A model for the non-thermal emission of the very massive colliding-wind binary HD 93129A

The binary stellar system HD 93129A is one of the most massive known binaries in our Galaxy. This system presents non-thermal emission in the radio band, which can be used to infer its physical conditions and predict its emission in the high-energy band. We intend to constrain some of the unknown parameters of HD 93129A through modelling the non-thermal emitter, and also to analyse the detectability of this source in hard X-rays and $\gamma$-rays. We develop a broadband radiative model for the wind-collision region taking into account the evolution of the accelerated particles streaming along the shocked region, the emission by different radiative processes, and the attenuation of the emission propagating through the local matter and radiation fields. From the analysis of the radio emission, we find that the binary HD~93129A is more likely to have a low inclination and a high eccentricity. The minimum energy of the non-thermal electrons seems to be between $\sim 20 - 100$MeV, depending on the intensity of the magnetic field in the wind-collision region. The latter can be in the range $\sim 20 - 1500$ mG. Our model is able to reproduce the observed radio emission, and predicts that the non-thermal radiation from HD~93129A will increase in the near future. With instruments such as \textit{NuSTAR}, \textit{Fermi}, and CTA, it will be possible to constrain the relativistic particle content of the source, and other parameters such as the magnetic field strength in the wind collision zone, which in turn can be used to obtain upper-limits of the magnetic field on the surface of the very massive stars, thereby inferring whether magnetic field amplification is taking place in the particle acceleration region.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Accepted for publication in A&

Dröp : simplifica la diabetis

Dröp és una solució mèdica formada per tres dispositius (wearable, app i injector d'insulina) que permet gestionar i simplificar el tractament de la diabetis de forma senzilla, agradable i propera a l'usuari. El disseny del sistema permet reduir i optimitzar tant els procediments com els dispositius necessaris per seguir un tractament adequat de la diabetis. La proposta plantejada pretén crear una millor experiència d'usuari a través de quatre àrees principals: 1. interacció senzilla i dades fàcilment interpretables; 2. monitorització de glucosa i adminstració d'insulina a través de sistemes no invasius; 3. reducció dels aparells necessaris per seguir el tractament; 4. vincle, connexió i comunicació entre usuaris. El disseny del sistema ofereix un flux continu d'informació entre els dispositius que permet gestionar la diabetis sense que el pacient, i el seu entorn, hagin de tenir necessàriament coneixements sobre la diabetis per tal de realitzar-ne el seu tractament.Dröp es una solución médica formada por tres dispositivos (wearable, app e inyector de insulina) que permite gestionar y simplificar el tratamiento de la diabetes de forma sencilla, agradable y cercana al usuario. El diseño del sistema permite reducir y optimizar tanto los procedimientos como los dispositivos necesarios para seguir un tratamiento adecuado de la diabetes. La propuesta planteada pretende crear una mejor experiencia de usuario a través de cuatro áreas principales: 1. interacción sencilla y datos fácilmente interpretables; 2. monitoreo de glucosa y administración de insulina a través de sistema no invasivos. 3. reducción de los dispositivos necesarios para seguir el tratamiento; 4. vínculo, conexión y comunicación entre usuarios. El diseño del sistema ofrece un flujo continuo de información entre los dispositivos que permite gestionar la diabetes sin que el paciente y su entorno, tengan necesariamente conocimientos sobre la diabetes por el hecho de realizar el tratamiento.Dröp is a medical solution made up of three devices (wearable, app an insulin injector) that allows you to manage and simplify the treatment of diabetes in a simple, friendly and user-friendly way. The system design allows to reduce and optimize both the procedures and the necessary devices to follow and adequate treatment of diabetes. The proposal aims to create a better user experience through four main areas: 1. simple interaction and easily interpretable data; 2. monitoring of glucose and administration of insulin through non-invasive systems. 3. reduction of the necessary equipment to follow the treatment; 4. llinking, connection and communication between users. The system design offers a continuous flow of information between the devices that allow to manage the diabetes without the patient and his environment to have knowledge about diabetes in order to carry out their treatment

Convex, sobre drogues + Jornades "En la nada"

