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Abstract Question In people who have undergone surgical carpal tunnel release, do sensorimotor-based exercises performed on the touchscreen of a tablet device improve outcomes more than a conventional home exercise program prescribed on paper? Design Randomised, parallel-group trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention-to-treat analysis. Participants Fifty participants within 10 days of surgical carpal tunnel release. Intervention Each participant was prescribed a 4-week home exercise program. Participants in the experimental group received the ReHand tablet application, which administered and monitored exercises via the touchscreen. The control group was prescribed a home exercise program on paper, as is usual practice in the public hospital system. Outcome measures The primary outcome was functional ability of the hand, reported using the shortened form of the Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (QuickDASH) questionnaire. Secondary outcomes were grip strength, pain intensity measured on a 10-cm visual analogue scale, and dexterity measured with the Nine-Hole Peg Test. Outcomes were measured by a blinded assessor at baseline and at the end of the 4-week intervention period. Results At Week 4, functional ability improved significantly more in the experimental group than the control group (MD –21, 95% CI –33 to –9) on the QuickDASH score (0 to 100). Although the mean estimates of effect on the secondary outcome also all favoured the experimental group, none reached statistical significance: grip strength (MD 5.6 kg, 95% CI –0.5 to 11.7), pain (MD –1.4 cm, 95% CI –2.9 to 0.1), and dexterity (MD –1.3 seconds, 95% CI –3.7 to 1.1). Conclusion Use of the ReHand tablet application for early rehabilitation after carpal tunnel release is more effective in the recovery of functional ability than a conventional home exercise program. It remains unclear whether there are any benefits in grip strength, pain or dexterity. Trial registration ACTRN12618001887268. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Paper industry generates a considerable amount of wastes. Their composition mainly depends on the type of paper produced and the origin of cellulose fibres. Nowadays, in Spain, 40% of solid wastes generated by the paper and pulp industry are deposited directly in landfill, 25% are used in the agriculture, 13% in the ceramic industry and 7% in the concrete production. In the last years, thermal treatment methods like combustion, pyrolysis and gasification have been widely study as alternative techniques for the valorization of different organic waste materials. The main objective of the present work is to study the pyrolysis behaviour of different paper mill waste materials. For this reason, a wide characterization of eight paper mill waste materials from different origins was performed using SEM, FTIR, DRX and thermogravimetric techniques. Paper mill sludges from recycled paper, mainly wastes obtained from deinking process, showed high CaCO3 and clays contents. Compared with the elevated total organic matter content (TOM) of paper mill waste materials their low organic carbon content determined by Cr2O7 2− oxidation reveals the elevated chemical stability of organic matter, due to high content on cellulose fibres. Analysis of samples by SEM indicates that successive recycled processes of paper leads to paper mill waste materials with more degraded fibres. XRD analyses show as crystalline cellulose was present in reject and primary sludge from paper mills that produced paper from virgin wood. However, crystalline cellulose content significantly decreased in waste materials from recycled paper. Finally, thermogravimetric analysis indicates that presence or mineral matter and degradation of cellulose significantly influences their pyrolysis behaviour. In general, weight loss of paper mill waste materials started at lower temperatures than pure cellulose. In waste materials from recycled paper weight loss continues at temperatures highest than 500°C due to kaolinite dehydration and carbonates decomposition. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Social life cycle assessment (S-LCA) is a tool to address social impacts from a life cycle perspective. This work presents the first S-LCA of the Portuguese pulp and paper sector. It presents the social risks and the positive social impacts of the sector, which have not been extensively covered in the scientific literature. Two different approaches were used to compile the social life cycle inventory based on input-output analysis. Approach 1 was based on impact analysis of changes in added value. Approach 2 was based on structural path analysis, supporting the disaggregation by production levels (or tiers). The functional unit was the production of 1 United States Dollar in the Portuguese pulp and paper sector. In the social life cycle impact assessment, the social risk assessment was conducted using the Social Hotspots Database. The positive impacts were addressed considering indicators of employment and remuneration, namely total employment, number of employees, labor compensation, and compensation of employees. Based on Approach 1, the results of the social risks showed the Portuguese pulp and paper industry, commerce and forestry sectors, and the Spanish forestry sector as the critical sectors. Based on Approach 2, Portugal and Spain continued to be the countries having the greatest social risks. Other contributions of countries were identified at different production levels, particularly China in tier 3. In both approaches, the stakeholder category 'worker' was the most critical. Regarding the positive social impacts, Approach 1 showed that Portugal and Spain contribute to the highest employment level linked to the pulp and paper, commerce, and forestry sectors. Approach 2 supported the differentiation of employment and remuneration at different production levels. Tier 2 (direct suppliers) presented the highest employment level and persons engaged and the lowest remuneration level. The results showed that Approach 1 provides a faster and more aggregated assessment of social risks and positive social impacts. Furthermore, Approach 2 allowed a more detailed evaluation, providing a better understanding of the social risks and positive social impacts on the supply chain. Thus, Approach 2 is encouraged for different applications since it produces a better understanding of where social risks and positive social impacts occur, providing better guidance for corrective measures and decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the institutions, journals of choice and topics of investigation of the most prolific and highly cited Spanish optometrist researchers. As a primary search strategy, the Scopus database (Elsevier) was queried with the terms (optometr* OR "contact lens*" OR refracti* OR *ocular) and the affiliation country filter "Spain". The list of authors returned by the primary search was used in a secondary manual search based on co-authors and institutions. Authors were included in the analysis if they had an h-index > 10, were of Spanish nationality, were affiliated to Spanish institutions, and possessed an optometry degree. Authors were ranked by h-index, number of publications and number of citations. Topics of research interest and target journals were determined by analyzing the 10 most highly cited papers of each author. A total of 32 authors with an h-index > 10 were identified, of whom 14 (43.7%) were female. Only one author had an h-index > 40, and 7 (21.9%) authors had an h-index over 20. The Journal of Cataract and Refractive Surgery was the first journal of choice (19.1% of highest cited papers), followed by Optometry and Vision Science (10.3%). The Universidad Complutense de Madrid hosted the largest percentage of authors (18.7%), followed by the Universitat de València (15.6%). Main topics of research interest were topography (6.5% of papers), cornea (6.2%) and contact lens (5.0%). Optometry in Spain is a fertile field of research, with an increasing number of highly cited authors publishing in high impact journals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

So far in the literature, the two-parameter Weibull distribution and its other extensions are frequently implemented to analyze the wind speed energy data sets. However, based on our study of the literature, there is no published work about analyzing the wind speed energy data sets using new probability distributions that are developed via trigonometric functions. In this paper, I attempt to cover this amazing and interesting research gap. Therefore, I incorporate a trigonometric function, especially, the sine function to introduce a new statistical distributional method. The proposed method is called a new modified sine- G family of distributions. Some distributional properties of the new modified sine- G method are obtained. Using the new modified sine- G method, a new extension of the Weibull distribution called a new modified sine-Weibull distribution is studied. The new modified sine-Weibull distribution is applied to analyze four wind speed energy data sets. All three data sets are taken from the weather station at Sotavento Galicia in the Canary Islands, Spain, located at 43.3544 North and 7.8812 West. