Search

Purpose: our aim was to analyze the characteristics of the off-the-wall smash in men´s and women´s padel, and to compare gender differences in the set-dependent frequency of these shots. Study sample: through systematic observation, we analyzed 441 off-the-wall smashes from the Final Master of the 2022 season of the World Padel Tour. Results: showed that the women performed twice as many off-the-wall smashes as the men. This shot was executed most frequently (90%) from the center and right side of the court and from the dominant side, usually providing volley continuity (73%) and sometimes resulting in point winners (21.5%). Furthermore, there were gender differences, depending on the defense zone from which the wall smashes were defended (p =.014) and on the final match result (p =.018). In men's padel, the losing pair performed more off-the-wall smashes, while in women's padel, the winning pair performed more of these smashes. Finally, between both genders, most off-the-wall smashes occurred in the first set and decreased in number in the third set, with the second set containing the fewest off-the wall smashes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores whether the frequency and diversity of behaviours observed during contact visits may be used as indicators of visit quality. We observed 20 contact visits and quantified the frequency and diversity of behaviours for both parent and child, classified as positive or negative with respect to the child's well‐being. Quality of visits was classified based on a list of parent and child behaviours and two indicators (diversity and frequency), to create two observational checklists and calculate an overall quality index. This observational tool will enable identification of areas where birth parents or their child require additional support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the first Early Researchers' Seminar for Science and Speculative Fiction, which took place at the University of Salamanca in Spain. The seminar featured a series of panels and discussions on various topics related to speculative fiction, including gendered geographies, posthumanism, and contemporary speculative literature. The speakers aimed to deliver accessible talks that catered to a diverse audience, from established researchers to undergraduate students. The seminar provided a welcoming and non-commodified space for the exchange of ideas and fostered discussions on topics such as feminist speculation, posthuman bodies, and the critical potentials of speculative fiction. [Extracted from the article]

Pain neuroscience education combined with exercise (PNE 1 exercise) is an effective treatment for patients with chronic spinal pain. Yet, however, little is known about its underlying therapeutic mechanisms. Thus, this study aimed to provide the first insights by performing a novel mediation analysis approach in a published randomized controlled trial in primary care where PNE 1 exercise was compared with standard physiotherapy. Four mediators (catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, central sensitization-related distress, and pain intensity) measured at postintervention and 3 outcomes (disability, health-related quality of life, and pain medication intake) measured at 6-month follow-up were included into the analysis. The postintervention measure of each outcome was also introduced as a competing candidate mediator in each respective model. In addition, we repeated the analysis by including all pairwise mediator-mediator interactions to allow the effect of each mediator to differ based on the other mediators' values. Postintervention improvements in disability, medication intake, and health-related quality of life strongly mediated PNE 1 exercise effects on each of these outcomes at 6-month follow-up, respectively. Reductions in disability and medication intake were also mediated by reductions in kinesiophobia and central sensitization-related distress. Reductions in kinesiophobia also mediated gains in the quality of life. Changes in catastrophizing and pain intensity did not mediate improvements in any outcome. The mediation analyses with mediator-mediator interactions suggested a potential effect modification rather than causal independence among the mediators. The current results, therefore, support the PNE framework to some extent as well as highlight the need for implementing the recent approaches for mediation analysis to accommodate dependencies among the mediators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Implicit Motives are non-conscious needs that drive human behavior towards the achievement of incentives that are affectively incited. Repeated affective experiences providing satisfying rewards have been held responsible for the building of Implicit Motives. Responses to rewarding experiences have a biological basis via close connections with neurophysiological systems controlling neurohormone release. We propose an iteration random function system acting in a metric space to model experience–reward interactions. This model is based on key facts of Implicit Motive theory reported in a broad number of studies. The model shows how (random) responses produced by intermittent random experiences create a well-defined probability distribution on an attractor, thus providing an insight into the underlying mechanism leading to the emergence of Implicit Motives as psychological structures. Implicit Motives' robustness and resilience properties appear theoretically explained by the model. The model also provides uncertainty entropy-like parameters to characterize Implicit Motives which hopefully might be useful, beyond the mere theoretical frame, when used in combination with neurophysiological methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Molecular cobaloxime-based heterogeneous systems have attracted great interest during the last decades in light-driven hydrogen production. Here, we present a novel cobaloxime-tethered periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) hybrid (Im-EtPMO-Co) prepared through the immobilization of a molecular cobaloxime complex on the imidazole groups present in ethylene-bridged PMO. The successful assembly of a molecular cobaloxime catalyst via cobalt-imidazole axial ligation has been evidenced by several techniques, such as 13C NMR, Raman spectroscopy, ICP-MS, and XPS. The catalytic performance of Im-EtPMO-Co catalyst was essayed on the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) under visible light in presence of a photosensitizer (Eosin Y) and an electron donor (TEOA). It showed an excellent hydrogen production of 95 mmol hydrogen at 2.5 h, which corresponded to a TON of 138. These results reflect an improved photocatalytic activity with respect to its homogenous counterpart [Co(dmgH)2(Im)Cl] as well as a previous cobaloxime-PMO system with pyridine axial ligation to the cobaloxime complex. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using various smart sensors integrated in a global domotic system, a proper solar thermal management is executed. The goal is to properly manage solar energy for heating swimming pool using various devices installed at home. Swimming pools are a necessity in many communities. In summer, they are a source of refreshment. However, maintaining a swimming pool at an optimal temperature can be a challenge even in the summer months. The use of the Internet of Things in homes has enabled proper management of solar thermal energy, thus significantly improving the quality of life by making homes more comfortable and safer without using additional resources. The houses built today have several smart devices that manage to optimize the energy consumption of the house. The solutions proposed in this study to improve energy efficiency in swimming pool facilities include the installation of solar collectors to heat swimming pool water more efficiently. The installation of smart actuation devices (to efficiently control energy consumption of a pool facility via different processes) together with sensors that provide valuable information on energy consumption in the different processes of a pool facility, can optimize energy consumption thus reducing overall consumption (by 90%) and economic cost (by more than 40%). Together, these solutions can help to significantly reduce energy consumption and economic costs and extrapolate it to different processes of similar characteristics in the rest of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change is causing serious damage to natural and social systems, as well as having an impact on human health. Among the direct effects of climate change is the rise in global surface temperatures and the increase in the frequency, duration, intensity and severity of heat waves. In addition, understanding of the adaptation process of the exposed population remains limited, posing a challenge in accurately estimating heat-related morbidity and mortality. In this context, this study seeks to establish a conceptual framework that would make it easier to understand and organise knowledge about human adaptation to heat and the factors that may influence this process. An inductive approach based on grounded theory was used, through the analysis of case studies connecting concepts. The proposed conceptual framework is made up of five components (climate change, vulnerability, health risks of heat, axes of inequality and health outcomes), three heat-adaptation domains (physiological, cultural and political), two levels (individual and social), and the pre-existing before a heat event. The application of this conceptual framework facilitates the assistance of decision-makers in planning and implementing effective adaptation measures. Recognizing the importance of addressing heat adaptation as a health problem that calls for political solutions and social changes. Accordingly, this requires a multidisciplinary approach that would foster the participation and collaboration of multiple actors for the purpose of proposing effective measures to address the health impact of the rise in temperature. • Five components guide understanding of human adaptation to heat. • Domains of heat adaptation are physiological, cultural, and political adaptations. • Adaptation to heat occurs at both the individual and social levels. • Addressing health impacts of rising temperatures requires political and social changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of body fat of children in primary care requires consideration of the dynamic changes in height, weight, lean mass, and fat mass during childhood growth. To achieve this, we aim to develop a predictive equation based on anthropometric values, with optimal diagnostic utility. This is a cross-sectional observational study, involving schoolgoers aged 11–17 years in the Vigo metropolitan area. Out of 10,747 individuals, 577 were randomly recruited. Variables: age, sex, ethnicity/country of origin, weight, height, 8 skinfolds, 3 diameters, 7 perimeters, and 85% percentile of body fat mass as the gold standard. Generalized additive regression was selected by cross-validation and compared using receiver operating characteristic curves (ROC curves). Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, true positive and true negative values, false positive and false negative values, accuracy, and positive and negative likelihood ratios were calculated. Two models were identified. The optimal model includes sex, weight, height, leg perimeter, and arm perimeter, with sensitivity of 0.93 (0.83–1.00), specificity of 0.91 (0.83–0.96), accuracy of 0.91 (0.84–0.96), and area under the curve (AUC) of 0.957 (0.928–0.986). The second model includes sex, age, and body mass index, with sensitivity of 0.93 (0.81–1.00), specificity of 0.90 (0.80–0.97), accuracy of 0.90 (0.82–0.96), and an AUC of 0.944 (0.903–0.984).Conclusion: Two predictive models, with the 85th percentile of fat mass as the gold standard, built with basic anthropometric measures, show very high diagnostic utility parameters. Their calculation is facilitated by a complementary online calculator.What is Known:• In routine clinical practice, mainly in primary care, BMI is used to determine overweight and obesity. This index has its weaknesses in the assessment of children.What is New:• We provide a calculator whose validated algorithm, through the determination of fat mass by impedanciometry, makes it possible to determine the risk of overweight and obesity in the community setting, through anthropometric measurements, providing a new practical, accessible and reliable model that improves the classification of overweight and obesity in children with respect to that obtained by determining BMI.What is Known:• In routine clinical practice, mainly in primary care, BMI is used to determine overweight and obesity. This index has its weaknesses in the assessment of children.What is New:• We provide a calculator whose validated algorithm, through the determination of fat mass by impedanciometry, makes it possible to determine the risk of overweight and obesity in the community setting, through anthropometric measurements, providing a new practical, accessible and reliable model that improves the classification of overweight and obesity in children with respect to that obtained by determining BMI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Trastuzumab deruxtecan (T-DXd) is an antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) consisting of a humanised, anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) monoclonal antibody covalently linked to a topoisomerase I inhibitor cytotoxic payload (DXd). The high drug-to-antibody ratio (8:1) ensures a high DXd concentration is delivered to target tumour cells, following internalisation of T-DXd and subsequent cleavage of its tetrapeptide-based linker. DXd's membrane-permeable nature enables it to cross cell membranes and potentially exert antitumour activity on surrounding tumour cells regardless of HER2 expression. T-DXd's unique mechanism of action is reflected in its efficacy in clinical trials in patients with HER2-positive advanced breast cancer (in heavily pretreated populations and in those previously treated with a taxane and trastuzumab), as well as HER2-low metastatic breast cancer. Thus, ADCs such as T-DXd have the potential to change the treatment paradigm of targeting HER2 in metastatic breast cancer, including eventually within the adjuvant/neoadjuvant setting. [Display omitted] • Antibody-drug conjugates have significantly improved breast cancer (BC) treatment. • Trastuzumab deruxtecan's (T-DXd) structure allows large payload delivery to targets. • T-DXd has demonstrated unprecedented efficacy in patients with HER2+ advanced BC. • T-DXd has significantly improved survival rates in heavily pretreated BC patients. • T-DXd may change the treatment paradigm of targeting HER2 in metastatic BC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An earlier analysis of the PEARL phase III study showed that palbociclib plus endocrine therapy (ET) does not improve progression-free survival (PFS) over capecitabine in aromatase inhibitor-resistant, hormone receptor-positive/human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients. Here, we report the final overall survival (OS) analysis. Postmenopausal patients (N = 601) were randomized 1:1 to capecitabine or palbociclib plus ET (exemestane, Cohort 1; fulvestrant, Cohort 2). OS was analysed in Cohort 2, the wild-type