Lost in the storm

Lost in the stor

Perdut a la tempesta

Perdut a la tempest

Development, Analysis and Comparison of two Concepts for Wave Energy Conversion in the Mediterranean Sea

The investigations carried out during this Ph.D. programme relate to the marine engineering field, more specifically to wave energy conversion. Two different wave energy converters have been modelled numerically with the aim to assess the feasibility of wave energy conversion in the Mediterranean Sea. The first studied wave energy converter, named HPA-LG, is a heaving point absorber with a linear generator placed at the seabed. Two variants of the WEC have been examined, paying particular attention to the floater dimensions and to the geometrical design of the PTO. Initially, only the heave mode has been modelled and the performance of both devices has been analysed. Subsequently, the surge mode has been added to the model and its effect in prevalent heaving point absorbers has been studied. For the two-body device, although the dynamic behaviour changes when the surge is included, no relevant differences are observed regarding the power production. When studying the three-body device, results show two clear trends, for steep waves the surge leads to a decrease in the production, for flatter waves it affects positively the power absorption. However, the overall the negative contribution is more relevant. The MoonWEC is the second studied wave energy converter, it merges several working principles with the aim to benefit from the assets of each single principle. It consists in a hollow floating structure, where water fills a central whole creating a moonpool. Device optimization has also been carried out, six different CALM mooring configurations and three Wells turbines have been tested. Both device show similarities in their performance, their production is maximised for a specific range of wave conditions. The HPA-LG has a broader optimal range. However, the MoonWEC is more efficient for mild wave conditions, its annual energy production is [50-100] % higher, depending on the location and HPA-LG variant

The cerebellum in drug craving

Craving has been considered one of the core features of addiction. It can be defined as the urge or conscious desire to use a drug elicited by the drug itself, drug-associated cues or stressors. Craving plays a major role in relapse, even after prolonged periods of abstinence, as well as in the maintenance of drug seeking in non-abstinent addicts. The circuitry of craving includes medial parts of the prefrontal cortex, ventral striatal zones, ventral tegmental area, ventral pallidum, and limbic regions. Interestingly, the cerebellum shows reciprocal loops with many of these areas. The cerebellum has been linked traditionally to motor functions but increasing evidence indicates that this part of the brain is also involved in functions related to cognition, prediction, learning, and memory. Moreover, the functional neuroimaging studies that have addressed the study of craving in humans repeatedly demonstrate cerebellar activation when craving is elicited by the presentation of drug-related cues. However, the role of cerebellar activity in these craving episodes remains unknown. Therefore, the main goal of this review is to provide a brief update on craving studies and the traditional neural basis of this phenomenon, and then discuss and propose a hypothesis for the function of the cerebellum in craving episodes.This work was supported by grant UJI (14I307.01/1

Automatic Proving of Fuzzy Formulae with Fuzzy Logic Programming and SMT

In this paper we deal with propositional fuzzy formulae containing severalpropositional symbols linked with connectives defined in a lattice of truth degrees more complex than Bool. We firstly recall an SMT (Satisfiability Modulo Theories) based method for automatically proving theorems in relevant infinitely valued (including Łukasiewicz and G¨odel) logics. Next, instead of focusing on satisfiability (i.e., proving the existence of at least one model) or unsatisfiability, our interest moves to the problem of finding the whole set of models (with a finite domain) for a given fuzzy formula. We propose an alternative method based on fuzzy logic programming where the formula is conceived as a goal whose derivation tree contains on its leaves all the models of the original formula, by exhaustively interpreting each propositional symbol in all the possible forms according the whole setof values collected on the underlying lattice of truth-degrees

Income segregation in monocentric and polycentric cities: Does urban form really matter?

