Thermal analysis as a microstructure prediction tool for A356 aluminium parts solidified under various cooling conditions

Thermal analysis technique has been used for a long time, in both ferrous and nonferrous industries for evaluating the metallurgical quality of the liquid metal before casting. However, obtaining a proper microstructure in a standard cup does not ensure that the microstructure is correct in real parts which may solidify at very different cooling rates. For this study, alloy A356 with different metal quality in terms of modification and grain refinement was tested. Different cooling rates were obtained by using cylindrical test samples with various diameters cast in sand and metallic moulds. The correlation between microstructure features such as grain size, modification rate and secondary dendrite arm spacing (SDAS) measured in the standard thermal analysis cup with those obtained in the cylindrical test parts has been investigated. Thus, knowing the thermal modulus and the mould type it is possible to establish the required grain size and modification rate in the standard cup in order to get a desired structure in a real part. Corrective actions can then be taken in order to improve the metallurgical quality before casting the part

Aplikazio fotokimikoak dituzten nanopartikula metalikoen eta polimero eroaleen arteko interakzioaren azterketa

Erronka energetiko eta klimatikoari aurre egiteko ikerkuntza lerro asko ireki dira, hauetako bat fotosintesi artifiziala izanik. Ikerketa esparru honetan, azken urteetan nanopartikula metalikoz eta polimeroz osatutako sistema hibridoak oso ikertuak izaten ari dira. Sistema hauetan, core-ko gainazala eta polimeroaren arteko elkarrekintza sendoak eman behar dira, ingurune kimiko desberdinetan partikulen agregazioa ekiditeko. Lan honetan, Au nanopartikula core batez eta PTEBS polimeroz osatutako sistema hibridoa ikertu da kimika konputazionaleko tresnak erabiliz, hain zuzen, bi osagai hauen arteko interakzioaren natura aztertzeko asmoz. Polimeroaren bi isomero aztertu dira, cis eta trans konformaziokoak hurrenez hurren. Gure kalkuluen arabera, trans konformazioa egonkorragoa dela ikusi da, Au-S eta Au-O loturak emateko erraztasun handiagoa duelako. Horretaz gain, tiofeno eraztunen planaritatea hobesten da, p sistema konjokatuaren deslokalizazioa emanez, band-gap-a txikituz eta elkarrekintza sendotuz. Elkarrekintzaren naturari dagokionez, polimeroaren tiofeno taldeko S atomoak Au gainazalarekin lotura kobalenteak sortzen dituela ikusi da, sulfonato taldeko O atomoak nagusiki elektrostatikoki elkarrekintza egiten duen bitartean, NBO analisiaren arabera. Elkarrekintza sendo hauek, molekula elektroemaileen interakzioa zuzentzen dute fotokatalizatzaile plasmonikoarekin

Decontamination of Ti Oxide Surfaces by Using Ultraviolet Light: Hg-Vapor vs. LED-Based Irradiation

C-range Ultraviolet (UVC) mercury (Hg)-vapor lamps have shown the successful decontamination of hydrocarbons and antimicrobial effects from titanium surfaces. This study focused on surface chemistry modifications of titanium dental implants by using two different light sources, Hg-vapor lamps and Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), so as to compare the effectivity of both photofunctionalization technologies. Two different devices, a small Hg-vapor lamp (λ = 254 nm) and a pair of closely placed LEDs (λ = 278 nm), were used to irradiate the implants for 12 min. X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) was employed to characterize the chemical composition of the surfaces, analysing the samples before and after the lighting treatment, performing a wide and narrow scan around the energy peaks of carbon, oxygen and titanium. XPS analysis showed a reduction in the concentration of surface hydrocarbons in both UVC technologies from around 26 to 23.4 C at.% (carbon atomic concentration). Besides, simultaneously, an increase in concentration of oxygen and titanium was observed. LED-based UVC photofunctionalization has been suggested to be as effective a method as Hg-vapor lamps to remove the hydrocarbons from the surface of titanium dental implants. Therefore, due to the increase in worldwide mercury limitations, LED-based technology could be a good alternative decontamination source.This research was funded by University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, PPGA18/5 Research Group

