The Open Data Potential for the Geospatial Characterisation of Building Stock on an Urban Scale: Methodology and Implementation in a Case Study

Energy renovation in buildings is one of the major challenges for the decarbonisation of the building stock. To effectively prioritise decision making regarding the adoption of the most efficient solutions and strategies, it is imperative to develop agile methods to determine the energy performance of buildings on an urban scale, in order to evaluate the impact of these improvements. In this regard, the data collection for feeding building energy models plays a key role in the accuracy and reliability of this issue, and the significant increase in recent years of available data from open data sources offers great potential in this respect. Thus, this study focuses on proposing a systematised and automated method for obtaining information from open data sources so as to obtain the most relevant geometric and thermal characteristics of residential buildings on an urban scale. The criteria for selecting the parameters to be obtained are based on their potential use as input data in different energy demand models aimed at assessing the energy performance of the building stock in a given area and, eventually, to evaluate the potential for improvement and the mitigation of different strategies. Geometric characterisation relies on obtaining and processing open data from cadastres to extract envelope surfaces categorised by orientation through QGIS (Free and Open Source Geographic Information System). For thermal characterisation, an automated process assigns different parameter-based information obtained from cadastral data, such as the year of construction. Finally, the applicability of the method is demonstrated through its implementation in the case study of Bilbao (Spain). The obtained results show that, although additional data should be collected when a detailed analysis of a building or building cluster has to be carried out, the existing open data can provide a first approximation, providing a first global view of the building stock in a region. It demonstrates the usability of the proposed method as an effective way to obtain and process these relevant data.The work presented in this paper was carried out within the EnePoMAP Project that was funded by “La Caixa” Foundation under the project code LCF/PR/SR20/52550013. The recruitment of the Author Cristina Villanueva-Díaz was funded by the European Union-Next Generation EU. The author Milagros Álvarez-Sanz is benefiting from the financial support of the University of the Basque Country (UPV-EHU), through the Vice-Rectorate of Research’s Personnel Research Training Program (2020). The publication fees of the paper were funded by the organisation of the 14th edition of the International Conference on Energy Efficiency and Sustainability in Architecture and Urbanism (EESAP 14), through a prize awarded to the material of this publication in recognition of the best communication submitted to the congress

TIC y cocreación de valor en B2B: la nueva forma de fidelización en el servicio

[EN] In today’s competitive environment, it is emphasised that business digitalisation is one of the most important strategies to deal with new market challenges. This article argues that technology is a driving force behind business relationships, showing the origins of new ways to achieve loyalty. Through a model which has been tested in a sample of 256 travel agencies, technology can facilitate coordination in the management of relationships between tourism companies, promoting value co-creation between suppliers and customers. Co-creation in turn maximises trust and commitment between organisations and lays the foundations for achievement of dual social and economic satisfaction, for client companies, which ultimately enhances their loyalty. This research contributes to the literature in the interorganizational context, showing quantitative evidence on how technology triggers a sequence of effects that, through value co-creation, trust, and commitment in the channel, between agents in the tourism field, trace a new route of relationships that leads to the achievement of dual satisfaction and loyalty. Additionally, the interrelationships between the two satisfactions are analysed, concluding the mediating effect of economic satisfaction between social satisfaction and loyalty.[ES] En el entorno competitivo actual, se insiste en que la digitalización empresarial es una de las estrategias más im-portantes para hacer frente a los nuevos retos del mercado. En este artículo se argumenta que la tecnología es una fuerza impulsora de las relaciones comerciales, que muestra el origen de nuevos caminos hacia la consecución de la lealtad. A través de un modelo que ha sido probado en una muestra de 256 agencias de viajes, la tecnología puede facilitar la coordinación en la gestión de las relaciones entre las empresas turísticas, promoviendo la co-creación de valor entre proveedores y clientes. A su vez, la co-creación maximiza la confianza y el compromiso entre las organizaciones y sienta las bases para la consecución de una doble satisfacción social y económica, para las empresas clientes, lo que en última instancia aumenta su lealtad. Esta investigación contribuye a la literatura en el contexto interorganizacional, mostrando evidencias cuantitativas sobre cómo la tecnología desencadena una secuencia de efectos que, a través de la co-creación de valor, la confianza y el compromiso en el canal, entre agentes del ámbito turístico, traza una nueva ruta de relaciones que conduce a la consecución de la doble satisfacción y lealtad. Además, se analizan las interrelaciones entre ambas satisfacciones, concluyendo el efecto mediador de la satisfacción económica entre la satisfacción social y la lealtad.This research has been developed within the framework of the project grant PID2020-112660RB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and the grant for consolidated re-search group AICO/2021/144 funded by the Conselleria d’Inno-vació, Universitats, Ciència i Societat Digital of the Generalitat Valenciana

