The microscale modeling of spray-dried granules for porcelain tile manufacturing with different moisture contents under uniaxial compaction is investigated in this paper. The Discrete Element Method ...(DEM) and the Bonded Particle Model (BPM) were applied for the investigation. To describe the mechanical behavior of granules during compression, an elastic-plastic bonded model was implemented, in which the moisture content is linked to the properties of the bonds. A good agreement was reached between experiments and simulations for the second and third stages of compaction. Herein, we obtained a mathematical model that links moisture, bond behavior during rupture, and porosity after compression. Different experimental studies have validated the model with high-achieving correspondence between the experiments and simulations. Thus, the proposed simulation methodology proved effective in predicting the porosity of the particles' bulk after uniaxial compaction.
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•High influence of moisture during compaction of spray- dried porcelain granules.•Development of an elastic-plastic bonded model for DEM-BPM numerical investigations.•Moisture linked to properties of bonds.•Good agreement between experiments and simulations.•Porosity prediction of moist spray-dried granules after compaction.
Porcelain tiles manufacturing is energy-intensive since it contains several stages in which the product is subjected to thermal treatments. The energy used in the process mainly comes from the ...combustion of natural gas, pushing the industry to decrease its consumption to upkeep its competitiveness in the coming targets of modern sustainable policies. This work presents a simulation-based strategy for the holistic optimization of energy consumption in the tile manufacturing process. Mechanistic models for all involved processing units, describing the respective thermal and electrical energy consumptions, have been implemented in the Dyssol framework and validated against available experimental data. The energy consumption optimization procedure was performed using a coupled Dyssol-Matlab framework. The proposed cost function, which considered electric and thermal energies, was used as the main criterion to determine the optimal design set of process parameters. Various optimization approaches to minimize the overall cost function and the required computational time have been compared. The proposed strategy allows the computing of improved process parameters resulting in minimization of energy consumption and CO2 emissions while keeping product quality intact. Among the solutions, a reduction of 30.2% of fuel per ton of fired tile can be obtained with modification of the processing parameters.
Adsorption studies were carried out to determine the behavior of three carbonaceous adsorbents with different magnetic orderings (ferromagnetic, paramagnetic, and diamagnetic) and the effect of an ...external magnetic field on the adsorption of a cation (lead, Pb2+) and an anion (fluoride, F–). Two different static magnetic field intensities were used to analyze the sensitivity of the adsorption system as a function of the applied magnetic field, based on computational simulations, with the aim of determining the degree of magnetization of each system and the distribution of the flow density generated by each magnetic field application system. The results of the adsorption studies for the removal of Pb2+ showed a correlation between the adsorption capacities and the magnetic ordering of the adsorbent material. Particularly, the activated carbon of bituminous coal (ferromagnetic) showed an increase of 15%, whereas bone char (paramagnetic) showed an increase of 6%. On the other hand, this behavior was not observed in the studies for the removal of fluoride.
During the last years Phytophthora infestans sensu lato (Mont. De Bary) has caused epidemics in Colombia in Andean fruit crops such as Solanum quitoense and Solanum betaceum. Establishment of new or ...modified experimental procedures to study this pathogen is a mandatory subject for scientists. Twelve isolates of Phytophthora spp. obtained from six different Solanum hosts in Colombia were used to evaluate the effect of five different solid media for growth and ability to produce sporangia and liberate zoospores. Determination of the best media culture and optimal growth temperature were necessary to perform measurements and correlate the provenance of isolates with phenotypic traits. Modifications were made to use ingredients available in local markets on the following media: lime bean agar (LBA), Tree tomato or tree tomato agar (TA), carrot agar (AZ), Rye A modified agar and 32% non-clarified V8 agar. Cardinal temperature determination was performed at 10, 15, 20, and 25 °C. Morphometric traits were measured once the optimal media culture and temperature were defined. Correlation analysis showed that there is a relationship between the host and isolate's preferences for media culture and optimal growth temperature. In addition, the production of characteristic sporangia, sporangiophore and mycelia was related with the media type used and host from which the isolate was collected. In this work useful information was provided to make studies about the biology and development of isolates gathered from cultivated and wild non-traditional hosts.
