Selecting SUDS in the Valencia Region of Spain

This paper reports on a study of the implementation of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) in two Spanish towns (Xàtiva and Benaguasil) as part of the EU LIFE+ Project AQUAVAL, which has been conceived to introduce examples of sustainable drainage to the Valencia Region of Spain. Six sites in a range of common urban spaces and land uses are selected and appropriate SUDS techniques proposed by means of a decision-support process. This primarily consisted of the systematic application of key selection criteria through matrices and scores, followed by a brief sustainability analysis. Stakeholders’ preferences and opinions as well as educational and social opportunities are highly considered throughout the process. General monitoring requirements and major limitations in using the methodology are outlined, stressing the need for improvement of four main aspects: local data regarding SUDS performance, detail of the sustainability analysis, support through comprehensive modelling tools, and level of stakeholder engagement. The importance of creating showcases for SUDS in Mediterranean Regions, thus adapting key selection criteria as to foster sustainable drainage understanding and expertise is highlighted

Prospects and status of quark mass renormalization in three-flavour QCD

We present the current status of a revised strategy to compute the running of renormalized quark masses in QCD with three flavours of massless O(a) improved Wilson quarks. The strategy employed uses the standard finite-size scaling method in the Schr\"odinger functional and accommodates for the non-perturbative scheme-switch which becomes necessary at intermediate renormalized couplings as discussed in [arXiv:1411.7648].Comment: 7 pages, 3 figures, 1 table; Proceedings of the 33rd International Symposium on Lattice Field Theory, 14-18 July 2015, Kobe, Japa

Raman-scattering study of the phonon dispersion in twisted bi-layer graphene

Bi-layer graphene with a twist angle \theta\ between the layers generates a superlattice structure known as Moir\'{e} pattern. This superlattice provides a \theta-dependent q wavevector that activates phonons in the interior of the Brillouin zone. Here we show that this superlattice-induced Raman scattering can be used to probe the phonon dispersion in twisted bi-layer graphene (tBLG). The effect reported here is different from the broadly studied double-resonance in graphene-related materials in many aspects, and despite the absence of stacking order in tBLG, layer breathing vibrations (namely ZO' phonons) are observed.Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, research articl

Critical phenomena of thick branes in warped spacetimes

We have investigated the effects of a generic bulk first-order phase transition on thick Minkowski branes in warped geometries. As occurs in Euclidean space, when the system is brought near the phase transition an interface separating two ordered phases splits into two interfaces with a disordered phase in between. A remarkable and distinctive feature is that the critical temperature of the phase transition is lowered due to pure geometrical effects. We have studied a variety of critical exponents and the evolution of the transverse-traceless sector of the metric fluctuations.Comment: revtex4, 4 pages, 4 figures, some comments added, typos corrected, published in PR

Effects of Liposomes Contained in Thermosensitive Hydrogels as Biomaterials Useful in Neural Tissue Engineering

Indexación: Scopus.Advances in the generation of suitable thermosensitive hydrogels for the delivery of cells in neural tissue engineering demonstrate a delicate relationship between physical properties and capabilities to promote cell proliferation and differentiation. To improve the properties of these materials, it is possible to add liposomes for the controlled release of bioactive elements, which in turn can affect the physical and biological properties of the hydrogels. In the present investigation, different hydrogels based on Pluronic F127 have been formulated with the incorporation of chitosan and two types of liposomes of two different sizes. The rheological and thermal properties and their relation with the neurite proliferation and growth of the PC12 cell line were evaluated. Our results show that the incorporation of liposomes modifies the properties of the hydrogels dependent on the concentration of chitosan and the lipid type in the liposomes, which directly affect the capabilities of the hydrogels to promote the viability and differentiation of PC12 cells. © 2017 by the authors.http://www.mdpi.com/1996-1944/10/10/112