Convex és una publicació editorial centrada en el món de les drogues. Es caracteritza per l’enfoc i la perspectiva des dels quals s’ofereixen els continguts, tractant un tema tabú amb total transparència. Cada monogràfic aborda una droga diferent, proporcionant informació obertament i sense perjudicis. Es pretén oferir un tipus de contingut que permeti generar un impacte emocional al lector, sense que la pròpia publicació divulgui directament la prohibició de les drogues, sinó que siguin els propis continguts i el tractament gràfic els que facin reflexionar a l’usuari sobre el consum d’aquestes substàncies i els efectes negatius que comporten.A partir de la sèrie de monogràfics Convex també s’ha conceptualitzat i desenvolupat el material gràfic i comunicatiu per unes jornades informatives sobre drogues; «En la nada», unes jornades que concerneixen el tema de les drogues des de la mateixa perspectiva que ho fan les publicacions (amb un to informatiu però reflexiu).Convex es una publicación editorial centrada en el mundo de las drogas. Se caracteriza por el enfoque y la perspectiva desde los cuales se ofrecen los contenidos, tratando un tema tabú con total transparencia. Cada monográfico aborda una droga diferente, proporcionando información abiertamente y sin perjuicios. Se pretende ofrecer un tipo de contenido que permita generar un impacto emocional en el lector, sin que la propia publicación divulgue directamente la prohibición de las drogas, sino que sean los propios contenidos y el tratamiento gráfico los que hagan reflexionar al usuario sobre el consumo de estas sustancias y los efectos negativos que conllevan. A partir de la serie de monográficos Convex también se ha conceptualizado y desarrollado el material gráfico y comunicativo para unas jornadas informativas sobre drogas; «En la nada», unas jornadas que tratan el tema de las drogas desde la misma perspectiva que lo hacen las publicaciones (con un tono informativo pero reflexivo).Convex is an editorial publication centered around the world of drugs. This publication is characterized by the approach and perspective from which it communicates content; always treating tabu subjects with absolute transparency. Each publication addresses a different drug and presents information openly and without judgement. Convex’s aim is to develop a bold graphic treatment that will trigger an emotional response from its readers and invite them to reflect on the consumption of drugs and its negative effects. In addition to the series of publications, a series of graphic material for “En la nada” workshops has been conceptualized and executed. These workshops also treat the subject with an informative yet reflective tone like the publications

Hormigón de bajo impacto ambiental elaborado con materiales activados alcalinamente para su uso en firmes compactados con rodillo

Convenios con empresa. El objetivo de este trabajo es la evaluación preliminar de la viabilidad técnica de dos formulaciones de hormigón elaboradas con residuos activados alcalinamente para el desarrollo de firmes de carretera compactados a rodillo de bajo impacto ambiental. Para lograr este objetivo, se han seguido las siguientes etapas: obtención de una dosificación optimizada con hormigón convencional, realización de ensayos con las dos formulaciones de hormigón elaboradas con residuos activados alcalinamente, y valoración de los resultados planteando soluciones a posibles resultados adversosIborra Bosch, P. (2011). Hormigón de bajo impacto ambiental elaborado con materiales activados alcalinamente para su uso en firmes compactados con rodillo. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/13098.Archivo delegad

A model for the non-thermal emission of the very massive colliding-wind binary HD 93129A

Context. Recently, the colliding-wind region of the binary stellar system HD 93129A was resolved for the first time using Very Large Baseline Interferometry. This system, one of the most massive known binaries in our Galaxy, presents non-thermal emission in the radio band, which can be used to infer the physical conditions in the system, and make predictions for the high-energy band. Aims. We intend to constrain some of the unknown parameters of HD 93129A through modeling the non-thermal emitter. We also aim to analyse the detectability of this source in hard X-rays and γ-rays. Finally, we want to predict how the non-thermal emission will evolve in the future, when the stars approach periastron. Methods. A broadband radiative model for the wind-collision region (WCR) has been developed taking into account the evolution of the accelerated particles streaming along the shocked region, the emission by different radiative processes, and the attenuation of the emission propagating through the local matter and radiation fields. We reproduce the available radio data, and make predictions of the emission in hard X-rays and γ-rays under different assumptions. Results. From the analysis of the radio emission, we find that the binary HD 93129A is more likely to have a low inclination and a high eccentricity, with the more massive star being currently closer to the observer. The minimum energy of the non-thermal electrons seems to be between ∼20-100 MeV, depending on the intensity of the magnetic field in the WCR. The latter can be in the range ∼20-1500 mG. Conclusions. Our model is able to reproduce the observed radio emission, and predicts that the non-thermal radiation from HD 93129A will increase in the near future. With instruments such as NuSTAR, Fermi, and CTA, it will be possible to constrain the relativistic particle content of the source, and other parameters such as the magnetic field strength in the WCR which, in turn, can be used to obtain upper-limits of the magnetic field on the surface of the very massive stars, thereby inferring whether magnetic field amplification is taking place in the particle acceleration region.Facultad de Ciencias Astronómicas y GeofísicasInstituto Argentino de Radioastronomí

Solvent-stable UV-cured acrylic polysulfone membranes

A systematic investigation of the effect of the presence of acrylate resin on polysulfone-based membranes was performed with the aim of obtaining chemically stable crosslinked membranes without affecting their flux performances. The membranes were prepared via UV curing of the polymer dope followed by a non-solvent-induced phase separation process. Two different acrylic monomers were investigated and their amount was varied in the polymer dope, to study the influence of concentration on final results. High crosslinking degrees were achieved by irradiating the solution for one minute. Morphological investigations of the active surface and of the cross-sections of the fabricated membranes showed that the typical porosity of ultrafiltration membranes was obtained starting from solutions containing a low amount of crosslinker (10 wt%), which is consistent with the water flux values which were comparable to that of the pristine polysulfone membrane. High concentrations of crosslinker resin in the initial polymer dope produced denser membranes with lower permeability. High rejection of 27 nm particles (>90%) was measured for all samples having measurable flux. The addition of the crosslinker allowed one to obtain stability in various solvents without affecting the flux and rejection performance of the porous membranes. © 2016 Society of Chemical Industry.Peer Reviewe

