Scientists and Activists Work to Save the Planet

Climate change and human intervention in nature are affecting people, ecosystems and ways of living all over the world. This portfolio of environmental pieces showcases the dire consequences of not addressing these issues, how solutions can be reached and the challenges facing those who try to change things

Flower Power, diseño de un árbol solar y eólico totalmente autónomo

Ponencia presentada en el XV Congreso Internacional de Ingeniería de Proyectos celebrado en Huesca, 6-8 de julio de 2011The project involves the design and development of a solar and wind tree that works as a social meeting point and adds comfortable seating, LED lighting at night, a charging system for mobile phones and laptops and a wireless receiver to ensure user comfort. This project has combined art, aesthetics and innovation. New technologies have been integrated to an item of street furniture. This is a product focused on user comfort, supported by the concept of sustainability. This design comes through a direct analogy with the flowers, this analogy suggests that it is a sustainable and environmental friendly product, this analogy allows us to integrate photovoltaic and wind turbine as petals and stamen. The product is fully autonomous because of theuse oflow powerLEDbulbs,and the incorporation of photovoltaic modules based elastomeric and vertical axis turbine, allow us to locate Flower Power in any location without the need for a trench connection to the Low Voltage Network.El proyecto consiste en el diseño y desarrollo de un árbol solar y eólico totalmente autónomo que funciona como punto de reunión social e incorpora, además de cómodos asientos calefactables, iluminación led nocturna, un sistema de carga para móviles y portátiles y un receptor wireless (wifi) para garantizar el confort del usuario. En este proyecto se ha conjugado técnica, estética e innovación. Se han integrado nuevas tecnologías a un elemento de mobiliario urbano. Se trata de un producto centrado en el confort del usuario, apoyado por el concepto de sostenibilidad. Este diseño surge a través de una analogía directa con las flores, ya que esta analogía sugiere que es un producto sostenible y respetuoso con el medio ambiente, además, esto permite integrar los módulos fotovoltaicos como pétalos y la turbina eólica como estambre. Su funcionamiento autónomo gracias al uso de bombillas led de bajo consumo, junto a la incorporación de módulos fotovoltaicos en base elastómera y la turbina de eje vertical, permiten ubicar a Flower Power en un cualquier sitio sin la necesidad de realizar una zanja de conexión a la red eléctrica

Broadband Extraordinary Transmission in a Single Sub-wavelength Aperture

Coordinate transformation is applied to design an all-dielectric device for Extraordinary Transmission (ET) in a single sub-wavelength slit. The proposed device has a broadband feature and can be applied from microwave to visible frequency bands. Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) simulations are used to verify the device's performance. The results show that significantly increased transmission is achieved through the sub-wavelength aperture from 4 GHz to 8 GHz when the device is applied. In contrast with previously reported systems, the frequency sensitivity of the new device is very low.Comment: 9 pages, 8 figure

Ag-Vanadates/GO Nanocomposites by Aerosol-Assisted Spray Pyrolysis: Preparation and Structural and Electrochemical Characterization of a Versatile Material

In this article, we describe the deposition by aerosol-assisted spray pyrolysis of different types of silver vanadate nanocomposites with and without graphene oxide (GO) on different substrates (carbon paper (CP) and fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO)). When deposited on CP, different amounts of GO were added to the Ag and V precursor solution to study the effect of GO on the physicochemical properties of the resulting Ag-vanadate. It is shown that the addition of GO leads mainly to the formation of nanoparticles of the Ag2V4O11 phase, whereas Ag2V4O11 and Ag3VO4 are obtained without the addition of GO. The morphology and chemical properties of the composites were determined by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoemission spectroscopy, and UV\u2013visible and Raman spectroscopies. In addition, the photoelectrochemical (PEC) properties of such composites were studied by CV, linear sweep voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The ideal AgxVOy and GO ratio was optimized for obtaining higher photocurrent values and a good stability. The results showed that the presence of GO improves the electrical conductivity of the catalyst layer as well as the electron injection from the oxide to the electrode surface. The deposition of pure Ag2V4O11 on FTO does not lead to samples with stable PEC performances. Samples grown on CP supports showed an efficient electrochemical detection of small amounts of ethylenediamine in water solution