Perovskite-Based Formulations as Rival Platinum Catalysts for NO_x Removal in Diesel Exhaust Aftertreatment

NOx removal is still a technological challenge in diesel engines. NOx storage and reduction (NSR), selective catalytic reduction (SCR), and combined NSR-SCR systems are the efficient approaches for diesel exhaust aftertreatment control. However, NSR and combined NSR-SCR technologies require high noble metal loadings, with low thermal stability and high cost. Recently, perovskites have gained special attention as an efficient alternative to substituting noble metals in heterogeneous catalysis. Up to date, few studies analyzed the application of perovskites in automobile catalytic converters. This chapter overviews recent research on development of novel perovskite-based catalysts as a component of single-NSR and hybrid NSR-SCR systems for NOx removal from diesel engine exhaust gases. Results in our laboratory are compared with similar work reported in the literature by other authors. Under realistic conditions, 0.5% Pd–30% La0.5Ba0.5CoO3/Al2O3 catalyst achieves NOx-to-N2 conversion higher than 92% when is coupled with an SCR catalyst placed downstream. The results show promise for a considerably higher thermal stability and lower cost diesel exhaust treatment system

Multilingual audio information management system based on semantic knowledge in complex environments

This paper proposes a multilingual audio information management system based on semantic knowledge in complex environments. The complex environment is defined by the limited resources (financial, material, human, and audio resources); the poor quality of the audio signal taken from an internet radio channel; the multilingual context (Spanish, French, and Basque that is in under-resourced situation in some areas); and the regular appearance of cross-lingual elements between the three languages. In addition to this, the system is also constrained by the requirements of the local multilingual industrial sector. We present the first evolutionary system based on a scalable architecture that is able to fulfill these specifications with automatic adaptation based on automatic semantic speech recognition, folksonomies, automatic configuration selection, machine learning, neural computing methodologies, and collaborative networks. As a result, it can be said that the initial goals have been accomplished and the usability of the final application has been tested successfully, even with non-experienced users.This work is being funded by Grants: TEC201677791-C4 from Plan Nacional de I + D + i, Ministry of Economic Affairs and Competitiveness of Spain and from the DomusVi Foundation Kms para recorder, the Basque Government (ELKARTEK KK-2018/00114, GEJ IT1189-19, the Government of Gipuzkoa (DG18/14 DG17/16), UPV/EHU (GIU19/090), COST ACTION (CA18106, CA15225)

Multilingual audio information management system based on semantic knowledge in complex environments

AbstractThis paper proposes a multilingual audio information management system based on semantic knowledge in complex environments. The complex environment is defined by the limited resources (financial, material, human, and audio resources); the poor quality of the audio signal taken from an internet radio channel; the multilingual context (Spanish, French, and Basque that is in under-resourced situation in some areas); and the regular appearance of cross-lingual elements between the three languages. In addition to this, the system is also constrained by the requirements of the local multilingual industrial sector. We present the first evolutionary system based on a scalable architecture that is able to fulfill these specifications with automatic adaptation based on automatic semantic speech recognition, folksonomies, automatic configuration selection, machine learning, neural computing methodologies, and collaborative networks. As a result, it can be said that the initial goals have been accomplished and the usability of the final application has been tested successfully, even with non-experienced users.</jats:p

Multilingual audio information management system based on semantic knowledge in complex environments

