Introducción de las técnicas de modelización para el estudio de la física y de las matemáticas en los primeros cursos de las carreras técnicas

In this article we present a program of interdisciplinary practices for a first engineering course. We followed this program during the course 1996-1997, and we give several examples of the kind of exercises that we used. We also present some remarks and conclusions that we have achieved in our experience. Our purpose is to introduce a teaching strategy for Mathematics and Physics at the University level

Introducción de las técnicas de modelización para el estudio de la física y de las matemáticas en los primeros cursos de las carreras técnicas

In this article we present a program of interdisciplinary practices for a first engineering course. We followed this program during the course 1996-1997, and we give several examples of the kind of exercises that we used. We also present some remarks and conclusions that we have achieved in our experience. Our purpose is to introduce a teaching strategy for Mathematics and Physics at the University level

Evidences of evanescent Bloch waves in Phononic Crystals

We show both experimentally and theoretically the evanescent behaviour of modes in the Band Gap (BG) of finite Phononic Crystal (PC). Based on experimental and numerical data we obtain the imaginary part of the wave vector in good agreement with the complex band structures obtained by the Extended Plane Wave Expansion (EPWE). The calculated and measured acoustic field of a localized mode out of the point defect inside the PC presents also evanescent behaviour. The correct understanding of evanescent modes is fundamental for designing narrow filters and wave guides based on Phononic Crystals with defects.Comment: 8 pages, 3 figure

Bistable and dynamic states of parametrically excited ultrasound in a fluid-filled cavity

In this paper we have considered the problem of parametric sound generation in an acoustic resonator flled with a fluid, taking explicitely into account the influence of the nonlinearly generated second harmonic. A simple model is presented, and its stationary solutions obtained. The main feature of these solutions is the appearance of bistable states of the fundamental field resulting from the coupling to the second harmonic. An experimental setup was designed to check the predictions of the theory. The results are consistent with the predicted values for the mode amplitudes and parametric thresholds. At higher driving values a self-modulation of the amplitudes is observed. We identify this phenomenon with a secondary instability previously reported in the frame of the theoretical model.Comment: 5 figures. Submitted to JAS

From stationary to remote: Employee risks at pandemic migration of workplaces

The first lockdown due to COVID-19 in the year 2020 created a particular scenario that forced a change to telework among diverse professions and social groups. This article presents the results of research carried out among samples of Polish, Lithuanian and Spanish remote workers concerning working conditions in organizations and at home, and the potential impact of some professional hazards from home-based telework. On the contrary to earlier published papers on pandemic-induced telework that focused on how the limitations at home of first-time remote workers impacted on their well-being and work–family balance, our research contributes to a more recent endeavor that focuses the analysis on the work design perspective. The results of the survey indicate that employees felt more stressed and in conflict at their remote workstations when they had to telework during the lockdown, and that this negative output was significantly related to the deterioration of some working dimensions like space, quality and design but not to the perception of professional hazards from home-based telework. According to our research, the forced situation seemed not to be a favorable factor for implementing changes in light of the insufficient technical and organizational preparation of employers as well as the employees’ mental preparation. It should be necessary to update sequentially the results of the epidemic-induced telework and conduct research for various stages of the pandemic and the subsequent economic recovery. This could help popularize remote work as one of the tools of the labor market in the future and as a tool for treating labor resources as an element of sustainable development. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Wave focusing using symmetry matching in axisymmetric acoustic gradient index lenses

