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Maximum and minimum core payoffs for supermodular multisided assignment markets with local monotonicity
No full text© 2025 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).We give formulas to obtain the maximum and minimum core payoffs for supermodular multisided assignment markets satisfying a local monotonicity condition. These formulas are obtained directly from the multisided array of data and we provide a core allocation where these bounds are attained. Similar formulas are known from Eriksson et al. (2000) for the bilateral Becker’s assortative assignment.Financial support from research grant PID2023-150472NB-I00 (Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, AEI/FEDER, UE) is gratefully
acknowledged, and from the Generalitat de Catalunya, through grant 2021 SGR 00306.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
Identification of sustainable transportation alternatives for tourism in Europe
No full textThe purpose of this research assignment is to identify sustainable transportation alternatives for tourists in Europe since both the tourism and transportation sector need to limit their environmental impact. With the aim to explore how air, car and rail travel affect carbon footprint and the experienced quality in terms of time and cost, this report highlights the trade-off tourists must make to travel in a sustainable way. The methodology was designed with a tourist based approach focusing on real world scenarios where data was collected from online carbon footprint calculators, market leading booking websites and European datasets. Both a short-term and long-term perspective was included in the study to capture changes in time duration and cost with respect to the timeframe. Moreover, a benchmarking analysis was conducted to deepen the understanding for the context that tourists find themselves in while choosing transportation alternative. The findings reveal that rail travel causes the significantly lowest carbon footprint making it a sustainable alternative. However, the prolonged travel time and uncompetitive prices affect the experienced quality. The result indicate that a single sustainable travel alternative does currently not exist for tourists who want to freely plan their travels, instead it depends on the availability for the destination. The concluding recommendations focus on further standardization of carbon footprint calculators to empower the decision process for tourists. It also suggests that rail travel should be prioritized when possible and combined with air and car alternatives when needed, to aim for a sustainable travel with expected quality.Incomin
Recent developments in the mechanical behavior of polymer-based composites
No full textPolymer-based systems have been shown to have a particular combination of characteristics that make them desirable in technological sectors, such as lightness, insulating properties, and easy molding during processing, as well as mechanical versatility, which is greatly due to their molecular microstructure. Nevertheless, they still present limitations in mechanical performance and use at moderate/high temperatures, considerably restricting their range of applications. Thus, great efforts have been directed towards developing strategies intended to enhance said characteristics and predict their complex mechanical behavior, with the main goal of adapting their properties to the end-use application. The present review considers the most recent developments, focusing on the research published in 2025 and early 2026, and future challenges in the mechanical behavior of polymer-based materials, being structured according to material considerations, more specifically the development of advanced (nano)composites based on high-performance matrices and functional nanoparticles, as well as bio-based polymer (nano)composites obtained from renewable sources and multifunctional smart and meta-materials for monitoring and long-term use; the development of new processing methods, focusing on advanced additive manufacturing; and the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning. All in all, the final objective is generating knowledge that will enable the preparation of components with tailor-made mechanical characteristics and functional properties, covering material design and processingThis research was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (projects PID2021-128048NB-I00 and PID2024-162714NB-I00)Postprint (published version
Learning for Philadelphia
No full text5 - Igualtat de Gènere10 - Reducció de les Desigualtats11 - Ciutats i Comunitats SosteniblesPostprint (published version
Els Agents de l'urbanisme : una lectura crítica i diagramàtica dels mecanismes de la producció de l’espai
No full textAquest treball proposa una lectura sistèmica de la producció de l’espai urbà a partir de la identificació i l’anàlisi dels principals agents i medis que hi intervenen. El document s’estructura en dos blocs principals: un primer bloc teòric que defineix els diferents medis implicats en l’urbanisme i un segon bloc que tradueix aquests continguts en un sistema de diagrames aplicats a un cas d’estudi concret. El diagrama s’utilitza com a eina analítica per posar en relació capes, jerarquies i camps de força que operen simultàniament sobre el territori amb la idea de trobar escletxes o oportunitats desaprofitades en el sistema.Este trabajo propone una lectura sistémica de la producción del espacio urbano a partir de la identificación y el análisis de los principales agentes y entornos que intervienen en él. El documento se estructura en dos bloques principales: un primer bloque teórico que define los distintos entornos implicados en el urbanismo y un segundo bloque que traduce estos contenidos en un sistema de diagramas aplicados a un caso de estudio concreto. El diagrama se utiliza como herramienta analítica para poner en relación capas, jerarquías y campos de fuerza que operan simultáneamente sobre el territorio, con la intención de identificar fisuras u oportunidades desaprovechadas dentro del sistema.This project proposes a systemic reading of the production of urban space through the identification and analysis of the main agents and environments involved. The document is structured into two main sections: a first theoretical section that defines the different environments shaping urbanism, and a second section that translates these concepts into a system of diagrams applied to a specific case study. The diagram is used as an analytical tool to relate layers, hierarchies and fields of force operating simultaneously across the territory, with the aim of identifying gaps or underutilized opportunities within the system
