Assessment of the cooling potential of an indoor living wall using different substrates in a warm climate

The use of vertical greenery systems in buildings is becoming very popular as they provide several benefits. In this work, the influence of an indoor living wall on the temperature and humidity in a hall inside the School of Agricultural Engineering (University of Seville) was studied. Four different substrates, Geotextile, Epiweb, Xaxim and coconut fibre, were used to grow the plants in order to assess their performance. Several parameters such as temperature, humidity, plant growth or water consumption were monitored and analyzed during a 4-month period. The cooling effect of the living wall was proven, with an average reduction of 4°C over the room temperature though maximum decrements of 6°C have been observed in warmer conditions. Higher air humidity levels were experienced near the living wall, increasing the overall humidity in the room. All the substrates tested were suitable for plant growing and their behaviour was similar. Geotextile showed the best cooling capacity but higher water consumption, coconut fibre presented degradation problems and Epiweb performance was the poorest. Therefore, these systems have been proven to be very useful and interesting for warm indoor environments due to the cooling effect observed in addition to their bio-filtration capacity and the aesthetic component

Metodología para la priorización de sistemas, estructuras y componentes en la optimización del mantenimiento de una instalación industrial

La aparición de fallos y averías en los equipos de una instalación industrial es una de las principales causas de ineficiencia en su explotación al provocar un incremento de los costes operativos y una pérdida de ingresos o, incluso en algunos casos, originar un accidente del que se deriven daños importantes para las personas o el entorno. La Confiabilidad de un dispositivo es la característica operativa que define la eficacia de su explotación, integrando de forma global los conceptos de Fiabilidad, Disponibilidad, Mantenibilidad y Seguridad. En esta tesis, se ha discutido la dificultad que presenta la evaluación de la eficiencia del proceso de explotación de una instalación industrial de una manera homogénea, simple y objetiva, siendo el principal obstáculo para ello la inexistencia de un método de cuantificación de su Confiabilidad, al ser ésta considerada hasta la fecha como una característica puramente cualitativa. Estudiados individualmente los elementos integrantes de la Confiabilidad de un dispositivo desde su visión probabilista, se ha propuesto un proceso de cuantificación y visualización de la Confiabilidad alcanzada por un dispositivo en un cierto período de explotación ya acaecido. Asimismo, se han analizado los Costes de Confiabilidad y de No Confiabilidad asociados y su contribución al coste total de explotación. Una buena gestión de la explotación de una instalación debe basarse en el seguimiento continuo y evaluación de su eficiencia y de la de sus componentes. Como herramienta que facilita la realización de este proceso, se ha propuesto un sistema de indicadores o cuadro de mando y, bajo un planteamiento de optimización de dicha eficiencia de explotación, se han establecido los correspondientes criterios de priorización de sus sistemas, estructuras y componentes. El diseño y aplicación de un programa adecuado de mantenimiento preventivo en una instalación constituye una de las opciones más interesantes para intentar optimizar la eficiencia de su explotación. En este sentido, se han establecido los principios rectores de un plan eficiente de mantenimiento prventivo y se ha diseñado un esquema operativo que, atendiendo a dichos principios, facilite la optimización del plan vigente de mantenimiento en una instalación industrial, poniendo especial énfaseis en la priorización de sus dispositivos y en la selección de aquéllos que convengan mantener preventivamente. Por último, se ha desarrollado un caso-ejemplo de aplicación para ilustrar el planteamiento metodológico propuesto

Stochastic quantization of Yang-Mills field theory: Gauge-fixing parameter dependence and equilibrium limit

We calculate, in the framework of stochastic quantization, the one-loop-divergent part of the gluon self-energy and the triple-gluon vertex of pure Yang Mills field theory, with an arbitrary choice of the stochastic gauge-fixing parameter. This allows us to check that the strong conditions imposed by renormalizability are satisfied up to one-loop order. We compare our results with those corning from the Faddeev Popov theory and discuss the relationship between both approaches in the equilibrium limit

3D FEM model development from 3D optical measurement technique applied to corroded steel bars

Understanding the mechanical effects of the corrosion pits on the steel surface requires an accurate definition of their geometry and distribution along the rebar. 3D optical measurement technique is used to obtain the outer geometry of artificially corroded bars tested under cyclic or monotonic loads. 3D FEM model development from the 3D scanning results were carried out in order to investigate the failure process and local effects on the pits, which are responsible of the variation of the mechanical properties in corroded steel reinforcement. In addition, a validation of a simplified model, which allows the mechanical steel properties determination given an estimated corrosion level, is presented. 3D models were convenient to observe and measure the local effects on the pits.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Chemical distribution of HII regions towards the Galactic anticentre

