Production of high value-added nanocellulose from agriculture biomass waste

Treballs Finals de Grau d'Enginyeria Química, Facultat de Química, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2021-2022, Tutors: Jordi Hug Badia i Córcoles, Sergi Astals GarciaWith the growing concerns about the environmental effects of fossil-oil based products, the research for a more sustainable source has started. In that context, biomass is a possible sustainable resource since it is an abundant and renewable material. Biomass is defined as any organic material that comes from plants or animals, such as wood, forest and agriculture residues or energy crops. Lignocellulosic biomass is formed by three principal compounds (cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin) that can be used as raw materials for bio-based products. Bionanomaterials are an interesting bio-based products since reducing materials to nanoscale can improve the properties of those products. Cellulose for its properties, such as high mechanical strength, high crystallinity and aspect ratio, and its biodegradability is an interesting material to convert to the nanoscale, producing nanocellulose. Depending on the production process different types of nanocellulose exist, such as cellulose nanocrystals, cellulose nanofibrils or bacterial nanocellulose. Nanocellulose is an interesting nanomaterial for the variety of applications in different industrial fields like biomedical, electronic and composite industries This work is focused on designing a process to produce cellulose nanocrystals and nanofibrils from agriculture biomass wastes. Different alternatives have been studied from bibliographical resources in order to be able to design a sustainable and productive process. The process design is separated in three main stages, selection and preparation of the raw material, pre-treatment of the lignocellulosic biomass to separate its main compounds and production of the nanocellulos

Inteligencia interpersonal : conceptos clave

El propósito de este trabajo es el de delimitar el espacio conceptual de la inteligencia interpersonal, relacionándolo con las situaciones en las cuales se utiliza. Para ello se establecen, en primer lugar, los aspectos relacionados con la naturaleza intelectual y el tipo de objetos representados. Sigue un apartado dedicado a los orígenes de la misma y su función en la adaptación de la especie humana. Un tercer apartado trata del tipo de procedimientos adecuados para su medición, no como una recopilación de instrumentos comúnmente utilizados, sino como una manera de hacer explícitos qué tipo de indicios son buena prueba de este tipo de inteligencia. A continuación se describen algunas de las principales confusiones asociadas a la idea de esta forma de inteligencia, integrando finalmente todos los aspectos tratados en el apartado de conclusionesThe purpose of this paper is to delimit the conceptual space of interpersonal intelligence, relating it to situations in which it is used. To this end, we first identify some aspects of an intellectual nature and the type of objects represented. The next section is devoted to the origins of interpersonal intelligence and its role in human adaptation. A third section focuses on the type of procedures for its measurement, not as a collection of tools commonly used, but as a way to make explicit the kind of evidence that is appropriate as good indicators of this intelligence. Finally, we describe some of the main confusions associated with the idea of this form of intelligence, integrating all aspects previously discusse

A Single Point Mutation Blocks the Entrance of Ligands to the Cannabinoid CB Receptor via the Lipid Bilayer

Molecular dynamic (MD) simulations have become a common tool to study the pathway of ligand entry to the orthosteric binding site of G protein-coupled receptors. Here, we have combined MD simulations and site-directed mutagenesis to study the binding process of the potent JWH-133 agonist to the cannabinoid CB receptor (CBR). In CBR, the N-terminus and extracellular loop 2 fold over the ligand binding pocket, blocking access to the binding cavity from the extracellular environment. We, thus, hypothesized that the binding pathway is a multistage process consisting of the hydrophobic ligand diffusing in the lipid bilayer to contact a lipid-facing vestibule, from which the ligand enters an allosteric site inside the transmembrane bundle through a tunnel formed between TMs 1 and 7 and finally moving from the allosteric to the orthosteric binding cavity. This pathway was experimentally validated by the Ala282 7.36 Phe mutation that blocks the entrance of the ligand, as JWH-133 was not able to decrease the forskolin-induced cAMP levels in cells expressing the mutant receptor. This proposed ligand entry pathway defines transient binding sites that are potential cavities for the design of synthetic modulators

A clinical staging model for bipolar disorder : longitudinal approach.