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• GNSS-PWV time series are computed using 44 GNSS stations in Andalucía and ERA5 temperature and pressure data. • GNSS-PWV and ERA5-PWV are used to compute SPCI time series. • The SPCI generally shows high correlation with the SPEI, with better results for ERA5-SPCI than GNSS-SPCI. • The SPCI outperforms SPI for a limited geographical region and 24-month timescale. In this paper the Standardized Precipitation Conversion Index (SPCI), a PWV-based drought index, has been computed using GNSS and ERA5 PWV and its performance has been tested with respect to the Standardized Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) in Southern Spain. One of the climatic features of this area is the low correlation level between PWV and precipitation, in contrast with other areas in which SPCI has been previously tested. The GNSS-SPCI has been derived from validated ZTD time series estimated from local GNSS permanent stations' data. All the needed meteorological values were derived from ERA5, excepting precipitation values and SPEI-SPI values which were extracted from a national high-resolution dataset. The resulting SPCI time series have shown high correlation coefficients with respect to the SPEI. The use of longer SPCI time series allowed by ERA5 model has provided the most coherent results, suggesting that the ERA5-PWV data can be interesting to overcome problems caused by the short timespan of GNSS time series in SPCI computation. In general, high correlation coefficients have been obtained compared to global results from previous studies. This shows that, even for regions with low correlation levels between PWV and precipitation, the SPCI can have an interesting potential for drought monitoring. The SPCI was found to perform better on higher timescales (12 and 24 months). The performance of SPCI has also been compared that of the SPI: SPCI is able to outperform SPI for the 24-month timescale for a limited geographical region. This supports that the inclusion of PWV data in drought monitoring indices could be promising and is worth keeping to be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mechanisms to encourage clean energy in Spain from 2005 to the present are analyzed. • FiT and FiP mechanisms can be effective in promoting new renewable projects. • Experience suggests that excessive support can jeopardize the entire market. • A transitional retribution scheme has proven to be effective if correctly supervised. This research paper delves into the central mechanisms implemented in Spain to foster the adoption of clean energy projects. The study scrutinizes various mechanisms established from 2005 onwards, evaluating their efficacy in achieving the desired outcome of supporting clean energy project implementation. The aim is to comprehensively assess the associated costs, effectiveness, and attainment of renewable energy objectives stemming from implementing diverse support schemes. This paper explores the effectiveness of feed-in tariffs and feed-in premium mechanisms in promoting the integration of new renewable energy generation into the power system. However, the Spanish experience suggests that exhaustive planning control is imperative to prevent excessive support costs that could jeopardize the entire market and cause a significant rise in final energy costs. The research studies the support schemes and associated market distortion and presents the roadmap from regulated tariffs to a "total market" for wind and solar energy. The findings demonstrate that, under proper supervision and planning, a transitional retribution scheme effectively promotes renewable energy plant integration. Finally, the analysis examines the need to regulate the excess benefits that non-emitting power sources receive in a marginal price market, as this can lead to market imbalances and a substantial increase in final costs. These plans serve as a crucial tool in achieving the decarbonization objectives of the European Power System. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Pioneer Spain: first country to include in grid code the synthetic inertia capability. • Synthetic inertial response of a PV inverter studied based on the Spanish grid code. • Analyzed the role of power plant controller in the dynamic response of the facility. • PV system able to contribute to frequency control providing an inertial response. As the large-scale integration of renewable energy grows, inertia in power systems is reduced, which causes the rate of change of frequency to increase and worsens the frequency nadir during disturbances. There is, therefore, an urgent need to accelerate the development of international standards and regulations that require solar PV systems and other renewable installations to also contribute to stability in the network by emulating inertia. Spain is a pioneer in this field: it is currently the only country that includes the synthetic inertia technical requirement in its grid code. In this context, the present paper analyzes the synthetic inertial response of a PV system model that forms part of an actual PV power plant in Spain under two scenarios, according to its grid code: i) when measurements are conducted at the power conversion PV system level and hence only its control algorithms are executed; and ii) when measurements are conducted at the power plant level and the power plant controller also influences the response of the entire installation. Among its aims, this paper seeks to thoroughly assess the response of an actual PV power conversion system that has the capability of actively contributing to frequency regulation in a network and to critically analyze the suitability of having a power plant controller when the PV facility contributes to power-frequency control by means of an inertial response. The results reveal, at the power conversion PV system level, that the inertia emulation module significantly reduces the response times of the installation to changes in frequency -by more than 68% in the worst case under frequency increases, and by 73% under frequency decreases, thus contributing to more rapid power-frequency regulation in the network. However, at the power plant level, the power plant controller disturbs the PV power conversion system's behavior and causes the opposite effect: response times increase -up to more than 7% in the most unfavorable case when the inertia module is enabled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering the impact of photovoltaic installations and the fact that their performance depends on the type of day, this paper presents a classifier that makes use of fuzzy logic to classify daily irradiance profiles as a human would do. To do this, the system must be linguistically interpretable, so the classifier must be simple enough, but without losing accuracy. This is why the article combines the use of data mining and supervised learning algorithms to obtain an initial system and then exploits simplification techniques such as the concept of fuzzy classifiers with incomplete rule bases, as well as fuzzy tabular simplification of rules to obtain a compact and simple final system. The classifier obtained handles the ambiguity presented by the daily irradiance profiles with precision. Once the system has been obtained, a large number of days in southern Spain are classified, analysing the performances of a photovoltaic plant obtained in each of the classes. Then, a neuro-fuzzy system is designed to predict the performance of the photovoltaic installation, considering the type of day, the maximum ambient temperature reached during the day, and the degradation of the installation over time, proving its usefulness in alerting about anomalous behaviour of the system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Mining has a high level of serious accidents compared to all other sectors. The analysis is based on 15,032 accidents. • 12 variables are studied and the influence of each variable on the severity, which is divided into three types (light, serious and fatal). • The results make it possible to design prevention measures for the situations that have led to the most serious accidents. Introduction: The aim of this paper is to understand the causes of occupational accidents in Spain's mining sector in order to propose action plans and improve future accident rates. Method: This research analyzed a pool of data on 15,032 accidents occurring in the mining sector and reported to authorities between 2013 and 2018. Accidents are divided into three levels of severity: light, serious, and fatal. We study the influence of 12 variables on the accident severity rate in our sample. Results: The results show that accident severity is related to age, gender, nationality, length of service, economic activity, company size, accident location, days of injury leave, day of the week, deviation, injury, and specific Spanish region. This sector produces a high rate of serious accidents compared to all other sectors; has a male-dominated, older and experienced workforce; and employs mainly Spanish workers. Its activity is concentrated in larger companies and the work involves the use of heavy machinery and dangerous materials. We offer conclusions and future lines of research to help regulators, companies and workers to improve worker safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Analysis of several factors that may be behind an undue extension of the injured worker's recovery time. • Comprehensive empirical analysis of more than 400,000 non-fatal work accidents in manufacturing industries. • Women, workers with more seniority, higher wages, and those employed in larger companies take longer to return to work after an occupational injury. • The duration of sick leave for immigrant workers is lower than for native-born workers. • Improving working conditions and supervision mechanisms during the recovery process is recommended to increase attendance motivation and reduce moral hazard exposure. Introduction : Despite the significant economic impact of occupational injuries on companies and society, studies focused on analyzing the determinants of workdays lost due to sick leave remain scarce and incomplete. This paper contributes to this issue by (a) analyzing the drivers of sick leave duration, distinguishing factors that explain the health recovery time from those that could lead workers to a voluntary extension of the absence period, and (b) formulating and empirically testing the effect of gender, citizenship, temporary work, job tenure, amount of disability benefit, and size of the injured worker's firm on the number of days the employee is off work after the