Application of Project-Based Learning in the development of a Bachelor’s Thesis in the Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering

El Aprendizaje Basado en Proyectos (ABP) es un enfoque educativo que consigue motivar al alumnado a través de su implicación activa en el desarrollo de un trabajo que tiene un alto componente práctico. En consecuencia, se genera un aprendizaje profundo de los temas tratados. Con la finalidad de alcanzar estas metas, se aplicó el ABP al Trabajo Final de Grado (TFG) de cuatro alumnos del Grado en Ingeniería Civil de la Universitat Politècnica de València. El trabajo realizado consistió en el diseño, construcción, ensayo y análisis de un modelo reducido de una estructura de hormigón armado. La metodología empleada consistió en la definición de las actividades prácticas y teóricas necesarias para desarrollar el proyecto sobre el elemento estructural y el establecimiento de un sistema de seguimiento por parte del tutor. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran el buen funcionamiento de la innovación, que consiguió motivar a los alumnos, potenciar su aprendizaje y facilitar el alcance de las competencias establecidas en el TFG y otras propias de la titulación, así como despertar el interés de los alumnos por el cálculo de estructuras de hormigón.Project-Based Learning (PBL) is an educational approach that motivates students through their active involvement in the development of a highly practical assignment. As a result, a deep learning process is generated. In order to achieve these goals, PBL was applied to the Bachelor’s Thesis (BT) of four students of the Degree in Civil Engineering of the Universitat Politècnica de València. The work consisted of the design, construction, testing and analysis of a scaled-down model of a reinforced concrete structure. The methodology used consisted of defining the practical and theoretical activities necessary to develop the project on the structural element and the establishment of a monitoring system by the tutor. The results obtained demonstrate the good performance of the innovation, which motivated the students, enhanced their learning and facilitated the achievement of the competences established in the BT and others specific to the degree, as well as awakened the students' interest in the calculation of concrete structures

Band bending at In-rich InGaN surfaces

The band bending and carrier concentration profiles as a function of depth below the surface for oxidized InxGa1−xN alloys with a composition range of 0.39 ≤ x ≤ 1.00 are investigated using x-ray photoelectron, infrared reflection, and optical absorption spectroscopies, and solutions of Poisson’s equation within a modified Thomas–Fermi approximation. All of these InGaN samples exhibit downward band bending ranging from 0.19 to 0.66 eV and a high surface sheet charge density ranging from 5.0×1012 to 1.5×1013 cm−2. The downward band bending is more pronounced in the most In-rich InGaN samples, resulting in larger near-surface electron concentrations

100 años investigando el mar. El IEO en su centenario (1914-2014).

Se trata de un libro que pretende divulgar a la sociedad las principales investigaciones multidisciplinares llevadas a cabo por el Instituto Español de Oceanografía durante su primer siglo de vida, y dar a conocer la historia del organismo, de su Sede Central y de los nueve centros oceanográficos repartidos por los litorales mediterráneo y atlántico, en la península y archipiélagos.Kongsberg 20

Multidifferential study of identified charged hadron distributions in ZZ-tagged jets in proton-proton collisions at s=\sqrt{s}=13 TeV

Jet fragmentation functions are measured for the first time in proton-proton collisions for charged pions, kaons, and protons within jets recoiling against a $Z$ boson. The charged-hadron distributions are studied longitudinally and transversely to the jet direction for jets with transverse momentum 20 $< p_{\textrm{T}} < 100$ GeV and in the pseudorapidity range $2.5 < \eta < 4$. The data sample was collected with the LHCb experiment at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 1.64 fb$^{-1}$. Triple differential distributions as a function of the hadron longitudinal momentum fraction, hadron transverse momentum, and jet transverse momentum are also measured for the first time. This helps constrain transverse-momentum-dependent fragmentation functions. Differences in the shapes and magnitudes of the measured distributions for the different hadron species provide insights into the hadronization process for jets predominantly initiated by light quarks.Comment: All figures and tables, along with machine-readable versions and any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-013.html (LHCb public pages