Copyright 2013 American Institute of Physics. This article may be downloaded for personal use only. Any other use requires prior permission of the author and the American Institute of Physics. The following article appeared in Romero García, V.; Cebrecos Ruiz, A.; Picó Vila, R.; Sánchez Morcillo, VJ.; García-Raffi, LM.; Sánchez Pérez, JV. (2013). Wave focusing using symmetry matching in axisymmetric acoustic gradient index lenses. Applied Physics Letters. 103(26):264106-264106. doi:10.1063/1.4860535 and may be found at http://scitation.aip.org/The symmetry matching between the source and the lens results in fundamental interest for lensing applications. In this work, we have modeled an axisymmetric gradient index (GRIN) lens made of rigid toroidal scatterers embedded in air considering this symmetry matching with radially symmetric sources. The sound amplification obtained in the focal spot of the reported lens (8.24 dB experimentally) shows the efficiency of the axisymmetric lenses with respect to the previous Cartesian acoustic GRIN lenses. The axisymmetric design opens new possibilities in lensing applications in different branches of science and technology.The work was supported by Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation and European Union FEDER through Project Nos. FIS2011-29734-C02-01 and -02 and PAID 2012/253. V. R. G. is grateful for the support of post-doctoral contracts of the UPV CEI-01-11.Romero García, V.; Cebrecos Ruiz, A.; Picó Vila, R.; Sánchez Morcillo, VJ.; García-Raffi, LM.; Sánchez Pérez, JV. (2013). Wave focusing using symmetry matching in axisymmetric acoustic gradient index lenses. Applied Physics Letters. 103(26):264106-264106. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4860535S26410626410610326John, S. (1987). Strong localization of photons in certain disordered dielectric superlattices. 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Refractive Acoustic Devices for Airborne Sound. Physical Review Letters, 88(2). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.88.023902Krokhin, A. A., Arriaga, J., & Gumen, L. N. (2003). Speed of Sound in Periodic Elastic Composites. Physical Review Letters, 91(26). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.91.264302Sánchez-Pérez, J. V., Caballero, D., Mártinez-Sala, R., Rubio, C., Sánchez-Dehesa, J., Meseguer, F., … Gálvez, F. (1998). Sound Attenuation by a Two-Dimensional Array of Rigid Cylinders. Physical Review Letters, 80(24), 5325-5328. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.80.5325Sheng, P. (1995). Wave Scattering and the Effective Medium. Introduction to Wave Scattering, Localization, and Mesoscopic Phenomena, 49-113. doi:10.1016/b978-012639845-8/50003-4Mei, J., Liu, Z., Wen, W., & Sheng, P. (2006). Effective Mass Density of Fluid-Solid Composites. Physical Review Letters, 96(2). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.96.024301Lin, S.-C. S., Huang, T. J., Sun, J.-H., & Wu, T.-T. (2009). Gradient-index phononic crystals. Physical Review B, 79(9). doi:10.1103/physrevb.79.094302Zigoneanu, L., Popa, B.-I., & Cummer, S. A. (2011). Design and measurements of a broadband two-dimensional acoustic lens. Physical Review B, 84(2). doi:10.1103/physrevb.84.024305Li, Y., Liang, B., Tao, X., Zhu, X., Zou, X., & Cheng, J. (2012). Acoustic focusing by coiling up space. Applied Physics Letters, 101(23), 233508. doi:10.1063/1.4769984Yang, S., Page, J. H., Liu, Z., Cowan, M. L., Chan, C. T., & Sheng, P. (2004). Focusing of Sound in a 3D Phononic Crystal. Physical Review Letters, 93(2). doi:10.1103/physrevlett.93.024301Luo, C., Johnson, S. G., Joannopoulos, J. D., & Pendry, J. B. (2002). All-angle negative refraction without negative effective index. Physical Review B, 65(20). doi:10.1103/physrevb.65.201104Ke, M., Liu, Z., Qiu, C., Wang, W., Shi, J., Wen, W., & Sheng, P. (2005). Negative-refraction imaging with two-dimensional phononic crystals. Physical Review B, 72(6). doi:10.1103/physrevb.72.064306SAMIMY, M., KIM, J.-H., KEARNEY-FISCHER, M., & SINHA, A. (2010). Acoustic and flow fields of an excited high Reynolds number axisymmetric supersonic jet. Journal of Fluid Mechanics, 656, 507-529. doi:10.1017/s0022112010001357Choe, Y., Kim, J. W., Shung, K. K., & Kim, E. S. (2011). Microparticle trapping in an ultrasonic Bessel beam. Applied Physics Letters, 99(23), 233704. doi:10.1063/1.3665615Baac, H. W., Ok, J. G., Maxwell, A., Lee, K.-T., Chen, Y.-C., Hart, A. J., … Guo, L. J. (2012). Carbon-Nanotube Optoacoustic Lens for Focused Ultrasound Generation and High-Precision Targeted Therapy. Scientific Reports, 2(1). doi:10.1038/srep00989Chang, T. M., Dupont, G., Enoch, S., & Guenneau, S. (2012). Enhanced control of light and sound trajectories with three-dimensional gradient index lenses. New Journal of Physics, 14(3), 035011. doi:10.1088/1367-2630/14/3/035011Sanchis, L., Yánez, A., Galindo, P. L., Pizarro, J., & Pastor, J. M. 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Study of the transformation sequence on a high temperature martensitic transformation Ni-Mn-Ga-Co shape memory alloy

Ni-Mn-Ga alloys show the highest magnetic-field-induced strain among ferromagnetic shape memory alloys. A great effort is being done in this alloy system to increase the application temperature range. In this sense, the addition of small amounts of Cobalt to NiMnGa alloys has been proved to increase the MT temperatures through the increase of the electron per atom relation (e/a). In this work, the analysis of the crystal structure of the present phases and the phase transformations has been performed on a Ni-Mn-Ga-Co alloy by neutron diffraction measurements from 10 K to 673 K. The study has been completed by means of calorimetric and magnetic measurements. On cooling the alloy undergoes a martensitic transformation from a face centered cubic structure to a nonmodulated tetragonal martensite. The appearance of intermartensite transformations can be disregarded in the whole temperature range below the martensitic transformation. However, a jump in the unit-cell volume of the tetragonal martensite has been observed at 325 K. Since this temperature is close to the Curie temperature of the alloy both, the structural and magnetic contributions are taken into account to explain the results

Wetland restoration and nitrate reduction: the example of the periurban wetland of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country, North Spain)

Changes in land use and agricultural intensification caused wetlands on the quaternary aquifer of Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country) to disappear some years ago and nitrate concentration in groundwaters increased very quickly. The Basque Government recently declared the East Sector of this aquifer a Vulnerable Zone according to the 91/676/CEE European Directive. Recently, the wetlands have been restored through the closure of the main drainage ditches, the consequent elevation of the water table and the abondonment of agricultural practices near the wetlands. This is the case of the Zurbano wetland. Restoration has allowed the recovery of its biogeochemical function, which has reduced nitrate concentrations in waters. Nitrate concentrations which exceed 50 mg l–1 in groundwaters entering into the wetland are less than 10 mg l–1 at the outlet. Conditions in the wetland are conducive to the loss of nitrates: organic matter rich wetted soils, clay presence allowing a local semiconfined flow and very low hydraulic gradient. Water quality monitoring at several points around the wetland showed the processes involved in nitrate loss, although some aspects still remain unresolved. However, during storm events, the wetland effectively reduces the nitrate concentration entering the Alegria River, the most important river on the quaternary aquifer