Planar magnetoinductive wave transducers : theory and applications

Transduction of magnetoinductive waves (MIWs) in planar technology is demonstrated. A transducer consisting of a one-dimensional periodic array of metallic split squared ring resonators (SSRR), placed between a pair of microstrip lines on a planar substrate has been fabricated and measured. The microstrip lines are inductively coupled to the SSRRs located at the ends of the periodic array and excite MIWs that propagate along the array. The theoretical model for the dispersion of MIWs is used to predict the dispersion relation and the delay time in the device. The delay time was measured and a good agreement was found with the theoretical predictions. The transmission coefficient of the device was also measured. The theoretical and experimental results suggest that the proposed configuration can find application in the design of delay lines and other microwave devices. In fact, the behavior of the proposed transducer is similar to that of the conventional ferritemagnetostatic-wavetransducer. However, ferrite devices are fragile, difficult to integrate, and require a heavy external magnet or electromagnet to magnetize the ferrite to saturation. Since all these drawbacks are not present in the proposed configuration, it may be a useful alternative to those devices for many practical applications

Waste management under a life cycle approach as a tool for a circular economy in the canned anchovy industry

The anchovy canning industry has high importance in the Cantabria Region (North Spain) from economic, social and touristic points of view. The Cantabrian canned anchovy is world-renowned owing to its handmade and traditional manufacture. The canning process generates huge amounts of several food wastes, whose suitable management can contribute to benefits for both the environment and the economy, closing the loop of the product life cycle. Life cycle assessment methodology was used in this work to assess the environmental performance of two waste management alternatives: Head and spine valorisation to produce fishmeal and fish oil; and anchovy meat valorisation to produce anchovy paste. Fuel oil production has been a hotspot of the valorisation of heads and spines, so several improvements should be applied. With respect to anchovy meat valorisation, the production of polypropylene and glass for packaging was the least environmentally friendly aspect of the process. Furthermore, the environmental characterisation of anchovy waste valorisation was compared with incineration and landfilling alternatives. In both cases, the valorisation management options were the best owing to the avoided burdens associated with the processes. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to the circular economy in the Cantabrian canned anchovy industry.The authors disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness of Spanish Government through the project called GeSACConserva: Sustainable Management of the Cantabrian Anchovies [CTM2013-43539-R]

Process design for the manufacturing of soft X-ray gratings in single-crystal diamond by high-energy heavy-ion irradiation

The dataset that supports the findings of this study are archived in the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid data repository e‐cienciaDatos in https://doi.org/10.21950/ARZSJ1This paper describes in detail a novel manufacturing process for optical gratings suitable for use in the UV and soft X-ray regimes in a single-crystal diamond substrate based on highly focused swift heavy-ion irradiation. This type of grating is extensively used in light source facilities such as synchrotrons or free electron lasers, with ever-increasing demands in terms of thermal loads, depending on beamline operational parameters and architecture. The process proposed in this paper may be a future alternative to current manufacturing techniques, providing the advantage of being applicable to single-crystal diamond substrates, with their unique properties in terms of heat conductivity and radiation hardness. The paper summarizes the physical principle used for the grating patterns produced by swift heavy-ion irradiation and provides full details for the manufacturing process for a specific grating configuration, inspired in one of the beamlines at the ALBA synchrotron light source, while stressing the most challenging points for a potential implementation. Preliminary proof-of-concept experimental results are presented, showing the practical implementation of the methodology proposed herei

Babinet principle applied to the design of metasurfaces and metamaterials

The electromagnetic theory of diffraction and the Babinet principle are applied to the design of artificial metasurfaces and metamaterials. A new particle, the complementary split rings resonator, is proposed for the design of metasurfaces with high frequency selectivity and planar metamaterials with a negative dielectric permittivity. Applications in the fields of frequency selective surfaces and polarizers, as well as in microwave antennas and filter design, can be envisaged. The tunability of all these devices by an applied dc voltage is also achievable if these particles are etched on the appropriate substrate

Nuevos datos cronoestratigráficos de la Fm. Marismas (Bajo Guadalquivir)