injury. Method: Hypotheses are tested on a comprehensive dataset that includes all nonfatal occupational injuries causing sick leave that occurred in the manufacturing sector in Spain during 2015–2019, with more than 400,000 injuries. We conduct ordinary least squares and count data regression models in which the number of days off work is regressed on employees and work characteristics while accounting for a set of variables to control the injury's nature and severity. Results: The results show that after considering the intrinsic characteristics of the injury and the severity of the worker's injuries, women, native workers, workers with more seniority, workers with higher salaries, and those working in larger companies have longer periods of sick leave. The results suggest that moral hazard considerations significantly impact the time to return to work after an occupational injury. Practical applications: Based on the findings, several insights for company managers and public decision-makers are discussed. Specifically, interventions aimed at improving the organization of work and the working conditions of workers in manufacturing industries are highlighted, as well as the need to improve control and supervision mechanisms during the recovery process of injured workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU has set itself demanding objectives to achieve complete decarbonisation by 2050. The building sector plays an important role for this purpose, hence monitoring its progress towards decarbonisation is essential to identify measures that work and to readjust policies when necessary. However, collecting information to monitor the building sector is a complex task due to the scarcity and low quality of available data. The European digital building logbook (DBL) has great potential in this regard because it allows the collection of data at the building scale, which could be combined at a national level. Thus, this paper proposes a new functionality for the DBL -as an enabler for the collection of data for the assessment of the progress of the main EU policy objectives related to the building sector decarbonisation-, and it evaluates the potential of the DBL for it. To do so, the main policy objectives were associated to a set of progress indicators –mandatory and optional- and matched to DBL indicators. Mandatory indicators are for all Member States and they have been included in the 2023 amended version of the proposal for the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive recast. Optional indicators are considered country-specific in this paper and are sourced from various literature references. Here we have studied the optional progress indicators for the case of Spain. Results show that the DBL has great potential to contribute to the collection of more than half of the mandatory indicators and a very high share of the optional ones for Spain. • Monitoring the decarbonisation progress of national building sectors is crucial. • Mandatory and optional indicators are needed to monitor buildings decarbonisation. • The DBL has great potential for monitoring national building stocks decarbonisation. • The DBL will provide the majority of the decarbonisation progress indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The contribution of this paper is twofold: 1) it develops a replicable socio-hydrology-inspired model that elicits agents' preferences while accounting for the two-way feedbacks between complex human and water systems; and 2) it integrates the resultant socio-hydrology model into robustness-based frameworks to inform the adoption of policies that show a satisfactory performance under most plausible futures. The socio-hydrology model is used to produce a database representing multiple plausible futures that quantifies uncertainty regarding scenario assumptions under alternative adaptation strategies. Using a robust decision-making framework, the mechanistic outputs from the database of plausible futures are combined with heuristic methods through experts' knowledge and opinion to co-design scenarios, identify vulnerabilities and quantify tradeoffs of proposed strategies, and subjectively propose new scenarios and choose the preferred adaptation strategy. Methods are illustrated with an application to the Cega Catchment in central Spain, one of the few major catchments in central Spain that remains non-regulated, and where the construction of a major dam has been projected. Following a robust decision-making process informed by our socio-hydrology model and involving all key parties to the decision, the status quo strategy (no dam construction) was revealed preferred. • We mainstream socio-hydrology modeling into robustness-based decision-making frameworks. • Socio-hydrology modeling quantifies impacts and uncertainties for selected strategies. • Models are combined with experts' knowledge and opinion to identify robust strategies. • Methods are illustrated with an application to dam construction in the Cega Catchment (Spain). • The status quo strategy (no dam construction) was revealed preferred. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes impoliteness-related language in response to a season's greeting posted by the Prime Ministers of Spain and the UK on December 2022 to wish Twitter users a Felices Fiestas/Merry Christmas. A corpus made up of the first 500 tweet events mentioning Sánchez and Johnson with the @ feature was analyzed through the combination of qualitative and quantitative tools and an impoliteness2 approach to compare the most commonly deployed impoliteness strategies in response to what is felt as an offense by respondents from the two cultures. Previous impoliteness taxonomies inform the analysis (Culpeper, 1996 , 2011). Findings reveal a preference for on-record strategies vs. off-record ones in both corpora. Whereas the English respondents oriented themselves towards attacking the negative face of the Prime Minister and that of other participants with sarcasm and implicated impoliteness, the Spanish group deployed impoliteness-related language to disparage the Prime Minister's positive face through insults and the rectification of his words. The hostile acts and explicit metalanguage about emotional states in the replies to the expressive speech act corroborate the perceived breach of some aspects of the moral order on the part of the Twitter users in the out-group, hence aiding the already observed polarization of political discussions. • Impoliteness is analyzed in replies to the season's greetings of Pedro Sánchez and Boris Johnson on Twitter. • Findings indicate that on-record impoliteness strategies are more frequent than off-record ones in both groups. • English respondents use negative-face attacking strategies, sarcasm, and implicated impoliteness in their replies. • Spanish respondents deploy insults and attacks on the positive public face of the Prime Minister as favored strategies. • Impoliteness-related discourse is multifunctional and aims to restore the moral order that is perceived as altered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism has become a very active ecosystem to deploy solutions based on Information and Communication Technologies. Indeed, it is now possible to analyse the mobility behaviour of tourists in great detail. However, current solutions aimed at anticipating tourist flows usually follow a limited approach based on the local (e.g., to predict the next landmark to visit) or regional (e.g., to predict the incoming number of tourists in a city) level. This paper states a novel approach to solve the problem of tourist inflow forecasting on a broader nationwide scale by defining it as an edge prediction task. To do so, we model the tourist mobility of a country as a graph which fuses heterogeneous tourism data obtained from multiple sources related to the country's mobility and infrastructure features. Then, as a major contribution, an ensemble of Graph Neural Networks are fed with the graph models to provide the final prediction. The proposed solution has been tested in Spain showing a F1 score higher than 0.7. • A mechanism to anticipate the flows of tourists in Spain is proposed. • The prediction is solved as an edge prediction between Spanish regions. • A Graph Neural Network has been used as underlying model. • The model is fed with touristic infrastructure data of Spain. • The human mobility is extracted from Call Detail Records and geo-tagged Twitter posts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the search for solutions for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM), decision-makers frequently face governance-related challenges such as the fragmentation of institutions, the interconnection with other essential services and overlapping competences. In many cases, solutions to these challenges involve strengthening coordination between different actors and sectors. Today different digital tools and resources are available to support related decision-making processes. These tools can (1) offer a context-specific assessment of the water governance system ("Diagnosis") and (2) provide, in some cases, context-specific recommendations to tackle identified deficits ("Therapy"). In this paper, we aim to advance the understanding of the potential of digital tools for water governance and management assessments. After reviewing relevant tools, we introduce the Diagnostic Water Governance Tool (DWGT) that builds on a clear diagnosis-therapy-logic. After presenting the empirical basis and functional logic of the DWGT, we test the DWGT in two case studies: the Guadalquivir river basin in Spain and the Emscher river basin in Germany. We find that the DWGT provides context-specific, evidence-based instrument recommendations that can enhance water governance and management, albeit accompanying suitability evaluations by governance experts remain critical. We conclude by discussing the limitations of digital tools for water governance and management assessments and sketch out fields of future research. • Most water governance online tools do not allow for case-specific assessments. • Diagnostic Water Governance Tool identifies context-specific coordination deficits. • The Tool gives case-sensitive recommendations for governance instruments. • Fuzzy set Qualitative Comparative Analysis provides sound methodological framework. • The Tool's analysis can supplement but not replace expert evaluations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: In this study 10 commercial top selling cigarette brands in Spain have been machine smoked and the mainstream smoke has been analyzed. Multifunctional analysis has been satisfactorily employed to correlate the effect of the main design features of the cigarettes including amount of tobacco, filter size or paper weight with the amount of smoked tobacco and with the ratio CO2/CO. The composition of the vapor phase and that of the particulate matter have been analyzed. The particulate matter retained in the filter of the cigarettes has also been analyzed showing a distinct behavior of the compounds condensed in the cigarette filters and in the traps, related to their retention time. A general trend for the relative yield of some compounds in the different brands have been identified and confirmed by multifunctional analysis. Nevertheless, there are some noticeable compounds that behave differently in the different brands. