Advanced optical microscopies for materials: new trends

Podeu consultar el llibre complet a: http://hdl.handle.net/2445/32166This article summarizes the new trends of Optical Microscopy applied to Materials, with examples of applications that illustrate the capabilities of the technique

Input cost, capacity utilization and substitution in the short run

This article studies the behavior of input cost shares in an environment where labor is costly to adjust, materials can be adjusted at no cost and capital is fixed. A model relating cost shares with relative prices and adjustment costs is proposed, allowing joint estimation of the elasticity of substitution and the adjustment cost function, which is an unknown function of the utilization capacity. Based on a panel of more than 700 manufacturing firms, we find evidence of strong input share variations according to the degree of capacity utilization. The estimated shapes of adjustment costs curves of labor are in agreement with our theoretical model, and we obtain sensible elasticities of substitution estimates. Based on such estimates, we find evidence of a negative (positive) bias in downturns (recoveries) in conventional productivity growth measures

Entry, exit and productivity growth: Spanish manufacturing during the eighties

©The original publication is available at www.springerlink.comThis paper analyses the role played by both competitive pressure (increasing imports) and the restructuring of industries through entry and exit in productivity growth of Spanish manufacturing during the eighties, the key period of its accession to the EEC economy. A GMM panel estimation of the determinants of corrected Solow residual for 75 manufacturing during 1979–1990, shows that these forces accounted for 80% of productivity growth, playing an important role the displacement of inefficient firms by competitive entry.Publicad

Speaker recognition improvement using blind inversion of distortions

In this paper we propose the inversion of nonlinear distortions in order to improve the recognition rates of a speaker recognizer system. We study the effect of saturations on the test signals, trying to take into account real situations where the training material has been recorded in a controlled situation but the testing signals present some mismatch with the input signal level (saturations). The experimental results shows that a combination of several strategies can improve the recognition rates with saturated test sentences from 80% to 89.39%, while the results with clean speech (without saturation) is 87.76% for one microphone

Calibration with concurrent PT axes

The introduction of active (pan-tilt-zoom or PTZ) cameras in Smart Rooms in addition to fixed static cameras allows to improve resolution in volumetric reconstruction, adding the capability to track smaller objects with higher precision in actual 3D world coordinates. To accomplish this goal, precise camera calibration data should be available for any pan, tilt, and zoom settings of each PTZ camera. The PTZ calibration method proposed in this paper introduces a novel solution to the problem of computing extrinsic and intrinsic parameters for active cameras. We first determine the rotation center of the camera expressed under an arbitrary world coordinate origin. Then, we obtain an equation relating any rotation of the camera with the movement of the principal point to define extrinsic parameters for any value of pan and tilt. Once this position is determined, we compute how intrinsic parameters change as a function of zoom. We validate our method by evaluating the re-projection error and its stability for points inside and outside the calibration set.Postprint (published version

First finding of Ityogonimus lorum and I. ocreatus co-infection in the Iberian mole, Talpa occidentalis

The Ityogonimus lorum-I. ocreatus co-infection is reported for the first time in the Iberian mole Talpa occidentalis in Asturias (NW Spain). Both Ityogonimus species are stenoxenous helminths of insectivores of the genus Talpa and they have often been found parasitizing the Iberian mole and also the European mole T. europaea, but a mixed infection had not been previously reported. The present study also highlights the main differential morphometric characteristics between I. lorum and I. ocreatus such as the body length, the ventral sucker diameter, the ratio between suckers and the distance between suckers

