Apuntes en formato electrónico para el estudio de los conceptos de modulación analógica y digital aplicados a la enseñanza en comunicaciones

Se ha desarrollado una aplicación informática que permite el estudio de los distintos sistemas de modulación, tanto de señales analógicas como digitales, con un formato de apuntes de clase, en el cual el alumno interactúa con sus apuntes durante su estudio, de manera que es preguntado a medida que se presentan conceptos nuevos y se le permite visualizar diferentes comportamientos de la realidad expuesta dependiendo de los datos que introduzca el propio alumno. Creemos que hay multitud de asignaturas que podrían tomar el mismo camino, y empezar a desarrollar software educativo orientado a facilitar el aprendizaje por parte de los alumnos

Flipped classroom aplicado a prácticas de laboratorio de la asignatura “Ampliación de Ciencia de Materiales”

[ES] El cambio de metodología de enseñanza que se realizó en las prácticas de laboratorio de la asignatura “Ampliación de ciencia de materiales” fue con el propósito de sacar ventaja de las peculiaridades que presenta el grupo, es decir un número reducido de estudiantes y tiempo de dedicación tanto dentro de clase como fuera de ella, factores que permitieron un mejor control del proceso de enseñanza. El proceso de aprendizaje al que fue expuesto este grupo de estudiante retó la capacidad innata que tiene el ser humano al autoaprendizaje y a descubrir cómo superar sus puntos débiles, sacando el mayor provecho al tiempo disponible de estudio, es decir, asimilando la mayoría cantidad de información con una mínima inversión de tiempo. La evaluación realizada durante todo el proceso fue satisfactoria no solo para el estudiante reflejadas en las calificaciones obtenidas, sino también para el tutor que pudo observar cómo evolucionó el interés de los estudiantes al envolverse cada vez más en el contenido de las prácticas, siendo notable en las prácticas finales.[EN] The new teaching methodology carried out in the laboratory class of the subject “Ampliación de ciencia de materiales” was used to take advantage of the peculiarities of the student group, that is in fact, it is a reduced number of students and great dedication time both in-class and out-class, factors that allowed better overall control of the process. The learning process to which the group of students was exposed challenged the innate capacity of the human being to self learn and to discover how to overcome their weak points, making the most of the available study time, that is, assimilating most of the information in less time. The evaluation carried out throughout the process was satisfactory not only for the student showed in the grades obtained, but also for the teacher in charge who could observe how the interest of the students evolved as they became increasingly involved in the content of the practice, being remarkable in the final class.Lascano, D.; Sánchez-Nacher, L.; Fombuena, V.; Rojas-Lema, S.; Montañés, N. (2021). Flipped classroom aplicado a prácticas de laboratorio de la asignatura “Ampliación de Ciencia de Materiales”. En IN-RED 2020: VI Congreso de Innovación Educativa y Docencia en Red. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 218-223. https://doi.org/10.4995/INRED2020.2020.11976OCS21822

Improving mechanical performance of thermoplastic adhesion joints by atmospheric plasma

Polyethylene (PE) is characterized by low surface energy as a consequence of its non-polar nature. This characteristic is responsible for poor adhesion properties on polyethylene substrates. It is well known that some industrial applications such as coating, painting and formation of adhesion joints require high surface energy to promote good anchorages, so that, the use of polyethylene in these applications needs a previous surface treatment. In this work atmospheric plasma has been used to promote surface activation on polyethylene substrates for improved adhesion properties. The work has been focused on analyzing the influence of some variables (treatment rate and nozzle-sample distance) on mechanical performance of PE¿PE adhesion joints subjected to shear and T-peel tests.This work is a part of the project IPT-310000-2010-037, ''ECO-TEXCOMP: Research and development of textile structures useful as reinforcement of composite materials with marked ecological character.'' funded by the "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion", with an aid of 189540.20 euros, within the "Plan Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica, Desarrollo e Innovacion Tecnologica 2008-2011" and funded by the European Union through FEDER funds, Technology Fund 2007-2013, Operational Programme on R + D + i for and on behalf of the companies. Also, microscopy services at UPV are acknowledged for SEM and AFM support.Fombuena, V.; Balart Gimeno, JF.; Boronat, T.; Sánchez-Nácher, L.; García-Sanoguera, D. (2013). Improving mechanical performance of thermoplastic adhesion joints by atmospheric plasma. Materials and Design. 47:49-56. doi:10.1016/j.matdes.2012.11.031S49564

Thermal and mechanical characterization of epoxy resins (ELO and ESO) cured with anhydrides