Study of the B−→Λc+Λˉc−K−B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-} decay

The decay $B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-}$ is studied in proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment. In the $\Lambda_{c}^+ K^{-}$ system, the $\Xi_{c}(2930)^{0}$ state observed at the BaBar and Belle experiments is resolved into two narrower states, $\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}$ and $\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}$, whose masses and widths are measured to be $$m(\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}) = 2924.5 \pm 0.4 \pm 1.1 \,\mathrm{MeV}, \\ m(\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}) = 2938.5 \pm 0.9 \pm 2.3 \,\mathrm{MeV}, \\ \Gamma(\Xi_{c}(2923)^{0}) = \phantom{000}4.8 \pm 0.9 \pm 1.5 \,\mathrm{MeV},\\ \Gamma(\Xi_{c}(2939)^{0}) = \phantom{00}11.0 \pm 1.9 \pm 7.5 \,\mathrm{MeV},$$ where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The results are consistent with a previous LHCb measurement using a prompt $\Lambda_{c}^{+} K^{-}$ sample. Evidence of a new $\Xi_{c}(2880)^{0}$ state is found with a local significance of $3.8\,\sigma$, whose mass and width are measured to be $2881.8 \pm 3.1 \pm 8.5\,\mathrm{MeV}$ and $12.4 \pm 5.3 \pm 5.8 \,\mathrm{MeV}$, respectively. In addition, evidence of a new decay mode $\Xi_{c}(2790)^{0} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} K^{-}$ is found with a significance of $3.7\,\sigma$. The relative branching fraction of $B^{-} \to \Lambda_{c}^{+} \bar{\Lambda}_{c}^{-} K^{-}$ with respect to the $B^{-} \to D^{+} D^{-} K^{-}$ decay is measured to be $2.36 \pm 0.11 \pm 0.22 \pm 0.25$, where the first uncertainty is statistical, the second systematic and the third originates from the branching fractions of charm hadron decays.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-028.html (LHCb public pages

Measurement of the ratios of branching fractions R(D∗)\mathcal{R}(D^{*}) and R(D0)\mathcal{R}(D^{0})

The ratios of branching fractions $\mathcal{R}(D^{*})\equiv\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}\to D^{*}\tau^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\tau})/\mathcal{B}(\bar{B}\to D^{*}\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu})$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^{0})\equiv\mathcal{B}(B^{-}\to D^{0}\tau^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\tau})/\mathcal{B}(B^{-}\to D^{0}\mu^{-}\bar{\nu}_{\mu})$ are measured, assuming isospin symmetry, using a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0 fb${ }^{-1}$ of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The tau lepton is identified in the decay mode $\tau^{-}\to\mu^{-}\nu_{\tau}\bar{\nu}_{\mu}$. The measured values are $\mathcal{R}(D^{*})=0.281\pm0.018\pm0.024$ and $\mathcal{R}(D^{0})=0.441\pm0.060\pm0.066$, where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The correlation between these measurements is $\rho=-0.43$. Results are consistent with the current average of these quantities and are at a combined 1.9 standard deviations from the predictions based on lepton flavor universality in the Standard Model.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-039.html (LHCb public pages

Development of an atomic force microscope (AFM) with laser optical feedback = Desarrollo de un microscopio de fuerza atómica (AFM) de bajo coste basado en realimentación óptica láser

