear kinetic empirical model representing this system is made via genetic algorithms by fitting the model predictions against our laboratory observations. Parameter uncertainty leading to inaccurate predictions is often present when kinetic models with nonlinear rate equations are considered. Here, after the fitting was concluded, a statistical study was conducted to determine the accuracy of the parameter estimation. Activation energies of ca. 30 kJ/mol and 55 kJ/mol were adjusted for CO and H2 oxidations, respectively. The catalyst showed appropriate activity and selectivity values on the CO oxidation on a H2-rich environment. After ca. 45 h on stream the catalyst showed no deactivation. Results show that the model is suitable for reproducing the behavior of the CO-PrOx reactions and it can be used in the design of reactors for hydrogen purification.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Finding a suitable catalyst for on-board ethanol reforming using exhaust heat from an internal combustion engine

Ethanol steam reforming with pure ethanol and commercial bioethanol (S/C = 3) was carried out inside the housing of the exhaust gas pipe of a gasoline internal combustion engine (ICE) by using exhaust heat (610–620 °C). Various catalytic honeycombs loaded with potassium-promoted cobalt hydrotalcite and with ceria-based rhodium–palladium catalysts were tested under different reactant loads. The hydrogen yield obtained over the cobalt-based catalytic honeycomb at low load (F/W 200 h) at high load (F/W = 150 mLliq·gcat-1·h-1, GHSV = 2.4·103 h-1) showed that promotion of the ceria-supported noble metal catalyst with alumina and zirconia is a key element for practical application using commercial bioethanol. HRTEM analysis of post mortem honeycombs loaded with RhPd/Ce0.5Zr0.5O2–Al2O3 showed no carbon formation and no metal agglomeration.Postprint (author's final draft

Geolocalització amb Android sense utilitzar els serveis de Google

Actualment existeixen moltes aplicacions mòbil per a obtenir i processar les dades de localització, tant fora de línia com en línia. El problema principal és que la majoria d’aquests programes utilitzen els serveis de Google i, per tant, podem perdre el control sobre les nostres dades o fer més difícil l’administració i gestió d’aquestes. Un altre punt és el fet que s’està expandint la preocupació sobre la protecció de dades dels usuaris a causa de noves noticies que indiquen un ús poc ètic de les dades de part d’algunes empreses i que ha comportat una creixent inquietud sobre la confiança en aquestes. És normal pensar que aquesta preocupació pot augmentar quan parlem de la possibilitat que una companyia tingui les dades de la teva ubicació i les localitzacions on has passat i pugui vendre-les o utilitzar-les. Aquest fet encara és més preocupant quan es vol compartir amb amics la teva ubicació actual, ja que és difícil trobar un medi privat, fiable i transparent pel qual compartir les teves dades. En aquest projecte s'ha buscat proporcionar una alternativa els serveis de Google per a processar i visualitzar les dades GPS. En tot moment s'ha tingut com a objectiu què l'usuari tingués sempre tot el control sobre les dades i que l'enviament d'aquestes fossin sempre per un medi segur

Reforçament del ferm, millora del drenatge i condicionament de les zones urbanes a la GI-612, del PK 0+000 al 8+026. El Port de la Selva - Llançà

L’objecte del present Projecte Constructiu és la millora de l’estat del paviment de la carretera GI-612 entre les poblacions de El Port de la Selva-Llançà (PK’s 0+000 al PK 8+026), determinant les possibles zones a sanejar i els gruixos de reforç a aplicar d’acord amb l’estudi de deflexions i la inspecció de camp realitzada

Catalytic hydrogen production over RhPd/CeO2 catalysts and CO purification over Au/TiO2 catalysts