In this work we have developed polymeric materials from epoxidized vegetable oils in order to obtain materials with excellent mechanical properties for use as green matrix composites. Epoxidized soybean oil (ESO), epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) and different mixtures of the two oils were used to produce the polymers. Phthalic anhydride (17 mol%) and maleic anhydride (83 mol%) which has a eutectic reaction temperature of 48 °C were used as crosslinking agents while benzyl dimethyl amine (BDMA) and ethylene glycol were used as the catalyst and initiator, respectively. The results showed that samples 100ELO and 80ELO20ESO could be used as a matrix in green composites because they demonstrated good mechanical properties. © 2012 AOCS (outside the USA).This work is part of the project IPT-310000-2010-037,''ECOTEXCOMP: Research and development of textile structures useful as reinforcement of composite materials with marked ecological character'' funded by the "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion", with financial aid of 189,540.20 EUR, within the "Plan Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica, Desarrollo e Innovacion Tecnologica 2008-2011" and funded by the European Union through FEDER funds, Technology Fund 2007-2013, Operational Programme on R + D + i for and on behalf of the companies.Samper Madrigal, MD.; Fombuena Borrás, V.; Boronat Vitoria, T.; García Sanoguera, D.; Balart Gimeno, RA. (2012). Thermal and mechanical characterization of epoxy resins (ELO and ESO) cured with anhydrides. Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society. 89(8):1521-1528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11746-012-2041-yS15211528898Averous L (2004) Biodegradable multiphase systems based on plasticized starch: a review. J Macromol Sci Polym Rev C44:231–274Bledzki AK, Jaszkiewicz A (2010) Mechanical performance of biocomposites based on PLA and PHBV reinforced with natural fibres—a comparative study to PP. Compos Sci Technol 70:1687–1696Raquez JM, Deleglise M, Lacrampe MF, Krawczak P (2010) Thermosetting (bio)materials derived from renewable resources: a critical review. Prog Polym Sci 35:487–509Charlet K, Jernot JP, Gomina M, Bizet L, Breard J (2010) Mechanical properties of flax fibers and of the derived unidirectional composites. J Compos Mater 44:2887–2896Barreto ACH, Esmeraldo MA, Rosa DS, Fechine PBA, Mazzetto SE (2010) Cardanol biocomposites reinforced with jute fiber: microstructure, biodegradability, and mechanical properties. Polym Compos 31:1928–1937Thakur VK, Singha AS (2010) Physico-chemical and mechanical characterization of natural fibre reinforced polymer composites. Iran Polym J 19:3–16Schmitz WR, Wallace JG (1954) Epoxidation of methyl oleate with hydrogen peroxide. J Am Oil Chem Soc 31:363–365La Scala J, Wool RP (2002) Effect of FA composition on epoxidation kinetics of TAG. J Am Oil Chem Soc 79:373–378de Espinosa LM, Ronda JC, Galia M, Cadiz V (2008) A new enone-containing triglyceride derivative as precursor of thermosets from renewable resources. J Polym Sci Pol Chem 46:6843–6850Gerbase AE, Petzhold CL, Costa APO (2002) Dynamic mechanical and thermal behavior of epoxy resins based on soybean oil. J Am Oil Chem Soc 79:797–802Boquillon N, Fringant C (2000) Polymer networks derived from curing of epoxidised linseed oil: influence of different catalysts and anhydride hardeners. Polymer 41:8603–8613Montserrat S, Flaque C, Calafell M, Andreu G, Malek J (1995) Influence of the accelerator concentration on the curing reaction of an epoxy-anhydride system. Thermochim Acta 269:213–229Zacharuk M, Becker D, Coelho LAF, Pezzin SH (2011) Study of the reaction between polyethylene glycol and epoxy resins using N,N-dimethylbenzylamine as catalyst. Polimeros 21:73–77Lozada Z, Suppes GJ, Tu YC, Hsieh FH (2009) Soy-based polyols from oxirane ring opening by alcoholysis reaction. J Appl Polym Sci 113:2552–256

Repurposing Metformin in Nondiabetic People With HIV:Influence on Weight and Gut Microbiota

Background. People with HIV (PWH) taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) may experience weight gain, dyslipidemia, increased risk of non-AIDS comorbidities, and long-term alteration of the gut microbiota. Both low CD4/CD8 ratio and chronic inflammation have been associated with changes in the gut microbiota of PWH. The antidiabetic drug metformin has been shown to improve gut microbiota composition while decreasing weight and inflammation in diabetes and polycystic ovary syndrome. Nevertheless, it remains unknown whether metformin may benefit PWH receiving ART, especially those with a low CD4/CD8 ratio. Methods. In the Lilac pilot trial, we recruited 23 nondiabetic PWI I receiving ART for more than 2 years with a low CD4/CD8 ratio ( Results. Metformin decreased weight in PWH, and weight loss was inversely correlated with plasma levels of the satiety factor GDF-15. Furthermore, metformin changed the gut microbiota composition by increasing the abundance of anti-inflammatory bacteria such as butyrate-producing species and the protective Akkermansia muciniphila. Conclusions. Our study provides the first evidence that a 12-week metformin treatment decreased weight and favored anti-inflammatory bacteria abundance in the microbiota of nondiabetic ART-treated PWH. Larger randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials with longer metformin treatment will be needed to further investigate the role of metformin in reducing inflammation and the risk of non-AIDS comorbidities in ART-treated PWH

