Assessment of 3D Printing Technologies for Millimeter Wave Reflectors

Three different 3D printing technologies: Stereolithography (SLA), Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) and HP Multi Jet Fusion Technology (MJF) are compared to build a parabolic reflector operating at 100 GHz. Fabrication tolerance and surface roughness before and after metallization are accurately measured. The performance of the reflectors is measured in the near field and its performance is compared against an optical grade reflector. In this way the performance of the final product is thoroughly assesse

Toxoplasma gondii infection in seagull chicks is related to the consumption of freshwater food resources

Understanding the spread of Toxoplasma gondii ( T . gondii ) in wild birds, particularly in those with opportunistic feeding behavior, is of interest for elucidating the epidemiological involvement of these birds in the maintenance and dissemination of the parasite. Overall, from 2009 to 2011, we collected sera from 525 seagull chicks (Yellow-legged gull ( Larus michahellis ) and Audouin ' s gull ( L . audouinii )) from 6 breeding colonies in Spain and tested them using the modified agglutination test (MAT) for the presence of antibodies against T . gondii . Chick age was estimated from bill length. Main food source of seagull chicks was evaluated using stable isotope analyses from growing scapular feathers. Overall T . gondii seroprevalence was 21.0% (IC 95% 17.5 - 24.4). A generalized linear mixed-effects model indicated that year (2009) and food source (freshwater) were risk factors associated to the individual risk of infection by T. gondii, while age (days) was close to significance. Freshwa- ter food origin was related to the highest seroprevalence levels, followed by marine origin, supporting freshwater and sewages as important routes of dispersion of T . gondii . Year dif- ferences could indicate fluctuating rates of exposure of seagull chicks to T . gondii . Age ran- ged from 4 to 30 days and seropositivity tended to increase with age (P = 0.07), supporting that seropositivity is related to T. gondii infection rather than to maternal transfer of antibod- ies, which in gulls is known to sharply decrease with chick age. This study is the first to report T . gondii antibodies in Yellow-legged and Audouin ' s gulls, thereby extending the range of intermediate hosts for this parasite and underscoring the complexity of its epidemiolog

A European research agenda for somatic symptom disorders, bodily distress disorders, and functional disorders: Results of an estimate-talk-estimate delphi expert study

Background: Somatic Symptom Disorders (SSD), Bodily Distress Disorders (BDD) and functional disorders (FD) are associated with high medical and societal costs and pose a substantial challenge to the population and health policy of Europe. To meet this challenge, a specific research agenda is needed as one of the cornerstones of sustainable mental health research and health policy for SSD, BDD, and FD in Europe. Aim: To identify the main challenges and research priorities concerning SSD, BDD, and FD from a European perspective. Methods: Delphi study conducted from July 2016 until October 2017 in 3 rounds with 3 workshop meetings and 3 online surveys, involving 75 experts and 21 European countries. EURONET-SOMA and the European Association of Psychosomatic Medicine (EAPM) hosted the meetings. Results: Eight research priorities were identified: (1) Assessment of diagnostic profiles relevant to course and treatment outcome. (2) Development and evaluation of new, effective interventions. (3) Validation studies on questionnaires or semi-structured interviews that assess chronic medical conditions in this context. (4) Research into patients preferences for diagnosis and treatment. (5) Development of new methodologic designs to identify and explore mediators and moderators of clinical course and treatment outcomes (6). Translational research exploring how psychological and somatic symptoms develop from somatic conditions and biological and behavioral pathogenic factors. (7) Development of new, effective interventions to personalize treatment. (8) Implementation studies of treatment interventions in different settings, such as primary care, occupational care, general hospital and specialty mental health settings. The general public and policymakers will benefit from the development of new, effective, personalized interventions for SSD, BDD, and FD, that will be enhanced by translational research, as well as from the outcomes of research into patient involvement, GP-patient communication, consultation-liaison models and implementation. Conclusion: Funding for this research agenda, targeting these challenges in coordinated research networks such as EURONET-SOMA and EAPM, and systematically allocating resources by policymakers to this critical area in mental and physical well-being is urgently needed to improve efficacy and impact for diagnosis and treatment of SSD, BDD, and FD across Europe

