Pattern recognition with nanoscale oscillators

Treballs Finals de Grau de Física, Facultat de Física, Universitat de Barcelona, Curs: 2021, Tutor: Ferran Macià BrosSpin Torque Nano Oscillators are nanometric devices that turn polarized electrical current into magnetic oscillations via the spin transfer torque effect. These nanometric oscillators present non-linear behavior between amplitude and frequency resulting in synchronization with external perturbations or other oscillators. These properties, as well as the dependency of their characteristic oscillation with the current applied makes them very suitable candidates to be the physical hard-ware for artificial neural network

A negative result for hearing the shape of a triangle

The project will consist of a mathematical research finding its place between the branches of Partial Differential Equations and Geometry, in particular dealing with inverse spectral problems of the Laplace operator. This class of problems tries to derive properties of a domain from the sequence of eigenvalues of the Laplace operator, which can be informally stated with the phrase “hearing the shape of a drum” coined by Mark Kac. These problems are easy to state but generally much harder to solve, and they constitute an area with many open problems and a lot of research efforts going on and advancing rapidly. Many of these problems are high-risk/high-profile: a success would be a groundbreaking achievement. The intent of the project is to solve one of these open problems, more precisely about the eigenvalues of the Laplacian with Dirichlet boundary conditions on polygons. A starting direction for the project could be to prove that the three smallest eigenvalues of the Laplacian on triangles determine them completely, whereas the first, second and fourth do not in general, as numerical evidence suggests. This is a conjecture of Antunes and Freitas (2011), which would give a quanOutgoin

Recuperación de materias primas secundarias procedentes de residuos de aparatos eléctricos y electrónicos (RAEES)

Estudiar la viabilidad técnica y económica de la recuperación de materias primas secundarias, procedentes de los residuos de aparatos eléctricos y electrónicos. Para ello el proyecto se centrara en unos determinados tipos de RAEES y en la recuperación de ciertos materiales empleando unas tecnologías determinadas. Algunos de los factores que se tendrán en cuenta para realizar el análisis técnico y económico son el grado de recuperación, los recursos necesarios para lograrlo y la diferencia de precio de mercado entre material recuperado y el material virgen

Efecto de diferentes éteres de celulosa sobre la estabilidad, estructura y digestibilidad in vitro de nuevas emulsiones

[ES] Una buena vía de acción para luchar contra la obesidad y todas las enfermedades relacionadas con el sobrepeso podría ser el diseño de nuevas emulsiones, que proporcionen menos calorías al organismo, con las que reemplazar la grasa convencional de los alimentos. Sin embargo, la grasa contribuye positivamente a la aceptación sensorial de los alimentos por parte de los consumidores, al aportar una textura cremosa, buena palatabilidad, sabor agradable y efectos saciantes. Por esta razón, las estrategias en investigación podrían ir orientadas hacia el diseño de emulsiones con: i) una proporción de grasa/aceite media, de manera que no se modifiquen las propiedades fisicoquímicas y sensoriales del alimento en boca, y ii) una digestibilidad reducida; es decir, que al pasar por el tracto gastrointestinal, sean menos digeridas que las grasas habitualmente utilizadas en la formulación de los alimentos. Para avanzar en este sentido, surge este trabajo que tiene como objetivo diseñar nuevas emulsiones aceite en agua (O/W) capaces de reemplazar la grasa convencional de los alimentos y conferir un menor valor calórico. Para ello se han utilizando como emulsionantes los éteres de celulosa metilcelulosa e hidroxipropil metilcelulosa, y se ha estudiado la estabilidad, estructura y digestibilidad in vitro de estas nuevas emulsiones alimentarias. Los resultados muestran que las emulsiones O/W elaboradas con éteres de celulosa se presentan como una opción a tener en cuenta a la hora de sustituir la grasa y formular alimentos de bajo aporte calórico y más saludables.[EN] A good course of action to fight against obesity and the rest of overweight-related diseases could be the design of new food emulsions that provide fewer calories to the organism, with which to replace the fat conventionally found in the food. However, the fat contributes positively to the sensorial acceptability of the consumers, due to the creamier texture, pleasant flavor and satiating effect. For this reason, the research strategies could be oriented towards the design of emulsions that have: i) a medium proportion of fat/oil, so that physicochemical and sensorial properties in the mouth are not modified, and ii) reduced digestibility, this is, being less digested when going through the gastrointestinal tract than fats that are usually employed in the formulation of foods. In this line, arises this research with the aim of designing new oil in water emulsions (O/W) capable of substituting the conventional fat of the food and confer a smaller caloric value. To accomplish this, two cellulose ethers have been employed as emulsifiers, methylcellulose and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose, and the structure, stability and in vitro digestibility has been studied. The results show that the O/W emulsions made with cellulose ethers are an option that should be taken into account when it comes to replacing fat and designing healthier, less caloric foods.[CA] Una bona via d’acció per a lluitar contra l’obesitat i totes les malalties relacionades amb el sobrepés podria ser el disseny de noves emulsions, que proporcionen menys calories a l’organisme, amb les quals substituir el greix convencional dels aliments. Tot i així, el greix contribueix positivament a l’acceptació sensorial dels aliments per part dels consumidors, en aportar aquest una textura cremosa, un sabor agradable i un efecte saciant. Per aquesta raó, les estratègies d’investigació podrien anar orientades cap al disseny d’emulsions amb: i) una proporció de greix/oli mitjana, de manera que no es modifiquen les propietats fisicoquímiques i sensorials de l’aliment en boca, i ii) digestibilitat reduïda; és a dir, que en passar pel tracte gastrointestinal siguen menys digerides que els greixos habitualment utilitzats en la formulació dels aliments. Per avançar en aquest sentit, sorgeix aquest treball que té com a objectiu dissenyar noves emulsions d’oli en aigua (O/W) que puguen reemplaçar el greix convencional dels aliments i conferir-los un menor valor calòric. Per tal d’aconseguir açò, s’han utilitzat com a emulsionants els èters de cel·lulosa metilcel·lulosa i hidroxipropil metilcel·lulosa, i s’ha estudiat l’estabilitat, estructura i digestibilitat in vitro d’aquestes noves emulsions alimentàries. Els resultats mostren que les emulsions O/W elaborades amb èters de cel·lulosa es presenten com a una opció a tenir en compte a l’hora de substituir el greix i formular aliments amb un contingut calòric reduït i més sans.Giménez I Ribes, G. (2016). Efecto de diferentes éteres de celulosa sobre la estabilidad, estructura y digestibilidad in vitro de nuevas emulsiones. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/66954.TFG