Bipolar disorder (BD) has been identified as a life-course illness with different clinical manifestations from an at-risk to a late stage, supporting the assumption that it would benefit from a staging model. In a previous study, we used a clustering approach to stratify 224 patients with a diagnosis of BD into five clusters based on clinical characteristics, functioning, cognition, general health, and health-related quality of life. This study was design to test the construct validity of our previously developed k-means clustering model and to confirm its longitudinal validity over a span of 3 years. Of the 224 patients included at baseline who were used to develop our model, 129 (57.6%) reached the 3-year follow-up. All life domains except mental health-related quality of life (QoL) showed significant worsening in stages (p < 0.001), suggesting construct validity. Furthermore, as patients progressed through stages, functional decline (p < 0.001) and more complex treatment patterns (p = 0.002) were observed. As expected, at 3 years, the majority of patients remained at the same stage (49.6%), or progressed (20.9%) or regressed (23.3%) one stage. Furthermore, 85% of patients who stayed euthymic during that period remained at the same stage or regressed to previous stages, supporting its longitudinal validity. For that reason, this study provides evidence of the construct and longitudinal validity of an empirically developed, comprehensive staging model for patients with BD. Thus, it may help clinicians and researchers to better understand the disorder and, at the same time, to design more accurate and personalized treatment plans

Discovery of Homobivalent Bitopic Ligands of the Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor**

Single chemical entities with potential to simultaneously interact with two binding sites are emerging strategies in medicinal chemistry. We have designed, synthesized and functionally characterized the first bitopic ligands for the CB2 receptor. These compounds selectively target CB2 versus CB1 receptors. Their binding mode was studied by molecular dynamic simulations and site-directed mutagenesis

Per un futur

 Treball de recerca realitzat per un alumne d’ensenyament secundari i guardonat amb un Premi CIRIT per fomentar l'esperit científic del Jovent l’any 2010. El medi ambient és un terme present avui en dia en tots els camps de treball. La problemàtica mediambiental ens preocupa cada dia més i per això és present també a l'escola. L'objectiu d'aquesta recerca era endinsar-se en el coneixement de l'ecologia, la seva problemàtica i les possibles solucions fàcils d'aplicar en un habitatge. Per dur a terme aquest treball, primer de tot s'ha realitzat un marc teòric amb el qual s'anava introduint i aprofundint en el seu tema d'estudi. El treball es complementava amb un marc pràctic que permetia contrastar la hipòtesi del treball. L'alumne ha estat capaç d'aplicar les mesures correctores en el seu habitatge, tant en els aparells com en les conductes dels membres que l'habiten. El resultat ha permés confirmar la hipòtesi i adonar-se que amb petits canvis de funcionament i de comportament ha pogut reduir el seu impacte, reduint el consum d'aigua, de llum i de gas i la generació de deixalles. A més, l'elaboració d'enquestes ha permès comprovar el grau de sensibilitat de la gent envers la problemàtica ambiental

How can storytelling improve the engagement in EFL class?