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Pulp industry plays an important role in the structure of European economy and society. Paper pulp manufacture, the industrial utilization of plant biomass, is increasing every year. In Spain, Eucalyptus is the dominant raw material and the Kraft cooking and total chlorine free (TCF) bleaching processes lead the procedures of Eucalyptus paper pulp production. This paper aims to identify and quantify the environmental impacts associated to Eucalyptus TCF pulp manufacture by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) as an analytical tool. The system has been defined using a cradle-to-gate perspective, that is to say from forest activities to the exit gate of the pulp mill. The production of chemicals consumed in the cooking and bleaching stages as well as the on-site energy production system is the elements that contribute the most to all impact categories analyzed (more than 50% of total contributions), except for the eutrophication potential where forest activities and waste treatment play an important roles (about 52% of total). Specific actions associated to the recovery boiler, lime kiln and digestion stage could considerably reduce the environmental impact and improve the environmental performance of the Spanish paper pulp industry. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In the field of civil engineering, specifically within railway projects, the adoption of Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become imperative. However, the sector's adherence to traditional methods for infrastructure design and management has delayed the widespread adoption of BIM. This paper describes a BIM-centered methodology applied to a real-world High-Speed Railway Line (HSRL) project. Through an extensive examination of HSRL design parameters and the integration of various BIM-based tools, a 3D parametric design model is generated. This model serves as the foundation for evaluating up to five design alternatives, considering technical and economic aspects. Furthermore, a degradation model is proposed to assess alternative performance over the infrastructure's full lifecycle under specific rail traffic assumptions. This facilitates a rapid evaluation of alignment design's impact on maintenance costs. The paper draws two main conclusions with potential benefits for both private companies and railway administrations: Firstly, BIM proves feasible and advantageous despite some interoperability challenges, highlighting the need for continued advancements in BIM software compatibility. Secondly, the proposed approach can potentially lead to up to 40% cost savings in maintenance for railway administrations. [Display omitted] • The influence of the horizontal alignment design of a High-Speed Railway Line (HSRL) on its maintenance period is analyzed. • A BIM-centered method has been proposed to evaluate both construction and tamping costs. • The importance of considering the maintenance costs during the design phase has been demonstrated. • The interoperation between an alignment design tool and a budget management software has been tested. • The method is applied to a real HSRL project in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analizar el papel de enfermería en el abordaje de la espondiloartritis axial (EspAax) y plantear propuestas que permitan incluir el rol de las consultas de enfermería en reumatología (CER) en la certificación de calidad de las unidades especializadas. Revisión sistemática del rol de enfermería en los sistemas de certificación de calidad en el abordaje de la EspAax, seguida de conferencia de consenso con participación de 3 enfermeras especializadas en reumatología para determinar elementos que considerar en futuras revisiones de las normas de certificación. La revisión sistemática arrojó 5 documentos relevantes. Ninguna de las publicaciones revisadas proponía estándares aplicables a la labor asistencial de enfermería en el manejo de pacientes con EspAax, aunque contemplaban actividades propias de este colectivo. Las propuestas consensuadas para incorporar el rol de las CER en las normas de certificación de las unidades monográficas de EspAax incluyeron: equipamientos y recursos básicos, organización, administración de tratamientos farmacológicos y promoción de la adherencia, programas estandarizados para EspAax, consulta telemática para control del paciente estable y promoción de la continuidad asistencial y registro de medidas de resultados informados por los pacientes. La literatura sobre estándares de calidad y normas de certificación de las unidades monográficas de EspAax es escasa y apenas refleja el papel de las CER en la provisión de una atención de calidad. Las propuestas consensuadas en este trabajo incorporarían las CER en las normas de certificación de calidad. En el futuro, la mayor presencia de CER en España debiera ir acompañada de la actualización de los estándares. To analyse the role of nursing in the approach to axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and to make proposals to include the role of rheumatology nursing consultations (RECs) in the quality certification of these specialized units. A systematic review of the nursing role in quality certification systems in the management of axSpA was conducted. Subsequently a consensus conference was held with the participation of 3 rheumatology nurses to determine elements that should be considered in future revisions of certification standards. The systematic review yielded 5 papers as relevant. None of the publications reviewed explicitly proposed standards applicable to nursing care in the management of patients with axSpA, although they contemplated the activities of this professional group. The proposals agreed upon to incorporate the role of RECs in the certification standards for axSpA monographic units included the following: basic equipment and resources, organization, administration of pharmacological treatments and promotion of adherence, standardized programmes for axSpA, telematic consultation (e-consultation) for monitoring the stable patient and promoting continuity of care and registry of patient-reported outcome measures. The literature on quality standards and certification standards for axSpA monographic units is scarce and hardly reflects the role of RECs in providing quality care. The consensus proposals in this study would incorporate RECs into quality certification standards. In the future, the increased presence of RECs in Spain should be accompanied by a review of the indicators regarding their role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adaptation of port infrastructures to climate change and sea level rise effects is highlighted as a key field among transportation systems' lines of action for adaptation, given their highly exposed location in coastal areas and position as critical nodes in logistic chains and local, regional and national economies. The present work proposes an adaptation assessment framework that, based on a high-resolution compound climate risk assessment, identifies the main threats that climate change may pose to port performance, defines a set of optimized adaptation measures and characterizes constraints for implementation, and finally evaluates the applicability and effectiveness of these measures under diverse climate scenarios and different time frames. The framework is applied in a study case located in the northern coast of Spain. It is shown that the proposed methodology enables port managers and planners to develop tailor-fitted adaptation plans, providing tools to make them coherent with actual and future uncertain climate conditions. • The paper develops a novel framework to prepare climate change adaptation plans for port and coastal infrastructures. • It identifies the main needs and limitations for adaptation of port infrastructures based on a compound CC risk assessment. • It identifies and optimizes a set of adaptation measures, considering measure combinations, based on risk-reduction criteria. • It assesses the adaptation options' effectiveness in reducing climate risk for different scenarios and time horizons. • The framework has been applied and validated for a case study located on the Atlantic coast in Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coordination in the public sector among interdependent policies is considered crucial for their effectiveness. However, while coordination has been studied for decades, conceptual approaches to understand the functional and temporal dimensions of policy coordination are lacking. This paper attempts to address