A locally adaptive kernel regression method for facies delineation

Facies delineation is defined as the separation of geological units with distinct intrinsic characteristics (grain size, hydraulic conductivity, mineralogical composition). A major challenge in this area stems from the fact that only a few scattered pieces of hydrogeological information are available to delineate geological facies. Several methods to delineate facies are available in the literature, ranging from those based only on existing hard data, to those including secondary data or external knowledge about sedimentological patterns. This paper describes a methodology to use kernel regression methods as an effective tool for facies delineation. The method uses both the spatial and the actual sampled values to produce, for each individual hard data point, a locally adaptive steering kernel function, self-adjusting the principal directions of the local anisotropic kernels to the direction of highest local spatial correlation. The method is shown to outperform the nearest neighbor classification method in a number of synthetic aquifers whenever the available number of hard data is small and randomly distributed in space. In the case of exhaustive sampling, the steering kernel regression method converges to the true solution. Simulations ran in a suite of synthetic examples are used to explore the selection of kernel parameters in typical field settings. It is shown that, in practice, a rule of thumb can be used to obtain suboptimal results. The performance of the method is demonstrated to significantly improve when external information regarding facies proportions is incorporated. Remarkably, the method allows for a reasonable reconstruction of the facies connectivity patterns, shown in terms of breakthrough curves performance

Influencia en el análisis de estados contables de las deudas por efectos descontados como pasivos reales o contingentes

This paper analyzes two objectives. The first one is to ascertain whether the discounting notes receivable must be considered as a real loan, or they should only be disclosed in the notes accompanying the financial statements, deeming them as a contingent liability. The first accounting procedure is followed by Spanish accounting standards since 1991. The second one is in line with the recognition and measurement criteria proposed by the IFRS, and stood in line for much of the legal doctrine and accounting rules, as, i.e., the FAS Statements 77 and 140. The second aim is to discuss the impact of the choice of either alternative on the analysis of financial statements in three major areas: financial, economic and heritage. Accordingly, it illustrates how the discounting notes receivable consideration by the Spanish accounting rules results in distorting effects on the financial statement analysis, exacerbating the perception of the analyst on the financial position of the entity. This causes serious damage to the companies that make use of this tool in raising finance for accounts receivable, since that undermine their ability to access other sources of bank financing.En este trabajo se plantean dos objetivos. En primer lugar, discernir si las deudas por efectos descontados deben aparecer en balance, por su consideración de pasivo, o bien en la memoria, con la consideración de pasivo contingente. El primero de los criterios contables apuntados es seguido por la normativa contable española desde 1990. El segundo de ellos resulta acorde con los criterios de reconocimiento y valoración propuestos por las NIIF, y se sitúa en la línea de buena parte de la doctrina jurídico-contable, entre otras, las SFAS 77 y 140 norteamericanas. En segundo lugar, analizar la repercusión de la elección de una u otra alternativa sobre el análisis de estados financieros en sus tres vertientes principales: financiera, económica y patrimonial. En consecuencia, se ilustra cómo el tratamiento contable del descuento bancario por parte de los PGC españoles de 1990 y 2007 provoca efectos distorsionadores en el análisis de balances, empeorando la percepción del analista respecto de la situación económico-financiera de la entidad. Este hecho provoca un grave perjuicio a las compañías que hacen uso de esta herramienta de movilización financiera de cuentas a cobrar, toda vez que merman su capacidad de acceso a otras fuentes de financiación bancaria

Probabilistic analysis of maintenance and operation of artificial recharge ponds

      Aquifer artificial recharge from surface infiltration ponds is often conducted to replenish depleted aquifers in arid and semi-arid zones. Physical and bio-geochemical clogging decreases the host soil’s infiltration capacity, which has to be restored with periodic maintenance activities. We develop a probabilistic modeling framework that quantifies the risk of a pond’s infiltration capacity falling below its target value due to soil heterogeneity and clogging. This framework can act as a tool to aid managers in optimally selecting and designing maintenance strategies. Our model enables one to account for a variety of maintenance strategies that target different clogging mechanisms. The framework is applied to an existing pond in Barcelona, Spain as well as to several synthetic infiltration ponds with varying statistical distributions of initial infiltration capacity. We find that physical clogging mechanisms induce the greatest uncertainty and that maintenance targeted at these can yield optimal results. However, considering the fundamental role of the spatial variability in the initial properties, we conclude that an adequate initial characterization of the surface infiltration ponds is crucial to determining the degree of uncertainty of different maintenance solutions and thus to making cost-effective and reliable decisions. &nbsp

