Kinetics of the water absorption in GGBS-concretes: A capillary-diffusive model

E. Villar-Cocina,E. Valencia-Morales,J. Vega-Leyva,J. Antiquera Munoz 한국계산역학회 2005 Computers and Concrete, An International Journal Vol.2 No.1

We study the kinetics of absorption of water in Portland cement concretes added with 60, 70 and 80% of granulated blast furnace slag (GGBS) cured in water and at open air and preheated at 50 and 100oC. A mathematical model is presented that allows describing the process not only in early ages where the capillary sorption is predominant but also for later and long times where the diffusive processes through the finer and gel pores are considered. The fitting of the model by computerized methods enables us to determine the parameters that characterize the process: i.e., the sorptivity coefficient (S) and diffusion coefficient (D). This allows the description of the process for all times and offers the possibility to know the contributions of both, the diffusive and capillary processes. The results show the influence of the curing regime and the preheating temperature on the behavior of GGBS mortars.

Combining smart materials for enhancing intelligent systems: initial studies, success cases and research trends

Diaz Lantada, A.,Lafont Morgado, P.,Munoz-Guijosa, J.M.,Munoz Sanz, J.L.,Echavarri Otero, J.,Chacon Tanarro, E.,De la Guerra Ochoa, E. Techno-Press 2014 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.14 No.4

The combined use of smart materials, complementing each others' characteristics and resulting in devices with optimised features, is providing new solutions in many industries. The use of ingenious combinations of smart materials has led to improvements in actuation speed and force, signal-to-noise ratio, sensor precision and unique capabilities such as self-sensing self-healing systems and energy autonomy. This may all give rise to a revival for numerous families of smart materials, for which application proposals had already reached a stationary situation. It may also provide the boost needed for the definitive industrial success of many others. This study focuses on reviewing the proposals, preliminary studies and success cases related to combining smart materials to obtain multifunctional, improved systems. It also examines the most outstanding applications and fields for the combined use of these smart materials. We will also discuss related study areas which warrant further research for the development of novel approaches for demanding applications.

Effect of method of synthesis on antifungal ability of ZnO nanoparticles: Chemical route vs green route

Patino-Portela, Melissa C.,Arciniegas-Grijalba, Paola A.,Mosquera-Sanchez, Lyda P.,Sierra, Beatriz E. Guerra,Munoz-Florez, Jaime E.,Erazo-Castillo, Luis A.,Rodriguez-Paez, Jorge E. Techno-Press 2021 Advances in nano research Vol.10 No.2

To compare the antifungal effect of two nanomaterials (NMs), nanoparticles of zinc oxide were synthesized by a chemical route and zinc oxide-based nanobiohybrids were obtained using green synthesis in an extract of garlic (Allium sativum). The techniques of X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Infrared (IR) and Ultraviolet Visible (UV-Vis) absorption spectroscopies and Scanning (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopies (TEM) were used to determine the characteristics of the nanomaterials synthesized. The results showed that the samples obtained were of nanometric size (< 100 nm). To compare their antifungal capacity, their effect on Cercospora sp. was evaluated. Test results showed that both nanomaterials had an antifungal capacity. The nanobiohybrids (green route) gave an inhibition of fungal growth of ~72.4% while with the ZnO-NPs (chemical route), inhibition was ~87.1%. Microstructural studies using High Resolution Optical Microscopy (HROM) and ultra-structural analysis using TEM carried out on the treated strains demonstrated the effect of the nanofungicides on the vegetative and reproductive structures, as well as on their cell wall. To account for the antifungal effect presented by ZnO-NPs and ZnO nanobiohybrids on the fungi tested, effects reported in the literature related to the action of nanomaterials on biological entities were considered. Specifically, we discuss the electrical interaction of the ZnO-NPs with the cell membrane and the biomolecules (proteins) present in the fungi, taking into account the n-type nature of the ZnO semiconductor and the electrical behavior of the fungal cell membrane and that of the proteins that make up the protein crown.

Doxazosin Treatment Attenuates Carbon Tetrachloride-Induced Liver Fibrosis in Hamsters through a Decrease in Transforming Growth Factor β Secretion

( Martin Humberto Munoz Ortega ),( Raul Wiliberto Llamas Ramirez ),( Norma Isabel Romero Delgadillo ),( Tania Guadalupe Elias Flores ),( Edgar De Jesus Tavares Rodriguez ),( Maria Del Rosario Campos E 대한소화기기능성질환·운동학회 2016 Gut and Liver Vol.10 No.1

Background/Aims: The development of therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cirrhosis has become an important focus for basic and clinical researchers. Adrenergic receptor antagonists have been evaluated as antifibrotic drugs in rodent models of carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced cirrhosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of carvedilol and doxazosin on fibrosis/cirrhosis in a hamster animal model. Methods: Cirrhotic-induced hamsters were treated by daily administration of carvedilol and doxazosin for 6 weeks. Hepatic function and histological evaluation were conducted by measuring biochemical markers, including total bilirubin, aspartate aminotransferase, alanine aminotransferase and albumin, and liver tissue slices. Additionally, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) immunohistochemistry was analyzed. Results: Biochemical markers revealed that hepatic function was restored after treatment with doxazosin and carvedilol. Histological evaluation showed a decrease in collagen type I deposits and TGF-β-secreting cells. Conclusions: Taken together, these results suggest that the decrease in collagen type I following treatment with doxazosin or carvedilol is achieved by decreasing the profibrotic activities of TGF-β via the blockage of α1- and β-adrenergic receptor. Consequently, a diminution of fibrotic tissue in the CCl4-induced model of cirrhosis is achieved. (Gut Liver 2016;10:101-108)

Sustainable Development of Palm Oil: Synthesis and Electrochemical Performance of Corrosion Inhibitors

Porcayo-Calderon, J.,Rivera-Munoz, E.M.,Peza-Ledesma, C.,Casales-Diaz, M.,de la Escalera, L.M. Martinez,Canto, J.,Martinez-Gomez, L. The Korean Electrochemical Society 2017 Journal of electrochemical science and technology Vol.8 No.2

Palm oil production is among the highest worldwide, and it has been mainly used in the food industry and other commodities. Currently, a lot of palm oil production has been destined for the synthesis of biodiesel; however, its use in applications other than the food industry has been questioned. Thereby for a sustainable development, in this paper the use of palm oil of low quality for corrosion inhibitors synthesis is proposed. The performance of the synthesized inhibitors was evaluated by using electrochemical techniques such as open circuit potential measurements, linear polarization resistance and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results indicate that the fatty amides from palm oil are excellent corrosion inhibitors with protection efficiencies greater than 98%. Fatty amides molecules act as cathodic inhibitors decreasing the anodic dissolution of iron. When fatty amides are added, a rapid decrease in the corrosion rate occurs due to the rapid formation of a molecular film onto carbon steel surface. During the adsorption process of the inhibitor a self-organization of the hydrocarbon chains takes place forming a tightly packed hydrophobic film. These results demonstrate that the use of palm oil for the production of green inhibitors promises to be an excellent alternative for a sustainable use of the palm oil production.

Turbulent kinetics of a large wind farm and their impact in the neutral boundary layer

Na, J.S.,Koo, E.,Munoz-Esparza, D.,Jin, E.K.,Linn, R.,Lee, J.S. Pergamon Press 2016 ENERGY Vol.95 No.-

High-resolution large-eddy simulation of the flow over a large wind farm (64 wind turbines) is performed using the HIGRAD/FIRETEC-WindBlade model, which is a high-performance computing wind turbine-atmosphere interaction model that uses the Lagrangian actuator line method to represent rotating turbine blades. These high-resolution large-eddy simulation results are used to parameterize the thrust and power coefficients that contain information about turbine interference effects within the wind farm. Those coefficients are then incorporated into the WRF (Weather Research and Forecasting) model in order to evaluate interference effects in larger-scale models. In the high-resolution WindBlade wind farm simulation, insufficient distance between turbines creates the interference between turbines, including significant vertical variations in momentum and turbulent intensity. The characteristics of the wake are further investigated by analyzing the distribution of the vorticity and turbulent intensity. Quadrant analysis in the turbine and post-turbine areas reveals that the ejection motion induced by the presence of the wind turbines is dominant compared to that in the other quadrants, indicating that the sweep motion is increased at the location where strong wake recovery occurs. Regional-scale WRF simulations reveal that although the turbulent mixing induced by the wind farm is partly diffused to the upper region, there is no significant change in the boundary layer depth. The velocity deficit does not appear to be very sensitive to the local distribution of turbine coefficients. However, differences of about 5% on parameterized turbulent kinetic energy were found depending on the turbine coefficient distribution. Therefore, turbine coefficients that consider interference in the wind farm should be used in wind farm parameterization for larger-scale models to better describe sub-grid scale turbulent processes.