Forward method for vertical air motion estimation from frequency modulated continuous wave radar rain measurements

Vertically-pointed Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar measurements of rain are greatly influenced by strong vertical winds (vertical air motion, VAM) in convective rain scenarios. Particularly, 2nd order products such as rain rate (RR) and drop size distribution (DSD) experience high estimation errors due to VAM. In this work, we consider the estimation of VAM from vertically-pointed FMCW radar measurements in order to correct VAM-corrupted rain 2nd order products. We present preliminary research on a forward method to estimate VAM velocity at a particular height from S-band FMCW radar measurements in convective rain scenarios. The method relies on the parameterization of the DSD as a gamma distribution. It estimates the VAM along with the constitutive parameters of the gamma distribution by means of a parametric solver. The methodology is tested over long-duration, high-resolution measurements by the University of Massachussetts FMCW radar and validated against a ground-based disdrometer in the context of the Verification of the Origins of Rotation in Tornadoes Experiment-Southeast (VORTEX-SE).Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Numerical solver for vertical air motion estimation

We present preliminary research on a method to estimate Vertical Air Motion (VAM) at a particular height by comparing the measured rain-rate (RR) by a vertically-pointing S-band Frequency-Modulated Continuous-Wave (FMCW) radar with that of a ground-based disdrometer. The method is based on a constrained parametric solver, assuming high correlation between 5-min averaged rain rates measured by the radar and disdrometer. The method is tested over disdrometer and radar observations during the Verification of the ORigins Tornado EXperiment in South East US (VORTEX-SE) project. Finally, the results are partially validated by means of fitting a gamma distribution to the VAM-corrected DSD profiles and studying its parameters.This research is part of the projects PGC2018-094132-B-I00 and MDM2016-0600 (“CommSensLab” Excellence Unit) funded by Ministerio de Ciencia e Investigación (MCIN)/ Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI)/10.13039/501100011033/ FEDER “Una manera de hacer Europa”. The work of A. Salcedo-Bosch was supported under grant 2020 FISDU 00455 funded by Generalitat de Catalunya—AGAUR. The European Commission collaborated under projects H2020 ACTRIS-IMP (GA-871115) and H2020 ATMOACCESS (GA-101008004).Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Interplay between hormones and assimilates during pear development and ripening and its relationship with the fruit postharvest behaviour

The ability of European pears (Pyrus communis L.) to ripen immediately after harvest is cultivar-dependent and relies on a range of physiological and biochemical events occurring during fruit growth and development that remain largely unknown. To gain further knowledge on these events, changes in the content of sugars, acids, major hormones and ethylene precursors or related enzymes were studied in two pear varieties (‘Blanquilla’ and ‘Conference’) with known differences in their postharvest ripening behaviour. In both cultivars, low contents of abscisic acid (ABA) seemed to be a prerequisite to initiate on-tree fruit ripening including sugar accumulation and softening. In ‘Blanquilla’ pears, the enhanced potential to produce ethylene and thereby to ripen upon harvest was associated to a late increase in ABA content paralleled by an accumulation of indole 3-acetic acid (IAA). In turn, the inability of ‘Conference’ fruit to produce ethylene upon harvest appeared to be related to a coordinated action of gibberellins (more specifically GA1), salicylic acid (SA) and jasmonic acid (JA), which remained at high concentrations during the latest phases of fruit growth. Collectively, our results highlight that a complex hormonal cross-talk during the development and on-tree ripening of pear fruit may finally determine the ability of the fruit to ripen upon harvest.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Telomerase gene therapy ameliorates the effects of neurodegeneration associated to short telomeres in mice

Neurodegenerative diseases associated with old age such as Alzheimer's disease present major problems for society, and they currently have no cure. The telomere protective caps at the ends of chromosomes shorten with age, and when they become critically short, they can induce a persistent DNA damage response at chromosome ends, triggering secondary cellular responses such as cell death and cellular senescence. Mice and humans with very short telomeres owing to telomerase deficiencies have an earlier onset of pathologies associated with loss of the regenerative capacity of tissues. However, the effects of short telomeres in very low proliferative tissues such as the brain have not been thoroughly investigated. Here, we describe a mouse model of neurodegeneration owing to presence of short telomeres in the brain as the consequence of telomerase deficiency. Interestingly, we find similar signs of neurodegeneration in very old mice as the consequence of physiological mouse aging. Next, we demonstrate that delivery of telomerase gene therapy to the brain of these mice results in amelioration of some of these neurodegeneration phenotypes. These findings suggest that short telomeres contribute to neurodegeneration diseases with aging and that telomerase activation may have a therapeutic value in these diseases