The oils produced from five olive cultivars (i.e. arbequina, gordal, manzanilla, picual and picudo) and the evolution of fatty acid profile during olive fruit ripening were studied. The total oil ...content increased throughout ripening for Picudo cultivars; however, all other cultivars reached maximum oil contents between ripeness stage 2 and 4. The content of trans (0.3–5.8%), saturated (8.3–21.4%), monounsaturated (41.9–84.1%) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (2.3–49.7%) varied with the ripeness state and cultivar. Different trends of the different parameters were found as a function of the ripeness state and the cultivar. Statistical analysis reveal that manzanilla drupes, at the different ripeness states, are clearly different from the rest of the cultivars. In addition, there were no significant differences in the fatty acid profile of the oils obtained from drupes at ripeness states between 2 and 4.
In this work, thin films of semiconducting copper doped cadmium telluride (CdTe:Cu) were obtained by laser ablation. The effect of the combination of CdTe and Cu plasmas by the simultaneous ablation ...of Cu and CdTe targets, on the properties of CdTe:Cu films, when the copper plasma parameters (mean kinetic ion energy and density) are varied while CdTe plasma parameters were kept constant, is analyzed. The mean kinetic ion energy of Cu plasmas was increased from 73 to 100 eV. Cu plasma density increased linearly with mean kinetic ion energy. Mean kinetic ion energy and density of CdTe were kept constant at 75 eV and 2 × 1014 cm−3, respectively.
The chemical composition was measured by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. It was observed that Cu content incorporated into the CdTe lattice varied from 1.4 to 1.6 at%. Structural characterization revealed the growth of a CdTe hexagonal structure with no preferential orientation for a reference CdTe film. For samples grown combining Cu and CdTe plasmas, it was observed that increasing density of Cu plasma produces a crystalline orientation of the films in the (110) direction. Optical properties of the samples were obtained by UV–Vis spectroscopy, the data was used to estimate band gap using Tauc plots yielding values that decreased slightly form 1.47 eV for the reference CdTe film, to 1.41 eV for the film grown using the highest Cu plasma density. Scanning electron microscopy was used to study surface morphology, were rougher surfaces were observed as the Cu content in the films was increased.
There is a lack of motivation in children and adolescents to do physical exercise and at the same time a worldwide obesity epidemic. Gamification and active videogames can be used to increase the ...motivation of young people, promoting healthy habits. In this work we explore different studies on active videogames, eSports and gamification applied to physical exercise and health promotion. Main findings include positive effects in a reduction in body weight and in the promotion to continue performing of physical exercise. It also contributes to increase the motivation in children and adolescents to practice exercise. The personalization of user experience and emerging technologies (big data, wearables, smart technologies, etc.) are presented as promising opportunities to keep the engagement in game-based program and gamification of physical exercise. KEYWORDS Physical Exercise, Gamification, Active Videogames, Literature Review, State of The Art.
