Mitigating energy poverty: Potential contributions of combining PV and building thermal mass storage in low-income households

The issue of energy poverty has devastating implications for the society, and it has been aggravated in the past years due to the economic crisis and the increase of energy prices. Among the most affected are those with low incomes and living in inefficient buildings. Unfortunately, the bitter reality is that sometimes this part of the population are facing the next question: Heating, or eating? The declining prices of distributed energy technologies such as photovoltaics provides an opportunity for positive social change. Although their use does not address energy poverty directly, substantial contributions may be made. Measurements of indoor temperatures in a social housing district of southern Spain in 2017 have revealed the unbearable temperatures that the occupants have to endure, both in summer and winter. Using this district as a case study, the present work aims to evaluate the benefits of exploiting its rooftop PV potential to cover part of the electricity consumption of the district (reducing the energy bills), and use the surplus electricity to supply power for the heat pumps in the district. Optimal alternatives regarding maximum PV production, maximum self-sufficiency ratio and minimum investment costs have been found, considering as well different options when sharing the available electricity surplus to improve the thermal comfort of the occupants. As far as the authors know, no previous study has followed an approach aimed at energy poverty alleviation such as the one presented in this work. The results show that using the surplus electricity to heat or cool the whole dwellings would improve the thermal comfort of the occupants in average up to 11% in winter and 26% in summer. If all the PV generation was used or more buildings in the area were employed to install PV modules, improvements up to 33% in winter and 67% in summer could be obtained, reducing at the same time the thermal comfort differences among the dwellings of the district

Vertigo: Saul Bassin ja John Whitneyn minimalistinen estetiikka

Opinnäytetyön tavoitteena on tutkia elokuvallista ilmaisua alkutekstiosiossa ja sen mainonnassa käytettyjä keinoja Alfred Hitchcockin elokuvan Vertigo avulla. Työssä analysoin elokuvaa ja sen eri tasoja pyrkien ymmärtämään siinä käsiteltävät teemat ja niiden esittelyyn vaikuttaneet taiteelliset ja tekniset ratkaisut toteutuksessa. Taiteen historian kautta avaan eri tyylisuuntia ja kulttuuria eteenpäin vieneitä suuntauksia ja syy ja seuraussuhteita sekä nostan esille muutamia merkittävimmistä taiteilijoista, joiden luulen vaikuttaneen myös käsiteltävän teoksen estetiikkaan. Lisäksi perehdyn John Whitneyn työhön ja tietokoneanimaation varhaisvaiheisiin. huimauksen tunnetta ja illuusioita käsitellään tarkemmin seuraavissa luvuissa ja perehdyn alkuperäisen elokuvan teemaan. Työssä käydään läpi minimalistisen ilmaisutyylin käyttöä 3D-animaatiossa ja digitaalisessa kuvituksessa. Lopuksi sovellan oppimaani rekonstruoimalla vuonna 1958 ilmestyneen elokuvan julisteen ja alkutekstiosion moderneilla työkaluilla säilyttäen alkuperäisen teoksen tunnelman. Tutkimalla alkuperäistä elokuvaa ja sen graafista ilmettä teen alkutekstiosion kuvitteelliseen animaatioelokuvaan nimeltä Vertigo2: Whirlpool of bullets. Opinnäytetyössä käydään läpi elokuvan teemoja ja tekniikoita sekä historiaa ja taustoja. Myös elokuvan taustalla vaikuttaneita henkilöitä käsitellään pintaa syvemmältä. Produktiivisessa osiossa käydään läpi cel-shading renderöintitekniikkaa ja tutkitaan sen eri käyttömahdollisuuksia tuotettaessa piirrosmaisempaa ja kaksiulotteisempaa yksinkertaistettua grafiikkaa. Opinnäytetyön tarkoituksena on antaa lukijalle kuva varhaisesta elokuvien alkutekstiosioiden kehittymisestä ja tietokoneanimaatiosta keskittymällä Vertigo elokuvaan vaikuttaneiden taiteilijoihin.In this Bachelor’s thesis, I will study the meaning and visual presentation of a title sequence and movie posters by analyzing the Vertigo. Learned methods and techniques are then applied to a project, in which a poster and title sequence are produced. In the first chapters, the reader is introduced to Alfred Hitchcock’s masterpiece and to his earlier work for background information of the movie and its director. Next chapter analyzes themes and methods that are processed in the movie as well provides an in depth analyze of the plot. The following chapter’s focus is on visual illustrations of Vertigo and the artistic influence on graphic design. Moreover, the development of technology that has affected art-work in Vertigo are depicted. This includes the significant technological progress in the field of printmaking and the birth of computer animation. The continuum of various art movements will eventually lead us to minimalism and the art of movie title sequences by Saul Bass whose thesis will be studied in greater depth. While these topics may appear seemingly unrelated, a connection is, however, explained later.The present thesis will also introduce twentieth century art, particularly printmaking and thus attempts to show the influence of other artists of the era whose works might have affected Vertigo’s artwork. Vertigo as a phenomenon and illusions in general as an error of perception are then studied further to achieve deeper understanding of the theme of the movie. For the later explanatory introduction to the work of Roger Caillois is made. The work aims to produce the title sequence of fictional animation movie Vertigo 2: Whirlpool of bullets. The chapter will go through every step of work on producing a movie poster and title sequence to a movie and explain its techniques. The movie poster will be made using 3ds max and cel-shading as well more traditional digital illustration tools such as Photoshop. Different possibilities of 3d -modeling and achieving simple yet powerful imagery are discussed briefly in the following chapter. Making the storyboard and the final rendering of the title sequence comprise the themes of the final chapter. This thesis aims to give its reader information about the early work in the field of title sequences, movie posters and most importantly computer animation. This is achieved through focusing on three different gentlemen in particular who are: director Alfred Hitchcock, graphic designer Saul Bass and animator and inventor John Whitney.What they all have in common is Sight & Sounds #1 movie of all time: Vertigo