these gaps by integrating governance functions and action situations into the analysis of the policy cycle, thereby introducing the notion of holistic coordination. We argue that this approach is useful to get a more differentiated understanding of where and why coordination across the policy cycle breaks down, and to capture the political economy of policy-making. Empirically, we undertake an illustrative case study of the European Union (EU) Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation in the Guadalquivir river basin, Spain, focusing on measures to reduce agricultural water consumption. We find that the failure to reach agreed policy objectives of reduction of water consumption can be traced back to the way governance functions were addressed and coordinated within action situations and across the overall policy cycle. Furthermore, the analysis shows that the lack of holistic coordination can be seen as an outcome of deliberate decisions by public actors involved in the policy, taken already at the beginning of the policy cycle. Thereby, expected benefits that agricultural water users associated with the policy have been deliberately increased, while their related expected costs have been decreased. Ultimately, this made the policy objective to reduce agricultural water consumption less credible and the policy more acceptable to water users and a powerful agricultural lobby. • Analysis of coordination of governance functions across the policy cycle. • Exploring holistic coordination to understand temporal and functional dimensions of policy coordination. • Approach uncovers coordination failures and the political economy of policy-making. • Illustrative case study of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) implementation in the Guadalquivir river basin, Spain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural forest regrowth on abandoned land represents a major land use change in some regions of Europe. This is driven by various factors related to land abandonment, particularly changing socioeconomic conditions for agriculture and rural depopulation. Little research exists about how the issue is addressed at the policy level. This paper looks into the policymaking related to natural forest regrowth in France and Spain, two countries where land abandonment and natural forest regrowth occur at significant scales. We conduct a policy discourse analysis building upon 27 interviews carried out between 2018 and 2020 with policy actors from various fields that connect with these topics. We find four competing storylines in both countries: extensive agriculture, forestry, landscape conservation, and wilderness. These storylines differ regarding the framing of natural forest regrowth as a problem or an opportunity, and the preferred policy solutions. While storylines rooted in extensive agriculture, landscape conservation and forestry tend to problematize the phenomenon, a wilderness storyline voices an opportunity perspective. In France, a few actors voice elements of an insignificance storyline. Given its spatial importance, natural forest regrowth will likely become more important for future policymaking in the EU. Engaging in further research across disciplines and policy fields is necessary to study the phenomenon and its possible management and governance options. • Policy actors narrate natural forest regrowth on abandoned land through storylines. • Interview results distinguish four storylines on natural forest regrowth. • Three storylines tend to highlight the threat of natural forest regrowth. • Natural forest regrowth has not yet received much political attention. • Shifts towards a rewilding perspective may strengthen an opportunity framing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the abundance and ubiquitous presence of microplastics in a protected coastal zone located in the southeast of Spain: The Mar Menor lagoon, an important tourist destination in this region. Seventeen sampling sites, corresponding to both intertidal and backshore points, were collected during winter 2017 and 2018, being situated in different protected areas according to international, European and Spanish environmental policies. The main objectives of the study were to examine microplastics in both protected and non-protected areas, and to test the importance of local activities on their presence. Northwest samples reported higher average microplastic concentrations than samples collected in the southeastern part of the coastal lagoon, likely due to the extensive use of sludge from wastewater treatment plants besides the fragmentation of low density polyethylene from plastic greenhouses, being microplastic films also higher for northwest than for southeast samples. Moreover, large inter-site differences observed in microplastic concentrations also demonstrated that local activities, mainly tourism and fishery, may play an important role as microplastic sources. The extensive amount of 17 different polymer types identified in this paper, much higher than most reported in similar studies, together with the variety of colors of microplastics most of them in a fragmented form (59.4%) and mainly detected in urban beaches, should be related to the geographical situation of this coastal lagoon, together with enormous environmental passives accumulated over the past 50 years. Only polyvinyl ester resins proved to be statistically higher in non-protected than in protected zones, probably related to their use in manufacturing boat hulls, although sources and pathways for microplastics are always difficult to assess. Measures to avoid microplastic pollution should be taken through educational programs, with also a clear commitment from plastic producers and transformers. Image 1 • Microplastic represented 51.1% of total microlitter. • Microplastic concentrations were highest northwest, consistent with water runoff. • Local activities; i.e., tourism and fishery, also influence microplastic abundance. • Film forms mainly made up of LDPE were present as a consequence of plastic greenhouses degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The paper has a focus on energy consumption habits and trends using statistical methods. • Occupants' behavior is monitored using smart metering system and awareness surveys. • The impact of a serious game on occupant's behavior is evaluated. The paper has a focus on energy consumption habits, trends and intervention strategies in residential buildings, mainly through the serious game approach with a combination of direct consumer feedback through smart metering. More than 150 homes in France and Spain have been involved in the research experiment and the consumption habits of approximately 50 homes were deeply analyzed. The applied methods, processes, results and findings of the monitoring data analysis are presented in the paper with two aims. First, consumption profiles and trends were determined for apartment homes with regard to heating, domestic hot water and electric consumption. Second, the impact of a serious game experiment was assessed comparing energy consumption, indoor air temperature and users' habits (based on questionnaires) before and after launching the experiment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the precepts defended by the International Charter of Kraków, this paper aims at presenting a fully non-destructive multidisciplinary approach able to characterize masonry bridges at three different levels: i) geometrical level; ii) material level and; iii) structural level. To this end, this approach integrates the terrestrial laser scanner, the sonic and impact-echo methods, the ground penetrating radar and the multichannel analysis of surface waves. All these data are combined with reverse engineering procedures, allowing the creation of suitable as-built CAD models for advanced numerical simulations. Then, these numerical models are contrasted and updated through the data provided by the ambient vibration tests. To validate the methodology proposed in this paper, the Roman bridge of Avila was used as study case. This bridge shows a complex mixture of constructive techniques (masonry, cohesive material, Opus Caementicium and reinforced concrete). Thus, the numerical model was considered for performing predictive structural analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Government policy shall address the strategic nature of local resource use decisions. • Local resource users face linked coordination, prisoner's dilemma, and zero-sum/externality situations. • Governments shape the behavior of local resource users via bundles of policy instruments. • Policy instruments contribute to local collective action via a handful of mechanisms. This paper presents a diagnostic approach to the role and capacity of governments to facilitate local collective action and alleviate environmental problems. The paper adds to a nascent scholarship aiming to conciliate theories on "governance by government" and "governance by self-organization". We adopt two premises for that purpose: (1) policy instruments shall be tailored to the strategic nature of local resource management decisions; and (2) such nature is not static and can be modified via governmental policies. We first build on the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework to characterize the decision-making situations that local resource users face and the local rules that shape said situations. Then, based on common pool resource (CPR) and policy instrument choice theory, we identify four mechanisms through which different policy instruments can facilitate local collective action (change in payoffs and their perception, reduction of transaction costs, reduction of uncertainty, and normative consonance). This analytical approach is then applied to four illustrative cases of water management in Germany, France, Greece and Spain. As shown, local resource users are embedded in not one but many overlapping decision-making situations. In this context, the