Curs 2017-2018The present study is an attempt to explore the educational value of storytelling, especially when it comes to learning English as a foreign language. Bearing this in mind, it aims to answer the following two questions: “How can storytelling improve pupils’ engagement in the EFL class?” and , based on the pedagogical application, “Which are the best conditions to make storytelling a worthy resource in the EFL class?” These research questions were dealt with from a qualitative methodology approach, through a qualitative action research, where I acted both as a teacher and researcher. The data was collected during my practical intervention in schools by field notes, observation charts, video recordings, EFL teachers’ questionnaires and the written opinion of students. The pedagogical intervention, implemented in four different groups of first graders in three Primary schools of Osona, is the basis from where I would study the validity of storytelling as a resource. A small scale research was developed to check and analyse the effects of implementing storytelling and its related activities in the EFL class. The findings obtained through observing the practice suggest that storytelling may have a positive effect in the language acquisition. Stories enhance pupils’ engagement and foster behavioural factors such as attention and curiosity, which come to motivation. In addition to that, the active learning activities about each story evoked participation and interaction using English.Aquest estudi pretén explorar el valor educatiu d’explicar contes, centrant-se en l’aprenentatge de l’anglès com a llengua estrangera. La proposta inicial es basa en les següents preguntes: “Com pot la narració de contes millorar l’implicació dels alumnes a la classe d’anglès?” i, des del punt de vista de intervenció pedagògica, “Quines són les millors condicions per treure el màxim profit al explicar contes com a recurs a la classe d’anglès?” Els dos objectius van ser tractats a través d’una metodologia qualitativa, més concretament, des de la perspectiva de la recerca d’acció, on vaig actuar alhora com a investigadora i com a mestra. Les dades van ser obtingudes al llarg de la meva intervenció pràctica a les escoles, a través de notes de camp, quadres d’observació, vídeos, qüestionaris als mestres d’anglès i alguns documents d’opinió dels infants. La intervenció pedagògica, desenvolupada amb quatre grups diferents de primer de Primària de tres escoles d’Osona, és la base de partida per estudiar la validesa dels contes com a recurs. A través d’una recerca a petita escala es comproven i s’analitzen els efectes de basar la classe d’anglès en el fet d’explicar contes. Els resultats obtinguts a través de l’observació pràctica suggereixen que la narració de contes pot tenir un efecte positiu en l’adquisició del llenguatge. Les històries estimulen l’implicació dels alumnes i fomenten actituds com l’atenció i la curiositat, que deriven en motivació. A més a més, les activitats d’aprenentage actiu sobre cada conte van fomentar la participació i la interacció a través de la llengua anglesa

Enhanced photocatalytic hydrogen production through the use of selective contacts

The uncontrolled and increasing greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere, and the continuous alerts from the scientific community about the potential unprecedented and utterly negative impacts global warming could lead humanity towards, has increased the preocupation of regional, local, national and international governments to tackle a proper, efficient and sustainable energy transition in a rapid manner. It is predicted that in less than a hundred years, global temperatures of the earth could have risen between 0.3 and 1.7 ºC, the lattter being fatal in terms of ice melting in the poles, sea level increase, large migration scenarios due to infertile land and dried lands, and mass extinction of many species altering the global ecosystem. [1] The designed and desired energy transition will inevitably face many difficulties and governments are starting to work on the pathways towards a clean and sustainable energy system of the future based mainly on renewable energy sources. A grid based mainly on renewable intermittent and unpredictable sources will undoubtedly change how energy systems are perceived. Concepts like the baseline generation will radically change, while concepts like grid flexibility and stability, and security of supply, ought to be reconsidered in order to efficiently adapt to the new reality. In this new reality, energy storage shall play an unprecedented and fundamental role in order to provide the renewable energy mix with enough security of supply and grid flexibility. From the sustainable point of view, and especially the efficient and reasonable management of resources like lithium or cobalt, required for the most common electric battery systems, lithium-ion batteries, diversification of energy storage solutions is necessary to ensure an equal and distributed resource availability and accessibility. Depending on the purpose and objective of each energy storage system, there are many different solutions to be considered, like compressed air systems, pumped hydropower storage, or flywheels among many others. Green hydrogen, produced with clean energy sources, and conceived as an energy vector as it takes energy to generate which is liberated when combusted, will inevitably play a key role in the future energy system, as another form of energy storage solution. One of the main areas in which hydrogen is called to be part of the solution is mobility. Fuel powered private and public transport vehicles (cars,buses, planes or ships), are one of the most polluting systems in Europe. Substitution of mobility solutions to clean electric options is therefore key, and one of the primary objectives of international institutions. Hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles are conceived as one of the alternative solutions to the most conventional battery electric vehicles, especially in large vehicles like buses, trucks, ships or even planes. Large scale hydrogen production has traditionally been achieved through the use of natural gas in a process that emits greenhouse gases, so it cannot be conceived as green. However, electrolysis of water through the use of alkaline electrolysers mainly, has more recently emerged as a clean, renewable technique to generate what is known as green hydrogen. Even though alkaline electrolysis is a mature, large-scale technique, other technologies are being considered, still in the R&D process, to constitute the future green hydrogen mix, along with electrolysis. One of the most renown and investigated technology is photocatalysis. Photocatalysis is a process that uses photogenerated electron- hole pairs in an illuminated semiconductor, directly to activate the redox reaction of, for instance, water splitting, generating hydrogen and oxygen. Properly understanding the physical properties and behaviours of electrons in the semiconductor, and applying solid-state physics, semiconductor, and photovoltaic principles in photocatalytic cells is the main objective of this project, especially dealing with the use of carrier-selective contacts, and more specifically on the use of transition metal oxides as hole transport layers for anatase titania/gold based photocatalytic cells. In the experimental part of this project, then, combinations with other materials conceived as carrier-selective contacts as magnesium and titanium carbonate (MXene) are also combined with the transition metal oxides in order to try and enhance hydrogen productio