AbstractThis paper proposes a multilingual audio information management system based on semantic knowledge in complex environments. The complex environment is defined by the limited resources (financial, material, human, and audio resources); the poor quality of the audio signal taken from an internet radio channel; the multilingual context (Spanish, French, and Basque that is in under-resourced situation in some areas); and the regular appearance of cross-lingual elements between the three languages. In addition to this, the system is also constrained by the requirements of the local multilingual industrial sector. We present the first evolutionary system based on a scalable architecture that is able to fulfill these specifications with automatic adaptation based on automatic semantic speech recognition, folksonomies, automatic configuration selection, machine learning, neural computing methodologies, and collaborative networks. As a result, it can be said that the initial goals have been accomplished and the usability of the final application has been tested successfully, even with non-experienced users.</jats:p

Desarrollo de una idea de negocio a partir de un hobby en el Grado en Marketing

Nivel educativo: Grado. Duración (en horas): Más de 50 horasLos estudiantes han de trabajar en grupos desarrollando un proyecto que abarca el 50% de la materia y puntuación de dos asignaturas relacionadas en un mismo módulo del Grado en Marketing de la Facultad de Ciencias Económicas y Empresariales de la UPV/EHU. En concreto, la metodología consiste en la creación de un proyecto de negocio a partir de un hobby personal, tomando decisiones para el desarrollo de las variables de producto y distribución del mix de marketing. Para ello se trabaja en grupos, por afinidad de hobbys. El desarrollo del proyecto contempla tres fases diferenciadas: Primera fase, común para las dos asignaturas y corresponde a la etapa de diseño/contextualización del proyecto a desarrollar. Segunda fase, desarrollo independiente del proyecto en cada una de las dos asignaturas, tomando decisiones de marketing correspondientes a las materias de cada una por separado. Tercera fase, común para las dos asignaturas y correspondiente a la etapa de cierre, en donde se integran conceptos trabajados por separado en cada asignatura, recogiendo y dando coherencia en un mismo documento (Informe Final) a las decisioens tomadas en cada una de ellas por separado. En el Informe Final del proyecto se verifica la coherencia y complementariedad entre los conceptos trabajados en ambas asignaturas. El mejor Informe Final, valorando orginalidad, contenido y coherencia en las decisones, se presenta en el aula con una puntuación de reconocimiento adicional

Mycorrhizal-assisted phytoremediation and intercropping strategies improved the health of contaminated soil in a peri-urban area

[EN] Soils of abandoned and vacant lands in the periphery of cities are frequently subjected to illegal dumping and can undergo degradation processes such as depletion of organic matter and nutrients, reduced biodiversity, and the presence of contaminants, which may exert an intense abiotic stress on biological communities. Mycorrhizalassisted phytoremediation and intercropping strategies are highly suitable options for remediation of these sites. A two-year field experiment was conducted at a periurban site contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls, to assess the effects of plant growth (spontaneous plant species, Medicago sativa, and Populus canadensis, alone vs. intercropped) and inoculation of a commercial arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal inoculum. Contaminant degradation, plant performance, and biodiversity, as well as a variety of microbial indicators of soil health (microbial biomass, activity, and diversity parameters) were determined. The rhizosphere bacterial and fungal microbiomes were assessed by measuring the structural diversity and composition via amplicon sequencing. Establishment of spontaneous vegetation led to greater plant and soil microbial diversity. Intercropping enhanced the activity of soil enzymes involved in nutrient cycling. The mycorrhizal treatment was a key contributor to the establishment of intercropping with poplar and alfalfa. Inoculated and poplar-alfalfa intercropped soils had a higher microbial abundance than soils colonized by spontaneous vegetation. Our study provided evidence of the potential of mycorrhizal-assisted phytoremediation and intercropping strategies to improve soil health in degraded peri-urban areas.This study was supported by the PhytoSUDOE (SOE1/P5/E0189) and Phy2SUDOE (SOE4/P5/E1021) projects funded by the Interreg Sudoe Programme through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), PRADA project (PID2019- 110055RB-C21 and PID2019-110055RB-C22) from MINECO, and the Consolidated Research Group of the Basque Government (GV ITO18-16)