Biorefineries: Achievements and challenges for a bio-based economy

Funding This work was supported by a project (FQM-176) financed by the Junta de Andalucía. FM-M, acknowledges the support from the Global Challenges Research Fund from Swansea University, and from the Royal Society of Chemistry Enablement Grant (E21-7051491439).Climate change, socioeconomical pressures, and new policy and legislation are driving a decarbonization process across industries, with a critical shift from a fossil-based economy toward a biomass-based one. This new paradigm implies not only a gradual phasing out of fossil fuels as a source of energy but also a move away from crude oil as a source of platform chemicals, polymers, drugs, solvents and many other critical materials, and consumer goods that are ubiquitous in our everyday life. If we are to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, crude oil must be substituted by renewable sources, and in this evolution, biorefineries arise as the critical alternative to traditional refineries for producing fuels, chemical building blocks, and materials out of non-edible biomass and biomass waste. State-of-the-art biorefineries already produce cost-competitive chemicals and materials, but other products remain challenging from the economic point of view, or their scaled-up production processes are still not sufficiently developed. In particular, lignin’s depolymerization is a required milestone for the success of integrated biorefineries, and better catalysts and processes must be improved to prepare bio-based aromatic simple molecules. This review summarizes current challenges in biorefinery systems, while it suggests possible directions and goals for sustainable development in the years to come.Project (FQM-176) financed by the Junta de AndalucíaGlobal Challenges Research Fund from Swansea UniversityRoyal Society of Chemistry Enablement Grant (E21-7051491439

Understanding the impact of line-of-sight in the ergodic spectral efficiency of cellular networks

In this paper we investigate the impact of lineof-sight (LoS) condition in the ergodic spectral efficiency of cellular networks. To achieve this goal, we have considered the kappa-mu shadowed model, which is a general model that provides an excellent fit to a wide set of propagation conditions. To overcome the mathematical complexity of the analysis, we have split the analysis between large and small-scale effects. Building on the proposed framework, we study a number of scenarios that range from heavily-fluctuating LoS to deterministic-LoS. Finally, we shed light on the interplay between fading severity and spectral efficiency by means of the amount of fading.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tech

Tratamiento de las fracturas conminutas de cabeza radial mediante exéresis cabeza radial: resultados a largo plazo de 18 casos

La resección de la cabeza radial en las fracturas conminutas supone una opción de tratamiento comúnmente aceptada. El objetivo de este estudio es la evolución de los resultados a largo plazo tras escisión de la cabeza radial. Se realizó un estudio prospectivo en 18 pacientes con fracturas Mason tipo III y IV. La media de edad fue de 50 años con un tiempo medio de seguimiento de 6,8 años. Sólo 4 pacientes presentaron una pérdida de 15 grados o más de la extensión. Se produjo una pérdida den la pronación y supinación de 3,7º y 8,4 respectivamente. De acuerdo a la clasificación funcional utilizada, la media según EMPS fue de 83,3 con un 88,3% de resultados satisfactorios y según la HSSS la media fue de 71,1 con un 94% de excelentes o buenos resultados.Radial head resection is the accepted treatment of comminuted radial-head fractures in adults. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the long-term outcomes of primary radial head excision. A retrospective study was undertaken of 18 patients with Mason type III and IV. The average age at operation was 50 years and the average length of follow-up was 6,8 years. Only four patients lost 15 degrees or more of extension of the elbow. Pronation and supination were decreased by an average of 3,7º and 8,4º respective. According to the functional classification that we use, the average of EMPS score was 83,3 with a 88,3% of satisfactory results and the average of HSSS score was 71,1 with a 94% of excellent o good results

Predictive models based on RSM and ANN for roughness and wettability achieved by laser texturing of S275 carbon steel alloy