La Formación Marismas forma la parte superior del relleno sedimentario del sector SW de la cuenca del Guadalquivir. Los datos previos sobre el sondeo Lebrija, indicaban que la parte más alta de esta formación tenía edades de hasta 9.6 kyr BP y en la parte inferior eran cercanas o fuera del rango del radiocarbono, pero posterior a la reversión Brunhes-Matuyama. En este trabajo se aportan 17 nuevas dataciones realizadas mediante racemización de aminoácidos en valvas de ostrácodos en este mismo sondeo, con el fin de completar la cronología y el modelo de edad de la parte superior e inferior de la Fm Marismas. El resultado indica que el tramo situado por debajo del metro 56, arroja edades que oscilan entre 164685±14110 y 202830±30255, que se correlacionan con los estadios isotópicos marinos MIS 6-7 del Pleistoceno medio, edad sensiblemente más baja a las inferidas para esta formación en otros puntos de la Cuenca del bajo GuadalquivirEste trabajo se ha realizado dentro del proyecto Guadaltyc (Impacto del clima y la tectónica en el registro sedimentario de la Cuenca del Guadalquivir, (CGL2012-30875).Peer Reviewe

Universal Scaling, Entanglements, and Knots of Model Chain Molecules

By identifying the maximally random jammed state of freely jointed chains of tangent hard spheres we are able to determine the distinct scaling regimes characterizing the dependence of chain dimensions and topology on volume fraction. Calculated distributions of (i) the contour length of the primitive paths and (ii) the number of entanglements per chain agree remarkably well with recent theoretical predictions in all scaling regimes. Furthermore, our simulations reveal a hitherto unsuspected connection between purely intramolecular (knots) and intermolecular (entanglements) topological constraints

Regionalized Strategies for Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain under a Life Cycle Thinking Approach

Food loss and waste (FLW) has become a central concern in the social and political debate. Simultaneously, using FLW as a bioenergy source could significantly contribute to closing the carbon cycle by reintroducing energy into the food supply chain. This study aims to identify best strategies for FLW management in each of the 17 regions in Spain, through the application of a Life Cycle Assessment. To this end, an evaluation of the environmental performance over time between 2015 and 2040 of five different FLW management scenarios implemented in a framework of (i) compliance and (ii) non-compliance with the targets of the Paris Agreement was performed. Results revealed savings in the consumption of abiotic resources in those regions in which thermal treatment has a strong presence, although their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a scenario of compliance with climate change targets are higher. In contrast, scenarios that include anaerobic digestion and, to a lesser extent those applying aerobic composting, present lower impacts, including climate change, suggesting improvements of 20–60% in non-compliance and 20–80% in compliance with Paris Agreement targets, compared to the current scenarios

LACO-Wiki: A New Online Land Cover Validation Tool Demonstrated Using GlobeLand30 for Kenya

Accuracy assessment, also referred to as validation, is a key process in the workflow of developing a land cover map. To make this process open and transparent, we have developed a new online tool called LACO-Wiki, which encapsulates this process into a set of four simple steps including uploading a land cover map, creating a sample from the map, interpreting the sample with very high resolution satellite imagery and generating a report with accuracy measures. The aim of this paper is to present the main features of this new tool followed by an example of how it can be used for accuracy assessment of a land cover map. For the purpose of illustration, we have chosen GlobeLand30 for Kenya. Two different samples were interpreted by three individuals: one sample was provided by the GlobeLand30 team as part of their international efforts in validating GlobeLand30 with GEO (Group on Earth Observation) member states while a second sample was generated using LACO-Wiki. Using satellite imagery from Google Maps, Bing and Google Earth, the results show overall accuracies between 53% to 61%, which is lower than the global accuracy assessment of GlobeLand30 but may be reasonable given the complex landscapes found in Kenya. Statistical models were then fit to the data to determine what factors affect the agreement between the three interpreters such as the land cover class, the presence of very high resolution satellite imagery and the age of the image in relation to the baseline year for GlobeLand30 (2010). The results showed that all factors had a significant effect on the agreement