Forecasting marine spill risk along the U.S. Pacific coasts

This study analyzes historical trends and forecasts of spill risks in coastal counties along the U.S. Pacific, including Alaska and Hawaii. The method calculates spill impact, which rises with size but diminishes with age and distance from the coast. Over the past two decades, spill risks in California and Washington have increased significantly. Coastal counties in Puget Sound and San Francisco Bay have seen the highest increases, surpassing 2000 levels by 79 % and 39 %, respectively. Alaska experienced a moderate rise, while Oregon and Hawaii had smaller but noteworthy increases. Ocean currents may reduce risk by 38 % on average. Most counties are expected to experience increasing spill risks, particularly in Southern California and Southwest Washington, which could see nearly a 50 % increase by 2033 compared to present levels. These findings can help coastal zone monitoring and inform policies for protecting coastal regions, regulating marine transportation and reducing spill vulnerability.The author would like to acknowledge research funding received from UPV/EHU Econometrics Research Group (Basque Government grant IT1508-22) and EU Interreg Atlantic Area (EAPA_224/2016 MOSES). This research was conducted while the author was a visiting scholar in the Center for the Blue Economy, Middlebury Institute of International Studies @ Monterey (CA) USA. He also thanks two anonymous reviewers for their comments on an earlier version

Historia y evolución de una empresa familiar centenaria que se proyecta hacia el futuro

TOUS es uno de los diez mayores grupos españoles del sector de la moda y uno de los principales en el sector de la joyería. Con sede en Manresa (Barcelona), TOUS tiene sus orígenes en un taller de reparación de relojes fundado en 1920. A lo largo de sus más de cien años de trayectoria, la compañía ha sabido adaptarse a los nuevos tiempos, modas y técnicas aún sin dejar de lado la artesanía, la tradición y su esencia. Tres generaciones, y en proceso de incorporación de la cuarta, de oficio, perseverancia y conocimiento de negocio avalan la trayectoria de la marca joyera

Integral Valorization of Posidonia oceanica Balls: An Abundant and Potential Biomass

Posidonia oceanica balls (POB), a kind of seagrass, are a significant environmental issue since they are annually discharged onto beaches. Their current usefulness limits interest in their management and enhances the environmental problem. Therefore, in this research, the potential of this lignocellulosic biomass was studied from a holistic biorefinery point of view. To this end, an in-depth study was carried out to select the best pathway for the integral valorization of POBs. First, an autohydrolysis process was studied for the recovery of oligosaccharides. Then, a delignification stage was applied, where, in addition to studying different delignification methods, the influence of the autohydrolysis pre-treatment was also investigated. Finally, cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) were obtained through a chemo-mechanical treatment. The results showed that autohydrolysis not only improved the delignification process and its products, but also allowed the hemicelluloses to be valorized. Acetoformosolv delignification proved to be the most successful in terms of lignin and cellulose properties. However, alkaline delignification was able to extract the highest amount of lignin with low purity. CNFs were also successfully produced from bleached solids. Therefore, the potential of POB as a feedstock for a biorefinery was confirmed, and the pathway should be chosen according to the requirements of the desired end products.This research was funded by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research of Tunisia and Gobierno Vasco/Eusko Jaurlaritza grant number IT-1498-22

Use of rasburicase to improve kidney function in children with hyperuricemia and acute kidney injury

Background Hyperuricemia contributes to decrease in kidney function and induces additional renal damage in children with acute kidney injury (AKI). Rasburicase oxidizes uric acid (UA), decreasing its serum quantities in less than 24 h. Methods This is a retrospective study involving hospitalized patients under 18 years of age with underlying pathology diagnosed with AKI and severe hyperuricemia treated with rasburicase over a 4-year period. Results We describe 15 patients from 4 days of life to 18 years (median: 4.4 years). Seventy-three percent had known underlying pathologies. All presented worsening of basal renal function or AKI data. All received the usual medical treatment for AKI without response. Twenty percent received an extrarenal depuration technique. All had hyperuricemia with a mean (± SD) of 13.1 (± 2.19) mg/dl. After rasburicase administration UA levels fell to a mean (± SD) of 0.76 (± 0.62) mg/dl (p < 0.001) in less than 24 h. In parallel, a decrease in the mean plasma creatinine was observed (2.92 mg/dl to 1.93 mg/dl (p = 0.057)) together with a significant improvement of the mean glomerular filtration rate (16.3 ml/min/1.73 m2 to 78.6 ml/min/1.73 m2) (p = 0.001)). No side effects were recorded. Kidney function normalized in all cases or returned to baseline levels. Conclusions Although the use of rasburicase is not routinely approved in pediatric patients with severe hyperuricemia and AKI, it has been used successfully without complications, and helped prevent progressive kidney damage. This study could serve as a basis for suggesting the off-label use of rasburicase for the management of complex pediatric patients in whom UA plays an important role in the development of AKI.This study was supported by a grant from the Department of Education (IT1281-19) of the Basque Government. The funder had no role in the study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript

Lateral Evasive Maneuver with Shared Control Algorithm: A Simulator Study

Shared control algorithms have emerged as a promising approach for enabling real-time driver automated system cooperation in automated vehicles. These algorithms allow human drivers to actively participate in the driving process while receiving continuous assistance from the automated system in specific scenarios. However, despite the theoretical benefits being analyzed in various works, further demonstrations of the effectiveness and user acceptance of these approaches in real-world scenarios are required due to the involvement of the human driver in the control loop. Given this perspective, this paper presents and analyzes the results of a simulator-based study conducted to evaluate a shared control algorithm for a critical lateral maneuver. The maneuver involves the automated system helping to avoid an oncoming motorcycle that enters the vehicle’s lane. The study’s goal is to assess the algorithm’s performance, safety, and user acceptance within this specific scenario. For this purpose, objective measures, such as collision avoidance and lane departure prevention, as well as subjective measures related to the driver’s sense of safety and comfort are studied. In addition, three levels of assistance (gentle, intermediate, and aggressive) are tested in two driver state conditions (focused and distracted). The findings have important implications for the development and execution of shared control algorithms, paving the way for their incorporation into actual vehicles.This research is supported by the EU Commission HADRIAN project. HADRIAN has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 875597. The publication is supported by the EU Commission Aware2All project, under grant agreement No 97878

Endoperiodontal lesions: diagnosis first, then treatment and not always tooth extraction: a cross-sectional survey in Spain and a proposal of a clinical treatment protocol

Background: Endoperiodontal lesion (EPL) is defined as a pathological communication between pulpal and periodontal tissues. Currently, accurate diagnosis and treatment of this pathology are challenging. This study aims to identify the different endoperiodontal therapies to propose a clinical protocol to simplify and unify the criteria for EPL treatment. Material and Methods: Observational cross-sectional study through an electronic survey. This study matches STROBE guidelines. The anonymous questionnaire contained open-ended and close-ended questions and was distributed to dentistry professors of the UPV/EHU and different professionals from Spanish associations and scientific societies. The data collected were analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: A total of 128 responses were obtained, of which 120 were active professionals or had not been so for less than 5 years. The majority of professionals were women (65.6%) and from the Basque Country (63.9%). A total of 86.6% reported having complementary studies to a degree or a bachelor’s degree. The treatments performed by these professionals were similar to those reported in the literature, which started with root canal treatment when there was an endodontic origin (91.5%), and with basic periodontal treatment when periodontal (51.3%). Conclusions: Considering the current scientific evidence and the clinical practice of professionals in the treatment of EPL, we designed a clinical protocol. This protocol needs validation in larger populations and with longer follow-ups

Voltage and Overpotential Prediction of Vanadium Redox Flow Batteries with Artificial Neural Networks

This article explores the novel application of a trained artificial neural network (ANN) in the prediction of vanadium redox flow battery behaviour and compares its performance with that of a two-dimensional numerical model. The aim is to evaluate the capability of two ANNs, one for predicting the cell potential and one for the overpotential under various operating conditions. The two-dimensional model, previously validated with experimental data, was used to generate data to train and test the ANNs. The results show that the first ANN precisely predicts the cell voltage under different states of charge and current density conditions in both the charge and discharge modes. The second ANN, which is responsible for the overpotential calculation, can accurately predict the overpotential across the cell domains, with the lowest confidence near high-gradient areas such as the electrode membrane and domain boundaries. Furthermore, the computational time is substantially reduced, making ANNs a suitable option for the fast understanding and optimisation of VRFBs.This work has been partially supported by the Government of the Basque Country, program: Elkartek CICe2022; Grant No.: KK-2022/00043. U.F.-G. was supported by the Mobility Lab Foundation, a governmental organization of the Provincial Council of Araba and the local council of Vitoria-Gasteiz

Integrating the Maker pedagogical approach in teacher training: the acceptance level and motivational attitudes

In recent years, Maker Education has gained popularity in formal education, but the perceptions of pre-service teachers after participating in a maker training program at a university-based makerspace remain to be explored. The purpose of this study is to analyze the acceptance level and the degree of motivation of pre-service teachers towards the maker educational approach. The research assesses attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction according to Keller's motivational model, as well as the acceptance of the maker approach using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The study focuses on Early Childhood Education pre-service teachers from UPV/EHU (University of the Basque Country) who have been involved in designing teaching and learning plans based on Maker Education. The results show a strong motivation among the pre-service teachers in terms of attention, relevance, confidence and satisfaction towards the maker approach. The study also highlights a high level of technology acceptance. These findings underline the positive impact of maker-based learning methods and suggest that greater motivation correlates with the positive attitudes towards integrating this pedagogy in the future. In light of these findings, integrating innovative maker pedagogy into teacher training appears to be beneficial, as the high levels of acceptance and motivation indicate its potential to equip students with essential twenty-first century skills.Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature