Doctoral School

Reading date: 25/11/2024

• FRAUENDORF BRANCO CENNI, MARINA: Correlations and Measurements​ as Resources for ​Quantum Information Tasks
  
  Author: FRAUENDORF BRANCO CENNI, MARINA
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN PHOTONICS
  Department: Institute of Photonic Sciences (ICFO)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 16/10/2024
  Reading date: 25/11/2024
  Reading time: 10:00
  Reading place: ICFO, Mediterranean Technology Park, Avinguda Carl Friedrich Gauss, 3, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona
  Thesis director: ACÍN DAL MASCHIO, ANTONIO
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: SANPERA TRIGUEROS, ANNA
       SECRETARI: LEWENSTEIN, MACIEJ
       VOCAL: PERARNAU LLOBET, MARTI
  Thesis abstract: The advent of quantum mechanics, which predicted strange, counter-intuitive effects and phenomena, that could not be mimicked by classical physical theories, revolutionized the scope and understanding of physics research back in the XIX century. As time passed, and quantum theory became better understood, a shift of paradigm occurred: what used to be solely an object of investigation and analysis became also a tool, as it was realized that the extraordinary, exotic features of systems working in the quantum regime could also be harnessed as resources that could be used to our benefit in different tasks. This shift of paradigm marked the beginning of a Second Quantum Revolution, which was characterized by the rise of the Quantum Information Science and Technologies. Central quantum resources such as quantum correlations, including entanglement, and also non-classicality and non-Gaussianity, were shown to be useful for data processing tasks such as communication, computation and parameter estimation, to name a few. In this thesis, we dive into the field of parameter estimation, or Metrology, and discuss the role of physical correations on the precision of the information retrieval of variables encoded in physical systems. We begin by exploring the role of a specific kind of correlations, those that arise indirectly between quantum probes via the interaction with a common environment, in the retrieval of temperature information of a cold bosonic bath. We then analyse the role of restricting the measurement choice of the probes to a limited set, that of Gaussian measurements, and show their usefulness in characterizing the temperature of Gaussian systems. Finally, we go beyond the scope of the field of Metrology and Thermometry, and look for effective ways to certify the presence of a number of relevant quantum resources in states produced by third order light-matter interaction, also known as three photon generation. There, we show that correctly tailored quantum witnesses can effectively certify the presence of quantum phenomena with no classical analog in photonic nonlinear processes.
  

• SAMPER GARCIA, YAIZA JULIA: RENEWAL TIME AS A TOOL FOR WATER QUALITY CONTROL IN PORTS ENVIRONMENTS.
  