ESR1 population and the overall population. Additionally, we analysed subsequent systemic therapies and explored PFS2 (time from randomization to the end of the first subsequent therapy/death). OS was 31.1 months for palbociclib plus fulvestrant and 32.8 months for capecitabine (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.10, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.81–1.50, P = 0.550). In the wild-type ESR1 population, OS was 37.2 months for palbociclib plus ET and 34.8 months for capecitabine (aHR 1.06, 95% CI 0.81–1.37, P = 0.683). In OS analyses, no subgroup showed superiority for palbociclib plus ET over capecitabine. OS in the overall population was 32.6 months for palbociclib plus ET and 30.9 months for capecitabine (P = 0.995). Subsequent systemic therapy was given to 79.8% and 82.9% of patients with palbociclib plus ET and capecitabine, respectively. Median PFS2 was similar between study arms (Cohort 2, P = 0.941; wild-type ESR1 population, P = 0.827). No new safety findings were observed. Palbociclib plus ET did not show a statistically superior OS compared to capecitabine in MBC patients progressing on aromatase inhibitors. NCT02028507 (ClinTrials.gov), 2013-003170-27 (EudraCT). • Overall survival (OS) was assessed in patients with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). • OS was similar for palbociclib + fulvestrant and capecitabine in AI-resistant MBC. • The results were independent of the ESR1 mutational status. • In wild-type ESR1 tumours, palbociclib + ET and capecitabine also had similar OS. • Progression-free survival 2 was similar in both treatment arms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group singing may be an optimal intervention strategy to promote active ageing and well‐being; however, evidence with experimental validity is scarce. This study aims to fill this gap by analysing the effects of a 34‐session singing group programme (SGP) on participants' subjective and social well‐being and the mediating roles of social identification with the singing group and of self‐esteem. An RCT with intervention (n = 89) and active waiting‐list control (n = 60) conditions was conducted, and a mixed method quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis were performed. Participants were mostly elderly day‐care centre users (M = 76.66 years old; SD = 8.79) with low average levels of education and income. Structured measures of life satisfaction, positive and negative affect, self‐esteem, loneliness, social identification and social well‐being were collected, as well as interviews on the perceived benefits of participating in the SGP. Results showed significant effects of the SGP on the positive affect, social well‐being and marginally on the self‐esteem of the participants. The observed effects were sustained at the follow‐up. Qualitative analysis corroborated the quantitative results. Mediation analysis showed indirect effects of social identification with the singing group on loneliness and social identification with the social care institution group; and of self‐esteem on positive and negative affect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrate pollution in aquifers is a global concern. Spain has developed a national strategy to recover nitrate polluted aquifers aligned with the European Union (EU) policies, specifically through the water planning under the EU Water Framework Directive. River basin management plans use PATRICAL model results to define the maximum nitrogen surplus in each polluted aquifer for the first time. The maximum nitrogen surplus allows to reach the good status in each aquifer and the model provides the number of years required. Around 30% of the aquifers in Spain is currently heavily polluted by nitrates. Model results show that 90% of these aquifers can be recovered in next 6–12 years by increasing nitrogen use efficiency and reducing nitrogen losses around 50%, which is in line with the EU Farm to Fork Strategy. The remaining aquifers require additional reductions to achieve the good status. In Spain this increase in nitrogen efficiency can be obtained with different measures including 30% reduction of current fertilization. [Display omitted] • Spanish strategy to recover nitrate polluted aquifers is perfectly aligned with the European Farm to Fork Strategy. • In Spain 30% of aquifers have high nitrate levels. • PATRICAL model results define maximum nitrogen surplus in each aquifer. • 90 % of groundwater can be recovered reducing nitrogen losses by 50%. • Recovery time required is between 6 and 12 years for most aquifers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We prove that every JB⁎-triple E (in particular, every C ⁎ -algebra) satisfying the Daugavet property also satisfies the stronger polynomial Daugavet property, that is, every weakly compact polynomial P : E ⟶ E satisfies the Daugavet equation ‖ Id X + P ‖ = 1 + ‖ P ‖. The analogous conclusion also holds for the alternative Daugavet property. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metagenomics provides a new window into the structure and function of the human gut microbiome. Results suggest that certain properties of the adult gut microbial community are conserved across host populations and show remarkable resilience. The non-random clustering of taxa in gut microbiomes is evidence for the existence of functional networks in communities that may be involved in underlying dynamical processes giving rise to these patterns. Models for understanding the underlying structure (including enterotypes) and derived properties are in demand by researchers. We propose a simple random function system to model adaption and self-organization of the microbiome taxonomic space when fostering the optimal functioning of the system. The construction of this model is based on key facts of microbiota functioning, reported in recent studies. We aim to demonstrate the existence of a probability distribution as a microbiome attractor resulting from an intermittent adaption process. Its mathematical structural properties explain the stability of gut microbiota and its resilience to perturbation after occasional stress. The model is consistent with microbiome clustering results and provides precise mathematical meaning to reported gradients among enterotypes. The model also explains how intermittent perturbations, such as long-term dietary patterns, may affect microbiome structure; these results are consistent with reported experimental results. The mathematical facts implied by the model reveal an underlying mechanism that may explain gut microbiome structure and related experimental findings. Within this framework, stability and resilience properties of human gut microbiota are explained as a consequence of the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This essay analyzes certain audio-visual sf narratives that are primarily distributed via VOD (video-on-demand) platforms, specifically focusing on episodes of Netflix’s Black Mirror and Amazon’s Electric Dreams, considering both in the context of postcinematic spectatorship. It shows how the ostensibly subversive, anti-capitalist narratives of these shows may lead towards conformity with hegemonic individualism, especially when viewed through VOD platforms. The underlying assumption is that the possibility of subversion is dialectically entwined with—yet not necessarily annulled by—its recuperation by dominant neoliberal individualism, which makes each of these series ambiguously open-ended in their ideological effects. Although this essay centers upon two examples within their specific context of reception, it also suggests a larger theoretical framework for the understanding of similar forms of contemporary sf, proposing “melodramatic science fiction” as an analytic lens that incorporates and reframes ideas originally developed for the criticism of melodrama. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the implied critical stance of dystopian narratives, there is a strand of beautiful, aesthetically pleasant dystopias--inherently ambivalent texts that are--both fascinating and horrifying. Drawing from examples in literature and television, this article argues that "beautified dystopias" generate a surplus (or excess) of aesthetic enjoyment, harboring a mystifying potential in tension with the critical-satirical potential of dystopias. In a rereading of Yevgeny Zamyatin's We, this article first examine how D-503's aestheticizing voice--although undeniably constructed for a satirical effect--fosters a degree of fascination toward the dystopian world in excess of Zamyatin's intentions. Second, taking Black Mirror's "Fifteen Million Merits" as an example of contemporary televisual dystopias, this article argues that the supposedly ironic construction of beautified cinematic miseen- scènes deepens and complicates the underlying ambivalence of "beautified dystopias." The author's assumption is that this is not an exceptional case, but rather an integral part of the current dystopian structure of feeling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a spectacular growth in the escape game sector over the past decade. The extraordinary global impact of escape rooms, their implications for tourism, and the limited literature provide grounds for this research. This paper examines such phenomena using an empirical methodology based on a geographic analysis of business repositories and a global survey. Tourism plays a significant role in the escape room industry: approximately one of every three customers is a tourist. Escape roomer-tourists have even been detected: people who essentially plan their trips with the sole intention of playing these games. A significant contrast exists between business-owners and countries, however, as to the role given to foreign customers and the opportunities that all the above implies. Indeed, the connection between escape room narratives and the local culture has been shown to be weak in a majority of cases. Thus, this contribution seeks to feed into an emerging and increasingly relevant debate that has been little addressed in tourism geography: linking experiences, creative economies, authenticity and cultural heritage, etc. – through escape rooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The latter authors proposed an elegant solution for the segmentation problem based on saturating the soil sample with a salt solution that exhibits an abrupt and notable change of the mass attenuation coefficient at the threshold level of the beam energy. Multifractal and joint multifractal analysis of soil micronutrients extracted by two methods along a transect in a coarse textured soil. As the pedodiversity manifests itself in scaling of soil spatial units, it affects scaling of ecological land units for which the spatial pattern of soil is an important control. Scale is an essential concept in the description of soils. [Extracted from the article]

Andalusia has become one of the main destinations for British residential tourists, attracted by leisure, a mild climate and the search for a better lifestyle. Prompted by its interest in selling houses, the real estate industry has devised an image of the Andalusian landscape that is, to all intents and purposes, partial and biased. The purpose of this research is to assess the importance of the elements and features that characterise this particular vision of this Spanish region, paying particular attention to more rural inland areas. For this, an empirical study has been conducted based on content analysis of real estate websites targeting British buyers. This study has revealed that: (i) the misrepresented and romantic projection of the image of Andalusia still persists to a certain extent. Among the main elements and attributes that characterise the landscape are all those that emphasise the region's sublime, picturesque and exotic nature; other main landscape qualities and unique areas, specifically, any that today enjoy natural or cultural legal protection due to their heritage value, are less important in this cultural construction; (ii) the various parts of Andalusia are treated unequally. Malaga province and the rest of the Baetic Mountains are much better represented than other areas (the Guadalquivir Valley and the Sierra Morena mountains). This imbalance sometimes results in a distorted construction of the territory. This way of conceiving Andalusia puts Malaga at the heart of the region, and the further from the Costa del Sol, the more peripheral the regions become; (iii) the complexity of the landscape as a cultural expression is reduced to a set of simplified features that can be easily digested by a social group focused not on experiencing, but on consuming the landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we introduce and study a Lipschitz version of the Bishop–Phelps–Bollobás property (Lip-BPB property). This property deals with the possibility of making a uniformly simultaneous approximation of a Lipschitz map F and a pair of points at which F almost attains its norm by a Lipschitz map G and a pair of points such that G strongly attains its norm at the new pair of points. We first show that if M is a finite pointed metric space and Y is a finite-dimensional Banach space, then the pair (M , Y) has the Lip-BPB property, and that both finiteness assumptions are needed. Next, we show that if M is a uniformly Gromov concave pointed metric space (i.e. the molecules of M form a set of uniformly strongly exposed points), then (M , Y) has the Lip-BPB property for every Banach space Y. We further prove that this is the case for finite concave metric spaces, ultrametric spaces, and Hölder metric spaces. The extension of the Lip-BPB property from (M , R) to some Banach spaces Y and some results for compact Lipschitz maps are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the most representative allocation strategies to deal with the multi-armed bandit problem in a context with delayed rewards by means of a numerical study based on a discrete event simulation. The scenario that we address is a digital marketing content recommendation system, called campaign management , used by marketers to create specific digital content that can be issued or configured for viewing by certain population segments according to a series of business variables, user profile or behavior. Both batch mode and online update architectures are considered for feedback from the different contents displayed to users. The results show that possibilistic reward (PR) methods outperform other allocation strategies in this scenario with delayed rewards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This work describes a methodology to quantify the benefits from both a business-related and energy resilience perspectives provided by a microgrid based on photovoltaic solar energy and electrochemical energy storage integrated in large buildings, such as office buildings not open to the general public, which is presented as case study. First it has been identified how, by using distributed renewable energy sources (in particular, photovoltaic solar energy) and electrochemical energy storage systems, the life-cycle cost of the energy in a microgrid connected to the electrical network can be reduced significantly. As novel approach, it has been evaluated how this microgrid design can increase the resilience of a power customer supply, quantified as the time period the microgrid is able to feed an electrical consumer