promotion of collective action is rarely accomplished via a single policy instrument or mechanism but via bundles of them. Also, the paper illustrates the importance of understanding how governmental policies modify the structure of rules and incentives that affect local resource users, potentially facilitating local collective action and the solution of environmental problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Graphical abstract Highlights • Photo-Fenton with Fe3+-EDDS removes CECs regardless water composition. • 80% CEC removal after 15 min in 5 real WWTP effluents. • Nature and not the load of organic matter has impact on CEC removal. • Short reaction time to remove CECs encourages continuous flow operation. • Mechanism developed with synthetic effluent explains reactions in real wastewater. Abstract This paper presents for the first time the treatment of contaminants of emerging concern (CECs) in a systematic study in different municipal wastewater treatment plants (MWWTPs) of the Mediterranean area, more than 1000 km away. Solar photo-Fenton process at neutral pH with Fe3+-EDDS has been demonstrated to be very efficient under controlled conditions and must be validated in realistic and variable conditions such as real MWWTP effluents of different composition. To this end, CEC removal was studied in effluents from 5 treatment plants in the Mediterranean area of Spain, the inorganic and organic composition varying in the range 161–641 mg L−1 (sulfate), 133–538 mg L−1 (chloride) and 10–20 mg L−1 (dissolved organic carbon). More than 45 CECs were quantified in MWW and results showed that the effect on CEC elimination of the concentration of anions and organic matter was interfered by the nature of the organic matter. However, origin and composition of MWW was not critic for attaining >80% degradation of CECs after 15 min of reaction. Moreover, conventional anions (sulfate, chloride) had a positive effect on CEC degradation rate. This paper demonstrates the consistency and predictability of the solar photo-Fenton process at circumneutral pH for treating CECs in simple and cheap photoreactors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper investigates the incentives and inhibiting factors of eco-innovation capacities in the firm. Firms materialize the objectives of eco-innovation from a reactive attitude to external pressures, to a more proactive attitude that implies the voluntary incorporation of eco-innovation activities. This variability in the behaviour of companies with respect to the level of eco-innovation development has been a motivator for the research. However, despite the importance of this research question, this has been approached in a dispersed way from multiple approaches. From a dynamic capabilities perspective, we assume that the innovation capacity of the firm encourages eco-innovations. Our paper is focused on the process of eco-innovation, identifying the elements that facilitate or hinder the eco-innovation in the firm. We study the Spanish case, using a panel from the Spanish Innovation Survey, with a sample of 5461 Spanish firms. The results highlight that the complexity of the eco-innovation process negatively affects the decision to develop eco-innovations. However, our results suggest that institutions and organizations of the Spanish environment are making efforts to compensate these obstacles and provide incentives to develop eco-innovations. Highlights • We model investigates the incentives and inhibiting factors of eco-innovation. • Our focus is on the process of eco-innovation from dynamic capabilities perspective. • The complexity of the eco-innovation process negatively affects to develop eco-innovations. • Results show that the experience facilitates the development of future eco-innovations. • The institutions provide incentives to develop eco-innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information and Communication Technologies provide valuable opportunities for companies to expand their business. In this sense, the availability of a multilingual corporate website can be of great help when it comes to reach international targets at a reduced cost. This is especially relevant in countries with remarkable tourism flows and foreign population, which is the case of Spain. The aim of this paper is to analyze the web presence and the multilingual dissemination of their corporate information of small and medium-sized companies (SMEs) from the tourist sector located in Andalusia (Spain). To meet this objective, a sample of 160 SMEs has been analyzed. A frequency analysis has been carried out as well as decision trees, the latter in order to identify drivers for influencing companies for having a website and its subsequent translation. Results show that, although around 70% of the companies had a corporate website, less than 40% of them translated their content and, if they do it, they mostly offered only one translated version of the webpage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are making significant efforts to implement the Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm, in which sensors collect data from heterogeneous sources, and advanced software systems can provide an accurate city context. Most initiatives focus on improving the quality of life through energy-efficient buildings, waste management, or reducing traffic congestion. One of the main applications of IoT is smart tourism. This concept focuses on using Information and Communication Technologies to give visitors better experiences without interfering with the city's daily life. This paper studies related concepts and related works in smart tourism, sustainability, and IoT, identifying challenges and literature gaps. Finally, we provide a brief analysis of the real case study of the mountainous Alpujarra region in Spain based on its specific characteristics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hospitals present a widely recognized margin for energy conservation due to their elevated final energy use intensity. Specifically, operating rooms are among the functional areas with greatest energy demand in hospitals, given the stringent indoor conditions for patients and surgical staff. However, energy efficiency in surgical facilities has traditionally been overlooked by the scientific literature in favor of guaranteeing adequate air quality conditions. This paper assesses the potential energy savings that could be achieved in a surgical suite in a Spanish hospital by lowering the current ventilation rates to the lowest energy-demanding values recommended by the proper Spanish standard and other international codes. Likewise, the paper assesses the actual hygrothermal and ventilation conditions in the suite based on the results of a continuous monitoring campaign performed for a period of 12 days. Simulations undertaken with a dynamic energy model specifically developed and calibrated for this work revealed that the average energy intensity of the suite is 1021 kWh/m 2 /year (1685 kWh/m 2 /year for operating rooms), with 80% of the total annual thermal demand corresponding to periods of inactivity. In addition, energy savings between 40% and 80% are possible while complying with both national and international standards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to research on integrated and sustainability reporting at higher-education institutions in the context of voluntary reporting by focusing on an innovative Spanish university. It examines the developments for the implementation of sustainability and integrated reporting at this university by critically analysing what, why, who and how the new models of reporting have been implemented. The paper provides a case study using documentary analysis and qualitative data based on semi-structured interviews. The results show that the report is mainly focused on social and sustainability values and can not be considered an integrated report that connects all the capitals creating value. The key driver has been stakeholders' interests, represented by the university's social council, aiming at increasing competitiveness and achieve third mission objectives. The paper contributes by pointing out the challenges and principal issues of the process of implementation. An important issue for successful implementation is introducing it as a managerial and accountability tool, and linking it to the organisation's strategic objectives. This can be used for learning processes at other universities that want to follow this path. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Picasso created his most famous painting, Guernica , in just over three weeks in 1937 after the bombing of the little town of Guernica, located in the Basque region, during the Spanish Civil War. Thousands of innocent people were injured or killed. In its sharp lines, its confusion and its distorted shapes, Guernica shows the suffering and pain of war. Rather than using color, especially vivid reds, Picasso used only black and white paint as symbols of death, mourning and tragedy. He believed that brighter colors might distract the viewer from the agony of the scene. In Guernica , most of the figures have open mouths; hear them shouting, groaning or screaming. The aim of this paper and its relevance to public relations is to examine whether and how visual communication can publicize and frame a military event, the character of military leaders, and warfare as a generic aspect of democratic self-governance. This paper proposes that rhetorical, discursive art can contribute impact to public relations efforts, by focusing attention, making issues public, and making informative, framing, and democratizing statements. Even more important is the ability of art to express moral outrage, especially when giving voice to muted interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strongest economic crisis ever known, started in 2008, destroyed much of the social achievements. Although the European Union had to deal with this situation by designing common policies, the member states have handled this crisis in many different ways. Nevertheless, not all the countries had the same possibilities for manage their economic policies inside a common currency area. These states involved in the EuroZone have faced some restrictions due to their belonging to a currency area, so they have had to design alternative economic policies to the monetary one. The main objective of this paper is to assess the acceptance of the restrictive policies on public health expenses due to economic crisis and the implemented economic policy, from the point of view of citizens. This paper hypothesized that this acceptance or not depends on citizens perception of adequate use of the public health care system. A survey was conducted among the main social actors involved on healthcare system: the general population and health professionals. And for testing the hypotheses a means comparison ( t -test and ANOVA) and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) has been developed using data from that survey. Outcomes from those econometric exercises show a general disagreement with the cuts in health expenses, but in a level very related with citizen’s perceptions of overuse of public health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the process of policy framing and narrative construction in the context of energy exclusion. Through qualitative analysis of case studies of collective, systematic, and recurrent electricity disconnections at the neighbourhood level in Spain, the study identifies two policy framings, the 'criminalisation' and the 'degradation' framing, in the process of building the phenomenon of energy exclusion as a policy problem. Highlighting the central role of problem construction in policy development, the research shows how this stage shapes the whole policy trajectory, not only determining the character of the problem but also how to solve it. The research uses textual material collected through in-depth qualitative interviews, news and press, and policy documents to critically analyse the framing process and narrative construction. The results show how conflicting interpretations of a policy situation can lead to different policy messages and the influence of structural elements, such as the dominant electricity model, in reinforcing these interpretations. • Unpacks energy exclusion through policy framing and narrative analysis. • Identifies key factors and policy frames in energy exclusion cases. • Demonstrates how problem construction shapes policy trajectories. • Analyses diverse relevant actors' perspectives on systematic disconnections. • Links conflicting scenario interpretations to varied policy outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind power is one of the most important renewable energy sources worldwide. However, integrating these technologies in electricity markets faces challenges due to the intermittent wind speed, resulting in potential imbalances within power grids and subsequent inefficiencies. Traditional approaches for modeling the uncertainty simulate fixed wind power values in operational and planning models, which work well for the short term but are inadequate for medium-term decision-making due to lower forecasting accuracy and the inability to differentiate the imbalance risk faced in each simulated value. This paper proposes a novel methodology for incorporating wind energy imbalance risk into medium-term generation planning models. For this, we first simulate realistic wind power scenarios and perform a fitting distribution process to characterize the hourly wind power behavior. Then, we model the imbalance risk using quadratic-uncertainty cost functions for each simulated value. Subsequently, we conduct a temporal aggregation to reduce the computational burden, preserving the conceptual framework of the imbalance risk modeling. Finally, we propose a medium-term generation planning model that includes the imbalance risk model and the temporal aggregation strategy. Our approach is evaluated in a real-size case study formed by Spain, Portugal, and France's electricity markets, demonstrating accurate wind power imbalance risk modeling and lowered planning costs. • A new methodology to include wind energy imbalance risk in generation planning models. • Introducing a fitting process for modeling the distribution asymmetries of wind power. • Proposing a temporal aggregation method for efficient imbalance risk modeling. • The methodology is validated in Spanish, Portuguese, and French electricity markets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper compares the performance of conventional and organic fruit farms in Spain, using a set of base indicators to assess their economic and environmental performance on a per hectare basis. Composite indicators are also calculated to measure the overall economic and environmental performance of both production systems. Comparisons are made using propensity score matching to minimize the non-randomization biases caused by structural differences between the samples of conventional (n = 552) and organic (n = 127) fruit farms sourced from the Spanish Farm Accountancy Data Network (RECAN). The results based on per hectare metrics point to modest changes in the performance of farms that converted to organic farming. This is mainly because most converted farms were former conventional farms characterized by lower profitability and less intensive input use, consequently minimizing the effects of the conversion process. Nevertheless, the conversion outcomes exhibit a degree of variability depending on the specific type of fruit production. Economic gains are only discernible in the case of nut farms, whereas fruit and tropical fruit farms tend to yield the most favorable results per hectare from an environmental perspective. • Changes in per hectare performance are assessed when fruit farms convert to organic. • A complete set of economic and environmental base and composite indicators is used. • A matching procedure is implemented to obtain unbiased difference estimators. • Small changes are found in the per hectare performance of farms after conversion. • Mixed results depending on the type of fruit production subsector considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) as an effective mechanism to reduce carbon emissions leads to an increased weather dependency for power and energy systems. This has created dynamic operation and degradation phenomena, which affect the lifetime estimation of the assets operated with RESs. For the reliable and efficient operation of RES it is crucial to monitor the health of its constituent components and feature selection is a crucial step for building robust and accurate health monitoring approaches. In this context, this paper presents a probabilistic feature selection approach, which probabilistically weights and selects features through a heuristic and iterative process for an improved asset lifetime estimation. Power transformers are key power grid assets and they are used to demonstrate the validity and impact of the proposed approach. The approach is tested on two different photovoltaic power plants operated in Spain and Australia. Results consistently show that the proposed feature-selection approach reduces the prediction error and consistently selects relevant features. The approach has been applied to transformer lifetime estimation, but it can be generally applied to assist in the lifetime estimation of other components operated in RESs. Part of the studies presented here as well as source codes are all open-source under the GitHub repository https://github.com/iramirezg/FeatureSelection. • Probabilistic feature selection approach for improved asset lifetime estimation. • Integration of environmental features for improved renewable-operated asset lifetime. • Systematic and robust feature weighting methodology. • Improved transformer lifetime estimation including sensor and environmental data. • Validated on two real photovoltaic power plant case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the main drivers of the household carbon footprint (HCF) is a priority to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and move towards a more sustainable economy. Among the multiple factors that explain the HCF, some previous research has confirmed the relevance of gender. In this paper, we calculate the HCF of individual Spanish households using an environmentally extended multi-regional input-output model (EEMRIO) that quantifies the emissions embedded in the supply chain of goods and services that households consume. We assess the differences in consumption and emissions patterns, measuring the gender effect by a new variable, the female share of the household. This represents a remarkable improvement over previous literature that used simpler approaches. Moreover, we assess the partial effect of gender on HCF using multivariate regressions for total and sectoral emissions. Our results show that households with a majority of men have a higher HCF and carbon intensity. Even when controlling for economic, sociodemographic, and regional factors there are differences in the sectoral emissions according to gender. Female households spend more (and generate more emissions) on housing and food products, while male households show that pattern for restaurants and transport. These results can help orientate environmental campaigns and demand-side mitigation policies. • We calculate HCF for individual Spanish households using HBS data and EEMRIO. • We introduce the gender effect through the new indicator "female share in households." • Households with a majority of men have a higher HCF and carbon intensity. • The higher the proportion of women in a household, the higher the HCF in housing and food. • The higher the proportion of women in a household, the lower the carbon footprint in restaurants and transportation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses directional distance