Estudi de la zona de finalització més eficaç per guanyar el punt mitjançant l'atac de dreta en el tennis de taula

Curs 2011-2012L’objectiu d’aquest estudi és determinar la zona més efectiva per guanyar el punt mitjançant l’atac de dreta en el tennis de taula. S’utilitza una adaptació del sistema d’anàlisi dels tres nivells d’habilitat, proposat pels acadèmics xinesos Wu i Li (1990) per tal de classificar els punts de la forma que ens permetin analitzar les zones de finalització i les formes com s’obtenen els punts. L’estudi analitza cinc partits dels sis millors jugadors del rànquing mundial de la ITTF. El resultat de l’estudi és que la zona de finalització més eficaç per obtenir el punt mitjançant l’atac de dreta és la zona 1 de la taula del rival.The goal of this study is to determine the most effective zone to win the point with a forehand attack in table tennis. Used an adaptation of the three-stage skill analysis, proposed by Chinese scholars Wu and Li (1990) to classify the points of the form that will allow us to analyze the end zone and the ways we get the point. The study examines five games of the six best players in the ITTF world ranking. The result of the study is that the most effective end zone to win the point with a forehand attack is zone 1 of the table opponents

The influence of physicochemical properties of biomimetic Hydroxyapatite on the in vitro behavior of endothelial progenitor cells and their interaction with mesenchymal stem cells

Calcium phosphate (CaP) substrates are successfully used as bone grafts due to their osteogenic properties. However, the influence of the physicochemical features of CaPs in angiogenesis is frequently neglected despite it being a crucial process for bone regeneration. The present work focuses on analyzing the effects of textural parameters of biomimetic calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) and sintered beta-tricalcium phosphate (ß-TCP), such as specific surface area, surface roughness, and microstructure, on the behavior of rat endothelial progenitor cells (rEPCs) and their crosstalk with rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs). The higher reactivity of CDHA results in low proliferation rates in monocultured and cocultured systems. This effect is especially pronounced for rMSCs alone, and for CDHA with a fine microstructure. In terms of angiogenic and osteogenic gene expressions, the upregulation of particular genes is especially enhanced for needle-like CDHA compared to plate-like CDHA and ß-TCP, suggesting the importance not only of the chemistry of the substrate, but also of its textural features. Moreover, the coculture of rEPCs and rMSCs on needle-like CDHA results in early upregulation of osteogenic modulator, i.e., protein deglycase 1 might be a possible cause of overexpression of osteogenic-related genes on the same substrate.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Effect of Ce and Mn co-doping on photocatalytic performance of sol-gel TiO2

Co-doped titanium dioxide was synthesized by doping with manganese (Mn) and cerium (Ce) through a sol-gel method for the degradation of diclofenac (DCF). The synthesized products were successfully characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Nitrogen physisorption at 77 K, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), UV-Vis diffuse reflectance (UV-DRS), photoluminescence spectroscopy (PL) and total organic carbon (TOC). It was shown that co-doping increased the specific surface area, improved the visible light absorption and extended the lifetime of photogenerated charge carriers. Furthermore, the results of the photocatalytic experiments show that the photodegradation rate of diclofenac can be approached by pseudo first-order kinetics and it followed the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model very well. The co-doped catalyst with 0.6 % Mn and 1 % Ce molar ratios appeared to be the most photoactive catalyst with 94 % of DCF removal and an apparent rate constant of 0.012 min-1.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Optimización del proceso de pasajeros en aeropuertos.

En este trabajo se explican detalladamente cada uno de los procesos que debe realizar un pasajero cuando viaja en avión en la terminal del aeropuerto de salida. Todos los datos de estudio están basados en la Terminal 2 del Aeropuerto de Barcelona. El trabajo contiene un estudio teórico inicial, un análisis a partir de tomas de datos en campo y finalmente una simulación realizada mediante ordenador de un día de operativa normal en la Terminal 2. El objetivo es determinar las fases donde el pasajero ha de esperar más tiempo y visualizar los puntos e intervalos de tiempo donde se producen saturaciones, con el fin de encontrar soluciones para evitarlo

Optimización del proceso de pasajeros en aeropuertos.