Strategies for the Breeding Eggplants with Improved Nutritional Quality

Jaime Prohens,Julio E. Munoz-Falcon,Adrian Rodriguez-Burruezo,Nuez Fernando 한국원예학회 2006 한국원예학회 기타간행물 Vol.- No.-

Data Alignment for Data Fusion in Wireless Multimedia Sensor Networks Based on M2M

( Jose Roberto Perez Cruz ),( Saul E. Pomares Hernandez ),( Enrique Munoz De Cote ) 한국인터넷정보학회 2012 KSII Transactions on Internet and Information Syst Vol.6 No.1

Advances in MEMS and CMOS technologies have motivated the development of low cost/power sensors and wireless multimedia sensor networks (WMSN). The WMSNs were created to ubiquitously harvest multimedia content. Such networks have allowed researchers and engineers to glimpse at new Machine-to-Machine (M2M) Systems, such as remote monitoring of biosignals for telemedicine networks. These systems require the acquisition of a large number of data streams that are simultaneously generated by multiple distributed devices. This paradigm of data generation and transmission is known as event-streaming. In order to be useful to the application, the collected data requires a preprocessing called data fusion, which entails the temporal alignment task of multimedia data. A practical way to perform this task is in a centralized manner, assuming that the network nodes only function as collector entities. However, by following this scheme, a considerable amount of redundant information is transmitted to the central entity. To decrease such redundancy, data fusion must be performed in a collaborative way. In this paper, we propose a collaborative data alignment approach for event-streaming. Our approach identifies temporal relationships by translating temporal dependencies based on a timeline to causal dependencies of the media involved.

Structural and Optical Properties of Zn(1-x)CdxO Solid Solutions Grown on ZnO Substrates by Using MO-CVD

A. Lusson,N. Haneche,V. Sallet,P. Galtier,V. Munoz-Sanjose,J. Zuniga-Perez,S. Agouram,J. A. Bastos Segura,E. Leroy 한국물리학회 2008 THE JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Vol.53 No.1

Zn(1-x)CdxO solid solutions with a composition ranging from pure ZnO up to x = 0.07 have been grown on ZnO substrates by using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD). The alloy concentration was carefully measured using a Castaing electron microprobe. The measured lateral homogeneity of the alloy was around 0.1 %. Two dierent photoluminescence lines were observed on Zn(1-x)CdxO alloys. At low temperature, a localized exciton line was identied and a second line appeared at higher energy for intermediate temperatures. This eect is interpreted as a delocalization eect of excitons trapped in potential uctuations related to a local alloy disorder. Zn(1-x)CdxO solid solutions with a composition ranging from pure ZnO up to x = 0.07 have been grown on ZnO substrates by using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO-CVD). The alloy concentration was carefully measured using a Castaing electron microprobe. The measured lateral homogeneity of the alloy was around 0.1 %. Two dierent photoluminescence lines were observed on Zn(1-x)CdxO alloys. At low temperature, a localized exciton line was identied and a second line appeared at higher energy for intermediate temperatures. This eect is interpreted as a delocalization eect of excitons trapped in potential uctuations related to a local alloy disorder.

Combining smart materials for enhancing intelligent systems: initial studies, success cases and research trends

A. Díaz Lantada,P. Lafont Morgado,J.M. Munoz-Guijosa,J.L. Muñoz Sanz,J. Echávarri Otero,E. Chacón Tanarro,E. De la Guerra Ochoa 국제구조공학회 2014 Smart Structures and Systems, An International Jou Vol.14 No.4

The combined use of smart materials, complementing each others' characteristics and resultingin devices with optimised features, is providing new solutions in many industries. The use of ingeniouscombinations of smart materials has led to improvements in actuation speed and force, signal-to-noise ratio,sensor precision and unique capabilities such as self-sensing self-healing systems and energy autonomy. Thismay all give rise to a revival for numerous families of smart materials, for which application proposals hadalready reached a stationary situation. It may also provide the boost needed for the definitive industrialsuccess of many others. This study focuses on reviewing the proposals, preliminary studies and successcases related to combining smart materials to obtain multifunctional, improved systems. It also examines themost outstanding applications and fields for the combined use of these smart materials. We will also discussrelated study areas which warrant further research for the development of novel approaches for demandingapplications.