This project aims to develop and manufacture a low-cost atomic force microscope (AFM), enabling measurements with a performance comparable to those of a commercial microscope. This type of microscopy is based on monitoring the deflection of a probe, acquiring images within the nanometer scale. The developed prototype employs an Optical Pick-up Unit (OPU) as the head of the microscope. Additionally, piezoelectric buzzers are used as actuators, thus driving the sample motion. During this master's thesis, the instrument's electronics have been designed and assembled, being capable of generating and adapting the different signals needed for its operation. In addition, the structure of the microscope has been manufactured using a 3D printer. Furthermore, an isolation system has been built, protecting the measurements against external noise sources i.e. vibrations and air flows. On the other hand, the control software which manages the different components of the microscope has been designed and programmed. This software design was made considering a previous study about microcontrollers, therefore aiming to identify the most suitable microcontroller which meets the requirements of this instrument. Moreover, the software also has a graphical user interface (GUI), allowing the user to easily control the prototype using keyboard and mouse. Furthermore, the different manufactured components as well as the developed software have been verified. Thus, having a suitable performance to obtain high resolution measurements. In this way, an instrument capable of acquiring three-dimensional profiles with sub-micron resolutions has been designed. Being this device based on the laser optical feedback from the optical pick-up unit. Finally, once the project is finished, all the electronics, software and hardware designs will be published on Open Source platforms. Therefore, providing the opportunity to replicate this prototype without charge. Thereby supporting those companies and research groups that cannot afford the purchase of a commercial AFM

Design and implementation of a low-cost atomic force microscope (AFM) = Diseño y fabricación de un microscopio de fuerza atómica (AFM) de altas prestaciones y bajo coste

The last century was characterized by the extreme developing of the technology, being an essential part in our modern society. This evolution couldn’t be possible without the support of the electronics, resulting in the creation of the microelectronics. This field needs a high-resolution microscopy to verify the manufacturing processes. Advances in microscopy technology, resulted in, amongst many other inventions, the atomic force microscope (AFM). The atomic force microscope is a kind of scanning probe microscope. It is a high precision device capable of making topographies with nanometer resolution, by detecting the deflection caused by atomic interactions. This project aims at the developing of a low-cost AFM with a performance comparable to a commercial AFM, based in an optical pick-up unit (OPU) being the head of the microscope. This project covers the software and hardware design. The nano-positioners which drive the sample movement, are replaced with piezoelectric buzzers. In order to achieve that, a study of the implied electronics and the needed control is made. A 3D printed stage with nanometer resolution displacements is manufactured and the printed circuit boards (PCB’s) are mounted. After assembling it, their proper functioning is proved. The mechanical parts of the microscopes were made using a 3D printer. The OPU proved to be a suitable device for high precision measurements. The developed electronics control the AFM with nanometer resolution. The designed low-cost AFM has a performance close to a commercial one, although control software was not implemented

Development of an atomic force microscope (AFM) with laser optical feedback = Desarrollo de un microscopio de fuerza atómica (AFM) de bajo coste basado en realimentación óptica láser

This project aims to develop and manufacture a low-cost atomic force microscope (AFM), enabling measurements with a performance comparable to those of a commercial microscope. This type of microscopy is based on monitoring the deflection of a probe, acquiring images within the nanometer scale. The developed prototype employs an Optical Pick-up Unit (OPU) as the head of the microscope. Additionally, piezoelectric buzzers are used as actuators, thus driving the sample motion. During this master's thesis, the instrument's electronics have been designed and assembled, being capable of generating and adapting the different signals needed for its operation. In addition, the structure of the microscope has been manufactured using a 3D printer. Furthermore, an isolation system has been built, protecting the measurements against external noise sources i.e. vibrations and air flows. On the other hand, the control software which manages the different components of the microscope has been designed and programmed. This software design was made considering a previous study about microcontrollers, therefore aiming to identify the most suitable microcontroller which meets the requirements of this instrument. Moreover, the software also has a graphical user interface (GUI), allowing the user to easily control the prototype using keyboard and mouse. Furthermore, the different manufactured components as well as the developed software have been verified. Thus, having a suitable performance to obtain high resolution measurements. In this way, an instrument capable of acquiring three-dimensional profiles with sub-micron resolutions has been designed. Being this device based on the laser optical feedback from the optical pick-up unit. Finally, once the project is finished, all the electronics, software and hardware designs will be published on Open Source platforms. Therefore, providing the opportunity to replicate this prototype without charge. Thereby supporting those companies and research groups that cannot afford the purchase of a commercial AFM