function DDF in order to analyze a group of environmental performance indicators (EPIs) in doing so, selecting desired and undesired inputs and outputs and taking as variables the analyze of glass, paper, cardboard, light packaging and other waste. In a second phase an analysis is generated with five socioeconomic factors (Built for this paper); population density, tourism, the economic activity of the municipality, the economic level per inhabitant and education. As a result, we are able to observe the influence and effects of ecoefficiency on urban waste management (EUWM) in 143 Spanish municipalities. The result panel data is generated via a “Tobit Model” regression analysis showing that tourism and education are the significant independent variables in model. The study shows that a local administration does not need to have a high economic level or be highly populated to reach a good level of eco-efficiency. It is not the money that causes a level of eco-efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper proposes a new and intuitive model to evaluate the utilitarian e-service quality on textile and fashion B2C websites in Spain. The relevant variables to include into this model have been validated through an in-depth literature review and a reliability study based on an empirical investigation. Among the several methodologies used to develop the model, the paper proves that fuzzy inference systems (FIS) have numerous advantages. The following are particularly relevant: the ease to manage non-linear behaviours and the intuitive way of incorporating knowledge to evaluate B2C websites. This knowledge can stem both: from the expert know-how or from the evaluation of consumer satisfaction on these websites. The knowledge is made explicit through if-then rules which work with linguistic-type concepts −agreed upon by experts, closer to the human reasoning mode. Finally, the usefulness of the proposed model and the defined FIS suitability to evaluate the model are shown. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the procedure performed to validate the migration equation and the migration parameters’ values presented in a previous paper (Legarda et al., 2011) regarding the migration of 137 Cs in Spanish mainland soils. In this paper, this model validation has been carried out checking experimentally obtained activity concentration values against those predicted by the model. This experimental data come from the measured vertical activity profiles of 8 new sampling points which are located in northern Spain. Before testing predicted values of the model, the uncertainty of those values has been assessed with the appropriate uncertainty analysis. Once establishing the uncertainty of the model, both activity concentration values, experimental versus model predicted ones, have been compared. Model validation has been performed analyzing its accuracy, studying it as a whole and also at different depth intervals. As a result, this model has been validated as a tool to predict 137 Cs behaviour in a Mediterranean environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper addresses the problem of reducing the number of values required to characterize an electricity demand profile, which is usually known as its dimensionality. This reduction may have a significant impact on the computational efforts and storage capacities required to analyze and process high volumes of electricity load curves. Also, the reduction to 2 or even 1 component enables its graphic representation. Specifically, this work is mainly focused on profiles defined by their monthly demand values, and where the clients are aggregated by locations and/or economic activities. This approach is of great interest for marketing analysis and decision-making of electricity retailers. In this sense, the use of dimensionality reduction techniques based on knowledge (calendar and temperature) along with the application of data-driven procedures (Principal Component Analysis and autoencoders), are explored in the paper. The results of this research show that autoencoders clearly outperform the other techniques, yielding errors in the reduction process between 15% to 40% lower and preserving distances between profiles in the low-dimensional spaces, with a correlation of 0.93 with the distances in high dimensional space. Additionally, the bidimensional graphical representation of a profile can easily be interpreted in a polar way, where the angle denotes the shape of the profile, and the radius reveals its scale. To reach these results, a very large dataset has been employed, with about half a million aggregated profiles corresponding to the electricity consumption during 3 years of more than 27 million clients in Spain. [Display omitted] • Autoencoders are the best option to reduce the dimensionality of demand profiles. • Data-driven techniques outperform knowledge-based models by reducing components. • Low-dimensional characterization preserves the relative distances between profiles. • The graphic representation of bidimensional profiles admits a polar interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines a redevelopment plan for downtown Lubbock, Texas, titled the Urban Courtyard Project, which draws upon the courtyard traditions of Spain to restructure urban alleys into a series of interconnected courtyards. In this paper, we share graduate student projects and argue for the benefits of this economically-viable, sustainable approach to urban redevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper we compare the results obtained by three different InSAR tool packages, StaMPS, SARPROZ and P-SBAS (CNR-IREA) on G-POD for the processing of a mountainous area with up to 2,000 m high differences. For that we use two dataset ERS-1/2 and Envisat ASAR. The area (Sierra Tejeda, southern Spain) is located close to the coast line in the Internal Zone of the Betic Cordillera. The recent NW-SE convergence of the Eurasian-African plate boundary makes this area to belong to a large fold which continues active up to present. The uplift of the mountain ranges is mainly related to the development of folds in this regional compressive setting. This paper investigates and compares the velocity pattern obtained by the three different algorithms to help to constraint the geological hazard in this part of the Betic Cordillera. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Breast cancer is one of the most frequent malignancies. The aim of the article is to analyse the cost-utility ratio and budgetary impact of talazoparib treatment for patients with locally advanced or metastatic gBRCA + breast cancer from the perspective of the Spanish National Health System. Analyses were based on the EMBRACA clinical trial and the model was constructed according to " partitioned survival analysis ". Two scenarios were considered in order to compare talazoparib with the alternatives of capecitabine, vinorelbine and eribulin: 1. Chemotherapy in patients pre-treated with anthracyclines/taxanes and, 2. A second- and subsequent-line treatment option. Treatment types following relapse were recorded in the mentioned clinical trial. The effectiveness measure used was quality-adjusted life years (QALY). The average health cost of patients treated at 43 months with talazoparib was 84,360.86€, whilst current treatment costs were 26,683.90€. The effectiveness of talazoparib was 1.93 years of survival (1.09 QALY) relative to 1.58 years (0.83 QALY) in the treatment group. The incremental cost-utility ratio was 252,420.04€/QALY. This represents the additional cost required to earn an additional QALY when changing from regular treatment to talazoparib. Regarding budgetary impact, the number of patients susceptible to receiving treatment with between 94 and 202 talazoparib was estimated, according to scenario and likelihood. The 3-year cost difference was between 6.9 and 9 million euros. The economic evaluation conducted shows an elevated incremental cost-utility ratio and budgetary impact. Taking these results into account, the price of talazoparib would have to be lower than that taken as a reference to reach the cost-utility thresholds. • As far as the authors know, this paper is the first economic evaluation of iPARP in advanced/metastatic breast cancer. • Talazoparib does not extend the median survival time compared to capecitabine, vinorelbine and eribulin. • As for low survival improvement of talazoparib, it should be used with caution in patients with breast cancer BRCA mutation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Ecological and social desirability of forest regeneration in uplands is disputed. • We propose a conceptual framework for comparative discourse analysis. • We identify three discourses within four European protected areas. • Discourses derive from different ecologies, ideas, interests and institutions. • Power struggles and discourse-coalitions shape forest regeneration policies. Forest regeneration is a major land-use change in European uplands, and whether or not this is a desirable change for biodiversity is disputed. While this debate seems to be largely situated in the field of natural sciences, this paper aims to also examine its social dimensions. To do so, we adopt a comparative discourse analysis with four cases of protected areas in France, Spain, and Scotland. We draw on a conceptual framework highlighting both the ecological and social factors underpinning the construction of environmental discourses. It notably emphasises the role of interests, ideas and institutions, and the power dynamics underpinning discourse-coalitions. We show how diverging discourses emerged, gained ground, coalesced and competed differently in different contexts, explaining the adoption of seemingly opposite discourses by protected area authorities. These findings reaffirm the need to conceive environmental governance as an on-going deliberative process in order to achieve environmental justice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]