The Canary archipelago, located on the northwestern Atlantic coast of Africa, is comprised of seven islands aligned from east to west, plus seven minor islets. All the islands were formed by volcanic ...eruptions and their geological history is well documented providing a historical framework to study colonization events. The Canary Island pine ( Pinus canariensis C. Sm.), nowadays restricted to the westernmost Canary Islands (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma and El Hierro), is considered an old (Lower Cretaceous) relic from an ancient Mediterranean evolutionary centre. Twenty seven chloroplast haplotypes were found in Canary Island pine but only one of them was common to all populations. The distribution of haplotypic variation in P. canariensis suggested the colonization of western Canary Islands from a single continental source located close to the Mediterranean Basin. Present-day populations of Canary Island pine retain levels of genetic diversity equivalent to those found in Mediterranean continental pine species, Pinus pinaster and Pinus halepensis. A hierarchical analysis of variance (AMOVA) showed high differentiation among populations within islands (approximately 19%) but no differentiation among islands. Simple differentiation models such as isolation by distance or stepping-stone colonization from older to younger islands were rejected based on product-moment correlations between pairwise genetic distances and both geographic distances and population-age divergences. However, the distribution of cpSSR diversity within the islands of Tenerife and Gran Canaria pointed towards the importance of the role played by regional Pliocene and Quaternary volcanic activity and long-distance gene flow in shaping the population genetic structure of the Canary Island pine. Therefore, conservation strategies at the population level are strongly recommended for this species.
The effects of fire (Control burned soil) and two emergency stabilisation techniques (grass Seeding and straw Mulching) on 20 chemical characteristics were evaluated on 0–5cm top-soils sampled 1, 90, ...180 and 365days after an experimental fire in a steep shrubland of a temperate-humid region (NW Spain). Most part of pH (in H2O and KCl) variance was explained by the sampling date. No clear temporal trends were identifiable for total soil C and N content, likely due to the large SOM pool in these soils; however, changes on soil δ13C were explained by the deposition of 13C-depleted ashes, followed by its progressive erosion, while those on soil δ15N were a consequence of fire induced N outputs. After the fire, NH4+–N, P, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cu, Zn and B concentrations increased, while those of NO3−–N, Al, Fe and Co did not vary significantly. Despite a significant decline with time, concentrations of Mg, Ca and Mn at the end of the study were still higher than in unburned soil, while those of K, Cu, Zn and B were similar to the pre-fire levels and those of NH4+–N, P and Na were below pre-fire values. Mulching and Seeding treatments for burned soil emergency stabilisation had significant effects on soil δ15N and extractable K, Mg and Ca, while data were inconclusive for their possible effects on the extractable Al, Fe and Co.
► Fire and emergency treatment effects (Seeding, Mulching) on soil were evaluated. ► Experimental fire induced temporal changes in soil δ13C and δ15N. ► After the fire, NH4–N, P, Na, K, Mg, Ca, Mn, Cu, Zn and B concentrations increased. ► One year after the fire, extractable Mg, Ca and Mn were still higher in burnt soil. ► The two emergency treatments affected soil δ15N and extractable K, Mg and Ca.
In 2011 and 2012, the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES twin projects performed the first ever harmonized human biomonitoring survey in 17 European countries. In more than 1800 mother–child pairs, individual ...lifestyle data were collected and cadmium, cotinine and certain phthalate metabolites were measured in urine. Total mercury was determined in hair samples. While the main goal of the COPHES/DEMOCOPHES twin projects was to develop and test harmonized protocols and procedures, the goal of the current paper is to investigate whether the observed differences in biomarker values among the countries implementing DEMOCOPHES can be interpreted using information from external databases on environmental quality and lifestyle.
In general, 13 countries having implemented DEMOCOPHES provided high-quality data from external sources that were relevant for interpretation purposes. However, some data were not available for reporting or were not in line with predefined specifications. Therefore, only part of the external information could be included in the statistical analyses. Nonetheless, there was a highly significant correlation between national levels of fish consumption and mercury in hair, the strength of antismoking legislation was significantly related to urinary cotinine levels, and we were able to show indications that also urinary cadmium levels were associated with environmental quality and food quality. These results again show the potential of biomonitoring data to provide added value for (the evaluation of) evidence-informed policy making.
•External data was collected to interpret HBM data from DEMOCOPHES.•Hg in hair could be related to fish consumption across different countries.•Urinary cotinine was related to strictness of anti-smoking legislation.•Urinary Cd was borderline significantly related to air and food quality.•Lack of comparable data among countries hampered the analysis.
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