Influence of Print Orientation on Surface Roughness in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) Processes

In the present paper, we address the influence of print orientation angle on surface roughnessobtained in lateral walls in fused deposition modelling (FDM) processes. A geometrical model isdefined that considers the shape of the filaments after deposition, in order to define a theoreticalroughness profile, for a certain print orientation angle. Different angles were considered between 5¿and 85¿. Simulated arithmetical mean height of the roughness profile, Ra values, were calculated fromthe simulated profiles. The Ra simulated results were compared to the experimental results, whichwere carried out with cylindrical PLA (polylactic acid) samples. The simulated Ra values were similarto the experimental values, except for high angles above 80¿, where experimental roughness decreasedwhile simulated roughness was still high. Low print orientation angles show regular profiles withrounded peaks and sharp values. At a print orientation angle of 85¿, the shape of the profile changeswith respect to lower angles, showing a gap between adjacent peaks. At 90¿, both simulated andexperimental roughness values would be close to zero, because the measurement direction is parallelto the layer orientation. Other roughness parameters were also measured: maximum height ofprofile, Rz, kurtosis, Rku, skewness, Rsk, and mean width of the profile elements, Rsm. At high printorientation angles, Rz decreases, Rku shifts to positive, Rsk slightly increases, and Rsk decreases,showing the change in the shape of the roughness profiles.Postprint (published version

Bioinformatic analyses of the structural and functional complexity in chromosomal interactomes

Evolution requires information storage systems with different demands with respect to persistence. While the genome provides a mechanism for long term, static and accurate information storage, it is incapable of mediating adaptation to short term changes in the environment. Chromatin, however, constitutes a dynamic, reprogrammable memory with different levels of persistence. Moreover, chromatin states carry information not only in 2D, i.e. in the structure of the primary chromatin fibre, but also in the 3D organization of the genome in the nuclear space. The following thesis delves into the new bioinformatic and wet lab protocols developed to map, quantitative and functionally analyze the 3D architecture of chromatin. The chromatin insulator protein CTCF is a major factor underlying the 3D organization of the epigenome. We have uncovered, however, that CTCF binding sites within a regulatory region have multiple functions that are influenced by the chromatin environment and possibly the combinatorial usage of the 11 Zn-fingers of CTCF (Paper I). This observation exemplifies that understanding the function of dynamic and transient chromatin fibre interactions requires novel technology that enables the detection of 3D chromatin folding with high resolution in single cells and in small cell populations. We therefore set out to devise a novel method for the visualization of higher order chromatin structures by combining the strengths of both DNA Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (FISH) and In Situ Proximity Ligation Assay (ISPLA) technologies (Paper II). The resulting Chromatin in Situ Proximity (ChrISP) assay thus takes advantage of the direct contact detection of ISPLA and the locus-specific nature of FISH and uncovered the existence of compact chromatin structures at the nuclear envelope with unprecedented resolution. To complement ChrISP with a high throughput method capable of quantitatively recovering chromatin fibre contacts in small cell populations, we furthermore innovated the Nodewalk assay (Paper III). The protocol builds on existing ligation based chromosome conformation capture methods, but features significant reduction in the random ligation event frequency, inclusion of negative and positive ligation controls, iterative template resampling, increased signal to noise ratio and improved sensitivity. Using this technique, we have uncovered a cancer cell-specific, productive chromatin fibre interactome connecting the promoter and enhancer of c-MYC to a network of enhancers and super-enhancers. Underpinning this new protocol, I have developed the Nodewalk Analysis Pipeline (NAP) (Paper IV). This suite of tools consists of preprocessing, analysis and post-processing modules designed specifically for the rapid and efficient analysis of Nodewalk datasets through an interactive and user-friendly web based interface. Overall the work described in this thesis advances our understanding of the role of CTCF in nuclear organization and provides innovative wet lab techniques along with specialized software tools. Moreover, this work is an example of an emerging trend where the challenge of understanding chromatin dynamics within the 3D nuclear architecture demands a close synergistic collaboration between the fields of biology, biotechnology and bioinformatics