Processing and characterization of high environmental efficiency composites based on PLA and hazelnut shell flour (HSF) with biobased plasticizers derived from epoxidized linseed oil (ELO)

[EN] Different amounts of epoxidized linseed oil (ELO) have been added to poly(lactic acid)-PLA composites with hazelnut shell flour (HSF) to provide a plasticizing effect and improve the low intrinsic ductile properties of PLA/HSF composites. Mechanical, thermal, thermo-mechanical and dynamic mechanical properties have been studied in terms of the weight percentage ELO. Mechanical resistant properties in both tensile and flexural tests decrease with wt.% ELO while a remarkable increase with wt.% ELO is obtained. These results reveal a clear plasticization effect of ELO but, in addition, internal structure of PLA/HSF/ELO composites shows good PLA-HSF (matrix-particle) interactions so that indicating that ELO also provides a coupling effect between PLA matrix and HSF filler. ELO addition leads to a decrease in storage modulus (G ) obtained by dynamic mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA) in torsion mode thus giving clear evidence of the plasticization effect of ELO. Overall, the use of ELO in PLA/HSF composites is an attracting way to improve the low intrinsic fragility of these green composites; furthermore, ELO provides an improvement on thermal stability and a coupling effect between the polymer matrix and the surrounding lignocellulosic filler.This research was supported by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness - MINECO, Grant Number: MAT2014-59242-C2-1-R. Authors also thank to "Conselleria d'Educacio, Cultura i Esport" - Generalitat Valenciana, Grant Number: GV/2014/008 for financial support.Balart Gimeno, JF.; Fombuena Borrás, V.; Fenollar Gimeno, OÁ.; Boronat Vitoria, T.; Sánchez Nacher, L. (2016). Processing and characterization of high environmental efficiency composites based on PLA and hazelnut shell flour (HSF) with biobased plasticizers derived from epoxidized linseed oil (ELO). Composites Part B: Engineering. 86:168-177. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compositesb.2015.09.063S1681778

Thermal properties comparison of hybrid CF/FF and BF/FF cyanate ester-based composites

[EN] Insights within thermal expansion, conductivity, and decomposition dependencies with temperature on symmetrical and unsymmetrical layered carbon (CF) or basalt (BF) fabrics in combination with flax fibers (FF) were approached. Driven by commercial application and environmental concerns, the paper draws attention on a modified formula of cyanate ester with a common epoxy resin under an optimized ratio of 70:30 (vol%) as well as on the hybrid reinforcements stacking sequences. Synergetic effects were debated in terms of the CF and BF stacking sequences and corresponding volume fraction followed by comparisons with values predicted by the deployment of hybrid mixtures rules (RoHM/iRoHM). CF hybrid architectures revealed enhanced effective thermophysical properties over their BF counterparts and both over the FF-reinforced polymer composite considered as a reference. Thermal conductivities spread between 0.116 and 0.299 W m-1 K-1 from room temperature up to 250 C on all hybrid specimens, giving rise to an insulator character. Concerning the coefficient of thermal expansion, CF hybrid architectures disclosed values of 1.236 10-6 K-1 and 3.102 10-6 K-1 compared with BF affine exhibiting 4.794 10-6 K-1 and 6.245 10-6 K-1, respectively, with an increase in their volume fraction.The corresponding author gratefully acknowledges the financial assistance of German Academic Exchange Service-DAAD that enabled and supported the internship with Fraunhofer Research Institution for Polymeric Materials and Composites-PYCO, Germany. Many thanks go to Dr. Christian Dreyer and Dr. Maciej Gwiazda for the resin formula and access to the composite manufacturing technology.Motoc, DL.; Ferrándiz Bou, S.; Balart, R. (2018). Thermal properties comparison of hybrid CF/FF and BF/FF cyanate ester-based composites. 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Utilization of Renewable Biomass and Waste Materials for Production of Environmentally-Friendly, Bio-based Composites

The introduction of renewable biomass into a polymer matrix is an option competing with other possibilities, such as energy recovery and/or re-use in the carbonized state, or production of chemicals, such as, in the case of ligno-cellulosic waste, concentrates on the production of simple sugars, then possibly leading to the development of biopolymers. These competitive applications have also some interest and market, however with a considerable energy, water and materials consumption, due also to the not always high yielding. Other possibilities for renewable biomass are therefore being used as fillers to increase mechanical performance of polymers or to allow e.g., the absorption of toxic chemicals. This review concentrates on the use of biomass as close as possible to the “as received” state, therefore avoiding whenever suitable any thermal treatment. More specifically, it focuses on its introduction into the three categories of oil-based (or bio-based replacement) of engineered polymers, into industrial biopolymers, such as poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and self-developed biopolymers, such as thermoplastic starch (TPS)

