Quasi-optics-inspired low-profile endfire antenna element

In this paper, the design, operational principle and experimental validation of an endfire antenna element that is inspired by the energy-focusing characteristics of graded-index optical fibre are presented. The antenna operates with a bandwidth of 1.5 GHz centred around 14 GHz. It has a gain of around 5.5 dBi along the band of interest and a good pattern stability over the band. The antenna derives its unique nature from the arrangement of the arc-shaped parasitics, that couple onto the antenna´s driver dipole. An electromagnetic refractive index retrieval mechanism is used to guide the placement of the parasitics to enhance the gain. In addition to the design principle, a parametric study of the main parameters and their influence on the antenna behaviour is presented. The antenna is a potential candidate for use in multi-user massive MIMO antenna arrays for 5G communications where space is premium and in antenna array applications where a low-profile antenna element with a high gain is a necessity.This work was supported by the 5G wireless project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 641985

Binary phase-controlled multi-beam-switching antenna array for reconfigurable 5G applications

The paper presents a two-phase state based multi-beam-switching scheme implemented on a customdesigned 4 × 4 antenna array operating with a bandwidth of 1.5 GHz around 14 GHz. The antenna array and the beam-switching scheme have been experimentally validated. A phasing network designed to produce two phase states is used to experimentally validate the beam-switching and five beam states are presented, though this can be extended to other configurations using the split beam as a building block to construct multiple beams. The antenna can find potential use in multi-user millimetre-wave massive MIMO scenarios which require simultaneous multiple beams along selective directions.This work was supported by the 5G wireless project that has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement no. 641985 and by the University of Cantabria PAR project P111

Com envelleixen les persones amb discapacitat i malalts mentals de l’illa d’Eivissa

L’obertura dels nous centres residencials a l’illa d’Eivissa i, sobretot, el Centre Polivalent de Can Raspalls per a persones amb discapacitat i malalts mentals, ens va fer reflexionar en la necessitat de veure com és l’envelliment en aquestes persones. Hem intentat plasmar el treball que realitzem des del Consell Insular d’Eivissa, amb aquestes patologies, des que va ser constituït el Consell d’Eivissa i Formentera l’any 1979. Hem fet un recull històric des que l’any 1981, els malalts mentals institucionalitzats a Palma varen ser traslladats a l’illa d’Eivissa, en primer terme a l’antic Hospital Insular d’Eivissa i posteriorment a l’Hospital Residència Assistida Cas Serres. També es remarca el treball que es realitza al Consell Insular d’Eivissa, des de l’any 1989, amb persones amb discapacitat, mitjançant la realització de tallers i programes. Feim menció al cens de l’illa d’Eivissa de persones amb aquestes patologies. Han passat més de tres dècades des que el Consell Insular d’Eivissa treballa amb aquest col·lectiu; per això, és una vertadera necessitat saber com envelleixen, quins trastorns pateixen i quins són els recursos més adequats, tant a nivell institucional com a domicili, per fer-hi front: Can Raspalls pot ser el punt de partida.La apertura de los nuevos centros residenciales en la isla de Ibiza y sobre todo el centro polivalente de Can Raspalls para personas con discapacidad y enfermos mentales, nos ha hecho reflexionar sobre la necesidad de ver como envejecen estas personas. Hemos intentado plasmar el trabajo que realizamos desde el Consell Insular d’Eivissa, con estas patologías, desde que se constituyó el Consell d’Eivissa y Formentera en el año 1.979. Hemos reunido información histórica desde que en el año 1.981 los enfermos mentales institucionalizados en Palma de Mallorca fueron trasladados a la isla de Ibiza, en primer lugar, al antiguo Hospital Insular de Ibiza y posteriormente al Hospital Residencia Asistida Cas Serres. También se remarca el trabajo que se realiza en el Consell Insular d’Eivissa desde el año 1.989, con personas discapacitadas, mediante la realización de talleres y programas. Mencionamos el censo de la isla de Ibiza, de personas con estas patologías

Construct validity of the physical activity questionnaire for adolescents (paq-a): maximal oxygen uptake