Multiscale hierarchical surface structuring of zirconia using femtosecond laser and chemical etching: implications for cell response and antibacterial performance
No full textThis study investigates a novel strategy combining ultrashort pulsed-direct laser interference patterning (USPDLIP) and chemical etching to create hierarchically micro- and nanorough topographies on zirconia with improved cell-instructive and antibacterial properties. Linear (L3) and grid (G3) micropatterns of 3 µm periodicity were fabricated via USP-DLIP, and subsequently treated with hydrofluoric acid to introduce an additional homogeneous nanotopography across the patterns. The individual and combined effects of micropatterning and etching on biological responses were evaluated using human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and two bacterial strains (Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus) in mono- and co-culture settings. Micropatterns primarily guided cell morphology, alignment, and migration, while the introduced nanotopography enhanced focal adhesion formation and modulated cell-surface interactions. Antibacterial effects were found to be topography- and species-specific: micropatterns restricted P. aeruginosa colonization through a bacterial confinement mechanism, whereas etching-induced nanotopography effectively reduced S. aureus adhesion by limiting contact points. In co-culture assays, hMSC survival depended on a complex interplay between cell spreading and bacterial retention, dictated by surface features. Notably, chemical etching improved the antibacterial potential of the patterns against S. aureus, but it did not result in a synergistic improvement on cellular responses. Indeed, among all tested surfaces, the non-etched linear pattern (L3) consistently exhibited the most favorable outcomes –enhancing hMSC adhesion, migration, and osteogenic differentiation and mineralization, while reducing bacterial colonization and supporting cell survival under infection-like co-culture conditions.This project has received funding from the European Union’s Hori- zon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skło- dowska-Curie grant Agreement No. 872869 (RISE Project Bio-TUNE). The authors also thank financial support from the Spanish Government and the Agencia Estatal de Investigación through grants PID2021- 126614OB-I00 and PID2023-148538OB-I00, and the Maria the Maeztu program through grant CEX2023-001300-M/funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033, as well as from the Generalitat de Catalunya for the 2021 SGR01368, the FI_B 00998 predoctoral fellowship of N.G.d. A and the ICREA Academia Award of M.-P.G. The authors also acknowledge financial support in the project “MatInnovat” supported by the Saarland State Ministry of Economics with resources from the Eu- ropean Fund for Regional Development (EFRE) and funding by the German Research Foundation for the ultrashort pulsed laser system (Solstice ACE by Spectra Physics within DFG, INST 256/562-1 FUGG). The authors would also like to thank project EQC2021-007785-P, awarded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and funded by the European Union (NextGeneration), for the total funding for the acquisition of the XPS system (ProvenX-NAP from SPECS) at the SRCiT of the URV.Postprint (published version
Formulation of a new shell-like reduced order model finite element for layered structures
No full textThis paper presents a weak work-based kinematic coupling formulation between layered Reissner-Mindlin (RM) shell models and non-overlapping contiguous solid models. This approach relies on the interface definition proposed by the Mixing Dimensional Coupling (MDC) method, extending it to layered cross-sections. To achieve this, additional weak kinematic conditions are added to the work and reaction equilibrium in order to ensure deformation compatibility along the coupling interface and through the laminate in its thickness direction. The first outcome of the presented work is the development of efficient hybrid models, which employ conventional shell elements in regions with uniform lamination and solid models in areas with discontinuities. This enables accurate capture of the structural stiffness while focusing computational resources on regions where the kinematic assumptions of shell elements are insufficient. Secondly, this work introduces a procedure for defining multi-nodal Shell-Like Reduced Order Models (SLROMs) that are compatible with conventional Reissner Mindlin shell elements. These SLROMs are derived from solid model representations of regions with laminates or discontinuities, such as holes, thickness variations, or laminate transitions. Once analyzed, they enable efficient shell-only analyses while still providing detailed solid model stress distribution. Both the coupling formulation and the SLROM approach are evaluated through illustrative numerical examples.This research has been supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programs under grant agreements No. 101006860 (FIBRE4YARDS project) and No. 952966 (FIBREGY project), and by the TOMAT project (PID2023-153213NA-I00) funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. Furthermore, it has been carried out within the framework of an FI doctoral grant awarded by the Generalitat de Catalunya and co-financed by the European Union. The authors appreciate these supports.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version
Concurs de projectes amb intervenció de jurat per a la redacció de l’avantprojecte, el projecte bàsic, el projecte d’execució i l’encàrrec de la direcció d’obres, coordinació de seguretat i salut i certificació final de l’ampliació del Parc audiovisual de Catalunya a Terrassa
No full textPrimer premiPostprint (published version