Optimization of atmospheric plasma treatment of LDPE films: Influence on adhesive properties and ageing behavior

One of the major disadvantages of low density polyethylene (LDPE) films is their poor adhesive properties. Therefore, LDPE films have been treated with atmospheric pressure air plasma in order to improve their surface properties. So as to simulate the possible conditions in an industrial process, the samples have been treated with two different sample distances (6 and 10 mm), and treatment rates between 100 and 1000 mm s-1. The different sample distances are the distance of the sample from the plasma source. The variation of the surface properties and adhesion characteristics of the films were investigated for different aging times after plasma exposure (up to 21 days) using contact angle measurement, atomic force microscopy, weight loss measurements and shear test. Results show that the treatment increases the polar component () and these changes improve adhesive properties of the material. After the twenty-first day, the ageing process causes a decrease of wettability and adhesive properties of the LDPE films (up to 60%).Fombuena Borrás, V.; García Sanoguera, D.; Sánchez Nacher, L.; Balart Gimeno, RA.; Boronat Vitoria, T. (2014). Optimization of atmospheric plasma treatment of LDPE films: Influence on adhesive properties and ageing behavior. Journal of Adhesion Science and Technology. 28(1):97-113. doi:10.1080/01694243.2013.847045S97113281Achilias, D. S., Roupakias, C., Megalokonomos, P., Lappas, A. A., & Antonakou, Ε. V. (2007). Chemical recycling of plastic wastes made from polyethylene (LDPE and HDPE) and polypropylene (PP). Journal of Hazardous Materials, 149(3), 536-542. doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2007.06.076Friedman, M., & Walsh, G. (2002). High performance films: Review of new materials and trends. Polymer Engineering & Science, 42(8), 1756-1788. doi:10.1002/pen.11069Wiles, D. M., & Scott, G. (2006). Polyolefins with controlled environmental degradability. 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Study of Surface Properties of Polyolefins Modified by Corona Discharge Plasma. Plasma Processes and Polymers, 3(4-5), 355-364. doi:10.1002/ppap.200500163Arpagaus, C., Rossi, A., & Rudolf von Rohr, P. (2005). Short-time plasma surface modification of HDPE powder in a Plasma Downer Reactor – process, wettability improvement and ageing effects. Applied Surface Science, 252(5), 1581-1595. doi:10.1016/j.apsusc.2005.02.099Morra, M., Occhiello, E., Marola, R., Garbassi, F., Humphrey, P., & Johnson, D. (1990). On the aging of oxygen plasma-treated polydimethylsiloxane surfaces. Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 137(1), 11-24. doi:10.1016/0021-9797(90)90038-pKim, K. S., Ryu, C. M., Park, C. S., Sur, G. S., & Park, C. E. (2003). Investigation of crystallinity effects on the surface of oxygen plasma treated low density polyethylene using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Polymer, 44(20), 6287-6295. doi:10.1016/s0032-3861(03)00674-8Kim, S. H., Ha, H. J., Ko, Y. K., Yoon, S. J., Rhee, J. 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Enhancement of COPD biological networks using a web-based collaboration interface

The construction and application of biological network models is an approach that offers a holistic way to understand biological processes involved in disease. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive inflammatory disease of the airways for which therapeutic options currently are limited after diagnosis, even in its earliest stage. COPD network models are important tools to better understand the biological components and processes underlying initial disease development. With the increasing amounts of literature that are now available, crowdsourcing approaches offer new forms of collaboration for researchers to review biological findings, which can be applied to the construction and verification of complex biological networks. We report the construction of 50 biological network models relevant to lung biology and early COPD using an integrative systems biology and collaborative crowd-verification approach. By combining traditional literature curation with a data-driven approach that predicts molecular activities from transcriptomics data, we constructed an initial COPD network model set based on a previously published non-diseased lung-relevant model set. The crowd was given the opportunity to enhance and refine the networks on a website ( https://bionet.sbvimprover.com/) and to add mechanistic detail, as well as critically review existing evidence and evidence added by other users, so as to enhance the accuracy of the biological representation of the processes captured in the networks. Finally, scientists and experts in the field discussed and refined the networks during an in-person jamboree meeting. Here, we describe examples of the changes made to three of these networks: Neutrophil Signaling, Macrophage Signaling, and Th1-Th2 Signaling. We describe an innovative approach to biological network construction that combines literature and data mining and a crowdsourcing approach to generate a comprehensive set of COPD-relevant models that can be used to help understand the mechanisms related to lung pathobiology. Registered users of the website can freely browse and download the networks