Algoritmos adaptativos de núcleos de Mercer

El objetivo de este Proyecto Fin de Carrera es la introducción del kernel recursivo en los algoritmos lineales de kernel, en nuestro caso utilizaremos los algoritmos KLMS y KRLS, para su aplicación a los sistemas de comunicación como es en nuestro caso. Dichos algoritmos serán usados en el procesado de un arrays de antenas y observaremos cómo se comportan en diferentes escenarios. El array de antenas utilizado para estas pruebas, consta de un array lineal de 7 elementos, dichos elementos son antenas de tipo dipolo que trabajan a una frecuencia de 3 GHz, usando una modulación BPSK y están separados entre si una distancia de λ=2. Además, tendremos que tener en cuenta que al tratarse de antenas dipolo se producirán varios efectos como es el acoplamiento mutuo de las señales entre los diferentes elementos. También tendremos que tener en cuenta la conformación del haz de la antena, hacia donde esta direccionada y las posibles diferencias temporales de las señales recibidas debido al multitrayecto. Utilizaremos un conformador de haz que se encargara de minimizar la probabilidad de error al detectar la señal de entrada. En nuestro caso utilizaremos un conformador de haz con referencia temporal adaptativo. Esto es debido a que al minimizar la probabilidad de error utilizaremos los algoritmos lineales de kernel ya mencionados, sobre una matriz de kernel recursiva. Para finalizar compararemos el comportamiento de estos algoritmos sobre la matriz de kernel recursiva y sobre la matriz de kernel no recursiva. De esta comparación esperamos comprobar que al usar la matriz de kernel recursivo, minimizamos la probabilidad de error que obteníamos sin usar el método recursivo de error que obteníamos sin usar el método recursivo.Ingeniería Técnica en Sistemas de Telecomunicació

“Back‐to‐Front” Indole and Carbazole Synthesis from N,N‐Bis‐(2‐bromoallyl)amines by Combining Carbolithiation Reactions with Gold‐Catalysis

The combination of organolithium chemistry with gold catalysis has enabled the development of a synthetic strategy for accessing polysubstituted indoles and carbazoles from readily available starting materials. This method is based on a “back-to-front” approach from ketopyrroles, generated by intramolecular carbolithiation of N,N-bis-(2-lithioallyl)amines that evolve into 3,4-bis(lithiomethyl)dihydropyrrole intermediates capable of reacting with carboxylic esters and Weinreb amides. These ketopyrroles have demonstrated to be excellent precursors of mono or bis(alkynols)pyrroles that, under gold-catalysis, experience a benzannulation reaction providing access to regioselectively substituted indoles or carbazoles.We gratefully acknowledge Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (PID2020-115789GBC21), and Junta de Castilla y León and FEDER (BU049P20) for financial support. The project leading to these results has received funding from “la Caixa” Foundation, under the Agreement LCF/PR/PR18/51130007> (CAIXA-UBU001). M.A.M., F.M.-L., M.S. and S.S.-P. thank Junta de Castilla y León (Consejería de Educación) and Fondo Social Europeo for predoctoral (M.A.M, F.M.-L. and M.S.) and postdoctoral (S.S.- P.) contracts, respectively

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic in surgical training of Junior Residents in general surgery

Background: The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV2 has had a huge impact on our health system. Due to both cancellation of elective surgery and restructuring in departments at most medical centers, surgical residents face a potential training deficit in their specialty. This study aims to objectively analyze and quantify the impact of the pandemic on the surgical activity of residents, in the setting of emergency and elective surgery, to assess whether this period has really supposed a training deficit. Material and methods: A descriptive analysis is proposed, comparing the number of procedures performed by residents of our department during the year prior to the pandemic and during the pandemic, clustering them into different subgroups. Results: The results give an optimistic outlook. In the first place, in elective surgery, despite the lower procedures performed in absolute numbers, the proportional participation of residents in the scheduled surgeries increased in all the subgroups analyzed, finding statistically significant differences and finally approaching the total number of procedures in both periods, without relevant differences in the comparison. As for emergency surgery, residents also increased their proportional participation in most subgroups, in this case reaching more total procedures, even in absolute numbers. Conclusion: Therefore, the results seem to indicate that the teaching effort made by staff surgeons of the department has managed to palliate, in most of the subgroups analyzed, the decrease in surgical activity that the pandemic has produced, so, at least in the area of surgical practice, the impact of the pandemic has probably been reduced comparing to previous expectations

Regiodivergent Hydration–Cyclization of Diynones under Gold Catalysis

Skipped diynones, efficiently prepared from biomass-derived ethyl lactate, undergo a tandem hydration− oxacyclization reaction under gold(I) catalysis. Reaction conditions have been developed for a switchable process that allows selective access to 4-pyrones or 3(2H)-furanones from the same starting diynones. Further application of this methodology in the total synthesis of polyporapyranone B was demonstrated.Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación and FEDER (CTQ2016-75023-C2-1-P) and Junta de Castilla y León and FEDER (BU291P18

Automated model-based testing based on an agnostic-platform modeling language

Currently multiple Domain Specific Languages (DSLs) are used for model-driven software development, in some specific domains. Software development methods, such as agile development, are test-centered, and their application in model-based frameworks requires model support for test development. We introduce a specific language to define generic test models, which can be automatically transformed into executable tests for particular testing platforms. The resulting test models represent the test plan for applications also built according to a model-based approach. The approach presented here includes some customisations for the application of the developed languages and transformation tools for some specific testing platforms. These languages and tools have been integrated with some specific DSL designed for software development