Paper de la PAP en la resposta inflamatoria durant la pancreatitis aguda

Estudi elaborat a partir d’una estada al Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, França, entre setembre i octubre del 2006. La PAP va ser identificada inicialment com una proteïna de secreció, que apareixia al suc pancreàtic després de la inducció d’una pancreatitis aguda experimental. Per la PAP s’ha suggerit diferents funcions, algunes no relacionades en aparença, però les més interessants en el camp de la pancreatitis són les activitats antiapoptótiques, mitogéniques i, especialment, antiinflamatóries. Per aprofundir en aquests aspectes de la PAP, s’ha emprat un model de ratolí PAP-/- per observar els efectes de la deleció del gen de la PAP durant la pancreatitis aguda.Per induir la pancreatitis es va fer servir el model de administració de ceruleina a dosi supra-màximes. En aquestes condicions es va observar que en els animals PAP-/-, la severitat del procés era menor. Els marcadors de necrosi pancreàtica, lipasa i amilasa, van presentar nivells menors en els animals PAP-/- que en els corresponents wild type. Per contra, el nombre de PMN infiltrats i la producció de citoquines pro-inflamatories va ser major en el pàncreas dels animals PAP-/-. La intensitat de la resposta inflamatòria observada suggereix que en condicions fisiològiques, el paper anti-inflamatori de la PAP es prou rellevant. Això ja s’havia suggerit en estudis in vitro, en els que es va demostrar que l’activitat antiinflamatòria de la PAP depenia de la via de transducció de senyal Jak/STAT/SOCS3. Aquesta hipòtesi s’ha comprovat in vivo, monitoritzant el nivell d’activació de STAT3 en els pàncreas dels animals després de la inducció de la pancreatitis.Tot plegat confirma que les funcions antiinflamatòries descrites in vitro per la PAP també es poden observar in vivo, de manera que la PAP sembla ser un agent important en la resposta de les cèl•lules pancreàtiques durant la pancreatitis aguda.Report for the scientific sojourn at the Institut national de la santé et de la recherche médicale, France, from setember and october 2006. PAP was first identified as an additional secretory protein, appearing in rat pancreatic juice after induction of experimental pancreatitis. Several functions have been suggested for PAP, some of them being apparently unrelated. However, what makes that protein unique and especially interesting is that it can be mitogenic, anti-apoptotic and anti-inflammatory, suggesting that PAP is a key regulatory factor. To gain further insight into this problem we used a PAP-/- mouse model to assess in vivo the consequences of PAP deletion on pancreas during acute pancreatitis. Induction by supra-maximal doses of caerulein was used to induce pancreatitis In this model we found that pancreatic necrosis was less severe in PAP-/- mice than in wild-type. Amylase and lipase serum levels, two specific markers of severity, were lower in PAP-/-. By contrast, PMN leukocyte accumulation and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression were increased in pancreas from PAP-/- mice. The intensity of inflammation in the absence of PAP, although necrosis was limited, suggests that, in physiological conditions, the anti-inflammatory activity of PAP is quite strong. In vitro studies demonstrated that the anti-inflammatory function of PAP involves the Jak/STAT3/SOCS3 pathway. To comprove this hypothesis in vivo, it was monitored STAT3 activity in the pancreas of wild-type and PAP-/- mice. Altogether, these results show that the anti-inflammatory functions described in vitro for PAP are also observed in vivo. Therefore, PAP appears as a key factor in the pancreatic response to acute pancreatitis injury