  Author: SAMPER GARCIA, YAIZA JULIA
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN MARINE SCIENCES
  Department: Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DECA)
  Mode: Article-based thesis
  Deposit date: 12/07/2024
  Reading date: 25/11/2024
  Reading time: 11:00
  Reading place: Defensa pública a l'Aula C2-212 de l'ETSECCPB
  Thesis director: SANCHEZ-ARCILLA CONEJO, AGUSTIN | ESPINO INFANTES, MANUEL
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: GARCÍA SOTILLO, MARCOS
       SECRETARI: GRIFOLL COLLS, MANUEL
       VOCAL: LORENTE JIMENEZ, PABLO
  Thesis abstract: Currently, maritime transport plays a fundamental role in the global distribution of goods. In addition to their commercial function, ports are becoming of increasing importance in the recreational and tourism sectors. As a result, ports and the surrounding areas are subjected to strong environmental pressures, especially in the aquatic environment. This research analyses in six Spanish harbours the meteo-oceanographic variables that influence water inflows and outflows and, consequently, the renewal time of the harbours. This parameter can serve as an indicator of water quality in a semi-confined domain, as it is influenced by a wide range of factors, including environmental conditions, hydrodynamic characteristics and the harbour shape itself. The main objective of this doctoral thesis is to calculate and propose the use of the renewal time as a tool to control and improve water quality in port environments.The first part of this work is based only on observational data from measurement campaigns carried out in the ports of Barcelona, Tarragona and Castellón. This section analyses the meteorological and hydrodynamic conditions during the campaigns and investigates the occurrence of downwelling events under N/NE wind conditions, as well as upwelling events during S/W wind episodes. In addition, these events are related to variations in harbour renewal time and it is suggested that, under strong anticyclone conditions, the renewal time increases.The second study combines observations and numerical simulations to investigate the days with renewal times above the period mean in the ports of Huelva, Gijón and Cartagena. Using the results of the SAMOA system, it analyses the influence of atmospheric forcings such as wind and atmospheric pressure on the water exchanges between the port and the exterior. The results show that the majority of the days with a high renewal time can be attributed to wind events that favour the inflow of water into each port. Also, variations in atmospheric pressure lead to differences in water level between the inside and outside of the harbour, causing inflows or outflows of water that significantly affect the renewal time. In the third part of the thesis, the renewal time in the ports of Barcelona, Tarragona and Gijón is recalculated the LOCATE model, which integrates Eulerian hydrodynamic information from SAMOA and PARCELS, a Lagrangian particle solver. In this case, particle launches are simulated inside the harbours to study circulation and renewal trends both at the surface and at the bottom. The results show spatial variations both horizontally and vertically in all ports. Moreover, in the Mediterranean harbours (microtidal), the renewal time obtained at the bottom is higher than at the surface, however, in the Gijón harbour (mesotidal) the inverse is observed, it is higher at the surface.Throughout the three articles that compose it, the hydrodynamics of six Spanish ports have been characterized, combining the use of observational data with numerical simulations. This characterization allows for the study of water exchanges between the port and the exterior, as well as to calculate the renewal time, which is fundamental to guarantee the quality of the water in these semi-confined domains. The results have shown significant differences in the renewal time of the different harbours depending on the size and shape of the harbour, the environmental conditions and forcings, and the location and tidal regime. Therefore, it is essential to develop adapted management strategies based on the needs of each harbour to ensure adequate water quality.
  

Reading date: 26/11/2024

• FIALLO CARDONA, GLORIA CAROLINA: INTERACCIONES LÍQUIDAS. Dibujar el agua de la ciudad de Bogotá
  
  Author: FIALLO CARDONA, GLORIA CAROLINA
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN URBANISM
  Department: Department of Urbanism, Territory and Landscape (DUTP)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 24/10/2024
  Reading date: 26/11/2024
  Reading time: 16:30
  Reading place: Face-to-face (Room Sala de Grados ETSAB. Main floor) Videoconference: meet.google.com/fuy-hpct-jsp
  Thesis director: SABATE BEL, JOAQUIN | PESOA MARCILLA, MELISA
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: LLOP TORNE, CARLOS JUAN
       SECRETARI: GALLEGO PICARD, ELISA
       VOCAL: LONGHIN, ELENA
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: OSORIO GUZMAN, ANA MARIA
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: MEDINA ACOSTA, MERCEDES
  Thesis abstract: Bogotá, located in a lacustrine savanna surrounded by páramos and wetlands, has been shaped throughout its history by its relationship with water. From the muisca camellones to modern urbanization processes, the city has integrated rivers, canals, and streams into its urban fabric. Water, “sie,” has been the subject of study from various disciplines, highlighting its environmental, economic, and social significance. However, the traditional approach in Bogotá has focused on water supply and risk control, often leading to overexploitation of the resource and a reductionist representation on maps, where water is depicted as a simple blue line, disconnected from its context, resulting in a loss of environmental quality.In light of the current climate crisis, it is imperative to reexamine the relationship between water and territory with a more holistic and sensitive approach, especially from an environmental perspective. This research is based on the hypothesis that Bogotá acts as an interface between páramos and wetlands, revealing the need for new interpretations of how water interacts with the territory. The main objective is to explain the interactions between water and the city of Bogotá, shedding light on the role of water in the city through two epistemological approaches: water as a subject of rights and as a network agent.The thesis uses hydrocartographies, combining data analysis techniques with interpretative drawings and empirical observations to provide a comprehensive view of the different representations of water and its influence on territorial configuration. The proposed trans-scalar and multidimensional approach allows questioning traditional analyses and exploring new solutions based on an understanding of water’s natural cycles.We conclude that in Bogotá, water acts as a dynamic agent in the spatial dialogue between the urban environment and bodies of water, redefining boundaries through a trans-scalar approach that challenges traditional limits and proposes a more harmonious integration of territorial components. Since no cartography is definitive and each representation reflects processes in constant flux, the study suggests a new way of appreciating the territory’s attributes, promoting a reconciliation between water and the city while emphasizing the constancy of change, the fluidity. This deeper understanding highlights the need to adapt urban planning to consider water not only as a static resource but as a subject of rights and an agent in constant influence over urban development. The vision of Bogotá as a city of wetlands, interacting with páramos and basins, would make water dynamics visible in urban planning, challenging territorial models that have ignored its presence.
  