Laser texturing is increasingly gaining attention in the field of metal alloys due to its ability to improve surface properties, particularly in steel alloys. However, the input parameters of the technology must be carefully controlled to achieve the desired surface roughness. Roughness is critical to the activation of the surface before further bonding operations, and it is often assessed using several parameters such as Ra, Rt, Rz, and Rv. This surface activation affects the properties of the metal alloy in terms of wettability, which has been evaluated by the deposition of ethylene glycol droplets through a contact angle. This allowed a direct relationship to be established between the final roughness, the wettability of the surface and the texturing parameters of the alloy. This raises the interest of being able to predict the behaviour in terms of roughness and wettability for future applications in improving the behaviour of metallic alloys. In this research, a comparative analysis between Response Surface Models (RSM) and predictive models based on Artificial Neural Networks (ANN) has been conducted. The model based on neural networks was able to predict all the output variables with a fit greater than 90%., improving that obtained by RSM. The model obtained by ANN allows a greater adaptability to the variation of results obtained, reaching deviations close to 0.2 μm. The influence of input parameters, in particular power and scanning speed, on the achieved roughness and surface wettability has been figured out by contact angle measurements. This increases its surface activation in terms of wettability. Superhydrophilic surfaces were achieved by setting the power to 20 W and scanning speed to ten mm/s. In contrast, a power of 5 W and a scanning speed of 100 mm/s reduced the roughness values.Funding for open access charge: Universidad de Málaga / CBU

Employability of University Graduates in Spain. OEEU Project

En los últimos años, el fomento de la empleabilidad y la adquisición de competencias se ha convertido en una de las prioridades de las universidades en el marco del Espacio Europeo de Educación Superior. Esto ha supuesto un nuevo impulso para afrontar las crecientes dificultades relacionadas con la inserción laboral de los titulados y los desajustes entre la formación recibida y los requisitos de los puestos de trabajo. En el nuevo paradigma educativo, las competencias se han convertido en la referencia a partir de la cual se organiza, planifica y evalúa el aprendizaje, y las agencias de calidad encargadas de evaluar los planes de estudio han introducido nuevos criterios ligados a la empleabilidad y la inserción laboral. Sin embargo, en España la información sobre muchos de estos temas es insuficiente, especialmente en cuanto a las competencias que se necesitan a lo largo de la vida laboral y la aportación de la universidad en su adquisición, los factores que determinan el acceso al empleo y la estabilidad laboral, la satisfacción con el trabajo y con la formación recibida, la idoneidad de las metodologías educativas utilizadas, o los desajustes entre la educación y el empleo. Con esta finalidad, en el año 2012 se creó el Observatorio de Empleabilidad y Empleo Universitarios. El objetivo de este artículo es la presentación de los resultados de esta iniciativa sistémica de política universitaria encaminada al seguimiento y a la medición de la empleabilidad y el empleo de los universitarios en España.In the last years, the promotion of employability and the achievement of competences have become a priority for universities within the European Higher Education Area. For universities, this has entailed a renovated concern for their graduates’ integration into the labour market and the mismatches between the competences achieved during academic education and the employers’ requirements. In the new educational paradigm, competences have become the reference from which the education of university students is organized, planned and evaluated, so the Quality Agencies have introduced new criteria related to employability in academic programs assessment. However, in Spain there is not enough information on these issues, especially regarding the competences that students will need in their career path and the role of higher education in its acquisition, the factors that influence to obtain a job and job stability, job and education satisfaction, the suitability of the educational methodologies, or the mismatches between education and labour market. With this aim, in 2012, the Observatory for Employability and University Employment was created. The objective of this article is to present the results of this systemic university policy initiative focused on monitoring and measuring the employability and employment of university graduates in Spain

Optimization Design of RC Elevated Water Tanks under Seismic Loads

[EN] This paper deals with the seismic column design of 35 elevated RC water storage tanks. Tanks comprise a top conic trunk reservoir, a column with variable hollow square cross-sections, and a shallow foundation on a sand layer. The five-column heights considered are 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40 m. The five tanks are subjected to seven degrees of seismic loading characterized by the reference peak ground acceleration in Eurocode 8. The elevated tanks are designed against the full prescriptions of Eurocode 2, Eurocode 8, and the Spaniard Structural Code of Practice. This includes variable loads for seismicity, wind, snow, etc., together with the action of self-weight and dead loads. The optimization design method considered is a variant of the old bachelor algorithm, an adaptive threshold acceptance method with a neighborhood move based on the mutation operator from genetic algorithms. Column results show the high nonlinearity of the problem since the horizontal seismic forces depend on the rigidity and height of the columns. The main features of the optimized tanks give guidance for the practical design of this kind of elevated RC water tank.Grant PID2020-117056RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by "ERDF A way of making Europe".Martínez-Martín, FJ.; Yepes, V.; Gonzalez Vidosa, F.; Hospitaler Pérez, A.; Alcalá-González, J. (2022). Optimization Design of RC Elevated Water Tanks under Seismic Loads. Applied Sciences. 12(11):1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/app12115635119121