Unpaired sex chromosomes in metaphase I human spermatocytes locally modify autosomal bivalents positioning

Altres ajuts: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (CF-180034

Passivation of a CoCrMo PVD Alloy with Biomedical Composition under Simulated Physiological Conditions Studied by EQCM and XPS

Kinetics of passive film growth on a CoCrMo biomedical alloy have been studied using the Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Microbalance technique (EQCM) in phosphate buffer solution at room temperature and 37◦C. CoCrMo layers were deposited on the quartz crystals by physical vapor deposition (PVD) reaching a dense and compact deposition film with fine-grain structure. EQCM measurements were performed under potentiodynamic and potentiostatic conditions (at applied passive and transpassive potentials). Furthermore, ex-situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of the each tested sample was performed at the end of the electrochemical test. The use ofEQCMallows distinguishing between electrochemical oxidation, passive and transpassive dissolution and passive film growth. In the passive domain the passive film thickness stabilizes within 200 to 400 s after an initial fast growth. The increase in current at the onset of the transpassive domain does not affect the passive dissolution rate. Only at higher potential dissolution rate increases due to the dissolution of Cr(VI), Co(III) and Mo(VI) species. The observed constant mass loss rate at transpassive potentials indicates that the passive film at these potentials is cracked or porous. Increasing temperature accelerates themass loss through the oxide/electrolyte interface enhancing the passive and transpassive dissolution and increasing the thickness of the oxide filmWe wish to express our gratitude to the Spanish Government, "Ministerio de Educacion" for the economic support and the post-graduate grant (Ref.AP2007-01243) and "Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion" for the financial support (Ref.MAT2011-22481), the assistance of N. Xanthopoulos with the XPS measurements and P. Mettraux with the PVD deposits and assistance with the scanning electron micrographs.Valero Vidal, C.; Igual Muñoz, AN.; Olsson, C.; Mischler, S. (2012). Passivation of a CoCrMo PVD Alloy with Biomedical Composition under Simulated Physiological Conditions Studied by EQCM and XPS. Journal of The Electrochemical Society. 159(5):233-243. https://doi.org/10.1149/2.090205jesS2332431595Katti, K. S. (2004). Biomaterials in total joint replacement. Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces, 39(3), 133-142. doi:10.1016/j.colsurfb.2003.12.002Okazaki, Y. (2002). Effect of friction on anodic polarization properties of metallic biomaterials. Biomaterials, 23(9), 2071-2077. doi:10.1016/s0142-9612(01)00337-4Virtanen, S., Milošev, I., Gomez-Barrena, E., Trebše, R., Salo, J., & Konttinen, Y. T. (2008). Special modes of corrosion under physiological and simulated physiological conditions. Acta Biomaterialia, 4(3), 468-476. doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2007.12.003Milošev, I., & Strehblow, H.-H. (2003). The composition of the surface passive film formed on CoCrMo alloy in simulated physiological solution. Electrochimica Acta, 48(19), 2767-2774. doi:10.1016/s0013-4686(03)00396-7Hodgson, A. W. E., Kurz, S., Virtanen, S., Fervel, V., Olsson, C.-O. A., & Mischler, S. (2004). Passive and transpassive behaviour of CoCrMo in simulated biological solutions. Electrochimica Acta, 49(13), 2167-2178. doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2003.12.043Muñoz, A. I., & Mischler, S. (2007). Interactive Effects of Albumin and Phosphate Ions on the Corrosion of CoCrMo Implant Alloy. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 154(10), C562. doi:10.1149/1.2764238Hanawa, T., Hiromoto, S., & Asami, K. (2001). Characterization of the surface oxide film of a Co–Cr–Mo alloy after being located in quasi-biological environments using XPS. Applied Surface Science, 183(1-2), 68-75. doi:10.1016/s0169-4332(01)00551-7Hanawa, T. (2004). Metal ion release from metal implants. 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A., Vergé, M.-G., & Landolt, D. (2004). EQCM Study of Anodic Film Growth on Valve Metals. Journal of The Electrochemical Society, 151(12), B652. doi:10.1149/1.1819896Schmutz, P., & Landolt, D. (1999). Electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance study of the transient response of passive Fe25Cr alloy. Electrochimica Acta, 45(6), 899-911. doi:10.1016/s0013-4686(99)00293-5Schmutz, P., & Landolt, D. (1999). In-situ microgravimetric studies of passive alloys: potential sweep and potential step experiments with Fe–25Cr and Fe–17Cr–33Mo in acid and alkaline solution. Corrosion Science, 41(11), 2143-2163. doi:10.1016/s0010-938x(99)00038-4Hamm, D., Ogle, K., Olsson, C.-O. ., Weber, S., & Landolt, D. (2002). Passivation of Fe–Cr alloys studied with ICP-AES and EQCM. Corrosion Science, 44(7), 1443-1456. doi:10.1016/s0010-938x(01)00147-0Olsson, C.-O. ., & Landolt, D. (2003). Passive films on stainless steels—chemistry, structure and growth. 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Active Time in Cooperative Activities, Quality of Life and Body Mass Index in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities. A Model of Structural Equations