at an outage, which it results of great importance for large office buildings that are used to have several critical loads, such as data servers and data processing centers. It was found that, by adding photovoltaic solar energy and electrochemical storage, it is possible to extend the power resilience of this sort of power customers achieving an average survival time to a power cut of 4 h thanks to the proposed solar photovoltaic and energy storage system. Then, the microgrid could save $ 112,410 in energy over the 20-year life cycle of the facility, while increasing the amount of time it can survive a power outage. The proposed methodology presented in this paper provides a model that can be applied to other case studies and scenarios where an alternative to the classic diesel-based emergency supply systems are needed. Graphical abstract Image 1 Highlights • A methodology to quantify the resilience PV/storage benefits is presented. • A case study at an office building not open to the general public is conducted. • Microgrid LCOE was reduced for a grid connected operation mode. • By including PV/storage to the microgrid, outage survivability is extended. • Microgrid could save $ 112,410 in energy over the 20-year life cycle of the facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we tackle the problem of graph anonymization in the context of privacy-preserving social network mining. We present a greedy and non-deterministic algorithm to achieve k-anonymity on labeled and undirected networks. Our work aims to create a scalable algorithm for real-world big networks, which runs in parallel and uses biased randomization for improving the quality of the solutions. We propose new metrics that consider the utility of the clusters from a recommender system point of view. We compare our approach to SaNGreeA, a well-known state-of-the-art algorithm for k-anonymity generalization. Finally, we have performed scalability tests, with up to 160 machines within the Hadoop framework, for anonymizing a real-world dataset with around 830 K nodes and 63 M relationships, demonstrating our method's utility and practical applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary This study aims to give voice to parents and gather their views about contact visits in foster care. Participants were 23 birth families who had contact visits with 35 children in non-kinship foster care. Semistructured individual interviews were conducted in order to explore two key aspects: the parents' opinions regarding the contact visits and the main areas they felt needed improving. The interviews were transcribed and the transcripts were examined using an inductive method by Atlas.ti. Findings The main themes to emerge concerned their general view of contact visits, the input and support from social workers, the contribution of foster families, the contact venue, and the organization of visits. In general, the birth families' comments were positive about the support and treatment received from social workers. However, they also mentioned certain aspects should be improved, such as supervision during visits. Applications The results suggest several ways to improve social work practice. Social workers should aim to involve birth families more in the process of drawing up contact arrangements and offering birth families adequate preparation prior to visits. Child protection agencies also have a role to play in relation to improving the facilities in which visits are held, as well as their overall organization, such as, the venue should provide a space that enables everyday family relationships to take place, and in the absence of this, attempts should be made to organize visits outside the official meeting place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Solar PV and self-consumption have been halted in Spain due to several barriers. • Un unstable regulatory framework for self-consumption influences its deployment. • Strategies to accelerate high solar photovoltaic growth rates in Spain are proposed. • Measures to promote PV integration in distribution may have a positive impact. Abstract Despite the Spanish privileged geographical location and business leadership in the renewable energy field, currently is can be observed that the solar photovoltaic generation, electric self-consumption systems and net-metering policies deployment is much lower than it can be observed in other countries, even with lower energy sources for self-consumption. Energy policy experts assess as main reason the absence of a stable regulatory framework and the existence of clear disincentives. These disincentives are based on several economic non-market failures and institutional barriers. One key factor has proven to be the regulatory uncertainty created mainly by the recent national most relevant ministerial orders regarding energy generation and consumption, which suggests that, de facto , the regulatory framework is currently still under development. This paper includes first a brief but deep description of the prosumers penetration existing scenario in Spain, and then it focuses on feasible strategies to accelerate higher solar photovoltaic and self-consumption growth rates in Spain. Then, new policy measures to eliminate, or at least, mitigate, current barriers to their deployment are proposed and discussed. It is concluded that it results mandatory the urgent modernization of the energy regulatory framework promoting an active role for distributed PV generation which could have a significant positive impact in the voltage control and frequency regulation in distribution networks, among other advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we propose a set of allocation strategies to deal with the multi-armed bandit problem, the possibilistic reward (PR) methods. First, we use possibilistic reward distributions to model the uncertainty about the expected rewards from the arm, derived from a set of infinite confidence intervals nested around the expected value. Depending on the inequality used to compute the confidence intervals, there are three possible PR methods with different features. Next, we use a pignistic probability transformation to convert these possibilistic functions into probability distributions following the insufficient reason principle . Finally, Thompson sampling techniques are used to identify the arm with the higher expected reward and play that arm. A numerical study analyses the performance of the proposed methods with respect to other policies in the literature. Two PR methods perform well in all representative scenarios under consideration, and are the best allocation strategies if truncated poisson or exponential distributions in [0,10] are considered for the arms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil texture representation with the standard textural fraction triplet "sand-silt-clay" is commonly used to estimate soil properties. The objective of this work was to test the hypothesis that other fraction sizes in the triplets may provide a better representation of soil texture for estimating some soil parameters. We estimated the cumulative particle size distribution and bulk density from an entropy-based representation of the textural triplet with experimental data for 6240 soil samples. The results supported the hypothesis. For example, simulated distributions were not significantly different from the original ones in 25 and 85 % of cases when the sand-silt-clay and "very coarse+coarse + medium sand - fine + very fine sand - silt+clay" were used, respectively. When the same standard and modified triplets were used to estimate the average bulk density, the coefficients of determination were 0.001 and 0.967, respectively. Overall, the textural triplet