Approach to managing the Freiberg’s disease

La enfermedad de Freiberg, descrita por Albert H. Freiberg en 1914, es una osteocondrosis que se presenta en los metatarsianos y con mayor frecuencia en la segunda cabeza metatarsal. La carencia de consenso en relación a la etiología multifactorial que presenta esta afección y la prevalencia de esta enfermedad a nivel del pie, sobre todo en la adolescencia y en deportistas, nos lleva a mejorar los conocimientos existentes en lo que se refiere a su clasificación, diagnóstico y tratamiento en la búsqueda de actualizar los conceptos relacionados con esta patología del pie.Freiberg’s disease, described by Albert H. Freiberg in 1914, is presented in osteochondrosis metatarsals and more frequently in the second metatarsal head. The lack of consensus regarding the multifactorial etiology has this condition and the prevalence of this disease at the foot, especially in adolescence and athletes, leads us to improve existing knowledge in regard to their classification, diagnosis and treatment in the quest to update the concepts related to this foot disorders

Combining physical-based models and satellite images for the spatio-temporal assessment of soil infiltration capacity

The performance of managed artificial recharge (MAR) facilities by means of surface ponds (SP) is controlled by the temporal evolution of the global infiltration capacity Ic of topsoils. Cost-effective maintenance operations that aim to maintain controlled infiltration values during the activity of the SP require the full knowledge of the spatio-temporal variability of Ic. This task is deemed uncertain. The natural reduction in time of Ic depends on complex physical, biological and chemical reactions that clog the soil pores and has been observed to decay exponentially to an asymptotic non-zero value. Moreover, the relative influence of single clogging processes depend on some initial parameters of the soil, such as the initial infiltration capacity (Ic,0). This property is also uncertain, as aquifers are typically heterogeneous and scarcely characterized in practical situations. We suggest a method to obtain maps of Ic using a geostatistical approach, which is suitable to be extended to engineering risk assessment concerning management of SP facilities. We propose to combine geostatistical inference and a temporally-lumped physical model to reproduce non-uniform clogging in topsoils of a SP, using field campaigns of local and large scale tests and additionally by means of satellite images as secondary information. We then postulate a power-law relationship between the parameter of the exponential law, k, and Ic,0. It is found that calibrating the two parameters of the power law model it is possible to fit the temporal evolution of total infiltration rate at the pond scale in a MAR test facility. The results can be used to design appropriate measures to selectively limit clogging during operation, extending the life of the infiltration pond. The performance of managed artificial recharge (MAR) facilities by means of surface ponds (SP) is controlled by the temporal evolution of the global infiltration capacity Ic of topsoils. Cost-effective maintenance operations that aim to maintain controlled infiltration values during the activity of the SP require the full knowledge of the spatio-temporal variability of Ic. This task is deemed uncertain. The natural reduction in time of Ic depends on complex physical, biological and chemical reactions that clog the soil pores and has been observed to decay exponentially to an asymptotic non-zero value. Moreover, the relative influence of single clogging processes depend on some initial parameters of the soil, such as the initial infiltration capacity (Ic,0). This property is also uncertain, as aquifers are typically heterogeneous and scarcely characterized in practical situations. We suggest a method to obtain maps of Ic using a geostatistical approach, which is suitable to be extended to engineering risk assessment concerning management of SP facilities. We propose to combine geostatistical inference and a temporally-lumped physical model to reproduce non-uniform clogging in topsoils of a SP, using field campaigns of local and large scale tests and additionally by means of satellite images as secondary information. We then postulate a power-law relationship between the parameter of the exponential law, ¿, and Ic,0. It is found that calibrating the two parameters of the power law model it is possible to fit the temporal evolution of total infiltration rate at the pond scale in a MAR test facility. The results can be used to design appropriate measures to selectively limit clogging during operation, extending the life of the infiltration pon

Exploring the effect of professionalization, risk-taking and technological innovation on business performance

©2022. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ This document is the Published version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in PLOS ONE. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0263694The aim of this paper is to analize the influence of professionalization over firm’s performance and the effect of two mediating variables, risk-taking and technological innovation. A total of 310 Spanish SMEs were surveyed, and the study was conducted using partial least squares path modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. The findings showed that firm’s performance is influenced by professionalization, risk-taking and technological innovation. These effects are not only direct and positive, but there are also important indirect effects that reinforce the positive effects of professionalization on firm’s performance. This research contributes to the literature on professionalization considering mediating effects of risk-taking and technological innovation in the relationship between professionalization and firm’s performance. The results provide interesting implications for theory and practice, indicating how companies can orient their strategies with the aim of gaining competitive advantage in order to increase their performance