Infrastructural nature : five-elements park

"UPC Barcelona Team, Shanghai Railway Station International Competition" -- Coberta"Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, BarcelonaTech; Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona; DUOT, Departament d'Urbanisme i Ordenació del Territori; SITC, Shanghai International Tendering Co., Ltd." -- PortadaText en anglès i xinèsPublicació que recull el treball d'un grup de professors i estudiants de la UPC amb l'objectiu de dissenyar un parc urbà al centre de Xangai, incloent-hi la cobertura de part de les vies fèrries. El projecte, presentat a l'International Student Urban Design Competition for the Shanghai Railway Station Area, va ser guardonat amb el segon premi conjuntament amb el MITDescripció del recurs: 11 abril 2019Continuity and connectivity, transversality and linearity, permeability and porosity are the urban concepts that we took into account to understand and design within the Zhabei district in order to propose a project that suits the ideas of a well-networked, inclusive and sustainable city.Award-winnin

Infrastructural nature : five-elements park

"UPC Barcelona Team, Shanghai Railway Station International Competition" -- Coberta"Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, BarcelonaTech; Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona; DUOT, Departament d'Urbanisme i Ordenació del Territori; SITC, Shanghai International Tendering Co., Ltd." -- PortadaText en anglès i xinèsPublicació que recull el treball d'un grup de professors i estudiants de la UPC amb l'objectiu de dissenyar un parc urbà al centre de Xangai, incloent-hi la cobertura de part de les vies fèrries. El projecte, presentat a l'International Student Urban Design Competition for the Shanghai Railway Station Area, va ser guardonat amb el segon premi conjuntament amb el MITDescripció del recurs: 11 abril 2019Continuity and connectivity, transversality and linearity, permeability and porosity are the urban concepts that we took into account to understand and design within the Zhabei district in order to propose a project that suits the ideas of a well-networked, inclusive and sustainable city.Award-winnin

Infrastructural nature : five-elements park

"UPC Barcelona Team, Shanghai Railway Station International Competition" -- Coberta"Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, BarcelonaTech; Escola Tècnica Superior d'Arquitectura de Barcelona; DUOT, Departament d'Urbanisme i Ordenació del Territori; SITC, Shanghai International Tendering Co., Ltd." -- PortadaText en anglès i xinèsPublicació que recull el treball d'un grup de professors i estudiants de la UPC amb l'objectiu de dissenyar un parc urbà al centre de Xangai, incloent-hi la cobertura de part de les vies fèrries. El projecte, presentat a l'International Student Urban Design Competition for the Shanghai Railway Station Area, va ser guardonat amb el segon premi conjuntament amb el MITDescripció del recurs: 11 abril 2019Continuity and connectivity, transversality and linearity, permeability and porosity are the urban concepts that we took into account to understand and design within the Zhabei district in order to propose a project that suits the ideas of a well-networked, inclusive and sustainable city.Award-winnin

The 2013 September-October seismic sequence offshore Spain: a case of seismicity triggered by gas injection?

A spatially localized seismic sequence originated few tens of kilometres offshore the Mediterranean coast of Spain, close to the Ebro river delta, starting on 2013 September 5, and asting at least until 2013 October. The sequence culminated in a maximal moment magnitude Mw 4.3 earthquake, on 2013 October 1. The most relevant seismogenic feature in the area is the Fosa de Amposta fault system, which includes different strands mapped at different distances to the coast, with a general NE–SW orientation, roughly parallel to the coastline. However, no significant known historical seismicity has involved this fault system in the past. The epicentral region is also located near the offshore platform of the Castor project, where gas is conducted through a pipeline from mainland and where it was recently injected in a depleted oil reservoir, at about 2 km depth. We analyse the temporal evolution of the seismic sequence and use full waveform techniques to derive absolute and relative locations, estimate depths and focal mechanisms for the largest events in the sequence (with magnitude mbLg larger than 3), and compare them to a previous event (2012 April 8, mbLg 3.3) taking place in the same region prior to the gas injection. Moment tensor inversion results show that the overall seismicity in this sequence is characterized by oblique mechanisms with a normal fault component, with a 30◦ low-dip angle plane oriented NNE–SSW and a subvertical plane oriented NW–SE. The combined analysis of hypocentral location and focal mechanisms could indicate that the seismic sequence corresponds to rupture processes along shallow low-dip surfaces, which could have been triggered by the gas injection in the reservoir, and excludes the activation of the Amposta fault, as its known orientation is inconsistent with focal mechanism results. An alternative scenario includes the iterated triggering of a system of steep faults oriented NW–SE, which were identified by prior marine seismics investigations