Overview of biofluids and flow sensing techniques applied in clinical practice

This review summarizes the current knowledge on biofluids and the main flow sensing techniques applied in healthcare today. Since the very beginning of the history of medicine, one of the most important assets for evaluating various human diseases has been the analysis of the conditions of the biofluids within the human body. Hence, extensive research on sensors intended to evaluate the flow of many of these fluids in different tissues and organs has been published and, indeed, continues to be published very frequently. The purpose of this review is to provide researchers interested in venturing into biofluid flow sensing with a concise description of the physiological characteristics of the most important body fluids that are likely to be altered by diverse medical conditions. Similarly, a reported compilation of well-established sensors and techniques currently applied in healthcare regarding flow sensing is aimed at serving as a starting point for understanding the theoretical principles involved in the existing methodologies, allowing researchers to determine the most suitable approach to adopt according to their own objectives in this broad field.This research was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT) of México through Ph.D. grant 472102 and by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad through grant FIS2017-89850R.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Density functional theory-based adsorption isotherms for pure and flue gas mixtures on Mg-MOF-74. Application in CO2 capture swing adsorption processes

A simplified model is applied for the prediction of gas/solid adsorption isotherms of pure gases (i.e., CO2, N2, SO2) on the metal-organic framework Mg-MOF-74, based on periodic Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations and a dual-site Langmuir approach (DFT/DSL), using a mean-field approximation for the inclusion of the lateral interactions. This model not only provides reliable adsorption isotherms (P ≤ 1 atm, 293 ≤ T ≤ 373 K) but also isosteric heats of adsorption in good agreement with both available experimental data and previous more refined models. Moreover, an extension of this model is used to study the effect of SO2 as an impurity in the efficiency of adsorption and desorption processes of some post-combustion gas mixtures. It is shown that a very low concentration of SO2 is enough to poison Mg-MOF-74 structure. Moreover, different swing adsorption techniques at different working conditions are analysed to reduce the impact of SO2 poisoning in CO2 separation

Modeling the Use of LiDAR through Adverse Weather

Due to the outstanding characteristics of LiDAR imaging systems, they seem essential for the consolidation of novel applications related to computer vision, in fields such as autonomous vehicles, outdoor recognition, and surveillance. However, the final technology implementation still has some uncertainties and needs in-depth work for its use in these real-world applications. Under the presence of adverse weather conditions, for example in fog, LiDAR performance is heavily influenced and the quality of the detection becomes severely degraded. The range is reduced due to the dispersion of the media and the sensor could be saturated due to backscattering or deliver a very limited range. Light propagation modeling through turbid media is used as a tool to understand and study these phenomena. Mie Theory allows the characterization of the optical media and light-particle interactions. Monte-Carlo methods are used to solve the radiative transfer problem related to these situations. When working with those models, the results obtained are in accordance with the ones shown in experimental tests, and it is possible to predict the necessities and problems of the designed systems