• LECHTENBERG, FABIAN: Multi-actor multi-criteria decision-making methods and tools for the implementation of industrial symbiosis and circular economy solutions in the process industry
  
  Author: LECHTENBERG, FABIAN
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN CHEMICAL PROCESS ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Chemical Engineering (EQ)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 01/10/2024
  Reading date: 26/11/2024
  Reading time: 11:00
  Reading place: Defensa pública EEBE, Sala Polivalent, Ed. I, I0.1, Campus Diagonal - Besós.
  Thesis director: GRAELLS SOBRE, MOISES | ESPUÑA CAMARASA, ANTONIO
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: CABALLERO SUÁREZ, JOSÉ ANTONIO
       SECRETARI: MONTASTRUC, LUDOVIC
       VOCAL NO PRESENCIAL: LEONARD, GRÉGOIRE
  Thesis abstract: The quest for sustainable development is both urgent and complex. Paradigms like circular economy (CE) and industrial symbiosis (IS) aim to address this challenge by promoting strategies to achieve a more efficient use of available resources and a reduction of generated waste. However, the implementation of these paradigms faces significant practical challenges that hinder their widespread application. Despite the availability of process integration (PI) methods and tools to identify opportunities for sharing resources and closing material loops in the process industry, and the growing computational power to handle increasingly complex problems, the practical challenge remains to quantitatively, fairly, and transparently demonstrate that the proposed solutions satisfy the objectives of all decision-makers involved.Driven by this challenge, this Thesis aims to bridge the gap by developing frameworks that facilitate multi-actor multi-criteria decision-making. To achieve this, appropriate methods from game theory (GT) are identified to address the multi-actor problem, evaluating the alternatives based on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that allows for obtaining quantitative, comparable, and transparent indicators for the multi-criteria problem. Focusing on the process industry, all developed solution methods leverage process systems concepts and mathematical programming. In the first part of this Thesis, GT is utilized as a tool to find solutions that are fair and acceptable for all actors involved. To that end, cooperative profit allocation approaches are applied to PI problems, which have been designed using a proposed framework to reach targeted benefits (economic and environmental) through the introduction of waste-to-resource technologies. Moreover, a Stackelberg competition based framework for the identification of stable outcomes of non-cooperative bargaining between the actors in waste-to-resource pathways, in the absence of a regulatory authority, is proposed and applied a plastic waste recycling case. The second part employs LCA as a tool to quantify the environmental benefits of implementing CE and IS solutions, as a procedure to systematically consider interlinked phenomena such as burden-shifting. Furthermore, this Thesis advances life cycle optimization (LCO) by integrating mathematical programming with LCA to leverage extensive data from commercial Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) databases. Practical contributions include the development of the ``Python-based User-defined Lifecycle Product Optimization'' (PULPO) method, which exploits LCI databases to globally evaluate the individual decisions of the involved processes and their interdependencies. This approach allows the consideration of global supply chain targets in the decision-making of specific links in the chain.The third part synthesizes the insights and approaches developed in the previous two parts and proposes the cooperative PI-MAMCA framework, which includes quantitative procedures for evaluating the stability in the allocation of benefits, based on previously established approaches for multi-actor multi-criteria decision-making. For the first time, simultaneous allocation of various benefits among multiple actors is proposed, demonstrating that, even when considering multiple criteria, fair and acceptable solutions exist.
  