Using crystalline solar cells for hydrogen production

Photocatalytic hydrogen production has been broadly and largely studied as a possible future largescale clean fuel production. Among others, Titania nanoparticles have been the main semiconductor used for the photocatalytic reaction. However, its broad band gap of 3.2 eV dramatically limits its efficiency as only around 5%of the solar spectrum can be absorbed by this semiconductor. Moreover, the use of noble metal co-catalysts like platinum, palladium or gold is required to achieve promising results. These noble metal co-catalysts though, are costly which makes it difficult to achieve largescale applications. This work aims to coherently understand the existing technique for hydrogen production by a Photocatalysis process to be able to make progress towards finding alternative methods which are efficient enough for large-scale hydrogen production. This has been combined with the theories of semiconductor electronics and solar cells to develop a photocatalytic cell based on silicon and titania as absorbers along with selective contacts for efficient charge carrier separation. Morover, sol-gel prepared titania layers have been found to have plenty of defect mid-gap states provoking high recombination rates by Photothermal Deflection Spectroscopy, which dramatically alter the outcome of the experiment. Passivation of these anatase titania layers has also been studied in this thesis, by several thicknesses of ALD deposited amorphous titania and alumina to determine which one is more efficient. Results have confirmed that samples passivated with 0.4 nm of ALD amorphous TiO2 doubles the result of bare non-passivated titania in terms of hydrogen production. Photoluminiscence Spectroscopy has also been used to test the effect of passivation on the samples. In order to find real alternatives to noble metal co-catalysts, their function on the photocatalysis process has also been studied. Gold and platinum nanoparticles have been determined to behave as carrier-selective Hole Transport Layers, allowing the flow of holes from semiconductor to co-catalyst, and thus helping with charge separation. From this point, photocatalytic cells have been prepared with other HTL to find alternatives to these highly costly noble metals. molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, PEDOT:PSS and APTES are the four HTLs studied for this purpose.La producción fotocatalítica de hidrógeno ha sido ampliamente estudiada como posible medio de producción de combustibles de forma limpia ya gran escala. Entre otras, las nanopartículas de Titania han sido el principal semiconductor utilizado por las reacciones fotocatalíticas. Sin embargo, el gran band gap de 3.2eV limita drásticamente la eficiencia del proceso ya que sólo utiliza el 5% del espectro solar. Además, el uso de metales nobles como el oro, el platino o el paladio como co-catalizadores, es necesario para conseguir resultados prometedores. Estos metales pero, aumentan los costes del proceso dificultando la producción a gran escala. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo comprender de manera coherente la técnica existente para la producción de hidrógeno mediante un proceso de fotocatálisis para poder avanzar hacia la búsqueda de métodos alternativos que sean suficientemente eficientes para la producción de hidrógeno a gran escala. Esto se ha combinado con las teorías de electrónica de semiconductores y células solares para desarrollar una célula fotocatalítica basada en silicio y titanio como absorbedores junto con contactos selectivos para una separación eficiente de los portadores de carga. Además, se ha encontrado que las capas de titania preparadas con sol-gel presentan muchos