Bridging the decorative and fine art through furniture

Through this thesis work, author argues that an object can be art and useful at the same time, and intends to bridge the decorative and fine art through his furniture

Urban vernacular architecture in the Middle Ages in Galicia, Spain

[EN] The emergence of the first urban settlements during the High Middle Ages in Galicia allowed the appearanceof a typology of half-timbered houses with very heterogeneous characteristics according to the differentGalician regions. Its general characteristics were a ground floor made of rammed earth, granite orschist stone and an upper floor made with a wooden framework system used as structural closures withdifferent fillings (clay, straw, stone, brick or decking). The urban fabric of these settlements has beenanalyzed, studying the survival of the medieval lots. A small number of half-timbered houses of medievalorigin have been found. The extension of this typology throughout the Galician geography allowed us torethink part of the existing imaginary about vernacular construction in Galicia and contextualize themedieval Galician urban phenomenon within the European context.Fernandez Palicio, A. (2022). Urban vernacular architecture in the Middle Ages in Galicia, Spain. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 263-270. https://doi.org/10.4995/HERITAGE2022.2022.1564526327

The Role of Community Building in Second Language Acquisition in the Mainstream Classroom

The world is currently suffering from population displacement due to climate change, war, and economic instability which force many people to migrate in search of a better life, and many of these immigrants include school-age children. This mixed-methods research study sought to establish the association between community building, emotion, and second language acquisition by administering a survey to second language learners in the Napa Valley north of San Francisco in the spring of 2020. The participants were fourteen sixth grade students who had been enrolled in the same English and Spanish dual language immersion program since kindergarten. The theoretical framework for this study was Lev Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory that language learning is a social activity and Merrill Swain’s output hypothesis, which proposes that students learn a second language most efficiently when they are involved in collaborative dialogue. The participants self-reported a slight improvement in their second language proficiency, mainly in their academic language and less so in their conversational language. Although the participants reported significant experience with community circles, their responses revealed that they did not value relationships with peers and some shared the experience of feeling unsafe, indicating that community building did not work. The results also reaffirmed Vygotsky and Swain’s assertion that emotion is intertwined with learning. This research is significant because it shines light on the importance of emotion for second language acquisition and the complexity of successful community building in the classroom

Transactional memory on heterogeneous architectures

Tesis Leida el 9 de Marzo de 2018.Si observamos las necesidades computacionales de hoy, y tratamos de predecir las necesidades del mañana, podemos concluir que el procesamiento heterogéneo estará presente en muchos dispositivos y aplicaciones. El motivo es lógico: algoritmos diferentes y datos de naturaleza diferente encajan mejor en unos dispositivos de cómputo que en otros. Pongamos como ejemplo una tecnología de vanguardia como son los vehículos inteligentes. En este tipo de aplicaciones la computación heterogénea no es una opción, sino un requisito. En este tipo de vehículos se recolectan y analizan imágenes, tarea para la cual los procesadores gráficos (GPUs) son muy eficientes. Muchos de estos vehículos utilizan algoritmos sencillos, pero con grandes requerimientos de tiempo real, que deben implementarse directamente en hardware utilizando FPGAs. Y, por supuesto, los procesadores multinúcleo tienen un papel fundamental en estos sistemas, tanto organizando el trabajo de otros coprocesadores como ejecutando tareas en las que ningún otro procesador es más eficiente. No obstante, los procesadores tampoco siguen siendo dispositivos homogéneos. Los diferentes núcleos de un procesador pueden ofrecer diferentes características en términos de potencia y consumo energético que se adapten a las necesidades de cómputo de la aplicación. Programar este conjunto de dispositivos es una tarea compleja, especialmente en su sincronización. Habitualmente, esta sincronización se basa en operaciones atómicas, ejecución y terminación de kernels, barreras y señales. Con estas primitivas de sincronización básicas se pueden construir otras estructuras más complejas. Sin embargo, la programación de estos mecanismos es tediosa y propensa a fallos. La memoria transaccional (TM por sus siglas en inglés) se ha propuesto como un mecanismo avanzado a la vez que simple para garantizar la exclusión mutua