This Thesis focuses on the study of the catalytic production of hydrogen from a biofuel, namely the bioethanol. It also studies the subsequent purification of pre-cleaned reformate streams. The end use of the hydrogen produced is to feed fuel cells to power portable and mobile applications. In this Thesis, two types of catalysts have been developed. One consisting of RhPd/CeO2 catalysts aimed at generating hydrogen via the ethanol steam reforming. On the other hand, Au/TiO2 catalysts have been investigated to eliminate carbon monoxide from reformate streams. The developed catalysts have been tested under practical operational conditions. The developed catalysts have been characterized ex situ, in situ and under reaction conditions. The operando studies allowed for the investigation of the reorganization of the metals driven by the reactive atmosphere. Finally, the miniaturization of the hydrogen production and purification scale has been investigated. To achieve this goal, the developed catalysts have been implemented on microreactors composed of channels measuring only few microns.A la present Tesi doctoral s'estudien la producció catalítica d'hidrogen a partir d'un biocombustible, el bioetanol, i la seva posterior purificació per alimentar piles de combustible que proporcionin energia a aplicacions portàtils i mòbils. S'han desenvolupat dues famílies de catalitzadors, una de RhPd/CeO2 per generar hidrogen a partir de la reformació amb vapor d'etanol, i l'altra d'Au/TiO2 per eliminar el monòxid de carboni dels corrents de reformació pre-purificats. Els catalitzadors han estats estudiats en condicions de reacció properes a la indústria. En aquesta tesi s'han caracteritzat els catalitzadors ex situ, in situ i també en condicions “operando” o de reacció. L'estudi en “operando” dels catalitzadors ha permès investigar la reorganització induïda pels reactius dels components del catalitzador. Finalment, també s'ha estudiat la miniaturització tant del sistema de generació com de purificació de l'hidrogen per tal d'alimentar aplicacions de petit consum. Per això, s'han utilitzat microreactors composats de canals en l'escala del micròmetre

Parameter estimation of an empirical kinetic model for CO preferential oxidation

In this work the application of genetic algorithms (GA) for solving the parameter estimation problem in a nonlinear empirical kinetic model for CO preferential oxidation is reported. Kinetic models with nonlinear rate equations often suffer of considerable parameter uncertainty which can lead to inaccurate predictions. Here, after the parameter vector is obtained, a statistical study is performed in order to show how accurate the parameter estimations are determined. The unknown model parameters are obtained by fitting the model predictions against our laboratory observations measured under a range of experimental conditions using a novel Au/TiO2 catalyst.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativa (SADIO

Study of Cu-Zn and Au/TiO2 Catalysts on Anodized Aluminum Monoliths for Hydrogen Generation and Purification

This work reports the preparation of Cu-Zn and Au/TiO2 catalysts on anodized aluminum monoliths(AAM). The structured catalysts were studied for the generation of H2 by methanol steam reforming (MSR) and its purification by preferential oxidation of CO (CO-PrOx). Initially, it was possible to generate a surface with whiskers and larger surface area by hydrothermal treatment of the AAM. Subsequently, the structured catalysts were synthesized by incipient wetness impregnation (IWI) and ydrothermal synthesis (HS). IWI synthesis allowed for the deposition of a larger amount of catalytic material than HS, with very good adhesion. The TiO2-IWI structured catalyst presented a homogeneous catalytic coating, with the presence of agglomerated particles. On theother hand, Cu-Zn-IWI showed good dispersion of the deposited particles with a homogeneous surface coating. EDX analysis corroborated the presence of Ti, Cu and Zn in all the catalytic surfaces. The incorporation of Au over TiO2-IWI structured catalysts was successfully performed by IWI using a colloidal solution of gold nanoparticles.MSR was studied over the developed metallic monoliths functionalized with Cu-Zn by the IWI method. The samples showed promising results in terms of activity, selectivity, and stability. Both diluted and concentrated methanol + water feeds were assayed. Complete methanol conversion was achieved for the diluted feed. Maximum methanol conversions of 55% with 60% H2 yield were measured when the concentrated feed was selected. Promising results were also achieved for the Au-based structured catalysts in the CO-PrOx in an H2- rich atmosphere. Although CO conversions of approximately 60% were achieved, operating with higher catalyst loadings would be recommended to reach the high CO conversions required for PrOx catalysts.Fil: Adrover, María Esperanza. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Boldrini, Diego Emmanuel. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Jiménez Divins, Nuria. Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya; EspañaFil: Casanovas Hoste, Adria. Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya; EspañaFil: Tonetto, Gabriela Marta. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Lopez, Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Bahía Blanca. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química. Universidad Nacional del Sur. Planta Piloto de Ingeniería Química; ArgentinaFil: Llorca Piqué, Jordi. Universidad Politecnica de Catalunya; Españ

Reconeixement de l'escriptura a mà en formularis

Creació d'un sistema capaç de reconèixer l'escriptura a mà en formularis. S'ha utilitzat una xarxa neuronal convolucional com a mètode final d'aprenentatge automàtic.Creation of a system capable of recognizing handwriting on forms. A convolution neural network has been used as the final machine learning method