Introduction: The Physical Activity Questionnaire for adolescents (PAQ-A) is a cost-effective tool to assess physical activity (PA) patterns during adolescence and it has been widely used in research and field settings. Convergent validity of PAQ-A has been confirmed in several countries (Bervoets et al., 2014; Janz, Lutuchy, Wenthe, & Levy, 2008; Martinez-Gomez et al., 2009). However, the construct validity has often been overlooked. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the construct validity of PAQ-A, using maximal oxygen uptake as criterion. Methods: One hundred and seventy-eight (n=99 boys, n=79 girls) adolescents (14.2±1.9 years, 21.1±4.1 BMI) participated in this study. A PA score was estimated by PAQ-A and additionally a sport history was recorded. BMI, waist circumference (WC) and fat mass percent (FMP) were assessed by anthropometric measurements as adiposity markers. Aerobic fitness (VO2Max) was assessed by a progressive continuous test (Chester Step Test). Associations between PA-score and criterions were analyzed by Spearman correlations; a one-way ANOVA was conducted to detect differences between each item level from the PAQ-A; independent sample t tests were used to compare values between boys and girls, and athletes and non-athletes. Results: The results showed moderate significant positive correlations between VO2Max and the PAQ-C for total score (rho = 0.28, P<0.01) and items 5, 6, 7 and 8 (rho = 0.24; rho = 0.25; rho = 0.22; rho = 0.25, all P<0.05; respectively). Adolescents who were enrolled in competitive and organized sport practice had higher scores on the questionnaire (2.8 vs 2.5 average score) as well as higher VO2Max values (37.4 vs 34.2 ml/kg/min). Discussion: Our data confirm the PAQ-A had acceptable construct validity when using VO2Max as criterion. Moreover, our results suggest that information from some items could be more related with some health markers than others. References: Bervoets, L., Van Noten, C., Van Roosbroeck, S., Hansen, D., Van Hoorenbeeck, K., Verheyen, E., . . . Vankerckhoven, V. (2014). Reliability and Validity of the Dutch Physical Activity Questionnaires for Children (PAQ-C) and Adolescents (PAQ-A). Arch Public Health, 72(1), 47. doi: 10.1186/2049-3258-72-47 Janz, K. F., Lutuchy, E. M., Wenthe, P., & Levy, S. M. (2008). Measuring activity in children and adolescents using self-report: PAQ-C and PAQ-A. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 40(4), 767-772. doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181620ed1 Martinez-Gomez, D., Martinez-de-Haro, V., Pozo, T., Welk, G. J., Villagra, A., Calle, M. E., . . . Veiga, O. L. (2009). [Reliability and validity of the PAQ-A questionnaire to assess physical activity in Spanish adolescents]. Rev Esp Salud Publica, 83(3), 427-439. Contact: [email protected] This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (AP2010-0583), Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (DEP2011-30565) and the University of Málaga (Campus of International Excellence Andalucía Tech).Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Perturbation-Theory and Machine Learning (PTML). Model for High-Throughput Screening of Parham Reactions: Experimental and Theoretical Studies

Machine Learning (ML) algorithms are gaining importance in the processing of chemical information and modelling of chemical reactivity problems. In this work, we have developed a PTML model combining Perturbation-Theory (PT) and ML algorithms for predicting the yield of a given reaction. For this purpose, we have selected Parham cyclization, which is a general and powerful tool for the synthesis of heterocyclic and carbocyclic compounds. This reaction has both structural (substitution pattern on the substrate, internal electrophile, ring size, etc.) and operational variables (organolithium reagent, solvent, temperature, time, etc.), so predicting the effect of changes on substrate design (internal elelctrophile, halide, etc.) or reaction conditions on the yield is an important task that could help to optimize the reaction design. The PTML model developed uses PT operators to account for perturbations in experimental conditions and/or structural variables of all the molecules involved in a query reaction compared to a reaction of reference. Thus, a dataset of >100 reactions has been collected for different substrates and internal electrophiles, under different reaction conditions, with a wide range of yields (0 – 98%). The best PTML model found using General Linear Regression (GLR) has R = 0.88 in training and R = 0.83 in external validation series for 10000 pairs of query and reference reactions. The PTML model has a final R = 0.95 for all reactions using multiple reactions of reference. We also report a comparative study of linear vs. non-linear PTML models based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) algorithms. PTML-ANN models (LNN, MLP, RBF) with R ≈ 0.1 - 0.8 do not outperform the first PMTL model. This result confirms the validity of the linearity of the model. Next, we carried out an experimental and theoretical study of non-reported Parham reactions to illustrate the practical use of the PTML model. A 500000-point simulation and a Hammett analysis of the reactivity space of Parham reactions are also reportedMinisterio de Economía y Competitividad (CTQ2016-74881-P) / Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (CTQ2013-41229-P) / Gobierno Vasco (IT1045-16

Pd(II)-Catalyzed Fujiwara-Moritani Reactions for the Synthesis and Functionalization of Substituted Coumarins.

[EN]Highly substituted coumarins, privileged and versatile scaffolds for bioactive natural products and fluorescence imaging, are obtained via a Pd(II)-catalyzed direct C–H alkenylation reaction (Fujiwara–Moritani reaction), which has emerged as a powerful tool for the construction and functionalization of heterocyclic compounds because of its chemical versatility and its environmental advantages. Thus, a selective 6-endo cyclization led to 4-substituted coumarins in moderate yields. Selected examples have been further functionalized in C3 through a second intermolecular C–H alkenylation reaction to give coumarin-acrylate hybrids, whose fluorescence spectra have been measured.Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (FEDER CTQ2016-74881-P), Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (PID2019-104148GB-I00), and Gobierno Vasco (IT1045-16) are gratefully acknowledged for their financial support. A.C.-M. wishes to thank Gobierno Vasco for a grant. Technical and human support provided by Servicios Generales de Investigación SGIker (UPV/EHU, MINECO, GV/EJ, ERDF and ESF) is also acknowledged