Reading date: 28/11/2024

• GAL, EYAL: Clinical comparison of two specialty soft lenses for Keratoconus
  
  Author: GAL, EYAL
  Thesis file: (contact the Doctoral School to confirm you have a valid doctoral degree and to get the link to the thesis)
  Programme: DOCTORAL DEGREE IN OPTICAL ENGINEERING
  Department: Department of Optics and Optometry (OO)
  Mode: Normal
  Deposit date: 30/09/2024
  Reading date: 28/11/2024
  Reading time: 10:30
  Reading place: Auditori Joan Salvadó del Centre Universitari de la Visió - https://meet.google.com/vqk-vvvz-poh
  Thesis director: GANTZ, LIAT
  Committee:
       PRESIDENT: SHNEOR, EINAT
       SECRETARI: LAMARCA MATEU, JOSE
       VOCAL: TRAVE HUARTE, SONIA
  Thesis abstract: Due to advanced diagnostic instruments for detection of early-stage keratoconus (KC), and procedures that halt its progression such as corneal collagen cross-linking (CXL), optometry clinics are now seeing less severe cases of irregular corneas. As a result, optometrists are treating earlier stages of KC, and contact lens (CL) solutions for earlier stages of the disease are warranted. This thesis comprehensively evaluated the utility of two specialty soft lenses for KC of varying diameters and thicknesses in 40 eyes (N=20, mean age: 39±10, range: 23-55 yrs.) with KC grade 1 or 2 (based on Amsler-Krumeich) using a randomized, crossover, prospective longitudinal (up to one year follow-up) clinical design. The visual quality, contrast sensitivity, higher order aberrations (HOA), subjective satisfaction and wearer preference were compared between SoftK2 and Semi-scleral SoftK lenses. Objective visual outcomes were also compared with those obtained with gold-standard RGP lenses. Both soft lens designs significantly improved high contrast visual acuity (SoftK2 0.05±0.07, Semi-scleral SoftK 0.10±0.09LogMAR) compared with the habitual state (0.23±0.27 LogMAR). SoftK2 lenses provided low contrast VA 0.29±0.15 LogMAR), high contrast VA (0.04±0.06 LogMAR), contrast sensitivity (1.55±0.12 Log units), and HOA similar to GP lenses (low contrast visual acuity 0.27±0.17 Log MAR, high contrast visual acuity 0.07±0.07 LogMAR and contrast sensitivity 1.55±0.10 LogCS units). With low contrast, Semi- scleral SoftK did not show statistical significance compered to SoftK2 and from habitual state (0.40±0.2 Semi-scleral SoftK 0.52±0.3 habitual). No adverse events, limbal or conjunctival redness, papillary reaction, unusual appearances, or patient complaints requiring clinical action were noted at any of the follow-up visits with either lens type. The SoftK2 lens was preferred by 75% of the participants and had fewer participants with reported adverse events of dryness sensation after two weeks of wear. More participants continued its use over a period of 12-month with SoftK2 (7 participants were still using SoftK2 after 12 months, while no one was with Semi- scleral SoftK).SoftK2, Semi-scleral SoftK, and scleral GP lenses showed significant improvements of coma, trefoil, and tetrafoil HOAs compared to the uncorrected state, without significant differences between the lenses. SoftK2 and Semi-scleral SoftK lenses induced corneal swelling with clinically significant values in the periphery (7%-9% higher than the habitual state), which implies careful monitoring of eventual physiological adaptation changes to sustained hypoxia induced by the lens over time.The soft lenses were expected to only partially correct the refractive error of the KC participants leaving a small residual astigmatism. Since no clinical test currently exists to detect alterations in visual perception due to residual uncorrected astigmatism, an early part of the dissertation, was devoted to examining the utility of a novel test developed by Prof. Arnold Wilkins (UK), theWilkins Egg and Ball Test (WEBT) to address this question. The results of the WEBT were compared between three cohorts: 32 normal participants (mean age: 24±5) under baseline and induced cylinder ,22 keratoconic eyes (N=13, mean age: 36±12) and 23 astigmatic participants (mean age: 36±12). The WEBT was found to be sensitive to overall blur and not to residual astigmatic blur. Its measurements with Soft K2 compared with Semi-scleral SoftK lenses were not significantly different.We conclude that specialty soft lens designs for keratoconus are a viable alternative for KC patients with Stage 1 or 2 in terms of visual quality and tolerance. However, more research is needed to evaluate the long term eventual physiological implications of induced corneal swelling.