We estimate the effect of urban spatial structure on income segregation in Brazilian cities between 2000 and 2010. Our results show that, first, local density conditions increase income segregation: the effect is higher in monocentric cities and smaller in polycentric ones. Second, the degree of monocentricity-polycentricity also affects segregation: while a higher concentration of jobs in and around the CBD decreases segregation in monocentric cities, a higher employment concentration in and around subcenters located far from the CBD decreases segregation in polycentric cities. Third, results are heterogeneous according to city size: local density does not increase segregation in small (monocentric) cities, it increases segregation in medium size cities, and it decreases segregation in large (polycentric) cities. Finally, results also differ between income groups: while local density conditions increase the segregation of the poor, a more polycentric configuration reduces the segregation of the rich

Anàlisi de l'activitat dels desenvolupadors en plataformes de suport al desenvolupament col·laboratiu

Aquest treball de final de grau es centra en el disseny i desenvolupament d'un plugin per una de les plataformes de suport al desenvolupament col·laboratiu (p. ex. Slack, Trello, JIRA, etc.). El propòsit del plugin és extreure les dades de l’activitat dels desenvolupadors que realitzen en aquestes plataformes de manera automàtica i proveir Replan (una eina de planificació de releases) d’aquesta informació. A banda d’això, aquest treball inclou l’estudi d'aquestes plataformes que té per objectiu seleccionar-ne una tenint en compte les possibilitats tècniques que ofereixen i la viabilitat per obtenir les dades.This bachelor degree project focuses on the design and development of a plugin for one of support platform for collaborative development (e.g. Slack, Trello, JIRA, etc.). The purpose of this plugin is to extract data from developers activity on these platforms automatically and provide Replan tool (a release planning tool) this information. Apart from this, this project includes a study of these support platforms that aims to select one based on the technical possibilities they offer and the feasibility of obtaining the data

El análisis de los procesos de trabajo mediante métodos etnográficos : el caso del trabajo administrativo de consultas externas hospitalarias

Se exponen en el artículo los aspectos que consideramos más novedosos del diseño metodológico llevado a cabo para la identificación y el análisis de los procesos de trabajo en el área de consultas externas de un hospital catalán. El diseño que se expone se presenta como resultado de los supuestos teóricos de partida y como respuesta a la complejidad del objeto de estudio. Concretamente, se defiende que el uso combinado de diferentes técnicas de recogida de datos, y muy especialmente de diferentes clases de observación -tanto por el grado de estructuración, como por el tipo de registro, como por el grado de intrusión y participación de las personas observadoras-, contribuyeron a mejorar la aproximación a la problemática y los resultados de la investigación.The article presents the most outstanding elements of the methodological design carried out in a research aiming at the identification and analysis of work processes in the area of specialty consults in a Catalan hospital. The design is presented as a result of the theoretical presuppositions of the research and as a response to the complexity of the object of research. More concretely, the article vindicates the combined use of different methods for collecting data. It is argued that this combined use of methods -specially of different kinds of observation that differ in their degree of construction, kind of data logging and level of interaction with the people observed- contributed to enhance our approach and the results of the whole process of research

Wave energy in Italian seas: preliminar design of a point absorber

It was in the mid 1970s when the research in the Wave Energy Converters began as a consolidated field, but it wasn’t until between the late 1990s and the beginnings of the 21st century that the sector boomed. Unlike many other renewable energy forms, the wave energy can be considered as a teenager, almost ready to show the world its enormous potential. Many prototypes are being tested throughout the oceans and even a commercial wave energy plant has been set already. Its growth is being unbalanced though. There are no current and prospective research studies with this scope for the Mediterranean Sea, it seems logical so the Mediterranean Sea is one of the least energetic seas in the world but this doesn’t exclude the fact that also in the Mediterranean Sea there is wave energy to be exploited and the purpose of this work is to initiate that path. The point absorber is the type of Wave Energy Converter chosen, it consists of a floating body that exploiting the motion produced by an incident wave generates electricity via an electric linear generator. Several simulations have been done with different kinds of buoys in two different locations in the Mediterranean Sea, Alghero and Mazara. The simulation’s goal is to compute the output power of the devices. Although the values state that the average extracted energy is of minor entity than the ones tested in big oceans such as the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean, where the wave energetic regime is much higher, the results are hopeful, confirming its feasibility and opening a new door to renewable energies in the Mediterranean regions. The conclusions drawn in this work are always under the bases that there is still a lot of work to do and a full sea of possibilities