The Redox‐Mediated Nickel–Metal Hydride Flow Battery

Each battery technology possesses intrinsic advantages and disadvantages, e.g., nickel–metal hydride (MH) batteries offer relatively high specific energy and power as well as safety, making them the power of choice for hybrid electric vehicles, whereas aqueous organic flow batteries (AORFBs) offer sustainability, simple replacement of their active materials and independent scalability of energy and power, making them very attractive for stationary energy storage. Herein, a new battery technology that merges the above mentioned battery technologies through the use of redox-mediated reactions is proposed that intrinsically possesses the main features of each separate technology, e.g., high energy density of the solid active materials, easy recyclability, and independent scalability of energy and power. To achieve this, Ni(OH)2 and MHs are confined in the positive and negative reservoirs of an AORFB that employs alkaline solutions of potassium ferrocyanide and a mixture of 2,6-dihydroxyanthraquinone and 7,8-dihydroxyphenazine-2-sulfonic acid as catholyte and anolyte, respectively. An energy density of 128 Wh L–1 is achieved based on the capacity of the reservoirs leaving ample room for improvement up to the theoretical limit of 378 Wh L–1. This new battery technology opens up new market opportunities never before envisaged, for redox flow batteries, e.g., domestic energy storage and heavy-duty vehicle transportation.Spanish Government through the Research Challenges Programme (Grant No. RTI2018-099228-A-I00). E.V. thanks the MINECO for the financial support (RYC2018-026086-I)

Improving voltage imbalance in inverter-based islanded microgrids during line-to-line short circuits

Line-to-line short circuits are the transient disturbances that cause the highest currents as well as the largest voltage imbalances in inverter-based microgrids. This paper presents a control scheme for grid-forming inverters in islanded microgrids that limits the current to a safe value during these types of short circuits while providing a lower voltage imbalance compared to state-of-the-art current limiting techniques. This control scheme is based on reducing both the amplitude of the reference voltage with the maximum amplitude of the reference current and the instantaneous reference voltage with only the inductive component of the virtual impedance. The combination of these two control actions provides low voltage imbalance, as the theoretical and experimental studies reveal. This voltage imbalance improvement is the main contribution of this paper and is maintained when the microgrid supplies linear and non-linear loads. In the theoretical study, the paper includes control design guidelines to satisfy static and dynamic specifications. The theoretical predictions are validated by means of experimental results measured in a laboratory microgrid. A practical performance comparison of current limiting techniques based on experimental tests is also reported.This publication is part of the project PID2021-122835OB-C21, financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501000011033 and FEDER “Una manera de hacer Europa”.Postprint (published version

CRISPR/CasRx proof-of-concept for RNA degradation: A future tool against RNA viruses?

Producción CientíficaInfluenza viruses provide a great threat for the human population, causing highly contagious respiratory infections that can lead to serious clinical complications. There are a limited variety of influenza antivirals, and these antivirals are subjected to the constant emergence of resistances. Therefore, the development of new antiviral strategies to combat influenza viruses and other RNA viruses must be promoted. In this work, we design a proof-of-concept of a recently described CRISPR/Cas tool that has been proposed as a possible future RNA virus antiviral, named CRISPR/CasRx. For this, we verified the efficiency of the CasRx endonuclease in the degradation of the eGFP mRNA reporter gene and we established the best conditions for, and the efficient performance of, the CRISPR/CasRx system. The results were measured by fluorescence microscopy, flow cytometry, and qRT-PCR. The analyses demonstrated a reduction in fluorescence, regardless of the amount of eGFP reporter plasmid transfected. The analyses showed an 86–90% reduction in fluorescence by flow cytometry and a 51–80% reduction in mRNA expression by qRT-PCR. Our results demonstrate that the CasRx endonuclease is an efficient tool for eGFP mRNA knockdown. Therefore, subsequent experiments could be useful for the development of a new antiviral tool

Novel windows for “solar commodities”: a device for CO2 reduction using plasmonic catalyst activation

Producción CientíficaA novel plasmonic reactor concept is proposed and tested to work as a visible energy harvesting device while allowing reactions to transform CO2 to be carried out. Particularly the reverse water gas shift (RWGS) reaction has been tested as a means to introduce renewable energy into the economy. The development of the new reactor concept involved the synthesis of a new composite capable of plasmonic activation with light, the development of an impregnation method to create a single catalyst reactor entity, and finally the assembly of a reaction system to test the reaction. The composite developed was based on a Cu/ZnO catalyst dispersed into transparent aerogels. This allows efficient light transmission and a high surface area for the catalyst. An effective yet simple impregnation method was developed that allowed introduction of the composites into glass microchannels. The activation of the reaction was made using LEDs that covered all the sides of the reactor allowing a high power delivery. The results of the reaction show a stable process capable of low temperature transformations

Neurocognitive Impairment in Severe Mental Illness. Comparative study with Spanish Speaking Patients

Background. Serious mental illness (SMI) represents a category of psychiatric disorders characterized by specific difficulties of personal and social functioning, derived from suffering severe and persistent mental health problems. Aims. We wanted to look into differences in cognitive performance among different SMI patients. Methods. Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) screening was applied in one sample of SMI patients (n = 149) and another of healthy comparison participants (n = 35). Within the SMI sample, three different subsamples were formed: one with 97 patients with schizophrenia, a second with 29 patients with mood disorders, and a third with 23 patients with personality disorder. We performed a comparative study within and between groups. Results. Analysis of covariance was performed. Significant differences were found for cognitive functioning including attention and memory. Conclusions. RBANS can be recommended for the detection of neurocognitive deficits in psychiatric disorders, especially in Schizophrenia