selection appears to be application and data specific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Droughts are one of the gravest natural threats currently existing in the world and their occurrence and intensity might be exacerbated in the coming years due to climate change. The severe impacts that droughts cause to inland water resources and to the associated socio-economic activities justify the continuous monitoring of the drought. The case study presented shows a practical application of a distributed drought monitoring system implemented in a real river basin district, the Júcar River Basin District (43,000 km 2 ), where drought periods of marked intensity have occurred historically and the climate ranges from humid in the north to semiarid in the south. Five drought indices have been applied: Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) for meteorological drought; Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI) and a new soil moisture index (HI), for edaphic drought; Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) for the vegetation activity; and Spanish Status Index (SI), for the operational drought. All indices are standardised to compare them. The relationship between the standardised operational drought index SI and the long-term meteorological indices, SPI-12 or SPI-24, show that in a medium size basin the concept of “prolonged drought” required by the European Commission under the Water Framework Directive could be defined by the use of accumulated precipitation indices. The number of months to be accumulated depends on the size of the basin and the water management system properties. In large basins, such as the Júcar river basin (22,000 km 2 ), there are significant deviations due to the spatial distribution of the drought. The use of a unique aggregated indicator could hide a significant drought in a specific area, or on the other hand show a non-real drought. Evolution of drought indices for each water management system must be accompanied by spatially distributed drought maps to better understand the drought status and its evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of Metacognitive skills is a key element to guide the learning process. Current research has shown the initiation of these skills from an early age. The present study had two aims: (1) to validate a Scale Measuring Precursor Metacognitive Skills (SMPMS) in children with diverse disabilities, and (2) to study possible significant different between different disabilities in precursor metacognitive skill use. We worked with 87 children with different disabilities, with an average age range of 24-37 months. The results have shown high indicators of reliability and validity of the SMPMS. We isolated two factors related to cognitive and metacognitive and self-regulation skills response to an adult. We also found significant differences in the acquisition of metacognitive and self-regulation skills among children with global developmental retardation as compared to children with expressive language and comprehension disability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Solar energy potential analysis on oriented and tilted surfaces, such as building façades, is of capital importance to estimate the energy production potential in integrated systems, such as BIPVs. The spatial distribution of solar diffuse energy outstands as one of the most critical factors in order to improve performance simulations. Nevertheless, most wide spread models have been only evaluated on equator facing tilted surfaces and with daily mean or hourly mean time ranges. Thus, in this paper, 30 transposition solar diffuse irradiance models, from the semiphysical classical ones to the newest non-parametric models, are reviewed, classified according to their characteristics and evaluated against empirical 10-min averaged diffuse irradiance values gathered from high precision pyranometers placed on vertical positions facing the four cardinal directions. Models’ performance is evaluated by several statistical estimators and a benchmark has been carried out by a non-parametrical aggregating procedure. Results show that the most accurate models appear to be the non-parametric ones. From these, The Multi-Layer Perceptron obtains the best results. From the parametric models, the one whose estimations are closest to the measures is the Perez et al. with local optimized coefficients. Perez et al. model with the original coefficients, Skartveit and Olseth and Igawa et al. models also show a good performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study offers several management strategies in order to improve the performance of a free water surface constructed wetland that treats mainly eutrophic water and which is also designed to improve and increase the biodiversity of habitat and wildlife. To attain these goals, it has been necessary to analyze the influence of certain operational parameters and environmental factors on the mass removal rates (MRRs) and the mass removal efficiencies (MREs), depending on if the objective is to maximize nutrient removal or to achieve low effluent concentrations. The system, referred to as FG, operated in a range of hydraulic loading rates (HLRs) from 7 to 58 m year and removed phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) at an average rate of 7.15 g P m year and 60.07 g N m year. P and N removal varied seasonally, mainly due to input concentrations ( C ), but inlet mass loading and HLRs also strongly influenced MRRs. Based on these results, we propose to maintain a mean HLR of 58 m year in winter and 25 m year in summer to increase annual nutrient removal and thereby barely affecting pumping costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective To examine the influence of physical activity on breast cancer risk and evaluate whether adherence to international recommendations is associated with a decreased risk. Methods This is a multicenter matched case-control study where 698 pairs completed a physical activity questionnaire. Recreational physical activity during the last year was quantified in metabolic equivalent hours per week (MET-h/week) and categorized in activities of moderate (3.0–5.9 MET) and vigorous (> 6 MET) intensity. The adherence to World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research recommendation was also assessed. The association with breast cancer risk, overall and by pathologic subtype, was evaluated using conditional and multinomial logistic regression models. Results Mean MET-h/week was 16.6 among cases and 20.4 among controls. Premenopausal breast cancer risk decreased by 5% ( P = 0.007) for every 6 MET-h/week increase in energy expenditure. By contrast, postmenopausal women needed to do more intense exercise to observe benefits. The protection was more pronounced for nulliparous women, as well as for hormone receptor positive and HER2 + tumors. Physically inactive women displayed a 71% increased risk when compared with those who met the international recommendation ( P = 0.001). Finally, women who were inactive during the previous year, regardless of the overall physical activity reported in previous periods, showed an increased risk when compared to always active women. Conclusions Women who report adherence to international physical activity recommendations entail a significant decrease in risk for all pathologic breast cancer subtypes. This is of particular interest in Spain, where a significant increase in overweight and obesity in recent decades is observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using the Shannon Information Entropy (IE) as a soil structure metric is proposed to analyze the effect of the particle size distribution (PSD) heterogeneity on soil