Mortality due to intimate partner violence in foreign women living in Spain (1999-2006)

Objetivos: Describir la evolución de la mortalidad por violencia del compañero íntimo (VCI) en las mujeres extranjeras residentes en España y explorar un posible mayor riesgo de este colectivo de morir por VCI. Métodos: Estudio ecológico retrospectivo basado en las muertes por VCI del Instituto de la Mujer (1999-2006). Cálculo de tasas de mortalidad y modelos de Poisson para el cálculo de riesgos relativos e intervalos de confianza del 95%. Resultados: El riesgo de morir por VCI de una mujer extranjera es 5,3 veces mayor que el de una española, y por años estudiados las extranjeras tienen un riesgo 2-8 veces mayor. Conclusión: Las mujeres extranjeras residentes en España son especialmente vulnerables ante la muerte por VCI. Se requiere una mayor investigación para profundizar en las causas y estrategias transversales que también impliquen al sector sanitario.Objectives: To describe the distribution of mortality due to intimate partner violence (IPV) in foreign women living in Spain and to explore the potentially greater risk of dying from IPV in this group. Methods: We performed a retrospective ecological study of deaths from IPV registered by the Women’s Institute of Spain (1999-2006). Mortality rates and Poisson models for relative risk and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. Results: The average risk of dying from IPV in foreign women was 5.3 times greater than that in Spanish women. In the years studied, the increased risk in foreign women was 2 to 8 times greater than that in Spanish women. Conclusion: Foreign women living in Spain are especially vulnerable to death from IPV. Further research on the causes of this phenomena and strategies involving health services are needed.Observatorio de Salud de las Mujeres (Ministerio de Sanidad y Consumo)

Gender inequalities in science: Gaceta Sanitaria takes a step forward

Las desigualdades de género están presentes en la familia, el trabajo, los salarios, los recursos económicos, el uso del tiempo y el poder, de manera que las mujeres tienen una peor situación. La desigual distribución del poder se refleja también en las instituciones y las estructuras relacionadas con la ciencia, y a su vez se plasma en la producción científica. En este editorial se contextualiza y presenta una iniciativa promovida por el equipo editorial de Gaceta Sanitaria para responder a estas desigualdades a través de la nueva «Política de Gaceta Sanitaria para fomentar la igualdad de género en la publicación científica»

La industria de la información científica y el acceso al conocimiento en el siglo 21: un modelo para el caso de Ecuador

The situation of the scientific information industry is presented, identifying the 5 most important publishers. It also indicates the different ways in which Latin American countries can access this information. Finally, a comparative analysis of the different financing models for access to information for developing countries, such as the specific case of Ecuador, is established.Se presenta la situación de la industria de la información científica, identificando a los 5 grandes de la industria editorial. Además, se indica las diferentes formas en que los países de Latinoamérica pueden acceder a esta información. Por último, se establece un análisis comparativo de los diferentes modelos de financiamiento para acceder a la información para países en vías de desarrollo como el caso específico de Ecuador

El mercado de la información científica: el caso de las universidades británicas (2010-2014)

An analysis of the dynamics of the market of scientific information of the period 2010-2014 is shown through the data provided by the study carried out by The London School of Economics and Politics Science on the payment of subscriptions that the universities of the United Kingdom realize to the publishers, and thus determine which are those involved in the processes of negotiation of acquisition of scientific information resources. Through the application of microeconomic criteria and descriptive statistics, it is determined that Elsevier is the dominant publisher in this market, and that the publisher that has grown the most in revenue, with 33.27% in the analyzed period, is SAGE. Using information from the Scimago Journal Ranking (SJR), an annual comparison of three variables is carried out: a) cost per scientific article, this being in 2014, 328,27 USD; B) investment per student in scientific resources, and c) investment by teacher-researcher

The market of scientific information. The case of British universities (2010-2014)

Se presenta un análisis de la dinámica del mercado de la información científica del período 2010-2014 a través de los datos proporcionados por el estudio realizado por The London School of Economics and Politics Science (Lawson y Meghreblian, 2014) acerca del pago de suscripciones que las universidades del Reino Unido realizan a la editoriales, y así determinar cuáles son las que intervienen en los procesos de negociación de adquisición de recursos de información científica. Poniendo especial interés en el impacto que el mercado editorial tiene en la producción científica de las instituciones, ya que las variaciones del precio de las suscripciones hacen que el costo promedio de los artículos y la producción científica aumente o disminuya. Mediante la aplicación de criterios microeconómicos y de estadística descriptiva, se determina que Elsevier es la editorial dominante en este mercado, y que la editorial que más ha crecido comparativamente en ingresos, con un 33,27% en el período analizado, es SAGE. Utilizando información de Scimago Journal Ranking (SJR) se realiza una comparativa anual de tres variables: a) costo por artículo científico, siendo este en el año 2014, 328,27 dólares; b) inversión por estudiante en recursos científicos; y c) inversión por docente-investigador.An analysis of the dynamics of the market of scientific information of the period 2010-2014 is shown through the data provided by the study carried out by The London School of Economics and Politics Science on the payment of subscriptions that the universities of the United Kingdom realize to the publishers, and thus determine which are those involved in the processes of negotiation of acquisition of scientific information resources. Through the application of microeconomic criteria and descriptive statistics, it is determined that Elsevier is the dominant publisher in this market, and that the publisher that has grown the most in revenue, with 33.27% in the analyzed period, is SAGE. Using information from the Scimago Journal Ranking (SJR), an annual comparison of three variables is carried out: a) cost per scientific article, this being in 2014, 328,27 USD; B) investment per student in scientific resources, and c) investment by teacher-researcher

El mercado de la información científica: el caso de las universidades británicas (2010-2014)

An analysis of the dynamics of the market of scientific information of the period 2010-2014 is shown through the data provided by the study carried out by The London School of Economics and Politics Science on the payment of subscriptions that the universities of the United Kingdom realize to the publishers, and thus determine which are those involved in the processes of negotiation of acquisition of scientific information resources. Through the application of microeconomic criteria and descriptive statistics, it is determined that Elsevier is the dominant publisher in this market, and that the publisher that has grown the most in revenue, with 33.27% in the analyzed period, is SAGE. Using information from the Scimago Journal Ranking (SJR), an annual comparison of three variables is carried out: a) cost per scientific article, this being in 2014, 328,27 USD; B) investment per student in scientific resources, and c) investment by teacher-researcher