We study the physical and chemical properties of a sample of HII regions located at RG >11 kpc and present the radial distribution of abundances towards the Galaxy anticentre. We carried out optical spectroscopic observations of nine HII regions with the WHT. The sample was increased by searching the literature for optical observations of regions towards the Galactic anticentre, re-analysing them to obtain a single sample of 23 objects covering the Galactocentric radius from 11 kpc to 18 kpc to be processed in a homogeneous and consistent manner. Accurate electron densities and temperatures of several ionic species were derived in 13 HII regions. These physical parameters were applied to the spectra to determine direct total chemical abundances. For those regions without direct estimations of temperature, chemical abundances were derived by performing tailor-made photoionisation models and/or by using an empirical relation obtained from radio recombination and optical temperatures. We performed weighted least-squares fits to the distribution of the derived abundances along the Galactocentric distances to study the radial gradients of metallicity. The distributions O/H, N/H, S/H, and Ar/H towards the anticentre can be represented by decreasing linear radial gradients, while in the case of N/O abundances the radial distribution is better fitted with a two-zone model. The He/H radial gradient is presented here for the first time; we find a slope that is not significantly different from zero. The derived gradient for oxygen shows a clear decrease with distance with a slope of -0.053dex/kpc. Although a shallower slope at large Galactocentric distances is suggested by our data, the flattening of the distribution cannot be confirmed and more objects towards the anticentre need to be studied in order to establish the true form of the metallicity gradient.Comment: Accepted for publication in Section 5. Galactic structure, stellar clusters and populations of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The official date of acceptance is 13/09/2016. 19 pages, 15 figures and 10 table

Análisis discriminante de algunas variables que influyen en la contaminación acústica debida al tráfico urbano en una gran ciudad

El ruido producido por el tráfico es función de un gran número de variables, unas propias de las características de la calzada y del entorno por el que discurre, y otras propias de los vehículos. De todas las variables que pueden influir, solo unas pocas están estudiadas en profundidad para ver su relación real con la contamina- ción acústica. El nivel de presión sonora, Leq, es el índice utilizado para evaluar la contaminación acústica, y la unidad de medida es el decibelio. Esta investigación consiste en la medición de todas las variables presentes en una gran ciudad que pudieran tener alguna influencia en la contaminación acústica, así como el nivel de ruido en la ciudad de Madrid. Todo ello mediante un trabajo de campo en el que se han medido 519 puntos de forma aleatoria, en los que se iban registrando todos estos datos

Nematodos encontrados en los suelos de la provincia de Guadalajara

11 páginas, 3 tablas, 1 figura[EN]A review of the investigations carried out on the soil nematodes found in the province of Guadalajara is done. The species, host plants and distribution oC nematodes are indicated. Nematodes of 32 different species have been found, of which the following are considered interesting from an agricultural point of view: Criconemoides spp., Helicotylenchus canadiensis, H. digonicus, H. dihystera, H. cf. digonicus, Helicotylenchus spp., Heterodera avenae, H. schachtii, Hoplolaimids, Longidorus caespiticola, Macroposthonia solivaga, M. xenoplax, M. cf. sphaerocephala, Merlinius brevidens, Nothocriconema mutabile, Paratrophurus loofi, Pratylenchoides sp., Pratylenchus minyus, Rotylenchus sp., Tylenchorhynchus goffarti, T. maximus, Tylenchorhynchus sp., Tylenchus sp. and Xiphinenza pachtaicum. Finally, the importance of the soil nematodes fol' ihe province of Guadalajara, from an agrIcultural point of view, is indicated.[ES]Se hace una revisión de los trabajos realizados sobre los nematodos del suelo de la provincia de Guadalajara, indicándose las especies encontradas, plantas hospedadoras y distribución. Se han estudiado las 8 localidades siguientes: Azuqueca de Henares, Brihuega, Cogollor, Horna, Molina de Aragón, Pedregal (El), Rillo de Gallo y Torremocha del Campo. Se han tomado muestras de frutales, cereales, plantas industriales y plantas no cultivadas. Se han encontrado 32 nematodos diferentes, destacando por su posible interés agrícola: Criconemoides sp,P., Helicotylenchus canadiensis, H. digonlcus, H. dihystera, H. cf. digonicus, Helicotylenchus spp., Heterodera avenae, H. schachtii, Hoploláimidos, Longidorus caespiticola, Macroposthonia solivaga, M, xenoplax, M. cf. sphaerocephala, Merlinius brevidens, Nothocriconema mutabile, Paratrophurus loofi. Pratylenchoides SD.. Pratylenchus minyus, Rotylenchus sp., Tylenchorhynchus goffárti, T. maximus, Tylenchorhynchus sp., Tylenchus sp.,y Xiphinema pachtaicum. Finalmente se señala la importancia del estudio de los nematodos del suelo, desde el punto de vista agrícola, para la provincia de Guadalajara.C.S.I. C.-Instituto de Edafología y Biología VegetalPeer reviewe

Matching microscopic and macroscopic responses in glasses

We first reproduce on the Janus and Janus II computers a milestone experiment that measures the spinglass coherence length through the lowering of free-energy barriers induced by the Zeeman effect. Secondly, we determine the scaling behavior that allows a quantitative analysis of a new experiment reported in the companion Letter [S. Guchhait and R. Orbach, Phys. Rev. Lett. 118, 157203 (2017)]. The value of the coherence length estimated through the analysis of microscopic correlation functions turns out to be quantitatively consistent with its measurement through macroscopic response functions. Further, nonlinear susceptibilities, recently measured in glass-forming liquids, scale as powers of the same microscopic length

A statics-dynamics equivalence through the fluctuation-dissipation ratio provides a window into the spin-glass phase from nonequilibrium measurements

We have performed a very accurate computation of the non-equilibrium fluctuation- dissipation ratio for the 3D Edwards-Anderson Ising spin glass, by means of large-scale simulations on the special-purpose computers Janus and Janus II. This ratio (computed for finite times on very large, effectively infinite, systems) is compared with the equilibrium probability distribution of the spin overlap for finite sizes. Our main result is a quantitative statics-dynamics dictionary, which could allow the experimental exploration of important features of the spin-glass phase without requiring uncontrollable extrapolations to infinite times or system sizes