bulk density values. A data base including 6239 soil samples from Florida is used. For each soil the IE is computed using mass proportions of the seven texture fractions that the data base provides. The range of IE values is divided into subintervals of equal length to study how differences in the soil texture metric are reflected in differences in soil bulk density values. The total range of IE values divided into equal subintervals, each subinterval corresponds to the group of soils with IE in this subinterval, average bulk density for soils in each subinterval is found, and the average information entropy value in any of the subintervals is plotted versus the average soil bulk density values. Coefficients of determination of the linear regressions ‘average IE vs. average bulk density’ were 0.99 and 0.98 for 10 and 15 subintervals respectively. Predictions based in that linear relationship give the mean predicted error (MPE) equal to 0.0015 g/cm 3 over the total number of soils, and the normal distribution of prediction errors with the standard deviation of to 0.16 g/cm 3 . These results strongly support the hypothesis that Information Entropy can serve as an indicator of the typical bulk density for a soil with a given PSD. Values of IE were also computed for all samples in the database using only three texture fractions: clay, silt and sand content. Simple linear regression using the IE value as the input variable was implemented to predict bulk density value. Additionally, several published bulk density pedotransfer functions (PTFs), including organic carbon (OC) content and texture inputs, were applied to the same data base. Results show the root-mean-squared error of predictions close to 0.16 g/cm 3 when the IE is used as the sole input. Estimation of bulk density using Information Entropy as predictor became worse for soils in horizon A than in the horizon E, respectively, possibly due to the influence of the different organic carbon content in those horizons. Overall, the Information Entropy metric of soil texture provides a useful input for estimating bulk density, which also might be used together with other inputs as depth or OC content. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We show that there are compact linear operators on Banach spaces which cannot be approximated by numerical radius attaining operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the relationship between the residuality of the set of norm attaining functionals on a Banach space and the residuality and the denseness of the set of norm attaining operators between Banach spaces. Our first main result says that if C is a bounded subset of a Banach space X which admit an LUR renorming satisfying that, for every Banach space Y , the operators T from X to Y for which the supremum of ‖ T x ‖ with x ∈ C is attained are dense, then the G δ set of those functionals which strongly exposes C is dense in X ⁎. This extends previous results by J. Bourgain and K.-S. Lau. The particular case in which C is the unit ball of X , in which we get that the norm of X ⁎ is Fréchet differentiable at a dense subset, improves a result by J. Lindenstrauss and we even present an example showing that Lindenstrauss' result was not optimal. In the reverse direction, we obtain results for the density of the G δ set of absolutely strongly exposing operators from X to Y by requiring that the set of strongly exposing functionals on X is dense and conditions on Y or Y ⁎ involving RNP and discreteness on the set of strongly exposed points of Y or Y ⁎. These results include examples in which even the denseness of norm attaining operators was unknown. We also show that the residuality of the set of norm attaining operators implies the denseness of the set of absolutely strongly exposing operators provided the domain space and the dual of the range space are separable, extending a recent result for functionals. Finally, our results find important applications to the classical theory of norm-attaining operators, to the theory of norm-attaining bilinear forms, to the geometry of the preduals of spaces of Lipschitz functions, and to the theory of strongly norm-attaining Lipschitz maps. In particular, we solve a proposed open problem showing that the unique predual of the space of Lipschitz functions from the Euclidean unit circle fails to have Lindenstrauss property A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the various methods of measuring diffuse solar irradiance, shadowing devices are ones of the most commonly used in solar research all over the world. These instruments work with a basic pyranometer, properly calibrated for the measurement of solar irradiance, with a shadowing element, which can be a disk or a band (Drummond’s shadow-band), that prevents the direct incidence of solar beam irradiance on the sensor. This method is capable of precise measurements, but sensor outputs have to be corrected, so as to quantify the amount of diffuse irradiance that the band blocks from reaching the sensor. Several authors have advanced different expressions for this correction factor, most of which only apply to horizontal and equator-oriented tilting pyranometers. In this work, we present a general approach to calculate the geometrical correction factor for a tilted sensor, oriented towards all possible azimuth and zenith angles, which permits the measurement of solar diffuse irradiance on any tilted and oriented surfaces. Furthermore, five total correction models are adapted for measurement in any given direction and evaluated on vertical walls pointing the four cardinal directions. Our results show that geometrical correction improves the Mean Bias Difference (MBD), the Root Mean Squared Difference (RMSD) and the μ 0.99 statistics by 60%, 62% and 56%, respectively, in contrast with the raw data. The LeBaron et al. model gives the most accurate figure for total correction according to MBD, RMSD and μ 0.99 statistics, with promising average performances of 97%, 91%, and 96%, respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The objective was to evaluate the effect of hydrochlorothiazide and alendronate on urine calcium and bone mineral density in calcium stone-forming patients. Material and Methods: A prospective, non-randomized, nonobservational comparative study was performed; this study included 111 patients with recurrent calcium stones, divided into 3 groups according to the treatment received. Group 1: 36 patients were treated with alendronate, 70 mg/week; Group 2: 34 patients were treated with alendronate, 70 mg/ week + hydrochlorothiazide, 50 mg/day; Group 3: 41 patients were treated with hydrochlorothiazide, 50 mg/day. All patients received recommendations on diet and fluid intake. Other variables of bone mineral density were studied and analyzed, including bone remodeling markers and urinary calcium before and after 2 years of treatment. The statistical analysis was performed using the SPSS 17.0 program, with a statistical significance of p < 0.05. Results: After 2 years of treatment, a significant difference was observed in the β-crosslaps and a bone mineral density improvement in Group 1, along with a decrease in urinary calcium. In Group 3, a statistically significant difference was found in urinary calcium and fasting calcium/creatinine ratio, as well as an improvement in bone mineral density after 2 years of medical treatment. In Group 2 patients treated with the combination, there was an improvement in bone mineral density and a decrease in the β-crosslaps marker similar to patients in Group 1, and a decrease in urinary calcium similar to those in Group 3. Conclusion: Combined alendronate + hydrochlorothiazide treatment offers the best results along with the improvement in bone mineral density and decrease in urine calcium in patients with recurrent calcium stones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nitrate pollution, primarily in groundwater (GW), has been one of major water pollution problems in Europe over the last 30 years. Specially, Mediterranean areas (semi-arid zones) are more vulnerable to nitrate pollution, as in these areas a small excess of nitrogen produce higher nitrate concentrations than in more humid countries because the aquifer recharge is minor. A large number of GW bodies in the Júcar River Basin District (RBD) (43.000 km 2 ), located in Spain, has nitrate concentrations above 50 mg/L. The Water Framework Directive (WFD) sets out the goal of good status for the water bodies of the European Union, which also implies compliance with the Nitrates Directive. The River Basin Authorities (RBAs) must define the measures needed to reach the environmental objectives in the River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs), considering the long time-lag of aquifers is decisive in the measures effectiveness. By means of nitrogen cycle simulation in the river basin district and with the help of the monthly distributed PATRICAL model, the Júcar RBA has defined the measures to be applied and the exemptions to reach the objectives in GW in relation to nitrate pollution. Both, model and methodology are useful for other river basins to define measures. The total nitrogen inputs in the Júcar RBD amounts to 180,000 tN/year, which represents a nitrogen surplus of 80,000 tN/year and a pressure of 58.5 kgN/year/ha-crop. Around 3/4 of GW bodies have currently the good status while the remaining of GW bodies could reach the good status during following hydrological planning cycles through the implementation of modernized irrigation systems that include fertigation -the use of fertilizers in the water for irrigation. The implementation of this scenario involves increasing efficiency in fertilizer application, in order to reduce nitrogen losses from slightly under a half to < 1/3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although all authors report beneficial health changes following training based on the Pilates method, no explicit analysis has been performed of its cardiorespiratory effects. The objective of this study was to evaluate possible changes in cardiorespiratory parameters with the Pilates method. A total of 45 university students aged 18–35 years (77.8% female and 22.2% male), who did not routinely practice physical exercise or sports, volunteered for the study and signed informed consent. The Pilates training was conducted over 10 weeks, with three 1-hour sessions per week. Physiological cardiorespiratory responses were assessed using a MasterScreen CPX apparatus. After the 10-week training, statistically significant improvements were observed in mean heart rate (135.4–124.2 beats/min), respiratory exchange ratio (1.1–0.9) and oxygen equivalent (30.7–27.6) values, among other spirometric parameters, in submaximal aerobic testing. These findings indicate that practice of the Pilates method has a positive influence on cardiorespiratory parameters in healthy adults who do not routinely practice physical exercise activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Questionnaire on the Frequency of and Satisfaction with Social Support (QFSSS) was designed to assess the frequency of and the degree of satisfaction with perceived social support received from different sources in relation to three types of support: emotional, informational and instrumental. This study tested the reliability of the questionnaire and its criterion and structural validity. The data were drawn from survey interviews of 2042 Spanish people. The results show high internal consistency (values of Cronbach's alpha range from .763 to .952). The correlational analysis showed significant positive associations between QFSSS scores and measures of subjective well-being and perceived social support, as well as significant negative associations with measures of loneliness (Pearson's r correlation range from .11 to .97). Confirmatory factor analysis by Structural Equation Modeling suggested an internal 4-factor structure that corresponds to the sources of support analyzed: partner, family, friends and community (values for the Goodness of Fit Index (GFI) range from .93 to .95; for the Comparative Fit Index (CFI) range from .95 to .98; for Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) range from .10 to .07). These results confirm the QFSSS validity as a versatile tool, suitable for the detailed assessment of social support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We study the relation between the intrinsic and the spatial numerical ranges with the recently introduced “approximated” spatial numerical range. As the main result, we show that the intrinsic numerical range always coincides with the convex hull of the approximated spatial numerical range. Besides, we show sufficient conditions and necessary conditions to assure that the approximated spatial numerical range coincides with the closure of the spatial numerical range. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Turkey has historically struggled to attract foreign investors. This paper discusses how the start of the European Union's accession negotiations in 2005 encompassed a wide set of reforms in several chapters of the acquis communautaire that resulted in higher foreign direct investment (FDI) attraction. However, it seems that the global economic slowdown of 2009 coupled with increasing Euro-skepticism have already started to erode this effect. Only large a volume of foreign investment in the energy sector observed in 2009–13, explained by the energy security strategy of the European Union and the internal liberalization agenda, has prevented the collapse of FDI inflows to Turkey. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

We introduce a substitute for the concept of slice for the case of non-linear Lipschitz functionals and transfer to the non-linear case some results about the Daugavet and the alternative Daugavet equations previously known only for linear operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of the many types of natural and manmade cavities in different parts of the world is important to the fields of geology, geophysics, engineering, architectures, agriculture, heritages and landscape. Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) is a noninvasive geodetection and geolocation technique suitable for accurately determining buried structures. This technique requires knowing the propagation velocity of electromagnetic waves (EM velocity) in the medium. We propose a method for calibrating the EM velocity using the integration of laser imaging detection and ranging (LIDAR) and GPR techniques using the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) as support for geolocation. Once the EM velocity is known and the GPR profiles have been properly processed and migrated, they will also show the hidden cavities and the old hidden structures from the cellar. In this article, we present a complete study of the joint use of the GPR, LIDAR and GNSS techniques in the characterization of cavities. We apply this methodology to study underground cavities in a group of wine cellars located in Atauta (Soria, Spain). The results serve to identify construction elements that form the cavity and group of cavities or cellars. The described methodology could be applied to other shallow underground structures with surface connection, where LIDAR and GPR profiles could be joined, as, for example, in archaeological cavities, sewerage systems, drainpipes, etc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]