Current research shows that individuals with intellectual disabilities do not engage in enough physical activity to acquire health benefits. However, cooperative learning has been shown to be an effective tool for inclusion and for improving healthy physical habits. The aim of this study is to contrast an explanatory model which incorporates quality of life, active time in cooperative activities, body mass index and age, as well as to analyze, using multi-group structural equations, the existing associations according to the sex of subjects with intellectual disabilities. The convenience sampling used allowed the collection of data from a total of 156 subjects in Granada (Spain), aged between 18–55 years. In terms of gender, the sample was homogeneous, representing 52.6% (n = 82) for women and 47.4% (n = 74) for men. The active time during the cooperative learning was recorded with the Xiaomi Mi Band 2 activity band, for the quality of life scale (GENCAT) was used, and the body mass index was calculated through its standardized equation. Age was directly associated with body mass index in both sexes. Likewise, age was positively related to the active time of women. Quality of life was directly associated with active time and body mass index was inversely related to active time. This study shows the importance of active time during work and cooperative learning in individuals with intellectual disabilities, as it is associated with an improvement in the quality of life and a reduction in the problems of sedentarism, overweight, and obesity

Design and implementation of high-performance memory systems for future packet buffers

In this paper, we address the design of a future high-speed router that supports line rates as high as OC-3072 (160 Gb/s), around one hundred ports and several service classes. Building such a high-speed router would raise many technological problems, one of them being the packet buffer design, mainly because in router design it is important to provide worst-case bandwidth guarantees and not just average-case optimizations. A previous packet buffer design provides worst-case bandwidth guarantees by using a hybrid SRAM/DRAM approach. Next-generation routers need to support hundreds of interfaces (i.e., ports and service classes). Unfortunately, high bandwidth for hundreds of interfaces requires the previous design to use large SRAMs which become a bandwidth bottleneck. The key observation we make is that the SRAM size is proportional to the DRAM access time but we can reduce the effective DRAM access time by overlapping multiple accesses to different banks, allowing us to reduce the SRAM size. The key challenge is that to keep the worst-case bandwidth guarantees, we need to guarantee that there are no bank conflicts while the accesses are in flight. We guarantee bank conflicts by reordering the DRAM requests using a modern issue-queue-like mechanism. Because our design may lead to fragmentation of memory across packet buffer queues, we propose to share the DRAM space among multiple queues by renaming the queue slots. To the best of our knowledge, the design proposed in this paper is the fastest buffer design using commodity DRAM to be published to date.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version