Rehabilitación del Parque Recreativo Cariari : propuesta de actividades de educación ambiental

El proyecto de rehabilitación del "Parque Recreativo Cariari" se enmarca enEl projecte de rehabilitació del "Parque Recreativo Cariari" s'emmarca en elThe rehabilitation task of " Parque recreativo Cariari" is directly related with

Reposicionamento de la imagen de Barcelona en la luz de una redefinición del modelo turistico de planificación urbana

El modelo de desarrollo urbanístico-turístico de Barcelona en los últimos quince años ha obtenido un éxito extraordinario en cuanto a número de visitantes, pernoctaciones, llegadas de pasajeros de cruceros, incremento de camas hoteleras y visitas a monumentos de pago. De este modo, la ciudad se ha convertido en una de las ciudades más visitadas de Europa y de mayor crecimiento del número de turistas. Pero, este crecimiento cuantitativo ha generado masificación turística, concentración en determinados barrios, enfrentamiento por el uso del espacio urbano entre turistas y residentes, además de generar algunas deficiencias infraestructurales como la conectividad y la intermodalidad. Estos problemas amenazan la posición competitiva de Barcelona. Este artículo revisa la competitividad entre las ciudades, comparando Barcelona con otras diez ciudades europeas. A partir de un análisis cualitativo a los players internos y externos y de un Estudio Delphi con players externos, se exploran las correcciones que hay que introducir en el modelo y los vectores del reposicionamiento. Esta nueva posición refuerza la competitividad en base a tres objetivos: la sostenibilidad del modelo, la gestión integral de la metrópolis turística y su gobernanza, y la orientación al cliente.Barcelona’s city tourism model over the last fifteen years has chalked up many successes in terms of soaring tourist numbers, overnight stays, cruise liner passengers, hotel beds and visits to priced sights. Growth in city breaks has soared to the point where Barcelona has become one of Europe’s most visited cities. But this growth has come at a heavy price: mass tourism, concentration in certain neighbourhoods, competition for space between tourists and residents, lack of adequate inter-modal transport. All of these problems threaten Barcelona’s competitive position. The paper reviews the city’s competitiveness, comparing Barcelona to ten other European cities. Starting out from a qualitative analysis of internal players and a Delphi Study with external players, we find the city’s tourism model needs correcting. We also identify the vectors and most important factors for achieving this repositioning. The vectors reinforce the competitiveness concerning the model’s sustainability, integrated management and governance, and client orientation. The proposed strategic repositioning will allow Barcelona to continue competing with Europe’s main cities

Affective temperaments mediate aggressive dimensions in bipolar disorders: A cluster analysis from a large, cross-sectional, international study

Background: Affective temperaments show potential for aggressive behavior (AB) preventive strategies in bipolar disorder (BD). We aim to define intra-diagnostic subgroups of patients with BD based on homogeneous behaviors related to AB. Subsequently, to assess whether affective temperament dimensions may contribute to the presence and severity of AB. Methods: Patients with BD were recruited. AB was evaluated through the modified overt aggression scale (MOAS); affective temperaments were assessed with the TEMPS-A. A cluster analysis was conducted based on TEMPS-A and MOAS scores. Stepwise backward logistic regression models were used to identify the predictive factors of cluster membership. Results: 799 patients with BD were enrolled. Three clusters were determined: non-aggressive (55.5 %), self-aggressive (18 %), and hetero-aggressive (26.5 %). Depressive, irritable, and anxious temperament scores significantly increased from the non-aggressive (lower) to the self-aggressive (intermediate) and the hetero-aggressive group (highest). A positive history of a suicide attempt (B = 5.131; OR = 169.2, 95 % CI 75.9; 377) and rapid cycling (B = -0.97; OR = 0.40, 95 % CI 0.17; 0.95) predicted self-aggressive cluster membership. Atypical antipsychotics (B = 1.19; OR = 3.28, 95 % CI 2.13; 5.06) or SNRI treatment (B = 1.09; OR = 3, 95 % CI 1.57; 5.71), psychotic symptoms (B = 0.73; OR = 2.09, 95 % CI 1.34; 3.26), and history of a suicide attempt (B = -1.56; OR = 0.20, 95 % CI 0.11; 0.38) predicted hetero-aggressive cluster membership. Limitations: Recall bias might have affected the recollection of AB. Conclusions: Clinical factors orientate the prevention of different ABs in BD. Affective temperaments might play a role in preventing AB since patients with more pronounced affective temperaments might have an increased risk of showing AB, in particular hetero-AB