A quick and inexpensive method to quantify spatially variable infiltration capacity for artificial recharge ponds using photographic images

The efficiency of artificial surface ponds (SPs) for managed aquifer recharge (MAR) is mostly controlled by the topmost portion of the soil. The most significant soil property controlling recharge is the infiltration capacity (Ic), which is highly variable in space. Assessing its spatial distribution in detail is prohibitive in practice due to high costs, time effort, and limited site accessibility. We present an alternative method for a quick and low-cost quantitative estimation of the spatial distribution of Ic based on satellite images. The fact that hydraulic properties of topsoils and color intensities of digital images depend on some common factors such as moisture content, nature and organization of grains, proportion of iron, and organic and clay content among others, allow us to infer infiltration capacities from color intensities. The relationship between these two variables is site specific and requires calibration. A pilot SP site in Catalonia (Spain) is used as an application example. Two high-resolution digital images of the site are provided at no cost by the local cartographic institute as well as from a popular Internet-based map server. An initial set of local infiltration experiments, randomly located, were found to correlate to color intensities of the digital images. This relationship was then validated against additional independent measurements. The resulting maps of infiltration were then used to estimate the total maximum infiltration of the artificial pond area, the results being consistent with an independent flooding test performed at the site

Immunoproteomic analysis of a Chikungunya poxvirus-based vaccine reveals high HLA class II immunoprevalence

BACKGROUND: Efficient adaptive antiviral cellular and humoral immune responses require previous recognition of viral antigenic peptides bound to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and II molecules, which are exposed on the surface of infected and antigen presenting cells, respectively. The HLA-restricted immune response to Chikungunya virus (CHIKV), a mosquito-borne Alphavirus of the Togaviridae family responsible for severe chronic polyarthralgia and polyarthritis, is largely unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, a high-throughput mass spectrometry analysis of complex HLA-bound peptide pools isolated from large amounts of human cells infected with a vaccinia virus (VACV) recombinant expressing CHIKV structural proteins was carried out. Twelve viral ligands from the CHIKV polyprotein naturally presented by different HLA-A, -B, and -C class I, and HLA-DR and -DP class II molecules were identified. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The immunoprevalence of the HLA class II but not the HLA class I-restricted cellular immune response against the CHIKV structural polyprotein was greater than that against the VACV vector itself. In addition, most of the CHIKV HLA class I and II ligands detected by mass spectrometry are not conserved compared to its closely related O'nyong-nyong virus. These findings have clear implications for analysis of both cytotoxic and helper immune responses against CHIKV as well as for the future studies focused in the exacerbated T helper response linked to chronic musculoskeletal disorders in CHIKV patients.This work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Economy grants SAF2014-58052 and “Acción Estratégica en Salud” 2018 to DL, SAF-2013-45232-R and SAF-2017-88089-R to ME, and by Israel Science Foundation, grant No. 1435/16 to AA. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.S

Financial knowledge of pre-university students: age and gender

Financial education is essential to improve the well-being of society at large by avoiding, to a large extent, erroneous financial decisions. It is, therefore, necessary to inculcate adequate financial literacy from an early age. The aim of this paper is to identify the possible effects of age and gender on the acquisition of financial literacy, exploring the potential interrelationships between them. Applying a set of multilevel (mixed effects) regression models to a sample of 9,917 pre-university students from 175 training centres in Andalusia, our results show that age and gender are significantly related to the pre-university student’s financial literacy. Moreover, gender plays a moderating role in the relationship between age and financial literacy acquisition. The results of this study have practical implications for teachers, students, school principals and educational planners because they help to understand better the critical factors in financial literacy at the pre-university level.Universidad de Málaga. Campus de Excelencia Internacional Andalucía Tec

Sustainable Tourism Development and Economic Growth: Bibliometric Review and Analysis

Over the past decade, there has been a growing interest in studying the impact of sustain- able tourism development on economic growth. However, despite its recent scope, the scientific literature published so far has not evaluated the performance of the scientific activity of this rela- tionship. Consequently, this study analyzes the 668 articles published to date in the Web of Science database on the effect that sustainable tourism development has on the overall long-term progress of the economy. To this end, we carry out an analysis of the most recognized authors, regions with the highest percentage of scientific production, most influential organizations, the co-occurrence of keywords, most prominent citations, publications, and co-authorship among the most recognized authors. The results obtained show the trend and impact of the literature published to date and the established and emerging research groups. Also, they identify key research topics in a way that provides a planning framework for further research in this field.2020-2