Sensorimotor tongue evaluation and rehabilitation in patients with sleep-disordered breathing: a novel approach

We acknowledge the work of Professor O’Connor-Reina who designed and produced the Airway Gym® app for his patients and whose work was central to this research.Study objectives: To evaluate tone, apraxia and stereognosis dysfunctions in patients with SDB compared with healthy controls, and to monitor the effectiveness of Airway Gym® as an easy-to- use myofunctional therapy (MT) modality in terms of the tongue's motor and sensory responses, comparing results before and after therapy. Methods: This was a prospective, non-randomised pilot study of 25 patients with moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS), 25 patients with primary snoring (PS) and 20 healthy controls. Qualitative and quantitative instruments—Iowa Oral Performance Instrument (IOPI), lingual apraxia and stereognosis tests were used to assess tongue sensorimotor function. Results: 22 patients with PS, 21 with OSAHS and all 20 controls ended the therapy. In OSAHS, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale score decreased from 16 ± 7.3 to 12 ± 4.5 after therapy (p = 0.53). In PS and OSAHS groups, the IOPI scores increased significantly. These measures did not change significantly in the controls. Lingual apraxia testing showed that controls performed all the manoeuvres, whereas PS 5.6 ± 1.4 and OSAHS 4.5 ± 1.9 (p = 0.14). In the stereognosis test, the mean number of figures recognised was 2.6 ± 2.2 in OSAHS, 3.3±1.2 in PS and 5.7±0.9 in control group (p < 0.05). Patients with OSAHS recognised circles and ovals less often. Conclusion: Using the Airway Gym®app produced improvements in sensorimotor tongue function in patients with SDB, due to continuous stimulation of the brain based on proprioceptive training required to localise responses when doing the exercises

Joint Distribution of Distance and Angles in Finite Wireless Networks

Directional beamforming will play a paramount role in 5G and beyond networks in order to combat the higher path losses incurred at millimeter wave bands. Appropriate modeling and analysis of the angles and distances between transmitters and receivers in these networks are thus essential to understand performance and limiting factors. Most existing literature considers either infinite and uniform networks, where nodes are drawn according to a Poisson point process, or finite networks with the reference receiver placed at the origin of a disk. Under either of these assumptions, the distance and azimuth angle between transmitter and receiver are independent, and the angle follows a uniform distribution between $0$ and $2\pi$. Here, we consider a more realistic case of finite networks where the reference node is placed at any arbitrary location. We obtain the joint distribution between the distance and azimuth angle and demonstrate that these random variables do exhibit certain correlation, which depends on the shape of the region and the location of the reference node. To conduct the analysis, we present a general mathematical framework which is specialized to exemplify the case of a rectangular region. We then also derive the statistics for the 3D case where, considering antenna heights, the joint distribution of distance, azimuth and zenith angles is obtained. Finally, we describe some immediate applications of the present work, including the analysis of directional beamforming, the design of analog codebooks and wireless routing algorithms.Comment: 14 pages, 14 figure

Development of a Real-Time PCR method for the identification of Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus)

5 páginas, 3 tablas, 2 figurasA Real Time-PCR method based on TaqMan technology for the identification of Scomber scombrus has been developed. A system of specific primers and a Minor Groove Binding (MGB) TaqMan probe based on sequences of the mitochondrial cytochrome b region was designed. The method was successfully tested in 81 specimens of S. scombrus and related species and validated in 26 different commercial samples. An average Threshold Cycle (Ct) value of 15.3 was obtained with S. scombrus DNA. With the other species tested fluorescence signal was not detected or Ct was significantly higher (P < 0.001). The efficiency of the assay was estimated to be 92.41%, with 100% specificity, and no cross reactivity was detected with any other species. These results reveal that the developed method is a rapid and efficient tool to unequivocally identify S. scombrus and may aid in the prevention of fraud or mislabelling in mackerel productsThe work was supported by the project “Traceability control mechanisms in the mackerel food chain between Norway and Japan – TraCtrolMac” (No: 251810704011000009)Peer reviewe