EFFECTIVENESS AND SAFETY OF INTRA-ARTICULAR HYALURONIC ACID IN ATHLETES WITH ARTICULAR LESIONS: A MULTICENTER, PROSPECTIVE OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a novel intra-articular formulation of hyaluronic acid (HA) to treat athletes with articular lesions. Methods: Multicenter, prospective, interventional, observational study analyzing the clinical evolution of athletes who received 2 or 3 intra-articular injections of HA. The study was scheduled in Visit 1 (week 0), Visit 2 (week 1), Visit 3 (week 2), Visit 4 (week 3), and Visit 5 (end of follow up, week 24). The change in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of pain and in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the rate of return to physical activity were evaluated upon treatment initiation for up to 24 weeks. The incidence of adverse events was recorded throughout the study. Results: Sixty patients were recruited: 28 (46.7%) in the 2-injection group and 32 (53.3%) in the 3-injection group. Mean VAS gradually decreased across the visits, with statistically significant reductions in both groups from Visit 2 to Visit 3 and to Visit 5 (P < 0.0001). Inter-group differences in the change in VAS from Visit 2 to Visit 5 were statistically comparable (P = 0.8271). At Visit 5, the KOOS of all subscales statistically improved in both treatment groups. At the end of follow-up (Visit 5), 75.9% of patients returned to sport in the overall population. Only one patient reported an adverse event. Conclusion: This novel formulation of HA is effective and safe for at least 24 weeks, resulting in a promising treatment option for athletes with articular lesions.Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness and safety of a novel intra-articular formulation of hyaluronic acid (HA) to treat athletes with articular lesions. Methods: Multicenter, prospective, interventional, observational study analyzing the clinical evolution of athletes who received 2 or 3 intra-articular injections of HA. The study was scheduled in Visit 1 (week 0), Visit 2 (week 1), Visit 3 (week 2), Visit 4 (week 3), and Visit 5 (end of follow up, week 24). The change in Visual Analog Scale (VAS) of pain and in Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) and the rate of return to physical activity were evaluated upon treatment initiation for up to 24 weeks. The incidence of adverse events was recorded throughout the study. Results: Sixty patients were recruited: 28 (46.7%) in the 2-injection group and 32 (53.3%) in the 3-injection group. Mean VAS gradually decreased across the visits, with statistically significant reductions in both groups from Visit 2 to Visit 3 and to Visit 5 (P < 0.0001). Inter-group differences in the change in VAS from Visit 2 to Visit 5 were statistically comparable (P = 0.8271). At Visit 5, the KOOS of all subscales statistically improved in both treatment groups. At the end of follow-up (Visit 5), 75.9% of patients returned to sport in the overall population. Only one patient reported an adverse event. Conclusion: This novel formulation of HA is effective and safe for at least 24 weeks, resulting in a promising treatment option for athletes with articular lesions

Enumeration of chordal planar graphs and maps

We determine the number of labelled chordal planar graphs with n vertices, which is asymptotically for a constant and . We also determine the number of rooted simple chordal planar maps with n edges, which is asymptotically , where , , and s is an algebraic number of degree 12. The proofs are based on combinatorial decompositions and singularity analysis. Chordal planar graphs (or maps) are a natural example of a subcritical class of graphs in which the class of 3-connected graphs is relatively rich. The 3-connected members are precisely chordal triangulations, those obtained starting from by repeatedly adding vertices adjacent to an existing triangular face.We gratefully acknowledge earlier discussions on this project with Erkan Narmanli. M.N. was supported by grants MTM2017-82166-P and PID2020-113082GB-I00, the Severo Ochoa and María de Maeztu Program for Centers and Units of Excellence in R&D (CEX2020-001084-M). C.R. was supported by the grant Beatriu de Pinós BP2019, funded by the H2020 COFUND project No 801370 and AGAUR (the Catalan agency for management of university and research grants), and the grant PID2020-113082GB-I00 of the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Nanotecnología y sostenibilidad en el aula: lo pequeño al rescate de problemas globales

Reproducció del document publicat a: https://theconversation.com/nanotecnologia-y-sostenibilidad-en-el-aula-lo-pequeno-al-rescate-de-problemas-globales-184178La nanotecnología aporta a los estudiantes la posibilidad de entender y practicar tecnología y pensar en los retos globales del futuro de manera práctica y positiva

Aplicaciones de la Microscopía de Fuerza Atómica (AFM) cómo método de caracterización de polímeros

Este proyecto pretende ser una herramienta útil para el ingeniero que quiera aplicar la Microscopía de Fuerza Atómica (AFM) como técnica de caracterización de Materiales poliméricos. En primer lugar se describen algunas técnicas de caracterización superficial competitivas con el AFM, es decir el SEM y el TEM (Microscopía Electrónica) para describir seguidamente el AFM. El AFM, es una técnica que poco a poco va ganándose adeptos como herramienta útil de caracterización a nivel de topografía, dureza, adhesión, medidas in situ, etc. En el capítulo 3 se describirá la técnica, los diferentes modos y posibilidades que presenta y su uso más concreto dentro del campo de los polímeros (por ejemplo, se describe como preparar una muestra polimérica para su posterior caracterización por AFM). Para concluir este capítulo se introducirá el tema de los Biopolímeros y como el AFM puede ser una herramienta útil para caracterizarlos. Por último, en el capítulo 4 se describen algunos ejemplos para que el Ingeniero pueda ver casos prácticos donde el AFM puede ser una herramienta importante de caracterización y que además, permite solucionar problemas que aparecen en otras técnicas más comúnmente utilizadas, como por ejemplo, la microscopía óptica y electrónica. Por lo tanto, esta técnica puede ser una herramienta útil en caracterización de polímeros de interés tecnológico como el poliéster PEN (substrato en células fotovoltaicas), poliéster del ácido málico (biopolímero) o polímeros clásicos como el polipropileno (embalaje) o en estudios de adhesión matriz-polímero (Si-PEN), entre otros