estados de energía defectuosos en el gap, provocando altos índices de recombinación por espectroscopia de deflexión fototérmica (PDS), que de forma espectacular alteran el resultado de el experimento. También se ha estudiado la pasivación de estas capas de anatasa titania en esta tesis, por diversos grosores de titania amorfa y alúmina depositadas por ALD, para determinar cuál es más eficiente. Los resultados confirman que las muestras passivades con 0.4 nm de Titania amorfa doblan los resultados de las muestras sin pasivar en cuanto a producción de hidrógeno. También se ha hecho fotoluminiscencia para comprobar el efecto de la pasivación. Con el fin de encontrar alternativas reales a los co-catalizadores de metales nobles, su función en la fotocatálisis también se ha estudiado. Se ha determinado que las nanopartículas de oro y platino se comportan como filtros selectivos de portadores por agujeros, que por tanto permiten el flujo de agujeros desde el semiconductor al co-catalizador y así ayudan a separar la carga. Por ello, se han preparado células fotocatalíticas con otros HTL para encontrar alternativas a estos metales nobles muy costosos. El óxido de molibdeno, óxido de tungsteno, PEDOT: PSS y APTOS son los cuatro HTL estudiados con este propósito.La producció fotocatalítica d'hidrogen ha estat àmpliament estudiada com a possible mitjà de producció de combustibles de forma neta ia gran escala. Entre altres, les nanoparticules de titania han estat el principal semiconductor utilitzat per les reaccions fotocatalítiques. Tot i això, el gran band gap de 3.2eV limita dràsticament l’eficiència del procés ja que només s'utilitza el 5% de l'espectre solar. A més, l’ús de metalls nobles com l'or, el platí o el paladi com a co-catalitzadors, és necessari per aconseguir resultats prometedors. Aquests metalls però, augmenten els costos del procés dificultant la producció a gran escala. Aquest treball té com a objectiu comprendre de manera coherent la tècnica existent per a la producció d'hidrogen mitjançant un procés de fotocatalisi per poder avançar cap a la cerca de mètodes alternatius que siguin prou eficients per a la producció d’hidrogen a gran escala. Això s'ha combinat amb les teories d'electrònica de semiconductors i cèl·lules solars per desenvolupar una cèl·lula fotocatalítica basada en silici i titània com a absorbidors juntament amb contactes selectius per a una separació eficient dels portadors de càrrega. A més, s’ha trobat que les capes de titania preparades per sol-gel presenten molts estats d'energia defectuosos en el gap, provocant alts índexs de recombinació per espectroscòpia de deflexió fototèrmica (PDS), que de forma espectacular alteren el resultat de l’experiment. També s’ha estudiat la passivació d’aquestes capes d’anatasa titània en aquesta tesi, per diversos gruixos titània amorfa i alúmina dipositades per ALD, per determinar quin és més eficient. Els resultats confirmen que les mostres passivades amb 0.4 nm de titania amorfa doblen els resultats de les mostres sense passivar pel que fa a producció d'hidrogen. També s'ha fet fotoluminescència per comprovar l'efecte de la passivació. Per tal de trobar alternatives reals als co-catalitzadors de metalls nobles, la seva funció en la fotocatàlisi també s’ha estudiat. S’ha determinat que les nanopartícules d’or i platí es comporten com a filtres selectius de portadors per forats, que per tant permeten el flux de forats des del semiconductor al co-catalitzador i així ajuden a separar la càrrega. Per això, s’han preparat cèl·lules fotocatalítiques amb altres HTL per trobar alternatives a aquests metalls nobles molt costosos. L'òxid de molibdè, òxid de tungstè, PEDOT: PSS i APTES són els quatre HTL estudiats amb aquest propòsit