En este trabajo se explican detalladamente cada uno de los procesos que debe realizar un pasajero cuando viaja en avión en la terminal del aeropuerto de salida. Todos los datos de estudio están basados en la Terminal 2 del Aeropuerto de Barcelona. El trabajo contiene un estudio teórico inicial, un análisis a partir de tomas de datos en campo y finalmente una simulación realizada mediante ordenador de un día de operativa normal en la Terminal 2. El objetivo es determinar las fases donde el pasajero ha de esperar más tiempo y visualizar los puntos e intervalos de tiempo donde se producen saturaciones, con el fin de encontrar soluciones para evitarlo

In vivo resorption of biomimetic hydroxyapatite/collagen composites: injectable cements versus pre-set microspheres

Postprint (published version

Guiding fibroblast activation using an RGD-mutated heparin binding II fragment of fibronectin for gingival titanium integration

The formation of a biological seal around the neck of titanium (Ti) implants is critical for ensuring integration at the gingival site and for preventing bacterialcolonization that may lead to periimplantitis. This process is guided byactivated fibroblasts, named myofibroblasts, which secrete extracellularmatrix (ECM) proteins and ECM-degrading enzymes resolving the wound.However, in some cases, Ti is not able to attract and activate fibroblasts to asufficient extent, which may compromise the success of the implant.Fibronectin (FN) is an ECM component found in wounds that is able to guidesoft tissue healing through the adhesion of cells and attraction of growthfactors (GFs). However, clinical use of FN functionalized Ti implants isproblematic because FN is difficult to obtain, and is sensitive to degradation.Herein, functionalizing Ti with a modified recombinant heparin binding II(HBII) domain of FN, mutated to include an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) sequence forpromoting both fibroblast adhesion and GF attraction, is aimed at. TheHBII-RGD domain is able to stimulate fibroblast adhesion, spreading,proliferation, migration, and activation to a greater extent than the nativeHBII, reaching values closer to those of full-length FN suggesting that itmight induce the formation of a biological sealing.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Característiques de les poblacions larvaries hivernants de Chilo Suppressalis Walker al delta de l'Ebre (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)

Un aspecte interessant i, probablement, un dels menys coneguts del cicle biològic de Chilo suppressalis Walker és la capacitat que tenen algunes formes larvàries per fer front a l'hivern. El present estudi, dut a terme a la zona arrossera del Delta de l'Ebre, s'ha centrat en la caracterització de les larves de C. Suppressalis, comparant les que es troben en el rostoll d'arròs amb les que es refugien a les canyes de senill (Phragmites sp.), i en la tipificació de la pauta de crisalidacià d'aquestes larves, a partir de les quals s'inicia la primera generació que ataca les plantes d'arròs. Els resultats obtinguts posen de manifest, per un cantó, una sèrie de característiques que diferencien clarament a les larves que passen l'hivern en el rostoll de les que ho fan en el senill, i, per l'altre, demostren que, si bé a nivell local les poblacions hivernants crisaliden en un espai de temps relativament curt (15-20 dies), en el conjunt del Delta aquest s'estén, com a mínim, fins a un mes i mig.Features of ¡he wintering larvae populations of Chilo suppressalis Walker at the Ebro Delta (Lepidoptera: Crambidae). The rice stern borer (Chilo suppressalis Walker) spends the winter as larvae. This matter is probably one of the least known aspects of the life cycle of this lepidoptoran. In this study, the main morphological features of the wintering larvae suppressalis of C. in the paddy-fields of the Ebro Delta (Northeastem Spain) have been analyzed. The larvae that overwinter in the rice stubble are compared with those that shelter in the reed stems (Phragmites sp.). Moreover, the pupation pattern of such oligopausing larvae has been anal yzed, so as to typify the eclosion of the first generation of the rice season. The results obtained show that according to the plant used as refuge the larvae exhibit different morphological characters. Further, although at local level the wintering populations pupate in a brief time interval (15-20 days), for the whole Ebro Delta the average minimum to pupation is 40-50 days

Injectable calcium phosphate foams for the delivery of Pitavastatin as osteogenic and angiogenic agent

Apatitic bone cements have been used as a clinical bone substitutes and drug delivery vehicles for therapeutic agents in orthopedic applications. This has led to their combination with different drugs with known ability to foster bone formation. Recent studies have evaluated Simvastatin for its role in enhanced bone regeneration, but its lipophilicity hampers incorporation and release to and from the bone graft. In this study, injectable calcium phosphate foams (i-CPF) based on a-tricalcium phosphate were loaded for the first time with Pitavastatin. The stability of the drug in different conditions relevant to this study, the effect of the drug on the i-CPFs properties, the release profile, and the in vitro biological performance with regard to mineralization and vascularization were investigated. Pitavastatin did not cause any changes in neither the micro nor the macro structure of the i-CPFs, which retained their biomimetic features. PITA-loaded i-CPFs showed a dose-dependent drug release, with early stage release kinetics clearly affected by the evolving microstructure due to the setting of cement. in vitro studies showed dose-dependent enhancement of mineralization and vascularization. Our findings contribute towards the design of controlled release with low drug dosing bone grafts: i-CPFs loaded with PITA as osteogenic and angiogenic agentPeer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft