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The decision making of a suitable heating, ventilating and air conditioning system's set-point temperature is an energy and environmental challenge in our society. In the present paper, a general framework to define such temperature based on a dynamic adaptive comfort algorithm is proposed. Due to the fact that the thermal comfort of the occupants of a building has different ranges of acceptability, this method is applied to learn such comfort temperature with respect to the running mean temperature and therefore to decide the suitable range of indoor temperature. It is demonstrated that this solution allows to dynamically build an adaptive comfort algorithm, an algorithm based on the human being's thermal adaptability, without applying the traditional theory. The proposed methodology based on the K-Nearest-Neighbour algorithm was tested and compared with data from an experimental thermal comfort field study carried out in a mixed mode building in the south-western area of Spain and with the Support Vector Machine method. The results show that K-Nearest-Neighbour algorithm represents the pattern of thermal comfort data better than the traditional solution and that it is a suitable method to learn the thermal comfort area of a building and to define the set-point temperature for a heating, ventilating and air-conditioning system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gravity models have been one of the mathematical models of choice for trip distribution modeling efforts during many decades. Their simplicity offset their drawbacks, as they usually provide a reasonably good rationale for how goods are distributed in a transportation network with relatively little information. These gravity models, however, rely on the definition of a deterrence function that acts as a counterweight of the levels of supply and demand. This function is usually picked from a series of off-the-shelf available functions that only depend on a handful of parameters that need to be calibrated. Because of the limited off-the shelf options, gravity models lack flexibility in some occasions. In this paper, we tackle the use of sparse regression techniques that can accommodate data more flexibly with a reduced number of terms. Using interregional freight origin–destination data from Spain, we test two alternatives, namely, best subset regression and lasso regression. We show that the first one performs better in finding parsimonious deterrence functions and we attain gravity models that fit the data up to 14.5% better than classical deterrence functions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we analyze the temporal dependence in energy prices and demand using daily data of Portugal and Spain over the period 2007–2017. The methodology used is based on a stochastic Hidden Markov Model and the results indicate first that all significant relationships between energy prices and demands were found to be positive; second, spot prices are only time dependent on future prices and spot energy, while future energy is solely time dependent on spot energy behavior; third, future prices are not only autocorrelated but also time-dependent with spot energy and future energy demands level; and finally, spot energy is autocorrelated and time-dependent with future prices and future energy. Policy implications of the results obtained are presented at the end of the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multiple scenario cooperative games model situations where the worth of the coalitions is simultaneously valued in several scenarios or under different states of nature. For multiple scenario cost allocation games, we focus on the identification of those allocations which are stable in the sense that agents have no incentives to abandon the group. The stability of an allocation depends on how the quantities assigned to the coalitions are compared with the vector-valued worth of the coalition. Therefore, different extensions of the notion of core emerge, depending on how these comparisons are made. In this paper different notions of core for multiple scenario cost allocation games are studied, and the relationships between them and the existing core solutions are analyzed. We also address the inclusion in the model of partial information about the relative importance of the scenarios which often refers to the probabilities of occurrence. In order to identify allocations which are also stable in the presence of partial information, we extend the notions of core to this new setting, and provide results which permit the calculation of the corresponding sets of allocations. The potential applicability of our analysis is illustrated with the allocation of the total cost of the waste collection service between the different urban areas in the city of Seville. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fertility is highly determined by previous fertility intentions. Spain has one of the lowest levels of fertility in Europe. This work presents an analysis of fertility intentions in Spain based on data from the 2018 Fertility Survey conducted by the Spanish National Institute of Statistics. This survey identifies the key factors influencing recent and current fertility levels as well as the fertility intentions of its participants. Using the theoretical framework of the theory of planned behaviour and via multinomial logistic regression, the main social, economic and demographic factors that drive or inhibit desired fertility are determined and analysed. Traditional approaches rank the contribution of these factors or predictors to the dependent variable using a single criterion. In this work, several decision criteria will be simultaneously considered in the ranking of fertility intention's predictors. The obtained results show how the costs of progression to paternity and the perceived benefits of having a child significantly impact decisions regarding first maternity. The demographic background factors that are related to age and the number of children are the determinants that most influence the second and subsequent maternities. The factors that are related to the labour market, gender roles and the negative effect of the current Spanish real estate market are also identified as determinants of desired fertility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]